Nigel Edwards leads Welsh open amateur

stroke-play championship at Ashburnham

Welsh Walker Cup veteran Nigel Edwards leads the field in the Welsh men's open amateur stroke-play championship by one shot at the halfway stage at Ashburnham Golf Club, South Wales.
Nigel had rounds of 72 and 66 for six-under-par 138, one shot ahead of Andreas Harte from Denmark. Andreas had rounds of 71 and 68. A second Dane, Joachim Hansen was one of four players sharing third place on 141.
Top Scot with two rounds to play is last year's boys' stroke-play champion Mark Bookless (Sandyhills) with 72 and 73 for 145 and a share of 12th place.
Scott Borrowman (Dollar) and Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) are on 146.
Only those with 36-hole totals of 149 or better qualified for Sunday's final two rounds.

QUALIFIERS FOR FINAL TWO ROUNDS
Par 144 (2 x 72). CSS 74 74.
138 Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch, Cardiff) 72 66.
139 Andreas Harte (Denmark) 71 68.
141 Joachim Hansen (Denmark) 73 68, Jacob Roth (Kokkedal) 72 69, Oliver Farr (Ludlow) 69 72, Mathew Southgate) Thorpe Hall) 69 72.
142 Matt Haines (Rochester & Cobham Park) 73 69.
144 Adrian Ford (South Africa) 71 73, Charles Ford (Kirby Muxloe) 71 73, Thomas Coulson (West Hove) 70 74, Richard Smith (Notts) 70 74.
145 Ben Loughrey(Wrag Barn) 75 70, Adam Sager (Keighley 73 72, Mark Bookless (Sandyhlls) 72 73, Luke Goddard (Henton) 70 75.
146 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 73 73, Miles Mackman (Broome Manor) 73 73, Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) 73 73.
147 Steven Ferreira (Reading) 76 71, Amir Habibi (Rochester & Cobham Park) 75 72, Craig Evans (West Monmouthshire) 75 72, James Dimond (East Devon) 74 73, Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) 71 76, Adam Runcie (Abergele) 70 77.
148 Mark Thistleton (Hayling) 77 71, James Ross (Royal Burgess) 76 72, Jonathan Gidney (Church Stretton) 74 74.
149 Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 81 68, Tom Wilde (Castle Royal) 79 70, James Frazer (Pennard) 79 70, Daniel Lokke (Denmark) 76 73, Alex Christie (Tyrrells Wood) 76 73, Christopher Jusslin (Finland) 75 74, Jonathan White (Saunton) 75 74, Dimitu Van Doren (Belgium) 74 75, Joe Vickery (Newport) 74 75, Mark Fensham (South Africa) 74 75, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 73 76.
MISSED THE CUT
150 Brent O'Neill (Radyr) 79 71, Jason Shufflebotham (Prestatyn) 79 71, Max Broadfield (Langland Bay) 78 72, Nick James (Wenvoe Castle) 78 72, Greg Hughes (Walton Heath) 77 73, Paul Betty (Hayston) 75 75, Ben Westgate (Trevose) 70 80.
151 Stephen Whitty (St Pierre) 80 71, Cathal O'Malley (Westport) 77 74, Sam Matton (Bowood) 77 74, Rhys Pugh (Vale of Glamorgan) 77 74, Gareth Phillips (Creigiau) 76 75, Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 76 75, Christopher Mivis (Belgium) 76 75, Vincent Thorne (Haverfordwest) 75 76.
152 Paul Shields (Kirkhiill) 78 74, Immu Korvenmaa (Finland) 77 75, Chris Cannon (East Sussex National) 76 76, Jack Clarke (Chelmsford) 74 78.
153 Neil Henderson (Glen) 82 71.
Selected scores:
154 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 80 74.
157 Peter Larimer (St Andrews New) 81 76.
161 Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar0 83 78.

Ross Drummond leads by two shots in

US Senior PGA championship

Could Ross Drummond be on the verge of his biggest ever victory in a long career?
The 6ft 4in, four times Scottish pro champion from Prestwick is leading the field at the halfway stage of the United States Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club, Beachwood, Ohio. The Scot has had scores of 70 and 66 to lead by two shots from Jeff Sluman, Scott Hoch, Bernhard Langer, Tom Purtzer and Larry Mize.
“I know it’s going to be difficult and I’m going to be nervous, but you just have to draw from that,” Drummond said after matching the low round of the tournament with a 4-under 66 to grab a clear lead.
“You don’t come to these tournaments just to be down at the bottom end of the field,” he said. “You really come here to try to be successful.”
The 52-year-old Drummond's life on the fringes of fame and fortune were told in the popular 1996 book “Four Iron In the Soul.”
No European player has won the Senior PGA since Jock Hutchison — also a Scot — in 1947.
Drummond was asked, why not him?
“Well, to be honest, I don’t think I even want to contemplate that,” he said. “It would be a dream come true, obviously. It would be an unbelievable achievement and something to be very proud of. But I don’t think I can even contemplate that.”
Drummond’s 24 putts in the second round were the fewest by anyone in the elite 156-player field that includes eight members of the World Golf Hall of Fame and 23 players who have won a total of 41 major championships.
Drummond laboured for 20 years on the European Tour without winning, although his most successful year — 42nd on the Order of Merit — was the year he was profiled in the book by journalist, author and his caddie, Lawrence Donegan. The book has sold thousands of copies in Europe.
“It’s nice when people come up and tell me that they read the book and that they enjoyed the book,” he said.
Then he conceded that he has never read the book since proof reading it prior to publication.In 1996 Drummond finished second to Retief Goosen in the Slaley Hall Northumberland Challenge and third to Jesper Parnevik in the Trophee Lancome.
But within a year he had played so poorly that he lost his tour card. He went through qualifying four times before finally giving up, playing in pro-am tournaments in his homeland for five years before joining the European senior tour.
Although he never won on the European Tour, he did capture titles at the Scottish Professional Championship in 1986, ‘87, ‘89 and ‘90. He has played in 13 British Opens, tying for 31st in 1984 and again in 1995.
Still, he has barely scraped by on his earnings and with almost no sponsorship money. He wears a hat from his home course, Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, but doesn’t receive any money to represent it.
“I would say that I’ve just squeaked by,” said the married father of a 10-year-old daughter, adding that he had a minor sponsor for a couple of years in the mid-1980s. “I’ve never had any endorsements as such that paid big money. Probably from maybe 1986, I funded it purely by myself.”
A friend and traveling companion from Scotland, Duncan Kerr, is carrying his bag.
Among those missing the cut of 7-over 148 were Craig Stadler, Fuzzy Zoeller, Nick Price, Ben Crenshaw, Sandy Lyle and Lanny Wadkins.
Former British Open champion Tom Lehman bounced back with a 68 to stand at 143. Multiple major-winners Tom Watson (72) and Hale Irwin (74) led the pack at 144.
Greg Norman was 2 under on the day when he shanked his third shot over the green and out of bounds on the 616-yard, par-5 16th hole, ending up with a triple bogey. He had to settle for a 72 that left him at 145.
Drummond is ahead of Norman by nine shots as he tries to capture the biggest win of his life.“I feel that my game is good enough to make the cut,” Drummond said. “But I didn’t expect to be in or near the lead.”
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2 x 70). 6895yd
1. Ross Drummond 70-66--136
2. Jeff Sluman 70-68--138
2. Scott Hoch 66-72--138
2. Bernhard Langer 68-70--138
2. Tom Purtzer 66-72--138
2. Larry Mize 69-69--138
7. Gil Morgan 71-68--139
7. Tom Kite 69-70--139
7. Jay Don Blake 70-69--139
7. Chris Starkjohann 71-68--139
11. Brad Bryant 73-67--140
11. Michael Allen 74-66--140
11. Dan Forsman 70-70--140
11. Mark James 69-71--140
15. Sam Torrance 70-71--141
15. Mark McNulty 72-69--141
15. Russ Cochran 70-71--141
15. Bruce Fleisher 71-70--141
15. John Morse 69-72--141
15. Tim Simpson 70-71--141
15. Joey Sindelar 69-72--141
22. Joe Ozaki 75-67--142
22. John Cook 73-69--142
22. Roger Chapman 74-68--142
22. Keith Fergus 73-69--142
22. Fred Funk 71-71--142
27. Gary Hallberg 69-74--143
27. Don Pooley 74-69--143
27. Wayne Grady 71-72--143
27. Ian Woosnam 71-72--143
27. John Jacobs 70-73--143
27. Dave Stockton 70-73--143
27. Tom Lehman 75-68--143
27. James Blair 71-72--143
35. Dana Quigley 69-75--144
35. Kiyoshi Murota 73-71--144
35. James Mason 71-73--144
35. Tom Watson 72-72--144
35. Gene Jones 75-69--144
35. Hale Irwin 70-74--144
35. Robert Gibbons 71-73--144
42. Greg Norman 73-72--145
42. Mark Wiebe 72-73--145
42. Kirk Hanefeld 75-70--145
42. Lonnie Nielsen 76-69--145
42. Bob Gilder 71-74--145
42. Walter Hall 72-73--145
42. Bill Britton 75-70--145
42. Eduardo Romero 73-72--145
42. Jay Haas 71-74--145
42. Mike Reid 74-71--145
42. Bob Cameron 72-73--145
42. Tom McKnight 72-73--145
54. Allen Doyle 72-74--146
54. Mark O'Meara 76-70--146
54. Mike Goodes 75-71--146
54. Jon Fiedler 72-74--146
54. John Harris 72-74--146
54. Ronnie Black 75-71--146
54. Mike Smith 75-71--146
54. Andy Bean 74-72--146
54. Chip Beck 73-73--146
54. Ken Green 72-74--146
54. Bobby Wadkins 75-71--146
65. Juan Quiros 72-75--147
65. Ron Streck 73-74--147
65. Jim White 74-73--147
65. Jim Woodward 72-75--147
65. Bob Tway 75-72--147
65. Costantino Rocca 72-75--147
65. Fred Gibson 73-74--147
65. Bill Longmuir 77-70--147
65. Vicente Fernandez 76-71--147
65. Jeff Roth 74-73--147
65. Loren Roberts 73-74--147
65. Hal Sutton 71-76--147
65. Tom Wargo 74-73--147
MISSED THE CUT
78. Kong Meshiai 75-73--148
78. Craig Stadler 75-73--148
78. Fuzzy Zoeller 72-76--148
78. Morris Hatalsky 74-74--148
78. Mike San Filippo 74-74--148
78. Luis Carbonetti 75-73--148
78. R.W. Eaks 74-74--148
78. Blaine McCallister 75-73--148
78. David Eger 73-75--148
78. Angel Franco 75-73--148
78. Perry Arthur 73-75--148
78. Domingo Hospital 75-73--148
78. Gary Robison 76-72--148
78. Mark W. Johnson 77-71--148
78. Jimmy Heggarty 77-71--148
78. Tom Jenkins 71-77--148
78. Mike Harwood 73-75--148
78. Jerry Pate 73-75--148
78. Butch Sheehan 70-78--148=
78. Mike Malaska 77-71--148
78. Bruce Vaughan 76-72--148
99. Mouse Bruner 75-74--149
99. John Aubrey 71-78--149
99. Nick Price 74-75--1499
99. Tsukasa Watanabe 79-70--149
99. Jim Sobb 75-74--149
99. Phil Blackmar 74-75--149
99. Ben Crenshaw 73-76--149
99. Sandy Lyle 74-75--149
99. Mike Hulbert 72-77--149
108. Fulton Allem 73-77--150
109. Peter Mitchell 78-73--151
109. Tom Herzan 74-77--151
109. Bill Loeffler 78-73--151
109. Denis Watson 70-81--151
109. Ron Vlosich 79-72--151
109. Mike Cunning 73-78--151
109. Jim Thorpe 77-74--151
109. Mitch Adams 73-78--151
109. Cleve Coldwater 75-76--151
118. Roy Vucinich 79-73--152
118. Lanny Wadkins 72-80--152
118. J.C. Snead 72-80--152
121. Nick Job 77-76--153
121. Brett Upper 77-76--153
121. George Forster 76-77--153
121. Cory George 77-76--153
121. Scott Davis 78-75--153
121. Dan Pohl 77-76--153
121. Fred Holton 74-79--153
121. Giuseppe Cali 77-76--153
121. Robert Thompson 77-76--153
130. Jim Logue 78-76--154
130. Dave Merriman 80-74--154
130. David Edwards 75-79--154
130. Tony Johnstone 73-81--154
130. Steve Thomas 77-77--154
130. Gary Sowinski 76-78--154
130. Curt Byrum 77-77--154
137. Jeff Coston 75-80--155
137. Mike Lawrence 78-77--155
137. Fran Marrello 78-77--155
137. Bob Charles 78-77--155
141. Victor Tortorici 80-77--157
141. Chris Tucker 78-79--157
141. Denis O'Sullivan 81-76--157
144. Nevin Sutcliffe 80-78--158
144. Isao Aoki 81-77--158
144. Mike Borich 83-75--158
147. Pete Oakley 80-79--159
147. Gordon J. Brand 81-78--159
147. Gordon Brand Jr. 84-75--159
150. Jim Lapsley 81-79--160
150. Bob McGrath 81-79--160
150. Mark Hayes 80-80--160
153. Will Frantz 81-80--161
154. Dale Douglass 86-79--165
155. Charles Coody 83-85--168

BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth

Paul Casey goes two shots clear, spurred

on by chance to become World No 3

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Paul Casey, told on Wednesday that the World No 3 spot was there for him to grab this week, is bang on course for it halfway through the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.
Three years after he won the HSBC World Match Play here, Casey moved from two behind to two in front with a second round 67 at the European Tour's flagship event.
The 31 year old had no hesitation nominating his shot of the day - a 163 yard nine iron that dived into the hole for a 2 at the difficult 13th.
Not that it was Casey's only eagle. He hit a seven iron to seven feet at the long fourth and had the chance of another when he was almost as close on the 12th, only to miss the putt.
That was one of four birdies, but a disappointing 6-5 finish on the two par-5s limited him to eight under par.
And he ended up with only 13 usable clubs, bending his four iron when he struck a tree on the 17th.
"I was worried that the club might snap and injure somebody in the crowd," he said. "It's an old shaft and it might be difficult to get it replaced - and I wanted to hit it at the last.
"I would have taken a two-shot lead at the start of the day, but there were still a few too many mistakes, which was a bit frustrating.
"I used to struggle to figure out a way round here and stood on some tees pretty scared, but the changes (made by playing partner Ernie Els) gave me more options and I've built over the years a liking for the course."
First prize this time is €750,000 and that would take him well clear in The European Tour’s new The Race To Dubai, but it is the possibility of a third win this year and a leap from seventh to third in the rankings - behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson - that sends him into the weekend licking his lips.
Joint second are holder Miguel Angel Jiménez, England's David Horsey and Anthony Wall, Scot Marc Warren and also Dane Søren Kjeldsen.
Jiménez's dream for the last 36 holes is that he will become only the third player in the event's history - after Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie - to make a successful defence of the trophy.
The 45 year old's hopes were given a massive boost by a closing 18-foot eagle putt after he had driven into the fairway bunker for the second day running.
"I think this course suits me because you need to control the ball," said the Malaga golfer. "It's always a benefit being a long hitter, but it does not make much difference here because you have to place the ball."
Jiménez has had more wins - eight - since his 40th birthday than before and he commented: "I feel the people kicking and trying to put me away, but I am still solid like a bull.
"I still enjoy myself with this new era and I love the competition. I still feel these butterflies in my stomach - it's what I do in my life and what I want to keep doing."
First day leaders Horsey and Wall both added 71s to their opening rounds of 67 to be alongside Jiménez and they were joined by Warren when he birdied four of the last seven for a best of the day 66 and Kjeldsen after he shot 69.
Former Open Championship winner Ben Curtis and South African Thomas Aiken are in joint seventh on five under.
Richie Ramsay, called into the field for a first appearance as a substitute for Justin Rose bowed out at halfway, one shot over the halfway cut mark at 147.

Colin, with the help of a hole in one, wins by three shots

Gillies gets off the mark

with record- equalling

63 at Lochwinnoch

Colin Gillies scored his first win of the Tartan Tour season in today's Lochwinnoch Golf Club pro-am.
The Perry Golf player, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had three shots in hand of the field with a sparkling round of eight-under-par 63, which equalled the professional course record, to collect the £928.50 first prize.
Gillies' card included a hole in one at the short 13th.
The team event was won by Kames professional John Kelly and the amateur trio of Robert Tai,t Gerry Corr and Allan Gray with a net score of 54.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 71
63 Colin Gillies (Perry Golf) £928.50.
66 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range), Stephen Gray (Hayston) £649.72 each.
67 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Chris Kelly (Cawder), Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), Mark King (Kingsfield Golf Centre) £317.89 each.
69 David Orr (East Renfrewshire), Edward Thomson (Senit Associates), Lindsay Mann Carnoustie), Craig Ronald (Carluke) £169.46 each.
70 Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) £125.32 each.
71 Stuart Kerr (Strathaven), Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) £106.66 each.
73 Samuel Cairns (Colville Park), Jonathan Lomas (unatt), Scott Morrison (Acushnet Europe Ltd) £83.55 each.
74 James Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey), Chris Morris (Kingsknowe GC) £60.43 each.
75 Andrew Fullen (Largs), Chris McCalman (unatt) Alan Logan (Cochrane Castle), Gerry Reilly (Lochwinnoch), Jacky Montgomery (Dunbar) £43.01 each.
76 David Gordon (Paisley), Bill Lockie (North Gailes Golf Centre) £43.01 each.
77 John Kelly (Kames CC) £43.01.
78 Gary McFarlane (Clober) £43.01.
80 Robert Irvine (Douglas Park) £43.01

European Tour Scoreboard
BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
136 Paul Casey 69 67
138 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 69 69, Anthony Wall 67 71, Marc Warren 72 66, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 68 70, David Horsey 67 71
139 Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 72 67, Stephen Dodd 71 68, Ben Curtis (USA) 69 70
140 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 68 72, Alexander Noren (Swe) 69 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 73 67, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 71
141 Anton Haig (Rsa) 72 69, Ross Fisher 68 73, Jamie Donaldson 70 71, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 72 69, Thomas Levet (Fra) 70 71
142 Anders Hansen (Den) 72 70, Colin Montgomerie 69 73, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 72 70, Lee Slattery 70 72, Rory McIlroy 72 70, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 68 74, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 72, Mark Foster 72 70
143 Soren Hansen (Den) 73 70, Scott Drummond 69 74, Simon Dyson 74 69, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 69 74, Andres Romero (Arg) 71 72, Paul Lawrie 72 71, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 73 70, Miles Tunnicliff 73 70
144 Nick Dougherty 73 71, Simon Wakefield 75 69, John Daly (USA) 73 71, Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 70, Brett Rumford (Aus) 71 73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 71 73, Markus Brier (Aut) 70 74, Sam Little 71 73, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 67 77, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 73
145 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 77 68, Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 74, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 74 71, Benn Barham 72 73, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 71 74, Anthony Kang (USA) 69 76, Peter Hanson (Swe) 71 74, Robert Rock 71 74, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 74 71, Alastair Forsyth 70 75, Pablo Martin (Spa) 72 73, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 73 72, David Howell 76 69, Darren Clarke 74 71, Seve Benson 73 72, Paul Broadhurst 73 72, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 70 75, Tano Goya (Arg) 74 71
146 Robert Dinwiddie 73 73, Johan Edfors (Swe) 74 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 73 73, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 73 73, Graeme McDowell 75 71, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 73 73, Paul Waring 75 71, Marcel Siem (Ger) 71 75, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 76, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 70 76, Phillip Archer 72 74, Richard Green (Aus) 72 74, Luke Donald 74 72, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 74 72, Barry Lane 68 78, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 73 73
MISSED THE CUT
147 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 74, Richie Ramsay 76 71, Scott Strange (Aus) 72 75, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 69 78, Brett A Taylor 76 71, Peter Lawrie 70 77, John Bickerton 73 74, Simon Khan 74 73, Taco Remkes (Ned) 76 71, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 76 71, Ross McGowan 76 71, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 73 74
148 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 73 75, Zane Scotland 74 74, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71 77, Gareth Maybin 75 73, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 75 73, George Ryall 76 72, David Dixon 77 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 71 77, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 78 70
149 Steve Webster 75 74, Jason McCreadie 75 74, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 74 75, Mark Brown (Nzl) 78 71, David Frost (Rsa) 74 75, Oliver Fisher 77 72, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 74 75, Gary Lockerbie 70 79, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 74 75, Richard Finch 77 72
150 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 77 73, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 77, Gary Orr 76 74, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 75 75, James Ablett 75 75, Phillip Price 73 77, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 76 74, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 79 71, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 76 74, Stephen Gallacher 77 73, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 74 76, Bradley Dredge 79 71
151 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 73 78, James Kingston (Rsa) 73 78, Oliver Wilson 76 75, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe) 76 75, Nick Ludwell 77 74, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 72 79, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 78 73
152 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 76 76, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 77 75
153 Paul Simpson 78 75, Paul McGinley 73 80, Christopher Doak 76 77
154 David Lynn 79 75, Kenneth Ferrie 75 79, Lee Westwood 77 77
156 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 77 79, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 76 80
157 Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 79 78, Andrew Oldcorn 77 80, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 79 78
158 Gary Murphy 82 76, Guy Woodman 77 81, Simon Lilly 79 79, Gregory Havret (Fra) 76 82
160 Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 78 82
161 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 79 82, Graeme Storm 80 81
168 John Kelly (USA) 86 82

In case you were wondering ....
Paul Lawrie has decided to take the cash (£40,000) instead of the new Audi At Cabriolet he won for a hole in one at last week's Irish Open.
"I decided to take the money instead. Mrs Lawrie laready has a lovely car!" said Paul at Wentworth.

Nairn Dunbar's winning quartet (left to right): Hugh Clunas, Ian Duncan, Derek Lamb and David Bunker.

Second triumph for Nairn Dunbar

in Seniors' Cup at Inverness

By ROBIN WILSON
David Bunker and Hugh Clunas were half of the Nairn Dunbar senior team who won the Seniors Northern Counties Cup for the first time at Elgin four years ago and at Inverness yesterday they again played a prominent part in their club's second triumph when, with new partners Ian Duncan and Derek Lamb, they beat Moray Golf Club in the final by the narrow margin of one hole.
First couple Clunas and Lamb gave Nairn Dunbar a good start, holding a three-hole lead until Moray's first couple, John Westwood and Ivan MacKenzie, got into the game on the home stretch, winning the 14th and going level with a birdie w on the next hole.
Back came the Nairn Dunbar couple to regain a two-hole lead when the Moray pair took three shots to get down from the front of the 16th green, then found a bunker at the 17th. The 17th turning out to be the crucial hole.
Westwood and Mackenzie gave their club side a lifeline by winning the final hole to finish one down but their second string of Chris MacLeod and James MacPherson, who when playing the 17th hole were one ahead, also conceded it to a par figure from Duncan and Bunker who held on for a half on the final hole to allow Nairn Dunbar become the second club to become double winners of the B D Fraser Cup.
Brora were the first three years ago.
Next year's competition moves to Cruden Bay.
RESULT
FINAL
Nairn Dunbar bt Moray by one hole.
H Clunas & D Lamb 1, J P Westwood & I J Mackenzie 0.
I Duncan & D Bunker 0, C J MacLeod & J S MacPherson 0.

Italian turns home-town event into a procession

Who's going to be second behind Edoardo Molinari?

From Paul Symes, European Challenge Tour Press Officer
Local hero Edoardo Molinari continued his dominance of the Piemonte Open after a scintillating round of 66 saw him establish a five-stroke lead over his nearest challenger, England’s Gary Boyd.
Following two successive rounds of 67 at Golf Club La Mandria in his hometown of Turin, Italy, the former US Amateur champion went one better to finish day three on 16 under par and move within sight of a third Challenge Tour title.
Molinari made the most of perfect playing conditions to post seven birdies and just one bogey in a round which matched the new course record set earlier in the day by his compatriot Matteo Delpodio.
He said: “My day probably could’ve been even better, because I missed a five foot putt for birdie at the 17th hole. But overall I putted quite well today, so I’m happy with my score. Tomorrow I’ve just got to keep playing my game. If I can get to 20 under par I think I’ll probably be out of sight, so that has to be my aim.
“Obviously you still have to be careful out there, because there are a few holes which can catch you out. For example on the third hole today, the pin was in a tough position so I just played safe to the middle of the green. You just have to be sensible sometimes, because there are lots of birdie chances out there.
“It should be good fun on the last day, and hopefully a few of the members will come out to watch. Gary’s a good guy and a great player, so it should be a good battle. We played together at the Russian Open last year, and although we were both struggling I could tell he was a very good player. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Seven birdies and two bogeys saw Tusker Kenya Open champion Boyd sign for a 67 for the second successive day.
The 22 year old led from the front in Kenya last month but will draw inspiration from his performance in the DHL Wroclaw Open last year, when he came within a shot of denying Gary Clark his maiden title after shooting a 63 on the final day.
Boyd said: “I didn’t really make many putts again today – most of my birdies were from close range. I’ve been struggling with my putter all year really, particularly in Brittany last week when I had 72 putts for the first two days to miss the cut. But if I can get it working tomorrow, I might have half a chance.
“It’s not going to be easy because Edoardo’s obviously playing very well, and it’s his home course so you would expect him to know it inside out. But golf’s a strange game – it can just as easily go the other way. Hopefully I can get into a position to put him under some pressure coming down the back nine. If you stray off line out there, it can cost you. Realistically I’ll probably have to shoot 65 to stand any chance, but it’s possible.”
His compatriot Andrew Butterfield is in a share of third place with France’s Benjamin Hebert after matching Boyd’s round of 67.
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
200 E Molinari (Ita) 67 67 66
205 G Boyd (Eng) 71 67 67
207 B Hebert (Fra) 70 69 68, A Butterfield (Eng) 69 71 67
208 L Kennedy (Eng) 73 67 68, J Larsen (Nor) 67 69 72
209 G Molteni (Ita) 72 66 71, J Billot (Fra) 72 70 67
210 M Morris (Eng) 69 69 72, M Delpodio (Ita) 74 70 66, J Zapata (Arg) 70 70 70, M Soffietti (Ita) 68 71 71
211 R Steiner (Aut) 69 73 69, M Zions (Aus) 73 69 69,
212 O David (Fra) 68 73 71, F Fritsch (Ger) 71 71 70, C Russo (Fra) 71 71 70, N Colsaerts (Bel) 68 73 71, J Quesne (Fra) 71 69 72, L James (Eng) 71 71 70, J Guerrier (Fra) 70 72 70,
213 R Coles (Eng) 68 72 73, G Murray (Sco) 73 71 69, C Rodiles (Esp) 68 71 74, C Carranza (Arg) 70 73 70, F Calmels (Fra) 70 71 72, J Abbate (Arg) 73 71 69,
214 F Colombo (Ita) 71 70 73, J Arruti (Esp) 71 72 71, B Pettersson (Swe) 72 72 70, J Morrison (Eng) 74 68 72, A Marshall (Eng) 71 71 72, B Evans (Eng) 73 71 70, A Ahokas (Fin) 70 73 71, M Tullo (Chi) 72 72 70, G Shaw (Nir) 73 70 71, R McEvoy (Eng) 72 67 75, G Paddison (Nzl) 73 68 73,
215 A Hansen (Den) 72 72 71, A Bruschi (Ita) 72 69 74, G Gresse (Bel) 73 68 74, J Grillon (Fra) 72 71 72, M Higley (Eng) 72 71 72, A Bossert (Sui) 71 70 74, P Whiteford (Sco) 70 73 72,
216 V Riu (Fra) 74 70 72, J Clément (Sui) 71 71 74,
217 D Nouailhac (Fra) 74 69 74, D Marmion (Eng) 70 74 73, N Maestroni (Ita) 73 71 73, J McLeary (Sco) 72 72 73,
218 S Henry (Sco) 71 73 74, M Wiegele (Aut) 72 70 76, M Crespi (Ita) 69 74 75, J Sjöholm (Swe) 75 69 74, A Willey (Eng) 71 73 74, C Günther (Ger) 69 72 77,
219 F Svanberg (Sui) 76 68 75, G Hutcheon (Sco) 73 71 75,
220 A Grenier (Fra) 73 71 76, A Gee (Eng) 74 70 76,
221 R Kakko (Fin) 72 71 78,

Slow start by Martin Laird (72)

in Byron Nelson Championship

Aussie rookie James Nitties, 26, birdied his four last holes for a five-under-par 67 to share the lead at the end of the first round of the US PGA Tour's Byron Nelson Championship at the Four Seasons TPC, Las Colinas, Irving in Texas.
American Ken Duke also had a 67 for he and Nitties to sit at the top of the leaderboard, a shot above Canadian left-hander Mike Weir and Americans Charles Howell, Scott McCarron and Brad Adamonis.
Nitties, enjoying a solid season, is 70th in the current US Tour money list.
"Looking at the scores (of the other players), they weren't that good, so it didn't put any pressure on me to do anything crazy," he told reporters.
"It was not my best ball-striking round but it was a smart round and then I struck it really well the last five holes," said Nitties.
Duke, 151st on the money list after a career-high 29th last year, notched six birdies in a single-bogey round to shrug off a disappointing start to the year.
Defending champion Australian Adam Scott battled back to salvage a 71 following bogeys on his first two holes.
Glasgow's Martin Laird made a slow start to return a two-over-par 72 and shared 94th place.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 70
65 Ken Duke, James Nitties (Aus).
66 Brad Adamonis, Scott McCarron, Charles Howell, Mike Weir (Can).
67 John Malinger, Chris DiMarco, Kent Jones, Aaron Watkins, Colt Knost, Jesper Parnevik (Swe), Tommy Armour, Robert Allenby (Aus), Kenny Streelman, Matt Weibring, James Driscoll, Spencer Levin.
Selected scores:
68 Brian Davis (Eng), Greg Owen (Eng) (jt 19th).
69 Ian Poulter (Eng) (jt 38th).
72 Martin Laird (Sco) (jt 94th).

HSBC pull out of sponsorship of

NZ PGA Championship

The New Zealand PGA Championship is searching for a new title sponsor after HSBC decided not to renew its agreement, association chief executive Duncan Simpson.
Europe's biggest bank had been the title sponsor of the tournament for the past three years, but decided against renewing the agreement after a review of its sponsorship portfolio.
Simpson said the news, while disappointing, was not exactly surprising.
"We're obviously disappointed it's come to that, but I guess it does reflect to some extent what's happening around the world," Simpson said today.
Simpson said finding another sponsor at short notice could prove problematic.
"It'll be pretty difficult to find a replacement sponsor at that level - that tournament was a $US600,000 tournament, well over $NZ1 million.
"The reality is, even if we do find a sponsor, it's more likely to come back to a $NZ100,000 to $NZ200,000 tournament, so we're clearly not going to get the quality of field we did with the other one."
The tournament has been co-sanctioned by the US PGA Tour's secondary Nationwide Tour, and Simpson said it was particularly disappointing that this connection could now be in jeopardy.