AIDAN HUSENNE HAS LOWEST SCORE OF SJGT EVENT at MONIFIETH

Aidan Husenne (Haggs Castle) continued his impressive form this year with a level par 68, the best score at today's Scottish Junior Golf Tour event over the Ashludie Course Monifieth.
It was a Level 3 event for Under-14 Years juniors.
Results

Under 14 Years
69 Rory Frannsen (Inverness)
72 Ronan Higgins (Shotts)
75 Murray McCrone (Troon Welbeck)
Under 13 Years
68 Aidan Husenne (Haggs Castle)
75 Keith Bowman (St Andrews)
78 Jack Williams (Sandyhills)
Under 12 Years
79 Alex Simpson (Strathmore)
83 Rowan Carey (Auchterarder)
85 Connor McKinney (Canmore)
86 Craig Jackman (Dunblane)

Connor McKinney won the handicap prize with nett 59.

Walter Burns
Scottish Junior Golf Tour
Mob: 07951 103 827
Email: walter@scottishjuniorgolftour.co.uk
Web: www.scottishjuniorgolftour.co.uk

AUSSIE LEFT-HANDER CULLEN SCORES FIRST WIN AS A PRO

JAKARTA – Australian Nick Cullen triumphed in the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open on Sunday following a brave performance that signaled the emergence of an exciting star of the future. Left-hander Cullen shot a final round two-over-par 74 to triumph by a stroke from David Smail of New Zealand.
Smail, the leader after the first two rounds, closed with a 69 at Emeralda Golf Club.
New Zealand’s Michael Long, Japan’s Yoshikazu Haku, and American David Oh finished tied for third. They ended two shots off the pace with Long carding a 65 -- the lowest round of the week -- Haku shooting 68 and Oh a 71.
Sunday's victory was 27-year-old Cullen’s first as a professional and making his success even more distinguished is the fact that the event is jointly sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation, and is the season opener for both.
“This means the world to me," he said afterwards.
"I have been practising hard and playing well but I didn’t know what to expect when I came here. It is only my second time playing in Asia and it’s very different compared with playing at home particularly with a different climate and food.”
Cullen finished with a four-round aggregate of nine-under-par 279 and earned a cheque for U.S. $172,000.
He was cruising to victory with a four stroke lead with five holes left, but he let the chasing pack back into the tournament when he triple-bogeyed the par-four 14th. He found trouble off the tee and had to chip back onto the fairway, but then overshot the green with his approach.
Over the closing holes he found himself tied for the lead on eight under with Smail, Oh and Haku.
However, on the par-five 17th he holed a career putt for birdie from 20 feet. It was a downhill right-to-left breaker, but the man from Adelaide picked his line perfectly to take the lead by one shot.
A playoff beckoned on the par- four 18th hole after Cullen's approach shot missed the green to the right, leaving him a difficult up and down. Showing maturity beyond his years, he chipped to five feet and valiantly holed the putt.
“I haven’t holed many putts all week so the last two putts where very timely,” said Cullen.
Cullen started the day with a four shot lead and was three ahead at the turn. A birdie on 10 appeared to wrap the title up for him before the set back on 14.
Cullen’s compact fast action swing and gutsy attitude eventually prevailed and has propelled him from obscurity to fame.
It is proving to be an outstanding year for the Australian as in January he qualified to play in this summer’s Open Championship.
Smail, a five-time winner on the Japan Tour, said he hadn’t realized how close it was until the 18th.
“Coming down the last I hadn’t really checked the scoreboard, but then I saw that Nick had come back to eight under," he said.
“At that stage I was quite surprised and couldn’t believe I had a chance.”
Still, Smail was pleased with his week and start of the year, although he would like a return to winning ways.
“I’d like to have a win,” he said. “I haven’t had a win for seven years now. To finally stumble home would be nice.”
For Oh, Sunday proved a long struggle that started with a bogey on the first and ended with one on the 18th.
“I was battling all day … but then Nick made a triple and all of a sudden I’m like ‘woah, man’ and was able to make big putts coming in -- on 15, 16 and 17,” he said.
"But but unfortunately that was it."
Indonesia’s number one golfer Rory Hie ended as the leading local player.
He finished second in this event last year and was delighted with another great tournament which saw him shoot a final round 68 and a tie for ninth place on five under with China’s Liang Wenchong, who carded a 69.
“I am really happy with the way I played today,” said Hie
“I struggled with my ball striking early on, but my short game was really good. I kept getting up and down and chipped one in for par.”
He nearly pulled out of the tournament with a foot problem earlier in the week
"I was wearing a shoe that was too big which caused problems with my left foot," he said. "I wasn’t able to put any weight on it especially on the follow through."
“Thankfully the physiotherapist here is really proficient … it healed the next day."
The Indonesian star made five birdies and one bogey.
“Overall it was a really good week," he said. "I am excited about things I am working on. My short game is great and I just need to fine tune my swing. I expect myself to play well this year."
Defending champion Thaworn Wiratchant from Thailand shot a 71 and finished two under in a tie for 17th.
The next event on OneAsia is the Volvo China Open at Binhai Lake Golf Club in Tianjin. The tournament will be played from April 19 to 22 as is joint sanctioned with The European Tour.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4X72)
279 Nick Cullen (AUS) 72-66-67-74
280 David Smail (NZL) 68-69-74-69
281 Michael Long (NZL) 75-73-68-65, Yoshikazu Haku (JPN) 70-69-74-68, David Oh (USA) 72-67-71-71
282 Satoshi Tomiyama (JPN) 71-70-74-67, Hu Mu (CHN) 73-68-71-70, Stephen Leaney (AUS) 72-70-67-73
283 Rory Hie (INA) 73-70-72-68, Liang Wenchong (CHN) 69-73-72-69, Park Eun-shin (SKOR) 74-69-69-71
284 Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 74-68-74-68, Kim Meen-Whee (SKOR) 70-70-74-70.
285 Naoto Nakanishi (JPN) 72-71-73-69, Jay Choi (USA) 71-72-71-71, Ashley Hall (AUS) 70-74-67-74
286 Andik Mauludin (INA) 71-74-72-69, Masaya Tomida (JPN) 72-70-76-68, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 75-71-69-71, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 73-71-70-72, Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 70-71-72-73
287 Scott Laycock (AUS) 76-71-71-69, Mark Brown (NZ) 76-72-71-68, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 73-74-69-71, Mamo Osanai (JPN) 71-72-69-75

MICHAEL HOEY WINS TROPHEE HASSAN II IN MOROCCO

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
A second successive 65 saw Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey, pictured, win the Trophée Hassan II at Agadir on Morocco's western Atlantic coastline today.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner, who trailed Damien McGrane by nine after an opening 74, was a brilliant 14 under for the weekend at Golf du Palais Royal as he finished with a 17 under par total.
“It’s all a bit surreal at the moment but it always feels like that for me,” he said.
“I was really trying to stay in the present all day and go through the routines of one shot at a time and everything else and then I was really surprised to see Damien had dropped shots as I played the 17th but it was great to have that three shot lead playing the last.
“When I saw that I just wanted to get a good drive down the last because it is a really tough hole and I managed to do that and the hit a great approach in there. I actually hit all the right shots at the right times over the closing holes which was really satisfying.
“I was actually thinking that I might struggle to make the cut after shooting two over in the first round but I started swinging the club really well and the confidence was there so it was great to back that up with the scores too. The second round was a good 67 and then to shoot two 65s over the weekend was pretty special really.”
Hoey’s three-shot victory lifts him inside the top 15 on The Race to Dubai and puts him back in the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut later this year.
The 33 year old grabbed his fourth European Tour victory - and second in The Ryder Cup qualifying campaign – to take the €250,000 first prize.
Asked about the Ryder Cup, the former British Amateur Champion said: "I've not really been thinking about it, but I'm obviously in contention."
He beat compatriot Rory McIlroy to the Alfred Dunhill Links title at St Andrews last October and it was another Irishman, Damien McGrane, whom he pushed into second place this time.
McGrane shared the lead with a round to play along with Matteo Manassero.
The 18 year old Italian had to win to have a chance of qualifying for The Masters Tournament via the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50, but fell away to joint sixth with a 72.
As for 40 year old McGrane, he led by three after starting with back-to-back birdies, but then found himself two behind when Hoey followed a two on the short second with four successive birdies from the fifth.
It was nip and tuck again when he bogeyed the long tenth and McGrane made four, but three more birdies in four holes from the short 14th settled it.
Not that his 65 was the round of the day. It was not even close in fact.
Welshman Jamie Donaldson, yet to win in nearly 250 European Tour events, shot a course-record 61 to share third place with fellow countryman Phillip Price and England's Robert Coles.
Donaldson covered the back nine first in 28, only one off The European Tour record, with two eagles and four birdies, then started for home with another birdie to be nine under for his first ten holes.
The European Tour's first 59 was a possibility at that point, but he found the water on the long fifth.
After a six there, though, he added a further birdie on the seventh and at the 394 yard ninth sank his nine iron approach for a third eagle.
After equalling his lowest ever round Donaldson said: "I forgot about the end result and concentrated on one shot at a time. It was a great day."
As it was for Hoey, who had not had a top-ten finish since his victory at The Home of Golf nearly six months ago.
"I've worked hard with Jamie Gough. My swing is more consistent and Phil Kenyon has been helping me with my putting," he added.
Manassero's disappointing final round was good news for Ernie Els in Florida.
It meant the South African, joint third with a round to go in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, could make the OWGR's top 50 and qualify for The Masters Tournament by finishing third rather than second.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72). Prize money in Euros
271 Michael Hoey (N Ireland) 74 67 65 65 (250,000)
274 Damien McGrane (Ireland) 65 68 71 70 (166,660).
275 Robert Coles (England) 73 70 65 67, Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 72 68 74 61, Philip Price (Wales) 68 66 72 69 (77,500 each).
276 Keith Horne (S Africa) 69 70 70 67, Matteo Manassero (Italy) 68 70 65 72 (45,000 each)

SCOTS' TOTALS
279 Craig Lee 70 68 70 68 (T14) (22,050).
280 Richie Ramsay 68 70 73 69 (T17) (17,888).
281 Gary Orr 72 67 71 71 (T25) (14,025).
282 George Murray 782 72 71 67 (T33)( (11,775)
286 David Drysdale 71 71 75 69 (T44) (7,000).
287 Scott Jamieson 72 70 74 71 (T52) (5,550)
288 Steve O'Hara 71 69 76 72 (57th) (4,650).

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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FRANCE WIN BOTH TEAM TITLES AT EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP

Robin Kind (Holland), Kristoffer Ventuna (Norway) and Jon Rahm Rodriguez (Spain) figured in a triple tie on 286 for the men's the individual title while France won the team title in the European Nations Cup men's amateur championships at Sotogrande. France also on the team title in the women's event (scores on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk)
England's highest place competitor was Jack Hiluta in 30th position on 300.
The leading British/Irish player was Reeve Whitson (Ireland) in joint fifth place on 290, just ahead of compatriot Dermot McElroy, 10th on 292.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTLAS
286 Robin Kind (Holland) 72 77 66 71, Kristoffer Ventura (Norway) 73 76 69 68, Jon Rahm Rodriguez (Spain) 72 71 71 72
289 Eduardo Espana (France) 74 74 74 67.
Selected totals
290 Reeve Whitson (Ireland) 68 72 74 76 (T5)
292 Dermot McElroy (Ireland) 71 72 74 75 (10th).
294 James Frazer (Wales) 80 71 72 71 (T12)
300 Jack Hiluta (England) 76 76 79 69 (30th).
301 Ashley Chesters (England) 79 75 78 69, Toby Tree (England) 74 78 75 74 (T32)
303 Neil Raymond (England) 77 79 73 74 (T38()
TEAM TOTALS
872 France.
877 Holland
879 Spain
881 Portugal, Ireland.
883 Norway
887 Italy
888 Denmark
890 Austria
894 England.
897 Germany
904 Wales, Belgium
907 Switzerland
915 Czech Republ9c
919 Finland
921 Turkey

GRAEME ROBERTSON FINISHES JOINT SEVENTH IN COLOMBIA

Stirling student Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) finished seventh in a field of 62 players at the South American men's amateur championship, supported by the R and A, which ended at Cali, Colombia on Saturday.
Robertson had scores of 70, 75, 71 and 73 for a total of one-over-par 289.
He finished seven shots behind the winner by three strokes, Jorge Fernandez from Argentina with scores of 71, 65, 72 and 74 for six-under 282.
England's Ben Loughrey (299) and Joshua White (303) finished 21st and 28th respectively.
Former Scottish boys stroke play champion James Bunch (St Andrews) finished 45th on 309.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
282 Jorge Fernandez (Argentina) 71 65 72 74.
285 Ernesto Rodriguez (Colombia) 69 72 74 70, Agustin Tarigo (Uruguay) 69 72 70 74.
286 Alejandro Tosti (Argentina) 73 70 72 71.
287 Franco Romero (Argentina) 73 66 74 74.
288 Luis Thiele (Brazil) 69 76 71 72.
289 Marcelo Rozo (Colombia) 68 80 73 68, Graeme Robertson (Scotland) 70 75 71 72, Andre Tourinho (Colombia) 71 72 73 72.
SE.ECTED TOTALS
299 Benjamin Loughrey (England) 76 70 78 75 (21st).
3o3 Joshua White (England) 76 72 78 77 (T28)
309 James Bunch (Scotland) 77 78 73 81 (45th).

CASEY WITTENBERG STORMS INTO NATIONWIDE TOUR LEAD

FROM THE US NATIONWIDE TOUR WEBSITE
By Joe Chemycz, Nationwide Tour staff
Broussard, Louiana -- Casey Wittenberg matched his career-low round with an 8-under 63 Saturday and stormed into the lead after three days at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. Wittenberg's 18-under 195 total is four shots better than Darron Stiles (65) and second-round leader Camilo Benedetti (70) heading into the final at Le Triomphe Country Club near Lafayette.
Canada's Adam Hadwin, Paul Claxton and Rob Oppenheim all posted 3-under 68s and share fourth place, five back of the leader.
Chris Riley (66) and veteran Woody Austin (67) are six off the pace after 54 holes.
Wittenberg started the third round four back of Benedetti but made up ground with a pair of birdies to begin the day and then moved into contention with a 30-foot eagle putt at the par-5, 5th hole.
"That got my day started," said Wittenberg, who ripped a 3-wood from 260 yards on his second shot. "The conditions are soft and whenever you let players of our caliber on a soft golf course there isn't really much that you can't hit at."
The 27-year-old Memphis resident added a birdie at the par-3 8th hole to move into a share of the lead. He then took charge with three consecutive birdies midway through the back nine. Wittenberg birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 15 -- the three toughest holes on the course.
"We were trying to play aggressive golf," he said. "There's no running away and hiding on this Tour especially. We were just trying to get as many as we could out there."
Those birdies pushed him to 18-under and opened a gap on the field.
Stiles, who started the day five back, vaulted up the board with five birdies in his first six holes.
"You've got three par-5s in the first seven, that's where you have to get it done out here," he said. "With the wind today and the first few holes downwind, you had to get it done early. I looked at the scores before I came out, so I knew it was out there."
Stiles closed with a couple of late birdies for a 6-under 65 to get into Sunday's final pairing with Wittenberg.
Benedetti had three birdies in his first five holes but was shut out the rest of the day, managing 12 pars and a bogey coming in and settling for a one-under round of 70.
"It was solid. In my mind I probably shot 6-under," said Benedetti, who posted scores of 66-63 to open the week. "I hit a lot of good putts again. They didn't go in. The same way they were going in the first couple of days, they were just not going in today. I hit so many that were three feet from the hole and I thought I made them. They either stayed straight or broke more than I thought. It is what it is."
Third-Round Notes
• Saturday's weather: Sunny. Winds N 5-10 mph. High of 82.
• Lift, clean and place conditions were in effect for the first round and second round but NOT for round three.
• Steve LeBrun played the first 48 holes without a bogey. LeBrun made a quick run up the board early Saturday and was 6-under through his first 11 holes to get to 11 under. LeBrun then stumbled with a double-bogey at the difficult 13th hole and a bogey at the 14th. He finished with a 4-under 67 and is 9 under (204) and T20.
• Paul Claxton's birdie-free streak came to an end after 45 holes. Claxton made a bogey 5 at the par-4 10th hole. He rebounded with a pair birdies after that and shot a 3-under 68 (T4).

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
Players from US unless stated
195 Casey Wittenberg 66 66 63
199 Darron Stiles 69 65 65, Camilo Benedetti (Colombia) 66 63 70
200 Adam Hadwin (Canada) 69 63 68, Paul Claxton 67 65 68, Rob Oppenheim 65 67 68
201 Chris Riley 65 70 66, "ooey Quw5in 69 65 67
SELECTED SCORE
205 Russell Knox (Scotland) 68 68 69

TIGER WOODS LEADS BY ONE WITH ONE ROUND TO PLAY

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Even with a bizarre sequence of events that cost Tiger Woods a comfortable lead Saturday, he walked off the 18th green at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard as close as he has ever been to ending 30 months without a PGA TOUR victory.
He had a one-shot lead, and no one in golf has a more formidable record as a frontrunner.
He was hitting the ball so well that Woods had the putter in his hand for a birdie attempt on 38 consecutive holes.
And he was at Bay Hill, where he already has won six times.
"If you're in the lead, you've done some good things," Woods said after recovering from a late double bogey for a 1-under 71. "That's how I've always looked at it. And it's a nice position to be in."
Better yet would be posing with Palmer in a trophy presentation.
But there's still one round to go before that happens, and a familiar face alongside him in the final group.
Graeme McDowell, the former U.S. Open champion who rallied from four shots behind to beat Woods in the Chevron World Challenge at the end of 2010, made two birdies and one bogey in a round of 71.
"There's a fair bit of expectations on Tiger," McDowell said. "He's looking to complete the comeback tomorrow, because there's no doubt he's playing great. He's got the ball under control. But he's got to go out there and try to win tomorrow, the same way I do and a lot of other players that have got the opportunity to win."
It will be the 40th time Woods has taken the lead into the final round on the PGA TOUR. He has failed to win just twice, one of those times as a 20-year-old in his third start as a pro.
Woods was more interested in winning for the 72nd time on TOUR than the 30 months it has taken to get to this point.
 "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing and competing again," Woods said. "As far as what it would mean? It would mean No. 72. Not a bad number, either."
Woods last won a PGA TOUR event at the BMW Championship on Sept. 13, 2009. He won in Australia two months later to close out his season, but his life changed forever a short time later in perhaps the most spectacular downfall of any athlete.
That all seems to be such a distant memory, even two weeks ago when he withdrew in the middle of the final round at TPC Blue Monster with tightness in his left Achilles tendon.
Woods cut a more familiar figure Saturday.
"It was a solid day," said Woods, who was at 11-under 205. "Just happened to have one little fluke thing where a kid passed out."
He had a four-shot lead after a birdie on the 13th hole when he made what he called his one bad swing, pulling his tee shot into a buried lie in the bunker on the 14th for a bogey.
On the 15th tee, an 18-year-old passed out and a woman screamed when she saw it -- all while Woods was in the middle of his swing. He was too far along to stop, and hooked his tee shot out-of-bounds near a swimming pool.
That led to a double bogy, and McDowell tied him for the lead with his birdie on the 17th. Woods, however, hit a daring shot out  of the fairway bunker and over the water to 20 feet for a two-putt birdie on the 16th to regain the lead.
Woods was runner-up at the Honda Classic three weeks ago when he closed with a 62, though he never had the outright lead. He was in the second-to-last group at Pebble Beach, though he closed with a 75 and watched Phil Mickelson rally for the win.
This time, it's all on him.
And he'll be alongside McDowell, who last August was asked whether Woods' mystique had eroded.Woods had not played for three months because of leg injuries, and McDowell was asked if that red shirt meant anything."That's his trademark," McDowell said. "Really, I think that's all it is right now. What it means to him is obviously a different thing. What it means to the rest of us ... it's not really something to be intimidated by anymore."
McDowell is aware how well Woods is playing, and how dominant Woods can be in the game. His focus was on a Bay Hill course that was dry, firm and reminiscent of some U.S. Open setups.
"The golf course is going to be the main competitor tomorrow," McDowell said.
Indeed, it might not be just them.
Ernie Els rekindled his hopes of getting into the Masters with six birdies in a round of 67 that left him only three shots behind. Ian Poulter had a 68 and also was tied for third, while Charles Howell III (68) and Sony Open winner Johnson Wagner (69) were four behind.
Els is No. 62 in the world and needs to crack the top 50 after Sunday to get an invitation to Augusta. He could get there by finishing alone in third place -- provided Matteo Manassero doesn't win in Morocco on the European Tour, or Howell doesn't finish alone in second place at Bay Hill.
It gets complicated with the world ranking, even without a calculator. Els hasn't even bothered to do the math.
"I know I've got to finish ... really, almost winning. I've got to almost win, or something like that," Els said. "But if I'm in, I'm in. And if I'm not, I'm just glad my game is coming around. Whatever happens, I feel like I can have a good year now. I feel like the hard work is starting to pay off."
Els rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole for a 32 on the front, getting him into the picture. His lone lapse came on the 15th, and he did well to escape with bogey. His ball was sitting slightly down in a fairway bunker, and Els hit the lip with his approach, the ball coming back into the sand. He blasted the next out onto the green and two-putted.
But he birdied the 16th, got up-and-down from a front bunker on the 17th, and knocked in a 15-foot birdie on the 18th. Even then, he was five shots behind against Woods, his longtime nemesis and a six-time at Bay Hill.
"I don't want to talk too badly about Tiger, but hope he makes a couple of bogeys and I have a bit of a chance tomorrow," Els said.
He laughed -- and he got his wish.
Charlie Wi was tied with Woods for the 36-hole lead, but not for long. He started off pushing his shots to the right, made three bogeys out of the gate and fell back. Wi wound up with a 76 and was five shots behind.
He wasn't the only one.
Jason Dufner, who turned 35 on Saturday, had a birthday to forget. After driving into the water on the par-5 sixth and making double bogey, he followed with three straight bogeys for a 42 on the front nine. He shot 77.
Bubba Watson was hanging around until he three-putted from just outside 3 feet for double bogey on the 11th. Doral winner Justin Rose twice made bogey on par 5s in a 74. Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia each shot 75.
McDowell was the only player who never left the lead pack, even though he made only two birdies. He got some help from Woods in the final hour, however, and now gets another shot at him.
"The atmosphere is going to be fantastic out there tomorrow, due to him being in the mix," McDowell said.

THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
Players from US unless stated
205 Tiger Woods 69 65 71.
206 Graeme McDowell (N Ireland) 72 63 71
208 Ernie Els (S Africa) 71 70 67, Ian Poulter 71 69 68
209 Charles Howell III 73 68 68, Johnson Wagner 71 69 69.
210 Kevin Na 83 79 70. Charlie Wi 66 68 76
SELECTED SCORES
212 Justin Rose (England) 69 69 74, Jason Duffner 66 69 77 (T14)
213 Brian Davis (England) 70 73 70 (T17)
214 Greg Owen (England) 73 74 67, Jim Furyk 72 72 70, Martin Laird (Scotland) 72 68 74, Phil Mickelson 73 71 71 (T25)

TORRANCE CELEBRATES SCOTTISH GOLF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Sam Torrance, the victorious former Ryder Cup captain, last night expressed his delight after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award during a memorable night at the 2012 Annodata Scottish Golf Awards
Torrance, one of Scottish Golf’s most popular personalities, was given the award in the year that marks a decade since he led the European team to victory over the United States at The Belfry.
The charismatic 58-year-old also collected the award 40 years since his maiden professional win in the Radici Open in Italy.
Torrance became the third recipient of the Lifetime Achievement accolade, sponsored by Allied Surveyors Scotland, after former Open champion Paul Lawrie and eight-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie were honoured last year.
During a glittering 500-guest sell-out ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow, Torrance received the award in the company of family and friends, among them his father, Bob, his lifelong coach.
Craig Levein, Scotland football team manager, and Richard Hills, European Ryder Cup Director, presented Sam his award on stage, alongside host Andrew Cotter, the BBC sports commentator.
Largs-born Torrance said: “I’m delighted to have received the Scottish Golf Lifetime Achievement Award, following in the footsteps of Paul and Colin last year.
“It was a very special night for me, especially having my wife and three children present, along with my parents and friends from Ayrshire.
"I have enjoyed a wonderful career and being handed the award was another memorable occasion for me. I always love playing in Scotland and I was overjoyed to be honoured in my home country.”
Torrance played in eight consecutive Ryder Cup teams, famously triumphing in 1985 when he sank the winning putt to secure a first-ever victory for Europe, and has been made an MBE and an OBE.
Since turning professional aged 16, Torrance has won 21 titles on the European Tour, 11 European Senior Tour titles and three European Senior Tour Order of Merit titles. He was also a Dunhill Cup winner for Scotland in 1995, together with Montgomerie and Andrew Coltart.
Torrance remains a fantastic ambassador for Scottish Golf and his contribution was honoured among a delighted audience in Glasgow, which also featured ex-Scotland rugby captain Jonny Petrie, Walker Cup hero Michael Stewart and former Old Firm footballers Billy Dodds and Bobby Petta.
A celebration of Scottish Golf’s achievements over the past 12 months, the prestigious event at the Crowne Plaza – hosted by the Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association - saw all proceeds going towards the development of young golfers in Scotland.
Scotland’s leading male and female amateurs from 2011 – James White and Louise Kenney – were presented with their Awards, while Stewart, now in the professional ranks, collected the Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year title.
The work of clubs at grassroots level were recognised with the RBS Junior Club and Volunteer of the Year Awards, with special video messages from 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus for the winners.
A new Player of the Year Award - voted by readers of www.scottishgolf.org - was also awarded to David Law, last year’s Scottish Amateur champion.
A special award was presented in memory of Adam Hunter, the former European Tour player and coach who sadly passed away in October after a two-year battle with leukaemia. In Adam’s memory, one of the country’s most promising young golfers, Euan Walker, from Kilmarnock (Barassie), was awarded a £500 grant towards his coaching and development.
Annodata is one of Europe’s largest independent vendors for print, document, data and communication technologies and the company is the official supplier of office equipment to the Scottish Golf Union.
The full list of award winners reads as follows:
· Team of the Year – Fife
· Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year – Michael Stewart
· SLGA Girls Order of Merit – Eilidh Brigg
· SGU Boys Order of Merit – Greig Marchbank
· RBS Junior Club of the Year – Dundas Parks Golf Club (Lothians)
· SGU Seniors Order of Merit – Bob Stewar
· SLGA Order of Merit – Louise Kenney
· The Adam Hunter Award – Euan Walker
· SGU Men’s Order of Merit – James White
· RBS Junior Golf Volunteer of the Year – Iain Holt (Turnhouse Golf Club, Lothians)
· Scottish Golf Player of the Year – David Law
· Lifetime Achievement Award – Sam Torrance