It may have come a week too late for his PGA Championship defence hopes but Rory McIlroy is more than confident he has turned a corner in time to rescue what has been a substandard season.

Writing off Pádraig Harrington is a bit like writing off Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky — an exercise that’s likely to blow up in your face as the hero takes yet another horrific pummelling but somehow manages to haul himself off the canvas.

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.

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

IF I HAD a euro for every time I was asked over the past few months what was wrong with Pádraig Harrington, and what the hell was he trying to do with his golf swing, my bank account would be in a far healthier condition.

FOR what seems like the umpteenth time in the past few months, Pádraig Harrington attempts to revive his ailing golf career.

LEADING jeweller Gerard Keane could be forgiven for keeping one eye on business as he took yesterday off and basked in glorious Adare sunshine for the opening day of the Irish Open.

The Open at Royal Birkdale this summer will not be the first major championship ever to test players for drugs.

Mikko Ilonen hopes becoming the first Finn to win on the European Tour will do wonders for the sport in his homeland.

Australian European Tour rookie Andrew Tampion shot a five-under-par 66 to move to the top of the leaderboard midway through the second round of the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open.

Spanish rookie Alvaro Quiros came from behind to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship by one stroke at Leopard Creek on Sunday.

Ben Curtis carded a six-under-par 65 to hold a one-shot lead over Jose Coceres at the halfway stage of the Booz Allen Classic in Maryland.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn believes the European Tour has a strong future despite an increasing number of players spending more time in the United States.

Korea’s Charlie Wi held his nerve to win the rain-shortened Maybank Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur today.

Asian Tour golfers will not play in the Indonesian Open as a result of scheduling deadlock between the Asian and European Tours.

Little-known Englishman John Morgan wrecked his chance to share the lead after the first round of the BellSouth Classic when he double-bogeyed his last hole, the ninth.