Saturday, June 23, 2012

ALAN DUNBAR TAKES AMATEUR TITLE HOME TO NORTHERN IRELAND


ALAN DUNBAR with the Amateur championship trophy. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images (c).


FROM THE RandA WEBSITE
Alan  Dunbar has become the latest golfer from Northern Ireland to light up the golf world after winning the Amateur Championship at Royal Troon. The 23-year-old Rathmore club member defeated Austrian teenager Matthias Schwab by one hole to become the third Northern Irish winner after Michael Hoey in 2001 and Garth McGimpsey in 1985.  
The Portrush amateur takes the Amateur Championship trophy back to Northern Ireland hard on the heels of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy winning the 2010 and 2011 US Opens, and Darren Clarke’s victory in last year’s Open Championship at Royal St George’s. 
Dunbar’s experience, and his putting stroke, paid off against the 17-year-old Austrian in the first final to go all 36 holes since Spain’s Alejandro Larrazabal defeated Martin Sell at Royal Porthcawl in 2002. 
LEAD EXCHANGED 
Dunbar and Schwab exchanged the lead five times in the 36-hole final, in one of the most closely fought matches in the Amateur Championship. Dunbar’s experience paid off in the end. The Rathmore amateur holed key putts at crucial times.  
“My putting was great all week,” Dunbar said. “I struggled with the long game as the week went on and I had to rely on my putting.” 
A large gallery braved wind and rain to watch the final, with about 40 members of Rathmore Golf Club who had made the ferry ride from Larne to Troon to cheer their man on. They were treated to great golf in trying conditions from the two finalists.  
Schwab entered the afternoon round with a one-hole advantage after just edging the first 18 holes. However, Dunbar went two up after five holes of the afternoon session when he played the first four holes in one under-par and Schwab in two over. “I thought I had it, but then I struggled.” 
The match went back to all square after eight holes when Schwab birdied the par-4, 7th hole and Dunbar missed the 8thgreen, the Postage Stamp. Dunbar hooked his ball into long rough left of the green and could only hack his ball out. He conceded the hole to go back to all square. 
HOOK OFF THE TEE
Schwab went one up at 12 when Dunbar hit another hook, this time off the tee. He found a bush left of the fairway, took an unplayable and conceded the hole. 
The match went all square at 15 when Schwab failed to get up and down from left of the green. However, the contest’s seesaw nature returned at the par-5, 16th when Dunbar found two fairway bunkers en route to a bogey six. 
Dunbar’s experience of winning the 2009 St Andrews Links Trophy and winning two points out of three in last year’s victorious Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team paid off over the last two holes.   
Dunbar made pars at 17 and 18 while Schwab failed to get up and down to save par on both holes. The match ended when the young Austrian missed his four-foot par putt on the final green.  
A meeting from his coach shortly before travelling to Troon might have made the difference for Dunbar. 
“I had a lesson with my coach Seamus Duffy last week at Castlerock, and he said if you win the Amateur you’re taking me to the Masters. So I suppose that was a bit of motivation.” 
Schwab leaves Royal Troon as one for the future. He will look to make his third straight cut in the European Tour’s Austrian Open later this summer, and starts college golf in the United States at Vanderbilt next September.
“It’s all right for me,” Schwab said. “I’m happy to be second. I came here to make the cut and made the final so there’s no need to be negative.” 
LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE
Schwab was hoping to become the first Austrian to win the Amateur Championship, and the first to play in the Masters. He still might attain that goal, because he left here vowing to learn from his experience.
“It was good for me to see that I can compete with the best amateurs in the world,” Schwab said. “I drove the ball well and hit good iron shots but there are lots of deficits in my short game, my chipping and putting, so I know what to work on.”
Dunbar has benefitted from coaching through The R and A supported Darren Clarke Foundation.  He gains a place in next month’s Open Championship, a place in next year's US Open and traditionally, an invitation to the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. His next appointment is an invitation to next week’s Irish Open at Royal Portrush.
Complete results from the 2012 Amateur Championship can be found here, along with video highlights.  Highlights will be broadcast this evening on Sky Sports 3 at 11.00pm.
Next year’s Amateur Championship will take place on 17-22 June at Royal Cinque Ports and Princes in Kent,

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GORDON BRAND JUN'S SHAKY FINISH BUT STILL LEADS BY ONE IN THE NETHERLANDS

By STEVE TODD
European Senior Tour Press Officer
Gordon Brand Junior dropped five shots in the final four holes of his second round in the Van Lanschot Senior Open, but clung on to a one-stroke lead after another demanding day in The Netherlands.
With strong winds once again making conditions extremely difficult at Royal Haagsche Golf and Country Club in The Netherlands, Brand Junior carded a three over par 75 and will take a slender advantage into the final round, with eight players poised to strike just a single stroke back, including defending champion Des Smyth.
Former Ryder Cup player Brand Jnr, who was the only player to break par in similar conditions during the opening round, started his second round on the tenth hole with a two-stroke overnight advantage and picked up an immediate birdie.
The Scot then bogeyed the 14th, but back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th hole gave him a four stroke lead over the field at the turn.
INWARD HALF STRUGGLE
However, after picking up another birdie on the second hole, the 53 year old struggled on the way in, dropping shots on the fourth, sixth and eighth and ninth holes, as well as a double bogey six on the seventh when his drive lodged in a mound.
He finished on two over par 146 for the tournament, but with his nearest challengers also faltering in the afternoon groups, he remains on course or his first victory since capturing his maiden European Senior Tour title in the 2010 Matrix Jersey Classic.
“It was pretty similar to yesterday in that the wind wasn’t as strong early on but then got up and it caught me out a bit today to be honest,” he said. “I messed up on the seventh hole. It wasn’t a bad tee shot but it ended in the mound and I couldn’t move it. Then I messed up the finishing hole too with a stupid three putt.
A BIT FRUSTRATING
“It was a bit frustrating really as I played really nicely again and holed some nice putts. I was flying along and then the wind just caught me out a bit. That’s going to happen though – you don’t hit that bad a shot and it is tough to up and down it.
“That double bogey on the seventh really stopped any momentum. The margins are so slim round here that you can get caught out and I did. I’m sure there are many stories like that today though.”
The eight-time European Tour winner has a strong record in The Hague, having fourth last year and tied fifth in the inaugural event in 2010, and he is confident of mounting another strong challenge on Sunday, with tee times delayed until 10am due to a forecast of heavy rain.
“It’s another day tomorrow and, while I’m disappointed I wasn’t a few shots better today, I like the course and hopefully I can do well,” he said.
Defending champion Smyth carded a one over par 73 and, like Brand Jnr, had a double bogey on his card after his ball ran off the 17th green and plugged in a bunker.
After carding a final round 65 last year to surge to a two stroke victory, the Irishman believes he is in a good position for a successful defence.
“The conditions were very difficult out there,” said Smyth. “It’s a great traditional old course, a bit like Birkdale, with these bushes dotted about and if you hit it off line you are in one. I think there are going to be lots of stories of ‘I almost did that’ from today in these conditions.
SOME GREAT SAVES
“I played well though. I could tell you all the sad stories but on the other hand I made some great saves which you have to do in these conditions. Overall I’m happy – I’d like to be a few shots better but last year I came from four shots back and ended up winning so I will feel as though I have a chance.
“I hope the wind eases a bit though because it was a real battle to save par, a little bit like the US Open last week. I tend to play quite well in the wind because I played a lot of links golf as a kid and I can switch into that mode.”
Smyth’s playing partner Spaniard Juan Quiros, who defeated him in a play-off last year to win the Cannes Mougins Masters, is also three over par after jumping 30 places up the leaderboard with an impressive round of 70.
Also in a share of second place is Andrew Oldcorn, who was runner up to George Ryall in 2010.  The in-form Scot, who was also joint second behind Paul Wesselingh in the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship a fortnight ago, signed for a 74.
English pair John Gould (74) and John Harrison (73), Australian Mike Harwood (73), Zimbabwean Tony Johnstone (72) and Japan’s Massy Kuramoto (72) are the other players tied for second on three over par 147. 
 
  SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72) 
146 G Brand Jnr (Sco) 71 75
147 J Quiros (Esp) 77 70, M Kuramoto (Jpn) 75 72, T Johnstone (Zim) 75 72, J Harrison (Eng) 74 73, D Smyth (Irl) 74 73, M Harwood (Aus) 74 73, J Gould (Eng) 73 74, A Oldcorn (Sco) 73 74
148 A Sherborne (Eng) 74 74, C Williams (RSA) 75 73
149 R Drummond (Sco) 74 75, M Martin (Esp) 74 75, P Fowler (Aus) 78 71
150 A Fernandez (Chi) 75 75, D Hospital (Esp) 73 77, M Cunning (USA) 74 76, M Belsham (Eng) 76 74,
151 N Job (Eng) 77 74, S Torrance (Sco) 78 73, J Hall (Eng) 73 78, G Ralph (Eng) 78 73, K Spurgeon (Eng) 76 75, C Mason (Eng) 77 74
152 B Longmuir (Sco) 75 77, S Cipa (Eng) 74 78
153 R Gibson (Can) 77 76, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 75 78, A Franco (Par) 80 73, T Thelen (USA) 74 79, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 75 78
154 B Ruangkit (Tha) 80 74, K Tomori (Jpn) 75 79, M Piñero (Esp) 77 77
155 D Merriman (Aus) 81 74, C Rocca (Ita) 79 76, G Manson (Aut) 76 79, P Mitchell (Eng) 80 75, T Elliott (Aus) 78 77, G Banister (Aus) 77 78, B Lincoln (RSA) 77 78, A Forsbrand (Swe) 80 75
156 D Russell (Eng) 80 76, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 82 74, P Smith (Sco) 76 80, P Walton (Irl) 76 80, J Bruner (USA) 80 76
157 R Davis (Aus) 78 79, A Saddington (Sco) 79 78, I Woosnam (Wal) 75 82, G Ryall (Eng) 80 77, G Cali (Ita) 79 78, J Rhodes (Eng) 81 76
158 B Cameron (Eng) 83 75, M Farry (Fra) 82 76, L Carbonetti (Arg) 76 82, J Woof (Eng) 80 78, J Rivero (Esp) 80 78, T Price (Aus) 73 85
159 B Smit (RSA) 76 83, G Norquist (USA) 78 81, B Gee (Ned) 78 81, S McAllister (Sco) 80 79
160 D Cambridge (Jam) 80 80, P Wesselingh (Eng) 77 83
161 Z Martinez (USA) 77 84
163 G Brand (Eng) 83 80
165 A Garrido (Esp) 81 84, D Thomson (Sco) 82 83, B Lane (Eng) 88 77
174 T Burgoyne (Sco) 89 85,
182 R Van Blankers (Ned) 92 90,
 

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KELLETT AND NICOL BEAT ALPS TOUR CUT IN FRANCE


Scots Ross Kellett from Motherwell and Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol survived the 36-hole cut today (Sat) in the Alps Tour event in France, the Open International du Haut Poitou.
But a third Scottish rookie pro, Philip McLean (Peterhead) was eliminated.
Kellett is in joint seventh place on three-under-par 143 with scores of 75 and 68. He played the last 15 holes of his second rund in six under par.
Nicol shot 72-74 for 146 and 23rd place going into Sunday's final round.
McLean's tally of 154 (78-76) was five shots over the limit mark.
Frenchman Sebastian Gros leads on 11-under 135 after scores of 70-65.
LEADERBOARD
146 (2X73)
135 Sebastien Gros (France) 70 65
136 Ugo Coussaud (France) (amateur) 67 69

SELECTED SCORES
143 Ross Kellett (Scotland) 75 69 (T7)
144 Richard Kilpatrick (Northern Ireland) 74 70 (T12)
145 Ricki Neil-Jones (England) 73 72, Steven Brown (England) 69 76 (T16)
146 Kris Nicol (Scotland) 72 74 (23rd)
147 Tom Sherreard (England) 77 70 (T24)

MISSED THE CUT (149 and better qualified)
154 Philip McLean (Scotland) 78 76.



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CRAIG HOWIE SHARES COOPER JUNIOR MASTERS LEAD IN KENT

Scottish boys match-play champion Craig Howie (Peebles) shares the halfway lead in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters 72-hole golf tournament at Nizels Golf and Country Club, Kent.
Howie has shot rounds of 69-70 for five-under-par 139, a total matched by Max Orrin (North Foreland), competing in his home county. Orrin's scores were 71-68.
Only three other Scots survived the cut to the leading 36 and ties - Anthony Blaney (Liberton) on 143 (73-70), Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) on 144 (73-71) and Alan Waugh (Cowglen) on 147 (74-73).
Scots who missed out were Angus Carrick (Douglas Park)  on 152 (75-77), Jamie Savage (Cawder) (76-77) and Lawrence Allan (Alvah) (73-80) on 153, Alexander Wilson (Renaissance) on 156 (80-76 and Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) on 162 (81-81)
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DANNY WILLETT LEADS BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Danny Willett will start the final round of the BMW International Open with a one- shot lead as the Englishman seeks his maiden European Tour victory.
On a leaderboard where only one of the top five have won on The European Tour, the 24 year old carded a three under par 69 to reach 12 under par at Gut Lärchenhof, Germany.
Willett turned in 35, holed a huge putt across the green for birdie at the short 11th and, after another gain at the 14th, pitched to six feet at the par five 16th for his sixth birdie of the day – although there was a third bogey at the last.
“I got the ball under pretty good control most of the day,” said the former Walker Cup star, who has had 19 top-ten finishes on The European Tour without winning. “The wind was whipping around a bit but I drove the ball great which makes it a lot easier around this golf course. 

GOOD TO BE IN CONTENTION
“If you want to be in contention, you have to have things go your way a little bit. It's good to be back in a position where I feel like I should be.
“Tomorrow is just a case of making sure you go through everything properly, make sure you get the right numbers in your hand and you have the right feeling for the shot and see what you can do.
“Regardless of tomorrow, we have got a spell of four really good weeks, Open Qualifying Monday, and then we go Ireland, France, Scotland and then there are some great events at the end of the season. So I'm just looking forward to being able to play probably another 12 or 13 events on my schedule this year, fairly fit, lots of training and get on a really good leap forward from where I've been.”

LEADER BY ONE STROKE
Willett’s round put him one ahead of compatriot Chris Wood and halfway leader Joel Sjöholm, with South African Keith Horne and Australian Marcus Fraser – who has victories in South Korea and Russia to his name -on ten under.
“I played really well at the start and gave myself a lot of chances,” said Fraser, who held a share of the lead after the opening round. “I missed a couple of putts but overall pretty happy. I scrambled pretty well from the start of the back nine and managed to birdie the last which capped off a good day.
“Yesterday was good in my mind in that I didn't put myself out of the tournament, because I didn't play great, and could have quite easily been well back but made a few putts and stayed in there. Today I played well and got back into it, so it was a good day.


THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
204 Danny Willett (England) 65 70 69
205 Chris Wood (England) 65 70 70, Joel Sjoholm (Sweden) 67 66 72
206 Keith Horne (South Africa) 66 73 67, Marcus Fraser (Australia) 64 74 68

SCOTS' SCORES
212 Steven O'Hara 69 72 71, Stephen Gallacher 67 73 72, David Drysdale 69 70 73 (T27)
213 Peter Whiteford 70 73 70, Marc Warren 73 70 70 (T35).
214 Paul Lawrie 72 70 72 (T42)
215 Colin Montgomerie 69 74 72, Alastair Forsyth 69 71 75 (T46)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE

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WAKEFIELD AND WALKER SHARE THIRD-ROUND LEAD

 Simon Wakefield and Sam Walker. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images (c).
 FROM NEIL AHERN
European Challenge Tour Press Officer
Three proven Challenge Tour winners will battle it out in the final group on Championship Sunday at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts as Englishmen Simon Wakefield and Sam Walker sat atop the leaderboard, one shot clear of Swede Magnus A Carlsson.
It is sure to be an enthralling final day as there were nine players within four shots of the lead at the conclusion of the penultimate day, with local favourite Chris Doak, promising young stars Chris Lloyd and Morten Orum Madsen and three time European Tour winner Nick Dougherty amongst them.
Wakefield and Walker were leading the way on 12 under par after the former’s five under par round of 66 lifted him into contention for a Challenge Tour title for the third time in four weeks.
The 38 year old, who won The European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in 2010, got off to a steady start with eight pars in the opening eight holes but back to back birdies on the ninth and tenth holes gave him a platform on which he duly built.
HAT-TRICK OF BIRDIES 
Three successive birdies from the 13th hole lifted him right into contention and the four time European Tour runner-up is feeling confident ahead of the finale at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club, in Aviemore.
“I got off to a slow start,” said Wakefield, whose sole Challenge Tour victory came at the Tessali Open del Sud in 2002. “I had eight straight pars and I couldn’t make a putt and it was a case of not trying to force it. That’s where I needed my patience.
“I just needed to hit the middle of the green and be sensible because I know I'm playing well. The results over the last few weeks have shown that so I'm not going to try and get ahead of myself and try and force it when I know that just playing my game will take me through.
TWO GOOD BIRDIES
“I made two good birdies on the ninth and tenth and off it went from there. Obviously Sam (Walker) is at 12 under and Magnus (A Carlsson) is at 11 under and they’ve both won - they’re both good players - and then there’s a handful of guys behind who are good experienced players.
“The guys are going to be just as hungry as I am but I feel like I'm the guy in form at the moment and I've been at major tournaments where I've been top of the leaderboard. I'm going to use that to my advantage and just go out tomorrow and keep everything the same.”
Walker, meanwhile, admitted that he struggled to emulate the form he showed in his opening two rounds of 64 and 67, respectively, as he carded a one under par 70 to relinquish his four shot overnight lead from the second round.
He got off to a disappointing start with a bogey at the first hole before dropping another shot the par three sixth but things improved thanks to back to back birdies at the eighth and ninth and he carded a one under par back nine to remain in the chase for a third Challenge Tour title.
“It got away a little bit early on but I just didn’t play very well the first six holes,” said the 34 year old, a former winner of this tournament in 2006. “I struggled striking the ball, which you can’t do really. I made two birdies at the eighth and ninth and should have birdied the seventh. The pace of my putting was just not very good today.
TERRIBLE GOLF SHOT
“I got myself back after 13 holes. I got to one under and I thought, ‘get another birdie and get myself in there at 13 or 14 under for tomorrow, be in front again’. Then I just hit a terrible golf shot into the 16th, left it short in the bunker and made a four and then recovered well on the 17th for birdie.
“It will be a great battle now. If I just get myself back into the mode I was in the first two days then we’ll see where we go from there.
“I like the battle coming down the stretch. There are a lot of good guys behind who are playing well so you have to keep your focus. You’re not playing against one person so you just have to stay focussed.”
Carlsson is another player enjoying a fine run of form, with a second place finish in the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal and an eighth place finish at last week’s SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC helping him to second place in the Challenge Tour Rankings.
He moved up four placed to outright third going into the final day in Aviemore thanks to a bogey-free five under par round of 66, which came courtesy of birdies at the second, fourth, ninth, 13th and 18th holes.
FEELING CONFIDENT 
“I'm confident going into the final day,” said the 31 year old. “I remember two years ago I played with George Murray in the final group in this tournament. We had great fun and I finished runner-up so I like this place and I like this course. I'm enjoying it.
“I'm playing nicely at the moment so if I just keep rolling in nice putts I’m confident of being the winner tomorrow.”
Scotland’s Chris Doak was one of three players a shot further back in tied fourth, alongside Daniel Brooks and European Tour winner John Parry.
Lloyd of England and Denmark’s Madsen were on nine under par in tied seventh, while Dougherty was one of three players four shots off the pace on eight under par.
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
201 S Wakefield (Eng) 69 66 66, S Walker (Eng) 64 67 70
202 M Carlsson  (Swe) 67 69 66,
203 C Doak (Sco) 70 67 66, D Brooks (Eng) 64 72 67, J Parry (Eng) 69 67 67
204 C Lloyd (Eng) 73 62 69, M Madsen  (Den) 69 70 65
205 N Dougherty  (Eng) 69 69 67, C Paisley  (Eng) 71 69 65, S Lilly (Eng) 71 68 66
206 M Tullo (Chi) 67 68 71
207 G Lockerbie  (Eng) 68 70 69, P Baker (Eng) 69 69 69, J Lima  (Por) 69 68 70, S Kim (Kor) 69 71 67
208 L Burns (Eng) 70 66 72, E Kofstad (Nor) 71 67 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 67 71 70, N Meitinger  (Ger) 71 68 69, E Pepperell (Eng) 68 72 68, N Fenwick (Sco) 69 69 70, L Canter (Eng) 69 70 69, A Bossert (Sui) 67 70 71, G Houston (Wal) 69 66 73, L Goddard  (Eng) 71 68 69, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 71 68 69
209 R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 70 69 70, J Walters (RSA) 72 68 69, G Hutcheon (Sco) 69 68 72, A Tampion  (Aus) 68 70 71, C Gane (Eng) 66 74 69, F Calmels  (Fra) 69 70 70, M Cryer (Eng) 70 69 70, A Levy (Fra) 69 71 69,
210 K Eriksson (Swe) 68 72 70, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 70 70, S Davis (Eng) 74 66 70, N Lemke (Swe) 71 69 70, P Uihlein  (USA) 71 69 70, A Kaleka  (Fra) 70 68 72, J Abbott (Eng) 66 69 75, S Henderson (Sco) 72 68 70
211 E Bertheussen (Nor) 72 68 71, D Vancsik (Arg) 67 70 74, C Kelly (Sco) 69 70 72, S Strange (Aus) 73 65 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 70 66 75, O Whiteley (Eng) 68 70 73, B Barham (Eng) 68 68 75, A John (Ger) 72 68 71, D McKenzie (Aus) 70 70 71
212 S Piaget  (Mon) 66 73 73, A Hartø  (Den) 67 70 75, R Russell (Sco) 67 72 73, S Gray (Sco) 70 69 73, P Erofejeff (Fin) 70 69 73
213 F Fritsch  (Ger) 68 71 74
214 G Clark (Eng) 68 72 74
216 G Dear (Sco) 70 70 76, M Bothma (RSA) 72 67 77
218 B Chapellan (Fra) 69 71 78

 

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PLF ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT JUNIOR PENNANT LEAGUE FINAL POSTPONED

Auchmill golf course is unplayable for the scheduled Paul Lawrie Foundation Aberdeen and District Junior Pennant League final between Deeside and Murcar Links tomorrow (Sunday).
A new date will have to be found.

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MURCAR LINKS WIN JOURNAL CUP IN TIGHT FINISH

MURCAR Links Golf Club today won the North-east District SGU club team championship for the Journal Cup at Oldmeldrum Golf Club.
The normal 36-hole stroke-play format was cut to 18 holes because of the wetness of the course, in common with all North-east golf courses this weekend!
Clark Brechin (71), Anthony Bews (75) and former international Bryan Innes (75) were the trophy winners for Murcar Links with a three-man gross total of 221 over the par-70 course (CSS 73)
Murcar Links won by a single shot from Nigg Bay's Gary Stewart (73), Ian Welsh (74) and Nicky Slater (75) on 222.
Bon Accord finished third on 224 with Deeside fourth on 225.
Clark Brechin (Murcar Links) and Russell Ord (Oldmeldrum) headed the scoresheet with 71 apiece.
They, alongwith Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord) and Sam Strachan (Inverallochy), home for the summer holidays from US college, who both shot 72, qualify for Sunday's NE District match-play championship for the Jaffrey Cup.
There were four players on the 72 mark but Edmond and Strachan came out on top via a card countback against Chris Gilbert (McDonald Ellon) and Sean Lawrie (Portlethen), like Strachan a US college student and nephew of Paul Lawrie.
In the Jaffrey Cup semi-finals tomorrow morning, Brechin will play Strachan (8.45) and Ord will play Edmond (9am)
The final will tee off at 1.15pm.


JOURNAL CUP SCOREBOARD
221 Murcar Links
222 Nigg Bay
224 Bon Accord
225 Deeside
226 Cruden Bay, Banchory
227 Oldmedlrum
229 Duff House Royal
232 McDonald Ellon, Portlethen
233 Inverallochy, Inchmarlo, Meldrum House.
241 Hazlehead, Royal Aberdeen.
243 Longside
244 Fraserburgh, Peterhead
245 Turriff
249 Northern, Kintore


LEADING INDIVIDUAL SCORES
Par 70. CSS 73
71 Clark Brechin (Murcar Links), Russell Ord (Oldmeldrum)
72 Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord), Sam Strachan (Inverallochy), Chris Gilbert (McDonald Ellon), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen)
73 David Morrison (Duff House Royal, Scott Murray (Inchmarlo), Lee Morrice (Banchory), Michael Buchan (Cruden Bay), Ron Evett (Deeside), Gary Stewart (Nigg Bay).
74 Ian Welsh (Nigg Bay), Laurie Phillips (Cruden Bay)
75 Nicky Slater (Nigg Bay), Scott Anderson (Peterhead), Callum McKay (Longside, Bryan Innes (Murcar Links), Gary Cooper (Murcar Links), Matthew Greig (Bon Accord), Anthony Bews (Murcar Links), Alfie Smith (Turriff), Mark Vass (Deeside).

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STEVEN MAXWELL IS TENNANT CUP FIRST-ROUND LEADER

Steven Maxwell (Windyhill) was the first-round leader in the Tennant Cup 72-hole SGU Order of Merit tournament which began at Glasgow Gailes links today.
On a day of horrendous weather, Maxwell shot a great round of one-under-par 70 -- five shots better than the CSS!
Maxwell carries a lead of one stroke into the second round, also at Glasgow Gailes, over Scott Crichton (Aberdour) and New Zealander Sam Davis.
Defending champion James White (Lundin) was one of four players sharing fifth place on 74.
 The final 36 holes will be played at Glasgow Golf Club's Killermont course tomorrow.

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 71. CSS 75
70 Steven Maxwell (Windyhill)
71 Scott Crichton (Aberdour), Sam Davis (NZ)
72 Benjamin Weilguni (Austria).
74 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie), James Ross (Royal Burgess), James White (Lundin), Heath Riches (Australia).
+There are 10 players on the 75 mark.

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CHRIS WOOD LEADS BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN AT THE TURN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Chris Wood led a host of players chasing their maiden European Tour victory as the third round of the BMW International Open third round unfolded.
The 24 year old Englishman turned in a three under par 33 to reach 12 under at Gut Lärchenhof in Cologne.
That put the three-time runner-up one ahead of compatriot Danny Willett, who has recorded 19 top-ten finishes without success in his four seasons on Tour.
The former Walker Cup star was two under for the day through 12, with two more players yet to win; South African Keith Horne and another Englishman – Andrew Marshall – on ten under. 

LOCAL HERO SIEM
Home favourite Marcel Siem, from Mettmann which is less than an hour’s drive from the course, had earlier surged into contention.
The former Dunhill Championship winner eagled the par four first from 75 yards and added three birdies to turn in 31.
Three birdies and a bogey from the tenth took him to 12 under, but three bogeys in the last four holes – including a missed putt from three feet at the 17th after a long wait to see if Siem had moved his ball during his pre-shot routine – saw the German finish nine under.
“Luckily I didn’t get a penalty shot, so that’s a good thing,” he said. “I addressed the ball and there was a breeze downwind. The putter got a little bit close to the ball and pressed on the ball.

 BALL DIDN'T MOVE - NO PENALTY
“I didn’t know the rule and John Paramor said as the ball didn’t move there was no penalty shot. It’s a funny one.
“I had a great start and really enjoyed it with a big crowd behind me. It was a great round of golf and I’m in there. Hopefully I’m in contention for tomorrow.”
First-round leaders Fabrizio Zanotti and Marcus Fraser and Swede Joel Sjöholm, who topped the leaderboard at the halfway stage, were also in the group on nine under.

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MONTGOMERY LOOKING AHEAD TO SENIOR OPEN DEBUT

      COLIN MONTGOMERIE .. Debut as a senior in next year's Senior Open
                               Image by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE RandA

It is exactly a year to the day until Colin Montgomerie becomes eligible to join the European Senior Tour and the Scot admits that he has already targeted winning The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex in 2013.
Montgomerie celebrates his 49th birthday today and after winning 31 European Tour titles and a record eight Orders of Merit, the victorious 2010 Ryder Cup Captain believes he can enjoy further success on the Senior Tour.
This year’s Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex will take place at Turnberry from July 26-29, and Montgomerie will be paying close attention ahead of making his debut in the Championship when it visits Royal Birkdale for the first time next year.
After finishing runner-up five times in Major Championships, Montgomerie is hoping he can finally make his Major breakthrough in Southport and join iconic names such as Gary Player, Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson on the Senior Open trophy.
“The Senior Open Championship will be my first event as a senior and I am looking forward to it,” he said. 

PLAY MORE IF FEELING GOOD
“I am going to play the Senior Open and then see how I feel about playing as a senior. I think if I can go there and get the good feelings back and the confidence of being able to win then I will play more of the events.
“It might be a year away but I know that it will come around quickly. It feels like only yesterday that I was really in my prime,, in the mid-1990s when I was winning a lot of events and really doing well. That does not seem that long ago so the next year will fly by and all of a sudden we will be at Birkdale for the Senior Open.
“I do think the Senior Tour is a great tour for players my age. How many sports give you the opportunity to become a rookie at the age of 50? 
"That will be a nice feeling – to be one of the young ones and I hope that brings the confidence and belief that I can win the golf tournament.
“That is a feeling that has faded recently and it is something you really need if you want to compete at this level. I think it would be fair to say that when I was in my prime and winning tournaments and Orders of Merit that I had the feeling I was going to win every week. 
SELF-BELIEF SO IMPORTANT
“I think every sportsman playing at the highest level has to have an element of that because you have to. You have to believe that you are almost unbeatable because everyone else at that level thinks that way. I think that mindset is a real key element to winning and maintaining a level of performance that will keep you at the top.
“If I get that feeling back I will play more of the senior events. I will know as soon as I get there if the feeling is right, and I hope it is. I’d love to win a few of those big tournaments because they are great events and have so many great players playing.”
Discounted advance tickets for The 2012 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Turnberry can now be purchased online, with season passes now available at £60 and any one-day tickets at £18 if booked before July 1. 
They can be booked online at www.europeantourtickets.com, where other discounts and offers can also be found.
Hospitality packages for each of the four Championship days in 2012 are available at £95 per person inc VAT, which includes admittance to the course along with a three-course lunch and glass of champagne in Turnberry’s signature restaurant, 1906, reserved parking, a Championship programme and a draw sheet.

COCHRAN DEFENDING CHAMPION
American Russ Cochran won The 2011 Senior Open Championship at Walton Heath, holding off the challenge of former Open Champion Mark Calcavecchia, three-time Senior Open Champion Tom Watson and 2010 United States Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin.
Watson will be returning to Turnberry where he won The Open Championship in 1977, defeating Jack Nicklaus in the famous ‘Duel in the Sun’, and The Senior Open Championship in 2003, defeating Carl Mason in a play-off. He also came agonisingly close to winning the Claret Jug over the Ailsa Course in 2009 at the age of 59, losing in a play-off to compatriot Stewart Cink.

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JAVI COLOMO THANKS WIFE FOR MOTIVATION IN SOUTH KOREA

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE ASIAN TOUR
Jecheon, South Korea: Asian Tour rookie Javi Colomo of Spain has to look no further than his wife for motivation as he attempts to win his maiden title at the inaugural Volvik Hildesheim Open J Golf Series.
The Spaniard posted a three-under-par 69 to share the third-round lead with five players that included 13-time Asian Tour winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand and Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva at the Hildesheim Country Club on Saturday
Overnight leader Mo Joong-kyung of Korea is a single shot back of the leaders after he signed for a 73 to take a share of seventh place alongside Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul and Thanyakon Khrongpha as well as compatriots Ma Soo-kil, Byun Jin-jae and Kim Dae-hyun at the US$300,000 event that is jointly sanctioned with the Korean Golf Tour.
Colomo, who has his wife on his bag this week, is looking forward to a grandstand finish on Sunday as he wants to reward her with a trip to New York City where they had their honeymoon.
“My wife, Christina has been great all week. This is a physically demanding golf course and she has never complained. She has been a great source of comfort and inspiration and the only thing I need to do is to win it for us tomorrow,” said Colomo.
“If I win, I’ll book a flight to New York City. We had our honeymoon there and it’ll add to the many happy memories that we already share,” added the 28-year-old.
The rookie, who earned his Tour card by finishing tied-ninth at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, is confident that he can make it a week to remember despite a round that fell short of his standards.
“Today was not really one of my best days on the course. I was not playing very well from tee to green but I managed to save lots of par,” said Colomo who mixed his card with four birdies and one bogey.
“However, I’m in a nice position for tomorrow and I’m confident that the winning score will come,” added Colomo.
The closest Da Silva came to his maiden victory on the Asian Tour was in 2010 when he bowed out after the second play-off hole at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic in Singapore.
The 40-year old Brazilian, who has won multiple times on the Sunshine Tour, believes that he can also start winning on the region’s elite circuit.
“It will mean a lot to me if I win my first Asian Tour title tomorrow. I’ve been working really hard these past few years and I hope that they’ll pay off,” said Da Silva.
“The course is in very conditions and it’s a perfect day for scoring. Hopefully, I can put in some really low numbers tomorrow,” added the Brazilian.
After rounds of 69 and 71, Thaworn stepped up a gear to post his week’s best score of 68.
Starting the day four shots back of the lead, the Thai veteran showed why he is one of Asia’s best when he mixed five birdies against one bogey to move atop the leaderboard.
The 45-year-old, who emerged victorious at the Queen’s Cup last week, believes that he has carried that good form over to the Volvik Hildesheim Open.
“I did not come here with much expectation but I know that I’m in good form and playing some of my best golf. The rest will take care of it by itself,” said Thaworn. 
“The Koreans will have a slight advantage as they know this course better than us. However, I believe I have the experience in terms of the mental edge,” added the Thai.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72). Yardage 7,188
208 Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 69-72-67, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 69-71-68, PARK Jun-won (KOR) 69-71-68, LEE In-woo (KOR) 71-68-69, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 69-70-69, PARK Boo-won (KOR) 69-69-70.
209 MA Soo-kil (KOR) 66-75-68, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 70-71-68, BYUN Jin-jae (KOR) 69-71-69, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 68-70-71, MO Joong-kyung (KOR) 68-68-73, KIM Dae-hyun (KOR) 67-70-72.
210 BAE Sung-chul (KOR) 70-72-68, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 72-71-67, KIM Seong-yong (KOR) 68-73-69, LEE Sang-hee (KOR) 66-73-71.

Selected scores
213 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 71-71-71, Scott HEND (AUS) 68-73-72

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ULSTERMAN ALAN DUNBAR IS NEW BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPION AT ROYAL TROON

FROM THE RandA WEBSITE 
Northern Ireland's Alan Dunbar has won the 117th Amateur Championship. He beat Austrian Matthias Schwab by one-hole in the 36-hole final at a wet and windy Royal Troon today.

Dunbar was one down with four holes to play.


FULL REPORT TO COME.

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SENIORS WASHED OUT AT GLENBERVIE

Central Scotland Seniors Open at Glenbervie was one of the many tournaments called off because of the rain that settled in over Scotland.
Play had to be abandoned on Thursday just after 5pm due to course flooding and the course was closed on Friday morning again due to flooding. 
There was no prospect of play prior to 1pm and that was doubtful so the competition was cancelled. 

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REPORT AND SCORES FROM SENIORS' MONTREAL OPEN

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US NATIONWIDE TOUR REPORT AND SCORES

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SWEDE JACOBSON LEADS BEFORE WEATHER CLOSES IN

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
CROMWELL, Connecticut -- Defending champion Fredrik Jacobson is in a familiar spot at the Travelers Championship.
For the second straight year, Jacobson had a 9-under 131 total for 36 holes, following his opening 65 with a 66 on Friday. And for the second consecutive year, bad weather pushed back the completion of the second round to Saturday.
The Swede wouldn't mind if history kept repeating itself.
He's trying to join Phil Mickelson, the 2001 and 2002 winner, as the only players to successfully defend a title at TPC River Highlands.
"Any tournament is tough to win," Jacobson said. "To win two in a row is probably tougher. But you know, you have the thing going for you that you have some good memories to draw from, so hopefully that allows a little bit to increase your chances."
Charley Hoffman opened with a par and birdied the next five holes to move within a stroke of the lead before rain suspended play for the day. Nathan Green also was 8 under when the horn blew at 3:19 p.m. He finished nine holes.
"It was a nice five-hole run," Hoffman said. "Obviously, I wish I probably could have kept it going a little longer, but obviously in a good frame of mind heading into tomorrow."
TWO WEATHER DELAYS
It was the second weather delay of the day. The first lasted 70 minutes.
Jacobson played before the rain hit the course. He started on the back nine and followed up two birdies with an eagle on the 13th hole. He hit his second shot 240 yards over the water and onto the green, and made a 40-foot putt on the par 5.
"It's going to be tough to drive it the way I did the last two rounds last year, where I didn't miss the fairway," Jacobson said. "So, I'm not going to chase that. But yeah, probably I have been playing about the same as I did the first couple days of last year."
Blake Adams had a 64, the best round of the day, to join Stuart Appleby and Roland Thatcher at 7 under. Appleby had a 65, and Thatcher shot a 67.
Adams had five birdies on the back nine.
SILLY BOGEYS
"I think I finally woke up," said Adams, who bogeyed the final two in the first round for a 69. "I was just kind of making some silly bogeys all day yesterday and early this morning, and I finally got rid of those silly errors and made some birdies."
Appleby, who has played 13 tournaments and missed eight cuts this season, had seven birdies in shooting his best round of the year.
"I'm thinking better, I'm getting better," Appleby said. "I wasn't hitting it any good and I wasn't thinking any good and I was just really finding it hard."
First-round leader David Mathis fell back to 3 under with a 73 that included a double bogey at 16, where he need three putts on the par 3 hole, and a bogey on 17.
Vijay Singh had one of the tougher finishes Friday. He was looking at a 40-foot birdie putt on 18 to finish at 3 under. But he hit that past the hole and then missed a 2 1/2-foot putt for par. He was 1 under, just above the projected cut line.
NOT IN MOOD FOR JOKING
The threesome of U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, Masters champ Bubba Watson and reigning PGA champion Keegan Bradley were a combined 2 under Friday, after shooting a combined 10 under in the first round. Simpson was 5 under overall after a 69, Bradley 4 under after his second straight 68, and Watson 3 under after a 71.
"Keegan played pretty good, but Bubba and I didn't play that well, so we weren't joking as much," Simpson said. "I'm glad those guys made the cut and hopefully we can all play well tomorrow."
The second round was set to resume at 7 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by the third round with players playing in threesomes off both the first and 10th tees.
"This place drains great, it's an old gravel pit," said Mark Russell, the PGA TOUR's vice president in charge of rules. "We've got a good forecast for tomorrow, so we'll be in business."

COMPLETED-ROUND LEADERS
Par 140 (2x70)
+Play suspended for the day at 3.19pm local time Friday.
131 Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) 65 66
+Nathan Green and Charley Hoffman (both -8) still to finish.
133 Blake Adams (US) 69 64, Rland Thatcher (US) 66 67, Stuart Appleby (Australia) 68 65.
SELECTED SCORE
134 Brian Davis (England) 67 67 

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