United States PGA Tour Scoreboard
CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL
Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth Texas
THIRD-ROUND LEADING TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
Brian Davis 64 65 65 194
Bryce Molder 65 62 67 194
Zach Johnson 65 66 64 195
Ben Crane  68 64 64 196
Jeff Overton 63 67 66 196
Jason Bohn 63 65 68 196
Bill Haas  65 68 64 197
Boo Weekley 67 63 67 197
Kris Blanks 65 64 68 197
Bo Van Pelt  67 66 65 198
John Merrick  66 66 66 198
Corey Pavin  67 64 67 198
Lee Janzen  70 66 63 199
Matt Jones  69 66 64 199
Scott Verplank  67 66 66 199
Kenny Perry -11 F -3 color info 68 64 67 199
Ricky Barnes -11 F -3 color info 66 66 67 199
Selected scores:
Martin Laird  (Sco) 69 67 66 202 (jt 28th).
Paul Casey 66 70 66 202 (jt 28th).
Stewart Cink  69 68 66 203 (jt 33rd)
Michael Sim (Sco)  69 67 67 203 (jt 33rd).
Justin Rose 67 70 73 210 (jt 73rd)
John Daly 66 69 75 210 (jt 73rd).
Ian Poulter  69 69 73 211 (76th).

SCOTTISH MEN'S OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

The Wonder of Wattel! Frenchman leads at Glasgow Gailes


FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
French champion Romain Wattel powered to the top of the second round Scottish men's amateur stroke-play championship leaderboard with a flawless four-under par 67 at Glasgow Golf Club’s Gailes Links this afternoon.
Aiming to become the first French golfer to win the title since Francois Illouz in 1989, the 19-year-old got his round off to a flyer with a birdie at the second hole and followed up with a spectacular holed chip from 35 yards at the fourth. Another birdie came at the ninth, before Wattel almost holed his 9-iron tee-shot on the sixteenth to set up his fourth birdie of the day to finish the day seven under-par for the tournament and a two-shot lead.
“It would be a big moment for me to win this championship but there’s still a long way to go and lots can happen. It would be nice to be up there alongside Francois Illouz, who is held in very high regard in French golf.” said Wattel, who won the French Amateur Stroke Play Championship by six shots at Fontainbleu last month and beat Ross Kellett in the final of the Argentina international championship in December.
“It’s been a hectic schedule for me over the last two months and I feel a little bit tired, but you don’t feel it if you’re playing well. I’ll have a good rest tonight and I’m sure the adrenalin will be there for me in the morning.” revealed the Parisian, who shares the same home club as former Barclays Scottish Open champion Gregory Havret.
Devon’s Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth) remained in contention after a second round 70 kept him in second place on five-under par, two adrift of Wattel. The England squad member, who was third in last year’s European Amateur Championship, also reached seven-under after three birdies in the first six holes, but dropped shots on the 9th and 16th holes halted his progressed.
Overnight leader Chris Lloyd (Kendleshire) raced to nine-under par at the turn, but a disastrous triple-bogey 7 on the 11th hole, followed by three consecutive bogeys late in the back nine, shunted the 18-year-old from Bristol down into a share of third spot on three-under par.
Ayrshireman Chris Harkins is just four shots back also in a tie for third alongside the English trio of Lloyd, Richard Smith and Jack Senior, with North East duo Bryan Innes and Philip McLean on one-under par, the same mark Australian based Korean Jin Jeong, the highest world ranked player in the field.
Former Scottish boys' match-play champion James White (Lundin) posted a fine 69 to lie seven shots off the pace on level par while his Scotland team-mate Gordon Yates stormed through the field this afternoon with an excellent three-under par 68 to also finish on 142.
Canadian golfer Rob Cowan, whose father Gary won the US Championship in both 1966 and 1971, made his trip from Toronto worthwhile by making the second round cut on two-over par with scores of 71 and 73 with 2008 SGU Order of Merit champion Steven McEwan recording a 69 to see him through to Sunday’s 36 holes.
Among the surprise non-qualifiers were Colville Park's Ross Kellett, the No 2 Scot in the R&A World Rankings,former Scottish champion Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) and Greg Paterson (St Andrews New).
 SECOND-ROUND TOTALS AND QUALIFIERS
Par 142 (2x71)
135 WATTEL, Romain (France) 68 67.
137 HEMSTOCK, Billy (Teignmouth) 67 70.
139 SENIOR, Jack (Heysham) 71 68, HARKINS, Chris (Ayr Belleisle) 71 68, SMITH, Richard (Notts) 69 70, LLOYD, Chris (Kendleshire) 66 73.
140 WINSTANLEY, Ian (Formby) 70 70, WRIGHT, Darren (Rowlands Castle) 70 70. 
141 INNES, Bryan (Murcar Links) 70 71, McLEAN, Philip (Peterhead) 70 71, JEONG, Jin Korea 69 72 142 YATES, Gordon (Hilton Park )74 68, WHITE, James (Lundin) 73 69, CAMPBELL, Ben (NZ) 72 70, GIBSON, Scott (Southerness) 72 70.
143 ROBINSON, James (Southport and Ainsdale) 73 70, CAMBIS, Guillaume (France) 73 70, NICOL, Kris (Fraserburgh) 73 70, PALMER, Andrew (Chorley) 72 71, ALEXANDER, Paul (Caldwell) 72 71, DUNTON, Adam (McDonald Ellon) 71 72, ROBERTSON, Graeme (Glenbervie) 71 72, BOOKLESS, Mark (Sandyhills) 70 73, CRICHTON, Scott (Aberdour) 77 67.
144 HOWARD, Paul (Southport and Ainsdale 75 69, McEWAN, Steven (Caprington) 75 69, WOOD, Ed (Crow Wood )74 70, REDFORD, Ian (St Andrews New) 73 71, HILLSON, Mark (Craigielaw) 72 72,
 SOUTAR, Brian (Leven GS)71 73, COWAN, Rob (Canada)71 73, SHIELDS, Paul (Kirkhill) 71 73, NIXON, Matthew (Ashton-Under-Lyne) 71 73, WALLACE, Andrew (Glenbervie) 70 74, CROWE, Ross (Westerhope) 69 75, ZUNIC, Jordan (Australia) 68 76.
145 BELL, Ross Downfield 75 70, RENNIE, Steven Drumpellier 73 72, CUTLER, Paul Portstewart 72 73,  McPHEE, Paul King James VI 72 73, DOCHERTY, Richard Bearsden 72 73, BOLTON, Sandy (Goring and Streatley) 72 73, LATIMER, Peter (St Andrews New) 71 74.
MISSED THE CUT
LENNOX, Luke Moyola Park 76 70
STEWART, Michael Troon Welbeck 75 71 
BROWN, Steven Wentworth 75 71
MOULTRIE, Paul Royal Troon 75 71 
HODGSON, Stiggy Sunningdale 74 72 
BAIRD, Colin Bothwell Castle 74 72 
PERRY, Mathew New Zealand 73 73 
BREMNER, William Edzell 72 74
SOUTHGATE, Matthew Thorpe Hall 72 74 
BINNING, Sam Ranfurly Castle 71 75
KELLETT, Ross Colville Park 71 75
McELROY, Dermot Ballymena 71 75 
BOOTH, David Rotherham 78 69
MARTIN, James Spain 75 72 
CAMPBELL, Glenn Blairgowrie 75 72
ROBERTSON, George Irvine Ravenspark 74 73
LEWIS, Tom Welwyn Garden City 74 73
LEONARD, Rory Banbridge 74 73
CLARK, Matthew Kilmacolm 73 74
McDONALD, Jack Kilmarnock (Barassie) 73 74 
McGRENAGHAN, Scott Cochrane Castle 79 69 
HENDERSON, Neil Glen 78 70
CONNOR, Sam Sandiway 75 73 
ROSS, James Royal Burgess 75 73
FARR, Oliver Ludlow 74 74
KING, Jonathan Glasgow 73 75
LARKIN, Scott Royal Aberdeen 72 76 
DORAN, Connor Banbridge 72 76 
HENDRICK, James Pollok 71 77 
WYBAR, John Aldeburgh 77 72 
FOTHERINGHAM, Fraser Nairn 77 72 
SPENCE, Stephen Irvine 77 72 F +7
STUART, Thomas St Anne's Old Links 77 72 F +7
GOUVEIA, Ricardo Portugal 76 73 F +7
PATERSON, Greg St Andrews New 76 73 F +7
CHRISTIE, Alex Tyrrells Wood 76 73 F +7
CLARK, Ronnie Erskine 76 73 F +7
FINDLAY, Jordan Fraserburgh 75 74 F +7
STEVENSON, Gordon Whitecraigs 75 74 F +7
WATSON, Craig East Renfrewshire 75 74 F +7
CAMPBELL, Michael Renfrew 75 74 F +7
GRANT, Nick Knock 74 75 F +7
WATT, Jonathan Brokenhurst Manor 80 70 F +8
WHITELAW, James Mouse Valley 77 73 F +8
FOTHERINGHAM, Bryan Inverness 76 74 F +8
CUNNINGHAM, Myles Craigielaw 75 75 F +8
THOMSON, Colin East Refrewshire 74 76 F +8
BETTY, Paul Hayston 73 77 F +8
McKENNA, Fraser Balmore 73 77 F +8
COSSINS, Charlie Bath 81 70 F +9
BORROWMAN, Scott Dollar 77 74 F +9
HARPER, Kristofer Carnoustie 76 75 F +9
SWEENEY, Aaron Carnoustie 76 75 F +9
FINLAY, George Ballumbie Castle 75 76 F +9
WHITSON, Reeve Mourne 79 73 F +10
MCGARVEY, Sean Glencorse 78 74 F +10
GRUNWELL, Michael Powfoot 78 74 F +10
WILSON, James Formby 77 75 F +10
SPEIRS, Stephen Koovonga 75 77 F +10
SIMPSON, David Crieff 75 77 F +10
DUNNE, Paul Greystones 80 73 F +11
EVANS, Josh Mere 78 75 F +11
HOGAN, Andrew Ireland 77 76 F +11
SHEVILL, Daniel Prudhoe 76 77 F +11
BOAS, Jonathan South Africa 75 78 F +11
GAULT, Paul Westerwood 81 73 F +12
SELFRIDGE, Chris Moyola Park 79 75 F +12
HEUCHAN, Colin Southerness 79 75 F +12
SMYTH, Michael Royal Troon 79 75 F +12
CULVERWELL, Alexander Dunbar 78 76 F +12
O'NEIL, Conor Pollok 78 76 F +12
HULSTON, Darren Dollar 76 78 F +12
SHEPHERD, Jake Wisley 81 74 F +13
RUSHFORD, Bobby Grangemouth 81 74 F +13
JABBLE, Gee Buckinghamshire 81 74 F +13
DAILY, Michael Erskine 80 75 F +13
JOHNSTON, Liam Dumfries & County 82 74 F +14
TELFORD, Wayne Rathmore 81 75 F +14
CARNIE, Grant Newburgh on Ythan 79 77 F +14
SHEMAN, David Canada 76 80 F +14
SOMMERVILLE, Daniel St Andrews 76 80 F +14
SLOAN, Ben Cathkin Braes 77 80 F +15
MACKIE, Rae South Africa 85 73 F +16
SPRAGGS, Patrick Stowmarket 81 77 F +16
STUART, Sam St Anne's Old Links 76 82 F +16
RIDDICK, Clark Southerness 79 80 F +17
PINTOR SMITH, Fran Spain 78 81 F +17
YOUNG, Daniel Craigie Hill 76 83 F +17
BLENNERHASSETT, Tom Marriott Dalmahoy 82 78 F +18
HAMILTON, Keith Ayr Belleisle 81 79 F +18
CAMPBELL, Andrew Dumbarton 81 80 F +19
BRAIN, Jonathan United States 86 76 F +20
ROBB, Chris Inchmarlo 83 79 F +20
SCHULTE, Frederik Germany 81 81 F +20
MACKAY, Jamie Kilmarnock (Barassie) 81 82 F +21
WEIR, Andrew Montrose Mercantile 81 84 F +23
DQ HAMILTON, Craig Ballochmyle 71 DQ
DQ NICOLSON, Greg Mortonhall 77 DQ
DQ RAVEN, Mark Royal Automobile DQ
RTD GORRIE, Graeme Glasgow 82 RTD
RTD TAYLOR, Kristian Formby 80 +3 3 RTD

Luke Donald and Rhys Davies share two-shot lead in Madrid Masters

Ole! Gallacher and Whiteford both shoot third-round 66s

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Welshman Rhys Davies and Englishman Luke Donald go into the final round of the Madrid Masters two shots clear of the chasing pack.

Donald had looked on course to maintain or even extend his halfway advantage, but European Tour rookie Davies birdied two of the last three holes to join him on 16 under with a round to go.
Donald's effort means he remains on course to make it four English golfers in the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings - nine years after only Lee Westwood was in the first 100.
Even with a second place finish at the Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo course Donald, currently ranked 13th, will join Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey in the game's leading group.
But after what happened at Wentworth Club last Sunday victory is all that is on his mind.
The 32 year old, who lost the BMW PGA Championship by one after taking seven at the penultimate hole, fired a bogey free 68.
However, Welshman Davies, already a winner in Morocco in this his first full season on the circuit, holed from eight feet at the long 16th and then from 12 on the 198 yard 17th for a 67.
His round included eight birdies, but also a bogey at the third and double bogey on the short seventh.
Donald, who led by one at halfway, said: "To rebound from the disappointment of last week and be in contention shows a lot about my character.
"I was struggling a bit off the tee on the back side. Not to have a bogey was good, but it would have been nice to make a couple more birdies."
Davies commented: "I made two little errors, very minor, and got severely punished for both.
"It was annoying at the time, but I focused on keeping my head in the right position and took on the shots I felt like I needed to.
"Saturday is a little bit different because there is still a long way to go."
Donald's last title was the US PGA Tour's Honda Classic four years ago and for his last win in Europe you have to go back to the 2004 European Masters in Switzerland.
Italian Francesco Molinari is two strokes back in third place after a 65 highlighted by five birdies in the opening seven holes and then a fairway wood to six feet for eagle at the 562 yard 16th.
Big-hitting Alvaro Quiros moved into fourth place with a course record-equalling 64 that almost came out of nowhere.
He was only four under for the day with three to play, but two-putted the 16th, made a 15-footer on the next and then pitched in from 58 yards for a closing eagle two.
It gives the 27 year old the chance of a second victory on home soil this month. He started May by capturing the Open de España in a play-off with England's James Morrison.
England's Graeme Storm, the man who set the course record the day before, followed up with a 67 and is fifth.
SCOTSWATCH: The in-form Stephen Gallacher from Linlithgow and Kirkcaldy's Peter Whiteford both shot third-round 66s. Gallacher, joint third in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last Sunday, goes into the final round in Madrid in joint 11th place, eight shots off the pace on 208. Only one shot back is Whiteford. Gary Orr is on 211 and the rest of the SEVEN Scots who survived the halfway cut are placed as follows:  Paul Lawrie (212), Alistair Forsyth (214), David Drysdale (217) and Marc Warren, who had a dreadful Saturday, running up an 81 for 222.

THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
200 Luke Donald 65 67 68, Rhys Davies 65 68 67.
202 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 67 70 65
203 Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 70 64
204 Graeme Storm 73 64 67
205 Robert Rock 70 68 67, Jamie Donaldson 65 70 70
206 Graeme McDowell 68 68 70
207 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 67 70 70, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 69 70 68
208 Stephen Gallacher 69 73 66, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 67 71 70, Richard Finch 68 71 69, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 71 72 65, Tano Goya (Arg) 69 72 67, Peter Lawrie 71 69 68
209 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 68 68, Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 71 67, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 69 70 70, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 68 73 68, Damien McGrane 69 73 67, Peter Whiteford 73 70 66, Nick Dougherty 69 70 70, Simon Dyson 70 69 70, Brett Rumford (Aus) 67 71 71, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 75 67 67
210 Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 67 72, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 70 71 69, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 68 70 72, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 73 67 70, Paul McGinley 66 74 70, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 69 72 69, David Lynn 72 70 68
211 Danny Lee (Nzl) 69 74 68, Gary Orr 73 67 71, Oliver Wilson 70 71 70, Markus Brier (Aut) 68 75 68, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 68 73 70, Johan Edfors (Swe) 67 73 71, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 70 70, Gregory Havret (Fra) 68 74 69
212 Phillip Price 67 74 71, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 70 71, Julien Quesne (Fra) 72 69 71, Sam Hutsby 73 69 70, Paul Lawrie 73 70 69, Richard Green (Aus) 71 67 74, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 71 69, Bradley Dredge 67 73 72
213 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 75 67 71, Carl Suneson (Spa) 69 73 71, Joost Luiten (Ned) 70 69 74, Sion E Bebb 70 71 72, Shane Lowry 69 74 70, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 68 74 71, Kenneth Ferrie 73 70 70.
214 Alvaro Salto (Spa) 74 68 72, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 68 74 72, Alastair Forsyth 74 69 71, Santiago Luna (Spa) 69 71 74, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 71 71
215 Gary Clark 71 71 73, Gary Boyd 73 68 74, John Parry 72 70 73, James Kingston (Rsa) 68 71 76, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 66 76 73, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 70 72 73, Oliver Fisher 70 72 73
216 James Morrison 70 70 76, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 70 72 74, Ross McGowan 68 74 74
217 David Drysdale 69 74 74, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 72 70 75
218 Stephen Dodd 69 74 75
219 Marcel Siem (Ger) 72 71 76
221 Rick Kulacz (Aus) 72 71 78
222 Marc Warren 70 71 81

CHRIS DOAK WINS AT DALMUIR PRO-AM

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Chris Doak scored his first victory of the Tartan Tour season with a five-under-par round of 63 in the West Dunbartonshire Council pro-am over the Dalmuir municipal course today.

The unattached Doak, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had seven birdies and two bogeys in halves of 32 (four under par) and 31 (one under) to win the £928.50 first prize by one shot from Euan Cameron (Hamilton).

Cameron earned £742.47.

Stephen Gray (Hayston) and Scott Henderson (Kings Links) shared third place on 65 and earned £487.36 apiece.

Colin Gillies (Braid Hills), joint fifth with a 66, led the Richardson Chimney Services’ amateur trio of Gordon McKinlay (handicap 14), Andy Connolly (18) and Robert Tosh (18) to victory in the team event with a net total of 15-under-par 53.

The team of Linday Mann (Carnoustie) also totalled 53 but lost out on a card countback.

PRO TOTALS
Par 68
63 Chris Doak (unatt) (£928.50).
64 Euan Cameron (Hamilton) (£742.47).
65 Stephen Gray (Hayston), Scott Henderson (Kings Links) (£487.36 each).
66 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), Christopher Currie Caldwell), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), Colin Gillies (Braid Hills), Chris Kelly (Cawder) (£246.96 each).
67 James McGhee (Turnhouse), Owen Leslie (Craigentinny) (£148.44 each).
68 Craig Everett (Caldwell), David Patrick (Elie), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) (£115.99 each).
69 Craig Gordon (Edinburgh Golf Centre), Alan Fleming (North Highland College) (£88.28 each).
70 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Graham Fox (East Kilbride), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie), Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundaton) (£56.19 each.
71 Andrew Marshall (Houston Golf Range) (£43.01).
72 Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) (£43.01).
73 David Gordon (unatt), Mark King (Kingsfield Golf Centre) (£43.01 each).
74 Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir), Scott Gillespie (Burntisland) (£43.01 each).
75 Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle) (£43.01).
77 Gordon Law (Uphall) (£43.01).

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT, SCORES

McLeary and Murray both hit 67 mark as Slattery stays in lead

By SARAH GWYNN
European Challenge Tour Press Officer
Englishman Lee Slattery remained in front after round three of the Telenet Trophy but a stunning nine under par 63 by Frenchman Edouard Dubois prevented him from having a greater advantage.

Slattery leads by two shots heading into Sunday's final round at Rinkven Golf Club, Belgium after carding a four under par 68 to reach 16 under for the tournament.
He led by six shots at one point during the round, but Dubois reeled him in with six birdies on the back nine to beat the course record Slattery set on day one.
Scots Jamie McLeary and George Murray both shot 67 in the third round. McLeary is now sharing 10th place on 209, while Murray is a shot behind in joint 15th position.
Alex Kaleka, also of France, carded a three under par 69 to stay in touch with the top of the leaderboard at 12 under, and Simon Wakefield had another impressive round, a 65 taking him to 11 under alongside English compatriot Matt Haines.
Slattery, frustrated to have finished the second round with a bogey at the last, exacted his revenge by birdieing the same hole today.
“That was a much better way to finish,” said the 31 year old Southport player. “I felt very comfortable out there again and was happy with how I played. I had an eagle at the seventh when I holed my third shot, a wedge from 95 yards, and I was two inches away from a hole in one on the par three third as well.
“Tomorrow I will just try and be very relaxed and stick to my routine. Probably I was at my edgiest today when I saw how far in front I’d got. But the others cut that lead down – that’s a great score from Edouard, and Alex, who was in my group today, is a great player too. The French will definitely be keeping me on my toes tomorrow.”
Dubois, 21, did not know he had set the course record with his nine birdies, and was delighted to be in contention for the first time in a Challenge Tour event.
“I don’t know what happened on the back nine,” said the Challenge Tour rookie. “I just got on a roll with six birdies. It’s a little more stressful being in this position but tomorrow I’ll try not to think about the result.
“I won once on the Alps Tour so hopefully I can use that experience to help me tomorrow.”
Wakefield may be five shots off Slattery’s lead but having posted rounds of 64 and 65 in the last two days, he could pose a serious threat.
“It’s really good to be in this position on a Saturday instead of coming off the course feeling frustrated,” he said. “I’ve been playing really well the last three or four weeks. I just feel very in control of my shots, I know where I want to hit it and it’s going there. And I’m putting well too.
“The eagle on the 14th I hit a four iron to 18 inches, and the bogey was a little disappointing because I hit my second shot from the semi-rough with a wedge and it went out the back of the green. That’s the problem with these new grooves on the wedges – it can go anywhere.”
Challenge Tour Rankings leader Robert Dinwiddie carded a level par 72 to stay at six under overall, while defending champion Francois Calmels struggled to a two over par 74 to slip back to one under.
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
200 L Slattery (Eng) 64 68 68,
202 E Dubois (Fra) 67 72 63,
204 A Kaleka (Fra) 71 64 69.
205 S Wakefield (Eng) 76 64 65, M Haines (Eng) 66 67 72,
207 B Evans (Eng) 67 70 70, M Tullo (Chi) 72 66 69, N Meitinger (Ger) 68 70 69,
208 J Sjöholm (Swe) 68 70 70,
209 J Zapata (Arg) 71 68 70, J McLeary (Sco) 70 72 67, S Lewton (Eng) 71 70 68, M Thorp (Nor) 72 70 67, D Perrier (Fra) 68 73 68,
210 R Dinwiddie (Eng) 68 70 72, O Whiteley (Eng) 69 71 70, G Murray (Sco) 73 70 67, L Jensen (Den) 71 69 70, K Eriksson (Swe) 70 71 69, D Denison (Eng) 69 70 71,
211 T Feyrsinger (Aut) 70 73 68, N Lemke (Swe) 69 70 72, G Shaw (Nir) 70 70 71, A Tadini (Ita) 67 72 72, B Barham (Eng) 69 73 69, S Ottosen (Den) 67 73 71, K Sullivan (Wal) 69 68 74, P Rolland (am) (Bel) 65 76 70,
212 T Whitehouse (Eng) 70 69 73, T Remkes (Ned) 72 71 69, A Haindl (RSA) 70 73 69, O Floren (Swe) 70 73 69.
213 M Carlsson (Swe) 66 74 73, B Mason (Eng) 69 73 71, P Relecom (Bel) 66 76 71, A Blyth (Aus) 71 71 71, F Colombo (Ita) 70 71 72, S Tiley (Eng) 70 71 72, M Wiegele (Aut) 71 68 74, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 72 71, B Chapellan (Fra) 73 70 70, A Hansen (Den) 69 74 70, C Moriarty (Irl) 73 68 72,
214 G Molteni (Ita) 71 67 76, J Makitalo (Fin) 69 70 75, J Garcia (Esp) 72 71 71, B Grace (RSA) 70 67 77, S Surry (Eng) 71 69 74,
215 J Moul (Eng) 72 71 72, T Norret (Den) 69 71 75, J Larsen (Nor) 69 71 75, C Russo (Fra) 67 72 76, F Calmels (Fra) 68 73 74, O David (Fra) 71 71 73,
216 A Snobeck (Fra) 75 68 73, P Del Grosso (Arg) 70 71 75, J Abbate (Arg) 73 68 75, V Riu (Fra) 68 70 78, F De Vries (Ned) 72 70 74, A Perrino (Ita) 70 71 75,
217 M Higley (Eng) 72 71 74, A Bruschi (Ita) 71 72 74, B Etchart (Esp) 71 70 76,
218 G Woodman (Eng) 68 73 77,
219 R Santos (Por) 71 71 77, G Houston (Wal) 72 71 76,
220 D Nouailhac (Fra) 68 73 79, A Mellor (Eng) 70 73 77,
221 N Vanhootegem (Bel) 75 68 78,

European Tour Scoreboard
MADRID MASTERS
LATEST THIRD-ROUND SCORES
Par 216 (3x72
209 Peter Whiteford 73 70 66 211 Danny Lee (Nzl) 69 74 68, Markus Brier (Aut) 68 75 68
212 Sam Hutsby 73 69 70, Paul Lawrie 73 70 69, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 71 69
213 Shane Lowry 69 74 70, Kenneth Ferrie 73 70 70
214 Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 71 71
217 David Drysdale 69 74 74, Alastair Forsyth 74 69 74
218 Stephen Dodd 69 74 75
219 Marcel Siem (Ger) 72 71 76
221 Rick Kulacz (Aus) 72 71 78

Oldcorn and Torrance make

US PGA Seniors' cut 

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
By T.J. Auclair
PARKER, Colorado -- The leaderboard after 36 holes at Colorado Golf Club and the 71st US Senior PGA Championship reads like a who's who of major champions. The names Couples, Kite, Langer, Lehman and Price are all sprinkled among the top 10.
Fred Couples, however, is all alone at the top. The Champions Tour rookie, who has already racked up a remarkable three wins in just six starts, carded a 4-under 68 in the second round on Friday, despite a bogey on the last hole due to a wayward tee shot that resulted in a penalty stroke for an unplayable lie. That, along with his 3-under 69 in the opening round, has Couples at 7-under 137 for the tournament, one shot clear of Tom Kite and two ahead of Tom Lehman.
"I'm happy to be in first place," Couples said. "I played great today. I had a lot of birdies and a couple bogeys, three bogeys in there. But putted very well... I'm 7 under, one ahead of Tom, and maybe, I don't know what third place is, 5 under? So I'm not really worried about a lead, I'm just wanting to go out tomorrow and keep playing well and see what happens and then worry about a lead on Sunday on the back nine. If I have one."
Taiwan's Chien Soon Lu and Jay Don Blake are tied for fourth at 4 under, while Nick Price, Robin Freeman and Bernhard Langer make up a threesome tied for sixth place at 3 under. Langer stumbled on the way in, finishing his last two holes double bogey-bogey for a 3-over 75.
Couples was spectacular right from the start in the second round, racking up five birdies to go against just one bogey on the front side to make the turn in 4-under 32. He picked up a bogey on the 197-yard, par-3 11th hole after short-siding himself to the right of the green and failing to get up and down from some thick rough.
The 50-year-old bounced right back with birdies on Nos. 14 and 16. The 16th is a 550-yard par 5 and Couples gave himself a look at eagle from the front fringe. However, the break in the green was so severe that Couples had his back to the hole to play the putt. It missed well low, but he still managed to hole an 8-footer for the birdie.
"I hit a great putt to get it eight feet from the hole and to keep it on that top plateau," Couples said. "It looked like a great shot there. It wouldn't have mattered, I was trying to get it in the middle of the green, I was not trying to hit it to that little plateau.
"But that was a good two-putt -- especially since the hole before that I hit two great shots right over the top of the flag and a yard over the green and three-putted from a long way," he added. "But to not birdie 16 would have been, I think, giving away shots, which you can't do."
The 36-hole cut fell at 7-over 151 with 81 players advancing to the weekend, including eight of the 42 PGA Club Professionals who teed it up. James Blair III of Ogden, Utah, and Lindy Miller of Fort Worth, Texas, are carrying the torch for the club professionals, both tied for 22nd at 2 over.
Among the notables who won't be around for weekend play are: 2007 champ Denis Watson (77-77: 154); Joey Sindelar (76-77: 153); Sandy Lyle (80-74: 154); and Andy North (80-74: 154).
Senior rookie Andrew Oldcorn, pictured, (148) and Sam Torrance (150) did earn a place in the weekend action.
Friday's forecast called for high winds, but they never truly came to fruition until later in the day.
Kite, for one, said the course was left a little vulnerable without the winds since tees were moved up and the green speeds were kept on the slower side.
"We kept expecting it to pick up because the forecast all today was at noon it was going to start blowing and at 1 it was going to really start howling and at 3 o'clock it was going to be knocking your hat off," said Kite after firing his second consecutive 3-under 69. "And right now it's about a 3-mph out there. Consequently it affects the way the golf course is set up when the weatherman misses it so badly. They had the tees set up in a certain way anticipating certain conditions. And then when the weatherman just blows it as badly as they have, I mean obviously the golf course is set up for the difficult conditions."
Because of that, Kite expected to see lower scores in the afternoon. While Colorado Golf Club might not have had as much bite as it did Thursday, that sure didn't show in the scores. Only 15 players cracked par Friday compared to 20 on Thursday.
Kite might not have felt the wind earlier in the day, but Couples was certainly feeling it when he got to the range just before his 2:15 p.m. tee time and throughout his round.
"As soon as I walked on the range, it started blowing," Couples said. "Nothing like they were predicting, though. I had thought they were talking about 30-mph winds, but it's been the same. Yesterday it blew, all day, I think, today it was calmer in the morning or it seemed like it, I wasn't out here, but it blew pretty much from the first hole on. Up until the last hole, for two days I've driven the ball pretty well. And that's been a key.
"If I can drive it down these fairways and hit it solid and have less clubs into most of these greens, I'm going to be better off than most and I'm certainly going to be better off for myself," he added. "But the wind was tough. It's a very hard course, I've putted really well for two days to make a lot of birdies. That's the reason I'm 7 under."
In fact, Couples credits his lead to stellar putting. He needed 27 putts in the first round and just 26 in the second.
"I've putted very well this year," Couples said. "I think it's confidence in being in the positions that you're in. And I'm in the same spot tomorrow, I could come out and not putt as well and I'll have to rely on hitting it much better to hang in there. But the times that I've won and played out here, I've putted really, really well. I have no idea why.
"The greens are, they were pretty fast at Naples; and Toshiba they were fairly quick and a little bumpy, because they're poa annua. These are great greens. They're perfect. The speed is lower, there's no doubt. But I made a lot of 8- and 10-foot par putts and a lot of birdie putts."
Defending champion Michael Allen shot an even-par 72 in the second round and at 1 under for the tournament, he's just outside the top 10, six shots off the lead. Allen, however, was disappointed about missed birdie opportunities and a bogey on his final hole.
"I'm still defending champ for two more days, and hopefully for another year, but I'm going to have to play a lot better than I did today, get the ball in the hole and score a lot better than I have," Allen said. "As I say, I'm in position, I'm playing well, so hopefully I can shoot a good score. That's what I haven't done yet. I played well, I just haven't shot a good score yet."
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
1 Fred Couples 69 68 - - 137
2 Tom Kite 69 69 - - 138
3 Tom Lehman  68 71 - - 139
T4 Chien Soon Lu  70 70 - - 140
T4 Jay Don Blake  71 69 - - 140
T6 Nick Price  70 71 - - 141
T6 Robin Freeman  66 75 - - 141
T6 Bernhard Langer  66 75 - - 141
T9 Mike Goodes  71 71 - - 142
T9 Fred Funk  72 70 - - 142
T9 Chip Beck  71 71 - - 142
T12 Scott Simpson 71 72 - - 143
T12 Michael Allen  71 72 - - 143
T14 Peter Senior  74 70 - - 144
T14 Bill Glasson  69 75 - - 144
T14 Dan Forsman 70 74 - - 144
T17 Russ Cochran 73 72 - - 145
T17 Eduardo Romero 73 72 - - 145
T17 Larry Mize 73 72 - - 145
T17 Mark O'Meara 72 73 - - 145
T17 Bob Boyd 73 72 - - 145
T22 Gary Hallberg 71 75 - - 146
T22 Tim Simpson 76 70 - - 146
T22 Boonchu Ruangkit 73 73 - - 146
T22 Tom Wargo 74 72 - - 146
T22 James Blair III 74 72 - - 146
T22 Des Smyth  74 72 - - 146
T22 Joe Ozaki  74 72 - - 146
T22 Lindy Miller 71 75 - - 146
T22 Olin Browne 73 73 - - 146
T22 Jay Haas 73 73 - - 146
T32 Keith Fergus  72 75 - - 147
T32 Loren Roberts  77 70 - - 147
T32 Ben Crenshaw  72 75 - - 147
T32 Chris Williams 73 74 - - 147
T36 Andrew Oldcorn 73 75 - - 148
T36 Bruce Summerhays  74 74 - - 148
T36 Jim Rutledge  76 72 - - 148
T36 David Peoples 75 73 - - 148
T36 Dave Rummells  71 77 - - 148
T36 Gene Jones 76 72 - - 148
T36 Angel Franco  74 74 - - 148
T36 Chris Starkjohann 71 77 - - 148
T36 Brad Bryant  68 80 - - 148
T45 Katsuyoshi Tomori  77 72 - - 149
T45 Ronnie Black 77 72 - - 149
T45 24 David Frost  72 77 - - 149
T45 66 Mark James  78 71 - - 149
T45 16 Tom Watson  73 76 - - 149
T45 27 Jodie Mudd  76 73 - - 149
T45 47 Larry Nelson  77 72 - - 149
T45 13 Bobby Clampett  75 74 - - 149
T53 19 Bob Cameron  76 74 - - 150
T53 19 Bobby Wadkins  76 74 - - 150
T53 19 Hale Irwin  76 74 - - 150
T53 39 Bob Tway  77 73 - - 150
T53 72 David Eger  79 71 - - 150
T53 58 Sam Torrance  78 72 - - 150
T53 24 Bruce Vaughan  73 77 - - 150
T53 32 Nick Job 72 78 - - 150
T53 10 Jim Roy  74 76 - - 150
T53 39 Mike San Filippo 77 73 - - 150
T53 10 Don Pooley  74 76 - - 150
T53 19 Roger Chapman 76 74 - - 150
T53 19 Gil Morgan 76 74 - - 150
T53 58 John Cook 78 72 - - 150
T53 24 Bruce Fleisher  73 77 - - 150
T53 24 Bob Gilder  73 77 - - 150
T69 11 Ron Vlosich 75 76 - - 151
T69 63 Jim Woodward 80 71 - - 151
T69 11 Keith Clearwater 75 76 - - 151
T69 11 John Ross 75 76 - - 151
T69 56 Mike Reid  79 72 - - 151
T69 42 Morris Hatalsky  78 73 - - 151
T69 11 Bill Britton 75 76 - - 151
T69 11 Mike Harwood  75 76 - - 151
T69 23 Jeff Sluman  77 74 - - 151
T69 64 Bill Loeffler 69 82 - - 151
T69 42 Tommy Armour III  78 73 - - 151
T69 40 Dick Mast 73 78 - - 151
T69 11 Trevor Dodds  75 76 - - 151
THOSE WHO MISSED CUT INCLUDED:
Tsukasa Watanabe 72 80 - - 152
Phil Blackmar 74 78 - - 152
Gary Trivisonno 78 74 - - 152
D.A. Weibring 76 76 - - 152
Ross Drummond - 75 78 - - 153
Sandy Lyle 80 74 - - 154
Bill Longmuir 77 84 - - 161
WD - Fuzzy Zoeller - - - - - - - -

Mickelson - 'I played terribly' - misses the cut but Michael Sim and

Martin Laird make it comfortably

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE

World number two Phil Mickelson crashed out of the Crowne Plaza Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas after a three-over-par second round 73.

The American left-hander was off colour on Thursday as he fired a one-over 71 but things got worse on Friday, with a run of bogeys on the third, fourth and fifth holes and others on the 11th and 12th.

Bryce Molder leads by one stroke at 13-under after an eight-under 62, while Englishman Brian Davis sits in a two-way tie for third on 11-under.

"I played terribly," Mickelson told pgatour.com. "I don't know what to say. I haven't played the course since the changes. The changes are fabulous. The course is in great shape."

He added: "There was no wind and there were a lot of birdies out there. And I just played terribly. But I will take the weekend. It's a good barometer for me to know that starting my US Open run, which is here, I've got a lot of work to do."
Davis' five-under 65 came despite having overnight hospital treatment to remove a mouth abscess.
"It's just one of those things, I went last night and had it taken care of," said Davis. "Obviously I've got a lots of swelling still so it will take a few days to go down, but I'll be fine."
Leader Molder said after his round: "It's a good position, one of the last groups on Saturday, and I can have some fun.
"It's been a strange two days with no breeze, really warm, but really good scoring conditions and fortunately I was just able to capitalise."
Jason Bohn remains well in contention in second, a shot off Molder, having recorded a 65 after Thursday's 63.
Aberdeen-born Michael Sim, pictured above, and Glasgow's Martin Laird both made the cut with ease on 136 with rounds of 69 and 67.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
127 Bryce Molder 65 62
128 Jason Bohn 63 65
129 Brian Davis (Eng) 64 65, Kris Blanks 65 64
130 Jeff Overton 63 67, Boo Weekley 67 63
131 Zach Johnson 65 66, Corey Pavin 67 64, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 65 66, John Mallinger 65 66
132 Kenny Perry 68 64, Ricky Barnes 66 66, Ben Crane 68 64, John Merrick 66 66
133 Aron Price (Aus) 65 68, Bill Haas 65 68, Bo Van Pelt 67 66, Scott Verplank 67 66, Derek Lamely 67 66, Blake Adams 63 70
134 Spencer Levin 65 69, Nick Watney 68 66, Paul Goydos 69 65, Kyle Stanley 68 66, K J Choi (Kor) 67 67, James Nitties (Aus) 68 66
135 Brendon De Jonge 69 66, Steve Stricker 68 67, David Toms 68 67, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 70 65, Matthew Jones (Aus) 69 66, John Daly 66 69, Kevin Na 67 68, Nathan Green (Aus) 65 70, Cameron Beckman 67 68
136 Michael Sim (Sco) 69 67, John Senden (Aus) 69 67, Michael Bradley 67 69, Lee Janzen 70 66, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 68 68, Graham Delaet (Can) 68 68, Alex Prugh 71 65, Chad Collins 70 66, Mike Weir (Can) 68 68, Tim Petrovic 68 68, Martin Laird (Sco) 69 67, Paul Casey (Eng) 66 70, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 67 69
137 Brian Gay 68 69, J.P. Hayes 67 70, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 70 67, Ben Curtis 70 67, Vijay Singh (Fij) 67 70, Brett Quigley 71 66, Justin Rose (Eng) 67 70, Rickie Fowler 70 67, Jerry Kelly 67 70, Pat Perez 69 68, Lucas Glover 72 65, Stewart Cink 69 68, Jason Day (Aus) 66 71, Charlie Wi (Kor) 68 69, Kevin Stadler 69 68, J J Henry 67 70, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 68 69, Jerod Turner 69 68, Tim Clark (Rsa) 67 70, Brandt Snedeker 71 66
138 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 67 71, Billy Mayfair 69 69, Ian Poulter (Eng) 69 69, Matt Kuchar 69 69, Tom Gillis 69 69, Kevin Sutherland 71 67, Heath Slocum 69 69, Stephen Ames (Can) 68 70
MISSED THE CUT
139 Justin Leonard 67 72, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 71 68, Jim Furyk 72 67, Tim Herron 67 72, Ryan Palmer 72 67, Mark Brooks 71 68, Jonathan Byrd 68 71, Webb Simpson 70 69
140 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 70 70, Chris Stroud 71 69, Woody Austin 67 73, Michael Connell 68 72, Shaun Micheel 70 70, Hunter Mahan 73 67, Chad Campbell 70 70, Steve Marino 68 72, Sean O'Hair 70 70, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 69 71, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 72 68
141 Byeong-hun An (Kor) 71 70, David Duval 68 73, Steve Elkington (Aus) 71 70, Kevin Streelman 72 69, Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 72 69, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 73 68, Josh Teater 75 66, D.J. Trahan 69 72, Ryan Moore 72 69
142 D.A. Points 72 70, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 73 69, Martin Flores 72 70, Scott Piercy 71 71, Chris Couch 71 71, Tom Pernice Jnr. 71 71, Mark Wilson 70 72
143 George McNeill 68 75
144 Phil Mickelson 71 73, Andres Romero (Arg) 75 69, Davis Love III 71 73, Steve Flesch 73 71, Briny Baird 70 74, Matt Weibring 73 71
145 John Rollins 75 70
WD: Jeff Maggert 72

Golden Bear says he does not want to spoil the memories of his last round

Nicklaus explains why he couldn't come back to Old

Course for Champions' Challenge before Open


FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Alan Pattullo
Jack's back. But, sadly, it wasn't for long. His presence defined his farewell Open in 2005, and so many before it. As if St Rule's Tower had been eliminated from the skyline, Nicklaus' absence will be profoundly felt in St Andrews in six weeks' time.
But he was around this week, delivered back to the town's ancient streets on a breeze of bonhomie, provoking gasps wherever he went. This is still his kingdom, even if he suspects Scotland has a new interest to make up for the lack of success on the golf front.
"Right now your cycle is switching from golf to tennis," he smiles. "You didn't ever see that coming, did you? Andy Murray comes along ... what is he in the world, number three now? But the cycle will change."
St Andrews remains Jack's town, no question. Even when he walks through a wrong door he is love-bombed. While searching for his lunch destination, Nicklaus happened upon the St Andrews Golf Club, which occupies a substantial Victorian mansion overlooking the 18th green at the Old Course. It wasn't an entirely inappropriate mistake. Jack, after all, is one of only three honorary members.
Never mind whether he is permitted to enter or not, the look on the faces of those inside as Nicklaus made his first ever visit was a picture. He further thrilled those munching through plates of pie and chips by choosing to have a look around.
Still clearly in golf clinic mode – he spent much of his time in St Andrews coaching schoolchildren in his role as an RBS global ambassador – he paused by the large painting which decorates the front lobby, depicting Prince Andrew driving off from the first tee, across the way.
"He's lifting his head way too much," offers Nicklaus for free, before graciously accepting a gushing tribute from another still-startled member: "You are a hero here, Jack, and always welcome."
But like Prince Andrew's (faulty) swing, Jack wants the manner of his last exit to be preserved for all-time. That's why he won't be back in July, on the occasion of the Open's 150th anniversary. He doesn't want to contaminate the colours which were splashed across the canvas five years ago. You will remember it as special too. Old Jack on the Swilken bridge, framed by the Royal & Ancient clubhouse in the background, on the sunniest of late Scottish summer afternoons.
"I am just too sentimental," he says, having eventually located the right venue for lunch. Even then, his good grace floods the room. A chef is pumped with questions about the crabs used in the seafood display. It's hard not to reflect on the absurdity. We are in the company of the greatest golfer who ever walked the earth – and remember, he remains so – and the talk is of crustaceans. But this is the only time one is prompted to think of hard shells. Nicklaus lives up to his soft, cuddly image. But he is pretty firm on one point.
"Maybe at 70, maybe I have earned the right to be selfish," he says. "This is my favourite place of all. I ended my career here, where it all began. I don't want to walk away with a different feeling.
"I called Peter Dawson (R & A chief executive] last week," he continues. "I heard there had been some reaction to my comments at the Masters, when I said I was not coming. I think what I said was misunderstood. I said I wouldn't come unless the Royal Bank of Scotland requested me to be there. I am under contract with the RBS. If RBS want me to be here, then I will be here. But I said to Peter that I would really like to not come. And the reason I would really like to not come is that 2005 was so perfect.
"Peter said: 'Yes, I suspected what your feelings were'. He knew exactly where I was coming from. Peter's pretty perceptive anyway. He understood. He said: 'We'd love to have you, but I understand'."
At least he remains in control of this part of his legacy. For years now he has sat and watched as Tiger Woods guns for his record of 18 major titles. He was helpless, bound and delivered by it. But doubt has begun to creep into the minds of those golf observers who predicted it was only a matter of time before Woods equalled and then passed this total, the way Nicklaus did when Bobby Jones' record of 13 wins was in his sights.
In his autobiography, published in 1997 and at the point where Woods had won only the first of his present total of 14 majors, Nicklaus included a short segment on the then rising star. He described him as a "most pleasant and appealing young man".
He continued: "Tiger clearly possesses all of the physical tools and seemingly the mental qualities to rewrite the record books, which leaves only the questions of desire and physical well-being." Both have been placed sharply into focus in the last six months as Woods has succumbed to a meltdown of the mind and a breakdown of the body.
Nicklaus lifted the last of his three Open titles in St Andrews, when 38. Woods is 35 in December. But Nicklaus also won six major titles between the age Woods is now and 46. It is still possible for Woods to do what had once seemed inevitable. Yet to have a chance of equalling his total Nicklaus believes he must take advantage of this year's pro-Woods conditions. It seems barmy to think of something going the golfer's way after a horrendous few months in his personal life, but in the scheduling of the Open for St Andrews and next month's US Open at Pebble Beach, two of his favourite courses, then there are at least two blessings to be counted.
"These golf courses are almost gimmes for him," Nicklaus explains. "I still think he probably will (do it]. But I said at the start of this year, when he said he was not sure whether he would play again this year, that it would be far more difficult for him to take my record, because of the golf courses where we are playing on this year. He does very well each year at Augusta, but so do a lot of other guys. Pebble Beach won't come around for another ten years, and St Andrews maybe another five. And he will be 40 years old, then 45.
"Tiger is a great player. But we all get older. We all have physical issues and he has other issues which he has to straighten out himself."
Nicklaus shares a gentle, fatherly relationship with Woods, however much the younger man's recent behaviour jars with his own. After Woods' remarkable victory on one good leg at the US Open in 2008, Nicklaus phoned to congratulate his friend – and also to offer some advice. He passed on the number of the physician he went to when his long-running hip problem became unendurable. Woods never did make the call, but when they next met – at Nicklaus' own Memorial tournament in Ohio – Woods told him to observe his stance and swing.
"He had corrected the problem I spoke to him about, which was basically his right hip," recalls Nicklaus. "He played beautifully. He did listen, he just did it a different way. That's okay. He played an unbelievable tournament that year – that was the best I had ever seen him play in terms of controlling the golf ball."
But Woods has since seen his life spin away from him, amid once-unlikely tales of nightclub floosies and therapy sessions for sex addiction. Nicklaus, on the other hand, has remained as faithful to golf as to his wife Barbara. However, like many talented sport stars, he can take or leave his chosen profession when it comes to watching it. Yet he made an exception nearly a year ago, when he sat in rapt attention as Tom Watson provided golf with the kind of headlines it wants. This was especially notable, since Nicklaus tuning into scenes from Turnberry is like the captain of a vessel reviewing a ship-wreck.
He and Watson, of course, shared a memorable duel in 1977 in Ayrshire, with Nicklaus coming off worse for once. But it never impacted on their great friendship. Nicklaus joined the watching world in willing Watson on. Unlike the majority of the watching world, he had a direct hot-line to the man of the moment.
"I don't watch much golf on television," Nicklaus says. "But I watched basically all of that – the second round, most of the third round, and all of the fourth round.
"I got him about half an hour after he finished. He was still pretty down. I said: 'Tom, I know you are still down and I know it is probably not something you want to talk about right now, but you were great. You did a great thing'.
"He said: 'But I gave it away'. I told him: 'How many 59-year-olds have shot 65 at the British Open? I can't think of any but you. How many 59-year-olds have led after the end of two rounds? Nobody but you. How many have led at the end of three rounds? Nobody but you. How many after four rounds? Nobody but you.'"
No-one is more qualified to give this kind of therapy than Nicklaus, who himself defied age and form to win the Masters in his 47th year. "I was a kid compared to him (Watson]," he says. Nicklaus felt the years fall off him last year as he indulged in a frenzy of text communication with Watson. Well, his wife provided the input – except for one time.
"I am an old Neanderthal when it comes to that," says Nicklaus. "Barbara texts all the time. She texted Tom from the two of us before the first round: 'Have a good tournament, play well' and all that kind of stuff. He shot 65 so we kept it going and he texted back every day. Finally, on Sunday morning, I said: 'I want this text to be my text today, so I sent him the text and wished him 'good luck' and so forth. And I told him: 'That is my very first text ever'. I haven't sent another since."
But he will send something else during this year's Open from his home in Florida, as he catches up with play in the time snatched between being a grandfather to 21 grandchildren, aged between two and 20. That's the love of a champion to the place he clearly adores.
Jack Nicklaus is a global ambassador for RBS and was in the UK this week lending his support to the SGU to coach local kids, as well as the First Tee, through the support of RBS, a trustee of The First Tee.