Chris Kelly keeps up fine form to share Hilton Park lead

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By NICK RODGER
Chris Kelly continued in the rich vein of form he has found to share top spot after the opening round of the latest Xltec Pro Golf Tour event at Hilton Park near Glasgow.
The former Scottish PGA champion, who won last week's Duke of Roxburghe Challenge on the Tartan Tour, fired a three-under 67 to finish alongside Stuart Pardoe in the race for the £850 first prize. Host club amateur Gordon Yates used his local knowledge to good effect and hit a 68 to sit in a share of third.
Carnoustie pro Keir McNicoll opened with a one-under 69, one stroke better than his younger sister Katy and Ladies European Tour rookie Kylie Walker.
Andrew Oldcorn, the 2001 PGA champion, finished five off the pace after a 72 while Lynn Kenny (74) and Clare Queen (78) both found the going tough.

Xltec Pro Golf Tour
Hilton Park Golf Club
TWO-ROUND TOURNAMENT
Par 70

Thursday's Round 2 Draw
08.00 Kenneth Glen (Musselburgh) 87
James Dick (Duddingston) 80

08.10 Eric Walker (Burntisland) 79
Clare Queen (Carrick on Loch Lomond) 78
Stuart Burns (unatt) 78

08.20 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) (amateur) 76
Graeme Stewart (Gleddoch) 76
Scott Garrett (Irvine) 75

08.30 Kimberley Crooks (Ladies European Tour) 75
Laura Harvey (Darlington) 75
Scott Pithie (Carluke) 75

08.40 Ben Irving (Kirkcudbright) 75
Paul Shields (Kirkhill) (amateur) 74
John Green (Hacienda del Alamo Golf Properties) 74

08.50 Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) 74
Barry Campbell (Vale of Leven) 74
Vincent Brown (Westerwood) 74

09.00 FREE

09.10 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) (amateur) 73
Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf) 73
James Smallwood (Fereneze) 73

09.20 Andrew Oldcorn (King’s Acre) 72
Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park) 72
David Roger (Windyhill) 72

09.30 Tracey Boyes (unatt) 72
Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 71
Sean O’Donnell (Balbirnie) 71

09.40 Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) 71
Paul Betty (Hayston) (amateur) 71
Craig Gordon (unatt) 71

09.50 Alan Waugh (Clydebank & District) 71
Tom Buchanan (Duddingston) 70
Alastair Brown (Whitecraigs) 70

10.00 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 70
Kylie Walker (unatt) 70
Katie McNicoll (Carnoustie Golf Shop) 70

10.10 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie Golf Shop) 69
Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 69
Chris Russell (RAW Design) 69

10.20 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 69
Stephen Gray (Hayston) 69
Euan Cameron (Hamilton) 68

10.30 Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) (amateur) 68
James McGhee (Turnhouse) 68
John Gallagher (Swanston) 68

10.40 Corisande Lee (West Lancs) 68
Stu Pardoe (Belmont Vauxhall) 67
Chris Kelly (Cawder) 67

+The leading lady professional at the end of 36 holes at Hilton Park is guaranteed a bonus prize of £400, thanks to the generosity of a group of men, women and companies, in all the Xltec Pro Tour events. All of the donors chipped in £200 each. One wished to remain anonymous. The others are:

Stewart Spence (The Marcliffe Hotel at Pitfodels).
Dave McNicoll (Carnoustie Golf Shop).
Karen Ogilvy (Castle Group).
Allan Ingram (Industrial Cleaning Services).
David Laing (Civil Engineers).
Kenny Burnside (Yolund Ltd).
CDFS Financial Services.
Neil Hampton (Loch Ness golf course, Inverness )
Clydesdale Bank Bearsden
Campbell Dallas (Chartered Accounts)
Paterson Holms (Solicitors)

+The donors' list also added £500 to the total prize fund for the Hilton Park competition, which raised it to around £5,200 (47 x £100 +£500) depending on the entry fees paid by the male amateurs.

+The lady pros are playing off forward tees, a course which is 10% shorter for them than it is for the male pros. But there is only one prize list, incorporating the male and female professionals.

+The prize list at the end of 36 holes will cover 30 per cent of the field, approximately the leading 14 from a total of 47. First prize is £850.

GAUNT LEADS PGA EUROPRO TOUR EVENT

Barry Hume has four shots to make up on final day

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Daniel Gaunt leads The Motocaddy Masters at Wensum Valley Hotel Golf and Country Club, Norwich at seven under par – four shots clear of a group of four players ahead of the final round.
Gaunt began the day four strokes behind leader Dale Marmion at three under par but piled on the pressure by posting a round of 68 before Marmion (Eaton GC) went out in the afternoon. The Australian dropped a shot on the third to fall further behind but his fortunes began to turn with a birdie at the eighth. He then made a move on the back nine with birdies at 11, 12 and 14, finding a fifth birdie of the day at the last for a 68 to put him on seven under.
Marmion stepped onto the first tee in the afternoon as the wind began to stiffen and the 2008 Order of Merit runner-up found the going tough. He began his round with two bogeys and picked up a third at the fifth – dropping further shots at 10 and 15 with just a solitary birdie at the 14th seeing him join a group of four in second spot chasing Gaunt.
“Three shots is a substantial lead out there and I know if I can go three or four under again it’ll take something special to beat me,” said Gaunt. “It’ll be won on the last six or seven holes where there are some chances but if the wind is like it is today it’ll be really tough.
“It was a bit of a grind out there and I got a bit lucky but you have to take advantage and I did just that,” added the 31 year-old.
Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) matched Gaunt’s four under par 68 to move to three under for the tournament after an opening round of 73 – recovering from a bogey at the second by bagging pairs of birdies at three and four and 11 and 12 before picking up another one at the last. Paul O’Hanlon (Curragh) and Nicky Harris (Whitefield GC) complete the quartet in second, both carding rounds of 70 to sit at three under for the tournament.
Kieran Staunton (Woodcote Park) and Matt Allen both picked up three birdies on the front nine to card rounds of 70 and sit at two under for the tournament, alongside James Webber (Three Rivers GC), who carded a 71. James Hepworth (Ilkley GC) joins the group of five tied for sixth spot at two under, following a round of 68 with four bogeys in his first ten holes before ending with two birdies for a two over par 74 in his second round. The group was completed by Andrew Johnston (North Middlesex) in the final three-ball after he shot 70.
Andrew Marshall’s challenge fell away in the afternoon as the wind picked up on the course. Marshall began the day at two under par, but four bogeys in his first eight holes put pay to any thoughts of winning the tournament. He stopped the rot with a birdie at the ninth but he cancelled that out with another bogey at the tenth, going down the rest of the back nine level to finish with a 76 and sit two over ahead of the final round.
“I played average, putted poorly and only got one birdie,” said Marshall of his effort. “There was a stiff breeze out there in the afternoon and some tricky flags but I’ve just got to go out all guns blazing now tomorrow.”
Current Norfolk number one Neil Lythgoe (Royal Norwich) played with Marshall over the two rounds, but was unable to make up ground after a six over par 78 – a 74 in his second round ending his involvement a day early.
Live scoring from the final round of The Motocaddy Masters at Wensum Valley Hotel Golf and Country Club is available at www.europrotour.com on Thursday morning (April 29), with 55 players making the cut at three over. The first player tees off at 8.30am, with Daniel Gaunt beginning his charge for the opening title of the year at 12.51pm, alongside Barry Hume.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
Daniel Gaunt leads by four strokes on 137 (-7)
HOW THE SCOTS STAND
Barry Hume 141 73, 68 -3
Craig Lee 143 72, 71 -1
Scott Henry 144 69, 75 Lvl
Martin Lawrence 144 71, 73 Lvl
Paul Doherty 145 76, 69 +1
Elliot Saltman 146 76, 70 +2
Zack Saltman 146 73, 73 +2
Jason McCreadie 147 72, 75 +3
MISSED THE CUT
Euan McIntosh 149 73, 76 +5
Ross Cameron 152 74, 78 +8
Mark Lawrie 153 75, 78 +9
John Henry 153 76, 77 +9
Lee Harper 154 79, 75 +10
Steven Duncan 154 78, 76 +10
Shaun McAllister 155 77, 78 +11
Graham Rankin 156 78, 78 +12
Stephen Clark 156 76, 80 +12
Withdrew:
Graeme Lornie 78 +6

Hugh Hunter's Clackmannan County News

Clackmannan senior boys' championship. Front row (left to right) Sam Kinnaird (Clackmannan County Golf Union), John Salmond (1st Scratch and Senior Boys Champion), Martin Hall (1st Handicap). Other prizewinners in back row.

The top picture shows the junior prizewinners. Left to right: Sam Kinnaird, Rikky Alexander (1st scratch and junior boys' champion), Calum Reid (1st handicap). Pictures by courtesy of Hugh Hunter.

SMALL FIELD IN COUNTY BOYS' GOLF

The early wet conditions slowly gave way to much drier weather in the late morning for the 24 competitors—a much smaller entry than usual - for the Clackamman boys' championship.
In the senior boys' division (15-17yrs) lowest handicap John Salmond (Alloa) led the way with a one over par 69 to take the 2010 title.
Home player Scott Baird was four shots behind in the runner up spot. Top handicap prize went to Alva player Martin Hall with a four under par net 64.
In the 14 and under section, it was Braehead all the way in the scratch prizes, taking all three. The 2010 junior champion, Rikky Alexander (Braehead), had a comfortable six-shot win over Scott Beattie with Grant Murray in third place. There was some comfort for the home players with Calum Reid scoring a net 60 to take the first handicap prize ahead of Brian McAdam (Alloa), Jordan Struthers(Braehead) and Angus Boyd (Alloa).
LEADING RESULTS
SENIOR BOYS
69 John Salmond (Alloa)
72 Scott Baird (Tillicoultry)
74 Gary Chalmers (Dollar)
76 Grant Carmichael (Tillicoultry)
77 Ryan Millar (Alloa), Lawrence Allan (Alva). Martin Hall (Alva).
MATCH-PLAY DRAW
Miller v Chalmers, Allan v Hall, Carmichael v Ross, Salmond v Baird.
JUNIOR BOYS
82 Rikky Alexander (Braehead)
88 Scott Beattie (Braehead), Calum Reid (Tillicoultry)
89 Grant Murray (Braehead).
MATCH-PLAY DRAW
Boyd (bye), Murray v McAdam, Alexander v Reid, Beattie v Struthers.

BOYS' ORDER OF MERIT
Clackmannan Junior Convenor Sam Kinnaird was very pleased to accept a new trophy for the County Boys--- the Grant Dowie Memorial Quaich presented by his father. Said Sam: “This is a magnificent trophy which will be a fitting memorial to Grant. Points will be awarded for Clackmannan county boys' events and also the boys' open competitions held at the six clubs in the county. We are obviously very grateful to Kenny for a very kind and thoughtful gesture”

CLACKMANNAN GOLF SPRING MEETINGS
In good weather conditions, the county meetings attracted an entry of around 200 competitors in the first big event of the Clackmannan county golf calendar. The A Division was contested over the Tulliallan Golf course, and there cas some controversy and some disappointment at the cored and sanded greens which caused some difficulty with short putts.
Sensibly, the Clackmannan County Golf Union declared the event to be non-qualifying for handicap purposes. However, this did not stop some fine scoring with Steve McIvor (Alva) 70-1=69, George Kay (Alloa) 75-6=69, and R Birrell (Alva) 80-10=70 being among the top scorers. In the second division at Alloa Golf Club, the home players took the leading three places -Jim B Miller 82-14=68, Martin Jones 81-13=68 and Jim Kerr 83-14=69.

FORTH VALLEY SCHOOLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Top golfers with handicaps 10 or better from schools in Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Falkirk competed for the 2010 title in chilly conditions at Alloa Golf Club. The winner from the field of 42 was Jamie Lynch (Larbert HS) with a two-round total of 151. He did have a great start, driving the first hole and holing a short putt for an eagle 2!
Runner-up was Euan Douglas (Dunblane HS) with 152, followed by Lawrence Allan (Alva Acad) with 153. Dunblane High School took the team trophy with Alva Academy (Lawrence Allan, Scott Baird) taking the runner up spot.
In the girls' event, played over one round, best scratch was Eilidh Watson (Dollar Acad) with 84. She won by four shots. Echoes of her dad, Bobby Watson, winning the Scottish boys' title back in the 1970!
The leading players will now go forward to the Scottish schools championships to be held at Murrayshall, Perth at the beginning of June.

WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKINGS
You had to be sharp-eyed to notice this. Thanks to a quarter-final appearance at the Scottish boys' championship, Alva’s Lawrence Allan was awarded one world ranking point for amateur golf. That was enough to propel him to 3,976th position in the rankings! However even although he will keep his point for 12 months, his position has dropped below 4000, meaning it no longer appears on the list. The answer is, of course, to try to win more points. Putting the rankings in a Clackmannan and Scottish context gives the following positions:
25th Scott Borrowman (Dollar).
81 Jamie Aitken (Alloa).
104 Lawrence Allan (Alva), meaning half the Wee County Golf Clubs are represented.
In the boys’ rankings, Lawrence is well established in 13th position. Pity he missed the SGU Junior Tour event at Newmachar due to the flight groundings.

MIDLAND ALLIANCE

The 2009-2010 season of competitions came to an end with the Scotscraig pro-am last week. It was the turn of the local golf professionals to show their golfing skills.
Alloa’s David Herd took third place with a one-over-par 72 with Gregor Abel two shots behind. Gregor’s Alloa team of Niven, Glass and Hunter just missed out on a prize when they were pipped by the Paul Brookes (Pitreavie) team containing Kenny Thomson also Alloa

CALLUM ON TURKEY TRAVELS

Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay was disappointed to miss the Moroccan Open recently, another casualty of the Icelandic volcanic ash. This week he will be at the Turkish Airlines Challenge to be held over the 7178 yard par 72 Carya Golf course near Antalya.
Ten Scots are in the field for the event. The course is described as a heathland lay-out with an extra one million heather plants planted on the course.

EDWARD TROPHY
Dollar's Scott Borrowman finished a creditable 17th equal in the 72 hole Order of Merit event played over Glasgow Gailes. Scott totalled five-over-par par 293 ( 71-74-73-75) to finish 11 shots behind the winner, Philip McLean (Peterhead).

Westwood denied invitation to St Jude

-

Classic because of sponsor's shirt logo

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARK REASON

The organisers of the St Jude Classic, the warm-up tournament to the US Open, have refused Lee Westwood an invitation to this year's event because of a tiny logo on his shirt. The tournament director claimed that the UPS branding clashes with FedEx, who are based in Memphis.
Westwood, pictured, said at the press conference at Quail Hollow that his application for the St Jude had been turned down because of the small UPS logo on his golf shirts. At least reporters thought that it was a joke at the time. It turned out that Westwood was more serious than he knew.
Phil Cannon, the tournament director of the St Jude Classic, said about Westwood's exclusion: "One of his sponsors gives us a little concern. Brown trucks (a reference to UPS) aren't welcome onsite."
It is an extraordinary snub to the No 4 player in the world and disrupts Westwood's preparation for the second major of the season. A fortnight ago Westwood told Telegraph Sport: "I will try to play at Pebble Beach a couple of times beforehand and in Memphis the week before the US Open. The practice rounds at Augusta worked well for the Masters."
Those plans are now in ruins. It is unthinkable that the Scottish Open, the tournament before the Open, would treat a top American with similar contempt. Indeed many have been made more than welcome at Loch Lomond over the years.
The episode gives Westwood extra motivation to win at Quail Hollow this week. A victory in North Carolina would give Westwood automatic membership of the US Tour and straight entry into the St Jude Classic. If that happened Westwood might turn up with an extra big UPS logo, just to make his point.
Cannon says that most of their invites go to past champions and local players. John Daly, a Tennessee resident, has already received an exemption, never mind a career of fines for loutish behaviour. But Westwood isn't welcome because of a couple inches of branding.
Westwood said: "I'm at the point in my career now and the age where I'm at a standard where I can play pretty much where I want, when I want. That's how it is this year, apart from one event where I haven't been able to get an invite."
That event turns out to be the St Jude Classic, presented by Smith & Nephew, a medical firm that brands itself as "helping improve people's lives." They haven't done much to improve Westwood's life.

Hugh Marr wins Castle Stuart Invitational with level par 144

FROM TODAY'S PRESS AND JOURNAL
Hugh Marr eased to victory in the Tartan Tour's Castle Stuart invitational pro event at one of Scotland's newest golf courses, near Inverness Airport to the west of Nairn.
The Surrey-based Scot, coach to Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson, posted rounds of 71 and 73 for a level-par total of 144. He won by two strokes from former European No 1 Ronan Rafferty who had scores of 71 and 75. Russell Smith (Gleneagles Hotel) finished third on 147 after leading the field with a first-round 69.
Andrew Oldcorn, who also started well with a 70, slipped back into fourth sport with a second-round 78 for 148, two shots ahead of Carnoustie's Colin Sinclair.
Scott Henderson, the 1997 European Tour rookie of the year, shared sixth place on 151 with Chris Campbell (Nairn Dunbar) and Stuart Kerr (Strathaven).
FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
144 Hugh Marr (unatt) 71 73
146 Ronan Rafferty (Roxburghe) 71 75
147 Russell Smith (Gleneagles Hotel) 69 78
148 Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 70 78
150 Colin Sinclair (Carnoustie Golf Links) 75 75
151 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 76 75, Chris Campbell (Nairn Dunbar) 71 80, Stuart Kerr (Strathaven) 74 77
153 Gary Forbes (Murcar Links) 77 76, Murray Urquhart (Spey Valley) 75 78
155 Alan Tait (Marriott Dalmahoy) 76 79, Stewart Smith (Golf 3000) 75 80
156 Mike Bradley (unatt) 77 79, Stephen McAllister (Playsport Golf) 74 82,
David Ross (Royal Aberdeen) 80 76
157 Fraser Cromarty (Castle Stuart Golf Links) 73 84
158 Craig Dempster (Inchmarlo) 82 76, Craig Everett (Caldwell) 76 82
162 Patrick Lovie (P1 Corporate) 80 82, David Thomson (Carnegie Club) 76 86
168 James Calam (Myrus) 83 85
170 Craig Mackie (Scotscraig) 82 88

Open in fine health as sales buck recession

FROM THE SCOTSMAN NEWSPAPER
By Martin Dempster
With ticket sales ahead of levels from five years ago and corporate hospitality having also picked up quite a bit since the start of the year, the R & A is confident the economic benefit of this year's Open Championship – the 28th to be staged at St Andrews – will exceed the £72 million it generated in 2005.
Due to the recession, David Hill, the R & A's Director of Championships, was "unsure" earlier in the year about what to expect regarding ticket sales for the event in July and admitted he was also "pretty concerned" about the hospitality side of the game's oldest major this time around.
However, at a press briefing yesterday ahead of the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship, he revealed things were now looking positive on both counts and says the event, which will provide record grandstand seating of more than 21,000 seats around the Old Course, is gearing up to be a resounding success.
"While we knew that Turnberry, where we had a crowd of 123,000, would be our lowest attendance, I was unsure at the start of this year what the crowd size might be here," admitted Hill.
"What would be the effect of the recession? And would the Americans come? I am pleased to say that ticket sales are ahead of 2005 and we are anticipating a crowd of well in excess of 200,000. "What is particularly encouraging is that the Americans are coming to The Open again. All the tour operators have full plane loads coming over.
"As for hospitality, at the start of the year we were pretty concerned about that but I am pleased to report corporate sales have picked up and they are running well ahead of Turnberry last year. I don't know if it is the St Andrews factor or the recession being over – it is hard to say.
"On the accommodation front, as per usual at a St Andrews Open, every single bed in the town and also over in Dundee seems to have gone and people are having to look at now extending out towards Perth and down into south Fife towards Edinburgh.
"We are confident that the economic benefit of the event will exceed the £72 million of 2005. Since 1997, more than 250,000 juveniles under-16 have gained free admission to The Open. Through golf clubs, we are hoping to encourage families and youngsters to come to St Andrews through this scheme and it will coincide with the running of The Junior Open down at Lundin Links earlier in the week," added Hill.
The "tried and tested" road routes used for the event in 2005 will be in operation once again – the R & A, together with St Andrews Links Trust and Fife Council, has invested more than £1m in upgrading the whole of the West Sands which is used for parking during the event – while more than 50,000 are expected to use the Golflink service, which will see spectators arrive from around the country at nearby Leuchars train station before being transported to the course by a fleet of coaches.
In total, the grandstand capacity around the Old Course will be 21,500 – the highest number erected for an Open Championship. Almost 4,000 of those will be at the side of the 17th green, with another completely new stand just outside the Jigger Inn holding a further 600 or 700. While players and fans alike won't encounter as many TV cables as in the past at Open venues due to the fact the R & A has invested around £1m in putting in a fibre optic network that stretches for about five miles underground, the merchandise pavilion will once again lack a presence of the leading golf club manufacturers.
According to Hill, that's due to the fact it would cost them a total of between £50,000-£60,000 by the time they forked out for wages and accommodation, while Peter Dawson, the R & A's Chief Executive, insists changes made in the tented village in recent years have been necessary to safeguard the event's long-term future.
"The current merchandise operation came in at Royal Lytham in 2001," he said. "The Open Championship has competition from the other major golf events and the Ryder Cup. The Open Championship, therefore, has a need to be commercially successful. We need to reinvest in the championship and make sure it stays at the forefront of golfing events. You don't do that commercially the way The Open used to be, you do it the way we are doing it now.
"I understand certain things have been lost in that process but we can't give our opposition a lead by not doing merchandising in a commercial way because that will eventually reflect on the amount of money we are able to invest in the championship and it will go into decline."
While the prize-money for this year's event has not yet been revealed, the R & A won't be following in Wimbledon's footsteps, not yet anyway, by handing out a £1 million cheque to the winner.
"Our winner last year received £750,000, so I suppose the £1m is in sight," said Dawson.
In another celebration of the 150th anniversary, this year's Open champion will be presented with a replica of the event's original trophy, a Moroccan leather belt. Young Tom Morris kept that after winning the event three times in a row, culminating in 1870, with the Claret Jug being presented to the winner for the first time in 1872.
The R&A has also published a pictorial history of the Open Championship and, after a foreword from Arnold Palmer, it contains over 300 pages of images from all of the 14 venues used to stage the event.
+The full article above appears in The Scotsman newspaper today.

Nicklaus looks set to miss historic Open at St Andrews

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
Jack Nicklaus, the three-time Open champion and winner at the Old Course in 1970 and 1978, is surprisingly poised to miss the 150th anniversary of the event at St Andrews this summer.
While Seve Ballesteros, who recorded a memorable victory at St Andrews in 1984, was the first to put his name down for the Champions Challenge event despite still recovering from four brain operations, Nicklaus has not yet contacted the R&A to confirm if he will be there on July 14.
At Augusta National during the Masters the 70-year-old was asked about the Champions Challenge at the Open and was reported as saying he would only attend if the Royal Bank of Scotland, one of his sponsors, wanted him to.
"It really revolves around the Royal Bank of Scotland," said Nicklaus. "If they want me to come and do work, yes. Am I going to go on my own to play four holes of golf at St Andrews? No. I have no real desire to go there. When I retired at 65 my desire to go to major championships was not really large."
Nicklaus played in a similar event at St Andrews in 2000 and Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A, is still hopeful the 18-time major winner will be in the field for the four-hole challenge in front of 30,000 fans this year.
"We have not yet had a reply from Jack about his invitation to the Champions Challenge," said Dawson yesterday at a press briefing for this year's Open Championship.
"I remember in 2000 we had some difficulty getting Jack's acceptance but we eventually did and he enjoyed himself, so I think we just have to wait and see on this one."
Nicklaus is expected to visit St Andrews at the end of next month for an RBS patrons day. If he does not return in July, it would be a big disappointment to the R&A, who made him an honorary member in 1990. He made an emotional farewell appearance in the Open Championship in 2005, the last time the event was in St Andrews.
He was deprived of an honorary freeman award by the town of St Andrews that year, but that was forgotten a few weeks later as the popular American made a tearful final walk up the 18th hole in front of an adoring crowd.
While RBS are one of the patrons of the Open Championship, Dawson admitted it was unlikely the R&A would lean on them to try and persuade Nicklaus to play in the Champions Challenge. "It up to them to decide what their ambassadors do," he said. "I don't think there is any disincentive to come, though, as those who are coming for the Champions Challenge but are not playing in the Open Championship itself will have transport and accommodation paid by R&A."
Nick Price (family reasons), Johnny Miller (other commitments) and 89-year-old Australian Kel Nagle, winner on the Old Course in 1960 and the oldest-living champion, have all declined their invitations, with Greg Norman, who has recently had shoulder injury, the only other player still to confirm.
+The full article above appears in The Scotsman newspaper today.