Harrington shoots a 65 despite knee injury

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
MEMPHIS, Tennessee – One day after being allowed to skip Wednesday’s pro-am for medical reasons, Padraig Harrington fired a five-under 65 in the opening round of the St. Jude Classic.
“I suppose it’s always, there,” Harrington said. “Beware of the injured golfer.”
Harrington injured the knee in a friendly soccer match on Christmas and played through the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. He underwent surgery on his right knee 16 days ago to remove two floating pieces of cartilage. Harrington said he felt some pain in the knee during the front nine and it stiffened up on the back nine.
“I’m probably going to have a few pains tonight,” he said.
Asked if the knee was going to hold up enough for him to play in next week’s U.S. Open, Harrington sounded confident: “Yeah, it’s only getting better.”

EUROPEAN TOUR REPORT

McGrane and Goddard share lead on 64 at Penha Longa

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Ireland's Damien McGrane signed for an outstanding eight under par round of 64 to share the lead with English Amateur Champion Luke Goddard after the opening round of the Estoril Open de Portugal today.
The pair took full advantage of the calm afternoon conditions to card eight birdies without dropping a shot.
It left the duo - polar opposites in terms of European Tour experience - a shot clear of Wales' Stuart Manley and Norwegian Eirik Tage Johansen, the latter's round all the more impressive as it came during strong breezes and sporadic heavy showers in the morning at Penha Longa Golf Club on the Estoril coast.
McGrane had already picked up three shots when he reached the turn but he put the burners on down the back nine - making three gains in a row from the 11th.
And the 2008 Volvo China Open winner carded two more birdies at the 15th and 16th to equal the course record.
“I played solid from start to finish,” said McGrane. “I never really looked like making a bogey all day, and all the time you’re not dropping shots and looking like making birdies, it adds up to a good day’s work.
“It’s all about hitting fairways and greens out there, and giving yourself opportunities, which is what I did. The greens are fairly soft which always makes life easier, and if you manage to roll the ball well on the greens, then you can make a few putts.”
Goddard, a 22 year old from Henley Golf Club, was part of last year's Walker Cup side but failed to make the cut in his two previous European Tour outings.
But after starting on the tenth tee he eagled his second hole, turned in 32 and birdied his last four holes to match McGrane's bogey-free round
Goddard, who only got an invite to play on Monday and has his girlfriend Lucy on the bag, said: “I only missed three greens all day, but managed to get it up and down.
“I also holed some nice putts along the way, so it was a good day at the office. I was just plodding along really, but then my round seemed to explode with the four birdies on the trot at the end.”
Manley, who had football trials with Manchester United as a teenager, again demonstrated his best golf on Portuguese soil - he was the halfway leader at the 2008 Portugal Masters before Alvaro Quiros stormed through to take the title over the weekend.
Norwegian Johansen, who has yet to record a top ten finish on The European Tour, produced a sublime round of 65 in windy conditions.
The 28 year old, who has three times graduated from The European Tour Qualifying School, recorded two birdies to reach the turn in 34.
But it was on the back nine that he turned on the style, picking up shots on four consecutive holes from the 11th, adding another at the 16th, then responding to a bogey at the penultimate hole by pitching to three foot on the par five 18th for a sixth gain in eight holes.
"It was really good fun - I enjoyed it," said Johansen. "I was hitting it pretty close on the front nine, then on the back nine I started making some longer putts. So all in all, it was a pretty good day.
"The wind was swirling out there, particularly on some of the more exposed holes. But it's a well-designed course, and it's in great condition.
"The game feels pretty easy at the moment. So I'm just hoping the feeling lasts for the next three days. If it does, I think we're going to have a lot more fun out there. The key to good golf is enjoying it, and I certainly enjoyed myself today."
Two off the pace are England's Richard Bland and Australian Andrew Tampion.
"I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, and more often than not managed to take my chances with some nice putts. You don't get many stress-free days, but that was about as good as it gets," said Bland, looking for his first win in his eighth full season on The European Tour.
Tampion has only made the cut once so far this season, and was relieved by his return to form.
"I've been a bit down over the last few weeks and months, but this week I've come out here with a different thought process after my chat with Nick my sports psychologist, and it seems to have done the trick. I'm enjoying playing golf again, which is great," he said.

FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
64 Damien McGrane, Luke Goddard
65 Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Stuart Manley
66 Richard Bland, Andrew Tampion (Aus)
67 Carlos Del Moral (Spa), John Parry, Steve Webster, Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Mark F Haastrup (Den), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Richard Green (Aus), Bradley Dredge, Marcus Fraser (Aus)
68 James Mclean (Aus), Andrew Coltart, Fredrik Henge (Swe), Peter Gustafsson (Swe), Robert Coles, Marco Ruiz (Par), Robert Rock, Iain Pyman
69 Marco Soffietti (Ita), Chris Wood, Scott Drummond, David Lynn, Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Gary Lockerbie, Louis Moolman (Rsa), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Tano Goya (Arg), Gregory Bourdy (Fra)
70 Anton Haig (Rsa), Nathan Smith (USA), Christian Nilsson (Swe), Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Liam Bond, Hugo Santos (Por), Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Kenneth Ferrie, Stephan Gross Jnr (Ger), Sam Little, Van Phillips
71 Chris Gane, Sion E Bebb, Pelle Edberg (Swe), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Oliver Fisher, Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Andre Bossert (Swi), Andrew McArthur, Daniel Brooks, David Horsey, Mark Brown (Nzl), James Ruebotham, Sam Hutsby, Gary Murphy, Ryan Blaum (USA), Andrew Marshall, Phillip Archer, Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita)
72 Jamie Little, Soren Juul (Den), Peter Baker, Johan Axgren (Swe), Nuno Campino (Por), Marc Warren, Goncalo Pinto (Por), Santiago Luna (Spa), Miles Tunnicliff, David Hewan (Rsa), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Jan Are Larsen (Nor), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Antonio Dantas (Por), Ghislain Rosier (Fra), Keith Horne (Rsa), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind), Tom Whitehouse, Cesar Monasterio (Arg)
73 Paul Waring, Phillip Price, Simon Lilly, Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Scott Hend (Aus), Dale Whitnell, Alastair Forsyth, Markus Brier (Aut), Ricardo Santos (Por), Simon Thornton, Philip Golding
74 Chris Gaunt (Aus), Benn Barham, Graeme Storm, Alessio Bruschi (Ita), Benjamin Hebert (Fra), Paul Eales, Ricardo Melo Gouveia (Por), Bjorn Pettersson (Swe), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Johan Lopez Lazzaro (Fra), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Paul Broadhurst, Gary Clark, Carl Suneson (Spa), David Vanegas (Col), Mark Laskey
75 Joao Malagueira (Por), Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra), James Ruth, Darren Clarke
76 Henrique Paulino (Por), Tiago Cruz (Por), Dominique Nouailhac (Fra), Mattias Eliasson (Swe), Miguel Gasper (Por), Steven O'Hara, Emanuele Canonica (Ita)
77 David Carter, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Antonio Sobrinho (Por), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Steen Ottosen (Den)
78 Andrew Butterfield
79 Nelson Cavalheiro (Por)
80 Mark Peddard
81 Daniel Wardrop
82 Antonio Rosado (Por)
83 Tomas Silva (Por)

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR report and scores

Matteo Manassero, out in 30, is two shots off lead at Aviemore

FROM MICHAEL GIBBONS
Deputy Chief Press Officer, European Tour
Matteo Manassero posted a four under par opening round of 67 at the Scottish Hydro Challenge to lie just two shots off the lead at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course at Aviemore.
The 17 year old Italian sensation, who became the youngest player in history to make the cut at the Masters in April, looked on course to smash the Spey Valley course record of 64 after storming to the turn in five under par 30, but he had to settle for a 67 after his birdie run dried up and he came back to the clubhouse in one over 37.
“I played really well the front nine and then not so good on the back so it should have been a better score,” said Manassero, who won the Silver Medal as the leading Amateur in The Open Championship by finishing in a tie for 13th spot at Turnberry last year.
“I’m definitely disappointed because the back nine wasn’t good. It is just one of those things: if I had played the front nine in one over then the back nine in five under I would be happier even though I shot the same score. But that is fine and overall I have to be happy with a four under start.
“It was just a case of the putts not dropping in the back nine, that was the difference. If I had played the same way on the back nine then the score could have been very low but there are three days to improve the game and do better than I have done today. I would have taken a 67 at the start of the day.”
Swede Magnus Carlsson leads the way on six under after a roller coaster 65 that included ten birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey.
There are seven players tied for second place on five under, with Chris Doak and George Murray leading the Scottish charge on four under 67s.
Murray birdied the long fifth, the seventh, ninth, the long 13th and 17th, and the 18th in halves of 33 (two under park) and 34 (two under).He dropped shots at the fourth and 11th.
Doak birdied the third, ninth, 15th, long 17th and 18th in halves of 34 an 33. He had one bogey, at the short sixth.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 71. Yardage 7,100
65 Magnus A Carlsson (Sweden).
66 Matthew Cort (England), Marius Thorp (Norway), Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark), Mark Tullo, Antti Ahokas (Finland), Francois Calmels (France), Charles0-Edouard Russo (France).
67 George Murray (Scotland), Chris Doak (Scotland), Inder Van Weerelt (Netherlands), Matteo Manassero (Italy), Adam Gee (England), Lee S James (England), Christoph Gunther (Germany), Anders Schmidt Hanson (Denmark).
68 Oliver Whiteley (England), Matt Haines (England), Jonathan Caldwell (Northern Ireland), Scott Jamieson (Scotland), Julien Grillon (France), Michael McGeady (Ireland), Gareth Shaw (Northern Ireland), Baptiste Chapellan (France), Joaquin Estevez (Argentina), Olivier David (France).
Other Scots' scores:69 Jack Doherty, Elliot Saltman, Greig Hutcheon.
70 Scott Henry.
71 Robert Arnott, Jamie McLeary, Mark Kerr, Graeme Lornie.
72 Steven Duncan, Raymond Russell, Chris Kelly, Callum Macaulay, Jason McCreadie, Lee Harper.
73 Kevin McAlpine, Gavin Dear, Craig Lee, Scott Henderson.
74 Keir McNicoll, Stephen Gray, Shaun McAllister.
75 John Gallagher.
76 Paul Doherty.
78 Martin Lawrence.
80 Eric Ramsay.
88 Fraser Cromarty.





Michael Gibbons

Deputy Chief Press Officer

European Tour

STEVEN HUME SIZZLES IN ALPS TOUR HEATWAVE

Perthshire’s Steven Hume made the Alps Tour cut with a shot to spare after shooting a four-under-par 68 in the second round of Le Fonti Open in Italy today.
Coping well with temperatures in the 80s, Hume sizzled to the turn in four-under-par 32 with birdies at the third and long fourth and an eagle 2 at th 310yd sixth.
The Scot improved to five under par for the round with a 4 at the long 10th before he wilted a little and bogeyed the 13th and 15th. But Hume finished on a high with his fourth birdie of the round at the 18th.
His 36-hole tally of 144 puts him in joint 31st place,11 shots behind the three-stroke leader, Frenchman Alan Bihan with scores of 65 and 678 for 11-under-par 133.
LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 144 (2x72)
133 Alan Bihan (Fra) 65 69.
136 Nunzio Daniele Lombardi (Ita) 71 65.
137 Moises Cobo (Spa) 67 70.
138 Matteo Delpodio (Ita) 72 66, Andrea Zanini (Ita) 69 69.
Selected scores:
141 Jason Barnes (Eng) 70 71, Ben Mannix (Eng) 72 69 (jt 14th).
142 Sam Robinson (Eng) 71 71 (jt 20th).
143 Jason Palmer (Eng) 70 74 (jt 25th).
144 Steve Hume (Sco) 76 78, Ricdki Neil-Jones (Eng) 75 69 (jt 31st).
145 Matthew Cryer (Eng) 71 74 (jt 39th).
MISSED THE CUT
146 Max Brackley (Eng) 80 66.
147 Richard Kilpatrick (NIr) 73 74.
148 Farren Keenan (Eng) 74 74.]
159 Neil Chaudhuri (Eng) 80 78.
Disqualified – Adam Hodkinson (Eng) 79 - .

Barry Hume, Zack Saltman miss out in EuroPro Tour even t

Rankin rallies to beat the cut, Herald slips to jt eighth

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Former Walker Cup player Graham Rankin covered the last eight holes in one under par, with a birdie at the short 14th, to beat the cut with nothing to spare after two rounds of this week’s PGA EuroPro Tour event, the Dawson and Sanderson Classic, at Longhirst Hall Golf Club, Northumberland today.
The Drumpellier man had saddled himself with an opening 80 but he was more focused in the second round and improved by eight shots for a 72 and a 36-hole tally of 152, right on the qualifying mark for the top 50 and ties..
Rankin’s chances of winning the £10,000 first prize are remote. He is 11 shots behind leader Nick McCarthy from Moortown, Leeds. McCarthy has had rounds of 70 and 71 for 142 over the 6,572yd, par-71 lay-out.
Scott Herald (Mearns Castle), joint leader overnight, still has a chance even though a 75, five shots worse than on Day 1, dropped him to joint eighth position on 145. Herald had a little bit of everything in his roller-coaster round – an eagle 3 at the 445yd 12th, birdies at the short sixth and 11th but a triple bogey 8 at the long 17th and bogeys at the third, seventh, eighth, 10th and 15th
Two other Scots made it through to the final day. Mark Rae is lying joint 33rd on 150 with scores of 74 and 76 while David Rodger (Windyhill) is tied for 44th place with 75 and 76 for 151.
Scots who missed the cut were Steven Mackie (76-78) and Zack Saltman (78-76) on 154, Barry Hume (78-77) and Ross Cameron (84-71) on 155, Andrew Barton (79-81) on 160, Stuart Burns (79-84) on 163 and John Henry (87-80) on 167.
.
Leading second round totals
Par 142 (2x71) Yardage 6562.
141 Nick McCarthy (Eng) 70 71.
142 Daniel Gaunt (Aus) 73 69, Matt Allen (Eng) 73 69.
143 Chris Roake (Eng) 70 73.
144 Neil O’Briain (Ire) 74 70, George Cowan (Eng) 72 72, Daniel Perrett (Eng) 74 70.
145 Scott Herald (Sco) 70 75, Tim Rice (Ire) 75 70, James Harper (Eng) 73 72.
Other Scots’ scores:
150 Mark Rae 74 76 (jt 33rd).
151 David Roger 75 76 (jt 44th).
152 Graham Rankin 80 72 (jt 49th)).
MISSED THE CUT
154 Steven Mackie 76 78, Zack Saltman 78 76.
155 Barry Hume 78 77. Ross Cameron 84 71.
160 Andrew Barton 79 81.
163 Stuart Burns 79 84.
167 John Henry 87 80.
Retired: Euan McIntosh 83 -.

Grey v Du Toit, Arthurs v Champness in semi-finals

of world one-armed championship at Nairn Dunbar

Scotland’s hopes of providing a home winner of the world one-armed golfers’ championship at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club this week were snuffed out in the first round of the match-play stages today.
Only two Scots qualified and Stuart Griffin (Stirling) was beaten by two holes by American Gary Marshall while Douglas Jopp (Craigielaw) went down by 6 and 5 to Sweden’s Alex Hjalmarsson.
Marshall and Hjalmarsson were themselves KO’d in the quarter-finals. The American lost by one hole to Hugo Du Toit from South Africa. The Sweden went down by 2 and 1 to Nick Champness (Royal Ashdown Forest).
In Friday morning’s semi-finals, its Du Toit against Darren Grey (Darlington) who beat Marcus Malo (Sweden) 2 and 1 in the round of the last eight, and Champness against Ireland’s Cian Arthurs, a 3 and 1 winner over compatriot Brendan Swan.
TODAY'S RESULTS
First round
Marcus Malo (Swe) bt Dave Schutsander (Swe) 5 and 4.
Darren Grey (Darlington) bt David Waterhouse (Upton by Chester) 2 and 1.
Hugo Du Toit (SAf) bt Alistair Calvert (Tasmania) 2 holes.
Gary Marshall (USA) bt Stuart Griffin (Stirling) 2 holes.
Brendan Swan (Ire) bt Robert Paul (Walmer and Kingsdown) 2 holes.
Cian Arthurs (Ire) bt Keith Dewhurst (Bolton Old Links) 4 and 3.
Alex Hjalmarsson (Swe) bt Douglas Jopp (Craigielaw) 6 and 5.
Nicholas Champness (Royal Ashdown Forest0 bt Michael O’Gray (Ire) 2 holes.
Quarter-finals
Grey bt Malo 2 and 1.
Du Toit bt Marshall 1 hole.
Arthurs bt Swan 3 and 1.
Champness bt Hjalmarsson 2 and 1.

STABLEFORD
John Condie (Ireland) (26) 36pt
David Bailey (Whittington Heath) (17) 35.
Tony Jones (Northrop Country Park) (18) 32.
George Bradley (Dunaverty) (20) 32.
Gary GArdner (Dalmahoy) (19) 31.
Darren Masters (Feltwell) (18) 31.
Mary Fahey (Ireland) (36) 30.
David Braddick (Parklands) (20) 29.
Jussi Nuorti (Finland) (28) 29.
Michael Crowston (Dunstable Downs) (17) 28.
Hugh Ross (Cawder) (17) 27.
Gusta Emilsson (Sweden) (18) 26.
Peter Priscott (Swaffham) (28) 26.
Graham Cole (Onneley) (23) 25.
Bobby Park (Indonesia) (22) 21.
Bill Boyes (McDonald Ellon) (26) 21.
Don Allen (Northern Ireland) (28) 18.
Malcolm Guy (Old Meldrew) (23) 17.
Ken Nicholls (Ireland) (24) 15.

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR EVENT AT AVIEMORE

Carlsson's bag of 10 birdies gives him lead on six-under 65

FROM THE EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR WEBSITE
A roller coaster opening round saw Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson take the clubhouse lead at the Scottish Hydro Challenge, with young Italian star Matteo Manassero just two strokes off the six under par pace.
Carlsson compiled a remarkable round that included ten birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey, giving him an opening score of six under par 65 at the Dave Thomas-designed MacDonald Spey Valley course at Aviemore. The Swede was the first to admit that his extraordinary round was somewhat out character.
“It was an eventful day alright – ten birdies, two bogeys and a double,” said Carlsson. “I can’t remember ever only having five pars in one round, that is very unlike me.
“The putting was obviously the key today – I had 27 putts, which is very good for me. I still can’t believe it when I see guys having 23 putts in one round, I don’t think I have ever got near 23 putts. Even today I was holing them from four and five metres but I still had 27. I suppose that is the difference.”
England’s Matthew Cort, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and Chilean Mark Tullo share second spot on five under, with Manassero joining the Scottish duo of Chris Doak and George Murray as well as Dutchman Inder Van Weerelt on four under.
“I played really well the front nine and then not so good on the back so it should have been a better score,” said Manassero.
“I’m definitely disappointed because the back nine wasn’t good. It is just one of those things: if I had played the front nine in one over then the back nine in five under I would be happier even though I shot the same score. But that is fine and overall I have to be happy with a four under start.
“It was just a case of the putts not dropping in the back nine, that was the difference. If I had played the same way on the back nine then the score could have been very low but there are three days to improve the game and do better than I have done today. I would have taken a 67 at the start of the day.”

SCOREBOARD TO COME AT END OF PLAY

CRAIG WATSON LEADS FIELD FOR SCOTTISH MID-

AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP OVER HOME COURSE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Former Amateur Champion Craig Watson will be hoping to make local knowledge count when his bid to land the Scottish mid-amateur championship on his home course of East Renfrewshire gets underway on Saturday (12- 14 June).
Watson, who defeated South African Trevor Immelman in the final of The Amateur Championship back in 1997, will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of Renfrewshire team-mate Andrew Farmer who collected the title at Royal Burgess last year.
The 43-year-old former Scotland captain played a key role in guiding his Renfrewshire side to the final of the recent Moneygate Scottish Area Team Championship and will go into this weekend’s event with high hopes of adding a second Mid-Amateur title to his CV, having won the inaugural Championship in 1994.
Farmer misses this year’s Championship but another former winner, Edzell’s Ross Coull who triumphed at Dundonald Links two years ago, is the lowest handicapped man in the sixty-strong field at plus 2.9.
Paul Telfer, the former Scotland, Southampton and Celtic footballer, lines up in the championship for the fourth successive year and will be targeting a place in the last sixteen knock-out stages for the first time, while Hayston’s Paul Betty and Crow Wood’s Ed Wood will be strong candidates to lift the trophy on Monday.
Two rounds of stroke play qualifying take place on Saturday, with the leading sixteen players take their place in the match-play knock out stages on Sunday, before Monday’s semi-final and final. East Renfrewshire GC, located on the south side of Glasgow, hosts the event for the first time.

PLAYERS FROM 37 COUNTRIES SET TO CONTEST 115TH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Amateur golfers from 37 countries, including Bolivia, India, China and Australia, will arrive in Scotland this week ahead of the 2010 Amateur Championship. A strong international field containing 11 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) Top 20 will contest the Championship at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs next week, 14-19 June. A place at the 150th Anniversary Open Championship and the 2011 Masters Tournament are on offer for the Champion.
The highest-ranked player in the field is the USA’s Jonathan Randolph at fourth in the world. He leads a strong American contingent of 25 players at Muirfield and North Berwick, all hoping to emulate fellow American Drew Weaver, the 2007 Amateur Champion at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
In eight starts in counting events this year, University of Mississippi junior Randolph, 21, has registered two wins, two seconds and three third-place finishes.
Ranked just below the American pair at sixth in the world is Korea’s Jin Jeong. Jeong, who plays most of his golf in Australia, earned his Amateur exemption courtesy of a three-shot victory at March’s Riversdale Cup: that victory just one of three triumphs the 20-year-old has enjoyed in 2010.
Another man to watch is Australian Matt Jager, winner of both the Australian Match Play and Stroke Play championships in consecutive weeks earlier this year at Lake Karrinyup Country Club near Perth. The 21-year-old, who also claimed the New Zealand Amateur in 2010, is currently ranked 48th in the world.
Two of last year’s semi-finalists, Stiggy Hodgson, who took two points out of four during last September’s Walker Cup Match, and Darren Renwick, both return in the hope of improving on their Formby performances.
At Formby last year, Hodgson, 19, knocked out 38-year-old South African Ryan Dreyer in the last 16. Dreyer, a former professional golfer who now plays professional poker, won the 2009 South African Amateur Championship, the 2010 Gauteng North Open and, on the poker table, the WAGR number 81 won the 2008 Sun City Million Dollar Poker Tournament.
Two-time Faldo Series Asia champion Rashid Khan will also take his place on the East Lothian links next week. The 19-year-old, ranked 29th in the world, has won four times in 2010, most recently at the Punjab Open in early May.
Britons to watch include England’s Tommy Fleetwood, Welshman Rhys Enoch, Alan Dunbar of Northern Ireland and Scots James Byrne and David Law. Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup player Fleetwood, currently ranked 10th in the world, lost to Dutchman Reinier Saxton in the final of the 2008 Amateur Championship at Turnberry and reached the quarter-finals at Formby last year.
88th-ranked Enoch recently tied first place at the NCAA East Regional qualifier, playing for his college, East Tennessee State University, and Dunbar, 20, won May’s Irish Amateur Open Championship at the Royal Dublin Golf Club.
James Byrne, who was selected to represent Europe in the Bonnallack Trophy Match earlier this year along with countryman Ross Kellett, is the highest-ranked Scot at 18th in the world. 19-year-old David Law, meanwhile, is the reigning Scottish Boys and Scottish Amateur Champion.

TARTAN ARMY BIDDING FOR TOP AMATEUR TITLE

A strong contingent of 56 Scottish players will arrive in East Lothian next week in search of the first home Amateur Championship victory since Stuart Wilson won at St Andrews in 2004.
The highest-ranked of the 56 is Banchory’s James Byrne, who reached the 2009 Amateur Championship last 16 at Formby. Byrne, currently in his junior year at Arizona State University, occupies 18th place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, his highest position to date. He was selected to represent Europe in the Bonallack Trophy this year.
Also selected was Ross Kellett of Colville Park Golf Club in Motherwell. Kellett’s Amateur Championship record is one better than Byrne’s, the 22-year-old having reached the quarter-finals of Royal Lytham and St Annes in 2007, before losing out to fellow Scot and Challenge Tour player Callum Macaulay 4&3.
"I feel pretty comfortable around Muirfield,” said Kellett, who finished runner-up at both the New South Wales Amateur and Argentina Amateur last year. “I played in the Home Internationals there in 2008, and a Scottish Golf Union team plays against a members’ select team every season as well. That experience can only help during the Amateur.
“My match play record is good, but the first priority is coming through qualifying. Missing my last two cuts is disappointing [the Scottish Stroke Play Championship and the St Andrews Links Trophy], but I feel I've been playing well enough, I've just not been getting any breaks. You need a bit of luck in golf at times.
“Hopefully I'll be ready at the Amateur. There's a lot at stake that week, what with the chance of playing in The Open and the Masters if you win. But you have to forget all of that and stay focused on the job," he added.
More successful at the Links Trophy was Troon Welbeck golfer Michael Stewart, who finished in a tie for seventh place seven shots off the lead, but only two off second place. Philip McLean, also due to contest the Amateur Championship, was the highest-placed Scot after four rounds at the Home of Golf, finishing tied for second place.
Former Scottish boys champion Stewart, who has won twice on the US College circuit playing for East Tennessee State University, said: “Muirfield is up there with my favourite courses and I won a Scottish Golf Union Junior Tour event at North Berwick back in 2006, so I have quite good memories of East Lothian.”
"I missed the cut in the Scottish Stroke Play in my first event back since returning from the US but I wasn't my usual self that week. There was no flair, but my game is getting better and sharper now. It's all about peaking at the right time and the Amateur would be perfect time to do that.”
Local interest will focus on Craigielaw’s Mark Hillson, who was the highest-placed Scot at the 2009 Amateur Championship, progressing to the quarter-finals before being defeated by England’s Darren Renwick.
The 115th Amateur Championship will take place at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs on 14-19 June. 288 players will play two rounds of stroke play, one each at Muirfield and North Berwick, before 64 players and ties progress to the match play rounds beginning on Wednesday at Muirfield. A place at the 150th Anniversary Open Championship and the 2011 Masters Tournament are on offer for the 2010 Champion.

Stroke-play could be third leg of glorious treble for Forrest

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
The latest Lothians success in the Scottish boys' area team championship has set up the chance of an amazing title treble for Grant Forrest.
The Craigielaw player, who joined forces with Anthony Blaney, Graeme Duncan and Fraser Thain to claim a record ninth success in the event at Peebles last Sunday, already had the Scottish boys' match-play crown in the bag.
And he'll have home advantage when he bids to add the national stroke-play equivalent as Craigielaw stages that event next month.
"The Scottish boys' stroke-play is a big one. To make it a treble there would be amazing," said Forrest, who was delighted to lead the Lothians quartet to their weekend success in the Borders.
Since his win at West Kilbride, Forrest has been fitting in his golf between exams but is now looking forward to a busy few weeks on the fairways and greens.
He's a certainty for the Scottish side that will compete in the boys' home internationals later in the summer and should also be in the six-strong line-up for the forthcoming European boys' team championship in Turkey.

PHILIP McLEAN LEADS SGU

ORDER OF MERIT

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Peterhead’s Philip McLean, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has jumped to the top of the SGU Order of Merit standings following his superb joint second place finish at last weekend’s St Andrews Links Trophy.
The Scotland international, winner of the Edward Trophy earlier this season, has opened up a significant gap at the top of the rankings, with Stirling University student Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) in second place after he secured an impressive joint fourth place at the previous weekend’s Scottish Stroke Play Championship. McLean has also leapt 111 places to 291st place in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Leven Golfing Society’s Brian Soutar, who finished runner-up to McLean at Glasgow Gailes in the Edward Trophy, drops to third place, one ahead of Matthew Clark (Kilmalcolm) who had the led the Scottish challenge after the third round of the St Andrews Links Trophy before finishing in 24th spot.
North-east stalwart Bryan Innes is in fifth place in the Order of Merit after earning the silver medal at the Scottish Stroke Play Championship, while former Scottish Boys Champion Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) enters the top ten after his fine showing at St Andrews.
Banchory’s James Byrne is up to eighteenth place in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and retains his place as the leading Scot ahead of his return from Arizona State University. The 21-year-old lines up in next week’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield and North Berwick hoping to emulate the purple patch he enjoyed in Scotland last summer, with back-to-back wins at the Tennant Cup and East of Scotland Stroke Play Championship.
Borders youngster Simon Fairburn leads the way in the SGU Boys Order of Merit looking to secure his fourth win of the season at this weekend’s Junior Tour event at Kilmarnock (Barassie), with Scottish Boys Champion Grant Forrest – fresh from leading Lothians to victory at the Scottish Boys Area Team Championship – hot on his heels in second place.

Bob Humble sets Kilspindie record that  might never be beaten!

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
Bob Humble, a well-known figure in Lothians' golf, has achieved the amazing feat of winning the Kilspindie club championship in five different decades.
Almost 40 years after he first claimed the title in 1971, the 61-year-old has won it again for the 19th time. He beat Duncan Hamilton, ten years his junior, by 3 and 2 in this year's final, meaning he has now won the event in the 70s, 80s, 90s, Nougties and 10s. Humble's latest success came six years after he was last champion at the East Lothian club and has added to his legendary status there.
The two handicapper also holds the amateur course record, a 62 shot in 1990 that included a bogey. The professional record, set by Alastair Forsyth in 1999, is three shots fewer.
Not to be outdone, Kilspindie's other prolific club championship winner has also added to her tally of titles this year. In beating Fiona Talcott by 4 and 3 in the final, Lynn Fortune claimed the ladies' crown for the 16th time, having first won it in 1988. "The fact one man and one woman have won their respective titles so often almost makes it seem as though the club is one dimensional, but I can assure they were both up against some stiff competition," said Kilspindie general manager Paul Casely.
"Bob, for instance, has been losing finalist on umpteen other occasions and Duncan Hamilton said after the final that he'd certainly not played bad golf."
Casely added: "We're a small club with a huge cross section of members and are very fortunate to have champions like Bob and Lynn.
"Bob, in particular, is relentless but, at the same time, is always very sporting.
"He's a credit to the club and also golf in general. His etiquette is without parallel, he's Humble by name and humble by nature.
"And there's a good chance that he's not at the end of that amazing championship run just yet – the opposition will know they've got a job on their hands trying to take the title off him next year."
Joining Humble and Fortune on the 2010 Kilspindie champions' board are Jim Kinross, who beat Colin Stirling in the B Division final, Elspeth Walker, who claimed the ladies' Bronze title at the expense of Christine Reid, and Callum Morrison, the new junior title holder after beating Mark Owenson.