South will adopt a strong French accent

AMATEUR SCENE: Justin Kehoe from Birr will be bidding to become the first player since Michael Guerin in 1963 to retain his South of Ireland Championship title at Lahinch when the race for the coveted crown begins on Saturday, writes  Shay Keenan

But if he is to succeed he will have to do it the hard way. For the first time in its 101-year history, the South of Ireland Championship will include nine members of the French Golf Federation panel which has been selected to compete in the World Championship.

All are off a plus handicap, and they will be seen in the second round on Sunday.

Included also are 16 of the 18 members of the Irish International panel. These include the holder, Kehoe, who was the only winner of the final singles in the British and Irish Universities match against the US Universities at Doonbeg recently.

Kehoe is seeded to the second round where he will meet the winner of Martin Poucher (Limerick) and former West of Ireland champion Michael McGinley, from the Grange.

Other interesting clashes see Irish Close champion John McGinn (Greenore) play the winner of Ian Cooke (Clandeboye) and Kenneth McGarry (Bandon), with a possible meeting with Eddie McCormack (Slieve Russell) in the next round.

East of Ireland champion Noel Fox awaits the winner of Alan Meskell (Tipperary) and Gareth Bohill (Co Louth), while Colm Moriarty, who shot an opening round of 63 in the British Open qualifying last week at North Berwick, will face either Serryth Heavey (Co Sligo) or Eoin Barton (Ballinasloe) in the second round.

After the disappointment in the European Junior championships in Moscow last week, Ireland will field a strong girls team for the Home Internationals at The Hermitage, Lucan, from August 13th to 15th.

All four semi-finalists in the Lancome Irish Girls Championship at Athenry last week are included in the eight-strong team.

Karen Delaney, who beat Heather Nolan by 4 and 3 in the final, is joined by Dawn Marie Conaty from Ashbourne and Sinead O'Sullivan from Galway.

Nolan had to come from behind to beat the defending champion, Conaty, in the semi-final, while Karen Delaney, after beating sister Tara in the quarter-final, edged out O'Sullivan on the 18th.

These four semi-finalists are joined by Tara Delaney (Carlow), Amy Duggan (Killarney), Alison Kingston (Bandon) and Catherine Tucker (Limerick) on the team captained by Evelyn Hearn from Waterford, while the team manager is Killarney's Bridget Gleeson Healy.

Team captain Hearn has also been showing fine form on the course, where she won the Lady Captain's (Gillian Hogan) Prize at Faithlegg GC recently with 38 points off a two handicap.

Meanwhile, Maria Dunne from Skerries added the ILGU Intermediate title to the Leinster Championship victory in Co Louth last month when she beat Una Marsden (Tullamore) in the final at Athenry.

In her semi-final she was six under par in beating Marian Riordan from Tipperary.

The University of Notre Dame women's golf coach, Debby King, has announced the addition of two more recruits for the 2002-03 season.

Joining the Fighting Irish in September will be Irish Junior International Susie Hayes from Hermitage GC and Lauren Barbir (Montgomery, Texas).

Hayes, a daughter of former international Tony, joins the "Lady Irish" after impressing in girls competitions in the recent years.

She has played Irish international golf the past two years, winning the Munster Girls title in 2000 and 2001 and the Connacht Girls Championship in 2001.

She finished second in the Irish Girls Order of Merit for the 2001 campaign. A strong, all-around athlete, Hayes has a four handicap and has just returned from the European Junior Championships in Moscow.

"Suzanne brings a strong golf game to Notre Dame and I believe she will be in the running for the top spot on the team next season," says King.

Barbir joins the women's team after an outstanding career at Montgomery High School. Barbir had a 76 average and a 6.5 handicap starting this season. Last spring, she tied for second in the Region III-4A state tournament with an 11-over par 157 (78-79).

She followed that impressive performance with a 10th-place finish in the state tournament, firing a 156 (81-75).

Barbir won the Houston Golf Association tournament last season and was 10th in the Texas State Junior Championship with a 54-hole total of 233 (79-75-79

Hayes and Barbir join Sarah Bassett (Spokane, Washington) and Katie Brophy (Spokane), to round out King's first recruiting class at Notre Dame.

They will join five members of last year's team in September.