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SGU AREAS VOTE 10-6 AGAINST AMALGAMATION WITH SLGA

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION

This evening (May 26) the Scottish Golf Union held a Special Meeting with the sole purpose of considering the amalgamation (with the SLGA) proposal. This proposal has been widely consulted upon with Areas, Counties and Clubs. The proposal was approved at the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association’s Special Meeting yesterday (May 25).

The Scottish Golf Union’s shareholders, comprising the sixteen Area Associations, voted 10 to 6 against the amalgamation proposal. This means the proposal in its current format has not received the required level of support by our shareholders and therefore amalgamation cannot proceed at this stage
The Scottish Golf Union Board is disappointed with the outcome of the Areas’ vote. The Board believes that the vote is contrary to the wishes of the majority of clubs they represent, which saw 263 affiliated clubs (89.2%) approve the amalgamation proposal from the 295 clubs (51%) that formally responded with their views.
The amalgamation proposal has also been strongly supported by the amateur game’s other key stakeholders, including the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association and its members (Clubs and Counties), major funders sportscotland and other commercial sponsors and partners.
The Scottish Golf Union’s commitment to supporting clubs, together with developing talent and growing the game, remains at the heart of our activities and we will continue to strengthen relationships with clubs to deliver against this strategy. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all clubs for their assistance and patience during this lengthy process.
The Scottish Golf Union Board believes that this result is a setback for the future development and governance of Scottish amateur golf. However, the Board takes heart from the fact that all 16 Areas have consistently reaffirmed their support for amalgamation and a commitment to finding a way to achieve amalgamation working with the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association.
The Board will continue to act in the best interests of Scottish golf and will meet on June 6 to consider how we can progress this important matter.
Ross Duncan
SGU Marketing, Media and Sponsorship Manager

IT'S HOST CLUB PETERCULTER v BON ACCORD FOR MAITLAND SHIELD

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Bon Acccord will play host club Peterculter in Friday evening's (5.15pm) final of the City of Aberdeen men's foursomes for the Maitland Shield after Nigg Bay were disqualified for a rules infringement after they had beaten Peterculter.
On a bitterly cold night, Bon Accord squeezed past Murcar Links by one hole in the first semi-final while it seemed for some time that Nigg Bay were also through to the final, having finished three up on Peterculter
Nigg Bay's Ross Young and Ryan Forbes halved the first foursomes against Peterculter's Phil Robb and Murray Bowman who had been three up after six but lost four holes in a row from the eighth.
Former Scottish boys championship runner-up Dean Yeats, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, and Kevin Dalglish were thought to have steered Nigg Bay through to the final by finishing three up on Peterculter's Gary Watson and Fraser Downie.

They had actually finished five up but Dalglish and his partner were penalised two holes because Kevin inadvertently had an extra club in his bag. That was the first "decision" in the clubhouse after the Rules of Golf handbook had been consulted.

But after more discussion it was decided that Nigg Bay would be disqualified for Dalglish's clanger as he had not informed his opponents immediately he discovered he had an extra club in his bag.

In the first semi-final last year's Aberdeen Links champion Barrie Edmond, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency, and former tour pro Neil Mitchell earned Bon Accord a place in the final by finishing one up on Murcar Links former international Bryan Innes and Adrian Styles, the 2007 Aberdeen Links champion, in the lead-off tie.
The second-string foursomes finished all square between Murcar Links' Anthony Bews and Neil McKinnon and Bon Accord's Matt Greig and Graham Somers.
Edmond and Mitchell had been playing as the No 2 pair for Bon Accord earlier in the week and it looked like a successful piece of strategy for them to move up the batting order for the semi-final. Actually, it was a winning move that was not planned at all.
"Team-mates Matt Greig and Graham Somers were due to continue as Bon Accord's No 1 pairing but Matt forgot his golf shoes and and couldn't be ready in time to play off first. So Neil and I moved up into the top slot - and we won!" said Barrie Edmond.

RESULTS OF SEMI-FINALS
Bon Accord beat Murcar Links by 1 hole.
Barrie Edmond, Neil Mitchell 1, Bryan Innes, Adrian Styles 0.
Matt Greig, Graham Somers 0, Anthony Bews, Neil McKinnon 0.


Peterculter beat Nigg Bay on a disqualification.
Phil Robb, Murray Bowman 0, Ross Young, Ryan Forbes 0.
Gary Watson, Fraser Downie bt Dean Yeats, Kevin Dalglish (disqualified).

PAUL McKECHNIE WINS OPTICAL EXPRESS PRO TOUR EVENT 2

By ALAN TAIT

The winner today of the second event in the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour was 34 year old Paul McKechnie from Braid Hills Golf Centre, Edinburgh.

Paul McKechnie continued his good run of form this season scoring a total of 135 (five under par) to win by three shots at Hilton Park from David Orr and John Gallacher.

The overnight leader by five shots, McKechnie made a superb start to his second round with an eagle 3 at the first hole. Paul's front-nine total of one-under-par 34 allowed him a stress-free back nine of 37 to pick up the winner's cheque for £1,500.

The former PGA EuroPro Tour No.1 said: “The two days at Hilton Park have been exceptional. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing here and I’m delighted to win the overall event at such a challenging and well maintained golf course. The quality of players has been excellent and I am already looking forward to the next event at The Westerwood in Cumbernauld!”

Corisande Lee from West Lancs, a regular on the Ladies European Tour, declined an invitation to the ‘Slovakian Open’ this week to travel north for the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour. It was a worthwhile trip as Cori posted consecutive scores of 72 for a 4 over par total of 144 to become the leading lady professional at the Hilton Park event.

Cori said “I have really enjoyed being back at Hilton Park and is a course that I am obviously very comfortable on. Although I shot the same score today as yesterday, I hit the ball so much better today and dropped a couple of silly shots towards the end of my round.

"I am looking forward to playing in next week’s ‘Dutch Open’ and this has been ideal preparation. Where my schedule allows, I look forward to competing in the remaining events on this year’s Optical Express Pro Golf Tour”.

Lorne Kelly, owner of Pro Dream USA, who has competed in the first two events said:”I work closely with amateur and elite players and as the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour is open to amateurs, I believe it is an ideal platform for all levels of players to improve their game. I would be very keen to work with the Tour in the future, both on a personal playing level and also to give my Pro Dream USA players an opportunity to test themselves against a professional field”.
Gordon Simpson, General Manager and Head Professional of Hilton Park Golf Club has been delighted with events over the last two days: “Despite the weather, I have been so impressed by the standard of golf and the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour is a great addition to the Hilton Park yearly rota.
"Many of the members have commented on how much they have enjoyed welcoming the professionals and very much hope that Hilton Park will be part of the Tour’s future for many years to come. The event has also given us great exposure and the atmosphere around the club the last couple of days has been great!”
Vincent Brown, Host Professional at The Westerwood, who will host the next event, has been competing this week at Hilton Park. Although Vincent’s performance was below his own expectations, he is looking forward to welcoming the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour to the Westerwood on July 19th and 20th.
Vincent said “Both the members and I are very much looking forward to hosting the third event. I have been really impressed by the organisation and the professionalism of the Tour. Westerwood has undergone significant changes to the golf course in the last three years with the creation of new holes and some re-designed holes.
"We are keen to showcase these changes on the Optical Express PGT Tour and to the members. I just hope I can get some practice in before July and be on the right side of the leader board the next time!”
FINAL TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
135 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 64 71 (£1,500).
138 David Orr (Eastwood) 71 67, John Gallagher (Swanston) 71 67 (£800 each). 
140 James McGhee (Bishopbriggs Golf Range) 71 69 (£575).
141 Graeme Brown (Montrose) 69 72 (£475).
142 Eric Ramsay (Carnoustie) 70 72, Mark Kerr (Murrayfield) 69 73 (£365 each). 
143 Alan Reid (West Lothian) 73 70, Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 73 70, Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle) 72 71, Scott Herald (Mearns Castle) 71 72, Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 70 73, Graham Fox (North Gales) 69 74 (£241.66 each) 
144 Zack Saltman (Craigielaw) 74 70, Corisande Lee (West Lancs) 72 72, Mark King (Kingsfield) 73 71, John Henry (Clydebank and Dist) 72 72, Steven Duncan (Loch Lomond) 72 72 (£170 each). 
145 Chris Kelly Cawder 76 69 (+5) 145 £ 123.00
Ed Wood Crowwood 74 71 (+5) 145 £ 123.00
Robert Arnott Bishopbriggs Golf Range 74 71 (+5) 145 £ 123.00
Keir McNicoll Carnoustie 72 73 (+5) 145 £ 123.00
Kevin McAlpine Alyth 71 74 (+5) 145 £ 123.00
146 Katy McNicoll Carnoustie 76 70 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
Craig Gordon Edinburgh Golf Centre 75 71 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
Ben Irving The Pines 75 71 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
Mark Loftus Adam Hunter Golf 72 74 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
David Roger Windyhill 72 74 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
Lindsay Mann Carnoustie Links 72 74 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
Lee Harper Archerfield 72 74 (+6) 146 £ 29.29
147 Andrew McIintyre Ranfurly Castle 78 69 (+7) 147
Tim Rich Royal Lytham St Annes 76 71 (+7) 147
Stewart Savage Dalmuir 73 74 (+7) 147
148 Alan Lockhart Ladybank 74 74 (+8) 148
Neil Fenwick Dunbar 74 74 (+8) 148
149 Alistair Brown Whitecraigs 76 73 (+9) 149
Chris Currie Caldwell 72 77 (+9) 149
Lauren Mackin Son Gual 76 74 (+10) 150
150 James Erskine Portpatrick 75 75 (+10) 150
Stephen McAllister Renaissance 75 75 (+10) 150
Scott Pithie Carluke 72 78 (+10) 150
Craig Ronald Carluke 71 79 (+10) 150
151 Lorne Kelly Pro Dream USA 76 75 (+11) 151
Francisco Pintor Smith The Dukes 75 76 (+11) 151
152 Iain Colquhoun Dundonald 77 75 (+12) 152
Heather MacRae Gullane 75 77 (+12) 152
Michael Paterson Kilmacolm 74 78 (+12) 152
153 Malcolm Isaacs Nairn Dunbar 78 75 (+13) 153
Ian Redford St Andrews New 77 76 (+13) 153
Barry Campbell Vale of Leven 75 78 (+13) 153
155 Stephen Clark Unattached 77 78 (+15) 155
Tracey Boyes Meon Valley 74 81 (+15) 155
156 Alastair Thomson Douglas Park 79 77 (+16) 156
157  James Smallwood Fereneze 78 79 (+17) 157
Andy Fullen Largs 76 81 (+17) 157
158 John Green HDA Properties 83 75 (+18) 158
Scott Garett Irvine Bogside 82 76 (+18) 158
159 David Snodgrass Hilton Park 76 83 (+19) 159
160 Alan Waugh Clydebank & District 76 84 (+20) 160
163 Eric Walker Burntisland 80 83 (+23) 163
164 Paul Gallacher Dalmuir 83 81 (+24) 164
Paul Robinson 81 83 (+24) 164
Brian Smith Golfing 4 All 80 84 (+24) 164
165 Vincent Brown Westerwood 84 81 (+25) 165
NR Ross Dixon Renaissance 84 N/R N/R
WD Gary Cooke Aspire 83 W/D W/D
WD Stuart Burns 79 W/D W/D

PHILIP RIDDEN WINS LAGONDA TROPHY AT GOG MAGOG

Philip Ridden (City of Newcastle) won the Lagonda Trophy 72-hole open tournament at Gog Magog Golf Club with an aggregate of 275.
He had a shot to spare from Tyrrell Hatton (Harleyford) who played in the recent Walker Cup squad practice match at Royal Aberdeen.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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JACKSON PUTS THE WIND UP HIS CHALLENGE TOUR RIVALS

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes

Grant Jackson defied blustery conditions in the Belgian capital Brussels to charge into the lead on the opening day of the Telenet Trophy on the European Challenge Tour.
The Englishman, who was on the books of rugby league side Castleford Tigers before opting for the more sedate career of a professional golfer, was playing in the first group out at 7.30am, but made light of a 5am alarm call to post a superb five under par round of 67 at Royal Waterloo Golf Club.
Starting on the tenth tee Jackson, who is competing in his first Challenge Tour season after finishing fourth on the Satellite EPD Tour order of merit last year, got off to a slightly sluggish start with a bogey at his second hole, but notched his first birdie of the day at the par three 15th.
Despite dropping a shot at the next he promptly rallied with successive birdies, and after driving the green at the par four second, the 29 year old duly rolled in an eagle putt from 40 feet to move to three under par for the day.
A further birdie on the third promptly followed, and after bogeying the seventh he closed with two birdies to sign for the lowest round of his fledgling Challenge Tour career.
Jackson said: “It was tough out there because the wind was picking up all the time. I holed a few nice putts, including one from off the green on the last and another long one for eagle on the second. It was important to take your chances where you could, because it was damage limitation at times. But overall I’m happy and I’m now looking forward to a bit of a rest, because it was a very early start this morning.
“Sometimes I set my alarm for 6am at home and go to the gym, to try to get used to the early starts. But a 5am wake-up call is never pleasant! But if anything we maybe got the better of the conditions early in the morning, so it was good to take advantage of them and I’m just pleased to get in with a decent score.
“It was good to get a bit of form back, because I’ve been struggling with my game in the last few weeks. I didn’t get into Madeira last week so went to see my coach a couple of times, and between us we managed to sort a few things out. I’d got a little bit off track, but it was good to have a re-focusing session and hopefully now I can keep it going for the next three days and the rest of the season.”
Jackson is currently one stroke clear of South African Branden Grace, Portugal’s Ricardo Santos, Colombian David Vanegas and England’s Oliver Whiteley.
Of the home contingent, it was 2007 champion Nicolas Vanhootegem and Guillaume Watremez who fared the best with rounds of 71, whilst Pierre Relecom delighted the locals with a hole in one at the fourth.
FIRST ROUND

67 G Jackson (Eng)
68 R Santos (Por), B Grace (RSA) , D Vanegas (Col) , O Whiteley (Eng) 

70 A Tampion (Aus) , J Palmer (Eng) , J Garcia (Esp) , S Robinson (Eng) 
71 G Watremez (Bel) , Å Nilsson (Swe) , P Baker (Eng) , D Denison (Eng), M Lundberg (Swe) , A Hansen (Den) , A Canete (Arg) , G Adell (Swe), B Åkesson (Swe) , L Canter (Eng) , D Lokke (Den) , N Vanhootegem (Bel), C Paisley (Eng) , M Warren (Sco) , F Colombo (Ita)
72 C Carranza (Arg) , J Lima (Por) , I Keenan (Eng) , D Vancsik (Arg) , C Mivis (Bel) , M Rominger (Sui) , A Signor (Ita) , G Dear (Sco) , M Baldwin (Eng) , A McArthur (Sco) , A Pavan (Ita) , F Fritsch (Ger) , P Archer (Eng) , C Russo (Fra) , D Wuensche (Ger) 
73 P Golding (Eng) , J Grillon (Fra) , B Hemstock (Eng) , A Bihan (Fra) , J Colomo (Esp) , M Cryer (Eng) , B Miarka (Ger) , J Campillo (Esp) , S Hutsby (Eng) , L Richard (Bel) , M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) , A Haindl (RSA) , G Molteni (Ita) , R De Sousa (Sui) , J Legarrea (Esp) , T Fleetwood (Eng) , M Evans (Eng) , C Van Wassenhove (am) (Bel)
74 C Brazillier (Fra) , J Bragulat (Esp) , B Chapellan (Fra) , G Gresse (Bel) , J Relecom (Bel) , E Bertheussen (Nor) , B Evans (Eng) , G Seegmuller (Bel) , R Kind (Ned) , L Jensen (Den) , C Macaulay (Sco) , P Relecom (Bel) , C Doak (Sco) , A Grenier (Fra) , J Doherty (Sco) , A Tadini (Ita) , X Feyaerts (am) (Bel) , T Detry (am) (Bel)
75 V Riu (Fra) , M Kieffer (Ger) , B Hafthorsson (Isl) , A Snobeck (Fra) , N Lombardi (Ita) , T Sherreard (Eng) , S Davis (Eng) , J Garcia Pinto (Esp) , S Bebb (Wal) , A Willey (Eng) , P Dwyer (Eng) , M Southgate (Eng) , J Guerrier (Fra) , R Blaum (USA) , A Ahokas (Fin) , J Hepworth (Eng) , T Whitehouse (Eng) , J Van Der Vaart (Ned) , A Butterfield (Eng) , S Little (Eng) ,
76 M Palm (Swe) , N Bertasio (Ita) , B Barham (Eng) , C Lloyd (Eng) , C Ford (Eng) , S Tiley (Eng) , J Moul (Eng) , G Murphy (Irl) , A Domingo (Esp) , A Maestroni (Ita) , E Pepperell (Eng) , J Clément (Sui) , W Besseling (Ned) , S Piaget (Mon) , J Billot (Fra) , A Bernadet (Fra) , E Dubois (Fra) , K Hesbois (am) (Bel)
77 N Lemke (Swe) , G Houston (Wal) , F Svanberg (Sui) , A Perrino (Ita) , J Hansen (Den) , C Moriarty (Irl) , H Bacher (Aut) , A Coltart (Sco), J Roos (RSA) , C Gane (Eng) , J Estevez (Arg) , N Meitinger (Ger) , O David (Fra) 
78 J Lucquin (Fra) , T Mambourg (Bel) , E Kofstad (Nor) , W Schauman (Swe) , J Quesne (Fra) , J Robinson (Eng) , M Cobo (Esp) , M Dam (Den) , I Urquizu (Esp) , P Kaensche (Nor)
79 D De Vooght (Bel) , R Bechu (Fra) , D Brooks (Eng) , R Steiner (Aut) , K Eriksson (Swe) , N Kearney (Irl) 
80 C Lee (Sco) , P Del Grosso (Arg) , J Heath (Eng) , C Rodiles (Esp) , R Hjelm (Den) , M Jones (am) (Bel) 
81 K Borsheim (Nor) , N McCarthy (Eng) , B Hebert (Fra) ,
82 P Gustafsson (Swe)

83 M Kramer (Ger) , F Elli (Ita) , S Quy (am) (Bel) ,

84 F Calmels (Fra)

LUKE DONALD LEADS BY TWO WITH 64 AT WENTWORTH

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Luke Donald was left feeling "a little bit invincible" after he took a giant stride towards the World No. 1 spot with a seven-under-par 64 on the opening day of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, Surrey today.

Four days after he just missed out on dethroning Lee Westwood, last year's runner-up threw down the gauntlet with a sparkling eight-birdie display in the wet and windy conditions.

Westwood could only respond with a one-over 72 as his compatriot produced a masterclass to lead Italian teenager Matteo Manassero and Sweden’s Johan Edfors by two.

Donald's only mistake came when he pulled his approach to the 480yard 12th into the trees and had to chip out sideways. But he was already five under when that bogey came and over the closing stretch he picked up further strokes on the 13th, 16th and 17th.

The round equalled his best on The European Tour, and afterwards he said: "That was probably one of the best rounds I've ever played, to be honest.

"It was tough conditions out there - the wind was swirling, there was some rain showers, and this isn't an easy course in the best of conditions. So to pretty much have total control of the golf ball today doesn't happen very often in golf but that's how I felt today. I was just seeing the shots and I was able to hit them. So it was very, very satisfactory today - very, very pleasing.

"I guess you feel a little bit invincible. You're out there and just have a lot of good feelings, there's not a lot of negativity that creeps in. Everything is positive around you - you're seeing the shots well and everything is working."

The Ryder Cup star had last year's Captain Colin Montgomerie alongside him for a while, but the 47 year old - without a top-ten finish for almost three years and 462nd in the Official World Golf Ranking - bogeyed the 15th and 16th.

That left 18 year old Manassero in second place along with Edfors – who claimed all three of his European Tour titles back in 2006.

Almost unbelievably Manassero could move into the world's top 15 if he captured his third European Tour title this weekend.

As for Westwood, he double-bogeyed the 418 yard sixth, but came back with birdies on the ninth and tenth, but then dropped another shot on the 15th.

Manassero dropped his first shot of the day at the 15th, but by birdieing two of the last three was able to sign for a five under par 66.

“It was really good, I played really solid,” he said. “I hit the ball well, didn't miss many shots, which I think conditions like this, on this course, it's key.

“It's tough conditions and the course is firm, but I managed to finally play a good, solid round, and that was the key of five under. It's playing really firm this week. Putting is not easy, but if you put the ball in play, you've done more than 50 per cent.”

Edfors produced a stunning back-nine 32 that was one better than even Donald could manage.

After turning one under par, he produced a fantastic recovery shot from the trees on the 11th and holed from four feet for birdie, then almost sank his four iron approach at the 480 yard 12th.

He picked up consecutive birdies again at the two closing par-5s and said: “I holed a couple of key putts, but it was tough out there. The winds were really gusty, and so really happy with five under.”

Ian Poulter, who denied Donald the World No. 1 spot with his Volvo World Match Play Championship victory at Finca Cortesin last Sunday, is in a four-way tie for fifth with Wales’ Bradley Dredge, Spain’s José Manuel Lara and England’s Ross McGowan.

A 36-minute delay caused by a thunderstorm meant some of the late starters could not finish before dark – and in the last group Sweden’s Oscar Floren had moved into fourth place on four under after 11 holes. They will complete their first rounds early Friday morning.
LEADERBOARD
Par 71
64 Luke Donald (England).
66 Matteo Manassero (Italy), Johan Edfors (Sweden).
68 Ross McGowan (England), Bradley Dredge (Wales), Ian Poulter (England), Jose Manual Lara (Spain).
69 Kenneth Ferrie (England), Alvaro Quioros (Spain), Darren Clarke (N Ireland), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Thomas Levet (France), Anders Hansen (Denmark).
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
71 Peter Whiteford, Scott Jamieson (T20).
74 Paul Lawrie, Steven O'Hara (T53).
75 Stephen Gallacher, Richie Ramsay (T81).
76 Scott Drummond, Gary Orr, David Drysdale (T102)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE 

SCOTS PAIR ON STAFF AT ELEA GOLF CLUB, NO 1 IN CYPRUS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY LANDMARK MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

Important golf rankings website, Top100golfcourses.co.uk, announces Elea Golf Club, part of the prestigious Elea Estate development, as the best golf course on the Mediterranean island.

Sir Nick Faldo’s ‘Mediterranean Masterpiece’ sited in Paphos, has, once again, been recognised as a leading golf experience – receiving the ‘Number One golf course in Cyprus’ accolade from influential golf course rankings website Top100golfcourses.co.uk

Director of Golf Operations at Elea Estate is a Scot, Ross Robertson (pictured right) and the head club professional is a compatriot, Chris Campbell (pictured below).

In the short time since opening its doors to the public in October 2010, Elea Golf Club has been praised by both visitors and media alike, most notably being positioned at number nine in Golf Magazine’s ‘Top 10 new international golf courses of 2010’ ranking and also being heralded as ‘one of the world’s most exciting new courses’ by Golf World Magazine.

Ross Robertson said: “Our objective from day one was to create a club that mirrored some of the other great golf courses of the world. It is encouraging to see that we are now being consistently talked about alongside golf clubs already steeped in the rich traditions of the game.

“Elea Golf Club will always pride itself on delivering an above-expectation level of experience, whether it’s on the golf course, in our Golf Academy or through our food and beverage operation, and this accolade from the team at Top100golfcourses offers further evidence we are giving customers something very special.”

In making Elea Golf Club its preferred golf course in Cyprus, the Top100golfcourses ranking experts commented: “The arrival of the new Sir Nick Faldo-designed course at Elea Estate has stratospherically raised the Cypriot bar. The vision of Elea Estate is to be a place where people enjoy life and if you like golf, then you will enjoy Sir Nick’s Elea.”

The 6,900-yard lay-out circulates through groves of mature carob and olive trees, while dramatic outcrops of weathered limestone strikingly contrast with the dark green fairways that, on many holes, are fringed by Mediterranean grasses and an abundance of wild herbs and native flora.

The course is supported by The Elea Golf Academy that sits alongside the clubhouse. It features a full-length driving range complete with target greens and bunkers, a short game practice area and a stunning putting green, which commands an imposing location overlooking the whole course.

The Elea Golf Club, is the centrepiece of Elea Estate, a premium development owned by Nicosia-based company S.Z. Eliades Leisure that, on-completion, will boast luxurious villas and apartments, a boutique hotel supported by a range of dining options and extensive spa facilities.

For further information about Elea Estate, visit the website, www.eleaestate.com, or telephone +357 26 202001 (main switchboard).

• Press release issued by Landmark Media International, 

on behalf of Elea Estate.

WHERE TO GO ON SUNDAY, JUNE 12

The Drumpellier Cup – 36 hole scratch open 

( Also a Lanarkshire Golf Order of Merit event )

At Drumpellier Golf Club, Coatbridge on Sunday, June 12.

Entry fee £15.
Superb prize fund with the winner receiving £300 SGU voucher, down to 8th place of £30 voucher

Wilson Bryson writes:

Drumpellier is one of the best courses in Lanarkshire. It's always in great condition and has a long list of top amateurs who have won the prestigious event (Charlie Green, Barclay Howard, Steven O’Hara, A D Ferguson, Brian Smith, W S Bryson, Allyn Dick and Dean Robertson to name but a few ).

Entries close: Friday, June 3

For entries please contact:

Tournament administrator 01236 424139 or administrator@drumpelliergolfclub.com or john.harkess@tesco.net

Best regards

Wilson Bryson

MONTROSE GOLF LINKS TEXAS SCRAMBLE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 12

Late entries will be accepted at 01674 672932 or by E-mailing secretary@montroselinks.co.uk for the Montrose Golf Links Texas Scramble on Sunday, June 12.

TEE TIMES
0800 Crash 2
0810 Bill Dryden’s Team
0820
0830 The Crabs
0840 Cronics
0850 4 Below
0900 Stuart MacPherson’s Team
0910 The Acquaintances
0920 M Munro’s Team
0930 Charles Cassie’s Team
0940
0950 Stuart Duncan’s Team
1000 Neil Henderson’s Team
1010 Jim Callander’s Team
1020
1030 Garvoch Gowfers
1040 Stonehaven Rovers
1050 Kirk Boys
1100 Rob Coleman’s Team
1110 Knox/McKay Team
1120 Cowper/Knight/Angus Team
1130 Alistair Thomson’s Team
1140 Mishits
1150 The Four Tops
1200 Colin Dobson’s Team
1210 Norman Johnson’s Team
1220
1230 Bruce Farquharson’s Team
1240
1250
1300
1310
1320
1330
1340
1350
1400 Mick Taylor’s Team
1410 Jim Marsh’s Team
1420 Paul Teviotdale’s Team
1430
1440
1450
1500
1510
1520
1530
1540
1550

AYRSHIRE NAME SQUAD FOR SCOTTISH BOYS' AREA TEAM EVENT

Ayrshire have named the squad who will bid for the 2011 Dunfermline Building Society Scottish Boys Area Team Championship, to be played at Hayston GC on Sunday, June 5.
It is Charlie Macneal, Euan Walker, David Wilson and Jack McDonald.
The team will play foursomes in the morning and singles in the afternoon, with the two foursomes scores and the best three of the four singles scores counting towards the team total.

JAMES BYRNE LOOKS BACK ON FOUR YEARS AT ARIZONA STATE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
James Byrne, the highest world-ranked amateur golfer in Scotland, is coming up to the end of four years as a student at Arizona State University, during which time he has played high-level competitive golf on the US college circuit from September to May every year.
Next week (May 31 to June 5) the Banchory player will be a key member in the Arizona State team bidding to end the US college golf season in a blaze of glory by winning the NCAA Division 1 championship at Karsten Creek, Stillwater in Oklahoma.
Modern technology means it is not difficult to interview somebody thousands of miles away in Arizona ... I E-mailed James the questions and he very sportingly send back the following answers without delay: 

Q: Would you be the player you are now if you had not have four years of high-level competition in America?A: It's difficult to say. When I made the decision to attend college in the US, the support behind Scottish golfers didn't seem to be nearly as strong as it is now. At Arizona State I've been spoiled with four years of good weather, which of course was my incentive to go there in the first place. I knew I'd have a huge advantage over my peers by being able to practise year-round and initially that was probably the case.
But the SGU have made great improvements to the training programs in recent years, taking the squads to warm climates for weeks and months at a time, so there have been great opportunities at home as well.
From what I've heard, the trips to South Africa and Abu Dhabi this past winter were massive successes and the guys seem to be playing well as a result. To answer the question though, I couldn't possibly tell if I would be a better player or not, but what I do know is that by coming to ASU I have matured as a golfer and as a person, and the experience in general has been very rewarding.
It hasn't all been about golf. I now have a degree in Business Marketing (graduated last week!) and I have made countless friendships, many of which will last a lifetime.

Q Would you advise other Scottish/British teenagers to go to the US if offered golf scholarships or is it not as straight forward as that, i.e. other things to be taken into consideration like location, whether college has Division 1 status, etc?A I would absolutely advise it, but I would also consider options available at home. If the player is good enough, they might have the chance to get involved with the national training programs which as I mentioned, are excellent.The factors that need to be considered are fairly obvious. My number 1 deciding factor was always going to be weather, so I chose the school with the best weather and facilities. Other kids might be attracted to a program with a hall-of-fame coach or somewhere with a strong reputation for academics.

It all depends on preferences and only the individual knows where he/she really wants to go.
Most people have heard the horror stories of good players catching the first flight home from the US, as the "coach" was actually a PE teacher and Minnesota was a lot further north than they expected.

Stories like that seem to be fairly common, unfortunately, and put an unfair damper on the image of college golf. As long as the player knows about the place they are going and has had dialogue with the coach, they are more likely to settle in well and not get homesick straight away.

It doesn't make much sense to sign up to spend four years of your life at a place you know nothing about.

Q: Lastly, apart from playing in all the big amateur tournaments when you come home and clinching a place in the GB and I Walker Cup team for Balgownie in September, what are your plans beyond that? Tour School in Europe - or do you see your future as a pro in the States?A: At the moment, I plan to return home and go through Tour School in Europe. I did think about staying in the States, following Martin Laird's lead, but I consider that to be a venture that lies further down the road. The majority of successful European players have established themselves first in Europe, so I would like to follow that trend.

JAMES BYRNE