MARTIN LAIRD EARNS $173,600 FOR TOP-TO FINISH IN TEXAS OPEN

Martin Laird achieved a top 10 finish - tied ninth to be precise - in this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Valero Texas Open, at TPC San Antonio. 
It was the Glasgow man's fifth top-10 finish in 10 starts this year.
He earned $173,600 from this tournament and has moved up from sixth to four in the US Tour money table with 2011 earnings of $2,158,563.
The Scots' first two rounds (72-74) were nothing to write home about but got him past the halfway cut (148 or better qualified) and then he got down to business.
Weekend scores of 69 and 70 lifted him up the leaderboard with a final total of three-under-par 285 - five shots behind first-time winner, rookie Brendan Steele who shot 69-72-68-71 for eight-under 280. He won by a single shot from Charley Hoffman (68-281) and Kevin Chappell (70-281).

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
1 Brendan Steele 69 72 68 71 280
T2 Charley Hoffman  68 73 72 68 281
T2 1 63 Kevin Chappell 68 73 70 70 281
4 Brandt Snedeker 69 72 70 71 282
T5 Fredrik Jacobson 72 75 67 69 283
T5 Pat Perez 71 74 67 71 283
T5 Cameron Tringale71 71 68 73 283
8 Charles Howell III 71 73 68 72 284
T9 Keegan Bradley 73 73 71 68 285
T9 Martin Laird  72 74 69 70 285
T11 Scott Stallings 71 73 75 67 286
T11 J B Holmes  70 73 72 71 286
T11 Kevin Sutherland 71 70 74 71 286
T11 Dean Wilson 70 72 72 72 286
T15 Brandt Jobe 75 69 73 70 287
T15  Roland Thatcher 74 74 70 69 287
T15 Kevin Streelman 69 76 72 70 287
T15 Hunter Haas 75 70 71 71 287
T15 Johnson Wagner 71 75 70 71 287
T15 Bobby Gates  70 78 68 71 287
T15 Steve Flesch  71 76 68 72 287
T15  Rich Beem  71 70 72 74 287
T23 John Senden 71 74 72 71 288
T23 Brian Gay71 74 72 71 288
T23 Nathan Green 75 73 69 71 288
T23  Geoff Ogilvy 69 72 74 73 288
T23  Brendon de Jonge 72 72 71 73 288
T23 Martin Piller  70 75 70 73 288
T23 Adam Scott  68 74 70 76 288
T30 Troy Matteson  69 76 73 71 289
T30 Blake Adams 71 74 73 71 289
T30 Ryuji Imada 72 75 70 72 289
T30 Matt Every  73 69 74 73 289
T30 Justin Leonard  73 75 71 70 289
T30 Briny Baird 71 75 70 73 289
MISSED THE CUT (148 or better)
Angel Cabrera 71 78 149
Michael Sim 71 79 150.

ROOKIES' 1-2 FINISH AT VERY WINDY TEXAS OPEN

REPORT FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Rookie Brendan Steele shot a one-under 71 on Sunday, overcoming relentless wind and fellow first-year US PGA Tour player Kevin Chappell to win the Texas Open by a stroke.
The leader by one heading into the final round, the 28-year-old Steele stayed steady throughout the day, and finished at 8-under. He gave a small fist pump, then thrust his arm downward and smiled broadly to celebrate his first Tour victory after holing out on 18.
"I was a lot more calm today," Steele said. "When you've got the one-shot lead it's not even your tournament. There's so many guys that could still win with a good round, without you even doing anything wrong, that I didn't feel as much pressure."
The tournament featured the Tour's highest scoring average, 73.665, so far this year and Steele's 280 overall was the highest winning score at the Texas Open since a 283 won the 1934 edition.
Steele birdied the par-5 second hole, dropping his approach from a bunker to within 10 feet of the pin, then bogeyed the par-4 No. 5, leaving a 12-foot putt from the fringe short. But Steele put his tee shot within three feet of the hole on par-3 No. 7 to move back to 8 under.
That's where he finished. Steele, whose previous best-finish was tied for 17th at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego in January, could have padded his lead on No. 9 but left a 17-foot putt short. He then missed a couple of other makable birdie putts on the back nine, including one that was 6-inches off on the par-3 16th.
Instead, he settled for 12 straight pars and it was enough to hold off Chappell, who had two birdies on the front nine, then put his second shot to within seven feet on par-4 No. 10 to grab a share of the lead.
Chappell, 24, then stayed tied with Steele through seven holes, but hit his 2nd shot on the par-4 17th well right of the hole and then couldn't make a 10-foot putt to save par.
"I'll be honest, I think I just fell asleep," said Chappell, who led UCLA to a national championship in 2008. "I felt the wind was dead into me ... I should have known it was a little left to right."
It was the first time since the 2006 Phoenix Open that two Tour rookies finished 1-2 at a tournament. Another rookie, Charl Schwartzel, won last week at the Masters, making this the first time rookies have won back-to-back on Tour since 2002.
Winds that were a factor all week, pushing drives into the woods and knocking down approach shots, continued to blow strong at 20 mph Sunday - with gusts exceeding 30 mph. But they came in from the south and generally yielded higher scores than those from the north earlier in the tournament.
Tying Chappell for second was Charley Hoffman, 34, who began the day three strokes behind Steele at 3-under, but found the hole from the fairway 52 feet away for an eagle on the par-5 No. 8. He followed that with a birdie on 464-yard No. 9 - where Kevin Na had the worst par-4 hole in the PGA Tour record books during Thursday's opening round, shooting a 16 with a nightmarish sequence of shots.
Hoffman just missed a 10-footer to save par on No. 14, but his birdie on 18 moved him back to 7 under and assured him a tie for second.
Nashville-native Brandt Snedeker, 30, had two birdies on the front nine but missed an 8-foot putt on the par-4 11th to slide back to 6 under for the tournament, good enough to finish alone in forth.
Cameron Tringale, who began the day a stroke off the lead, is in his second year on Tour but is five years younger than Steele at 23. He had three bogeys on the back nine to offset a pair of birdies and finished tied for fifth at five under.
Also tied for fifth was Pat Perez (71), and Fredrik Jacobson, who finished second at the 2010 Texas Open and had four birdies and a bogey on Sunday.
Players in their 20s have won three of the last four US PGA Tour events and four of the last six. A player in his 30s has not won since Rory Sabbatini at the Honda Classic, a span of seven events. Asked about a leaderboard so full of relative unknowns, Steele shrugged.
"The guys who are household names now weren't household names when they started," said the Idyllwind, California, native. "You've got to make yourself a household name and you've got to start somewhere."
Steele won last year's Nationwide Tour Championship in South Carolina to earn his Tour card but had never led any round during his previous 11 starts on Tour. But the glare from at least moderate fame is not new to his family - Steele's uncle Anthony Geary plays Luke on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
In perhaps a rookie mistake, Steele cut his finger on the Texas Open glass and stone trophy while posing with it for pictures after his win. At a tournament whose slogan is "Unappologetically Texan," he also took home a pair of boots which he struggled to pull on.
"Do I get a horse too," he asked jokingly.

Age group winners at Angus boys' team trial matches at Monifieth Links

Angus county boys held their annual team trial matches at Monifieth Links today.
Age group winners
Under-14s: Gavin Petrie (Fofar) and Ryan Colvin (Ballumbie Castle)
Under-16s: Connar Cook (Caird Park) and Sean Gallacher (Caird Park)
Under-18s: Scott Smith (Monifieth) and Ewan Matthew (Kirriemuir)


Photo of boys, officials and coach Karyn Dallas sent in by Alex McKay, Angus county junior convenor.

ZANDER CULVERWELL SURVIVES WOBBLE TO WIN BATTLE TROPHY

THE BATTLE'S OVER ... Left to right line-up at Crail Golfing Society, Allan Govan (vice-president and donor of the handsome trophy, winner Zander Culverwell, Mrs Ruby Govan, club captain Ian Dickson. Image by courtesy of Trevor Ledger.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Stirling University second-year student Alexander (Zander) Culverwell, a 23-year-old member at Dunbar Golf Club, was never headed from start to finish in winning the 72-hole Battle Trophy tournament over the Crail Craighead course at the weekend - this season's addition to the established SGU Order of Merit events.
Although he had been Lothians champion in 2005 and runner-up in the North of Scotland open amateur stroke-play championship in 2006, Culverwell was not one of the favourites to beat a field packed with the best players in Scotland.
This was Zander's breakthrough win - achieved by a four-stroke margin - and now that he knows he has the game and the temperament to be a winner at this level, who knows how far he can go?
Culverwell stretched his halfway lead to three strokes with a third-round, four-under-par 68, jointly the lowest score of the tournament, matched only by 18-year-old runner-up Scott Gibson (Southerness), last year's Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolboys champion, also in the third round.
With three shots in hand of Gibson and six ahead of third-placed Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) going into the final round, Culverwell should have been under no pressure to score his first 72-hole victory.
But he had a little bit of a wobble on the opening holes of Round 4 and was three over par after eighth holes after three-putting the first and bogeying the second, fifth and seventh holes.
With nine holes to play, Culverwell was joined in the lead by Gibson and Robertson who had come with a five-under-par surge.
But Crail Craighead is a deceptively difficult links, particularly for those who have not played it all that many times previously.
Robertson dropped out of the hunt as quickly as he had come into it with three double bogeys in the space of six holes. Gibson, for his part, had a triple bogey 7 with a lost ball at the seventh.
And so Culverwell was able to go clear of the field again with a run of three 3s over the ninth, 10th and 11th.
Even a double bogey at the 14th - the most difficult hole on the Craighead course - was only a minor setback and he played the last four holes in regulation to close with a two-over-par 74 and a two-under-par total of 286 - the only sub-par score at the end of four rounds.
Teenager Gibson, one of the Scotland Elite Squad recently returned from eight weeks in South Africa, had a 75 for 290 to claim second place while former Craigmillar Park Open winner Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) finished third with a 71 for 292.
The only other player to have a one-under-par 71 in the closing round was last year's Scottish amateur champion and Walker Cup team place contender, Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck). Stewart's fine closing effort - five shots better than his Sunday-morning 76 - pulled him up to a share of fourth place on 293 alongside Graeme Robertson (75), Hazlehead's David Law (74).
Greg Paterson (St Andrews), winner of last week's Craigmillar Park Open, finished joint 12th on 300 after a disappointing last round of 77.
Zander's father Alex has made the family name of Culverwell known nationwide in the business community - "Culverwell" is recognised as the market leader as a Scottish retail property agency - but Zander has other thoughts for his future. His ambition is to become a pro golfer and he will pursue that dream once he has completed his Stirling University degree course.
In the meantime he will continue to benefit from the coaching and guidance of former European Tour winner Dean Robertson at Stirling University.
Having played in a Scottish universities tournament on Craighead two years ago, and being brought up in Dunbar, Zander’s experience helped him get the better of a very strong field, packed with the cream of Scottish amateur talent. 
David Roy, the Crail Golfing Society secretary-manager, said later:
"For the first Order of Merit event held at Crail Craighead, it was a terrific start and points towards a bright future for this event."

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72). CSS 76 75 74 75
286 Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) 70 74 68 74. 
290 Scott Gibson (Southerness) 78 69 68 75.
292 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 75 74 72 71.
293 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) 74 72 76 71, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 77 71 70 75, David Law (Hazlehead) 74 75 70 74.
295 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 77 75 71 72, Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 80 69 71 75, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 73 72 75 75
296 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 75 74 72 75, Mark Bookless (Sandyhills) 77 74 72 73
300 Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 77 78 76 75, Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 75 75 73 77.
301 Connor O'Neil (Pollok) 77 76 74 74, Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 80 71 75 75.
302 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 74 75 79 74, Chris Lawton (Falkirk Tryst) 77 75 73 77.
303 Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick) 77 78 75 73, Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 81 75 73 74, James White (Lundin) 77 76 76 74, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 76 78 71 78. John Duff (Newmachar) 76 74 78 75, Steven Smith (Dalmahoy) 76 74 79 74.
304 Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 78 76 75 75, Stephen Neilson (Dunbar) 74 79 76 75, Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 78 76 73 77.
305 Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 79 76 75 75
306 Paul Gault (Westerwood) 81 73 76 76, Andrew Wallace (Glenbervie) 72 79 79 76.
307 William Bremner (Edzell) 76 74 80 77, Ross Bell (Downfield) 74 78 77 78, James Hendrick (Pollok) 71 75 78 83.
309 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 81 73 78 78.
311 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 81 74 83 73, Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 73 79 84 75, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 78 73 79 81.
312 Paul Betty (Lenzie) 76 75 86 75.
314 Alastair Hain (Ladybank) 75 79 81 79.
320 David Mitchell (Leven Thistle) 80 75 81 84.
324 Alastair Thomson (Lundin) 83 73 84 84.

LANARKSHIRE BOYS' SPRING MEETING

CARNWATH GOLF CLUB – SUNDAY,  APRIL 24.

Competitors must report to the Recorder 15 mins prior to their starting time.
Competitors are reminded that jeans, denim trousers, trainers, collarless or sleeveless shirts, shell suits are not permitted in the clubhouse or on the course. Caddies are not permitted.


1. 8.30 C.MURDOCK G.GREER L.GREENHORN
Kirkhill Carluke Torrance House
2. 8.37 C.QUINN C.McCARROLL A.ROBERTSON
Torrance House Kirkhill Carluke
3. 8.45 J.PIRRIE D.CLELAND B.McNAUGHT
Carluke Hamilton Kirkhill
4. 8.52 F.MILLER S.KELLY M.WILSON
Kirkhill Carluke Hamilton
5. 9.00 R.CORCORAN S.McVICAR F.HARKISS
Hamilton Kirkhill Carluke
6. 9.07 R.WOODS L.PRESTON J.WALLACE
Cambuslang Hamilton Kirkhill
7. 9.15 M.McCAIG P.HEFFARLAND S.PERMAN
Kirkhill Cambuslang Drimpellier
8. 9.22 T.McDADE D.HARKIN S.CAMPBELL
Drumpellier Kirkhill Cambuslang
9. 9.30 S.MURRAY A.SCOTT C.CONNACHER
Drumpellier Lanark Wishaw
10. 9.37 B.SCOTT J.REID B.MURPHY
Hamilton Drumpellier Lanark
11. 9.45 K.PRENTICE C.GRAHAM C.HUGHES
Lanark Hamilton Drumpellier
12. 9.52 I.FERGUSON C.BOYD F.KANE
Drumpellier Lanark Cambuslang
13. 10.00 S.KANE J.RUIZ L.MORRISON
Cambuslang Drumpellier Hamilton
14. 10.07 C.HARRISON C.MACLEOD S.BRADLEY
Carluke Hamilton Easter Moffat
15. 10.15 D.MURRAY J.GRACIE A.THOMSON
Easter Moffat Carluke Mouse Valley
16. 10.22 C.KELSO G.WELSH
Bellshill Torrance House Mouse Valley
17. 10.30 G.RAMAGE J.HICKSON P.THOMSON
Kirkhill Bellshill Mount Ellen
18. 10.37 M.BRENNAN J.HAINIE J.LAIRD
Kirkhill Bothwell Castle Mouse Valley
19. 10.45 C.ANDREW C.FORBES F.CRAIG
Kirkhill Mouse Valley Bothwell Castle
20. 10.52 J.MUIR E.BRADLEY C.ROSS
Bothwell Castle Mount Ellen Kirkhill
21. 11.00 J.STEVEN C.MITCHELL
Bothwell Castle Torrance House

LANARKSHIRE COUNTY NEWS

Lanarkshire completed the second of their two annual friendly matches today at Shotts with a 7-3 defeat by the Lothians boys' team. This was their second 7-3 defeat in a week, having lost by the same margin to Fife boys last week at Thornton.
Match Results:
FIFE BOYS 7, LANARKSHIRE BOYS 3
 Lanarkshire names first.
1 J Ruiz (Drumpellier) bt R Spriddle (Dunfermline) 5 and 3.
2 J Reid (Drumpellier) lost to C Wilson (Pitreavie) 1 hole.
3 D Dougan (Colville Park) halved with C Smith (Canmore).
4 S Murray (Drumpellier) lost to D Paterson (Leven) 3 and 2.
5 I Ferguson (Drumpellier lost to E Davidson (Charleton) 3 and 2.
6 C Connacher (Wishaw) bt R Walsh (Kirkcaldy) 4 and 2
7 J Hainie (Bothwell Castle) lost to C Clark (Glenrothes) 3 and 2
8 M Brennan (Kirkhill) halved M Watson (St Andrews New).
9 G Greer (Carluke) lost to C McCallum (Elie) 5 and 4.
10 B McNaught (Kirkhill) lost to Euan Diston (Kirkcaldy 5 and 4

LANARKSHIRE BOYS 3, LOTHIANS BOYS 7
Lanarkshire boys first
1 C Ross (Kirkhill) lost to Lee Morgan (Newbattle) 1 hole.
2 J Steven (Bothwell) bt F Thain (West Linton) 2 and 1.
3. R Gillan (Torrance) bt B Todd (Greenburn) 2 and 1.
4. C Andrew (Kirkhill) lost to E Bowden (The Glen) 7 and 6.
5. L Morrison (Hamilton) lost to C Hill (Tantallon) 1 hole.
6. B Scott (Hamilton) bt S Blair (Royal Musselburgh) 1 hole.
7. C Connacher (Wishaw) lost to C Satterly (Longniddry) 4 and 2.
8. J Hainie (Bothwell) lost to W Kerr (Craigmillar Park) 5 and 4
9. C Farrell (Wishaw) Lost to M Naismith (Dalmahoy) 4 and 3.
10 F Kane (Cambuslang lost to N Bowden (The Glen) 4 and 3.

Lanarkshire also announced their team for the Scottish boys' inter-area team championship to be played at Hayston on June 5.
Team
1. Craig Ross (Kirkhill).
2. James Steven (Bothwell Castle)
3. Eamon Bradley (Mount Ellen)
4. Ross Gillan (Torrance House)

Willie Sharpe
 President, Lanarkshire Golf Association

JAMES FRAZER WON DUNCAN PUTTER AT SOUTHERNDOWN

In a Walker Cup year, every big men's amateur tournament over 72 holes is important.
We missed last weekend's Duncan Putter at Southerndown Golf Club, South Wales.
Welshman James Frazer won it with a record low total of 272.
It might help him get into the GB and I team to play the Americans at Royal Aberdeen GC in September.
Watch this space!

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
272 James Frazer (Pennard) 70 72 65 65.
276 Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton) 68 72 69 67.
281 Ben Westgate (Trevose) 69 70 72 70.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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HERE'S THE REPORT ON THE SOUTHERNDOWN GOLF CLUB WEBSITEWelsh International James Frazer (Pennard) produced the performance of a lifetime here at Southerndown today to win the Duncan Putter with a record score of eight-under-par 272 for the 72-hole tournament.
Not content with his superb 65 this morning he went and repeated the feat this afternoon - the first time any golfer has shot 10 under par at Southerndown in one day. Birdies at the 3rd and 6th holes set the tone for the round, and even a dropped shot at the 7th did not halt his progress. He responded to this minor setback with consecutive birdies at the 8th, 9th and 10th holes, and a 'mere' par on the 11th proved only a temporary pause as James went on to birdie the 12th and 13th. Content with a job well done, he completed his round with a succession of pars to card his second 65 of the day, leaving him 4 shots clear of the field.
Among those trailing in his wake were Nuneaton golfer Andy Sullivan - in second place on 4 under par (276) - and former Duncan Putter winner Ben Westgate on one over.
Everyone is now hoping that this is just the start of a wonderful season's golf for James. It certainly could not have started any better!
The winner of the best Welsh Under-21 player was Rhys Pugh, who showed touches of his true ability in his final round of 68. We will surely hear more of Rhys as the season progresses.

JOHN COOK LEADS US SENIORS TOUR EVENT IN FLORIDA

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
LUTZ, Florida (AP) — First they battled the wind, now they'll battle each other. John Cook shot a 6-under 65 take take a one-stroke lead at the US Champions' (Seniors) Tour's Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am at TPC Tampa Bay, Florida on Saturday. Cook sits at 11-under, one ahead of left-hander Russ Cochran. The first-day leader shot a 3-under 68.
"I left a few putts out there, but (I shot) a 65 like it or not, and that's just fine with me," Cook said. "But that's what we're out here for. We're champions and we like to win golf tournaments."
Jay Don Blake is third, three strokes back.
Cook used accuracy to climb the leaderboard, as he hit 13 of 14 fairways in regulation and birdied four of the back nine holes, including three straight from 12 to 14. He missed a chance at a birdie on 18 when his eight-foot putt came up inches short.
"I can be kind of streaky when it comes to birdies, but I'm glad to be streaky that way and not the other way," Cook said. "I'm pretty glad about just one bogey and it was a bad one on a three-putt. I don't like making bogeys because I can't handle the stress."
He is fourth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings and has finished in the top 25 in his four Champions events this season. That included winning the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January. Cook has won at least one Champions event since joining the circuit in 2007. Cook also finished third at the PGA Tours Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in February.
Cochran, who is fifth in the standings, just two points behind Cook, has finished in the top 10 in four of his five Champions Tour events this season and won twice in 2010.
"My job is to get out there and attack that course," Cochran said. "I know I'm not going to beat John unless I have a good day. I stayed with my lines fairly well, even though (in the past) I've been all over the charts."
Blake, who played on qualifier status for most of the 2010 season, even though he had seven top-10 finishes, including a third place finish, has not had a professional win since 1991, when he won the Shearson Lehman Brothers Open.
That same year was Cochran's last professional, where he overcame a five-stroke deficit over eight holes to beat Greg Norman at the 1991 Centel Western Open.
"Just being out here and having a chance 20 years later, having a career and then having a chance to make another career (with Champions)," Blake said, "I mean, how do you not say it's fun and enjoyable?"
LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
Players from US unless stated
131 John Cook 66 65.
132 Russ Cochran 64 68.
134 Jay Don Blake 66 68.
136 Tom Pernice junior 68 68, Joey Sindelar 68 68.
137 Peter Senior (Australia) 69 68.
Selected score:
146 Roger Chapman (England) 72 74 (T54 in field of 77).

TO VIEW THE COMPLETE SCOREBOARD ON THE US SENIORS TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

MATTEO WINS MALAYSIAN OPEN TWO DAYS BEFORE 18th BIRTHDAY

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Matteo Manassero earned himself a €288,465 birthday present with his second European Tour win at the Maybank Malaysian Open today.
The Italian, the former British amateur champion who turns 18 on Tuesday, started the celebrations early as a closing 68 helped him finish 16 under and see off challenges from Grégory Bourdy and Rory McIlroy.
“I couldn’t imagine anything better – going back home to celebrate my 18th birthday and my second victory on The European Tour,” he said, after climbing to 35th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I’ll have a big dinner and celebrate both.
“It’s great to be able to celebrate both together. I’m just now concentrating on being in the top 50 now and getting into all the Majors. I’m very happy about this achievement.”
Having become The European Tour's youngest ever winner in Spain last year, Manassero now holds the top two positions on that list - Danny Lee was seven months older when he won the Johnnie Walker Classic.
He is also the second teenager in a row to win the event, following Noh Seung-yul's triumph 12 months ago.
The leaders had 27 holes to play on the final day after six hours of weather delays earlier in the week, with McIlroy immediately extending his two shot overnight advantage to three with a birdie at the par five tenth.
But the 21 year old Northern Irishman was passed by Manassero and Alex Noren before the end of the third round after dropping two shots at the short 15th.
Manassero, on the other hand, birdied both par-3s on the back nine for a 67 that left him 12 under with a round to go alongside Noren - who had driven the green at the par four 16th and eagled.
Bourdy produced his second electric start of the weekend when the final round teed off - having birdied five of the first six in his third round he reeled off four in a row from the third.
A dropped shot at the eighth and a double bogey three holes later looked to have cost the Frenchman, but the three-time European Tour winner posted three birdies on the way in to set the clubhouse target at 15 under.
McIlroy was right in contention with three birdies in four holes around the turn, but three-putted the 12th for a double bogey which looked to have ended his chances.
Manassero had one birdie, courtesy of a drawn approach to six feet at the second in an outward 35, but when he holed his approach to the par five tenth for eagle he was level with Bourdy.
An eight foot birdie putt at the next put him ahead, but he missed a six footer for par at the next.
The young Italian cooly  converted a downhill ten footer at the 14th that left him needing to par the last four, and the former British Amateur Champion belied his tender years as he calmly set about the job without any drama.
“It feels amazing - it’s a great achievement,” said Manassero. “As I always say I could never have expected it all to have one win before I was 18 and now I’ve got two.
“I had a really good week from the beginning. I didn’t miss many shots apart from the second round when I didn’t play great but I was still able to finish well and get in contention. I had a really good weekend and managed to get the win.
“It’s a great achievement after just 11 months of professional golf. It’s a great achievement for myself and gets me into the Majors – I just missed Augusta but playing the other three will be fantastic. I’m really proud of that and the next target will be winning another tournament and keeping the momentum going. It’s going well and we’ll see what happens."
Manassero also paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros, who he described as his golfing hero.
“He is and will always be,” he added. “I grew up watching Costantino, Seve and Tiger. I thought Seve was the kind of player I wanted to be.
“The crowd was cheering for him and he was different to everyone else. He is a great person and a symbol of what a person should be. He sent me a letter after I won in Spain. That was nice.”
McIlroy briefly threatened to mount a storming comeback, holing from eight feet for birdie at the 16th and then hitting a stunning approach to within three feet at the next as he closed the gap to one.
Needing a birdie at the par five last he was on the green in three but his birdie putt never threatened the cup and by three-putting he finished third behind Bourdy.
“At this moment I’m pretty disappointed but it was a good week,” said McIlroy. “I started off really well in the tournament. To shoot the scores that I did considering the travelling is a pretty good effort.
“That little stretch of birdies were good (at the 14th, 16th and 17th). I knew I needed them.
“It was unfortunate on the last. I thought it was a good drive but I hit it on the upslope of the bunker and hit an eight iron into the green and it was a difficult putt.
“It has been a good week, I enjoyed coming to Kuala Lumpur. I’m disappointed with the result but everything else was positive. I’m proud of myself at how I picked myself up from last week and the way I came back on the back nine today.”
“Matteo is fantastic. He is a great talent. To get two wins on the European Tour before your 18th birthday is pretty special. He is great and we’ve known he is a great player. He deserves it.”
Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello matched Bourdy’s closing 67 to finish tied fourth with Noren, while Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel improved to 11th over the weekend with rounds of 67 and 70.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72). Prizemoney in Euros
272 Matteo Manassero (Italy) 66 71 67 68 (288,466).
273 Gregory Bourdy (France) 71 69 66 67 (192,308).
274 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 69 64 72 69 (108,349).
275 Rafael Cabrero-Bello (Spain) 69 70 69 67, Alexander Noren (Sweden) 64 69 71 71 (79,964 each).

SCOTS' TOTALS
281 Stephen Gallacher 67 70 72 72 (T11) (30,809).
292 Alastair Forsyth 72 71 74 75 (T65) (3,894).
296 David Drysdale 69 72 79 76 (T74) (2,586).

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

RORY McILROY LOSES LEAD IN MALAYSIAN OPEN

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Rory McIlroy completed an even-par 72 that included a double bogey on the par-3 15th hole, relinquishing the Malaysian Open lead to Alexander Noren and 17-year-old Matteo Manassero heading into the final round later today.
McIlroy appeared to have overcome his collapse at the Masters when he grabbed the lead before rain and lightning disrupted play at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club on Saturday. He completed nine holes and was 12 under when the final part of the third round was washed out.
The Northern Irishman now enters the final round in second place at 11 under, a stroke behind Italian Manassero (67) and Noren of Sweden (71).
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel completed a 67 to get to 6-under 211.

ROOKIE BRENDAN STEELE BREAKS TEXAS OPEN LEAD LOGJAM

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — US PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele birdied Nos. 17 and 18 for a 4-under 68 on Saturday, grabbing sole possession of the Texas Open lead after beginning the day tied with a whopping six other players for the top spot.
The 28-year-old Californian put his third shot within 15 feet on the par-5 18th, then sank the putt for his sixth birdie - offsetting a pair of bogeys.
"I decided to play it a little more conservative and laid it up, and it paid off," Steele said of the birdie to end his round.
That late surge was enough for a one-stroke lead over another up-and-commer, second-year US Tour pro Cameron Tringale, who led by two after 16 holes but hooked his tie shot on No. 18 into the deep rough - almost reaching a creek. He recovered on the approach, only to miss a 13-foot putt and settle for a 4-under 68.
"I drove it left. I figured if I hit a good drive ... I'd be able to look at it in two, so I just swung hard," said Tringale, who played at Georgia Tech University and now lives in Las Vegas.
"I laid up to a pretty good yardage and then just misjudged the wind, really," he said. "Came up short, which was a bad mistake, given all the room behind the hole."
Third-round winds were calmer but still blew to nearly 30 mph at times, after strong gusts Friday saw the field struggle to a second-round scoring average of 75.289, the highest on Tour since the first-round of the 2008 British Open. Strong winds are forecast once again during Sunday's final round.
"There's going to be good shots that don't end up good and bad shots that end up worse," Steele said.
Another rookie and Californian, Kevin Chappell (70) and 30-year-old Brandt Snedeker (70) were tied for third at 5 under. Steele, Tringale and Chappell, who led UCLA to an NCAA title in 2008, have just a combined 62 starts on tour, while Snedeker's only PGA Tour victory came at the 2007 Wyndham Championship.
"There's a lot of younger players getting on Tour quicker now than there ever has been and I think that's really been the difference," Tringale said. He added that he is still new enough on tour that almost no one pronounces Tringale (Tren-gal-EE) correctly, instead calling him "Triangle" "Trin-gle" "Trin-nail" "Tri-nail" and a host of other names.
Steele said he's never felt so much pressure on Tour as he will teeing off tomorrow with the lead.
"I definitely haven't been in this position," he said, adding that a win at the 7,435-yard TPC San Antonio "would validate a lot of things in my career as far being a guy that's just trying to feel his way out here right now as a rookie."
Steele began his round tied for first at 3 under with Chappell, Snedeker, Geoff Ogilvy, Rich Beem, Kevin Sutherland and Charley Hoffman. The seven-way tie was the most crowded leaderboard on the PGA tour in a decade. Seven players tied after 36 holes hadn't been seen on the tour since the 1977 Westchester. The record was an eight-way tie at the 2001 Greater Hartford Open.
Tied for fifth at 4 under after three rounds were Augusta, Georgia-native Charles Howell III, who had four straight birdies on the back nine to complement a birdie and a bogey on the front.
"You've got a drivable green on 14 that you can get home in two on, so there are some opportunities out here. But I think the play on this golf course is, keep the ball in play and take it when you can get it," Howell said. "It's easy to get in trouble too."
Even with Howell at 4 under was defending Texas Open champion Adam Scott (70) and Pat Perez who tied the mark for Saturday's best round with a 5-under 67 at a tournament whose motto is "Unapologetically Texan."
Souvenirs included white sticks stenciled with the phrase "Quiet, Y'all" and fashioned to look like the more-serious ones reading simply "Quiet" that course officials held up to silence the crowds of spectators before shots.
The Phoenix-born Perez had an Eagle 2 on No. 5, knocking his tee shot on the green and converting a 25-foot putt to complement four birdies and a bogey on the day.
Also shooting 5 under was Sweden-born Fredrik Jacobson, who finished second to Scott here last year, and had seven birdies to offset a pair of bogeys and move to 2 under, tied for tenth.

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