SUB-PAR START BY SENIOR, STEWART, LEWIS IN US AMATEUR Q

Three of the four GB and I Walker Cup team selections competing in the US men's amateur championship at Erin Hills, Wisconsin made good starts with sub-par rounds in the first qualifying round.
Jack Senior (Heysham) shot a three-under-par 67 over the Blue Mound Country Club Course (6,662yd) while Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), pictured, and Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) had matching one-under-par 71s over the very long Erin Hills course (7,760yd).
Stewart would be well used to American golfing conditions in general, having spent three years playing the US college circuit as a student at East Tennessee State University.
The fourth GB and I team player, Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale), had a three-over-par 73 over the shorter Blue Mound lay-out.
Another Englishman, Danny Keddie (Belton Park), had a two-over 74 at Erin Hills.
Predictions are that the cut-off point for the 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages will be level par or perhaps one under for the 36 holes eliminator.


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BIDDLE AND MAIN LEAD QUALIFYING
 AT FIVE-UNDER-PAR

FROM THE USGA WEBSITE
Blake Biddle, 19, of St Charles, Illinois, John Hahn, 22, of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Gregor Main, 22, of Danville, California, shot 5-under-par rounds Monday and shared the lead after the first round of stroke play at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship.
In the morning’s relatively windless conditions, Biddle, a sophomore at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, fired a bogey-free 67 at the par-72, 7,760-yard Erin Hills course while Main, a three-time All-American while at UCLA, shot a 5-under-par 65 at the par-70, 6,622-yard Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in Wauwatosa.
Hahn, a two-time All-American while at Kent State, who won the 2009 Western Amateur, shot a 65 in the afternoon at Blue Mound.
Biddle, who traveled to the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club as an alternate but did not get called to the field, birdied four of his first nine holes. He was the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2011.
“I’ll take it,” Biddle said, who is playing in his first U.S. Amateur. “It was a good day. The course was really long, although some guys might not think so. I hit a lot of 6-, 5- or 4-irons and a couple of hybrids into par 4s. If you hit it well, you can score.
“It was kind of an easy round, believe it or not. Today was one of those days to keep it under my belt and keep myself in it and shoot par or better and obviously I did that.”
Biddle was quick to mention his good fortune when playing at Erin Hills.
“I was worried I wouldn’t have any idea about the wind because I played a practice round with no wind and this round with no wind. Lucky!” Biddle said. “I hit 16 greens and 13 fairways. I tried to play pretty conservatively but there are some pins where you can get aggressive and can work it on. You can pick your times to be aggressive and you can make some birdies.”
Main, who was the runner-up at the 2010 Western Amateur, won 2009 Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year honours at UCLA but left the program after 2011, his junior season.
“It was fun,” Main said. “I hit it really well. It was probably the best round I’ve had all summer. I started out one over through three holes and after that, made a bunch of birdies. I birdied four and then eagled five, so that was good, the eagle. Then I birdied nine, so I just got it going.
“I felt like the course was out there for the taking today, because the conditions were pretty benign. There was not too much wind. The greens were perfect, so you could get it going.”
Hahn advanced to the third round of the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay and lost to eventual champion Peter Uihlein.
“I saw Gregor (Main) shot 65 in the morning, and I knew it was out there when I saw him shoot 65,” Hahn said. “I was thinking about it all day. Putts weren’t going in, so I was kind of getting frustrated. I luckily stayed in it and stayed calm and made them right at the end.”
Uihlein, meanwhile, who has played in the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open in 2011 thanks to his 2010 U.S. Amateur win, proved he was up to the task of defending his title. The 21-year-old from Orlando posted a 4-under-par 68 at Erin Hills to lead a group of seven players one stroke behind the leaders.
“I felt free on the tee and I was relaxed out there,” said Uihlein, 21, of Orlando, Fla., who will represent the USA on his second Walker Cup Team in two weeks at Royal Aberdeen.
 “I made a couple of really greasy pars, which I probably never should have but I missed a couple of easy birdie putts too.”
The six other players who shot 4-under rounds were: USA Walker Cup team-mates Russell Henley, 22, of Macon, Georgia, and Patrick Rodgers, 19, of Avon, Indiana; Jonathan Garrick, 17, of Atherton, California, and Anton Arboleda, 18, of La Cañada, California, (all with a 66 at Blue Mound) as well as Justin Thomas, 18, of Goshen, Kentucky, the runner-up at the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur, and Blayne Barber, 21, of Lake City, Florida (68 at Erin Hills).
Ten players are two strokes behind the leaders at three under par.
The 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship will continue with the second round of stroke-play qualifying on Tuesday. Following stroke play, the 315-player field will be reduced to 64 for match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Sunday.

HUTCH PIPPED ON POST AT WESTERN GAILES

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com  Just when it looked like Greig Hutcheon was going to chalk up a third win in four days on the Tartan Tour, the Banchory tour pro was pipped on the post for the £1,000 top prize in the Western Gailes Sprint Series tonight. Hutcheon had been the long time leader in the clubhouse with a four-under-par 67 - five birdies, one bogey - and darkness was falling fast after 8.30pm when Graeme Brown (Montrose Links) in the second last threesome to finish in a field of 81 returned a superb score of six-under 65. Brown reduced Western Gailes' not-to-be-sniffed-at outward nine holes to 29 shots - seven under par, with birdies at all bar the third and eighth. Suddenly, Brown went off the boil after that memorable run. From the sublime to the ... well, a not so ridiculous inward half of eight pars and a bogey at the 12th for one-over 36 home to win by two shots from Hutcheon, winner of the Deeside pro-am on Friday and the Drumpellier pro-am on Saturday but "only" joint 14th at Easter Moffat on Sunday. Still Hutcheon's runner-up prize of £750 was more grist to the mill in the race for the PGA Scotland money title for 2011. Kenny Hutton (Downfield) and Mark Kerr (unattached) earned £490 each for sharing third place on 68. Hutton deserves a medal for shooting under par after starting with a pair of double bogeys. The man from Muir of Ord wiped out the dismal start by being six under par from the fifth to the ninth with an eagle at the sixth and birdies at the fifth, short seventh and ninth. Coming home, Hutton birdied the short 13th, short 15th and also the 18th with only one more shot dropped, at the par-5 14th. There is one more Spring Series qualifying competition - at The Roxburghe on September 23 - after which the leading 36 in the table, based on the finishing-order points gained from their best two rounds in the series, will go forward to the 36-hole final at The Duke's Course, St Andrews, on October 3 and 4. Leading scores Par 71 65 Graeme Brown (Montrose Links) £1,000. 67 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) £750. 68 Kenny Hutton (Downfield), Mark Kerr (unatt) £490 each. 69 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon), Ken Campbell (Machrihanish), Steven Duncan (Carnoustie) £308 each. 70 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie Links) £212 each. 71 Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Tom Buchanan (Duddingston), Garry Forrester (St Andrews Golf School), James McGhee (Duddingston), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) £82 each. 72 Alastair Mackenzie (Renaissance Club), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Craig Ronald (Carluke), Greg McBain (Gamola Golf). Note: prize money ended at those on 71.

MARK FROM AYRSHIRE LANDS POST AT MISSION HILLS, CHINA

FROM THE PGA WEBSITE
By NAT SYLVESTER
An ambitious young Ayrshire-born PGA professional is taking his coaching talents to a new level under the wing of influential American instructor Cindy Reid.
Mark Henderson, pictured above, has literally got China in his hands after landing a prestigious coaching position at Reid's academy at the world-renowned Mission Hills complex.
Reid was formerly the director of instruction at TPC Sawgrass and the Scot is looking to improve his teaching abilities to add to his management skills.
The 29-year-old Scot is one of a growing number of PGA professionals seizing on burgeoning opportunities in the Far East where the PGA already also has two branded academies in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai.


Henderson has already gained management and consultancy experience in Indonesia and Poland where he was head pro at Sierra Golf and also finished runner up in the Polish PGA Order of Merit. Previously he was at Kuredu Island Resort in the Maldives where he ran golfing operations.
"I love the management side and previously combined that with teaching but now want to specialise in the coaching side," he said.
"Cindy is very good at what she does and I've learned lots about being really hands on with students. She actually gets her hands on them and takes them through the motion as she demonstrates the swing.
"It's not something we are used to doing in the UK and it is something I'm working on.
"She's also very good at getting her point across and I've learned more ways of doing that."

It's not always easy, you have to get used to the culture and the way of doing things. You have to have the right attitude to make it out here in China

Henderson was brought up at Loudoun Golf Club, near Troon, where his parents were club managers. A talented amateur he won a golf scholarship to Paris Junior College, Texas, before embarking on the PGA three-year foundation degree while based at Royal St David's.
But while enjoying four years at Royal St David's his mind was always set on working abroad.
"I always had travel in mind and in the last three or four years I've gained some really good experience in positions that I might have struggled to get in the UK," he said.

"There are a lot of openings in the Far East but they are not all advertised. Without connections and networking you will not find out about them.
"Golf in China is on the rise and it is only going to get bigger. They say the golf market is booming now but wait three to five years and it will really take off.
"It's not always easy here, you have to get used to the culture and the way of doing things. You have to have the right attitude to make it out here."

Henderson also revealed how his PGA training has stood him in good stead.
"In terms of what the PGA training programme does and the knowledge it gives you, it's pretty damn good considering what I have seen since I left the UK," he added.

"I'm fortunate that I grew up around golf and was pretty hands on and gained great experience of putting it all together but I've also tapped into everything we did with the PGA qualification."
Now, in the latest chapter of his career, he is looking forward to developing his coaching reputation in the equally safe hands of Reid.

TARTAN ACES TURN UP HEAT AT SKINS QUALIFIER

FROM THE PGA E-BULLETIN
Two of the Tartan Tour's hottest performers produced a scorching display to top the qualifiers for the Skins PGA Fourball Championship at Musselburgh.
Paul McKechnie, who has nine wins under his belt to lead the 2011 money list, and David Orr, lying 12th in the standings, sustained their rich vein of form in carding a nine-under-par 62 to secure a spot in the £30,000 final at Lincolnshire’s Forest Pines from October 5-7.
The pair from Braid Hills Golf Range and East Renfrewshire Golf Club respectively won by two strokes from host pros Norman Huguet and Andrew Munro with Balbirnie’s Sean O’Donnell and Alyth’s Michael Rae shooting a 65.
After reaching the turn in four-under, Orr ignited the round with three straight birdies from the 10th with McKechnie applying the finishing touches with birdies on 16 and 17.
"I think all told we rattled in 14 birdies between us," said Orr. "Paul is playing so well, it makes your job a lot easier when your partner is playing as well as that.
"The course was in great condition, I’d played it once before in Open qualifying and got through so I had a good feeling about it."
Joining the Scots in October’s 54-hole final will be newly-crowned PGA Assistants’ champion Matthew Cort (Rothley Park) and Whetstone partner Craig Shave who won the Midland qualifier at Stapleford Park.
Cort had been crowned Powerade PGA Assistants

EUROPEAN TOUR Q SCHOOL FINAL STAGE AT PGA CATALUNYA

For the fourth successive season The European Tour Qualifying School will culminate in a visit to PGA Catalunya Resort near Girona, northern Spain, which will host the Final Stage from December 10-15, 2011.
The spectacular resort’s two world-class courses, the Tour and the Stadium, will again host the six-round event, which will see the top 30 and ties earn their playing privileges for The 2012 European Tour International Schedule.
Co-designed by Neil Coles MBE and Angel Gallardo, respectively the Chairman and Vice Chairman of The European Tour’s Board of Directors, PGA Catalunya Resort forms part of both the European Golf Design portfolio and The European Tour Properties network.



Located between the Montseny and the nearby Pyrenees mountain ranges, the site was originally rocky terrain with steep ravines but the land was cleared through the pine, Spanish oak and olive trees to create two spectacular courses where generous fairways swoop from elevated tees.

LEE JENKINS WINS RAIN-HIT RENFREWSHIRE STROKE-PLAY CH/SHIP

Lee Jenkins (Elderslie) is the new Renfrewshire Golf Union stroke-play champion.
He beat Derek Anderson (Cochrane Castle ) in a play-off.

RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION PRESS RELEASE
Renfrewshire Golf Union’s stroke play championship got off to a good start at Gourock Golf Club with the early morning competitors enjoying reasonably good conditions. This was not to last and by mid morning a heavy shower of rain soaked both the course and the competitors in the large field.
While play continued, a second extremely heavy shower in the early afternoon forced a postponement of play and, once the green staff had restored the course to a playable condition, a decision was made to reduce the competition from 36 to 27 holes to ensure that the event could be finished in daylight.
Despite the weather, the first round scores included three sub-par results. Alan Kelly of Cochrane Castle shot a great 71 and both Derek Anderson (also Cochrane Castle) and Whinhill’s Jamie Alexander handed in cards for 72. Level par rounds of 73 were recorded by Craig Watson of East Renfrewshire and Ross Campbell of Gourock.
The second shortened round was affected by the weather but Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm), who was looking for his third championship win in the competition, had a one under par round of 35 which, together with his morning 74, gave him a total of 109 and a target for the rest of the field.
He was joined at that figure by Gregor Munro of Ranfurly Castle but it was to be a share of third place for them. First, Derek Anderson rose to the challenge with 36 for a total of 108 and he was joined on that mark by Lee Jenkins of Elderslie with a nine hole total of 34.
The rules of the competition require a play off over four holes of stroke play followed, if necessary, by “sudden death”. Derek and Lee had equal scores over the four holes and a further three holes were halved before, in a fading light, Derek hit his drive into the left hand trees and failed to find the ball in the permitted time. He completed the hole but Lee sank a putt to ensure that he is Renfrewshire Golf Union’s Stroke Play Champion.

NO SCOTS BOYS IN JACQUES LEGLISE TROPHY MATCH IN SPAIN

No Scots have been selected to play for Great Britain and Ireland in the Jacques Leglise Under-18 boys amateur international match against the Continent of Europe at Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri, Spain on Friday and Saturday, August 26-27.
The team contains five England, three Irish and one Welsh player.
It is:
David Boote (Wales), Harrison Greenberry (England), Gary Hutley (Ireland), Nathan Kimsey (England), Paul Kinnear (England), Dermot McElroy (Ireland), Gavin Moynihan (Ireland), Callum Shinkwin (England) and Toby Tree (England).

McGINLEY, VAN DE VELDE CAPTAINS FOR SEVE TROPHY MATCH

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOURPaul McGinley will lead Great Britain and Ireland with Jean Van de Velde captaining Continental Europe when the Vivendi Seve Trophy match returns to St- Nom- la Bretèche in Paris, France, from September 15–18.
The biennial contest was instigated by the late Seve Ballesteros in 2000 as a team competition to be contested in non-Ryder Cup years, and the two 2011 captains were delighted to accept their invitations to fill the non-playing roles from Europe’s 2012 Ryder Cup Captain, José Maria Olazábal.
Lancôme in 1989.
The event comprises two teams of ten players, who play four-balls, greensomes, foursomes and singles over the four days. Qualification for the teams began at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December 2010 and finishes after the Omega European Masters on September 4. The top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking and the top five in The Race to Dubai Rankings will qualify.
The Vivendi Seve Trophy has been played six times, with Continental Europe winning the first edition at Sunningdale in England while Great Britain and Ireland have won the last five matches.

HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

LOCALS TRIUMPH IN COUNTY AUTUMN MEETING

From the field of 89 last Weekend, it was the home Braehead golfers that came out on top. Brian Craig (78-12=66) and Robert Murray (74-8=66) led the way from Robert Spence (78-11=67). In the scratch section, Jamie Aitken led on 73 with John Gullen (Tillicoultry), Scott Moffat (Braehead) and David Milloy (Alloa) all one shot behind on 74.
For those golfers signed up to “How did I do”, the full results of the Autumn Meeting can be found under Braehead Golf Club.

The Autumn Meeting concluded the Harrower Trophy for 2011. Awarded for the best three scores from the Spring, Summer and Autumn Meetings, it was Alva’s Michael Roberson who won by just one shot to retain his title from 2010.

Leading Scores

1. Michael Robertson (Alva) 69, 74, 75 = 218
2. Jamie Aitken (Alloa) 73, 73, 73 = 219
3. John Gullen (Tillicoultry) 75, 72, 74 = 221.

The Clackmannan County Golf Union 2011 Order of Merit is still being finalised, with local Club Open competitions to be checked, but at present, Alloa’s Jamie Aitken with 275 points leads Scott Moffat (Braehead) 260 points. Michael Robertson (Alva) is on 190 and county Champion Lawrence Allan on 150.

BOB BACK ON GOLFING FORM

Its pleasing to see a return to form from Tulliallan’s Bob Stewart. In the North of Scotland Seniors at Elgin last week Bob shared third place with an aggregate of 142. In previous senior events, Bob has sometimes opened with a not so good first round--- not so at Elgin when he opened with a one over par score of 70 and added a 72 in the second round.
His finish was two behind the winner, but more importantly it allowed him to reclaim the number one spot in the Seniors Order of Merit. The final event of the 2011 season at Blairgowrie will determine the number one for 2011, and its between Bob and Gordon Macdonald (Callander)---- and they will play together! This return to form must make Bob’s selection for the up coming senior Internationals fairly certain.
Fellow Tulliallan member Phil Dempsey with rounds of 76 and 71 finished in 13th place.

MIDLAND ALLIANCE TEES OFF

County golfers started well at the first Midland Alliance meeting of the 2011-2012 season at Thornton last week. Over the par 70 course, golf professionals Jamie Stevenson (Braehead) and Paul Brookes (formerly Alloa) shared the top spot on 71. In the handicap section it was the local amateurs showing well with Alloa’s Chris Westland taking the runner up spot with a net 68.
There were also top ten spots for fellow Alloa members Michael Niven (73 –6th) and Hugh Hunter (74 – 9th). Midland Alliance members can look forward to a full programme of meetings—some 29 in all over generally good golf courses with one scheduled for Alloa on Tuesday 8th November.

MORE GOOD GOLF FROM COUNTY GOLFERS

After Bob Stewart’s good performance at Elgin, County Champion: Lawrence Allan ( Alva ) and Scott Borrowman (Dollar) kept the County name to the fore with strong performances in the North of Scotland Championship at Nairn Dunbar.
It was Lawrence who showed the best form. After the two rounds on Saturday, he found himself in 4th place (74, 67 = 141), and playing the last two rounds in the company of Scottish Internationalists.
Although falling back with a third round of 77, he regained form with a 74 to give a four round total of 292 and a share of 9th place. Although probably disappointed with his third round, he can take much consolation in the fact that his 67 in the second round was the second best round of the whole weekend in a field which contained a good number of Scottish Internationalists……proving once again that Lawrence has the golf game to compete at the highest level in Scotland.
Dollar’s Scott Borrowman with rounds of 74,73,72,73 finished one shot further back in 12th position. The CSS was 74 in each of the four rounds.

In terms of World Amateur Golf Rankings, Lawrence has moved up 158 places to 2281, just behind Scott Borrowman who is on 2184

Another top 20 finish by Russell Knox on US Nationwide Tour

Russell Knox secured another top-20 finish on Sunday in the latest US Nationwide Tour event.
The Inverness exile had rounds of 67, 69, 66 and 66 for a total of 268, 16 under par but only good enough to gain a share of 18th place in the final totals.

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FRED COUPLES WINS FIRST US SENIORS MAJOR TITLE

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM correspondent
HARRISON, New York -- Fred Couples just plays golf. He doesn't spend much time figuring out what goes where in the bigger picture. He hits shots, finds the ball and hits it again. It's kind of how he does most things. He just lets them happen.
Couples, pictured, didn't realise that by winning the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship on Sunday -- his first major victory on the Champions Tour -- he gets a little bonus: A spot in next year's US Players' Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
"You might have thrown me for a loop with that one," Couples confessed. "I'll go. Yeah. That'll be very exciting. I did not know the winner got to go. That's great. I get to play with the studs, or try to. So that will be fun."
Couples' victory over John Cook on the third hole of sudden-death playoff at Westchester Country Club put him in an elite group. He joins Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd as the only golfers to win both THE PLAYERS and the Senior Players. And now Couples goes back to Pete Dye's Stadium Course with a chance to win it for a third time.
On a blustery day that included a rain/lightning delay of nearly two hours, Couples had an opportunity to test his recovering back. Ordinarily, stops and starts aren't what the doctors order for patients with bad backs -- or the guys on the Champions Tour.
"I don't think any of us need a rain delay," said Couples, who went back to the golf course and, admittedly, didn't play his best golf until crunch time.
Then, he showed no signs of a bad back, just a sore hip he blamed on the wind, an air-conditioned locker room and the rush to return to the course for the final 11 holes.
"I'm pretty sure just the way I cooled down," he said. "It was awfully cold in the locker room ... I wouldn't say I was playing awesome golf before the rain delay but it wasn't bad."
The problem wasn't the back on which he had treatment six weeks ago in Germany. It was an aching left hip. But when the battle heated up, Couples warmed to the task and played solidly down the stretch, shrugging off the new hip ailment.
He shot 71 for an 11-under-par 273 total. Cook shot 70 to wipe out Couples' one-stroke 54-hole lead. Australian Peter Senior shot 71 and missed the play-off by a shot.
"I was swinging as hard as I could on every one of those last few holes," Couples said. "I have some strength, which is nice. I was grinding it out. But I didn't feel horrible. I just was not loose and not prepared to hit some of those shots."
Couples' best shots down the stretch were a 15-foot putt that saved at the 230-yard par-3 16th hole, where Couples made an awkward swing and missed the green, only to make his par and gain a shot on Cook, who made bogey there after also missing the green
Couples and Cook parred the 18th hole, playing into stiff headwinds, twice each in the play-off. The second time around, Couples reached the green against all odds on the 532-yard par 5 with driver and a three-wood, only to three-putt.
At the 374-yard par 4 17th, Couples drove into the right rough. The ball found a decent lie and the rough was actually a good break because he didn't have to worry about spinning his approach from 76 yards off the false front as so many players did Sunday.
Couples' shot hopped once and rolled forward, finishing three feet from the hole. After Cook two-putted for par from 25 feet, Couples holed out for the 21st time in the round and 75th time over four days, proving that his back was, indeed, up for a challenging test.
Yes, Couples said his rapid rate of improvement after the treatments in Germany six weeks ago was a positive development he probably didn't expect. In Dusseldorf he was treated with Orthokine Therapy, which uses the proteins derived from the patient's blood as medication. Couples called it a relatively simple procedure and said he wouldn't hesitate to return to Germany for more treatment if it became necessary.
"Winning this quick? No," Couples said. "Because I didn't play any golf in those 2 1/2 months. But this is a course that I can handle and I survived. It was a little edgy out there, I'm not going to lie to you. And with the wind blowing I thought, 'Oh, my God, could it just be a little easier?'
"But I hit enough good shots, I guess."
It was a good week for Couples. A very good week. His back feels good and so does his golf game, even with a few blemishes attached to it.
"I just found out that I'm going to THE PLAYERS Championship," he said. "That's a boost. It's a major. I feel great about winning my first senior major. I just hope tomorrow when I wake up I feel better than I do now and that's the emotional part of it because I've been doing so well. It was a challenging day and it was a fun day, and to win, it's a good feeling."

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WEBB SIMPSON SCORES FIRST US TOUR WIN IN HOME STATE

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (AP) — Webb Simpson grew up in North Carolina, and his favourite memory of the Wyndham Championship was caddying for Neal Lancaster as a teenager during a pro-am.
That might change now that he's won the tournament.
Simpson claimed his first US PGA Tour title on Sunday, shooting a 3-under 67 to win by three strokes.
The 26-year-old Raleigh native finished at 18-under 262 and collected $936,000 in the tournament about a 30-mile drive from the Wake Forest University campus where he was a college golf star.
"I really couldn't think of a better place to win than here in Greensboro," Simpson said.
George McNeill (64) was at 15 under, with Tommy Gainey (69) another stroke back in the final event before the US PGA Tour play-offs.
Carl Pettersson (69), Vijay Singh (65), Jerry Kelly (65), Kyung-tae Kim (66) and Charles Howell III (67) finished at 13 under at Sedgefield Country Club.
Simpson said his first visit to the Greensboro-based tournament came when he was 16. His father brought him to the event's former home across town at Forest Oaks Country Club to caddie for Lancaster during the Wednesday pro-am.
"That was probably the most fun 18 holes I've ever been a part of," Simpson said.
His final 18 of this tournament were marked by steady, bogey-free play and a strong finish marked by consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16.
After taking the lead during Round 3 with a late five-hole stretch of four birdies and an eagle, Simpson opened his final round with eight straight pars before moving to 16 under with a birdie on the par-4 ninth.
He stayed there until late in the day. Birdies on the par-5 15th and the par-3 16th gave him a three-shot lead with two holes to go.
"When I made the putt on 15, I asked my caddie for the first time all day, 'Where do we stand?' and he said, 'We're two ahead right now,'" Simpson said. "I knew I needed to play solid golf on the last three holes, and to birdie 16 was so huge. ... I knew I had a three-shot lead on 18, and as soon as I hit the ball in play, I knew it was probably over."
McNeill made a late charge, with the former Florida State University player moving to 15 under with a birdie on No. 17, his sixth birdie of the round. But all he could do after that was hope for a few late bogeys from Simpson.
"Honestly, I thought it was going to be a lot lower," McNeill said of the winning score. "I can only control myself. I can't control what everybody else does. I'm very happy with the way I hit it, the way I played, the way I putted."
Several players with strong Atlantic Coast Conference ties played pivotal roles during the fourth round at the country club where the ACC was founded in 1953 - and in a college-centric region where school ties run deep.
Simpson was the ACC's player of the year for the Demon Deacons in 2008. McNeill was an all-conference player for the Seminoles in the late 1990s.
And Pettersson grew up in Greensboro, played at North Carolina State University, serves on this tournament's board of directors, won it in 2008 and made the daily 70-mile commute from his home in Raleigh.
"I'm disappointed. I'm a competitor," Pettersson said. "I wanted to win this one badly, but Webb outplayed us all."
Pettersson turned in perhaps the most remarkable birdie of the tournament on the par-4 first hole. After sending his drive well wide of the fairway and into a flower pot, he wound up chipping in from about 55 feet.
Gainey, a South Carolina native known as "Tommy Two Gloves" because he wears them on both hands, led or shared the lead after each of the first two rounds. After falling off the pace with two bogeys and a double bogey midway through the round, he reeled off four consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-15 to climb back in it.
The focus this week wasn't solely on the leaders, but on the names moving up and down the FedEx Cup points list.
The Wyndham annually marks the last chance for players to claim spots in the play-offs, and some big names came to Greensboro hoping to play their way in.
Padraig Harrington, who called off a family vacation so he could try to escape the play-off bubble, finished at 6 under and jumped from No. 130 to No. 124. The top 125 qualify for The Barclays later this week in New Jersey.
Ernie Els, who entered at No. 126, made it into the play-off field despite shooting a final-round 72. His 8 under finish pushed him to 118th.
"You don't know in these play-offs," Els said. "I've got to play good golf though. I played really good the first two days. I'd like to get that back."
Among those who didn't make it: Justin Leonard missed a 13-foot putt on the 18th, and that left him at No. 126.
"To try and wait until this week to make it through is just - you know," Leonard said. "I mean, come on. I had 25 other weeks to play like this." 

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