MONDAY NIGHT ABERDEEN TRADES FOURSOMES TEE TIMES

SECOND ROUND MATCHES AT HAZLEHEAD


16.05 - Aberdeen Telephones V Baker Hughes


16.19 - Licensed Trades V Greenkeepers


16.33 - Royal Mail V Bankers


16.47 - P.S.N. V Surveyors


17.01 - Grampian Police V Elmar UK


17.15 - Corn Trade V Tulloch Recruitment


17.29 - Chartered Accountants V Muirfield Contracts

SNOBECK HOLDS LLOYD CHALLENGE TO WIN TUSCANY OPEN

By SARAH GWYNN
European Challenge Tour Press Officer
Frenchman Anthony Snobeck won the Mugello Tuscany Open by one shot after carding a flawless four under par 67 in the final round on a wet and windy day at Poggio dei Medici Golf Club in Florence.
The 28 year old withstood the pressure of 19 year old Englishman Chris Lloyd, who mounted a valiant late charge with a 67 to finish second, and Swede Leif Westerberg, who posted a fine five under par 66. Iceland’s Birgir Hafthorsson shot a 68 to finish tied third with Westerberg.
Snobeck had birdies at the fourth, sixth, tenth and 15th to reach 12 under overall, and it is the second time he has won in Italy, his only other Challenge Tour victory coming at the Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata in 2006.
“I am very happy,” he said. “It was a long day and the weather was very bad, but I played well again so it was perfect. I had no bogeys in the last two rounds which I am extremely pleased about.
“My long game was good so I didn’t miss a lot of fairways, and everything else went well too. Apart from a double bogey on the first day it has almost been the perfect tournament.
“I love this country, I love the food, the weather, the people – everything. It is a nice place to win.”
Lloyd birdied the 17th and 18th to move to within one shot of Snobeck, but the Frenchman only had to par the last to win, and he duly delivered.
Lloyd said: “I’m a little bit disappointed because I played well today. To shoot four under in those conditions I was very happy with, so I can’t be too down. It’s the first two rounds I should be unhappy about – I should have made more of my opportunities.
“The game’s there, I just need to hole a few more putts. I’m playing well and I’m high on confidence, and I’ve had two top tens in the last two weeks. It’s still only my third or fourth event on the Challenge Tour so I’m very pleased and taking it all in my stride.
“I holed a 20ft putt on the 17th for birdie and another nice one from the front of the green on the last but I sort of knew it wouldn’t be enough. Fair play to Anthony. I’ve shot four under and he’s done the same so I haven’t lost the tournament – I’ve chased him down and he’s just pipped me.”
Westerberg birdied the first three holes to move into a share of the lead, but then bogeyed the fifth and seventh. He had three more birdies on the back nine but it proved insufficient to catch Snobeck.
He said: “It’s always nice to have a good start, but I felt a little iffy with my game and I made two bogeys after that. Then I turned it around a bit on the back nine and I had an eagle chance at the 18th which I knew I had to make to have any chance of winning.
“I had a few lucky breaks today and I managed to hit good shots when the weather got nasty. To be honest I will take second place. I’ve been struggling for a few years now but I definitely feel like I’m coming back and I’ll take a second place.”


FINAL TOTALS
272 A Snobeck (Fra) 71 69 65 67,
273 C Lloyd (Eng) 68 70 68 67,
274 L Westerberg (Swe) 71 69 68 66, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 67 72 67 68,
277 R De Sousa (Sui) 68 70 68 71,
278 A Maestroni (Ita) 69 70 67 72, J Lima (Por) 73 69 65 71, J Garcia (Esp) 67 69 70 72, F Colombo (Ita) 71 68 68 71, L Jensen (Den) 69 69 73 67,
279 C Russo (Fra) 72 66 74 67, B Hebert (Fra) 65 72 74 68,
280 R Santos (Por) 72 67 69 72, G Lockerbie (Eng) 70 70 71 69,
281 B Akesson (Swe) 67 71 73 70, H Bacher (Aut) 68 73 68 72, T Whitehouse (Eng) 71 70 72 68, A Domingo (Esp) 71 68 73 69, C Brazillier (Fra) 69 73 68 71, B Barham (Eng) 67 69 75 70, A Tadini (Ita) 68 71 68 74,
282 A Ahokas (Fin) 69 70 73 70, D Denison (Eng) 70 70 68 74, J Palmer (Eng) 69 70 73 70, M Evans (Eng) 67 74 72 69, T Fleetwood (Eng) 69 71 71 71,
283 J Lucquin (Fra) 71 69 72 71, A Pavan (Ita) 71 71 71 70, K Sullivan (Wal) 74 67 70 72, B Grace (RSA) 70 69 73 71, A McArthur (Sco) 69 71 73 70, J Moul (Eng) 68 69 73 73, E Kofstad (Nor) 69 72 69 73, A Hansen (Den) 70 68 72 73, C Lee (Sco) 70 72 72 69,
284 M Delpodio (Ita) 69 68 76 71, M Thorp (Nor) 72 70 69 73, J McLeary (Sco) 70 67 73 74,
285 C Ford (Eng) 72 70 71 72, T Shadbolt (Eng) 72 70 72 71, A Bernadet (Fra) 69 73 69 74, R Whitelock (Eng) 73 69 69 74, F Praegant (Aut) 68 70 74 73, M Erlandsson (Swe) 71 71 73 70,
286 E Pepperell (Eng) 73 66 73 74, P Streeter (Eng) 72 70 71 73, M Bothma (RSA) 73 68 72 73,
287 L Canter (Eng) 70 70 72 75, F Pasqualucci (Ita) 70 71 73 73,
288 B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 72 76 70, A Rota (Ita) 70 70 71 77,
289 J Van Der Vaart (Ned) 71 69 74 75,
290 J Gallagher (Sco) 72 69 79 70,
291 R Kind (Ned) 73 68 73 77,
292 F Svanberg (Sui) 70 71 74 77, V Riu (Fra) 74 68 77 73, G Molteni (Ita) 71 69 77 75,
293 J Abbate (Arg) 73 69 74 7, W Schauman (Swe) 70 71 75 77,
294 A Butterfield (Eng) 70 70 74 80, M Ford (Eng) 68 70 79 77, B Miarka (Ger) 71 71 74 78,
301 C Gane (Eng) 70 72 77 82,

FIFE DETHRONE NORTH-EAST IN SCOTTISH AREA FINAL THRILLER

FROM THE SGU WEBSITE
Fife edged out defending champions North East in a thrilling finale at the Moneygate Scottish Area Team Championship in Prestwick to secure a historic maiden title.
Bill Dickson's side, who comfortably defeated the Lothians in their morning semi-final, produced a spectacular comeback to deny the North East a second consecutive title.

Kevin Blyth, who was drafted in as a last minute replacement for injured Greg Paterson, along with playing partner Peter Latimer sparked their side's recovery, coming from behind to seal a 2 hole victory over Scott Larkin and Adam Dunton, and in doing so secure a second foursomes win of the day for the Fife pair.

It was Lundin's James White who won the decisive point for Fife, coming back from three down against former British Boys Champion Jordan Findlay to win on the final green.
Three behind after ten holes, White produced a stunning back nine that included birdies at 12, 14 and 18 to claim a victory that meant the remaining match on the course between David Law and Scott Stewart-Cation was irrelevant with the pair agreeing on a halved match playing the 17th all square.
Last year's SGU Order of Merit runner-up Philip McLean had earlier given the North East a perfect start with a 5 and 4 victory over Scott Crichton. However a notable 4 and 3 triumph for Leven's Brian Soutar over international team-mate Kris Nicol soon levelled the match and placed extra importance on the opening foursomes match nearing its conclusion with Fife went on to win.
Winning team captain Bill Dickson was elated after his side's nail-biting victory:

“I'm extremley proud to be a Fifer. The whole team played excellent golf in some horrendous conditions at times. The boys have done everyone connected to golf in Fife very proud, it was a great victory against a really strong North East side

“The win in the foursomes was crucial, the news filtered back down to James and Scott who were behind in their matches out on the course and i think it helped inspire them to turn their matches around. To captain the first ever winning Fife side feels incredible.” he added.

James White, member of the SGU Men's Elite Squad that recently visited South Africa for warm weather training was equally thrilled after his side's win:

“It feels brilliant to take the trophy to Fife for the first time, i'm so pleased for all the Fife officials and everyone involved who have been supporting the team over the years, they really deserve it.”
White who recently graduated from Stirling University is focusing on more success in 2011 as he embarks on full time golf this season for the first time:
"The training in South Africa has really helped my game, and although i didn't have the best results out there i am really reaping the benefits now and i am looking forward to kicking on even further this season."
“It has been a fantastic team effort this weekend, Kevin Blyth came in for Greg very last minute but played great and won both his foursomes matches, we have a really good team spirit which i think was key to our comeback.” he added.
In a repeat of the 2010 third and fourth place play-off match, Ayrshire reversed last year's outcome to take the bronze medals, winning by a 3½ - 1½ points against fellow beaten semi-finalists, Lothians.


Click here for final results from the 2011 Moneygate Area Team Championship

AMERICAN ROOKIE HENSON WINS PHILIPPINE OPEN

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Manila: Berry Henson of the United States held off a late charge from local hope Jay Bayron to win his first Asian Tour title at the ICTSI Philippine Open today.
The Asian Tour rookie made a pivotal up-and-down for par on the last hole to close with one-over-par 73 to clinch his second international title in the span of two weeks at the challenging Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.
Bayron battled tooth-and-nail before closing with a 72 to finish in second place for a 284 total, one stroke from the champion in the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.
South Africa ’s Jbe Kruger, who finished second on three occasions last year, endured another agonizing defeat when he placed third on 285. Digvijay Singh of India was a stroke back in fourth as he secured his first top-five placing since 2003.
“I feel like I went 72 rounds with Manny Pacquiao this week and didn’t get K.O. I played on a very difficult golf course and the weather was brutal. It was a hard win,” said Henson, who won US$47,550 with a winning total of five-under-par 283.
Overnight leader Henson, who won on the Asian Development Tour two weeks ago, turned in 35 to hold a three-shot lead but it was cut by one when he bogeyed holes 12 and 17.
“We were all struggling to make birdies and stay aggressive on the back nine. I made a couple of mistakes coming in but everything worked out for me on the last hole,” said the 31-year-old.
Bayron shot an eagle four when his wedge shot from 120 yards out rolled into the second hole. The home crowd rallied behind the former caddy but his title aspirations were dashed when he made two straight bogeys from the 14th hole.
“Honestly, I was playing for second after the 15th hole. I tried to keep the thought of winning out of my mind for the entire round. Finishing second is a good result for me and I hope to build on this confidence,” said the 2005 Southeast Asian Games team gold medallist.
India ’s Singh shot three birdies in his opening five holes before closing with one birdie and three bogeys in a round of 71. He credited his return to form to his wife, Chitra.
“I have to credit my performance this week to my wife because we spoke a lot on what has to be done on the course,” said Singh, the brother-in-law of former Asian Tour number one Jyoti Randhawa.
“I told myself to go out there and enjoy my round and I did just that by thinking of my wife. Overall, it was a good result for me,” said the 39-year-old.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
283 - Berry HENSON ( USA ) 69-70-71-73.
284 - Jay BAYRON (PHI) 69-69-74-72.
285 - Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 71-68-73-73.
286 - Digvijay SINGH ( IND ) 70-72-73-71.
288 - Kwanchai TANNIN (THA) 73-70-72-73, Mars PUCAY (PHI) 69-73-72-74, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 71-72-71-74.
289 - Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN) 70-69-79-71, Rufino BAYRON (PHI) 76-69-72-72, LIN Wen-hong (TPE) 71-75-71-72, Brad SMITH (AUS) 72-76-68-73, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 70-72-72-75.
290 - WANG Ter-chang (TPE) 69-72-73-76.
291 - Atthaphon PRATHUMMANEE (THA) 74-72-72-73, Piya SWANGARUNPORN (THA) 73-74-71-73, Zaw MOE (MYN) 74-72-71-74, Thammanoon SRIROJ (THA) 71-73-72-75, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 72-71-71-77.
292 - Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 72-72-77-71, BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 73-69-77-73, Peter KARMIS (RSA) 69-73-75-75.

DARREN CLARKE WINS AS CHRIS WOOD FALTERS ON RUN-IN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Darren Clarke came from four behind to capture his 13th European Tour title at the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca.

The Northern Irishman used all his experience to grind out a final round 69 and deny Chris Wood his maiden victory.
The Ryder Cup Vice Captain had reduced Wood’s overnight advantage to one within three holes, but a double bogey at the 11th after finding water looked to have cost him a first win since the 2008 KLM Open.
But Wood encountered numerous problems on the back nine – thee-putting the 12th and 13th and driving out of bounds at the 15th as he came back in 40, despite coming within millimetres of a hole in one at the last.
And Clarke finished in style, holing a putt from the fringe at the 14th, nailing his approach to six feet at the 15th, saving par on the 16th with a brilliant approach from a fairway bunker and then holing another putt from off the green to scramble par at the next.

Clarke, who like last week’s winner Thomas Aiken was playing in his first event back from a holiday in the Bahamas, said: “I had a really good time, felt very relaxed and worked on my game.

“Sometimes you need to step back and look at things from a different perspective and that’s what I did in the Bahamas.

“It’s a bit of a monkey to get off my back after three years not winning so it’s good. At the same time I feel a lot for Chris Wood – he’s a young guy, a great player and I’ve been in his position before.

“On a personal note I’m delighted to have played quite nicely today and win the tournament.”

The 42 year old finished with a six under par total at the Pula GC course designed by his final round playing partner José Maria Olazábal, with Wood tying for second with compatriot David Lynn.

“Obviously disappointed and gutted,” said Wood. “It was an extremely tough day on the course and it was a bit of a grind all the way round.

“Felt like I was doing alright and getting into my range and I hit a fantastic shot out the bunker on the 12th hole, a foot less and it was six feet away.

“But it’s just carried on and gone up the tier and took three putts, it was almost an impossible putt and from there on I’ve struggled.

“When you start dropping shots and you hit one out of bounds your head starts going all over the place and it’s difficult to keep going really.
While Wood was understandably dejected, Clarke offered plenty of encouragement for the 23 year old.

“It’s a tough day for Chris Wood and I really feel for him,” added Clarke. “I don’t think the conditions were great for him today because he had to protect a lead but I do think that we don’t have to worry about him. He will win and it will be sooner rather than later.”

And Clarke also paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros, whose funeral last Wednesday overshadowed the build-up to the event.

“We wouldn’t be here without him, simple as that –The European Tour would not be in the position it is today without Seve,” he added. “He was the first man to do so many things and make so many breakthroughs that we have all followed, so to win in his homeland in the week that he passed away is a real honour.”

Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth produced a solid level par 70 to finish fourth, one ahead of Olazábal, Shane Lowry, Paul Lawrie and Gaeme Storm.
Forsyth collected 50,000 Euros; Lawrie 33,100. And there was another good payday for Scott Jamieson, joint 12th on 281. He earned 16,650 Euros.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Prize money in Euros
274 Darren Clarke (N Ireland) 65 70 70 69 (166,660).
277 David Lynn (England) 68 68 71 70, Chris Wood (England) 67 65 69 76 (86,855 each)
278 Alastair Forsyth (Scotland) 68 72 68 70 (50,000)
279 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 68 69 762 70, Graeme Storm (England) 71 67 70 71, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 71 69 66 73 (33,100 each)
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
281 Scott Jamieson 67 71 69 74 (T12) (16,650)
284 Peter Whiteford 72 70 68 74 (T21).(11,663)
286 David Drysdale 68 71 74 73, Lloyd Saltman 73 69 69 75 (T25) (10,100 each).
287 Elliot Saltman 68 74 71 74 (T30) (8,188).
297 Chris Doak 71 70 72 84 (T64) (2,450)

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McDOWELL, WATNEY SHARE LEAD WITH 31 SUNDAY HOLES TO PLAY

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
By Damon Hack, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida — After weather more suited for turtles and tadpoles, the sun arrived at dinnertime on Saturday at the Players, setting the stage for the absurd, the comical and the brilliant.
A turtle dived headlong into a water hazard. Ian Poulter knocked a tee shot onto the island 17th hole and broke into an all-out sprint. And the best golfers in the world made a raft of birdies at dusk, setting up a final-day shootout at what has become a rain-softened and vulnerable TPC Sawgrass.
"I think a 62 or 63 is out there," said Graeme McDowell, who stood at 11-under par along with Nick Watney, each with 31 holes left to play Sunday. "This is one of the most exciting finishes in the world of golf."
McDowell and Watney sit atop a leaderboard stocked with the game's heavyweights. Steve Stricker and David Toms trail by a shot. K.J. Choi and Lucas Glover sit two back. Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Rory Sabbatini headline a group that trails by three.
Nearly everyone with spikes and 14 clubs will have a chance to hoist the crystal trophy in the gloaming Sunday.
"It's going to be a long day, especially for an old guy," said the 44-year-old Toms. "If you're playing well, a lot of times you kind of forget how many holes you have to play. I just need to go out and play great."
After Saturday's re-start at 5:30 p.m., some just wanted to play fast.
Poulter provided one of the day's lasting images, sprinting ahead of his playing partner, Dustin Johnson, to put them in position to finish 54 holes before the horn sounded to suspend play for darkness. After hitting his tee shot on No. 17 to 15 feet, Poulter ran to the green with his putter, made his par, and raced over to the 18th tee, where Phil Mickelson's group had just teed off.
Poulter asked Mickelson for permission to hit his tee shot, and Mickelson happily obliged. Once Poulter struck the ball, he and Johnson would be allowed to complete the hole, no matter when the horn blew. After Poulter's ball landed in the fairway, an air horn sounded at 8:04 p.m., but Poulter and Johnson completed their third rounds, thanks to Poulter's fast thinking and faster feet.
"We were talking about it the whole time," Poulter said of his conversations with Johnson during the round. "'What is the time? What is the time? How much longer do we have left?' It was close."
US PGA Tour official Mark Russell said the course took about three-quarters of an inch of rain, but the TPC Sawgrass SubAir drainage system quickly sucked the moisture from the course. (The forecast for Sunday calls for scattered showers in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon.)
If a major championship is a career-changing event, winning the Players is the next best thing. For McDowell, whose 2010 featured a U.S. Open title, the clinching Ryder Cup point and a victory over Tiger Woods in his own tournament, a victory at the Players would return him to the pinnacle of golf. By his own accounts, McDowell has lacked the precision of the previous year so far this season. Or, as he put it, "I was swinging like an idiot."
"New Orleans, a couple weeks ago, was a low point in the year for sure," he said Friday. "I was hitting some awful shots. A 15-handicap would have been about right. I really had to just go back to basics with my golf swing. My coach, Pete Cowen, came into Orlando last Friday. We grinded. We worked hard, trying to get some of the good feels back in my golf swing. A couple of things clicked."
The wild card could be Watney, who a year ago led the US PGA Championship by three shots going into the final round before collapsing with an 81. Since then, he has looked more comfortable in the big tournaments, winning a duel at the World Golf Championship at Doral and finding comfort atop leaderboards.
After a day of turtles and rain, it will take comfort and birdies to win the Players.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Players from US unless stated
-11 after 41 holes Graeme McDowell (N Ireland).
-11 after 41 holes Nick Watney.-10 after 41 holes Steve Stricker.
-10 after 41 holes David Toms.
-9 after 46 holes K J Choi (S Korea).
-9 after 42 holes Lucas Glover.
Selected scores:
-8 after 48 holes Martin Kaymer (Germany).
-8 after 42 holes Luke Donald (England).
-6 after 45 holes Brian Davis (England).
-2 after 48 holes Justin Rose (England).

COMPLETED THREE ROUNDS
Par 216 (3x72)
211 (-5) Phil Mickelson 71 71 69.
215 (-1) Sergio Garcia (Spain) 74 68 73, Matteo Manassero (Italy) 72 70 73.
216 (level par) Ian Poulter (England) 70 72 74.
218 (+2) Martin Laird (Scotland) 72 70 76.

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