Only a short few years ago, the chances of any player leading the orders of merit on both the PGA and European Tours were slim in the extreme.

THE European Tour and sponsors, the Andalucian Tourist Board, must have been furious the Andalucian Masters was bypassed by many marquee names in favour of the Shanghai Masters.

Darren Clarke has won his first Major - the British Open - at the age of 42.

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.

SUNDAY’S confirmation by the European Tour that the July 28-31 date has been reserved for the 2011 Irish Open and chief executive George O’Grady’s comment that Killarney is the preferred venue had been well flagged but there is still no guarantee the tournament will take place in 2011.

AS chief executive officer of the PGA European Tour, George O’Grady, enjoys a lifestyle that most of us can only dream of.

THE European Tour today welcomed Heineken as an Official Sponsor to the 3 Irish Open, to be played at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club from July 29 – August 1.

YOU could, if you were so inclined, put it down to the precociousness of youth, but Rory McIlroy sees no reason why he shouldn’t win the US Open in his first appearance this week if most things fall into place.

DARREN CLARKE has reacted philosophically to the news that there will be no British Masters or English Open this year and that the Seve Trophy has been renamed the Vivendi Trophy because of the critical state of the world’s finances.

The British Masters has joined the English Open in being dropped from the European Tour schedule this year.

Australian Peter O’Malley climbed from 60th place to joint second with a spectacular burst at the BMW Italian Open in Turin today.

The English Open, due to be played at St Mellion in Cornwall on August 13-16 and again next season, has been affected by the economic downturn and will not now return to the European Tour until 2011.

GIVEN these straitened times, it is hardly surprising that the future of at least nine tournaments on the European Tour schedule for 2009 are in some doubt.

The 2009 European Tour and the inaugural ’Race to Dubai’ will feature a record 53 tournaments in 26 destinations – including at least two events being played twice.

Darren Clarke admits he is desperate to make the European Ryder Cup team this year after securing a long-awaited victory at the BMW Asian Open on Sunday.

A superb birdie putt at the final hole secured Darren Clarke an emotional first victory on the European Tour in five years as the Ryder Cup star won the BMW Asian Open by a single stroke.

France’s Gwladys Nocera clinched her third title of the Ladies’ European Tour season with a third successive 69 in the Catalonia Ladies’ Masters.

ENGLAND’S Laura Davies bagged the birdies and dodged the bad weather as she set her sights on a fifth Ladies’ English Open title with a first-round 67 yesterday at Chart Hills in Kent.

HAVING cavorted around the world since early January, the European Tour finally returns to its roots this week with the €2.5m British Masters getting under way at the Forest of Arden this morning.

Seven of last year’s Ryder Cup heroes are in action this week at the first European tour event of the season on British soil.

Ireland's Darren Clarke returns to action next week heartened by the latest medical bulletin on his wife Heather, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.

A month after partnering golden oldies Tommy Aaron and Charles Coody in the Masters Sandy Lyle had somewhat different company at the Forest of Arden in England today.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE will be notable by his absence when the eve-of-tournament pro-am for the British Masters takes place at the Forest of Arden near Coventry today.

WEATHER delays or not, it was a marvellous weekend for Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Fiji's Vijay Singh.

Another day of misery on the greens today left Darren Clarke in despair about next week’s US Open.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE last night urged Europe’s star golfers to avoid entering a ‘bidding war’ to become the next Ryder Cup captain. Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle have already put their names forward to succeed Sam Torrance as European skipper next year at Oakland Hills in Detroit.

THOSE of you watching the Spanish Open on Sky Sports on Sunday afternoon and the Shell Houston Open that evening would have got a good idea why more and more players are deserting the European Tour for the American circuit.

DARREN CLARKE has embarked on a series of drastic changes in a bid to start climbing the world rankings and challenging for majors again.

HE may not have a sponsor or a venue but Ken Schofield, executive director of the PGA European Tour, is adamant there will be an Irish Open in 2003.

NO panic and no need to panic. That was the definitive message from Darren Clarke last night after he finished the American Express World Championship last but one of the 65 competitors.

Darren Clarke, the one European golfer to win a world championship event, might need a miracle to win another at Mount Juliet this weekend.

TIGER WOODS has laid it on the line.

THERE cannot be many people who can boast a 100% matchplay record against Tiger Woods, but Darren Clarke is a more than worthy member of that exclusive club.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE has pulled out of the BMW International Open in Munich to rest his injured back.

Colin Montgomerie has pulled out of this week’s BMW International Open in Munich to rest his back.

Colin Montgomerie has pulled out of the BMW International Open in Munich to rest his injured back.

Colin Montgomerie has pulled out of the BMW International Open in Munich to rest his injured back.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE will consult a specialist about his ongoing back problem before deciding his schedule leading up to next month’s Ryder Cup.

Colin Montgomerie will consult a specialist about his ongoing back problem before deciding his schedule leading up to next month’s Ryder Cup.

Sam Torrance tonight admitted he may have to use Colin Montgomerie sparingly in next month’s Ryder Cup after the Scot suffered a recurrence of his back problems.

Colin Montgomerie pulled out of yet another tournament today complaining of back trouble.

DARREN CLARKE, as he has for most of the year, has the feeling he could be about to play really well.

Darren Clarke justified his position as pre-tournament favourite in the early stages of the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open today.