Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Monty laughs at McIlroy tagging

Ryder Cup "an exhibition"

FROM THE TIMESONLINE WEBSITE
By PETER DIXON
When it was put to him that Rory McIlroy had described the Ryder Cup as no more than an exhibition, Colin Montgomerie almost snorted with laughter. The match has come to define the Scot and nothing, in his eyes, is going to diminish its importance or standing within the game.
Montgomerie will captain the Europe team at Celtic Manor, Newport, next year and has cleared one of his first hurdles by persuading the players' committee to allow him three wild-card picks for his 12-man team instead of the usual two.
His next task is to convince Europe's brightest young star that there is a lot more to the event than meets his 20-year-old eyes.
Speaking on the eve of the 3 Irish Open at Baltray, Co Louth, north of Dublin, Montgomerie played down McIlroy's words - “Please don't start a war against Rory McIlroy,” he pleaded - but was keen to point out that no one had any idea what the Ryder Cup entailed until they had played in it.
“The Ryder Cup is not an exhibition and never will be,” said Montgomerie, who is paired with McIlroy for the first two rounds. Added to that, he said that “when, not if” the Northern Irishman plays for the team “the whole scenario will hit him hard. He'll understand what it's about when he is a part of that.”
Much of what McIlroy had to say can be put down to the honesty of youth. He has performed remarkably well to get inside the world's top 20 and is right to be looking towards a career in which the winning of major championships will take priority. Play good golf, he argues, and the Ryder Cup will look after itself.
“If you play well enough, you're going to get on the team,” McIlroy said. “That's the simple fact. But it's not a huge goal of mine. If I'm struggling to get on the team, I'm not going to play two more events to try [to qualify]. If I play well enough, I play well enough. And if I don't, then so be it.
“The Ryder Cup is a great spectacle for golf, but an exhibition at the end of the day that should be there to be enjoyed. If you win or lose, it's a great experience and you move on. In the big scheme of things, it's not that important an event for me. Golf is an individual sport at the end of the day. You have individual goals and mine are to win tournaments for myself.”

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APORA v ACCNS in Aberdeen Trades Foursomes Final

Thursday night's final of the Aberdeen Trades Foursomes will be between Apora (Aberdeen Post Office Recreation Association) and Bankers. The tee-off time at Hazlehead No 1 course will be 5pm.

In tonight's semi-finals, the results were:

APORA (Aberdeen Post Office Recreation Association) bt ACCNS (Aberdeen City Council Neighbourhood Services) by seven holes.
S Spiers & K Duthie 8, I Morrison & C Strachan 0.
T Robertson & R McKen 0, I Pratt & D Morris 1.

BANKERS bt SURVEYORS by two holes.
G Stewart & B Gibson bt C Kerr & M Halliday 0.
S Carmichael & M Paterson 0, J Broadley & G Hendry 2.

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Elliot Saltman sharing lead on PGA

EuroPro Tour at Faithlegg

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Lothians man Elliot Saltman is one of five players sharing the lead at four under par after the first round of the Green 17 Faithlegg Championship at the Faithlegg House Hotel and Golf Club in Waterford – the second event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour.
Official bookmakers Sky Bet made Saltman the joint favourite at 14-1 after his second place finish in the opening event at Collingtree Park and a losing play-off at Faithlegg on last year’s Tour.
The Scot won the curtain-raising pro-am in Northampton last week and continued his fine start to the year by racing to three under after four holes, thanks to an eagle on the second and a birdie at the fourth.
Further shots were gained at the 11th and 13th for Saltman to move to five under but a bogey at 14 and pars to the finish saw him shoot 68.
Kieran Staunton (Woodcote Park) also stormed to three under after four holes and went out four under after picking up another shot at the seventh. Four soon became five with his fifth birdie of the round on the 10th but like Saltman, he dropped a shot soon after at the 12th to also shoot 68. It was a back-nine birdie burst from Adam Mason (AJM Golf Ltd) that sees him in the leading group with four birdies in the first five holes on the back nine after going out one under – but a bogey at the last robbed him of sole possession of the lead.
Irishman Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas GC) started his round on the back nine and also recorded four birdies after five holes and seven birdies in total. He will rue his double bogey at the seventh. Jeremy Kavanagh (Stoke Park) completes the quintet after also starting on the back nine – five birdies and one bogey in his 68.
Paul Grannell (Vale Royal Abbey) won the pro-am with a round of 67 and leads a quartet of player’s one stroke behind the leaders on three under. Like many of the leaders, Grannell burst out of the blocks racing to three under par after three holes before bogeys at five and six pegged him back. He birdied the eighth to go out at two under but bogeyed the 12th to drop to one under, before what could turn out to be crucial back to back birdies at 14 and 15 saw him shoot 69.
Brendan McCarroll (Ballyliffin/Prepa Golf) finished strongly on the front nine with two birdies to move to three under, while Andrew Thorpe (Peterborough Milton) dropped a shot at the 17 to miss out on a spot with the leaders.
James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City GC) completes the chasing pack after a topsy-turvy front nine with four birdies and two bogeys was followed by a more serene ending to his round with two more birdies and one further dropped shot.
It was a fine day of scoring in Ireland with 18 players at two under par (70) and a further ten players a shot behind them at one under (71). The 16 players who shot level par rounds of 72 meant that 53 players recorded rounds of level par or better in what is promising to be a keenly fought tournament. Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park) was Saltman’s companion as favourite at 14/1 with Sky Bet and he is five shots behind the Scotsman after a one over par 73.
The full first round leaderboard from the Green 17 Faithlegg Championship is available at
http://www.europrotour.com/ by clicking on the Score Updates link – where the second round scores will be live when play begins at 7.30am on Thursday.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
68 Kieran Staunton (Woodcote Park), Jeremy Kavanagh (Stoke Park), Peter O'Keeffee (Douglas), Elliot Saltman (Aegon), Adam Mason (AJM Ltd).
69 Paul Grannell (Vale Royal Abbey), Brendan McCarroll (Ballyliffin), Andrew Thorpe (Peterborough Milton), James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City).
Other Scots scores:
Scott Jamieson 70
Barry Hume 70
Graeme Brown 70
Graeme Lornie 71
Scott Herald 71
Chris Kelly 72
Paul Doherty 72
Jack Doherty 72
Shaun McAllister 73
Duncan Stewart 73
Steven Mackie 73
Andrew Oldcorn 74
Eric Walker 74
Mark Kerr 74
John Gallagher 74
Steven Hume 75
Lee Harper 75
Graham Gordon 76
Kenneth Glen 76
Christopher Campbell 78
Zack Saltman 78
Chris McCalman 82

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British Masters - no sponsor - dropped

from European Tour 2009 schedule

The British Masters, one of the oldest events on the European golf tour, has been dropped from this year's schedule after it was unable to find a new sponsor.
The event, which has been staged every year since 1946, will not be on the calendar this year after Quinn Insurance's sponsorship came to an end and no replacement could be found.
It had been planned for September 17-20 at The Belfry, where it was staged the last three years.
The Austrian Open, originally scheduled for June 11-14, will now be shifted to the September date.
The British Masters probably peak during the years when it was known as the "Dunlop Masters.
Another event originally on this year's schedule, the English Open at St Mellion, was cancelled earlier because of construction in the area of the course but should return in 2011.

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McCreadie and Orr share top prize

in Ben shotgun pro-am at Cardross

Scottish PGA champion Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) and David Orr (East Renfrewshire) headed the pro scores with one-under-par 70s in the Belhaven Best Ben shotgun pro-am at Cardross Golf Club today.
McCreadie and Orr won £740 apiece for finishing a shot ahead of Mark King (Kingsfield Golf Centre) and Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle).
Elliott led home the winning team in the pro-am - "The Old Quarry Bar, Rutherglen" - represented by Joe McBrearty (handicap 5), John Cameron (16) and Chris McNiell (16). They had a net score of 15-under-par 56, which included one albatross, one eagle and 10 birdies ... some shooting!
PRO SCORES
Par 71
70 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), David Orr (East Renfrewshire).
71 Mark King (Kingsfield), Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle).
72 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), John McTear (Mar Hall Hotel), Edward Thomson (Senit Associates), Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design).
73 Dean Robertson (Mearns Castle), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Stephen Gray (Hayston).
74 Robert Farrell (Cardross), Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links).
75 Gordon Law (Uphall).
76 Colin Gillies (Perry Golf), Craig Ronal (Carluke), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie).
77 Jonny Sharp (The Carrick at Cameron House).
78 Samuel Cairns (Colville Park).
79 Gary McFarlane (Clober).
83 Euan Cmaeron (Hamilton).
TEAM WINNERS
56 Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle) & The Old Quarry Bar, Rutherglen: Joe McBrearty (5), John Cameron (16), Chris McNeill (16).

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Lawrie falls out with Meldrum House head

greenkeeper - membership is terminated

FROM TODAY'S PRESS AND JOURNAL
Former Open champion Paul Lawrie has been banned by an exclusive Aberdeenshire golf club for criticising the condition of its greens.
The Aberdonian, a member of £1,500-a-year Meldrum House Golf Club at Oldmeldrum, had a row with its head greenkeeper.
But his comments about the conditon of the greens angered the club's directors who terminated his membership. Mr Lawrie was also told he is no longer welcome to use its practice facilities or work with coach and club head professional Neil Marr at the Aberdeenshire course.
The golfer is understood to have send head greenkeeper Kenny Harper a series of text messages from his mobile phone.
A club source said: " Apparently, it all started off as a bit of a joke, a bit of friendly banter. Paul has known Kenny for years but had not been in touch with him for a while.
"So when the greenkeeper got a text from him saying the Meldrum House greens were in a bit of a state, he was not a happy man.
"Kenny sent an irate text straight back, saying he did not think much of Paul's golfing abilities."
It is understood one of Mr Lawie's texts read:
"Deeside greens awesome, Meldrum House s****."
The source added: "Hopefully, Paul will be man enough to apolgise and the matter will soon be resolved."
Last night, the club said in a statement:
"Meldrum House Golf Club has extended courtesy of its golf course and extensive practice facilities to Paul Lawrie for more than five years and in that time enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship.
"While the club recognises that any member, or qualified individual, has the right to offer constructive input into the course and facilities at Meldrum House, it finds Mr Lawrie's recent conduct towards members of staff wholly unacceptable and certainly not befitting the status he has been granted at the club or as a professional golfer.
"As a result, the directrors have asked Mr Lawrie not to return to Meldrum House. This situation would be reviewed if a full and unreserved apology was made to the club and staff.
"Mr Lawrie's relationship with the club's professional, Neil Marr, his coach for the past two years, is subject to another matter and not for discussion at this time."
Paul Lawrie was formerly attached to Meldrum House but is now affiliated with The Carrick at Loch Lomond course.

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Christy O'Connor voted into World Golf Hall of Fame

Christy O'Connor, who won 24 European Tour titles over a career spanning four decades, has been voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2009.
One of the most popular players of his generation, the 84-year-old Irishman competed on 10 Ryder Cup teams and also claimed eight victories on the European senior circuit.
O'Connor will be inducted on November 2 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.
Affectionately known as 'Himself' among his peers, Christy will become the second Irishman to enter the Hall of Fame, following the late Joe Carr who was inducted in 2007.
"I never expected to be nominated, never mind selected, for the World Golf Hall of Fame," O'Connor said in a statement.
"My deepest thanks go to those who felt I was a deserving case and those who voted for me to join such a distinguished list of golfing people.
"This is a fantastic honour, not only for myself and my family but for the whole of Ireland and, in particular, all my friends in professional golf -- sadly many now departed -- who helped me enjoy a wonderful career in the game."
O'Connor, whose nephew Christy O'Connor Jr. won four European Tour titles, turned professional in 1946. Nine years later, he became the first player to win £1,000 pounds in a European tournament at the Swallow-Penfold.

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2009 FIFE ORDER OF MERIT for THE MACKAY BOWL

Positions after five events

1 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 200pt.
1 James White (Lundin) 200pt
3 Alister Hain (Ladybank) 125pt
3 G Marshall (Kirkcaldy) 125pt
5 Colin Loveday (Scotscraig) 100pt
5 David Mitchell (Leven Thistle) 100pt
5 Danny Somerville (St Andrews) 100pt
5 Brian Young (St Andrews) 100pt

The next counting event in the 2009 FIFE ORDER OF MERIT is the 36 Hole Open at Canmore on May 24.

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