SCHWARTZEL, MULROY AND ELSON SHARE JOBURG OPEN LEAD

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
South African Charl Schwartzel's brilliant ten under par 61 gave him a share of a three-way lead after two days of the Joburg Open.

On a day when almost three hours were lost due to a thunderstorm, defending champion Schwartzel tore up the West Course with ten birdies, including a tee shot to eight feet at the par three 16th.

That left him 13 under par at the halfway stage, along with compatriot Garth Mulroy and England's Jamie Elson, although not all of the field were able to complete their second rounds after the lengthy delay.

Mulroy and Elson both carded rounds of 64 on the tougher East Course layout - where the leaders will return for the weekend action once the second round is completed on Saturday morning and the cut made.

Schwartzel spoke on the eve of the tournament about some swing problems, but revealed he had received good advice from Hendrik Buhrmann - a winner on the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour.

"I phoned Hendrik Buhrmann up on Wednesday afternoon after nine holes," he said.

"He had footage of my swing that he took when I was swinging really well, and he could clearly see that there were quite a few things out of place, and he really helped me.

"It was a fantastic round today. "It really fell into place and I hit some great tee shots and iron shots, and I used just about every opportunity I had on the greens."

The 29 year old Elson narrowly lost his European Tour card at the end of 2010 but had every reason to be delighted with his efforts at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
Having opened with a 65, Elson burst into life with five straight birdies from the fifth in his second round.
He picked up another shot at the 11th before play was suspended, and on the resumption splashed out of a greenside bunker to two feet for birdie on the par five last, completing a second consecutive bogey-free round.
Mulroy's round included an eagle at the eighth, seven birdies and two bogeys.
"I hit a good tee-ball," he said of his three at the par five eighth. "It was actually quite a long way from the hole and I made a long putt."
Three more South Africans share fourth place on 12 under in the co-sanctioned European Tour and Sunshine Tour event - James Kingston, Thomas Aiken and overnight joint-leader Tyrone Mordt.
Martin Maritz, the other player to hold a share of the first round lead, and Branden Grace are a shot further back, while Allan Versfeld completes the top ten alongside Scotland's David Drysdale.

LEADERBOARD IN BRIEF
Par 142 (2x71)
129 Jamie Elson (England) 65 64, Garth Mulroy (S Africa) 65 64, Charl Schwartzel (S Africa) 68 61.
SCOTS' SCORES
132 David Drysdale 67 65 (jt 9th).
136 Scott Jamieson 70 66 (jt 27th).
137 Steven O'Hara 70 67.

PROJECTED CUT (138 or better to qualify)
+Several players, including Lloyd Saltman, Marc Warren and Alastair Forsyth, will have to complete their second rounds on Saturday morning.

141 George Murray 66 75.
142 Elliot Saltman 70 72.

TO READ ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR

WEBSITE AND CHECK THE INDIVIDUAL SCORECARDS,

CLICK HERE

LOCAL HERO SHARES CHALLENGE TOUR LEAD IN INDIA

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
A second successive round of 70 saw home hero Gaganjeet Bhullar join Austrian Florian Praegant at the top of the leaderboard on day two of the inaugural Gujarat Kensville Challenge, the opening event of the 2011 Challenge Tour season.
Indian Bhullar posted birdies at the third, sixth and 18th holes to move to four under par, the same mark as Praegant, who followed up his opening round of 69 with a 71.
Overnight leader Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh slipped to third place on three under par after struggling to maintain the blistering pace he had set on the opening day at Kensville Golf Club in Ahmedabad, India, which was designed by three-time European Tour champion Jeev Milkha Singh.
Singh’s compatriot Bhullar said: “It’s a long course and the greens are also tough as they’re hard at the moment, so they’re playing fast. I had trouble putting, as I’ve recently changed my putter. This is the first tournament I’ve used it, and it feels a bit heavier than my old one. I was leaving my putts a bit short early on, but I think I’m getting more accustomed to it now.
“I also changed my course management strategy today and decided to use irons off the tee instead of my driver, which I only used on seven holes. Because a lot of the holes are dog legs you can’t really afford to attack the course off the tee, so I chose to be more conservative.”
By his own admission Praegant’s game lacked its usual fluency, but after a tap-in birdie at his closing hole the Austrian could still reflect on a job well done.
The 27 year old, who suffered a career-threatening neck injury in 2006, said: “Compared to the opening day I’m not as happy with my round today, as I only hit ten greens. Some of my tee shots went awry and my short game was also a little suspect, so the only reason I shot under par was because of my putter, which was working well. Hopefully it works for me as well over the next two days.
“I don’t know much about Bhullar but I read in the papers that he’s one of India’s top players, so I’m looking forward to playing with him. But I’m just going to stick to my own game plan of trying to keep the ball in play.”
Rahman will be hoping for a more productive weekend after two bogeys and a double bogey at the fourth hole cancelled out birdies at the fifth and sixth.
The Bangladeshi dropped back to three under par, one shot clear of local favourite Abhishek Jha and a trio of Englishmen, Matt Baldwin, Daniel Denison and Matt Ford, whose round of 68 was the lowest of the day.
Ford said: “This is my first visit to India, so I didn’t know what to expect as I’d only heard stories about this country. But it’s been an excellent trip so far, and we’re all enjoying the nice, warm weather.
“I didn’t plan anything different for today. Yesterday I left my putts short, but today was much better on the greens. I missed a couple of birdie chances but I also made some good up and downs to save par, so overall I’ve got to be pretty pleased.”
SCOTSWATCH: Callum Macaulay displaced Ross Bain as the leading Scot with a 73 for 145, giving him a share of 12th place. Bain had a 75 for 146 and a share of 18th place. The only other Scot to beat the cut was Craig Lee, joint 57th on 151 with scores of 72 and 79.
Jack Doherty and Gavin Dear missed out, not unexpectedly after starting with eight-over-par 80s. Doherty improved to a second-round 73 for 153 but two shots too many to survive while Dear had a 76 for 156.
LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
140 Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) 70 70, Floria Praegant (Austria) 69 71.
SCOTS' SCORES
145 Callum Macaulay 72 73 (jt 12th).
146 Ross Bain 71 75 (jt 18th).
151 Craig Lee 72 79 (jt 57th).
SCOTS WHO MISSED THE CUT
153 Jack Doherty 80 73.
156 Gavin Dear 80 76.

TO READ ALL THE SCORES AND CHECK THE SCORECARDS
ON THE EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

ASIAN TOUR Q SCHOOL STAGE ONE STORY, SCORES

FROM ASIAN TOUR WEBSITE
Hua Hin, Thailand: Shakhawat of Bangladesh posted a sparkling seven-under-par 65 at the Asian Tour Qualifying School First Stage to take the third round lead at the Majestic Creek Golf Resort on Friday.
Shakhawat’s three-day total of 12-under-par 204 puts him on the right track of becoming the second Bangladeshi to earn an Asian Tour card should he make it to the Final Stage and finish in the top-40 next week.
Kalle Samooja of Finland and Matt Docking of Australia are four strokes back after shooting a 71 and 67 respectively to lie in tied second place on a 208 total.
At the Imperial Lakeview Golf Club, Toru Nakajima of Japan, Thailand’s Thitiphan Chuayprakong and Australian Jonathan Moore took a share of first place after shooting a 70, 72 and 73 respectively for a 211 total.
The trio held a one stroke lead over Berry Henson of the United States and South Africa’s Hertzog Landman.
Japanese Kenichi Sawada stormed into the lead at the Springfield Royal Country Club by posting a 68 for a 207 total to open up a four-stroke lead over Joshua Kelley (68) of the United States.
Nadeem Inayat of Pakistan, who has played competitively in Thailand for over 10 years, slipped to third position following a 74 for a 212 total.
The top-26 and ties from Imperial Lakeview will make it through to the Final Stage while the top-24 from Majestic Creek Golf Resort and the top-11 and ties from the Springfield Royal Country Club will also earn tickets to the final phase.
Players who compete in the Qualifying School will also be eligible for memberships on the Asian Development Tour, the region’s secondary circuit, where a minimum of five tournaments will be staged in the new season.
LEADERBOARD
IMPERIAL LAKEVIEW
Par 216 (3x72)
+Top 26 and ties to qualify after four rounds.
211 Toru Nakajima (Japan) 71 70 70, Thitipan Chuayprakone (Thailand) 68 71 72, Jonathan Moore (US) 70 68 73.
Selected scores:
214 Justin Evans (England) 76 65 73 (jt 10th).
215 Chris Gill (England) 72 72 71 (jt 14th).
216 Ross Canavan (England) 74 72 70 (jt 16th).
217 Llewellyn Matthews (Wales) 70 74 73 (jt 22nd), Sandeep Grewal (England) 70 73 74.
219 Peter Richardson (England) 73 71 75 (jt 32nd).
221 Guy Woodman (England) 75 76 70 (jt 41st).
222 Mark Coppell (England) 73 75 74.
227 Richard Carter (England) (amateur) 76 75 76 (jt 67th).
229 Laurence Warne (England) 77 76 76 (jt 76th).
Field 85 players.

MAJESTIC CREEK
Par 216 (3x72)
+Top 24 and ties to qualify after fourth round.
204 Shakhawat (Bangladesh) 72 67 65.
Selected scores:
209 Neil Reilly (England) 71 71 67 (jt 4th).
212 Andrew Raitt (England) 73 70 69 (jt 12th).
218 Lee Harper (Scotland) 73 73 72 (jt 39th).
223 Ian Gleadow (England) 77 74 72 (jt 59th).
229 Clarke Lutton (Scotland) 75 75 79 (81st).
Field 83 players.TO READ ALL THE SCORES ON THE ASIAN TOUR WEBSITE,


CLICK HERE

SPRINGFIELD ROYAL
Par 216 (3x72)
+Top 11 and ties to qualify after four rounds
207 Kenichi Sawada (Japan) 67 72 68.
Selected scores:
232 Andrew Scaiffe (England) 75 78 69 (jt 33rd).
259 Sandy Mitchell (Scotland) 82 85 92 (53rd).
Field 54 players.

SGU-SLGA AMALGAMATION STIRS UP ROBUST DISCUSSION

FROM THE SPORT.SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
The proposal to create a unified body to run amateur golf in Scotland is expected to stir up "robust discussion" when it comes under consideration at the annual meetings of the organisations involved in a mooted amalgamation over the next two weekends.
It will get its first airing tomorrow morning, when the Scottish Ladies Golf Association, which has been in existence since 1904, gathers in Perth, before coming under scrutiny again next Sunday, when the Scottish Golf Union, which is 16 years younger than its female equivalent, meets at Tulliallan.

Over the past few months, both organisations have held a series of meetings with the Area and County associations that have a say in the running of those bodies at present, with Donald Turner, the chairman of an amalgamation working group, aiming for a vote to be taken around May.

While admitting it is a major change, Hamish Grey, chief executive of the SGU, believes the move is a "no-brainer", especially as it would bring Scotland into line with most countries in the world. However, while warm to the idea of having a single body in charge of Scottish amateur golf, some of the 16 Areas and 15 Counties are concerned about the proposal as it stands, with the men, for instance, having held two meetings over the past couple of months to discuss the matter.

That resulted in a letter being sent to Douglas Connon, the chairman of the SGU, and now the proposal could be about to reach a crucial phase as officials of both organisations prepare to meet delegates from around the country over the next couple of weekends," said Hamish Grey.
"As with any change, not everyone is 100 per cent agreed with how to do it. But everyone is unanimous that amalgamation is something we should be doing. We'll take that feedback and revise the proposal, have ten seminars with Areas and clubs, then take stock and put the final proposal to the membership."
"The Scotsman" believes ten Areas attended the first of the aforementioned meetings, with five more being in attendance when they re-convened.

"After the second of those meetings, it was agreed a letter should be sent to Mr Connon to say that the general view was that the proposal at the moment needed further discussion," said Denys Flaherty, president of the Lothians Golf Association.
"From what we have heard, a lot of the ladies' County Associations have got reservations about the proposal due to how it is going to affect them. One of the concerns is that they are going to get swamped due to the numbers and won't be able to contribute to the running of Scottish golf."


TO READ MARTIN DEMPSTER'S ARTICLE IN FULL ON THE SPORT.SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE,

CLICK HERE

HARRINGTON R AND A'S FIRST WORKING FOR GOLF AMBASSADOR

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
Dublin, Ireland: Two-time Open Champion Padraig Harrington is today announced as The R and A’s first Working for Golf Ambassador, using his position in the global game to promote the work of the St Andrews-based governing body.

Harrington will display The R and A working for Golf logo on his clothing or equipment on Tour periodically during the season. He will coach young people in R and A-funded golf development programmes, appear in Rules of Golf multimedia productions, promote the etiquette of the game, take part in biomechanical equipment testing sessions and support the work of The R and A Foundation at events spread throughout his global playing schedule.
Announcing the appointment, The R and A Chief Executive, Peter Dawson, said:
“Padraig is a role model in the game and, when he offered his time to support our golf development and rules education activities, we recognised the potential to reach the widest possible audience. His active involvement in golf’s bid to rejoin the Olympic Games was an important factor in our success in what is a key development for the future growth of the game”.
“The R and A has been a constant feature of my development in the game, from playing in boys and amateur events through to winning The Open Championship, and I appreciate all the guidance and opportunities they provided along the way.
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to give something positive back to the game, particularly in those countries around the world where golf is still in its infancy, introducing boys and girls to golf so they can benefit from the values that the game teaches you,” said R and A - Working for Golf Ambassador Padraig Harrington.
“I am constantly amazed at how much The R&A do for the game worldwide from development to the rules, etiquette and other areas. The more I learnt, the more I wanted to get involved in their work, and, given that I play a global schedule, I am well-placed to assist on various projects around the world.”
In his first act as R and A - Working for Golf Ambassador, Padraig Harrington announced The R and A’s continued support for grassroots development programmes in Ireland, worth more than €250,000 over the next three years.

AUSTRALIAN MASTER OF THE AMATEURS SCOREBOARD

FOR SCORES FROM THE AUSTRALIA MASTER OF THE AMATEURS TOURNAMENT


AT ROYAL MELBOURNE GC,


CLICK HERE

RAIN HITS VICTORIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Australia seems to be getting more than its fair share of rain at the moment. The first round of the 2011 Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship has been suspended after torrential rain plagued Sandhurst this morning.
While rain has eased this afternoon (local time), the Sandhurst North Course has been deemed unplayable due to the sheer amount of water in the bunkers.
The first round is set to recommence at 6.30am tomorrow, Saturday, morning.
Following the conclusion of Round 1 tomorrow a cut will immediately be made to 78 players plus ties.
Round 2 will then commence with a two-tee start.
It is hoped that Round 2 will be completed on Sunday morning by about 10am after which another cut to 50 plus ties will be made and Round 3 will commence.
With no further delays, it is expected the 54 hole event will finish at approximately 4pm on Sunday afternoon as originally scheduled.
“Unfortunately there is no way in the world that we can get the course back into a playable position today because of the bunkering,” said the Australian PGA’s Director of Tournaments Andrew Langford-Jones.
“Every bunker out there is choc-a-bloc and we can’t find anywhere for players to drop at the back of bunkers, and because so many players have played so many holes we cannot change the conditions that we started with.”
“Every shot that was played this morning will be counted.”
At the time of suspension, 9.05am, seven players were tied for the lead at two-under par.
The seven include professionals Peter O’Malley, Kurt Barnes, James Nitties, Tony McNaughton and Michael Faraone and amateurs Todd Sinnott and Tom Power-Horan.

RUSSELL KNOX BEATEN IN HOOTERS TOUR PLAY-OFF

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

A bogey at the very last hole cost Russell Knox $5,400 - the difference between first and second prize in this week's NGA Hooters Tour winter series 54-hole competition at Deer Island Golf Club, Tavares in Florida.

The Inverness exile and former Scotland youth cap, who stayed on in Florida after four years at Jacksonville University, was two shots ahead of the field with only the 54th hole to play.

But Russell, pictured, bogeyed it and his nearest rival, Cliff Kresge from Kingsport, Tennessee, birdied it, meaning a two-stroke swing in the American's favour, which enabled him to tie on 13-under-par 203 with Knox.

Kresge then won a sudden-death play-off to pocket the $10,670 top prize while Knox was left to contemplate the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune - as William Shakespeare would have put it - as he drove home to Jaccksonville Beach with the runners-up cheque for $5,238.

Knox's rounds over the par-72, 7,029yd course, were 67, 66 and 70 - he had a double bogey 6 at the sixth in his closing round - while Kresge scored 67, 69 and 67.

England's Chris Paisley, a member of the 2009 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team at Merion and now a professional, finished joint 11th on 211 (70-72-69) and earned $1,866.

Former Scotland boy international Robert McKnight, now based at Sunrise, Florida, missed the 36-hole cut by two shots with scores of 73 and 74 for 147.

LPGA Tour player Brittany Lincicome, the first female to play on the Hooters Tour, also missed the cut on 151 (74-77).
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72). Yardage 7,029.
203 Cliffe Kresge (Tennessee) 67 69 67, Russell Knox (Scotland) 67 66 70 (Kresge, $10,670), beat Knox, $5,238, in play-off).
204 Brian Harman (Georgia) 67 68 69 ($4,349).
Selected total:
211 Chris Paisley (England) 70 72 69 ($1,866).
MISSED CUT  (144 or better)
147 Robert McKnight (Scotland) 73 74.
151 Brittany Lincicome (US) 74 77.