It’s like the Champions League of golf but unlike the continent’s premier football tournament which has yet to be retained by any club, Muskerry’s Niall Gorey is hopeful the Cork club can become the first back-to-back winners of the AIG Barton Shield for 18 years.

AIG Cups and Shields

Coach Michael Bannon has been a driving force on Rory McIlroy’s road to stardom.

If Muskerry do not take the AIG Barton Shield back to Cork from the national finals at Carton House this week it will not be for lack of experience.

Graeme McDowell insists he’s not about to hit the panic button despite losing ground to Race to Dubai front-runner Henrik Stenson on the opening day of the final event of the season.

The Irish Open will be played just a week after next year’s US Open at Pinehurst with US-based Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell already guaranteed as the star attractions.

Home hero Shane Lowry holds the key to the O’Meara Course at Carton House beating off serious competition to host next year’s Irish Open.

Bad weather and the loss of five of your six headline stars before the weekend would be enough to cripple most tour events.

The title sponsor that Pádraig Harrington says he has up his sleeve, and anyone who may be contemplating pumping millions into the Irish Open prize fund, will not have been enthused by the leaderboard in Maynooth yesterday.

“I’d love to be back here. I think it would be a great tournament on the O’Meara.

The question to Conor Mallaghan, owner/director of Carton House was simple and straightforward.

Shane Lowry is prepared to take one for the team this week as he gears up for what is potentially the biggest summer of his career.

The European Tour is toying with the idea of staging a special qualifier for this year’s Irish Open at Carton House.

THE FIVE major titles at stake were evenly distributed around the country when the Chartis Irish Cups and Shields festival came to a conclusion at Castlerock, Derry, on Saturday.