South African Trevor Immelman experienced bitter disappointment on the US Tour for the second week running today.

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

A last-hole double bogey sent Lee Westwood crashing off the leaderboard when the US Tour’s Zurich Classic began in the hurricane-recovering city 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.

Spectators at the Masters did not have to wait that to see for themselves how much tougher Augusta National is now.

Stuart Appleby beat Vijay Singh in a play-off to become the first player in nearly 50 years to win the US Tour’s season-opening event three years in succession.

Two-time defending champion Stuart Appleby took the lead after a wind-swept second round of the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii.

It continued to look as though the start of the 2006 US Tour season had come too soon for some players in Hawaii today.

Sergio Garcia and Carl Pettersson, the only two Europeans at the Mercedes Championship, are in joint third position after the opening round in Hawaii.

Defending champion Retief Goosen carded a four-under-par 66 to tie Bart Bryant for the lead after the second round of the Tour Championship.

En route to his first win since his 1990 rookie campaign, Robert Gamez birdied his first three holes and never looked back, posting a three-shot victory at the Valero Texas Open.

Tiger Woods carded a two-over-par 73 to fall five shots off the pace after the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Massachusetts.

Ben Crane led from start to finish to win at the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee.

It was always going to need something pretty special to knock the All Blacks out of the headlines in New Zealand this week – but Michael Campbell has done it.

IT isn’t easy for a foreigner to be inducted into the pantheon of great sportsmen in the United States. In golfing terms, you have to be winning tournaments and championships as frequently as Vijay Singh does.

EUROPE’S wait for a first winner of the US Open since 1970 was always certain to continue when Lee Westwood and Peter Hedblom made just the starts they were hoping to avoid at Pinehurst yesterday.

South Africa's Retief Goosen, a member of the European Tour, has taken another step towards ending European hopes of a first win in the US Open since 1970.

Helped by a hole-in-one, American Peter Jacobsen kept alive the chance of becoming the oldest-ever winner of a major title at Pinehurst today.

American Peter Jacobsen, at 51 the oldest player left in the US Open at Pinehurst, leapt into contention for the title with a hole-in-one today.

Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els had the crowds flocking to see them before the leaders went off in the third round of the US Open at Pinehurst today.

Ernie Els needed all his fighting qualities to make an early move in the third round of the US Open at Pinehurst today.

Phil Mickelson slumped to his worst US Open round in over a decade at Pinehurst today as golf’s toughest event took its toll again.

Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie were involved in damage limitation exercises today after hitting trouble in the US Open at Pinehurst.

FOUR rounds like this and it's looking good. That was the summation of Tiger Woods after he opened his US Open challenge with an even par 70 at Pinehurst yesterday.

An ailing Lee Westwood and a fuming Ian Poulter had vastly different tales to tell on the opening day of the US Open at Pinehurst today.

Luke Donald, beaten by Tiger Woods by seven shots the last time they played together in a major, underlined the massive strides he has made in two years when the US Open began at Pinehurst today.

OLIN BROWNE fired a spectacular 59 to grab one of the final spots in the US Open - after almost withdrawing from the qualifying tournament in Maryland.

Justin Leonard has won out over Joe Ogilvie to register his first victory in nearly two years.

British raider Justin Rose remains in contention at the Chrysler Championship after a second-round level-par 71 in Florida.

Australian Rod Pampling is the surpise winner of The International golf tournament at the Castle Pines Golf Club with a score of 31.

Chris DiMarco has carded 17 birdies after 36 holes to grab the lead at the rain-plagued International in Colorado.

The forgiving conditions at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club played right into John Daly’s hands.

Birdies were plentiful in the first round of the Buick Open and no-one took more advantage than Fiji’s Vijay Singh.

CARLOS FRANCO’S two favourite places in America are Milwaukee and New Orleans, where he’s won twice at each stop for his only PGA Tour wins.

ADAM Scott captured his second PGA Tour win of the season after equalling the tournament scoring record in a four-shot victory at the Booz Allen Classic in Potomac, Maryland.

Adam Scott captured his second PGA Tour win of the season after equalling the tournament scoring record in a four-shot victory at the Booz Allen Classic in Potomac, Maryland.

Glen Day was on the brink of becoming only the fourth player in PGA Tour history to shoot under 60 when a two-hour rain delay halted his charge and he had to settle for a nine-under-par 62 that left him three strokes behind Adam Scott at the Booz Allen Classic in Maryland.

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.

Kenny Perry finished with a 68 to secure a six-shot win at the Colonial, breaking the tournament record by three shots after finishing on 19-under-par 261 over four rounds.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM defied her critics with a highly creditable one over par 71 in her first-ever round on the PGA Tour.

Collated scores after the first day of the Players Championship at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Jacksonville, Florida,