Saturday, April 27, 2013

CALMELS WINS CHALLENGE DE MADRID BY SEVEN STROKES

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT FROM
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
François Calmels put on one of the classiest performances of the Challenge Tour season with a brilliant final round five under par 67 to close out an emphatic seven stroke victory at the Challenge de Madrid.

The Frenchman, one clear at the beginning of the final round, produced a clinical, comprehensive final round performance to finish the week at El Encín Golf Hotel on 17 under par 271 – a magnificent seven shots clear of his closest challenger, Tapio Pilkkanen of Finland. 

“I played so well today,” said Calmels after receiving the Challenge de Madrid trophy, and the first place cheque for €25,600, which propels him to fifth place in the Challenge Tour Rankings. 
“I hit all the right shots and made a lot of good decisions which was really satisfying because the conditions were tough out there today.”

Calmels began the week with a course record nine under par 63 at the El Encín Golf Hotel, but his performance of the week came in the final round. 

Having seen his three shot first round lead reduced to one by Saturday night, the Frenchman could have been forgiven for looking over his shoulder at a hungry chasing pack.


Instead, Calmels did what all great winners do at the crucial moment and raised his level of performance, splitting the first fairway with a crunching drive, finding the par five green with an eight iron and draining the eagle putt from 40 feet. 

Calmels’ explosive opening set the tone for the day and he would not be caught from that moment. Any time he showed a slight weakness (he made two bogeys on the front nine), his recovery was instantaneous, taking him to the turn in two under and with a three stoke lead behind him.


He effectively ended the tournament two holes later, with back-to-back birdies on the tenth and 11th taking him five clear. A final birdie on the 16th ensured the most comprehensive of victories, just one short of the Challenge Tour record held by Markus Brier and Bradley Dredge. 

Calmels is hoping his victory will set the tone for a successful Challenge Tour season and the ultimate prize of a return to The European Tour.


“It feels great to win again,” said Calmels. “My goal at the beginning of the season was to get back to The European Tour and I think I have made a big step towards that. It is only the third event of the year, but I hope I can play like this for the rest of the year. 

“I have practised this winter with my coach at home, Frank Schmid, but I would like to thank Benoit Du Colombier for all the work I have done with him. We are still working on some changes but you can see that the results are coming ad that I am doing the right things.

“That is one of the most pleasing aspects to winning. I know that the changes I making are worthwhile and that if I get into a position to win then I can finish the job.”
Jamie McLeary, the only Scot to beat the halfway cut, deprived himself of a sizeable cheque with a closing round of five-over 77. He had been four-UNDER-par for the first three rounds.

The Peterhead-born player finished up with a cheque for 1072 Euros. Had he stayed four under par to the finish, he would have won 2,080 Euros.
 

  FINAL TOTALS
   Par 288 (4x72)

271 F Calmels  (Fra) 63 69 72 67;

278 T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 72 67 68 71;

279 T Nørret (Den) 67 71 67 74;

280 J Dantorp (Swe) 66 69 71 74; S Walker (Eng) 71 69 71 69; E Dubois (Fra) 69 70 68 73;

281 R Kakko  (Fin) 67 74 69 71; C Brazillier  (Fra) 69 70 69 73; S Hutsby  (Eng) 66 70 72 73; M Lampert (Ger) 70 72 67 72;

282 P Archer (Eng) 67 67 72 76; S Little (Eng) 68 75 65 74; M Korhonen (Fin) 69 72 68 73; T Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 72 69 72;

283 C Garcia Simarro (Esp) 67 72 69 75; A Velasco (Esp) 71 65 71 76; B An (Kor) 70 71 68 74;

284 S Thornton (Irl) 67 74 70 73;

285 C Aguilar  (Esp) 67 70 72 76; D Frittelli (RSA) 68 73 72 72; B Hebert  (Fra) 71 70 68 76;

286 J Barnes (Eng) 67 72 70 77; M Crespi  (Ita) 72 71 67 76; S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 69 68 71 78; E Johansen  (Nor) 69 73 69 75; W Besseling  (Ned) 70 74 70 72; F Bergamaschi (Ita) 70 73 68 75; M Zions (Aus) 68 72 69 77;

287 D Im (USA) 68 72 70 77; M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 71 73 66 77;

288 A Levy (Fra) 69 73 73 73; P Bech (Esp) 74 69 71 74; R Davies (Wal) 66 72 75 75; A Domingo (Esp) 67 75 69 77;

289 P Erofejeff (Fin) 69 73 71 76; J McLeary  (Sco) 71 71 70 77; A Bernadet  (Fra) 70 71 72 76; G Shaw (Nir) 70 74 70 75; J Lima  (Por) 71 72 70 76; N Elvira  (Esp) 71 73 67 78;

290 M Rominger  (Sui) 68 74 76 72; A Pavan (Ita) 72 72 69 77; K Ferrie (Eng) 71 73 72 74; C Suneson (Esp) 71 72 71 76; T Hatton (Eng) 71 73 72 74; D Dixon (Eng) 70 70 74 76; R McGowan  (Eng) 71 70 76 73; S Tiley (Eng) 72 72 72 74; C Lloyd (Eng) 71 73 75 71;

291 T Sluiter  (Ned) 76 68 69 78;

292 J Maurer  (Aut) 70 73 74 75; F McGuirk  (Eng) 74 69 75 74; J Garcia  (Esp) 71 73 73 75; D Suazo  (Esp) 66 75 71 80; M Glauert (Ger) 69 74 72 77;

294 M Brier (Aut) 70 71 76 77; J Timmis (Eng) 69 75 81 69;

297 P Oriol (Esp) 73 71 77 76;

298 J Glennemo (Swe) 72 71 75 80;

300 A Perrino  (Ita) 70 73 75 82;

 



 
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

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MATHEW CLARK WINS EDWARD TROPHY AT GAILES


Kilmacolm's Mathew Clark won the Edward Trophy 36-hole men's open at Glasgow Gailes today (Saturday) in a tight finish after he squandered late shots.
Clark shot 70-73 for a one-over-par total of 143.
Clark's one-under-par opening round of 70 was the low score of the tournament but, an early starter, he left the door open for the late finishers by bogeying the 16th and 18th in his second round.
In the end, he won by one stroke from Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) (71-73) and Martin Hand (Eden) (71-73).
Joint fourth on 145 were Steven Maxwell (Turnberry) (73-72) and Steven Rennie (Drumpellier), also 73-72.
Title-holder David Wilson (Troon Welbeck), the former Scottish boys champion, finished ninth on 148 (77-71).
The CSS was 75 in the morning and 74 in the afternoon.

 
                    


             
















CSS 75 CSS 74
Player Golf Club Rnd1 Rnd.2 Total
Mathew Clark Kilmacolm 70 73 143
Keith Hamilton Ayr Belleisle 71 73 144
Martin Hand Eden 71 73 144
Steven Maxwell Windyhill 73 72 145
Steven Rennie Drumpellier 73 72 145
Scott Brown  Turnberry 70 76 146
Stuart Robin Prestwick St Nicholas 74 72 146
Fraser McKenna Balmore 73 73 146
David Wilson Troon Wellbeck 77 71 148
Richard Docherty Bearsden 72 77 149
Nicky Gold Bonnyton 77 73 150
Andrew McKay Balmore 75 75 150
Naill Lamond Kirkintilloch 76 74 150
Gary Price Paisley 77 73 150
Paul Reilly Lochwinnoch 74 77 151
Christian Kelly Bonnyton 77 75 152
Graham Bolton Bute 76 76 152
Lee Jenkins Elderslie 76 76 152
Edward Shannly Linlithgow 76 77 153
Chris Wood North Berwick 80 73 153
Andrew Fairbairn Cawder 75 79 154
Christopher Prior Bearsden 77 77 154
Mark Cox Glenbervie 80 74 154
Mark Hislop Glenbervie 78 76 154
Malcolm Pennycott Whiting Bay 74 80 154
Alan Laird Strathaven 78 76 154
Jamie Lamb Lanark 77 78 155
Hugh Nelson Kilsyth Lennox 79 76 155
Sam Fitzsimmons Windyhill 78 77 155
Nicky Bell Eden 74 81 155
Grant Beaton Bonnyton 81 74 155
Paul McKellar Royal Troon 75 80 155
Simon Lockhart Bathgate 79 76 155
Fraser Campbell Hilton Park 78 78 156
Craig Chalmers Cawder 77 79 156
Kenneth Gallacher East Kilbride 77 79 156
Colin Peddie Kirkintilloch 77 79 156
Chris Conroy Paisley 75 81 156
Ryan Campbell Falkirk Tryst 80 76 156
Chris Lawton Falkirk Tryst 79 78 157
Paul Gault Westerwood 76 81 157
Scott Moore Clydebank & District 79 78 157
Robbie McLeod Elderslie 76 82 158
Kristopher McClure Clydebank & District 76 82 158
Andrew Cunningham Ranfurly Castle 77 81 158
Paul Gallagher Mourne 82 76 158
James Hendricks Pollok 79 79 158
Colin Baird Bothwell Castle 81 78 159
Scott Gillespie Cambuslang 83 77 160
John Ralston Shotts 85 75 160
Thomas Morrison Kilysth Lennox 83 78 161
David Walker Kirkintilloch 79 82 161
Ewen Mckinnon Corrie 83 78 161
David Curtis Cathkin Braes 81 83 164
Grant Mimmes Kirkintilloch 79 85 164
Andrew Kent Troon Wellbeck 83 81 164
Stephen Ellis Cowal 85 83 168
Paul Gault Snr Westerwood 84 86 170
Ross Hinshelwood Kirkintilloch nr 0
Andrew Wallace  Glenbervie nr 0
James Fleming Bonnyton 75 nr 75
Craig Watson East Renfrewshire 77 nr 77
Owen Lavelle Elderslie nr 78.0 78
Derek Fish Glenbervie 78 78
Mark Robertson Western Gailes 78 78
Ronald Clark Erskine nr 79 79
Michael Smyth Royal Troon 79 79
George Duncan Windyhill 79 79
Duncan Martin Longniddry nr 80 80
James Paterson Hayston nr 83 83
Fraser Paul Windyhill 86 nr 86





 

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PETER WHITEFORD A SHOT OFF THE PACE WITH A ROUND TO GO IN S KOREA

REPORT FROM SOUTH KOREA
Swede Alexander Noren emerged from the pack with a flawless back nine display to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Ballantine’s Championship in  South Korea.
The 29 year old birdied the last hole for a superb third round of 69 in windy conditions at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, near Seoul, finishing on nine under par 207.
That meant he edged clear of Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, whose 68 was the lowest round of the day, and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, who signed for a round of 69.
At one point ten players were tied for the lead, but it will be Noren who holds the advantage after mastering the conditions, carding birdies on 12th, 14th and 18th holes on his way in after reaching the turn in level par.
“My short game I think held it together today,” he said. “I didn't have that many chances, but I took care of them when I got chances for birdies and made the important pars when I needed.  So it was a big fight today.”
The three-time European Tour champion has an impressive record in the Ballantine’s Championship, finishing seventh last year and fifth in 2011, and he is now aiming to convert that form into silverware.
“It's easier for a player to come back when you've done something good in the past,” he said. “You know you can score well around the track and good memories are always nice to have with you.”
He added: “I'm just trying to play well tomorrow, and it's going tobe a really fun day.  I haven't been in the lead in a long time, but I've had some good finishes, so it will be a lot of fun.  I'm just trying to play good and make birdies and try to make more birdies than the other ones.”
Larrazabal, meanwhile, tends to thrive in tough, windy conditions and he will be hoping for more of the same on Sunday as he bids for a third European Tour title.
“I love this game and I love to fight for tournaments,” he said. “That's the fun part of this game and that's the fun part of being a professional golfer.
“So tomorrow will be a great day. To be in the final group in one of the most important tournaments on The European Tour schedule here in Asia, it will be very special.”
Whiteford carded five birdies in his round and after a difficult season to date – he only has one top 20 finish so far in 2013 – he is relishing being in contention in Korea.
“It's been pretty average, or poor, to be honest this season,” he said. “I’ve been hitting it half decent on the range most of the year and just not taking it out on the golf course.  This week it's better.  It's nice to sort of hit it on the course like I have been on the range, which is pleasing.”
Australian pair Brett Rumford and Marcus Fraser are also in contention on seven under par after both players carded rounds of 69, with Rumford particularly impressive in responding to bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes by then birdieing each of his final five holes. 
South African Louis Oosthuizen, the World Number Seven, will start the final round four shots off the pace in a share of eighth position after mixed fortunes in his one under par round of 71.
The 2010 Open Champion posted six birdies but dropped shots on the seventh and 11th holes in addition to a double bogey six on the 13th.
“I've been hitting the ball probably the best I've been in a while but just missing loads of putts,” he said.
“But still, there are a lot of positives.  It’s not over yet and there are still 18 holes tomorrow. If the wind keeps the way it is, it's tough out there, especially the back nine.  Today I played well and I just made one bad swing at a horrible time.”
 
  THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
   Par 216 (3x72)
207 A Noren  (Swe) 71 67 69
208 P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 70 68, P Whiteford (Sco) 70 69 69
209 B Rumford (Aus) 73 67 69, M Fraser (Aus) 70 70 69
210 R Wattel  (Fra) 70 69 71, J Lara (Esp) 71 67 72
211 L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 69 71 71, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 67 74
212 K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 71 66 75, P Sang-Hyun (Kor) 74 69 69, E Pepperell (Eng) 72 69 71, S Dyson  (Eng) 71 72 69, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 68 71 73
213 K K.t. (Kor) 74 68 71, J Morrison  (Eng) 72 66 75, G Havret  (Fra) 71 70 72, A Vongvanij (Tha) 68 69 76, D McGrane (Irl) 71 72 70, K Pratt (Aus) 67 77 69, W Ashun (Chn) 75 65 73, M Carlsson  (Swe) 71 69 73, S Gallacher (Sco) 70 68 75, J Randhawa (Ind) 72 69 72
214 S Chowrasia (Ind) 71 70 73, J Heung-Chol (Kor) 70 70 74, K Gi-Whan (Kor) 67 72 75, J Sjöholm (Swe) 73 71 70, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 71 69 74, M Warren (Sco) 70 73 71, M Siddikur  (Ban) 74 69 71, K Hyung-Sung (Kor) 71 69 74, S Hend (Aus) 76 66 72,
215 H Jung-Gon (Kor) 70 74 71, H Min-Kyu (Kor) 71 69 75, P Lawrie (Irl) 68 73 74, H Mu (Chn) 72 69 74, H Soon-Sang (Kor) 71 71 73, J Knutzon (USA) 72 70 73, K Kyung-Nam (Kor) 72 68 75, P Lawrie (Sco) 75 67 73, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 72 70 73, R Hyun-Woo (Kor) 69 73 73
216 T Jaidee (Tha) 71 72 73, M Delpodio  (Ita) 71 69 76, M Baldwin (Eng) 67 73 76, S Yong-Jin (Kor) 71 71 74, S Kapur (Ind) 71 71 74, R Karlberg  (Swe) 69 73 74, J Edfors (Swe) 67 75 74, L Slattery (Eng) 70 71 75
217 B Henson (USA) 70 70 77, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 76 68 73, R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 73 75, P Hyun-Bin (Kor) 73 70 74, J Kruger (RSA) 71 67 79, R Ramsay  (Sco) 71 70 76
218 A Da Silva (Bra) 71 72 75, J Gonnet  (Fra) 67 76 75, C Ho-Sung (Kor) 73 70 75, P McGinley (Irl) 73 70 75, F Aguilar (Chi) 74 70 74, J Colomo  (Esp) 69 75 74, D Howell (Eng) 69 73 76
219 A Cañizares  (Esp) 69 75 75
220 L Sang-Hee (Kor) 73 71 76, K Seng-Yong (Kor) 74 70 76, D Beck (Aus) 74 70 76, F Zanotti (Par) 69 73 78
221 M Dong-Seop (Kor) 74 69 78, P Uihlein  (USA) 75 68 78, Y Y. E. (Kor) 70 72 79, T Wiratchant (Tha) 74 70 77
 
Steve Todd
Press Officer
European Tour

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JAMES BYRNE LEADS BY FOUR IN LANGKAWI MASTERS AFTER ROUND 3

NEWS RELEASE FROM ASIAN TOUR
Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia: James Byrne of Scotland was four shots ahead of the chasing pack following a third round three-under-par 69 at the PGM LADA Langkawi Masters today.
He posted two birdies and one eagle against one bogey for 18-under-par 198 to lead over Singaporean Lam Chih Bing, who produced a sensational 65, and Japanese Mitsuhiko Hashizume (67) at the Gunung Raya Golf Resort.
Thailand’s Wasin Sripattranusorn registered a 67 for fourth position, five shots from Byrne at the RM200,000 (approximately US$65,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.
Byrne was disappointed not to build on his overnight five-shot lead but remains confident that he can secure his second ADT title since winning at the PGM CCM Rahman Putra Masters in February.
“Anytime you have a lead, it is still a good position. It is nice to be ahead and I’ve won before at Rahman Putra. I’ve also won a few times in amateur golf with a lead so I’m not going to worry too much about the guys behind me,” said the former Walker Cup star.
The 23-year-old was four-under after 10 holes but struggled to keep pace when his putter turned cold.
“I struggled on the last eight holes. I missed quite a few birdie chances on 13, 14 and 15 and made a silly bogey on 16. I just didn’t hit the ball and putt as well as I did in the last two days. I felt like I could have pushed on a bit better but I can’t complain too much.”
Nicholas Fung was the best placed Malaysian after shooting a second consecutive 71 for a 208 total. He is 10 shots off the pace heading into the final round.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
198 - James BYRNE (SCO) 64 65 69
202 - LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 70 67 65, Mitsuhiko HASHIZUME (JPN) 68 67 67
203 - Wasin SRIPATTRANUSORN (THA) 67 69 67
204 - Anthony KANG (USA) 67 70 67, Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN) 69 65 70
205 - Malcolm KOKOCINSKI (SWE) 64 72 69
206 - Nils FLOREN (SWE) 63 72 71
207 - Adam BLYTH (AUS) 70 72 65, LEE Shih-hung (TPE) 68 69 70, HSIEH Tung-shu (TPE) 68 68 71
208 - YANG Fei-hao (TPE) 70 68 70, Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 66 71 71, Ian KEENAN (ENG) 70 67 71
209 - Daniel BRINGOLF (AUS) 73 69 67, Arie FAUZI (MAS) 72 69 68, Ben CAMPBELL (NZL) 68 73 68, Darren TAN (AUS) 69 71 69, David PALM (SWE) 70 68 71
210 - Quincy QUEK (SIN) 71 72 67, Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS) 70 69 71, Clement RAMEAUX (FRA) 72 67 71, Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA) 73 64 73, R. Nachimuthu (MAS) 70 67 73
212 - Michael MOORE (AUS) 69 72 71, Nick PUGH (ENG) 71 70 71
 

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LUCAS GLOVER LEADS AND CHINESE BOY MAKES CUT AT ZURICH CLASSIC

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

AVONDALE, Louisiana  -- Lucas Glover smoothly rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole Friday, giving him the outright lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans -- and showing he has regained his touch on the greens.

Distancing himself from the putting problems that sabotaged good ball-striking rounds, Glover shot a 5-under 67 to reach 12 under and take a one-stroke lead over Boo Weekley.
"I've been hitting it good for a couple months and finally started making some putts," said Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open winner who won the last of his three PGA TOUR titles in 2011. "I mean, I was hitting it as good as I can hit it. But at the same time, if you putt poorly. ..."
Weekley had a 68. He holed out with a wedge from 105 yards for an eagle on the par-4 10th, his first hole in the second round at TPC Louisiana.
"I couldn't tell it went in because it's got a little bit of an upper lip in the front of it," Weekley said. "I saw it bounce, and then I didn't see it no more. Then the people in the background started hollering and whooping, I was like, 'Wow, that really went in.' I didn't believe it."
Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old Chinese amateur playing on a sponsor exemption, followed his opening 72 with a 69 finish at 3 under to make the cut. He tied for 58th two weeks ago in the Masters after becoming the youngest player to make the cut at Augusta National, and said Thursday that he will play in a U.S. Open qualifier in two weeks in Dallas.
"I think I played a very good round today," Guan said. "I made a lot of birdies and a couple of good up and downs."
Glover missed the cuts in three of his past four events, mainly because of the putting woes.
"Obviously, making a lot of them to make that many birdies," Glover said. "But a few hiccups today, but you get that here. You get out of position, and it's hard to make par. But luckily I've been in position more than not. So I'm pretty pleased with my play."
He's working with putting instructor Dave Stockton Jr.
"We've been working for about seven months," Glover said. "Used a little bit of, or took what he gave me, and took some of my own stuff with my setup just to get comfortable and stable and still doing what we work on."
Glover had 49 putts in the first rounds, 11 on the front nine Friday when he made the turn in 4-under 32. He birdied the first two holes with putts of 3 and 6 feet, and added birdies on the fifth and 11th holes.
He got to 12 under with a short birdie putt on the 13th, but a poor chip from the right side of the green on the par-3 17th green led to bogey. He then rebounded with the 18-footer on the par-5 18th.
"Getting off to a good start at this course is pretty important because 17 coming in, nine coming in, depending on which side you play first, I had about an 8-footer on 2, after a good bunker shot then a tough read," Glover said. "I had the break going one way, the green going the other, and I made that one. That was a good feeling to birdie the first two, two good reads, two good strokes and I just kind of felt like that got me going."
D.A. Points was 10 under after a 68. Morgan Hoffmann was three strokes back at 9 under after a 69, and Ernie Els had a 69 to reach 8 under. Els lost a playoff to Jason Dufner last year in the event.
"I like the course." Els said. "I obviously played well here last year and I'm just trying to set that same game plan and really wait for the course to come to me."
Bubba Watson, the 2011 winner, rebounded from an opening 73 with a 65 to reach 6 under.
"It was good," Watson said. "Yesterday, I played really scared. I'm trying to play good. When you do that you don't hit quality shots and you just struggle."




SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
 
Par 144 (2x72)
Players from USA unless stated
132 Lucas Glover 65 67
133 Boo Weekley 65 68
134 D A Points 66 68
135 Morgan Hoffmann 66 69
136 Ernie Els (S Africa) 68 68 
137 Brian Davis (England) 68 69, Jerry Kelly 70 67, Justin Rose (England) 69 69, Jeff Maggert 70 67, Bobby Gates 67 70, Doug LaBelle II 70 67

SELECTED SCORES
138 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 70 68 (T12)
141 Guan Tianlang (China) (amateur) 72 69 (T57)

MISSED THE CUT (141 and better qualified)
142 Shane Lowry (Ireland) 74 68
143 David Lynn 71 72
144 Ross Fisher 73 71
145 Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 73 71
147 Gary Christian (England) 74 73
153 Greg Owen (England) 76 77 

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