Wednesday 3 August 2011 14:05, UK
We trawl through the last week in sport to bring you the very best and worst of all the action.
All the talk beforehand was of a parade of Irish major champions - Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington at the Irish Open - but it was Englishman Simon Dyson who stole the show.
After battling it out all day with Australian Richard Green, the left-hander three-putted the 18th to hand Dyson the trophy in Killarney after he finished on 15-under.
Dyson collected his fifth title on Tour after a consistent masterclass saw him card just three bogeys all week as he moved back up into the world's top 50 and showing definite signs of becoming a major threat himself.
Jenson Button again showed his superb temperament by keeping his cool during a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix to mark his 200th Formula One race in style with a superb victory.
The McLaren driver was trailing team-mate Lewis Hamilton but capitalised on a rain shower to take control, with his fellow Brit missing out due to a wrong choice of tyres and a drive-through penalty.
Sebastian Vettel followed Button home in second with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso in third and Hamilton climbing back up to fourth after his problems.
Michael Phelps is becoming used to being overshadowed by American team-mate Ryan Lochte over the last two years, and that was again the case at the World Championships in Shanghai.
Lochte won five gold medals in all, and also became the first swimmer to set a new long-course world record since the ban on performance-enhancing suits when he lowered his own best in the 200m individual medley.
Phelps was beaten twice by Lochte in head-to-head battles and there is now the thrilling prospect of the two of them going up against each other at London 2012.
New Zealand got their Tri-Nations campaign off to a flying start with a thumping 40-7 victory over hapless South Africa in Wellington, on a special day for fly-half Dan Carter.
Carter regained his place at the top of the all-time Test scoring charts despite his kicking being below par for most of the contest, but that did not matter to the dominant All Blacks.
Carter wasted no time in regaining his scoring record from Jonny Wilkinson as he slotted over a simple penalty in the third minute after South Africa were penalised for offside.
The news came as a surprise to almost everybody when the RGL announced that the Crusaders, and not Wakefield, would be dropping out of Super League next season.
It was widely expected that Wakefield Wildcats would make way for the newly-promoted Widnes Vikings, but Crusaders will now depart after withdrawaing their application.
Leeds Rhinos veteran Keith Senior was amongst those reeling from the news - as the 35-year-old had signed a two-year deal with the Crusaders starting next season after being told of their ambitions to become a Super League force.
Liverpool were dealt a blow with the news captain Steven Gerrard has been ruled out until September after being admitted to hospital with an infection related to his troublesome groin injury.
The midfielder had been undergoing rehabilitation from groin surgery that ended his season in mid-March but manager Kenny Dalglish had expected him to be back for the start of the new campaign.
However, a statement on the club's official website has now revealed that he will not be available until next month, which caps a frustrating spell for the Reds skipper.
Rory McIlroy struggled to make a real impact at the Irish Open, but the US Open champion hit the headlines more for his row with American commentator and former player Jay Townsend.
A row broke out on Twitter after Townsend criticised McIlroy's course management, which drew an angry response from the 22-year-old, who claimed the American has been on his back for years.
McIlroy is now treading a fine line of spoiling the hugely positive reputation he has on Tour and with fans, especially in America, and he will no doubt be on a charm offensive in the build-up to the USPGA Championship.
Mario Balotelli has been scoring goals in pre-season but also showing his frustrating side with some of his behaviour playing for Manchester City.
The 20-year-old Italian had already put City ahead from the spot in their friendly against LA Galaxy but was then sent clear of the home defence on the half hour and instead of attempting to score normally, he tried a complicated pivot, followed by a backheel which rolled wide.
Bemused boss Roberto Mancini substituted him immediately for showboating after just 30 minutes of the match before sharing a few heated words with his fellow Italian.
