GRAHAM FOX WINS BY ONE AT BARASSIE

Last year's Order of merit winner Graham Fox (Rowallan) once again shone on the Ayrshire Links with excellent 69 over Barassie Links to win by a single shot from Cawder's Paul Wilson 70 at the Ayrshire Winter Golf Association fixture
Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills)  and Kilmacolm trainee Mike Paterson claimed a creditable joint third spot with 71s. 
Conditions proved difficult with the course being very wet underfoot after heavy rainfall over the last week. 
The Amateur NEER DAY TROPHY was won by home member Ron Punton whose net 71 was enough to pip Gordon Clark of Bogside into 2nd place with a net 72.
 Full results can be found on the website at www.ayrshirewintergolfassociation.webs.com.

The next fixture is on Tuesday, January 22 at West Kilbride GC


If anyone is interested in joining the Ayrshire Winter Golf Association contact the Secretary Marcus McAllister @ AWGASECY@HOTMAIL.CO.UK

 

	AYRSHIRE WINTER GOLF ASSOCIATION
	BARASSIE		08/01/2013
PROFESSIONALS/TRAINEES		CLUB	SCORE
GRAHAM	FOX	Rowallan	69
PAUL	WILSON	Cawder	70
PAUL	MCKECHNIE	Buchanan Castle	71
MIKE	PATTERSON	Kilmacolm G. C.	71
MATTHEW	BURT	Helensburgh	74
ALISTAIR	BROWN	Archerfield	75
IAN	COLQUHOUN	Dundonald	75
CHRIS	CURRIE	Caldwell	75
JASON	McCREADIE	Buchanan Castle	75
JAMIE	McKAY	North Gailes	76
ALISTAIR	FORROW	Whitecraigs	76
SCOTT	GARRETT	Fereneze	77
CRAIG	MATHESON	Falkirk Tryst	77
SIMON	PAYNE	Cowglen	77
DAVID	FLEMING	Prestwick	79
PAUL	ROBINSON	Largs	81
JOE	McBREARTY	Haggs Castle	82
ROSS	McLEOD	Eastwood	n/r
IAIN	McNAB	Dundonald	n/r
		NE'ERDAY TROPHY
AMATEURS		CLUB	GROSS	HCAP	NET
RON	PUNTON	Barassie	77	6	71
GORDON	CLARK	Irvine GC	86	14	72
JOE	DEVLIN	West Kilbride	78	4	74
MARK	LIRONI	Cathkin Braes	82	8	74
GERRY	SMITH	Royal Troon/Glasgow GC	78	4	74
TOM	CROZIER	Abbotsford	88	13	75
PETER	MACKIE	Ardeer	91	16	75
SCOTT	MCINTOSH	Cowglen	80	5	75
PETER	MILLER	Milngavie G C	84	8	76
JOHN	RUSHBURY	Barassie	81	5	76
FULL RESULTS ON THE WEBSITE - www.ayrshirewintergolfassociation.webs.com

FALLEN STAR DUVAL SAYS IT'S GOING TO BE "A DIFFERENT YEAR"

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) - David Duval spent his first full season of professional golf in the minor leagues, finishing No. 8 on what was then the Nike Tour money list to earn his U.S. PGA Tour card. 
Nearly 20 years later, after a career in which he has won a major, a U.S. PGA Tour money title and was No. 1 in the world, Duval is willing to go back.
Duval still doesn't know where he will start his 2013 season, but he believes it will be a year like no other. Duval's only status is as a past champion. His only mission is to start his season next year in Hawaii, whether that's the Tournament of Champions or the Sony Open with full status.
"My wife is excited, I'm excited," Duval said over the weekend. "It's going to be a different year with me the way things have changed for exemptions. I've made it clear that this year is about getting healthy and getting status."
Duval has endured a number of injuries, the latest a broken toe that kept him out of the Father-Son Challenge last month.
Most tournaments have had their unrestricted sponsor exemptions cut in half to two because the tour is trying to create space for players in a short season.
Duval was disappointed to learn on Monday he had been turned down for an exemption to the Humana Challenge, where he delivered one of the most famous moments in tournament history when he shot 59 on the final day to win what was then the Bob Hope Classic. He remains hopeful to get an exemption for Torrey Pines, though he is not standing on the street corner holding out his hat.
His plan is to play - anywhere.
"If I have to go play somewhere, I'll go to the Web.com Tour, too," Duval said. "I'd like to get in that four-week series at the end of the year."
There are two ways to get into the "Finals" to earn back his card - finish from No. 126 to No. 200 in the FedEx Cup points, or be in the top 75 on the Web.com Tour money list. Then, it's a money list built on four $1 million purses with 25 cards available.
"You don't want to count on charity from other people to play," Duval said, referring to U.S. PGA Tour exemptions. "You have to a little, but I'm going to play where I need to play to be in Hawaii next year."
Meanwhile, Duval is returning to Nike, but he left vague specifics of any deal. He was the first player to win a major using Nike Golf clubs in 2001 at the British Open. "I will be playing all Nike this year. New covert driver, ball, wedges, etc." he said on Twitter.
"I'm going to be with them again," Duval said when asked about a deal. "I haven't signed anything. We've agreed to move forward, is the best way to put it."
Duval then headed out to practise at home in Denver. He said he has been working all winter, even if that means hitting balls in his garage when it's cold.
"It's up to me to be ready to play," he said.

HARRINGTON RETURNS TO DURBAN, WHERE IT ALL STARTED FOR HIM IN 1996

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Seventeen years on from making his professional debut on The European Tour in the FNB Players Championship at Durban Country Club, Padraig Harrington returns to the South African venue for this week’s Volvo Golf Champions.

Despite playing “terribly” from tee to green, the three-time Major Champion finished in a tie for 49^th place in the 1996 tournament won by Wayne Westner – a result which helped convince the Irishman he belonged on The European Tour.

He explained: “I rang home and said, “Mum, I’ve just finished 49th, I won, £1,480  – and I couldn’t have played much worse. They are just giving it away!

"Back then, £1,480 was a fortune.  The most I had ever won before that was about £300.

“So it gave me great momentum, because having played terribly from tee to green, I walked away from the tournament thinking: “Wow, I can play a lot better, and yet I still made the cut, and I still made some money.” So I really felt like I belonged. 

“Whereas, if my first tournament was at, say, Wentworth, I might have shot 72-73 to miss the cut, been 20 shots behind the leader and felt like I should never go and play with the pros again, because I wasn’t good enough.”

Fast forward almost two decades, and Harrington has racked up 14 titles and accrued more than €23million in career earnings on The European Tour.

His last Tour title came at the 2008 US PGA Championship, since when Harrington has struggled to recapture the form of his halcyon days. But the Irishman has high hopes for the 2013 campaign, and is itching to return to competitive action after six weeks away from the game.

He said: “I really do like starting a tournament where there’s no cut, so no matter what happens this week, I’m going to get four rounds. Sometimes I’ve avoided coming here in the past because it’s the South African players’ summer and they are all ready to play, but you’re a little bit rusty.

“You shoot a couple of 72s, don’t play too badly but still miss the cut. So you spend another weekend on the range, which is not really helping things, because you need a card in your hand. Whereas this week, if I play well I have a chance of winning the tournament – and even if things don’t go well for me on Thursday and Friday, I still have Saturday and Sunday to find some form.

“If you shoot 75-75-75-65, I guarantee you’re feeling pretty good about your game. Whereas if you shoot 72-72 and miss the cut in a normal event, you’re feeling miserable. So it’s huge getting that extra couple of rounds in, no matter what. I think a lot of players know they will get a nice start to the year and get some momentum going. "Hopefully I can get off on the right foot and set myself up nicely for a great season ahead.”

LEADING SCOTS AMATEURS COMPETING GLOBALLY THIS MONTH

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE

A number of Scotland’s leading amateur players will compete globally later this month with the Australian Amateur Championship and the South American Amateur Championship on their agendas.

Scottish Golf Union Men’s Performance Squad players Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) and James White (Lundin) are both competing Down Under, along with Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs), winner of the 2012 North of Scotland Stroke Play.

Indeed, a field featuring over 50 international players from the likes of Canada, USA, England, Germany, Finland, Japan, France, Singapore, Korea and New Zealand will tee it up against Australia’s best in the Australian Amateur Championship.

A total of 288 players will head to Melbourne’s impressive Commonwealth and Woodlands Golf Clubs for the men's and women's titles held from January 15 to 20, and will contest qualifying over 36-holes with the leading 64 men and 32 women going forward to match play.

The Men’s championship will have a new winner, with the 2012 champion Marcel Schneider (Germany) having turned professional. Other past winners include Michael Clayton, Michael Campbell, Matt Goggin and Brett Rumford.

Commonwealth Golf Club is the primary venue and has previously hosted the 2010 and 2011 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

“I’ve just been goal setting for the year in the last few days,” said Robertson, who enjoyed a superb 2012 which saw him help steer Scotland to Home Internationals glory, win the Palmer Cup with Europe and represent Great Britain and Ireland in the St Andrews Trophy.

“Everything for me is geared towards the Walker Cup in September (at National Golf Links of USA, New York). Hopefully I can win a major event worldwide and give myself a good start to the season.

“I’ve just come back from playing in Arizona, as Palmer Cup players were invited to the Patriot All-America Invitational. Now it’s on to Australia and then to South Africa for some events, as part of the SGU’s winter performance programme. I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

White will also have a Walker Cup spot in his sights this year after the former SGU Men's Order of Merit winner was part of the Great Britain and Ireland Training Squad in 2012.

As well as the Australian Amateur, the Scots will go on to contest the Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship at Belmont Golf Club from January 24 to 27 before Robertson and White join up with squad members in South Africa.

Meanwhile, a four-strong Scots contingent will play the South American Amateur Championship in Colombia.

The event is to be held from January 23 to 26 at the El Rincon Golf Club, Bogota and four members of the SGU’s Men’s Transitional Squad will compete.

Former Scottish Amateur champion Graham Gordon (Newmachar) will be joined by Erskine’s Michael Daily, Fraser Moore of Glenbervie and Jamie Savage, the Cawder player who was runner-up on the Scottish Hydro Boys’ Order of Merit in 2012.

ROSE AND DUFNER TO PLAY IN QATAR MASTERS

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR
World Number Four Justin Rose of England and American World Number Nine Jason Dufner are amongst the highest-ranked players to confirm their participation in the US$2.5 million Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The news was announced during the pre-event conference today at Doha Golf Club, where the tournament will be held from January 23 to 26.
José Maria Olazábal, a 23-time European Tour winner, will also compete in Qatar, where the Spanish legend is assured of a special reception after captaining Rose and his European teammates to a spectacular comeback victory in The Ryder Cup last September.
Rose, who will join Ryder Cup colleagues Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer and defending champion Paul Lawrie in Doha, impressed on his last visit to the Middle East in November when a closing course record 62 secured a runner-up finish behind World Number One Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
The 32-year-old Englishman, also second to McIlroy in the 2012 Race to Dubai, is hoping to go one better in Qatar following a stunning season that included his first WGC title, a starring role in The Ryder Cup, his best finish in a Major and a career-high world ranking of four.
“I finished the year playing really well and I want to build on that in the Middle East. I’ll be looking to win early in the season and to win the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters would be a brilliant start and set me up well in the lead-up to the Masters,” said Rose, who last competed in Doha in 2009.
“My game’s in a good place right now and I’m playing well on all types of golf courses. I really enjoy playing desert courses like Doha Golf Club as it requires lots of imagination and shot making ability, which suits me. I believe I can win as I’ve been performing consistently for a while now.”
Rose outlasted Bubba Watson to win the WGC - Cadillac Championship last March for his fourth US PGA Tour victory in three years and fifth career title on The European Tour, where he was the leading money winner in 2007.
The father-of-two went on to impress in big events on both sides of the Atlantic, finishing joint runner-up at the BMW PGA Championship in England in May, joint-third at the US PGA Championship in August and runner-up in the Tour Championship in the US in September. In October, he won the star-studded Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, competing against the best players in the world.
Rose also stood out in The Ryder Cup, where he teamed up with Ian Poulter to win two foursomes matches and came from behind to beat Phil Mickelson in the singles, sinking long birdie putts on the final two holes to secure Europe’s fifth straight point on Sunday.
“The European Tour has such a big reach globally so the reception I’ve received throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa, where I’ve played since The Ryder Cup, has been amazing,” Rose said.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting the fans in Doha as I’ve no doubt they’ll provide a fantastic atmosphere.”
Dufner, 35, is looking forward to facing Rose as he competes in Doha for the first time just four months after his Ryder Cup debut at Medinah, where he finished on the losing side despite winning three out of four points.
“However, it’s great that Justin’s playing in Doha. I’ve played practice rounds and competitive rounds with him. He’s a very skilled golfer and has come into his own with some big wins. Qatar has one big tournament a year so it’ll be good to have as many good players as possible.” said Dufner, who won twice on last year’s US PGA Tour and finished fourth on the money list with almost US$4.9 million.
An experienced traveller, Dufner finished runner-up in The European Tour’s Perth Invitational in Australia in October before competing in Malaysia and China, and is now keen to make his first visit to Qatar.
“I’m looking forward to Qatar, which looks like a good event when I’ve seen it on TV. I’ve spoken to some US Tour players and they say the Middle East tournaments are some of the better events of the year. It should be fun,” said Dufner, whose pre-shot waggle and swing have drawn comparisons to the legendary Ben Hogan.
“I’ve travelled a good bit through my golf career, from when I was on the Nationwide Tour and we played in Australia and other countries. I’ve played in Japan, in China a couple of times, Malaysia, South Africa and so on. I often travel for tournaments in the off-season, so it’s new for me to play in Doha at the beginning of the year.”
One of golf’s late bloomers, Dufner captured his first US PGA Tour title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last April. After getting married the following Saturday, he won again two weeks later at the HP Byron Nelson Championship to break into the world’s top 10.
“New Orleans was a good place for me because I’d played well there before (third in 2011). It was like an early wedding present and it was great to go on and get another win so soon after. It all just kind of snowballed,” said Dufner, who also lost a play-off for the US PGA Championship in 2011, the year he also finished runner-up in the Phoenix Open.
“The wins gave me a lot more confidence because that’s what I’d been working toward for so long. It was good to gain some success after hard work. It helped make any small doubts go away. It gave me the belief I could do it.”
Olazábal will be another crowd favourite in Doha after masterminding Europe’s Ryder Cup win, a crowning glory on a storied career that includes two Masters Tournament titles (1994, 1999) among a total of 23 European Tour wins, putting him eighth on the all-time list.
The 46-year-old Spaniard, who played in seven Ryder Cups, last won a Tour event in 2005 but tied for 12th in Doha last year and played well at the UBS Hong Kong Open in November, where he shot an opening 66 on his way to a tie for 15th.
Hassan Al Nuaimi, President of the Qatar Golf Association, believes the addition of Rose, Dufner and Olazábal to the field for the 16th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters will ensure a spectacular event for golf fans in Doha.
“Justin Rose and Jason Dufner are two of the world’s leading golfers, as shown by their high ranking, and both will be among the favourites to win the 16th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters,” Al Nuaimi said.
“José Maria Olazábal is a golfing great and one of The European Tour’s most successful players. He showed his inspirational character as Captain of Team Europe at The Ryder Cup in September, so he is assured of an especially warm reception at Doha Golf Club.”
Andrew Stevens, Group Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Bank of Qatar, said this year’s tournament would have a strong Ryder Cup theme in honour of one of the most memorable sporting competitions of recent years.
“We already have five players from The 2012 Ryder Cup competing in this year’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, as well as the victorious Captain, José Maria Olazábal, which will make this a special event,” Stevens said.
“We are delighted to confirm the presence of so many leading players from Europe and the US, and will be announcing more world-famous players in the coming days.”
Paul Lawrie (1999, 2012) and Adam Scott (2002, 2008) are the only two-time winners of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, while other champions include multiple Major winners Ernie Els (2005) and Retief Goosen (2007).

ENGLAND NAME SIX FOR COSTA BALLENA TOURNAMENT

NEWS RELEASE ENGLAND GOLF
Patrick Kelly, just back from a victorious trip to the United States, and Nick Marsh, winner of back-to-back tournaments on a professional tour in Spain prior to Christmas, have both been included in a six-strong team to represent England Golf in the annual Costa Ballena Quadrangular Tournament in Spain later this month.
Kelly (Boston West, Lincolnshire) and Marsh (Huddersfield, Yorkshire) will be joined by Jack Bartlett (Worthing, Sussex), Ryan Evans (Wellingborough, Northamptonshire), Darren Timms (Mid Kent, Kent) and Daniel Wasteney (Bondhay, Yorkshire) for the tournament being played over the Ocean Club course from January 23 to 25.
Kelly, 18, became English Boy champion at Royal Cinque Ports last summer and he continued that good form by winning the annual post-Christmas Junior Orange Bowl International Championship in Florida.
Despite battling conjunctivitis and nosebleeds, Kelly not only beat a high class international field but did it by 13 strokes after returning four sub-70 rounds. An U16 cap in 2010, he has been a boy international for the past two years and finished runner-up in the British Boys Championship in 2011.
Last year, in which he finished runner-up on the Titleist/FootJoy England Golf Boys Order of Merit, Kelly won the Fairhaven Trophy, while he won five and halved the other of his six games in the Boys Home Internationals in Ireland. He also represented GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy.
Marsh, 18, upstaged the professionals by winning successive tournaments as an amateur on the Gecko Tour in December. Those triumphs capped a successful year for the Yorkshireman, who finished runner-up in the McEvoy Trophy and the English boys' county champions event and tied third in the Fairhaven Trophy.
He also reached the quarter finals of the British Boys Championship, helped Yorkshire win the English Boys County Championship and was leading individual in the Canadian International Junior Challenge in which England won the team title for the fifth successive year. Marsh also became a boy international and finished fourth on the Titleist/FootJoy England Golf Boys Order of Merit for 2012.
Bartlett, 23, a former Sussex county champion, won the Berkhamsted Trophy and the Hampshire Salver last year as well as finishing fourth in the Brabazon Trophy and fifth in the Selborne Salver.
Evans, 25, earned his biggest win to date when he lifted the South of England Open Amateur at Walton Heath last summer, having finished seventh the previous year. He also finished third in the Midland Open Amateur and seventh in the Berkshire Trophy and the Biarritz Cup and sixth on the Titleist/FootJoy England Golf Order of Merit.
Timms, 22, has come to the fore over the past two years and enjoyed a successful 2012 in which he finished fifth on the Order of Merit. He won the Lee Westwood Trophy in a playoff, finished runner-up in the Lagonda Trophy and the BUCS Student Tour Finals and tied seventh in the Berkshire Trophy.
Wasteney, 21, a former Yorkshire Open and NAPGC Championship winner, played in the Costa Ballena event two years ago. In 2012, he finished sixth in the Lagonda Trophy and reached the last 16 of the English Amateur Championship. 
After five successive runners-up finishes and third place last year, England will hope to land the title for the first time since 2006.
The Costa Ballena competition is played on a round robin basis over three days against teams from Finland, Germany and hosts Spain, each match comprising three foursomes and six singles.
Lynne Fraser
England Golf
Marketing and PR Manager

WHERE TO GO

                     AT HAMMAMET FROM FEBRUARY 9 to 16

 PLAY GOLF IN AFRICA FOR A WEEK, THEN BRAG ABOUT IT FOR A YEAR

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IT

CLICK HERE  

The leading professional in tomorrow's North-east Alliance competition at Inverallochy will earn a free trip to the Tunisia Golf Festival, courtesy of organisers Menara Travel. 

The all-expenses-paid trip - which is over the RandA Amateur Status limit of £500 value and consequently could only be awarded to a professional - will start and end at Manchester Airport. 

The par for the Inverallochy winter course on Wednesday will be:

OUT: 3-3-4 4-3-4 4-4-3: 32

    IN: 3-4-3 3-4-4 4-3-3: 31   Total Par 63   

The same Tunisia Festival trip prize will be at stake for the professionals in the upcoming West of Scotland and East of Scotland Alliance competitions.  The Midlands Alliance has already staged its relevant competition.

JUMEIRAH GROUP NOT RENEWING RORY McILROY SPONSORSHIP

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM  WEBSITE
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Jumeirah Group has announced that it is not renewing its five-year sponsorship deal with top-ranked Rory McIlroy amid expectations that the Northern Ireland golf star will sign with Nike next week.
The global luxury hotel company based in the United Arab Emirates signed a five-year deal with McIlroy when he was 18 and was one of his first corporate sponsors.
The announcement allows McIlroy to pursue a lucrative endorsement contract, with strong indications that he will sign with Nike in a deal that one industry observer estimated at $20 million a year. That would give Nike golf's two biggest stars in McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who has been with the swoosh since he turned pro in 1996.

LUKE DONALD TO PLAY IN MALAYSIAN OPEN IN MARCH

 

PRESS RELEASE

Kuala Lumpur, January 8: The excitement leading to one of the most important golf tournaments in the region, the Maybank Malaysian Open 2013, intensifies as the  title sponsor, Maybank, unveiled today its first confirmed Star Player, the current World Number 2 – Luke Donald.

 

The Maybank Malaysian Open 2013 which will be held from March 21 - 24 at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) is regarded as the most prestigious golf event in the country and a leading  National Open in the region. The event has hosted some of the best international and regional professional golf players. This year, the tournament ups the ante with a prize purse of US$2.75 million, an increase of US$250,000 from last year’s tournament.

 

Donald, a native of Hertfordshire, England, will be making his debut in the tournament. The 35 year old is determined to regain the World Number One crown this year from Rory McIlroy, one of his team-mates in Europe’s thrilling success at The 2012 Ryder Cup. Donald, who won the Money Lists on both sides of the Atlantic in 2011, has accrued a total of seven European Tour titles, including back to back success in the Tour’s Flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.

DUNCAN STEWART READY TO REPEAT SUCCESSFUL SHARES SCHEME

                 DUNCAN STEWART ... You can share in his success again

 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Duncan Stewart’s two £10,000 tournament wins on the PGA EuroPro Tour last year earned him promotion to the Challenge Tour this year – one rung below his ambition to play on the European Tour.

“Last season was by far my best and most successful year to date, with a win on the Gecko Tour in Spain and back to back wins on the EuroPro Tour,” said Grantown-on-Spey’s most famous pro golfer, although he was actually born in Inverness 28 years ago.

“I had six successful weeks in Dubai on the MENA Tour but the biggest achievement was finishing second on the EuroPro Tour order of merit which secured me my Challenge Tour card for this year.

“Gaining my CT card was fantastic after missing out on it by just £365 the previous year.”

There is no doubt in Stewart’s mind that the driving force behind his successful 2012 campaign was his decision at the start of last year to sell shares in himself as a pro golfer with the promise that those who invested in him and thus gave him the financial backing he needed would be paid a dividend from his winnings at the end of the season.

“It was not only the financial side that helped but the fact people believed in me and supported me was a huge factor,” he said.

“Over all I had around 60 different parties that invested in me, including Paul Lawrie. Having someone of Paul’s stature supporting me gave me extra belief in myself that I was good enough to make it to the top level.”

So it was not only Stewart but his shareholders who had a successful year in 2012. At the end of the season they  received a 25% profit on their investments.

Everybody who paid bought a £100 share got £125.88 back. “Although most people were not looking for a profit I was delighted to give something back to the people who have supported and believed in me,” said Stewart

“I am once again selling shares in myself to help fund my season on the Challenge Tour and I have made a few alterations to last year’s contract.

“The share price remains £100 but last year i limited the amount of shares to 150 whereas this year the limit is 300. The main reason for this is that my costs will double playing the European Challenge Tour – although there is a bigger prize fund to play for.

“I have already sold over 170 shares and that is mainly with people reinvesting from last year. Paul Lawrie texted me last October, letting me know he was reinvesting and doubling his stake.”

Naturally, Stewart, who had four successful years – with Russell Knox as a team-mate – on the US college golf circuit as a student at Jacksonville University, Florida, is raring to go on his latest golf challenge.

“I cannot wait to get this season started and i am looking forward to going to new places and hopefully being even more successful than last year,” he said.

“ I am going to Spain to play two Gecko Tour events next weekend. Then I will hopefully get into the first Challenge Tour event in India at the end of the month followed by Kenya two weeks later.

“Potential investors in me for the 2013 season  can find more details on my website www.duncanstewartgolfer.co.uk and companies can get their logos somewhere on my clothing if they buy a certain amount of shares."

 FROM THE DUNCAN STEWARTWEBSITE

Tournament winnings shall be divided as follows minus PGA levy:

i) Player sells 1-150 shares: 70% of said tournament winnings to Player; 30% pro rata per share to Sponsor;

ii) Player sells 151-200 shares: 60% of said tournament winnings to Player; 40% pro rata per share to Sponsor;

iii) Player sells 201-300 shares: 50% of said tournament winnings to Player; 50% pro rata per share to Sponsor;

LOGO PRICE:

Left chest - £2000 (20 shares) – SOLD

Right chest - £2000 (20 shares) – SOLD

Left arm - £2000 (20 shares) –

Right arm - £2000 (20 shares) –

Right collar - £1500 (15 shares) –

Left collar - £1500 (15 shares) –

Front of Cap - £2000 (20 shares) –

Right side of Cap - £1500 (15 shares) -

Left side of Cap - £1500 (15 shares) -

Golf Bag - £2000 (20 shares) -

Car - £1500 (15 shares) – SOLD

DUSTIN JOHNSON LEADS BY THREE AT 11 UNDER PAR IN STILL WINDY HAWAII

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM
+Scroll down past the leaderboard for a full report of the day's play.
KAPALUA, Maui, Hawaii -- The US PGA Tour got very fortunate to complete 36 holes on Monday. Both the golf course and the wind were right on the edge for most of the day.
Just as the second round began, two golf balls moved on the greens during wind gusts. Tour officials were ready to halt play but the winds subsided just enough for the tournament to continue. A brief morning rain injected just enough moisture into the greens, which rolled out at 8.6 in the stimpmeter.  
The course, the wind, the rain and the green speed were all just marginal enough for competition, reduced to 54 holes with a Tuesday finish, to continue.
Winds: Just because 36 holes were completed and just because Dustin Johnson (69-66), pictured, leads by three shots with an 11-under tally of 135, don’t think Monday was an easy day of golf. The wind blew between 20-25 miles an hour and gusts hovered in the upper 30s. 
The conditions allowed for some strange yardages. Johnson hit a couple of nine-irons 100 yards into the wind and hit one sand wedge 160 yards that he described as, “not quite a full wedge but close.”
Nerves: It was far from a walk in the park for Steve Stricker who is lying second on 138 (71-67). It was more like a long limp home. Stricker walked 36 holes with a nerve problem in his upper thigh that shot pain down into his leg. 
He was in obvious discomfort and would lie down in the fairway between shots to stretch. He was able to shoot 6-under 67 in the second round by putting well. Stricker took just 26 putts. He said the nerve issue started in December and cautioned officials he might withdraw at the start of the opening round. There is nothing like shooting 6 under to alleviate some of the pain.
Driving: Dustin Johnson put a new TaylorMade driver into his bag and leads the tournament in driving distance at 307.6 yards. He attacked the Plantation Course even in the high winds with phenomenal drives. 
Johnson putted for eagle on four different occasions on the back nine alone, shooting 5 under on the quartet of holes. The distance off the tee also enabled him to hit 33 of 36 greens despite finding just 15 of 30 fairways.
Conflict: Amanda Dufner faced a decision. Would she watch her husband Jason play his second round of golf or would she sneak off to the clubhouse to watch (American-style) football? Her alma mater won.
Amanda is a University of Alabama graduate and she enjoyed the National Championship game and outcome. Roll Tide.

LEADERBOARD
Par 146 (2x73)
Players from US unless stated
135 Dustin Johnson 69 66
138 Steve Stricker 71 67
139 Bubba Watson 70 69
140 Keegan Bradley 71 69, Brandt Snedeker 70 70

SELECTED SCORE
145 Ian Poulter (England) 71 74   

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KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) -- The Hyundai Tournament of Champions finally started Monday. At the end of a long day, Dustin Johnson looked ready to end it.

Even though he showed up on Maui a week before the tournament and played six practice rounds, Johnson was among four players who had not even set foot on the Plantation Course at Kapalua for four days because of endless delays. Once he got going, he hardly missed a beat. 

Johnson missed only three greens in regulation. Two of his three bogeys came on three-putts from inside 25 feet on perhaps the slowest greens US PGA Tour players will see all year. He had seven putts at eagle over 36 holes, four on the back nine of his second round. He converted the last one from 6 feet on his final hole, giving him rounds of 69-66 for a three-shot lead over Steve Stricker.

"I hit the ball really well this afternoon," said Johnson, who typically makes understatements like this when his game is right where he wants it.
Even his lone bogey of the afternoon round was pretty. He crushed his drive with such force on the 17th hole that it ran through the fairway and into a hazard.
"The way he's playing, the way he's striking it, the way he's controlling his golf ball, it's pretty good right now," said Bubba Watson, who played alongside Johnson. "And I don't see any different tomorrow from him."
Three days behind schedule because of high wind, the season started on the day the tournament was supposed to finish. Rickie Fowler made US PGA Tour history by hitting the opening shot of the season three times -- the first two "opening rounds" had to be scrapped by 40 mph gusts roaring down the hills.
Johnson returned some degree of normalcy under warm sunshine and strong wind. He simply overpowered Kapalua, twice driving the green on par 4s, one of them into the wind. He was at 11-under 135, and that lead looms even larger with only one round to play.
A weird week led to a strange sensation -- Monday was both the start of the tournament and moving day all in one.
Stricker started the long day wondering if he could even finish. About a month ago, he began feeling a shooting pain down his left side when he shifted his weight in that direction, and he was limping badly coming down the hill on the 18th in the middle of his second round. But from 67 yards away, his pitch rode the slope and wind to perfection and dropped for eagle, and his spirits lifted.
Stricker added a pair of birdies on the front nine and had a 67 to reach 138.
"Nobody knows if it's a muscle with pressure on the sciatic nerve or if there's a problem with a disk," Stricker said. "My back feels great. I don't feel tight. I don't feel stiff. Just every time I get over to my left side, I'm getting a shooting pain down my leg. I'm not hitting it full strength and I'm just trying to keep it in front of me and play the smart shots."
Watson birdied his last hole for a 69 and was four shots out of the lead. Keegan Bradley (69) and Brandt Snedeker (70) were another shot behind. They were the only players within five shots of Johnson.
Even though Johnson had not played the golf course since the pro-am Thursday, there was no lack of familiarity. He arrived a week early, and had six practice rounds on the Plantation Course before the wind arrived. He has a new driver and irons and wanted to make sure he made the adjustment. That doesn't seem to be a problem.
"I'm pretty pleased with my equipment. I'm pretty pleased with my game right now," Johnson said.
His only blunder in the afternoon was hitting the ball too well. He ran off three straight birdies late in the second round to pull away, and they were spectacular. He drove the green into the wind on the 292-yard 14th hole for a two-putt birdie, and then smashed a 3-wood 259 yards into the wind and onto the green for another two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. That was followed by a knockdown shot from 90 yards that the wind blew back to the hole within 4 feet for birdie.
His caddie, Bobby Brown, wanted Johnson to hit 3-wood with the wind at his back on the 17th, but Johnson tried to hit a soft driver. He crushed it, as usual, and it ran through the fairway and into the hazard for his only bogey. He answered with a 5-iron from 243 yards on the downhill 18th for a 6-foot eagle to take command.
It's tough enough for Stricker to match Johnson's length on a course like this. Tougher still is doing it when he can barely walk, especially downhill. Stricker isn't sure what's wrong with his lower back, or what's causing the pain. He took a small consolation from the fact it didn't get worse.
"It felt as crappy on the first hole as the last hole," he said.
Stricker said at the start of the tournament that he was going into semi-retirement this year, playing only about 10 events. He won't return to the US Tour after this week until the end of February at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. And he's not going to roll over for Johnson, regarded as the best American player under 30.
"You've just got to go out and play and play your hardest and see what happens," Stricker said. "I've been in that position where he's at now. It's a tough spot. It's tough to win in front. We've got really nothing to lose tomorrow and it makes it a little bit easier for us, but tougher on him."
Johnson will gladly take his position. He will be trying to win in his sixth straight season since leaving college, the longest streak of any player since Tiger Woods. And he won the last two 54-hole events on the US Tour, at the hurricane-shortened Barclays in 2011 and rain-delayed ATandT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2009.
"Just happened to win those two events," Johnson said. "I've still got 18 more holes of golf. It wouldn't matter if it was 72 holes or 54. Tomorrow is still the last round and there's 18 holes to play, so got to get the job done."