Holder Behan faces tough Carlow test

Quality, rather than quantity, is characterised by the entry for the Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship, sponsored by Lancome, which starts at Carlow Golf Club today with the first qualifying round. Although only 60 players are in the field, a large number actually have genuine claims to one of the oldest titles in world golf and there is the added incentive that victory could also secure a place on the British and Irish team for the Vagliano Trophy match with the continent of Europe in July.

Lillian Behan is the defending champion and will probably start again as favourite. However, she faces serious challenges from a number of her international team-mates, among them Suzanne O'Brien. A winner of the championship two years ago at Enniscrone - when she completed a unique family double as her brother Jody Fanagan had previously won the West of Ireland there - O'Brien enters the national championship in reasonably optimistic mood and feeling the benefits of intensive training with the elite British and Irish squad.

In recent times, leading Irish women's professional Maureen Madill has been coaching O'Brien. "The sessions have been excellent," said O'Brien, who is paying particular attention to her short game. Indeed, O'Brien, who won the Leitrim Cup as leading qualifier last year, has benefited from squad coaching sessions in England, Scotland and Sotogrande in recent months.

"Obviously, I'd like to do well this week, but anything can happen - especially when you get to the matchplay stages," said O'Brien, adding: "The Carlow course is in fantastic condition, especially the greens." That was a point confirmed by former international Yvonne Cassidy, who is looking to use the Close as a possible route back to the Irish team. "The course is not playing particularly long, but it's a terrific test of golf and no-one can have any complaints about the greens. They are superb."

Behan, the defending champion, enters the event in good form. She won the Hermitage Scratch Cup earlier this month and finished runner-up to Hazel Kavanagh in the Kilkenny Scratch Cup. Jenny Gannon, the Leinster champion, Alison Coffey, who is also a member of the elite British and Irish squad and who won the Ulster title last month, and Curtis Cup player Eileen Rose Power, winner of the recent Munster championship, are also in the field. Oonagh Purfield, last year's beaten finalist, Paula Delaney, Tricia Mangan, Michelle McGreevy and Kavanagh are others fancied to make a strong challenge for the title. The 36-holes strokeplay qualifying for the Leitrim Cup will take place today and tomorrow with the matchplay phase commencing on Thursday with the top 32 players. The final is scheduled to take place on Saturday. Meanwhile, the majority of the British and Irish Walker Cup squad will be in action in the St Andrews Links Trophy this weekend . . . and, although Gary Cullen isn't a member of that particular panel, he heads to the famous Scottish links as the new Irish amateur strokeplay champion and a serious contender for the title.

Indeed, Peter McEvoy, the Walker Cup captain, was an interested spectator at Royal Dublin in the early rounds of the Irish Amateur Open and followed Cullen in his early rounds. His observations? "A player who strikes the ball well, has good hands and is a good putter."

Cullen is part of an exceptionally strong Irish challenge in the St Andrews Links. An indication of the quality of the field is that 217 players from 12 countries entered the championship and the organisers were forced to reduce the field by a ballot to 150 with handicaps ranging from plus four to scratch.

There are 10 Irish players in the tournament: Gary Cullen (Beaverstown) is joined David Jones (City of Derry), Ciaran McMonagle (Dunfanaghy), Garth McGimpsey (Bangor), Andrew McCormick (Scrabo), Michael McGinley (Grange), Paddy Gribben (Warrenpoint), Noel Fox (Portmarnock), Johnny Foster (Ballyclare) and Colm Moriarty (Athlone). Another good performance by Cullen this weekend could enable him to force his way into the R&A's Walker Cup squad, and it is the lure of further amateur titles that could yet keep the Dublliner away from the professional ranks for another year.

Cullen had toyed with the idea of turning professional last year but decided to stay in the amateur ranks in an attempt to make the Irish team for the European Championships in Italy this July. After his Irish strokeplay win in Royal Dublin on Sunday last, he said that he may extend that move to professional game by another year. "It's nice to finally win a championship," he said, "and, although I was thinking of turning professional, I might put it back a year. I would like to win some more amateur titles. I'm not thinking of the Walker Cup, just about getting results."

The big-hitting Beaverstown player - who drives the ball a la John Daly - has been working with national coach Howard Bennett on the positioning of his hands at address. Although he is 6 feet 3 inches tall, Cullen was noted for keeping his hands quite low and, at the GUI coaching in Portugal earlier this season, Bennett worked on getting him to raise his positioning. The result is a compromise between the two that Cullen professes he is very happy with and which now has him aiming for further amateur glory.