Such is the bond between the two Ryder Cup veterans, Ian Poulter needed little persuasion from tournament host Paul McGinley to commit to this week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

First-time tournament host Paul McGinley has admitted he feared the worst for this summer’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open when Rory McIlroy decided to skip the €6.25m event but now believes the field for Lahinch is coming together very nicely indeed.

Given he has still yet to don the green jacket that seemed as tailor-made for him as the Augusta course itself, the eve of another US Masters invariably prompts the memory of Rory McIlroy’s implosion there eight years ago.

Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell hit route 66 to lead the Radisson Blu-sponsored West of Ireland Championship by a shot at Co Sligo.

Rory McIlroy maintained his impressive form in the countdown to the Masters with a second straight victory in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play but could yet miss out on an eagerly-anticipated showdown with Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods did something he’d never done in 68 previous times playing the par-3 17th hole at The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. He rinsed not one, but two balls in golf’s most infamous water hazard and made a quadruple-bogey seven to tumble down the leaderboard in the second round of The Players Championship.

On Monday, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood conducted a clinic at The Players Championship for more than 100 youngsters from local chapters of The First Tee and PGA Junior League.

Tiger Woods has pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida due to a neck strain.

When Graeme McDowell checked the local weather forecast for Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Friday, he was lulled into expecting mild conditions and cloudy skies. 

Former world number one Tiger Woods has confirmed his entry for the 147th Open Championship.

It’s official. After widespread speculation, the powers that be announced on Tuesday that the professional golf calendar as we know it will look remarkably different beginning in 2019.

The first thing you notice about the 2017 Open champion is that not much is really noticeable. Jordan Spieth is tall, but not too tall. And he’s a fresh-faced, good-looking lad. But Hollywood probably wouldn’t give him a second glance.

Rory McIlroy comfortably missed the US Open cut for the second year running but insisted he was looking to the future with confidence after a late birdie barrage eased his pain at Erin Hills.

Rory McIlroy's pre-tournament comments looked set to prove disappointingly accurate as he battled to avoid missing the cut for the second year running in the US Open.

Olympic champion Justin Rose believes new formats should remain an occasional diversion from golf’s traditional 72-hole strokeplay events.

Graeme McDowell produced a grandstand finish to finish in one under par 71 and an impressive opening to The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra last night.

For the second time in 18 months, Ian Poulter was spared at the last minute from losing his tour membership. And both times, it was an American to the rescue.

The Tour Championship is a lot tougher than it needs to be for Justin Thomas.

Scotland’s Russell Knox believes he can make the leap from a former “head case” to a bona fide superstar as he targets a Ryder Cup debut in 2016.

Irish Amateur champion Colm Campbell saw both sides of tour life this week. While he could look back on his Irish Open debut and lament missing the cut after being put on the clock completely destroyed his rhythm, he will remember it fondly instead thanks to Martin Kaymer.

A lot has happened to Shane Lowry since he won his national title as an amateur in 2009, yet adding an Irish Open victory as a professional is very much a serious goal for the world number 35.

Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has led the tributes to the "father" of Irish golf, Christy O'Connor Sr, who has died at the age of 91.

Four-time champion John Higgins eased into the second round of the World Championship with a comprehensive 10-3 victory over qualifier Ryan Day. 

Jordan Spieth was left scratching his already thinning hair after posting what he declared was a ‘worse score in years’ and in his very first event, the Barclays Championship, since replacing Rory McIlroy as World No. 1.

He was not angry with his performance, just disappointed.

After a record-setting finish and captivating victory at The Players Championship, Rickie Fowler could have thanked a number of people.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy looked assured of scoring a points victory over newest rival Jordan Spieth on the second day of the lucrative Players Championship at Ponte Vedre Beach in Florida.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is not the least interested in talk of a new golfing rivalry with Masters Champion Jordan Spieth.

Tiger Woods has confessed he’s not slept since breaking up with Lindsey Vonn on the same day as the anniversary of his father’s passing.

Tiger Woods has dropped out of the world’s top 100 golfers for the first time since 1996.

Shane Lowry has given himself eight events up to the first week of June to secure full PGA Tour playing rights. 

Darren Clarke seems far from a certainty for the 2016 Ryder Cup captaincy vote after Miguel Angel Jimenez refuted claims in a Spanish newspaper that he was not interested in leading the European team.

Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed has apologised for an "unacceptable" foul-mouthed outburst on the opening day of the WGC-HSBC Champions Event in Shanghai, but is still set to be punished by the PGA Tour.

South Africa’s Tim Clark birdied five of his last eight holes on Sunday to power past Jim Furyk and win the Canadian Open.

The eyes of the golfing world, not to mention a dedicated TV channel, will be on Tiger Woods in the opening round of the 143rd Open Championship on Thursday.

Tiger Woods will command the headlines as the former world number one returns to competitive golf at the Quicken Loans National at Congressional this week.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley had a sense US Open champion Martin Kaymer was on the verge of producing something special and believes the “low maintenance” German will make an ideal team member at Gleneagles.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley arrives at Fota Island today for the Irish Open on a high after seeing Martin Kaymer run away with the US Open at the weekend and several other members of his likely team make a favourable impression at Pinehurst.

Martin Kaymer was crowned US Open champion on Sunday as he pulled away from the field to complete a dominant wire-to-wire, eight-shot victory at Pinehurst No.2.