When he turned professional in 1996, Tiger Woods had two landmarks in mind. One was Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors. The other was Sam Snead's all-time record of 82 PGA Tour victories.

Former world number one McIlroy was in a share of seventh after saying on Wednesday he wanted to end a four-year wait for a World Golf Championships victory - he finished on five-under-par.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy sank a two-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in a playoff with American Xander Schauffele in Shanghai on Sunday..

DEREK LAWRENSON IN TURKEY: Englishman Steven Brown thought he'd be a bag of nerves by now, but he is rightly soaking in the praise and plaudits following his victory in the Portugal Masters.

Justin Rose has spelled out his No 1 priority for next year - and it isn't any of the four majors. Or the Ryder Cup.Such is the impact of his unforgettable week at the 2016 Olympics.

Patrick Reed's day began with a telephone call from captain Tiger Woods informing him that he was getting a wildcard for America's Presidents Cup team.

After 47 tournaments and hundreds of thousands of shots, one fearless stroke on the 18th hole decided everything between Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood.

DEREK LAWRENSON 2019 REVIEW: As a farewell column for 2019, let's reflect on another momentous season and hand out some accolades to the best and worst moments in 2019.

Patrick Reed held the outright lead after the second round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on Thursday while tournament host Tiger Woods is six back.

Tiger Woods has accused Australian golf fans of crossing a line after Patrick Reed's caddie was thrown out of the Presidents Cup in disgrace.

OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Five years ago, when I was already plenty old enough to know better, I went to Orlando to chronicle the end of Tiger Woods' career.

Patrick Reed still hasn't shaken off the stigma that followed his cheating storm at last month's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. His latest heckle has come in Hawaii.

Tiger Woods will have his first crack at securing a record-setting 83rd PGA Tour victory in two weeks in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the former world number one confirmed this week.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN ABU DHABI: Twelve months ago, a struggling Shane Lowry turned up here and spoke about rebuilding his career in some of the far-flung spots on the European Tour.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN ABU DHABI: Matt Fitzpatrick is the 11-stone sapling punching well above his weight in a sport increasingly populated by the muscle-bound.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN ABU DHABI: It is still more than two months until the clocks go forward, and Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have yet to hit a shot.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: Naturally, when the time came to put an 80 next to the name of Jack Nicklaus, it had nothing to do with golf.

In the confines of the players' lounge and in off the record conversations on the practice ground, a litany of torment came to characterize a brutal first day at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN DUBAI: Remember all those US Opens where they set the course up so hard it became a lottery, and they ended up with a funky winner?

The mystery backers behind proposals for a new Premier Golf League broke cover yesterday in a bid to convince Phil Mickelson to join their golfing revolution with the new competition.

Graeme McDowell succeeding in proving to his children he is not just a 'YouTube golfer', but their Easter holiday plans may have to change following his battling victory in the Saudi International.

Spain's Jon Rahm fired a career-best 61 - which included a hole-in-one - to charge up the leaderboard at the WGC-Mexico Championship, where Justin Thomas has a one-shot lead.

Tommy Fleetwood's wait for his first victory in America goes on after a final-hole calamity on a wild, compelling Sunday in South Florida that ended in a victory for Sunjae Im.

EXCLUSIVE BY DEREK LAWRENSON: As ever with Fleetwood, the tone was measured and the words considered - but he made no secret of his displeasure at being in the middle of a media storm.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: The first time Tyrrell Hatton played pro golf in Orlando he was sharing a room each night with several fellow wannabes,

Now it is Reed’s turn to run the gauntlet, the arch-villain in so many golfing eyes following his actions in improving his lie while attempting a shot from the sand at the Hero Challenge in December. 

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: No wonder there is a doom-laden feeling that the Ryder Cup should be postponed for 12 months and we write off a lost year for sport.

The US Open is set to become the third American major to be postponed and will now be played in early September, according to a report in the New York Post.

The legendary 49-year-old revealed on Twitter that talks with the 15-time major champion are underway over a high-profile shootout, despite virtually all sports being dragged to a halt.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: Sir Nick Faldo believes Rory McIlroy and other leading lights will have a real opportunity to rewrite golf history if the majors are packed into a tight window.

Northern Irishman Rory Mcilroy showed off a few of his trademark moves including keepy-ups on his club before smashing the ball into the trees.

EXCLUSIVE BY DEREK LAWRENSON: Europe's captain Padraig Harrington could hardly be any clearer when it comes to the two schools of thought regarding this year's Ryder Cup.

EXC INTERVIEW BY DEREK LAWRENSON: If you had to rank Sir Nick Faldo's six major championship wins, his successful defence of his Masters title 30 years ago might well finish bottom.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: It was the hardest piece that I've ever had to write - and the lively aftermath was far, far worse. Seve Ballesteros tore into me in front of my peers.

During an interview, Harrington revealed who he'd been in contact with recently before accidentally mentioning 'Luke', referencing Luke Donald, as one of his vice-captains for the event.

'Air' Jordan is now back on sports fans' lips following the airing of ESPN's docu-series The Last Dance, which focuses on his championship-winning season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-1998.

Theresa May and husband Philip touched down in Osaka, where world leaders are gathering for the G20 summit of powerful nations.

President Donald Trump arrives in Japan for talks with Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and other leaders after demanding from aboard Air Force One that India pull back tariffs.

Theresa May will today tell Vladimir Putin to hand over the two agents who carried out the Salisbury chemical attack on Sergei Skripal, when the leaders meet at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan

Putin's decree released on Wednesday formalizes Russia's departure from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with the United States following Washington's withdrawal.

U.S. Southern Command tweeted video and images from the incident on Friday. They say the SU-30 Flanker 'aggressively shadowed' a U.S. EP-3 aircraft.

The Russian president's involvement in the deadly poisoning in Salisbury is understood to have been assessed by British intelligence agencies as well as Scotland Yard.

Steve Bullock, 2020 presidential candidate, on Sunday compared Ken Cuccinelli, the acting Director of the Citizenship and Immigration Services, to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vladmir Putin (pictured) said he offered to 'balance everything out' by offering the Kremlin's weapons to Trump at the G20 summit in Japan in June.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a report Israel most likely spied on President Trump using devices that mimic cell towers a 'blatant lie.'

Russian president Vladimir Putin hailed Khabib Nurmagomedov as a 'strong, tough fighter' after the unbeaten MMA fighter retained his UFC lightweight title.

Sekinat Ibragimova was publicly shamed on TV for casting spells on Chechnya locals. Pro-Putin local ruler Ramzan Kadyrov had her detained and had her paraphernalia seized.

Alexander 'Sasha' Gabyshev, 60, nicknamed the 'new Rasputin,' in reference to the crazed monk who took a malevolent hold over the last tsar of Russia, was halted in Siberia.

The White House is said to have attempted to limit access to President Trump's conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A KGB profile belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been released to the public at an exhibition of declassified documents at the central state archive in St. Petersburg.