KEITH NOLAN, who was yesterday selected on the Britain and Ireland team to contest the Eisenhower Cup - World Amateur Team Championship - in the Philippines on November 14th-17th, could well be the last Irish golfer to form part of a combined team.
The Golfing Union of Ireland will decide at its annual general meeting next February whether or not to adopt a policy to go it alone in future Eisenhowers. The consensus at recent agms has been for such a move. The feeling is that Irish amateur golfers have, at times in the past, received scant recognitions in the selection process.
Nolan, the Irish Open strokeplay champion, is included in the team for Manila alongside Barclay Howard, Gary Wolstenholme and Michael Brooks. Jody Fanagan, a member of last year's winning Walker Cup is first reserve, with British Amateur champion Warren Bladon as second reserve.
The 23 year old Bray golfer, who completes his scholarship to East Tennessee University in December, is just the eighth Irish player to make the British and Irish team since the world team championship commenced in 1958.
Joe Carr (1958, 60), Ronan Rafferty (80), Garth McGimpsey (84, 86, 88), Walton (82), Eoghan O'Connell (88) and Raymond Burns (92) were the previous Irish players to compete in the championship. Carr was also captain when Britain and Ireland won the event for the first time in 1964. McGimpsey and O'Connell were members of the team that won at Lake Ullva, Sweden, in 1988.
Nolan, Howard, Wolstenholme and Brooks were all members of the British and Irish team that beat the continent of Europe in the St Andrews Trophy match at WoodhalSpa last month. The quartet will acclimatise by competing in the Hong Kong Amateur Championship on November 6th-9th.
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