DUSTIN JOHNSON SPLITS WITH CADDIE BROWN AFTER 3 YEARS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP) — Dustin Johnson has decided to split up with his caddie, who was on the bag during two chances to win a major last year and was involved in the American star nearly missing his tee time at Riviera.
Johnson's agent described the split with Bobby Brown as mutual, and that it was not clear whether the move was permanent.
"They just decided to take a break for awhile," David Winkle of Hambric Sports Management said in an email.
Brown had been Johnson's caddie for three years and already was involved in some high-profile situations.
Johnson lost a three-shot lead in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach last summer and wound up with an 82, the highest final round by the leader at a U.S. Open in nearly 100 years. Two months later, Johnson didn't realise he was in a bunker at Whistling Straits and grounded his club on the 18th hole, a two-shot penalty that kept him out of a play-off.
At Riviera this year, Brown gave Johnson the wrong tee time, and he was penalised two shots for arriving late to the tee. Johnson was about 10 seconds away from disqualification.
Johnson defended his caddie at every turn, saying the responsibility ultimately was with the player. Those close to Johnson said the incidents had nothing to do with them parting ways.
Johnson, coming off a tie for 38th in the Masters, plays next week in South Korea in the Ballantine's Championship. Winkle said a friend who is "more than qualified" will be his caddie, and that he expects Johnson to give others a trial run before settling on a replacement.
"This isn't about finding a replacement as quickly as possible," Winkle said. "It's about finding the right person."
He already has been contacted by several potential replacements, which is no surprise. Johnson is considered one of golf's top young players, the first since Tiger Woods to go straight from college to win in each of his first three years on the US PGA Tour.
Brown had been caddying for Eric Axley, and even though Axley had just won a US PGA Tour event, left him when Johnson came calling. Johnson and Brown spent most of their time together off the course, and Brown is dating the twin sister of Johnson's girlfriend.
"There's no bad blood between him and me," Brown told Golf World. "We are very cool with each other and will remain very close. We're like brothers."

GILBERT AND SNEAD WIN LEGENDS' BETTER-BALL TOURNAMENT

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
Savannah, Georgia -- Gibby Gilbert and J C Snead fired a second-consecutive 10-under-par 62 to win the Demaret Division of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf by five strokes over the teams of Mike Hill and Lee Trevino, and Jim Albus and Jim Dent. Their two-day, better-ball winning score of 20-under 124 is the lowest in the 18-year history of the Demaret Division competition, eclipsing the previous record of 19-under 125 set by Bob Charles and Gary Player in 2010.
Gilbert and Snead earned $60,000 for the victory, splitting the $120,000 winner's share of the $553,000 purse.
Charles and Player, two-time defending champions of the Demaret Division, finished T4 with the team of Don Bies and Tom Shaw at 14-under.
Gilbert and Snead, who entered the day with a one-shot lead over Albus and Dent, were hoping for a quick start to Tuesday's final round and that's exactly what they got, carding four birdies in the first five holes for the second-consecutive day.
Similar to Monday's first round, the pair posted nine birdies and an eagle with the only blemish coming in the form of a bogey on the last.
"We've been good friends since 1968 and we really know each other's games," said Snead. "We're not going to get upset with each other and Gibby's always been so solid and it's fun to get together and play."
Gilbert believed Snead would have shot a 64 on his own ball in the second round and credited a great day with the driver for his partner's good play.
"J.C. drove the ball beautifully both days," said Gilbert. "I don't think it's possible to drive it any better than he did today. Every hole was 300 yards right down the middle."
While his partner gave credit to the driver, Snead felt his putter was the key to the victory.
"This week was the best I've putted for as long as I can remember," added Snead. "Putting has always been the worst part of my game and I tried one little thing and it worked. I understand now why all of these good putters walk around smiling all the time."
Playing for the first time in the Demaret Division for players ages 70 and older, Gilbert and Snead's five-shot margin of victory equalled the second-largest in the event's history, trailing only Orville Moody and Jimmy Powell's seven-shot victory in 2005.
Tuesday's victory added to an already impressive resume for Gilbert and Snead at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. In 10 career appearances in the Legends Division the pair finished runner-up in 1995 and T3 twice in 1997 and 1999.
Final results
Par 144 (2x72)
1 Gibby Gilbert and J C Snead 62-62 124 $120,000
T2 Jim Albus and Jim Dent 63-66 129 $56,500
T2 Mike Hill and Lee Trevino 64-65 129 $56,500
T4 Bob Charles and Gary Player 67-63 130 (-14) $27,500
T4 Don Bies and Tom Shaw 68-62 130 $27,500
T6 Frank Beard and Larry Ziegler 64-67 131 $20,250
T6 Charles Coody and Dale Douglass 67-64 131 $20,250
8 Al Geiberger and Jimmy Powell 68-64 132 $19,000
T9 Tommy Aaron and Lou Graham 66-67 133 $17,500
T9 Bruce Devlin and Larry Mowry 69-64 133 $17,500
11 Miller Barber/Jim Ferree 67-68 135 $16,000
12 Don January/Gene Littler 68-68 136 $15,900
13 Butch Baird/Bobby Nichols 69-69 138 $15,800
14 Tommy Jacobs/Johnny Pott 71-71 142 $15,700
15 Homero Blancas/Bob Toski 75-70 145 $15,600
16 Billy Casper/Ken Still 74-74 148 $15,500
17 Jack Fleck/Howie Johnson 75-79 154 (+10) $15,400
18 Dow Finsterwald/Bob Goalby 78-81159 (+15) $15,300
19 Doug Ford/Billy Maxwell 81-81162 (+18) $15,200
20 Charles Sifford/Lee Elder 87-86173 (+29) $15,100

SCOTLAND bt WALES 7-5 IN BOYS' QUADS AT RYL MUSSELBURGH

The Scotland Under-16s boys' team is playing in a development quadrangular event against Wales, Ireland and the Netherlands this week (Tuesday to Thursday) at Royal Musselburgh. The team is:
Benjamin Kinsley (St Andrews)
Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie)
Andrew Burgess (Nairn)
Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden)
Alasdair McDougall (St Andrews New).
Bradley Neil ( Blairgowrie), capt. 
Euan Bowden (The Glen)
Alexander Wilson (Gullane)


FIRST-DAY RESULTS:

SCOTLAND 7, Wales 5.
IRELAND 10, Netherlands 2.

WEDNESDAY MATCHES

Scotland v Netherlands
Ireland v Wales.

THURSDAY MATCHES
Scotland v Wales.
Ireland v Netherlands.

EMOTIONAL RETURN FOR LETTERS IN SCOTLAND

NEWS RELEASE BY PURE SPORTS MARKETING

John Letters, Scotland’s finest clubmaker since 1918, officially opened its new Showroom and Custom Fit workshop in St Andrews last Friday with the help of John Letters Staff Player, Sam Torrance OBE and guests of honour, Jimmy and Hope Letters.

An emotional evening at the brands new premises on North Street, St Andrews, saw 10 members
of the late John Letters family reunite and show their support to new owner of John Letters of Scotland, John Andrew, and officially open the showroom, workshop and museum at the Home of Golf. Sam Torrance and John Andrew are pictured on right.

Over 120 people attended the event with a wide cross section of the local community represented; from R and A members and professional golfers, to the captains of the St Andrews University Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams plus members of the Scottish media.

The emotion of the evening did not go unnoticed by Sam Torrance, commenting: “It was an absolutely fantastic evening and brought back a lot of great memories. The John Letters Company was a huge help to me back when I started and it was great to see so many of the family again today.”

“Jimmy Letters signed me to my first professional contract back in 1971 and actually got me a job at Sunningdale as an assistant professional and it was there that I met Norman Mackenzie, who sponsored me on the European Tour” added Torrance.

Under the Stewardship of John Andrew, John Letters of Scotland are making big steps to regain the title as the finest clubmaker in golf and the Showroom and Workshop, a mere 254 yard drive from the 18^th green of the Old Course, are a continuation of the brands commitment to reconnect with its Scottish heritage.

The new Workshop will enable John Letters to combine the latest performance technologies with their finest clubmaking traditions and expertise to hand assemble and custom-build its 2011 range of products in Scotland.
 With the majority of golf equipment manufacturers assembling their equipment in the Far East, John Letters are bucking the trend of brands by hand-assembling and custom-fitting products in Scotland in a bid to ensure the most-exacting standards on each John Letters product including the recently re-launched Master Model irons and much-coveted Tour Black wedges.

Speaking at the launch, John Andrew, Managing Director, said: “John Letters is such an iconic Scottish brand, it made perfect sense to turn back the clock and open a showroom and workshop in the home of golf. The Letters family have been true pioneers in the golf industry and it was such an honour to have so many family members in attendance this evening.”

The members of the Letters family in attendance were all presented with John Letters staff bags with their names embroidered, while the golfers in the family all received a set of Master Model irons personalised with their initials.

Carole Letters, now Championship Office Manager for the European Tour, said: “We were so overwhelmed by the evening. We didn’t know what to expect when we were contacted by the Company, but the evening was better than anything we could have imagined. It was such a touching gesture to receive our bags and clubs and we all had tears in our eyes. I can’t wait to try them now.”

“The family were all involved at some point in the business. From running the company like Jimmy to designing the Golden Goose and Master Mex logo’s like Susanne. They are huge part of the brand’s history and we wanted to recognise them and what better way to do that than by involving them tonight, bringing together past and present, as we look to move the brand forward” added Andrew.

With a hugely successful launch and resounding ‘thumbs up’ from members of the family, the new John Letters team are excited about the new base in Scotland and the reception to their latest collection of golf equipment for 2011.

The John Letters Showroom and Workshop

9 Albany Place

North Street

St Andrews

Fife KY16 9HH

CRAIG MATHIESON CLICKETY-CLICKS INTO SKYCADDIE LEAD

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
PGA Cup player Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, is the halfway leader in the 36-hole Skycaddie Challenge Tartan Tour event at Whitekirk Golf and Country Club.
Matheson shot a six-under-par 66 with birdies at the second, seventh, short eighth, long 12th, long 13th and short 14th.
A bogey at the 18th was his only slip in halves of 32 and 34.
On his tail at David Patrick (Elie Sports Centre), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links) and Chris Kelly (Cawder), a shot behind on 67.
Patrick birdied the second, fourth and ninth in 32 to the turn. He came home in 35 with birdies at the long 13th and short 14th.
Brown birdied the first and second but dropped a shot at the ninth in 34 to the turn. He birdfied the 11th, had an eagle 3 at trhe long 12th and then a birdie 3 at the 16th in covering the inward half in 33.
Kelly birdied the ninth in an outward 34 but then picked up the pace with a birdie at the 13th, an eagle at the long 13th and a birdie at the 16th in 33 for the inward journey.
Downfield's Ken Hutton had a 68 (33-35) with birdies at the long first, fifth, seventh, long 12th, long 13th and 16th. He bogeyed the second and 11th.
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
66 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 32-34.
67 David Patrick (Elie Sports Centre) 32-35, Graeme Brown (Montrose Links) 34-33, Chris Kelly (Cawder) 34-33.
68 Ken Hutton (Downfield) 33-35.

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE PGA SCOTTISH REGION WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

SCOTLAND'S TOP TEN IN WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKINGS

The top 10 Scots in the R and A World Amateur Rankings are:

19th James Byrne (Banchory).
32nd Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck).
170th Ross Kellett (Colville Park).
194th Stuart Ballingall (University of Missippi).
206th Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh).
224th David Law (Hazlehead).
270th Brian Soutar (Leven Golfing Society).
271st Scott Crichton (Aberdour).
344th Philip McLean (Peterhead).
360th James White (Lundin).

Portlethen make flying start to Paul Lawrie Aberdeen Junior League

Portlethen opened their campaign in the Aberdeen and District Junior Pennant League, sponsored by the Paul Lawrie Foundation, by beating Northern 5 1/2-1/2 at the King's Links.
Details (Northern players first):
Cameron Johnstone and Sean Johnston lost to B Murdoch and S Kiloh 2 holes.
Liam Minty and Greg Morrison lost to D McEachy and C Grant 5 and 4.
Tom Spiers and Ruaridh Macvinish lost to A Stewart and D Ross 1 hole.
Calum Geddes and Caitlin Geddes lost to L Gordon and E Brawley 1 hole.
Lewis Doherty and Glen Morrison halved with J Duncan and K Spence.
Connor Ross and Aiden Stewart lost to S Macklin and A Cruickshank 2 and 1.

HIGH SPEED LONDON-ROYAL ST GEORGE'S LINK FOR OPEN CHSHP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED
BY THE R AND A
The R and A and Southeastern Trains today announced that a high-speed, direct train service will transport passengers to and from The Open Championship at Royal St George’s. Departing from St Pancras International, the service will run from 14 – 17 July and will reduce regular journey times by one hour.
With Sandwich station only a 15-minute walk from the venue, spectators can get from central London to the course in just 95 minutes.
There will be two direct, high-speed services per hour going to Sandwich during the morning from St Pancras International and two services an hour back, from lunchtime onwards. This will help transport many of the expected 180,000 spectators to the event throughout the four Championship days.
“Whenever The Open comes to Royal St George’s, we welcome a large number of enthusiastic spectators from London and the surrounding area,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R and A.
“This new service brings The Open Championship closer to the capital than ever before, and we hope that it will encourage more people to enjoy a day at golf’s oldest Major.”
Vince Lucas, service delivery director for Southeastern Trains, said: “The Open is the biggest sporting event to take place in Kent, and is a great opportunity to show what the region has to offer. We are determined to help make this important event a success by offering this High Speed service, which is sure to be very popular for spectators travelling from London.”
There will also be a further hourly mainline service to Sandwich during the Championship, meaning that The Open will be served by four trains per hour. The high-speed services will travel via Canterbury or Dover.
Additional early-morning trains from St Pancras International will ensure that spectators can get to the course in time to watch the first groups tee-off. Supplementary trains on the mainline service, early in the morning, will run from Charing Cross and Victoria.
Tickets for these services and the full timetable will be available at southeasternrailway.co.uk from April 21.
A peak day return on high-speed services costs £38.20. An equivalent mainline service ticket will cost £32.90.
For further information please visit Opengolf.com.
=======================================================================
ROYAL ST GEORGE'S LONGER, PAR REDUCED TO 70

CBSSports.com wire reports
The Royal St George's course will be 100 yards longer for this year's Open, with par being reduced from 71 to 70.
The famous fourth hole- - with a huge bunker staring players in the face as they tee off -- is being changed from a 497yd par-5 to a 495yd par-4.
The third hole will be increased by 30yd to 240yd, while the long seventh goes from 532 to 564yd and the ninth from 388 to 412yd.
In the main alteration on the back nine, the 15th will be stretched from 475yd to a 496yd but will remain a par-4.
Eight years ago, American winner Ben Curtis was the only player to break par at the course, and only by one shot. In 1983, Greg Norman set a championship record of 13-under 267 at Royal St George's.
In another change, the fairway on the first hole has been widened by about 12 yards. In 2003, Tiger Woods lost a ball with his first shot at Royal St. George's and took a triple-bogey 7.
Less than 30 percent of all drives finished on the fairway in 2003.
"Tiger's lost ball was not an influence -- it was the overall statistic of 27-28 percent," R and A chief executive Peter Dawson said.

Huge interest in this year's Open - Peter Dawson

FROM THE SKY SPORTS.COM WEBSITERoyal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson will be cheering on Rory McIlroy at the Open Championship in July.
"I think the hearts of all golf fans went out to him at Augusta and it was wonderful that he put up such a good show in Malaysia a week later."
The tournament returns to Royal St George's in Kent for the first time since 2003 just three months after McIlroy's meltdown at the Masters.
The 21-year-old led by four shots going into the final round but an 80 on Sunday saw him drop out of contention.
However, Dawson, who revealed key changes to the Sandwich lay-out this year, believes McIlroy would prove one of the more popular winners.
"I think it would be staggeringly popular," said Dawson. "He's already a popular figure. He's young, everyone wants him to do well and I think the roof would come off the stands if he won the Open.
"I think the hearts of all golf fans went out to him at Augusta and it was wonderful that he put up such a good show in Malaysia a week later.
"Let's hope he has learnt from the Masters and the best way he can come back is to win a major.
"It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he does - what a talent - but equally it wouldn't surprise me if quite a number of others won either."
Dawson claimed the interest in this year's event could be unprecedented, bearing in mind the success of European players over the past 12 months.
"In every sport it seems players are getting better younger," he added. "Rory seems to have been around for a long time and yet he's still only 21.
"I think we are going to see huge interest in this championship. There are so many stories - [Martin] Kaymer, [Lee] Westwood, McIlroy, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, (Matteo) Manassero.
"Golf is changing and good on it. It's an exciting time for British and European golf - Tiger Woods is not as dominant as he was and other players who have been at the top are well into their thirties or beyond.
"It's only natural that younger players will come through and it's nice to see how many are emerging from countries all over the world."

Former Walker Cup and Ryder Cup player Mason Rudolph dies at 76

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (AP) — Mason Rudolph, who qualified for the US Open at the age of 16 and was the 1959 US PGA Tour rookie of the year, has died. He was 76.
He died Monday at a Tuscaloosa hospice.
The Tennessee native qualified for the U.S. Open in 1950 and became the first 16-year-old to win the USGA National Junior Amateur Championship. He helped the United States win the 1957 Walker Cup, and Golf World magazine named him one of the 20th century's top 10 best junior boys in 1999.
He won five US PGA events during his 21-year career and played in the 1971 Ryder Cup. He coached Vanderbilt's golf team in 1992 before being named the university's director of golf.

SGU, Belhaven tie up new three-year £250,000 sponsorship package

CHEERS! Ross Duncan, SGU Marketing, Media and Sponsorship Manager, with Shelagh Bryce, Customer Services Director at Belhaven Brewery. Image by courtesy of Kenny Smith and SGU.

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
The Scottish Golf Union is celebrating a new three-year sponsorship agreement with Belhaven worth £250,000 to support its member clubs.
The deal extends Belhaven’s partnership with amateur golf in Scotland to fifteen years having been launched back in 1999, making it one of Scottish sport’s longest standing sponsorships. The Dunbar-based brewer’s investment will continue to focus on support for clubs at the grass roots level, with the continuation of the Belhaven Best Scottish Club Handicap Championship and the Belhaven Best Captains and Secretaries Championship.
Belhaven, who sell more than one million pints of their flagship Belhaven Best brand in Scotland’s golf clubs each year, has more than trebled its annual investment in amateur golf over the past decade and is the Scottish Golf Union’s biggest cash sponsor from the private sector.
The biggest participation event on the amateur circuit, the national club handicap championship attracts more than 25,000 club golfers each year from 300 clubs, with the SGU also announcing that this year’s final will take place on the famous Torrance Course at the Fairmont, St Andrews. The championship is a free-to-enter event for adult members of all SGU affiliated golf clubs, won last year by Ranfurly Castle.
The Belhaven Best Captains and Secretaries Championship was launched in 2006, designed to reward the efforts of Scotland’s club administrators with a series of five regional finals taking place throughout the year and this year’s national final at Pollok on the south side of Glasgow in September.
Euan Venters, Belhaven Managing Director Brewing and Brands, was delighted to extend his company’s commitment to amateur golf in Scotland:
“Golf clubs have been at the heart of the Belhaven Best success story for nearly twenty years and so we’re delighted to reward amateur golf with our continued sponsorship. Belhaven Best is Scotland’s number one ale brand and is hugely popular among golfers, both members and visitors alike,” said Venters.
“We have developed a fantastic relationship with the Scottish Golf Union during our partnership and they manage our sponsorship and events extremely well. Both championships continue to grow in popularity and it’s great to give something back to our customers at every level.
“We look forward to hopefully working with the new amalgamated governing body and hope our investment can help Scottish Golf and their clubs continue to move forward.” he added.
Chairman of the Scottish Golf Union Douglas Connon expressed his gratitude to Belhaven:
“Sponsorship income is a vital part of the Scottish Golf Union’s commitment to supporting clubs and we are indebted to Belhaven for their continued investment. Fifteen years is a long time for any partnership and this highlights the mutual benefits both parties generate with this sponsorship,” said Connon.
“The passion for golf shown by the team at Belhaven shines through and it’s great to be working with a partner whose ambitions match those of our own. Belhaven Best is one of the country’s best known brands and we are very proud to have such a strong association with it,” Connon concluded.

· The schedule for the 2011 Belhaven Best Captains and Secretaries Championship is:
o Regional Finals:
o Tuesday 26 April – Musselburgh GC
o Tuesday 17 May – Dunfermline GC
o Tuesday 14 June – Inverness GC
o Thursday 14 July – Hamilton GC
o Tuesday 16 August – Williamwood GC
o Grand Final:
o Wednesday 21 September – Pollok GC

· The schedule for the 2011 Belhaven Best Scottish Club Handicap Championship is:
o Regional Finals:o Friday 5 August – Baberton GC
o Friday 12 August – Bathgate GC
o Friday 19 August – Lenzie GC
o Friday 26 August – Moray GC (Lossiemouth)
o Grand Final:o Friday 30 September – Torrance Course, Fairmont St Andrews

· Belhaven Best was first introduced into the Scottish market in 1991, produced in Scotland’s largest brewery at Dunbar, East Lothian. For more information on all of Belhaven’s products, visit www.belhaven.co.uk.