Where are they now? Scotland cap of 1960s at Royal Ashdown Forest

Royal Ashdown Forest - a search for golf balls in the heather during last week's British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at the Forest Row, East Sussex venue.

COLIN STRACHAN ... THE MAN WHO WAS BEATEN BY

RDBM SHADE IN SCOTTISH AMATEUR FINAL OF 1966

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

I should not be surprised by now. It’s been happening for almost 50 years.

On my golfing travels, I keep meeting, by chance, compatriots who have settled and made their homes outwith Bonnie Scotland.

Last week I flew down to Gatwick which was reasonably close to the venue for the British women’s open amateur stroke-play championship – Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club at the village of Forest Row, East Sussex.

Once a royal hunting forest dating back to the medieval times of John of Gaunt and an Edward on was King of England, it was a place I had never visited.

And at Royal Ashdown I found three Scots “on the staff” you might say.
Douglas Neave, originally from Arbroath/Monifieth, has been club secretary for over a decade and is just about to retire.
Martyn Landsborough from Dumfries is the club pro and he’s not about to retire.
Then there’s Colin Strachan, the Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club archivist.
Colin Strachan, pictured above, now there’s a name to conjure with.
It’s a sign of advancing years that you remember names and people from the 1960s more readily than you do from the past decade.
Colin Strachan was one of the late, great Ronnie Shade’s final victims in his record run of five Scottish amateur titles in a row from 1963 to 1967 inclusive.
Colin was No 4. He lost 9 and 8 in the 36-hole final of 1966 at Western Gailes.
Strachan played for Scotland in the home internationals of 1965, 1966 and 1967.
He also remembers playing for Scotland in the European team championships of 1967 in Turin.
“It was hot. My goodness it was hot. None of us was used to playing in that kind of heat. People were only then starting to go abroad for their summer holidays,” said Colin whose team-mates were Shade, Charlie Green, Sandy Pirie, Sandy Saddler and Findlay Black. Sandy Sinclair was the non-playing captain.
But even Colin's memory can play tricks on him. He recalled that Gordon Cosh was in that team of six. But he wasn't. Findlay Black was.
Strachan’s golfing career came to an end just after that, not because he was injured or ill or fell out of love with the game but because he qualified as a vascular surgeon and lived in Brighton.
“I was on call all the time and a golf course is not the easiest play for someone to find you at short notice,” said Colin who became a member of the R and A and served on its Rules of Golf and Open championship committees.
Strachan is writing the History of Royal Ashdown Forest Club, which will be published to coincide with the East Sussex club’s 125 years celebration in 2013.
Books about golf club’s history can be as dry as dust but Colin Strachan’s certainly won’t be. Admittedly I’m a lover of golfing history, so he was preaching to the converted, but Colin is a fascinating man to listen to when he gets going on the subject of golf history in general or, in the case of Royal Ashdown Forest, local history.
"Royal Ashdown Forest is not a wealthy club but, when I joined, there were 60 millionaires among its membership. There are not nearly so many nowadays. The financial crash of a few years ago and events since have seen to that."
No question that Colin had something to do with the Ladies Golf Union asking Royal Ashdown Forest to host this year’s British women’s open amateur championship.
In a way the Ladies Golf Union was returning to its roots because Royal Ashdown Forest’s lady officials were among the prime movers in the formation of the Ladies Golf Union in 1893.
So you would think that the LGU would have had a tournament at this venue sooner rather than 118 years later.
“Actually, Royal Ashdown Forest should have been one of the first venues for the British women’s open amateur championship (the LGU's flagship event) in the 1890s,” Colin Strachan told me.
Royal Lytham and St Annes staged the first one in 1893 and Royal Ashdown Forest was lined up to be the venue in 1894. Instead it went to Littlestone Golf Club, Kent.

“A meeting was called which was more or less just to rubber stamp the decision that Royal Ashdown Forest would be the 1894 venue but the chairman of the day unaccountably put forward Littlestone as the leading choice and the deal was done very quickly.”

The successful staging of the British women’s stroke-play last week has whetted the appetite of the Royal Ashdown powers-that-be to stage another LGU event, perhaps in 2013 to mark their 125 year celebrations – and what better than British women’s open amateur championship which they were so unexpectedly denied in 1894?

It may be a little late in the day for such a move – championships of that stature rotate round the four home countries. But one thing is certain. It will not be 118 years before Royal Ashdown Forest stages its next event under the auspices of the Ladies Golf Union, a body they helped to give birth to so many years ago.
+Things you might not know about Royal Ashdown Forest. There's not a single bunker anywhere on its two courses - all to do with conservation orders in place in the 1890s.
+"Forest" is in its title for obvious reasons but its really a heathland course, with lots of heather, that plays like a links course with very firm greens.
+Many famous names from golfing history were associated with Royal Ashdown Forest, including professional Abe Mitchell on whom the figure that is on the top of the Ryder Cup is modelled.
+One of the few golf clubs anywhere that actively encourages its members to take their dogs on walks over its two courses.

GARRIDO LEADS BY ONE WITH WARREN TOP SCOT THREE BEHIND

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Ignacio Garrido made his move late on the second day to claim the outright lead in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Having managed three birdies on the outward nine, the Spaniard followed up a birdie on the 11th and again on the 17th to give him a three under par 69 - taking him one shot clear on eight under midway through the tournament.
Lorenzo Gagli, Thomas Björn, Peter Lawrie and Englishmen Mark Foster and Kenneth Ferrie form a five-strong chasing pack one shot adrift.
Italian Gagli completed his first round 69 this morning before shooting a four under par 68, Björn, Ferrie and Lawrie went round in three under today, and Foster remains in with a chance of glory after following up yesterday’s 66 with a 71.
Pablo Larrazábal, the Spaniard, and England’s James Morrison sit one shot further adrift after carding 68 and 69 respectively, while Oliver Wilson, another Englishman, Scot Marc Warren, American Anthony Kang, Raphael Jacquelin of France and Sweden’s Magnus A Carlsson are all five under after 36 holes.
Kang’s six under par 66 represented the lowest round of the day among the leading contenders.
Italian Gagli, who recorded birdies on the second, fourth, sixth and eighth, said: “I played very good these two days, and I’m very happy with that.”
He held the lead for some time before former Ryder Cup vice-captain Björn overcame a bogey on the 15th with four birdies.
Having started on the 10th, the Dane could have gone one shot ahead but his birdie attempt on the last hole - the long ninth - dribbled past the edge of the cup.
“I’m just happy with my score at the moment. That leaves me in a good state or the weekend, and that’s all I'm concentrating on,” Björn said.
Ferrie, who was four under after the opening day, made four birdies and, despite bogies on the 10th and 17th, a birdie on the 18th saw him join the leaders before being overhauled by Garrido.
“I’ve been playing pretty well all year, hitting lots of good shots and hitting the greens and not making lots of putts,” he said.
Lawrie, the leader for a short time yesterday, made an impressive start with an eagle on the second and, despite a bogey on the next hole and the 13th, made birdies on the ninth, 12th and 14th to stay seven under.
The Irishman said: “I putted lovely, I really did. I’m just trying to be more positive - read the greens better and if they go in, they go in. It’s more of a case of positivity than negativity.”
Foster admitted it was a “frustrating” day, adding: “It was quite difficult out there but I’m sitting in a good position and I'll sleep on that and come back tomorrow in a better frame of mind. I’m right where I want to be.”
Two-round totals of level par 144 or better were required to qualify for the weekend action.
Former Open champion Paul Lawrie, making a return to action after several weeks away from the circuit, made it with nothing to spare after a pair of 72s.
But there was disappointment for fellow Scots David Drysdale (71-145), Callum Macaulay (75-146), Lloyd Saltman (75-148), Steve O'Hara (72-148), George Murray (73-149), Elliot Saltman (76-149), David Patrick (75-149), Jason McCreadie (77-149), Scott Jamieson (74-151), Greig Hutcheon (77-152), Stephen Gray (76-153), Scott Henderson (78-155),Peter Whiteford (80-156), Ian Redford (77 for 157) and amateur James White (79 for 159).
.

JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP - END OF ROUND 2 SCORES

PGA CENTENARY COURSE, GLENEAGLES HOTEL, PERTHSHIRE

LEADING HALFWAY TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
136 Ignacio Garrido (Spain) 67 69.
137 Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 68 69, Lorenzo Gagli (Italy) 68 68, Kenneth Ferrie (England) 68 69, Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 68 69, Mark Foster (England) 66 71.

SCOTS' SCORES
139 Marc Warren  70 69 (T9)
141 Richie Ramsay 69 72, James Byrne (amateur) 70 71, Alastair Forsyth 70 71 (T19)
142 Stephen Gallacher 74 68 (T28)
143 Colin Monttgomerie 70 73, Chris Doak 71 72, Gary Orr 71 72 (T39)
144 Paul Lawrie 72 72, Paul McKechnie 73 71 (T51).

MISSED THE CUT (144 or better qualified)
145 David Drysdale 74 71.
146 Callum Macaulay 71 75.
148 Lloyd Saltman 73 75, Steven O'Hara 76 72.
149 George Murray 76 73, Elliot Saltman 73 76, Jason McCreadie 72 77, David Patrick 74 75.
151 Scott Jamieson 77 74.
152 Greig Hutcheon 75 77
153 Stephen Gray 77 76.
155 Scott Henderson 77 78
156 Peter Whiteford 76 80
157 Ian Redford 80 77
159 James White (amateur) 80 79

Unfinished second rounds but unlikely to beat the cut:
Scott Henderson 77 to finish
David Patrick 74 to finish

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

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PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM! - HUTSBY LEADS WEATHER-HIT ROLEX TROPHY

By SARAH GWYNN
European Tour staff press officerA change of putter seems to be doing the trick for Englishman Sam Hutsby, who fired a six under par 66 in a weather-affected third round of the Rolex Trophy to take a one shot lead.
Play could not be completed on Friday because of severe thunderstorms around Geneva Golf Club, leaving 16 groups still to complete the third round, which will resume on Saturday morning.
Hutsby made the most of the benign morning conditions to reach 15 under, one ahead of Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, who is chasing a hat-trick of Challenge Tour victories this season and carded a one under par 71.
Spaniard Jorge Campillo signed for a 67 to get to 12 under alongside Austrian Florian Praegant (72), one shot behind Tommy Fleetwood who was level par after 12 holes.
Hutbsy, a 2009 Walker Cup player, said last week was the worst putting performance of his career, and he returned to a tried and tested old putter for this tournament. It has helped him to scores of 65 and 70 before today’s 66, and he is relishing being in contention to win a maiden Challenge Tour title.
“I made a bad start by missing an eight-footer for birdie at the 11th – my second hole – and then hit my drive out of bounds on the 12th and ended up with a double bogey,” he said. “But the next hole I holed out from about 20 feet for birdie and that settled me right down.
“I played the back nine extremely well and had chances on every hole. I really didn’t want to fall back into the pack so it was nice to get a few birdies on the card. I haven’t been in this position this season and I didn’t want to let it slip away.
“It’s exciting to be in contention and I’ve just got to hope that tomorrow I have another day like today and the first round on the greens.”
Hebert had back-to-back victories earlier this summer but could not take many positives from today’s round of one under par 71.
He said: “One under was actually a good score considering how badly I played today. My putting in particular was very bad – I missed many puts. I’m not very happy. Tomorrow will have to be much better.”
The best of the day came from André Bossert, who had six birdies and an eagle for a seven under par 65 to propel him into seventh place.
Bossert said: “I’ve turned a corner with my putting, which has been awful for the last two months. I’ve been hitting it well but if you can’t hole the putts you’re never going to shoot low. And this is a course where you need to be putting well to stand a chance.
“The eagle at the eighth was the highlight – I ran my second shot in with a rescue club and holed a putt from eight metres. My best score is 62 so I was trying to beat that, but unfortunately it didn’t quite come off and it was disappointing to finish with a bogey.”

*Scores will be displayed her on Saturday after the completion of the third round.



Sarah Gwynn

Press Officer

European Tour

CALDWELL PRO-AM ABANDONED AFTER RAINSTORM

Today's Caldwell Golf Club Invitational pro-am was abandoned after heavy rain and thunder and lightning hit the area of Renfrewshire with only nine holes completed following a shotgun start. It may be rescheduled for late September.

JACK SENIOR IN LAST EIGHT OF US AMATEUR BUT TOM LEWIS OUT

GOLF BRIEF Jack Senior (Heysham), who will play for GB and I in the Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen next month, is through to the last eight of the US amateur golf championship at Erin Hills, Wisconsin. He beat John Hahn 3 and 2, ending the American's hopes of gaining one of the last sports in the US team of 10 for Balgownie. But Senior's GB and I team-mate Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City), winner of the St Andrews Links Trophy this year and leading amateur in the Open, lost by 3 and 2 to Patrick Cantlay, already chosen to play for the US in the Walker Cup match.

EARLY BIRD MATT KUCHAR GRABS LEAD AT THE BARCLAYS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
EDISON, New Jersey (AP) — Matt Kuchar returned to beautiful sunshine and a birdie Friday morning (local time) to take the lead at The Barclays.
Kuchar, who won the opening FedEx Cup playoff event last year on a different course, was among 51 players who did not finish the rain-delayed first round. He drove into a greenside bunker on the reachable par-4 18th, blasted out to 3 feet and rapped in his birdie putt for an 8-under 63.
That gave him a one-shot lead over Harrison Frazar and William McGirt, who also had to finish his round in the morning.
McGirt had made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch when play was halted by darkness Thursday night. The birdies disappeared when he got back to Plainfield, and he bogeyed the 17th before hitting just short of the green on 18 for an easy birdie. Frazar shot his 64 Thursday.
Players had only a half-hour before they headed back out to start the second round.
Even in such perfect weather, the future of the Barclays was gloomy. Hurricane Irene is on a path up the Eastern seaboard, with a forecast for rain and wind starting as early as Saturday and into Sunday.
The hope Friday was for everyone to complete 36 holes to make the cut. Tour officials were meeting Friday morning to figure out how to proceed with the rest of the tournament, with a 54-hole event one possibility.
That would not be unusual, but this is not a typical event.
Only 125 players qualified for the FedEx Cup, and The Barclays is the first of four tournaments that lead to a $10 million bonus for the winner. The top 100 players in the standings advance to next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, and there is a feeling that a full, 72-hole tournament should be played.
And because the Boston event doesn't start until Friday - it traditionally has a Labour Day finish - one possibility was to finish on Tuesday.
For now, all they can do is play.
Because of the rain - nearly a three-hour delay Thursday, after some 10 inches of rain over the previous two weeks - Plainfield was soft and ripe for good scoring. Only 44 players failed to break par in the first round, and the field average was 69.5.
Kuchar won The Barclays last year at Ridgewood.
"It's great being defending champion and coming out with a nice start, 8 under, with some good playing," he said before heading out for his second round. "The conditions were there. I think there are going to be a lot of low scores over the next couple of days."
Some players were in dire need of such good scores.
Padraig Harrington, who narrowly qualified at No. 124 in the standings, opened with a 65. That counts as his best score of the year. The 65 he shot in the opening round at Abu Dhabi ended with disqualification when it was deemed through high-definition TV that his ball had moved ever so slightly while addressing a putt.
Ernie Els, who was at No. 118, opened with a 68. Els is among five players who have reached the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship every year since this format began in 2007.
Phil Mickelson had a disappointing end to his round of 67, even though he made birdie. The tees are moved up this week on the 18th hole, making it play about 285 yards up the hill with a slight bend to the left. Mickelson hammered a tee shot that settled about 6 feet away, but he missed the putt and settled for a birdie.

G B AND I BOYS' NARROW LEAD IN JACQUES LEGLISE TROPHY

Great Britain and Ireland had a 1pt lead over the Continent of Europe at the halfway stage of the two-day boys' amateur international for the Jacques Leglise Trophy at Neguri Golf Club, Spain today.
GB and I won the morning foursomes 2 1/2-1 1/2 before the singles were shared 4-3.
DETAILS (Cont of Europe names first)

FOURSOMES (1.5-2.5)
Jon Rahm and Javier Sainz lost to Toby Tree and Callum Shinkwin 6 and 4.
Thomas Detry and Kenny Subregis halved with Gavin Moynihan and Gary Hurley
Maximilian Rottluff and Robin Goger bt Dermot McElroy and David Boote 3 and 2.
Kristoffer Ventura and Goncalo Pinto lost to Nathan Kimsey and Harrison Greenberry 3 and 1.
SINGLES (4-4)
Subregis lost to Shinkwin 5 and 3.
Rahm lost to Tree 2 holes.
Detry bt Paul Kinnear 2 holes.
Goger bt Moynihan 2 and 1.
Sainz bt Hurley 1 hole.
Florian Loutre lost to McElroy 4 and 2.
Tottluff bt Boote 4 and 3.
Ventura lost to Greenberry 1 hole.

JOHN GALLAGHER TOP SCOT AS KEIR McNICOLL STUMBLES

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Swanston's John Gallagher finished the top Scot after a last-round slump by Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll in this week's PGA EuroPro Tour event at De Vere Mottram Hall, Cheshire. Gallagher, pictured, a former Scottish amateur champion with a cack-handed grip, had scores of 76, 66 and 71 for a three-under-par total of 213. He earned £375. McNicoll, Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) and Zack Saltman (Archerfield Links) tied for 38th place on 216, each earning £235. McNicoll, in with a chance of a top-10 finish after opening with rounds of 69 and 71, double bogeyed the short seventh and dropped four shots on the inward half at the 10th, 13th, 14th and 17th for a disappointing score of four-over 76.  Birdies at the long first and long eighth repaired only part of the damage. as much to his confidence as to his score. Cameron had rounds of 72, 71 and 73, Saltman 71, 70 and 75. Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) tied for 49th place on 218 and earned £202 for scores of 70, 72 and 76. Another former Scottish boys match-play champion, Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) finished last of the 54 qualifiers with scores of 73, 70 and 79 for 222. His payslip amounted to £180. Harper had a disastrous eight-over-par run over nine holes - the third to the 11th - in which he had three double bogeys and two bogeys. The £10,000 first prize was won by Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall), his third victory of the season on the satellite circuit. His total prizemoney this season adds up to more than £36,000  He had seven shots to spare over the field with scores of 67, 63 and 71 for an aggregate of 15-under-par 216. Kevin Harper picked up the £5,000 runner-up prize with rounds of 69, 71 and 68 for 208. Leading final totals Par 216 (3x72) 201 Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall) 67 63 71 (£10,000). 208 Kevin Harper (East Devon) 69 71 68 (£5,000. 210 Liam Burns (Sundridge Park) 70 73 67, Zane Scotland (Princes) 73 68 69, Sean Whiffin (Eng) 68 73 69, Jon White (Saunton) 68 71 71 (£1,700 each). SCOTS SCORES 213 John Gallagher (Swanston) 76 767 71 (T18) (£375). 216 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 72 71 73, Zack Saltman (Archerfield) 71 70 75, Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 69 71 76 (T38) (£235 each). 218 Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) 70 72 76 (T49) (£202). 222 Lee Harper (Archerfield) 73 70 79 (54th) (£180).

DANIEL AND GEORGINA GO HOME HAPPY FROM INSCH

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Daniel Wood (Eyemouth) and Georgina Snow (Turnberry Hotel) made their long drives home happy ones by their performances at today's Clan Insch Young Pros' pro-am at Insch Golf Club, Aberdeenshire. Daniel won the £500 individual first prize with a round of two-under-par 67 and Georgina led the winning trio of amateurs, two men and a girl, Tug Wilson (handicap 18), Allan McGillivray (18) and Lindsey Vincent (12) to a three-shot victory in the pro-am team event with a great score of 20-under-par 118. Georgina picked up £60 for that and another £45 for her own joint 16th place finish with a round of 79. It's not an easy life as a young pro and perhaps even a little bit more difficult for a young pro girl so this was the kind of day that will make Georgina feel she's on the right road to a career in golf. "Georgina's a smashing girl. She deserves some success," said PGA Scotland tournament director Roy Murray. Wood had birdies at the fourth, 14th, 15th and short 17th but bogeyed two short holes, the eighth and 18th. He was still able to win by two strokes from Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links) and Christopher Law (Kings Links), older brother of the twice Scottish amateur champion David Law. Mathieson had a nightmare start with a double gogey 6 at the second and two more shots shed at the third and fifth. But Terry covered the last 12 holes in four under par with birdies at the seventh, long ninth, short 13th and long 16th to salvage a par 69 which earned him £350. Law had much the same round as Mathieson and was four over par at the turn after a double bogey 7 at the ninth, having earlier bogeyed the third and short eighth.  But he too came home with a wet sail, birdiing the 10th, 12th, long 16th and short 17th for a bogey-free inward half to share second place on 69 and also receive £350. The pro-am was in aid of the Clan charity. Leading pros Par 69 67 Daniel Wood (Eyemouth) £500. 69 Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links), Christopher Law (Kings Links) £350 each. 70 Christopher Robinson (Dumfries and Galloway) £225. 72 Ryan Buckley (Craigielaw), Clarke Lutton (Qatar), Luke Barbour (Cruden Bay) £153 each. 73 Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle) £110. 74 David Addison (Kilmarnock Barassie), Paul Wilson (Cawder) £90 each. 75 Joel Hopwood (Carnegie, Skibo Castle) £75. 76 Joseph McBrearty (Haggs Castle) £70. 77 Chris Brown (Kemnay), Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride) £62 each. 78 Graeme Nethercott (Deeside) £55 79 Georgina Snow (Turnberry Hotel), Fraser Clarke (Newmachar), Christopher McMaster (Panmure) £45 each. 80 Iain Stoddart (Uphall) £35. 84 Michael McKenzie (Edzell) £30. Pro-am team winners: Par 138 (2x69) 118 Georgina Snow (Turnberry Hotel) and Lyndsey Vincent (12), Tug Wilson (18), Allan McGillivray (18).

JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES LIVE SCORING

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ps James Byrne completed his first round in two-under-par 70.

ROYAL BIRKDALE TO HOST 2013 SENIOR PRO OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
Royal Birkdale, in Southport, Lancashire, will become the 11th different course to host The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex when it stages the 27th edition of this prestigious event in 2013.
The celebrated Lancashire links venue will become the seventh venue to host both an Open Championship and a Senior Open Championship, following Turnberry, Royal Lytham and St Annes, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Carnoustie.
Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open Championship on nine occasions, the most recent being in 2008 when Irishman Padraig Harrington held off a determined challenge from Greg Norman to win his second consecutive Claret Jug.
Australian Norman will be one of the players eligible for The Senior Open Championship when it visits Royal Birkdale for the first time from July 25-28, 2013, along with Tom Watson and Mark O’Meara, winners of The Open Championship at the venue in 1983 and 1998 respectively.
Royal Birkdale, which also hosted The Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969, will be the fourth venue in England to host The Senior Open Championship, following Royal Lytham and St Annes (1991-1994), Sunningdale (2009) and Walton Heath. The latter venue hosted the 2011 Championship last month when American Russ Cochran held off Mark Calcavecchia, Corey Pavin and Tom Watson to win the title.
The 2012 Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, the first with Rolex as Presenting Patron, will be played at Turnberry, from July 26-29 next year.

LEWIS AND SENIOR IN LAST 16 OF US AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

+Tom Lewis and Jack Senior, members of the GB and I Walker Cup team for Royal Aberdeen next month, are through to the last 16 of the US amateur championship. Michael Stewart from Troon was beaten in the first round.  Richie Ramsay won this title in 2006.

FROM THE USGA WEBSITE
By Christina Lance
Erin, Wisconsin. – Bobby Leopold, 26, of Cranston, Rhode Island, continued his improbable march through the match-play bracket, defeating 2011 USA Walker Cup Team member Harris English by a 4 and 3 in Thursday’s second round of match play at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship at 7,660-yard, par-72 Erin Hills.
Defending champion Peter Uihlein, 21, of Orlando, also moved into Friday’s round of 16 by defeating South African Dylan Frittelli, 5 and 4.
Leopold, the oldest player remaining in the championship, never trailed in the match. After halving the opening two holes, including matching birdies to open the round, English, 22, of Thomasville, Georgia, bogeyed the par-4 third to hand Leopold an early 1-hole lead.
“The start was huge for me,” said Leopold, an insurance producer who was raised in England. “I made a good putt on one. We decided we needed to make four, five or six birdies for the round to stay ahead of Harris. To get that one off the bat and match his, it was kind of like ‘OK, we can compete with this guy.’”
Earlier in the day, Leopold, who advanced to match play by surviving a 20-for-4 playoff on 142, had defeated stroke-play medalist (top seed) Gregor Main, 2 and 1.
“I’m trying to keep it all in perspective,” said Leopold of his success. “Everyone’s good. Harris is a really good player. He won a Nationwide Tour event. You could say giant killer, but everyone can win on a given day and beat each other.
“Harris didn’t have his best day, probably, and I had a good day. That’s golf. That’s the way it pans out. It’s a crazy game.”
Uihlein, who will represent the United States on his second Walker Cup Team at Royal Aberdeen next month, trailed early, twice falling 1 down over the first four holes.
“You are going to have stretches of holes where things don’t go your way,” said Uihlein, who won the 2011 Hogan Award as the nation’s top collegiate golfer. “You have to grind and keep fighting. The first six holes I didn’t make a thing. I just wanted to keep going and make good strokes and hope they would eventually start falling and they did.”
A birdie on the par-4 seventh sparked a string of five consecutive holes won for the Oklahoma State University senior. Uihlein pointed to his birdie on No. 7 as the moment that turned the match in his favor.
“The first six holes were a grind,” said Uihlein. “On seven, when I made that putt, it felt big for me to have a putt go in and have it going the rest of the day.”
Uihlein will next face his 2010 USA World Amateur Team Championship teammate Scott Langley, of St. Louis, Missouri. Langley, the 2010 NCAA champion while at the University of Illinois, eliminated Mitch Sutton, of Canada, 4 and 3.
In a meeting of 2011 USA Walker Cup team-mates, Patrick Cantlay, 19, of Los Alamitos, California, defeated Russell Henley, 22, of Macon, Georgia, in a hard-fought, 21-hole battle. Henley held the lead for the majority of the match, which was dormie with two holes to play. However, back-to-back birdies by Cantlay at 17 and 18 sent the match into extra holes.
The 19th hole provided perhaps the highlight of the championship thus far, with both players converting long eagle putts to extend the match. It was a moment that elicited a reaction from the normally stoic Cantlay.
“I let out a yell on one after I made my eagle and that’s probably the most excited I’ve ever been on the golf course in my life,” said Cantlay, an incoming sophomore at UCLA who received the 2011 Nicklaus Award as the NCAA Division I Player of the Year.
Cantlay ultimately won the match when Henley bogeyed the 21st hole. Henley, however, was not disappointed with his championship run.
“I felt like I made a good run,” said Henley, a University of Georgia graduate who won the Nationwide Tour’s Stadion Classic at UGA in May. “I didn’t hand anything to anybody, and that’s what I’m proud of – never giving up.”
Patrick Rodgers, 19, of Avon, Ind., another member of the USA Walker Cup Team, advanced with a 6-and-4 victory over Jonathan Garrick, 17, of Atherton, Calif. The sixth USA Walker Cup player to advance to match play, 20-year-old Chris Williams from Moscow, Idaho, was defeated by Max Buckley, 21, of Rye, New York., by one hole
Tom Lewis, 20, who held the first-round lead at the 2011 British Open Championship and finished as low amateur, and Jack Senior, 23, two Englishmen who will represent Great Britain and Ireland at next month’s Walker Cup Match, both advanced to the round of 16.
Lewis defeated 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Cory Whitsett at the 19th, while Senior dispatched 2010 Junior Amateur runner-up Justin Thomas.
The first round of match play, which was delayed due to weather on Tuesday, was completed Thursday morning. The third and fourth rounds will be conducted Friday.
The third GB and I Walker Cup selection to qualify for the match-play, Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) was beaten in the first round by Thomas, conquered by Senior in the next round.
SECOND ROUND RESULTS
Erin, Wis. -- Results of the second round of match play at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship, played at 7,760-yard, par-72 Erin Hills.
Upper Bracket
Bobby Leopold, Cranston, R.I. (142) d. Harris English, Thomasville, Ga. (142), 4 and 3
Jordan Russell, College Station, Texas (140) d. Bryson Dechambeau, Clovis, Calif. (141), 5 and 3
Peter Uihlein, Orlando, Fla. (137) d. Dylan Frittelli, South Africa (140), 5 and 4
Scott Langley, St. Louis, Mo. (137) d. Mitch Sutton, Canada (140), 4 and 3
John Peterson, Fort Worth, Texas (139) d. Stephan Jaeger, Germany (142), 1 hole.
Max Buckley, Rye, N.Y. (141) d. Chris Williams, Moscow, Idaho (139), 1 hole
Patrick Cantlay, Los Alamitos, Calif. (140) d. Russell Henley, Macon, Ga. (135), at 21st
Tom Lewis, England (139) d. Cory Whitsett, Houston, Texas (137) at 19th
Lower Bracket
Blake Biddle, St. Charles, Ill. (134) d. Peter Williamson, Hanover, N.H. (140), 2 holes.
Kelly Kraft, Denton, Texas (141) d. Andrew Putnam, University Place, Wash. (138), 3 and 2
Patrick Rodgers, Avon, Ind. (136) d. Jonathan Garrick, Atherton, Calif. (139), 6 and 4
Sunil Jung, Korea (137) d. Tim Madigan, Rio Rancho, N.M. (140), 5 and 4
John Hahn, Las Vegas, Nev. (139) d. Beau Hossler, Mission Viejo, Calif. (135), 2 holes.
Jack Senior, England (140) d. Justin Thomas, Goshen, Ky. (138), 4 and 3
Ben Geyer, Arbuckle, Calif. (135) d. Chase Wright, Muncie, Ind. (139), 4 and 3
Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas (137) d. Lee Bedford, Cary, N.C. (140), 2 and 1

JOHN COOK, PETER SENIOR SHARE DIFFERENT FRUSTRATIONS

FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE
By Vartan Kupelian
John Cook knows he won't get another chance to end his major championship drought until next year. Peter Senior only had to wait until today to begin the quest for his next goal.
Cook again came ever-so-close to winning a major championship at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. For the third time in his Champions Tour career, he lost a major title in a play-off. Those go along with a couple of near-misses on the US PGA Tour and they are a source of considerable disappointment for Cook.
Senior's frustrations come from his inability to break into the winner's circle. In his second Champions Tour season, the Australian has played wonderful golf. It seems like every week he's in with a chance to win. It hasn't happened but that won't stop Senior from again going hard after it in this weekend's Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.
Cook targeted a fast start to 2011 as a major goal and he achieved it by winning in Hawaii. He's gone on to win twice more in his finest Champions Tour season. Cook's three wins match Tom Lehman's total atop the Champions Tour.
Missing the cut at the U.S. Senior Open at Inverness Club in his hometown of Toledo was a bitter pill for Cook. He returned home to Orlando and spent two weeks grinding on his game. For Cook, that means invoking Venturi tips -- the sage advice from his lifelong swing guru, Ken Venturi.
It's a familiar routine. Cook reviews the tips recorded on scorecards. The feedback is instant and Cook's play at Westchester proved it has a positive impact.
Cook found his game at Westchester. He wiped out a one-shot 54-hole deficit against Fred Couples and had a two-stroke lead in the final round. Then came a costly bogey and key birdie by Couples to send them into a sudden-death play-off. Couples won on the third extra hole and left Cook pondering the elusive nature of major championships.
"It's hard," Cook said. "I had my chances on the regular TOUR a couple of times. I've had three playoff losses here on this Tour and one other chance, real good chance there at Valhalla. Boy, it's disappointing. It really is.
"These are signature tournaments, and I've had my chances. I let two go. I don't know if I really let this one go, but I certainly let the Senior British in '08 and the Tradition in '09. You know, those were mine."
It baffles Cook, 53, that he was so successful in big events when he was younger but has not yet cracked the major championship barrier.
"Early on in my teenage years and my amateur years I won all those," he said. "The U.S. Amateurs and all the major junior events and all of that with all the same guys. We're still going toe to toe. Professional years it just seems I can't quite click in to get over that hump. That's what makes this such a great game, such a great sport that you can still do it in your 50s with the same guys you did it with in your teens."
Cook was the U.S. Amateur champion in 1978 and was runner-up the next year, losing to Mark O'Meara in the final. In addition to his eight Champions Tour victories since 2007, he won also won 11 times on the US PGA Tour.
"That's kind of what I was thinking about all day," Cook said of the final round at Westchester. "I've played hundreds of rounds with Fred, and it's fun to be part of. It's not fun to be on that end, but it's fun to be part of.
"I'm disappointed that I didn't come out on top, but I'm not going to look back and say I should've or would've, could've done this. Just the conditions were such that it didn't allow that. But I battled all day. I really did."
Senior is a battler, too. He knows how close he's been. He's the only player to finish in the top 10 in four Champions Tour majors this year. He lost the Regions Tradition in a playoff to Tom Lehman and missed by one shot of joining the Fred Couples-Cook playoff at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.
"Becoming the same thing every week, isn't it?" Senior said. "I just don't seem to produce anything on Sunday. Just starting to really bug me."
All that has separated him from the winner's circle is a timely putt or two. At Westchester, he had two putts center-cut that came up just a half-turn short.
"But I seem to do it a lot on Sundays," he said. "I just don't make many putts on Sunday."
By any measure, Senior's play has been exceptional. He's not the longest off the tee so he has to be straight and consistent. He has been. The proof is that he's moved to No. 2 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list. That doesn't happen without consistency and general excellence.
"I'm really happy with the golf I've been playing," Senior said. "I'd just like to hoist something. It's been nearly two years, and I've had plenty of opportunity and haven't closed one out yet. So yeah, I just feel a little disappointed. Hopefully it'll happen soon."

KANG, MALLINGEER SHARE NATIONWIDE TOUR LEAD WITH 63s

FROM THE US NATIONWIDE TOUR WEBSITE
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee - It's no surprise the first-round leaders of the News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot are 9-under par. The average winning score in the 21-year history of the event has been 17.1 strokes under par. There are 107 players in the field of 156 who are below par and 122 at par or better heading into Friday.
Seventeen players navigated the 7,110-yard, par-72 Fox Den Country Club without making a bogey. Thursday's scoring average of 70.442 was the third lowest first-round average in tournament history.
Locked at the top of the leaderboard are 24-year-old Sunghoon Kang of South Korea and 31-year-old Californian John Mallinger after rounds of 9-under 63. Louisiana native Brian Bateman, former University of Georgia All-American Kevin Kisner and Knoxville's own Garrett Willis are one back after posting 8-under 64s.
Georgia native Paul Claxton and Australian Nathan Green and are two off the pace with 7-under 65s.
Six players are tied at 6-under 66, including 1999 champion Jeff Gove. Twelve more are at 5-under 67.
"After chipping in for eagle on the first hole and then making a short birdie putt on the third hole, it felt like it was going to be a day without any hiccups," said Mallinger, who has played 14 US PGA Tour events this year and missed the play-offs for the FedExCup, finishing 186th in the standings.
"The putter is hot right now. Once you start holing putts the confidence comes back."
Mallinger's round included an eagle, seven birdies and 10 pars. His opening 63 matches his career-lowest opening round set in 2008 at the Frys.com Open on the US PGA Tour.
"It was one of those rounds where I only had to save par once and it was a five-foot putt," said Mallinger, who is looking for his first career win on either the US PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour. "I've got nothing to lose out here. I'm trying to make as many birdies as possible since the scores have been so low recently."
Kang, who made nine birdies en route to his bogey-free 9-under 63, is making just his third start on the Nationwide Tour this season. His opening 63 betters his previous career-low round by one. In May, he lost in a playoff at the BMW Charity Pro-Am and is currently 60th on the Nationwide Tour money list. He missed the cut in his only other start at the Price Cutter Charity Championship two weeks ago.
"I started really well today," said Kang, who opened his round with five birdies in a row. "The greens are rolling really true right now. I know if I hit a good putt it'll go in."
Earlier this year Kang played in five US PGA Tour events and made three cuts before taking time off in March and April to return to South Korea in order to fulfill a military commitment which is a requirement for male citizens in that country.
Kang was originally supposed to serve two years, but his stint was reduced to just one month because he was a member of his country's gold medal-winning golf team at the 2006 Asian Games.
"I made some good par putts during the round and those helped keep my momentum," said Kang, who has played 18 US  PGA Tour events thus far in 2011. "I'm really happy with my score today but I know I still have three days left."
Kisner's 8-under 64 matched his low round of the year which came at the PGA TOUR's Viking Classic. Kisner earned his 2011 PGA TOUR card by finishing 11th on the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list. He's played 20 events on TOUR and is 204th on the money list.
"I haven't putted well all year and I finally just started making putts," said Kisner, whose playing partners said he grabbed all the birdies. "I don't know why they said that," he added with a laugh. "They shot five and six under. Our group was great today because everybody was making putts."
Kisner is playing in his third News Sentinel Open. He finished T54 last year and missed the cut in 2009.
"Hopefully I'll get a win here this week," said Kisner, who won the Mylan Classic in 2010. "It would be great because I'd get a win and so would the Bulldogs."
First-Round Notes
• Two-time US PGA Tour winner Boo Weekley made his first start on the Nationwide Tour since the 2006 Nationwide Tour Championship. He opened with a 2-under 70 in the first round to finish T58 after making a double-bogey on the par-5 18th hole. Weekley has played in 19 US PGA Tour events this year and missed the Play-offs for the FedExCup by finishing outside the top-125 in the point standings (157th).
• Aaron Watkins opened with a 7-under 29 on the back nine but struggled on the front nine en route to a 5-under 67.
• Two-time winners Mathew Goggin and J.J. Killeen are in the field. Goggin opened with a 1-under 71 (T79). Killeen fired 5-under 67 (T14). Both are seeking to become the first three-time winner since Aberdeen-born Michael Sim in 2009. Nine players have earned the "battlefield" promotion to the PGA TOUR.
• John Daly, who is playing on a sponsor's exemption, notched five birdies and three bogeys en route to a 2-under 70. He's T58.

Russell Knox has not missed many cuts since he graduated from the Hooters Tour to the Nationwide Tour but this looks like one coming ... he had a par round of 72, which was good enough only for a share of 108th position.

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RORY WILL BE FIT FOR NEXT WEEK'S EUROPEAN MASTERS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut. (AP) — U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy says an arm injury won't keep him out of the European Masters next week in Switzerland, and confirmed Thursday that he's dating top-ranked women's tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.
McIlroy, attending the New Haven Open tennis tournament with Wozniacki, received a massage on his injured right forearm at the Connecticut Tennis Center on Thursday after spending Wednesday hitting golf balls at the TPC River Highlands in nearby Cromwell.
He said the arm feels about 85 percent healthy. He sustained what trainers described as a wrist tendon injury in the opening round of the US PGA Championship earlier this month when he struck a tree root on a swing.
"It's not actually my wrist, it's more up into the front of my elbow," he said. "It's OK. It's not 100 percent."
He also confirmed he plans to play "maybe 17, 18 events" on the US PGA Tour next year.
"For me, I play my best golf over here and I just want to spend a bit more time over here," he said.
He did not rule out playing in the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, but said the tournament's date, the week after the U.S. Open, might make that tough.
He said he would love to see Wozniacki win her own U.S. Open, calling the prospect of them both owning that championship, "pretty cool."
He also told reporters it would be fine to refer to her as his girlfriend, ending one of the worst kept secrets in sports. He attended her second-round match here Tuesday, and has been seen by her side for weeks.
"Why it's going so well is that we have so much in common," he said. "Obviously, different sports, but we're pretty much in the same position at a young age and we can talk about things that probably a lot of 21, 22-year olds can't talk about. It's nice to have someone that sort of understands what you're going through."
Wozniacki, a three-time defending champion in New Haven, advanced to the tournament's semi-finals with a straight-set win Thursday.
She said its nice to be able to get advice from Rory, who already has won a major championship.
"I think we give each other some advice once in a while, you know, if there's something we're not quite sure of," she said. "It's just nice to get an opinion. Yeah, it's nice."

CAPTAIN COUPLES TELLS TIGER HE'S IN THE PRESIDENTS CUP TEAM

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
SNOQUALMIE, Washington (AP) — Team captain Fred Couples has told Tiger Woods that he decided to add him to the 12-member Presidents Cup team.
Couples took the drama out of the debate over whether Woods would be on the team, saying on Thursday it's already a done deal.
"I've told him that he's going to be on the team," Couples said just before a practice round preparing for the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. "There is no reason for me to wait till September 26 to pick Tiger. He's the best player in the world forever."
Ten players automatically qualify for the team, based on points accumulated over the past two years. Couples is then given two captain's picks to round out his squad, which will compete against a team of non-European International players at Royal Melbourne from November 14-20.
Woods, who is 28th on the Presidents Cup list, had a long summer layoff because of soreness in his left knee and left Achilles' tendon. He played in two recent tournaments, finishing 37th in the Bridgestone Invitational in early August then missing the cut the following week at the PGA Championship.
Woods wrote on his website earlier this week that he had conversations with Couples about playing on the team and that "of course, I want to be on the team" that competes in Australia.
"Is he playing well right now? No. (But) he almost won (The Masters) four months ago so you don't do that by playing poor golf," Couples said. "In my opinion, when you're the best player in the world for 12 straight years and you're not on a team, there's something wrong.
"Everyone else can have their opinion, but as far as I know Jay Haas and myself are the captains and we want him on this team."
Haas is Couples' assistant captain for these matches.
Couples, initially unaware the Woods had not qualified for this week's FedEx Cup, told him by text message to find another tournament to play. Woods' next scheduled appearance is not until the Australian Open, the week before the Cup, although he said he might add a US PGA Tour event to his schedule.
"He has responded to that. I'm pretty sure you'll see him one more time," Couples said. "That's enough for me. I know the last thing he wants to do is embarrass himself. I think he'll be ready to play. Does that mean he's going to go out and win every point? No, I don't expect that. But I expect him to be sharp and ready to play. I would be shocked if he's not."
Couples has requested that all his team members play in the Australian Open to sharpen their games before the Presidents Cup. The Australian Open is November 10-13 at The Lakes near Sydney.
One of the players on the edge of the Presidents Cup standings is Bill Haas, son of Jay Haas. He is ranked 10th with a month to go before the Sept. 26 selection date. Jim Furyk and Rickie Fowler are 11th and 12th.
"I don't know how you can criticise someone for choosing Tiger Woods. If he goes there and doesn't play well I would be shocked. I have a pairing for him. He deserves to be on the team," Couples said.
"There are guys who are 11, 12, 13 who are having phenomenal years. But you know they're picks. I could take the easy way out and just pick 1 through 12. I don't think that works either. I think that's the easy way out."

FRAZAR LEADS - BUT ALL THE BARCLAYS TALK IS ABOUT WEATHER

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
EDISON, New Jersey (AP) — Harrison Frazar is leading The Barclays. All anyone wanted to talk about was Irene.
Whatever enthusiasm there was for start of the FedEx Cup play-offs was dampened Thursday - first by rain that halted the first round for nearly three hours, then from the gloomy forecast of Hurricane Irene. That left players and officials wonder when, how or even if they can finish the opening playoff event.
Of the early starters - who didn't finish until mid-afternoon - Frazar led an onslaught of birdies on rain-softened Plainfield Country Club, shooting a 7-under 64. One of the few times he was in trouble, he chipped in from behind the first green to turn bogey into birdie.
Vijay Singh overcame a double bogey early in his round for a 65 and was tied with Jonathan Byrd. Adam Scott was in the group at 66. Nick Watney, the No. 1 seed as the race begins for the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus, was among those at 67.
When it was too dark to continue, 51 players did not finish the round. They were to return at 7:15 a.m. local time on Friday, and the tee times for the second round were expected to be pushed back by about 30 minutes.
William McGirt, the last of the 125 players who qualified for the play-offs, had to stop after making his seventh birdie in an eight-hole stretch to get to 7-under par through 11 holes. Matt Kuchar, the defending champion at The Barclays, also was at 7 under through 16 holes.
"I wanted to get done today," Frazar said. "With the way the weather is coming, I didn't want to have to sit around and play too much tomorrow or too much Saturday. It's going to be a long week by the time this thing is over."
Slugger White, the tour's vice president of competition, was hopeful that everyone from the afternoon group could at least made the turn. That would give the tournament a chance to complete 36 holes by Friday, and if the expected wind and rain holds off long enough, get through the third round Saturday.
No one was sure what to expect after that, if anything at all. White ruled out a 36-hole Saturday.
The concern is that Plainfield has had about 10 inches of rain over the last few weeks and probably can't take much more.
"If we get five or seven inches of rain here, we are probably dead in the water," White said.
This is supposed to be the time the 125 players who qualified can start dreaming about golf's biggest pay-off - $10 million to the winner after four play-off events in the next five weeks. Officials again painted "PGA TOUR PLAY-OFFS" into the grass of one hill, much like a scene on midfield on a (American) football game.
It's a wonder the paint didn't wash away.
Then again, the Deutsche Bank Championship last year braced for remnants of Hurricane Earl to possibly wash out big chunks of the tournament outside Boston, and it never materialised.
Bad weather is not unusual in golf, and the tour has a policy to only reduce events to 54 holes if there is no way to finish on Monday. But this is not an ordinary event. Only the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings after The Barclays advance to the second round.
What might help is that the next event, the Deutsche Bank, doesn't start until Friday because of its traditional Labour Day finish. Only US PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem has the authority to allow for a Tuesday finish if it comes to that.
"I don't think anybody has any clue," Charley Hoffman said after a 66. "I'm pretty sure 100 percent of us want to play 72 holes out here, and we all know the tournament (next week) doesn't start until Friday. So I'm pretty sure the players will commit to go to Tuesday if possible. But if this place gets 10 inches of rain two weeks in a row, I don't know how playable this golf course is going to be on Tuesday."
There was so much talk about weather that Watney said he heard a rumour that Manhattan might be evacuated. Left unsaid was how he heard such a thing while being too preoccupied with his golf to check on any such reports.
He found it fascinating, nonetheless.
"That would be quite a sight, evacuating Manhattan," he said. "Where would they all go. That's like 12 million people."
Everyone else just kept plugging away, coping with a course that was starting to get firm and fun until they returned from a rain delay and tried to control how much the ball was spinning once it landed on the green.
The tournament was a sell-out even before it began, and despite the weather, there was plenty of cheers. With the tees moved up on the 18th hole this week, making it play 285 yards up the hill, the lone eagle came from Troy Matteson, who pitched in from 35 years. Steven Bowditch hit his tee shot to within 5 feet, only to three-putt for a par.
Singh, who hit a beautiful approach into 6 feet on the tough 17th for birdie, drove to the front of the green on the 18th and chipped to 8 feet to close out his round of back-to-back birdies. That atoned for hitting into the water on the par-3 third.
Meanwhile, White said the tour won't decide how to proceed until they see the forecast on Friday.
"I really don't want to paint myself in a corner right now," he said. "There's a lot of scenarios out there."
DIVOTS: J.J. Henry was not in the pro-am Wednesday, yet he still made good use of his time. He went over to Pine Valley in southern New Jersey to play on the eve of The Barclays. ... Pat Perez withdrew after opening with a 79, although his position is secure to play next week in Boston. ... The day began under sunshine, yet players were told they could lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairway because of the approaching weather.

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