Two top American players may have pulled out due to security concerns, but a private jet and some words of advice from Ernie Els have ensured Louis Oosthuizen heads the field for the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea.

Rory McIlroy’s form might be on the rise but things can’t get much worse for former British Open winner, Darren Clarke.

Brilliantly led from the front by Kevin Phelan, Munster got their Interprovincial Championship campaign off to the best possible start when beating holders Connacht with two matches to spare at Royal Co Down yesterday.

Bernd Wiesberger cruised to his first career European Tour title as he won the Ballantine’s Championship in Icheon, South Korea by five shots from Scotland’s Richie Ramsay.

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger will take a five-shot lead into the final round of the Ballantine’s Championship after carding a second straight seven-under-par 65 at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, South Korea.

Shane Lowry continued to display his fondness for the Blackstone course on day two of the Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul.

Bernd Wiesberger shot a second-round 65 to take the early clubhouse lead at seven under par at the Ballantine’s Championship in Icheon, South Korea today.

Paul McGinley displayed his dogged fighting qualities in posting a one under par 71 on the first day of the Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul.

The event in which Rory McIlroy grabbed the biggest first prize in golf last October – €1.5m – will become part of the European Tour later this year.

Lee Westwood’s successful defence of the Indonesian Masters title was not enough to lift him above Rory McIlroy at the top of the golf world rankings.

Next year’s European Tour will again include just one event Ireland, two in England, one in Wales and three in Scotland.

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.

FORMER world number one Lee Westwood surged to a seven shot win at the Thailand Golf Championship on the back of the “best golf” of his stellar career yesterday.

NEGOTIATIONS about the future of the 2012 Irish Open are ongoing with a June 28 to July 1 date favourite to get the green light according to sources close to the European Tour.

IT promises to be an exciting moving day today at the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland as Marcel Siem takes a one-stroke lead into the third round with 24 players within five shots of him.

Lee Westwood today claimed his second victory in succession to maintain his position as world number one in style.

Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez moved into a share of the lead with Australian Brett Rumford after a strong start to his third round of the Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul today.

IRELAND’S Damien McGrane, the overnight leader on 66, could not come close to matching that yesterday, with three bogeys leaving him with a 72 at the Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul.

DAMIEN McGRANE claimed the first-day lead at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea with a six-under-par round of 66 yesterday.

Lee Westwood double-bogeyed the final hole of his first round at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea to end day one six shots behind leader Damien McGrane.

Ireland’s Damien McGrane claimed the early clubhouse lead at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea with a six-under-par round of 66 on the opening day at Blackstone GC.

A POOR putt for par on the final hole robbed Peter Lawrie of finishing second on his own at the close of the Volvo China Open in Chenghu.

SCOTLAND’S Elliot Saltman will be free to return to European Tour golf from next week after serving his three-month ban.

FOUR years ago, 3 Irish Open Championship leader David Howell was ranked the ninth best golfer on the planet, one of the heroes of the 2006 European Ryder Cup team that thrashed the USA and was seemingly destined to challenge for golf’s highest honours.

BALLYCLARE’S Gareth Maybin continued to stake his claim for a first Race to Dubai Tour success with a three under par 69 on the opening day of the BMW Italian Open in Turin.

GARETH MAYBIN has wrapped up his Tour card early for a second year running after finishing joint second in the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.

Australia’s Marcus Fraser won the Ballantine’s Championship today by four shots as a battling three-under-par 69 final round secured a wire-to-wire win and first victory in seven years.

Australia’s Marcus Fraser remained on course for a wire-to-wire victory at the weather-affected Ballantine’s Championship after securing a one shot advantage over defending champion Thongchai Jaidee, Gareth Maybin and Tano Goya heading into tomorrow’s third and final round.

Australia’s Marcus Fraser carded a second-round 70 to maintain a one-shot lead at the weather-affected Ballantine’s Championship on a bright but windy third day at Pinx Golf Club.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON will make his first appearance in the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship for three years at Wentworth from May 20-23.

Four birdies in three holes around the turn pushed defending champion Thongchai Jaidee hot onto the heels of battling leader Tano Goya of Argentina at the Ballantine’s Championship on Jeju Island.

LITTLE did Graeme McDowell appreciate two years ago the magnitude of his victory in the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.

THIS week’s Champions League semi-final first legs will go ahead as scheduled despite the current restriction on European air travel due to the volcanic ash cloud.

RORY McILROY’S back problem is just a slight nerve impingement and will not prevent him taking his place in next week’s line-up for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.

Next season’s European Tour – starting in South Africa on Thursday – will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments, including six new ones, and will once again culminate in the Dubai World Championship.

Angel Cabrera’s pitch on the first hole of his Masters play-off has won him the European Tour Shot of the Month award for April.

WHO could have imagined a month or so ago that John Patrick Daly, of all people, might ride to the rescue of this week’s 3 Irish Open at Baltray, Co Louth?

Thongchai Jaidee has won the Ballantine’s Championship following a play-off after the tournament at Jeju Island’s Pinx Golf Club ended in a three-way tie.

Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen described today’s third round at the Ballantine’s Championship as “unplayable and unfair” despite maintaining a two-shot cushion at the top of the leaderboard with one day remaining.

Robert-Jan Derksen dropped a shot but extended his lead after nine holes of today’s Ballantine’s Championship third round as strong winds continued to cause havoc at the Pinx Golf Club.

Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has not yet given up the defence of his Ballantine’s Championship title despite suffering a poor start to this year’s event today.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Mark Brown continued their fine form to take an early one-shot lead at the Ballantine’s Championship at the Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island today.

Last year’s winner Graeme McDowell endured a difficult return to the Ballantine’s Championship, firing three bogeys in his first nine holes at the Pinx Country Club on Jeju Island. before hitting three more on the way back in.

Mark Brown shot a seven-under-par 65 to hold a one-shot lead over early morning pace setter Kang Kyung-nam as the Ballantine’s Championship got under way at the Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island today, but there was a poor start for 2008 winner Graeme McDowell.