D M Hall Scottish Mid-Amateur Championship

Defending champion

Ross Coull through

to last four again

By ROSS DUNCAN
Scottish Golf Union staff man
Defending champion Ross Coull (Edzell), pictured, remained on track for a second successive DM Hall Scottish Mid-Amateur Championship title after storming through to the semi-finals at Royal Burgess today.
The Angus man, who won at Dundonald Links 12 months ago, eased past Steven Armstrong (Turnhouse) by 4 and 3 before fighting back from three holes down in his quarter-final against Charlie Simpson (Bruntsfield Links) to win at the final hole.
Coull will now face former British mid amateur champion Andrew Farmer who also won a closely fought quarter-final contest by one hole. The Renfrewshire star was never behind in his match against Colin Peddie (Kirkintilloch) but needed a birdie three at the last to book his place in the last four.
The second semi-final will be between Craigie Hill’s Nicky Barr and Robert Jenkins from Crow Wood. Barr, who along with Farmer had led the opening day qualifiers, knocked out the host club’s John Yuille in the morning before edging past USA-based Scot Russell Thornton in a thrilling quarter-final tie.
The duo shared eleven birdies in their match and Barr was never ahead until the fifteenth but he held onto his lead for the final three holes.
Jenkins also came from behind to seal his place in the semi-finals, defeating Workington’s William Bowe by one hole. Bowe was three up through seven, however a stunning fight back which included six birdies gave Jenkins the narrowest of wins on the final green.
Monday’s semi-finals commence at 8.30am with the Farmer v Coull match, while Jenkins tee up against Barr at 8.45am. The final of the 2009 DM Hall Scottish Mid Amateur Championship starts at 12.45pm on the Royal Burgess course.
Match-play results:
FIRST ROUND
Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm) bt Nicky Bell (Carlistle) 4 and 2.
Colin Peddie (Kirkintilloch) bt Michael Grunwell (Powfoot) 3 and 2.
Charlie Simpson (Bruntsfield Links) bt James White (Leven Thistle) 3 and 2.
Ross Coull (Edzell) bt Steven Armstrong (Turnhouse) 1 hole.
William Bowe (Workington) bt Clark Riddick (Southerness) 2 and 1.
Robert Jenkins (Crow Wood) bt Barry Brooks (Meldrum House) 1 hole.
Russell Thornton (US) bt Brian Erskine (Ladybank) 4 and 3.
Nicky Barr (Craigie Hill) bt John Huille (Royal Burgess) 3 and 2.
QUARTER-FINALS
Farmer bt Peddie 1 hole.
Coull bt Simpson 1 hole.
Jenkins bt Bowe 1 hole.
Barr bt Thornton 1 hole.

Jack's all right with second SGU

Junior Tour win at home course

Jack McDonald, playing over his home course at Kilmarnock Barassie, won the fifth and last Scottish Golf Union Junior Tour event of the summer with an excellent seven-under-par total of 137 over a course that will be used for Open championship qualifying on July 6-7.
McDonald, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency at the Scottish boys' championship at Balgownie, had rounds of 68 and 69 in winning by five strokes from Scott Gibson (Southerness) and by six from third-placed Jack Scott (Deeside) and Ian Redford (St Andrews New).
It was McDonald's second win of the SGU Junior Tour but probably more important to the 16-year-old is that his handicap should come down from the 2.3 he had prior to the event low enough for him to get into the field for the Allied Surveyors Scottish men's amateur championship at Royal Troon Golf Club at the end of June.
On a dry, fiery course, McDonald bagged 10 birdies in all after starting inauspiciously with a bogey 6, his only bogey of the first round. He finished his second round by covering the last six holes in four under par with birdies at the 13th, 16th, 17th and 18th.
Mark Thomson (Grange, Monifieth) matched McDonald with a first-round 68 but fell away to finish joint 17th with a second-round 85 for 153.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72). CSS 74 74
137 Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 68 69.
142 Scott Gibson (Southerness) 74 68.
143 Jack Scott (Deeside) 73 70, Ian Redford (St Andrews New) 73 70.
144 Tom Blennerhasset (Dalmahoy) 73 71, Sandy Bolton (Magnolia Park) 72 72.
145 Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 70 75.
146 Stuart Boyle (Harburn) 74 72, Jamie Lynch (Falkirk) 71 75.
148 Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) 69 79.
149 Ewan Scott (St Andrews) 74 75, Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 72 77.
151 Danny Edwards (Elgin) 76 75.
152 Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle) 80 72, Kyle Godsman (Hopeman) 78 74, Simon Taylor (Germany) 77 75.
153 Liam Johnston (Dumfries & Co) 74 79, Mark Thomson (Grange, Monfieth) 68 85.
155 Steven Smith (Deeside) 79 76, Calum Stewart (Brora) 79 76.

156 Simon Fairburn (Torwoodlee) 82 74, Chris Low (Tantallon) 81 75, Scott Wearing (Bishopbriggs) 79 77, Danny Kay (Dunbar) 79 77, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 78 78, Fraser Thain (West Linton) 78 78, Daniel Flannery (Peebles) 77 79, Ryan Campbell (Grangemouth) 75 81.
157 Matthew Reid (Downfield) 83 74.

158 Calum McLean (Cowglen) 82 76, Paul McPhee (King James VI) 82 76, Ryan Bain (Strathlene) 73 85.
159 Conor O'Neil (Glasgow) 76 83.
160 Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 81 79.
163 Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 82 81.
165 Marc Smith (Troon Welbeck) 84 81, Michael Manson (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 82 83, Robbie Gauld (Cruden Bay) 80 85.
169 Andrew Whyte (St Andrews New) 86 83.

Last-hole bogey leaves Brian

feeling not so Gay at St Jude

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Brian Gay gave up a shot at the final hole to leave him with a slender lead as he chased a second PGA Tour victory of the year at the St Jude Classic.
The American won the Verizon Heritage on Hilton Head Island in April by 10 shots from Luke Donald and Briny Baird but he will only take a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round in Memphis.
Gay carded his only bogey of the third round a the par-four 18th to give him a 66, four-under for the day, to move to 14 under par at the par-70 TPC Southwind, with fellow American Bryce Molder on 13-under after a birdie at the last for a 65 while Australia's Robert Allenby was a further two shots behind following a 68.
The leading trio will play together on Sunday in the final group with the field divided once again into threesomes with more severe weather forecast in Tennessee. Paul Goydos of the United States is in fourth place on 10-under following a second consecutive round of 64, while his compatriots Woody Austin, Heath Slocum and Vaughn Taylor are at nine-under with two-time winner David Toms and Bob Estes lying a shot behind them.
Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson will start the final round as the leading European on a day when Ryder Cup stars Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson missed the halfway cut at the completion of the weather-delayed second round.
Jacobson is eight shots off the pace in a tie for 10th place at seven under par following a third-round 67 while Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell shot a one-under 69. That got him to four under and in a tie for 23rd place alongside world number two Phil Mickelson, who endured a bumpy, three bogey, two birdie front nine on the way to two-under 68.
Mickelson, returning to the tour for the first time since his wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer last month, said he was looking for a little more momentum on Sunday as he prepared for next week's US Open.
Mickelson said: "I want to get out on Sunday and get a hot hand. I feel like I've been hitting some good shots but haven't been following up with many putts. If I can make some putts, it will give me momentum heading into next week."
Of the remaining Europeans in the field, Mathias Gronberg of Sweden fell to two under for the week after 72 while Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal shot a 74 to slip to level par after 54 holes.
Harrington suffered a further blow to his preparations for next week's US Open when he missed the cut at the St Jude Classic on Saturday morning. The reigning Open and US PGA champion joined fellow world top-20 players Garcia and Stenson in making an early exit. Harrington finished with a second consecutive 72 to exit at four over, thus missing the cut for the second week in a row.

Peter Whiteford finishes joint third

Robert Coles wins play-off in Ireland

for quick-time Challenge Tour double

From Paul Symes, Challenge Tour Press Officer
Having gone without a win for the best part of six years, England’s Robert Coles now has two in as many months after his thrilling play-off victory over Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts in the Challenge of Ireland presented by Moyvalley today.
Coles, who recently captured his second Challenge Tour title in the Moroccan Classic, eventually saw off Colsaerts on the third extra hole after both men had finished on ten under par 278 at Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort in Co. Kildare, Ireland.
The €24,000 winner’s cheque he collected moved the 36 year old to the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings, and one victory away from automatic promotion to The European Tour.
Coles said: “It feels absolutely great. It was a tough day out there, because the field was so congested. But I got off to a great start, which certainly helped. I didn’t play very well at all yesterday, so I was determined to put it right today. I knew I had to start fast to get myself back into the tournament, and I did that with two opening birdies.
“That gave me a lot of confidence, and for the rest of the day I putted fantastically – though it helps that the greens are in great condition. Ironically, the worst putt I hit all day was probably on the first play-off hole, which I left short from eight feet. But give credit to Nicolas, because he pushed me all the way. My room-mate Peter Baker also came pretty close. So with players of that quality up there, I knew I’d have to play well.
“I’ve been scoring well all season – I can’t put my finger on why. I’ve got a lot more consistent and I’m mentally tougher now than I was. I worked hard on my game over the winter, particularly on my short game, and it seems to have paid off. There’s no magic answer – it’s just a case of practising, and hoping it pays off. If I can keep this run going, I’ll be a very happy man.”
Colsaerts birdied his final two holes in regulation play to force the play-off, but looked to have let slip his chance of victory after finding the water with his approach shot at the first extra hole.
However, he managed to salvage a par 5, and after both men again made par on the second extra hole, they returned to the 18th tee for a third time to try to find a winner.
On this occasion, Coles made a birdie after finding the green with his second shot and safely getting down in two to take his tally of Challenge Tour titles to three.
Coles’ compatriot Peter Baker finished in a tie for third place on nine under par alongside Scotland’s Peter Whiteford.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
278 R Coles (Eng) 68 69 74 67, N Colsaerts (Bel) 70 66 74 68,
279 P Baker (Eng) 68 72 71 68, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 68 72 68,
280 P Kaensche (Nor) 68 71 70 71,
281 M Curtain (Aus) 73 69 68 71,
282 S Surry (Eng) 75 69 72 66, R Davies (Wal) 71 67 72 72, D Küpper (Ger) 72 71 72 67, Å Nilsson (Swe) 67 68 76 71, F Calmels (Fra) 72 68 69 73, E Ramsay (Sco) 74 69 68 71,
283 C Moriarty (Irl) 70 70 72 71, J Caldwell (Nir) 68 68 73 74, A Marshall (Eng) 70 71 67 75, S Walker (Eng) 72 70 71 70,
284 J Hepworth (Eng) 70 71 74 69, M Haastrup (Den) 70 70 73 71, G Woodman (Eng) 69 74 73 68, P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 69 73 72,
285 P Del Grosso (Arg) 73 73 69 70, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 73 70 72,
286 P Bocian (Swe) 74 72 69 71, D Ulrich (Sui) 72 70 72 72, J Olesen (Den) 71 72 72 71, F Fritsch (Ger) 72 74 70 70, J Abbate (Arg) 72 74 71 69, C Carranza (Arg) 70 72 70 74, N Lemke (Swe) 72 71 70 73,
287 B Mason (Eng) 72 71 69 75, C Russo (Fra) 73 71 71 72, A Mellor (Eng) 72 67 77 71, J Etulain (Arg) 68 73 74 72, J Quesne (Fra) 71 74 71 71,
288 J Morrison (Eng) 72 72 74 70, M Rodriguez (Arg) 70 75 73 70, A Hansen (Den) 73 72 69 74, L De Jager (RSA) 74 71 76 67, S Bebb (Wal) 76 70 69 73, M Zions (Aus) 74 72 71 71,
289 N Fox (Irl) 75 71 71 72, A Haindl (RSA) 71 72 74 72, R Karlberg (Swe) 72 70 75 72, C Monasterio (Arg) 68 75 73 73, M Quiros (Esp) 75 69 73 72,
290 J Parry (Eng) 71 73 71 75, F Svanberg (Sui) 73 72 75 70, M Millar (Aus) 73 71 76 70, G Hutcheon (Sco) 68 70 75 77,
291 M Kramer (Ger) 68 74 74 75, N Turner (Irl) 72 73 72 74, R Treis (Ger) 72 73 75 71,
292 M McGeady (Irl) 74 66 73 79,
293 R Kilpatrick (Nir) 76 69 74 74, S Thornton (Irl) 74 70 72 77, R Santos (Por) 76 70 74 73,
294 C McNamara (Irl) 71 74 76 73, R Harris (Eng) 73 70 78 73,
295 J Moul (Eng) 77 68 76 74,
296 R Giles (Eng) 73 73 77 73, T Rice (Irl) 72 73 76 75,
297 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 73 71 75 78,
298 L Kennedy (Eng) 72 73 77 76, M Tullo (Chi) 76 65 79 78, G Clark (Eng) 71 74 78 75,
300 M Durcan (am) (Irl) 75 68 78 79,