Despite a disappointing season on the international front Irish Seniors captain Albert Lee is confident the team will give a good account of themselves when they open the Home International series at Lahinch GC this morning against favourites England.
"We have a very strong and experienced side, all well-versed in the vagaries of the Lahinch course where the wind will play a vital part in the outcome," said Lee.
"The addition of Séamus McParland, Hugh Smyth and Maurice Kelly, all making their Senior Home International debuts, makes this side one of the strongest for years."
The three newcomers bring a wealth of experience to the side. Smyth (Mourne) is a former Irish international, McParland (Greenore) a Leinster interprovincial on 23 occasions, while Kelly (Killeen) was a member of the Irish side in the European Championship earlier in the year. They will be joined by Seán Coyne (Killarney), Michael Malone (Belvoir Park), Michael Morris and Hugh Mackeown (Portmarnock).
Michael Wigley from Surrey will be the only new cap in the England side. His is the only change from the line-up which regained the title last year in Aberdovey. The rest of the team is: Douglas Arnold, Gordon Broster, David Lane, Jonathan Marks, Roy Smethurst and Alan Squires.
Wigley (56), won the Surrey Mid-Amateur in 2001. This year he finished eighth in the European Seniors Championship at Chantilly in June and has just won the Surrey Seniors title. Broster and Squires made their debuts at Aberdovey but the other members of the team have been England senior regulars over recent years.
Broster, from the Honiton club in Devon, was the South West Seniors champion in 2000 and has had two top-10 finishes in the British Seniors Championship. Fifth in the English Seniors and joint third in the Scottish Seniors last year, he finished fourth in this year's European Seniors and together with Smethurst and former cap Howard Moxon, helped England win the Nations Cup.
Squires, in his second season as a senior, has been a stalwart of Lancashire golf for many years, and is a former Lancashire champion and captain and played well over 100 times for his county.
England won the inaugural Seniors Home International at Portmarnock four years ago, beating Ireland, Wales and Sweden, who replaced Scotland that year. Three years ago at Nairn Dunbar, England won again, while they finished third behind Ireland and Wales at Seaton Carew in 2003. They regained the title at Aberdovey.
Former professional golfer Gordon MacDonald, from Callander, leads the Scots. The 57-year-old won his first national title this year and was also successful in 10 senior opens throughout Scotland this year. MacDonald will have the backing of former international and Walker Cup captain George McGregor while the Wales team includes national champion Phil Jones.
At Lahinch, the sides will play each other on a round robin basis, each match consisting of three foursomes and six singles, all over 18 holes.
Meanwhile, Irish international Niall Turner from Muskerry helped the University of Minnesota to win the inaugural Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minnesota, last week. Not only did Minnesota capture the team title on a tiebreaker from the Washington Huskies, Turner also won the individual title by one stroke, firing a one-under-par 215 for the weekend. The win was Turner's first collegiate tournament victory.
"It's such an amazing feeling," said the young Corkman. "This is every college player's dream, to win a tournament. It makes it even better to have the entire team experience success as well. This makes all the hard work we put in worth it.
"I felt I got off to a bad start, but felt great after the first three holes," Turner continued. "I didn't have any real bad mistakes. That last hole bogey was not the nicest way to finish, but you cannot complain if you come out ahead."
Turner edged out team-mate Josh Persons, who carded a final round 73, Mark Haastrup of Georgia State and Alex Prugh of Washington by a shot. Freshman Annti Ahokas tied for sixth at two over 218 after carding a 75. He clinched the title for the Gophers with a critical up-and-down on 18.
"It was a very strong field, and it was such a wonderful weekend," said head coach Brad James. "It was a perfect ending to come out ahead. It wasn't pretty in the end, but I thought overall the team played brilliantly."
Minnesota continue their autumn season on October 3rd-4th, at the Big Ten/Pac 10 Challenge in Evanston, Illinois.
ENGLAND: Doug Arnold, Gordon Broster, David Lane, Jon Marks, Roy Smethurst, Alan Squires, Michael Wigley.
IRELAND: Seán Coyne, Maurice Kelly, Michael Malone, Michael Morris, Hugh Mackeown, Séamus McParland, Hugh Smyth.
SCOTLAND: Stephen Ellis, Alan Ferguson, Charlie Green, Brian Grieve, Ian Hutcheon, Gordon MacDonald, George Macgregor.
WALES: Brian Cramb, John Gottwaltz, Phil Jones, Glyn Rees, Mike Rooke, Keith Stimpson, John Whitcutt.
