Inside Golf: Captain backing Robin Dawson and Rowan Lester to deliver

Irish team captain Tony Goode has backed late call-ups Robin Dawson and Rowan Lester to make the most of the opportunities handed to them by the withdrawals of Paul Dunne and Gary Hurley from next week’s Home International defence at Royal Portrush.

Hurley and Open Championship hero Dunne, both members and foursomes partners in Ireland’s Triple Crown triumph last year at Southerndown GC in Wales, pulled out of the Irish side at the weekend in order to compete alongside Cormac Sharvin as part of an unprecedented three-man contingent at the US Amateur.

The trio will travel to Olympia Fields near Chicago for the prestigious amateur major with the full blessing of the Golfing Union of Ireland and while Goode said they would be missed at Portrush, their absence represented an open door for 19-year-old duo Dawson (Faithlegg/Maynooth University) and Lester (Hermitage).