Europe made it seven wins in the last nine Ryder Cups and extended the American's 25 years of heartbreak on European soil with a dominant 17½ points to 10½ victory on Sunday. Having carried a four points lead into the final session of 12 singles, Europe held the upper hand and, "battle-hardened by playing so many French Opens on the Albatros course, with its tight fairways and large greens – Europe were more adept at staying out of the heavy rough and, when it mattered most, holing the putts." Francesco Molinari walks out of his third Ryder Cup a made man. He is the first European ever to win all five matches at a Ryder Cup and the first player on either side to do it since Lanny Wadkins in 1979.
Following their exciting 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Ken Early writes in his column that Chelsea and Liverpool are proving that fun football is best. "There is untold potential waiting to be unlocked by any coach that can reconnect their players with the idea that football can be fun," he explains. Meanwhile Bohemians and Cork will have to do it all over again next Monday after Kieran Sadlier kept the southerners' season alive with a late spot kick to draw their FAI Cup semi-final 1-1.
In the Dublin club championship, Diarmuid Connolly made his return for St Vincent's in their 12 point quarter-final win over Castleknock on Sunday afternoon at Parnell Park. Earlier, a late scoring blitz helped Kilmacud Crokes to eventually see off the spirited challenge of St Sylvester's and they joined Saturday's winners St Jude's and Ballyboden in the last four.
So far this year in Irish racing there have been 21 positive tests for prohibited substances.There were five positive results in each of the three previous years. Brian O'Connor explains that "this dramatic spike has provoked confusion and acrimony in a sport already fighting a battle for credibility in terms of doping."
Following a record competitive defeat for the province against Munster on Saturday, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland pointed to his team's casualty list of 16 players and said, "a lot of fellas will be feeling a lot of pain now, including me. Pain is good, you learn from pain."
