Europe’s best golfers may still be jockeying for position on the 2014 Race To Dubai, with the season’s climax at the DP Tour Championship still five weeks away.

Golf: Mikko Ilonen hailed the best year of his career after becoming the first Finnish player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship with a hard-fought victory over top seed and good friend Henrik Stenson.

When you have achieved as much as Mary McKenna has in the game and in the name of Irish golf, you could get used to plaudits.

Muskerry golfer Niall Turner has pulled off a significant victory on the Asian Development Tour in Jakarta as he battles back from an unfortunate run of illness and injury that have restricted his development in the pro ranks.

Greystones’ Paul Dunne survived the shock of nearly missing his tee time and went on to become the first Irish amateur to come through Final Qualifying for the British Open for 27 years.

Seven Irishmen will pursue their Open Championship dream by joining the scramble for 12 golden tickets for Hoylake at four Final Qualifying venues today.

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.

John-Daniel Guiney produced an exceptional finish to four days of gruelling golf at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire to move into the second stage of qualification for a European Tour card.

Paul McGinley declared he would be taking a backseat role but there was no hiding the enthusiasm of the European Ryder Cup captain on the opening day of the Seve Trophy near Versailles.

Paul McGinley continues to make it clear that he will be his own man when attempting to mastermind Europe’s Ryder Cup defence at Gleneagles next year.

Japanese amateur Hideki Matsuyama shared the lead after round one of the Open Championship Asian qualifying event in Bangkok.

Among the four European Tour events Rory McIlroy has favoured most in his career, he’s enjoyed more success competing in the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Only a short few years ago, the chances of any player leading the orders of merit on both the PGA and European Tours were slim in the extreme.

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.

BELGIUM’S Nicolas Colsaerts leads the Volvo Golf Champions by four strokes after surging clear of the field with a course-record 64 at Fancourt in South Africa today.

DARREN CLARKE may have thanked or cursed French golfer Romain Wattel for missing a 20-foot birdie putt at the last hole on day two of the Thailand Golf Championship.

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.

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.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON produced an equal lowest score all season in defence of his Iskandar Johor Open but then declared the hurt of his poorest-ever season in the professional ranks.

UNLIKE the majority of his contemporaries, Pádraig Harrington’s main rival is neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els or even young Rory McIlory but still himself.

TWELVE months ago, Pádraig Harrington ended a two-year title drought when he won the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia.

PAUL REED of the Bristol and Clifton Golf Club was celebrating yesterday after winning the PGA EuroPro Tour Audi Cork Irish Masters at Fota Island Resort.

KILLARNEY’s Danny Sugrue has given himself the opportunity of a massive confidence boost heading into the Irish Open on his home course with a strong finish today in the EuroPro Tour’s Audi Cork Irish Masters at Fota Island.

GRAEME McDOWELL has pointed out another potential problem for Rory McIlroy when he returns to action at the British Open next week.

Thomas O’Flynn pro golfer; Danny Nickless, Operations Manager, PGA EuroPro Tour and Kevin Morris Director of Golf, Fota Island Resort all set for Audi Cork Irish Masters today in Cork.

THE golf industry may be in a state of flux in the current economic climate but three young Irishmen are managing to find their way in some of the most ideal circumstances — an exclusive country club in America’s Deep South.

PGA EuroPro Tour boss Danny Nickless has thrown down the gauntlet to Ireland’s young professional golfers to make their mark at the Audi Cork Irish Masters this week and take an important step towards life in big-time golf.

NIALL TURNER, the former Muskerry golfer was last night left to rue four bogeys he simply couldn’t afford to concede if he was to come through yesterday’s final qualifying rounds for the British Open Championship.

COLM MORIARTY will lead a seven-strong Irish challenge bidding for just 12 spots in the British Open at Sandwich when 36-hole Local Final Qualifying takes place at four venues in Kent today.

The Team Ireland Golf Trust yesterday announced grants of €157,000 to 15 players pursuing their careers on professional tours.

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.

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.

MUNSTER men Peter O’Keeffe and Niall Turner are hoping to make hay while staying out of the long stuff in the €150,000 Challenge of Ireland at Moyvalley in Co Kildare.

Irish former US collegians Peter O’Keeffe and Niall Turner came up short on their respective bids for major tour cards this week.

Irish college golfers have much to be proud of as they head into the summer.

Daniel Willett caused a stir in the opening matchplay round of the British Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes today as he claimed the notable scalp of rising Irish star Rory McIlroy.

Baltray's Simon Ward scorched to a six under par 66 to lead the Irish

Muskerry's Niall Turner closed with an eagle three to lead the Irish

The team to represent Ireland in the European Team Championship at Western Gailes Golf Club, Scotland, 7th July 3 and 7:

Walker Cup hopeful Jonathan Caldwell staked a strong claim for selection in yesterday's Irish Amatuer Close Championship at Cork, where he shot a five under par 67 to lead the field after day one.

Niall Turner led home Ireland's quartet of golfers and helped his team to a US collegiate national top10 finish at the season-ending NCAA Championships in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Corkman Niall Turner helped his University of Minnesota men’s golf team to a second consecutive national top-10 finish as he closed out his US collegiate career at the weekend.