Amateur news: After many trials all four provinces will be represented on the Irish team to face the best in Europe at the European Youths Championships at The Island Golf Club starting next Tuesday.
The selectors have gone with the team that beat Wales in last week's rain-interrupted prelude to the Irish Youths Championship at Clandeboye Golf Club.
Leading the way will be Connacht champion Paul O'Hanlon from the Curragh; he will be joined by Clancy Bowe (Tramore), Stephen Crowe (Dunmurry), Harry Diamond (Holywood), Cathal O'Malley (Westport) and Niall Turner (Muskerry). The Leinster Youths winner, Ciarán McAleavey of Banbridge, is the reserve. Tramore's Michael Burns captains the team.
However, even with home advantage at the testing Island links, Ireland will face a mammoth task to lift the title on Saturday week. And one of the biggest threats will come from an England team that includes James Heath, the impressive winner of the Lytham Trophy last month, Brabazon Trophy champion Matthew Richardson, Walker Cup choice Michael Skelton and full international Jamie Moul. Lawrence Dodd and Paul Waring complete the team.
Heath (21), rewrote the record books at Royal Lytham when he finished on 18-under-par 266, a score that would have won a British Open Championship over the Lancashire course, to take the trophy by eight strokes.
The Surrey youngster was a member of the England squad that travelled to Puerto Rico in preparation for the Eisenhower Trophy in October, helped England to the runners-up spot in the Costa Ballena quadrangular in Spain, represented Europe v Asia Pacific in Rome and was capped against France at Royal St George's in May.
A former under-16 and boy international and winner of the McGregor Trophy and the Greek Amateur, he was capped by B&I at boy level in 2001 and reached the semi-finals of the British Boys the same year at Ganton. In 2002 he finished runner-up in the European Amateur Championship in Portugal.
Meanwhile, the Irish selectors have many of the players in form for the European Boys Team Championship at Kymen Golf Ry in Finland starting next Tuesday.
They will be backboned by the newly crowned Youths champion, Rory McIlroy from Holywood, who will have the assistance of Munster Youths champion Cian McNamara (Limerick), David Daly (Muskerry), Karl Gilbert (Malone), Nicky Grant (Clandeboye) and Aaron O'Callaghan (Douglas).
The non-travelling reserve is Séamus Power (West Waterford) and the non-playing captain is Ciarán Burke.
This week's amateur action centres on Royal Portrush, where the holder, Brian McElhinney, from the North West Club, will be keen to add to his recent success in the Irish Close Championship at Donegal GC.
In one of the best fields for years, McElhinney will be joined by 2002 winner Gareth Maybin, fresh from a successful season on the American college scene; Michael McGeady, the runner-up in the Close; Stackstown's Mark Campbell; Martin McTernan of Co Sligo and Michael Sinclair of Knock.
The race to be the 2004 AIB Golf Club of the Year is on. While entry forms are going out only this week, preliminary indications are of a huge interest among clubs following the 2002 and 2003 winners, Co Sligo and Dunmurry, as overall winners.
In all, 25 clubs have been honoured over the first two years of the scheme, which has focused on many of the non-playing aspects of club life. Eight clubs have picked up two awards each and a further 16 have made the honours list.
Based on a similar format to all GUI/ILGU competitions, the AIB Golf Club of the Year identifies winners across four categories in each province. The provincial winners then compete in the overall category for an All-Ireland award. Finally the AIB Golf Club of the Year is chosen.
Elm Park lead the way in all-Ireland category awards, having been honoured for their Junior Golf programme in 2002 and their Clubhouse/Course Presentation programme in 2003.
Once again this year the awards scheme will focus on four areas of increasing importance for the golf club: Junior Golf, the Environment, Communications and the Clubhouse.
The provincial winners will again receive AIB/GUI/ILGU certificates, while all-Ireland category winners will receive a certificate and a development grant.
The overall Golf Club of the Year winner will receive a special trophy and a development grant of €6,000.
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