Tiger has a 74 - his highest since Carnoustie 2007

Tiger Woods could do no better than a 74 in the second round of the Memorial Tournament today. On one-under-par 143, he was six shots behind the clubhouse leader Jonathan Byrd with the afternoon returns still to come in.
The short holes were particularly costly for the World No 1. He played the four par-3s in three-over. In all, he made five bogeys and three birdies.
His final score of 74 was his highest round on tour since he posted a 74 in the second round of the 2007 Open at Carnoustie.
Byrd made a birdie on his final hole for a 4-under 68, giving him a one-shot lead over former Masters champion Mike Weir, the left-handed Canadian, and Mark Wilson among those who played early in the second round.
“If you miss it on the short side, you're not going to make pars here,” Woods said. “You have to make sure you hit the ball on the correct side. I didn't do that today.”
Byrd played bogey-free and was at seven-under 137.
Luke Donald needed only 20 putts in the first round for a 64, which set the tournament record for fewest putts and tied the record for lowest opening round. However, he already had dropped three shots on the front nine when the winds began to swirl.
Weir had a second straight 69, while Wilson had a 70 for 138.
Ernie Els, playing in the same threesome with Woods and former Masters champion Zach Johnson, holed a sand shot on his final hole for birdie for another 70 to get to 140.

Opening of Tiger's first designed course

put on hold because of Credit Crunch

Even the world's No 1 golfer is not immune to the effects of the worldwide Credit Crunch.
Tiger Woods confirmed today that the opening of the Dubai course he is designing - his first - will be delayed because of the economic situation.
Woods said that construction on Al Ruwaya Golf Course in Dubai is on hold because of the economic meltdown in the United Arab Emirates, pushing back the scheduled opening by at least six months.
"It's six months as of right now," Woods said in an interview at the Memorial. "It's going to be behind schedule. Obviously, the economy has turned over there and they've slowed down construction because of it."
The course was to open this autumn, but Woods said it could be next summer.
"It all depends," he said. "The economy needs to turn around. If it gets stimulated, we can pick up to the point where we might open earlier, but who knows? It's out of my hands."
The project is called the "Tiger Woods Dubai." It includes 100 villas, 75 mansions, 22 palaces and a 360,000-square-foot boutique hotel. It also is to feature a 139,000-square-foot clubhouse and a golf academy. The developer is Tatweer, a division of Dubai Holding, which is owned by the emirate and its rule, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Rookie Ramsay leads Celtic

Manor Wales Open by one

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
European Tour rookie Richie Ramsay from Aberdeen takes a one-shot lead into the third round of the Celtic Manor Wales Open - and hopes his experience of playing with some of the biggest names in golf will now pay dividends.
After becoming the first Scot in 108 years to win the US Amateur title three years ago, Ramsay partnered Phil Mickelson at The Masters, Tiger Woods at the US Open and Padraig Harrington in The Open.
The 25-year-old Ramsay, who also highlighted his amateur career with Walker Cup honours and victories in the Scottish and Irish stroke-play championships, missed the cut in all three pro majors, but after rounds of 68 and 67 so far this week he is seven under par on the course where next year's Ryder Cup will take place.
Having also partnered Sergio Garcia a week ago at the European Open Ramsay said: "They've all got great talent, but they can grind out a score when they are not playing so well.
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European Tour's official website
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"Sometimes I can be a bit hard on myself, but I've learnt to take the positives of each round more now."
Ramsay did not drop a stroke over today's 18 holes and added: "Ball-striking it was up there with the best. I didn't miss a green and I missed three birdie putts inside six feet."
The two Englishmen right on his heels are both looking to improve on recent near-misses. Robert Rock lost a play-off for the Irish Open to amateur Shane Lowry, while Ross Fisher was pipped for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth by Paul Casey.
In an event disappointingly featuring only three of the world's top 50, Fisher is the highest-ranked player at 23rd and he showed his class with a 66.
Rock reached eight under, dropping four strokes in three holes, then finishing with two birdies like Fisher.
Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie is only three behind Ramsay after a second successive 69 - and, given that he has not had a top 10 finish for almost a year, that is a huge boost for a tournament so short on star names.
To get through to the weekend action, players had to total two-over-par 144 or better. On the wrong side of the cut were Scots Andrew Coltart (145), David Drysdale (146), Stephen Gallacher (146), Steven O'Hara (146), Peter Whiteford (146), Jason McCreadie (147) and Marc Warren (150).
Irish Open champion Shane Lowry missed the cut for the second time in two starts as a professional. He was eight shots above the required maximum of 144. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for the +5 Irish amateur to turn pro immediately. The Englishman he beat in the Irish Open play-off, Robert Rock covered the 36 holes so far at Celtic Manor in 16 strokes fewer than Lowry.

SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
135 Richie Ramsay 68 67.
136 Robert Rock 68 68, Ross Fisher 70 66
137 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 69 68, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 69 68, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 68 69, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 70 67
138 Colin Montgomerie 69 69, Nick Dougherty 66 72, Mark Foster 69 69
139 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 69, Alan McLean 66 73, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 67, John Bickerton 69 70, Simon Dyson 74 65, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 70 69, Gary Lockerbie 69 70, Callum Macaulay 68 71, Stephen Dodd 72 67, Richard Finch 71 68, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 66 73, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 68, Richard Green (Aus) 68 71, Paul McGinley 68 71
140 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 69 71, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 73 67, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 70, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 73
141 Chris Wood 72 69, Gary Orr 68 73, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 69 72, Peter Lawrie 69 72, Oliver Fisher 72 69. Chris Doak 72 69.
142 Christian Nilsson (Swe) 71 71, Robert Dinwiddie 71 71, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice) 69 73, Marcel Siem (Ger) 74 68, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 70 72, David Lynn 69 73, Simon Khan 69 73, Taco Remkes (Ned) 67 75, Santiago Luna (Spa) 73 69, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 73 69
143 Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 72 71, Michael Curtain (Aus) 71 72, Mark Brown (Nzl) 70 73
144 Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 72 72, Jonathan Caldwell 72 72, Sion Bebb 75 69, Scott Strange (Aus) 72 72, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 68 76, Scott Drummond 74 70, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 74 70, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 75 69, Corey Pavin (USA) 72 72, Bradley Dredge 74 70, Andrew Oldcorn 76 68.
MISSED THE CUT
145 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 74 71, Richard Bland 73 72, Steve Webster 70 75, Andrew Coltart 72 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 75, Anthony Wall 75 70, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 73 72, Federico Colombo (Ita) 70 75, Phillip Archer 72 73, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 71 74, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 72
146 Peter Whiteford 69 77, Kyron Sullivan 72 74, David Drysdale 74 72, Stephen Gallacher 71 75, Steven O'Hara 71 75, Peter Whiteford 69 77.
147 Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 71 76, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 77 70, Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 75 72, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 74 73, Jason McCreadie 68 79, Phillip Price 76 71, Nick Ludwell 74 73.
148 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 76 72, Gary Murphy 72 76, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 73 75, Peter Senior (Aus) 72 76, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 75 73, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha) 77 71, Simon Wakefield 75 73
149 Zane Scotland 77 72, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 73 76, Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 77 72
150 Wil Besseling (Ned) 73 77, John Mellor 76 74, Marc Warren 79 71, Jamie Donaldson 73 77, Peter Fowler (Aus) 80 70, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 74 76, Michael Hoey 73 77
151 Graeme Storm 76 75
152 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 72 80, Ake Nilsson (Rsa) 74 78, Shane Lowry 77 75, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 73 79
153 James Heath 75 78, Trevor Jones 76 77, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 74 79
Retired: 75 Anthony Kang (USA), 78 Barry Lane
Withdrew: 72 David Howell, 79 Paul Lawrie, 80 Anton Haig (Rsa), 82 Pablo Martin (Spa)

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT

Henry, McLeary survive but Saltmans

and Eric Ramsay fail to beat the cut

From Michael Gibbons, Challenge Tour Press Officer
Scott Henry and Jamie McLeary will fly the flag for Scotland at the European Challenge Tour’s Kärnten Golf Open, presented by Markus Brier Foundation, over the weekend.
Henry is the leading Scot in the field on five under par 139, but despite fine opening rounds of 69-70 he finds himself nine strokes off the frightening pace set by Spain’s Carlos Rodiles who carded successive 65s to storm to the top of the leaderboard on 14 under par 130.
McLeary produced a fine second round of four under par 68 to just make the two-under-par cut (142 or better), but it was not to be for Saltman brothers Lloyd (level par 144) and Elliott (146) who missed out on the weekend along with Eric Ramsay (145).
Carlos Rodiles, Adam Gee and Christophe Günther stole the show on day two.
Brier may have delighted the home crowds with a morning 66 to move to ten under par, alongside Challenge Tour No. 1 Gary Boyd, at the halfway stage, but it was Rodiles’ second consecutive 65, coupled with Gee and Günther’s stunning pair of course record 63s, that grabbed the attention at the Golfclub Klagenfurt-Seltenheim.
Rodiles was quick to point out that his seven under par effort was actually his third successive 65, having posted that same number during the final round of the Telenet Trophy last weekend en route to finishing in second place.
The Spaniard is keen to go one better this weekend, though, and, given his current form, will be a hard man to be over the closing 36 holes.
“It’s actually three 65s in a row because I shot that score for my last round in Belgium last week – hopefully that’s my magic number for the rest of the week as well!” smiled Rodiles, who leads on 14 under par 130.
“The funny thing is I haven’t been making good starts to these rounds. I birdied the first today but then had two bogeys in the next three holes to be one over for the day after four.
“It was only from the seventh that I really got going and made a great finish to the round. I birdied 13, then made a great eagle on 14 and kept it going with birdies on 15, 16 and 17 and that is always a satisfying way to finish.
“There are still two more rounds to go – I could go 72-72 over the weekend and then I am totally out of it so we will see what happens over the weekend”
If Gee and Günther can repeat their second round form over the weekend the pair will turn the tournament into a two-horse race.
Günther was first in with his 63, as he carved out nine birdies and nine pars to move within one stroke of Rodiles’s 14 under halfway lead.
Gee’s 63 included an eagle and seven birdies, a sensational effort that elevated him to 12 under for the tournament to join the outstanding young German Florian Fritsch, two off the pace and one behind Günther.
Rodiles, Gee and Günther produced a huge amount of quality golf between them, but none of the trio produced as perfect a pair of shots as Alex Haindl of Austria and Welshman Laskey who both aced the 224yd par-3 fourth hole.
Englishman John Parry occupies fifth spot on the leaderboard after a second round 65 took him to 11 under, one ahead of Boyd and Brier going into the weekend.
Brier was pleased with his work so far in a tournament that he has worked tirelessly to promote through his own foundation.
“So far, so good,” was the double European Tour champion’s verdict of his opening scores of 68-66. “I am pleased with how it’s going and how I am playing. It was good to make the cut and actually be in contention for the weekend because hopefully that will bring more focus on the tournament and what we are trying to do here.
“A lot of the young Austrian players are doing well and the more young guys we have playing over the weekend then the more of a success the tournament will be.”
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
130 C Rodiles (Spa) 65 65.
131 C Gunther (Ger) 68 63.
132 F Fritsch (Ger) 65 67, A Gee (Eng) 69 63.
133 J Parry (Eng) 68 65.
134 G Boyd (Eng) 68 66, M Brier (Aut) 68 66.
Selected scores:
137 G Shaw (NIr) 70 67 (jt 11th).
139 S Henry (Sco) 69 70 (jt 28th).
142 J McLeary (Sco) 75 67 (jt 55th).
MISSED THE CUT (142 or better)
144 L Saltman (Sco) 74 70.
145 E Ramsay (Sco) 77 68.
146 E Saltman (Sco) 73 73.

Joint winner of Cawder pro-m

Northern Open winner Craig Lee

doubles his money in a week

Craig Lee boosted his Tartan Tour earnings over the past two weeks to £5,400 by figuring in a four-way tie for victory in the £6,750 Cawder Golf Club pro-am today.
When he won the £2,700 top prize in the Northern Open at Spey Valley, Aviemore a week past Thursday, the unattached Stirling pro said he needed to continue to make money in a short space of time to finance a return to the EPD Tour in Germany where he leads the Order of Merit.
And Lee, picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has done just that, finishing joint second twice, joint third and now a winner in successive pro-ams this week at West Lothian, Pollok, Murcar Links and now Cawder.
His lastest performance, with a three-under-par 67 to match the efforts of Stewart Savage (Dalmuir), Mark King (Kinsfield Golf Centre) and Colin Gillies (Perry Golf) earned him £735, boosting this week's income to £2,703.
Perhaps Lee should stay at home and continue to make money hand over fist on the Tartan Tour but, of course, it is not so much the money that is the attraction on the German mini-tour as the fact that if he continues to head its Order of Merit he will be able to miss out the preliminary stages of a return to the European Tour School at the end of the season.
Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), bidding to complete a back-to-back hat-trick of wins this week, finished joint 23rd with a 77. Sic transit gloria.
Host club pro Chris Kelly steered the Wholesale Domestic Company Ltd amateur trio of Derek Toward (handicap 9), Brian Toward (12) and Kenny Graham (9) to victory in the team event with a net score of 17-under-par 123.
PRO SCORES
Par 70
67 Stewart Savage (Dalmuir), Mark King (Kingsfield), Craig Lee (unatt), Colin Gillies (Perry Golf), £735.38 each.
68 Chris Kelly (Cawder), £371.56.
69 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), James McKinnon (Irvine), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Stephen Gray (Hayston), £250.34 each.
70 Craig Ronald (Carluke), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie), Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Copurse Design), Edward Thomson (Senit Associates), Scott Morrison (Acushnet Europe Ltd), David Orr (East Renfrewshire), £140.98 each.
72 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), Gordon Stewart (Cawder), £98.15 each.
73 Jonathan Lomas (unatt), £82.36.
74 Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle), Alan Purdie (Kingsbarns Golf Links), Andrew Carlton (Cawder), £57.86 each.
75 Kenny McAleer (Gleddoch), £48.39.
76 Owen Leslie (Prestonfield), Andrew Marshall (Houston GR), Paul Brookes (Pitreavie), Scott Gillespie (Burntisland), Gavin Cook (Prestonfield), £48.39 each.
77 Matthew Laughland (Cawder), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), £48.39 each.
79 Derek Watters (Gourock), £48.39.

Jolly Roger! And no wonder, Chapman

leads by two in Irish Seniors Open

From Steve Todd, European Senior Tour Press Officer
Roger Chapman’s seamless start to life on the European Senior Tour continued as he posted two eagles en route to an opening round 67 to lead by two strokes in the Irish Seniors Open in association with Fáilte Ireland and AIB Bank, with home favourite Des Smyth tied for second.
Chapman, who finished third on his Senior Tour debut in Mallorca last month, holed a 15ft eagle putt on the fourth and picked up birdies on the next two holes but then dropped shots on the seventh and 11th to slip back to level par.
The 50 year old Englishman recovered with back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes before a superb four iron approach to 10ft set up his second eagle of the day on the 16th to move clear on four under par.
Chapman had used the same four iron a fortnight ago when he aced the 17th hole at Canterbury Golf Club in the US Senior PGA Championship and the former European Tour winner needed similar levels of accuracy in increasingly windy conditions at Ballybunion Golf Club.
“I’m liking that four iron – it’s good at the moment,” said Chapman. “I’m hitting the ball really solidly. The wind got up on the tenth hole very quickly and made it tricky, especially on the downwind shots.
“If it is like this tomorrow the scores will go up as it was fairly benign early on. I’m very, very happy with that start. Des is a very good wind player. I remember years ago him shooting 67 in Jersey when everyone else was shooting 77 but I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.
“It is hard out there. The last seven or eight holes were really tricky.”
Having led in Mallorca going into the final round, Chapman, who spent two years as a Rules Official on the Senior Tour during a sabbatical from competition golf, admits he is relishing life back on Tour.
“I’ve really enjoyed it – I’ve had a nice start but I’ve been looking forward to this for three or four years,” he said. “Playing with all your old mates is good fun. Mallorca was just dipping my toe in the water but it’s so far so good.”
Smyth is one of five players tied for second on two under par, two strokes behind Chapman. The Irishman eagled the 13th hole and birdied the 16th to move to sign for a 69 after a double bogey on the 11th and bogey on the 12th had seen him slip back having reached the turn in 34.
Former Ryder Cup player Smyth ,who finished runner up behind Juan Quiros last year, admitted his round had been something of a rollercoaster but said he was happy with his start.
“I had five birdies and an eagle and I’m only two under par so it was a bit of a ride out there,” said the 56 year old.
“I had a few bad shots and you get penalised on this course. You saw Woosie try to get on to the 18th and if you hit it on to those side slopes you get into real trouble. It’s winder than the last few days – obviously it’s been perfect the last few days - but this is more like it.
“This wind gives you the chance to get a few birdies but if you put it in the wrong place you can make bogey or worse. This is how the course plays it best. You are always worried about hitting it in the wrong place.
“I hit a few bad shots out there but I didn’t mind making a few bogeys. I played a few nice holes.
“I play these conditions well but I wish I was feeling better about my game. There’s a lot of good parts – my pitching is good, my driving is good but my iron play gets me in trouble. That’s been happening a lot. Overall 69 is a good start. It’s always good to break 70 on this course.”
Defending champion Quiros began with a two over par 73 while Woosnam three putted the last for a double bogey 6 to sign for a 74, with fellow former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance carding a 76.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
67 R Chapman (Eng)
69 H Carbonetti (Arg), P Brostedt (Swe), D Smyth (Irl), G Ralph (Eng), A Murray (Eng)
70 N Job (Eng), D Cambridge (Jam) , A Fernandez (Chi), K Tomori (Jpn)
71 T Johnstone (Zim), S Ebihara (Jpn), G Brand (Eng)
72 J Rhodes (Eng), B Boyd (USA), B Longmuir (Sco), M Harwood (Aus), B Cameron (Eng) , L Carbonetti (Arg), J Bland (RSA), E Rodriguez (Esp), R Drummond (Sco), C Rocca (Ita), G Cali (Ita), J Rivero (Esp)
73 E Darcy (Irl), C Mason (Eng), J Quiros (Esp) , G Brand Jnr (Sco)
74 J Hall (Eng), I Woosnam (Wal), D Good (Aus) , P Oakley (USA) , L Higgins (Irl) , M Cunning (USA), P O'Hagan (Irl), D Hospital (Esp) , S Bennett (Eng) , P Mitchell (Eng)
75 N Ratcliffe (Aus), J Heggarty (Nir), D Merriman (Aus), D Russell (Eng)
76 J Bruner (USA) , D Johnson (USA), S Torrance (Sco), S Ginn (Aus), J Chillas (Sco), I Mosey (Eng), M Williams (Zim).
77 G Watine (Fra), T Giedeon (Ger), B Lincoln (RSA) , G Encina (Chi) , G Towne (USA) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , M Coote(am) (Irl).
78 A Garrido (Esp) , M Miller (Sco), B Smit (RSA) , A Franco (Par) , M Piñero (Esp) ,
79 P Teravainen (USA), E Polland (Nir), E Feely (Irl)
80 S Owen (Nzl), K Spurgeon (Eng), M Clayton (Aus), T Gale (Aus) , M Bembridge (Eng) , E McMenamin (am) (Irl)
81 L Macnamara (am) (Irl)
82 D Durnian (Eng), D Morris (am) (Irl)
84 A Barrera (Arg)
87 A Spring (Irl)

St Andrews Links Trophy

Consistent Kellett leads

with a four-under 67

Motherwell player Ross Kellett (Colville Park) felt he was beginnng to achieve a level of consistency that would eventually bring him success when he finished 14th at the weekend in the Bidwells Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship at Murcar Links.
Ross, 21, may not have to wait much longer for the "big breakthrough" after leading the star-studded field at the end of the first day of the four-round St Andrews Links Trophy tournament.
Kellett, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, posted a four-under-par 67 over the New Course fairly early in the day and it was still there at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the day.
He made his round on the outward half of four-under-par 32, consisting of birdies at the long third, the fourth, the seventh and the long eighth. No birdies after the turn, just nine solid pars for 35 home.
Colville Park clubmate Paul O'Hara, who finished just ahead of Kellett in the "Scottish" is one of three men, a shot off the pace on 68.
O'Hara birdied the long third and the seventh in two-under-par 34 to the turn. Coming home, he got to three under with a birdie at the 11th but bogeyed the 14th and had to birdie the 15th to get it home in 34 for a 68.
Defending champion Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), one of those who missed the cut at Murcar Links, matched the par of 71 even with bogeys at the fourth, short ninth and 10th in halves of 35 and 36. His birdies at the first, third and long eighth cancelled them out. He occupies joint 15th place overnight.
Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall), the Lancashire teenager who won the "Scottish" by a runaway margin on Sunday, had a steady opening 71 while Gavin Dear (Murrayshall, winner of the Irish stroke-play and runner-up at Murcar Links, had a 72.
Banchory's James Byrne who tied for fourth place in the Scottish stroke-play after setting a Murcar Links course record of 65 in the second round made a disappointing start with a 78.


St Andrews Links Trophy Scoreboard
NEW COURSE, ST ANDREWS
FIRST ROUND
Par 71
1 Ross Kellett Colville Park 67
2 Paul O`Hara Colville Park 68
2 Matteo Manassero Gardagolf (Italy) 68
2 Mike McCoy Wakonda (USA) 68
5 Nigel Edwards Whitchurch 69
5 Jason Palmer Kirby Muxloe 69
5 Sébastien Gros Salvagny (France) 69
8 Tom Lewis Welwyn Garden City 70
8 Gordon Yates Hilton Park 70
8 Mark Young Longridge 70
8 Paul Betty Hayston 70
8 James Field jun Riviera (USA) 70
8 Stuart Phillips Royston 70
8 Joel Stalter Amneville (France)
15 Jason Barnes Chart Hills 71
15 David Coupland Boston 71
15 Kris Nicol Fraserburgh 71
15 Keir McNicoll Carnoustie 71
15 Sam Hutsby Liphook 71
15 Luke Goddard Hendon 71
15 Rhys Enoch Truro 71
15 Alan Dunbar Rathmore 71
15 Scott Pinckney Arizona (USA) 71
15 Matt Haines Rochester & Cobham Park 71
15 Tommy Fleetwood Formby Hall 71
15 Bill Rankin University of Michigan (USA) 71
15 Sam Matton Bowood 71
28 Nuno Henriques Santo Da Serra (Portugal) 72
28 Adam Runcie Abergele 72
28 Jonathan Hurst Shaw Hill 72
28 Alexandre Kaleka Marcilly (France) 72
28 Niall Kearney Royal Dublin (Ireland) 72
28 Tom Sherreard Chart Hills 72
28 Miles Mackman Broome Manor 72
28 Matthew Southgate Thorpe Hall 72
28 Glenn Campbell Blairgowrie 72
28 Eddie Pepperell Drayton Park 72
28 Joe Vickery Newport 72
28 Derik Ferreira Centurion (S Africa) 72
28 Gavin Dear Murrayshall 72
28 Wallace Booth Comrie 72
28 Ben Westgate Trevose 72
28 Nino Daniele Bertasio Gardagolf (Italy) 72
28 Ryan Brown Worksop 72
28 Nabeel Umerji Glendower (S Africa) 72
46 David Law Hazlehead 73
46 Matthew Nixon Ashton-under-Lyme 73
46 Keith Shanks Birck Boilermaker (USA) 73
46 Andrew Sullivan Nuneaton 73
46 Stiggy Hodgson Sunningdale 73
46 Jake Redman Fancourt (S Africa) 73
46 Edward Parker Crewe 73
46 Elias Bertheussen Trondheim (Norway) 73
46 Craig Hinton The Oxfordshire 73
46 Michael Stewart Troon Welbeck 73
46 Ross Dixon Kilmarnock (Barassie) 73
46 Jamie Howie Royal St. David`s 73
46 James Frazer Pennard 73
46 Stuart Graham Blairgowrie 73
46 Neil Henderson Glen 75
46 Pontus Gad Llanderyd (Sweden) 73
46 Jonathan Gidney Church Stretton 73
46 Farren Keenan Sunningdale 73
46 Alexander Levy Ormesson (France) 73
46 William Wilcox Highland Park (USA) 73
46 Richard Bentham St Pierre 73
67 David Markle Shelburne (Canada) 74
67 Steven Brown Wentworth 74
67 Antoine Schwartz RCF La Boulie (France) 74
67 Daniel Nisbet Caboolture (Australia) 74
67 Charlie Ford Kirby Muxloe 74
67 Anders Kristiansen Borregaard (Norway) 74
67 Oliver Farr Ludlow 74
67 Mark Halliday Royal Aberdeen 74
67 Gregory O`Mahony The Dye Preserve (USA) 74
67 James White Lundin 74
67 James Taverner South Herts 74
67 David Booth Rotherham 74
67 Daan Huizing Lage Vuursche (Netherlands) 74
67 Philip McLean Peterhead 74
67 Thomas Shadbolt Mid-Herts 74
67 Julien Brun Cannes-Mougins (France) 74
67 Jurrian van der Vaart De Koepel (Netherlands) 74
67 Steve Uzzell Hornsea 74
67 David Antonelli Mionnay (France) 74
67 Seamus Power West Waterford (Ireland) 74
67 Stephen Clark Grand Summit (USA) 74
67 Kevin Turlan St Nom La Bretèche (France) 74
67 Guillaume Cambis Ormesson (France) 74
67 Mark Fensham Port Elizabeth (S Africa) 74
91 Jack Senior Heysham 75
91 Hugo Mota Oporto (Portugal) 75
91 Matt Jager Melville Glades (Australia) 75
91 Olivier Serres Ormesson (France) 75
91 James Smedley Hallowes 75
91 Jacob Roth Kokkedal (Denmark) 75
91 Hinrich Arkenau Club zur Vahr Bremen (Germany) 75
91 Brendan Smith Pymble (Australia) 75
91 Bryden Macpherson Peninsula (Australia) 75
91 Dale Whitnell Five Lakes 75
91 Darren Wright Rowlands Castle 75
91 Richard Smith Notts 75
91 Cass Trass Virginia (USA) 75
104 Jamie Abbott Fynn Valley 76
104 Janne Kaske Virvik (Finland) 76
104 Lincoln Tighe Bonnie Doon (Australia) 76
104 Sean Riordan Takaka (New Zealand) 76
104 Steven McEwan Caprington 76
104 James Robinson Southport & Ainsdale 76
104 Andrew Cooley Chobham 76
104 Romain Schneider RCF La Boulie (France) 76
104 Harry Green Christchurch (New Zealand) 76
104 Johann Lopez Lazaro Paris (France) 76
104 Fraser Fotheringham Nairn 76
104 Are Friestad Stavanger (Norway) 76
104 Toni Hakula Espoo (Finland) 76
104 Todd Adcock Nevill 76
104 Adrian Ford Durbanville (S Africa) 76
104 Robin Kind Haagsche (Netherlands) 76
104 Adam Wills Sandiway 76
104 Liam Burns Sundridge Park 76
104 Sam Stuart St Annes Old 76
104 Richard Merchant Wernddu 76
124 Matthieu Bey Ormesson (France) 77
124 Willem Vork Noordwijkse (Netherlands) 77
124 Christopher Ross Hamilton (Canada) 77
124 Yu-Bin Jung Wanderas (S Africa) 77
124 Peter Sauerbrei Cataraqui (Canada) 77
129 Steven Ferreira Reading (S Africa) 78
129 Billy Hemstock Teignmouth 78
129 James Byrne Banchory 78
129 Martin Brown Monifieth 78
133 Jonathan Corke Rowany 79
133 Adam Wainwright Gainsborough 79
133 Clément Berardo Limere (France) 79
133 Ross Coull Edzell 79
133 Russell Thornton Desert Mountain (USA) 79
133 Sam Haywood Rotherham 79
133 Mike Gray Lanark 79
140 Jake Amos Kilworth Springs 80
141 Bertrand Noel Limere (France) 81
141 Immu Korvenmaa Golf Talma (Finland) 81
143 Niccolò Quintarelli Montecchia (Italy) 82
143 Jason Scrivener Mandurah (Australia) 82

+Saturday tee times and all the individual scorecards (click on the underlined player names) available by logging on to the tournament website:
http://www.standrews.org.uk/events/annual_tournaments/links_trophy.html

Celtic Manor Wales Open - More drop-outs

than from Labour Government!

The Celtic Manor Wales Open has suffered more drop-outs than the Labour Government this week.
Four more joined the list of withdrawals on Friday - former Open champion Paul Lawrie with a foot injury, fellow Ryder Cupper David Howell with ankle trouble, Spaniard Pablo Martin because of his hand and South African Anton Haig because of his neck.
That followed Monday's loss of Ryder Cup trio Robert Karlsson, Oliver Wilson and Soren Hansen, Dane Soren Kjeldsen on Tuesday and then Sunday's European Open winner Christian Cevaer after 12 holes on Thursday with dizziness.
Lawrie, Martin and Haig were among the back-markers after the opening round - they scored 79, 82 and 80 respectively - but Howell's exit was a big disappointment for the Swindon golfer as it came after a one over 72

Death of retired Dalmahoy pro Alex M Fox

Alex M Fox, professional at Dalmahoy for many years, died this week at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after a short illness. He was in his 77th year.
The Scottish Golf Writers' Championship still contests the Alex M Fox Trophy which he donated for annual competition in 1964.
The death notice in today's Press and Journal says the funeral ceremony will be held at Aberdeen Crematorium, Hazlehead (West Chapel) on Tuesday, June 9 at 1.30pm to which all friends are respectfully invited.

It's Gaughan v Fairburn for Lothians

junior championship this evening

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Louis Gaughan, a waif of a lad, is putting up a strong performance in the Lothians Junior Championship, having reached tonight's final at the Braids, where he will face Simon Fairburn in a shoot-out for the Spiers Trophy.
Watched by mentor Eric Mackay, Gaughan hardly put a foot wrong in beating an out-of-sorts Scott Young by 3 and 2 in their semi-final, with Fairburn also ending his match against Josh Renwick on the 16th green, 4 and 2 the margin in that one.
A 15-year-old, Gaughan has been the surprise package in this year's event, having beaten players both older and more experienced than him to set up the chance to become the first Bathgate player to lift the title since Kurt Mungall in 1986.
Having accounted for both Stuart Boyle and Grant Forrest in earlier rounds, Young must have fancied his chances of going on to finish the job this week but the Turnhouse player came up against an opponent who, on the night at least, was much more steady in most aspects of the game.
Continuing to display a velvet-like putting touch, Gaughan, a fourth-year pupil at St Margaret's Academy in Livingston, held a slender lead at the turn, having confidently holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the eighth.
A mistake from Young at the tenth – he pushed his second shot into the gorse bushes – allowed his opponent to go two up, the pair then halving the 11th and 12th, where they both holed testing birdie putts.
Gaughan, who plays off three, then chipped stone dead to win the 14th with a birdie and, though Young won the next with a birdie, it was all over when the West Lothian youngster kept his composure to hole a tricky birdie putt to hit back at the 16th.
"I didn't feel as though I played as well as I did earlier in the week but I'm delighted to be in the final, which definitely exceeds my expectations," said Gaughan, who gained valuable golf and life skill experience when he travelled to Brazil last year to play in the final of the Faldo Series.
Fairburn, bidding to become the first Craigielaw player to claim the crown, got his match off to a flyer when holing a 20ft birdie putt to win the second.
Helped by an eagle-3 at the fifth, where he hit an 8-iron to a foot, the 17-year-old quickly went three up but, to his credit, Renwick dug in, reducing the deficit to just one after winning the seventh with a birdie and then producing a brilliant up-and-down from short of the green at the ninth for a hole-winning par.
Finding almost the same spot as Young in the gorse, the Uphall player then undid some of that good work by losing the tenth but won the next with a birdie-4, Fairburn three-putting there.
Renwick did the same thing at the 12th to lose that before both players hit slack tee shots at the short 13th, Fairburn almost taking out Bob Robertson, the Lothians tournament secretary, with his wayward blow before salvaging a hole-winning par to go three up again.
Fairburn birdied the 14th then lost the next to a par before it was all over when he confidently struck another birdie putt into the hole at the 16th.
"I was shaken a bit by the greens when I had a three-putt early on but Josh gifted me some holes," said the finalist.
*The full article contains 603 words and appears in the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.

Thursday night's results:

Semi-finals - Louis Gaughan (Bathgate) (12) bt Scott Young (Turnhouse) (13) 3 and 2; Simon Fairburn (Craigielaw) (15) bt Josh Renwick (Uphall) (9) 4 and 2.

+Number in brackets is their position among the 16 qualifiers for the match-play stages.

Stracey poised to complete Irish-

English senior titles double

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Graham Steel and Andrew Stracey stole the show on an eventful second day of the English Seniors Championship.
Stracey is poised for his second seniors title in as many weeks. Steel, champion in 1994 and now aged 74, holed-in-one on the 127-yard tenth hole at Old Fold Manor on his way to a 76 for 154 to receive the biggest cheer of the day.
It leaves him within striking distance of the leaders after Stracey fired a 76 at Moor Park to lead by two strokes on 148.
But he wasn't the only one buying the drinks. Roger Dew from Harpenden Common also 'aced' the 10th in a round of 78 but his overall tally of 167 meant he didn't qualify for the final round. Stracey, from the Littlestone club in Kent, won the Irish Open Seniors at Bangor in what was his maiden seniors championship. He missed the cut in the Scottish Seniors but is on track for another triumph.
“I had a good front nine of 37 but the wheels fell off a little over the final five holes,” he said. “But I’m happy to be a front-runner. I had a five-shot lead in Ireland and I feel comfortable in that position.”
His nearest challengers on 150 are Geoff King from Essex, who matched the par of 71 at Old Fold Manor, and Coventry’s Andrew Carman, who returned 78 over the more difficult Moor Park. King, a seniors international from the West Essex club, was out in 33, three under par, at Old Fold Manor but gave all those shots back in a homeward 38.
“You are never happy with this game and I wanted to come home in 33,” he said. Thinking of tomorrow, he added: “Now I’ve got to find a caddie. I’ll have to talk to the wife and see if she’ll do it. She used to but she sacked me a few years ago.”
Carman, an England international three decades ago, shared the lead overnight after a 72 at Old Fold Manor but he found the High Course at Moor Park a harder nut to crack.
“A lot of people would have said that was the best 78 they’d ever had,” he said. “I felt the scores would be high but I tried to respect the pin positions but that was occasionally impossible. It caught me out on a number of occasions but you just have to keep battling away. However, I’m happy with my position and if I play well tomorrow I’ll be in with a chance.”
For the second successive day the greens at Moor Park proved the biggest talking point with virtually every player falling foul of the tricky borrows and rock-hard surfaces. But as one player said: “They were perfect to putt on but I just wasn’t good enough.”
Of the former champions in the field, Douglas Arnold shot 80 at Moor Park for 156 and said: “The greens were very testing. Unfortunately, good shots were not rewarded while the pin positions were tough. But it is the same for everyone.”
However, one man not complaining was Marshall Newman from Yorkshire, who went round Moor Park in 75 shots, the best of the day over the High Course. That followed an 84 at the ‘more friendly’ Old Fold Manor.
“I suppose I just got lucky,” he said modestly. “I three-putted a couple of times but I managed to par the two difficult par threes which made a big difference. At the 12th my ball finished on the up slope 52 yards from the pin, while I got up-and-down from a bunker at the 18th.
“I set myself a target of 75 which I matched but my playing partners gave me a lot of confidence,” added the four-handicapper from the Moor Allerton club in Leeds.
The cut came at 161 with 66 players qualifying for tomorrow’s final round at Moor Park.
Play starts at 8.30am each day and admission is free. For those unable to attend, live scoring and news updates will available on the Championships Section of the EGU website, www.englishgolfunion.org.

Sports drink company sign up John Daly

A week before his return to the US PGA Tour after a six-month suspension, John Daly has signed an endorsement deal with a sports drink company.
Daly agreed to a multi-year deal with All Sport and will display its Big Red brand on his golf bag.
“Corporate America believes in his comeback,” said his agent, Bud Martin.
The US PGA Tour suspended Daly for a series of off-course events that brought negative publicity, including an overnight stay in a North Carolina jail to sober up.
He has been playing with some good scores on the European Tour.
Daly is to play in a U.S. Open qualifier on Monday in Memphis, then compete in the St. Jude Championship.

St Andrews Links Trophy tournament tees off today

Keir McNicoll hopes return to happy

hunting ground will rekindle flame

FROM THE SCOTSMAN.SPORT.COM WEBSITE

By NICK RODGER
Keir McNicoll begins the defence of the St Andrews Links Trophy today, hoping a return to the scene of his biggest success can rekindle his season.
The 24-year-old from Carnoustie, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who birdied the final hole of the Old Course to win the 2008 event by a shot from fellow Scot Michael Stewart and Frenchman Rudy Thullier, has watched his amateur campaign hit the buffers in recent weeks after a solid start to the year.

A fourth place finish in April's Edward Trophy and a share of seventh in the Lytham Trophy at the start of May got McNicoll up and running but missed cuts in the Brabazon Trophy and last weekend's Scottish stroke-play championship has halted the early momentum.

"The last three weeks have been pretty poor," said the 2007 Scottish amateur championship runner-up who also won the Leven Gold Medal last year.

"The golf has been ok but I've been misfiring on the greens and that's been the problem."But coming back to St Andrews is a chance to get going again. It's a place I feel comfortable at and I've always played well round here."

McNicoll, the lowest handicapper in the 144-strong field at +5.6, is joined in one of the strongest line-ups of the year by Perthshire's Eisenhower Trophy-winning duo Wallace Booth and the in-form Gavin Dear, winner of May's Irish Open Strokeplay and runner-up in the Scottish stroke-play at Murcar Links last weekend.

Banchory's James Byrne, a student at Arizona State University, will be bidding to reinforce his claims for a Scotland international recall after finishing joint fourth in the Scottish stroke-play, having set a course record 65 in the second round.

Other players competing in an event packed with Walker Cup hopefuls include Tommy Fleetwood, the runaway winner of the Scottish event last Sunday, and Lytham and Brabazon Trophy champions, James Robinson and Niall Kearney.

Players will contest the opening 36 holes over the New and Old courses today and tomorrow with the top 40 and ties playing the closing two rounds on the Old Course on Sunday.
*The full article contains 305 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.

+A live scoring service from the St Andrews Links Trophy should be available on the following website from late morning onwards:

http://www.standrews.org.uk/events/annual_tournaments/links_trophy.html

Palmer Cup coverage on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Europe leads United States by three points at the end of the first day of the two-day Palmer Cup students' international match a Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver in Colorado.
To read the report and results, log on to our sister website, www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk