Monday, September 26, 2011

HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

NO JOY FOR ALVA AT FALKIRK TRYST

In the final of the Scottish Club Championship held at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club, the challenge of Alva Golf Club (Lawrence Allan, Steve McIvor, and Michael Robertson) did not materialise and they finished in tenth position out of the sixteen Area Club qualifiers.
With the best two scores from three to count in each round, Alva left themselves too much to do in the second round. Best in the morning round was Lawrence with a 68—one of only six sub-par scores from the field of 48.
Their score of 145 (Allan 68, Robertson 77) put them in eighth position.
In the increasingly rainy afternoon, their second round total was 151 (Allan 74, Robertson 77), giving them an aggregate score of 296, finishing tenth behind the winning team from Ballochmyle (Ayrshire).

2011 COUNTY BOYS GOLF LEAGUE.

The Clackamannan County Junior Golf League for 2011 has finished and holders Alva have retained their 2010 title. County Junior Convenor Sam Kinnaird commented “ In these difficult times for Junior Golf in Clackmannan County, the team of Alva boys have to be congratulated on a fine win this year. Most of the matches were played but unfortunately only four clubs participated and hopefully next year will see a return of the other two clubs to the competition”

FINAL RESULTS
1 Alva (5pts), 2 Braehead (4pts), 3 Alloa (3pts), 4 Tillicoultry (2pts).

CLACKMANNAN COUNTY LEAGUE

The Clackmannan County League in 2011 was well supported, with all six Clubs in Clackmannan County participating. County President George Kay congratulated Alloa Golf Club “ Over 50 golfers from the six Clubs took part in the Inter Club matches---Alloa had an emphatic win with three wins and two halves in their five matches. Hopefully some of these golfers will improve to feature in next years County teams, and we look forward to improved results”

FINAL RESULTS
1 Alloa (8pts), 2 Braehead (5pts), 3 Tulliallan (5pts), 4 Alva (4pts) 5 equal Dollar, Tillicoultry (2pts).

CALLUM IN ACTION

Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay missed last week's Challenge Tour, but is back on the circuit at La Gomera in the Canary Islands. He must be hoping for third time lucky after making two cuts and finishing fairly well up the field recently.

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WILTSHIRE BEAT SURREY 6-3 IN ENGLISH COUNTY CH/SHIP FINAL

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
A dream came true for the golfers and supporters of Wiltshire as the West Countrymen turned the tables to win the English men's county championship for the first time by beating Surrey 6-3 on a dramatic final afternoon at Ganton.
Having come close three times in the past four years, especially two years ago when they were pipped in the final game, Wiltshire put those disappointments behind them with a thrilling singles series in which they won five of the six games.
It was an emotional Wiltshire captain Kevin Phillips who said: “I’m over the moon. The boys did so well this afternoon. We’ve come so close in recent years, we’ve been getting closer and closer and now we’ve done it. It’s fantastic.
"The key this morning was Ben Loughrey’s putt on the 16th to get us a win in the foursomes. It kept us in it but I told the lads at lunch to just go out and do what you’ve been doing all week and they did.
“We’ve had 85 years of Wiltshire golf and we’ve made history today. I’m also so pleased for Ben Loughrey because two years ago when we were on the brink of winning his approach to the 18th went out of bounds. It’s just unbelievable.”
Surrey coach Hugh Marr was disappointed but declared: “We were outplayed this afternoon. When Wiltshire had to do something they did it. When we were in that position we didn’t.”
Having lost the foursomes 1-2 and just survived a whitewash thanks to Ben Loughrey and Tom Burley, Wiltshire still had a hill to climb in the singles but they handled it so well. Not only did they have to beat Surrey but they had to do so by one-and-a-half points, which they did.
Only Ali James was on the wrong end of a scoreline in the top game when he went down 5 and 3 to Walker Cup man Stiggy Hodgson. Otherwise it was Wiltshire all the way.
Perhaps the spirit within the Wiltshire team and their determination to put right what went wrong in previous years, was summed up when Ben Stow holed a birdie putt from 25 feet across the 18th green to beat Ben Rickett by 2 holes.
That result followed Josh Loughrey’s 3 and 2 win over Max Williams. That left the Southwest champions on the brink and Tom Burley and Ben Loughrey saw them home both by 2 and 1 over Warren Harmston and Josh White respectively.
The joy within the Wiltshire camp was unconfined and who could blame them after coming so close in previous years?
Defending champions Lancashire finished third after beating Warwickshire 5-4. Again the foursomes finished 2-1, this time to the northern region champions, but the singles was very much a nip-and-tuck affair.
Warwickshire won the top two games through Jamie Carney and Rob Browning but Paul Howard and Richard Blundell replied in their games to keep Lancashire a point ahead. The final two games both came to the 18th hole with each team in pole position. But that advantage was lost and each finished all square, leaving Lancashire claiming a narrow success and third place overall.
Results and more information about the Men's County Finals can be found on the Championship section of the EGU website

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DUFF HOUSE ROYAL INTER-CLUB FINALS SCOREBOARD

Abercromby Cup Final
Elgin 2, McDonald Ellon 6
S Milne bt R Yule
F Baillie lost to M Stewart
S Milne lost to J Godward
K Taylor lost to E Keith
D Ramsay halved with M Paterson
N McWilliam lost to K Duncan
J Milne halved with C Gilbert
M Ross lost to A Dunton

Felicity Trophy
Alford 6, Buckpool 2
R Gordon lost to J Scott
P McKenna lost to J Robertson
R Gordon bt M Ewen
C Coutts bt S Stewart
A Lamb bt K Turner
D Smith bt K Campbell
M Reid bt K Wilson
C Lobban bt B Palmer

Robertson Cup Final
Inverurie 3.5, McDonald Ellon 4.5
Y Carrol bt H Cooper
H Jamieson lost to S Reid
L Hay lost to M Roger
B Anderson lost to A Thomson
E Keith bt S Low
F McPherson lost to O Borwick
K Ross halved with N Fraser
J Henderson bt A Bowman

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MARTIN LAWRENCE'S DEBUT WIN IN SANDY PIPEY YOUNG MASTERS

Winner Martin Lawrence flanked by (left) Hamish Macrae, the Royal Dornoch club captain, and (right) Andrew Crerar (Panmure), the PGA Scottish region captain. Image by courtesy of Robin Wilson, Brora.
                 
 
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com 
No matter what he may go on to achieve in his chosen career as a PGA professional, Martin Lawrence will never forget today. The 24-year-old Newmachar assistant professional, in his first-ever assistants' golf tournament, won the new Sandy Pipey Young Masters – and he did it over 36 holes of the world-ranked links at Royal Dornoch Golf Club.
"Martin only entered the event last week," said Scottish PGA Tournament Director Roy Murray, "so it was definitely a late decision that paid off."
Lawrence, who hails from Kintore in Aberdeenshire, turned pro two years ago and has gained tournament experience on the PGA EuroPro Tour. Over the last month his game has started to fall into place and he finished first and second in two North-east Alliance competitions.
He has has just returned from The Belfry after his PGA introduction towards becoming a qualified professional.
Lawrence led overnight as the only man to match the par of 70 on Sunday and there were no visible sign of nerves as he continued to lead the field down the home straight. There was still a wind around for the second day to make the Royal Dornoch links a test for the best.
But Martin not only retained the lead, he doubled it to a two-stroke margin with a 72 for a two-over-par total of 142 to collect the new Sandy Pipey Trophy, in memory of a local caddie who died earlier this year. Alongwith the trophy he received a cheque for £800, his biggest pay-day so par as a professional.
Lawrence birdied the eighth, long ninth, long 12th, short 13th and 17th but had a double bogey 6 at the 16th and dropped other shots at the short 10th, 14th and 18th.
But there was never any real threat from behind. Runner-up Mark Kerr (Murrayfield) was having problems of his own in handling Royal Dornoch. He had a double bogey 6 at the seventh and bogeys at the 14th and 18th with only one birdie, at the long ninth, to offset the damage as he returned a three-over 73 for 144 which earned Kerr £700.
Third-placed finisher Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) was the only man to break par over the two rounds. He scored 76 and 69 for 146, birdiieng the seventh, short 13th and 14th  and limiting his bogeys to the fourth and eighth. Malcolm earned £600.
Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), who finished joint eighth on 140 (74-076) and earned £226, won the PGA Scottish Region Assistants Order of Merit. That will enable him to get into most Tartan Tour events next season.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 140 (2x70). Yardage 6697.
142 Martin Lawrence (Newmachar) 70 70 (£800).
144 Mark Kerr (Murrayfield) 71 73 (£700).
145 Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 76 69 (£600).
147 Malcolm Murray (Bearsden) 73 74 (£500).
149 Graeme Nethercott (Deeside) 77 72, Ross McConnachie (Peterculter) 74 75, Graham Forbes (Gourock) 71 78 (£350 each).
150 Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links) 76 74,Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 74 76, Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm) 74 76, Graeme Brown (Montrose) 74 76, Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club) 71 79 (£226 each).
151 Nikki Christie (Carnoustie Golf Links) 72 79 (£160).
153 Sean Thompson (Renaissance Club) 79 74, Scott Herald (Adam Hunter Golf) 75 78, Gordon Hillson (Dunbar) 73 80 (£120 each).
154 Cameron Tortolano (Stirling) 80 74, Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle) 80 74 (£85 each).
155 Andrew Rollo (Moray) 78 77, Chris Brown (Kemnay) 76 79 (£67.50 each).
156 Shaun Clark (Elie Sports Centre) 81 75, Christopher McMaster (Panmure) 81 75, Ryan Stirling (Lanark) 78 78 (£55 each).
157 Daniel Wood (Eyemouth) 82 75, Joseph McBrearty (Haggs Castle) 79 78, Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club) 77 80, Sean Bissett (Renaissance Club) 76 81, Sven Nielsen (Turnberry Hotel) 76 81, Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride) 76 81 (£14 each).

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            EARLY 2012 SEASON DATES AND VENUES

JANUARY
5‐8 Africa Open East London GC, East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa
12‐15 Joburg Open Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, South Africa
19‐22 Volvo Golf Champions TBA
26‐29 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE
FEBRUARY
2‐5 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
9‐12 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
16‐19 Avantha Masters DLF G&CC, New Delhi, India
22‐26 WGC ‐ Accenture Match Play Championship Ritz‐Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona, USA
MARCH
8‐11 WGC ‐ Cadillac Championship Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Doral, Florida, USA
15‐18 Open de Andalucia de Golf TBA
22‐25 Trophée Hassan II Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco
29‐1 Apr Sicilian Open Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily, Italy
APRIL
5‐8 MASTERS TOURNAMENT Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA
12‐15 Maybank Malaysian Open TBA
19‐22 Volvo China Open Binhai Lake GC, Tianjin, China
26‐29 Ballantine's Championship Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, South Korea
MAY

3‐6 Open de España Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
10‐13 TBC TBC
17‐20 Volvo World Match Play Championship Finca Cortesin, Casares, Andalucia, Spain
17‐20 Madeira Islands Open Santo da Serra, Madeira, Portugal
24‐27 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Wentworth Club, Surrey, England
JUNE
May 31‐3 The Celtic Manor Wales Open The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales
6‐9 Nordea Masters Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden
14‐17 US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Olympic Club, San Francisco, USA
14‐17 SAINT‐OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France

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BLAIRGOWRIE BOYS WIN PERTH AND KINROSS JUNIORS LEAGUE

Pictured are the Blairgowrie team who have won the Perth and Kinross Junior Scratch League  for the third year in a row.
They beat Strathmore 4-1 over the Centenary course at Gleneagles.
from right to left:
Craig Robertson Fergus Sandison, Connor Neil (captain), Robert Willimars and Bradley Neil.
The Perth and Kinloss Junior Scratch League starts off with two sections of five teams. The top two teams in both sections qualify for the semi-finals, the winners playing the runners-up.
Blairgowrie Won the Perth & Kinross Junior SL, which started off in two sections, each section having 5 teams, with the top team playing the second team in the other section and vice versa two teams played.
Blairgowrie finished second in their section but beat Crieff in their semi-final  while Strathmore beat Kinross in the other.
Connor won 5 and 3 Bradley won 6 and 5, Robert was beaten 4 and 3, Craig won 6 and 4, and Fergus won 6 and 5.

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SPENCE TROPHY SEMI-FINALS AT PETERCULTER ON OCTOBER 9

FROM GORDON MURRAYSpence Trophy Qualifying at Peterculter GC
Qualifiers
Andrew Carrell (Peterculter) 72-70=142
Jamie Pryde (Deeside) 78-72=150
Robbie Murdoch (Portlethen) 78-73=151
Ross Anderson (Stonehaven) 77-76=153
Liam Allan (Banchory) 74-83=157
*Jamie Pryde not available for the semi-finals, therefore Liam Allan will be the fourth qualifier for the Spence Trophy match-play competition.
Semi-finals on Sunday, October 9 at 9am  at Peterculter GC
Andrew Carrell v. Liam Allan
Robbie Murdoch v. Ross Anderson
Final and third place play-off at 13.30hrs

Other scores:-
Greg Morrison (Northern) 80-78 158, Evan Robertson(Inchmarlo) 75-84 159, Callum Dunbar(Caledonian) 81-79 160, Gavin Kinnear (Murcar Links) 87-79 166, Declan Addison (Peterhead) 85-78 163, Scott Melville (Hazlehead) 81-87 168, Duncan McKenzie (Kemnay) 86-83 169, Anthony Harkin (Auchmill) 85-84 169, Matthew Royce (Oldmeldrum) 90-82 172, Matthew Patterson (Inverallochy) 91-86 177, Ellis Roberts (Cruden Bay) 87-94 181, Cameron Gunn (Banchory) NR-NR, Stephen Bennett (Nigg Bay) 83-NR

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HOLLYWOOD STARS FLY IN FOR ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CH/SHIP

NEWS RELEASE
Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia join a world-class field of professionals, led by three of this year’s major championship winners, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Charl Schwartzel, for this week’s prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Michael Douglas has starrd in a succession of blockbuster films including Romancing the Stone, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Disclosure and Traffic.  He has won three Golden Globes and two Oscars, first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and then as Best Actor in 1987 for his role as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. 
He said: "I am delighted to be coming back to St Andrews to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It's been a few years since I played! I love the place and the atmosphere and I have missed it a lot. It has been an eventful time for me recently, but I am feeling good and I am looking forward to an excellent week on some of the greatest links courses in the world."
Andy Garcia has appeared in many successful films, including TheUntouchables, The Godfather III, Internal Affairs, Hero and When a Man Loves a Woman. One of his most popular performances came as a Las Vegas casino owner in Ocean’s Eleven.
Other celebrities from the world of entertainment include film and TV stars Hugh Grant and John O’Hurley, plus rock music legends Don Felder of the Eagles, Huey Lewis and Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres, plus popular radio presenter Chris Evans.
A quartet of Britain’s sporting knights – Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Matthew Pinsent and Sir Steve Redgrave - lead a locker room full of sporting heroes, including Dutch football legends Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit, former England player Jamie Redknapp and Scottish defender Alan Hansen.
A strongteam of cricketers will be teeing up for the Championship, which starts on Thursday. In addition to Sir Ian Botham, there will be current England captain Andrew Strauss and former captain Michael Vaughan, top players Allan Lamb and Mark Nicholas, plus Steve Waugh and Shane Warne of Australia.

The immensely popular former British tennis No 1 Tim Henman will be back, along with rugby giants Morné du Ple ssis and Hugo Porta, Austrian downhill ski legend Franz Klammer and ten-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater.
 The amateurs will be playing in one of the strongest fields ever assembled for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. In addition to Darren Clarke, who won an emotional Open Championship at the age of 42 in July, fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, runaway winner of the US Open, and US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel from South Africa, the line-up includes current world No 1 and No 2, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, world No 6 Dustin Johnson 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.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which celebrates links golf at its finest, is played over three of the world’s best known and respected links courses – the Old Course at St Andrews, the Championship Course at Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links. 
With a prize fund of US$5 million, the championship incorporates two separate competitions - an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and a team event in which the professionals are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers which creates a unique atmosphere.
Entrance to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will be FREE at all three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A ticket price of £15 (concessionary £10) will be charged for the final day’s play over the Old Course on Sunday, October 2.  Entry for under 16s and students is free.
Tickets are available through the ticket hotline on 0870 010 9021 or at the entrance gates. 

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LACAVA LEAVES DUSTIN JOHNSON TO CADDIE FOR TIGER WOODS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
ATLANTA (AP) — Tiger Woods has hired Joe LaCava to be his third full-time caddie.
LaCava decided to leave Dustin Johnson, one of the most talented young Americans, to go to work for the former world No. 1 who hasn't won in the last two years.
"Joe LaCava is an outstanding caddie and I have known him since I was an amateur, really looking forward to having him on the bag," Woods posted on his Twitter account on Sunday night.
David Winkle, Johnson's agent at Hambric Sports Management, also confirmed LaCava was going to work for Woods and a search for a new caddie would begin immediately.
"Needless to say, Dustin and I were completely surprised, as they have enjoyed a great relationship and have been very successful together," Winkle said. "Nonetheless, we think highly of Joe, both as a caddie and a person, which is why he was hired in the first place. We wish him nothing but the best with his new employer."
LaCava was the long-time caddie for Fred Couples, a relationship that ended in the summer because Johnson was looking for a caddie and Couples' playing schedule was being reduced because of his health.
Swing coach Butch Harmon recommended LaCava to Johnson, and said Sunday night he was "shocked" by the change.
"The thing that bothered me the most was T.W. not calling Dustin and asking if he could talk to Joe," said Harmon, who used to work with Woods. "That's the way it's done. I'm a little disappointed with the way Tiger handled it. But I'm not surprised."
Woods fired Steve Williams after nearly 13 years this summer after Williams worked for Adam Scott while Woods was recovering from a knee injury.
A person familiar with the deal said LaCava informed Johnson of his decision after the final round of the Tour Championship. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither Woods nor Johnson had spoken publicly about the hire.
LaCava was flying home and could not be immediately reached. Johnson left for a corporate photo shoot in Georgia, then was headed for Scotland for the Dunhill Links Championship.
LaCava waited for Johnson at his courtesy car to load up his clubs, and their farewell in the parking lot was routine. Johnson had planned to take a couple of friends to Scotland to caddie for him and his brother, Austin, his amateur partner.
Johnson won The Barclays last month with LaCava on the bag, and the news was a surprise. However, LaCava has two children, ages 12 and 14, and as long as he has been a caddie, wants to be spending more time at home. Johnson also is leaning toward taking up European Tour membership next year, which would mean about four additional tournaments overseas.
Woods, even when fully healthy, plays a limited schedule.
The question is whether Woods can make this a profitable move for LaCava. Woods hasn't won in more than two years on the US PGA Tour, and he did not qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs this year, mainly because he missed nearly four months with an injury.
Woods has said his left leg is stronger than it has been in years. Woods next plays at the Frys.com Open in two weeks at CordeValle, about an hour south of San Francisco. Woods also is playing the Australian Open and the Presidents Cup, a competition that will feature all of his caddies - Mike Cowan (now with Jim Furyk) and Williams, who works for Scott.

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DOUBLE-EAGLE HENRY JOINT FOURTH IN SPAIN AT WEEKEND

Scott Henry shot a final round of seven-under-par 65 to finished joint fourth in the Peugeot Tour de Lerma tournament in Spain at the weekend.
The former Scottish boys' champion and men's stroke-play champion, pictured, had a remarkable start and finish to his final round.
He had an eagle 3 at the 611yd opening hole and an eagle 2 at the 18th hole (334yd) which he probably drove. He had five birdies (fourth, seventh, 11th, 13th and 14th), and two bogeys, third and short 15th.
The Cardross man's earlier rounds were 70 and 68. His final total was 13-under-par 203.
But the standard of scoring on the Peugeot/Alps Tour is very high and Henry finished five shots behind the winner, Spain's Santiago Luna who scored 68, 64 and 66 for 18-under-par 198 and a two shot win from compatriots Jorge San Sebastian, who had a final round of 63, and Eduardo de la Riva who closed with a 65.
It was the 48-year-old Luna's first win anywhere for five years.
Ulsterman Gareth Shaw tied for 11th place on 206 with rounds of 70, 70 and 66.
Irishman Brendan McCarroll finished joint 20th on 208 with scores of 75, 65 and 68. Also on 208 was Englishman Jordan Gibb (70-69-69).
Englishman Darren Wright finished joint 31st with scores of 73, 66 and 71 for 210.
Scott Henry maintains fourth place on the Alps Tour Order of Merit with winnings of 19,995 Euros. First is England's Chris Paisley (28,208), 2nd, another Englishman, Jason Barnes (27,230) and third Italian Marco Crespi (24,189).
If he can stay in the top six at the end of the two concluding tournaments on the 2011 Alps Tour, Henry will automatically gain a place on next year's Challenge Tour.
Scott has been able to skip Stage 1 and gone straight through to Stage 2 of the European Tour Q School at four venues in Spain in early December through his high Order of Merit standing on the Alps Tour.
He won an event, the Gosser Open, in May.

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TED POTTER WINS NATIONWIDE TOUR EVENT AFTER PLAY-OFF

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Joe Chemycz, Nationwide Tour staff
SAN JACINTO, California -- Lefty Ted Potter junior tapped in for birdie on the second play-off hole to win the Soboba Golf Classic on Sunday. Potter defeated US PGA Tour rookie Andres Gonzales and Miguel Carballo to become the third two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour this year.
The victory was worth $135,000 and moved the 27-year old to No. 3 on the money list with only five events left on the schedule.
Potter, winner of the South Georgia Classic in May, and increased his season total to $362,452 and assured himself of a trip to the Tour in 2012. The 25 leading money winners at the end of the season will earn Tour cards for next year.
The trio tied at 14-under 270 at the end of regulation and were forced into the first playoff in the tournament's three-year history.
Gonzales birdied his final two holes in regulation for a 7-under 64 and posted the first 14-under score at The Country Club of Soboba Springs.
Carballo followed suit in the next group, closing with consecutive birdies for a 6-under 65 and a share of the clubhouse lead.
Potter, playing in the final group with third-round leader Jonas Blixt, also birdied the 18th hole for a 66 to make it a three-man overtime session and just the second playoff on Tour this year. Potter had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 12-foot eagle putt.
Blixt, who started the day at 11-under with a two-stroke lead, gave three strokes away midway on the back nine to fall out of contention. The former Florida State All-America recovered with a birdie on the final hole for a 1-under 70 and a share of fourth place at 12-under 272 with Australia's Jarrod Lyle (67).
Both Potter and Gonzales birdied the hole again the first time around in the play-off but Carballo was eliminated when his second shot went over the green and he failed to get up and down from about 100 feet.
"The wind changed a little bit," said Carballo, who used an 8-iron in regulation but opted for a 6-iron for his second shot in the playoff. "I just didn't want to leave it short."
The 32-year old from Argentina missed a 15-foot birdie putt. Potter two-putted from about 35 feet for birdie and Gonzales saw his eagle chip come up inches short, send the two back to the tee at the 521-yard, dogleg right closing hole.
On the second extra hole, Gonzales missed the fairway to the left and wound up in a back bunker about 60 feet from the cup. Potter's tee shot wound up in the left side of the fairway and he stuffed a 7-iron to about 15 feet for eagle.
"I hit a decent bunker shot and the green was running away," said Gonzales. "I didn't want to leave it on top of the ridge. Once it got going down the ridge I knew it wasn't going to stop. I needed to give it a chance."
Potter missed his eagle putt, then Gonzales missed for birdie, leaving Potter a short tap-in for the win.
"I wasn't trying to lag it down there, I was trying to make three," said Potter, who birdied the hole three times in less than an hour. "I thought it was going to take three to win it but fortunately I made four and it was enough."
Fourth-Round Notes
• Ted Potter tied for first in greens in regulation this week, hitting 53 of 72 for a 73.61 percentage. He also hit the green in both playoff holes. Potter ranks No. 6 on Tour in the GIR category (74.87%).
• Leading money-winner J.J. Killeen shot a final-round 69 and finished T10. Killeen, a native of the San Diego area, earned $20,250 this week and pushed his season total to $407,554 to become just the 14th player in Nationwide Tour history to go over the $400,000 mark in a single year. His total ranks him 13th-best on the all-time list but there are still five events left on the schedule.
• John Mallinger celebrated his 32nd birthday Sunday with a 4-under 67 and a T6 effort, his fourth straight top-10. The Long Beach, CA, resident has finished T3, 2, 2 and now T6 in his last four starts. He is No. 10 on the money list with $212,331. The Tour record for most consecutive top-10 finishes is 6 by Doug Martin in 1993.
• Lefty Tim Wilkinson had only 96 putts in four days, one shy of the Tour's all-time record for fewest putts in 72 holes. Wilkinson started with 24 putts Thursday, and then had 24, 22 and 26 the next three rounds. Grant Waite holds the Tour mark with 95 putts at the 2003 Miccosukee Championship. Earlier this year, Steve Wheatcroft needed only 96 putts at the Melwood Prince George's County Open, which he won by a Tour-record 12 strokes. Wilkinson finished 63rdout of 64 players in Greens in Regulation (35 of 72/48.6%).
• Former Florida standout Matt Every pushed his way into the top-25 with a T6 effort. Every jumped nine spots to No. 20.
• A 15-foot birdie putt at the 72ndhole also gave former Florida State star Jonas Blixt a boost. The native of Sweden earned enough to jump from No. 10 to No. 6 in the standings.
• At this same point a year ago, there were 17 players over the $200,000 mark and eight above the $300,000 mark. Currently, only 11 players have earned more than $200,000 this season and just three have topped the $300,000 total.
• Former University of Georgia standouts Russell Henley and Harris English made their first professional starts this week. Henley finished at 3-under and T31, while English was 1-under and T49.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS IN THE NATIONWIDE TOUR EVENT

CLICK HERE

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BILL HAAS SCOOPS $11.44million JACKPOT IN PLAY-OFF CLIMAX

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
By Cameron Morfit, Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine
This will be remembered as the year the FedEx Cup came into its own, into all of the glorious, nonsensical weirdness we could have hoped for when a bunch of math geeks were sent into a room, a little over five years ago, and told to come out with great theatre.
The Tour Championship and FedEx Cup have always played out simultaneously, but it wasn't until Sunday that we realised just what we've created: a mad dash to the finish that is equal parts Powerball (utterly and deliciously random), game show, reality show (think "Big Break" on steroids) and traditional, four-round, medal-play golf tournament.
Bill Haas, who at 25th in the FedEx Cup standings thought he was too far back to have a chance at the $10 million first prize, won a wild, three-hole playoff with Hunter Mahan to rake in $11.44 million, golf's biggest payday of the year — by a mile.
At the end of a desperate and confusing day, not even Haas knew what he'd done, as evidenced by his first question to NBC's Jimmy Roberts before the trophy ceremony: "Who won the FedEx Cup?"
The US PGA Tour, finally, may have won. The Tour wanted all 30 players at the Tour Championship to have a chance at winning the $10 million FedEx bonanza, and the Tour tweaked the maths until it got exactly that Sunday. Mahan was 21st in the standings and Haas was 25th, but they were playing for both the tournament and the Cup when four of the top five in FedEx Cup points failed to contend at East Lake. (Plucky, human-ATM Luke Donald tied for third place, to no one's surprise.)
Haas scrambled out of trouble on the first two play-off holes, including a recovery shot from the edge of a water hazard on the par-4 17th , where about a quarter of his golf ball was submerged. He opened up a sand wedge, blasted out to three feet and made the putt for par. It was the shot of the tournament, if not the year, during an afternoon that was again dominated by mathematical projections and general bewilderment.
The MacArthur Foundation last week selected 22 recipients for "genius awards" for achievements in the arts and sciences, but even a genius would have balked at calculating the combinations and permutations in play at East Lake, where everyone, it seemed, had a shot at $10 million.
"There's a lot of scenarios," NBC's Johnny Miller said. "You've got to graduate from MIT to figure it out."
Neither Haas nor Mahan had won a tournament in 2011. So how could the FedEx Cup, which rewards a player's "body of work" over the entire season, come down to those two? It didn't matter; the Cup becomes enjoyable the moment you stop trying to figure it out.
Forget "These Guys Are Good." The mantra to remember in the FedEx Cup playoffs is "Just Go With It."
"The most exciting FedEx Cup finish we've had," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, to no argument.
Haas won the whole shebang with his brother on his bag and his father, Champions Tour pro Jay, and mother following the action on foot. He also hit what may go down as the shot of the year, given everything that was on the line. (Haas, of course, was also playing to earn a Presidents Cup wild-card pick.) On the second playoff hole Haas lost his drive right, into a fairway bunker.
His approach looked terrific until it bounded over the green and into the water hazard left of the green. He looked finished when Mahan, who had hit the fairway, knocked his approach to about 25 feet behind the pin. Haas walked to his ball and found that it wasn't entirely submerged, so he splashed his third shot up and out of the hazard. He tapped in to push the playoff back to the 235-yard, par-3 18th, where he won with a par.
"I got an unbelievably fortunate break," Haas said. "It's basically just a bunker down there in the [shallow] water."
Donald (69), K.J. Choi and Aaron Baddeley finished at seven under, a shot back, with Donald making a clutch birdie on 18 that he thought might have been enough to take home the $10 million. He will have to settle for another top 10, padding his lead atop the World Ranking, and a finish that might remain in voters' minds when it comes time to choose the player of the year.
Haas improved to 1-2 in playoffs after losses at the Bob Hope and the Greenbrier earlier this season, and he becomes a top candidate to be a captain's pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup team. Captain Fred Couples will announce his wild-card picks Tuesday, and he's already said that one will go to Tiger Woods.
The choice will likely come down to Haas, whose father is an assistant captain for the U.S., or Keegan Bradley, the winner of two tournaments this year, including the PGA.
Mahan had lobbied for Bradley, but that was before Sunday. Steve Stricker, who had a cortisone shot in his neck before the Tour Championship and who has complained of weakness in his left arm, could bow out of the Presidents Cup, which would allow Couples to pick both Bradley and Haas.
Third-round leader Aaron Baddeley, who was playing to impress Presidents Cup captain Greg Norman and had made everything in sight through 54 holes, fell back with a final-round 72. Still, his showing is likely to be enough to get the nod from Norman, a fellow Australian.
The way things fell for him Sunday, it's hard to imagine Haas not wearing the red, white and blue at Royal Melbourne in November, but even if by some strange twist of fate he isn't picked, he'll have won a whale of a consolation prize, or two prizes, worth more collectively than his dad's career earnings.
That's the FedEx Cup. Just go with it.

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