Wednesday, March 21, 2012

LINK TO EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP MEN'S SCOREBOARD

TO ACCESS THE EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP MEN'S FIRST-ROUND SCORES AT SOTOGRANDE TODAY

MEN'S INDIVIDUAL SCORES

CLICK HERE

MEN'S TEAM TOTALS

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+The European Nations Cup women's scores can be viewed through links supplied on our sister website, http://www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk/

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DONALD, McILROY, WESTWOOD ABSENCE DISAPPOINTS ARNIE

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Arnold Palmer has expressed his disappointed after the world's top two players Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy both opted not to play in the US PGA Tour event bearing his name this week.
While Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will headline the $6 million invitational at Bay Hill, the top six ranked players in the world are all absent from the penultimate event before next month's Masters.
"I'm certainly not happy that those fellas chose not to come this year," said Palmer on the eve of the event.
"To have a couple of the top players internationally and US not here, I'm kind of sorry for that, but I think we can get that squared away and maybe we'll entice them to come in the future."
McIlroy, deposed as number one by Ryder Cup team-mate Donald at the Transitions Championship on Sunday, has written to 82-year-old Palmer asking for a meeting.
"I'm not sure that I know exactly what he wants me to tell him or what he wants to hear from me, but I look forward to seeing him and talking to him," Palmer said.
"He also mentioned in the letter that he will be here to play in the years to come."
The Northern Irishman is in the middle of a three-week break before The Masters and is in Miami with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at the moment.
Despite his disappointment at McIlroy's absence, Palmer said he had been greatly impressed by the young Northern Irishman, who won his first major last year and briefly held the top ranking before Donald regained it by winning last weekend.
"I think he has handled himself very well. I don't know him really well (but) I know him and have talked to him a little bit," Palmer added.
"I think he has done a wonderful job with 22-years-old and starting a career like he has just gotten launched on to."
Also missing from the tournament are Englishman Lee Westwood, ranked three in the world, as well as Germany's Martin Kaymer (four), American Steve Stricker (five) and South Africa's Charl Schwartzel, last year's Masters champion.
Palmer, who played a leading role in popularising golf around the world during his playing days, said he was also dismayed that more British players had not entered his tournament.
"When I think back over the years, when back in the early years of the (PGA) tour and I went to the British Open to kind of enhance or to create additional interest in international golf; and to think that those people are now the top international players in the world, we like to have them here," he said.

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PHILIP McLEAN REGAINS NE ALLIANCE CHAMPIONSHIP AS A ROOKIE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Philip McLean clinched his second North-east Golfers’ Alliance championship in three years in warm and sunny conditions at Portlethen today.
The 24-year-old rookie pro, pictured, from Peterhead scorched to the turn in five-under-par 31 and added a two-under 70 to his five-under 65 at Fraserburgh in the first round for a seven-under-par total of 135.
That got him over the 36-hole winning line by one shot from Tartan Tour star Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) who was one behind McLean at Fraserburgh and stayed that way when he too returned a second-round 70 (34-36)
McLean is one of three rookies backed by the Paul Lawrie Foundation. The two others, Aberdeen’s David Law and Fraserburgh’s Kris Nicol finished third and and fourth on 139 and 143 respectively.
Law and Royal Aberdeen amateur Scott Larkin shared the best score of the day, three-under-par 69. Larkin won the North-east Alliance title by the runaway margin of 10 shots last year but he is only now beginning to get back to his best following a wrist operation in 2011.
A word of praise for Portlethen five-handicapper David Fleming who followed up an 81 at Fraserburgh with a one-under-par 71 today for a total of 152.
David had a couple of double bogey 6s on the way out - at the third and sixth, either side of birdies 4 and 2 at the fourth and fifth in 38 to the turn.
Coming home, Fleming bogeyed the 10th and then covered the last eight holes in four under par with birdies at the 11th, 14th, 15th and 18th for three-under 33 home.
It was the fifth best scratch score in a field of around the 90 mark. Local knowledge paying off, indeed. Fleming's "reward" - actually the luck of the computer draw - is that David has got Greig Hutcheon as his partner in scratch match-play foursomes at Murcar Links, teeing off next Monday morning.
Keith Watson (Deeside) is the lucky amateur to have drawn the pro in form, new NE Alliance champion, Philip McLean.
Because of a shortage of professionals with 36-hole totals, amateurs Scott Larkin and John Duff are nominal pros in the scratch foursomes match-play draw for the Evening Express Shield. Larkin has Newmachar's Euan Kennedy as a partner, while Duff partners David Leslie (Northern).
Claire Prouse and her father Laurence both qualified for the Press and Journal handicap foursomes match-play also starting at Murcar Links on the Thursday morning. The Hazlehead members are in opposite halves of the draw so there could be a "Family at War" situation it they both make progress.
By common consent, the Portlethen course was in terrific condition for the championship. The greens were slick - most unusual to find that sort of situation anywhere in the North-east at this time of the year - but nobody was complaining about them, not even the un-named player who putted OFF the green and into a bunker from which it took him three more shots to get down!
George Paterson managed to get it round in 72 despite three-putting four or five times.
Joel Hopwood, who had a No Return, said he was FOUR-putting regularly!
There is no doubt about it. The Portlethen course, opened in 1991, has matured into a very good test of golf, worthy of staging bigger tournaments than the North-east alliance championship, and I mean no disrespect by that.
Muriel Thomson has been the club's only professional and before I go to hand in my card to the Great Scorer in the Sky, I would like to stage a tournament at Portlethen for Scots-born lady pros only, which would be appropriate, given Muriel's presence there.
All I need is five or six North Sea Oil companies to join forces @ £5,000 or £6,000 each - and the pipedream would become a reality. But I'm not holding my breath.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCRATCH FINAL TOTALS
Par 142 (70 Fraserburgh; 72 Portlethen)
135 P McLean (Peterhead) 65 70.
136 G Hutcheon (Banchory) 66 70
139 D Law (Paul Lawrie Foundation) 70 69
143 K Nicol (Fraserburgh) 70 73.
144 S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 75 69
145 T Mathieson (Murcar Links) 72 73, G Paterson (Northern) 73 72
146 D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 73 73, John Duff (Newmachar) 70 76, L Vannet (Carnoustie Links) 71 75.
147 R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) 71 76
148 K Watson (Deeside) 73 75, C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) 74 74, F Bisset (Banchory) 75 73
149 E Kennedy (Newmachar) 74 75, C Carnegie (Kemnay) 71 78.
150 K Beveridge (Inchmarlo) 70 80.
151 R Lamb (Newmachar) 74 77.
152 D Fleming (Portlethen) 81 71.
153 D Leslie (Northern) 76 77
154 Claire Prouse (Hazlehead) 74 80, G Nethercott (Deeside) 78 76, J Thomas (Newmachar) 74 80, B Nicolson (Auchmill) 78 76.
156 M Lawrie (Kermnay) 77 79
158 M May (Cruden Bay) 75 83, J Nicolson (Auchmill) 75 83
159 L Prouse (Hazlehead) 76 83.
160 B Harper (Newburgh) 79 81, H Roulston (Stonehaven) 81 79.
161 I Esslemont (Cruden Bay) 78 83, J Forrest (Northern) 86 75, J Borthwick (Craibstone) 76 85, D Clark (Duff House Royal) 75 86.
163 C Cassie (Nigg Bay) 78 85, P McIntosh (Newburgh) 78 85, D McKay (Caledonian) 82 81.
164 J Hamilton (Murcar Links) 81 83
166 M Booth (Kemnay) 81 85, A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) 84 82, L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 78 88, A Gall (Deeside) 78 88
167 J Dalgarno (Hazlehead) 83 84, C Duffus (Kemnay) 79 88.
168 J Scott (Peterculter) 80 88, M Duncan (Murcar Links) 83 85, D Wilson (Duff House Royal) 80 88.
170 T A Collie (Kemnay) 82 88
171 W Skene (Deeside) 83 88, P Murray (Kemnay) 85 86.
172 L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) 84 88, A Graham (Aboyne) 83 89
173 W Shaw (Banchory) 85 88,
175 P Cornfield (Auchmill) 86 89.
176 R Brown (Newburgh) 86 90, H McNaughton (Cruden Bay) 92 84, B Lumsden (Northern) 89 87, D Nelson (Aboyne) 80 96, D Randall (Banchory) 85 91, J Murray (Banchory) 84 92.
177 N Stewart (Northern) 87 90.
178 K Stephen (Northern) 88 90.
182 P Guthrie (Peterculter) 89 93, N K Parker (Murcar Links) 89 93.
186 D Bisset (Banchory) 87 99
188 D Lawrie (Inchmarlo) 89 99
190 I Grant (Keith) 90 100, J Gall (Caledonian) 94 96.
194 D Wright (Northern) 90 104.
199 P Leech (Oldmeldrum) 94 105
202 S Davidson (Northern) 98 104.

SECOND ROUND PRIZEWINNERS
Scratch – D Law, S Larkin 69; G Hutcheon, P McLean 70; G Paterson 72.
Handicap
Class 1 – D Fleming (5), J Forrest (9) 66; K Watson (6) 69; F Bisset (3) 70; Claire Prouse (9) 71.
Class 2 – N Chisholm (11) 70; A Petrie (10) 72; H McNaughton(11), B Lumsden (14) 73; P Cornfield (15) 74.

TODAY'S SUB-PAR SCORECARDS

PORTLETHEN PAR 72: OUT 4-5-4-5-3-4-4-3-4:36 IN 3-4-3-5-4-4-4-4-5: 36

DAVID LAW 69: OUT 3-5-4-5-2-4-5-3-3: 34 IN 3-4-2-5-4-5-5-3-4: 35
SCOTT LARKIN 69: OUT 4-4-5-4-3-4-3-3-4: 34 IN 2-3-3-5-4-4-4-5-5: 35
PHILIP McLEAN 70: OUT 3-5-3-4-3-3-4-3-3: 31 IN 3-4-3-5-6-4-4-4-6: 39
GREIG HUTCHEON 70: OUT 4-6-4-5-2-5-4-3-4: 37 IN 3-4-2-4-4-4-4-6-4: 35
DAVID FLEMING 71: OUT 4-5-6-4-2-6-4-3-4: 38 IN 4-3-3--5-3-3-4-4-4: 33

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EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR STARTS ON MAJORCA MAY 11-13


NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR
The 2012 European Senior Tour season will begin on the Spanish island of Mallorca when Pula Golf Club hosts the inaugural Mallorca Open Senior from May 11-13.
Designed by 2012 European Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal, who will be eligible to join the Senior Tour in 2016, Pula Golf Club in Son Servera will welcome the Senior Tour for the first time having previously hosted seven European Tour events.
With a prize fund of €200,000 and first prize of €30,000, the Mallorca Open Senior will take place two weeks before the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, launching the 21st Senior Tour season and the contest to succeed Peter Fowler as winner of the John Jacobs Trophy.
It will be the Senior Tour’s first visit to Mallorca since 2009, when Mark James defeated former Ryder Cup teammate Eamonn Darcy in a play-off to win the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open.
The tournament also means the return of top class golf to Pula Golf Club which hosted both editions of the Iberdrola Open on The European Tour, won in 2010 by Ryder Cup player Peter Hanson and last year by Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke two months before he lifted the Claret Jug in The 140th Open Championship at Royal St George’s.
Prior to that, Pula Golf Club hosted the Mallorca Classic on The European Tour between 2003 and 2007, with the first three editions won by Spanish Ryder Cup players Miguel Angel Jiménez, Sergio Garcia and course designer Olazábal respectively.

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US PGA DOWNGRADES Q SCHOOL, ELEVATES NATIONWIDE TOUR

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida -- US PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced on Tuesday that the Policy Board has approved significant changes to the structure of the qualifying system for the US PGA Tour, dramatically elevating the importance of the Nationwide Tour by establishing it as the primary pathway to the US PGA Tour.
Additionally, the Policy Board approved changing the start of the US PGA Tour season, beginning in October 2013.
With these changes, all 50 US PGA Tour membership cards will now be awarded through the Nationwide Tour.
The three final tournaments on the Nationwide Tour will combine US PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour players to determine who earns those 50 cards; and the annual Qualifying Tournament will become a pathway exclusively to the Nationwide Tour.
The start of the US PGA Tour 2013-14 season will begin in October 2013 and conclude in late September 2014 with the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the fourth and final FedExCup Playoff event.
In making this change, the fall (autumn) tournaments will begin awarding FedExCup points in 2013.
Finchem said that certain details must still be finalised, such as the competition system which will determine the 50 US PGA Tour cards, the level of FedExCup points to the US PGA Tour's autumn tournaments and other details.
The fields for the three final Nationwide Tour events, which will be held during the FedExCup Playoffs, will include the top 75 players on the Nationwide Tour's money list, the players ranked 126-200 on the US PGA Tour's FedExCup points list and non-members who meet certain eligibility standards.
"We are excited to announce these significant changes, as we strongly believe that they will strengthen both Tours," Finchem said.
"The Nationwide Tour, which has proven to be the most effective indicator of future success on the US PGA Tour, will now become the primary path to the Tour, starting in 2013 by awarding all 50 cards. And with the restructuring, those final three events will create a particularly exciting and dramatic finish to the season.
"In regard to the change to the start of the US PGA Tour season, the fall (autumn)  tournaments certainly will benefit by becoming part of the FedExCup season. But the benefit also extends to FedEx, our telecasts of those tournaments and the understanding among fans that there's a true finality to the season, with the FedExCup and eligibility for the US PGA Tour concluding at the same time."


+There will still be a Qualifying School with various stages but it will offer playing rights for the Nationwide Tour not, as has been the custom, for the US PGA Tour. 

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TIGER WOODS GETS THROUGH ANOTHER DAY WITHOUT TROUBLE

FROM CBSSports.com wire reports
ORLANDO, Florida -- Tiger Woods has made it through two days of a golf exhibition without any trouble with his left Achilles tendon.
Woods withdrew from the final round at Doral on March 11 with tightness in his left Achilles tendon, the same one that forced him to miss two majors last year. Woods later said he was being smart about his injury, and that it turned out to be a minor strain.
If he makes the cut this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it will be seven straight days of golf in his final competition before the Masters.
In this week's Tavistock Cup, a low-key, two-day exhibition among four private golf clubs, Woods shot an even-par 72. Ian Poulter, his second-day team-mate from Albany, was the only player who had a higher score.
Lake Nona won the event.

+FOR A FULLER REPORT AND SCORES FROM DAY 2
OF THE TAVISTOCK CUP IN FLORIDA

CLICK HERE

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