Ken Tarling’s journey with the game of golf has spanned 33 years, hundreds of pro events, dozens of countries and numerous course records. Thursday in Portugal, Tarling added to his win total by firing a 1-under-par 70 to earn medalist honours at the European Senior Tour Qualifying School. He finished the tournament at 6-under-par 278, seven shots clear of Englishman John Harrison. With the victory, Tarling has earned full status for the European Senior Tour’s 2015 season.

“I’m thrilled,” said the 56-year-old Tarling. “It’s been quite an experience this week. I’ve never played that well at this event, so it’s great to win here.”

Following a tough third round of 73, Tarling kept his composure and notched three birdies in his final round at the pristine Vale da Pinta course at the Pestana Golf Resort. He completed a run of six consecutive pars to open the back nine while his competitors struggled to keep pace. “I never really felt calm until the 17^th hole. I don’t look at leaderboards but I spoke to a friend on the 17^th tee and he told me I was six clear then, so I felt pretty cool after that.”

Five players tied for second at 1-over par to earn the other five available cards for the season, including three Englishmen – Graeme Bell, Gary Marks and 2009 Q School winner John Harrison. Australia’s Tim Elliott and Roger Sabarros also clinched their places on the Tour. Players positioned seven to 14 earned conditional status for the season.

Two other Canadians were in the field in Portugal. Dave Wettlaufer of Kitchener, Ont. tied for 18th and Keir Smith of Aurora, Ont. tied for 36th.

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods is at Torrey Pines and the center of attention, just like always.

Just not like this.

Woods was on the practice range Wednesday morning at the Farmers Insurance Open, working with swing consultant Chris Como. Billy Horschel and Pat Perez looked on, not in awe, but as though they wanted to help. The pro-am was delayed two hours because of fog, which was only fitting.

Woods looks lost right now. At the very least, the view is blurred.

And returning to a golf course where he has won eight times, including a third U.S. Open title in 2008, hasn’t raised anyone’s hopes – maybe not even his. It was rare to hear Woods talk so openly about trying to get his game in shape for the Masters, which is still two months away.

“The whole idea is to make sure that I’m ready for Augusta, so I got a lot of rounds to play between now and then,” Woods said.

He is coming off an 82 at the Phoenix Open, the worst score of his career, to miss the cut by 12 shots. In his previous competition at the unofficial Hero World Challenge, he tied for last in the 18-man field. Before that, he missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

Woods used to look unbeatable, especially on a course like Torrey Pines. At the moment, that’s not the case.

“Everyone out here is human,” Rickie Fowler said. “We all understand the struggles out here as far as good golf and bad golf and the ups and downs of the game. That’s just part of the process if you’re working on new stuff or just having a bad day.”

“I hope he turns it around,” Perez said.

Woods was at the peak of his powers in 2008 when a caddie stood behind the 18th green at Torrey Pines to watch him finish up a 67 on the South Course in the opening round. The caddie said, “He just won two tournaments with one round.” Sure enough, Woods won the PGA Tour event by eight shots that week, and then he won the U.S. Open that summer on a left leg that was in shambles.

Even two years ago, Woods destroyed the field at Torrey Pines when he was leading by eight shots on the back nine until play became so slow that he rushed his way in, dropped a few shots and only won by four.

That now seems like a long time ago.

Even though it’s February, Woods might be at a critical juncture when the Farmers Insurance Open gets started Thursday. Another poor performance, especially with his hard-to-watch short game, and the criticism and analysis is only going to increase. Worse yet, his tournaments might decrease.

Woods has plunged to No. 56 in the world and is not eligible for the World Golf Championship at Doral next month. He typically would play the Honda Classic and Doral in consecutive weeks in south Florida, take a week off, play Bay Hill and then have two weeks off before the Masters.

If he doesn’t qualify for Doral, he would have only three tournaments – all of them with 36-hole cuts – before Augusta.

“If I happen to play well enough to get into Doral, then great,” Woods said. “I got four more rounds there. If I don’t, then still trying to peak for Augusta. … But I have to go out and earn my way there (Doral). I’m just going to have to play better than I did last week.”

The road to the Masters has never looked like such an uphill climb.

Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner at Torrey Pines and the longest rival to Woods, isn’t quite ready to write him off.

“I think that Tiger’s going to have the last laugh,” Mickelson said Wednesday. “I think that his short game, historically, is one of the best of all time. I think his golf game is probably the best of all time.”

Mickelson said the short-game woes are understandable because of how little Woods has played. The Phoenix Open was only his second tournament in six months after taking a break to fully heal from back surgery and to regain his strength. During his time off, Woods brought in a new swing consultant.

“I think the short game, when you haven’t played, it’s the first thing to feel uncomfortable and the quickest thing to get back,” Mickelson said. “I don’t think he’s going to have any problems, I really don’t. I think we all – myself included – have had stretches where we feel a little uncomfortable. We don’t hit it solid, and usually it’s just a small tweak, because it’s such a short swing that it’s not a hard thing to fix.

“I just don’t see that lasting more than a week or two.”

Woods starts on the North Course with Horschel and Fowler. The North Course used to be the easier of the two courses. For Woods, nothing has come easily of late.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Defending champion Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell both shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the Malaysian Open.

Westwood won by seven shots here last year and again thrived at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, mixing seven birdies with one bogey. Former U.S. Open champion McDowell then joined his Ryder Cup teammate in the lead as both took advantage of the easier morning conditions on a hot and blustery day in Kuala Lumpur.

Westwood finished 2014 with a victory in the Thailand Golf Championship and then tied for ninth at last week’s Dubai Desert Classic.

“I’m playing well at the moment,” Westwood told The Associated Press. “I finished off last year with a win and I was hitting the ball well over winter and I’ve been working on my game. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s nice to keep going out on the golf course when you’re playing well.”

McDowell matched Westwood almost stroke for stroke, also carding seven birdies, with both players’ only blemish coming on the tricky par-4 sixth hole.

They are one shot ahead of a trio that included Malaysian Danny Chia, who was even par through nine holes before thrilling the local galleries with a superb 31 on his back nine. England’s Tommy Fleetwood was also on 67 along with South Korean Kang Sung-hoon, who picked up birdies on three of his last five holes.

Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Denmark’s Anders Hansen, Englishman Richard Bland and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat all shot 68, one stroke ahead of a host of players on 3 under, including European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and Canada’s Richard T. Lee.

Victor Dubuisson of France was set to be the highest-ranked player in the field but withdrew on Wednesday because of an illness.

The stream of red figures on the leaderboard suggests the course is there for the taking, although McDowell warned the KLGCC layout could bite back in the coming days.

“Lee (Westwood) obviously got to 18 under when he won it last year, but 11 under was the next best score,” the Northern Irishman said. “The greens are good so I’m expecting scores in the mid-teens will win it this year.

“But it’s a course that if you start getting out of position, it can hurt you.”

SAN DIEGO – One player not concerned about Tiger Woods and his golf game is his longtime rival – Phil Mickelson.

Woods is coming off the worst score of his PGA Tour career – 82 – last week in the Phoenix Open. He missed the cut by 12 shots, and it was the first time in his career that he missed the cut in two straight tour events, though they were played six months apart. Most disconcerting was how badly his short game looked.

With analysis on overdrive, the immediate chatter has shifted from whether Woods will match the Jack Nicklaus record of 18 majors (Woods has 14) to whether he can win three more regular PGA Tour events and match the record 82 won by Sam Snead.

“I think that Tiger’s going to have the last laugh,” Mickelson said Wednesday. “I think that his short game, historically, is one of the best of all time. I think his golf game is probably the best of all time.”

Mickelson said the short-game woes are understandable because of how little Woods has played. The Phoenix Open was only his second tournament in six months after taking a break to fully heal from back surgery and to regain his strength. During his time off, Woods began working with a new swing consultant, Chris Como.

“I think the short game, when you haven’t played, it’s the first thing to feel uncomfortable and the quickest thing to get back,” Mickelson said after his pro-am round at the Farmers Insurance Open. “I don’t think he’s going to have any problems, I really don’t. I think we all – myself included – have had stretches where we feel a little uncomfortable. We don’t hit it solid, and usually it’s just a small tweak, because it’s such a short swing that it’s not a hard thing to fix.

“I just don’t see that lasting more than a week or two.”

Mickelson also missed the cut at the Phoenix Open after a 76 in the second round. He tied for 24th in the Humana Challenge. He has gone 31 tournaments without a win dating to the British Open at Muirfield in 2013 for his fifth career major.

Mickelson and Woods have been rivals for some two decades, though it is one-sided. Because of Woods – and Mickelson not at his best when Woods was out with injury – Mickelson has never been No. 1 in the world, won a PGA Tour money title or been voted player of the year. He has 42 victories, putting him at No. 9 on the PGA Tour career list and still 37 wins short of Woods.

Mickelson said he has gone through spells of bad chipping and it comes back. Once the technical issues are solved, he said the confidence returns.

“It’s not like it’s a big concern,” Mickelson said. “As long as he’s healthy and as long as he can swing the club the way he’s swinging it, with the speed he’s swinging at, I think his game will come back pretty quickly.”

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Lydia Ko has had a few days to let her historic rise to the No. 1 spot in the world ranking sink in.

“I’m just trying to go back to my normal routine, just get used to the weather here and check out the course,” the 17-year-old Ko said Wednesday, the day before the start of play in the Bahamas LPGA Classic. “I’m very proud to be in that position, but at the same time, I’m trying to just kind of block it out and just be like another golfer, being on the course and just enjoying my time out here.”

The New Zealander tied for second last week in the season-opening Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, to break Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest player to reach No. 1. She had three LPGA Tour victories last season after winning the Canadian Women’s Open the previous two years as an amateur.

After jumping to No. 1, she got a congratulatory tweet from New Zealand singer and songwriter Lorde.

“I’m a huge fan of her music and she sent me a tweet and she’s like, `Congratulations, very proud.’ And I was like, `Oh, my God.” I’m a huge fan and for somebody of that status to give me a tweet like that, that was pretty awesome. And also I got a Twitter message from Don Cheadle. That was really cool, too.

Last year at Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club, Jessica Korda birdied the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke. Korda also tied for second last week, a stroke behind Na Yeon Choi.

“I saw where my game kind of is and shook off some rust,” Korda said. “I’m sure that there’s going to be some left over rust, it’s going to take a couple tournaments to kind of really get back into playing mode. We’re used to playing week in, week out and you take two months off and you think that you’re going to be in the same spot, you hit some pretty shots and then not so pretty shots.”

Brooke Henderson is making her first LPGA Tour as a pro. The 17-year-old Canadian won the Monday qualifying tournament to earn a spot in the field.

“My schedule this year will be a little bit up and down, but getting into this tournament this week is really exciting, Henderson said.

She won a Suncoast Series event last week in Florida in her pro debut.

“It really helped coming into this week, just a confidence-booster knowing that I got a couple of solid rounds together last week,” Henderson said.

Two other Canadians will join Henderson in the field in Bahamas, including Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Hamilton, Ont.’s Alena Sharp.

BoardRoom Magazine has named three presidents of Canadian private clubs to its 2014 list of the world’s Top Private Club Presidents. Scarboro Golf and Country Club’s Brenda Tilley, The Glencoe Club’s Doug Mair and The Glencoe Golf and Country Club’s Joanne Hruska were among the 22 honourees to be recognized for their outstanding work, knowledge and contributions to the golfing industry.

Tilley – entering her second year as Club President in 2015 – led  Scarboro through several initiatives in her first year, including a historic change in membership as the club became the first private golf club in Canada to transition from an equity stake to a more traditional non-equity membership model. Under Tilley’s leadership, the club’s governance model underwent significant changes as the board went from 12 to nine members and the number of committees was reduced to four. She was instrumental in altering the leadership structure by bringing aboard a chief operating officer to take the reins of the club.

Neil Rooney, COO of Scarboro Golf and Country Club’s COO, spoke highly of Tilley, who joined the board in 2010 as Chair of the Membership Committee before serving as Club Vice-President in 2012 and 2013. “Brenda’s commitment, vision, and stewardship of the club’s resources have made her an extremely valuable member to the board and the club. Scarboro is extremely proud of her accomplishments and excited for her second year of term.”

Scarboro Golf and Country Club, located in Toronto, first opened in 1914. Its original course was designed by Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member George Cumming. Across the nation, Doug Mair and Joanne Hruska’s work as the presidents of their respective arms of the famed Glencoe Golf and Country Club earned them places on BoardRoom’s exclusive list.

Though their times at the Calgary club’s helm have come to a close, their tenures and accomplishments exemplify the leadership and dedication for which the BoardRoom recognizes in its honourees. Working with the 11,000 members of The Glencoe Club and approximately 1,100 principal members of the associated Golf and Country Club is no simple task, yet this pair of outgoing presidents guided Glencoe’s path and left the club in a strong position for their successors.

Two main undertakings of Mair’s and Hruska’s were the restructuring of the executive management at the Golf Club and the successful return of The Forest Course after an extensive multi-million-dollar renovation. The 18-hole continuous loop course, the first by renowned designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. in Canada, has received rave reviews since re-opening last August.

The BoardRoom’s 2014 list consists of 22 individuals from five countries (Canada, Italy, Spain, Thailand and the United States) who demonstrated a love for the game, a dedication to their clubs and the uncanny ability to lead with determination, fairness and a clear vision.

Being named to Canada’s National Development Squad involves taking on more responsibility, including the added pressure of representing Canada in the world’s most prestigious junior tournaments.

The newly formed 2015 Women’s Squad experienced that pressure first-hand in January, teeing-it-up in two international events in Australia—the Astor Trophy and the Australian Amateur.

First came the Astor Trophy, a team-play event between five Commonwealth Nations—Canada, Australia, Great Britain & Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. The Canadian contingent struggled mightily, not picking up a team win through four rounds to finish in last place. There were bright moments throughout the event, but a disappointing result nonetheless.

The story was much of the same at the Australian Amateur, with only one player qualifying for match play rounds (2-year member Jaclyn Lee).

Beyond the surface, however, there are several intangibles that cannot be measured on a scorecard. Competing against the world’s best prepares Team Canada’s athletes for future success and gives insight into how much work is needed to compete against top players. And in the grand scheme of things, that is just what Team Canada’s Development Squad is for.

“The Development Squad is the foundation of our high performance programming,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “By involving athletes at this level in their development we can work with them to develop positive behaviours and habits which in turn will serve to support their journey towards success in amateur golf. Over time, we hope to transition these players to our Amateur Squad and/or the Young Pro Squad.”

Surrey, B.C. native, Michelle Kim, was one of three new members of the Development Squad who represented Canada in Australia.

“This is my first trip to Australia and I believe the farthest I have gone from home to compete in a golf tournament,” said the 16-year-old Kim. “These tournaments were probably the biggest I have competed in—just being able to play is a huge confidence booster. This trip has definitely helped me get closer to becoming an elite golfer.”

Much of the same was said by teammate and fellow B.C. native, Alisha Lau of Richmond.

“It was a great experience and one I won’t forget,” said Lau. “I definitely learned a lot about my game this trip. I will take away a lot of great experiences—from meeting new people and great players to just the overall experience of travelling and working with the team.”

Lau and Kim, along with teammates Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) and Grace St-Germain (Ottawa) are back training in Canada with coach Ann Carroll, focusing on improving weak areas that were exposed Down Under.

They will look to fine-tune their game for the upcoming competitive season in Canada with a newfound look on the game and more experience under their belts.

In Other News

Grace wins again

Grace St-Germain took home the 2014 Ottawa Sports Award for golf for the second consecutive year after an impressive season that included wins at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and the Quebec Women’s Amateur.

Click here to read up on all of this year’s winners.

Taylor Pendrith finishes runner-up at Citrus Open

Former National Squad member Taylor Pendrith placed second at the Citrus Open at Rio Pinar last week in Orlando, Fla.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native carded three consecutive rounds under par (68-68-71) to finish in second place at 9-under in his second event as a professional golfer (he won his first event in October at an NGA Tour event). The Citrus Open, a Fore the Players conducted tournament, ran from Jan. 28-30 and sent the 23-year-old Pendrith home with a nice $4,000 paycheck.

Click here for full scoring.

TORONTO — RBC deepened its commitment to Canadian golf with the addition of three of Canada’s next generation of golfers – Smiths Falls, Ont. native Brooke Henderson, and Abbotsford, B.C., natives Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin – to Team RBC, strengthening its impressive roster of touring professionals.

With promising careers ahead of them, all three golfers embody the spirit of determination and hard work that will inspire the next generation of fans. This announcement further demonstrates RBC’s support of Canadian golf talent poised to make their mark on the world stage.

Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad, joined the professional ranks last month after an impressive amateur career that saw her become the first Canadian ever sit number-one on the women’s World Amateur Ranking. Both Hadwin and Taylor also represented Team Canada earlier in their careers. RBC is a long-standing sponsor of Golf Canada’s National Team program.

“We are thrilled to add Brooke, Adam and Nick to Team RBC,” said Jane Broderick, chief brand and communications officer, RBC. “We are proud of our record of supporting golf at the grassroots level in Canada, through our partnership with Golf Canada and the National High Performance Team. It’s gratifying to see players like them rise through the ranks and make it to the highest levels of competition – we can’t wait to see how their careers develop.”

The 17-year-old Brooke Henderson vaulted to the top of the world amateur rankings with six tournament wins in 2014, a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, and low amateur honours with a T-10 finish in the U.S. Women’s Open. Henderson also claimed low amateur honours at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and led Canada to a runner-up finish at the Women’s World Amateur, where she placed as low individual. Currently the highest ranked Canadian female golfer in the world, she was voted Female Amateur of the Year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada, for the third year in a row. Brooke makes her LPGA professional debut this week at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic.

“I’m excited to grow my partnership with one of Canada’s top brands,” said Brooke Henderson. “I’ve been fortunate to have received support from RBC for several years through their ongoing assistance of Golf Canada’s development program, but to now have an official relationship with RBC is very exciting and I look forward to working closely with them as I take the next step in my career.”

A former Canadian Amateur champion and the number-one ranked amateur in the world, Nick Taylor had an impressive career at the University of Washington before turning pro in 2010. He had a swift and impressive ascent to the PGA Tour from the Web.com Tour in 2014. He then became the first Canadian in five years to win a PGA Tour event at the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship, solidifying his PGA Tour card through the 2016/17 season. ”RBC’s support of golf, particularly in Canada, is widely noticed and greatly appreciated by the players,” stated Nick Taylor.

“I am proud to join the impressive group of individuals who have had the privilege of representing the RBC brand on the PGA Tour.”

Adam Hadwin won twice on the Web.com Tour, finished first on the Tour’s money list, and earned full status for the PGA Tour in 2014-15. A graduate of PGA Tour Canada, Hadwin has been a rising star in Canadian golf since finishing T-4 at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open. He was named the 2014 Male Professional of the Year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada, narrowly beating fellow Team RBCers Graham DeLaet and Nick Taylor. “It’s an honour to represent RBC along with some of the world’s most iconic players,” said Adam Hadwin. “I’ve admired many of these guys for years, so having this connection with them in addition to the opportunity to compete against them week to week is an exciting opportunity for me.”

Henderson, Hadwin and Taylor join fellow Canadians Graham DeLaet, David Hearn and Mike Weir on Team RBC, along with seven of golf’s international greats: Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Morgan Pressel and Brandt Snedeker. RBC is the Official Banking and Financial Services provider to all Team RBC members. As well, they participate in marketing initiatives for RBC, and act as ambassadors for the brand. When they aren’t playing in tournaments, they often participate in a variety of functions as RBC ambassadors. These include employee events and charitable initiatives that support RBC’s commitment to kids and youth.

In 2014 this was highlighted by a social media campaign, #RBCGolf4Kids that raised awareness and $312,000 for children charities around the world.

Charlie Sifford, who only wanted a chance to play and broke the color barrier in golf as the first black PGA Tour member, died Tuesday night, the PGA of America said.

Sifford, who recently had suffered a stroke, was 92. Details of his death and funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

PGA of America President Derek Sprague called Sifford “an uncommon and faithful servant.”

“His love of golf, despite many barriers in his path, strengthened him as he became a beacon for diversity in our game,” Sprague said. “By his courage, Dr. Sifford inspired others to follow their dreams. Golf was fortunate to have had this exceptional American in our midst.”

A proud man who endured racial taunts and threats, Sifford set modest goals and achieved more than he imagined.

Sifford challenged the Caucasian-only clause and the PGA rescinded it in 1961. He won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. He also won the 1975 Senior PGA Championship, five years before the Champions Tour was created.

His career was fully recognized in 2004 when he became the first black inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Last November, President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are the only other golfers who received that honor.

“Charlie won tournaments, but more important, he broke a barrier,” Nicklaus once said. “I think what Charlie Sifford has brought to his game has been monumental.”

The one goal that eluded him was a chance to play in the Masters, which did not invite its first black player until Lee Elder in 1975. Sifford remained bitter, though the pain was eased when Tiger Woods won the first of his four green jackets in 1997.

Woods often has said he would not have played golf if not for Sifford and other black pioneers.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that without Charlie, and the other pioneers who fought to play, I may not be playing golf,” Woods said in an email to The Associated Press late last year. “My pop likely wouldn’t have picked up the sport, and maybe I wouldn’t have either.”

The road was never easy.

Sifford was born on June 22, 1922 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He worked as a caddie and dominated the all-black United Golfers Association, winning five straight national titles. He longed to play against the best players, only to run into the same barriers that Teddy Rhodes and Bill Spiller faced – the Caucasian-only clause.

In his autobiography, “Just Let Me Play,” Sifford told of meeting Jackie Robinson in California about the time Robinson was trying to break the color barrier in baseball.

“He asked me if I was a quitter,” Sifford wrote. “I told him no. He said, `If you’re not a quitter, you’re probably going to experience some things that will make you want to quit.'”

During the 1952 Phoenix Open, one of the few events that blacks could play, Sifford found human feces in the cup when he got to the first green. He received death threats over the phone at the 1961 Greater Greensboro Open and heard racial slurs as he walked the fairways. He finished fourth, and didn’t quit.

He was beloved my some of golf’s biggest stars, including Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

During his induction ceremony, Sifford told of his first meeting with Palmer. They were playing in the 1955 Canadian Open at Weston Golf and Country Club and Sifford opened with a 63 to lead Palmer by one shot. He recalled Palmer standing in front of the scoreboard saying, “Charlie Sifford? How the hell did he shoot 63?”

“I’m standing right behind him,” Sifford said. “I said, `The same damn way you shot 64.’ That’s how we met.”

Palmer went on to win the Canadian Open that year.

Sifford also received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland for his career as a pioneer.

He often attended the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, not far from his home in Ohio. During an interview with the AP in 2000, Sifford said he was proud of the role in played in making the PGA Tour accessible to blacks.

“If I hadn’t acted like a professional when they sent me out, if I did something crazy, there would never be any blacks playing,” he said. “I toughed it out. I’m proud of it. All those people were against me, and I’m looking down on them now.”

DUBLIN – Top-ranked golfer Rory McIlroy reached an out-of-court settlement with his former management company on Wednesday, cutting short a multi-million-dollar case that could have exposed the financial dealings of one of the biggest names in sports.

“The legal dispute between Rory McIlroy and Horizon Sports Management has been settled to the satisfaction of both parties who wish each other well for the future,” both sides said in a joint statement released on the second day of the case.

Terms were not disclosed.

Conor Ridge, Horizon’s leading agent, hugged and kissed his supporters in the public gallery after the announcement was made. McIlroy was not in court for Wednesday’s brief hearing.

The four-time major winner terminated his contract with Horizon in 2013 to form his own company. He was suing Horizon and Ridge, claiming his interests were not properly looked after and that he was misled into signing the contract.

McIlroy had said in court papers that he signed the deal “in circumstances of great informality,” and without having seen a draft of the agreement before it was given to him to sign.

Horizon was counter-suing, claiming McIlroy breached his contract and that he owed the company millions of dollars in commissions. Among the lucrative deals signed by McIlroy while at Horizon was one with Nike at the start of the 2013 that was worth $100 million over five years.

Attempts at resolving the bitter dispute failed in December. The Dublin court case would have lasted up to eight weeks. McIlroy had been expected to testify this week.

The case was adjourned three times on Tuesday to allow the sides to negotiate. After about 10 hours of talks, McIlroy left at 9 p.m. without making any comment.

McIlroy had left Horizon because he was unhappy about the rates he was being charged – 5 percent of pre-tax prize winnings and 20 percent of sponsorship and appearances money. McIlroy claimed the terms were inferior to those given to other top-10 players, including fellow countryman and friend Graeme McDowell, who was also a Horizon client.

McIlroy’s business interests are now overseen by Rory McIlroy Inc., which is headed by a former employee of Horizon, father Gerry and a family friend.

McIlroy is coming off a victory at the Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday, his first tournament win of the year. He is scheduled to return to action at the Honda Classic starting Feb. 26 and will look to complete the Grand Slam of majors by winning the Masters in April.