I'm here to win the

European Masters,

not Ryder Cup pts

says Lee Westwood

FROM THE GUARDIAN.CO.UK WEBSITE
Lee Westwood insists that the race for Ryder Cup points is not his priority as he attempts to end a barren spell which stretches back almost two years. Instead his target for the rest of the season is to win twice and become European No 1 again.
As the race for Ryder Cup places starts on Thursday in the Swiss Alps, Westwood insisted: "I'm here for one reason and that is to try and win the Omega European Masters. If I win then the rest will take care of itself.
"There is no point in worrying about something that is a consequence of something else – in other words, playing well. I am not thinking about the Ryder Cup at all."
Westwood, pictured above, has played well this year but failed to win a trophy. A last-hole bogey denied him a play-off in the Open at Turnberry and at last month's US PGA Championship he was third again, jointly with Rory McIlroy, his playing partner the next two days in Switzerland.
The 20-year-old Ulsterman is third on the European Tour money list and victory this weekend would take him above Martin Kaymer – who is out for at least another month after breaking a foot go-karting – and Paul Casey, whose return from a rib injury has been delayed.
Westwood is one spot behind his stable-mate and has his sights on regaining the Order of Merit crown he held in 2000 before slumping outside the world's top 250. He believes next year could be the one when he finally breaks through in the majors.
"I'm looking forward to them now that I know what I need to improve and work on to win one," he added. "They are just minute things and having been on Tour and playing the game at this level for the past 16 years I know that there is no next level so to speak. I just need to make small improvements here and there and that can make all the difference in four rounds of golf in a major championship."

Paul Casey comeback delayed: rib injury not healed

Paul Casey won't be making his comeback in this week's Deutsche Bank Championship after all.
The Englishman, ranked No 3 among the world's pros, has withdrawn because of a rib injury that has kept him out of golf for the last month.
Casey withdrew earlier today after hitting nothing more than a sand wedge on the practice range at the TPC Boston.
He had an MRI after withdrawing from the US PGA Championship last month. It showed a tear of an oblique and a strain of an intercostal muscle. Casey had a cortisone shot, although he was worried about making the injury worse and not being able to feel it.
He is No. 27 in the FedEx Cup standings, making him a virtual lock to advance next week if he can play. Casey also is No. 2 in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.

Els and Harrington head for

Singapore Open

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Major champions Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els will return to play in this year’s Barclays Singapore Open, where they both finished runner-up last season.
The Barclays Singapore Open will be played on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club from October 29 to November 1 and will boast prize money of US$5million - once again making it the richest national Open in Asia.
Korea’s K.J Choi and Darren Clarke from Northern Ireland will add further star appeal to the tournament, which for the first time is being joint-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
Harrington and Els are ranked 9th and 20th in the world, respectively, and finished tied for second place last weekend at The Barclays tournament in New York. They both missed makeable birdie putts on the final hole of the 2008 Barclays Singapore Open that would have forced a play-off with champion Jeev Milkha Singh from India.
Els also finished second in the 2006 Barclays Singapore Open when Australian Adam Scott beat him in a gripping three-hole play-off.
More marquee names will be announced in the coming weeks with players from all over the world eager to tee it up in the 46th edition of the event.
As a full field event of 156 players, the Barclays Singapore Open will comprise 65 players from each Tour with a further 10 places available through a local qualifying event on the Sunday and Monday before the tournament starts. There will be nine invitations, four amateurs and three Singaporean professionals.
This year’s Barclays Singapore Open will once again be broadcast live for all four days on the ESPN Star Sports network.

+++The Barclays Singapore Open clashes with the limited field Volvo Match-play Championship which is being held on the Costa del Sol in Spain for the first time.

Construction starts on Menie

Links November-December,

says Donald Trump

FROM THE GOLF WEEK WEBSITE
By Bradley S Keith
A controversy over five privately-owned parcels of land adjoining the planned Trump International Golf Club Scotland in Aberdeen, Scotland, will not stop Donald Trump from proceeding with construction of his links course before the end of the year.
The real estate magnate and golf course developer told Golfweek that he has initiated bid negotiations with four experienced links golf contractors and that “construction starts November-December.”
Trump International is a proposed 1,700-acre real estate, resort and golf development located seven miles north of Aberdeen. The site incorporates over three miles of prime dunes frontage along the North Sea and anticipates a five-star, nine-storey high, 500-room hotel. It also calls for a conference centre, 950 vacation homes and 500 luxury homes.
Two 18-hole courses also are planned, though Trump, working with English-based course architect Martin Hawtree, has finalised routing plans for only one course. Trump envisions it as worthy of an international championship, preferably the British Open.
That lay-out, as yet unnamed, calls for a circa 7,400-yard routing through dramatic dunes (pictured above) and across an environmentally sensitive sand dome that eventually will be covered in turf. The plan has passed muster with Aberdeenshire and Scottish zoning and environmental authorities.
Plans for the second course, intended as a more modest resort lay-out with more of an inland orientation, will depend in part upon the final configurations of the whole site.
Despite regional approvals, Trump doesn’t yet own all of the land he’d like to have for the project. There still are five contested inland parcels he’s trying to acquire. Though none are central to the golf course, they affect the ultimate scope and value of the development, according to Trump.
On Monday this week, the local Fortmartine Area Committee granted Trump permission to include the five parcels on his plan – despite the fact that they were not originally included in the site plan.
One parcel, a parking lot, is owned by Aberdeenshire Council, the governing body that gave Trump initial permission for the project. The other four are in the possession of individual homeowners. One hold-out, a retired fisherman named Michael Forbes, already has gained worldwide attention for his refusal to sell his 23-acre plot at any price.
Another hold-out, David Milne, told the Glasgow-based newspaper, The Herald, that "We have taken legal advice and been advised that these current applications are technically invalid and therefore any granted permission would be technically unlawful. The intention is to challenge these in court. It is likely to be on the basis of all four households. My home is not for sale.”
Trump’s on-site project director, George Sorial, has vowed to continue negotiations. Meanwhile, Trump plans to begin before the end of this year the 18-24 month long process of building the first course and its clubhouse.
Trump recognises that while it’s a down time in the golf and real estate market – “there’s a depression going,” he said – the site is too good to abandon. Nor is he worried about the immediate area’s susceptibility to heavy morning fog (“haar”) and cool temperatures – or the late afternoon shadows that emerge as the sun sets behind the Grampian Mountains. Such factors potentially limit golf-playable hours, even by Scottish standards.
Instead, Trump points to the famed Royal Aberdeen Golf Course just to the south of his site.
“It's got dunes that make their front nine one of the greatest stretches of golf in the world,” he says. “And our dunes are even better.”

Arnott wins Callaway at Edzell

play-off but Lee wins Tartan

Tour Order of Merit for 2009

Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range) birdied the third extra hole to beat Craig Lee (unattached) in a sudden-death play-off at the conclusion of the 36-hole Callaway at Edzell tournament at Edzell Golf Club.
Arnott had shot a pair of 67s for eight-under-par 134`, a total matched by Craig Lee, also with two rounds of 67.

The play-off holes were the first and the 18th.

Arnott and Lee both birdied the first, and halved the second in 4s, and then Arnott birdied the first hole again to win the top prize of £915.79. Lee won £824.21

In today's second round, Arnott covered the last 11 holes in five under par with a birdie at the eighth, an eagle at the ninth, and birdies at the 11th and 18th. He came home in 33.

Craig Lee, in contrast, covered the last 11 holes in "only" two under par: birdies at the ninth and 10th and pars at the remainder. He came home in 34.

They finished a shot ahead of Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) (71-64), Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) (68-67) and Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) (67-68), each of whom earned £641.09 for a share of third place.

McCreadie's 64 (31-33), also with an eagle 3 at the ninth, was the lowest of the tournament.

Colin Gillies had halves of 36 and 31 in his closing 67 while Lindsay Mann had halves of 32 and 36 for his 68

Overnight leader Samuel Cairns (Colville Park) sagged from a high of 66 to second-round 73 to tie for 13th place on 139.

Craig Lee has won the Scottish PGA's Order of Merit for the season with 962.50 from seven events, a total which cannot be caught with one event left offering Order of Merit points.

David Orr (East Renfrewshire) is in second place with 789.38 and Robert Arnott third with 746.67.

Jason McCreadie won the Callaway 36-hole Tournaments Order of Merit with 356.67pt from the three events. Craig Lee was runner-up with 317.50 and Robert Arnott third with 310pt.

Former British women's open amateur stroke-play champion Heather MacRae, a trainee pro at Gullane, finished joint 69th with rounds of 79 and 73 for 152. The cash prize list stopped at level par 144.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 142 (2x72)

134 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR) 67 67, Craig Lee (unatt) 67 67. Arnott (£915.79) beat Lee (£824.21) at the third hole of a sudden-death play-off.

135 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 71 64, Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) 68 67, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) 67 68 (£641.05 each).

136 James McGhee (Turnhouse) 68 68, Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 68 68 (£435.00 each).

137 Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) £70 67 (£366.31).

138 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 72 66, David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 71 67, Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park) 70 68, Gareth Wright (West Linton) 69 69 (£309.07 each).

139 James Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey) 69 70, Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) 68 71, Samuel Cairns (Colville Park) 66 73 (£228.95 each).

140 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 71 69 (£187.73).

141 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Edward Thomson (Senit Associates) 7170, Craig Ronald(Carluke) 72 69 (£157.21 each).

142 Gordon Law (Uphall) 74 69, Graeme Brown (Montrose), Mark Loftus (Cowglen) 70 72 (£129.73 each).

143 Euan Cameron (Hamilton), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 72 71, Mark King (Kingsfield) 72 71, James McKinnon (Irvine) 72 71, Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle) 72 71, Kenneth Hutton (Downfield) 72 71 (£107.60 each).

144 Scott Grieve (Turnhouse) 76 68, Scott Herald (Mearns Castle) 75 69, Ewan Davie (Dunblane New) 75 69, Graham Fox (East Kilbride) 74 70, Andrew Crerar (Panmure) 74 70, Mark Bruce (Gullane) 73 71, Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 72 72, Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 72 72 (£22.89 each.

145 Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) 74 71, Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design) 74 71, Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 74 71, Chris Kelly (Cawder) 73 72, Ian Graham (Crow Wood) 73 72 .

146 Christopher Currie (Caldwell) 79 67, Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) 68 68, Mark Finlayson (Edzell) 76 70, Callum Nicoll (Prestwick) 75 71, Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch) 75 71, Jonathan Cliff (Murrayfield) 75 71, Alan E Reid (West Lothian) 74 72, Paul Jamieson (Dunblane New) 74 72, Michael Rae (Alyth) 73 73, David Patrick (Elie) 70 76.

147 Peter Mitchell (Hermitage) 72 75.

148 Chris Campbell (Grantown on Spey) 75 73, Stephen Gray (Hayston) 75 73, Ken Campbell (Machrihanish) 73 75, Jamie Stevenson (Braehead) 69 79.

149 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 78 71, Jonathan Lomas (unatt) 77 72, Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar), Iain Donaldson (Meldrum House) 75 74, Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 74 75.

150 Paul Malone (Braid Hills GC) 79 71, Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride) 77 73, Gordon Niven (Stirling Univ) 76 74.

151 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 79 72, Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club) 78 73, Andrew Erskine (Ratho Park) 76 75, Steven Mann (Newmachar) 75 76.

152 Heather MacRae (Gullane) 79 73, Gregor Abel (Alloa) 76 76, Lee Vannett (Carnoustie Golf Links) 74 78.

153 Keil Beveridge (Aboyne) 79 74.

154 Richard Smith (Dumfries-shire GA) 76 78, Chris McCalman (unatt) 74 80.

155 Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) 81 74, Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill) 73 82.

156 Adam Rolfe (Royal Troon) 80 76, Ryan Buckley (Craigielaw) 77 79.

157 Alan Purdie (Kingsbarns GL 76 81.

158 Christopher Boyle (Lanark) 81 72.

159 David Gordon (Paisley) 83 76.

160 Stuart McEwing (Montrose) 84 76, Graeme Fisher (Mearns Castle) 81 79.

161 James Mooney (Kingscliff GS) 82 79.

162 Campbell Donaldson (Campbell Donaldson GA) 83 79.

163 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) 85 78.

Retired: Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre) 72 -.

SCOTTISH PGA ORDER OF MERIT TOP TEN

1 Craig Lee (unatt) 962.50.

2 David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 789.38.

3 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR) 746.67.

4 Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) 713.34.

5 Stephen Gray (Hayston) 710.25.

6 Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) 666.25.

7 Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 568.75.

8 Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 554.25.

9 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 536.67.

10 Mark King (Kingsfield) 510.83.

CALLAWAY 36-HOLE TOURNAMENTS' ORDER OF MERIT

Top 10 leading final totals
1 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 356.67.

2 Craig Lee (unatt) 317.50.

3 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR) 310.00.

4 Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 287.50.

5 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 230.00.

6 Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf) 213.17.

7 Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) 192.50.

8 Chris Kelly (Cawder) 177.00.

9 Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 159.50.

10 Samuel Cairns (Colville Park) 152.50.

Wentworth's West Course will

have new look come next May

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
It is one of the abiding images of any BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. The packed stands behind the 18th green on the West Course, flanked by the vast Hospitality Units on one side and state-of-the-art big screen TV on the other.
As a gladiatorial amphitheatre, that compact bowl sitting beneath the famous clubhouse generates an unbeatable electric atmosphere as the latest BMW PGA Champion is crowned on a Sunday evening in May.
However, a stroll down that familiar dog-leg par five closing hole at the moment will paint a completely different picture. The 18th green and approaches have disappeared under a mountain of earth as construction work continues apace to restore and modernise the West Course.
By the time Paul Casey defends his BMW PGA title next May, Wentworth will be proud owners of a fabulous facility designed for the 21st century, including a new-look 18th which promises to heighten the tension and drama like never before.
A water hazard will run parallel to the right-hand edge of the 18th fairway from 90 yards out then across the front portion and down the left side of the green. The green itself has been moved to the right and re-shaped to provide a potentially treacherous closing hole, adding to the excitement of the spectators and the nerves of the players.
It has been an enormous project undertaken by the Ernie Els Design Team in the immediate aftermath of the 2009 BMW PGA Championship, at the behest of Wentworth Club’s ambitious owner, Richard Caring, who took the bold decision to close the West Course for ten months and dig up all 18 greens and replace the poa grass with colonial bent to USGA specifications.
As Els says: “Through detailed discussions with Richard Caring, it became clear that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave a lasting legacy - a final, dramatic brush stroke if you like -on the one remaining area of the West Course which required attention.
“I firmly believe that if Harry Colt was alive today he would approve of what we are doing to refine and modernise his classic design. Harry was a man of remarkable vision and style in the early part of the 20th century and I am of the opinion that Wentworth’s role is to be equally visionary and progressive in this first decade of the 21st century.
"It is Wentworth’s way to pay close attention to detail and take pride in the quality of finish. This is what we are doing with the West.”
Apart from hole 18, which promises to be the jewel in the crown when the course re-opens for play in March 2010, there will be several other changes to whet the appetite of the golfing connoisseur.
Specifically,
+The ninth green has been raised by a metre.
+The 12th green - which will become a challenging 485yd par-4 par-4 rather than a straightforward par-5 - by nearly two metres.
+The 17th has new humps and swales which will sweep away any misdirected shots.
+The eighth green is smaller and the water hazard has been extended so that it is now in close proximity to the putting surface.
Additionally, a full review of the bunkering has also been undertaken with some new ones constructed, some removed altogether and others remodelled.
Around 20,000 square metres of turf was grown in Lincolnshire and transported in sections as required to Surrey to be laid with the skill and efficiency of a carpet-fitter within 24 hours of delivery. As with every other part of the project, nothing is ever left to chance.
Currently, eight greens have been completed, with a view for the remainder of the basic reconstruction work to be completed by the end of September 2009.
Els has taken an almost paternal view of the project and, like any expectant father, he cannot wait for the 2010 BMW PGA Championship, when his peers on The European Tour can ‘test drive’ the new layout for the first time in competition.
He concluded: “When Colt designed the course there were no sprinkler systems, so the greens needed to be able to hold water in the winter to provide moisture for the summer. To do this they put a layer of clay underneath the top soil.
“But now with today’s sprinkler systems and the rain we get early in the year, the water has nowhere to go so it just collects on the surface of the greens. That creates sponginess and an inconsistent roll. That’s why we had to rebuild the greens. It was the only way forward.”
Nothing gets in the way of progress and certainly the West Course greens present an aesthetically pleasing – as well as challenging – appearance with the new colonial bent grass creating a colour contrast with the darker rye grass around the fringes.
There is already a tangible sense of excitement around Wentworth these days and it is not hard to see why. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to witness the work in progress will want to dust down the clubs and play.
It promises to be an awesome and formidable experience.

Sir Bob Charles says he plans one more

year of competitive senior golf

New Zealand golfing great Sir Bob Charles is close to ending his tenure on the European Tour's senior golf circuit.
Charles, 73, said he had become increasingly weary of travelling and had virtually given up playing on the Champions Tour in the United States.
"I'd like to think I'll play half a dozen tournaments next year," he told the Glasgow Herald newspaper.
"I've been tapering off in recent years. I played 13 last year and this year it will be eight".
"I'd like to think I will have one more year of competitive golf and after that I cannot envision playing competitively other than the Legends of Golf (in the US)."
The 1963 Open champion is yet to decide where and when to bid farewell to the game
Earlier this summer Sir Bob, with the help of Aberdeen businessman Jim Hardie, who spends Scotland's winter in New Zealand, played a series of Scottish east, North-east and North links courses.

Torrance says place in world's top 50 is

essential for Ryder Cup hopefuls

FROM THE SCOTSMAN. SPORT.COM WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Sam Torrance has said that he believes it will be almost impossible for players outside the top 50 in the world to make the European team for next year's Ryder Cup in Wales.
The race for places in Colin Montgomerie's side starts in the Omega European Masters in Switzerland tomorrow and Torrance, who captained Europe to victory at The Belfry in 2002, will be watching with interest over the next 12 months.Speaking yesterday at Archerfield Links, where he was playing in an invitational pro-am hosted by D J Russell, Torrance revealed that he sees the contenders being those players who are exempt for the majors and the WCG events.
"I think it is going to be extremely difficult for anyone outside the top 50 in the world to make this Ryder Cup team," he commented. "I wouldn't say it is impossible but it's going to be damn near it, I'm afraid."
That view was also expressed by some players during last week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. Frenchman Gregory Havret believes he'll require at least two wins on the European Tour in the next 12 months to have a chance of playing at Celtic Manor, while Scotland's Alastair Forsyth said victory in an event like the BMW Championship at Wentworth was a minimum requirement.
Torrance also reckons Montgomerie won't be sickened by the Ryder Cup, his fellow Scot having jokingly said that he'd shoot anyone who mentioned the event the day after the match finished in Wales.
"The Ryder Cup certainly isn't suffocating," added Torrance. "It is the greatest thing I've ever done in my life and Colin should relish and enjoy every moment of it. I certainly didn't mind anyone coming up to me the day after the match at The Belfry and mentioning the Ryder Cup to me – far from it."
Paul Lawrie is hoping he can push himself into the frame for Montgomerie's team, the Aberdonian having been given a new lease by the looks of things after recently linking up with Sam's dad, Bob, one of the most respected coaches in the game.
Lawrie finished third at Gleneagles on Sunday and Torrance was among those impressed by the former Open champion's performance over the PGA Centenary Course.
"I was watching on TV and I have to say that I thought Paul's swing was magnificent," he said. "Who knows if working with my dad is what Paul needed at this stage of his career but it is certainly paying off for him at the moment."
Torrance is hoping the performances of Lawrie and Gary Orr, who closed with a 64 to finish fifth behind Swede Peter Hedblom, could spark an upturn in fortune for Scotland's professionals over the coming months. He added:
"One question I've been asked a lot over the last year or so is about the lack of top Scottish golfers. But I believe there are loads of top Scottish golfers around and it's just a case of them making the breakthrough.
"For instance, I am waiting on the Saltman brothers to kick on as they are an exceptional golfing family. It just needs something to happen for them."
Torrance was joined at Archerfield Links by another former Ryder Cup captain, Ian Woosnam, who is adamant he won't be persuaded to be part of Montgomerie's backroom team at Celtic Manor in just over 12 months' time.
"I'm going to be keeping the commitments I've made," said the man who led Europe to a record-equalling win at The K Club in 2006. "I'm an Ambassador for Wales and that's what I'll be doing at Celtic Manor."