I’VE JUST spent a few days in New York on a reconnaissance trip to check out what’s happening on the food scene over there.

Tom Cruise celebrated his daughter Suri's birthday early.

The shuttle Endeavour has maintained a heading through the streets of Los Angeles toward its retirement home at a museum.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr's estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who had fought drug and alcohol problems, has been found dead at the family property.

WITH a new sporting season just around the corner, an initiative from Waterford Institute of Technology should play well with any students planning careers in sport.

FORMER major champions always get a special welcome on their return to the courses they once reigned over but Ernie Els is desperate for his fellow members at Congressional Country Club to help him ignite the sort of form that helped him win his second US Open back in 1997.

Newly-crowned US PGA champion Padraig Harrington wants to add FedEx Cup success to his double major-winning season.

It was one hell of a weekend to come of age but, 13 years ago, amid the madness of a World Cup on American soil and O.J. Simpson’s police chase, Ernie Els quietly became a golfing superstar at Oakmont. He spoke to Simon Lewis.

Graeme McDowell had an early taste of Winged Foot’s feared rough when the 106th US Open got underway today.

It has almost been a decade since Colin Montgomerie enjoyed a top-10 finish in the US Open, but the Scot was in buoyant mood ahead of today’s first round at Winged Foot.

First there was Bobby Jones and the “Impregnable Quadrilateral” of 1930. Then came the “Tiger Slam” of 2000-01 when Woods held all four majors at the same time.

Tiger Woods is still the favourite for this week’s US Open despite an unprecedented nine-week lay-off.

IRELAND'S "big three" of Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley have suffered a noticeable drop in their world rankings since the beginning of 2006.

Jim Furyk put paid to the notion that Americans – all except world number one Tiger Woods of course – do not travel well by winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa, yesterday.

Padraig Harrington

IT was little more than 24 hours since he arrived home in triumph from the Westchester Classic in New York, but no one was surprised to see Pádraig Harrington or his Scottish coach Bob Torrance on The K Club practice range.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON declared last night that Des Smyth is his vote as Ian Woosnam’s vice-captain for the European Ryder Cup team against the US at The K Club in September 2006.

THE Smurfit European Open could hardly have scripted things better for their €3.4m championship beginning over the original Palmer North Course at The K Club on Thursday.

Sergio Garcia is hoping to become just the second player to successfully defend a title at Westchester Country Club when play begins in the Barclays Classic today.

FORMER US President Bill Clinton is to undergo heart bypass surgery after suffering chest pains.

It has been reported that former US president, Bill Clinton, has been admitted to hospital for heart surgery.

IT’S funny you know. You turn up at a major championship venue on the Monday, have a look at the course, play maybe nine or 18 holes, and come off shaking your head in bewilderment.

AND so we come to the third major of the year and, by and large, the one I like most.

Two months after winning his first major at the Masters – after 13 years of trying and 17 top-10 finishes – Phil Mickelson topped the leaderboard in the United States Open today.

Darren Clarke cut a despondent figure as he slipped out of Shinnecock Hills yesterday after shooting a second round of 74 for a seven over par total in the second round of the 104th US Open.

Padraig Harrington took something his wife Caroline told him back onto the course today to try to re-ignite his challenge for a first major title.

YOU all know the one about patience seldom in a woman, never in a man. Well, females aren't allowed to play in the US Open so the males had the field to themselves yesterday to disprove that old adage.

YOU would think a 63-year-old man with lots of money and 59 tournaments to his credit would have had enough of lugging four-stone golf bags around the golfing fairways of the world.

Padraig Harrington has predicted mayhem at this week’s US Open – if the wind changes.

PADRAIG Harrington jointly led a field that included two of the game’s top three players and a host of other celebrated golfers in the Buick Classic at Westchester on Sunday - and still claimed that he had played poorly throughout the tournament!

Padraig Harrington now has a 23rd runners-up finish to his name after losing a play-off for the Buick Classic in America last night.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON put in a strong finish to his opening round at the Buick Classic to leave him in touch with the leaders going into today's second round at the Westchester Country Club in New York.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON and Darren Clarke will tee off in the Buick Classic here today attempting to walk a delicate line just seven days before the US Open.

TIGER WOODS, Phil Mickelson and all the other long but wayward hitting golfers have been warned.

Chris DiMarco, the Masters debutant and shock halfway leader at Augusta, has thanked fans for the part they have played in putting him where he is.