News

5th February 2004

Ada O'Sullivan and Pam Benka appointed Team Captains

Ada O’Sullivan has been named as the captain of the teams which will compete for the 2003 Vagliano Trophy and for the Curtis Cup to be played for the following year.

Ms O’Sullivan’s first experience of captaining an LGU team was in this year’s Espirito Santo Trophy which was played at the Saujana Golf and Country Club, Malaysia in October.

However prior to taking up that position, Ms O’Sullivan had a long career in Irish amateur golf and played for her country from 1982 to 1997. Before a back injury forced her into premature retirement from active international service, she was the Irish Stroke Play Champion in 1987; the European Masters Stroke Play Champion in 1994 and gained experience of a captain’s duties with teams at both junior and senior levels.

She remains a fiercely competitive player and still plays to a handicap of scratch at her home club, Monkstown in Cork.

Commenting on the announcement, Ms O’Sullivan said: "I am delighted to have been appointed captain of both teams after my ‘initiation’ in Malaysia. My appointment is part of a long-term LGU strategy which hopefully will result in our squad of talented youngsters producing their best performances in international competition around the world." And she continued: "Life is a continuous string of experiences and this as good as it gets."

The other appointment is that of Pam Benka who has accepted the position of captain of the team to compete for the Commonwealth Trophy in New Zealand next November. Mrs Benka captained the Curtis Cup team that narrowly lost to the U.S. at Fox Chapel in August this year.

The 2003 Vagliano Trophy against the Continent of Europe will be played at County Louth on 25th and 26th July and the 2004 Curtis Cup will be played at Formby from 12th to 13th June.

Further information:  Andy Salmon, CEO, Ladies’ Golf Union, Tel: 01334 475811