BILL HAAS WINS AT AND T NATIONAL BY THREE STROKES

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

BETHESDA, Maryland -- Bill Haas won the AT and T National today  and joined some distinguished company.

Haas pulled away from a crowd of contenders with three straight birdies, two key pars and one good hop out of the rough. It led to a 5-under 66 on a muggy day at Congressional and a three-shot win over Roberto Castro.

Haas picked up 500 FedExCup points for the win, moving to seventh in the standings. That's important to Haas, who won the FedExCup in 2011 and failed to qualify for the TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola last year.
As many as six players had a share of the lead at some point until Haas rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 8. Worried about a splotch of mud on his ball, he hit his approach to just inside 12 feet for birdie on the par-5 ninth, and then hit a 5-iron to 10 feet for another birdie on the 10th.
Haas led by at least two shots the entire back nine, though he never allowed himself to think about winning until he stood over a 3-foot par putt on the 18th hole and realized he had three putts to win.
"I just kept the ball in front of me," Haas said. "Nothing too crazy."
Haas has won at least one PGA TOUR event in each of the last four years, joining Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose. And with a half-dozen players trying to win for the first time on TOUR, Haas kept a high pedigree of winner at the AT and T National. In the seven-year history of the tournament, Rose was the lowest-ranked player to win. He was at No. 35 in 2010 at Aronimink.
The 31-year-old Haas won for the fifth time in his career, and this was the first one with Tiger Woods on the property -- not to play, but to hand out the trophy. Woods sat out this week with an elbow injury and won't play again until the British Open, though he was impressed with what he saw.
"He played beautifully today," Woods said. "He handled his business through the tougher stretch of holes and pulled away."
Castro, part of a four-way tie for the lead at the start of the final round, made Haas work for it. The other leaders ffell away. Andres Romero had a double bogey on the fourth hole and shot 75. James Driscoll didn't make a birdie in his round The other leaders f

Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old from Texas who needs a win to become a PGA TOUR member and be eligible for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, started his day by holing out from a fairway bunker for eagle and chipping in for birdie to tie for the lead. 
He dropped a shot at No. 11 -- the hardest hole at Congressional -- about the time Haas was on his critical run of birdies. Spieth had a 69 and finished sixth, pushing his earnings for the year over $1.1 million.
Castro bogeyed the opening hole, and that was his only mistake. 
He was one shot out of the lead at the turn, couldn't match birdies with Haas at the par-3 10th, and then stuck with him the rest of the day.
"It helped that Roberto played so well," Haas said.
Haas, who finished on 12-under 272, never allowed himself to think about winning, even after he seized control around the turn. Congressional wouldn't let him. Even though he made 15 birdies on the weekend, he remembered the triple bogey on the 11th hole Saturday that temporarily derailed him.
This time, he found the fairway, hit onto the green, took two putts for par and exhaled.
Haas saved par from a bunker on the par-3 13th with a 6-foot putt that swirled 360 degrees around the cup before falling, and then picked up an unlikely birdie on the 14th when his 9-iron was drifting toward a mound covered with shaggy rough to the right of the green. It hopped off the mound to about 10 feet, and he went from a possible bogey to a birdie when he made the putt.
He made one more birdie with a wedge that checked up a foot from hole on the par-5 16th, and Haas was on his way.
The biggest struggle after that was hoisting the silver trophy of the U.S. Capitol over his head in the stifling heat of the closing ceremony on the 18th green.
Haas was still smarting over losing a three-shot lead in the final round at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, making five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of his round. He had the 36-hole lead at the Memorial until a 76-71 weekend.
D.H. Lee made nine birdies to match a tournament-best 64 and tied for third with Jason Kokrak, who briefly shared the lead on the front nine and had a 69. Stewart Cink closed with a 67 and finished alone in fifth, his best finish on the PGA TOUR since he reached the quarterfinal of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2010.

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ANDREW McARTHUR FINISHES FOURTH IN CHALLENGE TOUR EVENT

FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Dylan Frittelli closed out the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda to secure a maiden Challenge Tour victory and open the door to a new chapter in his young career. 

The 23 year old South African cruised to a three stroke victory at the Jacques Lemans Golf Club, resisting any attempt to catch him by the chasing pack with a mature and consistent final round performance, carding a level par 71 to finish the week victorious.

Italy’s Filippo Bergamaschi and Dutchman Daan Huizing, who started his day with a hole in one on the first hole, shared second place on 14 under, with Scotland’s Andrew McArthur a further shot back in fourth place. 

Frittelli’s final round playing partner, Billy Hemstock, was actually the closest challenger for most of the day, but the Englishman saw his bid to overhaul Frattelli come unstuck with a triple bogey seven on the 17^th.

 

“It wasn’t exactly what I planned today but the conditions were the toughest we had all week so it was more a case of grinding and getting the job done which I thankfully managed to do,” said Frittelli.

 

“I made some crucial putts coming down the stretch which really saved the day for me.

 

“The biggest moments were probably on 13 when I made a great par save from ten feet and then on the 16^th I made a great par putt and Billy missed his birdie chance to close the gap to one stroke.

 

“I was sure he was going to make that putt but when he missed I knew I had some breathing space with two holes to play and then he obviously had a really unfortunate finish.

 

“But I am delighted to get the win. This changes a lot for me and really opens doors for me and my career. I can hopefully push on now and try and get my European Tour card through the Challenge Tour and really keep pushing it forward.”

 

While Frttelli lifted the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda trophy, and the first place cheque for €25,600 that propelled him to 12^th place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, Manuel Trappel celebrated the week as the leading Austrian, having finished in a tie for 11^th on 11 under par.

 

But it was Frittell’s week and upon receiving the trophy he dedicated his victory in Austria to former South African President Nelson Mandela.

 

“I want to dedicate this victory to Mr Mandela. What he did for our country is indescribable and I would like to ask everyone to keep him in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

 

FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)

 

267 D Frittelli (RSA) 67 64 65 71

270 F Bergamaschi (Ita) 69 65 68 68, D Huizing (Ned) 68 69 67 66

271 A McArthur  (Sco) 70 70 65 66

272 M Haastrup  (Den) 65 69 69 69, S Walker (Eng) 68 67 67 70, A Pavan (Ita) 69 65 70 68, A Rota (Ita) 69 67 70 66, L Saltman (Sco) 63 69 69 71

273 F Calmels  (Fra) 68 69 66 70, M Trappel  (Aut) 66 73 70 64

274 E Dubois (Fra) 66 67 71 70, B Hemstock (Eng) 66 67 67 74, N Kearney (Irl) 69 65 69 71, Z Scotland  (Eng) 67 69 67 71

275 V Riu  (Fra) 68 72 66 69, P O'Keeffe  (Irl) 66 67 69 73, J Fahrbring (Swe) 69 68 68 70, A Gee  (Eng) 68 70 69 68, R Enoch  (Wal) 70 70 67 68,

276 P Relecom  (Bel) 67 70 71 68, O Farr (Wal) 70 68 67 71,

277 T Pieters  (Bel) 72 68 70 67, J Frazer (Wal) 70 65 72 70, G Murray  (Sco) 70 69 68 70, M Ford (Eng) 70 68 69 70

278 D Palm (Swe) 69 68 70 71, P Martin Benavides (Esp) 68 71 70 69, F Delamontagne  (Fra) 71 69 71 67, J Carlsson (Swe) 70 68 71 69, L Astl (Aut) 69 71 70 68, D Kemmer (USA) 65 69 72 72, H Bacher (Aut) 71 68 70 69, M Quiros (Esp) 70 70 68 70, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 71 67 71 69

279 A Forsyth (Sco) 69 70 71 69, J Legarrea (Esp) 69 71 67 72, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 70 69 71, D Ulrich (Sui) 68 72 70 69, J Gibb (Eng) 70 69 67 73, R Wingardh (Swe) 70 67 69 73

280 M Kramer  (Ger) 69 67 75 69, L Kennedy  (Eng) 68 66 70 76, J Barnes (Eng) 69 71 70 70, L Nemecz (Aut) 67 69 72 72

281 S Kim (SKor) 67 69 73 72, B Parker  (Eng) 72 68 70 71, D Geminiani (Ita) 70 69 70 72, A Engell  (Nor) 67 70 71 73, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 70 70 69 72, R Steiner (Aut) 66 68 71 76

282 M Salminen (Fin) 70 67 69 76, C Suneson (Esp) 70 68 70 74, N Floren (Swe) 68 72 75 67, P Dwyer (Eng) 72 68 69 73

283 A Domingo (Esp) 70 68 71 74, M Novy  (Cze) 71 68 71 73, J Grillon  (Fra) 72 66 75 70

284 L Claverie (Esp) 70 67 73 74, N Quintarelli (Ita) 69 69 74 72

285 N Lemke (Swe) 68 68 77 72, J Maurer  (Aut) 69 69 73 74

287 J Heath  (Eng) 70 69 69 79

288 M Haines  (Eng) 74 65 72 77

 

 

PAUL SHIELDS COLLECTS £1,560 FOR JOINT THIRD FINISH ON EUROPRO TOUR

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE PGA EUROPRO TOUR

Harry Bateman claimed his first professional victory when he won the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s Buildbase Open today

The New Zealander carded a final round 69, three under par, to win by one stroke from Scott Campbell and claim the £10,000 winner’s prize and a brand new Motocaddy trolley at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire.

Bateman (Royal Wellington Golf Club) had begun the day two strokes behind overnight leader Tom Wilde, an amateur who finished the week six under par as one of six players tied 18^th following a final round 77.

This is the 22 year old’s debut season on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour but he had missed each of the previous four cuts on tour, despite doing well in Qualifying School at Frilford Heath in April.

“I was surprisingly calm,” said Bateman of his final round. “I thought I would be a lot more nervous but I felt the same the whole day from start to finish. It isn’t a bad way to finish when I make my first cut!

“I found something just before the tournament with my swing, it was really consistent and I stuck with it all week and putted so well. The greens here were amazing, probably the best I have seen since I have come over to the UK, and I holed everything.

“It is a good base to build from quite early in the season. A few more good results and you can get onto the Challenge Tour, so this is pretty big for me.”

Runner-up Campbell (Hallowes) birdied the last two holes to sign for a final-round 69 but earlier bogeys at three and 16 restricted him to 11 under for the week.

Richard Wallis (Walmer and KingsdownGolf Club), who won the Kerry London Championship at Burhill Golf Club earlier in the season, finished tied third on nine under after shooting 67, five under, on the final day.

Paul Shields (Kirkhill Golf Club), George Cowan (Westerhope Golf Club), Greg Payne (Chobham Golf Club) and Jack Harrison (Wildwood Golf Club) also finished joint third at nine under 207 after 54 holes. 
Paul earned £1,560.
Elliot Saltman picked up £257 for a 213 total and joint 34th place.
Neil Fenwick finished T47 on 215 and earned £215.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
204 Harry Bateman (NZ) 67 68 69 (£10,000)
207 Scott Campbell (Hallowes) 67 69 69 (£5,000).
207 Richard Wallis (Walmer and Kingsdown) 69 71 67, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 70 69 68, George Cowan (Westerhope ) 68 68 71, Greg Payne (Chobham) 68 67 72, Jack Hanson (Wildwood) 70 65 72 (£1,560 each)
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
213 Elliot Saltman (T34) 73 69 71 (£257)
215 Neil Fenwick (T47) 70 72 72 (£215)
218 Paul Doherty (60th) (£155)
219 Paul Drake (61st) 69 71 79 (£150)
220 Callum Trahan 67 70 83 (£145).

A two-hour highlights package from the Buildbase Open will be broadcast on Sky Sports HD four times on Wednesday, July 10.

PAUL CASEY'S GRANDSTAND FINISH WINS HIM THE IRISH OPEN

The months of despair are over for Paul Casey 

                                             Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)



REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Paul Casey produced a grandstand finish to seal a sensational victory in the Irish Open, completing a superb return to form with his first European Tour victory in two-and-a-half years.

The Englishman took a one shot lead over in-form Dutchman Joost Luiten into the last hole but looked in trouble when his tee shot ran close to a tree.

Instead, the former Ryder Cup player had a clear shot and found the green with his superb approach before holing a dramatic 45 foot eagle putt to sign off a three shot victory in style.

It proved to be the perfect return to Carton House for the 35 year old, who admitted he had ‘lost’ the title to Thomas Björn when The European Tour last visited the Co. Kildare venue in 2006.

This time Casey had plenty of work to do to win it after starting the day four strokes behind overnight Luiten, who won in Austria earlier in the month. After seven consecutive pars, Casey’s challenge ignited with five birdies in six holes from the eighth to move three shots clear at the top of the leaderboard.

That cushion was reduced to one with bogeys at the 15th and 16th, before he sealed his 12th European Tour title in style, with the closing eagle adding up to a final round 67 and a 14 under par winning total of 274.
“It’s incredibly sweet,” said Casey. “It’s been a while and when that putt went in half of it was relief and half of it was satisfaction.
“I always wanted a grandstand finish and I got one.  I’ve never holed a putt like that to win a tournament. 

“I don't think I quite realised the list of names who have won The Irish Open until I was presented with the trophy.  But I've always held golf in Ireland in a special place in my heart, and it is at the highest level.  The Irish fans are the best.  I've always felt so at home here, so winning today is like a home victory.”
Casey has been slowly returning to his best after breaking his collarbone whilst snowboarding  at the start of 2012 season, an accident which came as he was preparing to defend the last European Tour title he won, the 2011 Volvo Golf Champions.

The former World Number three tumbled down the Official World Golf Ranking as he tried to recover from the injury and a subsequent loss of form, but he is now set to return to the top 100 after starting the week ranked 162nd.

“There was a period where I really struggled with getting the shoulder back to where I wanted it,” he said. “In hindsight, did I come back too early?  Probably, because the swing changed, trying to protect the shoulder, which led to a knock‑on snowball into losing confidence, because the swing had changed and I was not hitting the shots I wanted to hit.

“When you're playing great golf, you have no idea how you ever played bad golf.  And when you play bad golf, you've got no clue how you ever played good golf.”

Overnight leader Luiten carded the only birdie of his round on the final hole to sign for a 74 and finish joint runner up with Englishman Robert Rock (71) on 11 under par.

Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal finished fourth after a closing 75, while a trio of his compatriots, José María Olazábal, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Alvaro Quiros, shared fifth place with Northern Ireland’s Gareth Shaw and Shane Lowry, Carton House’s Touring Professional, who closed with a 69.
   
 FINAL TORALS

Par 288 (4x72)
274 P Casey  (Eng) 68 72 67 67

277 J Luiten (Ned) 67 70 66 74, R Rock (Eng) 69 66 71 71

279 P Larrazábal (Esp) 69 69 66 75

280 R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 69 70 70 71, G Shaw (Nir) 73 68 70 69, J Olazábal (Esp) 68 69 71 72, A Quiros  (Esp) 72 68 68 72, S Lowry  (Irl) 67 70 74 69

281 A Cañizares  (Esp) 71 69 69 72, P Lawrie (Irl) 72 71 67 71, D Willett  (Eng) 73 68 71 69, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 68 69 73, J Donaldson (Wal) 69 71 69 72

282 R Santos  (Por) 71 66 71 74, J Lara (Esp) 71 70 70 71, G Havret  (Fra) 74 70 68 70

283 S Kjeldsen (Den) 71 70 72 70, T Björn (Den) 68 71 70 74, S Thornton (Irl) 69 73 70 71, M Warren (Sco) 69 75 67 72,

284 E Pepperell (Eng) 71 69 74 70, R Fisher (Eng) 73 70 70 71, R Sterne  (RSA) 73 70 67 74, A Hansen (Den) 69 70 71 74, A Sullivan (Eng) 72 72 67 73, B Rumford (Aus) 72 71 69 72, S Henry  (Sco) 74 64 69 77, R Jacquelin (Fra) 69 69 70 76

285 O Floren  (Swe) 66 71 71 77, R Bland (Eng) 71 72 70 72,

286 M Ilonen  (Fin) 70 73 70 73, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 70 71 68 77, A Dunbar (Nir) 70 72 69 75, F Molinari (Ita) 73 67 76 70, E De La Riva  (Esp) 73 71 74 68, M Hoey  (Nir) 67 76 72 71, D Gaunt (Aus) 71 68 72 75, P Uihlein  (USA) 67 68 74 77, G Storm  (Eng) 69 73 74 70, J Campillo (Esp) 72 68 72 74

287 J Morrison  (Eng) 73 70 73 71, A Snobeck  (Fra) 71 71 71 74, S Benson (Eng) 73 71 70 73, G Mulroy (RSA) 69 75 69 74, A Kaleka  (Fra) 72 68 71 76

288 D Drysdale (Sco) 72 71 72 73, P Lawrie (Sco) 71 70 73 74, O Fisher  (Eng) 71 70 73 74, P Sjöland (Swe) 73 70 72 73, S Gallacher (Sco) 72 70 73 73, A Dodt (Aus) 68 74 69 77

289 J Walters (RSA) 72 69 70 78, R Finch  (Eng) 71 71 78 69, E Grillo (Arg) 73 67 74 75, A Hartø  (Den) 70 72 73 74, C Macaulay  (Sco) 73 71 76 69

290 S Dodd (Wal) 71 70 73 76, S Little (Eng) 71 72 74 73, L Jensen (Den) 72 71 72 75

291 C Del Moral (Esp) 72 72 75 72, R Derksen (Ned) 73 71 73 74,

292 S Power  (Irl) 69 75 71 77, R Wattel  (Fra) 74 70 74 74

293 H Wen-Yi (Chn) 77 67 74 75, M Baldwin (Eng) 71 73 75 74, J Gonnet  (Fra) 67 75 75 76, C Paisley  (Eng) 69 72 74 78

294 C Lloyd (Eng) 72 71 76 75

295 D Mooney (Nir) 74 68 76 77

297 D Howell (Eng) 70 72 77 78, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 73 75 79

 

JAMIE SAVAGE WINS EAST OF SCOTLAND OPEN AFTER PLAY-OFF

Professional's on Jamie Savage (Cawder) showed he is a chip off the old block by winning the East of Scotland Open stroke-play championship after a play-off climax to the SGU 72-hole Order of Merit event at Lundin Golf Club, Fife.

Jamie and Scott Crichton (Aberdour) tied at the end of four rounds on one-over-par 284, Savage's last round of 71 leaving the door open for Crichton to catch him with a closing round of 67.
But Savage junior (pictured) raised his game once more to beat Crichton with a birdie at the third hole  (the 18th) of a sudden-death play-off.
Long-time leader Scott Stewart-Cation (The Duke's) who shot the round of the tournament on the opening morning - a six-under-par 65 - finished third on 287, two shots behind the play-off participants.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 284 (4x71)
285 Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 72 72 74 67, Jamie Savage (Cawder) 72 68 74 71
287 Scott Stewart-Cation (The Duke's) 65 73 74 75
288 Jordan McColl (Scotscraig) 69 72 74 73, Jamie Ross (Royal Burgess) 71 70 73 74
289 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 71 67 77 74
290 Chris Lawton (Falkirk Tryst) 72 70 72 76, Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 71 69 72 78, Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 71 73 74 72
291 Lawrence Allan (Alva) 72 75 71 73, James White (Lundin) 70 72 72 77
292 Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 73 73 76 70
293 Scott Gibson (Southerness) 72 74 73 74, Mark Anderson (Leven Thistle) 72 73 75 73
295 Michael Daily (Erskine) 72 74 74 75
296 James Bunch (Prestwick) 74 72 72 78, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 74 72 77 73
297 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 74 72 75 76
298 Graham Robertson (Silverknowes) 71 71 80 76
299 Craig Howie (Peebles) 74 73 81 71, Mike Howard (Royal Birkdale) 72 73 81 73, Kyle Godsman (Moray) 70 72 73 84.

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COUPLES' LATE BIRDIE BLITZ TAKES HIM INTO TWO-STROKE SENIORS' LEAD

 NEWS FROM THE US SENIORS TOUR
PITTSBURGH — Fred Couples birdied three of the final five holes for a 3-under 67 and a two-stroke lead Saturday after the third round of the Senior Players Championship.
Couples completed a 62 in the morning in the rain-delayed second round and had a 15-under 195 total at Fox Chapel.
Kenny Perry was second in the Champions Tour major. He finished off a 63 in the morning and backed it up with another 63 in the afternoon. Duffy Waldorf was third at 11 under after rounds of 67 and 66.
First-round leader John Huston briefly pulled into a tie with Couples early in the third round, but bogeyed the final two holes for a 68 to join Mike Goodes (65) at 10 under.
The 53-year-old Couples appeared ready to run away with the tournament Friday, when he streaked to 7 under through 11 holes of the second round before a torrential downpour halted play for the day.
The deluge cooled Couples off a bit. He two-putted from 60 feet on the par-3 third when he returned to the course Saturday morning then rolled in five straight pars before finishing his round off with a birdie on the par-4 ninth for an 8-under 62.
The score matched the lowest ever in one of the Champions Tour' five majors. Several players have reached the mark in the tour's 34 seasons, with Olin Browne being the last in the second round of last year's Senior Players.
It's a number Perry nearly matched twice in the span of six hours. Perry played the last six holes of the second round Saturday morning in 4 under — including an eagle on the short par-4 seventh — to get within six shots of the Couples after 36 holes.
The Kentucky player kept coming when he teed off one group in front of the leaders Couples and Huston in the afternoon, putting together seven birdies against no bogeys to set a tournament record for the best score over 36 holes. Perry's combined total of 14-under 126 in the second and third rounds is two better than the 128 Jack Nicklaus posted in 1990 when the tournament was held in Dearborn, Mich.
Perry briefly created a three-way logjam with Couples and Huston when he birdied the 12th and Couples three-putted the 10th green for bogey.
The missed opportunity seemed to wake Couples up. Frustrated he couldn't take advantage of the soft conditions that led to Perry's assault on the par-70 layout, Couples birdied Nos. 14 and 15, then capped his round with a splendid pitch from in front of the left bunker on the par-5 18th, allowing him to roll in a birdie to give him a two-shot cushion over Perry.
It's familiar territory for Couples, who is searching for his third major title since joining the Champions Tour in 2010. He won the Senior Players in 2011 at Westchester Country Club in New York and the Senior British Open last year. The Hall of Famer was in position to capture the Regions Tradition earlier this month but fell one shot short in a showdown with points leader David Frost.
This time it appears the duel will be with Perry, who is pain-free after dealing with knee problems earlier in the season.

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JORDAN SMITH WINS BRABAZON TROPHY

Jordan Smith put the disappointment of not being selected by England for the forthcoming European Team Championships by lifting the Brabazon Trophy in splendid fashion as calm conditions returned to Formby.  After a testing week of rain and wind, Smith carded a closing round of 70 for 286, two under par, and a four shot winning margin over playing partner Brian Casey from Ireland, who returned 74. Smith led almost from start to finish and his calm, laid-back approach was just what was needed in a week when the elements did everything it could to make things difficult for everyone. But the victory tasted sweet for the 20 year old from Wiltshire. “This is great for my career,” he said. “I was disappointed not to make the team for the Europeans but I suppose it was a difficult choice. I think not being picked urged me on to prove a point. “I suppose I’ve stopped Neil (Raymond) completing the triple but I’m sure he’ll understand. I think he was left out when he won the Brabazon last year.” Smith (copyright Leaderboard Photography) began the final round tied with playing partner Casey on level par but the England man was soon forging ahead with three birdies in the opening five holes. “I made a nervy start, putting my tee shot into the trees but I managed to scramble a par and then got off to a flier with a couple of birdies. I was three under through five holes and settled down.” He dropped shots at the seventh and ninth, the latter when he airmailed the green into knee-high rough. “I had 205 yards and hit a four iron and couldn’t believe it when it finished over the green." But he reduced the damage to one shot to be out in 36 while another birdie at the long 17th confirmed his success. Casey managed to stay in touch with Smith over the front nine but he came to grief on the homeward stretch, dropping shots at the 12th and 14th before his chance finally eluded his grasp at the 400 yard 15th where he found punishing rough, failed to get out first time, and took a double bogey six. With so many players in with a shout at the start it was difficult to pick a winner. But several made a brave bid, none more so than fellow international Ben Taylor. The man from Walton Heath produced the best round of the week with a five-birdie 68, which hauled him up to joint third on 291. On the same mark were Nathan Kimsey and, Alfie Plant and Jimmy Mullen, whose 71 included a hole-in-one at the 139-yard 16th where he fired an eight iron that never left the flag. “It was my first ‘ace’ in competition but I’d had one before when I was in Australia,” said the young man from Devon. But the man of the week was Smith and he deserved his success which is bound to lead to greater things. “I played well in the English Amateur last year before getting beaten by the winner Harry Ellis,” Smith added. “But that started my career with England and I got picked for the Home Internationals.” Who knows where this latest triumph will take Smith but he has added his name to the championship’s impressive Roll of Honour. The Henriques Salver for the best score by a player aged under 20 from Britain and Ireland went to Max Orrin while Ryan Evans won the Scrutton Jug for the lowest aggregate from the Brabazon and Berkshire Trophies. Full results can be found on the Brabazon Trophy webpage.-ENDS- For further information please contact: Press Office England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 01526 354500 disappointment of not being selected by England for the forthcoming European Team Championships by lifting the Brabazon Trophy in splendid fashion as calm conditions returned to Formby.  After a testing week of rain and wind, Smith carded a closing round of 70 for 286, two under par, and a four shot winning margin over playing partner Brian Casey from Ireland, who returned 74. Smith led almost from start to finish and his calm, laid-back approach was just what was needed in a week when the elements did everything it could to make things difficult for everyone. But the victory tasted sweet for the 20 year old from Wiltshire. “This is great for my career,” he said. “I was disappointed not to make the team for the Europeans but I suppose it was a difficult choice. I think not being picked urged me on to prove a point. “I suppose I’ve stopped Neil (Raymond) completing the triple but I’m sure he’ll understand. I think he was left out when he won the Brabazon last year.” Smith (copyright Leaderboard Photography) began the final round tied with playing partner Casey on level par but the England man was soon forging ahead with three birdies in the opening five holes. “I made a nervy start, putting my tee shot into the trees but I managed to scramble a par and then got off to a flier with a couple of birdies. I was three under through five holes and settled down.” He dropped shots at the seventh and ninth, the latter when he airmailed the green into knee-high rough. “I had 205 yards and hit a four iron and couldn’t believe it when it finished over the green." But he reduced the damage to one shot to be out in 36 while another birdie at the long 17th confirmed his success. Casey managed to stay in touch with Smith over the front nine but he came to grief on the homeward stretch, dropping shots at the 12th and 14th before his chance finally eluded his grasp at the 400 yard 15th where he found punishing rough, failed to get out first time, and took a double bogey six. With so many players in with a shout at the start it was difficult to pick a winner. But several made a brave bid, none more so than fellow international Ben Taylor. The man from Walton Heath produced the best round of the week with a five-birdie 68, which hauled him up to joint third on 291. On the same mark were Nathan Kimsey and, Alfie Plant and Jimmy Mullen, whose 71 included a hole-in-one at the 139-yard 16th where he fired an eight iron that never left the flag. “It was my first ‘ace’ in competition but I’d had one before when I was in Australia,” said the young man from Devon. But the man of the week was Smith and he deserved his success which is bound to lead to greater things. “I played well in the English Amateur last year before getting beaten by the winner Harry Ellis,” Smith added. “But that started my career with England and I got picked for the Home Internationals.” Who knows where this latest triumph will take Smith but he has added his name to the championship’s impressive Roll of Honour. The Henriques Salver for the best score by a player aged under 20 from Britain and Ireland went to Max Orrin while Ryan Evans won the Scrutton Jug for the lowest aggregate from the Brabazon and Berkshire Trophies. Full results can be found on the Brabazon Trophy webpage.

AMATEUR WILDE LEADS WITH A ROUND TO GO IN EUROPR0 TOUR

NEWS RELEASE FROM EURO PROTOUR

Amateur Tom Wilde (Castle Royal Golf Club) leads the Buildbase Open by one stroke from Gary King and Michael McGeady on 11 under par ahead of the final round of the fifth 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour event of the season, being staged on the Blue Course at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire.

Wilde shot a second-round 65 to move to the top of the leaderboard on Saturday evening. Irishman McGeady carded a 66 while King (Tyrrells Wood) also hit a seven-under 65 to tie for second on ten under.

Greg Payne (Chobham Golf Club), Jack Harrison (Wildwood Golf Club) and New Zealand’s Harry Bateman (Royal Wellington Golf Club) share fourth place on nine under, two behind leader Wilde, who has enjoyed success at Frilford Heath before.

“This place has been good to me,” he said after shooting his way to the top of the leaderboard. “I have been Frilford Heath Gold Medal winner for the past two years, which is what got me into this week’s event.

“I couldn’t play last year but I have loved every minute of it this year. I have had some good finishes recently and I feel that my game has been there for the last year really, but hopefully this is the making of it and it has finally broken out.

“My idea was to go out and have some fun. Generally the idea of an amateur in a pro event is to gain experience and okay, if they play well they might make the cut. I knew if I played well I could be in with a shout of being up there but I am extremely happy to be sitting in the situation I am right now.

“I will go out and have some fun tomorrow. It is nice to be in contention and I am sure there are people who don’t expect an amateur to go on and win but I feel I have been playing well enough.

“I have already set my sights on turning professional in September and I am going to do European Tour Q School here at Frilford. My aim is to get my Challenge Tour card in the next couple of years and go on from there but if anything else progresses faster, then fantastic.”

Wilde’s second-round 65 comprised five birdies and an eagle three on the 15th. 

McGeady also managed an eagle in his round, at the fourth, but his seven birdies were partially offset by three bogeys. King took three on the par-five eighth and his only dropped shot was at the first.

A cut to the leading 50 professionals plus ties has now been made, with the 63 golfers whose 36-hole score is two under par or better competing over a final 18 on Sunday (June 30).

Spectator entry to the course is free all weekend and a two-hour highlights package will be broadcast on Sky Sports HD four times on Wednesday, July 10.

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STEWART-CATION JOINED IN EAST OF SCOTLAND OPEN LEAD BY BINNING

NEWS OF THIRD ROUND
Scott Stewart-Cation (The Duke's) was joined in the lead at one under par 212 by Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) after three rounds of this week's SGU 72-hole Order of Merit event, the East of Scotland Open at Lundin Golf Club, Fife.

LEADERBOARD AFTER THREE ROUNDS
Par 213 (3x71( CSS 73 73 71)
212 Stewart Scott-Cation (The Duke's) 65 73 74, Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 71 69 72.
2n14 Chris Lawton (Falkirk Tryst) 72 70 72, James Ross (Royal Burgess) 71 70 73, Jamie Savage (Cawder) 72 69 74, James White (Lundin) 70 72 72
214 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 71 67 77, Jordan McColl (Scotscraig) 69 72 74, Kyle Godsman (Moray) 70 72 73

EARLIER NEWS
Scott Stewart-Cation (The Duke's) and Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) were sharing the halfway lead on four-under-par 138 at the start of the last two rounds of the East of Scotland Open at Lundin Golf Club, Fife today.
Stewart-Cation had rounds of 65-73, Dunton 71-67.
They led by two shots from Jamie Savage (Cawder) (72-68) and Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) (76-69).

HALFWAY LEADERBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
138 Scott Stewart-Cation (The Duke's) 65 73, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 71 67
140 Jamie Savage (Cawder) 72 68, Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 71 69
141 Jordan McColl (Scotscraig) 69 72, James Ross (Royal Burgess) 71 70


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FOUR-WAY TIE FOR LEAD AT US TOUR'S AT and T NATIONAL

Round 3 Recap: 2013 AT and T National

In the third round of the AT and T National at Congressional Country Club, Bill Haas shares his one-stroke lead with three others at seven-under.
FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
BETHESDA, Md. -- Roberto Castro went from a share of the lead to five shots behind in three holes. He finished the third round of the AT and T National by hitting a 5-iron left of the 18th green and into the water. And he still managed to be part of a four-way tie for the lead.

 

Full leaderboard  Final-round tee times Exciting finish ahead  TOUR Report notes

"Wild day," he said.
Not just for Castro. It was like that for just about everyone Saturday at Congressional.
Bill Haas hit a wedge into the water and made triple bogey on the 11th hole to fall five shots behind. Four holes and three birdies later, he had the outright lead. He was helped by Andres Romero, who squandered a three-shot lead in two holes by hitting his tee shot into a creek.
With all that action, James Driscoll must have felt as if he missed out on all the fun. All he did was post his third straight round in the 60s to join the leaders.
Castro put the perfect finishing touch on a theatrical afternoon by taking his penalty drop from the water on No. 18 and chipping in from 80 feet for par. That enabled him to salvage an even-par 71 and claim a share of the lead with Haas (68), Driscoll (68) and Romero, who closed with six pars for a 70.
"Saving a bogey would have been huge," Castro said. "Making a par is just a bonus."
They were at 7-under 206, which means next to nothing -- not with 10 players separated by three shots going into the final round, with seven of those players looking for their first PGA TOUR victory.
"This is as good a chance as I've had for sure," Driscoll said. "But there's still 18 holes to go."
Still in the mix is 19-year-old Jordan Spieth, who had a two-shot lead after opening with a pair of birdies. He also went through a five-hole stretch when he missed five putts inside 8 feet -- including a three-putt from 5 feet for double bogey on No. 8. The Texas teen had a 74, though he's still in the game, just three shots behind.
"Making a double on the easiest hole on the course, and then following up with bogey on a par 5 with a lob wedge in my hand, it was very difficult at the turn for me to stay calm and hit good shots to start the back nine," Spieth said. "Maybe lost a couple of shots with my emotions there, which is upsetting. But like I said, I shot 5 under yesterday. I could shoot 5 under tomorrow and be in great position."
Jason Kokrak had a 70 and was one shot out of the lead, while Charlie Wi had a 29 on the front nine and shot 65 to finish two shots behind, along with Tom Gillis (66). Spieth was in the group at 209 with Brandt Snedeker, who had a 69.
Haas might be better off except for a pair of wedges. One went into the water on the 11th leading to triple bogey, another came up short on the par-5 16th and led to a bogey. The bright side was his nine birdies to offset that triple and three bogeys.
"The back nine, I didn't really know where I was going," Haas said. "Luckily after that triple, I was able to hit three decent iron shots and then make the putt. Certainly, it could have been a 6-, 7-, 8-under day. But it also could have been a 4-, 5-, 6-over day if I hadn't putted well. I don't really know what to make of how I'm playing. Just got to hopefully do more good than bad tomorrow."
Romero was the only player to reach 10 under at any point, with four birdies on the front nine, including a sand wedge out of ankle-deep rough left of the eighth fairway to about 5 feet. He was sailing along until he set up for a fade on the 11th hole and came off the shot, sending it into the hazard.
Castro's problems were early, and not entirely up to him. After a bogey on the par-3 second hole when he was on the down slope of a bunker to a short pin, he hit a tee shot right of the third fairway. Just his luck, the ball landed in the soft sand at the edge of the grass and disappeared. The ball was buried under an inch of sand that Castro had to scrape away just to make sure the ball was his. He took a penalty shot to drop it in the middle of the bunker, couldn't reach the green and made double bogey.
"Nothing good was going to happen if I swung at it," he said. "And I thought, `If I dropped, pitched out, I could make bogey or double, which is not the end of the world.' I didn't need to sit there and make 8 or something."
Through it all, the son of Peruvian parents with an industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech never panicked.
"Over four days here, every player is going to hit kind of a rough patch," Castro said. "I don't see it being easy out here. ... So mine just came early today, and I just tried to survive it."
It looked early on as though the more times Spieth put himself in contention, the more comfortable he would be. That only lasted a short time.
He opened with a 10-foot birdie putt and followed that with a tee shot that used the backstop perfectly on the par-3 second, the ball rolling back down the hill to 2 feet for a tap-in birdie. After a good par on the third hole, he had a two-shot lead.
Five holes later, he was four shots behind.
That's how quickly the scores changed on a balmy Saturday at Congressional -- not just for Spieth, but for everyone.
Spieth's troubles began when he missed the green long and right on the fifth hole, leaving him a downhill chip to an elevated green. The best he could do was 15 feet and he missed his par putt, ending his streak of 33 straight holes without a bogey.
He missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 sixth. 
 THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Players from USA unless stated otherwise
Par 213 (3x71)
206 James Driscoll 69 69 65, Bill Haas 60 68 68, Roberto Castro 66 69 71, Andrews Romero (Argentina) 70 66 70.
207 Jason Kokrak 71 66 70

SELECTED SCORES
210 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 69 68 73 (T11)
213 Brian Davis (England) 70 72 71 (T27)
216 Martin Laird (Scotland) 71 73 72 (T52)

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FLYING DUTCHMAN LEADS AT CARTON AFTER FLAWLESS SIX-UNDER-PAR 66

 

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR

In-form Dutchman Joost Luiten is in pole position to capture a second European Tour victory in four weeks, after a flawless six under par 66 gave him a one shot lead going into the final round of the Irish Open.

Wearing a green polo shirt, Luiten received plenty of support from the Irish galleries and the 27 year old responded by finding his touch with the putter to move to 13 under par, edging ahead of another two-time European Tour champion, Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal, who also signed for a 66.

Luiten arrived at Carton House with his confidence buoyed by his victory in the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity at the start of the month. That win in Austria came in between an 11^th place finish in the Nordea Masters and a share of tenth place in last week’s BMW International Open, and Luiten’s magnificent month seems destined to continue over the Montgomerie Course. 

“I’ve been playing good the last few weeks and I just need to go out there tomorrow and try to do the same,” he said. “Hopefully that's enough to win the trophy.

“But there is still a lot of golf to be played, so I think that you have to be patient and take it easy and take it one shot at a time.

“It's always good to already have a win under your belt.  It makes things easier.  I think you can maybe go a little bit more for the win because you have one in the bag already.  You've got nothing to lose, and that's how I'm going to go out there tomorrow, and hopefully will play like I did today.”

Like Luiten, Larrazábal kept the bogeys off his card and he is relishing a final day battle with the Dutchman, having also experienced some warm support from the Irish fans, in particular from the grandstand enveloping the par three 17^th hole, known as ‘Open House @ 17^’.

“I've never seen something like we had on 17,” said Larrazábal. “It's lovely to play with this atmosphere.    That 17th green is an amazing experience, and they were cheering for me, so I love it.

“I've been playing well. I feel that I'm hitting the ball good, and I have to fight for the tournament.  I hope tomorrow I can hit the ball as good and hole as many putts.”

Joint overnight leader Robert Rock, who lost to Shane Lowry in a play-off at the 2009 Irish Open, is in third position on ten under par after a 71, while compatriot Paul Casey, the former Ryder Cup Player, is a further shot back following an impressive 67.

Peter Lawrie is the leading Irishman in a share of 18^th position on six under par after a round of 67, while Carton House Touring Professional Lowry is a shot further back after signing for a two over par 74.

ALL THE THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72)
203 J Luiten (Ned) 67 70 66,

204 P Larrazábal (Esp) 69 69 66,

206 R Rock (Eng) 69 66 71

207 P Casey  (Eng) 68 72 67, S Henry  (Sco) 74 64 69,

208 O Floren  (Swe) 66 71 71, A Quiros  (Esp) 72 68 68, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 68 69, R Santos  (Por) 71 66 71, J Olazábal (Esp) 68 69 71, R Jacquelin (Fra) 69 69 70,

209 F Andersson Hed (Swe) 70 71 68, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 69 70 70, P Uihlein  (USA) 67 68 74, A Cañizares  (Esp) 71 69 69, J Donaldson (Wal) 69 71 69, T Björn (Den) 68 71 70,

 210 A Hansen (Den) 69 70 71, P Lawrie (Irl) 72 71 67, R Sterne  (RSA) 73 70 67,

 211 D Gaunt (Aus) 71 68 72, A Dodt (Aus) 68 74 69, J Lara (Esp) 71 70 70, A Sullivan (Eng) 72 72 67, M Warren (Sco) 69 75 67, G Shaw (Nir) 73 68 70, J Walters (RSA) 72 69 70, S Lowry  (Irl) 67 70 74, A Dunbar (Nir) 70 72 69, A Kaleka  (Fra) 72 68 71,

 212 B Rumford (Aus) 72 71 69, D Willett  (Eng) 73 68 71, G Havret  (Fra) 74 70 68, J Campillo (Esp) 72 68 72, S Thornton (Irl) 69 73 70,

 213 R Bland (Eng) 71 72 70, G Mulroy (RSA) 69 75 69, R Fisher (Eng) 73 70 70, M Ilonen  (Fin) 70 73 70, S Kjeldsen (Den) 71 70 72, A Snobeck  (Fra) 71 71 71,

 214 P Lawrie (Sco) 71 70 73, O Fisher  (Eng) 71 70 73, S Dodd (Wal) 71 70 73, E Grillo (Arg) 73 67 74, E Pepperell (Eng) 71 69 74, S Benson (Eng) 73 71 70,

 215 A Hartø  (Den) 70 72 73, S Power  (Irl) 69 75 71, C Paisley  (Eng) 69 72 74, M Hoey  (Nir) 67 76 72, D Drysdale (Sco) 72 71 72, L Jensen (Den) 72 71 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 72 70 73, P Sjöland (Swe) 73 70 72,

 216 F Molinari (Ita) 73 67 76, J Morrison  (Eng) 73 70 73, G Storm  (Eng) 69 73 74,

 217 S Little (Eng) 71 72 74, J Gonnet  (Fra) 67 75 75, R Derksen (Ned) 73 71 73,

 218 D Mooney (Nir) 74 68 76, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 73 75, R Wattel  (Fra) 74 70 74, E De La Riva  (Esp) 73 71 74, H Wen-Yi (Chn) 77 67 74,

 219 C Del Moral (Esp) 72 72 75, M Baldwin (Eng) 71 73 75, D Howell (Eng) 70 72 77, C Lloyd (Eng) 72 71 76,

 220 C Macaulay  (Sco) 73 71 76, R Finch  (Eng) 71 71 78,