British Boys' Open: Séamus Power produced yet another spectacular performance - for the third consecutive day - to storm into round four of the British Boys Open Championship yesterday at Hunstanton on the Norfolk coast.
The 18-year-old international from West Waterford completed his third out-in-the-country triumph, overwhelming Italian Joon Kim 6 and 5: and that means he has played only 39 holes in his three rounds so far.
Yesterday he was truly sensational. He had a bogey-free round and was four under par at the finish. Six up at the turn and always in total command, he wrapped up the game on the 13th green.
"I felt great and really played some awesome golf. I did not give him a chance," said Power.
This morning he faces fellow Irish international Shane Lowry from Esker Hills, who booked his place in the last 32 in a contrasting fashion.
Lowry, also 18 and in his last year in the championship, seemed to be heading for the exit when he was two down with three to play against England's Richard Gurney, who finished fourth in the Carris Trophy at Moor Park.
But the Irish teenager then produced a Houdini act, planting a four-iron on to the heart of the 16th green and canning a 25-footer for a winning birdie two to reduce the deficit, getting up and down at the 17th to square the match and concluding by rolling in a 30-foot putt on the last for a winning birdie three and a place in round four.
At the top of the order, County Louth's Simon Ward edged to a last-green victory over Worsley's Marcus Armitage to move into the last 32.
Ireland could not make it four through as, after a nail-biting game, Brian Keenan of The Heath went down on the home green to Surrey's David Corben.
Holder Jordan Findlay survived by the skin of his teeth edging to a 20th-hole victory over Dutch competitor Reinier Saxton.
AMATEUR MEN: Leinster, holders of the Golfsure-sponsored Interprovincial Championship, recorded a comfortable victory over the host province, Connacht, at Co Sligo Golf Club in yesterday's first day of action.
Leading by 2½ to 1 following the morning foursomes, Leinster took the top four singles matches before Robert Cannon's 6 and 5 win over Gary McDermott secured the win for Leinster, who eventually ran out victors by 8 ½ matches to 4 ½.
Singles victories for dual major winner Jim Carvill and North of Ireland champion Gareth Shaw aided championship favourites Ulster to a good win over Munster by 8 matches to 5.
Ulster will face Connacht today while Leinster will play Munster.
AMATEUR WOMEN: Title holders Leinster lead the Women's Interprovincial Championships after day one at Royal Belfast. The province recorded 10 points in their match with Ulster after taking the lead in the morning foursomes with 2 ½ points. They went on to win seven of their singles matches and draw one during afternoon play.
Munster moved into second position when they won six of their singles games against Connacht. The Southerners had suffered a shaky start in the foursomes when Claire Coughlan and Mary Sheehy lost 4 and 3 to Ann Geoghegan and Sarah Gallagher earlier in the day.
It was the morning's foursomes that provided the most entertainment. Leinster's Martina Gillen and Tara Delaney beat Ulster's Helen Jones and Naoimh Quigg on the 18th, while Deirdre Smith and Maura Morrin had a more convincing 4 and 3 victory over Gemma Hegarty and Nikki Moore. Maria Dunne and Sinéad Keane halved their match against Nikki Taggart and Shauna McVeigh.
Connacht had a spectacular morning's foursomes and Sarah Gallagher of Claremorris had the play of the day on the second hole when she landed an eagle on the tough par four.
WALKER CUP: Britain and Ireland Walker Cup captain Garth McGimpsey is in confident mood as his side seeks a fourth successive win in the biennial contest with the US at Chicago Golf Club this weekend.
The Irishman, the former British Amateur champion, and the rest of the Britain and Ireland squad arrived in America last weekend to begin their preparations for the event at the United States' oldest 18-hole course.
The squad have already held practice sessions at both Olympia Fields and Skokie during the week.
And McGimpsey, who captained the side to victory in 2003 at Ganton, is convinced the current side have enough in their locker to continue their recent dominance of the contest.
"The preparations are going well," he said. "We had a competition at Skokie the other day and eight of the 10 players in the team were under par.
"The US have a very strong team, but I believe our team has more experience of these types of matchplay events. If my players play like I know they can, then I'm sure we'll come through."
McGimpsey has already pinpointed where this weekend's match could be won or lost - on the testing Chicago Golf Club greens.
"This course is all about the greens. It's not a long course by any means, but the greens are very difficult. There is going to be a lot of action around them this weekend and that has been my message to the players. To go out and try to locate potential pin positions and work out how to keep the ball below the hole. That's going to be important over the two days."
EUROPEAN TOUR: The Russian Open celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend, as the European and Challenge Tours once again join forces for this the third dual ranking event of the season at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.
There are four Irish in the field: Colm Moriarty, Michael Hoey, David Higgins and Stephen Browne.
