Tiger to defence Aussie Masters title in November
Tiger Woods has announced on his webstie that he will again play in the Australian Masters (November 11 to 14) this year. He won the event last year at Kingston Heath for his 82nd title worldwide. It also gave him a victory on every continent in which golf is played.
The Australian Masters will be played this year at Victoria Golf Club.
The fact that he will be receiving a huge appearance fee - reputed to US $3million in 2009 - might have something to do with his decision.
In 2009, Woods closed with a 68 for a two-shot victory over Greg Chalmers before record crowds. It was the last tournament he played before his Nov. 27 car accident that led to revelations of his sexual affairs.

TWO SCOTS MAKE LAST 16 OF WORLD

ONE-ARMED GOLF AT NAIRN DUNBAR

Sweden’s Marcus Malo headed the 16 qualifiers for the match-play stages of the World one-arm golfers’ championship at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club.
He had a pair of 84s for a total of 168, one shot ahead of the second seed, Nicholas Champness (Royal Ashdown Forest).
Two Scots made it through by claiming the last two places – Stuart Griffin (Stirling) on 187 with scores of 86 and 101 and Douglas Jopp (Craigielaw) on 189 (90-99).

MATCH-PLAY QUALIFIERS
168 Marcus Malo (Sweden) 84 84.
169 Nicholas Champness (Royal Ashdown Forest) 81 88.
170 Robert Paul (Walmer and Kingsdown) 87 83.
172 Gary Marshall (United States) 88 84, Cian Arthurs (Ireland) 87 85.
176 Darren Grey (Darlington) 89 87, Alex Hjalmarsson (Sweden) 86 90, Dave Schutsander (Sweden ) 85 81.
179 Brendan Swan (Ireland) 84 95.
180 Alistair Calvert (Tasmania) 87 93.
181 David Waterhouse (Upton by Chester) 91 90.
185 Michael O’Grady (Ireland) 94 91.
187 Hugo Du Toit (SAf) 94 93, Keith Dewhurst (Bolton Old Links) 92 95, Stuart Griffin (Stirling) 86 101.
189 Doug Jopp (Craigielaw) 90 99.
NON-QUALIFIERS
193 Darren Masters (Feltwell) 91 102.
194 Garry Gardner (Dalmahoy) 86 98.
197 Michael Crowston (Dunstable Downs) 106 91.
198 Tony Jones (Northrop Country Park) 101 97, Hugh Ross (Cawder) 99 99.
199 James Darragh (Cathcart Castle) 99 100, David Bailey (Whittington Heath) 98 101.
204 Patrick Fitzgerald (Co Limerick) 1093 101, John Condie (Antrim) 103 101.
207 Gusta Emilsson (Sweden) 105 102.
208 David Braddick (Parklands) 105 103.
211 Frank Foley (Spain) 112 99, Graham Cole (Onneley, Staffs) 100 111.
214 Bill Boyes (McDonald Ellon) 107 107.
215 Hans Moolegaard (Denmark) 107 108.
218 Bobby Park (Indonesia) 110 108.
221 Jussi Nuorti (Finland) 112 109.
232 Mary Fahey (Ireland) 118 114.
234 Scott Robertson (Ireland) 115 119.
239 Ken Nicholls (Ireland) 114 125.
240 Malcolm Guy 127 113.
241 Peter Priscott (Swaffhamn) 118 123.
286 Les Fuller (Parkstone) 144 142.

Lothianburn wins Scottish Hydro Challenge clubgolf Pro-Am

Sixty volunteer clubgolf coaches from as far afield as Reay and Stranraer took part in the Scottish Hydro Challenge clubgolf Pro-Am on Monday on the magnificent Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course.
Preceding the Scottish Hydro Challenge, which will be played over the same course this week, the Pro-Am was a reward for volunteer coaches who are playing an essential part in the clubgolf programme.
On a course which has emerged spectacularly from the hard winter still evident on the overlooking Cairngorms, Edinburgh’s Lothianburn released the grip that Grampian clubs had held on this popular event for three years.
Accompanied by Scottish professional Elliot Saltman, the team came in with a superb better-ball score of 58, one point ahead of a composite team from the West; Cowal, Bishopbriggs and Vale of Leven. Behind them, in third to fifth places respectively and all on 60, were Kemnay, Comrie, and a combined Kingsnowe/Turnhouse.
“You watch the pros on television but it’s completely different playing with them and we were fortunate getting Elliot,” said Lothianburn’s Alan Greenshields, who played with fellow club volunteer coaches, Gareth Jack and Hazel Carpenter.
“He is a quality player, very impressive and encouraging, and this is something that will be useful for us to take back to the kids on our clubgolf programme.
“It’s a good story because he is from our area and was a member of our club for a period of time. We can say to our kids that if you stick in at your golf, here is something you can aspire to.”
Professionals were assigned to clubgolf teams at random and there was a high turnout from Scots; the list included Fraser Cromarty, Gavin Dear, Jack Doherty, Paul Doherty, Steven Duncan, John Gallagher, Lee Harper, Scott Henderson, Chris Kelly, Mark Kerr, Craig Lee, Kevin McAlpine, Jason McCreadie and Keir McNicoll.
The irony of finding himself accompanying Lothianburn was not lost on Elliot Saltman. “This is the club where we grew up and played, where my brothers and I were members so it was great to play with these guys,” he said.
“They were great company. We all played well, put in as many birdies and eagles as we could, stuck in as a team and we got the job done with a great score.
“This was the first time I had played the course and, with the weather we’ve had, seeing it in such fantastic condition is a great eye opener to what’s going to follow this week.
“Alan was helping me because he has played here a couple of times, so I was asking his advice.”
Eliott was full of praise for the club’s efforts to introduce a new generation of primary school aged golfers to the game through clubgolf.
"I started golf aged 16 and I wish I had started younger,” he said. “If you get led on the right path at a young age you will only get better.
“The volunteer coaches are doing a great job bringing on youngsters and it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of coaching. I’m sure there are a lot of youngsters out there that will go on to bigger and better things. It’s like everything, once you put the effort in there’ll be a result at the end and I think it should be done a lot more. The more volunteers involved the better it will be for the future.”
Each Lothianburn member wins dinner and B&B for four at Macdonald Spey Valley plus golf at Spey Valley.
Said clubgolf Project Manager, Torquil McInroy: “This was a great opportunity for clubgolf to give something back to the volunteer coaches that give up their time for the good of junior golf and we are delighted with how it went.
“Our 60 volunteer coaches had a great day out on a wonderful course, followed by dinner at the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort. We would like to thank EventScotland and the European Challenge Tour for their continued support in providing a wonderful day out for our clubgolf volunteer coaches during their championship week.”
clubgolf’s involvement at the Scottish Hydro Challenge Tour Event will continue through the week. On Thursday and Saturday over 100 children on clubgolf programmes at schools and clubs in Highland will be given a unique opportunity to watch European Challenge Tour players and take part in coaching clinics with resident PGA Professional, Murray Urquhart and players from the European Challenge Tour.
For full results and photo gallery go to: http://www.clubgolfscotland.com/

Caption for picture by Rob Eyton-Jones at the top of the storyTriumphant Lothianburn (left to right): Gareth Jack (Lothian GC clubgolf coach), Elliot Saltman, Murray Urquhart (Spey Valley PGA Professional), Sally Stewart (European Challenge Tour Project Manager), Alan Greenshields (Lothian GC clubgolf coach), and Hazel Carpenter (Lothian GC clubgolf coach), Torquil McInroy (clubgolf Project Manager)

Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager

Aberdeen and District Junior Pennant League

Sectional winners

Section A Banchory

Section B Cruden Bay

Section C Newmachar (Same points as Stonehaven but a better For and Against in games played)

Section D Portlethen

Semi-finals

Cruden Bay v. Banchory at Newmachar GC(Swailend) Tee off 13.45hrs

Newmachar v. Portlethen at Deeside GC Tee off 12.00hrs

Final on Sunday 20th June at 12.00hrs at Newmachar GC















--

Justin Rose fails to qualify for United States Open
Justin Rose now has plenty of time to celebrate his big win at the Memorial. One day after his first victory in America, he failed to qualify for the U.S. Open on Monday.

U.S OPEN SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS
HOBE SOUND, Fla. (3 qualifiers)
Gary Woodland 67-71--138
Kevin Phelan 73-65--138
Travis Hampshire 72-67--139

ROSWELL, Ga. (2 qualifiers)
Russell Henley 73-64--137
Mark Silvers 72-70--142

SUMMIT, N.J. (4 qualifiers)
Blaine Peffley 68-70--138
Dan McCarthy 70-70--140
Jim Herman 72-69--141
Jon Curran 71-71--142

ROCKVILLE, Md. (7 qualifiers)
Jason Gore 72-64--136
Kent Jones 66-70--136
Daniel Summerhays 70-68--138
Ty Tryon 64-74--138
Arjun Atwal 68-70--138
Craig Barlow 67-71--138
Steven Wheatcroft 70-69--139

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (1 qualifier)
Scott Langley 66-66--132

WOODSTOCK, Ill. (2 qualifiers)
Bennett Blakeman 67-71--138
Jerry Smith 72-67--139

COLUMBUS, Ohio (15 qualifiers)
Eric Axley 64-63--127
Terry Pilkadaris 66-68--134
Stuart Appleby 67-67--134
Brendon De Jonge 69-66--135
Alex Cejka 66-69--135
Bo Van Pelt 69-66--135
Hugo Leon 67-68--135
Ben Curtis 69-66--135
Tom Lehman 69-66--135
Aaron Baddeley 69-67--136
Alex Martin 70-67--137
Davis Love III 69-68--137
Harrison Frazar 73-64--137
John Mallinger 67-70--137
Derek Lamely 68-69--137

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (3 qualifiers)
Brian Davis 67-64--131
Seung Yul Noh 70-65--135
Erik Compton 69-66--135

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (12 qualifiers)
Hudson Swafford 67-65--132
Richard Barcelo 66-66--132
Deane Pappas 66-67--133
Mathias Gronberg 64-69--133
Paul Goydos 66-67--133
David Frost 66-68--134
Morgan Hoffmann 67-67--134
Shaun Micheel 67-67--134
J.J. Henry 69-66--135
Brandt Snedeker 69-66--135
Chris Stroud 70-66--136
Charles Warren 67-69--136

THE WOODLANDS, Texas
Delayed by weather, will finish Tuesday

LITTLETON, Colo. (2 qualifiers)
Jason Preeo 65-71--136
Stephen Allan 69-67--136

PORTLAND, Ore. (3 qualifiers)
Kent Eger 68-66--134
Matthew Richardson 68-69--137
Jason Allred 69-68--137

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (4 qualifiers)
Erick Justesen 65-68--133
Joseph Bramlett 65-71--136
Kenny (Yun-Gi) Kim 69-67--136
Andrew Putnam 72-65--137

Major champions Tom Lehman, Davis Love III and Ben Curtis led 15 players who earned spots in the U.S. Open, while Rose and the youngster he beat at Muirfield Village -- 21-year-old Rickie Fowler -- did not.
Fowler, who was atop the leaderboard at the Memorial for 48 consecutive holes, had a 73 in the afternoon to miss by six shots.
"Being in contention definitely wears you out quite a bit, and this is my third week in a row playing," Fowler said. "So I'm looking forward to some time off. It would have been nice to be playing in the Open, but it happens."
Fowler moved up to No. 32 in the world on Monday, while Rose went to No. 33 with his first PGA Tour victory. The cutoff for getting into the U.S. Open through the world ranking was two weeks ago because the USGA had to determine how many spots would be available through the qualifiers. Rose shot a 140 to miss by three shots.
The 36-hole day of survival at The Lakes and Brookside courses was among 13 qualifiers across the country to fill out the 156-man field at Pebble Beach on June 17.
Most of the spots came from Columbus and Memphis, Tenn., because of so many PGA Tour players.
Former PGA champion Shaun Micheel was among 12 players who qualified in Memphis. The list includes Paul Goydos, who played a practice round with Tiger Woods on the eve of the last U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and predicted he would win by 10 shots. Woods ended up winning by 15.
Only three spots were available in Houston, and one of them won't be going to an NFL quarterback. Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys withdrew early in the second round after opening with a quadruple bogey, when rain delays pushed the conclusion to Tuesday.
Stuart Appleby, Aaron Baddeley and Bo Van Pelt also qualified in Columbus, along with Puerto Rico winner Derek Lamely and Eric Axley, the medalist with rounds of 64 and 63.
Love, whose streak of 18 consecutive U.S. Open starts ended last year, birdied the final hole with a wedge to 5 feet, then earned his spot in a six-man playoff for the final five spots. The odd man out was Rocco Mediate, famous for losing a 19-hole playoff to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines two years ago. Mediate was eliminated with a bogey on the third extra hole.
"I'm excited to get in," said Love, a two-time winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. "I've really been hitting the ball well and, like today, I made four bogeys and missed a bunch of easy birdie putts. It would have been a shame, the way I'm hitting it, not to get in."
In other qualifiers:
-- Ty Tryon was among seven qualifiers from Rockville, Md. Tryon made it through Q-School as a 17-year-old and has rarely been heard from since. He is 26 and will be playing in his first major. Others who qualified were Jason Gore and Arjun Atwal of India. Gore, who played in the final group at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2005, was married on the 18th green at Pebble Beach.
-- U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin missed qualifying in Chicago by two shots. The spots went to Jerry Smith and Bennett Blakeman.
-- Jon Curran earned the final spot in Summit, N.J., winning a playoff over PGA Tour winner Parker McLachlin. He was among four qualifiers at Canoe Brook Country Club.
-- Gary Woodland was among three qualifiers in Hobe Sound, Fla.
-- Russell Henley, the nation's top-ranked amateur, earned one of two spots in Roswell, Ga.
-- The lone spot in St. Louis went to a local amateur, Scott Langley, who helped Illinois to the Big 10 team title this year.
Lehman, the only player in modern times to play in the final pairing of four consecutive U.S. Opens, was thrilled to return to Pebble Beach. He felt badly for Rose and Fowler, and questioned why such a strong field received only four more spots than the recent qualifier in England for European Tour players.
"You have the Memorial, so you have all the top players are here, from both Europe and the U.S.," Lehman said. "Justin Rose was here qualifying, Rickie Fowler is qualifying. I just feel to have 15 spots here is a slap in the face. It really is. It's a real quality field.
"I just feel, if you're going to err on one side or the other, err on the American soil," he said. "More here, less there, versus more there and less here. That just doesn't sit well with me. I think 11 spots over there is way too many."
Two players not on the US PGA Tour were among the 15 qualifiers in Columbus -- Alex Martin, an amateur from Liberty Township, Ohio, and Hugo Leon, who was the second alternate coming out of his 18-hole qualifier last month.

Lyle's debut in PGA Seniors Championship

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA
Crowd favourite and two-time Major champion Sandy Lyle will make his debut in the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship at Slaley Hall later this month.
The Scot, who famously won the Open Championship at Royal St George’s in 1985 before claiming the Green Jacket at the US Masters three years later, has confirmed his place in the £250,000 event.
He will be up against the cream of European seniors’ golf, including his old rival Ian Woosnam.
The duo were instrumental figures in the rise of European glf on the worldwide stage during the 1980s and formed the continent’s ‘Big Five’ alongside Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Sir Nick Faldo.

Lyle, 52, who grew up in Shropshire where his Scots-born father was head PGA professional at Hawkstone Park, will be joined by Barry Lane, another stalwart of the European circuit.

Lane, who turns 50 three days before the tournament and played in the 1993 Ryder Cup, will be making his debut as a senior.
Lyle, meanwhile, remains one of golf’s most popular players due in part to his affable nature and cool temperament but also to his brilliant ball-striking, which helped him stay in the world’s top 10 for 167 weeks between 1986 and 1989.
In 1985 he became the first British winner of the Open Championship since Tony Jacklin and later that year was a member of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team at The Belfry.
But for many golf fans he is best-known for his exploits at Augusta in 1988 where he became the first Briton to win the US Masters, sealed in superb style with a brilliant fairway bunker shot and resulting birdie on the 18th.
Other achievements include winning the World Match Play Championship and he topped the European Tour's Order of Merit in 1979, 1980 and 1985, finishing in the top 10 between 1979 and 1992.
All time Senior Tour money winner Carl Mason will be defending the title in a strong field that includes Sam Torrance, Lyle’s compatriot who is targeting a third PGA Seniors crown.
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said: “It’s wonderful news to confirm that Sandy Lyle will be making his debut in the PGA Seniors Championship.
“Sandy is without doubt one of the most talented players we’ve ever had in European golf as evidenced by his two Major titles.
“I still remember vividly his bunker shot on the 18th at Augusta which helped him win the US Masters and I look forward to seeing him tackle the challenge of the Hunting Course at Slaley Hall.”
Daniel Hodson, De Vere Director of Golf & Leisure, added: “The addition of Sandy Lyle to the field for this year’s PGA Seniors Championship is great news, and we look forward to welcoming him to Slaley Hall later this month.
“Sandy has played some fantastic golf over the years and I am sure he will be one of the main challengers for the prestigious title over the final rounds.
“The addition of a double Major champion, alongside Ryder Cup legends Ian Woosnam, Sam Torrance and Costantino Rocca as well as defending champion Carl Mason, means Sandy will be in very good company!
“The 2010 Championship is building towards being one of the strongest fields we’ve ever had in the north east and I'm sure we’ll have a very competitive and entertaining tournament.”
Golf fans can see Lyle tee up with a free download ticket available at www.devere.co.uk/pga-seniors

+Image of Sandy Lyle by courtesy of Getty Images.

Gleneagles ourse that Jack built gets Nicklaus back on board

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Jack Nicklaus is back on board at Gleneagles. The threat of the 18-time major winner removing his prized signature from the PGA Centenary Course has been lifted. In fact, he's going to make changes to it for the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Thankfully, the 18th is included on the list of work to be done by the Golden Bear because, played as it is at present, it would probably be the worst closing hole in Ryder Cup history.
"I'm delighted to have the opportunity to work with the team at Gleneagles once again," said Nicklaus in confirming that an embarrassing rift that threatened to mar the build-up to one of the biggest sporting events ever held in Scotland had been resolved.
"We are very proud of our design at Gleneagles but, due to technology, the game of golf has changed significantly since the course was completed and it is important that we continue to review the challenges it offers today's players – both amateur and professional.
"The work which we will undertake should help ensure that The PGA Centenary Course is an ideal venue for the Ryder Cup in 2014 for players and spectators alike."
According to Nicklaus, his original contract with Gleneagles contained a clause that stated changes couldn't be made to the course without consulting him. "I don't care if someone else makes those changes – just as long as I get consulted and then we can agree something," he said during the height of the row.
Apparently, he wasn't consulted when David McLay Kidd, whose father, Jimmy, used to be courses manager at Gleneagles, was hired to make changes, and Nicklaus claimed he'd initially been ignored until a threat to take his name off the course saw someone at the five-star resort see sense.
Nicklaus paid a visit last year "to try and mend fences" and it is good news for Gleneagles that he's been appeased because, frankly, you wouldn't want to be staging an event like the Ryder Cup over a course designed by the game's greatest player, yet having him disown it.
Now Nicklaus will "oversee some refinements" as part of a five-year development plan for the course. Work is scheduled to begin this winter, with the initial focus being on the seventh, tenth and 18th holes, with the intention, according to his paymasters, being to "modernise the holes for today's game and technology, as well as create some slight aesthetic changes and better flow for spectators".
The seventh is one of the holes McLay Kidd changed dramatically, building a new green that altered the angle of approach for the second shot. It came in for massive criticism the first year it was used for the Johnnie Walker Championship as players found it almost impossible to stop their shots on the putting surface.
At the moment, the par-3 tenth measures just over 200 yards from the back tees and it will be interesting to see what Nicklaus has in mind there, though, without doubt, his biggest challenge will be trying to come up with something better for the 18th.
Forget the fact that, in the Ryder Cup, there is no guarantee that matches will get that far. In every encounter between Europe and the US over the past 20 years, the closing hole has always had the potential for drama due to its design and the 18th at Celtic Manor, which has a risk and reward element, will continue that trend later this year. Personally, I'd love to have seen the Ryder Cup played over a composite course involving holes on both the PGA Centenary and the Kings but, unfortunately, that's not going to happen.
It's been rumoured that consideration had been given to changing the routing of the course so that either the current second or ninth holes became the 18th for the Ryder Cup and, to be honest, either wouldn't be a bad shout.
For now, though, it is encouraging that Nicklaus is going to be involved in the refinements that are about to be made.

Monty won't mind his two latest candidates

His own hiccup apart, it was an encouraging week on the Ryder Cup front for Colin Montgomerie, who won't need any reminding about how well both Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose performed on their debuts against the Americans two years ago.
McDowell, so impressive over the final two days in winning the Celtic Manor Wales Open, registered two-and-a-half points for Nick Faldo at Valhalla, beating Stewart Cink in the singles. Rose, equally impressive in winning the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, picked up three points in Kentucky, beating Phil Mickelson in his head-to-head match on the final day.
Neither McDowell nor Rose are in automatic positions at the moment for Montgomerie's team, but they're not far away now and the Englishman in particular deserves a huge pat on the back for his win – a third by a European on the PGA Tour this season.
The world No 6 at one time, Rose has been living in the shadow of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Luke Donald in recent years but, in a Ryder Cup context at least, has picked the perfect time to chalk up the biggest win of his career.

World one-armed championships
Nairn Dunbar Golf Club
MONDAY RESULTS
Nicholas Champness 81
Brendan Swan 84
Marcus Malo 84 44 30 16 4
Dave Schutsander 85
Stuart Griffin 86
Alex Hjalmarsson 86
Cian Arthurs 87
Alistair Calvert 87
Robert Paul 87
Gary Marshall 88
Darren Grey 89
Douglas Jopp 90
Darren Masters 91
David Waterhouse 91
Keith Dewhurst 92
Hugo Du Toit
Michael O'Grady 94
Garry Gardner 96
David Bailey 98
Hugh Ross 99
James Darragh 99
(CSS):
Men: CSS = 74 [Par = 72, SSS = 74].
Ladies: CSS = 74 [Par = 75, SSS = 74]
Longest Drive
Winner Alistair Calvert (Tasmania) 233Yds
Runner Up David Schutsander (Sweden) 231yds
Putting Competition
Winner Keith Dewhurst (England)
36 putts after seven-hole play-off
Runner Up Dave Waterhouse (England) 36 putts
Chipping Competition
Winner Jussi Nuorti (Finland) 8” from pin
Runner Up John Condie (Northern Ireland) 10”

Volvo World Match-play switches to May with field of 24

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY IMG
The Volvo World Match Play Championship is set for a new date in 2011 and will be held 19th to 22nd May, 2011 at Finca Cortesin Hotel, Golf and Spa on the magnificent Andalucian coast in Southern Spain.

The 2009 Volvo World Match Play Championship was hailed a huge success as changes in qualification and format were widely acclaimed and the new blue chip venue of Finca Cortesin was warmly embraced by players, media and spectators alike.
Securing a new permanent date for the Championship has been at the very heart of today’s announcement. With the global schedule becoming ever more congested in the Autumn months with existing tournaments and the addition of new events in Europe and Asia, Volvo and IMG have worked together with the European Tour and, crucially, the players, to ensure that this world class event is given the date it properly deserves. The new permanent May date for the Championship is secured under a four year agreement with the European Tour (2011-2014) and ensures the Volvo World Match Play Championship is guaranteed the Spanish sunshine and that the world’s best players are able to include the Volvo World Match Play Championship in their schedules; and crucially, the aim is that the Volvo World Match Play Championship will now be the sole dominant European Tour event played in the new date.
As well as a new date, Volvo and partners IMG today announce further improvements that will ensure that the Championship build on its status as a world class event, including an increased field size, increased prize fund and a refined qualification criteria. However, the key characteristics of the Championship, including the ultimate thrill of match play golf, will continue as before.
The 16 man field will be increased to allow 24 of the world’s best players to compete for this coveted title and the qualification process, so successful in gathering one of the highest quality international fields on the European Tour in 2009, has been modified to accommodate the increase.
In keeping with its world class status the prize fund for the 2011 Championship increases to €3.4 million with a first prize of €800,000, the highest on the European Tour outside of the Majors, World Golf Championship events and the Dubai World Golf Championship.
Per Ericsson, President & CEO of Volvo Event Management Golf, explained, “Innovation is a watchword at Volvo and while we were delighted with the success of the 2009 edition, we are very excited about the way we have worked with our partners, Finca Cortesin, IMG, The European Tour to continue to evolve and grow this great event. At each tournament we aim to learn and improve for the next edition. The round robin groups last year were a great success and we think the extended field and the eight groups of 3 will lead to even more excitement and a clearer understanding for the players and spectators as to who will emerge the group winners.”
He continued, “We changed the qualification criteria ahead of the 2009 Championship because we wanted to make the event even more international and we feel it worked wonderfully and were thrilled with the field gathered in 2009. Extending the field to 24 players has enabled us to build on this ethos and we are confident that the 2011 Championship will deliver a larger group of the World’s leading golfers of the same excellent quality while spectators will see their favourites playing a larger number of nail-biting matches. This is a world class tournament and we took our time to agree the new date going forward after studying all the relevant Tour’s Schedules to ensure our tournament is THE one to play that week. I look forward to watching our worthy 2009 Champion Ross Fisher return to defend his title against what we believe will another stellar field.”
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, added, “I am delighted we have been able to work with Volvo and IMG to find this new date in the schedule where the Volvo World Match Play Championship will fit so well going forward. It is one of the oldest events on our Tour and very fitting that one of our longest serving sponsors, has secured its future and worked so hard to continue to develop the tournament.”

Montgomerie and Coltart secure spots at St Andrews

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARK GARROD
Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie produced a remarkable course record-equalling 62 on Sunningdale New yesterday to earn himself a place in next month's Open at St Andrews – the course where he finished runner-up to Tiger Woods five years ago.
Needing a second-round 65 just to be in a play-off at the 36-hole qualifying event, the 46-year-old, now ranked 365th in the world, went three better than that and finished joint- second with fellow Scot Andrew Coltart on nine-under par.
Montgomerie, the eight-time European No 1, has never missed an Open since his debut at the home of golf in 1990.
"I'll be 47 when the Open comes round and this will probably be my last opportunity to play the Open at St Andrews. I'm just glad the opportunity has been taken as it's a special place," he said.
Former Ryder Cup player Coltart secured a first Open appearance since Muirfield in 2002 with rounds of 66 and 65.
He said: "I've had a disappointing last few weeks but I've tried to take inspiration from some of those guys who struggle on tour and then pull something out of the hat. It can happen in golf and I was desperate to get to St Andrews."
With 96 players having battled for 10 places, Montgomerie and Coltart finished two behind Shane Lowry, the 23-year-old who won last year's Irish Open as an amateur. Lowry scored a course record-equalling 62 on the Old but Montgomerie's round came on by far the tougher of the two lay-outs.
As things stand, there are now five Scots in the field for St Andrews. Former champions Sandy Lyle and Paul Lawrie are exempt, while Martin Laird came through the American qualifier a fortnight ago.

Stephen Gallacher runs out of steam ...

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By NICK RODGER
Lothians golfer Stephen Gallacher admitted how his run of good form on the European Tour finally caught up with him in the Open championship's international final qualifier.
The 35-year-old withdrew after two holes of his second round at Sunningdale after racking up a crippling seven which dropped him out of the qualifying picture for the ten spots at St Andrews on offer.
Gallacher has hit a purple patch on the main circuit in the last few weeks with a trio of top 10s including a fourth place in the BMW PGA championship at Wentworth and a share of fourth in the Wales Open last weekend. That productive spell has safeguarded his tour card for next season but the former Dunhill Links champion said: "The seven at the second really knocked the stuffing out of me I've had a great run recently but I've played eight out of the last nine weeks and I need to relax."
Gallacher's Open hopes are not over, however, and the Linlithgow-based player can still qualify through a mini order of merit on the European Tour which runs until the end of the BMW International Open in Munich later this month.
While Gallacher's Sunningdale campaign ended prematurely, Edinburgh-based Andrew Coltart made sure of a first Open appearance since Muirfield in 2002.
The former Ryder Cup player strung together rounds of 66 and 65 to share second place with Colin Montgomerie, two shots behind No.1 qualifier Shane Lowry of Ireland.
"I've had a disappointing last few weeks but I've tried to take inspiration from some of those guys who struggle on tour and then pull something out of the hat," said Coltart. "It can happen in golf and I was desperate to get to St Andrews."

SCORES SUPPLIED BY RandA
Shane Lowry Republic of Ireland 62 67 129
Andrew Coltart Scotland 66 65 131
Colin Montgomerie Scotland 69 62 131
Gareth Maybin Northern Ireland 64 68 132
Thomas Bjorn Denmark 65 67 132
Jose Manuel Lara Spain 66 67 133
Tano Goya Argentina 66 67 133
Ignacio Garrido Spain 64 69 133
Bradley Dredge Wales 68 65 133
Marcel Siem Germany 64 70 134
Patrik Sjoland Sweden 68 66 134
James Kingston South Africa 65 69 134
Gregory Bourdy France 67 67 134
Jamie Donaldson Wales 68 66 134
Peter Lawrie Republic of Ireland 67 67 134
Matteo Manassero Italy 64 71 135
Kenneth Ferrie England 68 67 135
Benn Barham England 67 68 135
Sam Little England 67 69 136
Christian Nilsson Sweden 67 69 136
Sion Bebb Wales 72 65 137
Steve Webster England 71 66 137
Danny Willett England 67 70 137
Alejandro Canizares Spain 69 68 137
Mikko Ilonen Finland 68 69 137
Christian Cevaer France 69 68 137
Darren Clarke Northern Ireland 68 69 137
David Howell England 68 70 138
Paul McGinley Republic of Ireland 70 68 138
Gary Murphy Republic of Ireland 72 66 138
Peter Whiteford Scotland 66 72 138
Pablo Larrazabal Spain 68 70 138
Graeme Storm England 68 70 138
Markus Brier Austria 73 65 138
Oscar Floren Sweden 68 71 139
Mark Brown New Zealand 70 69 139
Robert Dinwiddie England 68 71 139
Scott Drummond Scotland 70 69 139
John Parry England 68 71 139
David Dixon England 66 73 139
Richard Green Australia 68 71 139
Pelle Edberg Sweden 71 68 139
Chris Gane England 68 71 139
Mark Foster England 69 70 139
Paul Broadhurst England 65 75 140
Marcus Fraser Australia 67 73 140
Richard Finch England 68 72 140
Peter Gustafsson Spain 74 66 140
Rafa Echenique Argentina 68 72 140
Niclas Fasth Sweden 67 73 140
Richie Ramsay Scotland 71 69 140
Gary Lockerbie England 69 72 141
Nick Dougherty England 71 70 141
Alastair Forsyth Scotland 65 76 141
James Morrison England 72 69 141
Francois Delamontagne France 65 76 141
Maarten Lafeber Netherlands 69 72 141
Fabrizio Zanotti Paraguay 68 74 142
Michiel Bothma South Africa 69 73 142
Roope Kakko Finland 69 73 142
Daniel Vancsik Argentina 70 72 142
Peter O'Malley Australia 71 72 143
Ariel Canete Argentina 71 72 143
Sam Hutsby England 72 71 143
Scott Strange Australia 70 73 143
Branden Grace South Africa 69 74 143
Oliver Fisher England 70 73 143
David Horsey England 74 70 144
George Coetzee South Africa 70 74 144
Andrew Marshall England 74 70 144
Nicolas Colsaerts Belgium 64 80 144
Danny Lee New Zealand 70 74 144
Peter Baker England 71 74 145
Ricardo Gonzalez Argentina 67 78 145
Richard McEvoy England 74 71 145
Gregory Havret France 74 72 146
George Murray Scotland 72 74 146
Robert Coles England 77 70 147
Andrew Butterfield England 71 76 147
Sam Walker England 77 71 148
Peter Hedblom Sweden 77 71 148
Julien Quesne France 73 75 148
Johan Edfors Sweden 66 84 150
Michael Jonzon Sweden 66 NR NR
Stephen Gallacher Scotland 68 NR NR
Jeppe Huldahl Denmark 71 NR NR
David Lynn England 71 Scr Scr
Jose-Filipe Lima Portugal 72 Scr Scr
Pablo Martin Spain 72 Scr Scr
Andrew McArthur Scotland 73 Scr Scr
Felipe Aguilar Chile 73 Scr Scr
Marc Warren Scotland 73 Scr Scr
Jean-Francois Lucquin France 73 Scr Scr
Raphael Jacquelin France 73 Scr Scr
Brett Rumford Australia 75 Scr Scr
Gary Boyd England 75 Scr Scr