Just over a week after experiencing the highs of championship success, Gary Cullen is enduring the lows of being an injured golfer. Indeed, Cullen - the Irish strokeplay champion - has been forced to withdraw from the Ireland team to meet South Africa in an international at Baltray tomorrow and Thursday and, even more worryingly, is doubtful for the British Amateur Championship which commences at Royal Co Down next Monday.

In a rather bizarre incident at the weather-hit St Andrews Links Trophy over the Old Course at the weekend, Cullen sustained some sort of muscle spasm in his back when walking off a green and was so badly affected that he had to lie down on the ground. Gary Wolstenholme, the Walker Cup and Eisenhower Trophy player, who was in his group, realised the seriousness of the situation and insisted that an ambulance be called to take the stricken Cullen to hospital.

The fear is that Cullen, winner of the recent Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin, has sustained some disk injury - and, upon arrival back in Dublin yesterday, the Beaverstown player was immediately taken to hospital for further treatment.

Cullen's place on the four-man Irish team to meet the Springboks at Co Louth has been taken by David Jones, recent winner of the St David's Cross tournament in Wales. In fact, Jones is the second reserve to be drafted into the side as Johnny Foster, runner-up in the Portuguese amateur championship earlier this season, replaced Paddy Gribben on Sunday. The revised four-man team is: Noel Fox (Portmarnock), Andrew McCormick (Scrabo), Jones (City of Derry) and Foster (Ballyclare).

The South Africans arrived in Ireland yesterday and their four-player team of Henk Alberts, Jaco Van Der Merwe, Ryan Reid and Jaco Olvier will play Ireland in a Test consisting of two foursomes and two fourballs tomorrow and two foursomes and four singles on Thursday. All the players involved in Baltray are competing in the British Amateur Championship which commences with qualifying on Monday and Tuesday next at Newcastle and Kilkeel, followed by matchplay from Wednesday when the top 64 players plus ties will be involved.

The African quartet are also committed to a return visit to Baltray for the East of Ireland championship on June 5th-7th.

A decision on whether or not Cullen will be able to take part in the British Amateur Championship won't be taken until later in the week.

Incidentally, that St Andrews Trophy was reduced to 36-holes due to dreadful weather (Garth McGimpsey, in fifth, was the leading Irishman) and, because of the conditions, will have little or no bearing on the Britain and Ireland team that meets the United States in the Walker Cup at Nairn in September.

McGimpsey, in 1985, was the last Irish player to win the Amateur Championship and is one of just three past winners (Wolstenholme and Craig Watson are the other two) competing next week. However, this year, with 34 Irish players in a field that comprises 288 players from 26 countries, the prospect of an Irish winner is much improved. Last year's winner Sergio Garcia is now making a big name for himself in the professional ranks while, among, the American challengers (for a title they last won through Jay Sigel in 1979) are Walker Cup players Buddy Marucci, Duke Delcher and Tom McKnight.

Three of the Irish contingent will be making their seasonal debuts on this side of the Atlantic. Danny Coyle, Michael Hoey and Eamonn Brady, who are all on scholarships to American colleges, return to compete in the British.

Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and former England cricket captain Ted Dexter will be among the competitors at the English Open Seniors Championship at Shifnal and Worfield Golf Clubs next week.