Aberdeen Quaich is coming back from August 6 to 8

.... but it needs entries from men, women and juniors

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The three-day Aberdeen Quaich tournament, organised by Aberdeen City's Leisure Department and always played at the municipal Hazlehead No 1 and 2 courses in early August, was once one of the highlights of the North-east golfing calendar.

I cut my golf reporting teeth on the event back in the 1950s, when the Press and Journal used to devote a lot of column inches to the daily reports, qualifying scores and match-play results. I even played in it at least once when Sandy Pirie was still in short trousers and his father was the head greenkeeper.

But it wasn't played at all in 2008 or 2009 as part of the Aberdeen Town Council's bid to economise alongwith the closing of swimming pools, libraries and other penny-pinching decisions.
The good news is that the Aberdeen Quaich is coming back from August 6 to 8, thanks to the enterprise of Hazlehead Golf Club and its secretary Roy Witteveen. They have raised £2,200 to get the show on the road again for men, women and juniors.
Because it has taken so long to cut through the red tape that entangles city-run events, there has been little time left to promote the event and there are only around 40 entries at the moment. There is room for a lot more.
The Quaich is open to golfers from outwith the Aberdeen area. In fact, in years gone by, some of the winners came from England. Dr Sangster from Maxstoke Park in the English Midlands was a force in the tournament when I was a cub sports reporter. Hector "High Velocity" Thomson from Troon - a fixture in the Scotland amateur team of the 1930s - won the Quaich in 1950 and 1954. The one-time Aberdeen FC left winger and later manager, Tommy Pearson, who was no mean golfer, won the Quaich in 1948 - beating J H Sangster in the final - and again in 1949. "TUP" lost to Thomson in the 1950 final.
In more modern times Sandy Pirie (pictured above), a Walker Cup player in 1967, won the Quaich four years in a row from 1963 to 1966 and lost in the finals of 1961 and 1967 to boot! So this is a tournament of considerable pedigree.
The entry fee is £20 for men, £15 for women and £10 for juniors.
What do the men get for their £20?.
Two rounds of qualifying stroke-play on Friday August 6 - one round over the No 1 course, another over the No 2 course. The players with the leading scratch and net aggregates go on to the match-play stages over the No 1 course on the Saturday and Sunday (August 7 and 8).
There are prize vouchers for the best three qualifying totals, both in scratch and handicap.
The match-play winner will get a £300 voucher and the beaten finalist a £190 voucher. For the handicap finalists it will be a £200 voucher for the winner and £120 for the loser. The semi-finalists in both scratch and handicap are also rewarded.
What do the women get for their £15?
 One round of qualifying stroke play over the No 1 course on Friday, August 6. Scratch and handicap qualifiers go forward to the match-play on the Saturday and Sunday.
The women's scratch final will have a £160 voucher for the winner and a £90 voucher for the loser. The women's handicap final will be worth £120 to the winner and £80 to the loser. Again there will be vouchers for the beaten semi-finals in both scratch and handicap.

What do the juniors get for their £10 (I have to confess at this moment I do not know if juniors is another word for "boys" or whether by using the term "juniors" the organisers men boys and/or girls?

Anyway, it's a three-round stroke-play event for the Under-18 years competitors. The first two rounds on the Friday and Saturday will be over the No 2 course, the final round on the Sunday.

The junior prize vouchers will reward the best scores daily and also a 1-2-3-4 for the 54-hole totals.

From anywhere in the world, you can not only enter the tournament but state your preferred tee times by phoning Aberdeen (01224) 310711 during bar hours ... but not on Monday when the Hazlehead club is closed.
+The men's winner of the last Aberdeen Quaich, in 2007, was none other than a teenage Hazlehead member by the name of David Law. The same David Law, pictured right, who won the Scottish boys' and men's amateur match-play titles last year. David has made a commitment that he will definitely play in the resurrection of the Aberdeen Quaich next month, no matter how he gets on in the defence of his men's national title at Gullane next week. Good for you, David! Never forget your roots.
FOOTNOTE: To say the Aberdeen Quaich has always been played at Hazleead, as I stated in the first sentence of this article, is not stricly true but I thought it would confuse readers if I recalled that the "Aberdeen Corporation Quaich," as it was first known, started life at the Kings Links from 1926 to 1934. The venue was switched to Hazlehead in 1935. It wasn't played during the 1940-45 World War II years.

SENIOR OPEN REPORT, SCORES

Langer shares halfway lead with Pavin at Carnoustie

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Bernhard Langer shares the halfway lead with Corey Pavin at The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard as both players seek a first Major in the over-50 ranks.
Germany's Langer has twice won the Champions Tour Order of Merit, but despite seven top-ten finishes in Senior Majors he is yet to add to the two Masters Tournaments he won in 1985 and 1993.
He added a level par 71 to his opening 67 to remain four under, and was joined by Pavin - who by contrast is playing in his first Senior Major - as the US Ryder Cup Captain signed for a second consecutive 69.
It could have been better for Langer - he hit a five iron to 50 feet and two putted for birdie at the sixth, then converted from seven feet for another gain at the next.
But he came unstuck on both par 3S on the inward nine - first misjudging the wind at the 13th and ending up in a pot bunker, then three-putting from off the green at the 16th.
"I was very pleased with my driving of the ball. My tee shots were solid and I hit a lot of fairways and I really put myself in a good position off the tee but didn't take advantage," said Langer - fourth in this event for the last two years.
"The short game wasn't quite as good. I didn't make as many putts today, and some of those putts off the green didn't get close enough. Plus, I saw the wind was blowing a little harder and it was blowing all day long.
"I was hoping maybe the last couple of hours, sometimes the wind drops in the evening, but it didn't drop today. It's been blowing the whole day and it makes links golf that much harder. Just a lot of crosswinds out there where you have to fight the bunkers and the water (the burns) and it's hard to get the ball close to some of the pins when you have crosswinds.
"Overall, I'm pretty pleased. I wish I would have made one or two more putts, but generally, I played quite well, and I'm happy with that."
Pavin could also have pulled further away from the field - he had four unanswered birdies when he reached the 18th, but hooked a five wood out of bounds and ran up a double bogey.
"I hit some good shots," he said. "The shot on 16 was a pretty good shot, obviously - it was good execution.
"It's the kind of course you need to hit some good shots out there. I hit a really good shot into 17 I thought might be reasonably close and ended up 40 feet away. You hit a lot of shots like that in links style golf.
"You can hit some shots that you kind of hit it a little thin and then they run up and end up pretty good. That's the good fun about it."
Wales' Ian Woosnam returned to form with a 67 to move into a share of third on three under, alongside American trio Jay Haas, Dan Forsman and Larry Mize.
"I think yesterday I finished with a birdie and I just had a little click on the swing there the last couple of swings I had, and so thought I would take that out today," said Woosnam.
"There wasn't much wind and that can be a little bit more of a chance to get into a bit of a rhythm, as well."

THIS PART OF THE ARTICLE WAS NOT TAKEN FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Corey Pavin, during his post-round interview, talked about how the over-50s players would like their own version of the Ryder Cup match.
Andy Stubbs, the European Senior Tour's managing director, said he rather likes the concept too, but financial backers are not exactly thick on the ground right now.
Stubbs said: "The idea of getting a match together is something the [US] Champions Tour and ourselves have talked about. It's just that the economy has been wrong for us recently. These things cost a lot of money to put on and you need a sponsor, but we would like to see it as soon as possible."
If Pavin's second successive 69 on a course with Carnoustie's miserly reputation backed the argument that his generation can still produce golf of a standard worth crossing continents to see, then so, too, did the scores of the six other former Ryder Cup captains in the field.
The most significant was the 71 posted by Bernhard Langer, a characteristically tenacious performance that gave the German a share of the lead with Pavin at the tournament's mid-point. However, there was also a stunning 67 from Ian Woosnam, who moved into a tie for third place with Dan Forsman, Larry Mize and Jay Haas.
Tom Watson (71), Mark James (72), Tom Lehman (75) and Sam Torrance (78) were all far south of the leaderboard but comfortably north of the cut line at the end of another fresh and mostly cloudless day on the Angus coastline.
Sir Bob Charles, the winner of the 1963 Open Championship at Lytham, signed for a respectable 78 before announcing that he had just played his last international tour event, ending a career on the road that had begun in 1958. Sir Bob is now 74.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
138 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 67 71, Corey Pavin 69 69
139 Dan Forsman 68 71, Ian Woosnam (Wal) 72 67, Jay Haas 70 69, Larry Mize 69 70
140 Mark Calcavecchia 70 70
141 Russ Cochran 70 71, John Cook 69 72, Jay Don Blake 67 74
142 David J Russell (Eng) 75 67, Olin Browne 70 72
143 Michael Allen 73 70, Jeff Sluman 69 74, Loren Roberts 71 72, Carl Mason (Eng) 67 76, Morris Hatalsky 71 72, Peter Senior (Aus) 71 72
144 Gary Hallberg 70 74, Bruce Vaughan 68 76, David Peoples 70 74, Domingo Hospital (Spa) 74 70, Fred Funk 75 69
145 James D Mason 71 74, Ted Schulz 75 70, Tom Watson 74 71, Trevor Dodds (Nam) 74 71
146 Tom Lehman 71 75, Mark James (Eng) 74 72, Ronnie Black 72 74, David Frost (Rsa) 71 75, Bill Longmuir (Sco) 75 71, Tommy Armour III 74 72, Sam Torrance (Sco) 69 77, Ross Drummond (Sco) 72 74, Fraser Mann (Sco) 72 74, Steve Cipa (Eng) 74 72
147 Gene Jones 73 74, Hideki Kase (Jpn) 77 70, Chris Williams (Rsa) 73 74, Scott Simpson 78 69, Stephen Bennett (Eng) 74 73, C.s. Lu (Tpe) 76 71, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 74 73, Barry Lane (Eng) 75 72
148 Juan Quiros (Spa) 76 72, Denis Watson (Zim) 76 72, Mike Donald 69 79, Mike Goodes 73 75, Wayne Grady (Aus) 77 71, Mike Cunning 74 74, Bob Cameron (Eng) 75 73, Angel Franco (Par) 73 75, Tsukasa Watanabe (Jpn) 74 74, Peter Fowler (Aus) 75 73, Glenn Ralph (Eng) 75 73, Randy Haag 71 77, Noel Ratcliffe (Aus) 76 72, Gordon J Brand (Eng) 73 75, Mark Belsham (Eng) 75 73, Mark Wiebe 68 80, Des Smyth (Irl) 74 74, Gordon Brand Jnr (Sco) 73 75
149 John Benda 74 75, Martin Poxon (Eng) 75 74, Bobby Clampett 76 73, John Harrison (Eng) 72 77, Bob Gilder 76 73, Boonchu Ruangkit (Tha) 75 74, Philip Blackmar 75 74, Denis O'Sullivan (Irl) 73 76, Tim Simpson 75 74, David Merriman (Aus) 74 75
MISSED THE CUT
150 Frankie Minoza (Phi) 76 74, Seiki Okuda (Jpn) 74 76, Matt Briggs (Gbr) 76 74, Paul Simson 76 74, J.L. Lewis 76 74, Vicente Fernandez (Arg) 75 75, George Ryall (Eng) 75 75, Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 75 75, Costantino Rocca (Ita) 76 74, Steve Van Vuuren (Rsa) 73 77
151 Jimmy Heggarty (NIrl) 71 80, Nick Job (Eng) 76 75, Mike Clayton (Aus) 75 76, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 82 69, Bob Boyd 76 75, Chip Beck 74 77, John Gould (Eng) 72 79, Mark Carnevale 75 76, Manuel Pinero (Spa) 75 76
152 Andy Stubbs (Eng) (am) 73 79, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 77 75, Craig Stadler 74 78, Bobby Lincoln (Rsa) 76 76, Roger Chapman (Eng) 75 77, Eamonn Darcy (Irl) 76 76, Peter Mitchell (Eng) 75 77, Nobuo Serizawa (Jpn) 77 75, Sandy Lyle (Sco) 75 77, Mike Harwood (Aus) 76 76
153 Marc Farry (Fra) 73 80, Denis Durnian (Gbr) 78 75, Kazuhiro Takami (Jpn) 76 77, Lance Ten Broeck 75 78, Pete Oakley 76 77, Jose Rivero (Spa) 79 74
154 Graham Banister 73 81, Fred Holton (Gbr) 76 78
155 Kirk Hanefeld 80 75, Joe Stansberry 77 78, Katsuyoshi Tomori (Jpn) 77 78
156 Alastair Webster (Sco) 75 81, Adan Sowa (Arg) 77 79, Jerry Bruner 76 80, Michael s Harmon 77 79
157 Andrew Reynolds (Eng) 79 78, Mark Balen 77 80, Bertus Smit (Rsa) 77 80, Gary Trivisonno 80 77, Robert Vallis (Ber) 77 80, Jeb Stuart 78 79
158 Martin Gray (Sco) 79 79, John Chillas (Sco) 82 76, David Gilchrist (Sco) 80 78, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 80 78, Bob Charles (Nzl) 80 78, Mike Reid 82 76
159 Graham Gunn (Can) 83 76, Michael Mercier 79 80, Barrie Stevens (Eng) 80 79, Carlo Alberto Acutis (Ita) 79 80
160 Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 79 81
162 Grant Turner (Eng) 84 78, John Hoskison (Eng) 83 79, Billy Jack (Sco) 83 79
163 Antonio Garrido (Spa) 80 83, Robert Wrenn 78 85
165 Brad Smith (Eng) 87 78
167 Tom Lockwood (Eng) 81 86, Steve Rogers 80 87

GOODWOOD GEARS UP FOR ENGLISH PGA

CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS' ASSOCIATION

Its racecourse has produced plenty of exciting finishes but Golf At Goodwood is gearing up for another at the Business Fort English PGA Championship.

A tightly congested leaderboard is topped by rookie Ben St John, pictured by courtesy of Getty Images, who will take a one shot advantage over Surrey’s rival Gary Marks into the final round.

PGA Cup player James Whatley (East Midlands Golf Academy) is at two under par where he was joined by Roger Tuddenham (Hedge End) out in the last group of the day who carded a 69.

In total 16 players are within five strokes of the leader including Chris Sands (SkyCaddie), also in the last group, who equalled the course record with a four-under-par 67. But overnight leader Jamie Harris (Nevill GC) slipped back after a 76.

Daniel Seymour (Newbury Golf Centre) missed the cut but had the consolation of a hole-in-one on the 204-yard par three 17th.

Leader St John, playing in his first national PGA tournament, hopes past experience on the Asian Tour will stand him in good stead as he bids to win the £30,000 event which is also supported by Cobra and 59Club.

The Woodcote Park pro carded a second successive 69 to set the target but it might have been even better for the Surrey golfer who at one point was six under after 11 holes before an errant bounce derailed his charge.

“I got off to a lovely start, birdied the first, had a couple more birdies and was four under through 11 but I had a little blip on 12 and 13,” he said.

“It was a bit disappointing because I hit a lovely shot into 12 but it took a big bounce and went over the back and I hit a duff chip. On 13, I just hit a bad tee shot.”

Despite it being his first national final, St John has plenty of experience including two years on the Asian Tour which he says helped hone his game.

“It was fantastic, it made me broke quickly but it was a massive learning curve for my game,” he said.

With a £5,000 first prize at stake and the winner gaining exemption to the European Tour’s English Open next year, there’s plenty to occupy his mind but St John is determined to take a relaxed approach.

“I’ll just aim for more of the same, keep playing sensibly as possible and take chances when they come,” he said.

Fellow Surrey pro Marks will be out in the last pairing, hoping to clinch his first win of the season.

The former PGA Play Off champion dropped a shot on the third but accelerated into gear with birdies at four, eight, 11 and 13 before the wheels began to fall off with bogeys at 14 and 17.

“The main story was getting to five under and then limping home,” he said.

“I lost my way a little bit over the five holes on the big shots.

“I have to get that sorted because this is quite a big course with a bit of wind so if you’re not ball-striking you won’t get round.”

Derby pro Whatley, narrowly beaten in a play-off for the Welsh Open PGA Professional Championship last month, is content to be just off the pace as he goes into the final round.

“I’m quite happy being a couple of shots behind. I was six shots behind and got into the play off for the Welsh Open so I know what can happen,” he said.

The cut came at seven over par which meant host PGA pro Christian Fogden, who attracted the biggest crowds of the day, will be in action on the final day.

LEADERBOARD

Par 142 (2x71)

138 Ben St John (Woodcote Park) 69 69.

139 Gary Marks (World of Golf) 69 70.

140 James Whatley (East Midlands Golf Academy) 69 71, Roger Tuddenham (Hedge End) 71 69.

141 Paul Bradshaw (Spaldington) 68 73, Nick Ludwell (Selby) 72 69, Lee Thompson (Dudsbury) 69 72

Chris Sands (SkyCaddie) 74 67

142 James Cookson Whittington Heath 72 70, Robert Giles Greenore 73 69, Graham Cox Davenport 69 73, Alex Belt Bridlington Links 71 71


Image of Ben St John attached courtesy of Jan Kruger/Getty Images.

Callum keeps cool and closes gap on Gaunt to just one shot

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Callum Macaulay took inspiration from Louis Oosthuizen’s Open Championship victory to close the gap on leader Daniel Gaunt of Australia to just one shot at the inaugural English Challenge.
Macaulay, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency,
 was impressed by the calm demeanour of the South African, himself a former Challenge Tour player, and the Scot showed an equally level head to recover from an opening bogey and post a round of 68.
That moved the 26 year old to ten under par, one shot behind Gaunt – who signed for a round of 69 – and one ahead of a group of seven players which includes Macaulay’s compatriots Craig Lee and George Murray.
He said: “I took a lot from watching Louis Oosthuizen last week. He was absolutely awesome to watch – not just his game, which was obviously fantastic, but also the way he managed to stay so calm. He didn’t let anything faze him whatsoever, and quite a few times today I thought of him and told myself to keep calm and stay patient. I hit a few poor shots – even the best players in the world do – but I didn’t let it affect my state of mind. If I can keep doing the same things for the next two days and just stay in the moment, hopefully the rest will take care of itself.”
Macaulay admits to having suffered a hangover from last season, when he lost his playing privileges on The European Tour and missed out on regaining them at the Qualifying School – Final Stage by just one stroke.
But a mid-season rest and a change of equipment brought an upturn in his fortunes, making the outlook a lot brighter for the man from Falkirk.
He said: “The start of the season was just a continuation of the end of last year really, because I felt short of confidence. I wouldn’t really say I felt sorry for myself, as such, but I was just a bit down in the dumps. Then I took two weeks off and changed my equipment, and it seemed to change my luck. It just felt like I was starting afresh, and now I’m gradually getting back to where I want to be. Hopefully I can keep going, and if I keep playing well then I’ve got every chance of getting my card back.
“I definitely feel I’d be much better prepared for The European Tour if – and hopefully when – I do get my card back, because I learnt a lot about myself and my game last year. I threw myself right in at the deep end, having gone straight from amateur golf to getting my card at Q School. So I I’ll be older and hopefully wiser next time.”
England’s leading amateur Tommy Fleetwood is already displaying an old head on young shoulders, having rallied with two late birdies to sign for an up and down round of 69 and take a share of third place on nine under par.
Fleetwood opened with a bogey five, but recovered with four birdies to reach the turn in 33. He gave two shots back on the 12th and 14th holes after finding the trees with his drive, but soon cancelled those out with gains at the 16th and 18th.
He said: “I holed a flop shot on the 18th, which was a great way to finish because I wanted to get to nine under and within two of the lead. It had been a bit of a mixed bag until then, but that made me feel much better. If I can get a bit more consistency and keep the sixes off my card, then I’m confident of giving it a real good go over the weekend. It’s obviously a much bigger stage than I’ve been used to playing on for most of my life, but my clubs and ball don’t know whether it’s a monthly medal or a Challenge Tour event.
“There are definitely plenty of birdies out there, but I think I’ve also proved that this course can trip you up. I’ve made three sixes over the two days, but if I can keep the mistakes to a minimum, then who knows? It’d be great to go to the English Amateur Championship next week as a Challenge Tour champion – that’d certainly give me some bragging rights, because I don’t think too many players in the field would be able to say that!”
Like Fleetwood and Macaulay, Gaunt also dropped a shot on his first hole, but the Australian soon banished any doubts by reeling off four consecutive birdies from the 14th hole. He promptly added another at the second hole after the turn, but dropped a shot at the fourth to come home in 36 for an 11 under par aggregate total.
SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
133 D Gaunt (Aus) 64 69.
134 C Macaulay (Sco) 66 68.
135 A Blyth (Aus) 67 68, D Brooks (Eng) 67 68, G Murray (Sco) 67 68, T Olesen (Den) 67 68, C Lee (Sco) 69 66, A Ahokas (Fin) 67 68, T Fleetwood (am) (Eng) 66 69.
136 M Ford (Eng) 70 66, A Velasco (Esp) 66 70, J Campillo (Esp) 68 68, M Cort (Eng) 67 69, C Moriarty (Irl) 69 67, J Busby (Eng) 70 66.
137 G Houston (Wal) 69 68, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 69 68, J Larsen (Nor) 69 68, C Russo (Fra) 69 68, B Evans (Eng) 66 71, D Whitnell (Eng) 68 69, J Heath (Eng) 67 70.
138 B Barham (Eng) 70 68, S Arnold (Aus) 72 66, C Ford (Eng) 70 68, F Colombo (Ita) 73 65, S Manley (Wal) 70 68, S Tiley (Eng) 69 69, E Saltman (Sco) 69 69, M Korhonen (Fin) 69 69, L Gagli (Ita) 69 69,
139 M Quiros (Esp) 68 71, D Wardrop (Eng) 71 68, S Wakefield (Eng) 67 72,
140 L Slattery (Eng) 71 69, A Hansen (Den) 70 70, J Hepworth (Eng) 68 72, F Calmels (Fra) 71 69, E Ramsay (Sco) 72 68, C Brazillier (Fra) 68 72, G Molteni (Ita) 72 68, J Zapata (Arg) 71 69, P Dwyer (Eng) 68 72, G Woodman (Eng) 69 71, J Clément (Sui) 68 72,
141 W Ormsby (Aus) 70 71, G Watremez (Bel) 71 70, F De Vries (Ned) 69 72, A Snobeck (Fra) 70 71, M Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 71 70, A Raitt (Eng) 71 70, A Gee (Eng) 74 67, L Westerberg (Swe) 73 68, C Del Moral (Esp) 66 75,
142 K Sullivan (Wal) 71 71, E Dubois (Fra) 68 74, N Sulzer (Sui) 71 71, B Wiesberger (Aut) 71 71, C Smith (Wal) 71 71, N Meitinger (Ger) 72 70, M McGeady (Irl) 71 71, M Higley (Eng) 70 72, A Kaleka (Fra) 71 71, M Laskey (Wal) 70 72, G Davies (Eng) 72 70, B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 71,
MISSED THE CUT
143 G Wolstenholme (Eng) 71 72, A Tadini (Ita) 71 72, A Bruschi (Ita) 71 72, L Jensen (Den) 73 70, J Billot (Fra) 73 70, F Praegant (Aut) 70 73, W Besseling (Ned) 75 68, Z Scotland (Eng) 72 71, S Lewton (Eng) 73 70, J McLeary (Sco) 70 73, G Rosier (Fra) 69 74,
144 S Jamieson (Sco) 71 73, J Garcia (Esp) 73 71, V Riu (Fra) 74 70, A Högberg (Swe) 72 72, A Coltart (Sco) 75 69, N Lemke (Swe) 70 74, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 71, M Bliss (Can) 72 72, L Goddard (Eng) 72 72, J Moul (Eng) 71 73, S Doherty (Eng) 69 75,
145 T Remkes (Ned) 74 71, J Makitalo (Fin) 73 72, A Willey (Eng) 72 73, A Bernadet (Fra) 70 75, O Whiteley (Eng) 71 74, N Cheetham (Eng) 75 70, C Doak (Sco) 73 72, B Mason (Eng) 74 71, B Grace (RSA) 75 70, J Doherty (Sco) 71 74, P Eales (Eng) 73 72, T Whitehouse (Eng) 72 73, C Paisley (am) (Eng) 71 74,
146 S Gray (Sco) 75 71, T Stewart (Aus) 74 72, A Wagner (Arg) 73 73, D Nouailhac (Fra) 72 74, S Walker (Eng) 71 75, B Chapellan (Fra) 72 74, J Caldwell (Nir) 72 74, D Ulrich (Sui) 72 74, I Van Weerelt (Ned) 72 74, P Golding (Eng) 72 74, J McLean (Aus) 74 72,
147 N Bruzelius (Swe) 74 73, R Kind (Ned) 74 73, G Dear (Sco) 69 78, J Xanthopoulos (Fra) 72 75, L Saltman (Sco) 75 72, S Archibald (Eng) 71 76, S Surry (Eng) 79 68, S Lilly (Eng) 74 73, J Roos (RSA) 71 76, P Oriol (Esp) 73 74, J Ruebotham (Eng) 76 71, L James (Eng) 73 74, H Bacher (Aut) 73 74, J Little (Eng) 77 70, B Hemstock (am) (Eng) 74 73,
148 O Floren (Swe) 75 73, A Perrino (Ita) 73 75, S Buhl (Ger) 76 72, L Kennedy (Eng) 75 73, D Hewan (RSA) 76 72, F Keenan (Eng) 73 75, D Denison (Eng) 74 74, M Haines (Eng) 75 73, T Haylock (Eng) 73 75, S Davis (Eng) 70 78,
149 M Lowe (Eng) 74 75, S Whiffin (Eng) 76 73, D Skinns (Eng) 75 74, R Steele (Eng) 74 75, P Kaensche (Nor) 77 72, M Allen (Eng) 75 74, T Dykes (Wal) 73 76, P Purhonen (Fin) 72 77, S Reale (Ita) 71 78,
150 J Colomo (Esp) 72 78, D Griffiths (Eng) 74 76, I Keenan (Eng) 75 75, P Relecom (Bel) 76 74, M Mills (Eng) 76 74,
151 J Hedin (Swe) 79 72, R Harris (Eng) 76 75, A Signor (Ita) 73 78,
155 I Pyman (Eng) 80 75,

JOHN CRAMOND NORTH-EAST SENIORS CHAMPION

Royal Aberdeen’s John Cramond won the North-east District senior golf championship at Duff House Royal Golf Club today (Friday). He headed the field with a fine round of 67, two under the standard scratch.

Eric Morrison (Murcar Links) was runner-up with a 69.

PRIZEWINNERS
SCRATCH – J Cramond (Royal Aberdeen) 67; E Morrison (Murcar Links) 69; M Jenkins (Duff House Royal) 70; J S Sim (Duff House Royal) 72.
HANDICAP
Class 1 – A Ross (Cullen (3) 66; I Morrison (Royal Aberdeen) (5) 67; H Roulston (Stonehaven) (6), G Grey (Newmachar) (7) 69.
Class 2 – W Burns (Kintore) (13) 66; B J Milne (Murcar Links) (13) 67; W Devlin (Duff House Royal) (12) 68; H Neilson (Nigg Bay) (11) 69.



ends

South Korean stands between Open champion and Stockholm victory

No more Choi for Oosthuizen if "K J" has anything to do with it

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
South Korean K J Choi will try to bridge a seven-year gap in Stockholm this weekend - and with it stop Open champion Louis Oosthuizen from making a piece of European Tour history.
No winner of the Claret Jug has ever gone on to lift another trophy on the circuit a week later, but Oosthuizen still has that chance after adding a two-under-par 70 to his opening 67 at the Nordea Scandinavian Masters.
However Choi, whose only previous victory in Europe was the 2003 German Masters, is two ahead of the South African at halfway, with Swede Richard Johnson sandwiched between them.
In what looked like desperation two weeks ago Choi switched to a bizarre-looking side-saddle putting method once used by the great Sam Snead, but - after missed cuts at the John Deere Classic and then in The Open at St Andrews - the 40-year-old has gone back to a conventional style.
Earlier, though, he had eagled the long 15th - his sixth hole of the day - and birdied three of the next four to open a five-stroke lead.
Oosthuizen had his misses on the greens too, but has no plans for any drastic changes.
Like Choi, Johnson is based in America and his only European Tour success was eight years ago - in Australia. The 33-year-old's bogey-free 66 was the low round of the day.
Johnson's compatriot and playing partner Jesper Parnevik, out of golf since February after the discovery of a career-threatening fractured vertebrae, quit after 11 holes of his second round.
That was longer than he feared he might last and Parnevik, five over at the time, will now continue the rehab which he hopes can make him a Tour regular again.
Former US Open champion Michael Campbell had more shoulder trouble, meanwhile, and called it a day at 15 over with nine to play. The New Zealander has made only one cut in 19 events since last October.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
135 K J Choi (SKor) 68 67
136 Richard S Johnson (Swe) 70 66
137 Rafael Echenique (Arg) 68 69, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 67 70
138 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 67, Richard Green (Aus) 67 71
139 Wilhelm Schauman (Swe) 73 66, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 68 71
140 Dustin Johnson (USA) 67 73, Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 68, Jamie Donaldson 72 68, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 69 71, Simon Thornton 73 67, George Coetzee (Rsa) 71 69, Michael Hoey 70 70
141 Brett Rumford (Aus) 71 70
142 Seung-yul Noh (SKor) 71 71, Steven Jeppesen (Swe) 68 74, Nick Dougherty 73 69, Victor Dubuisson (Fra) 73 69, Mark Brown (Nzl) 73 69, Graeme Storm 75 67, Sam Hutsby 70 72, Scott Hend (Aus) 73 69, Anders Sjostrand (Swe) 75 67, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 72 70
143 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 70 73, David Howell 71 72, Joost Luiten (Ned) 73 70, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 73 70, Steven O'Hara 69 74, David Lynn 73 70, James Morrison 71 72, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 73 70, Sam Little 70 73, Troy Matteson (USA) 73 70, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 71 72
144 Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 74 70, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 72 72, Damien McGrane 73 71, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 72 72, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 73 71, Kenneth Ferrie 74 70, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 71 73, Anthony Wall 72 72, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 72 72, Marco Ruiz (Par) 70 74, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 69 75, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 73 71, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 76 68
145 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 72, Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 73 72, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 74, Phillip Price 70 75, Scott Drummond 70 75, Oliver Fisher 72 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 73, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 73 72, Gary Boyd 69 76, David Dixon 69 76, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 72 73, James Ruth 75 70, Ariel Canete (Arg) 73 72, Pablo Martin (Spa) 72 73, Miles Tunnicliff 73 72
MISSED THE CUT
146 Chris Gane 75 71, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 75 71, Jesper Kennegard (Swe) 74 72, Fredrik Henge (Swe) 71 75, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 70 76, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 71 75, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 76 70, Jamie Elson 74 72, Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 72 74, Richard Bland 72 74, Steve Webster 75 71, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71 75, Jeff Karlsson (Swe) 74 72, Paul Broadhurst 73 73, Gary Clark 75 71, David Drysdale 72 74
147 Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe) 75 72, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 71 76, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 73 74, Henrik Nystrom (Swe) 74 73, Hennie Otto (Rsa) 72 75, Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 74 73, Marius Thorp (Nor) 71 76, Anthony Kang (USA) 74 73, Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 73 74, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 78 69, Alastair Forsyth 76 71, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 72 75, Nils Floren (Swe) 72 75
148 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 73 75, Pontus Widegren (Swe) 78 70, Andrew Tampion (Aus) 71 77, Henrik Norlander (Swe) 75 73, Ake Nilsson (Rsa) 75 73, Richard McEvoy 72 76, Julien Quesne (Fra) 74 74, Robert Coles 74 74, Markus Brier (Aut) 75 73, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 71 77, Mark Foster 73 75
149 Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 76 73, Mark Tullo (Chi) 72 77, Paul Waring 77 72, Sion E Bebb 72 77, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 72 77, Gary Murphy 72 77, Mark F Haastrup (Den) 79 70, Stephen Dodd 73 76, Richard Finch 76 73, Rickie Fowler (USA) 73 76, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 74 75
150 Michiel Bothma (Rsa) 75 75, Martin Wiegele (Aut) 75 75, Robert Rock 72 78, Stephan Gross Jnr (Ger) 72 78, Liam Bond 77 73, Marc Warren 78 72, Scott Strange (Aus) 73 77, Danny Willett 72 78, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 75 75
151 Alexander Noren (Swe) 73 78, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 76 75, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 75 76, Rick Kulacz (Aus) 78 73, Phillip Archer 74 77, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 76 75, Peter Lawrie 74 77, Johan Edfors (Swe) 73 78
152 John Parry 79 73, Roope Kakko (Fin) 81 71, Andrew Dodt (Aus) 72 80
153 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 77 76, Peter Whiteford 75 78
154 Richie Ramsay 76 78, Andrew McArthur 74 80, David Lingmerth (Swe) 76 78, Marcus Palm (Swe) 77 77
155 Gary Lockerbie 78 77, Andrew Butterfield 79 76, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 75 80, James Kamte (Rsa) 77 78
156 Anton Haig (Rsa) 80 76, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 76 80
158 Victor Tarnstrom (Swe) 80 78, Peter Baker 80 78
159 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 78 81
160 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 76 84, Carl Suneson (Spa) 81 79

European women's individual amateur championship

Three under par but Pamela Pretswell trails by six shots
Curtis Cup Scot Pamela Pretswell will start Saturday’s final round of the European women’s individual amateur golf championship at Kuneticka Hora in the Czech Republic in joint 15th place.
Such is the quality of the opposition that the Bothwell Castle player’s three-under-par tally of 213 after a third-round 71 sees her six shots behind the new leader, Germany’s Sophia Popov who has shot three-under-par 69 in each of her rounds for 207.
On the same mark as Pretswell is Curtis Cup team-mate, 15-year-old Leona Maguire from Ireland. She also had a 71.
Louise Kenney from Pitreavie, Dunfermline is sharing 44th place on three-over 219 after a 72 while Alford’s Laura Murray missed the cut by 19 shots with scores of 78, 84 and 78 for 240.

THIRD ROUND
Par 216 (3x72)
207 Sophia Popov (Ger) 69 69 69.
208 Manon Gidali (Fra) 72 70 66, Marta Silva (Spa) 67 69 72.
209 Valerie Sternebeck (Ger) 70 71 68, Sarah Schober (Swi) 70 68 71.
210 Line Vedel Hansen (den) 71 71 68, Lara Katzy (Ger) 70 73 67.
Selected scores
212 Hannah Burke (Eng) 72 68 72 (jt 9th).
213 Pamela Pretswell (Sco) 70 72 71, Leona Maguire (Ire) 75 67 71 (jt 15th).
214 Charlotte Ellis (Eng) 75 70 69 (jt 18th).
215 Amy Boulden (Wal) 71 73 71 (jt 21st).
216 Rachel Jennings (Eng) 74 73 69, Hannah Barwood (Eng) 73 72 71, Lisa Maguire (Ire) 69 75 72 (jt 25th).
218 Hayley Davis (Eng) 75 72 71, Carlota Ciganda (Spa) 71 76 71 (jt 40th).
219 Louise Kenney (Sco) 73 74 72 (jt 44th).
221 Mary Dowling (Ire) 73 73 75 (jt 57th).
MISSED THE CUT (221 or better required)
224 Tara Davies (Wal) 77 76 71.
226 Becky Harries (Wal) 76 78 72.
232 Charlene Reid (Ire) 81 77 74.
236 Victoria Bradshaw (Ire) 77 80 79.
240 Laura Murray (Sco) 78 84 78.

Goodwood's Harris gallops into English PGA championship lead

FROM THE PGA WEBSITE
Jamie Harris proved a golfing thoroughbred at Golf At Goodwood by galloping into the lead with a four-under-par course record 67 to set the pace in the Business Fort English PGA Championship.
The Nevill Golf Club PGA pro leads a packed leaderboard by one stroke from Paul Bradshaw (Boothferry GC) with a clutch of players locked at two under for the inaugural 54-hole tournament which is also supported by Cobra and 59Club.
Marathon running Harris, who is also a martial arts expert, has been hitting some of his best form of late with two top three finishes in the last two PGA South Region Order of Merit events and was delighted with his latest performance over the James Braid-designed Downs Course.
"It's good because it tests every part of your game, but it's fair," said Harris who reached the turn in four under par with birdies on the first, third, fifth and ninth holes.
"If you drive the ball well and give yourself chances you can score but equally where the course is good is that you can't hit it off line and get away with it.
"Any hole you miss the green you're going to have a tricky shot."
Harris dropped a shot at 11 and another at 13 with what he called a 'terrible five' after three putting when he missed the green with a wedge from just 65ft.
But the PGA Cup player made amends with the shot of the day on the 599-yard par five 16th.
"I hit driver-driver and the second was the best shot of the day," he said. "I had 280 yards and the ball was above my feet and I had to cut it but I hit it to 20ft which was a really good shot because it runs away."
Harris, who finished runner up in the PGA Professional Championship 12 months ago, has set himself a target of 10 under to lift the inaugural title which carries a £5,000 first prize.
"The way I look at these events is that it gets a bit easier every day because people put themselves out of it," he added. "You start the week with 150 but by end of day only 20 or so will be in with a chance so I reckon we need 10 under to win."
Hot on his heels is Bradshaw who birdied the last for a 68. It was rich reward for long hours of extra practice that the English PGA Assistants champion has been putting in near his home.
"I've had no real form of late but have put in some extra hours and it's paying off," he said.
"I think we got good end of the draw with the weather, I spoke to my mate Neil Evans at the 11th who said it was tough but that's life as we saw at the Open. But I played solid all the way round.
"I set off with a few good birdies, birdied the hard holes, seven and 18. There was no fireworks but I just didn't make mistakes and I think that's what's everyone is fighting around here."
A group of seven players shot 69s including Bournemouth's Lee Thompson (Dudsbury), Surrey duo Gary Marks (World of Golf) and Ben St John (Woodcote Park). Morning starters James Whatley (East Midlands Golf Academy), Tim Backhouse (Bromborough), David Green (Croham Hurst) and Graham Cox (Davenport) also carded 69s.

Amateurs over-55s' final at Kinross on Saturday morning (9.52)

Sandy Pirie v Tony Stafford for seniors' match-play title

Former Walker Cup player Sandy Pirie, playing out of Aberdeen's municipal Hazlehead course and
13th of the 32 qualifiers from the stroke-play stage, will play No 3 seed Tony Stafford (Gleneagles) in tomorrow morning's 18-hole final of the Scottish senior men's amateur match-play championship over the Montgomerie course at Kinross Golf Club.
Pirie, who played for Great Britain and Ireland in the 1967 match and is now 68, came from three down to win his semi-final by 2 and 1 against the 24th qualifier, Jim Watt (Edzell) who KO'd the No 1 see3d, Colin Christy (Malcolm) at the 24th hole in the morning quarter-finals.
Stafford, aged 57, won his semi-final at the 19th against the No 7 qualifier, Stephen Ellis from the nine-hole Innellan course near Dunoon.
The final will start at the unusual time of 9.52am. That's because the championship, which is sponsored by Abbeyfield (UK) Ltd), should have finished today but because a day's play was lost earlier in the week due to flooding, the tournament has spilled over into Saturday morning when the Kinross club hold a medal competition for members.
Club officials kindly agreed to give the senior finalists one of their tee times - so 9.52am it is!
Spectators will be made welcome.
Results:
QUARTER-FINALS
Jim Watt (Edzell) bt Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) at 24th.
Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) bt John McDonald (Cowglen) 3 and 2.
Steve Ellis (Innellan) bt Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) 2 and 1.
Tony Stafford (Gleneagles) bt David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) 4 and 3.
SEMI-FINALS
Pirie bt Watt 2 and 1.
Stafford bt Ellis at 19th.

Family Fun at Carnoustie on Saturday
Families attending The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard during Saturday’s third round will be able to enjoy some fun activities in the tented village and practice ground as well as all of the action on the course at Carnoustie.
Youngsters will be entertained by acrobats Flotsum and Jetsum who will perform from 11.30am onwards, while there will also be a juggling and balloon making clown, a stilt walker and a face painter as part of the Family Fun Day in the tented village.
Trick shot expert David Edwards will also perform his incredible routine on the practice range and there will be a parent and child golf challenge allowing families to test their putting and chipping and try out the Simulator Challenge. The winning team will receive a £100 voucher for the merchandise pavilion and two tickets to return on Sunday when they will have their photograph taken with the newly crowned Senior Open Champion.
Among the golfing greats competing for The Senior Open Championship are former Masters Champion Bernhard Langer, US Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin, Scotland’s Sam Torrance, eight-time Major winning Tom Watson and former World Number One Ian Woosnam.
Tickets can be bought on the gate for £25 per person. Under 16s are admitted free of charge. Tickets purchased with a MasterCard receive a 10 per cent discount.

United States PGA Tour Scoreboard
CANADIAN OPEN
St George's Golf and Country Club, Toronto,
FIRST ROUND
Par 70
62 Brent Delahoussaye
64 Brock Mackenzie, Vance Veazey
65 Brian Stuard, Spencer Levin, Charley Hoffman, Steve Wheatcroft, Hunter Mahan, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Dean Wilson, Jimmy Walker, Rich Barcelo
66 Michael Letzig, Chris Stroud, Greg Chalmers (Aus), Matthew Jones (Aus), Bob Estes, Joe Durant, Rob Grube, Tim Clark (Rsa), Troy Merritt, Nicholas Thompson, Jason Bohn
67 Bill Lunde, Retief Goosen (Rsa), Joe Ogilvie, Mark Hensby (Aus), Steve Lowery, Ricky Barnes, Kevin Na, J J Henry, Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Jon Mills (Can), John Huston, Briny Baird, Stephen Ames (Can)
68 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Marco Dawson, Adam Hadwin (Can), David Duval, Tom Pernice Jnr., James Nitties (Aus), Roger Tambellini, Alex Prugh, Chad Campbell, Nathan Green (Aus), Ryan Palmer, Jay Williamson, Paul Casey (Eng), Camilo Villegas (Col)
69 Chris Riley, Paul Azinger, James Driscoll, John Daly, Danny Lee (Nzl), Brett Quigley, Justin Bolli, Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Stuart Appleby (Aus), Brendon De Jonge, Kent Jones, Steve Flesch, Chris DiMarco, Lee Janzen, Kevin Streelman, Mark Wilson, Matt Hill (Can), Charlie Wi (Kor), Jarrod Lyle (Aus), Arjun Atwal (Ind), Chad Collins, Tom Gillis, Luke Donald (Eng), Johnson Wagner
70 Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Martin Flores, Paul Stankowski, Matt Bettencourt, Graham Delaet (Can), Blake Adams, Webb Simpson, Charles Howell III, Sean O'Hair, Bob Heintz, Bryce Molder, Scott McCarron, Tim Herron, Lucas Lee, Matt Kuchar, Cliff Kresge, Cameron Percy (Aus), Steve Elkington (Aus), Brad Faxon, D.A. Points, Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Carlos Franco (Par), Scott Verplank, Rocco Mediate, Cameron Tringale
71 Eugene Wong (Can), Aron Price (Aus), Dave Bunker (Can), Kirk Triplett, Jeff Quinney, Billy Mayfair, Mathias Gronberg (Swe), Brenden Pappas (Rsa), Cam Burke (Can), Nick Taylor (Can), Jerry Kelly, Ted Brown (Can), Andrew McLardy (Rsa), Chris Wilson, Will Wilcox, Matthew Every, Glen Day, Carl Pettersson (Swe), Jonathan Byrd
72 Omar Uresti, David Hearn (Can), Barrett Jarosch (Can), J.P. Hayes, Todd Hamilton, Alex Cejka (Ger), Aaron Goldberg, Mike Weir (Can), Craig Bowden, Chris Ross (Can), Josh Teater
73 Jeff Gove, Woody Austin, Kevin Johnson, Gary Woodland, Kevin Sutherland, John Mallinger, Bill Haas, Roland Thatcher, Craig Barlow, Jeff Puska (Can), Henrik Bjornstad (Nor), Fred Couples, Kevin Stadler, Brandt Snedeker, Jerod Turner, Skip Kendall
74 David Lutterus (Rsa), Ben Boudreau (Can)
75 Charles Warren, Robert Gamez, Pat Perez, Ted Purdy
76 Jim Rutledge (Can), Michael Connell
78 Brian Davis (Eng), Beon yeong Lee (Can)
80 Robert Garrigus

Big names depart from US boys' championship

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Ryan Lavner
ADA, Mich. – When the names started dropping off the scoring tree, and some of the pre-tournament favorites headed home, Anthony Paolucci looked at the remaining contenders and had a peculiar reaction.
“Guess he won’t win three in a row now,” he quipped.
No, Jordan Spieth will not repeat at the U.S. Junior Amateur, a statement that seemed preposterous at the start of the week. But that’s the rub with match play: It doesn’t always identify the best player.
“Anybody can beat anybody on any given day,” said Denny McCarthy, who beat stroke-play medalist Curtis Thompson and Devon Purser in Thursday’s matches. “That’s how match play works. If you have an off day and someone has a good day, that’s tough luck. You’re gone.”
And the list of players who departed Egypt Valley Country Club early on Thursday was a veritable who’s who in the junior game:
• Emiliano Grillo. The highest-ranked international player, at No. 8 in Golfweek’s rankings, hoped for a defining victory before, perhaps, joining the pro ranks. Instead, he lost to little-known Charlie Martin.
• Spieth. He stole the show at the PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Championship, tying for 16th in front of the home fans. The top-ranked junior for much of the past year, he surely was the leading contender to win again this week and become only the second player to win multiple Junior Amateur titles. Not anymore.
• Thompson. The stroke-play medalist with a 10-under 134 total, he lost control of his driver on Day 1, barely getting by unheralded Scottie Scheffler, and he ran into a better, more consistent player in McCarthy on Thursday.
Fifteen-year-old Gavin Hall, upon returning to the clubhouse after an arduous 1-up victory in the morning, was asked his reaction to the news that several of the top-ranked players were sent packing.
Once fully informed, Hall said: “What? Wow, that’s shocking. Those players are amazing, especially in match play. I didn’t want to face them. Wow. No way. Wow, that’s shocking.”
Shocking, indeed. And the players remaining at the 63rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship have a shot that, perhaps, wouldn’t have otherwise been afforded. Robby Shelton, 14, who beat Spieth, is still blissfully unaware of what he has accomplished here. Scott Wolfes was merely relieved not to throw away a 4-up lead with six to play. Canadian Richard Jung? He said he wouldn’t even recognize some of the top-tier players.
“Of course I’m surprised all the big names are out,” said Chung, a player so obscure in the States he’s not even entered in the AJGA database. “I thought they would win automatically because they’re really good players. But I guess that’s match play. It’s a whole different game.”
So now, the big question is: Who’s the best of the rest? All signs point to Justin Thomas, Paolucci, Hall and McCarthy, Golfweek’s new No. 1-ranked player.
Thomas had his first true test of the tournament late Thursday afternoon against Jorge Fernandez Valdes, a top-15 player worldwide. Thomas chipped in for birdie off the edge of the 12th green, giving him a 2-up lead that proved to be enough, even after dropping Nos. 16 and 17 when he flared a tee shot into the water and then three-putted from 40 feet.
“I felt like that was a big step to win this one,” Thomas said. “It only gets harder from here because you’re getting closer to the finals and everyone’s going for it. It was big. I know I beat one of the best out here, and I know I have a good chance to win this tournament, so hopefully I’ll be there on Saturday.”
Paolucci came to Michigan wondering if his spotty form would carry over to the national championship. Sure appeared that way when he struggled through stroke-play qualifying, grabbing the 26th seed. His side of the bracket seemed daunting, too, and, barring any upsets, he would have faced Wyndham Clark, Grillo and Spieth in consecutive matches. Instead, Paolucci was able to advance without much stress, even while not playing particularly sharp.
“With all the top players losing, I felt like I was the next one to go,” Paolucci said. “My dad kept telling me that what happened this morning, I can’t focus it. I can’t worry about it. Every match is you either win or go home.”
And, surprise, the defending champ and stroke-play medalist were among those heading home early.
“I don’t want to say the road is easier,” Thomas said, “but those kids are saying, ‘Oh, I just beat the No. 1 kid in the country,’ and now he’s got all the confidence in the world.
“Everyone here has the same mindset: It doesn’t matter who it is, they want to beat the brains out of the other person.”
Even if it’s a relative unknown with lots of game and little to lose.
Match play results from the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship  at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Michigan
ROUND OF 16
Denny McCarty def. Devon Purser, 1 up
Richard Jung def. Ben Warnquist, 3 and 2
Scott Wolfes def. Zachary Wright, 19 holes
Justin Thomas def. Jorge Fernandez Valdes, 2 up
Robby Shelton def. Andrew Lister, 3 and 1
Anthony Paolucci def. Charles Martin, 2 and 1
Gavin Hall def. Jonathan Garrick, 5 and 3
Jim Liu def. Cody Proveaux
ROUND OF 32
Denny McCarthy def. Curtis Thompson, 3 and 2
Devon Purser def. Adam Ball, 4 and 2
Richard Jung def. Sam Straka, 5 and 3
Ben Warnquist def. Bryson Dechambeau, 3 and 2
Scott Wolfes def. Aaron Kunitomo, 2 up
Zachary Wright def. Lee McCoy, 1 up
Justin Thomas def. Khaled Attieh, 5 and 3
Jorge Fernandez Valdes def. Cameron Wilson, 2 and 1
Robby Shelton def. Jordan Spieth, 1 up
Andrew Lister def. Stephen Behr, 21 holes
Anthony Paolucci def. Andrew Fogg, 4 and 3
Charles Martin def. Emilliano Grillo, 1 up
Gavin Hall def. Alexander Schauffele, 1 up
Jonathan Garrick def. Charlie Saxon, 3 and 1
Jim Liu def. Davis Womble, 8 and 7
Cody Proveaux def. Oliver Schniederjans, 3 and 2
Stephen Behr def. Justin Keiley, 2 and 1

Tartan Tour Scoreboard
SPRINT TO ST ANDREWS - QUALIFIER NO 3
CAWDER GOLF CLUB
Par 70
65 Mark King (Kingsfield Golf Centre), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) (£875 each).
66 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) (£550).
67 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), Gareth Wright (West Linton), David Patrick (Elie) (£338.75 each).
68 Euan Cameron (Hamilton), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Graham Fox (East Kilbride) (£225 each).
69 Christopher Currie (Caldwell), Stuart Kerr (Strathaven), Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) (£151.66 each).
70 Craig Ronald (Carluke), Paul Wytrazek (Burntisland), John Robertson (Glasgow) (£71.66 each).
71 Gavin Cook (Prestonfield), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf), Fraser Dunlop (Gleneagles Hotel), Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride), Derek Watters (Gourock), Alan Purdie (Kingsbarns Golf Links), Stuart Reekie (Blairgowrie), Graeme Brown (Montrose), Andrew Fullen (Largs), David Addison (Kilmarnock Barassie).
72 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), Colin Gillies (Braid Hills), Paul Wilson (World of Golf), Peter Mitchell (Hermitage), Lee Harper (Archerfield Links), Chris Kelly (Cawder), Ronan Rafferty (Roxburghe), Ken Campbell (Machrihanish).
73 Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill), Ross Leeds (Turnberry Hotel), James McKinnon (Irvine), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), James Smallwood (Fereneze), Hamish Kemp (Bishopbriggs Golf Range).
74 Stuart Syme (Dumfries and Co), Chris Conroy (Cawder), Michael McAllan (Glenbervie), Craig Gordon (Edinburgh Golf Centre), Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk), Iain Stoddart (Uphall), Richard Fyvie (Pumpherston), Joseph McBrearty (Haggs Castle).
75 James Clive (Carrick), Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe), Gregor Abel (Alloa), Ewan Peebles (Half Moon GC), James McGhee (Turnhouse Golf Club), Stuart Morrison (Tain).
76 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range), Matthew Laughtland (Future Starz in Golf), David Blackadder (Kingsbarns Links), Paul Jamieson (Dunblane New), Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club), Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm), Keil Beveridge (Inchmarlo), Mark Finlayson (Edzell).
77 +7 Stuart Pardoe (unatt), Kevin Campbell (Greenock), Heaher MacRae (Gullane), Oliver Morrison (Callander).
78 Alan Mackay (Pumpherston), Mark Bruce (Gullane), Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir), Matthew Burt (Helensburgh), Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).
79 Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle), Ian Rowlands (West Linton).
80 Ryan Buckley (Craigielaw).
81 Fraser Pook (Aberdour), Greg Paxton (Ralston).
82 Graeme Fisher (Glasgow).
88 Duncan Anderson (Murrayfield).
No Returns: William Fairfull-Smith (Cowglen), Craig Knowles (Panmure), Graeme Sneddon (Greaves Sports).
Disqualified: Alan Waugh (Clydebank and District).

SENIOR OPEN AT CARNOUSTIE

Ill-tempered Oldcorn lets himself down after bad finish

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Tom Watson and Andrew Oldcorn both finished their opening rounds in the Senior Open championship at Carnoustie on a disappointing note. But, while one was able to mask his feelings to show a touch of class, the other let himself down.
Three-time winner Watson duffed his second at the last into the burn, running up a double-bogey 6 for a three-over 74, one fewer than Oldcorn, who signed off with a 7 after his approach finished a couple of feet out of bounds.
Playing in the group ahead of Watson, the Edinburgh man was furious with himself and told a press officer he wouldn't be discussing his round with reporters. "They should have more common sense after I have taken 7 at the last, I am not going to speak to anyone," he said, before storming off.
Oldcorn, who had gone into this event on a high after tying for eighth in the US Senior PGA Championship earlier in the year, probably had cause to be unhappy. So, too, did Watson, but his behaviour afterwards was in stark contrast.
"Hello, gentleman," said the American to the same press men on his way into the recorders' tent before emerging again to spend around five minutes reflecting on his round. "It was a struggling round and the last was an exclamation point," he conceded.
"I was trying to play a cute shot (with his second]. I tried to hit an open-bladed 5-iron just below the equator (of the ball]. I did that but, unfortunately, I got the turf first."
Watson's return to the course where he won the first of his five Open Championships in 1975 attracted a big crowd but it was Bernhard Langer who produced the best golf in a three-ball that also included South African David Frost.
"I was angry at myself today about the way I was playing and I'm sorry I didn't put on a show as I have a great respect for them (the Scottish galleries]," added Watson. "I'm out here to put on a show but I didn't do it worth a darn today. But there's always tomorrow."
While not nearly on the same scale as Watson, Fraser Mann also had his fair share of supporters out on the course, which is hardly surprising, given that he's Carnoustie born and bred and has been a member of one of the local clubs for more than 40 years.
Mann, a rookie on the senior circuit after leaving his club job at Musselburgh, though he's still attached there, used his local knowledge to good effect to sign for a respectable 72, a score matched by Ross Drummond after he birdied the last.
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE NEWS FROM CARNOUSTIE AND ALL THE FIRST-DAY SCORES

Lanarkshire men's match-play championship
HAMILTON GOLF CLUB
Semi-finals
Ed Wood (Crow Wood) bt Robbie Main (Airdrie) 2 and 1.
Kevin Loughrie (Cambuslang) beat Mark O'Donnell (Hamilton) 5 and 4.

The Final will be played at Hamilton in about two weeks, after the Scottish Amateur at Gullane next week.