Brian Davis was finally able to accept he had done the right thing in taking two months off at the end of last season after yesterday’s dramatic victory at the ANZ Championship boosted his Ryder Cup chances.

Brian Davis declared it an “amazing day” after ending a near four-year wait for his second European Tour title with a dramatic one-point victory over defending champion Paul Casey at the ANZ Championship.

Ricky Barnes brushed aside early fears over disqualification to surge up the leaderboard and into contention for his first professional title at the ANZ Championship today.

Laura Davies put on a brave face but is unlikely to repeat her European Tour experience after missing the cut at the ANZ Championship today by 22 points.

England’s Steve Webster had Ian Woosnam to thank for a remarkable change in fortunes after he stormed into the clubhouse lead at the halfway stage of the ANZ Championship.

LAURA DAVIES, who was so racked with nerves she hardly slept a wink, overcame debilitating pressures to make a credible debut on the European Tour at the ANZ Championship in Australia yesterday.

Laura Davies may have won four majors and 56 women’s tournaments, but nothing prepared her for the pressures of being the first woman to tee off in a European Tour event.

Nick Flanagan was inspired by Tiger Woods’ sensational performance at the 1997 Masters to take up golf himself.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON is all for it; Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie are all against it.

Greg Norman today urged golf’s administrators to find a way of outlawing the increasingly popular practice of leading female players taking sponsors’ invitations to compete on the men’s tours.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE is among a number of male golfers expressing doubts about the increasing amount of lady golfers playing at the men’s tournaments.

ENGLAND’S Paul Casey and Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson, both multiple winners on The 2003 European Tour, have confirmed their participation in the first Nissan-sponsored Irish Open which returns to Portmarnock for the first time in 13 years from July 24-27 July.

ENGLAND’S Paul Casey condemned Pádraig Harrington to the 19th runners-up finish of his career today by winning the last-ever Benson and Hedges International Open.

England’s Paul Casey and Miles Tunnicliff put a dent in Jose Maria Olazabal’s hopes of a first-ever Spanish Open title in Tenerife today.

England’s Greg Owen and number one Australian Robert Allenby both shot stunning second rounds of 64 to set the clubhouse target at 11-under-par at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth.

GARY EVANS produced a magnificent display to reach halfway at the ANZ Championship only one point off the lead.

Peter Fowler set the first round pace at the ANZ Championship in Sydney to lead a clutch of Australians at the top of the leaderboard.

AUSTRALIAN golfer Stuart Appleby claims he is happy to play in this week’s ANZ Championship in favour of a US Tour event at Pebble Beach, describing the American course as a “boghole”.

Sweden's Richard Johnson scored 11 points to win the ANZ Championship by two points under a modified Stableford scoring format at The Lakes Golf Club.

Andre Stolz has taken a two-point lead at the ANZ Championship at The Lakes, Sydney, Australia.

Stephen Gallacher’s late decision to stay on for an extra week in Australia paid off today when he charged into a share of third place at the ANZ Championship in Sydney.

New Zealand’s Andre Stolz currently leads the field at the ANZ Championship in Sydney after scoring 19 points under the modified stableford scoring system today.

South African Trevor Immelman moved into the hunt for his first European tour title at the ANZ Championship in Sydney.

A trip to the toilet cost England World Cup winner David Carter a two-shot penalty on the opening day of the ANZ Championship in Sydney today.

England’s Jonathon Lomas has taken the lead at the ANZ Championship in Sydney after carding the best round of his European Tour career this morning.

Professional golfers call on all sorts of people these days, coaches, sports psychologists, dieticians even masseurs.

New Zealand's Michael Campbell has been criticised for staying away from this week's ANZ Championship in Sydney.

The European golf tour’s next event is in danger of sinking without trace after a second day of torrential rain in Sydney.

Europe’s golfers found themselves in a flood zone today as they moved on from Melbourne to Sydney.