Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke believes Shane Lowry has a tough decision to make over his WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title defence in 2016 but is in no doubt the European Tour made the right decision not to sanction next year’s prestigious tournament.

World number one Rory McIlroy will not defend his WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title next week as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.

It was on Monday evening that Paul McGinley bit the bullet, picked up the phone and put his friendship with Luke Donald on the line by telling him he would not be on Europe’s Ryder Cup team this month.

He may still be only 25 years of age but if this last month has told us anything about Rory McIlroy, it is that the kid from Holywood knows how to get the job done.

Fitter, stronger, and longer off the tee, it has taken more than just the right equipment and the harnessing of his immense natural talent for Rory McIlroy to re-scale the heights of world golf.

Graeme McDowell returns to Valhalla this week knowing fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy will be the one to beat when the PGA Championship gets under way on Thursday but confident he also belongs on the list of contenders.

Triple Major champion Rory McIlroy has revealed that as a youngster he almost quit the game, but put it down to being a ‘grumpy teenager.’

Fota Island Resort chief executive Jonathan Woods has called for more international sporting and music events to be staged in Munster following the overwhelming success of the Irish Open in Cork at the weekend.

Ryder Cup watch; Irish Open winner Mikko Ilonen has put himself in the Ryder Cup conversation thanks to his stress-free, wire-to-wire victory at Fota Island.

Rory McIlroy’s break-up with fiancee Caroline Wozniacki is just the latest incident in a long line to threaten the Irishman’s golf game.

Henrik Stenson knows better than most players how it feels to go from the depths of a slump to the elite in golf.

Graeme McDowell’s Major fortunes have gone from bittersweet to bitter over the last two seasons, but the Portrush man will approach the last shot at glory this year happy that his dark horse status could bring a simply sweet conclusion.

Rory McIlroy will launch the defence of his PGA Championship title today confident that his smooth swing can find a way back into his game and march in behind a renewed pep in his step.

His game is dominant, and with five victories in 12 starts this year as well as two major top-10 finishes, the success rate is phenomenal.

Preparation is everything at elite level but if you’re wondering why Rory McIlroy is not firing on all cylinders heading into his defence of the US PGA at Oak Hill, just ask his putting coach, Dave Stockton.

Tiger Woods can’t wait to get to the PGA Championship. Woods grabbed a big lead with a second-round 61 and then closed out the field with a safe and smart even-par 70 on Sunday to roll to a seven-shot victory at the Bridgestone Invitational.

I definitely feel like now I can go out and have more control of my golf ball, which is a good thing, while my short game is pretty good so I have brought a few positives here to the PGA

Tiger Woods today turned his attention to his quest for an elusive 15th major title after cruising to an eighth WGC Bridgestone Invitational and 79th PGA Tour victory of his career.

Rory McIlroy has promised a surprise when he hosts tomorrow night’s past PGA Championship winner’s dinner at the Oak Hill club in upper New York State.

A subdued Tiger Woods tonight cruised to an eighth WGC Bridgestone Invitational title and 79th PGA Tour victory of his career just four days before the final major of the year, the US PGA Championship.

Graeme McDowell is relishing next week’s visit to Oak Hills and the PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods fired a blistering round of 61 at the WGC–Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, last night but Rory McIlroy’s struggles continue unabated.

At the press conference to announce his multi-million pound deal with Nike in January, Rory McIlroy was keen to stress major titles mattered more to him than money.

Former US Open champion Webb Simpson set the clubhouse target in the first round of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, but Tiger Woods was ominously poised at one of his favourite venues.

Two weeks after describing his own golf as “brain dead”, Rory McIlroy today admitted he needed to be less emotionally involved in his game.

Shane Lowry is prepared to take one for the team this week as he gears up for what is potentially the biggest summer of his career.

Rory McIlroy wants to win more majors in 2013 but admits that simply contending in all four would be a step in the right direction as he bids to follow up on the sensational season that saw him officially announced as the PGA Tour Player of the Year yesterday.

Moments after Tommy Gainey narrowly missed his putt for a 59, he walked off the 18th green at Sea Island with a two-shot lead over Jim Furyk and Davis Love III, who still had 10 holes to play in the McGladrey Classic.

Rory McIlroy is heading to this week’s PGA Championship with the addition of some much needed ‘sparkle’ to his game following a good finish in the WGC–Bridgestone Invitational.

Graeme McDowell has joined a growing groundswell calling for organisers to abandon the thought of staging a 72-hole strokeplay tournament when golf returns to the Olympics in 2016.

Ireland’s US Open-winning duo of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will go out quickly looking to make up ground on the leaders heading to day two of the WGC — Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

Graeme McDowell is quietly confident a decision to journey from Orlando, Florida to Akron, Ohio via Kiawah Island, South Carolina will lead to glory later next week along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline.

It was a sobering moment when Rory McIlroy was reminded, in the first city in the world to hold an AA meeting, that its been five months since he last savoured the ‘addiction’ of success on either the European or PGA Tours.

Next year’s European Tour will again include just one event Ireland, two in England, one in Wales and three in Scotland.

Next year’s European Tour has been confirmed with the Irish Open switching from late July to the end of June, but with a venue yet to be announced.

IF Darren Clarke’s British Open victory at Sandwich proved anything it was that the adage about horses for courses still holds firm when it comes to golf’s Major championships.

STEVE WILLIAMS was accused of stealing the spotlight from Adam Scott after caddying the Australian to victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Tiger Woods lost further ground on the leaders after threatening to make a move in the right direction when the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational began in Akron today.

Tiger Woods fell deep into the pack while things became bunched at the top in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Akron’s Firestone course today.

Tiger Woods was thrilled with how he hit the ball on his first day back from injury, but his former caddie Steve Williams had even more reason to smile.

IT’S ALL but certain that Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will be living in the same state next year but they went in opposite directions on the opening day of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at a hot and sticky Firestone Country Club.

IF a change is as good as a rest, then Pádraig Harrington can expect to mount a challenge for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club exactly two years after he finished second to Tiger Woods in a thrilling finish.