The 2018 Ryder Cup gets underway on Friday, and Tiger Woods's stunning victory in the Tour Championship has added another narrative to one of sport's greatest spectacles. And, as Philip Reid writes, the 14-time Major winner's renaissance on the course can now complement his evolution off it: "Where once viewed as akin to a square peg being put into a round hole in past team environments, Woods's evolution and maturing into a team player has been intriguing." Meanwhile Team Europe captain Thomas Bjorn has insisted Sergio Garcia is in a "good place," despite the Spanish wildcard pick enduring one of the more torrid seasons of his career. "He's no more than any of the other 11, but he's also very much a big part of what we do. I'm delighted with the conversations I've had with him." And in the latest instalment of his 'From the back pages' column, this morning Ruaidhrí Croke looks back at the 1949 Ryder Cup. The Americans brought "600 steaks, six hams, 12 sides of beef and four boxes of bacon," in a bid to sustain themselves in post-war Britain, as Portrush's Fred Daly became the first Irish golfer to play in the tournament on home soil.
It is the second coming for Liam Sheedy and Tipperary, after the 48-year-old was ratified as the county's senior hurling manager last night. Sheedy guided Tipp to the All-Ireland Championship in 2010 - stopping Kilkenny's push for five-in-a-row in the process - before leaving the role. He replaces Michael Ryan, who stepped down after a disappointing 2018 campaign in which his side failed to win any of their four fixtures in the round-robin stages of the Munster Championship. And as Ian O'Riordan writes, Sheedy's second tenure is far from guaranteed to be a success: "The last hurling manager to realise such a successful return was Cyril Farrell, who managed Galway to the 1980 All-Ireland, took a breather, then came back and won two more in 1987 and 1988."
Elsewhere in his column this morning Gerry Thornley has looked at the increasing number of home wins in the Pro14, suggesting the league is becoming more like the French Top14 as managers use tricky away trips as an opportunity to rotate their squad. He writes: "Thus far, there have been 22 home wins, one draw and just five away wins, which equates to a winning ratio for home sides of 81.5 per cent." However, he argues this isn't necessarily a negative trend - with the competition's smaller sides now holding their own on home turf, something highlighted by the Southern Kings beating Glasgow 38-28 in Port Elizabeth last weekend. Meanwhile the IRFU have said Ireland scrumhalf Conor Murrayis under no obligation to reveal the nature of the neck injury currently keeping him sidelined. Murray last featured against Australia on June 23rd with no return date set, but as an IRFU spokesman said: "Your vital data is your data. If you want to share it, it is up to you."
The third round of the League Cup gets underway tonight, with Manchester United taking on Derby County at Old Trafford. The fixture brings together Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard, and ahead of the game Lampard - now in charge of the Rams - has paid tribute to his former Chelsea boss: "He's brought change and uplift in players and individuals. When you work with people like José they leave an imprint on you."
And today a team of Celtic and Ireland legends will take on a Manchester United XI in a tribute match to midfielder Liam Miller at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The game kicks off at 3.0pm and is being broadcast live on Virgin media three and Virgin media sport from 2.0pm.
