EXEGOLF

Ricardo Santos fired a nine under par 63 on home soil in the final round of the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal to claim his maiden European Tour title. The 29 year old overhauled overnight leader Carlos Del Moral and withstood the challenge of Andreas Hartø to finish four shots clear on 22 under par – a record low total for the event.

Carlos Del Moral set a European Tour record of just 20 putts in storming to a three-shot lead with a 9-under-par 63 in the third round of the Madeira Islands Open on Saturday.

Last player at No. 1 to miss the cut at Players Championship: Greg Norman in 1996. Today it was Rory McIlroy.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday the Masters is "too important" for the tour to take it off its official schedule, even though Augusta National has never had a female member in its 80-year history.

The Players Championship is missing four of the top 50 in the world ranking - Charl Schwartzel, Dustin Johnson, Anders Hansen and Paul Lawrie.

Rory McIlroy is to throw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game on June 12, two days before the start of the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Phil Mickelson was inducted into the Hall of Fame with two-time major champion Sandy Lyle of Scotland, writer Dan Jenkins, British player-turned-broadcaster Peter Alliss, and four-time LPGA major champion Hollis Stacy.

England's Richard Finch, 215th in the world, is the lowest-ranked qualifier for the Volvo World Match Play next week.

Rory McIlroy regained World Number One spot after finishing T2 at the Wells Fargo Championship. Luke Donald goes to Nr. 2, Lee Westwood is still third.

Dustin Johnson, who has been sidelined with a back injury since the Masters, has withdrawn from next week’s Players Championship.

Bubba Watson on Twitter: "I´ve decided to pull out of the Players. I need to spend more time with (son) Caleb and (wife) Angie, plan to take at least a month off."

The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., as the host of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open Championship from July 13th to 16th.

Louis Oosthuzien’s performance in winning the Maybank Malaysian Open, just a week after suffering a play-off defeat at the Masters Tournament, has earned the South African The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month Award for April.