The Irish team defeated the American team in the second US-Ireland Alliance Golf Challenge that was held at the K-Club in Ireland from June 17-19. It all came down to the last putt on the last hole of the competition when Martin McAleese, spouse of Irish President Mary McAleese, sunk a putt which was at least 10 feet long. Like fishing stories, this one is already growing in legend with the Irish team claiming the putt was up to 45 feet long.

The tournament, which was sponsored by the Bank of Ireland, Elan, the Crucible Corporation, McNamara Construction and ServerVault, benefits the US-Ireland Alliance. 

Tanaiste Mary Harney presented the teams with their prizes at the tournament's conclusion. During the event, Gerry McCrory was named as 'patron' to the US-Ireland Alliance in recognition of the outstanding contributions he and his companies — Crucible & Cross Atlantic Capital Partners — have made to the organization. At the conclusion of the day, it was announced that American team member Tom O'Malley's Tosco Corp. (the company buying the Irish National Petroleum Company' refinery in Cork) is becoming a corporate sponsor of the US-Ireland Alliance. 

Noting that the US-Ireland Alliance has no interest in the shamrockery that has been part of so much of "Irish-America," President Trina Vargo welcomed the growing support for the organization that is less than 4 years old: "Our support is coming from people in Ireland, and now many Irish Americans, who have come to recognize that the real focus for the future of the relationship should be on educating Americans about contemporary Ireland and on building a network in which the people of the island of Ireland are truly equal partners."

As his last official act as the US ambassador to Ireland, Mike Sullivan, captained the American team whose members included: Dick Blum, senior adviser to Marsh & McLennan Companies; Tom Coughlin, president and CEO of Wal-mart; Ted Jadick, Co-Chairman of the Worldwide Corporate Board Practice of Heidrick & Struggles; Bob Johnson, Chairman, President and CEO of Bowne & Co.; Dick Kovacevich, president and CEO of Wells Fargo; Tom O'Malley, chairman and CEO of Tosco Corporation; Steven C. Rockefeller, Jr., managing director of Bankers Trust Private Banking Group; Mayo Shattuck, co-chairman and Co-CEO of Deutsche Banc Alex Brown; and Patrick Sweeney, president and CEO of Servervault.

Laurence Crowley, governor of the Bank of Ireland, captained an Irish team that included Des Crowley, chief executive of retail banking at the Bank of Ireland; Donal Geaney, chairman and CEO of Elan; Mark Kavanagh, chairman and CEO of Hardwicke Ltd.; Dr. Martin McAleese; Denis McCafferty, director and global head of treasury of Rabobank; Charlie McCreevy, Ireland's finance minister; Kieran McGowan, retired CEO of IDA Ireland; Bernard McNamara, managing director of McNamara Construction; and Dick Spring, T.D. and former tanaiste and foreign minister.