O'NEIL AND DUNTON SHARE HALFWAY LEAD IN NORTH OF SCOTLAND OPEN STROKE

Conor O'Neil (Pollok) equalled the Tain course record of 64 in the second round but as preferred lies were being used, Conor's score won't be "recognised" but

he still shares the lead on 135 (71-64) with Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) (69-66) at the halfway stage. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency

 

NORTH OF SCOTLAND OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE DAVID BLAIR TROPHY

TAIN GOLF CLUB

SUNDAY TEE TIMES 

CSS on Saturday: 72 both rounds

7.30 and 12.00
151 Jordan Milne (Elgin) 73 78
153 Darren Hexley (Muir of Ord) 74 79

7.39 and 12.09
152 Frank Mackle (Tain) 71 81
152 James Hendrick (Pollok) 74 78

7.48 and 12.18  
152 Malcolm Penntcott (Whitting Bay) 75 77
153 Alasdair Ross (Fort Williams) 76 76

7.57 and 12.27
151 Tom Dingwall (Nairn Dunbar) 73 78
151 Ross Jack (Tain) 77 74

8.06 and 12.36
150 Neil Munro (Royal Dornoch) 72 78
150 Jamie Whittet (Muir of Ord) 78 72

8.15 and 12.45
147 Jordan Shaw (Kingussie) 73 74
147 Paul Gault Jnr (Westerwood) 73 74

8.24 and 12.54
147 Lyle McAlpine (Royal Dornoch) 74 73
147 Alan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 74 73

8.33 and 13.03
146 Mathew Clarke (Kilmacolm) 74 72
146 Darren Watson (Peterhead) 74 72

8.42 and 13.12
145 Douglas Thorburn (Reay) 70 75
145 Alan Sutherland (Ladybank) 71 74

8.51 and 13.21
145 Ewan Forbes (Inverness) 72 73
145 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 73 72

9.00 and 1.30
145 Jeff Wright (Forres) 74 71
145 Jonathon Mullaney (Dundonald Links) 76 69 

9.09 and 13.39
144 Ross Bell (Downfield) 72 72
144 Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh) 74 70

9.18 and 13.48
143 Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness) 69 74
143 Jamie Lamb (Lanark) 70 73

9.27 and 13.57
142 Varum Varadharajan (Royal Burgess) 71 71
142 Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) 72 70

9.36 and 14.06
142 Greg Watson (Meldrum House) 74 68
141 Scott Crichon (Aberdour) 70 71

9.45 and 14.15
141 Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 74 67
141 Michael Daily (Erskine) 74 67

9.54 and 14.24
140 Justin Duff (Fraserburgh) 68 72
140 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 70 70

10.03 and 14.33
140 Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 70 70
140 John Mitchell (Fraserburgh) 71 69

10.12 and 14.42
138 Nick MacAndrew (Royal Aberdeen) 67 71
137 Graham Gordon (Newmachar) 67 70

10.21 and 14.51
135 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 69 66
135 Conor O'Neil (Pollok) 71 64










Css Rd 1  72     Css Rd 2 72        Css Rd 3      Css Rd 4   

BROBERG WINS PROMOTION TO EUROPEAN TOUR

By PAUL SYMES, European Challenge Tour Press Officer

Kristoffer Broberg became the fastest player in Challenge Tour history to earn three victories and instant promotion to The European Tour after winning the Rolex Trophy by one shot with a sensational 40 foot birdie putt on the last hole.
Since the three victories rule was introduced, Dutchman Taco Remkes (2008), Rankings winner Edoardo Molinari of Italy (2009), Frenchman Benjamin Hebert and England’s Sam Little (both 2011) have all achieved the feat, but none with nearly as much speed as Broberg, who has played just five Challenge Tour events this season.        

The Swede’s recent form has been nothing short of astonishing, as he won the Finnish Challenge (on 15 under par) and the Norwegian Challenge (22 under) at the start of the month, before finishing in a tie for third place at last week’s ECCO Tour Championship hosted by Thomas Björn & Mercedes-Benz (11 under).

Broberg’s closing round of 68 for a 26 under par winning total at Golf Club de Genève, in Geneva, took his cumulative score for the past four tournaments to a staggering 74 under par.

He joins Alex Noren as a winner of the Rolex Trophy, and will now try to emulate his close friend at next week’s Omega European Masters, a tournament Noren won in 2009.

Broberg said: “It’s so amazing, I’m just so happy. I couldn’t believe it when that putt on the last hole dropped in – it was an incredible feeling. I always go for putts, so I never considered just rolling it up to the hole – I’ve always been positive with my putts.
"I didn’t putt very well today, but it’s great to know I can make big putts when I need to. I can’t describe how it feels – it hasn’t really hit me yet, but I’m sure it will.

“I can’t wait to play on The European Tour, I’m playing so well and my confidence is so high at the moment that I feel like I can compete out there. I’ll play in Crans next week, then at the KLM Open, then maybe I’ll take a bit of time off and enjoy this feeling. 
"At the moment I want to keep playing as much as I can, because I’m playing the best golf of my life.”    

South Korean Sihwan Kim, playing in the group ahead of Broberg, had set the clubhouse target on 26 under par after closing with a round of 66 which included seven birdies and a solitary bogey.

After birdies at the fifth, eighth and tenth holes, Broberg moved to the same mark, but subsequently missed several birdie opportunities and, after hitting his approach to 40 feet on the final green, the tournament appeared to be heading for a play-off.

Broberg had other ideas, however, finding the middle of the cup with unerring accuracy to earn €24,400, a Rolex watch and a coveted European Tour card.

For Kim, consolation arrived in the form of the €18,100 runner-up cheque which moved him to 14^th place in the Challenge Tour Rankings. 

He said: “I didn’t strike the ball as well as I did yesterday, but my putting today was very good, especially round the turn. I couldn’t have done much more, so I’m not too upset. Any other week 26 under would be good enough to win the tournament, but Kristoffer’s obviously playing great golf at the moment. So hats off to him, I’m sure he’ll do well on the main Tour. And at least it gives some of us a chance on the Challenge Tour!”

Daniel Vancsik finished in third place on 25 under par after closing with a round of 66. The Argentine, who climbed to 15^th place in the Rankings, said: “It was difficult in the wind today because it was swirling around, so that made life very tricky. But I played very well, and with a bit more luck I could’ve won. I just missed two putts on the 16^th and 17^th which would have made the difference.
“You need to hole a lot of putts to win tournaments, and I just didn’t hole quite enough. But I have to be very happy, because I played my best and that’s all you can do.”
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
261 Kristoffer BROBERG (Sweden) 63 66 64 68 (£19,226).
262 Sihan Kim (South Korea) 66 64 66 66 (£14,262)

263 Daniel Vancsik (Argentina) 62 71 64 66 (£9,455) 264 Joachim B Hansen (Denmark) 65 65 66 68 (£7,879).
267 Chris Lloyd (England) 68 70 62 67 (£6,776).
268 Peter Uihlein (US) 64 68 66 70 (£5,673)
270 Daniel Brooks (England) 71 70 66 63, Carlos Aguilar (Spain) 67 67 67 69 (£4,964 each).
271 Gary Lockerbie (England) 65 67 67 72, Eduadro De La Riva (Spain)  67 66 68 70 (£4,136 each).
SELECTED TOTALS
274 Raymond Russell (Scotland) 69 65 68 72 (£2,253).
282 Scott Henry (Scotland) 69 68 73 72 (£1,690).

  
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

PAUL LAWRIE LEADS BY A SHOT AT GLENEAGLES

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Paul Lawrie put himself in position to mark his Ryder Cup return with a victory by moving a shot clear after three rounds of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
A win in Qatar and top three finishes in the BMW PGA Championship and Volvo World Match Play have secured the Scot a place on Europe’s Team 13 years after he made his debut in Boston ahead of this, the final qualifying event.
SEVEN BIRDIES
Lawrie celebrated with seven birdies in a third round 67 to reach 12 under par, one ahead of France’s Romain Wattel – who went round in a 63 which would have equalled Pierre Fulke’s course record but for placing being allowed on the fairways.
While Nicolas Colsaerts battled into a share of 13th as he tries to secure the top-two finish that will earn him a Ryder Cup debut, Lawrie had his focus solely on trying to win on home spoil for the third time.
The first of those was the 1999 Open Championship - the victory that led to his Ryder Cup debut - and then he added the Dunhill Links title at St Andrews in 2001.
Lawrie ended nine years without a victory in Spain last year and has looked good for a second cap ever since he triumphed in Qatar in February and then finished runner-up to Luke Donald at Wentworth in May.He resumed one behind joint halfway leaders Mark Foster and Richard Finch, but the two Englishmen shot 75 and 78 respectively.
Lawrie calmly went about his work, though. Three birdies took him to the turn in 33 and while he did bogey the tenth and 15th there were also four more birdies on the inward half.
PLUGGED IN THE SAND
The last of them came despite his ball plugging in the sand by the green at the long 16th. He holed an eight footer there, then got up and down from another bunker at the next, and hopes to use the crowd’s support to his advantage on Sunday.
"The support has been good all week to be fair,” he said. “It's nice to see them all.
“And both Monty and Stephen Gallacher had a good score today, so they have seen some good golf by the Scottish boys.”
Asked if experience had served him well the 43 year old from Aberdeen smiled and answered: "I'm just old!"
Not as old as his 1999 Cup partner Colin Montgomerie, but the 49 year old believes again he might yet become The European Tour's oldest-ever winner - if not now, then very soon.
After a 69 for seven under Montgomerie said: "That's the best golf I've played in a number of years. I'm very disappointed not to shoot a lot lower.
LOST SELF-CONFIDENCE
"My belief was non-existent. This has re-ignited some fire, which is great."
Wattel was delighted with his performance, as the former Qualifying School graduate continues his quest for a first top-three finish at this level.
“It was really nice,” he said. “I really enjoy every time you score low.
“I especially enjoyed today, because it's a tough course, so for the third round, I needed a really good score to be back in the game and that's what I did. I'm really, really happy.
“I didn't focus on the score - I just tried to play my best and to focus on each shot.”

THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
204 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 68 69 67
205 Romain Wattel (France) 74 68 63
207 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 75 67 65
208 Gary Boyd (England) 74 70 64, Maarten Lafeber 68 73 67, Brett Rumford (Australia) 67 70 71

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES

209 Colin Montgomerie 72 65 69 (T7)
210 Richie Ramsay 69 71 70 (T13)
211 Chris Doak 76 66 69 (T14)
212 Peter Whiteford 72 69 71 (T23)
213 Craig Lee 70 73 70 (29th)
214 Gary Orr 74 69 73 (T30)
215 Lloyd Saltman 77 67 71 (T39)
217 Scott Jamieson 76 68 73 (T53).

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE

BALLANTINE'S TAIWAN CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT, SCORES

NEWS RELEASE FROM ASIAN TOUR
Taipei, August 25: Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Chi-hsien continued his charge towards his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) win when he signed for a five-under-par 67 to take the third-round lead at the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship today.

Hsieh, who held the overnight lead, posted a three-day total of 11-under-par 205 to extend his advantage by two over England’s Grant Jackson and Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao at the US$110,000 ADT event, which is the richest on the Schedule.

Jackson and Hung signed for a 68 and 66 respectively to take a share of second place on 207 while a trio of Chinese Taipei players that include Lin Wen-hong, Lien Lu-sen and Yeh Wei-tze are tied for fourth on matching 208s at the National Garden Golf Course in Taipei.

OUT IN 33

Hsieh started his round strongly with his first birdie on the par-five third. He parred the next three holes before marking his card with further birdies on holes seven and nine to turn in 33.

Hsieh then continued his birdie blitz on holes 12 and 13 before a bogey-five on the 15^th hole set him back momentary.  He recovered quickly with another birdie on the 16^th hole before cruising home in 67.

“I played really solid all-day and I couldn’t have asked for a better showing. It would have been better if not for that bogey on the 15^th but it’s okay. I’m still in the lead and I’ll do my best for the last 18 holes tomorrow,” said Hsieh.

 

Leading third round scores

205 HSIEH Chi-hsien (TPE) 72-66-67

207 HUNG Chien Yao (TPE) 73-68-66, Grant JACKSON (ENG) 72-67-68

208 YEH Wei-Tze (TPE) 71-72-65, LIEN Lu-sen (TPE)71-71-66, LIN Wen-hong (TPE)73-68-67

210 Lindsay REYNOLDS (CAN)72-68-70

211 HSU Mong-nan (TPE) 72-69-70, PARK Il-kook     (SKOR)70-70-71

212 LIN Keng-chi (TPE)73-70-69

 

 

GOLDING LEADS LANE BY ONE IN WALES SENIOR OPEN

Englishman Philip Golding will take a slender one-shot lead over Barry Lane into the final round of the Speedy Services Wales Senior Open after a two over par 74 at Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club.

Golding began the day with a two-stroke advantage over Welshman Mark Mouland after opening with his third consecutive round of 64 – a record on both The European Tour and European Senior Tour – but windy conditions on the north Wales coast meant he was never likely to reproduce that kind of scoring.

Despite a steady one under par front nine of 34, Golding’s incredible run came to an end as he took ten shots more than in his previous three rounds, with a double bogey six on the par four 17^th hole eroding his advantage to just a single stroke, after Lane benefited from the calmer conditions earlier on to fire a five under par 67. 
COUPLE OF MISTAKES

“The course showed its teeth out there today,” said Golding, who finished on six under par 138. “I played well early on and if I had putted like I did yesterday I would maybe have been a couple under.

“I made a couple of mistakes on the back nine. I should have birdied the tenth, which felt like a dropped shot, then bogeyed the par three  13^th  which was playing difficult.

“The last three holes were always going to be tough and 17 was a bad error from me. I was in the rough on the left and didn’t get the shoot I wanted from the fairway and then I three putted.

“I’ve dropped three shots on that hole in the last two days which was a bit of a killer blow. But the key was that I didn’t putt as well today.”

Golding finished runner up to Anders Forsbrand in last week’s SSE Scottish Senior Open following back-to-back weekend rounds of 64, but in he finds himself as the target this week, with compatriot Lane his nearest challenger.

The former Ryder Cup player started the day eight shots back but surged up the leaderboard with six birdies, dropping his only shot of the day on the 16^th hole.

“I got a bit lucky on the seventh when I plugged it in the base of the trap from the tee then couldn’t get it out and then got it out and holed the next shot from 99 yards for a four to keep it going,”  said Lane.

“Apart from that I played great because it was tough out there, especially the last few holes.  On the 17^th I took a three wood and three iron and it’s only 394 yards.
PLAYING WELL

“All in all though it was a good day and I’m right back in it. I’m playing well.”

After opening with a birdie on the first to get within a shot of Golding, Mouland went on to sign for a 74 to remain two shots off the pace in tied third position with Peter Fowler, the 2011 Order of Merit winner, who carded a 69.

The big mover of the day was Sam Torrance, the 2002 Ryder Cup Captain, who holed a 12ft birdie putt on the last hole for a flawless six under par 66.

CHASING FIRST TOP-10 FINISH

Torrance is in fifth position on three under par as he chases a first top ten finish of 2012, while another former Ryder Cup Captain, home favourite Ian Woosnam, is a shot further back in tied sixth place on two under par following a battling level par round of 72. 

“I didn’t play that well and I was just trying to hang in there,” he said. “I played fantastic last week, but I’m swinging poorly this week.

“Level par was a pretty good score though today and you never know what happens. I got a little bit of luck to birdie the last so that could change things around a little bit.

“We’ve had some great support so far and hopefully the sun gets out tomorrow and I can do something for them.”

Complete second round scores (par 72)

  Par 144 (2x72)

138 P Golding (Eng) 64 74,

139 B Lane (Eng) 72 67,

140 M Mouland (Wal) 66 74, P Fowler (Aus) 71 69,

141 S Torrance (Sco) 75 66,

142 K Tomori (Jpn) 71 71, D Smyth (Irl) 71 71, I Woosnam (Wal) 70 72,

143 M Martin (Esp) 69 74, R Gibson (Can) 68 75, G Ryall (Eng) 70 73, A Forsbrand (Swe) 67 76,

144 P Wesselingh (Eng) 71 73, A Oldcorn (Sco) 70 74, A Fernandez (Chi) 72 72, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 73 71, M Harwood (Aus) 70 74,

145 A Franco (Par) 72 73, T Johnstone (Zim) 69 76, D Russell (Eng) 70 75, R Chapman (Eng) 73 72, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 72 73,

146 G Norquist (USA) 70 76, A Sherborne (Eng) 72 74, D Durnian (Eng) 73 73, J Rhodes (Eng) 74 72, K Spurgeon (Eng) 76 70, M James (Eng) 70 76,

147 D Merriman (Aus) 72 75, R Drummond (Sco) 80 67, B Smit (RSA) 73 74, B Longmuir (Sco) 70 77, A Murray (Eng) 72 75, B Lincoln (RSA) 74 73, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 73 74,

148 G Manson (Aut) 71 77, R Sabarros (Fra) 73 75, J Hall (Eng) 74 74, G Banister (Aus) 70 78,

149 G Ralph (Eng) 72 77, R Davis (Aus) 76 73, M Belsham (Eng) 72 77, J Quiros (Esp) 74 75, T Thelen (USA) 73 76,

150 G Brand (Eng) 81 69, J Bruner (USA) 76 74, N Job (Eng) 74 76, P Walton (Irl) 74 76, P Mitchell (Eng) 72 78, T Elliott (Aus) 74 76, T Price (Aus) 71 79, G Cali (Ita) 74 76,

151 S McAllister (Sco) 72 79, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 76 75, S Cipa (Eng) 76 75, C Mason (Eng) 74 77, C Williams (RSA) 69 82, L Carbonetti (Arg) 79 72,

152 Z Martinez (USA) 73 79, E Darcy (Irl) 75 77, J Harrison (Eng) 74 78, P Curry (Eng) 77 75,

153 J Rivero (Esp) 75 78, M Cunning (USA) 81 72,

154 M Farry (Fra) 76 78, G Davies (Wal) 76 78,

155 B Cameron (Eng) 76 79,

156 D Hospital (Esp) 75 81,

157 D Cambridge (Jam) 77 80, M Deboub (Alg) 76 81, M Bembridge (Eng) 79 78,

158 J Thomas (am) (Wal) 78 80,

159 T Burgoyne (Sco) 78 81,

160 S Hopkins (am) (Wal) 78 82,

171 P Bloomfield (am) (Wal) 83 88,

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

JIMENEZ TO BE OLAZABAL'S FOURTH ASSISTANT CAPTAIN

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, who served as vice-captain to Seve Ballesteros in 1997, is to become Europe's fourth assistant captain at next month's Ryder Cup.
Jimenez was named by Jose Maria Olazabal today and joins Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, all of whom were part of Colin Montgomerie's backroom team two years ago.

Olazabal said: "Miguel's announcement means that I now have four world-class golfers as my vice-captains - all with tremendous experience of playing in the Ryder Cup, which is absolutely invaluable.

"Thomas, Darren and Paul were there with me supporting Colin Montgomerie and Miguel, of course, made a huge contribution to that match, including winning his singles," Olazabal added.

"You know he has a very simple and great philosophy - he always sees the positive side and makes people feel better.

"He shares with Thomas, Darren and Paul that passion, commitment and desire to win and like them I know he will encourage everyone in the team room.

"I now have four great friends behind me - four guys I know, four guys I trust and four guys familiar with this contest, which is so important because the Ryder Cup is unique."
United States captain Davis Love also has four assistants in Fred Couples - currently their Presidents Cup captain - Mike Hulbert, Scott Verplank and Jeff Sluman.
Jimenez was uncapped when Ballesteros called on him to help in the first-ever match on Spanish soil at Valderrama, but he is hoping Olazabal does not act in the same way in one respect.
"I remember being woken at 3am by Seve for team talks, so I hope Jose Maria hasn't got the same thing in mind," the 48-year-old said.
"Fifteen years after being alongside Seve it's great to be vice-captain to Jose Maria.
"I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say that I would have liked to have been playing again - there is nothing to compare with that in the Ryder Cup - but next to that I couldn't be happier."
Jimenez won caps in 1999, 2004 and the last two matches and the fact that Olazabal did not originally name him at the same time as Bjorn, Clarke and McGinley was perhaps an indication that he still had a chance of a wild card.
But the 18-time European Tour winner last night missed the halfway cut at the final qualifying event, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
That is where Olazabal will name his two captain's picks on Monday.
One is expected to go to Ian Poulter, but Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts could still knock Martin Kaymer out of an automatic spot - he needs a top-two finish tomorrow - and that is where the focus now is.

BROBERG SET FOR THIRD CHALENGE TOUR WIN

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes 
Kristoffer Broberg is in pole position to claim his third Challenge Tour victory – and with it instant promotion to The European Tour – after opening up a three-shot lead on the third day of the Rolex Trophy.

The Swede won both the Finnish Challenge and the Norwegian Challenge at the start of the month and, after finishing in a tie for third place in Denmark last week, is set to secure elevation to the top tier in sensationally swift style.

The Rolex Trophy is only Broberg’s fifth Challenge Tour appearance of the season and – barring an unlikely final day collapse – also seems set to be his last, as he will join his close friend Alex Noren on The European Tour by claiming the €24,400 winner’s cheque.

Having opened with rounds of 63 and 66 at Golf Club de Genève, in the Swiss capital, Broberg added a 64 on the third day of the elite 42-man event to move to 23 under par, three shots clear of Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen and Korean Sihwan Kim.

Broberg started with a bogey – his first of the week – but rallied with five birdies on his front nine, before racing home in 32 blows to continue his truly spectacular run of recent form.

Broberg said: “That was definitely the best I’ve played all week, I hit a lot of good shots and holed a lot of putts. Obviously it was disappointing to start with a bogey and finish with another one on the last, but in between times I was very solid. My confidence is obviously very high at the moment, so even if I make a mistake I know I can get it back on the next hole. Hopefully I can get to 30 under par tomorrow – that would be a very special way to win the tournament!”       

Despite battling fatigue, Kim is firmly in contention to capture his debut Challenge Tour title after moving to 20 under par courtesy of a flawless round of 66. The Korean, who has dropped just one shot over the three days, is hoping that adrenaline will help get him over the line after his body started to “shut down” towards the end of his third round.

This is Kim’s sixth successive competitive appearance, and the 23 year old is looking forward to returning to Seoul, in his native South Korea, for some rest and relaxation ahead of the biggest regular tournament of the season, the Kazakhstan Open. Before then, however, Kim has a job to do, and after notching six birdies in another impressive display he will be hopeful of signing off with another strong showing, after he finished in a tie for fifth place in Denmark last week.

He said: “I’m not sure how I managed to shoot under par today, because my body started to shut down after six weeks on the road. It happened to me the last time I spent six weeks way, so I know I’m almost at the end of my limit. Hopefully the pressure and buzz of the final day will get my body hyped up, because I felt really sluggish towards the end of my round.

“I need to rest up well tonight, and hopefully I’ll feel ready to go in the morning. I’ve already been in contention a couple of times this season, so hopefully I can finish it off this time. Last time it St Omer it didn’t go so well, but I wasn’t playing nearly as well as I have this week. I’m not saying I fluked it, but I was probably slightly fortunate to be in the position I was. But this week I’ve definitely earned the right to be up near the top of the leaderboard, because I’ve been playing very well.”

Hansen was disappointed with his putting performance in his round of 66, but the Dane again kept the bogeys off his card with another flawless performance from tee to green. The 22 year old, currently 26^th in the Rankings, is in fine form, but knows he will have to perform better on the greens to stand any chance of overhauling Broberg at the top of the leaderbaord.

He said: “I’m a little disappointed with my putting, because I gave myself so many birdie chances. But hopefully I can take a few more of them tomorrow. I was in a similar position going into the final day last week and was unable to finish it off, but I’ve learned from that and I hope tomorrow will be different. It’s good that we’re playing with amateurs because that helps you to relax, so I’m looking forward to it.”  

Earlier in the day, Daniel Vancsik posted a round of 64 which included a run of five successive birdies. The Argentine, who started on the tenth tee, had looked on course to match the course record-equalling round of 62 with which he opened the €220,000 event, only to run up a bogey for the second successive day on the par five eighth – which is statistically one of the easiest holes.

But after closing with his ninth birdie of the day, Vancsik – whose replacement driver eventually arrived in Geneva on Thursday – had to settle for a 64 and a 19 under par aggregate total.

Under the watchful eye of his father, Wally – Chairman and Chief Executive of Acushnet, the parent company behind Titleist – American Peter Uihlein got his third round off to a slow start, dropping a shot at his second hole, the 11^th, for his first bogey of the week.  

But he promptly rallied with birdies at the 13^th and 14^th holes, and made a morale-boosting par on the 16^th after hitting his approach into the water, taking a drop and promptly holing his fourth shot with a wedge. Another birdie at the 17^th hole swiftly followed, and after notching four more gains on his back nine, the former US Amateur Champion was signing for a round of 66 and an 18 under par aggregate total.

The lowest round of the day was carded by England’s Chris Lloyd, who equalled the course record with a stunning 62 to move to 16 under par, one shot behind his compatriot Gary Lockerbie, the current Rankings leader.
THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD

193 K Broberg (Swe) 63 66 64,

 196 J Hansen  (Den) 65 65 66, S Kim (Kor) 66 64 66,

 197 D Vancsik (Arg) 62 71 64,

 198 P Uihlein  (USA) 64 68 66,

 199 G Lockerbie  (Eng) 65 67 67,

 200 C Lloyd (Eng) 68 70 62,

 201 C Aguilar  (Esp) 67 67 67, E De La Riva  (Esp) 67 66 68,

 202 J Huldahl (Den) 67 66 69, R Russell (Sco) 69 65 68,

 203 M Tullo (Chi) 67 70 66, M Carlsson  (Swe) 65 71 67, A Kaleka  (Fra) 64 69 70,

 204 J Parry (Eng) 68 65 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 72 66 66, A Hartø  (Den) 64 68 72,

 206 J Walters (RSA) 72 68 66, C Paisley  (Eng) 65 71 70, W Besseling  (Ned) 65 71 70, S Wakefield (Eng) 67 66 73, P Archer (Eng) 71 66 69,

 207 A Tadini (Ita) 72 68 67, D Brooks (Eng) 71 70 66, M Crespi  (Ita) 71 68 68, R De Sousa (Sui) 66 69 72, S Benson (Eng) 69 67 71,

 208 G Stal  (Fra) 68 69 71,

 209 B Åkesson (Swe) 70 67 72, M Madsen  (Den) 70 71 68,

 210 L Jensen (Den) 73 71 66, S Henry  (Sco) 69 68 73, M Kieffer (Ger) 69 69 72,

 211 M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 69 70 72,

 213 J Busby (Eng) 66 74 73, C Ford (Eng) 68 71 74, E Pepperell (Eng) 74 71 68, S Walker (Eng) 68 71 74,

 216 P Edberg (Swe) 72 75 69,

 217 A Gee  (Eng) 72 71 74,

 ** A Velasco (Esp) 71 70 WD, E Kofstad (Nor) 71 71 RT,

WALES SENIOR OPEN SCOREBOARD

First round scores from the Speedy Services Wales Senior Open at Conwy Golf Club (par 72)

 

64 P Golding (Eng) ,

 66 M Mouland (Wal) ,

 67 A Forsbrand (Swe) ,

 68 R Gibson (Can) ,

 69 M Martin (Esp) , C Williams (RSA) , T Johnstone (Zim) ,

 70 I Woosnam (Wal) , G Banister (Aus) , A Oldcorn (Sco) , G Ryall (Eng) , D Russell (Eng) , G Norquist (USA) , M James (Eng) , M Harwood (Aus) , B Longmuir (Sco) ,

 71 K Tomori (Jpn) , P Wesselingh (Eng) , P Fowler (Aus) , D Smyth (Irl) , G Manson (Aut) , T Price (Aus) ,

 72 G Ralph (Eng) , A Sherborne (Eng) , D Merriman (Aus) , P Mitchell (Eng) , M Belsham (Eng) , B Lane (Eng) , A Murray (Eng) , S McAllister (Sco) , G Wolstenholme (Eng) , A Fernandez (Chi) , A Franco (Par) ,

 73 T Thelen (USA) , Z Martinez (USA) , G Brand Jnr (Sco) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , R Sabarros (Fra) , D Durnian (Eng) , R Chapman (Eng) , B Smit (RSA) ,

 74 N Job (Eng) , B Lincoln (RSA) , J Rhodes (Eng) , C Mason (Eng) , J Harrison (Eng) , J Quiros (Esp) , G Cali (Ita) , T Elliott (Aus) , J Hall (Eng) , P Walton (Irl) ,

 75 S Torrance (Sco) , D Hospital (Esp) , E Darcy (Irl) , J Rivero (Esp) ,

 76 R Davis (Aus) , M Deboub (Alg) , B Cameron (Eng) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , G Davies (Wal) , S Cipa (Eng) , M Farry (Fra) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , J Bruner (USA) ,

 77 P Curry (Eng) , D Cambridge (Jam) ,

 78 T Burgoyne (Sco) , J Thomas (am) (Wal) , S Hopkins (am) (Wal) ,

 79 L Carbonetti (Arg) , M Bembridge (Eng) ,

 80 R Drummond (Sco) ,

 81 M Cunning (USA) , G Brand (Eng) ,

 83 P Bloomfield (am) (Wal) ,

 

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GARCIA SHARING HALFWAY LEAD IN THE BARCLAYS

NEWS FROM THE US PGA TOUR EVENT

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Players from US unless stated
134 Nick Watney 65 69, Sergio Garcia (Spain) 66 68
135 Vijay Singh (Fiji) 68 67, Bob Estes 69 66
136 John Senden (Australia) 68 68, Pat Perez 66 70

SELECTED SCORES
137 Tiger Woods 68 69, Gary Christian (England) 66 71 (T7)
138 Martin Laird (Scotland) 70 68 (T11)
139 Ian Poulter (England) 68 71, Justin Rose (England) 67 72, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 64 75, Adam Scott (Australia) 70 69
141 Lee Westwood (England) 69 72, Greg Owen (England) 68 73 (T42)

FOR A SUMMARY OF THE DAY'S PLAY

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PAUL LAWRIE IN THE WEEKEND MIX AT GLENEAGLES

FROM THE EUROEAN TOUR WEBSITE

 Mark Foster and Richard Finch top a congested leaderboard heading into the weekend of The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Both Englishmen reached eight under par on a rainy day at five-star The Gleneagles Hotel venue in Perthshire - but 17 of the field are within four shots with 36 holes remaining. Foster is hoping for a "Super Saturday" three weeks after being there in the Olympic stadium for Britain's greatest night of athletics ever. The 37 year old witnessed Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford claim gold, and will now look to add to the solitary European Tour title he landed nine years ago. Foster led this event by one with one to play last year, but took a bogey six and then lost out in a five-man play-off to eventual winner Thomas Björn. He shot 68, while Finch, famous for falling in a river on the final hole as he won the 2008 Irish Open, had a 67. They are a stroke ahead of Scotland's Paul Lawrie and Australian Brett Rumford, with Frenchman Gregory Bourdy and fit-again Paul Waring two back. Ryder Cup hopeful Nicolas Colsaerts joins David Howell in a tie for seventh, while among those just one behind the big-hitting Belgian is tournament chairman Colin Montgomerie - 510th in the Official World Golf Ranking and at 49 trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history. Lawrie and Italian Francesco Molinari are the two certain members of Olazábal's side in the field and both could yet win. Molinari, whose brother Edoardo lifted the title two years ago and was rewarded with a Ryder Cup wild card, stands four under. Olazábal himself missed the cut, as did two of his assistants Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley.

Dane Bjorn is another and he will resume three under and still with an outside chance of a successful defence of the title. If he achieves it he might come into the reckoning for a wild card.

Foster did not know what to expect after taking a five-week summer break.

"I got some tickets for Super Saturday off a French website and it was probably the best thing I've ever seen," he said.

“I just thought you don't get much chance to take a break like that, so I thought I needed to regroup and that's the decision I needed to do it.

“I took a four week holiday and practised really hard for one week. Just spent some time at home and sorted the house out.”

Finch bogeyed the first but seven birdies - including a lengthy putt at the 12th - and a single further dropped shot helped him recover to a five under par round.

“To shoot 67 was definitely good – it’s a good position to be in and hopefully if there's no one in front of me after another two rounds, I'll be really delighted.

“It's my game at half time, I suppose, if it was a football match and anything is possible. Just go out and just try and do exactly what I've been doing. I’m looking forward to playing and it should be a good weekend.”

HOW THE SCOTS SCORED
Par 144 (2x72)
137 Paul Lawrie 68 69 (T3)
140 Richie Ramsay 69 71, Colin Montgomerie 72 68 (T15)
141 Gary Orr 74 67, Peter Whiteford 72 69 (T20)
142 Chris Doak 76 66, Stephen Gallagher 75 67 (T30)
143 Craig Lee 70 73 (T40)
144 Lloyd Saltman 77 67, Scott Jamieson 76 68 (T50)
MISSED THE CUT (144 and better qualified)
146 Marc Warren 71 74, Greig Hutcheon 72 74
147 David Drysdale 72 75, George Murray 76 71
149 Alan Lockhart 80 69
150 Stephen Gray 73 77, Graham Fox 74 76
152 Jack McDonald (amateur) 79 73, James Byrne 74 78, Scott Henderson 79 73
154 David Patrick 83 71, Steven O'Hara 79 74, Paul McKechnie 77 77
156 Grant Forrest (amateur) 77 79


TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES 
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 NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPRO TOUR
By NICK TEALE
Paul Maddy won the Veka and Network Veka UK Open 2012 at De Vere Wychwood Park, despite making four bogeys on his final round.

A course-record 62 in the second round had put Maddy (Gog Magog) two shots clear going into the last day of the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour event and he looked certain of victory after opening with birdies at one and two.

However, bogeys at six, 13, 14 and 16 saw him fall to nine under par, and as Maddy teed off on the 17th Scott Fallen birdied the 18th to complete a final round 70 and move to eight under.

However, Maddy managed a birdie two at the 17th to give himself a two-shot cushion as he began the final hole, which he parred to claim the £10,000 winner’s cheque.

Fallon (Lightning Packaging Supplies Ltd) finished tied second after a final round which included three birdies and a single bogey. Charlie Cossins (Bath Golf Club) signed for a one-over-par 73 at the end of the final day and finished alongside Fallon.

James Watts (The Sports Academy) shot a final-round 70 and finished tied for third with Charlie Cossins (Bath Golf Club) and Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes), who eagled the last to earn his place in the top-five.

The victory moves Maddy up to third on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit but bogeys at 13 and 14 piled on the pressure as he approached the clubhouse.

“I birdied the first and second and had chances on three, four and five,” he explained. “I didn’t take those chances but I was in a good position going into the back nine. I hit a few loose ones and the last few holes were always going to be tricky with the pressure on.

“I had problems on 13 and 14 and at 15 I went over the fairway and into the trees but then holed a 20-foot putt for par and that was a great momentum boost, though I did then make a silly bogey at 16 as well.

“I was relieved with a birdie two at the 17th but it was a little dicey as to whether the tee shot would clear the water or not!”

His 10-under-par 62 in the second round on Thursday proved the crucial factor in Maddy’s win but the Englishman says he didn’t realise he was in the middle of an attention-grabbing round until he came off the 15th.

“On Thursday morning I walked onto the course with no expectations,” he explained. “But I got some momentum with a birdie at the first and then it was a case of taking the opportunities when they came. It was obviously my day.

“For most of the round I wasn’t thinking that something special was on, but then I managed to birdie the hardest three holes on the course, 13, 14 and 15, and I capped it off with an eagle on the last.”

The next 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour event is the Sweetspot Classic, which commences at Longhirst Hall Golf Club next Thursday, August 30.

 LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
206 Paul Maddy (Gog Magor) 71 62 73
208 Scott Fallon (England) 68 70 70, Charlie Cossins (Bath) 68 67 73
209 James Watts (East Herts) 70 68 70, Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) 73 66 70

SCOTS SCORES

210 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 77  66 67 (T6)
215 Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) 73 72 70 (T22)
216 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 70 69 77 (T26)
218 Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 74 71 73 (T36)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro12/event/europro1211/contest/1/leaderboard.htm