Michael McGeady went for a job interview in Spain last week. In fact, he would do four interviews over four days and, if he did well, he’d progress to two further rounds of interrogation.

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.

Maybe it’s Michael McGeady being unable to afford a caddy, or maybe it’s Matt Southgate bemoaning the price of the buffet lunch, or perhaps the row of economy class rental cars in the driveway gives it away. But whatever way you slice it, European Tour Q-School at PGA Catalunya is no ordinary golf tournament.

Michael McGeady maintained his run of consistency yesterday to sweep into the final qualifying school of the European Tour and to move closer to a full Tour card.

Royal Dublin star Niall Kearney is in pole position today to move to the brink of a full European Tour card.

Eight Irish hopefuls will be looking to make their mark as the European Tour qualifying school second stage gets underway across four venues in Spain today.

Niall Kearney, the 26-year-old European Challenge Tour player from Royal Dublin, achieved an ambition he has chased since turning professional in 2009 when he birdied the 18th hole at Adare Manor yesterday to capture the 104th Irish Professional Championship.

Legends like Harry Bradshaw, Fred Daly, Christy O’Connor Senior, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington have won the Irish PGA Championship over its 104-year history.

Adare Manor will host this year’s Irish PGA Championship from October 2-5.

Irish PGA champion Michael McGeady will become the first winner of the national closed title to miss the Irish Open for 40 years this week.

Pádraig Harrington made a miraculous par at the last to card a second successive 68 and finish his day just two shots behind the clubhouse leaders in the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews might be moving with glacial speed towards accepting women as members, but at the coalface of professional golf, Hazel Kavanagh continues to break down barriers of discrimination.

In a thrilling finish to the Cassidy Golf 103rd €30,000 PGA Irish Championship at Roganstown yesterday, Michael McGeady snatched the title by a whisker from Damian Mooney and Cian McNamara.

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.

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.

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.

Ruaidhrí McGee delivered a five-star display at Frilford Heath yesterday to lie just off the pace in the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School.

Paul Cutler and Michael McGeady lead an Irish bid for a home victory when the PGA EuroPro Tour resumes today with the opening round of the Kingspan Concra Wood Open on the shores of Lough Muckno in Monaghan.

Qualifying for a major championship would be considered a good week’s work in any golfer’s estimation but, instead of basking in his success, Elliot Saltman went out and won a tournament.

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.

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.

THE failure of any Irish player to win a card at the European Tour School suggests that the well that has provided this country with a steady stream of outstanding players for many years is finally running dry.

TWELVE months ago, Rory McIlroy arrived in Dubai leading the Euro-pean Tour order of merit but was caught on the line by the fast finishing Lee Westwood.

THOMAS BJORN and Carlos Del Moral both shot rounds of 65 to share a two-shot lead at the top of the Estoril Open leaderboard at the end of the second day.

IN his first action on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at The Players Championship in May, Pádraig Harrington fired a bogey-free 65 in the first round of the St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind, Memphis yesterday.

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.

NICE work, this professional golf!

GRAEME STORM, relieved to discover last week that he did not have swine flu, shares the lead with fellow Englishman Steve Webster after two rounds of the Moravia Silesia Open in the Czech Republic.

THE 30th player in this week’s Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond will receive in excess of €30,000, comfortably more than the total prize fund of €26,000 on offer in the Irish PGA Championship which starts at the European Club in Co Wicklow this morning.

NORTHERN Ireland’s Jimmy Heggarty played himself into contention at The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship with a superb three-under-par 69 to lie two shots behind clubhouse leader Angel Franco.

WATERVILLE’S David Higgins is confident his career is back on track having successfully battled illness and loss of form.

DONEGAL giant Michael McGeady feared he might have thrown away his chance of appearing in this week’s 3 Irish Open at Baltray when he faltered over the closing six holes of the Italian Open in Turin on Sunday.

DOUBLE Major-winning John Daly is hoping 3 Irish Open organisers will pair him with triple Major champion Pádraig Harrington in Baltray after the American secured his best result in four years after finishing joint second in the BMW Italian Open in Turin.

PETER LAWRIE signalled he was not about to relinquish his Spanish Open title with a blistering inward half of 30 on day two of the event in Girona.

Argentina’s Estanislao Goya survived a late scare and an amazing birdie burst by Scot Callum Macaulay to win a European Tour title at just the sixth attempt today.

Estanislao Goya put himself in a commanding position to clinch the Madeira Island Open BPI-Portugal after a third-round two-under-par 69 gave him a three-shot lead heading into the final day tomorrow.

Estanislao Goya led by one shot at the halfway point of the third round at the Madeira Island Open BPI-Portugal at Porto Santo today.

Scotsman Callum Macaulay was an early mover on the Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal leaderboard with four birdies and an eagle after 16 holes of the third round.