Rory McIlroy might have won a major in his sensational five-win season in 2012 but he reckons he can do even better than that and the WGC-Accenture Match Play is as good a place as any to kickstart 2014 with a win.

A last-hole gamble backfired on Rory McIlroy as Dustin Johnson stormed into a commanding lead in the second round of the WGC-HSBC Champions on Friday.

Rory McIlroy saw his hopes of a successful PGA Championship title defence hit the rocks last night as Jason Dufner was attempting to protect a two-shot lead down the stretch at Oak Hill.

Overcast conditions today greeted the early starters as the third round of the Open Championship got under way at Muirfield.

Ireland’s Pádraig Harrington fired a 69 to finish the opening day of the FedEx St Jude Classic in Memphis on one under.

Rory McIlroy returned to the scene of his first PGA Tour victory today and put himself well in contention after day one of the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.

Watching Pádraig Harrington use a belly putter for the first time is a bit like watching Picasso use a paint-by-numbers kit to produce Guernica — you know it’s wrong, but you just can’t look away.

Shane Lowry will tee off from two under par later this afternoon at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Graeme McDowell backed his friend Rory McIlroy to emerge from his “mini-crisis” after the world number one withdrew from the Honda Classic.

Rory McIlroy’s slow start to the new season continued as he began the defence of his Honda Classic title at Palm Beach.

He may call Chicago his kind of town but not even local resident Luke Donald was immune from the cheers when his tee shot plonked into the water at the par-3 13th hole last night.

Colt Knost was the halfway leader after shooting a five-under-par 66 on the second day of the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.

YOU could be forgiven for thinking the end of the competitive golf season had finally arrived now we are almost into the month of December.

American Derek Lamely carded a nine-under-par 63 to claim a one-shot lead after the first round of the Bob Hope Classic yesterday.

Jeff Overton’s eight-under-par second round gave the American a commanding four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of of the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.

English duo Brian Davis and Greg Owen hold a share of the overnight lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after play was suspended for the day due to lightning and heavy rain at TPC Louisiana.

Brian Davis and Greg Owen moved into a share of the lead as the second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was delayed due to lightning at TPC Louisiana today.

Paul Casey fired a six-under-par 65 at Harbour Town to give himself a chance of making the cut at the Verizon Heritage as Jim Furyk moved to the top of the early second-round leaderboard.

THE certainty that there will be a fierce battle for places in the European Ryder Cup this year is good news for the ‘3’ Irish Open Championship at Killarney over the August Bank Holiday, less than a month before Colin Montgomerie’s team to face the USA at Celtic Manor is finalised.

TRIPLE major-winning Pádraig Harrington has labelled as “protectionism” any move by the European Tour to introduce a series of core tournaments its members will have to contest to retain automatic membership.

Memories of relinquishing his Masters lead over the final holes two months ago spurred Kenny Perry to victory at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut yesterday.

Kenny Perry shot a course record-equalling 61 at TPC River Highlands to take the lead in the Travelers Championship at the end of the first round in Connecticut last night.

Padraig Harrington will tee-off with defending champion Tiger Woods and 2007 champion Angel Cabrera at this week's US Open at Bethpage, New York.

Germany's Alex Cejka grabbed the first-round lead at the Verizon Heritage event as Jose Maria Olazabal found his way onto a leaderboard again at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Germany’s Alex Cejka gave the Verizon Heritage field a low score to aim at as he took the early clubhouse lead at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Jeev Milka Singh and Retief Goosen were the men in form at Doral in the WGC-CA Championship with England’s Oliver Wilson leading the European challenge midway through the opening round.

Tiger Woods was satisfied with his return after overcoming a front-nine wobble to win his opening match at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship today.

Tiger Woods overcame a front-nine wobble to win his opening match at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in his much-anticipated comeback from an eight-month injury lay-off.

Lee Westwood got the European challenge at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club off to a flying start as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship began near Tucson today.

Justin Rose has become a father just before the start of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.

Europe's newest star Rory McIlroy could face Tiger Woods in the third round of next week's Accenture World Match Play in Arizona - if, that is, the world number one decides he is ready to return to action.

Louis Oosthuizen made his move up the Qatar Masters leaderboard this afternoon as the South African’s flawless second-round front nine left him a shot adrift of clubhouse leader Andrew Coltart.

Former champion Andrew Coltart opened up a one-stroke lead at the midway point of the second round of the Qatar Masters today, with Ireland's Damien McGrane tied for fourth at six under.

Zach Johnson has a one-stroke lead at the end of the third round of the Sony Open after carding a four-under-par 66.

Jim Furyk shot a four-under-par 68 to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club.

Colin Montgomerie hopes he can carry last week’s good form into this week’s Omega Mission Hills World Cup as Scotland look to stage a successful defence of the trophy.

Ben Curtis, Open champion in 2003 and joint second behind Padraig Harrington at the US PGA in August, will make his World Cup debut for the United States in China next month.

WITHIN moments of the Ryder Cup having been regained by America the inquest had begun and the knee-jerk reaction from Kentucky to Kent was to stick the boot into Europe captain Nick Faldo.

RYDER CUP veteran Jim Furyk paid tribute to the six rookies that drove the American team to a resounding victory in Kentucky.

IT is a good thing for American golf that Paul Azinger likes to settle in for an evening in front of his flat panel television and watch documentaries on military strategy.

Nick Faldo’s European Ryder Cup captaincy has been strongly defended by United States rival Paul Azinger.

Lee Westwood hit out at the “shameful” abuse hurled at him during the Ryder Cup at Valhalla.

The Ryder Cup returned to American hands in Muhammad Ali’s home town today as Nick Faldo’s plan to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” went up in smoke.

Sergio Garcia suffered the heaviest defeat of his Ryder Cup career as Europe faced a tough battle to claim a fourth successive Ryder Cup victory at Valhalla.