Wednesday, June 13, 2012

US OPEN WINNER WILL WIN THE JACK NICKLAUS MEDAL

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By JEFF BABINEAU
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jack Nicklaus never forgot his introduction to the U.S. Golf Association. It was the summer of 1953, and at age 13, he’d traveled from Ohio to Oklahoma and was the youngest competitor at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa.
He had the first tee time on opening day of match play (back then, there was no medal qualifying), and made his way to the first tee only about 30 seconds before his 7 a.m. match. On the tee stood starter Lee S. Read of Louisville, clad in his distinguished white suit, and then-USGA executive director Joe Dey, Jr., for decades one of the most influential men in the game. Instead of a standard morning greeting, Dey promptly admonished his promising young competitor: “Young man, 30 seconds later, and you’d be starting on the second tee, 1 down.”
Wednesday at the U.S. Open, Nicklaus chuckled while retelling the story.“That was my introduction to USGA golf,” he said. “I promise you, I was never late for a starting time.”
Safe to say, Nicklaus and the USGA would go on to enjoy quite a relationship. He didn’t win that U.S. Junior, but he captured two U.S. Amateurs, four U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. In all, he competed in 71 USGA championships. On Wednesday, the USGA bestowed an honor upon him that the organization considered long overdue: it emblazoned its annual U.S. Open champion’s gold medal, which dates to 1895, in Nicklaus’ name. Along with a U.S. Open trophy to hold for a year, this week’s winner at Olympic will be handed the Jack Nicklaus Medal.
In addition, the USGA announced plans to build an addition onto its USGA Museum in Far Hills, N.J., to be christened the Jack Nicklaus Room. Displays in the room, some of which will be web-based and shared across the globe, will feature the story of Nicklaus’ career in the majors and on the PGA Tour, his U.S. Open triumphs, as well as touch upon his extensive career as a course designer.
 Work will begin in summer of 2013; the room is slated to open by springtime 2015. Nicklaus will join Bob Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Mickey Wright in having a room at the museum dedicated in his or her name.
USGA President Glen Nager said it’s a core mission of the association to preserve the history of this great game, and saluting Nicklaus’ many accomplishments was “a missing chapter – honoring the greatest golfer of all time.”
“I didn’t play golf as a child, but I watched him hit that flagstick on 17 at Pebble Beach (at the 1972 U.S. Open) and his career is a highlight reel from the U.S. Open,” Nager said. “… So it was a way of taking the history of the U.S. Open and Jack’s great record as a USGA champion and passing it forward to the future.”
Also, Nicklaus’ first U.S. Open triumph, which came in 1962 at Oakmont, will be featured in a documentary that will air this Sunday. It’s titled “1962 U.S. Open: Jack’s First Major,” and was the first film actually produced by the USGA, which elicited the help of Emmy Award-winning producer Ross Greenburg. The show will air at 2 p.m. EDT on NBC.
“This was everything,” Greenburg said Wednesday at Olympic Club. “In 1962, what you had was the stars all aligned. You had (Arnold) Palmer at the zenith of his celebrity; he’s won quite a few majors at that point. And you had Jack, who was this 22-year-old out of Columbus who had not won a tournament. He’d just turned pro the previous December.
“So he comes to Arnold’s hometown and the crowds were in force. Arnie’s Army was in full swing. They were massive crowds, some unruly, and not appreciative of Jack those first two rounds (when he was paired with Palmer). It’s so captivating to find all the little nuances of the tournament, to dive into the analysis of what Jack and Arnold both represented at that time, and then to bring it all back to life, and to transport you in a time machine to 1962.”
As part of the documentary, Greenburg had Palmer and Nicklaus revisit Oakmont nearly 50 years after their fateful playoff matchup. Nicklaus arrived a day earlier, toured Merion (site of next year’s U.S. Open) with the USGA’s Mike Davis, and then went to dinner with Palmer, who housed Nicklaus overnight as his guest.
When the two got to Oakmont the next day, Palmer turned to Nicklaus and asked, “Why are we doing this? You know, I lost that one.” And then Palmer told Nicklaus, “You know, they want to do one on (Billy) Casper at Olympic (site of the 1966 Open). I lost that one, too.”
To which Nicklaus retorted to his old buddy, “Arnold, we did Cherry Hills (1960) first.”
It was at Cherry Hills that Palmer won the U.S. Open on a day when a young Nicklaus and an aging Ben Hogan had contended.
Nicklaus seemed genuinely humbled by the honors bestowed upon him Wednesday, pausing for numerous pictures with the newly named Nicklaus Medal that this week, and forevermore, will be slipped around the champion’s neck..
“Kind of neat, isn’t it?” said the 72-year-old legend. “Take an old guy and honour him.
“I think that’s pretty nice.”

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PAUL LAWRIE SAYS HE WOULD RELISH RYDER CUP CAPTAINCY AT GLENEAGLES IN 2014

FROM THE BBC SPORT.COM WEBSITE

Former Open winner Paul Lawrie has said he would accept the captaincy for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

Lawrie, Open winner at Carnoustie in 1999, said he has "almost" qualified for this year's Ryder Cup tournament in Medina.
However, looking two years further down the line, Lawrie said he would relish skippering the European side.
"No-one would say no to that job. I can't think of anyone in the world of golf who would say no to the Ryder Cup captaincy," the 43-year-old said.
Northern Irish golfer Darren Clarke has backed Lawrie to lead the Europeans when the Ryder Cup returns to Scotland.
However, Lawrie hinted he would need more Ryder Cup playing experience before becoming captain.
"I've only played in one Ryder Cup and I don't think there's ever been a captain that's only played one," he said.
"If I get in Jose-Maria Olazabel's team and you've played a couple of times and my form continues then I don't see why not."
However, Lawrie, whose ranking has rocketed to 29 from a low of 272 only 15 months ago, is not taking qualification for this year's tournament for granted.
"It's a long way to go, there's still nine counting events to go," he added.
"I think almost there is correct, but when you're there is when the teamsheet comes out on the Monday and you're there.
"You can go from second to sixth in a couple of weeks if you have a bad spell and other people make a lot of money.
"So, mentally, I'm not there yet. We're almost there, but there's a wee bit of work to be done."
The Aberdeen golfer said that he has got over the feeling of not getting the credit he deserves for his win at Carnoustie.
"I think it did (hurt) for a long, long time, and I think I tried to change people's view of it, but you're just wasting your time.
"Why would you waste time and energy trying to get people to give you respect? You know, you play your golf, you go home to your family and you do what you do.
"The only person it was hurting was me. It's difficult when you win a tournament of that size and people don't give you credit for winning."
Lawrie also laughed off his being wrongly named in Colin Montgomerie's autobiography as Peter Lawrie, an Irish golfer.
"Obviously it's a mistake. I haven't read it, but I believe it's not the only mistake in there," he said.
"Knowing Colin as I do, he'll be furious that there's mistakes been made, obviously, I'm sure, by the publishers.
"I know as well as anyone that Colin knows my name's Paul, and not Peter, so I can't imagine that it's Monty's fault.
"He's sent me a text to say it'll be changed for the second run of the book, so it's not really an issue; but it's funny."

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ABERDEEN LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD

THIS EVENING'S RESULTS

SECOND ROUND
M. Greig (Bon Accord) bt W Ross (Caledonian) 1 hole;
S. Smith (Caledonian) bt M. Dunn 6 and 5
D. Grieve (Bon Accord) bt I Watt (Northern) 3 and 2:
L. Morrice (Caledonian) bt A. Shand (Bon Accord) 5 and 3;
A. Cruickshank (Caledonian) bt  G. Somers (Bon Accord) 4 and 3;
S. Finnie (Caledonian) bt  W. West (Northern) 3 and 2;
B. Edmond (Bon Accord) bt K Hird (Northern) 2 and 1
B Reid (Caledonian) bt G Paterson (Northern) 3 and 2.

 THURSDAY MATCHES


HANDICAP SHIELD - First round

5.00 S. Doig (C) (8) v D. Mair (N) (9)
5.06 R. Davidson (C) (8) v D. Oliver (C) (7)
5.12 J. Inglis (N) (7) v A. Mitchell (N) (9)
5.18 P. Cheyne (N) (9) v G. Geddes (N) (6)
5.24 W. Shand (B) (9) v G. Meade (C) (6)
5.30 G. Bond (N) (7) v M. Rimmer (C) (6)
5.36 W. Guyan (B) (9) v E. M. Leslie (B) (8)
5.42 G. Nicholson (N) (8) v W. Smith (B) (5).
MURRAY CUP - Second round

5.48 S. Kennedy (N) (10) v R. Jones (N) (14)
5.54 R. Leslie (B) (12) v D. Stewart (C) (13)
6.00 C. Dunn (B) (16) v R. Urquhart (B) (21)
6.06 F. Kennedy (C) (13) v R. Dunn (B) (11)
6.12 S. Meade (C) (12) v B. Lumsden, jun (N) (19)
6.18 S. Barclay (N) (10 v R. Sellar (N) (15)
6.24 M. Winton (C) (16) v S. Kemp (C) (22)
6.30 R. Anderson (C) (11) v D. Robb (N) (15).

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WILLIAMSON, MCNAB TOP SCOTS AT EAST SUSSEX

West Kilbride's Stuart Williamson and Iain McNab (Dundonald Links) were the best placed of the 17 Scots in the field at the end of the first round of the Powerade PGA assistants golf championship at East Sussex National Resort today (Wed).
They both shot one-over-par 73s to be sharing 15th place in a field of 119 players. Leading on 67 is Kevin Harper (Sidmouth).
McNab had four birdies in all butr cancelled them out with five bogeys. Williams ahd two birdies and three bogeys.
Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm) and Christopher McMaster (Panmure) share 23rd place on the 74 mark.
Graeme Brown (Montrose Links)), starting at the 10th, was going well until he ran up a double bogey 6 at the 17th. He was five over par for his last 11 holes and finished the day on four-over-par 76, alongside Keir McNicoll (Gullane) from Carnoustie and Belfry-cased Stuart Boyle. They were all joint 43rd.
Newmachar's Martin Lawrence had a 77 - one better than clubmate Fraser Clarke.  A third North-east player, Ross McConnachie (Peterculter) was also on the 78 mark.
POWERADE PGA ASSISTANTS CHAMPIONSHIP
East Sussex National Golf Resort
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
 67 Kevin Harper (Sidmouth)
68 Matt Spencer (Mill Green)
69 Matthew Cort (Rothley Park)
70 Michael Lowe (Leatherhead)

SCOTS SCORES
73 Iain McNab (Dundonald Links), Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride)
74 Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm), Christopher McMaster (Panmure).
76 Stuart Boyle (The Belfry), Keith McNicoll (Gullane), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links).
77 Martin Lawrence (Newmachar)
78 Jonathan Belfort (Noah's Ark), Fraser Clarke (Newmachar), Ross McConnachie (Peterculter), Matthew Burt (Helensburgh), Keith Moran (Balbirnie Park)
79 Alex Gardner (Radyr)
80 Ross Jack (Dumfries and Galloway)
81 Fraser Dunlop (Gleneagles).
85 Callum Nisbet (Bathgate)
87 Joseph McBrearty (Haggs Castle)


TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE ... coming up shortly

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SCOTLAND LEAD SOUTH AFRICA 5-4 AT PRESTWICK






  SCOTLAND LINE-UP. Left to right: Graeme Robertson, Adam Dunton, Brian Soutar, James White, Paul Shields, Fraser McKenna. Picture by courtesy of the SGU, taken by Andy Forman

MEN'S AMATEUR INTERNATIONAL
Prestwick Golf Club.
FIRST DAY

SCOTLAND 5, SOUTH AFRICA 4

FOURSOMES (2-1)
Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) halved with Charles Du Plessis and Shaun Smith.
Brian Soutar (Leven GS) and Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) halved with Haydn Porteous and Jean-Paul Strydom
Fraser McKenna (Balmore) and James White (Lundin) bt Drikus Bruyns and Gert Myburgh 5 and 4

SINGLES (3-3)
Robertson bt Porteous 2 and 1
Soutar lost to Du Plessis 5 and 4
Shields lost to Smith 1 hole
Dunton lost to Bruyns 2 and 1
McKenna bt Myburgh 3 and 2
White bt Strydom 3 and 2.


REPORT TO FOLLOW

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NEIL RAYMOND SEEKS BACK-TO-BACK BRABAZON TROPHY WINS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLAND GOLF
No player has won two successive Brabazon Trophies for over 20 years. But Neil Raymond (Corhampton, Hampshire) will attempt to change that when he defends the title over the Old Course at Walton Heath on 28th June – 1st July.
Raymond won the English Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship, the Brabazon’s official title, at Burnham & Berrow in Somerset a year ago, a victory that followed his full England debut in the international with Spain.
Since then he has played a central role in England successes including the recent international against France at Rochester & Cobham Park in Kent.
The last player to win back-to-back Brabazons was Gary Evans who shared top spot with Frenchman Olivier Edmond at Burnham & Berrow in 1990 and with Mark Pullan a year later at Hunstanton. However, should there be a tie this year there will be a sudden death playoff.
If Raymond, who begins his defence at 7.40am on the opening day, is to make it two-in-a-row this time he will have to fight off his England colleagues as well as a host of talented golfers from home and abroad.
This year’s field of 153 players contains most members of the England team that beat France last month, as well as many boy internationals along with most of the top ten in the current Titleist/FootJoy England Golf Order of Merit.
Current leader of that is Craig Hinton (The Oxfordshire, BB&O) following his victory in the Welsh Open Stroke Play, while Spanish Amateur champion Jack Hiluta (Chelmsford, Essex) can also be counted among the favourites.
Four of the current top five are England internationals, the odd man out being Michael Saunders (Dartford, Kent), winner of the recent Lagonda Trophy, while Wales could land the title through Rhys Pugh, a member of last year’s victorious Walker Cup team.
Among the boy caps in the field is Greg Payne (Chobham, Surrey), one half of the winning pairing in this year’s Sunningdale Foursomes and who tied third in the Lagonda, the reigning British Boys champion Harrison Greenberry (Exeter G&CC, Devon), and Jamie Rutherford (Knebworth, Hertfordshire), who won the County champions tournament last year.
The other Home countries are well represented as are internationals from France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain as well as Australia.
Two qualifying competitions were staged last month with 30 players from each joining those who were exempt. Andy Rideout (West Wilts, Wiltshire) won the rain-shortened Southern event at Rochester & Cobham, while Jordan Wrisdale (Boston, Lincolnshire) and Sam Whitehead (Woburn, BB&O) came out on top in the Northern qualifier at Worksop.
The Brabazon has been won by many famous players including Sir Michael Bonallack, Sandy Lyle and Peter McEvoy and in 2002 by South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 US Masters champion.
Play begins at 7am in the first two days and 7.30am on the last two and admission is free. For those unable to attend, live scoring and news updates will available on the Championships Section of the England Golf website, www.englandgolf.org/brabazontrophy.
-For urther information please contact:
Lynne Fraser, Marketing and PR Manager
Email: http://uk.mc877.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=lfraser@englishgolfunion.org
Tel: 01526 354500

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SCOTLAND LEAD SOUTH AFRICA 2-1 IN GOLF TEST AT PRESTWICK

FROM THE SGU WEBSITE
Scotland achieved a 2-1 lunchtime lead over South Africa following the opening foursomes of their international Test Match at Prestwick Golf Club this morning.
Leading male amateurs from the respective countries are meeting in a return Test over the historic links of Ayrshire today and tomorrow, with the home side seeking back-to-back victories in the contest.
It is the first time the teams have met on Scottish soil, but the fourth occasion in all, as a result of the Scots’ recent visits to the Rainbow Nation thanks to the fantastic support of sponsor Aberdeen Asset Management and South African businessman Johann Rupert.
After defeating the South Africans at Leopard Creek in February, the Scots hold the early advantage at Prestwick – but their lead could have been even greater in the six-man team format.
Fraser McKenna (Balmore) and James White (Lundin) dove-tailed brilliantly to quickly win the third match of the morning, defeating Drikus Bruyns and Gert Myburgh 5 and 4.
McKenna, twice a winner on the domestic circuit this season, holed a 20 feet putt for birdie at the eighth and also sunk a stunning 40 feet eagle putt at the par-5 12th as the Scots cruised to victory without losing a hole.
The top match was far tighter as Glenbervie’s Graeme Robertson, third at Sunday’s St Andrews Links Trophy, and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) battled out with Shaun Smith and Charles Du Plessis.
The home side held a one-hole lead going up the 18th, but a brilliant sand save from the South Africans saw them make birdie and earn a half.
Leven Golfing Society’s South African Amateur champion Brian Soutar and team-mate Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) looked in commanding form to go three up on Haydn Porteous, the South African Stroke Play winner, and Jean-Paul Strydom with four to play.
But another late rally from the South Africans, again involving a birdie at the short 284yd par-4 18th, meant a halved match also.

FIRST DAY RESULTS

FOURSOMES (2-1)
Scotland players firfst

Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) halved with Shaun Smith and Charles du Plessis.

Fraser McKenna (Balmore) and James White (Lundin) bt Drikus Bruyns and Gert Myburgh 5 and 4.

Brian Soutar (Leven GS) and Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) halved with Haydn Porteous and Jean-Paul Strydom

SINGLES TIES
Robertson v Porteous
Soutar v Du Plessis
Shields v Smith
Dunton v Bruyns
McKenna v Myburgh
White v Strydom

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ANGLO-SCOT ALI DALGLIESH WINS SUSSEX COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Anglo-Scot Ali (Alisdair) Dalgliesh figures prominently on our US college golf reports as a student at Oklahoma Christian University where he has completed three years and will be going back to his final (junior) year in the autumn.
Ali home from the holidays and, as a member of Haywards Heath, he has just won the Sussex men's county championship at Cooden Beach Golf Club.
Ali beat Steve Graham (East Sussex National) by one hole in the final.

LATER RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS
Steve Graham (East Sussex National) bt Chris Jess (East Sussex National) 5 and 4.
Ali Dalgliesh (Haywards Heath) bt Matt Greenfield (Pyecombe) 1 hole.
FINAL (18 holes)
Dalglish bt Graham 1 hole.

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ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT MEN'S PENNANT LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

SPONSORED BY THE CULTS HOTEL

BANCHORY 5, STONEHAVEN 0

Banchory names first

Fergus Bisset and Innes Miller bt Kevin Riddell and Graeme Docherty 6 and 5.
Davie Brand and Ian Aitken bt Alan Cruickshank and Chris Taylor 4 and 2.
Roy Black and Shaun Strachan bt Ross McAllan and Steve Guzik 4 and 3.
Ross Gray and Martin Gordon bt Graeme Adamson and Paul Lindeman 2 and 1.
Scott Birse and Jack Harling bt Neil Irvine and Barry McGillivray 6 and 5.

HAZLEHEAD 3, CALEDONIAN 2

Match details awaited

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RORY DECIDES THAT ATTACK IS HIS BEST POLICY IN US OPEN

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Rory McIlroy has decided that the best way to try to keep his US Open title - something only Curtis Strange has done in the past 61 years - is to attack.
Despite the Olympic Club in San Francisco being a far harder test than Congressional was a year ago, the 23-year-old Northern Irishman plans to take it on.
"I didn't expect to be saying that before I got here - I thought there would be a lot more irons off tees," said McIlroy after practising with Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell. 
"I reckon I'm going to use my driver eight or nine times. I'm coming in with the mindset that I'm going to attack the golf course and play aggressively when I can."
He added: "Obviously you have to be smart, but you've got to take your chances around here. It gives you a few opportunities where you can make birdies.
"The rough is not as bad as maybe in previous years. You can get away with some tee shots. Really you just need to know your way around and know where you can miss it.
"People say it's fiddly, but I'm going to try to take the course on. If you make some bogeys you can hide them with a few red numbers (birdies)."
If not quite back to feeling supremely confident then McIlroy is certainly sounding more upbeat than he was after missing three successive cuts.
He added last week's event in Memphis to his schedule and was tied for the lead until going in the water and double-bogeying the final hole.
"It was a really good idea that I went there. I definitely feel more comfortable about my game than if I hadn't played," he said. "I'm feeling ready to go. The missed cuts were maybe what I needed - you've still got to work hard, put the time and effort in."
He plays the opening two rounds on Thursday and Friday with Westwood and Luke Donald - his fellow members of the world top three in other words.

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RORY McILROY: FORM IS TEMPORARY, CLASS IS PERMANENT

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JIM GRACEY
Lionel Messi, by common consent the finest footballer
 on the planet, won little of note last season, the Spanish Cup being to Barcelona what the Carling Cup is to the Premiership giants in the great scheme of things.
Likewise, George Best, Pele and the two Ronaldos could all point to unremarkable days.
So why do we expect Rory McIlroy to win every golf championship he enters?
Tennis Grand Slam titles are among the hardest in sport to win. Yet every tournament will invariably be annexed by one of three players, Nadal, Djokovic or Federer.
Contrast that with golf where the last 14 Majors contested have produced 14 different winners.
That's the level of competition Rory is up against as he begins his US Open defence in San Francisco on Thursday.
And still he faces the most forensic examination of where he is supposedly going wrong when he doesn’t win.
Tell me a 23-year-old who doesn’t routinely change his hairstyle, fashion sense, girlfriend or abode?
Rory remains a credit to his game, his country, his family and, above all, himself.
Like Messi and Bestie, he’ll win some, lose some, but form is temporary, class is permanent.

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