PLAYING GOLF LOSING ITS POPULARITY IN THE UNITED STATES

The number of rounds played by amateur golfers in the United States continues to falls year by year ... and nobody has come up with a definitive reason.
The number of rounds played in America dropped 6.5 percent in October and contributed to a 3.8 percent decline for the year-to-date total.
Year-over-year, monthly declines in the United States have been prevalent in 2011, which is projected to post an annual decline. That would mark the fifth consecutive year the number of rounds played has fallen. In the past decade, America's rounds-played total has decreased from 518 million to 475 million.
October’s declines were led by less play at private facilities, which reported an 8.8 percent drop in rounds played. Year-to-date, private facilities were down 4.3 percent.
By comparison, public-access courses showed a 5.9 percent drop in October, and they were down 3.6 percent for the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period in 2010.
The National Golf Rounds Played Report is a collaborative venture led by Golf Datatech LLC, National Golf Course Owners Association, PGA of America and National Golf Foundation.
Nearly 4,000 courses provided data for the October report.
No comparable figures are available for the United Kingdom.

2nd RYDER CUP HONOUR COULD BE PAUL LAWRIE'S 2012 TARGET

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Could Paul Lawrie, by then 43, win a second Ryder Cup cap at Medinah, Chicago in 2012 - 13 years after his one and only appearance in 1999, the year the Aberdonian won the Open at Carnoustie?

The answer must be a definite "Yes" if he produces more performances like last weekend's chasing home winner Alvaros Quiros at Dubai and, a few months earlier, victory in the Andalucia Open.
There are two Ryder Cup qualifying points lists - a European one and a World one.
The leading five on the European points list at the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles on Sunday, August 26 next year will gain automatic selection to the team of 12 sklppered by Jose Maria Olazabal.
Paul Lawrie is sixth on the European list at the moment, behind Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Alvaro Quiros and Sergio Garcia.
The leading five points-earners on the World Ryder Cup points list, once those who have made up the top five in the European list are deleted, will also be automatic selections.
Olazabal will have two wild-card selections to add to the 10 qualifiers by the points systems.
If the Europe team were to be selected today it would be:
From the European list -
1 Martin Kaymer, 2 Rory McIlroy, 3 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 4 Alvaro Quiros, 5 Sergio Garcia.
From the World list -
2 Luke Donald, 5 Justin Rose, 7 Graeme McDowell, 9 Lee Westwood, 10 Joost Luiten.
+ Olazabal's two wild-card selections.

TOP TEN IN EUROPEAN RYDER CUP POINTS TABLE (December 12)
1 Martin Kaymer 1,284,550.37
2 Rory McIlroy 1,236,326,08.
3 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 1,099,585.09
4 Alvaro Quiros 1,047,153.32
5 Sergio Garcia 938,511.58.
6 Paul Lawrie 747,705.17
7 Michael Hoey 711.788.31
8 Graeme McDowell 679,180.81
9 Joost Luiten 669,621.62
10 Peter Hanson 646.533.67

TOP TEN IN WORLD RYDER CUP POINTS TABLE (December 12)
1 Rory McIlroy 137.52
2 Luke Donald 130.36
3 Martin Kaymer 110.29
4 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 92.83
5 Justin Rose 81.46
6 Sergio Garcia 78.37
7 Graeme McDowell 70.25
8 Alvaro Quiros 68.79
9 Lee Westwood 66.61
10 Joost Luiten 65.16

FLASHBACK TO THE 1999 RYDER CUP MATCH AT BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.
Scoreline: UNITED STATES 14.5, EUROPE 13.5
Paul Lawrie gained 3.5pt out of a possible 5.
He partnered Colin Montgomrie in the foursomes and four-balls to two wins, one square match and one defeat.

In the last-day singles, "batting" No 12 in the singles, Lawrie beat Jeff Maggert 4 and 3 after United States had won the first six singles with defeats for Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Jarmo Sandelin, Jean Van de Velde, Andrew Coltart (by Tiger Woods) and Jesper Parnevik.

Mark James was the Europe team captain; Ben Crenshaw the winning skipper.

Andrew Coltart did not get a game in the four sessions of play over the first two days - and was then pitched in against a Tiger Woods at his peak although, in fairness to James, he was not to know that Coltart, whom he obviously felt was not in good enough nick to play in the foursomes or four-balls, would draw the short straw and get a Tiger by the tail.

Others in the Europe team were: Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal.

The American team was: Tom Lehman, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love, Tiger Woods, David Duval, Mark O'Meara, Steve Pate, Justin Leonard, Payne Stewart, Jim Furyk, Jeff Maggert.

THE WAY THEY WERE: CARNOUSTIE backdrop to 1st tee and 18th green

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
The awful public clubhouse building - changing rooms and toilets on the ground floor, tea room and bar on the first floor - that used to be the backdrop to the Carnoustie championship course's first tee and 18th green has long been forgotten since it was replaced by the splendid appearance of the Carnoustie Golf Hotel.
Whoever designed the original building showed a total lack of flair for the task in hand. Perhaps the Carnoustie Town Council did not give him a big enough budget to use a little bit of style, instead of an ugly-looking rectangular box.
To think the 1968 Open - won by Gary Player - was played at Carnoustie when that monstrosity of a brick building was the clubhouse for the best golfers in the world. Not a good advertisement for the town of Carnoustie.
I remember there was talk at the time of the Carnouste Golf Hotel being built that a statue of Ben Hogan - the 1953 Open winner at Carnoustie - should be given a place of honour in front of the impressive looking building. It never happened but it was a good idea. Too late now?

+If you have any pictures of a golfing nature - at least 10 years old - you think other readers might like to see, please E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com with a story-caption.

EUROPEAN TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL THIRD ROUND

PRESSURE ON MACAULAY, THE SALTMAN


BROTHERS, McLEAN AND DRUMMOND

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Chris Doak, Steven O'Hara, Gary Orr and Alastair Forsyth all shot level par or better in today's third round of the European Tour Final Qualifying School to stay within the leading 70 at PGA Catalunya Golf Resort, near Girona in north-east Spain.
The field of 156 is cut after Tuesday's fourth round to the top 70 and ties who will go on to contest the vital last two rounds over the par-72 course which doubles up with the par-70 lay-out for the first 72 holes.
The pressure is on Callum Macaulay (joint 74th), Lloyd Saltman (joint 92nd) and the three Scots in joint 104th position, Elliot Saltman, Alan McLean and Scott Drummond, to go low - very low in some cases - to make the cut and keep alive their hopes of finishing the six-round golfing marathon in the top 30 and so earn European Tour playing rights for next year.
Doak and O'Hara are on seven-under 205 after both played very well in the third round; Doak had a bogey-free, four-under 66 over the shorter course while O'Hara had a five-under 65 which included seven birdies, four of them in a row from the third.
They are lying joint 25th, well within the safety zone.
Gary Orr had a one-under 69 to be joint 39th on 206. An eagle 3 at the long 10th was the highlight of the Helensburgh man's erratic round.
Alastair Forsyth could hardly be more consistent that to reel off three rounds of 70 in succession. He is just inside the cut mark in joint 69th place on two-under 210.
Macaulay kept a double bogey off his card for the first time in the tournament and a two-under 70 on the longer course moved him within touching distance of clearing the first qualifying hurdle. He is joint 74th on one-under 213.
Lloyd Saltman had a one-under 71 over the longer lay-out to be joint 92nd on 215. Birdies at the short 11th, long 12th and 14th brought back memories of his inward half of 29 on Sunday but he covered the last four holes in one over par with a bogey at the 18th. He really needed a sub-70 score to give himself a chance of making the top 70 and ties.
For the three Scots on three-over 217 - Elliot Saltman (74), McLean (whose 71 included a hole in one at the short eighth on the big course), and Scott Drummond (76) - the pursuit of a European Tour card is all but over. They have to improve by 34 places in the fourth round. A big ask.
At the sharp end of the tournament it is still an England 1-2 with Sam Hutsby returning a 68 to retain the pole position on 15-under-par 197 - one shot ahead of one of the GB and I Walker Cup heroes from September at Royal Aberdeen, Andy Sullivan. He shot a 67 for 198.

LEADING THIRD-ROUND TOTALS Par 212 197 Sam Hutsby (Eng) 60 69 68. 198 Andy Sullivan (Eng) 65 66 67. 199 Peter Gustafsson (Swe) 70 63 66. 200 Thomas Norret (Den) 71 67 62. 201 Reinier Saxton (Net) 70 66 65, Benn Barham (Eng) 65 70 66, BrandenGrace (SAf) 68 68 65, Jordi Garcia (Spa) 71 64 66, Warren Abery (SAf) 69 65 67, David McKenzie (Aus) 69 64 68. 202 Victor Riu (Fra) 67 69 66, David Dixon (Eng) 74 65 63, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 66 70 66. 203 Guillaume Cambis (Fra) 66 69 68. SCOTS SCORES 205 Chris Doak 71 68 66, Steven O'Hara 73 67 65 (T25). 206 Gary Orr 68 69 69 (T39). 210 Alastair Forsyth 70 70 70 (T69). 213 Callum Macaulay 76 67 70 (T74). 215 Lloyd Saltman 77 67 71 (T92). 217 Elliot Saltman 74 69 74, Alan McLean 68 78 71, Scott Drummond 75 66 76 (T104). +Leading 70 and ties after Round 4 will qualify for the final two rounds over the par-72 course.   SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW ALL THE THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

HUTSBY, SULLIVAN MAINTAIN ENGLAND 1-2
By PAUL SYMES
EUROPEAN TOUR PRESS OFFICERFormer Walker Cup players Sam Hutsby and Andy Sullivan built on their sterling starts at the Qualifying School Final Stage, with just one shot separating the two Englishmen at the midway stage of the six-round marathon.
On another fine day at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, northern Spain, Hutsby shot a round of 68 on the Tour Course to move to 15 under par, with Sullivan signing for a 67 to close the gap to a single stroke.
Hutsby opened with a birdie on the tenth hole, before his only bogey of the day at the 13th temporarily halted his momentum. But he rallied with a birdie at the 18th hole, and a further gain after the turn saw the 23 year old maintain his place at the head of affairs.
Were it not for a cold putter Hutsby’s advantage would have been greater, but he is still on course to complete a second successful visit to the Qualifying School, having finished runner-up behind his compatriot Simon Khan in 2009.
He said: “I only missed two greens, but just couldn’t buy a putt. So I’m a little disappointed, because I felt I played well enough to break away a bit. But I’m still leading, so I would have taken that at the start of the day. My target is six rounds in the 60s, so that goal is still on. There are still three rounds to go, but I’m in a nice position.
“It’s strange that we’re only half way. Most of us played two or three practice rounds, so it already feels like a long week but there are three rounds to go. I feel fresh though, and I’ve been sleeping well. I’ve been playing nicely, so I’m looking forward to the next three days.”
Sullivan, who played alongside Tom Lewis in Great Britain and Ireland’s triumphant 2011 Walker Cup team, mixed six birdies with three bogeys to move to 14 under par and within sight of claiming a European Tour card just three months after joining the professional ranks.
The 25 year old, who boasted a 100 per cent record in the foursomes at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, is also determined to win his private duel with Hutsby.
He said: “I think there is a nice little battle going on between myself and Sam. I don’t think we’d like to comment on it too much, but there’s definitely a bit of to and fro so it’s really good. We’ve played a couple of times together and been in squads together, so we know each other well enough.
“I’ve put myself in a good position now, so I’m definitely thinking about winning it. It would mean a lot to me and would probably the biggest achievement of my life, so I just have to go out there and keep doing what I’m doing.”
The English duo will be joined in the final group by Peter Gustafsson, who made the perfect start to his round of 66 with an eagle at the tenth hole. The Swede won the Qualifying School in 2004 but is yet to finish inside the top 30 in two previous visits to PGA Catalunya Resort, so is hoping to rectify that record this week.
A sublime round of 62 also set his fellow Scandinavian Thomas Norret on course to reclaim the European Tour card he earned at the Qualifying School Final Stage 12 months ago. The Dane, who took the 17th card last year, covered the Tour Course in just 62 strokes, firing eight birdies in an immaculate display.
Norret reached the turn in just 29, thanks chiefly to a five-birdie burst from the fourth hole, before making three more gains to finish on 12 under par.
With the top 30 and ties securing a place in The 2012 Race to Dubai, Norret is in position to secure a swift return to The European Tour, having relinquished his playing privileges after finishing in 155th place in the Money List this year.
Three-time European Tour champion Nick Dougherty, meanwhile, endured a difficult day as a round of 75 left him on four over par and facing an uphill task to make Thursday’s cut.
He said: “I played really well on the front nine, and then I had a tough break. I’ve got a little bit of an ailment at the moment with my hip, where it clicks and goes, and when it does I’m lucky if I make contact with the ball. It happened on the first tee, which was my tenth hole, and I made a bogey then never really made a shot after that.
“But I hold out hope that I can get it back to how it used to be, and how it used to feel. There are some times when I do play good golf, and it feels great. For nine holes today I played phenomenal, I should have been nine under but still nothing went my way.
"I had two three putts to go one under through nine, and I missed two putts from inside eight feet for birdie. I should never have shot that score today, but that’s just the way it’s going for me at the moment.”

ALL THE THIRD-ROUND SCORES
Par 212
197 S Hutsby (Eng) 60 69 68
198 A Sullivan (Eng) 65 66 67
199 P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 63 66
200 T Nørret (Den) 71 67 62
201 J Garcia (Esp) 71 64 66; B Barham (Eng) 65 70 66; B Grace (RSA) 68 68 65; R Saxton (Ned) 70 66 65; W Abery (RSA) 69 65 67; D McKenzie (Aus) 69 64 68
202 V Riu (Fra) 67 69 66; M Carlsson (Swe) 66 70 66; D Dixon (Eng) 74 65 63;
203 G Cambis (Fra) 66 69 68
204 A Ahokas (Fin) 74 66 64; B Ritthammer (Ger) 65 71 68; M Nixon (Eng) 68 69 67; P Dwyer (Eng) 67 69 68; J Gibb (Eng) 69 68 67; J Lagergren (Swe) 66 71 67; E Kofstad (Nor) 66 68 70; R Bland (Eng) 67 72 65; L Kennedy (Eng) 68 66 70; M Lundberg (Swe) 70 68 66
205 D Fichardt (RSA) 66 73 66; A Snobeck (Fra) 67 72 66; A Parr (Can) 72 66 67; D Vancsik (Arg) 68 68 69; R Dinwiddie (Eng) 67 71 67; M Lafeber (Ned) 69 67 69; C Doak (Sco) 71 68 66; S O'Hara (Sco) 73 67 65; J Hansen (Den) 67 67 71; A Domingo (Esp) 71 67 67; D Brooks (Eng) 70 68 67; H Soon-Sang (Kor) 68 72 65; J Guerrier (Fra) 68 66 71; A Byeong-Hun (Kor) 70 70 65
206 W Besseling (Ned) 74 63 69; A Tampion (Aus) 65 73 68; G Orr (Sco) 68 69 69; K Borsheim (Nor) 66 71 69; T Sluiter (Ned) 63 75 68; S Buhl (Ger) 68 72 66; A Otaegui (Esp) 68 69 69; J Hugo (RSA) 65 71 70; A Bernadet (Fra) 68 69 69; R Quiros (Esp) 65 69 72; B Parker (Eng) 69 67 70; J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 71 63 72; C Brazillier (Fra) 65 74 67
207 S Kim (Kor) 68 71 68; J Bäckström (Swe) 72 66 69; A Marshall (Eng) 68 71 68
208 J Wahlqvist (Swe) 71 69 68; B Chapellan (Fra) 70 69 69; A Haindl (RSA) 71 67 70; N Meitinger (Ger) 68 69 71; J Levermore (Eng) 73 67 68
209 H Bacher (Aut) 71 68 70; A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 72 66 71; M Southgate (Eng) 70 68 71; S Pinckney (USA) 66 73 70; J Knutzon (USA) 70 70 69; A Tadini (Ita) 69 70 70
210 P Archer (Eng) 73 65 72; U Weinhandl (Aut) 69 71 70; M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 70 70 70; O Henningsson (Swe) 73 66 71; A Forsyth (Sco) 70 70 70
211 A Da Silva (Bra) 70 71 70; E Grillo (Arg) 73 68 70; D Higgins (Irl) 65 72 74; C Paisley (Eng) 67 71 73; J Sandelin (Swe) 71 72 68
212 M Crespi (Ita) 67 69 76; T Mordt (RSA) 69 71 72; A Kang (USA) 73 68 71; T Ferreira (RSA) 71 70 71
213 F McGuirk (Eng) 76 69 68; S Benson (Eng) 72 71 70; M Haastrup (Den) 74 67 72; C Monasterio (Arg) 71 72 70; M Kieffer (Ger) 70 67 76; J Walters (RSA) 73 70 70; C Macaulay (Sco) 76 67 70; S Jeppesen (Swe) 73 70 70; M Madsen (Den) 71 71 71
214 M Rominger (Sui) 74 70 70; P Broadhurst (Eng) 72 70 72; M Tullo (Chi) 73 69 72; T Remkes (Ned) 73 69 72
215 T Van Der Walt (RSA) 69 74 72; T Argonz (Arg) 69 74 72; J Elson (Eng) 74 67 74; L Saltman (Sco) 77 67 71; M Molina (Arg) 71 69 75; M Siddikur (Ban) 73 73 69; A Perrino (Ita) 68 73 74; A Michael (RSA) 67 76 72
216 P Oriol (Esp) 68 76 72; J Morgan (Eng) 73 68 75; W Ormsby (Aus) 74 67 75; A Canete (Arg) 71 72 73
217 A Velasco (Esp) 72 74 71; F Fritsch (Ger) 75 73 69; P Richardson (Eng) 72 71 74; J Ruth (Eng) 72 74 71; C Devlin (Nir) 73 71 73; E Saltman (Sco) 74 69 74; A McLean (Sco) 68 78 71; C Lloyd (Eng) 69 74 74; E Canonica (Ita) 69 73 75; F Delamontagne (Fra) 68 74 75; S Drummond (Sco) 75 66 76
218 A Versfeld (RSA) 70 77 71; B Mannix (Eng) 74 76 68; M Eliasson (Swe) 72 70 76; N Dougherty (Eng) 70 73 75; T Hatton (Eng) 72 72 74; J Zapata (Arg) 70 71 77; S Wakefield (Eng) 71 74 73
219 T Leon (USA) 67 76 76; J Haeggman (Swe) 69 75 75; J Huldahl (Den) 77 72 70; P Reed (USA) 64 80 75; X Poncelet (Fra) 73 69 77; A Hartø (Den) 74 70 75; J Robinson (Eng) 75 68 76; D Bransdon (Aus) 70 73 76; D Wright (Eng) 68 73 78; L Goddard (Eng) 69 76 74; M Quiros (Esp) 75 73 71; R Echenique (Arg) 70 73 76
220 F De Vries (Ned) 68 76 76; A Lahiri (Ind) 70 76 74; D Gaunt (Aus) 73 72 75; D Smith (Eng) 75 70 75
221 B Evans (Eng) 72 70 79; A Townsend (Aus) 73 73 75; L Jensen (Den) 81 65 75
222 M Erlandsson (Swe) 71 72 79; J Caldwell (Nir) 78 68 76
223 G Clark (Eng) 70 75 78
224 C Russo (Fra) 72 75 77; A Kaleka (Fra) 77 71 76; S Matton (Eng) 74 73 77; C McNamara (Irl) 78 73 73
225 M Ford (Eng) 67 78 80; F Praegant (Aut) 77 69 79
227 J Lima (Por) 72 73 82
228 J Etulain (Arg) 77 77 74
229 L Tintera (Cze) 72 82 75
Retired: G Emerson (Eng) 79 74 RT; M Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 69 77 RT; C Suneson (Esp) 70 78 RT;

HMS SUTHERLAND STRIKES RIGHT NOTE AT ROYAL DORNOCH

Left to right: ETWE Mike Brown, Royal Dornoch club captain Hamish Macrae, general manager Neil Hampton and Leading Chef Andrew “Dickie” Davis.

NEWS RELEASE 

The Type 23 Royal Navy Frigate HMS Sutherland was named after the Highland County and

throughout its career has enjoyed a special relationship with the shire and its people. This is not more evident than at Royal Dornoch Golf Club where the crew have made several visits in recent years to enjoy a game of golf as well as the friendship of the members.

The Club has been very supportive of this special relationship so when they required a bell for the bar in the clubhouse there was only one place to go.

HMS Sutherland last visited her namesake county in March this year, when the ship was open to visitors.  Neil Hampton, the General Manager at the Golf Club, was in discussion with  WO2ET(ME) Chris Jones, the propulsion manager on the vessel and the organiser of the most recent golf excursion to the Club in November last year, to enquire whether they had a bell going spare. Chris was keen to help out but bells are not something in great supply these days so everyone one the ship had to get their thinking caps on.

Back in March the ship had to set sail from Invergordon earlier than expected. The reason for that hurried departure was her call to participate in the UK and NATO action off Libya.  She operated as part of a task group protecting the Libyan people from attacks by Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.  Providing naval gunfire support from the Gulf of Sirte, she bombarded key Gaddafi targets on shore, and also provided boarding parties to inspect vessels entering and leaving Libyan ports, and so enforce the economic sanctions on the Gaddafi regime.

 A very busy summer for HMS Sutherland also saw her visit Crete (to mark the 70^th anniversary of the WW2 battle there) and make a long trip to carry out liaison with our allies in the United Arab Emirates.  The ship and her crew returned to her home port of Plymouth in August.

It wasn’t until November that Neil received a call from ETWE Mike Brown, one of the engineering team on the ship, to say that they had “fashioned” something that they thought was suitable and could they come up to present it to the Club now that the ship was in Plymouth for a few weeks.

It was with great curiosity that Neil and Club Captain Hamish Macrae met with Mike and Leading Chef Andrew “Dickie” Davis to receive the bell. What they got was what was left of a 4.5” shell casing that had been beautifully turned on a lathe and then suitably engraved with the ship's crest and a message to the Club. A fine piece of rope work was the perfect finishing to hang on the clapper that is a Royal Dornoch golf ball.

Hamish Macrae said “Having this connection with HMS Sutherland is very special for everyone in Dornoch and especially at the Golf Club. We believe that all the personnel are providing a vital service to the country and we will do our utmost to support them when at sea and to make their days on shore as special as possible. The bell is a magnificent piece of work and will provide us with a tangible reminder of the ship at all times for everyone who comes into the bar.”

Commander Roger Readwin, who is just about the leave the ship after two successful years in charge, commented “We are delighted that we could help the Club. They always extend a warm welcome to us, last year they arranged a match for us against the ladies section as well as entertaining us at the one of the junior fundraising quiz nights. My team all feel that there is a special bond with both the Club and the town and they desperately wanted to show how much this meant to them.” 

He added “When Neil got in touch about the bell it presented the ideal opportunity for us to reaffirm our affiliation, my engineers have produced a fine gift and I am very pleased that I was still onboard to see it safely delivered to the Club. While I am moving on the rest of my crew are looking forward to their next visit early next year and further enhancing the close links that we have developed.”

CRAIBSTONE PLAYABLE FOR NE ALLIANCE ON WEDNESDAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Barring a sudden deterioration in the weather, the North-east Golfers' Alliance season will resume at Craibstone on Wednesday (December 14).
A decision on whether winter or "normal" greens are used will be made by Craibstone general manager Billy Sim on Wednesday morning when he will assess the effects of the overnight weather.
Players will leave the tee in fours because of the reducing hours of daylight so the eight-minute intervals between tee times may be "blurred" slightly.
This will be the last North-east Alliance fixture before the Festive break. The first competition of the New Year will be at Inverallochy on Wednesday, January 11.

FOUR-BALL TEE TIMES FOR CRAIBSTONE ON WEDNESDAY
(Carried over from cancelled fixture at Buckpool GC on December 7)
1 08:15 1 Charlie Cassie, Brian Harper, Ian Bratton, Keith Watson
2 08:23 1
3 08:31 1 David Mackay, Bryan Robson, Phil Morrison, A N Other.
4 08:39 1 Claire Prouse, Colin Nelson, John Dalgarno, Lawrence Prouse
5 08:47 1
6 08:55 1 Ryan Fitzpatrick, Patrick Lovie, Craig Dempster, Craig Carnegie

7 09:03 1 Donald Macandrew, Gordon Munro, Fraser Clark, Martin Lawrence.
8 09:11 1 John Duff, Euan Kennedy, Manson Merchant, Robert Lamb
9 09:19 1 Hamish McNaughton, Raymond Brown, Mike Brown, Sandy Davidson
10 09:27 1 Joss Turner, Chris Brown, Jim Scott, Jim Duncan
11 09:35 1 Keil Beveridge, Laura Murray, Paul Simpson, Gordon Milne
12 09:43 1
13 09:51 1 Mike Smith, Ian Grant, Alister Petrie, John Jessiman
14 09:59 1 Martin Forster, Norman Stewart, Jackie Forrest, Alan Gall

15 10:07 1 Paul McIntosh, Loren Graham, Chris Adam, A N Other.
16 10:15 1 Sandy Pirie, Billy Sim, Peter Kinloch, A N Other.
17 10:23 1 Les Fowler, David Fleming, Jim Kinloch, A N Other
18 10:31 1 David Brown, Tommy Collie, Mark Lawrie, Alister Graham
19 10:39 1 Fergus Bisset, Scott Larkin, Jim Murray, Derek Randall
20 10:47 1 David Leslie, Ben Lumsden, Gary Homer, Mike Rogers
21 10:55 1 Peter Leech, Willie McKenzie, Kenny Stephen, Dick Wright

22 11:03 1 Nigel Parker, Peter Guthrie, George Stevely, Willie Shaw
23 11:11 1 Stewart Finnie, Jim Gall, David McKay, Robert Orr
24 11:19 1
25 11:27 1 David Wilson, Jordan Findlay, Paul Cornfield, Brian Nicolson

+If you are a NE Alliance member and wish to cancel or change your listed tee time or fill one of the vacant slots, call Dave Wilson on Tuesday between 10am and 4.30pm on 07801 819746

2012 NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE FIXTURES

January 11- Inverallochy.
January 18 - Oldmeldrum.
January 25 - Buckpool.

February 1 - Newmachar Swailend.
February 8 - Peterhead.
February 15 - Stonehaven.
February 22 - Murcar Links.
February 29 - Montrose Links.

March 7 - Duff House Royal.
March 14 - Fraserburgh.
March 21 - Portlethen
March 29-30 - Murcar Links pro-am and am-am foursomes match-play



















posted by Colin | See story on its own page | Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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OGILVY AND ALLENBY LIKELY TO BURY THE HATCHET THIS WEEK

FROM THE PGA OF AUSTRALIA WEBSITE

Geoff Ogilvy says he has not spoken to Presidents Cup team-mate Robert Allenby since the pair almost came to blows at a public dinner after the Australian PGA Championship.
The two were involved in an angry public exchange at the Hyatt Regency Coolum on November 27, a week after playing for the International team at the Presidents Cup in Melbourne.
Ogilvy confronted Allenby over comments the Victorian made about his playing partners, including him, after the Presidents Cup, which the United States won 19-15.
But despite reports the two had spoken since the confrontation, Ogilvy said on Monday that was not the case.
"I haven't talked to Robert. He left me a message on my phone when my phone was off last night actually, and he wants to bury the hatchet, if you like," Ogilvy said, speaking ahead of this week's JBWere Masters.
"It was fairly blown out of proportion, I think. I never had an issue with Robert. I just had an issue with what he said to the press.
"I mentioned that to him. We had a discussion about it. That was it, really. So there is no issue. We are still pretty good friends, I think."
In the wash-up from the Presidents Cup, Allenby, who lost all four of his matches at the tournament, said his partners had let him down, including claiming Ogilvy had hit him in 'the trees three times off the tee'.
Ogilvy said he was still friends with the 40-year-old, but admitted he was disappointed by Allenby's comments.
"When somebody says something like that it's disappointing. It wasn't really on a personal level," Ogilvy said.
"It's like, 'we had a really, really good week last week. Let's just run with that and see if we can build on the team spirit we built up and win it next time,' kind of thing. I mentioned that to him, and he gets my point and that's it."
World No 1 Luke Donald will headline the field at The Victoria Golf Club, having become the first player to top the money list on both the European and US PGA Tours in the same season.
The Englishman remains without a Major win, but Ogilvy said Donald's last 18 months were among the best he has ever seen.
"This year he has had - let's say in the last 18 months he has probably had one of the best 18 months people have ever had, anyone has ever had, including all the greats that you would instantly think of like Tiger (Woods) and (Greg) Norman and guys like that," Ogilvy said.
"Luke has been a machine, really. He finishes top-10 almost every week he tees it up."

 

US TOUR ROOKIES BRADLEY, STEELE WIN SHARK SHOOTOUT

American duo Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele won the Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout by three strokes on Sunday.
Bradley and Steele, both rookies on the US PGA Tour in 2011, finished with a combined score of 32 under after three rounds at the Tiburon Golf Club in Florida.
South African Rory Sabbatini and Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas were three shots behind winners, and they shared second place with veteran pair Mark Calcavecchia and Nick Price.
In scramble play on the final day, Bradley and Steele finished with a terrific 13 under 59, with the latter's impact crucial in the latter stages.
Steele fired an eagle on the 14th and followed it up with a birdie on the next, which allowed the winning pair to take control and ease the pressure.
Sabbatini and Vegas finished with a 60, while a birdie from Calcavecchia on the final hole saw him and Price record a 61 for the day's play.
The all-American pairings of Charles Howell III and Justin Leonard, and Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker both finished tied for fourth at 28-under.
American Rickie Fowler and Colombian Camilo Villegas were next best, in a tie for sixth after recording an overall score of 26 under.
Joining them on that score were three more all-American pairings – Kenny Perry and Scott Stallings, Chad Campbell and Chris DiMarco, and Bo Van Pelt and Stewart Cink.


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STARS HEAD FOR THIS WEEK'S THAILAND CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Bangkok: Former Asian Tour No 1 Simon Dyson of England, Indian star Jeev Milkha Singh and Kim Kyung-tae of South Korea will join the chase for the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship title starting on Thursday.
The trio will be among the strong line-up at the Amata Spring Country Club, including Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa and Major winners Darren Clarke and Charl Schwartzel in the US$1 million Asian Tour season-ending event.
World No 3 Lee Westwood will also feature in the event with a host of Asian Tour stars including three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Tetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan and Spaniard Sergio Garcia.
Dyson launched his career in Asia when he won the 2000 Asian Tour Order of Merit, courtesy of winning three titles in his rookie year. He went on to ply his trade in Europe where he has won six titles, two of which came this year in the Netherlands and Ireland.
Ranked 32 in the world, Dyson is riding a rich vein of form heading into the Thailand Golf Championship where he has seven top-10s this year and an impeccable track record in Asia.
South Korea’s Kim, who has one Asian Tour title under his belt, will be looking of continuing his stellar form which saw him lift his fourth title in Japan this year. His run of good form, highlighted by nine top-10s earned him a spot on the 2011 Presidents Cup International Team.
Kim, ranked 23rd in the world, also played in all four of the Majors this year with his best finish in tied 30th place in the US Open and will be keen of carrying his experience to the Thailand Golf Championship where he will be one of the hot favourites to win.
India’s Singh, a two-time Order of Merit winner, will be looking of ending a title drought which dates back to 2008. A series of injuries curtailed his season last year but he looks to be returning to his best form as he claimed two tied fourth place finishes on the Asian Tour this season.
Hiratsuka, winner of the Asia Pacific Panasonic Open, will bank on his winning memories in Thailand where he won two out of three Asian Tour titles in the country last year.
He missed only one cut this year and will lead a strong cast of Japanese players to the Thailand Golf Championship including Ishikawa and Michio Matsumura, a two-time winner in Japan.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, Gaganjeet Bhullar of India, Siddikur of Bangladesh and Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei, all winners on the Asian Tour, will also feature in the Thailand Golf Championship.
The winner of the Thailand Golf Championship will earn a spot in the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational 2012.