Rory McIlroy hopes to shake off the rust soon and build for his Masters defence after he recorded his worst finish for 17 years to finish 12 shots behind an imperious Patrick Reed in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Hopes of an Irish victory evaporated in the desert air as Patrick Reed extended his lead to four strokes heading into the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Rory McIlroy will need to find his A-game at the weekend if he’s to win his fifth Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Tyrrell Hatton denied there was any tension with an out-of-sorts Rory McIlroy in the first round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Shane Lowry overcame a slow start and made three birdies in his last 12 holes to grind out a one-under 70 and keep his victory hopes alive in the Dubai Invitational.

Seamus Power spectacularly eagled the 18th to make the weekend with a shot to spare in the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Shane Lowry had to tap into his artistic side to overcome strong winds and grab a share of the halfway lead in the Dubai Invitational.

Rory McIlroy swapped his blades for a new set of cavity-back irons but it was business as usual as the Masters champion raced into the first round lead at the Dubai Invitational.

Keegan Bradley got some revenge for September's Ryder Cup defeat when he outshone Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood and scooped a cool $2.1 million in the Capital One Skins Game in Florida.

Seamus Power hopes to write a fairytale ending to a tough year.

In 1972, Chinese premier Zhou Enlai was asked about the impact of the French Revolution. "Too early to say," he replied.

Dermot Gilleece has penned a new book chronicling The Open’s remarkable players, the stand-out incidents, and how Ireland successfully scaled golf's summit.

Tom McKibbin roared into contention for his Masters debut and a return to The Open as Shane Lowry missed the cut in the Open de España in Madrid.

Jon Rahm will be looking to overcome Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry and win his fourth Spanish Open this week after coming through what he described as “the chaos” of Europe’s win at Bethpage Black.

It’s a big week for several Irish players as the race to keep cards or earn promotion heats up on tours around the world.