Having just made the cut yesterday, Waterford's Robin Dawson has shot up the leaderboard on day three of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

Get set for a wild ride at Lahinch this weekend as the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open heads into today’s third round with the title race wide open and a host of contenders still in the frame.

Cormac Sharvin knows it is only human to think about it but the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open’s leading Irishman is determined to not let thoughts of a place in this month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush interfere with the business at hand.

Eddie Pepperell may have earned himself a late tee time in today’s third round at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open after he followed his opening 65 with a 67 yesterday, but the Englishman is not banking on a good night’s sleep in Lahinch.

After a day of glorious sunshine and low scoring on Thursday, the early starters yesterday were greeted by a decidedly different golf challenge. A cool morning mist and trickier pin positions meant a very challenging first nine holes.

Hopes of a home victory took a battering at the second day of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open with overnight leader Padraig Harrington slumping to a three-over 73 and Shane Lowry struggling with a stomach bug as well as his scorecard.

Overnight leader Padraig Harrington has dropped three shots on day two of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Lahinch.

I managed to catch up with Paul McGinley early yesterday morning just as the early players were setting out for their first round.

Padraig Harrington shot a superb opening day seven-under 63 to shoot to the summit of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open leaderboard on Thursday evening and if it looked easy then it was.

Shane Lowry will embrace the mantle of leading home hope at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open despite his determination to dismiss all talk of a potential victory.

Mount Juliet’s Gavin Moynihan remained on course to regain his card as Tramore’s Robin Dawson and Ardglass’ Cormac Sharvin kept their hopes alive with sub-70 scores in the third round of the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in Spain.

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.

Gavin Moynihan surged back into contention to win his European Tour card on a good day for the Irish at the Final Stage of the Qualifying School in Spain.

Four Irish hopefuls will begin their final journey towards a European Tour card in the last Qualifying School stage at Lumine, Spain, today.

Dermot McElroy made a superb start to the second stage of European Tour Qualifying School with a two-under 70 at El Saler, Spain.

Niall Kearney and Jonathan Caldwell are safely through to next month’s second stage of the European Tour qualifying school.

Shane Lowry showed Darren Clarke that he won’t give up on his Ryder Cup dream without a fight when he followed his opening 75 with a sensational six under 65 to make the cut in the Made in Denmark.

Castle’s Alex Gleeson shrugged off some late resistance from Whitehead’s John-Ross Galbraith to win the AIG Irish Amateur Close title 3 and 1 on the majestic Glashedy Links at Ballyliffin.

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.

Two of Ireland’s most promising young stars are hoping to ride the feelgood factor from the Walker Cup and rack up big finishes in the Volopa Irish Challenge at Mount Wolseley this week.

Ireland’s Walker Cup heroes will not be wasting time resting on their laurels after Great Britain and Ireland’s emphatic victory over the United States at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Walker Cup

Given the summer he’s had, this seems like a quiet week for Paul Dunne.

PAUL DUNNE

Three weeks out from the Walker Cup and Irish top amateurs are already claiming the headlines.

Tiarnan McLarnon (23) from the Massereeene club in Antrim became the fifth Northern Ireland golfer in a row to capture the AIG Irish Close Championship, beating Alex Gleeson (Castle) 2&1 in Saturday’s final at Tramore.

Paul Dunne shook off the limpet-like American Robbie Ziegler on the last to move into the second round of the US Amateur Championship in Chicago last night.

Irish golfers have won The Open five times, the US Open twice and the US PGA three times, not to mention nine British Amateur Championships.

Ireland suffered an agonising tie with England as they opened the defence of their Amateur Home International series at Royal Portrush yesterday.

Irish team captain Tony Goode has backed late call-ups Robin Dawson and Rowan Lester to make the most of the opportunities handed to them by the withdrawals of Paul Dunne and Gary Hurley from next week’s Home International defence at Royal Portrush.

A week spent playing golf with two former Northern Ireland soccer players along with the acquisition of a very expensive putter has put Michael Hoey in contention at the BMW International Open in Munich.

Enniscrone’s Sarah Helly gave herself an unforgettable 23rd birthday present when she shocked hot favourite Olivia Mehaffey by six and five to claim the Irish Women’s Amateur Close Championship over the Old Tom Morris Links at stunning Rosapenna.

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.

Between final exams at Maynooth University and a full amateur schedule, there has been a lot on Gary Hurley’s plate as he prepares to make another appearance in an Irish Open.

Gavin Moynihan survived a war of attrition with his teenage clubmate Kevin LeBlanc to win his second Irish Amateur Open in the space of four years and seal his return to the Walker Cup team.

Jack Hume defied end of the world conditions to card what he described as the round of his life to take a two-stroke after two rounds of the Irish Amateur Open at a weather-lashed Royal Dublin.

The Walker Cup captain will not be there but Cormac Sharvin reckons the R&A selectors that come to Royal Dublin this week will be looking for fireworks from the home brigade when the Irish Amateur Open tees off today.