Mallow’s James Sugrue and Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) have been nominated by the Golfing Union of Ireland to compete in the 36-hole Dubai Duty Free Irish Open qualifier.

It is 100 days until the World Amateur Team Championships, which tee off at Carton House on August 29. 

It was great to go home to Waterford for a couple of days before heading to Spain for this week’s Nations Cup. I came home for my Grandad’s year Mass and to see my family before a busy couple of weeks on the golf course.

Tiger Woods double-bogeyed two of his last three holes to turn a potential 68 into a one over 73 on his return from a 16-month injury layoff in the invitational Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Jack Hume led the fightback for Great Britain & Ireland who trail 8-4 at the midway stage of their St Andrew’s Trophy clash with the Continent of Europe in Kent.

Ireland bounced back from their European Amateur Team Championship quarter-final defeat to Italy with an impressive 3½-1½ win against Spain over France’s challenging Chantilly course.

Three-under par rounds of 68 over the challenging Chantilly course by Walker Cup star Jack Hume and Stuart Grehan helped Ireland cruise into the quarter-finals of the European Amateur Team Championship.

Irish Amateur champion Colm Campbell saw both sides of tour life this week. While he could look back on his Irish Open debut and lament missing the cut after being put on the clock completely destroyed his rhythm, he will remember it fondly instead thanks to Martin Kaymer.

Asking what’s wrong with Rory McIlroy is a bit like that old joke about George Best, Miss World and the bed in £50 notes. When a player racks up six Top-10 finishes from nine stroke-play starts, there really shouldn’t be any reason to start pressing any alarm bells.

Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell survived a spectacular back nine charge from Jack Hume to clinch a heart-stopping, wire-to-wire win in the Flogas Irish Amateur Open.

Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell fired a second successive 68 to lead the Flogas Irish Amateur Open by two shots at halfway and immediately took his hat off to course record setter Marco Penge.

Cathal Butler will go into this week’s Flogas Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin with confidence following his play-off victory at the Munster Stroke Play Championship.

Kinsale’s Cathal Butler won the Munster Stroke Play Championship at Cork Golf Club yesterday in a sudden death play-off over the host club’s Gary O’Flaherty.

The Island’s Kevin LeBlanc is determined to prove the doubters wrong and become the youngest West of Ireland champion since Rory McIlroy.

West Waterford’s Gary Hurley fired five birdies in an opening 68 to get his qualifying bid off to a positive start in the 72-hole European Tour Qualifying School Second Stage in Spain.

Shane Lowry brushed off an elbow to the face to maintain his lofty position near the top of the British Masters leader board at Woburn.

Two of Ireland’s most promising young stars are hoping to ride the feelgood factor from the Walker Cup and rack up big finishes in the Volopa Irish Challenge at Mount Wolseley this week.

Ireland’s Walker Cup heroes will not be wasting time resting on their laurels after Great Britain and Ireland’s emphatic victory over the United States at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Given the summer he’s had, this seems like a quiet week for Paul Dunne.

Three weeks out from the Walker Cup and Irish top amateurs are already claiming the headlines.

Irish golfers have won The Open five times, the US Open twice and the US PGA three times, not to mention nine British Amateur Championships.

Ireland produced a magnificent display at Royal Portrush yesterday to trounce European champions Scotland and retain their Amateur Home International title. It was their first back to back triumph in the contest since 1992.

Home Internationals

Ireland suffered an agonising tie with England as they opened the defence of their Amateur Home International series at Royal Portrush yesterday.

Ireland’s best amateurs went their separate ways this week but whether the US Amateur or the Home Internationals are their next port of call, they departed in buoyant mood following an excellent collective showing at the European Individual Amateur in Slovakia last week.

Irish team captain Tony Goode has backed late call-ups Robin Dawson and Rowan Lester to make the most of the opportunities handed to them by the withdrawals of Paul Dunne and Gary Hurley from next week’s Home International defence at Royal Portrush.

Open Championship hero Paul Dunne will attract much of the attention at Royal Portrush in two weeks as Ireland bid to defend their Home Internationals title on home soil.

Cormac Sharvin continued his impressive season when he lifted the English men’s open stroke-play title for the Brabazon Trophy over the Hollinwell course at Nottingham at the weekend.

A week spent playing golf with two former Northern Ireland soccer players along with the acquisition of a very expensive putter has put Michael Hoey in contention at the BMW International Open in Munich.

Enniscrone’s Sarah Helly gave herself an unforgettable 23rd birthday present when she shocked hot favourite Olivia Mehaffey by six and five to claim the Irish Women’s Amateur Close Championship over the Old Tom Morris Links at stunning Rosapenna.

Like the 46A bus to Dun Laoghaire, which would take an age to come and then arrive with another stuck to its exhaust pipe, there are signs that things are about to start moving apace in Irish golf.

Naas amateur Jack Hume might have missed the cut in his first professional event but he’s gained confidence for a crucial summer run that could earn him a Walker Cup call up.