The world's No 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, has made his second visit to Co Limerick in two years and is staying at the Adare Manor Hotel before playing at the British Open next week.
Mr Woods arrived at the hotel and golf club on Monday, a day after his professional colleague and good friend, Mark O'Meara.
They both participated in last year's J.P. McManus Invitational Pro-Am when £15 million was raised for local charities.
The two golfers will be staying until Thursday at the five-star hotel, paying £345 a night for their rooms in the River Wing. They are spending time fishing, according to the hotel-owner, Mr Tom Kane. They were "hanging out by themselves", he added. "It is just the two lads. I greeted them when they came in. Tiger hit some balls off the driving range yesterday and today."
Golf professional Greg Norman also spent time in the mid-west in recent days, inspecting the £12.5 million course he designed at Doonbeg, Co Clare.
Last month Woods failed to shine at the US Open, dashing hopes that he would complete a fifth "major" championship in succession. He had won the 2000 British Open, US Open, US PGA and the 2001 Masters, making him the first golfer to hold all four professional major championships at the same time.
The 25-year-old, who is estimated to be worth $5 billion and is believed to earn more than $65 million a year by endorsing Nike, American Express, Rolex, Buick and Walt Disney products, is hot favourite to win the Open championship at Royal Lytham next week.