A Mississippi waitress was shot and killed by a customer after she asked him not to smoke.

Cheshire’s David Horsey shot a course record 63 to claim the first-round lead at the Made in Denmark tournament in Farso at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort.

Like the 46A bus to Dun Laoghaire, which would take an age to come and then arrive with another stuck to its exhaust pipe, there are signs that things are about to start moving apace in Irish golf.

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.

There’s no knowing what 2015 will serve up but it will start with a bang tomorrow in the US.

What if there was no right answer and all you had to work with were the least imperfect options, followed by a couple of wrong answers?

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.

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.

It hardly carried the glamour or gravitas of an induction into Cooperstown or Springfield, it wasn’t like there was a Larry Bird to welcome his Magic Johnson into this particular Hall of Fame, but there was something particularly pleasing about seeing Ronnie Whelan being honoured at the FAI International Awards on Sunday.

On Saturday night in New York, the best player in College Football will be handed the coveted Heisman Trophy.

Not for the first time, I’m holding my hand up to acknowledge that America is chipping away at what I used to hold dear.

The weekend proved it again.

Standing outside the dressing rooms in St Conleth’s Park on Saturday night, Daniel Flynn made his way from the field, a relieved and slightly sunburnt man.

Paul Dunne continued his triumphant march in the Amateur Championship by reaching the third round in Kent yesterday, just 24 hours after a record-breaking performance at the qualifying stage.

One of Ireland’s Masters contingent this week will be Alan Dunbar, using his exemption as British Amateur champion.

It was another glaring example of the ever-evolving chasm between old media and new.

What struck the men from Crosserlough GAA club last Thursday was how close everything in Lordship was.

St Declan’s Stone in Ardmore, Co Waterford is probably more of a geological miracle than anything else but even if it didn’t, as legend has it, follow that county’s patron saint over the Irish Sea from Wales, it remains a subtle testimony to endurance and cultural memory.

“Let’s face it,” reasoned Time Magazine, with its online readership on Monday, “It’s good to have the Irish back.”

Florida Democrat Earl K Wood and Alabama Republican Charles Beasley won their elections but will not take office.

Republican supporters in Alabama plan to hold their election night party at a firing range where they will be able to shoot a few rounds as returns come in.

IT’S difficult to concentrate on much else when surrounded by the after-effects of Sandy battering this city but I did want to finally bring the Notre Dame football team back to an Irish sports page.

No one is quite sure why they’re called the Fighting Irish, but it seems like everyone has an explanation.

Even indigenous fans of American football are able to laugh at the irony.

Republican candidates battled hard ahead of today’s key deep South votes as a poll said front-runner Mitt Romney would beat Democrat President Barack Obama if elections were held right now.

Newt Gingrich says Mitt Romney is the weakest government opposition party front-runner since 1920, but his sizeable campaign fund allows him to run well in races where his rivals don’t have the resources to campaign.

Mitt Romney accused rival Rick Santorum of dirty tricks, for encouraging Democrats to defeat him in Michigan’s primary as voters determined his fate in his home state.

NORMALLY the New York summer lingers like an unwanted late-night party straggler until just after the US Open champions are crowned in Queens.

SEPP BLATTER will be elected unopposed for another term as FIFA President in Zurich later today and there’s absolutely nothing you or I can do about it because we’re not part of The Family.

Church groups, students and other volunteers worked today to bring food, water and other necessities to communities in southern states ravaged by the second-deadliest day of tornadoes in US history.

The death toll from severe storms that roared across the US South has risen to 173, officials have said.

The young women of country ruled the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas last night, with Taylor Swift winning the prestigious entertainer of the year award and the night’s top nominee, Miranda Lambert, taking home four trophies.

The Hubble Space Telescope got its first peek at a mysterious giant green blob in outer space and found that it is strangely alive.

Somali pirates and their hostage American sea captain were adrift in a lifeboat off the Horn of Africa, shadowed by a US destroyer with more warships on the way in a US show of force.

Some species of primate have been infected with HIV-like viruses for millions of years longer than previously thought, new research has suggested.

Danielle McVeigh saw her challenge at the NCAA Women's Championship halted by high winds yesterday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sinead O’Sullivan made her mark on American collegiate golf this week with a maiden tournament victory in Mobile, Alabama.

HILLARY CLINTON and Barack Obama split the Democratic Party delegates yesterday as John McCain declared himself the front-runner in the Republican race after the biggest Super Tuesday in history.

Seamus Power continued his remarkable start to life in American collegiate golf with victory in the prestigious Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate tournament in Alabama this week.

Ten Irish golfers still have their eyes on the big prize in US collegiate golf after the fields were set this week for the NCAA Regional championships.

Virginia Tech students made a sombre return to their US campus today, pausing for a moment of silence to remember the 32 classmates murdered a week ago.

THERE was a fair old smell of burning rubber after Alabama Banjo had got beaten in the Tote Placepot Rollover Today Maiden Hurdle at Limerick yesterday.