The R&A Senior Home Internationals get underway in Castlerock tomorrow morning and as Brian Hutchinson enters his final season as team captain, the hope is to sign off from what has been a proud three years with a victory saying, “I think we need to win a Home Internationals for the first time under the Golf Ireland banner.”
The third year of the prestigious event tees up on the North coast this year with the best of Irish, Scottish, English and Welsh talent making their way to the Castlerock links for what is sure to be an enthralling three days of action.
Having come so close to glory in the previous two years, pipped to the title by Scotland in 2022 and England in 2023, Hutchinson knows it is a difficult ask but is hopeful that the title could finally settle on Irish shores in 2024.
“We would be very hopeful. It’s not easy, it’s as difficult to win this as it is nearly the Europeans, that might seem extreme but all the teams are quite strong,” said Hutchinson.
“Especially for Golf Ireland it would be nice to win it for the first time under the Golf Ireland banner, that’s important. It would be tremendous.”
Ireland will call on a vast amount of international experience with both the women’s and men’s squads boasting players who have teed up at Home Internationals and European championships.
Tracy Eakin (Dooks), Alison Taylor (Malahide), Deirdre Walsh (Milltown) and Laura Webb (Royal Portrush) return to Marilyn Henderson’s women’s team having teed up in Scotland last year.
While the men’s team sees Karl Bornemann (Douglas), Jim Carvill (Banbridge), Jody Fanagan (Milltown) and David Mulholland (Castlerock) make the team once more.
“We have a mixture of experience, those that have done well in the women’s and the men’s order of merits so we have what we think are two strong teams and overall, that should add up to a very, very strong combination,” said Hutchinson.
“We need to get off to a good start tomorrow, get it set up. You have got to get up and get in there early, it would be nice to see the figures going up for Ireland early on the board.”
Playing on home soil brings with it some added pressure for the Irish team but the advantages can be felt too as not only will the team have local support but also the benefit of local knowledge with Castlerock member Mulholland providing the insider information that could be key when it comes to getting off to that fast start.
“David being a member of the club has been extremely helpful and has given people information regarding how to play the course and that should be helpful,” said Hutchinson.
“We were up for a practice day about three or four weeks ago. It definitely should help but obviously the pressures are just that wee bit more playing at home.”
While both the men’s and women’s team will play individual competitions it is the overall score that wins the day. Hutchinson and Henderson are keen to keep that unity strong between both sides as they took in their final practice round this afternoon.
“We are very conscious of that, the men and the women need to work together,” said Hutchinson.
“I can assure you they will be supporting each other; the men and the women will be supporting each other in this event.”
The action begins on Tuesday at 7.30am when England take on Wales in the Women’s and Men’s Foursomes, with Ireland and Scotland teeing off at 8.40am.
Follow all the action here
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