Padraig Harrington just can't shake off that reputation for being a decent guy as well as a world-class golfer. Harrington, in his support for next year's World Special Olympics, plans to follow up his exhibition round of golf with Greg Norman on the splendid Doonbeg course in Clare on July 9th with a hasty flight back to the K Club in Kildare in the evening for the Padraig Harrington Golf Classic.

The national drive for the 2003 Special Olympics begins with the classic, which has already attracted significant attention. The course, as sponsors O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars point out, will be in extraordinarily good condition as the event takes place just two days after the European Open, which takes place in the K Club.

The event is limited to 30 teams, and a few slots are still available, and after the golf everyone will be invited to an evening clinic on the practice ground with the world number 11. Contact: (01) 4721400.

Powerful field

Holder John Cahill from Fermoy will be among the favourites to capture the Pitch and Putt National Strokeplay championship at the ESB Club in Cork next weekend. However, Colin Somers of Royal Meath, Parcelli Darcy and international Eddie Carey from Athgarvan will also have sights set on lifting the title. The field also includes a number of ex-juvenile champions: Kieran Drumgoole, Jason McNamara, George McGreel and Fran O'Donoghue, which could make the battle interesting. Terence O'Donnell won the intermediate championship in Fermoy in 1999, Junior Smith is a former Leinster champion, Jim Hanover makes a welcome return to championship Pitch and Putt while Pat O'Shea will fancy his chances over his home course.

Tipp's for golfers

The Philip Walton Dundrum House Pro Am will take place at Dundrum House Golf and Leisure Club, in Co Tipperary on Tuesday and Wednesday next. The second annual pro-am will host a distinguished list of professionals, with Philip Walton and Eamonn Darcy competing with the top 30 professionals on the Irish Order of Merit.

The prize fund has increased to €35,000, making it the third biggest pro-am on the Irish PGA circuit this year. Amateurs will battle over the two days for 10 team prizes. The cost for teams of three is €1,300. A new celebrity section has been introduced, with familiar names as Niall Quinn, Pat Shortt, Charlie Swan, Tomás Dunne, Eoin "Bomber" Liston, Keith Barr, Tony McCoy, Mick Fitzgerald and Nicky English all set to take part.

Kane not forgotten

Irish amateur golf and particularly The Island golf club lost one of its great players and characters with the passing of Peter "Peenie" Kane last week. He was 80 and was ill for some eight months.

Born in Portmarnock, where he learned his golf, playing - as he described it himself - with one club and over three holes in "The Dunes". Kane enjoyed a long association with The Island where he was very much involved in the club's emergence as a force in the Senior Cup, Barton Shield and Mixed Foursomes.

In 1963 he was capped at senior level for Leinster and also helped The Island to success in the Barton Shield in that year. Four years later with the same team of his son Raymond Kane, Bernie Moore, Dermot Horish and the brothers Bernard Rogers, Liam Rogers and Kevin Rogers, they won the All-Ireland Senior Cup for the first time. A member of the artisans in Portmarnock, Kane won all of the trophies on offer before joining The Island, and in 1967 with the late Barney O'Beirne, he won the World Airline Championship while representing Aer Lingus.

An honorary member of The Island, Peter Kane guided the careers of many men and women at the Co Dublin club. One of his great sayings was "son" - as he addressed everyone - "I have never seen the hole come to the ball" when a putt was left short.

Peter Kane may have gone, but his name will always be remembered in The Island golf club.

Daly among the aces

Hugo Daly celebrated the president's (Hugh McFadden's) day with a hole-in-one at Letterkenny golf club over the weekend. Daly used a pitching wedge on the 125-yard par-three fifth hole for his ace, while Barry O'Sullivan, a long-time member of the Slade Valley club, got off to a flying start in last week's fourball when he holed out at the 176-metre second hole using a five-wood.

Meanwhile, Grange, Delgany and Elm Park qualified for the Leinster final of the Bulmers Irish Senior Cup at Co Louth later this month after Sunday's qualifying at Newlands. Grange beat Slade Valley 4-1, Delgany were 3-2 winners over Milltown and Elm Park beat a fancied Hermitage side 3.5 to 1.5.

Murphy in record-breaking form

Mark Murphy, playing off a handicap of plus two, recorded a remarkable seven-under-par 65 to break the course record at Waterville on Monday. The 24-year-old was five-up in the "v par" competition in which he was competing. Murphy then capped off a memorable few days when he competed in the pro-am at the Murphy's Irish Open at Fota Island and outscored Darren Clarke, shooting a two-under-par 69 to Clarke's 70.

Back in 2000, Murphy had a memorable appearance in the Irish Open when with a score of two under par he was the only amateur to make the halfway cut at Ballybunion.

Keeping it in the family

The husband and wife duo of Kieran Horlacher and Breda Horlacher amazingly took home both prizes in the President's (Don Buchalter) Prize at Edmondstown on Sunday. Kieran - a 10 handicapper - fired 37 points to pip Howard Taylor (11) by a single point, with Eamon Murray (5) back in third on 34 points. Breda (23) went out in the afternoon and fired 36 points for a one-point victory over Arabella White (14) to secure the President's Prize to Ladies. Penny White (17) with 34 points was third.