The three-time major winner is the clear favourite to succeed Thomas Bjorn at Whistling Straits, where Europe will be bidding to defend the trophy won in Paris last year.

The three-time major winner succeeds Thomas Bjorn, as Europe bid to defend the trophy. He was announced as captain at a press conference at the European Tour's Wentworth headquarters.

Lee Westwood all but removed any doubt that he will be Europe’s Ryder Cup captain in 2022 on Tuesday when he declared the timing ‘ideal’ for him to take the reins in Italy.

Former Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters took advantage of benign morning conditions to lead a world-class field in the inaugural Saudi International.

Stricker, who lives just over two hours away from the host venue of Whistling Straits, has made three appearances in the biennial contest as a player, most recently at Medinah in 2012.

DEREK LAWRENSON: Here in the tourist capital of America they're fond of telling you it's the place where dreams come true. For Frankie Molinari, it has proved the place where the dream goes on.

Thomas Pieters will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Maybank Championship as he bids to end his two-and-a-half-year wait for a regular European Tour title.

Brooks Koepka finished the opening round of the USPGA with a staggering round of 63 to finish -7 and give him the outright lead. The American posted seven birdies and no bogies.

United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker has no intention of following opposite number Padraig Harrington and changing his number of wild cards.

They say there's no such thing as the perfect golfer but over three rounds of complete domination at the USPGA Championship, Brooks Koepka has given a pretty good impression.

Brooks Koepka won the 101st USPGA Championship on Sunday to join the legends of the game with his successful defence of the Wanamaker Trophy.

AMITAI WINEHOUSE: Ahead of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox clash this weekend, Sportsmail looks and put together a top 10 for the biggest rivalries on the planet.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: Three months ago, Chris Wood was feeling so addled by golf he walked off a course mid-round for the first time in his life and out of the Morocco Open.

Should Harry Kane be considering a second career after football then maybe he could try his hand at golf. That's if the advice of Ian Poulter is anything to go by.

The Irish government and European Tour organisers are understood to have agreed a deal for the biennial clash between Europe and the USA to be staged in Limerick.

Former Ryder Cup golfer Gordon Brand Jr has died aged 60. The Scot starred in the 1987 and 1989 Ryder Cups and commentated as Shane Lowry won The Open just two weeks ago.

WORLD OF GOLD EXCLUSIVE BY DEREK LAWRENSON: Nathaniel, 57, arrives with a clutch of great stories about his father and the natural bonhomie that was the preserve of his old man.

Matt Fitzpatrick will be among the spectators this weekend when his brother Alex follows in his footsteps and represents Britain and Ireland against America in the Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool.

American Danielle Kang has stirred the pot nicely with some provocative remarks about wanting to 'crush' the Europeans and make the home supporters cry at Gleneagles.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday morning, the Made In Chelsea star, 30, shared a video tour of her stylish abode, complete with chic white decor and a wildlife themed nursery

The Made In Chelsea star has shared a heartbreaking tribute to his late mum who passed away last April following a 'brief battle' with brain cancer.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, who is 33 weeks pregnant with a baby girl, showed off her bump on Instagram Stories as she shared a glimpse of the supplies for her hospital bag.

Made In Chelsea star Heloise Agostinelli has revealed she has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Louise Thompson spent her 30th birthday in isolation with her fiancé Ryan Libbey due to the current coronavirus lockdown.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 25, looked summery as she soaked up the spring sunshine in a white cropped crochet cardigan.

The Made In Chelsea star, 31, made a guest appearance in Laura Whitmore's Castaway podcast where he talked about life in lockdown with girlfriend Sophie Habboo.

Their wedding day was pushed back amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Yet Proudlock and Emma ensured they marked the occasion as they held a romantic picnic in their garden.

The Made In Chelsea star, 26, also shared a racy snap of herself wearing a pair of jeans for the first time in lockdown.

Louise Thompson has admitted she's 'working on her relationship' with fiancé Ryan Libbey and they still haven't made plans for their wedding.

Made In Chelsea lovebirds Verity Bowditch and Tristan Phipps have split.

The trio are said to have broke government regulations on Sunday night to take part in a boozy gathering with 12 guests.

Princess Anne was decked out in a tweed coat and chic sunglasses to watch the Six Nations rugby clash between Scotland and Rome at the Stadio Olympico stadium in Rome on Saturday.

Recalled Ireland lock Devin Toner fears an English backlash on Sunday at Twickenham after the hosts' stuttering Six Nations start.

As the third weekend of Six Nations action draws to a close, Sportsmail's Chris Foy digests the best of the offerings around the grounds...

The 24-year-old winger, who was the top try-scorer at the recent World Cup with seven, suffered a nasty ankle injury in the 65th minute against France. He will now have surgery.

Officials at the RFU and the Italian Rugby Federation have expressed confidence that Eddie Jones’ side will be able to finish their campaign as planned at the Stadio Olimpico on March 14. 

With the virus continuing to spread across the continent, threatening a host of major sporting events, UEFA have accepted that 'football must follow the orders of the individual countries'.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: It's been a strange old Six Nations campaign for England, not convincing by any means, yet it could still easily result in them winning the 2020 Championship.

Ross Moriarty needs no second invitation to rip into a Six Nations contest and despite England versus Wales becoming a friendlier he is always out to settle scores.

The couple were seen in the stands during the Guinness Six Nations match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium this afternoon.

NIK SIMON AT TWICKENHAM: To be continued. England's Six Nations hopes are still alive but, like any good cliff-hanger, no one quite knows what will happen next.

When rugby-mad Jacob Pickering from Blackburn got his bionic arm three months ago he never imagined that he would be using it to shake hands with the England team at Twickenham.

Without the state-of-the-art medical equipment he is used to at Leicester Tigers and the England camp, Jonny May has installed a hyperbaric chamber at his home to help him bounce back from injury.

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has warned his organisation will need financial support from the government if the 2021 Six Nations cannot go ahead due to the coronavirus crisis.

Tyrrell Hatton is hoping to rekindle an old flame in the 148th Open Championship after admitting he has struggled for motivation since his successful Ryder Cup debut.

Free agent striker Nicky Ajose is weighing up a number of offers after attracting interest from Blackpool, Exeter City and Lincoln City following his release by Charlton.

Tommy Johnson has joined Blackpool's recruitment staff in a move which led to the collapse last week of Southend's bid to appoint Henrik Larsson as manager at Roots Hall.

The 32-year-old singer, who hosted the ceremony, referred to the outlandish theory in a pre-taped segment with comedian Billy Eichner, who asked her to 'blink twice' if she is the murdered girl.

Calvin, who is the world's highest paid DJ, was 'really interested in Sophie and made a beeline for her as soon as he got inside', according to sources.

Miley Cyrus gave fans a rather tame MTV VMA performance on Sunday night, except for a bizarre moment when she groped an elderly woman onstage.