KYLE STANLEY LEADS US PGA TOUR EVENT BY FIVE STROKES

Kyle Stanley has gone five shots clear of the field with only Sunday's final round to come in this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, California.
Stanley shot a third-round 68 for an 18-under-par 54-hole tally of 198.
Nearest challenges are fellow Americans John Huh and John Rollins on 203.
Justin Rose is the leading Englishman in joint 25th place on 209.
Russell Knox did not survive the 36-hole cut. Neither did Phil Mickelson!

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
Players from US unless stated
198 Kyle Stanley 62 68 68.
203 John Huh 64 71 68, John Rollins 70 65 68.
204 Bill Haas 63 71 70, Sang-Moon Bae (South Korea) 65 67 72.
Selected scores
209 Justin Rose (England) 71 68 70 (T25)
213 Greg Owen (England) 75 67 71, Gary Christian (England) 72 70 71 (T57)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

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KIWI McCALL LEADS LAKE MACQUARIE CH/SHIP AFTER SUPER 63

Twenty-year-old New Zealander Vaughan McCall soared up the leader board on the third day of the Lake Macquarie Men’s International Golf Championship with a course record equalling round of nine under 63 today. McCall, who plays at the Gore Club on the bottom of the South Island, had an eagle 2 on the par 4 second hole when he holed out his second shot with a wedge.
He had seven birdies on holes 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 15 and 18 and no bogeys in his remarkable round.
McCall had a three under first round of 69 and a one under 71 yesterday and is now in third place at 13 under 203 with one day to go.
“When I holed out on two I knew something special was happening,” he said after his round
today. “ I’ve been playing golf for seven years and this is my best round.”
McCall came to Australia to play in the Australian Amateur Championships last year but this is his first try at the Lake Macquarie tournament.
Still vying for the lead in the tournament are German, Marcel Schneider, who shot five under 67 today to bring his total for the three rounds to 15 under 201 and Caboolture champion Daniel Nisbet, who carded 69 today for a total of 14 under 202.
Best of the local challengers is 18 year old Charlestown product Jake Higginbottom who is four off the pace after a four under 68 today to bring his total to 205.
Higginbottom , 15th in World Amateur rankings, is one of the favourites for the event.
Schneider and Nesbit fought out the Australian Amateur Championships at Woodlands, Melbourne, last week when Schneider won on the 37th hole of the 36 hole match play final.
They are expected to stage an exciting rematch tomorrow (Sunday).

ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE OWNERS MEETING

VENUE: Abbotsley Golf Hotel, Potton Road, St.Neots, PE19 6XN

MONDAY 13TH FEBRUARY 2012, 11.30 a.m.

AGENDA

Welcome and Registration from 11 a.m.

Introduction

Update on the Chipping Sodbury Case, involvement, finance, parties involved

Bridport and West Dorset – what it means, the appeal

What if the cases succeed?

Unjust enrichment, partial exemption

VAT – short overview of past – pre-1990, 1993 and all that, 1998-1999 and all that

Abbotsley success case with VAT and others

Subject to commercial influence – the 1999 farce

Fiscal Neutrality – recent cases

Reduced rate VAT – progress on lobbying and negotiation

Our Lobbying work – how we can all work together

Corporation Tax – History, A century of tax evasion, the worst offenders

Producing a level playing field with corporation tax – our action in 2012

How you can help

CASC – the nail in the coffin and the abuse

Affiliation fees to national and county governing bodies.

AGCO’S 2011-2012 Research and Presentation of Report

Some of the above will be dealt with on hand-outs and possibly sent beforehand once major report is finalised.
Questions and comments throughout.
Joint working party approach.

If you haven’t yet booked your place and would like to attend please email us.

Please also ascertain who is your local MP and any additional ones for your members. It would be helpful if you could bring a couple of sheets of your headed notepaper with you to send out lobbying material and report direct from the meeting to your MP/MPs.

Vivien Saunders

Email: viv@abbotsley.com. 07956 628338

Abbotsley Golf Hotel, Potton Road, St Neots, PE19 6XN – 01480 211699

CALLUM MACAULAY NOW ONLY THREE SHOTS OFF PACE IN INDIA

From Challenge Tour Press Officer
 Paul Symes
Callum Macaulay believes he is firmly in contention to win the Gujarat Kensville Challenge after a three under par round of 69 in tough conditions at Kensville Golf and Country Club moved him to within three shots off the lead, going into the final round in India.
The 28 year old former Scottish amateur champion from Tulliallan, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, carded four birdies and just one bogey in a round which included a superb save on the par five ninth hole, when he got up and down for par after his second shot, a six iron from 244 yards, carried into a water hazard behind the green.
“I was in a great position,” he said. “I had 244 yards to the flag, hit a six iron and it went through the green and into the water. I couldn’t believe it when I got up there and it was in the water, but I got it up and down for par and then stayed patient on the back nine and got a birdie at the last.
“That up and down kept my momentum going though, I was pretty annoyed that I went through the green. It literally went, from ball to finish, about 270 yards, a six iron. I’m lucky if I hit my driver 270, never mind the six iron! It’s just that you get very hard bounces out there and that was just one of them and it went the wrong way for me, but overall I’m delighted.”
While the conditions did not favour the Falkirk-born man on that occasion, he feels that the course is a good match for his game and, after finishing tied 11th here last year, is hopeful that he can go one step further and take the title.
“I feel great, I’m striking the ball well,” he continued. “I’ve been working hard on my game. I’ve been working on my fitness recently too and I’ve not felt tired at all on the course this week, and out here that’s a big thing. Hopefully I can keep doing the same things tomorrow, hole a few more putts and see what happens.
“It’s a course that I like and it’s similar kind of style to home, it’s brick hard and it’s windy so it maybe plays into my hands. There’s one day to go and if I can keep doing what I’m doing, hopefully I’ll be there or thereabouts.”
Chris Doak is six shots off the lead going into the final day after he remained level par thanks to a steady round of 72 on the Jeev Milkha Singh-designed course, while Raymond Russell was also tied 14th alongside his compatriot on level par after a two over par round of 74.

Gangjee one step closer to Gujarat glory

Rahil Gangjee took one more step towards securing victory on his Challenge Tour debut after a one over par round of 73 kept him in pole position heading into the final day of the Gujarat Kensville Challenge, where he is one shot clear of Dodge Kemmer and Max Kieffer on six under, writes Neil Ahern.The 33 year old began the day tied for the lead with his compatriot Shiv Kapur, but a blustery day on the tough Jeev Milkha Singh-designed Kensville Golf and Country Club course claimed many victims and Kapur was one of them, as he dropped to tied 11th with a six over par round of 78.
American Kemmer, on his Challenge Tour debut, and Germany’s Kieffer made hay in the tough conditions as they both carded two under par rounds of 70 to move into tied second place, while there were four players a shot further back in tied fourth.
Gangjee would become the second successive Indian, as well as the second successive Challenge Tour debutant, to win the Gujarat Kensville Challenge after Gaganjeet Bhullar triumphed in the inaugural event on his first appearance on the Tour last year.
The Calcutta man looked on course to establishing a commanding lead, as he was one under for the day when he stepped onto the 16th tee courtesy of birdies at the first, fourth, ninth and 15th holes, combined with bogeys at the second, fifth and seventh.
A bogey at the 16th, however, was followed by an untimely double-bogey at the 17th, where he four-putted after reaching the green in three.
“It was going OK until the 17th hole,” he said. “Then it started to go badly wrong. My first putt from just off the green rolled up the hill and picked up speed as soon as it got to the top, and rolled way past the hole. I thought my next putt was uphill, but it was a lot faster than any other putt I had today, and it ended up 25 feet from the hole. At that point, I felt so embarrassed – it felt like I was playing hockey!
“I’m still going to play positively on the last day, because it’s the only way I know how. If it’s going to be as firm as it was today, someone’s going to have to go really low to come through the field and overtake me.
“As Gary Player said, you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. I’m probably going to have some nerves, because you’re not human if you don’t, but I’m now much more confident of controlling them.”
Kemmer, meanwhile, continues to dream of a winning Challenge Tour debut after he carded three birdies on the back nine to make up for his single bogey on the front nine and finish the day on five under par.
“Given the conditions out there today, I’ve got to be pleased with that round,” admitted the Californian. “Other than the sixth, I managed to keep the bogeys off my card, and a few birdies on the way in have put me into a pretty good position going into the last day.”
The 24 year old was thoroughly enjoying his first Challenge Tour experience and is keen to play more on the European circuit, something that would be made all the much easier with a win in India.
“I’ve got my Asian Tour card after coming through Qualifying last week,” he said. “But my main goal is to get onto The European Tour by the end of the season. I’m really enjoying my first Challenge Tour event, and I can definitely see myself playing in Europe for the next few years. I think it’d be a lot of fun.”
Kieffer is also chasing a first win on the Challenge Tour after finishing 57th in the Rankings in his first season last season, coming close to victory at the ALLIANZ Challenge de France, where he finished runner-up after losing a play-off against his compatriot Nicolas Meitinger.
The German had three birdies on the front nine, at the fourth, sixth and seventh holes whilst also bogeying the fifth to reach the turn in 34, before a bogey on the 10th was followed by a birdie on the 14th to leave him two under par for the day and five under for the tournament.
“It’s great to be in contention again,” said the 21 year old. “The last time was in France last May, when I lost in a play-off. I was a bit disappointed not to have got into contention again last season, but I’m really looking forward to the final day, and hopefully I can get the job done this time.”
Phillip Archer, Jens Dantorp, Andreas Hartø and Luke Goddard are the four players in tied fourth spot while Oskar Henningsson and Callum Macaulay are a shot further back.
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
210 R Gangjee (Ind) 68 69 73
211 D Kemmer (USA) 69 72 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71 70
212 J Dantorp (Swe) 70 68 74, A Hartø (Den) 73 70 69, L Goddard (Eng) 71 71 70, P Archer (Eng) 73 71 68
213 O Henningsson (Swe) 73 72 68, C Macaulay (Sco) 74 70 69
214 S Benson (Eng) 70 68 76,
215 S Kapur (Ind) 69 68 78, P Dwyer (Eng) 71 72 72, B Åkesson (Swe) 70 73 72,
216 J Gibb (Eng) 72 72 72, R Russell (Sco) 73 69 74, C Doak (Sco) 74 70 72, C Lloyd (Eng) 72 70 74, C Brazillier (Fra) 72 70 74
217 D Gaunt (Aus) 73 68 76, A Snobeck (Fra) 71 71 75, C Paisley (Eng) 72 70 75
218 B Parker (Eng) 71 73 74, C Hanson (Eng) 72 73 73, G Lockerbie (Eng) 69 69 80, H Bacher (Aut) 70 74 74
219 J Walters (RSA) 71 73 75, A Kumar (Ind) 75 70 74, M Ford (Eng) 72 71 76, S Engell Andersen (Ken) 75 69 75, B Barham (Eng) 71 72 76, M Carlsson (Swe) 71 73 75, J Hansen (Den) 77 71 71, P Uihlein (USA) 76 72 71
220 M Cryer (Eng) 73 73 74, B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 74 75, D Singh (Ind) 72 73 75, K Kumar (Ind) 73 73 74, S Tiley (Eng) 75 71 74
221 G Bhullar (Ind) 71 75 75, M Singh Pathania (Ind) 75 72 74, B An (Kor) 76 71 74
222 T Ferreira (RSA) 70 76 76, M Perera (Sri) 73 72 77, R Singh (Ind) 71 73 78, S Khan (Ind) 72 75 75, A Parr (Can) 74 72 76, V Kumar (Ind) 76 72 74
223 M Kumar (Ind) 72 73 78, B Evans (Eng) 71 77 75, A Lohan (Ind) 72 73 78
224 R Dinwiddie (Eng) 72 75 77, M Jaini (Ind) 70 77 77, E Kofstad (Nor) 77 71 76
225 F Praegant (Aut) 73 75 77
226 Å Nilsson (Swe) 76 72 78
227 S Pinckney (USA) 72 76 79, B Chapellan (Fra) 75 71 81, V Kumar (Ind) 75 71 81
231 A John (Ger) 71 77 83, A Sandhu (Ind) 72 76 83

TIGER WOODS AND ROBERT ROCK SHARE LEAD AT ABU DHABI

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Tiger Woods was ideally placed to put down a huge marker for the season after charging into a share of the lead with Robert Rock ahead of the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Having ended 2011 with his first victory for over two years, Woods has a great chance to start 2012 with another.
Thanks to a superb bogey-free display, the 14-time Major winner is on 11 under par and tied with England's Rock, who ensured it was not all about the American when he birdied the final two holes for a matching 66.
They are two in front of four Ryder Cup players - Scot Paul Lawrie, Swede Peter Hanson, Italian Francesco Molinari and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy, the 22 year old US Open Champion, would of course be sharing top spot if he had not incurred his two stroke penalty for brushing sand away off the ninth green in his second round, but a 68 kept him firmly in the hunt.
Woods joked that "it will be nice to get rid of him" after playing with McIlroy three days in a row - and also for nine holes of practice.
Delighted though he was with his position, the former World Number One was not inclined to scream "I'm back" afterwards.
Instead Woods said: "I was just kind of consistent. I didn't do a whole lot wrong, I didn't do a whole lot right.
"Six birdies piled up, but I was methodically going about my business and grinding.
"This course is playing difficult enough. You can make birdies, but you can go the wrong way quickly. I've still got to post a good number."
There were an amazing 24 changes at the top of the leaderboard during the day and at one point eight players were locked together.
Woods made himself the man to catch, however, when he followed his front nine of 34 with further birdies on the tenth, 12th and 14th.
Another came when he found the green in two and two-putted the 567 yard last, but Rock fired in an approach to five feet on the 17th and closed with an eight footer.
The 34 year old's only European Tour victory in well over 200 starts came at the BMW Italian Open last season.
He admitted he was thinking about the possibility of playing the final round with Woods as he entered the finishing stretch.
Less than a decade ago Rock was working at the Swingers Golf Centre in Tamworth.
"[I was] selling Mars bars, chatting to my mates, watching him (Woods) winning Majors," he said.
"Today I was keeping an eye on the leaderboard wondering if I had a chance to play with him.
"It's cool - I can't wait. Maybe not many opportunities (like this) will come my way."
McIlroy said: "I've seen up close how Tiger is playing and I feel if I play my best I've got a great chance.
"It will be a bit different not playing with him. Tiger will bring most of the crowd and maybe I can go quietly about my business."
Hanson had a best-of-the-week 64, Molinari had a 66 and Lawrie a 68 as he continued to enjoy himself in the desert. Last month the former Open Champion, now 43, was runner-up to Alvaro Quiros at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.
World No 1 Luke Donald managed only a 73 after setting off with three birdies in four holes and now finds himself down in joint 55th place on level par.
Among those who overtook him was second-ranked Lee Westwood, whose 68 came a day after he was struggling with a neck problem.
Halfway leader Thorbjørn Olesen's 71 dropped him into a tie for seventh, while Padraig Harrington found that, like the England cricket team just up the road, a score of 72 was no good. It dropped the Irishman from 11th to 27th.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
205 Tiger Woods (US) 70 69 66, Robert Rock (England) 69 70 66.
207 Peter Hanson (Sweden) 74 69 64, Francisco Molinari (Italy) 74 67 66,
Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 67 72 68, Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 70 69 68.

OTHER SCOTS SCORES
213 David Drysdale 70 72 71 (T35)
214 Peter Whiteford 73 73 68, Stephen Gallacher 72 72 70 (T41)
217 Richie Ramsay 67 71 77 (T62).



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ARNOLD PALMER IS STILL THE KING: NEW CLOTHES COLLECTION

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Gene Yasuda
With his matinee-idol looks and swashbuckling play, Arnold Palmer in his prime struck such a pose that he launched his own apparel line long before he became a legend.
More than 50 years later, the fashion statement he made back then is inspiring a whole new collection, and it could very well land the King a new generation of fans.
In fact, making the Arnold Palmer brand resonate with consumers, primarily ages 16 to 35 – who more than likely never saw him play – is the mission of Arnie, an apparel licensing deal initiated by Arnold Palmer Enterprises. The new line features modern interpretations of styles that Palmer sported through the 1950s, '60s and '70s, which happened to coincide with three distinctive fashion eras.
Using the timeline concept not only allows the apparel brand to chronicle Palmer's career for new consumers, but naturally promotes variety among the collection, according to Geoff Tait, creative director of Arnie apparel.
Said Tait: "We put our heads together and asked, 'What tells the story of this iconic man?' Lucky enough for us (his career spanned decades) and obviously things change over time, including in the fashion world, and we parlayed what was on the runways back then."
The 1950s collection, for example, borrows from Palmer's days wearing Penguin by Munsingwear and its trademark small collars and shorter sleeves.
The Arnie line also will be punctuated by limited edition pieces to be released around the dates of major championships and key tournaments won by Palmer. The debut of a sleek green and yellow shirt, for example, will coincide with this year's Masters Tournament.
On-course wear created by Arnie apparel will use performance fabrics, but such pieces represent just a portion of the new venture. Its goal is to be a major lifestyle brand and already offers items such as collared dress shirts, sweaters and pants (trousers). In addition to select on- and off-course retailers, Arnie is targeting high-end department stores for distribution. The average price for polo shirts is $79.
After a few years out of the apparel business, Arnold Palmer Enterprises decided to pursue the category again for its revenue potential and marketing opportunity. According to Cori J. Britt, vice president of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, branded apparel essentially doubles as billboards.
He said the company tapped Tait and Bobby Pasternak for their track record in building Quagmire Golf clothing, which they co-founded in 2005, and their creative ideas tailored for a younger demographic.
"Often when we meet with prospects who are interested in doing business with Arnold Palmer, they figure they have a decent product and if they put the Arnold Palmer name on it, that's what's going to make it sell," Britt said. "Our determination is, will the product be very successful on its own? With (Tait and Pasternak) we found a partner who clearly wants to do more than peddle a name."

RUSSELL KNOX MISSES CUT AGAIN ON US PGA TOUR

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Staff and wire Reports
LA JOLLA, California -- The tougher South Course at Torrey Pines suited Kyle Stanley just fine Friday in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Stanley overcame a double bogey early in his round by running off four birdies on the front nine for a 4-under 68, giving him a one-shot lead over Brandt Snedeker going into the weekend.
Snedeker, who first gained notoriety as a rookie at Torrey Pines when he shot 61 on the North Course in 2007, had a 64 on the North to make a swift climb up the leaderboard. He is coming off hip surgery at the end of last year and made his season debut at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation last week by getting into the hunt. He tied for eighth, and here he is again.
"I'm certainly surprised that I played this well this fast," Snedeker said. "Normally, it takes me a while to get the rust off. But my practice at home went really, really well. I was actually chomping at the bit to get out here because I knew I was playing well.
"Hopefully, that can happen through the weekend."
Stanley, long off the tee and as polished as any of the US PGA Tour rookies who won last year, was at 14-under 130.
A tournament already missing Tiger Woods will have to do without hometown star Phil Mickelson on the weekend. He shot himself out of the tournament with a 77 on the South in the opening round, and didn't make nearly enough birdies on the North to make the cut. Mickelson had to settle for a 68, missing the cut for the first time in 10 years at Torrey Pines.
"We're going to have perfect weather out here at Torrey, and I'd love to be playing," Mickelson said.
Sang-Moon Bae, a US Tour rookie who is No. 34 in the world, had a 67 to match the best score on the South for the second round. That put him two shots behind at 12-under 132, along with Martin Flores, who also had a 67 on the South.
Hunter Mahan shot 65 on the North, while reigning FedExCup champion Bill Haas had a 71 on the South. They were three shots behind.
The cut came at 2-under 142, and there will be another cut Saturday because more than 78 players are still around. The group that remains includes Geoff Ogilvy, who birdied his last hole on the North for a 70, and Ernie Els, who was at 3-under 141.
Stanley goes about his work quietly. He prefers boring golf of fairways and greens, though there was a little too much excitement when his 7-iron from the rough jumped on his clubface and went over the green, down the slope and into the hazard. He chipped to 5 feet and missed the putt, taking double bogey, effectively wiping out the two birdies he had made.
He followed that with a bogey from the bunker on the par-3 16th.
"I got off to a good start, and it was tough to take," Stanley said. "But you've just got to be patient out here."
That he was. He had birdie putts on the last 11 holes he played and birdied all the par 5s. As a testament to his length, he hit his tee shot 346 yards on the par-5 ninth, and hit 2-iron from 270 yards.
"Not a very good one," he said, though it left him an up-and-down from the bunker for one last birdie.
The South played three shots more difficult in the warm sunshine along the Pacific, but at least everyone knows where they stand going into the last two rounds.
Stanley likes his chances, for no other reason than the South is long, and he is hitting his drives where he's aiming at the moment.
A native of the Seattle area who went to school at Clemson, Stanley was on the verge of joining the cast of rookie winners last year when he had a one-shot lead playing the last hole at the John Deere Classic. He made bogey from the bunker, and in the final group behind him, Steve Stricker made an improbable birdie for a one-shot win.
"I wasn't very discouraged," Stanley said. "I think I made more money that week than I had thus far, so it was good. It was nice to really get in contention with a few holes left. That's kind of the goal for this year, to just keep working hard and keep trying to get myself back there."
Snedeker knows the feeling. He played in the final group as a rookie at Torrey Pines, but couldn't keep Woods from another win on this public course along the Pacific. Even so, third place was enough to send Snedeker to keeping his card, the immediate goal of most rookies.
Now, he's looking for yet another win.
"I'm driving the ball as good as I've ever driven it in my career, which isn't saying a lot, but it's saying enough for me right now," Snedeker said. "I'm still putting the ball really, really well. So I'm excited with where I am after the first two days. I feel like as good as I've played, I've left a few out there, which is a good feeling to know my game is where it needs to be."
DIVOTS: Ryo Ishikawa ran off three birdies over his last five holes for a 69 on the North to finish at 6 under. The Japanese star was coming off a missed cut at the Sony Open ... Chris Riley, playing on a sponsor's exemption, was at 7 under. ... Hunter Mahan heads to Qatar next week. His wife, Kandi, will be joining him, then will go to Uganda for mission work geared toward helping children in a tiny village with nutrition and education. ... Vijay Singh holed out with a wedge for eagle on the par-5 18th on the South Course. A San Diego newspaper reporter wanted an interview on the shot, and Singh turned and said, "It was a wedge and it went in. What more do you need?"

BRITSWATCH: Inverness exile Russell Knox was the only British player to miss the cut. He did so by  two shots with a pair of 74s for 144. Justin Rose (71-68) for 139 is the leading Brit in joint 30th place. Greg Owen shot a second-round 67 to make it through on the limit mark of 142 after a first-round 75 endangered his prospects. Also on 142 is fellow Englishman Gary Christian (72-70).

LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72) Prize fund $6million. Winner's prize: $1,044,000.
Players from US unless stated
130 Kyle Stanley 62 68
131 Brandt Snedeker 67 64.
132 Sang-Moon Bae (South Korea) 65 67, Martin Flores 65  67.
134 Hunter Mahan 69 65, Bill Haas 63 71
SELECTED SCORES
139 Justin Rose (England) 71 68 (T30).
142 Greg Owen (England) 75 67, Gary Christian (Englanld) 72 70 (T61).

MISSED THE CUT (142 or better qualified)
144 Russell Knox (Scotland) 72 72
145 Phil Mickelson 77 68.

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SPAIN WIN QUADRANGULAR BOYS TITLE AT COSTA BALLENA

Spain won the boys' quadrangular international match at Costa Ballena, clinching their overall victory with a third win in a row.
They beat England 6-3 today after beating Germany 6-3 and Finland 5 1/2-3 1/2.
In today's other match, Finland beat Germany 6-3 to finish runners-up to Spain with 2pt.
Germany and England finished joint last with only a half-point to show for their three days' play.

RESULTS:
DAY 1 - England 3 1/2, Finland 5 1/2; Germany 3, Spain 6.
DAY 2 - England 4 1/2, Germany 4 1/2; Finland 3 1/2, Spain 5 1/2

DAY 3
ENGLAND 3, SPAIN 6
Foursomes 1-2
S Crookall-Nixon and Oliver Carr bt Juan Sarasti and Javier Sainz 5 and 4.
Callum Shinkwin and Paul Kinnear lost to Xavi and Toni Ferrer 3 and 2.
Jordan Smith and Josh Loughery lost to Marious Pastor and Noel Grau 2 holes.
Singles 2-4
Crookall-Nixon bt Sainz 4 and 3.
Shinkwin bt Ferrer 5 and 3
Kinnear lost to Puig 6 and 5.
Smith lost to Grau 2 and 1.
Carr lost to Sarasti 4 and 3.
Loughery lost to Pastor 2 and 1.

GERMANY 3, FINLAND 6
Foursomes 1-2
Singles 2-4

FINAL PLACINGS

1st Spain 3 wins, 2 Finland 2 wins, 3 (equal) Germany and England, 1 halved match each

AUSTRALIAN LAKE MACQUARIE TOURNAMENT UPDATE

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SEVEN SCOTS GET THROUGH TO SENIORS Q SCHOOL FINAL STAGE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR
Former US Open runner-up Mike Donald led the 62 qualifiers to progress from the European Senior Tour Qualifying School First Stage at Pestana Golf Resort on Portugal’s Algarve today.
American Donald, who lost in a play-off to Hale Irwin at the 1990 US Open Championship at Medinah, carded a final round 68 to finish on five under par 135 at Silves, two strokes clear of Canadian Rick Gibson, Japan’s Archie They were among 22 players from Silves to qualify for next week’s Final Stage, which will be held at Pestana’s Vale da Pinta course.
Joining them will be 20 players from First Stage at Pestana’s Gramacho course, where another American, Dick Mast, led the way.
Overnight leader Mast closed with a 73 for a three under par total of 141, one stroke clear of Englishman Matt Briggs. Americans Zeke Martinez, and Mitch Adcock and Frenchman Philippe Dugeny were a shot further back.
Finally, 20 players also sealed their place at Final Stage at Vila Sol, where Engishman Paul Wesselingh signed for a 72 to finish on one over par 145. He was two shots clear of second-placed Australian Tim Elliott and Spaniard José Buendia.
Northern Ireland’s Jimmy Heggarty, the 2008 Senior Tour Qualifying School winner, was among the Vila Sol qualifiers, finishing on nine over par 153 in a share of 12th place.
The 62 qualifiers will join 13 exempt players at Final Stage next week where the top six players will earn full Senior Tour cards for the 2012 season and those finishing seventh to 14th will secure conditional playing rights.
SCOTSWATCH: Seven Scots - Peter Smith (Deeside), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie), Edzell club pro Alastair Webster), David James, and the lesser known Murray White, Iain Parker and Terry Burgoyne - were among the 62 qualifiers today  from the European Seniors Qualifying School Stage 1 eliminator on Portugal's Algarve coastline.
They join 13 exempt players to make a field of 75 for the Final Stage at the Pestana Resort next week when only six places on the over-50s card will be up for grabs. Those who finish seventh will be rewarded with conditional playing rights.
Former Northern Open champion Smith made the top 20 qualifiers at Gramacho with a second-round par-matching 72 for 149 and joint 17th place.
One-time Walker Cup player Mann shot 72-70 for a two-over tally of 142 at Silves where David James (71-66 for 137) tied for second place. Iain Parker (74-71) for 145 made it through in joint 16th place among the 22 qualifiers from this venue.
Webster shot a pair of 78s for 12-over-par 156 but that was good enough to give him joint 19th place among the 20 qualifiers from Vila Sol, arguably the toughest of the three courses in use.
Terry Burgoyne (74-75 for 149) qualiied in joint fifth place at this venue.

Kind regards

 COMPLETE SCOREBOARD

Silves

Par 140 (2x70)

 (22 players qualified)

135 M Donald (USA) 67 68,

 137 R Gibson (Can) 71 66, A Takamatsu (Jpn) 67 70, D James (Sco) 71 66,

 140 J Laforce (Can) 67 73, M Girouard (Can) 70 70, M Gallagher (Eng) 67 73,

 141 K Moe (USA) 72 69,

 142 N Mitchell (Eng) 69 73, S Okuda (Jpn) 69 73, M Fernandez (Arg) 71 71, L Mann (Sco) 72 70,

 143 M Stokes (Eng) 72 71, K Dickens (Eng) 77 66,

 144 S Ball (Eng) 73 71,

 145 I Parker (Sco) 74 71, L Soto (Ven) 70 75,

 146 J Mathews (Eng) 73 73, M Bright (RSA) 72 74, A Macdonald (Eng) 70 76, R Masters (Eng) 71 75, B Boudreau (Can) 76 70,

MISSED THE CUT

147 C Haynes (Eng) 72 75, J Green (Eng) 73 74,

 148 R Schroeder (USA) 75 73, M Lord (Eng) 71 77, N Self (am) (Eng) 71 77, A Westwell (am) (Eng) 75 73,

 149 D Narveson (USA) 73 76, S East (am) (Eng) 73 76,

 150 F Guedra (Alg) 74 76,

 151 L Sorensen (Aus) 75 76, J Davila (Esp) 72 79,

 152 R Roper (Eng) 73 79, T Fleetwood (USA) 76 76, G Ambrosini (Arg) 75 77,

 153 I Dougan (Sco) 77 76, L Watcham (am) (Eng) 77 76,

 155 G Copeman (Eng) 79 76, F Guedra (Alg) 75 80,

 157 J Eklöf (Swe) 77 80, P Delmas (Bel) 80 77, P Vienings (RSA) 80 77,

 158 M Lang (Sco) 76 82,

 159 A Jarrett (Eng) 79 80,

 160 M Ruth (Eng) 81 79,

 161 K Tenmark (Swe) 76 85, B Stevens (Eng) 81 80,

 163 J Sabel (Swe) 85 78,

 177 G Biggs (Eng) 91 86,

 ** M Buchter (Sui) 77 RT, M Whaler (Eng) 85 WD,

 195 L Paseka (am) (USA) 93 102,

Gramacho

Par 144 (2x72)

 (20 players qualified)

141 D Mast (USA) 68 73,

 142 M Briggs (Eng) 71 71,

 143 Z Martinez (USA) 74 69, M Adcock (USA) 73 70, P Dugeny (Fra) 72 71,

 144 D Wettlaufer (Can) 75 69, P Mortimer (Swe) 73 71,

 145 D Gavrilovic (Eng) 75 70, J Anderson (USA) 72 73,

 146 M White (Sco) 73 73, M Söderberg (Swe) 73 73, J Delgado (Fra) 71 75,

 147 L Turner (Eng) 72 75,

 148 J Salgado (Esp) 75 73, P Brostedt (Swe) 74 74, S Davidson (Eng) 73 75,

 149 P Smith (Sco) 77 72, M Bianco (Ita) 76 73, P Allan (Eng) 74 75, A Dean (Esp) 73 76,

MISSED THE CUT

150 V Garcia (Esp) 77 73, R Lewallen (USA) 77 73, J Murphy (Eng) 75 75,

 151 C Acutis (Ita) 73 78,

 152 A Mackenzie (Sco) 78 74, G Gates (Can) 76 76, G Krause (Eng) 75 77, G Litschka (Aut) 74 78,

 153 S Puzey (USA) 82 71, R Hunter (Eng) 76 77,

 154 M Kierstenson (Eng) 76 78, S Leblanc (Can) 76 78,

 155 R Larsen (Den) 80 75, R Fish (Eng) 80 75, K Capindale-Scott (Eng) 78 77, D Young  (Eng) 77 78,

 156 K Reilly (Eng) 80 76,

 157 S Giardina (Ita) 80 77, J Lee (Esp) 78 79,

 160 H Brousson (Fra) 79 81,

 161 J Naya Palleiro (Esp) 83 78, D Regan (Eng) 77 84,

 162 E Long (Isl) 83 79, E Rider (Fra) 81 81, C Vallender (RSA) 80 82,

 165 A Fihn (Swe) 82 83,

 166 P Barlow (Eng) 84 82,

 168 B Easterling (USA) 82 86, R Falkenstein (Ger) 79 89,

 169 L Du Bouëxic (Fra) 85 84,

 172 R Tol (Ned) 84 88,

 174 R Brouchoud  (Sui) 90 84,

 0 S Shields (Eng) RT  0,

Pestana Vila Sol

Par 144 (2x72)

(20 players qualified)

145 P Wesselingh (Eng) 73 72,

 147 J Buendia (Esp) 76 71, T Elliott (Aus) 72 75,

 148 M Guzman (Arg) 73 75,

 149 W Grant (Eng) 75 74, E Rodriguez (Esp) 74 75, T Burgoyne (Sco) 74 75, D Edwards (USA) 74 75,

 150 P Horrobin (Jam) 75 75,

 152 A Mori (Ita) 79 73, R Sabarros (Fra) 76 76,

 153 B Evans (Eng) 77 76, J Heggarty (Nir) 77 76,

 154 D Stirling (Eng) 77 77, P Ebner (Aut) 75 79,

 155 J King (Eng) 79 76, P Jonas (Can) 77 78, C Bolling  (USA) 75 80,

 156 J Fronceda (Esp) 79 77, A Webster (Sco) 78 78,

MISSED THE CUT

157 C Milne (USA) 81 76, G Ruth (am) (Eng) 80 77, D Hill (Aus) 79 78, G Owens (Eng) 79 78, P Cernold (Swe) 79 78, R Mugglestone (Eng) 78 79,

 158 F Illouz (Fra) 81 77, S Daniels (RSA) 79 79, M Forrest (Can) 77 81,

 159 K Smith (Can) 76 83,

 160 P Carman (Eng) 82 78,

 161 R Van Blankers (Ned) 79 82,

 162 J Montecino (USA) 81 81, N Humphreys  (Eng) 80 82,

 163 T Price (Wal) 84 79, E Costa (Por) 81 82, B Smith (Eng) 81 82,

 164 B Wearne (Aus) 79 85,

 165 C Giddins (Eng) 83 82, D Shaw  (USA) 81 84,

 166 G Green (USA) 88 78, N Gassiebayle (am) (Arg) 83 83, L Modin (Swe) 83 83,

 167 S Lindberg (am) (Swe) 85 82,

 171 J Benitez (Esp) 82 89,

 172 J Molina (Arg) 84 88,

 176 F Kicq (Bel) 85 91,

 186 M Oltz (Fra) 92 94,

 82 C Linstead (Eng) 82 RT,

 83 M Capaul (Sui) 83 RT,

 0 C Boyce (Irl) RT  0,

RAYMOND RUSSELL MOVES UP TO TOP 10 IN INDIA

By NEIL AHERN
European Challenge Tour Press Officer

Raymond Russell launched himself right into contention at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge after a three under par second round of 69 elevated him to tied ninth position, five shots off the lead set by home favourites Shiv Kapur and Rahil Gangjee.

The Edinburgh-born European and Challenge Tour winner began the day five shots off the lead after a one over par opening round of 73, but produced a superb back nine to move to two under par for the tournament and keep himself in the running for the title at Kensville Golf and Country Club in the Gujarat region of India.

After carding a birdie on the second hole, he bogeyed the par five sixth and the par three eighth to reach the turn in 37; but things picked up for Russell as birdies on the tenth, 14th, 15th and 18th holes saw him come home in 32 shots.

“I scored a lot better today,” said the 39 year old. “It’s tricky out there, the greens are firming up so you obviously try and take advantage of the morning tee-off.

“I still had a few loose shots, making six at a par five (sixth hole) is criminal and that frustrated me. I missed a couple of short putts but then got it going again on the back nine, which is nice.

“To be fair, I’ve not really hit it close apart from with my wedge, but it’s pretty hard to get it close. Maybe I’m trying to be too defensive but I’m trying to watch what I’m doing, because if you start going over greens you’re doing well to make bogey. It’s just a case of trying to be sensible.

“My first four rounds in South Africa, I made about 20 birdies and then here I’ve made a few so it’s just a case of cutting out the stupid mistakes. I'm making progress, now I’d just like to go bogey-free at the weekend – that’s the plan.”

It was a good day in all for most of the Scots, as Callum Macaulay and Chris Doak both shot two under par rounds of 70 to climb to joint 20th place on level par overall.

Andrew McArthur and Jack Doherty, however, will fly home disappointed as they both failed to make the cut, McArthur adding an eight over par 80 to his 73 on the first day, while Doherty replicated his five over par first round of 77.
Former top American amateur Peter Uihlein made the cut (149 or better) with a shot to spare on 148 with rounds of 76 and 72.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

137 S Kapur (Ind) 69 68, R Gangjee (Ind) 68 69,

138 G Lockerbie (Eng) 69 69, J Dantorp (Swe) 70 68, S Benson (Eng) 70 68,

141 M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71, D Kemmer (USA) 69 72, D Gaunt (Aus) 73 68,

142 C Brazillier (Fra) 72 70, C Paisley (Eng) 72 70, A Snobeck (Fra) 71 71, L Goddard (Eng) 71 71, R Russell (Sco) 73 69, C Lloyd (Eng) 72 70,

143 M Ford (Eng) 72 71, A Hartø (Den) 73 70, B Åkesson (Swe) 70 73, B Barham (Eng) 71 72, P Dwyer (Eng) 71 72,

144 J Gibb (Eng) 72 72, R Singh (Ind) 71 73, C Macaulay (Sco) 74 70, B Parker (Eng) 71 73, S Engell Andersen (Ken) 75 69, J Walters (RSA) 71 73, C Doak (Sco) 74 70, M Carlsson (Swe) 71 73, P Archer (Eng) 73 71, H Bacher (Aut) 70 74,

145 D Singh (Ind) 72 73, O Henningsson (Swe) 73 72, B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 74, M Kumar (Ind) 72 73, A Kumar (Ind) 75 70, C Hanson (Eng) 72 73, A Lohan (Ind) 72 73, M Perera (Sri) 73 72,

146 K Kumar (Ind) 73 73, B Chapellan (Fra) 75 71, S Tiley (Eng) 75 71, V Kumar (Ind) 75 71, T Ferreira (RSA) 70 76, M Cryer (Eng) 73 73, A Parr (Can) 74 72, G Bhullar (Ind) 71 75,

147 M Singh Pathania (Ind) 75 72, B An (Kor) 76 71, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 72 75, M Jaini (Ind) 70 77, S Khan (Ind) 72 75

148 P Uihlein (USA) 76 72, B Evans (Eng) 71 77, A Sandhu (Ind) 72 76, A John (Ger) 71 77, J Hansen (Den) 77 71, E Kofstad (Nor) 77 71, F Praegant (Aut) 73 75, Å Nilsson (Swe) 76 72, V Kumar (Ind) 76 72, S Pinckney (USA) 72 76
MISSED THE CUT

149 A Perrino (Ita) 75 74, J Parry (Eng) 73 76, H Kahlon (Ind) 74 75, V Bhandari (Ind) 76 73, C Monasterio (Arg) 76 73,

150 C Kumar (Ind) 71 79, A Sher (Ind) 73 77, A Tiwana (Ind) 74 76, G Mann (Ind) 74 76, K Vasudeva (Ind) 74 76, R Steiner (Aut) 76 74,

151 J Lima (Por) 75 76, G Ghei (Ind) 78 73, R Murthy (Ind) 73 78, H Rai (Ind) 77 74, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 72 79, R Mollah (Ind) 76 75, D Vancsik (Arg) 76 75, S Buhl (Ger) 78 73,

152 J Heath (Eng) 75 77, L Jensen (Den) 76 76, P Relecom (Bel) 78 74,

153 S Kumar (Ind) 72 81, S Das (Ind) 80 73, K Eriksson (Swe) 75 78, M Haines (Eng) 74 79, F McGuirk (Eng) 79 74, A McArthur (Sco) 73 80,

154 F Ali Mollah (Ind) 78 76, M Dharma (Ind) 73 81, J Doherty (Sco) 77 77, D Singh Kullar (Ind) 78 76, O Prakash Chouhan (Ind) 75 79, P Delhi (Ind) 81 73, R Singh (Ind) 78 76, R Bajaj (Ind) 79 75,

156 K Bhasin (Aus) 73 83, N Dawar (Ind) 78 78,

157 R Sharma (Ind) 83 74, A Jha (Ind) 77 80,

158 N Mandal (Ind) 77 81, H Gupta (Ind) 81 77,

159 R Ghotra (Ind) 78 81, C Ford (Eng) 76 83, A Rohana (Sri) 79 80,

163 M Sanju (Ind) 82 81,

167 A Singh (Ind) 81 86,

169 R Khan (Ind) 76 93,

** A Malik (Ind) 72 RT, S Syal (Ind) 75 RT, V Chopra (Ind) 77 RT, G Shergill (Ind) 75 RT, G Singh (Ind) 81 RT, V Singh (Ind) 84 WD,

THORBURN'S THIRD WIN IN NORTH ALLIANCE AT TAIN

By ROBIN WILSON

The recent spell of cold and wet weather had a lot to blame for the poor entry entry of just 35 at the North Golf Alliance fixture played over the Tain links last Sunday when resilient Caithness golfers headed the leaderboards in all three categories.

In the opening fixture of 2012 Thurso duo Dougie Thorburn and Bryan Ronald went head to head for the honour of winning the scratch section and it was Thorburn (pictured left by Robin Wilson) who marked up his third win of the season.
The plus one handicap rated Thurso member has now won the last three fixtures. At the beginning of November he won on a better inward half count at Brora from Wick's Ronnie Taylor and then at the end of the same month at Wick, the last fixture played in 2011, he beat Tain's Mike Sangster to first place by one shot.
The six-week gap in fixtures due to weather postponements has not affected Thorburn's form. Again last Sunday he was involved in another tie for first place following his excellent score of 73.
When it came to the card comparison Thorburn's inward half count of one under par 34 edged out his Thurso clubmate Bryan Ronald. Ronald was home in 35 but denied recording a second win of the season, after winning the opening fixture at Durness, with a three-putt bogey on the final green.
Out on the course when the morning wind and rain was at its most miserable local club captain and champion Munro Ferries had a 76 and his club member Mike Sangster missed the opportunity to post another score to maintain his aggregate Scratch Quaich challenge by failing to return a card on his home patch.
Playing with a handicap of two Ronald's net score of 71 headed the Class 1 returns by a four-shot margin from Thurso clubmate Malcolm Morrison before Tarbat's Hamish Skinner got a prize for third place with a net 76, off 7, and behind him Invergordon's Mike Moran (7) and local Andrew Watt (8) both a shot more.

Spreadeagling the Class 2 section was 11-handicapper Ian Ross (Reay) who matched the gross 76 from the Tain champion with a sparkling finish of birdie 2, par 3, and birdie 3 to take him home in 36 for a net 65.

For the fifth fixture in succession Francis Keith maintained a Durness presence, winning a second place with his net card of 71, off 12, and added to his previously posted nett scores of 69 and 73 has launched his bid for the end of season MacKintosh Salver. Weathered against similar prevailing conditions on Sandside Links, Reay GC members filled the next two places.

The next fixture on the rota will be played over the Reay course on February 5

Tain Alliance Results

Scratch

71 D Thorburn (Thurso) 37-34, B Ronald (Thurso) 36-35.

76 M Ferries (Tain), I Ross (Reay).

Handicap

Class 1 - B Ronald (Thurso) (2) 71; M Morrison (Thurso) (8) 75; H Skinner (Tarbat) (7) 76; M Moran (Invergordon) (7), A Watt (Tain) (8) 77.

Class 2 – I Ross (Reay) (11) 65; F R M Keith (Durness) (12) 71; A Mackay (Reay) (14) 77; A Gunn (Reay) (11) 79.

RORY BLUNDER COSTS HIM TWO-STROKE PENALTY AT ABU DHABI

DAY 2 REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Thorbjørn Olesen carded a brilliant five under par 67 to lead the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, but the 22-year-old Dane has a host of big names right behind him going into the weekend.

Most notably another 22 year old, Rory McIlroy, promised never to make the same mistake again after a two shot penalty cost him a share of the halfway lead.
Northern Ireland's US Open Champion would have been alongside Olesen but for brushing sand away from his line on the ninth hole of his second round.
That would have been all right if it had been on the green, but he was six feet off the putting surface and World Number One Luke Donald instantly brought it to his attention.
"I wasn't thinking clearly and just made a very stupid mental mistake," McIlroy said following a level par 72 that left him tied for fourth on five under par and part of a group which also included Tiger Woods.
Asked if he did not know the rule or just had a loss of concentration he added: "I think it was a little bit of both - first week back as well.
"Luke said 'Don't think you can do that' and I was like 'Oh yeah, I can't, can I?'
"It happens and you just have to take it on the chin.
"There was so much sand in my line I didn't even think about it. I'll definitely not do it again."
McIlroy certainly did not blame Donald for pointing it out and remembered what happened to Padraig Harrington in the same event last year.
The Irishman shot an opening 65, but then was disqualified after an eagle-eyed television viewer spotted that his ball had moved a fraction on a green.
The rule was subsequently changed, but on this incident McIlroy said: "It's a bit of a weird rule. You can move a loose impediment like a divot out of your line. You can't move sand.
"Not a weird rule, but a tricky rule. That's the same penalty as hitting the ball out of bounds. It's tough, but the rules are the rules and we've got to play by them.
"I'm sure Luke was put in an awkward position there, but he had to say it. If I was in his position I would have said the same thing.
"It's fine. I have a hundred more tournaments to play, so it's not life-and-death out there."
While Donald remained deep in the pack on one under with a 72, Woods is right in the thick of things heading into the weekend.
He is going for a second successive victory after more than two barren years and for a while it looked as if he might even catch World Number 171 Olesen.
“I hit it pretty close and holed some good putts,” said Olesen, who chipped in at the 12th as he reached seven under par despite a bogey at the last.
“I had a few bad shots here and there on the back nine but I saved a lot of them. It's a bit of a shame to finish with a bogey but I played really well, so that's good.”
Woods was tied for second after birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th, but bogeyed the next after driving into rough.
He was happy enough after his 69, though, and certainly putted better than he had in his opening 70.
"I thought I played well today," he said.
"I feel like I'm swinging well and a lot of things that Sean (coach Sean Foley) and I have been working on are starting to feel very comfortable.
"I've grown to understand what he wants me to do and how my body is going to do those things and produce the numbers he wants me to produce." The pair have been together almost 18 months now.
Lee Westwood survived the cut with two strokes to spare despite a neck problem that he has been battling with since Christmas.
At three over with six to play the World Number Two looked in trouble, but he produced a hat-trick of birdies.
Before going off for treatment he said: "This is the first time I've played three days in a row since it started.
"The pain goes down into my elbow and it feels like somebody is driving a needle in there."
Asked if there was any possibility of him withdrawing during the round he added: "If I'd hit it in the long rough I might have had to think about it, but hopefully I'll be ok tomorrow."
Defending champion Martin Kaymer, winner of the title three of the past four years, did crash out on six over and Colin Montgomerie (76), Open Champion Darren Clarke (81) and South African Branden Grace, winner the last two weeks on home soil, failed to make it through either.
Olesen still has a host of stars snapping at his heels, but he was a runner-up three times in his rookie season last year.
He leads by a shot from McIlroy's fellow Ulsterman Gareth Maybin and Italian teenager Matteo Manassero, who shot a best-of-the-week 65.
Tied with Woods and McIlroy, who will also play together in the third round, are Scot Paul Lawrie, England's Robert Rock and Richard Finch, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet and Swede Robert Karlsson.
Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington are among those one further back.

HALFWAY LEADERS
Par 144 (2x72)
137 Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 67.
138 Gareth Maybin (Northern Ireland) 68 70, Matteo Manassero (Italy) 73 65, Jean-Baptiste (Gonnet (France) 68 71.
139 Robert Rock (England)  69 70, Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 67 72, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 67 72, Tiger Woods (US) 70 68, Richard Finch (England) 68 71.
Selected scores:
140 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 69 71 (T8).
142 David Drysdale (Scotland) 70 72 (T23).
144 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 72 72 (T40).
146 Peter Whiteford (Scotland) 73 73 (T59)

MISSED THE CUT (146 or better qualified).
147 Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) 71 76, Tom Lewis (England) 75 72, Branden Grace (South Africa) 75 73.
149 Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 73 76.
151 George Murray (Scotland) 76 75.
155 Marc Warren (Scotland) 75 80.

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

LEVIN, STANLEY SHARE LEAD WITH 62s AT TORREY PINES NORTH

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Staff and wire reports
LA JOLLA, California -- Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley knew they had to post low scores on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines to get off to a good start Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open, and did even better than they expected.
Stanley made eagle on his final hole for a 10-under 62, his best score in two years on the US PGA Tour. Levin shot 29 on the back nine and had a 62, matching his career best on tour, as they claimed a share of the lead after the first round.
"I played the pro-am on the North Course yesterday. There were just a lot of birdie opportunities out there, so I knew there was a good score -- maybe not 10 (under), but I'll take it," Stanley said.
They were a shot ahead of reigning FedExCup champion Bill Haas, who had a double bogey on his 15th hole and still managed a 63. The top 12 on the leaderboard played the North, which played slightly more than 3 1/2 strokes easier than the South Course, which hosted the U.S. Open four years ago.
The best score from the South was Marc Turnesa at 66.
Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, went south on the South. The three-time champion hit into 11 bunkers, missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole and signed for a 77. It was his highest score at Torrey Pines since a 78 in the third round of 2005.
"I made some bad swings just in the wrong spot and so forth," Mickelson said. "I felt like my game was ready heading in, and I don't know what to say about the score. Because it was pathetic."
A year ago, the fairways were pinched in and the rough was unusually high on the North Course, helping to make up for the 604-yard difference between the two courses. Based on the scores, that's no longer the case.
Vijay Singh, Rod Pampling, Josh Teater and PGA TOUR rookie John Huh were at 64, with Huh making three eagles. Camilo Villegas and Justin Leonard were among those at 65.
Of the 54 players who shot in the 60s, only 13 of them were on the South Course. One of them was Paul Goydos, who doesn't buy into the theory of two vastly different courses and said the tournament really doesn't start until Saturday when everyone has played both.
"Ten under is leading the tournament, and anyone who says differently is full of it," Goydos said. "I looked at the leaderboard."
He would argue that some players simply have better vibes on the different courses. What might be a big difference to one player might be much less to another.
"All I know is that I'm six shots back and I've got to deal with it," he said.
Levin noticed only one big change in his game, and that was putting the ball in play. That made quite the difference, setting up short irons and plenty of birdie opportunities.
"I had some putts for birdies instead of pars, and kind of added up to a good score," Levin said.
The turning point came when Levin thought he might make bogey. He drove into the bunker on No. 7, leaving him an uphill shot to a difficult green, blocked partially by a tree.
"I was thinking I wouldn't have a shot. I was thinking it's probably going to be a bogey, and I'll go back to even (par)," Levin said. "I cut an 8-iron around and go on the right side of the green and hit a 20-footer -- it probably broke 10 feet -- and I made it. So it felt like at least a one-shot swing."
He followed with a birdie on the par-5 ninth, and making the turn at 3 under instead of 1 under changed everything for him.
the score. Because it was pathetic."
BRITISH PLAYERS' SCORES
71 Justin Rose
72 Gary Christian, Russell Knox.
75 Greg Owen

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE TEE TIMES FOR NEWBURGH, WED, FEB 1

Next Wednesday's North-east Golfers' Alliance competition has been switched from Newmachar to Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club.
Newmachar's courses are frost-bound and have icy patches, a situation that is not likely to improve by midweek. Newburgh-on-Ythan's proximity to the sea means it will definitely be playable.
The same tee times will apply as follows:


1 08:15 Charlie Cassie, Brian Harper, Keith Watson, Grant Leslie.

2 08:24 FREE ........................ ............................ ............................

3 08:33 David Mackay, Albert Smith, Craig Carnegie, Ryan Fitzpatrick

4 08:42 John Dalgarno, Lawrence Prouse, Claire Prouse, A N OTHER

5 08:51 Gordon Munro, Donald Macandrew, Fraser Clarke, Martin Lawrence.

6 09:00 Laura Murray, Alistair Graham, Keil Beveridge, Charlie Philip

7 09:09 Manson Merchant, Robert Lamb, Euan Kennedy, John Duff

8 09:18 Harry Roulston, Mike Rendall, Les Roger, Mike Booth

9 09:27 Mike Brown, Raymond Brown, Ian Bratton, Sandy Davidson

10 09:36 Duncan Clark, John Hosie, Jim Scott, George Paterson

11 09:45 Colin Nelson, Ian D Smith, Lee Vannet, Neish Chisholm

12 09:54 David Fleming, Les Fowler, Gordon Milne, Jim Duncan

13 10:03 Norman Stewart, Jackie Forrest, Mike Duncan, Alan Gall

14 10:12 John Jessiman, Alistair Petrie, Ian Grant, Mike Smith

15 10:21 Phil McLean, Kris Nicol, Fergus Bisset, Scott Larkin

16 10:30 Donald Lawrie, Hamish McNaughton, Mike Rogers, M Forster

17 10:39 David Bisset, Chris Brindley, Derek Randall, Jim Murray

18 10:48 Willie Shaw, Gary Homer, Ben Lumsden, David Leslie

19 10:57 Dick Wright, Peter Cheyne, Kenny Stephen, A N OTHER

20 11:06 Martin May, Peter Leech, Willie McKenzie, A N OTHER

21 11:15 David Brown, Tommy Collie, Mark Lawrie, Phil Murray

22 11:24 Stewart Finnie, David Mckay, Nigel K Parker, Jim Gall

23 11:33 Bryan Robson, Mike D Brown, A N OTHER, A N OTHER

24 11:42 Gary Ross, Alan Ross, Keith Ingram, A N OTHER

25 11:51 FREE ...................... ............................ ............................

26 12:00 Brian Nicolson, John Nicolson, Graham Allan, Paul Cornfield

27 12:09 David Wilson, John Borthwick, Justin Thomas, A N OTHER

+If you are a NE Alliance member and wish to take up one of the available tee times or amend the one you already have, phone 07801 819746 between 10am and 4.30pm on TUESDAY.

ENGLAND LOSE ONE, DRAW ONE IN COSTA BALLENA QUAD

Spain are heading for overall victory in the boys' quadrangular contest at Costa Ballena Golf club. They have beaen Germany 6-3 and then Finland 5 1/2-3 1/2.
Finland bt England on Day 1 5 1/2-3 1/2.
England fought back from a 3-0 reverse in the morning foursomes to draw 4 1/2-4 1/2 with Germany today.
HOW THEY STAND
Spain 2pt, Finland 1pt, England 1/2pt, Germany 1/2pt.

DAY 1 RESULTS

ENGLAND 3 1/2, FINLAND 5 1/2
Foursomes (1/2-2 1/2)
Jordan Smith and Loughery lost to Tapio Pulkkanen amd Teemu Toivonen 6 and 5.
Callum Shinkin and Seb Crookall-Nixon halved with Ville Lagerblom and Anttii Lassila.
Oliver Carr and Paul Kinnear lost to Roope Kangas and Teemu Baaker 7 and 6.
Singles (3-3)
Smith lost to Pulkkanen 4 and 3.
Shinkwin bt Toivonen 1 hole.
Kinnear lost to Lagerblom 4 and 3.
Crookall-Nixon bt Kangas 4 and 3.
Carr lost to Baakker 2 and 1.
Loughery bt Lassila 3 and 2.

GERMANY 3, SPAIN 6
Foursomes: 1-2.
Singles: 2-4.

DAY 2

ENGLAND 4 1/2, GERMANY 4 1/2

Foursomes: 0-3
Shinkwin and Crookall-Nixon lost to Dominic Foos and Philip Matlari 2 and 1.
Carr and Kinnear lost to Chrisopher Long and Julian Ballmann 1 hole.
Smith and Loughery lost to Rico Thome and Maximilian Rohrig 4 and 3.
Singles: 4 1/2-1 1/2
Crookall-Nixon bt Matlari 2 and 1.
Shinkwin lost to Foos 3 and 2.
Kinnear bt Ballmann 7 and 5.
Smith bt Long 2 and 1.
Carr bt Thome 1 hole.]
Loughery halved with Rohrig

FINLAND 3 1/2, SPAIN 5 1/2
Foursomes: 1 1/2-1 1/2
Singles: 2-4

Peebles' Jamie Morris wins Tom Galloway Trophy in East Alliance at Glen

By ALAN GREENSHIELDS
Edinburgh and East of Scotland Alliance secretary
The Edinburgh and East Alliance was back in East Lothian this week and a healthy turnout of 103 players got to display their skills on an extremely well manicured course and especially greens at Glen Golf Club, North Berwick.
A moderate wind (by recent standards!) also tested the players and thankfully the stronger winds forecast did not appear.
For a long part of the day it looked like the par 70 would not be breached with four 71s holding pole position. However, late in the day the leading scratch and handicap prize went to two +handicap players in the same group with some fantastic scoring.
Jamie Morris of Peebles carded a 66 (32-34) (+1) for a net 67 and secured the Tom Galloway Trophy. Playing partner Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) carded a 68 (34-34) to secure the top scratch prize.
Second scratch prize went four ways to the professional ranks to Stuart Callan (Bathgate), Stephen Lamb (Cardrona), Andrew Oldcorn (King's Acre) and David Patrick (Elie), all with 71.
Second handicap prize went to Steven Dand (Pumpherston) 70 (76 less 6) and third to John Denham (Galashiels) 71 (77 less 6).
Keir McNicoll (Gullane) secured the Trainee Prize with a 74 with Maurice McEwan (Gifford) gaining the Senior Prize with 74 (81 less 7).
The Scratch Order of Merit see a swap of places in the top three but Stephen Lamb stays at the top -
1. Stephen Lamb (Cardrona) - 474 points
2. Andrew Marshall (Houston GR) - 440 points
3. Sean McGarvey (Glencorse) - 437.5 points

The Handicap Order of Merit also sees a reshuffle of the top 3 with Steven Dand (Pumpherston) at the helm now -
1. Steven Dand (Pumpherston) - 118 points
2. Daniel Airens (Falkirk Tryst) - 112.5 points
3. Sean McGarvey (Glencorse - 103 points

LEADING SCRATCH SCORES

1	Morris	Jamie	Peebles	Amateur	66
2	Dick	Allyn	Kingsknowe	Amateur	68
3	Callan	Stuart	Bathgate	Professional	71
4	Lamb	Stevie	Cardrona	Professional	71
5	Oldcorn	Andrew	King's Acre	Professional	71
6	Patrick	David	Elie	Professional	71
7	Catlin	Scott	Greenburn	Professional	72
8	Imlah	Craig	Peebles	Professional	72
9	Colquhoun	Neil	Merchants	Professional	74
10	Gordon	Craig	Edinburgh Golf Cen	Professional	74
11	McNicoll	Keir	Gullane	Trainee	74
12	McAllan	Michael	Glenbervie	Professional	75
13	Wilson	Iain	Dalmahoy	Amateur	75
14	Dand	Steven	Pumpherston	Amateur	76
15	Marshall	Andrew	Houston G.R.	Professional	76
16	Thomson	Mike	Galashiels	Amateur	76
17	Denham	John	Galashiels	Senior	77
18	Erskine	Andrew	Ratho Park	Professional	77
19	Fish	Derek	Glenbervie	Amateur	77
20	Huguet	Norman	Musselburgh	Professional	77
21	Neill	Ross	Drumpellier	Professional	77
22	Lamb	Jordan	Peebles	Amateur	78
23	McGarvey	Sean	Glencorse	Amateur	78
24	McLean	Alastair	Duddingston	Professional	78
25	McMehen	Stuart	Linlithgow	Amateur	78
26	Laing	William	Prestonfield	Amateur	79
27	Rothney	Andrew	Deer Park	Amateur	79
28	Taylor	Ian	Royal Burgess	Amateur	79
29	Wight	Andrew	Glencorse	Senior	79
30	Dick	James	Duddingston	Professional	80
31	Louden	Michael	Glencorse	Amateur	80
32	Munro	Donny	Kingsknowe	Amateur	80
33	Murray	Roy	West Lothian	Amateur	80
34	Nisbet	Callum	Bathgate	Trainee	80
35	Stavert	Iain	Duddingston	Senior	80
36	Wood	Daniel	The Hirsel	Trainee	80
37	McEwan	Morris	Gifford	Senior	81
38	Millar	Andrew	Musselburgh	Amateur	81
39	Stott	Richard	Prestonfield	Amateur	81
40	White	Justin	Harrison (Braids)	Amateur	81
41	Eadie	Gordon	Musselburgh	Amateur	82
42	Johnston	Graeme D	Glenbervie	Amateur	82
43	Sewell	Peter	West Linton	Amateur	82
44	Wither	George	Lothianburn	Amateur	82
45	Bell	Gordon	Gullane	Senior	83
46	Bootland	Hinton	Duddingston	Senior	83
47	Brown	Stuart	Glencorse	Amateur	83
48	Cordery	Thomas	Musselburgh	Amateur	83
49	McKenzie	Alex	Lothianburn	Amateur	83

LEADING HANDICAP SCORES

No	Surname	Forename	Club	Category	Gross	Handicap	Net
1	Morris	Jamie	Peebles	Amateur	66	-1	67
2	Dand	Steven	Pumpherston	Amateur	76	6	70
3	Dick	Allyn	Kingsknowe	Amateur	68	-2	70
4	Denham	John	Galashiels	Senior	77