A field of just 44 will be chasing three places in July’s Open Championship at St Andrews tomorrow and Friday.

GARY MURPHY has been left to count the cost of a 30,000km round trip to Australia after failing to retain his Tour card for the 2010 Race to Dubai season.

Victoria’s hefty investment in Tiger Woods has returned a healthy dividend in the form of the 2009 JBWere Australian Masters title, the AUSD270,000 (€169,000) first prize and the champion’s yellow jacket, all safely secured by the world number one at Kingston Heath today.

Rounds of 69 from playing partners Greg Chalmers and James Nitties earned the Australian pair a share of the lead at 10-under with world number one Tiger Woods after day three of the 2009 JBWere Masters at Kingston Heath.

World number one Tiger Woods has his first title on Australian soil firmly in his sights after establishing a two-shot break over the rest of the field at the halfway stage of the JBWere Masters at Kingston Heath in Melbourne.

World number one Tiger Woods has made a huge statement on the opening day of the JBWere Masters at Kingston Heath, Australia, tearing up the sandbelt course with a six-under 66 to sit level with James Nitties and 21-year-old South African Branden Grace.

THE size of the gallery yesterday at Kingston Heath, Melbourne, was nothing new for Tiger Woods, who also played before some 7,000 people a few days ago in China.

Tiger Woods only played the back nine at Kingston Heath this morning and, afterwards, wasn’t letting on whether that was all he needed or all he could cope with in conditions that were “hot as hell”.

RORY McILROY’S outstanding4th place in the HSBC-WorldGolf Championship in Shanghai at the weekend has moved him to within touching distance of a Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor next October.

Tiger Woods has side-stepped the controversy surrounding his appearance in the Australian Masters in November.

Former World Cup winner Peter Fowler, now 48, made it through Open Championship qualifying in Australia for the third time in four years today.

Record prize money of £8.8m (€12.2m) will be on offer on the 2008 Ladies European Tour, it was announced today.

Australians Michael Wright, Bradley Hughes, Ben Bunny and Adam Bland today earned places in the British Open championship at Hoylake in July.

Former United States amateur champion Nick Flanagan scored a flawless six-under-par 66 to lead the Open championship qualifier in Melbourne today.

Australia’s Stuart Appleby feels a magical 59 could be on the cards in this week’s Heineken Classic.