Michael Hoey believes a good finish to last season is the main reason behind his good start to the 2009 European Tour after he carded an opening round seven-under-par 64 at the Joburg Open yesterday.

STEVEN JEPPESEN shares the lead with Trevor Fisher Jnr after the pair carded opening-round eight-under-par 63s at the Joburg Open yesterday.

Steven Jeppesen shares the lead with Trevor Fisher Jnr after the pair carded opening-round eight-under-par 63s at the Joburg Open today.

Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey lies just one shot off the lead on day one of Joburg Open in South Africa.

Charl Schwartzel fired a flawless seven-under-par 64 to take a share of the lead at the Madrid Masters, but revealed afterwards he was struggling with injury and illness and had considered withdrawing.

Jose Maria Olazabal’s third career comeback appeared to be going to plan at the Madrid Masters to be three off the lead after his first round.

The French Open’s recent reputation for springing surprises continued today when Welshman Kyron Sullivan and South African James Kamte, ranked only 421st and 386th in the world, took the first-round lead at Le Golf National.

It was no doubt the last thing he felt like, but Darren Clarke somehow managed a wry smile after joining Colin Montgomerie in crashing out of the Austrian Open today.

American Notah Begay had further proof today that the people who told him the weather in Europe can be awful were not lying.

After leading for much of the day, Ireland’s Darren Clarke was overtaken by Scot David Drysdale and Sweden’s Johan Edfors at the Barclays Scottish Open today.

Munster’s Heineken Cup victory over Biarritz cost Darren Clarke a share of the lead going into the final round of the Nissan Irish Open.

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee was left as the early leader as the thunderstorms which threatened yesterday struck during the second round of the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open.

England’s Simon Dyson and Irishman David Higgins are two of four players locked at the top of the overnight leaderboard on six under par after a tight first round at the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open.

IRELAND’S Stephen Browne wrote his own piece of golfing history in Kazakhstan yesterday when he became the first winner of a professional golf tournament in the country’s history.

MICHAEL HOEY and Justin Kehoe were the only surviving Irishmen at the halfway stage of the European Challenge Tour's Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata.

Swedish raider Rikard Karlberg carded a sensational course record 65 to grab the first round lead in the West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point.

Swedish teenager Rikard Karlberg carded a course record 65 to take the clubhouse lead in the West of Ireland championship at Rosses Point today.

Sweden’s Christopher Hanell today won the Madeira Island Open after Australia’s Brad Kennedy twice cruelly fell victim to the 18th.

Australia’s Brad Kennedy holds a three-shot lead at the end of the third day of the severely-disrupted Madeira Island Open.

IRELAND suffered a huge let-down in the European Mens Amateur Team Golf Championship over the Royal Hague course in The Netherlands yesterday when they crashed out of contention, beaten by an in-form Swedish side.

Charlie Mulqueen, Rosses Point

UNLIKE so many competitors in the West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point, John “Junior” Morris is an out-and-out amateur golfer.