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Martin Kaymer leads by five
strokes in Munich

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Rising German star Martin Kaymer is poised for his second win of the year - and a probable leap to sixth on the Ryder Cup table.
Last season's European Tour Rookie of the Year, who will be making his Open championship debut at Royal Birkdale next month, goes into the final round of the BMW International Open in Munich with a six-stroke lead.
The 23-year-old from Dusseldorf, who opened a five-shot advantage with his Friday 63, thrilled his home crowd again with a bogey-free 67.
Kaymer, who showed in the Middle East in January he could win from the front, is now 18 under par, with South African Charl Schwartzel his closest challenger at 13 under par.
Joint third, one further back, are English trio Paul Casey, Ross Fisher and Benn Barham and Frenchman Thomas Levet.
Kaymer had his overnight advantage cut to two by the time he teed off again in the glorious sunshine, but after birdies on the sixth, eighth and ninth - he pitched to within inches of the hole there - he was back firmly in the driving seat.
A chip-and-putt 4 on the long 11th widened the gap still further and the "old head on young shoulders," which Bernhard Langer talked about after being so impressed on the first two days, put the icing on the cake with a closing 25-footer.
Kaymer currently lies 10th in the Ryder Cup race, but can go move ahead of Oliver Wilson, Henrik Stenson, Nick Dougherty and Graeme McDowell.
Kaymer, seen holding his back and stomach towards the end of the round, said afterwards he was fine and added: "I'm very happy - and I'm really looking forward to Sunday."
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
198 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 68 63 67
204 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 69 66
205 Paul Casey 70 68 67, Ross Fisher 70 68 67, Benn Barham 68 68 69, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 69 67
206 Anders Hansen (Den) 69 70 67, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 66 70, Tino Schuster (Ger) 69 68 69, David Lynn 67 73 66
207 Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 71 71 65, Iain Pyman 69 74 64, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 69 69, Mark Foster 67 72 68, Graeme Storm 68 69 70
208 Ariel Canete (Arg) 73 65 70, John Bickerton 70 70 68
209 David Howell 69 69 71, Colin Montgomerie 70 71 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 68 73 68, Gary Murphy 71 70 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 68 72, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 66 75 68
210 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 67 74 69, Richard Finch 69 68 73, Stephan jr. Gross (Ger) 71 68 71, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 66 73 71, Bradley Dredge 73 65 72
211 Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 70 69, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70 71, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 70 68 73, David Frost (Rsa) 74 69 68, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 66 71 74, Simon Khan 75 65 71
212 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 74 69 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 69 72 71, Peter Lawrie 73 68 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 69 74, Alex Cejka (Ger) 74 67 71, Oliver Fisher 71 70 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 70 72 70, Barry Lane 70 70 72
213 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 70 72 71, Alexander Noren (Swe) 68 73 72, Alastair Forsyth 74 68 71, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 70 68 75
214 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 67 72 75, Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 72 68 74, Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 70 70 74, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71 72 71, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 67 76
215 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 72 72, Markus Brier (Aut) 71 70 74, Peter Fowler (Aus) 71 70 74, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 69 75
216 Pedro Linhart (Spa) 70 73 73, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 68 75 73
217 Carl Suneson (Spa) 69 73 75
218 Anton Haig (Rsa) 66 73 79, Hennie Otto (Rsa), 73 68 77, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 73 70 75
219 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 71 69 79
220 Florian Praegant (Aut) 74 67 79
222 Tom Whitehouse 72 71 79
223 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 72 81, Mark Brown (USA) 72 71 80.

STEVEN TAYLOR SCORES FIRST WIN
AT PORTLETHEN WITH A 67

Bothwell Castle professional Steven Taylor scored his first win of the season when he won the Portlethen Golf Club pro-am today.
Taylor shot a five-under-par 67 to earn the £1,031 top prize from David Orr (East Renfrewshire), Mark Loftus (Cowglen) and Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) who each won £635.
Chris Kelly (Clober) won the team event with the "Reid for Speed" amateur trio of David McPhee (handicap 10), Brian McPhee (6) and Alistair McLeod (18).
LEADING PRO SCORES
Par 72
67 S Taylor (Bothwell Castle) £1,031.
68 D Orr (East Renfrewshire), M Loftus (Cowglen), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) £635 each.
69 C Kelly (Clober), A Lockhart (Ladybank) £340 each.
70 J McKinnon (Irvine), S Gray (Hayston), C Gillies (Unatt), C Doak (Unatt) £216 each.
71 C Gordon (Edinburgh Golf Centre), M King (Kingsfields), £149 each.
73 S Duncan (Balbirnie Park), J Lomas (Unatt) £129 each.
74 G McInnes (Murcar Links), M Urquhart (Inrvness), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs), C Campbell (Carnegie Club) £93 each.
75 B Mason (Drumoig), I Bratton (Newburgh on Ythan) £31 each.
76 R Cameron (McDonald Ellon), E Cameron (Hamilton), C Lee (All Golf Swing Centre), C Russell (Raw Golf Course Design), N Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).
77 G Fox (East Kilbride).]
78 N Reid (Deeside), G Lornie (Kings Links), Greg Rankin (Stirling).
79 R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo), E Davie (Dunblane New), S Gillespie (Balbirnie Park).
82 N Murray (Cruden Bay), A Fleming (NH College).
Retired - L Vannet (Carnoustie).

Steven McEwan leads

Tennant Cup

qualifiers at

Glasgow Gailes

Steven McEwan from the Caprington club leads the field at the halfway stage of the Tennant Cup SGU Order of Merit 72-hole tournament.
McEwan, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), had rounds of 70 and 68 at Glasgow Gailes today for 138 to head the 41 qualifiers with totals of 155 of better who will contest Sunday's final 36 holes at Killermont.
McEwan, Scottish boys' stroke-play champion in 2005 and a youth international, had birdies at the first, fifth, ninth, 10th, 12th and 18th in his second round in halves of 34. His only bogeys came with three putts at the short sixth and a lost ball at the 11th.
His nearest challenger is former British amateur champion Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) with 71 and 68 for 139.
Former Scottish champion Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) and Scotland's top-ranked Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) were the first round leaders on 68, Campbell birdieing the 10th, 13th, 16th and 18 for 32 home, his only bogey coming at the 11th.
Macaulay highlighted his morning round with an eagle 2 at the par-4 second after a big drive.
Callum starts the third round in fourth place behind McEwan, Watson and Ross Kellett (Colville Park).
Glenn is one shot behind in a group of four on 143, including Scottish boys champion Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) and St Andrews Links Trophy winner Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie).
Defending champion Wallace Booth is joint 12th on 147 with rounds of 72 and 75.
Heavy rain set in for the final 3 hours of play.

LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 142 (2 x 71)
138 S McEwan (Caprington) 70 68.
139 C Watson (East Renfrewshire) 71 68.
140 R Kellett (Colville Park) 71 69.
141 C Macaulay (Tulliallan) 68 73.
143 G Dear (Murrayshall) 71` 72, G Campbell (Blairgowrie) 68 75, M Stewart (Troon Welbeck) 71 72, K McNicoll (Carnoustie) 71 72.
144 K Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 72 72.
145 M Clark (Kilmacolm) 71 74, P Gault (Williamwood) 72 73.
147 L Lyle (Aus) 70 77, W Booth (Comrie) 72 75, B Fotheringham (Forres) 72 75.
+41 players with totals of 155 or better qualified for Sunday's final 36 holes at Killermont.

Des Smyth has Irish Seniors

title in his sights

By STEVE TODD, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
Des Smyth goes in to the final round of the Irish Seniors Open in association with Failte Ireland and Allied Irish Bank with his sights firmly set on becoming the first home winner in a decade after a fine three under par round of 68.
The man from Drogheda is one shot clear of the field at Ballyliffin Golf Club as he chases his first European Seniors Tour win since the Wentworth Senior Masters last year.
Smyth carded five birdies and two bogeys in blustery conditions on the links course in front of a healthy home crowd in Co. Donegal.
The 55 year old admitted the tournament was one he was eager to win and give the Irish support their first home champion since Joe McDermott’s victory at Woodbrook Golf Club in 1998.
Smyth said: “I’m up for it tomorrow. I’m hitting a lot of good shots. I’m still hitting some bad ones but I’m very much up for it.
“This is a title I want to win more than anything. The only other one I would prefer is the Senior Open Championship but this is a big tournament for me and I’d love to win it.
“When I won last year at Wentworth I wasn’t really playing that well and it picked my season up. When I then went back to America I had some good finishes. A win gives you confidence and I’ll be out there tomorrow trying my hardest.
“I got lucky once or twice today,” he added. “I had some extraordinary birdies on the back nine. But then when I got into such a good position, I wanted to press on and finish five under. That’s what I really wanted to do. Overall though I had a good round. It was tough out there.
Smyth, who has two Seniors Tour wins in his career, said that despite being a strong player in the wind on links courses he hoped the conditions would not be too adverse for the final round.
“I’d like to be out there playing golf tomorrow. People tell me I’m a good wind player – and I have been – but I would prefer to play golf. I don’t want to be out there trying to hang on to par on every hole which it sounds like I might have to do. I’d rather go out and shoot a 68 or a 69.”
Smyth is a shot clear of England’s Gordon J Brand and Spain’s Juan Quiros, who are both on two under par after round of 70 and 69 respectively.
Scottish pair Bill Longmuir and Sam Torrance, the Ryder Cup winning captain, are a shot further back on one under par while defending champion Costantino Rocca, of Italy, is still in the frame on level par after a second successive round of 71.
Leader Smyth of course, was one of Ian Woosnam’s vice-captains when Europe won The Ryder Cup at The K Club in Ireland two years ago and he could face some stiff competition from the Welshman for the title tomorrow.
Woosnam ditched his trademark long putter in favour of a short putter after his opening round 76 and it paid dividends as he surged up the leaderboard with a fine four under par 67 today.
Despite once again battling a troublesome hip injury, Woosnam matched overnight leader Alan Tapie’s opening round total to move to one over par following a fine triple birdie finish.
Woosnam said: “I played well today and had a good finish with birdies on the last three holes. I used a short putter today as well. It’s been a while. There wasn’t anything wrong with the long putter I just thought I would try the short putter today. I’ve been practising with it at home and all of a sudden it just felt more comfortable. I’ve realigned myself and it seems to have worked.”
“It’s about getting going on this course and holing a few putts. The round yesterday was similar to the last round I had in Wales last week when I didn’t hole any putts and all a sudden you are over par. When it’s windy like it is here you’ve got to hole those six footers.
“If the wind gets up Complete Irish Seniors Open in association with Failte Ireland and Allied Irish Bank, then I'm right bank in it. If I can shoot another one of those tomorrow, then I have a definite chance of winning."
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
139 D Smyth (Irl) 71 68.
140 J Quiros (Esp) 71 69, G Brand (Eng) 70 70.
141 S Torrance (Sco) 71 70, B Longmuir (Sco) 71 70.
142 C Rocca (Ita) 71 71; A Barrera (Arg) 70 72, E Rodriguez (Esp) 73 69, D Russell (Eng) 72 70; D O'Sullivan (Irl) 72 70;
143 J Chillas (Sco) 72 71; D Hospital (Esp) 76 67; I Woosnam (Wal) 76 67;
144 S Owen (Nzl) 71 73; D Good (Aus) 71 73; N Job (Eng) 71 73; D Cambridge (Jam) 73 71; G Cali (Ita) 69 75; D Merriman (Aus) 72 72;
145 T Giedeon (Ger) 73 72; J Bland (RSA) 72 73; L Carbonetti (Arg) 69 76; M Piñero (Esp) 71 74; J Sallat (Fra) 73 72; A Murray (Eng) 73 72; C Mason (Eng) 75 70;
146 G Encina (Chi) 75 71; T Charnley (Eng) 72 74; B Cameron (Eng) 72 74; T Gale (Aus) 75 71; S Lyle (Sco) 73 73; K Spurgeon (Eng) 74 72; B Charles (Nzl) 71 75; A Franco (Par) 74 72;
147 P Teravainen (USA) 77 70; B Heuchan (Can) 73 74; J Rhodes (Eng) 73 74; K Tomori (Jpn) 71 76.
148 L Higgins (Irl) 73 75; T Allen (Eng) 74 74; A Fernandez (Chi) 75 73; A Sowa (Arg) 72 76; G McGimpsey (Nir) (am) 75 73;
149 P O'Hagan (Irl) 74 75; R Drummond (Sco) 73 76; H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 75; J Benda (USA) 77 72; B Lincoln (RSA) 73 76; E Polland (Nir) 74 75; E McMenamin (Irl) (am) 74 75.
150 J Hall (Eng) 76 74; A Garrido (Esp) 73 77; E Darcy (Irl) 77 73; A Tapie (US) 67 83; T Price (Wal) 76 74; J Rivero (Esp) 74 76; M Gray (Sco) 80 70; J Hoskison (Eng) 73 77; I Mosey (Eng) 80 70; M Poxon (Eng) 75 75; S Ebihara (Jpn) 75 75.
151 M Bembridge (Eng) 77 74; S Ginn (Aus) 74 77; P Oakley (USA) 78 73; P Leonard (Nir) 77 74; T Johnstone (Zim) 74 77; J Heggarty (Nir) 76 75.
152 P Dugeny (Fra) 74 78; T Rastall (Eng) 73 79.
153 B Boyd (USA) 77 76; M Miller (Sco) 77 76.
154 V Smyth (am) (Irl) 77 77.
155 B Larratt (Eng) 74 81.
157 J Bruner (USA) 78 79.
165 G Hopkins (USA) 83 82.


I’m right back in it. If I can shoot another one of those tomorrow I’ve got a chance of winning it.”
SCOREBOARD TO COME

Dutchman Saxton wins 113th Amateur

Championship at Turnberry

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY R&A
Reinier Saxton has claimed the 113th Amateur Championship after a hard-fought final at Turnberry. Saxton is only the second player from the Netherlands to claim the Amateur crown. Rolf Muntz claimed the title in 1990 at Muirfield.
The 20-year-old Dutchman played superb golf throughout the final, despite steadily worsening conditions that saw a dry and windless day transfomed into one of rain and strong winds. He fired eight birdies in 34 holes of golf to beat 17-year-old Englishman Tommy Fleetwood by 3 and 2.
Though Saxton's excitement at having won was clearly evident, he said he felt calm throughout the final.
"I felt quite relaxed," he said afterwards. "Of course you're going to feel a little pressure over the last few holes, but I just had to stay focused whatever happened. Even when you're three holes ahead you can still lose."
The final was a closely-contested affair, and after Saxton got off to a flying start with birdies at two of the first three holes his opponent quickly got back into the match to draw level by the end of the first nine.
The back-and-forth continued throughout the morning, with Saxton losing the 17th and 18th holes to go into lunch all square.
The afternoon continued in the same vein, and for a long time it seemed as if the match might continue indefinitely. Both Saxton and Fleetwood notched up several birdies on the front nine, but it was at the 11th hole where the game swung.
Plugged in a bunker at the front of the 11th green, Saxton blasted out to 20ft and holed the putt for a par that took him to two-up. A birdie at the next made it three, and on the 13th he got away with a flyer that went 40 yards past the pin when Fleetwood also bogeyed the hole.
"11, 12 and 13 was definitely the turning point," he said. "On the 11th, I holed a good putt, 12th I made a good birdie, and actually I made a good bogey on 13. That was probably the hardest hole on the course today."
Tommy Fleetwood was bidding to be the youngest player ever to win The Amateur. A series of wayward shots over the final nine holes cost him his chance at the title.
"He just played much better than me - tee to green he was much better than I was," said Fleetwood. "He deserved to win more than me. I can't be disappointed - I did better than 286 other golfers but I would really like to have won."

Booth's repeat 67 puts him five clear

at halfway in Scottish Youths

Stirling University second-year golf scholarship student David Booth from Rotherham put daylight between himself and the rest of the field with a repeat second-round 67 in the Scottish youths golf championship at The Roxburghe golf course, Kelso, today.
Booth's halfway total of 10-under-par 134 was superlative scoring and put him five shots clear of his Yorkshire golfing buddy, Matt Evans, also from Rotherham. Evans had shared the lead with Booth on five-under 67 at the start of the second day's play.
Booth, 19, confined his firewworkds to an outward half of five birdies. He parred the remainder, but that was good enough for him to be out on his own in the pole position with Sunday's 36 holes to play.
Evans, a full-time postman in Doncaster, could not keep up with the pace being set by Booth but a 72 for 139 had him in second place in the clubhouse.
Newmachar's Lewis Kirton, a student at the University of Lousiville-Kentucky, moved into third place on 140 with a repeat 70. He looks to be the main hope of a home victory although it would need a collapse on the part of David Booth to open the door for someone like Kirton over the final 36 holes.
Spain's Francisco Pintor Smith, who won the youths title in 2006, missed the cut after an 80 for 154. A total of 44 players with totals of 150 or better qualified for Sunday's two rounds.
Pintor was not the only big name who failed to survive the cut.
Andrew Wallace (Glenbervie) was joint third after a first-day 70 but he fell away to an 85 and 155.
British boys' championship finalist Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) totalled 153 with a 74 and a 79.
Inchmarlo's Tom Spencer was right out of touch with 82 and 86 for 168.
Neil Henderson (The Glen, Berwick) missed the cut with rounds of 76 and 78 for 154.
QUALIFIERS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
134 D Booth (Stirling University) 67 67.
139 M Evans (Rotherham) 67 72.
140 L Kirton (Newmachar) 70 70.
143 D Wright (Rowlands Castle) 69 74.
144 R Crowe (Newcastle United) 74 70, T Shadbolt (Mid-Herts) 73 71.
145 J Robinson (St Andrews) 73 72, S Brace (Stoke by Nayland) 72 73, A Winwood (North Weald) 75 70.
146 C Robb (Inchmarlo) 73 72, F McKenna (Balmore) 72 74, J Hiluta (Chelmsford 72 74, D Casey (East Sussex National) 75 71, M Collin (Eyemouth) 74 72.
147 P Ferrier (Baberton) 72 75, C Baird (Bothwell Castle) 76 71, B Sloan (Hamilton) 73 74, A Best (Cleveland) 75 71, S McLaren (King James VI) 76 71, B Britton (London) 76 71, M Bookless (Sandyhills) 75 72, K Smith (Kilmarnock Barassie) 71 76.
148 A Sagar (Keighley) 76 72, T Blennerhassett (Marriott Dalmaoy) 75 73, L McGowan (St Andrews) 78 70, M Swan (Stoke by Nayland) 75 73, D Law (Hazlehead) 72 76, J Ross (Royal Burgess) 69 79.
149 A Culverwell (Dunbar) 75 74, S Ballingall (Dunston Hall) 79 70, M Pospisil (Czech Rep) 73 76, D Sommerville (St Andrews) 75 74, R Bell (Downfield) 77 72, J Scott (Deeside) 76 73, P McPhee (King James VI) 75 74, P Shields (Kirkhill) 74 75, W Bremner (Edzell) 74 75, S Crichton (Aberdour) 71 78.
150 J Clarke (Chelmsford) 76 74, S Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 76 74, B Rushford (Grangemouth) 72 78, A McLachlan(Bonnyton) 72 78, K Donaldson(Galashiels) 77 73, J Vesanen (Finland) 77 73.
MISSED THE CUT
151 M Daily (Erskine) 77 74, S McGrenaghan(Cochrane Castle) 78 73, C Jess (East Sussex National) 76 75, G Robertson (Glenbervie) 75 76, R Prophet (Sandwell Park) 78 73, D Addison(Kilmarnock Barassie) 74 77, T Salminen (Finland) 77 74, S Keane (Cathkin Braes) 79 7.
152 R Clarke (Moray) 73 79, T Beaumont (Sundridge Park) 78 74, R Noon (Longniddry) 72 80, D McGregor (Helensburgh) 76 76, A Campbell (Dumbarton) 77 75.
153 D Watson (Peterhead) 78 75, F Fotheringham (Nairn) 74 79, P Latimer (St Andrews New) 80 73, G Carnie (Newburgh on Ythan ) 76 77, B Cotton (Oxfordshire) 78 75, T Usher (Baildon) 78 74, S Hatton (Bowood) 74 79, K Shanks (US) 76 77, O Loftsson (Iceland) 72 81, T Toivonen (Finland) 78 75.
154 F Pintor Smith (Spain) 74 80, E Brown (Kilmarnock Barassie) 76 78, L Searle (Romanby) 80 74, G Villard (France) 77 77, N Henderson (The Glen) 76 78, M Watson (Elgin) 77 77, H Dobson (Fynn Valley) 79 75, S Thompson (St Andrews) 78 76, G Hilmarsson (Iceland) 79 75.
155 A Wallace (Glenvervie 70 85, C McLaughlin (Largs) 78 77, C Conroy (Paisley) 77 78, A Finnbjornsson (Iceland) 80 75, C Bell (Greenburn) 77 78, D Morrison (Duff House Royal) 82 73, G Minnes (Hayston) 78 77, M Main(Thornton) 77 78, J Duff (Newmachar) 76 79, A Birdseye (Hazledere) 77 78, M Brittan (Saltford) 75 80.
156 S Neilson (Dunbar) 82 74, A Cappi (Loretto School) 80 76, D Young (Craigie Hill) 78 78, C Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 74 82, S Maxwell (Windyhill) 79 77, K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 75 81, F Moore (Glenbervie) 75 81, P Petursson (Iceland) 80 76, J Clarke (Royal Montrose) 77 79, G Stirling (Caldwell) 81 75, A Weir (Montrose Merdcantile) 799 77.
157 J Neilson (Dunbar)77 80, A Moir (Thornton) 76 81, S Carmichael (Baberton) 81 76.
158 K Reints (Netherlands) 79 79, R McGrory (Singing Hills) 80 78, G Anderson (Flaxby Park) 81 77.
159 P McGhee (EastRenfreshire) 84 75, S Boyle (Harburn) 85 74, A Sweeney (Carnoustie) 789 80, D Parlane (Helensburgh) 78 81, J Shanks (Irvine) 84 78.
160 K Scott (Hayston) 80 80, M Pennycott (Whiting Bay) 82 78, M Cunningham (Longniddry) 77 83, F Ogston (Singapore( 78 82, D Sefton (Lancaster) 81 798, J Mackay (Kilmarnock Barassie) 81 79.
161 R Salmi (Finland) 81 80, K Harper (Carnoustie) 84 77, L Brace (Stoke by Nayland) 76 85.
162 N Sinclair (Kilmarnock Barassie) 81 81, C O'Neil (Pollok) 81 81.
163 S Tully (Duddingston) 80 83, A Graham (Crow Wood) 78 85, S Oddsson (Iceland) 81 82.
164 A Lauder (Paisley) 81 83, P Buckendorf (Germany) 85 79, A Potts (Berwick) 82 82, S Barras (Helensburgh) 79 85.
165 D Murray (Newbattle) 82 83, V Vaisanen (Finland) 78 87.
166 C Morrison (Kilmacolm) 84 82, A Abercromnbie (Largs) 84 82.
167 D Mitchell (Leven Thistle) 85 82, R Docherty (Bearsden) 85 82.
169 S McGarvey (Glencorse0 86 83.
171 A Killen (St Andrews) 84 87.
172 A Forsythe (Caldwell) 87 85.
Disqualified: J Van Tondeer (SAf), J Bradley (Paisley).
Withdrew: R Carson (Marriott Dalmahoy) 80 -.
Retired: P Dobson(Fynbn Valley) 83 -.
167 G Richards (Kingsknowe) 83 84.
168 T Spencer (Inchmarlo) 82 86.

Cruickshank is Aberdeen Links champion

Caledonian's Alex Cruickshank has won the Aberdeen Links championship for a third time. He beat Donald Smith (Bon Accord) by 4 and 3 in last night's final with four-under-par figures. Smith was level par for the holes played.
It was Cruickshank's fourth final, having won the title in 1984 and 2005.

US PGA Tour Scoreboard
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP
The TPC at River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2 x 70)
130 Stewart Cink 66 64
131 Hunter Mahan 68 63, Lucas Glover 65 66, Ken Duke 65 66
132 Brad Adamonis 64 68, Michael Thompson 65 67, Kevin Sutherland 67 65
133 Kenny Perry 66 67, Heath Slocum 67 66, Tom Pernice Jnr. 65 68, Tommy Armour III 69 64
134 Brian Davis (Eng) 64 70, Ben Curtis 68 66, Bubba Watson 66 68, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 69 65, John Mallinger 67 67, Fred Funk 66 68, Jason Day (Aus) 67 67, Steve Elkington (Aus) 70 64, Brett Rumford (Aus) 68 66, Vijay Singh (Fij) 66 68, John Rollins 70 64, John Huston 65 69, Corey Pavin 68 66, Jon Mills (Can) 70 64, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 68 66
135 Vaughn Taylor 67 68, Jason Allred 68 67, Tim Herron 66 69, Chris DiMarco 66 69, Kevin Na (Kor) 69 66, Michael Allen 69 66, Bill Haas 68 67, Peter Karmis (Rsa) 65 70, Craig Kanada 67 68, Johnson Wagner 64 71, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 70 65
136 Dudley Hart 68 68, Kent Jones 66 70, Chris Stroud 67 69, Andrew Buckle (Aus) 68 68, Michael Letzig 68 68, Billy Mayfair 66 70, Tag Ridings 66 70, David Toms 67 69, Greg Kraft 69 67, Peter Lonard (Aus) 66 70, Kevin Streelman 73 63, Charlie Wi (Kor) 68 68, Dustin Johnson 66 70, J J Henry 66 70, Jim McGovern 67 69, Nicholas Thompson 67 69
137 Harrison Frazar 69 68, Bob Sowards 67 70, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 68 69, Webb Simpson 67 70, Chad Campbell 67 70, Steve Marino 67 70, Bob Estes 69 68, Justin Rose (Eng) 65 72, Briny Baird 67 70, Larry Mize 67 70, Jason Gore 71 66, Scott McCarron 68 69, Joe Ogilvie 70 67, Steve Lowery 64 73, Matt Kuchar 67 70, Billy Andrade 69 68, Notah Begay III 66 71, Olin Browne 68 69, D.J. Trahan 67 70
MISSED THE CUT
138 Brad Elder 72 66, Jason Dufner 67 71, Cliff Kresge 70 68, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl) 67 71, Kevin Stadler 66 72, Ryan Palmer 67 71, Scott Sterling 68 70, Brandt Jobe 71 67, Troy Matteson 69 69, Frank Lickliter II 67 71
139 Robert Garrigus 71 68, Kyle Thompson 72 67, Kenneth Ferrie (Eng) 68 71, Bob Tway 69 70, Francis Quinn 69 70, Nathan Green (Aus) 68 71, Justin Bolli 66 73, Brett Quigley 67 72, Tim Petrovic 69 70, Jimmy Walker 72 67, Bo Van Pelt 72 67, John Riegger 69 70, Mark Brooks 68 71, Jerry Kelly 69 70, Lee Janzen 69 70, Richard S Johnson (Swe) 70 69
140 Charles Warren 69 71, Patrick Sheehan 67 73, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 72 68, Omar Uresti 70 70, Brian Gay 73 67, Steve Allan (Aus) 68 72, Brian Bateman 68 72, Paul Claxton 68 72, Cameron Beckman 67 73, Martin Laird 70 70, Carlos Franco (Par) 71 69, Shane Bertsch 69 71, Robert Gamez 71 69
141 Jin Park (Kor) 70 71, Y. E Yang (Kor) 70 71, Jonathan Kaye 71 70, Steve Sokol 71 70, Marc Turnesa 69 72, Tommy Gainey 70 71, Ronald Whittaker 73 68, Matthew Jones (Aus) 73 68
142 David Lutterus (Rsa) 69 73, Luke List 68 74, Jeff Overton 72 70, Cody Freeman 73 69, Jeff Gove 69 73, Ted Purdy 68 74, Woody Austin 71 71, Mark Hensby (Aus) 69 73, Mathias Gronberg (Swe) 71 71, Brent Geiberger 71 71, Len Mattiace 69 73, Jay Williamson 69 73
143 Richard Johnson (Wal) 69 74, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 72 71, James Driscoll 68 75, Jeff Maggert 68 75, Ryan Armour 69 74, Douglas Labelle 70 73, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 72 71, Ryan Moore 69 74
144 P H Horgan III 70 74, Chad Collins 72 72, Todd Demsey 73 71, J.P. Hayes 72 72, Bob Heintz 72 72, Chez Reavie 75 69
145 J.B. Holmes 73 72, George McNeill 72 73, Paul Stankowski 73 72, Eric Axley 69 76
146 Joe Durant 75 71
147 Tom Scherrer 75 72, Gavin Coles (Aus) 72 75, Nick Flanagan (Aus) 74 73
161 Andrew Gruss 80 81

Tiger Woods could be back within

12 weeks of knee surgery

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Tiger Woods might not be out for the rest of the golf season. In fact, he could be back in action within 12 weeks of undergoing surgery to repair his damaged knee ligament.
That is the view of top knee specialist Louw van Niekerk, who has performed similar operations on Barclays Premier League footballers.
Mr van Niekerk, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, would normally recommend a six-month period of rehabilitation for a footballer after a knee reconstruction but said: "A golfer could get back into training 12 weeks post-surgery."
"If we are doing this surgery on a Premier League footballer, we allow for at least six months of rehabilitation," Mr van Niekerk told PA Sport.
"The surgery is important - it has to be done very accurately and meticulously - but the rehabilitation is even more important.
"If the cruciate ligament is the knee's onboard computer, the physiotherapy and rehabilitation re-program the computer, and it takes time to do that.
"That's what can take up to six months for someone involved in top-class sport and the demands that places on the knee.
"In golf, we can sometimes achieve those objectives more quickly. In some cases, some patients would return to their short game - chipping, putting and maybe playing approach shots - three months post-surgery."

Leader Martin Kaymer is Herr

Apparent to Bernhard Langer

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Bernhard Langer declared his compatriot Martin Kaymer ready for the Ryder Cup after seeing him scorch to a 63 and into a five-stroke halfway lead at the BMW International Open.
"I don't think it's too early," said Langer of the 23-year-old dubbed his "Herr Apparent", who with victory on Sunday could leap from 10th to sixth in the race for places in Nick Faldo's team.
"He is a winner and he has proved that. He hits it extremely long and very straight, but what was most impressive was his putting. It's great to see we have some youngsters who can hopefully take on the torch for golf in Germany in the future."
He added: "I told him 'you're very aggressive, but you're smart at the same time like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson'. He's got an old head on young shoulders. Going by the last two days I don't think there any limits for him if he keeps that up."
Fifty-year-old Langer, 24 himself when he first played against the Americans in 1981, made the cut on two under, but is a massive 11 strokes behind.
And with nobody even close at the halfway stage - England's Benn Barham and Frenchman Francois Delamontagne are his closest challengers on eight under - the one German trophy to have eluded Langer in his glittering career could well be in the hands of his young playing partner at the end of the weekend.
Kaymer, who produced his display despite concerns about the health of his mother, was last season's Rookie of the Year on the European Tour, then won his first title in Abu Dhabi in January and just two weeks later was runner-up to Tiger Woods in Dubai - after a birdie-birdie-eagle finish.
The last of his nine birdies came on the long 18th after a 269-yard two-iron went through the green.

European Tour Scoreboard
BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN
Golfclub Munchen Nord-Eichenreid, Munich
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2 x 71)
131 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 68 63
136 Benn Barham 68 68, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 66
137 Tino Schuster (Ger) 69 68, Richard Finch 69 68, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 66 71, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 68, Graeme Storm 68 69
138 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 69, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 69, Ross Fisher 70 68, David Howell 69 69, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 70 68, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 70 68, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 69, Paul Casey 70 68, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 67, Ariel Canete (Arg) 73 65, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 69, Bradley Dredge 73 65
139 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 67 72, Anton Haig (Rsa) 66 73, Anders Hansen (Den) 69 70, Stephan jr. Gross (Ger) 71 68, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 66 73, Mark Foster 67 72
140 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 72 68, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 71 69, John Bickerton 70 70, David Lynn 67 73, Simon Khan 75 65, Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 70 70, Barry Lane 70 70, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 69
141 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 68 73, Colin Montgomerie 70 71, Peter Lawrie 73 68, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 69 72, Oliver Fisher 71 70, Alex Cejka (Ger) 74 67, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 67 74, Alexander Noren (Swe) 68 73, Gary Murphy 71 70, Markus Brier (Aut) 71 70, Florian Praegant (Aut) 74 67, Peter Fowler (Aus) 71 70, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 66 75
142 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 70 72, Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 70, Carl Suneson (Spa) 69 73, Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 71 71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 72, Alastair Forsyth 74 68, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 70 72
143 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 74 69, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 72, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71 72, Mark Brown (USA) 72 71, David Frost (Rsa) 74 69, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 68 75, Iain Pyman 69 74, Pedro Linhart (Spa) 70 73, Tom Whitehouse 72 71, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 73 70
MISSED THE CUT
144 Damien McGrane 74 70, David Griffiths 71 73, Steven Jeppesen (Swe) 72 72, Simon Wakefield 70 74, John Daly (USA) 72 72, Robert Rock 74 70, Max Kramer (Aut) 71 73, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 70 74, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 74, Joakim Backstrom (Swe) 73 71, Garry Houston 71 73, Graeme McDowell 71 73, Stuart Manley 73 71, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 73 71, Sam Walker 73 71, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 69 75, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 73 71
145 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 73 72, Juan Abbate (Arg) 71 74, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 74 71, Peter Baker 75 70, Luis Claverie (Spa) 73 72, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 76 69, Paul Broadhurst 75 70, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 76 69, Anthony Wall 73 72, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 74 71, Sion Bebb 72 73, Paul Lawrie 74 71, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 67 78
146 Gary Orr 72 74, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 73 73, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 72 74, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 73 73, Christoph Gunther (Ger) 75 71, Lee S James 73 73, Marcel Haremza (Ger) 74 72, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 72 74, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 71 75
147 Matthew Millar (Aus) 69 78, Marcel Siem (Ger) 75 72, Andrew Coltart 75 72, Phillip Price 74 73, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 74 73, David Drysdale 76 71, Rory McIlroy 72 75, Stephen Dodd 72 75, Stephen Gallacher 74 73, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 72 75, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 69 78, Phillip Archer 76 71
148 Marc Warren 74 74, James Kingston (Rsa) 71 77, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 75 73
149 Henrik Nystrom (Swe) 73 76, Sven Struver (Ger) 76 73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 74 75, Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 72 77, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 77
150 Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 73 77, Magnus Carlsson (Swe) 73 77, David Dixon 78 72, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 73 77, Scott Drummond 73 77, Sam Little 75 75, Marco Soffietti (Ita) 75 75
151 Richard Bland 76 75, Julio Zapata (Arg) 74 77, Simon Dyson 75 76, Gary Birch jr (Ger) 77 74
152 David Carter 80 72, Peter Whiteford 75 77, Leif Westerberg (Swe) 77 75, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 76 76
153 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 77 76, Dennis Kupper (Ger) 74 79, Sean Einhaus (Ger) 80 73, James Kamte (Rsa) 75 78
154 Marc Farry (Fra) 76 78, Zane Scotland 74 80, Niklas Lemke (Swe) 74 80, Miles Tunnicliff 81 73
155 Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 78 77
156 Rick Kulacz (Aus) 83 73, Richard Porter (Ger) 77 79
157 Pablo Martin (Spa) 76 81
158 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 80 78

Hutcheon comes from

behind to win over

home course

Monifieth maestro Ian Hutcheon showed his class at the age of 66 with a brilliant second round of one-under-par 70 over his home links to win the East of Scotland Seniors Open today.
Starting the day four shots off the pace, Hutcheon (pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved) handled the testing, windy conditions much better than anyone else in the field.
He birdied the fourth, eighth, 11th and 17th and dropped shots at the second, fifth and 14th
"I played not bad," said the modest Hutcheon who still has +2 of a handicap.
Runner-up Gordon MacDonald finished four shots behind Ian with scores of 73 and 76 for 149.
"That was quite a round by Ian, believe me. The wind was not quite so bad as it was on Thursday but it was still difficult to get a decent score,"said Gordon, the captain of the Scottish Senior Golfing Society.
SCOREBOARD
Par 142 (2 x 71)
145 I C Hutcheon (Monifieth) 75 70.
149 G K MacDonald (Callander) 73 76.
151 C Christy (Kilmacolm) 71 80, P Lamb (Biggar) 72 79.
152 D Murphy (Kinross) 78 74, J Johnston (Northumberland) 76 76, G Millar (Swanston New) 76 76.
Other totals:
153 I Taylor (Royal Burgess), B Smith (Hamilton), D J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie), R McLellan (Turnberry), A J Fiddes (Deeside).

Alan Ferguson lying
fifth as Irish eyes are
smiling at Vilamoura

Drumpellier's Alan Ferguson is lying joint fifth after two rounds of a European senior men's amateur championship being dominated by the Irish at Vilamoura's Old Course on Portugal's Algarve.

Alan has scored 74 and 75 for 149, to be seven shots adrift of the joint leaders, both from the Emerald Isle, Arthur Pierse, winner of the British senior amateur crown at Nairn last year, and Adrian Morrow.

Pierse (pictured above) has scored a pair of 71s to Morrow's 69 and 73.

A third Irishman, Maurice Kelly, is two shots behind his compatriots in third place on 144 with rounds of 74 and 70.

In the European senior women's championship, being played over the Vilamoura Pinhal course, Heather Anderson from Downfield, Dundee had a disastrous second-round 88, eight shots worse than her opening effort, for a two-round tally of 168 and a share of 26th place after being in the top 10 at the start of the day.

Heather, usually the steadies of players, had one triple bogey and three double bogeys in halves of 44.

Janice Paterson took over the mantle of leading Scot in 17th place with a second-round 81 (43-38 which included a double bogey 7 at the long third but a birdie at the 16th.

France's Virginie Burrus leads at five-over 149 with scores of 75 and 74.

LEADERBOARD

MEN (Vilamoura Old)

142 A Pierse (Ire) 71 71, A Morrow (Ire) 69 73.

144 M Kelly (Ire) 74 70.

146 R Morris (US) 75 71.

149 A Ferguson (Sco) 74 785, J Sousa e Melo (Por) 74 75.

150 I Dueholm (Den) 73 77.

151 D Lane (Eng) 73 78, L MacNamara (Ire) 76 75, G Thenfors (Swe) 75 76.

Other Scots scores:

158 D McCart 81 77 (jt 45th).

161 S Ellis 82 79, J Deas 82 79 (jt 65th).

165 J Broadfoot 83 82 9jt 92nd).

183 B Campbell 87 96 (jt 142nd).

WOMEN (Vilamoura Pinhal)

149 V Burrus (Fra) 75 74.

156 V Pertierra (Spa) 79 77.

157 V Hoff (Swe) 80 77.

158 C Utermarck (Ger) 80 78, C Mourgue d'Algue (Fra) 77 81.

Scots' scores:

164 J Paterson 83 81 (17th)

168 F De Vries 85 83, H Anderson 80 88 (jt 26th).

169 P Williamson 89 80 (jt 33rd).

180 J Mack 91 89 (jt 58th).

ENGLISH PLAYERS DOMINATE
YOUTHS CHAMPIONSHIP

English competitors dominated the first round of the Scottish youths open amateur stroke-play golf championship over The Roxburghe course, Kelso.
Two Rotherham golfing buddies, David Booth - a 19-year-old Stirling University golf scholarship student - and Matt Evans, a 21-year-old full-time postman in Doncaster, ended the day two shots clear of the big field after both shot sparkling rounds of five-under-par 67.
Another player from south of the Border, Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle) shared third place with Scotland boy cap James Ross (Royal Burgess) on 69.
Evans, who had a handicap of +3 and aspirations to turn pro perhaps by the end of year, looked as if he would finish in the outright pole position when he rattled to the turn in five-under-par 31 with birdies at the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.
But he went off the boil, fortunately for the chasing pack, after the turn when he could muster "only" one more birdie, at the 18th, and had his only bogey of the round at the 10th.
Booth, a +2 handicapper, who has just completed his second year at Stirling University, highlighted his halves of 33 and 34 with an eagle 3 at the long 14th. He also birdied the fourth, seventh, ninth and 11th, dropping only one shot, at the 10th.
Remarkably Booth had never even played a practice round over the course. He came to The Roxburghe from Turnberry where he missed the match-play qualifying cut by five shots - and went to get new contact lenses instead of playing a practice round on Thursday.
James Ross, a quarter-finalist in the Scottish boys championship in April and named earlier this week in the Scotland squad for next month's European boys' team championship at Bled, had halves of 34 and 34 for his 69. He started well to be three under par on the eighth tee, having birdied the short fourth and two long holes, the fifth and seven.
He dropped his first shot to par at the short eighth and birdied the long 11th before he shed his second and last shot, at the short 13th. A 2 at the short 15th helped his cause.
Darren Wright matched that score with halves of 33 and 36. He too found the early holes easier than the remainder of the course. Darren birdied the second, sixth and seventh - and then did a Nick Faldo by every single hole after that.
American college circuit player Lewis Kirton (Newmachar) started to show signs of recovering form in the British Amateur championship at Turnberry earlier this week. Lewis has been off-colour, maybe a bit worse than that, for months and it had an adverse affect on his golf in the States.
But he would have been feeling a lot better after an eagle 3 at the long 14th today, having birdied the first, sixth and 11th before that in halves of 35. He dropped shots at the 15th and 16th when he looked certain to break 70.
Andrew Wallace from Glenbervie dropped a shot at the first and another at the eighth but in between these low points, he snatched birdies at the second, fifth and seventh. A fourth birdie, at the ninth, put him out in 34. Things quietened down on the inward journey with a birdie at the 12th and a bogey at the 17th the only deviations from par.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
67 D Booth (Rotherham), M Evans (Rotherham).
69 D Wright (Rowlands Castle), J Ross (Royal Burgess).
70 L Kirton (Newmachar), A Wallace (Glenbervie).
71 S Crighton (Aberdour), K Smith (Kilmarnock Barassie).
72 A McLachlan (Bonnyton), O Loftsson (Iceland), D Law (Hazlehead), R Noon (Longniddry), F McKenna (Balmore). J Hiluta (Chelmsford), P Ferrier (Baberton), B Rushford (Grangemouth).
73 C Robb (Inchmarlo), R Clarke (Moray), M Pospisil (Czech Rep), J Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale), T Shadbolt (Mid-Herts).
74 M Collin Eyemouth), S Matton (Bowood), P Shields (Kirkhill), W Bremner (Edzell), D Addison (Kilmarnock Barassie), R Crowe (Newcastle United), F Pintor Smith (Spain), F Fotheringham (Nairn), C Thomson (East Renfrewshire).
75 A Winwood (North Weald), P McPhee (King James VI), A Best (Cleveland), M Bookless (Sandyhills), M Swan (Stoke by Nayland), M Brittan (Saltford), A Culverwell (Dunbar), D Sommerville (St Andrews), D Casey (East Sussex National), T Blennerhasset (Marriot Dalmahoy), G Robertson (Glenbervie), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon).
76 K Shanks (US), J Duff (Newmachar), B Britton (London), S McLaren (King James VI), L Brace (Stoke by Nayland, D McGregor (Helensburgh), A Sagar (Keighley), E Brown (Kilmarnock Barassie), J Clarke (Chelmsford), N Henderson (The Glen), S Binning (Ranfurly Castle), A Moir (Thornton), C Jess (East Sussex National), G Carnie (Newburgh on Ythan), J Scott (Deeside), C Baird (Bothwell Castle), S Brace (Stoke by Nayland.
77 C Bell (Greenburn), K Donaldson (Galashiels), M Main (Thornton), J Clarke (Royal Montrose), J Vesanen (Finland), T Salminen (Finalnd), A Birdseye (Hazledere), M Daily (Erskine), A Campbell (Dumbarton), J Neilson (Dunbar), I Redford (King James VI), G Villard (France), R Bell (Downfield), M Watson (Elgin), C Conroy (Paisley), M Cunningham (Longniddry).
78 F Ogston (Singapore), L McGowan (St Andrews New), V Vaisanen (Finland), T Beaumont (Sundridge Park), G Minnes (Hayston), R Prophet (Sandwell Park), T Toivonen (Finland), A Graham (Crow Wood), D Watson (Peterhead), C McLaughlin (Largs), S McGrenaghan (Cochrane Castle), D Parlane (Helensburgh), D Young (Craigie Hill), S Thompson (St Andrews).
79 T Usher (Baildon), G Hilmarsson (Iceland), A Weir (Montrose Mercantile), S Barras (Helensburgh), S Keane (Cathkin Braes), S Ballingall (Dunston Hall), K Reints (Netherlands), A Sweeney (Carnoustie), H Dobson (Fynn Valley), S Maxwell (Windyhill).
80 R Carson (Marriott Dalmahoy), P Petursson (Iceland), L Searle (Romanby), K Scott (Hayston), R McGrory (Singing Hills), P Latimer (St Andrews New), A Cappi (Loretto School), A Finnbjornsson (Iceland).
81 C O’Neil (Pollok), G Anderson (Flaxby Park), S Carmichael (Baberton)m, G Stirling (Caldwell), D Sefton (Lancaster), J Mackay (Kilmarnock Barassie), S Oddsson (Iceland), R Sinclair (Kilmarnock Barasse), R Salmi (Finland), A Lauder (Paisley).
82 D Morrison (Duff House), A Potts (Berwick), T Spencer (Inchmarlo), F Campbell (Clober), S Neilson (Dunbar), M Pennycott (Whiting Bay).
83 P Dobson (Fynn Valley), G Richards (Kingsknowe).
84 A Abercrombie (Largs), A Killen (St Andrews), C Morrison (Kilmacolm), P McGhee (East Renfrewshire), K Harper (Carnoustie), J Shanks (Irvine).
85 D Mitchell (Leven Thistle), S Boyle (Harburn), P Buckendorf (Germany).
86 S McGarvey).
87 A Forsythe (Caldwell).
88 M Pospisil (Czech Rep).

Fleetwood (17) versus Dutchman

in Amateur Final at Turnberry

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY R&A
England's Tommy Fleetwood and Dutchman Reinier Saxton will contest the final of the 113th Amateur Championship over 36 holes on Turnberry's Ailsa course tomorrow.
At just 17 years old and 5 months, Fleetwood would be the youngest winner of the championship if he wins tomorrow’s final. John Beharrell, who won at Troon in 1956 and Bobby Cole, victor at Carnoustie in 1966 currently share the tag of youngest player to win The Amateur, having claimed the title at 18 years and 1 month to the day.
Fleetwood showed calm beyond his years with an assured performance to knock out Nuneaton's Andrew Sullivan at the par 4 16th hole to win 3&2. After winning the first two holes, Fleetwood allowed Sullivan to get back on terms, and the match was still all square on the 13th hole. At that stage, however, Sullivan started to waver, bogeying the 14th and 15th to allow Fleetwood to get two up standing on the 16th tee. Sullivan hooked his tee shot into the rough, then hooked his second into a gorse bush; with Fleetwood safely on the green, the match was over.
"It was incredible," said Fleetwood. "I played brilliant again. I was happy just to get to the last 64, and happy again to make the last 32 but it just keeps on going."
"I'm just trying to keep doing everything like I always do. If I play well tomorrow I know I've got a great chance."
Saxton, who represented the Netherlands in the 2006 European Boys Team Championships, was the only one to make the final four without any of his matches going to sudden death, and he had to make a long two putt to prevent that happening at the conclusion of his semi-final, but he lagged the ball to three feet and holed to win by one hole.
"It doesn't feel like it's sunk in yet," said the Dutchman, who has won the Dutch Matchplay three times. "I've definitely exceeded my expectations,"
" I love match play, so I always thought that if I got through the stroke play rounds I would have a chance. I'm trying not to think about what it would mean. There are still 36 holes to go, and that's a long way."

Tee Times
36 Hole Final
Morning Tee Time 7.30am.
Afternoon Tee Time 1.30pm.

American Tapie tames Ballyliffin breeze

By Steve Todd, Seniors Tour Press Officer
American Alan Tapie birdied the last hole to move two shots clear at the Irish Seniors Open in association with Failte Ireland and Allied Irish Bank after taming the gusty conditions at Ballyliffin Golf Club today.
Tapie shot five birdies and just the one bogey on the 13th hole to card a four under par total of 67, the joint lowest first round total on the European Seniors Tour so far this season with Bob Cameron’s 67 in Poland.
The 57 year old, who finished tied 11th in his last tournament in Jersey behind winner Tony Johnstone, said he enjoyed the testing challenge of another links course.
He said: “I started off well, hitting a lot of good drives. I only made one bogey today on 13 when I didn’t hit my second shot well and came up short in the bunker and made bogey.
“I missed the first green and chipped into two feet and holed the putt but other than that I played pretty well. I was in control out there and I’m happy with four under.
“There’s a bit of wind, like there has been for the last two days but it was nice out there. The wind is getting stronger but I managed to deal with it.
“I’ve had a lot of links experience. I’ve had some good rounds at Royal St Davids and played well in Jersey. I’m pretty familiar with links golf and I like it.
“I don’t hit the ball too high so I don’t have a problem keeping it down in the wind. I’ve changed to a hybrid club with a high kick point and that keeps the ball low for me.
“This course is about as linksy as you can get. You get all different lies on the fairways and it’s a good test. You’ll be lucky to go all three days and not find any trouble out here. You’ll have to deal with it when it comes. I was fortunate not to have to today. I was pretty trouble free today.
“On the last hole I hit two good shots. I didn’t really know what to do on the second shot as those traps come right into play so I didn’t lay up and I went for it. I caught it wrong and had to stand in the trap but I used a wedge to chip to within 10 feet and holed the putt. It was nice to finish on a birdie.”
Tapie is two shots clear of Italian Giuseppe Cali and Argentine Luis Carbonetti, who both carded opening rounds of 69. England’s Gordon J Brand continued his fine recent form with a one under par 70, although he would have been level with Tapie had it not been for a trio of bogeys starting on the 15th.
Alfonoso Barrera had a birdie eagle finish to join him on one under par while Cali’s fellow Italian Costantino Rocca, the defending champion, also eagled the 18th to finish four shots off the lead on level par.
Rocca said: “It’s not easy out there with the wind but I like this links course. When you hit it well out there you can make a good connection with the ball.”
The evergreen 72 year old Bob Charles continued his remarkable run of shooting under his age for the fourth consecutive tournament, with a level par round of 71. Sam Torrance finished with two birdies to join Cali and Charles in a group of 11 players on level par, including Ireland’s Des Smyth.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
67 A Tapie (USA).
69 G Cali (Ita), L Carbonetti (Arg).
70 G Brand (Eng), A Barrera (Arg).
71 B Charles (Nzl), M Piñero (Esp), D Good (Aus), J Quiros (Esp), S Torrance (Sco), C Rocca (Ita), N Job (Eng), K Tomori (Jpn), S Owen (Nzl), B Longmuir (Sco), D Smyth (Irl).
72 J Bland (RSA) ; A Sowa (Arg) ; B Cameron (Eng) ; J Chillas (Sco), D Merriman (Aus) ; T Charnley (Eng) ; D Russell (Eng) ; D O'Sullivan (Irl).
73 L Higgins (Irl) ; B Heuchan (Can) ; J Hoskison (Eng) ; D Cambridge (Jam) ; S Lyle (Sco), A Garrido (Esp), E Rodriguez (Esp) ; T Rastall (Eng) ; B Lincoln (RSA) ; A Murray (Eng) ; J Rhodes (Eng), T Giedeon (Ger), R Drummond (Sco), J Sallat (Fra).
74 P O'Hagan (Irl) ; B Larratt (Eng) ; H Carbonetti (Arg) ; A Franco (Par) ; K Spurgeon (Eng) ; E Polland (Nir), T Johnstone (Zim) ; T Allen (Eng) ; S Ginn (Aus) ; P Dugeny (Fra) ; J Rivero (Esp) ; E McMenamin (Ire) (am).
75 T Gale (Aus) ; G Encina (Chi) ; A Fernandez (Chi) ; S Ebihara (Jpn) ; M Poxon (Eng) ; C Mason (Eng) ; G McGimpsey (NIr) (am).
76 J Heggarty (Nir) ; J Hall (Eng) ; D Hospital (Esp) ; T Price (Wal) ; I Woosnam (Wal) ;
77 B Boyd (USA) ; M Miller (Sco) ; J Benda (USA) ; E Darcy (Irl) ; M Bembridge (Eng) ; P Leonard (Nir) ; P Teravainen (US) , V Smyth (Ire) (am).
78 P Oakley (US), J Bruner (US).
80 I Mosey (Eng) ; M Gray (Sco).
83 G Hopkins (US).

David Horsey on top in Challenge
Tour event in Belgium

From Paul Symes, Challenge Tour Press Officer
England’s David Horsey took route 66 to the top of the leaderboard on day two of the Telenet Trophy on the European Challenge Tour.
Six birdies in a flawless round of golf at Limburg Golf and Country Club in Houthalen, Belgium, saw Horsey overhaul France’s Jean Pierre Cixous, who sits one shot back on ten under par. Horsey’s round of 66 put the man from Stockport firmly in the frame to capture his maiden Challenge Tour title.
He said: “Over the last few weeks I’ve had a few decent rounds, but then I’ve started analysing my performances too much. If I’ve hit a bad shot I’ve started thinking about why, instead of just putting it to the back of my mind and taking the positives from my round. So I’ve tried to clear my mind of clutter, and concentrate on just putting the ball in the right places – on the fairways and the greens. Golf’s quite a simple game really – we just over-complicate it sometimes.”
An identical round from Horsey’s playing partner and compatriot Simon Robinson saw him finish on eight under par, and gave the man from Hartlepool every chance of repeating his maiden success at last week’s SK Golf Challenge, where he beat European Tour champion Miko Ilonen on his home turf.
Robinson, who hails from the same town as European Tour winner Graeme Storm, said: “I’ve struggled to get into many tournaments in the past, but I’ve learned from it and became even more determined to succeed. My goals for the season changed almost overnight with the win, particularly with it coming so early in the season. Now my focus is to finish the top ten in the Rankings come the end of the season.”
Robinson is currently in fourth place, two shots behind overnight leader Cixous, who followed yesterday’s 66 with a measured round of 68.
The Frenchman said: “I only made one mistake today, with a three putt for bogey on the third hole. I had a downhill putt, and left it short. But that was my first bogey over the two days. Other than that, I played well. I made a putt from off the green for birdie on the second hole, then another one from about 12 feet on the third hole. So that was a nice start, and it gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of my round.”
One shot further back is Wil Besseling of the Netherlands, already a winner on this season’s Challenge Tour Schedule. Besseling started badly, bogeying his opening hole, but soon bounced back with five birdies on the front nine and a further two after the turn to sign for a 66.
France’s Christophe Brazillier is in fifth place on seven under par alongside compatriot Francois Calmels, after both men carded rounds of 67. The highlight of both their rounds came at the par five 13th hole, which they eagled.
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
133 D Horsey (Eng) 67 66.
134 J Cixous (Fra) 66 68.
135 W Besseling (Ned) 69 66.
136 S Robinson (Eng) 70 66.
137 F Calmels (Fra) 71 66, C Brazillier (Fra) 70 67.
138 A Rocha (Bra) 69 69; A Bernadet (Fra) 70 68; C Russo (Fra) 70 68; A Butterfield (Eng) 67 71; A Snobeck (Fra) 70 68; S Juul (Den) 72 66; M McGeady (Irl) 70 68; G Gresse (Bel) 68 70; A Wagner (Arg) 69 69;
139 A Gee (Eng) 72 67; M McDermott (Irl) 70 69; S Saavedra (Arg) 69 70; P Dwyer (Eng) 68 71; B Evans (Eng) 69 70; T Cruz (Por) 69 70; M Reale (Ita) 67 72;
140 L Corfield (Eng) 72 68; B Grace (RSA) 71 69; J Billot (Fra) 73 67; H Rey (Arg) 68 72; T Ferreira (RSA) 70 70; M Zions (Aus) 71 69; P Worthington (Eng) 71 69; R De Sousa (Sui) 73 67; T Dykes (Wal) 71 69; I Van Weerelt (Ned) 71 69; R Davies (Wal) 71 69; X Feyaerts (Bel) (am) 70 70.
141 R Treis (Ger) 70 71; R Muntz (Ned) 70 71; A Tadini (Ita) 71 70; J Huldahl (Den) 71 70; A Willey (Eng) 70 71; L De Jager (RSA) 69 72; A Mellor (Eng) 69 72; D Bransdon (Aus) 70 71; T Remkes (Ned) 71 70; J Morgan (Eng) 70 71; B St John (Eng) 71 70;
142 R Harris (Eng) 73 69; C Monasterio (Arg) 71 71; D Wardrop (Eng) 71 71; D Barbetti (Arg) 70 72; G Murray (Sco) 73 69; J Clément (Sui) 69 73; E Ramsay (Sco) 71 71; K Baraka (Ger) 73 69; M Mills (Eng) 73 69; C Reimbold (Ger) 74 68; R Coles (Eng) 69 73; G Davies (Eng) 70 72; L Brovold (Nor) 69 73; P Ericsson (Swe) 72 70; M Smith (Eng) 68 74; L Harper (Sco) 72 70.
MISSED THE CUT
143 R McGuirk (Eng) 71 72; L Richard (Bel) 74 69; A Tarchetti (Eng) 72 71; S Reale (Ita) 72 71; P Del Grosso (Arg) 72 71; G Acosta (Arg) 71 72; G Plumet (Fra) 72 71; B Miarka (Ger) 75 68; S Webster (Eng) 71 72; L Dodda (Arg) 73 70; M Ruiz (Par) 74 69; J Kucera (Cze) 71 72; J Moul (Eng) 73 70; D Park (Wal) 73 70; M Hoey (Nir) 70 73.
144 C Aronsen (Nor) 74 70; G Hutcheon (Sco) 74 70; S Davis (Eng) 73 71; N Pamard (Fra) 73 71; C Lange (Den) 76 68; J Wahlqvist (Swe) 73 71; M Rodriguez (Arg) 76 68; N Walker (Eng) 75 69; I Del Castillo (Esp) 70 74; J Xanthopoulos (Fra) 75 69; M Willems (Bel) 72 72; D Sugrue (Irl) 72 72; G Canizares (Esp) 78 66; N Maestroni (Ita) 74 70; L Jensen (Den) 74 70; R Santos (Por) 74 70; H Joannes (am) (Bel) 75 69;
145 M Dieu (Fra) 73 72; L Gagli (Ita) 72 73; M King (Eng) 73 72; S Henderson (Sco) 74 71; A Hansen (Den) 72 73; J Rask (Swe) 72 73; E Thomson (Sco) 72 73; N Campino (Por) 76 69; R Steiner (Aut) 73 72; A Zanini (Ita) 74 71; J Quesne (Fra) 71 74; Q De Valensart (Bel) 74 71; R Swane (Ned) 71 74; R Russell (Sco) 74 71;
146 K Jorgensen (Den) 80 66; W Rieder (Aut) 73 73; N Zitny (Aut) 72 74; J Theunis (Bel) 75 71; M Mackenzie (Eng) 73 73; N Vanhootegem (Bel) 71 75; P Pinto (Arg) 74 72; N Kraaij (Ned) 70 76;
147 C Dubois (Fra) 75 72; M Gojcic (Slo) 77 70; F Cabrera (Arg) 77 70; T Milford (Eng) 70 77; P Bronson (USA) 71 76; M Searle (Eng) 74 73; C Mivis (am) (Bel) 76 71;
148 E Dominguez (Arg) 74 74; K Harper (Eng) 74 74; J Sköld (Swe) 74 74; D De Vooght (Bel) 74 74; R Thomas (Wal) 74 74; M Bothma (RSA) 70 78; S Garcia-Grout (Esp) 75 73; S Jamieson (Sco) 75 73;
149 N Colsaerts (Bel) 75 74; G Monville (Bel) 77 72; G Watremez (Bel) 77 72; J Little (Eng) 77 72; S Brizzolari (Ita) 78 71; P Ellebye (Den) 76 73; F Verheyen (am) (Bel) 79 70;
150 S Crosby (Ned) 78 72; K Le Sager (Fra) 73 77; P O'Keeffe (Irl) 74 76; B Lecuona (Fra) 76 74; J Hepworth (Eng) 72 78;
151 H Santos (Por) 78 73;
152 H Pfaller (Aut) 80 72; T Planchin (Fra) 77 75; S Grewal (Eng) 76 76; G Seegmuller (am) (Bel) 78 74;
153 K Mortensen (Den) 79 74; I Goroneskoul (Fra) 77 76; F De Vooght (am) (Bel) 79 74;
154 M Stelmasiak (Pol) 78 76;
156 J Foret (Fra) 79 77;
157 J Ossowski (Pol) 78 79; F Dhondt (Bel) 81 76;
159 B McElhinney (Irl) 86 73;
161 J Stryncl (Cze) 81 80;

STIRLING STUDENT FROM YORKSHIRE
SETS HOT PACE IN SCOTTISH YOUTHS

Stirling University second-year golf scholarship student David Booth, who hails from Rotherham, set a challenging first-round target of five-under-par 67 in the Scottish youths open amateur stroke-play golf championship at The Roxburghe golf course, Kelso.
Booth is coached by Gordon Niven who was at one time the resident pro at The Roxburghe.
An eagle 3 at the 14th after birdies at the fourth, seventh, ninth and 11th in halves of 33 and 34 enabled Booth to demote clubhouse leaders James Ross (Royal Burgess) and Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle), both on 69.
Wright had not a bogey on his card. After birdieing the second, sixth and seventh, he reeled off 11 pars iin succession.
Ross, named earlier this week in the Scotland squad for the European boys’ team championship next month, had five birdies but bogeys at two short holes, the eighth and the 13th, dragged him down.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
67 D Booth (Rotherham).
69 D Wright (Rowlands Castle), J Ross (Royal Burgess).
70 L Kirton (Newmachar), A Wallace (Glenbervie).
71 S Crighton (Aberdour), K Smith (Kilmarnock Barassie).
72 A McLachlan (Bonnyton), O Loftsson (Iceland), D Law (Hazlehead), R Noon (Longniddry), F McKenna (Balmore).
73 C Robb (Inchmarlo), R Clarke (Moray), M Pospisil (Czech Rep).
74 M Collin Eyemouth), S Matton (Bowood), P Shields (Kirkhill), W Bremner (Edzell), D Addison (Kilmarnock Barassie), R Crowe (Newcastle United).
75 A Winwood (North Weald), P McPhede (King James VI), A Best (Cleveland), M Bookless (Sandyhills), M Swan (Stoke by Nayland), M Brittan (Saltford), A Culverwell (Dunbar), D Somnmerville (St Andrews).
76 K Shanks (US), J Duff (Newmachar), B Britton (London), S McLaren (King James VI), L Brace (Stoke by Nayland, D McGregor (Helensburgh), A Sagar (Keighley), E Brown (Kilmarnock Barassie).
77 C Bell (Greenburn), K Donaldson (Galashiels), M Main (Thornt)n, J Clarke (Royal Montrose), J Vesanen (Finland), T Salminen (Finalnd), A Birdseye (Hazledere), M Daily (Erskine), A Campbell (Dumbarton), J Neilson (Dunbar), I Redford (King James VI).
78 F Ogston (Singapore), L McGowan (St Andrews New), V Vaisanen (Finland), T Beaumont (Sundridge Park), G Minnes (Hayston), R Prophet (Sandwell Park), T Toivonen (Finland), A Graham (Crow Wood), D Watson (Peterhead), C McLaughlin (Largs), S McGrenaghan (Cochrane Castle).

Amateur action on Sky TV this evening

FROM THE R&A CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE
The semi-finals of The Amateur Championship are finely poised at the half-way stage, and those wishing to see the action for themselves can tune into television highlights later on this evening. The Amateur Championship will be broadcast on Sky's Golf Night show tonight and tomorrow between 9 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.; the programme is broadcast on the Sky Sports 3 channel.

LATER NEWS .... RESULTS OF SEMI-FINALS AT TURNBERRY

Saxton bt Vickery 1 hole.
Fleetwood bt Sullivan 3 and 2.

Full report to come later.

OPEN CHAMPION PROMOTES GOOD
ETIQUETTE IN NEW R&A FILM

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R&A
St Andrews, Scotland, Friday 20 June 2008: Open Champion Padraig Harrington has joined with The R&A to promote good etiquette in golf by taking the lead role in a short film targeted at new golfers.
Entitled “The Etiquette of Golf”, the film is available from today as a free download from The R&A website, RandA.org, and will be promoted to national golfing bodies around the world as a teaching aid.
The film, features contributions from fellow European Tour professionals, Nick Dougherty, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, as well as archive material from The Open, The Ryder Cup and the Women’s British Open Championship.
Commenting on his involvement in the film Padraig Harrington said:
“Good etiquette promotes enjoyment of the game for all players. I am very pleased to play a part in the education process for new golfers, young and old alike.”
R&A Director of Rules and Equipment Standards, David Rickman said:
“Padraig is a role model for good behaviour, on and around the golf course. This film will help new players to understand the true meaning of sportsmanship in golf”.
The film, which is 10 minutes in duration, brings the etiquette section of The R&A rule book to life and is presented in three chapters, consideration for other players, pace of play and care of the course.

JAMES BYRNE OUT TO PROVE HE'S

NOT YESTERDAY'S YOUNG MAN

Banchory's James Byrne has quickly become the forgotten young man on Scotland's international golf scene.

Last year, at the age of 18, he was a member of Scotland's European championship squad of six and played for Scotland in the home internationals at the end of the season.

But a late return home from the American college golf circuit - he is a student at Arizona State University - and a disappointing performance in the St Andrews Links Trophy cost young Byrne dearly.

He was not even a reserve to the Scotland six named this week for next month's European team championship.

That will be sufficient motivation for Byrne to finish ahead of those who have been chosen and are playing in this weekend's SGU Order of Merit 72-hole event, the Tennant Cup at Glasgow Gailes on Saturday and Killermont on Sunday.

Wallace Booth won the tournament - first played as long ago as 1880 - by five shots from Craig Watson after rain wiped out one of the four rounds last year.

Byrne is a winner on the SGU Order of Merit circuit but that was two years ago in the Newlands Trophy at Lanark. Last year he beat young Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) in a play-off for the Scottish boys' open stroke-play at Cardrona but Stewart is the rising star this year, having won the Scottish boys' match-play and finished birdie-eagle to come second in the St Andrews Links Trophy.

James, in 169th position, is still the fourth best Scot on the R&A World Amateur Rankings behind Callum Macaulay (32nd), Wallace Booth (56th) and Keir McNicoll (89th).

This weekend he will be out to prove in the Tennant Cup that he is not yesterday's young man.

ends

Amateur championship at Turnberry down to last four

Saxton, Vickery, Sullivan and

Fleetwood are semi-finalists

FROM THE R&A CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE
The semi-finalists in The Amateur Championship are Reinier Saxton, Joe Vickery, Andrew Sullivan and Tommy Fleetwood.
This morning's quarter final matches were closely-contested affairs. The first match of the day was nip and tuck for the first half of the match, with Portuguese 17-year-old Pedro Figueiredo holing a beautiful 20ft birdie putt on the ninth to go one-up at the turn. On the 10th, however, the momentum swung heavily in favour of Ductch golfer Reinier Saxton.
The 20-year-old played a beautiful approach for a birdie on the 10th, won the par-3 11th after Figueiredo found a buried lie in the front bunker, and played yet another superb iron to birdie the 12th and go two-up.
Saxton kept his momentum going and wound up a 3 and 2 winner after getting up and down from 80 yards on the 16th.
The all-Welsh encounter in the second match turned into an intense battle between Pennard's James Frazer and Newport's Joe Vickery. Throughout the game hole after hole was halved, with neither man ever being more than one up.
Predictably going to sudden death, the match eventually finished on the 22nd hole with Frazer finding trouble and Vickery, with two putts for the match, holing out from 20ft for a birdie.
In the third match out, Italian Andrea Pavan was ahead of English opponent Andrew Sullivan for most of the front nine, but the man from Nuneaton turned things round by winning the seventh and ninth to get back to all square. He then won the 11th and 12th holes to put himself ahead before finishing the match off 2 and 1 with a birdie on the par-5 17th.
Tommy Fleetwood, the 17-year-old who plays at Formby Hall in Lancashire, had arguably the toughest task of the morning in the final match out. He was up against Jorge Campillo, the world number five, and when the Spaniard went ahead at the second the task seemed even tougher. But Fleetwood won three holes in a row from the sixth to put himself two up and never lost the lead after that, eventually winning one up on the last. Fleetwood, who lives just minutes from Royal Birkdale, has entered qualifying for The Open. "But hopefully I won't have to qualify," he joked, referring to the exemption for the Championship that goes to this week's winner. "Just two more matches to go!"

Celtic Pro Tour returns home for West Wales

Open on June 25-26

PRESS RELEASE
The Celtic Pro Tour returns to Wales next week for the third annual West Wales Open at Gower Golf Club.
Gower’s own Lee Lewis, fresh from a creditable sixth place in the tour’s Wexford Open in Ireland last week, plays his first pro event on his home course.
An impressive field also includes Matthew Griffiths (Oakdale), looking to continue his good form after a fine performance in the West Region PGA.
English visitors include James Corfield (Bearwood Lakes) and Spencer Vickery (The Kendleshire), while injury may prevent last year’s winner Alex Smith (Pyle and Kenfig) from defending his title.
“The West Wales Open has now become established as a regular feature of the tour,” said Celtic Pro Tour chief executive Rhydian Thomas. “Invariably it produces some superb golf, and last year’s event attracted the cameras from two television companies.”
The 36-hole, two-day event takes place at Gower Golf Club on June 25 and 26.
Players interested in entering should contact tour director Rhydian Thomas on 07861 686568 or event organiser Roger Maliphant on 07815 456689 or email rhyd@treorchy.fsbusiness.co.uk or info@teamsporttravel.co.uk to register.
Further information is available at http://www.celticpro.com/

New father and son golf championship

tees off in Spain in late October

Greg Norman has established himself as one of the leading golf course designers in the world over the last decade.
The former world number one, who spent 331 weeks at the top of the rankings, has opened 62 courses across the globe since deciding to focus more on his business career while another 59 new designs are in various stages of development.
And one of Norman’s newest creations will provide a fitting stage later this year when the championship golf resort at Port Aventura, on Spain’s Costa Dorada, holds the inaugural European Father and Son Golf Championship.
The exciting new event, to be held from October 28 to November 2, is set to attract around 150 pairs and is open to any amateur and professional, father and son pairings, with no age restrictions.
And with the cost of the week just £395 per player - which includes four rounds of golf on Norman’s new North Course, five nights in a four-star hotel with half-board stay, transfers, gala dinner and prizes on the final night - places are going fast.
Toby Marsden, director of the European Father and Son Golf Championship, said: "I have always wanted to run a father and son tournament in Europe and PortAventura is the perfect location for our first event. I am looking forward to welcoming all our competitors in the autumn to Greg’s fantastic new creation."
Norman’s North Course, which is part of the famous PortAventura theme park located outside of Barcelona, opens this summer and, measuring around 6,100 metres with a par 70, is guaranteed to challenge golfers of all levels.
The lay-out has been harmoniously integrated within its surroundings, multiplying the wet areas which originally existed, and creating a wetlands landscape which is rarely found in the Mediterranean.
And with numerous lakes and strategically-placed bunkers to add to the wetlands, a combination of strategy, distance and precision is required to navigate your way safely around the course - particularly on the closing hole where water comes into play with every shot.
Marsden, an ex-PGA professional, added: "There are still some places left to fill, and I am confident that they will be snapped up as news about the tournament spreads throughout the UK.
"My team will be there to host and organise the event and the course, facilities and hotel are superb. There aren’t many events offering these kind of facilities and experience for under £100 per day and I expect everybody to have a great time."
As well as playing four rounds of championship golf, competitors will also have the chance to enjoy the fun-packed beach town of Salou, which is right on the doorstep.
Salou boasts a wide variety of shops, restaurants, bars and clubs making it the perfect place to unwind after a hard day on the fairways.
Marsden is also managing director of UKSG, a small independent family-run golf travel company which was started in the 1990s and specialises in online booking for worldwide golf holidays.
For more information on the European Father and Son Golf Championship, please phone +44 (0)1702 337020, e-mail info@ukschoolofgolf.com or visit their website at http://www.fatherandsongolf.co.uk/

Scott Simpson (left) and Scott Keith (right), winners of the higher handicaps' competition at the Paul Lawrie Aberdeen Schools Championships. For an image of the scratch winners, switch over to www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk.

Nick and Sophie win Paul Lawrie

Aberdeen Schools Championships

By DEREK JOHNSTONE
It was a one-two for the MacAndrew family representing Aberdeen Grammar School in the Paul Lawrie Aberdeen Schools’ (Scratch-12) Championships at Craibstone on Thursday. Two-handicapper, Nick won the scratch trophy with a three over par 72, one shot better than his older brother Donald.
In his round, Nick had three birdies - at the first, fifth and 16th. But on the debit side he had a triple bogey 7 at the aptly named Gruesome Glen 11th and single shots dropped at the seventh, eighth and 10th. Donald’s round consisted of birdies at the tenth and 16th but a double bogey at the 11th and dropped shots at the third, eighth, 15th and 18th meant he had to be satisfied with the runners-up slot.
There was further success for the Grammar School when nine-handicapper Mark Wareham lifted the Paul Lawrie Handicap Trophy with a net 64. His only dropped shots were all on the front nine at the first, seventh, 8th and 9th.
The Paul Lawrie Girls’ Championship was won by Sophie Alexander of Robert Gordon’s College. The 10-handicapper’s impressive net 63 was helped by a one over par back nine which included birdies at the 14th and 17th. However, Sophie also fell victim to the difficult Gruesome Glen where she walked off with a double bogey.
On Tuesday the Paul Lawrie Schools’ Handicap (13 to 24) championships were also held at Craibstone. The scratch trophy was won by Scott Keith of Dyce Academy with a nine over par 78 while Scott Simpson of Robert Gordon’s College won the handicap trophy with a net 60 off his 19 handicap. His score was even more impressive given his tee shot at the first ended out of bounds and he started with a double bogey 6.

LEADING SCORES

BOYS’ SCRATCH (White tees) CSS 68
72 N MacAndrew (AGS)
73 M Wareham (AGS); D MacAndrew (AGS); C Chalmers (Oldmachar)
75 R Dick (Hazlehead)
76 N Barnes (RGC); C Lamb (Bridge of Don); A Carrell (Cults); S Smith (RGC)
77 D Elrick (Hazlehead)
79 F McDonald (Hazlehead); S Fraser (RGC); L Kinnear (AGS)
80 E Robertson (Cults); R Lawrence (Oldmachar)
82 G Joss (Hazlehead)
83 M Beattie (St Machar); G Jamieson (Oldmachar); A Shand (Dyce)
84 S Stewart (Hazlehead)
85 C Black (RGC); G Singer (Oldmachar)
89 L Sandison (Bridge of Don)
NR G Munro (Oldmachar); M Angus (Hazlehead); A Burr (AGS)

BOYS’ HANDICAP
64 M Wareham (AGS) (9).
66 C Lamb (Bridge of Don) (10).
67 F McDonald (Hazlehead) (12).

GIRLS’ HANDICAP CSS 70
63 S Alexander (RGC) (10).
73 V Powell (Cults) (20).
78 C Prouse (St Machar) (8), C Geddes (Kincorth) (18).

LEADING SCORES - TUESDAY

BOYS’ SCRATCH (Yellow tees) CSS 68
78 S Keith (Dyce)
79 S Simpson (RGC)
80 S Main (Hazlehead)
83 M Kinnaird (Bridge of Don); R Yule (Cults);
84 C Johnstone (AGS); R Stewart (Oldmachar)

BOYS’ HANDICAP
60 S Simpson (RGC) (19).
65 L McKenzie (Oldmachar) (24), S Keith (Dyce) (13).
66 M Kinnaird (Bridge of Don) (17), J Milton (Oldmachar) (19).
67 Z Wood (Torry) (18), R Michie (RGC) (21).
68 S Main (Hazlehead) (12) J Polson (Cults) (20).

Ritson Smith Aberdeen Pennant League results

Deeside 4.5, Bon Accord 1.5

Auchmill 2.5, Stonehaven 3.5

Westhill 0.5, Nigg Bay 5.5

Hazlehead 5.5. Craibstone 0.5

ALAN AND HEATHER LEAD SCOTS'

SENIOR CHALLENGE AT VILAMOURA

Drumpellier's Alan Ferguson and Heather Anderson from Downfield, Dundee were leading the Scottish challenge in the European senior men's and women's amateur golf championships which began at Vilamoura on Portugal's Algarve today.

Ferguson returned a one-over 74 on the Old Course to be lying joint sixth, five shots behind the Irish leader, Adrian Morrow, at the end of the first round.

Heather had an eight over par 80 and was sharing seventh place, five shots behind the pacemaker, Virginie Burrus (France), in the women's championship which began over the Pinhal course..

Scottish scores:

MEN

74 Alan Ferguson.

82 James Deas.

83 John Broadfoot.

87 Brian Campbell.

WOMEN

80 Heather Anderson.

83 Janice Paterson.

89 Pamela Williamson.

91 Jennifer Mack.

GILLIES MOVES CLOSER TO

HALF-MILLION MARK IN

TARTAN TOUR WINNINGS

Colin Gillies, winner of close on £445,000 on the Tartan Tour since he turned pro in 1984, added £1,071 to his career earnings when he won the Douglas Park pro-am this evening.
Gillies beat the big field of professionals with a two-under-par round of 67, one shot ahead of Stephen Gray (Hayston) and David Orr (East Renfrewshire).
Although he has had had quite a few top-10 finishes this season, this was Colin's first pro-am since Carnoustie in late April.
Gillies, who will be 42 on August 1, was Scottish professional champion twice in the 1990s. Colin is pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved).
Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) led the amateur trio of David Docherty (handicap 13), Alistair Hammond (12) and Fergus Platt (18) to victory in the team event with a net score of 14-under-par 124.
LEADING PROFESSIONALS
Par 69.
67 C Gillies (unatt).
68 S Gray (Hayston), D Orr (East Renfrewshire).
69 C Doak (unatt).
70 C Russell (Raw Course Design), G Law (Uphall).
71 A Lockhart (Ladybank), G Collinson (Esporta Dougalston), L Mann (Carnoustie), G Niven (University of Stirling), G Fox (East Kilbride).

No Scots in last 16 of

Amateur championship

at Turnberry

FROM THE R&A CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE
The battle for the last eight places in The Amateur Championship was decided on Turnberry's Ailsa course today, in classic links conditions of brilliant sunshine, hard fairways and strong winds.
In the first match of the afternoon, Dutch golfer Rainier Saxton made his way past England's Jason Barnes with a smooth and steady performance in which he was never behind. Though Barnes brought himself back to one down with a par on the 15th, Saxton won the next two holes to finish up a 3 and 1 winner and earn a quarter final match against Portugal's Pedro Figueiredo.
Figueiredo is a fairly new face on the men's amateur golf scene having only just moved up from boys' level golf, but the 17-year-old has already proven himself so far this year with victories at the Portuguese Amateur, Irish Amateur Open and a tied-27th finish at the European Tour's Madeira Islands Open in March.
His opponent in the last-16 was England's Dale Whitnell, a player who had shown some excellent golf in the stroke play phase and cruised past Australian Scott Arnold in his morning match by a 5 and 3 margin.
But Figueiredo had the measure of his man, producing some steady golf to run out a 3 and 2 winner.
John Carroll had played superb golf in the morning to knock out Scotland's No 1, Callum Macaulay, but come the afternoon he ran into difficulties against a James Frazer in his best form.
Frazer's previous two matches had both been decided on the 19th hole, so he was relieved to finally finish a match early - a feat he achieved in fine style.
He raced to a five-up lead by the turn and cruised home from there on. Frazer will face Welshman Joe Vickery, who had a very tight match against Canada's David Markle. The pair were locked at all-square almost the entire afternoon, but a final flourish from Vickery leaped him ahead almost at the death.
In winning a stretch of three holes from the 15th, he first got up and down on conscutive holes before birdieing the 17th to end up a 2 and 1 winner.
The most eye-catching of the last-16 matches had been the encounter between Jorge Campillo and Chris Wood, who with world rankings of fifth and seventh respectively were the top two players left in the draw.
Yet the match quickly turned into a one-sided affair thanks to Campillo's brilliant golf on a blustery afternoon. The Spaniard marched to the turn in 33 shots, building a four-up lead in the process which he extended to five with a birdie on the 12th, and which he held from there to win 5 and 4.
Wood had every excuse not to be firing on all cylinders following an epic 23-hole encounter with Christopher Paisley, but considering that Campillo was three under par for his 14 holes he had little chance.
Andrew Sullivan notched up a similar margin of victory against Germany's Maximillian Kieffer, edging into an early one-hole lead which he extended with wins on the ninth, 10th and 11th.
A huge putt on the 13th took him to five up, and despite a double bogey on the next he went on to win the 15th and close out the match.
Sullivan plays Italian Andrea Pavan, whose relatively slender 2 and 1 margin of victory over the only Scot still standing, Steve McEwan from Caprington, belies the fact that the Italian took a lead on the third which he would never give up.
The closest match of the afternoon was contested between Jonathan Caldwell of Ireland and 17-year-old Tommy Fleetwood. The match was deadlocked almost throughout, with Fleetwood going ahead with a four-iron to eight feet on the 17th hole before promptly losing the next after finding an appalling lie in dense rough beside the 18th green which he described as "the worst lie I think I've ever seen."
Both players holed brave six-foot par saves on the 19th hole, but when Walker Cup player Caldwell (pictured above) hooked his second out of the rough on the 20th into a spot which gave him an impossible pitch, the match was effectively over.

FRIDAY MORNING QUARTER-FINALS
8.15 Reinier Saxton (Netherlands) v Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal).
8.30 James Frazer (Pennard) v Joe Vickery (Newport).
8.45 Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton) v Andrea Pavan (Italy).
9.00 Jorge Campillo (Spain) v Tommy Fleetwood (Formby).

Hutcheon has four shots to

make up over his home

links on leader Christy

Home course hero Ian Hutcheon, who played when the wind was at its strongest, held the clubhouse lead for several hours with a four-over-par 75 on the first day of the East of Scotland Seniors Open at Monifieth links today.

But as the weather improved so did the scoring and Ian will start the second day in fifth place, four shots behind Colin Christy (Kilmacolm), leader with a 71, with one round to go. The CSS was 74.

Picture right of Ian Hutcheon is by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved)

FIRST ROUND LEADERS

Par 71. CSS 74

71 C Christy (Kilmacolm).

72 R MacLellan (Turnberry), P Lamb (Biggar0.

73 G K MacDonald (Callander).

75 I C Hutcheon (Monifieth).

76 G Blair (Haddington), A W Wallace (Strathaven), J Graham (Clober), J Johnston (Northumberland).

77 A Laird (Deeside), B Smith (Hamilton).

ends

Embarrassing Munich moment

for David Lynn costs him lead

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Matching something Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie have done on a golf course would normally delight England's David Lynn - but not what he did in Munich today.
At seven under par after 14 holes Lynn led the BMW International Open. But then, putting from off the green for eagle on the next, he sent it off the other side into a water hazard and finished with a double-bogey 7.
"I felt like putting a noose round my neck and hanging myself up," said the Stoke golfer, who finished the day on five under, one behind Australian Peter O'Malley, South African Anton Haig, Singapore's Mardan Mamat and Argentinian Rafa Echenique.
Montgomerie putted into a lake during the Cannes Open over a decade ago and Woods even more famously did it during the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama.
Lynn, with just one European Tour win in 263 events going back 12 years, added: "I wanted to chip the ball, but there was no grass under the ball, so I had to putt through 20 feet of fringe and just hit it too hard."
He then three-putted the eighth, but came back with a birdie to be in a tie for fifth.
Lynn was far from alone, however, in messing up a promising round. Paul Casey reached five under par, but double-bogeyed the 16th after his pitch spun back in the water and three-putted the par-5 last for another bogey.
While he signed for a two-under 70 - the same as Montgomerie and 50-year-old Bernhard Langer - former Open champion John Daly fell back from four under to level par after double bogeys on the 14th and 16th.
Order of Merit leader Miguel Angel Jimenez, sixth in the US Open on Sunday, had a hat-trick of late birdies for a 69.
Paired with Langer were his young compatriot Martin Kaymer and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, 10th and ninth respectively in the race for Ryder Cup places. Kaymer, despite worries about the health of his mother, returned an impressive 68, but McDowell could do no better than 71.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
66 Anton Haig (Rsa), Rafael Echenique (Arg), Mardan Mamat (Sin), Peter O'Malley (Aus)
67 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Daniel Vancsik (Arg), David Lynn, Mark Foster, Thomas Aiken (Rsa)
68 Alexander Noren (Swe), Martin Kaymer (Ger), Andrew McLardy (Rsa)
69 Anders Hansen (Den), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Tino Schuster (Ger), Matthew Millar (Aus), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Carl Suneson (Spa), Iain Pyman, Richard Finch, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Thomas Levet (Fra)
70 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Bernhard Langer (Ger), Ross Fisher, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Colin Montgomerie, Pelle Edberg (Swe), John Bickerton, Simon Wakefield, Pedro Linhart (Spa), Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa), Barry Lane
71 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Garry Houston, Shiv Kapur (Ind), David Griffiths, Graeme McDowell, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Max Kramer (Aut), Stephan jr. Gross (Ger), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Gary Murphy, Markus Brier (Aut), Peter Fowler (Aus), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind)
72 Gary Orr, Michael Campbell (Nzl), Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Mark Brown (USA), Rory McIlroy, Stephen Dodd, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Benoit Teilleria (Fra), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
73 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Hennie Otto (Rsa), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Scott Drummond, Peter Lawrie, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Anthony Wall, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Lee S James, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Ariel Canete (Arg), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Bradley Dredge
74 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Damien McGrane, David Frost (Rsa), Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den), Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Marc Warren, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Zane Scotland, Niklas Lemke (Swe), Phillip Price, Julio Zapata (Arg), Stephen Gallacher, Paul Lawrie, Dennis Kupper (Ger), Florian Praegant (Aut)
75 Christoph Gunther (Ger), Peter Baker, Andrew Coltart, Marcel Siem (Ger), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Simon Dyson, Sam Little, Simon Khan
76 Marc Farry (Fra), David Drysdale, Sven Struver (Ger), Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe), Pablo Martin (Spa), Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Alvaro Quiros (Spa)
77 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Richard Porter (Ger), Gary Birch jr (Ger)
78 Carlos Rodiles (Spa)
80 David Carter, Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Sean Einhaus (Ger)
81 Miles Tunnicliff
83 Rick Kulacz (Aus)

Eric Ramsay best of Scots in jt 41st place

Iron Man Cixous makes early running

in Challenge Tour event in Belgium


From Paul Symes, Challenge Tour Press Officer
England’s David Horsey is one of three players in hot pursuit of leader and self-styled “Iron Man” Jean Pierre Cixous of France after day one of the Telenet Trophy on the European Challenge Tour.
With torrential rain making for sometimes treacherous playing conditions at Houthalen Golf and Country Club in Limburg, Belgium, Horsey’s round of 67 – for a share of second place on five under par with compatriot Andrew Butterfield and Italy’s Michele Reale – was mightily impressive.
A bogey on the par-3 third hole, courtesy of a fluffed chip, was the only blot on an otherwise flawless copybook. But having led after the first day of last week’s SK Golf Challenge in Finland only to subsequently drop out of contention, Horsey is refusing to get carried away with his exploits.
He said: “It’s obviously a good start, but I won’t be getting ahead of myself. It’s no use playing well here and there – I’ve got to be more consistent and put it together over four rounds. But we’re getting there.
"I was pretty pleased with 67 today, particularly in those conditions. It was raining fairly steadily, then on about the 13th hole, the heavens opened and it started bucketing down. So from then on it just was a case of trying to make pars, and luckily enough I managed to do that.”
Cixous, who took three years out of the game to concentrate on his passion for triathlons, leads the way after a flawless round off 66, which featured six birdies.
Compared to the two “Iron Man” events he competed in – which involve a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride, and a 42km marathon, and take about “five or six weeks” to recover from – 18 holes of golf must have seemed like a walk in the park.
Cixous, who only arrived in Belgium yesterday after missing out on qualification for the Open de France ALSTOM, said: “I haven’t played on the Challenge Tour for about six weeks now, mainly because I couldn’t afford the travelling. But I played at the French Open qualifying, and even though I missed out, I still played quite well. I only arrived yesterday, so today was my practice round – hopefully, things can only get better!”
The eight Scots in the field could not go the pace. Eric Ramsay from Carnoustie was the best of the bunch with a 71 which gave him a share of 41st place.

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
66 J P Cixous.
67 A Butterfield (Eng), M Reale (Ita), D Horsey (Eng).
68 G Greese (Bel), P Dwyer, H Rey (Arg), M D Smith (Eng).
69 R Coles (Eng), T Cruz (Por), L De Jager (RSA), B Evans (Eng), S Saavedra (Arg), J Clement (Sui), A Rocha (Bra), A Mellor (Eng), L Brovold (Nor), W Besseling (Ned), A Wagner (Arg).
Scots' scores:
71 Eric Ramsay (jt 41st).
72 Lee Harper, Edward Thomson (jt 63rd).
73 George Murray (jt 80th).
74 Scott Henderson, Greig Hutcheon, Raymond Russell (jt 98th).
75 Scott Jamieson (jt 118th of 156).

BROWN BLOWS IT - LORNE KELLY

FINISHES TOP SCOT AT BOVEY CASTLE

Montrose man Graeme Brown, playing out of Dalmahoy, plummeted from a challenging position he had held over the first two days to finish a distant joint 25th on six-over-par 216 in the Bovey Castle championship, this week's PGA Europro Tour event, at Dartmoor.

Brown had rounds of 68, 70 and 78 over the par-70 course. His final outward half of five-over-par 40 included a double bogey 6 at the first and shots shed at the fourth, fifth and 16th. He had a solitary birdie at the 11th and further bogeys at the 10th, 12th, 15th and 17th.

Instead of picking up a three or four-figure cheque, rown received £321.

Former Walker Cup player Lorne Kelly (Pro Dream USA) from Cowal finished the top Scot in joint fourth place on level par 210 with scores of 69, 73 and 68 to earn £1,550.

Kelly had birdies at the third, seventh, 10th and 18th. Double bogeys in the first and second round cost him second place behind the ultimate £10,000 winner, Ulsterman Simon Thornton (Royal County Down).

Thornton stepped in to win with 70, 68 and 66 for six-under-par 204 after tournament leader Gregory Bowden, who had gone out in 32, had water trouble in a big way at the par-5 12th and ran up an 10 on his way to a 72. He finished joint fourth alongside Kelly.

Callum Nicoll (Prestwick) finished joint 20th with a 72 for 215 to earn £380.. Andrew Oldcorn (75), Paul Doherty (76) and Graeme Brown (78) all shared 25th place on 216 and received £321..

Jack Doherty had a 74 for 40th place on 219 and a pay-out of £243 while former Scottish amateur champion Graham Gordon signed off with a 78 for a share of 50th place on 222 and £198.

LEADING TOTALS

Par 210 (3 x 70)

204 S Thornton (NIr) 70 68 66 (£10,000).

208 N Fox (Ire) 70 71 67, M Le Mesurier (Eng) 69 71 68 (£3,750 each).

210 L Kelly (Sco) 69 73 68, G Bowden (Ire) 67 71 72 (£1,550 each).

Other scores:

215 C Nicoll (Sco) 68 75 72 (jt 20th) (£380).

216 A Oldcorn (Sco) 71 70 75, P Doherty (Sco) 70 70 76, G Brown (Sco) 68 70 68 (jt 25th) (£321 each).

219 J Doherty (Sco) 74 71 74 (40th) (£243).

222 G Gordon (Sco) 71 73 78 (jt 50th) (£198).

Wood beats Paisley in 23-hole

thriller at Turnberry

FROM THE R&A CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE:
Chris Wood and Christopher Paisley took 23 holes to decide their second round match in the Amateur Championship at Turnberry today.
In the end it was Wood, the world number seven, who came through.
Paisley had been down for most of the morning, but battled back bravely and took the match to extra holes. After driving into a fairway bunker on the 19th he holed a 25ft putt to keep the match alive, and the players then remained neck-and-neck over the next few holes.
Only on the fifth second time round could they be separated. Wood's second fell well short of the green, but he pitched up to seven feet and holed the par putt while Paisley, safely on in two, blasted his first putt six feet past and missed the return.
Wood now faces Jorge Campillo - who beat Ireland's Gareth Shaw 3&2 - in a match which pits the two top-ranked players in the field against each other for a spot in the quarter final.
With perfect sunshine across the course and a stiffening breeze now making its presence felt, the match is sure to be a closely fought battle.

SECOND ROUND
T J Bordeaux (USA) lost to Jason Barnes (Chart Hills) 4 and 2.
Reinier Saxton (Netherlands) bt Tom Prowse (Australia) 1 hole.
Scott Arnold (Australia) lost to Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes).
Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal) bt Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley) 1 hole.
Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) lost to John Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) at 21st.
James Frazer (Pennard) bt Ignacio Elvira (Spain) at 19th.
Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) lost to David Markle (Canada) at 19th.
Joe Vickery Newport bt Ben Westgate (Trevose) 1 hole.
Andrew Sullivan Nuneaton bt Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) at 19th.
Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) bt Bill Rankin (USA) 2 holes.
Steven McEwan (Caprington) bt Jake Amos (Kilworth Springs) 4 and 3.
Rhein Gibson (Australia) lost to Andrew Pavan (Italy) 1 hole.
Jorge Campillo (Spain) bt Gareth Shaw (Lurgan) 3 and 2.
Chris Wood (Long Ashton) bt Christopher Paisley (Stocksfield) at 23rd.
Jacques Guillet (France) lost to Tommy Fleetwood (Formby) 5 and 4.
Floris De Vries (Netherlands) lost to Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) 5 and 3.

THIRD ROUND
Saxton bt Barnes 3 and 1.
Figueiredo bt Whitnell 3 and 2.
Frazer bt Carroll 5 and 4.
Vickery bt Markle 2 and 1.

Sullivan bt Kieffer 5 and 3.
Pavan bt McEwan 2 and 1.
Campillo bt Wood 5 and 4.
Fleetwood bt Caldwell at 20th.

Callum Macaulay beaten

at 21st hole at Turnberry

FROM THE R&A TOURNAMENT WEBSITE

Callum Macaulay, Scotland's highest-ranked amateur player and beaten semi-finalist last year, has been knocked out of The Amateur Championship at Turnberry by England's John Carroll after a dramatic sudden death play-off.

Carroll, a 29-year-old from Huyton & Prescot Golf Club, found himself quickly behind after Macaulay birdied the first two holes, and the Scot kept at least a hole or two in front of his opponent until the 16th.

On the 17th, however, Carroll produced a birdie to take the match back to all-square, and followed it up on the next with a par-saving, five-foot putt which took the match to extra time.

Macaulay, picture above by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), drove the ball beautifully on the first two holes of the play-off, but Carroll's recovery play from the rough kept him in the running.

On the 21st hole, however, it looked as if it would all be over: Carroll found a greenside bunker from the middle of the fairway, and with Macaulay safely at the front of the green it looked as if the Scot was destined to win the hole.

But there was one more twist yet to come. Macaulay lagged up to two and a half feet, then watched as Carroll failed to get down in two from the sand. Macaulay found himself with his short putt to win the match, a downhiller with both slope and wind trying to move the ball right-to-left.

The Scottish No. 1 hit it firmly to avoid the break, but watched in vain as it clipped the left edge and ran three feet past. Clearly shaken, Macaulay missed the return to hand his opponent the match.

Carroll, a painter and decorator who is unranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, could scarcely believe what he'd seen, but was delighted to be through to the next round. "I'm over the moon," he said.

"Words can't describe it. I feel like I should've won it earlier because I missed a six-foot putt on the 16th, and I had a couple of bunker shots where my ball was in unraked footprints."

This is Carroll's second attempt at the Amateur Championship - he played in 2005 at Birkdale - but he made a point of playing this year since he has previously won at Turnberry. In 2000 he won the David Leadbetter Prospects Tour at the Ailsa course, and on this, his first trip back, he feels he has a real chance."I love match play, so thought I might do okay if I got through the stroke play section," he said.

"Match play is all about playing the man, putting him under pressure. But not like that though - I never thought he'd miss that putt. It was a real get-out-of-jail-free card."

==========================MORNING RESULTS =====================

FIRST ROUND

T J Bordeaux (USA) lost to Jason Barnes (Chart Hills) 4 and 2.

Reinier Saxton (Netherlands) bt Tom Prowse (Australia) 1 hole.

Scott Arnold (Australia) lost to Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes).

Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal) bt Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley) 1 hole.

Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) lost to John Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) at 21st.

James Frazer (Pennard) bt Ignacio Elvira (Spain) at 19th.

Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) lost to David Markle (Canada) at 19th.

Joe Vickery Newport bt Ben Westgate (Trevose) 1 hole.

Andrew Sullivan Nuneaton bt Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) at 19th.

Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) bt Bill Rankin (USA) 2 holes.

Steven McEwan (Caprington) bt Jake Amos (Kilworth Springs) 4 and 3.

Rhein Gibson (Australia) lost to Andrew Pavan (Italy) 1 hole.

Jorge Campillo (Spain) bt Gareth Shaw (Lurgan) 3 and 2.

Christopher Paisley (Stocksfield) all square with Chris Wood (Long Ashton) after 20 holes.

Jacques Guillet (France) lost to Tommy Fleetwood (Formby) 5 and 4.

Floris De Vries (Netherlands) lost to Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) 5 and 3.

==================================================

Walker Cup player Nigel Edwards almost pulled off a heroic fight back on a morning when four games went to sudden death. Edwards had fought back from four down after seven holes and three down after fifteen before getting back into the match, but his opponent Andrew Sullivan holed a 30ft putt on the first play-off hole to finish things off.

It's a wide open

Scottish youths

open amateur

stroke-play

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
The Scottish Youths Open Amateur Stroke Play championship, to be played at The Roxburghe this weekend (June 20-22), looks wide open with the lure of the championship enticing a good mix of international players as well as some leading names from the domestic scene.
Last year’s champion Scott Borrowman from Dollar is a notable absentee, having tested his mettle at Turnberry this week, but former champion Francisco Pintor Smith, pictured above when he won the trophy in 2006, has come over from Spain once again to challenge for the prestigious Youths crown.
The handicap ballot matches the record low of last year’s championship, set at 0.9, attracting the cream of U-21s from Finland, Iceland, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, and the Netherlands.

From further afield, Keith Shanks from the USA and Jacques Van Tonder from South Africa represent two of the biggest threats within the field as the two lowest handicappers on +3.6 and +3.0 respectively.
Among the opening line up of 144 hopefuls is former Scottish boys champion Babertons’s Paul Ferrier, along with William Bremner (Edzell) who was left in Ferrier’s wake at the championship and has just returned from his first year in the US where he is studying a golf scholarship.
Other Scots who have returned from foreign climes to compete in the championship include Nairn’s Fraser Fotheringham, the British Boys Amateur runner up last year, who has spent much of his winter in Australia, and Frazer Ogston, who now resides in Singapore.
Other hopefuls in the title race include Boys Quadrangular team mates Hazlehead’s David Law and Bonnyton’s Andrew McLachlan. Both players are currently in the top three of the SGU Boys Order of Merit rankings, with Law already proving he can mix it with the men when he finished in the top ten at the Bidwells Scottish Stroke Play Championship at the Duke’s.
Law will prove a strong contender for the title, along with fellow Boys cap Paul Shields. The Kirkhill player is one of five players in the field who has been selected for Scottish representation at the European Boys Team Championship next month.
Dumbarton’s Andrew Campbell, quarter finalist at last year’s Scottish Boys Championship at Dunbar will be hopeful he can go the distance in the three day event, along with Stuart Ballingall, one of the quarter finalists from this year’s Boys national championship.
Current and former U16 champions Ian Redford and Sam McLaren have also thrown their hats in the ring, whilst Scottish Junior Champion of Champions title holder, Neil Henderson, one of the leading Scots on day one at the British Amateur Championship, may make it to the Borders for the championship if his Turnberry ambitions do not come to fruition.
Commenting on the event, SGU Events Manager Euan Mordaunt said, “The Scottish Open Youths title has again attracted competitors from near and far, with some unknown quantities in the field the title race is wide open which should make the championship very exciting.
“With the handicap ballot again at a very low 0.9, dropping from 3.6 over the last eight years, competition will be tough to make the Saturday night cut, with only the top 40 players plus ties graduating to the 36 hole final on Sunday.
He added, “The course is in excellent condition and is one of Scotland’s best inland courses which has undoubtedly contributed to attracting such a strong field. The signature ‘Viaduct’ hole at the 14th will be a highlight for those playing the picturesque course for the first time, and we are extremely grateful to The Roxburghe for hosting our national championship.”
Spectators are encourage to come along and support the players of the future following in the footsteps of Spanish ro Sergio Garcia, Open championship runner up in 2007, who currently holds the course record of 66 on the par 72 course.
Past champions at the event include Andrew Oldcorn, Stephen Gallacher and Europe’s Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley.

McCreadie wins Strathaven pro-am

Buchanan Castle's Jason McCreadie, a distant second to leading Tartan Tour money-winner Chris Doak in the current cash table, chipped a bit off the deficit when he won the £1,221 first prize in the £8,875 Strathaven Golf Club pro-am today

McCreadie shot a five-under-par round of 66 to finish two shots clear of David Orr (East Renfrewshire), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) and Mark King (Kingsfield). All three received £753

Doak finished joint 14th on 71 and earned a £122 pay-out..

Mark Loftus (Cowglen) steered the Dorricott Landscaping amateur trio of Norman Dorricott (handicap 14), David Watt (7) and Alistair Ritchie (2) to victory in the team event with a net score of 15-under-par 56.

LEADING PROFESSIONALS

Par 71

66 J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) £1,221.

68 D Orr (East Renfrewshire), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs), M King (Kingsfield) £753 each..

69 G McFarlane (Clober) £440.

79 G Fox (East Kilbride), C Ronald (Carluke), M Loftus (Cowglen), A Lockhart (Ladybank),G Law (Uphall), S Gray (Hayston), K Monaghan (Bothwell Castle) £238 each.

71 C Doak (unatt), P Wardell (Whitekirk), C Gillies (unatt), T Eckford (Ranfurly Castle), G Paxton (Ralston) £122 each.

72 J McKinnon (Irvine), C Kelly (Cawder), C Imlah (Peebles), J Lomas (unatt) £64 each.

63 A Carlton (Cawder), K McAleer (Gleddoch), J Kelly (Kames CC), D Watters (Gourock) £48 each.

74 A Marshall (Houston GR), C Elliott 9Haggs Caswtle), S Kerr (Strathaven) £48 each.

Graeme Brown still in EuroPro

Tour hunt at Bovey Castle

Montrose man Graham Brown, now with an attachment to Dalmahoy, continues to make life difficult for himself in this week's Ivobank PGA EuroPro Tour event, the Bovey Castle championship, in Devon's Dartmoor country.

In the first round, former Scotland amateur cap Brown dropped almost a handful of shots over the closing holes, but still managed a 68. In the second round, he had bonanza of birdies - at the first, sixth, 10th, 13th and 17th. But on the debit side he had a double bogey 7 at the 12th and single shots dropped at the third, seventh and 16th.

He finished the day with a 70 for 138 to be still one shot off the pace with one round to go, although behind a new leader, Englishman Chris Hanson with 68 and for three-under-137 over the par-70 course.

Former Scottish boys match-play champion Paul Doherty is just inside the top 10 with a pair of 70s for 140 - one ahead of Andrew Oldcorn (71-70) and two clear of Lorne Kelly (69-73).

Callum Nicoll (75-143), Graham Gordon (73-144) and Jack Doherty (71-145) were the other Scots to beat the 36-hole cut.

Near-misses included Mark Kerr with a 76 for 148. He had a 9 at the 402yd par-4 15th. Elliot Saltman also failed with 76 and 73 for 149. He had five birdies on his card but two destructive double bogeys - 6s at the 10th and 15th.

Neil Matchell and Barry Hume, who both saddled themslves with first-round 70s, not surprisingly failed to beat the cut although they did improve with second rounds of 75 and 76 respectively.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Par 140 (2 x 70)

137 C Hanson (Eng) 68 69.

138 G Brown (Sco) 68 70, S Thornton (NIr) 70 68, G Bowden (Ire) 67 71.

139 D Mooney (NIr) 72 67, G Cowan (Eng) 70 69.

140 P Doherty (Sco) 70 760, G Woolgar (Eng) 70 0, J Bevitt (Eng) 69 71.

141 A Oldcorn (Sco) 71 70.

142 L Kelly (Sco) 69 73.

143 C Nicoll (Sco) 68 75.

144 G Gordon (Sco) 71 73.

145 J Doherty 74 71.

SCOTS WHO MISSED THE CUT

148 M Kerr 72 76.

149 E Saltman 76 73.

155 N Mitchell 80 75.

156 B Hume 80 76.

158 S Mackie 78 80.

159 C McCalman 75 84.

ends

Tiger Woods to have season-ending
surgery to sort out knee problem

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Tiger Woods is to have season-ending surgery on his troublesome knee, the world number one golfer confirmed today.
Woods is to undergo reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and will then require further time off to rehabilitate a fracture of the left tibia in his leg.
"I know much was made of my knee throughout the last week, and it was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time," Woods said in a statement.
"I wanted to be very respectful of the USGA and their incredibly hard work, and make sure the focus was on the US Open," he added. "Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee."
“Everyone in sport will be shocked and saddened by this news. We at The European Tour wish Tiger a swift and full recovery and look forward to making him welcome when he is fit to return to the fairways of the world,” said George Grady, chief executive of the European Tour.
Paul Casey has heard a chilling story that might make Retief Goosen think again about questioning whether Tiger Woods really was in serious agony as he won the US Open.
Goosen insisted he was being light-hearted when he told German TV ahead of Thursday's BMW International Open in Munich: "It just seemed that when he hit a bad shot he was in pain and on his good shots he wasn't. I believe if he was really injured he would not have played."
Casey, however, said that he spoke to Robert Karlsson's caddie Gareth Lord the day after the Swede partnered Woods at Torrey Pines, and said: "He said there were actually noises coming from Tiger's knee and he was right there and clearly he was suffering."
He added: "Noises from the knee doesn't sound particularly good to me. He said there was a moment, I think on the 18th, where he stepped up to hit his tee shot and backed off because of weird noises.

British amateur championship match-play news

Top seed Hutsby goes out as
Macaulay marches on

FROM THE R&A TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
Scotland's Callum Macaulay showed blistering form in the first match-play round of the Amateur Championship at Turnberry, but Sam Hutsby, medallist in the stroke-play phase, is out already. Macaulay raced to five up with six holes to play against his compatriot Neil Henderson, and despite a brief fight back the Tulliallan player finished off the match on the par-3 15th hole where he hit a 3-iron to four feet, at which point Henderson conceded the match.
"I hit a few loose shots but generally drove the ball very solid," Macaulay said afterwards. "The course is a bit softer today which lets you play a bit further up the green. And match play lets you be more aggressive, which I really like."
Hutsby fared worse, however, losing 3 and 2 to T.J. Bordeaux of the USA. From the very beginning, the Englishman never produced the same golf that took him to the top of the leaderboard after the 36-hole stroke play phase of the Championship.
A double bogey on the first put him on the back foot immediately, but it was his poor stretch a few holes later that really shook his confidence. Hutsby missed a two-footer on the fifth and three-putted the sixth before missing a six foot putt for birdie on the seventh to leave his American opponent two up.
Bordeaux, for his part, never faltered, eventually finishing the match off with a six foot birdie on the 16th.
“T.J.’s short game is really solid, and my putting let me down,” Hutsby said afterwards, admitting that he’d half expected his short putt on the fifth to be conceded. While for the past couple of years the top stroke play golfer has got through the first round of the match play, there is a long history of medallists being knocked out in the first round, a fact that Hutsby was unaware of.
NIGEL EDWARDS OVER FIRST HURDLE
Nigel Edwards, the four-time Walker Cup player, is safely through to the second round. The Welshman didn't get off to the best of starts, losing the third hole, but kick-started his round soon after by winning three holes in a row from the fifth and continued to apply pressure thereafter.
Edwards' English opponent, Mark Thistleton,found himself four down at the turn and was never able to get back on terms, with the match eventually finishing 4 and 3.
For Edwards, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the first time he played in the event. The 39-year-old has never won the title, but with his best ever finish as recent as 2005 - where he lost in the quarter final to Oliver Fisher - he still has every hope of lifting the trophy.
"I'm just like everyone else: I'm not here to lose. And experience definitely helps around places like this." he said. "Winning The Amateur would be a dream."
There are three Scots through to Thursday's second round - Callum Macaulay, Steven McEwan (Caprington, Ayrshire) and Kevin McAlpine from Alyth.

HOW SCOTS FARED IN FIRST ROUND

P Figueiredo (Portugal) bt L Kirton (Newmachar) 2 and 1.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt N Henderson (Glen) 4 and 3.
K McAlpine (Alyth) bt Joon Kim (Italy) 3 and 1.
S McEwan (Caprington) bt M Nixon (Ashton under Lyne) 2 and 1.
J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt Z Culverwell (Dunbar) 4 and 2.

SECOND-ROUND TIES ON THURSDAY
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) v J Carroll (Huyton & Prescot).
S McEwan (Caprington) v J Amos (Kilworth Springs).
K McAlpine (Alyth) v D Markle (Canada).

THE COMPLETE FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD

T Bordeaux (USA) bt S Hutsby (Liphook) 3&2, J Barnes (Chart Hills) bt D Antonelli (Fra) 4&2, R Saxton (Ned) bt Z Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) 4&2, T Prowse (Aus) bt F Colombo (Ita) 3&1.
SArnold (Aus) bt B Hebert (Fra) 3&1, D Whitnell (Five Lakes) bt D Corsby Lytham & St Annes) 2&1, P Figueiredo (Por) bt L Kirton (Newmachar) 2&1, J Abbott (Fynn Valley) bt E Richardson (Rye) 2 holes.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt N Henderson (The Glen) 4&3, J Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) bt L Renolds (Can) 3&2, J Frazer (Pennard) bt N Kearney (Royal Dublin) at the 19th, I Elvira (Spa) bt A Hogan (Newlands) 2&1, K McAlpine (Alyth) bt J Kim (Ita) 3&1, D Markle (Can) bt A John (Ger) 2&1, J Vickery (Newport) bt M Glauert (Ger) 1 hole, B Westgate (Trevose) bt N Bertasio (Ita) 3&1.
A Sullivan (Nuneaton) bt A Mitchell (USA) 4&3, N Edwards (Whitchurch) bt MThistleton (Hayling) 4&3, M Kieffer (Ger) bt D Coupland (Boston) 2&1, B Rankin (USA) bt J Gill (Nzl) 2&1.
S McEwan (Caprington) bt M Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne) 3&2, J Amos (Kilworth Springs) bt J Stalter (Fra) 1 hole, R Gibson (Aus) bt J Blixt (Swe) 1 hole, A Pavan (Ita) bt D Ferreira (RSA) 2&1.
J Campillo (Spa) bt S Uzzell (Hornsea) 1 hole, G Shaw (Lurgan) bt J Blaauw (RSA) 4&3, C Paisley (Stocksfield) bt F Keenan (Sunningdale) 1 hole, CWood (Long Ashton) bt T Stewart (Aus) 3&2, J Guillet (Fra) w/o M Cryer (Coventry) scr, T Fleetwood (Formby) bt J Van De Vaart (Ned) 3&1, F De Vries (Ned) bt C Ford (Kirby M) 1 hole, J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt A Culverwell (Dunbar) 4&3.

TWELVE-YEAR-OLD WINS NEWBURGH'S
MEN'S HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP

Newburgh on Ythan Golf Club's MEN'S handicap championship has been won by a BOY!
Twelve-year-old Jack Moir, pictured right, whose uncle Angus won the Scottish amateur championship in 1984, had a four-over-par net total of 292 off a handicap of 13.
His net rounds were 73, 70, 80 and 69.
"Jack was seven shots behinid the leader going into the final round and I am very proud of his achievement. Newburgh is a very challenge course, especially off the medal tees," said his father John.
"The way the weather has been over the last couple of weeks, for a boy aged 12 to score like this is exceptional.
"He has managed to reduce his handicap from 19 this season and is a member of the club's junior pennant team."
Young Jack is a left-handed and has been playing golf since he was three.

RICHIE RAMSAY TO BE SPONSORED
BY CRAIG GROUP

Aberdeen's former United States amateur golf champion Richie Ramsay, now a professional on the European Challenge Tour, has secured a sponsorship deal with one of the city's most successful and established family businesses.
Global shipping and energy services firm, The Craig Group, has entered into a two-year sponsorship agreement with Ramsay who turned professional in July 2007, having been No 1 in the R&A's World Amateur Rankings.
He played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup of 2005 and was a certainty to be chosen for the 2007 Walker Cup match but opted to turn professional last July, only a couple of months before the contest at Royal County Down.
Commenting on the sponsorship managing director of The Craig Group, Douglas Craig (pictured above with Richie Ramsay), said:
“As a group that runs Kings Links – one of Scotland’s biggest golf retail outlets and driving ranges - we have always been supportive of golf and in particular young and up-coming golfers. I am delighted that we can help Richie get the best possible start in his professional career. He is a credit to the sport and to the city of Aberdeen.
Ramsay added: “I have known Douglas and the family for a number of years so I am particularly pleased to have secured sponsorship from The Craig Group who have their roots in Aberdeen. It is great to have a partnership with a company I can trust and who have faith in me, and I look forward to working with them.”
The Craig Group, through Kings Links, also supports North-east professional golfers Scott Henderson and Graeme Lornie and, through a variety of initiatives including the Kings Links Young Masters Golf Programme and the sponsorship of youth golf teams in Peterhead and Fraserburgh, champions the promotion of young golfers in the region.
Ramsay had his 25th birthday on June 15.
He is currently 22nd on the Challenge Tour's money list with 22,381 Euros earned from nine outings in 2008. The leading players at the end of the season gain automatic promotion to the European Tour.
Away from golf, he has studied at the University of Stirling, after spending some time in Texas on a golf scholarship, graduating with a BA Hons in Marketing and Sports Studies. Born and bred in Aberdeen, he has been playing golf since the age of three.
As an amateur he was a member of Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.

Keir McNicoll only survivor from
last year's Scotland squad for
Euro team championship

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
With Euro 2008 well underway, Scotland’s golfing talent is getting set to tee up against their own continental counterparts when the European men's team championship gets underway next month.
The 26th hosting of the event which is now an annual fixture for the golfing Euro stars (previously a biennial event) will take place at the Royal Park Golf & Country Club in Turin, Italy from July 1 to 5.
The newly crowned St Andrews Links Trophy champion, Keir McNicoll from Carnoustie, the sole survivor from last year’s Scotland line-up in the "European", is one of the team’s front runners along with Bidwells Scottish stroke-play champion, Wallace Booth, who claimed the biggest title of his career just a week before McNicoll’s career highlight.
Scottish Golfer of the Year in 2007, Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay – who like Booth helped to impose a convincing win for Europe over an Asia-Pacific Select at the Bollanack Trophy in Spain, will help Scotland to spearhead their campaign.
Macaulay, a semi finalist in last year’s Amateur Championship, is currently at Turnberry harbouring aspirations of going two steps further, and will provide experience within the team.
Eighteen-year-old Scottish boys champion, Michael Stewart, whose birdie-eagle finish at the St Andrews Links Trophy helped him to a tie for second place, has proven his worth and will be rewarded with his first men’s cap.
Providing fresh blood in the mix, the Ayrshire boy will join Scottish internationals Paul O’Hara and Gavin Dear, currently chasing SGU Order of Merit points on the domestic scene, lying in 5th and 6th place respectively.
Commenting on the team selection after the announcement, SGU National Coach Ian Rae said, “We have selected a strong team which will certainly be deemed to represent a strong overseas challenge to their European cousins. With our best ever result at the European Nations Cup (formerly known as the Grey Goose Cup) taking the team title and with three top ten individual performances, the players can be confident of their proven track record of competing in strong international fields and achieving good results.”
The six man team and two reserves - former Scottish amateur champion Glenn Campbell and former Scottish stroke play champion Scott Henry - will need to keep their game on par with some of the world’s leading golfing nations to progress from two stroke-play qualifying rounds for a much sought after place in the upper flight of the match play stages.
The title will be contested on the par 72 Trent Jones Senior Course, set in the Mandria Nature Park and the 6,218 meter long course, flanked by the Alps and an ancient forest,will provide a stark contrast to last year’s championship hosted on the stunning links at Western Gailes, in Ayrshire.
Scotland’s performances at their last two outings at the European Team Championship has seen a rise from 5th place in 2005 to a bronze medal finish last year, and this year’s line up will be keen to keep the momentum going for yet another improved result.
Scotland team for Turin is:
Wallace Booth (Comrie)
Gavin Dear (Murrayshall)
Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan)
Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie)
Paul O’Hara (Colville Park)
Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck)

Reserve 1: Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie)
Reserve 2: Scott Henry (Cardross)

Scotland last triumphed at the European Amateur Team Championship in 2001.
The tournament consists of 36 holes of qualifying stroke play over the first two days followed by three days of match play.

Michael Stewart's double whammy:
chosen for men's and boys' teams

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Troon’s rising star Michael Stewart will become Scotland’s own equivalent to the Euro Star Express after receiving a call-up to both the men’s and boys European team championship.
At just 18 years old, the current Scottish boys' match-play champion, enhanced his CV with a brilliant birdie-eagle finish at the Old Course to tie for secnd place in a strong international field in the St Andrews Links Trophy.
The Ayrshire boy is beginning to underline his great potential this year – and in return has received the nod for two European team appearances.
After competing at the men’s event in Turin, Italy, last year's Scottish boys' open stroke-play runner-up (beaten in a play-off by James Byrne) will then embark for the European boys' championship, hosted this year at Bled in Slovenia, (July) 8 to 12 to compete with his Under-18 peers.
Heading the boys' Tartan Army, Stewart is joined by the five other players currently occupying the upper reaches of the SGU boys' order of merit standings, following the weekend’s results after the last Junior Tour event at Kilmarnock (Barassie).
Aberdeen Hazlehead player David Law, semi finalist at the Scottish boys championship and winner of two recent junior two events (combining the latter victory with his 17th birthday), has already tasted international success this year. He helped Scotland to victory at the interntional boys' quadrangular at St Cyprien in March.
Renfrewshire’s Andrew McLachlan, who denied Law the hat-trick following his success at the weekend’s fifth Junior Tour event at Kilmarnock (Barassie) is also in the mix. The 16 year old national boys squad member from Bonnyton, who along with Law won the Nations Cup in the Belgian Junior Open last year, is joined by the talented Kirkhill player, Paul Shields.
Shields has whetted his appetite for international action, which saw the Scottish boys finalist finish as the leading Under-16 player at the Skandia Junior Open last year. A Junior Tour winner last year, Shields shared Junior Tour victory this season with Kyle Smith – which marked a return to form for Smith, a national boys cap who has also received a call up.
Royal Burgess player James Ross, a consistent performer and quarter finalist at the Scottish boys championship completes the line-up.
SGU National Junior Coach Spencer Henderson said following the announcement, “We have great strength and determination among this talented group of individuals who have already proven themselves as consistent performers on the domestic scene. I am confident that they will provide a challenging team to beat and they can muster a top flight finish at this event.
"I am also delighted that Stewart has received the double European call-up, for which he has worked extremely hard for. Joining the boys after his experience in Turin will undoubtedly bolster the team’s morale and confidence.”
Scotland last won the European boys team championship in 2000 when it was hosted at Noord, Netherlands, and had won it on three occasions prior to that (1984, 1987 and 1992).

Scotland boys' team (in order of SGU Boys Order of Merit rankings):

David Law - Hazlehead
Michael Stewart – Troon Welbeck
Andrew McLachlan - Bonnyton
Paul Shields - Kirkhill
James Ross – Royal Burgess
Kyle Smith – Kilmarnock (Barassie)

Ritson Smith Aberdeen & District Pennant League

Tuesday night result:

Westhill 0.5, Nigg Bay 5.5

Welshman Ben Briscoe lands $33,566 prize

Russell Knox wins a few dollars
more on Hooters Tour

Inverness exile Russell Knox boosted his year's earnings to $31,896 from seven events when he finished joint eighth in the NGA Hooters Tour's latest competition, the Daisy Golf Classic at Lost Springs Golf & Athletic Club at Rogers in Arizona.
Knox had rounds of 70,70, 73 and 72 for level par 284. He earned $1,424. He has missed two cuts in his seven outings.
Winner of the $33,566 was Ben Briscoe who claims to come from Old Colwyn, Wales. Now is that "our" Wales or somewhere in the United States that has borrowed the name "Wales." If you know the answer, E-mail the info to Colin@Scottishgolfview.com
Briscoe had scores of 65, 65, 68 and 71 for 15 under par 269. He won by a cou;le of shots from Jesse Hutcens (Ohio) who earned $16,375 for scoring 69, 64, 69 and 69 for 271.
Knox was by no means the highest-placed British player. That honour went to former US college circuit player, David Skinns from Lincoln.
David was joint 10th in this latest one with scores of 68, 70, 698 and70 for 277 and a reward of $3,811.

CONFIRMATION THAT BEN BRISCOE IS A WELSHMAN
From Chris Smart, Mid-Glam

Yes, Ben Briscoe is definitely a WELSHMAN.
He used to play in the Welsh boys' championship. I know him- Old Colwyn is on the North Wales coast, a few miles east of Llandudno.

The link between Tiger and Hogan

Talking about Tiger Woods and whether he will ever be 100 per cent fit again ..
Did you know that Ben Hogan never competed more than nine times a season for the rest of his career after the car accident that almost killed him 16 months before his victory in the 1950 US Open at Merion?
After the car collison with a Greyhound bus in 1949, Hogan was left with a double fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture and a chipped rib. Hogan won three of the four events he played in 1951, including the U.S. Open and the Masters. He won all three majors he played among eight tournaments in 1953.

British amateur championship at Turnberry

Six Scots make it through

to match-play stages

FROM THE R&A WEBSITE

Young Englishman Sam Hutsby posted a three-under-par total of 139 to become the top qualifier on a wet and windy second day of The Amateur Championship at Turnberry.

The key to Hutsby’s excellent scoring came on the par-5s, which he played in five under par over the course of the two days, a feat which included a complete set of four birdies on the Kintyre course’s long holes during his round of 68 on Monday.

After birdieing the third hole of the Ailsa course during his second round he added another – where else but at the par-5 seventh? – to go two under par for the day.

Turning into the wind, the second half of his round started off with a bogey on the difficult tenth, and added two more at the 16th and 18th. Yet those late bogies were not enough to topple him from the top of the leaderboard.

“I’m really pleased with my game plan.” said Hutsby. “I’ve been trying to keep it out of the fairway bunkers. I don’t mind coming in with long irons, I’ve been striking them really well.”

Scotland’s Calum Macaulay struggled to a 76 in the second round, but after his opening 68 finished on a total of 144 which was good enough to put him fourth – no surprise considering that the weather conditions sent the average score rising above 78.

No greater proof could come of the weather’s impact than Dale Whitnell, who followed his superb opening round with an 81, some 14 shots worse than Monday’s score.

Despite not breaking 80 he qualified for the match play phase in the top half of the draw.

Jesper Kennegard, however, will not be staying in Ayrshire for the rest of the week. He followed his best-of-the-day 66 in round one with an 89 on the Ailsa - a genuine shame given his heroic performance yesterday, during which he suffered so badly with blisters that he played the final six holes in his socks.

Forced by his feet problems to play in flat-soled trainers during today's downpour, he haemorrhaged shots from the start, beginning with a pair of double bogeys, from which he would never recover.

Colin Farquharson writes:

Similar to last week's British women's open amateur championship at North Berwick, the 36-hole medal-play test produced the precise number of 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages - and that doesn't happen very often at either championship.

Zander Culverwell (Dunbar) would not have received many congratulations from his compatriots in the clubhouse when he posted rounds of 72 and 78 for a 36-hole total of 150 and eliminated 17 players on the 151 mark, including six Scots.

The six Scottish qualifiers included Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan), beaten semi-finalist last year, in fourth place on 144, followed by Lewis Kirton (Newmachar), who plays on the US college circuit for the University of Louisville-Kentucky, on 145, Kevin McAlpine (Alyth), Steven McEwan (Caprington), Neil Glen from the Glen club, North Berwick, and Zander Culverwell (Dunbar).

Defending champion Drew Weaver from the United States miss the cut with rounds of 75 and 78.

QUALIFIERS FOR MATCH-PLAY

139 Sam Hutsby (Liphook) 68 71.

140 Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) 69 71.

142 Andrea Pavan (Italy) 68 74.

144 Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) 68 76.

145 Joon Kim (Italy) 69 76, James Gill (NZ) 73 72, Chris Wood (Long Ashton) 70 75, Scott Arnold (Aus) 75 70, Lewis Kirton (Newmachar) 74 74.

146 Jacques Blaauw (SAf) 71 75, Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) 70 76, Max Glauert (Germany) 72 74, James Frazer (Pennard) 71 75, Jake Amos (Kilworth Springs) 71 75.

147 Jurrian Van Der Vaart (Netherlands) 71 76, Reinier Saxton (Netherlands) 76 71, Federico Colombo (Italy) 76 71, Jacques Guillet (France) 69 78, Matthew Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne) 73 74, Andrew Hogan (Newlands) 74 73, Ben Westgate (Trevose) 72 75, Adam Mitchell (US) 71 76, Jorge Campillo (Spain) 73 74.

148 Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley) 70 78, David Corsby (Royal Lytham & St Annes) 70 78, Farren Keenan (Sunningdale) 74 74, David Coupland (Boston) 70 78, David Markle (Canada) 74 74, Lindsay Renolds (Canada) 70 78, Rhein Gibson (Australia) 72 76, Charles Ford (Kirby Muxloe) 70 78, Jason Barnes (Chart Hills) 70 78, Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) 67 81, David Antonelli (France) 73 75, Derik Ferreira (SAf) 72 76.

149 Ignacio Elvira (Spain) 72 77, Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) 74 75, Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin) 75 74, Joe Vickery (Newport) 71 78, Mark Thistleton (Hayling) 75 74, Gareth Shaw (Lurgan) 76 73, Nino Bertasio (Italy) 77 72, Benhamin Hebert (France) 73 76, Tom Prowse (Australia) 69 80, Tommy Fleetwood (Formby) 74 75, Steven McEwan (Caprington) 71 78, Zach Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) 71 78, Neil Henderson (Glen, North Berwick) 70 79.

150 T J Bordeaux (US) 72 78, Joel Stalter (France) 74 76, Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton) 73 77, Matthew (Coventry) 73 77, Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal) 75 75, Edward Richardson (Rye) 71 79, Chris Paisley (Stocksfield) 72 78, Jonas Blixt (Sweden) 71 79, Zander Culverwall (Dunbar) 72 78, Floris de Vries (Netherlands) 73 77, John Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) 72 78, Bill Rankin(US) 74 76, Tim Stewart (Australia) 73 77, Allen John (Germany) 74 76, Steven Uzell (Hornsea) 70 80, Max Kieffer (Germany) 74 76.

NON-QUALIFIERS INCLUDED:

151 Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 71 80, Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 76 75, Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) 75 76, Mark Lamb (Haddington) 73 78, Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) 73 78, Scott Henry (Cardross) 70 81.

152 Wallace Booth (Comrie) 76 76, Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 74 78, James White (Lundin) 75 77.

153 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 78 75, Jonathan King (Glasgow) 79 74, Drew Weaver (US) 75 78.

154 Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 76 78, Gary Wolstenholme (Carus Green) 77 77, Paul Betty (Hayston) 76 78, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 79 75.

155 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) 73 82, Michael Buchan (Cruden Bay) 78 77, John Gallagher (Swanston New) 76 79.

157 Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick) 76 81.

158 Keir Nicol (Fraserburgh) 82 76.

160 Stephen Clark (Haggs Castle) 74 86, Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 79 81.

161 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 76 85, R McKnight (Caprington) 78 83.

162 G Yates (Hilton Park) 80 82.

170 P McKellar (East Renfrewshire) 82 88.

NR Craig Elliot (Carrickvale) 76 -.

Scratched - Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) 78 -.

Ivobank PGA Europro Tour event in Devon

Scots up and down on first

day at windy Dartmoor

Scots Callum Nicoll and Graeme Brown are snapping at the leader's heels but former national amateur champion Barry Hume had a nightmare round of 80 on the first day of the Ivobank PGA Europro Tour event at Bovey Castle on windy Dartmoor in Devon.

Prestwick's Nicoll (picture right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved) and Brown, now attached to Dalmahoy, had two-under-par 68s, Nicoll responding well to a double-bogey 6 at the first and finishing with an eagle 3 flourish at the 18th.

Brown, in contrast, finished poorly when he was set to overtake Irish pacemaker Gregory Bowden's 67.

The Montrose man bogeyed the 16th, 17th and 18th.

Hume packed all sorts of adventures into mediocre halves of 40.

He had a double bogey 6 at the first, a triple bogey 8 at the long 12th and a double-bogey 6 at the 13th. His only birdie came at the short 14th.

Also on 80 is former North-east District team player Neil Mitchell (Murcar Links) with halves of 35 and 45. He had already collected a double bogey 7 at the sixth but far worse was to follow. He had a double bogey 5 at the short 11th, a triple bogey 7 at the 13th and double bogey 6 at the 15th.

It wasn't all gloom for Mitchell. He had birdies at the second, third and eighth.

SCOREBOARD

Par 70

67 G Bowden (Ire).

68 C Nicoll (Prestwick), P Maddy (Eng), G Brown (Dalmahoy, C Gill (Eng), C Hanson (Eng).

69 R Hillas (Eng), J Bevitt (Eng), J Kehoe (Ire), M Le Mesurier (Eng), B Montgomery (Eng), L Kelly (ProDream USA).

Other Scots scores:

70 P Doherty.

71 G Gordon, A Oldcorn.

72 M Kerr.

74 J Doherty.

75 C McCalman.

76 E Saltman.

78 S Mackie.

80 B Hume, N Mitchell.

Chris Doak scores sixth win of

season in Bonnyton pro-am

Tartan Tour money leader Chris Doak topped £21,000 in winnings this season with his sixth victory in 18 competitions this season at the Professionals pro-am at Bonnyton Golf Club, Eaglesham near Glasgow today

Doak, a winner already at Craigielaw, Kilmarnock Barassie, Spey Valley, West Lothian and Wishaw, shot a four-under-par 68 with halves of 32 (four under par) and level par-36.

He had an eagle at the fifth and birdies at the third and sixth in a flawless outward half but lost a wee bit of his sparkle after the turn - one birdie at the 11th and one bogey at the long 16th.

Doak earned £1,148 for win No 6 of 2008. He finished a shot ahead of Gary McFarlane (Clober) and Colin Gillies (unattached).

Gillies piloted the Bank of Scotland amateur trio of Ronnie Carswell (handicap 17), Gerard Smith (5) and Jim Rooney (11) to victory in the team event with the outstanding net score equivalent to a birdie at each hole - 18-under-par 126.

LEADING PROFESSIONALS

Par 72

68 C Doak (unatt) £1,148

69 G McFarlane (Clober), C Gillies (unatt) £803 each.

70 S Kerr (Strathaven), S Gray (Hayston), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) £425 each.

71 C Ronald (Carluke), M Loftus (Cowglen), M King (Kingsfield) £256 each.

72 P Wardell (Whitekirk), D Andrews (Bonnyton), J Lomas (unatt) £176 each.

73 G Fox (East Kilbride), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs), E Cameron (Hamilton) £138 each.

74 S Duncan (Cathcart Castle), D Robertson (Mearns Castle), K Walker (Castle Park), S Taylor (Bothwell Castle), J McKinnon (Irvine) £92 each.

75 G Law (Uphall) £48.

76 G Duncan (Westin Turnberry), S Dunsmore (Falkirk Tryst), S Savage (Dalmuir), I Taylor (Drumpellier), D Orr (East Renfrewshire) £48 each.

77 C Kelly (Cawder), P McKechnie (Braid Hills) £48 each.

78 E Thomson (Senit Associates), C Elliott (Haggs Castle), C Russell (Raw Golf Course Design), R Cameron (McDonald Ellon), A Lockhart (Ladybank) £48 each.

British Amateur Championship 2nd Qualifying Round

Caldwell steady but Weaver is

blown off course at Turnberry

FROM THE R&A WEBSITE
Walker Cup player Jonathan Caldwell followed his opening 69 with a steady 71 in tough conditions on the second day of The Amateur Championship at Turnberry.
Caldwell might have recently graduated from South Alabama University, but the weather which greeted him on the Ailsa course this morning was very much southern Scotland rather than the southern States.
Yet he shrugged off the high winds and intermittent showers to produce a beautiful front nine of 33, with birdies at the sixth and ninth. He slipped back a little playing into the wind on the back nine, but bogeys on the 12th, 13th and 17th holes were far from disastrous on a day when the scoring average has begun to climb towards the high 70s.
"I was just trying to make a few pars, given the conditions," said Caldwell, whose two-round total of 140 looks likely to place him among the top seeds for the match-play phase.
"Anyway, that's the first job done."
Defending champion Drew Weaver was less successful handling the wind, struggling to a 78 on the Ailsa course in a round that included double bogeys on the third and 12th as well as a triple bogey on the 16th.
"It's one of the toughest titles to defend," he said afterwards. "I knew it would be, and I worked hard to try and defend it but there's a 30mph wind out there. It's just so tough."

See caption below for picture taken by Dirleton Castle GC vice-captain David Kirkwood.

MUSSELBURGH WIN EAST LOTHIAN COUNTY CUP

Musselburgh beat Dirleton Castle by four holes in the East Lothian County Cup men's double foursomes golf tournament at Dunbar.
The winning Musselburgh team consisted of the following partnerships - Fraser Syme and Stuart Menzies, Kenny Wright and Myles Clapperton.
The losing Dirleton Castle pairs were G Patterson and D Melville, S Lindsay and M Saunders.
Syume and Wright finished five holes up on Patterson and Melville in the first-string game while Dirleton Castle's second string of Lindsay and Saunders won by one hole against Clapperton and Menzies.
In the morninig semi-finals, Dirleton Castle beat North Berwick at the 19th while Musselburgh comfortably beat Whitekirk.
Kilspindie Golf Club, as guardians of the East Lothian County Cup competition - the oldest foursomes trophy in the golfing world, dating back to 1868, traditionally run the tournament..

CAPTION FOR PICTURE
Winning Musselburgh Golf Club team (left to right) Fraser Syme, Stuart Menzies, Kenny Wright and Myles Clapperton.
In the background, left to right, are Stewart Greenwood, captainof Kilspindie Golf Club and, right, Ian McKane, captain of Dunbar Golf Club.

Geoff Marks awarded OBE

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Geoff Marks, former international, England captain and EGU president, has been awarded an OBE in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to golf.
“Obviously I’m delighted but my first thought was that someone had got the name wrong,” he said. “Many years ago I was playing David Marsh in the quarter finals of the English Championship at Hollinwell when my club telephoned to ask: ‘How is Marks doing?’ to be told: ‘He’s ahead and should reach the semi-finals.’ That prompted club members to hire a bus and head off to Hollinwell only to find that I’d lost comfortably. Someone had mistaken Marsh for Marks so I was relieved this time when I saw my name in print.’
“But I feel this is an award as much for my long-suffering wife Joanne and my children as for me. It is also good for golf in general, for my county Staffordshire and my club Trentham.”
Geoff, 69, has enjoyed a highly successful career on and off the golf course. He was an England international from 1963-75, making 65 appearances and winning 45 times. He was also England captain from 1980-83. He also played in two Walker Cups, at Milwaukee in 1969 where he won both his singles, one against Lanny Wadkins, and at St Andrews in 1971 where he lost to Tom Kite.
He was also twice Walker Cup captain, in 1987 at Sunningdale and two years later at Peachtree when GB&I recorded their first victory on US soil.
The EGU Presidency came in 1995 while he is still active with the R&A, serving on the General Committee and being chairman of the Golf Development Committee. He will leave both posts in September.

British amateur championship qualifying

Callum Macaulay
(68) leads Scots
at Turnberry

FROM THE R&A WEBSITE
Defending champion Drew Weaver endured a day of mixed fortunes upon his return to The Amateur Championship at Turnberry on Monday.
The Virginia Tech student lost two balls during his round of 75 on the Kintyre course, but balanced his dropped shots with three birdies to keep himself in with a chance of qualifying for the match play phase of the event.
Though he admitted to feeling extra nerves after being announced on the first tee as the defending champion, Weaver showed no outward signs of frailty in birdieing both of the first two holes.
He was still two under par playing the 5th hole when the first cracks appeared: a 3-wood from the tee drifted towards the gorse never to be seen again, and he needed five more shots to sink his second ball.
The resulting triple-bogey threw last year's champion, who then dropped three more shots in the next seven holes with a blocked a 4-iron on the ninth, a missed 15-inch tap-in on the 10th and three-putt on the 12th.
But with a possible collapse looming Weaver showed just why he loves links golf so much, pulling things round and producing a series of seven and eight-foot putts for par saves on the 15th, 16th and 17th.
He then got up and down for a birdie on the short par-5 18th to give himself a three-over-par opening round of 75."I didn't play too badly but it could have been worse," he said. "I putted well and made some really good strokes, which I haven't done so far this year. I just really love playing links golf."


Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan), pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), beaten semi-finalist in last year's championship, was the leading Scot at the end of the first qualifying round. He had a 68. Next best Scot was young Neil Henderson (Glen), last year's Scottish junior champion of champions and the 2007 Scottish schoolboys title-winner.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
66 Jesper Kennegard (Swe).
67 Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes).
68 Andrea Pavan (Ita), Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan), Sam Hutsby (Liphook).
69 James Hamilton (NZ), Jacques Guillet (Fra), Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye), Joon Kim (Ita), Tom Prowse (Aus).
70 Pedro Oriol (Spa), Neil Henderson (Glen), Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch), Steven Uzzell (Hornsea), David Coupland (Boston), Lindsay Renolds (Can), Scott Henry (Cardross), Jason Barnes (Chart Hills), Chris Wood (Long Ashton), David Corsby (Fleetwood), Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley), Charles Ford (Kirby Muxloe).
71 Edward Richardson (Rye), Kristian Nielsen (Den), Benjamin Sigl (Ger), Adam Mitchell (US), Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie), Jonas Blixt (Swe), Lewis Kirton (Newmachar), Peter Baunsoe (Den), Zach Gould (Vale of Glamorgan), James Frazer (Pennard), Jurrian Van der Vaart (Net), Joe Vickery (Newport), Jake Amos (Kilworth Springs), Jacques Blaauw (SAf), Steven McEwan (Caprington).
72 T J Bordeaux (US), Tano Kromer (Aut), Matthew Baldwin (Royal Birkdale), Leonard Motta (Ita), Ignacio Elvira (Spa), Chris Paisley (Stocksfield), Derik Ferreira (SAf), Ben Rickett (Surbiton), Lyle Rowe (Saf), Matteo Manassero (Ita), Zander Culverwell (Dunbar), Ben Westgate (Trevose), Rhein Gibson (Aus), John Carroll (Huyton & Prescot), Max Glauert (Ger), Jason Palmer (Kirby Muxloe).
73 David Antonelli (Fra), Patrick Hanauer (Bel), Seamus Power (West Waterford), Tim Stewart (Aus), Jonathan Hurst (Shaw Hill), Lloyd Campbell (Rochester & Cobham Park), Tom Sherreard (Chart Hills), Claudio Vigano (Ita), Matthew Nixon (Ashton under Lyne), Marcus Larsson (Swe), Sven Maurits (Net), Craig Hinton (The Oxfordshire), Florian Fritsch (Ger), Miles Mackman (Broome Manor), Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), James Gill (NZ), Jorge Campillo (Spa), Benjamin Hebert (Fra), Matthew Cryer (Coventry), Espen Kofstad (Nor), Andrew Cooley (Chobham), Floris de Vries (Net), Gavin Dear (Murrayshall), Mark Lamb (Haddington), Tristan Bierenbroodspot (Net), Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton).
74 Jason Shufflebotham (Prestatyn), Jonathan Gidney (Church Stretton), Nicolas Peyrichou (Fra), Kevin McAlpine (Alyth), Tim Sluiter (Net), Blake St John (US), David Markle (Can), Rudy Thuillier (Fra), Leighton Lyle (Aus), Nicolas Geyger (Chile), Joel Stalter (Fra), Trent Leon (US), Tommy Fleetwood (Formby), Farren Keenan (Sunningdale), Chris Hurter (Ger), Matti Ojala (Fin), Allen John (Ger), Bill Rankin (US), Nuno Henriques (Por), Michael Raseta (Aus), Andrew Hogan (Newlands), Jesper Lerchedahl (Den), Andrea Perrino (Ita), Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw), Kyle Stough (US), Warren Harmston (Wentworth), Gareth Evans (Northcliffe), Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth), Max Kieffer (Ger), Adam Wainwright (Gainsborough), Stephen Clark (Haggs Castle), Gregg Blainey (Bearwood Lakes), Simon Coombe (Pontefract), Adrian Ford (SAf).



75 Fredrik Ovicker (Swe), Pedro Figueiredo (Por), Romain Schneider (Fra), Cole Willis (US), Mark Thistleton (Hayling), Carlos Pigem (Spa), Daniel Beckman (Aus), Moises Cobo (Spa), Brent Witcher (US), Darren Renwick (Worthing), Tobias Rosendahl (Swe), Sam Sanders (US), Sergi Nogue (Spa), Neil Chaudhuri (Leicestershire), Drew Weaver (US), Paul Cutler (Portstewart), Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin), George Gleichman (Net), Nicholas McCarthy (Moortown), James Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale), Quincy Quek (Singapore), Graham Benson (Leighton Buzzard), Scott Arnold (Australia), Bobby Hudson (US), James White (Lundin), Thomas Shadbolt (Mid Herts), Mark Hillson (Craigielaw), Jack Hiluta (Chelmsford), Matthew Carvell (SAf), James Byrne (Banchory).



76 Lucas Lee (Bra), Gareth Shaw (Lurgan), Wallace Booth (Comrie), Alex Kaleka (Fra), Scott Borrowman (Dollar), Federico Colombo (Ita), Frederic Abadie (Fra), Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh), Kevin Kean (Ashton on Mersey), John Gallagher (Swanston New), Shane Lowry (Esker Hills), Paul Betty (Hayston), Ben Loughrey (Aus), Rhys Enoch (Truro), Cameron Johnston (SAf), Reinier Saxton (Net), Andres Cuenca (Spa), Luke Collins (Mendip Spring), Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick), Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), Michael Palmer (SAf), Stephen Summers (US), Richard Kind (Net), Craig Elliot (Carrickvale), Johan de Beer (SAf).



Other scores:



77 Philip McLean (Peterhead), Greg Paterson (St Andrews New), Gary Wolstenholme (Carus Green).



78 Robert McKnight (Caprington), Ross Kellett (Colville Park), Paul O'Hara (Colville Park), Michael Buchan (Cruden Bay).



79 Barry Scott (Lochmaben), Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm), Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire), Ross Dixon (Kilmarnock Barassie), Jonathan King (Glasgow).



80 Gordon Yates (Hilton Park), Robert Carson (Dalmahoy).



81 Scott Mann (Carnoustie), Chris Harkins (Ayr Belleisle).



82 Paul McKellar (East Renfrewshire), Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh).

Tiger Woods wins US Open
play-off at the 19th

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
On the very day he reached 500 weeks as world number one, Tiger Woods took his total of major victories to 14 - just four short of Jack Nicklaus's record - after a marathon duel with fellow American Rocco Mediate.
After staying alive with a 15-foot putt on the 18th green on Sunday, Woods again birdied the last to stop 45-year-old qualifier Mediate becoming the championship's oldest winner and Mediate then bogeyed the 19th to hand Woods the title.
They were both round in level par 71s, Mediate having come from three down after 10 to lead by one on the final tee.
In his first event since surgery on his left knee straight after the Masters in April, Woods made it a remarkable five straight victories at the San Diego venue and took his on-course career earnings through the 100 million US dollars mark.
If not the greatest victory of all the 87 he has now had as a professional, it was certainly the most unlikely when he started with a double bogey and appeared miles short of full fitness.
His play-off record now, though, is a stunning 16-3 - and, of course, he has maintained his record of winning every single major he has led after 54 holes. All 14 of them, that is.

Hugh Hunter's Clackmannan County News

Tillicoultry Junior team (six team membes and two reserves) who held the Alva junior team to a draw. Left to right (back row): Jonathan Imrie, Scott Baird, Scott Hunter, Calum Carberry, Grant Carmichael. Front row: Steven Watson, Kevin Ross, Calum Reid. Image by Hugh Hunter.

LYONS TAKES COUNTY MATCH-PLAY TITLE

There was a thrilling climax to the 2008 Clackmannan County match-play championship with Gordon Lyons snatching his first county title on the last green at Alloa Golf Club in his match against fellow club golfer Steven Horne.
The final between the Tulliallan players was close most of the way with Steven gaining a one- hole advantage early on. Pulled back to square, the destination of the title was to be decided on the 200yd par-3 18th at Alloa.
Both players missed the green. Gordon pitched from the right side of the green over the bunker to 4 t and holed; Steven came from a difficult lie in the left bunker to 8ft and just missed.
In the semi-finals, Gordon had an easy win over Alloa’s Phil Dempsey, while Steven had a much tougher match, scraping through by one hole against Alloa’s David Milloy.
Holder Jamie Aitken (Alloa) fell in the first round to Alloa junior Grant Dowie by 4 and 3 over Alva.
RESULTS
QUARTER FINALS
David Milloy (Alloa) bt Graeme Rennie (Alloa) at 19th
Steven Horne (Tulliallan) bt John McPherson (Braehead) 3 and 2.
Phil Dempsey (Alloa) bt Steve McIvor (Alva) 3 and 2.
Gordon Lyons (Tulliallan) bt Grant Dowie (Alloa) 2 and 1.
SEMI-FINALS
Horne bt Milloy 1 hole
Lyons bt Dempsey 6 and 5.
FINAL
Lyons bt Horne 1 hole.

COUNTY BOYS LEAGUE
Just short of the halfway point in the 2008 league, holders Alva Golf Club are leading the five teams by a narrow margin with Tillicoultry and Dollar close behind.
In the match last weekend between Alva and Tillicoultry, reputations were at stake with both teams undefeated in the 2008 event. In the end, the result over Tillicoultry Golf Course was an honourable half.
This weekend both these teams have home games, and they will be eyeing each other's performance carefully.

MATCH RESULTS

TILLYCOULTRY 3, ALVA 3
(Tillicoultry names first)
1. Callum Carberry lost to Lawrence Allan 7 and 5.
2. Scott Baird beat Scott Thomson 2 and 1.
3. Scott Hunter beat Gary Elliot 6 and 4.
4. Jonathan Imrie lost to Reyner Kennedy 3 and 2.
5. Kevin Ross lost to Darren Young 3 and 2.
6. Steven Watson beat Craig Comrie 3 and 2.

2008 SCOTTISH YOUTHS CHAMPIONSHIP
Scott Borrowman’s reign as Scottish youths champion finishes this weekend, when the 2008 title-winner takes over. 144 low handicap players will contest the title and almost half have plus handicaps, showing the very high standard of youths golf these days.
Unfortunately, no Clackmannanshire player can meet the handicap requirement of 1.4 or better……maybe next year.

TENNANT CUP
The Tennant Cup is one of the oldest golf competitions in existence, with the 2008 event taking place this weekend. Run by the Glasgow Golf Club over Glasgow Gailes (36 holes) and Killermont (36 holes), it has attracted the usual high quality entry, including three Wee County players, Callum Macaulay(Tulliallan), Scott Borrowman (Dollar) and Phil Dempsey (Alloa).
It is a national ranking amateur event, and earns points towards the Scottish Order of Merit and Scottish Golfer of the Year titles.

SMITH v CRUICKSHANK ABERDEEN LINKS FINAL

Donald Smith (Bon Accord) will play two-time previous champion Alex Cruickshank (Caledonian) in the final of the Aberdeen Links championship on Friday evening.
In tonight's semi-finals, Smith beat Alan Doig (Caledonian) at the 22nd while Cruickshank beat Bon Accord's Matt Greig by one hole

SCOTTISH SCHOOLS GOLF TOTALS

Dumfries & Galloway's winning team in the Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolboys championship at Inchmarlo Golf Centre. With sponsor Paul are (left to right) Chris Corbett, Kyle McClung and Scott Gibson.
Click on the image to enlarge it (Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved).

Images of the leading girls' trophy winners can be seen on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Paul Lawrie Scottish schools championships

SCOREBOARD

BOYS

The Laird's Course, Inchmarlo Golf Centre.

CSS 71 70

137 C Robb (S Aberdeenshire) 67 70, S Strachan (N Aberdeenshire) 68 69 (Robb won sudden death play-off at first hole).

139 A Cappi (E Lothian) 70 69.

141 A Tester (Clackmannan) 69 72.

142 D Law (Aberdeen City) 71 71.

143 K McClung (Dumfries & Galloway) 70 73, O Huish (E Lothian) 70 73.

144 T Sharkey (W Dunbartonshire) 74 70.

146 P Shields (S Lanarkshire) 79 67, M Kelly (S Lanarkshire) 73 73, C Corbett (Dumfries & Galloway) 73 73.

147 S Gibson (Dumfries & Galloway) 78 69, R Pert (Angus) 73 74.

148 I Redford (Fife) 74 74, J Henry (W Dunbartonshire) 77 71.

149 C Bremner (S Aberdeenshire) 77 72, A Dunton (N Aberdeenshire) 78 71.

150 N Beattie (Fife) 73 77, J Arthur (Perth & Kinross) 70 80, D Gallagher (W Dunbartonshire) 76 74.

151 N McAndrew (Aberdeen City) 76 75, M Thomson (Dundee City) 72 79, L Reid (Highland) 75 76, C Stewart (Highland) 76 75.

152 S Fairbairn (Scottish Borders) 80 72, A Wiseman (N Aberdeenshire) 74 78, J Barrett (Stirling) 80 72.

153 K Howie (N Ayrshire) 79 74, M Bell (Perth & Kinross) 74 79, C Anderson (Glasgow) 81 72.

154 N Clenaghan (N Lanarkshire) 73 81, R Gillan (S Lanarkshire) 74 80.

155 C Trahan (S Aberdeenshire) 82 73, T White (Perth & Kinross) 80 75.

156 F Lawrie (N Ayrshire) 78 78, P Timmons (S Ayrshire) 77 79.

157 J White (Fife) 77 80, D Aitken (Glasgow) 79 78, L Allan (Clackmannan) 84 73.

158 R Forgie (Clackmannan) 80 78, C Bisset (Falkirk) 80 78.

159 C Maclean (N Ayrshire) 78 81, A Todd (Dundee City) 81 78, A Blaney (City of Edinburgh) 78 81.

160 J Treasurer (Highland) 79 81, M Murphy (Glasgow) 80 80, J Auchinvole (Falkirk) 80 80.

161 B Herriot (Scottish Borders) 80 81.

162 M Smith (S Ayrshire) 86 76.

164 R Beattie (Scottish Borders) 81 83, S Smith (Aberdeen City) 80 84, E Douglas (Stirling) 83 81.

165 J Westwell (E Lothian) 92 73, D Don (Stirling) 84 81.

166 S McGregor (Angus) 85 81.

167 C Norman (N Lanarkshire) 89 78.

168 S Campbell (N Lanarkshire) 86 82.

182 J Aird (City of Edinburgh) 92 90.

BOYS' TEAM

436 Dumfries & Galloway.

438 North Aberdeenshire.

441 South Aberdeenshire.

442 West Dunbartonshire.

446 South Lanarkshire.

447 East Lothian.

455 Fife.

456 Clackmannan.

457 Aberdeen City.

458 Perth & Kinross.

462 Highland.

468 North Ayrshire.

470 Glasgow.

477 Scottish Borders.

489 North Lanarkshire.

NRs Dundee City, Angus, City of Edinburgh, South Ayrshire.

GIRLS

143 K MacDonald (Highland) 71 72.

148 E Briggs (Renfrewshire) 73 75, J Meldrum (E Dunbartonshire) 73 75.

149 L Atkins (Scottish Borders) 77 72.

152 R Watton (City of Edinburgh) 75 77.

154 S Leslie (S Aberdeenshire) 76 78.

155 S Vass (Highland) 82 73, R Wilson (Angus) 79 76.

156 G Scanlan (S Lanarkshire) 77 79.

157 A Smth (Dundee City) 80 77.

158 R McQueen (S Ayrshire) 78 80, J Graham (Dumfries & Galloway) 80 78.

160 A Niven (Perth & Kinross) 81 79.

161 C Easton (City of Edinburgh) 78 83, A McKechin (Renfrewshire) 77 84.

162 L Allan (N Ayrshire) 80 82, L McGillivary (S Aberdeenshire) 84 78, R Polson (Aberdeen City) 80 82.

163 G Simpson (City of Edinburgh) 82 81.

164 I Craigie (Scottish Borders) 81 83, T MacTaggart (Scottish Borders) 80 84.

165 S Cameron (E Lothian) 82 83.

166 Z Differ (N Lanarkshire) 80 86, G Arnott (N Ayrshire) 82 84, K McIntosh (Midlothian) 82 84, K Scott (E Dunbartonshire) 83 83.

167 J Vass (Highland) 87 80, L Duncan (S Aberdeenshire) 76 91, N Wilson (Glasgow) 81 86, J Meek (Angus) 83 84.

168 A Summers (Dundee City) 88 90.

169 L Meldrum (E Dunbartonshire) 82 87, H McCook (Highland) 85 84, L Cosh (Glasgow) 83 86.

170 N McLuckie (N Lanarkshire) 89 81.

171 L Smith (Dundee City) 86 85, K Vannet (S Aberdeenshire) 86 85.

173 N Taylor (Fife) 89 84, E Bisset (Glasgow) 86 87.

174 C Prouse (Aberdeen City) 92 82, A Alston (Angus) 87 87.

175 F Fullerton (N Aberdeenshire) 89 86.

176 C Tait (Fife) 92 84, N Qayum (Renfrewshire) 85 91.

177 K Seam (S Aberdeenshire) 91 86.

179 S Munro (Fife) 89 90.

180 M McKay (N Ayrshire) 93 87, L Stevenson (Glasgow) 96 84.

181 H Peebles (Dundee City) 92 89, H Scott (City of Edinburgh) 83 98.

182 A King (Dumfries & Galloway) 91 91, K Reid (Dundee City) 92 90.

185 A Mitchell (Scottish Borders) 97 88.

187 C Freeburn (N Lanarkshire) 94 93.

188 K MacCallum (N Aberdeenshire) 90 98.

190 A Tait (Fife) 95 95.

192 E Aird (Perth & Kinross) 100 92.

210 M Aird (Perth & Kinross) 107 103.

GIRLS TEAM

298 Highland.

313 Scottish Borders.

315 City of Edinburgh.

316 South Aberdeenshire.

317 East Dunbartonshire.

324 Renfrewshire.

328 North Ayrshire.

329 Angus.

336 Aberdeen City.

338 Dundee City.

340 Dumfries & Galloway.

347 Glasgow.

349 Fife.

353 North Lanarkshire.

363 North Aberdeenshire.

370 Perth & Kinross.

NR East Lothian.

Chris Robb (South Aberdeenshire & Inchmarlo Golf Centre) receives the Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolboys' championship trophy from sponsor Paul Lawrie after beating (left) Sam Strachan (North Aberdeenshire) in a play-off for the title. You can enlarge the image by clicking on it (Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved).

CHRIS ROBB AND KELSEY MACDONALD

WIN PAUL LAWRIE SCHOOLS' TITLES

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

North and North-east players dominated the Paul Lawrie Scottish schools golf championships played over the Banchory and Inchmarlo courses today (Monday).

Chris Robb (South Aberdeenshire), playing over his home Inchmarlo course, claimed the national schoolboys title after a play-off with Sam Strachan (North Aberdeenshire).

They tied for the top spot on 137, Robb with rounds of 67 and 70, Strachan with 68 and 69.

In the first hole of the sudden-death play-off, Strachan, first off the tee, found a bunker with his driver.

Robb, using his local knowledge, played safe with a five-iron off the tee, hit the middle of the green with his second and holed a 5ft putt for a winning birdie 3.

Full Scotland international Kelsey MacDonald, and member at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club and representing Highland Schools, won the girls' title with steady scores of 71 and 72 for a 143 total over the Banchory Golf Club course.

Kelsey completed her first 18 holes in little over 2hr 30min. She went on to win the girls' championship by five strokes from Eilidh Briggs (Renfrewshire) and Jill Meldrum (East Dunbartonshire) who both totalled 148

Eilidh was officially placed second on a countback that went to the last six holes of the second round.

Thanks to Kelsey MacDonald and Sammy Vass's efforts, Highland won the girls' team trophy by 15 shots from Scottish Borders (Lesley Atkins and Isla Craigie) with City of Edinburgh (Gillian Simpson and Rachael Watton) third on 315.

Dumfries and Galloway (Scott Gibson, Kyle McClung and Chris Corbett) won the boys' team championship with a total of 436.

North Aberdeenshire (Adam Dunton, Alexander Wiseman and Sam Strachan) were runners-up on 438 with South Aberdeenshire (Chris Robb, Chris Bremner and Callum Trahan) third on 441.

STUART ROBIN WINS AT PRESTWICK ST NICHOLAS

 

Stuart Robin (Kilmarnock Barassie) won the £340 first prize in today's (MON) Linksland Series Young Professionals' tournament at Prestwick St Nicholas when his opponent in a sudden-death play-off had to retire injured after only one shot.

Steven Duncan from Balbirnie Park had tied with Robin on three-under-par 66 for the top spot but damaged his left wrist in driving at the first extra hole and was in too much pain to attempt to play his second shot.

Duncan's consolation prize was a cheque for £306.

In the regulation holes, Robin birdied the third, 10^th, 11^th, 14^th and 17^th and had bogeys at the 13^th and 16^th in halves of 34 and 32.

Duncan had an eagle 3 at the long 13^th and birdies at the third, fourth, ninth and 16^th with bogeys at the eighth, 10^th and 16^th in halves of 33.

They finished one stroke clear of Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Graham Fox (East Kilbride) and Peter Mitchell (Hermitage).

The Linksland Series Young Professionals' Grand Final will be held at the Renaissance Club, Archerfield over 36 holes on October 20.

 

LEADING SCORES

Prestwick St Nicholas

Par 69

66 S Robin (Kilmarnock Barassie), S Duncan (Balbirnie Park) (Duncan retired at first hole of sudden death play-off).

67 I Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), G Fox (East Kilbride), P Mitchell (Hermitage).

68 G McBain (Royal Dornoch), O Morton (Gullane).

69 D Orr (East Renfrewshire), M Finlayson (Edzell), C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), P McKechnie (Braid Hills).

70 J Cliff (Murrayfield).

71 S Taylor (Bothwell Castle), E Walker (Burntisland), M Rae (Alyth), G Wright (West Linton), G Lornie (Kings Links), M Barnard (Inchmarlo), B Gibson (Carrick at Cameron House), C Dempster (Inchmarlo).

 

John Mitchell can't recover from bad start

Ross Coull (Edzell) with the D M Hall Scottish mid-amateur championship trophy.

ROSS COULL WINS SCOTTISH

MID-AMATEUR TITLE

Angus county team player Ross Coull is the new D M Hall Scottish men's mid-amateur golf champion.

The 32-year-old from Edzell, the eighth seed, beat pharmacist John Mitchell from Fraserburgh, last of the 16 match-play qualifiers, by two holes in the 18-hole final over Dundonald Links, Ayrshire today.

Mitchell had upset the top seed and leading qualifier, Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre) in the morning semi-finals. He beat his Aberdeen opponent, who moved to Edinburgh within the past year, by one hole after going two up in the eagly stages.

In the final, Mitchell never recovered from a bad run of four successive bogeys between the second and the fifth. Coull won them all and went five up when Mitchell also bogeyed the seventh.

Mitchell finally settled down to start a revival with a birdie 3 at the eighth and the reduced his deficit to one by winning the 10th with a par, the short 13th with a 2 and the long 14th with a birdie 4.

Coull gained some breathing space when Mitchell bogeyed the short 15th to allow his opponent to go two up again with three to play.

The Fraserburgh man kept his dwindling hopes alive with a birdie 3 at the 17th to be one down but he bogeyed the last and lost by two holes.

Coull was round in an approximate 73 (36-37) to Mitchell's 75 (40-35).

Results

Semi-finals - J Mitchell (Fraserburgh) bt T Mathieson (Kings Acre) 1 hole, R Coull (Edzell) bt S Robertson (Sandyhills) 1 hole.

Final - Coull bt Mitchell 2 holes.

++Images of Ross Coull and John Mitchell are by Rob Eyton-Jones (all rights reserved).

Aberdeen Links semi-finals this evening

Donald Smith (Bon Accord) plays Alan Doig (Caledonian) in the first semi-final of the Aberdeen Links championship, teeing-off at 5.15.
It's also Bon Accord v Caley in the second semi-final with Matt Greig of Bon Accord opposing two time champion Alex Cruickshank.

++We will endeavour to bring you the results of these ties this evening but if anybody knows them before we do, please E-mail them to Colin@Scottishgolfview.com

Mitchell v Coull for Scottish
Mid-Amateur title

John Mitchell from Fraserburgh is playing Ross Coull (Edzell) in the final of the Scottish men's mid-amateur championship over the Dundonald Links in Ayrshire.
Mitchell, last of the 16 qualifiers, scored an upset win over fellow North-east player Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre), the top seed and beaten finalist in 2006.
Mitchell won by one hole, thanks to a par 5 at the last. Mathieson was top seed. He moved from Aberdeen to Edinburgh within the past year and got a job at Kings Acre Golf Centre, having had a similar post at Aberdeen's Kings Links Golf Centre.
In the second semi-final, Coull, the No 8 seed, beate Steven Robertson (Sandyhills), the fifth qualifier, by one hole. Coull, two down after seven, led for the first time at the 13th.

Lee Westwood just misses out on play-off

It's Tiger v Rocco over 18
holes for US Open title

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Tiger Woods forced an 18-hole play-off with fellow American Rocco Mediate for the US Open title on the final hole of the fourth round at Torrey Pines.
High drama on the 18th saw both Woods and England's Lee Westwood with tricky putts to join Mediate on one under but after Westwood missed the first, the world number one sank his with his customary coolness.
Both men will return in the morning to battle it out over a full round, though Woods will go into the day's play as heavy favourite.
With Mediate holding a one-stroke lead and watching from a scoring booth, Woods holed a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 to take the championship into an extra day.
"Unbelievable, I knew he would make it," Mediate said after Woods' putt rattled around the cup before dropping.
Mediate shot an level-par 71 to finish at a one-under-par 283, while Woods, a little off colour for much of the fourth round as he clearly struggled with an injury, played his first two holes in three over and signed for a 73.
Woods entered Sunday at three under and with a one-stroke lead over Westwood, but he never got in a consistent rhythm, carding his worst round of the week.
Westwood finished a stroke out of the play-off alone in third at level par overall.
LEE WESTWOOD JUST MISSES PLAY-OFF
Lee Westwood was one shot and a matter of inches away from taking his bid to become the first English major winner since 1996 into Monday's 18-hole play-off.
Westwood finished third on even par after missing with a tricky 20-foot putt which would have seen him join Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods in the extra round.
"While I'm disappointed, I'm pleased with myself and I think that I've proved to myself and a few others that there is a major championship in me," said the 35-year-old after carding an even-par 71 at Torrey Pines.
"It's sickening not the be in the play-off but all in all I played pretty well all week and if somebody had said 'you're going to have a chance from 20 feet for a play-off' I would probably have taken that at the start of the week."
Westwood, who started the day one stroke behind Woods, bogeyed the first hole but was rock solid for the rest of the front nine, gathering seven straight pars before making birdie at the par-five ninth.
He started the back nine in front, but the next hour prove costly at he ran up three bogeys in four holes due to some ragged shots, before stemming the flow with a tap-in birdie at the 14th, where he almost drove onto the green. He needed one more birdie down the stretch, to join the Mediate on one under par but it was not to be.
He left himself a tough putt at the last and explained that he intentionally hit his third shot long because he did not want to take any chances of his ball sucking back into the pond guarding the putting surface.
But the real problem was that his second shot, a lay-up from the fairway bunker, ended a little too close to the hole.
"I was looking for something like 96 or 97 yards to the front (of the green) and I got 100," said Westwood. "I was caught between sand iron and lob wedge (for the third shot) and I don't really want to hit lob wedge hard, because anything coming back fast down that green and it's in the drink."
Westwood, who carded 73 to finish at even-par 284, recorded his best major result, but Nick Faldo remains the last Englishman to win a major, having triumphed in the 1996 Masters.

US Open Scoreboard
Torrey Pines Golf Club, San Diego, California
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
283 Rocco Mediate 69 71 72 71, Tiger Woods 72 68 70 73 (to play Monday over 18 holes).
284 Lee Westwood (Eng) 70 71 70 73
286 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 70 75 71, D.J. Trahan 72 69 73 72
287 John Merrick 73 72 71 71, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 75 66 74 72, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 71 71 77 68
288 Eric Axley 69 79 71 69, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 69 73 72 74, Camilo Villegas (Col) 73 71 71 73, Brandt Snedeker 76 73 68 71, Heath Slocum 75 74 74 65
289 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 74 70 75 70, Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 72 74 73, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 76 69 77 67, Stewart Cink 72 73 77 67
290 Phil Mickelson 71 75 76 68, Hunter Mahan 72 74 69 75, Chad Campbell 77 72 71 70, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 76 70 70 74, Robert Allenby (Aus) 70 72 73 75, Mike Weir (Can) 73 74 69 74, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 74 75 70 71, Brandt Jobe 73 75 69 73
291 Anthony Kim 74 75 70 72, Adam Scott (Aus) 73 73 75 70, Boo Weekley 73 76 70 72
292 Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 74 73 71 74, Patrick Sheehan 71 74 74 73, Steve Stricker 73 76 71 72, Michael Thompson 74 73 73 72, Bart Bryant 75 70 78 69, Jeff Quinney 79 70 70 73, Scott Verplank 72 72 74 74
293 Pat Perez 75 73 75 70, Oliver Wilson (Eng) 72 71 74 76, Robert Dinwiddie (Eng) 73 71 75 74, Joe Ogilvie 71 76 73 73, Andres Romero (Arg) 71 73 77 72, Todd Hamilton 74 74 73 72, Jon Mills (Can) 72 75 75 71, Daniel Chopra (Swe) 73 75 75 70, Justin Leonard 75 72 75 71, Jim Furyk 74 71 73 75, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 69 70 79 75, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 78 67 77 71
294 Dustin Johnson 74 72 75 73, John Rollins 75 68 79 72, Jarrod Lyle (Aus) 75 74 74 71, Matt Kuchar 73 73 76 72, Tim Clark (Rsa) 73 72 74 75
295 Ben Crane 75 72 77 71, Davis Love III 72 69 76 78, Soren Hansen (Den) 78 70 76 71, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 75 70 73 77, Kevin Streelman 68 77 78 72
296 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 73 72 75 76, Stephen Ames (Can) 74 74 77 71
297 Nick Watney 73 75 77 72, Brett Quigley 73 72 77 75, David Toms 76 72 72 77, Alastair Forsyth (Sco) 76 73 74 74, Rickie Fowler 70 79 76 72
298 Paul Casey (Eng) 79 70 76 73, Vijay Singh (Fij) 71 78 76 73, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 75 73 72 78, John Mallinger 73 75 78 72
299 D.A. Points 74 71 77 77, Derek Fathauer 73 73 78 75
300 Woody Austin 72 72 77 79, Andrew Dresser 76 73 79 72, Andrew Svoboda 77 71 74 78
301 Justin Hicks 68 80 75 78, Ian Leggatt (Can) 72 76 76 77, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 77 72 77 75
303 Ross McGowan (Eng) 76 72 78 77
304 Chris Kirk 75 74 78 77, Rich Beem 74 74 80 76

Birdies and eagles galore in Texas

Scramble at Fortrose & Rosemarkie

Reader David McIntosh writes:

First I would like to say that the website is fantastic. No need to buy a paper now, all the golf news is here!
Just a wee story about our score on Sunday (June 16) at a Texas Scramble at Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club.
After a slow start ( two under after five holes) we hit a hot streak. We ended up being 14 under par for the last 13 holes with a back nine of 25!
Our handicap was 1.5 (10% of 15) and we had a gross 55, net 53.5. As we won the tournament by 0.2 of a shot, every single putt and holed sand iron on the eighth by Mike McDonald counted. Our figures from the sixth onwards were :

Birdie 4.
Birdie 3.
Eagle 2.

Par 3.
Birdie 3.
Birdie 3.

Par 4.
Birdie 3
Eagle 2.

Eagle 2
Birdie 3.
Birdie 3.
Birdie 2.

The members of the team were:
Mike MacDonald(+1) , Chris Cummings (11), both Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Neil MacDonald (5) and myself David McIntosh (scratch), both Nairn Golf Club.

++Have you had a particularly good round or even half a round lately. You can share it with readers of Scottishgolfview by sending the information to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Three-stroke win by Andrew McLachlan

in SGU Junior Tour event at Barassie

Bonnyton's Andrew McLachlan had a very good, three-stroke win from a stroke field in the Scottish Golf Union Junior Tour Event No 5 over the Kilmarnock Barassie course today.
Andrew scored 73 and 71 for level par 144.
There was a logjam of five players on 147.
LEADING TOTALS
CSS 74 74.
144 Andrew McLachlan (Bonnyton) 73 71.
147 Kyle Smith (Kilmarnock Barassie) 74 73, Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle) 74 73, Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 74 73, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 73 74, David Law (Hazlehead) 71 76.
150 Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 73 77, Ben Sloan (Hamilton) 73 77.
151 Stuart Ballingall (Dunston Hall) 76 75, Tom Blennerhassett (Marriot Dalmahoy) 74 77, Ian Allan (Hopeman) 73 78.
152 M Bookless (Sandyhills) 81 71, Chris Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 81 71, Kyle Godsman (Hopeman) 78 74 Euan Scott (St Andrews) 75 77, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 74 78, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 74 78, Rodger Clarke (Moray) 73 79.
154 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 76 78, Jack Scott (Deeside) 74 80.

Terry is on the trail of

D M Hall Scottish

Mid-Amateur title

Aberdonian Terry Mathieson, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has not given up hope that he will get a Scotland cap some day, even though it might be a seniors' one if the SGU selectors keep ignoring him.

A former semi-finalist in the Scottish amateur championship and beaten by Allyn Dick in the final of the DM Hall Scottish mid-amateur championship at Dullatur in 2006, Terry is off and running again in this week's over-25s' tournament over the Dundonald Links in Ayrshire.

Terry, a regular North-east District representative player until he moved from Aberdeen to Edinburgh last year because his girlfriend had enrolled at Edinburgh University, led the 16 qualifiers on Saturday for the match-play stages.

He received a walk-over in Sunday's first round beofre beating Irvine Ravenspark's George Robertson 5 and 4.

That means an all-North-east semi-final between former Murcar Links man Mathieson and John Mitchell from Fraserburgh on Monday morning at 8am. Mitchell had a good win over the No 2 qualifier and former champion, Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm).

The other semi-final, at 8.15am), will see Ross Coull from Edzell play Steven Robertson (Sandyhills).

The final will tee off at 1pm.]

Sunday's results (qualifying place in brackets):

FIRST ROUND

Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre) (1) w.o. James Smart (Paisley) (11) scr.

George Robertson (Ravenspoark) (10) bt Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) (13) 3 anbd 2.

Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm) (2) bt Les McLaughlin (Cowglen) (7) at 21st.

John Mitchell (Fraserburgh) (16) bt Jamie Farmer (St Andrews) (14) 5 and 4.

Gordon Landsburgh (Scotscraig) (15) bt Simon Young (Workington) (12) 3 and 1.

Steven Robertson (Sandyhills) (5) bvt Colin Heuchan (Southerness) (4) at 19th.,

Nicky Bell (Carlistle) (6) bt Johyn Laurie (Cowglen) (3) 4 and 3.

Ross Coull (Edzell) (8) bt John Cairney (Ravenspark) (9) 2 and 1.

QUARTER-FINALS

Mathieson (1) bt G Robertson (10) 5 and 4.

Mitchell (16) bt A Farmer (2) 2 and 1.

S Robertson (5) bt Landsburgh (15) at 19th.

Coull (8) bt Bell (6) 4 and 3.

TIE FOR STIRLING SENIORS GOLF PRIZE

BLAIR AND BROTHERSTON TIE

FOR STIRLING SENIOR PRIZE

Haddington's George Blair and Ian Brotherston (Dumfries & County) tied for victory in the Central Scotland Seniors Open over 36 holes at Stirling Golf Club.

Blair scored 75 and 70, while Brotherston's rounds were 67 and 78.

Under the rules of the Scottish Seniors Golfing Society, there are no play-offs as tie-breakers, so George and Ian received equal prizes.

George is 51 and Ian 52 – the senior men's minimum age for competitive golf is normally 55 – but the SSGS are encouring players who have reached their 50^th birthdays to support the Scottish senior men's circuit.

The SSGS captain, Gordon MacDonald (Callander), who has turned 60 and Hendry Anderson, 55 from Glenbervie, finished joint third on 146.

LEADING TOTALS

145 G Blair (Haddington) 75 70, I Brotherston (Dumfries & Co) 67 78.

146 G MacDonald (Callander) 73 73, H Anderson (Glenbervie) 70 76.

147 A K Pirie (Hazlehead) 72 75.

148 J Fraser (Royal Burgess) 75 73, N Mathews (Leven Th) 75 73, J McDonald (Cowglen) 73 75.

149 B Smith (Hamilton) 75 74, C Christy (Kilmacolm) 74 75, D Murphy (Kinross) 73 76, R MacLean (Hamilton) 72 77.

150 M Jenkins (Duff House Royal) 75 75, P Lamb (Biggar) 74 76.

151 B Halbert (Callander) 78 73, G Rodaks (Moffat) 75 76, B Bingham (Haggs Castle) 75 76, D McCart (Sherwood Forest) 73 78, H Milligan (Hamilton) 73 788, B Stewart (Tulliallan) 72 79, G Paterson (Northern) 77 74.

152 J W Johnston (Royal Aberdeen) 78 74, K Bruce (Edzell) 78 74, R McLellan (Turnberry) 76 76, S Macdonald (Dunfermline) 75 77.

153 J Aman (Grangemouth) 77 76.

154 A Ferguson (Drumpellier) 77 77, B Grieve (King James VI) 79 75, M Niven (Dunfermline) 79 75, I Taylor (Royal Burgess) 78 76.

155 G Thomson (Bearsden) 77 78,

ends

Simple for Simon as he wins Challenge

Tour event by six shots in Finland

From Scott Crockett: Chief Press Officer, The European Tour
England’s Simon Robinson produced a record breaking performance to storm to his maiden Challenge Tour victory in the SK Golf Challenge in Finland.
The 26 year old from Hartlepool carded a sensational final round 63 at St Laurence Golf in Lohja for a 13 under par total of 271 to cruise to a six-shot winning margin over his nearest challengers, Australian John Wade and Andrew Willey of EnGland.
Robinson’s 63 was the lowest final round by a winner this season on the European Challenge Tour, comfortably beating the 66s carded by Argentina’s Estanislao Goya, England’s Gary Clark and Wil Besseling of the Netherlands in their respective successes earlier in the year.
Indeed, had he not dropped a shot at the very last hole, he would have equalled Besseling’s seven-shot winning margin when the Dutchman took the II Club Colombia Masters in Bogota in April.
But all that mattered little to the former Doug Sanders world boys champion who has had three PGA EuroPro Tour successes under his belt in the past. The win, and the cheque for €24,000 moved him to 17th on the Challenge Tour Rankings and now in excellent position to claim one of the 20 cards available for the 2009 European Tour at the end of the season.
Starting the day two shots behind firm favourite and local hero Mikko Ilonen, who was lending his support to the event after failing to qualify for this week’s US Open at Torrey Pines, Robinson showed his intent straight away with a birdie at the opening hole.
He reached the turn in 32 to move into contention and as Ilonen fell back with a final round 72 to share fourth place in the end with Spain’s Sebastian Garcia-Grout on 278, Robinson powered to the title with a sensational back nine.
He birdied six of the eight holes between the tenth and the 17th to build himself an unassailable lead and he could even afford the luxury of a bogey five at the 382 yard 18th and still pick up the title.
Wade carded a flawless 67, which included birdies at the 17th and 18th holes, to share second with Willey on seven under par 277, the Englishman’s final round 70 containing four birdies and three bogeys.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
271 S Robinson (Eng) 73 66 69 63.
277 J Wade (Aus) 71 70 69 67; A Willey (Eng) 74 67 66 70;
278 S Garcia-Grout (Esp) 70 69 71 68; M Ilonen (Fin) 71 67 68 72;
279 S Saavedra (Arg) 72 69 70 68; J Rask (Swe) 68 68 72 71;
280 K Jorgensen (Den) 74 68 68 70; T Ferreira (RSA) 73 67 68 72;
281 J Moul (Eng) 69 73 70 69; G Plumet (Fra) 72 67 71 71; H Satama (am) (Fin) 69 73 66 73;
282 K Baraka (Ger) 71 73 72 66; R Harris (Eng) 70 73 69 70; M Bliss (Can) 73 68 67 74;
283 P Purhonen (Fin) 70 73 72 68; J Makitalo (Fin) 74 68 71 70; P Pinto (Arg) 72 69 71 71; O Floren (Swe) 69 70 73 71; D Ulrich (Sui) 70 69 72 72; J Sjoholm (Swe) 72 65 73 73;
284 F Henge (Swe) 76 68 71 69; G Davies (Eng) 72 72 70 70; D Wardrop (Eng) 72 70 72 70; M Ford (Eng) 72 70 72 70; A Ulvio (Fin) 74 70 69 71; S Juul (Den) 68 71 73 72; T Remkes (Ned) 76 65 69 74.
285 R Bescansa (Esp) 70 73 72 70; A Tarchetti (Eng) 72 70 72 71; L Dodda (Arg) 76 65 73 71; A Mellor (Eng) 72 68 72 73;
286 - P Ericsson (Swe) 75 69 73 69; B Grace (RSA) 72 71 73 70; P Dwyer (Eng) 72 70 74 70; M Merizalde (Col) 70 71 74 71; T Haylock (Eng) 73 71 70 72; I Del Castillo (Esp) 73 70 71 72; T Tuovinen (Fin) 70 72 72 72; T Edlund (Swe) 70 72 71 73; J Billot (Fra) 67 68 74 77;
287 - I Sanchez-Palencia (Esp) 75 68 73 71; L Corfield (Eng) 70 73 73 71; S Henderson (Sco) 73 69 74 71; M Crespi (Ita) 72 68 76 71; M Mills (Eng) 72 71 71 73;
288 - J Wahlqvist (Swe) 76 67 76 69; R Thomas (Wal) 72 72 72 72; K Harper (Eng) 74 69 73 72; W Horne (USA) 71 72 73 72; C Lange (Den) 73 68 74 73; E Dominguez (Arg) 68 71 75 74; J Sköld (Swe) 76 66 71 75;
289 - J Granberg (Fin) 76 68 74 71; M Salminen (am) (Fin) 73 70 73 73; T Sistonen (Fin) 71 71 73 74; D Horsey (Eng) 67 74 74 74; F Ohlsson (Swe) 71 71 72 75;
290 - B St John (Eng) 67 74 76 73; C Aronsen (Nor) 72 70 73 75; S Ottosen (Den) 70 67 76 77;
291 - A Andersson (Swe) 72 70 77 72; S Lewton (Eng) 74 69 75 73; J Maurer (Aut) 72 71 75 73; P Bronson (USA) 71 72 73 75; J Peltomaki (Fin) 72 67 74 78;
292 - L Kivilompolo (Fin) 70 73 75 74;
296 - F Cabrera (Arg) 73 71 76 76;
297 - D De Vooght (Bel) 69 71 80 77;

Mitchell denies Woosnam Welsh

victory on Seniors Tour

By STEVE DODD, Seniors Tour Press Officer
England’s Peter Mitchell denied Ian Woosnam a popular home victory by finishing two shots clear of the Welshman to clinch his maiden European Seniors Tour title and the biggest pay check of his career at the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open.
Playing in only his second Seniors Tour event after making his debut in Jersey last week, Mitchell carded a one under par final round of 71 to finish with a three under par total of 213, with Woosnam on 215.
Mitchell’s victory came 10 years after the last of his three wins on The European Tour, in the 1998 Portuguese Open, and the £75,000 first prize eclipsed the £58,330 he picked up at Le Meridien Penina a decade ago.
The 50 year old’s win was all the more remarkable given that he has barely played the game for five years, instead dedicating his time to running his own golf academy in Kent.
Prior to Jersey, Mitchell’s last competitive tournament was back in 2003 but he showed few signs of ring rust out in the glorious sunshine at Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Course.
After a nervy start with two bogeys inside the first five holes, Mitchell steadied himself and picked up shots on the seventh, ninth and 14th, while Woosnam crucially bogeyed the 16th to give the Englishman a two stroke advantage.
Mitchell then held his composure to par the final two holes in front of the packed Welsh support there to cheer on Woosnam, and seal the biggest pay day of his 34 year professional career.
“I’ve not even looked at the prize money to be honest,” he said. “For me just to win was special. It was great to play with Woosie. He was a real gentleman to play golf with, as he always is. He didn’t take his chances today and I got a few breaks and came through.
“I played well in Jersey and it gave me a boost coming here. I think the age of 50 came round too quickly for my liking but it is here and it seems to be going all right so far.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of this week. It’s still not quite sunk in that I’ve won. I think it probably will over the next few days when I’m back at home.
“It was a fantastic golf course to play. It was in great condition and you had to play well around here.”
Having secured his first title, Mitchell said he was looking forward to playing in more events on the Seniors Tour in 2008 before having a charge at the Order of Merit next year.
“I’m going to play in the Senior Open Championship and a few other tournaments,” he said. “I’ve still got some stuff to sort out and I’m still recovering from a torn ligament in my right foot so I might rest that a bit and pick and choose a few tournaments and then next year I’ll play a full season.”
Woosnam, who was chasing back to back wins after his maiden victory in the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship, was unable to give the packed home support the win they had craved but his second place means he is now just £10,000 behind leader Bernhard Langer in the Seniors Tour Order of Merit.
“I missed a lot of putts today and that was the difference really,” said the 2006 Ryder Cup winning Captain. “I hit a great shot on 17 but couldn’t convert the putt. I went for the green on the 18th but again I couldn’t hole the putt.
“It’s nice to be contending all the time and you’ve just got to be patient. I thought I played decent during the week and if I can keep doing that I will win again soon.”
American Jerry Bruner surged up the leaderboard to finish in third place on two over par after a stunning four under par round of 68, while Scotland’s Sandy Lyle finished in tied 11th place on five over par after following his opening round 69 with back to back rounds of 76.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72)
213 P Mitchell (Eng) 72 70 71.
215 I Woosnam (Wal) 74 68 73.
218 J Bruner (USA) 74 76 68.
219 M Gray (Sco) 75 74 70; B Longmuir (Sco) 76 72 71; S Owen (Nzl) 76 72 71; C Rocca (Ita) 75 73 71; G Brand (Eng) 71 76 72;
220 B Charles (Nzl) 74 75 71; D Merriman (Aus) 70 77 73.
221 A Franco (Par) 75 74 72; E Darcy (Irl) 74 75 72; S Lyle (Sco) 69 76 76;
222 H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 79 69; D Russell (Eng) 77 73 72; L Carbonetti (Arg) 76 73 73; D Smyth (Irl) 72 76 74; J Chillas (Sco) 78 68 76.
223 C Mason (Eng) 78 75 70; D Cambridge (Jam) 78 73 72; R Drummond (Sco) 79 71 73; B Cameron (Eng) 75 72 76.
224 J Rivero (Esp) 79 74 71; M Poxon (Eng) 78 74 72; K Tomori (Jpn) 77 75 72; D Hospital (Esp) 80 71 73; T Johnstone (Zim) 73 78 73; M James (Eng) 75 74 75; J Bland (RSA) 73 76 75; N Job (Eng) 75 72 77.
225 A Sowa (Arg) 77 75 73; D Good (Aus) 72 80 73; J Hoskison (Eng) 76 75 74; D O'Sullivan (Irl) 72 75 78;
226 J Heggarty (Nir) 79 77 70; S Ginn (Aus) 77 78 71; S Stull (US) 76 78 72; D Durnian (Eng) 76 76 74;
227 S Ebihara (Jpn) 74 77 76;
228 G Encina (Chi) 77 78 73; P Dugeny (Fra) 75 79 74; M Piñero (Esp) 78 72 78;
229 B Lincoln (RSA) 80 76 73; B Smit (RSA) 76 78 75; J Quiros (Esp) 78 75 76;
230 I Mosey (Eng) 77 78 75; E Rodriguez (Esp) 77 78 75; B Boyd (US) 77 77 76; B Heuchan (Can) 78 74 78; A Murray (Eng) 74 77 79;. 231 T Gale (Aus) 76 80 75.
232 A Garrido (Esp) 81 78 73; J Hall (Eng) 82 76 74; P Oakley (USA) 80 76 76; T Price (Wal) 80 75 77; S Torrance (Sco) 80 74 78; K Spurgeon (Eng) 73 80 79; J Rhodes (Eng) 72 73 87.
233 E Polland (Nir) 81 74 78.
235 G Cali (Ita) 78 82 75; T Horton (Eng) 74 79 82.
236 C Defoy (Wal) 77 79 80; A Fernandez (Chi) 78 76 82;
237 M Bembridge (Eng) 84 78 75; J Whitcutt (Wal) (am) 77 82 78; T Rastall (Eng) 78 77 82; T Allen (Eng) 76 78 83;
238 A Barrera (Arg) 79 85 74; T Hanson (Eng) 85 76 77; B Larratt (Eng) 79 82 77;
239 R Carrasco (USA) 87 73 79;
241 M Miller (Sco) 79 79 83;
244 G Rees (Wal) (am)-80 79 85;
248 J Barnett (Eng) 79 83 86;
Disqualified: P Teravainen (USA) 77 76, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 77 76, B Griffiths (Wal) (am) 77 76.

Dixon wins first European Tour

title after seven years

Seven years after picking up the silver medal for best amateur at the Open championship, England’s David Dixon captured his first European Tour title at the 108th attempt at the Saint-Omer Open in France today.
Dixon’s one-shot victory, secured courtesy of a flawless round of 66 on an action-packed final day at Aa St Omer Golf Club, was made all the more remarkable by the fact that he was nine shots off the lead after the opening round.
Since then, consecutive rounds of 67, 69 and 66 launched the 31 year old to the top of the leaderboard on five under par at the expense of overnight leader Christian Nilsson, who finished one shot back after a closing round of 71.
A round of 68 from Steven O’Hara was good enough to secure third place for the Scot on three under par. But it was Dixon who collected the trophy, in the process taking the number of European Tour wins by Challenge Tour players to 200.
A stunned Dixon said: “I don’t really know what to say. I guess I’ll get home, speak to my family and manager, and try to make some sense of it all. It’s unbelievable really – it’s everyone’s dream to win a European Tour event. It’s my first win, so it’s massive, an awesome feeling. I can’t really get my head round it. It’s going to take a while to sink in.
“The biggest bonus today was that I didn’t think too much about what might happen if I won – I just blocked everything out my mind, and concentrated on the job in hand. I felt quite calm really. I was quite surprised about that, because I’ve always wondered what it might feel like to come down the stretch with a lead. I holed some really good putts on the last few holes to hold it together, and it worked out perfectly.
“But I played really well all day. I was hitting it close on pretty much every hole, and giving myself chances. Then I just kept playing percentages golf, because the pins were tucked away again. I took a bit of a gamble on the 14th, hitting a driver off the tee then a three wood into the green. But they were two great shots, so it paid off handsomely. After that I just hung on a little bit. So it’s been tough to get my first win on the board, but now I have I hope for many more.”
Gallant loser Nilsson narrowly missed out on a birdie at the 18th hole to take the tournament to a play-off.
The Swede, who equalled the course record with a second round 64, hid his disappointment well, and paid tribute to Dixon.
He said: “I thought level par would be enough today, but it wasn’t. I played quite well, but it wasn’t to be. David played really well and 65 is a great score, so well done to him.”
O’Hara’s round of 68 featured a run of four birdies on the back nine, but a bogey on the 17th put pay to his chances.
The English duo of Seve Benson and Richard Bland finished one shot back on two under par, along with Francois Delamontagne, the highest finisher of the home players.
FINAL TOTALS
279 D Dixon (Eng) 77 67 69 66.
280 C Nilsson (Swe) 75 64 70 71.
281 S O'Hara (Sco) 74 69 70 68.
282 S Benson (Eng) 71 72 72 67; R Bland (Eng) 78 69 67 68; F Delamontagne (Fra) 72 72 67 71;
283 D Drysdale (Sco) 78 66 72 67; R Kakko (Fin) 68 74 72 69; R Coles (Eng) 74 71 66 72;
284 M Korhonen (Fin) 69 73 73 69; J Morgan (Eng) 69 72 73 70.
285 M Ruiz (Par) 74 68 75 68; J Larsen (Nor) 70 73 72 70.
286 A Tadini (Ita) 73 72 72 69; N Vanhootegem (Bel) 74 69 69 74.
287 M Hoey (Nir) 73 72 72 70; R Rock (Eng) 75 70 71 71; G Paddison (Nzl) 71 75 69 72; C Monasterio (Arg) 71 73 70 73;
288 M Cort (Eng) 75 70 76 67; E Ramsay (Sco) 70 73 74 71;
289 G Rojas (Arg) 76 71 72 70; D Griffiths (Eng) 72 73 74 70; B Teilleria (Fra) 73 73 72 71; C Gane (Eng) 74 71 73 71; B Miarka (Ger) 75 72 70 72; I Pyman (Eng) 74 72 71 72;
290 R McEvoy (Eng) 76 70 73 71; T Pilkadaris (Aus) 73 70 75 72; J Abbate (Arg) 76 71 70 73; M Soffietti (Ita) 72 70 75 73; W Besseling (Ned) 78 68 70 74; S Delagrange (Fra) 75 72 68 75; R Treis (Ger) 73 71 70 76;
291 A Coltart (Sco) 73 73 75 70; E Rush (Eng) 74 72 73 72; M Haastrup (Den) 74 69 75 73; B Mason (Eng) 71 74 72 74; S Barr (Aus) 73 71 72 75; L Bond (Wal) 73 69 70 79;
292 C Brazillier (Fra) 72 71 80 69; L Dodd (Eng) 71 74 74 73; S Alker (Nzl) 74 72 72 74; S Jeppesen (Swe) 70 76 71 75; M Higley (Eng) 69 75 71 77;
293 A Högberg (Swe) 75 72 74 72; K Eriksson (Swe) 73 72 76 72; D Bransdon (Aus) 72 73 75 73; A Salto (Esp) 71 74 74 74; A Snobeck (Fra) 75 69 75 74; G Maybin (Nir) 70 72 77 74;
294 T Dykes (Wal) 77 69 78 70; C Moriarty (Irl) 75 72 74 73; A Hansen (Den) 73 74 73 74; I Garbutt (Eng) 74 71 72 77;
295 J Garcia (Esp) 76 70 78 71; R Karlberg (Swe) 72 75 76 72; F Widmark (Swe) 74 71 76 74; T Aiken (RSA) 77 70 73 75; O David (Fra) 76 69 75 75; J Xanthopoulos (Fra) 75 70 75 75; J Quesne (Fra) 71 75 71 78; J Huldahl (Den) 76 68 73 78; S Bebb (Wal) 73 70 73 79;
297 M King (Eng) 73 74 75 75; T Karjalainen (Fin) 73 74 73 77; R Gonzalez (Arg) 75 71 74 77; T Feyrsinger (Aut) 71 74 75 77; K Sullivan (Wal) 72 73 73 79;
298 D Higgins (Irl) 74 73 76 75; A Bruschi (Ita) 76 71 75 76; J Morrison (Eng) 75 72 74 77; A Rocha (Bra) 75 67 78 78.
299 J Bäckström (Swe) 75 71 74 79.
301 F Calmels (Fra) 81 66 76 78.

Kevin Matheson (left) and Chris Mailley at Royal Dornoch (image by Robin Wilson).

Robin Wilson's round-up of Saturday's

North county championships

Inverness at Inverness

David Sanderson, club champion at Inverness Golf Club for the first time last season, enjoyed his first Inverness county championship success over his home course with a two-shot winning margin over his club secretary, Ewan Forbes.
The event was dominated by the home members, first round leader Bruce Thomson with a 66 one of nine to finish in the top ten. Thomson faded away to a second round 77 and Forbes held the clubhouse 36-hole lead with cards of 72 and 68 for most of the day.
Late in the afternoon Sanderson repeated his first round 69 with the help of an outward nine holes of 31 that included eagle 3s at the third and fifth holes.
These figures helped cancel out out an out of bounds ball from the 10th tee and a second double bogey at the 14th which raised his inward count to 38.

Leading Scores
(All Inverness unless stated)
CSS 70 70
138 D Sanderson 69 69
140 E Forbes 72 68
142 G Daun 73 69
143 B J Thomson 66 77
144 L Chancellor 73 71
148 S Paterson 76 72
149 W A MacLennan 76 73
150 J Forbes 70 80
151 P. Savage 77 74, M Henderson (Loch Ness) 75,76.
Handicap
G. Daun (4) 138. S. Paterson (4) 140. M. Henderson (Loch Ness) (5) 141.

Ross-shire at Muir of Ord.

With six previous wins behind him since 1989 Steven McIntosh who began his greenkeeping career at Muir of Ord and is now Head Greenkeeper at Torvean golf course (Inverness) always retained his Muir of Ord membership to entitle him to play the Ross-shire championship.
At his first course on Saturday he added a seventh title with rounds of 66 and 70 to win by six shots from junior member Ali Begg, 69/73. Fortrose & Rosemarkie junior Lewis Reid was third on 144 (73 and 71.
Results
CSS 69 and 69
136 S. McIntosh (Muir of Ord) 66 70.
142 A. Begg (Muir of Ord) 69 73.
144 L. Reid (F&R) 73 71.
145 M. Ferries (Tain) 74 71, Al Gilmour (Invergordon) 73 72.
Handicap
A. Begg (M of O) (3) 136. K. Gaittens (F&R) (5) 137. K. Ross (F&R) (9) 138. L. Meddle (M of O) (6) 139.

Sutherland at Royal Dornoch

Seven years after winning his first Sutherland Championship as as an eighteen year old and then as a nineteen year old becoming North District Champion, Chris Mailley (now 25), recovered from a lean spell to claim his second county title at Royal Dornoch on Saturday.
In the difficult conditions that raised the CSS in both rounds the home members had the advantage and filled the first five places.
Mailley's opening 72 gave him a first round lead of four shots from Brora junior Calum Stewart but the local player's second round two under par 68 was superb stuff in the conditions to beat his club mate Keven Matheson by seven shots.
Matheson matched the par of 70 in round two with the help of an outward score of two under par 33. Against the strong wind Mailley's last nine holes were 35 to add to his three birdie and one bogey count of 33 for the first nine holes.
Results
(All Royal Dornoch unless stated)
CSS 74 75
Scratch
140 C Mailley 72 68
147 K. Matheson 77 70
151 I. Rennie 77 74
156 K. Sinclair 80,76, B. Nicholson 79,77
157 J. G. MacBeath (Brora) 78 79
158 C. Stewart (Brora) 76,82
160 D. Holden 77 83, A. MacDonald 77,83, R Sutherland (Brora) 81,79

Handicap
K. Sinclair (4) 148, I. Rennie (2) 149. C. Stewart (Brora) (3) 152. A.J. Gill (Brora) (4) 154.

Caithness at Reay

With a very poor entry of only thirteen to beat at Reay Golf Club reigning champion Don Mackay (Thurso) retained the Caithness County title at his former club. Mackay for his fourth success in the championship had only to produce two rounds of 74 to win by four shots from local member Lee Parnell 77 & 75 in strong wind conditions. Parnell claimed the bronze medal on his better second round from Thurso's Steven Spargo 76/76.

Results
CSS 70 71.
Scratch
148 D A Mackay (Thurso) 74,74
152 L Parnell (Reay) 77,75, Spargo (Thurso) 76,76
155 B. Munro (Thurso) 77 78, J. A. Harper (Wick) 79,76
Handicap
S. Spargo (Thurso) (5) 142.

Graham Fox wins £1140 at Stranraer

Graham Fox (East Kilbride) won the top individual prize of £1,140 with a three-under-par score of 67 at Stranraer Golf Club on Saturday in the Free Press & Stena Line pro-am.
Euan Cameron(Hamilton) won £912 as runner-up on 68.

LEADERBOARD
Par 70
67 G Fox (East Kilbride) £1,140.
68 E Cameron (Hamilton) £912.
69 M King (Kingsfield), L Mann (Carnoustie) £598 each.
71 E Little (Co Tipperary) £410.
72 R Cameron (McDonald Ellon) £342.
73 K Revie (Ballymena), D Park (Wishaw), J McTear (Mar Hall Hotel), T Buchanan (Duddingston), M Naylor (Westin Turnberry), S Taylor (Bothwell Castle), C Kelly (Cawder), D Orr (East Renfrewshire), C Doak (unatt) £189 each).

Terry Mathieson leading qualifier
in Scottish Mid-Amateur

Terry Mathieson (King's Acre) was the leading qualifier for Sunday's start to the match-play stages of the DM Hall Scottish men's mid-amateur championship over the Dundonald Links, Ayrshire.
Terry, a former North-east player who worked at the Kings Links Golf Centre, has moved within the past year to the Edinburgh area and joined the staff at King's Acre. He moved from Aberdeen because his girlfriend is now a student at Edinburgh University.
LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
151 T Mathieson (Kings Acre) 77 74.
153 R Coull (Edzell) 76 77.
154 S Robertson (Sandyhills) 73 81.
155 A Farmer (Kilmacolm) 76 79.
156 J Mitchell (Fraserburgh) 79 77.
157 S Young (Workington) 82 75.
158 N Bell (Carlistle) 82 76, S Rennie (Drumpellier) 80 78.
159 G Robertson (Irvine Ravenspark) 79 80, J Laurie (Cwoglen) 76 83.
160 G Landsburgh (Scotscraig) 80 80, J Farmer (St Andrews 80 80, L McLaughlin (Cowglen) 79 81, C Heuchan (Southerness) 77 83, J Cairney (Irvine Ravenspark) 77 83.
+Leading 32 qualify for match-play stages. 33 players at 164 or better.

One round to go in United States Open

Tiger leads from Westwood after
birdie-eagle finish

Tiger Woods produced a superb finish to his third round on Saturday to take the lead of the US Open ahead of Lee Westwood.
The world number one played the final two holes of his third round in three-under-par, carding an eagle at the par-five 18th to take a one-stroke lead at Torrey Pines, San Diego in southern California.
It means Woods is in great shape to win his third US Open and 14th major championship.
Westwood finished two groups ahead of Woods after carding a 70 and, at two-under 211, he was alone in the lead at the time. However, Woods chipped in from the rough at 17, his ball taking one bounce before gently glancing the flagstick and dropping into the cup. And on 18, Woods split the fairway and launched his second shot onto the green with a fairway wood, grimacing in pain after the shot. It didn't affect him on his putt, as he dropped a 35-footer that was never headed anywhere but the hole.
"It's more sore," Woods said of his leg. "As soon as I get out of here I'm going to put some ice on it.It does affect what I'm trying to do. It acts up on certain shots, I can't say it's a driver and I can't say it's a wedge. Certain shots I just feel it more on."
Woods' closing eagle may have taken the lead away from Westwood, but it didn't take the Englishman out of contention. In fact, while Woods was flashier in posting his 70, Westwood was more steady in his, carding 15 pars with two birdies and a bogey in the par-three eighth where he three-putted.
"I'm very pleased. It's just the position I wanted to be in," Westwood said. "I've played very solidly the first three days and was good today. I've been thinking well out there."
Westwood is one of only three players under-par, the other being Rocco Mediate who shot a one-over 72 and is in third at one-under 212. Mediate had the lead for much of the day and was at four-under after a birdie at 10. He bogeyed 15 and then doubled 15 followed by a bogey at 16 to drop to even-par. A birdie at 17 got him back in red numbers and kept him with a chance entering Sunday.
"I hit my ball really, really good most of the day," Mediate said. "It was in front of me. I missed a couple of shots, but I really liked the way I reacted."
DJ Trahan and 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy are tied for fourth at one-over 214. Robert Allenby, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karklsson, Hunter Mahan and Camilo Villegas are another stroke back.
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71)
209 Tiger Woods (US) 72 68 70.
211 Lee Westwood (Eng) 70 71 70 .
212 Rocco Mediate (US) 69 71 72.
214 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 69 73 72, D.J. Trahan 72 69 73
215 Hunter Mahan 72 74 69, Robert Allenby (Aus) 70 72 73, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 75 66 74, Camilo Villegas (Col) 73 71 71, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 70 75
216 John Merrick 73 72 71, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 76 70 70, Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 72 74, Mike Weir (Can) 73 74 69
217 Davis Love III 72 69 76, Oliver Wilson (Eng) 72 71 74, Brandt Jobe 73 75 69, Brandt Snedeker 76 73 68
218 Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 74 73 71, Jim Furyk 74 71 73, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 75 70 73, Scott Verplank 72 72 74
219 Patrick Sheehan 71 74 74, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 74 70 75, Robert Dinwiddie (Eng) 73 71 75, Eric Axley 69 79 71, Jeff Quinney 79 70 70, Anthony Kim 74 75 70, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 74 75 70, Boo Weekley 73 76 70, Luke Donald (Eng) 71 71 77, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 71 71 77, Tim Clark (Rsa) 73 72 74
220 Steve Stricker 73 76 71, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 73 72 75, Michael Thompson 74 73 73, Chad Campbell 77 72 71, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 75 73 72, Joe Ogilvie 71 76 73, David Toms 76 72 72
221 Dustin Johnson 74 72 75, Adam Scott (Aus) 73 73 75, Andres Romero (Arg) 71 73 77, Woody Austin 72 72 77, Todd Hamilton 74 74 73
222 Stewart Cink 72 73 77, Matt Kuchar 73 73 76, Andrew Svoboda 77 71 74, Jon Mills (Can) 72 75 75, Phil Mickelson 71 75 76, D.A. Points 74 71 77, John Rollins 75 68 79, Justin Leonard 75 72 75, Brett Quigley 73 72 77, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 76 69 77, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 78 67 77
223 Pat Perez 75 73 75, Daniel Chopra (Swe) 73 75 75, Jarrod Lyle (Aus) 75 74 74, Bart Bryant 75 70 78, Justin Hicks 68 80 75, Alastair Forsyth (Sco) 76 73 74, Heath Slocum 75 74 74, Kevin Streelman 68 77 78
224 Derek Fathauer 73 73 78, Ben Crane 75 72 77, Soren Hansen (Den) 78 70 76, Ian Leggatt (Can) 72 76 76
225 Nick Watney 73 75 77, Paul Casey (Eng) 79 70 76, Vijay Singh (Fij) 71 78 76, Rickie Fowler 70 79 76, Stephen Ames (Can) 74 74 77
226 John Mallinger 73 75 78, Ross McGowan (Eng) 76 72 78, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 77 72 77
227 Chris Kirk 75 74 78
228 Rich Beem 74 74 80, Andrew Dresser 76 73 79k. Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, John Merrick and Mike Weir are tied for 11th at three-over 216.