The champagne had not even dried on the European team room walls before thoughts turned to the next Ryder Cup trophy defence and, more pertinently, who will succeed Jose Maria Olazabal as captain at Gleneagles in 2014.

Even though the Ryder Cup at Medinah is only a month away, massive interest has already switched to the identity of the European captain for the 2014 clash at Gleneagles.

RORY McILROY couldn’t have been more at home on the Emirates course and in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic — he’s played that event more than any other in his short professional career.

WORLD champion John Higgins crashed to a shock defeat at the Northern Ireland Trophy yesterday.

Fergal O’Brien held his nerve to clinch a place in the vcpoker.ie Irish Professional Championship semi-finals in Dublin today.

Paul Lawrie today returned to the scene of his last victory and hauled himself out of a slump before rain suspended play in Wales.

Tom Lehman was given further proof today of the current strength in depth of the European Tour.

Motorsport enthusiast Simon Yates claims to get more of a kick out winning races than golf tournaments, despite a brilliant eight-under-par 64 leaving the Scot with a chance of claiming the biggest victory of his career at the BMW Asian Open.

JOHN HIGGINS dug deep to book his place in the Kilkenny Irish Masters quarter-finals at the Ormonde Hotel last night.

Anybody who thinks Jean van de Velde is joking about wanting to play in the Women’s British Open should have been at Valderrama when he spoke yesterday - he meant every word he said.

Alex Higgins was beaten 5-2 by Garry Hardiman on his professional comeback in the Irish Professional Championship in Dublin today.

Stuart Little pushed some of the sport’s biggest names into the shade today.

THERE was joy and pain for the home crowd at the French Open as Jean van de Velde revisited the trauma of his 1999 British Open nightmare to allow defending champion Jean-Francois Remesy to retain his title in a play-off.

JEAN VAN DE VELDE matched his lowest-ever round in Europe yesterday - and now has the chance to resurrect a tour career he feared could be over.

NOT since Carnoustie dominated the headlines before, during and after the 1999 British Open has a tournament venue generated such debate as Colin Montgomerie's Carton House in the build-up to this year's Nissan Irish Open.

An emotional John Parrott was “sickened” by his 10-8 defeat at the hands of Irishman Fergal O’Brien in the final qualifying round of the Embassy World Championship tonight.

Fergal O’Brien, in the doldrums for the last three years, returned to form to secure a place in the final qualifying round of the Embassy World Snooker Championship at Prestatyn last night.

The longest course in major history – 7,514 yards, no less – has been prepared for this week’s USPGA Championship. It is called Whistling Straits and it should have John Daly licking his lips.

Rodney Pampling set the pace at the International with a seven-under-par 65 worth 15 points in the modified Stableford format at Castle Pines in Colorado.

DARREN CLARKE and Pádraig Harrington were at odds at The K-Club yesterday but only about the likely winning score in the €3.3m Smurfit European Open that gets underway over the splendid new South Course today.

Jean Van de Velde was missing today when the most star-studded British Open championship qualifying event in living memory took place at Sunningdale.

ONE doesn’t need a degree in rocket science to realise that Europe must always field their very best possible side if they are to have any chance of beating the Americans in the Ryder Cup.

Padraig Harrington has reasons to be cheerful as he turns his thoughts to the Masters starting on Thursday but that will change if he starts the first round in Augusta the same way he started the final round of the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta yesterday.

The Scottish golfer and the Irish caddy involved in one of golf’s recent great major moments are again to join forces.

NICK FALDO wants to help Europe’s up-and-coming stars end a barren run in the majors that now stretches back over four seasons.

Charlie Mulqueen on Golf

Rod Pampling cut a confident figure after taking the lead in the first round of the Ford Championship at Doral.

THE new PGA champion may not be exactly a John Daly type character but he has tendencies in that direction which is probably one reason why the fans at Hazeltine took Rich Beem so much to their hearts.

Anthony Hamilton ended the giantkilling exploits of teenager Mark Selby with a cool performance as he secured a surprise appearance in the final of the £450,000 (€739,000) China Open in Shanghai today.