UNITED STATES OPEN AT OLYMPIC CLUB, SAN FRANCISCO

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM 

SAN FRANCISCO — Tiger Woods has already won twice this season, most recently coming from four strokes off the pace at the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago to win for the 73rd time in his career.
If he’s to add a 15th major to his collection on Sunday, though, Woods will have to do something he’s never done in one before — stage a rally to get that win. And even though he’ll start the final round five strokes behind after Saturday’s disappointing 75, Woods is hardly daunted by the task.
"I’m definitely still in the ball game," he said. "I’m only five back and that’s certainly doable on this golf course for sure."
Woods started the third round with a share of the lead but put himself behind the eight-ball early, playing the first six holes in 2 over. He went on to make a total of six bogeys, including one at the par-5 16th, while only making a single birdie.
Putting was the problem, according to Woods, who had 34 on Saturday. He also hit just seven fairways — "I was just missing by just a few yards and that was enough," Woods said – and only 11 greens in regulation.
"I struggled on the greens today, quite a bit," Woods said. "They looked quick, but they putted slow. But they were firmer than they were yesterday. So it was a tough tough feel for me to adjust to and it was amazing how all day I kept getting a half club. Just one of those days where I was right in between clubs on about every single shot. Just never quite had the right number."
After he finished his post-round interviews, Woods went directly to the practice green. There he worked on trying to hit the ball harder in anticipation of similar conditions on Sunday at The Olympic Club.
"Try and maybe put a little more hinge in it going back, just something with more hit, because I just am leaving those putts short and they’re dying at the lip," Woods said. "I need a little more hit in it."
Woods will tee off at 4:50 p.m. ET on Sunday, playing with Casey Wittenberg, eight groups from the leaders, Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk, his playing partner on Saturday. McDowell and Furyk are former U.S. Open champs like Woods, although he’ll be going for what would be his fourth newly-named Jack Nicklaus medal.
"Tomorrow I’m just going to have to shoot a good round tomorrow, and post early and see what happens," Woods said.
The key will be getting through the front nine unscathed on Sunday and then taking advantage of the back-to-back par 5s in the final three holes. Woods expects the course to play similarly to the way it has in the first three rounds.
"It’s just patience," he said. "It’s just a few birdies here and there. It’s not like where you have to go out there and shoot 62 and 63. This is a U.S. Open. You just need to hang around. First you need to get off to a good start. Get through the first six. Because anything can happen at the last three holes.    
"I think that tomorrow they will probably move it up on 16 so that some of the longer hitters can at least get in the front bunkers. And then it will be interesting to see where they put the pin on 17. Whether they put it over on the right or not."

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 210 (3x70)
Players from US unless stated

209 Jim Furyk 70 69 70, Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 69 72 68

211 Fredrik Jacobsen (Sweden) 72 71 68.

212 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 72 69 71, Blake Adams 72 70 70, Ernie Els (South Africa) 75 69 68, Lee Westwood (England) 73 72 67

213 John Peterson 71 70 72, Jason Dufner 72 71 70, Beau Hossler (am) 70 73 70, Kevin Chappell 74 71 68, John Senden (Australia) 72 73 68, Webb Simpson 72 73 68

SELECTED SCORES

214 Tiger Woods 69 70 75, Martin Kaymer (Germany) 74 71 69 (T14)

215 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 73 71 71, Justin Rose (England) 69 75 71, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 74 70 71 (T18).

218 Ian Poulter (England) 70 75 73 (T42)

219 Marc Warren (Scotland) 73 72 74 (T47)

221 Matthew Baldwin (England) 74 74 73 (T61)

222 Simon Dyson (England) 74 74 74 (T66)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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FORSYTH BATTLES ON BUT WIND-TAMER FICHARDT LEADS BY FIVE

Saint-Omer Open Reprt

From Sarah Gwynn at Lumbres, France

sgwynn@europeantour.com

Alastair Forsyth battled to a three over par 74 in the third round of the Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC, where strong winds wrecked the challenges of many players.

Only South African Darren Fichardt seemed immune to the testing conditions at Aa Saint Omer Golf Club as he fired a 69 to lead by five shots. Only two players are under par for the tournament, and Forsyth was disappointed not to have also stayed in the red as he heads into the final round two over par and in joint eighth place.

“It was close to being unplayable,” said the 36 year old. “One of the guys in my group said his ball moved on the tenth green, and it was about as windy as you can get without it being called off.

“You just have to get on with it and grind it out. I did the hard stuff well but had a couple of silly three-putts and a couple of poorly struck shots which cost me. I’m a wee bit disappointed not to have moved up the leaderboard today because overall I’m playing nicely.

“Fair play to Darren to shoot a score like that today. Anything under par is fantastic. He’s running away with it and will be difficult to catch tomorrow. If conditions are like this again tomorrow no one will be shooting six under, so it’s his to lose and anything can happen in wind like this.”

Fellow Scots Craig Lee and Lloyd Saltman both carded rounds of 77 to slip to eight over, the same score as Chris Doak, who signed for a 74. Raymond Russell also had a 74 to move to four over.

South African Darren Fichardt is on course to claim his third European Tour title after a quite superb two under par 69 in the third round of the Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC.

As the rest of the field toiled in the strong winds, Fichardt accelerated into a five shot lead thanks to a blistering front nine, which featured five consecutive birdies from the fifth hole.

Overnight leader Sihwan Kim of Korea endured a torrid start, dropping six shots in his opening seven holes and ultimately signing for an 81, and so tricky were the conditions that Simon Wakefield was the only other player in the red, a third round 72 leaving him in second place at two under.

Fichardt made light work of the wind, however, and even bogeys at the 12th, 13th and 17th could not prevent him from taking a sizeable lead into the final day of the €500,000 event, which is dual-ranked between The European Tour and the Challenge Tour.

“I knew it would be a hectic day when we started,” said the 37 year old. “But it turned out to be absolutely brutal. The string of birdies on the front nine helped separate me from the rest of the field and it was just a question of hanging on on the back nine. The birdies were a combination of hitting it close and holing some good putts.

“The back nine was something else. I was having to smash drives just to reach the fairway.  I definitely needed all my experience and patience today.

“Last week (when he was tied 14th at the Nordea Masters) helped a lot, as that was a brutal golf course with difficult greens, and I just had to keep plugging away. If you make a bogey, you just have to shrug it off and move on, because everyone is going to make bogeys in conditions like these.”

Fichardt has two European Tour titles to his name – the 2001 Sao Paulo Brazil Open and the 2003 Qatar Masters – and has also played in the World Cup, appearing alongside Retief Goosen in 2000.

Asked whether his experience of winning will stand him in good stead for the final round, Fichardt said: “Definitely. It has been quite a few years since I won on The European Tour, but I’ve won a couple of titles in South Africa in the last couple of seasons. I know what it takes to get the job done and it’s all good experience.

“But golf is an unpredictable game and tomorrow could bring anything. I’ll just keep playing my game and try to get over the line.”

LEADING THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
206 Darren Fichardt (South Africa) 68 69 69
211 Simon Wakefield (England) 67 72 72
213 Mark Tullo (South America) 78 68 67, Gary Lockerbie (England) 69 75 69, Wil Besseling (Netherlands) 71 69 73
214 Pelie Edberg (Sweden) 70 72 72, Adam Gee (England) 67 72 75
215 Mikael Lundberg (Sweden 73 74 68, James Heath (England) 71 70 74, Alastair Forsyth (Scotland) 69 72 74, Andrea Perrino (Italy) 73 68 74, Simon Thornton (Ireland) 71 69 75

REST OF SCOTS' SCORES
217 Raymond Russell 68 75 74 (T20)
221 Chris Doak 75 72 74, Craig Lee 72 72 77, Lloyd Saltman 70 74 77 (T52)

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BROTHERSTON FINISHES JOINT FIFTH IN EUROPEAN SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP IN AUSTRIA

Ian Brotherston (Dumfries and County) finished joint fifth in the European senior men's amateur golf championship at Achensee, Austria today.
Brotherston had rounds of 72-73-76 for an eight-over-par total of 221 - nine shots behind the winner, Irishman Adrian Morrow who produced a brilliant final round of 69 after earlier scores of 70-73 to total one-under-par 212 and win by a shot from Sweden's long-time leader Tomas Persson.
Edzell's Keith Bruce finished joint 37th on 232 with scores of 74-76-82. Spain's Rocio Ruiz de Velasco made all the running to win the European senior women's amateur title with scores of 74-73-74 fo4r eight-over 221. She won by two shots from the fast-finishing Chris Utermarck. (Germany) 77-77-69.

LEADING MEN'S TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
212 Adrian Morrow (Ireland) 70 73 69
213 Tomas Persson (Sweden) 71 71 71
217 Bart Nolte (Netherlands) 73 71 73
219 Stefan Lindberg (Sweden) 72 71 76
221 Frank Markus (Czech) 71 76 74, Johann Aigner (Austria) 73 74 74, Ian Brotherston (Scotland) 72 73 76.

SELECTED TOTALS
226 David Lane (England) 74 76 76 (T17)
228 Barry Downing (England0 74 80 78 (T28)
231 Stephen Whymark (England) 80 75 76 (T34)
232 Keith Bruce (Scotland) 74 76 82 (T37)
235 Henry Valarino (England) 78 77 79 (T44)


TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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HOWIE AND ALLAN SWINGING IN THE RAIN TO SHARE LEAD IN SCOTTISH HYDRO JUNIOR TOUR EVENT

Scottish boys match-play champion Craig Howie (Peebles) and Alva's Lawrence Allan led the field at the halfway stage of the Scottish Hydro Junior Tour event No 3 at Rowallan Castle GC, Ayrshire today. In miserable conditions of wind and rain, Howie and Allan's nine-over-par tallies for the first 36 hole were good enough to lead the field on 151. Allan shot 78-73, Howie 74-77. Both players had two double bogeys in their first rounds with Howie's inward half of 35 enabling him to salvage a respectable 74 but he bogeyed the last five holes in his second round for halves of 35-42. Allan birdied the first and seventh in his second round and reached the turn in 34 before the rain got to him and the second nine holes cost him 39 shots.l Those players with two-round totals of 166 and better qualified to play Sunday's final 36 holes. Maybe those who failed consider themselves the lucky ones in weather like this! SCOTTISH HYDRO JUNIOR TOUR EVENT No 3 Rowallan Castle GC, Ayrshire LEADING SECOND-R0UND T0TALS Par 142 (2x71) 151 Lawrence Allan (Alva) 78 73, Craig Howie (Peebles) 74 77 152 Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) 78 74 153 Adam Fisher (Inchmarlo) 78 75, Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) 75 78 154 Paul Reilly (Lochwinnoch) 81 73, Ben Kinsley (St Andrews) 78 74, Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 77 77, Calum Hill (Muckhart) 76 78, George Burns (Williamwood) 76 78. 155 Jordan Shaw (Kingussie) 78 77, Alexander Wilson (Renaissance) 78 77 156 Cameron Kirkwood (Bearsden) 80 76.

 TO VIEW ALL THE FIRST-DAY SCORES, INCLUDING THE NON-QUALIFIERS FOR SUNDAY'S FINAL TWO ROUNDS
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CARSON'S RETIREMENT THE END OF AN ERA AT THE NAIRN GOLF CLUB

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE

Following a dramatic conclusion to the 37th Curtis Cup last Sunday, a ceremonial changing of the guard has taken place at The Nairn Golf Club in their 125th anniversary year.

The handover, which marked the conclusion of an exceptional 31-year tenure, has seen golf course manager Iain Carson pass on the reins of the club’s proud greenkeeping tradition to Ritchie Ewan, his deputy of 25 years.

In a career spanning more than three decades at the Highland course, Mr Carson oversaw numerous changes including most recently a three-year improvement programme that resulted in revetting 60% of the course’s bunkers.

Also masterminding a Walker Cup, Scottish Amateur Championship, a Seniors Amateur Open and one of the most keenly contested Curtis Cups in recent times, Mr Carson has fond memories of his time at The Nairn Golf Club.

“One of the biggest changes has been the development of Nairn from a relatively small club in the north of Scotland to one that is recognised throughout the world,” he said. “We are all part of a team here, committee and management, and we have all been involved in bringing the club forward.”

The staging of the Curtis Cup, dramatically won by Great Britain and Ireland to ensure all four of golf’s team trophies are on this side of the Atlantic for the first time, coupled with the club’s highest entry (23) in Golf World’s recently published Top 100 Golf Courses in Britain & Ireland has ensured Mr Carson leaves on a high.

He added: “For me, having the Walker Cup here in 1999 and getting the Curtis Cup in 2012 has been a great honour. No other club in the north of Scotland has had both of these events and it means Nairn is one of only 10 clubs to host both,” he said. “It has been a fantastic adventure which I have enjoyed from the start.”

In what many see as a continuation of what came before, the new keeper of the green will be tasked with ensuring the famed Highland links preserves its reputation for its exceptional greens. Discussing his new position, Mr Ewan praised his former boss and looked forward to the future.

“It has been a privilege to work alongside Iain for the last 25 years,” said the club’s new golf course manager. “He has worked hard to achieve the playing surfaces that we have at Nairn which are admired by so many.

“This shows through in how the course is presented and the feedback we get from the members. My job will be to continue this tradition so that Nairn can be enjoyed long into the future.”

It’s not just the members who enjoy the club’s smooth-running greens. Former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie is also a fan, describing Nairn as “one of the best links courses in our great country”, while World No 1 Luke Donald, a member of the home side who triumphed in the Walker Cup in 1999, said he “considered it a great test of links golf and one of Scotland’s best courses”.

Fashioned by the likes of Archie Simpson, Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Ben Sayers and now a firm favourite in the top 25 courses of Britain and Ireland, The Nairn Golf Club has enjoyed a remarkable run, as Andy Burgess, the club’s marketing convenor, noted.

“It has been a remarkable year for Nairn with some of the best players in the world testing their skills on our wonderful course,” he said proudly. “Iain’s departure and Ritchie’s promotion has been part of that and will hopefully ensure the high levels of maintenance, for which Nairn has become known, will continue as we look forward to the next 125 years.”

FOOTNOTE FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON

I once asked Iain Carson what was his secret in producing the best putting surfaces in Scotland, if not farther afield. He replied: "Feed and cut, feed and cut."

KELLETT FINISHES JUST OUTSIDE TOP 20 ON COSTA DEL SOL

Motherwell's Ross Kellett, despite a bag of 14 birdies, finished joint 21st in the Alps de Andalucia tournament which ended at the San Roque New Course on Spain's Costa del Sol today (Sat)
Kellett, who started the Alps Tour event with a double bogey 6, had rounds of 77, 68 and 71 for a level par total of 216.
He finished 11 shots behind the winner by five, France's Jerome Kabdi Casanova (70-70-68 for 205).
The only other Scot in the field, Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol, missed the 36-hole cut.

ALPS DE ANDALUCIA
San Roque Golf Club New Course, Costa del Sol, Spain
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
205 Jerome Lando Casanova (Fra) 70 70 65.
210 Juan Anthonio Bragulat (Spa) 66 71 73
211 Antonio Hortal (Spa) 71 71 69, Andrea Rota (Ita) 73 69 69, Brendan McCarroll (Ire) 68 70 73.
SELECTED TOTALS
212 Steven Brown (Eng) 70 70 72 (T6)
214 Tom Sherreard (Eng) 72 73 69, Jack Senior (Eng) 69 74 71 (T13)
216 Ross Kellett (Sco) 77 68 71 (T21)
218 Andrew Cooley (Eng) 75 71 72 (T28)
222 Ricki Neil-Jones (Eng) 74 72 76 (T39)

ends

CURRIE, RONALD, McCREADIE SHARE PORTLETHEN WIN ON 68 (-4)

Caldwell's Christopher Currie, Craig Ronald (Carluke) and Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) tied for first place with four-under-par 68s in today's
Portlethen pro-am.
On a miserably wet day, McCreadie won for the third time this season, Currie for the second and it was a seasonal first for Ronald, each of whom earned £766.
They finished one shot ahead of fourth-placed James McGhee (Duddingston) who earned £431 with a 69.
Currie had a bogey-free round, packing his four birdies into an outward half of 32 at the long second, third, long fourth and ninth.
Ronald had an eagle 3 at the long fourth and birdies at the long second, short fifth, 15th and 16th but bogeys at the short eighth and particularly the long 18th cost him outright victory.
McCreadie had birdies at the long second, third, long fourth, long 13th and long 18th. His only bogey came at the 17th.
There was a tight finish to the pro-am team event with two teams recording 13-under-par 58s.
A card countback gave victory with the better inward half to the Grant Considine Partnership team of Rowallan Castle pro Graham Fox - Ian Will (handicap 18), Robert Neil (18), Alasdair Considine (10).
They pipped the Belmar Engineering team, piloted by Scott Henderson (Kings Links), of Calum Mitchell, Derek Forbes and Kevin Wood on the countback.

LEADING PRO SCORES AND PRIZEMONEY
Par 72
68 Christopher Currie (Caldwell), Craig Ronald (Carluke), Jason McCreadie (Banchory) (£766 each).
69 James McGhee (Duddingston) (£431)
70 Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Craig Gordon (Edinburgh GC) (£293 each).
71 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Steven Duncan (Carnoustie GL), Graeme Brown (Montrose GL) (£185 each).
72 Chris Kelly (Cawder) (£143).
73 Iain Buchan (Alford), Greg McBain (Gamola Golf), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), David Patrick (Elie SC) (£115 each).
74 Lee Vannet (Carnoustie GL), Mark King (Kingsfield), Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links) , Stephen Gray (Hayston) (£71 each).
75 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR).
76 James McKinnon (Irvine)
77 Mark Kerr (unatt)
Withdrew: Neil Fenwick (Dunbar).

THAWORN LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR CHALLENGERS IN QUEENS CUP

NEWS RELEASE FROM ASIAN TOUR

Samui, Thailand: Thai ace Thaworn Wiratchant uncharacteristically dropped four shots over his last five holes to allow unheralded countryman Varut Chomchalam, Filipino teenager Miguel Tabuena and Siddikur of Bangladesh into a share of the third round lead in the Queen’s Cup today. 

Thaworn, the 2005 Asian Tour number one, was four shots ahead on another tough day at blustery Santiburi Samui Country Club before his game unraveled with some misjudged tee-shots for a one-over-par 72 and three-day total of four-under-par 209.

Varut, 23, produced a superb 66 to charge into the joint lead after starting the day six back while Siddikur, chasing a second win in Asia, rammed in a seven-foot birdie putt at the closing hole for a 71.

Pint-size Tabuena, who has held a share of the lead since day one, overcame a double bogey and two bogeys with three birdies to ensure he has a chance of becoming the fourth youngest winner on the Asian Tour.

At the end, Thaworn, who is chasing a record-equalling 13^th Tour victory, was kicking himself for losing his grip on the US$300,000 Queen’s Cup, the 11^th leg of this season’s Asian Tour.

“I only have myself to blame,” lamented the 45-year-old, who won at Santiburi Samui in 2008 and was runner-up two years ago. “I didn’t play well on the last three holes. Couldn’t tee off well and when you get into bushes or jungle, it is not good. The double on 16 was also due to a three putt. I tried my best. You need to tee off well here to have a good score.”

The precocious 17-year-old Tabuena has a chance to atone for his near miss at the ICTSI Philippine Open in February where he was in contention but stumbled with a closing 81. After a double bogey on 15, he drained a 20-foot birdie at the next hole to tie for the lead.

“I told myself to finish strong,” said Tabuena, who won two local events back home recently but is chasing a first Asian Tour title. “Hopefully I can use what I learned from it (the Philippine Open) and put it into play here. Just stay patient and keep my routine and not mind the people around me.

“Anything can happen on this course. You just have to hit fairways and greens which is my game plan.”

The Filipino will be 100% focused on his task ahead as he does not have any school work to think about. “I finished my third year high school (recently). Usually I bring a lot of school work on Tour but not this week because I’ve finished all my work,” he smiled.

With good memories spurring Siddikur on as his first career top-10 was achieved in Samui before going on to secure a breakthrough victory in Brunei in 2010, the Bangladeshi converted two crucial birdies on the 13^th and 18^th holes.

“I saw Thaworn and the other guys missed their shots. I thought I had a good opportunity to get a birdie on the last. I’ll just play my own game and don’t need to do anything exceptional. Since the first day, I’m confident with my game,” said Siddikur, who is currently eighth on the Order of Merit.

The surprise of the day came from 23-year-old Varut, who has never posted a top-10 on the Asian Tour. He stole the thunder with a seven-birdie round against a double bogey to put himself in position for glory.

“This is exciting, this is my big experience. Don’t be afraid. Just go out and play. I’m not afraid and I’ve got nothing to lose,” said Varut.

“My putting was very good, only 25 putts. Everything was perfect. The past few years, I learned about the game by playing on the Asian Tour. I need more practice and I know what to do and have to do.”

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

Par 213 (3x71) Yardage 6,815

209 - Varut CHOMCHALAM (THA) 72-71-66, SIDDIKUR  (BAN) 70-68-71, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 70-67-72, Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 67-70-72.

211 - Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 71-73-67, Jonathan MOORE (USA) 72-72-67, Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 70-72-69, BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 68-73-70, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-68-72.

212 - Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI) 75-65-72.

213 - Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 75-71-67, Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 69-75-69, Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 73-69-71, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 72-68-73.

214 - Mars PUCAY (PHI) 70-76-68, Himmat RAI (IND) 70-72-72, Boonchu RUANGKIT (THA) 67-74-73, Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 68-72-74.

LUKE DONALD GETS AN MBE ION QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST

World number one golfer Luke Donald has been appointed an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Former footballer Paul Elliott becomes CBE and ex-England goalkeeper David James and former Wales rugby union international Shane Williams, his country's record try-scorer, get MBEs.
Nick Skelton, 54, is appointed OBE after 33 years as an elite showjumper.
"I am truly honoured to be awarded an MBE by Her Majesty, particularly in her Jubilee year," Donald said.
"Both 2011 and 2012 have been very significant years for me, both personally and professionally, and I am touched that my accomplishments have been recognised in this way."

Donald became the first golfer to top both the European and PGA Tour money lists last year and has had 48 weeks as world number one since first achieving that honour in May 2011.

Nick Skelton is aiming for gold at London 2012.

Tessa Jowell, the former Olympics minister who played a key role in London winning the right to stage the 2012 Games, becomes CBE, as does UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner, who led a successful bid for London to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

Veteran athletics coach Malcolm Arnold, still working for UK Athletics at 72, is appointed OBE and Peter Keen, former performance director of UK Sport, becomes CBE.
Alison Williamson becomes MBE for services to archery and Alex Arthur receives the same honour for services to boxing.
Former Chelsea and Celtic player Elliott, 48, is honoured for services to equality and diversity in football. His CBE represents the highest honour so far received by any player from the Premier League era.
Elliott, who works for anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, said: "I am flabbergasted by this honour, and feel privileged and humbled.

Williams retired from Wales duty in December.

"You do not set out in life to win these honours, I have just tried to make a bit of a difference and I would like to thank organisations such as Kick It Out for all the work they have done."
Skelton, who recovered from breaking his neck in 2000, is Britain's number one showjumper more than three decades after his national debut.
He said: "I am very, very pleased and this is great for the sport of showjumping as well. It is a real honour."
Warner, who was appointed chairman of the 2017 World Athletics Championships earlier this year, said: "I was surprised and delighted to learn of the honour.
"I have hugely enjoyed the last five years, these are momentous times for the sport and I'm very proud to be chairman leading up to 2017."
Matt King, who was left paralysed below the neck two weeks after his 17th birthday after being injured playing for the London Broncos Academy in 2004, is appointed OBE for his charity work.
Since then, the RFL Benevolent Fund has given him the financial and practical assistance which has allowed him to gain a first class degree in law and a greater level of independence.
As a fund-raiser for the RFL Benevolent Fund, he has painted Christmas cards using just a mouth-stick to raise money for the charity which supports players whose lives are affected by serious injuries sustained while playing rugby league.
King is also an ambassador for the Variety Club of Great Britain and an advocate for spinal injury charities.
Sporting honours in full
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE):
Zaha Hadid, services to architecture (Olympic aquatics centre architect);
Tessa Jowell, formerly Olympics minister, London 2012 board member, services to politics and charity.
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE):
Paul Elliott, services to equality and diversity in football;
Peter Keen, special advisor, UK Sport.
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE):
Malcolm Arnold, services to athletics;
Leonard Thomas Arnold, services to gymnastics;
Yvonne Arnold, services to gymnastics;
Lorraine Baldry, chair, Olympic Delivery Authority planning committee;
Dr Michael Bull, services to sport and charity;
Richard Callicott, services to volleyball;
Jerome Frost, head of design and regeneration, Olympic Delivery Authority;
Ian Galloway, programme director and chief executive, CLM Delivery Partner for the Olympic Delivery Authority;
John Michael Glover, services to water polo;
Matt King, services to charity
Nick Skelton, showjumper.
Ed Warner, services to British athletics;
Lawrence Waterman, head of health and safety, Olympic Delivery Authority;
Philip Weaver, chairman, Professional Golfers Association;
Albert Wood, services to canoeing;
Simon Wright, director of infrastructure and utilities, Olympic Delivery Authority.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE):
Hamish Adam, services to karate;
Margaret Alphonsi, Saracens and England rugby player;
Alex Arthur, services to boxing;
Ivor Beeks, services to football and community in High Wycombe;
Sharon Brokenshire, services to disability sport;
Keith Cottell, services to swimming and lifesaving;
Lorraine Deschamps, services to sport and diversity;
Luke Donald, services to golf;
Peter Dury, services to groundsmanship;
Lt Cdr John Gawley, services to hockey;
Margaret Jackson, services to netball;
David James, goalkeeper;
Dr Jennifer Shute, services to British skiing;
Shane Williams, services to rugby;
Alison Williamson, services to archery.
Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM):
Terence Downes, services to boxing and charity.

ABERDEEN LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP Quarter-finals M Greig (Bon Accord) bt S Smith (Caledonian) 5 and 4
L Morrice (Caledonian) bt D. Grieve (Bon Accord) 3 and 2
S Finnie (Caledonian) bt A Cruickshank (Caledonian) 3 and 2;
B Edmond (Bon Accord) bt B Reid (Caledonian) 3 and 2.

HANDICAP SHIELD
Quarter-finals
D Oliver (C) (7) bt D Mair (N) (6) 2 and 1
J Inglis (N) (7) bt P Cheyne (N) (9) 2 and 1
G Meade (C) (6) bt M Rimmer (C) (6) 2 and 1
E M Leslie (B) (8) bt W. Smith (B) (5) 3 and 2.

MURRAY CUP
Quarter finals
S Kennedy (N) (10) bt R Leslie (B) (12) 1 hole
F Kennedy (C) (13) bt C Dunn (B) (16) 1 hole
S Meade (C) (12) bt R Sellar (N) (15) 2 and 1
R Anderson (C) (11) bt M Winton (C) (16) 4 and 3.

McILROY AND DONALD MISS US OPEN CUT

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JAMES CORRIGAN

A year after Rory McIlroy humbled the US Open, the game’s toughest major exacted its revenge. Looking confused, if not lost, the Northern Irishman left The Olympic Club, San Francisco following his fourth missed cut in five events.

It was of no consolation to McIlroy that joining him on that all too familiar Friday walk of shame through the gates was Luke Donald, the world No 1. Both finished on 10-over and both were resigned to their fate as half of the field were only just beginning their second rounds. That was a mark of their respective failures.

Obviously, this was not what McIlroy had intended, yet as much as he searched he could not locate the reason. “The thing is, I don’t think I played that badly for the last two days,” he said, after a 73 left him stranded. “I felt like I hit some good shots and the scoreboard doesn’t reflect how I played.”

In truth, McIlroy did not look himself here either in rhythm or in mood. As he trudged around this tight, torrid layout with despair on his face and insecurity in his swing, it was difficult to equate him with the individual who so joyously skipped to an eight-shot win at Congressional and that record 16-under total. More than any other sport, golf can inspire such a transformation and, for the moment, it has him in its grasp.

So much for Memphis having yanked him out of the rut which saw him miss three cuts in succession at Sawgrass, Wentworth and Memorial. McIlroy’s tie for seventh at the St Jude Classic last week filled him with hope as headed for San Francisco. Alas, it was woefully unfounded. He putted off the green at the 12th, and thereafter was mediocrity in spikes. He believed eight-over might squeeze in, but a 15-footer on the eighth, his 18th, dribbled by. He was so distraught he somehow managed to miss the tiddler back. It summed up his major.

“I really thought that last week I had recovered my game,” he said. “But if you’re not really precise out there you are punished.”

This last six weeks have been a watershed for McIlroy. Before The Players Championship and the start of his Friday exits he had recorded 13 top fives in his last 15 starts. It was all so wonderfully straightforward. Now it is brutally complex. He has made a shrewd move in persuading his long-time coach, Michael Bannon, to give up his duties at Bangor Golf Club to concentrate solely on his swing. The restoration starts now.

“I’ll go home to Northern Ireland and play some links golf,” he said. “I’ll play the Irish Open at Portrush and then the Open at Lytham. This last month and a half has made me realise that you just have to keep working hard.”

When Donald conducts the inquest into his latest major let-down he should put first things first. Namely, how opening rounds continue to ruin his chances of adding a title befitting to the world No 1. It is an incredible statistic that the Englishman has not broken 70 on a Thursday since the 2006 USPGA at Medinah. That is 20 majors. Here, he only broke 80 by a shot and although his 72 yesterday was obviously better it was nowhere near enough. That 79 essentially left him nowhere to go, but back to the drawing board. Certainly he should take note of the comments of Graeme McDowell. The 2010 champion gets the US Open. “You want to get a little bit of momentum if you can, because if you let the US Open golf courses beat you up early in the week it will just continue to do that,” he said. “You’ve just got to keep grinding.”

McDowell was last night reminding himself as much, over and over, following three bogeys in his last four holes. The 72 left him on one over, two off the clubhouse lead held by his playing partner, Jim Furyk, the 2003 champion, who shot a 69.

Of course, the Olympic is a torrid examination, which magnifies the slightest glitch. Justin Rose appeared so comfortable in his opening 69, but threw plenty back to the course with a 75 that hauled him back to four over. His great friend, Ian Poulter, is one further back after his own 75, while leading the way for Continental Europe is the big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts on one over after a 69.

Meanwhile, out on the course, Michael Thompson, the overnight leader, somewhat predictably blew his three-shot lead in the space of three holes. And then a remarkable story began to emerge. After 13 holes, Beau Hossler, a 17-year-old amateur, held the outright lead after 11 holes having birdied the 17th, his ninth, and first holes to move to two under At the very least Hossler was showing his opening 70 was no fluke. A high-school student from Orange County, Hossler is coached by Jack Flick, a former swing adviser to a certain Jack Nicklaus. Flick thinks a lot of this teenager and now the world knows why. He evidently learnt so much from last year’s US Open, when he also qualified before shooting 76, 77.

Hossler bogeyed the second, his 12th, and then double-bogeyed the fourth to move back to one over and the hope was he could survive. But regardless, nobody could ever take away from Hossler that he led the US Open – and that Tiger Woods was in his wake. The 14-time major winner was on level par after 11 holes having fought back from three successive bogeys on his front nine.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 140 (2x70)

Players from US unless stated

139 David Toms 69 70, Jim Furyk 70 69, Tiger Woods 69 70

141 Michael Thompson 66 75, Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 723 69, Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 69 72, John Petersen 71 70

SELECTED SCORES

144 Padraig Harrington (Ireland 74 70, Justin Rose (England) 69 75, Sergio Garcia (Spain) 73 71.

145 Marc Warren (Scotland) 73 72, Ian Poulter (England) 70 75, Lee Westwood (England) 72 73 (T29)

147 Phil Mickelson 76 71 (T51)

148 Matthew Baldwin (England) 74 74, Simon Dyson (England) 74 74.

MISSED THE CUT (148 or better qualified)

149 Martin Laird (Scotland) 77 72, Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 77 72, Lee Slattery (England) 79 70, Bubba Watson 78 71.

150 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 77 73

151 Luke Donald (England) 79 72, Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 74 77

152 Samuel Osborne (England) 76 76

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. WOODS, FURYK, TOMS SHARE US OPEN HALFWAY LEAD

FROM THE BBCSPORT.COM WEBSITE

By Rob Hodgetts

Tiger Woods maintained his first-round momentum to share the halfway lead with fellow Americans Jim Furyk and David Toms in the US Open at Olympic Golf Club, San Francisco.

Woods, bidding for a 15th major title, shot 70, while 2003 champion Furyk took 69 and 2001 US PGA winner Toms carded 70 to lead by one at one under par.

Graeme McDowell, the 2010 champion, was one over with Nicolas Colsaerts, John Peterson and Michael Thompson.

Rory McIlroy and world number one Luke Donald missed the cut. 

The world's two top-ranked players were unable to fight back after disappointing first rounds and carded 73 and 72 to end 10 over and 11 over respectively.

McIlroy said: "It's just such a demanding golf course and punishes the slightest shot that's off-line or that's maybe not the right distance."

Five-time runner-up Phil Mickelson took 71 to end seven over, but Masters champion Bubba Watson also fell foul of the eight over cut mark with 78, 71 for nine over. The 36-year-old Woods, three shots adrift of leader Michael Thompson in tied second overnight, picked up a shot at the third to take the lead but went backwards with three straight bogeys from the fifth.

But he settled himself with two pars before further birdies came at 10 and 13, and he missed other decent chances, notably on the 17th.

"It was really, really tough and I just had to stay as patient as possible," said Woods.

"I think I'm in a good spot. This tournament, you just keep plodding along.

"You're just playing for a lot of pars. This is not a tournament where we have to make a bunch of birdies."

Woods's last major triumph came at the 2008 US Open before turmoil in his private life, injury and changing to a new coach derailed his progress. But eight times out of nine when he has held at least a share of the lead after 36 holes at a major he has gone on to win.

"It's been a very long time since my swing felt this good - don't forget I went through all of last year hurt and hadn't been able to practise," he added.

"Now it's becoming more consistent, day-in and day-out." 
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Analysis

Andrew Cotter BBC golf commentator at Olympic

The kind of players near the top of the leaderboard show exactly what type of game it takes to win a US Open. There's Tiger Woods, of course, who continues to hit more fairways than almost anybody here, 11 of 14 on day two with 14 of 18 greens in regulation. 
But also Furyk, Toms and McDowell who are all shorter but deadly accurate players, great putters and very patient grinders. And the fact those three are all major champions will certainly give Woods pause for thought. They're unlikely to be intimidated by him and a fascinating weekend lies ahead.

Furyk, who won his solitary major at Olympia Fields nine years ago, mixed two birdies with two bogeys to edge into contention.

"I kept the ball in the fairway pretty well," said Furyk. "I feel solid and in control so far. I know it's going to get even firmer and faster and even more of a stern test for the weekend."

The 42-year-old, who also has four other top-five finishes in the US Open, said of the typically tough set-ups: "I guess you have to realise at the US Open that par is a really good score and you're going to make some bogeys.

"Mentally you have to be in a good frame of mind, and physically you have to be on top of a lot of areas of your game."

Toms joined the leaders late on with two bogeys on his front nine and two birdies on his back nine.

"I just hung in there," said Toms, who beat Mickelson for his US PGA title in Atlanta. "I knew not to get frustrated and keep grinding. You have to be mentally ready for anything and never give up."

England's Justin Rose followed his opening 69 with a 75 for four over alongside Ireland's three-time major champion Padraig Harrington (70).

World number three Lee Westwood (72), fellow Englishman Ian Poulter (75) and Scot Marc Warren (72) ended five over.

Seventeen-year-old amateur Beau Hossler led on his own briefly before falling back with a 73 to end three over, while 14-year-old Andy Zhang carded 79, 78 for 17 over.