Between them, European Tour rookies Robert Dinwiddie and Ross McGowan have made no fewer than 17 attempts to get into the Open and not succeeded once.

Little-known Australian Scott Strange today showed that his opening 63 in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor was no one-off.

Darren Clarke admits he is revelling in his position at the top of the BMW Asian Open leaderboard as the Irishman heads into the final round chasing an overdue victory on the European Tour.

Darren Clarke is in prime position for a first win on the European Tour in five years after an impressive five-under-par 67 in the third round of the BMW Asian Open put him one stroke clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Swede Peter Hedblom chipped in twice and Australian Matthew Millar finished with a 100-footer as they took over at the top from Lee Westwood in the Andalucian Open at Aloha on Friday.

Holywood's Rory McIlroy continued his impressive start to the season when he finished tied for eighth in the Brabazon Trophy at Ganton in Yorkshire on Sunday.

Great Britain & Ireland found themselves just behind their American counterparts after the opening foursomes session of the 40th Walker Cup at the Chicago Golf Club.