Having tested himself on the pristine manicured courses in the United States and endeared himself to the American audiences, Rory McIlroy is looking forward to his return to competitive golf in Ireland.

He will tee of in the 3 Irish Open on May 14th, alongside fellow Irishmen Pádraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke, as well as Scot Colin Montgomerie and American John Daly.

“I am looking forward to playing it so much because I love links golf,” said the Holywood golfer today.

“Returning to links golf after a couple of months in America where I played courses like Augusta and Doral will be a test but it’s a test I’m relishing it.”

McIlroy turns 20 this Monday. It’s been a memorable year for the youngster who finished in a tie for 20th in the US Masters and reached the quarter-final of WGC - Accenture Match Play before getting knocked out by Geoff Ogilvy.

Victory at Baltray would give him his second win on the European Tour and significantly boost his chances in the Race to Dubai. He’s currently fourth in the inaugural event, but Dubai, the scene of his maiden Tour win, is a long way from Baltray and far from his thoughts at the moment.

"There’s no doubt it would be great to get back to Dubai and have a chance of winning The Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship – but first of all I have to concentrate on getting a good result at The 3 Irish Open because that would be a good catalyst for the rest of the year.

“It would be a nice to do a Dubai double, that’s for sure. But it’s a long way off and I’m concentrating on the rest of the season, starting at Baltray in a couple of weeks.”