TIGER WILL PLAY ON US TOUR IN OCTOBER TO PLEASE COUPLES

(Reuters) - Tiger Woods said (on his website) today  that he would play in the US PGA Tour's Frys.com Open in October to justify his early selection by United States captain Fred Couples for the Presidents Cup.
Last week, Couples said Woods would be one of his two wildcard picks for the November 17-20 team competition in Australia, though he had urged the rusty former world number one to compete in at least one more event before then.
Woods, who had no chance of gaining automatic Cup selection after struggling for form and fitness this season, had previously said his next tournament would be the November 10-13 Australian Open.
"I always enjoy competing in my home state (California), and this tournament fits my schedule perfectly," Woods said on his website. "I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends.
"It's been a long time between the PGA (Championship) and Frys, and I'll be anxious to compete."
The Frys.com Open will be held from October 6-9 at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California.
It will be Woods' first appearance on the US PGA Tour since the August 11-14 US PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club where he missed the cut and failed to qualify for the circuit's elite FedExCup playoffs.
Woods, a 14-times major champion, has been a shadow of his former dominant self since the end of 2009 while trying to rebuild his golf swing and private life following the breakup of his marriage.
His world ranking has slipped to 38th and he has not won a tournament since the 2009 Australian Masters.

CANTLAY WINS MARK H McCORMACK MEDAL AS WORLD NO 1

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
Patrick Cantlay will become the fifth recipient of the Mark H McCormack Medal as the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) at the culmination of the 2011 amateur summer season. Cantlay’s runner-up finish in the US Amateur at Erin Hills this weekend confirmed that he would stay at the top of the WAGR, a position he has held for 13 weeks.
Cantlay, from Los Alamitos, California, has enjoyed a stellar year that began at last year’s US Amateur where he reached the semi-final as a high school student, losing to Peter Uihlein who went on to win the 2010 US Amateur and the McCormack Medal.
Now in his Sophomore year at UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles), Cantlay has enjoyed a highly successful playing year, winning numerous awards and accolades. In June he finished low amateur at the US Open Championship with a level par, a four-round score of 284 good enough to tie for 21st place.
“It’s special. Any time you’re recognised as the best in your respective sport and level, it means a lot. I’m very honoured to win this award, said Cantlay.
“I’ve played well, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been really my first summer of playing high-profile tournaments, so it means a lot that I’ve been able to play well and compete.”
Cantlay’s 2011 successes include a tie for 24th at the Travelers Championship, two weeks after the US Open, where he posted 60 in the second round – the lowest round ever scored by an Amateur on the PGA Tour. He also finished tied 20th at the AT and T Championship and tied ninth at the Canadian Open rounding off three made cuts in three appearances on the US PGA Tour, and including his US Open performance, four top-25 finishes.
On the Amateur circuit he won the SCGA (Southern California Golf Association) Amateur Championship and finished runner-up in the Western Amateur as well as his runner-up finish in the US Amateur this weekend.
Patrick Cantlay will be presented with the Mark H McCormack Medal at the Walker Cup being played at Royal Aberdeen on September 10 and 11.

MARK HALLIDAY LOWERS OWN LOSSIE NEW RECORD WITH A 62

HOLE IN ONE AND A LOST BALL IN ASTONISHING ROUND IN WIND  By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Royal Aberdeen's Mark Halliday broke his own New Course record by two shots at Lossiemouth at the weekend as he won the Moray Golf Club 36-hole men's open for the Tantalus Trophy by an impressive six strokes. Halliday shot a eight-under-par 62 over the New course, including a hole in one at the 17th and the last of his seven birdies at the 18th – so he covered the last two holes alone in three under par. Earlier the Aberdeen man had birdied the first, long third, short fourth and bogeyed the fifth, where he lost a ball!, but birdied the ninth to be out in three-under-par 32. He birdied the 12th, long 14th, had an eagle 1 at the 17th and a birdie at the 18th for five-under 30 of an inward half. Halliday's previous New course record of 64 was set in the Boyd Anderson Quaich in May 2010. Astonishingly, the very windy conditions were all against low scoring, and certainly course-record scoring. In all, he had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey. Halliday's scorecard for the New Course read: OUT: 3 4 4 2 5 3 4 4 3 – 32 IN: 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 1 3 - 30 Halliday added a two-over-par 73 over the Old Course in the afternoon for a five-under-par total of 135. He won the Tantalus Trophy by five shots from Ronnie Brechin (Murcar Links) (70-71 for 141) with another Murcar Links player, Anthony Bews (69-74) third on 143. MORAY GOLF CLUB – Tantalus Trophy 36-hole open New and Old courses. LEADING FINAL TOTALS Par 140 (New Course 69, Old Course 71). CSS: New 71, Old 74. 135 M Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 62 73. 141 R D Brechin (Murcar Links) 70 71. 143 A Bews (Murcar Links) 69 74. 144 C Stuart (Moray) 70 74, Justin Duff (Fraserburgh) 72 72, B Nicholson (Royal Dornoch) 71 73, A W Mair (Moray) 70 74. 146 S Tanner (Moray 71 75, M L Macleman (Moray) 70 76, K Thomson (Moray) 70 76. 147 D K Raitt (Murcar Links) 70 77. 148 B W W Harris (Moray) 74 74, I Bratton (Newburgh) 73 75, G Hogg (Oldmeldrum) 71 77, G Kennedy (Hazlehead) 71 77. 149 E Chancellor (Inverness) 76 73, D MacAndrew (Royal Aberdeen) 74 75, D R Main (Moray) 74 75, N MacAndrew (Cullen) 73 76, A Ross (Deeside) 73 75. 150 P McPherson (Moray) 76 74, R J Sheils (Moray) 73 77, B A Innes (Murcar Links) 72 78. 151 B A Caldow (Moray) 76 75. 152 N McKinnon (Murcar Links) 76 76, D Johnson (Moray) 74 78, M J Dean (Moray) 74 78

CALCAVECCHIA KEEPS HIS COOL AND WINS SENIOR CLASSIC

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
SNOQUALMIE, Washington (AP) — Throughout his career, which includes a win in the British Open, blading a sand shot into the lip of a bunker, advancing it all of 10 yards and eventually making bogey might send Mark Caclavecchia off the rails.
Those types of moments - one exact, others similar - popped up Sunday.
And each time, Calcavecchia kept this cool.
"At times (Calcavecchia) could come to a situation that may irritate him or bother him a little bit or throw him off a little bit," playing partner Russ Cochran said. "He never had that today."
Calcavecchia won the Boeing Classic on Sunday for his first Champions Tour title, holding off Cochran with a two-putt birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Cochran forced the playoff by making a 12-foot eagle putt on the final hole of regulation.
But after 30 previous starts on the 50-and-over tour, Calcavecchia finally found his breakthrough and snapped a four-year victory drought since the US PGA Tour's 2007 PODS Championship. It was his third victory in the Pacific Northwest, following wins in the 1997 Greater Vancouver Open and 2005 Canadian Open.
Earlier this year, Calcavecchia lost by two shots to Cochran in the Senior British Open and blew a big third-round lead at the Regions Tradition. Cochran left Calcavecchia behind in the Senior British after Calcavecchia four-putted the ninth hole in the final round.
"I think this will help me down the road. I have let a few tournaments, let a lot of tournaments get away my whole career. I kind of have that fault," Calcavecchia said. "It's not that I'm not tough, but I don't always play so well the back nine when I need to."
Calcavecchia and Cochran shot 7-under 65s on Sunday, tied for the lowest rounds of the tournament.
There were plenty of opportunities for Calcavecchia, a 13-time PGA Tour winner, to let this one get away in the same way he watched those chances to win earlier this year disappear.
There was the bunker fiasco on No. 8; tee shots into the rough on Nos. 14 and 15 where Calcavecchia had to scramble for pars, and a 100-yard second shot on the 16th that came up 15 yards short.
But that's where Calcavecchia recovered and set off a wild finish. He chipped in for birdie while Cochran's 10-foot birdie putt came up short to take a one-shot lead. On No. 17, Calcavecchia's tee shot to a difficult back-right pin guarded by water in front nestled on the fringe, while Cochran's shot to the middle of the green caught a ridge and finally settled inches from the cup. While Cochran waited to tap in for birdie, Calcavecchia rolled in his putt from the fringe to stay a shot ahead.
Calcavecchia seemed in better position off the tee on the 18th, but Cochran's second shot from more than 200 yards on the uphill, 498-yard par 5 rolled about 12 feet behind the pin. Calcavecchia was left with a 30-foot putt that curled just below the hole and Cochran forced the pair to play the 18th once more by making his eagle putt.
"Every time he had to make a putt he made it," Calcavecchia said.
In the playoff, Calcavecchia found nearly the same spot on the 18th green as he did regulation, while Cochran pulled his second shot into a greenside bunker. Cochran's bunker shot bounced past the pin into the rough and Calcavecchia two-putted for the title.
"Today he looked like no matter what was going to happen, that he was going to keep coming and keep making birdies and keep doing good things," Cochran said about his neighbor in Florida. "That's a big difference. That's what we all kind of strive for."
Chip Beck (68) birdied four of the final five holes to finish third at 9 under.
Jeff Sluman (71) was fourth at 8 under.
Hometown favorite Fred Couples put a charge into his large gallery by dropping in an eagle on No. 1 to get to 4 under, only to give back both shots on the second hole when he pushed his tee shot right and couldn't find his ball. Couples had to go back and re-tee and ended up making double bogey on the hole, followed with another bogey on the fifth. He ended up with a 73 to tie for 16th at 1 under.
"A couple of putts here and there would have helped but I was pretty erratic," said Couples, who won the Senior Players Championship last week in New York. "I made a lot of bogeys and a lot of very mediocre shots."

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HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

2011 COUNTY JUNIOR LEAGUE—UPDATE

The 2011 Clackmannan County Junior Golf League has been a headache for Sam Kinnaird the County Junior Convenor who commented---- “With Tulliallan and Dollar not participating, it has been left to the remaining four Clubs to keep the League going. Matches at present are played on a handicap basis, but even with that, some Clubs are struggling to field a team.
"Results are almost finalised but at present Alva boys(the holders) lead from Braehead on games for and against with Alloa and Tillicoultry occupying 3rd and 4th places. With an Under 16 triangular match for the Frank Thomson trophy, there is considerable worry over the County team--- hopefully local golf Clubs will be making big efforts to encourage their junior golfers”

COUNTY GOLFERS GO SOUTH EAST

The first two rounds of the South East District Championship at Musselburgh were cancelled because of rain, shortening the event to 36 holes. It was good to see three locals competing--- Jamie Aitken (Alloa) finished well up the field in 15th place on 144 (74,74) ( and incidentally finishing ahead of some top Scottish players including current Internationalists)) with Scott Borrowman (Dollar) slightly further back on 152 (80,72) and Alva’s Lawrence Allan on 154 (75,79).
Lawrence Allan continues to progress—his world ranking has improved by a massive 499 places to 1779……his best ever ranking….. Thanks to his good performance in the North District Championship, he is now some distance above Scott Borrowman’s ranking of 2091.
Clackmannan County could do with a few more golfers making their way into the World rankings
It's also good to report another honour for Lawrence and Alva Golf Club—he has been made Team captain for the Scottish Schools Boys team to play England at Kilmarnock Barassie on the 12th September.

CRUNCH DAY FOR BOB
As mentioned last week, Tulliallan’s Bob Stewart has regained the number one spot in the 2011 Senior Rankings ( and he has now been confirmed for the Senior Home Internationals). With 562.5 points, he is 29 ahead of his nearest rival Gordon Macdonald on 533.75 points.
The final showdown will be at Blairgowrie next week in the Order of Merit Finals when they play together. Bob has done his arithmetic--- clearly if he beats Gordon, there is no doubting the number one for 2011. However, if Gordon wins (125 points) at Blairgowrie then Bob has to finish second (100 points) – and of course other golfers may affect the result.
Best of luck Bob!!

DISAPPOINTMENT AT GLENEAGLES

Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay received a late call up to play in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last week, a European Tour event, but unfortunately he  just missed the 36hole cut, causing some disappointment to his supporters who followed him round.
Next week it's back to the Challenge Tour and a long trip to the Kazakhstan Open (a European event in Asia!!). With nine other Scots, Callum will be hoping for a share (preferably the biggest one) of the 400,000 euro prize fund.

KIRK TRIPLETT SCORES FIRST WIN ON NATIONWIDE TOUR AT 49

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee. Three-time winner on the US PGA Tour, Kirk Triplett may have thought his best days were behind him but the 49-year old from Scottsdale, Arizona converted his one-stroke 54-hole lead into his first victory on the US Nationwide Tour at the 22nd News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot on Sunday.
By the time the final group made their way to the first tee there were 24 players within four strokes of the lead. Triplett fired a 4-under 68 in the final round to escape from the pack and post 21-under 267.
Marco Dawson (68), who is 48-years old, finished two shots back at 19-under in solo second and moved from 52nd to 22nd on the Nationwide Tour money list. Californian John Mallinger (70) and lefty Ted Potter, Jr. (69) finished three-strokes back at 18-under and T3.
Triplett picks up his first Nationwide Tour victory in just his 12th career start and fifth of the year. He moved from 119th on the money list to No. 33.
"I've played a lot of years on the US Tour and I'm sort of in the twilight part of my career but feeling those competitive juices down the stretch and seeing all these great young players made me feel a lot younger," said Triplett, who earned his first US Tour victory in his 266th career start.
"The quality of these golfers over the last 15-20 years has gotten better and better and the game is in great hands."
Triplett's final-round began with six pars before rolling in his first birdie on the par-4 7th hole. After making one more birdie on the front nine he found himself tied with five others at 19-under par heading to the par-5 10th tee. It appeared to be anyone's tournament for the taking but Triplett kept to his guns and let the others make the mistakes.
"It was evolving really slowly today. There wasn't anybody really making a move," said Triplett, whose most recent win came at the PGA TOUR's 2006 Chrysler Classic of Tucson. "I just felt if I made a couple of birdies on the front and one or two more on the back then the last three holes would sort it out and that's really what ended up happening."
The 22-year US Tour veteran kept making pars on the back nine, coupled with a pair of birdies, as those around him buckled under the pressure. He came into the par-5 18th hole with a two-shot lead and decided to make the smart play and lay up. From there he struck a wedge to 20 feet where he two-putted for par en route to collecting the first-place check of $90,000. His only bogeys of the week came on his second and third holes of the first round.
"I said it the other day, when I play out here I want to win and be competitive," said the oldest winner in Nationwide Tour history at 49 year, four months and 29 days. "I came in here with the working man's attitude. I want to work on my game and be sharp. All the practice and working out is great but nothing compares to being in the lead or near the lead in a golf tournament. It really shows what you're capable of when you put yourself in that position."
Final-Round Notes
• Mathew Goggin, who has won twice this year on the Nationwide Tour, reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the money list after posting rounds of 71-63-68-70 to finish T8 and collect $13,500. He now has $357,352 for the year, $6,345 ahead of No. 2 on the money list, J.J. Killeen who posted rounds of 67-72-68-74 to finish T50.
• John Daly, who played on a sponsor's exemption, recorded rounds of 70-65-74-68 to end at 11-under 277. He finished T32.
• Two-time US Tour winner Boo Weekley played in his first Nationwide Tour event since the 2006 Nationwide Tour Championship, carded rounds of 70-67-68-72 to finish at 11-under par (T32). Weekley missed the US Tour's Playoffs for the FedExCup by finishing outside the top-125 in the point standings (157th).
Inverness exile Russell Knox finished joint 42nd with scores of 72, 66, 67 and 74 for 279 which earned him $2,100, probably enough to meet his week's expenses.

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KELLY KRAFT WINS US AMATEUR TITLE AND WALKER CUP PLACE

UNITED STATES COMPLETE THEIR LINE-UP FOR MATCH AT ROYAL ABERDEEN SEPTEMBER 10-11

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
ERIN, Wisconsin (AP) — As if beating a top-ranked opponent to win the U.S. Amateur championship wasn't enough, Kelly Kraft (pictured) got some more good news even before he walked off the 18th green.
With his victory over UCLA star Patrick Cantlay at Erin Hills on Sunday, Kraft also earned a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team to play GB and I at Royal Aberdeen GC on September 10-11.
Kraft beat Cantlay 2-up in the 36-hole final Sunday, taking down the No. 1 player in the world amateur rankings. Both finalists will receive a spot in next year's U.S. Open, and both traditionally are invited to the Masters. As the winner, the 22-year-old Kraft also gets a spot in the British Open.
That's provided both players keep their amateur status, something Kraft seemed to be leaning toward.
"I mean, I definitely want to play in the Masters," Kraft said. "That's something I have to think about."
Kraft, from Denton, Texas, just finished his senior season at Southern Methodist University - several former teammates were on hand to cheer him on Sunday - but he definitely was the lesser-known player in the final.
The 19-year-old Cantlay is considered a rising star with a promising future in the professional ranks. And after showing he can compete against professionals, including an appearance at the U.S. Open, Cantlay didn't take much solace in playing well at Erin Hills all week.
"You don't come to a golf tournament to finish second," said Cantlay, who had two extra-hole victories in the event but couldn't come up with the shots he needed Sunday with the title at stake.
Cantlay already was on the Walker Cup team headed to Scotland next month, and now Kraft will join him.
Immediately after the tournament, USGA officials announced that Kraft, Jordan Spieth of Dallas and Auburn player Blayne Barber had been added to the team.
Kraft found out he'd been added to the team right after he won.
"I just won the tournament, and then they told me this," Kraft said. "I about had a heart attack."
All week long, Cantlay had dominated the 17th and 18th holes - including the first round on Sunday, when Cantlay won the last two holes to cut Kraft's lead from 4-up to 2-up going into the final 18 holes.
"That wasn't even in my head," Cantlay said.
But when Cantlay took back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16 in the final match, he couldn't make up for it.
"I threw away the golf tournament on 15 and 16, and wasn't able to recover on 17 and 18," Cantlay said.
Cantlay hit a birdie putt on the par-5 14th, taking a 1-up lead.
But Cantlay made a mistake on the par-4 15th, attempting to lay up with an iron shot on his drive - but instead putting it into a bunker, then skying his second shot over the green.
"I figured 8-iron would be short of the bunkers - but not when you pull-hook your 8-iron, it gets a big bounce," Cantlay said. "That was that."
Cantlay left a long par putt just short, and Kraft made par to again square the match.
Kraft was frank in his assessment of Cantlay's decision to lay up off the tee on 15, a hole that was playing short on Sunday.
"I thought it was a mistake," Kraft said. "I mean, that hole plays as a par 3 today. That's just not something I would have done."
Cantlay then missed a par putt on the par-3 16th after pushing his first putt well past the hole, allowing Kraft to take a 1-up lead. Cantlay missed his par putt on 18 and conceded the hole - and the match - to Kraft.
"Obviously, he played better than me," Cantlay said. "But I feel like I threw away the golf tournament."
Kraft's college golf eligibility is up, but he has a year left of school at SMU and says he intends to get his sociology degree - a proclamation that caused some of his teammates to start laughing in the back of the room during his news conference.
Kraft sheepishly admitted that his mindset wasn't on academics at the moment.
"I have no idea what my classes are," Kraft said. "I sent all my teachers emails. I hope they're not going to see this, but I haven't looked at any of the syllabuses or anything. They're not going to be happy with me missing more school for the Walker Cup, either. It's OK, though."
Kraft beat the last surviving GB and I Walker Cup team selection, Jack Senior from Heysham, Lancashire, 3 and 2 in Saturday's semi-finals