Golf, by TourMiss

There have been few more popular Major winners in recent years than Darren Clarke and Your Golf Travel is giving golfers the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a day with the 2011 Open champion – and play golf with him on his home course. The world’s largest golf travel company has teamed up with Tourism Ireland to offer 12 lucky competition winners an amazing trip to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland to play alongside Clarke on its famous Dunluce Course. As well as playing ...

Flying Finn Mikko Ilonen equalled the course record with a sizzling nine under par 63 to take a three shot into the final two rounds of the Volvo China Open at Tianjin. Illonen birdied four of his closing five holes in a 12-under par tally to move clear of Australia’s Brett Rumford and Thailand’s Kiradeck Aphibarnrat who each recorded 67s to be tied in second place on nine under par. Illonen’s score matched the Binhai Golf Course record set last year by Sweden’s Alexander Noren, and is an ...

Home of Golf ambassador Padraig Harrington would not have won favour with his decision to use a belly putter during the opening round of yesterday’s (Thurs) Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte, North Carolina. Harrington wears the R & A logo on all his attire but the St. Andrews-based ruling body seems certain to join the USGA in shortly announcing a ban in achoring any club to the body. Harrington’s decision to pack the belly putter into his bag for the $US 6.7m event goes against ...

Twelve year old Ye Wo-Cheng may have created history at the start of the week but he will be back in his Dongguan school on Monday after easily missing the Volvo China Open halfway cut with a pair of 79s. Ye bogeyed his closing two holes and in fact completed his closing seven holes in six over par. The Chinese younster had just one birdie over the two days to be in second last position with a 14-over par tally in the co-sanctioned European and One Asia Tour event. MORE TO FOLLOW

Brett Rumford edged closer to becoming only the third Australian to win back-to-back in the 41-year history of the European Tour. Rumford fired a five under par 67 to move to nine under par on day two of the Volvo China Open and less than a week after winning the Ballantine’s Championship. The Perth-born player, who was then joined by similiar in-form Thai golfer Kiradeck Aphibarnrate (67) atop of the board in the co-sanctioned European Tour and One Asia Tour event, birdied his closing four holes ...

Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen set about ending a seven-year winless drought grabbing a two shot lead with a score of 66 on the first day of the Volvo China Open. Derksen, 39, ranked 465th in the world, capped his round with eight birdies including six in a seven hole stretch from sixth hole and then two over his closing three in bright but windy conditions on the exposed Pete Dye designed Binhai Golf Club course at Tianjin in north-east China. The effort is Derksen’s equal-lowest score in 33 rounds ...

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is favourie to capture this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. Odds.com show McIlroy as a 9/1 favorite followed by Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood at 15/1. McIlroy won the event in 2010 in what was his first taste of success on the PGA Tour.  However the Northern Irishman, who turns 24 on Saturday, is yet to taste success this season on either the PGA Tour or European Tour. But in a head-to-head matchup, Mickelson is +110 vs. Westwood who is -130. Other ...