Lahinch challenge for Fox

The oldest championship in Irish amateur golf, the Shell-sponsored South of Ireland, begins on Saturday. A traditionally large field of 192 entrants converges on the beautiful Lahinch links and there is a handicap cut-off of 2.8 for the matchplay format.

The 64 golfers with the lowest handicap will receive a bye to the second round and the remaining 128 players enter a matchplay draw to provide opposition for the seeded players in the second round. There are about half a dozen non-Irish entrants including American Jason Semelsberger who reached the quarter-finals last year.

The tournament begins on Saturday and runs through until the following Wednesday. Noel Fox, while relishing a third championship success to go alongside the Irish Strokeplay and the East of Ireland championships, enters the South aware that no golfer can overtake him in the running for the Willie Gill award.

The Portmarnock golfer is already guaranteed the trophy that recognises the outstanding performer in domestic golf each year. Fox has accumulated a points total of 155 and his nearest challenger, Graeme McDowell is on 100: 50 points are available for the winner of the South of Ireland, the last of the major Irish amateur championships.

Lahinch will offer a new challenge in familiar surroundings as significant development is under way at the Clare course. The 15th, 16th and 17th greens have been completely revamped as part of a three-year plan that will alter this famous links, offering a pronounced facelift. The changes to the three aforementioned putting surfaces are minimal. The introduction of gentle undulations will offer a new look and a different challenge.

Construction is currently in progress on a couple of par-three holes. The first, which will become the new eighth, will be played from a tee on the seashore to a green close to the ninth tee and will mean the eventual elimination of the existing third hole. Another is being built close to the 11th, employing the visual splendour of the duneland.

Stackstown's Mark Campbell will be looking to defend the title he won last year following a marathon final against Balmoral's Peter Martin which was eventually decided at the 21st. The usual suspects will be touted as potential champions, not least Fox and McDowell. For West of Ireland champion Eamonn Brady arresting an irritating slump in form will probably be the priority.

A popular victory would be that of Garth McGimpsey, who despite his plethora of national titles has never won the South of Ireland. Few would begrudge the Bangor man the completion of the set.

As a tenuous link to Ireland's young professionals who competed in the British Open at St Andrews last week, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley won the South of Ireland in successive years at the start of the 1990s but Padraig Harrington was beaten twice in finals by David Higgins and Jody Fanagan.