Tom Lehman's debut on US over-50s Tour
Former Open champion and past US Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman begins another chapter in his distinguished golfing career this weekend when he makes his debut on the US Champions (Seniors) Tour in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf at Savannah, Georgia. The 54-hole event starts on Friday.
Lehman, who had his 50th birthday in early March, has been competing regularly on the US PGA Tour.

Scots out of the picture in Welsh Young

PGA Professionals' Championship

Scotland's hopefuls did not cover themselves in glory in the first round of the RCW Welsh Young PGA Professionals' Championship at Bull Bay, Anglesey today.
The highest placed was Lee Mackie from Stirling with an eight-over-par 78 which earned him a shared of 58th place.
Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) had an 81 for joint 84th place.
Brodie MacDonald, a Scot attached to The Belfry, had an 82 (joint 92nd) and Christopher Tierney (Airdrie) was 110th in a field of 120 with an 85.
Leading the field at one-under-par 69 are two Englishmen, George Cowan (Westerhope) and Martim Hamer (Ellesmere).
They are one stroke clear of four players on the 70 mark - Ben Clayton (Hindhead), Alex Belt (Bridlington Links), John O'Neill (Huyton & Prescott) and James Salt (Ashton under Lyme).

Latest Faldo Series qualifiers for Brazil

The Faldo Series returned to Ganton Golf Club, Yorkshire this week for the second of the 2009 season’s Faldo Series UK Championships.
The tournament was won by 16 year-old Nathan Kimsey, from Woodhall Spa, who carded a two-round total of 145 (one over par). Nathan shot a first round score of 71, which he followed up with an afternoon score of 75
Nathan’s efforts at Ganton make up for last year’s disappointment when he failed to qualify for the Grand Final by just a single stroke.
His performance this week has guaranteed him a place in the Faldo Series Grand Final, hosted by Nick Faldo - to take place in Brazil later this year. There he will be joined by the other age category winners, including last year’s Faldo Series Girls’ champion Hannah Barwood who will be looking to defend her title.
Winners from Ganton (who qualify for the Faldo Series Grand Final):

Boys Under-21
Liam Bell ... age 18 .. Cleethorpes, Lincoln ... hcap 0.8 ... 151
Boys Under-18
Daniel Wasteney ... age 17 ... Bondhay, Sheffield ... hcap 3.1 ... 147
Boys Under-16
Nathan Kimsey ... age 16 ... Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire .. hcap 1.3 ... 145
Girls Under-21
Hannah Barwood ... age 18 ... Knowle, Hanham ... hcap +2 .... 155.
Girls Under-16
Brogan Townend ... age 14 ... Pleasington, Blackburn ... hcap 2.5 ... 155

Open championship plan to beat recession

R&A to subsidise cost of golf club

parties making trip to Turnberry

FROM TODAY'S SCOTTISH DAILY EXPRESS

By JOCK MacVICAR

Golf club members are to be offered money to watch Padraig Harrington attempt to win the Open for the third time in a row at Turnberry from July 16 to 19.

In an unprecedented recession-beating move, the R&A yesterday revealed that to entice more spectators to the south Ayrshire coast venue, they will pay £250 towards the cost of a coach or coaches from Scottish clubs and those in the north of England.

"We are encouraging golf clubs, as a club, to come to the Open, to bring the juniors and ladies and make it a day out," said director of championships David Hill (picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency) at Turnberry.

"The R&A will pay £250 towards the cost of a coach and we will be contacting clubs later this week with the details.

"We're asking them to bring 30 people but if they want to bring six coaches, that's fine. In a period of recession we are trying to reach out to the golf clubs."

The organisers are also laying on a fleet of buses to transport the many Harrington-supporting spectators expected to arrive from Ireland from the ferry ports at Stranraer and Troon.

The championship is returning to what R&A chief executive Petew Dawson described yesterday as "the most scenically attractive links in the world" for the first time since Nick Price won in 1994, overhauling leader Jesper Parnevik with a 50ft eagle putt holed on the 17th green in the final round.

And, on past experience, Turnberry, because of its more remote location, attracts the lowest gates of any Open venue.

While courses like St Andrews draw crowds in excess of 200,000 for the Open week, Turnberry last time had a total gate of 115,000.

At a cost of £800,000, the road system in the area has been improved, easing the bottleneck at Maybole which caused so man y problems 15 years ago, depriving Turnberry of the 2004 Open.

However, as with all other sports, these tough recessionary times are to the forefront of R&A minds.

"Corporate hospitality is 15-20 per cent down in line with all UK sporting events," said Hill. "Everybody has suffered from that a little bit and it reflects the world we are currently in."

DAWSON SCOTCHES RUMOURS THAT ROYAL

TROON HAS BEEN PUT ON OPEN STANDBY

Peter Dawson has dismissed as "media hype" speculation that Royal Troon has been put on standby to stage the Open this summer.

Because of the major renovation work being carried out at Turnberry Hotel and a change of contractors last month, there were rumours the task would not be completed in time.

But the R&A's chief executive said: "Putting Royal Troon on standby has absolutely never been discussed."

David Spencer, CEO of Turnberry Hotel's new Dubai-based owners, Leisurecorp, guaranteed that although a second phase of the overall $28million renovation will not be carrried out until the winter months of 2009-2010, the hotel will be opened on time.

"It will be ready before the Open championship comes to Turnberry," insisted Spencer.

MacKenzie Club-Aberdeen

Council deal for new-look

Hazlehead collapses

FROM THE FRONT PAGE OF TODAY'S PRESS & JOURNAL
By CALUM ROSS
Aberdeen City Council announced last night that multi-million-pound plans to redevelop an historic local golf course have collapsed.
The local authority blamed the global recession for the failure to seal a deal which would have transformed the municipal Hazlehead golf course into a £24million leisure complex.
The project is the second major North-east golf development to be bunkered by the economic downturn.
The firm behind plans for a Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Ury Estate near Stonehaven went into administration in February.
The region's drive to become a global golf tourism hub now appear to rest with Donald Trump's £1billion development at Balmedie to the north of the city and the Paul Lawrie-led £115million scheme at Blairs College, near Aberdeen on the south side of the River Dee.
Opponents of moves to privatise Hazlehead golf course hailed news of the deal's collapse as a "victory for people power."
But Brian Hendry (pictured above), who had been heading the MacKenzie Club consortium, said he was "surprised" by the timing of the council's annoucement, which followed months of negotiations aimed at securing a 99-year lease on the three courses at Hazlehead.
Talks between council officials and the consortium broke down last week.
A proposal remained on the table which would have seen the consortium revamp the No 1 course over three years at its own expense.
But local authoriry officials ruled out such a move.
Councillors will instead consider a report on the future of the municipal Hazlehead golf courses, which recommends transferring them to the control of an arm's-length trust.
Council leader Kate Dean said: "It is regrettable that the MacKenzie Club has been forced to take this decision after so much hard work ont heir part and by our own officers, who had put enormous energy into trying to make this ambitious scheme work.
The council leader stressed: "We always said we would only go ahead with the redevelopment after the closest possible scrutiny by the council and by our external advisers to make sure it offered the best value for the council and a good deal for citizens and local golfers.
"We gave it every chance to succeed - so long as the MacKenzie Club was able to come up with the financial assurances we needed.
"Sadly, and through no fault of their own, that proved to be impossible."
The MacKenzie Club - the Hazlehead No 1 course was designed and contructed in 1926-27 at considerable cost to the then Aberdeen Town Council by Dr Alistair MacKenzie who went on to design Augusta National, the home of the US Masters - was supposed to include a luxury 50-bed hotel, a gold academy, a new clubhouse, lodges and an equestrian centre.
A source close to the consortium claimed last night that the collapse of the deal had been due to the local authority "moving the goalposts," rather than a failure to find financial backing."

BY GEORGE! REYNOLDS WINS ARGYLL
& BUTE MATCH-PLAY TITLE AT LAST

George Reynolds of Rothesay Golf Club has secured the Argyll and Bute area match-play title with a hard fought victory in the final over Allan McKie (Glencruitten) at a bright and breezy Machrihanish links.
A four-time winner of the area stroke-play title, it was 45-year-old Reynolds' first win in the match-play. He won by 2 and 1 after clinching victory in grand style with a birdie at the 17th after a ding-dong struggle with 23-year-old McKie.