SCOTS 1-2-3-4 IN SOUTH REGION'S COSTA DEL SOL PRO-AM

Jason McCreadie, Chris Robinson and Craig Ronald staged a Tartan Tour takeover of the top spots in the Costa del Sol pro-am over the Torrequebrada and Santana courses.
In fact it was a Scotland 1-2-3-4 in the individual final placings as Anglo-Scot Craig Sutherland finished fourth in the field of 19 pros at the 72-hole event organised by the PGA South Region.
McCreadie, the Buchanan Castle pro, shot rounds o f72, 68m 74 and 70 to scoop the £700 first prize with a three-under-par total of 285.
Robinson (Portpatrick Dunskey collected the £550 runner-up prize with a total of 227, made up of rounds of 70, 70, 75 and 72.
Carluke's Ronald shot 76, 69, 74, 69 for level par 288 and the £450 third prize.
Sutherland totalled 289 with scores of 73, 72, 74 and 70. He finished five shots clear of the man in fifth place, Peter Mitchell (Le Mans Coldille) (76-72-78-68 for 294).
Other Anglo-Scots in the field were Kyle Kelsall who finished 11th on 311 (78-75-83-75) and Calum Callan (Cottesmore) in 13th place on 314 (86-83-73-72).

COSTA DEL SOL PRO-AM
Torrequebrada and Santana courses, Spain.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
285 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 72 69 74 70 (£750)
287 Chris Robinson (Portpatrick Dunskey) 70 70 75 72 (£550)
288 Craig Ronald (Carluke) 76 69 84 69 (£450).
289 Craig Sutherland (Cherry Lodge) 73 72 74 70.
294 Peter Mitchell (Le Mas Condille) 76 72 78 68.
OTHER SCOTS' SCOTS
311 Kyle Kelsall (unatt) 78 75 82 75 (11th).
314 Calum Callan (Cottesmore) 86 83 73 72 (13th).
Field of 19 pros.        

THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK, TIGER TELLS ABSENT RORY

 FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
 By JAMES CORRIGAN reporting from Day 3 of the Honda Classic in Florida
While England’s David Lynn celebrated his first pairing with Tiger Woods here on Saturday by outscoring him by two strokes, the 14-time major winner had some words of advice for Rory McIlroy
A day on from McIlroy’s withdrawal mid-round, the focus at the Honda Classic still concentrated on the world No 1 and his mysterious exit. 
For Woods it is simple.
 “He’s just got to be more... just got to think about it a little bit more before you say something or do something,” Woods said.

In other words, do not tell the truth. The saddest part of this farce could be the ending of McIlroy’s innocence. He is too honest for his own good. 
If he had told the journalists who interviewed the defending champion immediately after his withdrawal “I have so and so wrong with my body” then there would have been no outcry. Yet he did not and there was.

McIlroy was asked three times if a physical problem had forced his premature exit. Each time he replied “no”. “I’m not in a good place mentally,” he said.

Then the story changed to a sore wisdom tooth, before a picture was released of him munching a sandwich moments before he headed for the car-park. Cue ridicule mixed with a layer or two of outrage.

The outsiders probably wonder what all the fuss is about. McIlroy was seven-over for his eight holes and was certain to miss the cut. Why should he play on when there was effectively nothing to play for? The answer was given loud and very clearly by David Duval in a series of tweets.
“Always keep fighting and trying,” wrote Duval. “You never know who came to watch you play that day. How far they drove or from where they flew. That’s part of why I never quit.
“Illness or injury are the only reasons not to finish your round. As a pro you should always post your score. It’s your responsibility. Bad days and bad scores are part of golf. Don’t tee off if your ego can’t take it.”
Duval later denied that he was talking about McIlroy, a fellow “Nike athlete”. If that is correct then the timing was a huge coincidence.
For the past decade Duval, the former world No 1, has endured a series of public meltdowns. He has been the living example that as a professional golfer you never walk off.
Of course, McIlroy is a credit to his sport in many ways. The hope must be that he apologises for his actions in his press conference at Doral on Tuesday morning. 
McIlroy has so much goodwill invested with the Press corps that they would then allow him to concentrate on the WGC Cadillac Championship. At the moment, his wretched game should be his only concern.
He has finished just 62 stroke-play holes in more than three months.
And they have been awful. He is scheduled to play only two events before the Masters and is as woefully short of competition as he is of form. 
The £78  million deal he signed with Nike is proving to be an immensely damaging distraction. It is mental, not dental; it’s in the mind, as much as it’s in the swing. His great friend Graeme McDowell summed it up perfectly.
“When you start trying to prove things to other people and you stop playing for yourself it is a very dangerous place to be,” McDowell said.
 “He is playing to prove things to the media, playing to the naysayers and people who said he shouldn’t have done what he has done.
“To me it is not equipment, it’s all technique and a little bit of belief. To me he is not swinging the club the way he was late summer last year. But he will be okay. Once he starts believing in himself again he will be back.”
As it is, Woods has wrested Masters favouritism from McIlroy. He hauled himself up to the fringes of contention here in blustery conditions for the third round, with three birdies on the front nine. But Woods lost his ball in the hazard on the par-three 17th and that double bogey meant he had to settle for his third successive level-par 70.
So with his 68, Lynn could reflect on a memorable day. At two-under he was nine back of halfway leader, America’s Luke Guthrie. 

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ENGLAND v IRELAND IN THE SPANISH MATCH-PLAY FINAL

Neil Raymond (England), the No 9 qualifier, will meet Reeve Whitson (Ireland), the 11th qualifier, in tomorrow's 36-hole final of the Spanish men's amateur international championship at La Manga.

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CLOSING BIRDIE HAT-TRICK EARNS FICHARFT SHARE OF LEAD

Darren Fichardt signed off with a trio of closing birdies at Copperleaf Golf amd Country Estate, South Africa to join a four-way tie for the lead at the Tshwane Open.

The South African picked up eight shots today to post a third round 64 and finish the day 16 under par alongside 36-hole leader Charl Coetzee, compatriot Dawie Van der Walt and Chile’s Mark Tullo as storms once again affected play.

However, the almost two-hour delay could not put a stop to Fichardt’s fine form as he surged back to the top of the leaderboard, having lead after round one.

“I’m just hitting the right shots at the right time and making crucial putts, par-saving putts,’ explained Fichardt. “If I do hit a bad shot I recover from it and that’s what adds up to good scores, so I’m very happy with my game right now.”

It was a little more of a roller coaster for second round leader Coetzee who managed only two pars in his final nine holes, but five birdies countered a couple of dropped shots to see him finish in a share of the lead, and ideally placed to pick up a maiden professional win.

“It’s been so much fun,” said Coetzee. “This is a new experience for me and I’m loving it. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.”

As for Van der Walt and Tullo, neither has made a bogey in their first 54 holes as both look to pick up their first European Tour win on Sunday.

THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD

Par 216 (3x72)

200 M Tullo (Chi) 67 66 67, C Coetzee  (RSA) 67 65 68, D Fichardt (RSA) 65 71 64, D Van Der Walt (RSA) 68 65 67

201 L De Jager  (RSA) 71 65 65

202 P Uihlein  (USA) 68 66 68

203 D Howell (Eng) 67 69 67

204 G Van Der Merwe (RSA) 70 66 68

205 G Storm  (Eng) 70 68 67, O Bekker (RSA) 71 67 67, J Roos (RSA) 69 67 69, R Finch  (Eng) 70 66 69

206 D Willett  (Eng) 68 68 70, J Sjöholm (Swe) 68 68 70, K Broberg (Swe) 72 67 67, A Curlewis (RSA) 73 68 65, M Madsen  (Den) 70 67 69

207 C Basson (RSA) 70 66 71, R Wattel  (Fra) 70 66 71, M Nixon (Eng) 70 69 68, J Luiten (Ned) 69 69 69, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 67 71 69, S Kjeldsen (Den) 70 69 68, H Otto (RSA) 71 68 68, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 68 69, B Åkesson (Swe) 66 75 66

208 D McGrane (Irl) 68 71 69, V Groenewald (RSA) 68 70 70, R Rock (Eng) 71 69 68, J Ahlers (RSA) 68 72 68, J Hugo  (RSA) 67 71 70, A Da Silva (Bra) 69 70 69, J Walters (RSA) 71 71 66, S Henry  (Sco) 72 69 67, P Waring  (Eng) 74 65 69, G Mulroy (RSA) 69 70 69, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 69 68, J Kruger (RSA) 71 70 67

209 M Delpodio  (Ita) 71 68 70, C Nel (RSA) 69 70 70, M Bremner (RSA) 68 70 71, R De Smidt (RSA) 69 70 70, J Harding  (RSA) 68 70 71, R McGowan  (Eng) 73 68 68, M Korhonen (Fin) 68 72 69

210 D McGuigan (RSA) 71 67 72, E Pepperell (Eng) 70 72 68, M Kieffer (Ger) 72 69 69, L Jensen (Den) 73 67 70, G Stal  (Fra) 72 69 69, K Horne (RSA) 68 70 72, D Frittelli (RSA) 71 68 71, J Kamte (RSA) 69 70 71, J Kingston (RSA) 70 72 68, C Lloyd (Eng) 71 70 69, D Botes (RSA) 69 70 71

211 O Floren  (Swe) 73 69 69, R Cairns (Zim) 70 71 70

212 M Southgate  (Eng) 71 71 70, D Burmester (RSA) 68 70 74, M Carlsson  (Swe) 76 65 71, M Williams (RSA) 69 70 73

213 S Wakefield (Eng) 68 74 71, D Van Tonder  (RSA) 73 69 71, T Maseko (RSA) 70 69 74, N Schietekat (RSA) 75 67 71, J Campillo (Esp) 69 73 71, C Paisley  (Eng) 71 70 72, S Smith (RSA) 68 73 72,

214 D Clarke (Nir) 69 73 72, T Van Der Walt (RSA) 71 70 73, D Gaunt (Aus) 72 69 73,

216 M Warren (Sco) 70 72 74, J Olazábal (Esp) 76 66 74, D Horsey (Eng) 68 74 74,

217 G Muller (RSA) 70 72 75,

218 S Arnold  (Aus) 68 72 78, 

MISSED THE CUT

143 D Greene (RSA) 72 71 0, A Georgiou (RSA) 74 69 0, A Versfeld (RSA) 73 70 0, S Webster (Eng) 71 72 0, T Lewis (Eng) 73 70 0, P Larrazábal (Esp) 72 71 0, J Singh (Ind) 67 76 0, P McIntyre (RSA) 75 68 0, P Karmis  (RSA) 72 71 0, K Davidse (RSA) 74 69 0, T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 71 72 0, J Parry (Eng) 76 67 0, J Lara (Esp) 73 70 0, W Abery (RSA) 73 70 0, H Buhrmann (RSA) 72 71 0, E Molinari  (Ita) 72 71 0

144 O Fisher  (Eng) 70 74 0, P Erofejeff (Fin) 71 73 0, A Kaleka  (Fra) 76 68 0, C Doak (Sco) 73 71 0, A Sullivan (Eng) 71 73 0, A Pistorius (RSA) 70 74 0, A Snobeck  (Fra) 70 74 0, L Canter (RSA) 74 70 0, J Blaauw  (RSA) 70 74 0, E Kofstad (Nor) 72 72 0, C Swanepoel (RSA) 72 72 0, D Van Den Heever (RSA) 69 75 0

145 R McEvoy  (Eng) 73 72 0, M Hollick (RSA) 74 71 0, T Aiken (RSA) 75 70 0, S Little (Eng) 75 70 0, P Lawrie (Irl) 73 72 0, M Wiegele  (Aut) 71 74 0, B Pieters (RSA) 74 71 0, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 72 73 0,

146 M Lampert (Ger) 71 75 0, E De La Riva  (Esp) 77 69 0, M Carvell (RSA) 71 75 0, M Jonzon (Swe) 73 73 0, B Smith (RSA) 74 72 0, J Busby (Eng) 70 76 0, O Strydom (RSA) 72 74 0, J Lagergren (Swe) 75 71 0, D Hewan (RSA) 75 71 0, E Goya (Arg) 73 73 0, L Rowe  (RSA) 72 74 0, J Quesne  (Fra) 74 72 0, A Haindl (RSA) 70 76 0, L Ndwandwe (RSA) 71 75 0

147 M Hoey  (Nir) 75 72 0, D Higgins (Irl) 74 73 0, M Campbell (Nzl) 72 75 0, B Easton (RSA) 73 74 0, B Vaughan (RSA) 76 71 0, A Levy (Fra) 75 72 0,

148 T Spangenberg (RSA) 73 75 0, C Del Moral (Esp) 72 76 0, T Thimba Jnr (RSA) 77 71 0, A Michell (RSA) 74 74 0, T Baumann (Ger) 72 76 0,

149 C Macaulay  (Sco) 77 72 0,

150 N Fasth (Swe) 72 78 0, W Coetsee (RSA) 76 74 0, M Lundberg (Swe) 76 74 0, T Moore (RSA) 75 75 0

151 I Hutchings (RSA) 77 74 0

153 T Ferreira  (RSA) 72 81 0

155 J Van Tonder (RSA) 76 79 0, T Chabangu (RSA) 80 75 0,

** S Dyson  (Eng) 77 RT  0, D Drysdale (Sco) 73 retired  0, M Bothma (RSA) 77 RT  0, K Dube (RSA) 77 RT  0, S Norris  (RSA) 73 RT  0, J Van Zyl (RSA) 75 RT  0, T Sefatsa (RSA) 73 RT  0, J Claassen  (RSA) 80 WD  0, U Van Den Berg  (RSA) 75 RT 

 

 

GRAND FOURSOMES SEASON OPENER AT SWANSTON

 NEWS RELEASE

The 2013 season was opened by a grand foursomes match at Swanston. The Captain's team versus the Vice-captain's team. 

All sections of the club were involved. From our Juniors, Ladies, Gents' and Senior gents' sections, 76 members took part. 

Forsyth Henderson the overall club captain drove the first ball down the fairway to launch the 2013 golfing season.

The participants donated £150 towards the Scottish Golf Disability Partnership. Jocky Elliot, a member of both Swanston and SGDP, accepted the donation from Forsyth Henderson.

As a club we have invested heavily in new Toro greenkeeping equipment for the coming year. Optimism is very high as membership too is very buoyant. All we need now is for Mother Nature to give us some dry and sunny weather for the coming season.

The match this year was won by the Vice-captain's team (David Keen) by 11 matches to 8.

 

Stuart J Campbell

PGA Professional

Golf Manager

Swanston New Golf Club

111 Swanston Road

Edinburgh

EH10 7DS

01314452239

www.swanston.co.uk

 

PGAs OF EUROPE FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE

The 2013 PGAs of Europe Four-ball Championship has got off to a flying start in somewhat damp conditions at Lumine Mediterránea Beach and Golf Community in Tarragona, Spain, with Mark Ridley and David Clark from the PGA of GBandI and Pablo Herreria and Ismael Del Castillo from the PGA of Spain leading the charge through Round One.

Play got underway across both the Hills and Lakes Courses at Lumine Golf Club in wet and windy conditions, but with nowhere near the force that was forecast for the day, giving the players a welcome opportunity to post some excellent opening rounds.

The pairings of Herreria and Del Castillo, and Ridley and  Clark both tackled the Hills course each scoring seven-under 65s with only one bogey recorded between both pairs.

Three pairs on the Par-71 Lakes course (Saluda and Ossowski, Gronkvist and Magnusson, and Van Hauwe and Vandooren) carded six-under 65s, whilst Cavalheiro and  Santos carded a six-under 66 around the Hills course.

Two pairs of Peter Bronson and David Pastor, and Erik Moll and Lothar Jahn lie at tied-for-seventh five-under par, followed by no fewer than 13 players tied for ninth place, all firing four-under par rounds across both courses.

With the top twenty-one players all within three of the lead, the door is wide open for the teams to make their moves as they switch courses for round two.

-------------------------

For more information from the 2013 PGAs of Europe Fourball Championship, visit the Fourball Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the PGAs of Europe Facebook Page.

For more information on Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Community, visit www.lumine.com. 

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SERENA STOPPED FROM TAKING PICTURE OF RORY

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Serena Williams was stopped from taking a picture of Tiger Woods by a tournament official at the Honda Classic in Florida on Friday.

Williams, who was near the 17th tee, tried to take a picture on her iPhone but an eagle-eyed official was quick to stop her with a wave of an arm.

The top-ranked women's tennis player, not easily put off, took one anyway, snapping a shot of Woods' follow-through on the par-three tee shot.

Serena was quick to voice her surprise at golf's stringent phone rules.

She tweeted:"Apparently u can't take pictures of golfers. In my Defense peeps always take pics of tennis players.

I need to learn golf dident [sic] know I knew so little." 

PETULANT McILROY LOSES HIS HALO
 
 By JAMES CORRIGAN
Daily Telegraph golf correspondent

The petulant act of walking off at Honda Classic has stripped golf's golden boy and world No 1 Rory McIlroy of his halo 

If it was Tiger Woods starring in this farce he would be slaughtered. McIlroy will escape with a slapped wrist and perhaps even some widespread sympathy.

He walked off the course after not completing his ninth hole of his second round here at the Honda Classic with tears in his eyes telling journalists it was not physical. “I’m not in a good place mentally,” he said.

An hour later he was not in a good PR place, either. A statement released on his behalf from the US PGA Tour explained McIlroy withdrew because of “soreness to a wisdom tooth affecting concentration”. 
This after one of his managers had confirmed “he is not hurt” and after he was pictured on the 18th fairway, moments before he walked off, munching a sandwich. What was in it? Co-codamol?

The joke was that maybe McIlroy had been misquoted and in fact said: “I’m not in a good place dentally.” In truth, it was no laughing matter.

No, there was not much wisdom, but a lot of soreness on behalf of the Honda Classic and the game at large. You do not walk in. It is not only the unwritten rule among proud amateurs everywhere but a written rule on the professional tours.

He will have to provide written medical evidence within 14 days.

The probability is McIlroy will be fined, but we will never know about it officially. That is the way of the tours. They release a daft statement to the public, while making a wholly irrelevant statement behind closed doors. 
Professional golf’s pathetic omerta will not be changing any time soon.
But what about McIlroy – where next for him? After the dentist, obviously. Will he appear next week at the WGC Cadillac Championship in Doral to face a media inquisition which at the very best will be thorough? He needs to, however uncomfortable he may feel.
What McIlroy plainly requires now, apart from a full-time media adviser, are competitive rounds. He has only two events left before the Masters. Once the anaesthetic wears off he should enter another tournament. 
His swing is woefully out of sorts and combine this with the unease which comes to everyone using new equipment – whether Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods – then the result, at best, is mediocrity. When it is then mixed with an urge to run away, it descends into embarrassment.
The halo has slipped. McIlroy has confessed in the past that he struggles to grind it out when the rhythm is absent.
He is definitely not Woods in his pomp because without his A-game he cannot win – not yet, at least. Woods could compete whatever grade his game was operating at in any particular week.
McIlroy is aware he has to learn that skill, which is a lot more mental than physical. When the going gets tough, his head drops. The 23-year-old believed his education in that regard was progressing. On Friday was a big fat flunk.
As a defending champion you have a duty to the tournament and as a world No 1 you have a duty to the sport. It involves simply being there to be seen by the galleries who have paid for the privilege.
If that means ignoring dental pain and a lapse in focus then so be it. That is McIlroy’s job.
He knows this. McIlroy is immersed in golf and is respectful of its traditions. He will feel he has let down the game and will make amends.
His popularity is not undeserved. McIlroy’s personality is as genuine as his talent is natural. He has made a mistake in the heat of the moment, in the frenzy of frustration; nothing more.
What should be of more concern for anyone enthralled by the sight of this young champion in motion is his wretched form.
Much will be written in the next month about the Nike swoosh causing this slump. No doubt it is part of the problem. The numbers involved in the deal – £78 million over five years – heaped the pressure on McIlroy when he did not need it. But do not forget that McIlroy has been prone to these dips in his short career.
Last year, he missed four out of five cuts going into the Open before falling short at Lytham as well. Two events later he was winning the US PGA Championship by eight shots. McIlroy is streaky and, to be frank, his competitive spirit is flaky. But he should not walk off. Not while eating a sandwich and complaining of dental pain. He is way, way better than that.

BLIZARD STORMS AHEAD IN NZ PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE PGA OF AUSTRALASIA WEBSITE
New South Welshman Rohan Blizard will lead into the final round of the NZ PGA Championship being played at The Hills in Queenstown.
Building his confidence from the first hole, Rohan Blizard fired a 6-under 66 to lead by a shot from defending champion Michael Hendry.
“I actually got a bit lucky on the first hole,” said Blizard.
“I didn’t hit the best drive, kind of pulled it a little bit left and it just sat up short of the long grass. Luckily enough I had a good lie, had an opportunity to go for the green and hit in the greenside trap but got up and down.”
“That settled me down really well. I wasn’t nervous or anxious or anything on the first couple of holes but I think if you start well it just gives you that confidence for the rest of the day."
Blizard has been flying under the radar at the NZ PGA Championship but with rounds of 67, 68 and 66 to be 15-under the card he is well placed to claim his second PGA Tour of Australasia title.
“I don’t think I’ve ever led going into the final round so that will be a first this week,” said Blizard, who won the 2011 West Australian Open Championship.
“I’ve had fun for the first three days - had a great playing partner today with the amateur and we just tried to make as many birdies as we could.”
Blizard says he will be unperturbed by the home crowd Hendry is sure to attract tomorrow afternoon and will continue to play his own game.
“I obviously know the crowd will be going for Mike seeing he is the defending champion and he’s from New Zealand but if you are playing well and the crowd applauds good shots then that’s all you can ask for.”
“I’ve been playing pretty consistently in the tier two events. I finished around 10th place and fourth in one so the form’s been there; I just have to put four rounds together this week.”
Having come close to success in his last two starts on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Hendry will need to search for the winning factor tomorrow afternoon.
His biggest problem is a wayward driver that he’s struggled with all week.
“It started okay today but it got really ragged on the back nine so I’m going to have to improve that for tomorrow.”
Heading into the final round outright third on 13-under the card is West Australian Scott Strange while a shot further back is Victorian Leigh Deagan.
Rounding out the top-5 is Chinese teenager Li Haotong and Kiwi Gareth Paddison on 11-under the card.
The pro-am component of the NZPGA Championship got underway today with the amateurs teaming up with the Professionals in a two-ball, best-ball competition.
Michael Long and his amateur partner Chris Hunter lead by a shot after the first round on 11-under the card.
Aberdeen-born Michael Sim, a former US PGA Tour player - for a short spell - us T45 after a 72 for 213.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
201 Rohan Blizard (Australia) 67 68 66
202 Michael Hendry (NZ) 67 67 68
203 Scott Strange (Australia) 69 65 69
204 Leigh Deagan (Australia) 67  69 68

SELECTED SCORE
213 Michael Sim (Scotland) 73 68 72 (T45)

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