Rory McIlroy will try and forget his recent Friday woes today as he bids to extend his one-shot first-round lead and take a firm grip on the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Defending BMW PGA Championship champion Matteo Manassero believes making this year’s European Ryder Cup team would be an amazing achievement and is hoping the Irish Open will help him achieve the feat.

Lee Westwood has a fight on his hands to claim a 13th win in Asia and 41st of his career after seeing a commanding lead almost wiped out by Andy Sullivan in the Maybank Malaysian Open.

Italian golf has reached previously unknown heights since the arrival in the big time over the last few years of the Molinari brothers Francesco and Edoardo and the clear possibility that in the 20 year-old Matteo Manassero, last week’s highly impressive winner of the BMW PGA Championship, they possess the next Tiger Woods.

Michael Quirke (Doneraile) is the Irish Seniors Amateur Open champion after winning a three-hole play-off with American Bev Hargraves, whose final round 72 closed what had began as a four-shot gap.

Shane Lowry heads to today’s 36-hole US Open qualifier bitterly disappointed not to have automatically qualified for next month’s championship at Merion.

Italy’s Matteo Manassero today became the youngest ever winner of the BMW PGA Championship as he claimed his fourth European Tour title at the age of 20 on the fourth hole of a sudden-death play-off.

Francesco and Edoardo Molinari were today hoping to turn the BMW PGA Championship into a family affair as good weather produced equally good scoring at Wentworth.

Chinese schoolboy Guan Tianlang today made the cut in the Masters despite controversially being penalised for slow play.

‘Gentle Ben’ the ideal man to guide teenage prodigy Guan through Augusta baptism

Chinese teenager Guan Tianlang, already making history as the youngest player in Masters history, today made more controversial headlines after being penalised for slow play.

Miguel Angel Jimenez tonight celebrated becoming the European Tour’s oldest-ever winner – after a week which could have seen him fall outside the world’s top 100 for the first time in nine years.

Rory McIlroy declared he is not about to rest of his laurels after becoming the youngest player in 36 years to become European No 1.

Rory McIlroy clinched the European Tour money list today - thanks to 19-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero.

Jose Maria Olazabal has no current plans to give at least one rising star of the European Tour a taste of the Ryder Cup.

When the world rankings came out this week 19-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero found himself third reserve for the Open Championship.

Forza Gagli

Lee Slattery moved back into a share of the lead in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor today - and then put two balls in water on the same hole for a quadruple-bogey seven.

Simon Dyson double-bogeyed the last hole to throw the race for the Spanish Open wide open again with a round to go in Seville.

It is all to play for after day one of the Women’s Interprovincials at Cork GC yesterday.

The veteran, the rookie and the commentator — all three will be tucked in Rory McIlroy’s corner if the richly-anticipated heavyweight clash with Tiger Woods materialises in Augusta this week.

Tom Lewis: His 65 at Royal St George’s last summer was a record low by an amateur.

Michael Hoey put himself back into the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut with a three-stroke victory at the Hassan Trophy in Morocco today.

Little-known Frenchman Julien Quesne equalled the Aloha course record to become the shock winner of the Andalucian Open today.

A day after shooting the lowest official score of his career, a 10-under-par 61 to set the course record, Pádraig Harrington slumped to a two- over 73 in the Transitions Championship in Florida, yesterday.

Miguel Angel Jimenez has hopes of becoming the European Tour's oldest-ever winner this weekend - thanks to the circuit's youngest-ever winner throwing the Andalucian Open wide open.

Pádraig Harrington burst back into form with his lowest-ever career round with a 10-under par 61 on the opening day of the Transitions Championship in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Matteo Manassero was off to a good start today in his bid to grab a second trip to the Masters before his 19th birthday.

Tom Lewis came back down to earth with a bit of a bump today after winning on only his third start as a professional.

THERE is a real spring in Michael Hoey’s step ahead of tomorrow’s Castellon Masters with the latest Irish winner on Tour targeting a return next April to Augusta National on the 10th anniversary of his only Masters appearance.

CONTINENTAL Europe captain Jean van de Velde praised his team as they fought back to trail Great Britain and Ireland by a single point after the second day of the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche.

Continental Europe captain Jean van de Velde praised his team as they fought back to trail Great Britain and Ireland by a single point after the second day of the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche.

GREAT BRITAIN and Ireland captain Paul McGinley warned his players not to get carried away after a dream first day of the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche saw them take a 4-1 lead over Continental Europe.

Great Britain and Ireland captain Paul McGinley warned his players not to get carried away after a dream first day of the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche saw them take a 4-1 lead over Continental Europe.

Holders Britain and Ireland have been hit much harder by withdrawals than Continental Europe for next week’s Vivendi Seve Trophy in Paris.

Miguel Angel Jimenez’s defence of the Alstom French Open title was in severe danger of ending at the halfway stage after a horror start to his second round at Le Golf National near Paris today.

Sergio Garcia charged from six shots back all the way into the lead at the BMW International Open in Munich today – and it gave him a chance to earn a place in next month’s Open Championship.

Robert Rock claimed sole leadership of the Italian Open after today’s second round as he edged a shot clear of the chasing pack.

English duo Robert Rock and Chris Wood lead the way at the Italian Open with eight-under-par opening rounds giving them hope of a maiden European Tour title.

Lee Westwood went to the turn in a two under 33 and led the BMW PGA Championship by one shot with nine holes to play at Wentworth today.

Another wild drive cost Luke Donald an opening bogey and left 18-year-old Matteo Manassero as leader on his own when the final round of the BMW PGA Championship began at Wentworth.

Teenage sensation Matteo Manassero faces the biggest test of his young sporting life at Wentworth tomorrow.

Rory McIlroy blamed a gust of wind for a disappointing finish to what might have been the round of the day at Wentworth.

A “FUMING” Ian Poulter is by no means a certain starter at Wentworth next year after another painful experience in the European Tour’s flagship event.