Douglas golfer Sara Byrne has been named on the international team to play in the prestigious Palmer Cup which takes place in Lahinch in July.  The announcement came late on Tuesday and the 22 year old Senior was delighted with the news.

“Being selected was such an honour” said Byrne.  “It’s been a goal of mine for the last couple months to really perform and give myself a chance to make the team especially having it in Lahinch.”

 

“Having it at home is a cherry on top, I’m so excited to be able to compete in front of a real home crowd.”

“It feels really nice to know I had a little bit of pressure to have some good rounds the last few tournaments to give myself a chance and to know I performed well enough is really satisfying”

Byrne, who is finishing he final semester in the University of Miami, has had a great year on the course.  She finished fourth in the ACC Championship last weekend, that was her sixth top five of the season.

There was double joy for Douglas, Aaron O’Callaghan was confirmed as a coach for the international team for the event.  O’Callaghan was Douglas member who represented Ireland at all levels before moving to the US and becoming a college coach.  He’s currently and assistant coach with Wake Forest, one of the top ranked US golf colleges.

The Palmer Cup will take place in Lahinch in early July.  The annual competition is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players.

The international team features 24 top amateurs, and Byrne was among four Irish golfers named.  Kate Lanigan, Ryan Griffin and Max Kennedy also made the team.

Lahinch was originally scheduled to host the event in 2020, but that was cancelled due to Covid and Lahinch was subsequently confirmed for this year.  The South of Ireland venue is also due to host the Walker Cup in 2026.