Rest up or tune up?

It’s an Aladdin’s cave for golf nuts. Heaven for hackers. Valhalla for garage golfers and other madcap inventors believing they’ve come up with the game’s greatest gadget.

Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 and the International Golf Federation (IGF) has proposed a 72-hole stroke play tournament for the men’s and women’s events.

Rory McIlroy’s former fiancée Caroline Wozniacki has achieved a lifelong dream of appearing in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue which goes on sale this week. 

World number one Rory McIlroy has won the Golf Writers Trophy for the second time in three years following a stunning season that saw him claim two major championships and play a leading role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory.

Julie McCarthy produced a sensational homeward half performance in her second round at the Scottish Girls U16 Championship at Strathmore yesterday to storm to the title and fire an early- season warning to her rivals.

Larry Ryan brings you the daft controversies, wacky conspiracy theories, memorable quotes and some of the craziest lines from the sporting year.

Scotland's Catriona Matthew made history as she secured the half Europe needed to win the Solheim Cup on American soil for the first time with an emphatic 18-10 victory in Colorado.

Homework waits for no child, even if you have just become low amateur at the Masters.

Swede Liselotte Neumann is to succeed England’s Alison Nicholas as Europe’s Solheim Cup captain.

Annika Sorenstam has turned down the chance to captain Europe at the Solheim Cup next year.

LESS than a decade ago, European women were among the top golfers in the world, with the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies regularly vying for the top spot and racking up victories at the majors.

ALISON NICHOLAS would love to see the Solheim Cup return to Ireland – but she won’t even be captain when Europe look to win on American soil for the first time in Colorado two years from now.

VICTORIOUS European Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas was crowned the queen of Killeen Castle and the emotions flowed as freely as the rain and the champagne in County Meath yesterday evening.

SO far it’s been all cuddles at the Castle – this morning the Solheim Cup becomes more like the Ryder Cup’s famous War on the Shore.

ENGLAND’S Laura Davies sought a football analogy to describe Europe’s challenge against the USA in this week’s Solheim Cup.

THE greatest week in the history of Irish ladies’ golf has arrived with the 12th Solheim Cup clash of the United States and Europe set for the Jack Nicklaus-designed Killeen Castle near Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, on Friday.

EUROPEAN captain Alison Nicholas unveiled her very own Seven Nation Army in Dublin yesterday then revealed she has borrowed some inspiration from Ryder Cup heroes Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie in how to defeat the Americans.

Rory McIlroy eat your heart out. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng is also only 21 and she already has three major titles to her name in the women’s game.

Women’s world number one Lorena Ochoa confirmed today she is to retire from the game after next week’s Tres Marias Championships in her native Mexico.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has agreed to lead the Irish lobby for the inclusion of golf in the 2016 Olympic Games and has written to Pat Hickey, President of the Irish Olympic Council (IOC), seeking his support.

Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods are among 18 players to have outlined their personal support for golf's Olympic bid.

Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam have joined the campaign to put golf back into the Olympics.

Annika Sorenstam brought the curtain down on her 15-year career today by finishing in a five-way tie for seventh place at the Dubai Ladies Masters.

Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour career came to a disappointing end as she missed the cut at the season-ending ADT Championship.

Tiger Woods, initially thought to be lukewarm on the idea of golf in the Olympics, is one of a number of top players who featured in a video aired when representatives of the International Golf Federation formally presented their case to the International Olympic Committee Programme Commission in Lausanne today.

Suzanne Pettersen carded a four-under-par round of 68 to open up a one-stroke lead at the Kapalua LPGA Classic yesterday.

Annika Sorenstam’s last tournament in Europe before she goes into retirement at the end of the year is the Nykredit Masters in Denmark starting tomorrow.

IRELAND will be well fancied to retain their title when the third European Amateur Seniors Team Championship takes place at Shannon Golf Club this week.

Norwegian Lill Saether shot a course-record 64 to take a one-stroke lead at the Scandinavian TPC event hosted by Annika Sorenstam.

Annika Sorenstam made a strong start at the Scandinavian TPC, a tournament she hosts on the Women’s European Tour.

Two weeks after Greg Norman threatened to become the oldest major winner ever American Juli Inkster today set up the chance to do the same in the women’s game.

Annika Sorenstam brings down the curtain on her major career at Sunningdale this week with a question for Michelle Wie – why on earth are you still playing against the men?

The British threat fell by the wayside as Brazilian teenager Angela Park birdied her final three holes for a third round 68 and set her sights on a maiden LPGA victory at the Evian Masters in France.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON last night became the fourth Irishman to receive the Golf Writers’ Trophy presented annually by the Association of Golf Writers.

Angela Park impressed with the putter to surge into the clubhouse lead during the second round at the US Women’s Open today.

South Korea’s Jee Young Lee soared to the top of the field as world number one Lorena Ochoa slipped two off the pace after the third round of the women’s major, the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Maryland.

World number one Lorena Ochoa took a big stride towards a third major in a row when she took the halfway lead with a second-round seven-under-par 65 in the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Maryland.

World number one Lorena Ochoa begins her final warm-up for the second major of the women’s season at the Ginn Tribute tomorrow in Charleston, South Carolina.

Annika Sorenstam enjoyed a strong start at the Sybase Classic last night, firing a five-under-par 67 to join Song-Hee Kim and Rachel Hetherington at the top of the leaderboard after the opening round.

Sunningdale is to host a very special event this summer – the final major of Annika Sorenstam’s glittering career.

TWO days after achieving the 90th professional victory of her amazing career Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam has announced she intends to retire at the end of this season.

Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, the world’s top two players, set up the prospect of a thrilling weekend battle after the second round of the Michelob ULTRA Open at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Lorena Ochoa carded a final round four-under-par 69 to win the Corona Championship by 11 strokes.