KEIR McNICOLL (69) LEADING SCOT IN EUROPRO TOUR EVENT

By Michael.emons@matchroom.com
http://www.europrotour.com/
Craig Housden produced his best round of the season to share the lead after the opening day of the latest event in the 2011 PGA EuroPro Tour season.
Housden (Channels, Chelmsford ) shot an opening round of 67 (-5) in the Network Veka Classic at De Vere Mottram Hall in Macclesfield, Cheshire .
After finishing tied 26th and 47th in the first two events of the season, Housden then missed the cut at the next seven tournaments and withdrew during his first round earlier this month at Lingfield Park .
However, he found his form on the first day of the 11th competition with a round that included an eagle at the last and birdies at the first, fifth, sixth and ninth.
He is well-placed to claim the £10,000 winner’s prize, although a bogey at the 13th denied him an outright lead at the end of the opening day.
While Housden is enjoying his best performance of the year, joint leader Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall, Huddersfield ) has maintained his incredible run of form that has seen him top the Order of Merit and already secure a place on next season’s Challenge Tour.
Hanson, who is aiming for his third event victory of 2011, is also on five-under after an eagle at the fourth, birdies at the first, seventh, ninth, 15th and 18th and bogeys at the 13th and 17th.
Luke Goddard (Hendon) has enjoyed an incredible run in August having come tied second at Formby Hall in Merseyside and then winning at Lingfield Park in Surrey.
He is in contention again as he is alongside Housden and Hanson on five-under after a round that included six birdies and a bogey.
Andrew Willey (Notts) and Jon White (Saunton, Devon) are among those a shot back on four-under with Willey aiming for his second win in four events after triumphing at the Players Club in Bristol last month.
A total of 24 players are within two shots of each other and it promises to be a thrilling tournament.
All the players will play a second round on Thursday and after that the top 50 players plus ties will advance to the final round on Friday.
Matchroom Sport will produce a two-hour highlights package from this tournament which will be broadcast on Sky Sports on Wednesday, September 7.
Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll is the leading scot in joint ninth place with a 69 - one shot ahead of Paul Doherty and two in front of Zack Saltman.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
67 Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall), Craig Housden (Channels), Luke Goddard (Hendon).
68 Andrew Willey (Notts), Jon White (Saunton), Paul Grannell (Vale Royal), Sean Whiffin (golfrooms.com), Ian Winstanley (Warrington).
SCOTS SCORES
69 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) (T9).
70 Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) (T25).
71 Zack Saltman (Archerfield) (T40).
72 Ed Wood (Crow Wood), Steven Mackie (Dunnikier Park) (T55).
73 Lee Harper (Archerfield), Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) (T70).
75 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) (T109).
76 John Gallagher (Swanston) (T119).
78 Martin Lawrence (Newmachar), Chris Kelly (Cawder) (T131).
80 Thomas Higson (Mottram Hall) (T143)

PAUL O'HARA GOES OFF THE BOIL IN LUXEMBURG

Motherwell's Paul O'Hara earned 307 Euros for a joint 39th place finish in this week's EPD (German PGA) Tour event, the Christnach Classic at Christnach GC, Luxemburg. O'Hara started the tournament well with a four-under-par 66 but faded to later rounds of 73 and 74 for three-over-par 213. He finished 18 shots behind the winner, Dennis Kupper from Krefeld, Germany, whose scores of 68, 62 and 65 for 15-under 195 included a course record. He earned 5,000 Euros. TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES CLICK HERE

STEWART, SENIOR, LEWIS QUALIFY FOR US AMATEUR MATCHPLAY

Three of the four GB and I Walker Cup team players have figured among the 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages of the US amateur championship at Erin Hills, Wisconsin. Bad weather delayed the finish of the qualifying rounds into a third day. MIchael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) qualified around joint 48th place on one-under-par 141 - 20 players on 142 played off for the last four places in the match-play draw - with scores of 71 over the championship course and 70 over the shorter Blue Mound lay-off. Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City)) added a 68 on the shorter course to a 71 at Erin Hills and a total of 140 made him joint 19th qualifier. Jack Senior (Heysham) qualified in joint 29th position with scores of 67 and 73 for 140. But Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale), a fourth member of the G B and I team for the Royal Aberdeen match next month, missed out by a mile with a pair of 73s for 146. Other Englishman who did not qualify were Danny Keddie (Belton Park) on 146 (74-72) and Luke Joy 147 (78-69). American Gregor Main was the leading qualifier on 10-under-par 131, made up of scores of 67 and 65.

All but one of the seven current USA Walker Cup players advanced to match play including: Chris Williams, 20, of Moscow, Idaho, at 139, Harris English, 22, of Thomasville, Georgia, and Patrick Cantlay, 19, of Los Alamitos, California at 140.
The other USA Walker Cup player, Nathan Smith, 33, of Pittsburgh was in a 20-for-4 play-off at even-par 142.




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McGINLEY PRAISES COURSE THAT WILL STAGE 2014 RYDER CUP

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

On the eve of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley believes the PGA Centenary Course is in superb condition as the build-up to The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles gathers pace.

With Gleneagles investing heavily in new clubhouse and practice facilities at the world class resort – not to mention the continuing evolution of the PGA Centenary Course as it matures towards hosting golf’s greatest team event – McGinley, the man who holed the winning putt at the Belfry in 2002, is hugely impressed.

“It’s in the best condition that I have ever seen it,” said the Irishman, who was announced as captain of the GB and I team for the Vivendi Seve Trophy earlier this week.

“The investment they have made in the clubhouse and the practice facilities is fantastic and the course is in great condition – the fairways are the best I have seen on Tour this year.

“The new green on the seventh is a lot better and has improved the hole dramatically and, all in all, the course is in very good condition all round.

“The course here has taken a lot of criticism and I have to say that some of that has been unfair. All I would say to that is that it is always easier to criticise than it is to praise and I think they have made some great improvements here – it should be a great venue for The Ryder Cup.”

PRAEGANT AND HUTSBY SHARE LEAD IN ROLEX TROPHY

REPORT BY SARAH GWYNN
European Tour staff press officer
Florian Praegant’s recent fine form came was in evidence again as he shot an impressive seven under par 65 in the first round of the Rolex Trophy to lead alongside Englishman Sam Hutsby at Geneva Golf Club, Switzerland.
The pair are one shot clear of Italian Andrea Pavan, who ten days ago won the Norwegian Challenge, Frenchman Benjamin Hebert and Englishmen Matt Ford and Tommy Fleetwood.
The Challenge Tour’s most recent champion, Daniel Denison, who claimed the ECCO Tour Championship hosted by Thomas Björn and Mercedes Benz on Sunday, signed for a 68 to join four others on four under par.
Praegant lost to Pavan in a play-off in Norway, but bounced back in fine style as he looks to add gloss to an already impressive summer, having booked Austria’s place in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in November by winning the European Qualifier with Roland Steiner.
The 27 year old, who had three birdies on the front nine and four in a row from the 12th,, said: “I putted really well, especially with long putts. I missed a couple of shorter ones for birdie, but I holed five from more than four metres and one from about 12 metres. I also hit 16 greens, so it was a good day.
“There are a lot of birdie chances out there as you hit a lot of wedges. It was nice to get a run going on the back nine.”
Former Walker Cup player Hutsby was tipped for great things when he came second at the 2009 European Tour Qualifying School, and he was unlucky to miss keeping his card by one place in The 2010 Race to Dubai. A season of consolidation on the Challenge Tour has followed, and he has had one top ten so far to sit 43rd in the current Rankings.
“I hit the ball really well last week but putting-wise it was the worst week of my career,” said the 22 year old, who lost to Matteo Manassero in the final of the 2009 Amateur Championship. “So I’ve changed putter coming into this tournament – back to a trusty old one – and it has done the trick today.
“This is the first time this season I’ve led an event so it’s nice to be up there. It’s been a good week so far and I hope it continues.”
Pavan is high on confidence after his recent maiden victory, but he knows not to get carried away by low starts, having thrown away a sizeable lead in the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda in June.
“There is still a long way to go, and I know there will be good stretches and bad stretches,” said the 22 year old. “It’s all about staying calm and limiting your mistakes. I am playing well and it’s nice to start with a good round.
“I’m playing well and I know I can win, so I’m feeling good.”
Hebert is looking to complete a hat-trick of victories following back-to-back triumphs in the Credit Suisse Challenge and the English Challenge earlier in the summer.
“I made two mistakes, a double bogey at the sixth and a bogey the next hole, so if I can avoid these errors it will be even better,” he said. “But overall I’m very happy with the way I’m playing and hope I can continue this form.
“To win three times would be fantastic, but it’s only the first round and there’s a long way to go yet.”
All four rounds of the Rolex Trophy are played in a pro-am format, with round one comprising two professionals and two Swiss junior players in each group, and the next three rounds consisting of one professional and three amateurs per team.
Ford said: “The change in format is a nice distraction and takes the focus off your own game. Sometimes you can think too hard about things.
“I’ve been struggling recently so to shoot a 66 is encouraging, and I feel like I’m getting there. I’ve been struggling with my driving and putting – two key areas of the game – but it feels like they are coming on. I holed two 30-footers today and holed a bunker shot, which is always nice.”
The field for the €218,000 Rolex Trophy comprises the top 41 players in the Rankings plus the leading Swiss player in the top 100, which is André Bossert.

SCOREBOARD
Par 72
65 F Praegant (Aut) , S Hutsby (Eng) 
66 B Hebert (Fra) , A Pavan (Ita) , T Fleetwood (Eng) , M Ford (Eng) ,
67 M Kieffer (Ger)
68 B Grace (RSA) , D Denison (Eng) , C Lee (Sco) , M Southgate (Eng) , A Tadini (Ita)
69 B Barham (Eng) , J Estevez (Arg) , A Snobeck (Fra) , P Archer (Eng) , M Baldwin (Eng) , P Gustafsson (Swe)
70 J Campillo (Esp) , E Dubois (Fra) , J Moul (Eng) , A Tampion (Aus) , C Lloyd (Eng) , V Riu (Fra) , S Tiley (Eng) , K Eriksson (Swe) , E Kofstad (Nor)
71 A Hansen (Den) , L Jensen (Den) , J Quesne (Fra) , N Meitinger (Ger) 
72 C Gane (Eng) , R Santos (Por) , D Brooks (Eng) , M Bothma (RSA) , B Åkesson (Swe) , C Russo (Fra) , F Colombo (Ita) , D Vancsik (Arg) 
73 T Ferreira (RSA)
74 A Bossert (Sui) 
75 M Erlandsson (Swe)

WHERE TO STAY AT LEVEN AND ABERLADY

from Colin Farquharson

Free advertising, but these bed and breakfast establishments treated me so well during my stays over the past month or so that I promised I would give them a favourable mention on the website:

LEVEN, FIFE
LOMOND GUEST HOUSE (quite near to the Leven Links golf course)
6 Church Road, Leven, Fife KY8 4JE
Proprietor: Jean Hughes
Telephone: 01333 300511
Mobile: 07789 486323
E-mail: info@lomondguesthouse.co.uk
Website: http://www.lomondguesthouse.co.uk/

ABERLADY, EAST LOTHIAN
TOWNHOUSE Bed and Breakfast
1 The Gardens, Aberlady, East Lothian EH32 0SF
Proprietors: John and Lesley
Telephone: 01875 870438
E-mail: mail@townhouseaberlady.co.uk
Website: www.townhouseaberlady.co.uk

DAVID GARDNER ONLY 2010 SURVIVOR IN SENIOR SCOTS' LINE-UP

The Scotland team for the senior men's home internationals at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, Lincolnshire from September 13-15 bears little or no resemblance to the squad which finished last of four after being thrashed 7 1/2-1 1/2 by champions Ireland on the last day at Crail last year. Broomieknowe's David Gardner is the only survivor in this year's line-up which will be captained by Gordon MacDonald (Callander). Team is: Ian Brotherston (Dumfries and Co) John Fraser (Royal Burgess) David Gardner (Broomieknowe) Gordon MacDonald (Callander), capt. Fraser McCluskey (Royal Burgess) David Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) Bob Stewart (Tulliallan). Reserve Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess).   TWO NEW CAPS IN ENGLAND SENIOR TEAM FOR WOODHALL SPA   NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION

England will field two new caps, Charles Banks (Stanton-on-the-Wolds) and Adrian Donkersley (Gerrards Cross) in its seven-strong squad for the Seniors Home Internationals being played at Woodhall Spa on 13th – 15th September.
The rest of the line-up:
Chris Reynolds (Littlestone, Kent), Philip Slater (Sandiway, Cheshire), Roy Smethurst (Crewe, Cheshire), Alan Squires (Oldham, Lancashire) and Andrew Stracey (Littlestone, Kent).
The team shows three changes from that which finished runner-up last year in Scotland, the two news caps plus Stracey, who played in 2009 but missed last year’s matches.
Banks was an England men’s international in 1983 and was England Mid Amateur Champion three years in succession, 1995–97. He is now proving a force in the senior ranks, confirmed by his victory in the Scottish Seniors at Irvine at the start of July.
Like Banks, Donkersley is a keen competitor who has played in most of the leading senior events this summer. He finished third in the Welsh Open Seniors, ninth in the Portuguese, joint tenth in the Scottish and joint 12th in the English Seniors. Currently he lies third on the EGU Seniors Order of Merit.
Reynolds, the English Seniors Champion in 2009, has played in every Seniors Home Internationals since 2006 and has a fine record in the series. He was also a member of England’s winning team in last year’s European Seniors Team Championships and recently finished fifth in the British Seniors. He currently leads the Seniors Order of Merit.
Slater was also a member of the victorious European Seniors team having made his debut in the 2008 Europeans. A former Cheshire Seniors Champion, he has played in the last three Seniors Home Internationals but has missed several events this year for family reasons while also suffering a back injury. He has recovered and is a strong match player.
Smethurst has been a power in seniors golf for over a decade. He has been English Seniors Champion four times, was British Champion in 2003 and has missed only one Seniors Home Internationals since the start in 2002. He is currently fourth on the Seniors Order of Merit and still displays a tenacity and enduring skills particularly in match play.
Squires has been English Seniors Champion for the past two years but because he is a working man he is unable to play in other national competitions.
However, he was also a member of last year’s victorious team in the Europeans and has missed only one Senior Home Internationals since 2004.
Stracey is a powerful player who has been prominent in international competitions over the last couple of years. He won the Irish Seniors in 2009, finished runner-up to Reynolds in the English Seniors that year and also made his international debut in the winning European Team. Also finished runner-up in the Welsh Seniors this year.
Richard Palmer, the England seniors captain, says: “The selectors have had a difficult job this year as a few of the top match players haven’t shown their usual form in order of merit events.
“We look for proven winners to balance the team with those at the top of the order of merit. Consequently, someone like Doug Arnold, the only man to play in every Senior Home Internationals, has not been able to make the side this time. He has an exceptional record, has been an excellent team member but has battled with a hand injury this year which has hampered his performances.”
England will be hoping that home advantage will enable them to regain the title, won by Ireland for the past three years. England’s last success was at Caldy in 2007, the last time it played host.

PAUL O'HARA MAKES THE CUT IN LUXEMBURG

Paul O'Hara made the cut with rounds of 66 and 73 for 139 (141 and better qualified) and is lying joint 30th going into the final day of this week's EPD (German PGA) Tour event in Luxemburg - the Christnach Classic.

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62! Dennis Küpper moves on top of the leaderboard

FROM THE EPD TOUR WEBSITE
It was Dennis-Day in Luxembourg: The 26 year old German Dennis Küpper shot a sensational 62 (-8) in round 2 of Golf and Country Club Christnach Classic. With this so far best score of the tournament Küpper took the lead before the final round on Wednesday.
The professional from Krefeld who was ranked 17th after a 68 at the opening on Monday, ran hot on Tuesday morning. After five Birdies and one Eagle on the front nine Küpper was that confident that he startet with four Birdies in a row on the technically more challenging back nine. But then he double-bogeyed hole 14 and finished with a 62 to move on top of the leaderboard with 10 under par. "Actually the course is quite easy to play so you can make a good score. But the greens are not easy", Küpper said.
Many players had profit by good weather conditions with temperatures around 30 degrees at the 18th EPD Tour event of the 2011 season. Küppers fellow countryman Richard Porter moved up to third place with a 65 and is just two strokes behind the leader (-8). Janne Kaske entered the clubhouse this time with a 67 on his score card. The 25 year old Finn from Porvoo is ranked 2nd with -9 and chaser No.1 before playing the last 18 holes of the tournament on Wednesday.
After the cut (+1) in Christnach 45 players will go on the tee on Wednesday. The final flight will arrive at about 2.30 p.m. The award at this first EPD Tour event in Luxembourg includes prize money of 30.000 euros.

SENIOR THROUGH, STEWART, LEWIS HELD UP BY BAD WEATHER

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
The GB and I Walker Cup duo of Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) and Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) were unable to complete their second qualifying rounds last night in the US amateur championshipship because bad weather delayed the start of the day's play by just over three hours at Erin Hills, Wisconsin.
Stewart, who had a one-under-par 71 over the championship course on Monday, is two under par overall after completing nine holes of the shorter Blue Mound.
Level par is reckoning to be the maximum 36-hole aggregate at least to get into the play-off which will be necessary to reduce the number of qualifiers to the required figure of 64.
Lewis, who also had a 71 over the longer course (7,660yd) on Monday, is level par with nine to play at Blue Mound.
A third GB and I Walker Cup player, Jack Senior (Heysham) is almost certainly through to the match-play stages after returning a 73 over the big course for a total of two-under-par 140. He had a 67 over Blue Mound on Monday.
But the fourth GB and I player in the field, Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale), is on the sidelines with a pair of 73s for 146.
Danny Keddie (Belton Park) is unlikely to make it after a 74 over the Erin Hills course, two over par then and now four over par with holes still to complete at Blue Mound.
Another Englishman, Luke Joy, can write off the rest of the week. He had a 78 over Erin Hills on Monday and is five over par for the tournament during an unfinished round at Blue Mound.

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START OF MATCH-PLAY STAGES DELAYED

FROM THE USGA WEBSITE
By Pete KowalskiSixteen-year-old Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, California and collegiate players Blayne Barber, 21, of Lake City, Florida, and Ben Geyer, 19, of Arbuckle, California, posted 7-under-par 36-hole totals of 135 to share the lead for stroke-play medalist honours at Tuesday’s weather-delayed 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship.
Hossler qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club but missed the cut shooting, 76-77. He is a junior at Santa Margarita High School and played in his first U.S. Amateur in 2009 at age 14. He made seven birdies and three bogeys in shooting 4-under-par 66 at the par-70, 6,622-yard Blue Mound Golf and Country Club.
“I really hit the ball well,” said Hossler, who was the stroke-play medalist at the 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur. “I knew coming in this would be a good tournament for me because it’s difficult and I feel very comfortable under difficult conditions.”
Barber, a redshirt sophomore at Auburn University who represented the USA at the 2011 Palmer Cup, shot 67 at Blue Mound. Geyer, a junior at St. Mary’s College in California, posted seven birdies and one bogey at the 7,760-yard, par-72 Erin Hills course for a 6-under-par 66, which tied Mike Ignasiak, 45, of Saline, Michigan, for the best score there in stroke play.
The trio was among the 157 players who waited out a 3hr 40min weather delay in the morning and then completed their second stroke-play qualifying rounds Tuesday afternoon.
None of the players in the afternoon wave completed their second rounds, including defending champion Peter Uihlein, 21, of Orlando, and two of the three first-round leaders: Blake Biddle, 19, of St. Charles, Illinois, and Gregor Main, 22, of Danville, California.
Biddle had completed 12 holes at Blue Mound and was unofficially three under par for Tuesday’s round and eight under par through 30 holes.
The second round was suspended due to darkness (at 7 p.m. at Erin Hills and 7:15 p.m. at Blue Mound), and will resume at 7:30 a.m. (local time) Wednesday.
Following any necessary play-off to reduce the field to 64 players, the first round of match play will begin at a time to be determined.
Hossler, who led his high-school team to a fourth-place finish in the California state tournament, has been using his competitive season as a classroom.
“It’s been great,” he said. “Even though I haven’t had the practice sessions that I normally have because I have been so busy, the tournament experience has made me a lot more comfortable on bigger stages like this one. I was a little intimidated when I played this a couple of years ago but now I feel very comfortable and I know a lot of the guys here. I can learn from those types of guys.”
Geyer, who is playing in his first U.S. Amateur but competed earlier this summer at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links, credited his putter for his scoring.
“When I was three under after eight with a bogey, that was pretty good,” Geyer said. “The first five holes I had birdie putts inside 20 feet and only made two of them. I knew I was hitting the ball well. That putt where I lipped out for par on six was a good putt. From there, I started putting well.”
Barber admitted to using the stroke-play medal as an incentive to keep playing well after a 68 at Erin Hills on Monday.
“I tried to keep focused on that because I didn’t want to get complacent and start playing defensively,” Barber said. “I don’t know what it’s going to take, but I was thinking, ‘Just go out there and try to be the medalist. But whatever happens, happens.’ At least if I was pushing for that, match play was going to happen, be an end result of that.”
The 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Sunday