DIGEST/GOLF:Doonbeg Golf Club and Georgia Southern University will underwrite a sponsorship arrangement that will see a young Irish golfer receive a four-year scholarship to the American college. Georgia Southern is ranked in the top 20 colleges in the US for its golf programme, reports John O'Sullivan
The scholarship is the brainchild of Doonbeg member Marshal Mize and the west Clare club's founder Buddy Darby.
Doonbeg's head professional, Brian Shaw, himself a graduate of US college golf, believes this will present a fantastic opportunity for a young Irish golfer.
"The college has facilities second to none and has recently spent $1.5 million upgrading its practice facilities. There are actually 25 acres of a practice area, which includes a three-green short-game area, a driving range, indoor and outdoor putting facilities and state-of-the-art video analysis equipment."
Players wishing to be considered should, in the first instance, write to Shaw at Doonbeg Golf Club, Doonbeg, Co Clare. In making an application players should give details of their golfing and academic careers to date inclusive of all significant results.
Candidates must be under the age of 18 on January 1st, 2007.
EQUESTRIAN: Avril Doyle yesterday called for Government funding for the sport of three-day eventing, reports Grania Willis.
The Fine Gael MEP, who chaired International Sport Horse Show Limited, the company set up to run the international three-day event at Punchestown between 2002 and 2004, said the company had been voluntarily wound up without debt, but that only Government funding could keep the sport going at a professional level.
"Government funding is, and will remain, an essential prerequisite to viability," Doyle said at the publication of the company's accounts yesterday. The Irish sport horse has topped the World Breeding Federation rankings for the past 10 years.
International Sport Horse Show Limited was officially closed last September, but the company yesterday issued costings for the three runnings of the Punchestown three-day event between 2002 and 2004.
The figures revealed an expenditure of 3.61 million, almost half of that coming from commercial sponsorship. Public funding produced 36 per cent of the total, the balance being generated from competitors' entry fees, gate receipts and commercial sales. "There's no money left in the kitty, but everyone's been paid", said chief executive Tim Philips yesterday.
GOLF: Darren Clarke is to join Setanta Sports as brand ambassador for the new Setanta Golf channel, which begins broadcasting next Monday. The satellite broadcaster will show all the top tournaments on the USPGA Tour, US Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour, starting with the Sony Open live from Hawaii from January 11th to 14th, reports John O'Sullivan.
Clarke will join seasoned anchors Dominic Holyer, Ken Brown and Ronan Rafferty as the face of Setanta Golf and can be expected to feature in Setanta's promotions this year.
Setanta won the exclusive Ireland and UK rights to the high-profile USPGA Tour for the next six years.
