McCormack and Hopkins set for Portugal

Eddie McCormackGalway’s Eddie McCormack and Skerries’ Jeff Hopkins have been chosen by the GUI to join Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar in next week’s Portuguese Amateur Open Championship at Montado Golf Club.

Cutler won the Lytham Trophy in 2010 and was also a member of the European Amateur and Home Internationals Teams while Dunbar won last year’s Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin and was also a member of the European Amateur and Home Internationals Teams.

Hopkins finished runner-up in the 2010 Irish Youths Amateur Close Championship while Cavan native McCormack finished runner-up in the 2010 West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.

Rathmore player Dunbar has beeen working hard on a number of major swing changes over the winter with a view to making a major impression this season and earning his place on the GB&I Walker Cup side to face the USA in Aberdeen.

Ireland has three players in the squad with Dunbar and Portstewart star Cutler joined by Florida based Kevin Phelan.

World Amateur Rankings:

Leading Irish players

20 Paul Cutler

82 Kevin Phelan

216 Luke Lennox

308 Alan Dunbar

385 Dermot McElroy

523 Paul Dunne

552 Richard O’Donovan

564 Connor Doran

688 Chris Selfridge

751 Rory Leonard