MOBILE phone company 3, the new sponsors of the Irish Open, must be anxious at the lack of big-name foreign players who will compete in Baltray next month (May 14-17).

Graeme McDowell believes he faces a much sterner challenge this year as he sets out to defend his Ballantines Championship title at the Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island.

A TELEPHONE call at the end of last year from Graeme McDowell, at the time a promising if slightly under achieving professional, to Conor Ridge, managing director of Horizon Sports Management, drastically changed both men’s golfing world.

OPTIMISM is high a successful season for professional golf in this country will be maintained, in the €150,000 Challenge of Ireland tournament, starting over the picturesque Christy O’Connor Junior-designed Glasson course near Athlone this morning.

Damien McGrane carded an eagle to soar up the leaderboard and join Richard Finch at the top midway through the second round of the Volvo China Open today.

Colin Montgomerie will be in Florida rather South Korea next week after being offered a place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.