NO FLOWERS OF SCOTLAND, NO ENGLISH
ROSE IN SATURDAY'S EUROPEAN FINAL
Underdogs France and Ireland win semi-finals
There will be no Flowers of Scotland in Saturday's final of the European men's amateur team championship at Western Gailes Golf Club.
And the only consolation for the Scots is that the English Rose was also nipped in the bud in the other semi-final.
In fact, the European final will feature the two underdog teams from the semi-finals, France and Ireland. It is France's first appearance in the European final for 40 years.
The second seeded Scots, 2-0 ahead of France after the morning foursomes in the first semi-final, were shocked by their opponents' comeback in the five singles.
France, who have been sending squads of players to tournaments all over Britain and this season to toughen up their players for just such an occasion, reaped the benefits by winning four of the singles and halving the other.
Which meant the end-of-the-day scoreline was Scotland 2 1/2-France 4 1/2.
How are the mighty fallen!
SALTMAN, RAMSAY BEATEN
Lloyd Saltman, top of the European Golf Association rankings, lost by two holes to Romain Bechu. Saltman had been in the driving seat for most of the match but lost three of the last four holes.
Kevin McAlpine, the double Scottish champion who, to be fair, had played out of his skin in the previous days of the championship, went down by 5 and 4 to two-under-par golf from Adrien Bernadet.
Keir McNicoll lost by one hole to Jean Wolff who got up and down from a greenside bunker at the last hole.
Jonathan King salvaged half a point from his tie against Victor Dubuisson.
US amateur champion Richie Ramsay lost by 3 and 2 to Alexandre Kaleka, arguably the best player in the French team and he showed it with a tremendous display of sub-par golf on the outward journey. Kaleka birdied seven of the first nine holes against Richie.
It looked like being a France v England final for a long time. Defending champions England shared the foursomes with Ireland in the second semi-final but the first singles tie to finish went Ireland's way with a 4 and 2 win for Rory McIlroy over Jamie Moul.
England, at one point, were ahead in all the other ties but a dramatic finish saw the Irish level it at 3-3, which meant everything depended on the Richard Kilpatrick v Gary Boyd tie. Boyd was one up after 15 holes but the Irishman managed to square it and Boyd put a ball out of bounds at the last hole for Kilpatrick to finish one up and put Ireland in the final. What a turn-up for the book!
Everyone - except the French and Irish, expected Scotland to play England on Saturday. And so they will, except it will be not for the championship but for third place, a body blow to the hierachy of both national governing bodies.
Suddenly, the odds against Great Britain & Ireland beating the United States in the Walker Cup match at Royal County Down in September have risen steeply. Until this Black Friday set of results, it had been expected that the GB&I team would contain at least two Scots (Saltman & Ramsay) and five or six Englishmen.
Spain whipped Wales 4-1 in the play-offs for places five to eight in the top flight.
Denmark beat Sweden 3-2 and will meet Spain in the play-off to be No 5 in the final rankings.
FRIDAY RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT - SEMI-FINALS
SCOTLAND 2 1/2, FRANCE 4 1/2
Foursomes (2-0)
L Saltman & K McNicoll bt A Kaleka & A Bernadet 3 and 2.
R Ramsay & J King bt J Wolff & P Relecom at 20th.
Singles (1/2-4 1/2)
Saltman lost to R Bechu 2 holes.
K McAlpine lost to Bernadet 5 and 4.
McNicoll lost to Wolff 1 hole.
King halved with V Dubuisson.
Ramsay lost to Kaleka 3 and 2.
IRELAND 4, ENGLAND 3
Foursomes (1-1)
R McIlroy & J Caldwell bt G Boyd & D Horsey 3 and 2.
R Kilpatrick & G Shaw lost to J Moul & G Wolstenholme 5 and 4.
Singles (3-2)
S Lowry bt P Waring 2 and 1.
McIlroy bt Moul 4 and 2.
Caldwell lost to Horsey 2 and 1.
Kilpatrick bt Boyd 1 hole.
S Ward lost to Wolstenholme 5 and 3.
Other results in the Championship Flight
SPAIN 4, WALES 1
Foursomes: 0-1
I Elvira & P Erice lost to R Thomas & C Evans 3 and 2.
Singles (4-0)
J Campillo bt R Davies at 20th.
J Sarasti bt R Enoch 1 hole.
I Urquizu bt N Edwards 3 and 2.
J Lagarrea bt L Matthews at 19th.
SWEDEN 2, DENMARK 3
FLIGHT 2
NETHERLANDS 5, Germany 0.
Portugal 2, NORWAY 3
Finland 1, BELGIUM 4.
AUSTRIA 3 1/2, Switzerland 1 1/2.
FLIGHT 3
TURKEY 3, Czech Republic 2.
ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com
ROSE IN SATURDAY'S EUROPEAN FINAL
Underdogs France and Ireland win semi-finals
There will be no Flowers of Scotland in Saturday's final of the European men's amateur team championship at Western Gailes Golf Club.
And the only consolation for the Scots is that the English Rose was also nipped in the bud in the other semi-final.
In fact, the European final will feature the two underdog teams from the semi-finals, France and Ireland. It is France's first appearance in the European final for 40 years.
The second seeded Scots, 2-0 ahead of France after the morning foursomes in the first semi-final, were shocked by their opponents' comeback in the five singles.
France, who have been sending squads of players to tournaments all over Britain and this season to toughen up their players for just such an occasion, reaped the benefits by winning four of the singles and halving the other.
Which meant the end-of-the-day scoreline was Scotland 2 1/2-France 4 1/2.
How are the mighty fallen!
SALTMAN, RAMSAY BEATEN
Lloyd Saltman, top of the European Golf Association rankings, lost by two holes to Romain Bechu. Saltman had been in the driving seat for most of the match but lost three of the last four holes.
Kevin McAlpine, the double Scottish champion who, to be fair, had played out of his skin in the previous days of the championship, went down by 5 and 4 to two-under-par golf from Adrien Bernadet.
Keir McNicoll lost by one hole to Jean Wolff who got up and down from a greenside bunker at the last hole.
Jonathan King salvaged half a point from his tie against Victor Dubuisson.
US amateur champion Richie Ramsay lost by 3 and 2 to Alexandre Kaleka, arguably the best player in the French team and he showed it with a tremendous display of sub-par golf on the outward journey. Kaleka birdied seven of the first nine holes against Richie.
It looked like being a France v England final for a long time. Defending champions England shared the foursomes with Ireland in the second semi-final but the first singles tie to finish went Ireland's way with a 4 and 2 win for Rory McIlroy over Jamie Moul.
England, at one point, were ahead in all the other ties but a dramatic finish saw the Irish level it at 3-3, which meant everything depended on the Richard Kilpatrick v Gary Boyd tie. Boyd was one up after 15 holes but the Irishman managed to square it and Boyd put a ball out of bounds at the last hole for Kilpatrick to finish one up and put Ireland in the final. What a turn-up for the book!
Everyone - except the French and Irish, expected Scotland to play England on Saturday. And so they will, except it will be not for the championship but for third place, a body blow to the hierachy of both national governing bodies.
Suddenly, the odds against Great Britain & Ireland beating the United States in the Walker Cup match at Royal County Down in September have risen steeply. Until this Black Friday set of results, it had been expected that the GB&I team would contain at least two Scots (Saltman & Ramsay) and five or six Englishmen.
Spain whipped Wales 4-1 in the play-offs for places five to eight in the top flight.
Denmark beat Sweden 3-2 and will meet Spain in the play-off to be No 5 in the final rankings.
FRIDAY RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT - SEMI-FINALS
SCOTLAND 2 1/2, FRANCE 4 1/2
Foursomes (2-0)
L Saltman & K McNicoll bt A Kaleka & A Bernadet 3 and 2.
R Ramsay & J King bt J Wolff & P Relecom at 20th.
Singles (1/2-4 1/2)
Saltman lost to R Bechu 2 holes.
K McAlpine lost to Bernadet 5 and 4.
McNicoll lost to Wolff 1 hole.
King halved with V Dubuisson.
Ramsay lost to Kaleka 3 and 2.
IRELAND 4, ENGLAND 3
Foursomes (1-1)
R McIlroy & J Caldwell bt G Boyd & D Horsey 3 and 2.
R Kilpatrick & G Shaw lost to J Moul & G Wolstenholme 5 and 4.
Singles (3-2)
S Lowry bt P Waring 2 and 1.
McIlroy bt Moul 4 and 2.
Caldwell lost to Horsey 2 and 1.
Kilpatrick bt Boyd 1 hole.
S Ward lost to Wolstenholme 5 and 3.
Other results in the Championship Flight
SPAIN 4, WALES 1
Foursomes: 0-1
I Elvira & P Erice lost to R Thomas & C Evans 3 and 2.
Singles (4-0)
J Campillo bt R Davies at 20th.
J Sarasti bt R Enoch 1 hole.
I Urquizu bt N Edwards 3 and 2.
J Lagarrea bt L Matthews at 19th.
SWEDEN 2, DENMARK 3
FLIGHT 2
NETHERLANDS 5, Germany 0.
Portugal 2, NORWAY 3
Finland 1, BELGIUM 4.
AUSTRIA 3 1/2, Switzerland 1 1/2.
FLIGHT 3
TURKEY 3, Czech Republic 2.
ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, July 06, 2007
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