A pilot a cargo run has revealed that he found a snake loose in his light plane and had to turn back to his north Australian base.

Paul Casey, ninth in the world, and Justin Rose, twice a winner in America this summer, have paid the price for not coming back to Europe to fight for a Ryder Cup place.

Edoardo Molinari won a dramatic Johnnie Walker Championship with three closing birdies at Gleneagles today – and then an hour later was jumping with joy again when he learnt that it had earned him a Ryder Cup wild card.

Europe Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has named Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari as his three wild card picks to face America at Celtic Manor on October 1-3.