Tickets limited for Walker Cup
The R&A has limited the attendance to 7,000 spectators per day with daily tickets priced at €40, but the majority of those attending will be Irish with the GUI set to receive an allocation of 5,000 tickets per day for the eagerly awaited clash between Great Britain and Ireland and the United States.
According to GUI General Secretary Seamus Smuth, the Union will write to clubs next month asking them to submit ticket applications while fans who are not members of clubs can apply through the R&A website before the April deadline.
Meanwhile, at the GUI's AGM held at Carton House yesterday, Castlebar native Tommie Basquille was invested as the Union's 59th President.
The Strandhill man, 59, takes over from Carrick-on-Suir's Bernie Hynes while John Moss has replaced David Young on the Irish Youths and Senior Selection Committee
It also emerged that Irish and European Amateur champion Rory McIlroy has pulled out of this month's Spanish Amateur Championship to attend a friend's wedding in Wales.
Ranked second in the R&A's World Amateur Rankings, the Holywood hot-shot was the lowest handicapper in the field for the prestigious King's Cup at Desert Springs from February 28 to March 4.
Ireland will still have a five strong challenge with Shane Lowry, Simon Ward, Pat Murray joined by Niall Kearney and Ruaidhri McGee.
Three of the six motions presented to the AGM were carried.
1 Proposed by the Munster Branch: “That the Fred Daly competition consist of seven (7) players throughout the competition, i.e. Provincial, All Ireland semi-finals and All Ireland Final”.
2 Proposed by the Leinster Branch: “That the GUI will not give its approval to any competition in which prizes are, or appear to be, in breach of amateur status”.
3 Proposed by Executive Committee: Union Constitution - Clause 11.7:
“If a Provincial Council rules that an applicant club should not be admitted to membership it shall notify its decision in writing as soon as possible to the applicant which may appeal to the Central Council whereupon the matter shall be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the Central Council for its consideration and the applicant shall be notified in writing of the time and place at which the meeting is to be held and shall be invited to send not more than three representatives to such meeting.
Having considered the report of the Provincial Council and such representations as shall have been made on behalf of the applicant, the Central Council shall either confirm the ruling of the Provincial Council or reverse such ruling and admit the applicant to membership subject, if the Central Council considers necessary, to such conditions as the Central Council may impose.”
Union Officers, Committees & Representatives 2007
Union Officers
President T. Basquille
President-Elect B. Doyle
Hon. Secretary A. Lee
Hon. Treasurer R.R. McClure
Executive Committee
T. Basquille (President), B. Doyle (President-Elect), A. Lee (Hon. Secretary), R.R. McClure (Hon. Treasurer), E. Fayne (Chairman, Connacht Branch), F. Buckley (Chairman, Leinster Branch), S. MacMahon (Chairman, Munster Branch), PJ Collins (Chairman, Ulster Branch), L. Gardner (Hon. Secretary, Connacht Branch), K. McIntyre (Hon. Secretary, Leinster Branch), J. Moloughney (Hon. Secretary, Munster Branch), E. O’Connor (Hon. Secretary, Ulster Branch), B.P. Hynes (Immediate Past President).
Finance Committee
President, Union Officers, Trustees, M. Connaughton, (Connacht), J. Ferriter (Leinster), L.Martin (Munster), P. Sinclair (Ulster).
C.O.N.G.U. Representatives M. Cashman, J. Ferriter
S.T.R.I. Representative P. O’Dwyer
E.G.A. Representative S. McBurney
Irish Team Captain M. Burns
Youths Captain P. Hogan
Boys Captain R. Cusack
Seniors Captain L. Shanks
Junior Golf Committee
L. Martin (Convenor), Union Officers, Junior Selection Committee, R. Archibald, C. McConn, S. Fitzgerald.
Championship Committee
S. Smith (Convenor), J. Mooney (Connacht), R. Canavan (Connacht), C. Madigan (Leinster),
J.J. Maher (Leinster), T. Donnelly (Munster), M. Lawlor (Munster), S. McBurney (Ulster), T. Jones (Ulster).
S.S.S. & Handicapping Committee
I McCandless (Convenor), Union Officers, CONGU Reps, J. McGovern (Connacht), P. O’Boyle (Connacht), J. Ferriter (Leinster), K. McIntyre (Leinster), M. Lawlor (Munster), T. Donnelly (Munster), N. Bennett (Ulster), D. McNeill (Ulster).
Venues & Fixtures Committee
F. Perry (Convenor), Union Officers, J. O’Donoghue (Connacht), E. Lonergan (Connacht), J McNamara (Leinster), T. Thompson (Leinster), M. Cashman (Munster), K. Walsh (Munster), J. White (Ulster), B. Edwards (Ulster).
Rules of Golf / Amateur Status Committee
C. Madigan (Convenor), Union Officers, S. Fitzgerald (Connacht), D. Murphy (Leinster), M. Lawlor (Munster), D. Irwin (Ulster).
Irish Youths & Senior Selection Committee
M. Burns (Convenor/Irish Team Captain), J.D. Smyth, P. Hogan, J. Moss, Dr. K. Flanagan.
Junior Selection Committee
R. Cusack (Boys Captain), C. Gannon (Connacht), D. Murphy (Leinster), S. O’Leary (Munster), J. Boyd (Ulster).
Greenkeeper & Ecology Committee
E. O’Connor (Convenor), Union Officers, P. Gill (Connacht), G. Renehan (Leinster), P. O’Dwyer (Munster), T. Jones (Ulster).
Constitution Committee
J.L. Bamford (Convenor), Union Officers, F.W. Perry (Connacht), J. Ferriter (Leinster),
M.J. Murphy (Munster), B. Ramsay (Ulster).
High Performance Committee
B. Doyle (Convenor), Union Officers, National Coach, General Secretary, Irish Team Captain, Irish Youths Captain, Irish Boys Captain, Convenor Junior Golf, M. Connaughton (Connacht), J. Greene (Leinster), J. Moloughney (Munster), B. Edwards (Ulster).
Honorary Delegates
I.E.R. Dickson, D. Clarke, W.H. Skelton, J.D. Smyth, C. Lindsay.
Trustees
F.W. Perry (Connacht), E. Curran (Leinster), B.P. Hynes (Munster), R. Bell (Ulster).
Auditor W.J. Miscampbell