Two Irish courses, Doonbeg and Ballybunion (Old), will stage the Palmer Cup over the next three years. College golf's most prestigious international competition has selected sites up to and including 2004, starting with Doonbeg (June 8th-12th) this year and followed by the Kiawah Island Club Cassique Course, South Carolina (2003) and Ballybunion (2004).

The Palmer Cup is an annual match-play competition that pits eight elite college golfers from the United States against their counterparts from Britain and Ireland. The event has grown in stature in its five-year history, due in part to the outstanding past venues, including Bay Hill Club (1997), St Andrews (1998), The Honors Course (1999), Royal Liverpool (2000) and Baltusrol Lower Course (2001).

Doonbeg is the Greg Norman- designed course in Clare considered by the Australian to be his finest creation, and is part of Kiawah Development Partners' string of courses. Cassique is the newest course of the private Kiawah Island Club. Just named by Golf Digest as one of "America's Best New Private Courses", the course was designed by Tom Watson, his first solo course design in North America.

"To host a tournament that has been played at St Andrews, between two legendary venues

in Baltusrol and Ballybunion - that is an honour beyond description," said Charles Darby, the CEO of Kiawah Development Partners.