PORTLETHEN, BANCHORY WIN, AUCHMILL/MURCAR DRAW PENNANT MATCHES

Auchmill and Murcar Links drew 2 1/2-2 1/2 in an Aberdeen Pennant League match, sponsored by the Cults Hotel,  at Auchmill this evening.
Portlethen had a comfortable home win over Hazlehead whose only half-point came from former Walker Cup player Sandy Pirie and Alan Macklin. 
Northern, weakened by the Aberdeen Links championship competitions drawing away their best players, went down heavily, 4-1, at Banchory.

PORTLETHEN 4 1/2, HAZLEHEAD 1/2

Sean Lawrie and Sam Kiloh bt Laurence Prouse and Scott McDougall 7 and 5.

Keith Horne and Ryan Donaldson bt Davie Mair and Mike Winton 9 and 8.

Kevin Dalglish and Stephen Cook halved with Sandy Pirie and Alan Macklin.

Graham Innes and Robbie Murdoch bt Phil Lawrence and Malcolm Allan 1 hole.

Lewis Shand and Ben Murray bt Keith Ross and Ian Murray 6 and 4.

BANCHORY 4, NORTHERN 1

M Gordon and J Harling bt C Johnstone and L Minty 1 hole.
S Strachan and R Black lost to C McBain and D Mair 3 and 2.
D Brand and R Gray bt G Anderson and W West 4 and 3.
C Lindsay and A Ramage bt D Leslie and G Horne 3 and 2.
L Smart and S Birse bt D Johnstone and J Inglis 4 and 3.

ANYBODY HERE SEEN KELLY? CHRIS WINS BY THREE AT STRATHAVEN

                           CHRIS KELLY ... maintained his recent good form 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Chris Kelly upheld the 'horses for courses' theory by repeating today (Tuesday) his win of last year in the Strathaven Golf Club pro.
Twelve months ago, Kelly had to share the honours with Mark Kerr but this time round it was a case of "Anybody here seen Kelly?" - he won, if not out of sight, certainly by a very comfortable margin of three strokes.
The 36-year-old Cawder tour pro improved on his 2012 score of 66 with a six-under-par 65 which included seven birdies, coming at regular intervals, and only one bogey, at the 17th but he immediately bounced back with birdie No 7 at the 18th.
So Chris, who had come into the event on a roll - three successive top-four finishes, scored his first win of the season and collected the first pro prize of £1,200, boosting his season's earnings on the Tartan Tour alone to around £3,700.
Of the four men who shared second place on 68, Stephen Gray (Hayston), David Orr (Mearns Castle) and Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) all have five birdies apiece but also two bogeys each.
Craig Ronald (Carluke) and Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) shot four birdies each offset by a bogey apiece.
Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), who had a 70, piloted the Raeburn Brick Company trio of amateurs, Tom Allan (handicap 11), Jim Raeburn (16) and Colin Raeburn (3) to a net total of 18-under 53 which won them the team award by a single shot.

STRATHAVEN PRO-AM
Strathaven Golf Club, Lanarkshire
PRO SCORES
Par 71
65 Chris Kelly (Cawder) £1,123.
68 Craig Ronald (Carluke), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Stephen Gray (Hayston), David Orr (Mearns Castle), Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf), £609 each
69 Garry Forrester (St Andrews GS), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Gareth Wright (West Linton), David Patrick (Elie SC), Andrew Crerar (Panmure), £240 each.
70 Stuart Kerr (Strathaven), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), £151 each.
71 Derek Watters (Gourock, Gordon Law (Uphall), £115 each.
72 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Grant Smith (Gleneagles Hotel), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links), £63 each.
73 Greig Hucheon (Banchory), Greg McBain (Gamola Golf).
74 Scott Catlin (Greenburn), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).
75 Gary McFarlane (Clober), Jonathan Lomas (Caprington).
76 Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill), Gareth Hardy (Belleisle), Craig Gordon (Edinburgh GC), Jonathan Sharp (Carrick on Loch Lomond), Scott Costello (Strathaven).
77 Christopher Currie (Caldwell), Sam McLaren (Blairgowrie)
78 Fraser Dunlop (Gleneagles Hotel)
79 Christopher McMaster (Panmure).

TEAM WINNERS
53 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) and Raeburn Brick Co: Tom Allan (11), Jim Raeburn (16), Colin Raeburn (3).

PAUL LAWRIE SCHOOLS GOLF TEE TIMES ON www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Tee times for the Paul Lawrie Foundation Scottish schoolboys championship at Murrayshall Hotel golf courses near Perth on Monday, June 10 can be viewed on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk
The times for the schoolgirls were on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk on Monday.

SENIOR SCOTS AMONG QUALIFIERS AT DE VERE MOTTRAM HALL

NEWS RELEASE
A record number of players entered Monday’s pre-qualifying event for this week’s ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship, with American Zeke Martinez leading the 23 successful qualifiers home at De Vere Mottram Hall, in Cheshire.
Martinez carded a four under par round of 69 to secure his place in the first regular event of the 2013 European Senior Tour season, which carries a prize fund of £260,000.
A total of 14 PGA Members also guaranteed their berths in the field alongside the likes of former Ryder Cup captains Mark James, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
England’s Mark Howell finished a stroke behind Martinez in a four-way tie for second place.
Also through to the Championship, with level par or better making the grade, were: Kevin Phillips (Winterfield), Albert McKenzie (Saunton), Shaun Ball (South Staff ), John Twissell (Garstang CGC), Warwick Holland (Pitcheroak), Mitch Kierstenson (Penfold Park), Keith Baxter (Buchanan Castle), Gerry Burke (Curragh), Phillip Gresswell (Bonn), Alan Gibson (Sherdley Park), Charles Haynes (Olton), Jimmy Heggarty (Claremorris) and Tony Charnley.
The ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship is one of only two Senior Tour events which stage a qualifier, the other being The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex.
Like The Senior Open Championship and the Tour’s other two Majors, the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship is a four-round tournament, starting on Thursday.

KIRKINTILLOCH SHIELD RETURNS TO LENZIE ON JULY 28

NEWS RELEASE

Kirkintilloch town council decided to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the town being granted the liberty of a Burgh.  In 1964 various celebrations took place including sporting events.  A golf tournament was instigated called the Kirkintilloch Shield.  The local golf clubs of Kirkintilloch and Hayston already held open competitions so it was decided to hold the event at Lenzie.
The three local clubs have jointly decided to try and return the competition to its former glory. It will be played in rotation by the clubs the first being held at Lenzie on July 28. 

The Kirkintilloch Shield has a rich history with past winners including past Scottish Amateur Champions Allan Brodie, David Carrick and Graham Rankin. Past winners also include legendary Scottish Golfer Barclay Howard.

It is with this in mind, and a prize fund totalling more than £1100, we are trying to restore this once staple of the Scottish Golfing calendar to its former glory. 

Entries can be submitted through the Scottish Golf Union Website – www.scottishgolf.org or entry form can be downloaded from www.lenziegolfclub.co.uk or e-mail kirkyshield@gmail.com.

WORLD ONE-ARMED CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD AT BALLATER

Leading scores from the first qualifying round of the World One-Armed championship at Ballater Golf Club:

Reinhard Schuhnecht (South Africa) 72

Alex Hjalmarsson (Sweden)              72

Cian Arthurs (Ireland)                       78

Robert Paul (England)                       81

Darren Grey (England)                      83

Marcus Malo (Sweden)                     83

Dave Schutsander (Sweden)             84

David Waterhouse (England)           85

+Alex Hjalmarsson (Sweden) has been champion for the past two years. The top 16 gross aggregates after 36 holes qualify for the match-play stages. Also the four best net totals qualify for a handicap championship, a new event this year.

GOLF IS A £1 BILLION INDUSTRY IN SCOTLAND, ACCORDING TO KPMG REPORT

NEWS RELEASE FROM KPMG
 Golf in Scotland is now a £1 billion industry, according to new research conducted by KPMG in association with Oxford Economics.

The ‘Value of Golf to Scotland’s Economy’ report, commissioned by the Scottish Golf Union in conjunction with VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise, and published today at the KPMG Golf Business Forum in St Andrews, found that the industry generates £1.171 billion in revenues, including direct, indirect and induced effects. 

More than 20,000 people are employed in golf in Scotland – one in every 125 jobs are dependent on golf – creating wage payments of £300 million.

Once costs are taken into account, golf directly contributes £496 million to Scotland’s gross domestic product (GDP) annually, equivalent to 0.4% of the country’s total economic output.

While Scotland is known worldwide as ‘The Home of Golf’, it is the first time the value of golf to Scotland has been measured in this way. 

Hamish Grey, CEO of the Scottish Golf Union, said: “This report clearly demonstrates the significant value of golf to Scotland’s economy. Comparing it to other industries, we can now see for the first time that for example golf’s direct contribution to GDP is 89% that of fishing and fish farming, and 83% of air transport. 

“Scottish golf clubs are continuing to operate in challenging conditions, particularly in terms of finance and climate, and the Scottish Golf Union are providing our affiliated clubs with increased support, guidance and help with future business planning to ensure we have stronger clubs in the future to take advantage of the money spent in the industry.

“Our collective challenge is to work together to build on the evidence base from this report and ensure that future generations of Scots benefit from this great game and the related industry.”

RUSSELL KNOX QUALIFIES FOR PLACE IN US OPEN FIELD AT MERION

Russell Knox put his indifferent form this season behind him to win a place in the US Open championship field at Merion Golf Club, Philadelphia on June 13.
And Irish amateur Kevin Phelan, a student at North Florida University, also qualified on a day when 800 golfers nationwide were competing at sectionals.
Knox, Inverness-born, Jacksonville Beach-based player finished joint winner of the qualifier at Woodmont Country Club, Rockville, Maryland with scores of 65 and 67 for 132.
Six spots were available in the US Open field for a field of 122.
Twice US Open winner Lee Janzen had a 75 in the first round during which he wore metal spikes.
For this infringement of the rules - pros can wear spikes but are subject to host club rules in the sectionals and at Woodmont Country Club, metal spikes are banned totally.
So Janzen, the 1993 and 1998 US Open winner, was disqualified from playing a second round but that first-round 75 suggested he was not going to make it anyway. But a good story!
Fellow major champions of yesteryear Mike Weir and Ben Curtis will also be absent after the duo were unable to make enough progress at their separate sectionals.
Phelan, who was on the short leet for a place in the GB and I Walker Cup team at Royal Aberdeen two years ago, shot 65-70 for 135 to win the qualifier at Ritz-Carlton Members Club, Bradenton, Florida. He was one of three qualifiers from a field of 56 players.
Leicester-born US college player Greg Eason shot 68-72 for 140 and failed narrowly.
Elsewhere around the country, tour winners Charley Hoffman and Bae Sang-Moon advanced in their Columbus, Ohio sectional with Hoffman grabbing top honours over the field.
Jordan Spieth, who has made his mark on tour with a string of strong showings, shared top honours at the Dallas site to also qualify for the Open.
The 19-year-old finished as the top amateur, grabbing a share of 21st, at last year's tournament.
Tour winner Scott Stallings, along with young South Korean talent Noh Seung-Yul, missed out on qualifying.