Friday, August 02, 2013

CHRIS WOOD RELISHING TIGER MATCH-UP IN AKRON



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 FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Englishman Chris Wood will play the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with Tiger Woods, the man he idolised growing up, after a two under par 68 at Firestone Country Club on day two.
While Woods blew away with the rest of the field with a blistering 61, Wood quietly plotted his way to six under par for the tournament and tied second with defending champion Keegan Bradley, some seven shots behind the 14-time Major winner.
The trio will play in a three-ball on Saturday – a measure taken by tournament organisers after a bad weather forecast – and Wood is excited, if not a little daunted, at the prospect of playing alongside his favourite player.
“I've never been out with him,” said Wood, who is making his debut in the event. “He's as high as you can get in my book. What he's achieved is just phenomenal. He's been my golfing hero since I was ten, when I started the game. To be out with the World Number One, Tiger Woods, is going to take a bit of getting used to.
“He's obviously on his game. He was hitting balls next to me on the range this morning and I said to my caddie that he looked really impressive, totally in control. It's going to be a real challenge for me tomorrow.
“But I've got to forget about all that sort of thing. As hard as it's going to be, I've just got to try to play my game and enjoy the experience. To play with Tiger in the final group in a big event is pretty special.”
The world seemed to be on 59 watch as Woods birdied four in a row from the tenth to reach nine under for the round, but he parred his way home and saved a four on the last with a magnificent putt from 25 feet.
“I'm very happy I was able to post that,” said the 37 year old, seeking his eighth victory in this event. “I just kept thinking, whatever lead I had, let's just keep increasing this lead. It's at seven now, so not too bad after two days.”
Swede Henrik Stenson was level par to stay at five under and tied fourth, while England’s Luke Donald moved to four under and a share of sixth place with a 69. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy followed a 70 with a 71 to lie tied 25th.
ENDS
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Wood relishing Tiger match-up in Akron
Englishman Chris Wood will play the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with Tiger Woods, the man he idolised growing up, after a two under par 68 at Firestone Country Club on day two.
While Woods blew away with the rest of the field with a blistering 61, Wood quietly plotted his way to six under par for the tournament and tied second with defending champion Keegan Bradley, some seven shots behind the 14-time Major winner.
The trio will play in a three-ball on Saturday – a measure taken by tournament organisers after a bad weather forecast – and Wood is excited, if not a little daunted, at the prospect of playing alongside his favourite player.
“I've never been out with him,” said Wood, who is making his debut in the event. “He's as high as you can get in my book. What he's achieved is just phenomenal. He's been my golfing hero since I was ten, when I started the game. To be out with the World Number One, Tiger Woods, is going to take a bit of getting used to.
“He's obviously on his game. He was hitting balls next to me on the range this morning and I said to my caddie that he looked really impressive, totally in control. It's going to be a real challenge for me tomorrow.
“But I've got to forget about all that sort of thing. As hard as it's going to be, I've just got to try to play my game and enjoy the experience. To play with Tiger in the final group in a big event is pretty special.”
The world seemed to be on 59 watch as Woods birdied four in a row from the tenth to reach nine under for the round, but he parred his way home and saved a four on the last with a magnificent putt from 25 feet.
“I'm very happy I was able to post that,” said the 37 year old, seeking his eighth victory in this event. “I just kept thinking, whatever lead I had, let's just keep increasing this lead. It's at seven now, so not too bad after two days.”
Swede Henrik Stenson was level par to stay at five under and tied fourth, while England’s Luke Donald moved to four under and a share of sixth place with a 69. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy followed a 70 with a 71 to lie tied 25th.

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Wentworth Drive | Virginia Water | Surrey | GU25 4LX | UNITED KINGDOM
Tel :  +44 (0)1344 840400
Fax: + 44 (0) 1344 840444

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FITZPATRICK MARK II AIMING TO FOLLOW BIG BROTHER




Having seen his elder brother Matthew become the leading amateur in the Open Championship at Muirfield, Alex Fitzpatrick is hoping to follow in his footsteps in the English Boys under 14 Stroke Play Championship for the Reid Trophy at North Hants Golf Club on 6th – 8th August.

The younger Fitzpatrick, aged 14 and off two handicap, finished equal 26th last year at Blackwell, while he also won the 2012 Yorkshire under 16 Championship.

Having made the cut in both the under 16 and under 18 championships, Herman Loubser, from the Mount Murray club on the Isle of Man, now takes on those of his own age group. The scratch player has a South African background and will be in the first game out on day one.

The field of 144 contains a number of county’s under 14 team members, not least Surrey with Sam Bartham, William Hobbs, Aadam Syed and Zac Jenkins on parade.

Benjamin Rendell from Clacton-on-Sea Golf Club, off four, the Essex under 14 captain, is also competing as is Max Conway, off five from Formby, a Lancashire under 14 team player.

Also in the field is Hugo Kedzlie, a five handicapper from Spalding Golf Club, who won the 9-11 age group England Golf Skills Challenge at Woodhall Spa in 2011.

Another to watch could be Toby Briggs, the one-handicap son of the professional, Peter Briggs, at Dunston Hall Golf club in Norfolk.

There is again a good entry from the other Home countries while there is a sizeable overseas challenge with 54 players representing Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the USA.

Among them are 11 young players from Spain, eager to emulate the victory of Inigo Lopez-Pizarro last year at Blackwell.

The Reid Trophy is always keenly contested over 54 holes and that will be the case again this year while the event also encompasses an under 13 championship. It also represents the first step on the ladder for these talented youngsters, some of which will develop into the internationals of tomorrow and future stars of the fairways.

The leading six players in the Championship will gain automatic exemption to next year’s McGregor Trophy (under 16 championship) at Radcliffe on Trent, its original home.

Image caption: North Hants Golf Club, the venue of the English Boys under 14 Stroke Play Championship for the Reid Trophy. Image copyright Tom Ward Photography.


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SCOTTISH SUPER SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP AT DUNFERMLINE: GROSS TOTALS

                                                                          Age  Hcap Scores   TOTALS
GORDON MACDONALD  GLENBERVIE      65    1    74    75    149
SCOTT  MACDONALD    DUNFERMLINE    69    3    76    75    151
IAIN STEWART    TURNBERRY                     66    5    77    75    152
JIM KINLOCH    CARDROSS                          67    4    77    76    153
ALAN MACNAUGHT    COLCHESTER        66    5    79    75    154
JOHN BROADFOOT    TURNBERRY            65    4    80    75    155
GEORGE PAYNE    PRESTBURY                   65    4    75    80    155
TOM CARSON    LOCKERBIE                       67    6    80    76    156
ROBIN PATON    NAIRN                                66    2    78    78    156
 DAVID J SMITH    STIRLING                       70    4    77    79    156
BRIAN GRIEVE    KING JAMES V1             68    3    76    80    156
COLIN MOIR    WORKSOP                           71    6    81    77    158
DUNCAN McCALLUM    STIRLING            73    8    81    78    159
ROBIN LAWSON    R & A                              66    5    78    81    159
STANLEY SCOTT    LINLITHGOW              69    6    77    83    160
JIM PATON    KIRKINTILLOCH                    65    5    80    81    161
MICHAEL NIVEN    ALLOA                          72    7    84    79    163
IAN PEDDIE    TULLIALLAN                        73    7    83    80    163

PAR 72 CSS 73 (reduction only) + 70

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FITZPATRICK FACES SHINKWIN FOR ENGLISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP



Man-of-the-moment Matthew Fitzpatrick will meet Callum Shinkwin in tomorrow’s 36-final of the English Amateur Championship supported by abacus, after both came safely through two more testing matches on the penultimate day at Frilford Heath.
Fitzpatrick overcame Nathan Kimsey 2 and 1 in the morning’s quarter final then demolished Tomasz Anderson 7 and 6 in the semi-finals. 
Shinkwin endured two much closer ties, beating Chris Halley 3 and 2 in the quarters then edging home against Max Orrin by 1 hole.
Having thrilled the galleries at Muirfield a fortnight ago in the Open, Fitzpatrick now has the opportunity to do the same to a slightly smaller audience and add the impressive trophy to the silver medal he collected in Scotland.
But Shinkwin will do his utmost to deny him and both are aware this is Walker Cup year while they both have the same coach, Mike Walker at Rotherham.
In the quarter finals, played in ideal conditions that began under overcast skies but finished in warm sunshine, Fitzgerald was given his toughest contest by Kimsey. But the afternoon semi-final against Anderson from Hertfordshire proved a different story.
Anderson started poorly with two bogeys in the first three holes and while a Fitzpatrick birdie at the second put the Sheffield lad 3-up. Anderson settled after that but further Fitzpatrick birdies at the sixth and short ninth saw the Yorkshire youngster 5-up at the turn.
The end was in sight and a par at the short 11th followed by a birdie-three at 12 saw Fitzpatrick home 7 and 6. “It looks an easy win but no match is easy,” said Fitzpatrick. “But whatever happens tomorrow the last year has been special for me after winning the British Boys last August, then the silver medal at The Open and now this.”
Anderson, who had romped through to the last four, was pulled up short in the semi-final. “I played rubbish,” he said. “I am really disappointed because I played so differently from this morning.”
Anderson, who captained Hertfordshire to the Boys County Championship at Goswick in 2010, now has the European Amateur to contest before returning to his college team in Jacksonville in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Shinkwin and Orrin were locked in a close encounter although Shinkwin twice held a 2 hole advantage only to see Orrin hit back in determined fashion. “It was a tough match,” said Shinkwin.
“We are both members of the England squad, good friends and we see each other quite regularly. But it’s been a good week for me. I reached the semi-finals at Woburn two years ago and lost to Jamie Clare, I didn’t qualify at Silloth last year, but this time the luck is going my way.
“The English Amateur has been a great event for me but tomorrow is a different story. I am playing the World No.3 but my ranking should be in the top 20 now.”

The opening couple of holes were fairly scrappy but the pair soon got their games in order and back-to-back birdies saw Shinkwin 2-up after six holes. But he missed a shortish putt on the short ninth to see his lead cut then Orrin birdied the tenth to draw level.

They swopped birdies for the next couple of holes but a birdie at 14 followed by a par-four at 15 put Shinkwin two ahead again. But just when he thought he had the match won, Orrin birdied the 16th then holed from 20 feet for a winning par at 17.
At the last, both drove just off the green at the 305-yard hole then chipped close. Orrin missed from around four feet for birdie but Shinkwin sank his to seal victory.
“It was close all the way,” said Orrin. “It wasn’t the best way to lose but Callum did make birdie. I thought my putt was straight but it broke right. But it’s been a good week and now I’m looking forward to the US Amateur.”

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COMEBACK KING GREG TURNER LEADS BERENBERG SENIOR MASTERS

FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
The ultra-talented trio of Barry Lane, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam ended the first day of the Berenberg Masters in hot pursuit of the surprise leader Greg Turner.
After enjoying great success on The European Tour, winning four times, Turner opted to hang up his clubs a decade ago in order to concentrate full-time on his golf course design company in his native New Zealand; but was persuaded by his good friend and fellow Senior Tour Member Peter Fowler to return to competitive action this year.
The decision certainly looks a shrewd one, as the 50 year old posted a flawless seven under par round on the opening day of the €400,000 event. That left Turner two strokes clear of Woosnam, Lane and his playing partner Langer, whose round of 67 went some way towards erasing the painful memories of his late collapse at last week’s Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex.
Turner finished in a tie for 20th place last week, and his performance at Royal Birkdale – coupled with an encouraging display in the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid at the start of the campaign – gave him the belief that he could compete with the likes of former Ryder Cup-winning Captains Langer and Woosnam.
And so it proved, as he raced to the turn in just 31 strokes before adding two further gains on the back nine to sit proudly on top of the leaderboard at a sun-kissed Golf- und Land-Club Köln, on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany.
Turner, whose brother Glenn is a former New Zealand cricket captain, said: “I played very nicely at Birkdale last week so that gave me a bit of confidence and momentum to bring here, but I wouldn’t say I expected to shoot seven under on the first day – especially after taking such a long break from the game. I officially retired from competitive golf nine years ago, but I guess it’s just been a sabbatical!
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well I’ve struck the ball since deciding to come back, and hopefully that feeling can continue. I’m still not sure what I’ll do for the rest of the year, because it’s a busy time with my golf course design business, so that still has to be my priority. But if I do well here this week and feel like I can compete with these guys, I might have a decision to make. But it’s a nice headache to have.”   
Home hero Langer delighted the 3,200 spectators who flocked through the gates with another consummate performance of precision golf. A three-putt bogey on the par three 15th hole was the only blemish in an otherwise flawless display which ended on a high note, with a sixth birdie of the day birdie at the last.
Langer, whose daughter Chrissy caddied for him, said: “It’s good to have a tournament this week in some ways, because I can put last week to one side and move on. You’re going to lose many more tournaments than you win, so it didn’t take me too long to get over it and put it into perspective. In order to win tournaments you can’t be afraid of losing them so hopefully I can give myself another chance of winning on Sunday, and finish it off this time.” 
Playing partner Lane also birdied the last hole to sign for a bogey-free round of 67 which understandably pleased the affable Englishman.
He said: “It’s always a pleasure to play with Bernhard, I’ve been paired with him for the last couple of years in this tournament and I really enjoyed it again out there today. I only missed one green and managed to get up and down, so wasn’t really in too much trouble the whole way round. It’s a great start, and hopefully I can keep it going.”
Japan’s Massy Kuramoto and Dane Steen Tinning are currently in a share of fifth place on four under par after both men signed for rounds of 68.

FIRST-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 72
65 Greg Turner (NZ)
67 Barry Lane (England), Bernhard Langer (Germany), Ian Woosnam (Wales).
68 Steen Tinning (Denmark), Massy Kuramoto (Japan).
69 Sam Torrance (Scotland), Nick Job (England), Philip Golding (England), Marc Farry (France)

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GRAHAM FOX SCORES FOURTH TARTAN TOUR WIN OF SEASON AT MCDONALD ELLON

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Graham Fox chalked up his fourth outright win, among many top-10 finishes, on the Tartan Tour this season with a six-under-par 64 to head the leaderboard at the McDonald Ellon Golf Club pro-am today.
Fox, now playing out of Clydeway Golf, picked up the first prize of £1,158 to boost his season's tournament earnings to £13,865.
He had a bogey-free round studded with birdies at the first, second, long fourth, 10th, 13th and 14th.
Runner-up Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) had an eagle at the 10th in losing out by two shots with a 66. He birdied the fourth, fifth, 13th and 15th but the ultimate difference between him and the winner were bogeys at the sixth and 17th.
Arnott earned £926.
Third on 67 was James McGhee (unattached). Like Fox, he had no bogeys as he birdied the long fourth,13th and 17th for a £695 payslip.
Ellon-born pro Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy), who finished joint fourth individuall on 68, led the Moir's Maestros amateur trio of Bill Moir (handicap 10) John Howland (11) and Jim O'Brien (9) to victory in the team event with a net better ball of 17-under-par 123.

LEADING PRO SCORES
Par 70
64 G Fox (Clydeway Golf) £1,158.
66 R Arnott (Bishopbriggs) £926.
67 James McGhee (unatt) £695
68 Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy), Greg McBain (Gamola Golf) £469 each.
69 Christopher Currie (Caldwell £347.
70 Christopher Russell (RAW golf course design), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) £258 each
71 Patrick Walker (Ballumbie Castle), Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Chris Kelly (Cawder) £177 each.
72 Jonathan Lomas (Caprington), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), M King (Kingsfield), S Herald (Mearns Castle) £127 each.
73 A Duncan (unatt), C Lawson (Wellsgreen), Christopher Tierney (Affordable Golf) £81 each.
74 S Aird (McDonald Ellon), M Patterson (Cruden Bay), S Gray (Hayston), M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy)
76 G Nethercott (Deeside)
77 K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge)
78 A Munro (Musselburgh).
79 I Donaldson (Meldrum House)
82 H Love (Oldmeldrum)
93 C Gordon (Edinburgh GC)

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JACK DOHERTY TOP SCOTS EARNER IN RAIN-HIT ROWALLAN CASTLE OPEN

Jack Doherty (North Gailes) earned the biggest cheque of the seven Scots who survived the first-round cut in the rain-shortened Rowallan Castle OpenF PGA EuroPro Tour event at the Ayrshire venue.
Doherty had rounds of 69 and 70 for a three-under-par total of 139 which gave him a cheque for £1,033.
He finished three shots behind a leading trio on six-under 136. Winner of the £10,000 prize after a sudden-death play-off was Welshman Mark Laskey (Brocket Hall) (63-73). Another Welshman, Oliver Farr (Worcester) (67-79) and Irishman Tim Rice (Limerick (65-71) shared second place and received £3,750 each.
Paul Shields (Kirkhill) (70-73), Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) (68-75) and Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) (67-76) tied for 16th place on 143 and earned £422 each.
Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) scocred 71-73 for 144 and a share of 23rd place for which the pay-out was £319.
Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) earned £232 for joint 40th position on 146 (66-80) and Malcolm Isaacs (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) shared 46th place on 147 (72-75) and earned £215.

NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPR0 TOUR
Welshman beats Rice and Farr after trio finish six under

Mark Laskey beat Tim Rice and Oliver Farr in a play-off to win the Rowallan Castle Open on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour, after all three finished the tournament six under par.
After no play was possible on day two, the tournament was reduced to 36 holes with only the top 50 plus ties playing the final round.
Laskey (Brocket Hall) started the day two ahead on eight under and at one point had a four-stroke lead on ten under. However, bogeys at nine and ten were followed by a triple at the 11th and Rice (Limerick), who to that point had played his final round to par, then lead on six under and extended his advantage with a birdie at 12.
Farr (Worcester Golf & Country Club) quickly reduced Rice’s lead to one with consecutive birdies from 13 to 15. Laskey ensured the pressure remained on Irishman Rice with a birdie at 15, and though both bogeyed the 16th a birdie on 17 saw Laskey reclaim a share of the lead, with Farr now in the clubhouse on six under.
With the trio all tied for the lead they headed to the 18th tee for the play off, which took three plays of the same hole to complete. Farr dropped out when he bogeyed the second play-off hole and when Rice did the same on the following play, Laskey was crowned Rowallan Castle Open champion 2013. He wins £10,000, a brand new Motocaddy trolley and now leads the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit.
“It is great to get my first 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour win,” he said. “It has been a long time coming so it is a bit of a hurdle I have finally jumped.
“When I lead by four I wasn’t thinking too far ahead but I was playing nicely and I was trying to push on and make birdies. I made a couple of sloppy mistakes but managed to keep my head together.
“It was definitely a lot harder today. Left to right winds are something I need to work on and that is where I messed up.
“I knew I was playing well enough and putting well. There are some tough holes to finish but I kept fighting and got into the play off. I haven’t been putting well this year so it was nice to putt well when I needed to.”
A two-hour highlights package of the event will be broadcast on Sky Sports HD at 8pm on Tuesday, August 13, repeated on Wednesday, August 14. The next 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour event is the MarHall.com Scottish Classic, which takes place at Mar Hall Golf Club August 7-9.
ENDS
 

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BEN MURRAY AND KIRAN NOLAN WIN BOYS' TITLES AT NEWMACHAR


Ben Murray (Portlethen) retained the North-east District Under-18 boys' match-play golf championship with a 3 and 2 win in the final at Newmachar over Jack Harling (Banchory), winner of the district U18 boys' stroke-play title on Thursday.
Harling beat Ray Gordon (Alford) by 2 and 1 in the first semi-final In the other, Murray bt Callum Coutts (Alford) by one hole.

Results:
SEMI-FINALS - Jack Harling (Banchory) bt Ray Gordon (Alford) 2 and 1, Ben Murray (Portlethen) bt Callum Coutts (Alford) 1 hole.

FINAL - Murray bt Harling 3 and 2.

The NE District Under-14 boys' championship over the par-72 Swailend course (CSS 71) was won by Kiran Nolan (Kemnay) with a 74.
He finished three shots ahead of Cameron Gray (Cruden Bay), Calvin Duffton (Torphins) and Jonathan Bell (Royal Aberdeen).
Gray was placed second with the best inward half and Duffotnw third, again on a comparison of inward halves.

NE DISTRICT UNDER-14 CHAMPIONSHIP
Newmachar Golf Club, Swailend course. 

SCORES
Par 72 CSS 71
74 Kiran Nolan (Kemnay).
77 Cameron Gray (Cruden Bay) (bih)|, Calvin Dufftown (Torphins) (bih), Jonathan Bell (Royal Aberdeen).
79 Marc Watt (Inverallochy).
82 Cameron G McArthur (Newmachar)
84 Ellis Gray (Duff House Royal)
85 Reece Smith (Caledonian)
86 Kevin Duncan (Keith), Kyle Harker (Torphins)
88 Calum Sheal (Cruden Bay)
89 Liam Waldron (Kintore)
90 Cameron Black (Royal Aberdeden), Innes McKau (Strathlene),  Brad Murray jun (Fraserburgh).
91 Connor McDonald (Turriff)
92 Finlay Smith jun (McDonald Ellon)
95 Greg Carrell (Peterculter), Scott Henderson (Turriff)
97 Brook Smith (Caledonian)
105 Andrew George (Royal Aberdeen)


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ALEXANDER CULVERWELL v JAMES WHITE IN FAIRSTONE SCOTTISH AMATEUR FINAL



FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
By ED HODGE
On a day that saw two-time Ryder Cup player Tommy Horton visit Blairgowrie, Alexander Culverwell and James White produced matchplay heroics of their own to book places in the Fairstone Scottish Amateur Championship final.
Culverwell, from Dunbar, and Lundin’s White will go head-to-head in tomorrow's 36-hole Lansdowne Course showdown in a bid to join a roll of honour that features the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallacher, Dean Robertson and Steven O’Hara.
If White’s two victories today over Scotland Boys’ cap Ewen Ferguson from Bearsden and Kirkhill’s Craig Ross were perhaps expected, Culverwell’s scalp of defending champion Grant Forrest was one of the biggest stories of the week.
Three birdies in the opening four holes helped Culverwell race to a three-up lead, and his fellow Lothians player from Craigielaw simply couldn’t claw it back.
Forrest, who arrived at Blairgowrie fresh from playing in The Open at Muirfield, reduced arrears to one after eight, but Culverwell knocked it stiff at the par-3 9th to regain momentum he never lost.
The 25-year-old, whose most notable win to date is the 2011 Battle Trophy on the SGU Men’s Order of Merit, saw out a 4&3 victory to set up the biggest match of his life tomorrow.
Englishman Horton, a Ryder Cup player in 1975 and 1977 who was in Perthshire in his role as Honorary Captain of the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie, was certainly left impressed.
Culverwell, who also saw off Wigtownshire County’s Kyle McClung 3 and 2 in the quarters, said: “It’s the furthest I’ve been in the tournament, after my previous best was the last-16.
“It’s definitely my biggest achievement in the game so far. The Battle Trophy was huge for me, but hopefully I can go on to the final and do even better.
“I know James well, we had a year together at the University of Stirling, so it should be a great game.
Culverwell’s girlfriend, the former Scotland international player, Becka Wilson, has been caddying for him this week and the final year University of Stirling student has credited her assistance.
“She has been a great help and kept me level-headed,” he added. “I’ve been working hard on not getting too negative which I’ve done in the past.”
White, meanwhile, is chasing glory to cap a gruelling week. The 25-year-old has reached the final of the SGU’s flagship event the hard way - his previous best was the last-eight in 2011 - after coming through a host of tricky ties.
White needed 42 holes on Wednesday to come through his matches, before seeing off Walker Cup hopeful Graeme Robertson on Thursday.
The SGU Men’s Squad player held his nerve again yesterday to edge out Ferguson on the 18th and then defeat Ross 2 and 1.
The 2011 SGU Men’s Order of Merit winner, whose little brother-turned caddy Robbie celebrated his 23rd birthday today, said: “I’ve had tight games all the way through, but it just makes it more satisfying.
“I was really nervous coming down the stretch as Ewen and Craig both put me under a lot of pressure. The Lansdowne played as tough as it has all week, the wind was really swirling.”
Earlier in the day, Forrest defeated Cardross’ Liam Halliday 3 and 2, while Ross ended the challenge of last year’s Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year, Jack McDonald, by the same margin.
Forrest and Ross both picked up bronze medals for their achievements. Indeed, Ross, the 20-year-old former Boys’ international, went one better than his run to the last-eight at Royal Dornoch last year. “I’m disappointed, but it’s been a good week,” he said. “I missed chances against James.”
For Forrest, he felt nothing went for him against Culverwell. “I don’t think there is much more I could have done, really. I put up a good defence, I gave it a go,” said the 20-year-old, who was bidding to become the first player in 30 years to successfully defend the title.
“Zander putted really well from eight feet in. I think he had seven single putts in the front nine. If I hit a good shot, it never ended up close, as either the wind died, or switched.
“When he hit a good one, it went close for birdie. If he plays like that in the final, he is going to be tough to beat.
“I’ve got a rest day on Saturday and then it’s off to the European Individual and then the Home Internationals. I’m playing well and I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks.”
Culverwell, who got revenge over Forrest after losing to him at the Scottish Amateur at Gullane in 2010, added: “It’s been a really good week. It’s a course I’ve played before and it’s a course I knew coming into this week that would suit my game.
"I had a good game plan this week, to hit as many fairways and greens as possible, and keep the pressure on my opponents. I was three down to Greig Marchbank yesterday and came back, which gave me a lot of confidence.”
>> Click here for photos and videos on SGU Facebook

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) bt Liam Halliday (Cardross) 3 and 2.
Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) bt Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 3 and 2.
Craig Ross (Kirkhill) bt Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 3 and 2.
James White (Lundin) bt Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) 1 hole.

SEMI-FINALS
Culverwell bt Forrest 4 and 3, having been two up after 10 holes.
White bt Ross 2 and 1, having been three up after eight holes.


FROM RALEIGH GOWRIE
of Stirling University.

 
The two men in the 2013 Scottish Amateur Final are either currently a golf scholar at the University of Stirling (Alexander Culverwell) or a past golf scholar at Stirling (James White)
The Scotland men’s European Championship team that finished runner-up in the 2013 event had in it the following:
Graeme Robertson (recently graduated golf scholar at the University of Stirling)
Jack Macdonald (current golf scholar at the University of Stirling)
Scott Borrowman (former golf scholar the University of Stirling)
The 2013 Irish Amateur champion Cormac Sharvin is a current golf scholar at the University of Stirling.
There is a common and very obvious denominator running throughout, that being the University of Stirling is making a significant contribution to the development of home-based players suggesting that there is no need to head to the USA to develop into an elite golfer whilst completing your academic studies. 
I also believe that in Dean Robertson we have a world class coach who can not only identify talent but nurture it to being out the very best in these young golfers.
Raleigh Gowrie


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ANDREW MAIDEN OF MONTROSE MERCANTILE TOPS RANKINGS


MyGolfRanking, 1 August 2013: 
1 Ben Askew (Silverdale) 1358 points,
2 Andrew Maiden (Montrose Mercantile) 1213
3 John Boag (Blairgowrie) 1173
4 Gary Smith (Windyhill) 1167
5 Chris Gamrot (Lothianburn) 1150
6 Keith Taylor (Balbirnie Park) 1146
7 Scott Moffat (Burntisland GH) 1136
8 Jim Melville Jnr (St Andrews GC) 1100
9 Jiles Johnson (Seacroft) 1092
10 Colin Leyden (Aberdour) 1083
11 Billy Johnstone (Cowdenbeath) 1054
T12 Chris Taylor (Stonehaven) 1050
T12 Carol Whyte (Windyhill) 1050
14 Frank Murray (Montrose Mercantile) 1031
15 Kevin Turnbull (Galashiels) 1027. 
 For up-to-date ranking lists of participating clubs, the full Regional and National Rankings and how it works, visit www.mygolfranking.net
 
  FROM DAVID MOIR

This week’s MyGolfRanking Golfer of the Week is Andrew Maiden of Montrose Mercantile Golf Club in Angus who is striving to take over from Ben Askew (Silverdale) who has been at No 1 for the last 4 weeks.
                                                                                                                                                
The MyGolfRanking Club of the Week is Silverdale Golf Club, Cumbria.


David Moir

Past President
SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Hon Life President
FIFE GOLFING ASSOCIATION
Managing Director
in LEAGUE with GOLF Ltd
23 Links Road
Lundin Links
Leven
Fife KY8 6AS

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SCORES FROM FIRESTONE COUNTRY CLUB, AKRON, OHIO

FIRST ROUND
Par 70
Players from USA unless stated
64 Webb Simpson
65 Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
66 Ryan Moore, Chris Wood (England), Tiger Woods, Keegan Bradley
67 Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Bill Haas, Jim Furyk, Luke Donald (England)

SELECTED SCORES
69 Ian Poulter (England), Justin Rose (England) (T14)
70 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland), Paul Casey (England) (T19)
71 Graeme McDowell (N Ireland), Lee Westwood (England), David Lynn (England) (T31).
73 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) (T54)
74 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) (T63)
77 Martin Laird (Scotland) (72nd)

SCROLL DOWN FOR STORIES FROM THE FIRST DAY'S PLAY

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE

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HEAVENLY INSPIRATION HELPS CLYDEBANK GOLFER TO ACHIEVE POIGNANT HOLE IN ONE

NEWS RELEASE
A Clydebank golfer invoked the memory of his late brother to score a hole-in-one during a recent competition at his club, receiving a limited-edition BOSS watch for his feat.

Alex Hopkins, 55,
pictured, scored his ace on the 240-yard, par-three 14th at his club, Dalmuir Municipal, and the 13-handicapper was rewarded with membership of the exclusive BOSS Watches H1 Club and a specially-commissioned, commemorative timepiece.

In March 2012 Hopkins' brother, William - himself a keen golfer - passed away suddenly, and the club erected a memorial bench by the 14th tee in his memory.

Alex said: "As I waited to tee off I sat on my brother's bench and silently asked him to give me some inspiration for the shot, knowing he had scored a hole-in-one on this hole many years ago. I watched as my playing partner's tee shot landed short, which encouraged me to plump for my driver. I made a good connection, saw the ball bounce before the green and thought ‘well that's me on the green' as I reached down to pick up my tee.

"While I was stooped over, my playing partners started celebrating and informed me that the ball had gone straight in the hole. I was delighted, and more than happy to buy drinks for my fellow members in the bar after the round.

"This was my first ever hole-in-one and made all the more memorable given that it came at the hole on which my brother scored his ace many years ago."

In addition to the memorial bench, William's memory is also honoured by the William Hopkins Memorial tournament, held annually in June.

The luxury German brand, BOSS Watches, has pledged to reward club golfers with an exclusive timepiece for every hole-in-one recorded during a club competition between April 15 and October 31 this year. And, with nearly 4,000 holes-in-one recorded annually, BOSS Watches could feasibly be giving away £1m-worth in 2013.

The scheme is open to any golfer whose club uses HowDidiDo - a free-to-use, web-based social network for golfers - and anybody playing in official club competitions will be eligible. Currently, more than 1,800 clubs use the website.

Stephen Brydon, commercial director for MGS Distribution, the official licenced UK distributor for BOSS Watches, said: "Congratulations to Alex on what, to most of us, is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

"To the majority of amateur golfers, recording a hole-in-one will be the most memorable thing they achieve in golf - yet all many have to show for it is a dent in their bank balance after buying a round of drinks in the clubhouse.

"We aim to make it a lot more memorable for them by presenting them with an exclusive BOSS watch, only available to golfers who record a hole-in-one, so they are truly exclusive and will provide a constant reminder of the sight of their ball popping into the hole and the emotions attached to that very moment.

"It also adds a frisson of extra excitement to club competitions for golfers who may not be in with a chance of winning the event, for they know that every time they stand on the tee on a par-three, they are just one shot away from winning a stunning timepiece."

In addition to the limited-edition watch, Hopkins is also awarded membership of the exclusive BOSS Watches H1 Club which offers its members access to exclusive benefits and merchandise.

No extra registration is required to participate in the BOSS Watches promotion as all official club competitions are recorded on the HowDidiDo system, so holes-in-one will be noted and automatically ratified by the golfer's club.

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DEATH OF WELL KNOWN SUTHERLAND GOLFER STUART SHAW



NORTH NEWS ROUND-UP
FROM ROBIN WILSON 


As the Brora and Royal Dornoch Golf Clubs prepare for their two biggest events of the season, The Clynelish Salver at Brora, begins Monday, and the Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch, the following Sunday,  the sad news came through on Tuesday of this week of the death in the Highland Hospice, Inverness of Stuart Shaw, a former winner of both competitions and many other events throughout the three northern counties over the past forty-five years.



Over a golfing career which began as an apprentice greenkeeper at Royal Dornoch, and a club member at one time or another of all four East Coast Clubs, Stuart originally from Helmsdale was a tenacious match-play and stroke -play competitor, I should know he beat me in two of his three Clynelish finals and he was a double winner of the Carnegie Shield. 
In stroke play he won the Royal Dornoch club championship several times and also the Silver Medal. He triumphed in Opens at Brora, Golspie and Dornoch and beyond and was Sutherland's County Champion on four occasions, his first in 1982. he won two Northern Counties Cup medals with Royal Dornoch in 1967 and 1988.



His swing could not be described as classic, it was individually created and moulded to suit the long hard fairways of Dornoch where his peers, if he had any? would attempt to carry the golf ball onto the greens with spin while Stuart was already on the green with a running seven iron. Before teeing of at Brora, Golspie or Dornoch in the next two weeks pause for a moment to remember Stuart, a character we are unlikely to see the like of again.



Bidding for a fourth Salver win at Brora next week is former member Iain Powell, now Murcar and also in his mind will be a hatrick of wins having triumphed in the last two years. Out to stop him is the Brora Head Greenkeeper, James MacBeath who after winning his seventh Clynelish Salver has not played for the past two years due to his work commitment on the Brora links. But due to the long dry spell there is not so much cutting to do between rounds this year and the Brora green's staff have been given permission to take part in the competition.



Brora Ladies go out of national competition.



Low handicappers Marlene Bokas and Lesley Beaney were the only two winners when a strong Murcar Links team visited Brora last weekend to fulfil a seventh round tie in the Mail on Sunday national club team competition.



For the first time in the competition Brora's other three players were all receiving strokes in the match play format from their Murcar opponents but Anne Clarke, Ann Robertson and Angela Grant were all beaten for the Club's long and successful run to come to an end, the final score Brora 2 Murcar Links 3.

 Royal Dornoch Golf Club captain George Gunn presents the Sinclair Trophy to John Godward (Murcar Links). Picture by Robin Wilson.


Sinclair Cup remains in North East



Sutherland's County Champion, Alex MacDonald came up just a shot short of reclaiming the Sinclair Cup for his home Dornoch club when he took second place behind first time winner John Godward (Murcar Links) at Royal Dornoch last Saturday.



While Godward returned almost identical cards of 75, 36 and 39 in round one followed up by 37 and 38 in round two, MacDonald's 75 and 76 contained a couple of costly errors, a double bogey seven at the ninth hole in round one and a double bogey six at the fourth in round two. Godward's day began with two opening birdies. A new trophy, the Taylor Bullock Salver, confined to local members was won for the first time by Alex MacDonald.



Inverness's David Joel split open the field in the first round with a one under par 69 coming home in 33 but he was unable to maintain his scratch position with a thirteen over par 83 in round two. His saving consolation a nett total of 148 (67 81) to win the first handicap voucher.



Holder of the cup, Bryan Innes (Murcar Links)  opened with a 79 and improved with a 74 to finish in fifth place while Ross-shire's County Champion, Alan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) ended up in fourth place adding a 79 to his opening 73.



Results
Scratch 
CSS
Rd  1  Home and Away 75. 
Rd 2 Home and Away 76.



150 J Godward (Cruden Bay) 75  75.
151 A MacDonald (RDGC) 75 76, P Robb (Peterculter) 74 77. 
152 A Cameron (F and R) 73 79. 
153 B Innes (Murcar Links) 79 74. 
Handicap
D Joel (Inverness( 2) 148 (67 81), D Kilfara (Dunbar) (4) 152 (79 73), B Urquhart (RDGC) (4) (77 76), H Macrae( RDGC) (5) (75 78), C Mailley (RDGC) (0) (79 75). 
Best Scratch Round
C Sutherland (RDGC) 75. Best nett (R Garret (Falkirk) (5) 72.


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