In spite of his disappointing performance at Wentworth last week, Rory McIlroy will inevitably be very much the focus of attention at Royal County Down this week. Even so, the fans and television viewers will also keep more than one eye on several other Irishmen, and most especially Darren Clarke, Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington.

European Ryder Cup heroes Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Miguel Angel Jimenez have become the latest stars to confirm their plans to play Royal Co Down in two weeks as the entry deadline closed for this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

Rory McIlroy has opened a new support centre for children with cancer in the North and vowed to see it replicated elsewhere.

Pádraig Harrington went into the weekend of the Irish Open admitting he badly needed momentum and to feel seriously nervous coming down the stretch in the final round.

CLASS. Sheer class. That’s the only summation to describe the show that has been going on this week at the Fota Island Resort.

Donald Trump yesterday confirmed he has been in touch with the European Tour with a view to staging the Irish Open at his recently acquired links at Doonbeg in West Clare.

If perseverance and commitment count for anything, then Pat Murray will win the West Coast Hotels-sponsored South of Ireland at Lahinch today.

Simon Ward (Co Louth) and Muskerry’s Niall Gorey, a member of the Munster team that won last week’s Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down, yesterday came through two testing encounters in the South of Ireland at Lahinch to set up a mouth-watering 5th round clash this morning.

Simon Thornton could not have endured a more contrasting day of emotions during the final round of the Andalucian Open at Marbella.

KILLARNEY has been voted the outstanding parkland course in the country by a panel of some of the country’s most respected golfing personalities under the aegis of the Golfers Guide to Ireland.

RORY MCILROY breezed into Royal St George’s yesterday afternoon confident he has got his preparations for tomorrow’s British Open first round spot on.

THE Maguire twins returned to their normal impressive form yesterday to progress comfortably into the knock-out phase of the British Ladies Open Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush.

US OPEN champion Graeme McDowell, his Rathmore clubmate Alan Dunbar; Danielle McVeigh from Royal Co Down and Bill Gibson from the Curragh have been chosen for their annual awards by the Irish Golf Writers Association.

SEVEN Irish courses, led by Royal Co Down, have been included in the world’s top 100 in the acclaimed Golf Magazine.

A CHANCE round with Pádraig Harrington during the third round of the Irish PGA Championship at the European Club last month played a major part in Connor Doran’s victory in the Grant Thornton Mullingar Scratch Trophy.

FÁILTE Ireland’s new director of golf Michelle McCreevy wore one of the broadest smiles of the thousands at Turnberry after Stewart Cink’s victory in the Open Championship.

IT’S like picking your best GAA 15 – or your top football formation – it’s more a case of who to leave out rather than who to choose. So Charlie Mulqueen knew he was entering dangerous waters when it came to selecting the country’s 10 top links.

THE outrageously talented 13-year-old Maguire twins from Ballyconnell in Cavan have been named in a Great Britain & Ireland preliminary squad for the 2009 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe in Germany next July.

OPTIMISM is high a successful season for professional golf in this country will be maintained, in the €150,000 Challenge of Ireland tournament, starting over the picturesque Christy O’Connor Junior-designed Glasson course near Athlone this morning.

COURSE designer Robert Trent Jones once described the 18th hole at Adare as “the finest par five in the world” and it certainly lived up to its billing during yesterday’s first round of the Irish Open at Adare.

Suzuki, now in their fourth year of sponsorship, host the national finals of the Suzuki All-Ireland Ladies Golf Senior Cup at Massereene golf club, Antrim this Friday and Saturday.

FOLLOWING consultation with David Probyn, tournament director of the PGA European Tour, Tom MacKenzie of the Donald Steel design team and local member Des Smyth, it has been agreed that the Baltray links will play to more than 7,050 yards with a par of 72 for next July’s Nissan Irish Open.

THOSE who suspect Tiger Woods may not be the consummate team player will be interested by his comments yesterday as he continued his preparation for the $5.5m American Express World Championship at Mount Juliet.

THE Grand Slam dream may be over for another year but Tiger Woods left Muirfield last night with his head high.

Michael Collins from Charleville and Royal Co Down's Colin McElderry share the lead after the first two rounds in the Kellogg's PGA Irish Assistants' Championship at Charlesland.

Despite a couple of surprise results in the first two rounds the holder Neil Manchip remains as favourite to retain the title in this bi-annual championship.

Philip Walton put in a stroming finish at sunny Castlerock when he carded a two-under-par 71 to snatch the overnight lead in the first round of the £110,000 Smurfit PGA Irish Region Championship.

Royal Co Down ladies take Irish Seniors title. Results below: