Justin Rose leads with a 65 in last US Tour event of season

Englishman Justin Rose shot a seven-under-par 65 to take the lead in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Florida today.
Rose was bogey-free on a breezy day where a steady morning drizzle and temperatures dipping into the low 50s made greens soft but tough to reach.
Another Englishman, Greg Owen, rookie Rickie Fowler and Casey Wittenberg were one shot back at Disney World in the final US PGA Tour event of the season.
The 20-year-old Fowler is making only his third start since turning pro from Oklahoma State University. He can join Tiger Woods as one of the few players to go from college to receiving full status on tour in the same year by earning enough money on sponsors exemptions.
Defending champion Davis Love III withdrew with neck pains after shooting a 73.
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
65 J Rose (Eng).
66 G Owen (Eng), R Fowler, C Wittenberg.
67 W MacKenize, M Bettencourt, C Kresge, Z Johnson, R Price, K Blanks.68 B Haas, N O'Hern, G McNeill,C Reavie, M Weibring, M Gronberg, J Leonard, #D Chopra, C DiMarco, B Gay.
Selected score:
72 B Davis (Eng).

Law and Kellett trail leaders England in Argentina

Scotttish men's and boys' champion David Law (Hazlehead) and Ross Kellett (Colville Park), the No 2 Scot in the R&A world amateur rankings, were tied for 16th place after the first round of the Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup golf tournament at Los Lagartos Country Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina today.
Law had a 77 and Kellett a 73 for a Scotland team total of 150.
England's Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall), winner of the Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship at Murcar Links this year, and Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park) led the field of 18 countries with a total of 135.
Fleetwood shot a 67 and Pepperell a 68.
They hold a two-stroke lead over Spain's Carlos Pigem (67) and Juan Francisco Sarasti (70).
SCOREBOARD
135 ENGLAND (Tommy Fleetwood 67, Eddie Pepperell 68).
137 SPAIN (Carlos Pigem 67, Juan Francisco Sarasti 70).
138 ARGENTINA (Armando Zarlengo 68, Tomas Cocha 70).
139 PORTUGAL (Jose Maria Joia 67, Tiago Rodriguez 72).
140 PERU.
141 NORWAY.
142 VENEZUELA.
143 FRANCE
144 SOUTH AFRICA.
145 AUSTRALIA, GERMANY.
147 ITALY, COLOMBIA.
148 NEW ZEALAND.
149 URUGUAY.
150 HOLLAND, SCOTLAND (Ross Kellett 73, David Law 77).
154 MEXICO.
157 FINLAND.

Lee Westwood allowing BBC Sports

website fans to pull his strings

FROM THE BBC SPORT WEBSITE
By Rob Hodgetts
If Lee Westwood is acting and sounding a bit strange at the moment - it's probably deliberate.
The world number four is playing up to his fans on the BBC Sport website by allowing them to choose the colour of his shirts, select words to slip into interviews and even challenging him to perform press-ups on the green during a tournament.
Westwood's prone form on the 18th in the third round of the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai on Saturday was not just a more meticulous approach to reading his putts.
The 606 website users put him up to it, and the Worksop star obliged with not one, but two, press-ups.
And they chose his turquoise shirt. And the use of the word 'shank' in a post-round interview.
Westwood says he has been on 606 for a while but decided to reveal his true identity last month. "I've been on here for a couple of years. Just thought I'd go public and give you a bit of an insight to the pro game," he posted.
Chatting directly to the public is nothing new, of course, in these days of micro blogging site Twitter and the like, but to prove his authenticity to the 606 community Westwood has taken interactivity to new levels.
A user calling himself leewestwood1 appeared on the golf pages in October but last week his claim to be the European Tour rankings leader and six-time Ryder Cup player was tested for the first time.
To prove he was real, leewestwood1 promised to wear a red shirt in the first round in China. The English number one was indeed sporting red.
A coincidence? Maybe, as some players often wear the same colour on designated days, but the hunt was in full cry.
"It gets a bit boring in China with jetlag. Thank God for 606 and a Slingbox," wrote leewestwood1 after the round.
"I'll give you the choice of white, purple, turquoise or blue tomorrow."
The posters settled on purple and sure enough, Westwood teed off in purple.
Excited and sensing a coup, some enterprising 606 users sent Paul Casey a message via Twitter to verify that it was the real Lee Westwood.
Casey replied, saying his countryman told him it was.
But the 606 users needed final proof - requesting a turquoise shirt on the third day and a press-up.
Westwood wore red as promised on 606 for the first round in Shanghai
"Turquoise shirt. Check. Press-up on 18th green. Check. Even got 'shank' in on radio interview," wrote leewestwood1.
This week the player's management company confirmed that it was indeed the 36-year-old English golfer.
But for final confirmation, regular user Goldwolf promised to pledge £50 to Children in Need if Westwood works the words "silver" and "dog" (Goldwolf's 606 nickname) into an interview at the Hong Kong Open this week.
"Get your £50 ready, it will not be a problem," replied leewestwood1.
Happy for now, the sleuths on 606 moved on to a user called midgetmac, claiming to be Rory McIlroy.
Chilli-mkII said: "Surely if Westwood had to jump through Hoops (actually that was a missed opportunity. We could have asked him, literally to jump through a hoop) to prove himself, then McIlroy should have to do similar.
"I'll open the bidding with turning his mop of hair into an early 90s-style undercut - now THAT would show commitment to 606."
And leewestwood1 added: "How about Rory turning his hair into a mullet? Even though I know it's really him. Or withdrawing from the next two weeks."
And to end any doubt, on Tuesday McIlroy confirmed his 606 identity with an emphatic Twitter update. "Yes, leewestwood1 is the real deal on 606 and midgetmac is of course myself! Good banter on the golf blog!!," he said.
At this rate, expect to see Mullet McIlroy in Hong Kong as he tries to overhaul leader Westwood in the Race to Dubai.
Over to you Rory!

Sandy Lyle best European so far in Japan's Handa Cup

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
On a cold and blustery day in Tokyo, Japan, Sandy Lyle fared best of the European Senior Tour contingent on the opening day of the Handa Cup.
The Scot shot a one over par round of 73 at Skyway Country, on the outskirts of the Japanese capital, to finish two shots behind joint leaders Yutaka Hagawa, Toyotake Nakao and Massy Kuramoto, all of whom posted 71s.
The next best European was Welshman Ian Woosnam on three over par, whilst the man who pipped him to the John Jacobs Trophy, his fellow former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance of Scotland, struggled to a nine over par round of 81.
England’s D J Russell was two shots better off, while Wayne Grady sits in a tie for 40th place on five over par.

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL - Stage 1 Silves & Gramacho courses, Algarve, Portugal Leading first round scores SILVES Par 70 63 J Stuart (US). 66 S Cipa (Eng), J Davila (Spa). 67 M Belsham (Eng), A Sowa (Arg). 68 A C Acutis (Ita), T Burgoyne (Swe), M Donald (US), M Gallagher (Eng), F Kiddie (Eng), M Moreno (Spa), J Seiffert (Cze), B Stevens (Eng). Selected scores: 72 F Mann (Sco) (jt 21st). 74 J Grant (Sco) (jt 39th). GRAMACHO Par 72 68 J Harrison (Eng). 69 S East (Eng) (am), J King (Eng), S Van Vouren (SAf). 70 N Clarke (SAf), P Smith (Sco). 71 V Garcia (Spa), 72 P Allen (Eng), B Evans (Eng), R Fish (Eng), A Johnsson (Swe), J Laforce (Can), C Linstead (Eng), S Martin (Sco), B McColl (Sco), S Shields (Eng) (am), K Tarling (Can).

Former Northern Open champion seeking place on over-50s circuit

Peter Smith back in limelight at Senior Tour Qualifying School

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Former Northern Open winner Peter Smith from Aberdeen - or Udny Station to be more precise - was the best placed Scot at the end of the first round of the European Senior Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 event, being contested by 150 hopefuls at the Pestana Golf Resort's Silves and Gramacho courses on Portugal's Algarve. Smith, who has had spells in New Zealand, where he was national club pro champion, and the Netherlands, shot a two-under-par 70 to be joint fifth at the Gramacho venue where Dundee's Steve Martin, bidding to regain playing rights on the over-50s' pro circuit, and Anglo-Scot Bill McColl both had 72s.
Tartan Tour player Fraser Mann (Royal Musselburgh), who won the Northern Open in 2002 - 10 years after Peter Smith - had a two-over-par 72 to be joint 21st at Silves.
Twenty-seven players from each course at the end of 36 holes will qualify for the 72-hole Final Stage at Pestana's Vale da Pinta course from November 16 to 19 when they will be joined by 18 exempt players.
Lowest score today was a seven-under-par 63 by American Jeb Stuart at Silves.

American Jeb Stuart makes flying start with

63 at Euro Senior Tour Q School Stage One

An American who sounds as though his forefathers came from Scotland, Jeb Stuart, made an impressive start to the European Senior Tour Qualifying School Stage One today, shooting a seven under par 63 to take a three-stroke lead at Silves Golf Course at Pestana Golf Resort on Portugal’s Algarve.
Stuart is one of 150 hopefuls aiming to earn their playing rights on the 2010 European Senior Tour, with half the field playing 36 holes over the Silves Course and the other half battling it out on the Gramacho Course, also part of the Pestana Golf Resort.
Twenty-seven players from each course will qualify for the 72-hole Final Stage at Pestana’s Vale da Pinta from November 16-19 and will be joined by 18 exempt players.
Englishman Steve Cipa carded a 66 to sit three shots behind Stuart, alongside Spain’s José Davila. Two players – Mark Belsham and Adan Sowa – are three under, while Mike Donald, who lost a play-off to Hale Irwin for the 1990 US Open, shot a two under par 68.
On the Gramacho Course, England’s John Harrison fired a four under 68 to lead by one from compatriots John King and Stephen East and South Africa’s Steve van Vuuren.
The players will all be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ireland’s Jimmy Heggarty and South African Bertus Smit, who finished first and second at last year’s Senior Tour Qualifying School and have gone on to enjoy fine years on the Senior Tour in 2009.
Smit won the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open – his maiden title – and finished tenth on the Order of Merit, while Heggarty continued his form from Qualifying School when he finished second in the season-opening Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum, which helped him to 27th place in the final rankings.
For the graduates, the new season will begin with a pre-Christmas trip to Mauritius for the inaugural Mauritius Commercial Bank Open from December 11-13, 2009.
SCOREBOARD TO COME

PGAs of EUROPE international team championship

Scots lying ninth behind Wales and England

with one round to go in Spain

Robert Arnott, pictured, had a one-under-par 71 and Colin Gillies a 72, giving Scotland a third-round team score of 143 in the PGAs of Europe international team championship at Roda Golf Club, Murcia in south-east Spain.
Mark King, for the third day in a row, had a non-counting score, this time a 75.
With one round to go the Scots are lying joint ninth in a field of 24 on one-under-par 431.
Wales and England are sharing the lead on 11-under-par 421, one shot ahead of France.
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 432 (6x72)
421 Wales (Jason Powell 69, James Lee 71/Andrew Barnett 71)140, England (Paul Simpson 71, Jeremy Robinson 71, non-counter Paul Wesselingh 74) 142.
422 France 137.
423 Switzerland 137.
424 Italy 133.
428 Ireland (John Kelly 69, Peter Martin 72, non-counter: David Ryan 73), 141, Holland 143, Finland 142.
431 Austria 144, Scotland (Robert Arnott 71, Colin Gillies 72, non-counter: Mark King 75), 143.
432 Belgium.
433 Sweden, United Arab Emirates.
436 Spain.
442 Slovenia, Denmark.
445 Czech Republic.
448 Norway, Germany.
450 Croatia, South Africa.
453 Poland.
460 Luxembourg.
475 Slovakia.

Chris Currie wins West Alliance competition at The Carrick

By JOHN CARRELL
West of Scotland Golfers' Alliance secretary
A total of 71 amateurs and 26 professionals contested the outing at The Carrick on Loch Lomond. Conditions were heavy with recent rainfall making the ground extremely wet. Poor light at the end of the day saw a number of players not finishing.
We would like to thank the mamagement, ground staff and clubhouse staff for their help on the day.
The West of Scotland's membership continues to increase with another two pros, Haggs Castle's Campbell Elliott and Barry Hume, joining us for the remainder of the season. We would particularly like to welcome Campbell as he has returned to the Alliance after a number of years' absence.
Once again, Chris Currie took first place at a WSGA competition. Five birdies and three bogeys saw Caldwell pro Chris finish with an excellent 69 over this long par-71 course.
Hayston's Stevie Gray came in later in the day to take second place with a one over par 72
One of our seniors, Cowglen's John Greene, managed a creditable net 74, playing off 12, to win the handicap prize.
Renfrew's Peter Harvey, playing off three, secured second place with a net 75.
Seniors' prize went to George Bell from Prestwick St Cuthbert. He carded a net 78 off eight.
PRIZEWINNERS
Scratch
Par 71
69 Chris Currie (Caldwell) p £110.
72 Stevie Gray (Hayston) p £80.
73 Bill Lockie (North Gailes Golf Centre) p, Ian Robertson (Dalmilling) p, £50 each.
Handicap
(Prize Vouchers)
74 John Greene (Cowglen) (12) £80.
75 Peter Harvey (Renfrew) (3) £50.
76 Billy Campbell (Loudon Gowf Club) (5) £35.
77 George Brown (Kirkhill) (15) £ 25.
Seniors
(Prize Vouchers)
78 George Bell (Prestwick St Cuthbert) (8) £30.
81 Tom Wallace (Calderbraes) (16) £20.
*All our handicap winners also shared the sweep money, while 15 x 2s on the day shared the amatuers 2s sweep.

ALP TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL
Riva del Tessali Golf Club, Bari, Italy

(scroll down for scores at second course, Metaponto)

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 71
68
Alfonso CASTINEIRA MARCOS Spain
Jamie HOWARTH England
Sebastian GARCIA Spain
Miguel PUJALTE SASTRE Spain
69
Daniel OSORIO Spain
Matthew MARSH England
Gregori BAUMANN Switzerland (am)
70
John GALLAGHER Scotland
+Gallacher birdied long third, par-4 eighth, long 12th and long 16th. He bogeyed the par-4 first, the par-3 seventh and the par-4 11th in halves of 35-35.
Stephen GRANT Ireland
Jean-Vincent DAUDIGNON France
Philipp GENEV Germany
Jeremy MAURIO France
71
Matthieu BEY France (am)
Tommaso ORZALESI Italy
Borja GUERRERO GARCIA Spain (am)
72
Alessandro NAPOLEONI Italy
Alessandro GRAMMATICA Italy (am)
Lawrence DODD England
73
Pedro ERICE Spain
Juan BUENESTADO GALLEGO Spain
Jae Kuk LEE Spain
Olivier SERRES France (am)
Ruben HOLGADO GUERRERO Spain
Roman HAMON France (am)
Alexander MUNRO Australia
Miguel CUESTA Spain
Vittorio VACCARO (Italy) (am)
Nicholas PATEMAN England
Arnaud GUERIN France (am)
David GIAOUI France (am)
Juan Carlos OSORIO Spain
74
Jeremy BELLIARD France
Romain SCHNEIDER France (am)
George LERICHE France
Antonio SARAGNESE Italy
Pietro RICCI Italy
75
Patrice VALMARY France (am)
Mark DAVIES England
Alain RUIZ-FONHOF Netherlands
Simone BARONI Italy
Rory KIRWAN England
Remi DUPUIS France (am)
76
Guillaume AFGOUN France (am)
Yvan ABBELOOS Spain (am)
Miguel CANTERO Spain
Jason PALMER England
77
Santiago TARRIO Spain
Sean KING United States
Antonio ARJONA Spain
Mathieu OGER France (am)
Marco BORRI Italyy
Stephane LOVEY Switzerland
78
Diego MORENO Spain
Lewis PATTULLO England
79
Mario KRAJNZ Austria
Benedetto PASTORE Italy
Sebastijan AJSTER Slovenia
Stephane PELLETIER France
80
Alvin PIVATY France
83
Arnaud LANVERS France (am)
84
Xavier POINTEL France
87
Piero MINA Italy
88
Romain KOCH France (am)
89
Giovanni IAPICHINO Italy
Matthias VOLLATH Austria
93
Cosimo BARONI Italy

METAPONTO COURSE
Par 72
65
Juan PARRON Spain
Richard KILPATRICK Northern Ireland
67
Mariano SAIZ Spain
Ignacio SANCHEZ PALENCIA Spain
68
Jason BARNES England
Andy SMITH England
69
Sergio GONZALEZ GARCIA Spain
Farren KEENAN England
Steven UZZELL England
Ivan IRAZUSTA Spain
Nunzio LOMBARDI Italy (am)
Pablo HERRERIA Spain
Neil O'BRIAIN Ireland (am)
Steven HUME Scotland (am)
+Hume birdied the long 2nd, the 10th, the long 11th and the short 13th. He had an eagle 3 at the 15th. He bogeyed the 1st, long 7th, short 17th in halves of 37-32.
70
Marvin FANTINI Italy
Ismael CASTILLO Spain
Luca BENEDUCE Italy
Max BRACKLEY England
Jason KELLY Norway
71
Marco BENEDUCE Italy
Vincent CACHERA France am
Ricki NEIL-JONES England
72
Samir WALLANI Tunisia
Adam WAINWRIGHT England
Zack SALTMAN Scotland
+Saltman birdied the long 2nd, the long 7th, the 10th, the long 11th and the long 15th. He had a double bogey 5 at the short 5th. He bogeyed the short eighth, 16th and 18th. Halves: 37-35
Jordan SMITH England
Gerold BERCHTOLD Switzerland
Adrian CARRETERO Spain
Mathieu DELAY-TERMOZ France (am)
Mark HOOPER England
Franz PFOSTL Italy (am)
73
Kamal BENSOUDA Morocco (am)
David ANTONELLI France (am)
Gabriel LE CHEVALLIER ACETO Italy
Maximilian BOSSE Spain
Alberto BRANDI Italy
Damaso CARRERA Spain
Alexandre RENCK France
Xavier RUIZ-FONHOF Netherlands
Simon FERNOUX France (am)
74
Jordan FINDLAY Scotland (am)
+Findlay birdied the long 4th and short 13th. He had a double bogey at the 18th and bogeys at the short fifth and ninth. Halves: 37-37.
Edouard PENIN France
Mathieu BOZIO France (am)
Peter JAMES England
75
Dominic ANGKAWIDJAJA Austria
Sylvain LABAT France
Giorgio DEL BOCA Italy (am)
Jean Francois ROMEO France
76
Kurt MAYR Austria
Fabien GABARRE France
77
Benoît TRAN VAN (am)
Jose Maria GARCIA CHACON Spain
Hassine WALLANI Tunisia (am)
Martial CARROZ Switzerland
78
Michael EVANS England
Mattia RATTI Italy
80
Jamie HARRIS Australia
Alberto GUARNEROLI Italy
Edouard GEOFFRAY France
David BOBROWSKI France (am)
81
Reda RHAZALI Morocco (am)
Gabriel TOADER Romania
84
Umberto CUOMO Italy
85
Massimo MILAZZO Italy
89
Marc SOLVIER France

+Stage 1 is over two days and 36 holes. Play-offs will be held if necessary to decide the required number of qualifiers (49 from Riva dei Tessali, 48 from Metaponto) for Final stage over same course, November 16 to 18. From the Final Stage, the leading 35 and ties will qualify for 2010 Alps Tour.

Unknown Thai leads Hong Kong Open with eight-under 62

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE ASIAN TOUR
Unheralded Udorn Duangdecha of Thailand sprang a surprise of his own when he upstaged the tournament’s marquee names to take the first round lead at the UBS Hong Kong Open today.
The Thai signalled his strong intention of winning his maiden Asian Tour title when he took charge of the US$2.5million showpiece by returning with an opening eight-under-par 62.
Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands, who had earlier taken the morning lead, heads into the second round in second place on 63 while Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee together, with defending champion Lin Wen-tang, England’s David Dixon and France’s Gregory Bourdy, are a further shot back in tied-third on 64.
Udorn earned his right to play in this event after securing one of the three spots at the international qualifiers last month and he did not take long to show why he deserved to be among the elite field this week by mixing 10 birdies against two bogeys to take the outright lead.
“It might surprise everyone out there but I don’t think it surprised me too much. After all, I’ve been in this position before. I played according to my strategy and it worked out well,” said the 38-year-old Thai.
The scores for the Thai would have been even lower if not for the fading light at the closing ninth which resulted in a bogey for him.
“It was a pity that I bogeyed my last hole as I really couldn’t see the hole from where I was. I three-putted that shot as it was really getting dark. But I’ll get to tee off in the morning tomorrow, so it’ll be better,” said Udorn.
Derksen, who is seeking his first win since 2005, opened his campaign with birdies on the third, fourth and eighth.
The Dutchman then coloured his card with more red on the 13th, 14th and 15th before a lone bogey on the par-four 16th spoilt his otherwise perfect card.
“You’ve to be patient here, that’s what I have learnt. I’ve been here five times and I think that really helps. I was patient today and took my chances. The greens are always a problem for us Europeans. You learn but you never really know,” said the Derksen.
“I didn’t hit many bad shots at all, just one three putt on the 16th. Other than that, I managed to hit all the greens and fairways and gave myself plenty of chances,” added Derksen.
Meanwhile Lin, a five-time Asian Tour winner began his title defence with birdies on the 10th and 11th in his opening back-nine before continuing his birdie run with another on the 17th.
The 35-year-old reached the turn in 33, before returning home with further birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth at the 6,722 yards par-70 composite course at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
“I’m very pleased with how I played today especially with my opening two birdies that got my round underway. That gave me the confidence to go on and play well,” said Lin.
Lin broke the decade long stranglehold European golfers had on this event and will now attempt to become only the second player in the history of the event to make a successful defence of the title since compatriot, Hsieh Yung-yo did the honours in 1963 and 1964.
The five-time Asian Tour winner knows that he has a chance to follow the illustrious footsteps of his fellow countryman and believes that his mental strength is key to his title defence.
“I’ll be lying if I say that there’s no pressure. We’re professional sportsmen and we all play to win. If you don’t win, a second place or last place finish will not make any difference,” said Lin.
“I hope to maintain my form, play well over the next three rounds and most importantly stay focus for the challenges ahead,” added Lin.
Thongchai also kept his Asian Tour Order of Merit hopes alive and showed why he is one of Asia’s most celebrated players with another masterful display.
The Thai is bidding to become Asia’s number one for the third time by winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit title after having won the crown in 2001 and 2004.
The 40-year-old also holds the most number of wins on the Asian Tour with 12 victories and is determined to end his season on a high.
“It has been a long season and it’ll be nice to end it off with a win. But I don’t want to think too much into that just yet as the field is very strong this week and anyone has an equal chance of winning,” said Thongchai.
“I try to do my best this year. My game is getting better right now because I’ve been working very hard with my coach and I put in a lot of effort myself. I just want to play my own game and do well,” added the Thai.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy posted a 66 to take a share of 16th place together with Asian Tour honorary member, Yang Yong-eun and China’s Liang Wen-chong.
On a shortish course of under 7,000yd, the scoring was low and Ian Poulter's 68 earned him no higher than joint 40th at the end of the first day. Marc Warren was on the same mark, a shot ahead of Colin Montgomerie and Scott Drummond.
The UBS Hong Kong Open is Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event, having started in 1959 and is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Royal Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling.
Par 70
62 Udorn Duangdecha (Tha)
63 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned)
64 David Dixon, Wen-Tang Lin (Tpe), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
65 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Wei Chih Lu (Tha), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Ben Curtis (USA), Rhys Davies, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind), Tony Carolan (Aus), Kodai Ichihara (Jpn), Mark Foster
66 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Ter-Chang Wang (Tpe), Peter Lawrie, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Rory McIlroy, Mark O'Meara (USA), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind), Yong-eun Yang (Kor), Wen-chong Liang (Chn), Bradley Dredge, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind), Lee Westwood
67 Rahil Gangjee (Ind), Anton Haig (Rsa), Graeme McDowell, Robert Dinwiddie, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn), Unho Park (Aus), Kenneth Ferrie, Simon Khan, Juvic Pagunsan (Phi), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Danny Chia (Mal)
68 Anders Hansen (Den), Mars Pucay (Phi), Simon Dyson, Graeme Storm, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Marc Warren, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Airil-Rizman Zahari (Mal), Gregory Havret (Fra), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Darren Beck (Aus), Scott Strange (Aus), Chris Rodgers, Mark Brown (Nzl), Jason Knutzon (USA), Andrew McLardy (Rsa), Mardan Mamat (Sin), Kiradech Aphibamrat (Tha), Taichiro Kiyota (Jpn), Iain Steel (Mal), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Keith Horne (Rsa), Ian Poulter, James Kamte (Rsa)
69 Gaurav Ghei (Ind), David Howell, Colin Montgomerie, Scott Drummond, Andrew Dodt (Aus), Darren Clarke, Johan Edfors (Swe), Anthony Kang (USA), Jamie Donaldson, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), David Bransdon (Aus), Pablo Martin (Spa)
70 Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Oliver Wilson, Jean Van de Velde (Fra), Simon Yates, Simon Griffiths, Danny Lee (Nzl), Stephen Dodd, Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Artemio-hiromasa Murakami (Phi), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Shun yat jason Hak (Hkg), Markus Brier (Aut), Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Marcus Both (Aus), Tano Goya (Arg)
71 Bryan Saltus (USA), Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Neven Basic (Aus), Derek Fung (Hkg), Chih-bing Lam (Sin), Chawalit Plaphol (Tha), Robert Karlsson (Swe), Scott Hend (Aus), Scott Barr (Aus), Joong Kyung Mo (Kor), Anirban Lahiri (Ind), Thomas Levet (Fra)
72 Inn-choon Hwang (Kor), Nicholas Redfern, David Gleeson (Aus), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den), Oliver Fisher, William Fung wai kuen (Hkg), Shane Lowry
73 Sung Lee (Pkr), Somkiat Srisa-nga (Tha), Rafael Echenique (Arg), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Daniel Nisbet (Aus), C Muniyappa (Ind), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Angelo Que (Phi), Gavin Flint (Aus), Michael Hoey
74 Shing chi Tang (Hkg), Sang-moon Bae (Kor), Jovick Lee (Hkg)
75 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Prom Meesawat (Tha), Man Lok Lee (Hkg), Guido Van Der Valk (Ned)
76 Antonio Lascuna (Phi), Kane Webber (Aus), Digvijay Singh (Ind)
77 Jbe Kruger (Rsa), Grant Gibson (Hkg), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)
78 Mitchell Brown (Aus), Steven Lam (Hkg)
80 Woon Man Wong (Hkg)

Mark Hillson faces hard route on road to turning pro

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Former Lothians champion Mark Hillson heads for Spain this weekend still an amateur but has his sights set on returning early next month as a new recruit to the professional ranks.
The Craigielaw player is among a host of local golfers taking part in the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School, which is being held at four venues in southern Spain starting next Friday. Hillson passed stage one with flying colours – he shot rounds of 75, 72, 71 and 72 to progress at Dundonald Links in mid-September – and is relishing what will be his second appearance in the middle of three phases in a marathon test.
While it's been more than a month since he struck a ball in anger, the 26-year-old has been working hard with coach Ian Butcher, the man who has played a key part in Hillson's emergence as one of Scotland's leading amateurs over the past couple of years.
"It's obviously not ideal when you can't get any competitive golf when you are preparing for something as important as the Tour School, but I've been practising a lot over the past few weeks and also trying to fit in as many games as I could," said Hillson.
"For instance, one of my brothers is now living in London and during a visit to see him the other weekend I played at Sunningdale, which was lovely. I am preparing for a massive event and I have got to make sure that everything is sharp for the test that lies ahead over the next two or three weeks.
"While progressing past stage two will be hard enough, an even tougher test follows that. The final stage is over six rounds in Girona virtually straight afterwards. At the second stage last year, I finished the four rounds on four-over. Two-under was the cut, which means I have to try and be two shots better in each round this time," added Hillson, who is playing at Hacienda del Alamo near Murcia.
"I don't want to be in a position where I am scraping through. I want to be heading to the final stage with a bit of momentum."Last year was my first experience of being at such an event and, to be honest, when I was on the practice range I was half-listening to hear how I was striking my own golf ball but also half-listening to the former European Tour player who was standing behind me."
While Hillson, who beat James Ross in the final at Bruntsfield Links to claim the Lothians title in 2007, believes he has a chance of securing one of those prized Tour cards, he'll be staying as an amateur if his bid falls short again.
"As they say, you'll never know about something until you give it a shot – and this is my big shot right here," he said."This is plan A and plan B doesn't include turning pro and playing on somewhere like the EuroPro Tour as I don't see my future there.
"If I come back from Spain without a card, I will be staying amateur for another year, probably try again for the Tour School at the end of the season and, after that, I will probably have to start looking for a job in the real world. If I am still an amateur next year, trying to get into the Scotland side will be a massive goal.
"This year, after starting well out in New Zealand, where I was second in an event, and then getting to the quarter-finals in the Amateur Championship at Formby, it was disappointing that I didn't perform at the right time as far as getting into the Scotland side was concerned."
Butcher, who is based at King's Acre, has certainly helped Hillson come on leaps and bounds since they first crossed paths around five years ago.
"I was in my second year at uni and I was playing off two at the time," recalled Hillson."If someone had told me I'd be where I am now, I'd have thought it was a bit far-fetched, to be honest.
"But, thanks to the work I've done with Butch, who is a bit of a perfectionist, I'm feeling confident about my game and now I really do believe I can kick on once I get over to Spain."
Lee Harper, the former Scottish Boys' champion from Musselburgh who plays out of Archerfield Links, is also at Hacienda del Alamo for the second stage, while Raymond Russell, the European Tour winner from Prestonpans, is at Jerez along with Marriott Dalmahoy's Mark Kerr and Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links).

Monty to lead Europe against Asia in Thailand

FROM THE GUARDIAN.CO.UK WEBSITE
Colin Montgomerie is to have another taste of captaincy ahead of the Ryder Cup next year after agreeing to lead a European team against Asia at the Royal Trophy in Thailand from January 8 to 10.
Seve Ballesteros was the original captain for the match but is not fit enough for the position after collapsing with a brain tumour a year ago. José María Olazábal took over in January 2009 with Montgomerie now assuming control.
Ballesteros, still receiving treatment, said: "It is best for the players to have complete certainty as to who will lead them in this great match against Asia and while my recovery has been very good I am not certain that I will be ready to give our team the 110% effort it deserves.
"The role of captain is complex, difficult and demanding and I sincerely thank Colin, my very good friend, for taking this major responsibility."
Montgomerie, currently competing in the Hong Kong Open, commented: "It will be an excellent opportunity for me to spend time with some key players who are likely to be with me at Celtic Manor in October.
"I am excited about being European captain as well as representing our continent as a player."

Derksen is Flying Dutchman in Hong Kong Open

FROM THE ASIAN TOUR WEBSITE
Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands claimed the early bragging rights after posting a seven-under-par 63 to take the first round morning lead at the UBS Hong Kong Open today.
Defending champion Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei trails Derksen by a single shot after returning a 64 to take a share of second place together with France’s Gregory Bourdy and England’s David Dixon.
Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih who has enjoyed four top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour this season is among the mix tied for fifth on 65.
Derksen opened his campaign at the US$2.5 million showpiece with birdies on the third, fourth and eighth. The Dutchman coloured his card with more red on the 13th, 14th and 15th before a lone bogey on the par-four 16th spoilt his otherwise perfect card.
Two more birdies on the 17th and closing 18th then ensured that Derksen would sign off as the early morning leader.
“You’ve to be patient here, that’s what I have learnt. I’ve been here five times and I think that really helps. I was patient today and took my chances. The greens are always a problem for us Europeans. You learn but you never really know,” said the Derksen.
“I didn’t hit many bad shots at all, just one three putt on the 16th. Other than that, I managed to hit all the greens and fairways and gave myself plenty of chances,” added Derksen.
Meanwhile Lin, a five-time Asian Tour winner began his title defence with birdies on the 10th and 11th in his opening back-nine before continuing his birdie run with another on the 17th.
The 35-year-old reached the turn in 33, before returning home with further birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth at the 6,722 yards par-70 composite course at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
“I’m very pleased with how I played today especially with my opening two birdies that got my round underway. That gave me the confidence to go on and play well,” said Lin.
Lin broke the decade long stranglehold European golfers had on this US$2.5 million showpiece and will now attempt to become only the second player in the history of the event to make a successful defence of the title since compatriot, Hsieh Yung-yo did the honours in 1963 and 1964.
The five-time Asian Tour winner knows that he has a chance to follow the illustrious footsteps of his fellow countryman and believes that his mental strength is key to his title defence.
“I’ll be lying if I say that there’s no pressure. We’re professional sportsmen and we all play to win. If you don’t win, a second place or last place finish will not make any difference,” said Lin.
“I hope to maintain my form, play well over the next three rounds and most importantly stay focus for the challenges ahead,” added Lin.
The UBS Hong Kong Open is Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event, having started in 1959

Tiger Woods clickety-clicks to share Aussie Masters lead on 66

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Tiger Woods has made a huge statement on the opening day of the JBWere Australian Masters at Kingston Heath, tearing up the sandbelt course with a six-under 66 to sit level with Australia's James Nitties and 21-year-old South African Branden Grace.
Stalked by a dedicated gallery that started at around 10,000 and swelled to almost double that size as the morning advanced, Woods fired seven birdies and one bogey to set a mark that was only matched by two others who also enjoyed the easier morning conditions.
Those who teed off in the afternoon were subject to increased winds and only a handful of them looked like challenging the early marks. Mathew Goggin was the best of them, finishing on four-under.
In all, 21,356 fans turned up for the opening day, and Woods rewarded the fans with a sparkling first-ever competitive round around Kingston Heath.
Woods, who started from the 10th, picked up two shots thanks to birdies on both of the par-fives on his outward nine to turn in 34 before scorching home in 32 which included a hat-trick of birdies at six, seven and eight.
His one blemish came at his closing hole, the ninth, where he pulled his drive into the tea tree on the left and had to settle for bogey.
"We can't believe how soft the greens were today," said Woods.
"The wind wasn't really blowing and the greens were soft so we could be pretty aggressive into the greens. I felt pretty good today, I hit the ball pretty decent. I didn't get my irons that close but took advantage of the par-5s.
"I bogeyed the last hole and missed two shots for birdie but other than that it was a pretty good day."
Grace, whose best finish on the European Tour this season has been a sixth in the South African Open Championship last December, entered the tournament in a last ditch bid to save his card on The European Tour where he sits in 149th place.
He got to seven-under before dropping a shot late in his round for his 66.
"I played really solidly today and just really enjoyed it out there. My caddy kept me really calm out there which was a huge help. It is just nice to be playing in Australia and playing on such an unbelievable course," Grace said.
"I'm not sure where I have to finish here to keep my status but I think it is about top three on my own, or maybe tied. That was one of my goals coming into the tournament."
Nitties used his local knowledge to his advantage in constructing a bogey-free round, the highlight of which was an eagle at the 516-metre, par-four 15th.
Melbourne's Cameron Percy is one shot off the pace after signing for a 67 as is New Zealand's Doug Holloway, who had bogey-free round.
Goggin joined Greg Chalmers and Peter Nolan, who both enjoyed early starts with rounds of 68 while six players, Englishman Lee Slattery and Australians Damien Jordan, Rohan Blizard, Rick Kulacz, Stuart Appleby and Ashley Hall finished with three-under 69s.
Last year's winner Rod Pampling, who along with Craig Parry (-2) partnered Woods, finished with a 71.
Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim, who will be playing on the US Tour next season, was joint 15th with a 70.
Callum Macaulay, Steven O'Hara and Andrew Coltart, all chasing high finishes to avoid going back to Tour School did not fare well. Callum had a 75, Coltart a 77 and O'Hara an 80.

SCOREBOARD
Par 72
66 Tiger Woods (USA), Branden Grace (Rsa), James Nitties (Aus)
67 Doug Holloway (Nzl), Cameron Percy (Aus)
68 Mathew Goggin (Aus), Peter Nolan (Aus), Greg Chalmers (Aus)
69 Damien Jordon (Aus), Rick Kulacz (Aus), Ashley Hall (Aus), Stuart Appleby (Aus), Rohan Blizard (Aus), Lee Slattery
70 Manny Villegas (Col), David McKenzie (Aus), Michael Sim (Sco), Jason Dufner (USA), Ryan Haller (Aus), Craig Parry (Aus), Michael Curtain (Aus), Kurt Barnes (Aus)
71 Mahal Pearce (Nzl), Andrew Tampion (Aus), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Steven Bowditch (Aus), Tim Wilkinson (Nzl), Craig Scott (Aus), Matthew Millar (Aus), Michael Long (Nzl), Wade Ormsby (Aus), Sam Little, Matthew Griffin (Aus), Richard Bland, Rodney Pampling (Aus), Adam Scott (Aus), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Seve Benson, Gary Murphy, Ewan Porter (Aus), Andre Stolz (Aus), Peter O'Malley (Aus)
72 Scott Laycock (Aus), Benn Barham, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Josh Geary (Nzl), Adam Bland (Aus), Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Josh Younger (Aus), Alistair Presnell (Aus), Marc Leishman (Aus), Anthony Brown (Aus), Craig Spence (Aus), Richard Green (Aus), Steven Jones (Aus), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Michael Light (Aus)
73 Andrew Martin (Aus), Andrew Bonhomme (Aus), Andrew Tschudin (Aus), Todd Nicholson (Nzl), Mark Purser (Nzl), Michael Wright (Aus), Josh Carmichael (Aus), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Terry Price (Aus), Peter Wilson (Aus), Hamish Robertson (Nzl), John Senden (Aus), Sam Saunders (USA), Adam Groom (Aus), Jason Norris (Aus), Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Brad Andrews (Aus), Simon Furneaux (Aus), Leigh McKechnie (Aus), Paul Sheehan (Aus), Rodney Booth (Aus)
74 Rudi Bezuidenhout (Aus), Frank Power (Aus), Richard Moir (Aus), Paul Marantz (Aus), Jarrod Moseley (Aus), Miles Tunnicliff, Brad Kennedy (Aus), Marcus Fraser (Aus), Tim Wise (Aus), Michael Campbell (Nzl), Ed Stedman (Aus), Paul Waring, Kurt Carlson (Aus), Aaron Pike (Aus), Matthew Giles (Aus), Brett Rumford (Aus)
75 Aaron Townsend (Aus), James Carr (Aus), Chris Gaunt (Aus), Michael Brennan (Aus), Michael Hendry (Nzl), Peter Cooke (Aus), Anthony Summers (Aus), Andrew Pitt (Aus), Tim Wood (Aus), Michael McGrath (Aus), Terry Pilkadaris (Aus), Callum Macaulay, Ryan Hammond (Aus), Adam Blyth (Aus)
76 Ben Bunny (Aus), Marcus Cain (Aus), Martin Doyle (Aus), Brendan Stuart (Nzl), Brad Shilton (Nzl), Stuart Bouvier (Aus), Adam Crawford (Aus), Alex Cejka (Ger), Aaron Black (Aus), Sam Brazel (Aus), Kim Felton (Aus)
77 Andrew Coltart, Adam Wilcox (Aus), Jens Nilsson (Swe), Heath Reed (Aus), Dean Kinney (Aus)
78 Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Kai Mckay (Aus), Daniel Morrison (Aus), Nick Cullen (Aus), Michael Choi (Aus), Rory Hie (Id)
79 Chris Downes (Aus)
80 Leighton Lyle (Aus), Tom Prowse (Aus), Ben Burge (Aus), Steven O'Hara, Michael Moore (Aus)
81 Richie Gallichan (Aus), Nathan Uebergang (Aus), Brad Lamb (Aus)
82 Grant Scott (Aus), Jared Pender (Nzl)
83 Mathew Holten (Nzl), Steven Jeppesen (Swe)

Kim is the $1 million dollar man in New Zealand

American Anthony Kim beat compatriot Sean O'Hair in a play-off to win the Kiwi Challenge two-day tournament and the first prize of $1million at Cape Kidnappers, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand today.
Kim ran up a bogey 6 at the first play-off hole, but it was good enough to beat O'Hair's double bogey 7 and win the four-man tournament.
Kim, runner-up in the event last year, closed with a five-under-par 66 for a 36-hole total of 137.
O'Hair birdied the last for a second-round 69 to tie.
A third American, Hunter Mahan, finished with a 67 for 140, one shot ahead of Colombian Camilo Villegas, who had a 72 today.
Villegas was one stroke behind O'Hair's leading 69 when the weather-disrupted first round was completed this morning.
"It feels wonderful," Kim said."I did what I had to do to win, and fortunately I made a couple putts."