He may never match the feats of his major-winning father Darren but Tyrone Clarke has dipped his toes into competitive golfing waters this year and yesterday strutted his stuff in the Pro-Am ahead of this week’s Northern Ireland Open Challenge at Galgorm Castle.

Irish golfers have captured four major championships since 2011 but in that same timeframe, eight of our best and brightest have taken the plunge into the professional ranks.

Four Irish amateurs will tee it up at Fota Island today and while they all dream of following in the footsteps of fairytale 2009 champion Shane Lowry, they’re just thrilled to have a chance to rub shoulders with Rory McIlroy and some of the best players in the world.

Irish golf has never produced as many players willing to chase the ultimate dream of a place on the game’s major tours. Whether they can afford to follow their dreams is another matter altogether.