McGinley again rules out 2020 Irish Open hosting; G-Mac in pole position?

Graeme McDowell plays his tee shot on the second hole during the third round at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Saturday, June 15, 2019. (Copyright USGA/JD Cuban)

Graeme McDowell could be the most logical host for the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open after Paul McGinley definitively ruled himself out for next May's Rolex Series event at Mount Juliet.

The Dubliner (52) brilliantly hosted the event at Lahinch in July and donated €75,000 of the funds raised by the McGinley Foundation to the local National School, Soil Mhuire and the North West Clare Family Resource Centre.

The former Ryder Cup captain insisted in July that he would not host the event again next year despite his links with Mount Juliet and he reiterated that intention on his return to Lahinch last week.

"I won't be [hosting] in the immediate future anyway," McGinley told Clare FM. "In four or five years' time, if Lahinch consider that they want to do it again, I would obviously consider it.

"I won't rule it out, but it certainly won't be for four or five years. We are on a roll at the moment in terms of hosts with Rory, Darren Clarke, myself, Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell.

"They haven't announced one for 2020 yet, but it won't be me. It won't happen until the end of that rota of five players."

Paul McGinley at Mount Juliet. Picture: INPHO

Pádraig Harrington has also ruled himself out for 2020 as he captains the European Ryder Cup team while Clarke is also ruled out as he has the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship the week before the event scheduled for May 28-31.

World No 114 McDowell (40) is keen to make a fifth Ryder Cup appearance having missed out in 2016 and again last year when he was an assistant captain.

A spokesman for the Portrush man, who returns to action in this week's Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, confirmed that the possibility of him stepping up as host in 2020 had been broached.

The 2010 US Open champion raises considerable funds for children's charities through the G-Mac Foundation, and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open has proved to be an excellent fund-raising tool for Rory McIlroy from 2015 to 2018 and McGinley this year.

McGinley sold several Pro-Am teams at a premium at Lahinch, where he also set up his own "Shebeen" offering corporate hospitality overlooking the 18th green, generating a €75,000 profit.

"It's the cherry on top of what was a great year - investing money back into the local community that will create a lot of good services," McGinley said of the €60,000 raised to build an astroturf sports facility at Scoil Mhuire in Lahinch and the €15,000 that went to the North West Clare Family Resource Centre (NWCFRC).

"I always said that any money we raised we would be leaving in the community. When you are the host of a tournament, you get a small number of teams in the pro-am and the opportunity to have your own private box.

"You have to pay the costs of those but what you raise over and above that is what your Foundation makes.

"The local community was key to the success of the Irish Open. So as a thank you, any money I could raise was always going back into the community."