ILGU withdraws from European Championships due to COVID-19 "health risk"

Olivia Mehaffey (Ireland) during final day of the World Amateur Team Championships 2018, Carton House, Kildare, Ireland. 01/09/2018. Picture Fran Caffrey / Golffile.ie

The ILGU will not be sending teams to the European Team Championships or the European Young Masters due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The European Young Masters (Czech Republic, Aug 27-29), European Senior Ladies’ Team Championship (Bulgaria, Sep 1-4). European Ladies’ Team Championship (Sweden, Sep 9-12) and European Girls’ Team Championship (Slovakia, Sep 23-26) and had been rescheduled.

However, the ILGU High Performance Committee decided that attending would jeopardise player safety and development.

“Our first consideration was to be mindful of our players,” said ILGU High Performance Manager David Kearney. ‘We have a strong culture of promoting education within our Performance Panels and the decision to attend these events would ultimately interrupt an already interrupted school and college year.”

Sinead Heraty, Chief Executive of the ILGU said: “While the ILGU is committed to supporting our High Performance golfers and providing playing opportunities for them on an international stage, the Union also has a responsibility for player safety. To bring athletes to various countries at a time when the health risk associated with international travel is relatively uncertain ultimately was the deciding factor.”

The ILGU High Performance, Horizon, U16 and Funded Performance panellists will compete in a series of domestic and club events during August which will be overseen by the various ILGU Coaches and Service Providers.

The ILGU High Performance Programme is supported by Sport Ireland, Sport NI and The R&A.