GOLF:Ireland will have a seven competitors in next week's British Open after Justin Kehoe and David Higgins came through final local qualifying in Scotland yesterday.
The pair will join Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and European amateur champion Rory McIlroy at Carnoustie.
Birr's Kehoe added a 68 to his first-round 67 at Montrose to grab the third and last qualifying place.
Waterville's Higgins carded a superb 66 at Downfield to secure the second slot.
Among some of the bigger names to miss out were France's Thomas Levet, runner-up to Ernie Els after a five-hole play-off at Muirfield in 2002, who failed to come through on two under at Panmure following a 70.
But he has one more chance.
Levet headed straight across to Loch Lomond for the Scottish Open starting tomorrow and will now try to repeat his 2004 feat of winning the tournament to get into the Open. He went on to finish fifth at Troon.
EUROPEAN LADIES: Teenager Danielle McVeigh produced an inspired performance to fire Ireland into a strong position to reach the quarter-finals (top flight) of the European Ladies Amateur Team Championship at Castelconturbia, near Milan, yesterday.
The l9-year-old from Royal Co Down Ladies, who has just completed her first year at Texas A&M University, posted a fine, four-under-par 68 as the Irish, looking to emulate their male counterparts' of last week, compiled an aggregate of 369 - nine over par - with five of their six cards counting.
This gave them fifth place, and while they are in a strong position, they cannot relax today as Scotland and France are just two strokes behind and Wales, Belgium and Italy are three adrift.
Ireland had made a steady start, with all the early scores in the mid-70s when McVeigh handed in her excellent total. She went to the turn in one-under-par 35 having birdied four and seven but bogeyed six.
Coming home she picked up further strokes on the 14th and 15th.
County Louth's Deirdre Smith had given Ireland the sort of steady start required with a 73. She had dropped two strokes to the turn in 38, but came home strongly and finished with a birdie three following a superb approach to the last.
Tara Delaney from Carlow had halves of 37 and 38 in a 75, while Marian Riordan was generally happy with her 76.
Karen Delaney, the reigning Irish champion and a member of the Vagliano Trophy team, was out of sorts, taking 40 to the turn and starting home with a bogey six when she three-putted.
After that she was steady and finished with a birdie three for a 77.
The non-counting score was that of Maura Morrin from The Curragh, who took 78.
Spain lead the way on 349, a full eight strokes clear of Sweden, whose Anna Nordqvist fired a course-record eight-under-par 64.
u EUROPEAN BOYS: Ireland are in a precarious position after the first day of their European Championships at the Rold Skov club in Denmark as they lie in eighth position.
Italy are in the driving seat on 357, six shots ahead of Sweden and seven ahead of England, with Scotland also likely to make it through to the quarter-finals, but Ireland are on a knife edge.
Stephen Healy of Claremorris led the Irish challenge with a 72, while Chris Drumm of Rosslare took one more.
NORTH OF IRELAND: Fergal Rafferty set a scorching early pace in the final strokeplay round to find the 59 qualifiers in the Magners North of Ireland Amateur Open championship at Royal Portrush.
The 19-year-old from Dungannon fired a four-birdie, two-under-par 70 on the championship Dunluce course.
His two-card aggregate of four-under 138 had the plus-one handicapper top of the table.
One shot behind was Robert Cannon of Laytown and Bettystown, posting level-par 72 on Dunluce.
Overnight leader Cian Curley of Newlands fell off the radar as far as the leading qualifier was concerned. He suffered on Dunluce, and was 11 strokes worse off after the opening 66. Still, Curley qualified on 143.
