Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort) edged out Neil O’Briain (Old Conna GC) on the first play-off hole to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open qualifier at Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort.

Mallow’s James Sugrue and Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) have been nominated by the Golfing Union of Ireland to compete in the 36-hole Dubai Duty Free Irish Open qualifier.

Paul O’Shea from Kilcummin will captain the Kerry minor footballers as they begin their quest for a historic fifth consecutive All-Ireland minor crown.

For those going to this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, there will be a lot to enjoy, both on and off the course. As part of the Rolex Series the event will be the biggest and richest ever.

Six PGA in Ireland professionals will compete at next week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, hosted by the Rory Foundation at Portstewart.

Tim Rice fired a closing two under par 70 to complete a wire-to-wire Irish PGA Championship victory at Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort on Sunday.

Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge GC), Tim Rice (Limerick GC), and Colm Moriarty (Drive Golf Performance) lead the way on six under par after the opening round of the 107th Irish PGA Championship at Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort.

Yeah, that'll do the trick

Sometime you have to think outside the box to make sure you get through to people.

All-Ireland JFC semi-final - Templenoe (Kerry) 1-9 Curraha (Meath) 0-5: Classy Templenoe continued their relentless pursuit of Croke Park glory when they saw off the stern challenge of Meath side Curraha at Kilmallock yesterday afternoon, but not before they got an early scare.

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.

Legends like Harry Bradshaw, Fred Daly, Christy O’Connor Senior, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington have won the Irish PGA Championship over its 104-year history.

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

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.

John Daniel Guiney is a name familiar to golf fans in his native Kerry.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Niall Kearney has slipped snugly into the favourites’ seat for the Cassidy Golf PGA Irish Region Championship title this week, at Roganstown.

One of the richest tournaments on the European Tour schedule, the $5m (€3.7m) Dunhill Links, is on this week over three outstanding links courses on the east coast of Scotland — but just three members of the 2012 European Ryder Cup team are competing.

Belfast’s Ruaidhri McGee returned to the top of the leaderboard on the European Tour qualifying school in Cheshire yesterday — and looks certain to move into the second stage.

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.

Feale Rangers 1-13 Dingle 0-13

Waterville’s David Higgins was left ruing a bizarre mistake in a British Open Local Final qualifier at the North Berwick club after missing out in a play-off as he was carrying 15 clubs.

Kerry skipper Eoin Brosnan made a surprise return to competitive football for Dr Crokes yesterday, intensifying speculation he may be involved in Sunday’s Munster SFC final against Cork.

Dingle 5-5 Kilcummin 0-11

Major champions Darren Clarke, Pádraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy were fine-tuning their British Open preparations yesterday and so missed out on a special day at Mullingar Golf Club.

The Irish duo of Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie are now fighting for one of the last remaining places into next week’s British Open after posting similar scores for similar second round totals in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

Michael Hoey is confident he’s finally shaken flu symptoms brought on by overdoing the celebration at the recent Heineken Cup final.

Joint-overnight leader Sihwan Kim moved clear at the top after a second-round 69 put him a shot clear at the Saint-Omer Open.

Rory McIlroy will have Michael Bannon as his full time coach after the Bangor professional announced he would leave his club job to hit the road with the reigning US Open champion.

Rory McIlroy again crashed out of the Players Championship, golf’s richest event, at Sawgrass last night.

It was agony and ecstasy for two of England’s stars at golf’s richest event today.

The USPGA Tour like to call it the ‘Fifth Major’ and with a prize fund of $9.5m (€7.3m) and the presence of nine of the top 10 in the world rankings, the 39th Tournament Players Championship at Sawgrass looks like living up to expectations.

THERE was joy in southern Spain last night for four Irishmen who battled their way through Stage 2 of the European Tour qualifying process and now go forward to the marathon six-round decider beginning at Catalunya, Girona, on Saturday.

MUNSTER golfers Cian McNamara, Aaron O’Callaghan and David Higgins yesterday played themselves into promising positions after the first day of the second qualifying stage of the European Tour School at four venues in Spain.

YOU could be forgiven for thinking the end of the competitive golf season had finally arrived now we are almost into the month of December.

NIALL TURNER flies into Spain today to prepare for what he describes as the biggest pressure week of the professional golfing year.

BARRIE TRAINOR pressed the pedal over the weekend to take the chequered flag in the final lap of the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with Ping and Bord Fáilte.

ALTHOUGH separated in age by five years, Peter Lawrie, 37,and Colm Moriarty, 32, have plenty in common.

IT may not have been the finish either Major winner envisaged but Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will both head to the United States next week in positive mood following their Irish Open performances.

THEY will not be reduced to a supporting role by any means in today’s third round, but Rory McIlory and Graeme McDowell will start their day trailing the four leading Irishmen in this Irish Open, presented by Discover Ireland, field.

FROM sweet striking to tweet fighting, 18,000 golf fans had plenty to chew over after the opening day of the Irish Open in Killarney.

THERE may be green, white and gold at the top of the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland leaderboard heading into today’s second round but it belongs to an Indian, not any one of the four Irish Major champions who drew in the big crowds in Killarney yesterday.