Four Special Olympic golfers will represent Ireland at the World Summer games in North Carolina over the next two weeks. Paul Moore from Edenderry, John Mahoney from Galway and Clare Barrett and Breda Lucey, who are both from Cork, will be part of a 107-strong team which will compete in nine sports at the World Games in North Carolina.

Golf was first introduced at the last World Games in Connecticut in 1995, and Special Olympic Ireland then established a programme. This will be Ireland's first time to have a team in the games and they will compete over two prestigious venues in North Carolina, Duke and Pinehurst golf clubs. Team training began last October with monthly sessions at the Open Golf Centre, St Margaret's, under the watchful eye of professional Roger Yeates. And the programme was continued in the athletes' local area under the guidance of Kitty Tierney, National Golf Co-ordinator, with the local coaches.

The programme in Ireland is going from strength to strength, due mainly to the commitment from the GUI, ILGU and the PGA in assisting the Special Olympics Ireland to develop the sport. Kevan Whitson of the PGA, who has been involved from the beginning of the programme, says that there is a steady improvement in the golfers' standard. The numbers taking part have also increased.