Darren Clarke believes he is close to getting back into the winner’s circle after a second round 66 sent him hurtling up the leaderboard in the weather-delayed Avantha Masters in New Delhi.

The Ulsterman birdied five of his last seven holes in a nine-birdie round to leap into a share of 12th place with Irish Open champion Shane Lowry, who also shot a six under par 66 at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

Click to read more ...

Brett Rumford leads the Qatar MastersPeter Lawrie and Graeme McDowell took advantage of easier second round conditions to move within five strokes of leader Brett Rumford at the halfway stage of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

Rumford fired a best of the day 66 to move one stroke ahead of Welshman Bradley Dredge and two ahead of Lee Westwood and Oliver Wilson on nine under par.

Click to read more ...

Shane LowryShane Lowry continued his magnificent start to the 2010 season when he opened with a one under par 71 in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

The reigning Irish Open champion, who moved up to 90th in the world thanks to his fourth place finish in last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, birdied the par five 18th in testing conditions to finish the day tied for 15th place with Ulsterman Gareth Maybin.

Click to read more ...

Gareth MaybinGareth Maybin has several goals and some major ambitions for his second full season on the European Tour.

As far as goals are concerned, he'd be happy to add 10 yards to his driving distance. Who doesn't need a few extra yards these days?

But his ambitions run deeper than any physical improvement and after an impressive rookie season in 2009, the 29 year old from Ballyclare is not afraid to set the bar higher than most.

Click to read more ...

There are lies and damned statistics but the numbers produced by the European Tour boffins give Padraig Harrington the edge over Rory McIlroy this year.

Yes, McIlroy topped the stroke average and almost won the inaugural Race to Dubai while Harrington floundered in swing tinkering hell for half the season before exploding into life in August.

But if you add together their ranking in the nine Genworth Financial Statistics categories, Harrington finished an average of six places ahead of McIlroy.

Click to read more ...

Edoardo Molinari is breathing down Pablo Martin's neck entering the final round of the South African Open Championships at Pearl Valley Golf Estates.

While Martin (72) leads by a shot on 11 under par in his bid for back to back European Tour wins just a month after nearly losing his European Tour card,  Molinari is seeking an amazing fifth victory in his last eight starts.

The 28 year old Italian posted a third round 69 and needs only a top nine finish to move into the world's top 50 for the first time.

Click to read more ...

Gary Murphy birdied his last two holes to make the cut by a shot in the South African Open.

The Kilkenny man survived with a shot to spare as Spain's Pablo Martin took the halfway lead to remain on track for back to back European Tour wins.

Martin, the only player to win European Tour titles as an amateur and a professional, won the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Sunday.

Click to read more ...

Damien McGrane eagled Leopard Creek's 18th hole for the second day in a row to move into the top 10 in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

A closing three gave the Kells man a two under par 70 and left him just two shots behind second placed Edoardo Molinari and Ernie Els but still six adrift of a rejuvenated Pablo Martin on seven under par.

Click to read more ...

Watch out for Shane Lowry on the European Tour this season.

The 22 year old from Offaly is just three shots off the lead after carding a five under par 67 in the opening round Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in South Africa - the first event of the 2010 campaign.

Click to read more ...

Gareth Maybin had to settle for second best behind Chris Wood in the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year stakes.

Wood, who turns 22 on Thursday, was the highest ranked newcomer in the Race to Dubai standings, finishing in 44th place with earnings of €679,559.

Click to read more ...

There's nothing like a crisis to concentrate the mind but Gary Murphy has managed to avoid thinking about "the dark side" in the Madrid Masters and made a positive start.

Damien McGrane and Gary Murphy are tied for ninth in the Madrid MastersWith time running out in his bid to save his tour card, the Kilkenny man opened with a five under par 67 at the Centro Nacional de Golf by simply focussing on his game rather than the grim reality of his situation.

"I would be lying it I said I wasn't thinking about stuff off the course," Murphy confessed.

Click to read more ...

Gareth Maybin has parted company with caddie Dave Renwick and taken on Ulsterman Davy Jones.

No, that's not big David Jones, the former tour player from Bangor who is now a member of the European Tour's Board of Directors. It's Davy Jones from City of Derry as far as we are aware.

Click to read more ...