Andy Murray was proud of his French Open efforts after falling just short against Stan Wawrinka in a brutal semi-final battle.

Dominic Thiem is under no illusions about the size of the task ahead of him as he chases his first grand slam title.

Rafael Nadal has been knocked out of the Italian Open after a straight-sets defeat by Austrian Dominic Thiem.

Rory McIlroy has hinted that he will put the BMW PGA Championship back on his schedule next year, but Turkey is set to remain off the menu for the world number two.

World number one Jordan Spieth will look to make amends for one of the few mistakes he made in 2015 by winning the Northern Trust Open this week.

Italy will host the Ryder Cup for the first time when the biennial event heads to Rome’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in 2022.

World number three Rory McIlroy will be an interested spectator as the third event of the European Tour’s Final Series gets under way in China on Thursday.

Confidence is key. Just ask Pádraig Harrington, who shot four sub-par rounds in Italy last week and still finished a modest 33rd in the Italian Open.

Peter Lawrie is facing five weeks of uncertainty as his goal of wrapping-up his card for next season fell short at the Italian Open in Monza.

Two birdies in his closing three holes at least gave Gavin Moynihan something to celebrate on the occasion of his 21st birthday and in his first round as a pro on day one of the Italian Open at Monza.

Ireland’s Walker Cup heroes will not be wasting time resting on their laurels after Great Britain and Ireland’s emphatic victory over the United States at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Former champion Richie Ramsay admitted the chance to record the lowest round in European Tour history crossed his mind during the opening round of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

It was on Monday evening that Paul McGinley bit the bullet, picked up the phone and put his friendship with Luke Donald on the line by telling him he would not be on Europe’s Ryder Cup team this month.

Paul McGinley put the finishing touches to a strong European Ryder Cup team bound for Gleneagles in three weeks but admitted the fate that befell Dublin’s footballers was a stark warning about the pitfalls of favouritism.

European captain Paul McGinley has completed his Ryder Cup team for Gleneagles by naming Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Stephen Gallacher as his three wild cards.

European captain Paul McGinley was set to name his Ryder Cup wild cards later today, with two former world number ones anxiously awaiting his decision.

European captain Paul McGinley will leave personal feelings to one side as he weighs up current form against Ryder Cup experience in making his wild card selections today.

European captain Paul McGinley will leave personal feelings to one side as he weighs up current form against Ryder Cup experience in making his wild card selections tomorrow.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley vowed to make his wild card selections in a “cold way” after a dramatic climax to the qualifying process in Turin.

David Howell helped deny his good friend Stephen Gallacher an automatic Ryder Cup place, but believes it would be a "travesty" if the Scot is not handed a wild card from European captain Paul McGinley.

Stephen Gallacher is the only player who controls his Ryder Cup destiny, but it was Francesco Molinari who did most to boost his chances of making the European team in the Italian Open.

European captain Paul McGinley will leave it to the last minute to decide on his Ryder Cup wild cards, admitting "something spectacular" could yet influence his decision.

With Graeme McDowell hoping to enjoy the excitement later today of becoming a new father, he’s shown enormous sportsmanship in wishing Stephen Gallacher well in qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team.

Jamie Donaldson has booked his place in the European team at this year’s Ryder Cup after winning the D+D REAL Czech Masters by two shots.

Triple Ryder Cup star Graeme McDowell is confident of being afforded a ‘wildcard’ pick should he drop outside the automatic nine qualifiers following this week’s Barclays Championship in New Jersey.

Pádraig Harrington is in unfamiliar territory having lost full membership of the PGA Tour after missing the halfway cut in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Pádraig Harrington is reluctant to draw on a one-time only PGA Tour money list exemption should he not finish first or second in this week’s Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.

Rory McIlroy is ready to step up and take a Ryder Cup leadership role for Europe at Gleneagles this September that befits his elevated status in the game.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has thrown down the gauntlet to Shane Lowry to deliver a big US PGA Championship performance and push himself to the forefront of his team selection plans for Gleneagles in September.

For a moment there, Paul McGinley had the cream of European golf within arm’s reach as the European Tour staged its flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, on home turf at Wentworth.

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has put back the announcement of his wild cards for next year’s contest at Gleneagles by 24 hours due to a clash with a FedEx Cup event in the United States.

The date of the 2014 Irish Open has been confirmed but to be staged the same week as the British Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush.

The golfing gods haven’t always been particularly favourable to David Higgins but they certainly compensated over the past few days as the 40-year-old Waterville man’s fortunes went on a decidedly upward curve.

David Higgins cruelly came up short in an heroic effort to win the Italian Open in Turin yesterday.

Ireland’s Simon Thornton shot a second round of five under par 67 to claim a share of the halfway lead in the Italian Open Golf Club Torino, Turin yesterday, while Waterville’s David Higgins remained very much in contention, adding a second round 69 to his opening 67 to lie just a shot off the pace.

Andy Murray has been advised to skip the French Open to focus on Wimbledon by serial SW19 runner-up-turned-champion Goran Ivanisevic.

Shane Lowry has finished up on 15 under par at the Italian Open.

Shane Lowry is four shots off the lead after his third round in the Italian Open.

All 12 of the US Ryder Cup team have qualified for next week’s Tour Championship, the final tournament on the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedEx Cup play-off series, but it’s a safe bet Europe’s Jose-Maria Olazabal was the slightly the happier of the two captains after events in Indiana and the Netherlands over the weekend.

If anyone needed assurance, regarding the worth of Paul McGinley as a Ryder Cup vice-captain, and his potential as a European Team captain, then you only had to watch him interact with Medinah rookie, Nicolas Colsaerts.

It’s that time of year when European Tour golfers are perusing the rankings with greater interest.

Tiger Woods was ideally placed to put down a huge marker for the season after charging into a share of the lead with a day to go at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.