Four student athlete golfers have been selected as Scottsdale’s youth ambassadors to Killarney, Ireland through the inaugural International Student Golf Exchange sponsored by Scottsdale Sister Cities Association.

The students are Payton Connelly, sophomore at Arcadia High School, Oscar Uribe, junior at Saguaro High School, Raleigh Lard, junior at Horizon High School, and Aaryan Dwivedi, junior at BASIS Scottsdale, according to a press release.

PGA member Dale Balvin, founder of Golf’s Elementary and Director of Instruction for Arizona Junior Golf, will chaperone the Ireland trip. A second chaperone will be JoAnn Garner, chair of SSCA’s Killarney Committee.

SSCA chose to build a youth ambassador exchange around the sport of golf in recognition of its importance to both Scottsdale and Killarney, Ireland, Scottsdale’s sister city since 2020.

To be selected for the youth ambassadorship, students had to demonstrate previous golf experience, academic achievement, leadership skills and community engagement on a written application and oral interview.

“We had many worthy applicants which attests to the quality of youth golf instruction and athletics in our local schools,” Garner said in the release.

The four SSCA youth ambassadors will participate in the 1st annual Irish Golf Scramble on May 12 at Scottsdale’s Silverado Golf Club. The event is a fundraiser benefiting SSCA’s Golf Exchange and the Valley’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire which operates the Arizona Colleen and Lass, both Irish heritage programs, the release stated.

May 5 is the deadline to register. Golfers can register as singles or foursomes and businesses and can sign up for various tax-deductible sponsorships. Details and registrations are at https://stpatricksdayphoenix.org/golf-exchange.

The Student Golf Exchange kicks off June 17 with the Scottsdale foursome and chaperones traveling to Dublin and Killarney to be home-hosted by the families of four Killarney student golfers. The Irish student delegation will be home-hosted in Scottsdale Oct. 26–Nov. 4. Both itineraries include three matches for the golfers to hone their skills on noteworthy local golf courses, plus cultural excursions and volunteering with a charitable organization in the host city, according to the release.

Each venue is a 10-day trip with almost two days travel each way and six days on the ground at each location.

“We are grateful to Killarney Town Twinning Association for arranging tee times for our youth ambassadors at the prestigious Killarney Golf and Fishing Club and Dooks Golf Links of Glenbeigh where they’ll experience the sport beside the magical settings of Lough Leane and the Atlantic Ocean,” Garner said in the release. “Golf is a life-long and non-violent sport critical to the prosperity of Scottsdale; therefore, Scottsdale Sister Cities is educating world-class ambassadors of peace through the game of golf.”

Founded in 1863, the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club is in Killarney National Park and surrounded by the lakes of Lough Leane. It is a four-time host to the Irish Open, home to two 18-hole championship courses and a Golf Academy.