Colm Campbell wants to take a giant step towards earning a spot on Ireland's six-man team for July's European Team Championships when he seeks his fourth amateur Major in the East of Ireland at County Louth this weekend.

The Warrenpoint man, who no longer plays full time as work and family life take priority, proved class is permanent when he captured his second Flogas Irish Amateur Open after a playoff at The Island last month.

After initially deciding he would limit himself to the domestic scene and try to regain his place on the Home Internationals team through the Bridgestone Tour's Order of Merit, the 35-year old has added the Amateur Championship to his schedule and set his sights on making the six-man team for the European Amateur Team Championships at PGA Catalunya Resort from 6-10 July.

"My plan has slightly changed," he admitted. "There are a couple of things there that weren't really on the agenda at the start of the season, so I'm trying to give myself an extra chance of making the six-man team by playing the Amateur at Royal Lytham."

He knows it won’t be easy at Baltray, even without most of the top players.

"It's always tough to win no matter what the field is like," 2014 winner Campbell said of a field that's missing all the Irish team bar Douglas' Peter O'Keeffe, Laytown and Bettystown's Alex Maguire and Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty.

"But I'm going back to a place I feel comfortable at, and I was obviously lucky enough to win an East before, and I've had a decent record around it. My game is in good shape. So hopefully, come Monday, we won't be too far away."

It's the first edition of the East for three years following cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and after back-to-back wins by South Africans in 2018 and 2019, a home winner looks likely with just three overseas entries this year.

Tramore's Jack Hearn, who returned from college in Alabama to win the Ulster Strokeplay at Belvoir Park earlier this week, could be a threat while Royal Dublin's Max Kennedy, Naas’ Robert Brazill, Grange’s Jake Whelan and Dundalk’s former Walker Cup player Rafferty will also be a threat in a field that also features former winners Simon Ward, Paul O’Hanlon and local hope, Gerard Dunne.

"Anybody realistically has a chance, there are that many good players nowadays," Campbell said. "So while there are a few lads in St Andrews, the field is quite strong, and nobody's going to be handled the title come Monday evening. You're gonna have to go out and earn it."

Baltray is in pristine condition with the rough getting thicker by the hour, and Campbell reckons that suits him.

"Like any links course, you have to drive the ball well," he said of the “juicy” rough. "If you're coming out of the rough all day, it's going be a long day. Driving the ball was one of the key aspects of actually getting over the line at The Island. It’s actually one of the strengths of my game.”

Three years after South Africa's Martin Vorster lifted the East of Ireland Championship at Baltray, there's growing excitement at County Louth for the 80th staging of this classic, 72-hole strokeplay test.

Just ask County Louth's Gerard Dunne, who finished just a shot behind champion O'Hanlon in 2016 and still dreams of one day seeing his name alongside those of Kevin Garvey (1942), Mark Gannon (1978), Barry Reddan (1984) and Finbarr Ronan (1985) as a home winner of the "East".

It's hard to believe almost 37 years have passed since Ronan romped to an eight-shot win over Padraig Hogan on the Baltray links and a home challenge may be just what this championship needs as ten of our leading internationals are away at the St Andrews Links Trophy in Scotland.

The field is still a strong one with Campbell and reigning Irish Close champion O’Keeffe two of the favourites for the title ahead of Maguire and Hearn

County Louth has at least seven men in the field with Dunne (34), a post-primary teacher at O'Fiaich College in Dundalk, arguably the leading contender for The D Hotel sponsored championship.

"It's such an institution," Dunne reported this week as excitement builds for the weekend when the 132-strong field will play 36 holes on Saturday and Sunday with the leading 42 and ties qualifying for the final two rounds on Bank Holiday Monday. "All the locals are talking about the East of Ireland and the course is pristine thanks to Course Manager Wayne Murray and his team.

The 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th at County Louth

"We haven't had the East since 2019 because of Covid, so add all those factors together and the fact it's such a major championship and there's a real buzz about the place. It's great to have it back."

With strokeplay becoming the preferred format for a new generation of amateurs, prompting the North of Ireland to switch format from this year, the East would be in a position to strengthen its hand as one of the strongest of our championships were it not for a clash with the St Andrew Links Trophy.

Nevertheless, the field is replete with some of our most promising young players and Dunne knows he will have to play even better than he did in 2016 to realise his dream.

"When there is local interest in the event, the members really get behind it," he said. "It's why it was so well supported back in the day because you had the likes of Barry Reddan and Mark Gannon, Declan Branigan and Val Smyth.

"Those local players played such a great part in making the East what it was and while sport is different nowadays and it's a younger man's game, I think the advent of Golf Ireland's Bridgestone Tour order of merit will go a long way towards making it even stronger."

As for his thoughts of winning, Dunne knows it's a major challenge to compete with full-time amateurs. But after watching Campbell win the Irish Amateur Open at the age of 35 just a few weeks ago, he has high hopes.

"All you can ask is to be in position after the first two days I stay in the hunt with 18 holes to go," he said. "A lot of the guys in the field are full-time amateurs coming home from playing golf in the States, but you only have to look at what Collie Campbell did at The Island a couple of weeks ago to know it can be done.

"It would be absolutely massive for me, with all my connections at the golf club, to get my name on the wall in the clubhouse. That would be huge. You don't want to be thinking that far ahead, but that's the goal. I can't wait to get going."

East of Ireland Championship, County Louth Golf Club (Par 72)

Live scoring link

Sponsored by The D Hotel

Tee times (Saturday/Sunday)

10th tee/1st tee

07:30/14:20 Jordan Boles (Charleville), Jason Murphy (Dundalk), Jack Doherty (Carton House)

07:41/14:09 Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas), Senan Carroll (Ballybunion), Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo)

07:52/13:58 Robert Cannon (Balbriggan), James Andrew Claridge (Enville), Jamie Butler (Killeen)

08:03/13:47 Alex Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown), Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis), Jack Madden (Royal Portrush)

08:14/13:36 Jake Whelan (Grange), Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin), Simon Ward (Belvoir Park)

08:25/13:25 Dylan Keating (Seapoint), Charlie Denvir (Elm Park), Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar)

08:36/13:14 Paul O’Hanlon (Carton House), Jack Pierse (Portmarnock), Bryan Ronan (Co Louth)

08:47/13:03 Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk), Conor Byrne (Strabane), Cian Dullaghan (Greenore)

08:58/12:52 Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock), Sean Desmond (Monkstown) Allan Hill (Roscommon)

09:09/12:41 Gary Collins (Rosslare), AJ McCabe (The Links Portmarnock), Joseph O’Neill (Tralee)

09:20/12:30 Max Kennedy (Royal Dublin), Darragh Flynn (Carton House), Aaron Grant (Dundalk)

12:30/09:20 Dean O’Riordan (Fermoy), Andrew Cassells (Tandragee), Shane O’Connor (Castlebar)

12:41/09:09 Pádraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore), Sean O’Connell (Athenry), Conor Hickey (Dooks)

12:52/08:58 Gerard Dunne (Co Louth), Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Sean McLoughlin (Co Sligo)

13:03/08:47 Mark O’Sullivan (Laytown & Bettystown), Jamie Kelly (Ardee), Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park)

13:14/08:36 Fionn Dobbin (Malone), Michael Shiel (Galway Bay), Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu)

13:25/08:25 Morgan O’Sullivan (Ballyneety), Morgan Cain (Cork), Sean O’Rourke (Tulfarris)

13:36/08:14 Harry Gillivan (Westport), Keith Murphy (Arklow), David Marshall Jnr (Naas)

13:47/08:03 Jordan Hyland (Omagh), Rian Carvill (Warrenpoint), Ian O’Rourke (Cork)

13:58/07:52 Ciaran Tracey (Co Louth), Ronan McCrory (Lurgan), Ross McKeever (Castle)

14:09/07:41 Adam Smith (Mullingar), Mark McKenna (Dun Laoghaire), Jordan O’Leary (Terra Lago)

14:20/07:30 Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle), Shane McGlynn (Portmarnock), Conor Dean (Dun Laoghaire).

1st tee/10th tee

07:30/14:20 Mel Deasy (Douglas), David Reddan Jnr (Nenagh), David Shiel (Powerscourt)

07:41/14:09 Eoin Murphy (Dundalk), Matthew Grehan (Tullamore), Eoin Lisibach (Glasgow)

07:52/13:58 Luke O’Neill (Connemara), Evan Farrell (Ardee), Kyle Patton (Lisburn)

08:03/13:47 Christopher Rabbette (Esker Hills), Conor Clarke (Balmoral), Ross Latimer (Clandeboye)

08:14/13:36 James Fox (Portmarnock), Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell), Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little)

08:25/13:25 Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire), Paul Buckley (Cork), James Hewitt (Tandragee)

08:36/13:14 Joseph Byrne (Baltinglass), Cathal MacCanna (Carton House), Aaron Marshall (Lisburn)

08:47/13:03 Eoin Sullivan (Carton House), Robbie Hynes (Royal Dublin), Christy O’Connor (Corrstown)

08:58/12:52 Gary Cullen (The Links Portmarnock), Scott Jones (Belvoir Park), Adam Doran (Co Louth)

09:09/12:41 Colm Campbell Jnr (Warrenpoint), Jack Blake (The Island), Aidan Dooley (Carton House)

09:20/12:30 Conor Ryan (Bray), Andrew Claridge (Enville), Simon Walker (Roscommon)

12:30/09:20 Ben Murray (Waterford Castle), Christopher Moulds (Lisburn), Ian O’Connell (Castleknock)

12:41/09:09 Sean Flanagan (Portmarnock), Shaun Hedger (West Kilbride), David Murray (Co Louth)

12:52/08:58 Colm Cassidy (Tullamore), William Beatty (Greenacres), Graham Callaghan (Co Louth)

13:03/08:47 Paraic Connolly (The Links Portmarnock), David Connellan (St Anne's), David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown)

13:14/08:36 Jack Hearn (Tramore), Harry Duggan (Kilkenny), Jake Rowe (Belvoir Park)

13:25/08:25 Mark Feenan (Mourne), Gareth Bohill (Co Louth), Cian Harkin (Letterkenny)

13:36/08:14 Kevin Connolly (Donegal), Simon Miskelly (Knock), Ruairi Kennelly (Castleknock)

13:47/08:03 Luke Lynch (Naas), Tom Dowdall (Woodbrook), Conor Byrne (Woodbrook)

13:58/07:52 Marc Nolan (Dun Laoghaire), Kyle McCarron (North West), Rory Williamson (Holywood)

14:09/07:41 Joseph Hanney (The Island), Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth), Robert Brazill (Naas)

14:20/07:30 Ryan McNelis (Fintona), Liam Abom (Edmondstown), Joe Lyons (Galway).