MCILROY BEATEN IN THREE-MAN PLAY-OFF AT QUAIL HOLLOW

The Wells Fargo Championship - this weekend's US PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow, Charlotte, North Carolina - is boiling up nicely to an exciting finish. It will probably take a play-off to sort out the winner.
Lee Westwood has shot a 66 and is sharing the clubhouse lead with former Open champion Ben Curtis.
But Rory McIlroy, with only four holes to play, is only one shot behind the leader out of the course, Rickie Fowler.
LATER NEWS:
It's a three-way play-off between McIlroy, Fowler and D A Points.
Fowler won with a birdie 3 at the first sudden-death play-off hole. McIlroy and Points both had par 4s.


LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
Players from US unless stated
274 Rickie Fowler 66 72 67 69, D A Points 66 68 69 71 , Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 70 68 66 70 (Fowler won play-off with birdie at first extra hole).
275 Webb Simpson 65 68 69 73
277 Lee Westwood (England) 71 72 68 66, Ben Curtis 69 70 71 67, Ryan Moore 65 70 68 74

SELECTED TOTALS
279 Brian Davis (England) 66 74 69 70 (T9).
282 Martin Laird (Scotland) 72 70 69 71, Jim Furyk 71 71 71 69, Phil Mickelson 71 72 68 71 (T26)
288 Gary Christian (England) 73 70 74 71 (T57)

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FLYING DUTCHMAN WINS LYTHAM TROPHY BY 11 SHOTS - BUT GOOD SHOW BY GRAHAM GORDON (T6)

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com 

Flying Dutchman Dan Huizing, ranked No 7 among the world's amateurs, won the Lytham Trophy by an astonish margin of 11 shots with a seven-under-par total of 273 over the Royal Lytham Golf Club venue for this year's Open championship.

He led from start to finish with scores of 67-67-71-68 over the par-70 lay-out and probably never noticed that the course has been toughened up for Rory McIlroy & Co's arrival in July.

It was a Continental 1-2 with Germany's Moritz Lampert the distant runner-up on 284 (69-72-71-72).

From a Scottish point of view, the failure of this season's first two 72-hole tournament winners, Fraser McKenna (Balmore) and Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie), to survive the halfway cut was tempered by the excellent performance of reinstated amateur Graham Gordon (pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

The Newmachar man, now in his 30s and Scottish champion and a Walker Cup player, both in 2003, lay second with two rounds to go and eventually finished a creditable joint sixth on 287 with scores of 71, 67, 72 and 77. Possibly tiring - illness and injury blighted his unsuccessful spell in the pro ranks - Gordon bogeyed four of his last six holes and did not get a single birdie in his closing round.

Gordon hopes he can do it all again as an amateur but he has been deliberately playing his comeback low key to avoid building up any great expectations, including his own. But this performance against most of the best amateurs in the country and the Continent augurs well for the rest of the season at least.

The next two Scots - only seven made the cut - were Adam Dunton from Ellon in joint 18th position on 292 (73-73-73-73) and Royal Aberdeen's Scott Larkin in joint 22nd place on 293 (70-76-74-73).

Downfield's Ross Bell, well in the picture after an opening 69, gradually tumbled down the leaderboard with rounds of 75, 77 and 79 to finish joint 44th on 300.  

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 280 (4x70)

273 Dan Huizing (Netherlands) 67 67 71 68

284 Moritz Lampert (Germany) 69 72 71 72

285 Ben Westgate (Trevose) 68 74 75 68

286 Paul Barjon (France) 73 71 73 69, Michael Miller (US) 71 73 72 70

287 Graham Gordon (Newmachar) 71 67 72 77, Matthew Wallace (Moor Park) 70 67 77 73.

288 Jonathan Hurst (Pleasington) 73 72 73 70, Callum Shinkwin (Moor Park) 71 74 73 70, Paul Howad (Southport & Ainsdale) 69 75 70 74

289 Clement Bercardo (France) 70 74 73 72, James Frazer (Pennad) 72 70 74 73

290 Craig Hinton (Oxfordshire) 69 77 76 78, Ben Stow (Rushmore) 73 73 73 71.

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES

292 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 73 73 73 73  (T18) 

293 Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 70 76 74 73 (T22)

295 Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 72 75 73 75 (T30)

296 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 74 71 73 78 (T34)

298 Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 77 70 76 75 (T41)

300 Ross Bell (Downfield) 69 75 77 79 (T44)

SCROLL DOWN FOR A LIST OF THE SCOTS WHO

MISSED THE CUT

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CLOSING 65 WINS SPANISH OPEN FOR FRANCESCO MOLINARI

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Francesco Molinari’s brilliant closing round of 65 earned him a third European Tour title at the Reale Seguros Open de España.
The Italian Ryder Cup player turned a four stroke deficit into a three shot win with his brilliant seven under par effort at Reale Club de Golf de Sevilla.
While overnight leader Simon Dyson could only manage a 76 - and that after birdies at the first two holes - Molinari produced the best round of the week.
Seven birdies in the first 14 holes and then four closing pars gave the 29 year old the first prize of more than €333,330 with an eight under par aggregate.
Molinari’s display was all the more impressive as he was the only player from his side of the draw in the top ten at the halfway stage, having had to face the worst of the wind and rain over the first two days.
Joint second were Dane Søren Kjeldsen and Spaniards Pablo Larrazábal and Alejandro Cañizares, while Dyson fell to joint 12th.Molinari was ranked 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking when he beat Lee Westwood at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai nearly 18 months ago, but this was his first success since then.
What made it all the more special for him was that the tournament was first staged 100 years ago and came just before the first anniversary of three-time winner Seve Ballesteros' death.
"I knew I was playing well. I just needed some putts to drop," said Molinari, who moves back into the world's top 30.
"I was also hoping the other guys would not go too far under par and everything worked out perfectly."
He is still not in a qualifying position for this year's Ryder Cup, but added: "I just have to play the same golf a few more weeks and hopefully I will be there.
"Everybody is desperate to make the team, but unfortunately for us there are only 12 spots.
"It's going to be hard - there are a lot of great players in Europe at the moment."
In much easier conditions - the first three rounds were played in wind and rain - Dyson made quick amends for his closing double bogey on Saturday by sinking an 18 foot putt on the first and then holing out from sand at the next.But it all started to go wrong for the Englishman when he ran up a six at thelong fifth and further bogeys came on the seventh, eighth, 13th, 15th and 17th.In contrast Molinari birdied three of the first five, then took .

the outright lead by two-putting the 545 yard ninth to complete an outward 3He picked up another shot from ten feet at the tenth, almost holed for eagle from over 50 feet on the 13th and converted a 15 foot chance on the next.
"The first leaderboard I saw where I was leading was on 12, but they had a few more birdie chances than me and so I knew I needed a couple more."
It was comfortable in the end, though. Kjeldsen, winner of the Open de Andalucía on the course in 2009, mixed three birdies with three bogeys on the back nine, while Larrazábal and the fast-finishing Cañizares were too far back.
All week the overnight leaders appeared cursed. Shaun Micheel followed his opening 67 with a 77, then Grégory Bourdy went from 66 to 80.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Prize money in Euros
280 Francesco Molinari (Italy) 70 71 74 67 (333,330)
283 Alejandro Canizares (Spain) 74 72 68 69, Seren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 71 70 71 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 71 72 69 71 (149,140 each).
285 Jorge Campillo (Spain) 68 72 73 72, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 773 72 70 70 (77,400).

SCOTS' SCORES
288 Richie Ramsay 73 71 77 67 (T16) (25,960)
291 Gary Orr 70 72 77 72 (T27) (18,400).
292 Marc Warren 72 74 74 72 (T32) (14,875)
293 George Murray 74 74 73 72 (T40) (12,400)
295 Craie Lee 71 76 76 72 (T46) (9,800).


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GRAHAM GORDON NOW LYING SECOND IN LYTHAM TROPHY WITH A ROUND TO GO

Dutchman Dan Huizeng, ranked No 7 male amateur in the world, is leading for the third round in a row of the Lytham Trophy 72-hole event at Royal Lytham and St Annes, Lancashire.
Huizing has shot 67-67-71 for a five-under-par tally of 205 over the testing, par-70 Open championship lay-out.
But Graham Gordon (Newmachar), reinstated amateur and a Walker Cup player and Scottish champion in 2003, is hanging on in there. Lying third at halfway, Gordon, plagued by injuries and illness during an unsuccessful few years in the pro ranks, has moved up to be Huizing's closest challenger with a round to go, albeit five shots behind him.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 210 (3x70)
205 Dan Huizing (Netherlands) 67 67 71
210 Graham Gordon (Newmachar) 71 67 72
212 Moritz Lambpert (Germany) 69 72 71.
214 Paul Howard (Southport and Ainsdale) 69 75 70, Matthew Wallace (Moor Park) 70 67 67.
215 Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) 70 73 72.

SELECTED SCORES218 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 74 71 73.
219 Alan Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 73 73 73.
220 Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 72 73 73, Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen 70 76 74
221 Ross Bell (Downfield) 69 75 77]223 Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 77 70 76.

THE BIG THREE SHOW THEY CAN STILL PLAY A TIDY GAME IN TEXAS

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By ALEX MICELLI
World golf's "Big Three" of yesteryear, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, won the Houston Greats of Golf Challenge by two shots at The Woodlands Country Club, Texas.

Lee Trevino, Dave Stockton, Gene Littler, Miller Barber, David Graham and Don January joined Nicklaus, Palmer and Player in three threesomes in an 18-hole format on a hot and humid day in Houston.
The unique occasion drew an attendance of 40,000 and was such a success, that it may be repeated at least once a year.
"I'm open to the idea," said Nicklaus.
With only Player and Trevino admitting to playing very much these days, these legendary names nonetheless proved that each player still has the game, even if it has been helped tremendously by technology.
“I hit it farther in the air than I did when I was 30,” said former Open champion Trevino, as he was urging players to hit his new driver with the 55-gram shaft.
“The shaft is the engine. You've got to get the right shaft.”
Trevino still has a distinctive swing, setting up open and usually cutting the ball. But as the round progressed, the Merry Mex would start make comments about his swing, how he was going to draw it instead or try to cut it off a mound or bunker to a particular place on the green.
It was classic Trevino and showed why he might have been the Bubba Watson of his era, sans the length.
Palmer had his typical swashbuckling move on display, going after the ball like it was his last swing ever.
Player showed that at 76, he still has tremendous game, driving the ball long and on a string, yet never riding in a cart, instead walking all 18 holes.
Nicklaus, who had played only nine holes in preparation for the challenge, liked what he saw on the driving range and brought it to the course with his patented head cock and classic follow through.
The Golden Bear brought something new to the challenge: an unyielding sense of humour. The entire day, Nicklaus ribbed Palmer and Player about their games.
“Not a bad chip. Once you learn how to hit it straight, you’ll be OK,” Nicklaus said to Player early in the round.
One time, as Palmer was ready to tap in a 1-footer, Nicklaus reminded him that he had to wait until the others putted, but then threw a little jab, asking The King if he was sure that he could make it.
Palmer would get the last laugh when he drained a 20-footer to birdie the difficult 18th and take home the crystal.
“We didn’t want to go home finishing second,” Palmer said.

+Picture of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player by courtesy of Associated Press.

MASTERS WINNER WATSON TO SKIP PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE BBC SPORTS.COM WEBSITE

Masters champion Bubba Watson will miss the Players Championship at Sawgrass after taking a month off from golf.

Watson, 33, won his first major last month when he beat Louis Oosthuizen in a play-off at Augusta.

He joins Darren Clarke, Paul Lawrie and Charl Schwartzel in missing the £5.8m tournament at Sawgrass next weekend.

Watson said on Twitter:  "I plan to take at least a month off. The Players is one of the best weeks of the year, but I'll be bonding with my son."

===================================

Bubba Watson factfile

Born: 5 November 1978, Bagdad, Florida
2003: Turns pro after starring for University of Georgia
2005: Joined the Nationwide Tour and finishes 21st on the money list in his first season
2007: Finished tied-fifth at US Open
2010: Won first US PGA Tour event, Travelers Championship, lost US PGA Championship play-off to Germany's Martin Kaymer
2011: Won Farmers Insurance Open and Zurich Classic of New Orleans
2012: Beat Louis Oosthuizen in a play-off to win the Masters
====================================

The Players is golf's richest tournament, with South Korea's K J Choi winning just over £1m by beating American David Toms in last year's event.

Danes Thomas Bjorn and Anders Hansen, Korean KT Kim and Americans Anthony Kim, Paul Goydos and Steve Marino are all missing the tournament, which starts next Thursday (May 10).
Watson wishes to spend more time at home with his wife and newly adopted baby son.
He added: "I'm sorry to disappoint fans, but the Players has one of the best fields all year, and the tournament is more than fine without me.
"I feel blessed and excited that I get to spend quality time with Caleb and Angie in the next few weeks.
"I am lucky to play golf for a living, it allows me to pick my own schedule."
Watson is currently ranked fourth in the world.

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