LANARKSHIRE COUNTY NEWS

Lanarkshire boys' match-play championship was held today at Hamilton and Jordan Bryce, winner of the strokeplay, progressed to the semi-final with two last hole victories.
Results:
Round 1
J Bryce (Strathaven) bt J Hainie (Bothwell Castle) 1 hole
C Graham (Hamilton) bt A Scott (Lanark) 1 hole
C Kelso (Bellshill) bt P Thomson (Mt Ellen) 5 and 4.
R Livingston Colville Pk bt S McLeod Cambuslang 5 and 4.
Blair Scott Hamilton wo R McLeish (Torrance House) scr
Ross Gillan (Torrance) wo C Boyd (Lanark) scr
J Ruiz (Drumpellier) bt D Dougan (Colville Park) 1 hole
C Harrison (Carluke) bt B Murphy (Lanark) 7 and 6
Quarter Finals
J Bryce bt C Graham 1 hole
C Kelso bt R Livingston 1 hole
R Gillan bt B Scott 5 and 4.
C Harrison bt J Ruiz 5 and 4.

Lanarkshire A Team v Glasgow at Haggs Castle , Sunday, September 18
1. S Douglas (Drumpellier)
2. A MacDonald (Crow Wood)
3. D Ford Airdrie
4. C Kerr Cambuslang
5. R Main Airdrie
6. S Rennie Airdrie
7. R Jenkins Crow Wood
8. J Steven Bothwell Castle
9. M O’ Donnell Hamilton
10. C Ross Kirkhill


Lanarkshire have entered three teams for Glasgow Youths Team Championships next Saturday at Ralston Golf Club.
1. J Steven (Bothwell), M Scott (Hamilton), M O’Donnell (Hamilton)
2. D Hayes (Hamilton), J Reilly (East Kilbride), Jon Reid (Drumpellier).
3. J Bryce (Strathaven), J Ruiz (Drumpellier) D Dooey (Colville Park).

Willie Sharpe
President Lanarkshire Golf Association

BOB STEWART WINS SENIORS' ORDER OF MERIT AT BLAIRGOWRIE

SGU Director Bill Miller presenting the OOM trophy to Bob Stewart with SSGS Captain George Rodaks in attendance. Picture courtesy of George RodaksBy KEITH HOWIE
The Scottish Seniors Golfing Society/SGU Order of Merit concludes each year with a "shoot out" featuring the leading 30 players. This is hosted by The Blairgowrie Golf Club over their demanding Lansdowne course.
This year was set for a close run conclusion with the four leading players, Bob Stewart (Tulliallan), Scottish Seniors Team Captain Gordon MacDonald (Callander), David Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) and Fraser McCluskey (Royal Burgess) all close enough to lift the title.
As it was, Bob Stewart extended his lead with an excellent 74 in tough conditions. Gordon MacDonald secured runner up position with new caps David Miller and Fraser McCluskey in close attendance.


TO VIEW THE FINAL ORDER OF MERIT TABLE

CLICK HERE

Note: Counting events are-

SSGS Spring Meeting, East, West, North, South and Central Regional Opens, SSGS Match Play Championship plus the Scottish and British Senior Amateur Championships.

FIRST G B AND I WALKER CUP WIN SINCE 2003 AT GANTON

   Captain Nigel Edwards and his Walker Cup-winning team at Royal Aberdeen GC (Image by Tom Ward Photography).

FROM THE R AND A WEBSITE
Great Britain and Ireland have defeated the United States to win the 43rd Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen.
The 14-12 victory is the first GB and I win since 2003 and came against a very strong US side that included six of the world’s top 10 amateur players.
The home side may have started the week as underdogs but went into the final afternoon singles with a commanding 10½ -5½ lead after winning three of the Sunday morning foursomes.
However, a late charge from the US made for a tense finish with GB and I not securing the three points required from the afternoon play until Steven Brown claimed a half point in the sixth match.
It sparked jubilant scenes on the 18th green as he was swamped by team-mates and GB and I captain Nigel Edwards.
“I don’t know what to think at the moment, it’s just fantastic,” a delighted Edwards said.
“The boys have been awesome all week. They’ve got a fantastic team spirit. We were not given much chance but I wasn’t going to let my team think that they didn’t have a chance.
“We always knew that this match wasn’t going to be played on paper but around this golf course. I felt that we had a really good group of guys who would do the job.”
The home side dominated throughout and held a 7-5 lead after Day 1. Wins in three of the four morning singles left them needing three points from the final 10 singles matches.
Despite the US winning the final session 6½ -3½ , GB and I held on to win. Edwards admitted to feeling the pressure but remained confident of victory.
“The Americans got off to a great start out there but our boys in the middle have done a great job all week. Yesterday afternoon when it looked a bit tough, they dug in and pulled out the stops. We’ve holed putts at the right time and we’ve manned up.
“We were close in Chicago in 2005 and then County Down in 2007, there was one point in it then which is one putt basically. It feels fantastic to win it back and we’re going to enjoy it.”
Speaking shortly after securing the winning half point, 24-year-old Brown said: “It’s unbelievable, I’m just so happy. I didn’t know it was coming down to me. I tried not to look because I didn’t want it to make any difference but just that we won. We were all happy that we got picked but we all wanted to be on a winning Walker Cup team. To win is just unbelievable.
“I didn’t just want to win myself. I didn’t care if I won four points or one point or no points if we won. That’s all that mattered. We’re a team. The team spirit has been unbelievable all week. We’ve been in it together and to actually win as a team is unbelievable.”
Speaking afterwards, GB and I players paid tribute to their captain. Jack Senior, who holed a long putt for a crucial half on 18, said: “Preparation was unbelievable. I mean, his comments and everything, he just makes you feel so special, and makes you want to go out there and win for him.
"You don't want to go out there and win for yourself, you want to go out and win for your team. It's an unbelievable experience.”
Michael Stewart, who won his afternoon singles match, added: “It's just that we’ve got the respect for Nigel, he's played in this event more than once and he's done so well. We hang on every word he says really. The motivation in the team room has been great. It’s Just a pleasure playing with him as a captain.”
The next Walker Cup match is scheduled for September 7-8, 2013 at The National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York.

SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW ALL TODAY'S RESULTS

RYAN DONALDSON WINS PORTLETHEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY PORTLETHEN GOLF CLUB
After the disappointment of defeat in last year’s final, Ryan Donaldson came back stronger, more determined and practising harder than ever to ensure that he succeeded in this year’s club championship, which he did today.
After being the hole-in-one hero of Portlethen’s first ever Aberdeen Pennant League championship win the previous weekend, Ryan faced Barry Macdonald in the 2011 Portlethen club championship final on a windy Sunday.
Ryan got off to the best possible start in the 36-hole final, winning the first four holes and he never looked back. Indeed, he was to lose only two holes all day and wins at the 17th and 18th holes saw him take a seven-hole lead over lunch.
Donald's figures of one under par over the first eight holes in the afternoon  moved him further ahead, despite Barry holing a number of solid putts for pars.
Ryan’s steady play with almost every fairway hit and persistent greens in regulation were enough to see him ahead by 12 holes with just 10 to play and claim the Red Baron Trophy for the first time.

WALKER CUP RESULT: G B AND I 14pt, UNITED STATES 12pt

Great Britain and Ireland have won the Walker Cup biennial match for the first time since the Ganton match in 2003.
The final scoreline at Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie links was:

G B and I 14pt, UNITED STATES 12pt.

So, in the end, home skipper Nigel Edwards' team needed the big lead they had built up over the first three sessions of play to lead by 5pt going into the final session of 10 singles.
The Americans narrowed the gap to 2pt in the end by taking the singles honours today 6 1/2pt to 3 1/2pt.
GB and I's only winners in the afternoon were Michael Stewart and Rhys Pugh. There were halved matches for Jack Senior, Steve Brown and Paul Cutler.
But all credit to the home squad. The American team was loaded with players rated far higher in the World Amateur Golf Rankings than their GB and I counterparts.
But our men played better in the wind that swept the links for the best part of the two days.

RESULTS FROM FINAL SINGLES (3 1/2-6 1/2)
GB and I names first
Lewis lost to Henley 4 and 2.
Sullivan lost to Spieth 3 and 2.
Senior halved with Smith.
Stewart bt Rodgers 3 and 2.
Hodgson lost to Uhilein 2 and 1.
Brown halved with Barber
Pugh bt Kraft 2 and 1.
Dunbar lost to Williams 1 hole.
Byrne lost to English 2 and 1.
Cutler halved with Cantlay.

INDIVIDUAL G B and I RECORDS

Paul Cutler won 3 1/2 pt out of 4

Rhys Pugh won 3 pt out of 3

Michael Stewart won 2 1/2 pt out of 4

Jack Senior won 2 1/2 pt out of 4

James Byrne won 2 pt out of 3

Alan Dunbar won 2 pt out of 3
Andy Sullivan won 2 pt out of 4.
Steven Brown won 1 1/2 pt out of 3.
Tom Lewis won 1 1/2 pt out of 4
Stiggy Hodgson won 0 pt ouf of 2

TEAMS' INDIVIDUAL WORLD RANKINGS

GB AND I                       UNITED STATES
5 Andy Sullivan         1 Patrick Cantlay
7 Tom Lewis             2 Jordan Spieth
11 Jack Senior          3 Patrick Rodgers
14 Mike Stewart        4 Peter Uihlein
23 Steven Brown       6 Harris English
24 Paul Cutler           10 Chris Williams
33 Stiggy Hodgson     12 Kelly Kraft
66 James Byrne         20 Russell Henley
75 Rhys Pugh            51 Blayne Barber
210 Alan Dunbar        108 Nathan Smith

IRISHMAN PAUL CUTLER        

MAN OF THE MATCH FOR GB AND I



WALKER CUP LATEST AT 6pm

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND lead UNITED STATES 12-8

with six singles ties to finish

DYSON CLEANS UP AGAIN AT THE KLM OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Simon Dyson continued his sensational form and rekindled his love affair with the Netherlands with a third victory at the KLM Open.
The Englishman, a winner at Kennemer in 2006 and 2009, fired a closing 66 at Hilversumsche to finish 12 under for the week, one ahead of David Lynn and two clear of Rory McIlroy.
Dyson’s win came after he birdied four of his last seven holes, and takes him level with legends Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer as the only players to win the event three times.
"I'm absolutely delighted to be on the same trophy as names like those two,” he said.
"It's something special, a dream come true really. To win any title once is tough, but to win it three times is a fantastic feeling.
"I started a bit shakily - my timing was just a little bit off - but after my bogey on 11 I played pretty flawless golf."
This was the Irish Open champion’s seventh top-ten finish of the season and consolidates his position in the top ten of The Race to Dubai. The 33 year old also moves to just outside the top 30 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
For much of the day Gary Orr looked on course to end his 11 year wait for a third European Tour title as he moved two shots clear.
The Scot, playing on a medical exemption after being plagued by back problems last season, claimed both his previous victories back in 2000.
Sharing the lead overnight with South African James Kingston, the event was blown wide open when both dropped a shot at the first after overnight rain had delayed the final round by an hour.
Dyson’s challenge started well with a wedge approach to four feet at the second setting up a first birdie, only for a bogey at the fourth to set him back.
Orr made a number of clutch putts to save par, but found trouble on the ninth when he hooked his approach into thick rough down the left and dropped to ten under.
Lynn – whose only European Tour victory in 350 starts came in this event back in 2004 – went 11 holes without picking up a shot but was suddenly right back in it when he eagled the 12th from ten feet to be only one behind.
With the leaders still tightly bunched, Dyson made a decisive move courtesy of some sensational iron play, birdieing the 12th, striking his tee shot at the 13th within two feet, and completing a hattrick of gains with an approach to four feet at the 14th.
That run took him into the lead for the first time and a four iron to 20 feet at the par five last set up another birdie, leaving Lynn and Orr two behind with three to play.
And while Lynn birdied the last, neither could prevent Dyson walking away with the €300,000 winner’s cheque.
“The big turning point for me was 13,” said Dyson. “I hit a good six iron, just pitched on the right hand side of the green, and got a really good bounce and just trickled down to about a foot.
“And that was a big turning point, because after, that I played some lovely golf. I hit a good shot into four feet on 14. A good shot into 15, and made a good two putt on 16.
“I gave myself a chance at 17 and then hit a beautiful four iron into the last.”
US Open Champion McIlroy goes back to third in the Official World Golf Ranking with his third place finish, while Orr’s 71 left him fourth and World Number Two Lee Westwood came fifth.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70). Prizemoney in Euros
268 Simon Dyson (England) 65 66 71 66 (300,000).
269 David Lynn (England) 67 68 68 68 (200,000.
270 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 70 65 68 67 (112,680).
271 Gary Orr (Scotland) 68 66 66 71 (90,000)
272 Lee Westwood (England) 70 66 70 66 (78,320).

OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
275 Paul Lawrie 71 68 68 68, Richie Ramsay 70 65 69 71 (T16) (21,900 each).
281 David Drysdale 70 67 70 75 (T56) (5,688).
284 Lloyd Saltman 70 68 74 72, Marc Warren 68 70 75 71 (T68) (3,900).
293 Alastair Forsyth 68 71 78 76 (75th) (£2,697).

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AND SCORECARDS ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

TOMMY FLEETWOOD CROWNED GOLF KING OF KAZAKHSTAN



TOMMY FLEETWOOD gets to keep the trophy ... but not the girls!

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT BY PAUL SYMES

Tommy Fleetwood has set his sights on winning the Challenge Tour Rankings after capturing his debut title in thrilling fashion at the lucrative Kazakhstan Open.
The 20-year-old Englishman, who has been tipped for stardom since joining the professional ranks last year on the back of an illustrious amateur career, rocketed to the top of the Rankings after collecting the €64,000 winner’s cheque.
Fleetwood rounded off the best week of his fledgling career in some style, rolling in a birdie putt from 30 feet on the last hole to secure a two-shot win and become the youngest winner on this year’s Challenge Tour. He started the day with a two-stroke lead over Simon Thornton, but as the Irishman’s challenge faded it was Fleetwood’s fellow rookie Knut Borsheim who posed the biggest threat to his title aspirations.
The pair were neck and neck for most of the front nine, but the Norwegian stole a march on his rival at the tenth hole, where he hit a sublime approach from the right hand rough to ten feet and duly rolled in the eagle putt to lead the tournament for the first time.
The initiative was handed back to Fleetwood after Borsheim bogeyed his next two holes, but the big hitter from Bergen – who attended the same University as Phil Mickelson and is managed by the same company as ‘Lefty’ – showed great mettle to match his rival’s birdie on the 13th hole.
Another Borsheim bogey at the 15th hole gave Fleetwood the edge again, but when he rallied with a birdie at the 17th, the two men reached the 18th tee level on 14 under par. To their credit both players found the fairway, but after Borsheim had overhit his approach into the sand and splashed out to 15 feet, Fleetwood settle the matter with a perfectly-weighted birdie putt to sign for a round of 70 and a 15 under par aggregate winning total.
The former English Amateur Champion, whose Dad Pete caddied for him this week, can now look forward to a debut campaign on The European Tour next year after taking his season’s earnings to €107,612.
He said: “It was an unbelievable finish to a fantastic week. It wasn’t particularly pretty golf today, but I hung in there and managed to get the job done in the end. My hands were shaking like a leaf on that last putt so much that I wasn’t sure I was going to make contact with the ball. When it dropped in, the sense of relief was overwhelming.
“Knut came at me from the start and put me under pressure, so I was really delighted with the way I handled it. I’ve been in this position a couple of times before and not managed to close it out, so to get the job done in the biggest tournament we play in was pretty special. I’ve played pretty well all week, so I do feel like I deserve this one.
“Now that I’ve got my first win under my belt, the aim has to be to try to win the Rankings. The first goal was to get my Tour for next season, and now that’s in the bag I’ve got to set new goals. I can enjoy myself a bit more because the pressure’s off, but I don’t want my season to just fizzle out – and my Dad won’t let me! He was great on the bag today, and I owe him a lot. He’s caddied for me for the last three tournaments, and I won on the EuroPro Tour, finished runner-up at the Rolex Trophy, and now I’ve won here. So he hasn’t got a bad record as my caddie!”
Borsheim’s consolation for finishing runner-up was a cheque for €44,000 which catapulted him from 161st place in the Rankings to 19th, and within sight of joining Fleetwood on The European Tour.
The Norwegian said: “I’m pretty happy with how I played this week. I was quite glad Tommy made that birdie putt on the last, because it meant my bogey didn’t make it in the end, so I won’t regret it too much. I tried to attack the pin and I thought I’d hit a good shot, but maybe my adrenaline kicked in and took the ball into the bunker. It’s just one of those things, and I’m sure that when I next get in the same position, I’ll learn from it.
“I was pretty nervous on the back nine and made a couple of stupid bogeys, but I still shot level par so it’s not like I threw the tournament away. And a second place here is better than a win at most other tournaments, so it’s given me a big boost to my Ranking position. My main aim this week was to make sure I get a category on the Challenge Tour next season, which I’ve done, and if I can play well in my remaining events this season, maybe we could upgrade it to a European Tour card.”
Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer shared third place with Thornton on 12 under par after the pair posted respective rounds of 68 and 71.
Thornton said: “I didn’t play particularly well, but I kept plugging away. I got off to an awful start by putting my first drive into the water, and ended up walking off with a double bogey. So my head was a bit all over the place after that, and it took a little while to recover my composure. But at the end of the round I started to read the lines much better on the greens, and I holed a few putts coming home including a nice one for birdie on the last, which could prove very valuable at the end of the season.”

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
273 T Fleetwood (Eng) 68 69 66 70
275 K Borsheim (Nor) 70 65 71 69
276 S Thornton (Irl) 67 66 72 71, B Ritthammer (Ger) 74 66 68 68
278 S Walker (Eng) 72 65 71 70
279 C Gane (Eng) 70 68 70 71, M Southgate (Eng) 71 69 72 67, F Delamontagne (Fra) 70 70 73 66, T Ferreira (RSA) 68 71 71 69
280 A Pavan (Ita) 73 66 70 71
281 A Johnston (Eng) 68 74 68 71, G Dear (Sco) 74 68 66 73
282 A Bernadet (Fra) 73 69 71 69, B Chapellan (Fra) 70 73 69 70
283 C Paisley (Eng) 69 74 69 71, J Guerrier (Fra) 69 73 69 72, A Hartø (Den) 69 69 69 76, S Little (Eng) 69 71 71 72, A Snobeck (Fra) 72 69 74 68, J McLeary (Sco) 70 74 69 70
284 A Domingo (Esp) 70 72 68 74, J Robinson (Eng) 73 71 69 71, L Jensen (Den) 72 71 73 68, P Archer (Eng) 73 68 69 74, M Baldwin (Eng) 68 72 71 73, M Cryer (Eng) 72 72 71 69, C Monasterio (Arg) 68 71 68 77
285 G Lockerbie (Eng) 74 67 72 72, A Ahokas (Fin) 66 74 73 72, A Otaegui (Esp) 72 68 74 71, A Marshall (Eng) 70 72 73 70, C Macaulay (Sco) 69 69 76 71
286 D Denison (Eng) 75 69 71 71, C Lloyd (Eng) 67 68 76 75, C Moriarty (Irl) 68 74 73 71, B Grace (RSA) 72 71 73 70, B Miarka (Ger) 75 68 71 72, P Gustafsson (Swe) 71 72 72 71
287 S Pinckney (USA) 71 69 76 71, M Delpodio (Ita) 72 70 71 74, A Tadini (Ita) 75 69 72 71, J Moul (Eng) 72 71 69 75, B Evans (Eng) 73 70 75 69, S Dong (Kor) 71 70 70 76
288 C Suneson (Esp) 71 73 71 73, V Riu (Fra) 69 73 75 71, N Kearney (Irl) 72 72 71 73, F Valera (Esp) 71 72 74 71, L Canter (Eng) 70 74 72 72, P Baker (Eng) 72 68 74 74
289 C Russo (Fra) 71 73 68 77, F Praegant (Aut) 71 70 77 71, J Palmer (Eng) 70 74 73 72, P Del Grosso (Arg) 76 67 73 73, R Santos (Por) 73 69 75 72, L Kennedy (Eng) 72 67 74 76
290 C Doak (Sco) 69 73 74 74, M Ford (Eng) 71 72 70 77, S Tiley (Eng) 69 71 76 74, M Bothma (RSA) 75 68 77 70,
291 M Ruiz (Par) 70 74 74 73, P Oriol (Esp) 68 74 78 71,
294 T Feyrsinger (Aut) 72 71 75 76, J Doherty (Sco) 76 68 75 75,
295 A Butterfield (Eng) 73 71 73 78,
300 A Hansen (Den) 72 71 79 78


Paul Symes

Press Officer

European Tour

G B AND I LEAD BY FIVE POINTS IN WALKER CUP MATCH

FROM THE R AND A WEBSITE
Great Britian and Ireland lead the Walker Cup holders, the United States, b y five points as the two-day tournament moves into its final session of 10 singles matchs over the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club's Balgownie links.
In the windiest conditions yet of the competition, G B and I won three matches and tied a fourth in the Sunday morning foursomes to increase its lead to 10.5-5.5.
The home side added to its 7-5 lead after Day One with victories by the pairings of Jack Senior and Andy Sullivan; Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar and James Byrne and Rhys Pugh.
Tom Lewis and Michael Stewart gained half a point from their match.
GB and I need just three points in the 10 afternoon singles matches to win the Walker Cup biennial match for the first time since 2003.
With winds gusting to more than 30 mph and the outward nine playing downwind, GB and I made the most of familiar conditions to lead in three matches by the turn.
“A tremendous job again by the lads,” said GB and I captain Nigel Edwards. “As I’ve said all week, I’ve got a lot of faith in them and they are enjoying it and that’s the way it should be. The Americans can play and we’ve got to keep on it. We’ve got to finish the job.”
The disrupting winds seemed to give an edge to GB and I, according to Cutler.
"We’re in a good position but the Americans can still win this match,” the Irishman said. “We’ve got to keep firing on all cylinders in the last session. Looking forward to the wind keeping up, that’s definitely in our favour.”
“Obviously, they are used to playing the wind,” USA captain Jim Holtgrieve said of his opponents. “I was talking to Captain Edwards and he said: ‘Can you imagine playing 72 holes in this?’
“Does it give them an advantage? Maybe a little bit. I watched them play and they were missing the fairways and missing the greens, too. I think in regards to chipping and trying to make some of your shots happen with the wind, they outperformed us this morning. Their putting has been exceptional for a day and half. We have to see what we can do.”
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Rodgers, the youngest members of the USA team, rebounded from four-down with six holes to play to earn a half point. They steadily made pars to win holes and tied the match when the 18-year-old Spieth, a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, holed an uphill 18-foot putt to salvage a square match against Tom Lewis and Michael Stewart.
“We believed it the whole time,” Spieth said of their comeback. “The reason we believed it the whole time was because the way the conditions made the course play. This whole back nine is into a 45 mph wind, so everyone’s going to spray it. All we wanted to do was stay patient and stay smooth. I still don’t know how we won that last hole. It was a team effort. We both encouraged each other and that’s how we came back.”
Meanwhile, Holtgrieve knew the task ahead was formidable.
“Is our back really against the door? It is,” he said. “But am I going to say anything different? What do you say to 10 talented young men who know how to play the game? The feeling that I’ve been trying to instil in them all week is just never give up, always fight, and have a good time enjoying it.
"Do we want to win? Sure we do. But it’s not all about that. They want to win. I have not heard one negative comment so far. They just said we have to go out and win a bunch of singles matches. I’m going to try to give them encouragement and just never give up.”
The USA holds a 9-3 lead in Walker Cup matches played in Scotland, but GB and I claimed the last Match held in Scotland at Nairn in 1999, 15-9.

DAY TWO RESULTS
GB and I names first

FOURSOMES

Tom Lewis and Michael Stewart halved with Jordan Spieth and Patrick Rodgers.
Jack Senior and Andy Sullivan bt Peter Uihlein and Harris English 3 and 2.
Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar bt Kelly Kraft and Blayne Barber 2 and 1.
James Byrne and Rhys Pugh bt Patrick Cantlay and Chris Williams 5 and 3.

Overall match position: G B and I 10.5, United States 5.5

CARNOUSTIE MAN LOSES IN CRAW'S NEST TASSIE FINAL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON  Colin@scottishgolfview.com Local hero Danny Elder, a member of Carnoustie Caledonian Golf Club, lost in the final of the Craw's Nest Tassie golf tournament over the championship course on Saturday afternoon. Danny was beaten at the 19th by Jack Clegg from the Calcot Park club, Reading. David Willey from Castlerock Golf Club, Coleraine in Northern Ireland won the Maulesbank Trophy. He beat Rodney Hemingway, from Heaton Park Golf Centre near Manchester, by one hole in the final. Saturday's results: CRAW'S NEST TASSIE - Semi-finals Jack Clegg (Calcot Park) bt Adam Whalley (Royal Dublin) 1 hole; Danny Elder (Carnoustie Caledonia) beat Ewan McFarlane (Thornton Park) 4 and 3. Final - Clegg bt Elder at 19th. MAULESBANK TROPHY - Semi-finals - Rodney Hemingway (Heaton Park) bt Chris Clarkson (Brough) at 21st; David Willey (Castlerock) bt Tony PIlcher (Stoneham) 1 hole. Final - Willey bt Hemingway 1 hole.

INDIA'S RAI WINS SINGAPORE CLASSIC PLAY-OFF AT 6th EXTRA HOLE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ASIAN TOURIndia’s Himmat Rai claimed an enthralling five-way play-off victory at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic today, holing a glorious 25ft birdie putt on the sixth extra hole to secure his maiden Asian Tour title.
The 24-year-old Rai went the distance with Filipino Elmer Salvador at the Orchid Country Club after Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk, South African Tjaart Van Der Walt and Brazilian Adilson Da Silva bowed out after the second play-off hole.
All five players tied on nine-under-par 271 in regulation play, the most players in a play-off in Asian Tour history.
It was a toe-to-toe battle between the last two men standing before Rai nailed the winning putt in fading light to earn US$47,550 and also a priceless two-year exemption on the Asian Tour.
“I can’t believe that I’ve pulled it off. I was just trying to improve my score (as he was four back on the back nine) and the playoff was splendid. I stuck to my routine and thoroughly pleased with my finish. It’s very sweet and special,” said Rai.
The talented Indian, who signed off with a one-over-par 71, double bogeyed the 13th hole to fall back on the leaderboard but charged home with courageous birdies on 15 and 16 while long time pacesetter Da Silva dropped a costly double bogey on the 15th hole.
In extra time, the play-off was riveting with Salvador holing a long birdie putt on the second extra hole and pulling off wonderful shots before losing.
Rai said: “I just knew I had to close it soon before things got out of hand (with the darkness). I gave myself a good chance. That putt, sometimes when you’re under pressure, you tend to rush it but I thought if I don’t close it, the game would go otherwise. I hit a solid putt. I was lucky it went in.
“Elmer hung tough. He made some great shots. But this is immense. One of my goals was to win one this year. I’ve grown from strength to strength. I look forward to achieving more,” said the Indian.
The 41-year-old Salvador, who closed with a final round 66, was the surprise package as he hung in the play-off and made a 50-foot birdie on the second extra hole which kept him in the tournament.
He took his cap off to India’s newest champion. “I didn’t expect Himmat to hole his putt at the last hole as it was a long one,” said Salvador, who took home the runner-up’s cheque of US$19,485.
“I was trying to maintain my focus (in the play-off). I knew I had to hole the long putt on the second play-off hole as Himmat was very close and I wanted to get it past the hole and somehow managed to hole it. It’s my first year on Tour and I didn’t expect much from myself this week but I’m happy with home I played,” added Salvador.
Van Der Valk was kicking himself as he stood on the 18th green in regulation at 10-under for the tournament but agonizingly missed his three-foot par putt which dropped him into the play-off.
The Dutchman, who closed with a 66, said: “I had my chances. That’s the way it is. I can’t be too sad. I haven’t played good at all this year. I was in contention and it was nice.”
“The 18th in regulation was my chance. I should have done it there. I just pushed my putt and it broke left to right. I didn’t do too much wrong. It’s nice to be back and playing good again,” he said.
The ISPS Handa Singapore Classic donated US$100,000 to the relief and rebuilding efforts in Japan following the tsunami tragedies earlier this year.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
271 Himmat RAI (IND) 68-66-66-71, Elmer SALVADOR (PHI) 68-67-70-66, Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 71-67-67-66, Tjaart VAN DER WALT (RSA) 69-69-66-67, Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 68-67-65-71 (Rai wins play-off with a birdie at the sixth extra hole)
272 Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI) 68-68-70-66.
273 Berry HENSON (USA) 67-71-68-67.
274 Danny CHIA (MAS) 66-69-72-67, LAM Zhiqun (am, SIN) 70-69-68-67, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 67-70-65-72.
275 Jonathan MOORE (USA) 68-69-70-68, Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 72-64-70-69, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 70-69-67-69, Quincy QUEK (SIN) 71-68-66-70.
276 Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 69-71-69-67, Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN) 66-70-72-68, Tim STEWART (AUS) 68-69-71-68, Kieran PRATT (AUS) 71-68-71-66, Pasamet POGAMNERD (THA) 67-70-69-70, LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 70-68-68-70, Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 70-69-67-70, Miles TUNNICLIFF (ENG) 68-69-67-72, Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) 68-66-68-74.

RUSSELL KNOX COULD CLINCH TOUR PROMOTION ON HOME COURSE

         Inverness-born Russell Knox is heading for US PGA Tour next season.

By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida -- Russell Knox figured it was just his luck that the year after he graduated from Jacksvonille University, its golf team got memberships at Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass.
No worries. the Inverness-born Scot, now Jacksonville Beach, Florida  resident and Nationwide Tour winner can play any time he wants now, and in six weeks will tee it up in competition at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters, the penultimate event of the US Nationwide Tour season.
Knox, 26, is firmly in position to earn his 2012 US PGA TOUR card, sitting eighth on the money list with seven tournaments remaining. He began his season with a T2 at the Fresh Express Classic, then won the Chiquita Classic in July.
He admitted to a little daydreaming about the US Tour but says he's still focused on the remainder of the Nationwide season, especially the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open.
"Every single golfer wants a home-field advantage," Knox said.
Knox played the course earlier this week and said the rough is tournament-ready now, definitely capable of getting pros' attention. Dye's Valley isn't the longest course on Tour by any means (6,864 yards, par 70), but its defences are obvious.
"It's funny how much harder courses become when you make the fairways smaller," Knox said. "The greens can be pretty challenging, too."
Knox attempted to qualify for the event last year but fell short, before earning full status for this year's season. Now safely in the field, he plans to be ready by putting in a few more practice rounds between now and the week of Oct. 17.
You always want to play well in your home game.

HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

BOB STEWART AT HIS BEST IN SENIORS FINALS

With an outstanding performance over the par 72 Lansdowne course at Blairgowrie, Tulliallan’s Bob Stewart clinched the 2011 Seniors Order of Merit. Starting the round knowing he had to fend off his two nearest challengers (playing alongside him), Bob raced to the turn in 1 under par.

His nearest rival, Gordon Macdonald (Callander), dropped five shots in the first three holes and never pulled them back as Bob continued in steady fashion to return a 74, the best score of the day. 

A few years back, Bob had the title in his grasp, but missed a short putt. There was no mistake this time as he cruised to victory.  

With a maximum of 125 for his work, Bob took the Order of Merit title by over 100 points, bringing another National title to Tulliallan and Clackmannanshire. On a side note, Bob was one of only three golfers to play in ten events on the Senior circuit, and now must be quietly confident for the Senior Home Internationals coming up this week at Woodhall Spa.

Fellow Club player Phil Dempsey finished with an 81 at Lansdowne and finished in 23rd equal place in the Order of Merit  with  182  points.

FEET ON THE GOLFING LADDER

Now that the 2011 Scottish Golf Union Order of Merit is complete with James White (Lundin) being declared the winner, it is worth noting that two Clackmannan County players have managed a few points to establish themselves in the rankings.

At 62nd equal is Alva’s Lawrence Allan, and 75th equal is Clackmannan County team captain Jamie Aitken (Alloa).

Who knows? A bit more experience might take both of them to high levels in Scottish golf.