TARTAN TOUR SCOREBOARD
TORRANCE YOUNG PROS' ORDER OF MERIT TOURNAMENT
Dundonald Links
FIRST ROUND
Par 72
67 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Graham Fox (East Kilbride). 
69 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar). 
71 David Patrick (Elie), Graeme Brown (Montrose), Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch), Gareth Wright (West Linton). 
72 Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club), Christopher Currie (Caldwell).
74 Ewan Grimes (Cardross), Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar).
75 Ross Neill (Drumpellier), Heather MacRae (Downfield), Craig Knowles (Panmure).
76 Brian Gibson (Carrick at Cameron House).
77 Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride), David Addison (Kilmarnock Barassie), Peter Mitchell (Hermitage), Graham Mackay (Prestonfield).
78 Nicky Sinclair (Prestwick), Oliver Morton (Callander), Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe).
79 William Fairfull-Smith (Cowglen), Terry Mathieson (Dunbar).
80 Matthew Burt (Helensburgh), Malcolm Murray (Bearsden), Jack Bailey (Balbirnie Park), Christopher McMaster (Panmure), Daniel Wood (Eyemouth),
81 Paul Wilson (World of Golf), Paul Gallacher (Dalmuir), Michael Mackenzie (Forfar), Alan Mackay (Pumpherston), Grant Smith (Gleneagles Hotel),
Russell McIntyre (Prestonfield), Christopher Robinson (Dumfries and Galloway), Scott Spence (Lundin).
82 Alan Gibson (Troon Municipal), Ryan Buckley (Craigielaw), Alastair Love (unatt).
83 Alan Martin (Dukes Course).
84 Adam Rolfe (Royal Troon), Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs).
86 Stuart McEwing (Montrose), Sam McLaren (Crieff), David Ross Nicol (Dundonald Links).
87 Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park). 
89 Christopher Boyle (Lanark), Ian Rowlands (unatt).
RTD - Ross MacLeod (Greaves Sport).

TIGER SAYS IT'S THE SADDEST TIME IN

HIS LIFE, HIS GOLF HAS BEEN 'POISONED'

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
PARAMUS, New Jersey. – Two days after his divorce, Tiger Woods says he feels more sadness than relief.
Woods and his wife officially divorced Monday, nine months after he was exposed for having numerous extra-marital affairs. Woods returned to golf Wednesday at The Barclays, the same day People magazine released an interview with his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren.
Woods said the break-up of his marriage was far more difficult for him than he had let on and that the fall-out from his string of infidelities had poisoned his golf game.
Woods, speaking to reporters for the first time since his divorce this week, also said he hopes he has learned to become a better person.

The 34-year-old world number one, who has failed to win in nine starts this year, told reporters outside the clubhouse at Ridgewood Country Club that he felt no sense of relief.

"I don't think that's the word. I think it's just more sadness," Woods said after a five-hour pro-am round in the rain ahead of the first round of the Barclays tournament.
"I don't think you ever go into a marriage looking to get divorced. That's the thing. That's why it is sad.
"My actions certainly led us to this decision. And I've certainly made a lot of errors in my life and that's something I'm going to have to live with."

Woods said arranging the divorce was a painful process even if he managed to keep his composure when questioned about the state of his marriage at every event he played this year.

"It was a lot more difficult than I was letting on," said Woods.

After ending a self-imposed, five-month absence from golf while he underwent counselling and tried to repair his marriage, Woods tied for fourth at the US Masters and two months later repeated that result at June's US Open at Pebble Beach.

After that, his game spiralled downward, culminating in the worst four-round performance of his PGA Tour career at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational earlier this month.

Asked if he had considered stepping away after his return, Woods said: "We've been going through that the entire year."

On whether there were tournaments where he felt that all the distractions and questions were too difficult, Woods said: "There were a few tournaments like that, yeah. Most of the summer was like that."

Despite the personal turmoil and losing up to US$35 million in sponsorship deals following the scandal, Woods said he still did not consider 2010 to be a lost year.

"I don't look at it like that. Every year you have to find the positives," said Woods. "Even though there are a lot of negatives I think that's actually a good thing, because I learned a lot about myself and how I could become a better person."

Woods said he bore no hard feelings towards Nordegren, with whom he has two young children.
"I wish her the best in everything," he said. "You know, it's a sad time in our lives. And we're looking forward to ... how we can help our kids the best way we possibly can. And that's the most important thing."
The world’s No. 1 player says his golf is secondary, and that he’s trying to get their two children used to their parents being divorced.
Woods says it’s a sad time in his life because “you don’t ever go into a marriage looking to get divorced.”

+ELIN'S FIRST AND LAST INTERVIEW - switch over to www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Sleepy head Furyk disqualified from first

FedEx Cup event

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
World number six Jim Furyk has been disqualified from the first of the FedEx Cup play-offs in America, a day before it has even started, after he slept in and his 7.30am tee-off time in the curtain-raising pro-am at The Barclays in New Jersey.
The Ryder Cup star, who will win his seventh cap against Europe at Celtic Manor in October, was third in the play-off standings, but will now have to wait and see how much his blunder affects him in the four-tournament series.
Furyk set a wake-up call on his mobile phone, but the power ran out during the night. It has been a policy of the US Tour - and the women's circuit in America - that anyone failing to show for the pro-am will be disqualified from the week's main event, except when it is an injury or a family emergency.

The US PGA Tour website reported Furyk as saying: "I'm kicking myself. I have a way of climbing into situations that are all my fault. I've got no one to blame but myself."
Slugger White, the circuit's vice president of rules and competition, commented: "When things like that happen sometimes you think the worst ... worried some stuff happened on the road.
"Thank goodness that wasn't what it was. We kept looking and kept trying to call.
"It is unfortunate. Knowing Jim as I do and we all do, he handled it extremely professionally and put all of the blame on himself.
"He is a fan favourite and everybody likes him. He is a really good guy, but my hands are tied.

"I am sure he will recover quite nicely next week and jump right in there again."

European interest will centre on the performances of Paul Casey, Pádraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Justin Rose. All four have elected to stay in the States rather than cross the Atlantic for the final Ryder Cup qualifying event at Gleneagles.

They will all know by now not to leave their best until last on this occasion - the final round will be in progress when European captain Colin Montgomerie names his three wild cards.

There is Ryder Cup importance too in how Tiger Woods plays. A bad week could knock the world number one out of the play-offs.

That would give American captain Corey Pavin no more opportunity to evaluate Woods before he names his four wild cards on Tuesday week.

PGA EuroPro Tour event

LOTHIANS TRIO LEAD SCOTS

 AT SLALEY HALL

The Lothians trio of Lee Harper (Archerfield Links), Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) and Zack Saltman (Aegon), headed the Scottish first-round challenge in this week's PGA EuroPro Tour 54-hole event at Slaley Hall, Northumberland.
All three shot 69 over the par 72 lay-out.

Harper, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, would have been a lot closer to Matthew Evans, pacemaker with a seven-under-par 65, but for a double bogey 6 at the last after birdies at the fourth, eighth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 16th.

McAllister kept a bogey off his card as he birdied the first, fourth, seventh and 13th.

Saltman had one of his best rounds of the year with birdies at the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and 16th with a solitary bogey at the short 11th.

It looked like being four Lothians men in the top 20 until Swanston's John Gallagher bogeyed three of the last four holes for a 72.

The scoring is low - 81 players are on par or better - and the cut of the field to the leading 50 and ties after Thursday's second round could be around 140 or 141.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
65 Matthew Evans (Eng).
66 Dave Thomas (Eng), James Busby (Eng), Ben Kerr (Eng), Rob Harris (Eng), James Hepworth (Eng), James Robinson (Eng).
67 Gareth Davies (Eng), Matthew King (Eng), Jamie Abbott (Eng), Matt Allen (Eng), James Ruebotham (Eng).
Scottish scores:
68 Lee Harper, Shaun McAllister, Zack Saltman (jt 14th).
69 Scott Henry (jt 27th).
70 Keir McNicoll (jt 44th).
71 Duncan Stewart, Graham Rankin, Mark Rae, Ross Cameron, Kevin McAlpine (jt 57th).
72 John Gallagher, Barry Hume (jt 74th).

73 John Henry, Steven Mackie (jt 82nd).

76 Euan McIntosh (jt 114th).

78 Scott Herald (jt 126th).

82 Steven Mann (jt 131st).

Paul Shields' Inverness win boosts him 68 places in WAGR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Paul Shields' victory in the North of Scotland open amateur stroke-play championship for the David Blair Trophy at Inverness on Sunday boosted him 68 places in the RandA World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The Kirkhill teenager is now 384th.
Drumpellier's Steven Rennie, the man Shields beat in a play-off, has gone up 140 places to No 513.
Third-place finisher David Law rises 58 places to 601 but, surprisingly enough, Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie), who led at halfway and eventually finished fourth, goes down five spots to No 722.
But Peter Latimer (St Andrews New), who finished fifth goes UP27 places to No 329.
One other mystery from this week's revised WAGR. Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm), who did not even play in the North of Scotland event, rises a staggering 144 places to No 491.
James Byrne (Banchory), the highest ranked Scot, went up one place to No 12, probably explained by the fact that England's Tommy Fleetwood, who had been ranked No 3, turned professional.
Scottish amateur champion Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) becomes the No 2 Scot in the WAGR for the first time. He has gone up 27 places to No 77 while Ross Kellett (Colville Park) has come down 27 spots to No 86.

LEADING WORLD RANKINGS
1 Peter Uihlein (US) no change.
2 Jin Jeong (SKor) no change.
3 Romain Wattel (Fra) +3.
4 David Chung (US) no change.
5 Andrew Pavan (Ita) +2.
6 Kevin Tway (US) -1.
7 Russell Henley (US) -1.
8 Harris English (US) +1.
9 Eugene Wong (Can) +1.
10 Scott Langley (US) +1.
11 Bud Cauley (US) +1.
12 James Byrne (Sco) +1

Other Scots' rankings
77 Michael Stewart +27.
86 Ross Kellett -27.
131 Kris Nicol +14.
203 Stuart Ballingall no change.
245 James White +3.
329 Peter Latimer +27.
370 Scott Crichton -3.
380 Scott Larkin -3.
384 Paul Shields +68.
491 Matthew Clark +144.
509 Gordon Yates +36.
513 Steven Rennie +140.
516 Philip McLean -17.
541 Greg Paterson +7/
570 James Ross +8.
601 David Law +58.
636 Gordon Stevenson -70.
654 Fraser McKenna +4.
669 Mark Hillson +11.
671 Graeme Robertson +2.
695 Scott Gibson +1.
707 Ed Wood +106.
713 Jordan Findlay +106.
720 Brian Soutar -5.
722 Glenn Campbell -5.
729 Neil Henderson -5.
748 Andrew Gunson -4.

Aberdeen Asset Management to sponsor Northern Open

FROM TODAY'S ABERDEEN PRESS AND JOURNAL
The immediate future of the Northern Open has been secured after Aberdeen Asset Management agreed to become the event's sponsor.
The international investment management company, which also has close ties to Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie and Sandy Lyle, will sponsor the tournament for the next three years.
Event promoter Bryan Hendry said: "Aberdeen Asset Management is a global company with its heart in Scotland and I am delighted that they want to grow this tournament with us and join us in a three-year deal with Meldrum House.
"I am looking forward to working with them, the PGA and Meldrum House to take the tournament forward."
The future of the Scotland's oldest professional tournament, first played at Royal Aberdeen in 1931, was in doubt at the beginning of the year, due to a lack of a sponsor but Hendry, who approached the Scottish PGA, asking for the chance to promote the event, has succeeded in bringing the tournament back to the North-east of Scotland has now landed a major backer.
Martin Gilbert, pictured above by Andy Forman, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management who have an option to extend the agreement beyond the next three years, said: "We are very proud to lend our support to such an historic Scottish golf event. Along with the event organisers we are aiming to reinstate this event firmly back into the Scottish golf calendar.]
"Everyone at Aberdeen is looking forward to seeing the event flourish and prosper over the next three years.
"This year's event at Meldrum House, will start with an invitational pro-am on Monday, September 20 with the 72-hole championship starting the following day. The final 36 hols will be played on the Thursday.

Stiggy Hodgson and Jin Jeong among US

Amateur failures


FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Ron Balicki
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington – It took a score of 6-over-par 149 to have a chance to advance to the 64-player match-play field at this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay.
There were 16 players tying for 57th at that number and they will return Wednesday morning for a play-off – beginning at 7:15 a.m. at the 10th hole – to determine the final six spots. Among those 16 are reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Nathan Smith, University of South Carolina standout Wesley Bryan and Carter Newman, who helped lead Augusta State to the NCAA Division I title this season.

There certainly were plenty of familiar names left off the match-play bracket after Tuesday’s second round of stroke-play qualifying.

Among the notables:
Bhavik Patel (150), a semi-finalist at last year’s U.S. Am; Bobby Wyatt (150), who this summer shot a 57 on his way to winning the Alabama State Junior title; 2009 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup member Stiggy Hodgson (150); Steve Ziegler (151), a quarter-finalist at last year’s U.S. Am; Darren Wallace (151), an All-American at Washington; former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Kevin Marsh (151); former U.S. Junior champion Sihwan Kim (156) and current U.S. Junior champ Jim Liu (151); 2009 U.S. Walker Cup member Bud Cauley (152); reigning U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Lion Kim (153); this year’s British Amateur champion Jin Jeong (153); 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links runner-up David McDaniel (153); Georgia’s Russell Henley (154), Golfweek’s 2009-10 college player of the year; University of Virginia golf coach Bowen Sargent (156) and Buddy Marucci (162), 2007 and 2009 U.S. Walker Cup captain and 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur champion.


The first round of match play will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. The second and third rounds of match play are scheduled for Thursday, followed by the quarter-finals on Friday, the semi-finals  on Saturday and the 36-hole final on Sunday.