Lady pros make their mark on new Xltec Tour

Chris Kelly the winner - but Cori Lee
-
tops his prize money with £1,000


Cawder's Chris Kelly, the man of the moment in Scottish pro golf, made it back to back wins by heading a field of 47 at the second 36-hole event of the Xltec Pro Tour at Hilton Park Golf Club, near Glasgow today.
Last week, Kelly won a Tartan Tour even at The Roxburghe.
Kelly, who had four birdies and no bogeys today, had rounds of 67 and 66 for a seven-under-par total of 133 to win the £850 top prize by one shot from Aberdeen's Scott Henderson, the Kings Links man shooting a 65 today, the best of the second round.
Perhaps the day belonged to 24 year old lady professional Corisande Lee from West Lancs, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Playing in only her third professional event she carded brilliant rounds of 68 and 69 - over a 10% shorter course than her male rivals - to finish joint third overall event on 137.
That secured her £600 of the official prize money, plus a £400 bonus as the leading lady professional, which meant her "take-home pay" to Lancashire was £1,000 - £150 more than the winner and playing partner Chris Kelly, who said “Cori really is one for the future and I am sure it will not be too long until we see her making the same impact on the Ladies European Tour."
Hilton Park amateur Gordon Yates heads to this week’s Lytham Trophy in fine form after also shooting 68 and 69 to finish joint third on 137.
FINAL TOTALS

Par 140 (2x70)
Ladies played off a 10% reduced yardage course
1 133 Chris Kelly (Cawder) 67 66 (£850).
2 134 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 69 65 (£725).
T3 137 Corisande Lee (West Lancs) 68 69 (£600).
T3 137 Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) (amateur) 68 69 (£150 SGU voucher).
T5 139 Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 72 67 (£312.50).
T5 139 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 71 68 (£312.50)
T5 139 Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 69 70 (£312.50).
T5 139 Chris Russell (RAW Design) 69 70 (£312.50).
T5 139 Stephen Gray (Hayston) 69 70 (£312.50).
T5 139 Euan Cameron (Hamilton) 68 71 (£312.50).
T11 140 Sean O’Donnell (Balbirnie) 71 69 (£187.50).
T11 140 James McGhee (Turnhouse) 68 71 (£187.50)
T13 141 Alan Waugh (Clydebank & District) 71 70 (£68.75).
T13 141 Tom Buchanan (Duddingston) 70, 71 (£68.75)
T13 141 Kylie Walker (unatt) 70 71 (£68.75).
T13 141 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 69 72 (£68.75)
T13 141Paul Shields (Kirkhill) (amateur) 74 67 (£100 SGU prize voucher).
T18 142 Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) 71 71.
T18 142 Craig Gordon (unatt) 71 71.
T18 142 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 70 72.
T18 142 John Gallagher (Swanston) 68 74.
22 143 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) (amateur) 73 70.
T23 144 Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs) 70 74.
T23 144 Stu Pardoe (Belmont Vauxhall) 67 77.
T25 145 Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) 74 71.
T25 145 James Smallwood (Fereneze) 73, 72.
T25 145 Paul Betty (Hayston) (amateur) 71 74.
T25 145 Katie McNicol (Carnoustie Golf Shop) 70 75.
29 146 Tracey Boyes (unatt) 72 74.
T30 147 Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf) 73 74.
T30 147 David Roger (Windyhill) 72 75.
T30 147 Alistair Thomson (Douglas Park) 72 75.
T33 148 Graeme Stewart Gleddoch 76 72.
T33 148 Scott Garrett (Irvine) 75 73.
T33 148 John Green (Hacienda del Alamo Golf Properties) 74 74.
T36 149 Eric Walker (Burntisland) 79 70.
T36 149 Clare Queen (The Carrick @ Loch Lomond) 78, 71.
T38 150 Ben Irving (Kirkcudbright) 75 75.
T38 150 Barry Campbell (Vale of Leven) 74 76.
T40 151 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) (amateur).
T40 151 Kimberley Crooks (Ladies European Tour).
T42 152 James Dick (Duddingston) 80 72.
T42 152 Scott Pithie (Carluke) 75 77.
T42 152 Vincent Brown (Westerwood) 74 78.
45 154 Laura Harvey (Darlington) 75 79
46 161 Stuart Burns (unatt) 78 83
47 NR Kenneth Glen (Musselburgh) 87 NR



XLTEC PRO TOUR MONEY LIST
After two events
(bonus prize money not included)
1. Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) £1112.50 (2 events)
2. Chris Kelly (Cawder) £850 (2)
3. Scott Henderson (Kings Links) £725 (2)
4. Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) £620.83 (2)
5. Corisande Lee (West Lancs) £600 (1)
6. Stephen Gray (Hayston) £525 (2)
7. Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) £516.66 (2)
7. Wallace Booth (Comrie) £516.66 (1)
7. Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) £516.66 (1)
10. Chris Russell (RAW Design) £358.33 (2)
11. Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) £312.50 (1)
11. Euan Cameron (Hamilton) £312.50 (2)
13. John Gallagher (Swanston) £308.33 (2)
13. Shaun McCallister (Craigielaw) £308.33 (1)
14. James Mcghee (Turnhouse) £233.33 (2)
15. Graeme Brown (Montrose) £212.50 (1)
15. Scott Catlin (Greenburn) £212.50 (1)
15. Chris Currie (Caldwell) £212.50 (1)
18. Sean O’Donnell (Balbirnie) £187.50 (2)
19. Tom Buchanan (Duddingston) £68.75 (2)
19. Kylie Walker (unatt) £68.75 (1)
19. Keir McNicol (Carnoustie) £68.75 (1)
19. Alan Waugh (Clydebank & District) £68.75 (1)
23. Jonnie Cliff (Murrayshall) £45.83 (1)
23. Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) £45.83 (1)
23. Danny Wardrop (Didsbury) £45.83 (1)
23. Stephen Clark (Carrick on Loch Lomond) £45.83(1)

SCROLL DOWN FOR ALL FIRST-ROUND SCORES

Tiger is all over the place with an opening 74

FROM THE ESPN.COM WEBSITE
By Bob Harig
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- This is more of what we might have expected from Tiger Woods after nearly five months away from tournament golf.
Wayward drives, inconsistent irons, shaky putting -- all of that was apparent today during the opening round of the Quail Hollow Championship, Woods' second tournament of the year.
"It wasn't just the driver, it was everything; I had a two-way missing going, which is great," Woods said sarcastically later. "It was one of those days."
Woods shot a two-over-par 74 at Quail Hollow, his first over-par score of his brief season so far. He shot four sub-par rounds three weeks ago at the Masters, where he tied for fourth.
Today's early morning round saw Woods make his first double-bogey of the year, and included back-to-back holes where he hit into water hazards. He hit just nine of 18 greens in regulation and only 4 of 14 fairways.
When Woods finished, he was tied for 67th, nine strokes behind clubhouse leader Bo Van Pelt.
"I was struggling so bad today," he said. "I didn't know which way it was going to go. I was just trying to piece a round together. One good round tomorrow and I can get back in it."
Woods began with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole, then struggled for most of the back nine. He hit just one of seven fairways and only three of nine greens in regulation. Somehow he managed to keep a shot under a tree after a poor drive at the par-5 15th, helping him save par.
But at the par-3 17th, his tee shot was left and in the water, leading to a double bogey-5. At the par-4 18th, he again pulled his tee shot into the water, leading to a bogey.
Another bogey came at the par-4 No. 1 hole after a drive well to the right, putting him 4 over for the tournament.
Woods started finding some form after that, finally hitting a few fairways, one of which led to a two-putt birdie at the par-5 fifth hole. But a bogey at the last hole ruined what had been a decent final eight holes.
A day earlier, Woods said it took some reflection for him to come to terms with what he accomplished at the Masters.
After a long lay-off due to a self-imposed leave following revelations of marital infidelity, and after just five rounds of competitive golf, Woods said he is struggling with trying to cut himself some slack.
"I try and be easy on myself, but I know what I can do and I'm not doing it," said Woods, who acknowledged that he is not having the same issues when he practises. "It's just a matter of carrying it to the golf course. And I haven't done that yet."
Grouped with reigning British Open champion Stewart Cink and two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, Woods teed off first to nice applause on the 10th tee at 7:40 a.m. ET, with temperatures at about 45 degrees.
Woods birdied the first hole and didn't seem bothered by the brisk weather. But by the time his sweater came off six holes into the round, his game failed to heat up as the temperature did.
"I had my head down, struggling," he said. "I was dropping balls out of hazards and playing balls out of trees. I had my own issues out there."
Last year, Woods finished fourth at Quail Hollow after opening the tournament with a 65. He won here in 2007.
Asked if he might try to figure out his problems in an afternoon practice session, Woods chuckled.
"I'm not going to the range today," he said. "Hell with it."
FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
Players from US unless stated
65 Bo Van Pelt
66 Kenny Perry
67 Camilo Villegas (Col)
68 Brad Faxon, J J Henry, Paul Goydos, Andres Romero (Arg), Billy Mayfair, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus)
69 Brian Stuard, Ricky Barnes, Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Heath Slocum, Cameron Percy (Aus)
70 Brendon De Jonge, Nick Watney, Scott McCarron, Rodney Pampling (Aus), Davis Love III, Greg Chalmers (Aus), Harrison Frazar, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Bubba Watson, Alex Cejka (Ger), Phil Mickelson, Rocco Mediate, Brandt Snedeker, Troy Matteson
71 Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson, Jeff Overton, Tim Herron, Lucas Glover, David Toms, Ben Curtis, David Duval, Will MacKenzie, Hunter Mahan, Jarrod Lyle (Aus), Mark Calcavecchia, Robert Allenby (Aus), Bill Haas, Tom Gillis
72 Charley Hoffman, Ross Fisher (Eng), Kevin Sutherland, James Nitties (Aus), Alex Prugh, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl), Chad Campbell, Chris Tidland, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Sean O'Hair, Martin Laird (Sco), Henrik Bjornstad (Nor), Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Kris Blanks, John Merrick, Stewart Cink, D.A. Points, Kevin Na, Kevin Stadler, Anthony Kim, Carlos Franco (Par), Jonathan Byrd, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
73 Bill Lunde, Brian Gay, Nick O'Hern (Aus), James Driscoll, Blake Adams, Chez Reavie, Steve Marino, Brett Quigley, Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood (Eng), Chris Stroud, Joe Ogilvie, Jason Day (Aus), Mark Wilson, Dustin Johnson, Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Mathew Goggin (Aus), Johnson Wagner, D.J. Trahan, Ryan Moore
74 Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, J.P. Hayes, Woody Austin, Greg Owen (Eng), Roger Tambellini, Matthew Jones (Aus), Charles Howell III, Webb Simpson, Tim Petrovic, Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Boo Weekley, Charles Warren, John Senden (Aus), Garrett Willis, Kevin Streelman, Jeff Maggert, George McNeill, Chad Collins, Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Carl Pettersson (Swe), Josh Teater
75 Spencer Levin, Aron Price (Aus), Matt Kuchar, Scott Piercy, Steve Wheatcroft, Derek Lamely, Michael Allen, Jim Furyk, Roland Thatcher, Cortland Lowe, Stuart Appleby (Aus), Rich Barcelo, Nicholas Thompson, Jason Bohn
76 David Lutterus (Rsa), Brian Davis (Eng), Bryce Molder, Pat Perez, Martin Flores, Vance Veazey, Ted Purdy, Steve Lowery, Michael Connell, Fred Couples, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Craig Bowden, Jerod Turner, Troy Merritt
77 Vijay Singh (Fij), Nathan Green (Aus), Chris Riley, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe)
78 Adam Scott (Aus), Willis Ring, Matt Bettencourt, Jeff Klauk, Richard S Johnson (Swe), Cameron Beckman, Notah Begay III, Cameron Tringale
79 J.B. Holmes
80 Jason Dufner
81 Omar Uresti, Kevin Johnson
87 Jeff Peck
88 Parker McLachlin

Opponents of Trump scheme cause £50,000

of damage at Menie Estate, Balmedie

FROM TODAY'S PRESS AND JOURNAL
By RYAN CRIGHTON
Donald Trump will step up security at his North-east estate after vandals caused £50,000 worth of damage.
Vechicles working at the Menie Estate, near Balmedie (12 miles north of Aberdeen) were broken into before wiring was cut and sand poured into their engines.
The cuplrits also ripped out almost 10,000 square feet of marram grass, and damaged almost 500ft of fencing.
Last night Sarah Malone, executive vice-president of Trump International - Scotland, said the organisation would review its security in the light of the incidents which took place over the weekend and on Monday.
She said: "Until now, the security has been adequate but obviously we are going to step it up now. The police spent a considerable amount of time at the site and they are investigating the matter."
About £5,000 worth of diesel supplies kept at the site was also destroyed after being contaminated with sugar.
Miss Maloned added: "It is a disgrace that there are people around us who are prepared to stoop to such callous acts of vandalism.
"Our aim is to enhance and develop the site, while others evidently seem intent upon destroying it. I am sure the people of Aberdeenshire will be disgusted by this.
Local councillor Rob Merson said: "There would appear to be little doubt that there has been a concerted attack on the plant and equipment which has amounted to deliberate sabotage.
"Given the nature and content of many of the E-mails received by Aberdeenshire councillors from objectors to the project over the last couple of years, we have always been aware of an unsavoury and antisocial element within the ranks of the objectors' campaign.
"I am sure that the majority of right-minded people - even those who may have opposed the development at the outset - would not wish to be associated with this type of behavour."

Craig Lee, Scott Henry top Scots as Barry Hume slides to an 80

Gaunt holds off pack to win EuroPro opener

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Daniel Gaunt survived a tricky start and a raft of final round challengers to win the £10,000 prize in the opening event of the PGA EuroPr0 Tour, The Motocaddy Masters, at Wensum Valley Hotel Golf and Country Club, Norwich by five shots at ten under par 206.
Gaunt began the day three shots clear at seven under par but he bogeyed three of his first six holes to add pressure to his run down the back nine, with Michael Collins shooting 68 earlier in the day to lead in the clubhouse at four under.
After his second round the Australian said there were plenty of chances on the back nine and that proved vital as he picked up four birdies from the 12th and finished in the grand manner with an eagle at the last to card a final round 69, finishing ten under for the tournament – six under for his last seven holes – and five shots clear of Dale Marmion and Andrew Johnston who tied for second place.
“Winning the first event is very big,” said Gaunt, who pockets a cheque for £10,000 for the win. “Topping the Order of Merit at any stage is good and it gives me momentum for the rest of the Tour.”
While other players lost their cool down the back nine and their challenges fell away, the 31 year-old claimed the title by taking his chances on the final stretch – something he put down to a new patient attitude.
“I’ve been working on keeping calm on the course as I’ve lost my temper in the past – that win was all down to patience,” said Gaunt. “I didn’t play badly on the front nine but I missed a few little putts and that caused me to drop shots. Perhaps in the past that might have affected me, but I kept patient because I knew a strong back nine would see me home.
“In 2005, Andrew Marshall chipped in at 18 here to pip me to the title so today is a little bit of revenge for that too!”
Marmion (Eaton GC) led the tournament after the first round but had to settle for a share of second spot. The 2008 Order of Merit runner-up appeared in trouble when four bogeys and a solitary birdie to the tenth saw him drop to level par for the tournament, but five birdies down the rest of the back nine was the strong finish his opening round of 65 deserved.
Johnston (North Middlesex) enjoyed a similar flourish on the back nine as he shot a final round 69 to share the spoils of second spot with Marmion. He moved to two under after the fifth but cancelled those shots out by the tenth. Birdies at 14 and 16 moved him to four under for the round before a vital birdie at the last pulled him up to five under.
By the time Gaunt teed off, a number of players had moved into contention and it was Michael Collins who held the most hope in the clubhouse. Collins (foreireland.com) began the day at level par and was one under through 15 before a grandstand finish of three birdies saw him set the bar at four under. John Spagnuolo was another player who sped up the field thanks to a back nine flourish, carding a three under 69 after sitting at one over through the 12th before picking up four birdies to join Collins in a three-way tie for fourth. Paul O’Hanlon (Curragh) completed that trio, left to rue a double bogey at the sixth on his way to a final round of 71.
Kieran Staunton succumbed to a similar fate as he was forced to take a drop on the 16th, leading to a double bogey. Staunton (Woodcote Park) was two under par to that point – four under for the tournament – but that blemish cost him in the final count, although a birdie at 17 did see him shoot 71 to finish in a tie for seventh. James Hepworth (Ilkley GC) and Jeremy Kavanagh (Stoke Park) join Staunton in seventh, with Hepworth matching Staunton’s 71 and Kavanagh going one better with a 70.
Paul Maddy was in the ninth pair to go out and his 68 turned into a significant marker for the final day. Maddy (Gog Magog) kicked off at two over and dropped a shot on the first but he was sitting pretty in the clubhouse at two under as the leading groups dropped early shots – Maddy birdying the seventh, 12th and 13th before finishing birdie-birdie to sit at two under.
Maddy was joined in a four-way tie for tenth spot by Gary King (Tyrrells Wood) and Matthew Mills (Wentworth) who both shot rounds of 70, and a disappointed Matt Allen, who bogeyed the last two holes to finish level for the day and two under for the tournament.
The second event on the 2010 PGA EuroPro Tour takes place at Burhill GC in Surrey from May 26-28.
The full final round scores from The Motocaddy Masters at Wensum Valley are available at www.europrotour.com.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS AT WENSUM VALLEY
Par 216 (3x72)
206 Daniel Gaunt 69 68 69 (£10,000).
211 Andrew Johnston 72 70 69, Dale Marmion 65 76 70 (£3,750 each).
212 Michael Collins 70 74 68, John Spagnuolo 74 69 69, Paul O'Hanlon 71 70 71 (£1,433.33 each).
213 Jeremy Kavanagh 71 72 70, James Hepworth 68 74 71, Kieran Staunton 72 70 71 (£916.67 each).
WHERE THE SCOTS FINISHED
215 (jt 14th) Craig Lee 72, 71, 72, Scott Henry 69 71 75 (£505 each).
216 (jt 19th) Paul Doherty 76 69 71 (£385).
220 (jt 37th) Martin Lawrence 71 73 76, Elliot Saltman 76 70 74 (£255 each).
221 (jt 42nd) Barry Hume 73 68 80 (£232.50).
223 Jason McCreadie 72 75 76 (£210).
225 (jt 50th) Zack Saltman 73 73 79 (£197.50).

EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT

Argentina's Gonzalez sets pace with a 65

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Refreshed by a five-week break with his family in Argentina, big-hitting Ricardo Gonzalez made a superb return to The European Tour in sun-drenched Seville today.
Back at the Real Club de Golf where he won the 2004 Open de Sevilla, the 40 year old fired a seven under par 65 to lead former English amateur champion Paul Waring by one after the first round of the Open de España.
"In Spain I feel like home. I like the people, the food, the golf courses," said Gonzalez, who also captured the Open de Madrid seven years ago.
"I've come with all the batteries charged and I think I have chances to do a good tournament."
The best of his eight birdies came at the 226 yard 17th, his eighth, where he struck "the best three iron I have hit in a long time" to within ten feet of the flag.
Waring has yet to record a top five finish since coming through the 2007 Qualifying School, but a month ago in Malaga he knocked four strokes off his best round on The European Tour with a 62.
Something similar was a possibility when the 25 year old from Birkenhead followed three opening birdies with an eight foot eagle putt on the long fifth.
But the former disc jockey - house music was his speciality in the clubs and bar of Liverpool - missed out on top spot by driving into sand and bogeying the 432 yard last.
Waring is happy just to be in Spain this week. The air chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud left him stuck in the Middle East and he was originally told the first flight out was May 1.
"We managed to get out on Sunday, though, and then flew here yesterday," he said.
The group in third place on four under includes England's Simon Dyson and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, both back in action three weeks after missing the cut at The Masters Tournament.
On the same mark are Dyson's fellow Yorkshireman Danny Willett, who as an amateur two years ago shot a 64 on the course, and Ireland's Damien McGrane, plus Gonzalez's compatriot Rafa Echenique, Spain's Sebi Garcia and Carlos Del Moral and Swedes Martin Erlandsson and Mikael Lundberg.
Garcia, from Majorca and with a British mother, earned fame at the end of last year with a 13 under par round of 58 in an event on the Spanish circuit, although placing of the ball was allowed.
Ranked 1,272nd in the world, he is one of eight home players given sponsor's invitations this week.
Leading Scot is Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay in joint 12th place on three-under-par 69.
SCOREBOARD
FIRST ROUND
Par 72, 7124 yards
65 Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg)
66 Paul Waring
68 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Damien McGrane, Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Danny Willett, Rafael Echenique (Arg), Carlos Del Morral (Spa), Simon Dyson, Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Sebastian Garcia-Grout (Spa).
69 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Richie Ramsay, Joost Luiten (Ned), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Anthony Kang (USA), Stephen Dodd, Raul Quiros (Spa), Richard Finch, Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Pedro Oriol (Spa), Mark Foster
70 Chris Gane, Chris Wood, David Drysdale, Jorge Campillo (Spa), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Ariel Canete (Arg), Pablo Martin (Spa), Johan Edfors (Swe)
71 Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Anthony Wall, Marc Warren, Shane Lowry, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Gregory Havret (Fra), Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Manuel Quiros (Spa), Richard Bland, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Colin Montgomerie, Phillip Price, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Scott Drummond, Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Gabriel Canizares (Spa), Sam Hutsby, Carl Suneson (Spa), Richard Green (Aus), Jamie Donaldson
72 Gary Orr, Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Andrew Butterfield, James Kingston (Rsa), Sion E Bebb, Steven O'Hara, Peter Lawrie, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Gary Boyd, Alexander Noren (Swe), Christian Nilsson (Swe), David Horsey, George Coetzee (Rsa), Simon Khan, Phillip Archer, Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Barry Lane
73 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), John Parry, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Jamie Elson, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Santiago Luna (Spa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa), Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Steve Webster, Peter Whiteford, Nick Dougherty, James Morrison, Mark F Haastrup (Den), Stephan Gross junior (Ger), Rick Kulacz (Aus), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), James Ruth, Tano Goya (Arg), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind)
74 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Luis Claverie (Spa), Oliver Fisher, Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Robert Rock, Jordi Garcia (Spa), Pedro Linhart (Spa), David Howell, Javier Colomo (Spa), Paul Broadhurst, Robert Coles, Marco Ruiz (Par), Paul Lawrie, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Thomas Levet (Fra)
75 Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Richard McEvoy, David Lynn, Darren Clarke, Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Gary Lockerbie, Alastair Forsyth, Matt Haines, Benjamin Hebert (Fra), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita)
76 Christian Cevaer (Fra), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Anton Haig (Rsa), Andrew Tampion (Aus), Hennie Otto (Rsa), Andrew Coltart, Peter Baker, Julien Guerrier (Fra), Moises Cobo Arrayas (Spa), Victor Dubuisson (Fra) (amateur), Stephen Gallacher, James Kamte (Rsa), Nacho Bermudo (Spa), Michael Hoey
77 Shiv Kapur (Ind), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (Spa), Mark Brown (Nzl), Kenneth Ferrie, Simon Thornton
78 Juan Francisco Sarasti (Spa), David Dixon, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Marcel Siem (Ger), Sam Little, Graeme Storm
79 Gary Murphy, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Carlos Pigem (Spa), Julien Quesne (Fra), Bradley Dredge
80 Andrew McArthur
84 Antonio Hortal (Spa)

East Renfrewshire plays hosts to 25s and over event

2010 Scottish Mid-Amateur Championship entry deadline May 13

The 2010 Scottish Mid-Amateur Championship takes place on 12-14 June at East Renfrewshire, Glasgow with entries closing on Thursday 13th May.
The Championship is open to golfers aged 25 and over with a handicap limit of 5.4 aimed primarily at full-time working amateurs, with the prestigious honour of becoming a National Champion at stake. Previous winners during the Championship’s 16-year history include current Scotland international Glenn Campbell and former Amateur Champion Craig Watson and the combination of stroke play qualifying with match play knock-out has proved popular with Scotland’s leading club golfers.
Entry to the event costs £42, with the two rounds of stroke play qualifying taking place at the stunning East Renfrewshire course on Saturday 12 June. The lowest 16 scores from a starting field of 78 over the opening two rounds will qualify for the final stages, which take place on the Sunday and Monday.
Designed by the most famous course architect of his day James Braid, the course is a typical Braid moorland course and makes full use of the contours of the land. It should provide a spectacular yet challenging setting for this year’s event.
To download an entry form, click here. Entries should be sent to the Scottish Golf Union, complete with entry fee, by Thursday 13th May.
There is a special offer on accommodation at The Glynhill Hotel available for all participants. Click here for more details
Last year’s winner was former Scotland international Andrew Farmer from Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire who defeated a resilient Nicky Barr at the 19th hole in an exceptional final at Royal Burgess Golfing Society in which Barr battled back from 4 down at the turn to take the match to extra holes, whilst Ross Coull from Edzell edged out Fraserburgh’s John Mitchell in another tightly contested final in 2008 at Dundonald Links.

Joel Hendry seven off the pace in Florida

Twice Scottish youths champion Joel Hendry from Elgin, a long-time resident of the United States, was sharing joint 80th place in a huge field of 204 for the EGolf Pro Tour's $235,000 River Hills Classic in the Tampa area of Florida.
The Scot returned a one-over-par 73 to be seven shots behind the pacemaker, American Alex, Hamilton with a 66.

Seville music has Monty up to high doh ...

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Furious Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie made no secret of what he thought of some nearby music after a last-hole bogey 6 left him six shots off the early lead in the Spanish Open in Seville.
Even before handing in an opening 71, one-under-par, Montgomerie yelled at tournament director Miguel Vidaor after being told that the noise from the tented village had already been turned down once.
"Should never have happened in the first place," shouted the eight-time European number one before adding, with expletive deleted: "Is this a party or a golf tournament?"
Montgomerie had just three-putted the long ninth and, having bogeyed the 231-yard seventh as well, his hopes of ending more than 22 months without a top-10 finish had taken a real blow.
It came as no surprise in the circumstances that the Scot, famous for his temper, refused to talk to reporters after emerging from the scoring area.
It seemed rather appropriate that the clubhouse leader at that point was a former disc jockey, England's Paul Waring.

Stuart Ballingall, twice a winner in America,

-

is now the sixth best Scot in R&A WAGR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Anglo-Scot Stuart Ballingall, a freshman student at Missouri University, has made a spectacular leap of 131 places to No 281 in the updated R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings this week.
Scottish boy international Ballingall, pictured, whose family home is in Norwich, is hardly a household name in Scottish amateur golf but he is now the sixth highest ranked Scot after James Byrne (35), Ross Kellett (43), Michael Stewart (181), Glenn Campbell (266) and Mark Hillson (280).
In fact, on Golfweek's current US college golf rankings, Michael Stewart is No 135, Stuart Ballingall No 143 and James Byrne No 227.
His surge up through the world rankings has been brought about by an excellent first year on the American college golf circuit. He won the first event he played in last autumn and has been the outstanding player on the Missouri University team throughout the 2009-2010 season.
Ballingall has won again in America, taking the University of Arkansas-Little Rock/First Tee Classic with three brilliant rounds of 69, 63 (a course record) and 69 for a 15-under-par total of 201 over a long course of some 7,221yd.
Stuart is not the first Scot to improve out of all recognition as a golfer in America - Andrew McArthur, comparatively unknown when he went to a US college in the late 1990s, came home to win the Scottish amateur title at Western Gailes in 2002 and is now a tour pro.
Ballingall, only 5ft 7in without his golf shoes on, may need another two or three years' exposure to the high level of competition on the American university golf circuit to be bracketed with McArthur, but Stuart is definitely one to look out for on the domestic amateur circuit when he comes home for the summer holidays.
Matteo Manassero (Italy) remains No 1 in the R&A WAGR as his amateur career draws to a close - he will be turning pro for the forthcoming Italian Open. France's Victor Dubuisson has gone up from No 3 to No 2 with Canadian Nick Taylor going the other way.
Scottish open amateur stroke-play champion Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall), at No 6, is the only British player in the top 10. English compatriots Matt Haines (No 12) and Stiggy Hodgson (No 20) are the only British or Irish players in the top 20.
Scots in the top 500 are:
35 James Byrne (-4 places from last week).
43 Ross Kellett (+6).
181 Michael Stewart (-14).
266 Glenn Campbell (-5).
280 Mark Hillson (+28).
281 Stuart Ballingall (+131).
333 James White (-14).
365 Philip McLean (+75).
400 David Law (-7).

R&A says Turnberry stays on Open

-

rota despite £2m profits fall

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE

By Martin Dempster
The R&A insists it will stand by Turnberry as an Open Championship venue, despite the event's long-awaited return to the Ayrshire course last summer costing the organisation more than £2 million in profit.
While the event almost produced a great sporting fairytale, with Tom Watson nearly claiming a record-equalling sixth Open title at 59, it proved a disappointment financially for the R&A in its first staging at the links in 15 years.

It has been estimated the R&A would lose around £1m in spectator revenue, compared with other venues in Scotland. But yesterday it was revealed that operating profit fell £2.1m to £7m, compared with the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale.

Corporate hospitality dipped, due to a combination of the recession and the course's remote location in South Ayrshire, but the biggest single factor was a much lower attendance than in recent years. Attendance fell to 123,000 at Turnberry, 78,000 down on the figure at Royal Birkdale and 116,000 fewer than the record 239,000 at St Andrews in 2000.

Peter Dawson, R&A chief executive, admitted in his annual review: "Our headline financial report quantifies the cyclical effect of taking the Open to less accessible venues."

Despite the drop, the St Andrews-based governing body still managed to hand out grants worth £3.4m – £700,000 more than in 2008 – for golf development projects around the world and, according to an R&A spokesman, Turnberry will not be dropped from the rota. He said:

"The Open Championship goes to nine venues on the rota, and we accept some yield a greater number of spectators and greater profit than others. Last year's Open Championship was a great spectacle, and there was no doubt the challenge and beauty of the course played its part in what was an exciting event for spectators.

"We had forecast all along that the spectator numbers (for Turnberry) would be down substantially on other venues."

Traffic problems were the main reason the Open stayed away from Turnberry for so long, but, after Stewart Cink ended Watson's brave bid in a play-off, the R&A insisted it was thrilled with the venue's return to the golfing limelight.

"It's a fabulous venue and must be kept on the Open rota," said David Hill, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, the director of championships. "The attendance is never as good at Turnberry as it would be at other venues, but we take a ten-to-15-year view."

Tory MSP for Ayr John Scott said it would be a major blow were Turnberry never to host another Open, given golf was "vital" to the region's future.

"The obvious reason for the reduced attendance last year is that the Open coincided with the deepest point of the biggest recession since the Second World War," he said. "Self-evidently, guests were fewer in number."

Norman Geddes, executive chairman of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, added: "I think Turnberry is one of the classic venues, in terms of its setting and quality of the course."

David Anderson, chief executive of South Ayrshire Council, said: "Turnberry is an iconic location, and there has not been any indication that the Open would not return there in the future."

*The full article above appears in The Scotsman newspaper today.

Tiger is back on the US Tour trail

but his game is lagging behind

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By OLIVER BROWN

Under the cover of a cold Carolina sunrise, Tiger Woods returned almost imperceptibly to regular US PGA Tour duty as a smattering of spectators applauded him politely on to the first tee at the Quail Hollow Country Club.
So much for the notion that Woods would endure a scalding baptism here, removed from the tight security that had made the patrons at Augusta fear for their Masters badges if they so much as whispered, "Get in the hole."
Officials in this God-fearing corner of the country had worried that a relaxation in security would allow any passing punter to pour scorn on the star attraction for his rampant adultery and even, heaven forbid, that one of his former paramours might turn up.
But those fears evaporated, as fast as the morning dew, as Woods flared his opening drive way to the right and received not a single cat-call in response.
The galleries, numbering not more than 500, betrayed only a mild curiosity at the novelty of his presence at the second event in a tentative comeback trail.
As many as one in 10 of them were armed guards thoughtfully, if utterly needlessly, laid on by the sheriff's office of Mecklenburg County.
"What are you doing here?" a fan dared to ask one of them. The sergeant merely shrugged.
Arguably the sense of restraint owed much to the obscurity of Woods's playing partners in the pro-am that marked the traditional prelude to this week's Quail Hollow Championship.
The announcement of the names of Kurt Kimball and Jim Rathburn induced a nonplussed reaction around the first tee: both were un-starry executives for local catering companies. When Woods turned up in Charlotte two years ago, he was in the company of Michael Jordan and the pair had been pursued by thousands.
There were refreshing signs, though, that Woods has chosen to behave with more civility to those who idolise him. He might not do so with the conviction of Masters champion Phil Mickelson, his main rival for victory over the next four days, but en route to the second tee he stopped to give a signed ball to a six-year-old boy.
Any suggestions that this signalled the emergence of Woods the role model, the family man, should be treated with suspicion. He has made great play out of the fact that, post-Augusta, he went scuba-diving with wife Elin and their two children, but over the next fortnight he is not seeing them at all.
Instead he heads straight from here to Jacksonville for the Players Championship as he goes back in business, back into the travelling circus, back on the road where temptation lies.
One inquisitor even had the temerity to ask if he felt he might succumb to the old urges, but he replied: "No, not at all. Not after what I've been through." And yet he continues to make the work of rehabilitation doubly difficult for himself.
First, he is making his latest plea for forgiveness deep in America's Bible Belt, where the highway linking Charlotte airport and the golf course is named after that notorious televangelist, Billy Graham, who once wrote: "The best way to avoid temptation is to flee from it the moment it appears."
These could be salutary words for Woods but they only hint at the level of hostility his misdeeds have aroused among the local disciples of men like Graham.
Second, Woods – or at least his agent Mark Steinberg, who joined him for a long conversation on the fifth fairway on Wednesday – should have known better than to advertise his 'treatment' for sex addiction by turning up at a rock concert last weekend.
As it transpired, Woods was only meeting his friends in the grunge group Nickelback, but it was a gaffe he compounded with a discordant note of self-pity. "I just had a great time," he said. "Unfortunately I got criticised for seeing my friends."
Better, though, to absorb lessons from life of Mickelson, whose only exposure after a stirring triumph at Augusta was to be photographed in the green jacket at a drive-thru Krispy Kreme, buying glazed doughnuts for his little ones. But then such effortless wholesomeness is simply not in Woods's nature.
How can it be, when the scrutiny of his movements never relents? "There's paparazzi everywhere at home, helicopters here and there, cameramen camping out in front of the gates," he explained. "That hasn't changed."
Small wonder, then, that he refused to shed much light on his likely schedule beyond the US Open in June, claiming tersely that he needed to concentrate on "personal things".
He added: "It's up to the air. I'm just trying to get back to normalcy." This loosely translated as a probable divorce battle with Elin that could cost him up to half his $500 million fortune.
A raggedness in Woods's play remains, too. After his howler of a first tee shot on Wednesday, he deposited his effort at the par-three second straight into the bunker.
He contrived to slice his third into the pine forest before some semblance of rhythm returned. The man is back on the march but his game, it seems, has yet to catch up with him.