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

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.

Stranraer 0 Dundee United 5

An ailing Rory McIlroy will be looking to the horizon and hoping continuing Singapore storms abate just long enough to leave the way clear for him to secure the Race to Dubai title.

Mark Murphy’s Q School dreams were shattered yesterday after he sustained a nasty injury competing at the Las Colinas course.

Irish amateur star Alan Dunbar finished just one shot off the bottom of the leaderboard after yesterday’s first round of European Tour second stage qualifying at Lumine Golf & Beach Club in north-east Spain.

Fourteen Irish golfers begin the second stage of the European Tour qualifying school at four venues throughout Spain today.

Ireland took a remarkable 1-2 in the European Tour School’s qualifying phase stage one at Roxburgh Hotel in Scotland yesterday, with Mark Staunton and Peter O’Keeffe occupying the top two spots.

Three Irish golfers, Peter O’Keeffe (Muskerry), Damian Mooney (Ballyliffin) and Mark Staunton (Ballinasloe), take part in the first European Tour School at the Roxburghe Hotel, Kelso, Scotland today.

Having withstood the worst the wet weather can throw at it, Fota Island’s Deerpark course welcomes the return of the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour today for the second Audi Cork Irish Masters.

Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington, 2nd and 4th in the US Open, spearhead the home challenge in next week’s Irish Open at Royal Portrush.

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.

THE MAJORITY of the 13-strong Irish contingent at the second stage of the European Tour School in Spain remain in contention for places in next week’s final Tour School.

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.

PAUL CUTLER crashed out of the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying dream last night after a thoroughly disappointing few days at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire.

BARRIE TRAINOR’S good form has closed the gap on Irish PGA Order of Merit leader David Higgins as the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet, in association with Ping, continues.

A DOUBLE eagle blast on the back nine shot Barrie Trainor to the top of the leaderboard at Malahide in the north Dublin club’s annual pro-am tournament.

MICHAEL COLLINS shares a name with one of Ireland’s most iconic figures but now the Cork native is desperate to be remembered for achievements of his own.

THE celebrations have been put on ice by the Challenge Tour’s newest champion Michael McGeady, who this week returns to his homeland to compete in the Challenge of Ireland at the picturesque Glasson Golf & Country Club, Athlone on Thursday.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland has called on the Taoiseach to speed up Irish economic and social reforms as part of moves to improve overall European competitiveness.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) today announced that its annual President’s Awards will this year be dedicated to honouring corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has welcomed the publication of the second Interim Report on Reforms to the Irish Insurance Market this afternoon, but says more direct intervention is needed to drive down insurance costs.

TAXPAYERS will have to pick up the tab for a E3 million “consolation prize” that will be paid to hundreds of councillors who lost their seats or retired before the June elections.

IRELAND must keep its low tax rates to maximise its attractiveness for foreign investors, the head of the US Chamber of Commerce said yesterday.

The President of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has today expressed concern at the future of EU/ US transatlantic trade.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has today called for the second round of the Sustaining Progress pay talks to be suspended until issues surrounding the break-up of Aer Rianta and decentralisation have been resolved.

Irish candidates in the European elections are to be asked to set out their business agenda by the Chamber of Commerce of Ireland (CCI).

The president of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland Mark Staunton has said the chambers see five key measures which must be implemented if Irish SMEs’ competitiveness and viability is to be protected.

The Government has implemented measures to protect the term "Chamber of Commerce" in the national interest.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) and energy supplier Energia have announced a new affinity deal that has the potential to shave approximately €8m off the combined electricity costs of 11,000 chamber members.

The Government has been accused of double standards on a working time directive to the private sector and its own actions in the public sector by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI).

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern last night lashed out at striking bus and rail workers who brought public transport to a standstill yesterday.

The President of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has strongly criticised CIE transport workers for their strike action, for what he coined as "continued efforts to hold the public to ransom in order to frustrate Government policy".

STRIKE action at all three CIÉ companies remained a possibility last night as SIPTU refused to call off a stoppage planned for March 18.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) have said that the financial pressure on small firms to pay the new minimum wage is too severe, and that it should be deferred until February 2004.

THE 10% increase in the minimum wage which comes into effect in February should be phased-in over the next 12 months, the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) said yesterday.

LEINSTER go into today’s Golfsure Youth Interprovincial Golf Tournament at Lahinch as defending champions but such is the galaxy of talent among the other provinces that a retention of the trophy is by no means certain.

President of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) Mark Staunton has launched an attack on the Government saying that unprecedented numbers of Irish small and medium enterprises are seeking the support of business organisations as they seek to cope with crippling business costs.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has accused the Government of being the single biggest obstacle to restoring Ireland's competitiveness.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland group has called on the Government to take action to stop growing business costs in Ireland.

FINANCE MINISTER Charlie McCreevy will warn unions this morning that he wants a return for his money before paying out any more benchmarking wage rises.

WELSH visitor Cennydd Mills wiped out a seven-stroke deficit in the final round to pip the home challenge in the Irish Youths Championship at Cork Golf Club yesterday evening.