STRICKER LEADS MEMORIAL BY THREE WITH ONE ROUND TO GO

Steve Stricker will carry a three-stroke lead into Sunday's final round in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Vallage, Dublin in the state of Ohio.
Stricker had a third-round 69 for a 12-under-par tally of 204. His earlier rounds were 68 and 67.
His nearest challenge on 207 is Jonathan Byrd (71-67-69).
Rory McIlroy is hanging on in there although, since an opening round of 66, he has had two so-so rounds of 72 and 71 to be sharing fifth place on 209.
Luke Donald slipped back with a 73 for 212 to be sharing 17th place.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
Players from US unless stated
204 Steve Stricker 68 67 69.
207 Jonathan Byrd 71 67 69.
208 Matt Kuchar 69 71 68, Brandt Jobe 71 68 69.
209 Mark Wilson 70 73 66, Shaun Micheel 69 73 67, Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 66 72 71.
Selected scores
212 Luke Donald (England) 70 69 73 (T17).
214 Brian Davis (England) 73 71 70, Phil Mickelson 72 70 72 (T25).
217 Ed Molinari (Italy) 72 69 76.

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McILROY STILL IN HUNT DESPITE A DOUBLE BOGEY

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Steve Stricker holed out from the fairway for one of his two eagles Saturday, wound up with a 3-under 69 on a steamy afternoon at Muirfield Village and finished with a three-shot lead in the Memorial.

He still had to convince himself it was a good day.
Right when it looked as though Stricker might leave everyone in his wake, he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole that threw his round into reverse. He made bogey on the par-5 15th. He missed a 4-foot par putt on the 16th, and had a 7-foot birdie on the next hole catch the lip. And when he arrived to his ball in the middle of the 18th fairway, it was right in the middle of a sand-filled divot.
Stricker managed to save par on the last hole, and perspective soon followed.
"All of a sudden, things seemed pretty hard, when at the start of the day, things were really going my way," he said. "But I understand that, and I understand that's the nature of this game. So you add them up at the end, and it was a 69. And it was a good score."
The score that matters is 12-under 204, which was three shots clear of Jonathan Byrd.
Byrd, who won the season-opener at Kapalua after playing in the final group with Stricker, hit his approach into 2 feet on the final hole for a birdie at a 69. Perhaps most significant to Byrd was that he didn't drop a lot of shots down the stretch as so many others did. Byrd's only blunder came on the par-5 11th, where he made his only bogey in his last 43 holes.
"I'm doing everything pretty well," Byrd said.
Matt Kuchar was the only player who seemed capable of keeping up with Stricker in the early going, but he dropped two shots in his last four holes and had to settle for a 68. That put him in a tie for third with Brandt Jobe (69), four shots behind.
Rory McIlroy is still in the hunt.
Despite a sloppy double bogey on the par-3 fourth, the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland rolled in a long eagle putt on the 15th and wound up with a 71. McIlroy was 10 shots behind with six holes to play, and now is within five shots of the lead going to Sunday.
"Even though I didn't play my best stuff today, I'm still in a decent position going into tomorrow," McIlroy said. "And that's all you can ask for."
He was at 7-under 209, along with former PGA champion Shaun Micheel (67) and Mark Wilson, who shot 66 despite a bogey on the final hole and will be trying to win for the third time this year.
Luke Donald, in his debut as No. 1 in the world, might only have a shot at his 10th consecutive top-10 finish in worldwide golf. Donald tried to stay in the picture until making a few bogeys down the stretch, as so many others did. He shot a 73 and was eight shots behind in a tie for 17th.
Four-time major champion Phil Mickelson finished with two birdies for a 72 and was 10 shots behind.
Stricker holed out for eagle from 113 yards on the second hole, made another eagle with a 3-iron into 6 feet on the par-5 fifth and looked as though he might run away from the field when he rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth.
It all changed with the short putt he missed on the 14th.
"Just missing that putt, and then sitting down at 15 tee, not getting going after that miss," he said. "The whole back nine seemed to kind of drag on a little bit. We waited a lot, it seemed like. I started missing some putts. Things seemed a little bit more difficult. My lies all of a sudden turned out to be a little more difficult."
He led by six shots until he finally got the 15th tee and pulled his tee shot into the left rough, then hit the next one into mangled grass in a hazard that forced him to chip out sideways. That began the slow slide back to the field, but not all the way back.
Stricker still leads by three shots as he goes for a 10th career victory, and a chance to go to No. 4 in the world and be the highest-ranked American for the first time in his career.
An amazing start gave Stricker strokes to burn toward the end of his round.
After an 8-footer to save par from a bunker on the opening hole, Stricker had 113 yards on No. 2. He reached into his pocket for a tee to clean out a chunk of dirt in his 53-degree wedge, set up over the ball and hit a perfect shot that spun into the cup for an eagle. Three holes later, he hit 3-iron over the water with just enough draw to catch the ridge and settled 6 feet away for another eagle.
Going back to the second round, it was his third eagle in seven holes. And he became only the 13th player on the PGA Tour since 1983 to make an eagle on a par 3, par 4 and par 5 in the same tournament.
He had it going so well that his lone bogey on the front nine came on a shot that was about a yard away from being an easy birdie, his wedge just hopping into a buried lie beyond the green instead of rolling down the ridge. But he answered with an 8-foot birdie on the seventh, and a 25-foot birdie on the eighth to go out in 31.
Staked to a five-shot lead on the back nine, however, Stricker began looking tentative, and the short birdie miss on the 14th seemed to drain him of energy, not to mention momentum.
Kuchar made six birdies on the front nine and went out in 31 to try to stay in range of Stricker. But he also took bogey on the 15th, then went long on the 18th and missed a 6-foot par putt to fall back.
"A little disheartening," Kuchar said. "Stricker was matching me shot-for-shot out there. I felt like I really had it going, and a little disappointing to drop a couple coming in. But it's a tough golf course."

BARRIE EDMOND BREAKS KEITH HIRD'S ABERDEEN LINKS RECORD

By DAVIE GRIEVE
Aberdeen Links championships secretary
Holder Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord) blew away the rest of the field at a tricky Kings Links today to beat Keith Hird's long-standing Royal Aberdeen Medal record score as the leading qualifier for the match-play stages of the Aberdeen Links championship.
Hird's two-round total of 133 had stood since the1990s but Edmond added a 68 to his opening round 64 to set a new mark at 132 (eight under the CSS and 10 under par).
Edmond, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, will now meet Bon Accord clubmate Willie Smith in Monday's opening tie.
Edmond earned the top seed spot among the 32 qualifiers by nine shots from the second and third best qualifiers, Ross Young (Bon Accord) (73-68) and former winner Alex Cruickshank (Caledonian) (72-69), both on 141.
Amazingly Barrie's net total of 135 was good enough to win the prize for best net scores in qualifying and his opening 64 also won him the Neville Smith Cup.
Elswhere, a host of familiar names including former champions Ronnie Evett, Alex Cruickshank, Stewart Finnie, Scott Davidson and Gordon Grimmer all move on to the match-play stages.

MONDAY'S TEE TIMES
5.00 B Edmond (BA) v W Smith (BA)
5.06 A Styles (C) v D Mullen (C)
5.12 N Mitchell (BA) v M Beattie (C)
5.18 K Dalglish (BA) v R Pirie (C)
5.24 M Greig (BA v J Annand (BA)
5.30 I Welsh (BA) v R Neilson (BA)
5.36 B Reid (C) v C Dunbar (C)
5.42 A Fiddes (N) v S Manson (N)
5.48 R Young (BA) v P McIntosh (C)
5.54 M Smith (BA) v R Evett (N)
6.00 S Allan (C) v S Slessor (N)
6.06 L Morrice (C) v W West (N)
6.12 A Cruickshank (C) v M Edmond (BA)
6.18 R Allerton (BA) v S Muir (N)
6.24 S Finnie (C) v S Davidson (N)
6.30 G Grimmer (C) v S A Smith (C)


LINKS HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP
Thursday 9th June
5.00 G Nicholson (N) v D Galloway (N)
5.06 A Phillip (C) v D Grieve (BA)
5.12 T McGovern (C) v D Mair (N)
5.18 G Morrison (N) v S J Laing (C)
5.24 W Shand (BA) v G Bond (N)
5.30 J Forrest (N) v G McLaggan (BA)
5.36 A Haining (BA) v J Inglis (N)
5.42 A J Sherriffs (N) v S Murphy (BA)

FLYING FINN WILLBERG WINS EUROPEAN MID-AMATEUR TITLE

Finland's Marco Willberg is the new European men's mid-amateur champion.
With a closing round of one-under-par 71, he swept past the faltering overnight leader, Jacobo Cestino, to post a final total of five-over-par 221 for the three rounds at Sola Golf Club, Norway today.
Willberg, out in 34 in his final round, could afford the luxury of a double bogey 6 at the 16th and still head Cestino who followed up a pair of 71s, which put him well clear of the field, with an 80 for 222 - to lose out by one shot to Willberg.
No Scots entered the tournament for over-35s.
The highest-placed English finisher was Philip Meadows in a tie for sixth place on 226 with steady scores of 75, 70 and 75.
Roger Roper from Leeds, well-known on the mid-amateur circuit for years, was the next best from England, finishing 11th in the big field  with scores of 77, 78 and 74 for 229.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72). CSS +1, +1, +2
221 Marco Willberg (Finland) 75 75 71.
222 Jacobo Cestino (Spain) 71 71 80.
223 Niklas Rosenkvist (Sweden) 77 73 73, Morten Findsen Schou (Denmark) 71 76 76 Jani Michelsson (Finland) 72 74 77.
226 Philip Meadows (England) 75 70 75, Thomas Kruger (Germany) 79 71 76.
Selected totalS
229 Roger Roper (England) 77 78 74 (11th).
236 Paul Le Chevalier (England) 78 77 81 (T31).
249 Mark Stokes (England) 77 86 86 (T64).
256 Roger Butler (England) 88 84 84 (T77).

GIBSON BEST OF SIX SCOTS WHO MAKE THE CUT AT ST ANDREWS

Six Scots figured among the precise figure of 40 qualifiers for Sunday's final two rounds of the St Andrews Links Trophy over the Old Course.
Highest placed was young Scott Gibson (Southerness) in joint sixth place on 142 after a one-under-par 71 over the Old Course today to add to his par 71 at the New Course yesterday.
Gibson, pictured right, is only three shots behind the joint pacemakers, Franco Romero (Argentina (67-72) and Dutchman Daan Huizing (71-68).
The other Scots who matched or got under the cut-off mark of three-over-par 146 were: Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) (73-71) on 144, James White (Leven) (72-73) on 145, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) (71-74) on 145 and Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) (72-73), also on 145.
Brian Soutar (Leven GS) made it on the button with a pair of 73s for 146.
Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol dropped from a leading place to over the cut-off line with a 79 for 147 - the same aggregate as David Law (Hazlehead) (76-71) and Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) (72-75).Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) was on 148 (72-76) while Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) (72-78), Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) (72-78) and Ross Kellett (Colville Park) (76-74) also bowed out.
Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) was on 151 (77-74) while Scottish and South African champion Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), having his first competition since he had a spell on the sidelines with a wrist injury, shot 77-75 for 152, the same tally as Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) (75-77) and young St Andrews prospect Ewan Scott (75-77). 
LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 143 (71 on New Course Friday; 72 on Old Course Saturday). CSS 74 Round 1, 75 Round 2.
139 Franco Romero (Argentina) 67 72, Daan Huizing (Netherlands) 71 68.
140 Ben Campbell (Australia) 69 71, Rhys Enoch (Truro) 66 74.
141 Jack Senior (Heysham) 72 69.
142 Scott Gibson (Southerness) 71 71, Sebastian Maclean (Portugal) 71 71, Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) 68 74.

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES

144 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 73 71 (T14).
145 Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 71 74, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 72 73, James White (Leven) 72 73 (T24)
146 Brian Soutar (Leven GS) 73 73 (T32).

MISSED CUT
147 Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) 68 79, David Law (Hazlehead) 76 71, Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 72 75. 148 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 72 76.
150 Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 772 78, Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 72 78, Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 76 74.
151 Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 77 74, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 75 76.
152 Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) 77 75, Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 75 77, Ewan Scott (St Andrews) 75 77, Ross Bell (Edzell) 79 73.
153 Conor O'Neil (Pollok) 76 77. 
158 Ross Coull (Edzell) 80 78, Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 75 83.
159 Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 77 82.
160 Zander Culverwell (Dunbar) 81 79.
161 Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 79 82.
162 Ian Bell (Scotscraig) 78 85.
168 Paul Gault (Westerwood) 88 80.
170 Greg Nicolson (Mortonhall) 84 86.

WHEN TO SEE THE SCOTS AND LEADERS ON SUNDAY AT OLD COURSE


7.10 and 12.10 Brian Soutar and Dylan Boshart.
7.42 and 12.42 James White and Brett Drewitt.
7.50 and 12.50 Paul Shields and Paul Cutler.
7.58 and 12.58 Jordan Findlay and Craig Hinton.
8.46 and 13.46 Greg Paterson and Le Riche Ehlers.
9.18 and 14.18 Andy Sullivan and Jorge Fernandez Valdes.
9.26 and 14.26 Scott Gibson and Sebastian Maclean.
9.34 and 14.34 Tom Lewis and Jack Senior.
9.42 and 14.42 Rhys Enoch and Ben Campbell.
9.50 and 14.50 Franco Romero and Dann Huizing.

McDOWELL PLUMMETS WITH AN 81 IN SAAB WELSH OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Alex Noren birdied the final hole to retain his one shot lead with a round to play at the Saab Wales Open.

The Swede carded a level par 71 to remain eight under par, with his compatriot Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen on seven under.

Former Omega European Masters champion Noren had something of a rollercoaster ride in the windy conditions, Hansen a superlative 66 - but Graeme McDowell tumbled from second place overnight to 33rd with an 81.
SCROLL DOWN PAST THE SCOREBOARD TO THE STORY OF McDOWELL'S MELTDOWN.

Noren looked as if he might tumble off the leaderboard as well when he three-putted the fourth and sixth and then took six at the long ninth after a wild drive led to a penalty drop.

“I thought it was so much tougher than yesterday, especially around the greens,” he said. “It was the same direction as off the tees and into the greens, you kind of just had to add and take off the stronger wind.

“But on the greens, some putts played really slow and some played really fast, and I had a little bit of trouble getting the pace right. So it's a bit more of a struggle than yesterday.”

But the 28 year old came back with three birdies in four holes from the 11th.

That enabled him to grab the lead back from Hansen, who from two over after three holes went crazy with six birdies and then a near-albatross at the downwind 575 yard last.

Needing only a seven iron for his second shot he could not believe that it finished three inches behind the hole.

"I've never had albatross, but I'm happy with eagle," he said.

“I hit a lot of good golf shots and seemed to take advantage of the chances that I did have. When I didn't have chances, I sort of tried to keep the ball in play. And I did make three bogeys, so it's a tough day out there.”

Hanson, who made his Ryder Cup debut at the course last year, started with two bogeys, but played the last 16 in five under to boost his chances of a fifth European Tour win.

“I've been happy the way I've been playing,” he said. “Struggling a bit off the tee the first two rounds, and today I felt I hit it much better and iron play was good.

“Especially today when it was windy, I scrambled very well and made some really good putts, like the one on the last.”

Welshman Jamie Donaldson is two behind in fourth place as he seeks not only to become the first home winner, but also grab his first European Tour victory in well over 200 starts.

“I put myself in a good position,” he said. “It was nice to finish like that - I needed to finish like that to give myself a chance, and we did finish well. Here we are in a good, strong position.”

SCOTSWATCH

Banchory tour pro Greig Hutcheon, playing in the event because he won the Tartan Tour Order of Merit last year and also the PGA Play-offs, has always said that he felt if he could get a toehold on the European Tour, he would be able to hold his own.
His performance at Celtic Manor would seem to back up that sentiment because he is one one-under par 212 after a 69, sharing 19th place with compatriot Elliot Saltman who also had a 69.
Peter Whiteford slipped a bit with a 73 for 213 but he is just outside the top 20, joint 22nd to be precise.
David Drysdale cannot seem to string three or four good rounds together this season. After opening rounds of 71, this looked like being the tournament where he would end his slumps but a 75 for 217 knocked him back to a share of 38th position.


THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 213 (3x71)

205 Alexander Noren (Sweden) 67 67 71.

206 Anders Hansen (Denmark) 70 70 66, Peter Hanson (Sweden) 65 72 69.

207 Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 68 68 71.

208 Steve Webster (England) 66 72 70, Victor Dubuisson (France) 67 69 72.

209 Johan Edfors (Sweden) 68 71 70.

SCOTS' SCORES

212 Greig Hutcheon 72 72 69, Elliot Saltman 73 70 69 (T19).

213 Peter Whiteford 70 70 73 (T22).

217 David Drysdale 71 71 75 (T38).

Another McDowell meltdown with an 81 at Celtic Manor

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

Less than two weeks away from his defence of the US Open title Graeme McDowell suffered the potentially devastating shock of an 81 - the joint worst round of his entire European Tour career - at Celtic Manor today.

On the course where he was not only Europe's Ryder Cup hero last October, but also Wales Open champion five months earlier, the world number five crashed from one off the lead to an incredible 11 strokes adrift.

Swede Alex Noren still leads after a rollercoaster ride of a 71 in the windy conditions - compatriot Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen are one behind, Hansen after a superlative 66 - but the story of the day was inevitably McDowell's tumble from second place overnight to 33rd.

And this less than a month since he collapsed from first to 33rd with a closing 79 at the Players Championship in Florida.

It could have been even more of a meltdown, though. He thought he might get a two-shot penalty for tapping down the ground as a chip came back to him on the 12th, but he escaped that because it was done in anger rather than with the intention to improve his lie.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed," said McDowell. "I got off to a start where everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

"I just couldn't get anything going. It was the most crazy seven holes I've had in a long time - my head was spinning.
"I feel I got heavily punished for some mediocre golf, not disastrously bad golf.
"After the 11th (a bogey 6 on a reachable-in-two par- five) I completely lost my patience and at 12 (a quadruple bogey 8) I just lost my head. That was me gone.
"Until then, I felt like I was in control of my game, but I very swiftly got out of control.
"I've made more double bogeys and triple bogeys this season than ever and I need to address that and understand why that is. It kind of broke my heart a little bit.
"Tomorrow I'll try to shoot a 66 or 67, then lick my wounds and get ready for Congressional. But there are some mental areas that I've got to address."
McDowell's previous worst rounds on the European circuit were 81s at Valderrama in 2002 - his rookie season - and at Pinehurst in the 2005 US Open.
He was far from the only one to suffer - Darren Clarke shot 80, Thomas Levet and Stuart Manley 81, Paul Broadhurst and Jason Knutzon 84 - but he was certainly the most notable.
It was simply hard to believe at the venue where he finished 64-63 last May to turn a six-stroke deficit into a three-shot victory.
Television commentator Wayne Riley had only to witness a few holes to comment: "Welcome to the torture chamber".
Battling with a hook, the Northern Irishman was in two bunkers for an opening double bogey, dropped more shots at the second and fourth, then went from a rough into a ditch at the 433yd fifth.
He then hooked out of bounds on the short seventh for a third double bogey and after repairing some of the damage with birdies at the eighth and ninth came to grief again.
His second shot to the 11th with a fairway wood kicked into the water and after his 6 there his 8 came when two chips from just off the next green rolled back to his feet and he then three-putted.
At least he played the last six in one under, two-putting the par five last for birdie.

FOWLER LEADS HARWOOD IN HANDA SENIOR MASTERS

By STEVE TODD
European Seniors Tour Press Officer

Peter Fowler came out on top in the battle of the Australians with Mike Harwood to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of ISPS Handa Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum.

Close friends Fowler and Harwood, who are sharing a house together close to the Stapleford Park course, had shared the overnight lead and were neck and neck all through the second round until Harwood closed with a bogey.

With Scotland’s Andrew Oldcorn, who had joined the pair at the top of the leaderboard, also dropping a shot on the 18th, Fowler will took the outright lead as he chases a maiden European Senior Tour title.

On a blustery day in Melton Mowbray, England, which left only nine players under par for the tournament, former BMW International Open winner Fowler produced a solid two under par round of 71, picking up shots on the seventh and 15th holes.

“It was a bit windier out there today which made scoring more difficult,” said Fowler. “It was a tough day but I played pretty good.

“I wouldn’t have taken that score before I went out but I certainly would have taken the way I played.  I thought I could have done better today but I’m in a great position and I’m playing well so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Fowler has struggled with a back injury since joining the Senior Tour in June 2009 but has been in better condition and form during the 2011 campaign, finishing runner up to Sandy Lyle in the ISPS Handa Senior World Championship presented by Mission Hills China in March.

With two other top ten finishes to his credit, Fowler now feels he is ready to open his account on the Senior Tour.

“I’ve  been playing well over the last six months and won a few smaller events in Australia and had a couple of chances now on the Senior Tour, so that always helps to get you thinking right again,” he said.

“I’m just playing better so I will have more chances. I started feeling better in November last year  and I’m feeling pretty good at the moment.”

Fowler will have two former PGA Championship winners to contend with in Harwood and Oldcorn, who signed for rounds of 72 and 71 respectively.

Both players birdied the opening two holes to move clear of Fowler early in the round but it was mistakes on the final hole that cost them a share of the lead.

Oldcorn, who is also chasing his maiden Senior Tour title, also picked up birdies on the fifth and 15th holes  but bogeyed the tenth and then left his approach shot to the last short of the green and then failed to get up and down. 

Harwood, who picked up birdies on the 11th and 15th but also dropped shots on the seventh and 12th, found the water on the last and could have been worse off still had it not been for a fine 12ft bogey putt.

“I played well for about 12 holes but I struggled on the last half dozen,” he said. “ I hit three really poor shots – bad wedges on 16 and 17 when I missed the green and then a total mis-club on the last from the tee into the water. That was a bit disappointing but at the end of the day I made a fantastic five and I’m still in contention. I could have been three shots worse with the way I played the last three holes but I’m in a good position.”

Irishman Des Smyth is two shots off the lead after bogeying the final hole for round of 70, while former Ryder Cup player Gordon Brand Jnr and 2010 Senior Tour Order of Merit winner Boonchu Ruankgit are in a five way share of fifth place on one under par.

Ian Woosnam recovered from a run of four consecutive bogeys from the fourth hole to card a one over par 74, leaving him one over for the tournament and in a share of 11th place.

Sam Torrance, another former Ryder Cup Captain, is back in tied 34th position on five over par following a second round 77 that began with an eagle 2 but also included a triple bogey 8 on the fourth hole followed by four consecutive bogeys.

SCOREBOARD 
Par 146 (2x73)
139 P Fowler (Aus) 68 71,

140 A Oldcorn (Sco) 69 71, M Harwood (Aus) 68 72,

141 D Smyth (Irl) 71 70,

145 G Brand Jnr (Sco) 73 72, M Mouland (Wal) 71 74, B Cameron (Eng) 72 73, L Carbonetti (Arg) 73 72, B Ruangkit (Tha) 72 73

146 B Lincoln (RSA) 72 74

147 B Longmuir (Sco) 72 75, R Davis (Aus) 71 76, I Woosnam (Wal) 73 74, J Chillas (Sco) 73 74, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 73 74, R Drummond (Sco) 77 70,

148 W Grady (Aus) 74 74, D Cambridge (Jam) 71 77, P Dahlberg (Swe) 76 72, C Williams (RSA) 74 74, J Quiros (Esp) 72 76, J Rhodes (Eng) 72 76,

149 D O'Sullivan (Irl) 71 78, G Ryall (Eng) 75 74, M Cunning (USA) 74 75, P Mitchell (Eng) 73 76, B Smit (RSA) 73 76,

150 A Fernandez (Chi) 74 76, J Gould (Eng) 80 70, T Johnstone (Zim) 78 72, D Merriman (Aus) 74 76, S Van Vuuren (RSA) 73 77, M Belsham (Eng) 73 77,

151 D Russell (Eng) 70 81, K Tomori (Jpn) 73 78, A Sherborne (Eng) 78 73, J Bruner (USA) 78 73, S Torrance (Sco) 74 77, J Stuart (USA) 74 77,

152 D Durnian (Eng) 76 76, J Rivero (Esp) 75 77, G Ralph (Eng) 73 79, C Mason (Eng) 74 78, A Sowa (Arg) 75 77, J Harrison (Eng) 82 70,

153 C Rocca (Ita) 79 74,

154 A Franco (Par) 76 78, M Bembridge (Eng) 73 81, G Banister (Aus) 78 76,

155 N Job (Eng) 80 75, K Spurgeon (Eng) 79 76, L Stephen (Aus) 75 80,

156 N Ratcliffe (Aus) 82 74, M Moreno (Esp) 76 80, F Mann (Sco) 75 81, S Bennett (Eng) 75 81, H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 82,

157 A Garrido (Esp) 86 71, A Murray (Eng) 77 80, D Johnson (USA) 82 75, J Stansberry (USA) 75 82,

158 G Cali (Ita) 81 77, D Good (Aus) 74 84, G Manson (Aut) 79 79, G Brand (Eng) 76 82, B Larratt (Eng) 82 76,

159 M Piñero (Esp) 80 79,

161 J Heggarty (Nir) 80 81,

162 E Polland (Nir) 82 80,

164 B Stevens (Eng) 84 80,

 ** I Mosey (Eng) 81 Disqualified, P Errity (Irl) 78 Retired

 

 

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ANDREA PAVAN'S LEAD COMES DOWN TO FIVE SHOTS

By SARAH GWYNN
European Challenge Tour Press Officer
Andrea Pavan retained his sizeable lead in the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda, but his previous seven-shot advantage was reduced to five after he shot a two-under par-70 in the third round.

The Italian found the going tougher than in his first two rounds of 63 and 64, and the trio of Chris Paisley, Bjorn Åkesson and Edouard Dubois capitalised with scores of 68, 67 and 65 respectively to all reach 14 under for the tournament.

Pavan was one over after ten holes and at one stage his lead was reduced to three shots at Golf Club Klagenfurt-Seltenheim, but he atoned for a shaky start with three birdies in the last six holes to reach 19 under overall.

“I hit a couple of awful drives early on which killed my confidence a bit,” said the 22 year old from Rome. “I haven’t been driving great all week but today I struggled. There were also a few tight pins and the course was playing a little longer as well.

“I actually made a couple of really good putts for bogey early on, so it could’ve been worse. And it was nice to finish well – unfortunately I just missed out on birdies at the 17th and 18th.”

Paisley, playing in the €160,000 event on a sponsor’s invitation, had six birdies and two bogeys but was not entirely happy with his putting performance.

“All six birdies were putts from inside three feet,” said the 25 year old, who is currently leading the Alps Tour Order of Merit. “Yesterday I holed three or four 20 footers so that was the difference in the score.

“Andrea made a bit of a nervy start but as he said he holed a couple of great bogey putts and as the round went on he got better and better. It’s nice to have reined him in a little bit, but he’s going to be very tough to beat tomorrow.

“But you never know in golf and five shots isn’t that much. If he has another shaky start and I make a couple of birdies, suddenly that lead is gone. I’ve just got to try and play the best I can and that’s all I can do.”

Åkesson had a topsy-turvy round, with three birdies, an eagle and a bogey in the first seven holes, then eight straight pars, and a birdie and a par to finish.

He said: “Seven shots is a lot so to cut that lead to five is good. It’s always tough to be in the lead, especially when it’s such a big advantage.

“It was another good round for me today and I’m playing very well. My putting was good again today. For the eagle I hit a great drive, then a hybrid to about seven metres and holed a good downhill putt.

“Tomorrow there might be the temptation to go for it a bit more to try and catch Andrea but I think I will just try and stick to my game as it has been working well up to this point.”

Dubois said: “I started very well and was six under after nine holes. I only had one birdie on the back nine, at the 16th, but no bogeys on my card so I’m very happy. Everything about my game was great today.

“I wasn’t expecting Andrea to be only two under today, so it is a surprise to be closer to the lead. I’ll just try and play the same again tomorrow and hopefully have a chance to win.”

THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD

Par 216 (3x72)

197 A Pavan (Ita) 63 64 70

202 E Dubois (Fra) 70 67 65, B Åkesson (Swe) 65 70 67, C Paisley (Eng) 69 65 68

204 M Ford (Eng) 67 69 68

205 K Eriksson (Swe) 69 67 69, R Santos (Por) 68 70 67, J Campillo (Esp) 71 69 65

206 A Johnston (Eng) 70 70 66, M Southgate (Eng) 65 73 68, M Baldwin (Eng) 72 68 66, D Denison (Eng) 68 68 70, A Haindl (RSA) 72 68 66

207 M Erlandsson (Swe) 69 68 70, F Svanberg (Sui) 71 71 65, D Perrier (Fra) 69 71 67, R Steiner (Aut) 66 68 73, C Doak (Sco) 72 68 67, J Billot (Fra) 70 67 70

208 S Harrington (USA) 69 70 69, J Garcia (Esp) 69 69 70, B Ritthammer (Ger) 72 69 67, L Jensen (Den) 70 67 71, C Günther (Ger) 65 70 73, P Edberg (Swe) 70 66 72, J Hansen (Den) 69 70 69, A Butterfield (Eng) 71 68 69, A McArthur (Sco) 74 66 68, C Macaulay (Sco) 71 67 70, C Carranza (Arg) 69 69 70

209 A Maestroni (Ita) 71 69 69, S Little (Eng) 71 66 72, R Hjelm (Den) 69 71 69

210 A Bruschi (Ita) 70 72 68, B Barham (Eng) 69 69 72, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 70 71 69, J Grillon (Fra) 71 71 68, A Högberg (Swe) 70 72 68, A Forsyth (Sco) 70 72 68, P Del Grosso (Arg) 70 72 68, W Besseling (Ned) 69 69 72, N Bertasio (Ita) 68 71 71

211 S Jeppesen (Swe) 71 71 69, G Watremez (Bel) 70 69 72, G Dear (Sco) 72 70 69, D Lokke (Den) 69 73 69, B Grace (RSA) 67 72 72, J Abbate (Arg) 70 70 71, M Cryer (Eng) 72 70 69, M Larsson (Swe) 71 69 71, C Lloyd (Eng) 71 69 71,

212 J Legarrea (Esp) 70 72 70, A Tampion (Aus) 71 70 71, C Pfau (Aut) 67 75 70, T Remkes (Ned) 68 70 74, D Whitnell (Eng) 71 67 74, F Praegant (Aut) 71 70 71, M Trappel (am) (Aut) 69 72 71

213 R Kind (Ned) 71 71 71, F Ruprecht (Aut) 71 69 73, H Bacher (Aut) 70 71 72, L Westerberg (Swe) 71 70 72, G Molteni (Ita) 67 73 73

214 E Canonica (Ita) 75 67 72, J Estevez (Arg) 69 70 75, A Ahokas (Fin) 71 70 73

215 J Heath (Eng) 69 73 73

216 N Lombardi (Ita) 74 68 74

217 D Brooks (Eng) 68 73 76 

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Lewis Bain of Turnhouse wins Lothians' boys championship

Lewis Bain (Turnhouse), 17, came back from three down at the turn to beat Callum Cochrane (Dalmahoy) in the final of the Lothians' boys' championship at The Braids last night.

Bain birdied three holes in a row to square matters and won the title on the 18th green.

WHEATCROFT JUST MISSES "MAGIC" 59 ON US NATIONWIDE TOUR

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland. (AP) — Steve Wheatcoft birdied the final five holes for an 11-under 60 on Friday in the US Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open, missing a chance for a 59 when his 22-foot eagle putt from the fringe on No. 18 curled right and settled about 15 inches from the hole

The 33-year-old former Indiana Univerrsity player had a 16-under 126 total on the University of Maryland Golf Course to take a seven-stroke lead over England's former US PGA Tour player, Greg Owen (68).

"You don't get a shot at 59 very often. It's the magic number," Wheatcroft said.

Notah Begay III (1998 Dominion Open), Doug Dunakey (1998 Miami Valley Open) and Jason Gore (2005 Cox Classic) are the only players to shoot 59 in Nationwide Tour history.

Inverness exile Russell Knox, pictured, on his first season on the Nationwide Tour, missed the cut by one shot with rounds of 73 and 69 for level-par 142.

LEADERBOARD

Par 142 (2x71)

126 Steve Wheatcroft (US) 66 60.

133 Greg Owen (England) 65 68.

134 Jon Mills (Canada) 67 67.

Selected scores:

141 Gary Christian (England) 70 71 (T52)

MISSED THE CUT (141 or better qualified)

142 Russell Knox (Scotland) 73 69.

145 Matthew Richardson (England) 73 72

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ALAN SQUIRES RETAINS ENGLISH SENIORS' CHAMPIONSHIP

 NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY 
THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Alan Squires is still the English Seniors champion. Despite a tough closing day of high temperatures and even higher scores, the Lancastrian maintained his grip on the title throughout a jittery final round over a challenging golf course.

To underline how difficult scoring was, Squires (picture © Tom Ward) carded a closing 79 for 221 yet still finished five strokes ahead of his main rival Chris Reynolds, who shot 78, and six clear of third placed Graham Meddings with 82.

At one stage it seemed Squires wouldn’t have any problems as he went out in 38 and was still comfortably in the lead. But the back nine proved a different kettle of fish as he reeled off seven successive bogeys from the 11th and only a birdie-four at 18 gave him much relief and confirmed his victory.

“It was tough,” said a relieved Squires. “It was just as well I had a good cushion going into the final round otherwise it might have been different. But to win this title once was fantastic. To defend it successfully is unbelievable.

“This is a great course but in these dry conditions anything can happen. You can hit great shots but you can also get some horrendous kicks. I just wanted to keep the doubles off the card and not to hit it into the jungle. In the end I was thrilled to break 80.”

Squires went into the final round three strokes clear of playing partner Meddings but, crucially, six ahead of his friend and rival Reynolds. The front nine didn’t prove too tricky but coming home was where he needed shots to spare. But fortunately, the others were finding just as many problems.

“On the back nine I kept missing greens, missing putts, I got my distances wrong and didn’t hit the ball well at all,” added Squires. “It was just as well I shot 69 yesterday.”

With Meddings closing with 82, it allowed Reynolds to snatch second spot with his 78 but he was never able to get closer than three shots to Squires.

“This is a beautiful, beautiful course but I had too many three putts,” said the Kent man. “I wanted to shoot 72 because I knew Alan would have to break 80. But after three putts at the second and third, I just tried to settle for pars but even that was difficult.

“The pins were fair but they were also in some very awkward places. I putted well but for little return. Alan deserved to win after his 69 yesterday but I would like to play here again but possible in a match play situation."

The best round of the day, a 74, four over par, was returned by Cliff Pearce from Ellesborough for 232 and a share of 12th place but of the field of 66 only 14 broke 80. One of those was four-time champion Roy Smethurst from Crewe whose 79 saw him finish equal ninth on 231. But overall it was a day of damage limitation.

While Squires and Reynolds collected the major prizes, the age group winners were: Group A (Age 55-59) Graham Meddings (Hever Castle); Group B (60-64) Neil Hughes (Gog Magog); Group C (65-69) Roy Smethurst (Crewe); Group D (70 and over) Gerry Nash (The Dyke).

For full results and more information on the English Seniors Amateur Championship visit the EGU website www.englishgolfunion.org.

Lynne Fraser

EGU Marketing and PR Manager

Email: pr@englishgolfunion.org

Tel: 01526 354500

MARK BROOKS' TWO-SHOT LEAD ON US SENIORS TOUR

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Mark Brooks came within one putt 10 years ago of retiring from competitive golf.

Yet here he is, still carving out a living on the fairways and greens, and he went about that business in a most efficient manner Friday, shooting a 6-under 65 in hot, breezy conditions to take a two-stroke lead in the Principal Charity Classic.

"I'm stuck playing golf for the rest of my life," the Champions Tour rookie said, smiling. "Which is all right."

Brooks had said after the third round of the 2001 U.S. Open that if he won the tournament, he'd retire. He came close, losing to Retief Goosen in a playoff. Brooks would have won if he hadn't missed his par putt on the 72nd hole. A little later, Goosen also bogeyed the hole to create the playoff.

"I was young enough then I could have done something else," Brooks said. "Now I'm not."

He's a youngster on the senior circuit, though, joining in April after turning 50 on March 25. It's been a bit of a struggle, but Brooks put together his best round of the year on the Glen Oaks course, highlighted by a 60-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 17th hole.

Mark Calcavecchia and Peter Senior opened with 67s. Calcavecchia stayed close by conquering the three par 5s, making an eagle and two birdies. Senior had four birdies in a bogey-free round.

Defending champion Nick Price and money leader Tom Lehman led a group at 68. Joey Sindelar, Rod Spittle, Jeff Hart and Bobby Wadkins also came in at 3 under, as did Bob Gilder, the 2002 winner

Coming in, Brooks had failed to break 70 in his last eight Champions Tour rounds, including an 81 in the third round last week's Senior PGA Championship.

"It's nice not to go out there and shoot a 72-3-4 or something the first day, which you could do today," Brooks said. "If you get going a little funny out there, you can shoot over par. You pull the wrong club two or three times, next thing you know, you're not under par."

Brooks, who hasn't won since beating Kenny Perry in a playoff at the 1996 PGA Championship, had little trouble in the 90-degree heat and gusts that blew up to 25 mph.

He's accustomed to wind at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, and said the key to playing in a stiff breeze is really pretty simple.

"You've got to hit it really solid," Brooks said. "If you hit it really solid in the wind, you can play golf. A solidly struck ball is going to be less affected."

Brooks' only poorly struck tee shot resulted in his lone bogey, at the par-4 10th. He hit his second to the front fringe, 35 feet from the hole, and he three-putted.

"I was kind of overplaying the wind and got confused," he said.

Brooks picked it up after that, knocking in birdie putts on five of his next seven holes. He felt it should have been six of eight.

On No. 18, Brooks missed a straight-in, downhill birdie putt from 10 feet.

"It evens out eventually," he said.

Brooks' best round previously in Champions play had been a 68 in the final round of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in early April, his first event. His only other round in the 60s before Friday was a 69 in the second round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in mid-April.

A back problem slowed Brooks early in the year, but he said that's under control now. Then, he switched to an all-titanium driver for this tournament and, so far, so good.

"I probably haven't driven the ball very good for me," he said. "I've kind of been searching for something that would start going where I'm looking instead of just going."

Calcavecchia stepped to the last tee at 5 under, but his sand wedge from the fairway left him below the lip of the green and he made bogey.

"It's a good score," he said. "It wasn't easy out there today. At least I got by the par 5s and played those well and got a good score out of it."

Price, who coasted to a four-stroke win here last year, made bogey on two of his first eight holes. But he came back with a birdie on No. 9, then added four more birdies on the back.

Lehman, who already has won three tournaments this year, stood 1 over after eight holes before he finished with four birdies the rest of the way.

Sindelar, playing for the first time since withdrawing from the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in April because of a back injury, marked his return with an eagle on No. 9 before bogeys on Nos. 12 and 16 knocked him back.

On his 57th birthday, Hale Irwin, who owns a record 45 wins on the Champions Tour, shot a 2-over 73. Graham Marsh, a six-time winner on the Champions Tour, withdrew after three holes because of a back injury.

England's Roger Chapman had a 73.


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MARTIN LAIRD, JUSTIN ROSE MISS THE CUT IN THE MEMORIAL

Martin Laird, Justin Rose and Jim Furyk were among the bigger names who missed the cut (145 or better) in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio.
Steve Stricker leads by three with rounds of 68 and67 for nine-under-par 135. 
Rory McIlroy dropped down to a share of second place with a 72 for 138, one shot ahead of man-in-form Luke Donald who had a 69 for 139.

LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
Players from US unless stated
135 Steve Stricker 68 67.
138 Ricky Barnes 68 70, Rod Pampling (Australia) 72 66, Jonathan Byrd 71 67, Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 66 72.
139 Aaron Baddeley (Australia 71 68, Kevin Stadler 71 68, Brandt Jobe 71 68, Luke Donald (England) 70 6, Ryan Moore 68 70, Josh Teater 67 72.

Selected scores;
141 Ed Molinari (Italy) 72 69 (T14).
142 Phil Mickelson 72 70 (T28).
144 Brian Davis (England) 73 71, Ernie Els (S Africa) 71 73.

MISSED THE CUT (145 and better qualified)

146 Martin Laird (Scotland) 75 71, Justin Rose (England) 71 75.
152 Jim Furyk 77 75.

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HOLE IN ONE HELPS STEVE STRICKER LEAD BY THREE

REPORT FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — On a course with such a fine line between birdies and bogeys, Steve Stricker settled for perfection Friday in the Memorial with a hole-in-one that put him in control at Muirfield Village.

Stricker used a 6-iron on the 188-yard eighth hole - his 17th hole of the second round - then birdied his final hole for a 5-under 67. Instead of being part of a five-way tie for the lead, he wound up three shots clear going into the weekend.

"It's a shock when you see that go in, obviously, but in a good way," Stricker said. "A great way to finish the round."

Stricker said the eighth hole has given him fits over the year, which is just as well. So has this tournament. In 11 previous appearances at the tournament Jack Nicklaus created, Stricker never has finished in the top 10.

He is hoping to change that, and shots like his ace certainly help.

Stricker was at 9-under 135, three shots clear of Rory McIlroy (72), Ricky Barnes (70), Jonathan Byrd (67) and the resurgent Rod Pampling of Australia, who lost his  US PGA Tour card last year and had a bogey-free 66.

McIlroy already has made 13 birdies over two rounds, proof enough that he's swinging well and making his share of putts. He also has five bogeys and a sloppy double bogey Friday on the 14th hole, when he pulled his tee shot into the tiny stream left of the fairway and nearly went into the water on his next shot.

"I felt as if I played good enough to shoot something in the 60s, but I just made too many mistakes out there," McIlroy said.

McIlroy wasn't alone in the good and bad of Muirfield Village.

Rickie Fowler, the runner-up at the Memorial last year, has only 12 pars in 36 holes. He was at 3-under 141, six shots behind but still very much in the hunt at the halfway points.

"The conditions are scoreable, but bogeys can creep up on you quickly," Fowler said. "You can make some birdies, but if there's a tough pin and you don't hit the right shot, you'll make bogeys. It's a fine line."

Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III was a great illustration of that. He had six birdies and an eagle and shot 73. Love also hit two into the water on the par-5 11th to make a triple bogey, then took a double bogey on the 17th along with four other bogeys.

Luke Donald, in his debut as the No. 1 player in the world, had another strong rally by finishing with back-to-back birdies for a 69 that left him at 5-under 139, still very much in the hunt. Donald has not finished out of the top 10 in nine straight tournaments.

"Some careless mistakes out there," Donald said.

Stricker made his share, too, such as back-to-back bogeys from the bunker as he was finishing his front nine. But he played the final five holes in 5 under, highlighted by his second career hole-in-one.

He thrust his arms in the air when he realized it had dropped into the cup, but that's about as excited as he gets about an ace. Some players keep the golf balls from the ace. Stricker teed it up on the ninth, made birdie, that gave the ball to the official keeping score without informing him where that ball had been lately.

His other ace came in the 1997 Phoenix Open on the 16th hole, the biggest party scene on tour. That was the hole - during the same year, no less - when Tiger Woods made an ace and was showered with beer cans and plastic cups in one of the most raucous celebrations ever seen in this royal and ancient game. The replay has been shown countless times.

"You didn't see mine that year? No?" Stricker said with a grin.

His came in the final round, and there's a reason hardly anyone remembered. For one reason, not many saw it.

"That day, I had teed off the back nine first," he said. "So there wasn't a lot of people there."

The good news for Stricker is the Phoenix Open awarded a car for a hole-in-one on the 16th, but only in the final round. So that's one thing he got that Woods didn't - just not for long.

"I used it for a little while, and then traded it in for a minivan," said Stricker, whose first daughter was born a year later.

With so many wild scorecards, leave it to Phil Mickelson to have a conservative one. That's not necessarily a good thing this week. Mickelson has made only five birdies against three bogeys through 36 holes, leaving seven shots behind.

"I need something good tomorrow," Mickelson said. "I had a chance to shoot something in the 60s and move up the leaderboard and didn't capitalize on a lot of opportunities."

McIlroy pulled his opening tee shot and made bogey, but two other bogeys on the front came from the middle of the fairway, with a wedge in his hand for one shot and a 9-iron for another.

But he also looked like he'll be a factor on the weekend with consecutive birdies, including a shot that he thought was headed to the back of the 13th green, only for it to settle 6 feet below the hole.

"I'm happy enough," McIlroy said. "I'm thereabouts going into the weekend. There's still a lot of golf left to play. I know that and everyone else knows that. I just need to limit those mistakes. If I can keep the silly bogeys off the card, I think I'll be all right."