Four of the five Irish are still in contention for European Tour cards next year after a remarkable day at the Qualifying School Final Stage at the PGA Catalunya resort in north-east Spain.

Waterford’s Kevin Phelan doesn’t seem to know what all the fuss is about this week.

Five Irish are among the 156-man field who will tee off at PGA Catalunya this morning, hoping to secure a European Tour card for the next 12 months.

Former champion Richie Ramsay admitted the chance to record the lowest round in European Tour history crossed his mind during the opening round of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

Stephen Gallacher is the only player who controls his Ryder Cup destiny, but it was Francesco Molinari who did most to boost his chances of making the European team in the Italian Open.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell strangely launched into a vigorous defence of guaranteed Ryder Cup rookie Victor Dubuisson after the second round of the French Open.

Seven Irishmen will pursue their Open Championship dream by joining the scramble for 12 golden tickets for Hoylake at four Final Qualifying venues today.

34-year-old now beside an illustrious winners’ list

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.

Finland’s Mikko Ilonen remained on course for a wire-to-wire victory midway through the final round of the Irish Open today.

Padraig Harrington has endured a disappointing start to his final round with bogeys on the second and third and seventh holes.

Graeme McDowell birdied two of his last three holes to give the fans hope of a home victory at the Irish Open on Sunday at Fota Island.

The third round of play is under way at the Irish Open in Fota Island.

The Irish Open has not one but three homegrown contenders at Fota Island Resort as Graeme McDowell leads the pursuit of halfway leader Mikko Ilonen.

Stop the presses! Hold the phones! Here comes a newsflash: golf really isn’t the centre of the universe.

A week may be a long time in politics but 20 hours can feel like a marathon for one of the game’s greatest golfers when his game goes from the sublime to the ridiculous in such a short space of time.

Shane Lowry’s love affair with Wentworth has been unrequited up to now but the Offaly man heads into today’s third round of the BMW PGA Championship in the best possible position to seal victory.

Defending BMW PGA Championship champion Matteo Manassero believes making this year’s European Ryder Cup team would be an amazing achievement and is hoping the Irish Open will help him achieve the feat.

There was no victory birthday celebration for Rory McIlroy at the Wells Fargo Championship and the 25-year heading home after yet another top-10 finish this season.

For a second time in three years Rory McIlroy has seen Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship glory snatched from his grasp due to a rules blunder.

It seemed appropriate Rory McIlroy was fitted with a gold-lined Arabic robe soon after an impressive driving display on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Rory McIlroy is just two shots off the lead at the Australian Open following a seven under round of 65.

The date of the 2014 Irish Open has been confirmed but to be staged the same week as the British Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush.

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.

After Sunday’s victory for Thomas Bjorn in the Swiss Alps, the battle for 2014 European Ryder Cup points continues this week in the KLM Dutch Open at Kennemer, Zandvoort, with a €1.8m prize fund on offer.

Paul McGinley didn’t allow the business of being Ryder Cup captain spoil his golf with a best finish in 15 months and a second straight top-10 result in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

There were easily far more officials and photographers gathered around the Wales Open first tee than paying spectators when Paul McGinley hit the opening tee shot of the 2014 Ryder Cup qualifying campaign.

The next time Paul McGinley visits Gleneagles it will be by steam train in a month’s time and in the company of rival USA captain, Tom Watson to mark ‘A Year To Go’ celebrations to the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Paul McGinley’s love/hate relationship with the PGA Centenary course continued with Europe’s Ryder Cup captain delighted to make the cut in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has dismissed the notion of qualifying for his own side, despite showing some prospective team members how it is done in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Darren Clarke kept his head after a nightmare quadruple bogey eight threatened to wreck his chances of another Open Championship win to lead the Irish challenge at sun-scorched Muirfield.

Like the old joke about the man who complained it was “fierce slippy out there” on the ice rink, Ireland’s sextet of stars could have no complaints about the R&A set-up as they slithered off the leaderboard on day one of The Open.

Graeme McDowell is not the only in-form Irishman teeing it up at Muirfield this week.

Two-time Muirfield winner Nick Faldo has told Rory McIlroy he must not be distracted by non-golfing issues if he wishes to rediscover his form this and become Open champion.

The first regular European Tour event being shown live on American television could have an ideal winner after Phil Mickelson moved into contention in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open today.

Despite his obvious disappointment, Pádraig Harrington could see a plus in missing the halfway cut in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

Shane Lowry produced his lowest score in three months despite hitting a female spectator on the head with an errant shot on the opening day of the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

Graeme McDowell has firmed up as a favourite for next week’s British Open with a commanding victory in the French Open in Versailles.

It was 10 minutes before 8am yesterday when Rory McIlroy glanced warily at Kildare’s greying skies, stepped forward onto the 10th tee and smacked his dimpled Nike straight down the throat of his first hole of the day.

Gareth Maybin will tee up in the British Open at Muirfield next month after producing two splendid rounds in the international final qualifying at Sunningdale yesterday.

Shane Lowry heads the Irish charge at this week’s BMW International Open in Munich on the Munchen Eichenried course.

Paul McGinley has received an invitation to contest this year’s PGA Championship where fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy will defend the Rodman Wanamaker Trophy.

Shane Lowry heads to today’s 36-hole US Open qualifier bitterly disappointed not to have automatically qualified for next month’s championship at Merion.

Rory McIlroy has mended signs of a split in his relationship with long-time friend Graeme McDowell ahead of playing alongside one another in the BMW PGA Championship, which begins at Wentworth today.