Leona Maguire was thrilled to see her game “click” into gear and rack up the lowest 72-hole score of her life to finish an impressive second in pre-qualifying for the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in Morocco.

Jon Rahm will be watching tonight’s multi-million dollar showdown between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, either in person or on TV, despite admitting the contest has come at least 10 years too late.

Royal Portrush’s Stephanie Meadow posted a bogey-free 66 (-6) in the first round of the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic to put herself one behind leader Csicsi Rozsa.

Jack Nicklaus fought back the tears in an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and great rival at the memorial service for Arnold Palmer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Call it addiction or obsession but the desire of a professional golfer to remain on tour even when there are a million reasons not to be there goes beyond all logic.

Stephanie Meadow and Graeme McDowell both won nine times during their US college careers but Leona Maguire could blow their records out of the water after a sensational start to life at Duke University in North Carolina.

Imagine Rory McIlroy and Stephanie Meadow teeing it up together for Ireland at the 2016 Olympics in Rio?

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.

Homework waits for no child, even if you have just become low amateur at the Masters.

When you see an evening out at the golf club entitled “Five Shots Lower Without Changing Your Swing” it is usually enough to make any handicapper put down his remote control and go out into the night in search of a ticket.

The dangers of golf courses are plentiful but it’s doubtful any Irish golfers teeing off this weekend will endure anything like the trauma faced by Sweden’s Daniela Holmqvist.

Might you have enough on your plate with friends and colleagues bending your ear about their misfortune on the sixth or the bunker shot they nailed on 18, without the world’s top golfers wrecking your head too, with their triumphs and despairs and might-have-beens?

LESS than a decade ago, European women were among the top golfers in the world, with the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies regularly vying for the top spot and racking up victories at the majors.

VICTORIOUS European Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas was crowned the queen of Killeen Castle and the emotions flowed as freely as the rain and the champagne in County Meath yesterday evening.

Melissa Reid has backed Europe’s Solheim Cup team to spring a surprise and beat their American counterparts in this weekend’s Transatlantic battle.

Melissa Reid has backed Europe’s Solheim Cup team to spring a surprise and beat their American counterparts in this weekend’s Transatlantic battle.

American Solheim Cup captain Rosie Jones has sprung a surprise by naming Ryann O’Toole as one of her wild cards for the match against Europe at Killeen Castle in Ireland from September 23 to 25.

GALWAY girl Alison Walshe may lead the way in Meath but she’s playing under an American flag and won’t be back at Killeen Castle for the Solheim Cup next month.

ON A course he says is cruel to a golf buggy’s batteries, John Paramor may be inflicting considerable pain on his cart at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club this week.

Kim In-kyung shot a six-under-par 66 to establish a one-stroke lead entering the final round of the AIB Ladies Irish Open.

A MEDIA reception at the Irish Consulate in New York.

SUDDENLY after a remarkable Sunday of golfing achievement, capped by Rory McIlroy’s Quail Hollow Championship success, Tiger Woods at 34 years of age seems very, very old.

Women’s world number one Lorena Ochoa confirmed today she is to retire from the game after next week’s Tres Marias Championships in her native Mexico.

BETH DANIEL and Meg Mallon fired the USA into a two-shot lead at the European Nations Cup in Spain yesterday.

Michelle Wie’s long-awaited debut as a member of the LPGA Tour could be one to remember after she set the clubhouse target for the rest of the field in her native Hawaii today.

Michelle Wie will be a part of the LPGA Tour in 2009 after securing her place through the qualifying school.

Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour career came to a disappointing end as she missed the cut at the season-ending ADT Championship.

Annika Sorenstam brings down the curtain on her major career at Sunningdale this week with a question for Michelle Wie – why on earth are you still playing against the men?

In the wake of her scorecard blunder at the State Farm Classic, Michelle Wie has decided to once again square off with the men.

Teenager Michelle Wie produced her season’s best score of 67 as fellow American Christina Kim grabbed the lead with a nine-under-par 63 in the first round of the LPGA State Farm Classic in Illinois.

South Korea’s Jee Young Lee soared to the top of the field as world number one Lorena Ochoa slipped two off the pace after the third round of the women’s major, the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Maryland.

World number one Lorena Ochoa took a big stride towards a third major in a row when she took the halfway lead with a second-round seven-under-par 65 in the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Maryland.

Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, the world’s top two players, set up the prospect of a thrilling weekend battle after the second round of the Michelob ULTRA Open at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Norway’s Solheim Cup star Suzann Pettersen is looking forward to a new experience as the defending champion at the Michelob Ultra Open in Williamsburg which starts tomorrow.

Lorena Ochoa maintained her recent fine form with a seven-under-par 66 in the first round of the Corona Championship.

England’s Karen Stupples produced a late birdie spree to move into the top five at the Safeway International in Phoenix, Arizona, with a five-under-par 67.

England’s Laura Davies, who won the title a record four times in a row in the mid-1990s, launches her American season at the Safeway International in Phoenix. Arizona.

Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa completed a start to finish victory with a closing 68 in the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.

Mexico’s world number one Lorena Ochoa stretched her lead to an incredible seven shots after a second-round 65 in the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.

England’s Lisa Hall admits her victory in the ANZ Ladies’ Masters in Australia earlier this month completed her rehabilitation after she came close to quitting the game.

Paula Creamer reeled off four birdies in her last five holes to win the Fields Open in Hawaii by one stroke ahead of South Korea’s Jeong Jang.

England’s Karen Stupples continued her return to form following the arrival of her son, Logan, in April with a closing 69 for six under par in the Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions in Alabama.