MACAULAY THIRD, DOAK AND RUSSELL JOINT SIXTH IN INDIA
REPORT FROM CHALLENGE TOUR PRESS OFFICER
NEIL AHERN
Callum Macaulay is predicting big things in 2012 after his season got off to an impressive start with a third placed finish at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in India, thanks to a two under par round of 70 which left him two shots behind eventual winner Max Kieffer.
The 28 year old former Scottish amateur champion from Tulliallan had a roller-coaster final round which concluded with three successive birdies on a positive day for the three Scots who made the half-way cut.
Chris Doak and Raymond Russell matched each other as they both shot three under par rounds of 69 to occupy tied sixth spot.
But it was Macaulay, pictured in action today by courtesy of Karolina Gembara, who took the bigger prize of €12,000, though he had to work hard for his 70 as he followed up his three under par front nine with a double bogey on the 13th, followed by a bogey on the 14th.
“I just hit the wrong club on 13,” he lamented. “I hit a driver and the wind wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be, so it went too far left up against the wall. I tried to get an unplayable [drop] but I couldn’t, so I had to go back up onto the tee.
“I composed myself then and birdied the last three, so I’m really happy with the finish. It’s been a great week; my first time in India and I really enjoyed it. The course is great, it was good to play a hard, firm course.
“I suppose we’re used to playing links golf; bump and runs and things like that. It’s more about strategy, rather than just booming it. It’s good to play well on the first tournament.”
After two full seasons on the Challenge Tour, Macaulay is now confident he can push on this year and finally seal a top 20 finish in the Rankings to earn a card for The European Tour.
“I'm looking for big things this year,” he said. “I feel like, having played two years on the Challenge Tour, I’m ready to make the step-up again. In 2009 it was of a fairy-tale year, I didn’t expect to be on The European Tour but qualified at Q-School as an amateur. It was more of a ‘finding my feet’ year, although I didn’t quite find them soon enough.
“I feel like now I’m experienced enough that I can go out and contend for one of the top five positions on the Challenge Tour, and this is a great start.”
Doak, meanwhile, finished in style as he saved his best round of the week until last. Five birdies and an eagle on the par five sixth, where he chipped in, elevated him to three under for the day and the tournament, and he was delighted to make up for the two-shot penalty he incurred on the third day.
“It was my best round of the week today,” said the Greenock man. “It was karma coming around after a two shot penalty yesterday. I just grazed the grass in between the ball and the hole on the 16th hole with my putter, so I called over the referee and it was a penalty. So instead of a finish of birdie-birdie-birdie it was bogey-birdie-birdie, so I think it was karma!
“It’s good to see all the Scottish lads up there. This week has been my best ball-striking week in a while, as well as course management and short game. The putting’s definitely improving with the belly-putter, it made a big difference.”
Russell also chipped in for an eagle, this time at the par four third hole, before picking up another shot on the sixth to reach the turn on three under par. Two bogeys and two birdies followed as he and Doak collected €7,200 each.
Kieffer won after a tense play-off with home favourite Rahil Gangjee, the German’s par on the first play-off hole beating Gangjee’s double-bogey to claim his first Challenge Tour title.
FINAL TOTALS
281 M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71 70 70, R Gangjee (Ind) 68 69 73 71 (Kieffer won sudden-death play-off at first hole).
283 A Hartø (Den) 73 70 69 71, P Dwyer (Eng) 71 72 72 68, C Macaulay (Sco) 74 70 69 70,
285 C Doak (Sco) 74 70 72 69, R Russell (Sco) 73 69 74 69,
286 C Lloyd (Eng) 72 70 74 70,
287 S Benson (Eng) 70 68 76 73, S Kapur (Ind) 69 68 78 72,
288 P Archer (Eng) 73 71 68 76,
289 D Kemmer (USA) 69 72 70 78, J Dantorp (Swe) 70 68 74 77, P Uihlein (USA) 76 72 71 70,
290 L Goddard (Eng) 71 71 70 78, J Gibb (Eng) 72 72 72 74, O Henningsson (Swe) 73 72 68 77, C Brazillier (Fra) 72 70 74 74,
291 G Lockerbie (Eng) 69 69 80 73, S Tiley (Eng) 75 71 74 71, B Åkesson (Swe) 70 73 72 76,
292 C Paisley (Eng) 72 70 75 75, M Cryer (Eng) 73 73 74 72, M Ford (Eng) 72 71 76 73, A Snobeck (Fra) 71 71 75 75,
293 A Kumar (Ind) 75 70 74 74, D Gaunt (Aus) 73 68 76 76,
294 B Barham (Eng) 71 72 76 75, M Perera (Sri) 73 72 77 72,
295 C Hanson (Eng) 72 73 73 77, E Kofstad (Nor) 77 71 76 71, J Walters (RSA) 71 73 75 76, B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 74 75 75, M Carlsson (Swe) 71 73 75 76,
296 B Parker (Eng) 71 73 74 78,
297 K Kumar (Ind) 73 73 74 77, G Bhullar (Ind) 71 75 75 76, D Singh (Ind) 72 73 75 77, B Evans (Eng) 71 77 75 74,
298 T Ferreira (RSA) 70 76 76 76, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 72 75 77 74,
299 M Kumar (Ind) 72 73 78 76,
300 J Hansen (Den) 77 71 71 81, H Bacher (Aut) 70 74 74 82, B An (Kor) 76 71 74 79, S Pinckney (USA) 72 76 79 73, R Singh (Ind) 71 73 78 78,
301 A Lohan (Ind) 72 73 78 78, V Kumar (Ind) 76 72 74 79, M Singh Pathania (Ind) 75 72 74 80,
302 B Chapellan (Fra) 75 71 81 75, S Khan (Ind) 72 75 75 80, Å Nilsson (Swe) 76 72 78 76,
303 A Parr (Can) 74 72 76 81,
304 F Praegant (Aut) 73 75 77 79, M Jaini (Ind) 70 77 77 80, S Engell Andersen (Ken) 75 69 75 85,
310 A John (Ger) 71 77 83 79, V Kumar (Ind) 75 71 81 83, A Sandhu (Ind) 72 76 83 79,
NEIL AHERN
The 28 year old former Scottish amateur champion from Tulliallan had a roller-coaster final round which concluded with three successive birdies on a positive day for the three Scots who made the half-way cut.
Chris Doak and Raymond Russell matched each other as they both shot three under par rounds of 69 to occupy tied sixth spot.
But it was Macaulay, pictured in action today by courtesy of Karolina Gembara, who took the bigger prize of €12,000, though he had to work hard for his 70 as he followed up his three under par front nine with a double bogey on the 13th, followed by a bogey on the 14th.
“I just hit the wrong club on 13,” he lamented. “I hit a driver and the wind wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be, so it went too far left up against the wall. I tried to get an unplayable [drop] but I couldn’t, so I had to go back up onto the tee.
“I composed myself then and birdied the last three, so I’m really happy with the finish. It’s been a great week; my first time in India and I really enjoyed it. The course is great, it was good to play a hard, firm course.
“I suppose we’re used to playing links golf; bump and runs and things like that. It’s more about strategy, rather than just booming it. It’s good to play well on the first tournament.”
After two full seasons on the Challenge Tour, Macaulay is now confident he can push on this year and finally seal a top 20 finish in the Rankings to earn a card for The European Tour.
“I'm looking for big things this year,” he said. “I feel like, having played two years on the Challenge Tour, I’m ready to make the step-up again. In 2009 it was of a fairy-tale year, I didn’t expect to be on The European Tour but qualified at Q-School as an amateur. It was more of a ‘finding my feet’ year, although I didn’t quite find them soon enough.
“I feel like now I’m experienced enough that I can go out and contend for one of the top five positions on the Challenge Tour, and this is a great start.”
Doak, meanwhile, finished in style as he saved his best round of the week until last. Five birdies and an eagle on the par five sixth, where he chipped in, elevated him to three under for the day and the tournament, and he was delighted to make up for the two-shot penalty he incurred on the third day.
“It was my best round of the week today,” said the Greenock man. “It was karma coming around after a two shot penalty yesterday. I just grazed the grass in between the ball and the hole on the 16th hole with my putter, so I called over the referee and it was a penalty. So instead of a finish of birdie-birdie-birdie it was bogey-birdie-birdie, so I think it was karma!
“It’s good to see all the Scottish lads up there. This week has been my best ball-striking week in a while, as well as course management and short game. The putting’s definitely improving with the belly-putter, it made a big difference.”
Russell also chipped in for an eagle, this time at the par four third hole, before picking up another shot on the sixth to reach the turn on three under par. Two bogeys and two birdies followed as he and Doak collected €7,200 each.
Kieffer won after a tense play-off with home favourite Rahil Gangjee, the German’s par on the first play-off hole beating Gangjee’s double-bogey to claim his first Challenge Tour title.
FINAL TOTALS
281 M Kieffer (Ger) 70 71 70 70, R Gangjee (Ind) 68 69 73 71 (Kieffer won sudden-death play-off at first hole).
283 A Hartø (Den) 73 70 69 71, P Dwyer (Eng) 71 72 72 68, C Macaulay (Sco) 74 70 69 70,
285 C Doak (Sco) 74 70 72 69, R Russell (Sco) 73 69 74 69,
286 C Lloyd (Eng) 72 70 74 70,
287 S Benson (Eng) 70 68 76 73, S Kapur (Ind) 69 68 78 72,
288 P Archer (Eng) 73 71 68 76,
289 D Kemmer (USA) 69 72 70 78, J Dantorp (Swe) 70 68 74 77, P Uihlein (USA) 76 72 71 70,
290 L Goddard (Eng) 71 71 70 78, J Gibb (Eng) 72 72 72 74, O Henningsson (Swe) 73 72 68 77, C Brazillier (Fra) 72 70 74 74,
291 G Lockerbie (Eng) 69 69 80 73, S Tiley (Eng) 75 71 74 71, B Åkesson (Swe) 70 73 72 76,
292 C Paisley (Eng) 72 70 75 75, M Cryer (Eng) 73 73 74 72, M Ford (Eng) 72 71 76 73, A Snobeck (Fra) 71 71 75 75,
293 A Kumar (Ind) 75 70 74 74, D Gaunt (Aus) 73 68 76 76,
294 B Barham (Eng) 71 72 76 75, M Perera (Sri) 73 72 77 72,
295 C Hanson (Eng) 72 73 73 77, E Kofstad (Nor) 77 71 76 71, J Walters (RSA) 71 73 75 76, B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 74 75 75, M Carlsson (Swe) 71 73 75 76,
296 B Parker (Eng) 71 73 74 78,
297 K Kumar (Ind) 73 73 74 77, G Bhullar (Ind) 71 75 75 76, D Singh (Ind) 72 73 75 77, B Evans (Eng) 71 77 75 74,
298 T Ferreira (RSA) 70 76 76 76, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 72 75 77 74,
299 M Kumar (Ind) 72 73 78 76,
300 J Hansen (Den) 77 71 71 81, H Bacher (Aut) 70 74 74 82, B An (Kor) 76 71 74 79, S Pinckney (USA) 72 76 79 73, R Singh (Ind) 71 73 78 78,
301 A Lohan (Ind) 72 73 78 78, V Kumar (Ind) 76 72 74 79, M Singh Pathania (Ind) 75 72 74 80,
302 B Chapellan (Fra) 75 71 81 75, S Khan (Ind) 72 75 75 80, Å Nilsson (Swe) 76 72 78 76,
303 A Parr (Can) 74 72 76 81,
304 F Praegant (Aut) 73 75 77 79, M Jaini (Ind) 70 77 77 80, S Engell Andersen (Ken) 75 69 75 85,
310 A John (Ger) 71 77 83 79, V Kumar (Ind) 75 71 81 83, A Sandhu (Ind) 72 76 83 79,
Labels: CHALLENGE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, January 29, 2012
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