Aberdeen-born Michael

Sim is top-ranked

Scots pro earner

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Which Scots-born professional golfer has won the most money so far this season - and I know it's early days in the season?
Colin Montgomerie? Callum Macaulay? Paul Lawrie?
Wrong, wrong and wrong.
The answer is Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim, pictured above, who has never played golf professionally in Europe, let alone Scotland which was home to him until the age of seven when the Sim family emigrated to Perth, Western Australia.
Sim is also the highest-placed Scots-born player in the world professional rankings at No 122.
Sim, 24, now recovered from a lower back stress fracture which scuppered his debut season on the US PGA Tour, is the most successful player on the 2009 US Nationwide Tour - that's their No 2 circuit, with two victories and earnings of $241,417. One more Nationwide Tour win this season and, under the rules, he automatically gains promotion to the Big League.
And, on the US PGA Tour, our only Scots campaigner, Martin Laird is beginning to recover from a dreadfully slow start by making a couple of cuts. He has earned $77,317 and is No 179 on its money list.
On the European Tour, the most successful Scot is ex-Tartan Tour man David Drysdale from Dunbar. David has earned 227,123 Euros and is currently 48th on the money list.
Here's a glance at some statistical tables that make interesting but not necessarily heartening reading for those of us who would like to see Scots as a power on golf's world stage.
WORLD RANKINGS
1 Tiger Woods (US).
2 Phil Mickelson (US).
3 Sergio Garcia (Spain).
4 Geoff Ogilvy (Australia).
5 Kenny Perry (US)]
6 Paul Casey (England).
7 Padraig Harrington (Ireland).
8 Vijay Singh (Fiji).
9 Henrik Stenson (Sweden).

Scots' rankings:
122 Michael Sim.
148 Alastair Forsyth.
171 Colin Montgomerie.
173 Paul Lawrie.
219 David Drysdale.
233 Gary Orr.
253 Richie Ramsay.
288 Stephen Gallacher.
319 Martin Laird.
327 Marc Warren.
364 Callum Macaulay.
387 Steven O'Hara.
393 Andrew McArthur.
394 Andrew Coltart.

EUROPEAN TOUR
(Totals in Euros)
1 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 1,464,867.
2 Paul Casey (Eng) 1,198,431.
3 Angel Cabrera (Arg) 1,041,145.
4 Rory McIlroy (NIr) 938,234.
5 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 877,529.
6 Oliver Wilson (Eng) 860,495.
7 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 617,271.
8 Thongchai Jaidee (Thai) 601,266.
9 Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 579,924.
10 Louis Oosthuisen (SAf) 573,434.
Scots' totals:
48 David Drysdale 227,123.
75 Andrew Coltart 141,098.
89 Callum Macaulay 117,028.
96 Colin Montgomerie 106,714.
104 Alastair Forsyth 95,569.
112 Paul Lawrie 88, 569.
145 Sandy Lyle 53,183.
147 Stephen Gallacher 52,434.
158 Alan McLean 43,900.
161 Scott Drummond 41,605.
182 Chris Doak 32,877.
193 Gary Orr 29,259.
209 Steven O'Hara 20,509.
213 Richie Ramsay 19,631.
234 Marc Warren 13,752.
294 Ross Bain 2,330.

US PGA TOUR
(Totals in dollars)
1 Phil Mickelson 3,217,165.
2 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 3,076
3 Sean O'Hair 2,963,842.
4 Kenny Perry 2,625,340.
5 Nick Watney 2,497,253.
6 Paul Casey 2,152,700.
7 Zach Johnson 1,979,151.
8 Steve Stricker 1,880,911.
9 Tiger Woods 1,872,213.
10 Brian Gay 1,690,375.
Selected totals:
23 Luke Donald (Eng) 1,206,576.
56 Ian Poulter (Eng) 632,718.
67 Padraig Harrington (Ire) 377,709.
100 Brian Davis (Eng) 316,293.
102 Greg Owen (Eng) 303,345.
122 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 247,267.
124 Justin Rose (Eng) 246,217.
179 Martin Laird (Sco) 77,347.
181 Sandy Lyle (Sco) 71,400.

NATIONWIDE TOUR
(totals in dollars)
1 Michael Sim (Sco) 241,417.
2 Garth Mulroy (SAf) 151,241.
3 Vance Veazey (US) 135, 277.
4 Alex Prugh (US) 127,303.
5 Alistair Presnell (US) 123,423.

Tiger hit fewer than 50% of Quail Hollow fairways!

So you think your driving's bad?
Tiger Woods hit only 25 of 56 fairways in the Quail Hollow Championship at Charlotte, North Carolina.
He still managed to finish fourth ... which underlines just how good his short game is.

Glenn Campbell (left) and Ross Kellett (right), both images (which can be enlarged by clicking on them) by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

Ross Kellett and Glenn Campbell the big Scots

movers in R&A World Amateur Rankings

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

The big Scottish movers in the latest R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings are Ross Kellett (Colville Park) and Blairgowrie's Glenn Campbell.
Kellett, who finished joint 14th in the Lytham Trophy, goes up 27 places to No 95 - giving Scotland three players in the top 100. Gavin Dear (Murrayshall), who finished joint 18th in the Lytham Trophy, has dropped five places to No 42 while Wallace Booth (Comrie), joint third at Royal Lytham. has gone up 11 places to No 58.
Glenn Campbell came joint 35th in the Lytham Trophy but that was enough to push him 28 spots up the world rankings to No 305.
The biggest Scottish "faller" was Paul O'Hara (Colville Park), winner of the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes the previous weekend. He missed the Lytham Trophy cut and has dropped 57 places to No 229.
TOP TEN RANKINGS
(+ indicates gone up; - indicates gone down).
1 Scott Arnold (Aus) 1361.15 (no change).
2 Morgan Hoffman (US) 1210.00 (no change).
3 Nicol Van Wyk (SAf) 1180.00 (+21).
4 Rockie Fowler (US) 1178.95 (-1).
5 Nick Taylor (Can) 1165.28 (+1).
6 Jorge Campillo (Spa) 1154.67 (-2).
7 Stephan Gross (Ger) 1138.46 (-2)
8 Sam Hutsby (Eng) 1120.63 (-1).
9 Mike Van Sickle (US) 1104.84 (-1).
10 Billy Horschel (US) 1094.34 (-1).
Scots in world top 500 rankings:
42 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) 929.33 (-5).
58 Wallace Booth (Comrie) 896.10 (+11).
95 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 850.75 (+27).
144 Steven McEwan (Caprington) 795.00 (-6).
210 Michael Stewart (East Tennessee State Univ) 738.71 (-2).
217 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 732.86 (+8).
229 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) 726.32 (-57).
246 James Byrne (Arizona State Univ) 715.25 (-36).
267 Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) 703.13 (-22).
305 Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 681.13 (+28).
357 James White (Lundin & Stirling Univ) 654.10 (-34).
362 Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) 618.75 (-44).
382 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 637.50 (-19).
385 Lewis Kirton (Louisville-Kentucky Univ) 635.00 (-16).
402 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 619.18 (+33).
411 David Law (Hazlehead) 614.29 (-4).
441 Philip McLean (Peterhead) 598.75 (-24)

475 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 586.30 (-20)

Craig Lawrie proves a chip off the old

block in Peterculter Stableford

Paul Lawrie's older son Craig won the first event of the new Stableford competitions which are going to be part of the Paul Lawrie Foundation Junior Tour this season.
Deeside Golf Club member Craig and G Colleran both had 44pt to their credit. Craig won with the better inward half.
Although it was quite a windy day at Peterculter Golf Club on Sunday, the Stableford points totals were impressive when you consider that a haul of 36pt is equivalent to a net par round.
LEADING POINTS TOTALS
CSS: Boys 68. Girls 71.
44 C Lawrie (better inward half), G Colleran.
43 R Powell.
42 Zoe Marr (40 + 2).
40 Kirsten Pryde (38 +2).
Other points totals:
S Singer 39; C Prudence, J Mahon, R McKinnon, B Henderson, Tegan Sievwright 36;
K Spence, J Banks 33; A Fisher 32, L Paterson 28, R Mackie 22.
As part of this year's programme, an Order of Merit for the Stableford events has been introduced.
Results of the Flag competition, also held at Petercutler last Sunday:
Girls U10
1st Shannon McWilliam
2nd Emma Logie
3rd Jasmine MacIntosh
Girls U12
1st Eve Manson
2nd Nicole Yeats
3rd Becky Flaherty
Boys U10
1st Tyler Ogston
2nd Greg Carrell
3rd Tom Flaherty
Boys U12
1st Cameron Cobban
2nd Michael Carrell
3rd = Stephen Connell
3rd= Ben Green
3rd= Duncan Craig

Bonnyton stages first ever Scratch Open

over 36 holes on Sunday, July 11

On July 11, Bonnyton Golf Club will host the first ever Bonnyton Scratch Open. The 36-hole tournament will be open to all male amateur golfers with a handicap of 5 and under.
The event will also be a counter in the Renfrewshire Order of Merit and the winner will receive an SGU voucher for £300 (First eight prizes in total)
Bonnyton is considered by many to be the best conditioned course in Renfrewshire and club officials are confident that everyone visiting the club for the first time will be very impressed by the lay-out of the course and the general facilities on offer.
Entries can be made online by emailing bonnytonscratchopen@hotmail.co.uk.
This is the first scratch open event to be held at the course and so long as the inaugural event is a success this will become a permanent fixture on the 36-hole scratch open rota.

Top teams make winning start to Aberdeen School League,

sponsored by the Paul Lawrie Foundation

The Aberdeen Schools Golf Leagues, sponsored by the Paul Lawrie Foundation, are already taking on a familiar look with all of last year's semi-finalists (Aberdeen Grammar, Cults, Robert Gordon's and Hazlehead) winning their opening matches.
Last year's title-winners, Hazlehead, had a relatively easy match. Both their first and third pairs won handsomely against their Harlaw opponents. Only the Harlaw second pairing of Megan Clyne and Michael Johnston gained a very creditable half against Scott Main and Grant Joss.
The only disappointing aspect is the reduction in the number of schools participating this year. There is not a straightforward reason for this - explanations vary from school to school.


Results:
LEAGUE A - Harlaw 1/2, Hazlehead 2 1/2; Torry 0, Cults 3.
LEAGUE B - St Machar 0, Aberdeen Grammar 3; Robert Gordon's 2, Oldmachar 1.

Knox back with a bang on the

Hooters Tour with jt 2 finish

Inverness-born Russell Knox has returned to the Hooters Tour after a holiday back home in Scotland followed by an appearance on the US Nationwide Tour to equal his best ever performance on the Hooters Tour.

Knox, who stayed on in Florida after four years at Jacksonville University, tied for second place, one shot behind the winner, in the Savannah Lakes Village Classic at Monticello Golf Club, McCormick in South Carolina.

He had rounds of 71, 64, 69 and 69 for a 15-under-par total of 273 over a 7,032yd course with a par of 72.

Knox birdied the 72nd hole to earn $12,455 for a three-way split of the second, third and fourth prizes with American Matthew Anderson and Englishman David Skinns from Lincoln, like Knox a former US college circuit player.

The winner, Matthew Harmon from Grand Rapids, Michigan shot 65, 71, 67 and 69 for 272 to pocket the first prize of $33,566.

A second Englishman in the last-day shake-up was former European Tour player and past world and British boys' champion Michael Welch who finished fifth on 274 to earn $7,886.

Knox won $64,074 on the 2008 Hooters Tour and an additional $25,480 in the Hooters 2008-2009 Winter Series. His record on the 2009 Hooters Tour is: joint 7th ($5,215), joint 11th ($3,452) and now joint second ($12,455).

He has about 10 top-10 finishes and three joint seconds over the past year with a best pay cheque of £12,471 in the Hilton Garden Inn Classic late last September.

Leading final totals in the Savannah Lakes Village Classic:

Par 288 (4x72) 7,032yd.

272 Matthew Harmon (US) 65 71 67 69 ($33,566).

273 Matthew Anderson (US) 68 70 69 66, David Skinns (Eng) 73 65 68 67, Russell Knox (sco) 71 64 69 69 ($12,455 each).

274 Michael Welch (Eng) 72 66 68 68 (jt 5th) ($7,886).

Monty has to talk a good game to convince

committee he should get more picks

Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie wants an increase in Ryder Cup wild card selections he will make for the 2010 Celtic Manor match - but he will have to convince the European Tour players' committee next Tuesday that it is the right thing to do.
Chairman Thomas Bjorn told PA Sport: "We will listen to the captain and the arguments for it, but we are very much a committee that believes that just because we lose one match we don't need to panic."
Nick Faldo had only two picks for last year's clash, whereas US team skipper Paul Azinger wanted and was given double that number so that current form came more into the make-up of his side.
The United States, underdogs without the injured Tiger Woods, won back the trophy and avoided a fourth successive defeat by a convincing five-point margin.
Bjorn added: "Some team captains prefer not to pick anybody and some would like to pick the whole team. Monty's certainly not scared of wanting to do what he thinks is right.
"We will discuss it hard and the fortunate thing is that we have a lot of ex-Ryder Cup players on the committee.
"Monty will want something and if he gets it he will be happy, but if he doesn't he will accept it - I know that for a fact.
"I see both arguments, I really do. But we won't panic - we will discuss it and listen to arguments for and against."

Levet learned lesson from Woods

- while Masters TV commentator

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
It was not only a bad back that Thomas Levet returned from The Masters with last month - it was also an important lesson in how to win.
Levet had been at Augusta not to play, but to commentate for French television and in his first tournament since then the 40-year-old former Ryder Cup golfer captured the Spanish Open in Girona.
Although Woods finished "only" sixth, Levet - who blamed his back injury on sitting down all day commentating - told PA Sport: "Tiger showed that you don't need to play extra well to win or be in contention. Even the guy who wins makes mistakes and for me the lesson is it makes me less nervous when I am playing badly."
He added: "It opens your eyes on the game and makes you more conscious of what you need to do to win.
"Sometimes we try too hard, but you don't have to play perfectly and when you commentate you see that.
"Everybody is going to make mistakes and I was so calm out there (in the closing stages of the Spanish Open)."
It was Levet's fifth European Tour victory - 45 fewer than Ballesteros' record, but the most by any Frenchman - and it came by two strokes from Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti and by four from Irish defending champion Peter Lawrie and Dane Thomas Bjorn.
Zanotti, who last November came through the Tour qualifying school on the same PGA Catalunya course, shot a best-of-the-day 65, but Levet settled the issue with birdies at the 15th and 17th for a 68.

Sean O'Hair now a career-high 12th in world

American Sean O'Hair has moved up 10 places to a career-high 12th in the world rankings following his victory in the Quail Hollow Championship.
O'Hair leapfrogged Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim and Steve Stricker, among others, with 4.57pts.
France's Thomas Levet, meanwhile, moved up 65 spots to 111th, thanks to his Spanish Open victory.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ A FEATURE ARTICLE ON O'HAIR AS A 'TROPHY KID.'

John Daly's 31st place in the Spanish Open - his first event since December and since he lost four stones through having a gastric band fitted - has not helped his world ranking.
Still serving a six-month US Tour ban, the former US Open and Open champion moves on to this week's Italian Open down at 794th, a drop of six places on a week ago.
Because there were no top 20 players and just three of the top 50 in the field in Girona, ranking points were awarded only to those finishing 27th or better.