Callum Shinwin wins Carris Trophy by seven strokes

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Callum Shinkwin produced two sensational rounds of golf over the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa to win the English Boys under 18 Stroke Play Championship for the Carris Trophy, supported by Titleist, by a street.
A closing round of 68, which followed a morning 67, left him on 281, 11 under par, and seven shots ahead of his nearest challengers, Harry Casey and Paul Lockwood.
Appropriately, Shinkwin, from the Moor Park club, the traditional home of the Carris Trophy, is the third Hertfordshire player to win the title in the past six years and succeeds Tom Lewis as champion.
“Winning this championship means a lot to me,” said Shinkwin. “I’ve been trying to show I can play in the bigger tournaments. Now I’ve won one.”
So what was Shinkwin’s secret? “I don’t have a clue but it all came together for me,” he added. “But I just hit the ball well and putted well. I just went out and played and I only went in one bunker all day and I got up-and-down from that.”
Although Shinkwin has not hit the heights until now, he has enjoyed success in what has been his emerging season. He finished fifth in the McEvoy Trophy, was runner-up in the Hertfordshire Championship and made the cut in the Brabazon Trophy. “I’ve just played steadily and I’ve only missed one cut,” he admitted.
He now adds his name to an illustrious list of former winners such as Sandy Lyle, Peter Baker, Justin Rose and Ken Brown, another Hertfordshire winner back in 1974. “I’d like to be as successful as they have been,” Shinkwin added.
On a day that began bright, brought some rain and produced lightning which forced a 25 minute stoppage of play, Shinkwin’s statistics are worth considering. He was 11 under par for 36 holes, found 14 birdies, nine in round three, his final round was bogey-free and he also had an air shot when he flicked his putter at a one inch putt – and missed.
“That was on the 17th this morning when I missed from six feet and then failed to connect with the ball lying on the lip,” he admitted.
Casey put himself in the frame with a bogey-free morning return of 68 but he couldn’t keep pace with Shinkwin and a closing 72 left him sharing second spot with Yorkshire’s Lockwood, who was the other player to fire two sub-par rounds with 72 and 71.
Levi Desmond from Lincolnshire hoisted himself to fourth on three-under-par 289 with a closing 70, while Patrick Kelly, also from Lincolnshire, signed for a closing 69 for joint fifth with Hampshire’s Colin Walsh.
Halfway leader Sam Young, the Yorkshire Boy Champion, had a disappointing day; rounds of 76 and 77 dropped him down the order to joint 13th on 295.
Another highlight of the day was a hole-in-one by Freddie Sheridan Mills in the morning with a pitching wedge at the 143-yard fifth hole. It was his second ‘ace’ but his first in competition but he finished with a brace of 77s for 297.
The Hazards Salver for the best performance by an under 16 player from Britain and Ireland was won by Kelly while the Malcolm Reid Salver for the combined aggregate from the Carris and McEvoy Trophies also went to Shinkwin on 563.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 292 (4x73)
1st Callum Shinkwin Moor Park Golf Club 76 70 67 68 281
2nd P Lockwood Hessle Golf Club 72 73 72 71 288
2nd Harry Casey Enfield Golf Club 74 74 68 72 288
4th Levi Desmond DeVere Belton Woods Golf Club 70 75 74 70 289 
5th Patrick Kelly Boston West Golf Club 76 72 75 69 292
5th Colin Walsh Hayling Golf Club 71 75 72 74 292 
7th Steven Jones Canons Brook Golf Club 77 73 71 72 293
7th Thomas Detry Belgium 74 71 75 73 293
7th Jack Heasman West Essex Golf Club 73 71 73 76 293 
10th Luke Jackson Worksop Golf Club 76 75 75 68 294
10th Christopher Lloyd Kendleshire Golf Club (The) 74 74 73 73 294
10th Oliver Carr Heswall Golf Club 72 73 73 76 294
13th Curtis Griffiths Wentworth Golf Club 71 77 75 72 295 
13th Adrian Otaegui Spain 76 72 75 72 295
13th Sam Young Rotherham Golf Club 71 71 76 77 295
16th Axel Geers Netherlands 75 76 71 74 296
16th Thomas Pieters Belgium 73 75 73 75 296
16th Jerome Titlow The London Golf Club 71 74 76 75 296 
19th Mark Geddes Prenton Golf Club 75 73 77 72 297
19th Toby Tree Worthing Golf Club 69 77 75 76 297 
19th Freddie Sheridan Mills Walsall Golf Club 70 73 77 77 297 
22nd Billy Downing Truro Golf Club 76 74 76 72 298
22nd Ben Smith Sandy Lodge Golf Club 74 75 73 76 298 
22nd David Blick East Devon Golf Club 76 72 73 77 298 
25th Nathan Kimsey Woodhall Spa Golf Club 70 74 79 76 299 
25th Jeroen Krietemeijer Netherlands 72 74 74 79 299
27th Federico Zucchetti Italy 76 70 78 76 300 +8
27th Matthew Bacon Costessey Park Golf Club 73 75 73 79 300 +8
29th Craig Cameron Wentworth Golf Club 76 75 74 76 301 +9
29th Matthew Chapman Wentworth Golf Club 71 78 75 77 301 +9
29th Jonny Mcallister Hallowes Golf Club 71 74 78 78 301 +9
29th Jake Harrison Grassmoor Golf Club 70 76 76 79 301 +9
33rd Jorge Simon Spain 69 80 75 78 302 +10
33rd Sam Cutting Berkhamsted Golf Club 73 75 74 80 302 +10
35th Greg Payne Chobham Golf Club 77 74 76 76 303 +11
35th Thomas Rowland Prudhoe Golf Club 74 73 74 82 303 +11
37th Greg Eason Kirby Muxloe Golf Club 76 75 77 76 304 +12
37th Thomas Clements Royal Norwich Golf Club 70 79 79 76 304 +12
39th Robert Aldred Stourbridge Golf Club 74 74 84 73 305 +13
39th Tomasz Anderson Mill Green Golf Club 71 76 82 76 305 +13
41st Adam Batty Hazlemere Golf Club 75 75 76 80 306 +14
42nd Nathan Kemp Sweetwoods Park Golf Club 75 74 80 78 307 +15
42nd Edward Peters Notts Golf Club 71 73 81 82 307 +15
44th Ryan Wallace Handsworth Golf Club 76 73 85 75 309 +17
45th J A Bolton Formby Golf Club 77 74 78 81 310 +18
46th Michael Helyard Beverley & East Riding Golf Club 74 77 85 76 312 +20
47th James Newton Prestbury Golf Club 75 76 85 80 316 +24

SENIOR OPEN AT CARNOUSTIE

Langer, Mason, Blake share first-round lead on 67 (-4)

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Germany's Bernhard Langer, England's Carl Mason and American Jay Don Blake share the lead after the first day of The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard at Carnoustie.
Mason, who is looking to win what would be a 24th Senior Tour title, shot a four under par 67 late in the day to join Langer - who is chasing his first Senior Major after a string of near misses - and Blake at the top of the leaderboard.
"If this was the 24th, that would be something special, wouldn't it?" said Mason when asked about the possibility of breaking Tommy Horton's Senior Tour record with a first Major.
"There's a long way to go, and so if I can keep playing as good as I have done today."
"I was thrilled to bits the way I played, I played great.
"It’s the best I've played for a good few weeks, so that was good. I felt good, and I started rolling in the putts and hit some great shots and four sort of birdies in a row really got me moving.
Mason came close to winning The Senior Open in 2005 when he lost in a play-off to Tom Watson and similarly Langer has also come close to a maiden Senior Major triumph.
Langer, pictured above, has dominated the Champions Tour in the US in recent years - highlighted by consecutive Order of Merit titles in 2008 and 2009 - but is yet to add a Major victory in the over-50s category to the two Masters Tournaments he won.
His hopes of capturing a first Senior Major in 13 attempts - he has had seven top ten finishes - were boosted by a birdie at the first and then a hat-trick from the seventh to turn in a four under par 32.
And despite a level par 35 on the way in, Langer was still delighted with his day's work.
"I'm very happy with it, said the former Ryder Cup Captain. "I birdied the very first hole and had some further chances the next few holes, then had a nice run there on seven, eight, nine when I birdied those three - there's a lot of tough holes on the back nine.
"I had some good approach putts from off the green when I missed a couple of greens here or there. I was able to get my approach putts pretty close and save par - it's a very tough finish. Those last few holes are all straight into the wind, and they are playing very long.
"I played very well. I kept the ball in play, I drove it pretty good and hit a number of fairways.
"When I didn't hit the fairway, I was either fortunate enough to get a reasonable lie or miss some trouble and hit those shots out of the rough pretty good. Made a few putts and hit my irons fairly close."
In contrast to Langer, Blake did most of his good work on the back nine.
Having turned in 35, the 51 year old recorded three birdies in four holes from the tenth.
"You know, I hit a lot of good shots," said Blake, whose only US PGA Tour victory came 19 years ago.
"Mike Reid, my playing partner says, ‘I never really did anything spectacular'. I hit a lot of fairways and played smart shots to the greens and made some putts here and there.
"I just tried to execute myself around the golf course and be patient. It's a golf course that you can't be aggressive because everything runs up to the pin so much that you can't fly it to the flags like we are used to over in the courses we play in America.
"I've had to learn a whole new game, which is fun - it's exciting, but it's tough. I've just tried to stay out of those death bunkers that I call them - it's a one-shot penalty just getting in those. It's pretty tough, tough track out there, and I'm very pleased with what I shot."
Those one shot further back include 2008 winner Bruce Vaughan, who was joined on three under by American compatriots Mark Wiebe and Dan Forsman. Former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance, the 2009 Senior Tour Order of Merit winner, is two shots off the pace after a 69, along with the current US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin.
FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 71
67 Bernhard Langer (Ger), Carl Mason (Eng), Jay Don Blake
68 Bruce Vaughan, Dan Forsman, Mark Wiebe
69 Sam Torrance (Sco), John Cook, Jeff Sluman, Corey Pavin, Mike Donald, Larry Mize
70 Gary Hallberg, Russ Cochran, Mark Calcavecchia, David Peoples, Olin Browne, Jay Haas
71 Randy Haag, Jimmy Heggarty (NIrl), Tom Lehman, Peter Senior (Aus), David Frost (Rsa), Morris Hatalsky, James D Mason, Loren Roberts
72 Ian Woosnam (Wal), Ross Drummond (Sco), John Gould (Eng), John Harrison (Eng), Fraser Mann (Sco), Ronnie Black
73 Marc Farry (Fra), Andy Stubbs (Eng), Gene Jones, Mike Goodes, Gordon J Brand (Eng), Michael Allen, Denis O'Sullivan (Irl), Chris Williams (Rsa), Graham Banister, Angel Franco (Par), Gordon Brand Jnr (Sco), Steve Van Vuuren (Rsa)
74 John Benda, Seiki Okuda (Jpn), Trevor Dodds (Na), Tommy Armour III, Mike Cunning, Chip Beck, Domingo Hospital (Spa), Stephen Bennett (Eng), Eduardo Romero (Arg), Tsukasa Watanabe (Jpn), Steve Cipa (Eng), David Merriman (Aus), Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Mark James (Eng), Des Smyth (Irl)
75 Roger Chapman (Eng), Bill Longmuir (Sco), Mike Clayton (Aus), George Ryall (Eng), Andrew Oldcorn (Sco), Ted Schulz, Bob Cameron (Eng), Glenn Ralph (Eng), Peter Fowler (Aus), Mark Carnevale, Sandy Lyle (Sco), Manuel Pinero (Spa), Lance Ten Broeck, Martin Poxon (Eng), Vicente Fernandez (Arg), Fred Funk, Boonchu Ruangkit (Tha), Peter Mitchell (Eng), Philip Blackmar, David J Russell (Eng), Mark Belsham (Eng), Alastair Webster (Sco), Tim Simpson, Barry Lane (Eng)
76 Frankie Minoza (Phi), Denis Watson (Zim), Juan Quiros (Spa), Matt Briggs (Gbr), Eamonn Darcy (Irl), Jerry Bruner, Paul Simson, J.L. Lewis, Bob Gilder, Costantino Rocca (Ita), Bob Boyd, Pete Oakley, C.s. Lu (Tpe), Isao Aoki (Jpn), Mike Harwood (Aus), Kazuhiro Takami (Jpn), Bobby Lincoln (Rsa), Bobby Clampett, Noel Ratcliffe (Aus), Nick Job (Eng), Fred Holton (Gbr)
77 Joe Stansberry, Mark Balen, Tony Johnstone (Zim), Hideki Kase (Jpn), Robert Vallis (Bm), Wayne Grady (Aus), Bertus Smit (Rsa), Katsuyoshi Tomori (Jpn), Adan Sowa (Arg), Nobuo Serizawa (Jpn), Michael s Harmon
78 Denis Durnian (Gbr), Robert Wrenn, Scott Simpson, Jeb Stuart
79 Martin Gray (Eng), Andrew Reynolds (Eng), Michael Mercier, Delroy Cambridge (Jm), Jose Rivero (Spa), Carlo Alberto Acutis (Ita)
80 Antonio Garrido (Spa), Kirk Hanefeld, Christy O'Connor Jnr (Irl), David Gilchrist (Sco), Barrie Stevens (Eng), Steve Rogers, Gary Trivisonno, Bob Charles (Nzl), Jim Rhodes (Eng)
81 Tom Lockwood (Eng)
82 Kevin Spurgeon (Eng), John Chillas (Gbr), Mike Reid
83 Graham Gunn (Can), Billy Jack, John Hoskison (Eng)
84 Grant Turner (Eng)
87 Brad Smith (Eng)

The Louis Oosthuizen Show is not over yet ... shares lead in Sweden

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
The Louis Oosthuizen show just kept on rolling today after the new Open Championship winner swapped St Andrews for Stockholm and starred again.
Not wanting to give a poor display - and fearing he might after failing to break par in the curtain-raising pro-am - Oosthuizen scored a five under 67 to share the lead with Richard Green and Dustin Johnson after the first round of the Nordea Scandinavian Masters at Bro Hof.
The 27 year old South African, a runaway seven-shot winner at The Home of Golf on Sunday, admits he is looking forward to going home next week, but it might be with another title under his belt.
Only Australian left-hander Green and American Johnson - the player who led the US Open Championship before a closing 82 last month - could match his opening effort.
"I had a good sleep, but I woke up tired again and the win has definitely drained me," said Oosthuizen. "But the crowds were unbelievable, cheering me onto every green and every tee.
"I wanted to play nicely. The last thing I wanted was to put on a bad show and it was important not to think too much about next week."
Leader for the last three rounds in Scotland, The Claret Jug holder kicked off with a birdie, followed with eight pars and then came home in a superb 32.
That even included a trip to the water - there is plenty of it at the spectacular new European Tour course - on the long 13th, but he came back from a six there with birdies at the next two and finished in style with a 30 footer for another.
Johnson was three ahead of Graeme McDowell with a round to go at Pebble Beach, but a dream day for the Northern Irishman was a nightmare one for the 26 year old.
He triple-bogeyed the second hole, doubled the third and in the end finished eighth.
Last week was an eventful one for Johnson too - if he had repeated the birdie-birdie finish to his third round on Sunday he would have tied Lee Westwood for second place.
Instead he took a double bogey six on the Road Hole 17th, then missed the widest fairway in Major golf on the last and went out of bounds. That dropped him to 14th, but he remains on course for a Ryder Cup debut in October.
He said: "I hit the ball beautifully all day and was never in trouble at any point."
Green, seeking his third European Tour title, made up for two bogeys with no fewer than seven birdies after changing to a driver brought out to him by a friend.
Among those only a shot behind are Korean K J Choi and Barclays Scottish Open champion Edoardo Molinari, who with a top two finish on Sunday could climb into an automatic qualifying spot on Europe's Ryder Cup table.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
67 Dustin Johnson (USA), Richard Green (Aus), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa)
68 K J Choi (Kor), Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Rafael Echenique (Arg), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
69 Gary Boyd, David Dixon, Niclas Fasth (Swe), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Steven O'Hara
70 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Phillip Price, Scott Drummond, Pelle Edberg (Swe), Sam Hutsby, Richard S Johnson (Swe), Marco Ruiz (Par), Sam Little, Michael Hoey
71 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Andrew Tampion (Aus), Seung-yul Noh (Kor), Fredrik Henge (Swe), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Christian Nilsson (Swe), Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Shiv Kapur (Ind), David Howell, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind), George Coetzee (Rsa), Marius Thorp (Nor), James Morrison, Brett Rumford (Aus), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
72 Sion E Bebb, Danny Willett, Oliver Fisher, Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Peter Hanson (Swe), Anthony Wall, Robert Rock, Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Pablo Martin (Spa), Richard Bland, Hennie Otto (Rsa), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Mark Tullo (Chi), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Richard McEvoy, Andrew Dodt (Aus), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), David Drysdale, Gary Murphy, Stephan Gross Jnr (Ger), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Jamie Donaldson, Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Nils Floren (Swe)
73 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Damien McGrane, Joost Luiten (Ned), Johan Edfors (Swe), Robert Karlsson (Swe), Joel Sjoholm (Swe), Scott Hend (Aus), Stephen Dodd, Alexander Noren (Swe), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Wilhelm Schauman (Swe), Miles Tunnicliff, Simon Thornton, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Rickie Fowler (USA), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Nick Dougherty, Scott Strange (Aus), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), David Lynn, Mark Brown (Nzl), Victor Dubuisson (Fra), Paul Broadhurst, Ariel Canete (Arg), Mark Foster, Troy Matteson (USA)
74 Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Jesper Kennegard (Swe), Jeff Karlsson (Swe), Julien Quesne (Fra), Peter Lawrie, Rikard Karlberg (Swe), Kenneth Ferrie, Anthony Kang (USA), Jamie Elson, Robert Coles, Andrew McArthur, Phillip Archer, Peter O'Malley (Aus)
75 Chris Gane, Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Graeme Storm, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Anders Sjostrand (Swe), Markus Brier (Aut), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Jesper Parnevik (Swe), Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Martin Wiegele (Aut), Steve Webster, Henrik Norlander (Swe), Peter Whiteford, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Gary Clark, Michiel Bothma (Rsa), James Ruth
76 Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Richie Ramsay, Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Klas Eriksson (Swe), David Lingmerth (Swe), Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Richard Finch, Alastair Forsyth, Benjamin Hebert (Fra)
77 Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Liam Bond, Paul Waring, James Kamte (Rsa), Marcus Palm (Swe)
78 Pontus Widegren (Swe), Gary Lockerbie, Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Marc Warren, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Rick Kulacz (Aus)
79 John Parry, Andrew Butterfield, Mark F Haastrup (Den)
80 Anton Haig (Rsa), Victor Tarnstrom (Swe), Peter Baker
81 Roope Kakko (Fin), Carl Suneson (Spa), Michael Campbell (Nzl)
RTD: Jyoti Randhawa

Amateur Fleetwood up with leaders in English Challenge

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Callum Macaulay shrugged off fatigue and the disappointment of a missed cut last week to charge into contention on day one of the English Challenge.
Macaulay is playing his eighth consecutive tournament, but made light of his heavy schedule with a round of 66 at Stoke by Nayland Golf, Hotel and Spa near Colchester, Essex, to lie in a tie for second place behind leader Daniel Gaunt of Australia.
The man from Falkirk got off to an indifferent start with a bogey at the 11th hole – his second – but soon rallied with birdies at the 14th, 16th and 18th, before compiling a flawless back nine of 32 to finish on six under par.
Macaulay said: “I hardly put a foot wrong, and anytime you manage to keep a five off your card, you know you’ve had a pretty good day. I holed two or three decent par putts at crucial times to keep my momentum going, and then made the most of my birdie chances as and when they came along. It was nice to sink a few putts for a change, because I feel as though I’ve been playing well without getting the rewards for it. I’ve been hitting a lot of greens over the last few weeks, but not scoring as low as I should’ve done. So it’s been frustrating.
“But it helps that the greens here are exactly like the ones I’ve grown up playing on. I raced a few past, but managed to hole them coming back. It’s always nice to shoot a 66, but it’s even better to do it on the first day and put yourself into a decent position. I’ve got a couple of weeks off because we haven’t got any tournaments coming up, so hopefully I can go out with a bang. I’m currently 78th in the Rankings, so I need to move up a few places to get into the Rolex Trophy – that’s one of the main aims of the week.”
Amateur starlet Tommy Fleetwood enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a superb round of 66 to lie two shots off the lead on day one of the inaugural English Challenge.
Fleetwood received an invitation to play at the Nordea Scandinavia Masters on The European Tour this week but opted instead to play on the Challenge Tour, and the decision looked an inspired one as he belied his tender years with a sumptuous display of stroke-play at the stunning Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa..
A product of the English Golf Union, who are Official Partners to the €150,000 event, the 19 year old from Lancashire is currently England’s leading amateur, and he showed precisely why with a burst of birdies on his back nine to finish on six under par, two shots behind Daniel Gaunt of Australia.
After opening with a double bogey on the tenth hole due to a wayward drive, Fleetwood rallied impressively with three birdies to reach the turn in level par. Gains at the first, second, fourth and sixth holes swiftly followed, and he closed with another two birdies to come home in just 30.
Fleetwood, who was a member of England’s triumphant team at the recent European Amateur Championship, said: “A double at the first obviously wasn’t the ideal start for me! I pulled my tee shot left then went for a shot with my second that might only come off three times out of ten, and unfortunately it failed miserably. But after that things picked up, and on my back nine I could’ve come home in 28, because I missed a couple of makeable birdie putts. But obviously finishing with three threes was a bit of a bonus, especially as they’re not easy holes.
“Probably the most difficult thing out there is judging your distance control, because the ball’s running for miles on the hard fairways. Even when I wasn’t catching my drives it was going about 330 yards, so it makes you feel pretty good! It means you’re using a lot of wedges for your approach shots, so if you’re short game’s working well and you’re putting well, then you’re probably going to make a lot of birdies.
“Even though he didn’t have the best of days it was good playing with Matt [Haines], who I obviously know very well, and also Alessandro Tadini, who won last week. Me and Matt had basically spent the last three years together but hadn’t seen each other for a while, so it was good to catch up. He didn’t have the best of days, but it was still interesting to watch him and see how his game has changed and developed since he turned pro.
“He’s taken to professional life brilliantly, so I can take a lot of encouragement from that. I’m looking at turning pro in August, then I’ll probably take my chances at Qualifying School – unless I can ‘do a Rory’ and earn enough money to get my card through invites! But that’s to worry about another day. All I’m thinking about at the moment is playing well again tomorrow – if I can shoot another 66, then I’ll be in a pretty good position going into the weekend.”
Stoke by Nayland’s touring professional Jamie Moul recovered well from an opening double bogey to record a one under par round of 71, the same score as his playing partner and compatriot Gary Wolstenholme, twice the Amateur Champion.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
64 D Gaunt (Aus)
66 B Evans (Eng), A Velasco (Spa), C Macaulay (Sco), C Del Moral (Spa), T Fleetwood (Eng)
67 J Heath (Eng), S Wakefield (Eng), D Brooks (Eng), A Blyth (Aus), A Ahokas (Fin), G Murray (Sco), T Olesen (Den), M Cort (Eng)
68 M Quiros (Spa), J Hepworth (Eng), C Brazillier (Fra), J Clment (Swi), J Campillo (Spa), D Whitnell (Eng), E Dubois (Fra), P Dwyer (Eng)
69 S Tiley (Eng), G Woodman (Eng), C Lee (Sco), C Moriarty (Irl), M Korhonen (Fin), G Houston (Wal), R Dinwiddie (Eng), G Dear (Sco), E Saltman (Sco), L Gagli (Ita), S Doherty (Eng), C Russo (Fra), G Rosier (Fra), J Larsen (Nor), F De Vries (Ned)
70 W Ormsby (Aus), N Lemke (Swe), A Bernadet (Fra), J McLeary (Sco), B Barham (Eng), J Busby (Eng), A Hansen (Den)
71 S Archibald (Eng), F Calmels (Fra), J Doherty (Sco), J Zapata (Arg), M McGeady (Irl), O Whiteley (Eng), J Moul (Eng), G Wolstenholme (Eng), G Watremez (Bel), M Vibe-Hastrup (Den), D Wardrop (Eng), K Sullivan (Wal), A Raitt (Eng), A Tadini (Ita), N Sulzer (Swi), A Bruschi (Ita), B Ritthammer (Ger), S Jamieson (Sco), J Roos (Rsa), S Reale (Ita), A Kaleka (Fra), B Wiesberger (Aut), L Slattery (Eng), C Smith (Wal), S Walker (Eng), C Paisley (Eng)
72 B Chapellan (Fra), G Davies (Eng), A Hogberg (Swe), P Purhonen (Fin), Z Scotland (Eng), J Xanthopoulos (Fra), J Colomo (Spa), N Meitinger (Ger), E Ramsay (Sco), D Ulrich (Swi), T Whitehouse (Eng), M Bliss (Can), P Golding (Eng), G Molteni (Ita), S Arnold (Aus), I Van Weerelt (Ned), A Willey (Eng), J Caldwell (NIrl), L Goddard (Eng), D Nouailhac (Fra)
73 A Perrino (Ita), J Makitalo (Fin), C Doak (Sco), J Billot (Fra), A Signor (Ita), P Oriol (Spa), A Wagner (Arg), M Baldwin (Eng), S Lewton (Eng), T Haylock (Eng), H Bacher (Aut), P Eales (Eng), T Dykes (Wal), L Westerberg (Swe), L James (Eng), F Keenan (Eng), L Jensen (Den), J Garcia (Spa), F Colombo (Ita)
74 N Bruzelius (Swe), T Pilkadaris (Aus), M Lowe (Eng), D Griffiths (Eng), D Denison (Eng), A Gee (Eng), R Steele (Eng), J McLean (Aus), S Lilly (Eng), T Remkes (Ned), V Riu (Fra), T Stewart (Aus), B Mason (Eng), R Kind (Ned), B Hemstock (Eng)
75 D Skinns (Eng), M Allen (Eng), A Coltart (Sco), L Saltman (Sco), W Besseling (Ned), O Floren (Swe), S Gray (Sco), L Kennedy (Eng), I Keenan (Eng), B Grace (Rsa), N Cheetham (Eng), M Haines (Eng)
76 P Relecom (Bel), D Hewan (Rsa), S Whiffin (Eng), S Buhl (Ger), J Ruebotham (Eng), R Harris (Eng), M Mills (Eng)
77 P Kaensche (Nor), J Little (Eng)
79 J Hedin (Swe), S Surry (Eng)
80 I Pyman (Eng)

Scottish boys' open stroke-play championship won by Linus Vaisanen

Happiness is cup-shaped for Finnish youngster Linus Vaisanen. Image by Andy Forman.

Grandstand Finnish by young man from Helsinki 

By ROSS DUNCAN
Scottish Golf Union marketing and sponsorship manager
Finland’s Linus Vaisanen held his nerve in a dramatic finish to clinch the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship by one shot from Pollok’s Conor O’Neil at Craigielaw this evening.
Vaisanen, who will return to Scotland in September to study economics and finance at Edinburgh University, fired a two-under par final round 69 to post a total of 281, holing a 10-foot birdie putt on the last green having let a three shot lead disappear on the previous three holes.
The 18-year-old from Helsinki was joint leader overnight, but a two-over par 73 this morning left him three shots behind Scott Gibson going into the final round. After Gibson played himself out of contention on the front nine as O’Neil edged in front, the turning point for the young Fin came with a superb eagle three at the long 11th, after his 8-iron approach landed just six feet from the pin.
The Finnish Boys Championship runner-up then bogeyed 15, 16 and 17 to fall back to two-under par alongside O’Neil, who narrowly failed to birdie the final two holes, and a superb up and down from just off the back of the 18th green handed victory to Vaisanen, the fourth foreign player to win a Scottish championship in 2010.
A delighted Vaisanen said:
“This is my first trip to Scotland so I’m thrilled to lift the trophy. It’s also my first experience of links golf but I’ve loved every minute of it. I came into the event with a lot of confidence having finished second back home last week in my national championship and that was the key. My driving was good all week and although I was shaky playing the last few holes, I managed to keep my nerve at the last.”
“The people here in Scotland have been fantastic and the staff at Craigielaw have really looked after me. I acclimatised myself by eating haggis in a bar in Edinburgh watching The Open on Sunday afternoon, so I now feel very home in Scotland and look forward to studying here.” he added.
O’Neil’s final round started brightly with birdies at the 1st and 4th and despite dropped shots at the 3rd and 5th the former St Ninians High school pupil moved into a share of the lead at the turn. However, a number of birdie chances slipped by and he could only par the final thirteen holes for a level par 71 and a four-round aggregate of 282.
“I’m disappointed to miss out on the win but pleased with my performance this week. It was a frustrating final round with my putter having given myself so many chances, but I’ll head to Michigan State University next month for my scholarship in good confidence.” said O’Neil, whose triplet brother Patrick was also in the field.
Falkirk Tryst’s Jamie Lynch clinched the bronze medal with a one-under par final round of 70, while Aberdeen born Daniel Hendry – representing the United Arab Emirates – finished fourth on level par to lift the U16s title.
Grant Forrest’s hopes of a dream national title double faded with a closing round of 75 to end the week in seventh place, with Scotland team-mate Gibson in fifth place on one-over par after going out of bounds on the final hole.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
281 VAISANEN, Linus (Finland) 67 72 73 69.
282 O'NEIL, Conor (Pollok) 73 69 69 71.
283 LYNCH, Jamie (Falkirk Tryst) 74 67 72 70.
284 HENDRY, Daniel (U16) (United Arab Emirates) 73 71 70 70.
285 GIBSON, Scott (Southerness) 70 71 68 76.
286 HAMILTON, Craig (New Zealand) 72 70 74 70.
287 FORREST, Grant (Craigielaw) 69 71 72 75.
288 WALZ, Maximilian (Germany) 71 74 73 70, SMITH, Marc (Troon Welbeck) 73 69 73 73.
290 BEST, Lloyd (Sherwood Forest) 67 72 83 68.
291 THAIN, Fraser (West Linton) 73 75 72 71, ROSS, Craig (Kirkhill) 74 73 69 75, DONALDSON, Ewen (Craigielaw) 69 75 72 75, JOHNSTON, Liam (Dumfries and Co) 68 74 71 78.
292 JAMIESON, Josh (St Andrews New) 76 72 75 69, FAIRBURN, Simon (Torwoodlee) 71 74 73 74.
293 WRIGHT, Jeff (Forres) 74 72 73 74.
294 HOWIE, Craig (U16) (Peebles) 76 72 73 73.
295 SMITH, Steven (Deeside) 78 69 76 72, CLARKE, Rodger (Moray) 73 74 75 73, MARCHBANK, Greig (U16) (Dumfries and Galloway) 72 74 75 74, BLANEY, Anthony (U16) (Liberton) 75 72 72 76 +11
296 REDFORD, Ian (St Andrews New) 73 75 75 73. MACNEAL, Charlie (Troon Welbeck) 75 73 73 75.
297 GAUGHAN, Louis (Bathgate) 75 73 78 71, LAMBERT, Jordan (Australia) 72 71 82 72, BRADLEY, Eamon (Mount Ellen) 74 72 76 75.
298 FAIRBAIRN, Lewis (Berwick Upon Tweed) 67 76 78 77, SMAIL, Greg (Craigielaw) 75 72 73 78.
299 NEIL, Connor (U16) (Blairgowrie) 74 74 78 73, McDONALD, Jack Kilmarnock (Barassie) 72 73 78 76, WRIGHT, Dale (Alness) 70 75 77 77, JOHNSTON, Chris (Truro) 71 74 77 77. 
300 FLANNERY, Daniel (U16) (Peebles) 74 73 80 73. 
301 RAVNDAL, Arne Norway 71 74 81 75, MITCHELL, Cameron (Lundin) 72 73 78 78. 
302 NEIL, Bradley (U16) (Blairgowrie) 75 73 80 74.
303 HILL, Calum (U16) (Tantallon) 73 72 83 75, SAVAGE, Jamie (U16) (Cawder) 75 72 75 81. 
304 COSTELLO, Scott (Kirkhill) 75 72 81 76. CRAIGON, Sam (Milnathort) 76 69 83 76. 
305 WIGHTMAN, Scott (Powfoot) 72 74 79 80.
306 MACKAY, Euan (Craigielaw) 77 71 79 79.
308 CAMPBELL, Ryan (Grangemouth) 73 74 74 87.
312 McDOUGALL, Alasdair (U16) (Elderslie) 72 75 83 82.

TOM WATSON BECOMES HONORARY LIFE

 MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN TOUR

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR
Tom Watson accepted Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour last night ahead of the Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard.
The 60 year old American, one of the game’s most celebrated players having won eight Major titles and five Senior Majors, accepted his award from European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady at Carnoustie, the scene of his first Open Championship win in 1975.
It was 35 years ago that Watson overcame the Australian Jack Newton in an 18-hole play-off to win his first Open, making the great old links the perfect place to present him with his Honorary Life Membership card.
The American has played a hugely significant role in the history of the Senior Open Championship since the great Arnold Palmer pioneered the first staging of the tournament in 1987. Watson has won the event three times, at Turnberry, Royal Aberdeen and Muirfield.
Watson joins Palmer, Sir Bob Charles and Gary Player in being awarded Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour as a Senior Tour player after a unanimous recommendation from the European Senior Tour Membership.
Watson said: “What a great honour to be made an Honorary Life Member of The European Tour. I have to say that it was totally unexpected. We had a very nice presentation with George last night and the Award is greatly appreciated. I have had some success on the Senior Tour over here, winning the Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard three times and it is great to have that achievement recognised in such a special way.”
George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “This award is accorded to very special players who have won Major Championships or contributed significantly to The European Tour. Tom Watson is, without doubt, one of the greatest golfers ever to grace the game and his contribution to the game continues to amaze golf fans around the world. He is not only a great ambassador to the game of golf, but a great man and we are delighted that he has accepted this award in recognition of his contribution to our sport.”

Nike sign up Matt Haines to multi-year contract

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY NIKE
Continuing its commitment to encouraging, developing and supporting the game’s most exciting young talent, Nike Golf has announced the signing of former England international Matt Haines to a multi-year contract as he sets out on his first year as a full-time professional.
The 20-year-old former England International and Walker Cup player from Chatham in Kent enjoyed a superb amateur career winning eight major events including 2008 Lytham Trophy and the Spanish Amateur Championship in March 2010. The latter propelled him up to fourth in the world amateur rankings.
He took the decision to turn professional in May this year, and has wasted no time in making his mark on the ultra-competitive Challenge Tour, where he is currently ranked eighth on the money list after making a solid start to his career with a tied fifth finish at the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Spey Valley and a runner-up in the Saint-Omer Open in France just three weeks ago. Matt will look to improve his ranking at this weeks English Challenge at Stoke by Nayland Golf Club, and plans to play a full schedule of tournaments on the Challenge Tour over the summer in a bid to secure his 2011 European Tour card.
The agreement with Nike Golf will see Haines exclusively use Nike Golf equipment, including the new VR driver and fairway woods, VR Split Cavity irons, the new Method putter, One Tour golf ball, and Nike Golf shoes, glove, hat, staff bag and apparel.
Speaking about his decision to join Nike Golf’s team of athletes, Haines, who plays out of Rochester and Cobham Park Golf Club, said: ”I am excited about starting my professional career with a brand as big as Nike Golf. I know that the team there will work with me to give me the very best equipment and support to help me make the transition from amateur to successful professional. I’m impressed by the knowledge and the passion that goes into how they develop products, and above all, know that it works for me and my game.”
In signing with Nike Golf, Haines is joining a growing band of established and up-and-coming stars, with the company having recently attracted the talents of Scottish teen sensation Carly Booth, who is currently in her first year on the Ladies European Tour, while over in the United States, collegiate stars Matt Hill and Dustin Garza have both chosen Nike Golf as their preferred equipment brand as they seek to develop their talents on the PGA Tour following stellar undergraduate careers.

Scottish boys' open stroke-play championship last two rounds today

Great Scott! Gibson hits the front at Craigielaw

By ROSS DUNCAN
Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, Scottish Golf Union
A fine three-under par 68 gave Southerness youngster Scott Gibson a two-shot lead going into this afternoon’s final round of the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship at Craigielaw today

The Scotland Boys internationalist, who currently sits third in the SGU Junior Order of Merit, moved two ahead of playing partner Conor O’Neil (Pollok) on 209, four-under par. O’Neil was left to rue bogeys at the final three holes after racing into the lead on five-under par after thirteen holes of his third round.

Gibson, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency,  fired five birdies in his morning round and after a consistent season which has seen him finish second twice, the South of Scotland ace is targeting his first national title as well as top spot in the junior rankings.

O’Neil stormed to the turn in 31, helped by a superb eagle two at the seventh hole, but his disappointing finish leaves him in second spot on two-under par, one ahead of Craigielaw’s Scottish Boys Champion Grant Forrest and joint overnight leader Linus Vaisanen, who slipped back with a two-over par 73.

Fellow overnight leader Lloyd Best struggled to a disastrous 83 to move out of contention but Liam Johnston (Dumfries and County) and Jamie Lynch (Falkirk Tryst) remain in the title hunt after rounds of 71 and 72 respectively left them on level par for the championship with an aggregate of 213.
Gibson and O’Neil go out together this afternoon at 3.35pm.
THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
209 GIBSON, Scott Southerness 70 71 68
211 O'NEIL, Conor Pollok 73 69 69
212 FORREST, Grant Craigielaw 69 71 72, VAISANEN, Linus Finland 67 72 73.
213 JOHNSTON, Liam Dumfries and Co 68 74 71, LYNCH, Jamie Falkirk Tryst 74 67 72.
214 HENDRY, Daniel United Arab Emirates 73 71 70
215 SMITH, Marc Troon Welbeck 73 69 73 +2
216 ROSS, Craig Kirkhill 74 73 69, DONALDSON, Ewen Craigielaw 69 75 72, HAMILTON, Craig New Zealand 72 70 74
218 WALZ, Maximilian Germany 71 74 73, FAIRBURN, Simon Torwoodlee 71 74 73.
219 BLANEY, Anthony Liberton 75 72 72, WRIGHT, Jeff Forres 74 72 73.
220 THAIN, Fraser West Linton 73 75 72, SMAIL, Greg Craigielaw 75 72 73.
221 HOWIE, Craig Peebles 76 72 73, MACNEAL, Charlie Troon Welbeck 75 73 73, CAMPBELL, Ryan Grangemouth 73 74 74, MARCHBANK, Greig Dumfries and Galloway 72 74 75, FAIRBAIRN, Lewis Berwick Upon Tweed 67 76 78 
222 CLARKE, Rodger Moray 73 74 75, SAVAGE, Jamie Cawder 75 72 75, BRADLEY, Eamon Mount Ellen 74 72 76, JOHNSTON, Chris Truro 71 74 77, WRIGHT, Dale Alness 70 75 77, BEST, Lloyd Sherwood Forest 67 72 83.
223 REDFORD, Ian St Andrews New 73 75 75, JAMIESON, Josh St Andrews New 76 72 75, SMITH, Steven Deeside 78 69 76, MCDONALD, Jack Kilmarnock (Barassie) 72 73 78, MITCHELL, Cameron Lundin 72 73 78.
225 WIGHTMAN, Scott Powfoot 72 74 79, LAMBERT, Jordan Australia 72 71 82.
226 GAUGHAN, Louis Bathgate 75 73 78, NEIL, Connor Blairgowrie 74 74 78, RAVNDAL, Arne Norway 71 74 81
227 MACKAY, Euan Craigielaw 77 71 79, FLANNERY, Daniel Peebles 74 73 80.
228 NEIL, Bradley Blairgowrie 75 73 80, COSTELLO, Scott Kirkhill 75 72 81, CRAIGON, Sam Milnathort 76 69 83, HILL, Calum Tantallon 73 72 83.
230 MCDOUGALL, Alasdair Elderslie 72 75 83.

Scottish senior men's amateur match-play championship

SCOTT MACDONALD’S SENIOR TITLE DOUBLE

BID FAILS AT KINROSS

Former Walker Cup player Scott MacDonald’s bid to follow up his recent victory in the Scottish senior men’s amateur stroke-play championship by winning the over-50s’ match-play crown ground to a halt in the second round at Kinross Golf Club today.
The Dunfermline man had to go to the 20th to win his morning tie over David A Millar (St Andrews New) but there was no escape for him in the afternoon.
MacDonald lost by 2 and 1 to Tony Stafford (Gleneagles) who birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th holes to get on top.
Defending champion George Paterson (Northern) was knocked out in the first round. The Aberdeen man lost by 5 and 4 to Jim Watt.
There is one Granite City player in the quarter-finals – former Walker Cup player Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead). He scored a good 2 and 1 win over Gordon MacDonald (Callander), one of the driving forces behind the setting up a Scottish senior amateur circuit..
The quarter-final line-up is:
Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) v Jim Watt (Edzell), Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) v John McDonald (Cowglen), Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) v Stephen Ellis (Innellan) and Tony Stafford (Gleneavles) v David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie).
The championship is sponsored by Abbeyfield (Scotland) Ltd.
Results:
FIRST ROUND
Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) bt John W Johnston (Royal Aberdeen) 3 and 1.
Bob Stewart (Tulliallan) bt Derek Murphy (Kinross) 6 and 5.
James Kinloch (Cardross) bt Keith Bruce (Edzell) 4 and 2.
Jim Watt (Edzell) bt George Paterson (Northern) 5 and 4.
Gordon MacDonald (Callander) bt Keith Howie (West Kilbride) 2 and 1.
Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) bt Jim Paton (Kirkintilloch) 2 and 1.
John Johnston (Lanark) bt George Payne (Prestbury) 5 and 4.
John McDonald (Cowglen) bt Jalil Aman (Grangemouth) 4 and 3.
Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) bt Alistair Fiddes (Deeside) 2 and 1.
Iain Stewart (The Curragh) bt Richard T Gray (Cowglen) 5 and 4.
Stephen Ellis (Innellan) bt Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 5 and 4.
James T Johnson (Northumberland) w.o. John Fraser (Royal Burgess) scr.
Tony Stafford (Glenealges) bt Allan Cameron (Gourock) 7 and 6.
Scott MacDonald (Dunfermline) bt David A Millar at 20th.
Andrew Campbell (Kinross) bt Bill Erksine (Kilsyth Lennox) 1 hole.
David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) bt Ian Campbell (Kinross) 2 and 1.
SECOND ROUND
Christy bt Bob Stewart 2 and 1.
Watt bt Kinloch 4 and 3.
Pirie bt Gordon MacDonald 2 and 1.
John McDonald bt John Johnston (Lanark) 1 hole.
Taylor bt Iain Stewart 4 and 3.
Ellis bt James T Johnston 2 and 1.
Stafford bt Scott MacDonald 2 and 1.
David J Miller bt Andrew Campbell 3 and 2.

Over-50s take centre stage at Carnoustie for next four days

Senior British Open is in the grip of Americans

 - but who's complaining?

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By ALASDAIR REID

British golf gained some kudos when the sport's authorities in the United States finally acknowledged the Senior Open Championship's status as a major, but that has done nothing for the prospects of a home victory at the event, which starts at Carnoustie today.

Since 2003, when it was added to the US Champions Tour schedule, it has been monopolised by American players, the past seven winners coming from the other side of the Atlantic.

Mark McNulty, once of Zimbabwe, now of Ireland, came close to breaking that sequence at Sunningdale last year, but he lost out in a three-way play-off as Loren Roberts continued the US hegemony.

 It is probably fitting, then, that Carnoustie should play host to this year's event, given the critical part the Angus town played in the development of American professional golf. It has been estimated that around 300 Carnoustie golfers emigrated to the United States in the early part of the 20th century to take up posts at American clubs, and nearly half the original membership of the US Professional Golfers Association, set up in 1916, were known to be former residents of the town.

Yet among the golf enthusiasts of Carnoustie – which is to say just about the entire populace – few would mind one bit if Tom Watson, pictured above, lifted the trophy on Sunday evening. Watson talks in a mellow Kansas drawl, but he plays golf with a distinctly Scottish accent.

Watson won Open Championships at Turnberry, Muirfield and Carnoustie, and having already lifted senior titles on the Ayrshire and East Lothian links he now has the chance to complete a set.
And the determination. Watson lit up the 2009 Open at Turnberry, but his light dimmed as he missed the cut at St Andrews last week. He made a characteristically dignified exit from the home of golf, but he is a competitor to the points of his spikes and he is adamant about wanting to do better on the other side of the Tay.
"I would have liked to have made the cut," he said firmly. "I never like missing the cut. It still eats me. I play for the competition. I like to compete and beat people. That's what I like to do – it just so happens that I do it with sticks and balls and I hope I can do it again this week."
Seniors golf has never have taken off in Europe as it did in America, but the quality of the field in Carnoustie can be measured by the fact that 13 of the players involved have a total of 22 major titles. That number would have been a round 30, but six-times major winner Sir Nick Faldo was forced to withdraw with a wrist injury, while Mark O'Meara, who won two majors, ruled himself out after the death of his father.
For his first two rounds, Watson will tee off in the company of Bernhard Langer and David Frost. US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin will play in the same group as reigning champion Roberts

Open champion Oosty splashes out on a tractor for home farm

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Open champion Louis Oosthuizen has splashed out on something special to mark his first major win – a tractor.
“Being a farm boy it was one of my big dreams and I bought myself a nice John Deere tractor for my farm back in South Africa,” the 27 year-old said yesterday.
“John Deere is very close to my heart. It’s for me to drive around on and I made sure there was enough space for my little daughter Jana to sit beside me. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Oosthuizen is now in Stockholm for the Nordea Scandinavian Masters and the fact that he flew from Manchester by private jet underlined his new status.
Needless to say, he could hardly take a step on arrival without somebody else congratulating him on his runaway victory - the fifth biggest win in any of the four majors since 1921.
“The last two days have been hectic and it will be nice knowing my phone is switched off and in the bag - I’m looking forward to it.”
Alongside him still is Soweto-born caddie Zack Rasego, who not surprisingly has kept his job a week after being told the Open could be his last event with Oosthuizen.
The player’s manager, Chubby Chandler, said: “It was a possibility, but it is not going to happen now. There was a feeling Louis needed a more experienced caddie. Now Zack has proved his worth.
“It would not look too clever to sack your caddie after you have just won a major.”
Winning caddies normally receive 10 per cent of the first prize - and for Oosthuizen that was £850,000.
After this week’s tournament, which also features Americans Dustin Johnson and Ricky Fowler, Korean KJ Choi and the return of Jesper Parnevik after five months out injured, Oosthuizen flies home.
“I’m going home for five days. Mossel Bay, where I grew up (and where he shot an incredible 57 in 2002), is holding a big gathering for me on Wednesday. From all the phone calls I’ve received everyone seems quite chuffed!”
He received a late invitation to Bro Hof Slott and decided to honour his commitment despite his unexpected St Andrews triumph.
“To be honest, when I am playing well I want to keep playing. I saw the golf course on the European Tour website and thought it looked fantastic.
“I thought it would also be good for the Tour if I came here. I want to support them.”
Oosthuizen confirmed on Monday that he would be continuing as a member on this side of the Atlantic, although his next two tournaments in August will be the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron and then the US PGA, where he will partner US Open champion Graeme McDowell and Masters winner Phil Mickelson in the first two rounds.
One of the thrills Oosthuizen had following his performance was a phone call from twice Open champion Greg Norman, who had to pull out through injury.
“He said something that I will always remember for the rest of my life. He said I am the first person to get him to watch a full round of golf on television.
“He watched my first shot to my last and couldn’t leave the couch, so when someone like Mr Norman says that it’s brilliant.
“Confidence-wise it’s going to help and I now tee it up every round knowing I am good enough.
“I am the same person, but with a few more people watching me.”

This could be last Senior British Open

for Sir Bob Charles

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Sir Bob Charles has told a mutual acquaintance that this week's Senior British Open at Carnoustie will be his last - unless he makes the cut.
"Sir Bob believes in the three strikes and you're out 'rule' - and he has missed the cut in his last two Senior British Opens," said Jim Hardie, Aberdeen businessman and golfing friend of Sir Bob.
New Zealander Charles won the Open at Royal Lytham in 1963 after a play-off - the last over 36 holes - against American Phil Rodgers.
He finished runner-up to Gary Player in the Open at Carnoustie in 1968 and was again second behind Tony Jacklin at Royal Lytham in 1969.
He was born on March 14, 1936 - which makes him 74 - and he has been a professional since 1960.

Tom Watson says Carnoustie the toughest test of all

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
Tom Watson reckons a round on the Old Course starts and finishes with a handshake.
By the sounds of things, he believes there's no chance of such pleasantries at Carnoustie. In fact, it's more likely its hands are already on a player's neck at the start and, by the finish, are strangling them.
Although Watson enjoyed being at St Andrews last week for the 150th Anniversary Open Championship - his only disappointment was failing to make the cut - the 60-year-old is even happier to be at Carnoustie for the Senior Open Championship starting today.
The Angus course was where Watson recorded the first of his Open wins in 1975 and, while admitting he sometimes has problems remembering what happened the previous day, the memories from that triumph are still crystal clear.
Asked where, in terms of fondness, he rated Carnoustie, which, at 7,297 yards this week is more than 600 yards longer than Sunningdale Old for the same event last year, among all the courses on the Open rota, he said: "It rates maybe the highest in difficulty. I've always enjoyed a testing golf course where there's a lot of driving the ball between bunkers.
"There's so much variety in this golf course as far as where they can put the flags on certain greens. These are also the narrowest fairways in Open golf, without question. You have to really drive the ball well here. The other thing about Carnoustie is that it forces you to play through (between or over) the bunkers; you can't lay up short of the bunkers because your shots are too long into the greens.
"There are certain holes you do lay up. You'll see people laying up at several holes on the front nine. But there are a number of tee balls where you have to play through the bunkers. You have to play by them and it's narrow. That's what makes Carnoustie so difficult. This morning I played with an amateur who said eight of his first nine tee shots in the pro-am ended up in bunkers."
Even Watson, who has never been outside the top 25 in eight previous Senior Open appearances and has won it three times, most recently at Turnberry in 2007, admits he's surprised the course has been set up to a length this week that is only just over 100 yards shorter than the Open Championship here in 2007.

Tiger Woods still top earning athlete though 10 % down

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Tiger Woods has been off his game since his extra-marital affairs were exposed last year, but he’s still the world’s highest earning athlete, according to 2010 rankings released on Wednesday.
His earnings are down but no athlete earned more than Woods.
Woods claimed the top spot on an American list of 50 athletes for the seventh consecutive year, though his total earnings fell 10 per cent to $90.5 million (£60 million), according to Sports Illustrated’s SI.com. His total is also down 40 percent from $127.9 million in 2008.
Overall, the average earnings for the entire U.S. list rose 11 per cent to a record $26.2 million, and were up 1.7 per cent to $30 million for 20 international stars, according to SI.com.
Tennis star Roger Federer, at $61.8 million, bumped David Beckham from the top spot he had held the last two years on the international list, SI.com said.
Woods’ earnings for the 2010 list are comprised of $20.5 million in earnings and $70 million in endorsements from such sponsors as Nike Inc and Electronic Arts Inc, SI.com said. Woods’s endorsement earnings fell $22 million from last year’s list.
Woods’ personal life took centre stage for fans after a car accident outside his Florida home last November brought to light extra-marital affairs and led him to make a public apology. He has played several tournaments since his April return from a self-imposed, five-month exile but has yet to win.
Rival golfer Phil Mickelson came in second on the 2010 US list at $61.7 million, and the top 10 included four players from the National Basketball Association, led by LeBron James at No 4 ($45.8 million), SI.com said.
The top 10 also included boxer Floyd Mayweather junior (No 3 at $60.3 million), two Major League Baseball stars, including Alex Rodriguez (No 5 at $37 million), and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning of the National Football League (No 9 at $30.8 million), SI.com said.
On the international list, Federer jumped from No. 9 last year as his earnings doubled, while Beckham slipped to No 3 at $40.5 million behind FIFA world soccer player of the year Lionel Messi at $44 million, according to SI.com.
Rounding out the international top five were soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo ($40 million) and boxer Manny Pacquiao ($38 million), SI.com said.
Basketball player Allen Iverson, No 8 on last year’s US list, dropped entirely out of the top 50, SI.com said. Tennis player Maria Sharapova was the only female athlete to make either list, ranking No 20 on the international list at $19.9 million.