GALLACHER AND McGRENAGHAN TIE FOR VICTORY IN YOUNG PROS' EVENT AT KINGSFIELD

Jordan Gallacher (Douglas Park) and Scott McGrenaghan (Cochrane Castle) tied for victory on two-under-par 67 in the Stephen Gallacher Young Professionals's 18-hole tournament at Kingsfield Golf Club, West Lothian today. They earned £380 each.
Gallacher birdied the second, 10th, 11th and 14th, offset by bogeys at the fourth and fifth.
McGrenaghan had birdies at the first and 14th plus 16 pars.
They finished a stroke ahead of Robert King who birdied the second, third and fifth with bogeys at the 10th and 12th. King's financial reward amounted to £230.
Paul O'Hara (Clydeway Golf), winner of the Scottish Young Professionals' championship a few weeks ago, tied for third place on 68 with Gavin Hay and Paul Robinson on the level par 68 mark.
They each earned £153.
LEADING FINAL SCORES
Par 68
66 Jordan Gallacher, Scott McGrenaghan (£380 each).
67 Robert King (£230)
68 Gavin Hay, Paul O'Hara, Paul Robinson (£153 each)
69 Keir McNicoll, Louis Gaughan (£117 each)
70 Daniel Flannery, Calum Lawson (£107 each)
71 Ciar Porciani, Callum Beveridge, Fraser Rummins, Andrw Munro, Joseph McBrearty.
72 Alan McCandlish, Sean Bissett
75 Andrew Hutchison
76 Richard Holt
84 Alan Todd

JIMMY WALKER CELEBRATES FIRST WIN ON THE US PGA TOUR

Walker news conference after winning the Frys.com Open

Following his victory in the Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club, Jimmy Walker talks about his first win on the PGA TOUR.

October 13, 2013
By Sean Martin, PGATOUR.COM

SAN MARTIN, Calif. – The victor’s life always changes drastically after that first PGA TOUR win. For much of this week, it looked like a globetrotting young prospect, making just his fourth TOUR start, would win for the first time in his home country. Instead, years of frustration were erased as the sun set behind the foothills surrounding CordeValle Golf Club.

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Jimmy Walker donned the navy-blue champion’s blazer and lifted the silver trophy that goes to the Frys.com Open champion. Also among his spoils was a yellow flag that represented one of many doors that had been unlocked for the 34-year-old.
Walker shot 17-under 267 over four days in Northern California to win his first PGA TOUR title in his 188th career start. It was his first victory in six years; the last one came in a Web.com Tour event that no longer exists.
“I've gone through everything,” he said. “I've played -- not on every tour, but on a lot of tours. I won on a lot of tours. This is kind of the final steppingstone.”
Walker couldn’t have asked for a better start in the opening event of the 2013-14 PGA TOUR Season. Players jokingly greeted each other with, “Happy New Year,” on the range this week. He’s the first leader of the FedExCup race, earning 500 points for his win. This was the first year the Frys.com Open – and the rest of the TOUR’s fall events – award full FedExCup points. This new distinction also meant Walker earned his first Masters invitation, signified by the yellow flag he received at the trophy presentation.
He’s been to the hallowed grounds of Augusta National before, but never in competition. He played there several winters ago with his father, Jim, and a member, Paul Sarvadi. One of the rounds came on a cold, rainy day. “I think I that's the only place on the planet you will go out and play when it's 38 and drizzling,” he said.
It should be warmer in April. He’ll soon find out.
Walker started the Frys.com Open’s final round three shots behind 54-hole leader Brooks Koepka, a 23-year-old Floridian who’d won three times on the Challenge Tour, Europe’s version of the Web.com Tour, in 2013.
Walker was four shots back after Koepka’s birdie at No. 6, but the deficit was just one shot at the turn. Walker birdied Nos. 8 and 9 and Koepka missed a 3-foot par putt on the par-5 ninth, the first of a handful of short misses that would keep him from victory.
It is the rare player who avoids tough losses en route to that first victory. Walker, the 2004 Web.com Tour Player of the Year, had his first career runner-up finish earlier this year at The Greenbrier Classic. A 1-over 71 in the final round left him two shots behind winner Jonas Blixt.
Now he's a winner at the site of Blixt's first TOUR victory a year ago.
“I wouldn't take back anything I've ever done or anything I've ever gone through to get here,” Walker said. “Everything you do, hopefully you can learn from and build on it.  That's what I try to do. “
Walker’s win also earned him his first invitation to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He’s never played a World Golf Championship; that will change, as well.
“You want to be playing in the big stuff,” Walker said. “I want to play against the world’s best.”
Koepka already has played around the world; he estimates he’s played in 15 countries this year, mostly on Europe’s developmental tour. His three 2013 Challenge Tour victories earned him European Tour status for the remainder of this year and 2014. He hopes to earn PGA TOUR status, as well. A victory would’ve given him a TOUR card immediately.

Bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17 kept him from a fifth professional victory, this one in California after wins in Scotland, Spain and Italy. Koepka had proven himself as a closer -- his average margin of victory in his four Challenge Tour victories was 5.75 strokes -- but he pulled his tee shot on the par-3 16th and hit 3-wood into the water on the drivable, par-4 17th.
“Things just weren’t going my way,” said Koepka, who started the week at No. 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. “I didn’t execute the shots. … I just didn’t make the shots I needed to win.”
He pulled several short putts Sunday after ranking fourth in the field in strokes gained-putting through three rounds.
“Certain parts of my game, I need to work on,” Koepka said. “These 5-footers under pressure, I think all of them were missed left. I don’t know if it has anything to do with (my) stroke. … Learn from it and move on and everything should be good.”
He didn’t leave here empty-handed, though. His finish earned him a spot in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which begins Thursday at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. His impressive play this week should garner additional sponsor exemptions this season as he pursues TOUR status.
While Koepka was hurt by short misses, Walker gained confidence after holing two long putts early in the final round. He made his only bogey of the final round by holing an 18-foot putt on No. 5, then made a 28-foot par putt on the next hole.
“I had some gut checks on 5 and 6 and pulled through 'em,” Walker said. “That was big. That really helped propel me through the rest of the day.”
And take his career to a new level.

DAVID LAW LEADS BY TWO ON MIDDLE EAST-NORTH AFRICA TOUR

David Law, runner-up in last week's MENA Tour event, looks as if he is going to go one better this week in the Ras Al Khaimall Classic at the Tower Links Golf Club.
The 22-year-old Aberdonian leads by two shots on nine-under-par 135 after rounds of 67 and 68.
He had a five-birdie, bogey-free opening round and followed that up by overtaking the record-setting first-round leader, South African Tyler Hog
It was Law who was a model of consistency. “Overall, I played pretty well. In fact, I went six-under after 12 holes, but dropped a shot each on the 14^th and 18^th which was a bit disappointing,” said Law.
“I am looking forward to the final round tomorrow. If I can keep the momentum going, I think I stand a good chance of winning the title,” who finished runner-up to Zane Scotland in last week’s Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open.
“I feeling good about my game and, hopefully, I will be able to get the job done this time around,” said Law, who turned professional in 2011.
“I have been in this situation quite a few time and know what to expect,” said the talented youngster from Aberdeen.
England’s Yasin Ali made the biggest move of the day, as a 5-under-par 67 put him on the front page the leaderboard
arty, with six birdies in his bogey-free first 12 holes in the second round.
Law birdied the second, fifth, sixth, 10th, 11th and 12th before cooling off slightly with bogeys at the 14th and 18th in halves of 33 and 35.

Hogarty and Andreas Finn (Sweden) are Law's closest rivals on the 137 mark. Hogarty has shot 65-72 and Finn 67-70
SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
135 David Law (Sco) 67 68
137 Tyloer Hogarty (SAf) 65 72, Andreas Finn (Swe) 67 70
139 Craig Hinton (Eng) 69 70
SELECTED SCORES
140 Zane Scotland (Eng) 70 70 (T5)
144 Tom Buchanan (Sco) 73 71 (T18)
145 Clarke Lutton (Sco) 73 72 (T25)
149 Greg Nicolson (Sco) 76 73 (T60)
152 Fraser McKenna (Sco) 77 75 (T81)
153 Ted Innes Ker (Sco) 78 75 (T85)
157 Graeme Stewart (Sco) 78 79 (T102)

PAUL GRANNEL LEADS BY TWO ON EUROPRO TOUR AT PRINCE'S

NEWS RELEASE FROM PGA EUROPRO TOUR

Paul Grannell shot his best round of the season to lead the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Championship by two strokes on seven under at the end of the first round at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent.

The 28 year old carded a 65 on the opening day of the final event of the 2013 season, and is trailed by four golfers who share second on five under.

Simon Lilly (Wellingborough), Zack Saltman (Archerfield Links Golf Club), William Harrold (Sheringham Golf Club) and Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw Golf Club) all shot 67 and Paul Shields (Kirkhill Golf Club) is one behind in sixth on -4.

Grannell (Vale Royal Abbey) hit eight birdies on Tuesday, with his only blemish a six on the par-five seventh.

“I like links golf, I have always had good success on links courses, as an amateur you play a lot of links golf,” he said.

“It equals my lowest ever tournament round of golf, and it is my lowest round of the year which is always nice to do, especially in the last tournament.

“I have had top 20s in my last three tournaments and two of those going down the closing holes I have been in contention. If I can carry on the form I have been showing then I would like to think I will have a chance.”

Grannell is currently 22^nd on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit and only a win at Prince’s will push him into the all-important top five.

“I am not thinking of any kind of result,” he said. “I am thinking purely of what I have been working on with my coaches. I didn’t know that other guys were at five under until I finished.

“I will do my best to avoid leaderboards for the rest of the week but it is difficult when you walk passed them.”

At the end of each season the top five players on the Order of Merit progress to the Challenge Tour, meaning there is more than just the £15,000 winner’s cheque to play for this week.

George Woolgar (level, T31) leads the Tour rankings, with Daniel Gavins (-2, T14), Oliver Farr (-1, T22), Dave Coupland (level, T31) and Paul McKechnie (-3, T7) completing the current top five. Only Woolgar and Gavins have already secured their playing rights for next season’s Challenge Tour.

Spectator entry to the event is free of charge throughout the week and a two-hour highlights package will be broadcast at 8pm on Tuesday, October 29 on Sky Sports 2 HD, repeated four times the following day.

LEADERBOARD
Par 72
65 Paul Grannell (Eng)
67 Simon Lilly (Eng), Zack Saltman (Sco), William Harrold (Eng), Shaun McAllister
(Sco).
68 Paul Shields (Sco)
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
69 Paul Doherty, Paul McKechnie (T7)
73 Elliot Saltman (T31)

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RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION MEDIA RELEASE

                                

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WEST CHAMPIONSHIP STILL ON FOR RENFREWSHIRE

The “A” team of Renfrewshire Golf Union hosted Lanarkshire at Bonnyton Golf Club.  It was a crunch match with Lanarkshire having won all of its previous four matches and Renfrewshire, although undefeated, having a halved match against Stirlingshire.  Only a win would allow Renfrewshire an opportunity to win the West of Scotland Championship for twelve years in a row.

Matt Clark from Kilmacolm was first out and his opponent was Craig Ross from Kirkhill who was a semi finalist in this year’s Scottish Championship at Blairgowrie.  Matt reinforced his reliability to cope with the big occasion with a solid 3and 1 victory.  Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs), Ronnie Clark and Michael Daily (both Erskine) were never in trouble but the required additional win or half were certainly in doubt as the day progressed with Ranfurly Castle’s Sam Binning one down, David Dickson (Eastwood) three down, Andy Farmer (Kilmacolm) four down after eight holes.  East Renfrewshire’s Craig Watson was one up at the turn in his battle with Kenny Gallagher (East Kilbride) and it looked as if the home team was totally reliant on Craig for the half or better.

As it transpired, there were miraculous recoveries with Sam Binning winning one up and David Dickson recording a 2 and 1 win.  Craig Watson was always in control and his 2 and 1 win meant an overall seven to one victory. 

Next weekend, the team travels to Dunbartonshire needing at least a halved match to have the engraver putting Renfrewshire on the cup for the twelfth time.

Full results

Matt Clark – Kilmacolm won 3&1 Craig Ross - Kirkhill

Gordon Stevenson - Whitecraigs won 1up Steven Rennie - Drumpellier

Ronnie Clark - Erskine won 3&1 Stewart Henderson - Hamilton

Michael Daily – Erskine won 1 up Colin Baird – Bothwell Castle

Sam Binning - Ranfurly Castle won 1 up Scott Douglas – Strathclyde Park

David Dickson - Eastwood won 2&1 Jamie Lamb - Lanark

Andy Farmer – Kilmacolm lost 2&1 Ross Hinshelwood – East Kilbride

Craig Watson – East Renfrewshire won 2&1 Kenny Gallagher - East Kilbride

Picture is Matt Clark driving at 9