Amateur Scene: The Curtis Cup at Formby and the Golfsure-sponsored Irish Men's Close Championship at Co Donegal Golf Club, Murvagh, hold the spotlight in a busy amateur calendar this weekend.
While Ada O'Sullivan, the team captain, and Clare Coughlan, Ireland's only representative on the Curtis Cup team, endeavour to make a clean sweep of the trophies contested by the US and Europe, Mark O'Sullivan will be out to repeat last year's performance at Donegal GC.
Some 6,000 fans, including a large contingent from Ireland, are expected at Formby Golf Club in Liverpool, where the US will try to retain the only cup it owns outright. European teams already have the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Walker Cup, while the Presidents Cup ended in a tie.
However, the star attraction at Formby is no doubt 14-year-old Michelle Wie, the youngest US player to appear in the Curtis Cup. And never have three high school students - Wie, Jane Park and Paula Creamer - been on one Curtis Cup team. Never has the eight-woman team of amateurs failed to include anyone over the age of 25.
But US captain Martha Wilkinson Kirouac has experience with youth and star power.
She played on the 1972 Curtis Cup with 16-year-old Laura Baugh, at the time the youngest player in Curtis Cup history. Also on that team was 18-year-old Hollis Stacy, who went on to win three US Women's Opens.
The oldest player this year is 22-year-old Sarah Huarte of California, who recently won the NCAA title. Five others are in their teens, although two of them are in college: Brittany Lang of Duke and Erica Blasberg at Arizona.
Ada O'Sullivan has plenty of experience of the big occasion. The Monkstown member was in charge of the Britain and Ireland team that won the Vagliano Trophy at Co Louth last year and continues to play to a one handicap.
"We are ready," said O'Sullivan. "We have prepared as well as we can and the girls are just waiting to get up and go."
Meanwhile, Mark O'Sullivan, who captured his first major title when he beat David Carroll (Grange) in the final of the Close by one hole at Tramore Golf Club last year, heads a top field which includes fellow internationals Noel Fox (Portmarnock); Michael McGeady (North West); Gareth Maybin (Ballyclare); Brian McElhinney (North West), the reigning European Amateur champion; and yesterday's winner of the East of Ireland championship, Mark Campbell of Stackstown.
The course at Murvagh, lying as it does in Donegal Bay, on a peninsula that is not dissimilar to the Old Course at St Andrews, where last week's British Amateur Championship was held, will present a real challenge for the competitors.
Michael Morris (Portmarnock), Ian Stewart (Curragh) and Joe Murphy (Glengarriff) will make their Seniors International debut for Ireland in the European Seniors and Nations Cup Championship being played at La Baule Golf Club, France, from Thursday to Saturday.
Morris, the former Kerry All-Ireland footballer, claimed victory in the Irish Seniors Championship at Roscommon last week. He won the Irish Close Championship at Carlow in 1978 and represented Ireland at senior level from 1978-1984.
Ian Stewart has had two top-10 finishes this season in the Munster and Irish Seniors, while Joe Murphy won the Munster Seniors title last month at Ennis/Woodstock.
Ireland last won the Nations Cup in 2001 at Torremirona Golf Club in Spain.
Kenny Fahey failed to reproduce the golf that took him to second place in the regional qualifying when the NCAA finals competed the US collegiate season at the Cascades Course at The Homestead last week.
Fahey, from Connemara Golf Club, fired a one-over par 71, the Rams' best round of the finals, to finish the tournament at 15-over 225, while James Clarke finished his career at the University of Rhode Island with a round of six-over 76 and a total of 224.
CURTIS CUP PROGRAMME
Saturday: Three foursomes at 8.30. Six singles at 1 p.m.
Sunday: Three foursomes at 8.30. Six singles at 1 p.m.
BRITAIN AND IRELAND: Claire Coughlan (Ireland, 24), Emma Duggleby (England, 32), Anna Highgate (Wales, 21), Anne Lang (Scotland, 29), Danielle Masters (England, 21), Shelley McKevitt (England, 24), Fame More (England, 22), Nicola Timmins (England, 23).
US: Erica Blasberg (19), Paula Creamer (17), Sarah Huarte (22), Elizabeth Janangelo (20), Brittany Lang (18), Jane Park (17), A Thuman (21), Michelle Wie (14).
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