Kevin Markham on the statutes, structures, and settings which focuses a golfer’s mind and lasts long in the memory.

Three Irish stars made it through to the second stage of the European Tour qualifying school after top-20 finishes at Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire.

Warrenpoint celebrated a second successive AIG Barton Shield title but left Galway needing to quickly banish the demons of a third successive final defeat ahead of today’s Senior Cup semi-finals.

A pre-finals pep talk from All-Ireland hurling hero Joe Canning has helped Galway Golf Club return to today’s AIG Barton Shield decider at Carton House, where they will bid to avenge last year’s defeat to Warrenpoint.

Athenry schoolboy David Kitt could become the youngest winner of the AIG Irish Amateur Close since Rory McIlroy in 2006 after cruising into the semi-finals in impressive style on a day of shocks at Galway Golf Club.

Tramore’s Robin Dawson remains on course for his maiden championship success after he battled winds gusting up to 40km/h to reach the last 16 of the AIG Irish Amateur Close at Galway.

After a series of outstanding matches throughout the provinces, the way has now been largely paved for the national finals of the AIG Irish Cups and Shields at the O’Meara Course, Carton House, Kildare next month, (September 20-23).

Cathal Butler will go into this week’s Flogas Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin with confidence following his play-off victory at the Munster Stroke Play Championship.

The Island’s Kevin LeBlanc is determined to prove the doubters wrong and become the youngest West of Ireland champion since Rory McIlroy.

Co Sligo’s Sean Flanagan coped with southerly winds gusting up to 48mph to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open at Rosses Point.

Shane Lowry brushed off an elbow to the face to maintain his lofty position near the top of the British Masters leader board at Woburn.

Defending champion Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin) and Eamonn Brady (Clontarf GC) are locked together at the top of leaderboard after the opening day of the LowFuelCard.ie Irish PGA Championship at Dundalk GC.

Dublin might be waiting to take on Kerry in Sunday’s All Ireland Football final but it was a Mayo man who was beaming brightly at Carton House yesterday as Royal Dublin ended their 47-year wait for victory in the AIG Barton Shield.

Galway and Royal Dublin’s Barton Shield sides will provide the high quality golf in today’s AlG Cups and Shields National finals but all the excitement may well come from the minnows in the Pierce Purcell Shield semi-finals at Carton House.

It was a bad day for Munster golf as Muskerry and Douglas crashed out in their respective semi-finals of the AIG Cups and Shields National Finals at Carton House.

It’s like the Champions League of golf but unlike the continent’s premier football tournament which has yet to be retained by any club, Muskerry’s Niall Gorey is hopeful the Cork club can become the first back-to-back winners of the AIG Barton Shield for 18 years.

AIG Cups and Shields

A Maynooth University team of considerable talent has emerged as warm favourites to capture the AIG Irish Senior Cup, having come through the Leinster qualifying section in highly impressive fashion.

Ever since the distinguished golf course architect Martin Hawtree modified and considerably altered the famous old links in 2001, Lahinch has become a formidable challenge for the game’s finest, whether amateur or professional.

After a disappointing first round on Thursday, Shane Lowry bounced back into BMW PGA Championship contention yesterday with a five-under-par 67 at Wentworth that leaves him the best of the Irish heading into the weekend.

Cormac Sharvin will go into this week’s Irish Amateur Open Championship full of confidence after claiming a top-five finish at the prestigious Lytham Trophy over the weekend.

There will be a new name on the cup at the Radisson-sponsored West of Ireland Golf Championship in Rosses Point this year.

Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty claimed the bragging rights after the first round of strokeplay at the Radisson West of Ireland Golf Championship at a windswept Rosses Point yesterday.

Michael McGeady maintained his run of consistency yesterday to sweep into the final qualifying school of the European Tour and to move closer to a full Tour card.

Royal Dublin star Niall Kearney is in pole position today to move to the brink of a full European Tour card.

Eight Irish hopefuls will be looking to make their mark as the European Tour qualifying school second stage gets underway across four venues in Spain today.

Muskerry Golf Club have the chance to bury their demons of three years ago when their quartet bids for an All-Ireland title in the AIG Barton Shield at Carton House today.

If Muskerry do not take the AIG Barton Shield back to Cork from the national finals at Carton House this week it will not be for lack of experience.

Weekend wins for Rosslare in Irish Senior Cup Leinster section and Warrenpoint in the Barton Shield in Ulster have confirmed the field for the national finals of the AIG Cups and Shields at Carton House, Kildare next month.

Stuart Bleakley, a 19-year-old from Shandon Park, became the third member of the illustrious Belfast club to win the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland in extremely difficult weather conditions at Lahinch yesterday when he defeated Darragh Coghlan (Portmarnock) in the final by 3 and 2.

Four golfers whose names don’t really ring a bell for followers of the amateur game have qualified for this morning’s semi-finals of the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch.

Arthur Pierse has been coming to Lahinch for more than 40 years in search of the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland Championship.

It’s been a very busy week on the PGA Irish Region circuit with five events staged across seven days in four counties.

East of Ireland champion Colm Campbell and leading qualifier Stuart Grehan were forced to dig deep to make it into the last 16 of the AIG-sponsored Irish Amateur Close Championship at a sun-kissed Seapoint.

Gary McDermott defied rain squalls and winds gusting up to 30 mph to shoot a sensational 69 for a one shot lead after the opening round of the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin.

Dermot McElroy is determined to break his championship duck when the Irish Amateur Open gets under way at The Royal Dublin today.

Sligo golfer Barry Anderson birdied each of Little Island’s three par-three holes in yesterday’s final round of the Munster Open Stroke Play Championship to capture the title by two strokes from home club member Gary O’Flaherty and Royal Dublin’s Richard Knightley.

Dungarvan’s Kevin Stack and West Waterford’s Gary Hurley kept Munster interest alive in the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Championship at a sun-kissed County Sligo.

Donegal’s Ruaidhri McGee is on the verge of progressing through to the final European Tour Qualifying School event next weekend after another superb round at Las Colinas in Spain.