Amateur Scene: Ireland's Walker Cup team member Brian McElhinney will be one of a top-class field that tees up for the annual Mullingar Scratch Cup on August Bank Holiday Monday.
In his final tournament before the Walker Cup, McElhinney will start as favourite to lift the coveted trophy that has been to the forefront of Irish golf since first played for in 1963. Because of a clash of fixtures this year's event, sponsored by the Owens Group, will be over 36 holes but will revert to 72 holes again next year.
McElhinney's main opposition will come from his international team-mates Rory McElroy, Jim Carvill, Michael McGeady, Darren Crowe, Gareth Shaw, Cian McNamara and the defending champion Greg Bowden from Hermitage.
Meanwhile, three players who competed in the recent US Open Championship have been selected as part of the 10-man squad to represent the US for the Walker Cup match against Britain and Ireland at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois from August 13th-14th.
The trio are Matthew Every (22), from Daytona Beach, Florida, Michael Putman (22), from Tacoma, Washington, and Lee Williams (24), of Alexander City. They are joined on the team by Anthony Kim (20), of La Quinta, California, Brian Harman (18), of Savannah, Georgia, John Holmes (23), of Campbellsville, Kentucky, Billy Hurley (23), of Leesburg, Virginia, Jeff Overton (22), of Evansville, Indiana, Kyle Reifers (22), of Dublin, Ohio, and Nicholas Thompson (22), of Coral Springs, Florida.
Bob Lewis, who played on four winning Walker Cup teams from 1981 through 1987 and captained the side in 2003, will again lead the side seeking to regain the trophy last won by the US in 1997.
The Britain and Ireland side has won the last three matches, in 1999, 2001 and 2003; twice by scores of 15-9 and by 12½ -11½ in 2003. The US, however, are well ahead in the series with 31 wins to just seven losses with one match halved.
"I am really excited about this group," said Lewis. "They have a lot of talent and I look forward to going to bat with these guys. I want them to have a good experience. I give the committee a lot of credit for its selections."
Every, a senior at the University of Florida, was the leading amateur at the US Open at Pinehurst No 2, finishing tied for 28th place after a last round of 70, the fifth best round of the day.
The Ulster selectors have adopted a youth policy as they set out to regain the men's Interprovincial Championship title at Co Sligo on August 10th to 12th with four teenagers named in the team.Newly-crowned 19-year-old North of Ireland champion Gareth Shaw is one of seven changes to the side that finished third in Portmarnock last year.
Making their senior debuts along with Shaw will be Stephen Crowe, Conor Doran, Nicky Grant, Brendan McCarroll and Rory McIlroy. Stephen Crowe joins his brother Darren in the team.
The new-look side contains the North, East and West champions and the Irish Close titleholder.
Back at college in America and unavailable for selection is Richard Kilpatrick while British Amateur champion McElhinney will be on duty with the Walker Cup squad.
Left out are Michael Sinclair, Alastair McKinley, Andrew McCormick and 2004 North champion Trevor Coulter while making a return after his spell in the professional ranks is Jim Carvill, who earlier in the season won the East of Ireland title.
Meanwhile, while Des Smyth took second place in the British Seniors Championship at Royal Aberdeen, Adrian Morrow, a member at Portmarnock Golf Club, won the silver medal which goes to the leading amateur who completes all four rounds.
Morrow, who was joint-leading qualifier with a three-under-par 68 at Murcar last week, was one of only two amateurs who survived the halfway cut over the Balgownie links. The other was American John Baldwin, a member of the Sunningdale club in New York. Morrow had scores of 79, 78, 71 and 73 for 17-over-par 301 and Baldwin had 80, 75, 75 and 80 for 310. "I enjoyed it tremendously. To win the silver medal was a big, big bonus for me," said Morrow.
"All the guys I played with over the four rounds at Balgownie were great company. In the last round I played with Sam Torrance. That was good fun."
Morrow is going to go to the European Seniors' Tour Qualifying School in Portugal in November. He has been a career amateur and has been capped for Ireland in the home internationals in four different decades - 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and finally in 2000.
Enniscrone Golf Club made history last week at Roscommon Golf Club when they captured their fourth consecutive provincial Irish mixed foursomes title.
After beating Dunmore Demesne 3-2 in the semi-final, in which their experience told over the closing holes, they beat Gort in the decider, also 3-2.
They now head for Monkstown Golf Club on September 1st to defend their National title.
IRELAND (Boys Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa GC August 2nd-4th): Simon Doherty (Fortwilliam), Alan Glynn (Porters Park), Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin), Brian Keenan (The Heath), Shane Lowry (Esker Hills), Paul O'Kane (Massereene), Seamus Power (West Waterford), Fergal Rafferty (Dungannon), Liam Reilly (Galgorm Castle), Patrick Sheehy (Limerick), Simon Ward (Co Louth). Captain: Ciaran Burke (City of Derry).
