A round-up of today's other golf stories in brief...
Murdoch back to defend senior women's title
Canada's Alison Murdoch today begins the defence of her title at the ILGU Senior Women's Open Strokeplay Championship at Lisburn Golf Club.
Last year, Murdoch pipped Ireland's Sheena O'Brien Kenney from the Grange by two shots to claim her third title in four years. Wales' Vicki Thomas, then in search of back-to-back victories, was a further two shots behind, and is once again among the favourites to lift the title on Thursday.
This year's tournament is as competitive as ever, with the majority of the field availing of the extra practice in advance of next week's Senior British Open at Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club in Antrim.
The field will play two 18-hole strokeplay rounds today and tomorrow, with the top 40 (plus ties) qualifying for the final 18 holes on Thursday.
Following the championship, the Irish Seniors team to play at the Seniors Home Internationals at Little Aston in Birmingham on September 30th will be announced. Munster champions for five successive years in Interclub competition, Ennis junior girls finally became Irish champions in Massereene, Co Antrim, last week, when they beat Co Louth in the final.
The Ennis team were: Diandra O'Connell, Diane Hennessy, Aoife Pyne and Catalina Parge.
The team captain was Patricia O'Donnell.
Clubs in GAA final have serious form
Former Waterford goalkeeper Brendan Landers will be hoping he can bring some honour back to the Deise this weekend when he lines out for Lismore in the FBD All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge final.
Over 120 clubs participated in the competition this year, and over the past three months the list has been whittled down to six clubs.
Lismore will have the advantage of the final being played in Waterford's Faithlegg Hotel and Golf Club, though the advantage will be slight against some very tough opposition.
Dublin's St Brigid's and Cavan Gaels made it through by the skin of their teeth, claiming victory in Leinster and Ulster by just one point, while Milltown took the Connacht title on a countback.
Each club has form in this tournament, with St Brigid's having been denied an All-Ireland double last year by New York's Waterford GAA Club, and Cavan Gaels having brought the trophy home in 2004.
Hollywood are Best Cup stars
Despite the continuing bad weather and many courses having to close at the weekend, Hollywood Lakes staged the second leg of the Best Cup final last Saturday.
With a 4-1 lead from Craddockstown, Hollywood Lakes required 1½ points to claim victory. They finally secured the necessary points almost six hours after the first match drove off at 1.30 and ended Craddockstown's bid for an unprecedented three-in-a-row, having won the Best Cup in 2006 and 2007.
Women's fourball title at stake
The finals of the Miele All-Ireland Women's Fourball Championships get under way at Mount Juliet this weekend when 32 players tee off with high hopes of claiming a national pennant for their club.
The semi-finals are on Saturday with the final the following day.
Eastern Region winners Donabate, having defeated Greystones in their regional final, will face Faithlegg from Waterford, victors over Mallow in the Southern Finals.
Faithlegg will be keen to continue their victorious run, having already dashed the hopes of Limerick, East Cork, Borris and West Waterford.
Donabate will field a vastly experienced team, with none other than Irish legend Mary McKenna and Leinster team captain Pat Doran in their side.
Having dispatched Bangor in the Northern Finals, Cushendall will face a strongly fancied Galway team, who ended Gort's run in the Western decider on countback after both sides won two matches each.
Cushendall, making their first appearance in the national semi-finals will look to Ameilia McKillop and Paddy Rea to lead their challenge.
Galway have past interprovincial Sheelagh Kearney and current Connacht Seniors champion Rita Grealish in their ranks.
Barden gets All-Ireland medal at last
Skerries won the Jimmy Carroll Cup All-Ireland Seniors fourball for the first time last week when they edged out Ballybofey and Stranorlar by just one point at Westmanstown.
Brendan Barden, captain of the Longford GAA team when they won the League in 1966, had to wait 42 years to win an All-Ireland medal, partnering former Dublin hurling chairman and this year's Skerries captain, Seán Shanley, in the top match.
Tom Lacey and Frank Gallagher played at number two, while Eddie Maher and Cyril Delaney belied their years by scoring 43 points.
Liam O'Neill and his partner Eddie Ryan got home just before nightfall with 44 points to win the competition by one point from the 2006 winners Ballybofey and Stranorlar, with Shannon in third place.
Also on the Skerries panel were Henry Kearns, Gerry Jordan, Brendan Caffrey and Mick Goss, while the team were managed by Mayoman Noel McLoughlin.
Rosslare do it the hard way
WHEN it comes to tie-hole victories the junior members of Rosslare GC have found the formula this year on their way to winning the All-Ireland Fred Daly Trophy.
In the recent final at Massereene, Gary Collins, who captured the Irish Under-15 Boys' Amateur Open last year, defeated Charleville's Brian O'Shea on the 21st hole to take Rosslare over the winning line.
After Charleville's Jake O'Sullivan notched up a comfortable 5 and 4 win over Conor Kelly, Irish Under-18 International Chris Drumm came from two down after 12 holes to beat Andrew Kelly 2 and 1. Tiernan Rossiter and Ross Young both ran out 3 and 2 winners over their Munster counterparts.
The remaining two matches were deemed halved when Collins sealed the tie-holes win. At the time, Rosslare's Caolan Barron had just won the 15th hole to edge one up, while team-mate Ian Cuddihy was one down playing the hole.
Earlier, Charleville overcame the fancied Co Sligo team, with O'Shea recording a notable 19th-hole win over Boys International Barry Anderson.
Rosslare defeated City of Derry in the second semi-final.
Earlier in the competition, Rosslare had gone to tie holes to see off South County and Tullamore.
