Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Russell Knox (68) makes good start in Florida

Inverness exile Russell Knox has made a good start to his 2010 campaign on the NGA Hooters Tour in the United States. Knox was sharing second place with a four-under-par 68 - one shot off the lead - after the first round in the Winter Series event at Shingle Creek Golf Club, near Orlando, Florida.
Knox, Florida-based since his four years at Jacksonville University, birdied the long second, the short fifth, the 10th, the long 12th and the 18th in halves of 35 and 33. His only bogey came at the short seventh over the par-72, 7,228yd course.
Rob Oppenheim from Andover, Massachusetts leads with a five-under-par 67.
First round leaders
Par 72
67 Rob Oppenheim (US).
68 Russell Knox (Sco), Jim Renner (US).
69 Jim Troy (US).
70 Matt Gann (US), Kelly Sellers (US).



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E-mail from Steven Carmichael
(a Scotland international player from 1998 to 2004)

Reference Martin Dempster's "Fusion Scotland support scheme can light fuse for young Scots pros"
(scroll down to read it)

Hi Colin,
This seems like great news. Is there any help people can give regarding raising funds or is it coming from public bodies?
I don't mean we all give a fiver but I'm sure a lot of the people who read your site will have contacts who would be interested in helping. I know I certainly have.
Best Wishes
Steven Carmichael

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Harrington honoured by American golf

writers for "co-operation and quotability"

Padraig Harrington, Hall of Famer Tom Watson, Ken Green and golf course architect Pete Dye have been honoured with three prestigious awards given by the Golf Writers Association of America.
Watson, who underwent total hip replacement surgery in 2008 and just eight months later nearly became the oldest player to win a major championship at 59, and Green, who lost the lower part of his right leg in a horrific accident that claimed the lives of his brother and girlfriend, share the Ben Hogan Award.
It is the first time in GWAA history there has been a tie for the award, given for remaining active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. The only other time an award voted on by the GWAA ended in a tie was the 1976 Male Player of the Year, shared by Jack Nicklaus and Jerry Pate.
Harrington, a three-time major champ, was honoured with the ASAPSports/Jim Murray Award, which recognises a golfer for co-operation, quotability and accommodation with the media, while Dye, who has designed some of the world's most challenging courses, was honoured with the William D. Richardson Award, given annually to recognise individuals who have consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf.
They will be honoured, along with GWAA Players of the Year Tiger Woods, Jiyai Shin and Loren Roberts at the Annual GWAA Awards Dinner, on April 7 in Augusta, Georgia.
Watson, who was honoured with the GWAA's Charlie Bartlett Award in 2004, lost a play-off to Stewart Cink at last year's Open Championship at Turnberry. The 60-year-old has won five Open Championships. Green, 51, is in rehabilitation and is determined to return to the Champions Tour in America.
Harrington, the 2008 GWAA Male Player of the Year, once explained to friends that players owed it to to the game to be co-operative with media "because they have the toughest job." He beat out Steve Stricker and 2009 Open champ Stewart Cink for the honour.
The influence of Dye's designs has put an imprint on the way courses are built and the way the game is played. One of his most famous designs is the TPC at Sawgrass, home of The Players' Championship.
Among his other designs are Whistling Straits, Black Wolf Run and PGA West. Dye, a past recipient of the PGA Tour's Lifetime Achievement Award, edged Hall of Famer Jackie Burke for the honour.
The 950-member GWAA takes an active role in protecting the interests in the United States of all golf journalists, works closely with all of golf's major governing bodies and the World Golf Hall of Fame and facilitates a scholarship/internship program.

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Courses closed the length and breadth of Scotland

Golf clubs and pros count the cost of

our Siberian-type winter weather

These are hard times not only for club golfers but for the club professionals and golf clubs alike with little or no income as the Siberian-type weather closes courses the length and breadth of the country and members/potential visitors stay at home instead of possibly spending money in in a club's pro shop or clubhouse.
Staff writer Martin Dempster highlights the state of affairs in East Lothian and Edinburgh with the following article in today's "Edinburgh Evening News."
Golf clubs in East Lothian, normally a place where people can be guaranteed a game at any time of the year, are losing valuable income due to the current cold snap.
The Glen in North Berwick, which has built up its winter membership in recent years, has seen play possible on only two days since December 18, while it's been a similar story at the town's famous West Links.It has been closed since December 22, with a heavy snow storm dashing hopes of the course opening again last Saturday.
A few miles along the coast at Gullane, two of the courses there were playable the same day but have now closed again with the prospects of a return to normality in the near future appearing to be slim as forecasters predict the cold spell will continue.
In addition to lost income from green fees, clubs are also being hit in the clubhouses with bar and catering facilities not being used nearly as much as they normally are over the holiday period.
Club pros are being hit in the pocket, too, with lessons being cancelled and traffic in shops described as "non-existent."
"The weather has never been a problem like this in the 16 years I have worked here," said Rita Wilson, the office manager at The Glen.
"We've only been open for two days since December 18, albeit on temporary greens throughout the course, and I can't see us being open this week again as the ice just isn't getting a chance to defrost.
"It is unheard of in North Berwick and winter is normally a good time for us due to the fact a number of the courses in the Central Belt are often closed at this time of the year."
She added: "We have a winter membership and the take up on that has been very good but, unfortunately, people haven't been able to utilise that since before Christmas. At this time of the year we also get a lot of groups coming here for a game, so it is having a knock-on effect in the bar and the catering.
"We just have to grin and bear it, though, as there is nothing we can do about it."
Along at the other end of the town, a group of 24 golfers were among those booked in for a game on the West Links on Sunday, only for another band of snow to sweep across the country on Saturday.
North Berwick Golf Club managing secretary Chris Spencer said: "We were close to opening on Saturday but were hit by a heavy snow storm around 11am. Although the course is flat, it is sheet ice in parts and I'd say you could just about forget about golf being played here again before Friday.
"It is going to be three or four weeks, I suppose, since a lot of people will have had a game so there's certainly going to be a few rusty swings around."
On the loss of income, Spencer added: "We had a group of 24 due on Sunday and there's no doubt that visitors help with income. It wreaks havoc with catering in particular."
Though Gullane members at least had a chance to play in their first competition of 2010, the three courses there are now closed as well.
"We were shut for six days before Christmas and three days straight after it," said club secretary Stephen Anthony. "We managed to have our New Year competition on Saturday, when 50 couples went out on No 1 and the ladies played on No 2 – but all the courses are shut again now.
"We had a lot of visitors booked in between Christmas and New Year but that didn't happen, resulting in the use of the visitors' clubhouse being hit badly."
In Edinburgh, most courses have been closed for almost three weeks and the drop in traffic is hitting club pros.
"This is the last thing we need," said Craigmillar Park's Scott Gourlay. "I've got plenty of sledgers up here but, sadly, no golfers. The weather had an impact on pre-Christmas sales and now we've also lost the holiday period as well. I've been able to do a little bit of club-fitting in our indoor area but traffic in the shop has been non-existent."

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England name squad of six for South Africa match

Chris Lloyd (The Kendleshire, Gloucestershire) makes a return to the country that witnessed one of his finest victories after being named in the six-strong squad for the annual South African Tri-angular match at Zebula Golf Club near Pretoria from January 12 to 14.
It was back in 2008 at Fancourt on the Cape that Lloyd triumphed in the Ernie Els World Junior Championship, a performance that underlined his potential at the age of 16. Now approaching his 18th birthday, Lloyd will be joined at Zebula by fellow Under-18 Squad members James Burnett (Sleaford, Lincolnshire), Sebastian Crookall-Nixon (Workington, Cumbria) and Ben Taylor (Walton Heath, Surrey), and by two members of the Under-16 Squad, Max Orrin (North Foreland, Kent) and Toby Tree (Worthing, Sussex).
Having been capped at Under-16 level in 2007 and 2008, Lloyd’s victory in the Ernie Els event confirmed his glowing talent and that year he also won the North of England Under-16 Championship. The Bristolian finished second on the EGU Boys' Order of Merit after a triumphant 2009 during which he earned his first boys cap in the European boys' team championships in the Netherlands. Domestically, he won the Gloucestershire championship, the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and the English County Champions' tournament and lost a play-off to Tom Lewis for the Carris Trophy (England boys' Under-18 championship). Burnett, capped at Under-16 level in 2008, enjoyed a successful 2009 during which he was a joint winner of the inaugural Junior County Champions Tournament at Woodhall Spa, finished runner-up in the Midlands Youth Championship and the Lincolnshire Championship and reached the quarter finals of the British Boys.
Taylor was also prominent last year, helping Surrey to a third successive Boys County Championship, while he tied fourth in the South of England Boys and reached the last 16 of the British Boys Championship.
Crookall-Nixon has been the England Under 16 Champion for the past two years following his victories at High Post in 2008 and at Radcliffe-on-Trent last year. An under 16 cap for the past two years, in 2009 he also helped his club Workington win the Champion Club Tournament and represented Cumbria in the County Championship finals. He was also a member of the winning England team in the Boys Home Internationals and of the victorious GB&I team in the Jacques Leglise Trophy. Orrin, 15, was also to the fore in 2009, winning the South of England Boys Championship, making his under-16 international debut, and finishing runner-up in the Douglas Johns Trophy. His other successes included fourth place in the North of England Under 16 Championship, fifth place in the Kent Youths Championship, while he finished a shot outside the five-way play-off for the McGregor Trophy which Crookall-Nixon won.
Tree, who played in the Tri-angular match last year, was England Under 14 champion title in 2008. Last year, he won the Douglas Johns Trophy and the Sussex Boys Championship and made his debut at under 16 level for England, playing against Wales, Scotland and Ireland. England will meet hosts South Africa and Canada in the round robin match play tournament at Zebula where the format will be six singles on day one, three foursomes on day two and six more singles on the final day. Last year at the same venue, England were pipped at the post by South Africa after leading on the final day.

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Big entry for Asian Tour Qualifying School Stage 1,
-
Hume, Booth, Harper, Lutton are Scottish entries

Hua Hin , Thailand: A strong turn-out of 273 players will compete in this week’s 2010 Asian Tour Qualifying School Stage One, Week Two starting on Wednesday.
The top-20 percent finishers and ties at the three venues - the Majestic Creek Golf Resort (118) in Hua Hin, Kaeng Krachan Country Club and Resort (83) in Hua Hin and Rayong Country Club (72) near Pattaya – will qualify for the all important Final Stage next week.
With 70 players having already competed in Week One last month, and another 102 players already exempted into the Final Stage, the Qualifying School , presented by the Sports Authority of Thailand, will tally at 445 players.
Japan makes up the highest number of participants this week with 48 hopefuls, followed by Korea (37), United States (36), England (32), Australia (30), Chinese Taipei (18) and Thailand (15).
There are four entries from Scotland - former Scottish amateur champion Barry Hume, former Walker Cup player and rookie pro Wallace Booth, former Scottish boys' match-play champion Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) and Clarke Lutton, who hails from Aberdeen but has lived in Doha, Qatar for the last few years (according to his brother Kevin!).
Six China golfers are amongst the 102 players exempted into the Final Stage, where the top-40 finishers will earn playing rights in the new 2010 season, which will include 28 tournaments with total prize fund of US$39 million.
The Final Stage will be staged at Palm Hills and Springfield Village , Hua Hin from January 13 to 16.
Players who compete in the Qualifying School will also earn playing categories in the newly launched Asian Development Tour where a minimum of six tournaments will be held in 2010, starting with the Air Bagan Myanmar Masters presented by IBTC later this month.

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Fusion Scotland support scheme can light

fuse for young Scots pros

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Sam Torrance has already endorsed it. So have Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and George O'Grady, the European Tour's chief executive. In fact, you'd search in vain for a negative word about it.
Now, three years after it was first mooted, Fusion Scotland could be about to get off the ground. Funding appears to be close for an initiative that is badly needed to help this country achieve a better strike rate when it comes to players making the transition from amateur to professional. Ken Lewandowski, Dougie Donnelly and Iain Stoddart, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, the three men who came up the idea during a chat at an Open Championship, are close to seeing their dream come true and should be applauded for trying to create something that will be an asset to Scottish golf.
What's more, they are doing so without trying to make a profit for themselves. All three know the game inside out. Lewandowski, a former Hibs chairman, is Loch Lomond Golf Club's Scottish captain and has been a long-time friend and supporter of the aforementioned Gallacher.
Donnelly, of course, is one of the country's best-known sports broadcasters and now covers golf around the world for the Golf Channel. Stoddart is a co-owner of Bounce Sports Management, the Edinburgh-based firm that has David Drysdale, Scotland's top performer on the European Tour last season, on its books as well as Andrew Oldcorn, the former PGA champion.
They believe Fusion Scotland will help to "radically reduce" the situation highlighted in this column of talent being lost to the game at its highest level due to a lack of financial and logistical support.
"Fusion Scotland aims to bring together all sources of assistance, and add managed commercial backing, to provide the resources that will help Scotland's elite players develop, compete and succeed on the professional stage," says Stoddart, a man who is in regular contact with Tour administrators and has done more than anyone of late to help rising Scottish stars secure spots in European Challenge Tour events.
"It will fill the chasm that exists at the most fragile stage of our players' careers; namely as they leave the amateur ranks behind to turn professional."
The concept is simple. A panel would select a handful of players based on a criteria that has been arrived at through consultation with the Scottish Golf Union and the R&A's amateur status committee.
Players would be both male and female and would have secured a category that enabled them to play at least on the Challenge Tour, the Nationwide Tour, the Asian Tour, the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA Tour or the Futures Tour.
They would receive help with expenses such as travel arrangements, tournament entries, PR and communications, assistance from Bounce Sports Management in building relationships with sponsors as well as tax and financial advice from professionals in those fields.
The Scottish Institute of Sport would be on board too, to help with coaching and fitness, diet and nutrition and sports psychology.
In return for all that, the players, who would be allowed to retain 100 per cent of the prize money they earn for the initial two years they'd be involved, would be required simply to wear clothing supplied by Fusion Scotland, carry sponsors' branding and act as its ambassadors.
"While a plethora of amateur excellence still emerges from Scotland's courses, too much of our potential talent is lost to the game at its highest level," says Donnelly.
"Take David Inglis, for example. Among his achievements as an amateur, he won four back-to-back NCAA Regional titles when he was at the University of Tulsa – a record shared only with Justin Leonard, a former Open champion. Yet, after turning professional in 2004, he was given £4,000 by sportscotland and offered no further guidance, resource or support."
While the recent financial climate has not helped when it comes to securing funding for such an initiative, the men behind Fusion Scotland hope 2010 will be the year it finally gets off the ground, with £35,000 per player per year being the figure they believe to be necessary for the initiative to run at a viable level.
"It is sad that Scotland loses so much talent because players can't afford to stay on Tour," says Lewandowski. "We want to give young guys and girls the chance to focus on golf rather than worrying about where there next pound is coming from. We've already had one Ryder Cup with no Scots in the team and it could keep happening if we don't do something.
"These players deserve to get a chance and the key here is that Fusion Scotland would be trying to do something that would add value to the Scottish game."
The above article appears in The Scotsman newspaper this morning.

*Can the Fusion Scotland scheme work? You can E-mail your view to Colin@scottishgolfview.com


Monty tunes up for season to savour

If you don't think Colin Montgomerie has a sense of humour, then have a look at Sky's promotional advert for their golf coverage in 2010, writes Martin Dempster (in The Scotsman newspaper today).
The station's main golf presenters, Ewen Murray, David Livingstone, Richard Boxall and Di Stewart, are members of an orchestra with Montgomerie as their conductor. It's a hoot from start to finish – check out the look on violin-playing Murray's face as his bow goes flying through the air – with Montgomerie joining in the fun by throwing a glare towards the audience after a camera flashes and then, at the end, tossing his baton away in disgust.
"They don't know about music, but they do know about golf," is the tag line for the advert and the sight of Montgomerie, who appears to be letting his guard down more and more these days, involved in such a production will go down well with the contenders for his Ryder Cup team.
They will all know how determined he will be to crown his career by being a winning captain in the event that has mattered most to him but, at the same time, it looks as though he'll be able to conduct affairs at Celtic Manor with a smile on his face.

http://www.skysports.com/presenters

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