Team Ireland Trio in France

Following on from Turkey three Team Ireland players make their way to Brittany in France this week to compete in the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne on the European Challenge Tour. The Team Ireland trio includes Colm Moriarty, Gareth Shaw and Jonathan Caldwell all out to improve on last week’s tournament with Niall Kearney opting to take a break this week.

All four players made the cut at the Turkish Airlines Challenge with Colm Moriarty and Jonathan Caldwell finishing the best Irish players in a tie for 20th place, Shaw was 43rd and Niall Kearney 69th.

The ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor event in France is only the second outing for Gareth Shaw of Clandeboye Golf Club with Moriarty and Caldwell having played the European Tour event in Madeira in April, where both failed to make the cut at the Portuguese event.

Last year Lee James of England captured this title when he beat Germany’s Florian Fritsch in a play-off at the 6,442 yard, par 70 course.

Charlie Ford of England though is the man in form though having won his maiden Challenge Tour title last week at the Carya Golf Club when he saw off Oscar Florén of Sweden in a play off at the first extra hole.

Past winners of the ALLIANZ Open Cotes d’Armor Bretagne include England’s Peter Baker, who won it 2007, and Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman in 2008.

The event runs from Thursday May 6th until Sunday 9th and has a total purse of €150,000