Claire Dowling has been appointed as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s first female captain, 12 years after it opened its membership to women. Dowling will serve as the St Andrews institution’s captain in 2026-27, having been nominated by its past captains. She will begin her one-year term in office …

Rory McIlroy says he is “more motivated than I’ve ever been” as he returns to action for the first time since successfully defending the Masters. The world number two became just the fourth player to win successive Green Jackets when he held off Scottie Scheffler at Augusta National last month. …

World number one Scottie Scheffler has confirmed he will warm up for his defence of the Open title by playing the Scottish Open next month. The American, who finished joint eighth last season, will join fellow double-Masters winner and world number two Rory McIlroy, leading Scot and 2024 winner Robert …

DeChambeau’s LIV contract is up at the end of this season and he was looking to sign a lucrative new deal before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced it was set to pull its financial support, with reports, external suggesting he wants $500m (£370m) to stay. The two-time US …

Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from next week’s PGA Championship because of “a personal health matter with his family”, organisers have said. The 55-year-old American also missed last month’s Masters, saying at the time he would be out for an “extended period of time as my family continues …

Jon Rahm will be eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup in Ireland after striking a deal to continue playing on the DP World Tour. The Spaniard had been embroiled in a long-running dispute with the European tour and had refused to pay fines for playing LIV events without official permission …

World number one Nelly Korda went 69 holes without a bogey as she cruised to a four-shot victory in the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Mexico. A week after Korda won her third major with a five-shot win at the Chevron Championship, she was just as dominant to beat …

England’s Justin Rose finished in a tie for 65th on two over par in his first tournament with his new McLaren clubs. Cameron Young won the Cadillac Championship in Miami on 19 under, six shots clear of fellow American Scottie Scheffler. Rose was using clubs manufactured by Formula 1 team …

England’s Alice Hewson made four birdies in eight holes on the back nine of the MCB Ladies Classic’s final round but her late charge was in vain as Smilla Soenderby claimed the title at Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius. The 28-year-old’s back nine of 32 gave her a closing 67 …

Available for over a year This week Eddie is preparing for his return to Tour and joins late at night from Turkey as he, Andrew and Iain dissect a busy few days in golf. Alex Fitzpatrick has leaped on to the PGA Tour with his Zurich Classic pairs victory alongside …

LIV Golf caused a major split in 2022 when it started luring star names away from the PGA Tour with the offer of huge pay increases. DeChambeau joined LIV Golf in 2022 and, along with fellow stars Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith, turned down the chance to return to the …

When viewed in this context, it is little surprise that LIV – which had racked up billions of pounds of losses since its launch in 2022 – was no longer compatible with PIF’s new investment strategy, especially with the vast sums needing to be spent on preparing for the World …

For some players, moving to LIV made perfect sense. Veteran Englishman Richard Bland cashed in on the romance of his one DP World Tour victory, the 2021 British Masters, which effectively earned him an invitation to play LIV tournaments. He did not receive a signing-on fee, but in 55 tournaments …

Al-Rumayyan co-founded LIV in 2021 and has been the tour’s most powerful figure. This week LIV postponed its June event in New Orleans, meaning it will not have any tournaments in the US between 10 May until 6 August, when it goes to Trump Bedminster in New Jersey. BBC Sport …

Rose will play with McLaren irons and is likely to use the more forgiving game-improver versions at the long end of the bag and blades for the rest. This is not as risky as changing his entire set-up. Driver, putter and ball are usually the most crucial elements, so the …

President Trump pays tribute to back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy at Tuesday’s White House banquet. BBC News

Italian Andrea Pavan said he is “optimistic” about a return to playing after he fell down an open lift shaft in February. The incident occurred before the South African Open at Pavan’s private accommodation near Stellenbosch Golf Club when the lift doors opened but there was no lift car in …

The AIG Women’s Open has increased its prize fund for a sixth successive year despite not being a profitable tournament to stage. This year’s championship, which is being held from 30 July – 2 August at Royal Lytham & St Annes on the Lancashire coast, will have a record purse …

Discussion about LIV’s future went into overdrive earlier this month as the tour prepared for its latest event in Mexico. Several media outlets – across golf, sports news and finance – reported its imminent closure, before chief executive O’Neil insisted it was business as usual in a tubthumping email to …

The Open Championship’s final round may be brought forward in an “attempt to avoid a clash” with the World Cup final this summer. Golf’s oldest major, which is being played at Royal Birkdale in Southport, finishes on Sunday, 19 July, the same day as football’s showpiece takes place in the …