DEREK LAWRENSON IN ORLANDO: Another masterclass from Rory McIlroy but a nightmare first round for Tommy Fleetwood at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

DEREK LAWRENSON IN ORLANDO: Rather like Liverpool at Watford last week, Tommy Fleetwood did not do things by halves when it came to the end of his run of 47 tournaments without a missed cut.

Tiger Woods' Masters preparation has suffered a setback as he is unable to return to action at next week's Players Championship in Florida due to a back issue, ESPN reported on Friday.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN ORLANDO: As a media scrum assembled around Rory McIlroy on Friday night, his playing partner Justin Rose made a dejected exit. These are tough times for him.

Rory McIlroy was still a teenager when he marked his first appearance at the Players Championship in 2009 by getting thrown out of bars along Jacksonville Beach for carrying a fake ID.

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. 

The PGA Tour will continue for the next four weeks without spectators, beginning at the Players Championship today, and begging the question: will the Masters follow suit next month?

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: When it came to the Ryder Cup, Paul Azinger was as sure-footed as they come; the feisty competitor who wasn't afraid to get in the face of Seve Ballesteros.

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.

If you were wondering why Rory McIlroy is sporting a leaner look these days, a memorable video posted on social media on Tuesday rather gave the game away.

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.

Tommy Fleetwood hopes the Ryder Cup can act as an 'amazing torch' after the coronavirus pandemic. The flagship contest between Europe and the United States remains in doubt.

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.

MY SPORTING HERO BY CALUM CROWE: Growing up in Ayrshire, I was raised on a diet of Junior football and links golf. Both were in my blood from an early age and have stuck with me.

Few Europeans were even allowed a glimpse of Augusta National in 1980. That all changed when Seve Ballesteros had the looks, the charisma, the game and then the priceless green jacket.

The most important day in the Christian calendar has often coincided with a joyous one for golf followers. This year, they should've been enjoying the 18th Masters staged on Easter Sunday.

Augusta announced last month that the 2020 tournament, scheduled for April 9-12, had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament is now set to be held November 12-15. 

Count the previously buoyant European Tour as another branch of sport staring into a financial black hole owing to the effects of coronavirus.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: you are loath to argue with a 20-strong selection committee containing players like Nick Price, Curtis Strange and Annika Sorenstam.

Tiger Woods' arrogance on the course may have made him come across as a 'p****', but it is also what sets him apart as a true champion, according to his former coach.

World No 1 Rory McIlroy insists he will never take winning for granted as he waits to make a return to the game after the coronavirus lockdown.

The Europe captain is determined to lead his side out at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin in September but accepts that the decision over whether the event should go ahead is 'above my pay grade'.

Bjorn is taking some time away from the fairway during coronavirus lockdown and he decided to help others looking to improve their skills by filming a video on how to hit a chip shot.

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.

EXCLUSIVE BY DEREK LAWRENSON: As he goes on his six-mile lockdown walks, wearing a 50lb fitness coat, the straight-talking Irishman has a weight on his shoulders and a lo on his mind.

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.

The mammoth remains, preserved in permafrost, were found this summer on Kotelny Island, part of the New Siberian archipelago in the Russian Arctic.

Chief of Protocol Sean Lawler has left his post, following reports of a possible internal probe of allegations of intimidation and harassment.

Theresa May Vladimir Putin (pictured) will hold face-to-face talks during the gathering in Japan this week over how to stabilise ties between the countries.

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.

Vladimir Putin has taken aim at the race to succeed Theresa May as he questioned how a democratic country could install a new prime minister without a national vote.

Theresa May greeted Vladimir Putin with the frostiest of handshakes as they met in Japan in a meeting which had been soured before it began by the Russian President's attack on Western views.

President Donald Trump caught up with Argentina's first lady María Juliana Awada Baker during a G20 photo op, chatting with her several times during a photo event.

President Donald Trump has landed in South Korea with daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and a meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un may be on his agenda.

A campaigner for better facilities for disabled people in Russia has found a heart-stopping way to highlight his cause by posing on a precarious ledge some 40ft above the ground in Samara, Russia.

Theresa May said she had 'lived' politics for 50 years, and knew about its potential to 'improve people's lives'. But she said an inability to compromise was poisoning national life.

The Platoon director, pictured left with Putin and inset with his daughter, spoke to Putin on June 19 for his latest film about Ukraine.

Environmentalists have warned that the scale of the blazes, across central and east Russia, could accelerate global warming, aside from any immediate effects on the health of inhabitants.

President Donald Trump said Thursday Vladimir Putin 'appreciated' his offer to help with forest fires raging in Siberia, and that the two men did not discuss Russia's election interference.

U.S. diplomat Jon Huntsman has resigned as Donald Trump's ambassador to Russia.

The spike in radiation in Russia yesterday may have been caused when one of Vladimir Putin's top secret Zircon hypersonic missiles exploded during tests, according to news reports in the country.

Russia's Soyuz rocket with Vladimir Putin's six-foot tall humanoid robot on board has failed to dock at the International Space Stations. The setback has been blamed on issues with docking systems.

Patrick Byrne, who stepped down last week from the company he founded, made the claim in a lengthy blog post on Tuesday detailing his relationship with Butina.

Russian journalists noted that the blonde ice cream seller at the MAKS-2019 international air show on Wednesday was the same woman who sold Putin his cone two years ago at the same event.

'I love it when you call me señorita,' Trump appears to sing, one auto-tuned note at a time, with each word drawn from a different speech. 'I wish I could pretend I didn't need ya.'

Donald Trump's absence from an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland in WWII is stoking fears that the security alliance between Washington and Warsaw is weaker than the two governments have let on.

The poll on Sunday suggests a tactical voting strategy pushed by opponents may have worked, in order to punish the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin's (pictured) ruling United Russia party.