Dubai’s Desert Classic and the superb Emirates course will always hold a special place in Rory McIlroy’s heart.

Felix Jones, the Munster and Ireland full-back out of action since last August, is set to return to competitive rugby later this month.

DECLAN KIDNEY took positives from the Irish Wolfhounds’ loss to the English Saxons in Exeter at the weekend but saw little reason to change his belief he already has a side best equipped to beat Wales in the Six Nations opener.

Whether you agree paying Tiger Woods more in appearance money than the entire prize fund was worth in Abu Dhabi at the weekend or not, he contributed hugely to the success of the tournament.

MUNSTER are already odds-on favourites to beat Ulster in April’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at Thomond Park and it isn’t hard to see why.

TIGER WOODS, along with the top four players in the world rankings, will contest this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship.

HE has turned 40, fallen to 89th in the world rankings and lost his most benevolent sponsor.

IT’S just as well that Munster invariably follow a sequence of poor league matches with much-improved performances when European activity resumes.

WITH the Irish Open set for Portrush in June, it will be fascinating to see if Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy can attract the quality of field that has been so conspicuously absent for much of the last decade.

THE RETURN of the Irish Open this year to Royal Portrush will act as a dry run for bringing the British Open Championship to the Dunluce links at the famed Antrim links in the future.