WRIGHT AND GRAY GO LOWEST WITH 67S IN TOMATIN OPENING DAY

Welshman Gareth Wright (West Linton) and Hayston's Stephen Gray share the overnight lead on 67 after the first round of the Tartan Tour's 54-hole pro-am over three links courses - Nairn, Castle Stuart and Royal Dornoch.
It will take all three rounds before every score is on an even keel. For instance, Wright's 67 was five under par at his first venue, Castle Stuart while Stewart started his campaign with a three-under-par 67 at Royal Dornoch.
Of the four men sharing third place nominally on 68 - Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), Lloyd Saltman (Archerfield Links) and Craig Everett (Caldwell) - perhaps the most noteworthy was Saltman's four-under-par effort at Castle Stuart.
He had two eagles at par-5 holes - the second and the eight. He also had birdies at the first and 13th plus bogeys at the short 11th and long 12th.


TOMATIN SINGLE MALT 54-HOLE PRO-AM
Castle Stuart, Nairn and Royal Dornoch golf clubs

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
67 G Wright (West Linton), S Gray (Hayston).
68 P McKechnie (Braid Hills), N Fenwick (Dunbar), L Saltman (Archerfield Links), C Everett (Caldwell).
69 G Fox (Clydeway Golf), J Lomas (Caprington), C Currie (Caldwell), G Stewart (Cawder), G Hutcheon (Banchory).
70 C Goodfellow (Penrith), A Crerar (Panmure)
71 A Oldcorn (Kings Acre), S Lilly (Wellingborough), K Hutton (Downfield).
72 D Orr (Mearns Castle), S Henderson (Kins Links), C Kelly (Cawder), R Geilkenberg (unatt), J McKinnon (Irvine), C Russell (RAW golf course design).
73 F Cromarty (Castle Stuart), G Brown (Montrose Links), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk). M King (Marriott Dalmahoy), J Hepworth (Ilkley).
74 C Ronald (Carlue).
75 B Nash (unatt), A Mackenzie (Saunton), I Colquhoun (Loch Lomond).
76 G McBain (Gamola Golf).
77 C Elliott (Haggs Castle), R O'Hanlon (Polzeath), Malcolm Isaacs (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), B McColl (Scotland for Golf), M Urquhart (Spey Valley), D Thomson (Carnegie Club), D Patrick (Kingsfield), G Forbes (Murcar Links).
78 A Scrimshaw (Close House), G Dingwall (Royal Dornoch)
79 D McKay (Wellsgreen), S Taylor (Bothwell Castle), M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy)

DUNCAN STEWART SETS HOT PACE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Scots are to the fore in the latest MENA Tour event in Saudi Arabia with Duncan Stewart from Grantown on Spey leading the Dirab Championship with a six-under-par 66 and Mortonhall's Greg Nicolson lying joint second on 68.
Stewart had one eagle, six birdies and two bogeys on his card which lifted him two shots ahead after 18 holes of this 54-hole event at the Dirab Golf and Country Club.
His eagle 3 came at the long 13th and his birdies at the short fourth, fifth, sixth, minth, short 11th and long 15th in halves of 32 and 34. He dropped shots at the 10th and 14th.
Nicolson had a bogey-free round of 68 (34-34) studded with birdies at the short seventh, eighth, long 13th and long 15th. 
He is sharing second spot with England's Zane Scotland, a winner of the MENA Tour last week, and Shafiq Masih.
DIRAB CHAMPIONSHIP
Dirab Golf and Country Club, Saudia Arabia
FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
66 Duncan Stewart (Sco)
68 Greg Nicolson (Sco), Zane Scotland (Eng), Shafiq Masih (Sau).
69 Tommy Mou (US)
70 David Owen (Eng), Michael Harradine (Eng) (am), William Harrold (Eng), Freedrik Quicker (Swe).
OTHER SCOTS SCORES
74 Ted Innes Ker (T30)
76 Clarke Lutton (T41)
83 Graeme Stewart (T62)

FERNANDEZ-CASTANO CALLED INTO SEVE TROPHY MATCH LINE-UP

NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR

Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño has been called into the Continental Europe Team for this week’s Seve Trophy by Golf+ as a replacement for the injured Peter Hanson.
Swede Hanson was forced to withdraw from the biennial contest at St-Nom-La Bretéche Golf Club, in Paris, after succumbing to an on-going back injury that has affected him for most of the
2013 season.

His place in Captain José María Olazábal’s ten-man team to take on Sam Torrance’s Great Britain & Ireland side will be taken by Fernandez-Castaño, who makes his third appearance in the contest after playing in 2007 and 2009. 

 Hanson said: “I am really disappointed not to be able to play in this year’s Seve Trophy. Everyone knows how much I love match-play events and I did everything I possibly could to make José Maria’s team, but it was not to be. 

“My back has been an issue for pretty much most of the year and it is still not 100 per cent unfortunately. I have my defence of the BMW Masters in China coming up in three weeks’ time which is part of the Final Series on The European Tour and I want to be in ideal shape for that full run of tournaments, which meant I had to withdraw from this week.

“It is very unfortunate, but I wish José María and the Continental European team the very best of luck.” 

Fernandez-Castaño, who has won four and lost five of his previous 

nine matches in the Seve Trophy by Golf+, said: “When I got the call I was really excited about playing in my third Seve Trophy.

“I really enjoyed the two previous contests I played, and it is important to support a tournament with Seve’s name on it, not only because of what he did for Spanish golf, but for what he did for the game in Europe and The European Tour as a whole.

 “I wanted to show my respect for him. It was a privilege to play under Seve in 2007 and under Thomas Björn in 2009, and it is a dream come true for me now to play in the Seve Trophy with José María as Captain.

“The Continental Europe team looks very strong and it is a great group of guys are all good friends, so we are really looking forward to the week ahead.”

Fernandez-Castaño is joined by his fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez, Danish duo Thomas Björn and Thorbjørn Olesen, Frenchman Grégory Bourdy, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, Finland’s Mikko Ilonen  Dutchman Joost Luiten, and the Italian pair of Matteo Manassero and Francesco Molinari.

They will take on a Great Britain & Ireland team featuring five Englishmen;  Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Simon Khan, David Lynn and Chris Wood, four Scotsmen; Stephen Gallacher, Scott Jamieson, Paul Lawrie, and Marc Warren, and Welshman Jamie 

Donaldson.

The event format will be similar to previous editions, the only slight alteration coming on Saturday which will now consist of two sessions of four foursomes contested instead of four morning greensomes followed by four afternoon foursomes. The rest of the format remains the same, with a series of five fourball matches on each of the first two days and ten singles on the final day. As with The Ryder Cup, a team requires 14½ points for victory.

Continental Europe won the first edition of the contest 13 years ago, while Great Britain and Ireland have won the last six matches in succession, claiming a 15½-12½ success two years ago at St-Nom-La Bretèche Golf Club, which hosts the event for the third consecutive time this week.

 

 

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK WINS McCORMACK MEDAL AS MEN'S LEADER IN WAGR

itzpatrick, who is from Hallamshire Golf Club in Sheffield, England, was presented with the medal by Professor Wilson Sibbett, the Chairman of The R and A, and Glen Nager, the President of the USGA

 Matthew Fitzpatrick is presented with the medal by Professor Wilson Sibbett, the Chairman of The The                                         R and A, and Glen Nager, the President of the USGA
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R and A
Matthew Fitzpatrick has spoken of his delight after receiving the Mark H McCormack Medal as the leading men’s player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) for the year.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding season, winning the Silver Medal as the leading amateur in The Open Championship at Muirfield and becoming the first English player to win the U.S. Amateur Championship since 1911 before representing Great Britain and Ireland in the 44th Walker Cup match.

Fitzpatrick, who is from Hallamshire Golf Club in Sheffield, England, was presented with the medal by Professor Wilson Sibbett, the Chairman of The R and A, and Glen Nager, the President of the USGA, at the recent Walker Cup match at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York.

 “I am delighted to win the McCormack Medal,” he said. “It is an honour to win such a prestigious medal and to follow in the footsteps of some great players who have won it in previous years.

“It has been a wonderful season for me after winning the Silver Medal at The Open, winning the U.S. Amateur Championship and playing in the Walker Cup. I am really pleased to have played so well throughout the year.”

Fitzpatrick came through Local Final Qualifying at Gullane to secure his place in The Open at Muirfield. After finishing tied 44th, with a total of 294, he won the Silver Medal as the leading amateur.

In August he won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, becoming the first Englishman to do so since Harold Hilton in 1911. At the Walker Cup he finished as the leading points scorer on the GB&I team with three points out of four. The 2012 Boys Amateur Champion also reached the final of this year’s English Amateur Championship where he lost by 4 and 3 to Callum Shinkwin.

Fitzpatrick, who started his studies at Northwestern University in Chicago this month, has, by virtue of winning the McCormack Medal, secured his place in the field for next year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

Professor Sibbett said, “Matthew has had an outstanding year and he is a worthy winner of the McCormack Medal. The World Amateur Golf Ranking reflects the strength of the amateur game around the world and it is exceptional to finish top of these rankings. As well as playing extremely well, Matthew has shown admirable maturity and composure and it is clear that he has a very bright future.”

Mr Nager added, “The USGA congratulates Matthew on winning the Mark McCormack Medal.  His performances at this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship and Walker Cup match were truly exceptional; both in terms of his play and in the manner with which he conducted himself as champion and teammate. 
"Matthew has endeared himself to the American golf audience, and we look forward to following both his collegiate career at Northwestern and his participation in the 2014 U.S. Open Championship.”

Todd McCormack, speaking on behalf of the McCormack family, said, “I would like to congratulate Matthew on winning the medal. He has played some wonderful golf this year and is undoubtedly a deserving winner. He has shown all the hallmarks of a great player in the making and I was very impressed with his play when I saw him at the U.S Amateur. I wish him all the best with his university studies and his future career in golf.”

The World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), which is supported by Rolex, was established in 2007 when the men’s ranking was launched. The Men’s WAGR encompasses more than 2,900 counting events, ranking more than 6,500 players representing 100 countries worldwide. The women’s ranking was launched in 2011 and has a calendar of over 2,000 counting events with more than 3,600 ranked players representing 88 countries worldwide.

KIRK TRIPLETT WINS US CHAMPIONS TOUR EVENT FOR SECOND YEAR IN ROW

FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Kirk Triplett successfully defended his Nature Valley First Tee Open title Sunday at Pebble Beach, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Doug Garwood and Dan Forsman.
Three strokes behind leader Tom Lehman entering the round, Triplett finished at 11-under 205 for his second career Champions Tour title. Last year, the three-time PGA TOUR winner overcame a four-shot deficit.
"Last year was a dream come true to win for the first time at Pebble Beach," said Triplett who had a bogey-free final round and seven consecutive birdies on par 5s in the last two rounds. "To do it again, I am a bit overwhelmed. Last year, I was just so excited. This year, I am almost teary-eyed."

RELATED

Leaderboard Final results Junior scores Pro-Am scores Round 3 Photos Notebook: Round 3 Highlights Schwab Cup

Garwood, a Monday qualifier making his fourth career start on the 50-and-over tour, and Forsman each shot 69. Lehman was fourth at 8 under after a 74.
Triplett held two-shot advantage over Garwood, Forsman and Lehman with three holes left, but had to scramble. He hit his tee shot into the rough on the par-4 16th and saved his par after chipping to 2 feet.
Triplett hit his tee shot on the par-3 17th into a bunker, and saved par again to remain two shots ahead.
"I had a couple of unfortunate breaks," Forsman said. "I bogeyed eight, which is likely because it's such a difficult hole and that took some of the wind out of my sails. But I had a couple of birdies on the back nine to stabilize things, and I am pleased with the way I played."
After an opening round 67 at Del Monte, Triplett followed with a second-round 70 at Pebble Beach. He had only three bogeys in the tournament.
"I've played the 20 AT&T and 20 Callaway events and a couple of U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach," Triplett said. "I knew it would be a dogfight. But I just have a great affinity for the place."
Triplett earned $280,000 in the $1.8 million event.
Bernard Langer opened with a 63 at Del Monte, then shot consecutive 74s to finish eighth at 5 under.

ROOKIE CHESSON HADLEY WINS WEB.COM TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
 By Joe Chemycz, Web.com Tour staff
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Rookie Chesson Hadley fired a 1-under 69 Sunday and won the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship by two strokes over four others. Hadley, a rookie out of Georgia Tech, posted a 10-under 270 total at the TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley course and collected his second win of the year.

WEB.COM FINALS

Results, money
Final leaderboard
Meet the graduates who include RUSSELL KNOX!
Priority Ranking 
Sunday notebook
Event video

Hadley trailed by one to start the rain-delayed final round but jumped in front with three birdies in his first five holes to open a three-stroke lead. Trouble emerged on the back nine and Hadley stumbled down the stretch for the second straight day but still had enough left to hold off the field and collect the winner’s trophy and a check for $180,000.
“This is incredible. I have no idea what happened,” said Hadley, who hit eight fairways and had 31 total putts. “It was blackout golf out there today and I was just trying not to puke on myself on the way in, even though I tried to.”
Hadley’s wild ride on the back nine -- two birdies and four bogeys -- was enough to keep things interesting as the field jockeyed to earn the final 25 available PGA TOUR cards for the 2013-14 season.
Hadley had finished No. 3 on the Regular Season money list and moved up from No. 14 to No. 3 on the Finals Priority Ranking with his win. The ranking determined a pecking order for the 2013-14 PGA TOUR season, which begins in two weeks with the Frys.com Open in California.
“This is something that we’ve been dreaming of since we were kids out there beating balls on the range with our parents,” said Hadley. “To see that come to fruition with a bunch of hard work and a bunch of people supporting us along the way, it’s pretty special.”
Brendon Todd’s 5-under 65 was the low round of the day and it gave the Stadion Classic at UGA winner a share of second place with Canada’s Brad Fritsch (66), LSU’s John Peterson (72) and third-round leader Scott Gardiner (72) of Australia.
Todd was already assured of a TOUR card  by virtue of his 20th-place finish on the Regular Season money list but he moved up eight spots to No. 12 in the Web.com Tour Finals.
Fritsch missed the cut in his first three starts in the Finals but earned enough to regain his playing privileges.
Peterson capped off a furious late-season surge that saw him finish in the top-5 in all four of the Finals events. His payday of $66,000 pushed his money total to $230,000, about $567 more than Hadley and good for the No. 1 spot on the Finals money list.
The top spot gave Peterson full-exempt status in 2013-14 as well as a berth in THE PLAYERS Championship next May.
“I was aware at the beginning of the week,” said Peterson of the No. 1 ranking. “I thought I had to win or finish solo second barring a win by someone near me. I knew I needed a big week but I didn’t think it would turn out like this.”
Andrew Loupe, a college teammate and roommate of Peterson’s at LSU, fired a 1-under 69 and finished in a tie for sixth place. His payday of $34,750 was just enough to sneak him into the top 50 in the Priority Ranking
Fourth-Round Notes and Quotes:
• Sunday weather: Mostly cloudy and windy. Overnight low 72. Daytime high 82. Wind NE 10-20 mph.
• The start of the fourth round was delayed until 11:30 a.m. due to heavy overnight and early morning rain. Rainfall totaled 1.8 inches.
• Lift, clean and place rules were in effect for all four rounds.
• John Peterson shot a 3-under 67 to finish tied for second with three others at 8-under 272, his fourth straight top-5 finish in the Finals. Peterson’s check for $66,000 pushed his Finals money total to $230,000, giving him the No. 1 spot on the list by $566.67 over tournament winner Chesson Hadley.
• By finishing No. 1 on the Priority Ranking John Peterson earned Full Exempt status on the PGA TOUR for the 2013-14 season, which starts in two weeks at the Frys.com Open. He also earned an exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship next spring.
• Chesson Hadley collected his second win in his rookie season on the Web.com Tour, adding the Tour Championship title to the one he won at the Rex Hospital Open in June.
• Hadley picked up a check for $180,000 this week.
• Hadley will be a rookie on the 2013-14 PGA TOUR. He has made two career starts but missed the cut in both the 2012 and the 2013 Wyndham Championship.
• Hadley’s second win came in his 22nd start of the year. Hadley made 16 cuts this year and in addition to his two wins he also finished second once (Mid-Atlantic Championship) and tied for third twice (BMW Charity Pro-Am, Midwest Classic).
• Hadley is now 2-for-2 when holding a second-round lead this year. He was ahead by two after 36 holes this week and held a one-stroke lead at the midway point of the Rex Hospital Open.
• Here’s how Hadley performed in the four Web.com Tour Finals events:

Hadley in the Finals

Date Event Finish Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Rd. 4 Total Money 09/01 Hotel Fitness T69 71 70 74 73 288 (E) $2,500.00 09/08 Chiquita Classic T34 72 70 73 72 287 (-1) $5,600.00 09/15 Nationwide Children's T4 68 67 73 71 279 (-5) $41,333.33 09/29 Web.com Championship 1st 65 66 70 69 270 (-10) $180,000.00

• Regular Season money leader Michael Putnam finished with a 4-over 74 and a 286 (+6) total and in a tie for 62nd place. Putnam earned fully exempt status on TOUR in 2013-14 by virtue of finishing first on the money list for the first 21 events on the schedule. A two-time winner this year (Mexico Open, Mid-Atlantic Championship), Putnam also earned a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship next May.
• Brad Fritsch fired a 4-under 66 Sunday to finish at 8-under 272 and T2. Fritsch chalked up nine birdies in the final round and will return to the PGA TOUR for the upcoming season.
• Fritsch had missed the cut in all three of the previous Finals events and came into the week tied for 116th in the Priority Ranking. His T2 effort was worth $66,000 and pushed him all the way up to No. 14 in the Priority Ranking.
• Fritsch made the cut in 18 of 24 PGA TOUR starts this year, which was his rookie season. He had one top-10 finish (T9 at Farmers Insurance Open) and ended the season No. 129 on the FedExCup points list.
• John Peterson made the cut in 16 of 18 starts on the Web.com Tour this year and had six top-10 finishes and 13 top-25 outings. In the three weeks that he made the cut but didn’t get into the top-25, he finished T28, T30 and T36.
• Peterson capped off a tremendous late-season run that ended with five straight top-5 weeks:

HUGH HUNTER'S CLACKMANNAN COUNTY NEWS

                BRAEHEAD BOYS RETAIN COUNTY TITLE.

It has been difficult to get teams for the County Boys League, but for 2013, the County Golf Union was pleased to get the League decided.  Braehead played Alloa at home in a five a side match played on a handicap basis and took the title comfortably by 3.5 matches to 1.5. 

The smartly turned out Alloa Boys team gave them a good fight for the title, and at the half way point it was fairly even.  Top match between Brian McAdam and Gregor McEwan was pretty even until the last few holes when Brian snatched the lead. 

Good wins from Ryan Calder and Harris McGrath sealed the match for Braehead, but Alloa’s Ross Logan gained a half and 12 year old Tom Humphreys had a great win away from home to earn him “Man of the Match.”

  FULL RESULTS    (Braehead names first)

1.  Brian McAdam beat Gregor McEwan         2/1

2.  Ryan Calder beat Jamie McEwan                5/3

3.  Cameron Brolly halved with Ross Logan

4.  Ryan McCallum lost to Tom Humphreys     5/4

5.  Harris McGrath beat Bryce Clark                3/1

  MATCH RESULT    BRAEHEAD 3.5     ALLOA 1.5

NO JOY FOR ALLOA IN SCOTTISH CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

    It was not a day to remember for the Alloa trio in the Scottish Club Championship, when they finished well down the field at Luffness.  Their team total  (best two scores from three to count) of  40 over par was 30 shots behind the winners Glenbervie, so there is no trip to Portugal  Best Alloa scores came from Ian Ross with rounds of 78 and 77 over the par 72 course--- it seemed to be tough for most…. the CSS went up by 3 shots in round 1 and two shots in round 2.        

CRAIG LAWRIE AND KIMBERLEY BEVERIDGE WIN PAUL LAWRIE FOUNDATION MATCH-PLAY TITLES

       Craig Lawrie and Kimberley Beveridge, Paul Lawrie Foundation match-play champions 2013

 FROM MCHAEL MacDOUGALL
Paul Lawrie Foundation

Matchplay – Craig Lawrie avenged his defeat in the 2012 PLF Matchplay Final with a 4&3 victory over Aboyne's Lewis McWilliam.

Having progressed through to the final following his 6&5 win over fellow Deeside Clubmate Lewys Anderson, Lawrie faced McWilliam in a repeat of the 2012 Final. Lewis had come through his morning, semi-final Match against Newmachar's own Calvin Cheyne (2 and 1).

Craig was in control of the final for most of the contest, reaching the turn 4 up on his opponent.  In a good scoring contest, he was able to maintain his position and eventually closed out the game on the 15th hole (4 and 3)

In the Girls event, Kimberley Beveridge continued her dominance of the Matchplay, winning her third consecutive title.  She played Clubmate Shannon McWilliam - sister of Lewis - and was able to turn a 1up, halfway advantage in to a 4 and 3 victory over her younger challenger.

Kimberley progressed to the final without having to play in the morning semi-finals (her opponent having to withdraw following qualification to the semi-final stages) whilst Shannon defeated Keith's Emma Logie, who had been two-up on the Aboyne player at the turn.

 

              

L to R: Calvin Duffton, Finlay D Smith, Greig Hutcheon and Joshua Mitchell - winners of the PLF U15s Pro-Am at Newmachar

U15s Stableford OOM Pro-Am - The top 27 Players from this season's Under 15s Stableford Order of Merit events joined a host of Foundation and PGA Professionals at Newmachar's Hawkshill Course on Sunday for the season-ending Pro-Am.

With the best two net scores for each team counting towards the scoring format, it was the earliest starters who did the damage.  
First, Scott Henderson led his trio of Murray Spence, Sam Craig and Cameron Gray to an -18 total of 126 and they were followed immediately by Greig Hutcheon and his charges - Finlay D. Smith, Calvin Duffton and Joshua Mitchell. Tied on the same total, it was Greig's team which came out on top following their back 9 of 63, good enough to snatch 1st prize from the grasp of Scott and his charges.

It's always great for the kids to experience playing alongside Professionals and we say a big thanks to all of the guys who were able to spend time at Newmachar with us today.  Everyone enjoyed the format and we are grateful to the Professionals for imparting their knowledge and expertise during the round.

Michael MacDougall

Paul Lawrie Foundation

07919330130

 

www.paullawriefoundation.co.uk