Graeme McDowell produced a superb second round of 66 in the second round of the Tiger Wood Challenge at Sherwood Country Club near Los Angeles last night to open up a three stroke lead in an event worth more than a million dollars to the champion at the conclusion of the event tomorrow.

JUST about everybody by now has had their fling at picking their various sporting stars of 2011.

FOR a second week in succession an Irish-born Major champion has shut the book on an uneventful season and is already looking forward to starting a fresh chapter in the New Year.

Tiger Woods had the 93rd win of his career on Sunday and may yet go on to beat the record 18 majors of Jack Nicklaus – but he has never had the talent of Rory McIlroy.

YOU could be forgiven for thinking the end of the competitive golf season had finally arrived now we are almost into the month of December.

Darren Clarke will be trying to end what he calls an “incredibly frustrating” spell in this week’s Australian PGA Championship at Coolum.

TWO years after a one-shot defeat to Italian brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy return to Mission Hills in China bidding to capture the World Cup of Golf.

PÁDRAIG Harrington’s decision to tinker with some 20 changes to his game over the past six weeks paid immediate dividends yesterday with his lowest ever New Year starting score on day one of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Graeme McDowell is up to a career-high seventh in the world after his amazing victory over Tiger Woods in California.

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.

RORY MCILROY ended a rollercoaster season on a high note when he spectacularly eagled the last from three feet to finish fifth in the Dubai World Championship.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON finally plans to join Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter and the rest of golf’s world stars on Twitter.

RORY McILROY and Padraig Harrington will continue their single-minded chase for major glory by doing things their own special way next season.

MICHAEL HOEY is seeing the same foot specialist that works with Chelsea F C in a goal to rid himself of continuing aching feet.

RORY MCILROY can pull out the latest world rankings and claim the bragging rights over Pádraig Harrington.

FEMALE golf fans will still be queuing up to catch a glimpse of celebrity golfers at next year’s JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am in Co Limerick – despite the likely absence of world No1 Tiger Woods.

RORY MCILROY has reached a higher position on the world rankings than any other 20-year-old before him.

Rory McIlroy has reached a higher position on the world rankings than any other 20-year-old before him.

Robert Allenby captured the Australian PGA Championship for a fourth time as he cruised to his second win in as many weeks by four shots from John Senden and Scott Strange.

Robert Allenby made the most of ideal conditions to lead the Australian PGA Championship today at Coolum going into the final round.

Jim Furyk’s victory at the Chevron World Challenge has moved him from 11th to sixth in the world rankings pushing 20-year-old Rory McIlroy out of the top 10 after he withdrew ill from the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

When Australian Robert Allenby describes his record in play-offs as “pretty good” he is being very modest.

AUSTRALIAN Robert Allenby ended four years without a win in South Africa yesterday – and nobody would have been surprised it came in sudden death.

Australian Robert Allenby ended four years without a win in South Africa today - and nobody would have been surprised it came in sudden death.

Retief Goosen will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Nedbank Challenge in his native South Africa tomorrow.

Rory McIlroy hopes he is over the worst at his final event of 2009 - not just in how he is scoring, but also in how he is feeling.

Australian Robert Allenby took the lead, but local favourite Retief Goosen was the one with something to celebrate in the opening round of the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City in South Africa today.

Robert Allenby had no reason to regret skipping his home Australian Open as he took the early lead in the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City in South Africa today.

Lee Westwood will have the chance next week to reach a new high in the world.

The form which swept Henrik Stenson to two notable victories before Christmas deserted him when the Abu Dhabi Championship began today.

Henrik Stenson’s runaway nine-stroke victory in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa has lifted

Sweden's Henrik Stenson today cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in the Nedbank Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.

Henrik Stenson will take a commanding eight-shot lead into the final round of the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City after a superb third round.

Henrik Stenson will resume his second round this morning six shots clear of the field after a violent lightning storm brought an early end to play in the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.

Ernie Els is to miss the Nedbank Challenge in his homeland in December for the first time since his debut in 1992.

Trevor Immelman was not just the leader but also the favourite going into the final round of the Masters at Augusta National today.

Joint first round leaders Trevor Immelman and Justin Rose went in opposite directions on their return to The Masters at the second day at Augusta National.

South African Trevor Immelman, his life given a new perspective when he was operated on for a benign tumour in December, threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the field in The Masters today.

Justin Rose hopes he can finally convert an opening round lead at The Masters into a successful week at Augusta National.

Justin Rose has gone back above Padraig Harrington to be Europe's leading player in the world rankings.

England’s Justin Rose fired a five-under-par 67 to reclaim a share of the lead on 16 under after the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa.

European number one Justin Rose and fellow Englishman Luke Donald were just one shot off the lead after the first round of the Nedbank Challenge.

Padraig Harrington seems increasingly likely to contest Tiger Woods’ lucrative Target World Challenge tournament in California next month.