GAVIN DEAR MAKING HIS MARK IN

FLORIDA AS HE FINDS FEET AS A PRO

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Rookie professional Gavin Dear from Scone has already won $2,026 on the Minor League Golf Tour in Florida.
He finished joint fourth in his latest one-day event, the November 5 Classic at Fountains Country Club, Lake Worth, earning $450. Dear has had five top-10 finishes in his six outings, in all of which he has earned money.
His best performance so far was to win the one-round Hillcrest Classic which earned him $725. The 25-year-old Scot, who failed to get past Stage 1 of this year's European Tour Qualifying School, is already 90th on the Minor League Golf Tour money table.
Almost all of the Minor League Golf Tour competitions are one-round affairs, much like the Alliance circuits in Scotland, with the difference that several are played a week.
This week's event breaks the pattern. It's an extended match-play competition.

David Law (left) and Ross Kellett (right) tee it up in Argentina this week and next. Images by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on them to enlarge.

David Law and Ross Kellett in Argentina this week,

to be joined later by James Byrne, Michael Stewart

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Hazlehead's David Law, winner of both the Scottish men's amateur match-play championship and the Scottish boys' match-play title in 2009, and Ross Kellett (Colville Park, Motherwell), the No 2 Scot in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings, have flown to Argentina - courtesy of the Scottish Golf Union - to play in this week's Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup at Los Lagartos Country Club, Buenos Aires from Thursday to Sunday.
The pair will be joined by the top Scot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, James Byrne (Banchory), and last year's Scottish boys' match-play champion Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), students at Arizona State University and East Tennessee State University respectively, for the Argentinian men's amateur championship at Buenos Aires Golf Club from November 17 to 22.
The SGU are also funding the trip for Byrne and Stewart.
The latter championship tees off with a 36-hole stroke-play qualifying competition from which the leading 64 go forward to the match-play stages.
Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall), winner of the Scottish open amateur stroke-play title at Murcar Links earlier this year, and another 18-year-old, Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park) are also playing in both events.
Luke Goddard, a compatriot of Fleetwood and Pepperell, won the Argentine title 12 months ago.

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION NEWS RELEASE:

The two events are part of Scotland’s preparations for the defence of the Eisenhower Trophy, which will take place in Buenos Aires next October, with the quartet all likely to be vying for a place in the side.
National coach Ian Rae welcomed the opportunity to give the players experience of playing on the South American continent:
“We’re grateful for the fantastic support given by both sportscotland and the National Lottery, as well as our team sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management, without which trips like this would not be possible. The championships will be a great test for four of our most talented young golfers and will provide valuable experience of competing overseas on very different venues.”
“With the Eisenhower Trophy also taking place in Argentina next year, it will be good to do some homework on the country and the courses which will be beneficial for our title defence in eleven months time.”

Ferries' 75 good enough to win in the

rain at Invergordon Alliance meeting

By ROBIN WILSON
Over a rain-sodden Invergordon course Tain's Munro Ferries recorded his second North Alliance win in three outings with, in the conditions prevailing, a valiant gross 75.
The rain was continuous from start to the end of play and only a few who teed off very early got perhaps six or seven of the first nine holes played in the dry.
In the lucky few were Tain club mates Raymond Lockie and Andrew Watt and they were the only other two in the entry of 49 who broke 80, 12 of the 49 entries not returning scores or completing 18 holes.
Seven handicapper Watt had a creditable 79 to take second scratch and Lockie a net 71, off 8, to win first handicap in Class 1.
Local Mike Moran grossed 84, but with the conditions even his net 75 took a second handicap place! He was followed onto the prize list by two members from Tarbat, Mike Keay (7) 76 and Hamish Skinner (9) 77.
With the best net score of the competition, a 70 from his handicap of 12, Colin Stewart from Reay was a seven-shot winner in Class 2. Making a reappearance in Alliance golf, Francis Keith (Durness) fought and won, with a count of 43, an inward nine hole count back against Graham Macleod (Thurso) for second place . Gavin Gunn (Reay) was fourth with 78.
The fixture this weekend is being played over the Royal Dornoch winter course.
Results:
SCRATCH
75 M Ferries (Tain).
79 A Watt (Tain), R Lockie (Tain).
81 B Ronald (Thurso ).
83 M Keay (Tarbat), R Matheson (Thurso).
84 M Moran (Invergordon), A Gunn (Tain).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – R Lockie (Tain) (8) 71; M Moran (Invergordon) (9) 75; M Keay (Tarbat) (7) 76; H Skinner (Tarbat) (9) 77.
Class 2 – C Stewart (Reay) (12) 70; F R M Keith (Durness) (12), G McLeod (Thurso) (18) 77; G Gunn (Reay) (10) 78.

Australians ban spectator cameras and mobiles

for Tiger Woods' $3m visit for Aussie Masters

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Spectators have been warned: don't infuriate the Tiger at this week's Australian Masters in Melbourne. And with that has come a ban on cameras and mobile phones being brought on to the golf course.
Organisers have taken the tough step to prevent a repeat of the crowd distractions which infuriated Tiger Woods in Shanghai last week.
Woods arrived today ahead of his first appearance in Australia for 11 years and tournament officials are leaving nothing to chance with the most eagerly awaited golfing event here for years.
Woods, 33, who is reportedly being paid US$3 million to play here, will attract massive public galleries at the Kingston Heath sandbelt course.
All 25,000 tickets for each of the four days of the tournament have been sold out, with reports that officials are expecting crowds of up to 15 deep behind the ropes following Woods.
The huge crowds expected each day are proving to be a logistical nightmare for organisers, who have beefed up security for Woods. They have also moved to ensure there is no repeat of incidents involving inconsiderate spectators, which marred at last week's WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.
Woods was incensed when a camera clicked as he was teeing off at the seventh fairway and his shot found a bunker in Sunday's final round. He shouted "I just can't get a swing" and began swearing under his breath.
The presence of a sell-out crowd and many first-time golf watchers at Kingston Heath has made organisers nervous and they have advertised on the tournament's website that spectators will not be allowed to bring cameras and mobile phones on to the course.
Marcus Gale, IMG's tournament director for the Masters, said: "We are worried a little bit. Tiger hasn't been here since 1998 and what he's done between now and then is unprecedented. I think he's won 13 of his 14 majors in that time. People are going to be keen to see him."
Gale did not elaborate on how security would prevent fans 'smuggling in' small cameras and mobile phones. But he added he did not expect the same crowd problems experienced in Shanghai.
"We're certainly not China. We'll have an educated crowd as far as golf goes for the main part."
For his reported $3m appearance fee, Woods will also attend a gala dinner and play in a charity event for the survivors of the bushfires outside of Melbourne earlier this year that killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

Grant Dowie shaking hands with European Tour player Callum Macaulay (image by courtesy of Hugh Hunter).

GRANT DOWIE -------- “AYE A KEN PAL”

By HUGH HUNTER
The death of top Clackmannan junior golfer Grant Dowie from Dollar in a car crash recently caused a great shock locally followed by great sadness.
Grant, a junior member at Alloa Golf Club was making great progress with his golf and had the ambition of becoming a golf professional. On the local golf scene he featured regularly among the top junior golfers in Clackmannan county, having won both the stroke play championship (2007) and match play championship (2008).
Alloa golf professional David Herd contributed a considerable amount to Grant’s development.
“Grant started as a young boy with the unconventional golf grip of left hand below right, but he changed with a lot of effort and became an elite local junior with a very low handicap,” said David.
Clackmannan county president Sam Kinnaird and Alloa captain Hugh Hunter were also full of praise.
“Grant was a great supporter of junior golf and featured in county golf teams and the Scottish boys championship, the most recent being the Gary Harvey Trophy at Dunkeld where the Clackmannan county boys came very close to a win, helped by Grant’s efforts. It was good to see his confidence improving in these events.”
There was a huge turn-out for the memorial service in Dollar last week with local golfers, his team-mates from the Clackmannan county smartly turned out in county golf attire, friends from Alva Academy and Elmwood College where he was studying.
What came across was Grant’s likeable nature, his quiet unassuming manner which was always evident on the golf course - indeed a thoroughly nice person, and a credit to his family. In the present world of junior golf with an increasing number of spoiled brats--- luckily still a tiny minority - Grant was a breath of fresh air, demonstrating the true ideals of the golf game :- trying your best, accepting what happens and if it all goes wrong, no histrionics or club throwing; a real golfing model for others.
Knowing that November 5 would have been Grant’s 18th birthday, his fellow students at Elmwood organised a tribute golf competition and it was well supported with 58 golfers drawn from throughout Scotland including good local representation from Clackmannan juniors and Alloa Golf Club members.
The event was won by Marc Smith who scored 66 and received the trophy of a mounted golf club from Grant’s father Kenny. It was a very good day ,the weather was kind and good support for his family and friends.

GRANT DOWIE --- 05/11/1991 -- 25/10/2009

North Scottish Golfers' Alliance Texas Scramble winners on Saturday:

57.8 J Croall (Loch Ness), M Dillon (Loch Ness), J Simpson (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) (4.2).
58.8 C Campbell (Nairn Dunbar) p, I Anderson (Grantown), K Williamson (Torvean) (1.2).
58.9 J Treasurer (Inverness), D Joel (Loch Ness), A Cameron (Inverness) (0.1).
61.0 G Mellis (Muir of Ord), J R Mackay (Muir of Ord), K Macdonald (Boat of Garten) (1.0).
61.3 S Johnston (Elgin), D Hector (Elgin), L Duncan (Elgin) (1.7).