To host a successful golf tournament, a few vital ingredients must be part of the mix. You need a great course, one that both challenges and rewards the players. You also need a good field, but most importantly you need drama.

Rory McIlroy has put an end to years of speculation regarding who he will represent at the 2016 Olympics by declaring his allegiance to Ireland.

Rory McIlroy will be reunited with his missing clubs this morning after sending out an SOS to United Airlines but Ryder Cup skipper Paul McGinley played the national card, joking: "I didn’t think you could lose those on a private plane."

British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar is considering abandoning the perks of his newly-won status by turning professional at the end of the year.

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny had the minor advantage of familiarity when he lined up alongside golf’s golden boy Rory McIlroy for the glamour Irish Open Pro-Am in Killarney yesterday.

THE Irish Open may be going ahead without a title sponsor next month but European Tour chiefs will use the event in Killarney to woo a major long-term backer for one of its biggest tournaments.

SEAMUS SMITH, General Secretary of the Golfing Union of Ireland, has welcomed confirmation that members of the country’s clubs will have the chance to play in this year’s 3 Irish Open pro-am at Killarney (Wednesday, July 28).

Monkstown’s Tom Egan made a nostalgic return to County Louth Golf Club last week and played alongside Pádraig Harrington in the Nissan Irish Open Pro-Am.