Defending champion Colm Campbell has been drawn with world No 8 Connor Syme and American Stewart Hagestad for the first two rounds of next week’s Irish Amateur Open at Royal County Down.

The Warrenpoint man goes off at 08:25 on Thursday with huge interest in how world No 101 Hagestad, the leading amateur at the recent Masters Tournament, fares on one of the world’s greatest links courses.

Royal County Down looks set to be firm, dry and exquisitely manicured for its first staging of the event since 1959 and while the weather forecast set fair, it bodes for a great test with the greens running firm, fast and true.

Eight of the world’s top 100 ranked amateur golfers are taking part — Hagestad is 101st — headed by British Amateur champion Scott Gregory (No 6), with the leading 50 and ties after three rounds qualifying for the final round on Sunday, May 14.

Ireland’s two leading players, world No 40 Stuart Grehan and No 66 Paul McBride, are unavailable and so world No 103 John-Ross Galbraith, Campbell (146th), Robin Dawson (161st), Alex Gleeson (165th) and Conor O’Rourke (291st) will lead a 55-strong Irish entry.

The 144-strong international field features golfers from 15 jurisdictions led by Ireland (55), England (31), Germany (12), Scotland (9), Wales (8), the United States (6), Denmark (5), South Africa (4), Canada (3), Switzerland (2), New Zealand (2), Australia (2), Isle of Man (2), the Netherlands (2) and Saudi Arabia (1).

With the Walker Cup team set for selection later this summer, nine of the 21-strong Great Britain and Ireland squad will be in Newcastle with Ireland represtened by four of its six hopefuls in Campbell, Alex Gleeson, Robin Dawson and Conor O'Rourke.

Players from outside the current panel can, of course, make the 10-man team and that might provide some extra motivation, if it were needed, for the likes of Whitehead's Galbraith to notch a timely win.

WAGR Top-100 players taking part

• 6 Scott Gregory (Eng)
• 8 Connor Syme (Sco)
• 28 David Boote (Wal)
• 33 Maximilian Schmitt (Ger)
• 48 Craig Howie (Sco)
• 58 Craig Ross (Sco)
• 83 Garrett Rank (Can)
• 94 Claudio Consul (Ger)

GB&I Walker Cup panellists participating

• David Boote (Walton Heath, Surrey)
• Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint, County Down)
• Robin Dawson (Tramore, Co Waterford)
• Conor O’Rourke (Naas, County Kildare)
• Alex Gleeson (Castle, Dublin)
• Scott Gregory (Corthampton, Hampshire)
• Craig Howie (Peebles, Borders)
• Craig Ross (Kirkhill, Lanarkshire)
• Connor Syme (Drumoig, Fife)

GB& Walker Cup squad not participating

• Daniel Brown (Masham, Yorkshire)
• Jack Davidson (Llanwern, Wales)
• Owen Edwards (Llanwern, Newport)
• Stuart Grehan (Tullamore, County Offaly)
• Barry Hume (Haggs Castle, Glasgow)
• Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten, Argyll & Bute)
• Paul McBride (The Island, Dublin)
• Bradley Moore (Kedleston Park, Derbyshire)
• Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood, Sussex)
• Alfie Plant (Sundridge Park, Kent)
• Sandy Scott (Nairn, Nairnshire)
• James Walker (Oaks, Yorkshire)

Flogas Irish Amateur Open, Royal County Down, May 11-14

Tee-times - Thursday/Friday

Scoring

1. 07:00/11:25 Joshua McMahon (Wallasey), Søren Broholt Lind (Odder Gol), Christopher MacLean (Balmore)
2. 07:10/11:35 Craig Ross (Kirkhill), William Russell (Clandeboye), Matthias Schmid (Herzogenaurach)
3. 07:20/11:45 Claudio Consul (Duesseldorfer), Daniel Murphy (Portarlington), James Nicholas (Westchester)
4. 07:30/11:55 Benjamin Jones (Northamptonshire county, Mitchell Waite (Filton), Garrett Rank (Elmira)
5. 07:40/12:05 Kyle McClatchie (Serengeti), George Bloor (Cavendish), Hugo Bernard (Laval Sur-le-Lac)
6. 07:50/12:15 Callum Farr (Priors Hall), Nick Bachem (Marienburger), Jack Singh Brar (Remedy Oak)
7. 08:05/12:30 Cameron Long (Burton), Matt Saulez (Durban), Philip Bootsma (Houtrak)
8. 08:15/12:40 Conor O’Rourke (Naas), Gian Marco Petrozzi (Trentham), Max Schmitt (Rheinhessen)
9. 08:25/12:50 Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint), Connor Syme (Drumoig), Stewart Hagestad (Deepdale)
10. 08:35/13:00 Kevin LeBlanc (The Island), Craig Howie (Peebles), Joseph Trinder (Pymble)
11. 08:45/13:10 Robin Dawson (Tramore), Matthew Jordan (Royal Liverpool), Liam Johnston (Dumfries and County)
12. 08:55/13:20 Mark Power (Kilkenny), Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas), Maximilian Boegel (St. Leon- Rot)
13. 09:10/13:35 Alex Gleeson (Castle), Albert Venter (Silverlakes), Karl Vilips (Saddlebrook)
14. 09:20/13:45 Euan McIntosh (Turnhouse), John-Ross Galbraith (Whitehead), Luke Brown (Muriwai)
15. 09:30/13:55 Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene), David Boote (Walton Heath), Michael Hirmer (St. Leon Rot)
16. 09:40/14:05 Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk), Scott Gregory (Corhampton), Trevor Randolph (Arcola)
17. 09:50/14:15 Gary Collins (Rosslare), Laird Shepherd (Rye), Bailey Gill (Lindrick)
18. 10:00/14:25 Jack Pierse (Portmarnock), Ben Chamberlain (Padeswood and Buckley), Nicholas Poppleton (Wath)
19. 10:15/14:40 Colin Fairweather (Knock), Caylum Boon (Oubaai), Tom Gandy (Rowany)
20. 10:25/14:50 Gary McDermott (Carton House), Raphael Geissler (St. Leon-Rot), Josh Hilleard (Farrington Park)
21. 10:35/15:00 Marcel Zillekens (Niederrheinischer), Mike Howard (The Royal Birkdale), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Furesø)
22. 10:45/15:10 Jake Burnage (Saunton), Sean Towndrow (Southport & Ainsdale), Khaled Attieh (Dirab)
23. 10:55/15:20 Mark Hutson (Muriwai), Jeremy Freiburghaus (Domat/Ems), Brandon Dietzel (Essen-Heidhausen)
24. 11:05/15:30 Evan Griffith (Conwy), Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth), Gustav Frimodt (Odense Eventyr)
25. 11:25/07:00 Ian O’Rourke (The Royal Dublin), John Murphy (Kinsale), Jake Whelan (Newlands)
26. 11:35/07:10 Eugene Smith (Laytown & Bettystown), Thomas O’Connor (Athlone), Ben Best (Rathmore)
27. 11:45/07:20 Charlie Strickland (Ham Manor), Constantin Unger (St. Leon-Rot), Eanna Griffin (Waterford)
28. 11:55/07:30 Jason Stokes (La Moye), Joseph Long (Lansdown), Thomas Plumb (Sherborne)
29. 12:05/07:40 Tyler Cline (The Tuxedo), Harry Goddard (Hanbury Manor), James Glenn (Brancepeth Castle)
30. 12:15/07:50 Thomas Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown), James Fox (Portmarnock), Paul Coughlan (Moate)
31. 12:30/08:05 Robert Brazill (Naas), Alasdair McDougall (Elderslie), Jacob Skov Olesen (Naestved)
32. 12:40/08:15 Jordan Sundborg (Shanklin & Sandown), Michael Jnr Ryan (New Ross), Thibault Junak (GC Main-Taunus)
33. 12:50/08:25 Tom Sloman (Taunton & Pickeridge), Dominic Dougan (Drumpelier), Henry Young-alls (Notts)
34. 13:00/08:35 Oliver Percy-Smith (Furesø), Robert Foley (Lausanne), Austin James (Laval Sur-le-Lac)
35. 13:10/08:45 Jake Hapgood (Southerndown), Kyle Harman (Southerndown), Michael Reid (Galgorm Castle)
36. 13:20/08:55 Timothy Harry (Vale Resort), Jake Bolton (Ogbourne Downs), Tom Dolan (Heswall)
37. 13:35/09:10 James Wilson (Balmore), Jim Carvill (Banbridge), John Brady (Rosslare)
38. 13:45/09:20 Matthew Owain Harris (St Mellons), Llew Matthews (Southerndown), Aaron Harper (Bolton OldLinks)
39. 13:55/09:30 Andrew McCormack (Castletroy), Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Harvey Byers (Walton Heath)
40. 14:05/09:40 Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little), Eoin Leonard (Wentworth), Marc Nolan (Delgany)
41. 14:15/09:50 Tom Beasley (Hunstanton), Aaron Grant (Dundalk), Cian Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown)
42. 14:25/10:00 Darin Goldstein (Noyac), David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), Gareth Lappin (Belvoir Park)
43. 14:40/10:15 Sean Ryan (The Royal Dublin), Marc Norton (Belvoir Park), Cathal Butler (Kinsale)
44. 14:50/10:25 James Sugrue (Mallow), Rody Haije (Goyer), Ross Dutton (Tandragee)
45. 15:00/10:35 Eddie McCormack (Galway Bay), Stuart Bleakley (Shandon Park), Timo Vahlenkamp (Berliner Stolper Heide)
46. 15:10/10:45 Tom Harris (Castletown), Luke Donnelly (Kilkenny), Joe Lyons (Galway)
47. 15:20/10:55 Brian Komline (Black Oak), Shaun Carter (The Royal Dublin), William Small (Tandragee)
48. 15:30/11:05 Hugh Foley (The Royal Dublin), Robert Moran (Castle), Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis).