HUTCH HAS TOO MUCH FOR NE ALLIANCE RIVALS AT PETERHEAD

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Banchory's Greig Hutcheon, pictured, stepped up a gear to win a £100 first scratch prize today's North-east Golfers' Alliance competition at Peterhead with a sparkling six-under-par round of 64.
Last week the Tartan Tour's second top money-winner in 2011 finished third on his first appearance on the local winter circuit for some time. Seven days later Hutcheon's power and precision saw him finish three shots clear of a field of 89 over the Craigewan links.
Greig brdied the first, third and long eighth, dropping only one shot, at the fifth, in an outward two-under-par 33.
A double bogey at the short 10th brought him back to par with a bump but he covered the last six holes in six under par with birdie 3s at the 13th and 15th and a brilliant pair of eagles at the par-4 17th and the par-5 18th for 31 (four-under-par) home - and that with a double bogey!
Joint runners-up on 67 were Murcar Links tour pro Terry Mathieson and Caledonian amateur Stewart Finnie.
Mathieson actually covered the front nine in a shot fewer than Hutcheon - three-under-par 32 with a birdie at the second and an eagle 3 at the long eighth. But Terry dropped shots at the 10th, 11th and 13th before picking up the momentum again to birdie the 14th, 15th and 18th for a 67.
Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club) made the long journey to Peterhead from Skibo Castle and finished fourth on 68. Joel too was out in three-under 32 with birdies at the third, seventh and eighth. He had bogeys at the 10th, 12th, 15th and 16th which could not be cancelled out with birdies at the 11th, 13th and 18th.
Eight men broke the par of 70, including last week's winner, RGU student Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh), another recent winner in John Duff (Newmachar),  and North-east District player Scott Larkin who is beginning to recapture the form he showed before a wrist operation in the spring put him out of the game until just recently. All of them were on the 69 mark.
Robert O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum) won the Class 1 handicap top prize with a net 66 off three, while Mike Smith (Inverurie), playing off 16, won Class 2 with a net 63.

LEADING SCRATCH
Par 70
64 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory).
67 Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links), Stewart Finnie (Caledonian).
68 Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club).
69 Robert O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum), Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh), Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), John Duff (Newmachar).
70 Scott Henderson (Kings Links).
71 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead).
72 Euan Kennedy (Newmachar), George Paterson (Northern), Fraser Clark (Newmachar), Robert Lamb (Newmachar).
73 Brian Nicolson (Auchmill), John Nicolson (Auchmill), Donald McAndrew (Royal Abedeen), Paul McIntosh (Newburgh), Graham Mitchell (Braemar), Albert Smth (Turriff), David Fleming (Portlethen), Laura Murray (Alford).
74 Jim Duncan (Newburgh), Fergus Bisset (Banchory), Lawrence Prouse (Hazlehead), Martin May (Cruden Bay), Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Club).
75 Jim Scott (Peterculter), Manson Merchant (Newmachar), David Brown (Kemnay), Bryan Robson (Newmachar), Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay), Craig Carnegie (Kemnay).
76 Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo), Claire Prouse (Hazlehead), Alan Gall (Deeside), Gary Ross (Meldrum House).
77 Keil Beveridge (Inchmarlo), Colin Ord (Auchmill), Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), Willie Skene (Deeside), Brian Harper (Newburgh).
78 John Borthwick (Craibstone), Nigel Parker (Murcar Links), Harry Roulston (Stonehaven).
79 Keith Watson (Deeside), Martin Forster (Cruden Bay), Jim Murray (Banchory), Mike Smith (Inverurie), Tommy Collie (Kemnay).
80 Willie McKenzie (Berryhill DR), Ian Esslemont (Cruden Bay).
81 David Leslie (Northern), Leslie Roger (Royal Aberdeeen), Loren Graham (Murcar Links), Mike Duncan (Murcar Links).
82 Alister Graham (Aboyne), Ben Lumsden (Northern).
83 Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay).
84 Michael Rendall (Stonehaven), Michael Holley (Ballater).
85 Derek Randall (Banchory), Kenny Stephen (Northern), George Stevely (Murcar Links).
86 Sandy Davidson (Northern), Jackie Forrest (Northern), Peter Guthrie (Peterculter), Mike D Brown (Newmachar), Norman Stewart (Northern).
87 Peter Leech (Oldmeldrum), Gary Homer (Northern), Raymond Brown (Newburgh), Ian Grant (Keith).
88 Alister Petrie (Oldmeldrum), Dick Wright (Northern), Chris Brindley (Banchory).
90 Mike Brown (Newburgh).
91 John Jessiman (Oldmeldrum), Graham Allan (Newmachar).

LEADING HANDICAP
Class 1 - R O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum) (3) 66; G Milne (Newburgh) (6) 67; M Merchant (Newmachar) (7), C Prouse (Hazlehead) (8), R Lamb (Newmachar) (4), G Mitchell (Braemar) (5), L Prouse (Hazlehead) (6), M May (Cruden Bay) (6), W Skene (Deeside) (9), D Fleming (Portlethen) (5) 68.
Class 2 - Mike Smith (Inverurie) (16) 63; J Scott (Peterculter) (10) 65; N K Parker (Murcar Links) (12) 66; B Lumsden (Northern) (14), T Collie (Kemnay) (11) 68.

PETERHEAD SCORECARD: OUT: 4-3-4-4-4-3-4-5-4-35. IN: 3-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-5-35
Leading cards today:
GREIG HUTCHESON ................3-3-3-4-5-3-4-4-4-33: IN: 5-4-4-3-4-3-3-2-3-31
TERRY MATHIESON .................4-2-4-4-4-3-4-3-4-32:IN: 4-5-4-5-3-3-3-4-4-35
JOEL HOPWOOD ....................4-3-3-4-4-3-3-4-4-32:IN:  4-3-5-5-4-3-4-4-4-36
SCOTT LARKIN ......................4-3-4-4-4-3-4-3-4-33:IN:  3-6-4-5-5-3-4-3-3-36
GORDON MUNRO ...................5-3-4-3-4-3-3-5-4-34:IN:  4-3-4-5-3-4-4-5-3-35
ROBERT O'DONNELL ..............5-3-4-4-4-2-4-5-4-35: IN:  4-4-4-5-3-3-4-4-3-34
JOHN DUFF ..........................3-3-4-4-3-4-5-4-3-33: IN:  5-5-4-5-4-4-3-3-4-36
SCOTT HENDERSON ..............4-3-4-4-5-3-4-4-4-35: IN:  3-4-4-5-5-3-4-4-3-35

NEXT WEDNESDAY'S TEE TIMES AT NEWBURGH

TWO-TEE START

FIRST TEE

1 08:30 1 Keith Watson, Brian Harper, J Callum

2 08:37 1 Graham Mitchell, Michael Holley, Joss Turner
3 08:44 1 Craig Carnegie, Albert Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick
4 08:51 1 Colin Nelson, Lawrence Prouse, John Dalgarno
5 08:58 1 Claire Prouse, Donald McAndrew, David Law

6 09:05 1 George Paterson, Jim Scott, Ally Fiddes
7 09:12 1 Fraser Clark, Gordon Munro, Terry Mathieson
8 09:19 1 Keil Beveridge, Laura Murray, Paul Simpson,
9 09:26 1 Harry Roulston, Michael Rendall, Leslie Roger
10 09:33 1 Mike Brown, Raymond Brown, Sandy Davidson
11 09:40 1 Jackie Forrest, Mike Duncan, Norman Stewart
12 09:47 1 David Fleming, Sandy Pirie, Les Fowler
13 09:54 1 John Duff, Jim Duncan, Paul McIntosh

14 10:01 1 Euan Kennedy, Robert Lamb, Manson Merchant
15 10:08 1 John Jessiman, Alister Petrie, Alan Gall
16 10:15 1 Gary Homer, Ben Lumsden, David Leslie
17 10:22 1 Ian Grant, Mike Smith, Willie Skene
18 10:29 1 David Brown, Mark Lawrie, Tommy Collie
19 10:36 1 David Nelson, David Wilson, Phil Murray

STARTING AT 10th TEE
20 08:30 10 John Nicolson, Colin Ord, Grant Leslie
21 08:37 10 Paul Cornfield, Graham Allan, Martin Forster
22 08:44 10
23 08:51 10
24 08:58 10

25 09:05 10 Mike D Brown, Bryan Robson, Hamish McNaughton
26 09:12 10
27 09:19 10
28 09:26 10
29 09:33 10
30 09:40 10
31 09:47 10 Fergus Bisset, Scott Larkin, Mike Booth
32 09:54 10 Jim Murray, Chris Brindley, Derek Randall

33 10:01 10 Gary Ross, Alan Ross, Keith Ingram
34 10:08 10 Nigel Parker, George Stevely, Peter Guthrie
35 10:15 10 Willie McKenzie, Peter Leech, Martin May
36 10:22 10 Dick Wright, Kenny Stephen, Colin Clark
37 10:29 10 Stewart Finnie, Jim Gall, David McKay
38 10:36 10 Robert O'Donnell, Ian Esslemont, Alister Graham
39 10:43 10

SCOTT DRUMMOND, ANDREW McARTHUR IN SPANISH TOP 12

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Front-running English James Ruth is still shot clear of the field with one round to go in the Spanish Hi5 Pro Tour's Altorreal Open over the Dave Thomas-designed course at Altorreal Golf Club, Murcia. Kirkcaldy-born former PGA champion Scott Drummond and Windyhill's former Scottish amateur champion Andrew McArthur are within the top 12 but asking them to make up nine and 11 shots respectively on the leader on the last day is a tall order. Ruth is on 12 under par 132 with scores of 64 and 68 over the Dave Thomas-designed course. A double bogey at the 18th in a rising wind gave Ruth's opponents a slight chance of catching him. Drummond has scored 70 and 71 for 141 to be lying joint seventh. He birdied the second, ninth and 16th but bogeyed the eighth and 10th. McArthur had one of the day's best scores, a three-under-par 69 for 143 and a jump from joint 22nd to joint 12th after 36 holes. McArthur sailed to the turn in three-under 33 with birdies at the second, third and ninth but couldn't get a single birdie into the wind after the turn. After four bogeys in the first round, he had only one on the second circuit, at the 14th. Alyth's Mark Rae is joint 32nd on 150 after a 74 which included a double bogey 6 at the 15th. He had earlier birdied the first, 11th and 13th. Murrayfield's Mark Kerr survived the cut with nothing to spare on 153 with a second-round 74 which included birdies at the first and 11th but bogeys at the fifth, eighth and 11th. LEADING SECOND ROUND TOTALS Par 144 (2x72) 132 James Ruth (Eng) 64 68 135 Daniel Lokke (Den) 67 68. 137 Lasse Jensen (Den) 68 69, Danny Wardrop (Eng) 67 70. SCOTS' SCORES 141 Scott Drummond 70 71 (T7). 143 Andrew McArthur 74 69 (T12). 150 Mark Rae 76 74 (T32). 153 Mark Kerr 79 74 (T39).

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YES VOTE FOR EGU AND EWGA MERGER SOUTH OF THE BORDER

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
The merger of the English Golf Union (EGU) and the English Women’s Golf Association (EWGA) was approved today (November 16  2011) at simultaneous general meetings of both organisations.
The merger will come into effect on January 1, 2012 and will create England Golf, one national governing body to represent all amateur golfers in England.
The merger proposal was approved by 86 per cent of the voting members of the EGU, meeting at its headquarters in Woodhall Spa; and by 100 per cent of the voting members of the EWGA, meeting at the National Motor Cycle Museum at Solihull. Both organisations had to approve the proposal by a majority of at least 75 per cent for it to be successful.
The decision was immediately hailed as a triumph for golf and a vital step forward for the game.
Nigel Evans, Chairman EGU and Sylvia Perrins, Interim Chairman EWGA said: “This merger is in the best interests of golf and we are delighted that it has been given overwhelming support by our members. We look forward to a new era and to realising our vision for the future.
“England Golf will speak with one voice and send out the powerful, modern message that golf is a game for all, for men and women, boys and girls.
“A unified organisation, which promotes both the men’s and women’s game, will be more attractive to new golfers, will help us to grow the game, will be more appealing to commercial partners and sponsors and will mean we can be more cost effective.”
The merger vote followed a long period of consultation and preparation, which began in 2009 when a steering group was formed of members of both organisations. Following lengthy discussions, and the involvement of ten working groups, the proposal was produced and ratified by the Boards of both organisations before being put to the voting members.
Key points of the merger
• The headquarters of England Golf will initially be at the National Golf Centre at Woodhall Spa. The EWGA offices in Edgbaston will continue in use until at least October 2012.
• The counties will continue to be the voting members. Counties will be encouraged to merge their Unions and Associations, but this will not be mandatory.
• The Board of England Golf will initially include 10 stakeholder non-executive directors, six nominated by the EGU and four women nominated by the EWGA. One of these 10 will be nominated as Chairman.
• The first sole President of England Golf will be a woman. The President will be supported by the immediate Past President and the President-Elect. One of these three will always be a woman.
• Club golf will go on, from day-to-day, as it does now, but members will benefit from the positive perceptions created by the merger and by the better support available for clubs.
• All the championships and tournaments currently run by the EWGA and the EGU will continue.
• The regional and group structures of the two organisations will continue to run competitions. The decision-making role of the EWGA regional committees will end.
• Affiliation fees for men and women will be harmonised and will be equal by January 1, 2014. Women will continue to pay an additional subscription to the Ladies Golf Union.

KRIS NICOL ONLY SCOT TO GAIN PASS MARKS FOR ALPS TOUR

    Joint winners of the Alps Tour Final Qualifying school: left to right - Stiggy Hodgson, Kris Nicol and Dominquie Nouailhac at Toscana GC, Italy today.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Kris Nicol, on the Fraserburgh Golf Club greenkeeping staff since he left school, today got a foot on the first rung of a tour pro golf career. The rookie pro from the North-east was the only Scot to gain full playing rights for the 2012 Alps Tour at the conclusion of the 54-hole Final Qualifying School over the Toscana course, Italy.
Nicol, who missed out of a Walker Cup place after playing in the GB and I practice matches at Balgownie, did it in style by finishing joint first on nine-under-par 205 with Walker Cup player Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale) and veteran Frenchman Dominique Nouailhac.
Kris, making his way in pro golf without a sponsor, had rounds of 78, 71 and 66.
The Buchan man showed absolutely no sign of last-day nerves by birdieing the first four holes and then the ninth, after b ogeys at the sixth and seventh, to be out in three-under 33.
After the turn, Nicol was flawless with birdies at the 13th and 14th surrounded by nothing but pars in an inward two-under 33.
In all four of the GB and I Walker Cup team who beat the Americans at Royal Aberdeen gained pass marks to the Alps Tour next season - Hodgson, Steven Brown (Wentworth), Jack Senior (Heysham) and Andy Sullivan (Nuneaton).
Ross Kellett (Colville Park) and David Law (Hazlehead), named as reserves to the home Walker Cup squad back in September, failed to figure among the 35 qualifiers with totals of one-over-par 215 or better.
Kellett missed out by a single shot on full playing rights after rounds of 72, 76 and 68 to be joint 36th on 216. After nine bogeys over the first two rounds, the Motherwell man had a mistake-free closing round studded with birdies at the first, seventh and 18th.
Former British boys champion Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) missed the qualifying mark by two shots after bogeying the last two holes and scoring 67, 75 and 75 for 217. He had only one birdie on a day when he needed them most.
Ironically, Tom Sherreard (Maidstone), the player Findlay beat in the 2004 British boys' championship final, gained pass marks with a 210 total.
John Henry (Clydebank) and Philip McLean (Peterhead) finished on the same 217 mark as Findlay. McLean hit form too late - birdieing the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th for a one-under 70, his best score of the three days. McLean still has a chance of making it to the European Tour. He is through to the Stage 2 series in Spain next month.
Northern Open champion David Law (Hazlehead) finished on six-over 220 with scores of 78, 69 and 73. He signed off with only one birdie on his card. The tragedy for Law is that on the top of the form that won him the Northern Open - the first amateur since the 1970s to beat the pros in that event - and the Scottish amateur match-play championship twice in the past three years, he would have sailed through the Alps Tour test and the earlier European Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 at Dundoland Links.
All the players who made the last day of the Alps Tour Final Q School will gain some playing opportunities on the circuit next year but not as many as the leading 35.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 214 (2x71, 1x72)

+35 players with totals of 215 or better gained playing rights for next season's Alps Tour.

Leading qualifiers

205 Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) 68 71 66, Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale) 69 67 69, Dominique Nouailhac (Fra) 72 66 67.

207 Jack Clarke (Chelmsford) 69 67 71.

208 Sebastien Gros (Fra) 72 74 62, Andrew Cooley (Eng) 69 73 66, Johan Lopez Lazaro (Fra) 72 68 68, Jesus Legarrea (Spa) 73 66 69.

Selected qualifiers:

210 Tom Sherreard (Maidstone) 71 70 69 (T10).

213 Jack Senior (Heysham) 75 71 67 (T17).

214 Steven Brown (Wentworth) 74 70 70 (T21).

215 Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle) 78 67 70, Andy Sullivan (Nuneaton) 73 72 70, Andy Smith (Tudor Park) 73 67 75 (T29).

MISSED THE CUT

216 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 72 76 68 (T36).

217 Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 67 75 75, John Henry (Clydebank) 74 70 73, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 72 75 70 (T42).

219 Donald Stirling (Wien-Sussenbrunn)) 70 73 76 (T53).

220 David Law (Hazlehead) 78 69 73, Adam Gray (Eng) 73 75 72. (T56).

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TIGER TO MAKE DEBUT IN ABU DHABI AT END OF JANUARY

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Tiger Woods is moving from Dubai's showcase tournament to make his debut in Abu Dhabi.
Organisers say the former top-ranked golfer will play in the January 26 to 29 HSBC Championship along with current No 1 Luke Donald and defending champion Martin Kaymer.
Adding Woods is seen as a coup for Abu Dhabi in its rivalry with the Dubai Desert Classic, where Woods has been a mainstay for years. Tournament manager Faisal al-Sheikh boasted that the "giants of golf" are coming to Abu Dhabi.
In last February's Desert Classic, Woods finished tied for 20th.
It also means Woods will miss the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, a course over which he has won seven times, including the 2008 U.S. Open.

TIGER v SCOTT IN PRESIDENTS CUP BRINGS IN WILLIAMS FACTOR

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE 
Tiger Woods will face Adam Scott in an intriguing match-up at the Presidents Cup two weeks after a racial slur by the former world No 1's caddie Steve Williams - who happens to now carry the Australian's bag.
The lead-up to the biennial teams event between the Internationals and the United States, which gets under way on tomorrow (Thursday), has been abuzz with the prospect of Woods having to play in the company of caddie Williams.
Williams worked with Woods for 13 of his 14 major titles before being sacked earlier this year and in an indication of the acrimony surrounding the break-up, Williams earlier this month referred to Woods as a "black a*******".
He subsequently apologised to Woods personally for the comment made at an awards dinner in Shanghai and they shook hands when they met in Australia.
Internationals captain Greg Norman said he wanted to get the match, the last of Thursday's opening day foursomes, out of the way but said that it was "great for the tournament".
The non-playing captain said it was important to defuse the situation.
"I'm sure Freddie (Fred Couples, the US team captain) and I, everybody, we want to put this behind us. It's a dead issue as far as we are concerned," Norman said.
"Adam and Tiger are good friends. It's got nothing to do with them and at the end of the day, the atmosphere that will exist walking to the first tee will be exactly the same it would be if none of this took place.
"I know it's good fodder," he added. "People like to talk about it in the media. But from our perspective, it's dead and gone, and we would like to keep it that way going forward."
Norman said he thought it better to get it over and done with sooner rather than later.
"So from The Presidents Cup standpoint, I think it's the best move that it played out this way," he said.
A hum greeted Wednesday's pairings announcement by Norman and Couples pitching Woods and Steve Stricker against Scott and South Korea's KJ Choi.
Woods, who only got into this year's Presidents Cup as the captain's pick after slipping outside the world's top 50, and Stricker won four points in the US win in 2009 in San Francisco.
The 14-time major winner, who has not won a tournament in two years and finished third at last weekend's Australian Open, was unbeaten two years ago.
Scott has a losing 8-10 record at the Presidents Cup, with two matches halved, while Choi has only won one-third of his nine career matches.
"They are probably the best pairing when they are playing," Couples said.
"I think the way Steve's playing, he'll be solid in the alternate (foursomes) shot. Maybe he's a little rusty. He has not played a tournament in six or seven weeks."
In Thursday's other foursomes pairings, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson lead off for the defending champion Americans against South Africa's Ernie Els and Japanese youngster Ryo Ishikawa.
That will be followed by Bill Haas and Nick Watney against Australian Geoff Ogilvy and reigning US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa.
American pair Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar then face Australians Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day, while Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk are paired to face South Africa's two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa and Australian Robert Allenby.
In the day's penultimate foursome, Americans Hunter Mahan and David Toms take on South Koreans Kim Kyung-Tae and Y.E. Yang.

PRESIDENTS CUP AT SOUTH KOREAN VENUE IN 2015

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOURMELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia: On the eve of The Presidents Cup 2011, US PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem announced that the next international venue for the event will be South Korea.
While the specific site is yet to be determined, The Presidents Cup will make its first trip to Asia in 2015.
Commissioner Finchem was joined by K J Choi, K T Kim and Y E Yang for today’s announcement. The three South Koreans are part of Greg Norman’s International Team for this year’s Presidents Cup, marking the first time more than one South Korean is competing on the International Team in event history.
Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, is hosting The Presidents Cup this week and was also the site of the 1998 event. The other previous international venues for The Presidents Cup were The Links at Fancourt, George, South Africa, in 2003 and Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2009.
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Virginia, hosted The Presidents Cup in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005, and TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California, was site in 2009.
Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, will host The Presidents Cup in 2013.
“We are delighted to be taking The Presidents Cup to South Korea in 2015,” said Finchem. “The growth of the game in Asia is well documented, and the fact that we have three South Korean players on the International Presidents Cup Team this year illustrates the strength of golf in that country – which is only going to get stronger in the next four years.
"Each Presidents Cup has been bigger and better than the one before, and I’m confident South Korea will serve as the perfect stage for the event when it enters its 21st year.