Irish professional golf might be enduring a mini-crisis, with four European Tour regulars losing their cards at the Q-School, but there’s some good news on the horizon with West Waterford’s Seamus Power blazing a trail to the PGA Tour.

This week’s return of the Irish Open to Royal Portrush could spark a rekindling of the tournament’s halcyon days of the 1970s and ’80s, says leading golf commentator Ewen Murray.

Ryder Cup captains past and present Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal are part of a 96-strong field at Sunningdale tomorrow battling for 10 places in next month’s Open Championship.

Scotland's Stephen Gallacher and South African Richard Sterne were setting a furious pace at the start of the BMW International Open in Cologne today.

Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington, 2nd and 4th in the US Open, spearhead the home challenge in next week’s Irish Open at Royal Portrush.

The crowds will be big and the world’s top three golfers, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, headline the €4.5m tournament, but for all the prestige surrounding the BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour’s flagship event is very much a parochial affair.

Fourteen Major champions, plus world number one Luke Donald and third-ranked Lee Westwood, are in the field for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 24-27.

After his splendid opening round of 64 on Thursday, Peter Lawrie had to be content with an even par 72 in yesterday’s second round of the Sicily Open at the Verdura Golf and Spa Resort.

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

Graeme McDowell began the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill on Sunday one stroke behind Tiger Woods but confident of overcoming the American in head-to-head combat as he had done in the Chevron World Challenge in California two years ago.

Miguel Angel Jimenez admits that staging the Andalucian Open this week will cost him money because of a struggle for sponsorship.

HAVING consolidated his place at the top of the world rankings by finishing third in the WGC Cadillac event at the weekend, Rory McIlroy takes a three-week break before the Masters at Augusta on April 5.

YOU could be forgiven for thinking the end of the competitive golf season had finally arrived now we are almost into the month of December.

With the big names away in Akron, Londoner Brian Davis will be disappointed if he does not give himself a chance to end his long wait for a PGA Tour victory at this week’s Reno-Tahoe Open in Nevada.

Rich Beem finally made his first cut of the year at the Valero Texas Open and did so in some style as he took a share of the lead into the weekend.

Overnight rain softened the long Hazeltine National course as Tiger Woods prepared to defend a two-shot lead in the final round of the US PGA Championship.

IT didn’t have the white hot intensity of Sunday’s Firestone shoot-out but Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods still lit up the opening round of the 91st US PGA championship with a sparkling duel at Hazeltine National.

Tiger Woods admitted to feeling “very comfortable” after hitting the front on the opening day of the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine National.

Rory McIlroy got his USPGA Championship debut off to a strong start at Hazeltine National as Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods renewed their duel on the first morning of the final major of the year.

FOR years we’ve been waiting for someone to stand up and take on Tiger Woods in a major. Finally, it appears that Ireland’s Pádraig Harrington is ready to throw down the gauntlet.

IF one were to search for flaws in Pádraig Harrington’s mental approach to the game of golf, poor course management would figure well down the pecking order.

TIGER WOODS has praised Pádraig Harrington’s work ethic and believes the Irishman is a great role model for youngsters.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON will scale back the preparations for his US PGAChampionship defence this week following his final-round showdown defeat to Tiger Woods at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Padraig Harrington lost his head-to-head struggle with Tiger Woods at Firestone Country Club but promised the world number one: “We’ll do battle many times again.”

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON caressed an historic victory in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last night only to see the title slip sickeningly from his grasp and into a watery grave at Firestone Country Club.

Retief Goosen shot a sizzling eight-under-par 64 today to surge to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, seizing a two-shot advantage over Dustin Johnson.

Troy Matteson used a pair of eagles to vault to the top of the leaderboard at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic after the first round today.

Carl Pettersson staked his claim for a place on the European Ryder Cup team with a two-stroke victory in the Wyndham Championship on Sunday.

Royal Birkdale hero Padraig Harrington will take his place among the year’s major winners in the traditional grouping of champions for the opening rounds of next week’s US PGA Championship.

Padraig Harrington defied wind, rain and his injured wrist to make a highly creditable start to the defence of his Open title at Royal Birkdale today.

With most of the top contenders struggling down the stretch, Brett Wetterich grabbed a one-shot lead after the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Sunday.

Aaron Baddeley, Rich Beem and Mike Weir are tied for the lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship but it looks like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will have plenty to say about who wins.

KJ Choi leads the way at the halfway stage in the Barclays Classic in Harrison, New York after shooting a five-under-par 66.

WOODY AUSTIN, the man who chased Tiger Woods all the way to the line at Southern Hills on Sunday and did himself proud in the process, is that American rarity.

Sergio Garcia overcame early nerves and remained the man to catch in the Open at Carnoustie today – with more than a little help from an off-form Tiger Woods.

Vijay Singh was among five players tied at the top the leaderboard after the first round of the AT&T National at the Congressional Country Club.

Eight players, one hole, not one par - Augusta National was not showing any signs of being any easier when the Masters resumed today.

IT’S becoming increasingly difficult to leave the word “choke” out of the sporting lexicon these days.

Padraig Harrington’s hopes of overtaking leader Phil Mickelson and capturing the Nissan Open appeared to have been blown at the midway point of the final round in California.

Padraig Harrington rued wasted opportunities after ending the third round of the Nissan Open in California trailing leader Phil Mickelson by one stroke.

Padraig Harrington was trailing leader Phil Mickelson by two strokes midway through the third round of the Nissan Open in California.

PGA Tour rookie Brandt Snedeker proved he was not a one-day wonder with a two-under par 70 on the second day of the Buick Invitational to take a three-stroke lead over fellow American Charles Howell.

The lead at the Frys.Com Open in Las Vegas is jointly held by Bob Tway and Steve Flesch at eight under par.