DEREK LAWRENSON IN DUBAI: You have to go back to the great Seve Ballesteros in 1991 and the sixth of his victories in the season-long race, to find the last time a Spaniard won.

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.

As another week on the sporting landscape races by, Sportsmail's Riath Al-Samarrai examines who has left themselves hot, and who has been left firmly out in the cold.

Tournament host Tiger Woods roared into contention for a sixth Hero World Challenge title in the Bahamas. The Masters champion carded a five-under-par 67 in the third round.

Henrik Stenson ended a two-year title drought with a one-shot victory in the Hero World Challenge. The former Open champion had not won an event since 2017.

Leishman and Ancer staged a remarkable rally Saturday in foursomes, going from five down with eight holes to play to earn a most unlikely halve against Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler .

The International team had held the edge going into the final day at Royal Melbourne with a 10-8 lead, but victory in the singles for Patrick Reed 4&2 over Pan Cheng-tsung put the US in front.

In the second of our series looking at the greatest moments of a memorable sporting year, we go back to that magical April day at Augusta, and one of the most incredible major victories in history.

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.

Parents were left absolutely stunned when Tiger Woods caddied for his 10-year-old son, Charlie, in a junior golf tournament in Florida on the weekend.

Brooks Koepka gathered all his crew around him on the practice ground here on Monday for a rallying cry at the end of his three-month break following knee surgery.

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.

The 46-year-old's chances have soared after his stirring success in the big-money Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday.

McIlroy could hardly ask for a more alluring target in his first tournament for seven weeks. A win at the Farmers Insurance Open will take him back to world No 1 for the first time in more than four years.

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: Eddie Pepperell and Bryson DeChambeau engaged in a war of words after Pepperell criticised DeChambeau for his slow style of play by labelling him a 'single-minded twit'.

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.

The hole on the par-3 16th will be cut 24 paces on and eight from the left edge of the green to honour Bryant's two most iconic shirt numbers during his remarkable 20-year career within NBA.

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.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: Six weeks into the new year, McIlroy has already achieved his first goal for this season. On Monday, he will be on top of the world.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN LOS ANGELES: Imagine having a local rapper chanting rhymes to a sizeable crowd as you prepare to play to the par three 16th at the Genesis Invitational pro-am. 

DEREK LAWRENSON IN LOS ANGELES: Mark it down as another day at Riviera when the mysteries of this majestic course proved once more beyond even the great Tiger Woods.

DEREK LAWRENSON IN LOS ANGELES: On a day when Tiger showed once more that no venue causes him fits quite like the wiles and mysteries of Riviera, McIlroy answered the riddles with a fine 67

On Friday afternoon, a rumour spread like wildfire at the Genesis Invitational that Phil Mickelson was about to be announced as the first face of the proposed Premier Golf League.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: The walk from the 18th to the Riviera clubhouse involves negotiating a formidable incline for a man in good health, let alone one just back from heart surgery.

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.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: At what point do we officially start to worry about the form of Justin Rose? In a year he has dropped from world No 1 to 13th, his worst position since 2017.

Former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari spoke of his shock and relief after coming through a coronavirus scare to post a strong score on the first day of the Oman Open.

Tommy Fleetwood will have a golden opportunity on Sunday to claim his first victory on the PGA Tour - and banish an unwanted label.

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.

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

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: In only his second tournament back after three months out, the 28-year-old from Marlow has given himself the chance of a first victory on the PGA Tour.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT BAY HILL: It really doesn't get much better than winning in America for the first time at the home of the man every golfer knows as the King.

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,

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.

Tyrrell Hatton revealed he is still feeling the effects of his victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational as he aims to improve his record at another iconic Florida venue.

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 AT SAWGRASS: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka took their cue from a subdued audience reeling from the news that this was the last action they will witness.

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.

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.