They may have finished out of the medals but two Irish golfers helped make golfing history over the past two weeks as the sport made its first appearance in an Olympic event for 110 years.

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

Former world number one Greg Norman has described golf's anti-doping procedures as "disgraceful" and called for blood testing to be introduced by the game's governing bodies.

But for Rory McIlroy’s solo march to his second major at Kiawah Island, golf’s final grand event of the season, the USPGA, might have been shunted into the sidings by the medals and records, inspiration and heartache of the London Olympics.

GOLF and rugby sevens face one last test on Friday if they are to be included in the Olympics from 2016. The International Olympic Committee’s executive board voted to include both at a meeting two months ago.

Padraig Harrington and Michelle Wie are to participate in golf’s final presentation of its Olympic bid to International Olympic Committee members in Copenhagen on Friday.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has agreed to lead the Irish lobby for the inclusion of golf in the 2016 Olympic Games and has written to Pat Hickey, President of the Irish Olympic Council (IOC), seeking his support.

Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods are among 18 players to have outlined their personal support for golf's Olympic bid.

Tiger Woods, initially thought to be lukewarm on the idea of golf in the Olympics, is one of a number of top players who featured in a video aired when representatives of the International Golf Federation formally presented their case to the International Olympic Committee Programme Commission in Lausanne today.

Players at the World Amateur Team Championships starting in Stellenbosch on Thursday have been reminded that drug testing is to be carried out by the South African Institute for Drug-free Sport.

Rory McIlroy (Holywood), Gareth Shaw (Lurgan) and Simon Ward (Co Louth) will represent Ireland in the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy which will be played at the De Zalze Golf Club and Stellenbosch Golf Club, near Cape Town, South Africa on October 26 to 29.