Adam Scott’s Masters victory a year ago was met with near delirium in his native Australia as the so-called Lucky Country finally got a green-jacketed champion its proud golfing tradition deserved.

Adam Scott plans to celebrate with Australian great Greg Norman after breaking his major duck, and that of his nation in the Masters, with a dramatic victory in near-darkness at Augusta.

Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus got the 77th Masters under way at Augusta National today, with Player again hitting a drive which the rest of the field would be more than happy with.

It’s impossible to play Augusta National blindfolded but Pádraig Harrington might have to do just that — at least on the greens — to make sure his eyes don’t deceive him when he tees up in his 14th Masters this week.

Graeme McDowell blames sleep-walking for the freak hand injury that almost ended his season prematurely.

Tiger Woods will play with fellow American Matt Kuchar and Korean KJ Choi in the first two rounds of The Masters on Thursday and Friday.

WITH Augusta National off limits to all but the select few, it is tempting to think a visit to this corner of Georgia is merely for spectating during Masters week.

Greg Norman finds himself in familiar territory at Sunningdale ahead of the final round of the Senior Open Championship on top of the leaderboard.

After more than a year without a top five finish anywhere in the world Argentina’s Angel Cabrera is back – with a bang.

A smiling Padraig Harrington, doing a brilliant job of handling all the pressure on him, began his bid for a third successive major title with a three-under-par 69 in The Masters at Augusta National.

FOR a man whose Augusta National experiences have been shaped by his spectacular failures there, Greg Norman’s return to the Masters has been met with an amazing amount of hype.

COULD this US Open have been any better, any more exciting or any more suspenseful?

BALLYBUNION Golf Club has prospered in recent years largely because of the influence of Tom Watson who put it on the international map.

Chris Couch chipped in from 26 feet on the 18th hole to preserve his lead and win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Colin Montgomerie is sitting out the weekend for the sixth tournament running - this time all because American Chad Campbell sank a 15-foot putt.

Phil Mickelson coasted to one of the biggest wins in US Tour history at the BellSouth Classic – and very much did it his own way.

Phil Mickelson was in a league of his own in Atlanta as he produced the lowest 36-hole score of his 15-year US Tour career.

Phil Mickelson may have failed to hang on to two of his titles so far this season, but he made a sparkling start to his defence of the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta yesterday.

PÁDRAIG Harrington landed a 60ft eagle putt on the final hole to claim the Barclays Classic in New York late last night.

DON’T be surprised if it turns up soon in a new Tiger Woods commercial. This was a shot, though, that will outlive any ad campaign.

Darren Clarke has been paired with Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood with Vijay Singh for the first two rounds of the Masters on Thursday and Friday.

Justin Rose tumbled into a tie for eighth place, five shots behind leader Shigeki Maruyama, after a disappointing two-over-par 72 in the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.

There will be a new-look play-off in the Masters this Sunday if two or more players tie.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON could well have one of the biggest galleries in the first two rounds after the US Masters draw paired him with world number two Vijay Singh and John Daly.

Tee-off times in the second round of the United States Open golf championship at Olympia Fields, Illinois, on Thursday and Friday (USA unless stated, all times Irish time).

US Open Scores

Tee-off times in the second round of the United States Open golf championship at Olympia Fields, Illinois, on Thursday and Friday (USA unless stated, all times Irish time):

Tiger Woods and Ernie Els – and the thousands of golf fans who want to watch every blow – will have to be up early for their first round clash in the US Open next Thursday.

German Alex Cejka and Swede Richard Johnson have made it 18 Europeans in next week’s US Open at Olympia Fields near Chicago.

Tiger Woods is just one defending champion at the Masters in Augusta this week.

Greg Norman has been granted another chance to end his run of heartbreaks at the Masters.

How each hole played in last year’s Masters (Rank 1 = hardest, Rank 18 = easiest):