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

West Waterford’s Gary Hurley needed just 25 holes to blast his way into this morning’s semi-finals of the Radisson Blu-sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open at a sun-kissed County Sligo.

Detectives were last night waiting to talk to a father of three after he was subjected to a daylight abduction near his home before being released badly beaten.

Michael Quirke (Doneraile) is the Irish Seniors Amateur Open champion after winning a three-hole play-off with American Bev Hargraves, whose final round 72 closed what had began as a four-shot gap.

Robbie Cannon’s superior fitness proved to be the difference as he came through two gruelling rounds and four play-off holes to win a thrilling Irish Amateur Open in sensational style at Royal Dublin.

He might be the last County Sligo man standing, but local hopeGary McDermott welcomes the pressure as he bids to become the first home winner of the West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship for 63 years.

Waterford hurling great Paul Flynn is hoping that ignorance is bliss when he makes his championship debut in the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open at Rosses Point today.

Ireland returned to the Glasgow Gailes Links on the Ayrshire coast at the crack of dawn to complete their battle with Scotland in the Men’s Home Internationals after rain halted play last night.

Underwhelming summer sales data for the Magners cider brand in Britain has led Davy Stockbrokers to downgrade its profit outlook for the product’s Irish parent, C&C by €3m.

Ireland captain Pádraig Hogan believes a strong start against hosts Scotland tomorrow will be key to success in the Home Internationals at Glasgow Gailes.

Kevin Phelan will look to carry momentum from his top-five finish at Carton House into the European Amateur Championships into this week’s Home Internationals.

A third-round, seven-under-par 65 from Sweden’s Pontus Widegren may have pushed hopes of a home win in the European Amateur Championship beyond leading Irish men Kevin Phelan and Alan Dunbar.

Alan Dunbar bounced back from a poor opening round to equal the course record at Carton House’s Montgomerie layout and leap into contention at the European Amateur Championship.

Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar leads a strong Irish contingent looking to score a home victory against a stacked international field at Carton House this week for the International European Amateur Championship.

Connacht, who bridged a 28 year gap when capturing the title at Rosses Point last year, begin their defence of the Interprovincial Championship this morning with a difficult match against Munster at Royal Co Down.

Rory McNamara produced a Houdini act to edge dramatically into the third round of the 117th Amateur Championship at Royal Troon on Scotland’s Ayrshire coast yesterday.

Dubliner Richard O’Donovan gave a champagne display at Glasgow Gailes on the Ayrshire coast yesterday to romp into the matchplay stages of the 117th British Amateur Championship.

Dublin teenager Gavin Moynihan bids to continue his amazing run of form at the British Amateur Championship at Royal Troon this morning.

Recently crowned Irish Close champion Chris Selfridge hit a wonder shot on the final hole of a three-hole aggregate play-off to match the 1988 feat of Ulster great Garth McGimpsey and complete a famous double by lifting the East of Ireland title at a sun-kissed Co Louth.

Tiger Woods is in danger of missing the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, but Rory McIlroy’s hopes of winning back the world number one spot remain very much alive.

Shane Lowry continued to display his fondness for the Blackstone course on day two of the Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul.

Local teenager Sean Flanagan is still on track to claim the Co Sligo club’s first West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship since 1950 following his terrific showing in yesterday’s two matchplay rounds at Rosses Point.

England’s James McCormick was the surprise leader after the opening stroke play round of the Radisson Blu-sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at a damp and gloomy Rosses Point yesterday.

The traditional first big event on the domestic annual calendar, the Radisson sponsored West of Ireland Championship, gets underway today with the first of two stroke-play qualifying rounds leading up to the final on Tuesday next.

MAGNERS cider significantly outperformed its British peers, last month, upping its market share by more than 4% in the process.

A DISASTROUS result in the morning foursomes against Scotland cost Ireland dearly on the final day of the Home International Championship at Rosses Point yesterday.

IRELAND’S victory over Wales at County Sligo’s Rosses Point yesterday lacked the nail-biting tension of the previous day’s narrow defeat of England but it still put them very much in prime position to win the Home Nations Championship when they come up against Scotland in today’s final round of matches.

NIALL GOREY of Muskerry was the Irish hero as the host nation pipped reigning champions England in a dramatic climax on the first day of the Men’s Home Internationals at a wet and windy Rosses Point yesterday.

RICHARD O’DONOVAN produced the best final round of the Irish contingent in the European Amateur Individual Championship in Sweden.

TIPPERARY’S Arthur Pierse came agonisingly close yesterday to claiming his second British Seniors Open title. The former Walker Cup player was pipped by a stroke at Royal Portrush as he attempted to add to his triumph of 2007.

ALAN DUNBAR stepped up his bid for a place in the Walker Cup team to face the Americans at Aberdeen next month when he fired a splendid opening 68 — four under par — in the European Amateur Individual Championship in Sweden yesterday.

IRELAND made a winning start to the defence of their R&A Trophy in the Boys Home Internationals over the Royal and St David’s links at Harlech yesterday — but they were made to fight hard for victory over hosts Wales.

A CHANGE in the qualifying process means a new course record could be set at Lahinch over the next couple of days.

CONNACHT joy knew no bounds at Rosses Point yesterday when they staged a remarkable recovery to force a tie with Leinster and capture the Interprovincial Championship for only the third time.

MUNSTER got off to the best possible start on the opening day of the senior and boys interprovincial championships at Rosses Point yesterday.

PAUL DUNNE and Alan Dunbar held their nerve in Barcelona yesterday to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Spanish Men’s Open Amateur Championship with a stroke to spare.

LIMERICK’S Pat Murray yesterday relinquished his grip on the Golfsure Irish Amateur Close Championship when failing to come through the 36 hole qualifying rounds in glorious conditions at Royal Dublin.

MONDAY madness is nothing new in the South of Ireland and so it came to pass yesterday when four members of the Irish team in the recent European Championship were yesterday all eliminated in the third and fourth rounds at Lahinch.

Defending South of Ireland Championship champion Niall Kearney suffered a shock defeat in the third round of the 2009 event today at Lahinch.

Ulster secured an impressive victory against Connacht in the Youths Interprovincial Matches at Donegal Golf Club today.