LOTHIANS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS AT BROOMIEKNOWE

SECOND ROUND

A Anderson (Bruntsfield Links) bt S Smith (Duddingston) 1 hole.
M Cunningham (Craigielaw) bt C Galloway (Harburn) at 19th.
J A McIntosh (Broomieknowe) bt G Millar (Swanston New) 2 and 1.
K A Nicholson (Haddington) bt S McMehen (Linlithgow) 7 and 5.

M D Timmins (Pumpherston) bt M Campbell (Swanston New) 1 hole.
S B Blair (Royal Musselburgh) bt V Varadharajan (Royal Burgess) 1 hole.
S R Smith (Marriott Dalmahoy) bt R M Noon (Craigielaw) 1 hole.
C Marr (Musselburgh) bt D J Martin (Longniddry) 5 and 3.

ELLIOT SALTMAN PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY WELCOME BACK

Lothians' Elliot Saltman, returning to the European Tour this week after serving a three-month ban for cheating, is pleased with the reaction he has received from his fellow players.
"It's so good to be back, it's been a long three months," the 29-year-old Scot told reporters on the eve of the Spanish Open.
"A lot of guys have come up and welcomed me -- I thought it might be difficult for me this week."
Saltman denied he was a cheat after being found guilty of breaching a regulation during the first round of a second-tier Challenge Tour event in September.
The Scot was disqualified from the tournament for incorrectly marking his ball and was subsequently banned from golf in January.
Chilean Mark Tullo, one of Saltman's playing partners in Thursday's Spanish Open first round at El Prat, said it was time to draw a line under the incident.
"You can look at it two ways but I guess he just made a mistake," said Tullo. "It's not like he kicked the ball forward or anything.
"We all have to learn by our mistakes. If he wins on Sunday I'll congratulate him."

ALISTAIR LOW TO BE CAPTAIN OF ROYAL AND ANCIENT GOLF CLUB

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ROYAL AND ANCIENT
 GOLF CLUB OF ST ANDREWS
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has announced Alistair Low as Captain for the year 2011-2012. Each year, the Past Captains meet to decide upon the nomination and the announcement was made today at the Club’s May Business Meeting.
The new Captain will assume office later this year following the traditional driving in ceremony on Thursday 22 September.
An accomplished amateur golfer, Low won the British Youths Championship in 1963 and reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Amateur Championship in 1964, 1968 and 1970. He represented Scotland at the 1965 European Amateur Team Championship, as well as both the 1964 and 1965 Home Internationals.
Low became a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 1968.
He chaired the Championship Committee from 1985 to 1988, before becoming Chairman of the General Committee, a post he occupied from 1991 to 1994. He was also the Chairman of the Scottish Golf Union from 2002 to 2008.
Educated at Dundee High School and St Andrews University, where he graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics in 1964, Low went on to qualify as an actuary in 1967. From there he would pursue a career in benefit consulting, before retiring in 2000.
Low resides in Gullane, East Lothian, and is a member of both Gullane Golf Club and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, where he is the immediate Past Captain. Playing to a handicap of four, he is also a member of Boat of Garten, Pine Valley and Caves Valley, and is an honorary member of Royal Porthcawl and Olympia Fields. He is married to Shona, with whom he has three children and four grandchildren, and enjoys skiing and hill-walking.

GLASGOW ROOKIE ED WOOD SHARES EUROPRO LEAD

By MICHAEL EMONS

PGA EuroPro Tour Press Officer
James Busby has lost the lead on the second day of the first PGA EuroPro Tour event in the 2011 season – despite claiming an eagle.

Busby, who began day two with a two-shot lead in the YourGolfTravel.com European Championship at Wensum Valley , Norfolk , endured a mixed day.

He began on three-under 69 but dropped shots at both the first two holes and then again at the sixth, before he claimed a birdie at the seventh.
But the back nine was even more eventful as he bogeyed the 10th and hit a double bogey 6 at the par-four 12th.
However, he recovered well with an eagle at the par-five 14th but bogeyed 16 and 17, although his birdie on the last saw his round end on a high note.
But it amounted to a 76 for 145.
Glasgow’s Ed Wood, who only turned professional last month, enjoyed a fine day with a round of six-under-par 66  to move into a share of the lead on two-under 142 in the race for the £10,000 top prize. Ed is pictured in one of his trophy-winning days as an amateur
Wood, a member of the Crow Wood Golf Club, battled through the first round of Qualifying School at Slaley Hall, Northumberland and then the Q School final at Frilford Heath Oxfordshire to earn his spot on this year’s tour.
After scoring an opening day score of four-over 76, Wood bogeyed the first two holes of the second round and looked to be struggling to make the cut.
But he then found form with birdies at the fifth, seventh, eighth, 11th, 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th.
Also on 142 is England's Jamie Howarth with scores of 74 and 68.
Martin LeMesurier began the second day on one-under, the only player other than Busby to post a score under par on Tuesday.
But Southampton-based LeMesurier, a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour, bogeyed the second and fifth and double bogeyed the eighth.
But birdies at the 14th and 18th for a 74 left him level with Busby on one-over 145 and three shots behind Wood and Howarth.
English pair James Freeman and Jamie Abbot came in late in the day to share third place, one shot behind Wood and Howarth. Freeman had a second-round 70 for 143, Abbot a 69. 
Ireland’s Tim Rice is on one-over 145. He had a double bogey on the second on his way to a par-matching 72.
The top 50 players and ties advance to tomorrow's final round.

Swanston's cack-handed John Gallagher shot a 69 for 146 to be joint 10th.
Scots who did not make the cut on 151 or better were Scott Drummond (75-77 for 152), Steven Mackie (78-74 for 152), Chris Kelly (75-78 for 153), Scott Henry (75-78 for 153), Ian Redford (79-77 for 156), Martin Lawrence (78-79 for 157), Stephen Clark (82-76 for 158) and Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll (80-81 for 161).
LEADING TWO-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
142 Ed Wood (Scotland) 76 66, Jamie Howarth (England) 74 69.
143 James Freeman (England) 73 70, Jamie Abbot (England) 74 69.
145 Tim Rice (Ireland) 73 72, Martin LeMesurier (England) 71 74, James Busby (England) 69 76, Jason Levermore (England) 73 72.
146 John Gallagher (Scotland) 77 69, Darry LLoyd (S Africa) 72 74, John Chamberlain (England) 72 74.
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
149 Duncan Stewart 74 75, Stephen Gray 75 74, Lee Harper 72 77, Shaun McAllister 77 72 (T20).
150 Ross Cameron 77 73, Paul Doherty 76 74 (T32).

MISSED THE CUT (151 or better qualified)
152 Scott Drummond 75 77, Steven Mackie 78 74.
153 Chris Kelly 75 78, Scott Henry 75 78.
156 Ian Redford 79 77.
157 Martin Lawrence 788 79.
158 Stephen Clark 82 76.
161 Keir McNicoll 80 8

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPRO TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

AMERICAN GREATS SET FOR RETURN TO WALTON HEATH

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOURThree of the iconic 1981 United States Ryder Cup Team are set to make a sentimental return to Walton Heath Golf Club for The 2011 Senior Open Championship, 30 years after defeating Europe at the venue.
Tom Kite, Jerry Pate and Tom Watson have all entered the world class field for the 25th edition of The Senior Open, which will take place at the Surrey venue, in England, for the first time from July 21-24.
The trio were part of the United States Ryder Cup Team in 1981, widely acclaimed as one of the strongest in the competition’s history, which defeated Europe 18½ - 9½ at Walton Heath. It was the first time Europe had competed as a combined team on European soil.
Watson is a three time Senior Open champion in addition to winning The Open Championship five times. He teamed up with the legendary Jack Nicklaus in The 1981 Ryder Cup to win two points for the United States, including a second day foursomes defeat of Manuel Piñero and Bernhard Langer.
He will attempt to overcome Langer once more at Walton Heath, when the German defends the Senior Open crown he won at Carnoustie last year.
Kite, meanwhile, will be joined in the field by current European Senior Tour Order of Merit leader Sandy Lyle, whom he defeated 3 and 2 in a remarkable singles match in 1981.
Pate, Kite and Watson will spearhead a strong looking American challenge that will cross the Atlantic this summer, which also includes former Open Champions Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Lehman and Mark O’Meara, and the 2010 United States Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin, who finished runner-up to Langer last year.
Two-time champion Loren Roberts, who won the Senior Open Championship in 2009 at Sunningdale on its only other visit to the south of England, has also confirmed he will be part of the field.
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said on behalf of the Championship: “We are delighted to have such a strong American contingent travelling over in July for The Senior Open Championship, including the three members of the 1981 Ryder Cup team who have already confirmed their participation.
“It will be fantastic to see them back at Walton Heath alongside some of the European players they competed against as part of one of the greatest American teams we’ve seen in the competition. The Senior Open Championship promises to be another memorable occasion and a superb opportunity for spectators to see some of the legends of golf from the other side of the Atlantic.”
Tickets for The Senior Open Championship at Walton Heath are on sale now. Discounted advance tickets are priced at £60 for a season pass and £16.50 for any one day pass if booked before July 1. Visit www.europeantourtickets.com.

FORSYTH AT DISNEYLAND AFTER SEOUL-SEARCHING EXPERIENCE

By PAUL SYMES

European Challenge Tour Press Officer

Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth, pictured, will hope to put a topsy-turvy tournament in Korea behind him at this week’s Allianz Challenge de France, his first Challenge Tour appearance of the season.

After a late call-up to last week’s Ballantine’s Championship on The European Tour, Forsyth boarded a plane to Seoul but soon regretted the decision after opening with a round of 79 which featured no fewer than 39 putts – comfortably the most of his professional career.

To his credit, the 35 year old from Glasgow rallied impressively on the second day with a sterling round of 67, only to miss the cut by one shot after his short par putt on the final green lipped out.

Forsyth walked off the course with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but will now hope to banish the disappointment at this week’s €150,000 event, which is being held at Golf Disneyland, near the French capital Paris.

He said: “Last Thursday was probably the worst day on the greens I’ve ever had – 35 putts was probably my most ever, so to have 39 was almost soul-destroying. I think I had six three-putts, which is just ridiculous. But I was pleased with how I responded on the Friday, because I played really well. Then to undo all my hard work by missing from two feet on the last was absolutely sickening.
“It was a long way to go to miss the cut by a shot, but I can’t afford to feel sorry for myself because the standard on the Challenge Tour is very high, so I’m going to have to play well this week to get anything out of the tournament. I played at the Qualifying School at the end of last year and the standard was excellent, especially considering the pressure the players are under, so I’m expecting more of the same this week. But I took a lot of confidence from my round last Friday, even though it ended on a low note, so hopefully I can reproduce some of that form here.

“I feel like my game’s coming back to where it needs to be, so hopefully I can get back to where I was. For the next few weeks and months I’ll probably divide my time between the main Tour and the Challenge Tour, but there may come a time when I need to make a decision one way or another.
"I had the option to go to Spain as the first reserve for the Spanish Open, but I figured I’d be better off playing guaranteed golf here rather than running the risk of not getting into the tournament over there, and hopefully that decision pays off for me.”

Forsyth’s close friend and compatriot Marc Warren also faced the same dilemma, but he too chose to remain at Golf Disneyland, where he will aim to build on his tied sixth finish at the Barclays Kenya Open.              

Both men are hoping to close the gap on the current Rankings leader Michel Bothma of South Africa, who climbed to the top after capturing his maiden Challenge Tour title in Kenya.

SEAN O'HAIR HAS SACKED TWO CADDIES, NOW COACH FOLEY GOES

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) — Sean O'Hair not only is looking for his game, he's now looking for a new swing coach.
O'Hair, who has missed his past five cuts and has not finished among the top 20 all year, has decided to split with Sean Foley after a relationship that began nearly three years ago in the Canadian Open.
During their time together, O'Hair won the Quail Hollow Championship and played in the Presidents Cup. But whatever had been going right started going very wrong this year, and it was time for a change.
O'Hair fired caddie Paul Tesori at the end of last year, and recently split up with his next caddie, Brennan Little. Foley was next to go.
"He hasn't been happy with how this year has gone, and he feels he needs to make a change in direction with his instruction," Foley said Tuesday. "We had a good run up until the 2011 season. Sean is a good friend of mine. I love the kid. But this is business. I don't look at it from an emotional standpoint but a rationale standpoint.
"He has to do what's good for his career," Foley said. "He'll have my complete support, and I'll always cheer for him."
Foley more famously began working with Tiger Woods in August, and his stable includes Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose and Stephen Ames. For O'Hair, it was not an issue of time with the coach as much as it was wanting to change.
"What worked so well for so long ... you keep doing the same thing and it doesn't work as well," Foley said. "It's like in the NBA. You win a championship one year, two years later the coach gets fired for having a losing record. That's the business."

WORLD PERSPECTIVE: The European Tour sent out a news release Tuesday on Lee Westwood, the No. 1 player in the world, hopeful of capturing what he considers to be the fifth major. That would be the PGA Championship at Wentworth later this month, not The (US PGA) Players Championship, which Westwood is skipping next week.
Westwood made it clear last year that he doesn't rate The Players Championship among his top five, instead putting the World Golf Championships behind the majors.
Then again, he's not a US PGA Tour member.
And he's not alone.
Martin Kaymer of Germany, who is No. 2 in the world and not a US PGA Tour member, will be at The Players Championship next week. He referred to it as one of the majors "because of the world ranking points."
But asked if he would rather win The Players or a World Golf Championship, he got even more specific.
"The World Golf Championships, and preferably the one at Firestone because it's a fantastic golf course and a beautiful place," Kaymer said. "It's a small field of great players, and you can call yourself a world champion."
 FOOTBALL TIME: Back on the US PGA Tour for the first time since the Masters, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer played as if they were home in Europe when they arrived for the Wells Fargo Championship.
They were invited to take part in a soccer game against a local club in Charlotte. They were joined by Mick Doran, the caddie for Camilo Villegas, and Stuart Cage, one of McIlroy's managers.
About all that is known is the final score. The Charlotte team won 7-4. Details after that get a little fuzzy.
Kaymer said he scored the first goal for the European side and tried to inspire the team. That brought laughter from McIlroy, who said the German didn't even show up until after halftime.
"It was good, good fun," McIlroy said. "I think four or five players turned up, a few caddies. Played a local team from here who were a lot better than us. It was 4-1 at half-time. We got it back to 4-all halfway through the second half, and then they turned it on at the end and beat us. Luckily, no injury, so we're ready to go for this week."
Doran put it all into perspective.
"They were a good team, passing it beautifully, and we were just sort of chasing after the ball," he said. "I think they let us score a few goals after the half just to make a game of it."

DIVOTS: Rory McIlroy spent an hour on the putting green Monday at Quail Hollow while working with Dave Stockton, a two-time major champion and putting specialist who also works with Phil Mickelson.
Stockton said he began working with McIlroy on Monday.
The Seve Ballesteros Foundation will be the charity for Europe's PGA Championship at Wentworth next month, 20 years after the Spaniard's last year of winning on the tour's home course. Ballesteros won the PGA Championship and the World Match Play Championship that year.
Tommy Gainey already has won more than $1.25 million this year on the US PGA Tour with a swing that is not exactly textbook. And that's OK with him. "I don't worry about what people say about my swing. I know it's unorthodox. I know it's ugly. But it works," he said.

AYRSHIRE MATCH-PLAY CHAMPION BEATEN IN QUARTER-FINALS

FROM THE AYRSHIRE GOLF WEBSITE
Euan Brown's hopes of retaining the Ayrshire match-play title were ended on Tuesday evening at Troon Portland. The defending champion, from Kilmarnock Barassie, faced a quarter final match against Gary Bryden (Girvan) but saw his hopes of a second successive title dashed after a 6 and 4 defeat.
In the semi final on Wednesday evening, Gary Bryden will face the 2007 match-play winner Stephen Murray (Troon Welbeck), who claimed a place in the last four with a comprehensive 6 and 5 win over three times winner Alex Gourlay (Irvine).
Michael Smyth (Royal Troon), the runner up in the stroke-play event last month, claimed a semi final spot with a notable 3 and 2 win over Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle).
After coming in as a late reserve, Marc Smith (Troon Welbeck) continued to take full advantage of his inclusion, winning the all-Troon Welbeck quarter- final match against Scottish boys champion David Wilson by 5 and 4 to set up a semi-final with Michael Smyth.
The semi finals take place from 5 pm this evening.