ANOTHER GRAY DAY IN THE WEST

Hayston professional Stephen Gray maintained his recent fine form by winning today's West of Scotland Golfers' Alliance fixture at Kilmarnock Barassie GC.

He headed a field of 59 players with a fine score of four-under-par 65, five strokes clear of joint runners-up David Ferguson (Paisley) and Alan Welsh (Cathkin Braes).

Hilton Park's Ian Leslie  won the leading handicap prize by three shots with a net

67 off seven.

LEADING SCRATCH

Par 70

65 Stephen Gray (Hayston).

70 David Ferguson (Paisley), Alan Welsh (Cathkin Braes)

73 Keith Baxter (Buchanan Castle), Robert Jenkins (Crow Wood).

LEADING HANDICAP

 Ian Leslie (Hilton Park) (7) 67; Sean Kelly (Dougalston) (8), Allan Gilmour (Deer Park) (9) 70; Martin Hynd (Forrester Park) (6) 71 (better inward half)

SENIORS

John Greene (Cowglen) (12), Douglas Martin (Crowwood) (10) 73.

TUESDAY, JULY 10 OPENING DATE FOR TRUMP INTERNATIONAL LINKS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com 

Tuesday, July 10 has been pencilled in as the opening date for the Trump International Links golf course at Balmedie, some 12 miles up the North-east coastline from Aberdeen.

A spokesman for the company confirmed the date, adding that there would be "European Tour involvement."

Luke Donald will be defending the Scottish Open championship at Castle Stuart GC later that week.

Donald Trump is expected to hit the official opening shot at his Scottish pride and joy.

Paul Lawrie will not be present on July 10. The 1999 Open champion explained last night:

"No. Unfortunately I won't be at the opening as the Paul Lawrie Foundation pro-am is at Skibo Castle on Monday, July 9, which would mean going up and down the road too often for me just before the Scottish Open. It's too big a week for that. Which is a pity as I would have loved to be there on the Trump International Links' big day."

One former Open champion who will play the Donald Trump course in July is Sir Bob Charles, the left-handed New Zealander who won the title at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 1963.

He will tee off just after noon on Thursday, July 26 in a four-ball with his good friend, Aberdeen businessman Jim Hardie, John Hamilton (Murcar Links) and John Cramond (Royal Aberdeen).

Sir Bob, making his second tour of North and North-east courses within a couple of years, has again had his itinerary made up by Jim Hardie who plays regularly with him in New Zealand during the Scottish winter months which Hardie escapes by heading for the Christchurch area (that destination will almost certainly change, given the destruction of large parts of the city by earthquakes).

Sir Bob will play Trump International, Royal Aberdeen, Castle Stuart, Peterculter and Ballater in the same week - quite a tiring schedule for a man who had his 76th birthday recently.

We'll give you more details later this week of Sir Bob Charles' visit and the golfers who will be his four-ball partners. 

DOUGIE THORBURN WINS NORTH ALLIANCE QUAICH FOR FIRST TIME

By ROBIN WILSON

Not for the first time, but  for the last this season, when the final fixture of the North Golf Alliance  was played over Royal Dornoch's world-rated championship course last Sunday, Thurso pair  Bryan Ronald and Dougie Thorburn shared the best scratch returns.

The winter course at Dornoch is considerably shorter than its summer length but its par for the 5,363 yards remains the same at 70 (35-35). Thorburn cut the outward half of 2796 yards down to 33 shots with birdies at the seventh and ninth holes but his finishing gross 72 was hampered with four bogeys over the final six holes, 13^th, 15^th, 16^th and 18th for an inward 39.

The highlight of Ronald's card in an outward level par 35 was an eagle 2 at the 260yd eighth hole, driving the green from the forward tee and holing the putt. His two under par eighth hole advantage was handed back to the course with a double bogey 5 at the first of the inward holes and was quickly followed by another dropped stroke.

However, picking up a birdie against the card at the 15^th hole, he was home in 37 for his 72 and on the second half count back ended his season as he had begun last October in Durness with a first scratch place.

But Thorburn, with six first places out of nine events and his four lowest scores totalling 281, carried away for the first time the Alliance Quaich after being second 12 months ago. Thorburn is pictured above with his trophy (picture by courtesy of Robin Wilson). 

Ronald finished in a tie for second place on 289 with Tain's Mike Sangster but the Thurso member lost out on the runner's up voucher on a best individual score out - with his home county. 

Sangster's early season gross 70 at Thurso bettered that of the Thurso member's winning 72 at Dornoch.

Thurso Golf Club members doubled up on the individual trophies when David Dunbar won the MacKintosh Salver for four best net scores. Again there was a tie. Francis Keith (Durness) was caught on 273 by Dunbar who lowered his previous total by two from his net 70 at Dornoch where the Durness player did not improve his total.

The same away scores separating rule was applied but Keith was disadvantaged with only a 68 at Invergordon amongst his four counting scores while Dunbar recorded a 68 at Brora and then a 69 at Tarbat.

With the foundation laid by their three low handicap players, Dunbar net 70, Ronald net 70 and Thorburn net 73, it only required a net 74 from Gregor Munro to confirm Thurso Golf Club retained the team Alliance Shield with a total of 287. Joint runners up were Tain and Reay on 289.

Tarbat greenkeeper Mike Keay had the best net return of the the day at Dornoch, a 67 off six, to head the low handicap returns. In second place came David Dunbar with Wullie McLean from Wick improving on previous finishes in Class 2 to a first place at Dornoch with nett 70, off 15 in the next handicap section.

LEADING SCORES AT ROYAL DORNOCH

Scratch

72 B Ronald (Thurso) 35-37, D Thorburn (Thurso) 33-39.

73 S Morrison (Tain) 36-37, M Keay (Tarbat) 35-38.

75 D Dunbar (Thurso) 37-38.

Handicap

Class 1- M Keay (Tarbat) (6) 67; D Dunbar (Thurso) (5) 70; W Mowat (Reay) (6), R Lockie (Tain) (9), S Sutherland (Bonar-Ardgay) (7) 71. 

Class 2 – W McLean (Wick) (15) 70; A Mackay (Reay) (10) 71; A Melville (Tain) (11), I Ross Reay( (11) 71.   

GOLFSWITCH SPONSOR YOUNG N IRELAND PRO RORY McGEE

NEWS RELEASE
GolfSwitch has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Ruaidhri McGee, a young promising golf professional from Northern Ireland.
Ruaidhri or Rory is 21 years old and was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. From a young age he showed great promise. Ruaidhri played his way through the Irish junior ranks with similar results to his namesake and fellow countryman, Rory McIlroy.
After having played for the province of Ulster from the age of 12 and Ireland from the age of 13, Ruaidhri also played for the Ireland boys' home international team and for Ireland against Canada in 2007.
He was crowned Ulster Under-13,14 and 15 champion, Irish boys' inter-provincial champion in 2006, Faldo Series Ireland Under-16 champion, 3rd in the Faldo Series World Final and the Under-18 Irish boys' amateur open Order of Merit winner at the age of 16.
Ruaidhri was also a talented basketball player and at only 16 was awarded the Juniors Sports Personality of the year at the time when he was the number one Under-18 amateur golfer in Ireland.
Ruaidhri now resides in the Spanish province of Murcia where the weather and course conditions provide him with year-round practice opportunities.
Ruaidhri's amateur achievement has secured him some equipment sponsoring from Titleist and Ping but to get to the next level in his professional golf career, more sponsorship is required.
Jo Maes, Managing Director GolfSwitch International Ltd: 'GolfSwitch is proud to be associated with such a young outstanding and promising golfer. We are sure that Ruaidhri will do everything he can to support his sponsors by getting good results in the events he enters and slowly but definite make his way up towards European Tour participation.'

JIMMY GUNN JOINT RUNNER-UP IN ALL-AMERICAN PRO TOUR EVENT

Dornoch exile Jimmy Gunn finished joint second in yesterday's All-American Professional Tour event over 18 holes at Seville Country Club, Gilbert in the state of Arizona.
Jimmy earned $762 for a five-under-par round of 67 which was one behind the winner from Canada, Darren Wallace.
In relatively cold (50 degrees) and windy conditions, Gunn had a bogey-free round studded with birdies at the third, sixth, 11th, 16th and 18th. He was the leader in the clubhouse until the last group finished.
American Brandon Ellis shared second place with the Scot in a field of 45 players.
Gunn has now earned $1,825 from three one-day events in March alone. Since January 1, he has earned $6,078.
Gunn is now is off to California to caddie at some prestigious golf club. It will not be a new experience for Jimmy as he caddies, when he's available and when his services are required, at the Silver Leaf Golf and Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona to help out with expenses.
Silverleaf is a very exclusive club and it's not everyone who gets into their caddieing squad. Gunn got here through a friend of a friend and he has built up quite a clientele who request his services and advice.
It's a group of caddies from Silverlead that are travelling to California for the week. Apparently the money is very good. 

TIGER WOODS-JUSTIN ROSE TEAM LEAD AT TAVISTOCK CUP

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
By Shane Bacon
The last time we saw Tiger Woods, he was being carted off Doral before his final round was complete, scaring the golf world with tales of an aching Achilles and the possibility of another medical leave from the game.
But all is well with Woods. Tiger confirmed last week that his decision to pull out of Cadillac Championship was just precautionary and was back on the golf course Monday to team up with Justin Rose at the Tavistock Cup.
Now most golf writers and fans alike know exactly what the Tavistock Cup is. A chance for the millionaire pro golfers to play a couple of days of golf for their home golf clubs and show off their helicopters, have a few laughs and hope to please the paying members before heading to Bay Hill and back to work, but it still gives us a chance to see how Tiger is playing.
And play he did. Woods was teamed up with Justin Rose during the first round, and they two shot a combined 9-under in their better-ball round, making 10 birdies at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
What does that type of round mean for Woods? Well it either means he's really playing some good golf or he had a hot partner, but the two were the low team of the day and any success on the golf course, no matter how relaxed the atmosphere, has to be good for Tiger moving forward.
Bubba Watson chatted with our own Steve Elling on Monday after playing with Tiger and said of Woods' golf game, “He played unbelievably today. Obviously, (the Achilles issue) was just a tweak."
Tiger will play on Tuesday in the final round of the Tavistock before heading to Bay Hill, a course he has won at six times before with the last coming in 2009.