Friday, February 03, 2012

MARTIN LAIRD MAKES PHOENIX OPEN CUT WITH NOTHING TO SPARE

Martin Laird qualified for the last two rounds of the Phoenix Open right on the limit mark of level par 142 (2x71).
Three birdies had the Scot well in the "comfort zone" but then he stumbled to two late bogeys and, with one hole to play in his second round, he has one under par overall. A bogey at the last for a 70, two shots better than his opening round, got him through with nothing to spare.
Thirty-odd players had to go out at 7.30am local Scottsdale, Arizona time to complete their second rounds after frost delayed the start of play on Friday for the second day in a row and the players at the end of the field ran out of daylight to finish their rounds.
American Scott Levin looks to have a stranglehold on the tournament with a five-shot lead on 14-under-par 128 (65-63) at the top of the scoreboard. But after clear leader Kyle Stanley's last hole triple bogey demise and subsequent defeat in a play-off, no one is taking anything for granted.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
Players from US unless stated
128 Spencer Levin 65 63.
133 Harrison Frazar 66 67
134 John Huh 68 66, Webb Simpson 65 69.
135 Kyle Stanley 69 66.
136 Bo Van Pelt 65 71, Ryan Palmer 66 72, Jason Duffner 64 72.

SELECTED TOTALS
138 Phil Mickelson 68 70
141 Ian Poulter (England) 72 69.
142 Martin Laird (Scotland) 72 70.

MISSED THE CUT (142 and better qualified for third round)
147 Brian Davis (England) 75 72.

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WEBB SIMPSON LEADS FROST-DELAYED PHOENIX OPEN

American world number six Webb Simpson used a red-hot putter to charge into contention in the frost-delayed opening round of the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Simpson, the highest-ranked player in the field, sank several putts from between 12 and 15 feet on the way to a six-under-par 65 in relatively calm conditions at the TPC Scottsdale.
The 26-year-old mixed seven birdies with a lone bogey at the par-four sixth to finish a stroke behind compatriot Ryan Palmer, who snatched the outright lead late in the day before play was suspended in fading light.
Americans Derek Lamely, Kevin Na, Chez Reavie and Harrison Frazar, and Australian Jarrod Lyle, carded 66s while South African Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, opened with a 67.
Frost had delayed the scheduled tournament start by an hour and 42 players will have to complete the first round on Friday morning (local Arizona time) when temperatures are forecast to dip even lower.
Simpson, who ended a career-best season on the US PGA Tour last year with two victories and second place in the money list, was delighted with his performance on the greens.
"The thing that kind of held me in there all day was my putting," he said after totalling only 27 putts. "I made a bunch of putts, so I'm excited about that. The one on 17 was the longest, maybe 20, 25 feet."
Simpson, who teed off at the par-four 10th, rocketed up the leaderboard with four consecutive birdies from the par-four 17th.
"That kind of gave me a good jump start in the first round," he said. "Only blemish was at number six. I really didn't feel like I hit a bad shot, I hit a chip that released a lot more than I thought it would. Other than that, it was solid."
Asked whether it felt strange being the highest-ranked player in the field, Simpson replied: "I'm getting used to it, but I don't think about that stuff that much.
"I'm just a believer in you can climb up as quickly as you can go down, so I don't pay attention to it that much."
Phil Mickelson, winner of the Phoenix Open in 1996 and 2005, needed only 24 putts on his way to a four-birdie 68. He missed the cut in his last event.
"I feel so good with the putter," the American left-hander said. "It's been a few years since the guys out here have seen me putt like this.
"I'm looking forward to continuing this streak and hopefully getting in contention for the weekend because I feel really confident on the greens."
American world number nine Dustin Johnson and compatriot Keegan Bradley, winner of last year's US PGA Championship, also started out with 68s.
It was not a day to remember, though, for former world number one Vijay Singh, who carded a 76, and 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink, who battled to an 83.
Reuters

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O'HARA AND LAW MAKE TURKISH CUT, CAMERON, FINDLAY FAIL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Motherwell's Paul O'Hara remains the most consistent Scottish player on the German PGA's EPD Tour.
He is just outside the top 10 with one round to go in the Sueno Pines Classic - the last event of the tour's four-event Turkish swing - while rookie pro David Law made his first cut this year.
Ellon's Ross Cameron and Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) missed the cut by four and 11 shots respectively.
Motherwell's O'Hara, pictured left, is joint 11th after a one-birdie 74 for one-under 143 - nine shots behind the German leader, Daniel Wunsche (67-67).
Paul bogeyed he second, 11th and 16th but got one back by birdieing the par-5 17th.
Aberdonian Law has had a pair of 73s for 146 and is sharing 26th place. He looked to be in for another disappointing round when he was three over par to the turn but then birdied the 12th, 14th and long 15th and only a bogey at the short 16th prevented him matching the par of 72.
Cameron, starting at the 10th, had a triple bogey 7 at the sixth and required 42 shots for his second nine in a 78 for 152. On the credit side, he did birdie the ninth, long 13th and 17th.
Findlay remains an enigma. He developed some consistent form on the North-east Alliance circuit before and after Christmas but his game seems to fall apart in anything bigger than the Scottish Alliance.
Today Jordan, twice a British boys' finalist and once a winner, had a triple bogey at the 12th and double bogeys at the third and 10th in an 84 for 159.
For a man of Findlay's talent, that's an inexplicable score.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
134 Daniel Wunsche (Ger) 67 67.
137 Stephan Gros (Ger) 70 67.
140 Christoph Pfau (Aut) 70 70, Kristian Nielsen (Den) 70 70.
Selected scores
143 Paul O'Hara (Sco) 69 74 (T11).
144 Lee Corfield (Eng) 74 70, Grant Jackson (Eng) 74 70 (T18).
146 David Law (Sco) 73 73 (T26).
148 James Wilson (Eng) 73 75 (T33)

MISSED THE CUT (148 and better qualified)
150 Adam Carson (Eng) 74 76.
151 Tom Boys (Eng) 73 78.
152 Ross Cameron (Sco) 74 78.
153 Matthew Dearden (Wales) 76 77.
154 Ian Brown (Eng) 70 78.
156 Nicholas Murtagh (Eng) 73 83.
158 Chris Guy (Eng) 76 82.
159 Jordan Findlay (Sco) 75 84.



ends

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JAMES BYRNE LEVEL PAR BUT MISSES CUT BY THREE SHOTS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
James Byrne's debut on the Asian Tour ended after 36 holes even though he was level par with rounds of 70 and 74. Byrne, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, missed the cut by three shots.
The Banchory man's double bogey 7s at the long second and long fifth were his undoing. They were the only shots he dropped all day. Birdies at the first and sixth could not repair the damage.
Life can be tough for a rookie pro.

AUSSIE HEND IS HALFWAY LEADER

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Yangon, February 3: Scott Hend of Australia took advantage of his booming drives, shooting a five-under-par 67 to take the halfway lead at the Zaykabar Myanmar Open presented by Air Bagan today.
Overnight joint leader Hend, a winner on the Asian Tour, held a one-shot lead over Thailand’s rising star Kiradech Aphibarnrat with a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 at the Royal Mingalardon Golf and Country Club.
Kiradech, who won his first Asian Tour title last year, shot a solid 66 while countryman Chinnarat Phadungsil (68) and Ben Fox (69) of the United States were a further shot back on 133 at the US$300,000 event, returning on the Asian Tour after a one year lapse.
Jesper Kennegard of Sweden set a new course record with a sizzling 63 to tie in fifth place with former European Tour member Wade Ormsby, Kodai Ichihara of Japan, Marcus Both of Australia and Joon Lee of Korea.
Hend, who was averaging drives of 331 yards today, got off to a strong start, making four birdies and one bogey in the opening five holes. The highlight of his day came on the 10th hole when he sank a 15-feet chip-in birdie.
“It was a rough day for me so I’m happy to get that one out of the way and concentrate on the weekend. I left a few out there. I missed a couple of three footers but it is all positives going into the weekend,” said Hend, winner of the Driving Distance category on the Asian Tour in 2009 and 2010.
“The way to score around here is try and to give yourself a lot of 10 footers. The key to this golf course is to read the slopes on the green,” added Hend, whose last Asian Tour victory was in 2008.
Kiradech, popular for his grip-it and rip-it style of play, birdied the last three holes to put him within a stroke of the leader and ignite his ambitions for a second Asian Tour victory.
“Been a solid two days but I still have a lot of work to do. It helps a lot to hit long drives. The fairways are wide so it gives you a lot of chances to score on the par fours and fives. Honestly, I could have gone lower but missed a couple of easy birdie chances,” said the Thai.
Fox of the United States found trouble on the second hole when his ball was plugged in the bunker but he recovered nicely to stay within touching distance of Hend.
“You know they say it is hard to follow-up a great round with another great round. I felt good about everything. I felt like my mind was in the right place but the putts just didn’t really fall,” said Fox, who mixed his card with four birdies and one bogey.
Playing on an invite, Ichihara sank his eight feet eagle putt on the 14th hole to surge up the leader board. He is determined to make amends this week after losing his Asian Tour card last year.
“Last year I struggled with my game. It just didn’t seem to work for me but I put in a lot of practice during the break and it is paying off. I’m just happy to be playing well again. My short game was really good today,” said the ever-smiling Ichihara, who is searching for his first Asian Tour title.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72) Yardage 7,218
Royal Mingalardon GCC course
131 Scott HEND (AUS) 64-67
132 Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 66-66.
133 Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 65-68, Ben FOX (USA) 64-69.
134 Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 64-70, Kodai ICHIHARA (JPN) 67-67, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 68-66, Jesper KENNEGARD (SWE) 71-63, Joon LEE (SKOR) 67-67.
135 Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 68-67, Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 69-66.
136 Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA) 67-69, Masanori KOBAYASHI (JPN) 67-69, Stephen LEWTON (ENG) 70-66, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 66-70.
137 Martin ROMINGER (SUI) 67-70, Chris RODGERS (ENG) 66-71, Niall TURNER (IRL) 69-68, Ron HARVEY junior (CAN) 68-69, Jonathan MOORE (USA) 70-67, Peter KARMIS (SAf) 70-67, KIM Gi-whan (SKOR) 65-72.
138 Tim STEWART (AUS) 70-68, Adam GROOM (AUS) 71-67, BAEK Seuk-hyun (SKOR) 67-71, Hamza AMIN (AUT) 69-69, Makoto INOUE (JPN) 72-66, MO Joong-kyung (SKOR) 69-69.

SELECTED SCORES
139 Simon Griffiths (England) 67 72 (T29).

MISSED THE CUT (141 or better qualified for last two rounds)
144 James Byrne (Scotland) 70 74 (T96)

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HIGH WINDS HALT QATAR MASTERS - CUT TO 54-HOLE TOURNEY

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Gusts of 45mph meant less than three hours' play was possible on the second day of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy - and the second leg of The European Tour's Middle East swing has now been cut to 54 holes.
It was decided to call off play for the day at 2pm and announced soon afterwards by tournament director David Probyn that the sponsors did not want the event to extend into Monday.
Many of the players are also entered for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic next week, but American Hunter Mahan - one over par after six holes of his second round - is heading back to California for the Pebble Beach Pro-am.
"The course is still on the verge of playable, but there's no point sending the guys out for an hour or two on a marginal course," Probyn said.
"The winds will be down a notch tomorrow and decreasing during the day, while the forecast for Sunday is for much calmer conditions."
Play is scheduled to resume at 8.45am tomorrow - it was 6.30am on the first two days - and the aim is to complete the second round by the end of the day and then stage the third round on Sunday.
American John Daly was among those who did not hit a shot, but the 45 year old ranked 543rd in the Official World Golf Ranking moved into the lead when Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño bogeyed two of his first five holes before the suspension came just before 9.15am local time.
Former Open Champion Daly, chasing his first victory for eight years, goes into the weekend five under par, while Fernandez-Castaño, who won the Barclays Singapore Open in November when that event was trimmed to three rounds because of thunderstorms, is a stroke behind along with South Korean K J Choi and Australian Jason Day.
Choi was another who did not have to play, while Day's six opening pars mean he has still to record a bogey in the tournament.
Lee Westwood's day began well with a birdie on the 11th, but he double-bogeyed the next and when he ran up a 5 on the 410 yard 14th he was one over and only joint 48th along with Graeme McDowell, who had bogeyed the 11th and birdied the 14th.
Despite the conditions Ireland's Damien McGrane went to the turn in a five under 31, but he had started with a 78 and so was still only one over, while four birdies in six holes by South African Branden Grace, twice a winner already this season, lifted him into a tie for 15th on one under.
Officials were close to deciding on a 12.15pm restart, but then the gusts went up again and that was too much to keep balls still on the greens.
Fernandez-Castaño, with a chance to go top of the Ryder Cup points table by winning, said: "It was windy when we went out and I had a few birdie chances, but then I bogeyed two holes into the wind.
"I hope tomorrow I can take advantage of the remaining ten holes I have. I didn't have any balls moving, but certain shots you could hardly keep balanced. Being selfish I'm quite happy play was called off."
Leading Scot Paul Lawrie had still not teed off in the second round when play was halted for the day.

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ENGLAND'S NEIL RAYMOND WINS PLAY-OFF for RAIN-HIT NSW MEDAL

FROM THE NEW SOUTH WALES NEWS WEBSITE
Due to heavy rains, rounds 3 and 4 of the NSW Medal, due to be held at Mona Vale Golf Club, have been cancelled.
The NSW Medal and qualifiers for the NSW Amateur Match Play will be determined by the first 36-holes, played Wednesday and Thursday at Long Reef and Mona Vale.
Congratulations to Englishman Neil Raymond who defeated Brett Drewitt (Long Reef GC) in a play off to determine the 2012 NSW Medal Winner. Both players finished their 36-holes on 144, and with no further play today a playoff was required for a result.
Neil Raymond ensured that England again kept the NSW Stroke Play silverware, defeating Long Reef's Brett Drewitt at the first play-off hole. The play-off was held on Mona Vale's par 3 6th hole.
Drewitt held the upper hand after their tee shots, landing safely on the green, while Raymond pulled his shot to the left, before chipping up to 15 feet. Drewitt, feeling like a two putt would be good enough to take the title, tried to lag his first putt to the hole, but unfortunately left himself six feet away after his first putt.
The Englishman calmly rolled in his par putt, leaving Drewitt a putt to halve the hole, which he failed to make.
The first round of matches sees some very interesting contests, with Raymond up against 32nd qualifier, 2011 Australian Amateur Champion, Matt Stieger, who himself survived a play-off to make the match play component of the NSW Amateur.
Many compatriots also face up in the first round, with NSW GC's Michael Bell and Micahel Lambert up against each other, as are highly fancied Interstate rivals Brady Watt (WA) and Rory Bourke (Vic).
NSW Elite Squad members, Ricky Kato and Daniel Bringolf, should be a great contest and a lot of interest will surround the matches at the bottom of the draw with New Zealanders Tim Leonard and Fraser Wilkin up against each other, as are Ireland's Reeve Whitson and England's Ashley Chesters.
The Irish performed well in the wet weather, with all four visitors through to the match play.
The top 32 players have now qualified for the NSW Amateur Match Play to be held at Elanora Golf Club next week, with Raymond and Drewitt the top two seeds.

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