KEENAN TAKES STEP CLOSER TO CHALLENGE TOUR


IAN KEENAN has moved a step closer to playing on the Challenge Tour next season after impressing in the latest PGA EuroPro Tour event.
The top six players on the EuroPro Tour Order of Merit at the end of the campaign advance to the Challenge Tour and one step away from joining golf’s elite on the European Tour.
Before the ABC Solutions UK Championship, which is being staged at the Wychwood Park Golf Club in Crewe , Keenan was third in the money list.
But his position could improve as he shares the lead going into the last day of the event where the overall champion will pocket £10,000.
Keenan (Royal Liverpool) started Wednesday’s play two shots off first place but a round of three-under moved him to a share of lead.
He could have had an outright lead had he not bogeyed the second, 12th and 16th holes.
James Heath is looking for his second top ten finish of the season and joins Keenan on five-under, although he also dropped three shots in his second round.
Day one leader Tim Dykes is still in contention for the top prize but will be hoping bogeys at the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth do not prove costly.
Nick McCarthy was a one-time leader of the event as he was on five-under after 14 holes of his opening round on Tuesday.
However, all of his good work was ruined with a disastrous 15th when he shot a nine at the par-four hole to rapidly fall down the leaderboard.
McCarthy, who won last week in Merseyside, shot an even par round of 72 today and is tied 28th, but he would have been on the same score as Keenan and Heath if he had shot a par four instead of a nine yesterday.
Order of Merit leader Daniel Gaunt is not in EuroPro Tour action this week, while second placed Craig Lee is tied eighth, two shots behind Keenan and Heath.
The top players plus ties have qualified for the final round which takes place on Thursday.

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GILES SETS CLUBHOUSE TARGET IN GLENMUIR PGA

FROM THE PGA WEBSITE
Rob Giles stormed into contention at the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship and then admitted his fate this week will decide whether he has another tilt at the Tour.
The Greenore pro compiled a superb six-under-par 66 at The Oxfordshire to post the clubhouse target at five under for the tournament at the halfway stage.

But afterwards Giles, who originally hails from Yorkshire, revealed how he fares in the £90,000 event, which is also supported by Peugeot and MPI Financial Services, will determine whether he takes the plunge at Tour School.

The 39-year-old has a Tour School entry form sitting in his County Louth home and a top five finish will prompt him to have a final stab at joining the elite ranks.

"I'm getting a little bit older, the years are catching up with me and I want to have one more go at Tour School if I do okay here," said Giles.

"I have the entry form at home which has to be in next week. If I finish top five I will have a go. It's my last chance, I've had three or four goes before but this is the last year I might have a go."

Giles has given up playing pro-ams to concentrate on his game and that decision has paid dividends with strong finishes in the Welsh and English PGA Championship where he was runner up.

He began the second day of the Glenmuir event at one over par but, beginning on the 10th hole, quickly made a move up the leaderboard with a rash of birdies, marred by just two dropped shots on the ninth and 12th holes.

Birdies came at the 10th with a brilliant approach to a foot, two big hits yielded birdies on the par five 11th and 17th holes while a 30-footer was a bonus on the tricky 18th.

But it was a bunker shot on the fifth that Giles savoured as his shot of the day.

"I had no room to play with, there was water behind me and I hit it to 10 feet and holed it for three," he said.

"ThAt kept the momentum going, I followed that up with birdies on six and seven, and rather than going backwards I went forwards."

He added: "The shape of the holes with big greens - it suits my eye perfectly. I tend to hit it left to right and every hole to me seems to be left to right. That's why Montgomerie always did well here.

"The only thing I'd like is it to blow a bit, to make it a little tougher. If there's no wind and sunshine you can shoot six, seven or eight under."

Matthew Griffiths from Oakdale in South Wales is two shots back at three under following a level par 72 to add to his first round 69 carved out in the worst of yesterday's conditions.

Griffiths is employing aggressive tactics in a bid to breakout of safety mode and is confident a good score is just round the corner.

"My goal coming into the Glenmuir was to attack the flags. I hit 15 greens yesterday and a similar number today but without anything dropping," he said.

"I feel everything is there in my game - I'm just waiting for something to happen."

Crue Elliott (Sandy Lodge) and John Wells (Cherry Burton) carded successive 71s to sit at two under while 2006 champion Paul Wesselingh (Kedleston Park) is back at level par for the tournament with a 70 alongside PGA Cup team-mate Jon Bevan (Wessex Golf Centre) among others.

The first round leaders are all afternoon starters with one of them - Cameron Clark (Moor Hall) dropping two shots early on.

NEWS FROM BRITISH BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP
FOR NEWS OF TODAY'S PLAY IN THE BRITISH BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP AT KILMARNOCK BARASSIE AND DUNDONALD LINKS, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO THE RandA WEBSITE


BRITISH BOYS WEDNESDAY PLAY

As Humphrey Bogart might have said: "Here's looking at you, kid!" Tom Ward's excellent image of James Byrne lining up a putt at Ashburnham today.

Scotland lose to Wales in Home Internationals Opener

Wales beat Scotland 8-7 (foursomes 3-2 to Scotland, singles 6-4 to Wales) and England beat Ireland 11-4 (foursomes 4-1, singles 7-3) on the opening day of the men's home internationals at Ashburnham, South Wales.

FOR DETAILS OF THE SCOTLAND v WALES MATCH, CLICK HERE

FOR DETAILS OF THE ENGLAND v IRELAND MATCH, CLICK HERE

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR
ROLEX TROPHY
Golf Club de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland
FIRST ROUND
Par 72
65 R Russell (Sco), P Edberg (Swe), L Slattery (Eng), M Carlsson (Swe)
66 J Clement (Swi), D Vanegas (Col), M Manassero (Ita)
67 M Thorp (Nor), A Kaleka (Fra), C Ford (Eng)
68 J Sjoholm (Swe), E Saltman (Sco), G Murray (Sco), C Moriarty (Irl), R Dinwiddie (Eng), D Gaunt (Aus)
69 A Tadini (Ita), J Zapata (Arg), P Gustafsson (Swe), S Walker (Eng), M Korhonen (Fin), M Tullo (Chi), J Elson (Eng)
70 S Manley (Wal), E Dubois (Fra), M Zions (Aus), M Haines (Eng), V Riu (Fra), J Larsen (Nor)
71 F De Vries (Ned), B Wiesberger (Aut), O Floren (Swe), C Russo (Fra), A Velasco (Spa)
72 B Evans (Eng), A Willey (Eng), J Arruti (Spa), C Baker (USA)
74 D Denison (Eng), T Olesen (Den)
75 S Davis (Eng)
76 P Del Grosso (Arg)

Tony Stafford leading Scot in Senior Open amateur championship

Tony Stafford (Dun Ochil) was the leading Scot at the end of the first round of the Senior Open men's amateur championship at Walton Heath GC, Surrey today.
Tony had a 72, five shots behind the leader, former US Walker Cup captain Danny Yates.
Alistair Fiddes (Deeside) and Bob Stewart (Tulliallan) both had 74s to be sharing 20th place.
John Johnston (Lanark) had a 75.


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BYRNE'S BEST - HE'S No. 11 IN WORLD

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
James Byrne's 11th place finish in the European individual amateur championship in Finland last weekend has seen him rise to No 11 in the updated R&A World Amateur Rankings.
That's a promotion of two places and puts the 21-year-old Banchory player, a student at Arizona State University, at his highest world ranking yet.
Jin Jeong, the Australia-based South Korean who beat Byrne in the final of the British amateur championship at Muirfield in June, is still ranked No 1, ahead of American Peter Uihlein and Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall), the English amateur championship who rises to a pesonal best of No 3 this week.
The only other Scot apart from Byrne in the top 100 is Motherwell's Ross Kellett, who goes down five places to No 61.
Scottish champion Michael Stewart drops out of the top 100 after a disappointing performance in the European amateur championship, dropping 20 places to No 116.
Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol goes down 17 places to No 139.

ROYAL DORNOCH GOLF CLUB OPEN TOURNAMENT

Paulus (69) leads first round of Carnegie Shield

By ROBIN WILSON
Nurnberg-based plus one handicapper, Scandinavian Jorg-Peter Paulus, shot a one under par 69 over the Royal Dornoch championship course yesterday to take the first round lead in the first of two qualifying rounds going through to the match-play stages of the Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch which begins tomorrow.
Paulus's card was five below the visitor's calculated CSS of 74 and he leads by one from Scot, Ian Fraser (Dumfries and County), who in turn is one ahead of his club mate Ian Brotherston and the losing finalist in the past two years, Ian Rennie (Hindhead).
Also with a one over par 71 is Inverness's Bruce Thomson, still comfortable to qualify is the defending champion, local member Chris Mailley. Just tagging onto a place in the top thirty four of which thirty-two go forward to the match play are two former winners, Neil MacDonald (Muckhart) and Moray Based Gary Bethune (RDGC). The last overseas winner Andrew Biggadike (Olympic Club, San Francisco) is well placed with 74.
Leading First Round Scores
69 J P Paulus (Am Reichswald).
70 I Fraser (Dumfries & County).
71 I Rennie (Hindhead), I Brotherston (Dumfries and County), B Thomson (Inverness).
72 A MacDonald (RDGC), S. Thornhill (Broadway).
73 S Saal (Bayville USA), N McQueen (Mellor and Townscliff).
74 D B Strachan (Turnberry Hotel), H F Green (Hankley Common), S Johnston (Prestonfield), R Ord (Oldmeldrum), R Bremner (Nairn), R Skelhon (Oakdale USA), A Biggadike (Olympic USA).
75 S Beattie (Finchley).
76 C Mailley (Royal Dornoch), T Irelan (Murcar Links), G Sharpe (Dumfries and Co) P A Bamford (Rothley Park), K Sinclair (Royal Dornoch).
77 G Carter (Royal Mid Surrey), I Morrison (Oldmeldrum) G Macintyre (Grangemouth), M O'Hara (Bathgate), G B Anderson (Edinburgh Thistle), K Gaitens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie). 78 R F Goodale (Aberdour), C Martin (Bel-Air USA), N Munro (Royal Dornoch, B Templeton (Royal Dornoch), N. MacDonald (Muckhart), G Bethune (Royal Dornoch).

MEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS AT ASHBURNHAM, SOUTH WALES

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England name three for Czech amateur championship

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE.
Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton, Warwickshire), a quarter finalist in the recent English Amateur Championship at Little Aston, is one of three players who will represent the English Golf Union (EGU) in the Czech Amateur Championship, 11th – 14th August.
He will be accompanied by Tyrrell Hatton (Harleyford, BB&O) and Neil Raymond (Corhampton, Hampshire, IoW at Marianske Lazne.
Sullivan, 23, has been prominent on the amateur circuit for several years. He has won the Midland Closed for the past two years and the Midland Open Amateur in 2009. This year, he has also won the Hampshire Salver and the Lagonda Trophy and finished runner-up in the West of England Stroke Play.
Hatton, 18, won the Canadian Junior Challenge last year when representing the EGU and has produced several top ten finishes this year including fifth in the Berkhamsted Trophy, and sixth in the Lytham, Brabazon and Berkshire Trophies. He was also one of only three English amateur players to qualify for this year's Open Championship.
Raymond, 24, a quarter-finalist in the 2008 English Amateur Championship, finished sixth in this year’s Lagonda Trophy and recently won the Parman Trophy at St Mellion. He spent some time in Australia last winter, finished tied sixth in the New South Wales Stroke Play and equal ninth in the Riversdale Cup.
The Czech Amateur is a 72-hole stroke play event with a halfway cut to the leading 70 players and ties with a further cut after the third round to the leading 40 players and ties.
There will also be a Nations Cup decided over the opening two rounds with the best two scores from three to count.

Charlie Macneal wins Ayrshire boys' championship

FROM THE AYRSHIRE GOLF WEBSITE
Charlie Macneal of Troon Welbeck stormed to a three shot victory in the 2010 Ayrshire Boys Championship, held over the Troon Lochgreen course on Thursday 5th August with a stunning eight under par second round of 66.
Sixteen-year-old Macneal, who plays off a handicap of one, opened in the morning with a two under par total of 72 which left him in joint third place behind the first round leader Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie), who carded a four under par 70, and clubmate Ben Gibson who returned a three under par 71.
In the afternoon however, Macneal blew the field apart with his spectacular 66 which was the best second round score, and indeed the best 18 hole total of the day, by a full four shots.
Macneal opened his round with three successive birdies and carded a further three birdies at the 5th, 7th & 8th holes along with three pars to cover the outward nine in 32 shots, six under par.
The new champion carded his only bogey of the second round at the par three 10th hole but recovered with further birdies at the 12th, 4th and 16th holes for an inward nine of 34, two under par, and a superb eight under par round of 66, and a two round total of 138.
First round leader Euan Walker had a three under par 71 in the afternoon to take the runner up spot with a 36 hole total of 141.
The remaining three scratch placings were all filled by Charlie Macneal's clubmates, Marc Smith (73-72=145), David Wilson (72-75=147) and Ben Gibson (71-76=147).
The prize for the best nett score of the day was won by Graeme Ritchie, also of Troon Welbeck, who returned nett scores of 70 & 67 off his 3 handicap for a total of 137.
Other nett prizes went to 9 handicapper Ian Napier of Ayr Belleisle (67-71=138) and 4 handicapper Greg Telfer of Prestwick St Cuthbert (67-72=139)
The CSS for both home and away players in the morning was 73 (no change) and in the afternoon was 72 (-1).
Ayrshire Golf Association Vice President David Miller of Kilmarnock (Barassie) presented the prizes at the conclusion of the championship
Prizewinners were :-
Scratch
138 - CHARLIE MACNEAL (Troon Welbeck) 72/66
141 - EUAN WALKER (Kilmarnock Barassie) 70/71
145 - MARC SMITH (Troon Welbeck) 73/72
147 - DAVID WILSON (Troon Welbeck) 72/75
147 - BEN GIBSON (Troon Welbeck) 71/76
Nett
137 - GRAEME RITCHIE (3) (Troon Welbeck) 70/67
138 - IAN NAPIER (9) (Ayr Belleisle) 67/71
139 - GREG TELFER (5) (Prestwick St Cuthbert) 67/72

Scotland team pictured on the eve of the Home Internationals, image by courtesy of Tom Ward Photography.