Mount Juliet is the white-hot favourite to be announced as the host for the Dubai Dubai Free Irish Open from May 28-31 next year.

With Rory McIlroy a certain starter, the expected date change was confirmed when the European Tour released its full 2019-20 schedule yesterday.

European Tour officials, including the tournament's Championship Director Simon Alliss, are expected to visit the Thomastown venue next week.

The move to May was prompted by a clash of dates with the WGC FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis, which has moved from the week after The Open to the July 2-4 date occupied by the Irish Open for the last three years.

The World Golf Championship event will be played opposite the PGA Tour's Barracuda Championship in Nevada and the Open de France, which is one of several events changing date next year.

While nine venues have yet to be confirmed, including France, the schedule features a minimum of 46 Race to Dubai events in 29 countries, including eight Rolex Series events.

The date changes include a move for the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama from October to April 30-May 3 when it will become the first Ryder Cup qualifying event to multiply points by 1.5 until the team is finalised at the BMW PGA Championship next September.

This week's Mutuactivos Open de Espana will remain at the Club de Campo in Madrid next October.

Shane Lowry's nearest rival for the Race to Dubai, Jon Rahm, defends the title there this week and he's set his sights on breaking one of Seve Ballesteros' records.

Ballestros won his fifth title in his 49th start but the reigning Dubai Duty Free Irish Open champion Rahm, who does not plan to play again until the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, is hoping to win his fifth in his 39th start this week.

"I hope I can get to five before Seve did," said Rahm, who is joined in Madrid by Paul Dunne, Gavin Moynihan and Michael Hoey.

"I would love to do that. Those records are always nice. That's something I have in mind when I'm playing."

Dunne, currently ranked 106th, has been told his current Race to Dubai points tally is already beyond the projected minimum required to finish inside the top 119 who will keep their cards this year.

He will have Greystones professional Karl Holmes as his caddie in Madrid following his split with his bagman of four years, Darren Reynolds, at Wentworth.

Moynihan is 159th in the rankings and likely making his last regular European Tour appearance of the season as he prepares to return to the Q-School while 173rd ranked Hoey faces a similar scenario.

Leona ready to claim card but injured Meadow in last chance saloon

In women’s golf, fifth-ranked Leona Maguire will be aiming to secure her LPGA Tour card via the top-10 in the money list at the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship in Florida, but Stephanie Meadow is running out of time to keep hers.

Struggling with a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw last week, the Jordanstown star needs a top-10 finish in the Volunteers of America Classic in Dallas to extend her season or face another trip to the Q-Series.

She is outside the top 100 in the rankings and will not qualify for any of the events in Asia over the next few weeks unless she has what she described as “a really big week.”

On the Challenge Tour, Portmarnock Links' Robin Dawson and Shannon's Danny Brennan are the only Irishmen in action in the Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco.

Dawson is looking to move from 86th into the top 70 in the Road to Mallorca Rankings as soon as possible so he can secure his full Challenge Tour card for next season.

2019-20 European Tour International Schedule

November

28 - 1 Dec Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong

28 - 1 Dec Alfred Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa

December

Dec 5 - 8 Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open, Heritage GC, Heritage Bel Ombre, Mauritius

19 - 22 Australian PGA Championship, RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

January

Jan 9 - 12 South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg, Randpark GC, Johannesburg, South Africa

16 - 19 ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY EGA, Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE

23 - 26 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE

30 - 2 Feb Saudi International Powered by SBIA, Royal Greens G&CC, King Abdullah Economic City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

February

Feb 6 - 9 ISPS Handa Vic Open, 13th Beach GC, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

20 - 23 WGC - Mexico Championship, Chapultepec GC, Mexico City, Mexico

27 - 1 Mar Oman Open, Al Mouj Golf, Muscat, Oman

March

Mar 5 - 8 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Education City GC, Doha, Qatar

12 - 15 Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa, Karen CC, Nairobi, Kenya

19 - 22 Hero Indian Open, DLF G&CC, New Delhi, India

25 - 29 WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play Austin CC, Austin, Texas, USA

April

Apr 9 - 12 THE MASTERS, Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA

16-19 Maybank Championship, TBC, Malaysia

23-26 Volvo China Open, TBC, China

30-3 May Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain

May

May 9-10 GolfSixes Cascais, Oitavos Dunes, Cascais, Portugal

14-17 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, CA, USA

21-24 Made in Denmark presented by FREJA, Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, Farsoe, Denmark

28-31 DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN TBC, Ireland

June

Jun 4-7 Trophee Hassan II, Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco

11-14 Scandinavian Invitation, TBC, Sweden

18-21 US OPEN, Winged Foot GC, Mamaroneck, NY, USA

25-28 BMW International Open, Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany

July

Jul 2-5 Open de France, TBC, France

2-5 WGC - FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis, TN, USA

9-12 ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS SCOTTISH OPEN, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland

16-19 The 149th OPEN, Royal St, George's GC, Sandwich, Kent, England

30-2 Aug Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, Close House GC, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

30-2 Aug Olympic Men's Golf Competition Kasumigaseki CC, Saitama, Japan

August

Aug 6-9 UK Event Confirmed, TBC

13-16 TBC

20-23 D+D Real Czech Masters, Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic

27-30 Omega European Master, Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland

September

Sep 3-6 Porsche European Open, Green Eagle Golf Courses, Hamburg, Germany

10-13 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England

17-20 KLM Open Bernardus Golf, Cromvoirt, The Netherlands

25-27 The 2020 Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits GC, WI, USA

October

Oct 1-4 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland

8-11 ITALIAN OPEN, TBC, Italy

15-18 Mutuactivos Open de Espana, Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

22-25 Portugal Masters, Dom Pedro Victoria GC, Vilamoura, Portugal

29-1 Nov WGC - HSBC Champions Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China

November

Nov 5-8 TURKISH AIRLINES OPEN, TBC, Turkey

12-15 NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE HOSTED BY GARY PLAYER, Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa

19-22 DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE