Padraig Harrington won at Carnoustie in 2007 and is the last player to win back-to-back titles.

Bubba Watson was feeling low about his health and even worse about his golf. It reached a point that he wondered if he would ever win again, and he says he talked with his wife on a dozen occasions about retiring.

In a week that has seen many of the world’s top golfers decry the condition of Chambers Bay’s greens and take shots at the USGA’s set-up, Shane Lowry avoided the negativity and simply got on with negotiating 72 holes of the most gruelling challenge in golf.

Whether it did appear as if players were putting on greens of broccoli (as Henrik Stenson suggested), or cauliflower (as Rory McIlroy amended), it shouldn’t have been lost on the gathered media that it was two Europeans with the quickest and driest wit regarding the unfortunate playing conditions at Chambers Bay in the 115th US Open.

Matt Every and Graeme McDowell shared the lead after the first round of the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, with Jordan Spieth eight shots off the pace as he came back to earth following his Masters win.

Ireland’s Pádraig Harrington will continue his bid to stop his slide down the world rankings in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi this week.

Former world number one Ernie Els celebrated his 45th birthday by shooting a five-under-par 65 to take the lead in the Hong Kong Open at the halfway stage.

Australia 34 England 14

AUSTRALIAN rugby league is coming to terms with the one of the biggest scandals to ever hit the sport.

Australia’s selectors broke with tradition by naming St Helens centre Jamie Lyon in their Tri-Nations squad.