Next year’s European Tour has been confirmed with the Irish Open switching from late July to the end of June, but with a venue yet to be announced.

Rory McIlroy achieved the lowest 36-hole total in US Open history today – even with a double-bogey six at the final hole of his second round.

Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, two of Europe’s three vice-captains for the Ryder Cup, turned their attentions back to playing in Killarney today – with great results.

KOREAN KJ Choi will try to bridge a seven-year gap in Stockholm this weekend – and with it stop Open champion Louis Oosthuizen from making a piece of European Tour history.

DARREN CLARKE insists Pádraig Harrington is key to Europe’s hopes of winning back the Ryder Cup.

South African Louis Oosthuizen today maintained his challenge for a first major title on the second day of the Open Championship at St Andrews.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON was already in good spirits when he was informed that he would play the first two rounds of the 150th Open Championship with 60-year-old Tom Watson and Ryo Ishikawa, 18. While Harrington has been a long time fan and admirer of Watson, he has also seen enough of Iskikawa to believe he is another Watson in the making.

Darren Clarke could find himself caught up in a family battle as he tries to defend a three-stroke halfway lead at the Barclays Scottish Open today and tomorrow.

GRAEME MCDOWELL, golf’s newest major champion, returns to the European Tour at Loch Lomond today but admits it could be St Andrews next week before he is ready to contend again.

Relieved of the burden of trying to seal a maiden win, a relaxed and clear-thinking Justin Rose moved into a four-shot lead heading into the weekend at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

LEO ROSE is only 15 months old, but even he was applauding as his dad Justin’s long wait for a first victory in America ended at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON believes he can make 2010 a landmark year by becoming the first man to win all four majors in the same calendar year.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams told supporters in the US that he wants to reach an accommodation with unionism, but hit out at what he called its “Afrikaner wing”.

The North has taken huge steps towards delivering the peaceful and just society dreamed of by the civil rights movement, President Mary McAleese said today.

Elements of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) hark back to the days of unionist rule and hope to undermine Northern Ireland's power-sharing government, Sinn Fein claimed today.

WHILE they celebrated at Clandeboye Golf Club last night after the inclusion of Jonathan Caldwell in the British & Irish team to play the US in the Walker Cup at Royal Co Down on September 9 and 10, there was disappointment at Banbridge when Richard Kilpatrick was omitted.

A day after saying his back was “doing well” American star Fred Couples pulled out of the Barclays Scottish Open before the start at Loch Lomond today.

In a real blast from the past Sandy Lyle made a charge through the field in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles today – until his ball got stuck up a tree.

England’s David Griffiths stormed into the lead at the Spanish Open today - back at the club where he finished third in last November’s European Tour qualifying school.

The last time the world’s greatest golfers gathered for a major Tiger Woods paid Phil Mickelson a huge compliment.

Darren Clarke will look to build on his impressive opening of 67 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City when he tees off in the second round today but accepts that, with the course playing as difficult as it is, he cannot expect a repeat performance.

Jose Maria Olazabal took a big leap towards a seventh Ryder Cup cap by ending more than three and a half years without a victory at the Mallorca Classic today.

David Howell’s remarkable return from injury continued today when he took a share of the first round lead in the Dunhill Links championship.

Bernhard Langer today had his sights set on finally claiming the only European Tour event in Germany he has yet to win.

WHEN Phil Mickelson finally ended 11 years of “major” misery by winning the Masters at Augusta National in April 2004, it looked as if he had the golfing world at his feet.

Young Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, without a European tour card and without a top 20 finish all year, takes a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles tomorrow.

Paul Casey is not ready yet to send out any sort of warning to Tiger Woods, but the mere fact that he was playing at Gleneagles today put more of a spring in his step.

THE first day's play in the €3.4million Deutsche Bank Championship in Hamburg was completely washed out yesterday.

Tiger Woods said tonight that he hopes his latest major victory – his 10th - provides yet another spur for his father Earl in his battle with cancer.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell had the honour of setting the clubhouse lead on the final day of the Open at St Andrews and, but for an aberration at the 17th yesterday, felt he could have been in contention.

Jose Maria Olazabal is relishing his final day battle with Tiger Woods in the Open championship at St Andrews.

Paul McGinley may have boosted his confidence with a two-under par opening round of 70 – four off the lead held by Tiger Woods – in the Open at St Andrews but he admitted he has no idea how to play the 12th hole.

Tiger Woods emerged unscathed from his first visit to an Old Course bunker today to lead the Open Championship at St Andrews.

British amateur champion Brian McElhinney feels his short game will be the deciding factor in whether he goes one better than last year and makes the cut at this year’s Open at St Andrews.

A shank on your second shot of the day is a pretty scary way to start a round of golf.

The best line-up of golfing stars in Europe this year lines up at Adare in Ireland tomorrow and Tuesday – not for a European tour event, but for a pro-am.

Trevor Immelman reckons the Open at St Andrews the week after next is “probably going to be the highlight of my career”.

Seve Ballesteros has pulled out of the Open at St Andrews in two weeks’ time with his old Ryder Cup partner Jose Maria Olazabal set to replace him.

NEW US Open champion Michael Campbell has decided to play only one event - next week's European Open at the K Club - prior to the Open at St Andrews.

New US Open champion Michael Campbell has decided to play only one event - next week’s European Open at the K Club – prior to the Open at St Andrews.

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.

It was always going to need something pretty special to knock the All Blacks out of the headlines in New Zealand this week – but Michael Campbell has done it.

Jack Nicklaus is to play in his 45th Masters this week after all.