ANDREW McARTHUR POISED FOR GAIN IN SPAIN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com The stage is set for an exciting last round in the Spanish Hi5 Pro Tour's Hacienda del Alamo Futures Open at the Murcia venue - and Glasgow's Andrew McArthur is very well placed to mount challenge to the only two men in front of him, Dutchman Reinier Saxton (Netherlands) and English Walker Cup hero Andy Sullivan. Saxton, the winner of the 2008 British amateur championship at Turnberry where he beat Tommy Fleetwood in the final, leads at 11-under-par 133 after a 65 which included an eagle 3 at the long 14th. He is a shot ahead of Sullivan whose 68 for 134 also had an eagle at the 14th. On a day when the rain in Spain did not stay mainly on the plain, these eagles gave Saxton and Sullivan the edge over Windyhill's former Scottish amateur champion McArthur who could "only" birdie the 14th ion his 67 for nine-under 135. The Scot had six birdies in all but a costly bogey - his first of the tournament - at the 17th. Scott Drummond is sharing seventh place on 137 after a 68. The Anglo-Scot has not had a bogey in his first 36 holes. Murrayfield's Mark Kerr is back in a share of 22nd place after a repeat 71 for 142, two under par but such is the quality of this field he is not in contention. However, Kerr was another to eagle the long 14th. He needed it to atone for bogeys at the third and short 12th. He did have a birdie at the 11th. Chris Kelly (Cawder) is level par 144 with a pair of 72s but only in joint 33rd place. He made the two-round cut with a shot to spare. . LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS Par 144 (2x72) 133 Reinier Saxton (Net) 68 65. 134 Andy Sullivan (Eng) 66 68. 135 Andrew McArthur (Sco) 68 67. 136 Jens Dantorp (Swe) 68 68. 137 Espen Kofstad (Nor) 68 69, Matthew Webb (Eng) (am) 67 70, Scott Drummond (Sco) 69 68, Morten Madsen (Den) 68 69. OTHER SCOTS' SCORES 142 Mark Kerr 71 71 (T22). 144 Chris Kelly 72 72 (T33).

LEE WESTWOOD CHANGES MIND - HE'S REJOINING US PGA TOUR

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By OLIVER BROWN, in Haikou, China
Lee Westwood is to rejoin the US PGA Tour next year after being inspired by Luke Donald's spectacular American success.
“Watching Luke do so well in the FedEx Cup tournaments made me want to try it out, too,” said the world No 3, who was displaced by his fellow Englishman at the top of the rankings earlier this season.
Despite Westwood's history of strained relations with the American tour, he will compete in The Players Championship in May - an event he controversially skipped this year - and have a first tilt at winning the £7.5 million FedEx Cup bonus.
“I sat there on my sofa and saw how big the events were, that they carry a lot of ranking points,” the 38 year-old explained.
“They look like great courses they play. You need a fresh approach and change every now and again or else you can get stale. I just fancied it. I've been thinking about it for a few months.”
The move signals a significant departure for Westwood, who has committed to playing a minimum of 15 events in the US next year, starting with the Accenture World Matchplay in February.
Lee said that he had “missed” the Players when watching it on television. But when asked last May how he perceived the US PGA Tour's flagship event relative to other tournaments, he provocatively ranked it only “eighth” in importance behind the majors and World Golf Championships.
That comment had risked incurring the wrath of Tim Finchem, the tour's commissioner, but Westwood's latest step indicates any tension has eased.
“It was always a scheduling issue for me,” the he said. “I had already set my schedule for later in the year in Asia. I didn't want to break any of those commitments. It's a great event and one I've always enjoyed playing. Watching it I felt, 'I want to be there'. It's a big tournament and I've always played well there.
“It just felt right in Ryder Cup year to commit to a full programme in the United States. The FedEx Cup looked pretty good on TV this year. I thought it would be great to give it a go, having never taken part.”
Westwood's turbulent time in the US first came to light last year, when he was initially refused an invitation for the St Jude Classic in Memphis because he was sponsored by courier company UPS, a leading rival for the tour's big-money benefactors FedEx. Tournament officials eventually relented and the Englishman went on to lift the title.
He voiced displeasure, too, when Rickie Fowler beat Rory McIlroy to the US PGA Tour's 'rookie of the year' award, despite the Ulsterman having finished third in two of last season's majors and claiming a maiden US victory at Quail Hollow.
“Is this yet another case of protectionism by the US PGA Tour or are they so desperate to win something?” he wrote on Twitter. “Come on, fair's fair!”
Meanwhile, in the World Cup here on Hainan Island, Ian Poulter suggested that his strong partnership with Justin Rose could help bring about victory for England. The two-man team trophy was last in English hands in 2004, when Paul Casey and Luke Donald proved victorious in Seville.
Poulter has suffered a dispiriting season but draws confidence from the two points he gained with Rose in three matches at the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Appearing at his fifth World Cup, he said: “We are very good mates and get on exceptionally well. Justin's in good form and I am coming back into form. It's just an honour to be playing in England colours.”
Poulter and Rose must surmount the Irish double act of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell as well as Italy's Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, the defending champions.

COUNTY OF KENT's £77million BOOST FROM OPEN AT ROYAL ST G's

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
Independent economic research commissioned by Open Championship organiser, The R and A, highlights that this year’s Championship, staged at Royal St George’s Golf Club, delivered a £77 million benefit to the county of Kent.
The headline figure includes an economic impact of £24.1 million for Kent and a destination marketing benefit of £52.6 million derived from the week-long event in July 2011. Within the boundaries of East Kent, comprising the districts of Canterbury, Thanet, Dover and Shepway an economic impact of £21.2 million was delivered.
Commenting on the research findings R and A Chief Executive, Peter Dawson said:
“We found a worthy winner in Darren Clarke at Royal St George’s and we are delighted that the Championship also delivered a significant economic impact to the local community.
In one week, the economic benefit for Kent exceeded £24 million and the tourism legacy benefit of almost 300 hours of scenic images of the Kent countryside, viewed globally on television, will pay back in the county for years to come,” added Dawson.
Welcoming The Open Championship economic outcome, Dover District Council Leader, Councillor Paul Watkins said:
“Attracting The Open Championship to our area is clearly beneficial to both local people and businesses in Kent and particularly East Kent and we trust it will not be too long before golf’s oldest Major Championship makes a return visit”.
Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson said:
"The Open Championship is one of the jewels in the crown of the sporting calendar and attracts golf fans from all over the world. As a Kent MP, it was good to see The Open return to Royal St George's this year. Hosting the Championship gave an economic boost to the county and region but also to the country as a whole.
"As well as the tourism benefits it brings, it showcases the passion and knowledge we have for the game and I look forward to the 2012 Championship in Lancashire at Royal Lytham and St Annes."
Commenting on the legacy of The Open Championship, Kent County Council Leader, Councillor Paul Carter said:
"The Open was the largest major global sports event that Kent has accommodated in recent years. Not only did it lead to a golf legacy project involving many hundreds of people in the county trying golf for the first time, but it boosted the profile of the area nationally and internationally, which should help in our efforts to secure inward investment, tourism and jobs for East Kent.
Separately, a recently successful bid to the Government’s Regional Growth Fund means an extra £40 million will help create new jobs and further support local business in Canterbury, Thanet, Dover and Shepway.”
Officials from The R and A and local authority representatives, meeting in Dover this week, will discuss necessary transport infrastructure enhancements for The Open Championship’s return to the South East of England.
A total of 180,000 spectator admissions were recorded at The Open Championship this year and 37,000 passengers travelled on the special High Speed train service from London St Pancras, operated by Southeastern. Airline Flybe reported total bookings at Manston Kent International Airport up 70% in July with a 40% increase in bookings on the carrier’s Edinburgh service.

FROM ITALY TO ABERDEENSHIRE, KRIS NICOL'S A WINNER AGAIN

KRIS NICOL ... Man in form, whatever the country By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Aberdeenshire in late November is a far cry from Italy but Fraserburgh's rookie pro Kris Nicol carried on in today's North-east Alliance where he left off last week in sunnier climes as winner of the Alps Tour Qualifying School. The conditions were hardly Mediterranean as Nicol headed a field of 80 players at a windy and not so warm Newburgh-on-Ythan with a round of three-under-par 69 which included a bag of eight birdies, offset by a double bogey 6 at the 17th and three bogeys. Nicol birdied the long third, fourth, sixth, long ninth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 15th in halves of 34 (two under par) and 35 (one under). On the down side, he had a double bogey 6 at the 17th and single shots dropped at the second, eighth and 11th The Fraserburgh man won by a single shot from Paul Lawrie (Aberdeen Asset) who had seven 3s on his card - including four in a row from 13th - six birdies in all but four bogeys, including a 6 at the difficult last hole into the wind, which cost him a share of victory. "I played OK but I didn't putt very well," said Paul. "Yes, I have tried the belly putter but it did not make much difference." Auchmill amateur John Nicolson did well to finish third on 71 with a round that included only three deviations from par - birdies at the fourth and 15th and a bogey at the 13th in halves of 35 and 36. Fraser Clarke (Newmachar) had the best score for the front nine - three-under-par 33, but he took 41 blows to come for a 74. John Duff (Newmachar), a winner already this season, was heading for a top-four or five finish until he ran up an 8 at the par-5 last. Scottish amateur champion and rookie pro David Law (Hazlehead) had a 76 which included a double bogey 6 at the 17th. ALL THE SCRATCH SCORES Par 72 Yardage 6,423 Card of course: OUT: 4-3-5-4-3-4-4-4-5: 36. IN: 4-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-5: 36  69 Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh). OUT: 4-4-4-3-3-4-3-5-4: 34. IN: 3-5-3-3-4-3-3-6-5: 35 70 Paul Lawrie (Aberdeen Asset). OUT: 5-4-4-3-3-4-3-5-5: 36. IN: 4-4-4-3-3-3-3-4-6: 34 71 John Nicolson (Auchmill). OUT: 4-3-5-3-3-4-4-4-5: 35. IN: 4-4-4-4-5-3-3-4-5: 36 72 Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links) 38-34, George Paterson (Northern) 36-36, Ian Bratton (Newburgh on Ythan) 35-37. 73 Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh) 35-38 74 Fraser Clarke (Newmachar) 33-41, Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) 38-36, Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay) 39-35, Robert O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum) 36-38 75 Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) 39-36, Fergus Bisset (Banchory) 39-36, Patrick Lovie (P1 Corporate) 35-40, John Duff (Newmachar) 36-39, Donald Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 37-38, Alan Gall (Deeside) 37-38. 76 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 39-37, Justin Duff (Fraserburgh) 42-34, David Law (Hazlehead) 37-39, Stewart Finnie (Caledonian) 39-37. 77 Colin Ord (Auchmill) 36-41, Manson Merchant (Newmachar) 39-38. 78 Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 39-39, Paul Simpson (Aboyne) 41-37 79 Keith Ingram (Deeside) 42-37, Jim Duncan (Newburgh) 40-39, Alan Ross (Deeside) 42-37, Euan Kennedy (Newmachar) 42-37 80 Robert Lamb (Newmachar) 38-42, Gordon Milne (Newburgh) 39-41, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 41-39, Ally Fiddes (Murcar Links) 42-38, Mark Lawrie (Kemnay) 41-39, Dave Leslie (Northern) 42-38, Martin May (Cruden Bay) 39-41, Ian Esslemont (Cruden Bay) 38-42. 81 Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 44-37, Brian Harper (Newburgh) 39-42, Claire Prouse (Hazlehead) 41-40, Keith Watson (Deeside) 41-40, Alistair Graham (Aboyne) 42-39. 82 David Fleming (Portlethen) 44-38, Jackie Forrest (Northern) 43-39, Norman Stewart (Northern) 39-43. 83 Mike Duncan (Murcar Links) 41-42, John Dalgarno (Hazlehead) 40-43, Derek Randall (Banchory) 44-39, Alistair Petrie (Oldmeldrum) 41-42. 85 Lawrence Prouse (Hazlehead) 42-43, Graham Allan (Newmachar) 41-44, Albert Smith (Turriff) 48-37, Bill Shaw (Banchory) 44-41. 86 Jim Murray (Banchory) 45-41, Mike Rogers (Kemnay) 43-43, Jim Scott (Peterculter) 44-42, Leslie Roger (Royal Aberdeen) 42-44. 87 Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) 44-43, Mike Booth (Kemnay) 47-40. 88 Phil Murray (Aboyne) 43-45, Harry Roulston (Stonehaven) 43-45, Colin Duffus (Kemnay) 42-46 89 Ray Brown (Newburgh) 45-44. 90 Peter Guthrie (Peterculer) 45-45, Benny Lumsden (Northern) 46-44, George Stevely (Murcar Links) 47-43 91 John Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) 43-48. 92 Chris Brindley (Banchory) 46-46, Michael Holley (Ballater) 45-47. 93 Peter Leech (Oldmeldrum) 48-40. 96 Ian Grant (Keith) 48-49, Dick Wright (Northern) 51-45. 97 Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay) 49-48, Robert Orr (Kemnay) 45-52 +The number of No Returns ran into double figures. LEADING HANDICAP Class 1 - C Cassie (Nigg Bay) (5), A Gall (Deeside) (6) 69; M Merchant (Newmachar) (7) 70; R O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum) (3), G Paterson (Northern) (1), C Ord (Auchmill) (6) 71. Class 2 - N Stewart (Northern) (14) 68; D Randall (Banchory) (13) 70; M Rogers (Kemnay) (14) 72; A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (10), J Dalgarno (Hazlehead) (10, G Allan (Newmachar) (12) 73. TEE TIMES FOR FRASERBURGH NEXT WEDNESDAY Match No /Tee Time/Tee     Players

1 08:00 1 Keith Watson, Brian Harper, Charlie Cassie
2 08:07 1 Grant Leslie, Ian Bratton
3 08:14 1 Donald Macandrew, Gordon Munro, Fraser Clarke
4 08:21 1
5 08:28 1 David Mackay, Colin Nelson, Lee Vannet
6 08:35 1
7 08:42 1 Michael Holley, Graham Mitchell, John Borthwick
8 08:49 1 Craig Carnegie, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Patrick Lovie
9 08:56 1 John Dalgarno, Lawrence Prouse, Claire Prouse

10 09:03 1 Jim Scott, Ally Fiddes, Jordan Findlay
11 09:10 1 Bryan Robson, Mike D Brown
12 09:17 1 Manson Merchant, Robert Lamb, Euan Kennedy
13 09:24 1 Sandy Davidson, Mike Brown, Raymond Brown
14 09:31 1 Hamish McNaughton
15 09:38 1 Keil Beveridge, Laura Murray, Paul Simpson
16 09:45 1 Martin Forster, Paul McIntosh
17 09:52 1 Keith Ingram, Allan Ross
18 09:59 1 Norman Stewart, Jackie Forrest, Alan Gall

19 10:06 1 Les Fowler, Sandy Pirie, Fergus Bisset
20 10:13 1 Billy Sim, David Fleming, John Duff
21 10:20 1 Jim Murray, Chris Brindley, Derek Randall
22 10:27 1 John Nicolson, Brian Nicolson, Paul Cornfield
23 10:34 1 David Brown, Tommy Collie, Mark Lawrie
24 10:41 1 Mike Rogers, Gordon Milne, Jim Duncan
25 10:48 1 Gary Homer, Ben Lumsden, David Leslie
26 10:55 1 Alister Petrie, John Jessiman, Dick Wright

27 11:02 1 Nigel Parker, George Stevely, Kenny Stephen
28 11:09 1 Mike Smith, Ian Grant
29 11:16 1 Willie McKenzie, Martin May, Peter Leech
30 11:23 1 David McKay, Jim Gall, Stewart Finnie
31 11:30 1 Willie Shaw, David Law
32 11:37 1 Alister Graham, Willie Skene, Willie
33 11:44 1 David Wilson, Robert O'Donnell, Joel Hopwood

HUTCH WINS £750 AND A WENTWORTH PLACE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Handicapped by a painful back, Greig Hutcheon put in a gritty defence of the the Titleist PGA Play-offs title, played for the first time over the Antalya Golf Club's Sultan Course in Turkey. The Banchory Golf Club tour pro did well to score three-under-par 68 in the final round and finish sixth behind all-the-way winner of the £2,000 prize, Richard Wallis from Kent who won by a shot in the end after closing with a 68 for 13-under-par 200.. Hutcheon also's financial reward was a cheque for £750 and, as a top-10 finisher, he earned a place in next year's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Greig looked as if he might finish fifth, perhaps even fourth when he birdied the short second, the long third and long seventh and the 10th to be four under par for the day with eight holes to play. But he ran up a double bogey 6 at the 12th - the only blemish on his card - before notching his fifth birdie of the day, at the long 16th. David Patrick (Elie Sports Club) shot a 70 for joint 10th position on 212 with Ireland's Barrie Trainor who then beat him in a play-off for the last spot in in the BMW PGA championship. Patrick had parred the last seven holes and he will be rueing the putts that lipped down the home stretch. Earlier he had birdid the fourth, long seventh and 10th with bogeys at the short sixth and 11th. Sadly, Stephen Gray (Hayston), the Tartan Tour top money winner and Order of Merit winner in 2011 completed his worst week of the season with an eight-over-par 79 after running up a triple bogey 7 at the first and then finishing with bogeys at five of his last eight holes. Gray finished last of 24 with a 17-over-par total of 230 and a £300 consolation prize was no comfort at all. COMPLETE SUMMARY FROM THE PGA WEBSITE It was a case of where eagles dare as Richard Wallis snatched a dramatic victory in the Titleist PGA Play-Offs in Turkey. The Kent player was crowned the PGA's No. 1 player on the back of a thrilling back nine which had seen Simon Lilly storm into contention with a superb seven-under-par 64 - the best round of the week at Antalya Golf Club's PGA Sultan Course. Also in the frame were Wallis's playing partners David Higgins and Paul Streeter but the Walmer and Kingsdown pro delivered what proved to be the decisive blow when he arrowed in a five iron to seven feet on the par five 16th to set up an eagle having come off a bogey on 15. It was the perfect riposte to Lilly who minutes earlier had birdied the 16th hole himself to go in front at 13 under par. The Wellingborough pro saw his dramatic last day charge halted with a bogey on the last to give Wallis some precious breathing space. The ultra consistent Higgins (Waterville Links) also had a putt on 18 to force a play-off after Wallis bogeyed too but saw his effort shave the hole. Wallis secured the win with rounds of 65, 67 and 68 which left him 13 under for the tournament - a stroke ahead of Lilly and Higgins. Rothley Park's Matt Cort was fourth on 11 under with former champion Streeter fifth on eight under and last year's winner Greig Hutcheon sixth on five under. The Deal 30-year-old pocketed a cheque for £2,0000 but more significantly for his aspirations of getting on tour, earned starts in the BMW PGA Championship, Wales and Scottish Opens plus a handful of Challenge Tour events. "This is my first national title, winning the South Region Order of Merit was probably the biggest result of my career to date and winning this is great - to be PGA No. 1 is awesome," he said. "I want to use this as a launch pad. Greig Hutcheon who won the play-offs last year has had a great year in showing what you can do with the starts you get on tour from the play-offs. "I don't think he missed a cut in the events he played and got a decent amount of money so if I can follow his footsteps and make a few cuts and some money that would be great." Wallis, who learned to play his golf on the famed Kent links of Prince's, Royal St George's and Royal Cinque Ports, admitted it had been a rollercoaster ride in the Turkish sunshine. "I'm stunned to be honest. I decided before the day started that I just wanted to keep it simple, hit fairways and greens like I've done the last couple of days," said Wallis. "But from the word go that plan went out of the window when I put it into the trees on the first for a bogey and Paul birdied the first two and suddenly my two shot lead at the start of the day was gone and I'm one behind. "I just tried to keep things going, holed a couple of nice putts on five and seven and holed a 15ft on nine over the ridge. "I saw Simon was at nine under at the turn and I was 12 or 13 so I kind of forgot about him and just concentrated on who I was playing with. "I then missed a short putt for par on 15 and then found out Simon had made birdie on 16 to go to 13 under. "On 16 to be honest I was just going for the middle of the green and pulled a five iron just a fraction to seven feet and holed it to go one in front with two to play. "But with Simon on a streak I fancied him to birdie one of the last two but fortunately got to the 18th to see him do the same as me and take a bogey. "It was a battle all the way round, but I really enjoyed it and am really ecstatic. Lilly, who shot the magic 13-under-par 59 three weeks ago, stormed into the frame with eight birdies in the first 12 holes with just one blip on the sixth. "I really got it going and was seven under through 12 and actually thought about another 59," he said. "I had two really good chances on 13 and 14 and missed them and made a disappointing bogey on the last but would have taken this at the start of the day definitely. "It's brilliant to get the tour starts. The last few months I've been playing the best I can play, I've changed to a belly putter and it's made a huge difference. It's time to kick on, I've got tour school in a few weeks and I'm really looking forward to it." Higgins, who lost in a play-off with Lilly to decide a number of European and Challenge Tour starts, said: "I didn't go low enough, I missed a couple of chances and as I said you have to putt well. I hit a lovely shot into the last - a six iron to six or seven feet but missed that as well. "Overall it has been positive and I'm just disappointed to lose the play off for the European and Challenge Tour starts." The top 10 players all qualified for the BMW PGA Championship with Barrie Trainor securing the last place after a play-off with David Patrick.

TITLEIST PGA PLAY-OFFS SCOREBOARD

Antalya GC, Sultan Course, Turkey FINAL TOTALS Par 213 (3x71) 200 Richard Wallis (Walmer & Kingsdown) 65 67 68 (£2,000). 201 Simon Lilly (Wellingborough) 71 66 64, David Higgins (Waterville) 68 67 66 (£1,350 each). 202 Matthew Cort (Rothley Park) 67 69 66 (£1,000). 205 Paul Streeter (Lincoln) 69 65 71 (£850). 208 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 70 70 68 (£750). 209 Christopher Gill (Exeter) 73 71 65, David Smith (Swinton Park) 73 69 67 (£675 each). 210 Paul Wesselingh (Kedleston Park) 74 68 68 (£600). 212 Barrie Trainor (Ireland) 73 71 68, David Patrick (Elie SC) 70 72 70 (£520 each). 213 Guy Woodman (East Berkshire) 70 72 71, James Ablett (Lee on the Solent) 71 71 71 (£462 each). 216 Brett Taylor (Chelmsford) 73 68 75 (£425). 218 Michael Watson (Wessex) 71 74 75 (£400). 219 Robert  Giles (Greenore) 76 72 71, David Shacklady (Mossock Hall) 73 74 72, Sean Whiffin (Hertfordshire) 74 71 74 (£356 each). 220 Craig Goodfellow (Carlisle) 74 75 71, Alan Wainwright (Mid Yorkshire) 74 74 72, Damian Mooney (Ballyliffin) 76 71 73 (£321 each). 221 Paul Hendricksen (Dinnaton) 74 72 75 (£310). 227 Stuart Brown (Orton Meadows) 73 73 82 (£305). 230 Stephen Gray (Hayston) 77 74 79 (£300).

THE INSIDE STORY FROM THE PRESIDENTS CUP

If you want to read a very entertaining - and informative - recap, featuring John Huggan (Scotland on Sunday) and CBS Sports.com writer Steve Elling, on last week's Presidents Cup match in Australia between the International Team and the United States

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