It's a Texas Open wash-out: Round 2 on Saturday now

Rain washed out Friday's play in the second round of the Texas Open. US PGA officials said more bad weather this weekend could push the tournament into a Monday finish.
More than three inches of rain soaked the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, where leader Matt Jones and the rest of the field never got on the course. They'll try again Saturday, when Jones will start with a one-stroke lead over Paul Stankowski.
Tournament officials delayed play for more than seven hours today before a late storm cell finally forced them to give up.
"Sad. We tried," PGA Tour tournament director Slugger White said. "We did everything we possibly could."
Only the second round will be played Saturday, White said. The hope is that the final 36 holes could then be played Sunday, but White did not rule out extending the tournament into Monday if necessary.
The National Weather Service called for a 30 percent chance of rain for the San Antonio area throughout the weekend.
"A lot is going to depend on what we do tomorrow weather-wise, how much play we get," White said. "So probably, I would think, early to midafternoon we'll know a little more about what's going on Sunday."
The weather has put a damper on the debut of the new, Greg Norman-designed course where the Texas Open moved after 15 years at La Cantera Golf Club. The course is already proving to be more challenging than the "birdie fest" that Els called La Cantera.
The average opening-round score Thursday was 73.7 -- the second-highest on the tour this year, behind Round 2 of the Masters.
The tour stays in Texas with next week's Byron Nelson Classic. White said that tournament being so close has no bearing on whether they might play into Monday.

Inaugural South-east of England Links Championship

ROYAL ST GEORGE'S GOLF CLUB, KENT

SECOND ROUND LEADERS
Par 140 (2x70)
142 Hugo DOBSON (ENG) 70 72.
145 Daniel BYRNE (ENG) 73 72
146 Ryan BOWERS (ENG) 71 75, Anthony RICHARDSON (ENG) 69 77, Tomasz ANDERSON (ENG) 74 72, Glen PORTELLI (ENG) 73 73.
147 Jordan GODWIN (ENG) 73 74.
148 Craig CAMERON (ENG) 73 75, Roberto LAINO (ENG) 74 74.
149 Stuart PHILLIPS (ENG) 77 72, Luke CORNFORD (ENG) 73 76, David COUPLAND (ENG) 74 75, Matt FLOYD (ENG) 74 75, Toby BURDEN (ENG) 74 75.
150 Michael SAUNDERS (ENG) 74 76, Mark FINBOW (ENG) 77 73, Connor FLETCHER (ENG) 73 77, Max WILLIAMS (ENG) 74 76.
151 Tyrrell HATTON (ENG) 75 76, Levi JOHNSON (ENG) 77 74, Jake SPEARPOINT (ENG) 75 76, Levi DESMOND (ENG) 77 74, Charlie WILSON (ENG) 74 77, Sam ROBERTSHAWE (ENG) 79 72.
152 Charlie BRIGHT (ENG) 75 77, Harry O'SULLIVAN (ENG) 72 80, Gavin O'NEIL (ENG) 77 75, Ben COTTON (ENG) 76 76, Alfie PLANT (ENG) 74 78, Christopher MIVIS (BEL) 73 79, Tom IRWIN (ENG) 77 75.
153 Michael SWAN (ENG) 75 78, Jamie DUNSTER (ENG) 78 75, Michael HEARN (ENG) 76 77.
155 Ryan NEWMAN (ENG) 79 76, Harry WHITTLE (ENG) 77 78, Mark RAVEN (ENG) 75 80,
Sam CRENAN (ENG) 74 81, Billy BRITTON (ENG) 74 81, Jonathan DAY (ENG) 76 79, Barry TEMPLETON (IRL) 80 75.
MISSED THE CUT
+Non-qualifiers included:
156 Elliot BURDETT (ENG) 76 80, Matt WALLACE (ENG) 80 76 , Liam BURNS (ENG) 73 83,
Miles COLLINS (ENG) 80 76, Paul RYDER (ENG) 81 75, Stuart BARBER (ENG) 82 74, Richard FARMER (ENG) 80 76, Charles DURNIAN (ENG) 72 84, Paul BARNARD (ENG) 78 78.
157 Lee CAMERON (ENG) 76 81, Mathew JOHNSON (ENG) 82 75, Harrison ELLIS (ENG) 81 76, Gommaar D'HULST (BEL) 76 81, Julien RICHELLE (BEL) 78 79, Stefan QUY (BEL) 77 80.

ALPS TOUR REPORT, SCORES

McAlpine (70) leads Scots in Slovenia Open

FROM THE ALPS TOUR WEBSITE
The Alps Tour has established its camp for the weekend at the almost unpronounceable Ptuj, Slovenia for the staging of the Slovenia Open.
Ptuj is one of the oldest town in the country. It was already populated during Stone Age and was very prosperous during the days of the Roman Empire. It gained independence in the Tenthj Century.
So much for the history lesson, what about the golf?
Spaniard Jorge Garcia Fernandez and French rookie Matthieu Bey both signed for six under par 65s to share the first-round lead at Ptuj golf club. The short course suited Andrea Signor as well. He is two shots off the pace in third place on 67.
A group of five players are three strokes behind the leaders. Among them is Englishman Jason Palmer, who finished second last week to enter the top five of the order of merit. If Palmer does better this week, he would jump on the first place.
The projected cut is two over par
SCOTSWATCH: Kevin McAlpine from Alyth is the leading Scot with a one-under-par 70. He is a shot ahead of Murrayshall's Gavin Dear. Zack Saltman (Aegon) from the Lothians has the bragging rights in the family with a 73 - seven shots ahead of his oldest brother Elliot. Steven Hume, the third Perthshire player in the field, is also struggling to beat the cut after a first-round 78.
Agathe Séron
LEADERBOARD
Par 71
65 Jorge Garcia Fernandez (Spain), Matthieu Bey (France).
67 Andrew Signor (Italy).
68 Matthew Cryer (England), Carlos Balmaseda (Spain), Marco Crespi (Italy), Jurgen Maurer (Austria), Jason Palmer (England).
Selected scores:
70 Kevin McAlpine (Scotland), Farren Keenan (England) (jt 13th).
71 Mark Davies (England), Gavin Dear (Scotland) (jt 19th).
72 Ricky Neil-Jones (England) (jt 24th).
73 Zack Saltman (Scotland), Richard Kilpatrick (Northern Ireland) (jt 30th).
74 Nicholas Murtagh (England) (jt 42nd).
75 Jason Barnes (England), Neil Chaudhuri (England) (jt 55th).
76 Sam Robinson (England) (jt 67th).
77 Mattew Baldwin (England) (jt 78th.
78 Jason Kelly (England), Adam Hodkinson (England), Steven Hume (Scotland), Lewis Pattullo (England) (jt 82nd).
80 Elliot Saltman (jt 98th).
82 Matthew Marsh (England) (jt 101st).

Bankers beat Julie and the CAs in Aberdeen Trades final

Julie Henderson, believed to be the only girl/woman to play in the final of the Aberdeen Trades Foursomes in the long history of the double foursomes match-play tournament, finished up in the losing side over the Hazlehead No 1 course this evening.
Bankers beat the Chartered Accountants by three holes on aggregate.
The Bankers' lead-off pair of Gregor Stewart and Barry Gibson finished the 18 holes one down to the CAs' John Godward and Ian Castles.
But the Bankers' second pair of Scott Carmichael and Martin Patterson were able to make up the deficit with three holes to spare. They finished four holes to the good over Andrew Hepburn and Julie Henderson.
Muriel Thomson, now one of Scotland's few lady club professionals at Portlethen, confirmed that in her teenage years as an amateur and working in an Aberdeen bank, she played for the Bankers in the Trades Foursomes - "but we never got as far as the final, so well done to Julie!"
Result of final:
BANKERS bt CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS by three holes.
Gregor Stewart & Barry Gibson 0, John Godward & Ian Castles 1.
Scott Carmichael & Martyn Patterson 4, Andrew Hepburn & Julie Henderson 0.

Just champion! That's Bill Longmuir at Stapleford Park, Melton Mowbray. Image by courtesy of Andy Forman.

Bill Longmuir wins Handa Senior Masters by SEVEN shots

FROM THE EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR WEBSITE
Bill Longmuir produced another stunning run of birdies to win the Handa Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum by a commanding seven strokes and capture his eighth European Senior Tour title.
The Scot shot a final round 66 for a superb wire-to-wire victory to deny Order of Merit leader Boonchu Ruangkit a record equalling fourth consecutive Senior Tour win.
Longmuir had started the final round at Stapleford Park, in Leicestershire, England with a four stroke advantage over Ruankgkit and Senior Tour Qualifying School winner John Harrison and he showed no absolutely signs of nerves in coasting to victory, opening with four straight birdies.
He dropped a shot on the fifth but picked up another birdie on the eighth to reach the turn in four under par 33. The 56 year old then quickly added another birdie on the tenth and when Roger Chapman closed the gap at the top of the leaderboard with an eagle on the 15th hole, Longmuir responded with another birdie of his own before posting his eighth birdie of the day on the 17th to seal a commanding victory, with Chapman and Ruangkit in a tie for second.
Longmuir said the win –his first since the DGM Barbados Open in 2008 – was his best in eight years on the Senior Tour.
“It was just my week,” said Longmuir. “It’s my most comfortable victory yet and I have never played so well. I had an unbelievable start today. To birdie the first four holes today just took all the pressure off. I was pretty nervous last night and didn’t sleep too well so to do that was fantastic.
“With Boonchu there no lead is big enough - his record speaks for itself. So those birdies put me on the road and then I played steady and putted so well.
“It’s been a long 18 months since I last won so this has really got the juices flowing again.”
Longmuir’s impressive display, which secured him a place in the US Senior PGA Championship in a fortnight, rounded off a remarkable turnaround in fortunes after he carded rounds of 87 and 84 in his last event – the Berenberg Bank Masters.
He went to the United States last week to work on his game with former European Tour professional Michael Wolseley and it more than paid dividends as he stormed to the second lowest 54 hole score to par in Senior Tour history, only bettered by Ruangkit’s 21 under par 195 in this year’s Chang Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS.
“I was pretty low after shooting 87 in South Africa,” he admitted. “That was the joint highest score I’ve had as a professional. So to come here and finish 20 under par is pretty amazing.
“Michael knows my game well and knows me well. We worked on my short game but it was more about working on me than being too mechanical. I don’t think I had more than 26 putts in any of my three rounds so it certainly worked!
“I don’t think I could have played any better than I have this week. It went perfectly.
Englishman Chapman signed for a superb 67 to finish on 13 under par alongside Ruangkit, who carded a final round 69. It meant Ruangkit extended his lead at the top of the Order of Merit to €65,143 with Chapman moving into second place and Longmuir jumping 35 places to third courtesy of his €71,381 winner’s cheque.
All time leading Senior Tour money winner Carl Mason was a shot further back in fourth place on 12 under par, with Des Smyth and debutant John Harrison, the Senior Tour Qualifying School winner, tied for fifth.
Argentine Adan Sowa aced the 154 yard par three 14th hole on his way to a four under par 69, while Ryder Cup Captains Sam Torrance (tied 24th) and Ian Woosnam (tied 27th) both carded rounds of 70 to finish on three under par and two under par respectively. Senior Tour debutant Andrew Oldcorn, the 2001 PGA Championship winner, finished alongside Woosnam following a final round 74.
FINAL TOTALS

Par 219 (3x73)
199 Bill Longmuir (Sco) 64 69 66 (71,381)
206 Roger Chapman (Eng) 68 71 67, Boonchu Ruangkit (Thai) 70 67 69 (39,319 each).
207 Carl Mason (Eng) 70 67 69 (39,319).
Rest of Scoreboard later

EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT, SCORES

Jamie McLeary moves up with a 69 to be
-
joint sixth at halfway in Mallorca Open

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Sweden's Pelle Edberg was in a league of his own with a second round 64 in cold and windy Mallorca.
It brought him into the joint lead with South African James Kingston, who was able to add only a level par 70 to his pace-setting opening 65.
They were three clear of the field on five-under-par 135 at the halfway stage of the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca, Welshman Stuart Manley's 68 bringing him into a tie for third on two under with Spaniards Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and Alejandro Cañizares.
Jamie McLeary shot a splendid 69 to move up into a share of sixth place on 139, four behind the joint leaders.
Six months after losing his European Tour card and then failing to win it back at the Qualifying School, Edberg has had only limited opportunities this season.
But the 31 year old known for his colourful headbands has already recorded one top-ten finish and now a first victory is in his sights at Pula after the joint lowest round of his career.
Edberg, out in 32 before picking up further shots on the fifth, sixth and eighth, was on the last fairway when a thunderstorm halted play for over two hours.
"I got a par on the last hole that felt like a birdie," he said. "The thunderstorm was pretty close when we stopped, so I couldn't finish the hole.
"I had 165 metres to the pin on the ninth and was practising with a seven iron, but when I got back on the course after the delay it was a soft nine iron," he said.
"It was crazy. Even that pitched by the hole and finished 15 metres behind.
"I didn't expect 64, but I played really well tee-to-green and gave myself opportunities.
"I like this golf course. I played here in 2005 and I think the changes are great. It's a tough course and a great challenge"
Kingston, who got the worst of the conditions, was left bemused by the fact he could not break par.
“I had a decent score, but today’s round was probably the most frustrating that I have played in a while,” said the South African.
“It’s unbelievable to finish level par after playing for a much better score. But I can’t complain as I’m still at the top of the leaderboard.”
Cañizares performance further enhances his chances of leading the first re-ranking of players in category 11.
The re-rank sees players who earned their cards at Qualifying School or from places 11-20 given playing preferences based on money earned on The Race to Dubai.
"My game hasn't changed over the last tournaments, only my confidence and my mental approach," said the Spaniard.
"Instead of worrying about missing, I feel confident and I want to be up there.
"If the weather remains like this, the winning score will not be low, probably in single figures."
On the resumption the temperature had dropped markedly and the wind created havoc on some holes.
Ireland's Gary Murphy was tied for third at three under, but double bogeyed the eighth and 11th holes and then triple bogeyed the next.
At the end of the day only seven players were under par, England's Andrew Marshall and Scot Jamie McLeary both scoring 69 to stand one under.
"The course has become a monster. It's brutal out there," said Marshall.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
135 James Kingston (Rsa) 65 70, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 71 64
138 Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 68 70, Stuart Manley 70 68, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 70 68
139 Jamie McLeary 70 69, Andrew Marshall 70 69
140 Peter Gustafsson (Swe) 71 69
141 Chris Wood 69 72, Branden Grace (Rsa) 72 69, Steven O'Hara 72 69, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 69 72, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 73 68, Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 69, Marco Ruiz (Par) 70 71, Scott Hend (Aus) 72 69, Mark F Haastrup (Den) 72 69, Tim Stewart (Aus) 72 69, Manuel Quiros (Spa) 70 71
142 Marco Soffietti (Ita) 69 73, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 67 75, John Parry 73 69, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 72 70, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 72 70, Matthew Zions (Aus) 71 71, Sam Hutsby 72 70, Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 68 74
143 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 73 70, Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 70 73, Seung-yul Noh (Kor) 72 71, Christophe Brazillier (Fra) 72 71, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 74 69, Simon Khan 72 71, Gary Clark 70 73, Stephan Gross Jnr (Ger) 75 68, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 73 70, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 72 71
144 Colm Moriarty 74 70, Moises Cobo (Spa) 71 73, Mark Tullo (Chi) 71 73, Robert Dinwiddie 71 73, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 73 71, Julien Quesne (Fra) 76 68, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 68 76, Callum Macaulay 74 70, Alvaro Salto (Spa) 74 70, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 71
145 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 73 72, Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa) 72 73, Damien McGrane 74 71, Hennie Otto (Rsa) 74 71, Henrik Nystrom (Swe) 73 72, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 73 72, Benn Barham 76 69, Richard McEvoy 70 75, Oliver Whiteley 74 71, Andrew Dodt (Aus) 75 70, Carl Suneson (Spa) 72 73, Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 75, Charles-Edouard Russo (Fra) 74 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 76 69
146 George Murray 73 73, Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe) 75 71, Javier Colomo (Spa) 73 73, Antonio Ferrer (Spa) 71 75, Lee Slattery 72 74, Ghislain Rosier (Fra) 73 73, Victor Riu (Fra) 73 73, Paul McGinley 75 71
MISSED THE CUT
147 Anton Haig (Rsa) 73 74, Adam Gee 70 77, Luis Claverie (Spa) 70 77, Scott Drummond 73 74, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 73 74, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 74 73, George Coetzee (Rsa) 76 71, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 75 72, Simon Wakefield 71 76, Robert Coles 72 75, Gary Murphy 68 79, Andrew McArthur 71 76, Raul Quiros (Spa) 78 69, Phillip Archer 74 73, David Vanegas (Col) 77 70
148 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 77 71, Garry Houston 78 70, Lloyd Kennedy 80 68, Nicolas Meitinger (Ger) 79 69, Pedro Linhart (Spa) 76 72, Tony Carolan (Aus) 73 75, Andrew Willey 72 76, Borja Etchart (Spa) 75 73, Miles Tunnicliff 74 74, Steve Surry 75 73
149 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 76, Liam Bond 70 79, Sion E Bebb 79 70, Johan Axgren (Swe) 75 74, Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 80 69, Fredrik Widmark (Swe) 75 74
150 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 73 77, Steven Jeppesen (Swe) 73 77, Scott Strange (Aus) 79 71, Mikko Korhonen (Fin) 72 78, Gabriel Canizares (Spa) 77 73, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 72 78, Keith Horne (Rsa) 71 79, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 76 74
151 Chris Gane 76 75, Jordi Garcia (Spa) 79 72, Eric Ramsay 76 75, Soren Hansen (Den) 71 80, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 74 77, Francois Calmels (Fra) 72 79, Andrea Perrino (Ita) 76 75
152 Andrew Tampion (Aus) 70 82, Miguel Pujalte sastre (Chn) 75 77, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 78 74, Seve Benson 83 69
153 Andrew Butterfield 71 82, Andrea Maestroni (Ita) 78 75, Jose Juaneda (Spa) 81 72, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 76 77
154 Chris Gaunt (Aus) 81 73, Jesus Legarrea (Spa) 78 76, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 78 76
155 Jamie Elson 83 72, Lorenzo Gagli (Ita) 74 81, Philip Golding 73 82
156 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 73 83, Sam Little 75 81
157 Christoph Gunther (Ger) 78 79
158 Xavier Guzman (Spa) 72 86
160 Cesar Monasterio (Arg) 74 86
DSQ: 78 Louis Moolman (Rsa)
WD: 80 Carlos Rodiles (Spa), James Ruth
RTD: 75 Andrew Coltart, 76 David Lynn, Kenneth Ferrie, Peter Baker, 78 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), 82 Michiel Bothma (Rsa)

Neil Hobday quits Trump
-
post at Balmedie

FROM TODAY'S PRESS AND JOURNAL
A key member of the team developing Donald Trump's planned £1billion project at Balmedie has left the US businessman's firm.
Neil Hobday, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who was project director with Trump International Golf Lnks Scotland, has left his post with the company.
Sarah Malone, executive vice-president of the company, said Mr Hobday's departure from his consultancy position had been amicable.
She said it was Mr Hobday's decision, and after being with the company for many years he would be working on other business interests.
She said Mr Hobday, who has been in golf consultancy for more than 20 years, played an important role in the Menie Estate project but that had come to a natural conclusion.
The detailed plans to build two championship golf coures, a hotel, clubhouse, 950 holiday homes and 5000 houses at the site near Balmedie 12 miles up the North-east coastline from Aberdeen, were submitted to Aberdeenshire Council earlier this year, and are expected to be ruled upon by the authority next month.
Colin Farquharson writes: Prior to joining the Trump team from Day 1 of the Menie Estate project, Neil, a brother of pro golfer Simon Hobday, was involved in an unsuccessful bid by American investors to develop the Spey Bay links as a golf resort.

Royal Canadian Golf Association drop the "Royal" bit

Things you find out when trawling The Web ...

The Royal Canadian Golf Association has changed its name to "Golf Canada."

Golf clubs in the United Kingdom would almost sell their soul to have the "Royal" suffix, so why did the Canadians care so little about it they have dropped it?

NATIONWIDE TOUR EVENT

Jerry Rice hits the high spots again ... a record 92

Legendary San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice set records galore during his NFL days. He set another high mark yesterday - but this one he certainly did not want - in the Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity pro-am at Spartanburg, South Carolina.
=====================================
Piller, Potter lead BMW Leaderboard: Rd. 1 scores
=====================================
Rice shot a 92, the highest score ever since this Nationwide Tour event began in South Carolina's Upstate in 1992.
Rice talked before the tournament of buying crystal for everyone if he'd reached his goal and made the cut. He saw those hopes doused early when he couldn't avoid the water at The Carolina Country Club.
He put three shots into the water on the par-4 second hole and ran up a 10. Things never improved from there. His 20-over finish was two shots worse than the 90 put up by Shawn McCaughley in 2006 at The Cliffs Valley Course.
Rice signed autographs for about 15 minutes after finishing. He then bypassed several TV cameras and media waiting to discuss his round.
"I don't want to talk about golf right now," Rice said before getting in his car. "Had enough."
Rice had hoped to put on a better show his second time as a Nationwide pro than he did in his tour debut last month at the Fresh Express Classic. Rice went 83-76 to miss the cut and had worked hard on his game since then.
Rice played like a seasoned pro at first, sticking a crisp approach to about 5 feet on No. 1. However, he spun out the birdie putt and settled for par.
That's when Rice's serious problems began. He put his tee shot into the water on the right, then saw two pitch attempts wind up wet on the way to a 10. Two holes later, Rice needed three swings to get out of a bunker fronting the green. "Last time," he told his playing partners, laughing after his second duff.
Rice's bright spot on the front came on the par-4 seventh when he converted a 6ft putt for his only birdie of the day.
But the former NFL star known for his matchless clutch ability could not get a rally going. His tee shot on No. 8 rolled in a creek to the right of the green.
Rice steadied himself somewhat on the back nine. His worst hole, a triple-bogey on the par-5 13th was as much the result of bad luck as bad play. Rice's shot seemed perfect, hitting about 8 feet left of the flagstick to set up a birdie try. However, it spun back just enough to catch a slope and roll into the water.
"You could tell he was frustrated," said Clint Jensen, a pro grouped with Rice.
But there is good news for Rice.
He'll remain at the BMW event longer than at his last tournament. The celebrity competition calls for pros to play each of three courses in North and South Carolina before cutting to the top 60 and ties for Sunday's final round.
And Rice has a big hole to climb out of. He's 28 shots behind first-round co-leaders Martin Piller and Ted Potter Jr., who each shot 64, and will likely need an old-style Tiger Woods' rally to stick around past Saturday.
Rice kept his good nature on the course and with fans. He continually chatted and joked with his playing partners between holes and stopped to sign several autographs. One boy with Rice's San Francisco 49ers jersey caught the players' attention and he signed the back of the shirt.
"He's a professional, no matter what he's doing," said Jensen, who'll play with Rice the next two rounds as well.
Rice has said he gained a passion for golf while starting his All-Pro football career with San Francisco. It wasn't unusual for Rice to begin and end his day pounding golf balls at the driving range before and after football work-outs.
That dedication made Rice one of American Football's all-time greats and, upon his retirement in 2005, the career leader in catches, touchdown receptions and receiving yards. He won three Super Bowls with the 49ers and an AFC championship in Oakland.
Rice was voted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in January. This round likely won't make it into his acceptance speech or on his bust in Canton.
Jensen, 35, says he's struggled for 12 years to make a life in pro golf. He spoke with Rice about blocking out bad shots and pushing forward. "It's hard and he's just kind of starting out," Jensen said. "It takes a while." He can say that again!

So what are you complaining about?

Ken Green has lost his brother, girlfriend, son and part

of his right leg ... but he still wants to play golf

Ken Green is not aiming for a quick victory in his comeback to the Us Champions (Seniors) Tour. Green returns for his first individual stroke-play event since a series of tragedies in the Regions Charity Classic which tees off today in suburban Birmingham, Alabama.
Green has endured the deaths of his brother, long-time girlfriend and son, and the amputation of the lower part of his right leg over the last year.
"It will be beyond difficult for me," Green, who partnered with Mike Reid in the Legends of Golf last month, said in the clubhouse. "I would be ecstatic if I can break 80 all three days. There's no delusions here. Once I get stuck on a certain lie -- you know, one bad shot leads to another bad shot -- I'm going to make some doubles and triples (bogeys) and scores add up.
"But you've got to do it. I've got to learn. I've got to figure it out, and the only way to do it is to keep playing. I've got to keep playing if I'm going to get better."
He says he's got to keep playing, period, to help cope with the terrible blows of the last year.
Last June, Green was in a crash that killed his brother and girlfriend, along with his dog when the RV his brother was driving blew a tire and went off Interstate 20 near Hickory, Miss., hitting a tree.
Faced with either having his lower right leg amputated or giving up golf, he chose the former.
In January, his 21-year-old son Hunter was found dead in his SMU dorm room.
Fellow golfer Scott Simpson marvels at Green's return from all that.
"He's inspiring a lot of people," Simpson said. "He lost two, now three, people and a dog that you love, that are your whole world.
"I think he adds a lot to this tournament and the Champions Tour. We're all rooting hard for him."
Green's shirt Thursday had "Nipper" on the back in honor of his beloved German Shepherd. He had another one made honouring his late girlfriend, Jeannie Hodgin.
Green isn't sure of his own judgment in making his individual, 54-hole return on a 7,525-yard course that includes par-5 holes with yardages of 620 (No. 6), 614 (13), 592 (3) and 571 yards (16).
It's the Champions Tour's longest course.
"This is a tough one," Green said. "I figure I might as well start at the hardest and work my way down."
Green, who has a prosthetic right leg, will be allowed to ride a cart close to the tees and greens to minimize the agonizing up-and-down climbs. He didn't make use of that privilege in a round Wednesday, and paid dearly for it the next morning.
"I'm not even sure I can play all three days in a row," Green said. "Today would have been an absolute disaster. I don't know how three days are going to be. They just told me I can bring the cart pretty much anywhere which will help a lot.
"Ups and downs are bad because my good leg is actually the bad leg. I've got ligaments and tendons that are torn from the accident. Either way I walk, it's difficult."
He said he constantly has what he describes as "an electrical short" running through his right leg.
"And it really goes up to levels that you just cry," Green said. "I just didn't know that this kind of pain existed. It's pretty nasty.
"They say it takes time. I got a bad case of it, and it's just the luck of the draw when you get your leg chopped off."
Green said it took a week to recover from the Legends of Golf, where he and Reid finished tied for 26th.
There's no best-ball play this time. Every bad shot counts. And Green readily admits that's a scary prospect and that his nerves were a jangled mess a day before the tournament -- a seeming rarity for a veteran of 507 PGA Tour starts, including five victories.
His goals under normal circumstances would be modest. Green said he wants to shoot 80 or below for all three rounds and he'd love to crack 75 once.
Also, he doesn't want to finish last. For all he's been through, Green still has to try to push away fears that he'll embarrass himself or his sport, something that Simpson said would be impossible at this point.
"The one thing I don't want to do is hurt golf in any way," Green said. "And I know that's just me thinking like an idiot, but I can't get it out of my mind. Every player has been wonderful and said, 'Don't worry about it. Just enjoy it. It's great that you're playing, that you're here.'
"It's just something I have to get out of my head and say, OK I'm just going to go out there and play and see what happens."

Aussie Matt Jones leads Texas Open with a 66

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
SAN ANTONIO -- Matt Jones eagled the par-5 14th hole and finished with a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the Valero Texas Open.
=============================================
PGATOUR.COM: Complete coverage of the Valero Texas Open
=============================================
Jones, a 30-year-old Australian who played at Arizona State University, also had four birdies in a back-nine 30 on the Greg Norman-designed Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, the tournament's new site after 15 years at La Cantera.
Paul Stankowski opened with a 67, and J.B. Holmes, Matt Weibring, Charley Hoffman and Steve Lowery had 68s.
Ernie Els, a two-time winner this year, had a 72. He was 3 under on the final five holes, making a tap-in eagle on 14 after a 293-yard second shot.
"Obviously, this golf course is a little bit different than we play week in and week out, and I think to some of the players it's a little bit of a shock," Els said. "Back to even par, but I feel like, you know, it could have been a low score out there. The wind dropped for us."
Els' playing partner, Vijay Singh, left several putts just short, but finished with a birdie for a 73. Zach Johnson, the two-time defending champion, made a 7 on the par-3 13th and ended up with an 8-over 80.
Jones rebounded after making a double bogey on the first hole.
"A double wasn't the start we wanted, but the first hole is not an easy starting tee shot there at all," Jones said. "It's very narrow.
"After that, it was just a battle to get back to even par on the front nine, and then I made about a 30-footer for par on 11, which kind of kept me going. And from there on, we had six birdies and an eagle."
Jones hit a 3-wood approach from 276 yards to 8 feet on No. 14.
He birdied three of the four par 3s.
"With these greens, if you miss a tee shot you're working hard to par or birdie," Jones said. "If you miss a second shot, it's tough out of the bunkers and runoffs they have on the greens. These par 3s aren't easy. To have three birdies on par 3s is quite good."
Jones, whose best finish this season is a tie for seventh two weeks ago at Quail Hollow, teed off among the morning groups before the temperature on a humid, windy day climbed into the mid-80s.
Stankowski birdied five of his final 15 holes
"This would rival one of the most solid rounds I've played in years," Stankowski said. "I know in the wind, you have one option -- to go ahead and hit solid shots, and I did that today. This was a good day, and this is really how I would love to draw them every round."
Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim, who has been on the injured list for weeks, made a comeback with a four-over-par 76.
SCOREBOARD
Valero Texas Open
TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course), San Antonio, Texas
Total prizefund: $6.1million. First prize: $1,098,000.
FIRST ROUND
Par 72
66 Matthew Jones (Aus)
67 Paul Stankowski
68 Charley Hoffman, J.B. Holmes, Steve Lowery, Matt Weibring
69 Joe Durant, Arjun Atwal (Ind), Steve Flesch, Brett Wetterich
70 Michael Letzig, Spencer Levin, Kent Jones, Tom Byrum, Aron Price (Aus), Ted Purdy, Mathias Gronberg (Swe), James Nitties (Aus), James Driscoll, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Jarrod Lyle (Aus), Marc Leishman (Aus), Tim Petrovic, Jimmy Walker
71 Charles Warren, Chris Stroud, Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Adam Scott (Aus), Michael Bradley, Garrett Willis, Cameron Percy (Aus), Steve Wheatcroft, Greg Owen (Eng), Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), Tom Gillis, Rocco Mediate, Cameron Tringale
72 Vaughn Taylor, Bill Lunde, Martin Flores, Billy Mayfair, Mark Hensby (Aus), Tommy Armour III, Chris Tidland, Ernie Els (Rsa), Craig Barlow, Bo Van Pelt, Pat Perez, Omar Uresti, Phil Tataurangi (Nzl), Mark Brooks, Bobby Gates, Lee Janzen, Cliff Kresge, Michael Connell, Steve Elkington (Aus), Chris Wilson, Charlie Wi (Kor), Jeff Maggert, Jeff Burns, Robert Damron, Troy Matteson, Spike McRoy
73 Brian Stuard, Ryan Baca, Tim Herron, Sergio Garcia (Spa), Harrison Frazar, Shaun Micheel, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl), Chez Reavie, Vijay Singh (Fij), John Rollins, Richard S Johnson (Swe), Paul Goydos, Brett Quigley, John Morse, Jay Williamson, Josh Teater, Jason Gore
74 Robert Gamez, Robert Garrigus, Eric Axley, Chris DiMarco, Jeff Gove, Henrik Bjornstad (Nor), Kevin Johnson, Roger Tambellini, John Mallinger, Chad Campbell, Mathew Goggin (Aus), Dicky Pride, Briny Baird, Carl Pettersson (Swe), Troy Merritt
75 Kirk Triplett, Chris Riley, Joe Ogilvie, Gary Woodland, Todd Hamilton, Scott Piercy, David Duval, J.L. Lewis, Michael Clark II, Andrew McLardy (Rsa), Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Ryan Palmer, Robin Freeman, Carlos Franco (Par), Frank Lickliter II
76 Derek Tolan, Marco Dawson, Mike Standly, Matt Bettencourt, Brenden Pappas (Rsa), Tim Thelen, Justin Leonard, Craig Bowden, Nicholas Thompson, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Michael Sim (Sco), Scott McCarron, Vance Veazey, Brian Bateman, Len Mattiace, Guy Boros, Jerod Turner, Rich Barcelo
77 David Lutterus (Rsa), Kris Blanks, Mark Wilson, Jim Carter, John Daly, Bob Estes, Kevin Stadler, Justin Bolli, Cameron Beckman, John Huston
78 J J Henry, Jay Delsing, Gene Williams, Tom Pernice Jnr., Johnson Wagner, Blake Adams
79 Jonathan Kaye, Thomas Kearney, Grant Waite (Nzl), Dean Wilson, Jim McGovern, Glen Day, Skip Kendall
80 Brent Delahoussaye, Zach Johnson, Graham Delaet (Can)
82 John C. Little II
WD: Will MacKenzie 85

Julie flies the flag for females in
-
final of Aberdeen Trades Foursomes

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Tonight's final of the Aberdeen Trades Foursomes will feature a female player - twice past Aberdeenshire women's county champion, Julie Henderson.
She is a member of the Chartered Accountants team who beat Baker Hughes in last night's semi-finals at the third extra hole in a nail-biting tie at the Hazlehead No 1 course.
Julie and her playing partner Andrew Hepburn were five down after 12 holes to Colin Stewart and Roddy Grant but won four of the remaining holes to finish only one down. With the Chartered Accountants' first-string pair winning by one hole that was enough to send the tie into extra holes.
In the other semi-final Bankers beat R&C Construction by eight holes.
It is not the first time a woman has played in the Aberdeen Trades Foursomes. Muriel Thomson, back in her days as an amateur and as a teenager, played for Bankers, and the late Carol Stewart also appeared on occasion but Julie, from Inverurie, is probably the first female to play in the final.
She was a leading player in the Aberdeenshire women's county championship at the beginning of the decade, losing at the 19th in the 2000 final but winning the title in 2003 and again in 2005.
Julie has not entered the county championship in recent years but, if she can hold her own in the cut-and-thrust of men's foursomes match-play, then she is still a very good player.
Last night's results:
SEMI-FINALS
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS bt BAKER HUGHES at the third extra hole.
John Godward & Ian Castles 1, Robert Carr & Mike Dickie 0.
Andrew Hepburn & Julie Henderson 0, Colin Stewart & Roddy Grant 1.

BANKERS bt R&C CONSTRUCTION bt eight holes.
Gregor Stewart & Barry Gibson 4, Chris Simpson & Neil Melvin 0.
Scott Carmichael & Martyn Patterson 4, John Spiers & Kevin Allan 0.