Rory McIlroy may have enhanced his chances of completing the career grand slam by opting out of the par-three contest, but the world No 3 still faces a tough task to end Europe’s surprising Masters drought.

Rory McIlroy has cut down on the distractions as he attempts to complete the career grand slam at Augusta this week.

From winning smiles to anger management, Rory McIlroy’s amazing run of form hit a speed bump at Wentworth yesterday, but not so bad as to send his BMW PGA Championship title defence off course.

Ernie Els has always been a rugby player at heart, a big and bruising heavyweight champion in a sport, golf, that doesn’t fancy itself for that weight class.

Ireland’s Pádraig Harrington will continue his bid to stop his slide down the world rankings in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi this week.

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.

Spain’s Javi Colomo was the shock leader of the UBS Hong Kong Open after the first round today – with world number one Rory McIlroy nine shots behind and needing a big improvement just to survive the halfway cut.

As world No. 1 Rory McIlroy stood atop Hong Kong’s smog-shrouded highest peak, former European and PGA No.1s Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar looked on in awe.

Were golf a team sport and he had a friendship with Harry Sinden, Lee Westwood, perhaps, would be in better position for a Major title.

Troy Matteson remained at the top of the John Deere Classic leaderboard after carding a second round 68 today.

Hunter Mahan rates Rory McIlroy “the best player in the world right now for sure” – but it is the American who has won the first world championship of the year and Luke Donald who still tops the rankings for one more week at least.

Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood kept alive their hopes of securing the world No 1 ranking when they cruised into the last 16 of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

A struggling Tiger Woods was forced to hole a nine-foot par putt on the 18th to see off Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez Castano as Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke crashed out in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play at Dove Mountain.

Graeme McDowell was the first player to tee off in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson today – and the first player to make his exit.

Ernie Els is urging Rory McIlroy to ignore the hype and do his own thing as he tees it up in the WGC-Accenture Match Play chasing a victory that could catapult him to world number one.

Rory McIlroy versus George Coetzee; Graeme McDowell facing YE Yang and Darren Clarke against Nick Watney.

Luke Donald is set to start his Accenture Match Play title defence against former world number one Ernie Els in Tucson on Wednesday.

Rory McIlroy seized on a series of unexpected errors by Luke Donald today and reignited his bid for the European Tour number one title.

Rory McIlroy has endured a topsy turvy start to the Dubai World Championship to stand at one under par, six shots off Paul Lawrie's clubhouse lead.

Ireland's Shane Lowry is just four off the lead, on three under with two to play, of Paul Lawrie who leads on seven under in the clubhouse.

A despondent Rory McIlroy admitted he struggled to motivate himself during a third-round 70 at the Hong Kong Open and was pleased to finish just three shots behind leader Alvaro Quiros.

Alvaro Quiros will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Hong Kong Open with Rory McIlroy three behind the Spaniard following a difficult day for the US Open champion.

Rory McIlroy led the way on six under par as the first round of the Hong Kong Open entered its closing stages but Miguel Angel Jimenez was just one shot back of the Irishman.

UNBEKNOWN to Pádraig Harrington, there was a hardback book on the shelf in the Chart Room of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club entitled ‘Challenge’.

South Korean KT Kim fired a third-round 67 to take a one-shot lead over American Bubba Watson at the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum.

Marcus Fraser holds a two-stroke lead at the Australian PGA Championship following a second-round 65 but a host of big names, including Bubba Watson, Robert Allenby and Adam Scott, remain in contention at Coolum.

Australia’s Steven Bowditch matched Choi Joon-woo’s six-under-par 66 to share the lead with the South Korean after the opening round of the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum.

Darren Clarke will be trying to end what he calls an “incredibly frustrating” spell in this week’s Australian PGA Championship at Coolum.

The hug said it all today as Tiger Woods yet again clinched another Presidents Cup victory for the United States.

Greg Norman needs his International side to win eight out of 12 singles at Royal Melbourne tomorrow if they are to avoid a fourth successive Presidents Cup defeat.

Tiger Woods still has to prove he was worth a wild card for this week’s Presidents Cup – but America still lead by two points.

Tiger Woods suffered the biggest match play defeat of his life today - but it was still the Americans who began the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne much the better.

The highly-anticipated match-up between Tiger Woods and Adam Scott will happen on the opening day of the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

James Morrison held the clubhouse lead on 12 under par at the Singapore Open after following up yesterday’s 62 with a second-round 68 to pull two strokes clear at Sentosa Golf Club.

Edoardo Molinari set the early mark on nine under par at the Singapore Open with a brilliant opening round of 62.

RORY McILROY made a superb start to his bid to land a record €1.4 million jackpot at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters as he fired an eight-under-par 64 yesterday.

Rory McIlroy made a superb start to his bid for a record £1.25m (€1.41m) jackpot at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters as he fired an eight-under-par 64 today.

Rickie Fowler equalled the course record with a third-round 63 to move four shots clear of YE Yang at the top of the Kolon Korea Open leaderboard.

LUKE DONALD faces a tough task to retain his Madrid Masters title after a poor finish to his second round at El Encin Golf Hotel yesterday.

The decline and fall of Tiger Woods has come to this – he does not even qualify for the next world championship as things stand.

SO how exactly did Darren Clarke, ranked 111th in the world, climb from the depths of despair to become British Open champion?

RORY McILROY will get his bid for back-to-back major victories under way at Royal St George’s on Thursday in the company of a former champion and a fellow rising star.