THE AIB Ladies Irish Open gets underway on Friday at Killeen Castle, Co Meath, having attracted its strongest field ever.

THE Team Ireland Golf Trust yesterday announced grants worth €217,000 to 17 aspiring men and women pursuing careers on professional tours around the world.

THE stalls did well at the final day of the AIB Ladies Irish Open in Portmarnock links yesterday as play was suspended twice – at 9.50am for 30 minutes and for a longer period at 1pm until 4.15pm – due to dense fog coming in from the coast.

BETH DANIEL and Meg Mallon fired the USA into a two-shot lead at the European Nations Cup in Spain yesterday.

Cork's Claire Coughlan added a level par 72 to her opening 71 to lie four shots off the lead at the halfway stage of the LET Final Qualifying School at La Cala Resort in Spain.

Cork's Claire Coughlan fired an opening one under par 71 to lie just three shots off the lead after the first day’s play at the LET Final Qualifying School at La Cala Resort in Spain today.

Ireland's Curtis Cup star Claire Coughlan from Cork fired a 70 & 71 to lie two just shots behind the leaders at the halfway point of Ladies European Tour pre-qualifying school at Le Fonti golf club in Italy.

South Africa withstood a surge by defending champions Sweden to win the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Golf Team Championships at Steelenbosch today, becoming the first victorious host nation since 1980.

Stacy Bergman fired a three under par 69 to give South Africa a four shot lead over Sweden going into the final round of the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Golf Team Championships at Stellenbosch, South Africa, October 18-21.

Kelli Shean of Cape Town and Ashleigh Simon of Johannesburg each shot three-under-par 69s to propel South Africa into the lead by three strokes over Germany after the second day’s play at the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Irish champion Tricia Mangan (Ennis), Claire Coughlan (Cork) and Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) will represent Ireland at the Espirito Santo Womens Amateur World Cup at Stellenbosch, October 18-21.

IRELAND’S women golfers were fuming last night at throwing away a golden opportunity to open their Home International campaign at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire with a victory over champions England.

The Irish women's golf team travels to England this weekend to play in the Ladies Home Internationals at Frilford Heath on September 13-15.

Leinster look to defend their Ladies Interprovincial title when the three-day tournament starts at Headfort Golf Club, Kells, Co Meath, on August 2-4.

English champion Kieran Matharu and Irish title holder Tricia Mangan were experiencing nightmare debuts in the 34th Curtis Cup match over the Pacific Dunes course in Oregon on America’s West coast tonight.

Carlow’s Tara Delaney sets out to capture an unprecedented third consecutive title at the Irish Open Strokeplay Championship in Rosses Point this weekend.

The Irish Ladies Golf Union has selected four underage-level teams to represent Ireland at various International events in June and July.

Defending champion and Irish international Maria Dunne (Skerries) has safely made it through to the semi-finals of the Clarins Leinster Ladies Golf Championships at Grange Golf Club.

Tricia Mangan (Ennis), fresh from her seventh-place finish at the Welsh Open Strokeplay, defends her Lancome Irish Ladies’ Close Championship at The European Club, Co Wicklow, May 13 to 17.

THE Irish Ladies Golf Union National Training Committee is hosting its inaugural National Training Seminar for elite national players on Saturday January 7th at the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.

FROM champions to wooden spoonists - that was the sorry story of Ireland’s lady golfers in their home international series at Dundalk yesterday.

IRELAND face a herculean task today if they are to avoid the wooden spoon in the ladies amateur home international championship at Dundalk.

IRELAND attempt to make history this week by winning, for the first time, a third consecutive Ladies Home International Golf Championship.

THIS is a huge week for golf in Ireland and Britain with at least four major tournaments down for decision.

CLAIRE COUGHLAN, runner-up in the British Ladies Open matchplay championship at Littlestone in Kent in June, bids to go one better in the strokeplay event which gets underway at Nairn today in the north of Scotland.

LEINSTER retained the Ladies Inter-provincial title at Royal Belfast yesterday after an exciting final round of singles matches against great rivals Munster.

THE scene is set for a battle between Leinster and Munster on Day 3 of the Ladies Interprovincials at the Royal Belfast golf course.

Great Britain and Ireland retained the Vagliano Trophy with a stylish singles display against the continent of Europe at Chantilly today.

IRISH champion Tricia Mangan secured a crucial singles point for Great Britain and Ireland in their Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Chantilly yesterday.

Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) is hoping to arrive home from the US in time to defend her Lancome Irish Ladies’ Close Championship.

CLAIRE COUGHLAN, the heroine of Ireland’s magnificent victory in the Home International Championship at Cruden Bay last month, is a shock omission from the Curtis Cup elite squad announced yesterday.

BOTH the Irish mens and ladies senior golf teams show changes from the original selections for the Home International series at Ballybunion and Cruden Bay respectively.

BEAVERSTOWN’S Martina Gillen spared Ireland’s blushes yesterday when she edged to an extra hole victory to give her country the narrowest of successes against the Czech Republic in the European Ladies’ Team Golf Championship at Frankfurt.

THE Delaney sisters from Carlow remain on course to contest this afternoon’s final of the Maher Sport’s sponsored Munster Girl’s Championship at Cork Golf Club.

IRELAND has not had a Ladies British Open Amateur Golf Champion for 18 years since Lilian Behan triumphed at Ganton — and they will have to wait at least another 12 months before ending that long drought after all three of their qualifiers were knocked out at Lindrick, Yorkshire, yesterday.

IRELAND’S hopes of winning the Ladies’ Amateur Home International golf championship for the first time for 16 years were dealt a blow yesterday when they yielded a foursomes advantage to go down 5-4 to Wales.

INSPIRED by Claire Coughlan, who defeated Curtis Cup reserve Martina Gillen in the top singles match, Munster cast aside the Leinster bogey on the opening day of the AIB Bank Ladies Senior Golf Interpros at Mount Wolseley, Carlow yesterday.

Leinster's ladies came top in the interprovincial series after the final days play in The Island Golf Club.

The following team will represent Ireland in the Ladies’ Home International Matches which takes place at Carlow Golf Club, from August 22-24.