RORY McILROY LEADS AT TPC BOSTON

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
NORTON, Mass. -- Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods played together in the opening two rounds of the season in Abu Dhabi. They were together again for the opening two rounds at Bethpage State Park Black Course for the start of the FedExCup Playoffs. The idea is to get them together with a trophy on the line.

Both took a step in that direction Saturday in the Deutsche Bank Championship.
McIlroy went from one extreme to another on par 5s just 30 minutes apart -- a 4-iron into 10 feet for eagle on No. 18, a 5-wood in the water that led to a bogey on No. 2 -- but steadied himself for another 6-under 65.
Woods, playing in the afternoon, had three birdies on the opening six holes until he could no longer get a putt to drop. He made birdie putts of 30 feet and 15 feet late in the round to salvage a 68, which left him only two shots behind.
In between was Louis Oosthuizen, the former British Open champion with one of the purest swings in golf. Oosthuizen had four 2s on his card of 65, and goes into the third round just one shot behind and in the final group with McIlroy.
"Everything seemed to work pretty well out there," McIlroy said. "I felt like I drove the ball a bit better today and hit more fairways, which gave me some more opportunities to make birdies. And I was putting well enough to take a few of those. Yeah, pleased with where I am and looking forward to the weekend."
The weekend is half over, as this FedExCup Playoffs event is known for its Labor Day finish. There remains plenty of work to be done, especially with nine players separated by only three shots going into the weekend.
Ryan Moore had a 68, playing the front nine in 1 over, and joined Woods at 10-under 132.
Woods missed out on a chance to be paired with McIlroy on Sunday when he missed the fairway on the par-5 18th, laid up short of the marsh and came up just short of the green and its front hole location. He had to get up-and-down for par.
Even so, this Labor Day weekend could bring another heavyweight bout, the likes of which the Deutsche Bank Championship has seen before in its 10-year history.
TPC Boston is where Woods and Vijay Singh had a memorable battle on Labor Day in 2004, when Singh won to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world. Two years later, Woods closed with a 63 to rally from a three-shot deficit against Singh. And in 2007, the first year of the FedExCup Playoffs, it was Phil Mickelson who played three rounds with Woods and wound up beating him by two shots.

"I think if you look at the overall list of champions here, they're all big hitters," Woods said in an effort to explain why the Deutsche Bank Championship provides such great theatre.
McIlroy, who won the US PGA Championship by a record eight shots at Kiawah Island three weeks ago, looked comfortable on the smoother greens of TPC Boston and had only one bad spell of back-to-back bogeys on his back nine.
Woods came out firing in the afternoon with back-to-back birdies, only to get slowed quickly with a bogey from the bunker on No. 3 and going bunker-to-bunker on the fourth hole when he scrambled for par. He got back with a shot into 3 feet on the sixth for birdie, but he couldn't take advantage of several shots in the 12- to 15-foot range.
It looked as though it was getting under his skin, but all he had to do was think back to that opening round of 64.
"You've got to let it balance itself out because I made everything yesterday," he said. "Today was one of those days where I had some good looks, missed them, but didn't feel like I was really rolling it correctly. Then I figured something out, and then from then on, I poured it pretty good."
First-round leader Seung-yul Noh (71), Jason Dufner (66) and Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (65) were among those at 9-under 133.
Rickie Fowler made a clutch putt on his final hole, a 4-footer for par that gave him a 72. It looked even more significant at the time because it assured he would make the cut, giving him two more days to make an impression on Davis Love III before he announces his four captain's picks for the Ryder Cup on Tuesday.
Hunter Mahan had a 72 to end his untimely streak of two missed cuts, boosting his hopes of getting one of the four picks. Dustin Johnson also stayed in the mix, going into the weekend only five shots out of the lead. Brandt Snedeker had only three pars in 12 holes, then settled down for a 70 and was at 3-under 139.
McIlroy wasn't much of a factor in the opening Playoffs event last week at Bethpage Black, where the greens were baked out by sunshine and nearly dead by the third round, making it difficult to score. The greens have been pure at the TPC Boston, and it showed in the scoring.
Then again, he didn't have to make putts from very far. McIlroy made three birdies from inside 10 feet -- one of them a tap-in on the 14th -- and he seized the lead on the par-5 18th. Even though the pin was to the front of the smaller, treacherous green, there was enough wind in his face that he could get 4-iron in the air and have it land softly. It rode a gentle slope to about 10 feet away and he made the eagle putt.After an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 1, McIlroy was poised to get some separation on the field until he tried to hit a high cut with a 5-wood on the par-5 second. He pushed it too far, into the water, and made bogey.
"That was a really tricky little pin position there on the second," he said. "If you lay up, you're going to have to hit a really good shot to get it close to try and make birdie. I'm sure it played a little easier yesterday, but you'll probably see just as many bogeys as you do birdies there today."
On the next hole, his long putt from the fringe was weak and came up 8 feet short, and he missed that for another bogey. But that was that. He followed with back-to-back birdies to get back to 12 under, and made a 12-foot par putt on the eighth to keep from dropping another shot.
McIlroy attributed the improvement from last week to one thing.
"My putting," he said. "I wasn't very comfortable on the greens at all last week. They weren't the best surfaces. I think everyone saw that. This week, the surfaces are much better, and it gives you a little more confidence that you can roll your putts at the hole a bit more."
 
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CONTINENT OF EUROPE SCORE DOUBLE WHAMMY OVER G B AND I AT PORTMARNOCK

FROM THE R and A WEBSITE 

The Continent of Europe recorded a famous first St Andrews Trophy win on Great Britain and Ireland soil after a determined team performance at a windswept Portmarnock Golf Club north of Dublin today.

Alex Godillot's side had it all to do after trailing Great Britain and Ireland 7-5 heading into the final day. They won the morning foursomes 3-1 to level proceedings before edging a dramatic singles session 4.5-3.5 to secure victory, 12.5-11.5.

It was a double celebration for Europe as the under-18 stars from the Continent also defeated their GB and I opponents to win back the Jacques Leglise Trophy 13.5-10.5. 
This was only Europe's fifth win in the biennial St Andrews Trophy compared to the GB and I tally of 24 since the competition began in 1956. However, Alexis Godillot's European side arrived in Ireland as defending champions after their 2010 win in Italy and they made full use of some good fortune and fine play on a testing final day. 
The winning point came from Moritz Lampert against Ireland's Kevin Phelan in the final match and the German closed out the match in style. 
Needing just a half point to retain the title and a win to secure overall victory, Lampert was one up playing the 17th where his approach just ran off the back off the green. Phelan found the green but missed his par putt and the stage was set.
Lampert kept his composure and rather than the drama extending to the 18th, he holed from 20 feet for birdie and sealed the famous win.
"I'm very happy and a bit surprised for we have never won on British (and Irish) territory," said Godillot, who played on the European team the last time the event was played at Portmarnock back in 1968.
"It was a very close contest and for once we had a bit more luck than the British and Irish, especially coming down the final few singles matches."
Europe enjoyed some fortune when two of the GB and I leading lights failed to convert late advantages into wins. Amateur Champion Alan Dunbar was unlucky with a couple of poor lies but finished with two double bogeys to lose on the 18th to Sweden's Robert Karlsson.
Recently crowned European Amateur Champion Rhys Pugh was three up with four to play but could only manage a halved match against Spain's Jacobo Pastor in the middle order.
In between there were narrow wins for the English trio of Craig Hinton, Garrick Porteous and Neil Raymond but Europe countered with wins from Manuel Trappel, Edouard Espana and Lampert in the bottom matches.
After a thoroughly convincing 4-0 clean sweep in the morning foursomes, Europe's Jacques Leglise side wasted little time closing out the overall match after they won the top two singles matches.
Gary Stangl's side went into the singles 11-5 ahead and only needed one-and-a-half points from the eight. Two points quickly came when Italy's Giulio Castagnara defeated Irish amateur champion Gavin Moynihan by one hole, while fellow Irish teammate Alex Gleeson lost 2 and 1 to Spain's Mario Galiano.
Although the contest was already decided there was a strong GB and I showing in the rest of the matches.
Max Orrin had been six up through eight holes but had to wait to the 17th to close out his match 2 and 1 against Renato Paratore. 
Toby Tree was a convincing 5 and 4 winner over Sweden's Hannes Ronneblad, Boys Amateur Champion Matthew Fitzpatrick defeated Romain Langasque 2 and 1, while Ashton Turner dug deep to deny Austria's Matthias Schwab at the 18th.
Blairgowrie's Bradley Neil turned his match around against Victor Tarnstrom to win by two holes and the bottom match between Harry Ellis and Dominic Foos was halved.
"I am happy that we finally made it. It was closer than we thought in the end," said Stangl. "It was great that our first two guys won their points to get the job done. I'm really delighted and so happy for the team."


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STEPHEN GRAY LEADS AT DUMFRIES AFTER MISSING NORTHERN OPEN CUT

Failing to make the cut in the Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open earlier in the week gave Stephen Gray a chance to rest up for a couple of days. And he returned to the Tartan Tour fray like a lion refreshed to shoot a four-under-par 64 and lead at the halfway stage today in the Kerr Investments 36-hole Order of Merit pro-am at Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club. Gray had six birdies and two bogeys in halves of 34 (three under par) and 32 (one under). He will start the final round one shot ahead of Ed Wood (Crow Wood), who did not play in the Northern Open, and Mark Kerr (unattached) who made the cut at Meldrum House but finished 17 shots behind the first-time pro winner James Byrne. The four-round Northern Open and the long drive immediately after Friday's finish from Aberdeen to Dumfries took its toll on some of the leading competitors at Meldrum House. Glenmuir PGA pro champion Gareth Wright (West Linton) who signed off with the lowest inward half of the week at Meldrum House, reducing the last nine holes to 30 shots, could do no better than one-over-par 69 at Dumfries and Galloway today. While Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), the leader of both the Tartan Tour money table and Order of Merit, who got within two shots of Byrne with seven holes to play in the Northern Open in Friday's last round, also could not break par and signed for a 69.   +Scroll down for Sunday's tee times FIRST-ROUND SCORES Par 68 64 Stephen Gray (Hayston) 65 Ed Wood (Crow Wood), Mark Kerr (unatt) 66 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Rovbert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 67 Jonathan Lomas (unatt), Patrick Walker (Ballumbie Castle), David Orr (Mearns Castle). 68 James Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey), Jamie Mackay (North Gailes), Malcolm Isaacs (Paul Lawrie GC), Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Mark King (Kingsfield), Ian Brown (Newent), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 69 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links), James McGhee (Duddingston), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Greg McBain (Gamola Golf), Gareth Wright (West Linton), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Chris Kelly (Cawder). 70 Steven Duncan (Carnoustie Links), Sam Cairns (Colville Park), Stuart Robert ( Bishopbriggs), Alastair Mackenzie (Renaissance Club) 71 David Nicol (Dundonald Links), Craig Gordon (Edinburgh Golf Centre), Andrew McIntyre (Ranfurly Castle), Gordon Law (Uphall), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle)  72 (John Ruth (Clydeway), Anthony Mackrell (Playport Golf), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), David Patrick (Elie SC), Heather MacRae (Gleneagles), Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle). 73 Chris Robinson (Dumfries and Galloway), Craig Ronald (Carluke). 75 Ross Jack (Dumfries and Galloway), Andrew Fullen (Largs) 76 Duncan Wllliamson (Kirkhill), Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), Scott Herald (Mearns Castle). 79 Michael Mackenzie (Edzell).  +Winning team in first round was the one that had Stephen Gray as its pro. SUNDAY'S SECOND-ROUND TEE TIMES 7:15 AM Michael Mackenzie, Edzell Golf Club 7:24 AM Scott Herald, Mearns Castle Golf Academy 7:33 AM Sean O'Donnell, Balbirnie Park Golf Club 7:42 AM Duncan Williamson, Kirkhill Golf Club 7:51 AM Andrew Fullen, Largs Golf Club 8:00 AM Ross Jack, Dumfries & Galloway Golf Club 8:09 AM Craig Ronald, Carluke Golf Club 8:18 AM Christopher Robinson, Dumfries & Galloway Golf Club 8:27 AM Graham Fox, Rowallan Castle Golf Club 8:36 AM Heather MacRae, Gleneagles Hotel Golf Courses 8:45 AM David Patrick, Elie Sports Centre 8:54 AM Neil Fenwick, Dunbar Golf Club 9:03 AM Anthony Mackrell, Playsport Golf 9:12 AM John Ruth, Clydeway Golf 9:21 AM Jason McCreadie, Buchanan Castle Golf Club 9:30 AM Gordon Law, Uphall Golf Club 9:39 AM Andrew McIntyre, Ranfurly Castle Golf Club 9:48 AM Craig Gordon, Edinburgh Golf Centre 9:57 AM David Nicol, Dundonald Links 10:06 AM Scott Henderson, Kings Links Golf Centre 10:15 AM Christopher Currie, Caldwell Golf Club 10:24 AM Alastair Mackenzie, Renaissance Club 10:33 AM Stuart Roberts, Bishopbriggs Golf Range 10:42 AM Samuel Cairns, Colville Park Golf Club 10:51 AM Steven Duncan, Carnoustie Golf Links 11:09 AM Chris Kelly, Cawder Golf Club 11:18 AM Greig Hutcheon, Banchory Golf Club 1 11:27 AM Gareth Wright, West Linton Golf Club 1 11:36 AM Greg McBain, Gamola Golf 1 11:45 AM Paul McKechnie, Braid Hills Golf Range 1 11:54 AM James McGhee, Duddingston Golf Club 1 12:03 PM Graeme Brown, Montrose Golf Links Ltd. 1 12:12 PM Iain Colquhoun, Dundonald Links 1 12:21 PM Craig Matheson, Falkirk Tryst Golf Club 1 12:30 PM Mark King, Kingsfield Golf Range 1 12:39 PM Alan Lockhart, Ladybank Golf Club 1 12:48 PM Ross Cameron 1 12:57 PM James McKinnon, Irvine Golf Club 1 1:06 PM Malcolm Isaacs, Paul Lawrie Golf Centre 1 1:15 PM Ian Brown, Newent Golf Club 1 1:24 PM Jamie Mackay, North Gailes Golf Centre 1 1:33 PM James Erskine, Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club 1 1:42 PM David Orr, Mearns Castle Golf Academy 1 1:51 PM Patrick Walker, Ballumbie Castle Golf Course 1 2:00 PM Jonathan Lomas 1 2:09 PM Robert Arnott, Bishopbriggs Golf Range 1 2:18 PM Steven Taylor, Bothwell Castle Golf Club 1 2:27 PM Mark Kerr 1 2:36 PM Ed Wood, Crow Wood Golf Club 1 2:45 PM Stephen Gray, Hayston Golf Club

HENDRICK LEADS BY THREE AT HALFWAY

SOUTH-EAST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP 
(last SGU 72-hole Order of Merit counting event)
Longniddry Golf Club

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 136 (2x68)
 +Scoreboard from the Lothians Golf Association website.

AMES HENDRICK	Pollock	66	67	133
ADAM DUNTON	McDonald	69	67	136
JAMES WHITE	Lundin	68	69	137
GORDON STEVENSON	Whitecraigs	69	69	138
DUNCAN MARTIN	Longniddry	70	71	141
SHAUN GORDON	Tantallon	71	70	141
ANTHONY BLANEY	Liberton	69	72	141
MICHAEL BACIGALUPO	Longniddry	68	73	141
SCOTT CRICHTON	Aberdour	70	72	142
NEIL HENDERSON	The Glen	71	71	142
ROBERT CARSON	Marriott Dalmahoy	71	72	143
MALCOLM PENYCOTT	Whiting Bay	72	71	143
CHRIS WOOD	North Berwick	71	72	143
BEN McLEOD	Musselburgh	73	70	143
SAM BINNING	Ranfurly Castle	69	74	143
KEITH MACKENZIE	Bruntsfield Links	74	69	143
KEVIN DUNCAN	McDonald	71	72	143
CAMERON FARRELL	Cardross	71	72	143
JONATHAN MULLANY	Ralston	74	69	143
GRAHAM ROBERTSON	Silverknowes	70	73	143
Varun Varadharajan	Royal Burgess	72	72	144
CONOR O'NEIL	Pollock	72	72	144
JAMIE SAVAGE	Cawder	67	77	144
STEVEN ARMSTRONG	Turnhouse	71	73	144
JORDYN RHIND	Uphall	72	72	144
CALUM HILL	Tantallon	72	72	144
CRAIG WATSON	East Renfrewshire	72	72	144
ALAN SUTHERLAND	Ladybank	70	75	145
RICHARD DOHERTY	Bearsden	77	69	146
PAUL REILLY	Lochwinnoch	74	72	146
DANIEL KAY	Dunbar	72	75	147
MATTHEW CLARK	Kilmacolm	69	78	147
ROSS NOON	Craigielaw	72	75	147
BLAIR CARNAGIE	Dunblane New	75	73	148
SEAN McGARVEY	Glencorse	72	76	148
STEVEN RENNIE	Drumpellier	74	74	148
ALASDAIR McDOUGALL	Elderslie	76	73	149
RYAN CAMPBELL	Falkirk	70	79	149
CRAIG DEERNESS	Harburn	76	73	149
JOHN DUFF	Newmachar	75	74	149
JOHN YUILLE	Royal Burgess	72	77	149
MICHAEL DAILY	Erskine	72	77	149
KEITH REILLY	Silverknowes	78	72	150
ANDREW GRANT	Dunblane New	75	75	150
COLIN BAIRD	Bothwell Castle	76	74	150
SCOTT BORROWMAN	Dollar	74	76	150
JAKE HOGG	The Dukes	74	77	151
ELLIOT WILSON	Berwick upon Tweed.	75	76	151
JAMIE AITKEN	Alloa	76	75	151
GRANT MINNES	Kirkintilloch	74	77	151
IAIN WILSON	Marriott Dalmahoy	76	76	152
FRASER JOHNSTON	Longniddry	76	76	152
NICK AITKEN	Longniddry	76	76	152
JAMIE LAMB	Lanark	76	76	152
ANGUS CARRICK	Douglas Park	73	79	152
JOEL WESTWELL	Inchmarlo	79	74	153
EUAN BOWDEN	Tantallon	80	74	154
ROSS MILLAR	Whitekirk	81	74	155
CALUM BURGESS	Musselburgh	77	80	157
RICHARD GILL	Edinburgh Thistle	77	81	158
SCOTT ROBERTSON	Hazelhead	79	80	159
STEVEN SCOTT	Baberton	78	82	160
MYLES WILSON	Berwick upon Tweed	82	79	161
JAMES STEVEN	Bothwell Castle	82	81	163
FRAZER POMFRET	St Medan	81	83	164
AIDAN FORTUNE	Kelso	82	85	167
TOM CALDWELL	Silverknowes	74	NR-W/D	NR-W/D
DANIEL FLANNERY	Peebles	88	85	173
JAMIE MACINTOSH	Broomieknowe	77	NR-W/D	NR-W/D
MARTIN STEIN	Craigielaw	84	NR-W/D	NR-W/D
ROSS BELL	Downfield	NR-W/D	NR-W/D	NR-W/D
		NR-W/D	NR-W/D	NR-W/D
ANDREW WALLACE	Glenbervie	NR-W/D	NR-W/D	NR-W/D
LAWRENCE ALLAN	Alva	NR-W/D	NR-W/D	NR-W/D

   

SMYTH, QUIROS SHARE LEAD IN TRAVIS PERKINS SENIOR MASTERS

REPORT FROM SARAH GWYNNE

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR PRESS OFFICER

Ireland’s Des Smyth carded a superb six under par second round 66 to take a share of the lead in the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters at Woburn Golf Club.

The 59 year old racked up seven birdies and one bogey to sit level at six under par with Spaniard Juan Quiros, who birdied the last for a four under par 68.

Both men are chasing their fifth Senior Tour title, and it will be an intriguing battle in Sunday’s final round, with Australian Peter Fowler – last season’s Order of Merit winner – and American Tim Thelen two shots behind.

Another American, Mike Cunning, was a further shot back, having bogeyed four of the last five holes to relinquish the lead.

Smyth, whose second round score was bettered only by Englishman Mark James’ 65, which took him up to a share of fifth place on three under, was delighted to be in contention over Woburn’s Duke’s Course.

“I played very well today,” he said. “I started off making birdies early on, which was what I needed to do. I birdied the second from 15 feet, and the fourth and fifth were both birdies from about 12 feet. I got another at the ninth to be out in 31, which was excellent. I was feeling great and swinging the club well.

“I got it going again on the back nine with birdies at the 11th and 15th. I was rocking then, but I made a silly bogey at the 16th, missing a five footer. So it was nice to finish with a birdie and get back to six under.

“Yesterday I also had a good start with a few birdies, but I felt like I had the handbrake on all day. I was playing well but I couldn’t get the ball close enough to the hole. If you don’t get it to around the 12 feet mark, you’re looking at an outside chance. Some days they come, but you don’t expect to hole them.

“So today I got a lot more shots closer to the hole, which was the main difference. Tomorrow should be an exciting day."

Quiros has had four top-15 finishes this season, but has struggled in the last few weeks and was happy to see an improvement today.

“From tee to green I was very good today,” said the 56 year old. “I played very steadily. I drove it a little better today and I putted well again, which is very pleasing.

“I’m excited about tomorrow, but I’m not getting ahead of myself. Golf is a funny game and you never know whether it’s going to be a good day or a bad day until you turn up and start playing. You can feel good one day and play badly the next, so we will see.”

Englishman Roger Chapman, who has won two Senior Majors this season, and Spaniard Manuel Piñero were awarded honorary membership of Woburn Golf Club by the Duke of Bedford on Friday evening.

 

Second round scores:

Par 144 (2x72)

138 D Smyth (Irl) 72 66, J Quiros (Esp) 70 68

140 T Thelen (USA) 71 69, P Fowler (Aus) 70 70,

141 M Belsham (Eng) 70 71, A Sherborne (Eng) 70 71, M James (Eng) 76 65, M Cunning (USA) 70 71, R Drummond (Sco) 70 71

142 P Wesselingh (Eng) 73 69, R Chapman (Eng) 74 68, G Manson (Aut) 72 70, T Johnstone (Zim) 70 72, C Williams (RSA) 73 69

143 M Harwood (Aus) 72 71, K Tomori (Jpn) 71 72, S Torrance (Sco) 75 68

144 M Martin (Esp) 75 69, J Rhodes (Eng) 72 72, D Durnian (Eng) 69 75

145 G Ralph (Eng) 76 69, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 72 73, B Lane (Eng) 74 71, B Cameron (Eng) 73 72

146 P Golding (Eng) 74 72, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 76 70, M Mouland (Wal) 77 69, J Gould (Eng) 70 76

147 R Gibson (Can) 78 69, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 70 77, J Bruner (USA) 72 75, C Mason (Eng) 72 75, A Franco (Par) 72 75, J Rivero (Esp) 73 74

148 B Smit (RSA) 75 73, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 73 75, K Spurgeon (Eng) 78 70, A Oldcorn (Sco) 75 73, N Job (Eng) 77 71

149 G Banister (Aus) 79 70, J Harrison (Eng) 77 72, B Ruangkit (Tha) 74 75, P Barber (Eng) 77 72, P Curry (Eng) 73 76, A Murray (Eng) 72 77, G Brand (Eng) 76 73, T Price (Aus) 73 76, M Farry (Fra) 77 72, E Darcy (Irl) 79 70

150 R Sabarros (Fra) 74 76, T Elliott (Aus) 78 72, B Longmuir (Sco) 75 75, D Merriman (Aus) 74 76, D Hospital (Esp) 75 75, G Norquist (USA) 78 72

151 P Mitchell (Eng) 78 73, S McAllister (Sco) 76 75, S Cipa (Eng) 76 75

152 B Lincoln (RSA) 76 76, Z Martinez (USA) 76 76, R Davis (Aus) 77 75, E Rodriguez (Esp) 78 74

153 D Cambridge (Jam) 76 77, P Walton (Irl) 80 73,

154 G Ryall (Eng) 76 78, L Carbonetti (Arg) 80 74, A Fernandez (Chi) 73 81

155 A Garrido (Esp) 84 71

156 J Hall (Eng) 81 75, V Garcia (Esp) 81 75,

158 M Piñero (Esp) 80 78

 Withdrew: C O'Connor Jnr (Irl) 83 WD,

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

DUNCAN STEWART WINS ANOTHER £10,000 FIRST PRIZE ON EUROPRO TOUR

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE EUROPRO TOUR

Duncan Stewart has won a £10,000 first prize for the second time on the PGA EuroPro Tour.

He repeated last season's feat by finishing two under par for the 54 holes of the Sweetspot Classic after a blustery three days at Longhirst Golf Club, Morpeth in Northumberland.

The Grantown-on-Spey man, who sold 150 shares in himself at £100 a time to finance his travels in 2012, moves up to second on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit with just one tournament left before the season-ending Tour Championship.

It was a testing competition for the EuroPro Tour golfers, with winds close to 30mph recorded on the opening day. Though they dropped slightly for the second round, the final 18 holes were again a struggle with winds sweeping across the Lakes Course.

Stewart, who played for four years on the US college circuit alongside Inverness-born Russell Knox (now a USPGA Tour player), when they were both students at Jacksonville University, shot a level-par final round to capitalise on leader James Ruth’s five-over-par 75, which saw him let slip a two-shot overnight lead to finish level par and second in the tournament.

Ruth started with three bogeys on his first four holes and a bogey at eight, coupled with a double at nine, saw him turn home one shot over par. He got back on track with birdies at 11, 12 and 14 but bogeys at 15 and 17 saw him lose the lead again. 

By the time Ruth reached 18 he needed an eagle to force a play-off but was only able to par the last, handing a two-shot victory to Stewart.

The Scot began the day three shots behind Ruth and fell further behind when he bogeyed two and three. But birdies at seven and 11 took him level for the day and another bogey at 12 was quickly cancelled out by a three at the par-four 13th.

A bogey four at 15 saw him drop to one under par and a final birdie, on the 18th, took him two shots ahead of the field.

“I have been playing well and have had some good finishes so it is nice to get that win,” said Stewart.

“I made birdie at 13 to go back to two under and felt I had a real chance then. When I holed the putt on the last I knew that meant James Ruth needed an eagle to finish, but stranger things have happened so I was relieved when he made par!

“I had a really nice little putt for a birdie on the seventh and I had a bit of luck on the 11th for another birdie, so that was sort of a turning point.

“The wind made it difficult but my mentality from the start of the week was to get my head down and accept that a loose shot would probably end up in the water, but that would be the same for everybody. I just got my head down and accepted it would be a difficult week and a bit of a battle but I wanted to make sure I had the right attitude.”

James Watts (The Sports Academy) and Nick James (Wenvoe Castle Golf Club) finished tied third on one over par.

The final event of the main tour season takes place at Hunley Hall in Yorkshire and begins on Wednesday, September 12. 
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
208 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 66 72 70 (£10,000).
210 James Ruth (St Mellion) 67 68 65 (£5,000)
211 James Watts (East Herts) 72 70 69, Nick James (Wenvoe Castle) 67 74 70 (£2,000 each).

OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
216 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 72 65 79 (T16) (£446).
217 Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) 75 69 73 (T20) (£365)
218 John Gallagher (Turnhouse) 71 71 76 (T28) (£294)
221 Wallace Booth (Comrie) 76 68 65 (T47) (£212)

LAWRIE CHASING FELLOW ABERDONIAN RAMSAY IN EUROPEAN MASTERS

                 RICHIE RAMSAY ... leads Omega European Masters 

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Paul Lawrie will need to overhaul fellow Aberdonian Richie Ramsay if he is to emulate Thomas Björn by recording a notable win double on the European Tour.
Twelve months ago, Björn claimed victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles before securing the Omega European Masters title.
Having triumphed in Scotland last week, Lawrie - together with Danny Willett - now finds himself one shot off the lead heading into the final round at Crans-sur-Sierre.
While Lawrie double bogeyed the 14th and dropped shots on two other holes in an eventful 67 that started with an eagle, Ramsay avoided any mishaps.
He ended the third day on 11 under, having registered three birdies on each nine to card 64 on a day when the par of the course was reduced to 70, with the sixth hole having been converted to a 140 yard par three following heavy overnight rain.
“It was a very good day’s work,” said Ramsay. “A couple more putts would’ve been nice, but other than that I’ve got no complaints at all.
“There were plenty of chances out there, but as always my plan was just to play the golf course, not the other people out there. If someone started making loads of birdies and was running away with the tournament, I would still have just stuck to my plan.”
“I know I play my best when I get into that mindset. I’m just trying to chip away slowly and not make too many bogeys, and today I didn’t make any at all!”
Like Lawrie, Ramsay was also able to take confidence from his performance at Gleneagles, where he finished sixth.
“Yeah, I played nicely last week,” he added. “I’ve just got to stick to the gameplan and try to knock on that door. If the door opens and I get the win, then fantastic. If not, then I’ll try again next week.”
Lawrie is understandably excited by the prospect of potentially following in Björn’s footsteps.
“Your aim every week is to put yourself into a decent position with 18 holes to play, and I’ve managed to do that,” he reasoned.
“At the start of the week I would’ve taken one shot behind going into the final round. If I can go on to emulate the great Dane by getting another win under my belt then I must be a half-decent player!”
Willett, another man to start with a three on the par five first, finished his round of 68 with back to back birdies.
Overnight leader Julien Quesne was two adrift of Ramsay following a topsy-turvy performance; he fired six birdies and as many bogeys after play had been suspended by an hour and 40 minutes due to thick fog.
Mathias Grönberg - the winner of this event way back in 1995 - leapt into a tie for fifth with Jamie Donaldson and Jaco van Zyl courtesy of a 65.
Ramsay’s round, meanwhile, was topped only by Joost Luiten, level par overnight, who eagled the first and 15th in a stunning seven under 63.
David Howell looked set to be in one of the final groups, only to slip back to six under with double bogeys at 16 and 18.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 212 (71-71-70)
201 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 69 68 64
202 Danny Willett (England) 67 67 68, Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 69 66 67
203 Julien Quesne (France) 68 65 70

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
209 David Drysdale 68 74 67 (T32)
210 Marc Warren 76 66 68 (T45)
211 Colin Montgomerie 72 68 71, Stephen Gallacher 67 71 73 (T54)

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SOUTH-EAST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD

This weekend the South-east District Open championship at Longniddry rings down the curtain on the SGU 72-hole Order of Merit tournament circuit

FOLLOW THE SCORING ON THE LOTHIANS ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

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HUTCHEON SET FOR TARTAN TOUR DOUBLE WHAMMY - ORDER OF MERIT AND MONEY TITLES

  Greig Hutcheon drives off in the final round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open at Meldrum House yesterday. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO EVENTS TO GO IN THE PGA OF SCOTLAND'S 2012 ORDER OF MERIT AND BANCHORY'S GREIG HUTCHEON APPEARS TO HAVE A LOCK ON THE NUMBER ONE POSITION.
SAME GOES FOR THE LEADING MONEY-WINNER TITLE.
HUTCHEON ALSO HAS A BIG LEAD IN IT.
LATEST PLACINGS

2012 TARTAN TOUR MONEY TABLE

1 Greig Hutcheon   £27,968
2 Graham Fox        £23,127
3 Scott Henderson £21,978
4 Stephen Gray     £21,556
5 Robert Arnott     £15,820
6 David Orr           £14,801
7 Paul McKechnie  £14,306
8 David Patrick      £12,345
9 Jason McCreadie £11,770
10 Chris Kelly        £11,134
Chris Currie          £11,022
Neil Fenwick         £12,300
Gareth Wright      £10,231
Craig Matheson    £9,763
Graeme Brown     £8,775
Greg McBain        £8,394
James McGhee    £7,964
Mark Kerr            £7,469
Jonathan Lomas  £6,272
Alan Lockhart      £4,369
Ross Cameron    £4,311
Steven Taylor     £3,820
Ross Dixon         £3,677
Kenny Hutton     £3,637
Scott Herald       £2,481
Chris Doak         £2,071
Paul Wardell       £1,472

LATEST ORDER OF MERIT PLACINGS

1	Greig Hutcheon	Banchory Golf Club	6	971.67
2	David Patrick	Elie Sports Centre	6	783.75
3	Gareth Wright	West Linton Golf Club	6	774.08
4	Scott Henderson	Kings Links Golf Centre	6	720.00
5	Neil Fenwick	Dunbar Golf Club	6	710.00
6	David Orr	Mearns Castle Golf Academy	6	695.33
7	Graham Fox	Rowallan Castle Golf Club	5	607.50
8	Jason McCreadie	Buchanan Castle Golf Club	6	579.04
9	Robert Arnott	Bishopbriggs Golf Range	6	576.58
10	Paul McKechnie	Braid Hills Golf Range	6	576.08
11	Greg McBain	Gamola Golf	6	526.41
12	Stephen Gray	Hayston Golf Club	6	525.25
13	Chris Kelly	Cawder Golf Club	5	512.12
14	Christopher Currie	Caldwell Golf Club	6	488.25
15	Jonathan Lomas		6	467.50
16	Craig Matheson	Falkirk Tryst Golf Club	6	455.58
17	Kenneth Hutton	Downfield Golf Club	5	423.85
18	James McGhee	Duddingston Golf Club	5	376.
19	Steven Taylor	Bothwell Castle Golf Club	5

TREVOR FISHER WINS ON SOUTH AFRICAN SUNSHINE TOUR

FROM THE SUNSHINE TOUR WEBSITE
He felt it was a bit scrappy, but Trevor Fisher Jnr did enough to top R1-million in prize money for the year when he won the South African Sunshine Tour's Wild Waves Golf Challenge with his 13-under-par total on Friday.
The 33-year-old defeated Ross Wellington by two strokes at the par-70 Wild Coast Sun Country Club, a margin he managed to open out on the 15th hole at which point the pair was locked together at 11-under-par.
“Ross three-putted there, and when I made birdie, I could breathe a little easier,” said Fisher. “But it’s never easy closing out a tournament, and the 18th was not easy with a very tough pin position.”
But he did close it out with a well-crafted par, while Wellington battled his way to a bogey, and he took his fifth Sunshine Tour title and his first at the coast.
It was his first victory since he won in Bloemfontein in 2009, and has put an explanation point on a season which has included four other top-10s – his best a share of third in the Joburg Open.
His R95,100 winner’s cheque consolidated his position in fifth on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and pushed his season winnings over the R1-million mark – the most he’s ever won on the tour since he turned professional in 2002.
He’s also the top money-winner who is campaigning in South Africa, with the four players above him all in Europe or the United States.
“I didn’t hit the ball well today,” said Fisher, but his final-round four-under-par 66 belied that: He was bogey-free while all about him in the top 10 was making bogeys.
For a long while, Wellington didn’t look like succumbing to the pressure, but it had its effect on 15 and again on 18, after he had made birdie on 17 to close the gap on Fisher to one ahead of the tough finishing hole.
But Wellington pulled his drive into a fairway bunker on the right and wasn’t able to put his ball on the green with his approach from there. His chip was only just on the putting surface, and with the speed of the greens pretty severe, a two putt for bogey was the best he could hope for.
Fisher, on the other hand, played his approach from the right rough to just short of the green, below the hole, and a calm two-putt for par saw him home.
One shot behind Wellington was Oliver Bekker, who carded a final-round 66, while rookie Danie van Tonder completed a second consecutive top-five finish with his closing 67 and fourth place. 

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WEB.COM TOUR REPORT, SCORES

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SOUTH KOREAN NOH LEADS DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Staff and wire Reports

NORTON, Mass. -- Tiger Woods had his lowest opening round in three years Friday in the Deutsche Bank Championship. It still wasn't enough to be low man in Sean Foley's coaching stable.
 Seung-Yul Noh, a rising star from South Korea in his first season on the PGA TOUR, ran off four straight birdies early in his round and closed with back-to-back birdies on the TPC Boston for a 9-under 62. 
That gave him a one-shot lead over Chris Kirk, whose 23 putts included an eagle on the new 18th hole at the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs. 
Woods wasn't too shabby. He stirred up a big gallery on a glorious summer day in New England with six straight birdies, which featured four putts of at least 12 feet and flop shot executed so perfectly that it cleared a steep bunker and landed in an area of the green no larger than a hula hoop. 
His lone bogey on the final hole gave him a 7-under 64, putting him in a three-way tie for third with Jeff Overton and Ryan Moore.
The average score was just under 70 on a perfect day for scoring, except for the deceptive wind that swirled through the trees. Rory McIlroy struggled off the tee, though he judged one of the lies in the rough beautifully on the ninth hole, a 7-iron into tap-in range that led to a 65.
Noh stole the show, even if hardly anyone was paying attention or was not really sure who he was.
"Some people say Kevin Na, like, `Go Kevin,'" Noh said. The 21-year-old from South Korea won his first Asian Tour title at age 17, and he chose to come over to America this year to ease his travel. He made it through q-school in December, and on Friday turned in his strongest PGA TOUR round to date.
"Everything good today," Noh said. He went to work with Foley in May, mentioning the roster of clients -- which features Woods, Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose -- as one of his reasons.
"He's a good kid," Mahan said after a much-needed 68. "If Foley says, `Do this 1,000 times,' he'll go home and do it 1,000 times."
 The start was more meaningful for Overton, whose game has practically disappeared since he played on the Ryder Cup team two years ago. He is No. 83 in the FedExCup standings, and only the top 70 advance next week to the third Playoffs event at Crooked Stick in Indiana -- his home state.
"I'm constantly getting a lot of great text messages and people say, `Hey, we're really excited to see you at Crooked Stick,' just the whole Hoosier nation," Overton said. "It's just going to be fun if I can get into the event."
He had his own birdie streak, only on the opposite end of the course from Woods. Overton made five straight birdies through the 16th hole, and then added one more birdie on the 18th hole for a 64 that put him atop the leaderboard with Woods from the morning session.
Woods played with Barclays winner Nick Watney and Brandt Snedeker, two players who are trying to make enough of an impression on Davis Love III to be selected as Ryder Cup captain's picks on Tuesday. Snedeker scrambled his way to a respectable 69. Watney, who has never finished higher than 33rd on the TPC Boston, never looked comfortable in his round of 72.
Dustin Johnson, another candidate to get one of the four Ryder Cup selections, opened with a 67.
Rickie Fowler overcame a rugged start to salvage a 71. Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker, likely to get two of the picks, each had a 69.
Getting off to a good start is nothing new for Woods. This was the 14th time in 18 tournaments this year that he was at par or better. Lately, it's been about the finishes. 
Even though Woods has won three times this year -- the most of anyone on the PGA TOUR -- he has turned in some peculiar weekends. Twice he was tied for the lead at majors going into the final two rounds and stumbled. Last week at Bethpage Black, he had a 72-76 weekend to drop into the middle of the pack.
Woods doesn't seem bothered by all this. He attributed last week to extreme conditions on the greens at Bethpage in the third round, and a final round that simply got away from him on a three-hole stretch on the back nine.
"It wasn't like I was hitting a lot of awful shots," he said. "I just needed a couple putts to go my way, and it didn't happen. I should be right around par, and it turns into an over-par round. Today was about the same as I have been playing pretty much all summer, just go out there and playing pretty consistent. It was just a nice, solid round."
There was a stretch when it all looked so easy.

Woods hit a full swing, flop shot behind the 12th green to a few feet away to save par, the only time he was seriously in trouble. He hit a high cut with a 5-iron to a tough pin on the par-3 11th for birdie from 15 feet, and he holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 13th.

The streak began with a 6-iron to the middle of the 18th green for a two-putt birdie. He rolled in birdie putts from the 12-foot to 18-foot range on the next three holes, and while he nearly holed out with a wedge on No. 5, his best work came at the 293-yard fourth hole.
Woods can reach the green with a 3-wood, but he felt the wind gust into his face, and opted for a driver, playing for a baby cut to take off some distance and get it into the front bunker for a relatively easy up-and-down. Instead, it came a yard short of the sand, and he had to play a high flop to a tiny section of the green that ran away from him.
"I had to play an all-out shot to try to keep it on the green," he said. "I went for it, and it came off."
His bid for a seventh straight birdie -- the last time he had a streak that long was the third round at the 2005 Masters that carried into Sunday morning -- was a 12-footer up the hill on the sixth hole. He took a step toward the hole as the ball was a foot away, sure it was going to drop, and stopped in his tracks as the ball turned slightly to the left. He spun around and removed his cap in disbelief.
As many as he was making, perhaps it was a shock to see one miss.
"Unfortunately, it just wiggled about a half-ball left, where I thought it was going to wiggle about a half-ball right," he said.
The round ended on a sour note, with a 7-iron as the wind briefly died. The ball went into the collar of the green, sitting down just enough that he tried to swing hard enough to generate speed and spin the ball. It didn't work out, and the chip ran 12 feet by. He missed for his only bogey, and tossed his putter at the bag in disgust. Anyone who had not seen the previous 17 holes might have thought it was another tough day at the office.
Instead, it was his lowest score since a 64 in the opening round of the 2009 AT and T National at Congressional.