A Senior moment to remember: Eagle 3 at

last gives Peter lead in Czech Republic

By SCOTT CROCKETT, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
A sensational chip-in for an eagle 3 on the final hole kept Australian Peter Senior on course for his first European Senior Tour title in the Casa Serena Open in the Czech Republic.
The 50 year old, runner up in the last Senior Tour event at Woburn two weeks ago after taking a four shot lead into the final round, looked out of sorts for most of his second round but made amends with a spectacular finish to the afternoon.
Two shots off the pace with two holes to go, the four time European Tour champion fired a five iron to four feet for a birdie two on the short 17th before chipping in from 50 yards left of the pin on the 554 yard 18th to regain the pole position he had held after his course record opening 64.
“Golf can be a really funny game at times and I think I just proved that,” said Senior who finally carded a 69 for a nine under par total of 133 and a one shot lead going into Sunday’s final round over his fellow Australian Noel Ratcliffe and Peter Mitchell of England.
Defending champion Bernhard Langer lurks menacingly in a share of fourth place alongside England’s Nick Job, only two shots behind, but the story of the second day’s play at the picturesque venue some 70 kilometres south east of Prague belonged to Senior.
“It was pretty ordinary for me most of the day to be honest but the ends rescued that,” he said. “It was one of those days where, despite trying hard, I just couldn’t get anything going. But I hung in there and it just goes to show, if you do that, you never know what is going to happen.”
Fellow Australian Ratcliffe looked, for long spells, like he would take the lead into the final day but a stumbling finish, which featured bogeys at both the 16th and the 18th saw him have to settle for a 68 and an eight under par total of 134, alongside Mitchell, who posted his second consecutive 67.
The 51 year old Englishman had a sensational first season on the Senior Tour, winning three times, but his work off the course this year, trying to develop a range of Golf Academies across England and Europe, has seen him spend more time away from the practice range than he would have liked.
“That hasn’t helped, sure, but that has been my choice,” said Mitchell who, coincidentally, opened up with two 67s in last year’s event to share the lead going into the final round before he succumbed to Bernhard Langer.
“It would be nice to make amends for last year but any win is great and I hope I can do well enough to come through tomorrow,” he said. “The good thing is that I am playing better now and, with this year behind me, I can concentrate on putting together a full playing schedule next year.”
Although the leading trio will form the final group on Sunday, many eyes will still look to the penultimate group and the figure of Bernhard Langer as the man most likely to pick up the trophy.
The 52 year old German started his second round in positive fashion with three birdies in his first six holes but, thereafter, the double Masters Tournament champion saw his challenge falter and a bogey at the tenth was only finally cancelled out by a birdie four at the 18th on his way to a 68.
“It was a frustrating day for me for a number of reasons,” he said. “For a long spell in the middle of the round I just could not get the ball close to the hole and then, in the latter part of the round, when I did start hitting it close, I couldn’t hole any putts.
“But that is the way it goes sometimes. The good thing, however, is that despite not playing my best today I am still in the hunt. You do not often successfully defend a title – although I did manage it once last year in the States – but it is a good feeling and I’ll be trying hard to do it again tomorrow.”
Further down the leaderboard, Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance, the men currently in the box seats for the battle for the Senior Tour Order of Merit title, both carded 69s to finish the second round in tie for sixth place and a tie for 28th place respectively.
However with €90,000 available to the winner from a total prize fund of €600,000 – the biggest prize fund on the 2009 Senior Tour outside the Major Championships – a lot of movement is still possible and is indeed likely in the battle for the John Jacobs Trophy before the dust settles.
SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
133 P Senior (Aus) 64 69,
134 N Ratcliffe (Aus) 66 68, P Mitchell (Eng) 67 67,
135 B Langer (Ger) 67 68, N Job (Eng) 68 67,
136 B Cameron (Eng) 69 67, I Woosnam (Wal) 67 69,
137 D Smyth (Irl) 70 67, C Mason (Eng) 66 71, D Hospital (Esp) 66 71,
138 G Ralph (Eng) 70 68, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 68 70, G Brand (Eng) 67 71,
139 J Bruner (USA) 67 72, G Cali (Ita) 70 69, M Farry (Fra) 67 72, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 70, M Harwood (Aus) 68 71, T Giedeon (Ger) 70 69, J Rivero (Esp) 72 67, C Williams (RSA) 68 71,
140 B Boyd (USA) 72 68, B Smit (RSA) 70 70, D Merriman (Aus) 71 69, M Cunning (USA) 72 68,
141 B Longmuir (Sco) 71 70, D Russell (Eng) 68 73,
142 M Clayton (Aus) 73 69, R Chapman (Eng) 72 70, S Torrance (Sco) 73 69,
143 D Cambridge (Jam) 71 72, J Cañizares (Esp) 72 71, A Franco (Par) 75 68, K Spurgeon (Eng) 71 72, D Durnian (Eng) 73 70, J Chillas (Sco) 72 71,
144 R Drummond (Sco) 72 72, C Rocca (Ita) 75 69, G Towne (USA) 76 68, L Carbonetti (Arg) 72 72, J Quiros (Esp) 75 69,
145 M Williams (Zim) 72 73, E Rodriguez (Esp) 73 72, D Good (Aus) 75 70, T Johnstone (Zim) 72 73, J Rhodes (Eng) 74 71,
146 E Darcy (Irl) 71 75, B Lincoln (RSA) 73 73, S Owen (Nzl) 71 75, A Murray (Eng) 71 75, J Hall (Eng) 76 70, M Miller (Sco) 72 74,
147 M Bembridge (Eng) 72 75, A Fernandez (Chi) 76 71, G Watine (Fra) 76 71, P Allan (Eng) 71 76, J Hawkes (RSA) 76 71,
148 H Carbonetti (Arg) 78 70, P Oakley (USA) 78 70, A Barrera (Arg) 76 72,
149 G Encina (Chi) 75 74, T Gale (Aus) 72 77, S Bennett (Eng) 72 77, J Heggarty (Nir) 76 73, M Piñero (Esp) 76 73,
150 E Polland (Nir) 72 78,
151 M Poxon (Eng) 76 75,
152 D Johnson (USA) 76 76,
153 I Mosey (Eng) 75 78, J Seifert (Cze) 77 76,
155 A Garrido (Esp) 78 77,
158 P Brostedt (Swe) 78 80,

GB&I Fightback Sets Stage For PGA Cup Showdown

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA
By NAT SYLVESTER, PGA Press Officer.
Great Britain & Ireland fought back from the brink today to give themselves a chance of reclaiming the PGA Cup at The Carrick on Loch Lomond on Sunday.
After trailing 6-2 overnight, Gary Alliss’s team produced a stirring display in the Saturday morning four-balls, which they won 3-1, and then halved the afternoon foursomes 2-2 to sit 9-7 behind going into tomorrow’s final day singles.
A rousing start had been a must for GB&I but they were pushed all the way by Brian Whitcomb’s US team with two of the morning matches extremely close run affairs with the outcome going right down to the last hole.
“It was a very good day’s work,” said Alliss. “We were very motivated this morning because the guys felt they did not play their A game yesterday and were determined to show they can play.
“They gelled well and got used to the greens. Maybe yesterday they tried to make things happen and you can’t force things on these greens.”
Topping off a successful morning for the home side was the Welsh pairing of Andrew Barnett (North Wales Driving Range) and James Lee (Caerphilly), who were playing together for the third successive time this week.
The Welshmen were never in front until the last hole but turned the match with a brilliant iron by Barnett on the par-3 16th which was conceded to square the match.
The pair clinched a one-hole victory on the last when Lippert found a greenside bunker with his second shot while both Welsh boys found the green. Their putts rolled close to the hole and that was enough to win the match after Lippert took two attempts to get his ball out of the sand.
“We knew we needed 3-1,” said Barnett. “We had a talk last night and stressed how important it was to close the gap and we’ve done that this morning. And what it’s all about, that’s why we’re here for these close matches.”
Earlier Paul Simpson (West Berkshire) and Jamie Harris (Nevill GC) secured a point by finally seeing out a rollercoaster battle against Craig Thomas and the previously unbeaten Kyle Flinton.
The score changed hands on the first eight holes until the first half on the ninth - in part due to three birdies and two bogeys from Flinton from the fourth.
However the match was all square at the turn. Simpson sank a birdie at the par-5 11th to put them one up. A bogey from Harris at 14 was recovered at the next as he atoned with a birdie.
The pair then clung on for the final three holes, Simpson sinking a crucial 4ft putt at the last to avoid a half.
“Everyone was really upbeat last night and we were saying after the first day there are still 18 points up for grabs and so much can happen,” said Harris. “You’ve seen it often enough in Ryder Cups and we knew it was important to get some blue on the board early.”
The tone had earlier been set by heavyweight pairing Paul Wesselingh (Kedleston Park) and Jeremy Robinson (Twyford Driving Range), who took on Ryan Benzel and Mike Small.
The GB&I duo saw a two-hole advantage wiped out after the 14th but Wesselingh sank a 20ft birdie putt on the 16th to put them one up before closing out the match 2 and 1 at the next after the US side bogeyed the 17th.
“Yesterday was frustrating because I felt we played well but didn’t get the breaks,” said Wesselingh. “On nine for example I hit the pin and ended 60ft away but it happened to Mike today and that’s match-play.”
Wesselingh and Robinson repeated their successful formula in the afternoon foursomes to chalk up a comprehensive 5 and 4 win against Benzel and Lippert, wrapping up victory with a birdie on the par-3 14th.
Jon Bevan & Andrew Barnett grabbed the second point in the foursomes, running out 2 and 1 winners against Mike Small and Lee Rinker.
Houghwood GC’s Barry Taylor was on the end of a second successive 6 & 5 drubbing in the foursomes alongside Falkirk Tryst’s Craig Matheson. The match saw a dispute on the eighth hole over a conceded putt when Steve Schneiter tapped in without a concession from GB&I who were awarded the hole.
“Even one on the opposing side came up to me and said it was the right decision,” said Alliss. “It was agreed before the matches a concession would be said loudly. I think it’s in the past and I think Craig feels very embarrassed about it.”
US skipper Whitcomb said: “When you play enough golf you see a lot of things, it was an unfortunate situation and I’m glad it made no difference to the outcome but it’s in the past, my guys have forgotten it.”
Later the result in the Americans' favour was amended to 7 and 6 because a wrong ruling had been given.
Harris and Simpson couldn’t repeat their heroics of the morning, going down 2 and 1 to Scott Hebert and Sonny Skinner.
The scene is now set for a thrilling day’s singles tomorrow and Whitcomb says his team is ready for the challenge.
“It’s all to play for. We’re happy where we are, everybody always wishes they have an extra point in their pocket but we’re ready and we look forward to it.”
SATURDAY RESULTS
MORNING FOUR-BALLS
GB&I names first
Paul Wesselingh & Jeremy Robinson bt Ryan Benzel & Mike Small 2 and 1.
Paul Simpson & Jamie Harris bt Craig Thomas & Kyle Flinton 1 hole.
Andrew Barnett & James Lee bt Eric Lippert & Mark Sheftic 1 hole.
Jon Bevan & Will Barnes lost to Steve Schneiter & Scott Hebert 1 hole.
AFTERNOON FOURSOMES
Harris & Simpson lost to Scott Hebert & Sonny Skinner 2 and 1.
Barry Taylor & Craig Matheson lost to Schneiter & Thomas 7 and 6.
Wesselingh & Robinson beat Benzel & Lippert 5 and 4.
Barnett & Bevan beat Small & Lee Rinker 2 and 1.

+For full results of the first and second day's play, log onto www.pgacup.com where the Sunday singles will also be published.

EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT, SCORES

Benn Who? leads Austrian Open by three

strokes: It should be a Viennese Waltz?

Benn Barham, a household name only in his own kitchen, can only throw away the Austrian Open championship title on Sunday.
Benn Who??? continued his excellent form, which he has kept well hidden for a long time, to give himself a terrific chance of his first European Tour title.
The 33-year-old unknown soldier from Kent carded a four-under-par round of 67 to secure a three-shot lead going into the final round in Vienna on Sunday.
Barham, who had also topped the leaderboard after the first two rounds, wobbled on the seventh with a double bogey but recovered strongly and managed six birdies to take himself to a 17-under-par total.
Denmark's Soren Hansen (65) is his closest rival three shots back, with the 2007 tournament winner Richard Green, from Australia, a further stroke back in third.
Victory for Barham would secure his card on the European Tour for a fourth consecutive year, and he said: "It was the way you want to play every week - hit fairways, hit greens and hole a few putts.
"We all want that and if you could bottle these feelings and shots, you would be onto something. It makes you wonder sometimes what you have been doing the last seven months. But you learn and it makes you stronger."
The leading Scot on 204 - eight shots off the pace - is former PGA Championship winner, Scott Drummond, desperately striving to hold on to his players' card at the end of this season when his five-year exemption expires. The Anglo-Scot is going back four shots with every round: 64-68-72. What's the odds he has a 76 on Sunday?
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
196 Benn Barham 63 66 67
199 Soren Hansen (Den) 67 67 65
200 Richard Green (Aus) 65 66 69
201 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 67 65
203 Brett Rumford (Aus) 64 71 68, Richard Bland 68 70 65
204 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 65 70 69, David Howell 69 69 66, Scott Drummond 64 68 72, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 68 65 71, David Drysdale 69 68 67, Markus Brier (Aut) 68 67 69, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 71 67 66, Pablo Martin (Spa) 66 68 70
205 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 66 69 70, Damien McGrane 71 67 67, Chris Gaunt (Aus) 66 67 72, David Horsey 67 67 71, Matthew Cort 68 68 69, Seve Benson 69 68 68, Simon Wakefield 68 70 67
206 Iain Pyman 70 65 71, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 69 68 69, David Dixon 68 67 71, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 72 66 68, Bradley Dredge 72 64 70
207 Gary Murphy 68 67 72, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 67 68 72, Marc Warren 68 68 71, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 70 67 70, David Lynn 67 68 72, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 69 70 68
208 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 67 68 73, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 69 69 70, Alex Cejka (Ger) 69 68 71, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 71 67 70, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 67 71 70, Callum Macaulay 66 74 68, Marco Ruiz (Par) 70 68 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 68 69, Mark Foster 65 68 75, Gregory Havret (Fra) 69 67 72, Thomas Levet (Fra) 68 70 70
209 Wil Besseling (Ned) 68 67 74, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 66 74 69, Paul Lawrie 68 70 71, Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 69 69
210 Gary Lockerbie 68 71 71, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 68 70 72, Stephen Dodd 71 68 71, Joost Luiten (Ned) 67 67 76, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 70 71, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 69 71, Lee Slattery 67 73 70
211 Sam Walker 72 68 71, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 68 70 73, Alan McLean 72 67 72, Phillip Archer 65 71 75, Ross McGowan 67 70 74
212 Richie Ramsay 72 68 72, Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 72 68 72, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice) 73 66 73, Cesar Monasterio (Arg) 71 68 73
214 Alexandre Rocha (Bra) 70 70 74, Steven O'Hara 69 71 74
221 Lukas Nemecz (Aut) 71 68 82

Happiness is cup-shaped for Nairn's winning quartet (left to right) Robert Smith, Neil Hampton, Fraser Fotheringham and Steve MacDonald at Peterhead. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on it to enlarge.

Nairn 1's Smith, Hampton, Fotheringham

and MacDonald win Counties Cup

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Nairn Golf Club won the Northern Counties men's double foursomes match-play golf tournament at Peterhead today for a fourth time since 1998. Their No 1 team of Fraser Fotheringham, Steve MacDonald, Neil Hampton and Robert Smith finished a combined two holes up on Cruden Bay 1's quartet of Michael Buchan, Alan Duff, Dave Milne and Dominic King in the final. Fotheringham and MacDonald finished three holes down to Cruden Bay's Buchan and Duff in the first-string tie but Hampton and Smith, who have partnered each other in each of Nairn's previous wins recently in 1998, 1904 and 2007, came to the rescue by finishing five holes to the good over Cruden Bay's Milne and King. The destination of the trophy which has been contested since 1900, making it one of the oldest amateurs tournaments in Scotland if not farther afield, was still in the balance over the closing holes. Nairn's Fotheringham and MacDonald, always in arrears, were four down after 17 holes but won the 18th, which was to prove crucial. Second-stringers Hampton and Smith were "only" three up with two to play but won the 17th and the 18th to finish five up and these holes were the double whammy clincher, to coin a phrase! Next year's tournament will be played at Royal Dornoch, a classic venue which is persuading Hampton and Smith to partner each other "just one more time!" In fairness to 20-year-old Fotheringham, who will soon be off to spend our winter playing golf in Australia's summer, and MacDonald, who were the losing Nairn pair in the final, it should be stressed that it was their performance in the semi-finals against Nairn 2 that made the difference between victory and defeat. They finished six up while Hampton and Smith finished two down. SATURDAY RESULTS SEMI-FINALS Nairn 1 beat Nairn 2 by four holes F Fotheringham & S MacDonald 6, G Burnett & N Howitt 0. N D Hampton & R Smith 0, P Tomisson & P Saggers 2. Cruden Bay 1 beat Moray 1 by three holes. M Buchan & A Duff 3, I S Geddes & R MacPherson 0. D Milne & D King 0, R Clarke & K Thomson 0. FINAL Nairn 1 beat Cruden Bay 1 by two holes Fotheringham & MacDonald 0, Buchan & Duff 3. Hampton & Smith 5, Milne & King 0.

CHALLENGE TOUR

Molinari matches on towards a second title

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Edoardo Molinari’s imperious season continued as he took a stranglehold of the Kazakhstan Open with a round of 66 on day three of the €400,000 event.
The Italian, who has already collected €124,080 thanks largely to one victory and a further seven top ten finishes this season, leads by three shots from Sweden’s Peter Gustafsson after another masterclass at Zhailjau Golf Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Six birdies in his flawless round of 66 moved Molinari to 16 under par and put him on course to smash David Horsey’s record earnings of €144,118, achieved last season.
England’s Chris Gane is four strokes back after a round of 68, with a quintet of players a shot further back on 11 under par: the English trio of Gary Boyd, Daniel Denison and Andrew Marshall, Welshman Rhys Davies and Frenchman Julien Quesne.
But they face a stiff examination in trying to overhaul Molinari, who believes that a closing round of 68 will put him beyond reach.
He said: “My round today was very similar to my third round in Holland last week, so I was very pleased with the score – especially as I didn’t drop any shots. I drove the ball well again today, but my putting was the main reason for my low score. I didn’t really miss any short putts at all, whether it be for birdie or par. There are some very tricky holes so you have to take advantage of the par 5s, and I managed to birdie them all. Whenever you do that, you’re probably going to shoot low.
“I’ve been in this position a few times before this season and a couple of times I finished second, like in Geneva and Scotland. But I only had a one-shot lead both times, so the three-shot cushion should give me a bit more breathing space. If I can get to 20 under par, I don’t think anyone will be able to catch me. If they can, then good luck to them – I would be happy to finish second!”
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
200 E Molinari (Ita) 67 67 66,
203 P Gustafsson (Swe) 69 67 67,
204 C Gane (Eng) 70 66 68,
205 J Quesne (Fra) 71 67 67, D Denison (Eng) 70 69 66, A Marshall (Eng) 71 63 71, G Boyd (Eng) 63 71 71, R Davies (Wal) 72 68 65,
206 P Whiteford (Sco) 68 67 71,
207 J Clément (Sui) 67 69 71, S Juul (Den) 72 69 66, M Wiegele (Aut) 69 70 68,
208 J Grillon (Fra) 70 69 69, G Paddison (Nzl) 69 67 72, A Wagner (Arg) 73 67 68, S Saavedra (Arg) 70 68 70, S Bebb (Wal) 74 66 68,
209 M Zions (Aus) 68 69 72, O Floren (Swe) 66 72 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 68 70, J Zapata (Arg) 74 66 69, B Mason (Eng) 69 70 70, A Gee (Eng) 72 68 69, S Thornton (Irl) 69 66 74, S Jamieson (Sco) 74 67 68,
210 L Saltman (Sco) 67 72 71, M Haastrup (Den) 73 66 71, F Colombo (Ita) 72 71 67,
211 S Tiley (Eng) 71 69 71, B Evans (Eng) 69 72 70, C Carranza (Arg) 75 68 68, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 71 72 68,
212 N Smith (USA) 66 76 70, B Pettersson (Swe) 70 71 71, R Steiner (Aut) 71 69 72, S Manley (Wal) 73 70 69, C Russo (Fra) 70 66 76, Z Scotland (Eng) 72 69 71, C Brazillier (Fra) 74 68 70,
213 A Tampion (Aus) 69 72 72, P Kaensche (Nor) 73 69 71, B Hebert (Fra) 73 70 70, D Wardrop (Eng) 70 73 70, J Morrison (Eng) 68 70 75, J Olesen (Den) 72 68 73,
214 T Carolan (Aus) 68 74 72, A McArthur (Sco) 70 72 72, D Griffiths (Eng) 72 70 72, C Moriarty (Irl) 71 70 73, A Kaleka (Fra) 71 71 72,
215 J Lima (Por) 69 73 73, B Alvarado (Chi) 72 70 73, A Bernadet (Fra) 72 71 72, D Hewan (RSA) 71 72 72,
216 M Tullo (Chi) 70 73 73, J Sjöholm (Swe) 71 71 74,
217 A Ahokas (Fin) 70 73 74, J McLeary (Sco) 71 70 76,
218 S Davis (Eng) 69 72 77, P Golding (Eng) 73 70 75,
219 G Shaw (Nir) 70 73 76, S Surry (Eng) 75 68 76, A Snobeck (Fra) 74 69 76, P Baker (Eng) 72 71 76,
220 L Bond (Wal) 71 71 78,

Lothians captain regrets demise of present

Scottish area team qualifying set-up

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Keith Nicholson, the Lothians captain, admits he'll be feeling a tinge of sadness when he leads his players into battle against Perth & Kinross in the Scottish Area Team Championship at Crieff tomorrow.
The match is meaningless for Lothians, the record 12-times winners of the event having already lost to Angus and Lanarkshire.
But even more of a sore point for Haddington's current Lothians champion is the fact that this will be the last match under the current format of a round-robin stage of three games followed by the semi-finals and final over one weekend at the end of the season.
Next year, the event is being given a radical shake-up, with the lure of World Ranking points likely to ensure the participation of the country's top amateurs.
It will take place over one weekend in May with six-man teams playing two stroke-play rounds over two different courses on the Saturday. The top four teams will progress to the semi-finals on Sunday morning. The format for those will be one foursome and four singles.
The Scottish Golf Union believes it will be a winning format all round but Nicholson, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, is not so sure and is particularly concerned about the fact that it is being played so early in the season.
He said: "Players hoping to make an impact in a bid to get into their Area teams are certainly going to have to do that pretty quickly due to the new event being held in May.
"If it was being held later in the season, it would give team captains like myself the chance to look at players in friendlies before throwing them in at the deep end.
"In effect, county golf in Scotland is going to be finished by May and I, for one, think that is disappointing because playing for the Lothians was the highlight of the season for me."
SUNDAY'S MATCHES
GROUP A
Borders v Ayrshire at Hawick
North-east v Stirlingshire at Murcar Links
GROUP B
Lanarkshire v Angus at Kirkhill
Perth & Kinross v Lothians at Crieff.
GROUP C
Argyll & Bute v Fife at Machrihanish
Renfrewshire v Clackmannanshire at Erskine.
GROUP D
Dunbartonshire v Glasgow at Cardross.
North v South at Nairn.

NATIONWIDE TOUR REPORT

Blake Adams goes four shots clear

in Boise Open with a 65

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
Boise, Idaho -- It wasn't a question of if Blake Adams would hold the second-round lead at the Albertsons Boise Open but by how much. Adams posted a bogey-free, 6-under 65 on day two and bolted to a four-stroke lead at the halfway point of the $725,000 event.
Adams has opened a gap on one of the strongest fields in Tour history by doing what every golfer wants to do -- hit it far and make a bunch of putts. Adams ranks No. 1 on the Tour in average driving distance (312.9 yards) and No. 6 in putting average and the first two trips around the Hillcrest Country Club proved to be more of the same for the 34-year old Georgian.
After rolling in an eight-foot birdie putt on his final hole to reach 14-under 128 and tie the tournament's 36-hole record, Adams had no idea where he stood in relation to everyone else.
"I didn't look at it (leaderboard) all day. I don't ever look," said Adams, who was then informed by the local media that he was ahead by a few. "It's a lot better than being down by eight. It really doesn't matter. We're only halfway home."
Josh Teater, winner of last week's Utah Championship, and PGA TOUR rookie Leif Olson share second place at 10-under 132.
Daniel Summerhays, Fran Quinn and Florida State rookie Jonas Blixt are at 9-under 133 and five back of Adams, who has reached No. 4 on the money list by doing everything but win a tournament. Adams has seven top-10s this year, including a second, two thirds and a fourth place but is still in search of his first career title.
"I've put myself in a lot of good spots this year and I feel like I've played just as good on Sunday as I have on Thursday or Friday," he said. "For whatever reason, it hasn't been my time. In all honesty, on Sundays I've had a little too far to climb."
The big-hitting Adams held a one-stroke lead after an opening 63 Thursday and gradually distanced himself from any challengers by bashing tee shots and hitting his irons close. Five of his six birdie putts were inside of eight feet, one of them coming after he missed a 15-foot eagle putt at the 535-yard, 16th hole where he had an easy 8-iron into the green.
"That's a big advantage and I know that," said Adams of his booming tee shots. "I don't think you can overpower this golf course. I'm just driving it well and I'm making putts. It's golf. If you think you've got it whipped, it'll whip you. I feel like I'm making the putts I should make. I would definitely like to make more 20, 30 and 40-footers. I don't make a lot of those."
Teater, a Kentucky native, is riding his own personal hot streak. His victory outside Salt Lake City last week vaulted him to No. 8 on the money list and assured him a spot on the PGA TOUR next year as a member of "THE 25" top money winners in 2009.
"At any point in this game, it comes in cycles," said Teater. "I'm rolling the putter real well. It's been far from flawless out there with my ball-striking but the putter has saved me."
It saved him in enough situations that all he could do was chuckle about the putts he's been making this week, the same ones that Adams covets. During the second round alone he rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt, a 35-foot birdie putt and a couple of birdie putts from the 20-foot range.
"I made a few putts out there that I had to laugh at," said Teater, who has needed only 52 putts thus far. "I feel like I have a chance to make every one I look at. I don't know how long it's going to last but I'm going to try and ride it out. When it's going good, it's going good."
Second-Round Notes:
* Fabian Gomez aced the par-3, 13th hole. Gomez used a 7-iron for his hole-in-one at the 204-yard hole. It was the 15th ace in the tournament's 20-year history.
* A total of 62 players made the 36-hole cut, which came at 3-under 139.
* Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler (73-71?144) missed the cut in his professional debut. Fowler had an eagle, three birdies and five bogeys in his even-par round Friday.
"It wasn't exactly like I want it to play out but it was fun," said Fowler, who got off to a par-birdie-eagle start. "I was hoping to get something going today. I gave myself some looks but I struggled with the putter, with the speed and getting the ball on line. Overall, I played pretty well this week."
Fowler three-putted twice in the second round and finished with 36 total putts for the day.
"I don't know if it will ever hit me-hit me that now I'm a professional. If I can play well and make a check, that'll be nice to be rewarded for good play. I'm not worried about the money and stuff like that. I just want to come out and play as well as I can. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way this week."
Fowler has received a sponsor exemption for the $1M Soboba Classic in San Jacinto, Calif. in two weeks.
* Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, also made his Tour debut this week and also missed the cut. Saunders had scores of 71-71?142 but hit only 6 of 14 during both the first and the second rounds.
"Overall, I hit the ball well. Unfortunately I just missed too many fairways. I think it was a little bit of nerves probably. I think any player you ask out here is nervous on the first tee. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter if you've won 10 times or it's your first tournament, you're nervous on the first tee. I learned I can play out here. I think I can hit the shots and I'm a good enough putter. I think I can play out here. I just need to tighten a few things up and hit a few more fairways. I learned that my game is getting close to where it needs to be."
LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
128 B Adams 63 65
132 J Teater 67 65, L Olson 69 63.
133 D Summerhays 67 66, F Quinn 68 65, J Blixt 69 64.
MISSED THE CUT (139 or better)
Selected scores:
145 G Christian (Eng) 74 71.
146 M Richardson (Eng) 76 70.

US CHAMPIONS TOUR REPORT

Jay Haas leads with 10-under 62 in

Greater Hickory Classic, Sandy Lyle (73)

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
CONOVER, N.C. (AP) -- Jay Haas shot a 10-under 62 during the first round of the rain-delayed Greater Hickory Classic on Friday, taking a three-shot lead into the weekend.
Haas is the 2005 tournament champion and tied for second two years ago. He played a bogey-free round at Rock Barn Golf and Spa's Robert Trent Jones course.
"It was one of those days," said the 55-year-old Haas, who is winless on the Champions Tour this season. "I got off to a good start ... and it felt comfortable. I drove the ball well, and I made a few extra putts I hadn't been making. I was in the zone, as they say."
Haas' was one shot shy of tying the tournament record, set last year by two-time and defending champion R.W. Eaks. It also matched the Champions Tour's low round of the season, set by Brad Bryant in the first round of the Jen-Weld Tradition on Aug. 17 in Sunriver, Ore.
Gil Morgan was second after his 65, with Tom Jenkins, Jerry Pate and three-time major champion Nick Price another stroke back. Nine other players, among them former PGA Championship winners Jeff Sluman and Hal Sutton, were tied for fourth after rounds of 67.
Eaks and Fred Funk -- who leads Loren Roberts by 57 points in the Charles Schwab Cup standings -- were among those who shot 69.
Haas, last year's Charles Schwab Cup winner, had missed the last two events because of tendinitis in his left elbow. A cortisone shot he received two weeks ago left him feeling able to play a competitive round at Rock Barn.
He didn't disappoint, with birdies on four straight holes to open his round. He tacked on two more on the front nine, then made four more birdies on the back nine to beat his previous career best round in Champions Tour events by one stroke.
"I was anxious to play, for sure," Haas said. "I was kind of chomping at the bit. I had been swinging well and feeling like I was doing the right things, then I came up with the tendinitis. ... But I'm in no pain right now. Hopefully that will continue."
The 62-year-old Morgan said called his round "pretty routine."
"I hit it close a couple times, and I made a couple of 10- to 12-foot putts," Morgan said. "It was pretty unspectacular. On most of the shots, I wasn't in any real danger out there today ... but I had a few opportunities out there that I missed."
Persistent showers Friday morning delayed the start of the opening round by nearly three hours. In order to complete the round before nightfall, tournament officials sent the pairings off from the first and 10th tees.
Nearly half an inch of rain had fallen in the days before the 50-and-over tour event, and nearly half an inch fell late Thursday night and early Friday morning. Tournament officials said that more rain is forecast for the area through Monday.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
62 Jay Haas.
65 Gil Morgan.
66 Tom Jenkins, Nick Price, Jerry Pate.
67 Steve Thomas, Russ Cochran, Hal Sutton, Jeff Sluman, Dan Forsman, Bobby Wadkins, Andy Bean, Mark Wiebe, Mark McNulty.
Selected scores:
69 Mark James (jt 24th).
73 Sandy Lyle (jt 65th).