Quesne shoots nine-under-par 63 to lead

Challenge Tour's Geneva event

By SARAH GWYNN, Challenge Tour Press Officer
Frenchman Julien Quesne made a stunning start to the Challenge Tour’s Trophée du Golf de Genève, firing a nine under par 63 for a one-shot lead.
Quesne, currently 18th on the Challenge Tour Rankings, made a late charge to overhaul Englishman Robert Coles, who had led for much of the day after posting an eight under par 64 in the morning. The 28 year old shot an impressive six birdies on the front nine to go out in 30, before adding three more in the last four holes.
“I played very well,” said Quesne. “I had nine birdies and no bogeys so I am very happy with this score. I am playing well at the moment. The course record is 62 so maybe if I play this well again I can break it.”
Coles, who finished tied for fifth at last week’s SK Golf Challenge in Finland, carded four birdies on each nine to finish one ahead of German Florian Fritsch, whose seven under 65 was marred by a bogey at the last, his only dropped shot of the day. It undid the good work from the previous hole, where he fired an eagle on the 510-yard par five eighth.
Last week’s Challenge Tour champion Nicolas Colsaerts also made a bright start with seven birdies and a bogey giving him a round of six under par 66, a score shared by Australian Matthew Zions and Welshman Sion Bebb. However, Rankings leader Edoardo Molinari had to settle for a two under par 70, as did the man he overhauled for top spot two weeks ago, Andrew Butterfield.
Austrian Florian Praegant was five shots off Quesne’s lead after a 68 and Englishman Lee James was another shot back after posting a 69 on the 6,727-yard course a few kilometres from the shores of Lake Geneva.
Coles admitted to being a little taken aback by his low score, having struggled on the course the last time he played it.
“I’ve never done any good here so it was quite a surprise,” he said. “I’ve been playing well so I knew I’d play okay but I didn’t think it would suit me that well here. I’ve played this course once before and struggled. You know where you have done well in the past and where you haven’t but that doesn’t mean to say you can’t do well.
“I’m very pleased with eight under. I struggled a bit on the second. I came up short of the green and had to make a good up and down but from then on it was okay. I putted well from short range and I holed a putt from about 20ft on the ninth.”
Coles needs one more Challenge Tour victory to gain automatic exemption on The European Tour for the rest of this season and next, having already had two wins this year, at the MOROCCAN CLASSIC by BANQUE POPULAIRE and the Challenge of Ireland presented by Moyvalley.
He added: “Everyone here is trying to win and I’m no different, but I would be lying if I said I don’t think about it.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 71
63 J Quesne (Fra)
64 R Coles (Eng)
65 F Fritsch (Ger)
66 N Colsaerts (Bel), M Zions (Aus), S Bebb (Wal)
67 J Morrison (Eng)
68 L Gagli (Ita), P Baker (Eng), J Parry (Eng)
69 R McEvoy (Eng), L James (Eng), A Nilsson (Swe), A McArthur (Sco), A Kaleka (Fra), J Clément (Sui)
70 E Molinari (Ita), A Butterfield (Eng), J Colomo (Esp), L Kennedy (Eng), J McLeary (Sco)
71 A Wagner (Arg), J-F Lima (Por), F Praegant (Aut), F Calmels (Fra), J Guerrier (Fra), R Davies (Wal)
72 G Boyd (Eng), C Günther (Ger), S Walker (Eng)
73 R Steiner (Aut), A S Hansen (Den), A Tampion (Aus)
74 C Rodiles (Esp), M Tullo (Chi), P Whiteford (Sco)

Jamieson cruises to victory at Wychwood Park

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Scott Jamieson took a step closer to the Challenge Tour, winning The ABC Solutions UK Championship at Wychwood Park in Crewe by seven strokes at 12 under for his second title of the year.
The Scot began the day three shots clear at eight under after recording a course record 65 in the second round and began with two birdies to stretch his lead. A bogey at the eighth was a blip that he put right on the back nine but he withstood pressure from eventual runner-up James Ruebotham to record final round of 68 to win by seven shots and pick up his second £10,000 winner’s cheque after claiming the PartyPoker.com European Championship at Prince’s Golf Club in June.
“I’m really delighted with the win – I had another solid day today,” said Jamieson, whose victory takes him to the top of the Order of Merit. “There was a dodgy patch in the middle but I started and finished well and got the job done.”
Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City GC) made his move on the seventh after remaining at five under through his first six holes, picking up four birdies to the 12th to close the gap to just one stroke.
“Normally I wouldn’t look at the scoreboards but because I was in the lead I did so I knew whether or not I had to take risks or just stick to solid golf,” said Jamieson. “When I was at the 12th I was ten under and could see that James had moved to nine under through 12 and was obviously playing well. I knew that in my remaining holes I needed to stick to the game plan and I managed to pick up so birdies which was great.”
Jamieson has a comfortable position at the top of the Order of Merit as the only player to have won two events on the Tour so far this year, but says he won’t be resting on his laurels as he closes on a Challenge Tour card and is aiming for a good performance when the Tour moves to Formby Hall in Liverpool next week for the tenth event this summer.
“I’m looking good on the Order of Merit now of course, but I still need to get some results,” said the 25 year-old. “I’m playing at Formby Hall and St Andrew’s Bay so I’ll be looking to make sure of a place in the top five with good results at those tournaments.”
Ruebotham was unable to maintain the pressure on Jamieson, dropping his first shot at the 13th and dropping shots at 15, 16 and 18 to finish his round at level par, five under for the tournament. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) also bogeyed the last record a one over round of 73 and miss out on a tie for second – four over enough to take third place for the man Jamieson replaces at the top of the money list.
Martin Sell (Golf Analysis Ltd) was one of three players to shoot 68 in the final round, and that was saw him join a four-way tie for fourth spot at three under for the tournament with Nick McCarthy (Moortown), Steven Capper (Caldy GC) and Mark Ramsdale (Formby GC). James Hepworth (Ilkley GC) joined Sell and Jamieson is shooting four under and is one of five players tied for eighth spot – Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range), Barry Hume, Adam Frayne (St Mellion) and Kevin Harper (East Devon) completing the group at two under for the tournament.
The tenth event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour begins at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa in Liverpool on Wednesday August 11.
To view the full Leaderboard from the tournament visit this link: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro97/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

And click here to view the Order of Merit after nine events: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/poy/oom/index.htm

FINAL SCORES FROM THE ABC SOLUTIONS UK CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Scott Jamieson 71, 65, 68 204 -12 £10,000.00
2 James Ruebotham 69, 70, 72 211 -5 £5,000.00
3 Daniel Brooks 69, 70, 73 212 -4 £2,500.00
=4 Martin Sell 71, 74, 68 213 -3 £1,325.00
=4 Nick McCarthy 71, 73, 69 213 -3 £1,325.00
=4 Steven Capper 70, 74, 69 213 -3 £1,325.00
=4 Mark Ramsdale 73, 70, 70 213 -3 £1,325.00
=8 James Hepworth 72, 74, 68 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Michael Collins 70, 72, 72 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Barry Hume 67, 75, 72 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Adam Frayne 71, 70, 73 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Kevin Harper 69, 71, 74 214 -2 £800.00
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
=16 Elliot Saltman 74, 70, 72 216 Lvl £458.33
=22 Jack Doherty 71, 70, 77 218 +2 £355.00
=29 Lorne Kelly 75, 72, 73 220 +4 £290.71
51 Steven Hume 73, 74, 80 227 +11 £195.00
52 Stuart Burns 70, 76, 89 235 +19 £190.00

LUPTON LAYS DOWN THE GAUNTLET:

FORMER CHAMPS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD

From RON MARSHALL, PGA Press Officer
Without a trace of cockiness, Jonathan Lupton finished his conversation to the media with a sentence that should strike fear into his challengers over tomorrow’s (Fri) final round of the Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship, in association with Footjoy.
After signing for a super 68 over the Heritage course at The London Club and an aggregate of 137, the 32-year-old from Middlesbrough commented “If I play like that tomorrow someone will have to shoot an amazing score to beat me.”
And so the stage is set for a fascinating shoot-out between defending champion, Guy Woodman, and Lupton who’ll be the last pair out. Woodman could do no better than a level-par 72, leaving him a daunting four shots behind his playing partner.
And yet Lupton, who looks after the golf academy at Close House Hotel, near Newcastle, had a depressing opening, bogeying his first two holes. An eagle at the long fifth (drive, three-iron to 10 feet) then gains at eight and nine, the latter thanks to a 20-foot putt, had him out in 34.
A more adventurous eagle came at the 12th, where he had to fire his second, a six-iron, over a huge tree, and then plonked a 40-yard lob wedge into the hole. A 40-foot putt yielded his final birdie of the day at the 17th, and his only blemish occurred when his second at the 18th found a fiendish lie in a bunker, and he was happy to walk off with a bogey.
Woodman was convinced he’d let four or five opportunities slip as he stayed on course to make a robust defence of his title.
The 32-year-old, who represents Mid Herts, added a level-par 72 to Wednesday’s 69 but in the mild, calm conditions he felt he could have reinforced his challenge.
Playing from the 10th, he had a satisfactory one-under 35 on the way out, largely boosted by an improbable eagle at the 531-yard 12th.
“I hit a wayward three-wood off the tee, hacked out of the rough with a gap wedge, and then a soft wedge landed five feet past the hole and zipped back into the cup. You don’t turn these down.”
He also made a brave sand save from a cavernous greenside bunker at the 443-yard 18th, splashing out to no more than 18 inches.
His inward nine was less stellar. Missed birdie putts at the first and second from no more than four and 10 feet respectively did him no favours, and he was in further soap-suds when his tee shot off the 194-yard third found water on the left, and that eventually added up to a double bogey.
His only gain on that half came when he reduced the 563-yard eighth to a drive, three-wood a chip and a putt.
Newbury’s Daniel Seymour quietly slipped through his round with a very fine 70. The 22-year-old, winner of last year’s Bucks/Berks/Oxon match-play championship, hit a glorious rescue wood 220 yards into the 16th green, the ball resting two feet from the flag. He lies tied second with Woodman.
Gloucester’s Russell Berry continues to nip away at his more publicised rivals. The Cleeve Hill assistant, who’d been heading for a special score in Wednesday’s opening round – five under with three to play but eventually signing for a 70 – completed his level-par round with a flourish, carding birdies on his final two holes. Leading scores:
Top Scot after the opening round, Richard Valentine (Craigielaw) slipped to a 75 and is tied fifth with fellow Scot David Patrick (Elie).
LEADING TOTALS
137 J Lupton (Close House) 69 68
141 G Woodman (East Berks) 69 72, D Seymour (Newbury GC) 71 70
142 R Berry (Cleeve Hill) 70 72
145 D Patrick (Elie) 72 73, R Leonard (Mid Herts) 71 74, R Valentine (Craigielaw) 70
75.
146 M Davies (Rhuddlan) 71 75, G Cowan (Westerhope) 74 72, G Hamerton
Brookdale) 72 74
147 T Fleming (Frilford Heath) 78 69, G Cullen (Beaverstown) 77 70, C Gill (Exeter)
73 74, L Laughlin (Cambridge NGC) 74 73
148 B Welch (Remedy Oak) 72 76, G Fox (E Kilbride) 75 73
Other Scottish scores:
148 G Fox (E Kilbride) 75 73
MISSED THE CUT (153 and better)
155 C Currie (Caldwell) 81 74, M Barnard (Inchmarlo) 79 76
156 P McLachlan (W Kilbride) 78 78
159 D Blackadder (Kingsbarns) 81 78, C Dempster (Inchmarlo) 74 85
160 A Martin (Dunbar) 80 80
161 G Mackay (Prestonfield) 83, 78
165 G Stewart (Gleddoch) 85 80, R Ewen (W Lothian) 84 81
167 A McDonald (Elie) 84 83

,

Lanarkshire boys' team to play Glasgow at Hamilton



Lanarkshire have announced their team for the West Of Scotland Boys League match against Glasgow at Hamilton on Sunday (11am start):


Under 18 s
Alan Welsh Torrance House
Scott Costello Kirkhill
Jordan Gallagher Crow Wood
Martin Scott Hamilton


Under 16 s

James Steven Kirkhill
Eamon Bradley Mt Ellen
Craig Forbes Carnwath
Ross Gillan Torrance House

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
KERR INVESTMENT GOLF CLASSIC & 36-HOLE PRO-AM
Qualifatier at Dumfries & Galloway Golf Club

LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 70
65 Gareth Wright (Swanston Golf).
68 James Erksine (Portpatrick Dunsket)
69 Steven Taylor (BothwellCastle), Stewart Savage (Dalmuir), Euan Cameron (Hamilton).
70 Richard Smtih (Dumfries Golf Academy), Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe), Hamish Kemp (Bishopbriggs), Gordon Niven (Stirling University), Fraser McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre).
The cut-off mark for qualifiers for the September 5-6 tournament was 73, with the escept of Scott Herald (Mearns Castle) and Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway) who lost out on a card countback after returning 73s.

Euan Scot from St Andrews leads

Reid Trophy field at Coxmoor

NEWS RELEASED ISSUED BY ENGLISH GOLF UNION
A year ago, Aaron Rai suffered the disappointment of losing the under 13 title on countback in the Reid Trophy at Coxmoor. This year he hopes to home in on the main award after firing a best-of-the-day 67 at The Kendleshire.
It leaves the 14 year old from Wolverhampton in second place on 143, a shot behind the leader Ewan Scott from St Andrews but two ahead of the rest of the field.
“I was very disappointed to lose the Under 13 title last year but I’ve got a chance this time,” he said. “It was more testing today in the wind but I hit a lot of fairways and I putted well. Rai had seven birdies on his card, four coming in a back nine of 34. What also helped were two chip-ins on short holes.
“I holed from around 45 feet on the sixth and from about 65 feet on the 11th,” he added. Rai’s change of fortune was in keeping with the conditions. It was more like a change of season rather than a change in the weather yet, ironically, it made for easier scoring.
Gone was the searing heat of yesterday, to be replaced by a more English pattern - overcast, breezy and fresh. But Scott, a member of the Scottish Under 16 squad, revelled in the conditions. His bogey-free 69 was sufficient to earn him the lead on level par 142.
“I’m used to playing in the wind,” he said. “I struggled in the heat yesterday but this is more akin to what I’m used to in St Andrews.” Back home, Scott has finished second in the Scottish Under 14 Championship and fourth in the Under 16. “I want to go one better this week,” he added.
No one beat par on day one but six players bettered it in the second round, including Hertfordshire’s Nick Ward and Maxwell Martin from Warwickshire. Both shot 70 for equal third spot on 145, Martin’s effort attracting more attention as he only turned 12 last week. More comfortable was the feeling on the course although for some the breeze presented its own problems, especially on the 163-yard 11th where the green is completely surrounded by water. Around 30% of the field found a watery grave there with many a card being wrecked.
One of those to suffer was overnight leader Pavan Sagoo, whose 76 included penalty shots for two balls into water, one at the 11th. It leaves the Ealing lad on 146, four over par, in joint fifth place.
Admission is free to the event, which continues to the 13th August. For those unable to attend, scoring, championship commentary and news updates are availale on the Championships Section of the EGU website, http://www.englishgolfunion.org/.

James Byrne climbs to No 2 ranking

in Scotland after Gavin Dear

Banchory's James Byrne, who will be returning to Arizona State University soon, has climbed to his highest position in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings.
In this week's revised list, James has improved by 11 places to No 83.
Only one Scot is ranked higher than Byrne - Walker Cup team selection Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) who is No 12.
Scots ranked in the top 500 of the R&A WAGR are (week's movement up and down the list is given)
12 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) +1.
83 James Byrne (Banchory) +11.
86 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) -1.
95 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) -2.
150 Wallace Booth (Comrie) -35.
170 Mark Hillson (Marriott Dalmahoy) +70.
184 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) +3.
276 James White (Lundin) +26.
364 Steven McEwan (Caprington) -15.
370 Philip McLean (Peterhead) +51.
375 David Law (Hazlehead) -4.
381 Keir McNicoll (Carnousite) -44.
394 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) -54.

+James Byrne will not be defending the North-east District Open championship at Peterhead this weekend. He will be flying to Paris to take part in the European individual amateur championship at Chantilly Golf Club, France next week.

Pavan Sagoo upholds English "honour" in

first day of Reid Trophy U14 boys' stroke

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH GOLF UNION
For most of the first day of the Reid Trophy at The Kendleshire it seemed that foreign players would head the cast. But Pavan Sagoo from Middlesex upstaged them all to lead the English Boys under 14 Stroke Play Championship.
Sagoo, who didn’t tee off until 2pm, returned a 70, one under par, to lead by one from Mario Galiano, who heads a strong overseas challenge, some of whom came to grief on the testing 18th.
A member of the Middlesex under 14 team, Sagoo was the only player to beat par on a day of glorious sunshine with a cooling breeze. He found three birdies to put himself in an unaccustomed position.
“I’ve never led before, well not in a big tournament,” he admitted. “We’ll have to see but I’ve been shooting under par more recently. I drove the ball well and found most fairways and fortunately I didn’t find any water,” added the 13 year old who finished fourth in last week’s Middlesex Youths Championship.
The Reid Trophy has only once been won by a foreign player. But Galiano is putting in a good challenge and for some time he was ahead until Sagoo’s late effort. Galiano’s level-par 71 is just ahead of the English trio Haydn McCullen, William Aldred and Robert Burlison, who share third place.
It is 14 year old Galiano’s first competition in England but he soon acclimatised himself with four birdies in his 71 and but for back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17 would have finished with a comfortable advantage.
In his limited English, Galiano said: “I like the course. There is a lot of water but not as much as in Andalucía.”
McCullen, 13, from Manchester, would have matched Galiano’s level par but he three-putted the 18th green after finding three birdies. Aldred, another 13 year old, was disappointed with his 72 saying: “I was aiming for level par. I’m going to do better tomorrow.”
However, his effort was better than his previous Reid appearance two years ago when he shot three rounds in the 80s. Burlison, who is looking to add the under 14 title to his English Schools under 16 crown, went out like a train with four birdies but couldn’t find the same form coming home. “I’m fairly happy with 72 but a couple of three-putts let me down,” he said.
Ben Amos, from nearby Marlborough, was on level par through 17 holes but tangled with the water on the 18th, took a quadruple-bogey 8, and signed for 75.
Denmark’s Emil Sogaard also fell foul of the last. He was three under par through 11 but closed poorly, including a double-bogey on 18 for a share of fifth place on 73.
Admission is free to the event, which continues to the 13th August. For those unable to attend, scoring, championship commentary and news updates are available on the Championships Section of the EGU website, http://www.englishgolfunion.org/

Favourite Manassero is KO'd but David

Law is in the last 32 and feeling good

FROM THE R&A WEBSITE
Matteo Manassero has been knocked out of the Boys Amateur Championship in the third round by Switzerland's Andrea Gurini at Royal St George's, Sandwich, Kent.
The Italian, who won the Silver Medal at The Open Championship last month, could not reproduce his Turnberry form at Royal St George’s today, losing 2&1 to the Swiss.
At four down with four to play, 16-year-old Manassero looked c ertain to be defeated. Yet he refused to give-up, birdieing the 15th and 16th to give his supporters hope. It was not to be, however, as Gurini held his nerve on the 17th, despite confessing to be “a little bit nervous”, to seal a remarkable victory.
“I played very well. I was two-under, no bogeys. He played not so well, not like at The Open!” said a delighted Gurini.
And nobody was more impressed with the Swiss’ display than Manassero himself, who was full of praise for his opponent.
“I was level par, maybe under, but he was perfect, never missed. Andrea played great, he always stayed focused.
“I birdied 15 and 16 and I expected an error from him but nothing. It was perfect. Well done to him.”
There will be no unique triple of The Amateur Championship, the Silver Medal and the Boys Amateur completed this year, but the Italian has, once again, shown why he looks likely to become one of golf’s big names.
Scotland’s David Law, who is still on course for a trio of wins – the Scottish Boys, the Scottish Amateur and the Boys Amateur –, is safely into the last 32 after easing to a 4 and 3 victory over Denmark’s Thomas Sorensen.
“I played really well,” said Law. “I had a really good start: birdied the first and the third and a par was good enough at the second so three-up through three. I was always in control and always felt comfortable.
“It was a much better performance than yesterday; yesterday was a bit of a kick up the backside for me.”
Eddie Pepperell also progressed to the next stage after coming out on top a closely-fought contest with Stanislas Gaultier of France.
“I didn’t really play great going out. I was two-down through six and he was playing well. From there on I hit the ball really good. I was a few under and I just edged him out at the end so I’m pretty pleased, explained the Englishman.”
Elsewhere, Ervan Vieilledent who defeated the defending champion, Pedro Figueiredo earlier in the day, secured a comfortable 6&5 win to make the final 32. England under-18 champion, Tom Lewis, triumphed 4&3. And the USA’s Henry Todd beat England international, Tom Berry, 3&2.

Click here for full round-three results and draw.