MENA TOUR LEADING MONEY-WINNERS

LEADING money-winners on the MENA (Middle East North Africa) Tour going into this week's event in Oman are:

1 Zane Scotland (Eng) $50,229
2 Stephen Dodd (Wal) $29,215
3 Ian Keenan (Eng) $17,618
4 Trevor Marshall (NZ) $13,430
5 David Law (Sco) $13,404
6 Lee Corfield (Eng) $12,321
7 Tommy Mou (US) $10,702
8 Duncan Stewart (Sco) $10,405
9 Daniel Owen (Eng) $10,191
10 Younes El Hassani (Mor) $9,448

 
 OTHER TOTALS:

20 Fraser McKenna (Sco) $5,308

24 Tom Buchanan (Sco) $4,675 

29 Clarke Lutton (Sco) $3,788

31 Greg Nicolson (Sco) $3,752 

61 Conor O'Neil (Sco) $1,762

98 Ross Bain (Sco) $405

107 Steven Troup (Sco) $240

109 Ted Innes Ker (Sco) $220.

 
AMATEUR ORDER OF MERIT
 
1. Mustapha El Maouas (Mor) 208 points
2. Ahmed Marjan (Mor) 165
3. James Allan (Eng) 153
4. Michael Harradine (Swi) 143
5. Jean-Michel Hall (Eng) 141

REID AND CAMPBELL SHARE NORTH ALLIANCE HONOURS AT BOAT OF GARTEN

Two amateurs, Lewis Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) and  John Campbell (Grantown on Spey), shared the leading scratch honours at Saturday's North Scottish Golfers' Alliance fixture at Boat of Garten.

They both shot one-under-par 69s on a day when the start was delayed until overnight frost lifted and when the later competitors had to endure heavy rain.

Reid turned in one-over 35 after a bogey at the third but birdies at the 12th and 13th enabled him to come home in two-under 34.

Campbell had an erratic outward half of two birdies (fifth and seventh) and three bogeys (first, second and eighth) to reach the turn in 35.

Birdies at the 13th and 15th got him home in 34.

Another Grantown player, James Grant, had the best outward half of the day - 32 - with birdies at the first, seventh and eighth offset by a bogey at the ninth. Birdies at the 10th and 12th saw him move to four under but a bogey at the par-5 13th and a 7 at the last brought him back to a level par 70.

 LEADING SCRATCH

Par 70

69 L Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), J S D Campbell (Grantown)

70 J A Grant (Grantown), J Shaw (Boat of Garten)

71 C Gaittens (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), M Mcdonald (Boat of Garten), A Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), J Simpson (Forres), G H Hay (Grantown), A J England (Moray)

72 B Fotheringham (Inverness)

73 J Wright (Forres), R McKerron (Forres)

74 D McGrouther (Inverness), K Thomson (Moray), W Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)

75 N McWilliam (Elgin), R Harrower (Boat of Garten) p

76 K Barnett (Torvean), S Chisholm (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), K Stables (Foremost Golf) p.

77 B Cruickshank (Spey Bay), A W Mair (Moray), A Waterson (Boat of Garten), J Glass (Torvean)

78 M McAllan (Elgin) p, A Hutchison (Inverness)

79 R Stewart (Nairn Dunbar), D Thom (Grantown), D Johnston (Moray), J R Ingram (Boat of Garten), W Hutchison (Inverness), B Rennie (Inverness)

80 J K England (Moray), P Masson (Rothes), P Matheson (Grantown)

81 S Wilson (Inverness), S Glen (Boat of Garten), L Crawford (Moray)

82 A Casey (Moray), A Macintosh (Torvean), A Jackson (Rothes), D Hector (Elgin), G Allan (Nairn Dunbar)

83 F Mackellar (Grantown), V Tilman (Muir of Ord), D D Bunker (Nairn Dunbar), F Hutchison (Inverness), S Taylor (Boat of Garten), T Madden (Elgin), I Macaulay (Elgin)

HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS

Class 1 (7 and under)

65 M McDonald (Boat of Garten) (6)

67 A J England (Moray) (4)

68 D McGrouther (Inverness) (6)

70 J Simpson (Forres) (1), W Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) (4)

Class 2 (8 to 14)

71 A Jackson (Rothes) (11)

72 T Madden (Elgin) (11), S Taylor (Boat of Garten) (11)

73 D M Macleod (Loch Ness) (12), M Lyall (Torvean) (13), S Glen (Boat of Garten) (8)

BARRY LANE THREE SHOTS OFF LEAD IN JAPAN SENIOR OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Barry Lane heads into the final round of the Japan Senior Open Golf Championship three shots behind leader Kiyoshi Murota.
Lane fired a third round 68 to move into third place on seven under par, with Murota setting the pace on ten under par following a round of 67 and Yoshinori Mizumaki on eight under par after a 69.
Paul Wesselingh, the second round leader who is hoping to win the European Senior Tour Order of Merit next month, is in a share of fifth position on four under par after a 74.

JEFT WRIGHT COMES BACK FROM FIVE DOWN TO WIN NORTH DISTRICT MATCH-PLAY TITLE

Jeff Wright (Forres) beat Lyle McAlpine (Royal 

Dornoch) at the 19th hole in today's final of the 

North District match-play championship at the Nairn 

Links.

Wright was five down after eight holes but came

storming back to win the Robin Thomson Trophy at

the first extra hole.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

Jordan Milne (Elgin) bt Kyle Godsman (Moray) 2 and 1.

Lyle McAlpine (Royal Dornoch) w.o. Scott Dingwall

(Grantown on Spey) scr.

John Forbes (Forres) bt Cameron Nelson (Nairn) 

2 holes. 

Jeff Wright (Forres) bt Bryan Fotheringham 

(Inverness) 1 hole. 

SEMI-FINALS

McAlpine bt milne 2 and 1.

Wright bt Forbes at 19th.

FINAL

Wright be McAlpine at 19th.

Pictured: Lyle McAlpine on the left, Jeff Wright middle and Robert McKerron  (North Distrcit President) right

RUSSELL AND FENWICK BEST PLACED SCOTS AT Q SCHOOL STAGE 2 HALFWAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Raymond Russell and Neil Fenwick are the two Scots with the highest hopes of making it to the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage next week
Russell is joint second at the halfway stage of the Stage 2 event at Lumine Golf and Beach Club, Tarragona while Fenwick is lying a close-up third at El Saler Golf Club, Valencia.
The rest of the 13 Scots involved in the 72-hole eliminators at four Spanish venues have a lot of work to do to figure among the leaders who will go forward from each venue to the final showdown.
Russell had a bag of six birdies, including at the 17th and 18th, in returning a three-under-par 68 for 135, one behind English leader Chris Hanson.
Also at Lumine, Jack Doherty is in joint 11th place on 138 after an eagle 3 at the 18th saw him finish with a 69 for 138.
Young brother Paul Doherty had 69 for 141 and joint 35th place.
Aberdonian David Law, after a very good season, is struggling to produce his best form just when he needs it most.
 He had a 73 to drop down to joint 47th position on 143, After birdieing the first and third,  Law bogeyed the sixth, 13th, 15th and 18th.
Even more out of the hunt here is Elliot Saltman, in joint 63rd position after a 71 for 145
Neil Fenwick had six birdies in 11 holes from the second to the 12th, on his way to a four-under-par 68 and a halfway total of 138 at El Saler. He is one shot behind the joint leaders.
At the same venue, George Murray is lying joint 20th on 143 after a five-birdie round of 70.
Aberdour amateur Scott Crichton drifted tojoint25th position with a 73 for 144.
Lloyd Saltman is on 145 (73-72) and sharing 35th place.
Paul Ferrier improved from a 76 to a 71 for 147 but is still languishing in a share of 44th place.
Wallace Booth is virtually out of it in joint 65th place on 151 after a 75.
Paul McKechnie's one-under-par 70 saw him drop down to joint 32nd place at Valle Romano Golf Club, Estepona where he is seven shots behind the joint leaders.  McKechnie birdied three par-5 holes and one short hole.
Calum Macaulay had a double bogey at the short 13th in his 71 which leaves him in joint 59th place on 141.
West Linton-based Welshman Gareth Wright is lying joint 16th at Las Colinas Golf and Country Club, Alicante after a 71 for 140.  
At El Saler, Las Colinas and Lumine, 17 spots for the Final Stage are up for grabs, and at Valle Romano 18 places are available

SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW 
ALL THE SCORES

  REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

England’s James Heath surged ahead in the second round of the European Tour Qualifying School Second Stage at Las Colinas Golf and Country Club in Spain with a five under par 66.

The Challenge Tour player followed up a superb 64 with another impressive round to reach 12 under par at the halfway stage, three shots ahead of South African Brandon Stone (69) and four in front of Welshman Liam Bond (67), who was a joint winner of the First Stage Section D at Frilford Heath.

Elsewhere, England’s Chris Hanson followed up a superb 64 with a steady one under par 70 to lead at Lumine Golf and Beach Club. At eight under par, he is one shot ahead of compatriot Daniel Gavins (68), American Joey McLister (70) and Scot Raymond Russell (68).

At Valle Romano, Frenchman Gary Stal shares the lead with American Lee Bedford, who both shot rounds of 65, and Dane Niklaj E Nissen, who fired a 67. Stal earned a European Tour card via the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2012 but failed to retain his playing privileges.

In the last of the four Second Stage venues, Campo de Golf El Saler, Spaniard Carlos Del Moral carded a five under par 67 to share the lead the way with Italian Niccolo Quintarelli (70).

The Final Stage takes place at PGA Catalunya Resort from November 10-15, 2013.

  SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Las Colinas Golf and Country Club, Alicante

Par 142 (2x71)

130 J Heath  (Eng) 64 66

133 B Stone (RSA) 64 69

134 L Bond (Wal) 67 67

136 J Knutzon (USA) 67 69

137 J Robinson (Eng) 69 68, L Astl (Aut) 66 71, G Cambis  (Fra) 64 73, W Homan Jnr (USA) 71 66, J Hahn (USA) 69 68, J Ruth  (Eng) 67 70, R McGee (Irl) 67 70

138 A Wrigley (Eng) 68 70, G Cunningham (am) (USA) 69 69,

139 D Ulrich (Sui) 70 69, D Kemmer (USA) 69 70

140 R Coles (Eng) 72 68, G Wright  (Wal) 69 71, G Porteous (am) (Eng) 69 71, J Kelly (USA) 70 70, F Eriksson (Swe) 67 73

141 P Maddy (Eng) 71 70, N Henriques  (Por) 72 69, S Hodgson (Eng) 72 69, N Ravano (Ita) 70 71, T Sherreard  (Eng) 70 71, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 73 68, K Borsheim  (Nor) 69 72, C Griffiths (Eng) 71 70, S Allan (Aus) 66 75, P Relecom  (Bel) 66 75, N Kearney (Irl) 70 71, M Clemens (Mex) 70 71, H Leon (Chi) 72 69

142 R Prophet (Eng) 72 70, D Lokke (Den) 66 76, H Joannes  (Bel) 72 70, J Kaske (Fin) 68 74, M Richardson (Eng) 69 73

143 O Floren  (Swe) 71 72, G Schultes (Ger) 74 69, J Webber (Eng) 73 70, M Glauert (Ger) 73 70, M Sell  (Eng) 73 70, V Blazquez (Esp) 68 75, J Camargo (Esp) 72 71, A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 72 71, D Mooney (Nir) 74 69, C Dammert (am) (Ger) 74 69

144 J Kennegard  (Swe) 69 75, M Rominger  (Sui) 74 70, J Rask (Swe) 75 69

145 M Van Dijk (Ned) 71 74, B Chapellan (Fra) 74 71, S Grant  (Irl) 67 78

146 N Bruzelius  (Swe) 75 71, J Sloan (Eng) 72 74, F Laporta (Ita) 72 74, R Busher (am) (Eng) 74 72, A Bolognesi (Ita) 71 75, S Jeppesen  (Swe) 74 72

147 A Kirstein (Ger) 71 76, M Jensen (USA) 68 79, G Axell (Swe) 72 75, P Williamson (USA) 70 77, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 73 74

148 B McCarroll  (Irl) 69 79, P Erofejeff (Fin) 71 77, M Jedrzeyczyk (Pol) 72 76, D Booth (Eng) 74 74

149 K Samooja (Fin) 73 76, S McNamara (USA) 73 76, S Robertshawe (Eng) 73 76

150 D Balin (USA) 73 77

151 R Goger (am) (Aut) 80 71, J Banbury (Eng) 74 77, D Rawluk (Irl) 75 76

152 M Jager (Aus) 76 76

 

Campo de Golf El Saler, Valencia

Par 144 (2x72)

137 C Del Moral (Esp) 70 67, N Quintarelli (Ita) 67 70

138 N Fenwick (Sco) 70 68

139 R McEvoy  (Eng) 71 68, B Hopfinger (USA) 72 67, C Ortiz  (Mex) 69 70

140 T Linard (Fra) 68 72, W Harrold (Eng) 70 70, S Heisele (Ger) 71 69, P Edberg (Swe) 66 74, J Ahlers (RSA) 68 72

141 R Evans (am) (Eng) 71 70

142 P Francis (USA) 74 68, C Brazillier  (Fra) 72 70, L Canter (Eng) 71 71, A Bruschi  (Ita) 70 72, F Fritsch  (Ger) 75 67, E Cole (USA) 72 70, C Lloyd (Eng) 69 73

143 A Saddier (Fra) 69 74, L Lee (Bra) 69 74, K Phelan (Irl) 71 72, J Barnes (Eng) 71 72, G Murray  (Sco) 73 70

144 F De Vries  (Ned) 68 76, V Phillips (Eng) 70 74, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 71 73, J Westwood (Eng) 71 73, C Moriarty (Irl) 73 71, R Wallis (Eng) 69 75, D Callaway (Eng) 74 70, A Pavlov (Rus) 71 73, M Grönberg (Swe) 73 71, S Crichton (am) (Sco) 71 73

145 P Couvert (Fra) 72 73, A Velasco (Esp) 73 72, J Howarth (Eng) 74 71, L Saltman (Sco) 73 72, P Reed (Eng) 71 74, W Roebuck (Eng) 72 73

146 R Han (Chn) 73 73, T Pieters  (Bel) 71 75, M Pastor (Esp) 72 74

147 M Veijalainen (Fin) 75 72, Y Benson (Can) 73 74, J Moul  (Eng) 72 75, K Thompson (USA) 74 73, P Ferrier (Sco) 76 71, A Snobeck  (Fra) 72 75

148 C Rodiles (Esp) 78 70, P Oriol (Esp) 76 72, F Adarraga (Esp) 76 72, N Bjorling (Swe) 76 72, A Jacobsson (Swe) 77 71,

149 N Johansson (Swe) 76 73, Z Blair (am) (USA) 74 75, F Jahn (Ger) 73 76, D Wuensche  (Ger) 78 71, M Lampert (Ger) 73 76, A Rai (Eng) 81 68

150 L Claverie (Esp) 75 75, J Winther (Den) 75 75, A Belt (Eng) 72 78, C Batut (Fra) 78 72

151 F Praegant (Aut) 77 74, K Crossland (Eng) 80 71, D Lloyd (RSA) 81 70, W Booth  (Sco) 76 75

152 J Abbott (Eng) 73 79

153 S Campbell (Eng) 78 75, A Dunbar (Nir) 73 80

154 F Figueroa (Esa) 84 70, K Ichihara (Jpn) 82 72, G Boyd  (Eng) 79 75

157 J Guiney (Irl) 82 75

158 J Legarrea (Esp) 84 74

162 J Chamberlain (Eng) 83 79

 

Lumine Golf and Beach Club, Tarragona

Par 142 (2x71)

134 C Hanson (Eng) 64 70

135 J McLister (USA) 65 70, D Gavins (Eng) 67 68, R Russell (Sco) 67 68

136 B Evans  (Eng) 70 66, L Nemecz (Aut) 64 72, A Zemmer (Ita) 71 65

137 P Sjöland (Swe) 66 71, T Cruz  (Por) 67 70, T Murray (Eng) 66 71

138 A Cooley (Eng) 68 70, J Doherty  (Sco) 69 69, D Antonelli (Fra) 69 69, C Bouniol (Fra) 70 68, L Goddard  (Eng) 70 68, J Timmis (Eng) 69 69, A Marshall (Eng) 70 68, D Brooks (Eng) 69 69, C Dennis (USA) 69 69

139 A McLardy (RSA) 71 68, E Johansen  (Nor) 70 69, T Lee (USA) 70 69, M Haastrup  (Den) 69 70, J Glennemo (Swe) 68 71, L De Jager  (RSA) 72 67, D McElroy (am) (Nir) 71 68, C Shinkwin (am) (Eng) 68 71

140 D Griffiths  (Eng) 71 69, S Dartnall (Aus) 69 71, H Porteous (RSA) 68 72, J Hepworth (Eng) 67 73, R Kind (Ned) 70 70, J Dransfield  (Eng) 70 70, O Farr (Wal) 73 67,

141 B Hafthorsson (Isl) 70 71, P Doherty (Sco) 72 69, Z Scotland  (Eng) 67 74, O Stark (Swe) 71 70, G Woolgar (Eng) 71 70,

142 M Hoffman (Can) 71 71, J Billing (Swe) 74 68, A Hansen  (Den) 72 70, K Eriksson (Swe) 70 72, S Archibald (Eng) 67 75, S Hutsby  (Eng) 66 76, M Southgate  (Eng) 70 72,

143 J Frazer (Wal) 67 76, Å Nilsson (Swe) 73 70, A Smith (Eng) 75 68, K Benz (Sui) 69 74, J Sandelin (Swe) 73 70, D Law (Sco) 70 73, G O'Mahony (USA) 73 70, N Kimsey (am) (Eng) 73 70,

144 R Brown (Eng) 70 74, D Geminiani (Ita) 72 72, J Senior (Eng) 74 70, P Eriksson (Swe) 74 70, J Mommo  (Fin) 70 74, B Etchart  (Esp) 75 69, J Palmer (Eng) 71 73, S Schwind (am) (Ger) 71 73,

145 X Guzman (Esp) 72 73, A Cheese (Eng) 73 72, S Fallon (Eng) 68 77, G Houston (Wal) 71 74, E Saltman  (Sco) 74 71, M Soegaard (am) (Den) 72 73

146 D Palm (Swe) 73 73

147 T Petersson (Swe) 73 74, H Bacher (Aut) 73 74,

149 S Matton (Eng) 73 76

150 S Anderson (USA) 73 77, J Rutherford (Eng) 71 79, J Girrbach (am) (Sui) 76 74

151 T Smith (USA) 73 78

153 S Forgan (Eng) 74 79

154 M Wallace (Eng) 76 78

 

Valle Romano Golf, Estepona

Par 142 (2x71)

132 G Stal  (Fra) 67 65, L Bedford (USA) 67 65, N Nissen (Den) 65 67

133 R Pettersson (Swe) 67 66, D Perrier (Fra) 66 67, O Zetterwall (Swe) 67 66

134 D Berger (USA) 69 65, A Björk (Swe) 65 69, E Espana (Fra) 67 67

135 M Bremner (RSA) 68 67, R Hjelm (Den) 68 67, H Leon (Chi) 69 66, C Hinton (Eng) 68 67, S Arnold  (Aus) 69 66, M Orrin (Eng) 68 67

136 C Lange  (Den) 67 69, A Johnston (Eng) 66 70, D Skinns  (Eng) 67 69

137 F Delamontagne  (Fra) 68 69, A Bernadet  (Fra) 68 69, T Bertoni (USA) 68 69, S Einhaus (Ger) 67 70, J Watts (Eng) 67 70, G Canizares (Esp) 72 65, J Gallegos (am) (Esp) 70 67,

138 G Main (USA) 71 67, J Fly (USA) 70 68, P Widegren  (Swe) 64 74, M Laskey  (Wal) 70 68, A Maestroni  (Ita) 68 70, R Steiner (Aut) 68 70

139 R Kind (Ned) 71 68, C Arendell (USA) 70 69, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 70 69, S Little (Eng) 70 69, T Whitehouse  (Eng) 68 71, P McKechnie (Sco) 69 70

140 M Trappel  (Aut) 75 65, F Ewing  (USA) 73 67, M Salminen (Fin) 72 68, C Berardo (Fra) 70 70, W Strickler (USA) 67 73, L Jensen (Den) 70 70, B Hebert  (Fra) 73 67, P Mejow (Ger) 69 71,

141 A Rota (Ita) 71 70, J Gonnet  (Fra) 71 70, G Shaw (Nir) 73 68, L Cornford (Eng) 72 69

142 G Piris Mateu (Esp) 73 69, R Cazaubon (Mex) 70 72, B Fowles (Eng) 71 71, A Tadini (Ita) 69 73, J Wilkinson (Eng) 70 72, C Russo (Fra) 70 72, T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 72 70, O Lieser (Cze) 72 70, C Corbin (am) (Eng) 73 69

143 M Schneider (Ger) 70 73, B Newman (USA) 74 69, C Macaulay  (Sco) 72 71, P Fendt (Aut) 69 74

144 C Aronsen  (Nor) 72 72, D Hupfer (Can) 74 70, A Vongvanij (Tha) 73 71, B Gielow (USA) 74 70, C Mivis  (Bel) 75 69

145 R Neil-Jones (Eng) 73 72, D Markle (Can) 70 75, A Romano  (Ita) 72 73

146 J Lomas (Eng) 76 70

147 S Wiedergrün (Ger) 78 69

148 R Harris  (Eng) 72 76, J Garcia Del Moral (Esp) 78 70

149 D Coupland (Eng) 71 78, H Hilford Brander (Swe) 78 71, W Harmston (Eng) 77 72

150 S Brown (Eng) 74 76, D Wood (Eng) 76 74, I Gregory (Eng) 75 75

152 M Daley (Eng) 76 76

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

  ­­  

MyGolfRanking International

1 Scott Hunter (Tillicoultry) 1185 points, 2 Alastair Watson (Langlands) 1175, 3 Craig Meeks (Thornton) 1157, 4 Adam Jobes (Seacroft) 1150, 5 Jo Elson (Aqualate) 1133.33, 6 Lewis Blyth (Prestonfield) 1132.5, 7 Gary Barclay (Torrance Park) 1125, 8 Roger Leslie (Spey Bay) 1105, 9 Ricky McNeill (Dunnikier Park) 1102

10 Douglas Taylor (Dunfermline) 1100, 11 Ian Gorn (Aberdour) 1092, 12 Kevin Wood (Prestonfield) 1085, 13 Daniel Alexander (Kingsknowe) 1075, 14 Peter Miller (Milngavie) 1067, 15 Rob Evans (Aldridge Artisans) 1063.  

For up-to-date ranking lists of participating clubs, the full Regional and National Rankings and how it works, visit www.mygolfranking.net

This week’s MyGolfRanking Golfer of the Week is Alastair Watson of Langlands Golf Club, Lanarkshire, who jumps from relative obscurity to No 2 spot and a mere 10 points off No 1.                                                                                                                          

The MyGolfRanking Club of the Week is Aqualate Golf Club, Shropshire.

MyGolfRanking Men 

1 Scott Hunter (Tillicoultry) 1185 points, 2 Alastair Watson (Langlands) 1175, 3 Craig Meeks (Thornton) 1157, 4 Adam Jobes (Seacroft) 1150, 5 Lewis Blyth (Prestonfield) 1132.5, 6 Gary Barclay (Torrance Park) 1125, 7 Roger Leslie (Spey Bay) 1105, 8 Ricky McNeill (Dunnikier Park) 1102, 9 Douglas Taylor (Dunfermline) 1100, 10 Ian Gorn (Aberdour) 1092.

MyGolfRanking Women 

1 Jo Elson (Aqualate) 1133 points, 2 Laura McGeachy (Windyhill) 1043, 4 Mary Carragher (Arrowe Park) 1021, 4 Emily Aird (Blairgowrie) 1010, 5 Susan Baldwin (Scotscraig) 988, 6 Margaret Monkhouse (Alston Moor) 986, 7 Pat Magill (Newton Stewart) 981, 8= Yvonne Aldridge (Arscott) 979, Hilary Brown (Scotscraig) 979, 10= Alison Maillardet-O’Neill (Kingsknowe) 969, Fay Paterson (Kinghorn) 969.

MyGolfRanking Clubs

1 Kingsknowe 879 points, 2 Prestonfield 871, 3 Dunfermline 870, 4 Aberdour 864, 5 Blairgowrie 861, 6 Awali 856, 7 Alyth 853, 8 Dunnikier Park 841, 9 Falkirk Tryst 840, 10 Thornton 837.

David Moir

in LEAGUE with GOLF Ltd
23 Links Road
Lundin Links
Leven
Fife KY8 6AS
Scotland

info@mygolfranking.net
+44 (0)7789 373216

 

JAMIE McLEARY WINS DEBUT PLACE ON EUROPEAN TOUR 2014

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

On an afternoon where his golfing future balanced on a knife’s edge at the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Gold Club, Jamie McLeary stepped up and got the job done to earn a debut season on The European Tour in 2014.

The Scot started the final day knowing that he needed to finish no worse than a tie for second with one other player at the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club if he were to have a chance at making the all-important top 15 in the Rankings, and he managed just that. 

Four birdies in his first 13 holes saw the Scot pull three clear of the chasing pack at one point, and on his own in second, but a bogey at the 15^th saw him slip back towards those behind before eventually finishing in a tie alongside José-Felipe Lima.

No one was quite sure how it had all played out at the last, as McLeary’s Portuguese playing partner got up and down from the back bunker to tie the Scot, who could only make par and post a three under par 69 to move to 12 under. 

But after a few calculations it was confirmed he had jumped from 33^rd to claim the 15^th and final card.

In doing so he becomes the fourth Team Scottish Hydro player to graduate from the Rankings in the past three years – after  Craig Lee (2011), Chris Doak (2012) and Scott Henry (2012) – and he will now embark on a debut season with European golf’s elite after what was his eighth season on the Challenge Tour.

 “I’m delighted," explained the 32 year old Peterhead-born player from Edinburgh. "To finish the way I did was nice, as I knew it was going to be a tough day and I kind of knew the score I wanted to shoot and that’s what I was aiming for.

"The guys I was playing with had already confirmed their European Tour cards so when they started out like a train I knew I needed to finish second or tied second. I was able to stay patient and I only made one bogey all day, which was on the 15th. But it was a hole I actually tried to bogey if that makes sense – I was just trying to keep it from going in the water! 

“Somebody told me once I came off that Rhys Davies had also had a putt for eagle at the last to tie for second, and I’d just assumed that no one would make eagle, not sure why. I still thought I could make birdie by laying up, but I didn’t hit as good a pitch as I thought I had hit. When I looked up at the board and saw only Lima could tie me, I was pretty confident he wouldn’t hole his bunker shot.

“I don’t think he (Lima) quite knew the situation, as he was apologising when we came in, but I’m just glad I didn’t make six at the last. If I had done that I would have been kicking myself, probably for the rest of my life. 

“I started to worry that I would never make it to The European Tour, that I was one of those guys that was really consistent but without the big finishes at the big events that I needed. It has taken a lot longer than I thought it would, and the older you get the more nervous you get, but I’ve got my chance now and I’m confident I’ll take it.”

McLeary eventually finished four shots adrift of eventual winner Shiv Kapur, who was the only other man to jump into the top 15, having come from 20^th position at the start of the week to also earn a European Tour card. 

The Indian picked up his second win of the season and jumped to fourth on the Challenge Tour Rankings, while Italy’s Andrea Pavan topped the pile and will prepare to embark on a second season in Europe’s top tier.

Unfortunately, the men to lose out on the final day were England’s Sam Walker (16^th) and America’s Daniel Im (17^th), and they will now prepare for the Qualifying School Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort, which gets under way next weekend.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)

272 S Kapur (Ind) 69 66 67 70,

276 J McLeary (Sco) 68 70 69 69, J Lima  (Por) 70 66 71 69

277 R Davies (Wal) 69 69 70 69, A Pavan (Ita) 66 66 75 70

278 S Manley (Wal) 73 67 68 70, E Dubois (Fra) 68 72 73 65, T Hatton (Eng) 69 67 74 68

279 N Elvira  (Esp) 70 68 75 66, J Carlsson (Swe) 68 70 72 69

280 A McArthur  (Sco) 70 69 68 73, W Besseling  (Ned) 70 68 68 74, N Lemke (Swe) 70 73 69 68

281 A Gee  (Eng) 73 69 70 69, J Guerrier  (Fra) 69 69 71 72, B An (SKor) 74 71 70 66, B Paolini (USA) 66 77 67 71

282 L Bjerregaard  (Den) 73 77 67 65

283 S Tiley (Eng) 73 65 73 72, B Ritthammer (Ger) 74 69 73 67, T Nørret (Den) 71 69 69 74, O Wilson (Eng) 71 67 71 74, J Fahrbring (Swe) 73 71 71 68, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 71 70 71 71, J Huldahl (Den) 73 72 66 72

284 J Elson  (Eng) 72 71 68 73, D Stewart (Sco) 72 68 76 68, R Kakko  (Fin) 73 71 71 69

285 S Walker (Eng) 77 68 72 68, S Kim (Kor) 73 69 74 69

287 J Dantorp (Swe) 70 73 76 68

288 M Crespi  (Ita) 73 73 74 68

289 T Sluiter  (Ned) 70 71 75 73, P Archer (Eng) 74 72 69 74, D Im (USA) 74 76 72 67

290 A Otaegui  (Esp) 69 78 70 73, A Domingo (Esp) 77 74 70 69

291 R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 76 72 69 74, D Huizing (Ned) 76 73 72 70

292 D Frittelli (RSA) 72 76 71 73

294 V Riu  (Fra) 72 72 79 71

295 L Kennedy  (Eng) 68 78 73 76

296 D Gaunt (Aus) 72 72 75 77

298 F Calmels  (Fra) 72 78 75 73

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

FRED COUPLES LEADS BY FIVE IN US SENIORS' TOUR FINALE

CBSSports.com wire reports

SAN FRANCISCO -- Fred Couples extended his lead to five strokes Saturday after the third round of the Champions Tour's season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Winless this season, Couples shot a 3-under 68 to reach 15-under 198 at TPC Harding Park.
''I enjoy having a lead,'' Couples said. ''Sometimes when you go and play with a lead, you try to expand it. If you're behind, every shot is important. I don't do well with that. I'm just going to go out and play. For the most part it's about stepping up and just hitting it.''
Mark O'Meara was second after a 67.
''He'll be hard to beat, no question, with his power and length,'' O'Meara said about Couples. ''I have no problems with Freddy at all, he's been great for the game.''
Fred Couples and Mark O'Meara have known each other since both qualified for the US PGA Tour in 1980.
''The best things are the pairings,'' Couples said. ''I get Mark O'Meara and it couldn't get any better for me.''
Defending champion Tom Lehman had the best round of the day, a 65, to join Bart Bryant and Peter Senior at 9 under. Bryant shot 70, and Senior had a 72.
Charles Schwab Cup points leader Kenny Perry was tied for seventh at 7 under after a 67. Bernhard Langer, needing a victory and help to catch Perry, also was 7 under after a 71.
Couples opened the round with a bogey. He easily shook that off and worked his way under par for the day.
''It's almost laughable,'' he said. ''I could play that hole 100 times and always make par. Making a good drive on the first hit and not making par is ridiculous.''
Couples missed a 3-foot putt for par.
''I'm not going to get down on myself over my putts,'' Couples said. ''I missed a lot of putts. The worst I could have shot today was what I shot. The first two rounds were my best of the year. Today was not as easy.''
O'Meara played consistently well through the day, with his only hiccup a bogey on 17. He finished with a birdie on 18.
''I drove the ball pretty well,'' O'Meara said. ''I had some good opportunities early in the round when I hit good putts that just missed the hole.''
O'Meara recalled that Couples slept in his car during the first stage of the qualifying tournament in 1980, but was invited to stay with O'Meara the final two or three days of Q-school.
''We've both had fairly parallel careers,'' O'Meara said. ''We both made it through Q-school and the rest is history.''
Couples and O'Meara wound up playing together on the final day of Q-school in Fresno.
''I was the last guy to make it make it,'' Couples said. ''I think he was one shot better than me, but we both qualified and neither of us ever had to do that again.''
Couples said he was confident if one of his shots detoured into the rough.
''I like this kind of rough,'' he said. ''If you put me in the soft, fluffy stuff, I don't do very well. Here I can almost hit like little bunker shots. I just feel like I can get my club through this grass.'' 

THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71) Players from USA unless stated
198 Fred Couples 65 65 68
203 Mark O'Meara 66 70 67
204 Tom Lehman 69 70 65, Bart Bryant 68 66 70, Peter Senior (Australia) 63 69 72
SELECTED SCORE
206 Bernhard Langer (Germany) 67 68 71 (T7)

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US PGA TOUR SETS UP NEW PRO TOUR IN CHINA, STARTING NEXT YEAR

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

SHANGHAI, China – A partnership between the China Golf Association, the US PGA Tour and event promoter China Olympic Sports Industry (COSI) has established a new professional golf tour in China that will begin play in 2014 with 12 tournaments throughout the country. The creation of PGA TOUR China was announced Sunday by US PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem; Zhang Xiaoning, Vice President and Secretary General of the CGA; and Sun Liping, President of COSI, at Sheshan International Golf Club, site of this week’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.
PGA TOUR China, which also will be open to professionals outside of China, will move geographically throughout the country. Fields are expected to be between 120 and 156 players and purses will be in the $200,000 range per tournament. Plans are to increase the number of events after the first year.
“We are very pleased to announce the establishment of PGA TOUR China, which builds upon our longstanding relationship with the China Golf Association,” Finchem said.
 “As with the structure of NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR China will provide open competition on a quality tour for elite players from China and other countries and the opportunity to advance to the world stage. Also similar to those two Tours, we plan to provide access to the Web.com Tour for the season’s top players.”
The initial schedule and further details, such as specifics on Web.com Tour qualifying, will be announced at a later date. Open qualifying tournaments are planned for the beginning of the year with the first tournaments scheduled for March.
“We have seen great advancement of Chinese elite golfer development in the last few years, and the creation of this Tour is the next positive step forward for this sport in China,” Zhang said. 
“This will raise the level of golf in China even further and prepare players from China to participate in the Olympics and other significant global competitions. We are happy to partner with the PGA TOUR, the world’s leading golf organization, and to work together in this effort. We also appreciate COSI, which is an important partner to help deliver the results from these efforts. We continue to grow golf as a sport, and to advance our athletes to greater levels.”
The PGA TOUR will be involved in all aspects of the Tour’s operations and work with COSI, a division of the China Sports Industry Group, on bringing sponsors to the Tour. COSI has extensive knowledge and experience in promoting global-quality events.
“We are excited to be a part of this major milestone for golf in China,” Sun said. “This is the start of a Tour that will continue to grow within China in the short- and long-term. We are happy to lend our experience in running premium sporting events, including golf tournaments. With our partnership with the CGA and the PGA TOUR, we are confident that this will be a very successful endeavor.”
The US PGA Tour has an established collaborative relationship with the CGA that has seen the Tour working actively with the Men and Women’s Chinese national golf teams to support their training, including multiple visits to the TPC Sawgrass facility to receive instruction.

DUSTIN JOHNSON RALLIES TO WIN BY THREE SHOTS IN SHANGHAI

                                 DUSTIN JOHNSON ... biggest win of his career

                                         Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Dustin Johnson produced a stunning finish to hold off determined challenges from Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell and claim the biggest win of his career in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

The American Ryder Cup player recovered from seeing his three- shot overnight lead wiped out in the first two holes to play the closing six holes in five under par at Sheshan International Golf Club, signing for a six under par round of 66 and a winning total of 24 under par. 

With all three player posting the same score in a tightly contested final round, Johnson finished three shots clear of defending champion Poulter and four clear of McDowell, with the turning point coming at the 16th hole.

Johnson used his power to full effect on the short par four, leaving his tee shot just ten yards short of the green and promptly chipping in for eagle, with Poulter making birdie and McDowell only a par.

With a two-shot lead, Johnson then picked up a further shot on the 17th hole, giving him a comfortable cushion playing the 18th hole, where he had found the water on Saturday en route to a double bogey.

Unsurprisingly, Johnson hit an iron off the tee this time and laid up with his second shot, eventually missing a short birdie putt after Poulter and McDowell, heroes of Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Medinah last year, had done likewise.

That meant that 29 year old Johnson claimed his first on The European Tour and maiden World Golf Championships title, along with the first prize of €1,012,145.

“It's my biggest win I've had so far in my career and it feels really good,” he said.  “I put a lot of work in this year, and I've struggled a lot.  I won the first event of the year and I struggled a little bit through the end.  But you know, I've been putting in a lot of work the last month or two, and it definitely feels really good to get a win.”

Both Poulter and McDowell will find some consolation in gaining vital ground on Swede Henrik Stenson in The Race to Dubai, as well as significant Ryder Cup points.

Poulter said: “I guess it was a good defence.  I’m obviously a little disappointed not to put my hands back on the trophy, but 15 birdies and an eagle at the weekend is some pretty good golf.

“So it's exciting for the next few weeks ahead, and obviously it's some good points on the board obviously for Ryder Cup and Race to Dubai.”

With Stenson closing with a round of 65 for the second consecutive week in Shanghai, this time for a share of 31^st position, McDowell made a significant inroad into the Swede’s advantage on the Race to Dubai, cutting it to just €145,866 with two events remaining of the Final Series.

“Obviously there is a pang of disappointment, but generally I’m just very proud of myself the way I played this week tee‑to‑green,” said McDowell. “On the greens, there is room for improvement.

“But I didn't make a bogey all weekend.  I shot 14‑under on the weekend and hit the ball really well.  I was chasing some great players.  Dustin Johnson was in a different league off the tee and gave us a little bit of a sniff and then promptly slammed the door.”

Spaniard Sergio Garcia produced the lowest round of the day – a superb 63 – to finish fourth on 18 under par, with US Open Champion Justin Rose fifth on 16 under par.

 It was also an important week for former World Number One Rory McIlroy who carded a 69 for a 15 under par total and a share of sixth position with Canada’s Graham Delaet.

That moved him up from 62^nd on The Race to Dubai to 38^th position, meaning he will qualify to defend his title in the DP WORLD Tour Championship, Dubai in a fortnight.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

264 D Johnson (USA) 69 63 66 66

267 I Poulter (Eng) 71 67 63 66

268 G McDowell  (Nir) 69 69 64 66

270 S Garcia  (Esp) 70 68 69 63

272 J Rose (Eng) 68 71 65 68

273 R McIlroy  (Nir) 65 72 67 69, G Delaet (Can) 71 68 65 69

274 M Kaymer (Ger) 70 74 62 68, J Donaldson (Wal) 67 74 66 67, B Watson (USA) 68 69 69 68

275 K Bradley (USA) 71 68 68 68, E Els (RSA) 69 69 71 66, B Weekley (USA) 70 67 69 69

276 P Mickelson (USA) 71 68 72 65

277 L Wen-Chong (Chn) 72 67 72 66, L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 70 70 70 67

278 J Spieth  (USA) 68 71 70 69

279 T Fleetwood  (Eng) 68 70 69 72, J Jeong (SKor) 70 69 71 69

280 P Casey  (Eng) 69 73 69 69

281 B Haas  (USA) 72 72 69 68, B Van Pelt (USA) 77 67 66 71, J Van Zyl (RSA) 72 73 68 68, F Molinari (Ita) 72 69 70 70, M Manassero (Ita) 72 70 70 69, S Piercy (USA) 72 73 68 68, S Hend (Aus) 69 74 66 72, M Ilonen  (Fin) 72 69 72 68, P Hanson (Swe) 70 73 70 68, G Bourdy (Fra) 75 68 67 71

282 L Donald  (Eng) 70 71 70 71, H Stenson (Swe) 74 76 67 65, N Watney (USA) 75 74 67 66

283 M Brown (Nzl) 72 68 72 71, H Wen-Yi (Chn) 70 74 69 70, B Horschel (USA) 71 69 72 71, K Streelman (USA) 70 73 72 68, J Dufner (USA) 73 67 71 72

284 B Grace  (RSA) 77 71 67 69, C Wood  (Eng) 71 71 73 69, L Hao-Tong (Chn) 72 71 74 67, T Björn (Den) 74 72 70 68, D Lynn (Eng) 74 70 69 71, G Fernandez-Castaño (Esp) 67 71 70 76, R Sterne  (RSA) 74 73 74 63

285 K Duke (USA) 70 72 73 70, T Jaidee (Tha) 76 68 68 73, J Walker  (USA) 73 73 69 70, B Gay (USA) 71 72 72 70

286 M Kawamura (Jpn) 73 72 70 71, R Moore  (USA) 70 74 69 73, M Thompson  (USA) 74 72 68 72, H Fujita (Jpn) 75 70 68 73, M Hendry (Nzl) 72 73 73 68

287 P Uihlein  (USA) 71 73 73 70, B Snedeker  (USA) 73 74 70 70, J Merrick (USA) 72 75 69 71, L Westwood (Eng) 71 73 68 75 R Fowler  (USA) 74 70 70 73, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 69 78 68 72

288 D Fichardt (RSA) 70 74 75 69, D Ernst (USA) 71 72 73 72

289 S Gallacher (Sco) 73 73 72 71, J Blixt  (Swe) 70 75 74 70, G Bhullar (Ind) 69 71 75 74

290 R Ishikawa (Jpn) 81 72 68 69, D Popovic (Aus) 77 71 69 73

291 W Ashun (Chn) 74 75 70 72, D Points (USA) 72 74 70 75

292 D Howell (Eng) 72 75 73 72

293 B Seuk-Hyun (Kor) 81 68 69 75

295 M Jiménez (Esp) 75 76 70 74

296 R Jacquelin (Fra) 81 70 71 74

297 G Coetzee (RSA) 75 77 74 71

299 H Mu (Chn) 76 75 73 75

303 B Rumford (Aus) 75 77 79 72

323 H Ming-Jie (Chn) 83 77 80 83

** H Matsuyama  (Jpn) 71 WD