TEE TIMES FOR FIRST TWO EVENTS ON PAUL LAWRIE GOLF CENTRE SCOTTISH LADIES OPEN TOUR NEXT WEEK

The Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Scottish Ladies Open Tour gets underway next week with the first two 18-hole events at Edinburgh venues.
Spectators will be made most welcome, especially by the players who love to play in front of big galleries. 
Tee times (a denotes amateur player)
 
MARRIOTT DALMAHOY
THURSDAY, APRIL 18      
13:57    Heather MacRae    Heather Stirling   
14:06    Laura Murray     Ailsa Bain    Hannah Scott (a)
14:15    Gemma Webster    Laura Harvey    Alyson McKechin (a)
14:24    Kimberley Crooks    Tatiana Kernen    Jessica Meek (a)
14:33    Pamela Feggans    Chrisje De Vries    Jane Turner (a)
14:42    Daisy Dyer    Martine Pow    Rachel Walker (a)
14:51    Michele Thomson    Krystal Falkner    Nichola Ferguson (a)
15:00    Lisa Shervill    Eleanor Givens    Tara MacTaggart (a)
15:09    Fabienne in-albon    Vikki Laing    Jess Wilcox (a)








RATHO PARK GOLF CLUB
FRIDAY, APRIL 19
14:00    Julie Otto    Jane Turner (a)    Karyn Burns
14:10    Fabienne in-albon    Laura Murray    Hannah Scott (a)
14:20    Heather Stirling    Gemma Webster    Alyson McKeclin (a)
14:30    Tatiana Kernen    Kimberly Crooks    Jessica Meek (a)
14:40    Chrisje De Vries    Pamela Feggans    Nichola Ferguson (a)
14:50    Martine Pow    Daisy Dyer    Rachel Walker (a)
15:00    Krystal Falkner    Michele Thomson    Kate McIntosh (a)
15:10    Eleanor Givens    Lisa Shervill    Jess Wilcox (a)
15:20    Vikki Laing    Heather MacRae    Tara MacTaggart (a)

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JAMES BYRNE MISSES MANILA CUT BY THREE

Banchory's James Byrne missed the cut by three shots after two rounds of 77 for a 10 over par tally of 154 in the Asian Tour's Solaire Open at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club, Manila in the Philippines today (Friday). Four players share the lead on two-under-par 142. NEWS RELEASE FROM THE ASIAN TOUR Manila, April 12: Chinese Taipei star Lin Wen-tang put himself in position of winning a sixth Asian Tour title for the first time in over three years when he shot a one-over-par 73 in tough scoring conditions at the Solaire Open on Friday.   Lin was tied with Thai duo Thammanoon Sriroj (69) and Kwanchai Tannin (71) and Australia’s Matt Jager (72) on two-under-par 142 on a blustery day at the challenging Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.   Talented Korean Kim Gi-whan, Richard T. Lee of Canada, Elmer Salvador of the Philippines and Pawin Ingkhapradit were a further shot back on 143 at the inaugural US$300,000 Asian Tour event.   The Wack Wack East course bared its fangs on day two as only eight players head into the weekend rounds with under-par scores. Overnight leader Dodge Kemmer of the United States fell victim to the tough conditions when he posted 79 to slip to tied ninth.   Lin uncharacteristically lost his Asian Tour card last year for the first time since 2003 but looks to be back to his best form after reverting to a new putter. His last victory on the Asian Tour was at the 2009 Taiwan Masters.   “I struggled with my putting last year and recently changed to a new putter this week. Even though I had two three putts, I still feel very comfortable with the new putter. Everybody knows these greens are very difficult,” said the 39-year-old.   He spent countless of hours at the gym last year which did not work in his favour as he struggled to maintain his fluid swing.   “I went to the gym quite often and my body was feeling sore. There were times when I struggled to swing. I’m getting older and I thought going to the gym would help me get more power. I was wrong! I decided to stop it completely this year,” said Lin.   Jager, formerly ranked third in the world as an amateur, recovered from a double bogey at the challenging par three eighth hole, when he sank birdies on holes 12 and 15.   “I’m not really surprise to be in contention because people were talking about how difficult this golf course is. You don’t have to do much wrong to get the bogeys,” said the Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate.   “The wind might have changed on us for five or six times. That was the big thing because you always need to check the wind. It is a difficult golf course so with the conditions like that, it plays a little bit harder,” said Jager.   Thai veteran Thammanoon, a five-time Asian Tour winner, rolled back the years when he took advantage of the relatively calm conditions in the morning with four birdies against one bogey.   “It is very tough out there but I managed to hold on. I’m happy with how I played after yesterday’s round. It is always easier to play when there’s not so much wind,” said the 43-year-old.   Local hope Salvador is on track of making amends for his two play-off defeats in 2011 and 2012 on the Asian Tour when he charged into contention with a battling 69.   “It was a good thing my putting and pitching were okay. The goal for the third round is to make par on every hole. It will be a bonus if I can make a birdie,” said Salvador, who is searching for a first Asian Tour win.   The halfway cut was set at seven-over-par 151 with 76 players making the weekend rounds. 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Juvic Pagunsan had to withdraw from the second round as his wife, who is expected to give birth within a fortnight, was feeling ill.   Scores after round 2 of the Solaire Open 2013 being played at the par 72, 7222 Yards Wack Wack GcC course (a- denotes amateur): 142 - Thammanoon SRIROJ (THA) 73-69, Kwanchai TANNIN (THA) 71-71, Matt JAGER (AUS) 70-72, LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 69-73. 143 - KIM Gi-whan (KOR) 72-71, Richard T. LEE (CAN) 72-71, Elmer SALVADOR (PHI) 74-69, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 68-75. 144 - Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 71-73, Gunn CHAROENKUL (THA) 73-71, Unho PARK (AUS) 73-71, Carl SANTOS-OCAMPO (PHI) 72-72, Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 74-70, Rahil GANGJEE (IND) 75-69. 145 - Yoshinobu TSUKADA (JPN) 72-73, Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN) 70-75, Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 73-72, Dodge KEMMER (USA) 66-79, Mars PUCAY (PHI) 69-76, Jake HIGGINBOTTOM (AUS) 74-71. 146 - HSU Mong-nan (TPE) 74-72, Peter KARMIS (RSA) 73-73, Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA) 75-71, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 72-74, Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 75-71, Jay BAYRON (PHI) 74-72, Sam CYR (USA) 76-70, CHOO Tze Huang (SIN) 76-70. 147 - Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 72-75, CHAN Yih-shin (TPE) 75-72, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 74-73, Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) 72-75, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 75-72, Abhinav LOHAN (IND) 76-71, Chris RODGERS (ENG) 73-74, Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS) 73-74, Rory HIE (INA) 72-75. SELECTED SCORE MISSED THE CUT (151 and better qualified) 154 James Byrne (Scotland) 77 77 TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES CLICK HERE

WARREN BENNETT WINS PGA EUROPRO TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL

NEWS RELEASE

Warren Bennett finished top of the PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School Final Stage leaderboard on 17 under par for 54 holes as he plots a return to the European Tour.

 

The 41-year-old shot a final round 69 on the par-72 Blue Course at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire, following up a 67 on the Red Course on Wednesday and an outstanding 63 on Thursday. He won by four shots to James Frazer, who carded a final-round 64.

 

Former Walker Cup star Stiggy Hodgson and Spaniard Sebastian Garcia Grout finished the tournament tied third on 12 under.

 

Bennett won the Scottish PGA Championship in 1999 but retired his European Tour card ten years later after a series of injuries and is now hoping to work his way back to the top.

 

“I have the will to want to try and get back to the European Tour,” said the 41-year-old after his final round at Frilford Heath.

 

“When I stepped away from golf I missed it too much so I decided last year to make a good plan to try and get back. It was a massive disappointment not to get my card at European Tour Qualifying at the end of last year so it has been a long winter but I am on the right lines.

 

“I don’t have any routes towards the main tour so this year my minimum aim is to get into the EuroPro Tour top five to earn my Challenge Tour card.

 

“I want to get as much competitive golf in as possible. My second round here was lovely, the ball striking, the putting, it felt really good and it was the first time in 15 years I have really gone out there and performed. The final round was a bit scrappy but I got the job done and I am feeling really good so onward and upward hopefully.”

 

The best final round was recorded by Frazer (Pennard Golf Club) who took 64 with six birdies and an eagle at eight. Hodgson (Wisley GC) carded a final-round 65 to finish twelve under par, tied with Garcia Grout (Golf de Poniente) who shot a 68 on the last day at Frilford Heath.

 

The top 30 at Qualifying School, those with 54-hole scores of five under par or better, are awarded category three status on the 2013 PGA EuroPro Tour. The first event of the season is the Motocaddy Masters which gets underway at Wensum Valley Hotel, Golf and Country Club on April 30.

  
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JACKSON LEADS BY THREE IN MAYBANK JOHOR MASTERS

NEWS RELEASE

 

Johor Bahru, Malaysia, April 12: Grant Jackson of England set a new course record at the Johor Country Club with a sizzling eight-under-par 64 to seize the third round lead at the PGM Maybank Johor Masters on Friday.

 

The Englishman established a commanding three-shot lead over Wolmer Murillo of Venezuela with a 16-under-par 200 total at the RM200,000 (approximately US$65,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.

 

Murillo, who was the overnight leader, stayed on track for a first victory in Asia by shooting a 69 while Malaysian rising star Nicholas Fung was a further two shots back on 205 following a 70.

 

Jackson, who finished seventh on the ADT Order of Merit last year, mixed his card with seven birdies and one eagle against one blemish to set the wheels in motion for a first career victory.

 

“I've had a nice last few days and the difference today was that I just holed more putts. I put in a new putter in the bag this week and have been working on my putting stroke in Thailand with my coach. It is working as I'm starting to hit putts at the right pace.

 

“I'll be trying to win tomorrow and just need to keep doing the same things and keep making putts. I've played in five events back home and made all top-10s so hopefully I can get it done on Saturday,” said Jackson who lost in a playoff to a Thai amateur at at Thai domestic event two weeks ago.

 

The top three players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn Asian Tour cards for 2014 while all events receive Official World Golf Ranking points from this season onwards.

 

Leading third round scores

200 - Grant JACKSON (ENG) 68-68-64

203 - Wolmer MURILLO (VEN) 66-68-69

205 - Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 66-69-70

207 - R. Nachimuthu (MAS) 70-69-68

208 - Airil Rizman ZAHARI (MAS) 71-68-69

209 - Iain STEEL (MAS) 69-71-69

210 - Luke BLEUMINK (AUS) 69-71-70

211 - Rizal AMIN (MAS) 70-72-69, Mitsuhiko HASHIZUME (JPN) 69-71-71, Ratchapol JANTAVARA (THA) 73-66-72, LEE Cho-chuan (TPE) 71-68-72

212 - CHANG Tse-Peng (TPE) 71-70-71, Darren TAN (AUS) 69-71-72, Akhmal TARMIZEE (MAS) 69-71-72, Hanafiah JAMIL (MAS) 72-68-72, Daniel BRINGOLF (AUS) 70-69-73

213 - Wasin SRIPATTRANUSORN (THA) 72-70-71, Blake MCGRORY (AUS) 72-73-68, Hendre Izak CELLIERS (RSA) 69-70-74, Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA) 69-70-74

214 - James BOWEN (USA) 67-74-73, PARK Jin-Woo (KOR) 71-70-73, Malcolm KOKOCINSKI (SWE) 74-71-69

215 - Michael MOORE (AUS) 75 69 71, Rashid ISMAIL (MAS) 67-74-74

 

BENNETT LEADS BY FIVE AT PGA EUROPRO TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL

NEWS RELEASE FROM PGA EUROPR0 TOUR

Former European Tour player Warren Bennett shot an outstanding nine-under-par 63 in his second round at PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School Final Stage to lead by five shots ahead of Friday’s closing round.

The Prince’s-based golfer is 14 under par after 36 holes at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire, with Gary King (Tyrrells Wood) second after rounds of 67 and 68 and four golfers tied for third, eight strokes below par after two rounds.

Bennett began his day as one of seven players leading on five under. He played his second round on the Blue Course and shot nine birdies as he went out in 32 and took just 31 strokes to negotiate the back nine.

In 36 holes Bennett, who won the Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles in 1999, is yet to drop a shot. Barring a remarkable reversal of fortunes in the final round he will earn a category three on the 2013 PGA EuroPro Tour, which is awarded to those who finish in the top 30 at Frilford Heath this week.

Despite opening his second round with a double bogey, King, also playing the Blue Course on Thursday, signed for a 68 to close day two nine strokes under par.

Andy Scrimshaw (Close House Hotel and Golf) and Finland’s Teemu Putkonen (Golf Talma) shared the best second-round score recorded on the Red Course, each signing for 65.

Putkonen is tied third on eight under par alongside Luke Joy (67, 69, Broadstone Golf Club), Spaniard Sebastian Garcia Grout (67, 69, Golf de Poniente) and amateur Scott Brace (68, 68, Stoke By Nayland). Scrimshaw is a further stroke behind as one of five golfers tied seventh.

Qualifying School Final Stage takes place over 54 holes at Frilford Heath Golf Club. All golfers have now played one round on the Red Course and one round on the Blue Course. A cut to the leading 120 players plus ties has now been made. Golfers with a 36-hole score of three over par or better will play a final round over the Blue Course on Friday. All golfers who have missed the cut achieve a category 13 for the season.

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PITLOCHRY AMATEUR WILLIE HUTTON WINS LAST MIDLANDS ALLIANCE OF THE SEASON

 

FROM LEE SUTHERLAND

The Midland Golfers’ Alliance held its final meeting of the season at The Duke's Course, St. Andrews on Thursday. 

Winner of the scratch prize was Pitlochry one-handicap amateur Willie Hutton with a superb one-under-par round of 70.

 The handicap prize went to Scott Robertson,  who plays off one at Downfield, with a net score of 70.

  LEADING SCRATCH

70 W Hutton            Pitlochry (1)

71 S Robertson      Downfield (1)

72 A Webster         Edzell (P)

      K Hutton             Downfield (P)

74 K Bruce               Edzell (2)

     P Brookes          Pitreavie (P)

76 G Jenkins           Crieff (3)

77 C Armstrong     Burntisland (AP)

78 R McGuigan      Monifieth (5)

79 S Blady               Monifieth (6)

      A Burton             Dunnikier Park (3)

      L Sutherland     Monifieth (P)

      R Mackie            Thornton (8)

LEADING HANDICAP

69 W Hutton           Pitlochry (1)

70 S Robertson      Downfield (1)

71 R Mackie            Thornton (8)

72 J Irwin                  Muckhart (8)

     K Bruce               Edzell (2)

73 S Blady               Monifieth (6)

     G Jenkins        Crieff (3)

      A Mason             Thornton (10)

      J Leddy                Bathgate (10)

74 R McGuigan      Monifieth (5)

      J Cree                  Scotscraig (11)

Entries are still being taken for Eddie Sherry’s Day, please contact Lee Sutherland for details and entry.

Lee Sutherland

WEST BEAT EAST IN ANNUAL UNIROYAL TROPHY ALLIANCE MATCH AT BRUNTSFIELD LINKS

FROM MARGARET CARRELL

West of Scotland Alliance secretary

We held the annual Uniroyal Trophy East v West match on Thursday at Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society.

The competition was played over 36 holes. Foursomes in the morning round with eight teams taking part in the competition.

A professional and Amateur from East and  West started proceedings at 9.15, finishing the morning golf at around 12.30 – 1pm

Thereafter we were treated to an excellent carvery in the clubhouse. After the morning round the West had gained  5 1/2 to the East’s 2 1/2 points. It was all to play for in the singles in the afternoon.

Play started again at 1.30pn for the Amateurs teeing off from the 10th and 2pm for the Professionals teeing off from the 1st. The afternoon saw the East managing to gain some wins and pulling the game back but eventually  the West won through  to win 14 points to 10.

Well done to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to play today and a special thank you to all the officials from the Eat Alliance for their hard work i organising the day.

Margaret Carrell

GARCIA AND LESIHMAN SHARE MASTERS LEAD ON 66

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By PGATOUR.COM wire reports

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Sergio Garcia might have written himself off too quickly at the Masters.
When last seen walking off the course at Augusta National, the impetuous Spaniard was moping about his bad luck at this tournament and said last year it was increasingly evident he would never be fitted for a Green Jacket.

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Garcia matched his best score at the Masters on Thursday, a 6-under 66 with no bogeys on his card, to share the lead with Marc Leishman of Australia. And he still wasn't entirely happy, although this time with good reason. He hit the ball so well his score could have been so much better.

"To tell you the truth, if I manage to make a couple of the putts that kind of stayed around the lip, I could have been probably 7- or 8-under par through 10," Garcia said. "It was that good. And it wasn't like I was hitting pitching wedge every single time. I was hitting 4-irons and 5-irons and 6-irons, so it wasn't that easy."

It sure felt easy for several players in a gentle opening round -- even for a high school student.

Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old from China and youngest to compete in a major in 148 years, played well beyond his age and holed a 15-foot putt from just off the 18th green for a respectable round of 73 and a reasonable chance of making the cut.

Tiger Woods wasn't far off as he began his quest for a fifth Green Jacket. Wild at the start, including a tee shot that knocked a cup of beer out of a spectator's hand, Woods settled into a groove and opened with a 70 as his girlfriend, Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn, watched on a few holes.

In his four Masters wins, Woods has never opened with a score lower than 70. His key is not to shoot himself out of the tournament.

"It's a good start," he said. "Some years, some guys shot 65 starting out here. But right now, I'm only four back and I'm right there."

Garcia and Leishman had a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, who has a game that fits perfectly for Augusta and he finally brought it.

Johnson hit a 9-iron for his second shot on the par-5 13th and made a 15-foot eagle putt, and he smashed his drive on the par-5 15th and hit pitching wedge just through the green for an easy birdie.

Fred Couples, the 53-year-old wonder at his favorite major, made bogey on the 18th and still was in the large group at 68. There were a dozen rounds in the 60s, and nearly half the field shot par or better. Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson recovered from a rough start by running off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine to salvage a 71, while Rory McIlroy had a 72.

Woods said he struggled with the slower pace of the greens, and so did defending champion Bubba Watson, who opened with a 75.

"They're soft and they are slow, and consequently we have 45 people at par or better," Mickelson said. "But that means I've got to change my whole mindset and just get after these pins, because the ball's not running like it used to and I'm giving this course way too much respect because of my past knowledge."

It's not about respect for Garcia. Augusta National is the ultimate love-hate relationship, and Thursday was a rarity. He loved it.

Garcia began his round with an approach that danced by the hole and left him a tap-in birdie. He rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 sixth, and then shot up the leaderboard with a pair of tough, downhill putts from 8 feet on the ninth and 15 feet on the 10th.

"It's obviously not my most favorite place," he said. "But you know, we try to enjoy it as much as we can each time we come here. Sometimes it comes out better than others, but today it was one of those good days. Let's enjoy it while it lasts. "

That was a far different attitude than last year on the weekend, when he went from one shot out of the lead going into the third round to back in the pack with a 75. He told Spanish reporters that day he had been trying his entire career to win a major and "I don't feel capable of winning. ... After 13 years, my chances are over. I'm not good enough for the majors. That's it."

Not so fast.

Garcia struggled off the tee on the back nine, and he three-putted for par at the 13th. He also made tough par saves on the 11th and 17th for his first bogey-free round at the Masters since 2002.

"The last eight holes mean a lot that I kept my composure, even though I didn't hit it as well as I did the first 10 holes," he said.

Composure is everything to Garcia, a 33-year-old who still acts like a kid. Only three weeks ago, he hit a tee shot during the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard that settled on a large branch in a tree. Garcia climbed the tree, played a remarkable backhanded shot to the fairway and then jumped some 10 feet to the ground. He withdrew a few holes later when the rain arrived.

He smiles. He sulks. And he always says what he's thinking, which sometimes gets him in trouble. Garcia doesn't regret his comments at Augusta last year, only that he didn't choose his words carefully. He chalked it up to frustration, but says he is trying just as hard as he did when he was 19 and challenged Woods at Medinah in the 1999 PGA.

"Every time I tee it off, I try to play as well as I can, hope that my best that week is really, really good," Garcia said. "And if I manage to do that, I will have a chance at winning. If my best is not that good, then, I'll struggle a little bit. Today, my best was pretty good. And I'm looking forward to doing the same thing the next three days."

Guan only wants to enjoy himself, and as he sat in Butler Cabin for an interview, the Chinese teen looked composed. Guan said his goal for the week was to enjoy himself, and even a score two shots better than the defending champion didn't change that.

"I think I'm pretty focused on golf," Guan said. "It's made me do pretty good so far."

Woods has higher goals. He has gone five years without winning a major, and his last Masters title was in 2005. With three PGA TOUR wins and the No. 1 ranking, he is the overwhelming favorite this week.

He picked up birdies on a pair of the par 5s, and made a short birdie putt on the sixth hole. The greens befuddled him, though, and it hurt him toward the end of the round. Woods missed a 6-foot par putt on the 14th, a 5-foot birdie putt on the 15th and a 12-foot birdie attempt on the 17th.

"The biggest challenge today was just the speed of the greens," Woods said. "They just weren't quite there."

Leishman was the first player to post at 66, a moderate surprise considering he missed the cut in his only Masters appearance in 2010, and he had failed to break 70 in his last nine rounds on the PGA TOUR dating to the first week in March.

The turning point was four straight birdies in the middle of the back nine, finishing with a long putt on the 16th.

"I don't know how far that was, but it was in a different zip code," Leishman said. "That happens when you have a good day, and you've just got to make the most of it."
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
66 Marc Leishman (Australia), Sergio Garcia (Spain).
67 Dustin Johnson (US).
68 David Lynn (England), Rickie Fowler (US), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Trevor Immelman (South Africa), Fred Couples (US), Matt Kuchar (US).
69 Zach Johnson (US), Adam Scott (Australia).
SELECTED SCORES
70 Lee Westwood (England), Justin Rose (England), Tiger Woods (US) (T13)
71 Luke Donald (T23)
72 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) (T33).
73 Sandy Lyle (Scotland), Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) (T46).
74 Jamie Donaldson (Wales) (T56)
76 Ian Poulter (England), Martin Laird (Scotland), Paul Lawrie (Scotland) (T70)
78 Padraig Harrington (Ireland) (T82)
80 Ian Woosnam (Wales) (T91)
83 Alan Dunbar (Northern Ireland) (amateur) (93rd)

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