LAKE MACQUARIE AMATEUR INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Four rounds of stroke play at Belmont Golf Club, New South Wales

THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
206 Ben Campbell 70 68 68, Anthony Murdaca 67 71 68, Brady Watt 68 69 69.
208 Andy Sullivan (England) 67 69 72, Cameron Smith 67 73 69.
Selected scores:
213 Tom Lewis (England) 72 72 69 (jt 18th).
214 Stiggy Hodgson (England) 73 71 70 (jt 21st).
216 Jack Senior (England) 71 74 71 (jt 29th).

MONTY LIFTS LID: SOME WANTED LONGER BAN ON ELLIOT SALTMAN

FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND.COM WEBSITE
By Bernie McGuire in Abu Dhabi and Nick Rodger
Colin Montgomerie has revealed that some members of the European Tour’s 15-man tournament committee wanted to impose a longer ban on Elliot Saltman than the three-month sentence he received this week for allegations of cheating.
Saltman was found guilty of a “serious breach” of regulations by incorrectly marking his ball during the first round of last year’s Russian Challenge Cup, for which he was disqualified at the time.
He attended a long-awaited disciplinary hearing in front of the European Tour’s tournament committee in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night where he learned his fate. The ban means that the Archerfield-attached 28-year-old is the first European Tour player in 19 years to be forced to stand down from competition.
Montgomerie, who was himself accused of wrongly replacing a ball after a rain delay at the Indonesian Open in 2005 and was censured by the players’ committee over the incident, is a member of the 15-man committee.
He said: “It was a very, very difficult decision the committee faced and there were calls for a longer suspension, but I feel three months is sufficient. I wouldn’t say three months was unanimous, but it was a majority decision. It’s true that it’s going to be a stigma Elliot has to face but it’s now up to him to go out and play good golf. The right decision was made and he will learn from this. Elliot will be bigger and better for it.”
Saltman, who has 28 days to appeal, flew back from the Middle East yesterday and attended a meeting with lawyers in Edinburgh along with his manager, and father, Jack.
“We have taken legal advice and are considering an appeal,” said Jack Saltman in a brief statement.

TO READ THE FULL STORY ON THE HERALDSCOTLAND.COM WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

MARTIN KAYMER STRETCHES LEAD TO FIVE AT ABU DHABI

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Not even a birdie-eagle finish from Rory McIlroy could put Martin Kaymer off his stride as he closed in today on a third Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title in four years.
McIlroy shot a joint best-of-the-day 65, but the defending champion then birdied the same two holes and so goes into Sunday's closing round five clear on 18 under par.
Kaymer, last season's Race to Dubai winner and poised now to replace Tiger Woods as World No 2, was round in 66.
The 26-year-old German has had only one bogey in his last 79 holes on the course, a simply staggering statistic that goes back to the 11th hole of his third round last year.
And McIlroy is not expecting the leader to come off the rails all of a sudden.
After hitting a marvellous second to two feet on the 483yd 17th, the 21 year old Ulsterman, third 12 months ago, sank a closing 25 footer.
"Martin is a very good leader," he said. "He does not lose many tournaments from the position he is in.

"If I give myself enough opportunities, as I did today, I am sure there's a low score out there and hopefully I will go close. But Martin is playing very, very well.
"I could have holed a few more, but it's swings and roundabouts and I will take 65 any day."
Kaymer, who was also runner-up two years ago, is now 74 under par for his last 15 rounds at the venue.
Needing only a top seven finish to move ahead of Woods on the rankings, he also had birdies at the third, fifth, 11th and 15th.
Should he succeed in leapfrogging Woods in the Official Golf World Ranking, he and Lee Westwood would be the first all-European top two since Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer in July 1993.
England's David Lynn (67) is in third place on 12 under, with Swede Alex Noren and South African Charl Schwartzel two further back in fourth.
Kaymer said: "My driving didn't feel so good, but I managed to hit the greens, my putting feels good and 66 is a fantastic round.
"Now I expect to win and I'd like to win by as many as possible. I rarely shoot over 70 on this course (just once in 15 rounds) and that's my goal."
Kaymer reached the turn in 34, but Schwartzel matched that after making an 18-footer at the long eighth and so the gap was back to three.
Kaymer was simply relentless and from the right-hand rough on the 11th hit a marvellous approach to five feet for yet another birdie.
Schwartzel responded with one of his own again, but double-bogeyed the 13th after his wayward drive hit a cart path and went into a bush.
US Open Championship winner Graeme McDowell was in the final group with Kaymer and Schwartzel, but a 71 dropped him to joint sixth and he is now nine strokes adrift.
World No 1 Westwood, who made the halfway cut with nothing to spare on level par, could add only a 73 and is now joint 65th of the 70 remaining players.
Masters tournament champion Phil Mickelson has not been able to make his presence felt either. A 72 kept him at three under, but dropped him from 25th to 39th.
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
198 KAYMER, Martin 67 65 66. 
203 MCILROY, Rory 71 67 65.
204 LYNN, David 69 68 67. 
206 NOREN, Alexander 66 73 67.
206 SCHWARTZEL, Charl 64 71 71.
207 MAYBIN, Gareth 71 67 69 
207 McDOWELL, Graeme  66 70 71 
208 GOYA, Tano 70 73 65
208 COLSAERTS, Nicolas 72 67 69 
208 ECHENIQUE, Rafa 69 68 71 
208 FASTH, Niclas 66 71 71
209 STRANGE, Scott 70 71 68 
209 LARRAZÁBAL, Pablo 70 70 69 
209 GREEN, Richard  68 71 70.
210 WALL, Anthony 73 68 69.
210 DAVIES, Rhys 71 71 68.
210 GOOSEN, Retief 70 71 69 
210 STENSON, Henrik 70 71 69 
210 GARRIDO, Ignacio 68 71 71 
210 CASEY, Paul 73 70 67 
210 LUITEN, Joost  70 69 71
210 COLES, Robert 68 70 72
211 JAIDEE, Thongchai  70 71 70 
211 JACQUELIN, Raphaël 72 70 69 
211 BROADHURST, Paul  71 70 70 
211 RUMFORD, Brett  68 72 71 
211 PRICE, Phillip 72 70 69 
211 GONZALEZ, Ricardo 72 68 71 
211 HOWELL, David 72 71 68
211 CABRERA-BELLO, Rafael 71 73 67
212 BOURDY, Grégory  70 71 71 
212 WILSON, Oliver 69 73 70 
212 HANSEN, Søren  70 72 70 
212 HANSEN, Anders  68 72 72
212 WARING, Paul  71 69 72
212 MOLINARI, Francesco 71 72 69 
212 QUIROS, Alvaro 71 72 69 
212 KJELDSEN, Søren  69 69 74
213 GALLACHER, Stephen 74 67 72 
213 FISHER, Ross  70 71 72 
213 MICKELSON, Phil 71 70 72 
213 NOH, Seung-yul 74 68 71
213 DODD, Stephen 71 71 71 
213 JIMÉNEZ, Miguel Angel 71 71 71 
213 MARTIN, Pablo 73 70 70 
213 DONALDSON, Jamie 74 69 70 
213 McGOWAN, Ross 71 73 69
214 LAFEBER, Maarten 71 71 72
214 WOOD, Chris  73 68 73
214 WILLETT, Danny 67 74 73
214 MANASSERO, Matteo 71 71 72 
214 BOYD, Gary 68 71 75 
214 DIXON, David 72 67 75
214 MONTGOMERIE, Colin 70 69 75 
214 HORSEY, David 72 72 70 
215 BLAND, Richard 71 70 74 
215 HAMILTON, Todd  69 73 73 
215 DREDGE, Bradley 72 68 75 
215 ZANOTTI, Fabrizio  69 74 72 
215 EDFORS, Johan 68 75 72 
215 ILONEN, Mikko 70 73 72 
215 LEVET, Thomas  72 72 71 
216 FINCH, Richard 71 72 73
216 WEBSTER, Steve 73 71 72 
217 LEE, Danny 69 72 76
217 WESTWOOD, Lee 69 75 73 
218 PARRY, John 70 73 75 
218 BENSON, Seve 72 71 75
218 McGRANE, Damien 71 73 74 
218 KINGSTON, James 72 72 74

THOSE WHO JUST MISSED THE CUT
(Second round was completed this morning with players having to score level par 144 or better to qualify for the last two rounds).

145 HAVRET, Grégory 70 75
145 ANDERSSON HED, Fredrik 70 75 
145 SINGH, Jeev Milkha 75 70 
145 ORR, Gary 74 71 
145 CAMPBELL, Michael 72 73 
145 POULTER, Ian 75 70 
145 OOSTHUIZEN, Louis 72 73 
145 MOLINARI, Edoardo 70 75 
145 ROCK, Robert 71 74 
145 FOSTER, Mark 73 72 
145 STORM, Graeme 71 74 
146 CLARKE, Darren 71 75
146 LARA, José Manuel 75 71 
146 McGINLEY, Paul 70 76
146 BJÖRN, Thomas 73 73 
146 NILSSON, Christian 72 74 
146 HANSON, Peter 75 71 
146 LAWRIE, Paul 74 72
146 WHITEFORD, Peter 70 76 

ROSS BAIN FINISHES JOINT 2ND ASIAN TOUR SCHOOL

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Hua Hin, Thailand: Brazilian Lucas Lee overcame a nervy closing five holes to win the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage today.
Lee, who held a five-stroke lead going into the final round, bogeyed three of the last five holes for a final round two-over-par 74 for a four-day total of 17-under-par 271 to win by one stroke from Australia’s Tim Stewart (68) and Scotland’s Ross Bain (70), originally from Dunfermline, at the Springfield Royal Country Club.
Japanese Hirohito Koizumi carded a 70 to finish in fourth place on a 275 total while India’s Himmat Rai, Kieran Pratt of Australia and Thailand’s Thanyakon Khrongpha were among the seven players bunched up in tied fifth place on a 276 total.
A total of 43 players earned exclusive playing opportunities on the new 2011 Asian Tour season where the cut was set at six-under-par 282.
“It feels good every time you win a tournament. Winning the Qualifying School opens up a lot of doors for me and it gives me the opportunity to advance in my career. I lost my Asian Tour card last year but I’m happy to be back again,” said the 24-year-old, who finished in 97th place on the Order of Merit last season.
Lee, who played college golf at the University of California , Los Angeles (UCLA), kept a cool head despite being under immense pressure in the closing five holes and credited his superb opening two day performances for his victory.
“The most important round was my second round 65 at Imperial Lakeview Golf Club because it added on to my opening 62. I played pretty good in the third round as well but I couldn’t get anything going today. I stayed patient and that paid off,” said Lee.
Highly rated Thanyakon, who won an Asian Development Tour event last year, finished as the top Thai player after making two birdies in his last four holes.
“I’m very happy to earn my Asian Tour card. I can’t wait to play my first tournament here and do my best in making a name for myself like Thongchai Jaidee. This is a very big achievement for me,” said the two-time gold medallists in the Southeast Asian Games.
Indian prospect Rai, bounced back from a lacklustre performance in the third round with a blemish free card and was over the moon to make a swift return to the Asian Tour.
“I’m ecstatic! I knew I made it tough yesterday even thought I didn’t say it but I was quite disappointed with the way I performed. But my performance was sublime today. I was hitting it close and took all the opportunities I could. It was according to plan and I’m looking forward to play in the Asian Tour again,” smiled Rai.
Timothy Tang shot a 70 for a 279 total to finishing in tied 21st place and will represent Hong Kong in this year’s Asian Tour season as he mixed his card with four birdies and one eagle against four bogeys. The 24-year-old, who grew up and graduated in the United States with a degree in communications from the College of Charleston , was delighted to take a giant step forward in his professional career.
“I tried qualifying for my Asian Tour card last year but didn’t get past the First Stage. But Hong Kong PGA gave me a Final Stage exemption for this year and I’ve been practising really hard for this week,” said Tang, who turned professional in 2009.
“My friend advised me to play in the Asian Tour Qualifying School and hopefully in the future I can represent Hong Kong in the World Cup or even in the Olympics. This is definitely a good stepping stone for my career. Getting my Asian Tour card is a good start to 2011,” he added.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
271 Lucas LEE (BRA) 62-65-70-74
272 Tim STEWART (AUS) 70-67-67-68, Ross BAIN (SCO) 68-69-65-70.
275 Hirohito KOIZUMI (JPN) 65-68-72-70
276 Masamichi UEHIRA (JPN) 70-70-69-67, Himmat RAI (IND) 70-68-73-65, KANG Kyung-nam (KOR) 69-71-68-68, Kieran PRATT (AUS) 68-67-76-65, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 69-68-70-69, Andrew RAITT (ENG) 71-68-67-70, Pierre-Henri SOERO (FRA) 68-65-71-72
277 Matthew ROSENFELD ( USA ) 69-73-68-67, Peter GUSTAFSSON (SWE) 67-74-70-66, Berry HENSON ( USA ) 67-72-72-66, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 65-72-68-72
278  Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) 73-68-68-69, PARK Jin-Woo (KOR) 71-67-70-70, Joonas GRANBERG (FIN) 71-69-68-70, Do KIM (AUS) 71-66-69-72, Hirotaro NAITO (JPN) 67-72-73-66
Selected totals
280 Miles Tunnicliff (England) 72 72 67 69, Simon Griffiths (England) 67 74 68 71 (jt 25th).
MISSED THE CUT (282 or better)
283 Guy Woodman (England) 70 73 72 68.

READ ALL THE SCORES BY LOGGING ON TO http://www.asiantour.com/

STEVE STRICKER TO PLAY IN QATAR MASTERS

NEWS RELEASE
World No 6 Steve Stricker of the United States is the latest star name to be confirmed for the 2011 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, which will be staged at Doha Golf Club from February 3-6.

RUSS COCHRAN LEADS WITH 62 ON US CHAMPIONS' TOUR

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — Russ Cochran went 19 years, 2 months, 5 days between wins.
He finally hoisted a trophy last September in South Korea, and went on to win the next event in North Carolina. He's not willing to wait around to add to his collection.
Cochran had two eagles and six birdies in a career-best 10-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
The 52-year-old left-hander was near-perfect in his bogey-free round on a defenceless day at Hualalai. He had a two-stroke lead over defending champion Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw.
"I was fairly much in control all day," said Cochran, one of six players making their first Mitsubishi appearance.
With son Ryan on the bag, Cochran missed just one green in regulation. After making the turn in 32, Cochran had two eagles and two birdies in the next six holes to shoot atop the leaderboard.
On the 566-yard 10th, Cochran split the fairway with his drive downhill, then hit a 4-iron to 5 feet for eagle. He took the outright lead at 9 under four holes later, sinking a 20-foot eagle putt after a strong hybrid approach.
Cochran's 6-foot birdie putt on No. 15 gave him a two-stroke lead over the Hall of Fame duo Watson and Crenshaw, who were already in the clubhouse. Cochran had birdie putts on the last three holes, but couldn't add to his lead.
Cochran said he was surprised at the "continuity" in his round. In the offseason, he bought a home near Jupiter, Florida, which allowed him to practise more and focus on golf.
"I'm a little further along than I would be if I was in Kentucky, for sure," he said. "I think that helped a lot."
After going nearly two decades on the US PGA Tour without touching a trophy, Cochran last year won the Posco E and C Songdo Championship and SAS Championship in consecutive starts in September and had 11 top-10 finishes. He ended up fourth on the money list with nearly $1.8 million.
The Kentucky native's lone US Tour victory was at the 1991 Western Open.
"There's a certain part of you that says, 'I felt like I didn't win enough and didn't play well enough in my career on tour,'" Cochran said. "And if I get that opportunity again, I'm certainly going to dig in and play as hard as I can.
"That's all it is. There's no big secrets or anything."
He also got a pep talk from his children.
"For me, my kids had more confidence in me than I had in myself," he said.
Like Cochran, the 61-year-old Watson also made his move on the back nine.
After a two-birdie front nine he described as, "nothing very special." He made the turn and birdied six of the first seven holes. He stuck an 8-iron, setting up a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 16 that gave him a share of the early lead with Crenshaw.
With humpback whales jumping in the ocean behind him, Watson tapped in for par on Nos. 17 and 18, lipping out a 4-footer on the final hole.
The 61-year-old Watson owns a home at Hualalai, where he has spent the last three weeks preparing for the season. Last year, he birdied the final two holes last year to beat senior newcomer Fred Couples.Crenshaw, meanwhile, is still chasing his first trophy on the Champions Tour where he is playing in his 167th event. The two-time Masters winner, who turned 59 this month, matched his career low on the 50-and-over circuit with his 64 and chipped in for eagle on No. 4 from 55 feet.
"I've had my chances to win the Champions Tour. I don't blame anyone but myself," he said. "It's certainly not for the lack of playing. I'm amazed at how well these fellows can play."
Conditions were ideal for low scores at the 7,107-yard Hualalai only the slightest of breezes and mostly cloudy skies to protect the players from the sun. The Jack Nicklaus-designed layout, featuring wide-open fairways and perfectly manicured greens, has historically been the easiest on Champions Tour.
Bernhard Langer, the three-time defending player of the year and the 2009 champion, opened with a 65 to match Jeff Sluman and Mark McNulty.
McNulty is playing in his first official event since having right knee replacement surgery in May.
Tom Lehman, Mark O'Meara and John Cook shot 66s.
This year's record field of 42 has accounted for 308 US PGA Tour titles, including 31 majors. The players include seven members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

LEADERBOARD
Par 72
62 Russ Cochran (US).
64 Ben Crenshaw (US), Tom Watson (US).
65 Mark McNulty (Ireland), Jeff Sluman (US), Bernhard Langer (Germany).

TO VIEW THE COMPLETE SCOREBOARD ON THE US TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE


SCOREBOARD TO COME