The West is officially awake as a major international golf venue with Carne Golf Links and County Sligo Golf Club deep in negotiations to host a revived Irish Seniors Open in 2015 and 2016.

It would be an exaggeration to say that Paul McGinley’s course design style is based on ‘Little Old Lady Theory’ but it’s not too far from the truth.

It is a bit like asking Bruce Springsteen to audition for American Idol, asking Royal Portrush to jump through hoops to get the British Open Championship.

Paul McGinley is in his 46th year, 25 of which he has spent as a professional golfer, so he knows full well how ill-advised it would be to take anything for granted.

WITH the Irish Open set for Portrush in June, it will be fascinating to see if Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy can attract the quality of field that has been so conspicuously absent for much of the last decade.

FIRST he brought the Claret Jug home.

HOLLAND’S Robin Kind came back from an early double bogey to snatch the first round lead thanks to a late eagle two in the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin yesterday.

Ernie Els has been a supporter of the European tour ever since he signed up as a member back in 1992 aged just 22.