RAIN IN SPAIN WASHES OUT

MORE SENIOR MOMENTS

The rain in Spain washed out the second and final round of the Spanish senior open amateur men's doubles golf championship at Costa Ballena Golf Club, Cadiz today.
Ireland's Hugh Smith and Maurice Kelly, first-round leaders by four strokes with a round of 67, were declared the winners from runners-up, Bob Backstedt and Per Hildebrand of Sweden.
Ireland also provided one half of the third-placed pairing on 72 - Tom McEvoy and England's Norman Cameron.
Anglo-Scot Donald McCart (Sherwood Forest) and English partner Stuart Pond finished joint fourth with a 73.
Robin Paton (Nairn) and his English partner Stephen Hickey tied for sixth place on 74.

GUNN OFF TARGET IN ARIZONA

Dornoch exile Jimmy Gunn failed to beat the halfway cut in this week's Gateway Tour Desert Winter Series event at Palm Valley Golf Club, near Phoenix, Arizona. Gunn had rounds of 74 and 71 for a one-over-par tally of 145. Only those who scored two-under-par 143 survived.
American Kent Eger leads at 12-under-par 132 with a pair of 66s.

Kellett through to quarter-finals

of New South Wales championship

Motherwell's Ross Kellett (Colville Park) is through to the last eight of the New South Wales amateur match-play championship at the Australian Golf Club.
Kellett, who was the sixth of the 32 qualifiers, beat Peter Spearman Burn (New Zealand), the 27th seed, by 4 and 3 and then Australian Luke Humphries, the 22nd qualifier, by two holes. All the ties are over 36 holes.
Kellett now plays No 3 seed Kyle Grant.
Also through to the quarter-finals is England's Charles Ford.
Selected results:
First round
(Seeding number in brackets; players from Australia unless stated)
Rhein Gibson (13) bt Adam Wainwright (Eng) (20) 4 and 3.
Charles Ford (Eng) (15) bt Dimi Papadatos 5 and 3.
Ross Kellett (Sco) (6) bt Petere Spearman Burn (NZ) (27) 4 and 3.
Second round
Michael Smyth (16) bt Jason Scrivener (1) 2 and 1.
Tim Hart (8) bt Brendan Smith (9) at 38th.
Rhein Gibson (13) bt Patrick Wilson (4) 7 and 6.
Scott Arnold (5) bt Adam Downtown (12) 4 and 3.
Charles Ford (Eng) (15) bt Michael Rasetta (31) 2 and 1.
Brett Drewitt (23) bt Mitch Davis (7) 7 and 6.
Kyle Grant (3) bt Justin Roadh (14) 2 and 1.
Ross Kellett (Sco) (6) bt Luke Humphrties (22) 2 holes.

David McGregor and his famous father Bobby

If you switch over to our sister website, www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk, and scroll back to last week, you will find its US college golf news includes a story about David McGregor from Helensburgh, currently a golf scholarship student at Post University, Connecticutt. Picture above shows David with his famous sporting dad, Bobby McGregor who was a world record-setting free style swimmer in the 1960s.

Bobby won plenty of trophies and medals in his day but these in the picture have all been won by David. One of them is for the Helensburgh Golf Club championship. Our thanks to mum Bernadette for forwarding a selection of pictures.

Harrington has two melanomas

removed from around right eye

Padraig Harrington, the Open and USPGA champion, has had two non-malignant melanomas removed from around his right eye.
"I had them looked at just before Christmas and had them cut out 10 days ago," said Harrington, who had similar surgery in 2007.
Harrington, who returns to action at the Buick Invitational in San Diego, is in America for the next four weeks but may then skip the CA World Championship at Doral in Miami on March 12-15. That would enable him to fully recharge his batteries before the final countdown to The US Masters.
"I'm unlikely to play Doral," he added. "I'm not fully committed at the moment, but it looks like I'll take a three-week break there and go home and work on things.
"Usually I peak in my third week, so I look to put the majors the third week. I'd love to play all the best tournaments but you've got to schedule these things for what works best to help you peak when you need.

Seven Scots in preliminary

Walker Cup squad for USA

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R&A

Scotland’s World Amateur Team Championship winners, Wallace Booth and Gavin Dear, have been included in the Great Britain & Ireland squad ahead of September’s Walker Cup match at Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania.

The final team of ten players to face the USA will be selected in August.
The two young Scots who, together with Callum Macaulay, lifted the Eisenhower Trophy in Australia last October, form part of a 28-man group that will meet at Formby Golf Club on 28 & 29 April. Also in the 2009 squad is Welshman, Nigel Edwards, who will be attempting to reach his fifth consecutive Walker Cup and England’s, Thomas Sherreard, second-placed amateur and 19th overall at The 2008 Open Championship.
Other selected individuals include Sherreard’s compatriot, Tommy Fleetwood, runner-up at last year’s Amateur Championship; Shane Lowry, Paul Cutler and Niall Kearney, all members of Ireland’s winning team at the 2008 European Amateur Team Championships; and Welsh brothers Ben and Rhys Enoch.
“As a squad, we go into the 2009 season with a lot of confidence,” commented Walker Cup Captain, Colin Dalgleish (pictured above). “Great Britain & Ireland currently have both the reigning European and World Amateur Team Championship winners and we have over half of the players that won those events in the talented group we have assembled.”
“Only Nigel Edwards has had previous Walker Cup experience but all of the selected individuals have plenty of team match play under their belts,” added Chairman of Selectors, Tony Disley. “A large proportion have also spent extended periods playing college golf in the states and we hope this will pay dividends at Merion.”
The 2009 Walker Cup will take place at Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania, on 12 & 13 September. Merion is famous for having hosted more USGA championship tournaments than any other and for being the place where Bobby Jones completed his 1930 Grand Slam.

GB&I squad is:

Todd Adcock (Nevill).

Wallace Booth (Comrie).

Paul Cutler (Portstewart).

Gavin Dear (Murrayshall).

Alan Dunbar (Rathmore).

Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch).

Ben Enoch (Truro).

Rhys Enoch (Truro).

Steven McEwan (Caprington).

Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall).

Charlie Ford (Kirby Muxloe).

Luke Goddard (Hendon).

Matt Haines (Rochester & Cobham Park).

Paul O’Hara (Colville Park).

Sam Hutsby (Liphook).

Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin).

Dara Lernihan (Castle).

Shane Lowry (Esker Hills).

Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie).

Chris Paisley (Stocksfield).

Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park).

Tom Sherreard (Chart Hills).

Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck).

Steven Uzzell (Hornsea).

Simon Ward (Co Louth).

Ben Westgate (Trevose).

Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes).

Gordon Yates (Hilton Park)

Marcus Both sets pace in Bangkok

heat and humidity

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ASIAN TOUR
Australia’s Marcus Both set the early pace at the season-opening Asian Tour International when he blasted an eight-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead at the Suwan Golf and Country Club, Bangkok today.
Japan’s Tetsuji Hiratsuka, who had earlier taken the morning lead is a single shot back in second place on 64 while Singapore-based Australian Unho Park and India’s Rahil Gangjee are tied for third after posting matching 65s.
Japan’s Kodai Ichihara, Finland’s Toni Karjalainen, Korea’s Mo Joong-kyung and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar are all further trailing closely behind in tied-fifth on 66.
Both who finished tied-third at the inaugural event last year looks set to better his performance judging from his inspired performance where he recorded a total of seven birdies and an eagle en route to the day’s best score of 63.
The 29-year-old Australian recorded a birdie on the par-three 12th but quickly gave that shot back with a bogey on 13th.
But after making the turn at one-under, Both’s game came to life starting with an eagle three at the 550-yard par five, second.
He continued to reel in three consecutive birdies starting from the third to fifth holes before closing with another two birdies on the eighth and ninth.
“It’s a nice start especially for the first round of the year. I didn’t really hole much putts in the front-nine, but I just kept doing what I should be doing in my back-nine, kept it nice, holed a few putts and there we have it,” said Both.
“Probably the shot of the day for me was my second shot on the second hole at par-five. I used a three-iron and hit it to about 10-feet and made eagle. That really got me going after that,” added Both, who is seeking to end his Asian Tour title drought since 2003.
Meanwhile, Hiratsuka, who has four domestic victories on the Japan Golf Tour, also began his title charge at the US$300,000 full-field Asian Tour event with a flawless display of golf when he fired five birdies and an eagle two at the 439-yard par four, 16th.
The 37-year-old Japanese was simply at the top of his game despite the hot and humid conditions at the Suwan Golf and Country Club in the morning.
“It was really hot out there today but I’m happy to be playing well at the moment. My swing and putting were all working and if I can maintain this form, I’ll stand a good chance of winning,” said Hiratsuka.
Singapore-based Australian Park was also a visibly happy man when he returned to the clubhouse after carding a blemish free round that was highlighted by six birdies.
“I made some swing changes after talking to Andrew Welsford who’s also Chih Bing’s coach. We worked through my swing and although it’s still a little uncomfortable at the moment, I’m getting away with it with some good shots” said Park.
“I don’t really feel 100% yet, but I’m pleased with the way things are going now,” added the Australian.
Bhullar who finished right at the cut-line at 65th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit last season, rued his chances of taking the outright lead in the morning after committing two costly bogeys on the ninth and 18th.
“I dropped two costly shots on the finishing ninth and 18th holes. But somehow I think I’m still hitting the ball really well. However, I think it’s too early to say what’s going to happen over the next few days,” said the young Indian.
Defending champion Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei carded a 73 to finish in tied-108 place while Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat was the best local performer after taking a share of ninth place on 67.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
63 Marcus Both (AUS)
64 Tetsuji Hiratsuka (JPN)
65 Unho Park (AUS), Rahil Gangjee (IND)
66 Kodai Ichihara (JPN), Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND), Mo Joong-kyung (KOR), Toni Karjalainen (FIN)
67 - Wisut Artjanawat (THA), Juvic Pagunsan (PHI), Andrew Dodt (AUS), Gavin Flint (AUS), Danny Chia (MAS), Adam Groom (AUS), Wu Ashun (CHN), Hirotaro Naito (JPN)

Selected Scores
68 Simon Griffiths (Eng).
69 Rhys Davis (Wal).
70 Andrew Marshall (Eng).
73 John Parry (Eng).
74 Ross Bain (Sco).
77 Ally Mellor (Eng).