Monkstown closed the book on 12 months of heartbreak as they claimed their provincial pennant with victory in the AIG Munster Senior Cup final at Cork Golf Club.

A dramatic 45 foot birdie putt on the 18th green at Fota Island last evening by Ulster’s Ben Best foiled Connacht of a famous victory on the second day of the Interprovincial Championship. The match ended 5½ points apiece, leaving Leinster, who defeated Munster 8-3, the favourites to retain the title when they take on Ulster in today’s decider.

Question: In light of Alan Quinlan’s assessment of Munster’s performance against Stade Francais being “embarrassing, humiliating, disgraceful” what three words would you use to describe the current malaise?

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

Pat Murray justified his ranking as pre-tournament favourite by claiming a three shot lead after the first 36 holes of the Munster Mid-Amateur Championship over his home course at Limerick Golf Club last night.

As a player accomplished enough to win the prestigious Mullingar Scratch Trophy over the August Bank holiday weekend and having seen his brother Shane thrill the golfing world both as an amateur and professional, Alan Lowry is no stranger to outstanding deeds and shot making on the golf course.

A Maynooth University team of considerable talent has emerged as warm favourites to capture the AIG Irish Senior Cup, having come through the Leinster qualifying section in highly impressive fashion.

Memories of the 1987 final at Tramore will be revived this week when the AIG Irish Close Championship takes place over the outstanding seaside layout for the third time.

Experience proved the key as Limerick and Muskerry qualified for the nationals finals of the AIG Irish Senior Cup and Barton Shield at Dungarvan on Saturday.

Stuart Grehan from Tullamore was last night crowned winner of the 114th South of Ireland Championship after a four and three final win over Ulster golfer Colin Fairweather from Knock.

With the majority of young amateurs nowadays turning professional as soon as they make any kind of mark in the championship arena, the days of course specialists have more or less dwindled away to nothing. 

Paul McBride, a student at the famous golfing academy of Wake Forest in North Carolina which numbers Arnold Palmer, Eoghan O’Connell and Darren Clarke among its alumni, demonstrated once again at Lahinch yesterday that Malahide continues to produce young golfers of the highest calibre.

Ever since the distinguished golf course architect Martin Hawtree modified and considerably altered the famous old links in 2001, Lahinch has become a formidable challenge for the game’s finest, whether amateur or professional.

With handicaps ranging from plus 4 to 1.1, the high quality of the entry for the West Coast Hotels sponsored South of Ireland Championship beginning at Lahinch this morning is a source of considerable satisfaction for the organising committee.

Youngster Sean Flanagan will today bid to become the first local golfer to claim the West of Ireland Golf Championship in 65 years.

When Pat Murray speaks about Munster, he does so as much with his head as with his heart.

Irish Senior Cup

Given there is invariably little between the teams at this stage of the various AIG Irish Cups and Shields competitions, it is not surprising the bookmakers have struggled to separate the qualifiers for this weekend’s Munster semi-finals and finals of the Senior and Junior Cups and Barton Shield at Shannon Golf Club.

Muskerry, Limerick and Doneraile are chasing elusive doubles at this weekend’s Munster finals of the AIG Irish Senior and Junior Cups, along with the Barton Shield, at Shannon Golf Club.

Arthur Pierse has been coming to Lahinch for more than 40 years in search of the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland Championship.

When you are one of the championship favourites and things are going against you, there is always a good time to produce a shot out of the ordinary.

The withdrawal of favourite Gary Hurley and Irish Close champion John Ross Galbraith has come as a major disappointment to organisers of the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland at Lahinch, which begins this morning.

Munster captured the Senior Interprovincial Championship for the second time in three years when they pulled off a magnificent 7-4 victory over hot favourites and holders Ulster in an epic decider at The Island links in North Dublin yesterday.

Munster pulled off a considerable surprise when they hammered host province Leinster 7½ to 3½ on the opening day of the Senior Interprovincial Championship at The Island yesterday.

The draw for the West Clare hotels South of Ireland Championship beginning at Lahinch on Saturday suggests the event is again attracting some of the biggest names in amateur golf.

Castlemartyr in East Cork may have been founded in 2008 but they are already poised to win their first pennant when the Munster finals of the AIG Irish Senior Cup take place at Shannon GC next month.

Whitehead’s John-Ross Galbraith made a small killing with the bookies as he put Pat Murray to the sword with a one-hole win in the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship final at Seapoint.

Limerick’s Pat Murray overcame a sore shoulder and a stiff neck before coming back from the dead twice in one day to reach today’s semi-finals of the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at Seapoint.

East of Ireland champion Colm Campbell and leading qualifier Stuart Grehan were forced to dig deep to make it into the last 16 of the AIG-sponsored Irish Amateur Close Championship at a sun-kissed Seapoint.

Old campaigners Pat Murray and Gary O’Flaherty can make their experience count in the first round of the AIG- sponsored Irish Amateur Close at Seapoint today.

Munster interprovincial Geoff Lenehan has no qualms about lifting what could cynically be termed an asterisk AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at Seapoint Golf Links.

Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell survived an early wobble in the final round and a late challenge from defending champion Paul Dunne to claim a two-shot victory in the East of Ireland Amateur Open at a rain-soaked County Louth.

Kieran McCarthy defends his title against another high-class field in the Munster Stroke Play Championship at Cork Golf Club tomorrow and Sunday.

It was while gazing through the NFL schedule for 2014, which was revealed earlier this week, and other gridiron-related matters that our eyes happened to stray across a well-worn quote from John Madden, the Hall of Fame ex-coach, broadcasting legend and the face of millions of American football computer games around the world.

Dungarvan’s Kevin Stack and West Waterford’s Gary Hurley kept Munster interest alive in the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Championship at a sun-kissed County Sligo.

Anthony Foley wasn’t even a twinkle in his father’s eye when the family name hit the rugby headlines for the first time.

Paul McGinley didn’t allow the business of being Ryder Cup captain spoil his golf with a best finish in 15 months and a second straight top-10 result in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

On a weekend of unbelievable tension, resilient Cork Golf Club brought off magnificent double in the Munster provincial finals staged on the Mahony’s Point course in Killarney.

Holder Pat Murray (Limerick), Stuart Grehan (Tullamore) and Robbie Cannon (Balbriggan), the three players with most reason to feel aggrieved at the announcement of the Irish Home Internationals team before the South of Ireland began, all bit the dust on an eventful day at Lahinch yesterday.