ROSS BELL SCORES WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN IN LEVEN GOLD MEDAL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Dundee's Ross Bell celebrated his 23rd birthday by completing a wire-to-wire victory in the Standard Life Leven Gold Medal 72-hole tournament today, the oldest amateur stroke-play event in the world.
Bell virtually won the tournament with a splendid opening round of seven-under-par 64, only two shots outside the course record, before heavy rain set in for well over 24 hours.
Ross, who works in Kenneth Hutton's pro's shop at Downfield Golf Club, shot a second-round 69 - despite the rain - to lead by six shots at halfway.
He was still six clear of the field after a par-matching Sunday morning third round of 71 - and it was still raining, but easing off a bit.
The last round was an anti-climax for Ross who was scoring his second 72-hole win over the Leven Links, having won the season-opening Scottish Champion of Champions in 2010.
He virtually coasted home, taking no risks, but, under little pressure although he said later he felt a bit nervous, Bell bogeyed the last three holes.
That gave him his worst round of the four- a three over par 74 and reduced his total to six over par 278.
But he still won the coveted Gold Medal and a £500 voucher by two shots from the strong finishing Fraser McKenna, who had a 68 for 280 to gain the Silver Medal and a £400 voucher.
The bronze medal and a £300 voucher went to US college student James Ross (Royal Burgess) who also closed with a 68 for 281.
Peter Latimer (St Andrews News), Bell's closest rival overnight and his last-day playing partner, did exert some pressure in the early stages of the final round by birdieing the first and third but he could not keep the bogeys at bay and a double bogey at the 16th pushed him back even more.
Latimer finsiehd with a 72 for 282.
Scott Borrowman had a hole in one with a six-iron at the 15th (189yd). It was his second ace in competitive play but his seventh in all. Borrowman finished with a four-under-par 67 for joint fifth place on one-under 283.
Borrowman totalled 147 (75-72) for the first 36 holes and 136 for the Sunday rounds (69-67). Sunday best, you might say!

ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71) CSS 72 73 72 72
278 Ross Bell (Downfield) 64 69 71 74.
280 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 71 71 70 68
281 James Ross (Royal Burgess) 73 70 70 68.
282 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 67 72 71 72
283 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 75 72 69 67, Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick Dunskey) 72 72 70 69, Alex Main (Thornton) 70 71 71 71
284 Myles Cunningham (Longniddry) 71 72 69 72, Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 71 69 73 71.
285 Paul Ferrier (Baberton) 71 74 72 68
288 Ross Noon (Craigielaw) 71 76 72 69, Liam McGowan (St Andrews New) 79 67 73 69.
289 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 68 75 75 71, Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 70 71 72 76
290 Greg Nicolson (Mortonhall) 71 76 71 72, Keith Shanks (Briar Ridge) 68 75 73 74.
291 Paul McPhee (King James VI) 72 73 75 71, Scott Stewart-Cation (The Duke's) 69 73 78 71, Graham Robertson (Silverknowes) 71 75 75 70, Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 73 73 72 73.
292 John Duff (Newmachar) 76 68 76 72
293 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 73 73 72 75
294 Alex Moir (Thornton) 78 71 72 73, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 71 74 77 72, Chris Lawton (Falkirk Tryst) 67 75 74 78, David Mitchell (Leven Thistle) 72 74 73 75
295 Brian Erskine (Merchants of Edinburgh) 72 77 76 70
296 Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 75 74 75 72, Bobby Rushford (Grangemouth) 73 73 75 75
297 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 75 74 75 73, John Laurie (Cowglen) 73 76 71 77, Daniel Kay (Dunbar0 70 74 72 81.
298 Darren Gould (Woodhall Spa) 69 77 76 76, Lee Morgan (Swanston) 73 74 73 78.
299 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 70 77 76 76, Marc Gentles (St Andrews) 72 72 76 79.
300 Graeme McDougall (Bishopbriggs) 75 71 79 75.
302 Craig Deerness (Harburn) 74 74 79 75, Dan Lawrence (Ballumbie Castle) 69 75 80 78

RUSSELL KNOX THREE PUTTS 18th, JT 2ND ON NATIONWIDE TOUR

Omaha, Nebraska -- Texan J.J. Killeen fired an 8-under par 63 Saturday at the Cox Classic in Omaha and moved closer to winning for the second week in a row. Killeen, who earned his first career Nationwide Tour title at last week's Utah Championship, is 20-under and four strokes in front the closest four players.
Former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee (66), Monday qualifier Mike Lavery (67), Scotland's Russell Knox (68) and veteran Ken Duke (68) share second place at 16-under heading into Sunday's finale at Champions Run.
England's Gary Christian (64) and Troy Kelly (62) are tied for sixth place, five back of the leader.
Lee birdied the 440-yard 18th hole to close out a bogey-free round and get to 16-under. But with a dozen players still on the course, it appeared that he would wind up in fourth or fifth place. Lavery, Knox and Duke all wound up making bogeys at No. 18 to fall into a second-place tie and give Killeen some extra breathing room. The miscue by Lavery was his only bogey of the day.
"Anybody can shoot a low score out here," Killeen said. "Anything can happen ... I'm still going to put the petal to the medal tomorrow."
Killeen, No. 5 on the money list, set a torrid pace early with seven birdies in his first 11 holes.
"I'm not going to say I left a few out there but I think I could have birdied every hole on the front nine," he said. "I hit it pretty close all day long."
Killeen hit 16 greens despite missing half the fairways but stayed out of trouble for the most part. He is in good position to become the first player to win in back-to-back weeks since Jason Gore did it six years ago.
"He's playing great and he will be pretty hard to beat," Knox said, who is looking for his second win in four weeks. "He won't be afraid to go deep tomorrow. It's probably going to be reasonably difficult to catch him and we probably need him not to play too well."
Knox three-putted the final green, which is one of the rare mistakes the 25-year old Jacksonville, Fla., transplant from Inverness, Scotland has made. He has missed only six fairways in 54 holes and only three greens in regulation.
Third-Round Notes --
• J.J. Killeen has been on a blistering pace since missing the cut at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in May. Since then, he has made eight straight cuts and three top-5 finishes. In that stretch he also has a stroke average of 68.225 for his last 31 rounds, 27 of which have been below par.
• J.J. Killeen has now posted 15 consecutive rounds under par and his scoring average for that stretch is 67.133.
• J.J. Killeen's 193 total is one off the tournament record for the lowest 54-hole score. Chris Smith (1997) and David Branshaw (2008) both registered 21-under 192 scores. Smith went on to win the tournament and Branshaw lost a playoff to Ryan Hietala.
• J.J. Killeen's 4-stroke lead is the second-largest in tournament history. Chris Smith held a five-shot advantage in 1997 and went to win by a then-Tour record 11 strokes.
• J.J. Killeen's 193 score is the second-lowest 54-hole total on the Nationwide Tour this year. Steve Wheatcroft posted a 191 total (22-under) during the first three rounds of the Melwood Prince George's County Open, which he went on to win by a Tour-record 12 strokes.
• Gary Christian from England added a 7-under 64 today to the 9-under 62 he posted in round two. His 126 total is a career-low for consecuvite rounds. His previous career best, 36-hole score was 127 (13-under par) in Rounds 3 and 4 at the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, which he won when he defeated Mathias Gronberg in a nine-hole playoff. Christian stands at 15-under, and is tied for sixth heading into the final round.
• Gary Christian's 126 total (62-64) in Rounds 2 and 3 matches the second-lowest on Tour this year. Steve Wheatcroft had a 125 total (60-65) in the second and third rounds of the Melwood Prince George's County Open.
• Gary Christian will celebrate his 40th birthday on Sunday.
• J.J. Killeen is trying to become the 11th player in Tour history to register wins in back-to-back starts. The last to do it was Nick Flanagan, who won the 2007 Henrico County Open and the BMW Charity Pro-Am.
• J.J. Killeen is trying to become the sixth player in Tour history to register wins in consecutive weeks. The last to do it was Jason Gore at the 2005 National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic and the Scholarship America Showdown.
• There were five eagles at No. 9, a 315-yard par 4. Gary Christian's drive stopped about two feet from the hole to set up his eagle. Matt Weibring also hit driver and had an eagle putt of just 18 inches. Others to make eagle: Martin Flores, Nicholas Thompson and Brendon Todd
• Danny Lee is a perfect 9-for-9 in cuts made this year. The former U.S. Amateur champion is No. 19 on the money list thanks for four top-10 finishes, including a tied for ninth at last week's Utah Championship. Lee has only one bogey this week, which came on his third hole on Thursday -- giving him a current bogey-free streak of 51 holes.
• Andrew Buckle shot a 4-over 75 today but had wildly contrasting nines. Starting on the back, Buckle went out in 8-over 44, including a quadruple-bogey 8 at No. 14. He rebounded with a 4-under 31 on the front side to finish the round.

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SCOTT PIERCY BIRDIES EIGHT IN A ROW ON WAY TO US TOUR LEAD

RENO, Nevada (AP) — Scott Piercy reeled off eight consecutive birdies to post a 28 on the front nine and eagled the 616-yard closing hole to break the course record with an 11-under 61 on Saturday, taking a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Reno-Tahoe Open, this weekend's US PGA Tour event
Piercy, winless in three years on the PGA Tour, enters the final round at 13-under 203, two ahead of Josh Teater and three ahead of a group that includes 1995 PGA champion Steve Elkington.
Elkington, who has 10 career victories but none since 1999, followed a 65 on Friday with a 68 to get to 10-under 206. He was tied for third with 2006 Reno champ Chris Riley, first-round leader Nick O'Hern, Pat Perez, John Merrick and Blake Adams. Two-time Reno winner Vaughn Taylor and 2007 champ Steve Flesch were at 9-under.
Piercy's birdie barrage on the front matched both the longest such streak and lowest nine holes in relation to par posted on tour this season. He was one shy of the course record for nine holes set by Riley when he fired a 27 on what is now the back nine in 2008.
The 32-year-old Las Vegas native said he didn't really think about shooting a 59, but knew he was one shy of the US PGA record nine consecutive birdies Mark Calcavecchia had in the second round of the 2009 RBC Canadian Open.
"It was fun to see the ball go in the hole," said Piercy, a two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour who currently is ranked 142nd on the PGA money list with $365,162 and has $2.2 million in career earnings.
Piercy said he was frustrated the first two rounds because he hit the ball well but couldn't get putts to drop on the 7,472-yard mountain course at the Montreux Golf and Country Club on the edge of the Sierra.
"I told my caddie yesterday if I can keep hitting it well and get a few balls to go in the hole, we might do something special," he said. "I didn't think this, but I'll take it when I can get it, you know?"
The San Diego State University graduate began the day at 2-under - tied for 45th seven strokes off the lead.
Piercy parred No. 1 and then followed with eight straight birdies. The streak ended on the par-4 10th when he missed a 27-foot birdie putt. He followed with three more pars - missing a 10-footer for birdie on the par-5 13th.
"I wasn't thinking 59," he said. "If I would have made the birdie on 13 I might have thought about it a little more."
Piercy followed with consecutive birdies then made his only bogey of the day on the difficult 464-yard, par-4 17th when he hit into the creek that runs through the fairway.
On the par-5 18th, he drove the ball 340 yards and then hit a 4-iron 275 yards to inside 7 feet before dropping the eagle putt for 61 - three better than his previous career best he last recorded at the 2010 Wyndham Championship.
Last year, Graham DeLaet became the most recent among six players to tie Montreux's old course record of 62.
Teater won the Nationwide Tour's Utah Championship in 2009 and has four top 10 finishes in his second year on the PGA Tour. The Kentucky native who shot a 66 Saturday said he's looking forward to Sunday's finale.
"It's going to be a shootout and we're all going to try to birdie every hole," Teater said.
Elkington, 48, last won at the Doral Ryder Open in 1999. He said he's had an "up and down year" but always enjoys making the trip to the Montreux about 20 miles from Lake Tahoe.
"The wind was very tricky so I was very pleased with 4-under," Elkington said. "I think it will be a great final round... I bring the family and we stay at Lake Tahoe. The golf is a bonus this week for sure."
Perez, who has three top 10s this year and is 80th on the money list, had four birdies and an eagle for a 29 on the back nine.
"I played like that actually all three days and I finally just put together the nine holes," Perez said.
Piercy's consecutive birdies equaled Chris Stroud's streak from Nos. 9-16 in the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico in February. His 8-under 28 on the par-36 front nine ties the 28 Nick Watney had in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Watney also had an 8-under 27 on the par-35 back nine in the third round of the AT&T National in July.


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AUSSIE SENIOR SHARES US SENIORS LEAD WITH HUSTON

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Peter Senior shot a bogey-free 67 and John Huston birdied No. 18 for a 68 on Saturday that left them tied for the lead at 12 under after the second round of the US Champions (Seniors) Tour's 3M Championship.
Jay Haas, the co-leader after the opening round, shot a 69 and was one shot back.
Mark Calcavecchia (68), who finished second in last year's event, and Minnesota native Tom Lehman (69) were two behind.
Tommy Armour III (67), Mark O'Meara (68), Kenny Perry (70), Nick Price (68) and Hal Sutton (69) trailed by four.
Play was delayed 1 hour, 56 minutes due to rain and lightning when the leaders began their back nine at TPC Twin Cities.
Early in the day, the TPC Twin Cities played much like it did Friday when 53 of 80 players broke par by firing right at the flags. However, the wind began to pick up as the final groups began their rounds around noon, quickly reducing the number of birdies that were being posted. Following the stoppage, the wind was not a factor, and scores began to drop again.
Leading by three shots, Huston hit his tee shot on No. 12 into a water hazard, leading to a bogey. Haas and Lehman birdied the hole to get within one shot. Haas birdied No. 13 to temporarily tie for the lead, but missed a short putt on No. 18 while Huston birdied the final hole.
Australian Senior, who has yet to win since joining the Champions Tour last year, birdied three of the four par-3s. He hit 27 of 28 fairways in the first two rounds, and 33 of 36 greens in regulation.
Calcavecchia had birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to get within a shot. A bad approach shot on 18 cost him a birdie opportunity. He also missed four putts from within 4 feet during his round, saying he turned a potential 63 into a 68.
Lehman, a three-time winner this year and the season points leader, made three bogeys and said

AUSTRIA, NETHERLANDS, PORTUGAL QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR
The Austrian team of Roland Steiner and Florian Praegant won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier by three strokes to secure their ticket to China alongside The Netherlands and Portugal in a thrilling final round at Estonia Golf and Country Club.
Steiner and Praegant carded an impressive five under par 67 in the final round foursomes to hold back the challenge of Joost Luiten and Robert-Jan Derksen of The Netherlands, who played solidly to shoot 68 in windy conditions on the Sea Course.
All eyes were on the battle for the final qualifying spot. Portugal, represented by Hugo and Ricardo Santos, started the day in third place, three shots ahead of Greece and five shots ahead of fourth placed Switzerland and Finland. Finland’s hopes of qualification were dented early in their round with a triple-bogey on the third hole and they never recovered.
Consecutive bogeys on the first and second holes threatened to derail Portugal’s chances of victory but they steadied the ship with a birdie on the third hole. Another bogey on the seventh saw them drop back into fourth place behind the Greek team of Karantzias Panagiotis and Gkinis Themistoklis who birdied the second, sixth and tenth to get to fifteen under par before dropping a shot on the fifteenth hole.
A bounce-back birdie for Greece on sixteen saw them tied with Portugal in third place at 15 under with two holes to play. A bogey on seventeen left the Greek team one shot behind playing the 18th. With both teams making par on the final hole Portugal’s place in the World Cup final in China was secured.
They will be the third set of brothers to play in the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup this year joining the Molinari brothers Edoardo and Francesco and Camillo and Manuel Villegas.
The Swiss team of Martin Rominger and Nicolas Sulzer made a late charge shooting a five under par 67 to finish on 13 under par but they had left themselves with too much to do after a disappointing 69 in the fourball format on Saturday and finished in fifth place.
The Austrian team were thrilled with their final round performance, which saw them carding five birdies and no dropped shots in the more difficult foursomes format.
“We did a good job over the four days”, said Steiner. “It was perfect for us to play together. There was no discussion or debate, everyone did their job. This format suits us because our game is very similar. I know what he (Praegant) thinks and he knows what I think. We made a good team this week.”
“After the first birdie we were able to relax a bit,” said Praegant. “The hard work has now been done and we can now look forward to China. It feels really good to qualify and represent Austria. I don’t think we realise yet what we’ve done.”
Derksen, a veteran of five World Cup campaigns for The Netherlands, was confident that he and partner Luiten would perform well in China:
“It was important that we got the job done this week. It was good practice for China. We have grown into the format as a team. We didn’t play well in the foursomes on Friday but today was much better. I’m looking forward to playing with Joost. We make a good team. He is a more aggressive player and I am more defensive so we should do well in China. We hope to have the best result ever for the Netherlands”.
Joost Luiten was looking forward to his first OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup.
“It’s always good to represent your country”, said Luiten. “I last played for The Netherlands as an amateur six years ago. Robert and I are a good team together and we’ll do well in China.”
Portugal were justifiably delighted to hold on to their third place to qualify. Hugo Santos summed up their achievement in one word - “great”.
“I’ve played for Portugal as an amateur but this has been my first time playing in a team for Portugal as a professional. It feels great to be able to represent my country. Just great.”
Portugal kept their nerve in a close battle for third place. Ricardo Santos was pleased with how they handled the pressure.
“My brother and I were doing really well with the pressure of the foursomes format. The fact that we are brothers helps. I know his game more than anyone and I think he knows mine as well. This was a tough week but now we can finally relax.”

FINAL TOTALS
The Estonian Golf and Country Club, Jõelähtme Parish, Estonia.
Par 288 (4x72). Yardage 6462.
264 – Austria (Roland STEINER / Florian PRAEGANT)
267 – Netherlands (Joost LUITEN / Robert-Jan DERKSEN)
273 – Portugal (Ricardo SANTOS / Hugo SANTOS)
274 – Greece (Karantzias PANAGIOTIS / Gkinis THEMISTOKLIS)
275 – Switzerland (Martin ROMANGER / Nicolas SULZER)
276 – Chile (Mark TULLO / Felipe AGUILAR)
286 – Finland (Mikko KORHONEN/ Joonas GRANBERG), Estonia (Mark SUURSALU/Egert POLDMA), Poland (Maksymilian SALUDA / Jakub OSSOWSKI)
290 – Slovenia (Sebastjan AJSTER / Gregor SLABE)
303 – Croatia (Marin STAHAN / Miro RAIC)
Format: Fourball used in first and third rounds, Foursomes (alternate shot) used in the Second and final founds


Roddy Williams
Managing Editor
europeantour.com

STANDARD LIFE LEVEN GOLD MEDAL THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD

ROSS BELL LEADS BY SIX SHOTS WITH ONE ROUND TO GO AT LEVEN

COLIN FARQUHARSON REPORTS FROM LEVEN
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Downfield's Ross Bell leads the Standard Life Leven Gold Medal by six shots with a round to go over the sodden Fife links this afternoon.
After 24 hours of nonstop rain, the Leven course is very, very wet but it is also a very fast draining course and there are few signs of excess water, except in the car park!
Bell, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency,  who is celebrating his 23rd birthday, led by three shots after a brilliant opening round of 64 - only two shots above the course record. After a second-round 69, achieved in a steady downpour on Saturday afternoon/evening, the Dundee man led overnight by six shots on nine-under-par 133.
"I played solidly without taking any risks," said Bell after matching the par of 71 this morning. He birdied the short fifth and the 14th and dropped shots at the fourth and 18th where he was in the water that guards the front of the green, getting away with a bogey 5 by single-putting.
Bell knows what it takes to win over the Levin links - he won the season-opening Scottish champion of champions tournament last year.
"I've not had a good season at all this year," he said frankly, "so I am surprised to be this far in front with a round to go. That first-round 64 was easily my best golfing round for some time. My irons were very good and I holed birdie putts at the 16th and 17th to make it a special round."
His nearest rival and playing partner on the final day, Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) also had a 71 to be on 210 - two shots ahead of three players sharing third place on 212: Fraser McKenna (Balmore), Myles Cunningham from Longniddry and Alex Main (Thornton).

LATER NEWS: Latimer holed an 8ft birdie putt at the first hole of the final round. Bell had a par 4 ... the lead is now five shots with 17 to play!

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71). Weather: Raining for almost 24 hours. Course very wet.
CSS 72 73 72
204 Ross Bell (Downfield) 64 69 71.
210 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 67 72 71.
212 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 71 71 70, Myles Cunningham (Longniddry) 71 72 69, Alex Main (Thornton) 70 71 71.
213 Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 70 71 72, James Ross (Royal Burgess) 73 70 70, Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 71 69 73.
214 Stephen Speirs (Portpatrick Dunskey) 72 72 70
216 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 75 72 69, Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 70 74 72, Keith Shanks (Brier Ridge) 68 75 73, Chris Lawton (Falkirk Tryst) 67 75 74.
217 Paul Ferrier (Baberton) 71 74 72.
218 Greg Nicolson (Mortonhall) 71 76 71, Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 73 73 72, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 68 75 75
219 Ross Noon (Craigielaw) 71 76 72, David Mitchell (Leven Thistle) 72 74 73, Liam McGowan (St Andrews New) 79 67 73.
220 John Laurie (Cowglen) 76 71 71, Lee Morgan (Swanston) 73 74 73, Paul McPhee (King James VI) 72 73 75, John Duff (Newmachar) 76 68 76, Marc Gentles (St Andrews) 72 72 76, Stewart Scott-Cation (The Duke's) 69 73 78
221 Alex Moir (Thornton) 78 71 72, Graham Robertson (Silverknowes) 71 75 75
222 Darren Gould (Woodhall Spa) 69 77 76, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 71 74 77, Bobby Rushford (Grangemouth) 73 73 75.
223 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 79 77 76.
224 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 75 74 75, Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 75 74 75, Dan Lawrence (Ballumbie Castle) 69 75 80.
225 Brian Erskine (Merchants of Edinburgh) 72 77 76, Graeme McDougall (Bishopbriggs) 71 75 79.
227 Craig Deerness (Harburn) 74 74 79.
No Shows: Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 71 78 -, Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 71 78 -.

Withdrew: Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 75 74.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ ALL SATURDAY'S SCORES, INCLUDING NON-QUALIFIERS FOR FINAL TWO ROUNDS.

DUFF HOUSE ROYAL GC MEN'S FIVE-DAY OPEN TOURNAMENT

The annual tournament at Duff House Royal served up another thrilling championship.
In tough conditions, Justin Duff led the way in the Qualifying Rounds on Monday and Tuesday with a superb 135.
Those scratch semi finals on Friday represented 3 DHR members including the evergreen Ian Angus. The DHR stalwart had lifted the title a record 5 times going into the tournament and went on to make it 6 this year after defeating John McWilliams of West Linton.
No other player has won the tournament as many times as Ian and his fine week was capped by defeating DHR Club Champion and favourite David Morrison, who was himself fresh from the lifting the 4 Day open at Buckpool last week – by a score of 7 and 5.
The other two local, defeated semi finalists were Luke Sutherland and Craig Young, both of whom have overcome serious injuries in recent times and bounced back well.
The low handicap section almost had a brotherly final, with Ryan and Andrew Lovie kept apart in the semi’s. However both were defeated and Eric Capocci from Lochgilphead went on to lift the title. Michael Kelly from Strathclyde won the High Handicap Section by defeating Jamie Illingworth (Shipley), who has been playing in the tournament for 15 years but had only qualified for the matchplay stages twice.
Amidst emotional scenes, the club announced it would re-name the 14th hole ‘Duncan Kennedy’ in honour of the club legend during the Prizegiving ceremony.
Duncan died during the club Centenary year at the age of 92 and was a significant figure at the helm of the club through most of its key developments over a long period of time. He was the only Club President in the clubs history. Duncan ’s two sons, Alan and Ken and his wife Avril were at the club to unveil the new tee sign presented by Club Captain Albert Milne, and to accept a framed mount of the hole.

THIS MORNING'S NEWS FROM THE LEVEN GOLD MEDAL

FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON, at LEVEN
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Lot of rain overnight but the Leven links are standing up amazingly well to the downpours. There is some casual water now and one bunker is quite full of water but, other than that, the course is playable and the third round is underway.

NO SHOWS - Steven Rennie (Drumpellier), Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe).
CALLED OFF THIS MORNING - Chris Robb (Inchmarlo).

We'll have regular news and scores updates over the final day of the Standard Life Leven Gold Medal