WORLD AMATEUR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Scotland go into final round in 10th place

By PETE KOWALSKI
International Golf Federation Media OfficerBuenos Aires, Argentina – After taking two days to complete its second round because of weather delays, first-day leader France, with an even-par 142, leads Denmark by one stroke and the USA by six through 36 holes of the 2010 World Amateur Team Championship.
The second round, suspended twice because of dangerous weather, was played in constant rain Friday and was completed Saturday. The French were one of the 34 teams, in the field of 69, that completed the round the day after they started it.
The championship has now been reduced to 54 holes and will conclude Sunday. Leading France was 2010 Scottish open amateur stroke-play champion Romain Wattel, who shot a 1-under-par 70 at Olivos Golf Club. Wattel, who will turn professional shortly after the Eisenhower Trophy competition, won a European Challenge Tour event in September.
His team-mate, Alexander Levy, fired a 1-over- 72 in the second round and the French are at seven under par 279
“The last two days were very tough days to play golf because of the weather conditions,” Wattel said. “The rain and the cold on Friday and the wind on Saturday make the Olivos course very difficult to be under par.”

France led the Eisenhower Trophy through 54 holes in Malaysia in 2002 but was unable to withstand a final-round charge from the USA and finished second. The French tied for third in 1992 in their only other medal performance.
“The target in this tournament is to be the first,” Wattel said. “We came to Argentina to win the trophy.”
Denmark, at six under par 280, made a strong move in Friday’s rain at Buenos Aires Golf Club. Tied for third after the first round, the Danes pushed into second behind a 69 from Joachim Hansen, the 2010 Finnish Amateur champion, and a 72 from Lucas Bjerregaard, the 2010 European Amateur winner.
After more than an inch of rain on Friday, the players faced sunny but very windy conditions as the second round resumed.

The USA advanced from tied for ninth into third place at 1-under-par 285 on the scores of David Chung (70) and world ranked No 1 amateur Peter Uihlein (72), who were 2010 U.S. Amateur finalists.

“It was a grind, struggle, frustrating and exciting, all wrapped into one,” Uihlein said of their rainy round on Friday.

In the top 10, the USA was followed by New Zealand, in fourth, at even par 286, Sweden (287) in fifth and Canada (288) in sixth. England, Italy and Colombia were tied for seventh at 289.
 Defending champions Scotland rocketed 31 places to 10th with a 4-under-par 140.
In the third round, the leading teams play Buenos Aires Golf Club and the others play Olivos Golf Club.


For complete results and third-round groupings and starting times, visit www.internationalgolffederation.org and click on the Golfstat icon.


SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 143 (1x71, 1x72)279 France 137 142.
280 Denmark 139 141.
285 United States 143 142.
286 New Zealand 142 144.
287 Sweden 141 146.
288 Canada 137 151.
289 England 141 148, Colombia 143 146, Italy 146 143.
290 Scotland 150 140.
292 Spain 145 147, South Korea 145 147, Austria 148 144.
293 Iceland 147 146, Japan 146 147, Germany 146 147.
294 Portugal 153 141.
295 Switzerland 149 146, Finland 148 147, Norway 148 147.
296 Ireland 150 146, Mexico 144 152, Wales 148 148, Hong Kong 146 150.
297 Belgium 146 151, Chinese Taipei 147 150, Australia 143 154, China 143 154, Puerto Rico 145 152.
298 Peru 149 149, Netherlands 145 153.
299 Argentina 147 152, South Africa 147 152.
300 Czech Republic 152 148.
301 Singapore 147 154, Malaysia 147 154.
302 Venezuela 148 154.
303 Slovakia 156 147, El Salvador 149 154.
305 Brazil 155 150, Chile 147 158, Uruguay 152 153, Bermuda 150 155.
307 India 152 155.
309 Kenya 154 155, Costa Rica 140 160.
310 Philippines 156 145, Dominican Republic 150 160, Paraguay 160 150, Parkistan 151 159, Slovenia 155 155, Zimbabwe 151 159.
312 Barbados 153 159.
314 Bolivia 149 165 314, Swaziland 158 156.
316 Turkey 59 157.
319 United Arab Emirates 157 162, Guatemala 152 167.
321 Botswana 160 161, Ecuador 165 156.
323 Egypt 162 161.
328 Guam 158 170, Serbia 167 161.
341 Qatar 181 160.
343 Tanzania 166 177.
345 Nigeria 167 178.
348 Bulgaria 171 177.
354 Iran 179 175.
365 Croatia 179 186.

Hale and hearty at 65, that's Irwin

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Hale Irwin shot his age for the first time on the US Champions Tour for over-50s, finishing with a 6-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead in the AT and T Championship with 2007 and 2008 winner John Cook, Larry Nelson, Chien Soon Lu and Mark Wiebe.
"I don't know what you do to go and celebrate," Irwin said. "But whatever it is, I'll go and do it."
Mark Calcavecchia, Russ Cochran, Gene Jones, Chip Beck, Keith Fergus, Dan Forsman, Steve Lowery, Rod Spittle, Javier Sanchez and Kirk Hanefeld opened with 66s at Oak Hills Country Club, San Antonio in Texas. 
Another 15 players were within four shots of the lead, including 2006 champion Fred Funk (68), 2005 winner Jay Haas (69) and defending champ Phil Blackmar (69).
The tournament is the Champions Tour's final full-field event of the year. The top 30 on the money list will advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week at Harding Park in San Francisco.
Irwin chipped in for eagle from just off the green at the par-5 15th and made a 9-foot putt to save par on the final hole. The tour's career victory leader is winless since 2007.
The 63-year-old Nelson missed a chance to match his age. Playing the front nine last, he bogeyed No. 8 and had a 10-footer for birdie No. 9 trickled off to the right.
"As most guys my age will tell you, to have three really good days in a row is difficult," Nelson said.
Cook had a bogey-free round. He has played 10 rounds at Oak Hills on the Champions Tour and has shot 65 or better half the time.
"Some places just fit you," Cook said. "This golf course just does for me."
Charles Schwab Cup points leader Bernhard Langer had a 69.
Kenny Perry, the 14-time Tour winner who is playing in his second Champions Tour event, had a 74. He tied for 35th last week at The Woodlands

CLICK HERE FOR SCOREBOARD


FOR NATIONWIDE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES, CLICK HERE

Andalucia Valderrama Masters third-round report

Ulstermen McDowell and

Maybin share 4-shot lead

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Graeme McDowell and Gareth Maybin share a four-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Andalucia Valderrama Masters following an incident-packed day in Sotogrande.

The Northern Irish duo enjoyed an entertaining battle throughout round three, which began with McDowell, pictured, two shots ahead of his fellow countryman on seven under.

The US Open champion looked set to retain that advantage heading into Sunday’s play, but a double bogey at 18 saw him slip back alongside Maybin on six under.

Maybin is seeking his first European Tour title and showed admirable resolve to bounce back from bogeys on his first two holes with birdies at the third, fourth and ninth.

He parred every hole thereafter to complete a fine round of 70, his solid scoring in sharp contrast to McDowell - who mixed five birdies with two bogeys and two double bogeys in a topsy-turvy 72.

McDowell admitted: "It was an emotional rollercoaster out there. There was a stretch of four or five holes where I was all over the place.

"Then I really steadied the ship again - I birdied 13, had a great chance on 14, birdied 15, got up and down on 16 and birdied 17.

"I was stood on the 18th fairway thinking ‘this is great, just finish the job’ and I walked off with a 6!

"It was a very careless way to finish. But there was enough good golf to make me happy.

"I’m in a great position going into Sunday afternoon with a chance to win a golf tournament which is where I want to be."

Maybin was satisfied with his third-round performance, particularly given the windy conditions that made scoring increasingly difficult.

"It was a rough enough start (with the two bogeys), but then I battled back and really knuckled down," he said.

It can be pretty brutal when the wind blows, so to shoot under par was a good result."

On his tussle with McDowell, Maybin added: "He’s probably one of the hottest players in the world right now so to go out there and get a result against him, I’ll take a lot from it.

"I’ve had a couple of chances (to win tournaments) over the last couple of years, but this is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on one of the most prestigious golf courses, so if I could get a victory here it would mean a lot."

Ireland’s Damien McGrane and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez share third place on two under following rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.

On a day where nobody in the field managed to keep a bogey off their card, Sergio Garcia proved steadier than most as he posted a 69 to move into a tie for fifth.

The Spaniard’s only dropped shot came at the ninth, with birdies at five, 11 and 13 lifting him to one under for the tournament.

Garcia said: "We all know how difficult this course is, particularly the back nine, and I am happy the way I played.

"I felt very at ease, very calm and confident, and that means a lot to me, as it was not an easy day."

Alongside Garcia was Thomas Bjorn, who mixed four birdies with four bogeys in a 71.

But Sweden’s Niclas Fasth - who had occupied third position following a 66 in round two - slipped out of contention with six bogeys on the back nine.

Anthony Kang and Soren Kjeldsen fired the lowest rounds of the day - their 68s taking them to level par and one over respectively.

Kang had looked likely to be closer to the leaders, but a double bogey-birdie-bogey finish stunted his progress.

Race to Dubai leader Martin Kaymer showed signs of improvement in a third round 70, but it appears he will have to wait for another chance to claim the World Number One ranking.

Kaymer needs to win or share second place with no more than one other player if he, rather than the absent Lee Westwood, is to succeed Tiger Woods when the American's 281-week reign ends on Monday, but the German is nine behind the leaders on three over.

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
207 Graeme McDowell 68 67 72, Gareth Maybin 69 68 70
211 Damien McGrane 68 73 70, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 70 71
212 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 72 69 71, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 70 73 69
213 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 70 71 72, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 71 72, Anthony Kang (USA) 73 72 68
214 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 71 75 68, James Kingston (Rsa) 71 70 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 71 70 73
215 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 73 66 76, Joost Luiten (Ned) 74 69 72, Shane Lowry 73 71 71, Gregory Havret (Fra) 74 70 71
216 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 74 67 75, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 73 73, Steve Webster 73 74 69, Ross Fisher 71 73 72, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 72 74 70, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 71 73 72, Anthony Wall 72 73 71, Robert Rock 71 74 71, Richard Green (Aus) 72 71 73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 71 75 70
217 Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 74 71, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 73 69 75, Oliver Wilson 74 72 71, David Howell 76 71 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 76 70, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 71 70 76, Darren Clarke 72 70 75
218 Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 73 72 73, Gary Boyd 71 69 78, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 71 71 76, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 71 74
219 Chris Wood 72 74 73, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 69 78 72, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 74 70 75, Jamie Donaldson 72 73 74, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 71 71 77, Michael Hoey 70 72 77, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 66 77 76
220 Soren Hansen (Den) 70 75 75, Peter Lawrie 72 74 74
221 David Drysdale 73 72 76, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 72 73 76, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 71 76 74
222 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 72 75 75, Marc Warren 75 72 75, Santiago Luna (Spa) 72 74 76
223 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 73 74 76, Stephen Gallacher 75 71 77

Raymond Russell joins George Murray on promotion to European Tour

Haines hits high notes

on day of drama

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
England’s Matt Haines, pictured, captured his debut Challenge Tour title in thrilling fashion at the season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final on a dramatic day which saw Spaniard Alvaro Velasco succeed Italian Edoardo Molinari as the winner of the Rankings.
Haines, who turned professional only last year and has relied largely on sponsors’ invitations to compete on the Challenge Tour this season, closed with a round of 66 to edge out overnight leader Daniel Gaunt of Australia by a single stroke and vault to second place in the Rankings behind Velasco.
Other players with cause for celebration were home hero Lorenzo Gagli and experienced Scot Raymond Russell, who, with respective finishing positions of joint third and tied 12th, barged their way into the all-important top 20 at the expense of Spain’s Carlos Del Moral and England’s Charlie Ford.
Despite opening with a round of 67, Del Moral was ultimately unable to maintain his momentum and composure over the following three days, as his four over par aggregate total saw him drop down to 21st place in the Rankings – an agonising €558 behind Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka in 20th place.
The Spaniard’s despair was in stark contrast to Haines’ joy, as the 20 year old from Kent ended a season which he had begun without a Challenge Tour category clutching a coveted European Tour card in his hand.
Gaunt, who climbed to seventh in the Rankings despite having only played 11 events, had held the lead for large parts of a tense afternoon at San Domenico Golf in Puglia, Italy, but perhaps the turning point came at the par five 15th hole.
Having dissected the fairway with a huge drive and then found the heart of the green with his approach, Haines sank an eagle putt from 35 feet to join the Australian on eight under par. After closing with three pars, Haines could only stand and watch as Gaunt, playing in the group behind and needing a birdie three to avoid a play-off, smacked an almighty drive down the 18th fairway.
But a mixture of adrenaline and nerves forced the man from Melbourne to pull his wedge into the bunker at the back left of the green, and when he narrowly failed to get up and down, the title – and a cheque for €51,500 – belonged to Haines. The rising star, who ended the season with earnings of €107,152, can now look forward to a debut campaign on The European Tour.
He said: “It’s unbelievable really. I feel like I’ve been playing well this year without getting the win, but it’s great to end the season with my first victory when it matters most. The set-up here really suits my game because I like to be aggressive off the tee, and this course allows you to do that.
"I felt under a little bit of pressure between the 12th and 14th, because there are some tough holes in that little stretch. But then when I made that big eagle putt on the 15th I knew it was probably going to be either me or Daniel winning the title, because everyone else was two or three shots behind.
"After that I managed to save par on the 17th and 18th with some good scrambling, but I still wasn’t sure it would be enough to win. Luckily it was, and I couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve learned a lot about my game and myself this season, and now I can’t wait to get onto The European Tour. This year and especially this win will give me a lot of confidence to take into next season, and if I can keep doing what I’ve been doing and playing the way I’ve been playing, I see no reason why I can’t do well.
"There are obviously a lot of great players on the main Tour, but I’ve got confidence in my own abilities. The top players on the Challenge Tour have shown in recent years that they can make the step up and compete on the main Tour, so hopefully I can keep improving.
“It’s amazing how much my life has changed this year. At the start of the season I was relying on invitations to play, so I have to thank my management company for helping me out and the Challenge Tour for offering them.
"Hopefully I won’t have to rely on invitations next season because I’ll have a decent category, so with a bit of luck I can keep my card and maybe even go on and win one.”
Similarly, Gaunt is also confident of following the likes of Molinari, Welshman Rhys Davies and the English duo of James Morrison and John Parry in entering the winners’ enclosure on The European Tour the season after graduating from the Challenge Tour.
The Australian only secured his promotion from the Satellite EuroPro Tour to the Challenge Tour halfway through the season courtesy of his victory at the English Challenge, since when he has finished in the top ten in exactly half of the tournaments in which he has played.
Gaunt was naturally disappointed to have bogeyed the 18th hole for the second day in succession to miss out by one shot, but was excited at the prospect of returning to the top tier after five years in the golfing wilderness.
Velasco has also targeted a maiden European Tour victory after topping the Rankings with earnings of €134,296.
By his own admission the Spaniard’s performance levels this week fell short of the stellar standards he had set this season, as he finished in a tie for 20th place on one over par; but the 29 year old has now set himself the lofty ambition of following Molinari into the top 50 of the Official Golf World Ranking.
He said: “I came here with high expectations, I just didn’t play well enough. But finishing on top of the Rankings is the best achievement of my career so far, and hopefully I can build on it next year. I won in Kazakhstan like Edoardo and now I’ve won the Rankings like him, so it’s an honour to follow such a great player.
"I’ve obviously still got a long way to go to reach his level, but my goal is to win on The European Tour and climb into the top 50 of the world. The consistency of my all-round game has improved this year, but I still need to keep improving every year if I am to achieve my goals.”
Velasco will be joined on The European Tour by Gagli, whose prospects of securing the top three finish he needed appeared extremely remote after turning in one over par for the tournament.
But the Italian delighted the home crowds with three birdies and an eagle on the way home to surge through the field and into a share of third place on four under par alongside England’s Lee Slattery, who signed for a round of 69 to secure a return to The European Tour as the 13th graduate.

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR GRAND FINALE

FINAL TOTALS
276 M Haines (Eng) 69 72 69 66,
277 D Gaunt (Aus) 67 74 66 70,
280 L Gagli (Ita) 71 74 69 66, L Slattery (Eng) 70 72 69 69,
281 C Baker (USA) 68 73 69 71, P Gustafsson (Swe) 66 74 70 71, P Edberg (Swe) 68 75 69 69,
282 S Manley (Wal) 72 73 67 70, B Evans (Eng) 69 73 69 71, C Russo (Fra) 73 68 70 71, B Wiesberger (Aut) 66 73 70 73,
283 R Russell (Sco) 74 72 69 68, J Sjöholm (Swe) 71 77 70 65, V Riu (Fra) 71 75 71 66, S Tiley (Eng) 66 73 72 72, G Murray (Sco) 71 73 68 71,
284 T Olesen (Den) 69 74 72 69, S Jamieson (Sco) 69 73 72 70, J Arruti (Esp) 69 75 70 70,
285 A Marshall (Eng) 69 75 69 72, A Velasco (Esp) 72 74 68 71, M Carlsson (Swe) 72 73 73 67,
286 A Tadini (Ita) 75 72 70 69,
287 O Floren (Swe) 73 72 74 68, D Denison (Eng) 70 72 70 75,
288 C Del Moral (Esp) 67 78 72 71,
289 J Clément (Sui) 73 75 71 70, A Kaleka (Fra) 69 76 74 70,
290 S Walker (Eng) 75 74 69 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 77 75 69 69,
291 C Moriarty (Irl) 69 77 73 72,
292 E Dubois (Fra) 72 75 74 71,
293 F De Vries (Ned) 76 72 74 71, D Vanegas (Col) 70 78 76 69, F Colombo (Ita) 76 74 73 70, M Zions (Aus) 72 78 70 73,
295 M Tullo (Chi) 73 77 72 73,
296 C Ford (Eng) 72 78 69 77,
297 J McLeary (Sco) 71 79 76 71, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 72 79 74 72, J Zapata (Arg) 71 85 70 71, M Thorp (Nor) 70 82 73 72,
298 S Davis (Eng) 69 80 75 74,
299 A Gee (Eng) 75 76 74 74,
301 J Larsen (Nor) 69 78 80 74,

NE ALLIANCE COMPETITION AT DEESIDE

The North-east Alliance season will resume at Deeside Golf Club on Wednesday when all times arranged for the postponed meeting at Cruden Bay GC last Wednesday will be carried over.
There are a limited number of post-noon tee times available for Deeside and calls can be made to the Alliance mobile telephone number - 07801 819746 - between 10am and 4pm on Tuesday to reserve them.
With the clock going back an hour this weekend, there will, of course, be the risk of the later starters on Wednesday finishing in darkness.

ASIA PACIFIC CLASSIC

Martin Laird in top 10 with a round to go

FROM THE ASIAN TOUR WEBSITE

Kuala Lumpur: American Ben Crane stormed into a two-shot lead after the third round of the US$6 million CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia today, thanks to a glorious finish.

The 36-year-old, coming off his best season in the United States, birdied three of his closing four holes for a five-under-par 66 and a 16-under-par 197 total at the Mines Resort and Golf Club and leads from Sweden’s Carl Pettersson, who fired into contention with also a 66.

Glasgow's Martin Laird, pictured, shot a 67 to be joint eighth on 202 while Aberdeen-born Aussie Michael Sim is on 205 after a 69.

Asia’s charge was carried by Singapore ’s veteran Mardan Mamat, who produced a superb 65 for a share of third place on 201, four shots back. England ’s Brian Davis and Luke Donald and US duo Ryan Moore and Ricky Barnes are also tied third.
One of the surprise packages at the inaugural CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, which is sanctioned by the Asian and US PGA Tours, was Bangladeshi Siddikur, who returned a flawless 65 for a share of eighth place, with amongst others, joint overnight leader Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand, who battled to a 71.
A one-hour weather delay in the afternoon caused by a thunderstorm brought only good fortune for Crane, the joint overnight leader and a three-time PGA Tour winner, as it sparked a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th to 17th holes upon the resumption of play.
“I’m pretty excited with where my game is at. I’ve been working hard on getting my mind in the right place. That’s what this game is all about. I’m just trying to play freely and trying to play like when I was playing like a kid,” said Crane, who won the Farmers Insurance O pen in January.
“I haven’t been in this position a lot. But I’m thrilled to be here. Obviously there’s no position I’d rather be in but certainly, I’ll pray tonight for peace and relaxation and come out tomorrow to enjoy this experience. It’s really fun to be playing well here. The Malaysian people have welcomed us with o pen arms. Everything has been fantastic.”
Pettersson, a four-time winner including the Canadian O pen in July, was also hot on the back nine with five birdies after touring the front nine in even par. “It wasn’t a great start. But I made some good birdies and played a good back nine to get myself back into the tournament. It was a fun finish,” said the Swede.
He rifled a five iron to four feet of the flag for birdie on 10 and then chipped in for another birdie on 14. “I’ve been playing well all week, nothing really spectacular. I’m hitting it straight and hitting my irons nice enough,” he said.
Sticking to the mantra of hitting one shot at a time, a patient Mardan showed his steel with two closing birdies after a bogey on 16 had threatened to spoil his card. With one round to go, he knows a special round on Sunday could land him a cool US$1 million top prize.
“I told myself that it would be nice to finish with two birdies and I did just that,” said the Singaporean, who is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. “I remained patient and just enjoyed my game. I didn’t have high expectations of how I would do this week and told myself to enjoy my game and take it one step at a time.”
Siddikur was over the moon to feature on the leaderboard and will enter the last round five shots off the pace at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia . The 26-year-old, who grew up in a poor family in Dhaka and built a first club with a broken seven iron head stuck on a metal rod, brilliantly sank six birdies and outscored playing partner Heath Slocum, winner on the PGA Tour two weeks ago, by six shots.
“I think it was a great day. It was absolutely good today … drive, irons, chipping and putting were absolutely good,” smiled Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to win on the Asian Tour with his win in the Brunei Open in August.
“It’s a big tournament in my life and I’m enjoying playing with the US PGA Tour players. I’m learning something from them.”
It could yet be a long shot for him to upset the odds and land the million dollar prize money on Sunday but after coming out of poverty with hard work and determination, he refused to stop dreaming.
“Just dreaming about the big money for me and for Bangladesh . I’m looking forward to tomorrow, need another good round,” he said. “I’m just playing golf. I’m not scared as I’ve been playing for so long. I’m playing like when I’m playing with friends.”
Englishman Brian Davis had a 66 and compatriot Luke Donald a 67 to be bracketed in joint third place on 201, four shots off the pace.

THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)197 Ben Crane ( USA ) 67-64-66
199 Carl Pettersson (SWE) 65-68-66

201 Ricky Barnes ( USA ) 63-69-69, Ryan Moore (USA) 64-68-69, Luke Donald (ENG) 67-67-67, Brian Davis (ENG) 65-70-66, Mardan Mamat (SIN) 66-70-65

202 Pariya Junhasavasdikul (THA) 66-65-71, D.J. Trahan (USA) 67-67-68, Martin Laird (SCO) 66-69-67, Kevin Streelman (USA) 69-66-67, Siddikur (BAN) 69-68-65

203 Adam Scott (AUS) 69-65-69, Rickie Fowler (USA) 68-67-68

204 Ernie Els (RSA) 67-68-69, Tom Gillis (USA) 69-66-69, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 73-67-64

205 Charlie Wi (KOR) 65-70-70, Michael Sim (AUS) 67-69-69, Tim Clark (RSA) 67-69-69, K.J. Choi (KOR) 70-69-66, Noh Seung-yul (KOR) 71-69-65

206 Robert Allenby (AUS) 72-66-68, J.B. Holmes (USA) 73-67-66

207 Y E Yang (KOR) 72-69-66, Ryan Palmer (USA) 72-70-65

208 Heath Slocum (USA) 68-69-71, Arjun Atwal (IND) 68-71-69, Kevin Na (USA) 70-71-67

209 Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 66-69-74, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-66-72, Retief Goosen (RSA) 69-69-71, Andrew Dodt (AUS) 68-75-66

210 Tetsuji Hiratsuka (JPN) 71-70-69, Bill Haas (USA) 72-69-69

211 Marc Leishman (AUS) 70-72-69

212 Marcus Fraser (AUS) 70-72-70

213 Lam Chih-Bing (SIN) 69-72-72, John Senden (AUS) 71-71-71

214 Shaaban Hussin (MAS) 72-72-70



For further information, visit www.asiantour.com

Ross Kellett too ill to complete good second round

SCOTS REGAIN THEIR

PRIDE IN ARGENTINA

FIGHTBACK

LATER NEWS: World men's amateur team championship has been reduced to three rounds because of Friday's bad weather which meant that a number of teams will not complete their second rounds until Saturday. The final round will still be played on Sunday.

FROM THE SGU WEBSITE
By ROSS DUNCAN
A four-under par 68 from James Byrne lifted Scotland into the top ten of the leaderboard on day two of the World Amateur Team Championship amid thunder and lightning storms in Buenos Aires.
Lying in a lowly 42nd position overnight, the defending champions posted a second day aggregate of 140 to move to four-over par for the championship and within ten shots of clubhouse leaders Denmark with two-thirds of the field still out on the course in deteriorating conditions.

Byrne’s 68 was followed up by a level par 72 from Scottish Amateur Champion Michael Stewart but the Scots score could have been even better had illness not forced Ross Kellett to retire, having been two-under par with six holes remaining.
After the disappointment of the first day, the Scots got off to a flyer with Stewart holing a magnificent 35-foot putt for eagle at the par five 10th, his first hole of the day, although he immediately bogeyed the 11th. Kellett also started well and was two-under par for the first six holes before thunder and lightning forced a two-hour suspension of play.
Despite feeling ill, Kellett’s good form continued and the Colville Park man picked up two more birdies to be four-under at the turn. He managed just three holes of the back nine however and had to make his way back to the clubhouse having been sick several times out on the course.
Byrne, Scotland’s leading amateur in the world rankings, birdied the par five 15th to move to one-under par for the front nine and played some fantastic golf down the stretch, grabbing three birdies in the closing five holes including a sublime two at the 220-yard fifth after hitting his tee-shot to 8-feet.
Stewart found water of the tee at the 18th – his 9th – to drop another shot and turn in level par, but despite dropping shots at the 4th and 8th, picked up birdies at the 1st and 7th to finish level for his round.
SGU national coach Ian Rae was delighted with his team’s performance on day two: “The players were fantastic out there today and posted a really good score in horrendous weather. It was really windy first thing before the thunderstorms came and the rest of the round was played in torrential rain.”
“They were really fired up this morning and got off to great start. I was worried the delay would halt the momentum but they played great golf after the restart and James showed his class on the back nine which has put us back in the hunt.”
On Ross Kellett’s sickness enforced withdrawal he added: “Ross is in a pretty bad way and he’s off to see a doctor. Hopefully he’ll recover for tomorrow and he could get some more respite if the bad weather continues as it’s likely they’ll have to complete the second round on Saturday.”
A second round 69 from Denmark’s Joachim Hansen put his side on 280, six-under par for the championship, with the USA five shots back among the early clubhouse finishers.


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Great Danes lead after rain-hit Day 2

NEWS RELEASEDenmark, with a 3-under-par 141, made a forceful move in steady, day-long rain on Friday to gain the lead in the weather-suspended second round of the 2010 World Amateur Team Championship at Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Danes were among the 35 of the 69 teams in the field to complete play. They hold a lead over two teams that did not finish the second round: Canada at five under par through three holes and first-day leader France at three under par through nine holes. The Danes’ 36-hole total is 280.

The second round was suspended twice and then called for the day because of dangerous weather and course conditions. It will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday. Following completion of the round and a re-draw based on scores, the third round will begin in the mid-to-late afternoon.
The leading teams will play at Buenos Aires Golf Club in the third round and the lower half will play at Olivos Golf Club. The championship is now reduced to 54 holes and will conclude on Sunday.
Playing at Buenos Aires Golf Club, the Danes, who were tied for third place after the first round, were buoyed by another strong round from Joachim Hansen, the 2010 Finnish Amateur champion, who recently shot 59 in Denmark. His second-round 69 gave him a 36-hole total of 7-under-par 136. Teammate Lucas Bjerregaard, the 2010 European Amateur winner, shot even-par 72.

“It was very difficult out there,” Hansen said. “But, my swing was working and I hit it very well off the tee. These weather conditions are better than Denmark, where it’s colder. “

Sweden, in fourth, and England, tied for fifth, did not finish the second round either. They stood at two under and one under, respectively, through six holes.

Rain was constant all afternoon and temperatures were in the lows 60s with little wind. Total rainfall was approximately one inch.

Danish captain Torben Nyehuus credited his team’s preparation for their good play.

“Our original goal was to finish in the five top positions,” Nyehuus said. “Our players have been playing very well this year on tough courses and for that reason, I think we can do it. We play seven months a year in Denmark, so the rest of the time we have to play in places like Spain, Paris, Florida and Turkey. In the winter, at home, we work very hard on the technical and physical part of our game at indoor places.”

The USA jumped to a tie for fifth position at 1-under-par 285 on the scores of David Chung (70) and Peter Uihlein (72), who were 2010 U.S. Amateur finalists. They were followed by New Zealand at even par 286.