EXEGOLF

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.

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Dustin Johnson, who has been sidelined with a back injury since the Masters, has withdrawn from next week’s Players Championship.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

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. 

Scotland's Paul Lawrie is skipping the U.S. Open, citing his poor performances in the major championship. The 1999 British Open champion, ranked 43rd in the world, said he will take time off and focus on the BMW International Open in Cologne the following week in order to get Ryder Cup points.

New world top 10: 1/Donald, 2/McIlroy, 3/Westwood, 4/Watson, 5/Mahan, 6/Stricker, 7/Woods, 8/Kaymer, 9/Rose, 10/Mickelson.

LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Se Ri Pak announced that she is sidelined indefinitely with a slight tear in the labrum of her left shoulder. The 25-time LPGA winner had an MRI on Thursday and will begin rehabilitation immediately with hopes of avoiding surgery. Pak slipped on stairs Tuesday, injuring her shoulder while bracing her fall against a railing. She withdrew from this week's Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.

Lee Westwood has announced that he will not be taking part in next month's Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.

Jack Nicklaus is getting own drink. Arizona Beverages has created a partnership with Nicklaus to produce a new line of lemonade drinks called "Golden Bear." The line will feature three flavors.