Ryan Bain from Strathlene wins Paul Lawrie

Foundation Junior Open with a 71 at Deeside

Strathlene's Ryan Bain won the Paul Lawrie Foundation Junior Open's Under-18 scratchcatergory with a par-matching round of 71 at Deeside Golf Club today. He had four shots to spare over runner-up Nick MacAndrew (Cullen) with Steven Smith (Deeside) third, by virtue of a better inward half, on 76.
Sam Kiloh (Portlethen) and Daniel Thompsett (Aboyne) headed the Under-16 years' scratch returns, both with 73s. Sam prevailed with the better inward half. Jamie Reid (Cruden Bay) was third with a 75.
Shaun Ramage (Inverurie), playing off 19, won the all-ages handicap section with a net 65, two shots ahead of Jamie Hall (Deeside) (15) with Calum Sutherland (Peterhead) (8) third with a net 68.
PRIZELIST
Under-18s - Scratch - Ryan Bain (Strathlene) 71; Nick Macandrew (Cullen) 75; Steven Smith (Deeside) 76 (bih).
Under-16s - scratch - Sam Kiloh (Peterculter) (bih), Daniel Thompsett (Aboyne) 73; Jamie Reid (Cruden Bay) 75.
Handicap - Shaun Ramage (Inverurie) (19) 65; Jamie Hall (Deeside) (15) 67; Calum Sutherland (Peterculter) (8) 68; Mark Allan (Deeside) (18) 69; Dean Allan (Peterhead) (8) (bih), Jamie Pryde (Deeside) (7) (bih) 70.

Lanarkshire win West Boys League

Lanarkshire won the West of Scotland Boys' League by beating Renfrewshire 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 today.
It went to a countback with Lanarkshire winning the title on "goal difference" from Glasgow.

Details:
Under-18s
I Anderson (Colville Park) bt G Caldwell (Greenock) 4 and 3.
A Welsh (Torrance House) bt A O'Donnell (Whinhill) 1 hole.
N Clenaghan(Mt Ellen halved with J Bigle (Ranfurly Castle).
Under-16s
E Bradley (Mt Ellen) lost to A McDougall (Elderslie) 3 and 2.
C Ross (Kirkhill) bt D Slack (Gourock) 6 and 5.
R Gillan (Torrance House) halved with G Paterson (Ranfurly Castle).
C Forbes (Carnwath) halved with T Binning (Ranfurly Castle).
J Gallagher (Crow Wood) bt A Cunningham (Ranfurly Castle) 4 and 3.

Ed Wood (Crow Wood) has won the Lanarkshire county men's Order of Merit with a record total of 100pt.

Paul O'Hara turns professional

Colville Park's Paul O'Hara, first reserve to this year's GB&I Walker Cup team, has turned professional after clearing the Stage 1 hurdle of the European Tour Qualifying School process.

After making the decision he pulled out of the Lanarkshire team for today's SGU area team tie against Angus at Kirkhill.

O'Hara thus joins older brother Steven in the professional ranks (Steven had a final round of 64 in the European Tour's Austrian Open today).

Paul lost to David Law (Hazlehead) in the 36-hole final of this year's Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur championship at Royal Troon. He topped the SGU Order of Merit by a considerable margin from James Byrne, having also won the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes and the Sutherland Chalice at Dumfries.

Paul, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday this coming week, was named as a reserve for the GB&I Walker Cup side. Paul is pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency during the Scottish amateur championship.

Americans outclass GB&I to win PGA Cup

match in emphatic fashion

By NAT SYLVESTER, PGA Press Officer
Britain & Ireland’s hopes of regaining the PGA Cup were swept away by a tidal of wave of red as the United States crushed their hosts in the final day’s singles at The Carrick on Loch Lomond today.
The US continued their transatlantic domination of team golf by retaining the Llandudno Trophy in emphatic fashion achieved on the back of a record 8½ – 1½ victory in the singles.
The singles result left the US clasping the trophy with a winning margin of 17½ - 8 ½ points achieved over the three days.GB&I captain Gary Alliss striving at the second attempt to get his hands on the Trophy, admitted his team had been soundly beaten.
“The US were very strong, they didn’t make any mistakes, holed some putts at crucial times and they were a shot and hole better all week,” he said.“I didn’t think we putted as well as the US. I think it was as simple as that. In history they will look back and say we were absolutely annihilated and we were, albeit that the margin is very tiny and in the individual matches it was a shot here and there.
“You have to say enormous congratulations to Brian Whitcomb and his team. The GB&I guys were absolutely up for it, and they really felt that amount of red on the board could have been that amount of blue and so did I but I think all week the US have played the turn slightly better. They made some birdies on nine, 10 and 11 – they probably played the difficult 12 slightly better but only because they holed putts.”
US captain Brian Whitcomb hailed his team’s consistency which he believed was a decisive factor.“Some of the GB&I team said that our team kept constant pressure on, they hit fairways and hit greens and when you play an opponent that doesn’t give holes away then that is a tough opponent. Several of the GB&I players said that and I believe that to be the difference,” he said.
But Whitcomb also said the scoreline had not reflected the closeness of the matches over the three days.
“The final score is not indicative of how close the matches were, ask anyone of our players that prevailed today.“I’m not sorry for the outcome but the outcome does not reflect the quality and closeness of the matches.”
For GB&I, defeat was a bitter blow after they had rallied in the Saturday fourballs to reduce the deficit to 9-7 but early hopes and expectations rapidly evaporated as the US chalked off the required points.Houghwood Golf Club’s Barry Taylor was sent out first, fighting gallantly to take Sonny Skinner to the final hole but the American preserved his 100 per cent record from four games to put the first point of the day on the board with a one hole victory.This was quickly followed by the impressive Scott Hebert, who beat Jon Bevan (Wessex Golf Centre) by two holes to secure a maximum haul of five points for his side.There was brief respite as GB&I's Jeremy Robinson (Twyford) secured a 2&1 success over Mike Small, but it was all in vain as Falkirk Tryst' Craig Matheson lost 3&1 to Lee Rinker before the US victory was confirmed out on the course as James Lee lost 6&5 to Mark Sheftic at the 13th green at 1.57pm.That left just pride and the scoreline to play for but GB&I were unable to halt the US momentum. Andrew Barnett (North Wales Driving Range) was next to fall, taking Steve Schneiter to 18 but losing by one hole as did Paul Wesselingh (Kedleston Park) to Craig Thomas.“I think I shot 68 out there but there you go that’s what happens in matchplay, you need some breaks and he got all the breaks,” said Wesselingh.Will Barnes (Garstang G&CC) was unable to stop Ryan Benzel who won by two holes while Nevill Golf Club’s Jamie Harris went down 2&1 to Eric Lippert.“I’ve never played as well against anybody and lost. It was an amazing game,” said Harris.The final match between Paul Simpson (West Berkshire) and Kyle Flinton was halved.The next PGA Cup matches will be staged at CordeValle, Northern California, in September 2011.
Sunday singles results
(GB&I player first)
Barry Taylor lost by one hole to Sonny Skinner
Jon Bevan lost by two holes to Scott Hebert
Jeremy Robinson beat Mike Small 2&1
Craig Matheson lost 3&1 to Lee Rinker
Andrew Barnett lost by one hole to Steve Schneiter
Paul Wesselingh lost by one hole to Craig Thomas
Will Barnes lost by two holes to Ryan Benzel
Jamie Harris lost 2&1 to Eric Lippert
James Lee lost 6&5 to Mark Sheftic
Paul Simpson halved with Kyle Flinton
**For results and scores from all three days go to www.pgacup.com

Three of sectional winners had 100 per cent records

North-east v Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire

v Lanarkshire in Area team semi-finals at Crail


North-east head to the Scottish Golf Union men’s area team championship semi-finals on a high, having won all three of their Section A games.
Also through are Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire.
The semi-final pairings over Crail Golfing Society's Craighead course on Saturday, October 3 will be:

North-east v Renfrewshire.
Lanarkshire v Dunbartonshire.

North-east completed their qualifying programme with a 100 per cent record by beating Stirlingshire 6 ½-2 ½ at Murcar Links today.
Earlier in the season North-east beat Borders 6-3 at Newburgh and Ayrshire 8 ½- ½ at Largs.
North-east’s semi-final opponents at Crail on Saturday, October 3 will be Renfrewshire who clinched the Section C winner’s position by beating Clackmannan 6 ½ -2 ½ at Erskine today.
Scottish champion David Law (Hazlehead), Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) and Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) were double winners for North-east against Stirlingshire. Halliday and Law partnered each other to a 4 and 2 foursomes victory and then both won equally comfortably in the singles.
Nicol partnered Philip McLean to a foursomes win but while McLean lost his singles tie, Nicol won his by 3 and 2.
Lanarkshire won Section B with a 100 per cent record. They beat Angus 6 1/2-2 1/2 in their last match at Kirkhill.
Dunbartonshire, winners of Section D, became the third team to qualify for the semi-finals with a 100 per cent record. They beat Glasgow 7-2 at Cardross.
North, who had lost their two previous Section D ties, drew 4 ½-4 ½ with South at Nairn.
Results:

SECTION A
NORTH-EAST 6 ½, STIRLINGSHIRE 2 ½
At Murcar Links
Foursomes: B Innes, A Bews lost to B Rushford, C Lawton 2 and 1; M Halliday, D Law bt G Robertson, F Moore 4 and 2; P McLean, K Nicol bt S McLaughlan, M Cox 7 and 6 (2-1).
Singles: Innes bt Rushford 3 and 1, McLean lost to Lawton 2 holes, Halliday bt Robertson 4 and 3, Bews halved with Moore, Law bt Cox 5 and 4, Nicol bt McLaughlan 3 and 2 (4 ½-1 ½).

BORDERS 6 1/2, AYRSHIRE 2 1/2
At Hawick.
Foursomes: David Gillie, Alan Ballantyne bt Euan Brown, Jack McDonald 3 and 1; Colin Fraser, Alan Turnbull lost to Scott Brown, Colin Robinson 4 and 3; Warren Renwick, Alan Chalmers bt Graeme Gimson, Craig McLaughlin 2 and 1 (2-1)
Singles: Gillie bt Euan Brown 6 and 5, Fraser bt McLaughlin 4 and 3, Turnbull bt Scott Brown 4 and 2, Ballantyne bt McDonald 4 and 3, Chambers lost to Robinson 1 hole, Renwick halved with Gimson (4 1/2-1 1/2).

Final placings (3pt for a win): 1 North-east 9pt, 2 Borders, Stirlingshire, Ayrshire, all with 3pt.


SECTION B
LANARKSHIRE 6 1/2, ANGUS 2 1/2
At Kirkhill
Foursomes: R Kellett, E Wood bt W Bremner, K Harper 4 and 3; S Henderson, P Shields lost to R Bell, C Donaldson 4 and 3; A Fairbairn, G Beaton bt N Lindsay, G Findlay 2 and 1 (2-1).
Singles: Kellett lost to Harper 1 hole, Wood bt Bremner 2 and 1, Shields bt Bell 6 and 5, Beaton bt Donaldson 1 hole, Fairbairn bt Lindsay 3 and 2, Henderson halved with Findlay (4 1/2-1 1/2).

PERTH & KINROSS 6 1/2, LOTHIANS 2 1/2
At Crieff

Final placings (3pt for a win): 1 Lanarkshire 9pt, 2 Perth & Kinross 6pt, 3 Angus 3pt, 4 Lothians 0pt.

SECTION C
RENFREWSHIRE 6 ½, CLACKMANNANSHIRE 2 ½
At Erskine
Foursomes: R Clark, M Clark bt J Aitken, R Benvie 2 and 1; C Watson, A Farmer lost to I Ross, S Borrowman 2 and 1; B Adams, G Stevenson bt J Maxwell, S Horne 2 and 1 (2-1).
Singles: M Clark bt Aitken 4 and 3, M Daily bt Borrowman 3 and 1, Farmer halved with Maxwell, Stevenson bt Benvie 2 and 1, Watson lost to Ross 1 hole, R Clark bt Horne 1 hole (4 ½-1 ½).

ARGYLL & BUTE 3, FIFE 6
At Machrihanish
Foursomes: G McMillan, G Watson lost to S Elder, M Main 1 hole; P Murphy, B Willan bt K Anderson, L Clark 2 and 1; A McKie, D Standaloft lost to A Main, S Stewart-Cation 5 and 4 (1-2).
Singles: McMillan lost to M Main 2 and 1, McKie bt Elder 5 and 4, Murphy lost to Anderson 2 and 1, Standaloft lost to A Main 5 and 3, B Willan bt L Clark 3 and 1, GWatson lost to Stewart-Cation 4 and 3 (2-4).

Final placings (3pt for a win): 1 Renfreshire 7pt, 2 Clackmannanshire 6pt, 3 Fife 4pt, 4 Argyll & Bute 0pt.


SECTION D
DUNBARTONSIRE 7, GLASGOW 2
At Cardross.

NORTH 4 ½, SOUTH 4 ½
At Nairn.

Final placings (3pt for a win): 1 Dunbartonshire 9pt, 2 South 4pt, 3 Glasgow 3pt, 4 North 1pt.

Rafael Cabrera Bello shoots a 60 to

pip Barham for Austrian Open

Spain's Rafael Cabrera Bello, in seventh place overnight, shot a European Tour record-equalling 60 to come from eight behind and win the Austrian Open in Vienna today.
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The 25-year-old even had a chance on the final green to record the circuit's first-ever 59, but just missed a 30ft eagle putt.
After tapping in for his 11th birdie he was two in front of overnight leader Benn Barham. The Englishman, playing a couple of groups behind Cabrera, then birdied the 16th, but missed a 18-footer on the last to finish one behind.
It was the 14th round of 60 on the European Tour, but only the third time someone had achieved it on the final day and won.
Cabrera Bello's first Tour win came with a 20-under-par total of 264 and earned him £145,507.
"It's just amazing. I played the best golf of my life and I can't believe it," said Cabrera-Bello, who had never been under 64 on the European Tour. "I was so far back I wasn't thinking about winning. I just tried to play one shot at a time."
Barham bogeyed the par-4 third in his two-under 69. Soren Hansen of Denmark was two strokes back, placing third for the second straight week.
The 25-year-old Cabrera-Bello lost his place on the European Tour in 2007, but returned from the Challenge Tour this season.
It was his fifth top-10 finish this year and he will rise from 74th to 46th in The Race to Dubai standings.
Cabrera-Bello drew even with Barham after the Englishman failed to make a birdie on the first 10 holes.
Barham, who had led the competition from the opening day, dropped two behind before sinking a 12-footer on the 16th. But a drive into the rough at the 18th was the decisive stroke.
David Drysdale and Marc Warren shared the "honour" of being top Scot. They both finished on nine-under-par 275, nine shots behind the winner. Steven O'Hara had probably his lowest-ever round on the European Tour, a 64 which saw him finish on 278.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
264 Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 71 67 66 60
265 Benn Barham 63 66 67 69
267 Soren Hansen (Den) 67 67 65 68
269 Richard Bland 68 70 65 66
270 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 67 65 69
271 Richard Green (Aus) 65 66 69 71, Pablo Martin (Spa) 66 68 70 67, Simon Wakefield 68 70 67 66, Seve Benson 69 68 68 66
272 Damien McGrane 71 67 67 67, David Dixon 68 67 71 66, David Horsey 67 67 71 67, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 68 65 71 68
273 Brett Rumford (Aus) 64 71 68 70, Gary Murphy 68 67 72 66, Alex Cejka (Ger) 69 68 71 65
274 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 65 70 69 70, Chris Gaunt (Aus) 66 67 72 69, Joost Luiten (Ned) 67 67 76 64, Markus Brier (Aut) 68 67 69 70
275 David Drysdale 69 68 67 71, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 66 69 70 70, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 69 68 69 69, Marc Warren 68 68 71 68, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 67 68 73 67
276 Marco Ruiz (Par) 70 68 70 68, Scott Drummond 64 68 72 72, David Lynn 67 68 72 69, Bradley Dredge 72 64 70 70
277 Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 66 74 69 68, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 67 68 72 70, David Howell 69 69 66 73, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 69 70 68 70, Phillip Archer 65 71 75 66, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 72 66 68 71, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 68 69 69, Mark Foster 65 68 75 69, Ross McGowan 67 70 74 66
278 Matthew Cort 68 68 69 73, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 69 69 70 70, Steven O'Hara 69 71 74 64, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 67 71 70 70, Gary Lockerbie 68 71 71 68, Stephen Dodd 71 68 71 68, Paul Lawrie 68 70 71 69, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 69 71 68, Gregory Havret (Fra) 69 67 72 70, Thomas Levet (Fra) 68 70 70 70
279 Wil Besseling (Ned) 68 67 74 70, Alan McLean 72 67 72 68, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 70 67 70 72, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 71 67 70 71
280 Callum Macaulay 66 74 68 72
281 Alexandre Rocha (Bra) 70 70 74 67, Richie Ramsay 72 68 72 69, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 70 71 71
282 Iain Pyman 70 65 71 76, Lee Slattery 67 73 70 72
283 Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 69 69 74
284 Sam Walker 72 68 71 73
285 Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 68 70 72 75
286 Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice) 73 66 73 74, Cesar Monasterio (Arg) 71 68 73 74
287 Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 72 68 72 75
288 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 68 70 73 77
295 Lukas Nemecz (Aut) 71 68 82 74

Peter Mitchell triumphs in the Casa Serena Open

By SCOTT CROCKETT, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
For a man more used to ensuring other people’s games are in good shape, Peter Mitchell proved his own golf was very much up to scratch too with a superb victory in the Casa Serena Open in the Czech Republic.
The 51 year old Englishman, who finished fifth last year, carded a final round 66 at Casa Serena Golf near Prague to claim his first European Senior Tour title of the 2009 season, his 13 under par aggregate of 200 good enough for a three shot victory over fellow Englishman Glenn Ralph and Peter Senior of Australia with Welshman Ian Woosnam fourth, a further shot in arrears.
“To win anywhere in the world is special but perhaps here means that little bit more not least for what happened last year but also because I love this place,” said Mitchell. “It is just beautiful round here and would be somewhere you would enjoy just walking round even if you weren’t playing golf.
“Last year I nearly had my hands on the trophy but it just slipped away because I could not hole a putt in the final round to save my life. But I put that right today and perhaps, just perhaps, it owed me one.
“This, however, is a real turn around for me,” added the Londoner who moved from 48th on the Order of Merit at the start of the week to fifth. “I actually thought this would be the last tournament of the season because I had been playing so poorly I didn’t want to put myself through it anymore.
“But I got a bit of a putting lesson from my old friend Doug Johnson in my last tournament at Woburn and that seems to have made a difference so I guess I owe him a bit of thanks for this and definitely a beer at least.”
Mitchell enjoyed a sensational rookie season on the over 50s circuit in 2008 with three victories in total on his way to finishing third on the Order of Merit.
But this year his time has been largely spent away from the golf course, concentrating on developing a range of golf academies across England and Europe. But with the framework for those now in place, the Englishman admitted that he can look forward to a full playing schedule in 2010.
If that is the case, his competitors need to take heed as he proved, with a fine three round display in the Czech Republic, that he more than possesses the armoury to be a force on the European Senior Tour.
In this event last season, Mitchell began in a share of the final round lead before falling away but he made sure there was no chance of history repeating itself with a blistering start this time round, birdieing the first three holes as well as the sixth and ninth to stamp his authority on proceedings with an outward half of 31.
Senior, leader after the first and second rounds, failed to ignite his challenge on the front nine but turned up the heat turning for home with three birdies in four holes from the 12th. But a bogey four at the 17th put paid to the Australian’s chances and he had to settle for a 70 and a ten under par total of 203 to tie the fast finishing Englishman Glenn Ralph, who carded an excellent six under par 65.
Fourth placed Woosnam produced his usual gritty challenge but his failure to get to grips with the Casa Serena putting surfaces put paid to his chances. “I just couldn’t get the pace which meant that I was even uncertain about two putting for par from 30 feet,” he said.
The consolation for Woosnam is that his €33,000 cheque moved him back to the top of the Order of Merit with €161,619 and now in with an excellent chance of regaining the John Jacobs Trophy he won for topping the rankings in his rookie year last season.
Woosnam is now some €22,129 ahead of second placed Sam Torrance, who could only finish in a share of 24th place. Ralph, thanks to his fine effort has moved into the picture in third place while Mitchell is now very much in the frame with €122,087, only just under €40,000 behind Woosnam.
But, with almost €100,000 on offer in total for the winners of the last two tournaments on the European Senior Tour season – the Benahavis Senior Masters and the OKI Castellon Senior Tour Championship – it is still all to play for in one of the most exciting races for the John Jacobs Trophy in recent years.
One man who will not be in the mix, however, is Germany’s Bernhard Langer. The defending champion had an afternoon to forget, his final round 70 consigning him to a share of fifth place, five shots adrift of Mitchell.
“It was disappointing because I think 13 under par was a total that was well within my grasp this week,” he said. “But I just had something each day which wasn’t right with my game, whether it be the putting or my swing, and that cost me in the end.”
FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
200 P Mitchell (Eng) 67 67 66,
203 P Senior (Aus) 64 69 70, G Ralph (Eng) 70 68 65,
204 I Woosnam (Wal) 67 69 68,
205 N Job (Eng) 68 67 70, B Langer (Ger) 67 68 70, B Cameron (Eng) 69 67 69, C Mason (Eng) 66 71 68,
207 D Hospital (Esp) 66 71 70,
208 T Giedeon (Ger) 70 69 69, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 66 68 74, D Russell (Eng) 68 73 67, D Smyth (Irl) 70 67 71, M Harwood (Aus) 68 71 69,
209 G Brand (Eng) 67 71 71, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 68 70 71,
210 J Rivero (Esp) 72 67 71, C Williams (RSA) 68 71 71, J Bruner (USA) 67 72 71,
211 B Longmuir (Sco) 71 70 70, M Cunning (USA) 72 68 71, B Boyd (USA) 72 68 71, M Farry (Fra) 67 72 72,
212 J Chillas (Sco) 72 71 69, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 70 73, S Torrance (Sco) 73 69 70, D Merriman (Aus) 71 69 72,
213 D Durnian (Eng) 73 70 70, E Darcy (Irl) 71 75 67, A Franco (Par) 75 68 70,
214 D Cambridge (Jam) 71 72 71, R Chapman (Eng) 72 70 72, G Cali (Ita) 70 69 75,
215 M Bembridge (Eng) 72 75 68, E Rodriguez (Esp) 73 72 70, M Williams (Zim) 72 73 70, A Murray (Eng) 71 75 69, M Clayton (Aus) 73 69 73,
216 G Towne (USA) 76 68 72, P Allan (Eng) 71 76 69, K Spurgeon (Eng) 71 72 73, R Drummond (Sco) 72 72 72, J Cañizares (Esp) 72 71 73,
217 J Hall (Eng) 76 70 71, B Lincoln (RSA) 73 73 71, L Carbonetti (Arg) 72 72 73,
218 J Rhodes (Eng) 74 71 73, J Quiros (Esp) 75 69 74, P Oakley (USA) 78 70 70, B Smit (RSA) 70 70 78, D Good (Aus) 75 70 73,
219 M Miller (Sco) 72 74 73, A Fernandez (Chi) 76 71 72, J Heggarty (Nir) 76 73 70, T Johnstone (Zim) 72 73 74,
220 S Owen (Nzl) 71 75 74, G Encina (Chi) 75 74 71, M Piñero (Esp) 76 73 71, D Johnson (USA) 76 76 68, H Carbonetti (Arg) 78 70 72, J Hawkes (RSA) 76 71 73,
221 S Bennett (Eng) 72 77 72,
222 T Gale (Aus) 72 77 73, C Rocca (Ita) 75 69 78,
223 M Poxon (Eng) 76 75 72,
225 G Watine (Fra) 76 71 78,
227 J Seifert (Cze) 77 76 74,
228 E Polland (Nir) 72 78 78,
229 I Mosey (Eng) 75 78 76,
230 A Barrera (Arg) 76 72 82,
235 P Brostedt (Swe) 78 80 77,
236 A Garrido (Esp) 78 77 81,

CHALLENGE TOUR report, scores

Majestic Molinari mops up in Kazakhstan

FROM CHALLENGE TOUR PRESS OFFICER PAUL SYMES
Edoardo Molinari smashed the Challenge Tour record for earnings in a single season after winning the Kazakhstan Open by three strokes from England’s Chris Gane.
A flawless round of 68 at Zhailjau Golf Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he dropped just three shots across the four days, saw the Italian finish on 20 under par, with Gane his nearest challenger after he closed with a round of 67.
Molinari collected the €64,000 winner’s cheque – the biggest payday of his career – to take his season’s earnings to €188,079, which is some €43,961 more than England’s David Horsey accumulated last year.
With four Challenge Tour events still remaining this year Molinari has virtually built an unassailable lead in the Rankings, and he can now start to plan in earnest for another assault on The European Tour next season, when he will again tee up alongside younger brother Francesco.
Molinari, whose victory was his fourth on the Challenge Tour, said: “It’s definitely the biggest win of my professional career, because it opens up a lot of doors for me for next season. After I finished second in Geneva I told my caddy I wanted to play the Grand Final without any pressure, and I don’t think I can be caught in the Rankings now, so it’s a fantastic feeling. I can relax and enjoy myself in my last few events.
“My aim this morning was to get to 20 under par as quickly as possible, and I reached my goal after six holes, which was a bit quicker than I expected! After that I just concentrated on finding the middle of the greens, and although I missed a few times I was never really in too much trouble. When I found a fairway bunker on the last hole, I was desperate to make par because I’ve never had two bogey-free rounds on the weekend before. So I was very happy to find the green and make two putts for par.
“The event was probably the best on this season’s Challenge Tour, not only in terms of the prize money, but also in terms of the organisation and the golf course. All the players enjoyed playing the course and staying in the city – it was just a fantastic week, and I’m so happy to have won.
“I haven’t thought about how I’ll spend the money – maybe I’ll just buy myself a nice Christmas present this year! I’ve been wanting a new car for a while, so maybe I’ll treat myself to one now.”
Gane was also delighted after collecting a runner’s up cheque for €44,000 which saw him climb from 47th to 11th in the Rankings.
The Englishman has a fine track record in Kazakhstan, having finished tied fifth in last year’s event, and he continued his affinity with the country with six birdies and a solitary bogey in his round of 67.
He said: “I’m chuffed to bits. I’ve swung it nicely all week, and I carried that on today when the pressure was on, so I’m really pleased with myself. The boost up the Rankings and the confidence boost I’ll take into the rest of the season is massive – one more good week and I’ve probably pretty much guaranteed my cards. So there’s a bit more to do, but I’ve given myself a massive chance.”
Despite closing with a double bogey New Zealand’s Gareth Paddison shot the lowest round of the day, a 66 which saw him join England’s Gary Boyd – who moves up to fourth in the Rankings – and Sweden’s Peter Gustafsson in a tie for third place on 14 under par.
England’s Andrew Marshall was one shot further back on 13 under par, with Wales’ Sion E Bebb and Frenchman Julien Quesne sharing seventh place on 12 under par.
Peter Whiteford was the top Scot in joint 10th place on 278, 10 shots behind the winner. Scott Jamieson was a shot behind on 279.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
268 E Molinari (Ita) 67 67 66 68
271 C Gane (Eng) 70 66 68 67
274 G Paddison (Nzl) 69 67 72 66, P Gustafsson (Swe) 69 67 67 71, G Boyd (Eng) 63 71 71 69.
275 A Marshall (Eng) 71 63 71 70
276 J Quesne (Fra) 71 67 67 71, S Bebb (Wal) 74 66 68 68
277 D Denison (Eng) 70 69 66 72,
278 P Whiteford (Sco) 68 67 71 72, J Clément (Sui) 67 69 71 71, M Zions (Aus) 68 69 72 69,
279 M Wiegele (Aut) 69 70 68 72, S Jamieson (Sco) 74 67 68 70, O Floren (Swe) 66 72 71 70, R Davies (Wal) 72 68 65 74
280 B Evans (Eng) 69 72 70 69, B Mason (Eng) 69 70 70 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 68 70 71, S Juul (Den) 72 69 66 73
281 J Olesen (Den) 72 68 73 68, S Saavedra (Arg) 70 68 70 73, A Gee (Eng) 72 68 69 72, S Thornton (Irl) 69 66 74 72, A Wagner (Arg) 73 67 68 73, J Zapata (Arg) 74 66 69 72, L Saltman (Sco) 67 72 71 71
282 R Steiner (Aut) 71 69 72 70, J Grillon (Fra) 70 69 69 74, J Sjöholm (Swe) 71 71 74 66, D Griffiths (Eng) 72 70 72 68, S Tiley (Eng) 71 69 71 71, C Russo (Fra) 70 66 76 70, C Brazillier (Fra) 74 68 70 70, M Haastrup (Den) 73 66 71 72
283 A Kaleka (Fra) 71 71 72 69, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 71 72 68 72, S Manley (Wal) 73 70 69 71, D Wardrop (Eng) 70 73 70 70, C Carranza (Arg) 75 68 68 72, C Moriarty (Irl) 71 70 73 69,
284 F Colombo (Ita) 72 71 67 74, A McArthur (Sco) 70 72 72 70, S Davis (Eng) 69 72 77 66,
285 B Alvarado (Chi) 72 70 73 70, A Bernadet (Fra) 72 71 72 70, N Smith (USA) 66 76 70 73, B Hebert (Fra) 73 70 70 72, B Pettersson (Swe) 70 71 71 73,
286 Z Scotland (Eng) 72 69 71 74, D Hewan (RSA) 71 72 72 71, A Ahokas (Fin) 70 73 74 69, J Morrison (Eng) 68 70 75 73,
287 T Carolan (Aus) 68 74 72 73, P Baker (Eng) 72 71 76 68, A Snobeck (Fra) 74 69 76 68,
288 J Lima (Por) 69 73 73 73, P Kaensche (Nor) 73 69 71 75,
289 M Tullo (Chi) 70 73 73 73,
290 J McLeary (Sco) 71 70 76 73,
291 P Golding (Eng) 73 70 75 73,
293 G Shaw (Nir) 70 73 76 74,
294 L Bond (Wal) 71 71 78 74, S Surry (Eng) 75 68 76 75,
Disqualified: A Tampion (Aus) 69 72 72 -.

Haas and Price share lead in Greater

Hickory Classic at 11-under 133

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
CONOVER, N.C. – Jay Haas and Nick Price share the lead at the Greater Hickory Classic and 31 players are within six strokes of the leaders going into the final round at the US Champions (Seniors) Tour event.
Haas, the 2005 winner, and Price are at 11-under 133 at Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Robert Trent Jones course.
Haas shot a 1-under 71, while Price – a three-time major winner on the US PGA Tour – vaulted into contention with a 67.
A day after posting a bogey-free 62, Haas struggled to find his shot. He had two bogeys on the front nine and briefly lost the lead to Price, but recovered with birdies on Nos. 7 and 12 to move back up front.
“I was a little disappointed in the round,” said Haas, a 12-time winner on the 50-and-over Champions Tour. “I wasn’t very sharp on the greens, and I didn’t get a lot of chances – not as many as (Friday), for sure.”
Price began the day four strokes behind Haas, but moved up the leaderboard with birdies on two of the first four holes. After Haas’ bogey on No. 6, Price moved into the lead with an eagle on the par-5 7th.
Price had another chance to move ahead, but missed an eagle putt on No. 18, but made the birdie to forge a tie. Haas then had a shot at moving back in front, but missed a 15-foot birdie putt on 18, settling for par.
“I got off to a really good start,” said Price, who has won just one Champions Tour event in 47 starts. “I kind of got a little defensive when I got to 10 under for some reason. ... But that birdie on the last hole was very welcome.”
Gil Morgan (70), who trailed Haas by three strokes after Friday’s opening round, slid into a tie for third at 135 with Andy Bean (68) and Russ Cochran (68).
Joe Ozaki shared the day’s best round, a 6-under 66, with Tom Purtzer, and joined a group of nine players tied for sixth at 136.
Also in that group were Charles Schwab Cup points leader Fred Funk (67), Bob Tway (67), Gene Jones (68), David Frost (68), Lonnie Nielsen (68), Mark McNulty (69), Hal Sutton (69) and Jeff Sluman (69).
“We’ve got a two-shot lead ... then there’s a ton of guys at 8 (under),” Haas said. “One of those guys shoots 7, 8 or 9 under, they’re right up there. ... I almost expect that to happen. Neither one of us expects to shoot in the 70s and be in this tournament.”
Sunday’s final-day field will be the closest in the tournament’s seven-year history. The previous best was 17 players, set at the inaugural event in 2003 won by Craig Stadler.
“Jay and I are going to have to shoot around 5 or 6 under just to keep the other guys out of the picture,” Price said. “It depends on the conditions – if it gets wet and heavy ... then it might not take that low a round.”
SECOND-ROUND LEADERS
Par 144 (2x72)
133 N Price 66 67, J Haas 62 71.
135 A Bean 67 68, R Cochran 67 68,G Morgan 65 70.
136 J Ozaki 70 66, F Funk 69 67, B Tway 69 67, G Jones 68 68, D Frost 68 68, L Nielsen 68 68, M McNulty 6769, H Sutton 67 69, J Sluman 67 69.
Selected scores:
140 Mark James (Eng) 69 71 (jt 33rd).
143 Sandy Lyle (Sco) 73 70 (jt 50th).

Blake Adams struggles but keeps lead

on Nationwide Tour's Boise Open

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
Boise, Idaho -- Saturday's third round at the Albertsons Boise Open wasn't perfect, it wasn't pretty and it wasn't a lot of fun for Blake Adams, but the 34-year old Georgian managed to finish the day in the same spot he started -- sole possession of the lead.
Adams struggled to an even-par 71 at the Hillcrest Country Club but will begin Sunday's final round two shots in front of veteran Fran Quinn and rookie Jonas Blixt.
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Related Links
Leaderboard: Scores
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Adams' 54-hole total is 14-under 199. Quinn and Blixt, who were paired together, each carded 3-under 68s to get to 12-under 201. Ron Whittaker and 2003 champion Roger Tambellini carded 7-under 64s and are at 11-under, three back. Monday qualifier Lucas Lee (64), Australian Andrew Buckle (66) and Craig Bowden (68) share sixth place, four behind Adams, who is No. 4 on the money list and still searching for his first career win.
"I'm fortunate to have a lead for as poorly as I played today," said Adams after hitting only seven of 18 greens. "It was terrible. I put myself in bad spots. The golf course definitely beat me today but a cushion is a cushion."
Adams started the day with a four-shot lead and despite not having his "A" game made four birdies on the front nine to reach 17-under and take a five-stroke lead to the 10th tee.
"I was very fortunate to be three-under at that point," said Adams. "My greens hit-to-birdie ratio was probably pretty good. I holed out from a bunker and had some good looks at some birdie putts."
A solid back nine and Adams could have put the field away but instead of racing to big lead, Adams had an oil leak that that resembled the Exxon Valdez. His tee shots couldn't find the fairways and he failed to hit any of the first six greens in regulation. He managed to save par twice but gave four shots back with bogeys at 10, 11, 13 and 15.
"I was just trying to make pars. I just didn't hit it good," he said. "I had a lot of wasted shots. I was just throwing them away."
Adams tried everything, including scaling back his tee shots. On the driveable, 293-yard 15th, he kept driver in the bag and hit a mid-iron just to get the ball in the short grass but then pulled his second shot into a back bunker and had virtually no chance of making par.
Adams righted the ship with a huge drive and a wedge to with 18 feet on the 535yd 16th. The two-putt birdie got him back to 14-under and two in front of Quinn and Blixt, who were done for the day.
Adams missed the green with a wedge at the par-3, 17th but salvaged another par and then missed a 20-foot birdie putt at 18. When he finished, he didn't know if he was ahead or behind because he never looked at a leaderboard.
"I knew I wasn't playing well. It didn't matter if I was two shots down or four shots up again. I had enough to worry about because I couldn't figure out where my golf ball was going," he said. "It was a bad day overall. It's just golf. There are a lot of other things in this world to worry about than just playing bad golf."
• Kentucky's Josh Teater began the third round tied for second place at 10-under and was 3-under though his first seven holes. Teater played the next 11 holes in 8-over par and finished with a 76. He is tied for 42nd place.
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In defence of the need to change the SGU Area Team Championship

From Alasdair J Malcolm
Colin,
One or two observations regarding your article on the new format of the Area team Championship.
Many areas are looking forward to the revised format next year with optimism with a number of positives for both players and areas.
From a players point of view, the one weekend format will hopefully bring together all the best players in the country for the championship, especially with the possible lure of world ranking points, and this will give these and many other players a superb forum to stake their claim for recognition on a national level, as there is every likelyhood that national selectors etc. will be in attendance throughout the weekend casting their eyes over the field.
What better forum to bring your name to the fore whilst up against a potential internationalist or Walker Cup squad member in both strokeplay and matchplay formats, over one weekend?
How many matches under the present format has seen selectors turning out to watch up and coming talent ?
The simple fact is that the logisitics of eight different matches at venues throughout the county all on the one day, would preclude any attempt at effective assessment of players by selectors over the programme of matches under the present format.
It would also be hopes that the advent of the one weekend format will give the opportunity of greater coverage in the Press and other media that is evident at present, with the championship being the focus of attention over the two days. In turn, this format may prove more attractive to any potential sponsor than the current protracted event.
Similarly to your probelms in the Press with getting results over the three weekends, I am sure many counties have similar problems with securing the services of their best players for the three qualifying rounds under the present format.
Consider that the first weekent under the present format clashes with the Brabazon Trophy, the second weekend falls on the Saturday/Sunday that the Scottish Amateur Championship ends and the third weekend clashes with other important events, particularly in Ayrshire the 36 hole Arrol Cup at Prestwick St. Nicholas.
All in all, there is little wonder that some of the best players do not feature in all or even some of their counties' matches.
With the new format, and the move of the Brabazon Trophy to a June date in 2010, along with the lure of world ranking points and the fact that the weekend concerned is a 'free' week now with no clashes (as far as I am aware of), it all adds up to the Championship potentially becoming one of the most eagerly contested events in the Scottish calendar.
I have great hopes that the new format will prove to be a positive development for the championship, and will return it to the stature it once held and indeed deserves.
One final observation regarding the Scottish Golf Union deciding the new format, it should be noted that the majority of the 16 SGU areas voted to support the revised format, and so the decision effectively lay with the competing areas.
Only time will tell if the revised format will be a success but I consider that the potential benefits far outweigh the benefits of retaining the present format, and it is hoped that all the competing counties will embrace the new format in 2010 with an open mind.
Alasdair J. Malcolm

+If you agree or disagree with Alasdair, you can E-mail your opinion to Colin@scottishgolfview.com