As the defending champion this week, Russell Knox already has his place in the Irish Open hall of fame but the way the Scot sealed victory at Ballyliffin last year means a line in the record books will never do it justice.

As the chairman of the Lahinch Golf Club Tournament Committee, John Gleeson has already visualised the packed grandstand behind his club’s 18th green as the champion-elect strides along the par-five final hole with a throng of spectators in his wake and hundreds more teeming up the Liscannor Road on the other side of the wall.

There is no escaping the sense of excitement and expectation not just amongst the members of Lahinch Golf Club but also the whole of the village and West Clare in general as the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Championship looms this week.

Tralee Golf Club will again host the 2019 Kerry Scratch Cup on May 11-12. The prestigious 115-year-old trophy will be won over a 54-hole tournament with an increased prize fund of €2,500.

Paul McGinley has revealed the European Tour are open to moving the date of future Irish Opens in order to attract the big beasts of the PGA Tour to these shores.

Even those with a great love and admiration for the club and the village believe that Lahinch has undertaken a mountainous challenge in agreeing to stage the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Championship.

Kerry supporters are, allegedly, like animals but they are the ones on safari tomorrow when they take the road to Clones.

Rory McIlroy is confident he has fixed the putting problems that sank his Irish Open hopes a fortnight ago as he launches his bid for a fifth major title of his career in Scotland this week.

Simon Lewis For the second summer in succession, Pádraig Harrington is returning to the scene of a major championship triumph and just as he did at Birkdale 12 months ago, he will be sure to smell the roses as he makes his way around the famous links at Carnoustie.

It was quite something to see Michael Murphy at the Irish Open Pro-Am in Ballyliffin, laughing and enjoying the company of the country’s top golfers and a few thousand avid GAA supporters ten days out from what is effectively an All-Ireland quarter-final. It wouldn’t have happened on Jim McGuinness’ watch, I can tell you that.

It might be easy to admire the numbers surrounding the global reach of this week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open before sitting back in anticipation of the deluge of dollars to come.

It was blowing a gale in Ballyliffin. Golf balls were oscillating on the green as we were stung by winds of 50mph and horizontal rain, and any and every aerial shot was in the lap of the gods.

Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort) edged out Neil O’Briain (Old Conna GC) on the first play-off hole to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open qualifier at Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort.

Lahinch Golf Club were last night toasting Paul McGinley for his efforts in helping to bring the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to the famous Co. Clare links course.

Chemistry student Peter Kerr is hoping he can come up with the magic formula and win his maiden championship after leading the qualifiers for the matchplay stages of the AIG Amateur Close at Galway.

The enormity of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open gave the European Tour the courage to take the €7m Rolex Series extravaganza to Ballyliffin from July 5-8 next year.

Castle’s Alex Gleeson shrugged off some late resistance from Whitehead’s John-Ross Galbraith to win the AIG Irish Amateur Close title 3 and 1 on the majestic Glashedy Links at Ballyliffin.

Whitehead’s John-Ross Galbraith claimed the leading qualifier’s silver medal at Ballyliffin and insisted he’s aiming to maintain his 100% record in the AIG Irish Amateur Close by winning it for the second time.

Stuart Grehan fired in a flawless three-under-par opening round of 69 in tough conditions to lead the Irish assault on the European Amateur Championship in Estonia.

The families of some of the eight men killed in a road crash in Co Donegal almost six years ago have expressed their frustration with the remit of the coroner’s court after a unlawful killing verdict last evening from a jury hearing the case.

An inquest into Ireland’s biggest ever road crash has opened amidst claims of a cover-up.

The DPP is to appeal against the sentence handed down to Shaun Kelly, the Donegal man found guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of eight people.

The sentencing case of a 26-year-old Donegal man, who has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of eight men, is continuing in Letterkenny.

Frustration grows and grows for Shane Lowry. Last week he dropped three shots in the final three holes of the second round of the US Open at Pinehurst to miss the cut by a shot and yesterday at Fota Island he lost his chance of regaining the Irish Open that he captured as an amateur in 2009 by finishing one over par for 36 holes at Fota Island.

Families of victims of one of the country’s worst ever car crashes are being hugely distressed by delays in a court case, a judge has warned.

Rory McIlroy will head into this month’s British Open Championship with new-found confidence that he has the game to conquer windy links conditions.

THE sole survivor of the country’s worst road crash that claimed the lives of eight men in July has been interviewed by gardaí.

The final funeral will be held today after eight people died in Ireland’s worst road traffic accident.

PAUL DOHERTY loved “doing the lap” — a local phrase for driving around town, showing off your wheels and having the craic, mourners at his funeral heard yesterday.

The young driver of an overloaded car which was involved in Ireland’s worst road accident should not be blamed, the parents of one of the crash victims said tonight.

A man who died in Ireland’s worst road accident revelled in life, his funeral heard today.

Four more victims of Ireland’s worst road accident will be buried today.

The first funerals for the men who died in Ireland’s worst road crash will be held later today.

A TEENAGER killed in Ireland’s worst road accident will be buried on his 20th birthday.

A teenager killed in Ireland’s worst road accident will be buried on his 20th birthday.

THE black hearses moved slowly through the rain as they brought the victims of one of Ireland’s worst road accidents home.

The black hearses moved slowly through the rain as they brought the victims of one of Ireland’s worst road accidents home.

Seven friends were killed along with another man in the worst road accident on record in the country after watching Spain win the World Cup, it was revealed tonight.

A horror crash in which eight men died was today called the worst on record in the Republic of Ireland.

Prayers were offered today after eight men were killed in one of the worst road accidents in the history of the state.

BALLYLIFFIN’S Thomas Kearney has been handed a dream invitation to tee it up in this week’s Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour.

BALLYBUNION, one of the world’s finest links courses, will be the ideal home to the 13th AIB Irish Seniors Open which begins on Friday.