Internationals lead by point after Arnold Palmer Cup day one

International Player and Cork girl Sara Byrne romped to a 5&4 victory on the day one fourballs with playing partner Max Kennedy

Ryan Griffin and Kate Lanigan’s 18th-hole fourball victory edged the Internationals into a valuable lead over the USA heading into Saturday’s double matchplay session of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch.

The annual match-up between best collegiate golfers in the game is being staged in Ireland for the first time since it became a mixed event in 2018 and the historic links served up a dramatic opening day’s session of 12 fourball matches won 6.5 to 5.5 by the Internationals.

Both the Internationals’ Irish pairings delivered points for the rest of the world selection against the Americans with Sara Byrne and Max Kennedy cruising to a 5&4 victory over America’s Jackson Klutznick and Farah O’Keefe on a rainy but calm morning at the Old Course.

Griffin and Lanigan closed out the fourball session in drier but windier conditions and produced a 2Up win at the last, Griffin sinking an eight-foot putt to see off a late comeback from David Ford and Zoe Campos.

NUI Maynooth duo Griffin and Lanigan, both of whom qualified for the International team by winning their orders of merit on the R&A Student Tour Series, had been 3Up with three to play after winning four holes in a row but held just one-hole lead going to the last and their university coach Barry Fennelly, the Internationals’ head coach, praised their ability to close out the victory.

“Some finish, I’m just thrilled for Ryan and Kate. They battled so hard,” Fennelly said. “They went on a birdie streak, Kate had three in a row from 11, 12, 13, Ryan birdied 14 to get control of the match and it was fantastic matchplay at 3up with three to go but it’s never over until it’s over so thrilled for them to get it done.

“They just played superbly. They beat two quality players, particularly a guy like David Ford, a top 10 player in the world, and that’s why they’re on our team. So proud of them.” Earlier in the day, Byrne and Kennedy trounced Americans Jackson Klutznick and Farah O’Keefe 5&4, with two eagles and five birdies to wrap up victory with a par at the 14th hole.

The duo, Ireland’s top players in their respective World Amateur Golf Ranking standings with Kennedy, a senior at the University of Louisville, 35th and Douglas’s Byrne at 60 after a stellar final year at Miami, got their weekend off to the perfect start in the fourballs.

“I’ve known Max a good few years now and as I soon as I heard that we were going to be paired up I was over the moon,” Byrne said. “We’re so close that we were just able to go out and have fun with it.

“I was so excited to play. That’s what’s been ingrained in us for the week, ‘no fear – just be excited for it’ and that’s what we did. Me and Max just went out there and we had an absolute blast out there.

“We had so much fun and obviously we were playing such good golf, I think we were seven under through eight so that was definitely helpful. He was making eagles, I was holing out for eagles so we just had the best fun out there.

“Absolutely, foot down and don’t let up. That’s our mantra for the week and let’s see where we can go with it.” While the Irish pairings got the biggest galleries during a rainy day on the County Clare links, there were also healthy crowds following men’s world number one Gordon Sargent and admiring his prodigious swing speed and distance off the tee. The American, playing with Anna Morgan, were 4&2 winners over the International pairing of Emma Bunch and Filip Jakubcik.

Yet the day belonged to the home contingent and Fennelly added: “Sara and Max were great. We strategically put them in the middle, hoping they would be the heartbeat and get a lot of people out watching and they started really strongly and they just kept going, so great.

“Two Irish wins on day one, exactly what the doctor ordered and importantly we’re a point ahead so I’m pretty happy after day one.” Saturday’s play gets underway with 12 foursomes matches beginning at 8:30am before mixed foursomes from 2:30pm ahead of Sunday’s 24 singles matches. There is a long way to go.