XLTEC PRO GOLF TOUR

E-mail from Chris Turner, 110sport.com


It is with much regret that I advise you that the proposed Xltec Pro Golf Tour events at The Roxburghe will not be going ahead. These have been cancelled. This is due to lack of numbers and it would not be in the best interest of the members for this event to go ahead.
It is very disappointing but we do appreciate the time of year and that many of you have probably had enough golf for this season and are now looking forward to a break in the winter.
In light of this, we are now looking at staging six to seven XLtep Pro Golf Tour events in 2011 with the final one being held on the same week as The Open Championship in July.
We feel that after July, there are plenty of opportunities for Professionals to play and we have taken the view that judging by the entries this year, there is no real value in us trying to host tournaments after July.
Although we have still to make a final decision on this, we are looking at possibly the following months to stage events in 2011:


Late March - 1 event
April - 2 events
May - 1 event
June - 2 events
July - 1 event


We would also appreciate any feedback or ideas you may have to help make the tour the success we believe it can be. We are speaking to additional sponsors who have shown interest in getting involved with a view to offering increased prize funds for 2011.






In the meantime, thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you all next year, if not before.






Kind Regards,






Chris




Chris Turner
Golf Projects Manager
110sport Management Ltd

DUNBAR TOUR PRO RETURNS TO MURCAR LINKS

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR TERRY IN SCOTTISH ALLIANCE By COLIN FARQUHARSON Dunbar Golf Club staff professional Terry Mathieson returned to Murcar Links, his old stamping ground as an amateur, to post a two-under-par 69 in bright but breezy conditions to lead at the end of the first day of the 54-hole Scottish Golfers' Alliance championship. At the other course being used, Newburgh-on-Ythan, slightly shorter but with a par of 72, two North-east amateurs, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) and Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon), shared the lead on the 70 mark. Murcar Links off the championship tees with the strong wind in the players' faces when they turned for home sorted out the men from the boys. "I'd forgotten how strong the wind was on North-east links courses," said Terry. "But local knowledge certainly helped me a lot, knowing what clubs to play downwind and then into it." Mathieson was able to reach the turn in one-under-par 35, despite a double bogey 6 at the sixth where he was bunkered and then three-putted. An eagle 3 at the long fourth and a birdie at the ninth more than compensated. He drove the 11th green (367yd) downwind and two-putted for the first of three birdies on the homeward stretch. A six-iron at the short 12th set up a one-putt birdie and he got another birdie 2 at the 16th. Battling into the wind, he had bogeys at the 13th and 14th in an inward half of one-under 34. For others it was literally a game of two halves at Murcar Links. Crow Wood pro Ian Graham, for instance, covered the outward nine downwind in four-under-par 32 with birdies at the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth. But he required 44 blows for the inward journey. Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), leading amateur and runner-up in the recent Northern Open, also turned in 34 at Murcar Links but came home in 49 shots! He was 10 over par for the last five holes alone. Mathieson headed the Murcar returns by two shots from Hayston scratch amateur John Fowler (34-37) with Montrose Links tour pro Graeme Brown (34-38) on the 72 mark. At Newburgh-on-Ythan, Jordan Findlay, beaten finalist in the Scottish amateur championship this year at Gullane, birdied the seventh, ninth, 10th and 13th for his 70, dropping shots at the 16th and 18th. in halves of 34 and 36. Kevin Duncan was two ahead of Findlay with 32 to the turn, including an eagle 2 at the seventh, but he needed 38 shots to come home. Kris Nicol, the +4 Fraserburgh amateur, was a late call-off with a back injury. Ironically, it was because the highly-rated Nicol was among the entries that North-east Alliance secretary Ron Menzies, who is organising the Scottish championship, decided to put the field off the blue tees - as far back as you can get at Murcar Links - which made it too long a test into the wind for a large number of the competitors. Some of the longer handicap players in the field were hard pushed at some holes to reach the fairway with their drives off the "tiger tees." Although by modern day standards, Murcar Links is not long - round about 6,500/600yd - off the back tees into a high wind it can play very long, almost the equivalent of a 7,000yd+ course. The highest one-hole score recorded was 13. In fact, the "honour" was shared by two players who shall remain nameless. Ron had the grace to admit later: "I put my hands up. I made a mistake. I should have put them off the White Tees." Unfortunately, because the field changes courses today, Ron cannot switch the Murcar Links play to the White Tees until Thursday when the championship qualifiers all play the No 1 course. Those who played Newburgh today must play off the same tees at those who played Murcar Links today. In the two-girl competition for the "Ladies Prize," international Laura Murray had an 83 at Murcar Links while Sammy (Samantha) Leslie, the Aberdeenshire county champion from Westhill, had an 84 at Newburgh. "I quite liked playing off the blue tees at Murcar Links. It was an experience," said Laura who is a long-hitter. "I just had too many double bogeys." ***Next year's Scottish Alliance championship will be organised by the West of Scotland Alliance who have decided that Buchanan Castle Golf Club will be the venue from October 4 to 6.  If the entry is big enough to warrant the use of a second course, Balfron will be called upon. MURCAR LINKS Par 71 69 T Mathieson (Dunbar). 71 J Fowler (Hayston). 72 G Brown (Montrose Links). 74 A Lockhart (Ladybank). 75 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst). 76 I Graham (Crow Wood). 78 S E Harrold (Ballumbie Castle), N Stewart (Northern). 79 J L S Kinloch (Cardross), P Lamb (Biggar). 80 A K Pirie (Hazlehead), J Thomas (Craibstone), R Harrower (Boat of Garten), G Finlay (Ballumbie Castle), C Alexander (Murcar Links) 81 I Bratton (Newburgh). 83 S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), Laura Murray (Alford). 84 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon), R Leadley (American Golf). 85 C Cassie (Nigg Bay),  J Duncan (Newburgh), K Beveridge (Inchmarlo), J Forrest (Northern), G Cree (Troon Welbeck). 86 P Brookes (Pitreavie). 87 R Stewart (Tulliallan). 88 P B Kinloch (Cardross), 91 J D Murray (Banchory). 92 D Leslie (Northern). 93 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum). 94 L Sutherland (Ballumbie Castle), C Westland (Alloa), R J S Coupar (Boat of Garten), D Bisset (Banchory). 95 K M Thomson (Alloa), D Randall (Banchory). 96 R Brown (Inverurie). 98 S Kennedy (Craibstone). 99 J Rennie (Dunfermline). 101 J Kinsella (Braemar), D Nelson (Aboyne). 102 A Graham (Crow Wood). 103 S Davidson (Northern), G Homer (Northern). NEWBURGH Par 72 70 J Findlay (Fraserburgh), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon). 72 R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo). 73 A E Reid (West Lothian), P McKechnie (Braid Hills). 75 G G Wither (Lothianburn), I Buchan (Craibstone), A Bews (Murcar Links), S Lamb (Broomieknowe). 76 A Campbell (Deeside). 77 G Murray (Spey Bay), G Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation). 78 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), P McLean (Peterhead). 79 J Hopwood (Carnegie), P W McIntosh (Newburgh), J MacKay (Kilmarnock Barassie). 81 F Clarke (Newmachar), M Forster (Cruden Bay), K Lumsden (Craibstone). 82 A J Webster (Edzell), I Esslemont (Newburgh), C Stewart (Kippie Lodge), R Murray (West Lothian). 83 G Hume (The Duke's), P Guthrie (Peterculter),D MacKay (Caledonian). 84 G Roulston (Stonehaven), Samantha Leslie (Westhill), J White (Harrison), J Craig (Carnoustie).. 85 M Fraser (The Duke's), A Graham (Aboyne). 86 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), D McKay (Newmachar). 87 D Philip (Newburgh), H McNaughton (Cruden Bay). 90 B Lumsden (Northern), G S Brown (Portlethen), V P Ralph (Moray). 91 A Boxx (Boat of Garten). 92 P Jaffray (Duddingston). 94 G Allan (Newmachar), J Crawford (Dunblane New). 96 R Alison (Deeside), D Bingham (Newburgh). 97 J Wilson (Dunfermline), A L Terras (Elie). 98 M Rendall (Stonehaven), A Hume (Troon Welbeck). 100 G Knapp (Muir of Ord), P Cornfield (Auchmill). 107 M Rogers (Kemmay). FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD

England name U-16 and U-18 squads for 2010/2011

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Internationals and tournament winners are among 16 players named in the England Under 18 Squad for 2010/11.
They include English boy champion Callum Shinkwin, Under-16 champion Toby Tree and Nathan Kimsey, impressive winner of the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters.
The full England Under-18 squad is:
Oliver Carr (Heswall, Cheshire), Harry Casey (Enfield, Middlesex), Seb Crookall-Nixon (Workington, Cumbria), Sam Edwards (Bigbury, Devon), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire, Yorkshire), Curtis Griffiths (Wentworth, Surrey), Patrick Kelly (Boston West, Lincolnshire), Nathan Kimsey (Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire), Nick Newbold (Kedleston Park, Derbyshire), James Newton (Prestbury, Cheshire), Max Orrin (North Foreland, Kent), Thomas Rowland (Prudhoe, Northumberland), Callum Shinkwin (Moor Park, Hertfordshire), James Simpson (Whickham, Durham), Toby Tree (Worthing, Sussex) and Colin Walsh (Hayling, Hampshire).
Shinkwin was a clear winner of the Carris Trophy at Woodhall Spa, subsequently made his England debut in the boys' home internationals and helped Hertfordshire to the English boys' county championship.

Tree was England Under-14 champion in 2008 before winning the Under-16 title this year. He also debuted in the boys' home internationals, having been an Under-16 cap and a former winner of the Douglas Johns Trophy.

Kimsey was another to make his debut in the boys' home internationals after winning the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters in a three-way play-off. He also finished runner-up in the Lincolnshire county championship.

Among the rest of a highly talented Under-18 squad is Sebastian Crookall-Nixon, the English Under-16 champion in 2008 and 2009, and another England-boy cap, Matthew Fitzpatrick, the North of England Under-16 Champion and an Under-16 cap, and Nick Newbold, an England debutant in the European boys' team championships this year and a member of the boys' home internationals team.

Sam Edwards, who reached the quarter-finals of the English men's amateur championship this year, is also included as is Max Orrin, runner-up to Tree in the English Under-16 championship and another Under-16 international.

The England Under 16 Squad, also announced, includes Nick Ward, the current Hertfordshire County Champion at the age of 15, and Haydn McCullen, who has enjoyed high finishes in the past two English Under 14 Championships for the Reid Trophy.

The complete England Under-16 Squad is:
Robert Burlison (Oxley Park, Staffordshire), Harry Ellis (Meon Valley, Hampshire), Haydn McCullen (Didsbury, Cheshire), Pavan Sagoo (Ealing, Middlesex), Jake Spearpoint (Sene Valley, Kent) and Nick Ward (Redbourn, Hertfordshire).
Burlison is a former English Schools Under 16 Champion and schools international, Ellis is the Hampshire Junior Champion and has just been capped at Under 16 level against Scotland, while Sagoo has twice been the Middlesex Under 13 and Under 14 Champion.
Further players will be invited to join the six squad members at various stages, throughout the busy programme of coaching sessions and training matches.

Monty says he will hand over Ryder Cup reins

FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND WEBSITE
Douglas Lowe at Celtic Manor
Colin Montgomerie described captaining Europe to Ryder Cup triumph yesterday as “the proudest moment in my golfing career” but said it was a one-off and he would be handing over the reins to one of his five vice-captains for the 2012 match at Medinah, Chicago.

The Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal, who formed the most famous all-time Ryder Cup partnership with Seve Ballesteros and who was drafted in this week at the last minute to join the backroom team of Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia, is favourite to take over following the 14½-13½ victory that went right down to the last match with US Open champion Graeme McDowell capturing the winning point against Hunter Mahan.
Montgomerie, 47, has played in eight Ryder Cups with a record of never having lost in the singles, and Padraig Harrington, a wild-card selection, said: “We wanted to guarantee that his captaincy would do his playing record justice, and it did.”
The first Ryder Cup to come to Wales might have been bedevilled by torrential rain on Friday and Sunday that led to the first Monday finish in the 83-year history of the Ryder Cup, but in the end it turned into another classic thriller.
It was in front a crowd limited to those with Sunday tickets and absenteeism at work in Wales was believed to be at an all-time as 35,000 turned up. Amid sunshine scenes at last, the only drenching that spectators suffered yesterday was from gallons of champagne from the clubhouse balcony.
Montgomerie said: “This is a one-hit time. I’m delighted that Europe have won this trophy, and I will not be doing this again, I can assure you. I think that it’s only right that the captaincy should be shared among very good candidates that we have now in Europe.
“This is the first Ryder Cup that I have attended that I have not actually played; and it is very difficult to play every shot over that radio. I played every shot out there for every game in every match and that’s why I think that this is a one-time hit.
“It’s my proudest moment to captain these fantastic players here this week, and to captain them to success, but this isn’t about me. It’s about the 12 great players. Each one delivered at least half a point out there, and that is why this side won, to get to the famous 14½ points that I have been dreaming of for nearly two years now.
“It was my job to try to manage these great players this week and try to make them feel as comfortable as possible and to play their best. I always said, if they can play to their potential, we would win. I truly believe they did, and therefore, we did. I’m so proud.”