The Irish duo of Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie are now fighting for one of the last remaining places into next week’s British Open after posting similar scores for similar second round totals in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

Paul Cutler and Michael McGeady lead an Irish bid for a home victory when the PGA EuroPro Tour resumes today with the opening round of the Kingspan Concra Wood Open on the shores of Lough Muckno in Monaghan.

Qualifying for a major championship would be considered a good week’s work in any golfer’s estimation but, instead of basking in his success, Elliot Saltman went out and won a tournament.

Christy O’Connor Jnr believes Rory McIlroy will ultimately enjoy more success over Rickie Fowler as golf’s next great rivalry takes shape in the coming years.