From Jim Hardie
(the man who fixed up Sir Bob Charles'
tour of the North-east and North links)

Spoke with Sir Bob (Charles) last night. He phoned me from London, and he was "raving" about Castle Stuart (the new course about to be opened between Nairn and Inverness).
He said he would be very surpised if it did not win the best new course accolade for 2009.
Sir Bob was full of praise for the hospitality at all the courses/clubs he visited and played at, and was very impressed with how everyone went out of their way to accomodate him and Lady Verity.
It appears that plans for next year are already "in progress", with Castle Stuart and Boat of Garden appearing "on the list" !!
Looking forward to playing a few rounds with Sir Bob (pictured above putting on Cruden Bay's 18th green) at Clearwater when I return to New Zealand in November to escape the Scottish winter and enjoy the New Zealand summer.

Jim Hardie

Maddy extends Motocaddy Masters lead

BY ANTHONY LEAVER
Paul Maddy holds a four-shot lead at eight under par going into the final round of the Motocaddy Masters at The Players Club in Bristol. He strengthened his grip on a possible first PGA EuroPro Tour title.
The Gog Magog man was three shots clear going into Wednesday’s second round after a six under 64 in the opening round and followed that up with a two under par 68. The overnight final round leader will be confident of closing the deal as he has yet to drop a shot in the tournament.
Maddy will tee-off in the last pairing with Paul O’Hanlon after the Curragh player carded his second 68 of the tournament to hold sole possession of second place at four under.
Martin Sell (Golf Analysis Ltd) began the day two over but turned his tournament on its head with a cracking round of 65. Opening with a birdie, Sell was three under for the day at the turn and made that four under with his fourth birdie of the round at the tenth.
A bogey at the 11th was the only blemish on his round and further birdies at 14 and 15 sees him move to three under ahead of the final round, in a three-way tie for third spot.
Ben Jones (Crownbush.co.uk) joins Sell at three under after a fine late charge. Starting on level par at the tenth, he moved to one under after his first hole but was back to level at the turn with a bogey at 16. A birdie at the second saw him back to one under but it’s the birdies at the seventh and ninth – his last – that put him in contention on the final day.
The final member of the trio is Adam Frayne (St Mellion) who also began level on the back nine. He moved to four under after 15 holes, starting on the back nine, before a bogey at seven saw him shoot 67.
Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) is alone in sixth spot at two under – level for the tournament until birdies at the 13th and 15th, a bogey at 16 and another birdie at the last resulted in a 68.
It was a bad day at the office for John Gallagher (Swanston Golf) who started the day in second place at three under but struck 80 to finish seven over for the tournament.
Cortland Lowe and Jamie Elson were also three under before the start of play the former is now two over after a 75 while the latter is level par after a 73.
Fifty-three players made the cut at five over for Thursday’s final round – to follow the conclusion of the Motocaddy Masters live, visit http://www.europrotour.com/ and click on the Score Updates link.

SCOTTISH SCOREBOARD
Par 140 (2x70)
140 Lorne Kelly 74 66.
141 Paul Doherty 70 71.
142 Lee Harper 76 66.
143 Graeme Lornie 71 72.
144 Scott Jamieson 76 68.
145 Jack Doherty 73 72, Barry Hume 71 74.
MISSED THE CUT
147 Scott Herald 76 71, John Gallagher 67 80.
148 Graham Brown 76 72.
151 Chris Kelly 71 80, Shaun McAllister 76 75.

HEATHER MACRAE (left) and KATIE THOMSON (images by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

HEATHER QUALIFIES FOR ANOTHER TARTAN TOUR

EVENT - BUT KATIE KO'D ON COUNTBACK

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Gullane assistant professional Heather MacRae has qualified to play in another Tartan Tour event.
Heather, who earned herself a place in the recent Gleneagles Scottish professional championship field but failed to make the cut, had a six-over-par round of 76, which included double bogey 6s at the sixth and eighth but birdies at the second and 17th - to be joint 23rd in a field of 60 at Shotts Golf Club.
It was an eliminating round to produce 36 qualifiers for the North Lanarkshire Council/Pro-Guide Young Professionals 54-hole Orde3r of Merit tournament at Shotts on August 16 and 17.
Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly) headed the qualifiers with a round of 67.
Heather almost had female company among those who beat the cut. There was room for only five of the 13 players who returned 79s. It came down to a card countback between Clarke Lutton (Qatar Golf International) and former Aberdeenshire women's amateur county champion Katie Thomson, now an assistant pro at Kings Links Golf Centre, Aberdeen, for the last of the 36 places.
Both had inward halves of 38 so it went down to a comparison of the last six holes. Clarke prevailed with a total of 23, one stroke fewer than Katie.
The consolation for Miss Thomson is that she is now first reserve for a place in tournament should anyone drop out.
There was a third female in the field at Shotts today - Old Course Hotel, St Andrews assistant pro Nicola Melville. She had an 85.
QUALIFIERS
Par 70
67 Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle).
70 Daniel Wood (Eyemouth), Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Alastair Love (Charleton), Michael Rae (Alyth)
71 Mark Kerr (unatt).
72 David Patrick (Elie), Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway)
73 Ross Neill (Drumpellier), Ross Ewen (West Lothian), Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre).
74 Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar), David Ross Nicol (Dundonald Links), Gareth Hardy (Belleisle), Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Steven Chalmers (Banchory).
75 Iain Stoddart (Uphall), Andrew McHardy (Noah's Ark Golf Centre), Fraser Pook (Aberdour), Alan Martin (Dunbar), Jonathan Holmes (Buchanan Castle), Alan Mackay (Pumpherston).
76 David Laing (Craigielaw), Heather MacRae (Gullane), Malcolm Murray (Bearsden), David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co).
77 Scott Spence (unatt), Ian Rowlands (West Linton), Stuart Hutchison (Nevada Bobs).
78 Kevin Campbell (Balmore), Christopher McMaster (Panmure).
79 Olvier Morton (Gullane), David Knapp (North Gailes), Adam Aitken (Dumfries & co, Alan Gibson (Troon Municipal), Clarke Lutton (Qatar Golf International).
MISSED THE CUT
79 (beaten on card play-off) Katie Thomson (Kings Links), Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club), Andrew Carlton (Cawder), Brian Gibson (Carrick at Cameron House), Paul Wilson (World of Golf), James Boyce (Erskine), Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir), Russell McIntyre (Prestonfield).
80 Graham Mackay (Prestonfield), William Fairfull-Smith (Cowglen), Richard Hyland (Craibstone), Craig Knowles (unatt), Graeme Stewart (Gleddoch).
81 Stewart Winter (Callander), Rolbin Gaden (GleneaglesHotel).
82 Michael Baxter (Westerwood), Stuart McEwing (Montrose).
83 Luke Barbour (Cruden Bay).
84 Duncan Anderson (Ladybank), Scott Bergin (Royal Musselburgh), Graeme Fisher (Mearns Castle), Ross Dennison (Inverness).
85 Nicola Melville (Old Course Hotel).

World Ranking system will not penalise

busy players in future - Sir Michael

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
The Official World Golf Ranking board announced today that it will gradually change its formula, starting next year, adding a maximum divisor of 52 tournaments so that players who prefer a full schedule will not be punished.
For most of the decade, Singh was the example most players cited when it came to the world ranking.
The formula is based on ranking points earned at each tournament, divided by the number of tournaments played. The value of points are gradually reduced every 13 weeks over a two-year period, with a minimum divisor of 40 tournaments.
That helped Tiger Woods, who doesn't play 40 times over a two-year period. It hurt players like Singh, who was playing as many as 60 tournaments during that period. Despite winning nine times in 2004, he didn't overtake Woods at No. 1 until late in the season.
The change is relatively simple.
The maximum divisor will be a player's most recent 52 tournaments -- no matter how many he has played in the two-year period. The board decided on that number because it is the average number of tournaments played by the top 200 players in the world.
The board also was concerned that players were skipping tournaments at key times in the year because a lower divisor might help their ranking when trying to qualify for World Golf Championships and some of the majors.
"The board believes this measure will encourage players to play more often," said Sir Michael Bonallack, pictured above, chairman of the ranking board.
The formula will be changed gradually to avoid any massive shifts at one time. The maximum divisor will be 60 in January, then drop two tournaments ever six months until it is down to 52 tournaments in January 2012.

OPEN CROWDS MAY SLUMP BECAUSE OF RECESSION
The Open isn't held often at Turnberry, and when it is the Royal & Ancient takes a hit on ticket sales because the (South Ayrshire) links is a hard place for fans to get to.
Add in the global recession and things are doubly tough this year. Though Open officials say they expect more than the 114,000 who attended the Open when it was last held in Turnberry in 1994, the crowds won't be nearly as big as they have been in other locations in recent years.
The walk-up sales will be key, and for that officials are hoping for a leaderboard that includes Tiger Woods and a British player or two as well as some good weather on the weekend.
"Given fair weather and a good leaderboard, I think we'll be well over 120,000 at the end of the week, which is pretty good given the current economic climate," said David Hill, chairman of the R&A's championship committee.
Tickets can be had for the weekend for less than $100, and children under 16 are free. The R&A has been pushing sales in a marketing campaign the last few weeks, but Hill made it clear today that tickets will still be readily available.

GREG NORMAN LOOKS FOR CHINA, VIETNAM BUSINESS
Greg Norman is at the Open trying to recreate the magic from last year, when he led entering the final round. That's not stopping him, though, from thinking about the pressures facing his business empire.
Norman, who has built a fortune on interests in everything from wine to course design, said that the global recession has forced cutbacks in his businesses that included cuts in employees.
"I've had to make changes. I've unfortunately had to lay off people, which is not a good feeling," Norman said. "It's the first time in my entire life, in my short business life of nearly 20 years, that I've had to do that."
Norman said the recession has hit hardest in his golf course design business, particularly in the United States, where work has dried up. He's been busy trying to drum up business elsewhere, taking a trip to China earlier this month to tap into a market he thinks holds a lot more promise.
"I've got a lot of belief in China, like a lot of what the rest of the world does, not just in resources, but in development," Norman said.
Norman said he doesn't believe the course design business will recover in the near future in the United States, but that work in China and countries like Vietnam, where he has three courses in development, will help make up for it.
"We'll all work our way through it," he said. "I've been through three of them [recessions] but nothing to this magnitude."

THERE'S METHOD IN THE R&A OPEN DRAW
Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson made it clear today that the groupings for the first two rounds of the Open are not random.
For starters, the R&A tries to group one player from North America, one from Europe and one from other parts of the world. There are 44 Americans in the 156-man field, along with Canadian citizens Mike Weir and Stephen Ames.
That would explain why David Toms and Tom Lehman are the only Americans in the same group at Turnberry.
Other factors include TV interests; gallery movement; who plays fast (Mark Calcavecchia is in the first group); and when the biggest galleries will arrive and leave, which helps with the flow of traffic.
The most notable group this year is Tiger Woods and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan, both of whom attract an enormous amount of photographers. The third player in that group is Lee Westwood.
"I was obviously cognisant of the amount of media interest there is in that group," Dawson said. "I have since spoken to Tiger and to Lee Westwood. They're entirely happy about the grouping. And we're happy that we have good controls in place on the media following that group. There will be a lot of interest in it, that's for sure."
Tom Watson has an affection for Scottish fans, and the feeling is mutual. Of the five Open titles he has won, four of them were in Scotland -- Carnoustie, Turnberry, Muirfield and Royal Troon.
He recalled the final round Saturday in 1975 at Carnoustie, when a young girl who lived next to the house Watson rented gave him aluminum foil with heather, telling him it was for good luck. Watson wound up winning in a play-off. The neighbours knocked on the door after he captured the claret jug, simply wanting to say hello and tell him how happy they were for him.
"That's the way it started," Watson said. "And that's the way it's always been."
Still, a language barrier remains, especially if the brogue is particularly thick.
That's how it was Wednesday, when someone Scottish said something to Watson. He didn't catch it, so he asked the man to repeat himself - twice.
"I couldn't understand a word," Watson said.

'Sandy should be congratulated for calling a

spade a spade ... even if it is four years late'

FROM THE GOLFWEEK.COM WEBSITE
By ALISTAIR TAIT
Well done, Sandy Lyle!
After four years of simmering resentment among European Tour players, Sandy has finally said the words most European Tour pros have been saying in private: Colin Montgomerie is a cheater.
Even when the you-know-what hit the fan and Lyle’s words blew up in his face, he was forced to make a statement explaining himself. He said he was sorry, and the words “out of context” came up, but Lyle did not retract his basic premise.
Lyle unleashed a broadside at Montgomerie last week at Loch Lomond, but which hit the headlines here are Turnberry.
Responding to questions that he might have been snubbed for the 2010 Ryder Cup captaincy because he walked off the golf course halfway through the first round at Royal Birkdale last year, Lyle said:“You get Monty in this situation where he was dropping the ball badly in that overseas event (Indonesian Open in Jakarta, 2005) and that is a form of what you would call cheating,” Lyle said. “What Monty did was far worse. That would go against Monty, you would think; that’s a case where he is breaking the rules.”
Lyle was referring to the famous “Jakartagate” incident when, following an overnight suspension of play, Montgomerie returned the next morning and placed his ball in a better lie near the 14th green.
Montgomerie has always maintained he made a “genuine mistake.”
He finished fourth in the tournament and later donated his prize money (€34,708) to charity.
Most European Tour pros believed he should have been disqualified from the tournament. Some even suggested he should have received a ban.
The European Tour’s tournament committee criticised him for his actions but did not take any concrete action.
Former European Tour pro Gary Evans spoke for most of his peers when, a few months after the incident, he said 95 percent of the Euro Tour players were still unhappy with Monty’s actions.
Montgomerie’s name has been tarnished forever by the incident. To this day, European Tour pros will say off the record that what he did in Jakarta looked like cheating.
Two prominent members of the European Tour committee at the time, again speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they thought Monty had cheated. However, they said they also felt constrained by what actions they could take.
Their point of view was that they could not sanction the tour’s biggest player for cheating at the same time they were trying to attract sponsors.
Other players I’ve spoken to in the past four years have told me they think Monty was out of order in Jakarta. Indeed, it’s been a hot topic of discussion over the last four years.
So, well done to Sandy Lyle for finally saying what’s been on the lips of so many others. However, like Evans, Lyle will be the one who’ll get hammered over this issue.
The European Tour has a rule that states: “It is an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the media that attack, disparage or criticise tournament sponsors or promoters, fellow competitors, the European Tour or its officials.”
The establishment started the Lyle-bashing shortly after the story appeared in the newspapers. Three-time Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher wasted no time in laying into Lyle.
“Monty’s explanation for what happened in the Indonesian Open was accepted by a forthright committee and, at that point, everyone should have put the matter behind them,” Gallacher said.“I am sorry to say it, but Sandy is out of order. It is very poor what he has done, especially in the week of the Open Championship.”
European Tour chief executive George O’Grady issued a statement that said the tournament committee had already dealt with the matter, adding that the tour “deeply regrets his comments which are considered wholly inappropriate and ill-timed.”
Lyle came into the Open media centre to read a statement in which he apologised for his comment. Most tellingly, though, he did not retract his cheating assertion.
Lyle’s comments were manna from heaven for the tabloid press over here. If the tabs were hoping for the issue to provide more scandal then Montgomerie quickly dashed that hope.
“It’s a rather strange apology to be honest with you,” Montgomerie said. “It’s nothing much to do with me at all – it’s all Sandy. I’ve read it and I’m digesting it and I’ll let you know when I’ve digested it further. I’ve nothing much to say. I’m just trying to come down here and compete in the Open and my preparations have been slightly dented.”
Here’s the bottom line: That the issue has blown up at this point comes down to the European Tour’s inability to deal with the matter properly when it happened. If the tournament committee had shown the guts to deal with Montgomerie properly, had chief executive George O’Grady showed stronger leadership, then we wouldn’t be talking about this issue now.
Montgomerie was out of order. Not Lyle. Sandy needs to be congratulated for having the guts to call a spade a spade – even if it is four years too late.

European Tour 'deeply regrets' Sandy Lyle

comments about Monty

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR
Statement from George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, following the recent comments and subsequent press conference given by Sandy Lyle
The European Tour wishes to state that the Tournament Committee debated the Jakarta situation extensively and made a full statement at that time.
The same Tournament Committee, at their meeting at the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year, elected Colin Montgomerie as The 2010 Ryder Cup Captain and persuaded him to take the job.
The decision was greeted in Dubai with great acclaim by the Tour Members, who felt the Committee had chosen absolutely the right man for the job in Wales.
The Tour fully understands Sandy Lyle’s disappointment at not being elected Captain but deeply regrets his comments which are considered wholly inappropriate and ill-timed.
George O’Grady
Chief Executive
The European Tour

Billy Sim's Spanish course

joins European Tour's

Qualifying School list

The 2009 European Tour Qualifying School will feature three new venues across continental Europe bringing to 13 the total number of destinations used throughout the qualifying process.
Lübker Golf Resort in Denmark and Ribagolfe in Portugal are both new to the Qualifying School, and they join the six venues used last year to bring to eight the total number of destinations used for the First Stage.
The third new venue for the Qualifying School is Hacienda Del Alamo, in Murcia, Spain, which takes its bow at the Second Stage, joining three other Spanish venues - Arcos Gardens in Jerez, Ballena Ocean Golf Club and Sherry Golf Club - on the Qualifying School rota.
The Director of Golf at Hacienda del Alamo is North-east of Scotland man, Billy Sim (pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency). The course there was designed by Dave Thomas.

PUNISHING SCHEDULE

Last year a record 969 players from 40 countries entered the Qualifying School, attempting to win a place on The European Tour with only the top 30 and ties making the grade. To progress through all stages, a player will have to compete in a marathon 252 holes.
The First Stage, to be played over 72 holes, will once again be split into two Sections across eight venues.
Section A will take place from September 15-18 at
Chart Hills Golf Club, Kent.
Dundonald Links, Ayrshire.
Lübker Golf Resort, Denmark.
Ribagolfe, nr Lisbon, Portugal.
Section B will take place the following week from September 22-25 at
Golf de Moliets, France.
Circolo Golf Bogogno, Italy.
Oxfordshire Golf Club, England.
Golf and Country Club Fleesensee, Germany.
Those who progress through will move onto the Second Stage, to be played from November 20-23 at the four venues in Spain, again over 72 holes.
Arcos Gardens, Jerez.
Hacienda del Alamo, Fuente Alamo, Murcia.
Sherry Golf Club.
Ballena Ocean Golf Club.
The Final Stage will unfold a week later at PGA Golf de Catalunya, in Spain, from November 28-December 3 and will be played over 108 holes on both the Tour and Stadium courses.

Gary Evans supports Sandy Lyle for

raising Monty's ' Jakartagate'


FROM THE SCOTSMAN.SPORT.COM WEBSITE
By Mike Aitken
Gary Evans, the former professional who claimed in the aftermath of that mistaken drop at the Indonesian Open four years ago there was "smoke around" Colin Montgomerie, has lauded Sandy Lyle for raising the issue again.
Although Evans was rapped at the time by European Tour executive director George O'Grady for making "disrespectful and unacceptable comments" about Monty, the golfer didn't regret his stance.
"I kicked up about Jakarta because for me it was a clea r case where a proper refereeing decision needed to be made and wasn't," he said. "The rules state once a tournament is over you can't go back and change a ruling, and that is something that needs to be looked at too.
"My feeling was always that if I was pulled up on a possible rules infringement I would take the punishment even if I didn't think I'd done anything wrong. The very fact that someone thought there was an element of doubt would be enough for me. And the same would apply to the vast majority of Tour players.
"Mud sticks, as Monty's case shows. That's why this has resurfaced. The only way to avoid it is to be whiter than white. As I said at the time, there was a feeling Monty's punishment didn't fit the crime."
Although the Tournament committee expressed dissatisfaction at the time with the Scot's actions and declared the matter closed.
Evans added: "I think it's good that this has come out at a time when the European Tour seems to be trying to send out a warning about cheating, because that gets lost if you just target relative nobodies like Simon Dyson and Richie Ramsay.
"It could have been done more effectively years ago when they had a high-impact player like Monty involved in a massive controversy. But instead it was brushed under the carpet.
"Without question there is a feeling among players that some high-profile performers appear to get away with murder, while lesser players tend to get picked on. Everyone I know feels that is the case. That is very disappointing, because this is such a serious issue. Hopefully, the Tour has recognised that they should have handled situations better in the past – like Jakarta – and will stamp down on anyone doing anything irregular.
"I have always felt that referees need to make more judgment calls based on what they see, rather than what a player says. They are paid to uphold the rules, whoever the player is," Evans went on.
"A few weeks after it all blew up you saw Darren Clarke show at the Irish Open how players should conduct themselves. He marked the exact position of his ball in deep rough when play was called off because of bad weather, and came back the next day to see some 'helpful' spectators had trampled down the grass to give him a perfect lie.
"Darren could easily have gone for the green, but instead he chipped out sideways as he probably would have done the previous day. That gesture was aimed at one player – Monty – and we all applauded Darren for it."
*Following Sandy Lyle's accusation of "cheating" against Colin Montgomerie, Scottish betting firm, McBookie.com, is offering 10-1 that either of them will be disqualified from this week's Open for cheating.
*Meanwhile the firm is also offering 20-1 that Lyle will drop out of the competition by walking off the course like he did in the first round last year – complaining of the cold.
In a match bet it is 1/7 that Montgomerie beats Sandy Lyle.

BBC TV coverage of Open will not

include highlights at end of day

FROM THE GUARDIAN.CO.UK WEBSITE
By MARK SWENEY
Golf fans in the UK will be unable to watch highlights of the Open championship after the demise of Setanta, which had the rights to delayed coverage of the tournament.
The BBC will air 40 hours of live golf from Turnberry, where the competition begins tomorrow. In previous years the corporation had broadcast late-night highlights as well as live footage.
R&A, golf's governing body and organiser of the Open, has been unable to find a replacement broadcaster to pick up the rights following the demise of Setanta, which ceased operations in the UK last month.
Because R&A has been unable to sell the additional rights, known as category B rights, the BBC had to apply for special consent to media regulator Ofcom be the only broadcast partner for the event.
The BBC will air exclusive live TV coverage across BBC1 and BBC2 during the four-day tournament ... but if you don't catch that during the day, then you don't have the safety net of late-night highlights to fall back on.

Grant Bowman wins Angus boys' stroke-play title

Sixteen-year-old Grant Bowman of Monifieth won the Angus boys' stroke-play championship with two fine rounds of 71 and 75 in testing conditions at Montrose Links on Monday
LEADING TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
146 Grant Bowman (Monifieth) 71 75.
149 Mark Thomson (Grange) 78 71, Andy Simpson (Montrose) 74 75.
153 Liam McKelvie (Monifieth) 75 78.
154 Reece Mitchell (Downfield) 79 75.

Patrick Walker joins staff at St

Andrews Links Golf Academy

NEWS RELEASE
Patrick Walker has joined the staff at St Andrews Links Golf Academy.
Patrick comes to St Andrews from a thriving academy in Surrey which boasts excellent coaching facilities which hosted European tour coach, Mark Roe. In addition to launching a world class custom fitting service, he established an impressive individual client base of amateur and professional golfers.
Prior to this, he was part of the coaching staff at the Marriott Forest of Arden, venue for the British masters and English Open. Whilst there, he was instrumental in the establishment and delivery of junior coaching at the venue as well as providing excellent instruction for corporate events.
Patrick is a graduate of the Applied Golf Management Studies degree program which is run by the University of Birmingham in conjunction with the PGA. The degree is the only one of its kind with high numbers of elite golfers competing for one of the limited 25 places per year. It combines academic and theoretical aspects of sports management and science related to golf, with vocational aspects of the game.
Patrick graduated from the degree with a first class honours degree, furthermore he was awarded the highest mark ever in the history of the degree programme. During his final year of the degree he completed a research dissertation which has been recommended for publication.
Throughout his time at the University of Birmingham, he was an active member of the University’s golf team, competing in the BUSA leagues which Birmingham University would win during two of his three years there. Patrick continues to compete at a high level, playing in both national and regional competitions.

Judge rules against poker player seeking

to have amateur golf status reinstated

A federal judge in Portland, Oregon has denied a professional online poker player's request to have his amateur golfer status reinstated by the United States Golf Association.
Dusty Schmidt had filed a complaint seeking a preliminary restraining order that would have allowed him to keep his USGA amateur status and play in a series of events in the Pacific Northwest.
The USGA has maintained that Schmidt gave up his amateur status when he threw down a $1 million challenge to anyone who could beat him at 72 holes of golf and at poker.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman turned down the request, saying Schmidt did not meet a legal standard of having a contract with the USGA.
"It's disappointing, obviously," Schmidt said, "because I wanted to play golf."
Schmidt was a promising golfer from Southern California who went professional after a year at UC Irvine. But at age 23, he suffered a career-ending heart attack.
While recuperating, Schmidt took up online poker and eventually made a profession of it.
Several years passed and Schmidt, now 28, was cleared to play golf again. He applied for, and was granted, amateur status with the USGA. It allowed him to compete in USGA-sanctioned events in the Pacific Northwest.
But earlier this year, Schmidt publicized his "Million Dollar Challenge" to anyone who could beat him at 72 holes of golf and several poker hands.
The USGA revoked his status, claiming that the golf-poker challenge violated a rule aimed at actions "detrimental to the best interests of the amateur game," and another related to gambling and the spirit of the rules.
Schmidt claimed that because no one took him up on it, it was a moot point.

Monty 'not happy' with Sandy Lyle apology

FROM THE SCOTSMAN.SPORT.COM WEBSITE
By Mike Aitken
Sandy Lyle has expressed sincere regret for making incendiary comments about Colin Montgomerie and "a form of what you would call cheating" at Jakarta in 2005 by apologising on no fewer than four separate occasions yesterday – but that may not be enough.
The two-time major winner's bid to make peace with Europe's Ryder Cup captain could not be described as wholly successful. Lyle may have wanted to pour cold water on a heated situation but only ended up dousing the controversy with petrol by failing to withdraw his original comments and effectively repeating his claims.
Montgomerie stated later that he is "not happy" with the position.
Reading, at first, from a prepared statement in the Open media centre at Turnberry in front of a packed audience second in number only to the crowd drawn by Tiger Woods, Lyle attempted to mend fences by saying he was "not at war" with Montgomerie.
Later, however, when he took questions and was asked if he still viewed what Montgomerie had done in Jakarta as a form of cheating, Lyle replied: "I didn't make him do that mistake. It was his mistake. It will probably live with him for the rest of his life. It'll be cropping up. I can't do anything against that."
There was no immediate reaction from the European Tour to the original attack, but it's expected Lyle will be disciplined for his comments, bearing in mind the Tour's regulations stipulate "it's an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the media that attack, disparage or criticise tournament sponsors or promoters, fellow competitors, the European Tour or its officials."
Lyle, however, seemed in denial about the negative impact of his remarks during the biggest week of the year for golf in Britain. "Well, whatever I might have said (about Jakarta] it's not fabricated. And it's all been well documented, and it's been brought to the light obviously this week or today, not in bad taste, but it just worked out that way. If the European Tour take any action, I'll be very surprised."
Like many unsure public speakers, Lyle began well, but went on for too long.
"In my frustration over continually being asked about the incident at last year's Open Championship (when he walked off the links after nine holes], I regretfully brought up another old incident, one that happened (to Colin] over four years ago, and has long since been resolved. "I was trying to make the point by comparison that neither of these incidents had anything to do with the selection of the current Ryder Cup captain. I deeply regret making this comparison and apologise to Colin for involving him in my own issue. I feel especially bad if I jeopardised his preparation for the Open."
When reading from notes, Lyle was on message. But the ad-libs only served to dig another, deeper hole for himself. Asked for his reaction on the coverage of the original comments, he said: "I felt a bit gutted. I think that, literally, the big lines of calling Colin a cheat, I think that is totally out of context. It's all been well documented. It's all on video. It's not like I'm fabricating."
Asked if he thought Montgomerie, unanimously chosen by the players' committee in January in preference to Lyle, should now resign, he replied: "No. I don't think he should jeopardise his Ryder Cup position right now. It's just something that will be history in a few more days' time – and the game of golf will grow stronger."
As for Montgomerie, he was churning inside that the issue of his integrity should be raised again on the eve of a major championship. He had indicated last week that he would turn up late at Turnberry this week, but he changed his mind and unwittingly found himself thrust into the spotlight.
On leaving the practice range, he was asked if he had any reaction to Lyle's remarks. "Nothing to say on the comments, nothing to say at all," he replied initially. When told Lyle had apologised, the Ryder Cup captain simply shrugged his shoulders.He walked back to the clubhouse at a brisk lick where, coincidentally, Lyle was registering.
Lyle seemed to try and catch Monty's eye, but by now the possibility of a rapprochement between the giants of Scottish golf was slight. Montgomerie went into the club shop to peruse a paper copy of Lyle's remarks while the older man left through another door.
It was like watching a one-act French farce.
When Montgomerie emerged from the shop, he volunteered: "It was a rather strange apology, to be honest with you. I've read (the transcript] and will let you know when I have digested it further. Nothing much to say other than that. I've come here to compete in the Open and my preparations have been slightly dented. And I'm not very happy about that at all. You will hear further from me later."
Lyle said he had tried to speak to Montgomerie yesterday but the mobile number he had was "wiped out". He said: "I've got no vendetta against Colin at all. The last thing he wants is all this baloney going on."He had spoken of safeguarding his friendship with Montgomerie, but there seems little chance of that now.