POULTER SAYS MOVING HOUSE IS REASON FOR HIS POOR FORM

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By OLIVER BROWN, Shanghai
Ian Poulter, racked with self-reproach after a miserably anonymous season, has blamed his “terrible” form on the fact that he has been moving house.
The 35 year-old, who has not featured in the top 25 at any of the year’s four majors, claimed that the pressures of relocating at his exclusive gated enclave of Lake Nona, in Orlando, had become all-consuming.
Poulter secured a place at this week’s HSBC Champions in Shanghai on the strength of his victory at the Volvo World Matchplay in May, when he beat Luke Donald in the final. But he reflected here on the stress that has disfigured the rest of his campaign.
“There’s no getting away from it, I’ve played terribly,” he said. “It has all been way too much. I’ve had too much going on in my mind. So, I need to get rid of all that ---- and concentrate on playing golf again.
“I have been building a house and I won’t be moving in until March. It’s my house, and whether it’s a plug socket or the smallest furnishing, I have to make the final decisions. It’s my house — I don’t want someone else to choose something for it.
"That’s a time-consuming project and it eats away at time when I could be doing other stuff.
“It has been very stressful. It has cost twice as much and taken twice as long as I thought. It becomes expensive, not only on your house but also on your time.
Asked how much he believed he had spent on the property, Poulter, who has admitted previously to obsessive-compulsive tendencies, replied: “I’m not telling.”
Refusing to dwell upon his Matchplay win as a highlight, he said: “I’ve done nothing else apart from that, have I? But I’m a decent player. Every event that I play from now until the end of the year is serious.”
One player in a more restful mood on Tuesday was Rory McIlroy, who arrived at Sheshan International £1.25 million richer following his triumph at last week’s Shanghai Masters.
Rumours of a rift with Chubby Chandler, with whom he abruptly parted company last month, receded as the Northern Irishman was seen talking with his former manager on the practice range.

BIG-TIME OPPORTUNITY KNOX FOR RUSSELL IN 2012

     RUSSELL KNOX, not as long as Martin Laird off the tee but straight hitting has been the key to the Inverness man's success as a professional.                    

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Move over, Martin Laird! There will be another Scot on the US PGA Tour next year.

Inverness-born Russell Knox, a resident of Florida's Jacksonville Beach since his four years at Jacksonvill University, on Sunday clinched promotion to the Big League by finishing 12th with earnings of $242,82 from 20 events on the US Nationwide Tour.

The top 25 go up en bloc to the US PGA Tour and Knox's elevation to the top grade has really not been in doubt since he won the Chiquita Classic at Rivers Bend, Cincinnati after coming through a Monday qualifier in April to get a place in a Nationwide Tour event and then finishing second, winning enough prizemoney to gain a regular place on America's No 2 pro tour.

In all Knox, who is 26, had three top 10 and five top-20 finishes in 2011.

The Scot turned pro in 2007 after four successful years on the US college golf circuit. Martin Laird did likewise as a student at Colorado State University and Laird, too, jumped up to the US Tour from the Nationwide Tour.

Prior to his breakthrough into the Nationwide circuit this year, Knox had toughened up as a competitor on the NGA Hooters Tour where you have to score low to survive. Knox served his pro "apprenticeship" on that satellite circuit and was one of its leading money winners over three or four years.

His ambition was always to make it up to the US PGA Tour but he failed every year to gain pass marks at the Qualifying School.

The only other route to the Big League was through the Nationwide Tour and, having got his foot in the door as a Monday qualifier in April, Knox was not going to let the opportunity pass him by.

Putting up his feet up back home at Jacksonville Beach since his return from the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island, Charleston, South Carolina, Knox said:

"It's been a great year for me. I still can't believe that I have a 2012 US PGA Tour card.

"It's been a long year and I'm very glad it's over and now I can rest up a little."

Although he's known for some time that he was bound to finish in the top 25 of the Nationwide Tour, it's only now that Knox is letting his thoughts stray to ponder how his golfing life will change when he, ranked No 300 in the world,  mixes it with Luke Donald and Co  

"I will try to qualify for the Open. It would be a dream come true to play at Royal Lytham and also the Scottish Open. I tried to get an invitation to play in the Scottish Open this year at Castle Stuart because it's not all that far away from my family home but I was knocked back. Maybe that will change in 2012 when I will be on the US Tour."

Not particularly long off the tee - average drive 288.4yd this year compared with Martin Laird's 303yd - Knox does not miss many fairways. He was fourth in the Nationwide Tour stats for driving accuracy and eighth for hitting greens in regulation.

Straight hitting like that has been the secret of his success on the Hooters Tour and now the Nationwide Tour. It should stand him in good stead against the "Big Boys" of US pro golf next year.

"I have worked hard on all aspects of my game including the mental part. I feel that really has helped me to stay positive even when things have been  going badly.

"I have met Martin Laird once when I played in the Transitions Championship earlier this year in Tampa. We spoke for a few minutes and I look forward to getting to know him better next year. 

"I can't wait to play on the US PGA Tour. Can't wait to get paired with a big name and see how my game matches up. Should be fun."
It should certainly be fun for Knox if he can do even half as well as Martin Laird has done since his Nationwide Tour promotion. Laird finished 23rd on ths US Tour money table with £2,676,509.
+Sadly, as one Scot moves up from the Nationwide Tour to the US PGA Tour, another drops down. Aberdeen-born Michael Sim, reared in Australia from the age of seven and the No 1 world ranked amateur before he turned pro and finished No 1 in the Nationwide Tour in 2009, finished 235th in this year's US Tour's money list with earnings of only $47,403. He made only five cuts in 19 events. In 2010, Sim earned $1,338,926 and finished 45th on the US Tour money table. But he has been injury plagued over the past two or three years. 

 

MIKE SANGSTER WINS NORTH ALLIANCE AT THURSO

By ROBIN WILSON
Held over by two weeks to allow the Thurso golf course to dry out from heavy October rains, the North Golf Alliance fixture was played on Sunday and it gave the opportunity for Tain's Mike Sangster to make amends for losing out on a second place at Durness and register a winning scratch place at Thurso.
In the first fixture of the new season at Durness, Sangster lost out on second scratch after a countback with his clubmate, Munro Ferries, but gained some consolation from winning the low handicap section with net 69.
At Thurso he enjoyed a three-shot scratch win while the home club favourites were still recovering from their previous evening's attendance at their club's annual presentation of trophies function.
Against the Thurso par of 35 the Tain three-handicapper went out in a two- over score of 37 but on the return leg to the clubhouse he got back to level par with two birdies in a run of four holes from the 12th to the 14th. His one scary moment came at the 16th hole where he missed his tee shot but scraped a bogey 5 to bring his inward card back to 33 for the winning one-over -par score of 70.
Local member Bryan Ronald, the season's first winner at Durness, finished with 73 to get a second place and the home members failed to achieve higher than a third place in either of the two handicap sections.
Raymond Lockie completed a Tain double with the winning handicap card in the Class 1 section, his net 69, off nine, two ahead of the first Caithness golfer to register a prize winning score, Wick's John Hunter, a fine gross 75 which earned him a net 71 and second handicap.
Other Ross-shire scores included a gross 78 from Billy Ferries and a 79 from Invergordon's John MacIvor which reduced to net 73 for third place in Class 1.
Durness members carried over their home dominance of the Class 2 handicap section with three of their home winners once more prominent. John Mackenzie and Gerald Klein each moved up a place, Mackenzie matching the net par of 69 and Klein in second place one behind.
The only local member with a handicap prizewinning card was Stanley Ross whose inward count beat Durness's David Corbett for third place.
Brora Golf Club hosts the Alliance fixture this weekend and on Saturday hand over the course to pals of the late Donald Mackay who run a competition every year in his memory and at the same time raise funds for the local surgery heart-start equipment fund.
The former Brora Rangers and Ross County midfield general died suddenly in January 2004 and all former footballing friends and colleagues are welcome to play. It is a 15-hole Saturday morning sweepstake competition with the small entry fee of £7.50. A starting time can be booked with the Brora Secretary at 01408 621409.

Thurso Results
Scratch
M Sangster (Tain) 70. B Ronald (Thurso) 73.
Handicap
Class 1 – R Lockie (Tain) (9) 69; J Hunter (Wick) (4) 71; J MacIvor (Invergordon) (6) 73; W Mowat (Reay) (6) 74.
Class 2 – J MacKenzie (Durness) (16) 69; G Klein (Durness) (20) 70; S Ross (Thurso) (13), D Corbett (Durness) (15) 72.

Brora Junior Section Prizewinners
A match was played last Sunday between the adult and the junior sections which resulted in a win for the juniors. This was followed by the Junior Section prizegiving for the season. Club president Alistair Risk presented the prizes and then spoke highly of the voluntary assistance given to the junior section by John and Lesley Beaney, club professional Brian Anderson and all the members who turned out on coaching and competition nights.
The principal winners for 2011 were.
JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPION (Scratch) Iain Stewart
JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPION (Handicap) Michael MacLean
JUNIOR STABLEFORD WINNER Kyle Sutherland
JUNIOR FOURSOMES WINNERS Michael Maclean and James Ross
ECLECTIC Competition Michael Maclean
JUNIOR BOY OR GIRL OF THE YEAR (over twelve and under eighteen) IAIN STEWART
CLUB CHAMPION FOR 9 HOLES (blue tees) JAMES GRIFFITHS
ECLECTIC WINNER (9 holes blue tees) JAMES GRIFFITHS
JUNIOR BOY OR GIRL OF THE YEAR (under twelve) CAMPBELL ROSS

A special award was given this year for the first time to the Boy and Girl who
had attended the Friday golf regularly, shown good behaviour and worked hard at improving
their golf.

JUNIOR BOY (Friday section) GEORGE MACKENZIE
JUNIOR GIRL (Friday section) SAMANTHA DAVIES

Iain Stewart was congratulated for his many achievements through the year in senior and junior competitions. He was also chosen to represent the North District Boys Association at under 16 and 18 level and played a prominent part in the club's team which reached the final of the Northern Counties Cup at Moray Golf Clubin September.
Michael Maclean and Kyle Sutherland also had many successes at both junior and senior level reduced their handicaps to single figures this season.

CRAIG LEE AFTER THE ICING ON THE END-OF-SEASON CAKE

CHALLENGE TOUR PREVIEW ... FROM PAUL SYMES
European Tour Press Officer

Scotland's Craig Lee is hoping to add a gloss finish to his superb season with a maiden Challenge Tour victory at this week’s Apulia San Domenico Grand Final.
The Stirling star, whose 23 appearances this year is the joint highest of any player on the Challenge Tour, has targeted the €56,650 winner’s cheque as the perfect sign-off to an impressively consistent campaign which has yielded four top ten finishes – including a tied second at the dual ranking SAINT-OMER Open presented by Neuflize OBC in June.
That proved the catalyst for his climb to 12^th place in the Rankings, and whilst Lee is still in with a mathematical chance of topping the Challenge Rankings, should he win and current Number One Sam Little finish in 45^th and last place, the main goal at San Domenico Golf – where he is making his debut appearance – is to rise two places into the top ten and increase his playing opportunities on The European Tour next term.
He said: “Finishing in the top ten of the Rankings would put the icing on what has been a very good year for me. I’d be absolutely delighted with that if somebody offered it to me now, although the goal – as with every week – is obviously to try to win the tournament.
“It’s a massive tournament, but I’ll not be approaching it any differently. I tried to change a couple of things before the Kazakhstan Open because that’s another huge event, but it didn’t pay off because I missed the cut. So I’ll just try to treat it as another tournament, even though it’s obviously a little bit special this week.   
“It’s been a very relaxing and enjoyable week so far. With only 45 players in the field this week, it’s been pretty easy to get on the range and the practice green, and you can jump onto the course any time you want. So I’m really looking forward to the event, and any week where there’s no cut and a guaranteed cheque at the end of it is always nice.
“You can approach it two different ways – some guys might really go for it from the start because they feel like there’s nothing to lose, whereas others might try to gradually work their way into the tournament. I’ll try to go for a mixture of the two, and just hope that I can get the balance right.”
Having played more golf than nearly all of his rivals this season, Lee has perhaps struggled to strike the right balance between work and rest; but his stamina has held out impressively and with the batteries now fully recharged following a fortnight off, the 34 year old is poised for one last push before packing his clubs away and taking a well-earned break from the game.
He said: “The two-week break was much-needed, because I was starting to feel a wee bit tired after spending six weeks on the road. I couldn’t relax and unwind completely because I knew I had the biggest event of the year coming up, but it was still good to put the clubs away for a day or two.

"After this week I’ll take a bit of time off, but there probably won’t be much letting up on the physical side, because I need to get into shape for next year.
“I haven’t really looked at the provisional schedule for next season, but I won’t be going out to South Africa this side of Christmas. I’m not sure after that, but I’ll probably have a sit down after this week and start making a plan. I haven’t really focused on anything but this tournament for now. I said a couple of weeks ago that I hoped my highlight of the season was still to come, and hopefully I can end on a high with a win and have a nice fat cheque to spend at Christmas.”
Lee’s compatriot Chris Doak is the only other Scot in the 45-man field at San Domenico Golf, the 7,031 yards, par 71 course in the stunning Puglia region of southern Italy which has hosted the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final for the past six seasons. Doak currently lies in 36^th place in the Rankings on €42,808, and would in all probability need a top three finish to stand any chance of climbing into the all-important top 20 who will earn their cards for The 2012 European Tour International Schedule. 

          

     

TONY JACKLIN SON SEAN PLAYS UNDER "SCOTLAND" BANNER

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Did you know that Tony Jacklin has a son called Sean, who was born in Scotland in 1991, and now plays the National Pro Golf Tour in the United States?
Sean Jacklin must be proud of his roots because he plays under the "Scotland" banner on the satellite tour which ends its 2011 schedule this week with the "National Open Championship" at Dove Mountain, Marana in Arizona.
Tony Jacklin, who moved into course design over the past few years, now lives at Bradenton, Florida. He is now in his 60s.
Sean Jacklin and Ireland's Chris Devlin are playing in this week's National Pro Golf Tour event. If you want to log on to the tour's website:

CLICK HERE

Apparently, former Royal Dornoch amateur Jimmy Gunn also plays the National Pro Golf Tour these days are first playing on the Gateway Tour when he emigrated to America. That news came this week from Paul Cormack, the former Banchory and Inchmarlo player, I had lost touch with until he E-mailed me yesterday.
Paul is playing on the NGA (Hooters) Tour and his informative E-mail about where he stands now in his pro golf career makes interesting reading.
You can view it on Scottishgolfview.com later this week.

IF YOU CAN HAVE A GOLF STORY OR A PICTURE YOU THINK WOULD INTEREST OTHER READERS, PLEASE E-MAIL IT TO Colin@scottishgolfview.com