Co Sligo’s Sean Flanagan coped with southerly winds gusting up to 48mph to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open at Rosses Point.

Tommy Quigley hugged his sons and team-mates Stephen and Shane as Thurles celebrated their first AIG Pierce Purcell Shield win for 18 years.

Open Championship hero Paul Dunne will attract much of the attention at Royal Portrush in two weeks as Ireland bid to defend their Home Internationals title on home soil.

Between final exams at Maynooth University and a full amateur schedule, there has been a lot on Gary Hurley’s plate as he prepares to make another appearance in an Irish Open.

Cormac Sharvin will go into this week’s Irish Amateur Open Championship full of confidence after claiming a top-five finish at the prestigious Lytham Trophy over the weekend.

Currently Ireland’s highest-ranked amateur golfer, Gary Hurley will be flying the flag for Irish golf once again this summer as a member of the 2015 European Palmer Cup team.

Waterford pair Gary Hurley, and Robin Dawson take on an 84-man field alongside some of the top college golfers in America.

The European Tour heads to the sunny Algarve next week, but with an end of season chill now in the air, we asked four golf writers to review 2014, from McIlroy’s Majors to McGinley’s Ryder Cup — and everything else in between.

They came in busloads and carloads from West Waterford to support their 21-year-old hero who, on Friday, had captured the imagination of the golfing world by shooting a superb five under par 66 at the Irish Open.

Graeme McDowell birdied two of his last three holes to give the fans hope of a home victory at the Irish Open on Sunday at Fota Island.

The Irish Open has not one but three homegrown contenders at Fota Island Resort as Graeme McDowell leads the pursuit of halfway leader Mikko Ilonen.

There have been too many examples over the years of promising young Irish amateur golfers losing the run of themselves and turning professional without considering all the implications.

It will not just be Fota Island Resort inviting Irish golf to party in two weeks’ time, the Irish Open hosts’ fellow Corkonians are also getting in on the act as a nation of golfers descends on the county for the prestigious European Tour event.

Christmas had to come a little early for Gary Hurley this week as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth golfer got his yuletide celebrations done in good time for a dash across the Atlantic and a prestigious date with some of the amateur game’s leading lights.

Footballer of the Year nominee Michael Darragh Macauley says a mid-championship team-talk from golfing icon Pádraig Harrington was a powerful motivational tool.

Black ’47

Ploughing championship wins last week for Longford, Donegal, Tipperary North, Galway, and Kerry indicated the rise of interest in competition ploughing across Ireland.

NUI Maynooth struck a blow for Irish college golf yesterday as their Paddy Harrington scholars lifted the coveted Barton Shield on the second day of the All-Ireland Cups and Shields finals at Kinsale Golf Club.

Today’s Barton Shield final at Kinsale Golf Club promises to be a classic battle between youth and experience as the young guns of NUI Maynooth vie with Banbridge for an All-Ireland title at the Chartis-sponsored Cups & Shields National Finals.

The 2012 cups and shields get off to flying start at Kinsale Golf Club today with the Barton Shield semi-finals.

Gary Hurley and Geoff Lenehan carried their senior interpro-winning form with Munster into the international arena, being the only Irishmen to go under par on the opening day of the European Amateur Championships at Carton House yesterday.

THE large attendance from West Cork at this week’s National Ploughing Championships was thrilled with the performance of its team in the 21 ploughing competitions at the centre of the event.

Tony Hayes (K Club) set the pace after the opening round of the 54 holes Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship, sponsored by Tourism Malaysia, when he shot a one under par 71 at Roscommon Golf Club.

JP McMANUS is to honour the golfing success of Padraig Harrington by ploughing €2m into golf scholarships at NUI Maynooth, named in memory of Padraig’s late father, Paddy Harrington.

Ireland: The IFA has accused importers of undermining the future viability of the Irish cereal industry.

Charlie Mulqueen

Whitbread Prize-winning poet Bernard O’Donoghue from Cork pauses from his work at Wadham College, Oxford to tell Michael Moynihan his memories of Cork-Kerry Munster finals.

GREENCORE’S commitment to Irish agriculture is in question it was claimed yesterday, when up to 250 farmers protested over a decision to close Banagher Maltings in Co Offaly.