THERE will be no gold medals here; no trinkets, baubles or pay cheques.

Take That star Gary Barlow will return to Buckingham Palace today to be rewarded for his long career in showbusiness.

Ryder Cup hero Rory McIlroy has been reunited with the policeman who rushed him to the course for the final day’s play at Medinah Country Club.

Ryder Cup hero Rory McIlroy has been reunited with the policeman who rushed him to the course for the final day’s play at Medinah Country Club.

It will take quite a while for Rory McIlroy to live down the fact he nearly scuppered Europe’s Ryder Cup victory bid before it had even begun.

The champagne had not even dried on the European team room walls before thoughts turned to the next Ryder Cup trophy defence and, more pertinently, who will succeed Jose Maria Olazabal as captain at Gleneagles in 2014.

Europe’s Ryder Cup team staged a remarkable comeback to retain the Ryder Cup last night, battling from 10-6 down overnight – having trailed 10-4 – to beat the United States 14 1/2-13 1/2 at Medinah Country Club in Chicago.

Whatever you think about Rory McIlroy’s time-keeping, the failure of Team Europe to rouse their leading man made his late arrival at Medinah Country Club yesterday a collective problem.

You want goofy? Here is goofy: In 1967, Jack Nicklaus was the best player in the galaxy, a titan who that summer won the US Open for his sixth Major.

Europe’s bid to retain the Ryder Cup on American soil will need a resuscitating at Medinah Country Club today after last night’s second session saw the United States take a firm grip on the contest with a 5-3 lead.

Michael Jordan was out on the course early, rooting for his team-mates to give him one more win in Chicago.

Jason Dufner has spent his entire career not getting excited and he does not see why that should change, now he’s made a Ryder Cup team.

Keegan Bradley may not have been born for Ryder Cup battle but he has certainly been groomed for it from a very early age.

I have looked as hard as I can around this monster of a golf course and searched the massive structure that is the clubhouse.

Excitable, emotional and creative, Bubba Watson seems to have been made for the Ryder Cup and there may be no better platform for his brand of golf than here, this weekend, at Medinah Country Club.

Paul Azinger wrote a book on how he won the Ryder Cup for America four years ago and our screens have been full of former captains pouring forth on how they did it but for all the talk, nothing can quite prepare José Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III for what is about to unfold.

World number one Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will lead off Europe’s bid to retain the Ryder Cup in Chicago tomorrow.

Two armchair viewing experiences crystallise the story of Nicolas Colsaerts’ journey to a Ryder Cup debut this weekend in Chicago.

European captain Jose Maria Olazabal has named Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley as three of his four vice-captains for the Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup officials dismissed concerns about the Scottish weather at today’s date announcement for the 2014 tournament in Gleneagles.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL is backing Sergio Garcia to be part of his Ryder Cup team next September on the course where he became a world star.

If there’s one weekend where you too can form a Homer Simpson-like indentation in your sofa, it is the three-day jamboree that is the Ryder Cup, writes Simon Lewis

If Luke Donald is to win his first major title tomorrow it will be achieved the hard way – he has to go head-to-head with Tiger Woods at the US PGA Championship in Chicago.

Luke Donald said in March that he thought the only way for him to catch up with world number one Tiger Woods was to “start believing I’m as good as him“.

Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson were part of an amazing 10-way tie for the lead at the US PGA championship in Chicago today.

Phil Mickelson drew back level with Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco got off to a flying start as well when the United States PGA championship resumed in Chicago today.

Henrik Stenson and Luke Donald today displayed the form that they hope will make them the men to end Europe’s seven-year wait for a major winner.

Davis Love has two things he is trying to keep out of his mind as he continues the final golf major of the season.

After wildly contrasting starts Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson ended honours even in the opening round of the US PGA championship in Chicago today – but now they have some catching up to do.

While his wife attended the funeral of Darren Clarke’s wife Heather in Northern Ireland, Lee Westwood set the early pace in the US PGA championship in Chicago today.

Padraig Harrington spoke today of his admiration for Heather and Darren Clarke - and about his decision to donate all his prize money from this week’s United States PGA championship to breast cancer research.

Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley continue to hold ninth and 10th places respectively in the Ryder Cup standings as the battle for places hots up.