Graeme McDowell hit back from arrears of two holes after three to beat Sweden’s Robert Karlsson in the first round of the Volvo Match Play Championship here at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s Costa del Sol yesterday.

Ian Poulter has spoken of his excitement at playing this week's Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin near Marbella.

Graeme McDowell goes into today’s first round contest against Sweden’s Robert Karlsson in the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin near Estepona in Southern Spain hopeful that a change from the regular diet of stroke play to head-to-head confrontations will provide the kick start that his career badly needs.

Open champion Darren Clarke has been drawn alongside England’s Justin Rose and Robert Rock in the group stages of this week’s Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin near Marbella this week.

Rory McIlroy has clung onto his spot at the summit of the world rankings despite missing the cut at The Players Championship on Friday night.

Ricardo Santos shot a spectacular closing 63 yesterday to give Portugal their first European Tour win for 20 years.

RORY McILROY’s bid to move on from his Masters disappointment continued at Wentworth yesterday as he spent more time with short-game expert Dave Stockton ahead of today’s BMW PGA Championship opening round.

ENGLAND’S Luke Donald missed out on a glorious opportunity to become world number one when he lost to Ian Poulter at the Volvo World Match Play Championship final at Finca Cortesin yesterday.

England’s Luke Donald was within touching distance of becoming world number one after beating German Martin Kaymer for the second time this year at the Volvo World Match Play Championship.

Luke Donald birdied three of the first four holes in a flying start against Martin Kaymer – his rival for the world number one spot – in the semi-finals of the Volvo World Match Championship at Finca Cortesin today.

IRELAND’S top two, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, clash at Finca Cortesin this morning in the plum match of the first knock-out round of the €3. 4 million Volvo World Match Play Championship.

Defending champion Ross Fisher staged a remarkable fightback to make the last 16 of the Volvo World Match Play at Finca Cortesin in Spain today.

RORY MCILROY played the most impressive golf of the day and produced a barrage of birdies on the way to beating two-times US Open champion Retief Goosen in yesterday’s opening round of the €3.4 million Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin.

GRAEME MCDOWELL last night dismissed his last round collapse in the US Players Championship as “a blip on the radar” and placed it a long way behind Rory McIlroy’s Masters meltdown last month.

GRAEME McDOWELL and Rory McIlroy, Ireland’s two representatives in an impressive 24-man field, have been handed difficult draws in the pool stages of the €3.4m Volvo World Match Play which starts at Finca Cortesin, Spain, on Thursday.

Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, Australian Aaron Baddeley and Korean Noh Seung-yul complete the 24-man field for next week’s Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.

WORLD number three Luke Donald will be trying for a notable double after confirming yesterday he will be part of the 24-man field for the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in two weeks.

TIGER WOODS isn’t one of those American golfers content to sit at home from one end of the year to the other and flood his already overflowing bank account with still more dollars.

ROSS FISHER hammered Anthony Kim to take the Volvo World Match Play crown in Spain and another step on the road to major glory.

Rory McIlroy’s hopes of getting his Volvo World Match Play challenge back on track suffered an early blow in Spain today.

Paul Casey lost twice on his return to golf in Spain today – and even with another group game still to come, he has no chance of making the semi-finals of the Volvo World Match Play Championship

Lee Westwood is favourite for this week’s Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain – and with good reason.

The top four players on the European Tour money list have all avoided each other in the draw for the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain this week.

After the relief of proving himself a winner again – and with it going top of the European Tour money list – Lee Westwood aims to show he is now a serial winner again.

AS Irish Open sponsors “3”continue their search for a suitable date for the Irish Open in 2010 with their preference currently heading towards the August weekend, they may take some consolation from the unfortunate situation in which another big spending European Tour sponsor, Volvo, find themselves.

Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer are all now confirmed for the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in four weeks’ time.

Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer are set to be added to the 16-man field for the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in four weeks’ time.

The World Match Play Championship, not being staged this year for the first time since it began in 1964, will start a new era next season with a move from Wentworth to Spain and a new round-robin format.