Hopes of an Irish winner in the British Amateur championship ended when Cian McNamara crashed out in the first round at Royal St George's.

Tom Watson will not be making a return next week to the Royal Troon course on which he won the fourth of his five Open titles.

TIGER WOODS embraces charity and as such this week’s Target World Challenge will benefit his own foundation, but there will be no pre-Christmas hand-outs from the newly-crowned PGA Tour Player of the Year when he goes into battle against an elite field at the Sherwood Country Club.

IT was a very frustrating Open Championship for me. I didn’t bring my A game to Royal St George’s and I told the press lads that, but the general feeling still was it would be all right on the day.

I’LL be there if I can walk, if I can play golf, I’ll be there — the reassuring words yesterday of Tiger Woods in the immediate aftermath of his decision to withdraw from this week’s Desert Classic in Dubai.