Christy O’Connor didn’t subscribe to the view that his enormous success on the golf course was attributable to a natural God-given talent for the game.

The Castlemartyr Resort in Cork has been acquired for close to €14m by British businessman and hotelier Martin Shaw, who also owns a significant golf resort called Old Thorns Manor House in Hampshire, near London.

There have been all sorts of gloomy predictions about the fate of the advertising industry in a modern world where nobody can be bothered sitting through a 30-second ad on a smart phone or tablet, never mind the five interminable minutes it takes for a TV break.

There will be some special guests at tomorrow’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Pro Am at Royal County Down, as two teams of young golfers from Shannon Golf Club in Clare and Faithlegg Golf Club in Waterford reap their reward for winning the inaugural Irish Open Golf Skills Challenge.

Check out our guide to the best of tonight's TV.

Veteran BBC commentator Peter Alliss has said that the corporation should have tried harder to win the rights to the Open Championship and that attempts to give women equal rights in golf have “caused mayhem”.

Just 27% of Rory McIlroy’s fellow professionals think the world No.1 will complete the career grand slam by winning the Masters this week.

Ever since the arrival of Sky Sports, the world of televised sport has undergone a revolution which has seen a massive growth in the number of events available to the general public.

The R&A insists its decision to hand live television rights of the Open Championship to Sky Sports is “the best result for golf as a whole”.

The Open Championship deal between the R&A and Sky Sports has been welcomed by the Golfing Union of Ireland. 

Waterville has been named as the country’s best golf course for 2014 at a glittering global golf awards night in the Algarve.

However hard they sell us Adam Scott’s win as an inspirational recovery from calamity.

Christy O’Connor Junior, who will always be remembered for the 2-iron shot at the 18th hole at The Belfry that enabled Europe to retain the 1989 Ryder Cup, believes it will be a “disgrace” and a demonstration of “anti-Irishness” if Paul McGinley isn’t appointed captain of the team to defend the trophy at Gleneagles in 2014.

All of a sudden it’s a very different 16 the world of golf is talking about.

Returning to the controversy of the week at the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club’s lack of female members, a lobbying group called change.org entered the fray yesterday, looking to further increase the pressure on the private club to review its membership policy.

CHRISTY O’CONNOR SNR celebrates his 87th birthday tomorrow.

THE marketing blurb describes it as “the ultimate luxury gift book of 2011”.

THE voice of Sky Sports’ golf coverage reckons this week is Pádraig’s turn.

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer tonight back-tracked on an apparent vow to stick by troubled golfer Tiger Woods, raising the prospect that it could be next in line to cut ties with the sportsman.

TIGER WOODS’ long-time caddie Steve Williams insists he had no knowledge of any of the player’s extra-marital relationships.

Tiger Woods’ long-time caddie Steve Williams insists he had no knowledge of any of the player’s extra-marital relationships.

SEVE BALLESTEROS has revealed that treatment for his brain tumour has been tough – but does not want sympathy, insisting: “I’ve had so much luck.”

Seve Ballesteros has revealed that treatment for his brain tumour has been tough – but does not want sympathy, insisting: “I’ve had so much luck.”

TOM WATSON can’t understand what he’s trying to do. Likewise, Peter Alliss.

FOR almost a hundred years, the famous 18th hole at Royal Dublin has been known simply as ‘The Garden’.

UNDER normal circumstances, Albert Lee would have been across the Irish Sea in a flash to watch Pádraig Harrington defend his British Open title but, in the end, he decided he had no other option but to remain at home in Mullingar perched on his own couch.

Joy and relief would be one way to describe Peter Lawrie’s feelings as he finally achieved his first European Tour victory.

Charlie Mulqueen, St Andrews

Former English amateur champion Richard Finch, playing just the ninth European Tour event of his career and ranked 716th in the world, broke the course record with a dazzling second-round 63 at the Italian Open in Milan today.

Tony Jacklin will put his famed captaincy skills to the test once again when the Rest of the World take on the United States in the third UBS Cup.

Ian Woosnam, the last man to suffer Open heartache because of a rules blunder, today said Mark Roe’s disqualification would stay with him for a long time.

THOSE who wagered on Gary Murphy to be leading Irishman at the Open Championship have good reason to feel smug this morning!

DARREN CLARKE and Graeme McDowell will head the field in the first European Challenge Tour event to take place in Northern Ireland when they tee up in the Northern

Colin Montgomerie starts his bid for something almost as remarkable as his seven successive Order of Merit titles at Wentworth tomorrow.