Sports Ladder (4th - 10th August)

UP - Rory McIlroy - Not a bad week for the young Northern Irishman as he effectively creates an own era for himself. The returning world number one has always had the talent to be the best golfer in the world but has never strung together a run long enough to claim this title. However, after his third consecutive tournament victory, two of these being majors, McIlroy has set himself aside from the rest of the golfing world and become the very best. We are now well and truly in the McIlroy era.

UP - Arsenal - 'Specialists in failure?' Jose Mourinho will be eating his words this week as Arsenal brushed Manchester City aside to win their second trophy in less than three months. It was a commanding display against the League Champions from a side who have been the laughing stock of the top end of the Premier League for so long.. As cliched as it sounds, that FA Cup victory really may open the floodgates for Arsenal and I see them as genuine title champions this year, not just contenders. Wenger certainly knows what he is doing.


UP - England Cricket - We won again! Two weeks in a row! Actual legitimate victories! This time by a whole innings! Insane! No more words are even needed!

UP - Venus Williams - This week must have felt so very pleasing for the eldest Williams sister. For years she has disappeared, cowering in the shadow of her dominant younger sister. Serena has been the number one ranked player ranked female for well over a year now whilst Venus has toiled with injuries and dropped well down in the rankings. However, this week Venus claimed her first triumph over her sister since 2009 and made the final of the Rogers Cup in the process. Unfortunately she lost but we'll ignore that part.

UP - Howard Webb - Referees get a lot of bad press. Most weeks on Match of the Day they are hounded by Linekar and the gang as well as most of the neutrals for poor errors all over the park. This week though, Manchester United, the Premier League mourned the loss of one of its greatest assets in Howard Webb. The veteran became the first of Louis Van Gaal's summer clear out  referee retired from his 25-year career to spend more time with his family. All jokes aside, Webb will be sorely missed.

DOWN - Mark Robins - Football sackings have become a bit of a joke in recent years. Managers fired before Christmas, given no time at all to implement their ideas and no time to at least try and implement some sort of recovery. Mark Robins decided that getting fired ten games into a season was too mainstream though, opting for the more ridiculous choice of leaving after ONE game of the new season. Huddersfield were spanked 4-0 by a rampant Bournemouth side which left Robins out of a job. My head was buried so deep in my hands at this ridiculous news.

DOWN - Andy Murray - After failing to retain his Wimbledon title it looks like Murray doesn't fancy retaining his Sports Personality of the Year award either. Another quarter-final exit in this weeks Toronto Masters sees the Brit make absolutely no ground on his rivals and continue to languish in a mediocre ninth in the world rankings. Despite the appointment of Amelie Mauresmo as his coach, little has changed for the Brit and it looks to be his worst year for a very long time on the court.

DOWN - Legia Warsaw - Picture the scene. 6-1 up on aggregate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Absolutely cruising. No way for the opposition to come back. So naturally the thing to do is bring on a player who is potentially ineligible to play with just three minutes to go. Another head-in-hands football moment as Warsaw saw themselves thrown out of the Champions League for this rookie mistake. Never underestimate the importance of paperwork.

DOWN - Bernie Ecclestone - The big, or should I say, little man at the head of Formula One made a bit of a tit of himself this week when he decided that the best way to sort out a bribery trial would simply be to buy his way out with an effectively legal form of bribery. Ecclestone was on trial for bribing a company he favoured to buy a stake in F1 and got out of the trial by paying a 100 million Euro buy-out. If that doesn't scream 'guilty' then I really don't know what does.

DOWN - Tiger Woods - Topping this weeks Sports Ladder was Rory McIlroy and his new era so it seemed only fitting to put his predecessor rock bottom after another week to forget. On a generous Valhalla course, Woods looked barely a shadow of his best, finishing on Friday after failing to make the cut by six shots. Plagued with injuries and still not looking focused after his off-the-course personal problems, the era of the legendary Tiger Woods is well and truly over.

US PGA Set for Super Sunday Showdown

Golf's final major of the season is set for a scintillating final day of action as a host of major players top the standings. 

On a day which saw, at one point, five players holding a share of the lead and a further five just one shot back, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy emerged clear with a one stroke lead heading into Sunday. McIlroy endured a rocky round with some sloppy short-game errors on the 8th and 12th dragging him back into the rest of the field. At one point eighteen players were within three shots of the lead but the new world number one showed all the steely grit that has earned him three major titles, claiming three birdies over the last four holes to move to -13.

Behind him lie a star-studded line-up of leaderboard-topping veterans but his playing partner on the final day does not yet fall into that category. Austrian Bernt Wiesberger sits just one shot behind McIlroy after a special six under par round today saw him move to well within contention heading into the final day. With only five past major appearances and just one cut made, you would be forgiven for not recognising the Austrian but he has strung together three days of solid golf and will be feeling relaxed in amongst the golfing worlds big boys.

One shot further back is a man we have become all too accustomed to seeing on the final day of majors after two tied second performances and a tied fifth just this year. After an eclectic day of bogeys and birdies on friday, Rickie Fowler will have been pleased to see a squeaky clean scorecard as he finished his round this afternoon. An intelligent round of exploitative golf saw the 25-year-old American birdie all three of the par fives to leave him sitting just two strokes behind McIlroy and with plenty of confidence after seeing the Northern Irishman make a couple of errors today. Set to don his traditional orange attire for the final day, will the future be bright for the American?

These three will have to be on their toes though as lurking on ten under par is the master and the apprentice, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day. 'Lefty' is no stranger to a major title having collected five in his time, and the veteran looks ready to pounce with another US PGA title a very realistic possibility. With a string of four birdies in five holes towards the end of his round yesterday, he put himself well in the hunt for the title. Mickelson has been playing some assured golf around this generous Valhalla course and with the capabilities of his short game, McIlroy, Fowler and Wiesberger will be looking nervously over their shoulder.

Day had a less fruitful day than those around him as he left the course with just a 69 but will be remembered for save-of-the-day after wading, barefoot, through a creek to play his second shot after a wayward drive on the second hole. Remarkably, considering his position, Day parred the hole but will be disappointed with his day on the whole having lost ground to his partner, McIlroy. The Australian certainly has the attributes to challenge though and is another heavyweight on this super Sunday.

There is a mixture of players at -9, just four shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson is the most recognisable of the four after his fantastic end to last year but Louis Oosthuizen is the sole major winner in this group after his 2010 Open Championship victory. Joining them are American, Ryan Palmer and Finn, Mikko Ilonen who both laboured through Saturday, both shooting 69's, a disappointing score comparable to those around them. At just four behind, they will all think they are still in with a chance and, especially Stenson who is still searching for that maiden major, will pounce on any mistake from the leaders.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson has the Ryder Cup now firmly in his sights after a wonderful 66 seeing him move up to -8 alongside Steve Stricker and Graeme DeLaet but will need an even better round if he is to be in with a chance of claiming his debut major.

It was another day of 'what ifs' for Lee Westwood who shot another four bogeys to go with the two double bogeys he had shot on Thursday and Friday to leave him off the pace at -7. The worst round of the day though went to Jim Furyk among the front runners, who was the sole man in the top 38 not to shoot either even or under par after a one-over-par round, meaning he joins Westwood on -7. Hunter Mahan, Kevin Chappell, Joost Luiten and Adam Scott are also on -7 but will be rank outsiders now at six shots behind.

With Ryder Cup qualification on the mind of many Americans and Europeans, Sunday is set to be a low scoring day for the enture field but all eyes will be on the front runners. McIlroy is in pole position and if recent form is anything to go by, should claim the title. That is far too simple though, and with some wiley old foxes, world-class youngsters and fresh faces all in hot pursuit expect fireworks on the Valhalla course as the major golfing season comes to an explosive finale.

Sports Ladder (15th - 21st July)

UP - Germany - It seems like weeks ago that the World Cup came to an end but alas it was just last weekend that Germany claimed their first trophy as a unified state. They were hardly inspiring from start to finish but when it mattered they came up with the goods, stuffing Brazil in the semis before grinding out a narrow 1-0 victory in the final. It won't go down as a classic final but Goetze and co won't care one little bit.

UP - Rory McIlroy - It's been coming for a while. It may well have taken over a year for the Northern-Irishman to sort himself out, both on and off the course, but his marvelous display on the grass of the Royal Liverpool ensured he cements his position as one of the top golfers in the world. Rory led from day one after some scintillating golf and managed to conquer his phobia of Fridays which has consumed him throughout this year. Onwards and upwards for the new world number two.

UP - Nico Rosberg - The German Grand Prix had it all. Crashes on turn one, Hamilton storming through the field, collisions and overtakes left, right and occasionally centre. Yet the forgotten man from the weekend was the actual winner Nico Rosberg. The German, at his home Grand Prix, drove such a calm, cool and collected race that he barely made it onto our screens on Sunday. Now fourteen points ahead of Hamilton, Nico will be relishing this weekends Hungarian Grand Prix.

UP - Kylie Walker - In all the excitement of this weeks British Open a magnificent golfing record went very quietly under the radar on the Ladies Tour. Scotland's Kylie Walker made history this week with the lowest ever score after 54-holes of a tournament after she shot three consecutive 64s to end 24 under par going into the final round. Amazingly after a final round of 71 she needed a play-off to beat promising youngster Charley Hull but she did eventually prevail to win the German Open. Yes, Germany gets another mention.

UP - Takuya Eizumi - Okay, so if you have actually heard of this Japanese mixed martial arts fighter then award yourself a gold star because I certainly had not. To be honest, his sporting achievement wasn't even that impressive as he simply won a fight. But that isn't why he makes this weeks ladder. Clearly it is the absolutely stunning troll face that he pulls after the victory. I just don't understand how he has contorted his face in that position but would love to see this in other sports. Perhaps Rory should have tried this when he sunk his final putt on Sunday.

DOWN - Blackburn Rovers - So the football season is nearly back upon us (its only been away a week!), and domestic clubs have started to reappear on twitter. This week potentially the worst promotional video appeared from the murky depths of Blackburn depicting superfan Alan Birkbeck and his journey to get the new kit. Entitled 'Birdy's Date' the poor fan is seen dressing up appearing to go for a date before it emerges his only date is with a rather hideous new blue and white kit. Haven't Blackburn embarrassed themselves enough in recent years? To watch the video go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2692169/Blackburn-launch-new-home-strip-strangest-kit-advert-time.html.

DOWN - Katarina Johnson-Thompson - Britain's new athletics superstar will be absolutely devastated this week as she learned she could not compete in this years Commonwealth Games. The young heptathlete has leapt out of Jess Ennis-Hill's shadow as she set the best score of the year last month. She was heading into the Games as one of the favourites but a last minute foot injury has left her watching agonizingly from the sideline. Remember her name though. She will be the next big thing.

DOWN - Tiger Woods - There has been a lot of talk recently about who will replace Tiger Woods as the big name at the forefront of golf but Woods was determined to prove that he is not done just yet. Unfortunately he proved absolutely nothing as he barely made the cut at the British Open, eventually finishing 23 shots off Rory McIlroy's winning score. The veteran looked well off the pace and barely cracked a smile all weekend. Plenty of work is needed if he is to win another major.

DOWN - Felipe Massa - The poor Brazilian just cannot catch a break at the moment as, once again, he was wiped out of another Grand Prix before being able to complete a lap. Massa did not help himself by blaming Magnussen as it was a pretty obvious racing collision but nevertheless the Williams driver just seems to have run out of luck. With his team mate, Bottas, winning his third consecutive podium, Felipe will really be hoping to have a good weekend in Hungary. Or at least finish the first lap.

DOWN - Alastair Cook - Dear Alastair. On behalf of the Nation could we please ask you to resign as England cricket captain? Yours sincerely, every Englishman everywhere. That is all.

Sports Ladder (8th - 14th July)

UP - Lewis Hamilton - Last weekend's British Grand Prix has reopened the race for the Championship after a mesmerising drive from Lewis Hamilton coupled with a gearbox failure for Nico Rosberg left the Mercedes pair just four points apart. Hamilton worked his way from sixth up to first after an excellent start before the red flags emerged following Kimi Raikkonen crash. This leaves a very tasty looking second half to the season.

UP - Novak Djokovic - A second Wimbledon title and a sixth Grand Slam ensured that Novak Djokovic had a week to remember. What he may lack in the elegance of Roger Federer or the relentlessness of Rafael Nadal he more than makes up for with his gritty determination and is more of a complete player than either of those two. He is perhaps yet to fully win the support of the British public but if he keeps going at this rate it can only be a matter of time.

UP - James Anderson - In a period of instability and disappointment in English cricket it was welcoming this week to see a moment of brief, record-breaking success. Jimmy Anderson alongside Joe Root set the record for the highest last wicket stand as the pair of them made 198 runs, including 81 from Anderson himself, also a record for an English closing batsman. Could this be the start of a change in fortune? It seems unlikely, but we may as well enjoy it while it lasts.

UP - Horse-Racing Seagull - I just couldn't ignore the cheeky antics of an audacious seagull in Brighton this week. In a photo-finish between Jewelled and Sagesse it emerged that there was in fact a third competitor when a seagull photo-bombed, sticking his neck out and just losing to Jewelled by a few beaks. It is not known whether the animal is merely confused about its origins or fancies himself as a bit of a racer but unfortunately the bookmakers refused to pay out on any bets on the unfancied bird.


UP - Rory McIlroy - Considering his sporting prowess it does surprise me how rarely, if ever he has actually made my weekly ladder. The Northern Irishman has had mixed success in recent times but this week shot a phenomenal round of 64 to break the course record in the first round of the Scottish Open at Aberdeen. As well as they he also took advantage of a strong tail wind to slog a drive 436 yards to set the record for this year.

DOWN - Rory McIlroy - And yet sport is a world of swings and roundabouts and just the next day Rory undid all his good work by carding a shocking 78 to plummet down the leaderboard. More depressing is the fact that this is the second time he has collapsed this year after an astounding first round where he shot a 63 then a 78 at the Memorial Tournament in May. With the youngster struggling for consistency and struggling off the course after ending his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki, should he take a break from golf?

DOWN - Blackpool - The recruitment staff at Blackpool seem to have been spending too much time watching the World Cup and not enough time finding some players to don the tangerine kit next year as they currently have just eight registered first team players. Now for those of you with any knowledge of football you will be aware that eleven players are needed just to field an actual team so probably you see the dilemma. I'll keep my phone on loud for the next few days waiting for the call from Barry Ferguson.

DOWN - Chris Froome - After the recent Tour de Triumphs of Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins in the last two years we have become accustomed to success in the greatest cycling race on the planet. However after the loss of Mark Cavendish last week we were treated to more disappointment as defending champion Chris Froome also departed with multiple wrist injuries. Very sad to see him go but Bradley Wiggins must be gutted he wasn't given the call by Team Sky. Will they live to regret not including him?

DOWN - Paris Saint-Germain - Don't you hate it when you pay over the odds for something such as a t-shirt or a pint? Well imagine how Paris Saint-Germain feel after watching the simply shocking performances of everyone's favourite Sideshow Bob lookalike, David Luiz, their £50 million summer acquisition. The 'defender' has a tendency to wander aimlessly and was largely at fault for numerous of the ten goals conceded in Brazil's last two games. Let's hope they've kept the receipt somewhere safe.


DOWN - Brazil - A record-breaking 7-1 loss in the semi-finals of your home tournament. No more words are needed.



Disclaimer: This was written before the finale of that football tournament that everyone seems to be talking about.

Scott in the Mix as Haas Leads Masters

Haas leads after day on of the Masters.

Bill Haas goes into the second day of this years Masters tournament as the outright leader on four under par but a whole host of experienced players lurk just a few shots behind him on the glorious Augusta greens.

Haas made the most of favourable morning conditions as he shot six birdies and two bogeys to card a solid four under par. After dropping a shot on the 17th, the American recovered with a marvelous birdie to end his day with a 68 and the outright leader.

However Haas will spend Friday looking nervously over his shoulder as former champion Bubba Watson and defending champion Adam Scott sit one shot behind on three under par. Alongside them is 2012 runner-up Louis Oosthuizen.

Watson was one of few afternoon starters to make an impression on the leaderboard and was the only player not to drop a shot at any point during the day. The 2012 Masters Champion looked composed as players around him faltered.

Scott flopped a tee shot into the water.

Scott also had an excellent day, leading by two stokes at one point before falling foul to a cruel pin position on the twelfth, placing his tee shot into the water and taking a double bogey. After becoming the first Australian to win the Masters last year, Scott is this year seeking to become just the fourth player to retain the Green Jacket.

Brandt Snedeker is one of a host of players on two under par. The American looked to be going into the clubhouse on three under before a sloppy final hole left him one back. The first into the clubhouse was Kevin Stadler with a steady two under but it was the Swede Jonas Blixt who made the biggest impression, four under after fourteen before a couple of bogeys left him trailing the lead by just two strokes.

British favourite Rory McIlroy is still well in contention as he sits just one under par alongside a mixture of youth and experience. The Northern Irishman had a mixed day with three bogeys to go alongside his four birdies but will be more than happy to still be well in the hunt.

Bubba Watson rises up the leaderboard.

McIlroy is joined on one under by the experienced veterans Fred Couples and Miguel Angel Jimenez as well as youngsters Jordan Spieth and Matteo Manassero and a number of other players including debutant Scotsman Stephen Gallacher.

But it was not an overwhelmingly positive opening day for the British players with just Graeme McDowell not ending the day over par as he entered the clubhouse on level par. Last out on the course Lee Westwood endured a testing afternoon breeze to finish one over after a dropped shot on the final hole.

Veteran Sandy Lyle endured a miserable back nine as he collapsed from three under par to four over par alongside Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter and current US Open champion Justin Rose. It was an even more dismal day for Luke Donald who never recovered from a double bogey on the opening hole to collapse to seven over par.

Sports Ladder (13th Jan - 19th Jan)

UP - Ronnie O'Sullivan - Not only did Ronnie O'Sullivan claim his fifth Masters title this week, but he did it in such style. Leading 7-1 after the first session against defending champion Mark Selby, O'Sullivan finished him off, eventually winning 10-4. Brutal from Ronnie who only dropped seven frames throughout the entire tournament. Absolutely no pot luck about it.

UP - Australian Open - Where to begin? It's been an eventful week down under. Ridiculous weather ranging from a four day extreme heatwave to freak lightning storms. Seeds have toppled early in Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Juan Martin Del Potro and Caroline Wozniacki. Fedberg is proving to be a dangerous partnership. Oh, and Murray is quietly going about his business. Roll on the second week.

UP - Lizzy Yarnold - Yarnold is one of a number of British hopefuls who will soon be departing to Sochi to take part in the Winter Olympics. Normally we are happy to celebrate just getting one medal but this time there is a genuine chance of a number of medals. Yarnold in the Skeleton, Christie in speed-skating, and both curling teams are notable prospects in amongst a whole host of others.

UP - Hyde - Hyde fans were celebrating their first victory in 30 matches this week as they claimed a 2-0 victory against Welling United. Their last victory came all the way back in April and such a poor run of results has left them eighteen points adrift of safety. With just seven points and one win all season, it seems extremely unlikely that they will avoid the drop but you never know! Stranger things have happened.

UP - Jamaican Bobsleigh Team - This is a story with so much history. After Jamaican qualification to the 1988 Games led to the film Cool Runnings, it looks like Jamaica will be back, qualifying for the first time in 12 years. Courtesy of an issue with the Dutch team not meeting their National qualifying standard, it looks as though the two man team will qualify for Sochi. Then, they just need to raise the money to actually get there. Nothing warms the soul like a Caribbean country competing at the Winter Olympics..

DOWN - Alexis Ruano - I'm still wincing despite reading this story on Friday. Whilst a Messi wondergoal and a Neymar ankle injury stole the headlines, Alexis Ruano certainly came out of that game badly. After what seemed like a routine coming together Ruano was carried off on a stretcher. It was later revealed that the Getafe player suffered 'broken veins' in his testicle leading to it swelling up to an enormous size. I'm squirming just typing this.

DOWN - Jermain Defoe - Jermain Defoe's transfer to MLS side Toronto has been on the cards for months and this week it finally became official. However a combination of an overenthusiastic promotion video and a geographical nightmare has made the transfer a bit of a joke this week. The video [below] is hugely entertaining but it was Defoe stating that he was "happy to be in the USA" which stole the headlines. Who wants to tell Jermain that Toronto is actually in Canada?

DOWN - Rory McIlroy - Poor Rory. Just when he thinks he's back in form he's slapped with an unfortunate but required two stroke penalty meaning he ultimately finished just one shot behind. He claimed a moral victory as he literally hit the fewest shots despite not winning. Nevertheless, it was a strong showing from McIlroy who looked to be back to his best. Perhaps his upcoming marriage has given him a new lease of life?

DOWN - England Cricket - It just won't stop. The English men's cricketing collapse continued this week as they lost the ODI series 3-0 with two matches still to play. The second match was tight but the other two were feeble efforts and Captain Cook really needs to reassess the situation down under. At least the women are showing us how its done, closing in on an Ashes victory to show the men up.

DOWN - Serena Williams - The Queen has been dethroned! Well, technically she wasn't actually the Queen of Melbourne, just the Queen of tennis. Regardless, her loss this morning to Ana Ivanovic was by far the biggest shock of the tournament so far and has blown the women's draw wide open. Azarenka will now be the odds on favourite to claim a consecutive Aussie Open title.

Dufner Claims PGA Championship

American Jason Dufner carded a strong fourth round 68 to claim the 95th PGA Championship as well as setting a 72 hole course record around Oak Hill.

Dufner played fantastically off of the tees.

While the men around him failed to get to grips with the tricky Oak Hill Course, Dufner excelled, carding a three under 32 on the front nine. Despite bogeying the final two holes, his consistent driving and wedge play throughout the day meant that Dufner was able to maintain the two shot lead he had going into the last two. The win will mean more for Dufner after he lost a play-off to close friend Keegan Bradley in the same tournament two years previously.

As well as setting a 72 hole course record ten under par, he also scored the 18 hole course record of 63 on friday, an instrumental factor in his victory. Dufner showed great nerve throughout the whole of his final round, wielding the putter well compared to Saturday where he looked unsteady. It was his consistent driving and fantastic wedge play that set him apart from the rest of the front runners and there is no doubt that Dufner earned his win this weekend.

So close but so far for Furyk.

Although Jim Furyk put up a strong fight he was never able to challenge Dufner after the front nine. Furyk had a poor day off of the tee, meaning he wasn't able to truly test Dufner. Eventually, Furyk finished two behind Dufner, shooting a 71 for the day, suggesting that nerves got the better off him after leading overnight.

Blixt enjoyed being in the picture.

Behind Furyk on seven under par was the the in form Henrik Stenson, the Swede still searching for his first major. His form in recent weeks and at Oak Hill has rightly shot him into the top ten in the World. He was followed by fellow Swede Jonas Blixt, one shot further back. The 29 year old showed he can play on the big stage as he ended the tournament fourth.

The big mover on the day was Scott Piercy who shot a 65, the best round of the day, catapulting him up the leaderboard to fifth place and shooting eight birdies on the day. He was joined there by Masters Champion Adam Scott who was unable to string together a strong enough round to really challenge the leaders. Nevertheless, it's another top 10 finish for one of the hottest prospects in golf.

The wait goes on for Woods' 15th.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the pre-tournament favorites, both slipped away as the week went on. Tiger had a fairly consistent week with the main issue being that he was consistently a few shots over par, finishing the tournament four over. Mickelson shot a disastrous 78 on the Saturday leaving him way off the pace at 12 over par.

Rory gets back on track

What of the Brits playing in the Championship? Well it was great to see Rory McIlroy back towards the top of the Leaderboard, after finishing tied 8th. McIlroy showed signs he was overcoming his psychological issues of recent times as he played some solid golf. His Northern Irish compatriot was a further one shot back on two under par along with Scotsman Marc Warren, who recovered from a four over first round to also end on two under par.

Jason Dufner almost cracks a smile as he wins his first major

The highest Englishman was David Lynn on even par, a good achievement to top off a strong year. Paul Casey showed signs he was continuing his comeback from injury with a three over par for the tournament alongside Justin Rose and Lee Westwood. It was a tournament of what-ifs for Rose and Westwood who were both in the mix at some point but struggled for consistency over the four days.