US PGA TOUR REPORT, SCORES

Tiger Woods in danger of

missing play-offs cut


FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
NORTON, Massachusetts (AP) — Zach Johnson and Jason Day beat up on the course and beat the weather at the Deutsche Bank Championship. For Tiger Woods, it was the other way around.
Johnson strengthened his Ryder Cup case by rolling in putts from everywhere in easy scoring conditions ahead of Hurricane Earl, giving him an 8-under 63 and a share of the lead with Day at TPC Boston.

Woods had two bogeys in four holes when the first patch of rain arrived, and it didn't get much better. He had two more bogeys and was in last place until he fought back for a 72, leaving him three shots below the projected cut but with only five players - Padraig Harrington is one of them - lower than him on the scoreboard.
If he doesn't make the cut on Saturday, Woods will not advance to defend his title next week outside Chicago.
"I'm going to have to shoot something good tomorrow, hopefully move up a little bit," Woods said. "Obviously, get off to a better start than I did today."
Scoring was so ideal that Johnson and Day had a 63 and still only had a one-shot lead - over eight players. That group included Ryder Cup hopeful Ryan Palmer, Rory McIlroy and Geoff Ogilvy, who had the best score of anyone in the afternoon.
That they finished the first round was a bonus considering the Earl forecast. More surprising was that the wind never arrived, and late starters only had to cope with the nuisance of an occasional shower.
"It had the potential to be the most lopsided draw in history," Ogilvy said, noting that gusts upward of 50 mph were expected. "It was way better than we assumed it was going to be."
The outer bands of Earl began arriving right after Johnson and Day finished. But after a 1 1/2-hour rain delay, there was little more than a breeze along with a few bursts of rain, none long enough that Woods ever put on a rain jacket.
Woods' problem was putting his tee shots into the short grass - he missed eight of 14 fairways - and not converting enough putts. He officially entered the BMW Championship next week, a formality, and now has to finish inside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings. Woods started the week in 65th place.
Phil Mickelson, with his 10th chance to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world, opened with a 69.
Getting to the third round of the play-offs is not an issue for Johnson. His hopes this week start with the Ryder Cup, knowing that Corey Pavin will announce his four captain's picks on Tuesday in New York.
Most players believe Johnson is in good shape to get one of the picks, and opening with a 63 certainly didn't hurt.
"It would be an honour, and I want to get on that team very, very bad," Johnson said. "But you can justify the case for a number of guys. I'm not concerned about it. I'm going to let things fall where they fall. I feel like if I keep performing decent, then I'll have a pretty good chance."
Day, the 36-hole leader last week at The Barclays, shot 30 on the back nine.
Defending champion Steve Stricker, who has an outside shot to go to No. 1 in the world this week, was in the group at 65. Matt Kuchar, who won last week at The Barclays and leads the FedEx Cup standings, was in the group at 66.
One thing was clear under a gray sky south of Boston - the early starters had an advantage. Of the 27 players who shot 66 or better, only seven of those rounds came in the afternoon. Even in conditions that were calm and dry, players were allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairway. The tour had to do that in case the first round was not completed Friday and the course became saturated.
Combine that with the forward tees and accessible pins, and birdies were easy to find.
"There's a lot of deep scores out there," Day said. "It was out there today. Hopefully, this thing can blow through and not hit us too hard. But I'll probably try and put his round behind me and just focus on the next round."
What makes Johnson so appealing as a captain's pick is his short game, and that was evident Friday.
He chipped in from behind the 10th green for birdie on his opening hole, made a 30ft birdie putt on the 11th, and his day got even better when he holed a 35ft birdie putt on the 17th over a knob on the green. He made two birdies on the par 5s with his wedge game and hit his best shot on the par-3 eighth, a 6-iron to about 6ft.
"This is probably the easiest this golf course can play," Johnson said. "So I'm not taking anything for granted right now. I'm excited about the remainder of the weekend."
Woods hit driver more times Friday than he did all last week at Ridgewood, and all but one of his missed fairways were to the left. He had to pitch out sideways on the 15th and scrambled just to make bogey.
He turned it around with consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th, but lost three good chances on his front nine.
"I just didn't have it today," Woods said. "I wasn't really doing what I was supposed to be doing out there swing-wise, and then wasn't releasing the blade out there and was dragging it a little bit. It was a bad day all round."
Rory McIlroy's 64 featured five birdies and an eagle putt holed from 25ft. He had no bogeys.
"My swing feels a lot better than it did last week," said McIlroy. "I've got my coach out with me and we did a lot of hard work over the last couple days. It seemed to pay off today."
Martin Laird shot a five-under-par 66, which was good going, considering he ran up a double bogey 7 at the second.
The Scot, who three-putted the 72nd hole to lose The Barclays in New Jersey last Sunday, bounced back with two straight birdies and then added five more, including two in the last three holes.
Chad Campbell's play-off hopes have ended after only one round at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He was disqualified for a simple task that slipped his mind - he forgot to register for the tournament.
Much like the formality of signing a scorecard, US PGA Tour players must register at a tournament before it begins. Campbell arrived Tuesday evening and practised all week. He just never signed up.

Campbell opened with a 1-over 72 and would have needed a strong round Saturday to make the cut. At No. 83 in the FedEx Cup standings, he has no chance of making the top 70 to qualify for next week.
(Editor: Why was he allowed to tee off in the first round if he had not registered?)
This is Campbell's second administrative blunder. A year ago, he was on the plane to Hawaii for the Sony Open when he realised he never entered the tournament.

FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
TPC of Boston, Norton Massachusetts
Par 71
63 Zach Johnson, Jason Day (Australia)
64 Brian Davis (England), Hunter Mahan, Charley Hoffman, Rory McIlroy (N Ireland), Ryan Palmer, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), D.J. Trahan, Ryan Moore
65 Steve Stricker, Steve Marino, Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), Luke Donald (England), Matthew Jones (Australia)
66 Kris Blanks, Jason Dufner, John Senden (Australia), Matt Kuchar, John Rollins, Vijay Singh (Fiji), J.B. Holmes, Jim Furyk, Bill Haas, Paul Casey (England), Martin Laird (Scotland), Brandt Snedeker
67 Chris Riley, David Toms, Ryuji Imada (Japan), Rickie Fowler, Y.E. Yang (S Korea), Jason Bohn, Stephen Ames (Can), Brendon De Jonge, Rory Sabbatini (S Africa), Adam Scott (Aus), Retief Goosen (S Africa), Bubba Watson, J J Henry, Ian Poulter (Eng), Tom Gillis, Camilo Villegas (Colombia)
68 Vaughn Taylor, Heath Slocum, Alex Prugh, Charles Howell III, Ben Crane, Shaun Micheel, Tim Petrovic, Boo Weekley, Michael Sim (Aus), Greg Chalmers (Aus), Stewart Cink, Charlie Wi (S Korea), Ricky Barnes, Anthony Kim, Paul Goydos, Andres Romero (Arg), Josh Teater
69 Nick Watney, Spencer Levin, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Kevin Streelman, Kevin Na, D.A. Points, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Robert Allenby (Aus), Chad Collins, K J Choi (S Korea), Scott Verplank, Tim Clark (S Africa)
70 Jeff Overton, Lucas Glover, Garrett Willis, Steve Elkington (Aus), Blake Adams, Justin Rose (Eng), Ernie Els (S Africa), Bo Van Pelt, Carl Pettersson (Swe), Stuart Appleby (Aus
71 Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Marc Leishman (Aus), Davis Love III
72 Tiger Woods, Chad Campbell, Pat Perez, Brian Gay, Jimmy Walker, J.P. Hayes, Chris Couch, Troy Matteson
73 Dustin Johnson
74 Sean O'Hair, Bryce Molder, Padraig Harrington (Ireland)
75 Webb Simpson


SATURDAY-SUNDAY ROUNDS AT TPC BOSTON:
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORING


Jim Furyk is having an alarming time

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
Jim Furyk made sure he had two alarms to make his tee time Friday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, his cell phone and a wake-up call from the hotel. But a power cut at the hotel he was booked into made him wonder what he should do next.
Furyk now is famous for his cell phone going dead, causing him to oversleep and miss his pro-am time last week at The Barclays, which made him ineligible to play the tournament. He dropped six spots to No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings.
This time, there was no need to worry. He also had a third back-up, with his wife promising to call him to make sure he was up. What bothered Furyk about the power going out was being unable to watch Ohio State's football game.
"Right about kick-off time, the power went off at my hotel for about an hour," Furyk said after opening with a 66. "And I'm staring at my phone thinking ... 'Do I need to save some battery?' I can't get a wake-up call and my phone is not working, so I was going to sleep. And I opened the drapes, because if it didn't come back on, at least I'd see the sunlight.'"
The power came back on in an hour, he watched Ohio State win and he woke up on time Friday.

Then, Furyk said he had one of his best rounds striking the ball - and his experiment with the belly putter went just fine.

"I knew I was going to go with it unless something funky happened," Furyk said. "I think I've still got some particulars to work out. Overall, my speed was very good. I was a little nervous about some of the longer putts, and I was able to knock it up there close and get some good two-putts."

He said he could have done better inside 10 feet, but he's at the start of the learning curve.

"It's the first day of the tournament, and I'll get some experience with it," Furyk said.

The best news of all? He's got a late tee time Saturday afternoon.

Clackmannan boys' team for Letham Grange

The Clackmannan boys' team for this weekend's Gary Harvey Trophy competition at Letham Grange is:



Lawrence Allan, Reyner Kennedy, Daniel Ashe ( all Alva)

Scott Baird, Kevin Ross, Steven Watson (all Tillicoultry)
Rikki Alexander (Braehead)
John Salmond (Alloa)

Old Course Hotel Dining Club offer

 for Dunhill Links Championship

NEWS RELEASE
The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa is to offer the ultimate hospitality experience to spectators during the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over the Fife links from October 7 to 10.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Dining Club, now in its 10th year, boasts the perfect spot from which to watch all the golfing action given its location alongside the 17th “Road Hole” fairway of the world’s most famous golf course.
This spectacular vantage point, combined with a magnificent dining experience in either the Road Hole Restaurant or the Road Hole Bar, makes the Dining Club the ideal place to entertain potential customers or loyal clients.
The Road Hole Restaurant, rated 3AA rosettes, is a well-known, must-visit gourmet destination for food lovers with a bird’s-eye view of the action thanks to its dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows which capture the picture-postcard views of the Old Course, the Auld Grey Toon of St Andrews and the sweeping coastal vistas of the iconic West Sands.
Similarly the award-winning Road Hole Bar, located next door to the Restaurant, provides amazing views of the Old Course coupled with a slightly less formal atmosphere.
“We are delighted to present the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Dining Club at the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa for the tenth year in a row,” comments Debbie Taylor, managing director of the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa.
“The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has developed into one of the most glamorous and eagerly-awaited tournaments on The European Tour schedule and always boasts a field of top international golfers as well as a host of movie stars, sports personalities and captains of industry.”
Whilst play takes place over the links of Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course on the first three days of the tournament, the crucial last day is set solely over the Old Course making the Old Course Hotel the ideal spot from which to view the action.
The US$5 million Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was won in 2009 by England’s Simon Dyson whilst celebrities included Hugh Grant, Greg Kinnear, Sir Ian Botham, Tim Henman, Ronan Keating and Huey Lewis.
The hospitality experience includes:
• Morning coffee and tea with freshly-baked pastries
• Three-course lunch with fine wines
• Elegant table service

• Afternoon tea, coffee and scones

• Souvenir programme and daily draw sheet

• Entry badge and preferred parking

• Priority seating in the grand stand overlooking the 18th green of the Old Course


Cost: £195 per person (including VAT)


Available: Thursday, 7 October through to Sunday 10 October.
* Due to the exclusive nature of the Dining Club, availability is limited and all bookings will be made on a ‘first-come’ basis.


Hospitality enquiries should be directed to:
Helen Parker
Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa
St Andrews
Kingdom of Fife - KY16 9SP
Telephone: 01334 468074
Email:helen.parker@oldcoursehotel.co.uk

England new caps in Under-16 match v Wales

NEWS RELEASE
England will field a host of new caps in an eight-strong squad for a one-day Under-16 international against Wales at the Monmouthshire Golf Club, Abergavenny, on Sunday.
The squad is:
Jordan Ainley (Brokenhurst Manor, Hampshire, IoW & CI), Robert Burlison (Oxley Park, Staffordshire), Jamie Clare (East Sussex National, Sussex), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire, Yorkshire), Patrick Kelly (Boston West, Lincolnshire), Max Orrin (North Foreland, Kent), Pavan Sagoo (Ealing, Middlesex) and Nick Ward (Redbourn, Hertfordshire).
Burlison, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Orrin and Ward are members of the England Under- 16 squad, while Ainley, Clare and Sagoo have been under scrutiny by EGU coaches for some time and have been ‘guests’ of the squad for training.
Burlison was English Schools Under-16 champion last year as well as Staffordshire Schools Under-18 champion. He also finished runner-up in the Douglas Johns Trophy and in the North of England Under-14 championship.

Fitzpatrick recently won the North of England Under-16 title while he was also a member of the winning England team in the one day international with Spain. He also won the Brabazon Trophy Northern Qualifier, tied fourth in the European Young Masters in Hungary and was equal eighth in the McGregor Trophy.

Kelly finished tied 12th in the North of England Under-16, was equal fourth in the McGregor Trophy and tied fifth in the Midland Boys Championship and the Carris Trophy.

Orrin, the South of England Boy Champion in 2009, played in the Under 16 matches with Spain and Ireland last year, and this year finished runner-up in the McGregor Trophy and equal sixth in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters.

Ward, the Hertfordshire County Champion, helped his county win the Boys County Finals recently in Northumberland. He also finished fifth in the R and A Junior Open at Lundin Links, Fife and was tied sixth in the South of England Boys Championship.

The match against Wales will consist of four foursomes and eight singles.



For further information please contact:

OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS

Jimenez replies with a 61 to US

critics

Miguel Angel Jimenez, belittled this week by American writers as the under-achiever in Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup team, produced the lowest round of his 27-year European Tour career in Switzerland today.
Two eagles and six birdies gave the 46-year-old man from Malaga a 10-under-par 61 in the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre and he goes into the weekend with a three-stroke lead.
Jimenez, making his 22nd successive visit to the Alpine resort, had a chance of the Tour's first-ever 59 when he reached the 16th tee needing two more birdies, but the Spaniard, who has had 10 of his 17 victories on the circuit since turning 40, had to be content with parring all three remaining holes for a 14-under halfway total of 128.
More good news for Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie was that Italian Edoardo Molinari, the only other member of his side playing in the event, lies joint second with 17-year-old compatriot Matteo Manassero.

Molinari, handed a wild card after his win in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last Sunday, added a 65 to his opening 66.

First-round leader Manassero, trying to become the Tour's youngest-ever winner in only his sixth event as a professional, chipped in for eagle at the long 15th in his 67.

But the day belonged to a player who made his Tour debut 10 years before Manassero was even born.

"It was a beautiful day in the mountains," said Jimenez, playing his 535th Tour event.

"I was thinking about a possible 59 a little bit and I tried, but it was still a great round. All the clubs were working properly and that's what you need."
Among those who missed the cut was Open champion Louis Oosthuizen with two par rounds of 71 for 142 - one over the limit mark for qualifying. Two past Open champions, Paul Lawrie (144) and Greg Norman (150) also failed to make it through to the weekend action.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
128 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 67 61

131 Matteo Manassero (Ita) 64 67, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 66 65

132 Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 65 67

133 Graeme Storm 65 68
134 Charl Schwartzel (S Africa) 68 66
135 Robert Jan Derksen (Netherlands) 67 68, Anthony Wall 67 68, Anders Hansen (Den) 68 67
136 Steve Webster 66 70, Oliver Wilson 68 68, Phillip Price 68 68, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 69 67, Simon Dyson 69 67, David Drysdale 66 70, David Dixon 67 69, Jamie Donaldson 68 68, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 68 68
137 Gary Lockerbie 68 69, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 69 68, Seung-yul Noh (S Korea) 71 66, Robert Coles 66 71, Keith Horne (S Africa) 68 69, Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 69 68, Darren Clarke 67 70, Pablo Martin (Spa) 70 67
138 John Parry 70 68, Chris Wood 69 69, Thomas Aiken (S Africa) 70 68, Paul Waring 67 71, Soren Hansen (Den) 67 71, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 70 68, Scott Strange (Aus) 68 70, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 69, Marc Warren 69 69, Rick Kulacz (Aus) 66 72, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 67 71, Fredrik Svanberg (Swi) 70 68, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 72 66, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 69 69, Nino Bertasio (Ita) 70 68
139 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 69 70, Markus Brier (Aut) 71 68, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 66 73, Angelo Que (Phi) 70 69, Danny Willett 70 69, Mark Foster 74 65, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) 72 67
140 Ben Leong (Mal) 69 71, Martin Wiegele (Austria) 69 71, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 70, Gareth Maybin 69 71, Andrew Dodt (Aus) 71 69, Wen-chong Liang (Chn) 76 64, Brett Rumford (Aus) 70 70, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 68 72, Julien Clement (Swi) 68 72, Tano Goya (Arg) 72 68, Michael Hoey 71 69, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 71 69
141 Richard Bland 72 69, Nick Dougherty 69 72, Sung Lee (Pkr) 74 67, Peter Lawrie 72 69, David Lynn 72 69, Julien Quesne (Fra) 74 67, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 71 70, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 73 68, Alastair Forsyth 68 73, James Kamte (S Africa) 68 73, Adam Blyth (Aus) 71 70, Ross McGowan 68 73
MISSED THE CUT
142 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 69 73, James Kingston (S Africa) 72 70, Todd Hamilton (USA) 69 73, Steven O'Hara 69 73, Johan Edfors (Swe) 73 69, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 75 67, Jamie Elson 70 72, Scott Hend (Aus) 71 71, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 68 74, Bradley Dredge 76 66, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 73 69, Richard McEvoy 73 69, Thaworn Wiratchant (Thailand) 74 68, Louis Oosthuizen (S Africa) 71 71, Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 71 71, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 72, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 74 68
143 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 73, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 68 75, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 74 69, Joost Luiten (Ned) 74 69, Jann Schmid (Swi) 73 70, David Horsey 71 72, Chih-bing Lam (Singapore) 74 69, Alexander Noren (Swe) 73 70, Ariel Canete (Arg) 70 73

144 Christian Nilsson (Swe) 71 73, Hennie Otto (S Africa) 71 73, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 72 72, Anthony Kang (USA) 72 72, Stephen Dodd 73 71, Paul Lawrie 74 70, Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) 73 71, Paul McGinley 72 72, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 70 74, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 69 75

145 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 74 71, Richie Ramsay 71 74, David Howell 71 74, Marcel Siem (Ger) 73 72, George Coetzee (S Africaa) 74 71, Simon Khan 73 72, Paul Broadhurst 71 74, Danny Lee (NZ) 74 71, A Siddikur (Ban) 70 75, Marcus Both (Aus) 75 70, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 73 72, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 72 73, Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 74 71, Anirban Lahiri (Ind) 73 72

146 Lian-Wei Zhang (China) 76 70, Mark Brown (NZ) 75 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 73 73, Mark F Haastrup (Den) 74 72, Shane Lowry 74 72, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 75 71, Ted Oh (Kor) 71 75, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 72 74, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 77

147 Francis Valera (Spa) 73 74, C Muniyappa (India) 71 76, Nicolas D'incau (Swi) 74 73, Sam Little 73 74, James Morrison 74 73, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 74

148 Peter Whiteford 69 79, Phillip Archer 71 77

149 Andre Bossert (Swi) 75 74, Andrew Butterfield 74 75, David Gleeson (Aus) 74 75, Mardan Mamat (Singapore) 72 77

150 Ken Benz (Swi) 74 76, Greg Norman (Australia) 75 75

151 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 79 72, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 74 77, Rhys Davies 76 75

152 Sven Struver (Ger) 79 73, Edouard Amacher (Swi) 83 69

154 Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 73 81, Danny Chia (Malaysia) 73 81, Jin Jeong (Kor) 71 83

158 Darren Beck (Aus) 76 82

161 Victor Doka (Swi) 80 81

Rookie pro Jamie Abbott signs for Swiss managementNEWS RELEASE
English golfer Jamie Abbott has today announced that he has signed a long term, exclusive representation contract with 4SPORTS and ENTERTAINMENT, the leading Swiss sports management agency.
Abbott, from Suffolk has made an impressive start to his pro career with a second place finish at his very first EuroPro Tour event, the 2010 Veka Open at DeVere Slaley Hall.

MORAY MAN IS NORTH SENIOR CHAMPION

Lossiemouth's Michael Wilson won the North District seniors' golf championship at Hopeman Golf Club today.
On a beautiful sunny day, the Moray Golf Club member won the Macallan Trophy and silver medal with a round of 72, three over the CSS.
He won by a shot from John Thomson (Inverness) and Douglas Brodie (Nairn Dunbar). Thomson's better inward half earned him second place.
LEADING SCRATCH SCORES
CSS 69
72 Michael Wilson (Moray).
73 John Thomson (Inverness), Douglas Brodie (Nairn Dunbar)..
75 Philip Bannerman (Strathpeffer).
76 Paul York (Royal Dornoch), Michael Dean (Moray).
77 Ian Brodie (Nairn), Albert McKenzie (Hopeman), James Young (Moray), Norman MacWilliam (Kingussie), Chris MacLeod (Moray).
78 William Murray (Wick), Patrick Tomisson (Nairn).
79 Denis Albutt (Tain).
80 Ian H Ross (Tain), George Anderson (Nairn Dunbar), James MacPherson (Moray), Bert Nicholson (Royal Dornoch).
81 David Terron (Moray).
82 Neil Gordon (Royal Dornoch), Adrian Bagott (Royal Dornoch).
83 Ray Barrett (Grantown on Spey), W A Smith (Moray), James Taylor (Alness).
84 Robert Henderson (Hopeman), Alistair Neish (Moray), Albert Duffus (Forres), Charles Stewart (Moray).
85 David Ash (Hopeman).
86 Bill Young (Hopeman), Alan Boxx (Boat of Garten).

Other prize-winners:
Category A (age 55 to 65).
Scratch - Philip Bannerman (Strathpeffer) 75.
Handicap - David Ash (Hopeman) (16) 69; Robert Henderson (Hopeman (14) (better inward half), Paul York (Royal Dornoch) (6) 70.
Category B (age 66 and over).
Scratch - Albert McKenzie (Hopeman) 77.
Handicap - David Terron (Moray) (18) 63; Ian H Ross (Tain) (15) 65; Ray Barrnett (Grantown on Spey) (16) 67.

Hirsel Golf Club has lots to offer on Open Day (Sept 11)

By ALLAN RODGER
Club Secretary, Hirsel Golf Club.
Hirsel Golf Club are holding an Open Day on Saturday, September 11 to give visitors to the club the opportunity to play the ‘Augusta of the Borders’ and sample the fantastic facilities available for a fantastic price of just £10.
Included within the fee on the day is a clubhouse welcome with a cuppa and a filled roll, where visitors will be able to find out more details about Hirsel Golf Club and the benefits gained from joining the club.
In addition, visitors will be given entry to the club’s fun golf day competition where there will be many prizes up for grabs such as nearest the pin prizes, longest and straightest drives and selected ''Fun Challenge'' holes.
The Open Day it is set to be a fantastic event for all age groups, with a four- hole short course, practice ground, putting green and local PGA Professional Philip Sadler on hand to help anyone who may be looking for a few pointers while they take in the facilities at The Hirsel Golf Club.
On the day, members of the club are also taking part in the fun competition and will be on hand to meet with all visitors and play with those who attend to help further showcase the club.
In conjunction with the Open Day the club will be offering, for that day only, some superb deals to all interested in becoming new members of the Borders club. The club will be offering a rate of £350 (2010 subscription price) that will enable new members to join until 31st December 2011. Further promotional rates are available for those aged 30 years and under as follows :-
JUNIORS TO AGE 15...............£30
16 TO 17 YEARS......................£50
18 TO 21 YEARS. ....................£95
22 TO 25 YEARS...................£150
26 TO 28 YEARS...................£235
29 TO 30 YEARS...................£315
More information on the discounts on offer and on the flexible payment options that Hirsel offer can be found at www.hirselgc.co.uk.
Tee times can be booked for the Open Day by simply phoning the club on 01890 882678 and selecting option 3.
Hirsel Golf Club
Kelso Road
Coldstream
Berwickshire
Tel No:01890 882678
Fax No:01890 882233

George Murray in top 10 after two rounds

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR SCOREBOARD
ALLIANZ Europen de Strasbourg-Golf de la Wantzenau
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
+Sixty professionals and three amateurs made the cut on 143 (-1)
131 D Gaunt (Australia) 64 67, L Gagli (Italy) 64 67
133 A Velasco (Spain) 66 67
134 R Blaum (USA) 64 70
135 V Riu (France) 67 68, G Houston (Wales) 68 67,
136 G Murray (Scotland) 67 69, S Tiley (England) 68 68, R Wattel (Fra) (am) 67 69,
137 J Zapata (Argentina) 71 66, J Garcia (Spain) 68 69,
138 J Heath (England) 68 70, D Brooks (England) 70 68, P Dwyer (Eng) 65 73, S Manley (Wales) 67 71,
139 M Korhonen (Finland) 72 67, J Colomo (Spain) 69 70, F Colombo (Italy) 70 69, R Thuillier (France) 67 72, B Ritthammer (Germany) 72 67, D Perrier (France) 68 71, M Lorenzo-Vera (France) 68 71,
140 W Ormsby (Aus) 67 73, A Hansen (Den) 68 72, M Bliss (Can) 71 69, A Otaegui (am) (Esp) 72 68,
141 A Snobeck (Fra) 71 70, A Bruschi (Ita) 73 68, T Carolan (Aus) 68 73, O Whiteley (Eng) 70 71, S Davis (Eng) 68 73, S Buhl (Ger) 73 68, J Xanthopoulos (Fra) 72 69, S Wakefield (Eng) 67 74, M Bey (Fra) 68 73, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 71
142 C Del Moral (Esp) 69 73, R Schneider (Fra) 70 72, A Gee (Eng) 74 68, B Evans (Eng) 73 69, A Marshall (Eng) 71 71, S Gross junior (Ger) 74 68, O David (Fra) 74 68, P Edberg (Swe) 76 66, J Guerrier (Fra) 71 71, M Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 72 70, D Ulrich (Sui) 71 71
143 N Bruzelius (Swe) 68 75, P Eales (Eng) 72 71, J Theunis (Bel) 75 68, M Higley (Eng) 69 74, J Billot (Fra) 70 73, C Paisley (Eng) 71 72, N Meitinger (Ger) 70 73, M Zions (Aus) 70 73, C Lee (Sco) 67 76, J Doherty (Sco) 71 72, E Dubois (Fra) 75 68, S Jamieson (Sco) 72 71, A Perrino (Ita) 71 72, J Makitalo (Fin) 70 73, F Calmels (Fra) 69 74, C Berardo (am) (Fra) 75 68

MISSED THE CUT

144 L Bond (Wal) 71 73, T Feyrsinger (Aut) 73 71, O Serres (Fra) 70 74, C Gallois (Fra) 72 72, R Russell (Sco) 73 71, M Tullo (Chi) 73 71, J Guillet (Fra) 72 72, A Ahokas (Fin) 72 72, R Kind (Ned) 69 75,
145 J Arruti (Esp) 74 71, A Abbas (am) (Fra) 72 73, A Kaleka (Fra) 72 73, A McArthur (Sco) 71 74, J Abbate (Arg) 74 71, B Wiesberger (Aut) 72 73, L Saltman (Sco) 71 74, W Besseling (Ned) 71 74,
146 E Chamaulte (Fra) 70 76, A Högberg (Swe) 75 71, N Lombardi (Ita) 73 73, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 77 69, J Little (Eng) 73 73, A Haindl (S Africa) 72 74,
147 C Baker (US) 73 74, C Günther (Ger) 71 76, B Grace (S Africa) 72 75, G Molteni (Ita) 75 72, T Fournier (Fra) 75 72, J Maurer (Aut) 75 72, F De Vries (Ned) 73 74, G Rosier (Fra) 71 76, R Kakko (Fin) 76 71, I Van Weerelt (Ned) 72 75, J Ruth (Eng) 74 73, J Grillon (Fra) 71 76, J Lopez Lazzaro (am) (Fra) 74 73, A Levy (am) (Fra) 75 72,
148 A Bihan (Fra) 75 73, C Russo (Fra) 79 69, J Larsen (Nor) 70 78, K Le Sager (Fra) 75 73, T Stewart (Aus) 74 74, G Dear (Sco) 72 76, J Remesy (Fra) 75 73, D Wardrop (Eng) 72 76, L Jensen (Den) 75 73, J Legarrea (Esp) 74 74, K Sullivan (Wal) 76 72,
149 F Fritsch (Ger) 76 73, D Nouailhac (Fra) 74 75,
150 A Grenier (Fra) 71 79, P Relecom (Bel) 74 76, C Brazillier (Fra) 75 75, A Bernadet (Fra) 73 77,
151 D Vanegas (Col) 71 80, H Bacher (Aut) 77 74, P Del Grosso (Arg) 75 76, C Macaulay (Sco) 77 74, E Chaudouet (Fra) 75 76, P Golding (Eng) 76 75, I Giner (Esp) 74 77, M Montgaillard (Fra) 76 75, B Chapellan (Fra) 74 77,
152 A Wagner (Arg) 73 79, M Laskey (Wal) 77 75, E Ramsay (Sco) 81 71, I Pyman (Eng) 78 74,
153 T Raillard (Fra) 73 80,
154 R Steiner (Aut) 75 79,
155 A Tadini (Ita) 77 78, F Marty (Fra) 78 77,
156 N Porteboeuf (Fra) 77 79, T Remkes (Ned) 69 87,
160 D Gomez (Fra) 86 74, S Tanfin (Fra) 76 84,
165 P Pasquier (Fra) 83 82,
168 M Van Hauwe (Fra) 84 84,
** J McLeary (Sco) 75 retired, M Mills (Eng) 80 withdrew, K Eriksson (Swe) 77 RT, S McLaughlin (Fra) DQ.

Paul Doherty and Paul Cormack fail at Stage 1

McNicoll gains pass marks to Stage 2

Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll has cleared the first hurdle in his bid to play on the European Tour next season.
After four rounds of the Qualifying School Stage 1 event at The London Club, Ash in Kent, the former Scotland amateur international claimed one of the 24 qualifying spots for Stage 2.
McNicoll finished on seven-under-par 281 with very steady rounds of 69, 71, 70 and 71.
But former Scottish boys' match-play champion Paul Doherty and North-east Alliance champion Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo) failed to make the cut at five-under-par 283 or better. They lose the huge entry fee - £1,360 - and have nowhere to go except the PGA EuroPro Tour or another satellite tour on the Continent.
Doherty finished with a level par 72 for a level par total of 288, but to progress at this level you have to shoot quite a few under par.
Cormack also signed off with a 72 for 289.
England's Ricki Neil-Jones headed the qualifiers for Stage 2 by four shots, thanks to a course record, nine-under-par 63 today. He had eighth birdies and an eagle.

QUALIFIERS FOR STAGE 2
Par 288 (4x72)
270 R Neil-Jones (Eng) 67 67 73 63,
274 Y Ali (Eng) 73 65 69 67,
275 M McGeady (Irl) 67 70 71 67,
276 T Sluiter (Ned) 65 69 72 70, S Brown (am) (Eng) 70 70 71 65,
277 K Staunton (Eng) 71 71 68 67, J Barnes (Eng) 70 69 69 69, P Leijon (Swe) 73 68 71 65, T Sherreard (am) (Eng) 68 70 67 72,
278 S Hodgson (am) (Eng) 71 69 67 71,
279 M Ford (Eng) 69 74 69 67, A Johnston (Eng) 68 69 66 76, W Roebuck (Eng) 66 75 69 69,
280 D Griffiths (Eng) 69 69 72 70,
281 K McNicoll (Sco) 69 71 70 71, K Harper (Eng) 72 67 71 71,
282 N Harris (Eng) 72 72 69 69, R Whitelock (Eng) 72 69 70 71,
283 B Fox (USA) 70 73 70 70, N Turner (Irl) 74 70 72 67, B Fowles (Eng) 72 71 71 69, S Norris (RSA) 71 74 72 66, R Harrison (Eng) 66 70 77 70, L O'Neill (am) (Eng) 73 76 66 68.
FAILED TO QUALIFY
284 F McGuirk (Eng) 71 67 75 71, J Cunliffe (RSA) 71 73 70 70, J Sheffield (Eng) 74 68 70 72, D Coupland (am) (Eng) 69 71 75 69,
285 R Kirwan (Eng) 71 69 71 74, J Gibb (Eng) 77 67 72 69, D Callaway (Eng) 72 72 69 72, G Parker (Eng) 72 70 71 72,
286 S Palmer (Eng) 75 68 73 70, R Edginton (Eng) 73 73 69 71, L Goddard (Eng) 75 70 71 70, M Hu (Chn) 71 73 68 74, J Titlow (am) (Eng) 73 72 73 68,
287 J Rattan (USA) 74 73 70 70, R Blizard (Aus) 69 73 71 74, J Eerdmans (Ned) 71 70 74 72, C Wilson (am) (Eng) 73 74 73 67,
288 P Doherty (Sco) 68 73 75 72, T Alexander (USA) 77 68 70 73, A Martin (Aus) 70 76 73 69, J Clarke (Eng) 73 74 69 72, S Fallon (am) (Eng) 76 73 70 69,
289 P Cormack (Sco) 74 76 67 72, P Maddy (Eng) 69 72 73 75, D Perrett (Eng) 65 72 76 76, S Franklin (Irl) 73 70 74 72, N Redfern (Eng) 68 73 76 72,
290 R Perrett (Eng) 68 74 74 74, T Burden (Eng) 75 68 72 75, G Woodman (Eng) 69 78 72 71, S McCance (Eng) 76 68 72 74,
291 R Laino (Eng) 77 71 70 73, R Wallis (Eng) 67 69 76 79, A Mellor (Eng) 73 74 73 71, F Christensen (Swe) 76 71 70 74,
292 C Schwierz (Ger) 71 76 73 72, J Horn (Eng) 71 75 70 76, S Matton (am) (Eng) 76 72 72 72,
293 B Banks (Eng) 76 71 72 74, I Brown (Eng) 79 71 70 73, J Hearn (Eng) 72 70 78 73, J Webber (Eng) 71 71 75 76, F Lagarto (Esp) 77 69 74 73,
294 N Smith (Eng) 73 70 75 76,
297 M Vandenberg (Eng) 71 72 75 79, B O'Dell (Eng) 80 67 73 77,
308 M Raven (am) (Eng) 74 73 73 88.

STAGE 2 QUALIFIERS AT RIBAGOLFE, PORTUGAL
Par 288
283 B Etchart (Esp) 71 72 68 72, T Cruz (Por) 69 72 71 71,
284 R Bastard (Eng) 74 70 70 70, R Santos (Por) 72 72 71 69,
286 S Garcia (Esp) 73 72 68 73,
287 Y El Hassani (Mar) 73 75 66 73,
288 N Bollini (USA) 71 72 73 72,
289 O Fraustro (Mex) 70 72 74 73, J Pettersson (Swe) 68 72 78 71, M Rosenfeld (USA) 75 70 73 71, M Ureta (Chi) 75 72 72 70, S Gutierrez (Esp) 75 67 73 74,
290 G Clark (Eng) 76 71 68 75, X Guzman (Esp) 72 70 74 74, J Kelly (USA) 72 75 71 72,
291 C Balmaseda (Esp) 74 75 72 70, T Haylock (Eng) 76 73 72 70, D Johnson (USA) 74 72 73 72,
292 A Rosado (Por) 74 70 71 77, D Noh (Esp) 70 74 73 75,

Longmuir, Oldcorn in hunt at

Woburn


By RODDY WILLIAMS
European Tour website editor and senior press officer
Scots Bill Longmuir and Andrew Oldcorn are well placed to mount a weekend challenge in the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters after opening rounds of 69 left them just three shots off the pace at Woburn.
Longmuir, the leading British golfer on the Senior Tour Order of Merit in sixth place, benefitted from a recent lesson from David Howell’s coach Clive Tucker as he bounced back from two early bogeys to post a three under par round.
Indeed his rollercoaster round saw him make three bogeys countered by an impressive eagle, when he holed a putt of over 50 feet, and four birdies.
He said: “I went for a lesson with Clive Tucker as I’d lost a lot of my length this season. But he had a look, pointed out a few things and I was hitting it miles today so that’s all thanks to Clive.”
Longmuir is joined three shots behind leaders Des Smyth and Carl Mason by compatriot Oldcorn who is showing glimpses of the form that saw him win on The European Tour, most notably at the PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in 2001.
He said: “I played with Des today and he will be very tough to beat if he carries on playing like that. But I’m feeling better and it’s great playing in front of such big crowds. I chipped in on the fourth and the noise was amazing – it feels like a main tour event out there.”
Smyth and Mason, a two-time winner of the event, shot matching rounds of 66 in front of a packed house to lead another Englishman Roger Chapman by one with former Masters Champion Ian Woosnam of Wales and England’s most capped amateur of all-time, Gary Wolstenholme, on four under par.
It was particularly impressive for Wolstenholme on his Senior Tour debut after an amateur career which saw him win 70 titles worldwide, win over 200 caps for England and win two Amateur Championships.


FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
66 D Smyth (Irl) , C Mason (Eng) ,
67 R Chapman (Eng) ,
68 G Wolstenholme (Eng) , I Woosnam (Wal) ,
69 B Longmuir (Sco) , A Oldcorn (Sco) ,
70 A Sowa (Arg) , D Durnian (Eng) ,
71 M Cunning (USA) , P Fowler (Aus) , B Lincoln (RSA) , J Heggarty (Nir) , J Quiros (Esp) , S Owen (Nzl) , J Rivero (Esp) , B Cameron (Eng) , B Lane (Eng) ,
72 D Merriman (Aus) , E Darcy (Irl) , C Williams (S Africa) , T Johnstone (Zim) , B Ruangkit (Tha) , G Brand junior (Sco) , D Russell (Eng) , H Carbonetti (Arg) , J Hall (Eng) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , G Cali (Ita) , B Smit (SAf) , M Belsham (Eng) , M Farry (Fra) ,
73 M Harwood (Aus) , J Gould (Eng) , D Cambridge (Jam) , A Murray (Eng) , J Bruner (USA) , S Torrance (Sco) , G Banister (Aus) , T Charnley (Eng) , L Carbonetti (Arg) ,
74 R Drummond (Sco) , I Mosey (Eng) , P Barber (Eng) , P Mitchell (Eng) , J Harrison (Eng) , E Rodriguez (Esp) , M Gray (Sco) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , M Poxon (Eng) , S Cipa (Eng) , P Oakley (USA) , J Cañizares (Esp) ,
75 M Miller (Sco) , G Ryall (Eng) , A Fernandez (Chi) ,
76 T Giedeon (Ger) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , F Mann (Sco) , N Job (Eng) , J Hoskison (Eng) , D Hospital (Esp) , S Bennett (Eng) ,
77 G Ralph (Eng) , M Clayton (Aus) ,
78 C O'Connor Jnr (Irl) , V Garcia (Esp) , M Piñero (Esp) ,
79 G Brand (Eng) , E Polland (Nir) , J Chillas (Sco) , J Rhodes (Eng) , M Bembridge (Eng) , T Burgoyne (Sco) ,
80 A Garrido (Esp) , M Williams (Zim) ,
81 D Johnson (USA) , A Johnsson (Swe) ,

SENIOR SCOTS MEN LOSE TO IRISH IN EURO SEMI-

FINALS BUT BRONZE MEDALS STILL TO PLAY FOR

Top seeds Ireland will play No2 qualifiers England in Saturday's final of the European senior men's amateur team golf championship at Fairhaven Golf Club, Lancashire.

As expected, the rampant Irish, leading qualifiers by a mile for the match-play stages, were too strong for Scotland in the semi-finals.

Ireland won 3 1/2-1 1/2 after Scotland's foursomes pairing of Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) and Colin Christy (Kilmacolm), pictured left by Tom Ward Photography, had put the first point on the board by beating Tom Cleary and Michael Quirke 4 and 3.

Arthur Piersse levelled it for Ireland by beating Tony Stafford (Dun Ochil) 3 and 2.
Scotland fell behind 2-1 when David Gardner (Broomieknowe) lost by one hole to Maurice Kelly.

Scottish senior champion Scott MacDonald, a former Walker Cup, continued his week of dire results. After having two non-counting scores in the stroke-play stages, the Dunfermline man lost heavily in his first match-play tie on Thursday and it was a similar story against Ireland.

Garth McGimspey, also a past Walker Cup player, beat MacDonald by 7 and 6.

That was the victory-clinching third point for Ireland.

Edzell's Jim Watt halved with Adrian Morrow in the final singles.

England had to fight harder than expected to take their place in Saturday's final. They beat No 6 qualifiers Spain 3-2.

Doug Arnold and former world speedway champion Dave Jessup scored a comfortable 6 and 5 win for England over Juan Carlos Tinture and Enrique Fontecilla in the opening foursome.

But Juan Ortin levelled it for Spain with a 5 and 4 win over Alan Squires.

England edged ahead 2-1 with a 3 and 2 win by Andrew Carman over Angel Macias.

Then Francisco Maestro tied it up at 2-2 by beating Chris Reynolds 2 and 1.

It was all to play for in the final singles and Philip Slater was the match-winning hero for England with a 3 and 2 verdict over Gustavo Larrazabal.

Scotland can still come home from Lancashire with bronze medals if they beat Spain in the play-off for third place.

Results:

SEMI-FINALS

IRELAND 3 1/2, SCOTLAND 1 1/2

Tom Cleary and Michael Quirke lost to Ian Taylor and Colin Christy 4 and 3.

Arthur Pierse bt Tony Stafford 3 and 2.

Maurice Kelly bt David Gardner 1 hole.

Garth McGimpsey bt Scott MacDonald 7 and 6.

Adrian Morrow halved with Jim Watt.

ENGLAND 3, SPAIN 2
Doug Arnold and Dave Jessup bt Juan Carlos Tinture and Enrique Fontecilla 6 and 5.
Alan Squires lost to Juan Ortin 5 and 4.
Andrew Carman bt Angel Macias 3 and 2.
Chris Reynolds lost to Francisco Maestro 2 and 1.
Philip Slater bt Gustavo Larrazabal 3 and 2.

New SGU event to boost Eisenhower

preparations

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
The Scottish Golf Union has launched a new event which will take place at Blairgowrie next week (6 – 7 Sept) designed to help players’ preparations for the forthcoming World Amateur Team Championship defence as well as assisting preparations for European Tour School Qualifying.

The ‘Eisenhower Invitational’ will feature a field of the leading 21 ranked home-based Scots (from those available) in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and will take place over 72-holes over two days on the superb Rosemount course, with world ranking points on offer in the event.
Leading the field will be Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Champion Michael Stewart and his Eisenhower Trophy team-mate Ross Kellett, although the third member of the Argentina-bound party, James Byrne, has returned to Arizona State University and will be unavailable.
Hamish Grey, Chief Executive, said:
“With the domestic Order of Merit circuit reaching a conclusion last weekend, we identified a gap in the schedule and wanted to increase the competitive playing opportunities for players competing in major events in the weeks ahead.”
“We are very grateful to Blairgowrie GC (view of clubhouse pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency) for extending courtesy of their course for the event and the players involved are certainly looking forward to two days of what should be a great competition. We chose the name to honour Scotland’s win in the Eisenhower Trophy two years ago and the Rosemount course as it is a similar layout to what the players will face in Argentina,” he added.
Jordan Findlay, runner-up to Stewart in the national championship at Gullane, is also in the field as part of his build up towards Stage 1 of the European Tour Qualifying School at Dundonald Links the following week, while 2009 Scottish Men’s and Boys’ champion David Law will be hoping to continue his fine end of season form following three consecutive top four finishes in the SGU Order of Merit.

First and Second Round Draw at Blairgowrie


09:21 and 14:36
Mark Bookless Sandyhills

Adam Dunton McDonald
Jordan Findlay Fraserburgh

09:30 and 14:45
Ed Wood Crow Wood
Glenn Campbell Blairgowrie
Brian Soutar Leven GS


09:39 and 14:54
Scott Gibson Southerness

Mark Hillson Craigielaw

David Law Hazlehead

09:48 and 15:03
Fraser McKenna Balmore

Steven Rennie Drumpellier

Matthew Clark Kilmacolm

09:57 and 15:12
Gordon Stevenson Whitecraigs
Greg Paterson St Andrews New
Philip McLean Peterhead

10:06 and 15:21
Paul Shields Kirkhill

Peter Latimer St Andrews New

James White Lundin

10:15 and 15:30
Kris Nicol Fraserburgh
Michael Stewart Troon Welbeck
Ross Kellett Colville Park

+Nine of Scotland’s men’s squad will also compete alongside the best of the Tartan Tour professionals this month in the Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open, which takes place at Meldrum House from September 20 to 23.

Veterans' Day on US Nationwide Tour

CANONSBURG, Penn. -- Veterans Scott Dunlap and Geoffrey Sisk shot 6-under 65's Thursday and share the first-round lead at the inaugural Mylan Classic. Both players posted eight birdies and two bogeys at the Southpointe Golf Club, located about 15 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh.
The two co-leaders are one shot in front of seven others, including Tommy Gainey, one of three double-winners on the Nationwide Tour this year. Joining Tommy "Two Gloves" at 66 are Dicky Pride, Brent Delahoussaye, Brian Smock, Jonathan Kaye, Paul Stankowski and Bronson La'Cassie.
Rocco Mediate, a native of nearby Greensburg, heads a list of six others tied at 4-under 67, two back. Mediate has made 588 career starts on the PGA TOUR since he first popped onto the professional scene in the mid-1980s but is making his Nationwide Tour debut this week.
Dunlap sneaked into the lead with birdies on four of his final five holes, taking over the spotlight from playing partner Pride, who had blistered the front nine for a 6-under 29.
"Dicky was the one going crazy. He put it neutral and I got it to the house nicely," said Dunlap. "After nine holes it looked like he was going to shoot 58. Hicksy (Justin Hicks) and I were just trying to hang on."

Dunlap did surprisingly well for his first venture on the course. He didn't get a practice round in this week, choosing to walk the course with only a putter in hand on Tuesday.

"I've been around a long time," said the 47-year old. "There isn't much that they can throw at me that I haven't seen before. Thursday morning probably shouldn't be the first time I see it. It's probably not advisable but I have absolutely no tolerance for the 5 ½ hours that a Tuesday's going to take. That one round isn't going to make any difference in how I do on Thursday. How much can you learn in one day?"

While Dunlap didn't play the course ahead of time, Sisk, was forced out of his comfort zone in Wednesday's pro-am, his only look at the Arthur Hills layout. Sisk's travel plans took him from Boston to Baltimore to Pittsburgh but somehow his golf clubs wound up in Philadelphia. Thursday morning, he had his regular set back in his hands.

"I just had really good distance control, which is important," he said. "I felt like no matter what club I had and no matter what shot I had that, while it might not have been close, it would be pin high, which is what I strive for. I'm really happy how I hit it."

Sisk got off to a blazing start with six birdies on his first seven holes but then stalled out from there on in, off-setting two birdies with two bogeys the rest of the way.

"You can't win the tournament today," he said. "But you put yourself in position for tomorrow's round, for Saturday and for Sunday."

Mediate challenged the leaders for most of the afternoon but suffered a bogey on the final hole to fall two shots off the pace. The 47-year-old has made only seven cuts in 21 starts on the PGA TOUR and came into this week looking to improve his play on the greens.

"I just wanted to hopefully putt better, that's all I've been trying to do all year," he said.

Mediate was playing in the area last Sunday and decided to make a slight change in his putting grip, which might be the change he needs to turn his season around.

"I just changed my right hand grip. I've been watching Nick O'Hern putt a lot. It was almost like you were holding a pencil but your palm is pointing to where you're trying to go. Today was one of my best putting rounds in a quite a while. I'm really excited about it because that's what's been kicking my butt the last two years."

CLICK HERE FOR THE FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD

 PGA Scottish Region
RRS DISCOVERY PRO-AM
Downfield Golf Club
Par 73
67 Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) (£829.47 each). 
69 David Orr (Eastwood), Stephen Gray (SCO) Hayston) (£485.65 each). 
70 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), James McKinnon (Irvine), Samuel Cairns (Colville Park) (£285.45 each). 
72 Russell Smith (Gleneagles Hotel) (£206.25).
73 Colin Gillies (Braid Hills), Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) (£169.40 each).
74 Mark King (Kingsfield Golf Centre), Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) (£137.22 each). 
75 Kenneth Hutton (Downfield) (£123.75)
76 Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) (£114.40).
78 Andrew Crerar (Panmure), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) (£100.65 each).
79 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range) (£86.90).
83 Alan Purdie (Kingsbarns Golf Links) (£77.55).


+Scores from the PGA Scottish Region website.

Angus boys team to take part in the Garry Harvey Trophy competition this weekend (September 4-5) at the Letham Grange resort:


Grant Bowman (Monifieth)
Chris Bremner (Edzell)
Connar Cook (Caird Park)
Ian Douglas (Monifieth)
Calum McKay (Grange)
Reece Mitchell (Downfield)
Ross Munro (Monifieth)
Scott Smith (Monifieth)

If the other counties taking part would like their teams listed on Scottishgolview.com, E-mail the information to Colin@scottishgolfview.com