Garvey legacy graces Vagliano Trophy event

PHILOMENA GARVEY, the most famous Irish lady golfer in history played in the inaugural Vagliano Trophy match back in 1959, making it particularly appropriate that, on the first occasion this biennial fixture is contested in Ireland, it should be fought out on the spectacular links of County Louth made famous by Garvey.

In addition there is an Irish captain of the Great Britain and Ireland side (Ada O’Sullivan) and Tricia Mangan, the 29-year-old Ennis star flies the home flag in this clash against the Continent of Europe which begins this morning. Garvey actually led the Great Britain and Ireland line-up at the opening ceremony last night.

All that is needed now is for the home team to arrest a run of four consecutive defeats and O’Sullivan from Cork declared quite bluntly last night: “If we do not win this time, quite frankly I do not know when we will win with four of the team and possibly a fifth planning to turn professional.”

O’Sullivan who captained the Espirito Santo team in Kuala Lumpur in the autumn described the Co Louth links as “magnificent” and added: “Every hole is distinctive. No two holes are the same. And it is a great matchplay course with the pattern of a game quite likely to change over the last five or six holes.”

Mangan has earned the right to be in the team as winner of the Lahinch and Cork scratch cups and the Munster championship and she is raring to go. “It is great to be in the team and especially here in Ireland.”

Despite the counter-attraction of the Nissan Irish Open, O’Sullivan thinks that there will be crowds of around 2,000 on each of the two days. A large contingent of supporters have come from the Ennis club to support Mangan who is thrust straight into the action this morning. She is paired in the first foursomes session with Scotland’s Lynn Kenny and they play Finland’s Minea Blomqvist and Lisa Holm Sorensen of Denmark. Scottish champion Anne Laing is omitted from the morning foursomes.

Britain’s Janice Moodie missed the chance to head the European challenge at the Evian Masters in France yesterday when she three-putted the final hole for a one-under 71. But the Scot remains well in contention at the half-way stage on a five-under par 139, four behind Rosie Jones of America, who added a 68 to her opening 67.

Jones leads by one from Mexican rookie Lorena Ochoa, while American Juli Inkster and Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson are two shots back at 138.

Missing from the 31 names on par or better was world number one Annika Sorenstam. The defending champion, who pulled out of the Canadian Open two weeks ago due to exhaustion, carded a 73 for a one-over 145.

Laura Davies, the only Briton to have won the title, had a 76 for 146.