Four Irish golfers eligible for US Amateur in Chicago

Ireland will have four golfers eligible to compete in the US Amateur Golf Championship at Olympia Fields Golf Club in Chicago next month. The top 50 players in the world rankings this week will be invited to compete.

Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass), fresh from a brilliant victory in last weekend's Brabazon Trophy moved up 14 places in the world rankings to a high of 19. West Waterford's Gary Hurley climbs a couple of place to 29 while Jack Hume (Naas) moved into the top 50, jumping 18 places to 47, following his third place finish in the Brabazon Trophy.

Gavin Moynihan (Naas), who finished runner-up to Sharvin in the English Amateur Open Strokeplay, moves to 56th but he too is eligible to travel to Chicago on the basis that the last two Walker Cup teams from the USA and Britain & Ireland receive invitations.

The US Amateur Championship clashes with the Home Internationals so the players will have a decision to make but at this stage only Moynihan has loosely indicated to the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) that he wants to represent Ireland one last time before turning professional later in the year.

Hurley is also expected to turn pro this year but Sharvin still has a year to go in his studies at Stirling University while Hume also looks like remaining in the amateur ranks for another year.

All four will be hoping to be selected for the Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St Annes from September 12th-13th. If the team were to be picked from the world golf rankings released on Wednesday, Ireland would have five representatives with Greystones' Paul Dunne the fifth member.

The University of Alabama graduate produced some spectacular golf at Woburn to earn a place at the British Open for the second year running. He’ll tee it up at St Andrews later this month. His exploits in qualifying were not reflected in the rankings this week. Dunne will also turn pro later this year.