Reigning Irish champion Brian McElhinney (North West), Seán McTernan (Co Sligo) and Darren Crowe (Dunmurry) carry Ireland's hopes when the World Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy tees-off in Puerto Rico on Thursday.

With just one more tournament of the amateur season to go - the Juan Carlos Trophy and Tailhade Cup 72-hole strokeplay championship at the Los Lagartos County Club, near Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 2nd-5th - the Irish trio will be keen to add to their achievements of recent years.

McElhinney, who is in the Walker Cup squad from which the 2005 team will be selected, already won both the North of Ireland and European Individual Championships in 2003 and also topped this year's Order of Merit table after his success in the Close Championship.

McTernan, who completed his studies at Toledo University, finished runner-up to Welshman Craig Smith in the Irish Amateur Open Championship at Carton House last May. He made his second appearance for Ireland in the Home Internationals at Prestwick Golf Club last month.

Crowe is also on a rich run of form. The Dunmurry player was also a member of Ireland's Home Internationals team, won the World Universities Championship in Thailand earlier this year, following in the footsteps of former Irish winners, Justin Kehoe (2002) and Graeme McDowell (2000) and more recently picked up the Nassau Invitational Open in the US.

The first World Championship was played over the Old Course of St Andrews in October 1958, and 115 players representing 29 countries played. Australia won in a play-off with the US.

The lowest individual scores for the 72 holes were 301s by William Hyndman III, of the US, Bruce Devlin, of Australia, and Reid Jack, of Britain & Ireland.

Jack Nicklaus, who represented the US in 1960 at Merion Golf Club (East Course), in Ardmore, holds the 72-hole individual scoring record of 269, although individual scores are not recognised.

While the United States has prevailed in 10 of the 20 competitions, Britain & Ireland has won four times, while Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Sweden have each captured the Eisenhower Trophy.

When the team size was reduced to three from four after the 2000 event, a Britain and Ireland team was no longer a viable option and in 2002 each of the home nations entered in Kuala Lumpur. Ireland finished tied for 28th place.

Meanwhile, McElhinney will be joined by nine more members of the 2005 Walker Cup squad in Puerto Rico as England, Scotland and Wales all set their sights on first time victories as individual nations.

The England team of Gary Wolstenholme, James Heath and Matthew Richardson will be among the favourites to lift the team title on Sunday.

A combination of both youth and experience, added to the confidence gained from a string of wins by all three players this season has put them in an excellent position.

It will be the fourth time England's most experienced player Wolstenholme has taken part in the Eisenhower Trophy and he is hoping to repeat the success he tasted in 1998 when he played in the winning Britain & Ireland team.

Heath, still only 21, has represented England at all levels since 1998, is having one of his most successful seasons after taking the English Amateur Championship and the Lytham Trophy with a record score of 18 under par and more recently the Nick Faldo series at Barhill GC.

Richardson, at 19 the youngest of the England trio, has also had an outstanding year winning the PING/EGU Order of Merit, the Brabazon Trophy and the European Amateur Championship.

British Amateur Champion Stuart Wilson will lead the Scottish challenge. The Forfar ace won the silver medal at the British Open Championship in July, as leading amateur after a heroic effort which saw him make the cut alongside the worlds' best.

Scottish Golfer of the Year, Jamie McLeary (Leven GS) will join Wilson in the team. The St Andrews Links Trophy winner has been a model of consistency all season, finishing in the top five of the Lytham Trophy, and Scottish Strokeplay, as well as reaching the quarter-final of the Scottish Amateur Championship at Gullane.

The third member of the team is George Murray. Crowned Scottish Amateur Champion in July, Murray tasted international success when he helped Scotland win the European Youths Team Championship, defeating England in a memorable final at The Island Golf Club in July.

All three players competed for Scotland in the Home Internationals at Prestwick, where they came within touching distance of victory, losing to England by the narrowest of margins.

Rhyls Davies from Royal Porthcawl leads the Wales team and his partners will be Nigel Edwards from Whitechurch in Cardiff and Gareth Wright from West Linton

The Eisenhower Trophy - World Amateur Team Championships - is a biennial event, with nearly 70 countries from across the globe competing for the coveted title this year. A 72-hole strokeplay event, the best two scores for each team count on each day.

The US completed back-to-back wins last time round, lifting the title by three shots from closest challengers France.

Many top stars in the world of golf have competed in the event including Tiger Woods, US Ryder Cup Captain Hal Sutton, Kiwi Michael Campbell and rising European stars Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Steven O'Hara.