OPTICAL EXPRESS TOUR RESULTS FROM THE ROXBURGHE

By ALAN TAIT
The fourth event on the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour at The Roxburghe finished in a two-way tie for the top spot. Overnight leader Neil Fenwick from Dunbar added another 69 to his opening 69 for a 138 total, 6 under par. Eastwood's David Orr, who was two behind Fenwick at the the start of the day posted a best of the day 5 under par 67 to tie the Dunbar man.
Orr could have won it outright had it not been for a bogey 5 at the par 4 18th, his only blemish of the day. Paul McKechnie from Braid Hills made a galant effort to win his third consecutive Optical Express Tournament and after closing with a 2nd round 68, finished in tied third only 1 behind the joint winners.
Hilton Park's Gemma Webster who is based in the United States scored two excellent rounds of 74 and 71 for a one over par 145 and a tie for 11th place. On the same mark and also tied for 11th Colin Robinson who scored 73 and 72 to win the title of leading amateur.
The next of the two remaining events will be played at Letham Grange on 21-22 September

FINAL TOTALS
David Orr £1,200.00 71 68 138 -6
Neil Fenwick £1,200.00 69 69 138 -6
Graeme Brown £637.50 70 69 139 -5
Paul McKechnie £637.50 71 68 139 -5
James McGhee £475.00 70 70 140 -4
Chris Currie £365.00 71 70 141 -3
Paul O'Hara £365.00 72 69 141 -3
Greig Hutcheon £280.00 72 70 142 -2
Steven Mackie £280.00 73 69 142 -2
John Gallagher £250.00 76 68 144 E
Colin Robinson (AM) 150 voucher 73 72 145 (+1)
Gemma Webster £220.00 74 71 145 (+1)
Graham Rankin £220.00 77 68 145 (+1)
Alan Lockhart £195.00 75 71 146 (+2)
Carl Thompson £195.00 73 73 146 (+2)
Corisande Lee £165.00 77 71 148 (+4)
Graham Fox £165.00 74 74 148 (+4)
Ian Redford £165.00 76 72 148 (+4)
Nigel Scott-Smith £165.00 76 72 148 (+4)
David Roger £126.25 78 71 149 (+5)
Mark Kerr £126.25 75 74 149 (+5)
Scott Herald £126.25 76 73 149 (+5)
Stephen McCallister £126.25 76 73 149 (+5)
Katy McNicoll £110.00 75 75 150 (+6)
Ben Irving £68.33 73 78 151 (+7)
Jamie Carver £68.33 77 74 151 (+7)
Lauren Mackin £68.33 75 76 151 (+7)
Fraser Grant (AM) 75 77 152 (+8)
John Henry 76 77 153 (+9)
Ted Innes Ker 76 77 153 (+9)
Craig Gordon 79 75 154 (+10)
Callum Trahan (AM) 79 76 155 (+11)
Kevin McAlpine 78 77 155 (+11)
Paul Robinson 80 75 155 (+11)
Jody Rostock 80 76 156 (+12)
Barry Campbell 80 77 157 (+13)
David Thomson 80 77 157 (+13)
Andrew Barton 77 81 158 (+14)
Benjamin Bruneau 81 78 159 (+15)
David Laing 83 76 159 (+15
Scott Garrett 83 78 161 (+17)
Stuart Burns 79 82 161 (+17)
Oliver Morton 85 78 163 (+19)
Brian Smith 86 79 165 (+21)
Eric Walker 85 NR NR NR

CANADIAN LEADING QUALIFIER FOR EDEN TOURNAMENT

Canadian Gordon McGarva was the leading qualifier by five shots for the match-play stages of the Eden Tournament at St Andrews today (Tuesday).

He had rounds of 73 and 70 for 143.

Next best was Allister Raphael from Littlestone wit 73 and 75 for 148.


LEADING QUALIFIERS

143 Gordon McGarve (Can) 73 70.

148 Allister Raphael (Ladybank) 73 75.

149 Iain Wilson (Dalmahoy) 74 75, David Marsh (Chorley) 76 73, Tim Aggett (Staddon Heights) 78 71.

150 James Hendick (Pollok) 74 76, Alex Coleman (West Hertws) 76 74, James Phillips (West Hill) 78 82.

Qualifying score : 159 (countback).

Eden Tankard (handicap matchplay). Qualifying score: 152 (countback).

SCOTS READY FOR MEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS IN IRELAND

Ready for the "off" - that's the Scotland team on the even of the home internationals at Co Sligo. Image by courtesy of Tom Ward Photograpy

KNOX WINS $23,381 FOR JT SEVENTH FINISH ON NATIONWIDE TOUR

Russell Knox, the only Scot campaigning on the Nationwide Tour - the No 2 US pro circuit - earned $23,381 for a joint seventh place finish on Sunday in the Cox Classic at Champions Run, Omaha, Nebraska.
The Inverness exile had scores of 64, 65, 68 and 68 over a par-71 course for a total of 265.
Knox finished only three shots behind the winner of the top $130,000 prize, American J J Kileen who scored 66, 64, 63 and 69 for 262.
If Knox can keep it up, he has a good chance of joining compatriot Martin Laird on the US PGA Tour.
The top 20 - it may be 25 - moneywinners for the season on the Nationwide Tour gain automatic promotion to the US Tour, which is how Laird got into the Big League.

HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

DISMAL DAY AT DOLLAR FOR COUNTY TEAM

With much of the play matching the weather conditions last Sunday, the County golf team lost to a Stirlingshire side over Dollar golf course. The wet conditions favoured target golf for approach shots and it was the Stirling golfers who took full advantage. Best County performances came from experienced team members John Maxwell who kept ahead to win at the last and John Gullen who fought back from a one hole deficit early on to halve his match. Tillicoultry’s Scott Hunter finished strongly coming from one behind at the 15th and winning his match with a birdie three at the last where he hit a wedge to 6 ft and holed the putt.

RESULTS (CLACKMANNAN NAMES FIRST)

1. Michael Robertson (Alva) lost to Ryan Campbell (Falkirk) 4/3
2. Allan Watson (Braehead) lost to Mark Cox (Falkirk) 3/2
3. John Maxwell (Tulliallan) beat Derek Fish (Glenbervie) 2 holes
4. Ian Guthrie (Alloa) lost to Ross Kane (Grangemouth) 4/3
5. John Gullen (Tillicoultry) halved with Tommy Wilson (Glenbervie)
6. Scott Hunter (Tillicoultry) beat Mark Hislop (Glenbervie) 1 hole
7. Kevin McFarlane (Alva) lost to Stuart Haddow (Falkirk) 6/5
8. Kevin Ross (Tillicoultry) lost to Liam Haldane (Stirling) 2 holes

MATCH RESULT Clackmannan 2 ½ Stirling 5 ½

Discussions are underway to try to reschedule this match earlier in the season to give the top players experience for the Scottish Area Team Championship.
TOP TEN FINISH FOR SCOTT IN LEVEN GOLD MEDAL

Continuing his return to golf form, Dollar’s Scott Borrowman produced scores reminiscent (for older golfers) of Ben Hogan’s win in the Open in 1953. Hogan produced the often quoted four decreasing rounds (73,71,70,69) to take the Open with a score of 283. In last weekend’s Leven Gold Medal Scott also scored 283 with rounds of 75,72,69,67, finishing in 5th place 5 shots behind the winner and giving him some Scottish Golf Union Order of Merit points. With four 72 hole events left in the Amateur season, Scott will be hoping for continuing good scores to move up the table.
His last round included a hole in one, his second in competitive play but his seventh in total


BELHAVEN HANDICAP GOLF EVENTS

Regional qualifying is still underway in the Scottish Golf Union Handicap events. Dollar ( Steven McPherson and Jim Livingstone) will be trying to qualify at Bathgate on the 12th August for the Scottish Club Handicap Championship while at Williamwood on the 16th August, Alloa ( Sheila Travers, Freda Nichols) will have the last chance of a Clackmannanshire Club to qualify for the finals of the Captains and Secretary’s Championship to be held at the Torrance course at the Fairmont hotel in St Andrews at the end of September.


SCANDINAVIAN GOLF FOR CALLUM

Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay is in Norway this week for the Norwegian Challenge tour event being played near Oslo. He will be hoping to improve his 69th ranking place on the Challenge Tour to try to avoid competing in the gruelling Tour Qualifying School being held in September.

CADDIE STEVE WILLIAMS UNDERLINES HIS LACK OF CLASS

FROM tHE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By KEVIN GARSIDESteve Williams breaks caddie's code of silence in his feud with former employer Tiger Woods
As the scene shifts to the final major of the season in Atlanta, golf is adjusting toDF a new maxim: it’s the caddie what won it.
Or at least that is how it seemed as the game’s highest-profile bagman, Steve Williams, held an impromptu press conference on Sunday.
Adam Scott, the winner of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, was rendered a footnote in the feud between Williams and his former employer Tiger Woods.
Scott’s victory, his first since November and only his third in three years, marked a significant gear change for a player who has yet to convert the potential flagged by his win at the Players Championship in 2004, when only 23.
The scale of his triumph, by four shots against an elite field, was measured not by his reaction but that of Williams, who used the stage to break the ancient code of silence between caddies and old employers.
Williams was seen less as caddie, more as minder, during a 12-year association with Woods that yielded 13 major championships.
Their parting after Williams asked for permission to caddie for Scott at the US Open, from which the injured Woods was forced to withdraw, was packaged in sugar coating. That pretence was shattered in the rush of blood triggered by Scott’s comprehensive win.
“I was absolutely shocked that I got the boot to be honest with you. I’ve caddied for the guy for 11 years. I’ve been incredibly loyal to the guy and I got short shifted. Very disappointed.
"He just called me up when I asked him to go and caddie for Adam. He didn’t agree and thought it was time to take a break. In caddie lingo that means you are fired.”
Williams’s testimony runs counter to the chronology offered by Woods, who claimed the execution was carried out face to face in Pennsylvania a month ago.
“That is incorrect,” Williams said. “I was told on the phone that we needed to take a break.” Asked if the break extended to his friendship with Woods, Williams said: “That’s it. You’ve got it.”
Scott’s win at the Texas Open in May last year ended a two-year lean run. He added the Singapore Open in November and confirmed his return to form at the Masters this year, where he was pipped at the close by the brilliant four-birdie climax of Charl Schwartzel.
A corner had thus been turned, though the acquisition of Williams invites us to evaluate the caddie’s contribution.
Scott is generous in his appraisal. “Obviously he has such a great knowledge of this golf course and the greens. He’s seen a guy play incredible golf, the best golf anyone has ever played around here so many times.
"He really guided me around the course nicely, when he needed to step in and just make a point of where we needed to be, he did, and had some great little notes in his book about putts on greens. And yeah, he knows this place very well, so he was, no doubt, a help.”
This was only the pair’s fourth outing, adding ballast to the mystique that grew around Williams during the Tiger years. The man himself, as you might imagine, has a healthy regard for his own work, revealed not least in the stipulations he made when the pair first discussed working together.
The assumption that Scott was the one conducting the interview is undermined by Williams’s own account of their meeting.
“I was straight up with Adam. I stressed to him that if you want me to come and caddie for you full-time you’ve got to sit down and do some hard yards because that’s what I expect. I see some weaknesses in his game that need improving on.
"Between him and his coach and myself I’ve been very adamant. Even though it’s been only three weeks I’ve been pointing out the weaknesses.”

BRORA AND TAIN FOUR-DAY EVENTS

SUMMARY BY ROBIN WILSON
Brora Golf Club celebrated its fortieth Clynelish Salver 5-Day Tournament last week while running simultaneously across the Dornoch Bridge the Tain event was being played in the same week that 100 years ago they opened their second clubhouse after the formation of the club in 1890.
On arrival in his native Brora, Murcar Links member Ian Powell in his role as Manager of the Paul Lawrie Foundation brought with him a new trophy gifted by the Open Champion's Foundation for competition during the qualifying rounds for under-16 year olds. The event also included entries from Paul's two sons but although the younger Michael (13) who holds a handicap of six qualified for the scratch match-play and his elder brother Craig (16) missed out both were beaten for the new trophy by local junior Kyle Sutherland who with a handicap of eleven netted an aggregate of 135.

But Powell did return to Murcar Links for a second time with the Clynelish Salver after winning the final on the last green against local member George Duncan.


Rarely out of the last four in his last ten attempts and winning for the first time in 2002 Powell's past experience showed through in the final although the local member who is on the greens staff at Skibo Castle showed he has a game to win following his showing in only two entries over the past seventeen years.


A losing finalist when aged seventeen in 1994 to Wick's Roger Beames followed by a semi final spot on his last entry in 2005 Duncan received a big ovation when he arrived at the first tee to tackle the exiled Powell.


But there was to be no fairy tale win for the local. Powell always favourite and holding a one hole lead after nine holes, despite two outward half birdies from Duncan. The Murcar member earned a half at the 17th from a superb bunker save and still went to the final tee with his fragile one hole lead intact.


Both golfers over shot the final par three green, Duncan with the weaker return pitch to putt first and when his attempt at the three missed Powell was conceded his putt to win by two holes and worthy of his second salver success.


At only his second attempt local seven handicapper Robert MacDonald played the the first nine holes in two over par to take a stranglehold six hole lead in the McRobert Thistle Cup final over former cup winner, Ross Woodside (Brairgowrie). MacDonald was then able to become a spectator at the unfolding scratch final after polishing off Woodside on the twelfth green.


In his third year as a local youth member Struan Gunn (20) made the grade to win his first Clynelish Shield beating retired Brora police sergeant, Mike Cormack (Inverness). In a fascinating tie where each of the first six holes changed hands Gunn moved ahead with wins from par figures over the remaining three outward holes to turn for home with a commanding three hole lead. Cormack was unable to cut into his deficit and Gunn triumphed on the fourteenth green.


A third generation of the MacDonald golfing family who have strong ties to Loth, twelve year old Calum sees his future in football as a member of English Championship League side, Derby County's Youth Training Academy. Fortunately he has also inherited some of the family golf skills and will soon drop his twenty four handicap after winning the Class 3 section Auchroisk Cup beating French visiting teenager Bryan Dugois in the final..




At the fortieth anniversary prize giving Brora President Alister Risk delivered a short history of the past forty competitions acknowledging the very much appreciated support from the local Clynelish Distillery. Three golfers who have left their mark on the event were gifted ma bottle of the Sponsor's malt for contributing to the growing stature of the tournament, Brora multi winners, James MacBeath (7) and Jim Miller (6) and then Robin Wilson who as club captain in 1971 was instrumental in setting up the first tournament in 1972.


Clynelish Salver Results: (All Brora unless stated)
W J Henderson Medal and Leading Qualifiers – 143 DMB Brown (Prestwick) 71/72, E Polson 70/73. 144 I S Powell (Murcar Links) 72/72. 147 G Grant 73/74 149 G Duncan 77/72, D W R Chalmers (Panmure) 73/76, I Stewart 71/78. 151 L MacDonald-Macleod 73/78.152 M Lawrie (Deeside) 153 C Sim (Royal Mid Surrey) 78/75, L Blyth (Prestonfield) 78/75, C Stewart 78/75. 154 A Powell (Deeside) 76/78, D Bell 74/80, R Mackay (F&R) 73/81, A Stewart 72/82. Match play Round 1 – Brown beat A Stewart 5/4, Lawrie beat MacDonald-Macleod 2/1, A Powell beat G Grant 3/2, Duncan beat C Stewart 6/4, Blyth beat Chalmers 1 hole,I Powell beat Bell 6/5, Sim beat I Stewart 1 up, Polson beat Mackay 4/3. Round 2 – Brown beat Lawrie 4/3, Duncan beat A Powell 6/5, I Powell beat Blyth 6/5, Polson beat Sim at 20th. Semi finals Duncan beat Brown 3/2, I Powell beat Polson 5/4. Final I Powell beat Duncan 2 holes.
Class 1 McRobert Thistle Cup – Semi Finals; S Woodside (Blairgowrie) (7) beat A B Risk (6) 4/3. R N MacDonald (7) beat M Mackintosh (5) 3/2. Final MacDonald beat Woodside 7/5.
Class 2 Clynelish Shield – Semi Finals; S Gunn (10) beat N Thornton (Woodhall Hills) (9) 6/4. M Cormack (Inverness) (11) beat B A Glass (11) 4/2 Final; Gunn beat Cormack 5/4.
Class 3 Auchroist Cup - Semi Finals; C MacDonald (Notts) (24) beat D Norrie (13) 1 hole. B Dugois (Luberon) (17) beat J D Ross (20) 3/1 Final – MacDonald beat Dugois 1 hole.
Supplementary Clynelish Plate – Sam Woodside (Blairgowrie)
Paul Lawrie Foundation Jug . Kyle Sutherland (11) 69/66 135


First time win for new member at Tain.


It is a phrase I have often quoted and experienced myself as a beaten finalist, “you have to lose one to win one” writes Robin Wilson and it showed up once again in the scratch final at Tain last Thursday when Kilmacolm's Dave Pearson, beaten finalist two years ago, returned to the final and this time won the McVitie and Price Cup for the first time.


A new non local winner of the cup was assured when the Ferries brothers Billy and Munro lost in the semi finals to Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) and Pearson respectively. Pearson with local family connections had only joined the host club at the beginning of the week having moved house to Dornoch two weeks earlier but choosing Tain over Royal Dornoch for membership.


In his 2009 final appearance Pearson went down to Jimmy Russell (Murcar Links) and at his second attempt survived a quarter exit with a 19th hole win over Laurie Chancellor (Inverness) before then defeating the club captain and club champion, Munro Ferries to gain a return to the final.


Fotheringham who is now also a country member at Tain through his friendship with US college student, Sammy Vass, took his place in the match play draw as leading qualifier after rounds of 68 and 70 and made it through to the last four when he beat the 2009 winner, Russell, but when it came to the final he lost his way early and then again towards the end of it. The first hole to par, the second hole to a Pearson birdie.


The ex Scottish youth internationalist after losing the opening two holes recovered to level the tie by the ninth hole. From another birdie on the 10th hole Pearson kick started a surging run to the cup. The ex Kilmacolm member won the 13th and 14th holes with pa rand birdie figures to go three in front and when Fotheringham drove out of bounds from the 15th tee the tie was over and Pearson put behind him his defeat of two years earlier.


The line up in the ladies final for the Flower Shop London House Cup was a repeat of last month's Tain women's club championship final, Sammy Vass, the holder, again facing her aunt, Mary Smith. Scottish senior internationalist Smith reversed the club championship result with magical birdie two on the 16th green to win the four day event for the first time since it was introduced into Golf Week in 2009 when the first winner was her sister Anne Ryan.


Going through the handicap sections from four ahead after nine holes in the Stirling Cup final local Iain Cowper birdied the 13th hole to ease past club mate Graeme Ross by 4&3. Next up was a clash in the final of the Munro Rosebowl featuring two local lefties, Eric Morrison and Iain Cooper. Morrison lost in the final twelve months ago and just like Pearson he returned to put matters right with a strong inward half. Birdies on the 13th and 14th holes gave him a two hole lead and after finding the 16th green secured a 3&2 win.


Continuing the line of successes by Irish golfers, Harrington, McIlroy and Clarke, two former club mates at Armagh Golf Club, Northern Ireland and annual visitors to Tain met up in the final of the Brookes Cup. Gary Toal now lives in the West of Scotland and is a member of Ranfurly Castle but Denis Hughes still crosses the Irish Sea each year from County Armagh to take part and put one over his old club mate in the final with a rousing 5and 3 result after taking five holes in succession from the 11th.


The match play competitions closed with the final of the women's Mary Hayden Trophy and this prize made the even longer crossing -the English Channel, for a year's residence on the Mediterranean Coastal city of Marseilles. Rosemary Bonnin and her family from Golf Club Aix Marseilles use Brora as their August holiday residence and she and her sister made the shorter crossing of the Dornoch Bridge to play in Tain Rosemary Bonin met local Lorraine Mackay in the handicap final. It went to the 19th hole where Mackay over hit the green with her third shot and took three more to get down leaving her delighted French opponent with an easy two putt bogey five to win.


Four day Tournament Results (All Tain unless stated); Leading Qualifiers Men, Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) 138. Ladies, Sammy Vass (Tain) 150. Mens Match Play- McVitie and Price Cup – quarter finals – F Fotheringham beat J Russell (Murcar Links) 3/1, B Ferries beat J Innes 6&5, D Pearson beat L Chancellor (Inverness) at 19th. M Ferries beat D Kryzanowski (Strathpeffer Spa) 5&4. semi finals, Fotheringham beat B Ferries 1 hole. Pearson beat M Ferries 3&2. Final Pearson beat Fotheringham 4&3. Stirling Cup – Semi finals I Cowper (7) beat D Kellock (Cathcart Castle) (11) 2&1, G Ross (9) beat D Neville (10). 4&3. Final, Cowper beat Ross 4&3. Munro Rosebowl, Semi finals – E Morrison (6) beat J Lockhart (Bathgate) (8) 4&3. I Cowper beat T Brailsford (Dunblane (8) 4&3. Final, Morrison beat Cowper 3&2. Brookes Cup Semi finals – G Toal (Ranfurly Castle) (11) beat K Anderson (13) at 19th. D Hughes (Armagh) (13) beat R Farquhar (13) at 21st. Final – Hughes beat Toal 5&3.
Ladies Scratch – Semi finals - S Vass beat L Grieve (Musselburgh) 5&4, M Smith beat C Ross 1 hole. Final Smith beat Vass 3&2. Handicap Semi finals – R Bonin (Aix Marseilles) beat P Lockie (North Berwick) 5&4, L Mackay beat M Meechan (Bathgate) 6&5. Final Bonnin beat Mackay at 19th.

2011 FIFE ORDER OF MERIT FOR THE MACKAY BOWL

Positions after 18 events.

	NAME	CLUB		Points
1	James White	Lundin		1005
2	Scott Crichton	Aberdour		680
3	Brian Soutar	Leven GS		500
4	Peter Latimer	The New Club		400
5	Scott Stewart-Cation	The Dukes		365
6	Greg Paterson	The New Club		360
7	Stuart Meiklejohn	Aberdour		270
8=	Mark Beveridge	Dunnikier Park		205
	Gary Sharp	St Andrews		205

The next counting event for THE 2011 FIFE ORDER OF MERIT is

THE NORTH EAST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP at INCHMARLO

(13 & 14 AUGUST )