Feeling comfortable in one’s surroundings is the key to success in many things in life and for Irish golfer Kevin Phelan life is pretty good heading into an Irish Open at Royal County Down midway through a successful second season on the European Tour.

Waterford’s Kevin Phelan doesn’t seem to know what all the fuss is about this week.

Five Irish are among the 156-man field who will tee off at PGA Catalunya this morning, hoping to secure a European Tour card for the next 12 months.

He might have lost his European Tour card but Waterford’s Kevin Phelan is feeling so good about himself after a strong finish to his rookie season that he can’t wait to get to the European Tour Qualifying School.

Golf: Mikko Ilonen hailed the best year of his career after becoming the first Finnish player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship with a hard-fought victory over top seed and good friend Henrik Stenson.

Former world number one Ernie Els celebrated his 45th birthday by shooting a five-under-par 65 to take the lead in the Hong Kong Open at the halfway stage.

Graeme McDowell believes the continuing fallout from Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Gleneagles will ensure a "fairly epic" contest in two years’ time.

World number 690 Thomas Pieters will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Spanish Open after home favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez’s charge faltered today.

Miguel Angel Jimenez has revealed he is likely to be one of Paul McGinley’s vice-captains for the Ryder Cup — but only if he does not fulfil his ambition to play at Gleneagles instead.

Ireland's Damien McGrane defied the miserable conditions to card a superb 67 and set the clubhouse target in the third round of the KLM Open in Zandvoort.

Damien McGrane found one of the shortest routes around the shortest course on this year’s European Tour schedule to be trailing the leader by just one stroke on the first day of the KLM Open at Kennemer Golf Club, Zandvoort, the Netherlands.

A new match-play event between Europe and Asia, the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM, will be part of the 2014 European Tour schedule.

The sun may have set on the final major of the year but the world’s leading golfers have already switched their attention to the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedEx Cup play-offs.

Already the oldest winner in European Tour history, Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez now has the chance to become the oldest major champion as well in the 142nd Open Championship.

Course superintendent at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club David MacIndoe is leaving the club this week after almost 30 years in the position.

Shane Lowry’s goal to end the year inside the world’s top 50 and earn a Masters invitation has been derailed after the reigning Portugal Masters champion had to be rushed to a local hospital in Dubai.

Luke Donald hopes to end his golfing year with a bang this week – but has also given the European Tour something to think about.

Des Smyth wants to win in his swinging 60s after losing his oldest winner’s record to Miguel Angel Jiménez.

Five Irish golfers, Waterville’s David Higgins, Ulstermen Chris Devlin and Gareth Shaw, Dubliner Niall Kearney and Yorkshire-born Simon Thornton, will be among a group of 150 hopefuls seeking 25 places on the 2013 European Tour when the final Tour School takes place over six days at the Catalunya complex near Barcelona beginning next Saturday.

Three European golf stars were heading to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai today on the back of victories over the weekend – but pride of place has to go to Miguel Angel Jimenez.

World number one Rory McIlroy was resigned to missing his first cut since the US Open in June after a shocking finish to his second round at the Hong Kong Open today.

Among the four European Tour events Rory McIlroy has favoured most in his career, he’s enjoyed more success competing in the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Michael Hoey is out of this week's Hong Kong Open.

As world No. 1 Rory McIlroy stood atop Hong Kong’s smog-shrouded highest peak, former European and PGA No.1s Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar looked on in awe.

Only a short few years ago, the chances of any player leading the orders of merit on both the PGA and European Tours were slim in the extreme.

Three rain delays are not the only thing world number one Rory McIlroy has had to contend with at the Barclays Singapore Open so far this week.

Several Irish golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Pádraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie, have a great deal to play for in the three season-ending tournaments on the European Tour — this week’s Barclays Singapore Open followed by the Hong Kong Open and the Dubai World Championship.

Rory McIlroy may be on a week off, but he remains in the news and at the centre of debate – both for the clubs he plays with and for his choice of tournaments.

Rory McIlroy is officially a free agent when it comes to golf equipment.

There was a time when professional golf went into hibernation for a good six months with the arrival of October.

Shane Lowry will join a number of fellow European Tour members in taking advantage before the advent of new changes and enter this year’s PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Whether you agree paying Tiger Woods more in appearance money than the entire prize fund was worth in Abu Dhabi at the weekend or not, he contributed hugely to the success of the tournament.

JUST about everybody by now has had their fling at picking their various sporting stars of 2011.

Next year’s European Tour will again include just one event Ireland, two in England, one in Wales and three in Scotland.

Next year’s European Tour has been confirmed with the Irish Open switching from late July to the end of June, but with a venue yet to be announced.

US OPEN champion Rory McIlroy was last night named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year for 2011.

EUROPEAN TOUR chief George O’Grady wasn’t exaggerating when he claimed on Sunday that 2011 has been the greatest year in his organisation’s history.

Rory McIlroy today conceded defeat in his bid to deny Luke Donald arguably the greatest feat in golf this year.

Alvaro Quiros, with one win in Dubai already this year, today emerged as the biggest threat to Rory McIlroy’s hopes of ending the European Tour season with back-to-back wins – and maybe taking the money list title as well.

RORY McILROY believes the pressure is all on Luke Donald this weekend as the pair battle to end the season as the circuit’s number one.

The European Tour title race looks set to go right to the wire after Rory McIlroy produced a fabulous nine-hole stretch today, just as Luke Donald was losing his way.

Rory McIlroy lost a ball with only his fifth shot of the day and was left with a mountain to climb at the Dubai World Championship today.

Rory McIlroy has endured a topsy turvy start to the Dubai World Championship to stand at one under par, six shots off Paul Lawrie's clubhouse lead.

Ireland's Shane Lowry is just four off the lead, on three under with two to play, of Paul Lawrie who leads on seven under in the clubhouse.