With good reason, Shane Lowry admitted to embarrassment and shame and letting family and friends down after an outburst of temper during yesterday’s second round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open probably cost him the chance of capturing the title for the second time in six years.

Rory McIlroy may be the tournament host but he will do all he can to avoid being merely part of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open presentation party on Sunday evening.

Michael McDermott’s consistent season on the Irish PGA circuit in 2014 has earned him a debut appearance at this year’s Dubai Irish Open. 

Graeme McDowell has followed Ernie Els to become the second US Open winner in confirm his appearance in what is shaping up as one of the most high profile Irish Opens.

Even though they are the defending champions and will be performing on home territory, Munster are regarded as underdogs in the Senior Men’s Interprovincial Championship beginning at Lee Valley this morning.

Simon Ward (Co Louth) and Muskerry’s Niall Gorey, a member of the Munster team that won last week’s Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down, yesterday came through two testing encounters in the South of Ireland at Lahinch to set up a mouth-watering 5th round clash this morning.

Six members of the triumphant Munster team in this week’s Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down are included in the field for the South of Ireland Championship starting at Lahinch this morning. And yet, they will all have to take a back seat behind the remarkable Ennis man, Noel Pyne, who is competing for the 50th successive year.

Captain Phil Cooney and his superbly balanced Munster team were celebrating at Royal Co Down last night after they completed a clean sweep in the Interprovincial Championship by beating a hotly fancied Ulster side by 7 matches to 4.

Brilliantly led from the front by Kevin Phelan, Munster got their Interprovincial Championship campaign off to the best possible start when beating holders Connacht with two matches to spare at Royal Co Down yesterday.

Connacht, who bridged a 28 year gap when capturing the title at Rosses Point last year, begin their defence of the Interprovincial Championship this morning with a difficult match against Munster at Royal Co Down.

In spite of winning the South of Ireland Championship in 2010 and playing a major role in Portmarnock’s victory in last year’s Irish Senior Cup, John Greene has surprisingly failed to catch the eye of various selection committees at provincial and national levels.

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.

THREE-time Major winner Pádraig Harrington revealed more delight in the efforts of Gareth Maybin than co-leader Rory McIlroy on the opening round of the UBS Hong Kong Open.

HOW do you get to know a nation? Taste their food? Walk their streets? Read their history? Try clicking through the nearest turnstile, follow the route on the back of your ticket to the seat. And learn.

RORY MCILROY breezed into Royal St George’s yesterday afternoon confident he has got his preparations for tomorrow’s British Open first round spot on.

THE failure of any Irish player to win a card at the European Tour School suggests that the well that has provided this country with a steady stream of outstanding players for many years is finally running dry.

CLOSE on 10 years separate Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy in age.

US Open winner Graeme McDowell today declared he was back in business after a two-week blow-out celebrating his big win.

GARETH MAYBIN played the 17th and18th in yesterday’s first round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in eight shots.

PORTMARNOCK has been voted Ireland’s premier golf course by Irish Golf Digest magazine.

IRISH Open hero Shane Lowry will not compete in the €4.5mBMW PGA Championship starting at Wentworth on Thursday – but he will be a professional golfer by the end of the week.

Ireland's amateur golfers today added the Home Internationals title along with a Triple Crown to their haul this year as they ran out comfortable winners against England on the final day by 10 matches to 5.

CLASS, youth and fitness made all the difference at Athlone yesterday when Leinster won the Golfsure Interprovincial Championship for the first time since 2004 by beating Munster 7-6 in an enthralling decider.

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.

Richard Kilpatrick eagled the last to clinch an impressive eight-shot victory in the East of Ireland Championship at Co Louth today.

Tricia Mangan (Ennis), fresh from her seventh-place finish at the Welsh Open Strokeplay, defends her Lancome Irish Ladies’ Close Championship at The European Club, Co Wicklow, May 13 to 17.

BOTH the Irish mens and ladies senior golf teams show changes from the original selections for the Home International series at Ballybunion and Cruden Bay respectively.

PORTMARNOCK is to Irish golf what Croke Park is to the GAA, the Millennium Stadium to Welsh rugby, Lords to English cricket (if such a thing exists any more!), Aintree to horse racing.

IT has been another wonderful weekend for Irish golfers Peter Lawrie and Denis O’Sullivan. Lawrie made sure of his card on the main European Tour for next year, while O’Sullivan claimed his fifth title on the European Seniors circuit.

BARRY REDDAN is set to become the oldest winner of the Shell-sponsored South of Ireland Championship.

THERE was a time when the South of Ireland was known as one of Ireland's premier sporting exports.