It is 25 years since Ian Woosnam became Masters champion and yesterday a painful back condition finally caught up with the Welshman as far as playing Augusta National is concerned.

Graeme McDowell will get Ireland’s challenge at the 2014 Masters up and running tomorrow at Augusta National when he tees off in the opening round of the year’s first major championship at 2.35pm Irish time.

APPEARANCE money had been a major problem for the European Tour for a decade or more by the time the Irish Open first came to Kerry in 1991.

THE little fella might have been three decades older than his 53 years the way he struggled up the hill.

THE formal ratification of Jose-Maria Olazabal as captain of the European Ryder Cup team at Medinah next year takes place shortly after lunch today.

JUST when it appeared the Irish Seniors Open would fall by the wayside after the withdrawal of AIB’s long-standing sponsorship, support for the event at Carton House next weekend came from an unusual quarter.

IT has been another good year on the European Seniors Tour for Ireland’s Denis O’Sullivan.

ONE of the mysteries surrounding British & Irish and European Ryder Cup teams is that this country hasnever been honoured with the captaincy.

PÁDRAIG Harrington’s travails continued at the Memorial tournament over the weekend after missing the cut for the fourth time in America this year.

BALLYBUNION is rarely visited by a north-easterly wind gusting to over 20 miles per hour but when it happens, the famous golf links becomes a seriously testing challenge.

ALTHOUGH he probably knows the great Kerry links better than every other player in the field, Denis O’Sullivan makes his first competitive appearance at Ballybunion since 1991 when he takes part in the AIB Irish Seniors Open which begins this morning.

OVERNIGHT leader Francesco Molinari of Italy and Ireland’s Michael Hoey committed cardinal golfing errors at Baltray yesterday and were disqualified from the 3 Irish Open Championship.

Shortening the opening hole at Augusta by 10 yards did nothing to help Sandy Lyle today as he began The Masters with a double-bogey six.

TIGER WOODS must modify his swing when he returns from reconstructive knee surgery in order to avoid breaking down again, according to Lee Trevino.

Europe can count themselves one up before they start next year’s Ryder Cup – if they select Colin Montgomerie as their captain at Celtic Manor.

Padraig Harrington has expressed his surprise that Colin Montgomerie appears ready to sacrifice playing in the next Ryder Cup to be captain.

The decision on who takes over from Nick Faldo as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain seems unlikely to be made before May.

THE identity of Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain will not be known until January 2009 — at the earliest.

The identity of Europe's next Ryder Cup captain will not be known until January 2009 at the earliest.

Colin Montgomerie today said that he would have done some things differently to Nick Faldo last week – and that it would be “a shame” if fellow Scot Sandy Lyle is not made captain for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

WITHIN moments of the Ryder Cup having been regained by America the inquest had begun and the knee-jerk reaction from Kentucky to Kent was to stick the boot into Europe captain Nick Faldo.

Nick Faldo signed off as Europe's Ryder Cup captain with three words today.

Europe’s Ryder Cup team flew into Louisville tonight with captain Nick Faldo describing them as raring to go and well rested – especially star player Padraig Harrington.

IAN WOOSNAM’S affinity for eastern Europe this year continued after the Welshman fired a six under par round of 65 to lead after the first round of the inaugural Casa Serena Open in the Czech Republic.

THIS week’s British Open will eventually be remembered for who wins it, rather than who is injured and misses it.

Jose Maria Olazabal says he still believes “very strongly” that Sergio Garcia will go on to major glory.

Phil Mickelson came out armed with a new putter for the final round of The Masters at a blustery Augusta today – but the fast start he was hoping for did not come.

Jose Maria Olazabal insists he has not been invited to become Ryder Cup captain for Celtic Manor in Wales in two years’ time.

Two-time Major winner Sandy Lyle has expressed his desire to captain the European Ryder Cup team in 2010.

Ian Woosnam, who has not played a European Tour event since July because of a continuing battle with chronic post-viral fatigue syndrome, plans to launch his senior golf career next March at the DGM Barbados Open.

Colin Montgomerie has not always considered himself lucky - far from it, in fact. But he does at the moment.

New US Open champion Angel Cabrera on Thursday starts his bid to become European Open champion as well – and only four of last year’s Ryder Cup team are able to stop him.

Angel Cabrera appears intent on enjoying his US Open victory to the full.

Ian Woosnam’s struggles with post-viral fatigue syndrome have now led to him pulling out of this coming week’s Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

Ian Woosnam has followed David Howell in pulling out of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – and the organisers should be breathing a sigh of relief that Darren Clarke is still in the line-up for tomorrow’s start.

Three players with quite brilliant records will spearhead Europe’s bid to inflict more Ryder Cup misery on America next year.

Ian Woosnam will miss this week’s Italian Open because of the leg problem which forced him to pull out of both the Masters at Augusta a month ago and the Spanish Open on Saturday.

The Spanish Open in Madrid headed into a marathon last day after another two hours were lost to a thunderstorm this evening.

Darren Clarke’s disappointing season continued today when he missed the cut for the fourth tournament in a row at the Spanish Open in Madrid.

Twelve months ago John Daly, still one of the biggest attractions in golf, crashed out of the Masters with a second round 79 – and people wondered if they would ever see him at Augusta National again.

Ian Woosnam’s planned build-up to the US Masters in Augusta was disrupted by a back problem today.

Former Ryder Cup star Peter Baker gave himself the chance to re-ignite his career with a five-under-par 67 when the Madeira Islands Open began today.