Ada aiming to drive Britain and Ireland to new heights
A lady very highly rated for her services to the game on and off the course, she has been handed the onerous task of captaining the British and Irish team in the bi-annual World Championship for the Esperito Santo Trophy beginning in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday week.
Ada is confident her side of Becky Brewerton (Wales), Heather Stirling (Scotland) and Emma Duggley (England) can win the trophy.
The United States have dominated the event, especially in the early years, and they were last successful in Santiago, Chile, in 1998. France, who captured the inaugural Espirito Santo in 1964 largely due to the exploits of the great Catherine Lacoste, are the defending champions. Britain and Ireland have never won the title.
The men’s World Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy takes place a week later, on October 24-27, in Kuala Lumpur.
It will be a historic event because for the first time the four home countries will be competing as separate entities.
Ever since the inception of the Eisenhower Trophy in 1958, this part of the world has been represented by a combined British and Irish team which managed to do quite well.
They won the title for the first time under the captaincy of Ireland’s Joe Carr at Olgiata, Rome, in 1964. They were successful again in 1976 at Penina, Portugal, without any direct Irish involvement. They claimed it for the third time at Lake Ullna, Stockholm, in 1988 when Eogahn O’Connell and Garth McGimpsey were members of the side. The fourth victory came in Chile in 1998, where Paddy Gribben played a key role.
However, the individual golfing unions have wanted to go it alone for some years and have now overcome the obstacles placed in their way, not least by the R&A.
Ireland really fancied their chances at a time when Michael Hoey and Graeme McDowell were still in the amateur ranks but both turned professional earlier this year so Eddie Dunne’s squad will travel more in hope than confidence. Not that the Irish captain sees things in that light, at least not in public.
“True, we had a poor Home International Championship but this is entirely different,” the Athlone-based Bank of Ireland Finance official said. “In spite of losing Michael and Graeme, I feel we still have a very strong side.
“Colm Moriarty of Athlone won the South of Ireland Championship in great style this year and also finished second in the Brabazon Trophy for the English Open Strokeplay Championship so his pedigree is apparent.
“Justin Kehoe from Birr ran away with the World Universities Championship in Japan a few weeks ago and everybody remembers the quality of golf he produced to win last year’s South of Ireland.
“Noel Fox is the most experienced member of the quartet and won this year’s East of Ireland while Andy McCormick has been one of the most consistent amateurs in the country for several years.”
The Golfing Union of Ireland are ensuring the players will be as acclimatised as possible to the humid conditions by travelling to Malaysia on Sunday. Before that, they will have been working with fitness adviser Helen Lennon while retiring national coach Howard Bennett will be part of the official party along with GUI president Jack Lynch and general secretary Shay Smith, who will act as team manager.
“The competition this year is for teams of three, the best two cards each day to count,” Dunne said.
“I must nominate my three players by October 20 and I will base my selection on what I see in practice
during the preceding days”.
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