Aberdonian Sim fails to win immediate promotion to US PGA Tour

US Nationwide Tour Scoreboard
COX CLASSIC
Omaha, Nebraska
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
264 Rich Barcelo 69 62 68 65.
265 Tom Gillis 65 67 67 66.
266 Brent Delahoussaye 64 67 68 67.
267 J J Kileen 63 66 71 67.
268 Matt Henry 62 68 70 68, Michael Sim (Sco) 66 65 67 70, Jonax Blixt (Swe) 64 65 69 70.

Roberts wins play-off for Senior Open

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Loren Roberts won the Senior Open Championship title with a dramatic play-off win over Mark McNulty and Fred Funk today.
All three men finished with a 12-under-par aggregate of 268 at Sunningdale before Roberts, who previously won this event at Turnberry in 2006, triumphed over extra holes.
After Funk failed to match McNulty and Roberts' birdies on the 18th at the first extra hole it became a two-man duel, and after another deadlock McNulty fired a wild drive into the rough and Roberts' par was enough for victory.
The American had carded a final-round 67 thanks to a four-under inward 31 on the Old Course. After a splendid approach at 17 led to the birdie which took him to 12 under, Roberts needed another at the last to win, but drove into the rough on the right and had to settle for par.
Earlier Irishman McNulty's brilliant round of 64 had given him the clubhouse lead.
His inward 31 included a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th but it could have been even better - down the closing straight McNulty had birdie putts of less than 10 feet on 17 and 18 and both missed the hole by the smallest of fractions.
"I really thought I hit good putts, both of them," he said."The last one I thought was going to go in and the last one slowed down and seemed to start turning. Why, I don't know."I gave it all I had, and just one bad shot. That's what happens," said the Sunningdale resident.
Overnight leader Greg Norman slipped to a closing round of one-over-par 71 for 271, which left the door open five players - the play-off trio plus Bernard Langer, fourth with a 65 for 269 and Sam Forrance, fifth with a 67 for 270, to move past.
Greg Norman was left with the same nagging thought as his round collapsed in a fashion eerily reminiscent of his anti-climactic final rounds at Augusta in 1996 and Birkdale last July. At the 17th he was fortunate even to have a swing for his second shot, his drive having found arguably the most thickly wooded area on the course. A three-putt and a double-bogey later, his hopes had evaporated.Tom Watson finished joint eighth with a 67 for 273. On the last green he holed from 8ft - the distance from which he missed on the last green of the Open at Turnberry the previous Sunday evening.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
268 Loren Roberts 66 68 67 67 (won at third play-off hole), Mark McNulty (Irl) 69 67 68 64, Fred Funk 64 65 72 67.
269 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 72 67 65 65.
270 Sam Torrance (Sco) 67 65 71 67.
271 Greg Norman (Aus) 67 69 64 71, Larry Mize 69 70 64 68.
273 Denis Watson (Zim) 68 68 66 71, Bruce Vaughan 70 69 65 69, Tom Kite 67 68 69 69, Tom Watson 67 69 70 67, Don Pooley 70 66 69 68.
274 Michael Allen 70 65 71 68, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 68 71 66 69, Scott Simpson 68 69 69 68, Sandy Lyle (Sco) 68 70 69 67.
276 Joey Sindelar 69 72 67 68, Denis O'Sullivan (Irl) 68 71 70 67.
277 Gene Jones 74 67 67 69, Russ Cochran 69 70 71 67, Ian Woosnam (Wal) 68 69 70 70, Mike Goodes 71 71 67 68, Jay Haas 66 71 68 72.
278 Jeff Sluman 69 70 69 70.
279 Kirk Hanefeld 72 71 68 68, Mark O'Meara 69 70 68 72, David Eger 69 71 67 72.
280 Gordon J Brand (Eng) 68 68 73 71, Christopher Williams (Rsa) 66 76 66 72, Gary Koch 70 70 69 71, Curt Byrum 68 75 69 68.
281 Andy Bean 70 72 67 72, Fulton Allem (Rsa) 70 72 73 66, Mike Donald 71 70 70 70, Gordon Brand Jnr (Sco) 68 71 71 71, Wayne Grady (Aus) 70 72 71 68, Noel Ratcliffe (Aus) 71 72 71 67.
282 Sir Nick Faldo (Eng) 70 70 69 73, Bertus Smit (Rsa) 69 71 70 72, Juan Quiros (Spa) 72 71 68 71, Olin Browne 68 73 72 69, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 70 71 71 70.
283 Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 72 70 68 73, Ben Crenshaw 73 70 65 75, Mark James (Eng) 70 69 68 76, Bob Gilder 72 70 70 71.
284 Mark Wiebe 71 68 70 75, Mike Reid 72 71 70 71, Joe Ozaki (Jpn) 71 70 72 71.
285 Robert L Thompson 70 74 68 73, Gary Hallberg 74 68 71 72, Philip Blackmar 68 72 74 71, Costantino Rocca (Ita) 74 70 72 69, Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 71 73 73 68, Morris Hatalsky 72 67 73 73, Ronnie Black 71 71 71 72, Doug Johnson 70 69 70 76.
286 Luis Carbonetti (Arg) 73 70 68 75, Jerry Bruner 67 74 68 77, Tom Lehman 70 73 73 70, Paul Simson 71 69 72 74, Des Smyth (Irl) 66 74 74 72, Andrew Murray (Eng) 69 74 71 72, John Morse 72 71 72 71, Tim Simpson 73 71 71 71, Bobby Wadkins 73 70 70 73.
287 Manuel Pinero (Spa) 70 74 70 73.
288 Tom Purtzer 73 71 73 71, Stewart Ginn (Aus) 71 72 72 73, Lonnie Nielsen 72 71 71 74.
289 Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 71 73 72 73, Graham Marsh (Aus) 70 74 70 75, Bob Cameron (Eng) 70 72 74 73, Glenn Ralph (Eng) 70 73 73 73.
290 Philippe Dugeny (Fra) 71 69 76 74, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 70 71 76 73.
292 Craig Stadler 74 69 73 76.

NEXT YEAR'S SENIORS OPEN WILL BE HELD AT CARNOUSTIE ... THE WEEK AFTER THE OPEN OVER THE OLD COURSE, ST ANDREWS.

WHAT A GREAT DOUBLE-HEADER IN SCOTLAND!

Jesper Parnevek flying back to US for hip operation

Jesper Parnevik might have played his last round of the season.
The 44-year-old Swede, who tied for 17th at the SAS Masters on the European Tour today, said that he will have a hip operation next week in a clinic at Vail, Colorado.
The Florida-based Parnevik, a former SAS Masters champion, finished second in the 1994 Open at Turnberry, narrowly missing out on becoming Sweden’s first men’s major winner.
He’s struggled on the US PGA Tour recently. The five-time winner in the United States hasn’t finished better than a tie for 42nd at the Buick Invitational.

Ricardo Gonzalez birdies five

of last six to win SAS Masters

Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez produced a truly stunning finish to grab victory at the SAS Masters at Barseback Golf Club in Malmo, Sweden today.
The 39-year-old birdied five of the last six holes on the longest course in European Tour history, holing from a bunker at the 17th and then producing a wonder recovery from the trees on the last to within five feet of the flag.
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With a four under 69 Gonzalez finished 10 under par, two ahead of Welshman Jamie Donaldson after he had needed just 21 putts in a 68.
Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay totalled 140 (2x70) for the first rounds and 152 for the third and fourth episodes, scoring 77 and 75 on Saturday and Sunday respectively for 292 - 10 shots behind the winner.
Callum Macaulay also was not at his Sunday best. The fourth round cost him 78 shots for 297.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 292 (4x73)
282 Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 68 68 77 69
284 Jamie Donaldson 71 72 73 68
286 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 72 70 70 74
288 Lee Slattery 67 70 75 76, Nathan T Smith (USA) 75 71 71 71, Jacob Olesen (Den) 73 72 75 68, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70 72 76, Marcus Higley 72 71 70 75, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 70 72 73 73, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 72 69 70 77
289 Danny Willett 71 72 76 70
290 Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 74 70 72 74, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 72 71 75 72, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 72 71 73 74, Gareth Maybin 72 73 72 73, Robert Dinwiddie 74 70 75 71
291 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 71 70 77, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 72 71 73 75, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 72 73 73 73, Tano Goya (Arg) 69 74 75 73, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 69 78 73 71, David Lynn 73 73 71 74, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 74 71 72 74
292 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 73 74 70 75, Richie Ramsay 70 70 77 75, Richard S Johnson (Swe) 74 70 75 73
293 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 77 71 71 74, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 72 75 75 71, Peter Lawrie 73 71 75 74, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 71 74 79, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 74 69 76 74, Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 73 72 71 77, Anders Sjostrand (Swe) 72 69 75 77, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 72 72 70 79
294 Brett Rumford (Aus) 70 75 74 75, John Mellor 76 70 77 71, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 71 74 70 79
295 Gary Murphy 71 74 75 75, Steve Webster 71 73 76 75, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 75 72 73 75, Sam Little 72 75 69 79, James Driscoll (USA) 73 74 73 75
296 Mattias Eliasson (Swe) 73 72 75 76, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 73 75 75 73, Simon Dyson 75 72 73 76, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 76 69 73 78, Michael Hoey 72 74 74 76, Johan Edfors (Swe) 74 73 74 75
297 Callum Macaulay 73 72 74 78, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 77 70 75 75, Phillip Archer 75 73 76 73, Pablo Martin (Spa) 69 75 74 79
298 Peter Hanson (Swe) 74 73 75 76, Damien McGrane 73 71 76 78, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 74 74 73 77, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 73 72 78 75, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 74 72 75 77
299 Richard Bland 74 72 77 76, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 71 71 79 78, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 74 70 77 78, Simon Khan 74 74 76 75
300 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 78 70 73 79, Ake Nilsson (Rsa) 75 73 75 77, Andrew Coltart 76 71 74 79, Marcel Siem (Ger) 71 74 80 75, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 74 74 75 77
301 Joakim Rask (Swe) 75 73 74 79, Will MacKenzie (USA) 73 74 76 78, Robert Rock 73 73 76 79, Antti Ahokas (Fin) 74 73 79 75, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 74 72 78 77, Bradley Dredge 76 72 80 73
302 Per Barth (Swe) 75 73 72 82, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 78 70 76 78, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 73 74 79 76
303 Niklas Brutelius (Swe) 78 70 77 78
305 Chris Doak 74 73 78 80
309 Branden Grace (Rsa) 70 78 81 80

Rhys Davies scores a Homecoming

win on Challenge Tour in Wales

By SCOTT CROCKETT, Chief Press Officer, European Tour
Former Walker Cup player Rhys Davies gave Welsh golf the perfect result at The Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort on the outskirts of Cardiff when he beat Englishman James Morrison at the third hole of a sudden-death play-off to win the SWALEC Wales Challenge today.
Having holed a testing 10ft putt for par to join Morrison in the extra holes drama, the 24 year old from Bridgend, who played on the US college circuit as East Tennessee State University's star player, repeated the feat on the first return to the 18th green moments later, before taking the title in front of his adoring public at the third time of asking after the Englishman pushed his approach shot into the water hazard.
The entire day’s play had been brought forward due to the threat of bad weather in the Vale of Glamorgan in the afternoon and it proved a good decision, as the rain began to lash down as the play-off reached its conclusion.
But nothing could dampen the spirits of Davies, pictured above, who recorded his maiden Challenge Tour victory, and his legion of supporters who braved the elements to see him do it.
“It is a fantastic feeling to win my first Challenge Tour event and, obviously, it is that little bit more extra special given the fact that I’ve done it here in Wales,” said Davies who moved from 121st on the Challenge Tour Rankings at the start of the week into 20th place having pocketed the €24,000 first prize.
“I had a lot of support out there this afternoon and even though the rain was hammering down at the end of the day in a play off there, there was still a lot of people around the 18th cheering me on which was great and was nice to see.
“I actually hit two good shots up the last in regulation but I think the wind switched or something because I had a terrible lie in the bunker. I was thinking to myself, ‘just get it on the green and give yourself a chance’ and I hit a pretty good bunker shot. I felt confident over the putt and knocked it in from about eight feet.
“I had a similar scenario on the first play-off hole but my putting has been good for some time now and I holed out well which was important. I was fairly confident I wasn’t going to miss that one either. Then, when I saw James put his shot in the water on the third play-off hole, I knew the victory was mine.”
Davies’ success was the first Welsh victory recorded on the Challenge Tour since Jamie Donaldson won the Guatemala Open in 2007 and indeed was the first Welsh player to win on home soil since Sion Bebb won this event at Nefyn in 2006.
He also became the third home nation player to win on the 2009 Challenge Tour following Italy’s Edoardo Molinari in the Piemonte Open in Turin, and France’s Alexandre Kaleka in the Allianz EurOpen de Lyon in Monthieux two weeks ago.
Morrison battled hard all day after an extraordinary start to his round saw him pitch and putt for par at each of the first four holes. Birdies at the fifth and sixth holes moved him up the leaderboard and, although he three putted the 13th for bogey, he too holed a testing ten footer on the 72nd hole to keep his dream of success alive.
The putt saw him end with a one under par 71 for a two under par total of 286, a score and total matched exactly by Davies moments later. He had putts to win on both the first and second play-off holes but could not take then – the defeat particularly hard to take for the 24 year old from Weybridge who double bogeyed the final hole in the event last year to miss out on the play-off.
The consolation for Morrison, and his fiancée Jessica who supported him all the way, was the fact that his cheque for €16,500 was good enough to elevate him from 32nd to 11th place on the Challenge Tour Rankings.
Davies and Morrison finished one shot clear of Sweden’s Andreas Högberg, who carded a best of day 68 for 287 while the English duo of Matthew Cort and Steve Surry and Greig Hutcheon of Scotland shared fourth place on level par 288.
The fact the tournament ended in a play-off did not come as a surprise as the demanding conditions throughout the week at The Vale had seen players bunched at the top of the leaderboard almost from the word go.
Indeed, at one point near the closing stages, it looked like there would be more than two players in the sudden-death drama, with five players – Morrison, Davies, Cort, Surry and Högberg – all tied on the two under par mark with the clubhouse in sight.
But, one by one they fell away to leave only two. First to fall by the wayside was Högberg who bogeyed both the 16th and the 18th holes to see his chances disappear. It was particularly galling for the 27 year old from Stockholm who had produced by far the best golf of any of the leading contenders and indeed was six under par for his round through 15 holes.
Next to go was Englishman Cort, who had shared the opening day lead with John Parry, but whose chances of victory disappeared when he made double bogey six at the 16th. He was then followed out the exit door by his fellow countryman Surry, the second round leader, who dropped shots at both the 17th and 18th.

Tom Ward put his camera focus on a different view of Gavin Dear's swing which will be tested over the Royal Troon links this coming week.

Scottish amateur favourite Gavin Dear looking

forward to playing Royal Troon for first time

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Gavin Dear is, quite rightly, top seed for the Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur championship which starts at Royal Troon Golf Club's Open championship links tomorrow.
The highest-ranked Scot in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings, Gavin Dear is entitled to feel confident but I am asked just how he was feeling about what will almost certainly be hist last Scottish amateur championship as he intends to turn professional in late September:

"I am fighting fit, and also playing very nicely. I had a long run of events from early May and finishing successfully with the European Team Champs and British Open Qualifying. I had a number of things I wanted to work on and bring into my game, some things that I had seen from playing with established players such as Kenny Ferrie.
"I feel as though I have done that, in the last couple of weeks, whilst getting some much needed rest. I have spent some time this week working with Liam Barn and Ian Rae just putting the finishing touches on my game.
"I had a charity day recently for Cancer Research in memory of three guys who died in a car crash earlier in the year, and am having a couple more games over this weekend to get back into the competitive mindset.
"I am really looking forward to the next few weeks, I've never played Royal Troon before but I have only heard good things and it will be great to get back to competitive golf."

CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDINGS
(with R&A WAGR in brackets)
1 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) (13).
2 Wallace Booth (Comrie) (109).
3 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) (89).
4 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) (129).
5 James Byrne (Banchory) (105).
6 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) (209).
7 Steven McEwan (Caprington) (277).
8 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) (430).

GAVIN DEAR IS NO 13 IN THE WORLD
- HIS HIGHEST RANKING YET

Gavin Dear, the one Scot who seems a certainty to be named in the GB&I team for the Walker Cup match in September, has reached his highest R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The 24-year-old from the Perthshire village of Scone, is No 13 in last week's list issued by R&A staffer David Moir, the man in charge of compiling the rankings from a weekly flow of results from amateur tournaments worldwide.
When he won the Craigmillar Park Open back in April, Dear said it was his ambition to gain a top 10 ranking in time to gain exemption from the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School process.
Scots ranked in world's top 500 amateurs with their movement compared with last week's ranking (+ or -):
13 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) +2.
89 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) +1.
105 James Byrne (Banchory) +1.
109 Wallace Booth (Comrie) 0.
129 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) -2.
189 Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) -7.
209 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) -2.
277 Steven McEwan (Caprington) 0.
296 James White (Lundin) -6.
320 Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) -6.
339 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) -6.
421 Philip McLean (Peterhead) -5.
430 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) -4.
469 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) -9.
498 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) -7.

Scottishgolfview.com asked David Moir, the man behind the R&A WAGRs, how Gavin Dear could improve his ranking with his performance in the Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur championship this coming week. Here is David's answer.

FROM DAVID MOIR:
Here is the guesstimate based on no other players moving at all and no WAGRanked 1 - 500 players withdrawing from the starting field for Royal Troon:
+If Gavin loses before last 8, he will remain at his provisional WAGR No 13.
+ If Gavin loses in last 8, he will rise to WAGR No 12.
+ If he loses in semis, he will rise to WAGR No 10.
+ If he loses in Final, he will rise to WAGR No 7.
+ If he wins, he will rise to WAGR No 4 or 5.

NO 5 SEED JAMES BYRNE SAYS:
"I have been playing better of late, and in short that is simply down to hard work both here and in the States. I have been driving the ball straighter thanks to a small adjustment in my swing early in the season, and my short game and putting is on a different level to what it was 12 months ago.
"I'm happy with my form and my goal for this year was always to push for a Walker Cup spot. Sadly, however, I feel my absence from this past week's South of England Open championship at Walton Heath now makes that an unlikely occurrence.
"I made phone calls but it was past the deadline and I'm devastated not to be playing.
"As for Royal Troon, I've crashed out in Round One of this championship the past two years, so here's hoping for a more successful run this coming week!"

World champion Gavin Dear and Wallace Booth

are favourites for Scottish amateur championship

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Royal Troon will be the testing ground this week as the country’s leading male amateurs battle for the right to call themselves the national champion at the SGU’s flagship event the Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Championship.
The world champion status of Gavin Dear and Wallace Booth, who were also members of the six-man team that won the European team championship this season, is reflected as the Perthshire pair go into the event as favourites.
With reigning champion Callum Macaulay, the third member of that team which brought the world title to Scotland when they won the Eisenhower Trophy last year, having now turned pro, they are entitled to be considered two of the key players on the names to watch list.
Dear has shown excellent form following that Eisenhower Trophy win. He became the first Scot to win the prestigious Dixie men’s amateur championship in Florida at the end of last year. Since then he has won the Irish amateur open championship as well as the Craigmillar Park Open and he was runner-up at the Bidwells Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship.
He meets Tantallon’s Joe Lockie on the opening morning, while Booth has a long wait before getting his campaign underway on the second afternoon of the championship, when he faces 2004 British Boys champion Jordan Findlay.
If Dear survives to the quarter-finals he will meet best friend Keir McNicoll, another of the seven Scots who are in the Walker Cup training squad, while Booth would be up against Ayrshire man Steven McEwan, last season’s SGU Order of Merit winner and beaten finalist in this event at Carnoustie 12 months ago.
Another member of Scotland’s European championship-winning team who must be seen as a serious challenger is Michael Stewart, the former Scottish boys champion, not least because the Troon Welbeck golfer is playing in his home town.
Local knowledge at a venue that has hosted this event on five previous occasions could prove a massive advantage at what is one of the finest championship courses in the world, boasting a famously formidable inward nine.
However the teenager has been handed the most fearsome of draws since he opens against Paul McKellar whose career highlights were at this venue. The 53-year-old was runner-up at the Scottish amateur championship at Royal Troon in 1977, earning himself a place in that year’s Walker Cup team and again reached the final when the British Amateur was held over the same links the following year.
The omens are in McKellar’s favour, too, in a year that has already brought extraordinary echoes of 1977’s glorious golfing summer on the Ayrshire coast with Tom Watson, winner of the “Duel in the Sun” that year, once again starring in the Open Championship when it returned to Turnberry earlier this month.
Even if Stewart survives that battle, he is in the same section of the draw as another wily veteran who knows the terrain intimately. Former Scottish champion Allan Thomson proved he remains a competitive force when he reached the semi-final of this event when it was held at neighbouring Prestwick two years ago.
If all goes according to the plan, Stewart is due for a quarter-final meeting with Ross Kellett who has proved his mettle in match play already this year by reaching the final of the New South Wales Amateur Championship.
That looks a particularly tough quarter of the draw since it also contains Gordon Yates who is another of those Scots in the Walker Cup training squad.
Paul O’Hara, who has won the Edward Trophy and the Sutherland Chalice in establishing a lead in this season’s SGU Order of Merit is yet another who needs a good performance in this event to boost his Walker Cup aspirations. He finds himself in the same quarter as James Byrne, the former Scottish boys stroke-play champion who has also been in excellent form this season, winning both the East of Scotland Open and the Tennant Cup.
Allied Surveyors have been headline sponsors of the championship over the last five years with Glenn Campbell, Kevin McAlpine, John Gallagher and Callum Macaulay emerging as champions at Southerness, Nairn, Prestwick and Carnoustie. With Troon this year attracting such a high calibre field with the handicap ballot set at 0.9, this year’s title will be claimed by yet another worthy winner.
The match-play championship starts on tomorrow, with the quarter and semi finals on Friday and the 36 hole final concluding the event on Saturday 1 August.
Spectators are encouraged to come along and support the future stars of Scottish golf, who hope to join the illustrious list of former winners which includes Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallagher, Dean Robertson and Steven O'Hara.
For a regular news service and live scoring available throughout the event, visit the SGU website at http://www.scottishgolf.org/

European Challenge Tour Scoreboard
SWALEC Wales Challenge
The Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort, Cardiff
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
286 R Davies (Wal) 77 68 70 71, J Morrison (Eng) 73 72 70 71,
287 A Högberg (Swe) 70 77 72 68,
288 G Hutcheon (Sco) 69 76 71 72, S Surry (Eng) 71 71 73 73, M Cort (Eng) 68 75 73 72,
289 J Quesne (Fra) 74 73 72 70,
290 C Gane (Eng) 72 75 71 72, C Moriarty (Irl) 74 74 71 71, R Treis (Ger) 70 73 70 77, J Frazer (Wal) (am) 75 72 70 73,
291 J Campillo (Esp) 72 71 71 77, S Juul (Den) 76 74 70 71,
292 P Kaensche (Nor) 73 77 69 73, T Whitehouse (Eng) 77 70 73 72, J Grillon (Fra) 74 72 73 73, J McLeary (Sco) 73 74 71 74,
293 R Steiner (Aut) 76 72 72 73, P Whiteford (Sco) 72 77 72 72, S Jeppesen (Swe) 75 73 72 73,
294 R Santos (Por) 78 72 69 75, G Houston (Wal) 74 74 73 73, N Colsaerts (Bel) 73 72 75 74, D Küpper (Ger) 75 74 69 76, C Brazillier (Fra) 74 76 70 74, O Farr (am) (Wal) 73 71 77 73,
295 P Del Grosso (Arg) 74 76 70 75, N Meitinger (Ger) 74 77 69 75, S Bebb (Wal) 72 79 69 75,
296 J Doherty (Sco) 74 76 74 72, G Shaw (Nir) 72 75 71 78, A Belt (Eng) 69 79 75 73, M Wiegele (Aut) 76 73 74 73,
297 A Summers (Aus) 77 74 69 77, R McEvoy (Eng) 72 75 76 74,
298 J Granberg (Fin) 75 76 74 73, R Karlberg (Swe) 73 75 75 75, A Bernadet (Fra) 74 72 76 76, T Haylock (Eng) 78 73 70 77, O Floren (Swe) 73 78 70 77, L Saltman (Sco) 79 71 72 76,
299 J Parry (Eng) 68 76 75 80, G Clark (Eng) 75 75 75 74, E Molinari (Ita) 78 72 73 76, A Grenier (Fra) 73 77 74 75, B Evans (Eng) 80 71 74 74, S Thornton (Irl) 78 71 76 74,
300 S Walker (Eng) 73 75 79 73, A Tampion (Aus) 74 76 78 72, D Wardrop (Eng) 78 72 77 73, A Butterfield (Eng) 72 79 75 74, F Colombo (Ita) 76 72 74 78,
301 M Zions (Aus) 74 77 71 79, J Little (Eng) 75 73 77 76, S Robinson (Eng) 72 78 73 78, A McArthur (Sco) 78 70 75 78, J Abbate (Arg) 74 76 78 73, Z Scotland (Eng) 76 75 74 76,
302 C Lee (Sco) 74 76 77 75, D Nouailhac (Fra) 71 78 76 77, R Coles (Eng) 74 76 76 76, L Gagli (Ita) 77 74 77 74, G Murray (Sco) 75 74 74 79,
303 M McGeady (Irl) 74 74 77 78, K Jorgensen (Den) 73 71 80 79,
304 P Golding (Eng) 77 74 77 76,
305 J Lima (Por) 76 75 79 75,
307 T Ferreira (RSA) 75 75 80 77,

Editor's Note: We noted the death last week of John Panton with an obituary which really did not reflect his importance in Scottish and British pro golf in the post-war era.
In today's "Scotland on Sunday" newspaper there is a far more in-depth obituary by Renton Laidlaw. I am sure neither its sports editor nor Renton will mind us reproducing the article for your benefit - Colin Farquharson

John Panton - the Quiet

Man who was one of

golf's true gentlemen

By RENTON LAIDLAW
John Panton, who died last Friday at the age 0f 92, was one of golf's true gentlemen. Modest and unassuming, his quiet personality and unwillingness to seek the limelight belied a fiercely competitive nature.
The long-time professional at Glenbvervie Golf club in Larbert, Panton received the ultimate accolade of being appointed honorary professional in his later years to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
One of his annual duties was to tee up the ball on the first tee of the Old Course for the new captain playing himself in - a job he did for, among others, the Duke of York.
Had it not been for the Second World War, Panton's career might have been in profesisonal soccer. He had trials for Hearts and uring his army service played against many of the stars of the time in challenge matches.
But golf was to be his chosen sport and he teamed up regularly with extrovert Eric Brown to represent Scotland with distinction in the World Cup. Although they never won, the unlikely partnership beteen two players with completly different personalities endured for many years.
Had any golfer been fortunate enough to have the combined talents of the two Scots, he truly would have been a world-beater.
Known as a particularly skilled iron player, one of Panton's greatest triumphs came in the sunshine at Wallasey. Before a huge crowd, John beat the great Sam Snead 3 and 2 over 36 holes to lift the 1967 World Seniors Championship. He also won the British senior professionals' title twice.
Three times a member of the Great Britain & Ireland Ryder Cup team (1951-53-61), Panton was also Scottish professional champion eight times as follows:
1948 at Prestwick.
1949 at Nairn.
1950 at Longniddry.
1951 at Ayr Belleisle.
1954 at Turnberry.
1955 at Elie.
1959 at Turnberry.
1966 at Cruden Bay (tied with Eric Brown, reduced to 36 holes because of bad weather.
He also won the Northern Open seven times:
1948 at Inverness.
1951 at Nairn
1952 at Royal Aberdeen.
1956 at Lossiemouth.
1959 at Peterhead.
1960 at Royal Dornoch.
1962 at Lossiemouth.
In the final round of the 1970 Open championship at St Andrews, Panton, at the age of 53, shot the lowest score of a blustery day and tied for ninth place behind Jack Nicklaus. His cheque for £1,200 from the R&A for that performance was the biggest of his long playing career. He was also the highest placed British player i the 1956 Open.
Panton's career blossomed in the years after World War II, a period when he played with all the great names of the game, including Bobby Locke, Norman Von Nida, Flory Van Donck, Fred Daly, Peter Thomson, Henry Cotton, Kel Nagle and Gary Player.
In his retirement years, because of his reputation and standing in the game, the Sunningdale Club in Berkshire gave John the freedom to come and play at any time, a gesture he much appreciated although it usually meant taking a putter on to the practice green.
Like so many of his contemporaries, Panton travelled many thousands of miles to play in tournaments - before the days of Motorways - but was alway back at the club by the weekend (pro tournaments of those days, including the Open, finished on a Friday for that very purpose).
Wherever he travelled, John always took his cine-camera and he leaves an archive of wonderfully historic shots, many converted to tape by his daughter, Cathy Panton-Lewis, herself a professional golfer of some repute, with whom he lived latterly in the South of England, not too far from the local betting shop. He liked a flutter.
For much of his life - in the days before television, Panton spent many winter evenings visiting golf and other clubs with his films and giving entertaining and educational commentaries. John, the Quiet Man, came alive when the lights went down.
Footnote from the Shell International Encyclopaedia of Golf:
The strengths of Panton's game were his masterly long-iron shots and the touch he acquired and maintained in his approach putting. But his driving was erratic and his holing out uncertain, the two flaws in an otherwise complete armoury of stroke-making, in which his ability to 'manufacture' shots, particularly in very windy conditions, was outstanding.
Perhaps above all Panton had a swing and a method that were made to last, despite the fact that in physique he was never less than portly. Taciturn by nature, Panton let his game speak for him and its qualiities of endurance were underline with his successes in seniors' golf.

Calum Stewart (Brora), centre, with his Silver Medal at the prizegiving ceremony in France (image by courtesy of Scottish Golf Union junior national coach Spencer Henderson).

Calum Stewart wins European Young Masters'

Silver Medal, Grant Forrest finishes fourth

Brora's Calum Stewart has won the Silver Medal for finished second in the boys' championship of the European Young Masters at Golf National, Paris.
Scottish Under-16 boys' champion Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) finished fourth.

Stewart had three birdies and three bogeys in matching the par of 72 in his final round for a one-under-par tally of 215.

He finished two shots behind the long-time leader Jeroen Krietemeijer from the Netherlands.

Stewart faced a 30ft putt for an eagle on the last green. Had he holed it, the Scot would have tied the Dutch teenager's total of 213. But Calum's putt slipped past the edge of the cup - and, unfortunately, he missed the next one as well, finishing a three-putt par for 215. That was the same total as Thomas Detry (Belgium) who lost out on the Silver Medal in a comparison of third-round scores with Calum Stewart.

Grant Forrest birdied the first, second, fourth, 14th and 18th with bogeys only at the fifth and sixth as he returned a 69 for 216, the same total as Welshman Rhys Pugh but the Craigielaw player was officially placed fourth with a better last round.

"It was the best finish by Scottish boys in the European Young Masters for a long time and augurs well for the future," said Spencer Henderson, the Scottish Golf Union national junior coach who has escorted Scotland's representatives to the tournament for a number of years.

Borders women's champion Lesley Atkins (Minto) had a third-round 82 to finish 37th in the girls' championship with a total of 250.

The second Scottish girl in the party, Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie), did not play in the first round of the championship as she felt unwell on the first morning and had to be taken to see a doctor. She was well enough to return an 83 on the second day but apparently did not mark a card in the third round.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP

Par 216 (3x72)

213 Jeroen Krietemeijer (Net) 72 69 72.

215 Calum Stewart (Sco) 72 71 72, Thomas Detry (Bel) 69 73 73.

216 Grant Forrest (Sco) 71 76 69, Rhys Pugh (Wal) 69 74 73.

Selected scores:

218 Seb Crookall Nixon (Eng) 71 74 73 (jt 7th).

220 Dermot McElroy (Ire) 74 72 74 (jt 10th).

224 Toby Tree (Eng) 73 76 75 (16th).

234 Patrick Mullins (Wal) 81 79 74 (jt 28th).

240 Colm O'Sullivan (Ire) 84 82 74 (34th of 50).

GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIP

Par 216 (3x72)

202 Klara Spilkova (Czech Rep) 68 65 69.

216 Camilla Hedberg (Spa) 78 70 60.

224 Anne Hakula (Fin) 77 77 70, Daisy Nielsen (Den) 75 77 72, Noemi Jimenez (Spa) 73 74 77.

Selected scores:

233 Emily Taylor (Eng) 78 82 73, Sophie Godley (Eng) 77 76 80 (jt 13th).

239 Jessica Carty (Ire) 77 85 77 (jt 25th).

248 Paula Grant (Ire) 87 80 81 (jt 35th).

250 Lesley Atkins (Sco) 83 85 82 (jt 37th ).

INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT

(boys and girls' combined scores)

656 Czech Republic. 660 Netherlands. 661 Spain. 668 England. 670 Belgium, Austria. 674 Sweden, Wales. 676 Germany. 678 Denmark. 679 Scotland. 684 France. 694 Ireland. 700 Norway, 711 Iceland. 714 Slovenia. 722 Turkey. 726 Italy. 727 Portugal. 731 Switzerland. 747 Greece. 754 Russia. 755 Poland. 763 Slovakia.

Chris Carson wins Argyll & Bute stroke

play title by five shots at Cowal

Chris Carson of Innellan Golf Club, Dunoon romped to a five-shot victory in the Argyll & Bute men's amateur stroke-play championship held at Cowal Golf Club on Saturday.
Tied with clubmate Steve Ellis after round one when both scored one-under-par 69s, Chris repeated his morning score for a 138 total and win his first area title.
In second place was Rothesay's Graham Bolton, five shots back with a three-over-par total of 143.
In the youths' event it was Millport's Paul Robinson who emerged a six-shot victor over last year's winner Gordon McClean. In third place was current area boys' champion Craig Pirie.
Innellan Golf Club won the team trophy and will represent Argyll & Bute in the Scottish club championship at Prestwick St Nicholas on September 27.
Results
138 Chris Carson (Innellan) 69 69.
143 Graham Bolton (Rothesay) 74 69.
144 Steve Ellis (Innellan) 69 75.
146 Stephen Renfrew (Port Bannatyne) 75 71.
147 G Reynolds (Rothesay) 74 73, Paul Robinson (Millport) 73 74.
YOUTHS
147 Paul Robinson (Millport) 73 74.
153 Gordon McClean (Rothesay) 75 78.
155 C Pirie ((Rothesay) 77 78.

Rising Indian star Bhullar (21) scores

first victory on Asian Tour

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ASIAN TOUR
India ’s Gaganjeet Bhullar proved he was a star in the making when he secured his maiden Asian Tour title with an emphatic two-stroke victory at the Indonesia President Invitational today.
The 21-year-old fired a flawless five-under-par 67 in the final round at Damai Indah Golf – Bumi Serpong Damai course, Jakarta to make up for the heartbreak of finishing runner-up in the event two years ago
His four-day total of 22-under-par 266, which earned him US$63,400, was well clear of Australia ’s Adam Blyth, who shot a 68 for lone second place in the US$400,000 event. Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot finished third on 269 after a 66 while Korea ’s Ted Oh was a further stroke back in fourth place.
“I’ve got no words to describe how happy I am,” said Bhullar, who was pipped by Filipino Juvic Pagunsan’s birdie-eagle finish in 2007. “I’ve been waiting for this for the past two years and I played really well today and I had a very good finish with a good score.”
Bhullar, who dropped only one bogey all week, took a one-shot lead into the last round after the third round was completed this morning. The supremely talented Indian got out from the blocks superbly with four birdies in his opening six holes, and made the turn with a healthy four-shot lead.
Playing in the fifth to last group after organisers maintained the third round pairings due to delays caused by inclement weather, Bhullar nailed his fifth and final birdie on the par five 13th hole before enduring an anxious wait at the clubhouse.
Blyth , playing in the last match, fought gallantly in his attempt for a maiden Asian Tour title but failed to catch the winner, making a two-putt birdie at the last to secure lone second place which was worth US$43,400.
“I was sitting in the clubhouse and I knew what happened to me two years back. Adam played really well but it is a relief now. I’ve won three times on the Indian circuit this year and my goal a few months back was to win on the Asian Tour and this will get me into all the co-sanctioned events now and give me a lot of confidence in my coming years.
“Definitely after this victory, many things are going to change in my life. I’m looking forward to it,” said Bhullar, who received his trophy from Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Blyth , who started the final round one back, paid tribute to the winner. “The better man won today. I gave it all that I could and I am really happy with my performance and everything. He played better,” said Blyth , who now has 14 career top-10s.
“I hit it close and I putted well but they just weren’t dropping. I had a putt on the 16th which just stopped on the lip, so it wasn’t meant to happen .”
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
266 Gaganjeet Bhullar ( IND ) 69-68-62-67
268 Adam Blyth (AUS) 67-66-67-68
269 Thammanoon Srirot (THA) 67-70-66-66
270 Ted Oh (KOR) 68-67-66-69
272 Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 76-64-64-68, Artemio Murakami (PHI) 69-67-68-68
273 Noh Seung-yul (KOR) 72-68-66-67, Darren Beck (AUS) 66-73-69-65, Marcus Both (AUS) 66-70-68-69
274 Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 70-71-65-68, Scott Hend (AUS) 70-69-68-67, Kim Dae-hyun (KOR) 69-67-69-69, Lee Sung (KOR) 67-67-71-69
275 Jason King (AUS) 74-68-65-68, Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 68-68-70-69, Chris Rodgers (ENG) 69-67-70-69, Rick Kulacz (AUS) 72-71-66-66, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 66-66-71-72

Aberdonian Michael Sim within

reach of US Tour promotion

Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim is hoping history repeats itself at this weekend's Cox Classic, where the 24-year old, who emigrated from the Granite City to Perth, Western Australia when he was seven, holds a share of the 54-hole lead in this US Nationwide Tour event.

Sim, pictured, shot a four-under 67 Saturday at Champions Run, Omaha in Nebraska to reach 15-under 198 and give himself a chance to reach the US PGA Tour next week.

Florida State rookie Jonas Blixt, one of three co-leaders after two rounds, carded a 2-under 69 to join Sim at the top of a very crowded leaderboard.
======CLINK ON THESE LINKS

Round 3 leaderboard

Round 4 tee times

Round 2 recap Video: Sim sets up birdie

Video: Blixt starts hot in Rd. 3

=========================
Tom Gillis (67), winner of the Nationwide Tour Players Cup, is at 14-under 199 along with Monday qualifier Brent Delahoussaye (68) and Rich Barcelo (68).
A total of 32 players are within six strokes of the lead on a course that annually ranks among the easiest on the Nationwide Tour. Saturday's scoring average 70.239.
Sim has been head and shoulders above everyone on Nationwide Tour this year. He has won twice and the only question left in 2009 concerns when he will win again, not if. A third win Sunday would result in an instant promotion to the US PGA Tour and possibly into next week's Buick Open, where Tiger Woods is set to tee it up.

Sim and Woods were paired together in the third round of this year's U.S. Open at Bethpage in New York.
Since the Nationwide Tour began the instant promotions in 1997, eight players have earned mid-season call-ups. Three of the eight -- Chris Smith, 1997; Heath Slocum, 2001 and Jason Gore, 2005 -- have earned their third wins in Omaha.
"To be honest I thought about winning when I was walking down the 17th hole on Friday," admitted Sim, the former No 1-ranked amateur in the world. "I didn't hit a good shot there and I put it out of my mind. I didn't think about it all today."
Instead, Sim concentrated on chasing down the leaders after saving par with a 30-foot putt on the opening hole. He was steady the rest of the way and finally grabbed a piece of the lead with an eagle-birdie start on the back nine.
"I hit good shots when I needed to hit good shots. I made the putts I needed to make," said Sim, who hit only 12 greens in regulation but managed to post one of only three bogey-free rounds Saturday.

"The last six holes I had birdie putts but I hit it on the wrong side of the hole. It feels like you have chances when you're close but you have to be tentative when you're above the hole."
Blixt bogeyed the first hole, needed a par-saving putt of 18 feet on the second and then got up-and-down on the third hole before settling down. He rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt at the par-4, 4th hole to turn lemons into lemonade.
"A lot has gone my way this week," said Blixt, who spent the past three weeks at home in Sweden. "I didn't really expect to be in this situation. You always want to be but it doesn't always work that way. I've been good in bouncing back."
Blixt is particularly good at bouncing back after bad tee shots at the 440-yard, 14th hole. For the second consecutive day he hit a poor tee shot into the trees down the right side. It was so close to the trees that he had to turn a wedge around and hit a left-handed shot back towards the fairway.
"I had to, I couldn't even see the ball. I didn't have a swing," said Blixt. "I don't like that drive on 14." His third wound up about seven feet from the hole and he canned another par-saving putt.
Blixt is looking forward to a final pairing with Sim.
"It's absolutely perfect," he said of the pairing. "There are a lot of good players behind me, chasing but the best defense is a good offense. I just have to keep making birdies."
Sim, like everyone else, figures it'll be a shootout, with the winner collecting $130,500.
"I think on Sunday someone will get to 20-under. Twenty should be the target, maybe 21," he said. "It's just the type of golf course where you can make birdies."

US Nationwide Tour Scoreboard
COX CLASSIC
Champions Run, Omaha, Nebraska
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
198 Jonas Blixt (Swe) 64 65 69, Michael Sim (Sco) 66 65 67
199 Rich Barcelo 69 62 68, Brent Delahoussaye 64 67 68, Tom Gillis 65 67 67
200 Matthew Every 62 68 70, Tadd Fujikawa 64 67 69, J J Killeen 63 66 71, Chris Tidland 70 65 65
201 Blake Adams 67 65 69, Bubba Dickerson 67 66 68, Fabian Gomez 66 70 65, Hunter Haas 68 65 68
202 Bob May 67 66 69, Brady Schnell 70 67 65, Byron Smith 70 67 65, Tjaart Van Der Walt 68 67 67, Steve Wheatcroft 67 67 68
203 Camilo Benedetti 67 66 70, Justin Hicks 68 65 70, Garrett Osborn 69 64 70, Brian Smock 64 67 72
204 David Branshaw 66 68 70, Todd Demsey 68 64 72, Jeff Gove 68 67 69, Derek Lamely 68 69 67, Jin Park 64 70 70, Dave Schultz 64 71 69, Geoffrey Sisk 69 63 72, Sal Spallone 68 66 70, Dan Wax 66 70 68
205 Henrik Bjornstad 67 70 68, D.J. Brigman 69 64 72, Andrew Buckle 68 66 71, Gavin Coles 69 68 68, Keoke Cotner 67 68 70, Stuart Deane 69 68 68, Billy Horschel 67 66 72, Doug Labelle 70 67 68, Garrett Willis 68 66 71
206 Scott Gardiner 68 66 72, Skip Kendall 66 69 71, Jon Mills 69 66 71, Garth Mulroy 61 71 74, Kyle Reifers 65 68 73, B.J. Staten 68 67 71, Chris Thompson 69 65 72
207 Ryan Blaum 71 65 71, Justin Bolli 65 71 71, Chad Collins 66 69 72, Marco Dawson 71 65 71, Steve Friesen 66 67 74, Chad Ginn 66 71 70, Mike Lavery 71 66 70, David McKenzie 67 70 70, Chris Nallen 67 66 74, Brenden Pappas 70 63 74, Jon Petersen 69 68 70, Martin Piller 70 66 71
209 Jim Carter 71 66 72, Jason Enloe 68 69 72, Jeff Gallagher 69 67 73, Steve LeBrun 66 68 75, John Riegger 66 67 76
210 Adam Bland 69 68 73, Zack Miller 66 68 76
211 Jeff Curl 67 70 74