The Masters

McIlroy cards bogey-free 66 to trail clubhouse leader Justin Rose by two shots; Shane Lowry also moves into contention after 68

Corey Conners thinking of his coach; Bubba Watson shows glimpses of his old self

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we kid ourselves so often and so fecklessly?

Justin Rose leads by three shots after brilliant opening 65; Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Ludvig Aberg lead chasing pack

Tyrrell Hatton puts poor form on breakaway circuit behind him with opening 69 at Masters

From baseball slugger to Masters snapper; Højgaard’s head in a spin; DeChambeau puts in the numbers

Irish women face formidable challenge; does the name Joe DePugh ring a bell?

Everything you need to know about Augusta National and the first Major of the year

The multi-talented All Black is ready to get even more into the swing of things at Leinster as the season enters its critical stage

There are devilish consequences for a misplaced tee shot on 12

Nobody doubts the Irishman is good enough to win the Green Jacket but every year adds to the pressure to deliver

Only the very early early arrivals manage to get their hands on the highly-coveted Masters gnome ($49.50)

World number two is in the prime form of his life ahead of his latest Masters challenge

Shane Lowry to play with Hideki Matsuyama and Bryson DeChambeau

Masters tickets; top amateur Peter McEvoy dies; word of mouth; the numbers game; and more

More than 1,000 trees were felled by 80mph winds at the course last September, and the treescape is now much thinner

PGA have been tardy in tackling a persistent problem that is spoiling too many tournaments

American may not yet have won this year, but is back close to his dominant best

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are among the top contenders at Augusta

From his first Masters appearance in 2009, McIlroy has always been the talk of the place, whether in contention or bombing out

Bazooka-style driving is hardly even a spectacle at this stage, but just when did the wonder fail to enthral?

Caddie Ted Scott has now helped both Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler to Masters success twice at Augusta

McIlroy’s tied-22nd finish in Augusta was another week where great expectations fell flat

Scottie Scheffler established himself as a force in the sport but Rory McIlroy appears no further on with a Masters plan

Ticket talk has already started for Champions Cup semi-final; Ireland gets Six Nations campaign up and running; Scottie Scheffler makes it look easy

World number one secures second Major title after closing 68 earns him four-stroke win

‘I love playing golf with Phil. He hit some shots that I’m … enjoying as a spectator more than anything else’

Bandwagoners are, mercifully, only subjected to this kind of guff in glory weeks

World number one leads by one shot from Collin Morikawa while Woods shoots 82 for his worst score at Augusta

World number two is 10 shots off lead, with Shane Lowry also struggling in windy conditions in Augusta

Former US amateur runner-up’ steer from Jack Nicklaus; Major entry for minor money; inaugural year for those sunnies; wind-worn Cameron Davis; and Bryson DeChambeau’s 3-D club angle

Irish golfer had three three-putts in four holes as he shot a 74 for three over

Gary Player in a sweat about pumped-up golfers; Masters success a financial and tournament windfall; and that numbers game

Robbie Henshaw and Leinster “obsessed” with a fifth Champions Cup; Athletics to give prize money to Olympic champions

McIlroy’s round – four birdies, three bogeys – was one where he got a couple of lucky ricochets off trees on wayward drives

Danny Willett fires cards an opening 68 during his first round since undergoing shoulder surgery six months ago

Ronan O’Gara takes La Rochelle to Cork; Vera Pauw speaks out; Louth get ready for Leinster championship

Former US Amateur champion Chris Cowan began a trend when he was the first to skip the ball across the pond to the 16th green at Augusta National in 1972

The splintering of the sport with the advent of the LIV Tour could not have come at a worse time for golf as generation beige fail to move the needle in the post-Tiger Woods era

Spanish golfer reveals his menu choices for the Champions Dinner at Augusta last year