Team Europe had loved Irish impressionist Conor Moore’s comic depiction of Francesco Molinari’s deadpan demeanour at the start of the week.

Oh captain, my captain!

Rory McIlroy praised Team Europe’s character and compatibility as he soaked in the moment of a fourth Ryder Cup success at Le Golf National last night.

Irish impressionist Conor Moore took no prisoners when he took off Europe’s Ryder Cup team in a specially commissioned video.

I was fortunate to play a number of French Open tournaments around Le Golf National. It is an outstanding test of golf with a set-up more akin to what you would experience in a major championship than that at a regular tour venue.

Any keen follower of professional golf could have automatically selected two of Thomas Bjorn’s Ryder Cup picks yesterday, writes John McHenry.

With another US victory in the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cup is officially on the clock. September 28, Day One of the competition next year, can’t come soon enough. But in the meantime, Team Europe’s captain Thomas Bjorn should be afraid. He should be very afraid. Just ask International Team captain Nick Price.

It is a sad day for golf when Tiger Woods is relegated to serving as an assistant captain at the Presidents Cup. Cart driver? Asking players if they like mayo or mustard on their sandwich? Say it ain’t so, Tiger. Say it ain’t so.

Team Europe have defeated Team World 15-9 to win the inaugural Laver Cup.

“I’d rather be a poor winner than any kind of loser.” - George S Kaufman, American playwright

Described simply as “a genius” by Jonny Wilkinson, Dave Alred stands among the world’s top coaches in a variety of sports, including rugby, golf, cricket and soccer. He has been involved in Rugby World Cup success with England and Ryder Cup victory with Team Europe.

If you were only interested in the final outcome of the Ryder Cup, then this one was pretty much decided as early as last Friday morning once Europe lost the opening series of foursomes to the USA 4-0.

Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello gave Europe the perfect Ryder Cup boost going into Saturday's afternoon fourballs as they fought back to square their foursomes match with American stars Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.

Darren Clarke last night hit back at Johnny Miller’s criticism of his European Ryder Cup team, pouring scorn on the American’s assertion it was the worst in years.

Rory McIlroy completed an amazing comeback from a nightmare start to his week to clinch a dream win in the Deutsche Bank Championship and has set his sights on FedExCup and Ryder Cup glory.

There will have been no tears from Shane Lowry as confirmation came that Darren Clarke would not be making him one of his captain’s picks for Hazeltine next month.

Pádraig Harrington broke off from his preparations for a 21st professional appearance at the Irish Open yesterday to attend the funeral of Christy O’Connor Snr, the golfing great who made it possible for him to play golf.

The sight of European big guns limping over the finish line early on Sunday at the Masters need not necessarily give Ryder Cup team captain Darren Clarke cause for panic five months out from the 41st match-up at Hazeltine.

One of the biggest stars of Irish golf, Christy O’Connor Jnr, has been remembered as a gentleman and sporting inspiration after he died on holiday in Tenerife.

The race to make the European Ryder Cup team does not start until next month but captain Darren Clarke is already champing at the bit for qualifying to begin.

Fionnuala Britton had an encouraging second place at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country in challenging conditions at Holyrood Park on Saturday.

ATHLETICS: Fionnuala Britton opens her 2015 competition schedule at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country as part of Team Europe in Holyrood Park today.

For once, Ian Poulter talked the talk but couldn’t walk the walk.

Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell displayed all the signs of being star-struck by Team Europe’s evening with Alex Ferguson, but not so much as to ignore the potential benefits for this weekend’s Ryder Cup defence.

Players aside, this week’s Ryder Cup is expected to be the most commercially successful ever.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has thrown down the gauntlet to Shane Lowry to deliver a big US PGA Championship performance and push himself to the forefront of his team selection plans for Gleneagles in September.

Graeme McDowell returns to Valhalla this week knowing fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy will be the one to beat when the PGA Championship gets under way on Thursday but confident he also belongs on the list of contenders.

Des Smyth spoke yesterday ofhis delight at being thrust back into the Ryder Cup limelight after he was named by fellow Irishman Paul McGinley as a Team Europe vice-captain for this September’s matches against the USA at Gleneagles, Scotland.

With a splash of purple in her hair, Fionnuala Britton cut a new look for the new year and battled to an encouraging second place at the picturesque Holyrood Park for the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday.

Fionnuala Britton goes in pursuit of past glories over 6km at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country in Holyrood Park today.

As if there’s not enough heartache for fans of American professional golf, given yet another deflating Ryder Cup performance by their heroes, here’s a sobering thought to make them even sicker: Had Mark James done a more thoughtful job with his singles lineup in 1999 and had Luke Donald not been sidelined in 2008 and captain Nick Faldo been more in tune with things, we very likely could be at nine straight European wins in the biennial competition.

Whatever you think about Rory McIlroy’s time-keeping, the failure of Team Europe to rouse their leading man made his late arrival at Medinah Country Club yesterday a collective problem.

When Jose Maria Olazabal delivered his final team speech on Saturday night, he would have been buoyed by the late heroics of his men who, for much of the day, looked and performed like a dispirited bunch of also rans.

We’re not sure when the transformation came, but at some point in time, the Ryder Cup morphed into a national security endeavour.

European captain Jose Maria Olazabal has named Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley as three of his four vice-captains for the Ryder Cup.

DERVAL O’ROURKE put the finishing touches to another successful season with an impressive if not spectacular performance at the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup in Split yesterday when she finished fifth in the 100m hurdles in 12.99 secs.