SIMON KHAN LEADS US OPEN QUALIFIERS AT WALTON HEATH

NEWS RELEASE BY EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

By STEVE TODD
Simon Khan put his play-off defeat in the BMW PGA Championship behind him to secure one of the 12 spots on offer in the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath today..

Khan admitted he had a sleepless night after losing to Italian Matteo Manassero on the fourth extra hole at Wentworth in The European Tour’s flagship event on Sunday.

But he showed few side-effects in the wake of that disappointment as he led the 94 hopefuls competing in the 36 hole qualifying event for next month’s US Open Championship at Merion Golf Club.

The 40 year old followed an opening round of 67 on the Old Course with a 70 on the New Course for a seven under par total of 137, finishing one stroke clear of Englishman Paul Casey and South African Jaco Van Zyl.

After birdieing the first two holes, Khan bogeyed the fifth before picking up another shot on the eighth. He then made back-to-back bogeys immediately after the turn, before hitting back with a superb run of three consecutive birdies on the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th holes.

Although he dropped a shot on the 16^th, Khan had enough left in the tank to par the closing two holes and secure his third appearance in the US Open after previously playing in 2009 and 2010.

“I’m delighted with today,” said Khan. It was tough out there with a lot of cross winds. I had a little wobble around the turn but then settled down with three birdies in a row. I dropped one on 16 but I was beginning to flag by then.

“Yesterday I did everything I could. I would not have done anything different but it didn’t work out. When I won the BMW PGA Championship there was a downside in that I shut off a little bit after reaching one of my all-time goals of winning a tournament like that.

“Hopefully, this time I can look at it the other way round and kick on from here. I don’t know a lot about Merion but it looks fantastic from the pictures I’ve seen. It looks quite tricky and a bit shorter, which hopefully will suit me.

“It will be my third US Open and I love the tournament, so it will be fantastic to go back.”

Former Ryder Cup player Casey produced the round of the day, firing a superb 64 on the New Course after an opening 74 on the Old Course to seal his place in the season’s second Major Championship.

“I played lovely today,” said Casey who is slowly returning to form after recovering from a shoulder injury. “It was the first qualifier I’ve played, so I didn’t know what to expect. We had great crowds and it was a golf course I played a lot as a kid, so I’m ecstatic to come through.

“For me, the US Open is right up there along with The Open Championship. I don’t know a lot about Merion but I’ve played a lot of US Opens and I love them. I know it is going to be tough but I’m looking forward to it.”

Van Zyl joined Casey on six under par following rounds of 71 and 67 to earn his debut in a Major Championship in Pennsylvania.

“It’s great to be playing in my first Major,” he said. “I qualified earlier in the year for the US PGA but to get in this is fantastic. I’m just going to go and enjoy and not have any expectations.”

Morten Ørum Madsen finished fourth on five under par, while Australian Marcus Fraser and Sweden’s Peter Hedblom, who finished tied 11^th in the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst, also ensured their spots on four under par, along with 22 year old rookie Eddie Pepperell of England.

Pepperell continued the form he showed in finishing tied sixth in the BMW PGA Championship at the weekend and will now continue his progression at the top level by making his debut in a Major Championship at Merion.

“I didn’t feel too tired today, which I thought I might have done after Wentworth,” he said. “I putted well again and just kept trying to do the things I did last week.

“It’s a massive tournament and it’s another opportunity to play at the highest level, which is something I’ve not done before. It will be a great experience for me. I enjoy tough courses and tough conditions so hopefully I can play well. It’s the next step up for me.”

Madsen was the last man on the course and his success meant a six-man play-off  for the final five spots, involving 2012 European Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal, Argentine Estanislao Goya, Scotland’s Chris Doak, Swede Rikard Karlberg and the English pair of John Parry and David Howell.

At the first play-off hole, Olazábal, Howell and Parry all made birdie to progress, Parry securing a Major Championship debut and Olazábal and Howell earning their first appearances at the US Open since 2007 and 2011 respectively.

Olazábal said: “I’m very pleased to be going to Merion. It’s not very often you are involved in a six-man play-off so I’m delighted to get through and get a place in the US Open.”

Howell said: “I’m delighted to get through. They were generous odds in the play-off but someone has to miss out, so thankfully I made it through.

“Things have been going better for me the last year or so but you want to be playing in the Major Championship. From what I hear Merion is a brilliant course and hopefully I can do well.”

Doak, Goya and Karlberg all made pars on the subsequent two additional holes before Karlberg struck a tree with his tee shot on the fourth and could only make bogey, meaning the Swede was the unfortunate man to miss out.

Both Goya and Doak will play in the US Open Championship for the first time, with Doak also making his debut in any of the four Majors after coming through 40 holes at Walton Heath.

The Scot said: “I’m really excited about it. I’ve got one of the golden tickets and it is fantastic. I actually lost in a qualifying play-off for The Open Championship last year, so it’s nice to actually get to a Major.”

 

Results from Walton Heath

Par 144 (2x72)

137 Simon Khan (Eng) 67 70.

138 Jaco Van Zyl (SAf) 71 67, Paul Casey (Eng) 74 64.
139 Morten Ørum Madsen (Den) 67 72.
140 Peter Hedblom (Swe) 67 73, Eddie Pepperell (Eng) 70 70, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 69.
141 (after play-off) John Parry (Eng) 66 75, David Howell (Eng) 68 73, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 68 73, Estanislao Goya (Arg) 69 72, Chris Doak (Sco) 71 70.
DID NOT QUALIFY
141 (beaten in play-off) Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 70 71 (1st alternate).
142 J B Hansen (Den) 74 68 (2nd alternate), Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 72 70, Lee Slattery (Eng) 73 69, Simon Dyson (Eng) 72 70, Chris Paisley (Eng) 68 74, Espen Kofstad (Nor) 71 71, Steve Webster (Eng) 68 74, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 71 71.
143 Peter Uihlein (US) 73 70, Alexander Noren (Swe) 69 74.
144 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 67 77, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 73, Soren Hansen (Den) 71 73, David Drysdale (Sco) 71 73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 71 73, Romain Wattel (Fra) 71 73, Rafa Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 74 70, Thomas Aiken (SAf) 74 70, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 72 72, Robert Rock (Eng) 76 68, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 77, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 72, David Horsey (Eng) 70 74.
145 Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 73 72, Marc Warren (Sco) 71 74, Richard Green (Aus) 72 73, Justin Walters (SAf) 71 74, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 74 71, Ross Fisher (Eng) 73 72.
146 Richard Finch (Eng) 78 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 73 73, Andy Sullivan (Eng) 77 69, Thomas Levet (Fra) 75 71.
147 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 78 69, Daniel Popovic (Aus) 70 77, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 69 78.
148 Andrea Harto (Den) 75 73, Brett Rumford (Aus) 71 77, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 75, Max Kieffer (Ger) 75 73.
149 Tom Lewis (Eng) 74 75, Colin Montgomerie (Sco) 71 78, Matthew Baldwin (Eng) 74 75
150 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 70 80.
152 Gaganjett Bhullar (Ind) 78 74, Billy Hemstock (Eng) 73 79, Peter Lawrie (Ire) 72 80, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 76 76, Scott Henry (Sco) 74 78.
153 Rhys Davies (Wal) 73 80.
154 Gareth Maybin (NIr) 81 73

DID NOT COMPLETE TWO ROUNDS
Paul WARING ENG 73 RT
Darren FICHARDT RSA 72 RT
Alexandre KALEKA FRA 71 RT
Emiliano GRILLO ARG 76 RT
Shane LOWRY IRL 75 RT
Scott JAMIESON SCO 78 RT
Dawie VAN DER WALT RSA 79 RT
Oscar FLOREN SWE 78 RT
Jeev Milkha SINGH IND 75 RT
Fredrik ANDERSSON HED SWE 73 RT
Victor DUBUISSON FRA 69 RT
Mark TULLO CHI 79 RT
Garth MULROY RSA 76 RT
Ricardo SANTOS POR 76 RT
Eduardo DE LA RIVA ESP 76 RT
Lorenzo GAGLI ITA 77 RT
Johan EDFORS SWE 77 RT
Terry PILKADARIS AUS 77 RT
Tommy FLEETWOOD ENG 75 RT
Felipe AGUILAR CHI 72 RT
Oliver FISHER ENG 73 RT
Alvaro QUIROS ESP 79 RT
Fabrizio ZANOTTI PAR 77 RT
Shiv KAPUR IND 74 RT
Kristoffer BROBERG SWE 75 RT
Julien QUESNE FRA 77 RT
Wen-chong LIANG CHN 79 RT
92 Pablo MARTIN  ESP RT
Ross McGOWAN ENG RT
Richie RAMSAY SCO RT

Steve Todd

Press Officer

European Tour

IAN BRATTON SUFFERS BAD ANKLE BREAK PLAYING FOOTBALL

E-mail from Ian Bratton
Newburgh-on-Ythan GC
PGA professional
 
I am emailing you from my hospital bed.
Last Tuesday I played five aside football in the Blackburn Gala. I had arranged my team: myself, my assistant Jamie, his friend Blair, Tim Gray (ex Cruden Bay assistant pro), Jason Brown (ex AFC keeper), Oldmeldrum GC pro Hamish Love, and my friend Gavin an ROV op from Blackburn.
We narrowly lost the first two games , and were halfway through the third of four when Jason passed a high ball through the middle to me.
 I leaped up to control the ball with my right foot and landed on my left foot with a loud snap. I had a look at my foot and thought my boot had came off , unfortunately it was the ankle going the wrong way. 
It was broken badly and not a pretty sight. Everybody there were tremendous and I had a support team around me until the paramedics arrived.
I went straight into surgery and they straightened up the ankle with a steel plate and screws. I had a follow-up operation on Friday to close up the open fracture. 
The surgeon seems happy with his work although he had never seem one like it, other than reading about it in books. Both sides of the left ankle and the bone that meets the ankle all smashed and the tendons twisted round the bone. 
Eight weeks in plaster, no work for a while , no golf for a long time.
I was supposed to be playing in Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club's 125th anniversary match with Paul Lawrie on  June 7.
We hope to fix a replacement for me.
So it's home to catch up on some paper work from a busy start of the golf season.
 
Ian Bratton
Newburgh on Ythan Golf Club.

SIMON KHAN WINS ON OF US OPEN QUALIFYING PLACES AT WALTON HEATH

• FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
• By ALISTAIR TAIT
• Follow Me: Twitter @GolfweekTait

WALTON HEATH, Surrey  – It didn’t take Simon Khan long to put behind him the disappointment of losing a playoff for the European Tour’s flagship event. Just 24 hours, to be precise.
A spot in next month’s US Open made up for missing out on his second BMW PGA Championship victory. 
Khan rallied to shoot rounds of 67-70 in U.S. Open International Sectional Qualifying at Walton Heath Golf Club today, good enough to win one of the 12 places in the Merion that were up for grabs.
The Englishman went four extra holes with Matteo Manassero the day before the qualifier to try to win the $6.1 million BMW PGA Championship. He lost. Manassero took the $1 million cheque and the spot in the U.S. Open that went along with it.
Khan tied for runner-up honours with Scotland’s Marc Warren, and left Wentworth Sunday with more than $500,000 in his back pocket. The Englishman also left determined to get into the U.S. Open for a third time.
“I’m delighted,” Khan said after completing 36 holes at Walton Heath. “This afternoon was really tough. The wind was stronger. There were a lot of tricky crosswinds and some pretty tricky tee shots but I dealt with that pretty well.”
Khan claims he only got a half hour of sleep before taking on the challenge of Walton Heath’s Old and New Courses. That’s not exactly the best preparation when you’ve got 36 holes to play. But then his approach shot into Wentworth’s 18th hole on the fourth playoff hole, which went in the water, kept preying on his mind.
“Last night I was thinking should I have hit driver (off the tee at 18) but I was struggling with that cut tee shot. So I stuck with my 3-wood and it didn’t work out.
“I thought about pulling out (of the field at Walton Heath) but this is my job. This is what I do. There are worse things to be doing on a Monday afternoon, especially on these two courses. They are fantastic and I’ve always loved playing them. 
"Everybody should try to get into the U.S. Open, especially after what Gregory Havret did a few years ago and what (champion) Michael Campbell did in 2005.”
After his exploits the day before, it was no surprise his attention started to stray halfway through his second round.
“I had a little wobble around the turn, had couple of bogeys, but managed three birdies in a row at 12, 13 and 14 to settle down. I dropped one at the end but I was starting to flag then.”
The ultimate irony is that Khan did not get an automatic spot into the U.S. Open when he won the 2010 BMW PGA Championship, whereas this year there was an exemption. Three years ago he came to Walton Heath and only earned the first alternate spot. He got his place at Pebble Beach when Justin Rose won the Memorial.
This time around he doesn’t have alternate worries. He’s looking forward to his third attempt at America’s national championship.
“I don’t know a lot about the course,” he said. “All I know is Hogan’s famous picture at the last, which is iconic. It looks fantastic. 
"From the few pictures I’ve seen it looks a good test of golf, quite tricky and shorter and hopefully that will suit me.
“It’s a huge tournament. I love the atmosphere. The fans are into it, the crowds are huge and I love it when it’s like that.
“Overall I’m delighted. I think I’ll sleep tonight.”

HUTCH WILL HAVE TO ADJUST FROM WENTWORTH TO CARDRONA

By COLIN FARQUHARSON 

Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Greg Hutcheon has confirmed he will be in the field for the Tartan Tour's second 36-hole tournament at Macdonald Cardrona, Peebles, starting tomorrow.
It will call for a bit of adjustment for the Banchory Golf Club tour pro after the best part of a week rubbing shoulders with Ryder Cup stars and other world-class players at Wentworth.
Hutcheon, winner of the PGA of Scotland money table and Order of Merit last season, has come home from making the last day in the PGA Championship at Wentworth with mixed feelings.
A last round of 79 took the shine off his Saturday score of 67 but he made the cut, a performance  which world-ranked players like McIlroy, McDowell and Donald could not match.          
"The last round at Wentworth was very frustrating but really evened out the great fortune I had in the third round!" said Hutcheon who is now 40, having turned pro in 1995.
"I had only 26 putts on Saturday followed by not such a hot putter day. The bad luck on Sunday was a poor lie in a reseeded divot from a straight tee shot down the eighth fairway. That resulted in my only double bogey of the four rounds.
"A few poor shots on the back nine did not help but Wentworth is just such an exacting test of golf. Look at Westwood's back nine.
"It was my first real experience of being up there in a monster event. Huge crowds , great experience although I must admit to being a little embarrassed coming off 18 on Sunday. It seemed as easy to have a 67 on Saturday as a 79 on Sunday. That's golf!"
And the tournament did end on a high note for the man from Crathes.

 "I had the great honour of attending the prize giving where I was given a silver salver for being the highest-finishing PGA pro in the tournament. If at the start off the week I'd been offered that I would of been chuffed as I was at the end. Maybe next time I'll get the hot last round that you need!"

JOHN PARRY LEADS IN US OPEN QUALIFIER AT WALTON HEATH

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Englishman John Parry set the early pace in the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath, carding a six under par 66 over on the New Course today to lead by one stroke at the halfway stage, while Simon Khan put his BMW PGA Championship play-off defeat behind him.
Englishman Khan opened with an impressive 67 on the Old Course, the day after losing on the fourth extra hole to Italian Matteo Manassero at Wentworth Club, as he tries to seal one of the 12 spots available in next month’s US Open Championship.
But it was Parry who heads the 94 hopefuls battling it out over 36 holes as he looks to secure a spot in his first US Open at Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania.
“It was a pretty solid round,” said Parry. I was never in any trouble and I held a few putts. From the outside it probably didn’t look spectacular, but I kept plodding along.
“I was three under through nine and I held a few putts coming in from eight to ten feet and that’s the difference between going home now and having a good chance of going through.
“So I feel like I have a decent chance now. I was first reserve for Wentworth last week so I came down here and had a practice round on Thursday and another on Sunday so my preparation is probably better than many of the guys who played last week and who are tired. Being first out helped too.”
Sweden’s Peter Hedblom, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal all carded rounds of 67 on the New Course, with former Ryder Cup player David Howell and 2012 European Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal a shot further back after rounds of 68.
Olazábal said: “I’m pleased even though I made a lot of mistakes. It was a rollercoaster round with lots of birdies but three bogeys and a double. It was not boring, let’s put it that way.
“I think I’m going to need to shoot a similar score to get through. I would mean everything to get to the US Open. I missed last year and I’ve given myself the best possible chance.”
Meanwhile, Khan showed no obvious signs of fatigue following his draining play-off defeat to Manassero at Wentworth yesterday as he posted a 67, the joint best score of the morning starters on the trickier Old Course alongside Dane Morten Ørum Madsen, the last man on the course.
He said: “I felt quite tired this morning so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I started well. To get through the first six holes level was good and I had some chances on the back nine.
“I felt good all last week and played really well, even though it didn’t quite happen, so hopefully I can carry it on.”
Scotland’s Marc Warren, who bowed out at the first hole of the play-off in the BMW PGA Championship, also put that disappointment behind him with a solid 71 on the New Course.
“It was tricky this morning with the wind and getting used to the new greens after last week, and I struggled a little to adapt,” he said. “So I’m really pleased to come in under par. Last week was a really positive week and I felt I couldn’t do much more. Matteo played better in the play-off, so I will only take positives from the week.
“I qualified from this event last year and had a taste of the US Open so it would be great to go back.”

TO VIEW ALL THE FIRST-ROUND SCORES

CLICK HERE

LAW, McLEAN DOWN THE FIELD IN AUSTRIA

David Law and Paul Lawrie Golf Centre stablemate Philip McLean scored 75 and 76 respectively today (Monday) in the first round of the EPD Tour event, the Adamstal Open, at Admstal Golf Club, Austria.

Law had only one birdie, at the ninth, and ruined his card with a double bogey 5 at the short 16th.

McLean was nine over par after only seven holes, having run up a triple bogey 7 at the second and a quadruple bogey 9 at the long seventh. The Peterhead man then settled to cover the remaining holes in three under par with birdies at the eighth, 12th and 14th.

Portuguese player Nino Henriques leads with a four-under 66 by two shots from Stephan Wolters (Germany) and Leonhard Astil (Austria).

EPD TOUR - ADAMSTAL OPEN

Adamstal GC, Austria

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES

Par 70

66 Nuno Henriques (Por).

68 Stephan Wolters (Ger), Leonhard Astil (Aut).

SCOTS' SCORES

75 David Law (T51).

76 Philip McLean (T61).

JAMES WHITE EQUALS LUNDIN LINKS RECORD WITH A 62

Scotland international James White equalled the course record of nine-under-par 62 in winning the Birkmyre Trophy open competition at Lundin Golf Club, Fife at the
weekend.

White, a member at the Lundin club,  had an eagle 3 at the long ninth and birdies at the third, fifth, seventh, eighth, 10th, 13th, 15th and 17th in halves of 31 (five under par) and 31 (four under).

But for a lone bogey at the fourth, White, son of a former Tartan Tour professional, would have set a new low mark.

A +3 player, White won the scratch trophy by three shots from Lundin clubmate Steven Meiklejohn with another local player, Stephen Rogerson, third on 69.

TOP AMATEURS HEAD FOR SOUTHERNESS WITH WALKER CUP IN MIND

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE SGU

Harbouring hopes of landing a coveted place in September’s Walker Cup team, Great Britain and Ireland’s leading amateur golfers will descend on Southerness this weekend to impress selectors by capturing the prestigious Carrick Neill Scottish Stroke Play Championship title (31 May – 2 June).

No fewer than ten different nationalities will be represented at the superb Solway Firth links when the action gets underway on Friday morning, as 144 competitors with handicaps of +1.2 or better aim to join a list of famous golfing names on the trophy.

Past champions include former Ryder Cup captains Bernard Gallacher (1967) and Colin Montgomerie, while several other winners have gone on to enjoy successful careers on the European Tour, including Dean Robertson, Stephen Gallacher,Alastair Forsyth, Richie Ramsay and south-west favourite Andrew Coltart, who took the title back in 1991.

The Championship has not been kind to Scotland’s finest in recent years however, with the previous four events producing two winners each from England and France. Comrie’s Wallace Booth, now forging a career on the second tier Challenge Tour, was the last Scot to lift the trophy at The Duke’s five years ago, but a clutch of home-grown talent will be out to make amends at Southerness.

Among the mainchallengers will be reigning Scottish Amateur Champion Grant Forrest (Craigielaw), who returns home from a successful second year of a University of San Diego golf scholarship, where a win at last month’s West Coast Conference Championships has helped establish the 19-year-old as Scotland’s leading player in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Local favourite Scott Gibson will also fancy his chances of making home course advantage count, having performed well in last year’s championship where he finished tied 18^th, as will Dumfries & County’s Greig Marchbank, the leading Scot twelve months ago and the current holder of the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship.

Bamburgh Castle’s Garrick Porteous will cross the border to lead the English challenge, hoping to impress the watching Walker Cup selectors, while namesake Haydn Porteous, the leading amateur in South African golf, will be aiming to go one better than his joint runner-up finish in last year’s championship at Kilmarnock Barassie.

One of Scotland’s leading Walker Cup contenders Graeme Robertson, who lost out in a play-off for the Irish Amateur Open Championship earlier this month, will be eager to seize his maiden national title , with two of Scotland’s most promising young talents, Ewan Scott (St Andrews) and Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) determined to underline their potential as they continue their impressive progress from the Scottish Golf Academy ranks.

The challenging 6,728-yard Southerness links hosts the championship for the second time, with Barry Hume setting the course record with a superb five-under par 64 on his way to winning the title in 2002.

Carrick Neill, one of the UK’s leading golf insurance providers acting as brokers for around 50% of golf clubs in Scotland, continue their support Official Championship Sponsors for the fourth year in a row.

>> Click here for the 1^st and 2^nd round tee-times for the 2013 Carrick Neill Scottish Stroke Play Championship.

WESTWOOD'S LONG-GAME TECHNIQUE NEEDS PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE

FROM THE SKY SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Lee Westwood says he requires some assistance with his 'long game' after throwing away an excellent chance of winning the prestigious BMW PGA Championship for the first time on Sunday.

After making three birdies in his opening four holes of the final round at Wentworth, to grab a two-stroke lead over the field, the 40-year-old Englishman then suffered an uncharacteristic collapse.
From the sixth hole, he covered the next nine in five over par, which included a dreadful double-bogey 7 at the 12th, and he came home in 40 shots.
By the time Westwood birdied the difficult 18th it was too late, as he finished three shots out of a play-off and in a tie-for-ninth - 20-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero won a three-man shoot-out.
And Westwood quickly pointed the finger at his driving and longer irons, the part of his game that has usually been the strongest.
He split from his long term coach Peter Cowen last year and Westwood said: "It's swing mechanics more than anything.
"So I just have to slow it down. I haven't really had a chance to look at it recently. I might go home and do that properly."
Asked if there was something he could fix on his own, Westwood added: "I don't know. That's what I'm contemplating, whether to go and see somebody again.
"I haven't seen anybody for a while now and maybe I just need a professional opinion on it, another set of eyes looking at it, but I'll decide that."
Westwood, a winner of 22 official European Tour events, but not as yet a Major title, is now heading Stateside to compete in this week's Memorial Tournament.

SPGA 36-HOLE CHALLENGE SERIES EVENT NO 2 AT CARDRONA TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE PGA IN SCOTLAND

The second PGA 36 Hole Challenge Series Tournament takes place at the MacDonald Cardrona Golf and Country Club tomorrow and Wednesday.

A field of 88 has entered the event, the same number that competed in the opening competition at the Spey Valley resort in Aviemore at the beginning of the month.

Hayston’s Stephen Gray, the former Scottish Order of Merit No.1, who won that opening event of the Series at Spey Valley, heads the list of entries this time around.  He is due to start his first round at 11am on Tuesday, playing with James Byrne, the current Northern Open Champion

Gareth Wright, Scott Henderson and Greig Hutcheon, all of whom played in the BMW Championship last week at Wentworth (only Hutcheon survived the cut) are also due to tee up at the Borders resort course, designed by Dave Thomas.

Wright and Henderson are in the same pairing for the first round, going off at at midday, while Hutcheon starts half an hour later alongside a familiar face in the Scottish golfing scene, Graham Rankin.

Another name to look out for is Paul O’Hara. The younger brother of European Tour Professional Steven has recently joined the PGA ranks and has started his training programme at the Clydeway Golf Driving Range, working along with Graham Fox, the Scottish PGA champion who has also recently taken up a post at the Uddingston facility.

Three lady professionals are also in the field. Grouped together, they make up the last three-ball in the first round, going off at 12.50, Ailsa Bain from the home club is joined by Heather Macrae and Kirstin Scott.

Play starts on both days at 8am. Spectators are welcome and entry is free.

MICHAEL PUTNAM WINS ON WEB.COM TOUR IN MEXICO

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Royce Thompson, Web.com Tour staff
LEON, Mexico – The weather was benign most of the day at El Bosque Country Club. It really started to pick up at the end of Michael Putnam’s round when he was facing maybe the most important shot of the tournament. 
He had 220 yards from the middle of the 18th fairway thinking he needed birdie to win the Mexico Championship presented by Banamex. The wind started to pick up as he approached his ball which made the shot over water that much harder.

Leaderboard
Results
Watch: Putnam wins
THE 25: Money list
Highlights

“When I hit my 4-iron I hit it a little low on the face and I was definitely holding my breath because I didn’t know if it would get over,” he revealed. “I knew if it got over it would go in the bunker because of the line that it was on.”
Putnam did find the greenside bunker and splashed out to five feet. After making the clutch five-foot birdie putt with the wind whipping his pants on the 72nd hole to win the tournament, his second career Web.com Tour victory, he showed a little emotion with a huge fist pump.
With that birdie he fired a final round six-under par 66, that put him at 275 13-under par two strokes better than Alex Prugh, Wes Roach and Whee Kim.
The 29-year-old, who has his older brother Joel on the bag, had fun all week and was able to make some clutch putts down the stretch. Even though he was having fun being in contention he was focused on his goal coming into the week.
“I came to Mexico to win,” he said. “I came here this week because I wanted to win the golf tournament.”
Third round co-leaders Prugh and Kim struggled in the final round failing to birdie the par-5 18th hole to put any pressure on Putnam.
Kim headed into the final round playing some really good golf but fatigue set in on his final nine as he was unable to make a move up the leaderboard.
“It was a long day out there,” the soft-spoken South Korean said. “I was getting tired near the end and I missed a couple of shots coming in.”
Prugh seemed to share Kim’s feelings about the delays having an effect on his performance on Sunday.
“It was just a long day,” said the six-year pro. “I just made to many mistakes of the tee and around the greens to win this golf tournament.”
Putnam on the other hand seemed to find the delays as a blessing. He used the extra warm-up time as motivation to practice which helped him get through a tough stretch of golf.
The Washington native could see this win coming with his finishes at the South Georgia Classic (T2) and the Stadion Classic at UGA (T5). He also revealed that he might have played his best golf ever in the Wednesday pro-am where his team tied for first.
The youngest Putnam, Andrew, who finished tied for ninth, had the best seat in the house to watch his brother’s win. He was watching from the clubhouse and decided to come down to the green. As his older brother walked off the green, the 24-year-old gave him a high-five and seemed really taken back by the whole experience.
“It was pretty surreal,” he revealed. “We were all pretty nervous watching in the dining hall. Just seeing him win was pretty cool because I was not there for his first win.”
The victory puts Putnam in the top spot on the money list with $246,234 which he sees as a very good thing.
“Anytime you have the No.1 on your back you know you’ve been playing well,” he said. “And to win and also lead the money list is a really cool thing.”
Final-Round Notes
-- Hudson Swafford was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard in round two.
-- Wes Roach recorded his third top-10 of the season with his 277 11-under par finish today at the Mexico Championship. Roach had just one top-10 last year on the Web.com Tour. The Duke Alum collected a check of $52,266.67 which is more money that he made in 2012. He is now No. 15 on the money list at $103,526.
-- Whee Kim posted his best finish of the year a tie for second. The check moves him to No. 16 on the Web.com Tour money list at $97,049.
-- Alex Prugh, who was playing this week because of his top-25 last week in Greenville, finds himself at 30th on the money list and will get a significant bump in the next re-shuffle after the Air Capital Classic in two weeks. He is gets into the Mid-Atlantic Championship next week in Potomac, Maryland.
-- Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, the only Mexican player in the field to make the cut, finished the tournament at 279 9-under in a tie for seventh place. Rodriguez is eligible for next week’s Mid-Atlantic Championship and will try and make the trip to Potomac, Maryland for the event.
-- Michael Connell had a hole-in-one today at the par-3 15th measuring 232 yards on the card. Connell also birdied No.3 and No.12 putting him at four-under for his round on the par-3s. This is the second hole-in-one of the tournament. Kevin Tway had one in the second round on No.8.

-- The Web.com Tour will head to Potomac, Md., next week for the Mid-Atlantic Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm May 30 – June 2. Last year, David Lingmerth finished one-stroke better than leading money winner Casey Wittenberg to earn his first victory on Tour. Next week’s winner will earn $108,000 from the $600,000 purse.

LITTLE-KNOWN JAPANESE PLAYER WINS US SENIORS TITLE

FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Kohki Idoki's eyes welled with tears as he putted for the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, and again in the interview room Sunday. Everything about the Japanese player's first appearance in the event, and first trip to the United States, was perfect.

SENIOR PGA

Final leaderboard 
Charles Schwab Cup

"It is one of the greatest things to win in this game, so I cannot imagine more," Idoki said Sunday through a translator. "I can't believe that I am the champion."
Kenny Perry can't believe he let another major tournament title slip away.
"Well, it was going good for the first 13 holes or whatever," Perry said.
Idoki erased a five-stroke deficit against a fading Perry with room to spare, charging to a two-stroke victory at Bellerive Country Club.
It was the third bitter final-round major tournament failure for the 52-year-old Perry, who led by three strokes with six holes to play but settled for a second-place tie with Jay Haas.
Perry spoke briefly after trudging off the 18th green, noting that he'd been "shell shocked" by his crucial double bogey and that he was "in jail the whole time."
"It didn't seem like he was sharp from the beginning," Haas said. "I just don't think he was as sharp. If he was, he would have been 14 or 15 under, I think, with no problem."
For the first 12 holes, it appeared to be a two-man contest between Perry and Haas, a two-time champion and hometown favorite from nearby Belleville, Ill. To Haas, the 5-foot-5, 136-pound player from Osaka, Japan, tracking them down was a mystery man.
"I've never seen Idoki hit a shot or anything, so I don't know much about him," Haas said. "But obviously he's a hell of a player. A great round, and he did what he had to do."
The 51-year-old Idoki closed with a 6-under 65 to finish at 11 under and become the first player to win the tournament on his first attempt since Michael Allen in 2009, and the first Asian male to win a senior major tournament.
Idoki led the Japan PGA Tour in driving accuracy for a decade but has just four career victories. He won once on the Japan Senior Tour last year and won two titles on the Japan PGA Tour, in 1990 and '93.
Last year, Idoki finished a distant 65th in the Senior British Open after a final round of 81.
Idoki got a beer shower from fellow Japanese players Joe Ozaki and Kiyoshi Murota after finishing ahead of Perry's final group. Idoki said Osaki, who invited Idoki to accompany him to the tournament, is a mentor.
Idoki wasn't sure about a title defence, saying "I prefer to just stay in Japan."
Perry shot a 72, and Haas had a 70. Perry squandered a two-stroke lead with two holes to go in the 2009 Masters and also let victory slip away in the 1996 PGA.
Mark O'Meara was fourth, three strokes back after 65 including an eagle on No. 17. Murota was another shot behind after a 67.
Perry staggered to the finish line, beginning with a double bogey on No. 13 that dropped him into a tie with Idoki. Another bogey on No. 16 dropped him out of the lead he held or shared since the end of the second round and he bogeyed No. 17 after shooting sideways out of deep rough in trees on No. 17.
Perry lost his lead three-putting from the fringe up against the edge of the rough on No. 13, running it past the cup from about 3 feet before holing out to put him at even par for the day.
He arched his back in disappointment after leaving a long birdie putt just short on No. 14.
Idoki climbed into contention with four birdies and no bogeys on the front nine, and added two more birdies in a flawless finish.
Jim Rutledge closed with a 64 for the best round of the tournament. He tied for sixth with fellow Canadian Rod Spittle, Russ Cochran, Kirk Triplett and Duffy Waldorf. Rutledge had seven birdies, five on the front nine, with no bogeys and no long putts to save par.
Defending champion Roger Chapman from England finished joint 64th.
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BOO WEEKLY WINS CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL AT COLONIAL

           What about that jacket? Boo Weekley (sounds like a football team 'supporter') with
                              the trophy and a jacket only a tournament winner would wear
  
FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By PGATOUR.COM wire services

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Boo Weekley was at the 13th hole during the final round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial before he finally glanced at a leaderboard -- and saw his name on the top.

Final leaderboard
Final results, points
TOUR Report 

FedExCup standings

It was at that par 3 surrounded by an often rowdy crowd that he also heard the loudest "Boo!" in quite some time.
Weekley hit his birdie putt from about 22 feet, then swiped his putter in the air as if guiding the ball into the cup. He thrust the club above his head when the ball dropped to get him to 14 under, where he finished Sunday for his first PGA TOUR victory in five years.
"That's when I realized, `Wow, here I go.' I need to do something, either hold on to it or try to make a couple of more birdies," Weekley said. "I knew I was hitting the ball too well just to hold on."
With five consecutive pars after that, Weekly finished at 14-under 266 for a one-stroke victory over Matt Kuchar, the second- and third-round leader who had a closing 68.
Weekley picked up 500 FedExCup points for the win, and moved to sixth in the standings.
Defending Colonial champion Zach Johnson, who also won at Hogan's Alley in 2010, shot a 66 to finish third at 12 under for his first top-10 finish this season.
Both of Weekley's previous wins had been at Harbour Town, in 2007 and 2008. Like the RBC Heritage winner, the Colonial champion gets a plaid jacket, though the 2008 Ryder Cup team member wasn't able to compare any differences between them.
"I couldn't tell you, it's been so long," said Weekley, who moved up to No. 55 in the world ranking, making him eligible for the U.S. Open.
Weekley, whose check of just more than $1.1 million matched what he earned his previous 14 tournaments this season while making 12 cuts and finishing in the top 10 three times, never trailed after consecutive birdies at Nos. 8, 9 and 10. Those came at the same time Scott Stallings made double bogey at No. 15 to drop out of the lead.

Kuchar, at No. 13 the highest-ranked player in the field, was 12 under after a 55-foot birdie putt at the 436-yard 12th hole. Kuchar punched his right arm into the air to punctuate the shot that got him within a stroke of Weekley for the lead.
Johnson was at No. 17, where a 19-footer for his second consecutive birdie also got him to 12 under.
Almost as quickly, their one-stroke deficit was back to two after Weekley's birdie at No. 13.
"I played well, that's all you can do and whoever wins, tip of the cap," Johnson said.
Stallings' closing 66 put him in a tie for fourth at 11 under, with John Rollins (68) and Matt Every (69).
The best round of the day was a 62 by Web.com Tour player Franklin Corpening, a Fort Worth native who grew up at Colonial and played at TCU. He finished at 8 under and tied for 14th, earning an automatic invitation to play again next year.
Kuchar made an 11-foot birdie putt off the back fringe at No. 2 before a bogey on the next hole when he took two shots from a greenside bunker. Then came a steady stream of pars until rolling in that long putt at No. 12. He didn't have another birdie until a closing 20-footer for second place alone, his sixth career runner-up finish.
"It's a bummer for me. This is a tournament, and this is a golf course, that I love," said Kuchar, a five-time PGA TOUR winner. "It's difficult at the moment coming just one shot short but you can't control what other guys do."

Weekley won the same week he went to see a doctor about the problem he has had recently maintaining focus in his left eye, sometimes causing bad twitches and making it problematic reading greens.
"I had a few out there. It was coming and going in that wind," Weekley said. "I don't know what's going to happen. We're going to get home and work on it."
Stallings had a 6-under 29 on the front nine, one off the course record, and was 13 under with a one-stroke lead when he got the 428-yard 15th hole. But he took three shots from inside a radius of about 5 yards after his approach shot from a left fairway bunker stopped behind the hole.
His chip shot then hit the edge of a greenside bunker, rolling into the sand, and he failed to get out of there on his next shot before finally blasting to 6 feet. Weekley had just made an 18-foot birdie at No. 9 to get to 12 under.
"It was kind of a make it, break it point," Stallings said. "You've got to get up and down, especially with the guys with a lot of holes left."
It was also at No. 15 where the only bogey of the day came for Johnson, who missed an opportunity to join five-time winner Ben Hogan as the only players to win Colonial more than twice.
While on the easy par-5, 548-yard first hole, the long-hitting Weekley told his caddie that it was good to feel butterflies again.
Weekley's 22-foot eagle chance at No. 1 stopped about 6 inches from the cup before he chipped in for another birdie from behind the third green. He sliced his tee shot out of bounds at No. 5 toward the Trinity River for a bogey and dropped another shot at the 437-yard seventh hole before starting his go-ahead birdie run with a 6-iron inside 4 feet at the 200-yard eighth hole.
"It feels good to actually have butterflies again, knowing that I'm in this, an opportunity to maybe win," Weekley said. "I might have shot 80 today. But I didn't. It was my time to win."
HOLE-IN-ONE: Bobby Gates had an ace (his first on the PGA TOUR) on the par-3 13th hole with a 6-iron from 194 yards. It was the 29th ace in the 66-year history of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
Players from USA unless stated
266 Boo Weekley 67 67 66 66.
267 Matt Kuchar 65 65 69 68 
268 Zach Johnson 69 65 68 66
269 Scott Stallings 69 65 69 66, John Rollins 63 71 67 68, Matt Every 65 69 66 69.

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