PGA EUROPRO TOUR REPORT

Whiffin blows hot for Five Lakes victory

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Sean Whiffin claimed victory in The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club & Spa, shooting a fine level par final round in windy conditions to finish on three under for the tournament and win by three strokes.
Whiffin (The Hertfordshire G&CC) began the day two strokes behind overnight leader Paul Reed (Bristol & Clifton GC) but like so many others, Reed found the wind too strong and soon dropped down the field. In contrast, Whiffin parred the first seven holes while those around him faltered, and after exchanging three birdies for three bogeys in six holes from the eighth, he carded a level par 71 to follow rounds of 69 and 70 and be rewarded for his solid golf in trying conditions with the £10,000 winner’s cheque.
“It was very windy out there, pretty much at the limit without being called in I reckon,” said the 28 year-old, invited to play his first event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour. “I played well out there though, I knew I had to keep out of trouble and I did just that.”
“I practiced a lot on my short game and putting beforehand – that was always going to be the key out there as in those conditions you are going to miss greens,” said the Hertfordshire man after claiming his first win on the EuroPro Tour after playing over 70 events since 2002 – he currently leads the Order of Merit on the PGA East Region.
Reed ended his chances of victory with a run of four bogeys and a double bogey from the fourth hole to but he managed to pick up three birdies on the back nine, eventually finishing five over for the day but level for the tournament and taking second place, thanks largely to a 66 in his second round.
Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) was the only man to break par in the final round, mastering the wind to pick up five birdies in a one under round of 71 – securing a share of third spot that moves him into the top five of the Order of Merit at the expense of Elliot Saltman and the current top five of Scott Jamieson, Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd), Jack Doherty and Dwyer entering stage two of Q School for the European Tour. Order of Merit leader Jamieson currently shares the lead in the DHL Wroclaw Open in Poland after two rounds.
Matthew Ford (Marriott Tudor Park), Matthew Evans (Rotherham) and Brian McElhinney (Team Ireland) join Dwyer in third spot. Evans looked to be pushing for victory after starting the day at two under and moving through the front nine at level par. A double bogey at the 12th halted his progress though and he lost further ground with back-to-back bogeys from 15 to finish with a 75.
Ford won The Brooks Brothers 2008 Classic and remained in contention to retain his title when he birdied the tenth to remain level for the day after starting at three under. McElhinney partnered Reed in the final pairing of the day after starting one stroke behind the overnight leader, but was five over at the turn and eventually recorded a 77.
Four players shared seventh spot, with Mark Ramsdale (Formby GC) left frustrated by two double bogeys on the back nine after five birdies in his final round, eventually finishing with a 73 to finish three over for the tournament. Francis McGuirk (Prince’s GC) picked up four birdies in his round of 72 to join Ramsdale, with Anthony Tarchetti (Prince’s GC) and Gary Carter carding rounds of 74 and 76 respectively to complete the quartet.
To view the full final Leaderboard from The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club & Spa click here: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro99/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
To view the Order of Merit after the 11 events on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour click here: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/poy/oom/index.htm

FINAL SCORES FROM THE BROOKS BROTHERS 2009 CLASSIC
1 Sean Whiffin 69, 70, 71 210 -3 £10,000
2 Paul Reed 71, 66, 76 213 Lvl £5,000
=3 Paul Dwyer 76, 69, 70 +2 215 £1,700
=3 Matthew Evans 68, 72, 75 +2 215 £1,700
=3 Matthew Ford 70, 69, 76 +2 215 £1,700
=3 Brian McElhinney 72, 66, 77 +2 215 £1,700
=7 Francis McGuirk 74, 70, 72 +3 216 £887.50
=7 Mark Ramsdale 73, 70, 73 +3 216 £887.50
=7 Anthony Tarchetti 72, 70, 74 +3 216 £887.50
=7 Gary Carter 72, 68, 76 +3 216 £887.50
SCOTS' SCORES
11 Paul Doherty 74, 67, 76 217 +4 £700
=14 Lee Harper 70, 70, 78 218 +5 £525
=30 Jack Doherty 71, 71, 79 221 +8 £290
=39 Barry Hume 73, 71, 79 223 +10 £250
=42 Mark Kerr 76, 71, 77 224 +11 £235
=50 Steven Mackie 68, 78, 81 227 +14 £197.50

Aberdonian hasn't dropped a shot to par over first 36 holes

Can leader Paul Lawrie keep the bogey man at

bay over final two rounds at Gleneagles?

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Paul Lawrie has a chance to achieve something at The Johnnie Walker Championships at The Gleneagles Hotel which has even eluded Tiger Woods so far.
Only two players - David J Russell in 1992 and Jesper Parnevik three years later - have ever gone through an event in The European Tour without dropping a stroke.
Woods failed to join them on the very last hole of the 2002 World Golf Championships - American Express World Championship at Mount Juliet Golf & Spa Hotel in Ireland, but Lawrie is halfway there after adding a 69 to his opening 67 at The Gleneagles Hotel.
The 40 year old Aberdonian, winner of the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, stands at eight under par 136 and now leads by two from Northern Ireland rookie Jonathan Caldwell, Dutchman Maarten Lafeber and big hitting Argentinian Daniel Vancsik.
"I wasn't in trouble a lot, but when I had to I obviously kept the round going, which you have to do when you have no bogeys," said Lawrie after doubling his first day advantage.
"I've been prone to the odd hook in my career and I've certainly got rid of that the last couple of days.
"I missed a few putts, but I'm very pleased with the way I hit it again. Overall you're not going to grumble, but I'm a golfer and you always grumble!"
Lafeber, in the group just two shots back from Lawrie, expressed a modicum of disappointment with his position.
“I should have shot a lot lower,” said Lafeber. “I hardly missed a shot and I just hit one mediocre shot, a poor tee shot on nine.
“Apart from that, I had so many putts, and I missed a four footer on the second for birdie.”
Vancsik won the BMW Italian Open in May, while Lafeber's only title on The European Tour came in his home country six years ago.
Vancsik admitted consistency would be key if he were to challenge Lawrie’s lead through the rest of the weekend.
“I'm hitting the ball much better now, but in Italy my putter was working well and I was making every one.
“Maybe if I have patient and my putting is working well this weekend, I'll have a chance. I was really lucky in the draw. Yesterday was perfect to play and today there was just a little bit of breeze but not too much. I think it's good luck.”
One fellow competitor certainly impressed by Lawrie's display - and it was mutual - was playing partner Jose Maria Olazabal.
Olazabal is in a tie for fifth with Ryder Cup Dane Soren Hansen, Indian Shiv Kapur and France's Gregory Bourdy.
Olazabal was delighted with his own efforts, especially five birdies in the first six holes, given that he is suffering more problems with rheumatism.
"I have a little bit of pain here and there, especially when I wake up in the morning," he said. "You have to take it slow and give yourself more time to try to loosen up.
"Hitting shots my body is not moving as freely and I can't practise as much as I need to, but I have to live with that for the time being."
However, Lawrie said: "His iron play is just outstanding and he's the best we've got on this tour at making pars from a poor tee shot.
"There's no question about that and it's a pleasure to see him playing, never mind playing well."
England's Danny Willett, a member of the GB&I Walker Cup team two years ago, would have been alongside them but finished with a bogey 6 - like Lafeber and Hansen.
SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72). 7316yd.
136 Paul Lawrie 67 69
138 Jonathan Caldwell 72 66, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 71 67, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 69 69.
139 Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 71 68, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 69 70, Soren Hansen (Den) 69 70, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 70 69, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 70 69
140 Phillip Archer 71 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 68, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha) 70 70
141 Alexandre Rocha (Bra) 72 69, Danny Lee (Nzl) 71 70, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 70 71, Ake Nilsson (Rsa) 68 73, Oliver Wilson 73 68, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 68 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 69
142 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 70 72, Gareth Maybin 69 73, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 73 69, Alan McLean 69 73, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 71 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 70 72, Simon Khan 70 72, Gary Murphy 73 69, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 72 70, Bradley Dredge 75 67, Ross McGowan 74 68
143 Wil Besseling (Ned) 73 70, Alexander Noren (Swe) 69 74, Stephen Dodd 73 70, Richard Finch 73 70, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 72 71, Pablo Martin (Spa) 72 71, Graeme Storm 69 74
144 David Carter 74 70, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 69 75, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 71, Richie Ramsay 71 73, Gary Orr 73 71, Damien McGrane 72 72, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 74 70, Colin Montgomerie 76 68, Steven O'Hara 68 76, Simon Dyson 76 68, Anthony Wall 69 75, David Dixon 76 68, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 73 71, Gregory Havret (Fra) 68 76, Richie Ramsay 71 73, Chris Doak 72 72.
MISSED THE CUT
145 Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 77 68, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 74 71, Andrew Coltart 70 75, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice) 72 73, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 71 74, Scott Drummond 75 70, Lee Slattery 73 72, Callum Macaulay 71 74, Taco Remkes (Ned) 72 73, Shane Lowry 74 71, Matthew Millar (Aus) 69 76, Richard Green (Aus) 74 71, Alastair Forsyth 74 71, Marc Warren 76 69.
146 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 75 71, James Kingston (Rsa) 74 72, David Howell 71 75, Phillip Price 75 71, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 74 72, Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 76, Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 73 73, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 74 72, Chris Kelly 77 69, Craig Lee 75 71, David Orr 73 73.
147 Robert Dinwiddie 76 71, John Bickerton 74 73, Peter Lawrie 76 71, Mark Brown (Nzl) 73 74, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 74 73, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 76 71, Mark Foster 71 76, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 76, David Drysdale 76 71.
148 Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 75 73, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 77 71, Joost Luiten (Ned) 73 75, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 75 73, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 74 74, Simon Wakefield 76 72, Marco Ruiz (Par) 75 73, Iain Pyman 77 71, Andrew Marshall 74 74, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 71 77, Tano Goya (Arg) 75 73, Paul McKechnie 75 73.
149 Brett Rumford (Aus) 76 73, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 73 76, Stuart Manley 76 73, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 75 74, Paul McGinley 72 77, Oliver Fisher 78 71, Seve Benson 75 74
150 Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 76 74, Barry Lane 76 74
151 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 75 76, Zane Scotland 74 77, Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 82 69, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 76 75, Stephen Gray 76 75.
152 Greig Hutcheon 77 75, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 76 76, Miles Tunnicliff 77 75, Kane Webber (Aus) 76 76
153 Roope Kakko (Fin) 78 75, Marcel Siem (Ger) 75 78, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 80 73
154 Jamie McLeary 75 79, Scott Barr (Aus) 81 73, Edward Thomson 80 74, Branden Grace (Rsa) 79 75
155 Benn Barham 77 78, Paul Broadhurst 73 82
156 Stuart Davis 76 80
158 Jason McCreadie 81 77, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 82 76
159 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 79 80
162 Chris Russell 80 82
Withdrew: Robert Arnott 83 -.

Eric Ramsay and Scott Jamieson

share lead in Polish heatwave

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Carnoustie's Eric Ramsey made it a Scottish 1-2 at the top of the leaderboard when he joined his compatriot Scott Jamieson from Glasgow on 11 under par on the second day of the DHL Wroclaw Open.
Ramsay was unable to recreate the fireworks he produced in his opening day 61, but a two under par round of 68 was enough to tie with Jamieson, whose stunning 62 was the lowest of the second day by two shots.
On another day of high temperatures and low scoring at Toya Golf and Country Club in Wroclaw, Poland’s third largest city, in-form Frenchman Julien Guerrier carded a round of 64 to move to ten under par, one shot clear of England’s Ally Mellor in fourth place.
But it is the Scottish duo they all have to catch at the second edition of the €140,000 event.
Ramsay, who posted three birdies and a solitary bogey, said: “Obviously I didn’t play nearly as well as I did on the first day but I’m still pretty pleased, because it was quite windy out there at times.

"I was just looking at anything under par today to be honest, and I managed that so I’m not too upset. It was important to try to stay patient and not get frustrated out there, because obviously I’m trying to do the same things I did yesterday, but it’s not always possible.

"I didn’t find as many fairways and the pins were also a bit trickier in fairness, so I couldn’t be as aggressive. I had a few decent chances on my back nine, but the putts didn’t drop today – that’s just the way it goes sometimes.
“I haven’t been in this position going into the last two days for quite a while now, so I’m not sure how I’ll react. But I’m feeling confident, and it helps that I’m playing with Scott, who I know very well from my amateur days. He’s a good lad, and it should help us both stay relaxed. It’s just good to see two Scottish names up at the top of the leaderboard.”
Jamieson’s flawless round of 62 was comfortably his lowest round in a professional tournament. The 25 year old former US college circuit player, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, currently leading the EuroPro Tour’s Order of Merit after two victories this season, made the most of his sponsor’s invitation to notch eight birdies.
Jamieson, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the Scottish Hydro Challenge at the start of the month, has now set his sights on moving into the top 100 in the Challenge Tour Rankings, which would earn him a place in the field for next month’s lucrative Kazakhstan Open.
He said: “I’m really pleased, because it’s an important week for me. I’m currently 103rd in the Rankings, so I need to move up three places to get into Kazakhstan, which is obviously a massive tournament in terms of the prize money on offer. I’ve virtually guaranteed myself a top five finish in the EuroPro Order of Merit which would get me a Challenge Tour card for next year, so whatever I achieve from now until the end of the season will be a bonus.”
Guerrier, who finished runner-up in Finland and third in Switzerland in his last two tournaments, moved to ten under par courtesy of six birdies, two more than Mellor, who is one shot back on nine under par.
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, who pipped Guerrier to the SK Golf Challenge title earlier in the month, and the English duo of Andrew Butterfield and Richard McEvoy, currently second and fifth in the Rankings respectively, are on eight under par.

SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 140 (2x70)
129 E Ramsay (Sco) 61 68, S Jamieson (Sco) 67 62,
130 J Guerrier (Fra) 66 64,
131 A Mellor (Eng) 65 66,
132 N Colsaerts (Bel) 68 64, R McEvoy (Eng) 66 66, A Butterfield (Eng) 66 66,
133 J Larsen (Nor) 67 66, N Smith (USA) 68 65, L Gagli (Ita) 67 66, J Olesen (Den) 69 64,
134 R Karlberg (Swe) 65 69, M Wiegele (Aut) 68 66, A Bossert (Sui) 69 65, S Saavedra (Arg) 64 70, V Riu (Fra) 67 67, C Gane (Eng) 67 67,
135 M Korhonen (Fin) 68 67, S Henry (Sco) 69 66, K Sullivan (Wal) 66 69, J Parry (Eng) 67 68, N Meitinger (Ger) 67 68, S Tiley (Eng) 66 69, F Fritsch (Ger) 68 67, R Santos (Por) 66 69, G Shaw (Nir) 68 67,
136 B Taylor (Eng) 67 69, C Günther (Ger) 68 68, M Reale (Ita) 66 70, D Griffiths (Eng) 71 65, C Russo (Fra) 68 68, J Arruti (Esp) 66 70, A McArthur (Sco) 68 68, G Boyd (Eng) 66 70, C Moriarty (Irl) 69 67, D Wardrop (Eng) 69 67, M Mills (Eng) 67 69, T Whitehouse (Eng) 70 66,
137 C Smith (Wal) 69 68, G Davies (Eng) 67 70, L De Jager (RSA) 69 68, J Theunis (Bel) 70 67, A Bernadet (Fra) 69 68, J Quesne (Fra) 67 70, B Mason (Eng) 70 67,
138 D Marmion (Eng) 72 66, P Purhonen (Fin) 68 70, S Surry (Eng) 66 72, B Parker (Eng) 72 66, G Houston (Wal) 70 68, R Steele (Eng) 69 69, C Aguilar (Esp) 66 72, M Laskey (Wal) 71 67,
139 P Kaensche (Nor) 70 69, C Brazillier (Fra) 71 68, A Gee (Eng) 71 68, J Little (Eng) 68 71, R Davies (Wal) 69 70, O Floren (Swe) 71 68, A Grenier (Fra) 68 71, A Högberg (Swe) 69 70, D Ulrich (Sui) 69 70, S Jeppesen (Swe) 73 66, A Hansen (Den) 70 69, J Elson (Eng) 71 68, A Bruschi (Ita) 71 68, A Kaleka (Fra) 70 69, G Woodman (Eng) 74 65, P Del Grosso (Arg) 66 73,
140 C Suneson (Esp) 68 72, P Gustafsson (Swe) 69 71, R Steiner (Aut) 71 69, D Froreich (Ger) 72 68, R De Sousa (Sui) 71 69, J Heath (Eng) 71 69, M Kramer (Ger) 71 69, D Nouailhac (Fra) 67 73, R Kokocinski (am) (Swe) 71 69,
MISSED THE CUT
141 R Treis (Ger) 69 72, P Bronson (USA) 68 73, N Stivala (Aus) 72 69, M Haastrup (Den) 66 75, N Vanhootegem (Bel) 68 73, R Saxton (Ned) 71 70, P O'Keeffe (Irl) 72 69, A Ahokas (Fin) 69 72, T Cruz (Por) 72 69, G Molteni (Ita) 71 70, L Tintera (Cze) 68 73, N Lemke (Swe) 73 68,
142 G Murray (Sco) 71 71, L Bond (Wal) 69 73, F Praegant (Aut) 72 70, A Snobeck (Fra) 68 74, D Denison (Eng) 70 72, S Robinson (Eng) 69 73, F Calmels (Fra) 74 68, D Küpper (Ger) 70 72, S Thornton (Irl) 70 72, P Whiteford (Sco) 72 70, L Westerberg (Swe) 73 69,
143 B Miarka (Ger) 70 73, A Willey (Eng) 69 74, M Zions (Aus) 73 70, C Carranza (Arg) 76 67,
144 A Mörk (Fra) 73 71, N Fox (Irl) 70 74, F Colombo (Ita) 74 70, I Giner (Esp) 74 70, M Quiros (Esp) 70 74, R Harris (Eng) 68 76, T Weiss (Sui) 72 72, B Evans (Eng) 70 74, O Suhr (Den) 71 73,
145 K Jorgensen (Den) 69 76, S Juul (Den) 68 77, J Grillon (Fra) 71 74, J Wahlqvist (Swe) 71 74, L Moolman (RSA) 71 74, E Ravn (Den) 74 71, M Monguzzi (Arg) 74 71, T Dykes (Wal) 72 73,
146 M Bothma (RSA) 69 77, T Pulsakowski (am) (Pol) 73 73, A Kleszcz (am) (Pol) 74 72, M Kasprowicz (am) (Pol) 73 73,
147 T Laitto (Fin) 76 71, B Hebert (Fra) 71 76, P Richardson (Eng) 73 74, M Saluda (Pol) 71 76,
148 L James (Eng) 74 74, J Sköld (Swe) 75 73, A Meronk (am) (Pol) 72 76,
149 M Flindt (Den) 75 74, M Pilkington (Wal) 76 73,
150 M Stelmasiak (Pol) 74 76, L Saltman (Sco) 76 74,
151 J Ruth (Eng) 78 73, B Wuttke (Ger) 78 73, M Gradecki (am) (Pol) 74 77, G Zielinski (am) (Pol) 74 77,
152 J Zapata (Arg) 73 79, M Bednarczyk (Pol) 71 81, P Ragankiewicz (am) (Pol) 76 76,
156 J Person (Pol) 76 80,
158 P Pusset (Fra) 78 80,
162 R Hughes (Wal) 79 83,
171 J Lubieniecki (Pol) 88 83,
174 D Heith (Pol) 90 84,
Retired: P McLoughlin (Irl) 82 ret.

JAMES BYRNE WINS 5 1/2pt OUT OF 6

England are champions but

Scotland whip Ireland

to finish second at Hillside

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
The Raymond Trophy is back in English hands. After a day of gale-force winds and occasional heavy showers at Hillside, near Southport, Lancashire, England won the Home Internationals thanks to a 10.5 – 4.5 victory over Wales, while Scotland beat Ireland 12-3 to secure second spot.
England sowed the seeds for their triumph with a two point cushion from the foursomes, the first time they have won the series in three attempts this week. And they stormed home in the singles, winning seven of the ten matches.
“I’m ecstatic,” said a delighted England captain Colin Edwards. “To beat Wales like that was special and to complete three wins in the week caps it off. To win the Home Internationals as a player and as captain is also special.
"Considering the conditions which were horrendous, the boys played some magnificent golf and battled hard. I’m glad I wasn’t playing. Also to win here is special. Hillside is a magnificent course. I won the Brabazon Trophy here a few years ago so this makes it an even more special place for me.”
England held the title two years ago, winning in County Louth but Hillside is certainly a happy hunting ground after the European crown was secured there in 2005 and they also beat Australia in the Ashes match on the neighbouring Royal Birkdale back in May this year.
On a day of unrelenting winds which called for cool heads and a solid stance, England soon built on that foursomes lead as Matt Haines took 13 holes to beat Welsh champion Luke Thomas 6 and 5, Haines being three under par at the conclusion.
Former Walker Cup player Nigel Edwards was involved in a titanic battle with new Walker Cup selection Dale Whitnell which saw both players holding the lead at different times. But it was Edwards’ experience that paid off in the end with a 2 and 1 victory.
There was also a fine Welsh win for James Frazer by 5 and 4 over Farren Keenan but such was England’s form that only one match came to the final green where Rhys Enoch beat Lytham Trophy winner James Robinson by the narrowest of margins.
Otherwise the England players were in command with Chris Paisley, Tommy Fleetwood and Stiggy Hodgson claiming 5 and 4 wins.
Jamie Abbott and Luke Goddard got home 4 and 3, while Sam Hutsby claimed his point 3 and 2. The Scots began the day with a slim chance of the title but knowing their fate lay in England’s hands. Nevertheless, they romped through the foursomes 4-1 over Ireland and then took seven of the ten singles.
It was a proud Scottish captain Scott Knowles who said: “The boys supported the cause magnificently in difficult conditions. We wanted to win as many matches as possible to put pressure on England but it wasn’t really in our control.
England are worthy winners and played to a high standard. They did the business against us on the first day and they have a magnificent team with seven Walker Cup players. “But I’m proud of our efforts on my first Home Internationals as captain. It’s been a great week and things look good for us for next year when we should have a strong team again.”
David Law, the teenage Scottish men's and boys' double champion, underlined the tartan resolve when he came back from two down through 12 holes to win the next five and beat Alan Dunbar, this year's St Andrews Links Trophy winner and Ireland’s most successful player of the week, 3 and 1.
Wallace Booth led all the way to overcome Niall Kearney, his Walker Cup colleague, 4 and 3 while James Byrne (pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency) proved the Scots best player with five wins and a half after beating Simon Ward 3 and 2.
But to Ireland’s credit, five matches went to the 18th green, Ireland winning one through Dara Lernihan and two being halved.
In the end it meant the Irish went away with the wooden spoon after three defeats while Wales claimed third place, thanks to their win over the Irish.
All match scores, championship commentary and news updates are available on the Home Internationals website, http://www.homeinternationals.org/.

George Paterson (Northern) holds aloft the Scottish senior men's amateur match-play championship trophy after his victory in the final against David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) at Newmachar Golf Club today (Images by Cal Carson Golf Agency: click on them to enlarge).

David Miller has the honour on the 10th tee in the final .... George Paterson follows him.

Officials, players and representatives of sponsors Abbeyfield Scotland (Elizabeth Miller centre and Brian Highley second right) after the prizegiving.

By George! Paterson achieves career golf highlight

(so far) by winning Scottish senior match-play

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
George Paterson thought he had achieved a career golf highlight when he won the Aberdeen Links championship - for all ages - earlier this summer.

But George topped that today at Newmachar Golf Club by adding the Scottish senior amateur match-play championship to his trophy collection.
The 57-year-old Northern Golf Club member was 19th of the 32 qualifiers from the 36-hole stroke-play eliminator at the start of the week but came into his own as a match-player after that.

George, a regular on the North-east Alliance winter circuit, climaxed three days of the cut-and-thrust play at which he excels by beating David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie), the No 4 seed, by 3 and 2 in the final over the Hawkshill course.
“It’s been a great season for me,” said George. “I’ve won the Aberdeen Links championship, gained my first Scotland senior cap – and now my first national golf title. Becoming old enough to play competitive senior golf has opened a new, and most successful, chapter in my golfing life."
Barassie-based Ayr United football fan Miller, 55, looked to be the favourite to take the championship in his rookie season as a senior when he wiped out Paterson’s two-hole lead, gained with successes at the third and fifth, by winning the seventh, eighth and 11th where his opponent three-putted
But Patterson, who had holed a 15ft putt to halve the short ninth in par after taking two shots to get on the putting surface, responded to the pressure with another crucial putt. This one was from 12ft and dropped for a birdie to level matters again.

At that stage a sportingly well-fought final had all the makings of going the distance, maybe even into extra holes because there seemed little between the adversaries. But suddenly it was all over, only four holes later.
Paterson won the 13th, 15th and 16th with par figures to win by 3 and 2.

"I just couldn't buy a putt out there," said Miller. "I probably peaked on Thursday when I was several under par in winning my second round and quarter-final ties. In this morning's semi-final against Stephen Ellis - played in horrible weather of wind and rain - I won by 4 and 3 but I felt my rhythm was going and I never got it back in the final. I felt I played well to get to the final but didn't play nearly so well once I got there.

"And that's not to take anything away from George Paterson's performance. He holed some good putts, I didn't."

"Only" 55, David Miller looks certain to make his mark on the seniors' circuit over the next two or three years during which he has an age advantage.

George Paterson has another honour to look forward before the end of the season. He is in the Scotland team for the seniors' home internationals at Westport in Ireland from September 29 to October 1.
The Scottish senior men's amateur match-play championship, being played for only the second time, was sponsored by Abbeyfield Scotland, a charity for the elderly, providing housing support for the elderly. They were represented on the final day at Newmachar by Brian Highley and Elizabeth Miller.
Next year's championship will be staged at Kinross.

Friday's results:

Semi-finals
David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) bt Stephen Ellis (Heritage GS) 4 and 3.
George Paterson (Northern) bt Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) 3 and 1.
Final (18 holes)
Paterson bt Miller 3 and 2.

MEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS LAST DAY

Scotland, waiting for England slip, take

4-1 foursomes lead over Ireland

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
England edged towards the title by overcoming Wales 3.5 – 1.5 in the foursomes while Scotland kept their hopes alive with a 4-1 lead over Ireland on a brutal final morning of the Home Internationals at Hillside.
Gale force winds accompanied by heavy showers tested all 20 players in action and it took stern discipline and resolve to beat the elements as well as the opposition.
Scotland, out first against the Irish, held the upper hand although four of the five contests went the distance. The exception was the middle contest where Ross Kellett and James Byrne gained a commanding 4 and 3 win over Niall Kearney and Kelan McDonagh.
There was no more than a shot separating Wallace Booth and Michael Stewart for Scotland and Ireland’s Alan Dunbar and Paul Cutler in the top match but the Scots won the 18th with a par four to claim victory.
Gavin Dear and Keir McNicoll trailed Pat Murray and Dara Lernihan early on but the Scots won four holes in a row from the fourth to be 3-up. They still enjoyed that advantage with four to play but the Irish took the 15th, 16th and 17th, all with pars, to take the contest down the last where a half saw the Scots home.
David Law and James White seemed set for a comfortable win over Cian Curley and Paul O’Kane as they went 4-up after eight holes. But the Irish got back to 1-down after 12 as the Scots suddenly lost their grip. The Irish also won the 15th with a concession to level and they stayed that was to gain a half point.
That was also the case with the bottom match where Glenn Campbell and Steven McEwan for Scotland were locked in a tight tussle with Connor Doran and Robert Cannon. Again no more than a hole separated the pairings but the Irish took the 15th with a par to level and that’s the way it finished.
England got off to a flier with Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Haines winning four of the first five holes against Alistair Jones and Richard Hooper and they extended that to 5-up at the turn.
The Welsh won the next two holes all although other holes were exchanged, the England pair stayed in front to win 3 and 1. Wales responded with Ben Westgate and Adam Runcie being out in a creditable 37 strokes to be 4-up over James Robinson and Matt Nixon. The Welsh extended that to 6-up through 12 and they eventually won 4 and 3.
That was the same score in which Jamie Abbott and Farren Keenan overcame James Frazer and Oliver Farr in the bottom match. The English were helped by an Abbott chip-in on the second while Keenan holed his seven-iron approach for an eagle-two at the ninth. The other two matches went all the way.
Sam Hutsby and Chris Paisley were 1-up with two to play against Nigel Edwards and Rhys Enoch but the Welsh took the 17th with a par while the 18th was halved in fives to leave the contest all square.
Dale Whitnell and Luke Goddard enjoyed a 2-hole lead over Joe Vickery and Rhys Pugh through 13 holes but again the Welsh battled back, winning the 14th and 15th but a birdie-four at 17 allowed the England pair to claim a narrow victory.
All match scores, championship commentary and news updates are available on the Home Internationals website, www.homeinternationals.org.

McAlpine heads strong field for

S E District event at Dunbar

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Kevin McAlpine, the former Scottish stroke-play and match-play champion, looks like the man to beat in this weekend's South East District Championship at Dunbar.
The 25-year-old Alyth golfer, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, required a cruciate ligament knee operation at the start of the year after picking up an injury playing football and was sidelined until the East of Scotland Open at the end of June.He then gave a good account of himself in the Scottish Amateur Championship at Troon before returning to the winner's circle with a four-stroke victory in the North of Scotland Open at Lossiemouth last weekend.

"The knee injury ruined all my hopes of chasing a Walker Cup place and playing in the Home Internationals but I'm still going to have a second go at the Tour School," said McAlpine ahead of his visit to East Lothian this weekend.

As was always going to the case, the Dunbar event is missing all the players who were on duty for Scotland in the Home Internationals at Hillside but McAlpine still won't get it all his own way over the superb East Links.

Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol, for example, is also on good form, having won the North East equivalent just under a fortnight ago at Peterhead, where he beat local favourite Philip McLean, also playing at Dunbar, in a play-off.

Dollar's Scott Borrowman, Gordon Yates, from Hilton Park, and St Andrews New's Greg Paterson, all of whom were in the reckoning for the Home Internationals but just missed out on places at Hillside this week, former Amateur champion Craig Watson and Jordan Finlay, the ex-British Boys' champion are also in the field.

There's a strong Dunbar contingent, including Zander Culverwell, Stephen Neilson, Stephen Simants and Dean Muir, while other Lothians players looking to make their presence felt over a course they also know well are the likes of Steven Armstrong, Mark Hillson and rising star Grant Forrest.

***The full article above appears in the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.

Singapore, Philippines head race for

Asian places in World Cup

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ASIAN TOUR
Petaling Jaya , Malaysia , August 28: Singapore and the Philippines took a closer step towards the Omega Mission Hills World Cup after Friday’s four-ball but the third and final slot in the Asian Qualifier was poised for a slugfest with four teams in the hunt.
Mardan Mamat and Lam Chih Bing, chasing their fourth World Cup appearance, showed their class with a nine-under-par 62 at Seri Selangor Golf Club to propel Singapore to the top of the leaderboard for the first time this week.
The Filipino combination of Mars Pucay and Angelo Que shot a 66 to fall one shot back of the new leaders but they have a seven-shot cushion from Malaysia ’s Danny Chia and Iain Steel, Hong Kong’s David Freeman and Wong Woon Man and the Myanmar team of Zaw Moe and Soe Kyaw.
The home nation fought their way back into the World Cup reckoning with a 65, a score matched by Zaw and Soe. The unheralded Freeman and Wong, both chasing a dream World Cup appearance, was disappointed with their 67.
Pakistan ’s Muhammad Shabbir and Muhammad Munir also carded a 65 to stay one shot behind the three teams and set up a nerve-jangling finish tomorrow.
Lam, winner of the Volvo Masters of Asia on the Asian Tour last season, tipped his cap to Mardan, who contributed seven birdies including a long range effort at the 18th hole which gave them a 16-under-par 197 total.
“All I had to do today was sit back, relax and watch my partner perform. He was awesome,” said Lam. “But it’s a four-day tournament, not a three-day tournament. We still have to go out tomorrow to get the job done.”
Mardan, a two-time winner in Asia , said: “Both of us played well. We came here to finish in the top three and we are playing very well so far. We’ll have to keep our momentum going. We have played together for so long and we are comfortable with each other. Being relaxed out there helps a lot.
“On the last hole, my partner hit it to one foot from the bunker and there was no pressure on me. I just picked out a line and rolled it in. It was quite a long putt.”
Pucay and Que, top-10 at last year’s World Cup in China , started with a bogey on the second hole but bounced back on the inward nine, coming home in 31 despite a second dropped shot at the challenging 18th hole.
“All in all, we are happy especially coming into the last few holes where we birdied four of the seven holes which was good except for the bogey on the last,” said Que, a two-time Asian Tour winner.
“We are happy with a seven-shot cushion over third place. If we keep playing how we are playing, we will be okay for tomorrow. We won’t think about protecting our score (in the final round foursomes) but will stick to our game plan which is to hit fairways and greens and try to two-putt at every hole.”
The Malaysians, chasing a first World Cup appearance in eight years, needed a huge par putt save from Steel at the last hole to stay in tied third place. “It was pretty big so that we can play in the second last group,” said Steel, who is trying to make his first World Cup appearance in five attempts.
Chia said: “We’re happy with what we shot as it put us in a good position. We are not striking the ball that well but hopefully we can play better tomorrow.”
The unheralded Hong Kong team kept up their dream run but Freeman was disappointed they did not capitalize on their numerous birdie chances. “It was a little bit disappointing as we left way too many shots on the golf course. Realistically, we could have been eight or nine under but didn’t make any putts. I had 13 or 14 chances from decent range but made only one. But Wong made a big par save for us at the last which could make a big difference tomorrow.”
Wong, last year’s Hong Kong PGA number one, said his partner, who plies his trade as a teaching professional, carried the team in the better ball format. “I didn’t play well but David kept us in the hunt. He’s playing better as the week goes on. It’ll be great if we can qualify for the World Cup but we’ll take it one step at a time.”
Zaw is also chasing for a first World Cup appearance and reckons that an under-par round the tougher alternate shot format on Saturday will get them to China . “We played well except for a few mistakes but overall our game was good. The Philippines and Singapore seem to be running away with the top two positions so we will have to fight for the final slot,” said Zaw.
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
197 – Singapore (LAM Chih Bing, Mardan MAMAT) 64-71-62
198 – Philippines Mars PUCAY, Angelo QUE) 60-72-66
205 – Malaysia (Danny CHIA, Iain STEEL) 66-74-65, Hong Kong (David FREEMAN, WONG Woon Man) 66-72-67, Myanmar (Zaw MOE, Soe Kyaw NAING) 67-73-65
206 – Pakistan (Muhammad SHABBIR, Muhammad MUNIR) 68-73-65
212 – Bangladesh (Milon AHMED, Siddikur RAHMAN) 69-74-69
215 – Sri Lanka (Lalith KUMARA, Anura ROHANA) 70-77-68
218 – Indonesia (Maan NASIM, SARMILIH) 69-77-72
219 – Nigeria (Christian UTUBOR, Edet UMOH) 70-80-69
228 – Brunei (Faiz DAMIT, Pengiran HASSANAL) 74-77-77
230 – Ghana (Theophilus KODJO, Emos KORBLAH) 74-81,-75
240 – Mauritius (Rajesh MOHUN, Jocelyn SAVRIMOOTOO) 77-89-74
241 – Nepal (Ramesh NAGARKOTI, Pashupati SHARMA) 82-84-75


Note: The first and third rounds will use the fourball format while the second and final rounds will use the foursomes format.

Website: www.asiantour.com

US PGA Tour Scoreboard
THE BARCLAYS
Liberty National golf course, Jersey City, New Jersey.
FIRST ROUND
Par 71
65 Steve Marino, Paul Goydos, Sergio Garcia (Spa)
66 Charley Hoffman, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), Heath Slocum, Webb Simpson
67 Ian Poulter (Eng), David Toms, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
68 Nick Watney, Rodney Pampling (Aus), John Merrick, Lee Janzen, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Streelman, Justin Leonard, Richard S Johnson (Swe), Robert Allenby (Aus), Ryan Moore
69 Michael Letzig, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Mark Calcavecchia, Tim Petrovic, Kevin Sutherland
70 Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen (Rsa), Zach Johnson, Bill Lunde, Brian Gay, Davis Love III, Stewart Cink, Jason Day (Aus), Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, D.A. Points, Brett Quigley, Cameron Beckman, Bo Van Pelt, Stephen Ames (Can)
71 Pat Perez, Vaughn Taylor, Todd Hamilton, Greg Owen (Eng), James Nitties (Aus), Fred Couples, Alex Cejka (Ger), Kenny Perry, John Rollins, Nathan Green (Aus), Jeff Maggert, Mike Weir (Can), Tim Clark (Rsa), Troy Matteson, Y.E. Yang (Kor)
72 Jerry Kelly, Chris Riley, Jeff Overton, Steve Flesch, John Senden (Aus), Angel Cabrera (Arg), Mark Wilson, Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Hunter Mahan, J J Henry, George McNeill, Chad Campbell, Bill Haas, Ernie Els (Rsa), Brandt Snedeker, Jonathan Byrd
73 Brian Davis (Eng), Jason Dufner, Joe Ogilvie, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Harrison Frazar, Charlie Wi (Kor), Kevin Na, Bob Estes, J.B. Holmes, Justin Rose (Eng), K J Choi (Kor), Luke Donald (Eng), Scott Verplank
74 Greg Chalmers (Aus), Bubba Watson, James Driscoll, John Mallinger, Jeff Klauk, Ben Crane, Marc Leishman (Aus), Jason Bohn
75 Robert Garrigus, Adam Scott (Aus), Lucas Glover, Ted Purdy, Ben Curtis, Michael Allen, Anthony Kim, Vijay Singh (Fij), Boo Weekley, Bryce Molder, Camilo Villegas (Col), Briny Baird
76 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Scott McCarron, Tim Herron, Woody Austin, Scott Piercy, Nick O'Hern (Aus), Charles Howell III, Kevin Stadler, D.J. Trahan
77 Chris Stroud, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Sean O'Hair, Chris DiMarco, Matt Bettencourt
78 Mathew Goggin (Aus), Jeff Quinney, Ryuji Imada (Jpn)
79 Roland Thatcher, David Mathis

+++SCROLL DOWN FOR A REPORT ON THE FIRST DAY'S PLAY

Now it's Michael SimS in the limelight,

that's the one born in Bermuda ...

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
Page 2-115 of the Nationwide Tour media guide lists Michael Sim and Michael Sims among its list of members for 2009. One is a 24-year old Australian who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, was formerly the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, picked up his third win of the year at last week's Christmas In October Classic to earn a "battlefield promotion" to the US PGA Tour and broke the Nationwide Tour's single-season money record in just 12 starts.
The other is 30, born in Bermuda, grew up in New England, graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in Business Administration, has never played on the PGA Tour and has never finished higher than T9 in any of his previous 50 Nationwide Tour starts.
Sims, plural, stepped into the spotlight Thursday with a 6-under 64 to grab the first-round lead at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic. His bogey-free effort at the Elmhurst Country Club is one stroke better than Jason Hill, winner of this tournament in 2001.
Ryan Armour, Garrett Osborn, Monday qualifying medalist Daniel McCarthy, Henrik Bjornstad and Martin Flores share third place at 4-under 66. Another 14 players are jumbled together at 3-under 67 and 26 more are lurking only four shots behind the leader.
Aberdeen-born Sim, for the curious, is taking the next month off and returning home to Perth, Western Australia to visit family and friends before his promotion kicks in and he can tee it up on the US PGA in late September.
"People get us confused all the time," said tournament leader SimS, who matched his career-best score with his 64. "I think people are slowly realizing that I don't speak with an Australian accent and I don't have blonde hair."
What he has is the outright lead for the first time in his career, courtesy of some solid work on the greens.
"I putted really well today. My putter was definitely was on point," said Sims, who rolled in a pair of 25-footers to highlight his play. "No bogeys, I love those rounds. I made a couple of good par putts and putted the ball really well. When you're making putts, that's the name of the game."
While Sim has been fulfilling the promise that has accompanied him around the globe for the past five years, Sims has quietly been trying to make a name for himself in 2009. Unfortunately, he has made the cut in only half of his 16 starts this season and stands No. 70 on the money list with only $58,368.
Sims got off to an excellent start with a lengthy eagle putt on his second hole. The eagle was his 12th of the year and puts him No. 2 in total eagles this year.
And while Sims has been struggling to get out of Sim's shadow, Hill has just been struggling, period.
The 38-year old Texan received a sponsor's exemption into the tournament and is making his first start on Tour since last year's Classic. This is only his second tournament since last October, the other being a mini-tour event last month.
"I certainly didn't have any expectations coming in here this week," said Hill. "I'm really surprised, to be perfectly honest. It was surprising to play this well."
Hill hit 11 fairways, 15 greens and needed only 28 putts while matching his career-best score, which came during the final round in 2001 when he erased a four-stroke deficit to collect his only Tour title. Nobody would have guessed Hill would put together seven birdies and be near the top of the leaderboard for the first time in years.
Since winning in 2001, Hill has been battling a broken hand, a broken toe, a bad back and more than enough swing issues to drive most golfers to find another profession.
"At the end of '01, I got into a bad swing flaw and I've been bouncing back and forth with instructors of all kinds over the years," said Hill, who has made only 18 of 80 cuts since finishing No. 14 on the 2001 Nationwide Tour money list and graduating to the PGA TOUR in 2002.
"I've been trying to find something that would stick. I've gotten down at times because it can wear on you. I've been working and overworking trying to find the secret."
This week Hill is just letting things take their course. His third child was born three weeks ago following a difficult pregnancy for his wife, Nichole. Young Jack Michael Hill spent the first 10 days of his new life in the neonatal intensive care unit and provided his dad with additional perspective. Hill never ventured onto a golf course during the month preceding his son's birth and managed to hit practice balls only four times.
"I guess you can say I came in this week fresh," Hill chuckled. "Obviously I'm in fundamentally good shape, which hasn't been the case the past few years. Hopefully it's headed in the right direction. Regardless, there are a lot more important things to worry about."
SCOREBOARD TO COME

Kaymer out for six weeks, Rory McIlroy


has chance to find European Tour No 1

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Rory McIlroy now stands a superb chance to finish the season as European Tour No 1 after confirmation that German Martin Kaymer will be sidelined for at least six weeks following a go-karting mishap.
Kaymer, the reigning French and Scottish Open champion, crashed into the rear of another kart earlier this week in Arizona and according to his manager, Johan Elliott, the 24-year old broke bones in the area above his three smallest toes on his left foot.
The injury continues recent foot problems for Kaymer who took a pair of scissors to new golf shoes during a pro-am in France after complaining of blisters. However Kaymer put the concern aside to win the pro-am and then a third Tour victory.
Kaymer heads the Race to Dubai money list with earnings this season of 1,982,054 Euro and just 16,904 Euro ahead of England's Paul Casey who is also on the side-lines for an indefinite period with a rib injury.
Kaymer went ahead of Casey on the money list in finishing sixth in last fortnight's US PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
Holywood (Belfast) ace McIlroy is lying in third place and 303,828 Euro adrift of Kaymer and 266,924 Euro behind Casey, whose injury forced him out of the recent US PGA and he later had it diagnosed as an intercostal muscle tear in his ribs.
If McIlroy were successful in finishing the year the leading money earner, he would become the second youngest player ever to capture the Harry Vardon Trophy.
McIlroy, who turned 20 in May, would be 11 months older than Seve Ballesterous when he captured the No 1 title in 1976.
McIlroy is into a second week break from the Tour before returning next week to the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, an event in which he finished runner-up in 2008.
In McIlroy's absence this week fellow Ulsterman Gareth Maybin continued his quest to join McIlroy as a Race to Dubai winner this year at a rain-affected Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
However Maybin could well have done with three smarter marshals patrolling the opening hole on the PGA Centenary course.
Maybin had to walk back and replay his tee shot after the marshals failed to spot the Ballyclare golfer's opening stroke of the 1.6m Euro event.
The European Tour rookie eventually walked off with a double bogey 6.
After also dropping a shot at the fifth, Maybin regrouped superbly, and using his belly putter to string together six birdies in 10 holes from the sixth before eventually finishing with a three under 69.
“Considering the start, I'm really pleased to finish three-under par,” he said after a round that included just 27 putts.
Bangor’s Jonathan Caldwell, as well as Damien McGrane and Paul McGinley, carded a level par 72 while Gary Murphy posted a 73.





http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport

US PGA Tour Report

Sergio shares the lead on 65 at

the Statue of Liberty course

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Sergio Garcia made the most of his opportunity as he surged into the lead after the first round of The Barclays at Liberty National.
The Spaniard secured his place in the 120-man field with a fourth-place finish at last week’s Wyndham Championship - and he carried that form into the first of the US PGA Tour play-off series events, shooting seven birdies and bogeying only the final hole as he settled for a six under par round of 65.
That was matched by American duo Paul Goydos and Steve Marino, with four players one shot back on five under par.
“Overall, it was a good, solid day,” said Garcia.
“It's the kind of course that, if you play well, you can shoot a score - with the greens being a little soft like they are.
“But at the same time, if you're a little bit off, you can struggle a little bit. I managed to hit the ball well today, drove the ball nicely, hit a lot of good iron shots and made a couple of birdies here and there.”
Swede Frederik Jacobson recorded a 66, as did Heath Slocum and Charley Hoffman, while Irishman Padraig Harrington continued his good run of form with a four-under, bogey-free 67.
England’s Ian Poulter also had to settle for a 67 after bogeying the 18th, with David Toms on the same mark.
Harrington said: "I'm thrilled with it. I know that it's not leading the tournament or whatever - but before you head out on this golf course, you don't know what you're going to shoot.
“It really is a testing, intimidating golf course - and to break 70... if I can continue that this week, I'll be a very happy man.”
Tiger Woods struggled off the tee and was left frustrated after shooting only a one-under 70, as did Phil Mickelson, while English trio Brian Davis, Luke Donald and Justin Rose are tied for 73rd after two over par rounds of 73.

United States Amateur Championship

Only one of top 20 qualifiers makes it

through to the Tulsa quarter-finals

Top seed Tim Jackson made it through to Thursday's play in the United States amateur championship at Tulsa, Oklahoma - a performance of which any 50-year-old can be proud.
Elsewhere, at the end of a long day at Southern Hills Country Club, Steve Zeigler needed to win the 17th and 18th holes just to keep going. And he did.
Zeigler, a junior at Stanford, University, came up with a pair of birdies to extend the match, then finally finished off Dan Woltman from Wisconsin in 22 holes to advance to the quarterfinals.
Zeigler got up and down from a greenside bunker to make birdie at No. 17, then got close enough with his seven-iron approach shot on No. 18 to drill another pressure-packed putt.
"That's what I play for. I've had very, very cool golf experiences and that's easily in the top three. Maybe the best golf experience I've ever had in my life," Zeigler said. "He didn't make a bogey from the eighth hole until the last one and I was two down. To have to make birdies on a course like this just to come back is just about impossible.
Zeigler was three down after seven holes before Woltman bogeyed No. 8. Woltman then ran off 12 straight pars before making bogey at the fourth extra hole -- at the same spot where he'd started pulling away with a birdie the first time through.
Zeigler advances to face Byeong-Hun An of South Korea, who needed two extra holes to beat Mike Van Sickle, the son of Sports Illustrated golf writer Gary Van Sickle.
The other quarter-finals pit fourth-seeded Ben Martin against Arkansas senior David Lingmerth; Oklahoma State sophomore Peter Uihlein against Texas senior Charlie Holland and Fresno State freshman Bhavik Patel against Phillip Mollica, Martin's former teammate at Clemson.
Martin is the only one of the top 20 qualifiers from the stroke-play eliminator to reach the final eight.
Holland beat top seed Tim Jackson by one hole in his first of two rounds on Thursday, and Mollica took out No. 2 seed Mark Anderson by one hole in the round of the last 16 in the afternoon.
Uihlein, whose father, Wally, is the CEO of the company that owns the Titleist brand, advanced with a pair of 2 and 1 victories, against Connor Driscoll of UCLA in the morning and Connor Arendell of Louisville in the afternoon. He is the last of the Oklahoma college players left after former Tulsa golfer Nico Geyger lost 2 and 1 to Martin.
Uihlien finished off Arendell at the 355yd 17th with a 6 iron off the tee that landed at the top of a ridge. With 97 yards left, he hit a wedge within 10 feet of the pin and watched as Arendell tried to chip in from just off the green for a miracle birdie to keep the match going. When his ball kept rolling off the front side of the green, he conceded the match to Uihlein.
Like Zeigler, Uihlein is trying to rally for a spot on the Walker Cup team. Just four months ago, he'd been benched by Oklahoma State coach Mike McGraw and shipped off to an NAIA tournament in Oklahoma City. Since that win at the Gaillardia Intercollegiate, he's been on a roll.
"Where I was six months ago and how I was playing, just to be considered (for the Walker Cup), definitely that's a plus," said Uihlein.