TEAM IRELAND GOLF TRUST 2003

March 18, 2003.

The Team Ireland Golf Trust has allocated a total of €240,000 to aspiring golfers who are pursuing their sporting careers on professional golf tours. This year the Trust has targeted golfers who have playing rights on the major tours and young golfers who are starting out to compete on the professional golf circuit for the first time.

The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr John O'Donoghue T.D. made the Team Ireland Golf Trust announcement for the 2003 grant allocations to Ireland's young tour professionals today (March 13). Minister O'Donoghue said:

"I am pleased to say that the Team Ireland Golf Trust has proved to be a great success and this is evidenced by the increasing number of Irish golfers on the main professional tours. The Trust provides vital support to aspiring golf professionals and is an essential scheme if we want to maintain a high profile presence on major golf tours into the future. In addition the Trust is a great example of the private and public sectors working together with sport to achieve an agreed aim".

This is the fourth year of the Trust, which has provided a total of €770,000 financial support to golfers. The Trust, which is administered by the Irish Sport Council, aims to contribute to an increase in the presence of Irish golf professionals on the various international tours. Since 1999, it has assisted many golfers make significant breakthroughs and in the long term should significantly boost Ireland's international golf profile.

Previous Golf Trust recipients, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy and Damien McGrane, have all been awarded €25,000 in recognition of achieving cards on the European Tour in 2003. Suzanne O'Brien and Yvonne Cassidy, who will play on the Ladies European Tour in 2003, are to receive €20,000 each. Substantial funding is also being provided to Michael Hoey (€20,000), Stephen Browne (€20,000), Eamonn Brady (€15,000) and Gary Cullen (€15,000), who are committed to playing on the Challenge Tour in 2003.

Young golfers who have recently turned professional are also being supported. Padraig Dooley, Gavin McNeill, Tim Rice and Daniel Sugrue will receive €5000 each, while Rebecca Coakley, who has been playing very well in Australia recently, is being granted €10,000.

Team Ireland Golf Trust is a partnership between statutory agencies and private corporations. Clients of Bryan Phelan, Ryanair and O'Callaghan Hotels each make generous donations to the scheme, which represents a significant investment in the long-term development of Irish golf

The Irish Sports Council, Bord Failte and the PGA European Tour also provide financial and other supports. The golfers on the scheme also have access to the sports science and medicine network provided by the Irish Sports Council to the athletes on the International Carding Scheme and administered by the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick.

The Irish PGA, the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union, along with the state and corporate supporters, are represented on the Team Ireland Golf Trust committee chaired by Mr Padraig O'hUiginn.

Peter Lawrie
"I am delighted with the allocation of €25,000 from the Team Ireland Golf Trust in 2003. The Golf Trust was very beneficial to me in my professional career to date as it allowed me to compete in events without having a heavy financial burden to worry about. I am looking forward to playing on the European Tour in 2003 and going on from there to improve my world ranking. One of the objectives of the Team Ireland Golf Trust was to bring new Irish players through to play in the Ryder Cup in 2006. I hope that myself or the other players supported by the Trust can succeed in achieving that objective."

Damien McGrane
"I am very happy to be receiving a grant of €25,000 from the Team Ireland Golf Trust in 2003. With the help of the Trust over the past three years I was able to achieve my aim of playing on the European Tour. I hope that I will now be able to fulfil my career in golf and realise my dreams."

Suzanne O'Brien
"Without the grant of €20,000 from the Team Ireland Golf Trust in 2002 I would not have been able to compete as well as I did on the Ladies Tour. It helped me greatly to retain my tour card. Being allocated the same grant again this year will help me enormously and give me the confidence to play on the tour week in week out. With the benefit of funding from the Golf Trust I hope to move on to better things in 2003 and improve my position on the European Ladies Tour."

Yvonne Cassidy
"I am absolutely delighted with the news that I am to receive grant aid of €20,000 from Team Ireland Golf Trust. This assistance really takes the financial worries out of playing full time on the Ladies European Tour, leaving me to fully concentrate on getting good results throughout the 2003 season and helping me become a successful player on the Ladies European Tour."

Michael Hoey
"I am delighted that the Team Ireland Golf Trust are kindly supporting me for another year with a grant of €20,000. The first few years on Tour are a struggle financially and the generous funding that the Trust provides allows me to focus on my golf. I will be concentrating on the European Challenge Tour, where tournaments take place all around the world, such as Moscow to Guatemala, and their generous support will enable me to play there."

Stephen Browne
"I wish to thank the Team Ireland Golf Trust and its sponsors for the grant of €20,000 in 2003. This support is essential for golfers trying to achieve tour cards and higher order of merit positions. The increased number of Irish players on the European and Challenge Tour circuit this year is proof that the Golf Trust is working. With the aid of the funding from Team Ireland Golf Trust I hope to achieve my aim of playing on the European Tour next year."

Note: The main allocations for 2003 are as follows.