The Short Game

A roundup of today's other stories in brief...

Walshe on US team

Born on May 14th, 1985, in Galway, and selected last week by the United States Golf Association to play for the US against Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, St Andrews, at the end of May.

She's Alison Walshe, a final-year senior at the University of Arizona, where she is the leading member of the Wildcats' team on the college circuit.

Earlier this month Walshe won the opening event on the Orange Blossom Tour, the prestigious Harder Hall Invitational, and in 2007 she won the North and South Championship. Neither of these is a college competition.

She is ranked the fifth college player in the States and the eighth-ranked female amateur in America.

Walshe and her parents emigrated from Ireland to the Boston area in 1990, and she grew up there, eventually becoming a US citizen.

Just have a look at the highlights on her college golfing CV on the University of Arizona website and, if you are Irish, just think how much stronger a B&I team would be with Walshe in it instead of playing against it.

Walshe has some golfing "tradition" in her family, both in the US and in Ireland. Her father, John, plays off eight, and brother, David, plays off three, both at Vesper Country Club, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. Her aunt, Olive O'Callaghan, was 2007 lady captain at Ballyneety Golf Club in Limerick; her uncle, Patrick Walshe, plays off 12 in Callan Golf Club, and another uncle, George Munnelly, plays off 11 at The Island, where her cousin, Lauren Munnelly, was Junior Lady Captain in 2006.

All change in Killarney

In the past two years, Killarney Golf and Fishing Club has gone through major changes, with the redevelopment of the flagship Killeen Course and the introduction of new marketing initiatives with a new corporate logo, website and other activities and events.

In the past few months the club has seen a new general manager, Maurice O'Meara, take over from Tom Prendergast, who was secretary/manager for nearly 20 years.

Last week marked another change, with the introduction of David Keating as the professional, who takes over from Tony Coveney, who was based at the club for the past 40 years.

Keating joins Killarney Golf & Fishing Club from Charleville GC, where he was professional for the past 10 years. He is a class AAT PGA professional specialising in instruction and custom club-fitting.

Lendl wins in Florida

Isabelle Lendl, the 16-year-old daughter of former world tennis ace Ivan Lendl, won the Jones/Doherty women's amateur golf championship final at Coral Ridge Country Club, Florida, recently.

Lendl beat fellow American Meghan Bolger, named last week in the US Curtis Cup team, by one hole in the 18-hole conclusion to the third event on Florida's Orange Blossom Tour.

All three Lendl siblings, Isabelle, defending champion Marika (17) and Daniela, played in the tournament.

In the semi-finals, Bolger beat England's Liz Bennett, a contender for a place in the Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup side. Bennett won the South Atlantic Ladies Amateur championship at Ormond Beach the previous week.

Regal gesture to PGA

The king of Bahrain has come to the aid of the PGA by offering to stage the Gulf Air International Pro-Captain Challenge, supported by BMW, on his course.

King Hamad has opened the doors to his private course in Safriya for the nine competing teams, including Ireland's representatives from Athenry, Raymond Ryan and Pat Coen.

The king has stepped in after redevelopment work at the tournament's original venue - the Riffa Club - overran, meaning the event would have been played in the height of summer and in temperatures approaching 50° Celsius.

The final was scheduled to be played at the course for the fourth successive year in May, but will now be held at the king's course next month instead.

The 36-hole tournament, which offers a top prize of £2,000 (€2,683) to the winning pro, will now be contested between February 23th-26th, which will include a pro-am the day after the tournament.

Through to the final from Britain and Ireland are: (professional first): Raymond Ryan and Pat Coen (Athenry); John Oates and John Nolan (Hallowes GC); Matthew Paget and Peter Brooks (Royal Mid Surrey); David Wilton and Vico Battaglio (Muswell Hill); Nick Ellis and Roger Downes (Naunton Downes); Brian Rimmer and Antony Andrew (Little Aston), and Paul Wardell and Guido Bicocchi (Whitekirk).

Kelly at home at Carton

Castleknock Golf Club - for the second week in a row - came to the rescue of the Emerald Pro Tour as their original venue, Carton House, fell victim to the wet weather last Friday.

And showing his likening for the course - having been one of four tied for top spot the previous week - was St Margaret's John Kelly. In dreadfully wet and very windy conditions, he shot a superb, two-under-par 70. His score was all the more creditable given he had been two over after five holes, but he fired four birdies before the finish to end two ahead of Mark Staunton (Black Bush), while a 73 earned The Island's Stuart Taylor third place alongside Limerick's Tim Rice, with new Order of Merit leader Gary Wardlow (Dunmurry) in fifth place after a 74.

Meanwhile, 39 points won Michael Curran, a 16 handicapper from Tulfarris, top spot among the amateurs, one ahead of Carton House's Michael Stanley (6), with Adam Mooney (St Margaret's) third with 36 points.

The tour heads for the Heritage this Friday, January 25th.