Simon Dyson double-bogeyed the last hole to throw the race for the Spanish Open wide open again with a round to go in Seville.

After a delayed start caused by vandalism to four greens overnight, England’s Simon Dyson and Robert Dinwiddie set a fast early pace at the KLM Open in Holland today.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON says he will add a European tour event to his schedule after missing the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.

AUSTRALIAN Brett Rumford put a sickening incident out of his mind to take the first-round lead at the Omega European Masters – the first qualifying event for Europe’s Ryder Cup side – in Switzerland yesterday.

Australian Brett Rumford put a sickening incident out of his mind to take the first-round lead at the Omega European Masters – the first qualifying event for Europe’s Ryder Cup side – in Switzerland today.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON isn’t the only Irishman these days struggling to put some decent scores together.

Darren Clarke has taken a three shot lead going into the final day of KLM Dutch Open.

Between them, European Tour rookies Robert Dinwiddie and Ross McGowan have made no fewer than 17 attempts to get into the Open and not succeeded once.

Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano has won the Italian Open at Tolcinsco after a play-off with Austrian Markus Brier.

Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley continue to hold ninth and 10th places respectively in the Ryder Cup standings as the battle for places hots up.

Ireland’s Damien McGrane completed a superb 64 to finish as outright leader on 12 under par in a great day for the Irish at the KLM Open today.

Irishman Paul McGinley believes the hard and fast Hoylake course will provide a good test for the world’s top players at the British Open, despite some criticism to the contrary.

Colin Montgomerie got off to precisely the start he wanted in the third round of the UBS Hong Kong Open today.

Gary Emerson may have missed out on only his second European Tour title after losing the KLM Open in Holland to Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano but he was able to console himself with the knowledge his playing privileges are safe for next season.

Scotland’s Raymond Russell took inspiration from his place at the top of the draw for the opening round of the KLM Open to shoot six birdies and storm into an early lead.

Raymond van Barneveld showed why he is odds-on favourite to win a fourth Lakeside World Championship title with a 5-0 demolition of compatriot Vincent van der Voort tonight.

LAID up as he currently is after an operation on his left knee, Paul McGinley has plenty of time to reflect on 2004.

Their exploits in the Ryder Cup ensured 2004 will always be remembered as a great year for Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley.

When it comes to the Ryder Cup Paul McGinley has been there, won that.

IRELAND boasts four players in the top 20 in the European order of merit, two of whom are in the leading 15 in the world.

Paul McGinley’s first top-10 finish in a major has taken him to the brink of earning a second Ryder Cup cap.

PAUL McGINLEY gave his Ryder Cup team prospects a huge boost at Whistling Straits yesterday when he shot a closing round of 69 in the US PGA Championship for a six under par total of 282.

A PRESSURE that I enjoy. hat’s the excited reaction of Paul McGinley to the coming three tournaments that will decide whether he again lines out for Europe against the US in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills next month.

PAUL McGINLEY has yet to achieve his goal of getting back into the top 100 golfers in the world and so gain an invitation to next month's US PGA Championship in Wisconsin.

WHILE Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley were battling gamely to overtake the Australians at the top of the Irish Open leaderboard at Baltray yesterday, the other Irish seven qualifiers were meeting with mixed fortunes.

Lee Westwood has his sights on a third European Open title in six years at the K Club near Dublin this weekend.

Thomas Bjorn is trying to find a way out of what he calls “the worst stretch I have ever had in my life”.

Paul Broadhurst stood on the first tee of the K Club’s Smurfit Course today, wind blowing in his face, rain threatening and aware he was about to do battle with “a bit of a beast“.

There is a real chance of 40-year-old Jean-Francois Remesy making Europe’s Ryder Cup team after he today became the first home winner of the French Open for 35 years.

Ireland's Gary Murphy shares the lead at the Qatar Masters in Doha.

WEDDING bells are in the air for Ireland’s emerging professionals. Peter Lawrie tied the knot last week and Gary Murphy weds Elaine (a niece of well-known amateur star Barry Reddan) five days after Christmas.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will return as the sponsor of the Dutch Open in 2004.

GARY MURPHY believed he knew the Valderrama course well enough until he discovered the final hole played in the opposite direction he thought.

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ won the rain-shortened Turespana Majorca Classic after an amazing late collapse by Jose Maria Olazabal.

ENGLAND’S Gary Emerson again thrived on the pressure to keep his European Tour card in the Turespana Majorca Classic.

England’s Gary Emerson again thrived on the pressure to keep his European Tour card in the Turespana Majorca Classic.

Maarten Lafeber today became the first home winner of the Dutch Open for more than half a century with a nerve-wracking victory at Hilversum.

England’s Gary Evans is desperate to end his 12-year wait for a first European Tour victory in the Dutch Open.

IRELAND'S Gary Murphy, Scot Alastair Forsyth and Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who all carded rounds of 64, six under par, are the joint leaders in the £715,000 Dutch Open, with Swede Fredrik Widmark and English duo David Lynn and David Carter a shot behind.

Gary Murphy shares the lead on six under par at the Dutch Open in Hilversum.

FORMER Open and US Masters champion Sandy Lyle has just two weeks left to safeguard his European Tour future.

Former Open and US Masters champion Sandy Lyle has just two weeks left to safeguard his European Tour future.