Aussie Carolan sets pace with 66 in King's Cup

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Khon Kaen, Thailand: Australian Tony Carolan played through the pain barrier of an injured elbow to set the opening round pace at the King’s Cup tournament today.
Carolan, who has been struggling with tendinitis in his right elbow this season, posted a flawless six-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Korea ’s Mo Joong-kyung at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club.
Thailand’s Prom Meesawat bounced back from a shoulder injury with a polished performance as he shared third place with countrymen Pariya Junhasavasdikul and Kwanchai Tannin on matching 68s at the US$300,000 full field event presented by Singha and Sports Authority of Thailand.
Malaysians Ben Leong and Airil Rizman, Indian duo Anirban Lahiri and Himmat Rai were bunched up in sixth place with Thailand’s Wittawat Sae-Ung, Australian Unho Park, Takafumi Kawane of Japan, Hwang In-choon of Korea and Englishman Chris Rodgers on identical 69s.
Carolan, who started from the 10th tee, turned in 31 but struggled in his homeward nine as the pain in his elbow began to creep in.
“I’ve felt pain all day and was struggling a bit on my back nine. I just tried not to overdo it. I’ve had this injury all year and had a lot of treatment and finally the elbow is now recovered to about 85%. Earlier in the year it was only about 25% healed,” said the 42-year-old, who missed seven out of eight cuts earlier in the year.
Carolan, ranked 48th position on the Order of Merit, hopes to maintain his form as he is aiming to cement a good placing on the money list.
“Winning this week solves all the problems as you don’t have to worry about your rankings on the Order of Merit. There’s still pressure of finishing high up on the Order of Merit even though my Tour card is currently safe. I have to make sure I stay in the top half of the money list,” said the Australian, who shot six birdies.
Mo continued his love affair in Thailand by carding six birdies against one bogey to trail Carolan by one. He had previously won his second Asian Tour title in Thailand in 2008.
“I found this golf course to be very difficult during practice round but I played really well for my result. I’ve been hitting it really solid in the past few weeks but my putting has been on and off. Hopefully I can turn it on in the next few days,” said Mo, who finished in tied 38th place in Hong Kong last week.
“I’m always happy to come back to Thailand . They got great golf courses and the people are nice,” said the Korean, who is ranked 102nd on the Order of Merit.
The big-hitting Prom, who has won once on the Asian Tour, welcomed a return to form after struggling with a shoulder injury in the past two years.
“My injury (on the left shoulder) has been hampering my game but it feels much better now. I’ve fixed my swing and have been going to the gym. I feel that I’m now playing at 100% of my potential,” said Prom who registered six birdies against two bogeys.
Currently ranked 83rd on the Order of Merit, Prom knows he has plenty to play for this week as he is battling to break into the top-60 of the Asian Tour.
“Every week is very important for me now because I’m not in the top-60 of the Order of Merit. I have to play well this week and try not to put too much pressure on myself and hopefully I will be in contention on the final day,” said the Prom, who is nicknamed the ‘Big Dolphin’ due to his burly physique and because he comes from the coastal town of Hua Hin.
Malaysian Leong fired four birdies against one bogey and was delighted to continue his impressive form after placing 21st in Hong Kong last week.
“It was good from tee to green. I putted well and read the greens really well but it only gets tougher from now. It is a long course especially with the strong wind.
“The conditions of the golf course were great and that makes playing a lot easier. I played really well in Hong Kong was quite unlucky with my putting but overall it gave me some confidence coming into this week,” said Leong, winner of the 2008 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
Chan Yih-shin’s ambitions of retaining his King’s Cup crown came to an end after the Chinese Taipei player retired from the opening round due to illness.

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
66 Tony Carolan (AUS)

67 Mo Joong-kyung (KOR)

68 Pariya Junhasavasdikul (THA), Prom Meesawat (THA), Kwanchai Tannin (THA)

69 Airil Rizman (MAS), Hwang In-choon (KOR), Unho Park (AUS), Ben Leong (MAS), Takafumi Kawane (JPN), Wittawat Sae-Ung (THA), Himmat Rai (IND), Anirban Lahiri (IND), Chris Rodgers (ENG)

70 Thammanoon Srirot (THA), Thaworn Wiratchant (THA), Apichai Leelaka jo rnjit (THA), Rory Hie (INA), Nadeem Inayat (PAK), Udorn Duangdecha (THA), Jason King (AUS), Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA), Nakul Vichitryuthasastr (THA)

E-mail from Mike Wood

Picking up - a little late – the discussion about a Scottish Open championship move away from Loch Lomond, and in particular the views of Danny Wightman, could I point out that it is wrong to say , so far as Renaissance is concerned “There is no close train station there, with North Berwick being a little too far away” because, using Google Maps, it is about 7.5 miles from Balloch to the Loch, whereas it is 4.5 miles from either North Berwick or Drem stations to Renaissance.
There is a well-organised traffic management plan for the Open when it takes place at Muirfield, and the same plan could, I’m sure, be adopted with minor modifications for the 'Scottish' at Renaissance






Mike Wood

Dubai dream has turned into a nightmare - tournament venue is an eyesore

Dubai World Championship being played

in front of a handful of spectators

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Alistair Tait
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The sun may be shining, the best two golfers in Europe might be battling it out for the right to become king of Europe, but does anyone here in Dubai know it?
That’s the pertinent question after the opening round of the $7.5 million Dubai World Championship. That sort of money, along with another $7.5 million in bonus money, might help sponsors Jumeirah Estates purchase Europe’s elite, but it certainly doesn’t buy a gallery.
There’s hardly anyone here.
No official crowd figures are available for the first round. Just as well, because the number must have been in the hundreds rather than the thousands.
I counted 24 people watching Padraig Harrington and Rhys Davies play the ninth hole. Never mind the rising star that is Davies, we’re talking Padraig Harrington, a three-time major winner.
An Irish colleague who followed Harrington for the front nine said that figure – 24 – was being generous. He said there were only a handful of people watching Davies and the Irishman for most of the front nine.
The Ian Poulter/Ernie Els pairing was one of the most attractive of the day. Els is also a three-time major winner, and one of the game’s bona fide superstars, while Poulter is arguably the most flamboyant player in golf today.
Seven marshals paraded the seventh fairway, and they were needed, apparently, to control the 30 fans walking outside the fairway ropes.
OK, so you’re thinking the galleries were saving themselves for the marquee pairing of Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, right? Wrong.
I didn’t count this gallery, but I probably could have had I applied myself. My guess is it couldn’t have been more than 150 when they came up the ninth hole. And stragglers walking in from the watering hole between the fifth green and sixth tee with no more golf to watch inflated that number.
Can you imagine the first game of the World Series played in a stadium with only a thousand people, or fans turning up in the second quarter of the Super Bowl?
The Middle East may have the money to stage golf tournaments right now, but it’s not rich with golf fans. Had this event been staged in England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales (or even Germany or France), then you can guarantee the fairways would have been crowded. Even on a workday, as it was here in Dubai.
Fridays and Saturdays constitute the weekend here in the Middle East, so we can expect more fans for the next two rounds. But I’m guessing not many more.
The land outside the fairway ropes of the Earth Course here at Jumeirah Estates explains why the crowd was so sparse.
The course is situated in the middle of a huge construction site. With one exception – no construction is taking place.
Half-finished villas line most fairways. Ugly, concrete monstrosities with scaffolding, pipe work and steel supports exposed to the world dot the landscape. Players this week use a temporary clubhouse because the one that was half-finished last year is still half-finished.
The place is an eyesore. Very little, if any, construction has taken place since last year’s tournament. Even those villas that are finished are lying empty.
It belies the Dubai dream. This Middle East metropolis was supposed to be the desired destination for people all over the world. Those villas around the golf courses were supposed to provide the galleries for this tournament.
People were expected to flock here from all over the world. Instead, many who have are desperate to get out of Dubai. Those unfortunate enough to have bought property are stuck in negative equity brought on by the worldwide credit crunch, which has hit Dubai hard. Some have just upped sticks and left, leaving everything.
The ex-patriot population has shrunk. And since ex-patriots are the only people who get out to watch golf tournaments in the Middle East . . . well, then that explains the low turnout.
So let’s hope the European season ends with a bang on the fairways, because there is only a whimper outside the ropes.

DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Robert Karlsson leads with a 65, Kaymer 3rd

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
German Martin Kaymer edged closer to The Race to Dubai crown - and possibly the World Number One spot as well.
Kaymer went head to head with Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, his only remaining challenger in The Race to Dubai, in today's first round of the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.
Already holding a lead of nearly €290,911, Kaymer sank a 192 yard seven iron for an eagle 2 at the third and outscored his rival by five with a five under par 67.

That put the 25 year old in third place, two strokes off the lead held by Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, Europe’s Number One two seasons ago.

Needing a top-three finish to have any chance, McDowell almost holed-in-one at the short sixth - as South African Charl Schwartzel did three groups before him - but let Kaymer get away from him with three bogeys in four holes around the turn.

As for the World Number One battle, where Kaymer could dethrone Lee Westwood with a top-two finish, it could go right to the wire on Sunday.

Westwood began his defence of the tournament with a three under par 69 to be in a tie for fifth place.

Kaymer and McDowell are both trying for an incredible €2,000,000 jackpot on Sunday - €910,348 from the tournament itself and then a €1,092,418 bonus for topping the money list.

Karlsson holed a 114 yard pitch for an eagle three at the long 14th and with birdies at the 16th and 17th required a four on the 620 yard last to break Westwood's course record from the closing round 12 months ago.

However, he drove poorly and instead took six to slip back to seven under.

Korean teenager Noh Seung-yul was one behind after a 66 and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee occupied fourth spot on his own at four under.

McDowell, who is down in joint 25th position, said: "I didn't feel 100 per cent out there and I'm very happy with level par considering I started throwing shots away like they were going out of fashion.

"Obviously it was a tough day. Martin came out of the traps early and left me in the dust literally.

"I was struggling to get going and had a couple of careless three-putts, but I'm happy with how I dug in. I need a big weekend, but he's five shots ahead of me, that's all."

As for watching Kaymer make eagle from the fairway so early he added: "When a guy holes a shot like that it's great to see. It was a wonderful shot."

FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
65 Robert Karlsson (Swe)
66 Seung-yul Noh (Kor)
67 Martin Kaymer (Ger)
68 Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
69 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Ian Poulter, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson (Swe)
70 Gary Boyd, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Paul Casey, David Horsey, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra)
71 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Ross Fisher, Darren Clarke, Brett Rumford (Aus), Rory McIlroy, Y.E. Yang (Kor)
72 Graeme McDowell, Joost Luiten (Ned), Richard Green (Aus), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Simon Dyson, Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Gregory Havret (Fra), Marcus Fraser (Aus)
73 Richie Ramsay, Chris Wood, Gareth Maybin, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Simon Khan, Johan Edfors (Swe), Stephen Gallacher, Ernie Els (Rsa), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa)
74 Damien McGrane, Anders Hansen (Den), Soren Hansen (Den), Matteo Manassero (Ita), Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington
75 John Parry, Oliver Wilson, Thomas Bjorn (Den), Rhys Davies, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
76 Peter Hanson (Swe), Robert Rock, Danny Willett, Peter Lawrie
78 Retief Goosen (Rsa), Jamie Donaldson

HANDA CUP SENIOR MASTERS

Sandy gets a 68 despite ribcage injury


Frenchman Marc Farry produced a dream start to the Handa Cup Senior Masters with a flawless six under par 66 to share the first round lead with Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori.
Farry made six birdies before Tomori birdied the last three holes at Ohmurasaki Golf Club, Saitama, on the European Senior Tour’s historic first visit to Japan to join him at the top of the leaderboard.
England’s Barry Lane is one of three players on five under par alongside Japan’s Hiroshi Ueda and Sieki Okuda while Sandy Lyle of Scotland and Gordon J Brand and Mark Belsham of England share sixth place a shot further back after four under par rounds of 68.
Farry’s first Senior Tour title earlier this year was also title sponsored by Dr Handa – the Handa Irish Senior Open presented by Failte Ireland – before he added the Cannes Mougins Masters to his resumé.
He is now in the frame for a third title of the year.
“This is the sort of round you dream of, no bogeys, six birdies, 12 pars,” said the 51 year old. “I was in good form throughout the round. I wish it could be like that every round.”
Last week he finished fourth in the Handa Australian Senior Open and has carried the form to Japan.
“Perth last week was more difficult in the heat but it was good preparation for this, my second visit to Japan. Perth has given me some momentum here.”
As for the Tour’s first visit to Japan, Farry added: “The European Senior Tour is more like a world Tour now. Like the mainstream Tour we go all around the world. It is fantastic the Japan PGA has welcomed us here.”
Tomori made history as the first Japanese golfer to progress through the European Tour Qualifying School in 1996. Ten years later, as a senior, he won the 2006 Scandinavian Senior Open to become only the fourth Japanese golfer to win on the Senior Tour and is in a good position on home soil.
Lane, whose round included an eagle two on the fifth hole, was clearly enjoying his trip to the land of the rising sun.
“It’s great to be back in Japan,” said the winner of five European Tour titles in addition to one on the Senior Tour. “I’ve been here a number of times in the nineties but it’s great that the Senior Tour is here for the first time.
“The greens here are so big but you still have to be hit the right places to be successful here. To shoot 67 with 37 putts is pretty good going though.
“I’ve been struggling with my putting recently. I was using the long putter but changed back to the short putter yesterday, so I’m back on the putting green this afternoon to keep practicing.”
Lyle suffered a rib injury last week in Australia and feared he would have to pull out of the event in Japan but the ribcage felt good enough to play and the result was certainly better than expected.
“Well that was a pretty good round all things considering,” said the former Open and Masters Champion. “My goal today was really to survive, I’m just happy to be below par.
“If you play the par fives strongly you should do well on this course. It’s in great condition, there’s no wind, but the large greens do take a while to adjust to.”
Belsham got his Senior Tour card through last year’s Qualifying School and has adjusted well to life as a Touring professional after 15 years teaching at the Stonelees Golf Centre.
FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
66 M Farry (Fra), K Tomori (Jpn);
67 H Ueda (Jpn), B Lane (Eng), S Okuda (Jpn)
68 G J Brand (Eng), S Lyle (Scot), M Belsham (Eng)
69 S Higashi (Jpn), B Ruangkit (Thai), K Takahashi (Jpn), M Kuramoto (Jpn), G Sato (Jpn)
70 Y Takagi (Jpn), T Watanabe (Jpn), N Yuhara (Jpn), I Woosnam (Wal), A Franco (Par), F Minoza (Phi), K Maita (Jpn), A Oldcorn (Scot), Y Yamamoto (Jpn), C Williams (RSA)

Edinburgh and East of Scoland Alliance report

Gordon Law, Alan Reid tie on

64 at Dalmahoy West


By ALAN GREENSHIELDS
Secretary, Edinburgh and East of Scotland Alliance
Despite a frosty start the Edinburgh and East Alliance managed to get play under way at Dalmahoy (West) yesterday by 8am with 96 players taking part.
The overall winner on the day could not singled out and the Pitreavie Trophy will we shared by professionals Gordon Law of Uphall and Alan Reid of West Lothian.
Their gross scores of 64 were looked at for countback solutions without success and after much deliberation a tie was the only fair result. Their gross score also beat the best handicap score of 65 which was shared by Stuart Brown of Glencorse and William Laing of Prestonfield.
A late charge from Kingsknowe professional Chris Morris nearly changed things after word came in that his outward nine totalled 29 shots but a higher inward of 37 shots meant he secured third scratch with his 66.
Chris, however, has the consolation of recapturing pole position of the scratch order of merit from Scott Grieve of Turnhouse and leads with 284 points to Scott's 265.
Alan Young of Lochend holds on to the handicap order of merit pole position with 78.5 points and leads from George Wither of Lothianburn with 68 points.
Trainee prize went to David Patrick of Elie with a 68 and the Senior Prize was split three ways between Stephen Gilhooley (Duddingston), Colin McLachlan (Glenbervie) and William Smith (Harburn) with their net 67s.
Next outing is on December 8 at Eyemouth.
RESULTS
LEADING SCRATCH
1 Law Gordon Uphall Professional 64
2 Reid Alan West Lothian Professional 64
3 Morris Chris Kingsknowe Professional 66
4 Mackay Alan Pumpherston Trainee 67
5 Morris Jamie Peebles Amateur 67
6 Wither George Lothianburn Amateur 67
7 Colquhoun Neil Merchants Professional 68
8 McGarvey Sean Glencorse Amateur 68
9 Patrick David Elie Trainee 68
10 Thomson Mike Torwoodlee Amateur 68
11 Johnston Richard Glenbervie Amateur 69
12 Melville Iain Glencorse Amateur 69
13 Munro Donny Kingsknowe Amateur 69
14 Brown Stuart Glencorse Amateur 70
15 Chaplin Mark Deer Park Amateur 70
16 Denholm Robert Kinross Amateur 70
17 Fraser Hugh Niddry Castle Amateur 70
18 Marshall Andrew Houston G.R. Professional 70
19 Wood Daniel Eyemouth Trainee 70
20 Callan Stuart Bathgate Professional 71
21 Fyvie Richard Pumpherston Professional 71
22 Lamb Justin Glencorse Amateur 71
23 Catlin Scott Greenburn Professional 72
24 Dand Steven Pumpherston Amateur 72
25 Grieve Scott Turnhouse Professional 72
26 Laing William Prestonfield Amateur 72
27 McLachlan Colin Glenbervie Senior 72
28 Robson Mike Harrison (Braids) Amateur 72
29 Bain Neil Haddington Amateur 73
30 Gilhooley Stephen Duddingston Senior 73
31 Harper Arthur Pitreavie Senior 73
32 McAllan Michael Glenbervie Professional 73
33 McKenzie Alex Lothianburn Amateur 73
34 Nisbet Callum Bathgate Amateur 73
35 Ramsay Lee West Lothian Amateur 73
36 Rothney Andrew Deer Park Amateur 73
37 White Justin Harrison (Braids) Amateur 73
38 Cordery Thomas Musselburgh Amateur 74
39 Downing Stewart Craigmillar Park Amateur 74
40 Fraser Ian A Duddingston Senior 74
41 Jeavons Ian Dunbar Amateur 74
42 Knowles Scott Kingsknowe Amateur 74
43 Neill Ross Drumpellier Professional 74
44 Wight Andrew Glencorse Senior 74
45 Lothian Brian Ratho Park Amateur 75
46 Scott Jim Swanston New Senior 75
47 Stavert Iain Duddingston Amateur 75
48 Bell Gordon Gullane Senior 76
49 Denham John Torwoodlee Senior 76
50 Johnston Graeme D Glenbervie Amateur 76
51 Lamb Jordan Peebles Amateur 76
52 Young Alan Lochend Amateur 76

LEADING HANDICAP
Brown Stuart Glencorse 70 5 65
Laing William Prestonfield 72 7 65
Dand Steven Pumpherston 72 6 66
Denholm Robert Kinross  70 4 66
Wither George Lothianburn 67 1 66
Gilhooley Stephen Duddingston Senior 73 6 67
Lothian Brian Ratho Park 75 8 67
McLachlan Colin Glenbervie Senior 72 5 67
Munro Donny Kingsknowe  69 2 67
Smith William Harburn Senior 81 14 67
Downing Stewart Craigmillar Park 74 6 68
Harper Arthur Pitreavie Senior 73 5 68
Johnston Richard Glenbervie 69 1 68
Lamb Justin Glencorse 71 3 68
McGarvey Sean Glencorse 68 0 68
McKenzie Alex Lothianburn 73 5 68
Melville Iain Glencorse 69 1 68
Morris Jamie Peebles 67 -1 68
Nisbet Callum Bathgate 73 5 68
Wilson Gerry Musselburgh 78 10 68
Bain Neil Haddington 73 4 69
Fraser Hugh Niddry Castle 70 1 69
Jeavons Ian Dunbar 74 5 69
Jeffrey Peter Duddingston 79 10 69
Scott Jim Swanston New Senior 75 6 69
Thomson Mike Torwoodlee  68 -1 69
White Justin Harrison (Braids) 73 4 69
Wyse Ian Falkirk Tryst 77 8 69
Young Alan Lochend 76 7 69
Bonar Bill Musselburgh Senior 84 14 70
Chaplin Mark Deer Park 70 0 70
Comber Ron Uphall Senior 81 11 70
Denham John Torwoodlee Senior 76 6 70
Devlin Alan Pumpherston Senior 83 13 70
Forsyth Walter Peebles 78 8 70
Lamb Jordan Peebles  76 6 70
Leggate Philip Musselburgh 77 7 70
Ramsay Lee West Lothian  73 3 70
Wardlaw Stuart Harburn Senior 80 10 70
Fraser Ian A Duddingston Senior 74 3 71
Jeffrey David Whitekirk Senior 78 7 71
Johnston Graeme D Glenbervie 76 5 71
Rankeillor James Baberton Senior 80 9 71
Ritchie Peter Bathgate Senior 80 9 71
Robson Mike Harrison (Braids)  72 1 71
Rothney Andrew Deer Park 73 2 71
Stavert Iain Duddingston 75 4 71
Airens Daniel Falkirk Tryst 81 9 72
Cordery Thomas Musselburgh 74 2 72
Knowles Scott Kingsknowe 74 2 72
Wight Andrew Glencorse Senior 74 2 72

PRIZEWINNERS

PROFESSIONALS
1st= £90 Law Gordon Uphall 64
1st= £90 Reid Alan West Lothian 64
3rd £60 Morris Chris Kingsknowe 66
4th= £30 MacKay Alan Pumperston 67
4th= £30 Morris Jamie Peebles 67


AMATEURSvouchers
1st= £90 Brown Stuart Glencorse 65
1st= £90 Laing William Prestonfield 65
3rd= £40 Dand Steven Pumpherston 66
3rd= £40 Denholm Robert Kinross 66
3rd= £40 Wither George Lothianburn 66


TRAINEE PROFESSIONAL
£20 Patrick David Elie 68


SENIOR AMATEURS
£10 Gilhooley Stephen Duddingston 67
£10 McLachlan Colin Glenbervie 67
£10 Smith William Harburn 67