McIlroy, Shaw, Ward named in World Amateur Championship team

Rory McIlroy (Holywood), Gareth Shaw (Lurgan) and Simon Ward (Co Louth) will represent Ireland in the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy which will be played at the De Zalze Golf Club and Stellenbosch Golf Club, near Cape Town, South Africa on October 26 to 29.

McIlroy, who is ranked fifth in the world amateur rankings with a handicap of plus 5.3, won the West of Ireland Championship at Co Sligo and the Irish Amateur Close Championship at The European Club for the second year in a row, and also finished runner-up in the Irish Amateur Open Championship, having lost out in a three holes play-off to Finland's Antti Ahokas.

The 17-year-old McIlroy scored his biggest victory to date when he won the European Amateur Individual Championship at the Biella Golf Club in Italy last month, which has earned him an invitation to play in the British Open Championship at Carnoustie next year.

Twenty-year-old Shaw, who is on scholarship in America, won the North of Ireland Championship last year, and this year captured the Irish Youths Amateur Open Championship at Royal Tara where he set a new course record 66.

Ward, 18, made his big breakthrough this year when he won the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch, having earlier in the season reached the final of the Irish Amateur Close Championship at The European Club.

All three players were members of the Irish team which competed in the European Youths Amateur Team Championship at San Roque, Spain in July, and in the Home Internationals at Pyle and Kenfig in Wales last week.

The International Golf Federation (IGF) has confirmed that this year's World Amateur Team Championship, which is held biennially and played over 72 holes of stroke play, has attracted a record entry of 75 teams. The previous record was 66 teams in Puerto Rico in 2004.

This will be the third occasion for Ireland to compete on its own in the championship for the Eisenhower Trophy. Since the event was first held in 1958, Ireland was part of a Great Britain and Ireland team until the year 2002 when the four Home Countries decided to enter separate teams for the event which was held in Malaysia.

The IGF was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of golf and to employ the game as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship among the peoples of the world. Serving as the International Olympic Committee's recognised International Federation of golf, the IGF is comprised of the national governing bodies of golf in more than 100 countries.