British Open: Paddy Gribben has turned down the offer of a place in the final qualifying for the British Open after a slip-up by the Royal and Ancient.
Gribben was scheduled to play in the Irish Region qualifying test at Co Louth on Monday, but when he realised that Graeme Storm had bypassed the regional hurdle Gribben queried the decision. He was told that Storm was a member of the Walker Cup team.
It seems the R & A overlooked the fact that Warrenpoint's Gribben was also a member of the successful side. When this was pointed out to the R & A they offered Gribben a place in the final qualifying, but now the former European champion has turned down the chance of playing at St Andrews.
Instead Gribben has taken up an invitation to play in the Hamburg Classic in Germany, a Challenge Tour event. A first or second place in the German event would shoot Gribben into the top 15. The leading 15, at the end of the season, automatically qualify for a European Tour card next season.
PGA Cup: History will be made in the PGA Cup - alias Mini Ryder Cup - this year as three Irish players have been selected in the 12-man squad. Damian McGrane (Wexford), John Dwyer (Ashbourne) and Stephen Hamill (Allen Park) are the men involved.
The crack at the Americans will take place on September 22nd-24th at Wentworth Hills, Celtic Manor, where the Steen Tinning won the Welsh Open last month.
North of Ireland: Irish close finalist Andrew McCormick led the qualifiers in the Carlsberg North of Ireland championship at Royal Portrush last night to collect the silver medal.
McCormick carded a two-under-par 70 on Dunluce yesterday where a strokeplay total of 145 gave him a one-shot lead over Co Sligo youth international Sean McTernan and local member Chris Brown, the 1999 British Universities stroke and matchplay champion.
The leader had a great outward run of level par 36, with three birdies and three pars, though he had three bogeys.
McCormick's 70 was matched by teenager McTernan who included two eagles and three birdies in his performance.
Dundalk's Danny Coyle carded just one birdie, but posted a 74 for a qualifying score of 149; but not so good were senior international panellists Eamonn Brady (Royal Dublin), the West of Ireland champion, and Johnny Foster (Ballyclare). Both missed the cut of 159 - Foster was on 161 and Brady on 162.
European Boys Championship: Connemara's Kenneth Fahey was the hero as Ireland made a stunning start to their challenge for a second European Boys' title in three years at the NoordNederlandse course in The Netherlands. With five of the six scores counting, Ireland posted a first day total of 368 to lie in third place just three strokes adrift of leaders Spain and two behind second placed England.
Fahey (17), a two handicapper, returned a splendid one-underpar 70 on this flat, wooded course to be beaten by only one player in the field of 108:
Sweden's Niklas Lemke who broke the course record with a 67.
Positions after first day: 365 - Spain. 366 - England. 368 - Ireland (70 K Fahey, 73 D Ryan, 74 M McTernan, 75 D McNamara, 76 C Doran, 78 P McLoughlin (discarded). 373 - Sweden. 376 - Scotland. 376 - Italy. 377 - Finland. 378 - France. 381 - Switzerland. 381 - Netherlands. 384 - Denmark. 389 - Germany. 390 - Wales. 391 - Austria. 394 - Norway. 397 - Portugal. 398 - Iceland. 413 -Poland.
European Women's Junior: Ireland need to produce a performance of near Herculean proportions over the Castelconturbia course today if they are to qualify for the top matchplay flight in the European Women's Junior Championship in Italy.
On a disappointing first day of the championship they posted a team total of 406, with five of their six scores counting; that means they are some 19 strokes behind the eighth-placed nation Holland.
Team totals: 367 - Spain. 382 - England. 383 - Germany. 384 - Italy, Scotland. 386 - Sweden, Denmark. 397 - Netherlands, Wales. 405 - Austria. 406 Ireland [77 F Healy (Headfort), 79 C Coughlan (Cork), 82 J Gannon (Co Louth), 83 M Gillen (Beaverstown), 85 J McAuley (Dunmurry), discounted 87 U Marsden (Tullamore). 416 - Finland.
