ENGLAND STAR LAURIE CANTER TURNS PRO IN WALKER CUP YEAR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
A second leading English amateur has turned professional only three or four months before the Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.
Eddie Pepperell, winner of the Portuguese amateur international title earlier this year, announced a few days ago that he was turning pro immediately.
Now comes the news that another top Englishman, Laurie Canter has turned his back on the prospect of a place in the Great Britain and Ireland team to play the United States in September.
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Englishman Laurie Canter has only been playing golf for seven years, but today he is celebrating turning professional and preparing to make his European Challenge Tour debut at the Mugello Tuscany Open.

The 21 year old left school three years ago with an ambition to follow a career in golf, but even he did not anticipate the subsequent meteoric rise which featured appearances in two national opens and a Major Championship.
Born and raised in Bristol, Canter said: “I guess you could say I’ve had a fast progression in golf. I only made the England squad at the end of 2009, and that was just the developmental squad.
“Then I spent some time in South Africa at the beginning of 2010, playing in lots of events, and at the end of the trip I won the South African Amateur Championship, which allowed me to play in the South African Open Championship in December.
“Then I came back and had a string of good results at home - I won three or four stroke-play events, such as the West of England Stroke Play. Then I qualified for The Open last summer and after that I played in the Eisenhower Trophy and the St Andrews Trophy at the end of the year.
“This year I won the Spanish amateur championship (he's pictured with the trophy above) and it felt like the right time to take the plunge and turn pro.
“I’m very excited about the future. I feel like my progress has been pretty fast. In golf you always have lots of ups and downs and you have to learn to take those and it forms how you are as a golfer.
"I feel like I’ve been able to take the downs well and deal with them, and that’s probably one of the reasons I’ve been able to make fast progress, because I haven’t been too hard on myself. I’m still learning, and just because I’ve turned pro now doesn’t mean I stop learning.”
Canter believes a three-month spell in South Africa was the turning point in his burgeoning career, when he went from a promising talent to a champion.
“I travelled all over the country playing all the amateur events I could play, sort of having my own mini tour,” he said. “It was great fun and I’d recommend it to anyone. “A lot of the lessons I learnt there will hopefully help me with this transition to the professional game – being on your own and having to learn about courses you’ve never played, all that kind of stuff.
“I did A Levels at school and then had to make a decision. I wasn’t in the England squad when I first left school and I had no support other than my parents but luckily my dad said he’d support me for a couple of years to play golf.
“Luckily that year I had a good enough year to get in the England squad. The English Golf Union has been really good to me. I haven’t been a part of their system long, but the last 18 months they’ve supported me and sent me away around Europe. That’s what they’re good at, preparing players.”
Canter played in the Open de España last week as a result of winning the Spanish amateur championship this year, and he said it was an event of mixed emotions after the death of Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros on Saturday morning.
“The Spanish Open last week was my third professional event and it was a surreal atmosphere,” he said. “I was in the players’ lounge on the Saturday morning eating breakfast and I could see José Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jiménez crying their eyes out at the next table. It was crazy to think a man like that has died so young and the tournament definitely went very flat over the weekend.
“My generation I suppose just caught the back end of Seve’s career, but I was late to golf – I didn’t start until I was 14 – so I never saw him in his pomp.”
Ballesteros, of course, won The Open Championship three times, and Canter described his own experience in the tournament last year as “unbelievable”.
He said: “I didn’t have a great result there but I learnt a hell of a lot. It ws the same in South Africa as I got to play with Retief Goosen which was amazing. So I’ve been very lucky in the last year and have had a lot of chances to learn. That’s been key for me – getting to play in those different environments and having to prepare and being under a bit of pressure. I feel a lot more comfortable now playing under pressure.
“I have fixed goals – the main one from this transition is to learn as much as possible this year. I’m not putting any pressure on myself in terms of getting results, it’s just important to just keep learning.
“I want to get in the top 45 which would allow me to get to the Challenge Tour Grand Final, which would give me a shot of getting a card through the Rankings, or at least get through to the Final Stage of the Qualifying School.
“I just want to play as well as I have done in the last year, and hopefully that will give me a chance to be up there in a couple of events, and from there we’ll just see how it goes.”























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COLIN MONTGOMERIE, SAM TORRANCE ATTENDING SEVE FUNERAL

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie and Sam Torrance are among the luminaries who will attend the funeral of Seve Ballesteros in the small Spanish fishing village of Pedrena tomorrow.
The funeral will be at the church of San Pedro de Pedrena, which is expected to be full. Ballesteros' ashes will be carried a few hundred metres from his home up the sloping road to the town parish. Big screens will be set up outside the ceremony for his fans.
Ballesteros, the five-time major champion, died in his hometown on Saturday at age 54 of brain cancer.
Several young boys and girls will wear a replica of the navy blue outfit that Ballesteros wore for his first Open win in 1979. They will also each hold a 3-iron, the first club he used as a child.
"The funeral rites will be as simple as those for any neighbour from the village," Ballesteros' brother, Baldomero, said. "He was born here and here he will remain."
Ballesteros' final resting place will be under the magnolia tree in his backyard.
Nephew Ivan Ballesteros told The Associated Press today that former Ryder Cup captains Faldo, Montgomerie and Torrance would be in attendance, while World No 1 ranked player  Lee Westwood is also expected to appear.
Spanish state TV will broadcast the event live from the village of 1,500, saying goodbye to the golf great whose dazzling play and penchant for flair inspired a generation of players.
Ballesteros was perhaps Spain's first major international sports star, helping to transform European golf by winning three Opens and two Masters titles plus a record 50 European Tour victories. He was also a successful Ryder Cup player and captain of the winning European team at Valderrama in 1997.
AP

McKNIGHT FINISHES FIFTH IN LATEST MINOR GOLF LEAGUE EVENT

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Kilmarnock-born former Scotland junior international Robert McKnight, now based in Florida, finished fifth in the latest Minor League Golf Tour at Abacoa Golf Club, Jupiter, Florida (not on the Bahamas as I suggested, thanks to Google!) in an earlier report!

Competition entry fee at MLGT events is $180 and McKnight, pictured, won $300 for a fifth place finish with a two-under-par round of 70.

Winner of the $750 first prize in a field of 33 players was an American Richard Terga with a round of 66.

Total prize fund was $4,059 from an entry fees' income of $5,940. We'll put that down to organisational expenses.
The tour has no grand aspirations. It aims to stage three, four or five events a week, 46 weeks of the year. Annual membership fee is $250.

It's the kind of tour that Alan Tait is doing his best to get established in this country  but, of course, there are far more pro golfers at a loose end in Florida than there are in Bonnie Scotland and, another big difference, you can play 46, even 52 weeks of the year in Florida's climate.

E-mail from George Smillie

There is another young Scot starting out on his career in the professional ranks, also playing on the Fuzion Minor League Tour. His name is Greg Duncan and he was formerly a member at Craigielaw and Gullane golf clubs. He was born in Scotland but has lived in Port St Lucie, Florida since 2007.
Nice to see the coverage of all things Scottish - keep up the good work.
George Smillie

Editor's note: Thanks, George. We'll keep a look-out for Greg Duncan's name on the returns from the Florida Tour.

NORTHERN LINKS CALLAWAY CHALLENGE AT TAIN, BRORA

NEWS RELEASE ISSUE BY PGA SCOTLAND
PGA Scotland are pleased to announce the addition to their 2011 schedule of a two-day, 36-hole professional tournament to be held over Tain and Brora golf courses in late September.
Eighteen holes will be played over each course, with the first round being held at Tain GC on Tuesday, September 27 and the second and final round at Brora the following day.
In staging the event, Brora will become the most northerly golf course on the British mainland to host a professional tournament – Golspie had previously had that distinction, having held an assistants' tournament in 1992 and 1993.
Stuart Morrison, the PGA Professional at Tain GC, commented “We are delighted to be a part of this new event. Our thanks go to Callaway and the PGA for assisting us in getting things set up. The competition will be played over two of the best golf courses in the Highlands and the pros who make the effort to travel north will not be disappointed. Hopefully it won't be a one-off."
Michael MacDougall, secretary of the PGA in Scotland, said:  “Tain and Brora are two of Scotland’s outstanding golf courses and it is only their location away from the majority of the population that has prevented them from being more widely recognised. I’d hope that this will go some way to breaking down that barrier and will be well-supported by our members.”
Brian Mason, Callaway’s Area Sales Manager (Scotland), added “We recognise that it has been a difficult time for everyone recently, and we are delighted to continue to support the Scottish PGA. To take professional golf to an area that doesn’t often stage events such as this is particularly exciting and we are happy to help to add great links courses like Tain and Brora to the schedule.”
The event will be known as the “Northern Links Callaway Challenge” and will be the penultimate tournament of the 2011 Order of Merit.

EVEN SAM TORRANCE IS READING WHAT TOM WATSON HAS TO SAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON (Colin@scottishgolfview.com)

Ever wondered if top golfers read instructional books by other golf golfers? Well, they must because here's a quote from Sam Torrance about the new Tom Watson (with Nick Seitz) book: "I've been playing this game for over 40 years and I've just learned something in the last minute that makes total sense - to play successfully from a bunker, as Tom says (on page 143) you need to place much more weight on your left/front foot. Of couse, you do as this will make the angle the club arrives at the ball better for a clean contact. Genius!"

In "The Timeless Swing," says the Press Release from publishers Simon and Schuster, Watson offers a lifetime's worth of wisdom and insight into the game of golf, showing players of any age how they can play to the best of their abilities and enjoy the game more.

In a series of easy-to-follow illustrated lessons, he explains the fundamentals of a good swing, starting with the proper grip and set-up. He breaks down the full swing into all its parts, and gives advanced shot-making techniques such as the full sand shots and swinging into the wind.

Watson complements the lessons with drills for achieving a consistent swing and offers tips and exercises to help golfers continue to swing well when they get older.

For the first time Watson reveals the two key concepts he considers the most important of all - concepts that can enable players of all levels to attain a timeless swing.

"The Timeless Swing," by Tom Watson with Nick Seitz (foreword by Jack Nicklaus) will be published on May 26 (£20 hardback).

PAUL LAWRIE FAVOURS CHANGING LOGO TO IMAGE OF SEVE

Former Open champion Paul Lawrie is one of a number of players in favour of the European Tour changing their recently adopted logo (pictured right) to honour Spanish great Seve Ballesteros.

The Tour paid for a new logo featuring (an action silhouette of) six-times Open champion Harry Vardon to coincide with the launch of the Race to Dubai series for the 2009 season.
But Lawrie believes the now famed image of Ballesteros, who died on Saturday after a long battle with brain cancer, on the final green at the 1984 Open at St Andrews should have been used instead.
"I absolutely support the idea (of changing it) as it would be a great move," Lawrie said.
"Seve is the reason why we are playing on the European Tour, and everyone would have that opinion, so I fully agree with that."

Tributes have poured in from all over the world for Ballesteros, who was considered one of the sport's greatest players.
The 54-year-old claimed five majors and won a record 50 European Tour titles before retiring because of back problems in 2007.
Those achievements left Lawrie feeling that the original logo should have featured the Spaniard and not Vardon, who won the last of his Open titles in 1914.
"There are quite a few players who believe that it should have been a logo featuring Seve in the first place," said the 1999 Open champion at Carnoustie.
"Of course, it's not for me to tell the Tour what to do. The current logo is a nice logo and it's been very well done.
"But everyone knows and agrees that it was Seve was the player that really started it all for the European Tour. He was the difference.
"We shouldn't be changing the logo just because he's gone but that's always been the case so maybe it could have been a Seve logo from the word 'go'."
Lawrie's compatriot and fellow European Tour professional, Andy Coltart, who has been busy moving house, used Twitter to back the idea of changing the logo.
"We've already got a Harry Vardon Trophy, so why not a Seve logo instead," the Scot tweeted.
"No disrespect to Harry Vardon, who is obviously... a legend, but today's strength in the European Tour is down to Seve, and he is 21st century.
"I hear that the Seve Trophy may struggle to continue getting a sponsor, so that's another reason," Coltart said of the annual Britain and Ireland v Continental Europe matches.
"We need to make sure we have some kind of recognition of Seve's legendary status."
However, former Spanish Open winner Peter Lawrie believed the timing of a possible change was not appropriate.
"The Tour spent an awful lot of money designing the Vardon logo but... I would look at it as an emotional reaction if they were to change it now," said the Irishman.
"The thing is if you look at the history of the Tour, it didn't start with Seve, and while it would be nice to honour his memory by changing the logo, I'm not in favour of a change just yet."
Reuters

FIFE GOLF ASSOCIATION ORDER OF MERIT FOR MACKAY BOWL

POSITIONS AFTER THREE EVENTS

1 James White (Lundin) 305pt
2 Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 200pt.
3 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 180pt.
4 Ian Bell (Scotscraig) 130pt
T5 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 100pt.
T5 Stuart Meiklejohn (Aberdour) 100pt.
T7 Mark Beveridge (Dunnikier Park) 80pt.
T7 Scott Stewart-Cation (Ladybank) 80pt.

+The next counting events are the SCOTTISH STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP at Blairgowrie (27 – 29 May) and the CANMORE 36 HOLE OPEN (29 May).

ERNIE ELS NOW IN WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Three time Major Champion Ernie Els took his place among the golfing greats at the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum at an induction ceremony at the World Golf Village in St Augustine, Florida on Monday.

Els, an Honorary Member of The European Tour, was inducted along with Frank Chirkinian, Doug Ford, the late Jock Hutchison, Jumbo Ozaki and former US President George H. W. Bush in the class of 2011.
The ceremony was all the more poignant following the death of fellow Hall of Famer, Seve Ballesteros, on Saturday. Simple black ribbons were attached to his locker and plaque while the Spanish flag flew at half-mast.
Els, pictured, who won the US Open in 1994 and 1997 and The Open Championship in 2002 among 26 European Tour titles and a further 40 worldwide, was introduced by Sunshine Tour Chairman Johan Rupert.
The ‘Big Easy’ will tee up on Thursday in the opening round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass as the latest member of an exclusive club.
"It’ll be a very special feeling to step on the first tee knowing you’ve made the Hall of Fame," Els said. "I’m still trying to win golf tournaments, still trying to win major championships, and I think it’s a huge bonus for anybody’s career."
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, speaking as Chairman of the World Golf Foundation, said: “I can think of no more worthy candidate than Ernie to enter the World Golf Hall of Fame.
“He joins two South African legends of the game in Bobby Locke and Gary Player, which is testament to his immense ability, his superb achievements and the wonderful example he has set to all in the field of golf and, indeed, the world of sport.”
On the announcement last year that he was to be inducted, Golf legend and Hall of Fame Global Ambassador Gary Player said of his compatriot: “I was so pleased to hear the news that my fellow South African Ernie Els has been selected to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Ernie certainly deserves this recognition, as he epitomises a “world” golfer. He is a credit to the game and an ambassador for the sport. Ernie has been a wonderful friend over the years and I am very fond of him and his family.”
"It's been a long journey coming from South Africa," Els said at the two-hour ceremony.
Els is heavily involved in research and finding a cure for autism. His eight year old son, Ben, is autistic, and the boy was escorted into the room as a video of Els' career was being played, his eyes fixated on the screen. Els later spoke of the joy he feels having his son sit on the range with him as he hits balls.
"He'll sit there and watch the ball take off in the blue sky," Els said.
Els was elected on the US PGA Tour ballot. Japanese icon Jumbo Ozaki, who won more than 100 tournaments, was voted into the Hall of Fame on the International ballot.
Doug Ford and the late Jock Hutchison, both two-time major champions, were selected through the Veterans category.
Former President George H.W. Bush and the late Frank Chirkinian, the television golf producer for CBS Sports, were selected through the Lifetime Achievement category.

Their induction brought membership in the Hall of Fame to 136. You have to be 40 to be considered for the Hall of Fame and Els was voted in at the first opportunity.