PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON believes Rory McIlroy should feel no extra pressure as the 22-year-old US Open champion heads into this week’s British Open as red-hot favourite.

WORLD number one Luke Donald warmed up for the British Open with his third victory of the year yesterday — and what a win it was.

World number one Luke Donald warmed up for The Open with his third victory of the year today – and what a win it was.

Colin Montgomerie was part of a seven-way tie for the lead after a sparkling start to his third – and final – round in the Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart near Inverness.

Sweden’s Ryder Cup player Peter Hanson birdied three of the closing seven holes to make it a four-way tie for the lead when the second round of the Barclays Scottish Open was finally able to continue at Castle Stuart near Inverness.

The rain-hit Barclays Scottish Open had no play before 2pm at the earliest today after torrential overnight rain caused flooding on the Castle Stuart links near Inverness.

GRAEME McDOWELL now refers to Rory McIlroy as “The Man” — but his own talent was there for all to see again at Castle Stuart near Inverness yesterday.

Graeme McDowell now refers to Rory McIlroy as “The Man” – but his own talent was there for all to see again at Castle Stuart near Inverness today.

Graeme McDowell shot a sparkling 64 today to give himself the chance of a second Barclays Scottish Open title in four years.

Lee Westwood started the Barclays Scottish Open with a seven-under-par 65 at the new Castle Stuart links near Inverness today.

Ireland’s Peter Lawrie was off to a spectacular start in the Barclays Scottish Open at its new venue Castle Stuart near Inverness today.

GRAEME McDOWELL has pointed out another potential problem for Rory McIlroy when he returns to action at the British Open next week.

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

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON, who won two of his three majors while Tiger Woods was out injured in 2008, has fallen from third in the world to 57th since then.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON believes a return to links golf in the Scottish Highlands this week will provide the ideal preparation for his bid to capture a third British Open in five years later this month.

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

England’s James Morrison handed the lead to Australian Richard Green with a desperately disappointing start to his Alstom French Open third round today.

THE companies that declined title sponsorship of the Irish Open must be kicking themselves given the hype and build up to next month’s tournament in Killarney.

LEE WESTWOOD has been paired with Phil Mickelson in the first two rounds of the Shell Houston Open this week as the Englishman attempts to secure the world number one spot ahead of The Masters next week.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has taken comfort from his peers after last week’s shock Abu Dhabi disqualification.

GRAEME McDOWELL will convene his think tank next week in the Caribbean to thrash out his playing schedule for 2011.

THIS was one homecoming that Darren Clarke will not have relished.

EDOARDO MOLINARI is into the world’s top 20 for the first time thanks to his Barclays Scottish Open victory.

DARREN CLARKE’S attempts to end a two-year winless drought finished with a St Andrews ‘consolation prize’ after letting slip victory in the Barclays Scottish Open.

Italian Edoardo Molinari joined his brother Francesco as a European Tour winner today – and with it sets up the real possibility of them both making their Ryder Cup debuts in October.

Graeme McDowell missed the chance to move into the world’s top 10 for the first time at Loch Lomond today.

Italian Edoardo Molinari led Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke by three with nine holes to play in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

Strong winds and heavy rain made Loch Lomond a fearsome test when the final round of the Barclays Scottish Open began today.

Darren Clarke is still looking good to claim the last-but-one place in the Open Championship at St Andrews next week.

Darren Clarke was just holding off a charging Edoardo Molinari as the Barclays Scottish Open third round reached its midway point at Loch Lomond today.

Phil Mickelson’s missed cut in the Barclays Scottish Open has left him needing a top-four finish in The Open to have any chance of replacing Tiger Woods as world number one.

Phil Mickelson is not where he wanted or planned to be this weekend and he is not going to end it as world number one either, but history suggests that St Andrews could be the best place for him.

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.

Darren Clarke turned in another brilliant performance in foul weather at Loch Lomond today and is in command of the Barclays Scottish Open at the halfway stage.

Darren Clarke, no stranger to playing well in bad weather, did it again at Loch Lomond today and stood four clear of the field after a superb second-round 67 in the Barclays Scottish Open.

Ireland's Darren Clarke was joined on the top of the leaderboard by compatriot Damien McGrane as the Scottish Open resumed this morning at a wet Loch Lomond.

Darren Clarke’s golf career appears on the up again – and his personal life certainly is.

IT was not the preceding six birdies but the two-metre putt for par on the final green that delighted Darren Clarke most on the opening day of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

THERE’S no way Graeme McDowell says he will ever find himself getting sick and tired of penning his autograph to 2010 US Open 18th hole commemorative flags.

Only a few weeks after talking about giving up golf for a while because things were going so badly, Darren Clarke bounced back into the spotlight today.

It was Graeme Storm rather than Graeme McDowell who shone as the Barclays Scottish Open began in windy conditions at Loch Lomond today.

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.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE made an apology yesterday – for something he knows he will have to do at the end of August.

Phil Mickelson's latest bid to topple Tiger Woods as world number one starts at Loch Lomond tomorrow, but he looked as though he had just been in a fight this morning.