International schedule keeps Campbell busy

UCD student Mark Campbell faces a number of international golfing tests over the next couple of weeks. On Sunday, the 19-year-old Stackstown player flew out to Spain along with fellow Dubliner James Mulready to compete in the Canon European Under-21 Championships and, next week, he is part of the eight-man Irish team that takes on the MGA at Maidstone Golf Course in Long Island.

Originally, Campbell was scheduled to partner Irish youths' champion Graeme McDowell in the Europeans at Sotogrande - but the Ulsterman has taken up a scholarship in the United States and was unable to make the journey home. So, Mulready, who was third behind McDowell and Campbell in the Irish youths championship, got the call-up.

Campbell, winner of the South of Ireland championship in Lahinch, his first major, has a rich pedigree: he was Irish boys' champion in 1996 and won the Belgian Youths' Championship last year. The Stackstown teenager has also played international team golf every year since earning his first boys' cap in 1996.

Meanwhile, Co Sligo's Martin McTiernan - winner of the Irish boys' championship in Kilkenny in August - is one of four Irish players competing in the Faldo Junior Series finals at The Belfry, starting today.

McTiernan is competing in the under-15 section of the competition while Portarlington's Mark Kennedy is the representative in the under-16 section. Ballyliffin's Philip McLoughlin competes in the under-17s and Galway's Mark O'Sullivan, winner of the Leinster boys' championship, is the representative in the under-18 section. Apart from competing in the competition, the four Irish players will also get private clinics from Faldo himself.