John McHenry says the proposed rule amendments to the golfing scene will be a set of very welcome changes.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers insists the organisation should "stay out of politics" after revealing its relationship with Turnberry owner Donald Trump has not changed since he became US President.

Open Championship organisers are confident they can avoid the rules farce that threatened to overshadow last month’s US Open when play gets underway at Royal Troon today.

Chambers Bay may remind Rory McIlroy of The Open at Muirfield two years ago but the world number one will play this week’s US Open in much better shape than the man that slunk away from the Scottish links after a missed cut.

2007

It is not just Tiger Woods who will have changed in the eight years since the Open Championship last visited Hoylake, the Royal Liverpool course he tamed in 2006 will be presenting quite a different challenge this time around.

Graeme McDowell’s Major fortunes have gone from bittersweet to bitter over the last two seasons, but the Portrush man will approach the last shot at glory this year happy that his dark horse status could bring a simply sweet conclusion.

After the disappointment of the Open Championship, Lee Westwood could be forgiven for thinking that the last thing he needed was another major just around the corner.

As the world’s two top ranked golfers boarded their own private planes back to America, their emotions couldn’t have been more different.

The final round of the 142nd Open Championship was billed as Lee Westwood’s date with destiny, a time for him to emulate the victorious achievements of Justin Rose at last month’s US Open and give English golf a rare back-to-back Major success.

To comprehend the inexplicable development that unfolded at Muirfield, one needs to start with this number when he or she talks about Phil Mickelson in the major championships: Four.

Overcast conditions today greeted the early starters as the third round of the Open Championship got under way at Muirfield.

If Rory is to avoid any major long-term slump in form, he must accept some “tough love” from those around him trying to offer good advice. He must address the obvious flaws.

In the world of professional golf, there is a saying “there are no pictures on your scorecard”.

Like the old joke about the man who complained it was “fierce slippy out there” on the ice rink, Ireland’s sextet of stars could have no complaints about the R&A set-up as they slithered off the leaderboard on day one of The Open.

Former Masters champion Zach Johnson today began the 142nd Open Championship in the same imperious style as he did the 141st, but there was no let up in the misery for world number two Rory McIlroy.

Ian Poulter today labelled some of the pin positions for the opening round of the Open at Muirfield as "a joke," while Phil Mickelson called for tournament organisers to "let go of their ego."

Adam Scott learned to get tough to win a Major, Justin Rose’s perseverance earned him a US Open title and for Pádraig Harrington, it was understanding that nothing mattered except for the last nine holes on a Sunday.

British Open Championshipcontenders beware, Tiger Woods could be having a Hoylake moment here at Muirfield.

In 1992, I was fortunate enough to qualify for my one and only appearance in a Major, the British Open Championship at Muirfield.

Two-time Muirfield winner Nick Faldo has told Rory McIlroy he must not be distracted by non-golfing issues if he wishes to rediscover his form this and become Open champion.

Tiger Woods is “very confident” his recent elbow injury will not hinder his chances of a 15th major title in next week’s Open Championship at Muirfield.

Pádraig Harrington returns to Muirfield next week and the venue for this year’s British Open on a course that continues to be the “gold standard” of performance for the triple Major champion.

For fans of Rory McIlroy, it was difficult to know what to make of the mixed messages coming from the world number two during his unfortunately brief appearance at the Irish Open.

Shane Lowry produced his lowest score in three months despite hitting a female spectator on the head with an errant shot on the opening day of the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

Shane Lowry today carried home hopes into the third round of the Irish Open after Ireland’s four major champions all missed the halfway cut at Carton House.

Rory McIlroy will head into the Open Championship at Muirfield on the back of a missed cut at the Irish Open – and was joined in making an early exit by fellow major winners Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.

Compared to the discomfort he experienced a year ago, Augusta National chairman Billy Payne looked a picture of relaxation as he answered questions from the media this week following his annual State of the Masters address.

NICK FALDO hopes to find inspiration but admits he has “no idea” how he will fare on his Senior British Open debut this week at Muirfield in Scotland.

American Steve Stricker carded the lowest round ever in an Open Championship at Carnoustie to set a testing clubhouse target today.

Thomas Bjorn has an early-morning date with Tiger Woods at Carnoustie on Monday - and once he has kept it he will have either good or bad news for all of Europe’s top players.

COURSE designer Robert Trent Jones once described the 18th hole at Adare as “the finest par five in the world” and it certainly lived up to its billing during yesterday’s first round of the Irish Open at Adare.

NOW for a major championship! That’s the message from newly-crowned European Order of Merit winner, Pádraig Harrington.

Muirfield is to stage the 2007 Senior British Open just a week after Nick Faldo, twice a winner of the Open on the Scottish links, celebrates his 50th birthday and therefore becomes eligible.

JUSTIN ROSE and Bernhard Langer both failed to make it through the British Open championship qualifier in America.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON claims he doesn’t read the newspapers. So when I put it to him last night that more and more pressmen were writing that he was about to join the likes of Phil Mickelson as “one of the best players in golf not to have won a major”, he said he was unaware of any such speculation.

A clearing-up operation further delayed the United States PGA Championship at Hazeltine National near Minneapolis on Saturday.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE took time out from starting a holiday yesterday to reflect on where his career is going.

THE Grand Slam dream may be over for another year but Tiger Woods left Muirfield last night with his head high.

ERNIE ElS, the man they call the Big Easy because of his laid back manner, coped with pressure he never really knew existed before emerging as the 131st Open champion at Muirfield last evening.

Justin Rose began the third round of the Open in 50th position and after shooting his second 68 of the week to be on two under par he just hoped he had done enough to be in there fighting on Sunday.