WINNER COOK SETS TOURNAMENT RECORD IN MONTREAL

BLAINVILLE, Quebec (AP) — John Cook shot a 6-under 66 today and set a tournament course record with a 21-under 195 to win the US Seniors Tour's Montreal Championship by three strokes at the Fontainebleau Golf Club.
Cook, the tournament runner-up last year, erased Chien-Soon Lu's one-stroke lead and claimed the $270,000 top prize at the Champions Tour's sole Canadian stop. Cook's third win on the 50-and-over tour this season came one year after Larry Mize, last year's champion, overtook him with a 64 on the final day.
Canada's Rod Spittle shot a course record 10-under 62 to finish 15 under. The Ontario native broke the mark of 63 held by four players - including Cook - and finished in a seventh-place tie, up from a tie for 49th place after two rounds.
England's Roger Chapman finished joint 35th on 208 with scores of 68, 68 and 72.
Welshman Mark Mouland finished joint 52nd on 216 with scores of 68, 71 and 71.

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NICK WATNEY WINS A T and T NATIONAL AS FOWLER FADES

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania (AP) — Never mind that Nick Watney was the highest-ranked player at the AT and T National, or that he won a World Golf Championship in March. Stepping to the first tee Sunday in a tie for the lead at the AT&T National, he had reason to feel overlooked.
After being announced, one fan called out, "Go, Rickie!" Several other fans in the large gallery wore bright orange shirts and flat-brimmed caps to show their support for Rickie Fowler, a 22-year-old who was tied for the lead and going after that first PGA Tour win.
"He's obviously a very popular player. I think his time is definitely coming," Watney said. "I would say there were probably a few more Fowler fans out there. But it is what it is. Sometimes you play away games or whatever."
Watney doesn't have the panache of Fowler, but his game is starting to get plenty of attention.
Playing the weekend at Aronimink in a staggering 12 under, and going the final 27 holes without a bogey, Watney closed with a 4-under 66 for a two-shot victory over K.J. Choi (67) to win for the second time this year and move to No. 10 in the world.
Watney, whose other win this year was a World Golf Championship against an elite field at Doral, also put himself atop the FedEx Cup standings and the PGA Tour money list for the first time.
"It's a very addictive feeling to be out there and under the gun," said Watney, who had rounds of 62-66 on the weekend. "To be able to hit good shots and putts is why I play, really."
And to think that with only 27 holes left in the tournament, Watney was trying to keep from getting left behind. Ten birdies, an eagle and no bogeys later, he was posing with the silver trophy of a Liberty Bell and wondering how much better he could get.
Watney finished on 13-under 267, tying the tournament record by Tiger Woods in 2009 when it was played at Congressional. The tournament is scheduled to return to Congressional next year.
Charles Howell III earned quite a consolation prize. He played bogey-free in the final round for a 6-under 66 to tie for third with Adam Scott (68) and Jeff Overton (67). That made him eligible for the British Open in two weeks as the top finisher from the top five who wasn't already exempt.
Fowler had another learning experience.
He fell out of the hunt early with a double bogey on the second hole when he hit three straight shots without losing his turn. From a tough spot in the bunker, he came up well short of the green, barely got his putt up the slope, then ran his bogey attempt a nervy 3 feet beyond the hole. That became a three-shot swing when Watney made birdie, and Fowler never caught up. He finished with a 74 to tie for 13th.
"I just couldn't get anything going today," he said.
Watney didn't give anyone much of a chance. He took the outright lead with a wedge into 10 feet for birdie on No. 2, and holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 fifth. Despite leaving himself in a tough spot in the bunker on the par-5 ninth, he blasted out to 2 feet for another birdie.
Even so, his biggest putts were for par.
Watney saved par from bunkers on No. 4 with a 20-foot putt, and from No. 7 with a putt from about 12 feet. His biggest par save might have been the par-3 eighth, which yielded only two birdies in the final round.
Overton had reached 9 under and was making a move, and Choi had birdied the previous to also reach 9 under. Watney's shot went over the green, and he putted up the slope to 18 feet. He made the par putt to keep his cushion.
"That was big not to drop a shot after hitting a good shot, and keep momentum heading to the back nine," Watney said.
The final challenge came from Choi, who trailed by four shots at one point. He slowly made up ground, then closed in on Watney after the turn with a bending, downhill birdie putt on the 11th and a pair of long birdie putts on the 12th and 14th holes, the last one tying for the lead.
Momentum was with Choi, only the South Korean knew better. The par-4 15th played at 503 yards into a slight breeze, following by the par-5 16th that was reachable in two.
"When I tied him on the 14th hole, I knew that there was still a lot of holes to go, and I knew the remaining holes were more favorable to Nick Watney," Choi said. "I knew the 15th hole would be a turning point. That was a key hole, and I missed it. So I think that was the turning point of the match."
Choi pulled his shot into the left rough, then tried to hit 5-wood toward the green. The thick grass shut his club and sent the shot into a bunker, some 60 yards from the pin, and so close to the side that his legs were pressed against the edge of the bunker. Choi hit a solid shot, but it took one more hop into the rough, he chipped out to 12 feet and missed the putt.
Watney was just short of the green and lagged his putt from 75 feet to 5 feet, converting yet another important par.
On the next hole, Watney used his power to smash a drive that left him only a 7-iron to the green, and he again hit a good lag for a two-putt birdie. His seventh and final par save came from just behind the 17th green, and his chip stopped 2 feet from the cup.
Watney earned $1.116 million and became the first player this year to top $4 million on tour.
"I'm overjoyed to be in here as the winner," Watney said. "It was a very difficult, long day. K.J. played great golf and he kept coming and coming. And that makes it even more rewarding."

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
Players from US unless stated
267 Nick Watney 70 69 62 66.
269 K J Choi (S Korea) 69 64 69 67.
271 Charles Howell 68 68 67 767, Jeff Overton 71 65 68 67, Adam Scott (Australia) 66 71 66 68.
Selected totals:
275 Rickie Fowler 68 69 64 75 (T13)276 Justin Rose (England) 70 72 65 69 (T15).
283 Brian Davis (England) 71 72 68 72 (T51).

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HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

CLACKMANNA MIXED FOURSOMES 

Home Club Dollar took the 2011 County mixed fourssomes title, winning by the narrowest of margins, half a shot,  in the handicap event.  Tillicoultry and Alloa tied for the runner-up spot.   

RESULTS (best three scores from four to count)

1 DOLLAR 211 (C Murray and M Symington 66.5,  R Smith and C Hak 78,  B Smith and J McMillan 66.5).

2 ALLOA 211.5 (J Allan and T Whitelaw 69.5,  R Hume and H Hume 72,  I Ross and S McKerracher 70)

3 TILLICOULTRY 211.5 (J Perry and M Jamieson 75.5,  S Watson and E Breingan 67, G Carmichael and B Ryan 69).

4 BRAEHEAD 219.5 (V Allan and C Sikora 73,  M Empson and S McKenzie 74.5,   A Anderson and J Ure 72).        

LONG WAIT FOR THE ALEXANDER TROPHY

It was 1929 and 82 years since Alva Golf Club last won the Alexander Trophy, but their team produced the golfing goods last weekend at Tulliallan when they took the trophy by two shots from Glenbervie.

Star of the team was Alva President Steve McIvor with a 71, ably supported by Michael Robertson and County Boy Champion Lawrence Allan..

 FULL RESULTS (Best three scores from four to count)

1 Alva 218 (S McIvor 71, M Robertson 73, L Allan 74)

2 Glenbervie 220 (D Fish 77, M Hislop 71, G Shepherd 72)

3 Tulliallan 222 (S Horne 77, R G Lyons 71, J Maxwell 74)

4 Falkirk 223.

5 Bonnybridge 226.

6 Stirling Junior and Youth Society 229.

7 Alloa 232.

8  Tillicoultry 245.

9  Stirling 245.

10 Earlsgate 248.

11  Braehead  NR 

    CONSISTENT GOLF FROM BOB IN THE SCOTTISH SENIORS

 Although at first glance the 16 over par performance of Bob Stewart (Tulliallan) in the Scottish Seniors may look a bit ordinary, a closer examination of the numbers shows that it was quite good.  Over the Irvine Bogside course where the par is two shots less than the standard scratch score, Bob returned a three round total of 229 (79,73,77)  putting him in 14^th place. 

However, its 8^th position if golfers from outwith Scotland are omitted from the final results.  A triple bogey spoiled his first round, but he rallied in the second and third rounds with six birdies, and he missed a true top ten finish with 4 shots dropped late in the final round.  With his nearest rivals in the Senior Order of Merit not featuring at Irvine, he should maintain his number one ranking.

Bob is also to be congratulated on winning the Tulliallan Club Championship for the fourth time--- in fact it’s a golfing silver jubilee for him as his first win was in 1986.

The next Senior Order of Merit event is this week's West of Scotland Seniors at Lanark.  Bob is joined by fellow Tulliallan golfers Ian Peddie, Phil Mawhood  Phil Dempsey, along with County President George Kay

CALLUM STILL MAKING PROGRESS

It was another creditable performance from Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay in the Challenge Tour event in Sweden.  Over the long Swedish National course, Callum returned a nine under par performance (73, 70, 67, 69).to give him a top ten finish and move his ranking up to 58.

His last two sub 70 rounds must have given him more confidence, especially the last round which was bogey-free and contained four birdies. Callum is in the south of Italy this week, playing over a slightly shorter course (6855 yards) at Acaya near Brindisi. This event also marks the halfway point in the 2011 challenge Tour season   

OTHER GOLFING SNIPPETS

In the Cameron Corbett Vase tournament at Haggs Castle, Scott Borrowman (Dollar) had his best start for some time with a two under par total of 142 (72,70) for the first 36 holes. He continued the good work in the last two rounds, scoring 73 and 70 to give him a five under par aggregate and a 16th placing

After being third on the reserve list for some time, Braehead’s Rikky Alexander is now in the field for the Scottish Under-16s championship this coming week at Forfar.

DUFF HOUSE ROYAL JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

By JOHN SMITH
An 18-hole play-off took place at Duff House Royal between Lewis Mutch (left in the green top) and Jake Scott (right in the orange top) to decide the Junior Club Champion.
After the previous 72 holes of the Championship these guys were tied! The first time it has happened in 10 years.
Lewis, the current holder of Championship and local lad, was playing Jake from Buckie, who joined Duff House Royal only this season and has been in a rich vain of form.
In a tense and thrilling match, Jake shot 72 to edge out Lewis by one shot, both players competing to the end and finishing with birdies on the 18th.
That makes three junior club championships and one men's club championship the season for Scott and a semi-final to play at Strathlene. His biggest headache will be the logistics of the prize givings.

BONNYTON 36-HOLE OPEN ON SATURDAY, JULY 9

Bonnyton Golf club are holding their annual 36 hole scratch tournament on Saturday July 9.

Entry fee £20. Handicap limit 6

Usual scratch and handicap prizes

Phone entries to secretary on 01355 303030

STEWART HENDERSON IS LOCAL HERO IN HAMILTON'S CADZOW CUP

Leading prizewinners and officials at the Cadzow Cup open tournament at Hamilton GC.

Local player Stewart Henderson continued his rich vein of form with a victory in the Cadzow Cup at Hamilton Golf Club today.
Stewart won the Hamilton Club Championship for the third time last Sunday and today his four under par total was good enough to win the Cadzow Cup.
James Whitelaw of West Linton was second on 140 and Derek Loudon of Hamilton was third with 142.
The handicap prize of £100 golf voucher was won by local junior Colin McLeod , aged 16, with an excellent net total of 137 playing off an 8 handicap.
The event attracted a full field of 84 players.
Results
LEADING SCRATCH SCORES
Par 142 (2x71)
CSS morning: 71 home, 73 away; afternoon: both 71
1. Stewart Henderson (Hamilton) 70 68 138
2. James Whitelaw (West Linton) 72 68 140
3. Derek Loudon (Hamilton) 74 68 142
4. Andy Fairbairn (Kirkhill) 73 70 143
5. Mark O’Donnell (Hamilton) 72 71 143
6. Angus Weir (Crieff) 77 68 145
7. David Laing (Carluke) 73 73 145
8. Chris Kelly (Bonnyton) 75 71 146
9. Grant Beaton (Bonnyton) 74 73 147
10. Martin Scott (Hamilton) 70 77 147
11. Euan Moir (Hamilton) 75 73 148
12. Ronald Maclean (Hamilton) 79 70 149
13. Scott Costello (Kirkhill) 76 73 149
14. Peter Scanlan (Playsport) 75 74 149
15. Marcello Russo (Drumpellier) 72 77 149
16. Michael Gray (Lanark) 77 73 150
17. Chris Bell (Greenburn) 76 74 150
18. John Ralston (Shotts) 75 75 150
19. David Lee (Crow Wood) 73 77 150
20. Kevin Scott (Hayston) 78 73 151
21. Gordon Black (Fereneze) 77 74 151
22. David Cardwell (Hamilton) 76 75 151
23. David Nicol (Carluke) 76 75 151
24. Scott Gillespie (Cambuslang) 75 76 151
25. Blair Scott (Hamilton) 75 76 151
26. Alistair Parlane (Helensburgh) 75 76 151

Handicap
1. Colin McLeod (Hamilton) 67 70 137
2. Stewart Henderson (Hamilton) 70 68 138
3. Mark O’Donnell (Hamilton) 70 69 139
4. David Laing (Carluke) 69 70 139
5. Derek Loudon (Hamilton) 74 68 142


Willie Sharpe
President
Lanarkshire Golf Association 

BALLATER PLAYER IS NE DISTRICT HANDICAP CHAMPION

David McNeill, an 11-handicapper playing over his home course, was the overall winner of the 2nd North-east District men's handicap championship, contested by a field of 54 players at Ballater Golf Club today.
McNeill won Section 2 (handicaps 11 to 28) by two shots with a net 65 and that was a shot better than the four players who were involved in a card play-off at the top of Section 1 (handicaps scr to 10).
Ballater players dominated the leading Section 1 places with victory going to Steve Gow, who returned his net 66 off five. Runner-up with the same score was clubmate Mike Rattray (7) and third, also with a net 66 was Paul Sinclair (Auchenblae) (10).

Runner-up in Section 2 with a net 67 off 13 was G McCann (Oldmeldrum) with Ballater player Peter O'Shea (14) third with a net 69.

LEADING RETURNS

CSS 69
Section 1 (scr to 10)

Steve Gow (Ballater) (5), Mike Rattray (Ballater) (7), Paul Sinclair (Auchenblae) (10), Richard Farquharson (Ballater) (5) 66;

Mike Pocock (Oldmeldrum) (4) 68; Gary Thom (Ballater) (3) 69; Gary Kemp (Ballater) (10) 71; Scott Grieve (Ballater) (9), Graeme Porter (Ballater) (8), Dylan Smith (Alford) (10) 72; Scott Thomson (Ballater) (5), Patrick Wildblood (Ballater) (10), William Bremner (Ballater) (6) 73; Robert Cattanach Auchenblae (9), John Sinclair (Ballater) (10), Callum Coutts (Alford) (9), George M Young (Inverallochy) (8) 74.
Section 2 (11 - 28)
David McNeil (Ballater (11) 65; G McCann (Oldmeldrum) (13) 67; Peter O'Shea (Ballater) (14) 69; Matthew Holley (Ballater) (14), Richard Denning (Newmachar) (14) 70; Fraser Grove (Ballater) (20) 71; Bob Yates (Ballater) (13) 72; Graham Freeland (Nigg Bay) (18), John Senior Oldmeldrum (17) 74; Jim Hunter (Ballater) (15) 76; Mike Garden (Nigg Bay)  (13), Derek Kemp (Ballater) (14) 78; Ken Bennions (Longside) 20 79.

CRICHTON BEATS McLEAN IN CAMERON CORBETT VASE PLAY-OFF

SCOTT CRICHTON, left, receives the Cameron Corbett Vase from Neal Stewart, the Haggs Castle Golf Club captain (pictured by courtesy of Haggs Castle Golf Club).

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Aberdour Golf Club member Scott Crichton turned in his best performance since his successful days on the US college golf circuit when he won the prestigious Cameron Corbett Vase 72-hole tournament at Haggs Castle Golf Club, Glasgow today.
Actually, it was a 73-hole tournament as far as the Fifer from Dalgety Bay was concerned because he tied with Peterhead international Philip McLean on 15-under-par 273 af the end of regulation play and then beat the Buchan man with a birdie at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off.
It was a first victory in an SGU Order of Merit four-round event by Crichton. He finished runner-up in the East of Scotland Open at Lundin year while McLean won the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes in 2010 and the Leven Gold Medal in 2009.
Going farther back, Crichton was runner-up in the 2009 Scottish youths championship and his performances for Western New Mexico University put him higher up the RandA World Amateur Golf Rankings than many established, home-based Scots.
McLean, the first-round leader with an eight-under-par round of 64, despite a double bogey at the 14th (which in the final analysis was the difference between finishing first and finishing second), subsided to a 74 in the second round, but then regained the lead with a third-round 66.
But he could not shake off the dogged Crichton who was always snapping at his heels and the Aberdour player's closing 68 to McLean's 69 saw them dead-heat over the winning line.
Halfway leaders Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) finished joint third on 274.
Robertson was third in the recent East of Scotland Open and joint second in the Tennant Cup before that.
Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm), who finished joint eighth on 281, equalled the Haggs Castle course record of nine-under-par 63 in his final round .
+Many thanks to Haggs Castle Golf Club secretariat for supplying www.scottishgolfview.com with an excellent service of scores and additional information over their weekend tournament. I wish many more clubs would do the same! - Editor.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) CSS 72 72 72

273 Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 67 70 68 68, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 64 74 66 69 (Crichton won sudden-death play-off at first hole).

274 Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 67 69 70 68, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 66 70 69 69.

276 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 75 65 69 67.

277 Graeme McDougall (Bishopbriggs) 72 70 67 69.

280 Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 69 75 68 68.

281 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 75 68 75 63, Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 72 72 67 70, Brian Soutar (Leven GS) 73 68 67 73.

281 Colin Robinson (Largs) 73 70 69 70.

282 James Ross (Royal Burgess) 71 68 71 72.

283 Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick) 74 72 68 70, John Duff (Newmachar) 68 70 75 70.

284 John Mathers (Haggs Castle) 70 68 72 74.

285 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 72 70 73 70, Callum Trahan (Meldrum House) 68 79 67 71, Richard Docherty (Bearsden) 74 65 75 71, Mark Bookless (Sandyhills) 75 68 70 72, Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) 67 71 73 74.

286 Horacio Leon (Chile) 68 71 70 77.

287 Craig Hamilton (NZ) 75 72 74 66,

288 Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) 73 71 75 69, Andrew Weir (Montrose Mercantile) 73 69 75 71.

289 James White (Lundin) 72 73 73 71, Paul Alexander (Caldwell) 73 71 71 74.

290 Paul McPhee (King James VI) 71 71 74 74.

291 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire080 68 73 70, Greg Nicholson (Mortonhall) 70 72 73 76.

292 Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 74 73 73 72, Sean McGarvey (Glencorse) 72 72 76 72, Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 77 71 71 73, Lee Morgan (Swanston) 72 70 72 78.

293 Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 70 74 71 78.

294 Nick Macandrew (Cullen) 73 72 79 70, Stephen Neilson (Dunbar) 77 70 74 73.

295 Steven Smith (Dalmahoy) 76 71 70 78.

296 Thomas Sharkey (Helensburgh) 76 70 74 76

297 Paul Gault (Westerwood) 77 69 73 78.

298 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 74 74 76 74
301 Michael Burnett (Harburn) 75 70 79 77.

SCROLL DOWN TO OUR SATURDAY REPORT OF THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS TO FIND OUT THE SCORES OF THOSE PLAYERS WHO MISSED THE CUT.

PAUL O'HARA STARTS WITH PAR ROUND IN GERMANY

Paul O'Hara shot a level-par 72 to be joint 23rd in a field of 128 at the end of the first round of the EPD (German PGA) Tour's Coburg Brose Open at Coburg Golf Club today.The Motherwell man bogeyed the first, 11th and 18th and birdied the fourth, long ninth and long 10th in halves of 35 and 37.
He is five shots behind the three joint leaders on 67, all Germans, Sebastian Buhl, Florian Jahn and amateur Sebastian Heisele.

SANTOS CATCHES HARTO OVER FINAL ROUND IN SWEDEN

By SARAH GWYNN

European Tour Press Officer

Ricardo Santos came from behind to claim his first Challenge Tour title with a sparkling six under par 66 in the final round of The Princess by Schüco at the PGA of Sweden National.

The Portuguese overhauled overnight leader Andreas Hartø, who had a 73, with three birdies on the front nine – including the first two holes – and four more on the way back which took him to 16 under par.
He finished three shots ahead of Englishman Daniel Brooks, who signed for a 68, while Frenchman Charles-Edouard Russo impressed with a 65 to finish third. Hartø ultimately had to settle for a share of fourth at 11 under.
As the last groups reached the turn it looked to be anyone’s title for the taking, but Santos mustered four consecutive birdies from the 13th to surge ahead.
“It is just like a dream,” said the 28 year old from Faro. “I’m feeling so great. I’m in a very good position now to get my European Tour card through the Challenge Tour Rankings.
“All day I have been feeling so many emotions, but now I can relax and enjoy it and celebrate with my friends and family. I was a little nervous at the start and again after 15 holes, because I knew the last three holes are real danger holes.
“But the birdies helped a lot and after that point I knew the title was mine unless I did something silly. The putts on the 13th and 14th were gimmes – the 13th almost an eagle - and on 15th and 16th they were good putts, probably six and eight metres.”
Santos, who received a €32,000 winner’s cheque from Henrik Stenson, who founded the tournament, added: “I’ve been playing well for a long time so I feel like this win has been coming a while.”
Hartø blazed to the top of the leaderboard with a third round 63, but could not repeat that form on the last day.
“It’s okay, I’m not too disappointed,” said 22 year old, who won twice on the Challenge Tour last season – the first time as an amateur. “I came into this week only to enjoy it and I’ve had some good rounds.
“I just didn’t make anything today – my putter was not as hot as yesterday. It’s hard to follow up a round like yesterday. Ricardo did extremely well. He deserves this win, no doubt about it.”
Brooks birdied the 18th to claim the runner-up spot on his own and was thrilled to record his best Challenge Tour performance to date.
He said: “I’m over the moon with second place. It’s the second time I’ve got myself in contention and both times I’ve played very solid. I didn’t have any bogeys today, which was pleasing.

“I was keeping an eye on the leaderboard all the way round, and I wasn’t going anywhere because I wasn’t making any bogeys. Someone else has gone one better and won it but I’m happy with the way I handled it.”

Russo said: “This has been a very good week for me because I have started putting well. I’ve been playing very well for a month or so but putting very badly. I’m glad the extra practice is starting to pay off.

“I tried not to think about winning, as I knew Ricardo was ahead. I just concentrated on my shots and focused on finishing with as low a score as possible.”

Stenson, winner of the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2000, created The Princess in 2009, naming it after his daughter, Lisa whom he calls his "Little Princess." The European Tour star wanted to ensure there remained a Challenge Tour event in Sweden, giving up and coming players the chances he had.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)

272 R Santos (Por) 73 68 65 66,

275 D Brooks (Eng) 70 72 65 68,

276 C Russo (Fra) 70 72 67 67,

277 A Hartø (Den) 71 70 63 73, P Edberg (Swe) 69 69 68 71, J Quesne (Fra) 71 72 69 65

278 C Suneson (Esp) 71 70 70 67, B Grace (RSA) 67 72 67 72,

279 N Lemke (Swe) 69 70 73 67, S Jeppesen (Swe) 69 72 69 69, C Moriarty (Irl) 69 72 69 69, F Colombo (Ita) 74 69 67 69, F Henge (Swe) 71 71 68 69, C Macaulay (Sco) 73 70 67 69

280 D Vancsik (Arg) 69 72 67 72, N McCarthy (Eng) 69 71 69 71, B Barham (Eng) 69 71 68 72, S Piaget (Mon) 73 69 69 69,

281 A Butterfield (Eng) 69 71 71 70, J Hepworth (Eng) 68 76 68 69, A Högberg (Swe) 71 71 69 70, O Whiteley (Eng) 68 69 73 71, J Estevez (Arg) 70 70 70 71,

282 A Forsyth (Sco) 69 75 67 71, F Valera (Esp) 70 73 67 72, T Ferreira (RSA) 70 70 67 75,

283 A Marshall (Eng) 69 71 71 72, J Heath (Eng) 71 71 69 72, J Clément (Sui) 71 73 70 69, J Campillo (Esp) 69 74 67 73, J Doherty (Sco) 70 74 70 69,

284 B Evans (Eng) 73 69 70 72, J Bäckström (Swe) 70 70 71 73, M Kieffer (Ger) 74 71 69 70, E Kofstad (Nor) 70 72 72 70, A Tadini (Ita) 66 76 72 70, C Lee (Sco) 72 71 68 73,

285 J Legarrea (Esp) 68 77 69 71, K Eriksson (Swe) 72 73 72 68, F Calmels (Fra) 68 71 73 73, N Meitinger (Ger) 71 73 70 71, J Lima (Por) 72 73 69 71,

286 S Hutsby (Eng) 75 70 70 71,

287 M Cryer (Eng) 71 74 74 68, R Steiner (Aut) 72 69 78 68, J Rask (Swe) 73 72 71 71, A Jacobsson (Swe) 72 71 72 72,

288 K Borsheim (Nor) 74 71 72 71, F Fihn (Swe) 71 72 72 73,

289 G Houston (Wal) 71 71 72 75, A Snobeck (Fra) 75 70 72 72,

290 D Denison (Eng) 69 70 77 74, J Van Der Vaart (Ned) 73 72 72 73, B Miarka (Ger) 74 71 74 71, N Bertasio (Ita) 71 71 74 74,

291 J Fahrbring (Swe) 72 72 70 77, B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 75 7 69, M Eliasson (Swe) 72 72 76 71,
292 A Pavan (Ita) 72 73 69 78, C Monasterio (Arg) 77 68 73 74, J Palmer (Eng) 70 74 76 72, K Sullivan (Wal) 72 73 77 70,
294 A Bruschi (Ita) 72 72 75 75,
295 J Lagergren (Swe) 71 74 76 74, R De Sousa (Sui) 71 72 75 77,
296 V Almstrom (Swe) 75 70 73 78,

FOTHERINGHAM RETURNS TO FORRES TO WIN BRODIE TROPHY

Former Scotland international Bryan Fotheringham, now playing out of Inverness, returned to his old stamping ground on Saturday to win the prestigious Brodie Trophy over 36 holes at Forres Golf Club.
Fotheringham had rounds of 66 and 64 for 130 to win by four shots from Elgin's Jordan Milne (65-69) with another Elgin player, Neil McWilliam, third on 138 (69-69).The handicap competition was won by Jim Simpson with net scores of 64 and 71.

 +Picture shows Bryan Fotheringham (on right) receiving the Brodie Trophy from Forres club captain Allan Martin.

VIVE LA FRANCE! LEVET CHALKS UP HOME WIN IN FRENCH OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Thomas Levet produced a superb final-round performance to claim victory on home soil in the Alstom Open de France - 25 years after he first played in the competition.
The 42 year old Frenchman finished one shot clear of Thorbjørn Olesen and joint overnight leader Mark Foster after holding his nerve in impressive fashion over the notoriously difficult closing stretch at Le Golf National, Paris.
While others faltered throughout the day, Levet went round in 70 for the third round out of four this week to finish on seven under.
He becomes the second French winner of the tournament since The European Tour began in 1972, after Jean-François Remesy, who triumphed in 2004 and 2005.
Olesen, the 22 year old Dane who finished second at the BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi last month, also played well today and looked set to force a play-off, only to miss a par putt of around three feet at the last.
Foster, meanwhile, led for most of the final day and parred his first 11 holes.
However, a double bogey at the 12th - where he came up short of the green before chipping off the side of it - and another dropped shot at 13 left him with ground to make up and he was unable to hole a 20ft birdie attempt on the 18th green.
James Morrison had shared the third-round lead with Foster on nine under, but, after starting bogey, double bogey, he posted a 78 to finish in a tie for seventh.
Aberdeen’s Richie Ramsay, well placed overnight, also faltered on the final day, carding a birdie-free 76, easily his worst of the four days, for a three-under aggregate score of 281, which earned him joint fifth place and 116,100 Euros.Martin Kaymer was a shot better off in fourth after a closing 73 and the German will now reclaim the World Number Three ranking from US Open Champion Rory McIlroy.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
277 Thomas Levet (France) 70 760 67 70 (500,000 Euros).
278 Mark Foster (England) 68 68 68 74, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 66 71 71 70  (260,565 Euros each).
280 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 71 69 67 73 (150,000 Euros).
281 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 68 68 68 70, Simon Khan (England) 70 70 70 71 (116,100 Euros).

OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
286 Peter Whiteford 68 72 75 71 (T21) (33,000 Euros).
287 Lloyd Saltman 71 69 75 72 (T26) (28,950 Euros).
288 Stephen Gallacher 74 69 69 76, Colin Montgomerie 71 70 74 73 (T30) (24,129 Euros each).

CHECK OUT ALL THE FINAL TOTALS AND SCORECARDS

 CLICK HERE

FOWLER WINS FROM OLDCORN IN SWISS SENIORS OPEN

By SARAH GWYNN
European Tour Press Officer
Australian Peter Fowler overturned a seven-shot deficit in relegating front-running Chilean Angel Fernandez to a joint third-place finish in the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open title with a sparkling five under par 65 in the final round in Switzerland.
The 52 year old looked to be too far off the pace at the start of the last day, but he capitalised on Fernandez’s capitulation – he shot a five over par 75 - to claim his second Senior Tour title of the season.
Fernandez opened with stunning rounds of 61 and 63 but could not replicate that sort of form for a third round and had to settle for third place. His lead was slashed from five shots to none by the turn after he double bogeyed the eighth and dropped another shot at the ninth, and there was no way back.
Scot Andrew Oldcorn took the runner-up spot, two shots back, after a final round 68, while Fernandez finished on 11 under alongside South African Chris Williams, Englishman Gary Wolstenholme and Claude Grenier of Austria.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Fowler, whose comeback is the largest on the Senior Tour since the 2006 London Senior Masters. “I didn’t know I was leading until the last couple of holes, so that was the only time I got a bit nervous.
“Angel was playing so well I thought there was no way he’d let a lead like that slip. I thought I would have to shoot 63 today to have any chance of winning, but it turns out 65 was enough and I’m glad I played so well.
“It was probably a good job I didn’t know I was leading otherwise I might have been more nervous and messed it up.
“I’m very tired after six weeks on the road, so I’m looking forward to flying back to London tonight and having two weeks’ rest. It’ll probably be too late tonight to celebrate properly – I’ll have to save that for during the week.
“This is my second win of the season so this year’s gone pretty well so far. I’ve been very happy with my game the last six months.”
FINAL TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
196 P Fowler (Aus) 66 65 65,
198 A Oldcorn (Sco) 64 66 68,
199 C Grenier (Aut) 64 65 70, C Williams (RSA) 65 69 65, A Fernandez (Chi) 61 63 75, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 68 65 66, 200 D Smyth (Irl) 68 70 62,
201 M James (Eng) 70 66 65,
202 A Sherborne (Eng) 65 70 67,
203 B Cameron (Eng) 69 66 68, J Quiros (Esp) 65 70 68, B Longmuir (Sco) 68 69 66, A Sowa (Arg) 68 65 70, T Thelen (USA) 69 66 68, G Banister (Aus) 66 68 69,
204 G Manson (Aut) 68 68 68, M Belsham (Eng) 66 69 69, D Merriman (Aus) 69 70 65, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 70 65, 205 F Mann (Sco) 65 69 71, D Johnson (USA) 67 66 72, S Torrance (Sco) 68 70 67, G Ryall (Eng) 67 68 70, B Ruangkit (Tha) 67 70 68,
206 M Farry (Fra) 67 70 69, M Harwood (Aus) 68 71 67, M Cunning (USA) 69 70 67, J Bruner (USA) 68 69 69,
207 N Job (Eng) 71 69 67, A Franco (Par) 72 68 67, K Tomori (Jpn) 68 69 70,
208 G Brand (Eng) 71 66 71, J Harrison (Eng) 69 73 66, H Carbonetti (Arg) 70 68 70, C Rocca (Ita) 69 66 73, J Bland (RSA) 72 68 68,
209 D Durnian (Eng) 71 67 71, M Clayton (Aus) 69 72 68, B Smit (RSA) 72 70 67, R Davis (Aus) 69 71 69, G Cali (Ita) 70 70 69,
210 G Ralph (Eng) 70 70 70, K Spurgeon (Eng) 68 70 72, B Lane (Eng) 68 67 75, L Carbonetti (Arg) 72 70 68, J Rhodes (Eng) 70 70 70, P Dahlberg (Swe) 74 67 69,
211 D Cambridge (Jam) 71 71 69, E Rodriguez (Esp) 67 69 75, S Van Vuuren (RSA) 67 76 68,
213 J Chillas (Sco) 71 71 71, D Russell (Eng) 71 70 72, B Lincoln (RSA) 66 75 72, M Moreno (Esp) 73 73 67,
214 J Gould (Eng) 72 70 72, M Piñero (Esp) 74 70 70, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 73 73 68
215 J Stuart (USA) 71 71 73
216 J Heggarty (Nir) 70 71 75
217 J Stansberry (USA) 75 69 73, P Mitchell (Eng) 71 71 75, D Creamer (Eng) 74 75 68
218 T Charnley (Eng) 72 72 74, M Miller (Sco) 74 74 70,
219 T Price (Wal) 74 73 72
221 V Garcia (Esp) 75 72 74
223 H Schumacher (Sui) 71 75 77
226 E Polland (Nir) 74 75 77
227 A Garrido (Esp) 74 75 78
229 I Mosey (Eng) 76 77 76
** M Bembridge (Eng) WD 0 0, C Mason (Eng) RT 0 0,

PHILIP McLEAN TAKES THIRD-ROUND LEAD IN CAMERON CORBETT

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72) CSS 72 72 72
204 Philip McLean (Peterhead) 64 74 66.
205 Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 67 70 68, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 66 70 69.
206 Graeme Robertson (Glenvbervie) 67 69 70.
208 Brian Soutar (Leven) 73 68 67, Graeme McDougall (Bishopbriggs) 71 70 67.
209 Daniel Young (Creaigie Hill) 75 65 69, Horacio Leon (Chile) 68 71 70.
210 James Ross (Royal Burgess) 71 68 71, John Mathers (Haggs Castle) 70 68 72.
211 Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 72 72 67, Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) 67 72 73.
212 Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 69 75  68, Colin Robinson (Largs) 73 70 69.
213 Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick) 74 71` 68, Mark Bookless (Sandyhlls) 75 68 70, John Duff (Newmachar) 68 70 75.
214 Callum Trahan (Meldrum House) 68 69 67, Lee Morgan (Swanston) 72 70 72. Richard Docherty (Bearsden) 74 65 75.
215 Paul Alexander (Caldwell) 73 71 71, Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 70 74 71, Scott Borrowman(Dollar) 72 70 73, Greg Nicholson (Mortonhall) 70 72 73.
216 Paul McPhee (King James VI) 71 71 74.
217 Steven Smith (Marriott Dalmahoy) 76 72 70, Andrew Weir (Montrose Mercantile) 73 69 75.
218 James White (Lundin) 72 73 73, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 75 68 75.
219 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 77 71 71, Paul Gault (Westerwood) 77 69 73, Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) 73 71 75.
220 Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 74 73 73, Thomas Sharkey (Helensburgh) 76 70 74, Sean McGarvey (Glencorse) 72 72 76.
221 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 80 68 73, Stephen Neilson (Dunbar0 77 70 74, Craig Hamilton (NZ) 75 72 74.
224 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 74 74 76, Michael Burnett (Harburn) 75 70 79, Nick Macandrew Cullen) 73 72 79.
229 Simon Lockhart (Bathgate)( 74 74 81.

CRAIBSTONE SUMMER ALLIANCES CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Craibstone Golf Club, near Abedeen, will continue its Summer Alliance 18-hole competitions this Wednesday at the Bucksburn venue near Aberdeen.
The event is open to male and female amateurs and professionals, on the same lines as a North-east Alliance meeting. The maximum handicaps permitted are 20 for males and 30 for females but that does not stop you playing if you are for example a 24-handicap male. All it means is that you play off 20 for net score purposes in this event.
The tee is open from 8am to 2pm on Wednesday for those playing in the Summer Alliance.
You can roll up announced or you can make sure of a time and a partner by ringing General Manager Billy Sim at the Craibstone clubhouse - 01224 716777.
You don't have to reside in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire to play in the Craibstone Alliances. You could be on holiday in the area; you may live as far away as Skibo Castle in Ross-shire but that doesn't stop pro Joel Hopwood from making the long trip south to play.
The normal visitor's green fee Craibstone is £35 but you can play in the Craibstone Summer Alliance for only £15. If you are a member, it will cost you only £10. All the money goes out again in prizes.
Catering is available every day in the Craibstone clubhouse, even to those who are just out for a walk in the countryside.

BUBBA WATSON SAYS SORRY ON TWITTER

Bubba Watson let his more than 153,000 followers on Twitter know on Saturday that he was sorry for his behaviour earlier this week at the French Open. Watson publicly lashed out at fans for taking pictures while he was playing and organisers for a lack of security at the European Tour event.

Watson didn't tweet at all during the tournament, but Saturday he tweeted several apologies and responded to several followers who let him know they didn't appreciate his comments.

MILLS BEATS ERNST AT 37th IN US MEN'S PUBLIC LINKS CH/SHIP

FROM THE USGA WEBSITE
Bandon, Oregon – Corbin Mills parred the first extra play-off hole to defeat Derek Ernst in 37 holes on Saturday to win the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship contested at 7,016-yard, par-71 Old Macdonald at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Mills, 21, of Easley, South Carolina, became the first leading qualifier to win the APL since fellow Clemson (University) Tiger, D J Trahan claimed the title in 2000, also in 37 holes at Heron Lakes in Portland, Oregon, five hours north of Bandon Dunes. Interestingly, the medalist has gone on to win the championship four out of five times the APL has been held in Oregon.
Despite winds that gusted up to 25 miles per hour, Saturday’s 36-hole finale featured an abundance of birdies by both players – and very few halved holes. Mills and Ernst combined to win 27 of the 37 holes contested.
Trailing for most of the day, Ernst drained a 7-foot par putt to halve the 36th hole and force extra holes.
Playing the par-4 first hole for the third time in Saturday’s 36-hole finale, both competitors hit the fairway with their drives and knocked their approach shots on the front of the green, which featured a back-right hole location.
First to putt, Ernst raced his 50-foot birdie attempt 10 feet past the hole. After Mills lagged his 30-footer within 4 feet, Ernst put what he thought was a good stroke on his par effort only to see it catch the left lip and spin out.
“I thought I made it,” said Ernst. “I hit it right where I wanted to and it just didn’t drop.”
Mills then stepped up and calmly holed his remaining 4-footer to claim the gold medal and possession of the James D. Standish Trophy.
“I had a really good game plan the entire week,” said Mills. “I stuck to it every day, every round, every match, and it kept working out for me.”
Mills birdied the 18th hole of the morning session to take a two-hole lead into lunch.
He built his lead to four holes and was seemingly in control of the match midway through the afternoon round, when Ernst reeled off wins at five consecutive holes to take a one-hole lead with five to play.
“I kept telling myself that I was still in it,” said Ernst, who did not lead until the 31st hole of the match. “I was down, but I still believed I could pull it off.”
After making a slight alignment adjustment by opening his shoulders a bit, Ernst went on a furious charge.
First, he drove the green on the downwind 343-yard, par-4 ninth, the players’ 27th hole, and two-putted for birdie. After Ernst won the 10th and 11th with pars when Mills found trouble off the tee, Ernst nearly aced the 237-yard, par-3 12th, hitting a 5-iron within 6 inches of the hole for a conceded birdie to tie the match. It would have been his second hole-in-one of the week, as he aced the par-4 eighth hole at Bandon Trails in his first-round match on Wednesday.
On the following hole, with Mills in good position off the tee, Ernst stuck a wedge to 2 feet for a tap-in birdie for his first lead of the day.
Mills proved resilient, however, getting up-and-down from the fescue on the par-5 15th to square the match. He punctuated his 15-foot birdie putt with a fist pump. He credited his turnaround with a change in tempo.
“It took me until like 14 to realize, okay, I've got to slow this down,” said Mills. “This whole week my deal had been [to play quickly]. But I slowed down, regrouped and I made a four‑footer for par on 14 to halve the hole. Then the big win on 15 really got the momentum going.”
Ernst won the 16th with par, but found three separate bunkers on the par-5, 17th and eventually conceded the hole to Mills, who had hit the green in two, to square the match again.
Mills overcame Ernst and five other match play competitors to win the title, but he also had to contend with several health issues – though outsiders might not have known it from his exceptional play throughout the week.
First, Mills developed an ear infection two days before leaving for Bandon Dunes. Then, he missed his scheduled flight from South Carolina to Oregon. He was able to catch a flight the following day, but developed pink eye, for which he is still taking antibiotics.
“I haven’t been able to hear out of my left ear the whole week,” said Mills. “I don’t know if all this had me in some sort of zone, but whatever it was, [it worked].”
Mills spent part of his youth in Italy because his parents were missionaries. He played golf because he was too big for other sports like soccer.
Though his parents and many friends from his native South Carolina could not attend Saturday’s 36-hole final, Mills has received an outpouring of support from his fan club.
“The past two or three days I've had so much support from back home. All of my friends, all of my family, they're just so supportive. I've got a million texts and missed calls, everything right now.”
The first hole stymied Ernst all day. In both the morning round and playoff, he three-putted for bogey. In the afternoon round, he two-putted from 40 feet to save a double bogey and halved the hole.
“It’s funny, I played that hole pretty well all week,” said Ernst. “But today was a different story. It was a tough hole location with the wind, but I needed to do better.”
Ernst, the reigning Mountain West Conference champion from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, is the second Running Rebel to finish runner-up at the APL in the last 17 years. Chris Riley is the other. Fellow Rebel Ryan Moore won the APL in 2002 and 2004.
The 2011 APL was Ernst’s eighth USGA championship, a total which includes the last four U.S. Amateurs. By making the APL final, he is ensured a spot in this year’s Amateur (held Aug. 22-28 at Erin Hills), an exemption from local qualifying for next year’s U.S. Open (provided he remains an amateur), a three-year exemption for the APL and a silver medal.
For his victory, Mills will receive a 10-year APL exemption, exemptions into the next two U.S. Amateurs, a three-year exemption from local U.S. Open qualifying (provided he remains an amateur) and a likely invitation to the 2012 Masters Tournament.
Mills’ hometown is just 150 minutes away from Augusta and though he’s been there as a spectator, he relishes the opportunity to tee it up among the game’s greats.
“It’s always been kind of a dream,” said Mills.
This year’s APL was played concurrently at Bandon Dunes with the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. The WAPL field also played its 36-hole final at Old Macdonald on Saturday. Brianna Do defeated Marissa Dodd by one hole.
Full report of the women's final is available on http://www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk/