WOOSIE SHARES LEAD IN GERMANY WITH A SEVEN-UNDER 65

 

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Ian Woosnam rolled back the years with a majestic seven under par 65 in the first round of the WINSTONgolf Senior Open to share the lead with Canadian Phil Jonas.

The 55 year old had seven birdies on a flawless card, five of them coming consecutively from the first hole – his tenth – to surge ahead of Englishman Jamie Spence and Dane Steen Tinning, who both shot 66. 

It could have been even better, as the diminutive Welshman afterwards admitted he missed three putts from inside four feet on the stunning Open course at WINSTONgolf in Germany.

“It could have been a very low one,” said Woosnam, whose last win came in the 2011 Berenberg Masters, also played in Germany. “But I can’t really complain about a 65 and I played very well overall. The later you play the bumpier the greens become, and there was a little moisture on them late in the day. You just have to accept that. 

“It was the best I drove the ball for a long time. I got a new driver last week and it has one of these new sliders on it. It’s taken me a week to get it in the right place, but now I have it’s making a massive difference – I drove the ball superbly today. It’s going longer and with more accuracy. I can fade it, draw it, you name it. My safe shot is a nice little fade that goes about 270 yards.

“I played the course for the first time yesterday. There are some tricky pins out there and you have to hit it in the right spot. And the wind is tough – some holes it made a two club difference.” 

Jonas was among the morning starters, and he was delighted to set the pace having rediscovered some form.

“I haven’t been playing that well recently, so it’s nice for something good to happen,” said the 51 year old Qualifying School graduate. 

“I’ve felt as though I’m starting to play better, and when I was warming up I thought there might be a hint of a low score there. But I must admit I didn’t expect it to be that good.

“I got lucky a few times, where I hit bad shots but they ended up near the hole. I putted well and made a couple of 20-footers, plus many from five or six feet. I was very solid on the greens. 

“This is the first year I’ve played on this course and I like it a lot. It’s fun to play. In fact, I’ve liked every course we’ve played on the Senior Tour this season.”

The €400,000 event is played in a pro-am format, with each professional pairing up with an amateur, and Jonas added: “It’s something different and you get to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet. I’m from Canada and today I not only played with a fellow pro but two guys from Holland. It makes it interesting.”

FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD

65 P Jonas (Can) , I Woosnam (Wal) 

66 J Spence (Eng) , S Tinning (Den) 

67 P Fowler (Aus) , A Franco (Par), B Ruangkit (Tha) , H Buhrmann (RSA) , D Russell (Eng) 

68 G Brand Jnr (Sco), J Quiros (Esp) 

69 S Van Vuuren (RSA) , P Wesselingh (Eng) 

70 S Luna (Esp) , T Price (Aus) , P Golding (Eng) , M McLean (Eng) 

71 E Darcy (Irl) , T Johnstone (Zim) , G Ralph (Eng) , R Thompson (USA) , B Cameron (Eng) , M Martin (Esp) , B Longmuir (Sco) , P Walton (Irl) , T Thelen (USA) 

72 S Bennett (Eng) , P Eales (Eng) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , G Manson (Aut) , G Brand (Eng) , M Kuramoto (Jpn) , G Ryall (Eng) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , M Harwood (Aus) 

73 J Rivero (Esp) , A Sherborne (Eng) , G Wolstenholme (Eng) , R Gibson (Can) , C Williams (RSA) , A Oldcorn (Sco) , J Gould (Eng) , J Bruner (USA) , P Linhart (Esp) , N Job (Eng) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , M Farry (Fra) , J Harrison (Eng) 

74 Z Martinez (USA) , S Brown (Eng) , M Cunning (USA) , G Banister (Aus), J Lindberg  (Swe), C Rocca (Ita) , P Mitchell (Eng) , C Mason (Eng), M Piñero (Esp) , R Drummond (Sco) 

75 D Smyth (Irl) , G Norquist (USA) 

76 M James (Eng) , J Carriles (Esp) , D Durnian (Eng) , J Laforce (Can) , W Grant (Eng) , D Hospital (Esp) 

77 K Spurgeon (Eng) , T Elliott (Aus) 

78 S Cipa (Eng) 

79 T Giedeon (Ger), D James (Sco) 

82 H Francis (Eng)

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

GALLACHER SHARES LEAD, RAMSAY MISSES CUT

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Denmark’s Thomas Björn and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher are each aiming for an Omega double after moving into a share of the halfway lead in the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

Björn is aiming to be crowned King of the Mountains for a second time in three years following his win at Crans-sur-Sierre in 2011, while Gallacher is chasing a second victory in an Omega-sponsored event in 2013 after triumphing in the Omega Dubai  Desert Classic in February.

The pair are tied on ten under par 132 after Bjorn carded a five under par second round of 66, while Gallacher went one shot lower with a round of 65.

After opening with a birdie on the first, Gallacher picked up further gains on the fifth, seventh, ninth, 12th, 13th and 15th holes, before his only bogey of the day on the 17th.

The 38 year old, who has been struggling with a back problem, lost in a play-off to Tommy Fleetwood on home soil in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles a fortnight ago, before having to retire last week in Wales.

But some intensive treatment appears to have relieved the problem and Gallacher is delighted with his position going into the weekend.

“First place is not bad,” he joked. “I’m happy with that. It gives me something to work on over the weekend.

“The back is ok. It has actually settled down. I’ve had a lot of physio and it seems to have died right down. I just have to keep stretching and I’m keeping the boys in the physio unit busy.

“That was a solid round today. I holed some good putts. I will take another two more of those. I hit the ball really good on the front nine and got my just rewards. I holed a couple of decent putts the back nine too but didn’t play that well. But I’m in there.”

Björn would have held the outright lead after six birdies in 17 holes, but the 13-time European Tour winner dropped a shot on the last when after his ball hit a grandstand. He took a free drop but chipped 12 foot past the hole and missed the par putt.

“It wasn’t the prettiest at the end but I played well today,” he said. “I just kept patient. I told myself not to make any silly bogeys this week, and I made one on the last which was the first one, but those things happen. I’m happy with the way I’m playing and I got myself out of trouble when I needed to and it was steady without being spectacular.”

Englishman Fleetwood is one of five players a shot behind the leading pair after fighting back from a double bogey on the fifth hole, when his ball hit a tree, holing from a bunker for an eagle three on the 14^th hole en route to carding a three under par 68.

Also on nine under par is 2010 champion Miguel Angel Jiménez, of Spain, who carded five birdies in six holes on the back nine in his round of 68.

Fleetwood and Jiménez are joined by Englishman Richard Finch (66) Frenchman Victor Dubuisson (65) and a third Englishman Danny Willett, joint runner-up behind Richie Ramsay 12 months ago, who carded the lowest round of the day with a superb 64 that included an eagle on the first hole, his tenth after starting on the back nine.

Former Ryder Cup players Paul Casey (69) and Padraig Harrington (65) are well placed going into the weekend, on eight under par and seven under par respectively. 

Defending champion Richie Ramsay missed out with a two-over 144 total.

  HALFWAY SCOREBOARD

  Par 142 (2x71)

132 T Björn (Den) 66 66, S Gallacher (Sco) 67 65

133 M Jiménez (Esp) 65 68, R Finch  (Eng) 67 66, V Dubuisson  (Fra) 68 65, D Willett  (Eng) 69 64, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 65 68

134 M Tullo (Chi) 68 66, B Koepka  (USA) 68 66, A Lahiri (Ind) 63 71, P Casey  (Eng) 65 69, A Cañizares  (Esp) 69 65

135 P Harrington (Irl) 70 65, R Sterne  (RSA) 69 66

136 C Lee (Sco) 71 65, B Rumford (Aus) 68 68, J Van Zyl (RSA) 68 68

137 T Jaidee (Tha) 68 69, M Kieffer (Ger) 68 69, G Havret  (Fra) 68 69, G Fernandez-Castaño  (Esp) 70 67, L Hao-Tong (Chn) 68 69, D Howell (Eng) 70 67

138 K Broberg (Swe) 70 68, S Benson (Eng) 70 68, P Lawrie (Sco) 68 70, K Horne (RSA) 69 69, J Olazábal (Esp) 67 71, R Karlberg  (Swe) 69 69

139 E De La Riva  (Esp) 68 71, S Kapur (Ind) 70 69, G Maybin (Nir) 70 69, P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 67 72, B Henson (USA) 67 72, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 71 68, G Bhullar (Ind) 68 71, S Hend (Aus) 69 70, M Manassero (Ita) 70 69,

 140 R Fisher (Eng) 71 69, D Ulrich (Sui) 71 69, S Dyson  (Eng) 71 69, R Coles (Eng) 69 71, T Levet (Fra) 68 72, M Hoey  (Nir) 67 73, K Pratt (Aus) 71 69, S Hansen (Den) 69 71, A Que (Phi) 70 70, S Henry  (Sco) 70 70, G Bourdy (Fra) 69 71, M Fraser (Aus) 69 71,

141 J Quesne  (Fra) 72 69, J Campillo (Esp) 71 70, J Luiten (Ned) 70 71, J Gonnet  (Fra) 72 69, A Tadini (Ita) 68 73, C Cévaër (Fra) 70 71, O Fisher  (Eng) 77 64, J Moore  (USA) 69 72, T Lewis (Eng) 71 70, M Korhonen (Fin) 72 69, S Wakefield (Eng) 72 69, A Wall (Eng) 70 71, C Nirat (Tha) 71 70, S Kjeldsen (Den) 70 71, A Dodt (Aus) 69 72, S Barr (Aus) 69 72, S Dodd (Wal) 69 72, E Amacher (am) (Sui) 72 69

 MISSED THE CUT

142 C Paisley  (Eng) 71 71, P Uihlein  (USA) 73 69, F Molinari (Ita) 69 73, M Ilonen  (Fin) 72 70, A Hartø  (Den) 71 71, J Edfors (Swe) 73 69, I Garrido (Esp) 71 71, P Price (Wal) 71 71, P Larrazábal (Esp) 73 69, S Thornton (Irl) 71 71, K Benz (Sui) 71 71, B Åkesson (Swe) 71 71, R Bland (Eng) 74 68, R Wattel  (Fra) 72 70, M Grönberg (Swe) 71 71, R Paratore (am) (Ita) 72 70,

143 J Singh (Ind) 68 75, R Santos  (Por) 72 71, A Da Silva (Bra) 74 69, M Nixon (Eng) 69 74, R De Sousa (Sui) 74 69, A Levy (Fra) 71 72, M Warren (Sco) 70 73, W Ormsby (Aus) 72 71, D Lipsky (USA) 73 70, J Sjöholm (Swe) 75 68, M Foster (Eng) 72 71, D Horsey (Eng) 71 72, D Clarke (Nir) 69 74, D Drysdale (Sco) 68 75

144 A Vongvanij (Tha) 78 66, R Gonzalez (Arg) 77 67, J Morrison  (Eng) 74 70, T Wiratchant (Tha) 71 73, R Ramsay  (Sco) 73 71, S Chowrasia (Ind) 73 71, A Hansen (Den) 71 73, J Parry (Eng) 77 67, M Wiegele  (Aut) 72 72, D McGrane (Irl) 73 71, D Singh (Ind) 76 68, R Green (Aus) 71 73, F Aguilar (Chi) 74 70, M Rominger  (Sui) 72 72, L Gagli  (Ita) 72 72, M Baldwin (Eng) 71 73, L Slattery (Eng) 73 71, J Kruger (RSA) 74 70, P Whiteford (Sco) 72 72, N Thommen (am) (Sui) 72 72

145 A Kaleka  (Fra) 73 72, E Grillo (Arg) 70 75, F Zanotti (Par) 72 73, B Grace  (RSA) 76 69, J Donaldson (Wal) 75 70, C Muniyappa (Ind) 71 74, P Waring  (Eng) 73 72

146 J Lara (Esp) 74 72, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 70 76, M Delpodio  (Ita) 72 74, J Lucquin (Fra) 71 75, M Carlsson  (Swe) 74 72, M Kobayashi (Jpn) 74 72, E Pepperell (Eng) 75 71, A Bossert (Sui) 73 73, M Lafeber (Ned) 72 74

 147 M Siddikur  (Ban) 72 75, T Aiken (RSA) 74 73, P Lawrie (Irl) 72 75, R Derksen (Ned) 77 70, A Quiros  (Esp) 71 76, H Rai (Ind) 73 74, J Walters (RSA) 74 73

 148 M Fenasse (am) (Fra) 76 72

 149 F Andersson Hed (Swe) 77 72, B Rusch (am) (Sui) 76 73

 150 G Storm  (Eng) 78 72

 152 S Strüver (Ger) 79 73, P Meesawat  (Tha) 80 72,

 153 M Mamat (Sin) 73 80, H Otto (RSA) 72 81, D Gleeson (Aus) 80 73,

 154 Y Wo-Cheng  (am) (Chn) 78 76,

 157 F Svanberg  (Sui) 80 77, E Kofstad (Nor) 73 84,

 ** D Fichardt (RSA) 69 DQ, C Doak (Sco) 76 RT, J Granberg  (Fin) 78 RT,

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

MICHAEL STEWART ONLY SCOT TO BEAT ALPS TOUR CUT

Michael Stewart from Troon was the only Scot to survive the 36-hole cut in the Alps Tour's Asiago Open in Italy today.
Stewart, pictured, a former Scottish amateur champion and a member of the
Walker Cup-winning team at Royal Aberdeen in 2011, birdied the short 17th to make it through with nothing to spare.
Earlier the Ayrshire man had bogeyed the 10th, 11th, 14th and 15th.
He had rounds of 69 and 71 for a level par tally of 140 - 10 shots behind another from the GB and I team of two years ago, Steven Brown (Wentworth).
Brown leads by two with scores of 67 and 63 for 10-under 130.
Ellon's Ross Cameron (68 for 143), Kris Nicol (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) (72 for 144) and John Henry (Clydebank and Dist) (72 for 144) all missed the cut.

SCOTS LOSE NARROWLY TO TOP SEEDS IRELAND IN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Scotland lost 3-2 to top seeds Ireland in the semi-finals of the European senior men's team championhip at Pannonia Golf and Country Club, Hungary.
There were good wins in the singles by Ian Brotherston and John Fraser over Arthur Pierse and Maurice Kelly respectively but the Irish won the foursome and gained the two points they needed for victory from former Walker Cup player Garth McGimpsey (one-hole winner against Alan O'Neill) and Adrian Morrow, who beat Lindsay Blair 5 and 4.
Scotland now play England, who were beaten 3 1/2-1 1/2 by Sweden in the other semi-final, for third place in the championship flight.
Details:
IRELAND 3, SCOTLAND 2
Tom Clary and Michael Quirke bt Lindsay Gordon and David Gardiner 3 and 2
Arthur Pierse lost to Ian Brotherston 1 hole
Maurice Kelly lost to John Fraser 3 and 2.
Garth McGimpsey bt Alan O'Neill 1 hole
Adrian Morrow bt Lindsay Blair 5 and 4.

COLIN GILLIES KEEPING BUSY AFTER TARTAN TOUR RETIREMENT

FROM COLIN GILLIES

Just wanted to drop you a quick line and let you 

know what I'm up to.
Still attached to Kingsfieldgolf.com 

Excellent facilities where we have a Gasp Lab 

Teaching Studio, Golf Range, suberb short game area

and nine-hole course.
Very busy at Kingsfield with individual lessons and

Stephen Gallacher Foundation
Have also recently become involved with

indoorgolfglasgow.com, a very exciting facility in

Xscape Braehead.

Plan to start teaching at the Centre this weekend.

The Centre is a great idea and an ideal set-up for

golfers to work on their game as the winter draws

closer.

We have six Simulators, have recently purchased a 

GC2 (as seen on Sky Sports) which allows customers to

play some top courses (Kingsbarns,Turnberry and Troon)

 to name a few and also run a Hole in One competion 

every Saturday which has a £500 Prize

On the teaching side we have Gasp Analysis and a 

few days ago took delivery of My Swinguru 

(Swinguru.com), a 3D Teaching System which gives 

instant feedback, highlights faults and suggests 

drills to iron out the faults 

It is also Warm and has a bar!
 

Colin Gillies 

HUTCHEON AND MCBAIN TIE AT ELGIN PRO-AM

North-east professionals dominated the leading placings in the S and D Harper Calor Gas shotgun pro-am at Elgin Golf Club today.
Banchory's Greig Hutcheon and Aberdeen's Greg McBain tied for first place on four-under-par 65 and Scott Henderson (Kings Links) finished fourth on 68.
The odd man in was David Orr (Mearns Castle) in  third place with a 67.
It was Hutcheon's ninth win of the season and boosts his top-of-the-money table earnings on the Tartan Tour to £29,973 this year.
McBain, who also shared the top spot in Thursday's Downfield pro-am, now has six wins to his credit in 2013. His Tartan Tour earnings in 20132 at £16,871.
Orr led the sponsors' No 4 team - Loftus Lock (handicap 15), Tommy Mann (18) and Sandy Adam (9) - to victory in the pro-am with a 12-under-par net score of 57.
There were six teams in all on the 57 mark and Orr's team won with the best last nine holes.

PROFESSIONAL SCORES
Par 69
65 G Hutcheon (Banchory), G McBain (Gamola Golf) (£811 each).
67 D Orr (Mearns Castle) (£541)
68 S Henderson (Kings Links) (£405).
69 C Currie (Caldwell), J Lomas (Caprington), C Kelly (Cawder), M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) (£256 each).
70 K Stables (Foremost Golf), D Thomson (Carnegie Club) (£142 each).
71 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst0, S Gray (Hayston) (£130 each).
72 R McConnachie (Peterculter), G Fox (Clydeway Golf), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) (£108 each)
73 J McKinnon (Irvine), G Brown (Montrose Links) (£85 each).
74 P McKechnie (Braid Hills) (£71).
75 M Patterson (Kilmacolm) (£63)
77 Michael McAllan (Elgin) (£55).

ENGLAND BOYS SEEK TO EXTEND WINNING RUN IN CANADA

English boy champion Ben Amor (Marlborough, Wiltshire) has been selected in a team of four to represent England Golf in the Canadian International Junior Challenge at Oslerbrook Golf and Country Club in Ontario on 9th – 12th September. He will be accompanied by Haydn McCullen (Delamere Forest, Cheshire), Billy Spooner (Boston, Lincolnshire) and Jonathan Thomson (Lindrick, Yorkshire). England has won this team event for the past five years, while Yorkshire’s Nick Marsh won the individual medal in the event a year ago. Amor (image copyright Leaderboard Photography) won the English Boys title for the Carris Trophy last month at West Lancashire after a three-way sudden death playoff against Italy’s Renato Paratore and fellow West Countryman Jamie Li (Bath, Somerset). The former Filton College student also made his England debut in the Boys Home Internationals at Forest Pines when he won all six of his games and he is currently third on the Titleist/FootJoy England Golf Boys Order of Merit. McCullen, the Lancashire champion and boy champion, also made his debut in the Boys Home Internationals having been an under 16 cap. He finished tied sixth in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and equal 12th in the Fairhaven Trophy. Spooner, capped at under 16 level last year, is enjoying a successful season having finished joint runner-up in the Boys under 16 Championship for the McGregor Trophy and fifth in the Carris Trophy. Thomson is another former under 16 cap who helped Yorkshire finish runners-up in the recent Boys County Championship at Kedleston Park. The Lindrick lad has also finished third in the Fairhaven Trophy and reached the last 32 of the English Amateur at Frilford Heath. The Canadian International Junior Challenge, now in its 7th year, is one of the leading events conducted by the Canadian Junior Golf Association. It is a team event played over 54 holes of stroke play with the three best scores each day to count. There is also an individual prize. Press Office England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 01526 354500

US CHAMPIONS TOUR SCORES ARE GETTING LOWER AND LOWER

  FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE
By Vartan Kupelian, Champions Tour Insider

There is a winning formula on the Champions Tour and it is no secret. Even the rookies know what it is. Go fast, go low or get left behind.

MONTREAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Full field Power Rankings Schwab Cup Weekly leaders

Rocco Mediate, one of the rookies, applied the formula perfectly last week at the Shaw Charity Classic. He shot 63-64-64 for a 191 total, tying the lowest 54-hole score in Champions Tour history. A late bogey cost him the record outright but by then Mediate had a cushy lead on his way to a 7-shot victory.
Mediate is the third rookie in a row to win on the Champions Tour. John Riegger at the Boeing Classic and Bart Bryant at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open won before him.
In all three victories, the number 64 played a significant role. Bryant opened with a 64 in his 16-under performance while Riegger posted a 64 in the second round to reach 15-under. Of course, Mediate had a pair of 64s in his 22-under performance in Calgary.
The outstanding play was not limited to the rookies. Hale Irwin, 68, the winningest player in Champions Tour history, bettered his age by four strokes with his final-round 64.
The field made 1,000 birdies at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, where the course record was broken four times. Four players shot a record 64 in the opening round before Mediate checked in with his 63 later in the day. Mike Goodes matched Mediate’s 63 on Saturday, before Bill Glasson broke the record again when he closed with a 9-under 62 on Sunday. Glasson’s round included nine birdies and helped him finish tied for 10th.
“It’s exciting golf but it’s hard to believe,” said Fred Couples, who shot a closing 67 in Calgary that barely made a blip on the leaderboard radar. “I'm not leaving here too disappointed, but was I ever in the tournament? Not really when the guy's 15 under after two rounds. It’s great stuff.”
Mediate is one of four golfers with two victories this year on the Champions Tour, joining Kenny Perry, Bernhard Langer and David Frost. All four are in the field this week at the Montreal Championship at Richelieu Valley Golf Club just outside of Montreal in Sainte-Julie, Quebec. The Montreal Championship will be played over the newly renovated Rouville Course.
The 7-shot victory in Calgary was the largest ever for Mediate, who won six times on the PGA TOUR and his Champions Tour debut at the Allianz Championship in February.
“I had a big lead at Phoenix in '99 when I beat Tiger,” Mediate said. “I had a 6-shot lead going to Sunday and I ended up winning by I think 3 … I never had kind of a walk in the park thing if you can call it that. But I never let myself think it was over at any point of the day until I putted it on the last hole.
“I've never done it before and it was fun to do it.”
Golf seldom is a stroll for Mediate, who walks and plays like he talks – fast. Regardless of the difficulty of any shot he may be facing, Mediate is ready. It only proves good golf and birdies don’t require an interminable pre-shot routine.
“No, I don't mess around,” said Mediate, never hesitant to share a viewpoint. “We all hate (slow play), believe me. It’s not just me. We all hate when you get holdups. I don't know how to explain it. I trust what I do and how I do it. I just get it over with. I want to go and I aim and shoot. I need eight seconds, that's it.
“It's not rocket science, it's just A to B as efficiently as possible, and sometimes you go off the A to B thing and it becomes inefficient. I know what I'm doing and I trust what I'm doing.”
Trust is paramount in Mediate’s game and the wisdom on all things golf that he’s only too happy to share can be applied by all golfers.
“Here's what I know about golf: If you don't think you can hit the shot, you probably won't,” he said. “And if you do think you hit the shot, you still might not. Have a nice day. It's a hard game.”
Even if the best players sometimes make it sound and look really easy, as Mediate did in Calgary.
“Getting from point A to point B is not easy, but thinking about that part is,” he said. “I don't put a lot into that. I look up, see the shot and I go. And when I don't go, it goes crooked. So it's like you can't steer it around any golf course and play good. You're going to get yourself in trouble.
“Like the old adage, to gain control you have to give it up. I would rather hit it offline going at it than hit it offline because I'm like, ‘Oh, no.’ I don't care if I lose making my best swing, I don't care. I do care if I lose not making my best effort. I think everybody's like that, we're all the same, I think.”

THREE SHARE LEAD IN CHIQUITA CLASSIC, NORTH CAROLINA

FROM THE US WEBCOM.TOUR WEBSITE
By Royce Thompson, Web.com Tour staff
DAVIDSON, NORTH CAROLINA -  Hudson Swafford three-putted his final hole for par to post a five-under 67 in round one of the Chiquita Classic. He currently shares the lead with Nick O’Hern, Edward Loar and Ben Kohles.
One-stroke back at four-under are D.J. Brigman, Troy Merritt, Peter Tomasulo and Matt Davidson.
Six players are two off the pace including Michael Putnam and Jeff Klauk.

Swafford focused on fairways and greens because he knew coming out of the rough would make controlling his ball difficult. That strategy allowed the Sea Island resident the opportunity to be aggressive when he had a favourable yardage.
Swafford has struggled most of the summer and made the cut in only four of his last 12 starts on the Web.com Tour. He admitted to doing some scoreboard watching in the final stretch of the Regular Season, which put unwanted pressure on his game.
“I’ve been getting caught up in worrying about what others are doing around me,” he said. “When I commit to my game plan I play a lot better.”
Swafford missed the cut at last week’s Hotel Fitness Championship and prior to that he was forced to withdraw from the Cox Classic because of a tight IT band that flared up and made it painful for him to bend over. Even with the setbacks Swafford feels like each tournament is another opportunity to get closer to his goal of getting to the PGA TOUR.
“I’ve been close the last few weeks,” he said. “The way this is set up, you have a new chance each week.” It’s that mindset that allows Swafford to focus on this tournament and put missing the cut last week behind him.
“Last week was a little unfortunate because it put me behind in getting a TOUR card,” he said. “The only thing I can control is this week.”
Even though O’Hern hit only seven fairways in round one, he feels that his driving problems can be easily corrected. O’hern may not be a long hitter but he did lead the TOUR in total driving throughout the season. The lefty found River Run CC comparable to Sedgefield CC in Greensboro which is on the PGA TOUR’s schedule.
“It’s nice to play a golf course where you have to be in the fairway,” he said. “The greens are very similar and the way the holes are shaped, it’s right up my alley.”
Loar relied on his putter to keep him in it on Thursday afternoon. He admitted to hitting a few wayward shots during the round but felt the flat stick allowed him to steal one.
The Texan was very pleased with the course conditions in round one and excited about how difficult it was playing out there.
“The rough is all you want,” he said. ‘You've definitely got to golf your ball around here.”
River Run Country CC is proving to be a stern test as only 45 players finished better than par in round one.
Russell Knox had a first-round 70.

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SEAN LAWRIE NOT GOING BACK TO US COLLEGE CIRCUIT

Sean Lawrie (Portlethen), who was a student at Midland College, Texas for two years, is not returning to the US college circuit.
You can find out why by switching over to www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk which is where we publish our news of British and Irish students in America