Some sensible rescheduling of the amateur calendar, to ensure that the Irish Amateur Open strokeplay would not clash with any of the major tournaments in Britain, has reaped immediate rewards with a record overseas entry for next month's event at Royal Dublin Golf Club.
Having learned their lessons from previous years, when the strokeplay invariably clashed with the English equivalent, the Brabazon Trophy, the Golfing Union of Ireland's decision to give it a free weekend on May 11th-13th has resulted in a field that includes 63 overseas players from 12 countries. And, for players seeking to earn places on this year's Walker Cup team for the match with the United States in Georgia, it will represent a good chance to impress the selectors who will be present at the north Dublin links.
Indeed, an indication of the high quality of the entry list (which closed at the weekend) is that 64 of the 132 competitors have plus handicaps, ranging from plus one to plus four, while a general indicator of the depth is that the cut-off mark came at 0.9 handicap plus three players on 1.0 handicap.
Portmarnock's Noel Fox, the defending champion and a Walker Cup aspirant, will have to fend off some high-powered players from abroad if he is to successfully retain the trophy. Two of the five entrants from South Africa - Dean Lambert and Richard Steren - play off plus four handicaps, while other top overseas players include Zane Scotland, Jonathan Lupton and Gary Wolstenholme of England, Scotland's Graham Gordon and Welshmen Nigel Edwards and Craig Williams.
Four players under 25 who reached the matchplay stages of the recent West of Ireland but who failed to gain entry on exact handicap are included in the field under the terms of the championship. They are Ronan Maher (Nenagh), Karl Purcell (Old Conna), Seamus McMonagle (Dunfanaghy) and Michael Collins (Doneraile).
In all, 12 countries - the USA, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Finland, France, Iceland, Portugal, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland - have players in the event, but since the event was restored to the calendar in 1995 after a 34-years break, only Irish players have managed to win.
Padraig Harrington won the revived event at Fota Island in 1995 and Keith Nolan won at the same venue for the following two years. Michael Hoey, Gary Cullen and Fox have all won since the championship moved to Royal Dublin in 1998.
The Irish team to play the Metropolitan Golf Association of New York for the Governor Hugh Carey Cup at Portmarnock Golf Club on May 8th-9th has been announced as Stephen Browne, Johnny Foster, Andy McCormick, Michael McDermott, Adrian Morrow, Tim Rice, Cullen and Fox.
