Alex Gleeson and Rowan Lester are three strokes off the lead heading into today’s second round at the European Amateur Championship after a good opening 18 holes at Royal Hague, Netherlands.

Family dynasties claiming the limelight in the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch are nothing new.

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.

Michael McDermott’s consistent season on the Irish PGA circuit in 2014 has earned him a debut appearance at this year’s Dubai Irish Open. 

Stephanie Meadow’s amazing third place in the US Women’s Open on her professional debut at Pinehurst No.2 was a dream start to her career in the paid ranks but the Irishwoman saw it as a reward for her endeavour rather a shock success.

Ryder Cup watch; Irish Open winner Mikko Ilonen has put himself in the Ryder Cup conversation thanks to his stress-free, wire-to-wire victory at Fota Island.

Never mind the Irish pros and their majors, there is plenty of homegrown talent poised to follow them on the road to stardom if the form of Ireland’s leading amateurs is anything to go by.

Rory McIlroy managed to squeeze in nine holes of practice ahead of the start of today’s PGA Tour flagship Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Dermot McElroy hopes to celebrate his call-up to the St Andrews Trophy squad by challenging for his first amateur major when the Radisson Blu-sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open gets under way at Rosses Point today.

Royal Portrush officials were as flabbergasted as Graeme McDowell when they heard PGA of America president Ted Bishop suggest the Dunluce Links could become the first course outside the States to host the US PGA Championship.

The date of the 2014 Irish Open has been confirmed but to be staged the same week as the British Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush.

Fourteen Irish golfers begin the second stage of the European Tour qualifying school at four venues throughout Spain today.

Three Irish golfers, Peter O’Keeffe (Muskerry), Damian Mooney (Ballyliffin) and Mark Staunton (Ballinasloe), take part in the first European Tour School at the Roxburghe Hotel, Kelso, Scotland today.

Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar leads a strong Irish contingent looking to score a home victory against a stacked international field at Carton House this week for the International European Amateur Championship.

Stephanie Meadow kept the Royal Portrush bandwagon rolling at the weekend as she claimed the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship title, the first Northern Ireland player to do so since Maureen Madill lifted the trophy at Nairn 33 years ago.

Alan Dunbar will today attempt to become the first Irish winner of the British Amateur Championship since Brian McElhinney seven years ago – and the first from Ulster since Michael Hoey in 2000.

Dubliner Richard O’Donovan gave a champagne display at Glasgow Gailes on the Ayrshire coast yesterday to romp into the matchplay stages of the 117th British Amateur Championship.

Dublin teenager Gavin Moynihan bids to continue his amazing run of form at the British Amateur Championship at Royal Troon this morning.

Tiger Woods produced some of the old magic to match Jack Nicklaus’ career tally of 73 PGA Tour wins with his fifth victory at the Memorial Tournament last night.

The presence of Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke provides Ireland with its strongest hand at the Masters at Augusta National.

RATHMORE’S Alan Dunbar believes his hopes of making this year’s Walker Cup team have been damaged by what he described as a “stupid” decision by the Golfing Union of Ireland not to take up its option of four exemptions for this weekend’s prestigious St Andrews Links Trophy.

THE failure of any Irish player to win a card at the European Tour School suggests that the well that has provided this country with a steady stream of outstanding players for many years is finally running dry.

Anthony Kang shot the best round of the UBS Hong Kong Open so far with a nine-under-par 61 giving the American the clubhouse lead midway through the second round.

IRELAND’S hopes of winning a third European Men’s Amateur team title in four years were dashed in Sweden yesterday when they failed to make the top flight for the matchplay phase.

KEEPING Rathmore golfers out of the news these days is far from being an easy task.

LIMERICK’S Pat Murray yesterday relinquished his grip on the Golfsure Irish Amateur Close Championship when failing to come through the 36 hole qualifying rounds in glorious conditions at Royal Dublin.

PAUL CUTLER, the Portstewart golfer who reached the British Amateur Championship quarter-finals at Muirfield yesterday before going down to the South Korean, Jin Jeong, won’t need to contest the weekend’s 36-hole qualifying procedure for the Golfsure Irish Close Championship at Royal Dublin.

PAUL CUTLER is keeping Irish hopes alive in the 115th British Amateur Championship at Muirfield.

Paul Lawrie is hoping what works for Masters champion Phil Mickelson works for him too as he seeks a first European Tour title for eight years in the Italian Open.

OF the 12 Irishmen who have competed in the Masters, the best finishes were achieved by Pádraig Harrington, tied fifth in 2002, and Darren Clarke, who shared eighth place in 1998.

RORY McILROY’S recent comment that he “looked forward to playing for Team GB” in the 2016 Olympic Games revived a controversy that blew up more than 50 years ago when a great Irish lady golfer withdrew from the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team because the blazer badge displayed only the Union Jack flag.

A new “chilled out” attitude helped Ireland’s Michael Hoey continue his bid for a first European Tour title today.

Michael Hoey believes a good finish to last season is the main reason behind his good start to the 2009 European Tour after he carded an opening round seven-under-par 64 at the Joburg Open yesterday.

Irish interest in the British Amateur championship ended at Royal Lytham and St Annes today.

Daniel Willett caused a stir in the opening matchplay round of the British Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes today as he claimed the notable scalp of rising Irish star Rory McIlroy.

Baltray's Simon Ward scorched to a six under par 66 to lead the Irish

Muskerry's Niall Turner closed with an eagle three to lead the Irish

Rory McIlroy's indifferent run of form continued in the St Andrews Links Trophy at the Home of Golf.

Welshman Bradley Dredge has earned himself a debut in the Masters at Augusta next April – by just 0.01 world ranking points from England’s Justin Rose.

Hopes of an Irish winner in the British Amateur championship ended when Cian McNamara crashed out in the first round at Royal St George's.

Rory McIlroy's dream of winning the British Amateur Championship ended in tears when food poisoning forced him to withdraw.

Irish champion Rory McIlroy crashed to a disappointing seven-over-par 78 in the first qualifying round of the British Amateur Championship at Royal St George's in Kent.

The Irish Ladies Golf Union has selected four underage-level teams to represent Ireland at various International events in June and July.

SIMON HOLMES, golf coach to the stars, believes former client Seve Ballesteros will never again be a major force on the professional circuits of the world.