STROUD'S EIGHT BIRDIES IN A ROW ON WAY TO LEAD IN MEXICO

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Chris Stroud made eight straight birdies - one off the US PGA Tour record - and shot a 63 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead at 11-under 131 after the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
"You can never get ahead of yourself," Stroud said. "Tomorrow is another day. I've got to come out and do the same thing tomorrow and look for a consistent routine and stick to my process, and whatever happens at the end of the week is where I end up."
Winless in five seasons on the US Tour, the 29-year-old Stroud birdied Nos. 9-16. Mark Calcavecchia set the record of nine straight birdies in the second round of the 2009 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey.
"I was just trying to stay out of my own way," Stroud said. "I wasn't really thinking about it. I really had two good chances on 17 and 18, had about a 25-footer up the hill and then probably an 18-footer on 18.
"Seventeen, I left it a little short and I told myself, 'Let's just hit a good putt.' I hit a pretty good one, but it didn't break."
Kevin Stadler (66), Cameron Percy (66) and Sunghoon Kang (67) were tied for second on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course south of Cancun on the Caribbean coast. Johnson Wagner (66), Fredrik Jacobson (67), Jarrod Lyle (66), Billy Horschel (65), William McGirt (67), Kent Jones (68) and Spencer Levin (67) were 7 under.
Stroud began the birdie run with an 8-foot putt, made a 10-footer on No. 10, and added an 18-footer on 11. On the par-4 12th, he lipped out a 6-iron approach and holed a 6-footer. He made a 4-foot putt on the par-5 13th after hitting a 2-iron just short of the green and chipping.
The former Lamar University student made a 25-footer on 14, hit an 8-iron to 2 feet on the par-3 15th, then made another 25-footer on 16 for his final birdie.
"Everybody knows it out here, it's all putting," Stroud said. "Most of us hit it pretty well, and a lot of days when you don't hit that well and you putt and chip well, you're still going to make a pretty good score."
He missed the cuts in his last three events, shooting 74-73 last week at Riviera.
"I've actually been playing pretty well," Stroud said. "This is my fifth event this year. I played pretty well in California, only made one cut out of four, and that just goes to show you how difficult the US PGA Tour is. You can play well and not make a cut.
"I knew if I just hung in there and was patient this week, and everything sort of clicked over nine holes. I made all the putts I've been missing for the last four weeks all at once."
David Toms, tied for the first-round lead after a 66, had a 70 to drop into a tie for 12th at 6 under. Defending champion Cameron Beckman was at 5 under after a 70.
Aaron Baddeley, the Riviera winner last weekend, missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 71. Bob Hope Classic champion Jhonattan Vegas was 3 under, following an opening 74 with a 65.
John Daly missed the cut, shooting 73-75.

THREE LAWRIES HEAD FOR A SWING IN SUN BREAK IN SPAIN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Paul Lawrie's teenage nephew, Sean, whose name has been figuring prominently in the leading scratch scores at the past few North-east Alliance fixtures - he has one of a handicap at Portlethen Golf Club - will miss next Wednesday's competition at Newburgh ... for the best possible reason!

Son of Paul's older brother Steve, Sean is off to La Cala Golf Resort on Spain's Costa del Sol to play golf with his cousin Craig and his famous uncle, 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie.
Paul explained how this trip has come about:
"I am heading to Spain early Saturday morning from Glasgow with my nephew Sean and my oldest son Craig who finishes his prelim exams on Friday (today) and doesn't go back to school (Robert Gordon's College) until next Thursday.

"It's an ideal time to take him away for a few days of golf. Craig invited Sean to come with us to Spain, which is ideal as it gives me a chance to see Sean play quite a few rounds before his season starts.

"Marian and I have a table at the "Befriend a Child Dinner" at Ardo House on Friday night so will be very tired driving to Glasgow at 3am Saturday morning but looking forward to playing with Sean and Craig."

+Craig Lawrie, who has a handicap of 4, is to make his debut in the Scottish boys' match-play championship at Dunbar Golf Club from April 11 to 16. Paul admits that his handicap was never low enough when he was Under-18 years of age to be able to play in the Scottish boys' championship.

Picture above of Paul Lawrie and son Craig by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

+Message from Davie Wilson, jt sec of the North-east Alliance that Steve Lawrie has been reinstated as winner of Handicap Class 1 at this week's competition at Fraserburgh.
"Steve was disqualified for signing for a wrong score, i.e. a net 66 instead of a net 67. But, on further investigation, it transpired that all the gross scores were correct in boxes on his scorecard. He had just added them up wrongly - which is not a mistake that a taxi driver usually makes!
"So Steve is now officially confirmed as the winner of Handicap Class 1 this week." 

CASTLE COURSE, ST ANDREWS RE-OPENS ON TUESDAY, MARCH 1

NEWS RELEASE
The award-winning Castle Course in St Andrews reopens for the 2011 season on Tuesday, March 1.
The seventh course at the Home of Golf will be open for longer this year with the season running from March 1 until November 6. Despite the difficult weather during December and January, some important maintenance work was carried out over the winter and the course has recovered well from a busy 2010 season.
Work was done to level out areas at the back of the 4th and 17th greens to create more pin positions on each hole. Elsewhere greenkeepers have been focused on course preparation and improving drainage ahead of the season.
Last year the course enjoyed a particularly busy summer when the Open Championship was being staged on the Old Course.
Designed by David Kidd, The Castle Course has won numerous awards as the best new course since it opened in 2008. It has been included in the prestigious Golf Digest Top 100 International Courses and was the biggest riser in last year’s Golf World Top 100 rankings.
Euan Loudon, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said, “We are all set for what promises to be another busy season at The Castle Course. The winter maintenance programme has gone well and the changes to the 4th and 17th greens are bedding in nicely. The course has undoubtedly made an impact on the golfing world and we look forward to welcoming many more local and visiting golfers in the months ahead.”
To book a tee time at The Castle Course contact the Reservations Department on 01334 466718 or reservations@standrews.org.uk. Fairway mats will be in use until March 31.

DAVID TOMS SHARES LEAD DOWN MEXICO WAY

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — David Toms got off to a good start in a bid for his first US PGA Tour victory in more than five years, shooting a 5-under 66 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead in the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
On a partly cloudy day with temperatures in the lows 80s, the wind gusted to 25 mph on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course on the Caribbean coast.

"Overall just a good day," the 44-year-old Toms said. "I kept the ball in play, picked my spots when to be aggressive."

Andres Gonzales, Mark Hensby and Kyle Stanley also opened with 66s.

Toms, winless since the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2006, had five birdies and a bogey on the front nine to make the turn at 4 under. The 12-time winner on the US Tour dropped a stroke on No. 11, then closed with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.

"You can take a run at your putts, especially in the 10- or 15-foot range," Toms said. "You don't have to worry about knocking them too far by. I think guys were probably pretty aggressive on the greens."

Defending champion Cameron Beckman was a stroke back along with Kent Jones, Briny Baird, Chris Tidland, Alexandre Rocha and Sunghoon Kang.

Aaron Baddeley, the Northern Trust Open winner last week at Riviera, and Bob Hope Classic champion Jhonattan Vegas shot 74s. John Daly had a 73.

"It was tough out there," Beckman said. "The winds were blowing harder than they were yesterday. A lot of the shots, the crosswind shots are tricky out there, especially into the wind. We were hitting a lot of club, hitting 5-irons 170 yards."

Beckman has broken 70 in nine of his last 10 rounds in the event.

"Just being here in Cancun, well, Riviera Maya, it's just an awesome place to be," Beckman said. "I get great feelings being here. Staying at the resort, it's a beautiful place to stay, very comfortable, and I love playing the golf course."

Jones also is comfortable on the 6,923-yard course.

"It's the kind of course that fits anybody's game," Jones said. "You can be a long player - if you can hit it straight you have a big advantage, so you don't have to be long to play this course. You just have to play solid, keep it in play."

Gonzales, a US Tour rookie who missed the cuts in his first two starts of the season, played the back nine in 5-under 30. The former UNLV player birdied No. 11, eagled the par-5 13th and birdied the final two holes.

"The wind was very consistent. It was consistently strong. It never really let down," Gonzales said. You had to concentrate a lot out there. You had to pay attention to every shot out there, including putts."

LEADERBOARD
Par 71
66 Andrew Gonzales, David Toms, Mark Hensby (Australia), Kyle Stanley.
Selected score:
73 Michael Sim (Australia/Scotland).

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