RYDER CUP: As expected, Hal Sutton was named captain of the 2004 US team yesterday by the PGA of America at the Oakland Hills Country Club, the venue for the match against Europe.
Sutton (44), has played in four Ryder Cups, including the winning 1999 side at Brookline and the team that lost at The Belfry last month.
The Louisiana native also participated in the 1985 and 1987 matches. His record in four Ryder Cups is 7-5-4, including one win and one loss at The Belfry.
Sutton, a winner of 14 tournaments on the PGA Tour, plans to play a full schedule next season. He will be 46 when the Ryder Cup comes around.
EISENHOWER TROPHY: Irish captain Eddie Dunne was disappointed but not downhearted at the first-day showing of his side in the 23rd World Amateur Golf Team Championship in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
"We have completed the roughest quarter of the tournament, going out in the midday heat, playing the tougher of the two courses and taking six hours to complete a round. It can only get better," said Dunne, who bids farewell to the captaincy at the end of this tournament.
Dunne had watched as Athlone's Order of Merit champion Colm Moriarty fired a two-over-par 74 on the Palm course at the Saujana Golf and Country Club, Justin Kehoe, the World Universities champion from Birr a 77 and Portmarnock's Noel Fox a 78.
"I have every confidence that they will improve tomorrow and move up the leaderboard - after all, this is a marathon not a sprint," said Dunne.
As it is, with two of the three cards counting, Ireland finished the day with aggregate of 151 - seven over par - and in joint 28th place and go into the second round this morning some 14 strokes behind leaders and defending champions the US, and nine adrift of second-placed France.
Moriarty had a topsy turvy round. After opening with a couple of pars, he went through the back of the third and dropped a stroke, drove into a bunker at the next and collected his second successive bogey, and hit a disastrous tee-shot into trees at the sixth and dropped another.
Now three over par, he got his game together somewhat and a wedge to two feet at the seventh brought him his first birdie of the round, although a poor drive on the ninth cost him another stroke.
Two consecutive birdies helped to retrieve the situation somewhat and he parred all the way to the 18th, where he was thoroughly disappointed to miss a four-foot putt and drop another stroke and finish with a 74.
FIRST ROUND SCORES: 137 - US; 142 - France; 143 - Argentina, Columbia, Finland, Thailand, England (71 J Elson, 72 R Walker. 74 G Wolstenholme-discarded); 144 - Korea, Portugal, Sweden; 146 - Denmark, Philippines; 147 - Malaysia; 148 - Pakistan, Spain; 149 - New Zealand; 150 - Austria, Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Scotland (75 G Gordon, 75 J Doherty. 80 S McKenzie- discarded); 151 - Ireland (74 C Moriarty, 77 J Kehoe. 78 N Fox - discarded), Switzerland, Wales (74 N Edwards, 77 D Price. 83 L Harpin - discarded); 152 - Australia, Guatemala, Paraguay, Swaziland.
CHALLENGE TOUR: Gustavo Rojas fired a six- under-par 65 to lead the field after the first round of the Challenge Tour Grand Final at the Club du Medoc in Bordeaux yesterday.
Struggling with his English, the Argentine said, "All parts of my game were good but in 11th place on the Order of Merit I still have work to do," referring to the top 15 players at the end of this week getting their tour cards for 2003.
Gary Murphy was top Irishman after a three-under-par 68.
In complete contrast, Damien McGrane, playing alongside Murphy, double bogeyed the first when he hooked his tee-shot into the bushes, dropped another shot at the sixth and also doubled the 12th hole. But three birdies on the back nine meant his score was a reasonable one-over-par 72.
Peter Lawrie shot level par 71, making three birdies and three bogeys along the way.
LEADING SCORES (Brit unless stated): 65 - G Rojas (Arg). 67 - I Pyman, D Dixon, JM Arruti (Sp), M Florioli (It). 68 - G Murphy, J-F Lucquin (Fr), R Sterne (SA). 69 - M Archer, F Widmark (Swe), G Hutcheon.
CLUB AWARDS: Bally- bunion, Carlow, Dunmurray and Co Sligo are among the clubs to take Provincial Awards in the inaugural AIB Golf Club of the Year Awards scheme.
All Ireland Category winners and the AIB Golf Club of the Year will be announced in November.
The awards scheme focuses on four areas of increasing importance for the golf club, namely Junior Golf, the Environment, Communications and Clubhouse/Course Presentation.
PROVINCIAL WINNERS - Connacht - Junior golf Ballinasloe; Environment: Portumna; Clubhouse/course: Enniscrone; Communications: Co Sligo. Leinster - Junior: Elm Park; Environment: Carlow; Clubhouse/course: Tullamore; Communications: Clontarf. Munster - Junior: Bantry Bay; Environment: Ballybunion; Clubhouse/course: Nenagh; Communications: Ballybunion. Ulster - Junior: Gracehill; Environment: Kilrea; Clubhouse/course: Dunmurray; Communications: Castlerock.
