Tiger Woods is playing the Hero World Challenge this week, making it the 10th time he has returned from layoffs of 10 weeks or longer.

England’s Luke Donald has a four-stroke lead with 18 holes to play at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan.

Spectators were asked to delay their arrival for the second day of the Open Championship today after heavy rain overnight left standing water on parts of the Royal Lytham course.

WHILE the future of the Mission Hills World Cup was assured behind closed doors, Rory McIlroy continued playing his Pied Piper role as he and Graeme McDowell put Ireland into a share of the lead with two rounds remaining on Hainan Island in China.

Australia made a good start to today’s foursomes at the Golf World Cup to maintain their two-shot cushion over Ireland at the Mission Hills resort on Hainan island.

RORY MCILROY revealed he will pledge €75,000 of his savings to the Japan earthquake and tsunami appeal when he tees up alongside Japanese golfing heartthrob Ryo Ishikawa on Monday in Yokohama.

Australian duo Richard Green and Brendan Jones carded a superb 61 to take a two-shot lead over Ireland and Scotland after the first round of the World Cup in China.

American Scott Verplank has turned down the chance to act as first reserve in The Open at Sandwich tomorrow.

Thomas Bjorn, who lost the 2003 Open at Sandwich from three ahead with four to play, remains first reserve for this week’s championship.

Tiger Woods is out of the Open – and soon he will be out of the world’s top 20 as well.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE believes it would have been in Rory McIlroy’s best interest to play an event before next week’s British Open at Sandwich.

Vijay Singh, joint runner-up the last time The Open was held at Sandwich in 2003, will have the chance to play in next week’s championship there – if he is fit enough.

Ernie Els is expected to be back in action at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson on Wednesday after a sore neck kept him out of last week’s Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.

Ian Poulter is set to start the defence of his WGC-Accenture Match Play title against 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink if all the world’s top 64 show up in Tucson next week.

Weather-weary Britons battled ice and snow today to either get away for the Christmas break or to do last-minute shopping.

Hiroyuki Fujita held off a final-day charge from Toru Taniguchi to land the Nippon Series JT Cup.

Michio Matsumura triumphed in a three-way play-off to win the Coca-Cola Tokai Classic today.

Volcanic ash from the eruption in Iceland could take between 24 and 36 hours to drift across the UK – if there is no more volcanic activity, weather forecasters said today.

RORY MCILROY has reached a higher position on the world rankings than any other 20-year-old before him.

Tiger Woods got off to a shaky start in search of his 15th major as Y E Yang piled pressure on the overnight leader in the final round of the US PGA Championship.

Padraig Harrington was leading the charge to catch US PGA Championship leader Tiger Woods as the world number one defended a four-shot overnight lead at Hazeltine National.

Tiger Woods and his closest rivals were bracing themselves for another difficult day at Hazeltine National as they prepared for the third round of the US PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods carved out a four-stroke lead over the field at the US PGA Championship last night and committed himself to another two rounds of grinding golf.

Padraig Harrington lost ground to Tiger Woods at the US PGA Championship but said he would remain focused on getting to the last nine holes on Sunday still in contention.

WHEN you’ve done it once,three times or even 14 times,you know you can do it again.

Tiger Woods went home early last night from his first tournament back after eight months out through injury but he found plenty of positives to take with him.

Phil Mickelson took an early lead in his tussle with Zach Johnson as the Americans got the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship under way at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club near Tucson today.

Tiger Woods was satisfied with his return after overcoming a front-nine wobble to win his opening match at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship today.

Tiger Woods overcame a front-nine wobble to win his opening match at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in his much-anticipated comeback from an eight-month injury lay-off.

Lee Westwood got the European challenge at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club off to a flying start as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship began near Tucson today.

Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf later today still surprised at how well he has recovered from reconstructive knee surgery.

Europe's newest star Rory McIlroy could face Tiger Woods in the third round of next week's Accenture World Match Play in Arizona - if, that is, the world number one decides he is ready to return to action.

India's Jeev Milkha Singh overcame personal tragedy to win the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup today and dedicated the two-stroke win at the event to his wife only days after she gave birth to their stillborn child.

Kaname Yokoo shot a seven-under-par 63 to take a one-stroke lead at the end of the opening round of the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup today.

Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson combined to produce a scintillating performance in the final-round foursomes today to capture the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Sweden.

Brendan Jones sank a birdie on the last to ensure Australia take a share of the lead alongside Spain into tomorrow’s final round of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

A disappointing double bogey on the last meant Ireland dropped from second to tied sixth at seven under at the end of the opening round of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup today, with Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka of Germany at the top of the leaderboard with a one-stroke lead.

Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley were making a solid charge up the leaderboard midway through the opening round of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup today, and were seven under through 12.

Shingo Katayama shot a four-under-par 68 to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters.

The withdrawal of American Brett Wetterich has prevented a first round clash between Colin Montgomerie and Justin Rose at the Accenture World Match Play Championship in Arizona next week.

Open champion Padraig Harrington is in line for a first round clash with Swede Peter Hanson at the Accenture World Match Play Championship in Arizona next week.

There is snow falling across some parts of Britain this morning but there will be barely a flake in other areas today.

Weather forecasters have predicted Hurricane Emily will hover over Mexico for the next three days bringing strong winds and floods to some of the country's top holidays resorts.

Australian Brendan Jones holds a one-shot lead after the third round of the BC Open.

PÁDRAIG Harrington landed a 60ft eagle putt on the final hole to claim the Barclays Classic in New York late last night.

Wimbledon 2005 was getting under way today with a host of British players set to see first-round action on what should be another scorching day in the sun.

Vijay Singh, winner of two of the last three tournaments in Houston, is off to a flying start in his title defence at the Houston Open, firing an opening-round eight-under-par 64.

More heavy rain is set to hit the coastal area where a village was devastated by a freak deluge.

PAUL McGINLEY will be the first Irish player into action in the Open Championship at Royal Troon at 7.03am on Thursday.

Lee Westwood has chosen to be “reclusive” in the build-up to this week’s British Open championship at Royal Troon. But that is bound to change once the event starts.