Major champions Darren Clarke, Pádraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy were fine-tuning their British Open preparations yesterday and so missed out on a special day at Mullingar Golf Club.

Nick Faldo protege Nick Dougherty and Jamie Elson, whose father Pip played on the European tour, have both been named today in the Britain and Ireland team which will defend the Walker Cup in Georgia on August 11-12.