RUSSELL KNOX DISAPPOINTS IN THIRD ROUND OF GREENBRIER CLASSIC

Russell Knox shot a disappointing third-round 74 in the Greenbrier Classic, this weekend's US PGA Tour event at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
But at least the Inverness man is in action this weekend.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson failed to beat the halfway cut.

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Webb Simpson takes a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Greenbrier Classic. To read Saturday's report on Golf.com

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THREE SHARE ENGLISH MID-AM LEAD AT WINDY SAUNTON

FROM THE ENGLAND GOLF WEBSITE
The experience of playing over links courses paid dividends for Ian Crowther and Danny Curtis as they hit the front along with first round leader James Wallis on an extremely windy second day of the Logan Trophy English men's mid-amateur championship over the West Course at Saunton.
Crowther, from Royal Lytham, carded a 72 to lead on 143, one over par, by one from Kent-based Curtis, the only player to match the par of 71, and Wallis, who slipped back with 77.
WIND FACTOR TO FORE
The opening day’s rain may have stopped but an Easterly wind was dominant and its effect turned the leaderboard upside-down.
Crowther, whose 72 contained two birdies, said: “It was a good, blustery links day. You just had to buckle down and keep the ball in play. It was links golf at its most potent and so easy to run up a big score.
“The course is great and set up well. You’ve just to hit every kind of shot and being at Lytham, I have played a lot of links golf.” 
No one bettered par, but Curtis came close, a bogey at the last preventing him from finishing in red figures.
The 48 year old lift engineer from Orpington said: “I’ve played a lot of links golf, including winning the Kent Mid Age at Littlestone so I don’t mind playing in the wind. I just kept the ball straight and I made a lot of chances.
“I knew it would be tough and the wind was gusting a lot of the time. It was totally different from round one but I managed nine straight pars to start with then I birdie the tenth and 15th.”
LOST IT OVER FINAL ROUND
A year ago at Purdis Heath in Ipswich, Curtis was ahead with a round to go, only to fire a closing 78 and finish fifth.
Wallis, who was the joint leader going into round two, was going along well until he ran into trouble in the middle of the back nine. “I played nicely for the first 12 holes, I was level par without holing any putts,” he said.
“Then I dropped six shots over the next three holes but managed to keep it together over the rest of the round.”
He double-bogeyed the 13th after finding the penal rough, hacking out, then wedging to the back of the green and three-putting. A regulation bogey at 14 was followed by a seven at the 15th where he found a bunker, took two to escape, then three-putted again.
However, he is only one shot off the lead and is in a good position to launch his bid for the title tomorrow.
 ELEVEN SHOTS WORSE
Neill Williams, who shared the lead with Wallis after round one, fared even worse than his Surrey colleague, adding 78 to his brilliant opening 67. “It was hard work,” said the Walton heath man.
“I haven’t played in wind for a while and I would have been happy with a four over round. But I had three double-bogeys and one triple and almost ran out of balls.
“I was hitting my driver to the right and probably lost five. I should have taken my three-wood more but it is difficult not to hit the driver in such conditions.”
John Bishop, the Little Aston member from Burton-on-Trent, is alongside Williams after a 74, while Richard Latham, the Director of Operations at Woodhall Spa, signed for a fine 72 and 147. He would have matched par but for a bogey at the last where he missed form four feet.
“I don’t mind windy conditions,” he admitted. “I’m quite a good wind player but there are some dangerous holes out there.
“You have to be careful and patient and you can’t afford to be off line. I felt we were unlucky yesterday when the rain started when we were on the first tee.
But it was frustrating to drop a shot at the last,” added the Lincolnshire man who finished third last year.
The cut came at 14 over par 156 with 46 players surviving for the final round. Those who missed included past champions Paul Griffiths on 157 and Steve Crosby on 162.
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HOWELL AND HANSEN LEAD INTO FINAL DAY OF FRENCH OPEN

David Howell and Anders Hansen share the lead heading into Sunday's final round of the Alstom Open de France following a topsy-turvy third day at Le Golf National near Paris.

Hansen and George Coetzee spent much of the afternoon at the summit of the leaderboard, and each made it to eight under either side of a 35-minute interruption caused by a brief thunderstorm.

However, both men were to falter in the closing stages of their penultimate rounds, the Dane bogeying 16 and 17 while South African Coetzee dropped three shots in the space of six holes to sit one off the pace at five under. 
GOOD FOR HOWELL

Their late struggles provided excellent news for Howell, a four-time European Tour winner who is now ranked 350 in the world. The affable Englishman, two under overnight, surged into contention with a hugely impressive 67 containing five birdies and just one bogey.

“I played beautifully. It’s been three good rounds so far,” said Howell. "Today was probably the way you want to play the golf course. The way I played, I kept the ball on the whole in the fairway and took my chances when they came along. The confidence is building by the day and today's round was important for me, and tomorrow's will be of course. I’m enjoying it.”

Despite his late wobble, Hansen declared himself satisfied with a round of 69 that leaves him well placed to claim a fourth European Tour title.

“I’m very pleased,” he said. “Obviously disappointed to drop shots on six and 16, and on 17 I hit a bad drive, but two bogeys on a tough, tough day like today; it’s very decent. I’ve heard it’s going to be very, very windy tomorrow. We’ll see what’s going to happen.”

Hansen has been making changes to his swing and is thrilled to see his hard work paying off.

Home favourite Raphaël Jacquelin went round in 70 to lie two behind Howell and Hansen. He was joined on four under by overnight leader Marcel Siem, who struggled to 73 after carding back to back 68s earlier in the week.
WELL SUPPORTED
Jacquelin paid tribute to the support he received on the course and highlighted how important this event is for French players.

“It was great to see the public coming, even if the weather was not very good,” he said. “I hope they are going to be there a lot tomorrow and support me.  I will try to do my best, and we'll see. It's like a fifth major for us, and so it would mean a lot but I don't want to put too much pressure (on myself).”

Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter were a shot further back, while David Lynn showed tremendous character in posting a 72 that left him on two under. Lynn started double bogey-triple bogey and lost further ground on the fourth before bouncing back superbly with five birdies.

The fourth and final round will start on Sunday morning at 7.50. Players will be paired in groups of two and will start from the 1^st tee. Last tee off at 1.20pm. Prize ceremony is scheduled at 6pm.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 213 (3x71)

207 David Howell (England) 70 70 67, Anders Hansen (Denmark) 70 68 68

209 George Coetzee (South Africa) 70 68 70, Raphael Jacquelin France) 68 71 70, Marcel Siem (Germany) 68 68 73

210 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 78 73 69, Ian Poulter (England) 72 69 69

SCOTS' SCORES

212 David Drysdale 70 70 72 (T13)

213 Marc Warren 76 69 68 (T22)

215 Scott Jamieson 71 74 70 (T31)

218 Craig Lee 73 71 74 (T55).

THELEN GOES THREE SHOTS CLEAR AT BAD RAGAZ SENIORS OPEN

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR REPORT
From Michael Gibbons
mgibbons@europeantour.com

Tim Thelen’s dream form continued at the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open, where the American’s five under par 65 saw him to seize control of the tournament and establish a three-shot lead going into the final round.

Thelen held off Bernhard Langer, Barry Lane and Peter Fowler with a brilliant final round performance to win his maiden Senior Tour title at last week’s Berenberg Bank Masters, and he has brought the same form to the Swiss mountains and the Golf Club Bad Ragaz.

WOOSIE SHARING SECOND

Fowler, four off the pace in a tie for fifth place with Mark James, will again be among the chasing pack, this time in the company of former Masters champion Ian Woosnam, who shares second place with American Mike Cunning and South African Chris Williams on six under par.

While Thelen and the leaders forged ahead, Sir Bob Charles fell back into the chasing pack in round two following the 76 year old’s amazing first round 66.

The legendary left-hander from New Zealand bettered his age by a record-breaking ten strokes on Friday, but he had to settle for only a three stroke improvement after a second round of three-over-73.

Charles now lies on one under par, in tie for 26^th position, three ahead of another legendary 76 year old, Gary Player. The South African nine-time Major Champion posted a level par 70 to remain on two over.

The second round belonged to Thelen, however, as the American set up a glorious opportunity to pick up his second Senior Tour title in the space of seven days. The 51 year old’s confidence levels have gone up a level since his landmark victory last week.

FANTASTIC DAY

“It was another fantastic day out there,” said Thelen. “I only really missed two greens all day and made the double bogey on the ninth, but apart from that I played great and made a lot of chances for birdies, a lot of which I converted.

“I think I will try and be pretty relaxed tomorrow in the final round but I know that I have to go out there and make birdies. The guys behind me are so good that if I go out there and make a load of pars then these guys will run straight over me. It’s great to have a three shot lead but it can all change so quickly.

“I would have to say that my confidence is very good after winning in Munich last week. When you look at the names that were on that leaderboard, it’s amazing when you consider what they have achieved.

“To beat those guys, birdieing the last hole to win, was just fantastic and made me feel like I really can compete with these great players. Hopefully I can do the same tomorrow."

Anglo-Scot Bill Longmuir fired a three under par 67 to move into a share of seventh place.

Longmuir is five shots behind runaway leader Tim Thelen, but only two behind second placed Ian Woosnam, Mike Cunning and Chris Williams.

Paisley professional Stephen McAllister is the next best placed Scot in the field, one shot behind Longmuir after a one under 69. Sam Torrance carded a one over 73 to fall back to level for the tournament.

LEADERBOARD
Par 140 (2x70) Yardage 6,183

131 T Thelen (USA) 66 65

134 C Williams (RSA) 68 66; I Woosnam (Wal) 68 66; M Cunning (USA) 68 66

135 P Fowler (Aus) 66 69; M James (Eng) 65 70

136 G Wolstenholme (Eng) 69 67; B Longmuir (Sco) 69 67; A Forsbrand (Swe) 69 67; D Smyth (Irl) 66 70; T Price (Aus) 68 68

137 J Bland (RSA) 66 71; S McAllister (Sco) 68 69; M Farry (Fra) 69 68; P Mitchell (Eng) 68 69; R Gibson (Can) 68 69; G Banister (Aus) 72 65; M Harwood (Aus) 71 66

138 D Hospital (Esp) 67 71; C Rocca (Ita) 70 68; D Merriman (Aus) 68 70; T Elliott (Aus) 70 68; M Martin (Esp) 66 72; M Belsham (Eng) 73 65; P Wesselingh (Eng) 70 68

139 G Cali (Ita) 69 70; G Manson (Aut) 67 72; B Charles (Nzl) 66 73; J Quiros (Esp) 70 69; M Kuramoto (Jpn) 70 69; G Norquist (USA) 70 69; G Ryall (Eng) 70 69; B Ruangkit (Tha) 70 69; A Sherborne (Eng) 69 70; J Harrison (Eng) 71 68

140 Z Martinez (USA) 74 66; D O'Sullivan (Irl) 70 70 S Cipa (Eng) 70 70; K Spurgeon (Eng) 68 72; D Cambridge (Jam) 72 68; T Johnstone (Zim) 70 70; B Cameron (Eng) 70 70; S Torrance (Sco) 69 71; N Job (Eng) 69 71

141 C Mason (Eng) 69 72; A Franco (Par) 72 69; D Russell (Eng) 64 77

142 J Rhodes (Eng) 71 71; G Player (RSA) 72 70; P Walton (Irl) 73 69; M Piñero (Esp) 72 70; G Brand (Eng) 71 71; J Bruner (USA) 72 70; A Fernandez (Chi) 69 73; G Ralph (Eng) 71 71

143 G Brand Jnr (Sco) 72 71; S Van Vuuren (RSA) 74 69; K Tomori (Jpn) 71 72; D Durnian (Eng) 69 74; J Gould (Eng) 77 66

144 J Hall (Eng) 72 72

145 N Ratcliffe (Aus) 73 72; L Carbonetti (Arg) 71 74;

146 B Smit (RSA) 72 74; B Lincoln (RSA) 75 71; R Davis (Aus) 74 72

148 V Garcia (Esp) 76 72

150 D Creamer (Eng) 75 75

151 A Garrido (Esp) 76 75

152 C Grenier (Aut) 74 78

158 M Bembridge (Eng) 82 76

167 C Bisel (Fra) 87 80

SOUTAR AND McDONALD INVITED TO PLAY IN ABERDEEN SCOTTISH OPEN

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The outstanding performances of two of Scotland’s leading amateur golfers have been rewarded in the form of invitations to compete in next week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links, near Nairn.

Brian Soutar, 28, and 19 year old Jack McDonald will tee it up alongside many of the professional giants of the game including defending champion and World Number One, Luke Donald, three-time Major Champions Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington and leading Scots Paul Lawrie and Martin Laird.

Soutar, from Leven in Fife, is a full Scottish international and in March he followed 2011 winner Michael Stewart in keeping the South African Amateur Championship in Scottish hands by capturing the title at Mowbray Golf Club in Cape Town.

As a result, Soutar is qualified to play in the co-sanctioned South Africa Open on The European Tour International Schedule and Sunshine Tour this November. He has been helped in his career with sponsor support from Aberdeen Asset Management and South African businessman Johann Rupert.

He said: "This is great news. I'm really privileged to get an invite. With me playing in the South African Open at the end of the year, the more you play at this level the more you get used to it. It's a huge event in Scotland with some of the best players in the world competing so I'm really looking forward to it.

“I'd love to play with Luke Donald or one of the Scottish guys, like Paul Lawrie. A few of my mates will be cheering me and I’m sure there will be a big contingent coming up from Fife on so it will be great to have home support."

McDonald, from Barassie, Troon in Ayrshire, has been one of the country’s outstanding juniors over the last few years, winning the Scottish boys' stroke play championship in 2009 before producing an outstanding performance in the recent British amateur championship at Royal Troon, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Austrian Matthias Schwab.

Hamish Grey, Chief Executive of the Scottish Golf Union, added: "We're very appreciative of the invitations to both players, giving them a great experience of tournament golf at such a high level. Thanks hugely to The European Tour and Aberdeen Asset Management."

Advance ticket savings are still available for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, with adult one-day tickets currently costing £30 – a reduction of £5 on the gate price.

Adult season tickets are currently priced at £70, offering a £10 saving on the gate price.

 Hospitality places in the panoramic top floor of the Castle Stuart Clubhouse on Thursday, Friday and Saturday priced from £219 + VAT per person.

CAMERON CORBETT VASE GOLF CUT TO TWO ROUNDS ON SUNDAY

This weekend's Cameron Corbett Vase SGU Order of Merit golf tournament at Haggs Castle Golf Club, Glasgow has been reduced from 72 holes to two rounds due to the wet weather. Play did begin this morning but was suspended at 9.05am. Play recommenced at 11.30 and continued until 1pm when a decision was made to abandon play for the day. The tournament will now be decided over 36 holes tomorrow (Sunday)

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