Fairways Target League Week 3 Report

By Neil D. Hampton
Golf & Marketing Director, Loch Ness Golf Course
www.golflochness.com

MONDAY LEAGUE
It was a good night for scoring in the Monday league with the all teams putting in a good performance. Orion were the stars of the night with a top score of the 73 against the Specialists who acquitted themselves but couldn’t quite match the Orion fire power.
BM Trucks were not far behind with 67 and their opponents the Royal Swingers found some of their early season form but could quite match the Trucks.
The Neverwillbees were also victorious against the Happy Gilmour’s who are settling in nicely and putting in some consistent scores. The Parahandies had the easiest game on the night as the Sainties were otherwise engaged. The top of the table remains the same with BM Trucks and Orion still unbeaten, closely followed by the Parahandies just two points behind.
At the bottom the Sainties are yet to get off the mark but they are only two points behind three teams so a lot could change in just one week.
RESULTS
The Neverwillbees 51 – 28 Happy Gilmour’s
Royal Swingers 43 – 67 BM Trucks
Parahandies 32 – 0 Sainties
Orion 73 – 46 Specialists.

TUESDAY LEAGUE
The Tuesday night teams were presented tougher scoring conditions and the high scoring target was the furthest away so best score was from King Kenyon’s Klan who amassed 54 in the game with Fairhurst Fore. Nest highest was the Muirton Marvels who compiled 42 but their opponents were supposed to be the Mad Drivers but they had called earlier to say they were stuck in a layby! The Coastguards grabbed a rare victory with the Senior Moments their victims and home team Fairways struggled against the Luckless Leadbetters who themselves were below par but still did enough to win. This leaves three teams tied at the top, Marvels, Leadbetters and Kenyon’s Klan with three tied at the bottom, Senior Moments, Mad Drivers and Fairways who are propping them all up.
RESULTS
Mad Drivers 0 – 42 Muirton Marvels
Senior Moments 20 – 26 Coastguards
Fairhurst 27 – 54 King Kenyon’s Klan
Fairways 19 – 31 Luckless Leadbetters.

Royal Dornoch member Ellis becomes

president of English Golf Union

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Elwyn Ellis, a past President of Cheshire, has been installed as President of The English Golf Union at its annual general meeting at Woodhall Spa.
In succeeding Norman Forrest at the helm of the EGU, Elwyn is looking forward to spreading the word both at home and abroad while hoping to see English teams complete a string of successes during his year in office.
“I haven’t any particular schemes or targets to see happen in 2010 apart from England successes on the fairways,” he says. “I will support all the teams but I’d particularly like to see victories in the European men’s team championship and the Eisenhower Trophy, while I’m really looking forward to visiting the Masters.”
Elwyn, pictured by courtesy of Tom Ward Photography, was born in Stockport in 1927 and spent most of his early years in Lytham St Anne’s, being educated at the King Edward VII School. He learned to play at Lytham Green Drive but his business career in the textile industry took him to Manchester.
He joined Prestbury Golf Club in 1956 and is now an Honorary Life Member, having been captain in 1979 and president in 1980. He is also a member of Royal Lytham and St Anne’s and Royal Dornoch Golf Clubs.
Elwyn joined the Cheshire Executive in 1985, was County President in 1989 and Chairman of the Northern Group of the EGU from 1996-98. He spent a long spell on the EGU Council representing Cheshire and is now a vice president and trustee of the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs.
Elwyn has been married to Dorothy for 57 years and they have two sons, Roger and Richard, and a daughter Nicola.

Accenture World Match-play Championship

THE RITZ-CARLTON GOLF CLUB, DOVE MOUNTAIN, MARANA, ARIZONA

ALL THE FIRST ROUND RESULTS

BOBBY JONES BRACKET
R McGowan bt S Stricker at 19th
R Ishikawa bt M Sim 2 holes.
T Jaidee bt R Fisher 5 and 4.
R Karlsson bt R Sabbatini at 20th.
J M Singh bt P Harrington 3 and 1.
M Kuchar bt A Kim 3 and 2.
I Poulter bt J Leonard at 19th.
A Scott bt A Cabrera 3 and 2.

BEN HOGAN BRACKET
M Kaymer bt C Campbell 4 and 2.
T Clark bt VJ Singh 1 hole.
A Hansen bt L Glover 2 and 1.
S Garcia bt D Thoms 2 holes.
O Wilson bt M A Jimenez 3 and 2.
R McIlroy bt K Na 1 hole.
R Allenby bt P Hanson 4 and 2.
L Donald bt G McDowell 2 and 1.

GARY PLAYER BRACKET
L Westwood bt C Wod 3 and 1.
N Watney bt Y Ikeda 4 and 3.
E Els bt R Moore 4 and 3.
R Goosen bt S Hansen 3 and 2.
B Crane w.o. H Stenson retired after 1 hole.
Y Yang bt S Kjeldsen 2 and 1.
G Ogilvy bt A Noren 7 and 5.
C Villegas bt D Johnson 4 and 3.

SAM SNEAD BRACKET
J Furyk bt S Verplank 2 and 1.
C Schwartzel bt H Mahan 2 and 1.
S O'Hair bt S Dyson 3 and 1.
S Cink bt E Molinari 2 holes.
P Casey bt S Ames 5 and 4.
M Weir bt A Quiros 8 and 6.
B Gay bt K Perry 2 and 1.
Z Johnson bt F Molinari at 21st.

Tiger to talk on Friday: Choice of date may be

getting own back on ex-sponsors Accenture

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARK REASON
Tiger Woods will make a public statement at the US PGA tour's headquarters in Florida on Friday morning.
It will be the first time the world has heard from Woods since he went into hiding following his car crash at the end of November last year and the subsequent revelations of his extensive sex life.
A message from Woods's management company said: "Tiger Woods will be speaking to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates at 11:00am EST Friday at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future and he plans to apologise for his behavior."
It seems strange that the US PGA should sanction such a 'conference' in the middle of a World Golf Championship event. The Woods' statement will immediately suck publicity out of the Accenture Match Play Championship, currently taking place in Arizona and the sponsors will be justifiably furious.
Accenture used to sponsor Woods, but were among the first to pull out following the scandal. Is this Woods getting back at them? The thought certainly occurred to Rory McIlroy after he had completed a brilliant comeback victory over Kevin Na in the first round of the Accenture.
McIlroy said: "I suppose he (Tiger) might want to get something back at the sponsors. He's got to come back at some point. It's just gone on for so long. I'm sick of hearing about it and I'm looking forward to when he's coming back on the golf course."
How the world has changed in a year. Twelve months ago McIlroy was a kid making his debut on the big American Tour and Woods was making his return to competitive golf at the Accenture Match Play after undergoing knee surgery.
On Friday Tiger will make another return, but in staggeringly different circumstances.
The old Accenture advertisement showed Tiger looking down at his ball among the rocks, with the strap line: "It's what you do next that counts." It seems that Tiger is now going to throw Accenture's own line back at them.
The players are unlikely to be amused. Last month Geoff Ogilvy, the defending champion this week, urged Woods to make a public appearance before making his tournament return. That way, said Ogilvy, the tournament at which he returns would be less of a "circus."
It appears that Tiger has taken Ogilvy's advice, but only up to an extent. Woods is making a public appearance before his tournament return, but it is one that will detract from this week's tournament.
The brilliant start made by English golfers at the Accenture was almost buried by the news of Tiger's return - almost, but not quite. Luke Donald was the first to come in with a 2 and 1 victory over Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, a win that included no fewer than eight birdies.
McDowell said afterwards: "I ran into a buzz saw. Every time I had a sniff of a chance, he made a great putt. He is unbelievable with the wedges and the putter. He's old school. I like the way he plays, I have a lot of respect for his game, he's a fabulous player."
As morning turned to afternoon Paul Casey, last year's runner-up, concluded a 5 and 4 dusting of Stephen Ames, Oliver Wilson beat Miguel Angel Jimenez by 4 and 2 and Ian Poulter won a colossal match against Justin Leonard on the first extra hole.
Poulter had come back from a two-hole deficit to take a one-hole lead going up the 18th, but then Leonard birdied to take the match into extra time. As Poulter walked off the 18th green he said: "That was silly, Arsenal are kicking off in ten minutes." He needed a speedy birdie and he got it.
Casey will next play Mike Weir who had a stunning win over Spain's Alvaro Quiros, the Canadian left-hander birdieing nine of his first 10 holes. Casey said: "I hope he watches the Olympics tonight and gets tired."
Sweden's Henrik Stenson, winner of the title in 2007, conceded his first-round match after only one-hole to American Ben Crane. Stenson felt like death warmed up - flu-like symptoms - but played one hole to see if the fresh air made him feel any better. He didn't - and conceded.
Crane continued to play the course on his own - a familiarisation jaunt. Even if Stenson had withdrawn before starting the match, Crane would have advanced unchallenged to the second round because none of the alternates (reserves) had gone to Arizona.

Scott Larkin (Banchory) and Laura Murray (Alford), leading scorers at Murcar Links today (new images by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

Late Larkin 65 pips Laura for a place in

North-east Alliance winners' history

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Former US college circuit player Scott Larkin came in late in a field of 83 to deny Scottish amateur international Laura Murray an historic win in today’s North-east Golfers’ Alliance competition at Murcar Links.
The 23-year-old Banchory hotel worker, who spent four years at the College of Charleston, recovered from a four-putt double bogey 6 at the second to shoot seven birdies in a four-under-par 65 (33-32) over the shorter winter course with temporary greens.
Driving the ball particularly soundly, it was Larkin's third win of the NE Alliance 2009-2010 season, having already won at Peterhead and finished joint first at Inverallochy.
Until then, Laura Murray’s score of 66 (34-32), in which she three times holed from off the green, had looked like making the Alford player the first female to win the top scratch prize in the long history of the organisation.
Laura’s five birdies came at the seventh, eighth, 11th, 13th and 16th in halves of 34 (one under par) and 32 (two under par). She had a three-putt bogey at the second and a second bogey at the par-4 15th where she had to take a penalty drop out of a gorse bush at but single-putted to escape with a 5.
"I hit the ball well off the tee and my short game was very tidy which was very important on winter greens like these," said Laura who changed her mind about turning pro this year to have one more go at the amateur circuit. She sets off on Sunday for next week's Spanish women's amateur championship, having made the cut in the Portguese version two or three weeks ago.
Laura has an LGU handicap of +1 but she plays off the men's tees in Alliance competitions so secretary Ron Menzie, using a mathematical equation of his own, gives her an Alliance handicap of 4 so that she can compete on a level playing surface in the handicap prizelists.
Ron will probably have to cut her Alliance handicap because her net 62 won her first place in Class 1 by four strokes today!
Joint third scratch on 67 were former British boys champion Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh), a full-time amateur since his US college days, Newburgh-on-Ythan pro Ian Bratton and Hazlehead amateur Chris Law, whose brother David won the Scottish boys’ and men’s championships last year.
Findlay, who felt it was "hit or a miss" winter conditions, particularly on the the temporary greens, had four birdies in an outward half of 31 while Bratton drove the green at the par-4 18th for a fifth birdie.

It was the first time the Newburgh pro had used his driver all day.

"I drove with a three-iron all the way before that. Why? Because I was hitting it well and it was all that was required on the shorter winter course. That's what course management is all about but some of the younger guys find it difficult to adjust to different courses, different conditions."
Law covered the last five holes in two under par, thanks to birdies at the 14th and 15th in an inward 33.
Former Walker Cup player Sandy Pirie finished joint seventh on one-over-par 70 after being out in two-under 33 and still being two under the card with four holes to play. But the Hazlehead veteran ran up a double bogey 6 at the 15th and dropped another shot at the last for 37 home.

You can say what you like but golf is still just about the most honest of sports. Secretary Ron Menzies received a call on his mobile phone late on in today's competition from a player who had been playing his round over in his mind on the way home by car - now is that an offence? - and realised that he had put down an 8 at one hole when it should have been a 9.

"The player shall remain nameless but he had a score in the mid-70s," said Ron. "I had to tell him he was disqualified for signing for a lower figure but he knew that. He just wanted to keep the record straight."
Leading scores (par 69)
SCRATCH
65 Scott Larkin (Banchory).
66 Laura Murray (Alford).
67 Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh), Ian Bratton (Newburgh), Chris Law (Hazlehead).
69 Anthony Bews (Murcar Links).
70 Chris Lamb (Newmachar), Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead).
71 Steven Sharp (Newburgh), Stewart Finnie (Caledonian), Adam Lindsay (Banchory).
72 Billy Main (Murcar Links), Brian Nicolson (Auchmill), Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon), Fergus Bisset (Banchory), Kyle Nelson (Murcar Links).
73 David Naylor (Banchory), Scott Mackie (Kemnay), Fraser Milne (Fraserburgh), Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), Mark Lawrie (Kemnay), Steven Chalmers (Banchory).
74 Brian Harper (Newburgh), Paul McIntosh (Newburgh), Jim Murray (Banchory).
75 George Paterson (Northern), Mike Jenkins (Duff House Royal), Richard Hyland (Craibstone), Clark Alexander (Murcar Links).
76 Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay), Jim Scott (Peterculter), Robert Lamb (Newmachar), Joe Hopwood (Carnegie).
77 Andrew Campbell (Deeside), Craig Carnegie (Kemnay).
78 Albert Smith (Turriff), John Hamilton (Murcar Links), Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay), Norman Stewart (Northern), David McKay (Caledonian).
79 Steven Kennedy (Craibstone), Martin Forster (Cruden Bay), John Mitchell (Fraserburgh), Jackie Forrest (Northern), Willie Skene (Deeside).
80 Philip Morrison (Oldmeldrum), Chris Brindley (Banchory), Alistair Petrie (Oldmeldrum).

HANDICAP
Class 1 – Laura Murray (Alford) (4) 62; C Law (Hazlehead) (1) 66; S Sharp (Newburgh) (4), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) (6), S Larkin (Banchory) (+2), J Murray (Banchory) (7) 67; B Harper (Newburgh) (6), A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), M Lawrie (Kemnay) (5) 68; J Findlay (Fraserburgh) (+2), S Mackie (Kemnay) (4) 69; B Nicolson (Auchmill) (2), F Bisset (Banchory) (2), K Nelson (Murcar Links) (2), P McIntosh (Newburgh) (4), C Alexander (Murcar Links) (5) 70.

Class 2 – J Scott (Peterculter) (10), N Stewart (Northern) (12) 66; H McNaughton (Cruden Bay) (11) 67; S Kennedy (Craibstone) (11), J Kelly (Peterculter) (14) 68; M Rendall (Stonehaven) (13), B Lumsden (Northern) (14), M Rogers (Kemnay) (13) 69; C Brindley (Banchory) (10), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (10) 70; J Penny (Huntly) (13), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) (14), R Alison (Deeside) (15), M Brown (Craibstone) (18) 71.

SCORECARD FOR MURCAR LINKS WINTER COURSE: Par 69
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-4-4-4-4--35. IN: 4-4-3-4-5-4-3-4-5--34

SCOTT LARKIN 65
OUT: 3-6-3-4-3-5-4-3-3--33. IN: 3-3-3-4-4-5-3-4-3--32.

LAURA MURRAY 66
OUT: 4-5-4-4-3-4-3-3-4--34. IN: 4-3-3-3-4-5-2-4-4--32.

JORDAN FINDLAY 67
OUT: 3-4-4-3-3-4-4-3-3--31. IN: 5-3-3-4-4-5-4-4-4--36.

IAN BRATTON 67
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-5-4-3-3--34. IN: 5-4-2-3-4-4-4-4-3--33.

CHRIS LAW 67
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-4-4-4-3--34. IN: 5-3-3-5-3-3-3-4-4--33.

Remember, next Wednesday's NE Alliance fixture has been transferred from Turriff to Buckpool.

Gavin Dear up with Alps Tour leaders in Morocco

FROM THE ALPS TOUR WEBSITE
Frenchman Benoit Bozio took a one-stroke advantage after the delayed first round at Essaouira in Morocco today.
He shot a great, five-under-par 67 and overtook a group a four players who had been sharing the clubhouse lead.
Bozio, 27, won twice on the Alps Tour during the 2007 season. He played on Challenge Tour in 2008.
A gale-force wind on Tuesday forced the postponement for 24 hours of the opening round and today the weather conditions were still perfect for those native from windy countries such as the British Isles.
Richard Kilpatrick from Northern Ireland, shot 68 as well as Scot Gavin Dear from Scone in Perthshire, and so too did Englishman Lawrence Dodd. All these players are rookies on the Alps Tour.
Last but not least of the group was Frenchman Jérôme Forestier who signed for a 68.
The best amateur, Mervin Rocchi, only 20, made his coach Benoit Willemart smile. He shot 69 alongside Italian Matteo Delpodio.
As soon as the players had completed one round, they had time only for a brief bite before they were back on the course for Round 2 as the organisers tried to make up for Tuesday's "lost" day.
The projected cut mark is three over par for 36 holes.
Play was suspended at 6.10pm local time. Lawrence Dodd was in the provisional lead at 10-under-par overall, having played nine holes of his second round.
Play will resume at 9.45am. Heavy rain is forecast overnight.
Hopefully, the players will complete their second rounds on Thursday morning and the qualifiers will go out again for a third round.
FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
67 Benoit Bozio (France).
68 Richard Kilpatrick (Northern Ireland), Laurence Dodd (England), Gavin Dear (Scotland), Jerome Forestier (France).
69 Matteo Delpodio (Italy), Mervin Rocchi (France) (amateur)
70 Jason Palmer (England), Jules Bordonado (France) (amateur), Damasco Carrera (Spain), Giorgio del Boca (Italy), Damien Perrier (France).
Selected scores:
71 Sam Robinson (England) (jt 13th).
72 Matthew Baldwin (England), Mark Hooper (England), Ricki Neil-Jones (England) (jt 23rd).
74 Matthew Cryer (England), Max Brackley (England), Peter James (England) (jt 34th).
76 Steven Hume (Scotland), Nicholas Murtagh (England) (jt 53rd).
78 Farren Keenan (England) (jt 70th).
SECOND-ROUND POSITIONS OVERNIGHT
-10 after 27 holes Lawrence Dodd.
-7 after 27 holes Gavin Dear.
-7 after 24 holes Jerome Forestier.
-6 after 24 holes Benoit Bozio.
-5 after 27 holes Sam Robinson.
-5 after 24 holes Mervin Rocchi.
-4 after 30 holes Richard Kilpatrick.
-4 after 24 holes Paolo Terrini
Selected score:
+5 after 24 holes Steven Hume.

Students' and Ladies' Festival golf on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

News about students' golf, in Scotland and the United States, as well as the Hacienda del Alamo Women's & Girls' Festival .... all available by logging on to our sister website, www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Be one in over a million

De Vere Collection extends PGA Seniors sponsorship to 2013

NEWS RELEASE
One of Europe’s most prestigious golf championships has been given a major boost by the De Vere hotel group agreeing a three-year sponsorship extension.
The deal will see the luxury golf resort company sponsor the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship until 2013.
The announcement comes ahead of this year’s £250,000 event, which will be contested over the Hunting Course at Northumberland’s Slaley Hall from June 24-27.
It will the third successive year the European Senior Tour’s longest-running event has been staged at the venue and Carl Mason, who won the title for a third time last summer, is expected to defend his crown.
The tournament was first staged in 1957 and, except for its four majors, is the only 72-hole event on the Senior Tour.
Past winners include former Open champions Max Faulkner and Kel Nagle, the legendary Christy O’Connor and, more recently, the reigning Senior Tour Order of Merit winner Sam Torrance who triumphed in 2005 and 2006.

Alps Tour opening round delayed in Morocco

The first round in the Alps Tour event in Morocco was postponed for 24 hours because of gale-force winds.