Pádraig Harrington believes he can retain the ISPS HANDA Senior Open if he can “free up” and banish fear of the heavy rough that makes him “cautious and intimidated”.

The Dubliner (54) made three birdies and three bogeys in a level par 70 on the King’s Course at Gleneagles and admitted that worrying about the danger is hindering his chances.

“Obviously not my best day but you know, it's that sort of golf course out there,” said Harrington, who turned in one under but bogeyed the 10th following a ricochet off a camera into heavy rough, then dropped another shot at the 12th after a bad drive before finishing with a birdie four.

“You can get a bit cautious and intimidated. There's lots of trouble. Look, I'm a long way back at the moment, but there are 54 holes, so If I free up a little bit, maybe I'll catch up.

“You can really find some trouble. I think it's out there. I think if I didn't worry about it I'd be better off.

“If I do free up and not worry about it, I'd be a lot better off, but that's always the battle when you're playing golf. If you have a clear mind, you'd be the best player in the world.”

Harrington was joint 45th, seven shots behind Australian Cameron Percy, who shot a 63 to lead by a shot from France’s Lionel Alexandre.

But it was also a great day for Paul McGinley (59), who mixed seven birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey in a 68 to share 23rd in just his second start this year as Darren Clarke’s 71 left him 64th.

“Obviously made some mistakes which I'm not happy about,” said McGinley, who captained a winning Ryder Cup team at the resort in 2014. “My card is like a Christmas tree with different colours on it. A lot of good golf in there. I played well.

“The golf course is suiting me because I can chase it and there's a bit of run in the fairways, and course management was pretty good. And I really enjoyed it.

“I love coming up to this place. Obviously it's got good memories for me and good vibes.”

At the PGA TOUR’s 3M Open in Minnesota, world number one Scottie Scheffler opened with a six-under 65 to share fifth place, three shots behind Ben Kohles at TPC Twin Cities.

At the LPGA Tour and LET co-sanctioned ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, Leona Maguire opened with a level par 72 that left her six shots off the lead.

The Co Cavan star was three under after five holes before four dropped shots in the middle of her round forced her to birdie the par-five closing hole to make par.

She was tied for 14th, six shots behind Korea’s Jenny Shin and American Lauren Coughlin, who shot a six-under 66 to lead by a shot from A Lim Kim.

Lauren Walsh had four three-putts in a seven-over 79 as Anna Foster had three of her own in an 84.

It was also a tough day for the Irish in the Hotel Planner Tour’s Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge in the Czech Republic.

While Max Kennedy’s four-under 67 at Kaskáda Golf Resort in Brno left him tied for fourth, four strokes behind Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon, the other seven Irishmen in action shot over par.

Mark Power was 59th after a 72 while Conor Purcell (73), Robert Brazill and John Murphy (74), Gary Hurley (75), James Sugrue (77) and Liam Nolan (81) all struggled.

Scotland's Connor Graham showed the quality of golf that will make him a three-time Walker Cup player next month when he fired a blistering 10-under 62 to top the qualifiers in the 124th South of Ireland Amateur Championship at Lahinch.

Great Britain and Ireland captain Dean Robertson expects to have nine, or possibly his entire 10-man team, decided by Sunday night, and while Graham (19) is a certainty to make his third appearance next month, he showed his class with a masterful second-round performance at a sun-kissed Lahinch.

With some tees pushed up and no wind to bother the early starters, he made seven birdies (with just one from outside five feet) and a tap-in eagle at the last to tie with Matt McClean, who shot 67, on 11-under par.

"I just played well tee to green, and thankfully I was able to roll in some putts, which was nice," said Graham, who was part of the Walker Cup camp held at the Co Clare venue on Monday and Tuesday that's designed to give GB&I an edge when they bid to end an 11-year wait for a Walker Cup win from September 5-6.

"I think it's a golf course where you need to know what you're doing. And I think the better we know the golf course, the more chance we're going to have of getting more points and winning eventually."

How Connor Graham shot 62 at Lahinch

1 Nice drive, 70 yards up the hill, five feet. Birdie

2 Nice drive, 9 iron, 20 feet short, nice two-putt. Birdie

3 3 wood, middle of the fairway, 8 iron 175 to about 13-14 feet. Rolled that one in. Birdie

4 3 wood, 210-yard 5 iron into the wind. Just missed green right, nice simple two-putt from fringe. Birdie

9 3 wood into position and a nice 125-yard gap wedge. Almost holed it. Tap-in for birdie.

12 Into wind. Nice drive down there. 205 to a back-right pin; hit a nice 6-iron to the middle of the green and a simple two-putt. Birdie

13 Downwind. 3-iron just a little short of the green; nice simple chip to just a couple feet. Birdie

14 Drive, 140-yard to tap-in distance for three in a row. Birdie

18 Driver, 8 iron to tap-in distance. Eagle.

Skipper Robertson is keen to have two, or even three Irishmen on his team and while Amateur champion and automatic pick Stuart Grehan cruised into the matchplay, firing a 66 to share fourth on eight-under, McClean is making his first appearance at Lahinch since 2021 with the Walker Cup in mind.

Some approach into 18 by Connor Graham, sets up a tap in eagle to cap off a second round 10 under 62 in the second round of the South pic.twitter.com/HWdk8rLG3D

— Irish Amateur golf info (@amateur_info) July 23, 2026

"The morning was perfect, and I just wanted to go out and not mess it up," McClean said after his 67.

The cream certainly rose to the top with England's Ben Bolton (67) third on nine-under and compatriots Oliver Lewis-Perkins (65), Lewy Hayward (66), Freddie Turnell (67) and Matthew Dodd-Berry (68) tied for fourth with Grehan, David Kitt (69) and Belvoir Park's Darcy Hogg (70) on eight-under.

Roscommon's Thomas Higgins, who holed the winning putt in Ireland's European Amateur Team Championship win two weeks ago, made it through on six under after a 67.

Fota Island's John Doyle, another Walker Cup contender, qualified on five under after a 70 while Co Louth's Gavin Tiernan, a member of the 2025 team, was four under after a 66.

It was more of a struggle for Doyle's Fota Island clubmate David Howard, who admitted he was exhausted after his exertions in The Open.

"Thankfully, I did enough today in the end," said Howard, who lost a ball on the 10th and bogeyed the 11th to find himself on the cut line before following par saves at the 15th and 16th with two birdies for a 73 and safety on three-under.

"Obviously in the back of my mind you’d be thinking ‘if I have a great week, I could get picked for Walker Cup’. But I think I was just going out there playing and trying to make the cut. 

“I got in from Birkdale at 5am Sunday and then had a couple of hours’ sleep. Then up here Monday evening to play a practice round on Tuesday morning. 

“It's been a long couple of weeks but I'm happy enough to be here. It's a great spot. I'm looking forward to the weekend. Thankfully, I did enough today in the end.

"It could be straight into bed now, to be honest. Get a bit of food and relax. Try and get some energy back."

Lahinch has two men in the last 64:  defending champion Jonathan Keane (three-under) and Stephen Loftus, who holed a five-iron from just over 200 yards for an albatross two at the Klondyke, en route to a 70.

West of Ireland champion Mark Cadden from Roganstown knows he needs to win to catch Robertson's attention and finished birdie-eagle, holing a 35-footer at the last, to make the matchplay draw on one-under.

Robertson is keen to see the Irish have a good week, admitting, "If we had an all-Ireland final on Sunday, I would be quietly delighted.

"The players, they know what's at stake now. It's the South with a bit of an edge to it this year, and it's exciting. I look forward to it."

As for Graham, he said: "Connor's a prodigious talent. He's putted better today. He's just a great golfer.

"Great to see Matt McClean playing well today too, so I'm delighted. 

"Come Sunday night here, I will know nine of the team, probably 10. However, I'll hold one spot back, because should a player who's not in that nine go to Merion in the US Amateur and win it, they would be an automatic.

"But this is of more weight than the US Amateur. The South of Ireland, in my opinion, has as much weight as the Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool a month ago without the exemptions to major championships.

"So they all know that. It's now time for them to step it up and go and put their name on that silverware that started in 1895 or so."

South of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Pierse Motor Group, Lahinch (Par 72)

Round 1 (Friday)

7:00 Matthew McClean (Malone) v Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock);
7:09 Samuel Easterbrook (Olton) v William Hennessee (Oklahoma);
7:18 Josh Hill (Fox Den) v Darragh Flynn (Carton House);
7:27 Jake Foley (Elm Park) v Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay);
7:36 Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth) v Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin);
7:45 Mark Gazi (Tralee) v David Lally (Blainroe);
7:54 Oliver Lewis-Perkins (Mid Kent) v Stephen Loftus (Lahinch);
8:03 Keith Egan (Carton House) v David Howard (Fota Island);
8:12 Ben Bolton (Enville) v Joe O'Neill (Berehaven);
8:21 Richard Saunders (Germany) v Seán Cloonan (Dunmore Demense);
8:30 Tomi Bowen (Welshpool) v Aidan Fitzgerald (NYSGA);
8:39 Fionn Dobbin (Malone) v Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle);
8:48 Lewy Hayward (Marlborough) v Barry O’Connell (Douglas);
8:57 Ciaran Murphy (Grange) v Jonathan Keane (Lahinch);
9:06 TJ Ford (County Sligo) v Oli Blackadder (Deeside);
9:15 Daniel Hayes (Bramhall) v Aaron Ryan (Thurles);
9:24 Connor Graham (Blairgowrie) v David Reddan (Castleknock);
9:33 Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) v Morgan Cain (Fota Island);
9:42 Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) v Archie Cook (Gullane);
9:51 Sam Mukherjee (Gullane) v Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint);
10:00 Matthew Dodd-Berry (Royal Liverpool) v Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park);
10:09 Darren O'Sullivan (Tralee) v Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth);
10:18 Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) v Mark Cadden (Roganstown);
10:27 Ben Gratzl (St Leon Rot) v Tom Osborne (Lindrick);
10:36 Stuart Grehan (Co Louth) v Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire);
10:45 Max Hopkins (Bishops Stortford) v Gavin O'Neill (Malahide);
10:54 Ryan Griffin (The Royal Dublin) v Dylan Holmes (Greystones);
11:03 Harley Smith (The Rayleigh) v Sean David (Pyle and Kenfig);
11:12 Freddie Turnell (Burnham & Berrow) v Paul O'Hanlon (Carton House);
11:21 John Doyle (Fota Island) v Dominic McGlinchey (The Renaissance);
11:30 David Kitt (Athenry) v Veigar Heiðarsson (Golfklúbbur Akureyrar);
11:39 Jack Murphy (Douglas) v Dylan Keating (Seapoint).

Qualifiers

Detailed scores

133 Connor Graham (Blairgowrie) 71 62 (leading qualifier), Matthew McClean (Malone) 66 67;

135 Ben Bolton (Enville) 68 67;

136 Oliver Lewis-Perkins (Mid Kent) 71 65, Stuart Grehan (Co Louth) 70 66, Lewy Hayward (Marlborough) 70 66, Freddie Turnell (Burnham & Berrow) 69 67, Matthew Dodd-Berry (Royal Liverpool) 68 68, Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) 67 69, David Kitt (Athenry) 66 70;

137 TJ Ford (County Sligo) 72 65, Tomi Bowen (Welshpool) 71 66, Ryan Griffin (The Royal Dublin) 68 69;

138 Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) 71 67, Josh Hill (Fox Den) 70 68, Jake Foley (Elm Park) 70 68, Sam Mukherjee (Gullane) 69 69, Harley Smith (The Rayleigh) 69 69, Fionn Dobbin (Malone) 68 70, Daniel Hayes (Bramhall) 65 73;

139 Jack Murphy (Douglas) 73 66, Ben Gratzl (St Leon Rot) 72 67, Keith Egan (Carton House) 71 68, Mark Gazi (Tralee) 70 69, Darren O'Sullivan (Tralee) 70 69, John Doyle (Fota Island) 69 70, Ciaran Murphy (Grange) 69 70;

140 Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth) 74 66, Richard Saunders (Germany) 71 69, Max Hopkins (Bishops Stortford) 69 71, Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 68 72;

141 Samuel Easterbrook (Olton Golf Club) 75 66, William Hennessee (Oklahoma) 74 67, Morgan Cain (Fota Island) 73 68, Gavin O'Neill (Malahide) 73 68, Seán Cloonan (Dunmore Demense) 71 70, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 71 70, Dominic McGlinchey (The Renaissance) 71 70, Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 70 71, David Lally (Blainroe) 69 72, David Howard (Fota Island) 68 73;

142 Tom Osborne (Lindrick) 73 69, Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 72 70, Aaron Ryan (Thurles) 72 70, Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) 72 70, Sean David (Pyle and Kenfig) 71 71, Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint) 71 71, Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) 71 71, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 71 71, Archie Cook (Gullane) 70 72, Dylan Holmes (Greystones) 70 72, Aidan Fitzgerald (NYSGA) 69 73, Oli Blackadder (Deeside) 69 73, Veigar Heiðarsson (Golfklúbbur Akureyrar) 67 75;

143 Mark Cadden (Roganstown) 73 70, Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) 73 70, Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 73 70, Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park) 72 71, Paul O'Hanlon (Carton House) 72 71, Barry O’Connell (Douglas) 72 71, Joe O'Neill (Berehaven) 72 71, Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 71 72, David Reddan (Castleknock) 71 72, Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock) 71 72.

Non-qualifiers

143 Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 70 73, Seán Desmond (Monkstown) 70 73;

144 Sam West (Liphook) 78 66, Bruce MacDonald (Lisburn) 72 72, Adam Allahbachani (Powerscourt) 72 72, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 71 73, Evan Farrell (Co Louth) 71 73, John Greene (Portmarnock) 70 74, James Walsh (Kinsale) 69 75;

145 Alex Kerins (Carton House) 78 67, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 70 75, Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore) 69 76, Joe Lyons (Galway) 68 77;

146 Corey Scullion (Moyola Park) 75 71, Cathal Penney (Athenry) 74 72, Jordan Boles (Carton House) 73 73, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 73 73, Ross Latimer (Clandeboye) 73 73, Alex King (Faithlegg) 73 73, James Marriott (West Surrey) 72 74, Oliver Mukherjee (Gullane) 71 75;

147 Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 76 71, Jack Connolly (Elm Park) 75 72, Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 74 73, Mikkel Tingsted Blum (Dragor) 73 74, Cian O’Connor (Roscommon) 71 76, Ben Cahill (Dundalk) 69 78;

148 William O’Riordan (Greystones) 79 69, Thomas O'Connor (Athlone) 77 71, Ian Lynch (Rosslare) 76 72, David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 75 73, Patrick Curran (Edmondstown) 75 73, Sean Sweeney (Gweedore) 75 73, Federico Torresagasti (Jockey Club de Rafaela) 75 73, Cormac Ó Muirithe (Belmullet) 74 74, Conor McGrogan (The Heritage) 73 75, Luke Cunningham (Galway Bay) 72 76, Conor Hickey (Dooks) 71 77, Senan Carroll (Ballybunion) 71 77;

149 Benjamin Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 75 74, Adam Smith (Mullingar golf club) 75 74, Charlie Mooney (Ballinasloe) 73 76, Rafael Poli (Holywood) 73 76, Conor Stapleton (Westport) 73 76, Adam Doherty (Balmoral) 73 76;

150 Sean Keeling (Roganstown) 78 72, Quentin Carew (The Heritage) 75 75, Cian Harkin (The Island) 75 75, Fergal Coyle (Athenry) 75 75, Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin) 74 76, Shane Hogan (The Heritage) 74 76, Campbell Kerr (Brisbane) 73 77, Luke Branagan (Corrstown) 72 78, Aaron McNulty (Lahinch) 71 79;

151 Steven Gormley (Blainroe) 83 68, Gary Collins (Rosslare) 78 73, Dean McMahon (Castletroy) 76 75, Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 76 75, Louis Goodman (Co Louth) 73 78;

152 Danny Lyne (Lahinch) 78 74, Michael Crowley (Hayfields) 75 77, Timmy Jordan (Armagh) 73 79, Simon Gallivan (Killarney) 73 79;

153 Conor Clarke (Balmoral) 77 76, Jody Fanagan (Milltown) 74 79;

154 Neil Patterson (Baltinglass) 79 75, Cian Hart (Sharjah) 79 75, Jamal Sabir (Moate) 75 79;

155 James O’Rourke (Naas) 79 76, Greg O'Mahony (Fota Island) 79 76, Lorcan O'Connor (Edmondstown) 77 78, Ryan Murray (Balmoral) 77 78, Ross Healion (New Forest) 76 79, Jamie Anderson (Greystones) 75 80, Robert Walsh (Kinsale) 71 84;

156 Scott O'Brien (Nenagh) 80 76, Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush) 78 78, Kyle McCarron (North West) 77 79;

157 Paraic McGrath (Galway Bay) 80 77, Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 77 80;

158 Julius Sommer (Penati) 78 80;

160 Kieran Morris (Rosslare) 78 82;

163 Mark Muldoon (Royal Dublin) 83 80;

169 Dylan Harbourne (Grange) 86 83;

WD Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo) 75 WD, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 87 WD.

Skipper Dean Robertson knows that Irish involvement is key to winning back the Walker Cup and he could be pleased to see a host of Irish names make hot starts in the 124th Pierse Motor Group-sponsored South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch.

England’s Dan Hayes, who is highly fancied to make the 10-man side, overcame a slow start and rattled in nine birdies in a seven-under 65 to boost his chances of joining certain selections Tyler Weaver, Luke Poulter, Eliot Baker, Niall Shiels-Donegan, Connor Graham and Stuart Grehan at Lahinch from September 5-6.

Hayes (19) leads by a shot from Athenry’s in-form David Kitt and 2023 Walker Cup player Matt McClean from Malone.

But there were also eye-catching performances from two Fota Island men bidding to win the title on a day when Co Louth’s Gavin Tiernan, a member of the 2025 side, shot 74.

South of Ireland scoring

While Belvoir Park’s Darcy Hogg and Norway’s Veigar Heiðarsson carded 67s to lie just two shots off the pace, David Howard opened with a four-under 68 to share sixth place despite the fatigue from last week’s Open Championship, as clubmate John Doyle shot 69.

Howard impressed Robertson with his performance in The Open, and the Cork man played three six-hole singles matches against Amateur champion Grehan and likely team members Hayes and Lewy Hayward during Tuesday’s Walker Cup camp.

“It's good to be in the mix,” Howard said. “I know that he's looking at me and he followed me around a bit today. I shot four-under so it’s not bad. I’m sure he's happy enough with that.

“I got to the quarters last year and I played pretty solid today, made a few putts, so it was pretty stress-free. It was nice.”

Doyle made little on the greens but still shot a bogey-free 69 as 19-year-old English star Hayes made nine birdies in a two-club wind to shoot a seven-under 65 despite dropping a shot at the first and failing to birdie the par-five second or fourth holes.

“I thought it was going to be a bit of a rough day,” said Hayes, who went on to make six birdies and a par at the 10th in a seven-hole stretch from the sixth.

“But I went on a little run where I holed a few 10-footers, which were the ones that helped. And then just taking advantage of some of the par fives down the stretch.”

He leads by a shot from Kitt and McClean, who played on the side that lost at St Andrews in 2023.

“Everyone wants to play Walker Cup, there’s no doubt about it,” McClean said. “So I'm just going to play golf. I’ve got to keep my head out of all that sort of stuff. I can't do anything about it.”

Skipper Robertson has been working closely with Paul McGinley on preparing for the clash with the highly fancied Americans, who will be bidding to deny GB&I their first win since 2015.

“The reason why we're here is to really learn the examination because Cypress Point was impossible to prepare for; it changed so dramatically in terms of the firmness during the week,” Robertson said.

“Links golf is easier to prepare for for us. Lahinch is such a well-framed golf course, and it's one you can't overpower.

“You need to understand the contouring, especially around the greens, looking at it in different winds, and just getting an understanding of how to plot your way around the golf course.”

While he’s had great help from the leading lights at Lahinch Golf Club and its head greenkeeper, Brian McDonagh, Robertson is looking to get an edge in terms of course knowledge and tactics.

“Paul McGinley and I are talking a lot,” he said. “He knows this place well, I'm getting to know it better and so are the players.

“By the time the gun goes, we'll be fresh, but we'll be prepared.”

As for McGinley’s involvement, he said: “Paul is working for TV during the Walker Cup, but there's a lot of synergy there between the Ryder Cup and the Walker Cup.

“We’re looking at how we plot our way around the golf course in certain winds. What to do here, what to do there. We’ll just do our homework.

“The Americans are going to have a great team. They may not have Jackson Koivun or Ben James, who have turned pro, but they've got a young Miles Russell, they've got a young Tyler Watts, and they've got an unbelievable amount of top superstars in the waiting.

“We know how difficult it's going to be but the big thing about it is the fact that there’s two singles series.

“The Ryder Cup doesn't have that. The Solheim doesn't, nor does the Curtis Cup. It’s 18 of the 26 points, so there’s a big focus on singles play, and that's what the panel did the last couple of days.

“We’ve got to maintain what we did last year in terms of the team togetherness, the unity, because if we can get the if we can get that right, we're going to have we're going to have a great chance.”

124th South of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Pierse Motor Group, Lahinch (Old, Par 72)

First qualifying rd.

Detailed scores

65 Daniel Hayes (Bramhall);

66 Matthew McClean (Malone), David Kitt (Athenry)

67 Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park), Veigar Heiðarsson (Golfklúbbur Akureyrar);

68 Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy), Matthew Dodd-Berry (Royal Liverpool), Joe Lyons (Galway), Fionn Dobbin (Malone), Ryan Griffin (The Royal Dublin), Ben Bolton (Enville), David Howard (Fota Island);

69 Sam Mukherjee (Gullane), Aidan Fitzgerald (NYSGA), James Walsh (Kinsale), Oli Blackadder (Deeside), Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore), David Lally (Blainroe), Max Hopkins (Bishops Stortford), Ciaran Murphy (Grange), John Doyle (Fota Island), Ben Cahill (Dundalk), Harley Smith (The Rayleigh), Freddie Turnell (Burnham & Berrow);

70 Dylan Holmes (Greystones), Lewy Hayward (Marlborough), Stuart Grehan (Co Louth), Josh Hill (Fox Den), John Greene (Portmarnock), Seán Desmond (Monkstown), Archie Cook (Gullane), Darren O'Sullivan (Tralee), Mark Gazi (Tralee), Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock), Jake Foley (Elm Park), Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth), Thomas Abom (Edmondstown);

71 David Reddan (Castleknock), Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay), Senan Carroll (Ballybunion), Darragh Flynn (Carton House), Oliver Lewis-Perkins (Mid Kent), Oliver Mukherjee (Gullane), Seán Cloonan (Dunmore Demense), Connor Graham (Blairgowrie), Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint), David Shiel (Enniscrone), Thomas Higgins (Roscommon), Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock), Sean David (Pyle and Kenfig), Keith Egan (Carton House), Cian O’Connor (Roscommon), Dominic McGlinchey (The Renaissance), Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), Jonathan Keane (Lahinch), Aaron McNulty (Lahinch), Evan Farrell (Co Louth), Richard Saunders (Germany), Robert Walsh (Kinsale), Conor Hickey (Dooks), Tomi Bowen (Welshpool);

72 Bruce MacDonald (Lisburn), Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle), Ben Gratzl (St Leon rot), Adam Allahbachani (Powerscourt), TJ Ford (County Sligo), Aaron Ryan (Thurles), Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park), James Marriott (West Surrey), Luke Branagan (Corrstown), Luke Cunningham (Galway Bay), Joe O'Neill (Berehaven), Dylan Keating (Seapoint), Barry O’Connell (Douglas), Paul O'Hanlon (Carton House);

73 Jordan Boles (Carton House), Paul Coughlan (Castleknock), Mark Cadden (Roganstown), Stephen Loftus (Lahinch), Simon Gallivan (Killarney), Ross Latimer (Clandeboye), Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin), Morgan Cain (Fota Island), Alex King (Faithlegg), Rafael Poli (Holywood), Adam Doherty (Balmoral), Jack Murphy (Douglas), Tom Osborne (Lindrick), Timmy Jordan (Armagh), Campbell Kerr (Brisbane), Charlie Mooney (Ballinasloe), Louis Goodman (Co Louth), Conor Stapleton (Westport), Mikkel Tingsted Blum (Dragor), Conor McGrogan (The Heritage), Gavin O'Neill (Malahide);

74 William Hennessee (Oklahoma), Cathal Penney (Athenry), Jody Fanagan (Milltown), Eoin Murphy (Dundalk), Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin), Cormac Ó Muirithe (Belmullet), Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth), Shane Hogan (The Heritage);

75 Jamie Anderson (Greystones), Michael Crowley (Hayfields), Corey Scullion (Moyola Park), Benjamin Oberholzer (Clandeboye), Fergal Coyle (Athenry), Jack Connolly (Elm Park), Sean Sweeney (Gweedore), Adam Smith (Mullingar golf club), Samuel Easterbrook (Olton Golf Club), Jamal Sabir (Moate), Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo), David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), Patrick Curran (Edmondstown), Quentin Carew (The Heritage), Federico Torresagasti (Jockey Club de Rafaela), Cian Harkin (The Island);

76 Dean McMahon (Castletroy), Ian Lynch (Rosslare), Ross Healion (Newforest), Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush), Darren McCormack (Corrstown);

77 Lorcan O'Connor (Edmondstown), Kyle McCarron (North West), Thomas O'Connor (Athlone), Conor Clarke (Balmoral), Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock), Ryan Murray (Balmoral);

78 Gary Collins (Rosslare), Alex Kerins (Carton House), Sean Keeling (Roganstown), Sam West (Liphook), Danny Lyne (Lahinch), Julius Sommer (Penati), Kieran Morris (Rosslare), Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush);

79 James O’Rourke (Naas), Neil Patterson (Baltinglass), Cian Hart (Sharjah), Greg O'Mahony (Fota Island), William O’Riordan (Greystones);

80 Scott O'Brien (Nenagh), Paraic McGrath (Galway Bay);

83 Mark Muldoon (Royal Dublin), Steven Gormley (Blainroe);

86 Dylan Harbourne (Grange);

87 Liam Abom (Edmondstown).

Pádraig Harrington has made not losing a golf ball at Gleneagles' King's Course one of his big goals as he bids to become the first player since Christy O'Connor Jnr to retain the ISPS HANDA Senior Open title.

The reigning US Senior Open champion (54) arrived in Scotland on the back of missed cuts at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open.

But he feels back to himself this week, where he's joined by Darren Clarke, the 2022 champion at Gleneagles, and Paul McGinley.

Scoring

"It's in great condition," said Harrington, who was runner-up to Clarke four years ago. "It's pretty tight in places; I'll be happy if I finish the week without losing a golf ball. If I can manage that, I'll probably be pretty competitive.

"It's reasonably wide fairways in places, a few narrow ones, but if you miss in places sometimes six or seven yards you're in three-foot high ferns.

"You want to hit the ball straight this week, and if you do, I don't know if the wind and rain are going to come in, but it's been a very pleasant golf course if you hit the fairways."

O'Connor Jnr retained the title at Royal County Down in 2000, and Harrington is upbeat about his chances, despite two poor weeks.

:I feel good about my game," he said. "I had a bit of a blowout the last couple of weeks on the main tour; I don't know if it's trying too hard or I just fell out of form, but I feel good now.

"I've worked through a few things, and I'm looking forward to being out there and being a little bit more in my own comfort zone.

"I'm excited. There's a little bit of trepidation and stress when you're defending. I can't wait for it to start tomorrow and get going."

On the PGA Tour, Seamus Power plays the 3M Open in Minnesota looking to build on a solid performance in last week's Corales Puntacana Championship.

A tie for 11th matched his best performance of the season at Torrey Pines in February, and at 115th in the FedExCup standings, he'll be looking to move up at TPC Twin Cities.

The field includes eight of the top 50 in the world, headed by world number one Scottie Scheffler, who plays for the first time because taking three weeks off before the FedEx Cup Playoffs didn't suit his schedule.

While he's ended the Major season without adding to his tally, he was in no mood to rank them in terms of frustration,

"All four of them," said the Texan, who was second in the Masters, 14th at the PGA and tied fourth in the US Open and The Open. "I don't really have an answer for that. I think any time you don't get to where you want to be in golf, which is pretty often, I think there's always a good amount of frustration with that. 

"One of the things I like in this game, one of the things that I've always kind of prided myself on is the consistency," he added. "That's something that shows that I'm playing some pretty good golf. 

"It just hasn't been quite good enough to win some tournaments. Like I said, I still feel like my game's in a good spot and I've played some nice golf. I haven't played any great golf yet, but I've played some nice golf over the course of the season.

"I think if you took a blind look at some of my results, I think a lot of people would say that's a really good season. 

"Like I said, I wouldn't know how to describe it.

On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh will be looking to hone their links games for next week's AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes when they join Anna Foster in the $2 million ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.

Lottie Woad defends the title at a venue where Maguire was joint 16th last year as Walsh missed the cut,

"The ground is really firm," said world number one Nelly Korda, who was fifth behind Woad last year. "So it takes a little bit of a toll on your body with the vibrations and the firmness, but also a great prep week for what you think is going to be a firm and fast golf course (next week)."

On the HotelPlanner Tour, there are eight Irishmen in action in the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge at Kaskáda Golf Resort in the  Czech Republic.

It's the 15th event of the 28-event schedule and the start of the race to finish in the top 45 in the Road to Mallorca rankings who will qualify for October's Rolex Grand Final and the battle for status on the DP World Tour for the top 20 points winners.

Liam Nolan (27th in the Road to Mallorca rankings), Gary Hurley (46th), Max Kennedy (48th), Mark Power (88th), Conor Purcell (132nd), James Sugrue (202nd), John Murphy (219th) and Robert Brazill tee it up in Brno.

Rory McIlroy has his work cut out to capture his second Genesis Scottish Open title after playing just eight holes in three-over par before play was suspended for the day due to fog.

The Masters champion went into the third round in a three-way tie for the lead at the Renaissance Club.

But after a lingering sea haar eventually forced a two-and-a-half-hour delay, McIlroy did not get to tee it up until just after 6 pm.

He was a far different man to the player who opened with rounds of 65 and 66, dropping a shot at the par-three third, where he missed from around 18 inches for par.

Another shot went at the 170-yard fifth, where he admitted he "fatted" his tee shot just 125 yards.

He dropped another shot at the par-five seventh, driving into heavy rough from where he could only hack his second a few yards forward into more long grass.

"It's like going back to the golf club after dinner basically," McIlroy said before his round.  "It's been a long day, the fog didn't help. 

"But these long summer nights, hopefully we can get it in and there's no carry over going into tomorrow."

He didn't get his wish, and he was tied for 25th on six-under through eight holes when play was suspended for the day, four strokes behind clubhouse leader Johnny Keefer of the United States, who shot 64 to lead on 10-under.

Michael Thorbjornsen (13 holes) and Matt Fitzpatrick (eight holes) were tied for the lead on 11-under, a shot clear of a six-man chasing pack featuring Keefer, Kevin Roy (16 holes), US Open champion Wyndham Clark (15), Jordan Smith (7), Min Woo Lee (8) and defending champion Chris Gotterup (10).

"I loved it," Clark said. "It was nice. It's hot back in the States. So overcast and minimal wind, sweater weather is always good to play golf in."

Tom McKibbin shot a three-under 67 to share 32nd on five-under with Jon Rahm a shot further back after a 68.

On the HotelPlanner Tour, Lars van der Vight will take a three-stroke lead into the final day of the German Challenge after battling to a level-par round of 72 at Wittelsbacher Golfclub in Bavaria.

Ronan Mullarney shot 69 to share 30th on six-under, nine shots off the lead, with Mark Power 48th on four-under after a 71.

Roscommon's Thomas Higgins was the hero as Ireland ended an 18-year wait for victory in the European Amateur Team Championships with a thrilling 4-3 win over hosts Estonia at Estonian Golf & Country Club.

Higgins claimed the decisive point, beating Kevin Christopher Jegers with a dramatic par on the 20th to give the boys in green their first victory in the event since 2008, when Shane Lowry was a member of the team that retained the title in Turin.

Higgins was stunned to win the match after hitting his tee shot at the 20th into water.

But he made a 20-footer for par and watched Jegers lip out from around six feet to extend the match.

"That's unbelievable," Higgins said. "I just can't believe that, especially after hitting the tee shot in the water there. 

"To come out on the right side of it this year is great because obviously last year we were close as well and it didn't happen, so yeah, can't believe it, unbelievable."

The sides shared the morning foursomes with Matt McClean and Caolan Rafferty combining to beat Jegers and Markus Varjun 4&3, as Stuart Grehan and John Doyle lost by one hole to Mattias Varjun and Ralf Johan Kivi.

Ireland took control in the singles with reigning Amateur champion Grehan putting the first point on the board with a 5&4 demolition of Richard Teder.

McClean edged Ireland closer to the gold with a 2&1 win over Markus Varjun.

But Carl Hellat beat Gavin Tiernan 2&1 to make it 3-2, and when Mattias Varjun beat Rafferty at the 20th, it fell to Higgins to deliver in the anchor singles, where he prevailed at the second extra hole to give Ireland its seventh victory in the event.

Ireland won for the first time at Royal St George's in 1965 and retained the title in Turin the following year.

Further wins followed at Chantilly in 1983 and Murhof in Austria in 1986 before Lowry and Rory McIlroy played in the side that ended a 21-year wait for the title at Western Gailes in 2007.

McIlroy turned professional later that year, but Lowry returned in 2008 to help Paul Cutler, Niall Kearney, Gareth Shaw, Jonathan Caldwell. And Paul O'Hanlon beat England in the final at Royal Park in Turin.

"It was one of the best feelings ever," said Ireland's no-playing captain, Damien Coyne.

"The lads played really well, Thomas had a chance to win on 18, and a slightly longer putt on 19 as well. He hit his tee shot really, really well on 20, just too far left and in the water.

"Dropped one down, hit it to 20 feet and got to hit his putt for par before Kevin did and holed it; it put the pressure on him straight away. You saw what happened next. It was a massive feeling of joy, just a relief that it was over."

Spain successfully defended their European Ladies' Team Championship title, defeating France 5-2 in the final at PGA National Slieve Russell. Ireland lost 3-2 to Italy, finishing eighth.

Spain won the Boys' title on home soil, defeating England 5.5-1.5. at Montecastillo Barceló Golf Club.

Ireland claimed silver in the Division 2 championship in Greece but earned promotion back to Division 1 despite their 5.5-1.5 defeat to Switzerland.

Spain also won the European Girls' title in Switzerland, defeating England 4-3 in Zurich, while Ireland won Flight B to finish ninth after a 3-2 win over Denmark.

In the Amundi Evian Championship in France, South Korea's Haeran Ryu shot a blistering 11-under 60 — the lowest round in Major championship history — to surge into a three-stroke lead with a round to play.

Just two weeks after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the25-year-old made nine birdies and an eagle two to lead on 19-under-par from Japan's Aki Iwai, who shot 65.

"I didn't know [about my score]. I just hit, so I didn't know on hole 18, but after the putt I counted my score with my caddie and said, 'Oh my god, it's 11-under-par today," Ryu said." It was so amazing. I'm so happy right now."

Rory McIlroy looked like a man on a mission ahead of The Open after he raced into a share of the halfway lead at the Genesis Scottish Open.

The world number two hardly put a foot wrong at the Renaissance Club, dropping just one stroke in a four-under 66 to share the lead with Jordan Smith (63) and Tom Kim (66) on nine-under, one clear of England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (65) and Australian Min Woo Lee (66).

Scores

“I thought I played well again,” said McIlroy, who raced to the turn in four under 31 before following his lone bogey at the 13th with a two-putt birdie at the 349-yard 14th.

“The wind definitely got up for us in the afternoon. It would have been nice to be a couple better. But it's obviously another good day and in good position.”

McIlroy is hoping to win his second Claret Jug and seventh Major at Royal Birkdale next week and this week's test is just what he needs.

"It's great,” he said. “It's the way you want to play links golf. You can be creative the way you play your second shots into greens and how you run into the fairway. It's a fun way to play.”

Tom McKibbin shot 71 to make the cut on the two-under par mark, but while Jon Rahm shot 65 to squeak in, Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington joined world number one Scottie Scheffler in missing out.

It was Scheffler’s first missed cut in 78 PGA Tour starts — a near four-year run dating to the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship.

“I didn’t really feel like I played that bad,” Scheffler said after following a 68 with a 72.

He had finished outside the top 20 just twice this season and wasn’t panicking about his game before his Open Championship defence at Royal Birkdale.

“I’m definitely proud of the consistency, and wish I had a couple of days over the weekend to make up some ground,” Scheffler said. “But overall, get down to Birkdale a little earlier than expected and get used to a new course.”

Lowry made a valiant effort to make the weekend, but a 69 left him alongside Scheffler on level par as Harrington shot 70 to finish on four-over.

At the Amundi Evian Championship, England’s Lottie Woad fired a seven-under 64 to lead by a shot from Japan’s Aki Iwai on 12-under as she chases her maiden Major win.

But there was disappointment for Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh as they missed the level-par cut.

Maguire shot a three-over 74 to finish three-over, three-putting the 16th and dropping another shot at the par-five 18th.

Walsh also had her struggles on the greens, racking up four three-putts in her brace of 73s to finish on four-over.

On the HotelPlanner Tour, Mark Power shot a four-under 68 and Ronan Mullarney a 69 to make the cut with a shot to spare in the German Challenge powered by VcG.

They go into the weekend tied for 40th on three under in Bavaria, albeit 12 strokes behind the Netherlands’ Lars van der Vight.

He shot a sensational 59 to lead by six shots on 15-under from compatriot Wouter de Vries and Czech Filip Mruzek.

Van der Vight raced to the turn in eight under 28 then picked up an eagle and three birdies on the back nine to get to 13 under for the day before finishing with a par-five.

Gary Hurley shot 76 to miss the two-under-par cut by four strokes, with Conor Purcell a shot further back after a 72.

In the OFX Irish Legends on the Montgomerie Course at Carton House, Italy’s Emanuele Canonica shot an eight-under 64 to lead by a shot from Robert Coles. 

Northern Ireland’s Cameron Clark (69) is tied 11th while Paul McGinley (73) is 37th, Peter Lawrie (74) 40th and Gary Murphy (77) 57th.

Leinster are the 2026 Women’s Interprovincial Matches Champions after coming out on top in their title decider with Munster at Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort.

It was the reverse in the Men’s Interprovincials as Munster won by the slightest of margins, a half Match Point, to deny Leinster the double in glorious sunshine.

Results

Men’s

Women’s

With Leinster and Munster both winning their respective matches against Connacht and Ulster earlier in the week, it setup a winner-takes-all matchup today in the Women’s event, which duly delivered.

Leinster’s 2-1 morning foursomes lead was swiftly rebutted in the afternoon singles, as Anna Dawson (Tramore) and Lucy Grattan (Tralee) claimed points for those in red either side of a win for Leinster’s Isabella Stewart (Woodbrook).

This put the finale at 3-3 with three matches remaining, before Ciara Casey (Hermitage) edged Leinster back in front with a 2&1 success.

However, Munster‘s Áine Martin (Kanturk) and Aideen Walsh (Lahinch) were both in front, meaning a turnaround was still on the cards.

The tide turned with a moment of magic on 18. Ellen O’Shaughnessy (Co. Louth), plugged and up against the lip of a greenside bunker on the Par 3, splashed her ball out and watched on as it rolled across the green, hit the pin, and dropped for a once-in-a-lifetime birdie.

Caitlin Shippam (Ballykisteen) was now forced to hole her long putt to cling onto her point, but her attempt slid past the hole to end the tie all square. This in turn meant Anna Abom (Edmondstown) now only required a half point to secure victory for Leinster, which she duly delivered by winning the 18th with a fantastic two-putt par.

“It feels absolutely amazing, unbelievable week. What a win by the girls. Everyone put points on the board, unbelievable golf,” said Leinster Captain Orla Darcy.

On the nail-biting finishes on 18, Darcy commended both her own players and Munster.

“We knew we needed a couple of half points coming in. We had one match that went to 18; there was a fried egg situation in the greenside bunker which was holed out for a half, so that gave us a bit of momentum for the last match.

“Our last match then went down 18, Anna hit a great tee shot and left the putt dead. In fairness, Munster were very sporting in the match and thankfully we got it over the line”

This was Leinster’s first triumph since 2022, when Naas' Darcy held the role of team manager, and she reflected on both wins, paying tribute to the closeness of the class of 2026.

“It’s amazing, I had a great time in 2022. Different bunch of girls this time round, such a privilege. Such a standard of golf that was had, and the friendships that all the girls have made is even more important. But such a thrill to win this week.”

Connacht claimed third place with a dominant 7-2 win over Ulster.

Meanwhile, an exciting final day unfolded in the Men’s event as all four teams had the opportunity to end the day as champions after exchanging one win apiece across Wednesday and Thursday.

Munster started the day leading the standings and faced off with Ulster, whilst Connacht took on Leinster. As the break for lunch arrived after the morning foursomes, a clear winner was yet to emerge. Munster and Connacht were all tied up at 2-2, but Leinster had eked out a 3-1 advantage over Connacht, which appeared to lean the overall result in their favour.

The men of Munster, however, were determined to put an end to Leinster’s dominance in this event. They came out swinging in the afternoon singles, claiming five wins from a possible seven, including all three of the closing matches for Jordan Boles (Carton House), Joseph O'Neill (Berehaven) and Darragh Flynn (Carton House), to convincingly defeat Ulster 7-4.

This proved just enough, as Leinster produced the same scoreline against Connacht, meaning the top two would end the day as they started, and there would be no five-in-a-row for the home favourites.

“It’s unbelievable. We didn’t expect it this evening, playing Ulster; they have a fantastic team. To lose just one match to Ulster was the icing on the cake. I knew I had a very good team and we got off to a very good start against Leinster, and that set the ball rolling.

“This morning we were very lucky to get a 2-2 in the foursomes, but we pulled out all the stops to win the tournament”, said Munster Captain Michael Coote.

On denying Leinster their drive for five, Coote recalled the last time such a feat was on the horizon with similarly fond memories.

“It’s always sweet to beat Leinster. The last time Leinster were on a run, I happened to be the captain in 2018 for Munster, and we beat Leinster on that run. I’m thrilled to have come back and captained this fantastic team of Munster. I’m delighted”

The successful Munster side included David Howard, who has the small matter of an appearance at The Open next week at Royal Birkdale, and his captain for this week couldn’t speak more highly of the Fota Island star.

“When I first met David Howard, he just came across as a fantastic human being. He’s just a fabulous person and we wish him very well next week at The Open, and I always said the team and Golf Ireland are behind him. I think everyone who knows David Howard and the whole of Ireland are behind him”

Those wins for Munster and Leinster saw Ulster finish third, 3.5 Match Points ahead of Connacht in fourth.

Matthew McClean claimed the winning point on the 19th to give Ireland a 4-3 win over holders Italy in the European Amateur Team Championships and set up a clash with hosts Estonia for gold.

Ireland won the most recent of its six European crowns in 2008, when Shane Lowry was a member of the team that retained the title in Turin.

Tied after the two morning foursomes, singles wins for Walker Cup players Stuart Grehan and Gavin Tiernan left Ireland on the brink before McClean beat Giovanni Binaghi on the 19th to secure a place in the final against Estonia, who beat France 5-2.

“That experience going down the last especially, Giovanni stood up and hit one into trouble first,” said Ireland Captain Damien Coyne.

“It’s a difficult tee shot and Matt had to stand up and hit his shot. He stood up to the pressure

“We’re delighted, we were looking good for a while and then at the end it looked like it could go either way. It was nice to get one when we lost two matches on tie holes last year in Killarney. It was nice to come out on the right side.

“This is a huge challenge. A few of them are members of the course we are playing on. They are really good players playing on a course they are very familiar with. We will have it all to do tomorrow.

“But at the same time that brings its own pressure, being the local team. We have to do what we have been doing the last couple of days, go out and get a strong start. If we get up on them early, hopefully our quality will show over the course of the day.

“It’s a huge opportunity, it would be great. Stuart’s win last month was a great lift for Irish golf and this would be another one. I have no doubt if the lads perform to the best of their abilities they can get the job done.”

In the European Ladies Team Championship at Slieve Russell, Ireland lost 3.5-1.5 to Sweden and face Italy for seventh place as France meet holders Spain in the final.

At the European Girls’ in Switzerland, Ireland beat Belgium 4-1 and face Denmark for ninth place as Spain play England for the title.

There was also good news for the Irish Boys in Division 2 at Cost Navarino in Greece, where they beat Poland 5.5-1.5 to secure promotion to Division 1 next year and a gold-medal match with Finland.

Emanuele Canonica carded a superb eight-under-par 64 to hold a one-shot lead after the opening round of the OFX Irish Legends.

Robert Coles is one shot back following a bogey-free 65.

England's Craig Farrelly, France's Lionel Alexandre, South Africa's Keith Horne and New Zealand's Mark Brown share third place on six-under-par, while Chile's Felipe Aguilar and Sweden's Johan Edfors are tied for seventh on five-under while 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie is tied for ninth after an impressive opening 68.

Players faced a stern test throughout the day as a significant change in wind direction transformed the challenge from the practice rounds, but it was Canonica who adapted best to set the early pace.

The Italian surged into contention with four consecutive birdies from the 12th before a bogey at the par-three 17th briefly dropped him back into a share of the lead. Undeterred, he responded immediately by birdieing the closing hole to claim outright first place heading into the weekend.

The 2022 Irish Legends runner-up carded 10 birdies and two bogeys in a scintillating display. A winner of the 2005 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Canonica ranked among the European circuit's longest hitters throughout his career, leading the DP World Tour Driving Distance statistics on multiple occasions.

"I stayed calm all day," said Canonica.

"If I missed a shot, I just put the next one back in the fairway and onto the green. When I needed to make a bogey, I just made a bogey and didn't try to force anything." 

The Italian believes his ability to carry Carton House's fairway bunkers gave him a significant advantage throughout the opening round.

 "I made four birdies in a row, hit some really good shots and finished with a birdie on the last," he added.

 "When you hit it a long way, you always have a little advantage. This week I can carry almost all of the bunkers, which gives me a better chance than some of the other players." 

Although no longer generating the clubhead speeds of his younger days, Canonica's power remains one of the biggest assets in his game and allowed him to attack a number of holes that proved more demanding for much of the field.

Coles enjoyed one of the steadiest rounds of the day, mixing seven birdies with 11 pars in a flawless display to sit just one shot off the lead.

The Englishman credited his driving as the platform for his impressive opening round on a course he has previously found difficult.

"I had a really nice day with the driver, which around this place is vital," he said.

"There are a lot of tricky driving holes and I managed to stay away from trouble. That opened the door for the rest of the round." 

Farrelly also impressed with a six-under-par 66 after adapting superbly to the changing conditions.

"It felt like a completely different golf course," said the Englishman.

"The wind switched, so suddenly different bunkers and different lines came into play. We just committed to what we were doing and stayed patient."

He also revealed a recent adjustment to his distance control proved invaluable in the blustery conditions.

"A friend gave me a tip on controlling my distances in the wind. Today the shots were finishing about six yards short of where I wanted them, which in these conditions was perfect."

Alexandre matched Farrelly's six-under-par total with a bogey-free round, producing what he described as his best golf of the season so far.

 "I played much better than I have at the start of the season," said the Frenchman.

 "I drove the ball really well, which is important around here, and when I made mistakes I recovered well. I feel comfortable on this type of golf course."

 Further down the leaderboard, 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie remains firmly in contention in a tie for ninth after his opening four-under-par 68, while Aguilar and Edfors are also well placed heading into Saturday's second round.

With eight players within three shots of the lead, round two promises another fascinating day at Carton House as Canonica looks to convert his overnight advantage into a maiden Staysure Legends Tour title. 

Northern Ireland’s Cameron Clark (69) is tied 11th while Paul McGinley (73) is joint 37th, Peter Lawrie (74) 40th and Gary Murphy (77) 57th in the 60-man field.

Munster and Leinster will both be hoping to secure a memorable double at the Men’s and Women’s Interprovincial Championships finale in Knightsbrook.

The Munster Women’s team play Leinster in a winner-takes-all affair, while the Men’s Championship remains wide open.

On the second day of play of the Women’s Championship, Munster followed up their opening day triumph over Ulster with a 6.5-2.5 success against Connacht.

Despite a strong 6&5 win for Anna Dawson (Tramore) and Valerie Clancy (Killarney), who opened their account with a 5&3 win yesterday, the match with Connacht was all square heading into the afternoon singles.

Ballinrobe’s Shannon Burke impressively overcame Aine Martin (Kanturk) 5&4 in what turned out to be the only point of the afternoon for those in green.

Caitlin Shippam (Ballykisteen), Aideen Walsh (Lahinch) and Lucy Grattan (Tralee) joined Dawson and Clancy on the winning trail, each picking up full points.

In the other Women’s match, it was Ulster who took an early 2-1 lead after foursomes wins for Holly Hamilton (Belvoir Park) & Molly O’Hara (Clandeboye) and Louise Coffey (Malone) & Maeve Cummins (Lurgan).

Coffey continued her excellent form with a dominant 5&4 win against Libby Fleming (Kilkenny), but once again no points were to follow for the victor of the top singles match.

Anna Abom (Edmondstown) and Isabella Stewart (Woodbrook) backed up their important morning foursomes win with singles successes, with Rachael McDonnell (Elm Park), Ellen O’Shaughnessy (Co.Louth) and Ciara Casey (Hermitage) following suit.

A 6-3 win for Leinster sets up a mouthwatering matchup with Munster today.

Both teams go into the clash with two points, but Munster are ahead 12-11.5 on Match Points and so lead the standings.

Men’s event wide open

An exciting final day lies in store in the Men’s Championship, as all four regions have secured a solitary point whilst only one Match Point separates first from fourth in the standings.

Connacht were looking to bounce back after their opening loss to Ulster, but their quartet of morning foursomes with Munster were shared 2-2, leaving everything to play for in the afternoon.

Through the first four singles matches the spoils were shared in what was a remarkably tight contest, but it was Cathal Penny (Athenry) and David Shiel (Enniscrone) who secured narrow victories in the final two singles matches to give Connacht a slender 6-5 win over those in red.

Elsewhere, five-in-a-row chasing Leinster came into their matchup with Ulster knowing nothing less than a win would keep their hopes alive after their opening defeat to Munster, but they didn’t have it all their own way.

Keith Egan (Carton House) and Patrick Keeling (Roganstown) may have kicked things off with a win in the first match out, but the home side would go into the afternoon singles tied up at two points apiece after Fionn Dobbin (Malone) and Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) claimed the last of the foursomes points for the Ulstermen.

With seven points on offer in the afternoon, Leinster’s strength in depth shone through as Thomas Abom (Edmondstown), Gerard Dunne (Co.Louth), Patrick Curran (Edmondstown) and Dylan Keating (Seapoint) all delivered when required to help those in navy land a 6.5-4.5 success over their Ulster rivals.

With Leinster and Connacht coming back from their opening defeats against Munster and Ulster respectively, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in Knightsbrook today, as any one of the four involved could be raising silverware come Friday evening.

The final day action gets underway from 8am with the Women’s matches swiftly followed by the Men’s at 8.24am.

View tee times and scores here

Day 3 Fixtures:

Women’s

• Munster v Leinster

• Ulster v Connacht

Men’s

• Munster v Ulster

• Leinster v Connacht

Lightly-raced Rory McIlroy came storming out of the gates to grab a share of the lead in the Genesis Scottish Open and prove his super-light schedule is no impediment to playing great golf.

The world number two has played just four events since he won his second Masters title 12 weeks ago — three fewer than Scottie Scheffler.

But there were no signs of rust on his game at the Renaissance Club, where he cancelled out bogeys at his first and ninth holes with an eagle and five birdies to card a five-under 65 that gave him a share of the lead with Tom Kim, Bernd Wiesberger, Patrick Cantlay and Rasmus Højgaard.

“The benefits are seeing my family more,” McIlroy said of his light schedule. “Feeling like I have a bit more balance in my life.

“I feel like even though I have played pretty sparsely over the past few months, the starts of my tournaments have all been really good.

“So it's not like I'm coming in and starting slow, and the little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways.

“I think one of the other benefits for me, like I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible, and playing a lighter schedule definitely does that.”

Scheffler opened with a two-over 68, one stroke more than Tom McKibbin, whose 67 was one of just three bogey-free rounds.

It was a tougher day for Shane Lowry, who turned a sub-par round into a one-over 71 with a poor finish.

Two-under with three holes to go, he failed to chip and putt for birdie at the seventh, his 16th, then three-putted the eighth from 50 feet before pencilling in a double bogey at the 210-yard ninth, where he finished right of the green and left himself a high tariff pitch he couldn’t get onto the putting surface.

The magical putting that helped Padraig Harrington win last week’s US Senior Open evaporated for the Dubliner this time around as he had two-three putts and failed to make a birdie in a four-over 74, taking 34 putts.

Little dropped for Leona Maguire at the Amundi Evian Championship until she birdied two of her last three holes to open with a level par 71.

The Co Cavan star bogeyed the 16th and 17th before making birdie at the 18th to turn in one over but after dropping another shot at the sixth, she made birdie fours at the seventh and ninth to share 58th place behind Aki Iwai.

The Japanese star shot a bogey-free, eight-under 63 to lead two strokes from France’s Perrine Delacour and by three from Maja Stark, Charley Hull, Jin Hee Im, Mao Saig and KPMG Women’s PGA winner Haeran Ryu.

Kildare’s Lauren Walsh also finished strongly, making birdies at the 16th and 18th to shoot 73 and share 87th place, while world number one Nelly Korda shot 74 and looks in danger of missing the cut.

On the HotelPlanner Tour, Gary Hurley's two-under 70 left him six shots behind Czech Filip Mruzek in the German Challenge in Bavaria.

The West Waterford man was tied for 31st as Ronan Mullarney shot 72, Mark Power 73, and Conor Purcell 75.

Ireland face defending champion Italy in the semi-finals of the European Men’s Amateur Team Championships following an impressive 3.5-1.5 quarter-final win over England in Estonia.

Fota Island’s John Doyle hit a 280-yard three-wood to a foot on the 18th to beat Harley Smith 1-up and claim the decisive point as he looks to impress the Walker Cup selectors.

“John hit probably the best shot I have ever seen to win a match,” said Irish captain Damien Coyne.

The winners of the Ireland-England clash will face France or Estonia in the final.

In the European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championships, hosts Ireland lost 6.5-0.5 to holders Spain at PGA National Slieve Russell and must beat Sweden if they’re to face Italy or Denmark for fifth place.

“We are disappointed,” said non-playing captain Gillian O’Leary. “It was a good battle all day; the Spanish are just really strong.

“It's not a bad thing to be disappointed. That's how you learn. That's how you raise the standards for the next time that we go out.”

Spain now face Finland as France meet England in the other semi-final.

At the European Girls’ in Zurich, Ireland beat Slovakia 4-1 in the quarters in Flight B while in the Boys Div 2 championship in Greece, Ireland remained on course for promotion with a 6-1 win over Slovakia.

Ireland face England in the quarterfinals of the European Men’s Amateur Team Championship in Estonia.

They finished fourth in 36-hole strokeplay qualifying behind Finland, the Netherlands and France with Amateur Championship winner Stuart Grehan (T6) and Thomas Higgins (T8) the leading performers.

In the European Ladies Team Championship at PGA National Slieve Russell, Ireland qualified for the top flight in sixth place and face Spain in the quarterfinals.

Ireland just missed out on qualifying for the top flight of the 2026 European Girls' Team Championship in Zurich, finishing ninth overall.

At the European Boys' Team Championship, Division 2 at Costa Naarinoo in Greece, Ireland qualified in second place and now face Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Shane Lowry hasn’t lost the bottle that made him a Ryder Cup legend, and Paul McGinley is backing him to play a massive role in Europe’s hat-trick bid at Adare Manor next year.

The Offaly man is struggling for confidence after suffering a string of near misses this year, but winning 2014 skipper McGinley has no doubt he will be a big part of  Luke Donald’s 2027 team.

Speaking at a news conference to announce that EY will be the presenting partner of the next three Junior Ryder Cup matches, starting with the 2027 edition at Ballyneety Golf Course in Limerick (with the final day scheduled for Adare), McGinley dismissed chatter that Lowry can no longer handle the pressure.

“I’ve absolutely no worries at all about Shane,” McGinley said of Lowry, who will be looking for a confidence-boosting performance ahead of The Open in this week’s Genesis Scottish Open. 

“Professional golf is not a straight line. Everybody has lows and ups and downs. I certainly think that not winning in Palm Beach during the year and not winning in Dubai with two great chances has certainly affected him, and there’s a bit of a knock-on effect from that. 

“All it will take now to get him back on the horse again is one good performance again, which he’s well capable of.

“The Open should suit him. His game is still so good. You look at a player’s underlying statistics to see if there’s a big dip in any of the categories and there’s nothing there.”

McGinley still looks to the Clara man’s gutsy comeback to birdie the 18th and grab a crucial half with Russell Henley at Bethpage that ensured Europe would retain the trophy as proof that he’s not afraid of the big moments.

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“He doesn’t have the confidence over the line that he certainly had. But you look at what he did in the Ryder Cup last year, I said to him, listen, you would swap not winning Dubai and not winning in Palm Beach for what you did at the Ryder Cup. 

“For people to say that you can’t handle the pressure or the head’s gone, whatever… What he did in the cauldron of the Ryder Cup, when all the momentum was going against him, that’s what was so impressive, because things were going really pear-shaped for Europe.

“For him to be able to come down those last few holes and birdie that last hole the way he did was just phenomenal. 

“So, I have absolutely no worries whatsoever about Shane coming back into form, and it’s just the natural evolution of being a professional golfer; it’s just swings and roundabouts.”

The Ryder Cup qualifying campaign will start later this summer, and McGinley fully expects Lowry to remain a “huge personality” in the 2027 European team.

“He really is a world-class player,” he said. “He’s been such a huge part of the last few Ryder Cups. Having been involved around the team a lot last year as a Strategic Advisor, Shane is massively influential to the team’s success, not just in how he plays but in his personality.

“He’s certainly one of those guys that will have a very, very strong chance of a pick if he doesn’t make it as one of the top six. That’s how important he is, and everybody knows that.

As for the Junior Ryder Cup, which will feature qualifying events in Ireland, McGinley hopes to see some Irish players follow in the footsteps of Leona Maguire and Rory McIlroy and make Stephen Gallacher’s side for the mixed team event.

As for the Junior Ryder Cup, which will feature qualifying events in Ireland, McGinley hopes to see some Irish players follow in the footsteps of Leona Maguire and Rory McIlroy and make Stephen Gallacher’s side for the mixed team event.

“Some great players have come through the Junior Ryder Cup over the years, and a lot of tour players, men and ladies, have come through,” he said. “So we look forward to seeing future stars in the future, and some Irish players represented too.”

The Dubliner hits the fairways at the OFX Irish Legends at Carton House from Friday as his World Cup-winning partner Pádraig Harrington joins Lowry, Tom McKibbin and Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open.

Harrington (54) won his third US Senior Open on Sunday, and McGinley does not write off his chances in The Open at Royal Birkdale next week, should the weather play ball.

“Why not? I mean, Tom Watson (challenged) at 59,” he said. “I think Pádraig needs bad weather. If it was bad weather, his attitude is so good, and he loves fighting and battling. 

“If it’s weather like this, the American players, particularly, will be able to overpower the golf course and do their thing.

“But if it gets a bit gnarly and a bit windy and a bit difficult and guys get frustrated, how could you rule Pádraig out?

“With the way he plays still, how competitive he still is, and on a links golf course, you know, I think his days of winning the Masters or winning the US Open are gone, but not at winning the Open Championship. That’s the one, as Tom Watson proved, where the old wily player can still compete.”

Padraig Harrington became only the fourth golfer to defend his US Senior Open title on Sunday, winning by four shots at Scioto Country Club in Ohio. He also joined Miller Barber as the only three-time winner in the event’s 46-year history.

The Irishman, who returns to Royal Birkdale next week for the Open Championship, the site of his 2008 victory, is the first player to win back-to-back US Senior Opens since Allen Doyle in 2006.

Harrington started the final day one shot behind but fired a four-under 66 to successfully defend his title. He was the only player in the field to register sub-70 rounds all four days.

Harrington, 54, is one of the most successful European golfers in history, with three Majors to his name and multiple victories on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Harrington became the first European to win back-to-back Majors when he won the 2008 US PGA Championship just a few weeks after winning the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

He has been a Wilson player since 1998, marking one of the longest brand/player associations in the game. Since signing, he has gone on to win three Major titles whilst Sunday’s was his fourth senior Major title and his 12th PGA Tour Champions victory.

“I like creating records, and to be part of that is a big deal. It just shows how hard it is,” said Harrington. “It feels great, but there wasn't the drama we normally provide down the stretch. I knew I had a nice lead, which let me play to the middle of the greens and hit the shots. I hit some big shots coming home to take all the stress out of it.”

Harrington sits alongside legends such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Lee Trevino in winning both The Open Championship and the US Senior Open.

Bob Thurman, Global General Manager, Golf at Wilson, said: “Padraig is a truly wonderful ambassador for Wilson and his history-making successes with our golf equipment continue to excite and inspire us all. He is a credit to the game of golf and we’re delighted to celebrate his fourth senior Major title with him.”

Harrington uses an RB Utility Iron, Staff Model CB irons (5 to PW) and Staff Model Forged wedges (52°, 58° and 64°).

For more information on Wilson Golf products, please visit www.wilson.com.

Ireland's leading amateur golfers are set to make their mark on the European stage as four teams compete at the European Men’s, Women’s, Boys’, and Girls’ Team Championships.

From Greece to Switzerland, Estonia to County Cavan, 24 of Ireland’s elite amateurs will represent their country, with experienced campaigners and rising stars aiming to challenge for honours across Europe.

Scoring

• European Ladies’ Team Championship

• European Boys’ Team Championship - Division 2

• European Girls’ Team Championship

• European Men’s Team Championship

Home advantage could prove significant for the Irish Women's Team as the European Women's Team Championship comes to Slieve Russell Golf & Country Club.

Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle), Olivia Costello (Roscommon), Kate Dillon (Oughterard), Rebekah Gardner (Clandeboye), Katie Poots (Knock) and Jessica Ross (Clandeboye) form a strong six-woman squad captained by Gillian O’Leary, alongside manager Clodagh Walsh and coach Donal Scott.

“It's brilliant,” said team captain Gillian O’Leary. “It's not always players get an opportunity to play at home in a European Championship. We're delighted to be in Slieve Russell; all the girls' games are in good shape. They all like the course and are looking forward to the week.”

The team arrives in excellent form. Dillon earned selection following her victory at the East of Ireland Women’s Amateur Championship while Costello impressed in both the East of Ireland and Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championships.

Ross finished runner-up at the Flogas Irish Women’s, while Gardner and Poots enjoyed strong collegiate seasons in the United States, and Coulter returns following another impressive Curtis Cup campaign.

“There's lots of experience in there,” said O’Leary.

“Jess Ross has huge international experience, Beth coming back from Curtis Cup. Rebecca was great last year at the women's level in both the Europeans and the Home Internationals. Olivia has huge experience at women's level and Kate has been doing great out in the States. Katie as well is similar.

“She's playing in the States, and she's played at girls' level Home Internationals and European. They're experienced. They know what it's all about. They know what to expect and I'm sure they'll have a lot of confidence in themselves going into it.”

This week will also mark one of Coulter's final appearances as an amateur before she sets her sights on the professional game. A stalwart of Irish teams throughout her career, O'Leary believes the 22-year-old's leadership will be invaluable.

“Beth has been around since she was 12 so I know her quite a long time,” said O’Leary.

“She's really well respected. She's as good a golfer as she is a person and she's a real leader in the team. She is a good person who brings everybody along with her and is really supportive of everyone in the team.”

“It'd be nice if she could have a good week in particular, but as a team and a whole and I think it's just a lovely thing for her to round off her amateur career with a home event and such a big one as the Europeans.”

In Estonia, Damien Coyne again captains the Irish Men's Team, which returns with the same six players who secured an impressive fourth-place finish in Killarney last year.

Stuart Grehan (Co. Louth), John Doyle (Fota Island), Thomas Higgins (Roscommon), Matthew McClean (Malone), Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) and Gavin Tiernan (Co. Louth) team up once again, hoping to build on that performance.

“It's great to have the same group together because they are a really good group,” said Coyne.

“They've had the experience of performing really well so they have that confidence that they're able to perform and they know they have the ability to go and compete at the very top end of this as well.”

The Men’s side will also be boosted by the recent form of Grehan, who claimed a memorable victory at Royal Liverpool to become the 131st Amateur Champion.

“It was great to see him do it, and it's great to go to go to European Team Championships with the Amateur Champion as part of your team,” said Coyne.

“It’s given everyone a great lift. It was fantastic to see, and hopefully he can bring that same form with him to Estonia. He'll be raring to go and have his game in really good shape so it's an exciting time for him and an exciting time for everyone involved with the tournament and with Irish golf generally.”

Brenda Craig once again leads the Girls’ Team to Zurich in Switzerland, where a young but experienced group will aim to build on last year’s bronze medal success.

Hannah Lee-McNamara (Royal Portrush), Kayleigh Mulholland (Castlerock) and Zoe McLean-Tattan (Romford) were all part of the side that claimed bronze in 2025 and are joined by Ella Cantwell (Douglas), Emma Vinarcik (Elm Park) and Jessica Reynolds (Clandeboye).

“Three girls have been there and experienced it before,” said Craig.

“This is going to be Hannah's third European experience. Kayleigh and Zoe were both part of the bronze winning team last year and then we have Ella, Emma and Jessica to join them.”

“For Ella, Jess and Emma, it's a completely new experience. They're looking forward to it. They're all playing really nice golf and it's the pinnacle of junior golf in Europe. I'm trying to tell them that you're allowed to be nervous but enjoy it and relax and you've earned your spot and at this stage.”

Having secured Ireland's first Girls' Team Championship medal since 2009, Craig hopes the squad can once again challenge for the podium.

“We have three girls there that experienced that and will want to experience it again,” said Craig.

“It was an amazing experience last year, and even to equal that, that would be brilliant, but you know what? One or two better, we wouldn't say no.”

The Boys’ Team travels to Costa Navarino in Greece with a team determined to secure promotion back to Division One following last year’s relegation.

Captain John Carroll will again call upon John William Burke (Ballyhaunis), Adam Fahey (Portmarnock) and Isaac Oliver (Glasson), while Flogas Irish Boys’ Champion Luke Furlong (Wexford), John Moran (Portmarnock) and Harry O’Hara (Clandeboye) are all set to make their European Team Championship debuts.

“We had a decent team last year, but we were a bit unlucky,” said Carroll.

“The target this year is to get promotion back to Division One. The top two are guaranteed to come up, but we're going out there to win it, to get the gold medal and to get back to the big one for the following year.”

The goal for Carroll and his team is simple: earn their way back to the top division and dine at the top table of European Boys’ golf in 2027.

“The two lads who will be gone next year, Adam Fahey and Isaac Oliver, they should be going there with the mentality of going out and finishing off their boys’ career with a gold medal and helping Ireland to get promotion,” said Carroll.

“For the other four lads, there's a huge incentive for them because 2027, for a lot of them, will be their final year, and I'm sure they would love to be finishing off in Division One playing against all the top countries.

“The sole focus for Greece is to come in the top two as a minimum. We'd like to win it and get a gold medal, but coming in the top two is the absolute minimum.”

Pádraig Harrington produced one of the greatest putting displays of his career to claim his third US Senior Open in five years with a “boring” four-stroke victory at Scioto Country Club in Ohio.

The Dubliner, who turns 55 next month, came from a shot behind Stewart Cink by carding a best-of-the-day, four-under 66 to win by four strokes from the 2009 Open champion on 12-under-par.

He also made history by becoming just the second man since Miller Barber in 1985 to win the Francis Ouimet Trophy three times.

"It feels great, but obviously there wasn't the drama that I know we normally provide down the stretch,” Harrington said after a brilliant display of tactical golf and 72 holes without an official three-putt.

“That doesn't mean that I wasn't feeling it. I was really trying to stay in it, stay focused. I knew I had a nice lead, which let me play to the middle of the greens.”

He added: “It's very rare for me to win a tournament where it's actually boring coming down the stretch. I'm sorry for the TV viewers. Normally, I have to win the tournament twice, not just once.”

Trailing Cink by a shot overnight, Harrington rolled in an 11-footer for birdie at the first to draw level and went on to forge a four-shot lead over Cink and George NcNeill by the turn as he birdied the second and followed a bogey at the fifth with birdies at the sixth and, crucially, the eighth to turn in 32.

“I know that people would not believe this, but I don't think I've ever won a tournament by putting,” Harrington said. “This one, I did. I putted lights out all week.

“I've been telling everybody I'm putting great; I've been saying it for six weeks, but I delivered this week.”

His 25-footer at the eighth for the only birdie of the day there proved key.

“I won't say it was over from there on in, but it gave me a great platform to close it out.”

He extended his advantage to five strokes with another birdie at the 11th and played for the centre of the greens coming home to win with ease from Cink and clinch another US Open start at Pebble Beach next year.

He was also proud to break out of a tie with Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Allen Doyle, Kenny Perry and Bernhard Langer and join Barber as a three-time champion.

“I like where you're going with that,” he grinned. “No one has won more Senior Opens than me, which, considering the people who would have played it over the years, is a nice stat to put on my CV.”

Darren Clarke (57) was left to rue a triple bogey seven at the eighth as he tied for eighth on three under after a final-round 70 while Ballymena’s Chris Devlin (51) shot 71 to finish tied for 17th on level par.

In Munich, South African rookie Michael Hollick (39) produced a sensational birdie-eagle finish to pip compatriot Hennie du Plessis by a shot to capture the BMW International Open and his maiden DP World Tour win.

Tied for the lead with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger overnight, Hollick was two shots behind Du Plessis after a bogey at the 16th but hit a brilliant five-iron to six feet at the 218-yard 17th and rolled in the putt to get within a shot of his compatriot.

Du Plessis could only make par at the last to shoot a best-of-the-day 66 and set the target at 17-under and took advantage, ripping a five-iron to 20 feet before rolling in the eagle putt to win.

“It's amazing, honestly,” Hollick said. “I've just given myself and my family such a good opportunity, so really looking forward to it.

“Four years ago, I put the clubs in the cupboard and started coaching, did a full year of coaching full-time and played like ten events on the Sunshine Tour, played quite well but didn't get into any of the big events.

“Then started 2024 by winning the Zimbabwe Open and started finding my feet again, won another two tournaments, and then started the season nicely here.

“The first year is tough; it's all the unknown. You're playing your heart out to keep your card and give yourself a chance next year, but here we are.”

The five spots in the 154th Open Championship for the leading non-exempt players in the Race to Dubai went to Du Plessis, Wiesberger, Jayden Schaper and English duo Andy Sullivan and Dan Bradbury.

At the Hulencourt Women’s Open in Belgium, Anna Foster was left to rue two sixes on the back nine as she closed with a one-over 73, finishing tied for 12th on one-under.

Spanish rookie Carolina Chacarra (23), a sister of three-time DP World Tour winner Eugenio, shot an impressive bogey-free 68 to win by three shots from Australia’s Kelsey Bennett on 12-under.

On the HotelPlanner Tour, France’s Julien Sale (68) won the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge by a shot from Denmark’s Hamish Brown (68) on 12 under.

Conor Purcell was 35th on three under after a 69, while Ronan Mullarney and Liam Nolan shot rounds of 76 to finish level par and five over, respectively.

TRALEE, Co. Kerry, Ireland. -- Needing and getting exactly 12 points during the Final Round Singles, Team International defeated Team USA 30.5-29.5 to capture the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup at Tralee Golf Links.

It was the closest margin of victory in a Palmer Cup since 2000 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club when Great Britain & Ireland defeated USA 12.5-11.5.

Results

With this second consecutive Palmer Cup victory for Team International after winning the 2025 Palmer Cup at Congaree Golf Club, the series is now 15-14-1 in favor of Team USA after 30 Palmer Cups. 

“It’s a tremendous honor to be associated with anything to do with the Arnold Palmer Cup, and to be the captain with Janice (Olivencia) and have an unbelievable experience here at Tralee, it’s been amazing,” Team International Co-Head Coach Brennan Webb said.

“Everything that we talked about and things that were going to be important for us to have success this week panned out.

“We were fortunate enough to know each other pretty well and talked a lot about the chemistry of what we were looking for.

“We knew how important the chemistry of everybody working together would be.

“There’s more team golf than single golf this week, and that’s the most important aspect of it, let alone what’s happening off the golf course and how much we’re hanging out.

“Janice did an amazing job and brought a ton of energy to the team and really rallied them together. We were able to sneak it out there at the end. It was an amazing week.”

“We don’t get the chance to do this very often, and I told the team that today is what we came here to do,”  said Olivencia.

“We came here to not just hope to win today but to take it, and that’s what we did. We were ready to go and kept the Cup at home.” 

The teams each earned 12 points after Sunday’s 24 matches.

Match 42 was the first match to come in, seeing Nguyen Anh Minh lead after all 15 of the holes in his 5&3 win over Team USA’s Cayden Pope.

Team International won five of the next eight matches in to build a 25-20 lead, including Árni Sveinsson’s 6&5 victory over Connor Williams in Match 54 that saw the first Icelandic golfer to qualify for the U.S. Open win eight of the match’s 12 holes.

Tied on the 18^th hole, Rianne Malixi holed a near-40-foot eagle on the par-five 18^th to win what was a tied Match 41 1UP against Jasmine Koo and put a pivotal full point on the board for Team International. 

Team USA then won seven of the final 15 matches while five others ended in a tie to make a late charge for the Cup. Wheaton Ennis won Match 50 3&2, Chloe Kovelesky Match 49 4&2, Jacob Modleski Match 47 1UP, Kihei Akina Match 51 1UP, Max Herendeen Match 59 3&2, Megan Propeck Match 56 1UP, and Jack Turner Match 58 1UP.

Team International’s Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio’s Match 53 tie brought the score to 30-29 with the final match, Match 60, still to finish. 

Vanessa Borovilos was up one for six of the back nine holes against Mackenzie Lee in the anchor match. Having won the 16^th hole and lost the 17^th, Lee had an eagle opportunity on the 18^th to win the match and tie the 2026 Palmer Cup that rolled short.

She would make birdie to tie the match and etch in a 30.5-29.5 final score.

“This match, no matter if you’re the first or last for everyone, you’re going out to win it,” Borovilos, a 2026 WGCA First Team All-American, said.

“Coach Janice gave us a heck of a speech last night that got us all fired up, so it was really the same approach as any other match; try to be aggressive out there, don’t give them any short ones, and put as much pressure as you can on USA because anything can happen with this wind.

“I will say that it’s a lot more stressful playing for more than just myself. I played with Daniel (Bennett), Lauren (Kim), and Luke (Poulter) this week, and I felt so bad anytime I hit a bad shot because it’s for them and not just me.

“To have all of the team sitting there after this match, it means so much more for everyone. We get this only so often, so we really try to enjoy it.”

“I took a little bit of a tip from Paul McGinley when he came out and gave us a speech that it’s about you today because it’s Singles and you don’t have a teammate at that moment to lean on like Foursomes and Four-Ball,” Olivencia continued.

“We go out there because we’re playing for our teammates, for the badge that we have on our chest, for the country that we represent, and for the family that believes in us.

“It takes everything; Heart, unity, and belief in each other, and that’s exactly what this team had.

“Chemistry was extremely important, and we rounded up a great group that was deeply committed and accepted the challenge to come out here and defend the Cup, and that’s no easy task.

“I’m extremely proud of these players and this coaching staff. Brennan and I couldn’t have done it without any of them. It’s a group effort and takes a village to win something this big, so I’m just so proud.” 

Each year, a woman and man are voted upon by their peers to receive exemptions into the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship July 9-12 and 2027 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard® March 18-21.

This year’s recipients are Lauren Kim (Texas/Canada) and Luke Poulter (Florida/England), respectively.

“Three weeks in Europe is pretty cool,” said Kim after playing The Women’s Amateur Championship and Palmer Cup already in consecutive weeks. “I wasn’t expecting it.

“I’m so grateful and I’m so excited to represent everybody and Team International. It’s not every day you represent something more than yourself.

“In college golf, obviously we represent our schools, but I think playing for Team International and representing Mr. Palmer is a very unique opportunity. I’m really grateful.”

“I was pretty speechless to think that I’m going to be playing on the PGA TOUR come March, especially in my hometown,” said Poulter, who will be slated to make his PGA TOUR debut.

“It’s literally 25 minutes from my house and growing up watching my dad play there every single year, it’s surreal and I’m buzzing.

“The golf course is completely different from when I’ve played it conditions wise, but I’m so excited and I’m going to go out there and enjoy every moment.

“I’m sure I’ll have some family come out and watch, and it’s going to be great.” 

On February 13, 2002, former Penn State University golfer and GCAA Arnold Palmer Cup intern Michael Carter died in an automobile accident at the young age of 19.

While Carter tragically left this world too soon, his infectiously fun-loving spirit will forever live in this competition.

The Michael Carter “Junior” Memorial Award is presented to the Arnold Palmer Cup participant from each team who best represents the qualities and ideals that made this young man unique. 

The 2026 recipients are Kihei Akina and Luke Poulter.

Team USA’s Max Herendeen (3-0-1) and Team International’s Patience Rhodes (3-0-1) each had an undefeated 2026 Palmer Cup.

Padraig Harrington happily saddled Stewart Cink with the favourite's tag after a closing bogey left him a shot behind his former Ryder Cup rival heading into the final round of the US Senior Open at Scioto Country Club.

The Dubliner (54) is bidding to become just the second man to win the title three times.

But with Cink looking to win the first three senior Majors of the year, Harrington suggested that all the pressure is on the American.

"I think that feeling is gone now, as in Stewart is leading the tournament," Harrington said of the pressure of being the defending champion. 

"It's on his shoulders. He's the one with the lead. I'm now chasing, so I don't have that feeling at all. Even today I didn't feel like that."

Cink fired the joint best round of the week, a six-under 64, to lead by a shot on nine-under from Harrington, who made five birdies in a six-hole mid-round stretch to shoot 66.

George McNeill (69) and Miguel Angel Jimenez just two and three shots behind, respectively and Harrington knows that it could be a final-round shootout with rain expected overnight.

He was briefly six strokes behind McNeill before birdies at the sixth, ninth, 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th gave him the solo lead.

A bogey at the last cost left him a shot behind Cink, who has already won The Tradition and the Senior PGA this year.

Cink describes Harrington as "the ultimate competitor" and Harrington is ready for all eventualities should the greens become more receptive.

"It's always hard to win these things," he said. "Stewart is not giving it up. George had a good day, too. I see the three of us playing tomorrow again. 

"Later on in the round, if you fall three shots behind, you're going to have to just go all out. You can't be defensive at all at that stage."

Cink lost a final-round battle to Harrington last year and expects more of the same.

"He's never going to take a shot off, and I don't expect him to tomorrow either," he said.

"I'm going to have my hands full with him and all these other guys tomorrow, but mostly with Scioto and myself."

Darren Clarke shot a six-under 64 to leap from 41st to joint fifth on three-under and knows he needs a similar final round to contend, while Chris Devlin's rollercoaster 71 left the Ballymena man joint 11th on one-under.

At the BMW International Open, Bernd Wiesberger (67) and South Africa's Michael Hollick (69) share a one-shot lead heading into the final round in Munich, one stroke clear of Mexico's Carlos Ortiz on 13 under.

In Belgium, Elm Park's Anna Foster's two-over 74 left her joint sixth going into the final round of the Hulencourt Women's Open, eight strokes behind Australia's Kelsey Bennett.

In Normandy, South Africa's MJ Viljoen shot a six-under 66 to lead the Hotel Planner Tour's Vaudreuil Golf Challenge by two shots from England's Alfie Plant and Norway's Kristian Krogh Johannessen on 11 under.

Galway's Ronan Mullarney goes into the final round tied for 25th on four under after a 71, with Conor Purcell (72) back on level par and Liam Nolan (74) one over.