JUSTIN ROSE SHARES HALFWAY LEAD LEAD IN HONDA CLASSIC

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Staff and wire reports

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida -- Justin Rose keeps preaching par is a good score at PGA National. Thanks to a string of birdies, he carved out another 66 to share the halfway lead with Tom Gillis in The Honda Classic.

Three birdies over the last five holes also kept Rory McIlroy in the chase for No. 1 in the world.
"Still a lot of golf left -- 36 holes," McIlroy said after a 67 in the breezy, balmy afternoon. "I just need to keep doing the same things, try to drive the ball in the fairway and give myself loads of opportunities, and try and take a few. Because you don't need to make tons of birdies out here."
Maybe not, but that was the recipe for Brian Harman, who shattered the course record by three shots and even flirted with golf's magic number before he had to settle for par on the 543-yard closing hole for a 61.
Birdies also helped Tiger Woods, though not enough to offset a tee shot into the water on the par-3 fifth for a double bogey in his round of 68 that put him seven shots out of the lead.
Rose made five birdies in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of his round and was at 10 under until back-to-back bogeys, an example of how this course can stop momentum quickly. He wound up at 8-under 132 with Gillis, a 43-year-old journeyman who had a 64 and is atop the leaderboard for the first time after any round of a US PGA Tour event.
"You can't play 36 holes around here and expect to come away without any bruises at all," Rose said.
McIlroy, who would have to win The Honda Classic to replace Luke Donald atop the world ranking, was at 7 under along with Dicky Pride, who birdied his last hole for a 67.
Harman, Jimmy Walker (67) and Monday qualifier Vaughn Taylor (66) were another shot back.
The cut was at 141, the lowest since the Honda Classic moved to PGA National five years ago.
Proof of the low scoring came from Harman, the rookie from Georgia who never imagined standing in the 18th fairway with a chance to shoot 59 with an eagle on the par 5. He gave it his best shot, leaving a hybrid into the front bunker in an attempt to have a reasonable putt.
Harman wound up missing a 5-footer and had to settle for par, though his 61 still broke the course record by three shots.
"Just one of those crazy days where everything comes together," Harman said. "Got off to a really hot start and just kept the pedal down all day. It was awesome."
For Woods, it was a matter of hitting the gas and slamming on the brakes.
Woods stuffed an approach inside 3 feet for birdie, then had to scramble for bogey. He bounced a tee shot off a spectator and turned that into birdie, only to hit his next tee shot into the water for double bogey. He closed with two birdies.
"It was nice to get that kind of finish because I was struggling today a little bit, trying to find a motion that was going to get the job done," said Woods, whose three-year-old son, Charlie, watched him play a tournament for the first time. "Somehow, I managed to score."
He still didn't score as well as so many others.
McIlroy ran off nine straight pars -- he missed two birdie chances from 5 feet and another one from 12 feet -- until he made bogey from the bunker on the 13th hole. He answered with back-to-back birdies, from tap-in range on the 14th and a 15-footer on the next hole, and then finished with a two-putt from 65 feet.
"I had a few chances early on and didn't take them," McIlroy said. "Kept making pars and making pars, and broke that run with a bogey on 13 which was frustrating. But to bounce back from that and birdie three of the last five holes was nice, and puts me in great position going into the weekend."
Gillis said his turning point came with a 25-foot par putt on the 10th, followed by three birdies over the next four holes.
It was quite a turnaround for Gillis, who has played in 26 countries during a journey that has taken him to tours in Europe, Asia and South Africa. He even thought about quitting after he failed to get back to the US PGA Tour through Q-school, but he stuck with it, hopeful of days like this one.
Gillis even went home to Michigan after one of his failures at Q-school to get a "real job."
"Job market wasn't very good. Didn't have a whole lot to offer them, to be quite honest with you," he said. "So I thought, `Geez, I'd better turn around and go back out there (on the golf course) and see if I have anything left.'
"It's kind of a cool story. I like it because you dig deep and you move forward, and it's a good example to young kids, just never give up and keep believing.
"Sometimes it's hard to do that in this game because it seems like the game is built to tear you down to some extent."
ago with a back injury after the first round.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
PGA National Champions Course,
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Par 140 (2x70)
Players from US unless stated
132 Tom Gulbis 68 64, Justin Rose (England) 66 66
133 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 66 67, Dicky Pride 66 67
134 Vaughn  Taylor 68 66, Brian Harman 73 61, Jimmy Walker 67 67.
135 Harris English 66 69, Keegan Bradley 67 68, Charles Howell III 68 67

SELECTED SCORES
137 Graeme McDowell (N Ireland) 73 64, Davis Love III 64 72, Charles Schwartzel (S Africa) 71 66 (T18).
138 Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 70 68, Brian Davis (England) 68 70, Ernie Els (S Africa) 70 68 (T28).
139 Lee Westwood (England) 70 69, Tiger Woods 71 68 (T31)
140 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 73 67, Gary Christian (England) 73 67 (T42)

MISSED THE CUT (141 or better qualified)
142 Greg Owen (England) 71 71, Jim Furyk 68 74.
147 Kyle Stanley 75 72.
148 Darren Clarke (N Ireland) 73 75, David Duval 74 74.
TO VIEW ALL THE HALFWAY TOTALS (AND THE LIVE SCORING FROM FLORIDA LATER IN THE DAY)

CLICK HERE 

GOOD NEWS FROM MACHRIHANISH: UGADALE HOTEL RE-OPENS

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Martin Kaufmann
Follow Me: Twitter @GolfweekTravel
Machrihanish Golf Club always has been a somewhat underappreciated treasure of Scottish golf. There are two obvious reasons why that would be the case: Machrihanish, on the Mull of Kintyre in southwest Scotland, is remote and difficult to reach; and when you finally arrive, there historically has been a shortage of good lodging at the course or in nearby Campbeltown.
Machrihanish is still difficult to reach, but a big step recently was made to solve the accommodation problem. Southworth Development last week opened the renovated Ugadale Hotel, which sits across the road from the Machrihanish clubhouse.
The Ugadale has 22 rooms and suites, ranging from 267-556 square feet. The building is more than 100 years old and had been in a state of disrepair until Southworth renovated it.
Lodging has been a particularly pressing issue since the 2009 opening of the neighbouring course, Machrihanish Dunes. The Ugadale Hotel complements the Ugadale Cottages, eight two-bedroom golf cottages built by Southworth. Twenty-four additional cottages are planned.
In addition, Southworth is redeveloping The Royal Hotel in Campbeltown, six miles from the golf courses. The Royal, which dates to 1907, will have 23 rooms when it reopens in May.
The Ugadale Hotel includes a spa and a private restaurant and bar called The Kintyre Club. Proceeds from Kintyre Club memberships are donated to local charities.
Southworth said that it has invested more than $30 million in the project to date.

Visit www.machrihanishdunes.com.

FASCINATING STORY OF THE 'HITLER TREE' BY HESKETH'S FIRST TEE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY GOLF ILLUSTRATED
If you look up "the Hitler tree" on Google then you'll find that in the Polish Town of Jaslo, a fierce debate ensues about an oak tree. The tree was planted by the Nazi's to celebrate their Fuhrer's 53rd birthday and there are those who'd like to see it removed.
In this particular instance, you can't really blame them. But there's another Hitler tree where the locals don't want to see it removed because it reminds them of a rather special golfing achievement.
Hesketh on Merseyside is one of the oldest golf clubs in Britain and outside there is a fir tree that might have been handed over by Adolf himself, if the depraved Dictator had not also been something of a bad sport.
To learn more one must travel back to the Olympic Games of 1936, made famous by the celebrated Black American athlete Jesse Owens. Golf was not a part of the Olympics, but Hitler decided to hold a parallel international tournament - the Grosser Golfpries Der Nationen (the Golf Prize Of Nations) at Baden Baden Golf Club.
The event was held straight after the Games themselves and the English Golf Union decided to send a two man team comprising of Arnold Bentley from Hesketh and Tom Thirsk of Ganton. The Germans opened up a handy lead going into the final day, and were still three strokes ahead after the morning round on the final day.
Anticipating a German win, Hitler set off from Berlin, so that he could present the prizes to a triumphant home nation. He didn't reckon though to the gritty determination of the English pair.
Thirsk shot back to back 65s which was enough to snatch first place on 562. When Hitler heard of the turn around the furious Fuhrer decided to do a volte-face of his own, and headed straight back to Berlin.
It was left to the president of the German Golf Union, Karl Henkell, to make the presentation and award the prizes - a trophy, gold medals and a fir tree. It was planted by the first tee at Hesketh Golf Club, and still waves in the wind at departing golfers.
The story of the "Hitler Tree" is one of the highlights of the second issue of Golf Illustrated, alongside pieces on MoeNorman and Mac O' Grady, a photo essay of Donald Trump's Scottish links, inside Ping, a celebration of hickory golf and Rye's President's Putter.

READ ALL ABOUT IT ON www.golfillustrated.co.uk

GAVIN DEAR HAS GREAT CHANCE OF VICTORY IN MOROCCO

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
It's been a while since Gavin Dear entered the winner's enclosure but that could be about to change on Saturday in Morocco.
The in-form Dear improved on his first-round 69 today and has an excellent chance to win the 5,000 Euros first prize in the EPD (German PGA) Tour event, the Amelkis Classic at Marrakesh.
The Murrayshall man, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, packed seven birdies and two bogeys, both at short holes, into a five-under-par second-round 67 to be sharing the lead with one round to go on eight-under 136 with local hero Younes El Hassani who has scored 62-74.
The third-placed Frenchman, Damien Perrier is two shots behind.
Ellon's Ross Cameron had a three-birdie 70 for 142 to be sharing 16th place.
Aberdeen's David Law (72-72) and Philip McLean (Peterhead) (74-70) are sharing 26th place on 144.
Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) beat the 146 cut by a shot, thanks to improving on his first round by seven shots with a four-birdie 69.
Fraserburgh's Jordan Findlay had a five-birdie day but a 73 for 148 left him o the sidelines once again.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
136 Gavin Dear (Sco) 69 67, Younes El Hassani (Mor) 62 74.
138 Damien Perrier (Fra) 69 69.
139 Constantin Schwierz (Ger) 70 69, Anton Kirsten (Ger) 72 67.

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
142 Ross Cameron 72 70 (T16).
144 David Law 72 72, Philip McLean 74 70 (T26).
145 Paul O'Hara 76 69 (T29).

MISSED THE CUT (146 and better qualified)
148 Jordan Findlay 75 73.



ends

ANDREW OLDCORN WINS EAST OF SCOTLAND ALLIANCE AT DUNBAR

By ALAN GREENSHIELD
Edinburgh and East of Scotland Alliance secretary
A record number for the season of 110 players headed down the coast for a second visit to Dunbar to test their skills at the Open Championship Qualifying venue.
Some excellent weather and a very well prepared course resulted in European Seniors Tour player Andrew Oldcorn (King's Acre) securing the The Paterson Medal and also securing the top Scratch Prize with a one under par 70 (34-36).
Second scratch prize was secured by another pro, David Patrick (Elie), on 71 (32, 39) with Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) in the prizes again in third place with 72 (37,35).
Top handicap prize was shared by Andrew McLennan (Deer Park) net 70 (78 less 8) and Thomas Wilson (Glenbervie) net 70 (72 less 2).
Third handicap saw seven players card net 71 - Michael Carrigan (Greenburn), Gavin Clark (Duddingston), Ian Jeavons (Dunbar), Wilson Morton (Dunbar), Andrew Rothney (Deer Park), Peter Sewell (West Linton) & Andrew Wight (Glencorse).
Senior prize went to Iain Stavert (Duddingston) with a net 72.
The Order of Merit sees the top three places in Scratch and Handicap unchanged but Jamie Morris of Peebles has gained good ground on the top two.
Scratch
1. Stephen Lamb ( Cardrona) - 545.5
2. Andrew Marshall (Houston GR) - 531.0
3. Jamie Morris (Peebles) - 524.0
4. Sean McGarvey (Glencorse) - 497.5
5. Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) - 491.0

Handicap
1. Steven Dand (Pumpherston) - 118.0
2. Daniel Airens (Falkirk Tryst) - 113.0
3. Jamie Morris (Peebles) - 112.0
4. Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) - 108
5. Sean McGarvey (Glencorse) - 103.0

Last outing prior to the annual championship is at Glenbervie on March 14.


LEADING SCRATCH SCORES

1 Oldcorn Andrew King's Acre Professional 70

2 Patrick David Elie Professional 71

3 Dick Allyn Kingsknowe Amateur 72

4 Wilson Thomas Glenbervie Amateur 72

5 Morris Jamie Peebles Amateur 73

6 Neill Ross Drumpellier Professional 73

7 Rothney Andrew Deer Park Amateur 73

8 Wood Daniel The Hirsel Trainee 73

9 Erskine Andrew Ratho Park Professional 74

10 Johnston Richard Glenbervie Amateur 74

11 Law Gordon Uphall Professional 74

12 McMehen Stuart Linlithgow Amateur 74

13 Thomson Mike Galashiels Amateur 74

14 Wight Andrew Glencorse Senior 74

15 Buckley Ryan Craigielaw Professional 75

16 Gordon Craig Edinburgh Golf Cen Professional 75

17 McNicoll Keir Gullane Trainee 75

18 Morton Wilson Dunbar Senior 75

19 Stavert Iain Duddingston Senior 75

20 Wither George Lothianburn Amateur 75

21 Callan Stuart Bathgate Professional 76

22 Colquhoun Neil Merchants Professional 76

23 Lamb Peter Biggar Amateur 76

24 Lamb Stevie Cardrona Professional 76

25 Marshall Andrew Houston G.R. Professional 76

26 McGarvey Sean Glencorse Amateur 76

27 Millar Andrew Musselburgh Amateur 76

28 Morris Chris Kingsknowe Professional 76

29 Munro Donny Kingsknowe Amateur 76

30 Imlah Craig Peebles Professional 77

31 Jeavons Ian Dunbar Amateur 77

32 Sewell Peter West Linton Amateur 77

33 Catlin Scott Greenburn Professional 78

34 Cordery Thomas Musselburgh Amateur 78

35 Fish Derek Glenbervie Amateur 78

36 Fraser Hugh Niddry Castle Amateur 78

37 McLennan Andrew Deer Park Amateur 78

38 Taylor Ian Royal Burgess Amateur 78

LEADING HANDICAP SCORES

1 McLennan Andrew Deer Park Amateur 78 8 70

2 Wilson Thomas Glenbervie Amateur 72 2 70

3 Carrigan Michael Greenburn Amateur 81 10 71

4 Clark Gavin Duddingston Amateur 79 8 71

5 Jeavons Ian Dunbar Amateur 77 6 71

6 Morton Wilson Dunbar Senior 75 4 71

7 Rothney Andrew Deer Park Amateur 73 2 71

8 Sewell Peter West Linton Amateur 77 6 71

9 Wight Andrew Glencorse Senior 74 3 71

10 Stavert Iain Duddingston Senior 75 3 72

11 Webster Alex Niddry Castle Amateur 79 7 72

12 McMehen Stuart Linlithgow Amateur 74 1 73

13 Brown Stuart Glencorse Amateur 79 5 74

14 Comber Ron Uphall Senior 87 13 74

15 Dick Allyn Kingsknowe Amateur 72 -2 74

16 Johnston Richard Glenbervie Amateur 74 0 74

17 Laing William Prestonfield Amateur 81 7 74

18 Millar Andrew Musselburgh Amateur 76 2 74

19 Morris Jamie Peebles Amateur 73 -1 74

20 Munro Donny Kingsknowe Amateur 76 2 74

21 Stott Richard Prestonfield Amateur 79 5 74

22 Thomson Mike Galashiels Amateur 74 0 74

23 Wither George Lothianburn Amateur 75 1 74

24 Airens Daniel Falkirk Tryst Amateur 83 8 75

25 Bain Neil Haddington Amateur 79 4 75

26 Cartmill Harry Bathgate Amateur 80 5 75

27 Lamb Peter Biggar Amateur 76 1 75

28 Marshall Robert Greenburn Amateur 83 8 75

29 McEwan Morris Gifford Senior 82 7 75

30 Young Alan Lochend Amateur 81 6 75

31 Cordery Thomas Musselburgh Amateur 78 2 76

32 Fraser Hugh Niddry Castle Amateur 78 2 76

33 Lees Steven Dalmahoy Amateur 85 9 76

34 Louden Michael Glencorse Amateur 80 4 76

35 McGarvey Sean Glencorse Amateur 76 0 76

36 Taylor Ian Royal Burgess Amateur 78 2 76

BRIAN SOUTAR BEATS SOUTH AFRICAN ACE IN 36-HOLE FINAL

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION

Leven Golfing  Society’s Brian Soutar has kept the South Africa Amateur title in Scottish hands after he brilliantly emulated compatriot Michael Stewart to claim the biggest title of his career.

The 27-year-old Fifer has taken his golf to a new level by defeating South Africa’s No 1 amateur player, 18-year-old rising star Brandon Stone, 2 and 1 in the 36-hole final at Mowbray Golf Club, Cape Town.

Soutar, part of a seven-man SGU National Men’s Squad who are in South Africa for a winter performance programme, supported by Aberdeen Asset Management and South African businessman Johann Rupert, quickly follows in the footsteps of Walker Cup hero Stewart who defeated Paul Shields in the all-Scottish final 12 months ago.

In winning the prestigious event, South Africa’s oldest amateur competition, Soutar has etched his name on a trophy that includes Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and, memorably, also booked his place in the European Tour’s South Africa Open in November.

Scotland international Soutar won the Leven Gold Medal in 2007 and claimed the Scottish Champion of Champions last April, as well as helping Fife to a first-ever Moneygate Scottish Area Team Championship crown last summer. For a player who was blighted by a back injury at the start of 2011, this is his sweetest success yet.

After the first 18 holes off the final finished all-square, Soutar moved two up with successes at the 2nd and 7th holes of the afternoon round, before Stone showed his battling qualities with victories at the 11th and 13th to draw level again.

But Soutar, who showed great resolve and nerve to win his quarter-final and semi-final after extra holes, refused to let the contest slip from his grasp and claimed wins at the 14th, thanks to a superb eagle, and the 16th. A par-4 at the 17th was enough for glory.

Speaking after being thrown in a pool by his jubilant team-mates to cool down amid the hot temperatures, Soutar said: “It’s absolutely brilliant for me, a fantastic achievement.

“It was always going to be a tough match against Brandon, he is some player and there is no doubt he will be on our TV screens one day, but I played well all week. I felt like it was meant to be, I was quite calm all week.

“I had a bad round at the South African Stroke Play, I shot 85 in the final round, but I sat down with (SGU National Coach) Ian Rae and we just felt it was a freak score. I worked even harder on my game from that point on and I just peaked at the right time this week. All my work has paid off.”

Soutar paid particular tribute to Stewart, who was in touch before the final, and is already counting down to his European Tour bow.

He added: “Michael was on Facebook wishing me luck last night which was nice of him. He has been here before, so he was just telling me to stay calm and enjoy it.

“I can’t wait for the South African Open – my European Tour debut. That’s what you dream of. Winning this event will also be good for me in terms of team selections this year.”

Rae praised Soutar for a notable achievement. “It’s absolutely fantastic for Brian and Scottish Golf, what a great result,” he said. “To win the South African Amateur title two years in a row is incredible.

“It’s a big event and Brandon Stone is an excellent player, which makes the win for Brian even more impressive. It’s a phenomenal achievement so soon after Michael’s win.”

Hamish Grey, SGU chief executive, added: “Brian’s achievement is reward for all his hard work in Abu Dhabi and South Africa over the winter. Everyone at the Scottish Golf Union is delighted for him.”

+Picture of Brian Soutar with the championship trophy courtesy of Luke Walker.

                                   

ANOTHER GOOD WIN FOR ANIRBAN LAHIRI: PLACE IN OPEN CH/SHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Chonburi, Thailand: Anirban Lahiri of India earned his Major debut at The Open Championship after shooting a final round five-under-par 67 at the International Final Qualifying (IFQ) today.
Lahiri, winner of the SAIL-SBI Open in India last week, led the trio of Prayad Marksaeng, who shot the best round of 64, Kodai Ichihara of Japan and Mardan Mamat of Singapore, who sealed the fourth and final ticket after winning in a three-way play-off against compatriot Lam Chih Bing and Jonathan Moore of the United States.
Play was suspended due to lightning threats with two more flights yet to finish and was resumed after two hours and 35 minutes at the majestic Amata Spring Country Club.
Lahiri turned in 35 but sparked into life on his homeward nine highlighted by an eagle-three on the 15th hole when his five-wood approach shot landed three feet from the hole. His charge was stopped momentarily as play was suspended with two more holes to play.
“It has been a childhood dream of mine. It feels really nice. This is the third IFQ I have come for and the last the couple of times I played pretty poorly. It is really nice that I have made it.
“The rain was quite a damper because I knew I was two ahead. I just needed to finish it off and win it. It was a little bit frustrating because we didn’t know how long the storm would stay but I’m glad it is all over and done with,” said Lahiri, who posted a nine-under-par 135.
The young Indian was delighted to add a Major appearance to his fledging career where he has won two Asian Tour titles.
“This is something every player looks forward to. I’m glad we have this opportunity on the Asian Tour. The fact that I have come here and won it is very special to me and I hope that I can make it a memorable one at The Open,” he added.
Prayad, a six-time Asian Tour winner, bounced back from an opening 73 courtesy of a new driver and some hot putting where he sank a monster 50-feet birdie putt from the edge of the eighth green. He will be making his fifth appearance in The Open.
“I was very lucky today because I sank all my long putts. Everything just clicked for me from my driving to my putting. It was just one of those good days. It feels great to qualify for The Open again and this time, I’ll be aiming to make the cut for the first time in my career,” said Prayad, who shot a flawless round highlighted by six straight birdies from the sixth hole.
“I’m getting older and might not get a better chance to qualify for The Open. It is always an advantage playing at home and I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to play in a Major championship,” he added.
Ichihara, who missed out on a fourth and final ticket to The Open by one shot last year, battled into third place with a flawless 69 as Japanese amateur Hideki Matsuyama, who was in contention for the Open spot faded with a double bogey on 16, bogey on 17 and triple bogey on the last.
“I feel excellent. I didn’t think about last year at all. I came here with a lot of positives and I’m glad I finally made it through. I feel great and I can’t wait to play in The Open. I feel sorry for Matsuyama. He played well except for three bad holes,” said Ichihara, a regular on the Asian Tour before losing his Tour card last year.
Mardan, playing four flights behind overnight leaders Moore and Lahiri, had an agonizing three-hour wait before playing in the play-off which he triumphed with a tricky 12 feet birdie putt on the par four 18th hole.
Mardan closed with a 69 to tie in regulation play with Lam and Moore on 140. “I told Lam before the play-off that no matter what, one of us has to win the play-off and I was glad I did. It is remarkable to make my third appearance in The Open.
“It has been a sensational few weeks for me. I can’t believe I made it to The Open. It was a very long wait for me with the suspension of play and the fact that I finished earlier but it was well worth the wait!” said Mardan, who won the ICTSI Philippine Open last month.
The Open Championship will be played at the Royal Lytham St Annes from July 19 to 22.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72) Yardage: 7,441
Amata Spring CC course
135 Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 68-67.
137 Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 73-64.
138 Kodai ICHIHARA (JPN) 69-69.
140 LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 71-69, Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 71-69, Jonathan MOORE (USA) 68-72.
141 Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA) 72-69, Scott HEND (AUS) 71-70, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 71-70.
142 Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 73-69, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 74-68, Kunal BHASIN (AUS) 70-72, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 70-72, Hideki MATSUYAMA (am, JPN) 69-73.
143 Himmat RAI (IND) 73-70, PARK Ju-hyuk (KOR) 77-66, Scott BARR (AUS) 69-74.

DAVIS LOVE III SETTING PACE WITH A 66 IN HONDA CLASSIC

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Staff and wire reports
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida -- The more putts he makes, the more confidence he has over the putts that can turn a decent round into something much better.
That explains why Rory McIlroy opened with a 4-under 66 on Thursday in The Honda Classic, leaving him two shots behind Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and a small step closer toward establishing himself as the best player in golf.
And that explains why Tiger Woods left PGA National feeling as if he played better than his score of 71.
Love made a hole-in-one and finished with two birdies to tie the course record at PGA National with a 64, making him the 10th player to post that number since The Honda Classic moved here five years ago.
Love is 47 and still competitive, even though his mind is largely on assembling a team and a strategy to win back the Ryder Cup this fall at Medinah. He has been around long enough to realise that a good opening round, while pleasing, doesn't mean much.
"I've been hitting the ball real well, and a lot of tournaments last year I just didn't get off to a good start," Love said. "So I'm just glad to be off to a good start."
Even so, the name that got all the attention was McIlroy, the 22-year-old U.S. Open champion from Northern Ireland. Coming off a runner-up finish in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, he needs to win to reach No. 1 in the world.
His 66 didn't seem to require much effort. McIlroy twice holed tricky par putts from about 5 feet on the first three holes, and from there gave himself plenty of looks from 20 feet and closer and made enough of them to open strongly in calm, morning conditions.
"That's been a huge improvement, especially inside 6 feet," McIlroy said. "I definitely don't miss as many as I used to. I feel a lot more confident over those putts. I've always been pretty good from like 15 to 25 feet. I've always holed my fair share, but those putts that you should hole all the time are the only that I've definitely improved on.
"The more you see the ball go in from there, the more confidence you get."
His lone bogey was a three-putt from 50 feet, understandable because McIlroy had not faced a putt over 25 feet for some three hours until the 17th hole of his round.
McIlroy was joined at 66 by a large group that included Justin Rose, Ryan Palmer and Harris English, the US PGA Tour rookie who won on the Nationwide Tour last year as an amateur and has yet to miss a cut this year.
Most of the low scoring came from the morning, when conditions were soft and benign, and before the south Florida wind arrived. Woods played in the afternoon. Making his first appearance in this event as a pro, he didn't distinguish himself.
He only missed three greens, but failed to save par each time. His other bogey was a three-putt from 50 feet. He also failed to get up-and-down from left of the par-5 18th green, having to settle for par.
Woods only had two birdie chances inside 10 feet. He was tied for 68th, seven shots behind, going into Friday morning's round.
"I didn't get a whole lot out of my round," Woods said. "I hit the ball a lot better than I scored, and I certainly putted well, and I didn't hardly get anything out of the round. Hopefully, tomorrow it will be better."
As even more attention shifts to McIlroy, he seems to embrace it. He made his opening round at PGA National look easy, rarely putting pressure on any part of his game.
He birdied the last two holes of the back nine, made the turn and picked up another birdie on the par-4 second by smartly playing short of the bunkers and firing his approach into a breeze to about 18 feet from a back pin. His final birdie came on the par-3 seventh, when caddie J.P. Fitzgerald talked him into a hard 6-iron that stopped 12 feet short of the cup.
"It was pretty stress-free out there," McIlroy said. "I hit quite a few fairways and a lot of greens and gave myself a lot of chances, and that's sort of what you need to do around this golf course."
Love was even par when he reached the par-5 fifth, where he hit a hard 5-iron that drew gently toward the flag, and the next thing he heard was wild cheering from around the green.
"I knew when we were on the range this morning that early scores were going to be better, and you'd better get off to a good start," Love said. "I was parring along there, had not made a birdie yet then all of a sudden was 2 under. So that was a big boost."
It helped that PGA National was more benign than usual.
Because of rain Wednesday and the possibility of some afternoon showers, players were able to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairway, which always helps. The greens were smooth in the morning, another advantage. And there wasn't much wind.
US PGA champion Keegan Bradley and former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen were among those at 67.
Bradley played with McIlroy and Waste Management Phoenix Open winner and FedExCup leader Kyle Stanley. Their games are so similar that their opening tee shots on No. 10 landed in a line next to each other, separated by no more than five paces.
Stanley struggled to a 75, brought on by three consecutive three-putts early in the round.
Bradley and McIlroy surged ahead, and Bradley looked forward to more occasions like that.
"I love playing with Rory for a lot of reasons," he said. "We're both very competitive, and I like the kid. He's just a good kid, a good Irish kid."
The 25-year-old Bradley was reminded that the kid was only three years younger.
But there seems to be an appreciation that McIlroy soon could be the guy against whom players measure themselves. Bradley was a two-time winner last year as a rookie, and his work on the short game -- particularly his chipping -- appears to be paying off. There were several holes where Bradley turned potential trouble into an easy par.
"There's nothing more in the game of golf that makes me feel good than chipping up close," he said. "It's better than making a 50-foot bomb or hitting a 300-yard drive. It's been the different between being in the middle of the pack and contending."
McIlroy is contending just about every time he plays, and this is an important stretch. He has two tournaments left before he takes his three-week break to prepare for the Masters.

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