DUSTIN JOHNSON MAKES DEBUT IN DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE
Top American golfer Dustin Johnson is to make his first appearance in next week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.
Johnson, 27, pictured below, showed how much he enjoys playing links courses earlier this year when he finished runner-up in the Open Championship to Darren Clarke at Royal St George’s.

One of the longest drivers on the US PGA Tour, regularly knocking his tee shots 350 yards, Johnson is currently No 6 in the world rankings and is fresh from victory last month in the Barclay Championship in New Jersey, his fifth Tour victory.

Johnson has had an excellent year in the major championships. As well as finishing second in The Open, he was eighth in the US Open and fifth in the US PGA.

Also in the field are three of this year’s major champions - Darren Clarke, who won an emotional Open Championship at the age of 42 at Royal St George’s in July, his fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, runaway winner of the US Open at Congressional a month earlier, and US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, the latest in a long line of South African major winners to take part in the event.

In one of the strongest line-ups in the history of the Championship, also playing will be current world No 1 and No 2, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, and major championship winners Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Todd Hamilton, Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Paul Lawrie, Sandy Lyle, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen.

Defending champion Martin Kaymer, who last year also won the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and headed the European Tour money list, will be bidding to become the first golfer to win back-to-back Alfred Dunhill Links titles.

SOUTH WIN SENIORS' AREA TEAM TITLE FOR FIRST TIME

By KEITH HOWIE
South of Scotland, led by captain Ian Brotherston, produced an excellent performace to win the SSGS area team championship over breezy Musselburgh today.
Brotherston, pictured on another trophy-winning occasion, led from the front with a sparkling 71. Out in 40 his round caught fire on the inward half with a brilliant 31 which included three putts at the final hole. His team of George Rodaks, Tony Clark, Ian Fraser. Graeme Sharp and Gordon Doig all contributed to a well bonded effort.
Runners up were 2010 champions Glasgow who pipped home team Lothians by virtue of a lower discard score.
Individual performance of the day was a remarkable 69 by Dumbartonshire’s Ian Jeen with a display of excellent control of flight and direction. This would have been even better but for a three putt from 7 feet at the difficult 15th.

TEAM TOTALS
374 SOUTH
383 GLASGOW, LOTHIANS
385 DUMBARTONSHIRE
391 ANGUS, STIRLINGSHIRE
392 AYRSHIRE
396 PERTH AND KINROSS
398 NORTH-EAST
402 ARGYLL AND BUTE

LEADING INDIVIDUALS
Ian Jeen (Dumbartonshire) 69
Ian Brotherston (South of Scotland) 71
Steve Ellis (Argyll and Bute) 72
Gordon MacDonald (Stirlingshire) 72
David Miller (Ayrshire) 73
Graeme Sharp (South of Scotland) 74
Ian Fraser (South of Scotland) 75
David Gardner (Lothians) 75
Graham Cox (Glasgow) 75
Peter Jamieson (Glasgow) 75
Richard Gray (Glasgow) 75
Brian Grieve (Perth and Kinross) 75
Keith Bruce (Angus) 75
Mike Jenkins (North East) 75
Anthony Clark (South of Scotland) 76
George Blair (Lothians) 76
Lindsay Gordon (Lothians) 76
George Wither (Lothians) 76
Ian Simpson (Perth and Kinross) 76
Henry Thompson (Ayrshire) 76

PAUL McKECHNIE WINS FOR THIRD TIME, EARNS £1,500

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Braid Hills' Paul McKechnie won for the third time on the Optical Express Pro Golf Tour today at Whitekirk Golf Club, East Lothian. In windy conditions, Paul (pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency) added a 70 to the 72 which had seen him trail overnight leader Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf) by three shots. His two-under-par total of 142 saw him earn the £1,500 first prize, one stroke ahead of host club pro Paul Wardell  who shot 70 and 73 for 143 and collected a £900 reward. Joint third on 144 were John Henry (Clydebank and District) (70-74) and Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) (73-71). They earned £637.50 each. Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) was the leading amateur in joint 14th place overall with scores of 78 and 72 for 150. He won a £100 voucher. The total prizemoney amounted to £8000 and extended down to the first 26 players. FINAL TOTALS AND PRIZE MONEY Par 144 (2x72) 142 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 72 70 (£1,500). 143 Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 70 73 (£900). 144 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 73 71, John Henry (Clydebank and District) 70 74 (£637.50 each). 145 Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) 72 73, Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 71 74 (£437.50 each). 146 Lorne Kelly (Pro-Dream) 74 72 (£330). 147 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 72 75, Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle) 72 75, David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 71 76 (£270 each). 148 Ben Irving (Kirkcudbright) 76 72, Stewart Savatge (Dalmuir) 74 74 ("220 each). 149 Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf) 69 80 (£200). 150 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) (am) 78 72 (£100 voucher), Graham Rankin (Drumpellier) 74 76 (£190). 151 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 71 80 (£180), Fraser Grant (Ralston) (am) 76 75. 152 Ian Redford (St Andrews New) 78 74, Mark Kerr (Murrayfield) 76 76, Jamie Carver (unatt) 75 77, Chris Currie (Caldwell) 73 79, James McGhee (Duddingston) 71 81 (£150 each). 154 Craig Gordon (Edinburgh CC) 76 78, Steven Duncan (Canroustie Golf Links) 73 81 (£117.50 each). 155 Jonathan Mallon (Sports Academy) 80 75, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) 80 75, Carl Thompson (Pikefold) 78 77, Nigel Scott-Smith (Palacerigg Golf Centre) 75 80 (£78.75 each). 156 Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm) 82 74. 157 Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle) 78 79, Ed Wood (Creow Wood) 79 78. 158 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 82 76, Steve Johnson (The Roxburghe) 73 85. 159 Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle) 79 80. 161 David Roger (Windyhill) 82 79. 162 Barry Campbell (Vale of LKeven) 798 83. NRs Eric Walker (unatt) 81 NR, Eric Ramsay (Carnoustie) 79 NR.

KELLY AND HUTCHEON ONLY SCOTS IN QUALIFYING ZONE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Only Tartan Tour journeymen Chris Kelly (Cawder) and Banchory's Greig Hutcheon look reasonably assured of making the top 25 and ties in the European Tour Qualifying School First Stage Section B 72-hole eliminator at Wychwood Park GC, Crewe which finishes on Friday.
Barring accidents, they can look forward to Stage 2 in Spain where four southern venues (Costa Ballena, Las Colinas, El Valle and La Manga South) will stage the four-round events from December 2 to 5.
The qualifiers from there go on to the Final Q School at PGA Catalunya over six rounds from December 10 to 15.
At Wychwood Park, Kelly is lying joint sixth on 214 after a third-round 71. He is six shots behind leader Englishman Steve Uzzell who went four strokes clear of the field with a 72 for eight-under-par 208.
Hutcheon had a 773 for 218 and is joint 20th.
All the other Scots need to pull out something extra to make the top 25 and ties.
Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) is joint 30th on 220 after a 73.
Grantown on Spey's Duncan Stewart had a 73 for 222 and is joint 40th on that mark with Zack Saltman (Archerfield Links) who had a 74.
Kings Links' Scott Henderson had a 74 and US-based Elgin exile Joel Hendry a 75. Both are on 223 and joint 51st.
Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) had a 71 and Stephen Gray (Hayston) a 74. They are joint 57th on 224.

Walker Cup hero Michael Stewart (pictured right) from Troon Welbeck made the third-round cut with nothing to spare on 10-over-par 226 after a 73. On the same mark is Lee Harper after a 78. They are joint 68th and their dream of making the European Tour next season will surely be snuffed out for the time being, at the end of the fourth round.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
208 S Uzzell (Eng) 66 70 72
212 S Brown (Eng) 70 71 71, D Kemmer (USA) 67 72 73
213 P Reed (USA) 67 73 73, I Ridgway (Eng) 72 71 70
214 J Morgan (Eng) 72 72 70, B Ahlenback (Swe) 64 78 72, A Versfeld (RSA) 70 73 71, C Kelly (Sco) 69 74 71, A Cooley (am) (Eng) 70 72 72
215 H Leon (Chi) 70 74 71, J Timmis (am) (Eng) 70 72 73, J Senior (Eng) 71 71 73
216 I Pyman (Eng) 71 72 73
217 T Mordt (RSA) 71 74 72, L Ferreira (RSA) 74 68 75, G Woolgar (Eng) 70 74 73, P Kaensche (Nor) 69 75 73, D Wardrop (Eng) 73 72 72
218 R Gildersleeve (USA) 70 74 74, G Hutcheon (Sco) 72 73 73, B Martin (Eng) 69 79 70, J Bartlett (am) (Eng) 73 68 77
219 D Palm (Swe) 71 77 71, B Briscoe (Wal) 76 71 72, D Marmion (Eng) 71 75 73, A Stott (Eng) 72 76 71, J Dransfield (Eng) 68 76 75, A Chesters (am) (Eng) 72 71 76,
220 P Maddy (Eng) 74 74 72, K Harper (Eng) 70 76 74, J Howarth (Eng) 72 73 75, P Grannell (Eng) 73 75 72, P Doherty (Sco) 72 75 73, P Richardson (Eng) 70 73 77, A Palmer (Eng) 73 74 73, A Georgiou (RSA) 71 76 73,
221 M Ureta (Chi) 72 73 76, S Merry (Tri) 72 77 72, J Shepherd (Eng) 75 72 74, Z Scotland (Eng) 75 74 72, R Wallis (Eng) 73 74 74,
222 I Winstanley (Eng) 78 72 72, S Arnold (Aus) 71 79 72, D Stewart (Sco) 72 77 73, R O'Neill (Eng) 75 75 72, Z Saltman (Sco) 75 73 74, J White (Eng) 73 73 76, R Oliver (Nir) 76 69 77, A Jones (Eng) 75 74 73,
223 S Henderson (Sco) 76 73 74, N James (Wal) 72 80 71, J Hendry (Sco) 72 76 75, J Need (Eng) 73 78 72, D Lloyd (RSA) 72 77 74, M McAlpine (am) (Nir) 73 77 73,
224 J McCreadie (Sco) 75 78 71, C Elliot (Eng) 74 78 72, S Gray (Sco) 74 75 75, S Griffiths (Eng) 76 76 72, O Farr (am) (Wal) 75 75 74, R Bentham (am) (Wal) 72 75 77,
225 G Parker (Eng) 73 77 75, B Fowles (Eng) 76 72 77, A Shakespear (Eng) 71 76 78, A Hodkinson (Eng) 76 74 75, D Coupland (am) (Eng) 75 74 76,
226 D James (Eng) 79 76 71, A Laing (Imn) 71 79 76, Y Ali (Eng) 76 75 75, A Evans (Eng) 72 74 80, L Harper (Sco) 74 74 78, S Tooth (Eng) 77 76 73, D Mooney (Nir) 72 77 77, M Stewart (am) (Sco) 70 83 73,

MISSED THE CUT

227 K Garwood (Eng) 73 75 79, S Jackson (Eng) 75 79 73, R Leonard (Eng) 78 75 74, T Higson (Sco) 74 78 75, R Newman (Eng) 76 74 77,
228 S Maurits (Ned) 80 74 74, R Tagg (Eng) 75 77 76, M Armitage (Eng) 79 74 75, N McCarthy (Eng) 75 76 77, N Els (RSA) 81 75 72,
229 G Benson (Eng) 70 83 76,
230 C Lutton (Sco) 73 81 76, R Whitelock (Eng) 78 75 77, C Hughes (Nir) 76 80 74, D Rawluk (Irl) 78 78 74,
231 A Hogan (am) (Irl) 78 78 75,
232 O Smith (Eng) 80 78 74,
233 C Farrelly (Eng) 74 82 77, J Burns (Eng) 78 80 75,
234 R Hearty (Eng) 74 78 82, M Pearson (Eng) 79 78 77,
236 N Redfern (Eng) 77 80 79,
237 J Bland (Eng) 77 82 78,
238 J Mumford (Eng) 80 78 80, A Seve Ruia (Eng) 78 85 75,
240 A Runcie (Wal) 79 78 83,
241 J McCormick (am) (Eng) 79 82 80,
244 A Vergari (Ita) 82 82 80,
245 J Mason (Eng) 79 88 78,
** C Durnian (Eng) 78 81 WD, H Macleod (am) (Aus) 91 91 WD, M Swales (Eng) 77 85 WD, M Sparrow (Eng) 81 84 WD,

AT FLEESENSEE204 C Lange (Den) 68 67 69,
207 M Eliasson (Swe) 69 69 69,
208 J Glennemo (Swe) 68 72 68,
209 T Petersson (Swe) 69 73 67,
210 A McLean (Sco) 71 70 69, S Piaget (Mon) 72 69 69,
211 P Mejow (Ger) 69 69 73, D Wuensche (Ger) 72 71 68, C Pfau (Aut) 73 69 69, A Knappe (Ger) 71 73 67,
212 M Larsson (Swe) 70 71 71, D Lokke (Den) 69 73 70, B Miarka (Ger) 72 73 67, J Ruth (Eng) 70 66 76, F Christensen (Swe) 69 69 74, A Kirstein (am) (Ger) 72 69 71,
213 J Lerchedahl (Den) 73 68 72, V Flatau (Swe) 72 70 71, R Mattila (Fin) 70 72 71, D Froreich (Ger) 73 67 73,
214 O Sigurdsson (Isl) 72 73 69, F McGuirk (Eng) 71 69 74, L Corfield (Eng) 72 73 69, R Svensson (Swe) 73 67 74, T Dogil (Ger) 67 75 72,
215 B Wuttke (Ger) 66 72 77, R Hie (Ina) 73 72 70, T Remkes (Ned) 68 74 73, A Fischer (Ger) 71 67 77, S Gross Jr (Ger) 71 77 67, D Küpper (Ger) 71 73 71, J Wahlqvist (Swe) 73 68 74, A Andersson (Swe) 68 72 75, B Reiter (Aut) 75 70 70, L Bjerregaard (Den) 72 69 74,
216 M Haremza (Ger) 73 73 70, F Fihn (Swe) 68 75 73, A Johansson (Swe) 72 72 72,
217 S Grant (Irl) 70 72 75, M Brenner (Ger) 73 72 72, M Johansson (Swe) 67 73 77, D Oakey (USA) 73 74 70,
218 H Lipsanen (Fin) 70 78 70, A Björk (Swe) 72 74 72, W Barnes (Eng) 74 72 72, C Schwierz (Ger) 68 71 79, J Sheffield (Eng) 71 72 75, C Braunig (am) (Ger) 73 72 73,
219 M Novy (Cze) 72 72 75, K Mortensen (Den) 74 75 70, O Tubb (Can) 72 76 71, J Magnusson (Swe) 74 73 72, J Colomo (Esp) 75 72 72,
220 R Askstrand (Swe) 74 74 72, M Salminen (Fin) 70 75 75, C Aronsen (Nor) 71 76 73,
221 J Ryba (Cze) 74 78 69, W Schauman (Swe) 79 71 71,
MISSED THE CUT
222 A Hortal (am) (Esp) 75 77 70, T Machleid (Ger) 79 70 73, J Drongstrup (Den) 77 71 74, T Sørensen (am) (Den) 73 75 74, S Franklin (Irl) 72 76 74, C Curley (Irl) 72 75 75, J Winther (Den) 72 74 76,
224 H Beins (am) (Ger) 75 75 74, M Kramer (Ger) 74 75 75, F Becker (Ger) 76 72 76,
225 S Gundorph (Den) 78 76 71, F Quicker (Swe) 77 74 74, I Griffiths (Wal) 76 70 79,
226 M Merks (am) (Ger) 75 76 75, G Birch Jr (Ger) 76 74 76, M Ervasti (Fin) 74 74 78, M Suursalu (Est) 73 73 80,
227 D Schmieding (am) (USA) 71 78 78,
228 M Palm (Swe) 78 73 77, S Nilsson (Swe) 74 77 77, N Glans (Swe) 73 71 84,
229 E Bertheussen (Nor) 77 76 76, T Gissurarson (Isl) 76 76 77,
230 E Penin (Fra) 79 75 76,
232 O Suhr (Den) 79 71 82,
233 S Schmidt (Ger) 75 76 82,
237 J Neuendorf (Ger) 76 78 83,
239 O Lebl (Cze) 81 80 78,
241 S Forsstrom (Swe) 79 82 80,
242 P Gabsa (am) (Ger) 81 78 83,
249 D Carrera (Esp) 86 81 82,
260 B Sommer (Ger) 89 87 84,

THE NAME IS BOND, LIAM BOND - AND HE LEADS AUSTRIAN OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Liam Bond took full advantage of benign afternoon conditions at Diamond Country Club to lead the Austrian Open presented by Lyoness today.
The 41 year old rookie, who graduated from Qualifying School at the 16th attempt last November, is yet to post a top-20 finish this season.
A run of five missed cuts in a row coming into the event had seen Bond slip to 193rd on The Race to Dubai and the Welshman still has plenty to do to retain his card.
But he birdied four of his last five holes - there were seven in total, with one bogey - for a six under par 66.
“I played really well today – I didn’t miss too many shots,” he said.
“I had a couple fo really good up and downs early in the round to stay under par when I could have easily slipped back over par. Then I had a great finish with four birdies in my last five holes.
“I putted nicely today. I had the ball rolling at a very good speed. I haven’t been the best with the putter on Tour this year so it was very nice to strike the ball well and see a lot of them go in the hole. I have to say that the greens here are outstanding.
“I have played alright this year – I think I have missed five cuts by a single shot so that tells you that you are not playing badly, things just went my way today.”
And Bond revealed that a former Ryder Cup star gave him some invaluable advice.
“I had a good talk with Phillip Price recently and he was saying that when he was playing badly he was missing cuts by miles, but when you are only missing by a shot then you are not too far away and all you need is a little bit of luck or soemthing to click into placeand you are back on track,” he added.
“There was always light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully today is the start of things going my way.”
Bond was one ahead of Dane Thomas Nørret, Australian Daniel Gaunt and Dutchman Joost Luiten, with England’s Steve Webster fifth on four under.
With the exception of Luiten - who at 57th in The Race to Dubai can secure a spot at the Dubai World Championship with a good showing this week - all of the chasing pack are yet to gain a European Tour card for 2012.
The 37 year old Qualifying School graduate Nørret had by far the best of a cold and breezy morning session.
Currently 173rd on The Race to Dubai, he made a good start with seven birdies and two bogeys in his round - the highlights being a 20 foot birdie putt on the third and a 30 foot effort from the fringe two holes later.
“I hit a lot of good iron shots and holed a lot of putts,” he said. “The greens here are fantastic and I managed to the read the right way today so it's nice to make a great start.
“It was cold this morning and the wind picked up as the day went on, but I managed to pick the right shots today.”
Challenge Tour graduate Gaunt is 137th on The Race to Dubai, and with the top 115 retaining playing privileges he boosted his hopes with eight birdies and three bogeys.
Luiten birdied the sixth and seventh to turn in a two under 34, before a mixed inward nine that featured an eagle three at the tenth, three birdies and two bogeys.
Webster - fighting to keep his card for a 17th season on The European Tour at 127th on the money list - birdied three of his first five holes.
But eagles at the tenth and 13th were combined with bogeys at the 11th and 15th, the latter threatened to be even worse with the Englishman holing a 25 foot putt, and 18th.
Of the three Walker Cup heroes making their professional debuts in the event, Andy Sullivan had the best day with a level par 72 leaving him well placed for a first cheque this weekend.
Tom Lewis, who shot to fame at The Open Championship with his opening 65, has some work to do from two over, while Northern Irishman Paul Cutler requires something special to earn a first payday after firing a 77.

LEADERBOARD
Par 72
66 Liam Bond (Wales).
67 Thomas Norret (Denmark), Daniel Gaunt (Australia), Joost Luiten(Netherlands).
68 Steve Webster (England).
69 Birgir Hafthorsson (Iceland), Gary Orr (Scotland), Gaganieel Bhullar (India), Joakim Haeggman (Sweden).
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
70 Marc Warren (T10).
73 Scott Drummond, Lloyd Saltman, David Drysdale (T50).
74 Alastair Forsyth, Raymond Russell (T68).
75 Steven O'Hara (T88).
76 Elliot Saltman (T98).

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TRIPLE BOGEY DRAGS LONGMUIR DOWN AT CANNES

By STEVE TODD, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
A triple bogey 7  on the 17th hole saw Bill Longmuir slip down the leaderboard in the first round of the Cannes Mougins Masters but the Anglo-Scot remains in contention in the European Seniors Tour event in France, four shots behind leading trio Marc Farry, Mike Harwood and Bruce Vaughan.
Longmuir, pictured, had posted seven birdies in his round and was one shot off the pace until the costly error on the penultimate hole meant he had to settle for a two under par round of 70, while compatriot Gordon Brand Jnr is a further shot back after a 71.
Australian Harwood fired four birdies and also eagled the eighth hole en route to his opening 66, while Frenchman Farry matched that total with five birdies and an eagle on the 14th hole as he made a strong start to the defence of his title. Former Senior Open champion Vaughan then joined them at the top of the leaderboard when he birdied the last hole, having been invited to play in the event by co-organiser Farry.
After finishing tied fifth in the Casa Serena Open last week – his best finish of the season since starting the campaign with a share of fourth place in Australia – Farry is feeling confident about his chances of retaining his title.
“It’s not a bad defence so far,” said the 52 year old winner of last year’s Irish Senior Open. “No complaints! I had a so-so start, making an up and down on the first two holes but from that point on I played well.
“I had one bad shot on the 13th when I aimed at the trap with a wedge and the ball never moved so I ended up in the trap but then I stiffed my approach to the next hole to two feet to hole for an eagle and holed two good birdies putts on the next two.
“Overall I’m pleased. It was great conditions for scoring. There is always a bit of pressure when you are defending and organising the tournament but I sank a couple of 25 footers which helped.
“I played very steadily last week which was good preparation for this tournament. This game is a question of confidence and when you get your confidence back you feel like you can shoot low. Last week certainly helped then coming back to a course where I won and feel comfortable on helps as well.”
Andrew Oldcorn is six shots back after an opening 72 and Ross Drummond carded a 73.
Sam Torrance had a day to forget - a 78 which made his joint last but one with compatriot Mike Miller.
SCOREBOARD
Par 72
66 M Harwood (Aus), M Farry (Fra), B Vaughan (US) 
68 H Carbonetti (Arg) 
69 A Franco (Par), M Moreno (Esp), J Quiros (Esp), D Merriman (Aus) , D Smyth (Irl)
70 G Ryall (Eng) , N Ratcliffe (Aus), B Lane (Eng), A Sowa (Arg) , F Illouz (Fra) , B Longmuir (Sco), B Cameron (Eng)
71 G Brand Jnr (Sco), C Mason (Eng) , M Mouland (Wal) 
72 D Durnian (Eng) , J Sallat (Fra) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , R Davis (Aus) , P Mitchell (Eng) , A Oldcorn (Sco), C Williams (RSA) , N Job (Eng) , P Fowler (Aus) , C Rocca (Ita) , J Pate (USA) , M Clayton (Aus)
73 A Sherborne (Eng) , P Dahlberg (Swe) , R Drummond (Sco) , B Smit (RSA) , G Ralph (Eng) , T Thelen (USA) , D Russell (Eng) , K Tomori (Jpn) 
74 M Cunning (USA) , G Wolstenholme (Eng) , G Brand (Eng) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , J Harrison (Eng) , G Cali (Ita)
75 T Charnley (Eng) , B Lincoln (RSA) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , A Forsbrand (Swe) ,
76 P Dugeny (Fra) , I Woosnam (Wal) , J Bruner (USA) , A Fernandez (Chi) , J Gould (Eng) , J Stuart (USA) , M Belsham (Eng) 
78 A Garrido (Esp)
79 M Miller (Sco) , S Torrance (Sco) 
80 D Cambridge (Jam)

NORTHERN COUNTIES CUP FIRST-DAY RESULTS AT LOSSIEMOUTH

Newmachar's Mark McKechnie, Chris Simpson, John Duff (pictured left) and Richard Barr began their defence of the Northern Counties Cup, in the 100th staging of the inter-club double foursomes match-play tournament, by thrashing Orkney 2 by 16 holes over the Moray Golf Club's Old Course links at Lossiemouth.. They will surely face a stiffer test on Friday morning against Royal Aberdeen 1 although they were extended to achieve a two-hole winning margin over the Newmachar 2 team. Murcar Links looked impressive in a four-hole victory over Nairn 1. Results: FIRST ROUND Newmachar 2 w.o. Deeside scr. Nairn Dunbar bt Strathpeffer 1 by one hole. Tain w.o. Duff House Royal scr. Brora bt Muir of Ord by three holes. SECOND ROUND Newmachar 1 bt Orkney 2 by 16 holes. Royal Aberdeen 1 bt Newmachar 2 by two holes. Peterhead bt Inverness 2 at 19th. Nairn Dunbar bt Turriff by six holes. Nairn 2 bt Royal Dornoch 2 by one hole.  Cruden Bay 1 bt Fortrose at 19th. Meldrum House bt Torvean 2 by four holes. Elgin 1 bt Orkney 1 at 19th. Murcar Links bt Nairn 1 by four holes. Moray 1 bt Tain by two holes. Royal Aberdeen 2 bt Cruden Bay 2 by nine holes. Brora bt Moray 2 by seven holes. Inverness 1 bt Torvean 1 by four holes. McDonald Ellon bt Banchory by four holes. Royal Dornoch 1 bt Elgin 2 by one hole. Nigg Bay bt Forres by nine holes.

MIKE RAE SHOWS THE WAY AT ALYTH IN MIDLAND ALLIANCE

Alyth assistant pro Mike Rae won the Midland Golfers' Alliance meeting today over his home course with a splendid effort of three-under-par 67 in windy conditions at the Perthshire venue.
He won by two shots from Downfield pro Kenny Hutton with Edzell pro Alistair Webster third on 73.
There was a tie for the handicap prize between Rab Baldie, who plays off seven at Crieff, and Sandy Aitken, a 14-handicapper at Ladybank. They both had net 69s.

LEADING SCRATCH
Par 70
67 M Rae (Alyth) ap.
69 K Hutton (Downfield) p.
73 A J Webster (Edzell) p.
74 W Hutton (Pitlochry), P Brookes (Pitreavie) p.
75 J Stevenson (Braehead) p.
76 P Jamieson (Dunblane New) p, R Wallace (PGA) p, R Baldie (Crieff), T Melville (Alyth) p.
77 J Smith (Thornton).
78 G Mitchell (Blairgowrie), L Sutherland (Ballumbie Castle) p, S McLaren (Crieff) ap.

LEADING HANDICAP
R Baldie (Crieff) (7), A Aitken (Ladybank) (14) 69; K Thomson (Alloa) (14), C Wallace (Caird Park) (10), D Sievwright (Drumoig) (14) 72; D Ritchie (Crieff) (10), L Brough (Alyth) (6), S Mitchell (The Duke's) (12), I Henderson (Craigie Hill) (6), C Westland (Alloa) (9), M Watkin (Panmure) (12), G Mitchell (Blairgowrie) (5), H Cowbrough (Muckhart) (6), H Grant (Muckhart) (6) 73.

Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchen Express Midland Golfer’s Alliance Championship in April at Carnoustie
R. Wallace (PGA)
R. Baldie (Crieff)
T. Melville (Alyth)
Qualifiers for the JTC McQueen Shield in April at Carnoustie
R. Baldie (Crieff)
A. Aitken (Ladybank)

Next week's meeting
Thursday, 29th September
Ladybank Pro-Am
Sponsored by Fraser Bros (Tyres)
8.30 - 1.30

TEE TIMES
8.30 M Pirie, W Hutton, M Niven, A McKay
8.38 A Lockhart, S Graham, E Rae, C Brunton
8.46 L Ewart, P Murphy, D Adamson, L Kinnear
8.54 A Martin, K Fraser, G Hume, S Mitchell
9.02 T Melville, R Ford, J Rankin, R Beatt
9.10 R Walker, M Fraser, S Paterson, S Herd
9.18 J Seaton, I Butchart, J Gilchrist, R McLean
9.26 C Mackie, R Mackie, D Peter, N Henderson
9.34 N McGill, I Wilson, I Henderson, J Gray
9.42 B. Smith I. Mitchell I. McMurray A. Farquharson
9.50 G. McLeod D. Wilson N. McLeod A. Saunders
9.58 A. Duncan D. Hutchieson D. Redford J. Meddicks
10.06 C. Nugent B. Black R. De Rose T. McKenna
10.14 H. Wong S. Hill A. Reid B. Bell
10.22 A. Crerar D. Mitchell G. Paton W. Miller
10.30 R. Bell N. Dalrymple D. Sievwright G. Taylor
10.38 R. Taylor G. McCartney A. McLeod J. Graham
10.46 H. Salmond J. Irwin G. Wilkie A. Douglas
10.54 G. Able H. Hunter A. Didcock W. Cunningham
11.02 R. Wallace J. Watt C. Wallace J. Laing
11.10 S. Smith J. Gray S. Andrews M. Scobbie
11.14 C. Donnelly F. McKay J. Milne J. Milne
11.18 J. Stevenson M. Gilmour J. Stevenson J. Smith
11.26 P. Brookes C. Westland K. Thomson W. Hatley
11.34 K. Salmoni H. Grant T. McIntyre R. Sinclair
11.42 C. Armstrong S. Miller W. Crosbie R. Baldie
11.50 S. Rennie J. Leddy R. Lamont M. Watkin
11.58 R. Stewart R. Barton L. Bushby A. McEwan
12.06 S. Glass A. Glass R. Nicoll A. Aitken
12.14 S. Clark D. Patrick D. Black A. Mason
12.22 K. Hutton B. Bruce K. Bruce D. Morrison
12.30 A. Webster B. Webster A. Smith R. Brownhills
12.38 D. West D. Fordyce G. White T. Watson
12.46 P. Wytrazek G. Muir G. Crighton D. McGregor
12.54 G. Smith D. Adams J. Ward J. Cree snr
1.02 S. McIntosh R. Robertson N. Ballingall R. Keir
1.10 L. Sutherland R. McDonald G. Cant E. Sherry
1.18 G. Finlay A. Pietkowski M. Philips J. Muirden
1.26 A. McDonald T. Jamieson G. Mathieson A. Burton

Lee Sutherland
Ballumbie Castle PGA pro

Lee Sutherland
Ballumbie Castle pro.

JAMES BYRNE GETS PRO CAREER OFF TO A FLIER IN FRANCE

By SCOTT CROCKETT
European Tour Chief Press Officer
Walker Cup hero James Byrne, pictured, got his professional golfing life off to an excellent start when he moved into a share of second place after the opening round of the Golf Open Grand Toulouse on the European Challenge Tour.
The 22 year old Scot – who returned two points out of three at Royal Aberdeen two weeks ago as Great Britain and Ireland beat the United States 14-12 – was as hot as the sunshine at Golf de Toulouse-Seilh in south west France as he posted a six under par 65, to lie three shots behind leader Christophe Brazillier of France who posted a new course record 62.
Indeed, had Byrne not dropped a shot at the last after finding water from the tee he would have held second place outright, but a brave 15 footer for bogey four enabled him to share that position with Denmark’s Lasse Jensen, England’s Ben Parker, Norway’s Espen Kofstad and Robin Wingardh of Sweden.
“I was a little disappointing to drop a shot at the last but overall I’m pretty pleased with the day,” said Byrne, who signed his professional forms last week.
“I got off to the best possible start with five birdies in my first eight holes and I actually had a putt from about six feet on the ninth green to be out in 29. Maybe because I was thinking about that number was the reason it didn’t go in but, as I said, I can’t complain.”
Clearly the runner up in the 2010 Amateur Championship is well equipped to deal with the challenges inside the ropes, but the Aberdonian admitted it is coping with life as a professional outside tournament play that will take the biggest adjustment.
“When you travelled with the Scotland squad or the GB and I squad, everything was taken care of for you and you knew when you were practicing and what was expected of you at most times during the day,” he said.
“However, being a professional, you have a lot of spare time in addition to all the travelling and hotels and it is that aspect I will have to try and manage properly. However this week is good experience for me and I’ll be looking to use that going forward to the Tour School later this year.”
Pacesetter Brazillier gave his quest to climb the Challenge Tour rankings the perfect start in his home country with a superb course record nine under par 62. The 31 year old was in blistering form at Golf de Toulouse-Seilh, his flawless card featuring nine birdies and nine par figures to help him open a three shot gap.
Currently 58th on the rankings in this, the fifth last counting event of the 2011 season, Brazillier admitted he has work to do to climb into the top 20 who will gain a card for The 2012 European Tour at the end of the season.
“I have had a bit of so-so season up until now,” he said. “I was third in the Telenet Trophy in Belgium in May but apart from that all my tournaments have featured some good stuff and some not so good stuff which explains where I am.
“I would love to make the top 20 at the end of the season but I have a bit of a gap to make up in terms of money. Obviously a win here would help with that and although there is a long way to go, I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
Beginning at the tenth hole, the Frenchman sped from the blocks with four birdies in a row from the 11th before another two at the 17th and 18th saw him ‘out’ in 30. Further birdies followed at the first and fifth holes before a pitch to two metres at the ninth hole gave him the birdie which set the new record mark.
Joining in second was Englishman Ben Parker who, like the Scot, was experiencing a Challenge Tour event for the first time. The 24 year old – the son of German-based teaching professional Tim Parker and a regular on the EPD Tour – is a sponsor’s invite and carded seven birdies in total in his 65.
Alongside them was Swede Wingardh, Norwegian Kofstad who had nine birdies in a remarkable 65, and Denmark’s Jensen, who finished his round in style with four birdies in the final six holes, to join the leading pack.
The 27 year old Dane – currently 47th on the Challenge Tour Rankings and looking for a good week to push towards the top 20 who will win cards for The 2012 European Tour at the end of the season – admitted he has been inspired by the recent performances of his fellow countryman on The European Tour, Thomas Bjorn, who won back to back recently in Scotland and Switzerland.
“He has always been a big idol of mine and I have looked up to him ever since he won his first tournament on The European Tour at Loch Lomond in 1996 as that was the year I first started playing golf,” he said.
“He has also had his ups and down in his career but I have always admired the way he has battled back and his form of late has shown just that. He continues to raise the profile of the game in Denmark and anything that helps golf in our country is a good thing.”

SCOREBOARD
Par 71
62 C Brazillier (Fra) 
65 R Wingardh (Swe) , L Jensen (Den) , B Parker (Eng) , J Byrne (Sco) , E Kofstad (Nor)
66 S Little (Eng) , S Hutsby (Eng) , S Thornton (Irl) , D Perrier (Fra)
67 J Guillet (Fra) , N Lombardi (Ita) , N Meitinger (Ger) , A Marshall (Eng) , M Baldwin (Eng) , J Quesne (Fra)
68 E Chaudouet (Fra) , V Riu (Fra) , M Southgate (Eng) , M Erlandsson (Swe) , C Lee (Sco) , J Lima (Por) , F Delamontagne (Fra) , O Whiteley (Eng) , J Lagergren (Swe)
69 F Calmels (Fra) , C Gane (Eng) , M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) , M Evans (Eng) , G Lockerbie (Eng) , N Kearney (Irl) , A Tadini (Ita) , B Ritthammer (Ger) , C Doak (Sco) , O David (Fra) , P Archer (Eng) , F Praegant (Aut) , M Bothma (RSA) , A Domingo (Esp) , A Bossert (Sui) , E Pepperell (Eng) , C Paisley (Eng) , A Hansen (Den) , G Houston (Wal) , C Russo (Fra) , J Remesy (Fra) 
70 A Otaegui (Esp) , A Tampion (Aus) , B Etchart (Esp) , J Van Der Vaart (Ned) , J Bragulat (Esp) , J Doherty (Sco) , J Robinson (Eng) , D Brooks (Eng) , P Del Grosso (Arg) , J Hepworth (Eng) , R Hjelm (Den) , B Grace (RSA) , J Guerrier (Fra) , L Canter (Eng) , A Pavan (Ita) , E Dubois (Fra) , F Valera (Esp) , A Schwartz (am) (Fra)
71 C Moriarty (Irl) , A Perrino (Ita) , B Evans (Eng) , I Giner (Esp) , N Mourlon (Fra) , D Nouailhac (Fra) , P Valmary (Fra) , A Snobeck (Fra) , T Ferreira (RSA) , F Marty (Fra) , M Kieffer (Ger) , K Borsheim (Nor) , J McLeary (Sco) , O Rozner (am) (Fra)
72 A Levy (Fra) , B Chapellan (Fra) , B Barham (Eng) , H Norlander (Swe) , A Bihan (Fra) , M Cryer (Eng) , A Bernadet (Fra) , B Teilleria (Fra) , A Grenier (Fra) , R Santos (Por) , J Garcia (Esp) , D Vancsik (Arg) , D Bobrowski (Fra) , T Raillard (Fra) , M Hill (Fra) , C Judlin (Fra) , J Heath (Eng) , S Garcia (Esp)
73 M Juan (Esp) , J Billot (Fra) , A Högberg (Swe) , M Delpodio (Ita) , F Colombo (Ita) , A Kaunas (Ltu) , T Fournier (Fra) , P Gustafsson (Swe)
74 A Butterfield (Eng) , S Bebb (Wal) , M Van Hauwe (Fra) , J Grillon (Fra) , J Palmer (Eng) , J Belot-Lacroix (Fra) , R Thuillier (Fra) , J Campillo (Esp) , G Dear (Sco) , C Ford (Eng) , J Estevez (Arg)
75 K Le Sager (Fra) , C Garrido (Esp) , B Åkesson (Swe) ,
76 J Garcia Fernandez (Esp) , J Lopez Lazaro (Fra) , G Rosier (Fra) , R Steiner (Aut) , A Pailler (Fra)
77 P Relecom (Bel) , L Seinger (Fra)
78 P Dwyer (Eng)
79 A Ahokas (Fin) , C Airot (Fra)
80 A Noudeu (Fra) , A Mandonnet (Fra)
83 V Almstrom (Swe)

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NEW CAPTAIN ALISTAIR LOW DRIVES INTO OFFICE AT R AND A

                           Alistair Low drives himself in from the first tee at the Old course.

News Release issued by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
Alistair Low began his year of office as the Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews today with the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course.
Accompanied by simultaneous cannon fire, Low teed-off at precisely 8am under a cloudless sky in front of a large crowd, hitting an impressive high fade down the first fairway.
His position as Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, will see him travel the globe representing the Club and the game of golf.
Speaking shortly after hitting his shot, Low said: “I was pretty nervous I must say. It all got to me in the last couple of minutes but I think it was an alright shot. I kept it on the golf course at least.
“I will be an ambassador for the club, flying all over the world and I will be in attendance at all of the major championships run by The R&A.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming here so I am particularly looking forward to spending more time in St Andrews.”
A member of the Club since 1968, Low brings considerable experience to his new role having chaired the Championship Committee from 1985 to 1988. He was subsequently Chairman of the General Committee between 1991 and 1994 and was also Chairman of the Scottish Golf Union from 2002 to 2008.
An accomplished amateur golfer – he currently plays to a handicap of five - Low won the British Youths Championship in 1963 and was a Scottish Amateur Championship semi-finalist in 1964, 1968 and 1970.
A retired actuary and graduate of St Andrews University, Low lives in Gullane, East Lothian, and is a member of both Gullane and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, where he is the immediate past captain.
The Club’s ‘Captain of the Golf' was originally determined by the annual Challenge for the Silver Club with the best player on the day becoming Captain for the year. However, by around 1806 the Captaincy had become an elected office and the Challenge became a symbolic competition.
One tradition that has endured is the awarding of a gold sovereign to the caddie that successfully retrieves the ball and returns it to the captain. Oliver Horowitz, now in his sixth season on the links, successfully returned the ball after attempting to catch it on the full.
The delighted 25-year-old filmmaker from New York, who will caddy for musician Huey Lewis at next week’s Dunhill Championship, said: “When he hit it I was way over on the left and I suddenly realised he had hit a bit of a cut and it was going right. I saw it in mid-air, caught it with my left hand on the fly but dropped it.
“So my hand is now throbbing as we speak and will be black and blue tonight but it’s definitely worth it.”

ROOKIE SCOTS PRO DUNCAN WINS FLORIDA PLAY-OFF

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Greg Duncan, a 20-year-old rookie pro from Edinburgh, has won for the first time at the 18th attempt on the Minor League Golf Tour in Florida. Duncan, pictured, won the Treasure Coast Classic over one round at Palm City, Florida on Wednesday after a three-way play-off against two Americans, Scott Marino, whose brother Steve plays on the US PGA Tour, and Brandon Smith. The trio had tied on three-under-par 69. Duncan had to produce two birdies to stay alive in the play-off, finally winning it and the $600 prize with a par at the fourth extra hole. Duncan, now living at Port Lucie, Florida, has won $2,370 this season on the mini-tour which runs 18-hole events at different courses, sometimes as many as four or five a week. It was Duncan's sixth top-10 finish.

NORRET SETS PACE WITH FIVE-UNDER 67 IN AUSTRIAN OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Denmark’s Thomas Nørret established the clubhouse target at the Austrian Open presented by Lyoness with a five under par 67.
The 37 year old Qualifying School graduate is currently 173rd on The Race to Dubai and needs a big end to his season in order to retain his card.
And he made a perfect start at Diamond Country Club, carding seven birdies and two bogeys in his round - the highlights being a 20 foot birdie putt on the third and a 30 foot effort from the fringe two holes later.
“I hit a lot of good iron shots and holed a lot of putts,” he said. “The greens here are fantastic and I managed to the read the right way today so it's nice to make a great start.
“It was cold this morning and the wind picked up as the day went on, but I managed to pick the right shots today."
At five under Nørret led by two from Scot Gary Orr, Iceland’s Birgir Hafthorsson and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, all of whom were round in 69.
Like Nørret, the chasing trio all have work to do in order to start 2012 with a European Tour card.
Hafthorsson has been plying his trade on the Challenge Tour, but took advantage of a chance to appear on The European Tour with five birdies and two bogeys.
Orr is 132nd on The Race to Dubai - the top 115 retain playing privileges - and a 20 foot birdie on the fifth was one of four shots gained against a solitary bogey on the seventh.
Bhullar, a Challenge Tour winner earlier this year, tuned in a three under 33 before coming home in level par.
They were joined by afternoon starter Daniel Gaunt, the Australian racing to three under through seven.
Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington was one under after six, while Miguel Angel Jiménez, the highest-ranked player in the field, went round in a one over 73.
Walker Cup heroes Tom Lewis and Paul Cutler enjoyed mixed fortunes on their professional debuts - Lewis carding a two over 74 and Northern Irishman Cutler finishing five over - leaving both with work to do in order to make the cut and earn a first cheque.

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KRUGER OFF TO FLYING START IN ASIA-PACIFIC PANASONICE OPEN

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Shiga Prefecture, Japan: South Africa’s Jbe Kruger edged closer towards his maiden Asian Tour title when he posted a seven-under-par 64 to take the first round lead at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open today.
Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama and Kenichi Kuboya returned with matching 67s to take second place alongside Korea’s Bae Sang-moon and S.K Ho at the ¥150,000,000 (approximately US$1.7 million) event jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Chinese Taipei’s Chan Yih-shin continued his good run by signing for a 68 to take a share of sixth place with six players that include Thailand’s Prom Meesawat at the Biwako Country Club.
Kruger has come close to winning on several occasions but it has been that maiden title which has often eluded him.
The South African knows that he has to keep his focus before he gets rewarded with a well deserved place in the winner’s circle.
“I probably have to do what I’ve been doing today which is to hit the greens and fairways and try to put less pressure on myself,” said the 25-year-old.
Despite playing in Japan for the first time, Kruger displayed no signs of nerves as he marked his card with six birdies, an eagle and a lone bogey at the Biwako Country Club.
The South African credited his putting for giving him a comfortable lead and hopes that his good form and mental state will eventually lead him to victory after coming so close on several occasions, finishing third, fifth, eighth and seventh in Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Macau respectively
“The round has been very satisfying. I’ve been playing well the last couple of weeks and the only thing is that I’ve not been doing is to get my putting going. But today I putted really well,” said Kruger.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to pressure on the final day and I’ll have to cope with that when it comes,” added Kruger.
Meanwhile Prom also had an opening round to remember despite the course difficulties.
“It’s amazing how I’ve played today as the course is very tough. The rough is very long and when I was playing, I didn’t expect myself to finish under-par as I didn’t have much confidence with the course,” said Prom.
The Thai, however dug deep by finding the confidence in himself to turn his game around.
“I was gaining the confidence from my own game plan. I was sticking close to my plan which was to get the ball into the fairways and hitting onto the greens,” said Prom who mixed four birdies against one bogey.
Chan put himself in contention for a back-to-back win following his victory in Macau last week. The Chinese Taipei remained confident of achieving another good result as he believes that he is in good form.
“I’ve been playing well and I’ve been telling myself that I must continue this good run of form. You’ve to get into that habit of winning and always challenge yourself that you can do it,” said Chan.
“My putting has been solid and hopefully it’ll be my week again,” added the ever-smiling Chinese Taipei player.
LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 71. Yardage 7005 Biwako CC course.
64 - Jbe KRUGER (RSA).
67 - Daisuke MARUYAMA (JPN), BAE Sang-moon (KOR), S.K. HO (KOR), Kenichi KUBOYA (JPN).
68 - Prom MEESAWAT (THA), Toshinori MUTO (JPN), Michio MATSUMURA (JPN), CHAN Yih-shin (TPE), Kiyoshi MIYAZATO (JPN), Kaname YOKOO (JPN).
69 - J.B. PARK (KOR), Keiichiro FUKABORI (JPN), Katsuyuki SAKURAI (am, JPN), Yoshinori FUJIMOTO (am, JPN), Hiroyuki FUJITA (JPN), Shintaro KAI (JPN), Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA), KIM Do-hoon 752 (KOR), LEE Sung (KOR), Kazuhiko HOSOKAWA (JPN), Brad KENNEDY (AUS), Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN), Danny CHIA (MAS).

Selected scores
71 - Prayad MARKSAENG (THA), Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND), Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA), Ryo ISHIKAWA (JPN), LAM Chih Bing (SIN), Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND),

TIGER WON'T WIN ANOTHER MAJOR - GREG NORMAN

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE

Greg Norman saYS Tiger Woods has too many distractions now to maintain the focus he had when he won 14 majors in 11 years, and he doesn't think Woods will win another major championship.

Norman, who held golf's No. 1 ranking for a total of 331 weeks between 1986 and 1998 and won two British Opens, made the comments in an interview that will be published in the November issue of Golf Magazine.
Woods' last major win was the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, and he has not won a tournament since his Orlando car accident in November 2009 and the ensuing sex scandal.

"Tiger, when he dominated, had a single-shot approach," Norman said. "It was only about the golf."

That's just not the case anymore, Norman said.

"Now there are so many distractions, and people are looking for things that are wrong with Tiger now, so he's got to deal with that on a day-to-day basis, like every other mortal has to do, right?" Norman continued.
"In our lives, in our business, we all have to be responsible for our actions. It's very hard for him to have that focus. And the more he shuts people off, the worse it gets."

Norman is one of the game's most popular and outspoken players. While many people in golf have been careful not to write off a slumping Woods — current world No. 1 Luke Donald issued a clarification after he was quoted as saying "the Tiger era is over" and Jack Nicklaus recently said Woods could still pass his record of 18 majors — Norman said Woods lacks the "street smartness" to recover his game and his life.

"He thinks everything's OK because his world is so cocooned," Norman said.

Prior to Woods's arrival on the pro scene in 1996, Norman, 56, was the game's biggest star. Woods, of course, eclipsed Norman and held the No. 1 ranking for a record 623 weeks before surrendering it last year. Woods also hired Norman's former caddie Steve Williams, who was with Woods for 13 years before being fired this year. After Woods let him go, Williams said that he "wasted two years of my life" standing by Woods during his scandals and injuries. Norman said that Williams' anger over the split points to "underlying issues" between Williams and Woods.

"I've known Stevie Williams since he was 15 years old," Norman said. "I know the DNA of the guy, how morally and ethically straight down the middle he is with things. I think there's more to it."

Norman advised his former caddie to hold his head high during Woods' scandals, something Woods has been unable to do, he added.

"Well, just look at his body language," Norman said of Woods. "He doesn't keep his head up anymore, he's got his eyes down, he's trying to keep his eyes away from the camera, right?

"It's like I said to Steve: 'Keep your head up, walk around proud of who you are,'" Norman continued. "Tiger can still play, and I think he'll win again. But he's not going to do what he did before."

No stranger to the gossip pages after his messy divorce with former stewardess Laura Andrassy and his brief marriage to tennis star Chris Evert, Norman said he thinks his experiences could help Woods.

"I'd love to talk to Tiger about it, guy to guy," Norman said. "The president of the United States [Bill Clinton], when he came to my house, wanted to talk to me guy to guy. We all put our underpants on the same way, one leg at a time. So we sit down and have a chat until two o'clock in the morning."

Norman said he hasn't spoken to Woods recently, but he will see Woods at the Presidents Cup in Australia this November. Norman is captain of the international team, and U.S. captain Fred Couples has said he will use a captain's pick on Woods.

FUNG, VAN DER WALK SHARE LEAD AT KUALA LUMPUR

ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Kuala Lumpur, September 22: Highly rated Nicholas Fung of Malaysia and Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk were the only players to break par with an opening round one-under-par 71 in tough scoring conditions at the PGM -MIDF-KLGCC Classic today.

The duo held a one stroke lead in over Japanese Yosuke Tsukada, who bogeyed the last two holes, and Artemio Murakami of the Philippines in the RM200,000 (approximately US$66,666) event which is the season-finale for this year’s Asian Development Tour (ADT).

Malaysians Rashid Ismail and Akhmal Tarmizee, who finished third on the ADT Order of Merit last year, and Marlon Dizon of the Philippines were tied in fifth place on 73 at the majestic Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Fung, who won two local titles this year, turned in 36 and carded a superb chip in on the par three 11th hole from 30 yards for his only birdie on the homeward nine.

“I’ve never played so well on this course before. It was an average day for me but I’m playing with a lot of confidence after winning two titles,” said the 21-year-old.

Van Der Valk, who finished second at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic on the Asian Tour two weeks ago, fired five birdies against two bogeys and one double bogey to tie for the lead.

“Apart from the double bogey, it was a solid round. If you hit good iron shots you will be able to get a good score here. I’ll take my score on this golf course,” said Van Der Valk, who is searching for his first ADT win.

Murakami, who won the 2007 Johor Open on the Asian Tour, has much to play for as he vies to break into the top three on the Order of Merit which affords the top trio Asian Tour cards for 2012.

He was three over after eight holes but battled back with four consecutive birdies starting from 18 before adding one birdie against two bogeys.

“I could have been a couple of under but made some mistakes out there. It was a really good fight back considering my slow start. I’m here to finish a job and I’ll have three more days to do it,” said the bubbly Filipino, currently fifth on the Order of Merit.

Tsukada, who held the first round lead at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic before finishing in tied 37th place, was two-under before three putting for bogeys on 17 and 18.

“It was a good round until the last two bogeys which was disappointing. I could have done better there. I need more consistency in my game,” said Tsukada, who is placed ninth on the Order of Merit.

Current Order of Merit leader Jonathan Moore of the United States shot a 74 to lie three shots off the lead.

Initiated by the Asian Tour, which is the official sanctioning body for professional tournament golf in Asia, the ADT was launched last year with the objective of creating a viable platform for young and aspiring professionals to hone their game and skills before joining the elite Asian Tour.

The PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Classic is the eighth and final leg this year which is three tournaments more than last year’s inaugural season.

Leading first round scores

Par 72

71 - Nicholas FUNG (MAS), Guido VAN DER VALK (HOL)

72 - Yosuke TSUKADA (JPN), Artemio MURAKAMI (PHI)

73 - Rashid ISMAIL (MAS), Akhmal TARMIZEE (MAS), Marlon DIZON (PHI)

74 - Takafumi KAWANE (JPN), Zurie HARUN (MAS), Jonathan MOORE (USA), Gerald ROSALES (PHI)

75 - S. Murthy (MAS), KAO Shang-hung (TPE), Cash LEE (MAS), Muhammad Al-Warith (MAS), R. Nachimuthu (MAS), Hilmi ABD. RAHMAN (MAS), Wittawat SAE-UNG (THA), Shaifubari MUDA (MAS), Matt JAGER (AUS), A. Sasar (MAS), Paul SAN (A) (MAS)