Brennan's Powerscourt powerplay

SHORT GAME: ALAN BRENNAN from Powerscourt GC was crowned Irish PowerPlay champion last week taking advantage of his home course knowledge.

Brennan came out on top of the 2,000 club golfers who entered the championship which culminated in a thrilling final on the East Course at his home club at Powerscourt, Co Wicklow. His score of 25 points edged him home ahead of Richard Shannon from Carton House on 24 points and fellow clubmate Chris Flemming also on 24 points.

• GALWAY born Alison Walshe was a member of the USA team that finished third in the World Amateur Team Championship in Australia last week. She also finished tied sixth in the individual with a level par total of 290.

Walshe joins the professional ranks this week and has qualified for the final LPGA Q school to be played in Florida in the first week of December.

Irish trio look to complete hat-trick

THREE members of Ireland's successful European and Triple Crown winning sides - Jonathan Caldwell, Shane Lowry and Paul Cutler - will be hoping to complete the hat-trick at the World Championships in Adelaide, Australia this week.

Caldwell, who played in the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down, was a member of the Ireland team that won back-to-back European Team Championships at Royal Park Golf Club, Turin, this year and Western Gailes in Scotland in 2007.

Cutler was also a member of the victorious Irish team in Turin and has a wealth of experience at international level having represented Ireland in the Boys Home Internationals and the European Boys Championship.

The current West and North of Ireland champion Lowry has shot up through the world amateur golf rankings this year. The 2007 Irish Close champion currently occupies sixth spot in the world.

Maguires make B & I squad

THE talented Maguire twins, Lisa and Leona from Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, join Tara Delaney (Carlow), Niamh Kitching (Claremorris) and Danielle McVeigh (RCDL) in a Britain and Ireland preliminary squad for the 2009 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Hamburger Golf Club, Falkenstein, Germany in July next year.

It is an indication of just how far Lisa and Leona, who turn 14 at the end of next month, have progressed in the comparatively short time since they were introduced to the sport of golf.

Leona is the current Irish women's amateur champion, having beaten Lisa in the final.

Lisa is the Irish girls' champion, and won this year's European Junior Masters Girls' Championship, beating Leona into second place.

Their Masters performances earned them both automatic selection for Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup match against the United States.

Two other members of this year's European squad for the Junior Ryder Cup are included in the squad of 26 - Scottish Under-18 Girls Champion Carly Booth (Comrie) and England's Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), beaten in the final of the British girls' championship at Monifieth.

European Club to host two key competitions

THE European Club in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, is once again set to be the venue for two important competitions starting next month.

First up, the club will hold the second annual East of Ireland matchplay open.

The event, won 12 months ago by David MacNamara, will run from November and entries are now being accepted.

Round one matches are to be played in November and per a fixed draw thereafter over the winter months.

The event is open to amateurs and professionals, men and women. Professionals and plus handicap amateurs play off scratch, while the handicap limit is 18.

There is a once off entry fee of €60, while there is no guest fee charged for second or subsequent rounds.

Meanwhile, the European Club has also decided to launch a new event in November in the form of the Irish Mid Amateur Tournament. It will take place on Sunday November 9th and is an 18-hole strokeplay competition.

Players aged over 35 on November 1st, 2008, are invited to enter.

The upper handicap limit is 10 and if over subscribed higher handicappers will be eliminated and their fees returned. The entry fee is €60 to be paid at time of entry..

Entries to both events can be made by telephone on 0404 47415 or email info@theeuropeanclub.com

Ireland to make pitch at World Cup

THE third World Cup of Pitch and Putt will be held on the Papendal course, near Arnhem, Netherlands, starting tomorrow. Despite having won the last five European Championships in a row, Ireland have yet to be successful on the world stage.

The current holders, Catalonia, won the original World Cup of Pitch and Putt in 2004, at the Chia course in Sardinia. In 2006 they retained their title on home soil, at the Teia course north of Barcelona.

Ireland did not participate in the first world cup tournament and the team of Seán Downes (Stackallen), Darren Collins (St Anne's) and Chrissie Byrne (St Bridget's) finished third in 2006 behind Andorra and eventual winners Catalonia.

This year, Ireland is represented by a team with plenty of International experience. Paul O'Brien (Lakeside) and Ray Murphy (Templebreedy) secured automatic places on the team finishing first and second at the recent trials. Not far behind in third was Derek Courtney (Glenville), who secured the wildcard selection.

Murphy (Cork), Courtney (Dublin) and O'Brien (Tipperary) all put in excellent performances at the recent Inter-County championships to help their teams to first, second and third places respectively.

The team will be managed by Breda Brophy (McDonagh, Kildare).

Fahey lands key role with GUI

KENNETH FAHEY has been appointed to the role of assistant professional at the GUI National Academy at Carton House in Maynooth.

A former international player for Ireland at boys level, Fahey was a member of the Irish boys team that finished runners up in the European Boys Team Championship in 2000. He also represented Ireland in the Boys Home Internationals in 2000 and 2001.

Originally from Connemara GC, he obtained an honours degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island in 2005. He captained the Rhode Island Golf Team to their first NCAA Division One final.