Five Irish named in elite squad

As if to confirm the necessity of not only playing abroad, but winning too, the inclusion of Michael Hoey and Ciaran McMonagle in the elite 29-man squad from which next year's Walker Cup team will be selected highlights the importance of international participation.

In the squad announced last evening, the duo are among five Irish players named who will prepare for the defence of the Walker Cup - scheduled to take place at Sea Island, Georgia, next August - and their inclusion owes something to the fact that they are proven winners.

Hoey, apart from winning the North of Ireland this season, also made a winning raid to the Middle East where he won the Emirates Amateur Open Championship while McMonagle, last year's Irish close champion, made a significant impact when winning the South African strokeplay championship.

Indeed, it could be argued that Tim Rice, who made his full international debut in the Home Internationals at Carnoustie last month, also owes his inclusion in the squad to his performance on the international stage. In his case, it came in the British amateur championship at Hoylake where he led the strokeplay qualifying.

Of the Irish quintet in the initial squad, however, the pair most likely to actually earn a call-up to the team are Graeme McDowell and Noel Fox.

McDowell, a student at the University of Alabama, made a remarkable impact on his arrival home for the summer months during which time he won the Irish Close, South of Ireland, Irish and Leinster youths and the World Universities championship and finishing runner-up in the European amateur championship. In fact, McDowell won six tournaments in a three-month period.

It was felt that McDowell was unlucky not to earn a call-up to the three-man British and Irish team for the Eisenhower Trophy. However, that team had been selected much earlier than that . . . and the Rathmore player's exploits came too late for the selectors' to change their minds.

Fox's inclusion was also expected. He enjoyed a hugely successful year and topped the GUI order of merit thanks to his victories in the East of Ireland and the Irish strokeplay championship and, given his services to Irish amateur golf, a Walker Cup call-up would be fitting recognition.

None of the five Irish players have previously played in the Walker Cup and Paddy Gribben, the only Irish player on the successful team in Nairn last year, has since returned to the professional ranks. However, five survivors of that team - David Patrick, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Philip Rowe and Gary Wolstenholme - are included in this new squad.

SQUAD: I Campbell (Marlborough), P Casey (Burhill), L Donald (Beaconsfield), N Dougherty (Shaw Hill), N Edwards (Whitchurch), J Elson (Kenilworth), G Fox (West Kilbride), N Fox (Portmarnock), G Gordon (Newmachar), D Griffiths (West Herts), L Harpin (North Wales), C Heap (East Kilbride), M Hoey (Shandon Park), B Hume (Haggs Castle), M Loftus (Cowglen), S Mackenzie (West Linton), G McDowell (Rathmore), R McEvoy (Thorpe Hall), C McMonagle (Dunfanaghy), S O'Hara (Colville Park), D Patrick (Mortonhall), T Rice (Limerick), P Rowe (West Cornwall), Z Scotland (Woodcote Park), K Sullivan (Brynhill), M Warren (East Kilbride), C Watson (East Renfrewshire), C Williams (Creigiau), G Wolstenholme (Kilworth Springs).