James Byrne leads

Leven Gold Medal

by two strokes

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Banchory's James Byrne is on the trail of his third SGU 72-hole Order of Merit tournament victory before he returns to Arizona State University.

Byrne, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, runaway winner of the four-round Tennant Cup and the East of Scotland Open, leads the Standard Life Leven Amateur Gold Medal by two shots at the halfway stage of the event, the oldest amateur stroke-play tournament in the world, organised by Leven Golfing Socity.

Byrne was trailing first-round leader and Walker Cup reserve Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) by one shot at the end of the first round but leapfrogged into the lead with a second-round 66 for a 36-hole tally of eight-under-par 134.

Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) shot a Saturday best with a second-round 65 - a six-shot improvement on the day - to be sharing second place with former Scottish amateur champion Glenn Campbell (Blairgowie) who has had a pair of 68s for 136.

Campbell has a definite liking for the Leven Links - he won the season-opening Scottish champion of champions event over the same course in April.

Peterhead's Philip McLean, another horses-for-courses competitor, is occupying fourth place on his own with scores of 68 and 68 for 137.

O'Hara, beaten at the 38th in the Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur championship at Royal Troon seven days earlier, slipped down from the pole position after Round 1 with a 67 to fifth place with a par-71 for 138.

Defending champion Keir McNicoll, beaten semi-finalist in the "Scottish," will need to produce a very low Sunday 36-hole aggregate - of which he is well capable - to climb up from eight shots behind Byrne overnight.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Par 142 (2x71) CSS 72 72.
*44 players with totals of 148 or better qualified for Sunday’s third and fourth rounds.
134 James Byrne (Banchory) 68 66.
136 Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) 71 65, Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 68 68.
137 Philip McLean (Peterhead) 69 68.
138 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) 67 71.
139 Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 71 68, Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) 71 68, Paul Ferrier (Baberton) 68 71.
140 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 72 68, Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 69 71.
141 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 70 71, Martin Brown (Monifieth) 69 72.
142 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 73 69, Brian Soutar (Leven GS) 73 69, Paul Betty (Hayston) 72 70, Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 70 72, Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 69 73.
144 Richard Graham (Hayston) 74 70, Grant McNab (Leven Thistle) 74 70, Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 73 71, James White (Lundin) 72 72, Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) 72 72.
145 Nick Barr (Craigie Hill) 75 70, Brian Erskine (Ladybank) 74 71, Myles Cunningham (Craigielaw) 74 71, Graham Robertson (Glenbervie) 73 72, Ed Rankine (Leven Thistle) 73 72, Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) 73 72, Alex Main (Thornton) 71 74, Barry McDermott (Leven GS) 70 75.
146 Greg Nicholson (Mortonhall) 77 69, James Ross (Royal Burgess) 75 71, Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 75 71, Lewis Kirton (Newmachar) 74 72.
147 Chris Harkins (Ayr Belleisle) 73 74, Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) 73 74, Ed Wood (Crow Wood) 69 78.
148 Darren Gould (Ladybank) 75 73, Gary Tough (Letham Grange) 75 73, Kristofer Harper (Carnoustie) 75 73, Neil Henderson (Glen) 74 74, Bobby Rushford (Grangemouth) 72 76, Jimmy White (Leven Thistle), Aaron Sweeney (Carnoustie) 71 77.
MISSED THE CUT
149 Liam McGowan (St Andrews New) 76 73.
150 Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 76 74, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 73 77.
151Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 75 76, Gary Page (Balbirnie Park) 72 79.
152 Ross Bell (Downfield) 80 72, Andrew Wallace (Glenbervie) 77 75, John Miller (Gullane) 75 77, Sam Matton (Bowood) 75 77.
154 Jamie Mackay (Kilmarnock Barassie) 78 76, Mark Bookless (Sandyhills) 76 78.
155 Andrew Abercrombie (US) 82 73, Keith Shanks (US) 80 75, Stewart Smith (Downfield) 77 78, Michael Main (Thornton) 73 82, John Duff (Newmachar) 72 83.
156 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 83 73, John Shanks (Irvine Bogside) 81. 75, Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 79 77.
157 Aaron Howard (Murrayshall) 80 77.
159 George Finlay (Ballumbie Castle) 79 80.
160 Steven McEwan (Caprington) 82 78, Stephen Simants (Dunbar) 80 82.

163 James Hendrick (Pollok) 83 80, Daniel Lawrence (Ballumbie Castle) 78 85.

Retired James Bunch (Prestwick) 71 -.

Disqualified Derek Downey (Sutton), Steven Rennie (Drumpellier).

Boyd and Brand Jnr do battle in Bad Ragaz

From Paul Symes, European Senior Tour Press Officer
Scotland’s Gordon Brand Jnr will bid to overturn a three-stroke deficit and so deny American Bob Boyd an emotional victory on the final day of the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open.
A round of 65 moved Boyd – who underwent a successful bone marrow transplant in June 2006 after being diagnosed with leukemia – to ten under par, with Brand Jnr on seven under courtesy of a round of 68.
The American, who captured the 2005 Castellón Costa Azahar Open de España Senior, is yet to record a victory on the Senior Tour since recovering from the life-threatening illness. But he may never have a better chance after carding seven birdies in a sumptuous display of strokeplay on another sun-soaked day at Golf Club Bad Ragaz in Switzerland.
Boyd said: “I’m playing very well, and physically I’m feeling better than ever. Obviously there might still be a few mental hurdles to overcome, but hopefully I can clear them tomorrow. It would obviously be a very emotional day if I did manage to win. It would mean the world to me – and not just to me and my family, but also to the doctors and nurses who nursed me back to health.
“I could easily have lost my battle, so I’m just so grateful I’ve been given a second chance, and hopefully I can make the most of it. I came so close to getting the win when I lost to Ian Woosnam in a play-off in Ireland earlier in the year, but hopefully I can go one better tomorrow.”
Brand Jnr, who was joined on seven under par by overnight leader Mike Harwood of Australia, American Doug Johnson and Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori, admitted he had not played as fluently as on the opening day. But the Scot was still confident of capturing his maiden Senior Tour title in his first full season on the Tour.
The eight-time European Tour champion said: “I just didn’t quite get it going today for some reason – I didn’t hit it as close as I would’ve liked, and even when I did more often than not I didn’t sink the putts. So it was slightly disappointing, but that’s just the way it goes in golf sometimes. Tomorrow’s another day.
“There are birdie opportunities out there, so a three-shot lead can disappear fairly quickly. If Bob does drop shots, I’ve just got to make sure I’m in a position to take advantage. I won’t be deliberately setting out to attack or anything like that. I’ll just play my normal game, stay patient, and hope it’s good enough to get the win. If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, hopefully it’ll happen soon.”
Harwood was unable to match the fireworks of the opening day and had to be content with a round of 69, whilst Johnson and Tomori climbed into contention with rounds of 67 and 66 respectively.
Scotland’s Sam Torrance posted the joint lowest round of the day with a flawless 63 which moved the former Ryder Cup Captain into a share of ninth place on five under par.
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
130 B Boyd (USA) 65 65,
133 D Johnson (USA) 66 67, M Harwood (Aus) 64 69, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 65 68, K Tomori (Jpn) 67 66,
134 J Bland (RSA) 65 69, B Smit (RSA) 67 67, M Clayton (Aus) 66 68,
135 J Hall (Eng) 68 67, S Torrance (Sco) 72 63, E Rodriguez (Esp) 72 63, B Longmuir (Sco) 70 65, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 66, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 69 66,
36 J Quiros (Esp) 70 66, T Johnstone (Zim) 70 66, H Carbonetti (Arg) 66 70, L Carbonetti (Arg) 68 68, B Lincoln (RSA) 68 68, G Ryall (Eng) 67 69,
137 C Rocca (Ita) 69 68, E Darcy (Irl) 67 70, D Good (Aus) 67 70, D Creamer (Eng) 67 70, D Russell (Eng) 69 68,
138 A Fernandez (Chi) 70 68, C Mason (Eng) 67 71, T Giedeon (Ger) 68 70, N Job (Eng) 67 71, R Chapman (Eng) 68 70, G Towne (USA) 72 66,
139 T Gale (Aus) 71 68, G Cali (Ita) 71 68, S Owen (Nzl) 68 71, G Brand (Eng) 68 71, M Piñero (Esp) 67 72, J Rhodes (Eng) 72 67, J Chillas (Sco) 69 70, C Williams (RSA) 72 67,
140 S Bennett (Eng) 72 68, D Cambridge (Jam) 73 67, K Spurgeon (Eng) 72 68, P Mitchell (Eng) 73 67, J Rivero (Esp) 72 68, A Murray (Eng) 70 70, J Bruner (USA) 69 71, D Hospital (Esp) 69 71, D Durnian (Eng) 77 63, B Cameron (Eng) 67 73,
141 P Oakley (USA) 71 70, M Farry (Fra) 72 69, M Cunning (USA) 75 66,
142 P Allan (Eng) 73 69, J Hoskison (Eng) 72 70, G Marsh (Aus) 73 69, G Encina (Chi) 69 73, P Fowler (Aus) 72 70,
143 B Charles (Nzl) 71 72, G Watine (Fra) 74 69, T Price (Wal) 72 71, T Allen (Eng) 75 68, M Williams (Zim) 70 73, P Teravainen (USA) 67 76,
144 G Ralph (Eng) 74 70, S Ginn (Aus) 70 74, P Brostedt (Swe) 74 70,
145 E Polland (Nir) 75 70, A Garrido (Esp) 75 70, D Merriman (Aus) 73 72,
147 M Miller (Sco) 75 72, I Mosey (Eng) 77 70,
148 H Schumacher (Sui) 79 69,
149 M Bembridge (Eng) 78 71,
150 J Heggarty (Nir) 71 79,

James MacBeath breaks Jim Miller's six-win

record in Brora Tournament.

By ROBIN WILSON
Local member James MacBeath became the “ most times” winner of the Clynelish Salver at Brora on Friday beating local hero Jim Miller's previous six wins over a twenty year span from inauguration year in 1972, when the Skibo greenkeeper beat the 1985 winner, Dougal Chalmers (Panmure) at the first extra hole with a birdie three and extend his Salver triumphs to seven.
MacBeath took no form into the event but in the qualifying rounds showed that it is a competition that always brings the best out of him, rounds of 71 and 69 for second seed and only losing the leading qualifier's silver medal prize on a better second round to club mate and defending champion Roddy Cameron 72, 68.
MacBeath (42) won a hard fought semi final battle on the last green over twice previous winner Ronald Sutherland (Helmsdale) and brought into the final a ten year age advantage over Chalmers (52), who had caddying for him his sixteen year old daughter Jemma, not even a twinkle in her father's eye when he won the tournament in 1985 beating Golspie's Alistair MacDougall in the final.
After five holes it looked as if the 52 year old was in for a roasting, four down from losing four of the first five holes before a reviving winning par at the 6th hole inspired a birdie at the next to get back into the game.
MacBeath got back to three ahead after eleven before Chalmers had his third winning hole at the 12th but the tie changed into a classic match play thriller over the remaining six holes. The local member holed a saving 8 foot putt for half on the 13th to stay two ahead but could only watch bewildered as his opponent rolled in two massive off the green putts for birdies at the next two holes.
With the final two holes halved in bogey figures, Chalmers bunkered at seventeenth and MacBeath's ball in a scrape from the drive, they both missed the 18th green and it was on to the 19th . It took a birdie to separate them and it came from MacBeath to end one of the most gripping finals in several years.
Inchmarlo teenager Scott Fraser (handicap of seven ) gave Brora Committee Green's Convenor, Mike Mackintosh (3), a lesson on how to putt on the Brora greens to win the Class 1 handicap section, McRobert Thistle Cup. Time and time again Scott (17) found the bottom of the cup to extend the tie to the 19th hole where he matched Mackintosh's birdie putt then at the second extra hole where the local shaved the hole for the umpteenth time the youngster holed out again for birdie three and a holiday success story.
A second local member, Alister Dunn, involved in the Class 2 handicap final for the Clynelish Shield also had to give way to a visitor, lefty Kevin MacLeod (Torvean/Inverness) who won by two holes. The third handicap final for the Auchroist Cup brought together two school chums from Portabella High School, Edinburgh, Jamie Malcolm and Scott Tulloch, both aged 16 and just two weeks difference in age. Tulloch a previous winner of this cup had to give way this year to his chum who beat him 5&4.

+Robin Wilson's picture at the top of the article shows James MacBeath (left) and Kevin McLeod (right) in the back row, and James Malcolm (left) and Scott Fraser (right) in the front.

Paul O'Hara sets pace with a 67 in Leven

Gold Medal first round

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Seven days after being beaten favourite in the final of the Allied Surveyors' Scottish amateur championship final at Royal Troon, Paul O'Hara was back in form and setting the pace in the Standard Life Leven Gold Medal 72 hole SGU Order of Merit tournament in Fife.
Colville Park's O'Hara, 22, named as a Walker Cup reserve, shot a four-under-par 67 to lead by one shot from James Byrne (Banchory), like O'Hara, winner of two Order of Merit tournaments this summer, former Scottish champion Glenn Campbell (Blairgownie), who always plays well at Leven, and past Scottish boys' match-play champion Paul Ferfrier (Baberton) who will soon be returning to his US college.
Defending champion Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) had a satisfactory start with a 70 to be joint 10th.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORESPar 71. CSS 72
67 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park).
68 James Byrne (Banchory), Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie), Paul Ferrier (Baberton).
69 Peter Latimer (St Andrews), Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn)(, Martin Brown (Monifieth), Ed Wood (Crow Wood), Philip McLean (Peterhead)/.
70 Ross Kellett (Colville Park), Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), Barry McDermott (Leven GS).
71 James Bunch (St Andrews), Alex Main (Thornton), Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh), Aaron Sweeney (Carnoustie), Mark Hillson (Craigielaw), Jimmy White (Leven GS), Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs).
72 John Duff (Newmachar), Bobby Rushford (Grangemouth), Gary Page (Crow Wood), Kevin McAlpine (Alyth), James White (Lundin), Paul Betty (Hayston), Greg Paterson (St Andrews New).
73 Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh), Brian Soutar (Leven GS), Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe), Alex Culberwell (Dunbar), Chris Harkins (Ayr Belleise), Michael Main (Thornton), Graham Robertson (Stirling), Gordon Yates (HIlton Park), Ed Rankine.
74 Grant McNab, Neil Henderson (Glen), Lewis Kirton (Newmachar), Myles Cunningham, Richard Graham, Brian Erskine (Ladybank),.
75 Nick Barr, Scott Borrowman (Dollar), James Ross (Royal Burgess), Scott Crichton (Aberdour), Gary Tough (Letham Grange), Kris Harper (Carnoustie).
76 Darren Gould (Ladyb ank), Graeme Robertson (Stirling), Mark Bookless (Sandyhills), Liam McGRowan.
77 Stewart Smith (Downfield), Andrew Wallace, Greg Nicholson.
78 Jamie Mackay, Daniel Lawrence.
79 Colin Thomson, George Findlay (Ballumbie Castle).
80 Keith Shanks, Ross Bell (Downfield), Stephen Simants, Aaron Howard.
81 John Shanks.
82 Steven McEwan (Caprington), Andrew Abercrombie (US).
83 James Hendrick (Pollok).
84 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie).

.

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT, SCORES

McEvoy’s friends ready to receive dividend
By GORDON SIMPSONS
European Touor's Director of Communications
England’s Richard McEvoy, who sold shares in himself to five friends and associates to finance his Challenge Tour schedule, aims to pay his shareholders back with interest tomorrow in the final round of the SK Golf Challenge in Finland.
The 30 year old former Walker Cup player from Shoeburyness in Essex, who has won and lost his European Tour card three times, will pay the lucky quintet a handsome dividend if he captures the €28,000 first prize at Linna Golf.
McEvoy shot a third round 67 to finish on 208, eight under par, just two shots off the 54-hole lead held by former Amateur Champion Julien Guerrier of France and precocious Danish teenager, Jacob Olesen.
He said: “It’s an expensive business playing on the Challenge Tour, so last year I came to an agreement with the guys, who all live close to me, that in return for financing my schedule I would pay them back 50% of my official earnings.
“One if my best friend and the others are local businessmen and I am grateful to them because it took a huge financial pressure off me last season and again this year.”
McEvoy is currently sixth on the Challenge Tour Rankings and virtually assured of his European Tour card for 2010 but he said: “I am really fed up of getting my card and losing it again. It’s time I consolidated my position on the main Tour, but I would love to top the Challenge Tour Rankings first.
“I won the Qualifying School in 2003 but I would also be very proud to have the Number One Ranking on the Challenge Tour on my CV. Today was the best I’ve played all year – no missed greens and not a birdie putt outside 20 feet. Hopefully I can do the same in the final round.
McEvoy will play with local favourite Roope Kakko in the penultimate pairing, just ahead of the joint leaders Olesen and Guerrier, who shot round of 66 and 67 respectively for ten under par totals of 206.
Olesen, just 19, has been playing in the Nordic League until recently, before finishing tied fourth in the SAS Masters on The European Tour a fortnight ago. Now, after rounds of 67-73-66 he has the chance to win his first Challenge Tour title and follow in the illustrious footsteps of some great Danes.
He commented: “I always looked up to Thomas Björn and I have practised with Søren Hansen, who is a great guy. All these players, like Thomas, Søren, Anders Hansen and Søren Kjeldsen have done amazingly well on The European Tour and I would love to emulate them one day.
“I thought my final round of 68 at Barsebäck recently was special, but this 66 came very close to it. Now I am in the final group and I love to be in this position. It’s what I’ve been training for – to make it into the front room!”
Guerrier, who carded a third round 67 to join Olesen in the final pairing, already has vast experience of playing on the big stage, having competed in The Open in 2006 and the Masters Tournament in 2007 after winning the Amateur Championship.

The 24 year old from just north of Bordeaux was pleased with his solid performance at Linna Golf, which contained no mistakes. He admitted: “You can take a lot of bogeys very quickly here if you are not careful and I got my strategy right. The greens are so fast that I would rather have a five metre uphill putt than a two metres downhill one.”

England’s Robert Coles is bang in contention to win his third Challenge Tour event of the season, an automatic promotion to The European Tour, after a “pretty soplid” third round 68 to share fourth place alongside McEvoy and France’s Julien Quesne. However Scotland’s Jamie McLeary, a winner on home turf last week, is seven shots off the pace after a third round 74.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
206 J Guerrier (Fra) 71 68 67, J Olesen (Den) 67 73 66,
207 R Kakko (Fin) 71 69 67,
208 R McEvoy (Eng) 71 71 66, R Coles (Eng) 71 69 68, J Quesne (Fra) 73 68 67,
209 O Floren (Swe) 69 74 66,
210 J Lima (Por) 70 68 72, M Tullo (Chi) 71 72 67,
211 A Ahokas (Fin) 66 74 71, N Colsaerts (Bel) 70 71 70, G Boyd (Eng) 70 71 70, S Surry (Eng) 69 73 69, R Davies (Wal) 66 76 69, T Dykes (Wal) 70 71 70,
212 G Molteni (Ita) 73 71 68, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 71 70, M Ilonen (Fin) 69 73 70, A Rocha (Bra) 72 70 70, A McArthur (Sco) 70 75 67,
213 J McLeary (Sco) 68 71 74, N Lemke (Swe) 70 75 68, G Murray (Sco) 70 74 69, M Higley (Eng) 72 72 69, R Treis (Ger) 74 72 67, J Granberg (Fin) 72 72 69, G Houston (Wal) 70 73 70, J Morrison (Eng) 72 70 71,
214 B Evans (Eng) 70 72 72, P Gustafsson (Swe) 74 70 70, S Jamieson (Sco) 72 74 68, R Steiner (Aut) 72 67 75, R Karlberg (Swe) 73 69 72, J Sandelin (Swe) 71 73 70, A Tampion (Aus) 72 72 70, M Zions (Aus) 72 69 73, F Praegant (Aut) 71 69 74, C Gane (Eng) 70 70 74,
215 D Nouailhac (Fra) 72 74 69, Å Nilsson (Swe) 72 70 73, L Gagli (Ita) 74 72 69, J Clément (Sui) 69 72 74, J Arruti (Esp) 71 71 73, J Kaske (am) (Fin) 71 74 70,
216 A Marshall (Eng) 72 74 70, R Russell (Sco) 71 72 73, M Wiegele (Aut) 73 70 73, I Pyman (Eng) 70 74 72, L Saltman (Sco) 73 68 75,
217 C Moriarty (Irl) 73 69 75, E Molinari (Ita) 72 73 72, A Willey (Eng) 76 70 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 73 73 71, D Hewan (RSA) 76 70 71, A Perrino (Ita) 73 73 71, R Santos (Por) 70 73 74, R Saxton (Ned) 75 71 71, P Erofejeff (Fin) 72 71 74,
218 Z Scotland (Eng) 70 76 72, C Carranza (Arg) 71 74 73, J Larsen (Nor) 71 72 75,
219 J Grillon (Fra) 74 72 73, B Pettersson (Swe) 77 69 73,
220 P Bocian (Swe) 75 71 74,
221 T Whitehouse (Eng) 73 73 75,
222 E Ramsay (Sco) 72 73 77,
223 P Baker (Eng) 72 74 77,
224 J Abbate (Arg) 71 74 79,
228 M Haastrup (Den) 74 72 82,
** J Moul (Eng) 73 72 DISQ,
MISSED THE CUT
147 C Brazillier (Fra) 77 70 0, K Edberg (Swe) 73 74 0, I Giner (Esp) 72 75 0, A Högberg (Swe) 74 73 0, M Delpodio (Ita) 77 70 0, M McGeady (Irl) 73 74 0, A Zanini (Ita) 69 78 0, F Colombo (Ita) 73 74 0, B Mason (Eng) 71 76 0, S Manley (Wal) 72 75 0, B Wiesberger (Aut) 76 71 0, A Bernadet (Fra) 72 75 0, A Sjöstrand (Swe) 74 73 0, D Denison (Eng) 75 72 0, M Ervasti (Fin) 74 73 0, V Riu (Fra) 73 74 0, P Barth (Swe) 79 68 0,
148 M Larsson (Swe) 76 72 0, C Günther (Ger) 73 75 0, S Robinson (Eng) 75 73 0, R De Sousa (Sui) 74 74 0, L Matthews (Wal) 72 76 0, J Bjerhag (Swe) 74 74 0, L Kennedy (Eng) 74 74 0, F Calmels (Fra) 73 75 0,
149 C Smith (Wal) 76 73 0, N Smith (USA) 75 74 0, T Cruz (Por) 75 74 0, M Reale (Ita) 73 76 0, A Wagner (Arg) 76 73 0, C Suneson (Esp) 74 75 0, N Meitinger (Ger) 73 76 0, D Griffiths (Eng) 76 73 0, J Parry (Eng) 73 76 0,
150 L Johansson (Swe) 75 75 0, J Ruebotham (Eng) 73 77 0, S Garcia-Grout (Esp) 77 73 0, P Golding (Eng) 74 76 0, A Bossert (Sui) 73 77 0, A Butterfield (Eng) 78 72 0, L Bond (Wal) 74 76 0, P Purhonen (Fin) 74 76 0, G Adell (Swe) 72 78 0, T Hakula (am) (Fin) 77 73 0, T Pulkkanen (am) (Fin) 76 74 0,
151 N Vanhootegem (Bel) 75 76 0, B Miarka (Ger) 75 76 0, K Jorgensen (Den) 75 76 0, A Bruschi (Ita) 76 75 0, K Samooja (am) (Fin) 76 75 0,
152 G Paddison (Nzl) 77 75 0, J Wahlqvist (Swe) 75 77 0, J Ruth (Eng) 77 75 0, T Tuovinen (Fin) 76 76 0,
153 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 75 78 0, A Hansen (Den) 76 77 0, J Sjöholm (Swe) 76 77 0, K Hallgren (Swe) 74 79 0,
154 J Mommo (Fin) 75 79 0, P Relecom (Bel) 74 80 0, D Küpper (Ger) 78 76 0, O Suhr (Den) 76 78 0, C Rodiles (Esp) 75 79 0, R Swane (Ned) 78 76 0, F Svanberg (Sui) 76 78 0,
155 K Sullivan (Wal) 77 78 0, M Kramer (Ger) 82 73 0,
156 T Laitto (Fin) 80 76 0, C Russo (Fra) 81 75 0, S Reale (Ita) 80 76 0, L James (Eng) 78 78 0, I Garcia Avis (Esp) 76 80 0,
157 J Thureson (Swe) 80 77 0,
158 T Sundström (Fin) 75 83 0, M Veijalainen (am) (Fin) 78 80 0,
159 T Karjalainen (Fin) 76 83 0, S Jeppesen (Swe) 75 84 0,
160 D Sugrue (Irl) 79 81 0, A Murtovaara (am) (Fin) 84 76 0,
161 B Clayton (Eng) 83 78 0,
162 J Person (Pol) 80 82 0,
164 M Pilkington (Wal) 80 84 0,
165 T Pollari (Fin) 80 85 0,
167 M Stelmasiak (Pol) 86 81 0,
** L Brovold (Nor) 77 W/D 0, S Grant (Irl) 82 RETD 0,

McArthur recovers to stay in contention in Finland

FROM GORDON SIMPSON OF THE EUROPEAN TOUR
Scotland’s Andrew McArthur overcame the discomfort of a stomach upset to charge home in 32 at Linna Golf today to force his way into contention for a debut victory on the European Challenge Tour.
The 30 year old from Glasgow carded a five under par 67 to sit six shots behind joint leaders Jacob Olesen of Denmark and Frenchman Julien Guerrier going into the final round in Finland.
And he knows that a victory in the SK Golf Challenge - and the €28,000 first prize - would catapult him into tings and tantalisingly close to earning his European Tour card.
McArthur, four under par for the tournament, admitted: “It wasn’t the most pleasant of starts to my day but I gradually began to feel better and managed to birdie three holes in a row from the tenth. It was a very encouraging way to finish the round and I will be looking for something similar tomorrow.”
Currently 30th on the Challenge Tour Rankings, victory would carry McArthur close to the top ten, while fellow Scot Peter Whiteford could improve even further than his 13th position after shooting a third round of 70 to match McArthur’s total of 209.
George Murray fired a 71 for 213 alongside last week’s Scottish Hydro Challenge Jamie McLeary, who slipped back with a 74 today. Scott Jamieson shot a fine 68 for 214 going into the final day .

Full scores to follow

Brand junior poised to pounce in

Switzerland Seniors Open

From Senior Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Scotland’s Gordon Brand Jnr is ideally placed to launch a bid for his first Senior Tour title after a round of 65 saw him finish the first day of the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open one shot off the pace.
Brand Jnr, seven times a winner on The European Tour, took advantage of perfect playing conditions at Golf Club Bad Ragaz near Zurich, Switzerland, to post six birdies – one more than the leader, Mike Harwood of Australia.
Harwood, who by his own admission has struggled at times in his maiden Senior Tour season, carded five birdies and an eagle two at the seventh hole to close on six under par.
His playing partner Brand Jnr has enjoyed a more consistent campaign – he currently lies in 25th place in The Order of Merit – but is still in search of a first victory in his second season on the Senior Tour, with runner-up his best finish in The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship last year.
Brand Jnr said: “I was pretty pleased with how I played today – my all-round game was very good. I just hit one bad tee shot on the 16th, when I couldn’t decide which club to hit and got punished with a bogey. But other than that my game was pretty solid, as it has been all year.
“It’s my first visit here, and it’s a lovely place so I’ll definitely be coming back. To be fair, I haven’t been anywhere in Switzerland which isn’t nice, but this place is particularly beautiful. Conditions were perfect for scoring, and I’m just glad I was able to take advantage of them. There’s still a couple of days to go, but I’m feeling good.”
The same applies to Harwood, who made it a day to remember for his native Australia after Ricky Ponting’s men tore through the England batsmen in the Ashes test match at Headingley.
Harwood has not registered a top ten finish since his third place in the DGM Barbados Open on his second Senior Tour appearance in March, but he is now starting to reap the rewards of some recent tinkering with his swing.
He said: “I just somehow managed to hit it straight today – which hasn’t happened for a while! I got off to a great start to the season with a third in Barbados, but there hasn’t been too much to write home about since then. I made a few changes to my swing – I haven’t got a coach, so I had to figure out myself where I’ve been going wrong. Today was definitely an improvement – my approach play was particularly strong – and hopefully I can keep it up for the next couple of days.”
Brand Jnr was joined on five under par by two other B ‘boys’, America’s Bob Boyd and South Africa’s John Bland. Bland closed with three birdies in his round of 65, whilst Boyd went out in just 31 in his flawless round.
His compatriot Doug Johnson also kept the bogeys off the card in his round of 66 to move to four under par, alongside Argentine Horacio Carbonetti and Australian Mike Clayton.
The event also marked a milestone for two of the Senior Tour’s elder statesmen, as England’s Maurice Bembridge drew level with his compatriot Tommy Horton on 242 appearances, whilst Northern Ireland’s Eddie Polland brought up his double century.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 71
64 M Harwood (Aus) ,
65 B Boyd (USA) , J Bland (RSA) , G Brand jun (Sco) ,
66 H Carbonetti (Arg) , M Clayton (Aus) , D Johnson (USA) ,
67 N Job (Eng) , C Mason (Eng) , B Smit (RSA) , M Piñero (Esp) , B Cameron (Eng) , K Tomori (Jpn) , E Darcy (Irl) , D Creamer (Eng) , P Teravainen (USA) , G Ryall (Eng) , D Good (Aus) ,
68 B Lincoln (RSA) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , S Owen (Nzl) , R Chapman (Eng) , J Hall (Eng) , G Brand (Eng) , T Giedeon (Ger) ,
69 D Hospital (Esp) , C Rocca (Ita) , G Encina (Chi) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , J Chillas (Sco) , J Bruner (USA) , D Russell (Eng) ,
70 B Longmuir (Sco) , M Williams (Zim) , S Ginn (Aus) , J Quiros (Esp) , A Murray (Eng) , T Johnstone (Zim) , A Fernandez (Chi) ,
71 T Gale (Aus) , J Heggarty (Nir) , P Oakley (USA) , G Cali (Ita) , B Charles (Nzl) ,
72 J Rhodes (Eng) , T Price (Wal) , S Torrance (Sco) , J Hoskison (Eng) , C Williams (RSA) , S Bennett (Eng) , G Towne (USA) , M Farry (Fra) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , J Rivero (Esp) , E Rodriguez (Esp) , P Fowler (Aus) ,
73 P Allan (Eng) , D Cambridge (Jam) , D Merriman (Aus) , P Mitchell (Eng) , G Marsh (Aus) ,
74 G Ralph (Eng) , P Brostedt (Swe) , G Watine (Fra) ,
75 A Garrido (Esp) , T Allen (Eng) , M Cunning (USA) , M Miller (Sco) , E Polland (Nir) ,
77 I Mosey (Eng) , D Durnian (Eng) ,
78 M Bembridge (Eng) ,
79 H Schumacher (Sui)

Jimmy Gunn finishes third - his best yet on the Gateway Tour in Arizona Dornoch exile Jimmy Gunn has flown home from Arizona for a short holiday after achieving his highest finish on the Gateway Tour. Competing over the Raptor course at Grayhawk Golf Club in the circuit's latest Desert Series event, Gunn shot rounds of 66, 70 and 67 for a 13-under-par total which earned him $5,500 for third place behind two Americans, Brian Prouty, who collected the $9,000 first prize with an 18-under-par total of 198, and runner-up Brian Kontak who finished a shot ahead of Gunn to pip him for the $6,500 second place cheque. Gunn had an eagle 2 at the 15th hole in his closing round which also featured birdies at the first, fourth, sixth, seventh, 11th and 12th. He had bogeys at the second, fifth and 13th. Jimmy has won $30,277 from 23 tournaments this season, having made the cut in 14 of them and achieved five top-10 finishes in what is a very competitive satellite circuit. A player has to finish well under par in every tournament if he is to make money. Gunn's sponsores, Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d'Alene Resort are pleased with the Scot's performances and are going to pay his expenses as he bids to win a player's card for the US PGA Tour. Its qualifying school process starts in October. GATEWAY TOUR DESERT SERIES Grayhawk GC, Raptor Course LEADING FINAL TOTALS Par 216 (3x72) 198 Brian Prouty (US) 65 68 65 ($9,000). 202 Brian Kontak (US) 66 70 67 ($6,500). 203 Jimmy Gunn (Sco) 66 70 67 ($5,500).

KULACZ IS THE MASTER IN SELANGOR

WITH STUNNING 63

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, August 8: Australian Rick Kulacz claimed his second Asian Tour title at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters today, thanks to a sensational course record equaling eight-under-par 63 in the final round.
The 24-year-old Kulacz, who started the final day six strokes off the lead, fired eight birdies in a flawless round for an 11-under-par 273 total at Seri Selangor Golf Club to pip overnight leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand by a single stroke.
Kiradech, 20, shot 17 pars and one birdie for a closing 70 to settle for second place in the RM1 million (US$300,000) Asian Tour event.
Mark Purser of New Zealand finished third on 276 following a fine 67 while South Africa ’s James Kamte ended the tournament with a 69 for fourth place on 277. Noh Seung-yul of Korea , Japanese Kodai Ichihara and India ’s Gaurav Ghei shared fifth on 278.
“To get a win from out of no-where is really enjoyable because the year has been pretty average. I’ll probably enjoy this one a little bit more than the last,” said Kulacz, who won the Brunei Open in 2008.
The Australian brilliantly turned in 30 with six birdies to catch Aphibarnrat and pulled ahead into a two-stroke advantage with two more birdies before arriving at the tough par four 18th hole where his birdie putt lipped out from six feet. It made him endure an anxious wait as Kiradech narrowed the gap to one with a birdie on the 17th hole.
The burly Thai, whose grip-it-and-rip-it style attracted plenty of followers this week, hammered a massive drive down the last hole and while his nine iron approach was straight on line with the pin, it agonizingly ended 30-feet short of the flag and he subsequently missed the birdie chance to force a play-off.
Kulacz’s return to the winner’s circle was a relief as he had missed eight cuts during the front half of the year which prompted him to work with a new coach. “I was holing every putt I saw today and I will take this score any time,” said Kulacz.
“I finally found a bit of form the last two weeks. I have been more positive with things and working with my new coach is refreshing. We had a game plan for the year and now that I have got a win it will make the rest of the year easier,” said Kulacz.
It was a heartbreaking result for Kiradech, who led after the second and third rounds in his attempt for a maiden Asian Tour title. He was disappointed to not take advantage of the par fives with his enormous length from off the tee.
The big Thai also conceded that the pressure got to him. “Rick deserves to win because he shot a great score. This was my first time leading on the Asian Tour and I felt a bit of pressure. I didn’t putt really well the whole day and didn’t take advantage of the par fives which not good.
“On the last hole, it was a soft eight iron for me but I decided to go in with a hard nine iron but left it short. It is an eye-o pen er for me and I learned a lot this week. I will certainly take this as a lesson and have more confidence now to win my first title,” he said.
Purser, playing in his rookie season in Asia, was delighted to enjoy his best finish on Tour especially after owning up to a mistake on the 11th green where he gave himself a one-stroke pen alty when his ball moved after he had grounded his putter.
“That didn’t really help but it’s still a good week. I couldn’t have asked for a better finish. This result is right up there as I’ve struggled in the previous two weeks. I had a better state of mind this week and it is nice to play some good golf,” said the 25-year-old.
Iain Steel of Malaysia ended as the leading Malaysian, finishing in a share of ninth place on 280 after closing with a 68 while Shaaban Hussin was a further stroke back in equal 11th after a 73. S. Siva Chandhran settled for joint 17th place with a 77.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
273 - Rick Kulacz (AUS) 68-71-71-63
274 - Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 65-70-69-70
276 - Mark Purser (NZL) 69-71-69-67
277 - James Kamte (RSA) 66-70-72-69
278 - Gaurav Ghei (IND) 71-67-72-68, Noh Seung-yul (KOR) 67-68-73-70, Kodai Ichihara (JPN) 71-69-68-70
279 - Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 69-69-72-69
280 - Iain Steel (MAS) 66-72-74-68, Mitchell Brown (AUS) 68-69-72-71
281 - Chinnarat Phadungsil (THA) 69-75-70-67, Kim Dae-hyun (KOR) 73-65-76-67, Angelo Que (PHI) 71-74-69-67, Shaaban Hussin (MAS) 67-69-72-73
282 - Mardan Mamat (SIN) 72-71-70-69, C. Muniyappa ( IND ) 71-74-66-71

Visit www.asiantour.com for more information

United States PGA Tour Scoreboard
RENO TAHOE OPEN
Montreux G & CC, Reno, Nevada
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
132 John Rollins 70 62
134 Shaun Micheel 69 65
136 Chris Riley 72 64, Robert Garrigus 69 67, Marc Leishman (Aus) 68 68
137 Jonathan Kaye 68 69, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 67 70, Vaughn Taylor 68 69, Ryan Palmer 69 68, Troy Matteson 71 66, Rich Barcelo 68 69
138 Spencer Levin 68 70, Jeff Quinney 69 69, Joe Ogilvie 70 68, Rocco Mediate 70 68, Parker McLachlin 69 69
139 Steve Pate 68 71, Martin Laird (Sco) 72 67, James Nitties (Aus) 69 70
140 Patrick Sheehan 71 69, Kris Blanks 71 69, Grant Waite (Nzl) 68 72, Steve Flesch 71 69, Wil Collins 70 70, Matt Kuchar 72 68, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 71
141 Tag Ridings 73 68, Chris DiMarco 72 69, Eric Axley 70 71, Ted Purdy 73 68, Mark Wilson 71 70, Alex Cejka (Ger) 72 69, Matthew Jones (Aus) 71 70, Kevin Na 71 70, Michael Allen 72 69, Troy Kelly 70 71, Jonathan Byrd 69 72
142 J.P. Hayes 74 68, Greg Kraft 72 70, J.L. Lewis 72 70, Tommy Armour III 72 70, Chez Reavie 71 71, Daniel Chopra (Swe) 72 70, Carlos Franco (Par) 70 72, Glen Day 74 68, Bob Heintz 73 69, Tommy Gainey 72 70, Jason Gore 72 70, Matt Weibring 72 70
143 Aron Price (Aus) 73 70, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 73 70, Scott Piercy 71 72, Harrison Frazar 75 68, Matt Bettencourt 72 71, Heath Slocum 73 70, Kevin Stadler 72 71, J J Henry 72 71, Nicholas Thompson 77 66, Spike McRoy 71 72
144 Charles Warren 75 69, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 73 71, Brendon De Jonge 72 72, Scott McCarron 72 72, Kirk Triplett 74 70, Billy Mayfair 72 72, Mark Brooks 74 70, Steve Lowery 72 72, Jay Delsing 73 71, Brian Vranesh 74 70, Jeff Maggert 75 69, Derek Fathauer 75 69, Ken Duke 72 72, Tyler Aldridge 72 72
MISSED THE CUT
145 George McNeill 73 72, Tom Byrum 72 73, Omar Uresti 75 70, Paul Stankowski 76 69, Paul Azinger 69 76, David Peoples 73 72, Scott Gutschewski 73 72, Greg Owen (Eng) 72 73
146 Colt Knost 72 74, Todd Fischer 73 73, Charlie Wi (Kor) 74 72, Ricky Barnes 75 71, Aaron Watkins 75 71, Dicky Pride 72 74, Olin Browne 75 71, Rick Price 76 70
147 Peter Tomasulo 78 69, Chris Stroud 72 75, Neal Lancaster 74 73, Casey Wittenberg 76 71, Darron Stiles 75 72, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 72 75, Mark Hensby (Aus) 72 75, Ian Leggatt (Can) 74 73, Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 75 72, Dean Wilson 74 73
148 Brendon Todd 75 73, Guy Boros 70 78, Jimmy Walker 72 76, Bryce Molder 78 70, Tom Pernice Jnr. 73 75, Peter Lonard (Aus) 75 73
149 Kent Jones 77 72, Bill Lunde 78 71, Andres Romero (Arg) 77 72, Jay Williamson 72 77, James Oh (Kor) 73 76
150 D.A. Points 78 72, Phil Tataurangi (Nzl) 73 77, David Gossett 76 74, Robin Freeman 77 73, Brent Geiberger 75 75
151 Will MacKenzie 77 74, Arjun Atwal (Ind) 75 76, Cliff Kresge 74 77
152 Craig Barlow 79 73, Leif Olson 76 76, David Mathis 76 76
153 Brad Adamonis 83 70, Charley Hoffman 80 73, Robert Damron 74 79, Scott Sterling 75 78, Matthew Borchert 81 72
154 Steve Allan (Aus) 81 73
155 Jason Schmuhl 77 78
163 Robert Gamez 85 78
WD: Frank Lickliter II 76, Rich Beem 80

Harrington halfway leader by two at

WGC - Bridgestone Invitational

FROM THE SCOTSMAN SPORTS WEBSITE
By Simon Lewis in Akron, Ohio
A 69 from Padraig Harrington kept the field at bay as the Irishman maintained his lead after the second round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
Three-time major winner Harrington had produced his best round of the year with a 64 at Firestone on Thursday to lead by two from Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, Tim Clark of South Africa and American Scott Verplank.
The Irishman picked up on Friday where he left off as he began his second round well, moving to seven under par after five holes.He bogeyed the par-4 eighth, the only blemish on his round, but rebounded at the 13th courtesy of a birdie from 30 feet.
"Shooting that score yesterday (on Thursday) gave me a great chance for the tournament," Harrington said. "Anything under 70 from here on in is going forward so I'm quite pleased to have shot 69."
Harrington will take a one-shot lead into Saturday's third round, with Clark on six under following a 68.
Verplank matched Harrington with a 69 that left him at five under while Marksaeng moved into a share of the lead at seven under before falling off the pace on the way to a which left him at four under.
Also four under are Americans Steve Stricker, who carded a 69, and Jerry Kelly, who hit a 65.
In a field reduced to 79 players following the withdrawal through injury of Paul Casey during the first round, Spain's Alvaro Quiros made a big move into contention with a 65 to move from two over to three under.
American Woody Austin was also on three under following a 68, as was former Masters champion Zach Johnson.
World No 1 Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at Firestone, returned a 70 to stay at two under par, while playing partner Sergio Garcia carded a 72 to fall back to level par.
Four birdies in his first 12 holes moved England's Oliver Wilson to five under par for the week but three bogeys on his back nine left the Ryder Cup player with a 69, two under for the tournament.
Open champion Stewart Cink and US Open winner Lucas Glover also finished two under.
World No 2 Phil Mickelson added a 69 to his opening 70 while England's Nick Dougherty and Lee Westwood both shot 71 to move to level par.
Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, the 2003 champion, will start round three at one over following a 70.
England's Ian Poulter slumped to a four-over 74 that left him at one over while Clarke's compatriots, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, were also over par, as were England's Ross Fisher, Luke Donald and Justin Rose and Ireland's Shane Lowry.
Rose's 68 moved him to three over alongside Vijay Singh, while Fisher's 71 took him to one over, Donald was at two over following a 72 and McDowell finished at four over after a 71. McIlroy shot 70 to stay at five over.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that Harrington will launch the defence of his US PGA Championship title next week alongside Tiger Woods and Rich Beem. European 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, who will play an American major for the first time this year, has been paired with Argentina's Andres Romero and American Kevin Sutherland.
*The full article above contains 560 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
133 Padraig Harrington (Irl) 64 69
134 Tim Clark (Rsa) 66 68
135 Scott Verplank 66 69
136 Jerry Kelly 71 65, Steve Stricker 67 69, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 66 70
137 Hunter Mahan 68 69, Robert Allenby (Aus) 68 69, Zach Johnson 67 70, Mike Weir (Can) 71 66, Woody Austin 69 68, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 65
138 Tiger Woods 68 70, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71 67, Lucas Glover 69 69, Davis Love III 72 66, Oliver Wilson (Eng) 69 69, David Toms 69 69, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 70 68, Stewart Cink 69 69, Boo Weekley 69 69
139 Phil Mickelson 70 69, Chad Campbell 71 68, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 72 67
140 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 68 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 69 71, Nick Dougherty (Eng) 69 71, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 69 71, Kenny Perry 69 71, Anthony Kim 72 68, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 70 70, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 68 72, Camilo Villegas (Col) 70 70, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 70 70, Lee Westwood (Eng) 69 71
141 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 71, Ross Fisher (Eng) 70 71, Darren Clarke (NIrl) 71 70, Danny Lee (Nzl) 68 73, Dustin Johnson 70 71, Justin Leonard 70 71, Sean O'Hair 69 72, Ian Poulter (Eng) 67 74, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 70 71, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 73 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 69 72
142 Nick Watney 74 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 72 70, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 71, Pat Perez 70 72, J.B. Holmes 70 72, Cameron Beckman 71 71, Luke Donald (Eng) 70 72
143 Vijay Singh (Fij) 70 73, Justin Rose (Eng) 75 68, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 72, Charles Howell III 71 72
144 Mathew Goggin (Aus) 73 71, Jim Furyk 73 71, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 73 71, Anders Hansen (Den) 73 71, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 72 72
145 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 75 70, Nathan Green (Aus) 74 71, Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 75 70, Adam Scott (Aus) 78 67, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 71 74, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 72 73
146 K J Choi (Kor) 74 72, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 72 74, Ben Curtis 77 69, Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 74 72
147 Anthony Kang 71 76
149 Brian Gay 75 74, Chih-bing Lam (Sin) 74 75
150 Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 77
151 Marc Turnesa 76 75
156 Shane Lowry (Irl) 78 78
157 Yuji Igarashi (Jpn) 74 83