The first time Dalgleish set eyes on McIlroy, the Ulster ace holed out from 150 yards for an eagle two at Royal Lytham's third hole.

As he prepared to watch McIlroy and 12 of his 23-man Walker Cup squad in tomorrow's (Friday) AIB Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin, Dalgleish recalled McIlroy's introductory eagle.

He said: "I knew who he was but that was the very first shot I saw him hit. Amazing. He’s a Sergio Garcia-esque player on the course and he’s exciting to watch.

"I can understand how everybody in Ireland is already talking about him so much and slowly but surely people throughout mainland Britain and further afield will learn of Rory."

McIlroy, 18, is the favourite to win the 72-hole Irish Amateur Open this week against a top class field that includes last week’s Lytham Trophy winner Lloyd Saltman and US Amateur champion Richie Ramsay.

County Louth’s Simon Ward and Clandeboye’s Johnny Caldwell are also in the 23-man Walker Cup panel and will tee it up today with high hopes of making an impression on the selectors.

Lurgan’s Gareth Shaw, Ireland’s fourth panellist, is away in college in the US while Dunmurry's Darren Crowe, who was second when Ramsay won the title at Carton House in 2005, has pulled out through injury.

The Championship has attracted a record 84 overseas players from thirteen countries with McIlroy the lowest handicapper in the field off plus 5.1.

The field includes 13 of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup squad with Scots Ramsay, Saltman, Kelvin McAlpine, Keir McNicholl, Glenn Campbell, Scott McHenry and Paul O’Hara joined by Irish aces McIlroy, Ward and Caldwell.

None of the English Walker Cup players are in Dublin due to a clashing fixture with France, but Welsh Walker Cup men Edwards, Lewellyn Matthews and Zach Gould will tee it up at Royal Dublin.

AIB IRISH AMATEUR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, The Royal Dublin Golf Club Tee-times Friday (Saturday)

07:30 (10:48) Brendan Walton (The Island), Wayne McCully

(Donaghadee), Rory McNamara (Headfort)

07:39 (10:57) Tommy McGowan (Strandhill), Dara Lernihan (UCD/

Castle), Luke Lennox (Moyola Park)

07:48 (11:06) Paul Cutler (Portstewart), Nicky Grant (Knock), Edward

Saxel (England)

07:57 (11:15) Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge), John Morris (Rosslare),

Laurence Allen (England)

08:06 (11:33) Robert McCarthy (Island), Romain Zwahlen (France),

James Smedley (England)

08:15 (11:42) Gerard Lawlor (Citywest), Mark Gaynor (USA),

Christopher Mivis (Belgium)

08:24 (11:51) Norbert Krichner (Austria), Ben Westgate (Wales), Niall

Kearney (Royal Dublin)

08:33 (12:00) Juhana Pernaa (Finland), Connor Doran (Banbridge),

Thomas Ortner (Austria)

08:51 (12:09) Joe Lyons (Galway), Wolfgang Rieder (Austria), Zack

Saltman (Scotland)

09:00 (12:18) Kevin McAlpine (Scotland), Ben Evans (England), Todd

Halpen (Canada)

09:09 (12:27) Keir McNicholl (Scotland), Bryan Norton (USA), Alex

McCloy (Ballymena)

09:18 (12:36) Joe Vickery (Wales), Kevin Hammer (USA), Prinavin

Nelson (South Africa)

09:27 (12:54) Robert McKnight (Scotland), Andrew Ross (Canada), Chris

Geraghty (England)

09:36 (13:03) Rory McIlroy (Holywood), Lloyd Saltman (Scotland),

Branden Grace (South Africa)

09:45 (13:12) Richard Ramsay (Scotland), Eoghan O’Connell (The Fox

Club), Nigel Edwards (Wales)

09:54 (13:21) Simon Ward (Co. Louth), Lewellyn Matthews (Wales), Alan

Fadel (USA)

10:12 (13:30) Glenn Campbell (Scotland), Edward Richardson (England),

Nikke Tyry (Finland)

10:21 (13:39) Bryan Fotheringham (Scotland), Nuno Henriques

(Portugal), Philip McLean (Scotland)

10:30 (13:48) Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye), Rhys Enoch (Wales),

Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal)

10:39 (13:57) Antonio Rosado (Portugal), Jim Carvill (Warrenpoint),

Simon Doherty (Malone)

10:48 (07:30) Tuomas Sistonen (Finland), Andrew Hogan (UCD/

Newlands), Greg Carew (Edenderry)

10:57 (07:39) Scott O’Brien (USA), Richard Maunder (England), Eddie

McAnoy (Knock)

11:06 (07:48) Adam Runcie (Wales), Stuart Archibald (England), Ryan

Boal (Scrabo)

11:15 (07:57) Sebastian Kindsted (Finland), Marcus Armitage

(England), Charles Levitte (France)

11:33 (08:06) Jonas Haglund (Finland), John McGinn (Laytown &

Bettystown), Arthur Gabella Wennes (Sweden)

11:42 (08:15) Robert Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown), Rory Leonard

(Banbridge), James Dale (England)

11:51 (08:24) Emmanuel Mercadier (France), Ryan Thomas (Wales), Ross

Kellett (Scotland)

12:00 (08:33) Jacques Guillet (France), Miro Veijalainen (Finland),

Eoin O'Sullivan (Island)

12:09 (08:51) Michael Sinclair (Knock), Zach Gould (Wales), Paul

O’Hara (Scotland)

12:18 (09:00) Guillaume Cambis (France), Shaun McAllister (Scotland),

Paul O'Hanlon (The Curragh)

12:27 (09:09) Kenny La Sager (France), Mark Thistleton (England),

Joonas Granberg (Finland)

12:36 (09:18) Michael Barbarosa (USA), Xavier Pomcelet (France), Mark

O’Sullivan (Stow Acres)

12:54 (09:27) Romain Bechu (France), Scott Henry (Scotland), Shane

Lowry (UCD/Esker Hills)

13:03 (09:36) Pat Murray (Limerick), Steven McEwan (Scotland), Jukka

Pekka Savolampi (Finland)

13:12 (09:45) Mikael Salminen (Finland), Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas),

Ben Kosmin (France)

13:21 (09:54) Rudy Thuillier (France), Michael McCoy (USA), Callum

Macaulay (Scotland)

13:30 (10:12) Richard Merchant (Wales), Stephen Grant (Birr), Marek

Novy (Czech Republic)

13:39 (10:21) Chris Cousins (Wales), Bryn Rocke (South Africa),

Cedric Scotto (France)

13:48 (10:30) Ben Jones (England), Gavin O’Neill (Jersey), Des Morgan

(Mullingar)

13.57 (10.39) Nicolas Catesson (France), Tom Wyatt (USA), Jason

Shufflebotham (Wales).