It’s Rory McIlroy vs. Rickie Fowler to start the Irish Open

Let the hype continue, as Rickie Fowler, the once-and-future contestant vying to be Rory McIlroy’s foil, will tee it up with the world No. 1 in the first two rounds of the Irish Open.

Billed as the rekindling on the same Royal County Down course, of a clash between 2007 Walker Cup opponents, this week’s matchup makes more sense as an ongoing duel than Boy Wonder versus Heir Jordan. After all, Fowler has actually beaten McIlroy -- as an 18-year-old amateur with partner Billy Horschel at the Walker Cup and in a playoff for the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.

Spieth, thanks to his Masters victory, is No. 2 to McIlroy’s No. 1 in the world rankings. Both competitors, though, downplayed the notion that the two belonged in the same conversation prior to the former (69, 71) blowing the doors off the latter (75, 72, missed cut) in the opening two rounds of The Players Championship.

“As far as a rivalry goes, I mean he moved even further away from it really being what I would consider a budding rivalry right now,” Spieth told reporters before festivities got under way at TPC Sawgrass earlier this month. “I could certainly appreciate if I could get to where he’s at, but right now I don’t see myself there ... I just happen to be the one that occupies No. 2 right now.”

McIlroy, for his part, dismissed the idea that Spieth was close to being his equal.

“Last year it was Rickie, this year it’s Jordan,” McIlroy, practically stifling a yawn, said before The Players. “Might be someone else. Could have been Tiger. There’s been four or five rivalries over the past year, so it doesn’t really do anything for me.”

Perhaps Fowler, who could to be the more formidable challenger between the two golfers mentioned most often as the pretenders to McIlroy’s throne, can get Rory’s juices flowing.

Sure, McIlroy left Fowler in his dust in Abu Dhabi in January, when the eventual HSBC Golf Championship runner-up opened up with 67-66 to his playing partner’s 67-75.

In a far more high-profile shootout between McIlroy and Fowler -- Sunday’s final round of the 2014 British Open -- McIlroy did what he had to do to preserve his wire-to-wire victory, his third of four major titles. Fowler, though, in posting his second straight runner-up finish in a major, actually bested McIlroy, 67 to 71, in the finale’s head-to-head matchup.

“Rory has distanced himself a bit from this group of younger guys, but there’s going to be a lot of good competition in the years to come,” Fowler said after winning The Players for his second PGA Tour victory. “Like I said, a lot of great young players, and none of us are afraid. We’re ready to go to battle and have some fun.”

Some fun, indeed, with Fowler fresh off his Players win and McIlroy missing the cut at Wentworth after earning a W at Quail Hollow. Set the DVR to Golf Channel, which will go live at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday, when Rory and Rickie renew acquaintances starting at 8 a.m. local time.

★★★

SB Nation presents: Urban golfing with Graeme McDowell