“Being selected was such an honour,” Byrne said. “It’s been a goal of mine for the last couple of months to really perform and give myself a chance to make the team, especially having it in Lahinch.
“Having it at home is a cherry on top; I’m so excited to compete in front of a real home crowd. It feels nice to know I had a bit of pressure to have some good rounds in the last few tournaments to give myself a chance, and knowing I performed well enough is really satisfying.”
From its foundation in 1997 until 2017, the event was only contested by men, with the USA facing Great Britain and Ireland until 2003 when Europe won for the first time at Kiawah Island.
Since 2018, it has been contested between a United States team and an International team representing the rest of the world, with 12 men and 12 women on each side. The Internationals won in 2019, 2020 and 2022 before falling 32-28 to the USA at Laurel Valley last year.
Since its inception, 44 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup or Solheim Cup.
Past participants include major winners Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Lilia Vu, Wyndham Clark, Allisen Corpuz and Brian Harman, as well as 2023 FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland.