Woods had planned to play in 'Memorial'

next month, but now it's 'up in the air'

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tiger Woods is unsure when he will play golf again after a painful neck injury forced him to quit the Players Championship in Florida on Sunday.
The world number one said he would undergo scans this week to determine the full extent of the problem.
"A lot is up in the air still, which I don't like," Woods told a news conference in Pennsylvania on Monday.
"I still need to go home and get a picture of this and see what's going on."
The American said he had been troubled by neck pain since returning from self-imposed exile at last month's U.S. Masters but added it was not related to the car crash outside his home last year that led to revelations about his infidelities.
"Zero connection. Absolutely zero," said Woods. "My neck started to bother me when I really started to practise a lot."
Woods finished tied fourth on his return from a five-month absence at Augusta National but has struggled since, missing the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina before pulling out during his final round at Sawgrass on Sunday.
"I can deal with the pain but once it locked up I couldn't move back or through. I couldn't actually turn, going back, and I couldn't turn coming through," he said.
"For me not to play all 18 holes, that was as angry and as frustrated as I've been in a long time.
"I'm going to start getting more treatment. I'll have an MRI scan on it and see exactly what's going on, why it's behaving the way it's behaving."
Woods said he had planned to make his next appearance at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio next month, an event he won last year, then head to Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open but his plans were now dependent on the test results.
"It actually started bugging me two weeks before the Masters and it was just on and off. I thought it was just sore and no big deal," he said.
"But as I kept playing, kept practising, it never got better. It actually was getting worse and now I'm at a point where I just can't go on any more."
It is the latest setback for Woods who has struggled with his knees in recent seasons and is still facing intense scrutiny over his extra-marital affairs.
"There's a lot of things going on in my life and I'm just trying to get everything in a harmonious spot and that's not easy to do," said the 14-times major winner.
"I'm also trying to make life changes as well and trying to do that under the microscope of everyone asking me and watching everything I do doesn't make it easy."

FIFE GOLF ASSOCIATION

2010 NFU MUTUAL FIFE ORDER OF MERIT for
THE MACKAY BOWL

Positions after four events:
1 Greg Paterson (The New Club) 200
2 Ian Bell (Scotscraig) 175
3 Liam McGowan (The New Club) 140
4 Darren Gould (Ladybank) 125
T5 Colin Martin (Balbirnie Park) 100
T5 Brian Soutar (Leven GS) 100
T5 Steve Squires (Scotscraig) 100






The next counting events for the 2010 NFU MUTUAL FIFE ORDER OF MERIT are Canmore Golf Club’s and Ladybank Golf Club’s 36 Hole Opens on 30 May and the Scottish Stroke Play Championship at Gailes Links on 28 to 30 June.

McBain leads assistants' qualifiers at Auchterarder

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By NICK RODGER
Royal Dornoch's Greg McBain topped the standings in the Powerade British Assistants' Championship qualifying round at Auchterarder today.
The former Scottish assistants' champion birdied four of his first six holes on his way to a six-under 63 and a one-shot victory over West Linton's Gareth Wright. McBain led a group of 17 players into July's national championship at East Sussex where a first prize of £5,000 will be on offer.
David Patrick, the reigning Scottish assistants' champion who finished third in last year's British event, joined the qualifiers after a 70, but Gullane trainee Heather MacRae just missed out with a 72.
Craig Lee's win in the Scottish Wateraid 36-hole Pro-Am has lifted him into second place on the Tartan Tour's order of merit. The former European Tour player, who topped the domestic circuit's rankings last season, has 315 points and is just over three points behind front-runner Greig Hutcheon, the SPGA No.1 in 2006 and 2007.
Paul McKechnie, the winner of the opening order of merit event of the year at Monifieth last month, sits third on 290.83 with Chris Kelly fourth on 254.17.
ASSISTANTS' SCOREBOARD AT AUCHTERARDER
Par 69
1 63 Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch).
2 65 Gareth Wright (West Linton)
T3 67 Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm).
T3 67 Ross Leeds (Turnberry)
T5 68 Graeme Brown (Montrose Links).
T5 68 Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar).
T7 69 Par Brian Gibson (The Carrick).
T7 69 Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride).
T9 70 Calum Lawson (Blairgowrie)
T9 70 Scott Herald (Adam Hunter Golf).
T9 70 Alan Martin (Dunbar).
T9 70 David Patrick (Elie).
T9 70 Rob Satterley (Inverurie).
T14 71 Ross MacLeod (Greaves Sports).
T14 71 Graham Fox (East Kilbride).
T14 71 Fraser Pook (Aberdour).
T14 71 Daniel John Wood (Eyemouth).
============================
T14 71 David Knapp (Playsport)
T14 71 Nicky Sinclair (Prestwick).
20 71 Chris Conroy (unattached).
T21 72 Malcolm Murray (Bearsden).
T21 72 Ross Dixon (Renaissance).
T21 72 Heather MacRae (Gullane).
T21 72 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links).
T21 72 Michael Mackenzie (Forfar).
T21 72 Alan Stuart (Aspire Golf Centre).
T21 72 Nathan Keast (Duff House Royal).
T28 73 Fraser Dunlop (Gleneagles).
T28 73 Duncan Bain (Aberdour).
T28 73 Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle).
T28 73 Christopher Currie (Caldwell).
T28 73 Ian Stoddart (Uphall).
T28 73 Alistair Thomson (Douglas Park).
T28 73 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar).
T28 73 Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway).
T28 73 Grant Smith (Gleneagles).
T28 73 David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co).
T38 74 Christopher McMaster (Panmure).
T38 74 Jonathan Holmes (Buchanan Castle).
T38 74 Sven Nielsen (Turnberry)
T41 75 Paul Wilson (World of Golf).
T41 75 David Snodgrass (Hilton Park).
T43 76 Shaun Clark (Elie Sports).
T43 76 Adam Rolfe (Royal Troon).
T43 76 Jack Bailey (Balbirnie).
T43 76 David Laing (Craigielaw).
T43 76 Graham Mackay (Prestonfield).
T43 76 James Boyce (Erskine).
T43 76 Stewart Winter (Callander).
T50 77 Lewis Burnett (Adam Hunter Golf).
T50 77 Adam McCabe (Gordon Sherry Golf).
T50 77 William Fairfull-Smith (Cowglen).
T50 77 Ian Rowlands (West Linton).
T50 77 Joel Hopwood (Carnegie).
55 78 Matthew Burt (Helensburgh).
T56 79 Oliver Morton (unattached).
T56 79 Ewan Grimes (Cardross).
T56 79 Alan Mackay (Pumpherston).
T56 79 Alan Gibson (Troon Municipal).
60 82 Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir).
61 83 Georgina Snow (Turnberry).
62 88 Sam McLaren (Crieff).
DSQ Graeme Stewart (SCO) Gleddoch »»
DSQ Duncan Anderson (SCO) Murrayfield »»

Julie Yang ... a potential world-beater at the age of 14, says Kevin Reid

Julie Yang success puts spotlight on Loretto Golf

Academy programme, Rick Valentine, Kevin Reid


By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The sudden and spectactular success of Julie Yang, a 14-year-old pupil from South Korea via the United States, has focused the spotlight on the Loretto Golf Academy programme.
The head golf coach at the Musselburgh establishment, Rick Valentine, pictured extreme right, is well known, quite apart from the fact that he is a grandson of the late Jessie Valentine, one of the most successful Scottish female amateur golfers of all time.
Not so well known is a young North-east man who is a maths teacher at Loretto School and also Rick Valentine’s right-hand man with the golf programme.
Kevin Reid, pictured above left, now in his mid-20s, played for Scotland at Under-16 and Under-18 level when he was growing up as a Cruden Bay and Newmachar Golf Clubs member.
“Whilst at St Andrews University, I represented Scottish Universities a few times also but probably the highlight was being a member of the Scotland team that won the European boys’ champion in 2000,” recalls Kevin.
“That six-man team contained David Inglis, Martin Laird and Jack Doherty. During my junior years guys like Richie Ramsay (one year younger) and Graham Gordon (two years older) were the main ones on the go. I suppose at Cruden Bay it was the Buchanss (Scott in particular), Stewart McCulloch and Lawrie Phillips that were around.
“I really fell into teaching by chance. I applied for a few places in the United States for a golf scholarship around 2003 and got one or two very good offers. I was playing pretty well at the time and whilst at St Andrews got invited to play in the Dunhill Links Trophy and thought I should see what opportunities were on offer.
“But, by 2004, I took cold feet and decided I really wasn’t good enough to go to America. So I completed a MSc in Mathematics and looked for employment. I pursued the idea of Investment Banking for a career but that was going to be fairly volatile and then dived into teaching instead.
“I did my training at Edinburgh University and took a probation place for one year to get my full registration. The luck of the draw took me to Torry Academy, Aberdeen of all places! Quite incredible really. I then spotted an advert for a teacher at Gordonstoun and out of 40 applicants I got the job.
“As well as my teaching at Gordonstoun, I set up a golf programme there and had about 25 or so players from all over the world. The only downside was that for these three years, I was so busy I was able to play very little golf myself.”
During Kevin Reid’s two-year stay there, Gordonstoun had some success with wins in regional schools golf tournaments as well as making it to the national finals.
With his teaching qualifications and his golfing pedigree, Reid was just the young man Loretto School were looking for and they headhunted him.
“At the moment, I teach Maths, assist Rick with the Loretto Golf Academy and also help run a boarding house – pretty hectic! We have around 45 boys and girls on the golf programme at the moment but only three Scottish youngsters.
“The major bonus in my move from Gordonstoun to Loretto is that my own golf has ramped up a bit and I having been playing some super stuff over the past six months or so. Time will tell as to how competitive I am though!
“We have three or four exceptional players at the moment with the pick of the bunch being Maximilian Walz (German) and, of course, Julie Yang (South Korean). Julie is, without doubt, the best female amateur golfer I have ever seen. At 14 years old, she is not far off the complete package. With a genuine handicap of +3, the most consistent long game and a very, very tidy short game, she should go all the way to the top in ladies’ professional golf after making a considerable mark on the amateur game.
"In her most recent competitions – the Welsh women’s stroke-play, the Independent Schools Golf Association championships and the German women’s championship this past weekend, she has blown away some high quality fields.
"It is difficult to compare Julie, at 14 years of age, to anyone because I just can’t think of another in the last decade or so who is in that bracket! Her biggest obstacle will be her age (as she has not done her GCSE’s yet) and the attention she is likely to get from sponsors etc. After being pipped for victory in Dusseldorf on Sunday, Julie has qualified for the German Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour this week."

Winning Brora team with Dornoch Firth League Targe

Brora team captain James MacBeath (centre left) and club captain Shaun Ashe show off the Dornoch Firth League Targe with the players who lined up in the Sunday afternoon games at Golspie.
Left to right: Calum Stewart, Graham Grant, John Sutherland, James MacBeath, Shaun Ashe, Ronald Sutherland, Tony Gill, Mike MacKintosh.
Missing from the prizegiving were Roddy Cameron, Ian Grant and Ross Mackenzie.

Image by Robin Wilson.

Moray & Nairn League

Kevin Thomson is presented with a certificate by James Macpherson, chairman of the Moray & Nairn League (image by courtesy of the Moray & Nairn Golf League).

Kevin Thomson sets new record for consecutive appearances

FROM THE MORAY AND NAIRN GOLF LEAGUE WEBSITE

http://www.mngl.co.uk
Kevin Thomson, at this year’s Moray and Nairn Golf League, broke a record which had stood for 20 years of the most consecutive appearances. The previous record had been set in 1990 by Bryce Milne of Elgin Golf Club.
In playing against Nairn Dunbar Golf Club on Saturday, May 8, 2010 Kevin recorded his 62nd consecutive appearance, a run which first started on May 11, 1995. With a maximum of four matches each year in the present League format which has been in place since 1976, to achieve, never mind break the record requires never to miss a game for almost 16 years!
To do so is a testimony not only to the high standard of golf he has consistently played during that time but also commitment and loyalty to not just his club but also the Moray & Nairn League itself.
Kevin first represented Moray GC in 1989 and as a sign of the future was undefeated in the three games he played that year. He played a total of 19 matches up until starting his run in 1995 of consecutive appearances.
Coincidentally, the match in which he set the new record also was his 50th League win which, together with 10 halved games, is a very impressive record, even more so as the majority of those 81 games were played in the top half of the order of the eight-man team.
After the weekend the record now stands at 64 … and counting!

Amelkis golf course, near Marrakech. One of the venues for the Morocco Family Golf Festival in October.

Senior moments to remember lie ahead at

-

Morocco Family Golf Festival in October

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

The prospect of the Morocco Family Golf Festival - five competitive rounds over four courses at Marrakech - seems to be tickling the fancy of the senior golfer - over-55 for males, over-50 for ladies.

Latest to sign up for the October 9 to 16 Festival which will have prize categories for every golfing member of the family, from under-16 boys and girls, under-18 boys and girls, ladies, men, senior ladies and senior men - are
Neville Hill, who plays off 14 at Cams Hall Estate Golf Club, Fareham, near Portsmouth in Hampshire

AND

Robert Lane, who has an exact handicap of 12.6 at Saffron Malden Golf Club, Essex.

Mr Lane will be travelling with a party of eight people, whose entry forms are not yet to hand. They don't necessarily have to be golfers, of course. The trip is open to non-golfers at a reduced price.

I hear that a group of West of Scotland senior lady golfers are contemplating the trip. Why is there such enthusiasm, do you think? Well, Morocco is not your everyday destination for a holiday, nor a golfing holiday at that. We've all been golfing in Portugal or Spain but not many of us can claim to have touched down in Morocco.

I have, at Agadir, where I took a party of golf writers and Ada O'Sullivan's Great Britain & Ireland squad three or four years ago. From memory it was a mid-winter trip but the weather in Morocco was just right - not too hot, but very pleasant for shirtsleeve golf and drinks on the balcony type of thing.

Mohamed Fakir, the same Morocco travel specialist agent who is organising the Morocco Family Golf Festival, set that trip up and he tells me there is one little difference between golf on Agadir's courses and those at Marrakech.

Apparently, the hiring of golf caddies at Marrakech is mandatory. It is part of the local economy. We're not talking about caddies costing a lot of money as at the Old Course or Gleneagles, etc. A little money goes a long way in a country like Morocco.

So you could add another possibly new golfing experience as one of the Morocco Family Golf Festival attractions - playing with a caddie at your side for the first time!

If you want to find out all the details about the Festival, click on the relevant words at the top of the left hand column on this website or on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk
But I can tell you that there is a choice of several airports in the UK for flights to Marrakech on Saturday, October 9. Mohammed Fakir will do the booking for you. All you have to do is tell him your preferred departure point.

On Sunday, October 10, there's a getting-to-know-you better-ball pairs - name your own partner or let the Tournament Director (that's Colin Farquharson) be your matchmaker.

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday there will be a four-round Stableford competition, at the end of which you get to discard your worst points round. Prizes will be awarded for the best 54-hole points totals.

Wednesday is a leisure day when you will be given the chance to join a conducted tour of Marrakech, including its famous market square where snake charmers, dancers, conjurers and other entertainers vie for your attention.

We'll have a Gala prizegiving dinner on the Friday night and then we'll all fly home on the Saturday, October 16, wishing we could stay for another week!

It's a package deal. The price you pay covers the flights, the hotel, most of the meals, the guided tour and, of course, the golf. Also the transfers to and from the airport and the golf courses.

Westwood not letting latest defeat get him down

FROM THE SKYSPORTS WEBSITE
Lee Westwood is refusing to be too disappointed after another final-round failure cost him The Players Championship in Florida on Sunday.
Just as he had done at The Masters, Westwood started the last 18 at the top of the leaderboard, only for the wheels to come off his challenge.
And having lost to Phil Mickelson at Augusta, it was South African Tim Clark this time who came through the field to secure the biggest winner's cheque in golf.
Ultimately it was the final few holes that cost Westwood as he found a bunker at the 16th and then the water at the 17th.
But despite eventually finishing back in joint-fourth, four shots behind Clark, Westwood is determined not to let the setback effect him.
Westwood said: "I'm disappointed, but it's not something I'm going to pull my hair out over.
"If you don't play well you don't deserve to win and I just didn't play well over the weekend.
"As the course got harder you really needed to be on your game and I wasn't striking the ball solidly enough.
"You needed to hit more fairways, have more control of the ball and I just didn't have that.
"It all needs fine-tuning. I'll keep working on things, just trying to get a bit better for next time."

SCROLL DOWN TO READ ALL THE FINAL TOTALS IN THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Change of mind leads to Lothians title for Allyn Dick

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Allyn Dick added the Lothians Championship to his impressive golfing CV, then revealed he hadn't originally intended playing in an event that saw him become the first Kingsknowe player to lift the title in exactly 30 years.
The 31-year-old, who beat Craig Elliot, his Carrickvale team-mate in the Dispatch Trophy, by 3 and 1 in a scrappy final, tried to get into the Lytham Trophy field but admitted that failed attempt had proved a blessing in disguise.
"I had hummed and hawed about playing in this but I'm certainly glad I did as it proved to be the right decision," said the new champion. "The Lothians Championship is steeped in history and I'm proud to have added my name to some famous ones on the trophy."
No-one could deny that Dick was a worthy winner after he overcame tough tests in every round, beating Bathgate's Simon Lockhart, John Yuille of the host club, Paul Drake of Pumpherston and defending champion Keith Nicholson en route to the final.
"This success has continued a great spell for me as my wife Gillian is going to have our first baby in November," added Dick, who has two Scottish Order of Merit tournament titles to his name, having won the West of Scotland Open in 2005 and the Cameron Corbett Vase last year.
Gillian is the daughter of Kingsknowe secretary Louise Fairlie and Dick only joined the Capital club at the start of last year, having played out of Shotts when he won the Scottish mid-amateur championship back-to-back in 2005 and 2006.
Through that association, he also won the Lanarkshire championship in 2008 but admitted this latest success was particularly sweet as it had vindicated the belief shown in him by the Lothians selectors.
"When I first started to play at Kingsknowe, I felt I was quite fortunate to play in the Lothians six-man team straight away as I felt I had to begin from scratch in a new area," said Dick. "It was unfortunate that I couldn't play in the Lothians Championship last year due to the fact I already had a holiday booked but this week has made up for that and it's a real honour to have won this title."
With Darren Coyle and David Ewen, the two other members of the Carrickvale side that will be bidding to win the Dispatch Trophy for an unprecedented fourth year in row up at the Braids in a fortnight, among those watching, Dick and Elliot failed to fire on all cylinders in the title showdown.
"Craig joked at one point that it felt as though we were playing in the B final," admitted Dick, who won the sixth and ninth to be two up at the turn before opening the door to Elliot, who had played better in beating Duddingston's David Miller in the morning semi-finals, when he drove against a tree at the 12th and lost that one to a par.
After both had played their tee shots at the next – a 183-yard par-3 – it looked as though the match was heading back to all square, Dick having missed the green well to the left after one of his wildest shots of the week while Elliot was just on the front of the putting surface.
But, as so often happens in match-play, the hole was turned on its head as Dick, after chipping to 25ft, holed the putt and Elliot took three to get down.
"That was a big swing," admitted Dick afterwards.
After his opponent had almost strayed out of bounds after catching the trees with his drive, Elliot, also a former Scottish mid-amateur champion, won the 15th to cut the deficit to two holes again but his brave bid ended when he found trouble himself off the tee at the 17th.
"The best player won on the day, simple as that," admitted a gracious runner-up. "I just lost it in the final. I started hitting snap hooks and then they were going the opposite way."
Results:
SEMI-FINALS
Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) bt Keith Nicholson (Haddington) one hole
Craig Elliot (Carrickvale) bt David Miller (Duddingston) 5 and 4
FINAL
Dick bt Elliot 3 and 1.

Hugh Hunter's Clackmannan County News

Clackmannan boys' match-play finals. Front row (left to right): Bill Abernethy (Clackmannan county president), Rikky Alexander (Anderson Trophy winner), Calum Boyd (Jubilee Trophy winner). Back row: runners-up Calum Graham and Grant Murray. Images courtesy of Hugh Hunter.

Clackmannan foursomes winning team from Alloa Golf Club. Front row (left to right): Bill Abernethy (county president), Jamie Aitken (team captain with trophy), Ian Guthrie, Sheila Travers (Alloa Golf Club captain). Back row: Ian Ross, John Salmond, Scott Moffat, David Milloy.

COUNTY FOURS EXCITEMENT CONTINUES

The second week of the Clackmannan County Fours continued the keenly fought matches seen in the first week. The first semi-final between Alloa and Braehead saw Braehead hold a slight advantage by two holes at the halfway point.
While the middle match stayed in Braehead’s favour, the first and last matches gained the necessary leads that took Alloa to the final by a single hole.
In the other semi-final, it was the third Alva pairing that forged ahead on the second nine and Alva went through by three holes.

ALLOA bt BRAEHEAD by one hole.
Alloa names first
Ian Guthrie & Ian Ross bt Mike Rust & Sandy Douglas 2 holes
Scott Moffat & David Milloy lost to Jim Muir& Kevin Tainsh 3 holes.
Jamie Aitken & John McLaren bt Ross Benvie & Andrew Borek 2 holes.

ALVA bt TILLICOULTRY by three holes.
(Tillicoultry names first)
John Gullen & James Malcolm lost to Steve McIvor & Lawrence Allan 5 holes.
Scott Baird & Andrew Macpherson bt Michael Robertson & Alan Flannagan 4 holes.
Kevin Ross & Keith Watson lost to Kevin McFarlane & Allan Aitken 2 holes.

The final between Alloa and Alva was keenly contested, and it was only in the final stages of the match that Alloa took a commanding advantage. Ian Ross and Ian Guthrie quickly went two up after three and this proved decisive--- Alloa held this margin right to the last hole.
The two other matches were square after nine holes; second pairing finished strongly leaving the last couple very little to do on the closing holes.
Team captain Jamie Aitken was delighted by the team performance “The team played well to take the title for the first time since 1996—the win makes up for the disappointment of last yeas loss”

ALLOA bt ALVA by four holes
Alloa names first
Ian Ross & Ian Guthrie bt Michael Robertson & Paul Davidson 2 holes
Scott Moffat & David Milloy bt Steve McIvor & Lawrence Allan 2 holes.
Jamie Aitken & John Salmond halved with Kevin McFarlane & Allan Aitken

SHOCKS GALORE IN THE BOYS MATCH PLAY
The Clackmanna boys' match-play events were held last week when the qualifiers from the championship played off over Braehead, Alva and Tillicoultry.
In the Anderson Trophy for Under 14 boys, it was an all-Braehead final with Rikky Alexander scraping through at the 20th in a tense match against the stylish Grant Murray. Rikky established a one-hole lead after nine, but Grant fought back to square the match twice, took a lead at 17, then lost the 18th.

SEMI-FINALS
Grant Murray (Braehead) bt Angus Boyd (Alloa) 5 and 4.
Rikky Alexander (Braehead) bt Scott Beattie (Braehead) 4 and 3.
FINAL
Alexander bt Murray at 20th

The final of the handicap Jubilee Trophy was an all-Alloa affair and played on level terms with both Calums playing from 10 of a handicap. In the end it was Calum Boyd who won through against Calum Graham, turning his one-hole lead at the turn to a 5 and 4 win. In the semi-finals, Boyd beat Grant Ross (Alloa) and Graham beat Steven Watson (Tillicoultry).
The senior boys’ match-play event is still to be finished due to Lawrence Allan competing in the Clackmannan county fours final. Allan will take on Tillicoultry’s Kevin Ross over Tillicoultry this week.
Although losing to Lawrence Allan over Alva, Alloa’s Ryan Millar had a good tournament, beating Dollar’s Gary Chalmers by one hole over Braehead, then giving Lawrence a good game over Alva.
Ryan was one up at the turn, but Lawrence gradually took over on the inward nine, winning on the 16th green.
Holder Scott Baird (Tillicoultry) lost in the first round to Alloa’s John Salmond who in turn lost to Kevin Ross over Alva. Ross was three up after eight. Then John fought back to square the match by the 16th. Kevin won 17 and then one up and fired up he holed a good 5ft putt on the last green to reach the final.

SEMI-FINALS
Lawrence Allan (Alva) bt Ryan Millar (Alloa) 3 and 2.
Kevin Ross (Tillicoultry) bt John Salmond (Alloa) 1 hole

2010 AREA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Clackmannan county selectors have picked a strong team for the new format Scottish area team championship, to be played over the Kinross golf courses this coming weekend.
Each of the 16 areas will field a team of six players who will play 36 holes stroke play on the Saturday with the best four areas qualifying for match play on the Sunday: semi-finals in the morning, final in the afternoon.
Team captain John Gullen is confident “Our team is experienced, and hopefully on the day they will produce some good scores comparable with the other areas.”
Selected to represent Clackmannan are:
Steven Horne, John Maxwell (both Tulliallan), Scott Moffat, Jamie Aitken (both Alloa) and Scott Borrowman, Darren Hulston (both Dollar).

ST ANDREWS TO HONOUR GOLFING GREATS

PALMER, WATSON AND HARRINGTON

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY
Three of the world’s greatest golfers are to be honoured by Scotland’s oldest university on the eve of the 139th Open Championship at St Andrews.
Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington will be awarded Honorary Degrees by the University of St Andrews in a public ceremony in the town’s Younger Hall on Tuesday, July 13.
The trio has won 18 major championships, including nine Open titles, over the course of the last half-century. The University will award each of them the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa in recognition of their achievements and outstanding contributions to the game of golf.
The awards ceremony – a traditional feature of Open Week in St Andrews - will take place at 3 p.m. on July 13 in the University’s graduation venue at Younger Hall in North Street, St Andrews.
The degrees will be conferred by University Chancellor Sir Menzies Campbell. Members of the public are warmly invited to attend the ceremony.
Tickets are free and interest may be registered by email to golfgrad@st-andrews.ac.uk
University Principal Dr Louise Richardson said : “Individually and collectively, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington exemplify excellence, drive and achievement at the highest levels of professional sport.
“This will be an opportunity for St Andrews and Scotland to honour their determination and achievement in the game of golf and the pursuit of excellence. We are absolutely delighted that they have agreed to accept these Honorary Degrees at the home of golf on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship.”
Two-times Open champion Padraig Harrington said : "I am very proud to be awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of St Andrews and I am really looking forward to receiving it at the public ceremony in July during the Open Championship week.
"It is fantastic to be recognised for this honour but what makes it even more special is that I will be receiving it alongside golfing legends Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson, whose achievements and contributions to the game I have admired and aspired to throughout my career."
Previous recipients of Honorary Degrees from St Andrews include golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo, Peter Thomson and Peter Alliss. All have been invited to this year’s ceremony to witness their fellow professionals receive their degrees.
Founded in the 15th century, St Andrews is Scotland’s first university and the third oldest in the English speaking world. The University is one of Europe’s most research intensive seats of learning. It is one of the world’s top rated for research, teaching quality and student satisfaction and is consistently ranked among the UK's top five universities.
Its international reputation for delivering high quality teaching and research and student satisfaction make it one of the most sought after destinations for prospective students from the UK, Europe and overseas.
As it prepares to celebrate its 600th anniversary in 2013, the University is pursuing a varied programme of capital investment, including a New School of Medicine, the refurbishment of its Main Library, new sports facilities and the provision of new student accommodation.
Among its Honorary Graduates are Bob Dylan, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Douglas and the Dalai Lama.