2024 Arnold Palmer Cup: Kennedy leads Lahinch-bound Irish pack 

Irish Girl Sara Byrne of Douglas anjd the International team has a go at driving from her knees pictured during the 1st days pracice ahead of this weekends Arnold Palmer Cup in Lahinch Golf Club, Clare. Pic: Brian Arthur

Irish golf supporters are being urged to come out in force and support the homegrown quartet on the International team to face the USA in the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup, which gets underway at Lahinch on Friday.

The three-day team matchplay event, founded in 1997 by the game’s first superstar Palmer for the best collegiate golfers in American university programmes, has grown exponentially in size and status broadening from a US v GB and Ireland men’s event to a mixed USA v Internationals tournament, with 24 golfers on each side doing battle over the historic Irish links this weekend.

Ireland’s top-ranked amateur golfer, world number 35 Max Kennedy, from Royal Dublin and the University of Louisville, leads the Irish contingent while Maynooth University golfers Ryan Griffin and Kate Lanigan qualified for the International team through the elite European college circuit, the R&A Student Tour series, by topping their orders of merit while Douglas golfer Sara Byrne was the women’s coach Rhyll Brinsmead’s pick following a stellar final year at the University of Miami.

Both teams are stacked with WAGR top 50 players, including American world number one Gordon Sargent, compatriot and R&A Women’s Amateur champion Melanie Green fresh from her triumph at Portmarnock, while the Internationals boast R&A Men’s Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark and six players inside the world top 20.

International captain and men’s head coach Barry Fennelly is the manager of Maynooth golf and its Paddy Harrington Scholarship programme and believes the Arnold Palmer Cup is unique opportunity for Irish golf lovers to take advantage of free admission this weekend and see the professional game’s future starts in the flesh.

“It’s massive honour to have the Palmer Cup coming to Ireland and having four players competing is just a brilliant testament to where we’re at,” Fennelly said.

“It’s the first time it’s come to Ireland in the new format, both as a mixed event and in terms of USA v International and it’s huge for Irish golf. And having so many Irish players is a testament to how good college golf is now. 

"Guys who have played this competition are on the PGA Tour now, and from a spectacle point of view, for young, aspiring Irish golf and amateur golf supporters this is an opportunity to get up and close to future stars, there’s no question.

“On the American side you’ve got the top players in amateur golf, world number one Gordon Sargent and on the women’s side too, so it’s not to be missed. This doesn’t come around too often and with it becoming more international and with the Palmer Foundation even more involved as I understand it, it’s going to spread its wings and become a global tournament.

“So what an opportunity to see these players up close and get behind their own Irish players. It’s something us as coaches are really keen to see. Having some home support is massive.

“I’m hopeful we get a lot of home support and we see a lot of young people out and that they get inspired by these players. I think High Performance breeds participation and if they’re young girls who are inspired by Sara or Kate or young guys watching Max or Ryan, or if they’re already good players and this spurs them on to get better, that’s huge and it shouldn’t go unnoticed.”