JOINT HALFWAY LEADERS IN SAIL OPEN AT NEW DELHI

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
New Delhi:  Siddikur of Bangladesh produced what he claimed was excellent play after he took a share of the second-round lead with Akinori Tani of Japan and Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand at the SAIL Open today.
Siddikur, Tani and Kiradech returned on matching five-under-par 67s for a two-day total of nine-under-par 135 to hold a one-stroke lead at the Delhi Golf Club.
India ’s Gaganjeet Bhullar (69), Ajeetesh Sandhu (67) and Prom Meesawat (68) of Thailand were tied in fourth on a 136 total in the US$300,000 showpiece co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGTI.
Siddikur, who has been in sensational form since winning the Brunei Open last year, posted three birdies in each half but slipped back with a bogey on the last hole.
“I’m happy with what I shot these two days. It was excellent play. I have been playing well because I’ve been hitting good and my short game has been perfect. Everything seems to be falling into place for me,” said the 26-year-old.
Siddikur said India was like a second home to him. “I started my golf career on the PGTI and India feels like my second home. This is a very challenging course and every shot is very important especially the tee shot. I’m looking forward to the next two days,” he added.
Kiradech registered a hat-trick of birdies from the fourth hole before adding a bogey on the seventh hole. He recovered with a birdie on eight and tapped in for birdie on 17 followed by another three feet birdie on the last.
After making changes to his putting earlier this year, Kiradech believes he has found the missing link to winning his first Asian Tour title.
“I feel very comfortable with the new changes that I’ve made to my putting. I think with these new changes, I will be able to win on the Asian Tour,” said Kiradech, who came close to winning on the Asian Tour on four occasions last year.
Tani, who earned his Asian Tour card in Qualifying School earlier this year, was wary of the tight fairways at the Delhi Golf Club but took the risk of using his driver on nine holes.
“This course is very narrow but my strength in my game is accuracy and this golf course suits my game,” said the 36-year-old who has won twice on the Japan Challenge Tour.
“Many players don’t use their driver on this course but I used it at least nine times. It helped that I was hitting it straight and avoided the bushes. My irons were also solid as all my birdies dropped from inside 10 feet,” said Tani.
Home favourite Bhullar, a two-time Asian Tour champion, narrowly missed a hole-in-one on hole five when his tee shot landed two feet from the pin. With new irons in his golf bag, Bhullar is eyeing to make a move in the last two rounds.
“I've hit it very close over the last two days and I want to repeat this performance over the next two rounds,” said Bhullar.
Overnight leader Anirban Lahiri failed to mount a charge as he closed with a 71 for a 137 total, two strokes from the leaders. Highly rated Miguel Tabuena, 16, posted a 72 for a 141 total to make his first Asian Tour cut.
A total of 69 players made the halfway cut which was set at two-over-par 146.
Leading second round scores
Par 144 (2x72)
135 - Akinori Tani (JPN) 68-67, Siddikur (BAN) 68-67, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 68-67
136 - Gaganjeet Bhullar ( IND ) 67-69, Ajeetesh Sandhu ( IND ), 69-67Prom Meesawat (THA) 68-68
137 - Anirban Lahiri ( IND ) 66-71
138 - Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) 67-71
139 - Shamim Khan ( IND ) 72-67
140 - Mars Pucay (PHI) 69-71, Ross Bain (SCO) 72-68, Md. Zamal Hossain Mollah (BAN) 69-71, Mardan Mamat (SIN) 69-71, Lam Chih Bing (SIN) 69-71, Sanjay Kumar (IND) 70-70, Atiwit Janewattananond (THA) 72-68
141 - Ali Sher (IND) 71-70, Namchok Tantipokhakul (THA) 72-69, Lee Sung (KOR) 72-69, Manav Jaini (IND) 68-73, Miguel Tabuena (PHI) 69-72, Ben Fox (USA) 70-71, Ranjit Singh (IND) 70-71, Anthony Choat (AUS) 72-69, Berry Henson (USA) 72-69

GREIG HUTCHEON IS BUCKING THE SPONSORSHIP TREND

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Golf sponsors for individuals or tournaments in Scotland - and, to be fair, anywhere in the UK in these years of Recession - are hard to find.

But Banchory Golf Club's tour pro, Greig Hutcheon, is bucking the trend.

"Having had such a good season last year has helped me generate great support for the coming season," says Greig.

"Winning the Tartan Tour Order of Merit, including the Northern Open at Meldrum House (pictured above with the trophy), as well as being the Professional Golfers Association's No 1 player through winning the PGA play-offs at Little Aston last November have had potential sponsors if not flocking to my door, at least being far more receptive to approaches than they might have been otherwise.

"For the coming season I will use the Saltire Energy golf bag; Anderson, Anderson and Brown are sponsoring my cap; Thistle Windows are supplying my car, and the name of Coretrax Technology, where I have been working for the past two winters, are on my shirts and sweaters.

"This gives me a fantastic platform for the 2011 season which looks very promising. I will be playing in European Tour events such as the PGA championship at Wentworth, the Welsh Open, the Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

"I will also play a number of European Challenge Tour Events as well as a full schedule on the Tartan Tour, where I will be aiming to become the first player ever to win the Order of Merit title four times, having captured it in 2006, 2007 and 2010."

Hutcheon will make his seasonal debut in the Castle Stuart Invitational pro-am at the splendid new venue between Nairn and Inverness on April 10 and 11 with the first Tartan Tour Order of Merit event on April 19 at Whitekirk.

Now in his mid-30s, Banchory-based Greig has become a family man within the past year or two - wife Gillian and baby Murray waiting at home for him - so the days when he used to swan off to the Algarve to spend the winter practising near Penina have long gone. He still has an inner belief  that, on his game, he has the skill to hold his own at European Tour level. Earning playing rights for it is the difficult part.

Hutch will have plenty of opportunities to prove that this summer when he rubs shoulders with the "big boys." If he could string four good rounds together in the PGA championship or the Barclays Scottish Open, who knows to what that could lead. 
One thing is certain, he will go through the £100,000 prizemoney barrier on the Tartan Tour alone during the 2011 season. Since he turned pro, the former Scotland youth cap has earned £99,023 and 66p in PGA Scottish Region events alone.

Comment from Murdo McQuordale, head pro at Golfitas:

‘Well done, Greig on finally getting what you deserve out of this game and congratulations on your form over the past few years. With your talent it’s a shame that you weren’t getting such sponsorship deals 10 – 15 years ago  but it’s never too late. Keep yer hied doon and see you soon.

Your old friend, Murdo."

golfpro@playitas.net

RYDER CUP 2010 PUT £82.4million INTO WELSH ECONOMY

NEWS RELEASE
A major and comprehensive Economic Impact Study of The 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales, has found that the economic impact on Wales as Host Nation was £82.4 million.
Thousands of visitors – the total attendance for the week of the match was 244,000 – helped focus the sporting spotlight on Wales as the event attracted global television and media coverage.

*The 2014 Ryder Cup match will be hosted by Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire.

STIEGER BEATS CAMPBELL IN AUSTRALIAN 36-HOLE FINAL

FROM THE STUFF.CO.NZ WEBSITE
A slice of history has eluded teenage Kiwi golfer Ben Campbell.
He was pipped at the post in the final of the Australian amateur championship in Melbourne today after threatening to become only the third New Zealander to win the title.
New South Welshman Matt Stieger came out on top in the 36-hole final at Victoria Golf Club by one hole to prevent Campbell joining Michael Campbell, in 1992, and C E S Gillies in 1899, as the only New Zealanders to win the championship.
Campbell, a 19-year-old originally from Masterton but who has latterly spent most of his time developing his game on sandbelt courses around Melbourne, adopted an aggressive gameplan which led to 11 birdies but also dropped seven shots during a contest he led by three up after 23 holes.
The tenacious Stieger fought back doggedly, erasing that deficit in the space of three holes before edging in front himself when Campbell, 14th in the world amateur rankings, shelled a stroke at the 28th hole.
Campbell slotted his ninth birdie to draw level at the 30th before the Australian benefited from another error by the New Zealander three holes later, a setback last year's beaten finallist quickly rebounded from when another birdie again saw the rivals level pegging leaving the 34th green.
Stieger, 20, then grabbed a decisive lead with his fifth birdie at the penultimate home before protecting his lead at the last when both players made birdies.
It was the second time in as many years that Campbell, who finished third in the Australian stroke-play event last weekend, came up short in the final of Australia's most prestigious amateur event. Twelve months ago he lost the final 8 and 7 to West Australian Matt Jager in Perth.