FORMER major champions always get a special welcome on their return to the courses they once reigned over but Ernie Els is desperate for his fellow members at Congressional Country Club to help him ignite the sort of form that helped him win his second US Open back in 1997.

Ben Curtis played down talk of an easy victory in the Booz Allen Classic despite being eight stokes clear when bad weather called a halt to the final round in Maryland.

Ben Curtis put a poor US Open behind him to grab the lead after the first round of the Booz Allen Classic in Maryland.

Record prize money of nearly £2.5m (€3.48m) has not changed Padraig Harrington’s mind about missing the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth in two weeks’ time.

Seeking his first win in 148 PGA Tour starts, Chris Smith played 30 holes in five under par and has a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Buick Classic.