AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn sophomore Julie McCarthy, a native of Ireland, was chosen this week to represent her home country in the Vagliano Trophy, a match play tournament this summer where Great Britain and Ireland compete against the Continent of Europe.
The event, played every two years, will take place June 28-29 at Royal St. George's in England. It's the same course that is scheduled to host The Open Championship in 2020.
"It's amazing," McCarthy said. "I've had some good results this semester, and it was great to see it pay off with a selection like this to represent Great Britain and Ireland. I've represented Ireland on European teams and stuff like that for a few years, but I've never played for Great Britain and Ireland in a tournament like this. I'm really looking forward to it."
"The Vagliano Trophy is the highest honor someone can receive in Europe," added Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen. "The fact that Julie will be representing Great Britain and Ireland is such a great honor. Her team will be very strong, and I'm just so excited for her. It's really quite remarkable that just one year ago she was our No. 6 player and now she is one of the best players in the world."
McCarthy was one of five players initially selected to this year's GB&I team. Three more will be added following the completion of The Women's Amateur Championship later this month.
The selection for McCarthy comes after a breakout season at Auburn where the sophomore earned First-Team All-SEC honors and was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the WGCA. McCarthy led the Tigers with an average score of 72.90 per round this season. She also had six top-five finishes and earned her first collegiate victory at the Clemson Invitational in April.
On Friday, McCarthy will begin play as a member of the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup – another prestigious event held at The Alotian Club in Little Rock, Arkansas.