Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has led the tributes to the "father" of Irish golf, Christy O'Connor Sr, who has died at the age of 91.

If Arnold Palmer romanticised the American pilgrimage to the Open Championship and Jack Nicklaus cemented its competitive importance, Tom Watson humanised it.

There is a strong possibility Royal Portrush will be awarded the 2019 British Open — 68 years after being the only club outside Scotland and England to host golf’s oldest Major.

The oldest golf championship in the world, the British Open, returns for the 11th time this week to the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire.

Zach Johnson won a play-off for the John Deere Classic on the US PGA Tour on Sunday when he drilled a six-iron from a fairway bunker to within 12 inches of the cup.

Tiger Woods has issued a timely reminder that there are another 96 players in this week’s Masters – and that he hopes to beat them all again.

Seve Ballesteros, who is still recovering from a brain tumour, is among the golfing stars who have been invited to compete in the Champions Challenge on the eve of next July’s Open at St Andrews.

TOM WATSON can’t understand what he’s trying to do. Likewise, Peter Alliss.

Just as he could at The Masters in April, Padraig Harrington was able to pinpoint the moment today when his Major hat-trick bid became mission impossible.

Padraig Harrington’s chances of winning a third consecutive Open Championship were blown firmly off course in today’s third round at Turnberry.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington failed to find the flying start he was looking for in the early stages of today’s third round of the Open Championship at Turnberry.

Turnberry turned from a pussycat into a beast today - but while Tiger Woods became its biggest victim, Tom Watson continued magically on his merry way.

Miguel Angel Jimenez equalled the lowest first round in Open Championship history with a six under par 64 today – but Tom Watson was still the talk of Turnberry.

IF Tiger Woods gets his putter working and manages to keep his golf ball in play for a reasonable amount of the time over the next four days, there can be no doubt as to who will be holding the claret jug on Sunday evening.

THE BOOKMAKERS don’t often get it wrong but after studying the less than overwhelming performances by our leading players in recent tournaments, it is surprising to see Pádraig Harrington (25/1) and Rory McIlroy (28/1), quoted as third and fourth favourites for this week’s Open Championship at Turnberry.

Lee Westwood will go head-to-head with Tiger Woods in the first two rounds of The Open at Turnberry on Thursday and Friday – just as he did on the final day of the US Open last year.

Padraig Harrington predicts Tiger Woods will break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors – and that somebody else will then win even more.

Not since Australian Peter Thomson in 1956 has any player completed a hat-trick of wins in the Open Championship. But Pádraig Harrington hasn’t dismissed the possibility of joining golf’s immortals next week. Charlie Mulqueen reports.

Prize money in the Open Championship at Turnberry in two weeks is being kept at the same level as last year, with the winner receiving £750,000 (€876,000) out of a total purse of £4.2m (€4.9m).

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has just over a fortnight before he defends his British Open title but the struggling triple Major winner declared there is no turning back from the changes he is introducing into his game.

Padraig Harrington has taken his first look at the Turnberry course on which he will be try to become the first player since Peter Thomson in 1956 to win three successive Opens.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON reckons a “Battle of the Toughest” rather than a “Duel in the Sun” will give him the best chance of winning a hat-trick of Open titles at Turnberry in eight weeks’ time.

CONFIRMATION of Pádraig Harrington’s playing schedule in upcoming weeks has brought both delight but also disappointment to fans and tournament organisers on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Tiger Woods has side-stepped the controversy surrounding his appearance in the Australian Masters in November.

Sergio Garcia is 18 holes away from completing a dream return to Carnoustie - scene of his biggest golfing nightmare eight years ago.

First, first, second, second. For most that is the stuff of dreams but for Tiger Woods it represents under-achievement.

Tiger Woods, the world’s most famous golfer, has demanded credit be paid to the Open’s forgotten champion.

JOSE Maria Olazabal, the former Ryder Cup partner of Seve Ballesteros, said he was “devastated” by the 50-year-old’s retirement from golf.

Phil Mickelson was today back up to second in the world rankings just in time for the British Open Championship – but not quite in the manner he wanted.

Tiger Woods kept to his early-morning practice routine at Carnoustie today - despite getting caught in a torrential downpour.

Former British Open winner Sandy Lyle will not be surprised if Tiger Woods wins the championship for the third time in a row at Carnoustie this week.

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.

Total prize money for the Open Championship at Carnoustie in two weeks’ time will be £4.2m, an increase of £200,000 on last year.

Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson today led the tributes to Norman Von Nida, who has died at the age of 93.

Fewer Harrington Lawlor & Partners — the architecture, planning and project management practice with offices in Barcelona, Dublin, Warsaw and Waterford — has boosted its Waterford-based planning team further through a strategic merger with Acorn Ltd, a planning and environmental consultancy based in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Tiger Woods has no intention of spending as much time as Phil Mickelson at Hoylake in advance of the Open championship start on Thursday, but he was back on the course at 6.45am today.

Charlie Mulqueen, St Andrews

Former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia and South African David Frost add a little extra international flavour to the Telecom Italian Open in Milan this week.

WORLD number 42 Peter Lonard clinched his first Australian Open title yesterday when a birdie at the 72nd hole edged out US Open runner-up Stephen Leaney and Chris Downes by a stroke.

Annika Sorenstam’s historic season has been recognised with her winning the 2003 Golf Writers’ Trophy.

TIGER Woods believes Adam Scott, the runaway ten-shot winner of the Scottish PGA Championship on Sunday, is “a great player” who would probably be better off continuing to ply his trade on the European Tour before tackling the more competitive American circuit.

New Zealander Michael Campbell will be looking to join a very select band of men when he tees off in the Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne tomorrow.