Golf

December 2022

Luke Donald calls up Antoine Rozner and Richard Mansell for Hero Cup

European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald has selected France’s Antoine Rozner and England’s Richard Mansell for next month’s inaugural Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi.

---

Augusta hands LIV rebels a Major lifeline despite opposition

Augusta National has revealed that no LIV player will be banned from next year’s Masters, with 16 of the rebel golfers set to receive their invites in the coming days.

---

‘He hit the greatest shot ever’ – how Padraig Harrington made an ‘idiot’ of himself after Tiger Woods magic

Padraig Harrington was never one to shirk from a final-day duel but the three-time Major champion has revealed that one sensational Tiger Woods shot threw him off his game in a big tournament 13 years ago.

---

LIV rebels set to compete at 2023 Masters after Augusta decision

Players who have joined LIV Golf will not be barred from competing in next year’s Masters, tournament organisers have announced.

---

World Cup no distraction as Harringtons shine in Orlando

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON and his eldest son, Paddy, looked inspired by Argentina’s epic World Cup win over France as they closed with a sparkling 12-under 60 to finish fourth in the PNC Championship in Orlando.

---

Gary Hurley completes ‘fairytale year’ with a career-best finish in Mauritius

Gary Hurley is looking forward to recharging for 2023 after completing "a fairytale year" with a career-best tie for 14th in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

---

Premium

Dreaming of a green Christmas

In grim December mists, there is undeniable appeal in chasing golfing shadows and imagining again the high blue skies of summer. Or it could be that the sight of frost-stiffened grasses on familiar fairways, reminds us of serious winters further afield as we sink deeper into our favourite armchair.

---

Tiger Woods says father and son bond worth the risk of injury setback

Tiger Woods insists playing with his son Charlie in the PNC Championship is well worth it – even if it delays his recovery from injury.

---

Premium

Shane Lowry unchained: ‘I’ve got fire in my belly. I have the desire to win big’

Shane Lowry might have won The Open and some of the biggest events in golf, but even with millions in the bank he insists he has the drive to achieve greater feats.

---

Six Irishmen make 19-man Walker Cup squad

Ireland has six players in the 19-man Great Britain and Ireland squad hoping to make the 10-man team for next year’s Walker Cup clash with the USA at St Andrews.

---

Greg Norman: ‘Rory and Tiger have no idea what they’re talking about. None whatsoever’

Greg Norman insists he won't get into a "childish” back and forth with Rory McIlroy over calls for him to stand down as CEO of LIV Golf and says the door is still open for the Holywood star to jump to the Saudi-backed league.

---

Gallery

I wouldn’t be where I am without Seán Quinn, says Leona Maguire

Leona Maguire insists she will not “go down the rabbit hole” of chasing length at any cost as she bids to join Ireland’s pantheon of Major winners in 2023.

---

Padraig Harrington backs Tiger Woods to win another Major

Pádraig Harrington saw enough from Tiger Woods in The Match to believe the Californian will win a 16th Major title.

---

McKibbin and Murphy eight off the pace in Mauritius as Finn shoots course record

Rookies Tom McKibbin and John Murphy opened with two-under 70s but found themselves eight strokes behind Finland’s Sami Välimäki in the year-ending AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

---

Gallery

Leona Maguire and Rory McIlroy to play back-to-back at home in 2023

Irish golf is set for a mega festival at the end of next summer with the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and the Horizon Irish Open set to be played in back-to-back weeks.

---

Gary Hurley signs new sponsorship deal with Experience Ireland Golf and Travel

West Waterford’s Gary Hurley has signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Killarney-based Golf Tour Operator, Experience Ireland Golf & Travel.

---

Keith Pelley gets IGF nod as Abigail O’Riordan falls short in Final Qualifier bid

DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley has been elected chairman of the International Golf Federation (IGF).

---

Tom McKibbin joins Rory McIlroy as only second Irish teen to crack world’s top 300

Tom McKibbin now shares a record with his idol Rory McIlroy after becoming just the second Irish teenager to break into the world’s top 300.

---

Tom McKibbin becomes second Irish teenager after Rory McIlroy to crack golf’s top 300

Tom McKibbin now shares a record with his idol Rory McIlroy after becoming just the second Irish teenager to break into the world's top 300.

---

Rory McIlroy wins 2022 Golfer of the Year award from Association of Golf Writers for record-equalling fourth time

Rory McIlroy has been honoured by the Association of Golf Writers (AGW) as its 2022 Golfer of the Year.

---

Tom McKibbin clinches another top-20 finish

Tom McKibbin appears to be closing inexorably on that maiden win predicted by Pádraig Harrington after finishing with a six-under 66 to tie for 13th behind South Africa’s Ockie Strydom in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

---

‘Tiger and Rory, what happened?’ – Spieth and Thomas bask in success over McIlroy and Woods

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas triumphed three and two over Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in The Match on Saturday.

---

Gallery

Premium

Big artillery is still needed in the bag of modern player

Thirty years after metal replaced persimmon in our golf bags, there seems a growing danger we may be losing fairway wood skills as a key component of the game. For professionals and elite amateurs, the latest equipment is allowing big hitters to reduce the longer par fours to a drive and short iron, even into fresh winds.

---

Gary Hurley makes the cut as Scott Jamieson sets course record to lead way in South Africa

Gary Hurley did enough to make the weekend at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek after finishing 10 shots off the pace set by Scottish leader Scott Jamieson.

---

Tiger Woods confident partnering Rory McIlroy as Tom McKibbin starts well in Dunhill

Tiger Woods might be struggling with a foot injury, but he’s confident he’s got a winning partner in Rory McIlroy when they take on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in The Match in Florida tomorrow.

---

Premium

Rory McIlroy – The full interview: Read Paul Kimmage’s exclusive talk with the World’s Number 1 golfer

We’re sitting in a room of his splendid home in Jupiter, Florida. Three hours have passed since we settled into our chairs and we’ve reached the first round of the 2022 Masters.

---

Pádraig Harrington tipping rookie McKibbin for ‘quick’ win on Tour

Padraig Harrington reckons it won’t be long before teenager Tom McKibbin wins on the DP World Tour.

---

Rory McIlroy will return to the Irish Open at the K Club next year

Rory McIlroy will return to the Irish Open at the K Club next year.

---

Paul McGinley labels talk of DP World Tour demise as ‘bulls**t’

Paul McGinley believes the DP World Tour's strategic alliance with the PGA Tour is a "phenomenal deal" for Europe, and it bore more fruit yesterday with the announcement of a new landmark partnership with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

---

Shane Lowry eager for family time over Christmas after big numbers add up in the Bahamas

SHANE LOWRY confessed he’s “worn out” and looking forward to his six-week Christmas break after adding a second triple bogey of the week to a string of big numbers in a disappointing finish to his season at the Hero World Challenge.