When Mallow golfer James Sugrue won the British Amateur Championship in 2019, a victory which resulted in him getting an invitation to play in the British Open, US Open and Masters, little did he think that a year later he would be unable to defend his title, but that is the case this week as the event goes ahead at Royal Birkdale without any Cork golfers, following travel guidance from the GUI and Sport Ireland. It is disappointing for James to be unable to travel, but every cloud has a silver lining, as he will now be able to play in the Mallow Scratch Cup which will be held at his home club in Ballyellis this Sunday. 2020 was all set up to be a wonderful year for James, but the arrival of Covid-19 threw his schedule into disarray. The highlight was supposed to be the US Masters at Augusta in April, but that fell victim to Covid too, though it has been rearranged to November when he hopes to line out against the world’s top golfers. In the meantime, though, his focus will be on the Mallow Scratch Cup this Sunday.