Musselburgh Old Links highlight this weekend

WILLIE PARK 150TH ANNIVERSARY COMPETITION

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ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

There will be much excitement at Musselburgh Old Links this weekend as 80 golfers from all over the UK and Europe play in this celebratory competition to celebrate Willie Park senior’s winning the Open.
All competitors will receive a commemorative medal as a souvenir of the day and the winners will be presented with highly sought-after Musselburgh Open Champions medals.
Following the golf there is a Gala Dinner in the evening at the Brunton Hall with speakers Alex Hay and Mungo Park who is a great grandson of Willie. The Dinner is sold out which shows how popular the event is to Musselburgh people.
On the following day, Sunday, there is an 18 hole pro-am. Nine of the local pros, along with Perry Somers, the French Hickory 2009 Champion and runner-up in the Australian Hickory Open of 2009, will partner ten of the qualifiers from Saturday’s competition in a two-ball better-ball competition.
Among the pro. team are Elliot and Zack Saltman, Lee Harper, Chris Kelly, Chris Russell, Kenny Glen, Jonathan Porteous, Chris Callman and Sean McAllister.
Though the Dinner is sold out, there’s still room for a few more players on Saturday.

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
WINTER SERIES (Four-ball, better-ball)
DUNDONALD LINKS
Par 72
65 Graeme Brown (Montrose) & Chris Kelly (Cawder); Mark Loftus (Cowglen) & Simon Payne (Adam Hunter Golf).
68 Kenneth Monaghan (Bothwell Castle) & Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Design).
69 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) & Christopher Currie (Caldwell); Tom Eckford (Ranfurly Castle) & Stuart Kerr (Strathaven).
70 Paul Brookes (Pitreavie) & Jamie Stevenson (Braehead); Ricky Gray (Torrance House) & Stephen Gray (Hayston); Scott Henderson (Kings Links) & Greig Hutcheon (Banchory).
72 Richard Hall & Michael Sweenie (Westin Turnberry) & Billy Marchank (Crieff) & Alan White (Lanark); Gary McFarlane (Clober) & Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).
73 Gregor Abel & David Herd (Alloa) & Craig Everett (Esporta Dougalston) & Stewart Savage (Dalmuir); Brian Gibson (Carrick at Cameron House) & Colin White (unatt); Guy Redford & David Ross Nicol (Dundonald Links).
74 Kenneth Kelly (Baberton) & Steve Kelly (Tulliallan); Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs) & Scott Herald (Whitecraigs); Robert Collinson & Bobby Wallace (Bearsden Golf Range).
75 Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) & Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation); James McKinnon (Irvine) & Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill).
76 Derek Watters (Gourock) & Euan Cameron (Hamilton); Daniel Welsh (Port Royal Driving Range) & Derek McIntosh (Elderslie); Peter Kerr (Hayston) & James Clive (Carrick).
78 Robert Irvine (Douglas Park) & Ross Neill (Drumpellier); Andrew Fullen (Largs) & James Smallwood (Fereneze); Graeme Stewart (Gleddoch) & Stuart Williamson (unattached);
80 Anthony Mackrell & Richard Mannering (Playsport Golf); Keith Baxter (Buchanan Castle) & Alastair McLean (Duddingston).
84 David Snodgrass (Hilton Park) & Paul Wilson (World of Golf); Craig Knowles & Christopher McMaster (Panmure).

Colin Gillies aims for £500,000

career mark in 25th year

By Nick Rodger
Colin Gillies, the Tartan Tour's all-time most prolific money winner, is aiming to celebrate his 25th anniversary on the domestic circuit this season by breaking the £500,000 barrier in career earnings.
The 43-year-old, Scottish boys' champion in 1983 and a two-time winner of the Scottish PGA Championship, is just over £18,500 short of that historic milestone and is looking to produce another financially fruitful year on home soil in 2010 and earn a place in the tour's record books.
"I earned around £19,000 last year and finished fifth on the money list and hopefully there's enough in the prize pot this season to do that again and get past the mark," said Gillies, who was an assistant professional to the former Ryder Cup skipper, Bernard Gallacher, at Wentworth in the mid-1980s.
"To get to half a million would be a great achievement and, as it's my 25th year on the Tartan Tour, there is a big incentive to do it this season. It would be a nice way to mark my long service."

Gillies, with over 120 Tartan Tour wins to his name, will make his assault on the earnings record at a time when the Scottish tour is facing challenging times in terms of prize-money and sponsorship.
"When I was starting out on the Tartan Tour we had something like seven 72-hole events a year as well as the pro-ams," added Gillies, who is attached to the Playsport facility in East Kilbride. "We were actually moaning about being tired because of the amount of golf we were playing. But we still have a strong pro-am circuit and hopefully we can ride out these tough times."

STEVE McNALLY FOR SLALEY HALL
Steve McNally, the former Scottish national high performance coach, has become the head teaching professional at De Vere Slaley Hall, moving to the Northumberland resort from Oulton Hall in Yorkshire.

+The above article appears in The Scotsman newspaper today.

September date for Northern Open as Tartan

Tour supremo hunts for new sponsor

FROM THE PRESS AND JOURNAL TODAY
The Northern Open, one of Scotland's oldest professional evnts, could be staged as late as September to give Tartan Tour officials as much time as possible to attract a sponsor for the tournament.
The 72-hole championship, which boats a celebrated list of past winners, including john Panton, Brian Barnes and Alastair Forsyth, is usually held in May But it lost its backer in 2009 and new Scottish PGA secretary Michael MacDougall has instigated a rethink.
Last year's contest at Spey Valley, Aviemore was compressed into three days, with 36 holes shoehorned into the final day, and had a drastically reduced prize fund.
MacDougall is eager to avoid a repeat.
"We need to stage a proper 72-holer and the way it was last year is that what we want," he said.
"That's why it's not going to be held early in the season. We are not rushing into it. There is a space in the schedule in September and that would give us mre time to nail down a sponsor.
"That will be our focus over the next few months and we're working hard to achieve that."
Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), a former Scottish PGA champion, hopes someone will come forward to support the event. He said: "The Northern Open has a lot of history and it is a shame it is struggling to find a sponsor. We need the tournament to remain on the Tartan Tour as it is one of our most popular events.
"I am sure Michael MacDougall will be doing all he can to maintain its profile. If it has to be put back to September that's fine as I am sure the course will still be beautiful at that time of the year.
"With the right marketing, it can be a big success. It features 156 players every year and I remember when it was a Challenge Tour event and Craig Cassells won it in 1991 at Moray.
"The launch of the new Xltec Pro Golf Tour shows there is still an appetite for tournament golf in Scotland.
"Having had some goods new with its launch, it would be a real shame if we lost as prestigious an event as the Northern Open."
MacDougall, meanwhile, has confirmed that Callaway, the golf equipment manufacturer and a sponsor for the Tartan Tour for seven years, has reduced its commitment to the circuit.
Three 36-hole events backed by the firm were in danger of disappearing from the schedule but MacDougall has acted swiftly and has so far salvaged two.
They will be played at Monifieth and The Roxburghe and will now be sponsored by SkyCaddie.
+The Northern Open, first played in 1933, had a three-day format for 72 holes until more recent times when a round a day became the norm.

Henderson and Hutcheon win Winter Four-ball at Montrose

The North-east pairing of Scott Henderson (Kings Links Golf Centre) and Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) won the Scottish PGA's Winter Series four-ball foursomes competition over the Montrose links today.
The tournament was postponed last Monday because of wintry conditions at the same venue.
Henderson and Hutcheon returned a seven-under-par 64 to win the £220 first prize on a countback from two other pairs who also returned 64s. Henderson and Hutcheon had a decisive better-ball inward half of five-under-par 30.
Pipped in the card play-off were Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) and Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), and Gary McFarlane (Clober) and Stuart Syme (Dumfries & Co). They tied for the second place prize of £135.
Three partnerships finished with 65s - Jamie Carver (St Andrews Golf Store) & Michael Rae (Alyth), David Ross & Jonas Hedberg (both Royal Aberdeen), and Craig Everett (Caldwell) & Stewart Savage (Dalmuir).

Alan Tait tries again with

a Scottish mini-tour

FROM THE SCOTSMAN NEWSPAPER
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Alan Tait has a spring back in his step and rightly so. A few weeks after being dealt a devastating blow when he was fined by the PGA and asked to resign from the Scottish Region committee, the director of golf at Marriott Dalmahoy, pictured right, has picked himself up in a way his many friends and colleagues would, no doubt, have been expecting.
He's launching a new Scottish golf tour that will be open to both PGA and non-PGA professionals and is confident a schedule that will consist of seven 36-hole events this year will blossom into something much bigger in years to come.
The Xltec Pro Golf Tour, which will visit Whitekirk, Hilton Park, Dalmahoy, Westerwood, Spey Valley and Dundonald before culminating with an event at Hacienda Del Alamo Golf Rest, near the city of Murcia in south-east Spain, will be a self-funding circuit.
The professionals will play for their own money, having coughed up an entry fee of £100 per event to generate an estimated £10,000 prize fund at each Scottish venue. They won't get rich overnight but that's not the aim.
The leading 10 players at the end of the first six events, plus invitees, will compete in an all-expenses-paid, 36-hole pro-am at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Reosrt with a minimum prize fund of 12,500 Euros.
Scot Billy Sim is the director of golf at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort.
As was the case ten years ago when Tait launched the 2000+ Tour, a similar venture, it's about trying to give Scottish professionals more opportunities to cut their competitive teeth without having to fork out lots of money they probably can't afford for travel.
These days, we have the Alps and EPD Tours as well, both of which consist of events entirely on the continent. As for the Great Britain & Ireland-based PGA EuroPro Tour, a number of its events are in southern England.
"I said ten years ago when I set up the 2000+ Tour I felt there weren't enough playing opportunities in Scotland for our professionals, especially the younger, less experienced ones," said Tait.
"My views have not changed. In fact, the way things have been economically in recent times, there is probably even less opportunity for tournament golf than there was in Scotland in 2000. It also worries me that more and more of our young professionals are heading south to take part in similar Tours, which is financially crippling for them but are happy nonetheless to make that sacrifice in order to get more competitive tournament golf under their belts."
Paul Lawrie and Andrew Coltart are backing the new Tour. Both have vowed to play in some events if their European Tour schedules permit. Also on board are 110 Sport, the Stirling-based management company which has Marc Warren, Alastair Forsyth, Paul O'Hara and George Murray on its books.
They see the new circuit as a "great opportunity in an ongoing strategy for golf development". Some, of course, will see this as Tait's way at getting back at the PGA, having been left feeling devastated by the aforementioned punishment for his part in a young professional having been deemed to have been in breach of the training procedure.
It has been in the pipeline for some time, however, after Tait was approached by Xltec Solutions Ltd, an office equipment company based in Cumbernauld.
What's more, in addition to the fact he's made a promise that none of his events will clash with any PGA tournaments, Tait also had the decency to meet with Michael MacDougall, the Scottish Region secretary, last week to discuss the plans in full.
"I'm still a PGA member and Michael is now aware of our focus and commitment," said Tait, who is being assisted with the running of the Tour by Nigel Scott Smith, a close friend and fellow PGA pro who runs the Palacerigg Family Golf Centre in Lanarkshire.
"I hope at some point soon or, indeed, the future there may be a possibility that we will work with the PGA, which would be the icing on the cake for the development of the Tour.
"Players will pay £40 to join the new circuit, which is scheduled to get underway at Whitekirk on March 25-26. Events will also be held in April (Hilton Park), May (Dalmahoy), July (Westerwood), September (Spey Valley) and October (Dundonald).
The top ten players on the money-list – 'The Race to Spain' if you like – will be invited to take part in an all-expenses paid pro-am at Hacienda Del Alamo in November, when there will be a guaranteed prize fund of 12,500.
"When I dabbled by starting up the 2000+ Tour it was the wrong time," recalled Tait. "It was still frowned upon then for pros to be playing for their own money and it was not supported as I thought it might have been.
"At the start, 130 pros joined and 110 played in the first event. But the PGA then came out and said it didn't condone that sort of event and the field halved overnight as the pros got nervous about it.
"Things have changed now, though. There are mini-Tours like this in Britain and all over Europe. Scotland is crying out for something like this and, three years from now, I see this Tour comprising of 20-22 events. I think it will really take off."
He could be right. The circuit is already proving a talking point among fellow pros on Facebook.

2010 XLTEC PRO TOUR DATES
March 25-26: Whitekirk.
April 28-29: Hilton Park.
May 25-26: Marriott Dalmahoy.
July 28-29: Westerwood.
September 28-29: Spey Valley
October 6-7: Dundonald Links.
November 4-7: Hacienda del Alamo.

Rookie Fowler is flowering on US PGA Tour
Believe it or not, Rory McIlroy wasn't the outstanding player on show when Royal County Down staged the Walker Cup in 2007. As McIlroy misfired somewhat in that event – he registered one-and-a-half points from four matches in front of an expectant home crowd – the player who really caught the eye was another mop-haired youngster called Rickie Fowler.
As McIlroy was emerging last year as golf's brightest young star, Fowler was still at college and got another Walker Cup under his belt, winning all four of his matches as the Americans retained the trophy at Merion.
Having chalked up four top tens in eight events on the US PGA Tour since turning professional and already up to 77th in the world, Fowler is clearly something special, though be warned if you've not actually clapped eyes on him yet as this young man possibly has the brightest wardrobe golf has ever seen.
+The above article is published in The Scotsman newspaper today.

New Tartan Tour supremo gets £1million

challenge from Sandy Jones

FROM THE PGA E-BULLETIN
The new head of Scottish PGA golf has been set a million pound target to hit in the next five years.
Michael MacDougall, pictured, has been tasked with nearly doubling the Tartan Tour’s £575,000 prize fund which includes the flagship Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship.
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones, a former Scottish Regional secretary himself, has laid down the challenge and it’s one 28-year-old MacDougall is eager to embrace.
“Sandy likes setting challenges and I’d be ecstatic if I could achieve that, but I’m being realistic at the moment, hardly having my feet under the desk, (he officially took over
from Gordon Dewar on January 1),” said MacDougall who hails from Rothesay and picked up a degree in history and politics at Glasgow University five years ago.
MacDougall, a qualified PGA referee, who had a two-handicap as a teenager, has already been in action in the US PGA Championship and last year’s Open Championship at Turnberry.
But his new job, based at the Scottish Region’s headquarters at Gleneagles Hotel, brings
substantial challenges.
“Over the last 20 years or so, competitive
golf has mushroomed in every area –
amateur male and female, pro male and
female, and seniors,” he added.
“You’ve now got levels of competition like the
Challenge Tour, the Europro Tour, the EDP Tour,
the Alps Tour, and they’re all battling for
sponsorship – and for space in newspapers
and magazines, who’ve expanded their football
coverage enormously in the last few years.
“Nor is the current financial state of the
country doing us any favours. Potential
sponsors are surely out there; it’s just that
bit tougher to identify them.”

Alan Tait hits out at Tartan Tour 'whistleblower'

FROM THE SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
Alan Tait, the director of golf at Marriott Dalmahoy, has strongly criticised the Tartan Tour 'whistleblower' and is heartbroken after seeing his dream of rising to the top of the PGA pile shattered by a punishment that has sent shockwaves through Scottish golf.
Tait, the first-ever player to shoot 64 at Carnoustie and still the joint course record-holder there, has broken his silence on the bans handed out to two of the Tartan Tour's top players, David Orr and Mark Kerr, as well as the fines imposed on himself and Stewart Russell, the professional at East Renfrewshire, for their part in those individuals failing to comply with PGA training rules.
In addition to his £1,500 fine, Tait, a former Tartan Tour No 1 who had a season on the European Tour as well, has also been advised to resign from the PGA Scottish Region Committee, ending his long-held ambition to become that association's figurehead one day.
Insisting that the sort of thing Orr, the current Scottish champion, and Kerr have been punished for had been going on for years without action being taken, Tait said he is angry that this has come about as a result of an official complaint from a fellow Tartan Tour player.
"What really saddens me is that a fellow professional in Scotland took it upon himself to write to the PGA flagging this situation up," he said. "I find it almost disgusting that any sportsperson would want to inflict damage on a fellow athlete.
"Stewart Russell and I have both been hurt financially but, for me, the hurt runs much deeper. My unblemished record as a professional for 19 years has been tarnished. And for what? For trying to help a young professional by giving him an attachment, a job and putting him through his PGA training.
"I am baffled by the whistleblower as he has been around Scottish golf for a very long time and knows how far back this goes. His actions have not only devastated Stewart and I personally and financially but has taken away the livelihood of two of Scotland's most promising prospects for the next few months.
"He obviously had his own agenda why he did this, but I won't be wasting my time calling him to wish him a Happy New Year and find out exactly what that agenda was. I hope he can sleep at night."
Orr and Kerr, one of the emerging talents on the Scottish circuit, have been banned until 1 July after a three-man PGA disciplinary panel found they hadn't been complying with the training programme rules by not working enough hours in a golf shop.
For his part, Tait insists he didn't think he'd done anything wrong by trying to help Kerr, who was a full paying member at Marriott Dalmahoy before thinking he'd got an attachment there, only for that to fall through when a member of staff didn't leave.
"I feel very sad that it has come to this," he added. "I tried to help Mark Kerr out by giving him an attachment for a couple of months until he had full-time employment with us or, indeed, someone else. Never in a million years did I or Mark know what we were doing was so wrong and that the penalties were so severe.
"The thing I find staggering is all the pros in Scotland know that assistants have been playing full time on the Tartan Tour for years. I did my assistant pro apprenticeship with Ken Stevely at Cawder from 1990-1994. I worked six days a week, 11 hours a day for £100.
"In that same period, six of my friends, also doing their apprenticeship, were playing the Tartan Tour full time and earning between £15,000 and £25,000. I constantly moaned to Ken that this wasn't fair, but he quite rightly told me, 'I was doing the right thing and these boys would be found out soon enough'.
"They didn't get found out and, since then, literally hundreds of assistant pros all over the country have done this until now. My question, therefore, is: 'Why now and why us?'
"What the PGA have done is sent a shockwave to all the assistant pros and their bosses throughout the regions, but don't be surprised if and when it happens again."
Tait, who had spells at Westerwood, The Carrick on Loch Lomond and Spey Valley before arriving at Marriott Dalmahoy last year, has had sleepless nights since the punishment was handed out to him and is deeply upset that his reputation has been "shot to pieces."
The 40-year-old added: "I have been a staunch PGA man throughout my career and have always been very proud to be associated with the organisation but now, unfortunately, my own pride will have to tell me what my contribution will be in future years.
"After being part of the committee for the past three years, I would have inevitably became PGA Scottish captain in the next few years but, as I have now had to offer my resignation, it breaks my heart that I will never have this bestowed upon me. For me, it would have been the icing on the cake in my professional career."
Former Italian Open champion Dean Robertson and one-time Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart are among the many professionals supporting Tait, the latter having experienced problems with the PGA himself when he started out on his professional career.
"Andrew got so frustrated at not being given the opportunity to be allowed to play (by the PGA Scottish Region] that he disappeared off to Sweden for two years and teed it up in events most weeks," recalled Tait.
"Thankfully, Andrew has never looked back and that spell in Sweden was possibly the best thing that ever happened to him. However, surely we don't want our own to pack up and follow."

'Dismayed' Kerr fears for future as PGA trainee

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Mark Kerr, one of the two players banned from competing on the Tartan Tour for failing to comply with the PGA's training rules, is worried he won't be able to complete the programme after having his name tarnished.
The 28-year-old from Edinburgh, who has been suspended along with David Orr, the Scottish champion, until July 1 after failing to work the 30 hours per week in a golf shop required as part of the training to become a PGA professional, is "dismayed" with the action and says he can't understand the severity of his punishment.
With Dalmahoy's director of golf, Alan Tait, having been fined £1,500 for his part in the events that led to Kerr being hauled before a disciplinary panel, the player now fears it could be difficult to find another club professional willing to take him on and enable him to complete his training.
"I'm upset about the ban because it has made me out to be a cheat, and that certainly isn't the case – there was nothing malicious whatsoever about the events that have led to this," said Kerr, who finished fourth in last season's Northern Open at Spey Valley.
"There was no ill intention whatsoever yet I'm now in limbo and my worry is that no-one will want to employ me and give me the chance to finish my PGA training due to the fact I've not exactly been painted in a good light by the press coverage over the past few days."
Kerr, who entered the training programme during a brief spell at Bathgate, said he had been due to take up a position in August at Dalmahoy, where he played as an amateur, only for that to fall through at the last minute.
"I signed a contract on August 1 with a view to starting a few weeks later but a member of staff who'd said they were leaving changed their mind and Alan (Tait] said he was sorry but he couldn't do anything about that and he'd let the PGA know what had happened," added Kerr.
In addition to being fined, Tait has been advised that he should resign from his position on the PGA Scottish Region Committee but Kerr, who is now working in his family pub – the Canny Man's in Morningside – to earn some money, believes his situation has been blown out of proportion in comparison to Orr's.
"I'm stunned that my ban is similar to his, especially when you take into account the fact David won the British Assistants' Championship back in 2002," added Kerr. "They were trying to make out I was a touring professional yet, if I was breaking the rules, it was literally only for a matter of weeks.
"It's not as though I've been on the Challenge Tour and come back to the Scottish circuit. I'm not a touring professional – I started the PGA training as soon as I turned professional. I was dismayed when I got the letter from the PGA, and it is clear that David and myself have obviously upset someone."

Any comments? You can E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Tartan Tour is no longer a circuit

where club pros rule

FROM THE SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
The world of Scotland's home-based professionals has been thrown into turmoil by the playing bans handed out to David Orr, the Scottish champion, and Mark Kerr, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, one of the Tartan Tour's emerging talents, and, as a seasoned professional noted over the weekend, it's an intriguing tale that's certainly not done and dusted just yet.
The pair were punished for not spending enough time in the golf shop as part of their PGA training but, before weighing up whether or not the punishments fit the crime, it is interesting to note exactly how this has all came about.Orr and Kerr won't be allowed to play on the Scottish circuit until 1 July because, quite simply, they were reported by a fellow PGA professional.
Why? Well, certainly in the case of Orr, he's paid the price for his success, the 35-year-old, who is attached to East Renfrewshire, having pocketed £36,000 last season, the highlight of his year being the win in the Gleneagles Scottish Championship.
Someone didn't like him enjoying such success at a time when he wasn't putting in the same hours as the 1000 or so others on the PGA training programme at the moment and, sorry if you disagree, but what's the point of having rules and regulations if people aren't going to be punished if they break them.
Orr is a very likeable man and certainly can't be accused of being a slacker. After all, he drives a taxi in his spare time in a bid to earn a little extra money for his family. But we are not talking here about a player who is just starting out in his career. He's been a professional since 1997, won the British Assistants' Championship in 2002 and has chalked up a whole host of successes on the Tartan Tour.
He should be playing on the European Tour but, in waiting for that opportunity to come around, should have negotiated the PGA training long ago.

It's a three-year course that most people pass in four years, though don't for one minute be fooled into thinking that they're being trained how to simply sell Mars bars or Titleist ProVI balls in the club shop. They're being taught a proper profession, the programme these days including topics such as business management, sports science and coaching.
On the face of things, it appears that Orr hasn't been too fussed about securing his PGA qualification and has used the Tartan Tour to get his competitive golf. That's where the root of this situation lies.
He's not the first player to break the rules and, in fairness, I'm told that he made no attempt whatsoever to deny the fact he hadn't been putting in the stipulated hours.
The PGA are challenged by matters like this throughout its seven regions and, in the Midlands, one player, believed to be of a comparable standard to Orr, was hit with a year-long ban. The punishment handed out to Orr and Kerr, who has paid the price for being unable to secure a post he thought was on offer at Dalmahoy after a short spell at Bathgate, has been described as "draconian" by some but the point they are missing surely is what the Tartan Tour is all about. When I first started to cover Scottish pro golf, the leading lights on the circuit were the likes of Russell Weir, John Chillas, Ian Collins, Kevin Stables and Alastair Webster, all club professionals who could play a bit but could only tee it up in events when their club commitments permitted.
In recent years, the likes of Orr, Craig Lee, Chris Doak, Greig Hutcheon and Jason McCreadie have been the dominant forces and, in contrast to their predecessors, they're all players who harbour ambitions to be on the European Tour. They've all enjoyed an opportunity to cut their tournament teeth on the Scottish circuit and long may that be the case.
But, if you want to become a Tour professional, you surely have to be moving on to a higher level. They'll say it's about earning a living. Of course, it is. But, if you are trying to do that without adhering to rules and regulations and, what's more, hundreds of others are, then you are simply asking for trouble.

Cliffe Jones says PGA bans on Orr and Kerr

were harsh but only 'matter of time'

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
One of the longest-serving club professionals in Scotland has claimed it was only a matter of time before action was taken against players who are breaching PGA training programme rules by not fulfilling the hours they should be working in the shop.
Cliffe Jones, who has been the professional at Glencorse for 25 years and is a former captain of the PGA Scottish Region, was speaking in the wake of David Orr, the current Scottish champion, and Mark Kerr, one of the rising talents on the Tartan Tour, both being hit with playing bans until 1 July.
The action was taken against Orr, who is attached to East Renfrewshire, and Kerr, who played out of Marriott Dalmahoy in the second half of last season following a spell at Bathgate, after they were both found to have failed to complete the stipulated 30 hours per week required as part of the PGA programme.
Stewart Russell, the head professional at East Renfrewshire, and Alan Tait, Marriott Dalmahoy's director of golf, have each been fined £1,500 for breaching PGA training regulations and code of ethics, with the latter, a PGA member for nearly 20 years, being advised that he should resign from the Scottish Region committee.
The suspensions and fines have sent shockwaves through Scottish professional golf but, according to Jones, players have been getting away with such breaches for far too long and the punishments will, he says, hopefully sort out the situation once and for all.
"These sort of people have had warnings and it was only a matter of time before action like this was taken," said Jones. "It is a harsh lesson for David Orr but he's been successful and, therefore, was an easy target.
"David is a good player and a good guy to have on board, but he's been around long enough now to get through the Tour School and shouldn't need the Tartan Tour. There's nothing wrong with him wanting to become a Tour player but, if he does his PGA training, he can also be a club professional in later life, at somewhere like East Renfrewshire for example.
"I have a lot of sympathy for Alan Tait, a good golf professional who has done a lot of things for the PGA over the years. He has represented them well. However, this sort of thing has been going on for a long time and, at long last, someone has taken the bull by the horns.
"I think there are a few more chapters in this story to come. There are a number of guys out there in the same boat and they have to decide whether they are going to be a PGA pro or not. "Paul Lawrie is a great example to everyone. He did his PGA training, working the hours he needed to, and went on to win the Open. That shows you can do both."
Jones, who has been around the Scottish scene for 30 years and has played on the Tartan Tour himself, added: "Yes, these guys pay their money to be in the PGA but this could have been nipped in the bud a long time ago."
Once a player enters the training programme, they sign a contract that stipulates the number of hours they must work in the shop as part of their three-year course.
"We have to maintain adherence to rules and regulations and the integrity of the sport," said Sandy Jones, the PGA's chief executive. "On the playing side, if someone is out of bounds by an inch, no matter who you are – even Tom Watson – you are punished. The strength of the game is that players and members stick to the rules."
Orr, who drives a taxi in Glasgow to supplement his earnings from golf, will miss the Northern Open, one of the main events on the Scottish circuit, but his one crumb of comfort is that the Gleneagles Scottish Championship, held in June last year, has been moved to October this season.
"I am bitterly disappointed the way things have worked out," said the 35-year-old. "For the moment I will be concentrating on the coaching side of my career but this makes me more determined to compete on the Tartan Tour come July."
Contrary to reports, David Patrick, the former Walker Cup player from Edinburgh who is now attached to Elie, did not receive a suspended sentence. While the 2009 Scottish Young Professionals' champion faced a similar accusation and attended the disciplinary hearing along with Orr and Kerr, he was cleared.

Any comments? You can E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

E-mail from reader Danny Wightman:
I can see the PGA's point of view in banning David Orr and Mark Kerr from playing on the Tartan Tour but I really think that PGA has been very harsh on them.
I think the players should appeal against the bans.

E-mail from reader Bill Barclay:
I've read the statement regarding the players and feel this punishment is very harsh, particularly in light of the winter we are having. How can these players expect to make any earnings while courses are under snow?
My sympathies are with these players and their bosses. It think the comment made by Cliffe Jones that David Orr "shouldn't need the Tartan Tour" to be untasteful and disrespectful.
The Tartan Tour needs talent in their competitions to attract sponsors and spectators.

PGA come down hard on two pros and their bosses

David Orr banned until July for not
-
spending enough time in East
-
Renfrewshire club shop

FROM THE SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE
David Orr, the reigning Scottish PGA champion, has been banned from competing on the Tartan Tour until the start of July following a breach of the Professional Golfers’ Association’s regulations.
The East Renfrewshire pro is currently undergoing his PGA training programme but failed to fulfil the required number of shop-based hours during the year as set out in the association’s rules.
Trainee pros have to work 30 hours per week but Orr’s 18 to 20 hours fell short and has led to the Belfry-based PGA coming down hard on one of the Scottish game’s leading players. Orr’s manager at the East Renfrewshire club, head professional Stewart Russell, has also been handed a fine of £1,500.
Edinburgh-based Mark Kerr has also been banned until July 1 after he failed to meet the PGA criteria at Dalmahoy, whose head pro Alan Tait has been fined £1,500 and been advised to resign from the Tour’s committee.
+David Orr also works as a taxi driver in Glasgow to make enough money to support his family.

Tartan Tour dates & venues for 2010

APRIL
6-7 Callaway 36-hole competition (Monifieth).
19 Scottish Wateraid Qualifying (Kilmarnock Barassie).
20 Northern Open Qualifying (Kilmarnock Barassie).

MAY
4 Wishaw 36-hole pro-am Qualifying.
5-6 Scottish Wateraid 36-hole Order of Merit pro-am (Kilmarnock Barassie).
8 Portpatrick pro-am.
10 PGA Assistants Championship Qualifying (Auchterarder).
12 Ben pro-am (Cardross).
14 Eastwood pro-am.
15 Buchanan Castle pro-am.
21 Lochwinnoch pro-am.
24 Glenmuir Club Professionals Cahmpionship Qualifying (Scotscraig).
28 Teddy Bear pro-am (Gleneagles King's Course).
29 West Dunbartonshire Council pro-am (Dalmuir).
30 Bishopbriggs pro-am.

JUNE
1 West Lothian pro-am.
2 Pollok pro-am.
3 Murcar Links pro-am.
4 Cawder pro-am.
6-7 Wishaw 36-hole OOM pro-am.
12 Kemnay pro-am.
15 Parkdean Holidays pro-am (Ayr Belleisle).
17 Douglas Park pro-am.
18 Airdrie pro-am.
19 Portlethen pro-am.
20 Edzell pro-am.
22 Professional's pro-am (Bonnyton).
25 Kirkhill Centenary.
26 Bathgate pro-am.
29 PGA National Championship Qualifying (Crieff).
30 Duff House Royal Centenary pro-am.

JULY
1 PGA National Championship Qualifying (Drumpellier).
2 Dumfries & County pro-am.
3 Hayston pro-am.
8 Ayrshire Hospice Qualifying (West Kilbride).
9 Newmachar pro-am.
10 Stranraer pro-am.
13 Deer Park Qualifying.
14 Shotts Pro-Guide Young Pros' 54-hole Qualifying.
16 Prestonfield pro-am.
18 Bothwell Castle pro-am.
20-21 Callaway 36-hole (Craigielaw, to be confirmed).
22 Carrick Invitational pro-am (Carrick at Cameron House).
23 Grampian Houston Junior Fun pro-am (Royal Aberdeen).
24 Montrose pro-am.
27 Gulf Air Pro-Captain Qualifying (Balcomie Links, Crail).
30 McDonald Ellon pro-am.
31 Kippie Lodge pro-cel-am (Peterculter).

AUGUST
3-4 Deer Park Masters.
5 Meldrum House Young Pros pro-am.
6 Turriff pro-am.
9-10 Ayrshire Hospice 36-hole OOM pro-am (West Kilbride).
11 Kerr Investment Qualifying (Dumfries & Galloway).
13 Stirling pro-am.
15 Sandyhills pro-am.
15-16 North Lanarkshire/Shotts Young Pros 54-hole pro-am.
19 VSA Tartan pro-am (Cruden Bay).
20 Deeside pro-am (Deeside GC).
21 Drumpellier pro-am.
22 Easter Moffat pro-am.
24 Ben Shotgun pro-am (Archerfield Links).
27 Murrayfield pro-am.
28 Elderslie pro-am.

SEPTEMBER
2 Discovery pro-am (Downfield).
4-5 Kerr Trimber 36-hole OOM pro-am (Dumfries & Galloway).
7-8 Carnegie Invitational 36-hole pro-am (Carnegie Links, Skibo Castle).
11 Machrihanish pro-am.
15 Elgin pro-am.
17 Acergy Young Pros spro-am (Insch).
20-21 Callaway 36-hole (to be confirmed).
22 SSE pro-am (Kingsbarns).
30 Blue Group pro-am (Auchterarder).

OCTOBER
1 Dunbar pro-am.
2 Royal Dornoch Young Pros pro-am.
3-4 Royal Dornoch Young Pros Masters.
14-17 Gleneagles Scottish Championship (King's Course).
21 Monifieth Four-ball.

+Several events, including the Northern Open, will be added to the list by the PGA Scottish Region when the dates and venues are confirmed.

Scottish pro championship switches to King's

Course, Gleneagles in mid-October this year

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA SCOTTISH REGION
As the Gleneagles Hotel gears itself up for the 2014 Ryder Cup, its famed King’s Course, often dubbed Britain’s finest inland lay-out, can already stake its claim as host to the original match, in 1921, between American and British golf professionals.
To mark the return, 93 years later, to the illustrious Perthshire resort of what became the Ryder Cup, the Gleneagles Scottish Championship will be played this year over the King’s Course in mid-October, just over a week after the Celtic Manor contest.
The heritage of the King’s is unquestionable – host, among many others, to the European Tour’s Bells Scottish Open from 1987 till 1994, in which US Masters winner, Ian Woosnam, was twice a winner, the 1936 Curtis Cup, and the Double Diamond World Classic in the 1970’s, when Nick Faldo was the 1977 champion.
But it’s the 1921 challenge match between two 10-man teams, representing the United States and the British Isles, over the newly-opened King’s Course, that sowed the seed of the biennial contest in the mind of Samuel Ryder – who just happened to be a seed merchant.
The Americans had travelled over to Scotland for the Open Championship at St Andrews, and among their group was exiled Scot, Jock Hutchison, who triumphed on the Fife course for the second of his two major titles. The home side won 9-3, with three matches halved.
The Gleneagles Hotel, having hosted and sponsored the Scottish PGA Championship since 2000, will provide a £45,000 prize fund, and this now means that the modern-day championship will have been played on all three of the hotel’s courses (European Tour player Alastair Forsyth won over the Queen’s in 2000, and defending champion, David Orr, won by three shots last year over the PGA Centenary Course).
The 2010 Gleneagles Scottish professional championship moves to a later date – October 14-17 , the week after the Dunhill Championship at St Andrews – and after qualifying rounds the field will be restricted to 66 players.
The PGA’s Chief Executive, Sandy Jones, commented “I’m delighted that the Gleneagles Hotel has now extended its sponsorship of this event. For the coming years, the Gleneagles Scottish Championship will be played on the King’s Course.
“The Championship’s dates in subsequent years will be re-examined to find the best fit for it within the overall golfing calendar.”
New PGA Scottish Region Secretary, Michael MacDougall, added “Gleneagles Hotel’s continuing support of our championship is fantastic news. We’re excited at the prospect of staging the event over the superb King’s Course, which will present an altogether fresh challenge to our members.”
This year’s other Order of Merit events on the Tartan Tour will be the 72-hole Northern Open, at a venue yet to be decided, and seven 36-holers - three Callaways (the first at Monifieth in early April), the Wateraid, Kilmarnock Barassie (May 5-6), Deer Park Masters (August 3-4 ), the Ayrshire Hospice, West Kilbride (August 9-10), and the Kerr Investments, Dumfries & Galloway (September 4-5).
Main 2010 Tartan Tour dates:
April 6-7 Callaway 36-hole, Monifieth.
May 5-6 Scottish Wateraid 36-hole, Barassie.
July 20-21 Callaway 36-hole, Craigielaw.
August 3-4 Deer Park Masters.
August 9-10 Ayrshire Hospice 36-hole, West Kilbride.
Sept 4-5 Kerr Investments 36-hole, Dumfries & Galloway.
Sept 20-21 Callaway 36-Hole, venue to be arranged.
Oct 14-17 Gleneagles Scottish Championship, King's Course.

Sandy Jones aims to leave Tartan Tour

(after 2014) with £1 million prize fund

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
Sandy Jones will walk away from his job as the PGA's chief executive after the 2014 Ryder Cup a happy man if he can help achieve a long-held ambition for the Tartan Tour.
Jones, pictured right, who still has a strong connection with the Scottish Region even though he has been based at the Belfry for nearly 20 years, is determined to see the prize fund for the country's home circuit hit the £1million mark and says he has made that known to the newly appointed secretary, Michael MacDougall.
"As I said to Michael, it is a good time to come in. It's like a greenkeeper taking over a bad golf course. He can only make it better and he will make it better," said Jones, who is determined to see the Tartan Tour boast the sort of schedule it had for established pros and trainees 20 years ago.
"If there's a bugbear for me in life, it's this. When I left (the Scottish Region] in 1991, we were sitting on £800,000 in prize-money and the plan was to get to the £1million mark. We were going to be the first £1million regional tour and myself and Peter Lloyd were focused on that. "Where I made a mistake was I put Neil Simpson into the job rather than Peter and we lost a couple of years at that time before Peter picked it up. Unfortunately, we've since let it slip – the prize fund this year was around £500,000 – but we will turn it around, I promise you. Getting to the £1million mark is something I'm determined to do between now and the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles – I will retire happy if that happens."
Jones reported that he believes progress is being made between the PGA and the SGU over putting a proper system in place to help promising Scottish players make a smooth transition from the amateur game to the paid ranks.
"There have been meetings with the SGU and we seem to be making some progress," he said. "I think there is a better understanding of what we are doing. One thing that slightly concerns me – and this is not a criticism of the SGU – is that the programme is all about their elite players making the transition and moving on.
"What about all the guys already in the professional game who might make it as well? What programme are we going to have for them? Paul Lawrie is the perfect example. He had a five handicap when he turned pro. But he had a great work ethic and that's why he has got to where he is today."

Paul Lawrie, Raymond Jacobs, retired Glasgow Herald golf correspondent, and special guest Peter Alliss at the annual Scottish PGA lunch in Glasgow today. Paul received a gift to mark his services to golf and Raymond a lifetime achievement award. Image by Andy Forman. Click to enlarge.

Paul Lawrie recognised for junior golf Foundation

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
Since setting up his own junior foundation eight years ago, Paul Lawrie has been directly responsible for 14,000 young golfers either receiving coaching or competing in tournaments.
One of his proteges, David Law, won both the Scottish boys' and men's amateur championships this year and the programme, which has been based primarily in the Grampian region thus far, is now starting to branch out into other parts of the country.
Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion, received deserved recognition for his excellent work in putting something back into the game when he was presented with a special award from the PGA Scottish Region at its annual luncheon in Glasgow today.
"We started the Foundation in 2001 and, at that time, it was a junior programme that mainly involved doing some coaching and organising events for small children," said the Aberdonian. "It has grown beyond all recognition – we have now looked after 14,000 children since 2001 – and I am very proud of it."
Acknowledging the work his support team put in behind the scenes, Lawrie added: "The programme has mainly been in Grampian but we have plans to branch out to have coaching at different centres. Indeed, we've already had some sessions at Mearns Castle in Glasgow."
Lawrie joined the PGA when turned professional in 1986 and was delighted to be honoured by the Scottish Region on a day that also saw lifetime achievement awards being handed out to Finlay Morrison, the 95-year-old former professional at Deeside, Braid Hills and Bruntsfield Links, and one of Scotland's most- respected golf writers, Raymond Jacobs.
"This is a huge thing for me," said Lawrie. "I was a five-handicap player when I turned pro and wasn't very good but served my time in the shop at Banchory for four years and got a bit better. "That was the start of things for me. To be able to play professional tournaments straight away was fantastic and I will always be grateful to Doug Smart, the pro at Banchory at the time, letting me get out of the shop to practice."

PGA Scottish Region Scoreboard

FOUR-BALL WINTER SERIES @ LUFFNESS NEW
Par 70
64 Ken Stevely (3Dgolf.com) & Iain Pender (Aberfoyle), better inward half, £225; Ronan Rafferty (unattached) & Alan White), £165.
66 Craig Everett (Caldwell) & Stewart Savage (Dalmuir), £140.
67 Tom Eckford (Ranfurly Castle) & Stuart Kerr (Strathaven); Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) & Paul Wardell (Whitekirk), £95 each pair.
68 Jacky Montgomery (Dunbar) & Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), £80.
69 Scott Catlin (Greenburn) & Fraser McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle); Alastair Love (Charleton) & Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), £72.50 each pair.
70 Paul Brookes (Pitreavie) & Stuart Callan (Bathgate); Stephen Gray (Hayston) & Billy Marchbank (Crieff), £62.50 each pair.
71 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) & Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe); Ian Collins (Stirling) & Craig Maltman (Eyemouth); Gregor Abel (Alloa) & David Herd (Alloa); Stuart Syme (Dumfries & Co) & David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co).

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
Winter Series at Bogside
Par 71
66 Tom Eckford (Ranfurly Castle) & Gordon Stewart (Cawder) £175.
66 Billy Marchbank (Crieff) & Alan White (Lanark) £175.

68 Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) & Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) £125.

69 Ken Stevely (3Dgolf.com & Iain Pender (Aberfoyle) £90.
69 Alan E Reid (West Lothian) & Ross Ewen (West Lothian) £90.
69 Gordon Niven (St Andrews) & Alan Purdie (Kingbarns Golf Links) £90.

70 James McKinnon (Irvine) & Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill) £67.50.
70 Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) & Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir) £67.50.

Michael MacDougall succeeds

Gordon Dewar as Tartan Tour

administration supremo

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY PGA
The PGA today announces two staff changes which will have significance both at its National UK Headquarters and within its Scottish Region which is based at Gleneagles.
Gordon Dewar, who has been secretary to the PGA Scottish Region for the past three years, is leaving his post to join the National Tournament Department at the PGA’s Belfry headquarters.
He has accepted the role of Assistant to the Senior Director and will become a key member of the tournament staff team as the PGA seeks to grow its playing activities for members at all levels.
The vacated position of PGA Scottish Region Secretary will be filled by Michael MacDougall, pictured above, who himself has worked for the past year as a Tournament Director at national level.
This signals a return to Scotland for Michael as he had previously worked in the Scottish Region as a Tournament Controller.
Both Gordon and Michael are excited by the prospect of their new roles.Gordon said: “After working for 10 years within the Scottish Region, I’m now looking forward to fresh challenges in my career and I feel re-energised by the new role.”
Michael is equally thrilled with the prospect of leading the PGA activity within Scotland.
“The Scottish Region has always been the leading region within the PGA and it will be a great privilege and challenge to be at the helm in the years ahead. This is a very exciting time for the PGA with the build up to the 2014 Ryder Cup Match at Gleneagles.”
Alan White, Chairman of the PGA in Scotland and Professional at Lanark Golf Club, said he welcomes the changes.
“Gordon has given great service to Scotland over his ten years on staff and we all wish him well in his new role,” he said.
“Michael MacDougall was always a popular member of staff in Scotland and we welcome him back to this vital role within the PGA and Scotland. I am certain he will do an excellent job.”
Both appointments will officially come into place from January 1, 2010 but the remaining weeks of the year will see Michael and Gordon working closely together to ensure a smooth handover and take up of both roles.

Robin Wilson's picture in the Royal Dornoch clubhouse of Hamish Macrae (Royal Dornoch vice-captain) presenting the winner's cheque to Gareth Wright. Runner-up Mark Kerr comes next followed by joint third finishers Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar).

Gareth Wright wins Royal Dornoch Young

Masters title despite mediocre finish

Former Welsh amateur international Gareth Wright, son of the West Linton club pro near Edinburgh, won the Royal Dornoch Young Masters title and cheque for £840 in less than convincing manner over the world-ranked links course today.

Wright, leader by two shots after an opening round of one-under-par 69, slipped to a 74 second time round for a three-over-par total of 143. He did not have a single birdie in his second round and was four over par for the last six holes - double bogey at the short 13th, bogey at the 14th and a three-putt bogey at the 18th for 39 home.

Fortunately for Gareth, his nearest challengers at the start of the day were not able to take advantage and it was Mark Kerr, who had an opening 74, who made a run with a 70 which came up one short of forcing a play-off with a 144 aggregate. The Dalmahoy player birdied the first, ninth, 10th and 15th but shed shots at the eighth, 12th, 13th and 16th in halves of 34 and 36.

Kerr collected £644 for second place. Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), with the day's joint best round of 69, and Nairn Dunbar's Malcolm Isaacs, who had a 71, tied for third place on 145 and earned £451 each.

LEADING TOTALS

Par 140 (2x70)

143 Gareth Wright (West Linton) 69 74 (£840).

144 Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) 74 70 (£644).

145 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 76 69, Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 74 71 (£451.50 each).

146 Bobby Wallace (Bearsden) 74 72 (£329).
147 Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park) 74 73, Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Graham Fox (West Kilbride), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 71 76 (£241.50 each).
148 Mark Finlayson (Edzell) 75 73, Ross Neill (Drumpellier) 72 76 (£182 each).
149 Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch) 7 74, Matthew Burt (Helensburgh) 74 75, Malcolm Murray(Bearsden) 74 75 (£147 each).

150 Graeme Brown (Montrose), Michael Rae (Alyth) 80 70, David Patrick (Elie) 80 70, James McGhee (Turnhouse) 76 74, Andrew Rollo (Moray) 74 76, Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre) 74 76.

151 Daniel Wood (Eyemouth) 77 74, Gareth Hardy (Ayr Belleisle) 77 74, Peter Mitchell (Hermitage) 76 75 (£103.36 each).

152 David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co) 80 72, Alan Gibson (Troon Municipal) 77 75, Chris Conroy (Paisley) 75 77, Nathan Keast (Duff House Royal) 73 79 (£97.30 each).

153 Alan Martin (Dunbar) 80 73, Alan Mackay (Pumpherston) 76 77 (£93.10 each).

155 Ross Ewen (West Lothian) 80 75 (£91).

156 Christopher Currie (Caldwell) 83 73, Alastair Love (Charleton) 81 75, Steven Mann (unatt) 79 77, Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle) 76 80 (£87.50 each).

157 Michael Sweenie (Turnberry) 84 73, David Snodgrass (Hilton Park) 82 75, Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm) 81 76, Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs) 81 76, Peter McLachaln (West Kilbride) 78 79, Mark Barnard (unatt) 76 81, Alasdair McDonald (Elie) 75 82 (£69 each).

158 Scott Herald (Mearns Castle) 83 75, Stuart McEwing (Montrose) 81 77.

159 Graham Mackay (Prestonfield) 81 78, Robin Gaden (unatt) 80 79.

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
ROYAL DORNOCH YOUNG MASTERS
Royal Dornoch Golf Club
FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Par 70
69 Gareth Wright (West Linton).
71 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills).
72 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Graham Fox (West Kilbride).
73 Nathan Keast (Duff House Royal).
74 Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park), Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy), Bobby Wallace (Bearsden), Malcolm Murray (Bearsden), Matthew Burt (Helensburgh), Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre), Andrew Rollo (Moray), Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar).
75 Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch), Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Alasdair McDonald (Elie), Chris Conroy (Paisley).
76 Alan Mackay (Pumpherston), Mark Baranard (unatt), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle), James McGhee (Turnhouse), Peter Mitchell (Hermitage).
77 Gareth Hardy (Ayr Belleisle), Alan Gibson (Troon Municipal), Daniel Wood (Eyemouth), Ian Rowlands (West Linton).
78 Craig Knowles (P)anmure), Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride), Stewart Winter (Callander).
79 Keil Beveridge (Aboyne), Steven Mann (unatt), Scott Spence (unatt).
80 Steven Chalmers (Banchroy), David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co), Alan Martin (Dunbar), David Patrick (Elie), Robin Gaden (unatt), Ross Ewen (West Lothian), Michael Rae (Alyth), Adam Rolfe (Royal Troon).

Gales cut Royal Dornoch Young Masters' pro-am to nine holes

By ROBIN WILSON
Saturday's gales forced a suspension of play in the Royal Dornoch Young Masters pro-am after all teams had completed nine holes. Their scores at this point were used to determine the prizewinners.
The Royal Dornoch local trio of Paul York, Dennis Albutt and Moira Rennie with professional James McGhee (Turnhouse) had a winning nine-hole total of 23pts , two clear of a trio of clubgolf Scotland junior coaches, Robert Carr (Strathpeffer), Simon Stokes (Invergordon) and Jean Hunter (Bonar Bridge-Ardgay) playing alongside local young professional Greig McBain.
With 20pt another Dornoch team came third - Neil Gordon, Grant Shannon, and Lena Cordes with East Kilbride's Graham Fox.

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
DUNBAR PRO-AM
Par 71
66 Alastair Webster (Edzell) £1,01.54
67 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Samuel Cairns (Colville Park), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) £617.42 each.
69 David Orr (East Renfrewshire), Stephen Gray (Hayston), Alan Tait (Marriott Dalmahoy), Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) £285.30 each.
70 Gordon Law (Uphall), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre), Mark King (Kingsfield), Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle), Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), Craig Ronald (Carluke), Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) £144.45 each).
71 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) £95.22 each.
72 Chris Kelly (Cawder) £79.92.
73 Andrew Marshall (Houston GR), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) £65.18 each.
75 Alastair Love (Charleton), Richard Mannering (Playstport Golf), Alan Martin (Dunbar) £48.39 each.
76 Jonathan Lomas (unatt) £48.39.
77 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) £48.39.

Mark King, Robert Arnott

glad to swop hickory clubs

for PGA four-ball

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA
Two Scottish world hickory champions will be out to show they are just as handy with modern golf equipment when they tee up in next week's SkyCaddie PGA Four-ball Championship supported by Sunderland.
Mark King and Robert Arnott head south to Forest Pines Golf and Country Club in Lincolnshire next week on the back of their respective victories in the World Professional Hickory Championship at Gullane and the World Hickory Open Strokeplay Challenge at Musselburgh.

The long time friends from Kirkintilloch face stiff competition from 60 other pairs from Great Britain and Ireland in the 54-hole final from October 7-9 but while the duo are likely to be the only players in the field with world titles to their name, King admits it will be a relief to be taking them on with the more traditional golfing weaponry of the 21st century.
“The world hickory championship is just a bit of fun but to be honest it’s quite difficult to play with those clubs and hats off to those guys who had to play with them all the time. I don’t how they managed it,” said King, a teaching professional from Kingsfield Golf Range.
The championship carries a £30,000 prize fund and with the successful campaigns on the Tartan Tour behind them, the duo are well placed to stake a claim to the £5,000 winners’ cheque.
Arnott, from Bishopbriggs Golf Range, finished third in Scottish Region Order of Merit to win a place at the end of season PGA Play-Offs while King achieved an 11th placed finish.They will be aiming for an improved showing on last year in the four-ball final where they finished in a share of 12th.
“We did okay last year but didn’t make enough birdies. Basically to have any chance you’ve got to be making plenty of them,” said King.“There’s no great master plan, we’ll just go out and play our games and see how it goes.
“I’ve known Rob for years; we get on well and don’t blame each for any bad shots so it’s a good partnership.“It will be the first time I’ve played Forest Pines but I think Rob may have played it before.“Rob’s got the play-offs coming up after that but it will be last event of the year for me so it would be nice to sign off in style with a win.”
Also in the final will be Turnhouse pair Scott Grieve and James McGhee who topped the Scottish qualifier at Musselburgh. They will be joined by Andrew Locke and Ryan Fitzpatrick, both from Inchmarlo Golf Centre, Banchory

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
RRS DISCOVERY PRO-AM
Downfield Golf Club, Dundee
Par 73
67 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), David Orr (East Renfrewshire) £781 each.
68 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) £520.70.
69 Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design) £390.52.
70 Andrew Oldcorn (King's Acre), Craig Lee (unatt) £286.38 each.
71 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) £225.46.
72 Andrew Crerar (Panmure), Stephen Gray (Hayston), Kenneth Hutton(Downfield), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) £158.42 each.
73 Mark King (Kingsfield), Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) £117.15 each.
74 Ian Graham Crow Wood), Chris Kelly (Cawder), Gordon Law (Uphall), Jonathan Lomas (unatt) £91.82.
77 Craig Ronald (Carluke) £68.25.
78 Barry Smith (Downfield), Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) £56.59 each.
80 Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) £43.01.

Only Kelly is up to par at

windy Duke's Challenge

The Duke’s Course, St Andrews proved too tough a test for the majority of the Tartan Tour field who played in the Duke’s Challenge today.
In windy conditions, only Cawder’s Chris Kelly was able to match the par of 71 to win the top prize of £455.
Bogeys, double bogeys and triple bogeys – and even a 12 at par-4 fifth by a player who shall remain namelessss – abounded as even players of the calibre of former PGA champion Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) and PGA Cup team player Craig Matheson failed to break 80.
“It is a tough course and it was quite windy,” said PGA Scottish Region tournament director Hugh Malcom. “I should also add that quite a few of the field are not regular tournament competitors.”
Kelly kept a double bogey off his card in halves of 34 (two under par) and 37 (two over par). He birdied the second, fourth and long sixth before he dropped a shot at the seventh. Coming home, Kelly bogeyed the long 11th, 15th and short 16th with only one birdie, a 2 at the short 12th.
Kelly was one of the later starters as was the man he demoted from the clubhouse lead, Northern Open champion Craig Lee. Lee picked up £370 with a one-over-par 72, thanks to four birdies (first, fifth, 11th and 14th) and five bogeys in halves of 37 and 35.
The three men who tied for third place on 73 and won £236 apiece were former Scottish PGA champion Mark Loftus (Cowglen), who had a triple bogey 7 at the 15th, past European Tour rookie of the year Scott Henderson (Kings Links), despite a double bogey 7 at the 11th ., and past Ryder Cup player Ronan Rafferty who had three birdies and five bogeys on his card.
Sixth placed Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) could have more than doubled his money (£155), even won the tournament had he not run up a quadruple bogey 7 at the short seventh in an outward half of 40 en route to a 74 which included hard-fought pars at the last eight holes.
Oldcorn had a double bogey 7 at the first and a triple bogey 7 at the 13th in halves of 41 and 39 for an 80.
Matheson had a triple bogey 7 at the seventh and a triple bogey 6 at the short 16th in his 81 (39-42).
An eagle 2 at the 396yd ninth helped Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) finish joint seventh on 75.

FINAL SCORES
Par 71
71 Chris Kelly (Cawder) £455.
72 Craig Lee (unatt) £370.
73 Mark Loftus (Cowglen), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Ronan Rafferty (unatt) £236 each.
74 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) £155.
75 Ken Campbell (Machrihanish), Gregor Abel (Alloa), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) £118 each.
76 Scott Herald ( Mearns Castle ), Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar ), Ayden Roberts-Jones (Duke’s Course), Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) £25 each.
77 David F G Scott (Duke’s Course, James McGhee (Turnhouse), Lee Harper (Archerfield Links).
79 Stuart Kerr (Strathaven), Alan Mackay (Pumpherston), Graeme Brown (Montreose).
80 Anthony Caira (Kirkcaldy), Ron Walker (unatt), Jamie Carver (St Andrews Golf Store), Alastair Love (Charleton), Chris McCalman (unatt), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre).
81 Craig Matheson ( Falkirk Tryst).
82 Ewan Davie (Dunblane New), Garry Forrester ( St Andrews Golf School ).
83 Paul Wardell (Whitekirk).
85 Ross Neill (Drumpellier), Patrick Walker (PGA Golf Management).
86 Scott Grieve (Turnhouse).
87 Stewart Winter (Callander).
94 William Fairfull-Smith (Cowglen), Stuart McEwing (Montrose).
107 Matthew Laughtland (Cawder)
NRs Ian Robertson (unatt), Peter McLachlan ( West Kilbride ).
Retired Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club).

Tartan Tour four-ball match-play

championship is down to semi-finals

A starting field of 64 pairs is down to the last four with the semi-finals of the PGA Scottish Region’s Fellowship four-ball match-play championship, supported by Powakaddy, being played over the Queen’s Course at Gleneagles Hotel on Tuesday morning.
The first semi-final, teeing off at 8am, will feature Graeme Bell (Linlithgow) and David Park (Wishaw) against Alan Waugh (Clydebank & District) and Grant Miller (Old Ranfurly).
The second semi-final at 8.10 will see Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) and Craig Everett (Caldwell) play the Mearns Castle pairing of George Boswell and Adam Hunter.
The final will be played over the Centenary Course, starting at 1pm.
The quarter-finals were played over the King’s Course with Bell and Park having a good 5 and 4 win over Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) and Stephen Gray (Hayston).
Waugh and Miller were 3 and 1 winners over the West Lothian duo, Ross Ewen and Alan Reid.
In the lower half of the draw, the experienced Savage and Everett won by 4 and 3 against Sean O’Donnell (Balbirnie Park) and Alyth’s Michael Rae.
Boswell and Hunter won by 3 and 2 against the all-Downfield pairing of Kenny Hutton and Scott Ewing.
QUARTER-FINALS
Queen’s Course, Gleneagles Hotel
G Bell (Linlithgow) & D Park (Wishaw) bt N Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) & S Gray (Hayston) 5 and 4.
A Waugh (Clydebank & Dist) & G Miller (Old Ranfurly) bt R Ewen & A E Reid (West Lothian) 3 and 1.
S Savage (Dalmuir) & C Everett (Caldwell) bt S O’Donnell (Balbirnie Park) & M Rae (Alth) 4 and 3.
G Boswell & A Hunter (Mearns Castle) bt S McEwing & K Hutton (Downfield) 3 and 2.

Mark is King of the Hickory Shafts

Joint sixth overnight, Mark King forged to the front with the best second round of two-over-par 73 to win the world professional hickory championship by two shots with a two-round total of six-over 148 over the Gullane No 2 course.
King, Scottish boys’ match-play champion at Dunbar in 1989, was winning on the Tartan Tour for the fourth time this season – and the cheque for £2,011 was almost double his previous best in 2009.
Runners-up on 150 were last year’s winner and 1983 Walker Cup player, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) and Gullane’s Alasdair Good, playing only his second ever competitive round with hickory-shafted clubs.
Mann’s rounds were 76 and 74, Good’s 73 and 77. Each earned £1,408.
There were two Manns in the top six with Lindsay’s brother Fraser sharing fourth place with Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) and Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) on 151 for which the trio received £742 each. Fraser Mann and Wardell both scored 74 and 77, Oldcorn, joint overnight leader with Good and Steven Taylor, had rounds of 73 and 78.
Former British women’s open amateur stroke play champion Heather MacRae, who is doing her PGA training with Alasdair Good as her boss and mentor, finished one shot outside the money.
She had scores of 84 and 82 for 31st place on 166. The £12,500 prize fund stretched as far as 30th place. Hard luck, Heather! Although she is confident that now she is getting the hang of playing with and against male pros, she will earn a £ or two on next year’s Tartan Tour.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
148 Mark King (Kingsfield) 75 73, £2,011.
150 Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) 76 74, Alasdair Good (Gullane) 73 77, £1,408 each.
151 Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 74 77, Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 74 77, Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 73 78, £742 each.
152 David Thomson (Carnegie Club) 78 74, David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 76 76, Jacky Montgomery (Dunbar) 76 76, Sean O’Donnell (Balbirnie Park) 76 76, Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 73 789, £397 each.
155 Graeme Brown (Montrose) 79 76, £281.
156 Marc Amort (Germany) 80 76, Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR) 79 77, Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) 75 81, £241 each.
157 Perry Somers (unatt) 78 79, £201.
158 Andrew Marshall (Houston GR) 79 769, Norman Huguet (Musselburgh) 679 69, Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 75 83, £161 each.
159 Nigel Scott-Smith (Palacerigg) 82 77, Alastair MacKenzie (Duddingston) 78 81, £122 each.
160 Stefan Bjalllroth (Sweden) 81 69, Klas Ohlsson (Sweden) 77 83, £102 each.
161 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) 78 83 £93.
162 John McTear (Mar Hall Hotel) 87 75, Derek Watters (Gourock) 80 82, Thomas Buchanan (Duddingston) 78 84, £85 each.
163 Owe Werner (Sweden) 84 79, £76.
164 Richard Valentine Craigielaw) 85 79, £71.
165 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 80 85, £67.
166 Heather MacRae (Gullane) 84 82.
167 Iain Forrester (Holland) 82 85.
171 Jody Rostock (Carnegie Club) 87 84.
175 James Mooney Kingscliff Golf Solutions) 86 89.
Retired: Mark Pirie (Pitlochry) 83 -.
Disqualified: Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design) 82 -.

World Hickory Challenge Scoreboard
MUSSELBURGH LINKS
FINAL TOTALS
Par 68
71 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range) £1,250.
73 Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) £1,000.
74 Klas Ohlsson (Sweden), Fraser Mann (Musselburgh), Mark King (Kingsfield), Perry Somers (unatt) £953 each).
75 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) £311 each, Alan Minto (unatt) (amateur).
76 Lee Harper (Archerfield Links), Dean Robertson (Mearns Castle) (£233 each, Boris Lietzow (unatt) (amateur).
77 Jacky Montgomery (Dunbar), Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy), Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) £181 each, Lennart Ohlsson (unatt) (amateur), Mattias Tjernstrom (unatt) amn.
78 David Thomson (Carnegie Club) £155, Ewen glen (unatt) (am).
79 Thomas Buchanan (Duddingston), Alastair Mackenzie (Duddingston) £136 each.
80 John McTear (Mar Hall Hotel Golf & Spa), James Mooney (Kingscliff Golf Solutions) £110 each.
81 Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) £91, Graham Wilson (unatt) (amateur).
83 Kiell Wiberg (unatt) (amateur), Sten Berg (unatt) (amateur).
84 Fraser McLaughlan (bothwell Castle), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) £821 each, Anders Werneman (unatt) (amateur).

FOUR TIE IN STIRLING PRO-AM

Four players - Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre), Mark Loftus (Cowglen) and Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) - tied for victory on four-under-par 68 in the rescheduled Stirling Golf Club pro-am today.
They each earned £666.
They won by a shot from Mark King (Kingsfield), Fraser McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle) and Fraser Mann (Musselburgh).
Next, on 71, came Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), Chris Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), Craig Ronald (Carluke) and Graham Fox (East Kilbride).
Fox led the Guardian Systems trio of amateurs, Fred Findlay, Scott Braid and George Wilson, to victory with a net 58 after a card countback that went down to the last three holes.
Leading pros
Par 72
68 S Taylor (Bothwell Castle), A Oldcorn (Kings Acre), M Loftus (Cowglen), C Gillies (Playsport Golf).
69 M King (Kingsfield), F McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle), F Mann (Musselburgh).
71 S O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), C Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), C Ronald (Carluke), G Fox (East Kilbride).

LETHAM GRANGE REPORT, SCORES

David Patrick two shots clear


at halfway in Scottish young


professionals' title race

David Patrick, a Lothians amateur team star in the 1990s and Walker Cup player at Nairn in 1999, has a two-stroke lead with two rounds to go in the Scottish Young Professionals championship at Letham Grange Hotel and Golf Resort, near Arbroath.
Patrick, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, playing out of the Elie club, has shot a pair of 70s over the testing par-73 lay-out for a six-under-par tally of 140.
To lead after running up a double bogey 7 at the sixth in his first round has been a pretty good effort by Patrick who cruised to the turn in his second round in three-under-par 34 with birdies at the long third and sixth and the short eight.
Then came a bit of a wobble with bogeys at the 12th and 13th but he went clear of the field again by covering the last five holes in two under par, thanks to birdies at the long 14th and short 15th.
Curiously enough, Dunbar's Neil Fenwick, two shots behind in second place on 142, also had a double bogey 7 at the sixth in his first round 70. He had birdies at the fourth, ninth, 14th and 15th in a second-round 72 but bogeys at the fifth, seventh and 16th allowed Patrick to finished with a clear lead.
Sharing third place on 143 are overnight leader James McGhee (Turnhouse) and Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park). McGhee, who had led by four with an opening 66, had a nightmarish 77 in the second round. He opened with a double bogey 6 in an outward half of three-over-par 40 and a triple bogey 7 disaster at the 11th.
Duncan has had steadier rounds of 72 and 71, although, like Fenwick, he allowed Patrick to get away from him over the closing holes. Duncan bogeyed the 15th and 18th .
Defending champion Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch) moved up to a share of eighth place on 148 with a second-round 73 (39-34).

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 146 (2x73)
140 David Patrick (Elie) 70 70.
142 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 70 72.
143 Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park) 72 71, James McGhee (Turnhouse) 66 77.
144 Christopher Currie (Caldewell) 76 68.
145 Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 71 74.
147 Graeme Brown (Montrose) 77 70.
148 Matthew Burt (Helensburgh) 72 76, Scott Herald (Mearns Castle) 75 73, Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch) 75 73, Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe) 72 76.
149 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) 74 75, Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre) 72 77.
150 David Broadfoot (Dumfri9es & Co) 75 75, Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway) 76 74, Michael Rae (Alyth) 75 75, Alasdair McDonald (Elie) 74 76, Graham Fox (East Kilbride) 75 75, Andrew McHardy (Noah's Ark GC) 76 74.
151 Nathan Keast (Duff Hoouse Royal) 71 80, David Blackadder (Kingsbarns) 77 74, .
153 Oliver Morton (Gullane) 76 77, Alan Martin (Dunbar) 75 78, Peter Mitchell (Hermitage) 78 75, Ross Neill (Drumpellier) 76 77.
154 David Laing (Craigielaw) 76 78.
155 Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park) 75 80, Michael Baxter (Westerwood) 79 76, Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club) 84 71.
156 Ross MacLeod (Greaves Sport) 78 78, Gareth Hardy (Belleisle) 78 78.
157 Bobby Wallace (Bearsden) 77 80, Graeme Fisher (Mearns Castle) 75 82, Stuart Williamson (Kirkhill) 76 81, Calum Lawson (Blairgowrie) 79 78, Daniel Wood (Eyemouth) 78 79, Paul Hubner (Eastwood) 81 76, Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm) 80 77.
158 Alistair Brown (Whitecreaigs) 82 76.
159 Alastair Love (Charleton) 76 83.
MISSED THE CUT
160 Ross Murdoch (Dumfries & Galloway) 78 82, Stewart Winter (Callander) 82 78, Graham Mackay (Prestonfield) 81 79.
161 Christopher McMaster (Panmure) 77 84, David Snodgrass (Hilton Park) 78 83.
162 Nicky Sinclair (Prestwick) 77 85, Mark Bruce (Gullane) 83 79, Matthew Laughland (Cawder) 79 83.
163 Michael Sweenie (Turnberry) 77 86, Steven Mann (Newmachar) 81 82, Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle) 82 81.
164 Alan Stuart (Aspire) 82 82, Adam Rolfe (Royal Troon) 80 84, Christopher Boyle (Lanark) 85 79.
165 Craig Knowles (Panmure) 85 80, Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club) 83 82, Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride) 90 75.
166 Kris McGowan (Burntisland) 86 80, Ross Ewen (West Lothian) 81 85.
167 Keil Beveridge (Aboyne) 84 83, Richard Hyland (Craibstone) 86 81, Michael Mackenzie (Forfar) 81 86.
168 Stuart Hutchison (Scottish Golf Centre) 89 79.
169 Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir) 81 88.
170 Sam McLaren (unatt) 81 89, Paul Wilson (World of Golf) 83 87, Scott Bergin (Royoal Musselburgh) 82 88.
171 Luke Barbour (Cruden Bay) 91 80, Alan Gibson (Troon Municpal) 88 83.
172 Nicola Melville (Old Course Hotel) 87 85, Iain Stoddart (Uphall) 89 83.
173 Ross Dennison (Inverness) 90 83.
174 Russell McIntyre (Prestonfield) 86 88.
176 Stuart McEwing (Montrose) 85 91.
180 Sven Nielsen (Turnberry) 89 91.

Scottish Young Professionals' Championship

MCGHEE LEADS BY FOUR AFTER 66 IN FIRST ROUND AT LETHAM GRANGE Turnhouse’s James McGhee slipped the field with a brilliant effort of seven-under-par 66 in the first round of the 72-hole Scottish young professionals’ golf championship at Letham Grange Hotel & Golf Resort, near Arbroath today (Tuesday). McGhee picked up eight birdies over the par-73 course – at the first, sixth, seventh, ninth, 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th in halves of 33 (four under par) and 33 (three under). His only bogey came at the 13th. McGhee posted the clubhouse target early in the day and no one even threatened it. Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) and David Patrick (Elie) got the closest with 70 apiece. Strangely enough, both had double bogey 7s at the 480yd sixth hole. Fenwick had begun with three birdies. He came home in 34, compared with Patrick’s 33. Defending champion Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch) might be pushed to make the leading 40 and ties who will advance after the second round to the final 36 holes. McBain had a 75 with bogeys at the second, seventh, eighth, 16th and 18th. He did birdie the third, 10th and 14th in halves of 39 and 36. SCOREBOARD FIRST ROUND Par 73 66 James McGhee (Turnhouse). 70 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), David Patrick (Elie). 71 Nathan Keast (Duff House Royal), Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar). 72 Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park), Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre), Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe), Matthew Burt (Helensburgh). 74 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Alasdair McDonald (Elie). 75 Graham Fox (East Kilbride), Scott Herald (Mearns Castle), Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch), David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co), Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park), Michael Rae (Alyth), Graeme Fisher (Mearns Castle), Alan Martin (Dunbar). 76 Christopher Currie (Caldwell), Andrew McHardy (Noah's Ark GC), Ross Neill (Drumpellier), Alastair Love (Charleton), Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway), David Laing (Craigielaw), Oliver Morton (Gullane), Stuart Williamson (Kirkhill). 77 David Blackadder (Kingsbarns), Graeme Brown (Montrose), Bobby Wallace (Bearsden), Nicky Sinclair (Prestwick), Christopher McMaster (Panmure), Michael Sweenie (Turnberry). 78 David Snodgrass (Hilton Park), Ross MacLeod (Greaves Sport), Ross Murdoch (Dumfries & Galloway), Peter Mitchell (Hermitage), Gareth Hardy (Belleisle), Daniel Wood (Eyemouth). 79 Matthew Laughland (Cawder), Michael Baxter (Westerwood), Calum Lawson (Blairgowrie). 80 Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm), Adam Rolfe (Royal Troon). 81 Michael Mackenzie (Forfar), Paul Hubner (Eastwood), Steven Mann (Newmachar), Sam McLaren (unatt), Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir), Graham Mackay (Prestonfield). 82 Scott Bergin (Royal Musselburgh), Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle), Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs), Stewart Winter (Callander), Alan Stuart (Aspire GC). 83 Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club), Paul Wilson (World of Golf), Mark Bruce (Gullane). 84 Kein Campbell (Balmore), Keil Beveridge (Aboyne), Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club). 85 Craig Knowles (Panmure), Stuart McEwing (Montrose), Christopher Boyle (Lanark). 86 Russell McIntyre (Prestonfield), Kris McGowan (Burntisland), Grant Robertson (Lanark), Richard Hyland (Craibstone). 87 Nicola Melville (Old Course Hotel), William Fairfull-Smith (Cowglen). 88 Alan Gibson(Troon Municipal). 89 Sven Nielsen (Turnberry), Stuart Hutchison (Scottish Golf Centre), Iain Stoddart (Uphall). 90 Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride), Ross Dennison (Inverness). 91 Luke Barbour (Cruden Bay). Retired Ewan Hogarth (Peebles). Disqualified Clarke Lutton (Qatar Golf), Duncan Anderson (Ladybank), Ian Rowlands (West Linton), Adam Aitken (Dumfries & Co), Jonathan Holmes (Buchanan Castle).