ROGER CHAPMAN LYING JOINT THIRD IN US SENIOR OPEN

UNITED STATES SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Indianwood Golf and Country Club, Lake Orion, Michigan

England's Roger Chapman is lying joint third on 136 with a pair of 68s - two shots behind leader Lance Ten Broek with 66-68 for six-under-par 134
Andrew Oldcorn is T22 on 139 with rounds of 70 and 69.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 140 (2x70)
Players from US unless stated
134 Lance Ten Broeck 66 68
135 Tom Kite 65 70
136 John Huston 69 67, Tom Lehman 70 66, Roger Chapman (England) 68 68, Corey Pavin 67 69, Bernhard Langer (Germany) 66 70, Dick Mast 68 68

SELECTED SCORE
139 Andrew Oldcorn (Scotland) 70 69 (T22)


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RUSSELL KNOX MISSES CUT IN JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

Troy Matteson leads the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Illinois by one shot at the halfway stage.
Matteson had a second-round 68 for 13-under-par 129.
His closest challenger is Jeff Maggert with a 62 for 130.
Englishman Gary Christian is one of four players sharing third place on 131. Christian has shot 65-66.
Compatriot Brian Davis shot a great second-round 65, an improvement of nine strokes on Day 1, but missed the cut by one shot on 139.
Russell Knox missed yet another cut with scores of 74-69 for 143.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
Players from US unless stated
129 Troy Matteson 61 68
130 Jeff Maggert 68 62
131 J J Henry 67 64, Gary Christian (England) 65 66, Ricky Barnes 64 67, Robert Garrigus 65 66
132 Steve Stricker 65 67, Tommy Biershenk 66 66, Lee Janzen 67 65
133 Ben Crane 66 67, Y E Yang (South Korea) 68 65, John Senden (Australia) 69 64, Luke Guthrie 65 68, Ted Potter junior 67 66, Zach Johnson 68 65, Chris DiMarco 66 67.

MISSED THE CUT (138 and better qualified)
139 Brian Davis (England) 74 65
143 Russell Knox (Scotland) 74 69.

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JAMIE McLEARY MOVES INTO CONTENTION WITH A ROLLER-COASTER ROUND OF 69

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT FROM SWITZERLAND
By NEIL AHERN
Jamie McLeary moved into contention after the second round at the Credit Suisse Challenge following a roller-coaster round, seven birdies, a triple bogey and two bogeys giving him a two-under-par 69 and moving him to tied seventh spot.
The Edinburgh resident was three shots off the eight under par lead set by Welshman Garry Houston and Finland’s Janne Mommo heading into the weekend’s play and he was happy with his game as he chases a second Challenge Tour title at Golf Sempachersee, near Lucerne in Switzerland.
“I got off to a great start with three birdies in the first three holes,” said the 31 year old. “I got a bit put off during my swing on the 13th for the triple bogey and it snowballed from there but that wasn’t my major problem. I had a difficult bunker shot and caught it clean and it went over the green and I was in long grass hacking out.
“I had a couple of bad breaks for the two bogeys in the two holes after that but I played pretty good otherwise, for both days. I scored well and I played a lot better today than I did yesterday.
“I had 13 birdies in my first two days and you’d expect to be about ten under doing that so it’s a bit disappointing but it’s nice to be there or thereabouts. I just have to cut out a couple of silly errors but I'm reading the greens well and taking the chances so I just need more of that.”
SCOTS DOWN THE FIELD
Callum Macaulay (71), Andrew McArthur (71) and Chris Doak (70) were all tied for 38th place on two under par.
Meanwhile, Houston and Mommo were tied for the lead going into the weekend’s play after they both carded six under par second rounds of 65 to add to respective opening rounds of 69 and take to the top on eight under par.
Incredibly, Houston soared to the summit despite being diagnosed with vertigo just last Sunday before almost pulling out of the tournament due to an onset of symptoms.
SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)

134 G Houston (Wal) 69 65, J Mommo  (Fin) 69 65

135 L Goddard  (Eng) 71 64, A Kaleka  (Fra) 70 65, A Perrino  (Ita) 69 66

136 J Busby (Eng) 69 67, A Domingo (Esp) 68 68, G Stal  (Fra) 69 67, J Hansen  (Den) 62 74

137 J McLeary  (Sco) 68 69, R Kakko  (Fin) 74 63, S Wakefield (Eng) 67 70, M Rominger  (Sui) 69 68, L Jensen (Den) 66 71, C Hanson (Eng) 68 69, C Moriarty (Irl) 67 70

138 D Vancsik (Arg) 68 70, J Gibb (Eng) 69 69, B Parker  (Eng) 70 68, D Brooks (Eng) 69 69, P Archer (Eng) 68 70, H Joannes  (Bel) 67 71, J Clément  (Sui) 69 69, D Gaunt (Aus) 69 69

139 S Pinckney (USA) 69 70, S Tiley (Eng) 67 72, D Ulrich (Sui) 68 71, A Hartø  (Den) 69 70, A Gee  (Eng) 72 67, R Steiner (Aut) 68 71, A Velasco (Esp) 72 67, M Delpodio  (Ita) 71 68, A Snobeck  (Fra) 67 72, J Heath  (Eng) 69 70, S Davis (Eng) 71 68, B Chapellan (Fra) 70 69, B Rusch (am) (Sui) 69 70

140 O Wilson (Eng) 66 74, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 70 70, A Levy (Fra) 67 73, V Riu  (Fra) 70 70, A McArthur  (Sco) 69 71, M Carlsson  (Swe) 70 70, J Mikkelsen (Nor) 69 71, P Baker (Eng) 72 68, A Tadini (Ita) 70 70, C Macaulay  (Sco) 69 71, M Nixon (Eng) 72 68, C Doak (Sco) 70 70

141 B Koepka  (USA) 71 70, M Haines  (Eng) 73 68, N Bertasio (Ita) 71 70, B Evans  (Eng) 70 71, S Benson (Eng) 73 68, A Bernadet  (Fra) 72 69, B Etchart  (Esp) 73 68, M Bothma (RSA) 71 70, N Meitinger  (Ger) 69 72, M Madsen  (Den) 71 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 72 69, J Wahlqvist (Swe) 68 73

MISSED THE CUT 

142 F Fritsch  (Ger) 69 73, D Lokke (Den) 69 73, R Russell (Sco) 74 68, D Geminiani (Ita) 71 71, J Bragulat  (Esp) 72 70, J Abbott (Eng) 69 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 72 70, B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 71, E De La Riva  (Esp) 69 73, C Aguilar  (Esp) 70 72, W Besseling  (Ned) 74 68, T Remkes (Ned) 71 71, N Lemke (Swe) 70 72, C Blaesi  (Sui) 70 72, M Ford (Eng) 66 76, N Dougherty  (Eng) 71 71, F De Vries  (Ned) 74 68, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 74 68

143 E Bertheussen (Nor) 70 73, S Grant  (Irl) 70 73, K Benz (Sui) 71 72, F Praegant (Aut) 71 72, F Delamontagne  (Fra) 73 70, J Rask (Swe) 75 68, A Tampion  (Aus) 72 71, M Brown (Nzl) 73 70, J Barnes (Eng) 74 69, E Kofstad (Nor) 72 71, P Edberg (Swe) 71 72, R Echenique (Arg) 75 68, J Walters (RSA) 70 73, N Sulzer  (Sui) 70 73, Å Nilsson (Swe) 69 74, S Franky (Col) 75 68

144 N Ravano (Ita) 70 74, S Buhl (Ger) 71 73, M Glauert (Ger) 71 73, P Fendt (Aut) 72 72, C Brazillier  (Fra) 75 69, P Relecom  (Bel) 71 73, F Calmels  (Fra) 76 68, I Elvira  (Esp) 73 71, B Pastore (Ita) 75 69, M Dobias (am) (Sui) 75 69

145 A Knappe (Ger) 7174, J Schmid (Sui) 73 72, S Jeppesen  (Swe) 73 72, F Svanberg  (Sui) 73 72, J Parry (Eng) 71 74, P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 75, R Quiros  (Esp) 72 73, M Cryer (Eng) 74 71, A Maestroni  (Ita) 70 75, P Karantzias (Gre) 72 73, B Åkesson (Swe) 71 74, E Amacher (am) (Sui) 73 72,

146 H Bacher (Aut) 73 73, B Barham (Eng) 73 73, J Doherty  (Sco) 77 69, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 74 72, J Burnier (Sui) 75 71, R Harrison (Eng) 74 72, S Henry  (Sco) 74 72,

147 G Watremez (Bel) 73 74, A Ahokas (Fin) 73 74, E Pepperell (Eng) 75 72, J Girrbach (am) (Sui) 72 75,

148 T Hatton (Eng) 77 71, R McGowan  (Eng) 74 74, P Dwyer (Eng) 76 72, J Lima  (Por) 73 75, R De Sousa (Sui) 73 75, G Dear (Sco) 77 71,

149 M Crespi  (Ita) 75 74, C Gane (Eng) 75 74, M Iten (am) (Sui) 74 75,

150 J Huldahl (Den) 75 75, A Parr (Can) 75 75, A Hortal  (Esp) 73 77, J Dantorp (Swe) 78 72, C Russo (Fra) 74 76

151 J Kaske (Fin) 74 77, N D'Incau  (Sui) 76 75

152 F McGuirk  (Eng) 73 79, P Erofejeff (Fin) 76 76, R Wiederkehr (Sui) 77 75, J Maurer  (Aut) 75 77, M Eggenberger (am) (Sui) 79 73

153 J Johnson (Eng) 76 77, I Giner (Esp) 75 78

154 D McKenzie (Aus) 76 78

155 P Gal  (Cze) 77 78, M Higley (Eng) 74 81

160 U Weinhandl (Aut) 76 84

175 J Svoboda (Cze) 91 84

ENGLAND LEAD CHALLENGE TROPHY IN ICELAND

NEWS RELEASE FROM ENGLAND GOLF
England continue to lead the European Men’s Challenge Trophy at Keilir in Iceland and are on course to qualify for next year’s European men’s team championship. 
On day two, with five scores from six to count, England finished on 358 for an aggregate of 710, level par, four strokes ahead of Portugal and the Netherlands in joint second spot.
Ben Stow (Rushmore, Wiltshire), image © Tom Ward,  shot a two-under par 69 containing five birdies to lead the individual standing on five under for the tournament, a shot ahead of Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo and three ahead of the rest of the field.
Garrick Porteous (Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland),  returned 72, also with five birdies, but he double-bogeyed the short 16^th to drop back and is joint third on two under.
Of the other England players, Jack Hiluta (Chelmsford, Essex), one of the first day leaders, returned 74 for level par overall, Craig Hinton (The Oxfordshire), is on three over after a 70, while Callum Shinkwin (Moor Park, Hertfordshire), carded a 74 and Ben Taylor (Walton Heath, Surrey) 73.

MOLINARI AND NOREN SHARE HALFWAY LEAD AT CASTLE STUART

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Francesco Molinari and Alex Noren share a one-shot lead going into the third round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links.
Italy's Molinari had a triple bogey 7 on the 464yd seventh to allow Swede Noren to join him out in front after a second successive 66 the day after his girlfriend Emelie won an event in Norway on his 30th birthday.
“It feels great,” said the three-time European Tour winner. “I really enjoyed it today again. I made a lot of birdies out there, and an eagle which helps a lot.
“My last nine holes I played really well the whole nine and it felt a lot better coming in with the 66 today than the 66 yesterday.”
Big things were expected of Noren when he won in Wales and in his home country last season, but he has not had a top-five finish since October and is trailing way behind in the Ryder Cup race.
WRONG FORECAST
"I think I'm not going to be on top at the end of the day," he said at lunchtime. But he was wrong.
On a congested leaderboard teenager Matteo Manassero, twice a winner on the European Tour already, is in the hunt for another victory - and a place in The Open Championship- after a 64 in Inverness.
With fellow Italian Molinari following up his first round 62 with a 70, Manassero's scintillating seven birdies in the last nine holes brought him only one off the lead.
The European Tour's youngest-ever champion could qualify for Royal Lytham next week with a top five finish, but his sights are on emulating what German Marcel Siem did at the Alstom Open de France last Sunday by winning to earn his spot.
"The Open is on my mind and this is my last chance," said the 19 year old from Verona, who stands 11 under par at halfway.
Manassero finished 13th at Turnberry three years ago and added: "I would really love to be in The Open. I like links golf and it has a special atmosphere."
HARD ACT TO FOLLOW
Molinari stated: "Following a 62 is never easy. I tried to do the same, but I knew it was going to be hard."
He and his young fellow countryman were at the same Italian restaurant on Thursday night and followed that with a trip to McDonalds for ice creams.
Now they are rivals for a first prize of €518,045 and a title won by Molinari's brother Edoardo two years ago.
Argentina's big-hitting Ricardo Gonzalez is joint third with Manassero, while World Number One and defending champion Luke Donald's bogey-free 68 means he has only three shots to make up and Phil Mickelson's 64 brought him just five back.
With 2009 winner Martin Kaymer alongside Donald and Padraig Harrington six under, the final 36 holes has all sorts of possibilities still.
Four-time Major champion Phil Mickelson fired himself back into contention with a superb second round 64, a flawless effort which featured six birdies and an eagle 2 at his first hole of the day, the 363yd 10th, where he pitched in from 60yd off the green.Ernie Els survived with nothing to spare at four under - only two off the lowest-ever cut on The European Tour.

MICKELSON'S FUN DAY

“It was a fun day today,” said the 42 year old American. “I got into the flow of the round and kept my focus throughout each shot which enabled me to put a round together which now gives me a chance going into the weekend.”

Fourteen Scots were eliminated, including former Open champion Paul Lawrie who was partnering Mickelson with whom he was level at the start of the round.
There was a hole-in-one at the 168-yard 11th for the second day running. England's Andrew Johnston won 168 bottles of champagne for being the first and Scot Peter Whiteford had to settle for one magnum.
"I'll have a word - maybe he can give me a couple," said Whiteford, who shot 65 to move to eight under.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
132 Alexandre Noren (Sweden) 66 66, Francesco Molinari (Italy) 62 70.
133 Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina) 68 64, Matteo Manassero (Italy) 69 64
134 S S P Chowrasia (India) 67 67.
135 Anthony Wall (England) 67 68, )Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 66 68, Martin Kaymer (Germany) 67 68, Alejandro Canizares (Spain) 64 71, Matthew Baldwin (England) 67 68, Anders Hansen (Denmark) 68 67, Luke Dnald (England) 67 68, Shane Lowry (Ireland) 68 69, Thomas Aiken (South Africa) 68 67, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 65
136 Raphael Jacquelin (France) 65 71, Peter Whiteford (Scotland) 71 65, Jeev Milka Singh (India) 66 70
SELECTED SCORES
137 Phil Mickelson (US) 73 64, Marc Warren (Scotland) 68 69 (T19)
138 Martin Laird (Scotland) 68 70, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 69 69.
139 Alastair Forsyth (Scotland) 71 68, Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 69 70 (T47)
140 Steven O'Hara (Scotland) 68 72, Ernie Els (South Africa) 70 70, Marcel Siem (Germany) 71 69, Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) (am) 70 70.

DID NOT QUALIFY (140 and better qualified)

141 David Law (Scotland) 72 69, Craig Lee (scotland) 70 71, George Murray (Scotland) 72 69, Gary Orr (Scotland) 68 73.
142 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 73 69, Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 69 73.
143 Sandy Lyle (Scotland) 70 73, Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) 72 72, David Drysdale (Scotland) 70 73.
145 James Byrne (Scotland) 71 74, Tom Lewis (England) 73 72.
147 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 72 75
151 Brian Soutar (Leven GS) (am) 75 76
153 Stephen Gray (Scotland) 78 75
155 Michael Stewart (Scotland) 78 79.

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FIVE SCOTS FINISH IN UNDER-16s TOP TEN BEHIND SWEDISH WINNER

Sweden's Oskar Bergvist made most of the running to win the Scottish Under-16 boys' open stroke-play golf championship at Strathaven GC, Lanarkshire today. But there were reasons to be cheerful for home golf fans, officials and players with five Scots finishing in the top 10. Oban's Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten) finished joint second with Germany's Patrice Schumachar, only one shot behind the winner. And defending champion Ben Kinsley had one of the best final rounds, a 69, to surge up into a share of fourth place on 289. Other top 10 Scottish finishers were Niall McMullen (Lochgelly), George Burns (Williamwood) and Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmhoy) on 293 - a good performance in a strong international field. +Scotland's representatives in next week's RandA Junior Open (for Under-16s) at Fairhaven GC, Lancashire are Colin Edgar (Cochrane Castle) and Clara Young (North Berwick). LEADING FINAL TOTALS Par 284 (4x71) CSS 74 72 72 71 286 Oskar Bergqvist (Sweden) 69 71 72 74. 287 Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten) 69 72 73 73, Patrice Schumacher (Germany) 77 69 73 68. 289 Ben Kinsley (St Andrews) 71 77 72 69, Alexandre Daydou (France) 75 69 70 75. 293 Niall McMullen (Lochgelly) 74 76 71 72, George Burns (Williamwood) 76 74 72 71, Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy) 69 74 73 77, David Ravetto (France) 76 68 74 75 294 Edgar Catherine (France) 76 72 72 74, Leo Mathard (France) 77 70 76 71 295 Tim Bombosch (Germany) 79 75 72 69, Max Ropinski (Germany) 76 72 72 75, Callum Cochrane (Marriot Dalmahoy) 74 77 70 74, Thomas Le Berre (France) 74 70 77 74. 296 Jarle Volden (Norway) 75 71 75 75, Christopher Curran (Harburn) 77 73 72 74. 297 Victor Veyret (France) 74 74 75 74 298 Henrik Skogseth (Norway) 78 73 76 71, Cameron Kirkwood (Bearsden) 74 71 79 74 300 Alasdair McDougall (St Andrews New) 79 74 75 72, Jack Thomas (Irvine) 75 74 79 72 301 Nicolai Geburek (Germany) 82 70 74 75, Yannick Fuchs (Switzerland) 76 72 78 75 302 Humza Rafique (Cookridge Hall) 78 75 78 71, Fraser Davren (Williamwood) 76 77 75 74, Scott Clarke (Haggs Castle) 79 72 76 75 303 Ian Mackay (The Belfry) 77 76 77 73, Kenji Nakajima (Germany) 76 73 79 75 304 Lucas Dinouard (Switzerland) 80 72 76 76 305 Marco Lahmar (Italy) 76 77 79 71. 306 Thomas Schofield (Barbados) 81 72 75 78, Nicholas Gotzens (Germany) 76 78 77 75, Cameron Franssen (Inverness) 76 73 79 78 307 Christopher Whatham (Grange Park) 75 75 82 75. 308 Jevann Parmar (The Leicestershire) 77 77 78 76, Lewis Reid (Tantallon) 77 75 80 76, Duncan McNeill (Powfoot) 74 77 77 80. 309 Bjorn Bojesen (Denmark) 79 72 79 79, Rory Stewart (Crieff) 82 70 82 75. 311 Paul Elissalde (France) 78 76 72 85, Michael Brodie (Strathmore) 79 71 79 82. 312 Gavin Petrie (Forfar) 79 75 80 78. 319 Mark Napier (Dundas Park) 77 75 84 83  REPORT FROM THE SGU WEBSITE Swede Oskar Bergqvist held on to claim a narrow success in the 72-hole Scottish boys' Under-16 open stroke-play championship at Strathaven. On the day the 1996 Under-16 winner, Peter Whiteford, recorded a hole-in-one on The European Tour at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, Bergqvist triumphed by a shot in South Lanarkshire. His two-over-par total was one better than the fast finishing German Patrice Schumacher, who posted a final round 68. Schumacher was joined in a share of second place by Glencruitten’s Robert MacIntyre, the nephew of the late Adam Hunter. MacIntyre, who is in year three of the Scottish Golf Academy and works with George Boswell at Mearns Castle, carded 69, 72, 73 and 73. Defending champion Ben Kinsley of St Andrews, a member of the SGU National Boys’ Squad, was joint-fourth at five-over-par after surging through the field with a final round 69. Further good performances came from Lothians duo Murray Naysmith, a member of the winning Dunfermline Building Society Scottish Boys Area Team Championship, and Callum Cochrane. The Marriot Dalmahoy pair finished in a tie for sixth (with George Burns of Williamwood) and 12th respectively. Cochrane is in year one of the Scottish Golf Academy and is coached by Colin Brooks. Fife Junior Niall McMullen (Lochgelly), who impressively tied sixth overall too, is also in year one and works with Steve North at St Andrews.

NEIL FENWICK'S FIRST WITH 65 AT NEWMACHAR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com  Dunbar's Neil Fenwick scored his first win of the season on the Tartan Tour with a seven-under-par 65 in today's Newmachar Golf Club pro-am, sponsored by Fairways (GM) Ltd and Ransomes Jacobsen. Fenwick, who had had 16 top-10 finishes this year without a victory, made it at last, thanks to an eagle 3 at the eighth and birdies at the fifth, 10th, 14th, 16th and 18th. The Dunbar pro's prize of £926, coupled with £110 for fourth in the team event, gave him his biggest payday of the season. Under the shotgun start format, Fenwick finished at the 17th with his only bogey of the round but, on a very wet course, he still had three shots to spare from runner-up Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) who earned £741. Ellon's Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy), who finished joint third with David Patrick (Elie Sports Club) on 69, led the Westerton UK Ltrd trio of Les Burr (handicap 14), Scott Sutherland (6) and Colin Stevenson (10) to victory in the pro-am teame vent with a net score of 15 under ar 129. NEWMACHAR PRO AM Leading pro scores Par 72 65 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) £926 68 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) £741 69 Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy), David Patrick (Elie SC) £486 each. 70 Craig Ronald (CDarluke), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Mark Lawrence (Newmachar) £264 each. 71 Graeme Brown (Montrose Links), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) £166 each. 72 Gary Forbes (Murcar Links), Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle), Mark Kerr (unatt) £129 each. 73 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) £111 74 Alastair Mackenzie (Renaissance Club), Scott Henderson (Kings Links) £97 each 75 Christopher Currie (Caldwell) , Fraser Clarke (Newmachar) £78 each. 76 Greg McBain (Gamola Golf) £66. ends

ROSS KELLETT LEADS BY TWO INTO FINAL ROUND IN ITALY

Motherwell's Ross Kellett leads the field by two shots with one round to go in the Alps Tour event in Italy, the Montecchia Open at Montecchia Golf Club. Kellett followed up his opening round of 63 with a more sedate 70 for a nine-under-par 133 but he did produce some more late fireworks. In Round 1, he came home in 30 shots. In Round 2, the Scot covered the same stretch in 33, tahnks to birdies at the 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th. But for a bogey at the 14th, he would have had a three-shot lead. As it is he has four Frenchmen and one Austrian snapping at his heels, two shots behind him. The other Scots rookie pro in the field, Peterhead's Philip McLean, continues to struggle. He missed the cut by 10 shots with scores of 77 and 76 for 153. ALPS TOUR - Montecchia Open Montecchia GC, Italy LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS Par 142 (2x71) 133 Ross Kellett (Sco) 63 70. 135 Jacques Guillet (Fra) 69 66, Julien Foret (Fra) 65 70, Thomas Feysinger (Aut) 66 69, Sebastien Gros (Fra) 69 66, Jean-Nicolas Billot (Fra) 67 68 SELECTED SCOTS 137 Tom Sherreard (Eng) 65 72 (T11) 140 Jason Palmer (Eng) 68 72, Chris McDonnell (Eng) 73 67 (T21) 141 Gareth Shaw (NIre) 72 69, Jason Kelly (Nor) 74 67 (T20). MISSED THE CUT (143 and better qualified) 153 Philip McLean (Sco) 77 76. ends

£5,000 CONSOLATION FOR WALLACE BOOTH, BEATEN BY BIRDIE IN PLAY-OFF

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com  Comrie's Wallace Booth earned £5,000 - his biggest payslip in a fledgling pro career - for being beaten in a play-off by Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth) in the PGA EuroPro Tour event in Ireland, the Concra Wood Open at Concra Wood Golf Club, Co Monaghan today. Booth was closer to the pin than his opponent at the first sudden-death play-off hole - the short ninth - but Hemstock holed his birdie putt and Wallace was unable to follow him in. Booth, out for most of last season with a shoulder injury, tied with Hemstock on six-under-par 210. Booth shot 73, 67 and 70 with six birdies and four bogeys in his final round. A bogey at the 17th cost him outright victory and the £10,000 jackpot prize. Hemstock scored 73, 67 and 70 with four birdies in his final round and a one-under-par run over the closing holes - he birdied the 14th and parred the rest - which was to prove decisive. But Booth, who highlighted his amateur career with a Walker Cup appearance in 2009 and helping Scotland win the Eisenhower Trophy in Australia, should be greatly encouraged by his performance. He is on the way up at last. Zack and Elliot Saltman - Elliot won last week's £10,000 prize - tied for 29th place on 218 and earned £290 each. Xack scored 71-74-73, Elliot 75-69-74. Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey), a winner on the circuit last year and in contention in the early stages of this event, had a catastrophic finish of 9-8 against the par of 4-4 for a closing 80 after earlier scores of 70 and 74. He tied for 46th and last place on 224. LEADING FINAL TOTALS Par 216 (3x72) 210 Billy Hemstock (Eng) 73 67 70, Wallace Booth (Comrie) 73 67 70 (Hemstock, £10,000, bt Booth, £5,000, at first hole of sudden-death play-off) 211 Stuart Manley (Wal) 72 71 68 (£2,500) 212 James Hepworth (Eng) 72 71 69 (£1,700). 213 Tom Haydock (Eng) 71 71 71 (£1,400). OTHER SCOTS' SCORES 218 Zack Saltman (Archerfield Links) 71 74 73, Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) 75 69 74 (£290 each). 224 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 70 74 80 (£210).

Webb Simpson pulls out of the Open championship

Webb Simpson (United States)  has withdrawn from the Open Championship today due to family reasons.
Simpson is the fifth-ranked world professional.

LESS MONEY BUT SCOTTISH OPEN STILL HAS PLAYER-APPEAL

By Keir Murray, BBC Sport at the Scottish Open

Like many people in their place of work these days, the professional golfers at Castle Stuart for the Scottish Open are being asked to put in more hours for less money than they earned the previous year.

Last July, Luke Donald collected £500,000 for completing 54 holes of golf, with the tournament reduced to three rounds because of poor weather.
At this year's event, with Aberdeen Asset Management replacing Barclays as the sponsor, and with the Scottish Government's financial backing, the winner will receive £416,660 from a total prize fund of £2.5m.
The total pot for prize money last year at the Inverness course was £3m.
The tournament moved to the Castle Stuart links course from the Loch Lomond "resort" course two years ago to attract the top names prior to the Open.
NO LESS APPEAL 
The reduction in the players' pot does not seem to have lessened the appeal of the event to world number one Donald and scores of his fellow pros, including Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, Jose Maria Olazabal and Louis Oosthuizen.
The appearance of, say, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose or Graeme McDowell would have been a boost but, in truth, these players at the top of the world rankings are experienced links players.
With the switch to Scotland's Highlands, the drop in prize money and last year's monsoon-like conditions, organisers on the European PGA Tour could really do with a successful four days here.
They need decent weather, good crowds and some stirring golf to relay around the world.
What would they give to have had some of the other stars from the United States join Mickelson - a Bubba Watson or Matt Kuchar, for example?
In any case, tournament director Mike Stewart must be satisfied after day one.

Francesco Molinari hammered home in 62 , a score of 10 under par, while Alejandro Canizares carded nine birdies and one bogey in his 64.

Andrew Johnston celebrated a hole-in-one at the short 11th with 168 bottles of Champagne, one for each yard to the pin.
APPROXIMATELY 11,300

The attendance under grey but only vaguely threatening skies was about 500 down on day one the year before, at approximately 11,300.

Much of the country has been experiencing heavy rainfall in recent weeks and, with the economy still struggling, that figure still looks healthy.
For those who did pay to get in, the attraction of watching some of the world's best golfers has to compete with the stunning views across the Moray Firth to the Kessock Bridge to the west and Fort George to the east.
And the topography of the course itself is so varied that it oozes dramatic appeal.
That Castle Stuart, designed by Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse, opened as recently as 2009 takes some believing. It has the feel of a far, far older venue; the rough looks especially well established.
Parsinen, now a managing partner, and general manager Stuart McColm say their goal for the course "has always been that it should not be difficult for the sake of being difficult, but rather it should be interesting and engaging".
ORGANISERS' DILEMMA 
And therein lies the challenge for the organisers - should they offer the stiffest of links tests before the Open each year, or should this event serve as a low-scoring confidence builder?  

Forty players in the 156-strong field finished four under or better while only 34 ended the round over par.

After his five under on the opening day, world number 14 Kaymer said: "I think it plays fairly easy at the moment.
"It's a very wide golf course and you will hit a lot of fairways.
"It's just that you have to get the ball close to the flag and that is a little tricky, especially with the pins that are on the corners and surrounded by some ridges.
"If you stay patient, there are a lot of great chances out there."
Another to give his opinion on the course was Mickelson, who said he was keen to shoot a low score on Friday to secure his weekend participation.
"I think this is a great course to play links golf and get ready for the Open.
"It's a wonderful test and it's a fun course to play."
Molinari has set the standard. It will be fascinating to see how the chasing pack and Castle Stuart cope with the challenge.

DAVID GARDNER BEATS RICHARD T GRAY IN SENIORS FINAL

David Gardner (Broomieknowe) is the new Scottish senior amateur men's match-play champion.
He beat Richard T Gray (Irvine) 4 and 3 in the 18-hole final at West Kilbride GC, Ayrshire this afternoon.
It was a final of quality with Gardner birdieing the first, fourth and sixth and Gray (who had halved the first) also birdieng the seventh.
Gardner was two under par and three up at the turn.  He drove the par-4 11th but three-putted for a half in 4s.
In the morning's semi-finals Gardner, one down with three to play, beat Derek Murphy (Kinross) at he 19th, and in the other tie Gray was two up at the turn on his way to a 2 and 1 victory over Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess).
TODAY'S RESULTS
Semi-finals - David Gardner (Broomieknowe) bt Derek Murray (Kinross) at 19th.
Richard T Gray (Irvine) bt Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) 2 and 1.
Final - Gardner bt Gray 4 and 3.

LIVE SCORING FROM ABERDEEN AM SCOTTISH OPEN ROUND TWO

LIVE SCORING FROM THE SECOND ROUND OF THE ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT SCOTTISH OPEN AT CASTLE STUART LINKS


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DAVID DUVAL: ALL DOWNHILL SINCE HE WON 2001 OPEN AT ROYAL LYTHAM

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JAMES CORRIGAN
Next week at the 141st Open, sympathy will predictably be our go-to emotion as the spotlight shines on golf’s poster boy for the mighty who have fallen. For so many years, the name David Duval has been treated like a communicable disease on fairways across the planet.

And now the game returns to Royal Lytham and St Anne’s, where it all began to go wrong; where the hapless Duval won his only major title. If ever there was a sporting example of “careful what you wish for” then it has been written in Duval’s tale. And written and written and written.
He’s heard all the questions before, we’ve asked them all before. Yet still we shall persist as we’re just not satisfied with his response. We want tears, not shrugs.

The truth is, Duval has given us plenty in explaining the outrageous sense of anticlimax, particularly when one considers that a wordsmith such as Bob Geldof could only manage “Is that it?”

“When you have worked so hard and had so many near-misses and then win when you didn’t play that well, it’s like, ‘Are you kidding me? Are you really gonna do this to me?’,” said Duval.
“It’s not like I played badly at Lytham in 2001; but out of all the tournaments I won that’s the one I played the worst in.”
AN UNWORTHY REALITY

Duval thought the scenario should unfold like it had in his dreams, instead it unfolded in what he felt to be an unworthy reality. Before it had always seemed everything; in the event it didn’t seem very much at all.

That Sunday night, on a chartered jet to a Canadian skins tournament, he turned to his caddie and said: “I thought it would feel better than this.” Duval later called it “my existentialist moment”.
Of course, when all this came out and as the former world No 1’s ranking proceeded to dive past the 1,000 mark, the amateur psychiatrists leapt into action. It stemmed from his childhood, they said, from the moment when his bone marrow could not save his brother, Brent, from dying from aplastic anemia. Nothing could ever make up for what he perceived to be his life failure, or so said Bob Freud and his mates down the boozer.
Except there is a more prosaic explanation; one that involves the mental issue of confidence, as every dramatic golfing downfall has to. By Lytham, Duval’s game had already embarked on the first stages of its spiral. He had sprained his lower back the previous year and his swing had gone from flat to upright.
The flexibility which dictated his rhythm had been forsaken and, without the proper treatment, the slide was inevitable. When he developed viral vertigo in 2002 the perfect storm had erupted in which a supreme talent went missing.

US OPEN SECOND IN 2009 
With Duval’s sporting psyche weighing him down he never has been unable to rescale the mountain, despite tantalising glimpses of greatness, most notably when finishing second in the US Open three years ago. His best finish this season is a tie for 60th at something called the Valero Texas Open. And so the soundbites and sentiment will spout forth all over the Fylde coast. Poor, poor Duval; the man who had it all and lost it all.
Yet what exactly did he have, except a dented old jug? Within hours he realised it wasn’t the be-all and still doesn’t accept it was the end-all.
If Lytham offered him anything lasting it was the impetus to find what he calls “genuine fulfilment“.
In the midst of his Open soul-searching, he broke off a long-term relationship and a year later found the wife with whom he now has five children. “I’m happy,” says Duval.
If only we could take his word for it.

ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT MEN'S PENNANT LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

SPONSORED BY THE CULTS HOTEL

PORTLETHEN 5, PETERCULTER 0

Ryan Donaldson and Keith Horne bt Murray Bowman and Fraser Downie 1 hole.

Lewis Shand and Ben Murray bt Tony Robertson and Kenneth Austin 3 and 2.

Graham Innes and David McDowell bt Duncan McLean and Martin Aitken 2 holes.

Kevin Daglish and Robbie Murdoch bt Dave Burt and George McAndrew 3 and 2.

Sean Lawrie and Sam Kiloh bt John Kennedy and Ryan McRae 6 and 5.

KITE FLYING HIGH AFTER US SENIOR OPEN FIRST ROUND

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE

LAKE ORION, Michigan (AP) - Tom Kite was atop the U.S. Senior Open leaderboard that was filled with names after the first round even casual fans know.
Bernhard Langer, who was a shot back, expected the stars to keep shining at the Champions Tour's fourth of five majors this year at Indianwood.
"You have a tremendous field, there's so many great players and legends of the game," he said. "It's a great test of golf. You're not going to get a champion that's a fluke. It's going to be somebody that's won a lot of tournaments and is a veteran in tournament competition.
"I think you're going to see a great leaderboard on the weekend."
Kite broke a U.S. Senior Open, nine-hole record with a 28 on the front nine and finished 5-under 65.
"You don't get rounds like that very often, especially in major championships," Kite said after matching his career-best, nine-hole score. "The hole just seemed large, and I was hitting some nice shots and, obviously, getting some good breaks."
PAVIN PENALISED
Corey Pavin caught a bad break and it cost him a share of the lead heading into the start of the second round on Friday morning.
Pavin's sixth birdie on his 17th hole pulled him into a tie with Kite, but a penalty pushed him back to the pack after he completed his first round. He hit a chip after his ball moved back a fraction of an inch when he grounded his club on his 14th hole, and that later cost him two strokes.
"I could have done without a two-stroke penalty, but that's the rules, and they were enforced properly," Pavin said. "I saw it on tape, and it's definitely what happened. The ball moved."
That setback put Langer and Lance Ten Broeck in second place. It pushed Pavin into a five-way tie for fourth with Fred Funk, Jeff Sluman, Tom Pernice Jr., and Mikael Hogberg at 3-under 67.
"I just like the way I played," Pavin said. "That's the important thing now. There's three more rounds and lots of time to make it up and lots of golf left."
KITE BOOST FOR Over-60s
Kite is confident his window to win on the Champions Tour hasn't closed. The 62-year-old Kite expects players like him to have success more than a decade into their career on the 50-and-over circuit because they're staying in shape and relentlessly working on their game.
"You probably haven't read, but 60 is the new 40," Kite joked.
Kite, whose season-best finish was a tie for second four months ago at the Toshiba Classic, hasn't won on the Champions Tour since 2008.
He put himself in a position to end the drought on the front nine with an eagle from 155 yards at the 424-yard, par-4 No. 4 with a blind shot over a hill.
"The gallery let me know it went in the hole," Kite said. "So it must have run out nicely out of that semi-rough."
Kite also had five birdies before making the turn, leaving his playing partners - Peter Jacobsen and Scott Simpson - to marvel at his seven-under front nine.
"I felt like the Washington Generals playing against the Harlem Globetrotters out there," Jacobsen said. "He didn't miss a shot on the front nine."
Simpson said Kite played textbook golf to have his way with a course with tight fairways, thick rough and quick greens the USGA set up to be the hardest on the Champions Tour this year.
"I certainly didn't think there was a 28 out there," Simpson said.
Jacobsen, though, saw a breakout round coming from Kite after giving him lessons of sorts with Olin Browne recently at Pebble Beach.
"We gave him a couple ideas. They worked last week and they obviously were still working," Jacobsen said. "We all know each other's games and each other's swings, so we can tell when something is a little off and help each other out."
BEST USGA NINE-HOLE SCORE
Kite had the best nine-hole score in a USGA championship. There were seven 29s, including three at the U.S. Open, most recently by Vijay Singh in 2003. Olin Browne had the previous U.S. Senior Open record for a nine-hole score, shooting a 29 on the back nine in the third round last year at Inverness.
Kite scrambled to save pars on the back nine, especially when his drive at the 490-yard, par-4 12th - perhaps the toughest hole on the course - went left and into water. He recovered with a jaw-dropping approach from 209 yards that set him up with a 4-foot par-saving putt.
"That was probably the best shot I had all day," he said.
Kite's worst swing cost him a relatively comfortable cushion, heading into the second round. His tee shot at the 195-yard, par-3 17th landed in ankle-high rough on a decline to the left of the green. His flop shot went about 2 feet, leading to a double bogey that turned his three-shot lead into a one-stroke edge at the time.
"Nobody's going to play 72 holes out here without having it jump up on a hole or two and kick `em in the rear, and it got me on 17," Kite said.

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ENGLAND LEAD IN BID TO QUALIFY FOR 2013 EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE FROM ENGLAND GOLF

England is in pole position after the opening day of the European Men’s Challenge Trophy in fine conditions at the Keilir club in Iceland. Thanks to 68s from Jack Hiluta, Garrick Porteous and Ben Stow, England finished day one on 352, three strokes ahead of the Netherlands and nine clear of Portugal and Iceland in joint third place. The event is a qualifier for next year’s European men’s team championship in Denmark, a title England won as recently as 2010. But a 15th place last year means they must finish in the top three this week to qualify for the main event in 2013. Having recovered from a back injury, Hiluta (pictured) had four birdies in his three-under-par return while Porteous and Stow signed for six birdies apiece. Callum Shinkwin finished on two-over-par 73 while Craig Hinton returned 75 and Ben Taylor a non-scoring 76. Lynne Fraser England Golf Marketing and PR ManagerTel: 01526 354500

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