LAID up as he currently is after an operation on his left knee, Paul McGinley has plenty of time to reflect on 2004.

Six Europeans – Welsh Ryder Cup hero Phillip Price (pictured), England’s Brian Davis, Greg Owen and Sean Whiffen, Scot Alan McLean and Dane Soren Kjeldsen – have earned places in the US Tour qualifying school finals next month.

THE World Matchplay at Wentworth will be held earlier than ever next season - on September 15-18.

Scott Drummond, the 100-1 outsider, made a superb start against five-time winner Ernie Els after heavy rain held up the HSBC World Match Play championship for two and a half hours at Wentworth today.

Defending champion Ernie Els is the hot favourite to retain his HSBC World Match Play Championship and become the first player to win the title six times.

RYDER Cup rivalry will be renewed at Wentworth on Thursday when Ireland’s Padraig Harrington faces Chris Riley in the first round of the HSBC World Match Play Championship which offers a world record first prize of £1 million.

Europe’s triumphant Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer is to play in the World Match Play championship at Wentworth for the first time since 1995.

Colin Montgomerie is not ready yet to say that last week’s Ryder Cup-winning moment will be the highlight of his whole career.

Nick Faldo charged into contention for the United States PGA championship amid the towering sand dunes of Whistling Straits today – and then gave himself a mountain to climb again.

England’s Luke Donald moved on to the heels of Darren Clarke when the United States PGA championship resumed at Whistling Straits today.

JUST to watch, listen and admire the way Bernhard Langer conducted himself gave every European in the Whistling Straits media centre a huge injection of confidence and self belief.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON wants to vox-pop as many of the 156-strong field as he can at this week's Nissan Irish Open and ask them to place the links of Baltray in their order of favourite courses.

DESPERATE situations demand desperate remedies — so Darren Clarke has decided to swallow his pride and turn to the belly putter for this week’s €3.3m Smurfit European Open starting over the new South (or Smurfit) Course at The K-Club on Thursday.

Players at one of the world’s oldest golf clubs were today toasting the success of Volvo PGA champion Scott Drummond.

Scot Drummond has become the first debutante to win the Volvo PGA since the legendary Arnold Palmer in 1975.

Former Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst began the Qatar Masters in fine style in windy Doha today with a four-under-par 68.

Vijay Singh and Ernie Els, currently ranked second and third in the world, will both be playing in the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth on May 27-30.

European Tour veteran Tony Johnstone went off for a medical check-up after pulling out of the British Open championship final qualifying competition after 15 holes today.

Thomas Bjorn today spoke of his determination not only to get back to being counted among golf’s elite, but also to get back to beating them.

IAN POULTER, first and second on his last two starts, was among those who suffered worst on the toughest day of the European tour season so far.

England’s Ian Poulter, who arrived at Celtic Manor in his red Ferrari, made an equally fast start to the Wales Open at Celtic Manor today.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE last night urged Europe’s star golfers to avoid entering a ‘bidding war’ to become the next Ryder Cup captain. Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle have already put their names forward to succeed Sam Torrance as European skipper next year at Oakland Hills in Detroit.

South African Trevor Immelman birdied the last two holes to force a play-off with Spain’s Ignacio Garrido for the Volvo PGA title at Wentworth today.

PÁDRAIG Harrington has defended his decision to give next week’s Volvo PGA at Wentworth a miss.

For a man who threatened not to play the Ryder Cup because of its five rounds in three days, Colin Montgomerie faces something even more physically daunting this week.

Darren Clarke found two of Europe’s ‘‘golden oldies’’ challenging him for the Compass Group English Open at the Forest of Arden today.

A year after Scot Andrew Oldcorn won the Volvo PGA title at odds of 125/1, another outsider burst clear of the field at Wentworth today.

Andrew Oldcorn’s hopes of securing a place in next month’s Seve Trophy were blown off course today in the Madeira Island Open.

Padraig Harrington knows better than to underestimate Nick Faldo in the first round of the Cisco World Match Play championship tomorrow.

Latest final round totals in the Volvo PGA championship at the West Course, Wentworth, Surrey

Des Smyth is the best placed of the Irish competitors after the second round of the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Colin Montgomerie starts his bid for something almost as remarkable as his seven successive Order of Merit titles at Wentworth tomorrow.

Mark James' battle against cancer does not appear to have diminished his resentment of the 'weak' officials whom he insists forced him to quit as Ryder Cup vice-captain.