James Sugrue in action in Spain last year. Photo: Federico Capretti/Alpstourgolf.com Mallow’s James Sugrue brushed off nine months of cobwebs and carded a bogey-free, six-under 64 to take the first-round lead in the Alps Tour’s Memorial Giorgio Bordoni presented by AON in Italy. The 2019 Amateur champion (27) made four birdies and an eagle two at the fourth to lead by a shot from France’s Alexandre Daydou and Austria’s Lukas Lipold with Rob Moran and Marc Boucher 84th after two-over 72s at Golf Club La Pinetina in Como. Scores Sugrue has endured a difficult road ..read more

Seán Keeling and caddie Tommy Mullen in action during the Brabazon Trophy in 2023. Photo: David Lloyd / Golffile. Seán Keeling wants to play on the PGA Tour, he wants to win Majors and he wants to become one of the greatest players in the world It might seem like lofty ambitions for a 17-year-old but this Roganstown talent has already proven himself at every grade on the way up. He showed maturity to opt for Texas Tech instead of an early tilt at the professional ranks and there he will look to follow in the footsteps of the latest European sensation, Ludvig Aberg. Keeling and the Swede alrea ..read more

Rory McIlroy has three more chances this year to win a Major before it officially becomes a ten-year drought. But the world number two could not be more upbeat about his game, which he considers far superior now to what it was in 2014 when he won the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He returns to the Louisville venue next week for a crack at that elusive fifth Major win and with ten top-fives and another ten top-tens in 35 major starts since he held off Phil Mickelson in 2014, he’s arguably better equipped than ever. All he needs, he believes, is “that little bit of something" to stoke the ..read more

DP World Tour winner and Galgorm Touring Professional Tom McKibbin has given his full support to the new NI Open. (Photo: Padraig Lynch) Tom McKibbin grew up being hailed as the next Rory McIlroy but he insists that ignoring the hype and doing his own thing is the secret to his transformation from boy wonder into DP World Tour star. The Holywood tyro (21) has made such a meteoric rise in the game that the Challenge Tour announced on Tuesday he is officially supporting The NI Open, presented by Tom McKibbin, at Galgorm in Ballymena from July 25-28. “It's pretty special,” McKibbin said. "When G ..read more

Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell believes he’s winning the internal mental battle to get out of his own way and make the leap from the Challenge Tour to the DP World Tour. The former Walker Cup star (26) has enjoyed a fast start to his third full season on the second-tier circuit and already sits inside the top 20 in the Road to Mallorca rankings who will earn automatic promotion to the big league in 2025. It’s been an impressive start to the new campaign for the ambitious Malahide man, who dreams of following in the footsteps of his father, Joey, by making it on tour. But he admits his biggest ba ..read more

The Mourne Golf Club Pro-am, hosted at Royal County Down Golf Club, is an exciting new PGA sanctioned event that will take place on May 17, 2024, that will also raise significant funds for local Newcastle charity, Daisy Lodge Cancer Fund for Children.   The new £20,000 event is the brainchild of Dundrum man Seamus McKibben, who is also the PGA In Ireland Tournament Operations Manager. McKibben has been staging PGA events across Ireland for over a decade and every two years he runs a dedicated pro-am event to raise funds for local charities and causes. With a desire to bring a prestigious ..read more

Golf clubs are well known for trying to demonstrate any progress they feel they are making as a club by making additions to their facilities or changes to their golf course. Whilst in some respects this might be considered a fair measure of such things, its weakness is that it cannot hope to track the evolution of the club, which for most is the only true measure that matters. St Anne’s story as golf club was shared with many during its centenary year in 2021, and it is a tale of humble beginnings, the overcoming of challenges and the creation of a club that has brought joy to many over the d ..read more

The 62nd staging of the All-Ireland Father and Son will take place in Castle Golf Club from Saturday 29th to Sunday 7th July. This hugely popular event will be sponsored this year by Kearys Motor Group and will likely sell out early. Last year over two hundred pairs took to the fairways with the Castle pairing of Peter and John Cosgrove lifting the trophy after a fantastic week’s golf. Castle GC looks forward to welcoming back the many family names that play year after year, to what will be another great event. Kearys Motor Group is delighted to be associated with the All Ireland Father and S ..read more

Amateur Aine Donegan reads her putt on the third green during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Thursday, July 6, 2023. (Darren Carroll/USGA) Lahinch’s Áine Donegan credited her mental game for helping her qualify for the US Women’s Open for the second year running but she’s putting no pressure on herself to produce another headlining-grabbing performance alongside the world’s best. The Ennis native and Louisiana State University star (22) faced a nervous overnight wait after she fired rounds of 68 and 67 in the 36-hole qualifi ..read more

Aine Donegan plays her third shot on the sixth hole during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Friday, July 7, 2023. (Darren Carroll/USGA) Lahinch’s Aine Donegan has qualified for her second US Women’s Open in a row after winning her delayed qualifier in Texas. The Ennis and LSU golfer followed a four-under 68 with a 67 at Rockwall G&AC to hold the clubhouse lead on nine-under-par overnight in the battle for two places in the US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania from May 30 to June 2. Donegan (22 ..read more