Irish Sports Desk: Limerick snags Tiger for McManus charity golf classic

By Sean Creedon

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will play in the J.P. McManus Charity Classic at Limerick Golf Club July 10-11. Woods will join David Duval, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Stuart Appleby, Lee Janzen and all the top Irish players in the strongest field by far ever to contest a tournament in Ireland.

Forty teams of three amateurs are paying £40,000 per team to play and they will be joined by one professional.

McManus, who recently donated £50 million to the proposed National Stadium, will pay all the golfers expenses. Woods will fly in after competing in the Western Open in Chicago, which he won last year. This is the third time that the tax-exile McManus has organized a golf classic for local charities. Four years ago he raised nearly £3 million for Limerick charities. This time the money raised will go to six Limerick charities.

Meanwhile it has been confirmed that Sergio Garcia will defend his Murphy’s Irish Open title at Ballybunion from June 29 to July 2.

Colin Montgomerie, who dominated the event at Druid’s Glen before Garcia’s triumph, has also been confirmed as a definite starter.

Kilkenny back in top flight

Kilkenny City are back in the Eircom League Premier Division after a court case and a playoff. Earlier in the season Kilkenny were deducted three points after an irregularity in the signing of a player prior to a first division league game against Limerick. They appealed, the game was replayed, and Kilkenny won again.

Dundalk who finished fourth in the League, failed in their High Court bid to have the decision reversed. Then Kilkenny beat neighbors Waterford, (who had finished third from bottom of the premier division) 2-0 over two legs to guarantee them a return to the premier division.

The other two clubs promoted were Bray Wanderers and Longford Town. Going down with Waterford are Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers.

Carruth before board

Michael Carruth will have to go before the British Boxing Board of control if he wishes to fight in England again. The British Board’s Southern Area Council debated the Dublin fighters recent losing bout against Adrian Stone in London, following a written complaint from promoter Frank Maloney. Carruth had weighed in over the limit and his father threw in the towel in the fifth round.

Carruth says he will shortly make a decision on his future.

Ferguson eyes retirement

Alex Ferguson says he will quit as manager of Manchester United when his current contract expires in 2002. But the Scot says he would like to stay on at Old Trafford in some capacity.

All-Ireland returns

The All-Ireland football championships gets under way in earnest on Sunday with two big games in Ulster, where you are always guaranteed a few surprises. Cavan play Derry at Breffnia Park and Fermanagh at home to Monaghan.

Also on Sunday, we have the National Hurling League Final in Limerick, where Galway play Tipperary. It’s a repeat of last year’s final, when Tipp beat Galway in Ennis. Galway will be without regular freetaker Eugene Cloonan, who recently got a three-month ban following incidents in a club game in Galway.

Rules bid for McEniff

Bundoran hotel owner Brian McEniff will manage the Irish team for the Compromise Rules series against Australia in Dublin October. The man who led his native Donegal to All-Ireland success in 1992 and Ulster to a record 10 Railway Cup titles, takes over from Colm O’Rourke.

McEniff, whose name was put forward by new GAA President Sean McCague, said: "I am genuinely thrilled about the appointment, it’s a great honor and I hope I can build on the success of Colm O’Rourke."

Can you name five current intercounty Gaelic footballers who are equally comfortable kicking with their right or left foot? I was asked that question by the legendary Mick O’Connell recently and was stumped for an answer.

I met my childhood hero at a funeral on May Day. Micko was in Rathmore for the funeral of Nora B. Moynihan, the mother of former New York footballers Timmy and Micky Moynihan.

Naturally, the conversation turned to Gaelic football. Maurice Fitzgerald was the only player that I could nominate off the top of my head. But maybe our readers can give us four more?

Quinn sacked

Former Northern Ireland international Jimmy Quinn was sacked last week from his job as manager of Swindon Town. Swindon have been relegated to the English second division, so it came as no real surprise when Quinn got the chop.

Harte out for season

Leeds United Republic of Ireland defender Ian Harte is ruled out of action for the remainder of the season. Harte, who was handed a three-match ban after being sent off in a recent League game against Arsenal, took advantage of the break to have a hernia operation. He will now miss The Republic’s game against Scotland on May 30 and the trip to the United States for the Nike Cup in June.

Liverpool’s new chief executive, Rick Parry, says Liverpool are going to catch up with archrivals Manchester United in the race for soccer’s commercial millions. Last week, Liverpool unveiled a £21 million shirt deal with Reebok and will look launch their own TV channel, just as

United did two years ago.

"We have fallen behind and it’s something we know we have to get motoring on," Parry said. "We have huge potential because of our worldwide support base and we will be catching up rapidly.”

Part of the money from Reebok will go toward manager Gerard Houlier’s plans to strengthen his squad for an assault on Premiership title next season.

New Clare captain

Full-back Brian Lohan is the new captain of the Clare senior hurlers. The Wolfe Tones man takes over from Ollie Baker, who led the Bannermen for the last eight years.

"I’ve been there eight years, we’ve had new selectors in to freshen up training and attitudes and I thought maybe the players needed to hear a fresh voice as captain too at this stage,” said the 30-year-old Baker, who admits that this may be his last championship campaign.

McCague targeting union?

GAA President Sean McCague appears to want to drive a wedge between the GAA players and the newly formed Gaelic Players Association. Armagh’s Jarlath Burns is the new chairman of Association’s own Players Committee and also included are hurlers Seanie McGreath, Cathal McGrath and Canice Brennan, and footballers Dara O Cinneide, James Nallen and Jody Devine.