European Challenge Tour Scoreboard

COPA ANTIOGUIA
Club Deportivo El Rodeo, Sede La Macarena,
Colombia

FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Par 71
64 Francisco Ojeda.
67 Robert Dinwiddie, Marcus Higley, David Vanegas.
68 Joaquin Esteves, Cesar Monastero, Raul Sanz, Jan-Are Larsen, Magnus Carlsson, Julio Zapata, Ryan Blaum, Vince Covello, Peter Gustafsson, Julien Xanthopoulos.
Selected scores:
70 Jack Doherty, John Morgan (jt 24th).
71 Jamie Moul (jt 32nd).
72 Daniel Brooks (jt 45th).
74 George Murray (jt 86th).
75 Lloyd Kennedy, Ben Evans (jt 99th).
77 Paul Eales, Paul Dwer (jt 135th).
78 Scott Jamieson (jt 146th).

Accenture World Match-play Championship Scoreboard

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

SECOND-ROUND

BOBBY JONES BRACKET
R Ishiwa bt R McGowan 1 hole.
T Jaidee bt R Karlsson 4 and 3.
J M Singh bt M Kuchar 1 hole.
I Poulter bt A Scott 2 and 1.

BEN HOGAN BRACKET
T Clark bt M Kaymer 3 and 2.
S Garcia bt A Hansen 2 and 1.
O Wilson bt R McIlroy at 20th.
L Donald bt R Allenby 6 and 5.

GARY PLAYER BRACKET
N Watney bt L Westwood 2 and 1.
R Goosen bt E Els at 20th.
B Crane bt Y Yang 3 and 2.
C Villegas bt G Ogilvy 2 and 1.

SAM SNEAD BRACKET
C Schwartzel bt J Furyk 3 and 2.
S Cink bt S O'Hair 1 hole.
P Casey bt M Weir 5 and 4.
B Gay bt Z Johnson 2 holes.

Top Scots in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings

The top eight Scots in this week's R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings are:
47 (-1) Ross Kellett (Colville Park).
52 (-3) James Byrne (Banchory).
151 (-2) Glenn Campbell (Murrayshall).
168 (+9) Mark Hillson (Craigielaw).
192 (+19) Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck).
241 (-8) James White (Lundin).
281 (-1) David Law (Hazlehead).
326 (-4) Steven McEwan (Caprington).

+Matteo Manassero (Italy) and Victor Dubuisson (France) continue to be No 1 and 2 in the rankings.

Sean O'Donnell wins Midlands Alliance at Drumoig

By LEE SUTHERLAND (Ballumbie Castle GC head pro)
The Midlands Golfers Alliance was played at Drumoig Golf Course, Fife yesterday. The weather was very kind and the scoring was good also.
Leading the way in the scratch was Balbirnie Park assistant pro Sean O’Donnell with a two-under-par 71. James Gray (Craigie Hill), playing off 12, won the handicap section with a net score of 67.
LEADING SCRATCH
69 S O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) ap.
70 A Lockhart (Ladybank) ap, C Mathieson (Falkirk Tryst) ap.
71 G Brown (Montrose) ap.
72 K Harper (Carnoustie), M Brown (Monifieth), G Finlay (Ballumbie Castle).
73 M Rae (Alyth) ap.
75 G Jenkins (Crieff).
76 G Milne (Aberdour).
77 D Hutchieson (Murrayshall), I Henderson (Craigie Hill).
LEADING HANDICAP
67 J Gray (Craigie Hill) (12).
68 I McMurray (Downfield) (12).
71 G Milne (Aberdour) (5), D Hutchieson (Murrayshall) (6), D Ritchie (Crieff) (9), I Henderson (Craigie Hill) (6), J Wilson (Dunfermline) (12), A Herd (Scotscraig) (11).
72 G Jenkins (Crieff) (3), K Harper (Carnoustie) (scr).
73 J Milne junior (Blairgowrie) (9), J Milne senior (Blairgowrie) (14), K Thomson (Alloa) (14), G Finlay (Ballumbie Castle) (+1).
74 G Wilkie (Tulliallan) (10).

Qualifiers for the JTC Interiors Express Championship in April at Montrose Links
G Jenkins (Crieff) (3)
D Ritchie (Crieff) (9)
I McMurray (Downfield) (12)

Next Weeks Meeting: Thursday, February 25
Scotscraig pro-am, sponsored by Hi-Tech Acoustic Services Ltd.
Tee reserved 8.30am to 1.30pm

Portuguese international amateur championship Scoreboard

AROEIRA COURSE 1, Nr LISBON
FIRST ROUND LEADING SCORES
Par 72
65 Alexander Levy (France).
67 Juan Francisco Sarasti (Spain).
68 Chris Lloyd (England), Jamie Abbot (England), Tiago Carneiro Rodrigues (Portugal), Ross Kellett (Scotland).
69 Michael Bedford (England), Romain Wattel (France), Alexander Knappe (Germany), Clement Lemaire (France).
70 James Watts (England), Carlos Pigem (Spain), Alexis Szappanos (Germany), Tapio Pulkkanen (Finland), Steven Brown (England), Manual Alexandre Violas (Portugal), Alexandre Abreu (Spain), Antonio Hortal (Spain).
71 Niccolo Quintarelli (Italy), Adrian Otaequi (Spain), Antoine Schwartz (France), Paul Cutler (Ireland), Jean-Pierre Verselin (France), Tom Lewis (England), Glenn Campbell (Scotland), Johann Lopez Lazara (France), Peter Baunsoe (Denmark) (jt 19th).
Selected scores:
72 Dara Lernihan (Ireland), Ben Herbert (England), Chris Nugent (Wales), Cian Curley (Ireland), Joshua White (England) (jt 28th).
73 Scott Campbell (England), Gordon Yates (Scotland) (jt 43rd)
74 Reeve Whitson (Ireland), Jack Senior (England), Philip McLean (Scotland), James Robinson (England), Andrew Hogan (Ireland), Greg Paterson (Scotland) (jt 53rd).
76 James Frazer (Wales), Richard Bentham (Wales), Eddie Pepperell (England), James White (Scotland), Robert Cannon (Ireland), Oliver Farr (Wales).
77 David Law (Scotland), Jonathan Bell (England), Darren Wright (England), Joe Vickery (Wales) (jt 90th).
78 Alan Dunbar (Ireland) (jt 102nd).
79 Steven McEwan (Scotland) (jt 111th), Ian Winstanley (England).
Field of 118 players.
+The leading 40 and ties after 54 holes will qualify for Sunday's fourth and final round.

Three in running for England's Club of the Year award

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
After the final round of judging, the top three clubs who will be contesting the GolfMark Club of the Year Award have been named.
Chapel-en-le-Frith Golf Club in Derbyshire, Paultons Golf Centre in Hampshire and Stoke by Nayland Golf Club in Essex will all be attendance when the final result is announced at the English Golf Union’s (EGU) and English Women’s Golf Association’s (EWGA) County Development Conference on February 23.
This year the Award is being sponsored by Cobra Golf who will be presenting the top accolade plus prizes to the winning club during the evening’s ceremony.
EGU and EWGA Golf Development Manager, Richard Flint said, “We have been extremely impressed with the quality of clubs nominated for this year’s award. It is clear that everyone who was nominated has shown both dedication and creativity in the work they do in welcoming both juniors and beginners to the game and they are all great ambassadors for golf.”
The three clubs came through a tough judging procedure which saw them initially compete against nominations from each County Golf Partnership to then reach a short list of eight clubs that were finally assessed by a panel from the EGU, EWGA, PGA and Golf Foundation.

Unbelievably bad weather in Morocco for Alps Tour event

FROM THE ALPS TOUR WEBSITE
The weather in Morocco this week is kind of unbelievable. As far as residents can remember, it has been a long time since Morocco had to suffer from such awful conditions.
All players in the Alps Tour's Mogador Open were ready to start at 9.45am, but unfortunately the wind was too strong for balls to stay still on the greens.
The area of Golf de Mogador was lashed by heavy rain and huge gusts of wind. Players came to clubhouse to be safe and waited for information.
At 11am, the organising committee decided on suspending the play for the day. Tuesday's play was also "lost."
It is hoped that the second and third rounds can be played on Friday.
The plan - weather permitting - is for the second round to be completed on Friday morning with an 8.30am start.
That should finish the second round about noon. The qualifiers after a second-round cut will go out again in a shotgun start about one hour later for the third and final round.

Hitch in plans for new Baberton clubhouse

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
An Edinburgh golf club has been granted planning permission for a stunning new clubhouse – but hopes of it being built are in limbo due to uncertainty over an agreement with a property developer.
Baberton Golf Club in Juniper Green got the go-ahead last week for a development that includes a contemporary clubhouse and 30 executive-style apartments. The apartments are to be built on the site of the existing clubhouse and the club has an agreement with a property developer for that to happen.
However, fears are growing about the deal after club officials have been unable to make contact with the company.
"At this particular stage the proposed development is in limbo," said club secretary Bernard Flockhart."We now have approval to build the new clubhouse and flats but need to find out from Southplace Homes if they are proceeding. We've pushed them over the last month or so but have not been able to contact them."
Plans to replace the existing Baberton clubhouse, which was built when the club was inaugurated in 1893, have been in the pipeline for the past six years. Outline planning permission for the project, which is on a green belt site, was originally rejected before being approved on appeal by the Secretary of State.
At that time, the club had an agreement with a different developer, Cruden Homes, for the land where the current clubhouse sits but that fell through.
In securing detailed planning permission, Baberton's members have at least moved a step closer to seeing their club get a modern new clubhouse but the project won't be able to go ahead unless a developer comes up with the money for the land to build the flats.
"It has always been our intention that this (the new clubhouse) would be done at no extra cost to members," added Flockhart. "It's unfortunate that there seems to be no finance for the development of the flats at the moment due to the recession but it was in our interest to get planning permission as we can try and get another developer if this one walks away. We now have an asset that is worth something to us when the financial climate is right."
The proposed clubhouse is to be built beside the first fairway and will enjoy views across the course to the west. It will have facilities to match new clubhouses built at the likes of Prestonfield, the Merchants and Swanston New in recent years.
"The proposals tie in with the character of the conservation area and are sympathetic to the green belt location," said Gordon Beaton, design director of Edinburgh-based Susan Stephen Architects.
"The clubhouse design responds to current day golfers' needs with panoramic views over the golf course and large, open fully-glazed public spaces. Both the clubhouse and apartments are attractively designed in a contemporary Scottish vernacular style with traditional finishes."
+The full article above appears in the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper today.

Stevie Gray Wins West Alliance at Irvine Bogside

A total of 63 amateurs and 17 professionals competed over a frosty Irvine Bogside Golf Club course in yesterday's West of Scotland Alliance competition.
The start was delayed initially by an hour. However,play got underway half an hour after our original start time. The frost eventually lifted and the sunshine came out.
All players were impressed by the James Braid-designed and one time Open Qualifying course.
James Smallwood, on two under par, took an early lead with a 69. However he was pushed into second place by a creditable 68 by Stevie Gray, which included four birdies and one bogey.
Despite finishing with two birdies, recent winner Barry Hume could not overtake the leaders and he had to settle for third place later in the day.
The amatuer prize went to senior John Greene (12) who finished with a net 67, including a hole in one at the par-3 16th (156yd).
Many players found the conditions difficult and there was a record number of No Returns. The only other under par score came from Brian Robertson (11) with a score of 70.
The Seniors' prize went to Brian Byrne with a net 76 off five.
PRIZEWINNERS
SCRATCH
68 Stephen Gray (Hayston) p £110.
69 James Smallwood (Fereneze) p £80.
71 Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) p £60.
73 Stewart savage (Dalmuir) p, Ewan Grimes (Cardross) p £20.00 each
HANDICAP
Prize Vouchers
67 John Greene (Cowglen) (12) £80.
70 Brian Robertson (Forrester Park Resort) (11) £50.
72 Shahid Majid (Forrester Park Resort) (6) £35.
73 John Carrell (Torrance House) (12), David Ferguson (Paisley) £12.50 Each
SENIORS
Prize Vouchers
76 Brian Byrne (Bonnyton) (5)
78 William McCallum (Kirkhill) (9), John Mansfield (Troon Merchants) (15), Bob Cherry (Caldwell) (9) £7 each
Our top three handicap winners also shared the sweep money.
With only two par 3s on the course, no 2's were returned on the day. However John Greene's hole in one earned him the total amount of the 2s' money. A great day for John indeed, winning the handicap, sweep and all the 2s' money.

Fraserburgh player is still targeting European Tour card

Jordan Findlay has +2.3 of a handicap and

-

he still can't get into Portuguese and

-

Spanish amateur championships!

-

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Fraserburgh's Jordan Findlay, who appeared in back-to-back British boys' championship finals as a teenager, still has the confidence to pursue his ambition to become a European Tour player.
But, even with +2.3 of a handicap, the 21-year-old Buchan Loon could not get into the field for this week's Portuguese amateur championship nor the upcoming Spanish equivalent.
"The standard is so high these days in the big amateur events that you had to have a handicap of at least +2.5 to get into the 'Portuguese' and the Spanish championship organisers decided their field on the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings," said Findlay (pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency at Murcar Links yesterday).
"My world ranking is just not high enough these days to get me in to events like that."
Winner of the British boys' title in 2004 and beaten finalist in 2005, Jordan's four years as a student at East Tennessee State University latterly did nothing for his golf.
He has been a full-time amateur golfer since he returned from the States. He failed to get past Stage 1 of the European Tour Qualifying School last autumn but is determined to keep trying until he makes it. If it is any encouragement to Jordan, didn't it take Major-winner-to-be Ian Woosnam seven years to gain pass marks at the Q School many years ago?
"I did think of going to the EuroPro Tour Qualifying School at the end of March but changed my mind in favour of having a full season on the amateur circuit. To be a European Tour player has been my ambition for a long time and I won't be happy until I get there."

Winning a place in the Scotland team this season would be a positive sign that his career is back on track.
There will be a lot more rivers to cross for Jordan to get a European Tour card but at 21 he has youth on his side. And the skill that once made him the best in Britain as a teenager must still be there, waiting to be brought to the surface again.

Four birdies in his first nine holes of yesterday's North-east Alliance at Murcar Links suggests that he is on the way back.

Any comments? You can E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

World-class control freak Tiger is picking

-

up again where he left off ... in charge

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
By Michael Bamberger, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated
Tiger Woods' people have made an announcement: On Friday at 11 am (local time) he will conduct a non-press conference!
Woods is expected to discuss his future plans, and to say something about his "indiscretions,” likely in the gentlemanly terms suitable for the setting, the obscene 77,000-square-foot clubhouse, with its baronial fireplaces and framed artwork, of the TPC Sawgrass, at the PGA Tour's headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg of IMG — yep, still on the scene — told the AP that "a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates” will join Woods, and that a half-dozen reporters will be allowed to attend the non-press conference. But there will be no questions.
Got that Vartan Kupelian? Kupelian came by his invite to the non-press conference by virtue of his position as the president of the Golf Writers Association of America. One peep and you're out, kid.

Now, it so happens, Kupelian writes for the Detroit News, where he's been since ‘71, meaning his job is to report about Tiger's recent past and future plans for a readership in a city that has 28 percent unemployment. Kupelian might have some insight into what his readers want to know about Tiger's mindset. He might have some good questions to ask. Not now, Vartan. You'll be told the appropriate time for that. (That is, never.)
Tiger Woods is a world-class control freak, and in his re-entry into public life — which has showered him with wealth and opportunities and trappings that we can only imagine — he is picking up right where he left off. He controls all. He's the same way with his golf ball. He tells it exactly what he wants it to do.
A guess is that Tiger is very angry. Angry at the National Enquirer for breaking the story of his infidelity. Angry at NBC — one of the Tour's most reliable media partners! — for trotting out one of his babes on the Today show with golf buff Matt Lauer. Angry at the mainstream golf press for writing oh-that-Tiger-is-a-fraud stories.
(Yes, it's possible that he'll do something totally radical, announce his retirement or something like that. But would he go to PGA Tour HQ to do it? Doubtful.)
And you know what he'll do with that anger? He'll take it out on his golf ball, whether he's at Arnold Palmer's tournament at Bay Hill in March, the Masters in April, the Players in May, the U.S. Open in June, the British Open in July or the PGA Championship in August. Come September, when the American Ryder Cup team jets off to Wales for a nothing-but-pride team competition? The guess here is he'll be back on hiatus. Of those tournaments how many could he win? Pick a number between one and five.
Another guess is that Woods will do everything he possibly can to keep his marriage to Elin, and to keep his young son and daughter all under one roof. Woods reportedly spent nearly half of his three months in seclusion in a clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., that specializes in sex addiction. Like other world-class athletes — the elites of the elite — Woods never acknowledges any vulnerabilities. It seems unthinkable that he would actually consider himself to be a sex addict. What is realistic is that he would spend five weeks or so in therapy because his wife felt that was a necessary starting point to reclaiming their marriage.
One more guess for what Woods might say at his non-press conference on Friday, in front of his small group of friends, colleagues, close associates — and the half-dozen seen-but-not-heard reporters He will be seriously cutting back on his off-course activities. (Note to self: Avoid bad joke here)

Some sponsors have cut him loose or reduced his role. Woods will take that in stride and devote more time to his family and to his foundation. The most impressive thing Woods ever said came in 2006, at the opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, near his boyhood home. He called it the single most important thing he'd ever done. Bill Clinton was standing at his side. Clinton got his second act. Woods will, too. He'll win tournaments, money will come flowing in again and everybody will feel good.
But in the meantime, he's getting off on the weakest of notes, with this non-press conference in a ridiculous palace that pays homage to all the excessiveness Tiger's gaudy Phase I brought. On his first step back, he's showing that he has all the cards, and you and I and all the people who like golf and are fascinated by what he's done in the game, well, we have none. Don't blame Steinberg for this move and don't blame the high-priced polo shirts at the PGA Tour.

This move has Tiger Woods written all over it.
Arnold Palmer played for his fans, but Woods never has, and nothing's likely to change. It's arrogant and offputting, the whole idea of this most public of people, one of the best known faces in the world, stepping back into public life without taking so much as a question.
It's also brilliant. He's reminding us, and his opponents, too: he's still in charge.

Any comments? You can E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

WGC-Accenture World Match-play Championship

Ross McGowan KOs top seed Steve

Stricker at 19th hole in first round

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
England's Ross McGowan, only playing because Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson chose not to, knocked top seed Steve Stricker out of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona yesterday.
With a 25ft par putt on the first extra hole, McGowan, pictured, grabbed the biggest possible scalp on a day which also saw Rory McIlroy come from four down to win, but Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher were among those beaten at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain venue.
Stricker went to world number two when he won the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles two weeks ago, but his defeat opens the door for Lee Westwood to move into that spot this weekend.
Westwood would have to win the title for that, but he made a good start by overcoming fellow Englishman Chris Wood 3 and 1.
McGowan was little known until he finished runner-up to Westwood at the Dubai World Championship in November, and was a massive underdog against Stricker.
He becomes only the second 64th seed to beat the top seed in the history of the event. Australian Peter O'Malley eliminated Tiger Woods in 2002.
McIlroy, meanwhile, pulled off a brilliant victory from the jaws of defeat.
He lost four of the first six holes to American Kevin Na early on and was still two behind with only four left.
But the 20-year-old fourth seed eagled the next and won on the final green as Na, ranked 61st in the world, crumbled.
It was just the sort of thing that would have hugely impressed Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, who earlier this week said: "I want to see guys who show guts and determination, guys who are maybe two or three down with four or five holes to play but who battle back to win."

SCROLL DOWN TO READ ALL 32 FIRST-DAY RESULTS