Ronan Rafferty and Philip Walton made the halfway cut by the skin of their teeth in the Seniors Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl in south Wales yesterday as German superstar Bernhard Langer strengthened his grip on the title.

Shane Lowry was well entitled to a wry smile over the last day or two as he heard just about everybody talk up Ireland’s prospects of a medal at the 2016 Olympic Games now that Rory McIlroy has declared for Ireland and Graeme McDowell has confirmed he will wear the green, white and orange in Rio.

If there’s an exact science to producing a conveyor belt of golfing talent, it’s yet to be discovered.

Rory McIlroy’s story is well documented.

Ireland suffered heartache in a dramatic climax to the Men’s Amateur Home Internationals at Glasgow Gailes on the Ayrshire coast last night as their title disappeared in the dying moments of the round-robin series.

Sometimes it snows in April, a man once sang, and this past week, Ronan Rafferty has got to know just how true that is.

The presence of Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke provides Ireland with its strongest hand at the Masters at Augusta National.

LOOK up ‘amateur’ in a dictionary and you’ll see words such as non-specialist, layman and even dilettante.

GOALS from Dean Bennett, Johnny Breen, Mark Quigley and Daniel Kearns saw Dundalk come from behind to record a comfortable 4-1 win over 10-man Galway United in the FAI Ford Cup third round.

THE MASTERS remains the only major championship yet to be claimed by an Irish golfer but there are grounds for optimism that may change on Sunday evening.

Martin Kaymer today became the European Tour's youngest number one since Ronan Rafferty in 1989.

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.

IRISH golfers have known their fair share of success over the years in the south of Spain and specifically at Valderrama where Ronan Rafferty and Paul McGinley have both captured the season-ending Volvo Masters.

WINNING major championships can do wonders for a golfer’s career.

OF the 12 Irishmen who have competed in the Masters, the best finishes were achieved by Pádraig Harrington, tied fifth in 2002, and Darren Clarke, who shared eighth place in 1998.

RORY McILROY’S outstanding4th place in the HSBC-WorldGolf Championship in Shanghai at the weekend has moved him to within touching distance of a Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor next October.

RORY McILROY is one of the most recognisable and popular sportsmen on this island but his declaration of intent to represent Britain in the 2016 Olympics, should golf be accepted at next week’s vote of the IOC, is likely to lose him friends on the southern side of the border.

ONE of the mysteries surrounding British & Irish and European Ryder Cup teams is that this country hasnever been honoured with the captaincy.

Scotland’s Lloyd and Elliot Saltman today became the first brothers to qualify for The Open since Seve and Manuel Ballesteros 26 years ago – both of them by the skin of their teeth.

BALLYBUNION is rarely visited by a north-easterly wind gusting to over 20 miles per hour but when it happens, the famous golf links becomes a seriously testing challenge.

IT was a day of double celebration for amateur golf in Ireland with Shane Lowry’s friend and rival Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin), pictured, capturing the Brabazon Trophy (English StrokeplayChampionship) yesterday.

This could be the biggest weekend of Justin Rose’s career. And not just because he might end it as the European Tour’s youngest number one since Ronan Rafferty in 1989.

Ronan Rafferty pulled out of the Volvo Masters before his third round at Valderrama today – but it was not likely to cause the same fuss as his walk-out from the 1991 US Open.

WHILE they celebrated at Clandeboye Golf Club last night after the inclusion of Jonathan Caldwell in the British & Irish team to play the US in the Walker Cup at Royal Co Down on September 9 and 10, there was disappointment at Banbridge when Richard Kilpatrick was omitted.

IT WASN’T easy to look star struck at Carnoustie yesterday as a miserable, unrelenting mist — or haar as the Scots like to call it — swept over the great old course from the nearby North Sea.

Demand is certain to exceed supply after the decision to put a crowd limit of 10,000 on Britain and Ireland’s attempt to regain the Walker Cup – the amateur equivalent of the Ryder Cup – at Royal County Down in the North on September 8-9.

Seamus Power (West Waterford) will look to defend his Irish Youths title at Royal Tara Golf Club on June 29 and 30 and if he succeeds he will become the first player to do so since Graeme McDowell successfully defended his title in 2000.

Ian Poulter admits to being hot-headed on the golf course – and now it has cost him £5,000 (€7,300).

Pádraig Harrington did not hesitate when the inevitable question was asked: Is the Irish Open the title you would most like to win on the European Tour? In one word came a very definite response: YES.

THE Volvo Masters has been good to the Irish over the years. Ronan Rafferty, Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington have all captured the season-ending championship but only Rafferty did so at Valderrama.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE is an odds-on favourite to top the European Tour order of merit for the eighth time at Valderrama this week.

Four new stamps celebrating the contribution of Irish golfers to the Ryder Cup were launched today ahead of Ireland hosting the event next year.

Peter McEvoy, the former Great Britain and Ireland captain, believes this year’s Walker Cup side is one of the strongest ever assembled.

AS Scots Marc Warren and Peter Whitefield battled in a three hole play-off at the inaugural Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge in Killarney, the 38-strong Irish contingent were left to reflect on largely disappointing performances.

Ireland's Ronan Rafferty, will not be teeing it up at the British Open at St Andrews after he was disqualified at qualifying in Lundin today.

Twelve places in next week’s Open will be determined this weekend – and 384 players are fighting for them.

IT has to happen sometime. That’s invariably the answer any time you query whether an Irishman will ever again capture his native Open Championship.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON confirmed last night that he will play in next week’s Masters tournament at Augusta National.

THE STATURE enjoyed by Irish golfers on the European Tour is graphically demonstrated by the draw for today’s first round of the Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

YOU read it here first - Bernhard Langer will retain the captaincy of the European Ryder Cup team for The K-Club in 2006.

Mark O’Meara’s 14-year-old son Shaun won the special invitation category of the Junior Open held at the Kilmarnock Barassie course near Troon.

KILLARNEY’S Danny Sugrue brought Ireland’s representation in this week’s British Open Championship to six when he came through the qualifying process at Western Gailes over the weekend.