Irish tipped to defend Euro title at Shannon GC
They captured the title in Bled, Slovenia, last year but only Maurice Kelly (Killeen) and Hugh Smyth (Mourne) have retained their places. Tony Goode, Seamus McParland, Val Smyth and Nigel Duke are replaced by Adrian Morrow (Portmarnock), John Carroll (Bandon), Liam MacNamara (Woodbrook) and Arthur Pierse (Tipperary).
If anything, it sounds like a stronger side than that which qualified in second place behind Scotland in Bled and then beat them in the final.
The strength of over-55s golf in this country can be gauged from the fact that Morrow, Pierse, Kelly and MacNamara filled each of the first four places in the European Seniors Individual Championship at Vilamoura, Portugal in June.
Furthermore, Morrow shot the lights out when racing away to a clear-cut victory in the Irish Seniors Championship at Westport. Last week, Adrian led the Irish contingent in the British Open Seniors at Royal Cinque Ports.
In his time, Morrow has won a couple of East of Ireland Championships and one South of Ireland. Other title winners include MacNamara, South of Ireland; Smyth, East of Ireland; Pierse, two West of Irelands, one North and one East. The Tipperary golfer also captured the 2007 British Seniors Championship at Nairn and a former Walker Cup golfer.
Bandon’s John Carroll — who concentrated, as a younger man, on football at which he gained international honours has been remarkably consistent this year, finishing third in the Irish Seniors and runner-up in the Connacht Seniors and indeed has been a busy man of late having captained Munster to within one match of retaining the Interprovincial Championship at Athlone last week.
The biggest challenge to the host nation is likely to come from Scotland (who include former Walker Cup players Sandy Pirie and Ian Hutcheon) and England but unfortunately there is no team from Wales on this occasion. Sweden, Germany and France of the continental countries should also figure prominently.
This is the third occasion on which Shannon Golf Club has hosted a European Championship. The Ladies Team Championship was staged there in 1990 when the great Annika Sorenstam was a member of the Swedish team and the Ladies Individual went there in 2003.
In all, 20 countries are involved.
The championship begins with the first of two stroke qualifying rounds tomorrow and Thursday with the best five cards counting. The leading four teams go through to the semi-finals on Friday and the final on Saturday with a match play format of one foursome and four singles.
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