Golf

It was thought that Scotland’s leading female amateurs could be the main beneficiaries of Scottish Golf becoming a unified body and that certainly seems to be true.

Trump Turnberry has been named as Scottish Hotel of the Year amid acclamations from the judges that appear to endorse the US president’s greatest boasts about his Ayrshire golf resort.

France’s Alexander Levy boosted his chances of qualifying for a Ryder Cup debut on home soil by claiming his 
fifth European Tour title at the Hassan Trophy in Morocco.

England’s Lily May Humphreys dashed home hopes at the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, securing another notable title at Royal Troon.

Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey had his wife’s dedication to thank for posting an opening 69 in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco.

Sergio Garcia has vowed that his Masters nightmare will not ruin the rest of the season as he returns to action in the Valero Texas Open.

Jon Rahm is making a nice habit of pulling off remarkable feats. His latest one, delighting the home crowds by winning the Open de España, was arguably his best yet, given that he had arrived in Madrid with little left in the tank after finishing fourth behind Patrick Reed in the Masters.

Liberton’s Kieran Cantley recorded his second win in eight days as he came from two shots behind heading into the final round to claim victory in the Simpson & Marwick Craigmillar Park Open.

Ireland’s Paul Dunne carded a four-under-par 68 to lead the field by one shot ahead of the final round of the Open de Espana.

Marc Warren finished strongly for the second day running as on-form Irishman Paul Dunne carved out a healthy lead at the halfway stage in the Open de Espana in Madrid.

Marc Warren finished with three birdies in a row to share the lead with Irishman Paul Dunne after the opening round of the Open de Espana in Madrid, writes Martin Dempster.

An offer from the European Tour, LPGA and R&A to help the struggling Ladies European Tour (LET) is still on the table despite being rejected but will not be there “forever”, according to Keith Pelley.

Jon Rahm will attempt to put his Masters disappointment behind him by completing his collection of national titles in the Open de Espana.

They laughed when he said four years ago that he could be a “top five player in the world”. That’s still to happen, but no-one is laughing at Patrick Reed now. The 27-year-old Texan is a deserved Masters champion after confirming what anyone who watched the last two Ryder Cups already knew, namely that he is as tough as nails.

David Duval, the 2001 Open champion, hit the nail on the head when it came to summing up Rory McIlroy failing at the fourth attempt to complete that career Grand Slam.

He saved his best for last. His last-round 69 included an eagle at the 15th that sent a huge roar around Augusta National. That happened just as the leaders were heading out. Tiger Woods has work to do be back in that position in a major championship. This, though, was probably the most both he and those foolishly lulled into thinking he could be a contender at such an early stage in his comeback could have expected.

It wasn’t quite Stewart Cink denying Tom Watson a sixth Claret Jug at the age of 60 Turnberry.

Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy fought out an epic singles battle in the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, where the American prevailed on the last green.

He’ll be back in the world’s top 100 tomorrow, having ended last year in 656th spot. That in itself is a sign of how well Tiger Woods has played since he returned to golf pain-free after his back trouble in recent years. He’s still got work to do, though, before he can be regarded as a genuine contender once more in majors.