Professionals take their revenge

Amateur News: Ireland's Claire Coughlan won one of only four points for the amateurs as the women professionals of the Ladies European Tour (LET) team took their revenge over the Ladies Golf Union Elite Squad in the Weetabix Challenge, on the East Course at Wentworth Club in Surrey over the weekend.reports

After being beaten 14½-9½ by the amateurs in last year's match at Formby GC, LET captain Nicky Moult's team settled their scores with a 14-4 victory in this the 12th year of the competition.

The LET team crushed the amateurs in the first morning by winning all six of the foursomes matches to give the professionals a six-point lead at lunchtime.

The professionals then gained a 10-point lead by winning seven and halving two of the 12 singles ties in the afternoon, in which Coughlan - a 2 and 1 winner over Kerry Knowles - Emma Duggleby, who will be defending the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur strokeplay title at the old course Royal Troon and Portland next weekend, and Sophie Walker chalked up the amateur's only wins of the day.

LET chairman of the board of directors, Karen Lunn, sunk the winning putt with her 2 and 1 victory over Faye Sanderson.

Ireland's other representative on the squad, Tricia Mangan, lost narrowly in her matches, going down by one hole in the foursomes with Kerry Smith (England) to Corinne Dibnah and Nicola Moult, and 2 and 1 to Julie Forbes in the singles.

The Weetabix Challenge match started in 1994 and has formed part of the LGU's national training programme for the last 12 years. It is also an integral part of the selection process for this year's Vagliano Trophy in Chantilly, France, from July 22nd-23rd, where Ireland's Ada O'Sullivan will again captain the side.

Coughlan (Cork) and Mangan (Ennis) move on this week to Troon and Portland, where they will be joined by Irish champion Deirdre Smith (Co Louth), the Curragh pair of Sinead Keane and Maura Morrin, Sinead O'Sullivan (Galway) and Martina Gillen (Beaverstown).

Coughlan will be hoping to go one better than last year where she finished second to Duggleby after rounds of 74, 71 and 71 to Duggleby's total of 211, which included a three-under-par 69 in the second round.

Meanwhile, West of Ireland champion Rory McIlroy, the 15-year-old from Holywood Golf Club in Co Down, and Welsh Walker Cup star Nigel Edwards head a top-class field for the AIB-sponsored Irish Amateur Open Championship over the O'Meara course at Carton House Golf Club on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 6th, 7th and 8th.

The championship has attracted 61 overseas players from 14 countries, including the defending champion Craig Smith from Wales, and also includes 11 of the Walker Cup squad who are bidding for a place on the Britain and Ireland team to face the US at the Chicago Golf Club in August.

So strong is the field that the cut-off for the 120 places in the event came at plus 0.5, and includes four players off plus four, 16 off plus three, 44 off plus two and 47 off plus one. Nigel Edwards (36), is the lowest handicap at plus 4.1, while McIlroy, who will celebrate his 16th birthday on May 4th, currently enjoys a handicap of plus 3.1.

The record overseas entry includes players from Austria, France, Finland, Germany, Portugal, South Africa, Czech Republic, England, Scotland, Wales, Jersey, Isle of Man and seven members of the Metropolitan Golf Association of New York team, who will play an international match against the GUI selection on Wednesday and Thursday, May 11th and 12th, at Carton House.

Also included in the field are nine players who qualify under a condition of the event which provides that any Irish entrant under the age of 25 on January 1st who gain a place in the field for reaching the matchplay stages of the West of Ireland Championship: Simon Ward (Co Louth), Greg Massey (Hermitage), Stephen Crowe (Dunmurry), Alan Glynn (Porters Park), Keith O'Neill (Strandhill), Paul McDonald (UCD/ Woodbrook), Mark Ryan (Grange), Séamus Power (West Waterford) and Ray Williams (Baltinglass).

The Irish Amateur Open Championship was first played in 1892 and was held every year, with the exception of the two World Wars, up to 1959. Former champions include Joe Carr (three times), Jimmy Bruen, Tom Craddock, Cecil Ewing, Jack Burke and Norman Drew. The event was revived in 1995 when Padraig Harrington triumphed at Fota Island. Keith Nolan was the winner at the same venue in 1996 and 1997.

The event moved to Royal Dublin in 1998 where Michael Hoey was victorious. Gary Cullen won in 1999, Richard McEvoy of England in 2001, Louis Oosthuizen in 2002 and Noel Fox in 2000 and 2003.

Irish Close champion Brian McElhinney heads a formidable field for the DHL-sponsored Dundalk Senior Scratch Cup, which takes place over 36 holes on Sunday next. McIlhinney will join Mullingar's Des Morgan, who was the latest in a long line of notable winners of what is now one of the top amateur events.

Johnny Foster's win in 1998 signalled the rejuvenation of the tournament, now in its 42nd year, and subsequent years have seen Gary Cullen, Noel Fox and McElhinney's North West team-mate Michael McGeady add their names alongside those of first winner David Sheahan, JB Carr, Padraig Harrington and a host of other legendary names from the amateur game.