Interprovincial Championships: Big guns Leinster and Ulster will face each other on the final day of the Golfsure Interprovincials at Co Louth today.
But unlike in other years, the match between Connacht and Munster will have equal importance as all four provinces tee it up with one victory each and their title aspirations intact.
Bloodied but unbowed after their shock defeat to Connacht on the opening day, defending champions Ulster kept their hopes alive when they came back from another shaky foursomes performance to beat Munster 7-6.
Trailing 2½ to 1 ½ at lunch, John White's charges won five and halved another of the nine singles to set up what promises to be a titanic tussle with hosts Leinster today.
Leading by a point after the foursomes, Leinster cruised to a comfortable 8½-4½ victory over a youthful Connacht side bidding to win the Interprovincial crown for the first time in 24 years.
With 17-year old debutant Kelan McDonagh claiming four points out of four, Connacht have every chance of winning the title for the first time since their triumph at Connemara in 1983.
"We have a great chance," said Connacht's non-playing captain Pat Killeen. "As far as matches won goes, we are only a point and a half behind the leaders Leinster. So if we can beat Munster with a few points to spare tomorrow we will be right up there with a chance of being first or second, which would be a great result."
UNIVERSITY GAMES:The Irish women's golf team at the World University Games in Bangkok lead the team event by eight shots heading into today's final round. Danielle McVeigh (Royal County Down) yesterday carded the best score of tournament so far, a three-under-par 69, to pull seven shots clear of her nearest challenger, Britain's Anna Scott, at the top of the individual leaderboard.
UL student Niamh Kitching carded a four-over-par 76 around the Watermills venue, and Cork's Gillian O'Leary posted her best round of the tournament so far, a six-over-par 78.
The team format is three to play, two to score, so the combined scores of Kitching and McVeigh send the Irish into the final round eight shots clear of Britain.
GIRLS BRITISH AMATEUR:Twelve-year-old Lisa Maguire entered golf's record books last night as the youngest semi-finalist in the Girls' British Open Amateur championship. Unfazed by the wind and tough links conditions at Southerndown, south Wales, Maguire booked her place in the last four with two notable successes.
First she beat the highly rated Florentyna Parker, an England international and French lady junior champion from Royal Birkdale, 2 and 1, and then saw off Belgium's Laura Gonzalez-Escallon.Maguire takes on Kelly Tidy from Manchester in today's semi-finals.
US TOUR:Local knowledge counted for Will McKenzie, from Greenville, North Carolina, as he set the early pace in the Wyndham Championships at the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro in his native state.
The 32-year-old shot 64 to lead by one from US compatriots Steve Marino and Lucas Glover and Londoner Brian Davis.
CHALLENGE TOUR:Michael McGeady yesterday carded an opening six-under-par 66 that included an eagle two after holing a sand wedge approach to lead the Challenge Tour's Lexus Open at Miklagard GC in Norway.
Colm Moriarty and Michael Hoey were flying the Irish flag at the Challenge Tour's other event this week - the Rolex Trophy in Geneva. Moriarty and Hoey are the only two Irishmen in an elite 39-man field and posted respective first rounds of three-under 69 and one-under 71.
WOMEN'S TOUR:A bogey-free six-under-par 66 gave Denmark's Lisa Holm Sorensen the first-round lead at the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe at the Machynys Peninsula Golf Club in west Wales. Three Irish players are in the field. Martina Gillen is on two over par, Rebecca Coakley four over and Claire Coughlan six over.
