Dec. 28, 2004 – Four members of England’s World Class Performance Program Elite Squad will head for Australia in late January to compete in the annual Lake Macquarie tournament and the New South Wales Medal.

Lawrence Dodd from Suffolk, Devon’s James Ruth, Cheshire-based Paul Waring and Gary Wolstenholme from Leicestershire will continue England’s regular presence at the Lake Macquarie event, which is scheduled to take place at Belmont Golf Club on 27th - 30th January. Then they will move on to the New South Wales Medal being played at Pymble and Killara Golf Clubs on 5th - 7th February with the top 32 advancing to compete for the New South Wales Championship between 9th -13th February.

While three of the party will be making their debuts at Lake Macquarie, the event will be nothing new for Wolstenholme. The 44 year old is a regular participant and this will be his eighth attempt to build on his international successes. He won the team title with Jonathan Lupton in 2003 and came closest to the individual title in 1998 when he lost to Brett Rumford in a play-off.

Dodd, 21, joined the Elite Squad having made his full England debut in September’s Home Internationals. Winner of the Greek Amateur in 2003, this year he has finished runner-up in the West of England Stroke Play Championship and in the Peugeot Classic in France where he also helped win the Nations Cup for England. The former Suffolk champion enjoyed a successful run in the English Championship, reaching the quarterfinals where he was beaten by Wolstenholme.

Ruth, who will celebrate his 20th birthday a week prior to the Lake Macquarie event, is another recent addition to the Elite Squad. Capped at every level for England, he made his full international debut against France in May. At the Home Internationals he stepped in as a replacement for Paul Waring, who was unfortunately injured, and helped England regain the title. The two England appearances topped a highly successful year for Ruth, who won the Berkhamsted Trophy and the Royal North Devon Easter Medal. He played a major role in steering his club, Tavistock, to victory in the Champion Club Tournament and was also a member of the Devon side, which played for the County Finals.

But for his injury, Waring would have made his full England debut in the Home Internationals. A former winner of the McGregor Trophy and the Cheshire Boys Championship, Waring earned caps at under-16 and boys levels and was England Boys captain in 2003. He has enjoyed a successful 2004, winning the Peugeot Classic, finishing runner-up in the Duncan Putter and third in the West of England Stroke Play. He was a member of the England side that won the silver medal in the European Youths Championships in Ireland.

The Lake Macquarie tournament will provide the England players with stern early year competition. Leading golfing nations from around the world send teams to the event and the Australians will, as usual, be tough to beat. English players have won the prestigious Lake Macquarie tournament on three occasions, through Russell Claydon in 1989, Ricky Willison in 1991 and Nick Dougherty in 2001.

The NSW Medal is a 72-hole competition, one round being played over each of the courses on the first two days, after which the leading players tackle 36 holes at Pymble on the final day.

For more information contact:
Carolyn Herbert
Coaching/International Teams Administrator
Tel: 01526 354500
E-mail: cherbert@englishgolfunion.org