CHARLIE WI GOES THREE CLEAR AT PEBBLE BEACH

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
PEBBLE BEACH, California -- On a day when sunshine gave way to a light rain, two things stayed the same Friday at the AT and T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Charlie Wi was still atop the leaderboard, and Tiger Woods didn't hole enough putts to make up ground.
Wi escaped most of the rain at Pebble Beach, where he holed a wedge from the 13th fairway for eagle and limited the damage to a bogey on his final hole for a 3-under 69 that allowed him to open a three-shot lead.
Dustin Johnson was caught off guard by the rain in the worst way. He stood in the fourth fairway at Spyglass with a short-sleeve shirt, hands thrust in his pocket, as his caddie sent a friend running up the hill to the parking lot to retrieve his rain gear. His short game let him down, and the two-time Pebble champion had to settle for a 72 that put him three back.
Padraig Harrington had a 66 at Pebble Beach and was among those tied for third. Harrington had five birdies in a six-hole stretch early in his round, the exception coming at the par-5 sixth.
Woods, meanwhile, again looked poised to make a move over at Monterey Peninsula. He missed a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 9 and failed to make birdie on the par-5 10th when he pulled his second shot into the gallery. He had to settle for a 2-under 68, leaving him six behind.
Along the way, he stung his wrist hitting out of a divot and said he had to pop it back into the joint.
"No big deal," he said.
The bigger deal was putting. Woods took 33 putts on the Shore Course, which he attributed to leaving the ball in the wrong spot -- mostly above the hole -- and struggling with greens he felt were getting slightly more bumpy as a mist turned into a light rain.
"It's very close," said Woods, playing this event for the first time in 10 years. "I got my ball-striking to where I feel very comfortable hitting the shots. I just need to make a couple of putts to get on a roll."
Phil Mickelson struggled in sunshine. In rain, he ran off five birdies for a 65 at Monterey Peninsula that put him five shots behind.
"I don't know what happened, but I started to play a lot better and make some birdies," said Mickelson, a three-time winner at Pebble. "In the perfect conditions, I struggled. But to play these golf courses in such great condition either way has been a lot of fun."
Wi was at 12-under 130 and now heads to Spyglass Hill, which has played slightly tougher than the other two courses.
In these shifting conditions, Spyglass played about two shots harder than it did Thursday, while Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula were about one shot more difficult than the day before.
Only 56 players broke par, compared with 87 in the opening round.
That would explain what was going through Wi's mind when he set off at Pebble Beach, knowing the course gave up a pair of 63s in the opening round. It sure didn't feel that easy.
"I thought Pebble played really difficult today," Wi said. "The greens were very firm, and the guys that shot 8 or 9 under out there, I was very surprised how well they played. Some of the pins were really tricky. I said, `Gosh, how did they shoot 9 under out there?' And for me to shoot 3 under today, I was very pleased."
Wi figured it out toward the end of the way, as the light rain swept over the peninsula. During the practice round, he hit a driver and a 9-iron on the ninth hole. It was his final hole Friday, and he hit a driver and a hybrid.
That didn't work out so well. He pulled his approach into a crevice of thick rough, chopped out over the green and only a good pitch to tap-in range helped him avoid something worse than a bogey.
Vijay Singh had a 68 at Spyglass Hill and Brian Gay had a 65 at Monterey Peninsula to join Harrington among those at 8 under. Hunter Mahan, fresh off his one-week journey to the Middle East for the Qatar Masters, had a 70 at Pebble Beach and was in the group at 7-under par, along with Mickelson.
Woods looked sharp at times, drilling a 5-iron to 7 feet for birdie on the opening hole, narrowly missing an 8-foot eagle attempt at No. 6 and making a second straight birdie on the par-3 seventh from about 15 feet.
But he didn't make up any ground, losing one shot to par compared with the leaders. Next up for Woods is Pebble Beach, where he usually plays his best. Woods still remembers the 63-64 weekend in 1997, when he finished one shot behind Mark O'Meara. Woods also had a 64 in the final round of 2000 to rally from five shots behind.
He has three rounds of 64 or better on the fabled course during the AT and T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
The last time he played Pebble Beach was the U.S. Open in 2010, where he bogeyed five of his opening 10 holes to fall out of contention. His game was in disrepair at the time. It now is on an upward swing, and the putting is all that controls how quickly he gets back.
"I'm hitting good putts," Woods said. "I'm not displeased with my putting at all. I just didn't hit the ball in the right spots to give myself the right looks. If we were putting smooth greens, it would be a totally different deal."
Johnson was tied for the lead with back-to-back birdies to close out the back nine at Spyglass. He bogeyed the par-3 third from about 12 feet away just behind the green, then three-putted for bogey at the par-3 fifth.
"I played really well yesterday. I played good today," Johnson said. "I just (threw) away some shots. I hit some poor pitch shots, just really bad. They weren't even pitch shots. They were dink chips, ones that you're trying to hole. And I just hit them terrible."
Johnson will have a chance to make up ground Saturday at Monterey Peninsula, which has produced the lowest scores this week.
Woods, meanwhile, settles in at Pebble Beach with the celebrity rotation, the day that CBS Sports typically spends as much time on the antics of actors and comedians as the golfers.
That shouldn't be a big distraction, though. Woods tees off early on the back nine, away from all the action.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Players from US unless stated
130 Charlie Wi (South Korea) 61 69.
134 Brian Gay 69 65, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 68 66.
135 Dustin Johnson 63 72, Josh Teater 64 71, Hunter Mahan 65 70, Greg Owen (England) 68 67, Jason Kokrak 687 67, Phil Mickelson 70 65. Kevin Na 66 69, Joseph Bramlett 66 69.
SELECTED SCORES
136 Tiger Woods 68 68.
139 Russell Knox (Scotland) 68 71.
141 Martin Laird (Scotland) 70 71, Ian Poulter (England) 69 72.
142 Gary Christian (England) 72 70.
144 Brian Davis (England) 70 74.

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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Now Paul Lawrie is helping the kids down in South Valley

E-mail from Rhondda Junior Golf Academy,
South Wales


Big box of kit just arrived in the post from the Paul Lawrie Foundation for us to run junior golf days. A proper example of how sportsmen can give something back to the sport.
Paul is a proper sporting ambassador for Aberdeen and Scotland and now for the RHONDDA!!!

TRIPLE BOGEY SCUPPERS ROSS KELLETT IN MOROCCO

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
A triple bogey 7 at the birdie-able seventh hole (only 383yd) killed Ross Kellett's dreams of a first win as a professional in the Alps Tour's Palmeraie Open at Marrakesh, Morocco today.
The 24-year-old Motherwell rookie had to be content with a share of fourth place and a financial reward of 1,425 Euros for scores of 67, 68 and 73 for an eight-under-par total fo 208.
Disappointing but still an encouraging performance by the Scot who finished eight shots behind an "unknown" American, Tim O'Neal, pictured right with the trophy, who won first prize of 5,000 Euros by three shots with three great scores of 66-67-67 for 16-under 200.
Jack Senior did best of the clutch of GB and I 2011 Walker Cup heroes in the field. The Lancashire rookie finished third on 207 with scores of 69, 67 and 71 to collect 2,000 Euros.
Murrayshall's Gavin Dear finished joint sixth on 210 with rounds of 67-73-70. He earned 1,027 Euros. But for a double bogey 7 at the 18th in Round 2, he could have made the top four or five.
Buchan rookies Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) and Philip McLean (Peterhead) both finished under par for the 54 holes and earned their first money outwith the North-east Alliance circuit.
Nicol, who topped the Alps Tour Final Qualifying School,. came joint 25th on 214 (71-72-71) and received 365 Euros. He was on course for a top-20 finish after four birdies in the first 12 holes of his last round but then stumbled to bogeys at the 13th, long 16th and short 17th.
McLean totalled 215 (70-74-71) and earned 337 Euros.
+There's frost everywhere at the moment - even in Morocco where it was minus three degrees overnight. Frost-bound greens meant a 75min delay in the start of the final round.


LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72) Prize money in Euros
200 Tim O'Neal (United States) 66 67 67 (5,000).
203 Matteo Delpodio (Italy) 69 67 67 (3,000).
207 Jack Senior (England) 69 67 71 (2,000).
208 Ross Kellett (Scotland) 67 68 73, Andrew Cooley (England) 70 69 69 (1,425 each).

SELECTED TOTALS
210 Gavin Dear (Scotland) 67 73 70 (T6) (1,027).
211 Richard Kilpatrick (N Ireland) 69 71 71 (T11) .
213 Matthew Cryer (England) 69 71 73, Steven Brown (England) 74 69 70 (T19).
214 Kris Nicol (Scotland) 71 72 71, Stiggy Hodgson (England) 74 70 70, Jack Clarke (England) 68 73 73  (T25) (365 each)
215 Philip McLean (Scotland) 70 74 71, Gareth Shaw (Ireland) 69 71 75 (T30).
220 Warren Harmston (England) 72 6 8 80 (T44) (337 each).

ADMIRABLE CRICHTON PERFORMANCE IN S AFRICAN STROKE-PLAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Aberdour's Scott Crichton finished a creditable joint sixth in a quality field for the South African amateur stroke-play golf championship at Glendower Golf Club, Gauteng.
Last year, Aberdeen's David Law was beaten in a play-off for the title. Crichton, a winner on the US college circuit during his student days, showed his class by improving from joint 13th at the start of the final day with a one-under-par 71 for a three-under-par final total of 285. He birdied the long eighth and the short 15th and also had a bogey-free round - he dropped a shot at the very last hole which cost him fifth place on his own behind the South African winner of the title, Haydn Porteous.
Porteous, who has a +5 handicap, headed the overnight leader Andrea Bolognesi (Italy), who bogeyed the last two holes for a 74 and 281, by birdieing the 15th and 17th for a 72 and 280.
Daniel Kay (Dunbar) and Fraser McKenna (Balmore) shared 40th place on 298. Kay, four over par after only seven holes, finished with a 76. McKenna had double bogeys at the first and 10th.
James White (Lundin) had back-to-back double bogeys, at the ninth and 10th in a 77 for 299 and a share of 46th place.
Brian Soutar (Leven GS), only two shots behind Scott Crichton at the start of the day, had an uncharacteristic error-strewn last round of 14-over-par 86 after a dreadful start which saw him drop nine shots to par after seven holes.
Soutar's final total of 301 gained him joint 57th place.
Connor O'Neil (Pollok), who started the tournament brightly with a 70, finished with a 76 for 305 and a share of 70th place.
 
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Players from S Africa unless stated
Par 288 (4x72)
280 Haydn Porteous 68 71 69 72.
281 Andrea Bolognesi (Ita) 69 70 68 74.
282 Drikus Bruyns 72 72 70 68, Filippo Bergamaschi (Ita) 73 69 69 71.
283 Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) 75 73 69 66.
285 Scott Crichton (Sco) 69 74 71 71, Lionel Weber (Fra) 67 73 71 74, Brandon Stone 66 68 75 76, Gert Myburgh 67 74 72 72, Desne Van Den Bergh 69 70 70 76 (T6)


OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
298 Daniel Kay 72 75 76 75, Fraser McKenna 72 77 73 76 (T40).
299 James White 75 75 72 77 (T46)
301 Brian Soutar 70 76 70 85 (T52)
305 Conor O'Neil 70 80 79 76 (T70)

GLENDOWER GOLF CLUB, GAUTENG
Par 288 (4x72)
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Players from S Africa unless stated
280 Haydn Porteous 68 71 69 72.
281 Andrea Bolognesi (Italy) 69 70 68 74.
282 Drikus Bruyns 72 72 70 68, Filippo Bergamaschi (Italy) 73 69 69 71.
283 Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon (France) 75 73 69 66.
285 Scott Crichton (Scotland) 69 74 71 71, Lionel Weber (France) 67 73 71 74, Brandon Stone 66 68 75 76, Gert Myburgh 67 74 72 72, Desne Van Den Bergh 69 70 70 76 (T6)

OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
298 Daniel Kay 72 75 76 75, Fraser McKenna 72 77 73 76 (T40).
299 James White 75 75 72 77 (T46)
301 Brian Soutar 70 76 70 85 (T52)
305 Conor O'Neil 70 80 79 76 (T70)

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF LINKS: IT'S GOING TO BE A SMASH HIT

NEWS RELEASE BY GOLF ILLUSTRATED
Love him or loathe him, you are going to have to get used to the fact that Donald Trump’s course near Aberdeen is going to turn a lot of heads this year. Despite early planning problems, there are few people now predicting anything but an outstanding success story for Trump International Golf Links.
The turf has now all been laid. A scorecard has been produced. Reservations for green fees (£150 midweek/£200 weekends) are selling like hot cakes. And, the grand opening is scheduled for July, when it is rumoured that Sean Connery will accompany Trump to the first tee.
You may still be unable to stop yourself scoffing when you hear Trump repeat that the links on the Balmedie Estate is going to be “the greatest golf course in the world”, something he repeats on an hourly basis; but – as the opening nears – the dissenting voices are fading off into the nearby Ythan Estuary.
Trump International Golf Links may not trip off the tongue, but the praise heaped on the course grows daily.
Most recently, the chief executives of both the European Tour and the PGA – George O’Grady and Sandy Jones – who visited the site late last year, have each given it glowing endorsements.
Now, Golf Illustrated is preparing the definitive piece on the project, revealing unseen photographs of every hole, Martin Hawtree's design sketches and comments on the final layout by Trump himself.
The piece is one of the highlights of the second edition of Golf Illustrated, which also includes a look behind the scenes at Ping's HQ in Arizona, a profile of Mac O'Grady, a celebration of hickories, an interview with course designer Kyle Phillips, a celebration of revetted bunkers, golf art and much, much more.
We also go behind the scenes at PING's factory in Arizona, talk to Martin Hawtree about working with Donald Trump in Scotland, profile the genius of Mac O'Grady, celebrate the hickory renaissance and see what really goes into greenkeeping.

North-east Alliance switched to Craibstone next Wednesday (February 15)

Next Wednesday's North-east Alliance has been switched to Craibstone.
Scroll down a bit to read further details.

JAMES BYRNE HAS NIGHTMARE 80 - BEATS CUT ON LIMIT MARK

James Byrne made the halfway cut in the Philippine Open with nothing to spare after an error-strewn round of eight-over-par 80 in today's second round.
That was 10 shots more than he took in an encouraging first-day 70.
The Banchory man, pictured, birdied the third and fifth but it was all downhill thereafter. He had a nightmare run either side of the turn with a triple bogey 7 at the sixth, a double bogey 6 at the seventh, single shots dropped at the eighth and ninthy, followed by another doble bohgey 6 at the 10th and a bogey at the 12th. He stopped the rot with a birdie at the long 13th but then fell off the straight and narrow again with bogeys at the 15th and 17th to take 40 blows for either half.
His total of six-over 150 was the limit mark for qualifying and Englishmen Guy Woodman (73-77) and Stephen Lewton (77-73) were on the same mark.

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Manila, February 10: Singaporean swinger Mardan Mamat produced a masterful two-under-par 70 in tough conditions to open up a three-shot halfway lead at the ICTSI Philippine Open today.
Chasing a third Asian Tour victory but first since 2006, the veteran tamed the notorious Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s East course with two birdies against no bogeys to lead American Ben Fox and local hopes Antonio Lascuna and Ferdinand Aunzo with his two-day total of five-under-par 139.
Lascuna battled to a 71, Aunzo shot a 70 while Fox scrambled to a 73 in Asia’s oldest national championship to lie on 142. Korea’s Mo Joong-kyung, Filipino teenager Miguel Tabuena, Chinese Taipei’s Lu Tze-shyan and American rookie Sam Cyr were amongst those bunched on 143 going into the weekend rounds.
Only 10 players are in red figures at the halfway stage, with the cut set at six-over-par 150 which saw 79 players making it through to the weekend rounds of the USS$300,000 tournament.
Coming off a relatively quiet 2011 season, Mardan broke away from a packed leaderboard with easy birdies on the fifth and 10th holes. “Going into the last three holes, I told myself that it would be a bonus if I could stay bogey free and I managed to do it. The winds were more, it’s swirling a lot. I was pretty much in control of my swing,” said Mardan.
The 44-year-old finished 57th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last season, his lowest position since 1998, despite enjoying one runner-up finish. He said splitting his time in Japan hurt his game. “Last year was a nightmare. I played too much golf and I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m going to take it one step at a time.
“I did a lot of work-out during the off season. I spent four or five times a week in the gym with my trainer. I think that has helped my fitness get better. I’m feeling relaxed. If I can stay relaxed, it should be good. I have full respect for this golf course. It can make you happy and it can make you unhappy. I hope I will stay happy for the next two days. I like the way I’m playing,” said Mardan.
The 41-year-old Lascuna has won multiple titles on his domestic tour but is still dreaming of the big one on the Asian Tour. A win on Sunday in his home Open would be the icing on the cake. Three birdies against two bogeys in his morning round left him beaming from ear to ear.
“My driving is okay and I putted good. Even par or one under is a good score,” said Lascuna, who said he was reaping the benefits of spending most of his pre-season preparation working on his putting technique.
“I think I have a chance. I’ll just enjoy the game. It’s exciting. I finished third in 2002 when Rick Gibson was the champion. After Sunday, I’ll answer your question on how it feels if I can win it. I need a couple of two under par rounds over the weekend.”
The 24-year-old Fox was in contention in the season-opening Zaykabar Myanmar Open last week before finishing equal sixth. He has put himself in contention again for a maiden Asian Tour victory despite not being on top of his game.
“I just played terrible. I was sloppy tee to green, made some good up and downs in the middle of the round which was important and it kept me in it,” said the American, who is playing in his third season on the Asian Tour.
“My biggest goal coming into the year was to get into contention more often. It was nice to get the lead in the first round last week and I was up there the whole way and again this week. I’m in good shape. It’s nice to be in the thick of things for two weeks in a row.”
South Korea’s Mo carded a 71 to stay on the fringe of contention, four off the pace. “The course is really tough and this course never goes low. You just try to make a putt,” said Mo, a two-time Asian Tour winner.
“Anything under par is good here. If you miss a fairway, you can have a tough time and if you miss a green, you can have a tougher time.”

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72). Yardage 7,222. Wack Wack GC course
139 Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 69-70.
142 Ferdinand AUNZO (PHI) 72-70, Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 71-71, Ben FOX (USA) 69-73.
143 Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 71-72, MO Joong-kyung (SKOR) 72-71, Paul DONAHOO (AUS) 71-72, LU Tze-shyan (TPE) 69-74, Adam BLYTH (AUS) 73-70, Sam CYR (USA) 71-72.
144 Anthony KANG (USA) 69-75, Danny CHIA (MAS) 75-69, Mars PUCAY (PHI) 70-74, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 70-74, Azuma YANO (JPN) 69-75, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 72-72.
145 Rick GIBSON (CAN) 73-72, Thammanoon SRIROJ (THA) 72-73, Masanori KOBAYASHI (JPN) 75-70, Atthaphon PRATHUMMANEE (THA) 70-75, Elmer SALVADOR (PHI) 72-73, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 75-70, Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA) 73-72, Rahil GANGJEE (IND) 75-70.

SELECTED SCORES
150 Guy Woodman (England) 73 77, Stephen Lewton (England) 77 73, James Byrne (Scotland) 70 80 (T65).

MISSED THE CUT (150 and better needed to qualify for Rounds 3-4)

McGINLEY'S CLUB HIRE OPERATION COUNTERS RYANAIR CHARGES

NEWS RELEASE
Ryanair has struck another blow to golfers looking to get away to sunnier climes by once again increasing its charges for golf bags – but another Irish company, ClubstoHire.com, is fighting back and flying the flag for the travelling golfer.
The low-cost airline, once famed for its £9.99 fares to European destinations, now charges a minimum of £50 per flight to carry the golf bags of UK travellers, meaning a ‘cheap’ golf break is no longer an attractive proposition.
But the rapid expansion of former Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley’s golf club hire operation, ClubstoHire.com – which is now located at seven airports in Europe – can ensure an inexpensive golf break remains exactly that.
As well as saving consumers significant outlay – more than £750,000 to date – the company’s success also comes from providing golfers with a seamless booking process, top-brand equipment choices and a liberating travel experience.
McGinley’s fellow ClubstoHire director, Tony Judge, said: “Airlines are continuing to hit passengers with increased charges for sporting equipment which, in some cases, can double the cost of a trip. It was for this reason we opened the first ClubstoHire store in Faro in July 2010; and we’ve been fighting a successful David v Goliath campaign on behalf of golfers everywhere ever since.”
In late 2011, Air Berlin announced its charges for golf bag carriage were to be increased to €100 return and the majority of European carriers now charge upwards of £60 return – just to take one’s golf bag away on a break. So it is little wonder that the ClubstoHire.com has been so well received by golfers across Europe .
A broad equipment range is offered from just €35 per week, with options available from TaylorMade (including R11S and the new RocketBallz), Callaway, Wilson and MD Golf; all clubs are offered – left or right-handed, ladies and men’s – and hire is available from just one day to a full four weeks. For those wishing to travel extra-light, shoe hire is also available.
The service couldn’t be easier to use – just order on-line ahead of travel and pick up the hire set at the destination.
■ Bookings for Antalya , Alicante , Murcia , Dublin , Malaga , Edinburgh and Faro can be made online at www.clubstohire.com.

McILROY, BJORN SHARE HALFWAY LEAD IN DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Thomas Bjorn issued a timely reminder of what happened five months ago after joining Rory McIlroy in the halfway lead at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic today.
Northern Ireland's US Open Champion justified his position as favourite by adding a 65 to his first round 66 to reach 13 under par 131.
But 40 year old Bjorn has matched him shot-for-shot so far and now finds himself in a battle with not only the World No 2, but also golf's third- and fourth-ranked players as well.
Martin Kaymer had the first hole-in-one of his life on the 186 yard seventh - his 16th - as he reached 11-under 133 with a 67, while Lee Westwood's 65 for ten under included birdies on the last three holes.
"They are people capable of amazing things, but I won in Switzerland with those three on the leaderboard and that's not long ago," the Dane said.
Bjorn's victory in the Omega European Masters last September - his third of a season which re-ignited his career - came with a dazzling closing round of 62, his joint lowest of a European Tour career that goes back 16 years.
He beat second-placed Kaymer by four, third-placed McIlroy by five and sixth-placed Westwood by six.
"It's very easy to get impressed by the way they play the game, but you've got to go out and focus on your own game."
Bjorn also has the memory of beating Tiger Woods head-to-head on the Emirates course in 2001 with a 22 under par total which still stands as the tournament record.
McIlroy, though, is back at the scene of his first professional victory three years ago and in his last eight events - a run that started in Switzerland - he has only once finished outside the top four.
The 22 year old from Holywood near Belfast overtook first-round leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello by covering the back nine in four under 33, chipping in at the 359 yard 17th.
For the second day running he then missed an eagle chance of under ten feet on the 18th, but after failing to hole a five foot birdie chance on the first he then picked up more strokes on the third, sixth and eighth.
"I feel like I played a lot better," said McIlroy, who delivered a number of his trademark towering iron shots with pinpoint precision. "I started off very solidly and just kept picking up birdies along the way.
"I'm a lot more confident off the tee and am reading the greens better. It puts me in a great position and I'm very excited for the weekend."
Cabrera-Bello's 69 left him in third place only one off the pace on 132, while Kaymer shares fourth spot with Scotland's Scott Jamieson and Frenchman Gregory Bourdy on 133.
"Now I'm part of the hole-in-one family," Kaymer said after an eight iron shot that won a watch not for himself, but for his physio because of a bet they have every week.
It was the second ace of the week. Scot Stephen Gallacher won a car for his at the 190 yard 15th in his opening 69 and by adding a 65 he is alongside Westwood and Kaymer's fellow German Marcel Siem in seventh place on 134.
Former winner Henrik Stenson's 64 was the round of the day, while Abu Dhabi winner Robert Rock improved six strokes on his opening 73 to stand four under 140.
Colin Montgomerie, Tom Lewis and defending champion Alvaro Quiros are among those on the same mark, while Sunday's Commercialbank Qatar Masters champion Paul Lawrie is one further back on 141.
The cut fell at one under 143 and so four more previous holders of the title - Mark O'Meara, Fred Couples, David Howell and Jimenez - made it through with nothing to spare.
As did John Daly after a 72 that began with him taking 6 on the long tenth and then a quadruple bogey 8 at the 467 yard 12th.=
The American came back from that with seven birdies to show that his fourth place finish last weekend was no fluke.

HALFWAY LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
131 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 66 65, Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 66 65.
132 Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 63 69.
133 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 66 67, Gregory Bourdy (France) 66 67, Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 65 68.
134 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 69 65, Marcel Siem (Germany) 65 69, Lee Westwood (England) 69 65.

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
140 Richie Ramsay 69 71, Colin Montgomerie 71 69, David Drysdale 70 70 (T27).
141 Paul Lawrie 71 70 (T39)

MISSED THE CUT (143 or better qualified)
145 Marc Warren 74 71, George Murray 74 71.
148 Peter Whiteford 73 75, Ross Bain 72 76.




TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

GUNN EARNS $2,835 FOR JOINT 2ND FINISH IN WINDY ARIZONA

Arizona-based Dornoch pro golfer Jimmy Gunn, after leading or sharing the lead through the first 36 holes of the All-American Professional Golf tour event at Sunridge Canyon, Fountain Hills, Arizona, had to settle for a joint second-place finish.
Jimmy (pictured) earned $2,835 for scores of 65, 70 and 72 for a six-under-par total of 207 - two shots behind the winner of the jackpot prize of $10,330, American Brady Schnell (68-67-70).
In very windy conditions, Gunn quickly dropped out of a share of the overnight pole position when he bogeyed two of his first four holes but he retrieved the situation somewhat with birdies at the sixth, seventh and ninth, offset by a third bogey at the eighth.
A bogey at the 15th put him one over par for the day on the par-71 lay-out, but he regained level par status for the final round with his fourth birdie of the day, at the 16th.
From there the Highlander needed at best a birdie-birdie finish for victory. Instead he found himself plugged in a bunker at the 17th which cost him a bogey. A par at the last earned him joint second place alongside American Danny Wax.
Gunn is now fifth on the All-American Pro Tour's money table for the winter schedule with earnings of $8,887.

ALL-AMERICAN PRO GOLF TOUR
Sunridge Canyon GC, Fountain Hills, Arizona
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
Players from US unless stated
205 Brady Schnell 68 67 70 ($10,330).
207 Danny Wax 70 69 68, Jimmy Gunn (Scotland) 65 70 72 ($2,835 each).
208 John Hahn 67 71 70, Jonathan Krick 68 70 70, Justin Searles 71 68 68 ($2,165 each).

CHARLIE WI LEADS WITH A 61 AT PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
PEBBLE BEACH, California (AP) -- Dustin Johnson took revenge on the hole that cost him so badly two years earlier by firing an eagle at the third Thursday, setting up a round of 9-under 63 that gave a share of the lead in the AT and T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Johnson shared the strokes-under-par lead with Charlie Wi, who flirted with a round of 59 before finishing with a 9-under 61 at Monterey Peninsula in the three-course event, and former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee, who matched Johnson's 63 at Pebble Beach.
Tiger Woods was five shots to par off the lead after a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill in his 2012 US PGA Tour debut. It was fourth-best score on that course.
Johnson is a two-time winner of this event and in 2010 he held a three-shot lead in the U.S. Open on the same course until he carded an 82 in the final round. On the third hole of that fateful round, he drove into the bushes for a lost ball and a double bogey.
On Thursday, he smashed a driver nearly 340 yards over the trees to just short of the green, then pitched in from 41 yards for an eagle.
Even now, he still thinks about that tee shot in the U.S. Open. Walking off the tee, he said to caddie Bobby Brown, "I could have used that in the U.S. Open."
"Walking off that hole, I told Bob, 'This hole owes me a few more than just that one.'"
Meanwhile, Wi had a strong chance of carding a 59 without ever knowing it. He was 8 under after a tap-in birdie on the 13th hole, and needed "only" three birdies in the last five holes to go below 60. Trouble is, he had no idea the Shore Course was a par 70. He made one more birdie and had a 9-under 61.
"I was looking at the scorecard like, `What's the par here?' I did not know it was a par 70," Wi said. "That 59 never crossed my mind. Not once."
Lee holed a bunker shot for eagle at No. 2 and holed out from the 11th fairway with a wedge for another eagle to take a share of the lead.
Johnson overpowered the par 5s at Pebble Beach, the secret to playing that course well. He had a 6-iron for his second shot at the par-5 second for an easy birdie, holed a 65-foot eagle putt on the sixth hole, got up and down from a bunker on the 14th for birdie, then cringed when his 40-foot eagle attempt on the 18th just turned away.
"I thought it was going in," Johnson said. "I was laughing. I made plenty of putts today."
Woods made his share, too.
He opened with consecutive birdies, stuffing his approach on No. 10 and two-putting for birdie on the par-5 11th. He also holed a downhill, 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th that was good enough to elicit a small fist pump, and from behind the par-5 opening hole, hit a flop shot to 7 feet and made that.
He made two bogeys and played the par 5s in 3 under.
"I don't know if it's a good sign or a bad sign," Woods said about his 68. "With the scores the way they are, I thought I could have it lower than I did. The guys are just tearing this place apart with no wind. I'm not too far away from posting a good number out here."
His partner, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, contributed pars on the holes where Woods made bogey, and Romo had a birdie on the par-5 14th when Woods missed the fairway and had to settle for par. As a team, they were tied for 25th.
Romo gets to play a forward tee, but he doesn't get any shots with a scratch handicap.
Phil Mickelson (2-under 70) always entertains at No. 4 at Spyglass, a tee shot that gives him so much stress each year. He is determined to hit driver, and did again Thursday, this time relieved to at least be able to find it.
And while he missed a 7-foot birdie putt after a splendid flop out of deep rough that ran 100 feet across the green, Mickelson was glad the hole was behind him.
"The greens were perfect," Mickelson said. "They rolled so good, and that's why it was disappointing to let some of those go. I've been putting really well lately, and I expected to make some of those. Shot a couple under par, but it could have been a lot better."
Ken Duke shot a 28 on the back nine at Pebble Beach and was at 8-under 64, along with Brian Harman. Nick Watney and Kevin Na each had a 6-under 66, the lowest score from Spyglass.
The conditions were so good that more than half the field broke par no matter where they were playing.

FIRST-ROUND LEADERBOARD
(Three courses being used)
61 Charlie Wi
63 Danny Lee (NZ), Dustin Johnson.
64 Ken Duke, Brian Harman

SELECTED SCORES
68 Russell Knox (Scotland), Greg Owen (England), Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington (Ireland).
69 Ian Poulter (England)
70 Martin Laird (Scotland), Brian Davis (England), Phil Mickelson.
72 Gary Christian (England).

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