Former British amateur champion Michael Hoey, joint second behind Retief Goosen at the Africa Open in January, was setting the pace at the Madeira Island Open BPI-Portugal on Porto Santo today.

SEVE BALLESTEROS has admitted he was “a rebel patient” at times after being discharged from hospital in Madrid following four operations on a brain tumour.

Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Paul Casey are the first four players to qualify for the Britain and Ireland team to defend the Seve Trophy against Continental Europe at The Heritage in Ireland in two weeks’ time.

SAN ROQUE, a superb 36-hole golfing complex on the Costa del Sol, will next week play host to the young and not so young hopefuls for the annual European Tour School.

Colin Montgomerie lifted the Seve Trophy for a third successive time today - despite losing his own singles yet again.

CAPTAIN Colin Montgomerie and Graeme McDowell were the only home winners as holders Britain and Ireland made an awful start to the Seve Trophy at The Wynyard near Middlesbrough yesterday.

CAPTAINS Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal have agreed on a change to this week’s Seve Trophy - to try to avoid any grudge matches.

Captains Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal have agreed on a change to this week’s Seve Trophy – to try to avoid any grudge matches.

Diego Borrego’s hopes of joining Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia as the only home winners of the Spanish Open since 1972 suffered a big setback at San Roque today.

TO INSURE or not to insure? That was the dilemma facing Gerard O'Toole, executive chairman of Nissan Ireland, once he decided to offer the new state-of-the-art Nissan Murano to the first golfer to hole the 15th in one at this week's Irish Open.

Sergio Garcia survived a real scare before claiming his first professional victory on home soil in the Canarias Open de Espana today.

Colin Montgomerie suffered defeat to Seve Ballesteros - ranked 1,211 places below in the world rankings - yet again in the Seve Trophy today.