Scots companies land prestigious clothing awards

Glenmuir and Sunderland - two of the golf industry's leading apparel brands
- are celebrating after scooping prestigious clothing awards from the Foremost golf buying roupd.
Glenmuir was named Apparel Supplier of the Year for the second year in succession, while Sunderland lifted the title of Waterproof Suit Supplier of the year for the third year running.

Four Scots - Byrne, Kellett, Nicol and Stewart - on short leet

R and A ANNOUNCES 23-MAN GB and I WALKER

CUP SQUAD FOR BALGOWIE MATCH


NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
An initial 23-man Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup squad has been selected ahead of the first training session at Ireland’s Portmarnock Golf Club in December. The final team of ten players to face the USA in the 43rd Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen next year will be announced in August.
Included in the squad is 2010 Amateur Championship runner-up James Byrne. The 21-year-old Scot lost out to eventual Open Championship Silver Medallist Jin Jeong in the final at Muirfield in June. English squad members Laurie Canter and Tyrrell Hatton joined Jeong at St Andrews, having earned their Major Championship debuts at Local Final Qualifying.
2009 Boys Amateur Champion Tom Lewis, along with the finalist he defeated at Royal St George’s, Eddie Pepperell, has earned his place in the 23. As have Northern Ireland’s 2010 Lytham Trophy Champion, Paul Cutler, and this year’s Scottish Amateur Champion Michael Stewart.
Stiggy Hodgson, 21, who secured two points for GB and I in the 2009 encounter at Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania, is the only player in the squad with previous Walker Cup experience. Many of those picked, however, recently represented GB and I in the St Andrews Trophy Match against the Continent of Europe at Castelconturbia Golf Club, Italy, while others, including Chris Lloyd and 2010 Jacques Leglise Trophy Captain Rhys Pugh, have played for GB and I at boys level.
“I have no doubt that every one of the 23 players we have selected could acquit themselves well in next year’s match,” said GB and I Walker Cup captain, Nigel Edwards.
“But it is up to them to show that they are ready for the challenge that the USA will present by performing with distinction and backing up their most recent performances during the season to come.
“Players from this group will form the majority of the 10-man team, however, GB and I selectors will be at all major amateur events next year, so there is every chance that someone, not included in this initial 23, could play their way into the side,” added Edwards.
All 12 of the players who recently represented GB and I’s constituent countries at the World Amateur Team Championships in Argentina are included in the squad. Defending champions Scotland, comprising James Byrne, Michael Stewart and Ross Kellett, finished in fifth place, while Ireland, a team consisting of Paul Cutler, Alan Dunbar and Kevin Phelan, were three strokes back in sixth.
Byrne was the best-performing of the 12, finishing tied-fourth in the individual standings, alongside the American world number one, Peter Uihlein.
The 2011 Walker Cup match will take place at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club on September 10 and 11.
Founded in 1780, the club, which moved to its present location on Balgownie Links in 1888, is the world’s sixth-oldest active golf club.
GB and I squad:
James Byrne (Banchory)
Laurie Canter (Saltford)
Paul Cutler (Portstewart)
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)
Rhys Enoch (Truro)
Oliver Farr (Ludlow)
Tyrrell Hatton (Harleyford)
Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth)
Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale)
Alastair Jones (Radyr)
Ross Kellett (Colville Park)
Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City)
Chris Lloyd (The Kendleshire)
Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh)
Matthew Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park)
Kevin Phelan (University of North Florida)
Rhys Pugh (Vale of Glamorgan)
Jack Senior (Heysham)
Matthew Southgate (Thorpe Hall)
Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck)
Andy Sullivan (Nuneaton)
Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle)

Webster and Lockhart tie at Fairmont Torrance

By LEE SUTHERLAND
This week the Midland Golfers’ Alliance held the Grant’s Promotions Pro Am at a cold and windy Torrance course, Fairmont, St. Andrews.
Scores over the first 16 holes were counted due to the failing light at the end of the field, reducing the par to 64.
There was a tie for first place in the scratch scores, Edzell pro Alistair Webster and Ladybank assistant pro Alan Lockhart both shooting two-under-par 62s.
Alistair and his Edzell team of Keith Bruce (3), Ron Brownhill (11) and Alistair Smith (14) were also in a tie for the team prize but won on better inward half with a score of 117.
Shot of the day was performed by Dunblane New pro Paul Jamieson. He holed a wedge tee shot at the eighth hole (144yd).
Leading Scratch Scores
Par for 16 holes: 64
62 A Webster (Edzell) p, A Lockhart (Ladybank) ap.
64 P Jamieson (Dunblane New) p.
65 K Hutton (Downfield) p.
66 C Knowles (Panmure) ap, C Donnelly (Balbirnie Park) p, C Nugent (Dunfermline).
67 T Jamieson (Dunnikier Park), M Pirie (Pitlochry) p, R Walker (Lundin) p, B Smith (Downfield) ap.


Grants Promotions Team Competition
117 A J Webster (Edzell) p, K Bruce (Edzell) (3), R Brownhill (Edzell) (11), A Smith (Edzell) (14) (bih):, S Spence (Lundin) ap, J Paisley (Lundin) (5), N Ballingall (Lundin) (4), R Kier (Lundin) (8).
119 P Brookes (Pitreavie) p, S Hume (The Duke's) (7), C Westland (Alloa) (11), K Thomson (Alloa) (13).

Next Meeting
Tuesday, November 9
Montrose Caledonia GC
Tee reserved from: 8.30am - 12 noon.

PGA captain Jim Farmer

leads Bell Baxter FPs to

victory at The Duke's

PGA captain Jim Farmer, pictured, led a team of golf professionals all former pupils of Bell Baxter High School to victory over a team of former pupils from Madras College.

The inaugural match took place at The Duke's Course, St Andrews on Monday when Bell Baxter High School FP prevailed 4.5 to 1.5.

 "I am delighted Bell Baxter FP have won the first match and it is great that we have managed to get this match off the ground.

Mike Braidwood approached me last year when I was in Bahrain for the PGA Pro Captain Challenge event with the idea of setting up a match between teams of former pupils from both schools. I liked the idea and encouraged Mike to proceed" said Jim.

 " I have been wanting to arrange this match for a couple of years and it seemed appropriate to get it going during Jim's tenor as PGA Captain. Both schools have produced many fine players who have done a lot in the game of golf and this year we had the both the PGA captain in Jim Farmer and Scottish PGA captain Jacky Montgomery playing" added Mike.

Next's years match has already been pencilled in to again be played at The Duke's Course with teams being increased to eight players per side.

Results (Ball Baxter FP names first) 

Better ball

Jim Farmer and Sandy Smith lost to David Scott and Mike Braidwood 2 and 1

Paul Wytrazek and Jacky Montgomery bt Gordon Landsburgh and Paul McGregor 6 and 5

Singles

Jim Farmer halved with  David Scott

Sandy Smith bt Mike Braidwood 2 and 1

Jacky Montgomery bt Paul McGregor 4 and 3

Paul Wytrazek bt Gordon Landsburgh 5 and 4

SKIBO CASTLE'S JOEL HOPWOOD WINS NORTH-EAST

ALLIANCE AT DEESIDE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Skibo Castle assistant professional Joel Hopwood made the long journey south to Deeside Golf Club, in the suburbs of Aberdeen, a worthwhile one when he scored his first win on the North-east Golfers’ Alliance circuit today.
Hopwood, 22, pictured, born in Stockton near Middlesbrough but brought up in the Granite City before his move farther north, headed a field of 96 with a one-under-par round of 69 on a gloriously sunny day at the Bieldside course.
“David Thomson, my boss at Skibo Castle, has been working to improve my swing and it paid off here at Deeside which I last played as a junior,” said Hopwood who had birdies at the third, fifth, 13th and 17th, dropping shorts at the 10th, 14th and 15th in halves of 34 and 35.
He won by two shots from Scottish amateur international Philip McLean (Peterhead) (37-34) and Inchmarlo staff pro Ryan Fitzpatrick (38-33).
Fitzpatrick, who had started bogey-bogey and dropped another shot at the seventh, covered the last 10 holes in two under-par with birdies at the ninth and 10th and eight straight pars to finish.
Northern Open runner-up Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), out in 35 with an eagle 3 at the sixth and a bogey at the seventh, bogeyed the short 16th, leaving him needing a birdie at the last to tie with Hopwood but after a bad drive he mishit his second into the water hazard and finished with a double bogey 6 for 37 home and a 72.
Kemnay pro David Brown also had a 6 at the last in halves of 37 and 36 for a 73.
Stewart Pert (Huntly) had the classic "game of two halves." He was out in 43 with a 9 at the second and came home in 33 for a 76.
Philip McLean and former Scottish boys' and men's amateur champion David Law (Hazlehead) - who had a 73 (39-34) today - will miss a few NE Alliance meetings later this month and next for the best possible reason.
They are members of the SGU Elite Squad who are bound for a month's warm-weather (surely HOT-weather!) training at Dubai. Law, in fact, will have to come home early as he has to appear as a witness in a court case.

ALL THE SCRATCH SCORES
Par 70. Yardage 5992 (Yellow tees).
69 Joel Hopwood (Skibo Castle) p 34-35.
71 Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) p 38-33, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 37-34.
72 Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 35-37.
73 Colin Nelson (MacKenzie Shop) p 37-36, David Brown (Kemnay) p 37-36, David Law (Hazlehead) 39-34
74 Patrick Lovie (P1 Corporate) p38-36, Sandy Elrick (Kemnay) 38-36, Fergus Bisset (Banchory) 39-35, Gary Ross (Meldrum House) 37-37
75 Gary Geddes (Auchmill) 39-36, Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 39-36.
76 Graeme Mitchell (Braemar) 41-35, Stewart Pert (Huntly) 43-33, Stewart Finnie (Caledonian) 39-37.
77 Craig Brewster (Inchmarlo) 40-37, Sean Lawrie (Portlethen) 42-35, Craig Carnegie (Kemnay) 39-38.
78 M Jenkins (Duff House Royal) 38-40, Dave Wilson (Duff House Royal) 39-39, I MacDonald (Dunecht House) 38-40.
79 Stephen Scott (Auchmill) 40-39, John Borthwick (Craibstone) 38-41, D Leslie (Northern) 41-38, Alan Ross (Deeside) 40-39, M Forster (Cruden Bay) 39-40
80 Scott Green (Meldrum House).
81 Derek Randall (Banchory).

82 J Kinsella (Braemar), Lawrence Prouse (Hazlehead), Paul McIntosh (Newburgh), J Duncan (Newburgh), John Short (Peterculter), Sammy (Samantha) Leslie (Westhill), David Nelson (Aboyne), David Fleming (Portlethen).

83 S Kennedy (Craibstone), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links), Laura Murray (Aboyne), D McKay (Caledonian).

84 Grant Leslie (Newburgh).

85 Harry Roulston (Stonehaven) C Cassie (Nigg Bay), R Brown (Inverurie), Jim Murray (Banchory).

86 John Dalgarno (Hazlehead), W Forbes (Murcar Links), M Rogers (Kemnay), N Stewart (Northern), Ian D Smith (Hazlehead) p, Dave Bingham (Newburgh).

87 Steve Lawrie (Portlethen), Keil Beveridge (Aboyne) p, R O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum).

88 Jim Scott (Peterculter), Ian Strachan (Royal Aberdeen), Bill Shaw (Banchory), G Stevely (Murcar Links).

90 M Rendall (Stonehaven), Sandy Davidson (Northern), David Bisset (Banchory), M Smith (Inverurie), J Forrest (Northern), Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay), Peter Cheyne (Northern), Dave Philip (Newburgh), Donald Wood (Newburgh).

91 Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), T A Cowie (Kemnay).

92 Alistair Graham (Aboyne).
95 John Jessiman (Oldmeldrum), Jim Penny (Huntly), J Gall (Caledonian).
96 Colin Farquhar (Auchmill), J Lumsden (Auchmill).
97 Mike Brown (Inverurie), B Lumsden (Northern).
99 J McPherson (Auchmill).
101 Ian Grant (Insch).
102 Trevor Slater (Auchmill), Ben Lumsden jun (Northern).
NO RETURNS
Graham Brown (Portlethen), Brian Harper (Newburgh), Paul Cornfield (Auchymill), Brian Nicolson (Auchmill), Peter Farnan (Royal Aberdeen), Graham Allan (Newmachar), D Lawrie (Inchmarlo), R Leadley (American Golf), Kenny Lumsden (Craibstone), Nigel Parker (Murcar Links), Hamish Love (Oldmeldrum) p, P Pugh (Oldmeldrum).

Leading handicap totals

Class 1 (scr to 9) – S Elrick (Kemnay) (7) 67; G Ross (Meldrum House) (5). G Geddes (6) 69; G Mitchell (Braemar)( (5) 71; F Bisset (Banchory) (2) 72; D Wilson (Duff House Royal) (5), A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), C Carnegie (Kemnay) (4), D Leslie (Westhill) (6), M Forster (Cruden Bay) (6), J Borthwick (Craibstone) (6) 73.
Class 2 (10 to 18) – I MacDonald (Dunecht House (9), J Short (Peterculter) (13), D Randall (Banchory) (12) 69; M Rogers (Kemnay) (15), R Brown (Inverurie) (14) 71; S Kennedy (Craibstone) (11) 72; W Forbes (Murcar Links) (13), M Smith (Inverurie) (17), N Stewart (Northern) (13), G Leslie (Newburgh) (11) 73.


Next week's meeting is a McDonald Ellon Golf Club. All available tee times have been booked although acting secretary David Wilson might be able to get some additional players into the field by starting them at the eighth, ninth or 10th.
The NE Alliance mobile phone (07801 819746) will be manned from 10am to 4pm every Tuesday for inquiries about tee times.

BEST SCORECARDS AT DEESIDE
Par (70): OUT-3-4-5-4-3-5-4-4-4-36. IN-4-4-3-5-3-4-3-4-4-34


JOEL HOPWOOD 69
OUT: 3-4-4-4-2-5-4-4-4-34.
   IN: 5-4-3-4-4-5-3-3-4-35.


RYAN FITZPATRICK 71
OUT: 4-5-5-4-3-5-5-4-3-38.
   IN: 3-4-3-5-3-4-3-4-4- 33.


PHILIP McLEAN 71
OUT: 3-4-5-4-4-4-4-5-4-37.
   IN: 4-4-3-5-3-4-3-3-5-34.


SCOTT LARKIN 72
OUT: 3-4-5-4-3-3-5-4-4-35.
    IN: 4-4-3-6-3-3-4-4-6-37.

HOME HERO HIE BATTLES INTO THREE-WAY TIE AT BALI OPEN

Bali Hie for young Rory

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Bali, November 3: Indonesian prospect Rory Hie grabbed a share of the first round lead at the Bali Open today to raise his hopes for a top-three finish on the Asian Development Tour.
The talented 22-year-old sank four birdies against two bogeys at the New Kuta Golf Club to top the leaderboard with countryman Irmansyah and Tseng Hua-yen of Chinese Taipei.
Former Ryder Cup star Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden , playing on a sponsor’s invite, Australia ’s Richard Moir, Indonesian Andik Mauludin and Thailand ’s Nakul Vichitryuthasastr are amongst those bunched on 71 in the final event of the year on the Asian Development Tour.
There is plenty at stake at the inaugural US$60,000 Bali O pen as the top three finishers on the Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the elite Asian Tour next season.
Knowing that only a victory will see him break into the top three, Hie, currently ranked seventh, gave himself the best of starts to his Tour hopes with an all-round solid display.
“It was a good day. I hit the ball really good, especially with the irons. I made a couple of bogeys through some unforced errors but it’s a tough course this week. My game is coming around and hopefully it’ll keep going,” said Hie.
“I think if I can pull off a win, I will have a good chance for the top-three position. That’s the goal. I’ll try to play the best that I can over the next few days but it could be a tougher course if the wind blows. It didn’t blow today.”
The 24-year-old Tseng shot five birdies on the card to raise his title hopes on the world renowned holiday isle. After representing Chinese Taipei’s amateur team for five years, he joined the play-for-pay ranks last season.
“My putter worked really well. All my birdies were from around 10 feet and I managed to convert those opportunities. It’s my first time leading a tournament and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week,” said Tseng.
Lurking a stroke behind is five-time European Tour winner Sandelin, who is making his first visit to Bali . After missing out on the Barclays Singapore O pen qualifying on Monday by two strokes, he opted to compete in the Bali O pen although the tricky greens got the better of him today.
“I played pretty solid but I had a few three putts. It’s tough for Europeans to play on grainy greens but I’ve been around for so long so I should know better,” said Sandelin, who has won in Taipei previously.
“When I heard about the Bali Open , I decided to come over as I’ve heard that Bali is beautiful and luckily I got in. I’m happy to be here,” he added.
The pressure to retain their second and third positions on the Order of Merit increased for Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Chia-jen and Malaysia ’s Akhmal Tarmizee as they shot 77 and 75 respectively.
“I hit some poor shots and just struggled with my game,” said the 20-year-old Akhmal. “I’m in the midst of changing my swing and it’s taking time for me to get comfortable with it. Obviously, I hope to finish in the top three and will stick to my game plan,” added the Malaysian.
Leading first round scores
70: Rory Hie (Ina), Irmansyah (Ina), Tseng Hua-yen (Tpe)
71: Takafumi Kawane (Jpn), Burhan Bora (Ina), Richard Moir (Aus), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Andik Mauludin (Ina), Nakul Vichitryuthasastr (Tha), Chang Tse-peng (Tpe)
72: Stephen Lindskog (Swe), Blair Wilson (Aus), Juvic Pagunsan (Phi), Hardjito (Ina), Justin Evans (Eng)
73: Lam Zhiqun (Sin) (am), Jason King (Aus), Michael Bibat (Phi)