Cutler’s sights firmly set on Amatuer title at Muirfield

PAUL CUTLER will aim this week to build on his early-season success and keep his name very much to the forefront of the minds of Great Britain and Ireland selectors as they prepare to put together the St Andrews Trophy side for later in the summer.

The Portstewart star produced one of his finest performances last month as he won the Lytham Trophy inLancashire with three strokes to spare from his nearest rival and now has his sights set firmly on the Amateur Championship at Muirfield..

He should have gone to India with the European team to play in the Bonallack Trophy match in April against Asia Pacific but the contest was cancelled due to the ash cloud.

Cutler is one of 13 Irish golfers who have headed to East Lothian for what is a gruelling week.

Cutler plays the first round this morning at North Berwick, a true old fashioned links, and then completes the qualifying phase tomorrow at Muirfield. For the stroke-play the Irishman plays with German Marcel Schneider and Indian Rashid Khan.

Six of the Irish – Cutler, Paul Dunne, Luke Lennox, ConorDoran, Dara Lernihan and Alan Dunbar – have been selected by the Golfing Union of Ireland to represent them at the championship. Dunbar is a young man thought to have a great future and it will be interesting to see how he fares on this big stage.

Among the others playing are new East of Ireland champion Cian Curley and Portmarnock’s James Fox, the leading Irish player in the recent Welsh Open strokeplay championship at Harlech.

Some 288 players are in the field from 27 countries. After the 36 holes of strokeplay the leading 64 and those tieing will go through to the knock-out phase culminating in the 36-hole final next Saturday.

Teenage Italian Matteo Manassero became the youngest-ever winner of the crown at Formby last June but he has since turned professional.