TOMMY FLEETWOOD SCORES FIRST PRO WIN

Tommy Fleetwood stormed to victory in the Formby Hall Classic to claim his first professional title.
Fleetwood won the ninth event of the PGA EuroPro Tour season by a four-shot margin at his home course - the Formby Hall Golf Club in Merseyside - to pocket the £10,000 first prize.
He was in contention for the title from the start of the event as he shot 67 (-5) on Wednesday, 68 (-4) on Thursday and 65 (-7) today.
At the start of Friday’s play he had a share of the lead but soon became an outright leader after an eagle at the seventh and birdies at the third, fourth, eighth, 13th and 14th.
“This is my first professional win and a big step for me as I now know I can do it,” said Fleetwood.
“I’ve been up in a lot of events this year but hadn’t finished it off before.
“I played really well today. The second day was my bad round as I was hitting it all over the place but still managed to get a decent score. I had a nervy start today but once I two-putted at the 16th I knew that was it.
“There were a lot of people watching cheering for me so it’s been nice to give them something to cheer about and it’s been a perfect way to get my first win.”
Fleetwood, 20, only turned professional last year after a glittering amateur career that included an appearance in the British and Irish team in the 2009 Walker Cup.
This is the first EuroPro Tour event he has played this season as he regularly plays on the Challenge Tour but was impressed with the standard on the EuroPro Tour.


ORDER OF MERIT AFTER NINE EVENTS
1 Graeme Clark Doncaster GC £24,500.84
2 Chris Hanson Woodsome Hall Golf Club £24,132.50
3 Jamie Abbott Fynn Valley £14,744.17
4 James Busby The Shropshire £13,304.17
5 Paul Reed Bristol & Clifton Golf Club £12,873.10
6 Duncan Stewart Grantown on Spey £11,433.12
7 Stuart Archibald www.crspecialists.co.uk £11,313.75
8 Tommy Fleetwood Formby Hall £10,000.00
9 Darryn Lloyd Acrabuild Ltd/W.Ash & Sons £8,385.00
10 Paul Grannell Vale Royal Abbey £6,650.00

EUROPEAN MEN'S INDIVIDUAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol is the leading Scot in joint 16th place after three rounds of the European men's individual amateur championship at Halmstad GC, Sweden.
Kris is on 213 - five shots behind the Austrian leader.

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AMERICAN LUTZ STEPS UP TO WIN SENIOR OPEN AMATEUR TITLE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland: American Chip Lutz went one better than last year’s runner-up finish to claim the Seniors Open Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush where he reeled-in playing partner Frank Ford III and held off the challenge of Arthur Pierse in a dramatic final round.
Lutz signed for a second successive 71 for a three round winning aggregate of two-under 214. The 56-year-old’s total was good enough to win by one stroke from Irish international Pierse, who carded a 70 to come up just short. The 2007 champion gave the home crowds plenty to cheer about as he attempted to chase down the leading American pair on a benign afternoon on the Antrim coast.
For Ford it was a day of disappointment as the 59-year-old, who had led over the first two days, relinquished a four shot lead and signed for a final round 77 to eventually finish third on level par.
The American contingent who competed in Portrush this week were all too aware of Lutz’s battling qualities. This time he got his just rewards and claimed the prestigious title.
“It’s just so emotional, I’m overwhelmed to have won,” said Lutz immediately after the presentation. “This is my first national championship and it feels great to have been able to finish it off after being runner-up to Paul (Simson) at Walton Heath last year."
The plus four handicapper, who plays out of LedgeRock Golf Club in Pennsylvania, got off to the best possible start after making an eagle three at the par five second before following up with a birdie at the next to put immediate pressure on Ford, who at the same time opened with three straight bogeys.
“I was just trying to stay patient out there. I had a little bit of a lead to overcome but I started quickly. As I jumped off to a great start, Frank struggled to get going.
“In the end I was delighted to have been able to maintain my composure before enjoying the easiest of short tap-ins on the final green to win,” added Lutz, who carded an eagle and three birdies against four bogeys.
Despite Ford’s early woes he still had a long birdie putt from the front of the green at 18 to force a play-off. He raced it passed and went on to miss the eight-footer back which cost him a share of second. “What can I say it just didn’t happen, but that’s golf; I’ve had a great week,” said Ford.
For Pierse there was also a case of what might have been. The battling Tipperary golfer holed an outrageous par putt from just off the front of the green at 18 after finding the cross bunkers with his drive. It meant he at least asked the question and Lutz had to make par to win. For Pierse he said the slow start to the week cost him.
“I was five-over for the front nine on the opening day, that was always going to leave me with an uphill battle,” said Pierse, who won his 2007 title at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. “I played great for most of the time but it just wasn’t enough. It’s still been a good week.”
The biggest mover on the final day came from American Patrick Tallent, who fired the low round of the week 67 to race up the leaderboard and claim fourth spot. The 57-year-old carded seven birdies with just two dropped shots at the seventh and 12th.
“I just love it over here, the golf played on these links courses is nothing like what we play week-in, week-out in America,” said Tallent, who is a member at The Congressional where Rory McIlroy won the US Open in June. “It felt good to come over here, put on some cashmere, and go out and play golf on a wonderful links.”
American Vinny Gilles closed with a 77 for a nine-over 229 aggregate to win the over-65 category by four shots.
"Such a wonderful course and I simply enjoyed being out there playing," said the 68-year-old, who was US Walker Cup captain in 1993. "I wish I wasn’t as old because I’d like to play another one, so long as I’m not pushing up daisies. It has been a wonderful week and we got a great break with the weather."
Garth McGimpsey, one of the home favourites, finished a creditable tied sixth on four-over after a 73. He was two behind England’s Chris Reynolds (71) in fifth and alongside American Brady Exber (74).
“I just didn’t get off to the fast start I needed to get into the mix but it was still a good week,” said McGimpsey, the 2003 and 2005 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup captain.
Defending champion and three-time winner Simson closed with a 72 to be tied 24th on 13-over.
The 2012 Seniors Open Amateur Championship will take place at Machynys Peninsula from 8-10 August.
Please visit www.RandA.org for final scores



 

McKECHNIE WINS AGAIN - AT TURRIFF

Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) contines to make money hand over fist on the Tartan Tour. Paul's latest pro-am victory was achieved at Turriff Golf Club today with a seven-under-par 63 which earned him £1,144.
He won by a shot from Chris Kelly (Cawder) and Duddingston's James McGhee whose 64s paid them £800 apiece.
Kelly led the McDonalds House Furnishing trio of Kevin Fraser (handicap 18), Dave McKenzie (18) and Kenny Minty (18) to victory with a net team score of 122 but only by a better inward half than the Printagraph team led by Colin Gillies (Kingsfield) - Keith Adams (handicap 16), Mike Thomson (11) and Colin Hay (11).
LEADING PRO SCORES
Par 70
63 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills).
64 Chris Kelly (Cawder), James McGhee (Duddingston).
66 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie).
67 Graeme Brown (Montrose Links).
68 Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle), Stephen Gray (Hayston), Craig Mathieson (Falkirk Tryst).
69 Scott Henderson (Kings Links).
70 Colin Gillies (Kingsfield).
71 David Brown (Kemnay), Mark King (Kingsfield), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), Jonathan Lomas (unatt), Oliver Martin (Swanston).
72 Steven Gray (Bothwell Castle), Fraser Mann (Musselburgh).

TAIN GOLF CLUB FOUR-DAY OPEN FINAL RESULTS

McVitie and Price Cup (Gents Scratch)
D Pearson beat F Fotheringham 4 and 3

Stirling Cup (Gents Handicap)
I Cowper beat G Ross 4 and 3

Munro Rosebowl (Gents Handicap)
E Morrison beat I Cooper 3 and 1

Teddy Brookes Cup (Gents Handicap)
D Hughes (Co Armagh) beat G Toal (Ranfurly Castle) 5 and 3

Flower Shop London House Trophy (Ladies Scratch)
M Smith beat S Vass 3 and 2

Mary Hayden Trophy (Ladies Handicap)
R Bonnin (Aix Marseille) beat L MacKay at 19th






----- Original Message -----

TIGER SHOOTS 68 ON COMEBACK AT FIRESTONE

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
AKRON, Ohio — The crowd poured down the gallery ropes along the first fairway by the thousands. Tiger Woods was back and he'd just hit his opening tee shot into the right fairway bunker.
There was huge applause on the tee when Woods and Darren Clarke were introduced, and there was scattered applause and enthusiastic shout-outs as they walked the gauntlet between the grandstands toward the fairway.
A man wearing a red WGC-logoed cap walked with his son and a friend, lugging a plastic bag containing souvenir caps and shirts.
"He's still 99.9 percent love, isn't he?" the man told his friend after hearing the gallery's reaction to Woods. "Golf needs him."
His friend nodded in agreement. "It's like that Stallings guy last week," Red Hat continued. "He's a good story but just not memorable."
His buddy turned and said, "So why haven't you got your application in to be Tiger's caddie? Red Hat laughed. "Good question," he answered. "He probably can't afford me now."
So Tiger's return to golf was official after almost three months in which he missed two major championships, and he had a pretty good day, especially with the putter. Woods shot 68, two under par, thanks to three birdies on the back nine following nine straight pars on the front. He probably played better than some people expected. Give him a solid B, maybe even a B-plus.
Adam Scott leads after an eight-under 62. Woods's old caddie, Steve Williams, is now on Scott's bag full time.
Now, let's talk about those nagging Tiger questions:
How's his knee?
It looked fine. Tiger didn't appear to walk with any limp. His gait is measured, as it has been for some time, but he no longer looked like a man trying to disguise a bad wheel. When he bent down to line up a putt, Tiger squatted without hesitation. The knee didn't appear to be a problem.
How's he look?
Leaner. Still strong. He looks a bit thinner or maybe just a bit less muscular. To be honest, he looks great. Two years ago, he looked almost too muscular. A member of his camp said Tiger does, indeed, feel great and his knee is great, he's not just saying it this time.
How's his swing?
Good. His swing wasn't great on the front nine, but it looked fine. He lost several shots right but not very far right. And with Firestone Country Club's narrow fairways, it doesn't take much to miss. Tiger's misses were pretty close to the fairway on the first nine. He hit only five of 14 fairways but found 12 of 18 greens in regulation.
How's his putting?
It looks good. This is the most important club in Tiger's comeback, or whatever you want to call it. Spotty putting, which is the opposite of what Tiger did in the past, cost him a chance to win the last two Masters. Woods made three clutch par-saving putts on the opening nine, then drained a pair of short birdie putts to start the back. His putting stroke was the most optimistic thing we've seen from him since the Masters. He made some excellent putts on the back, dare we say like the Tiger of old? Maybe Hunter Mahan was right Wednesday when he used the word "scary" to describe Tiger's return.
Woods seemed very pleased after his round. By his stark standards, he was almost giddy. His distance control problems today stemmed from hitting it too solid, a nice problem to have.
"As Darren would say, I was hitting proper shots out there," Woods said. "The amount of progress I made in my golf swing, the amount of compression I had in the golf ball, the shots I was hitting, I hadn't hit the ball like this. This was fun, to be able to hit the ball with that much flush. It was pretty nice.
"My swing was more of a wipey swing, just kind of wiping it out there so I wasn't getting a full transfer of energy. Now I'm swinging easier. I am not even hitting it hard yet and that's what's fun. I'm hitting it farther without any more effort. Today, some of the drives I hit out there, I got my power back."
He was also pleased about how he handled his return after the long absence.
"You know, I felt nervous out there on that first tee just like I did when I came back off long layoffs after the winter, or the surgeries I've had over the years," Woods said. "That first tee shot, I was pretty nervous. It felt awesome."
His start was uneven. From the fairway bunker at the first, Woods hit an iron shot to the green and two-putted for par. Clarke, his playing companion and newly minted British Open champ, didn't get his bunker shot to the green and made bogey. They found fairway bunkers on the par-5 second hole, too. Clarke hit a nice recovery shot while Woods caught a little too much sand with his, advancing it only about 100 yards. Tiger's third shot didn't get close and he two-putted for another par.
He found his first fairway at the third hole and hit what appeared to be a decent approach shot but it flew the green. Tiger's chip raced across the green, perhaps grazing the cup's edge, and went all the way to the front fringe. He then poured in a 25-foot putt for par and drew the day's first big roar.
There was another nice ovation when he played a shot in close to six feet at the par-3 fifth. He made a good stroke but the putt slid right and rolled past the hole. He settled for par.
Tiger's approach went long at the sixth hole, too. As soon as he struck the shot, Tiger shouted, "Bite! Bite! Gol, come down!" "Gol" must be short for golly. The ball stopped on the back of the green, leaving him a slick, downhill, double-breaking putt. His first putt drifted five feet past but he made the comebacker for another par.
The highlight of the opening nine came at the eighth hole, where Clarke holed his approach shot from 184 yards for an eagle, drawing a big roar. A woman wearing a straw hat behind the green asked her friend, "What happened? Did it go in? Aww, we were here and we missed it!" She looked up toward the sky and added, "Well, the MetLife blimp saw it."
As Woods played his approach from the left rough, she said, "Choke on that, Tiger."
Woods pulled his approach into the deep left bunker, flopped a shot onto the green and watched his ball roll to seven feet. Woods rolled the par putt in and Clarke, who'd curiously been holding the pin instead of his caddie, made a remark that made Woods smile. Clarke held out his left hand and Woods gave it a celebratory slap.
Woods showed his first bit of emotion on the ninth green, doing a nice fist thrust as he rolled in a 15-footer to save par.
Maybe that got the rust off because he hit it close at the short 10th, making a five-footer for birdie. At No. 11, he played a nice approach and holed a putt from eight feet for birdie. Suddenly, he was two under par, a good place to be on a warm, humid and mostly calm day where soft greens led to low scoring, at least by Firestone standards.
At the 14th, Tiger found himself in the back bunker. His bunker shot caught the deep rough before bouncing onto the fringe. It was one good bounce away from getting close. He narrowly missed the 14-foot par try. It was his first bogey of the round.
Another Tiger moment came at the 16th, the downhill par-5 over the pond. Woods hung his drive out in the right trees and had to play a big slice with his hybrid. Woods, aiming toward the left rough, took a mighty lash at the ball and his right foot and leg came up on his follow through as he tried to make sure he carved the shot left to right. He pulled it off perfectly and the fans, excited to see Tiger's histrionics, rewarded him with a loud roar as he stalked down the fairway after the ball.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Tiger moment if he didn't make birdie after a theatrical shot. After a poor wedge shot that carried to the back of the green, Tiger's 30-foot birdie putt crawled into the cup and he raised the putter in his left hand in triumph. He also smiled for one of the few times during the round.
"I expect myself to be more prepared tomorrow," Woods said. "I've got the competitive feel now. I know what it feels like to get into the flow of the round and the flow of playing tournament golf, which is way different than zipping around in shorts and a cart.
"It's progress, it's a progression," he said. "You take it step by step."

scoreboard to come

SENIORS BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Frank Ford III in command

at Royal Portrush

FROM THE R AND A WEBSITE

Frank Ford III opened-up a commanding four-shot lead at the Seniors Open Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush and will have compatriot Chip Lutz as his closest pursuer and playing partner in the final round. 

First round leader Ford added a best of the day 70 to his opening 69 for an impressive five-under-par 139 aggregate. Lutz, who finished runner-up to defending champion Paul Simson at Walton Heath in 2010, carded 71 to hold second on 143. Irish international and 2007 champion Arthur Pierse was tucked in at third after his level par 72 for 145.
Hugh Smyth, Pierse's fellow Irish international, returned a 76 despite suffering with a sore back to be tied fourth on 146 alongside American Brady Exeber (71). Home favourite Garth McGimpsey (75), English pair Alan Mew (73) and Chris Reynolds (74) and American Douglas Pool (73) are within touching distance of Ford's lead on 147.
Ford has played exemplary golf over the first two days but is taking nothing for granted and knows this course, more than most, is capable of biting back at any time.
"It was an interesting kind of day, most of the good stuff happened in the middle of the round," said the leader in reference to three birdies in succession from the eighth. The 59-year-old from South Carolina believes the accurate pace putting from long range and accuracy off the tee has been his secret.
"I didn’t believe 139 (for two rounds) could be shot on this golf course when I started," added the plus-two handicapper, who would have matched his 69 but for a dropped shot at the 18th. "Driving has been the key and I’ve putted great, especially some very good two putts from long range.
"I’ve just played as good as I can play. I haven’t been in much trouble and hope I don’t have to deal with it (Friday) but, if I do, I’m prepared for it."
Lutz will be looking to go one better than last year and is well-placed heading into the final day. His front nine gleaned birdies at the second and ninth and though there were dropped shots at the 10th and 12th, a third birdie of the day came at the 16th.
Pierse was left to rue a couple of mistakes in bunkers and felt his level par round was the worst he could have scored.  
"Honestly, I left a 66 out there without any problem," said Pierse, who ran up a double-bogey six at the 18th after bunker trouble. "But that’s the way it goes. I think I’ve only missed two fairways and four greens in two rounds, so I’m hitting the ball well. I have a slight issue with the putter but if I sort that out I feel I can go low.
"I’ll be giving it a go tomorrow (Friday)," added the Tipperary native, who enjoyed a run of three birdies from the second after starting with a three-putt at the first from 15 feet.     
Spare a thought for defending champion Simson, who ran up a disastrous 11 at the treacherous par four first. The American’s misery was compounded after he genuinely thought he had made a two, so pleased was he with his blind nine-iron approach.
“I honestly thought my nine-iron was heading for the hole, but it went through the green and into the bushes. With a delicate chip back my ball just kept rolling and ended up in the deep bunker in front of the green. From there I took five more to get out and the rest they say is history,” said Simson, who went on to sign for an 80 and at 157 is too far off the pace to retain his title.
McGimpsey also had troubles in the same bunker at the first and took two to get out before opening with a double-bogey.
“I didn’t hole much and was very unlucky at the first,” said McGimpsey, Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup captain in 2003 and 2005. “I just have to go out with a positive attitude; there’s only one winner and you can be sure I won’t be leaving anything behind tomorrow.”
Another former Walker Cup captain, Vinny Giles, dropped back to four-over 148 after following up an opening 70 with a 78. 
“I was absolutely awful the front nine; made seven bogeys and two pars and shot 43. Improved on the back nine and holed from off the green for eagle at the 15th,” said Giles, who made a special effort to play at Royal Portrush.
“This golf course is easily in my top 10 in the world and this is my fourth event here; played two British Senior Opens and one British Senior Amateur. I just love the place,” added the 68-year-old.

The cut fell at 14-over 158 with 66 players making it into the final round.

Click here for scores.

CALLUM BEVERIDGE WINS AYRSHIRE BOYS TITLE AFTER PLAY-OFF

AYRSHIRE GOLF NEWS RELEASE
The new Ayrshire Boys Golf Champion is 17 year old Callum Beveridge (Troon Welbeck) who won the title after a play off with defending champion and clubmate Charlie Macneal at Prestwick St Nicholas on Thursday 4th August.
A capacity field contested the event in changeable weather conditions, with all competitors experiencing rain at times during their morning round.
In a day of excellent scoring, the outstanding morning rounds belonged to Beveridge and Macneal who both negotiated the course in four under par 65, which proved to be five under the CSS of 70 for the morning round.
Macneal was out in two under par 33 in the morning, with birdies at the 3rd, 6th and 8th and a bogey five at the difficult 7th hole and came back in two under, with birdies at the 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th being offset with bogeys at the par three 12th and the par four 16th.
Birdies at the 4th and 9th with a bogey five at the 7th saw Beveridge out in one under par 34, but with birdies at the 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th and a single bogey at the 14th on the way back, Beveridge edged the claim of the best opening round by virtue ofn the better inward half.
This could prove crucial as the first round of the championship this year was designated a qualifying event for the 2011 Abu Dhabi Junior Golf Championship in association with The Telegraph and resulted in Callum Beveridge's name and 5 under CSS score going forward for a possible place in the national final of the competition.
Other notable scores in the opening round included one over par scratch scores of 70 posted by Stuart Easton (Irvine) and John Montgomery (West Kilbride) who play off 5 & 6 respectively.
With the weather improving in the afternoon and the course in excellent condition, no less than five players returned second round scratch scores of level par or better, with the best being a two under par 67 from Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie).
Playing two matches in front of his closest rival, defending champion Charlie Macneal, Callum Beveridge maintained his good form into his afternoon round.
A steady outward nine saw Beveridge to the turn in one over par 36, with just a single bogey at the 6th and eight pars on his card. Beveridge started back in perfect fashion with a birdie 2s at the 10th and 12th and a further birdie at the 13th before dropping his only shot on the back nine at the final hole, with a bogey four, to give him a second round score of 68.
Beveridge's five under par total of 133 set a testing target for defending champion Macneal to overcome, but the holder was determined to hold onto his title.
Despite a double bogey sixes at the 1st and 4th in the afternoon, Macneal rallied with birdies at the 6th and 7th to salvage a two over par total of 37 to the turn. In a flawless inward nine, Macneal had no worse than par and with birdies at the 11th, 14th and 17th he came home in a superb score of 31 for a scratch 68 and a tie for the lead with Beveridge.
Although there were some excellent scores returned from some of the remaining competitors, none could seriously challenge the score of Macneal and Beveridge and the championship was destined to be decided by the first play off since 2002.
The first play off hole, the 342 yard par four first hole, saw both players safely in the fairway from the tee, with Beveridge some 20 yards behind Macneal. Playing first, Beveridge hit an excellent approach into a stiffening breeze, which came to rest on the front of the green some 20 feet from the hole, whilst Macneal saw his approach drift left of the green. Macneal chipped up to around five feet from the hole, but whilst Beveridge holed and excellent putt for a birdie three, Macneal saw his par putt clip the edge of the hole but remain above ground.
At the second hole of the play off, the 172 yard par three second, Beveridge's ball came to rest on the right apron of the green, short of the ridge that crosses the green, whilst macneal made the putting surface with his tree shot, although his ball also came to rest short of the ridge. Beveridge was bold with his approach, leaving him with an eight foot putt to salvage par, whilst Macneal putted up to within two feet of the hole with his second shot.
Despite a tricky downhill slope to negotiate, Beveridge bravely holed his par put, which was followed in by macneal, and the players made their waty to the third and final play off hole with Beveridge remaining two shots ahead.
The final play off hole was the difficult 379 yard par four 16th hole.
Playing first, beveridge hit his tee shot into light rough to the left side whilst Macneal's iron shot from the tee came to rest in perfect position in the centre of the fairway. Playing first, Macneal kept the pressure on by hitting a good approach to within twenty feet of the hole.
Despite a difficult lie in the rough, Beveridge played a confident and well executed approach safely to the centre of the green, just outside Macneal's ball. Putting first, Beveridge saw his birdie effort hit the hole and spin out to a couple of inches past the cup, which he duly holes for his par four and a one under par total for the three play off holes. Unable to influence the result at this stage, Macneal completed the formalities by two putting for a par four, and a one over par total for the play off holes, before graciously extending warm congratualtions to his successor as Boys Champion, callum Beveridge.
At the conclusion of the play off, Ayrshire Golf Association President David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) presented prizes to the succesful competitors in the championship.

PRIZEWINNERS
Ayrshire Boys Champion - Callum Beveridge (Troon Welbeck) 65 - 68 = 133 (won after 3 hole play off)
Runner Up - Charlie Macneal (Troon Welbeck) 65 - 68 = 133
3rd Scratch - Stuart Easton (Irvine) 70 - 68 = 138
4th Scratch - Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) 76 - 67 = 153 (best 2nd round)
5th Scratch - Greg Vernon (Annanhill) 74 - 69 = 153 (best 2nd round)

1st Nett - John Montgomery (West KIlbride) (6) 64 - 67 = 131
2nd Nett - Chris Hobson (Irvine) (5) 71 - 66 = 137
3rd Nett - Robbie Blackwood (Kilmarnock Barassie) (6) 71 - 67 = 138