The transfer of Ireland out-half Johnny Sexton to Racing Metro has acquainted Irish fans of the oval ball with a fact of life: A new breed of owner now holds sway in French rugby and they will allow little to get in their way.

HE was Andrew Chandler’s first client and in winning The British Open, Darren Clarke has delivered the third leg of what would be a remarkable “Chubby Slam” for the founder of International Sports Management.

GPA FOUNDER Donal O’Neill has revealed his former employees International Management Group (IMG) recently approached him about leading a commercial assault on the GAA.

USUALLY, my column contains my musings and trenchant opinions, but today, it’s about my story, or more specifically, that of Celtic Bookmakers.

A lawyer served notice on an Australian couple that they had lost their home by using the social networking website Facebook.

The World Match Play Championship, not being staged this year for the first time since it began in 1964, will start a new era next season with a move from Wentworth to Spain and a new round-robin format.

TWO people died in a head-on collision on a dry, straight stretch of wide road yesterday.

Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a course, announced on Friday that he plans to retire from tournament golf.

Six years after he thought his European Tour career was over, England’s Stuart Little has the chance this weekend to put the icing on easily the best season of his golfing life.

The sports and celebrity management firm which represents clients such as Tiger Woods and Elizabeth Hurley is to be sold to a buyout specialist, it emerged today.

ERNIE ELS was handed the second biggest cheque in golf at Wentworth yesterday after a record-equalling fifth World Match Play title that will also be remembered for something runner- up Thomas Bjorn did.

WE might not have been treated to his trademark swing, but that didn’t matter to those gathered in Kildare yesterday to pay homage to the golfing legend.

Padraig Harrington was not taking anything for granted going into the third round of the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Hamburg today.

MARK MCCORMACK, once famously described as “the most powerful man in sport”, died in America yesterday, four months after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma from which he never recovered.

Scoil Ruane, Killenaule 3-9

AT LEAST four major property developers are believed to have formally expressed interest in building a national stadium.

Ian Woosnam has only to think back 12 months not to worry too much about his form going into the Cisco World Match Play Championship at Wentworth this week.

YOU might have expected Darren Clarke to have enough on his plate with the $5.5 million American Express World Championship over the next four days followed immediately

AN Irishman who campaigned to legalise child sex has been found guilty of smuggling indecent photographs of children in Britain.

Belfast’s Michael Hoey, the British amateur champion who missed the halfway cut by only one shot at Augusta, is now a stablemate of three-time Masters champion Tiger Woods.

Organisers are still trying to fill the last three places in the 12-man field for the Cisco World Match Play championship at Wentworth on October 11-14.