Friday, September 25, 2009

Continuing the "Where have all the pros gone?" North-east Alliance debate

The world has moved on since the peak
pro days of the Alliance -- Colin Nelson

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin Nelson, who manages the MacKenzie Golf Shop at the Hazlehead municipal course, Aberdeen, could be said almost to straddle the two eras of professional participation in the North-east Alliance competitions.
As one of Ian Smith's assistants, Colin was given ample opportunity by his boss to play regularly, as did the other assistants, and "Smithy" himself .... down to the present day when Nelson is still supporting the NE Alliance but precious few of the other pros and assistants in the area are following his example.
Nelson, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, says that we have to accept that the world has moved on since the peak days of the North-east Alliance.
"So many things are different nowadays," says Colin.
"For instance most of the pros are self-employed now whereas they were paid a retainer by their golf clubs in the past.
"And the introduction of the minimum wage was a good thing for assistant pros but not so good for the pros that employ them. That extra money has to come out of their golf shop income.
"In defence of the club pros who do not play Alliance golf, I would say that more pros in the area have had to take on more responsibilities in the managerial side of golf clubs, which does not make it so easy as it once was, to lock up the shop and go off for the morning or afternoon to play in the Alliance.
"It probably costs a pro around £50 to play in the Alliance, when you consider the entry fee, the petrol, maybe something to eat or drink .. and he would have to have the best scratch score to recoup that and make a profit on the day.
"In the old days, a club pro was a club pro, nothing more, nothing less. Now the profession has so many different avenues. Some pros specialise in merchandising, some in repairs, some in giving lessons, etc. There's not much time left actually to play golf for some of them."
Would the Alliance be a more attractive proposition for the professionals and assistants, if there were two prize lists - one for the pros and the other for amateurs? Secondly, what if the first pro prize were say doubled to £200, would that be a big enough carrot to entice them to play?
"I cannot honestly answer that one on behalf of the pros who are staying away. I would certainly like to see a pros' prize list that has a bit more depth in it so that the £50 "expenses" I was mentioning earlier could be recouped by perhaps finishing fifth," said Colin.

+If you have a view you would like to air on the topic of professionals and assistants playing or not playing in North-east Alliance competitions, E-mail it to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Labels:

Britain & Ireland advance their lead to 6-4

over Continent of Europe in Vivendi Trophy

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARK REASON at St-Nom-la Breteche, France
Colin Montgomerie was musing in the morning sunlight. The European Ryder Cup captain wondered aloud if young Rory McIlroy was so 'starry' that he could handle going out in Europe's opening pair at next year's Ryder Cup.
On the evidence of the second day of the Vivendi Trophy the answer to his question is an emphatic "No."
McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, playing in the day's third four-balls match, were well beaten by Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari.
The Northern Irishmen made consecutive bogeys in the middle of the match, a serial crime in better-ball match play, and McIlroy was all over the place for much of his round.
And yet McIlroy was so successful leading the top of the Great Britain and Ireland order on the opening day that you had to ask Montgomerie if he could go out first at next year's Ryder Cup. Was it so far-fetched for a rookie?
Montgomerie said: "It's a very hard thing to do. The Friday morning of the Ryder Cup is a very tough place to be, but there might be a case for throwing him in at the very deep end. It would be interesting to see. You would love to get blue on the board early."
Paul McGinley, the captain of Great Britain and Ireland, preferred to put Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson out at the top of the order on Day 2. It proved a shrewd move.
Dyson and Wilson may sound like an old-fashioned firm of haberdashers, but they have taken out two of Continental Europe's best pairings and been the force behind Great Britain and Ireland's 6-4 lead.
Today the Englishmen beat Alvaro Quirós and Henrik Stenson, two of the longest hitters in golf. Quirós and Stenson were nine under par and they still lost on the 17th green when Wilson rolled in a nine-footer – better to win early than go up the 18th.
There is a gentle ruthlessness about the man from Mansfield that hints at the reason he holed a couple of crucial putts at the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Britain and Ireland's other unbeaten pair, Chris Wood and Anthony Wall, have caught the Ryder Cup captain's eye. Montgomerie said: "There's a few I'm watching in particular. Chris Wood is one, Alvaro Quirós another.
"It's interesting to see Rory in his first pro team competition and Anthony Wall has played fantastically. Peter Hanson is the most improved player on the greens in Europe this year. I think at least half of my team are playing here."
Montgomerie might also have name-checked McGinley, a potential assistant captain next year and favourite to lead Europe in 2014. McGinley's players have been hugely impressed by his thoughtful leadership.
In contrast Thomas Bjorn, the captain of Continental Europe, put his foot in it when he described the four-day Vivendi format as being "a bit too boring", adding: "There's not enough going on."
FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
FOUR-BALLS
(Continental Europe names first)
Henrik Stenson and Alvaro Quiros lost to Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson 2&1
Peter Hanson and Soren Hansen lost to Nick Dougherty and Ross Fisher 3&2
Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari bt Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy 3&1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Robert Karlsson bt Robert Rock and Steve Webster 1 hole
Miguel Angel Jimenez and Soren Kjeldsen lost to Anthony Wall and Chris Wood 3&2
Four-balls result:
Continental Europe 2, Great Britain and Ireland 3
Match position:

Continental Europe 4, Great Britain and Ireland 6

Labels:

Dear misses out by one but McNicoll

shoots 65 to join Booth at Stage 2

Gavin Dear, ranked No 12 in the R&A WAGR only two or three weeks ago, failed to clear the first hurdle in his bid to gain playing rights for the European Tour with effect from the 2010 season.
Competing at The Oxfordshire Golf Club in Section B of the Qualifying School Stage 1 process, the Walker Cup player from Scone came up one stroke on the wrong side of the cut-off point of four-under-par 284, which his golfing pal Keir McNicoll (pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency) from Carnoustie hit, thanks to a brilliant final round of 65 for 284.
Dear finished with a 70 for 285. Gavin turned professional a few days before going to the English venue. He had made up his mind previously that if he failed to make the grade at the Q School, then he would go to the United States, where he has many contacts from his four years at Lynn University, Florida, and play on the mini-tours there until the next chance to make it to European Tour came up in 2010.
Fellow Walker Cup player from Perthshire, Wallace Booth (Comrie) made it ease, returning an eight-under-par total of 280 after great closing rounds of 67 and 68.
Former Scottish boys match-play champion Paul Doherty, who has competing on the EuroPro Tour for several years was the top Scots qualifier among the 27 who advanced to Stage 2 from The Oxfordshire eliminator.
Dear was not the only big name "failure" - one-time stand-out amateur Lloyd Saltman continues to play to only 50 per cent of his star potential. He missed qualifying by four shots after a final round of 70 for level par 288. Younger brother Zack missed by miles - a 73 for 292.
Aberdeen's Graeme Lornie of the Paul Lawrie Foundation will also return to the Tartan Tour after a 71 for 287.
A total of 115 of the 715 competitors who teed up at The European Tour Qualifying School First Qualifying Stage have progressed to Stage Two in Spain.
Following last week’s Section A of the First Qualifying Stage, another four venues across Europe – The Oxfordshire Golf Club in England, Golf de Moliets in France, Circolo Golf Bogogno in Italy and Fleesensee Golf and Country Club in Germany – hosted aspiring professionals from around the world looking to win a dream ticket to The 2010 European Tour.
In Germany, a brilliant seven under par 65 from Ally Mellor saw the Englishman charge through the field to win on 14 under 274, with Norwegian Marius Thorp taking second spot. With the top 26 (plus ties) players from Fleesensee winning places at Stage Two, the qualifying mark came at three under par with 31 players making it through.
There was a mini Spanish invasion in France at the Golf de Moliets as the top three spots on the leaderboard going to Carlos Balmaseda, who carded a final round 66 to post a winning score of 266 win by five from compatriot Raul Quiros and six from Borja Etchart. There were 26 players who qualified at Moilets with the cut-off point falling at five under par.
The Swiss Martin Romminger took the honours at Circolo Golf Bogogno in Italy with a 14 under par winning aggregate giving him a two stroke cushion over second placed Sebastian L Saavedra of Argentina. There were 30 qualifiers on two under par or better in Italy.
Of the 28 qualifiers at the Oxfordshire making it through to Stage Two on scores of four under par or better, American Ryan Blaum led the way with 17 under par 271 aggregate, three strokes clear of Englishman Graeme Clark.
SCOREBOARD
THE OXFORDSHIRE, THAME.
271 R Blaum (USA) 69 63 68 71
274 G Clark (Eng) 68 67 69 70
276 A Johnston (Eng) 73 69 68 66, J Kelly (Irl) 70 68 69 69, J Powell (Eng) 69 68 67 72
277 J Heath (Eng) 72 67 71 67
278 N McCarthy (Eng) 70 69 72 67,
279 P Doherty (Sco) 72 68 71 68, J Senior (am) (Eng) 74 71 66 68,
280 J Harris (Eng) 71 69 70 70, W Booth (Sco) 74 71 67 68, L Westerberg (Swe) 70 72 70 68, O Bekker (RSA) 69 68 69 74, M Haines (am) (Eng) 72 71 71 66,
281 J Moore (USA) 68 73 69 71, M Collins (Irl) 70 69 70 72,
282 S Whiffin (Eng) 74 71 66 71, A Frayne (Eng) 71 69 72 70, D Whitnell (Eng) 75 66 69 72, N Harris (Eng) 75 69 71 67, D Higgins (Irl) 68 71 73 70, S Hodgson (am) (Eng) 73 70 70 69
283 P Richardson (Eng) 73 68 68 74, R Baca (USA) 72 67 74 70, P Jones (Eng) 68 73 73 69, C Paisley (am) (Eng) 70 69 73 71
284 K McNicoll (Sco) 76 71 72 65, C Devlin (Nir) 73 70 73 68
FAILED TO QUALIFY
285 J Bloomfield (Jam) 79 68 66 72, G Dear (Sco) 67 73 75 70, J Hepworth (Eng) 72 73 70 70, D Mooney (Nir) 73 70 71 71, B Britton (am) (Eng) 73 69 71 72, D Blair (am) (RSA) 74 73 71 67
286 P O'Keeffe (Irl) 72 69 74 71, M Curtis (Zim) 74 66 72 74, C Curley (am) (Irl) 74 69 74 69
287 G Lornie (Sco) 70 73 73 71, G Woolgar (Eng) 71 69 70 77, S Parry (Eng) 74 69 71 73
288 L Saltman (Sco) 74 71 73 70
289 J Cunliffe (RSA) 72 70 76 71, M Armitage (Eng) 72 72 74 71, M Cryer (Eng) 73 70 73 73, S Lilly (Eng) 76 70 72 71, A Carson (am) (Eng) 71 76 70 72
290 R Wragg (Eng) 74 74 71 71, J Howarth (Eng) 76 71 73 70, E Thomson (Sco) 80 70 67 73, J Gidney (Eng) 73 74 71 72, T Rice (Irl) 72 70 75 73, S Uzzell (am) (Eng) 75 74 70 71
291 P James (Eng) 72 74 67 78, A Hamilton (USA) 77 72 70 72, B Taylor (Eng) 70 74 72 75
292 S Howarth (Eng) 71 73 73 75, J Conteh (Eng) 75 67 75 75, S Cowle (Eng) 74 73 72 73, J Mason (Eng) 71 71 74 76, Z Saltman (Sco) 75 73 71 73,
293 B Taylor (Eng) 70 76 69 78,
294 J Freeman (Eng) 70 68 80 76, A Wootton (am) (Eng) 74 73 72 75,
295 K Crossland (Eng) 74 70 74 77,
296 D Stein (Aus) 75 75 70 76,
** C Elliot (Eng) 74 73 68 DQ,

GOLF DE MOLIETS, FRANCE
266 C Balmaseda (Esp) 69 63 68 66
271 R Quiros (Esp) 65 67 68 71
272 B Etchart (Esp) 66 68 69 69
274 E De La Riva (Esp) 68 67 71 68, T Fournier (Fra) 67 69 70 68
276 P Bocian (Swe) 67 70 70 69, T Leon (USA) 66 70 75 65, J Legarrea (Esp) 66 69 73 68
277 O David (Fra) 64 71 74 68
278 C Garcia (Esp) 68 70 71 69
279 P Oriol (Esp) 67 69 72 71
280 M Galdos (Esp) 66 69 68 77, C McNamara (Irl) 71 68 71 70, J Van Hauwe (Fra) 71 67 70 72
281 G Watremez (Bel) 68 73 70 70, A Belt (Eng) 69 69 73 70, E Barr (Irl) 68 70 70 73
282 T Stewart (Aus) 73 71 69 69, B Mannix (Eng) 72 67 72 71, K Le Sager (Fra) 70 73 72 67, B Fowles (am) (Eng) 74 66 70 72
283 L Portela (Esp) 67 72 76 68, D Quiros (Esp) 71 69 68 75, E Dubois (Fra) 72 68 70 73, N Walker (Eng) 72 71 72 68, J Mommo (Fin) 73 73 65 72
FAILED TO QUALIFY
284 M Mills (Eng) 71 71 72 70, M Bosse (Ger) 71 72 74 67, S Arnold (Aus) 73 73 71 67, G Canizares (Esp) 72 72 69 71, J Ocejo (Esp) 68 71 73 72, P Hendriksen (Eng) 69 72 74 69, M Saiz (Esp) 71 73 70 70, M Cantero (Esp) 72 70 72 70, F Hammarberg (Swe) 73 72 70 69, T Reid (Eng) 66 75 73 70
286 F Lagarto (Esp) 77 69 69 71, X Guzman (Esp) 73 72 69 72, B Lecuona (Fra) 67 71 75 73, D Perrier (Fra) 76 69 69 72
287 V Blazquez (Esp) 70 74 70 73, A Matallana (Esp) 75 73 70 69, P O'Hanlon (Irl) 71 72 72 72, N Soto (Eng) 74 69 74 70
288 I Del Castillo (Esp) 71 72 74 71, J Lorca (Esp) 68 68 79 73, G Gresse (Bel) 67 72 73 76, B Welch (Eng) 74 69 74 71, P Menjibar (Esp) 68 73 72 75
289 J Rosillo (Esp) 71 72 70 76, J Daudignon (Fra) 71 75 69 74, C Bell (Eng) 74 73 69 73, J Belliard (Fra) 75 71 70 73, J Guillet (Fra) 71 69 74 75, D Antonelli (am) (Fra) 71 71 76 71
290 S Mason (Eng) 71 77 70 72, C Aguilar (Esp) 69 71 73 77, M Raven (am) (Eng) 72 72 73 73
291 R Thuillier (Fra) 75 72 71 73, F Keenan (Eng) 74 72 74 71,
292 S Seijo (Esp) 74 75 69 74, C Perez Barberan (Esp) 72 73 74 73, E Dominguez (Arg) 74 74 70 74, B Hemstock (am) (Eng) 75 73 71 73,
294 S Haywood (Eng) 76 73 70 75, F Vallet (Fra) 75 71 74 74, D Alonso (Esp) 69 71 75 79
298 R Schilperoord (Ned) 76 73 71 78, J Palmer (Eng) 75 71 74 78,
** N Singer (am) (Fra) 71 79 70 WD,

CIRCOLO BOGOGNO, ITALY
274 M Rominger (Sui) 69 65 68 72
276 S Saavedra (Arg) 69 70 67 70
277 G Rosier (Fra) 70 70 69 68
278 R Swane (Ned) 72 71 70 65, S Piaget (Mon) 70 73 66 69, N Sulzer (Sui) 71 72 67 68, C Ford (Eng) 70 73 70 65
279 M Soffietti (Ita) 71 73 68 67, A Maestroni (Ita) 70 71 69 69, N Bertasio (am) (Ita) 70 70 72 67, J Kim (am) (Ita) 66 72 71 70
280 N Bollini (USA) 69 70 72 69, J Maurer (Aut) 72 69 69 70
281 J Fahrbring (Swe) 72 73 68 68, T Lambert (Aus) 69 73 72 67
282 M Persson (Swe) 70 73 73 66
283 K Sullivan (Wal) 74 68 68 73, G Slabe (Slo) 74 67 70 72, J Dusson (Fra) 72 70 66 75, H Bacher (Aut) 69 68 72 74
284 T Weiss (Sui) 68 72 71 73, A Zanini (Ita) 70 75 70 69
285 P Bech (Esp) 72 73 73 67, A Bihan (Fra) 75 73 68 69, D Ulrich (Sui) 72 73 72 68, A Christie (am) (Eng) 74 73 68 70
286 J Camargo (Esp) 70 76 70 70, A Bruschi (Ita) 72 72 71 71, P Nilbrink (Nor) 71 73 68 74, N Ravano (am) (Ita) 73 67 74 72
FAILED TO QUALIFY
287 M Delpodio (Ita) 73 71 70 73, C Blaesi (Sui) 75 66 73 73, R Treis (Ger) 80 70 68 69, S Wiedergruen (Ger) 72 73 71 71, C Prader (Aut) 72 75 73 67, K Samooja (am) (Fin) 73 75 70 69,
288 F Svanberg (Sui) 68 76 75 69, J Parron (Esp) 71 77 70 70, J Foret (Fra) 71 72 74 71, T Sluiter (am) (Ned) 72 75 69 72,
289 I Sanchez-Palencia (Esp) 73 73 73 70, A Napoleoni (Ita) 75 71 70 73, F Ojeda Racioppi (Arg) 70 71 72 76,
290 D Suazo (Esp) 71 72 70 77, E Lattanzi (Ita) 79 71 69 71, S Russi (Chi) 73 71 73 73, C Trunzer (Ger) 76 73 72 69, F Pasqualucci (Ita) 69 71 77 73, P Relecom (Bel) 73 72 75 70, M Choi (Aus) 75 72 74 69, F Figueroa (Esa) 75 73 70 72, J Theunis (Bel) 76 74 69 71, A Huber (USA) 75 72 72 71, R McGee (am) (Irl) 74 70 71 75,
291 T Laitto (Fin) 73 71 73 74, M Novy (Cze) 75 73 69 74, J San Sebastian (Esp) 73 74 73 71,
292 A Signor (Ita) 76 69 76 71, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 71 76 70 75, A Chopard (Sui) 74 76 72 70, P Lepitschnik (Aut) 73 69 75 75,
293 S Reale (Ita) 74 72 74 73, G Andersson (Swe) 74 70 76 73,
294 P Terreni (Ita) 70 78 68 78, A Andersson (Swe) 74 73 75 72,
295 A Fabietti (Bra) 72 75 74 74,
296 J Adarraga Gomez (Esp) 75 71 75 75,
297 X Puig (am) (Esp) 72 76 73 76,
** C Pfau (Aut) 74 71 73 DISQ,

FLEESENSEE G&CC, GERMANY
274 A Mellor (Eng) 69 69 71 65
276 M Thorp (Nor) 64 69 74 69
277 J Gill (Nzl) 68 66 73 70
278 M Kramer (Ger) 70 70 68 70, T Edlund (Swe) 67 70 70 71
280 Z Scotland (Eng) 72 71 67 70, N Glans (Swe) 71 68 75 66, R Saxton (Ned) 72 69 71 68, A Rosado (Por) 73 70 68 69, J Hansen (am) (Den) 69 69 70 72
281 R Sjöberg (Swe) 72 70 69 70
282 J Sköld (Swe) 74 68 69 71
283 M Owens (Irl) 67 72 73 71, S Forsstrom (Swe) 73 71 72 67, M Palm (Swe) 72 69 71 71, D Wardrop (Eng) 70 72 71 70, A Fischer (Ger) 72 70 69 72
284 P Ankersoe (Den) 71 72 74 67, M Glauert (Ger) 71 71 73 69, F Becker (Ger) 76 71 72 65, J Roth (Den) 69 71 75 69, S Gross Jr (Ger) 68 72 74 70, M Johansson (am) (Swe) 72 71 69 72
285 J Makitalo (Fin) 72 69 76 68, R Harris (Eng) 74 71 66 74, L Richard (Bel) 71 72 69 73, T Cruz (Por) 71 71 75 68, J Ruth (Eng) 73 72 70 70, L Corfield (Eng) 70 74 71 70, T Sundström (Fin) 67 76 74 68, N Kearney (am) (Irl) 71 72 68 74
FAILED TO QUALIFY
286
J Drongstrup (Den) 71 72 71 72, T Tuovinen (Fin) 69 73 72 72, D Marmion (Eng) 71 74 73 68, J Lupprian (Ger) 71 70 74 71, T Schuster (Ger) 67 75 73 71, A Szappanos (am) (Ger) 70 71 74 71
287 R Nielsen (Den) 72 75 70 70, D Klein (am) (Ger) 76 72 70 69,
288 P Purhonen (Fin) 74 72 75 67, R Golding (Eng) 67 76 73 72, B Guiney (Sco) 72 74 70 72, N Bruzelius (Swe) 74 71 70 73,
289 P Erofejeff (Fin) 73 73 72 71, R Schovanek (Cze) 73 73 73 70, D Wuensche (Ger) 72 70 76 71, J Martikainen (Fin) 70 74 71 74,
290 R Steele (Eng) 72 73 72 73, B Oliver (Aus) 72 75 70 73, K Jorgensen (Den) 71 74 74 71, B Miarka (Ger) 75 74 69 72, G Birch Jr (Ger) 71 71 76 72,
291 R Svensson (Swe) 71 72 77 71, B Mann (Ind) 70 71 75 75, F Bredin (Swe) 70 72 76 73, R Askstrand (Swe) 69 73 74 75, J Hall (Eng) 75 73 72 71, P Baunsoe (am) (Den) 76 75 68 72
292 M Haremza (Ger) 72 74 71 75, F Ruprecht (Aut) 74 72 76 70, A John (am) (Ger) 74 76 68 74
293 K Mortensen (Den) 75 71 75 72,
294 B Parker (Eng) 73 71 78 72, P Jacobsen (Den) 75 75 70 74, S Gundorph (Den) 74 69 74 77
295 M Campbell (Irl) 74 71 75 75,
296 S Stefansson (Isl) 72 77 73 74,
299 J Fransson (Swe) 79 70 73 77, H Satama (am) (Fin) 72 75 75 77

Labels: ,

SAM BINNING (image by Tom Ward Photography), won Under-21 boys' play-off with a birdie 2 against Adam Dunton.

Nick Faldo's five Scots bound for Brazil:


Carly, Lesley, Sam, Scott and Ewan

Comrie's Carly Booth, after a brilliant round of 69, Lesley Atkins (Minto), with the help of a hole in one, Ranfurly Castle's Sam Binning after a play-off drama, Scott Young of Turnhouse and Ewan Scott (St Andrews) today earned themselves a place in the sun … an all-expenses-paid trip to Brazil next month to be precise.
The five topped their categories in the Nick Faldo Series Scottish Final over 36 holes of the Renaissance Club course at Archerfield Links and gained automatic places in the Grand Final, to be held at Itanhanga Golf Club, Rio de Janeiro from October 28 to 30.

Binning forced a play-off with Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon), the overnight leader in the boys' Under-21 section with a second round of 74 for 153. Dunton had scores of 76 and 77 and Binning completed his joy with a winning birdie 2 at the short hole chosen to start the sudden-death shoot-out for a seat on the plane to Brazil.
Robert Carson (Dalmahoy) was only one shot away from making it a three-way play-off. He had a pair of 74s for 154.
Scott Young (Turnhouse) maintained his halfway lead in the boys' Under-18 section with a 75 for 148 – four shots ahead of Colin Robinson (Largs) (75-77) and Conor O'Neil (Glasgow) (77-75).
Brora's Calum Stewart, who qualified for Brazil last year, lost his overnight lead in the boys' Under-16 section and with it the chance for a repeat trip to South America. Calum sagged from a 76 to an 80 over the par-71 course for a total of 156.
The winner in this category was Ewan Scott from the St Andrews club with 78 and 76 for 154. He finished a stroke ahead of the Scottish Under-16 champion, Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) who had rounds of 77 and 78.
The two girls' sections were won by runaway margins.
Curtis Cup player Carly Booth, now 17, had a superb second round of two-under-par 69, which must have broken the ladies' record of the Renaissance Club course. Her total of 145 was 13 shots ahead of English challenger Jenna Birch (Royal Lytham) who qualified for Brazil last year.
Carly, in the GB&I squad again for the 2010 Curtis Cup match in America, was in brilliant form with birdies at the first, the long sixth, the 16th and the short 17th in halves of 35 and 34. She dropped shots to par at the fourth and seventh.
Borders women's champion and Scotland girl cap Lesley Atkins, only 14 years of age, won the girls' Under-16 category by 12 shots, including a hole in one with a No 9 iron at the ninth in her round of 76 for 154. She also had a birdie 3 at the 12th in halves of 38.

Runner-up was St Andrews' Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) with a pair of 83s for 166.

The par for the boys and girls was 71. The boys' CSS was 76 (reduction only) for both rounds. The girls' CSS was 73 (reduction only) and 72 for the second round.






Labels: ,

NICK FALDO SERIES
Scottish Qualifier
+Winners of each group qualify for Grand Final in Brazil
Renaissance Club, Archerfield Links.
FINAL TOTALS
All pars 142 (2x71)
BOYS
Under-21

153 Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 79 74, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 76 77 (Binning won play-off at first extra hole).
154 Robert Carson (Dalmahoy) 77 77.
161 Jamie Hendrick (Pollok) 80 81.
162 Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 84 78, Matthew Blackith (Bellingham) 86 76.
Under-18
148 Scott Young (Turnhouse) 73 75.
152 Colin Robinson (Largs) 75 77, Conor O’Neil (Glasgow) 77 75.
155 Ian Redford (St Andrews New) 74 81.
158 John Henry (Clydebank & Dist) 77 81, Jamie Lynch (Falkirk) 79 79.
159 Jeff Wright (Forres) 78 81.
160 Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 81 79.
163 Rodger Clark (Moray) 83 80, Ryan Campbell (Grangemouth) 84 79.
165 Tom Dingwall (Nairn Dunbar) 79 86, Jamie Arthur (Milnathort) 80 85, Jamie Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 81 84.
166 Grant Carnegie (Dunblane New) 81 85.
177 Richie Manson (Braemar) 90 87.
NR Philip Gordon (Paisley) 84 NR, Simon Fairburn (Galashiels) 86 NR.
Under-16
154 Ewan Scott (St Andrews) 78 76.
155 Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) 77 78.
156 Calum Stewart (Brora) 76 80, Liam Johnston (Dumfries & Co) 78 78.
158 Ross Proctor (Forres) 77 81.
160 Cameron Farrell (Cardross) 81 79.
161 James Steven (Kirkhill) 81 80.
163 Anthony Blaney (Liberton) 78 83.
164 Adam Charnock (Vale Royal) 85 79.
166 Andrew Carrell (Peterculter) 84 82.
169 Stuart McPherson (Burntisland) 83 86, Andrew Whyte (St Andrews New) 85 84, Daniel Thompsett (Aboyne) 86 83.
170 Sam Mcneil (Inchmarlo) 85 85. Greg Dunsmore (Saline) 89 81.
171 Connor Neil (Blairgowrie) 81 90, Fraser Lauder (Paisley) 84 87.
177 Jordan Milne (Elgin) 91 86.
178 Joe Stamper (Penrith) 90 88, Ross Munro (Monifieth) 99 79.
182 Evan Robertson (Inchmarlo) 88 94.
GIRLS
Under-21
145 Carly Booth (Comrie) 76 69.
158 Jenna Birch (Royal Lytham) 80 78.
160 Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) 83 77.
162 Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 84 78.
168 Mhairi Johnstone (Northern) 83 85.
Under-16
154 Lesley Atkins (Minto) 78 76.
166 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 83 83.
168 Linsey Stevenson (Elie & Earlsferry) 86 82.
170 Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 85 85.
173 Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe) 90 83.
175 Grace Anderson (Morpeth) 86 89.
192 Emily Aird (Strathmore) 91 101.

Labels: ,

Mark is King of the Hickory Shafts

Joint sixth overnight, Mark King forged to the front with the best second round of two-over-par 73 to win the world professional hickory championship by two shots with a two-round total of six-over 148 over the Gullane No 2 course.
King, Scottish boys’ match-play champion at Dunbar in 1989, was winning on the Tartan Tour for the fourth time this season – and the cheque for £2,011 was almost double his previous best in 2009.
Runners-up on 150 were last year’s winner and 1983 Walker Cup player, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) and Gullane’s Alasdair Good, playing only his second ever competitive round with hickory-shafted clubs.
Mann’s rounds were 76 and 74, Good’s 73 and 77. Each earned £1,408.
There were two Manns in the top six with Lindsay’s brother Fraser sharing fourth place with Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) and Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) on 151 for which the trio received £742 each. Fraser Mann and Wardell both scored 74 and 77, Oldcorn, joint overnight leader with Good and Steven Taylor, had rounds of 73 and 78.
Former British women’s open amateur stroke play champion Heather MacRae, who is doing her PGA training with Alasdair Good as her boss and mentor, finished one shot outside the money.
She had scores of 84 and 82 for 31st place on 166. The £12,500 prize fund stretched as far as 30th place. Hard luck, Heather! Although she is confident that now she is getting the hang of playing with and against male pros, she will earn a £ or two on next year’s Tartan Tour.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
148 Mark King (Kingsfield) 75 73, £2,011.
150 Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) 76 74, Alasdair Good (Gullane) 73 77, £1,408 each.
151 Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 74 77, Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 74 77, Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 73 78, £742 each.
152 David Thomson (Carnegie Club) 78 74, David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 76 76, Jacky Montgomery (Dunbar) 76 76, Sean O’Donnell (Balbirnie Park) 76 76, Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 73 789, £397 each.
155 Graeme Brown (Montrose) 79 76, £281.
156 Marc Amort (Germany) 80 76, Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR) 79 77, Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) 75 81, £241 each.
157 Perry Somers (unatt) 78 79, £201.
158 Andrew Marshall (Houston GR) 79 769, Norman Huguet (Musselburgh) 679 69, Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 75 83, £161 each.
159 Nigel Scott-Smith (Palacerigg) 82 77, Alastair MacKenzie (Duddingston) 78 81, £122 each.
160 Stefan Bjalllroth (Sweden) 81 69, Klas Ohlsson (Sweden) 77 83, £102 each.
161 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) 78 83 £93.
162 John McTear (Mar Hall Hotel) 87 75, Derek Watters (Gourock) 80 82, Thomas Buchanan (Duddingston) 78 84, £85 each.
163 Owe Werner (Sweden) 84 79, £76.
164 Richard Valentine Craigielaw) 85 79, £71.
165 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 80 85, £67.
166 Heather MacRae (Gullane) 84 82.
167 Iain Forrester (Holland) 82 85.
171 Jody Rostock (Carnegie Club) 87 84.
175 James Mooney Kingscliff Golf Solutions) 86 89.
Retired: Mark Pirie (Pitlochry) 83 -.
Disqualified: Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design) 82 -.

Labels:

Scotland lying sixth in World Cup qualifier

By MICHAEL GIBBONS, European Tour Press Officer
Wales were on spectacular form in the second round foursomes at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier in Estonia shooting an error free 66 to lead by two shots going into Saturday’s four-balls.
The Welsh team of Stephen Dodd and Jamie Donaldson had trailed Canada by one shot overnight but continued their run of good form shooting a blistering six under par 66 in the challenging foursomes format to take them to 12 under par, two clear of the Canadian duo of Graham DeLaet and Stuart Anderson, with Finland a further stroke back.
The foursomes format proved a tough one for most teams hoping to grab one of the three available spots to the Omega Mission Hills World Cup at the Estonian Golf and Country Club, with only nine nations recording under par scores for the day in relatively calm but very cold conditions.
The Finnish team of Toni Karjalainen and Juha-Pekka Peltomaki were a notable exception, shooting an impressive 68 to claim third place on their own having started the day in a tie for third with three other teams including host nation, Estonia.
Unfortunately the challenging nature of foursomes golf got the better of the Estonian team who dropped back from third place to eighth after a disappointing 75 to finish the day on two under.
Scotland ended the day in sixth place with a score of 71 to finish on four under following a disappointing day for them on the greens. David Drysdale and Alastair Forsyth will be hoping that the putts will drop in over the final two rounds.
Having declared after their opening round that they were more than capable of handling the foursomes format, Wales were delighted to have proved themselves right.
"We played nicely today”, said Dodd “We kept the ball in play and did all the right things out there.”
The Welsh duo made six birdies and no bogeys in what was an impressive display of foursomes golf. They have now played 36 hole without dropping a shot.
“It was a much better day for me today. Jamie continued to do what he does best, hitting some great iron shots, and we kept the ball in play. We missed the fairway on the 18th which made it difficult for ourselves but fortunately Jamie sank a crucial putt for par.”

SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Friday format: foursomes
Par 144 (2x72) 6,462yd.
+Top three teams after 72 holes qualify to play in World Cup.
132 Wales (Stephen DODD / Jamie DONALDSON) 66 66.
134 Canada (Graham DELAET / STUART ANDERSON)
135 Finland (Toni KARJALAINEN / Juha-Pekka PELTOMAKI) 67 68.
137 Austria (Michael A MOSER / Christophe BAUSEK)
138 Portugal (José-Filipe LIMA / António SOBRINHO)
140 Scotland (Alistair FORSYTH / David Drysdale) 69 71.
141 Slovenia (Janez GRILC / Miha STUDEN)
142 Estonia (Martin TOOM / Mark SUURSALU) 67 75.
143 Iceland (Sigurpall SVEINSSON / Bjorgvin SIGURBERGSSON)
144 Morocco (Armine JUDAR / Tarik BENSLIMANE)
145 Algeria (Mus DEBOUB / Farid GUERDA)
147 Switzerland (Jean-Luc BERNIER / Gerold BERCHTOLD)
149 Israel (Itamar COEN / Oren GERI), Serbia (Nemanja SAVIC / Danilo KRALJEVIC)
150 Poland (Maximillian SALUDA / Marcin STELMASIAK)
151 Namibia (M. Adri BASSON / Joe NAWANGA)
155 Croatia (Darko LUBANOVIC / Miro RAIC)
158 Greece (George DIAKOU / Eugenios PAPADOPOULOUS)

Labels:

Maruyama leads Panasonic Open by one stroke

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Kyoto , September 25: Japan ’s Daisuke Maruyama pulled one shot clear of the chasing pack at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open on Friday to give himself a chance of ending a frustrating four-year title drought.
The 39-year-old carded a solid five-under-par 66 at the Joyo Country Club to lead by one stroke from unheralded Korean, Kim Hyung-sung, who stayed in the title hunt with a 68.
Thai star Prayad Marksaeng produced a blistering inward 30 as he charged into contention with a 67 and will enter the weekend rounds two shots off the pace alongside Japan’s Taichi Teshima and Toru Suzuki, who carded a 66 and 64 respectively.
Co-overnight leader Lam Chih Bing of Singapore and Chinese ace Liang Wen-chong, Asia’s No 1 in 2007, shot 72 and 70 respectively to stay three back in the US$1.5 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
The 38-year-old Maruyama, who won the Asian Tour Qualifying School this year, mixed six birdies against a lone bogey to move into pole position. He credited a new fitness regime and proper dieting for his good run of form where he was second and eighth in his last two tournaments in Japan .
“I’ve been lazy and have not worked hard enough in the past,” said Maruyama, who won the ROC PGA Championship on the Asian Tour in 2000 and the 2005 Fuji Sankei Classic in Japan .
“I will send photos of the meals that I am about to eat to my trainer over the phone and he’ll tell me if it is too much or not. I feel fitter now, especially on this course which is hilly. I feel confident of winning,” added the Japanese, who enjoyed two seasons on the US PGA Tour in 2006 and 2007.
While Maruyama topped the Qualifying School in January, Korea ’s Kim agonisingly missed out by two strokes but he gave himself a chance of winning his biggest tournament with a round that included five birdies and two bogeys.
The 29-year-old Kim, who finished second on the domestic Korean circuit last year with two victories, said: “I didn’t drive it well and my iron play was average. But I putted really good and made most of my putts. My short game worked well and you need that on this course,” said Kim, who has three top-10s in Japan this year.
“After last season, my confidence has gone up. I feel good about my chances and I just need to stay focussed. That will be the most important thing,” he added.
While Kim is searching for his career breakthrough, veteran Prayad is a proven winner with six titles on the Asian Tour and three more in Japan . The 43-year-old produced a superb back nine performance to surge into contention.
“On the front nine, I didn’t play so good. My shots were either short or long on most holes. But on the back nine, I drove the ball better and holed a lot of long putts,” said the Thai, who made 45ft putts on the 13th and 15th holes.
Liang, bidding for a first title in Japan after seven top-three finishes, turned in 33 but tripped up at the 14th hole when he drove his ball out of bounds and then dropped another bogey on 16. However a four-foot birdie on 17 saw him end the day closer to the lead.
“I only made one big mistake on the 14th hole,” said Liang. “I’m feeling good and my swing feels good. Yesterday, I missed several short putts but I worked on the putting stroke and it was better today. I have to think well on this golf course and stay patient,” said Liang.
Lam, who escaped serious injury after he was hit with a club by countryman Mardan Mamat on Monday, slipped three shots back after a round that included two birdies against three bogeys. But the Singaporean is not discounting his chances.
“I bogeyed 17 and nine with a sand wedge in my hand and that was a bit disappointing. But all in all I’m still happy. If you’ve given me this at the start of the week, I’d gladly take it. I’m looking forward to the last two rounds. I can’t control what the others do, I just need to go out there and hope to play like I did yesterday,” said Lam.
Teenage star Ryo Ishikawa, currently Japan’s No 1 following three victories, battled to a 73, which included an ugly triple bogey, to make the halfway cut which was set at four-over-par 146. Ishikawa is tied 51st.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERS
Par 142 (2x71)
135 Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) 69-66
136 Kim Hyung-sung (KOR) 68-68
137 Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 70-67, Taichi Teshima (JPN) 71-66, Toru Suzuki (JPN) 73-64
138 Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 68-70, Toshinori Muto (JPN) 74-64, Lam Chih Bing (SIN) 66-72
139 Azuma Yano (JPN) 68-71, Rick Kulacz (AUS) 68-71
140 Katsumasa Miyamoto (JPN) 67-73, Kim Kyung-tae (KOR) 70-70, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 71-69, Yoshinori Fujimoto [A] (JPN) 70-70, Taigen Tsumagari (JPN) 68-72, Toru Taniguchi (JPN) 68-72, Unho Park (AUS) 71-69, Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 72-68, Tetsuya Hiraguchi (JPN) 66-74


For further information, please visit www.asiantour.com.

Labels:

Paul Casey missess Alfred Dunhill Links Championship:

The good news: Richie Ramsay gets his place

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Paul Casey's hopes of winning the inaugural Race to Dubai have suffered a big blow.
The World No 4, who because of a rib muscle injury has not played since the first week of August, is out of next week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and the Old Course, St Andrews.
And Casey, second to injured German Martin Kaymer on The Race to Dubai, will not be back in action now until the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain at the end of next month.
"While I feel I am extremely close to being fully fit I have decided to heed advice and withdraw from the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship," he said.
"I am really disappointed as it is a fantastic event and one I am very sorry to miss, but I know that coming back too soon could undo all the rehabilitation work I have done.
"It has been a very frustrating time, but I feel my patience is being rewarded having now completed several light practice sessions with no ill-effects.
"I am looking forward to building on this over the next few weeks to get my game in shape for my return.
"My first event back will now be the Volvo World Match Play Championship where I hope I can get my Race to Dubai campaign back on track."
Casey suffered a tear of the internal oblique muscle at the tenth and 11th rib and an intercostal strain in the same area while practising for The Open Championship in July.
He tried to return at the World Golf Championships - Bridgestone Invitational, but pulled out after a few holes and then withdrew from the US PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Cup play-off series in the States.
Casey's bad luck is good fortune for European Tour rookie Richie Ramsay from Aberdeen. He was first reserve. Now he's in the field, filling Casey's place.
Steven O'Hara is now first reserve and Calum Macaulay is second stand-by.
Martin Kaymer is currently out of action after needing surgery when he broke toes in a go-karting accident a month ago.
He is targeting a return at the CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar in Spain on October 22-25 - the week before the Match Play.
Their lay-offs have opened the door to Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher to take over at the top of the standings next week.

Labels:

COUNTY NEWS

Renfrewshire through to Scottish area team semi-finals

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION
Don Bremner: e-mail- donbremner@ranfurly9.freeserve.co.uk
Renfrewshire Golf Union stormed to the finals of the Scottish Area Team Championships with a convincing victory over Clackmannanshire at Erskine Golf Club in a match that they had to win.
There was little to choose between the sides in the morning foursomes with all games going to the 17th hole before being decided. Home player Ronnie Clark and Matt Clark (Kilmacolm) put the first point on the board with a win over Jamie Aitken and Ross Benvie. However, the experienced team of Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm) and East Renfrewshire’s Craig Watson lost 2&1 to Scott Barrowman and Ian Ross.
Current county stroke play champion Brian Adam of Paisley and young Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) were left to capture the all important point which they did in a close battle with John Maxwell and Steven Horne
The afternoon singles started well with Matt Clark recording a 4&3 win over Jamie Aitken. The second game saw the “A Team” debut of Michael Dailly (Erskine) who faced Scott Barrowman, the plus two golfer from Dollar who won the Scottish Youths championship at Erskine in 2007. Michael fully justified his selection with a 3&1 victory.
One more win was required for victory and Andrew Farmer went part of the way recording birdies at the 14th and 16th to square the match against John Maxwell. It was Gordon Stevenson who clinched it with a 2 &1 win over Ross Benvie.
In the two other matches Craig Watson lost one hole and Ronnie Clark won by one hole and joined their team-mates to open the champagne.
Renfrewshire now travel to Crail on October 3 to face North East whose line-up will include Scottish boys' and men's amateur champion David Law.

Labels:

US Nationwide Tour Scoreboard
WNB CLASSIC

Midland Country Club, Midland, Texas
FIRST ROUND (Par: 72)
64
Rhein Gibson, Fran Quinn, Garrett Willis
66 Marco Dawson, Fabian Gomez, David Hearn, Bob May, Paul Stankowski, Brendan Steele
67 Adam Bland, Guy Boros, Kris Cox, Bryan DeCorso, Jerod Turner
68 Blake Adams, Arjun Atwal, Ryan Cobb, Robert Damron, Bubba Dickerson, Tom Gillis, Justin Hicks, John Kimbell, Won Joon Lee, Craig Lile, Billy Mayfair, Alex Prugh, Dave Schultz, Phil Tataurangi, Chris Tidland, Esteban Toledo, Dustin White
69 Tyler Aldridge, Ryan Armour, Oskar Bergman, Jeff Burns, Chad Collins, Keoke Cotner, Tommy Gainey, Skip Kendall, Derek Lamely, Mike Lavery, J.L. Lewis, Chris Nallen, Jin Park, Cameron Percy, Martin Piller, Alistair Presnell, Adam Rubinson, Jason Schultz, Patrick Sheehan, Michael Sims, Darron Stiles, Brian Stuard, Omar Uresti, Willie Wood
70 Matthew Borchert, Miguel Carballo, Jason Caron, Tom Carter, Paul Claxton, Joe Daley, Will Dodson, Andrew Dresser, Scott Gardiner, Bret Guetz, Hunter Haas, Vince Jewell, Craig Kanada, J.J. Killeen, Randy Lowry, Len Mattiace, David Morland IV, Garth Mulroy, Scott Parel, Connie Pierce, Dustin Risdon, Geoffrey Sisk, Daniel Summerhays, Tjaart Van der Walt, Vance Veazey, Brian Vranesh
71 Craig Barlow, Craig Bowden, Dustin Bray, Mark Brooks, Larry Bryan, Casie Cathrea, Michael Clark II, Stuart Deane, Todd Demsey, Scott Dunlap, Joe Durant, Jason Enloe, Jim Herman, Kevin Johnson, Jim McGovern, Ryan Nelson, Sal Spallone
72 Alex Aragon, Ben Bates, Josh Broadaway, Gary Christian, Bobby Clampett, Brent Delahoussaye, Brian Dwyer, Martin Flores, Mathias Gronberg, Troy Kelly, Doug LaBelle II, Ian Leggatt, Jesse Mueller, Garrett Osborn, Brenden Pappas, Michael Putnam, David D. Schultz, Kyle Thompson, Ron Whittaker, Steven Young
73 Andrew Buckle, Matt Every, Brad Fritsch, Seung Han, Andrew Johnson, Tom Johnson, Chris Kirk, Lucas Lee, John Riegger, B.J. Staten, Joseph Sykora, Grant Waite, Brennan Webb, Steve Wheatcroft
74 Rich Barcelo, Tom Byrum, Leroux Ferreira, Chad Ginn, Bradley Iles, Drew Laning, David McKenzie, Tom Scherrer
75 John Adams, Steve Alker, Jeffrey Barton, D.J. Brigman, Jim Carter, Paul Gow, Ryan Hietala, Bob Sowards
76 Joey Lamielle, Andrew Magee
77 Trevor Dodds, Jeff Gove, Matt Hansen
81 Bob Burns

Labels:

Putting tips from Tiger help O'Hair

to led US Tour Championship

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
ATLANTA (AP) -- Sean O'Hair knew he would need some help from Tiger Woods to win the FedExCup. He got more than he expected. And it was about putting, not points.
Woods and O'Hair practiSed together on the back nine at East Lake on the eve of the Tour Championship, and O'Hair sought some advice on his putting from the world's No. 1 player, regarded as among the best in golf with the putter.
Woods suggested that O'Hair open the face of the club on the way back so that he could release the blade through the ball. It paid off when O'Hair made enough putts for a four-under 66 and a one-shot lead over three players -- including Woods.
=================================
RELATED LINKS
Leaderboard
Complete coverage
Local Knowledge
Putting tips
==================================
"I'm going to go chew him out right now," Woods said.
Woods was joking, for it is typical in this sport for players to help each other even as they're trying to beat each other. O'Hair is the first to concede that his putting has held him back in his five years on tour, and he wasn't afraid to ask.
"I believe in what he said, and I think it's the key for me to kind of take my putting to another level," O'Hair said. "Getting advice like that from good players is obviously awesome, but getting it from basically the greatest of all time is pretty cool.
"I mean, I'm his competition, for him to help me out like he did was very classy, I thought."
The tip didn't take overnight, but it was good enough on greens that were far more firm than any of the 30-man field could have imagined after so much rain in Atlanta over the last week.
Woods recovered from a shaky start with three birdies over a four-hole stretch on the back nine for a 67, putting him one shot behind with Padraig Harrington and Open champion Stewart Cink.
Only eight players managed to break par in the final FedExCup playoff event, with a $10 million bonus going to the winner. O'Hair is the No. 7 seed, meaning he would have to win the Tour Championship and have Woods finish in a three-way tie for second or worse.
So far, so good. And so much golf left to be played.
O'Hair could only imagine what it would be like to try out his putting tip on the 18th green Sunday with a chance to go home with $11.35 million, the combined earnings of the FedExCup and Tour Championship.
"If I do have that opportunity, I hope I have a five-shot lead," he said.
Woods doesn't regret giving O'Hair the putting advice.

"It's very simple," Woods said. "You always help your friends. Sean is a friend of mine, and like all my friends, you always try to make their life better somehow. Sean has been struggling a bit on the greens this year, and I thought I could offer a little bit of help and insight to how he could change that."
Woods, who is in the best shape to capture the FedExCup as the No. 1 seed, could have used some help early in the round. As O'Hair, Harrington and Cink were setting an early pace, Woods was headed in the wrong direction by failing to save par from a bunker on the par-3 sixth, and making bogey on the eighth from the rough to go 1 over.
He was six shots behind at one point, then closed quickly.
"On this golf course, you have to be very patient, especially with greens this firm," Woods said. "It's really hard to get the ball close unless you drive the ball in the fairway and have a short iron in."
US Open champion Lucas Glover had a 68, and only three other players managed to break par -- Retief Goosen, Steve Marino and Dustin Johnson, who were at 69. Stricker, the No. 2 seed, was among those at 70.
It was hard to believe that a course that was closed Monday and part of Tuesday because of 20 inches of rain over the past week could deliver some of the firmest greens on tour this year. Attribute that to a sub-air system on the greens installed last year, and a hot sun that left players reaching for towels to wipe sweat off their brow.
"The course was playing fairly long, and then the greens are just incredibly firm, probably the most firm we've played all year," O'Hair said. "Maybe The Players Championship is a close second. Kind of ironic since we got so much rain."
O'Hair was sporty from the rough, too. He made his first birdie with a wedge out of the rough on No. 3 that stopped a foot away, then made another birdie at No. 12 under similar circumstances, from the right rough with just enough spin to stop 2 feet from the hole.
Cink narrowly made the 30-man field at No. 26 and the scenarios are too many to count for him to win the FedExCup. All he cared about Thursday was breaking par, like so many other players.
"The golf course, considering all that rain we had, it's really dried out, and the greens are like bricks," he said. "You have to be very smart coming into the greens to give yourself any kind of aggressive birdies."
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
East Lake GC, Atlanta.
Par 70
66 Sean O'Hair
67 Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
68 Lucas Glover
69 Dustin Johnson, Steve Marino, Retief Goosen (Rsa)
70 Steve Stricker, Nick Watney, Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman (Aus), John Senden (Aus), Luke Donald (Eng), Scott Verplank
71 Hunter Mahan, Jerry Kelly, Jason Dufner, Ernie Els (Rsa), Y.E. Yang (Kor)
72 Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Brian Gay, Mike Weir (Can), Angel Cabrera (Arg)
73 Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Heath Slocum
74 David Toms
75 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus)

Labels: ,

Stepping back in time with hickory-shafted

clubs can be good for your golf ....

FROM THE SCOTSMAN NEWSPAPER WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
The men were very dapper, the women extremely elegant. The golf bags they carried were neither multi-coloured nor big enough to accommodate half the stock from the local club professional's shop.
The scene was the opening round of the PGA World Hickory Open at Gullane and, according to those competing, both young and old, the chance to take a step back in time had certainly proved enjoyable.
"This is the first time I have ever played with hickory clubs and it was good fun," said Maximilian Walz, a 17-year-old from Germany, playing in one of two teams entered in the pro-am by the Loretto Golf Academy.
Like many taking part, Walz, an amateur who plays off +2, found it difficult at first to get used to sets that, basically, consisted of a brassie, long iron, mashie, mashie niblick, niblick and putter. However, once he'd discovered that he shouldn't be trying to hit the ball as hard as he normally would, the new recruit to the Musselburgh school's blossoming golf programme savoured the experience.
"I'm aware that players like Bobby Jones played with these type of clubs and know how well they were capable of scoring with them," added Walz. "When I go back to Germany, I'll be telling my national coach how much I enjoyed this experience."
According to Alasdair Good, the head professional at Gullane, his first round with a set of hickory clubs – he shot a two-over 73 over the No 2 course to share the lead with Steven Taylor and Andrew Oldcorn at the halfway stage – had definitely proved an enlightening experience.
"The first trick you have to learn is to feel how the club performs and adapt your swing accordingly," he said. "You have to be 100 per cent committed with every shot and the one thing it would certainly teach every golfer is that they would have to improve their timing.
"I also think it opens your eyes to playing the game more imaginatively because you can't play that shot through the air over bunkers that we see in the game today with the modern equipment."
Former British women's open amateur stroke-play champion and trainee pro Heather MacRae, who works for Good in the shop at Gullane, enjoyed both the challenge and also the opportunity to dress up for the day.
"I love the whole idea of taking a step back in time," she said.This week's event is the fifth World Hickory Open. It started as a nine-hole tournament at Musselburgh Old Links before moving to Craigielaw.
Now it's part of a Festival of Hickory Golf and Lionel Freedman, the driving force behind the event, is hoping it can continue going from strength to strength.
"It is growing in terms of enjoyment, in terms of numbers and also in terms of venues," said the 75-year-old current club captain at Craigielaw. "I'd like to see it continue being played on historic golf courses, perhaps even some of the really important venues, the likes of a St Andrews.
"We also get tremendous support, in particular, from Sweden and I would also like to take it there one year."
SCROLL DOWN FOR ALL THE PROFESSIONAL SCORES AND THE AMATEUR TEAM FIRST-DAY WINNERS

Labels: , , ,

Copyright © Colin Farquharson

If you can't find what you are looking for.... please check the Archive List or search this site with Google