Kevin Markham discovers Irish golf clubs embracing the magic of the Masters.

Shane Lowry returns to the major championship arena today armed with confidence rather than burdened by disappointment following last month’s US Open near-miss.

Good golf, they say, is only ever borrowed briefly, though Shane Lowry is happy to tempt the gods of the game by insisting he finds it all rather ‘easy’ at the moment.

His success in the WGC Bridgestone Invitiational has made Shane Lowry a bona fide star of world golf, but followers of the European Tour will remember when he burst onto the scene in 2009, winning the Irish Open as an amateur at Baltray.

“When it’s breezy, swing it easy” is a well-known golfing adage and it proved to be just the advice Alan Lowry needed to follow in the footsteps of his famous big brother and win the Mullingar Electrical Scratch Trophy.

Shane Lowry will renew his quest for a major breakthrough at Chambers Bay tonight confident that his links experience can pay dividends if he matches his good form with the required levels of patience.

Four golfers whose names don’t really ring a bell for followers of the amateur game have qualified for this morning’s semi-finals of the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch.

A Silver Medal may have eluded Irish amateur Paul Dunne at The 143rd Open Championship but the 21-year-old student left Hoylake at the weekend with a clearer picture of his bright future.

Shane Lowry sparkled on the final day of The Open to earn his highest finish in a major but fall agonisingly short of the world top-50 ranking he craved.

Shane Lowry's name may have been high up on The Open Championship leaderboard after an excellent opening 68, but the Irishman was not taking anything for granted as he returned to Royal Liverpool for today's second round.

The K Club’s Ryder Cup course has been voted the country’s top parkland course for 2014 by readers of Golfing Weekly. Its sister course at the Straffan estate, the Smurfit Course, came in at No 15.

A definite whiff of cordite left behind by the announcement of the Irish team for next month’s Home Internationals before a ball was struck in the South of Ireland, combined with electrical storms that caused a suspension of play in both of the opening two rounds, injected a considerable deal of spice into the action at Lahinch over the past two days.

It may have been a year of Olympic and Paralympic medals, of another Irish golf Major and a breakthrough All-Ireland but it was Jonathan Wilson’s book on Brian Clough that got me thinking about Shane Lowry.

Rory McIlroy’s goal of ending the season as European No. 1 has received a huge boost with his five nearest rivals, including closest challenger Peter Hanson, deciding not to contest two of the last three events on this year’s schedule.

While a Rory McIlroy-inspired Shane Lowry muscles his way into contention, Graeme McDowell was lucky he didn’t break his hand on day two of the WGC–HSBC Champions event in Shenzhen.

Carton House may be the official club of Shane Lowry, but Esker Hills is the Offaly man’s golfing home.

A decision by Shane Lowry not to let the Alpine course overshadow him paid dividends, with the Esker Hills star producing his equal-best round in four appearances in the Omega European Masters.

Garth McGimpsey retained his Tourism Malaysia-sponsored Irish senior men’s amateur golf title after a tense final day at Clandeboye.

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

RORY MCILROY hopes the arrival of girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki can help lift his spirits heading for the weekend rounds of the Dubai World Championship.

A red hot putter combined with a delightful touch around the greens has Shane Lowry sitting in a share of 6th place in the €3 million Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

IRELAND’S challenge failed to ignite in the first round of the Andalucian Masters at Valderrama yesterday as Scotland’s Richie Ramsey jumped into a two-stroke lead with a sparkling six under par 66 in spite of finishing with bogeys at the 17th and 18th.

A Galway man who broke into the home of a mother-of-four and subjected her to a sustained sexual assault while her son slept in the next room has today been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

LUKE DONALD dethroned Lee Westwood as world number one in the most dramatic way possible yesterday – beating him in a play-off to win the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth.

DARREN CLARKE ended a three-year winless drought in Mallorca but Graeme McDowell couldn’t make it an Irish double as he imploded with a final round 79 in the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

SHANE LOWRY is hoping to join a very exclusive club and boost his chances of finishing the Race to Dubai on a high when he makes his debut in the 100th edition of the Ladbrokes.com sponsored Irish PGA at Seapoint today.

MIXED emotions for Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry after the Abu Dhabi Championship.

RORY McILROY, who has risen from 39th to ninth position in the official world rankings in his second season on tour, has been voted the ‘Professional of the Year’ in the 2009 Irish Golf Writers’ Association Awards, sponsored by AIB Bank.

IT WAS triple Major-winning Padraig Harrington who made the effort to break from his practice and congratulate Shane Lowry on last month’s 3 Irish Open success yesterday.

SHANE LOWRY was back home among his own people in Clara, Co Offaly, last night disappointed at not having done better in his first professional tournament but in a strange way quite relieved that the occasion was behind him.

THE drama surrounding Shane Lowry since his stunning Irish Open success continued yesterday at the London Club in Kent. Lowry makes his professional debut in the €1.8m tournament with organisers grouping the 22-year old Offaly golfer with fellow Irishman Paul McGinley and England’s Anthony Wall for the opening two rounds.

SHANE LOWRY’S class isn’t confined to the golf course.

CLARA was one big golfing party last night as celebrations for local hero Shane Lowry’s Irish Open victory continued into a second day.

SHANE LOWRY may be delay-ing a decision on whether to immediately turn professional, but the temptation may well prove irresistible.

IRISH golf had a day to remember at Baltray yesterday and, incredibly, Pádraig Harrington was not part of the feel-good story.

Scotland's Gavin Dear has one-stroke lead entering Sunday's final 36 holes of the Irish Amateur Open at a windy Royal Dublin.

Gale force winds sent scores soaring in the opening round of the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin.

Shane Lowry can still win the Lytham Trophy despite a nightmare finish to his third round.

DAVID Corsby withstood the challenge of the two highest-ranked players in the field to win the Radisson-SAS West of Ireland championship in sensational fashion at Rosses Point yesterday.