Sandy Lyle calls Monty "a drama queen

hiding behind his manager"

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Sandy Lyle has reignited his feud with Colin Montgomerie, accusing the Ryder Cup captain of being a "drama queen hiding behind his manager."
Earlier this week, Lyle brought up the "cheating" controversy surrounding Montgomerie four years ago in Indonesia. The 51-year-old apologised for jeopardising Montgomerie's Open preparation, but did not withdraw his comment that what the Scot did in Jakarta - incorrectly replacing his ball after a weather delay - was "a form of what you would call cheating."
Montgomerie found Lyle's apology "very strange" and the pair have not spoken since, a situation which looks set to continue after Lyle's latest comments.
"We ought to bring an end to it. I would never have tried to jeopardise his preparations for the Open, that was never my intention," Lyle told Radio Five Live.
He added: "He should see that too, he has had enough experience with the press as well. He should be a man about it and we will get together and sort it out over a couple of pints.

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Click on these items for more Open stories:
Jimenez message to Seve
Harrington buoyed by upturn
Tiger shows his human side
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"Colin is Colin. We do sometimes call him a bit of a drama queen. You have got to get around to it and stop hiding behind your manager and come out and have a talk."
After completing an opening round of 71, Montgomerie had spoken to his manager behind the 18th green before declining to talk to waiting reporters.
Speaking after an opening 75 at Turnberry, Lyle had earlier admitted - with a real gift for understatement - that his chances of being named vice-captain by Montgomerie for Celtic Manor next year were "in jeopardy."
"He's not made any attempt (to contact me) and I don't have his phone number. I did have it but it's wiped off now," Lyle said.
"I can't even leave a message. He's got to come around himself and we've got to get together at some stage.
"It puts my vice-captaincy for the Ryder Cup in jeopardy, very much so, and that's rather annoying in some ways but I just have to face in the music."

Broch boy Gordon Munro wins North-east

Under-18s championship over home course

Local knowledge paid off in a big way for Gordon Munro, playing over his home course at Fraserburgh in today's Paul Lawrie North-east boys' golf championship.
In the absence of Hazlehead's Scottish boys champion David Law and Chris Robb (Inchmarlo), competing in a Dutch junior international event, Munro, who made his representative debut for the North-east boys team earlier in the week, finished four shots clear of the field.
A first-round 68, two under par, gave him a two-stroke lunchtime lead over Andrew Carrell (Peterculter) and an afternoon 70 for a total of two-under-par 138 saw him win with ease from Carrell who added a 72 for 142.
Carrell won the Under-16 championship.
Ryan Gordon (Alford) was down the field with an opening 75 but a 69 - the best score by anyone in the second round - lifted him up into third place on 144.
Ryan Bain (Strathlene) and Jack Presly (Banchory) both finished on 146. Ryan Bain, who took the day off from his first job to play in the championship, is not available for the North-east boys' match-play championship contested at the same Fraserburgh venue today alongwith the North-east Under-14s championship.
The semi-final ties are:
9.30am Gordon Munro v Jack Presly.
9.40 Andrew Carrell v Ryan Gordon.
The final will tee off at 2pm.

LEADING TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70). CSS 71 71
138 Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh) 68 70.
142 Andrew Carrell (Peterculter) 70 72.
144 Ryan Gordon (Alford) 75 69.
146 Ryan Bain (Strathlene) 73 73, Jack Presly (Banchory) 72 74.
147 Fraser Clarke (Westhill) 74 73, D Ritchie (Fraserburgh) 72 75.
149 D Thomsett (Aboyne) 76 73.
150 Conner Campbell (Inchmarlo) 73 77, Chris Lamb (Newmachar0 72 78.
151 J Drummond (Strathlene) 75 76.
152 R Manson (Braemar) 75 77, Robbie Gauld (Cruden Bay) 74 78,
153 Steven Smith (Deeside) 77 76, Nicholas McAndrew (Cullen) 73 80.
154 J Reid (Cruden Bay) 77 77, Alexander Wiseman (Fraserburgh) 74 80.
155 J Barbour (Fraserburgh) 78 77, Jack Walker (Fraserburgh) 78 77
156 R Taylor (Fraserburgh) 82 74, Neale Barnes (Deeside) 78 78, Chris Kelman (Deeside) 77 79.
157 C Bain (Strathlene) 81 76, A Wallace (Portlethen) 79 78.
158 Matthew Roger (Fraserburgh) 80 78, Jamie Manson (Oldmeldrum) 77 81.
159 Blair McPhersoin (Northern) 83 76, S Johnson (Fraserburgh) 80 79, James W Cardno (Inverallochy) 77 82.
160 Sean Lawrie (Portlethen) 83 77, Evan Robertson (Inchmarlo) 81 79, Ben Murray (Portlethen) 81 79.
161 K Zevnalov (Portlethen) 77 84, William Rennie (Hazlehead) 77 84.
162 C Diack (Aboyne) 82 80.
165 Ross Buchan (Inverallochy) 88 77, Charles Cross (Peterhead) 86 79, Ross Anderson (Stonehaven) 83 82, S Kiloh (Portlethen) 80 85.

Only Gavin Dear and Ross Kellett ahead of Banchory player

James Byrne now third best Scot

in R&A World Amateur Rankings

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Banchory's James Byrne, winner of the Tennant Cup and East of Scotland Opens in back-to-back weekends, has risen to be the third leading Scot in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Only Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) in 15th place and Ross Kellett (Colville Park) in 90th place are ahead of the 20-year-old Arizona State University student, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who has risen 60 places to No 106 in this week's revised world rankings.
Walker Cup team place contender Wallace Booth (Comrie) dropped 23 places to be the fourth top Scot in 109th place.
Paul O'Hara (Colville Park), winner of the Sutherland Chalice 72-hole event at Dumfries & Galloway on Sunday (James Byrne was joint runner-up), has risen 44 places to No 127.
The only Scots in the top 350 are:

*Figures in brackets indicate how many places they have risen or fallen since last week's R&A WAGR
15 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) (+1).

90 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) (-10)

106 James Byrne (Banchory) (+60).

109 Wallace Booth (Comrie) (-23).

127 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) (+44).

182 Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) (+2).
207 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) (-4).
277 Steven McEwan (Caprington) (-12).
290 James White (Lundin) (+11).
314 Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) (-9).
333 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) (-40).

The top 10 in the world are:

1 Nick Taylor (Canada).

2 Matt Hill (Canada).

3 Morgan Hoffman (US).

4 Sam Hutsby (Eng).

5 Nicol Van Wyk (SAf)

6 Rickie Fowler (US)

7 Victor Dubuisson (Fra).

8 Matteo Manassero (Ita).

9 Stephan Gross (Ger).

10 Russell Henley (US).

Ricky Fowler will turn pro after

Walker Cup match in September

A former No 1 in the R&A WAGR, US amateur Ricky Fowler has decided to turn pro and is expected to make his debut on the Nationwide Tour's Soboba Classic at The Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, California from October 1 to 4.
Fowler, an Oklahoma State University first-team two-time All-American, told The Oklahoman newspaper that he will turn pro after the Walker Cup in mid-September.
"If it wasn't for the Walker Cup, I'd probably be turning earlier," said Fowler.
Fowler is the first freshman to win the Ben Hogan Award, given to the nation's top collegiate golfer. As an amateur, he has played in four US PGA TOUR events, with his best finish a tie for 58th at the 2009 FBR Open. He has also played in two U.S. Opens.
"I don't put it past him to be No. 1 in the world one of these days," said his father, Rod Fowler. "He's got it in him and he's done it at every level, so I don't see him stopping, I don't see him being satisfied with being 20th in the world. He's got a goal in his head and we all know what that is."

PGA EUROPRO TOUR REPORT

Lorne Kelly finishes joint fifth behind

first-time winner Paul Maddy

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Paul Maddy sealed his first win as a professional in the Motocaddy Masters at The Players Club in Bristol by two strokes at ten under – but only after fighting off fiercePGA pressure from Matthew Ford and Paul Dwyer.
Maddy (Gog Magog) began the day at eight under par having not dropped a shot in the opening two rounds, but slipped back to six under after three bogeys and a birdie in his opening four holes. Birdies at the fifth and tenth holes moved Maddy back to his starting position at the top of his back nine but he was under incredible pressure in the closing holes from two of the chasing pack.
Dwyer (Clitheroe) was two under ahead of the final round and moved to six under by the turn with four birdies – but it was a birdie at 15 followed by a hole-in-one at the 16th that propelled him into contention at eight under. Ford (Marriott Tudor Park) was way off the pace at one under ahead of the final round and edged to two under at the turn.
But a phenomenal back nine with six birdies saw him card a 63 and into a share of the lead with Dwyer and Maddy at eight under.
The overnight leader was not to be denied though. A birdie at 15 moved him into the lead at nine under and he made it a two-shot victory with another birdie at 17 – all the more sweeter as his parents had driven over three hours to come and caddie for him in his first professional victory and the £10,000 prize money.
“I was a bit nervous and a couple of bad swings got me off to a bad start,” said the 28 year-old. “I knew beforehand that a score around par would be good enough.”
What Maddy didn’t reckon on was the incredible rounds from Messrs Ford and Dwyer – although he was aware of their charge. “I was obviously concentrating on my own round but yes, I had an eye on the scoreboards,” said the Cambridge man. “I knew that those guys had fired down the back nine, but I had an advantage with holes left and I was able to get a couple of birdies to finish the job.”
“I’ve been playing well but without the results so now I’ve got that win under my belt I can kick on for the rest of the Tour,” said Maddy, who leaps into fourth spot in the Order of Merit.
Ford and Dwyer shared second spot, while fourth place belonged to Maddy’s playing partner Paul O’Hanlon (Curragh) who recorded his third round of 68 of the tournament to finish on six under.
Barrie Trainor (South County) equalled Dwyer’s round of 64 to finish three under for the tournament along with Lorne Kelly (Pro Dream USA) and Tim Rice (Limerick) who both recorded 67s in their final rounds, and Ben Jones (Crownbrush.co.uk) and Adam Frayne (St Mellion), both level for the day.
The next event on the PGA EuroPro Tour is the Pandora 2009 Open at Burhill Golf Club in Surrey, beginning on July 30.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
200 Paul Maddy 64 68 68. £10,000
202 Matthew Ford 69 70 63, Paul Dwyer 70 68 64. £3,750 each.
204 Paul O’Hanlon 68 68 68 204. £1,700
207 Barrie Trainor 73 70 64, Lorne Kelly 74 66 67, Tim Rice 71 69 67, Adam Frayne 70 67 70, Ben Jones 70 67 70. £1,070 each.
208 Graeme Clark 71 68 69. £800
Other Scots' totals:
210 Lee Harper 76 66 68. £400.
212 Scott Jamieson 76 68 68. £335.
214 Paul Doherty 70 71 73, Jack Doherty 73 72 68, Barry Hume 71 74 68. £277.50 each.
216 Graeme Lornie 71 72 73 £245.00

Tiger Woods (71) misses out on birdie bonanza at defenceless Turnberry

Miguel Angel Jimenez

takes over lead with a

a flawless 64

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, pictured right, equalled the lowest first round in Open Championship history with a six under par 64 today - but Tom Watson was still the talk of Turnberry, a strangely benign links with not a breath of wind and no defence against the armoury of the world's best golfers.

Forty-nine players broke the par of 70, even though the course is some 7,200yd long and the long grass knee or waist-high in some places.
Two months short of his 60th birthday, Watson, the five-time Open champion - three of them achieved at Scottish links, made a dream start to what he insists is not simply a trip down memory lane this week.
After his superb 65 Watson, set to be the oldest player ever to lead a major until Jimenez two-putted the long 17th and then made a 60-footer for another birdie on the last two holes, declared: "I feel that I'm playing well enough to win. I feel inspired playing here."
Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, began his bid for the first Open hat-trick since Peter Thomson in 1956 with a 69 - a big step in the right direction after five successive missed cuts on the European and American tours.
Watson's 65 was matched by 2003 champion Ben Curtis and right at the end of the day by Japan's Kenichi Kuboya, who finished sensationally - birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie - for an inward 30.
Curtis, 396th in the world six years ago when he became the first debutant to take the title since Watson at Carnoustie in 1975, now stands 27th in the rankings. His four birdies in the last six holes made dinner taste better too.
Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, David Howell and Graeme McDowell had hopes of figuring high on the leaderboard after flying starts, but all four finished with 68s.
The five-strong group on four under, meanwhile, included Australian John Senden.
A week ago Senden was seventh reserve for the event and it was only on arriving from Texas on Tuesday that Jeev Milkha Singh's side muscle injury let him in.
winners (in 2003) came in with a matching 65.Conditions were so easy that Curtis might well have scored in the even lower 60s for he cancelled out a couple of double bogeys with an eagle 3 at the seventh and a grandstand finish of four birdies over the last six holes. Late in the evening Japan's Kenichi Kuboya moved alongside Watson and Curtis on the 65 mark.Miguel Angel Jimenez equalled the lowest first round in Open Championship history with a six under par 64 today - but Tom Watson was still the talk of Turnberry.
Two months short of his 60th birthday the five-time Open champion made a dream start to what he insists is not simply a trip down memory lane this week.
After his superb 65 Watson, set to be the oldest player ever to lead a major until Jimenez two-putted the long 17th and then made a 60-footer for another birdie on the two holes, declared: "I feel that I'm playing well enough to win. I feel inspired playing here."
Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, began his bid for the first Open hat-trick since Peter Thomson in 1956 with a 69 - a big step in the right direction after five successive missed cuts on the European and American tours.
Watson's 65 was matched by 2003 champion Ben Curtis and right at the end of the day by Japan's Kenichi Kuboya, who finished sensationally - birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie - for an inward 30.
Curtis, 396th in the world six years ago when he became the first debutant to take the title since Watson at Carnoustie in 1975, now stands 27th in the rankings. His four birdies in the last six holes made dinner taste better too.
Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, David Howell and Graeme McDowell had hopes of figuring high on the leaderboard after flying starts, but all four finished with 68s.
The five-strong group on four under, meanwhile, included Australian John Senden.
A week ago Senden was seventh reserve for the event and it was only on arriving from Texas on Tuesday that Jeev Milkha Singh's side muscle injury let him in.
Six years ago, Curtis was virtually unknown except to family and friends when he won the Claret Jug at the first attempt. He missed the Open cut on his next three attempts, but has finished in the top 10 at the Open the last two years. Now, he’s confident of making a run at another Open championship.“You don’t win it once and not be able to do it again,” he said. “The last couple of years have been good for me, and this week I got off to a good start.”

Cigar-smoking, and a pony-tailed hairstyle give Miguel Angel Jimenz - The Mechanic - a distinctive look and his image had been flashed around the world quite a few times as he returned a flawless six under par round of 64 with birdies at the second, sixth, seventh and nine - to be out in four-under 31 - and after a round of solid pars from the turn, Miguel suddenly got a fire going again at the last two holes, both of which he birdied, holing a long one across the 18th green, to come home in two-under 33.

To be quite honest about it, the sunny, calm conditions made Turnberry a sitting duck, as would any links course on the Open roster have been, for the world's best golfers to rip apart.

Well, not all of them ripped it apart. No 1 Tiger Woods, seeking his fourth Open championship triumph, was not a happy man to score only a one-over-par 71 while lesser golfing mortals were making hay by staying out of it.

Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie both matched Tiger Woods' 71. Gary Orr had a 73, Martin Laird a 74, Lloyd Saltman and Sandy Lyle both 75s and Richie Ramsay a sad 77. Best Scottish performance was a 69 by David Drysdale, one of the evening finishers. He was closely followed by Elliot Saltman's 70.

Watson, a five-time Open champion, posted his lowest score in the tournament since a second-round 65 in 1994 - the last time it was held at Turnberry. A year ago, he shot 74-76 at Birkdale and missed the cut.
Watson posted five birdies and made a couple of testy par saves, including a 6-footer at the final hole to ensure his name would be all alone atop the leaderboard, at least for a while.
With red numbers there for the taking, Australia's John Senden, American Steve Stricker and Camilo Villegas of Colombia put up 66s. Stewart Cink of the U.S. and England's David Howell also were at 4 under while still on the course, and 1989 Open champion Mark Calcavecchia went out in the first group of the day with his wife on the bag and shot 67.
Stricker, playing in the group just ahead of Watson, got a chance to keep up with the turn-back-the-clock round.
"That was very cool to watch," Stricker said. "It gives hope to everybody that you can continue to play well in your later years."
The conditions along the picturesque Scottish coast were ideal for going low — the sun peeking in and out of the clouds, the Ailsa Craig easily visible offshore, the flags hanging limply above the grandstands, barely the hint of a breeze.
"It was perfect out there," Calcavecchia said. "The course couldn't possibly play any easier. I don't know how long it's going to stay like that."
Surprisingly, overwhelming favourite Tiger Woods failed to take advantage. He was plodding along at one over par and finished with a one-over 71, flipping his club away several times in frustration as tee shots kept flying off to the right.

No such problems for Senden, who didn't even know if he'd be playing this week. He got into the tournament Tuesday as an alternate when Jeev Milkha Singh withdrew with an injury. The Aussie stayed away from bogey and birdied four of the last six holes for a 66.
"I was lucky enough to be in the field, so that was a bonus," Senden said.
All week Watson has been reminded of his showdown with Nicklaus in 1977, when the Open first came to historic Turnberry. Watson held on to win by a stroke in what was essentially a match-play format over the final round.
"I don't live in the past," he said. "But certainly that has been at the forefront of a lot of conversations for me this week. A lot of people have been congratulating me for '77, and they remember it, too. It's amazing there's a lot of kids in the tournament who were not even born in 1977."
That includes one of Watson's playing partners, 16-year-old British amateur champion - the youngest ever - Italy's Matteo Manassero, the youngest player in the field. Watson is the oldest.
Calcavecchia is no spring chicken himself. He remembered his 1989 performance at Royal Troon, about 20 miles north of Turnberry, when he beat Wayne Grady and Norman in a play-off to win his only major championship.
"Yep, it was 20 years ago, right up the road," Calcavecchia said. "This has always been my favourite tournament of the year to come to."
But he almost passed up the chance to play this year. After playing 36 holes last Sunday at the rain-plagued John Deere Classic, the 49-year-old American had back spasms and considered staying home.
Now, he's glad he came - though the pernickety Scottish weather can change at any time. Just ask last year's runner-up, Ian Poulter, who had an afternoon tee time.
"Watching the golf this morning on TV," he wrote on Twitter. "It's flat, calm and no rain there. I'm staying 5 miles away and it's pouring down." Poulter is 11 shots behind the leader after a 75.
Norman failed to follow up his stirring performance last year, when he was 18 holes away from becoming the oldest major champion. He looked every bit his age (54), struggling to a 77 that left him unlikely to make the cut which, judging by the first-day scoring, is going to be low, even though wind and some rain are forecast for the second day's play.

Open championship scoreboard

TURNBERRY (Par 70, 7024yd)

FIRST ROUND

64 M A Jimenez

65 T Watson, B Curtis, K Kuboya.

66 S Cink, J Senden, S Stricker, C Villegas, M Goggin.

67 M Calcavecchia, M O'Meara, R Goosen, S Marino, B Weekley, B Brace, M Weir, V J Singh, J Furyk, J Kingston, R Sterne.

68 A Wall, G McDowell, S O'Hair, A Hansen, L Westwood, R Ishikawa, J B Holmes, D J Trahan, S Kjeldsen, A Romero, S Hansen, D Howell, P Casey, J Daly, T Lehman.

69 E Els, R Fisher, M Kaymer, R McIlroy, P Harrington, G Fernandez-Castano, T Jaidee, B Mayfair, J Rose, A Cabrera, D Love, K Sutherland, D Drysdale.
70 S Garcia, P Broadhurst, J Overton, N Dougherty, P Hanson, L Oosthuizen, R Allenby, J Leonard, C Wood, B Molder, M Kuchar, Z Johnson, F Jacobsen.

Selected scores:

71 T Woods, L Donald, A Scott, D Duval, K Perry, H Stenson, M Manassero (am), C Montgomerie, P Lawrie, N Watney, C Schwartzel, D Clarke, K Duke, R Green, M Brown, J Edfors, M Brier, B Crane, G Bhullar, A Quiros, T. Clark, T Kondo, P McGinley, C Hoffman, F Molinari, T Levet, T Aiken, P Hedblom, F Andersson Hed.

72 L Glover, G Storm, R Echenique, O Wilson, B Baird, B Snedeker, S Ames, H Mahan, D Thoms, P Goydos.

73 G Orr, R Finch, R Rock, B Gay, B Watson, D Higgins, C Howell, C Campbell, R Davies, A Kim, T Wood.

74 M Laird.

75 L Saltman, S Lyle

75 I Poulter, G Ogilvy.

77 R Ramsay.

New Castle Stuart course open to

public from this week

The new Castle Stuart golf course between Nairn and Inverness became open for play by the public on July 13 through to 30 November.

To reserve a tee time:
Telephone: +44 (0)1463 795440
Email: bookings@castlestuartgolf.com

Green Fees
July - October: £150 per round (£130.43 + 15% VAT)
November: £125 (£108.70 + 15% VAT)
Day Ticket £225 (£195.65 + 15% VAT)
PGA & BIGGA £50 (£43.48 + 15% VAT – cards required)

Scottish Resident Fee & Conditions (Click for details)
Local Resident Fee & Conditions (Click for details)

Caddies
Caddy Fee £35 plus discretionary gratuity
Caddies should be requested in advance through the reservations department and are subject to availability.

Club Hire
£30 per round

Castle Stuart Golf Links website:
http://www.castlestuartgolf.com

DARREN CLARKE VIEWPOINT

Time for Royal Portrush to be on

Open championship roster

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
The time has come for the Royal Portrush to be considered as a venue for The Open Championship again, according to Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke.
It is 58 years since the tournament was last played in North Antrim, the only Northern Ireland course to host the major championship.
However, as this year’s competition got under way at Turnberry, Clarke said arguments about the lack of infrastructure are paper-thin.
“If they think Turnberry now answers all the questions regarding such matters, then Portrush does so and more,” Clarke said.
The possibility of returning to the course was looked at six years ago by the R&A championship secretary David Hill, himself from Portrush.
He concluded that while Portrush would be a fantastic venue, accommodating the huge crowds would be a major problem.
However, Clarke said: “Turnberry answers all the accommodation problems, does it? With the new road (to Portrush), you're no more than 40 minutes from Belfast, where there's plenty of accommodation.
“There's plenty of room around the course for tented villages and so on, while the new tees mean that the course is plenty tough enough.
“The bottom line is we're talking about a links course as good as any in the world, where the arguments against are less strong than they are for the return of Turnberry.”
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy steps up onto golf’s biggest stage today carrying all the weight of expectation that comes with his playing talent.
In this week of the Open Championship, his manager Chubby Chandler has predicted that the Holywood golfer will be a “multi-Major champion and number one in the world”.
But this particular Major on the Turnberry links “may be an Open too early”.
It is a comment designed to calm some of the expectation that follows McIlroy everywhere he goes.
“This week is another learning experience,” his manager told the Belfast Telegraph.
The Holywood golfer goes into the championship ranked 22nd in the world and fifth on the European money list.
“I’d say he’s probably gone just a bit quicker than we thought would happen,” Chandler said on the progress of his player.
He also praised McIlroy’s parents — Gerry and Rosie: “I think his mum and dad are amazing,” he said.
Two years ago at Carnoustie, Rory was the top amateur in the Open Championship and turned professional just a few weeks later.
His Bangor-based coach Michael Bannon joined him in Scotland on Tuesday.
“He likes the golf course,” said Bannon.
“If you like the golf course you’re more likely to play well on it,” he continued.
And pointing to his recent results in the US Open and the Masters, he said: “He’s able to pull himself up for the big ones.”
Irish golfer Padraig Harrington is chasing three Open wins in a row and Tiger Woods is the bookies favourite. Rory’s uncle Colm, who will travel to Turnberry for the weekend play, has his nephew backed £50 at 22/1.
“He’s third favourite,” Colm said — “the bookies must be expecting something big”.
“If he gets a couple of putts in early, gets the pace of the greens, he could go very close,” he added.

Free round at Dollar if you enter

Eagle and Birdie Challenge

Free golf on offer if you help save our club! That is the plea from members of Dollar Golf Club which is facing closure if their “Drive to Survive” fund-raising effort is not successful. The club hopes that golfers throughout Scotland will come to their aid by entering the “Eagle and Birdie Challenge.”
This involves guessing the scores of four of Scotland’s top amateurs - Gavin Dear, Scott Borrowman, Wallace Booth and Gordon Yates (pictured right) - who have agreed to play a THREE-round challenge match on August 4 over the Dollar course (5,242yd, par 69).
Great prizes are on offer and every single golfer who enters the challenge will be entitled to a free round on Dollar.
See details of the challenge and how to enter on http://www.dollargolfclub.com/.