DAD-TO-BE JUSTIN ROSE PULLS OUT OF DUBAI WORLD CH/SHIP

FROM THE BBC SPORTS WEBSITE
England's Justin Rose has pulled out of this week's Dubai World Championship to await the birth of his second child.
The world number 16 will be in Orlando, Florida with wife Kate. They already have a son, Leo.
Rose missed the cut at the Hong Kong Open last week by one stroke, as Rory McIlroy went on to take the title.
Rose tweeted: "Flying home to Orlando for an amazing off season. Our 2nd baby is on it's way very soon. Sorry I couldn't play in Dubai."

DUVAL, JANZEN FAIL AT US Q SCHOOL - BUT GREG OWEN PASSES

FROM THE SKY SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Major winners David Duval, Lee Janzen, Rich Beem and Shaun Micheel have all failed in their bid to win 2012 US PGA Tour cards.
The quartet were forced to enter the six-round PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in California after failing to earn enough money in 2011 but their hopes of a reprieve via Q-School came up short.
They will now have to rely on invites or pre-tournament qualifying to get starts on the US Tour in next year.
Brendon Todd won the Q-School with a six-day total of 17-under 415. That earned him $50,000 but, of course, the main prize was securing one of the Tour cards on offer.
Eight-under proved the magic number, with 29 players shooting that total or better.
However, only 27 cards were actually handed out. That was because two players in that group - Roberto Castro and Mark Anderson - had already earned their cards by virtue of finishing among the 25 leading money winners on the 2011 Nationwide Tour and did not count. They had entered Q-School in a bid to improve their eligibility by winning a card that got them more automatic starts.
Duval made a final-day run by playing his first nine holes in four under, but he shot even par for the day to tie for 72nd and finish six adrift of the required number.
Janzen, at six-under, was just two shots away from securing a card but Micheel (Evens) and Beem (six-over) never threatened to make it.
Todd, who grew up playing with US PGA Tour stars Dustin Johnson and Webb Simpson, had missed the cut in 27 of his last 37 tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in the last two years but found his form at the perfect time.
"I think I just really stuck to my game plan," he said. "I was hitting it well coming into the week."
Todd finished one clear of Stephen Gangluff while South Korean Noh Seung-yul was a further shot back alongside Bobby Gates.
The 20-year-old Noh, who won the Malaysian Open last year and was the 2010 Asian Tour's leading money winner, was the highest-ranked player in the qualifying tournament at 101.
Others who missed out were Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, and Travis Wadkins, son of Lanny Wadkins.
But there was good news for England's Greg Owen who regained his card after a closing 67.
The Top 29 Q-school finishers:
415 Brendon Todd 71 68 69 71 68 68
416 Stephen Gangluff 72 72 64 71 67 70
417 Bobby Gates 67 70 68 73 73 66, Seung-yul Noh (Kor) 69 72 64 72 73 67,
418 Tommy Biershenk 70 70 68 73 69 68, Vaughn Taylor 65 72 69 73 70 69, Jarrod Lyle 68 72 68 73 68 69
419 Bob Estes 67 73 69 74 69 67, Brian Harman 69 71 67 74 68 70, Marco Dawson 73 68 67 67 68 76
420 Sang-Moon Bae 65 76 69 75 69 66. Kevin Kisner 67 71 71 75 69 67
421 Roberto Castro 71 71 68 72 70 69, William McGirt 65 73 70 73 71 69, Jeff Maggert 66 72 72 75 66 70, Charlie Beljan 70 73 66 73 68 71, Harris English 68 67 72 70 70 74
422 Patrick Sheehan 73 75 70 71 66 67, Scott Dunlap 70 72 71 70 71 68, Greg Owen 70 73 73 69 70 67, Daniel Summerhays 64 73 72 74 68 71, Will Claxton 64 70 69 70 76 73, Edward Loar 67 73 73 70 67 72
423 Mark Anderson 66 72 74 72 70 69, Alexandre Rocha 67 70 75 70 69 72, Richard H. Lee 72 74 66 78 65 68
424 John Huh 72 76 65 74 69 68, Nathan Green 74 74 67 70 73 66, Colt Knost 69 72 71 72 68 72

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AT LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

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ONLY THREE SCOTS COME THROUGH Q SCHOOL STAGE 2

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
A total of 81 qualifiers have booked their places in this week’s six-round Qualifying School Final Stage after progressing from the Second Stage, held at four venues across Spain.
Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren continued his dominance at El Valle Golf Resort with a closing round of 69 to finish seven shots clear of his closest rivals.
Lagergren’s fourth successive sub-70 round capped a fine individual display as the Swede finished on 18 under par, with the Scottish duo of Callum Macaulay and Alan McLean finishing in a tie for second place on 11 under par after shooting respective rounds of 71 and 69.
France’s Guillaume Cambis and England’s Luke Goddard led 20 successful qualifiers from Costa Ballena Ocean Club.
After carding respective rounds of 65 and 67 Cambis and Goddard finished on 16 under par, one shot clear of South African Justin Walters, who shot a round of 68.
The 20th and final place was taken by American Trent Leon, who saw off England’s John E Morgan in a sudden death play-off after both men had finished on eight under par.Dutchman Tim Sluiter remained on course to regain his European Tour card after breezing through at Las Colinas Golf and Country Club.
Sluiter was in danger of losing the playing privileges he earned at last year’s Final Stage, where he finished in 11th place, but will now hope to finish inside the top 30 again next week after booking his place at PGA Catalunya Resort courtesy of a closing round of 68.
His 16 under par aggregate total saw Sluiter finish two strokes clear of England’s Ben Evans (68) and Denmark’s Morten Orum Madsen (65), who finished in a tie for second place on 14 under par.
The final three places were taken by South African Warren Abery, Frenchman Baptiste Chapellan and England’s Paul Dwyer, who saw off Francis McGuirck in a play-off after all four players had finished on three under par.
Italian Andrea Perrino and South Africa’s Allan Versfeld led 20 sccessful qualifiers from La Manga Club.
Challenge Tour Member Perrino and Versfeld both finished on 15 under par after carding respective rounds of 70 and 71 over La Manga Club’s South Course. 
They were followed home by England’s Graeme A Clark (74) and Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (68), who finished on 13 under and 12 under par respectively.
Having finished on seven under par, seven players battled it out for the final four places, with Swede Steven Jeppesen, Spaniard Adrian Otaegui, England’s James Robinson and Lukas Tintera of the Czech Republic prevailing in the play-off.
The 81 players who progressed from the Second Stage will now join the 75 exempt players for the six-round Final Stage, which starts on Thursday (December 10) at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain.
+ONLY three Scots - Callum Macaulay, Alan McLean and Elliot Saltman - out of 18 survived the Stage 2 eliminators. We'll have all their scores on display shortly.

HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

COUNTY GOLF FEES UNCHANGED FOR 2012

At the Annual General Meeting of Clackmannan County Golf Union held at Braehead Golf Club last week, the report for 2011 showed a satisfactory financial year - probably considered very good in the present economic circumstances.
It was agreed by the representatives present that the fees payable for the County events would be unchanged for another year. The entry fees for the County competitions represent good value when compared to green fees and give the County golfers a good opportunity to play the local courses and try for the prize vouchers.
With no more than a few miles travel within Clackmannanshire to reach a golf course, there is the added bonus of a low travel cost in these days of high fuel prices. The six  lubs in the Clackmannan Golf Union would all welcome new members. Perhaps a Golf membership is an ideal Christmas present, especially for new junior golf enthusiasts.

Office bearers remain unchanged for 2012:
President - George Kay
Vice-president - Bill Hatley
Secretary/Treasurer - Tommy Johnson
Junior Convener - Sam Kinnaird
SGU Representative - Kenneth Ellacott

The highly successful Clackmannan County Golf dinner has been scheduled for Braehead Golf Club on March 2. Tickets are very competitively priced at £22 and available from Tommy Johnson or Sam Kinnaird.

CALLUM MACAULAY MAKES IT THROUGH

With a determined effort, Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay made it through to the final qualifying for the 2012 European Tour. At the par 71 course at the El Valle resort in southern Spain, Callum finished in second equal position at his qualifying venue.
With 20 qualifiers going forward to the final stage, it was easy for Callum, thanks to two fine rounds of 65 and 66 in his four-round, 11 under par total. (66, 71, 65, 71).
Under the handicapping system used for Amateur golf, a 66 probably represented playing to a handicap of plus 8, and it shows just how high the standard is.
Out of the 18 Scots in Stage 2, only three made it to the difficult Stage 3, none of them top Scottish amateurs from 2011. Callum will be up against a strong field with the exemptions containing many European Tour winners.
It will be a six-round marathon at PGA Catalunya, Girona (December 10-15) with only 30 players or so gaining Tour cards for 2012 out of a field of around 150.
Even then there is no guarantee of an entry for every European Tour event. It’s a tough life.
Tulliallan golfers and the rest of the county will be wishing Macaulay the best of luck at the PGA Catalunya resort in the North-east of Spain. It's a par 72 stadium course measuring just over 7200 yards. Out of its 10 par 4s, only two are under 400 yards.

PASS MARKS FOR MACAULAY, Elliot SALTMAN AND Alan McLEAN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Bad news for Paul Lawrie and all those who like to see Scottish golfers prospering. Only three Scots - Callum Macaulay, Alan McLean and Elliot Saltman - out of a total of 18 starters - have qualified from the European Tour Qualifying School Stage 2 events in Spain for the Final eliminator over six rounds at PGA Catalunya, Girona in the north-east of Spain. Only the leading 20 players at each of the four venues where the 72-hole competitions ended today qualified and there was a near-miss by Scott Hendry who missed out by a single shot at Costa Ballena. Generally, however, the standard of scoring was so high across the board that the Scots could not raise their games to the required level to advance to the crunch contest which will decide the 30 players who will gain full playing rights on the 2012 European Tour. Former Scottish amateur champion Macaulay and Glasgow-born Canadian resident McLean were notable exceptions. They both finished on 11 under par 273 at El Valle where they were joint second behind the winner by seven shots, Joakim Lagergren (Sweden). Macaulay, who had a 66 in the first round and a 65 in the third, was on course for a third sub-70 score over the par-71 venue but tiredness may have got to him in the closing stages. He bogeyed the 16th and 18th for a 71. McLean had rounds of 70, 70, 64 and 69. The qualifying mark at El Valle was one-under-par 283 (play-off) or better. SGU Order of Merit winner James White (Lundin GC), still an amateur, began with a 65 here but finished with a pair of 77s for a total of 291 and a share of 52nd place. Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) qualified with ease in seventh place at Las Colinas, scoring 67, 72, 67 and 69 for a nine-under-par total of 275. He finished just outside the prizemoney, seven shots behind the winner here, Dutchman Tim Sluiter who shot 16-under-par 268. Saltman had five birdies and three bogeys, two of them at short holes, the 14th and 17th, in a closing 69, but he had done enough to continue the chase to regain his European Tour card. The qualifying cut-off at Las Colinas was 281 (play-off)  or better and Shaun McAllister (287), Chris Kelly (291), Kris Nicol (292)  could not get near that mark. Mark Kerr did not play his fourth round after ever-deteriorating scores of 70-73-78. He may have had a bout of flu coming on? Mark withdrew from the fourth round. Fraserburgh's Nicol, winner of the Alps Tour Q School a couple of weeks ago, is one of two rookie pros being back by the Paul Lawrie Foundation. The other, Philip McLean (Peterhead) who relinquished his amateur status during this tournament, was an "also-ran" at the Costa Ballena venue where all Scots in action were eliminated. The cut-off total was 280 (that's eight under par!) or better and Scott Henry's closing 71 for 281 left him in joint 22nd place. Scott is officially the sixth alternate (reserve) for a place in the Final Q School starting at PGA Catalunya on Saturday. There was a play-off for those on 280.  The others who failed at Costa Ballena were Graham Fox and Jack Doherty (both 283), Jamie McLeary (286), Andrew McArthur (288), Philip McLean (289), Paul McKechnie (290) and Raymond Russell (291). Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) and Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) both totalled 300 in finishing joint 61st at La Manga where the qualifying score was seven-under-par 285 or better over the par-73 South Course. STAGE TWO SCOREBOARD COSTA BALLENA Leading final totals Par 288 (4x72). Yardage 6,893 272 Guillaume Cambis (Fra) 73 67 67 65, Luke Goddard (Eng) 70 68 67 67. 273 Justin Walters (SAf) 70 70 65 68. 274 Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 71 70 62 71. Qualifying score: 280 (play-off) or better. Scots' scores: 281 Scott Henry 71 72 67 71 (T22) (sixth alternate for place in Final Stage Qualifier). 283 Graham Fox 73 73 67 70, Jack Doherty 69 71 71 72 9T29). 286 Jamie McLeary 73 71 73 69 (T38). 288 Andrew McArthur 73 72 70 73 (T48) 289 Philip McLean 70 73 71 75 (T53). 290 Paul McKechnie 74 74 71 71 (T59). 291 Raymond Russell 71 74 72 74 (T61). +To view all the Costa Ballena scores CLICK HERE LAS COLINAS Leading final totals Par 284 (4x71). Yardage 6,974 268 Tim Sluiter (Net) 69 65 66 68. 270 Morten Orum Madsen (Den) 66 72 67 65, Ben Evans (Eng) 69 68 65 68. 273 Benn Barham (Eng) 66 66 72 69. 274 Jordan Gibb (Eng) 70 67 69 68, H P Bacher (Aut) 71 68 66 69. 275 Elliot Saltman (Sco) 67 72 67 69 (7th). Qualifying total: 281(play-off) or better. Scots' totals 287 Shaun McAllister 69 70 74 74 (T44). 291 Chris Kelly 72 74 70 75 (T57). 292 Kris Nicol 74 74 72 72 (T60). Withdrew: Mark Kerr 70 73 78 - 221 To view all the Las Colinas scores CLICK HERE - EL VALLE Leading final totals Par 284 (4x71). Yardage 6,901 266 Joakim Lagergren (Swe) 63 69 65 69. 273 Callum Macaulay (Sco) 66 71 65 71, Alan McLean (Sco) 70 70 64 69. 275 Chris Paisley (Eng) 72 65 70 68. Qualifying total: 283 (play-off) or better. Scot's score: 291 James White (am) 65 72 77 77 (T52) To vIew all the El Valle scores CLICK HERE LA MANGA Leading final totals Par 292 (4x73). Yardage 7107 277 Andrea Perrino (Ita) 67 68 72 70, Allan Versfeld (SAf) 66 75 65 71. 279 Graeme A Clark (Eng) 66 69 70 74. 280 Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 73 67 72 68. Qualifying total: 285 (play-off) or better Scots' scores: 300 Neil Fenwick 73 72 75 80, Gavin Dear 74 75 75 76 (T61).

To view all the La Manga scores

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ST ANDREWS GOLF ACADEMY POST FOR ELGIN-BORN BLAIR CROSS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ST ANDREWS LINKS TRUST
Scottish teaching professional Blair Cross has joined the team of instructors at St Andrews Links Golf Academy. He moves to the Home of Golf from The Belfry.
Blair (26) underwent his PGA training at the renowned Ryder Cup venue and was involved in organising pro-ams at the former Quinn Insurance British Masters on the European Tour during his five year spell there.
As well as being a highly regarded instructor Blair is a custom fit specialist, holding the Callaway Golf Product Specialist Gold Award. He worked at the High Tech Centre of Excellence at The Belfry showcasing the largest selection of demonstration clubs in Europe as part of his role in the Golf Operations department.
Hailing from Elgin, Blair grew up playing the links at Moray in Lossiemouth. He studied Golf Management at the University of the Highlands and Islands and played in the university’s team which competed in the British University Championships.
In 2005, Blair was selected to represent the university on a one year internship at the Chateau Elan Resort near Atlanta, Georgia. Blair also gained experience working as part of on-course commentary teams for Sky and ESPN at events such as the Saab Wales Open and the British Senior Open.
“I am very excited to be joining such a prestigious golf academy,” said Blair. “St Andrews Links is a special place in golf with wonderful courses and facilities. My coaching philosophy is very much about matching the swing to the player and I am looking forward to working with the range of clients we have here.”
Steve North, Director of Instruction, said, “I am delighted to welcome Blair on to the team. We aim to provide an outstanding service to our many different clients and to help them achieve their full potential in the game. Blair already has a great deal of experience and I am sure he will fit in well at St Andrews Links.”
St Andrews Links Golf Academy is one of the leading facilities of its kind in Europe. Coaching is delivered by a team of four PGA professionals and club fitting services through the Custom Fit Centre. Golfers of all abilities are catered for from beginner to professional and a range of programmes are available covering all aspects of the game. As well as the four coaching studios, there are 60 floodlit practice bays including 22 indoors and an extensive short game practice area.
A number of specialist programmes are delivered at the Golf Academy including Prepare to Play Links Golf which is aimed at those who never played this form of the game before. An array of technology is used in the Golf Academy including Trackman ball tracking system, SAM PuttLab, K-Vest, SAM BalanceLab, V1 analysis software and online platform.

For more information visit: www.standrewslinksgolfacademy.com.

WEDNESDAY NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE AT BUCKPOOL CANCELLED

Wednesday's North-east Alliance competition at Buckpool GC has been cancelled because of snow and ice on the course and the bad weather forecast which would make travel on the roads possibly hazardous.
It is hoped to play the last Alliance fixture before the Christmas-New Year break a week on Wednesday, December 14 - at Craibstone GC although even that course was frozen hard this morning.

RACE TO DUBAI: LAWRIE, JAMIESON IN; Gallacher, Whiteford miss out

Paul Lawrie (58th) and Scott Jamieson (59th) squeezed into the crucial top 60 in the Race to Dubai. Richie Ramsay, of course, was the leading Scot in the money table.
On the downside for Scots, Stephen Gallacher missed out by one place. He finished 61st.
Peter Whiteford finished 63rd.

TO VIEW THE RACE TO DUBAI PLACINGS

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