HUTCHEON BIRDIES FOUR OF LAST SIX HOLES IN PGA PLAY-OFFS DAY 1 IN TURKEY

GREAT START BY SCOTS TRIO 

REPORT FROM THE PGA WEBSITE

Matt Ford shrugged off a bizarre ball theft to motor into contention alongside Matt Cort in the Titleist PGA Play-Offs at Antalya Golf Club in Turkey today.
The 35-year-old’s smooth progress in the first round on the PGA Sultan course, which had yielded four birdies up to that point, was interrupted by a crow lurking on the par five 16^th which seized his ball from a bunker.
It meant the Kent player was required to drop a replacement which promptly plugged but he splashed out to save par before another gain on the last hole gave him a five-under-par 66 and share of the lead.
Former play-offs winner Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) is a stroke further back courtesy of a rousing finale in which he birdied four of the last six holes.
Hutcheon’s fellow Scot and PGA Cup team-mate Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) and Yorkshire’s Adrian Ambler (Low Laithes) are just two off the pace after carding 68s in the 54-hole tournament which will see the top ten finishers earn a place in next year’s BMW PGA Championship and the first two a number of European and Challenge Tour starts.
Chris Kelly (Cawder) completed a great first day for the Scots trio in the select field of 24 by carding a 69 to be joint sixth.
Ford (CK Group) admits he is still driven to succeed at the highest level and enjoyed playing alongside former tour regular Stuart Little (Minchinhampton New) who fired an exquisite short iron to the last for a tap in birdie and round of 70.
“This is a great event for the PGA to have and is something for all the players in the regions to strive for,” said Ford who made 13 Challenge Tour starts this year.
“I still want to play full-time on the European Tour and the play-offs is a good opportunity if I can get those starts.
“I played with Stuart (Little) today who has played on tour with all the greats and I want some of those stories myself.”
Cort might have led outright but a wayward drive into trees on the 18^th ended up costing the Rothley Park pro a bogey but overall he was happy with his efforts off the tee.

** Click here for more great images from the first round at Antalya Golf Club.
The Midland ace has enjoyed a brilliant season in his region with three Order of Merit titles plus a third successive win in the PGA Assistants’ Championship.
His efforts this week, however, are focused on securing a place in next year’s flagship event at Wentworth.
“I’m playing good enough to win it but finishing top ten is number one priority because I finished 11^th last year at the play-offs so missed the BMW PGA Championship.”
Hutcheon, himself coming off the back of a hugely successful season which netted him his national PGA championship, went someway to erasing a bad memory from 12 months ago when he had double-bogeyed the 18^th to miss out on automatic selection for the PGA Cup.
“I got a bit of revenge on 18 with a closing birdie and put that demon from last year to bed which was nice and I played solidly," said the Scot who posted a 67.
“I just played one bad shot to 12 where there was a tough flag and I tried to cut a five iron, came off it and put it right of the green and didn’t get up and down.
“I played aggressively today and in some places I might have to play a little bit more sensibly.
“There is a long way to go and it’s a tough golf course but I would love to win because it’s a great honour to have the PGA No.1 player accolade.”
Another former play-offs winner Paul Streeter (Lincoln Golf Centre) is one of a trio at two under but defending champion Richard Wallis (Walmer and Kingsdown) faces an uphill battle to secure a third successive title after opening with a 75.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES 
Par 71
66 Matt Ford (CK Group), Matt Cort (Rothley Park)
67 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory)
68 Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf), Adrian Ambler (Low Laithes)
69 Chris Kelly (Cawder), Paul Streeter (Lincoln), Mark Hooper (Reyleigh)
70 Stuart Little (Minchinhampton), John Kelly (St Margaret's Golf and Country Club)

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HOME FAVOURITE SCHWARTZEL LEADS SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN INTO FINAL ROUND

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Pre-tournament favourite Charl Schwartzel holds a one shot lead going into Sunday's last round of the South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni.
South African Schwartzel carded a scrappy three under par 69 on a bright and breezy day at Glendower GC to sit 15 under overall, one clear of Marco Crespi and Morten Ørum Madsen. Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters Tournament champion, birdied five holes but bogeyed two in a steady if unspectacular third round in the first event of the 2014 Race to Dubai.
The world number 22 said: “It was a bit up and down but I think I did what I needed to do. You always think some things could have been better.
“I had a chance to separate myself from the field a little bit at 12, 13, two birdie opportunities, but the greens are starting to speed up and, like I said yesterday, there are a few bumpy spots around the holes ... 69 overall is a good round.”  
Schwartzel, whose shot of the day was a 120 metre approach at the tenth that stopped two inches from the cup, added: “Every time I hit a good shot it seemed like my straightforward ones were (then) a bit iffy. Like I said, it was a bit up and down; there were some bad swings and a few good ones but it’s now all done.”
Schwartzel explained his determination to win this competition for the first time, saying: “I’ve won the Dunhill and one or two others here in South Africa. The South African Open, being the second oldest golf tournament in the world and being our national open, it would be fantastic.”
Dane Madsen also went round in three under today, with the same number of gains and drops as Schwartzel.
Italian Crespi, the joint overnight leader with Schwartzel, was a shot worse off than both Madsen and the South African.
Hennie Otto, the 2011 home winner, produced the round of the day, birdieing seven of the last eight holes for a seven under par 65 that put him one behind Crespi and Madsen and two in front of the chasing pack.
LEADING THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72) Players from South Africa unless stated
201 Charl Schwartzel 67 65 69
202 Marco Crespi (Italy) 65 67 70, Morten Orum Madsen (Denmark) 67 68 69
203 Hennie Otto 72 66 65
205 Alejandro Canizares (Spain) 69 67 69, Chrisitaan Basson 68 68 71, Andrea Pavan (Italy) 67 70 68.
SCOTTISH SCORES
209 Alastair Forsyth 72 66 71, Peter Whiteford 71 6 8 70 (T27)
213 Chris Doak 71 68 74 (T53)
217 Jamie McLeary 74 68 75, David Drysdale 71 71 75 (T61)

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LINK TO FINAL TOTALS IN BEKO CLASSIC IN TURKEY

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WELSHMAN MARK MOULAND IN PLAY-OFF AT US CHAMPIONS TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
A three-hour rain delay forced Champions Tour Q-School play to run into darkness and a playoff to extend into Saturday in Scottsdale, Arizona
But there was enough time for Wes Short junior to take medalist honors along with a $30,000 cheque and fully exempt status for 2014.
Short was five shots ahead of Mike Reid and Jim Rutledge when regulation play ended – the largest margin for a medalist since Bob Gilder in 2000.
Holing birdie putts at the first, third and fourth holes, Short led by as many as six and played the back nine in 1 under to finish 20 under for the week (64-66-66-68). He turns 50 Dec. 4.
“I didn’t think we’d finish today even if we managed to get started which didn’t look like it was going to happen early. It really helped me to get off to the start that I did," Short said. 
"It allowed me to play more conservative the rest of the way, especially near the end.
“This was a rough year this year. I missed so much competitive golf and really haven’t been in golf shape for about the last six years. I really prepared hard for this Q-School and felt like my game was back in pretty good shape when I got here this week."
Reid and Rutledge also will be fully exempt in 2014. Reid shot in the 60s for all four rounds this week (68-66-66-69), while Rutledge atoned for a difficult third round with four back-nine birdies in Friday's final round (65-67-72-65).
Saturday-morning playoffs will determine the last two fully exempt spots and several conditional exemptions.
Five players finished play Friday tied for fourth:

• Jeff Hart: 65-72-68-67
• Willie Wood: 69-66-66-71
• Greg Bruckner: 66-70-64-72
• Doug Garwood: 64-67-67-74
• Scott Dunlap: 69-64-66-73

A shot back, four players must play off for conditional exemptions in spots nine through 12:

• Anders Forsbrand: 74-68-66-65
• Mark Mouland (from Wales) 69-67-68-69
• Jeff Coston: 70-65-67-71
• Ben Bates: 65-68-67-73

Here is the remainder of the top 30 finishers, who earned the right to play in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events: Jim Gallagher Jr., Phil Golding (England), Bob Friend, Tom Byrum, Bill Glasson, Ronnie Black, Barry Lane (England), Jerry Smith, Lance Ten Broeck, Eduardo Romero, Bruce Vaughan, Trevor Dodds, Jeff Brehaut, Gary Hallberg, Frank Esposito Jr., Joe Daley, Brian Cairns and Greg Kraft.

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SCOTT BROWN TAKES THE LEAD AT PEBBLE BEACH INVITATIONAL

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
With six birdies, Scott Brown's 68 at Spyglass Hill moved him to 10 under as he took the second-round lead at the Pebble Beach Invitational by a shot over Jason Kokrak.
"It was just a good-vibe day," Brown said. "I am really not doing anything differently. I just feel a lot more comfortable out there then I did a few years ago. Not doing anything too crazy is good."
Kokrak, who played Del Monte on Friday, also had six birdies. First-round leader Morgan Hoffmann was another shot back in third after a 71 at Pebble Beach.
John Cook and Kirk Triplett are the low scorers from the Champions Tour, five off the lead.
Annika Sorenstam shot 71 Friday and is seven back of Brown.

SCOTT BROWN TAKES THE LEAD AT PEBBLE BEACH INVITATIONAL

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
With six birdies, Scott Brown's 68 at Spyglass Hill moved him to 10 under as he took the second-round lead at the Pebble Beach Invitational by a shot over Jason Kokrak.
"It was just a good-vibe day," Brown said. "I am really not doing anything differently. I just feel a lot more comfortable out there then I did a few years ago. Not doing anything too crazy is good."
Kokrak, who played Del Monte on Friday, also had six birdies. First-round leader Morgan Hoffmann was another shot back in third after a 71 at Pebble Beach.
John Cook and Kirk Triplett are the low scorers from the Champions Tour, five off the lead.
Annika Sorenstam shot 71 Friday and is seven back of Brown.

AUSSIES ON TOP DOWN UNDER WITH A ROUND TO GO IN WORLD CUP

        JASON DAY ... leading individual in the World Cup after three rounds
                          Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Home hero Jason Day leads Denmark’s Thomas Björn by one shot going into Sunday's final round of the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf.

Day’s five under par round of 66 took him to nine under par, and the World Number 18 also leads the team competition in partnership with his compatriot Adam Scott. 

Björn had surged four strokes clear of the field when he birdied the first hole from six feet, and his closest rival Kevin Streelman of America dropped four shots in three holes from the second.

The 42 year old Dane was still three strokes clear when he turned in 35, but by failing to break par on the way home Björn finished the day where he started it on eight under par, one shot behind Day. 

The Australian had birdied the first hole from ten feet and two-putted the par five second for a further gain; but it was a 20-footer for birdie at the ninth hole which really ignited the 26 year old’s charge.

An approach to eight feet at the 13th hole and subsequent birdie putts of 20 and ten feet at the 15^th and 17^th holes respectively saw him come home in 33 to lead at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

“I got off to a good start and I stayed patient and just let it happen,” said Day. “On the way home I made a load of putts. I’m very excited with how I played today. 

“On this sort of course you have to be patient; you can’t get to the point where the course is beating you up.”

With World Number Two Scott carding a 68 to get to two under, Australia lead defending champions America by one in the team competition. 

“Scotty’s been playing great,” Day added. “It would be very fitting for us to bring it home at Royal Melbourne for all the people that have been here supporting us.”

Björn has all but conceded winning the team title after his fellow Dane Thorbjørn Olesen slumped to a round of 76, but he is firmly in contention to capture the lion’s share of the US$7 million prize fund allocated for the indivdual event.

He said: ““I have played really, really well again today, but the putter just didn’t really do what it had to do.

“I am doing everything right and playing the golf course the way it should be played.

“It was disappointing the couple of mistakes I made, but in general I am in a good position and it’ll be good fun tomorrow.

“I’m up against a guy that we all know what he is capable of and I’ve got to go out and try and keep playing the same sort of golf that I have been playing for three days and hopefully roll a few putts in.” 

America’s Matt Kuchar sits third on six under after a second consecutive 68, while Italy’s Francesco Molinari matched Day’s best-of-the-day 66 to move into fourth on five under. 

 SCOTSWATCH
Scotland's Martin Laird and Stephen Gallacher dropped down from a share of sixth place over night to joint 11th after 54 holes on four-over-par 430, two behind Ireland but on the same mark as England.
Laird's score is going up everyday - 67-72-74 and he has gone down to T17 on level par 213.
Gallacher has outscored his team-mate over the last two rounds with rounds of 74-71-72 but the Bathgate man is T33 on four-over-par 217

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 MELBOURNE MADNESS ENVELOPES
HOLE-IN-ONE WELSHMAN MANLEY
 

FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Even a Hollywood scriptwriter would have rejected the story of Stuart Manley’s third day at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf as a little too farfetched.

The bald facts are that Manley shot a round of 72 which saw him fall back into a tie for eighth place on two under par, but the bare figures do not even begin to tell the story of what unfolded at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Saturday November 23 – a date which, one suspects, will linger long in the Welshman’s memory. 

Consecutive birdies from the first hole got the 34 year old’s round off to the perfect start, and his day got even better when his tee shot on the par three eighth hole landed at the front of the green, took three bounces and rolled straight into the cup for the third hole in one of his career.

Thinking he had also won the AUS$130,000 Mercedes on display behind the tee, Manley broke off his celebrations and gave the car a quick pat. He then made his way to the green, only to be told by a rules official that the prize was, in fact, only on offer during the final day’s play. 

His disappointment was compounded at the next hole, where he took four shots to locate the putting surface from the edge of the green en route to posting an 11 – the highest score of his professional career.   

Said Manley: “It’s the highest high and then the lowest low I’ve ever experienced on a golf course. I thought the car was mine, and with the crowd, all the hype, I was just buzzing. The adrenaline was pumping so much, I could have flown to the green.

“Then I found out about the car, and go and have an 11. I kept asking my caddie, “How many shots is that now?” I actually thought it was a ten but I was not going to argue, because my head was pretty fried at that point, to be honest.”

To his eternal credit, the Challenge Tour champion then showed immense mental strength to bounce back with birdies at the sixth and 15^th holes, and an eagle at the 15^th which, miraculously, moved him back to level par for the day.

There was time for one last bizarre episode, however, as he pulled his approach shot on the last and his ball ended up in the container beneath the big screen adjacent to the 18^th green.

Having taken a free drop, Manley chipped onto the green and two-putted for a round of 72 which has to rank amongst the most eventful in history.

He said: “Even though it probably sounds a bit strange, I’m actually quite proud of the way I held it together after my 11. I think I am pretty strong mentally. My caddie said a lot of people would have folded after that, but I made some good chances after that and I just kept plugging away.

“It’s obviously a shame I bogeyed the last, but if somebody had told me I would’ve finished on two under at the end of the day after taking an 11, I would have taken it. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that point, but you’ve just got to pick yourself up and get on with it. I won’t forget this day for a while, talk about mixed emotions. But hopefully it’ll have a happy ending

THIRD-ROUND TEAM TOTALS

1    Australia    415 (-11)
2    United States    416 (-10)
3    Japan    422 (-4)
4    Denmark    424 (-2)
5    Canada    426 (Par)
6=    Portugal    428 (+2)
6=    Thailand    428 (+2)
6=    Brazil    428 (+2)
6=    Germany    428 (+2)
6=    Ireland    428 (+2)
11=    England    430 (+4)
11=    Scotland    430 (+4)
11=    France    430 (+4)
14=    South Africa    433 (+7)
14=    South Korea    433 (+7)
14=    Finland    433 (+7)
14=    Spain    433 (+7)
18=    Philippines    434 (+8)
18=    Italy    434 (+8)
20    Netherlands    436 (+10)
21=    Sweden     438 (+12)
21=    Chile    438 (+12)
23    New Zealand    439 (+13)
24    Argentina    441 (+15)              
25    China    445 (+19)
26    India    450 (+24)
 
INDIVIDAL STANDINGS
Par 213 (3x71)

1	204	-9	Jason Day	AUS	68	70	66
2	205	-8	Thomas Bjorn	DEN	66	68	71
3	207	-6	Matt Kuchar	USA	71	68	68
4	208	-5	Francesco Molinari	ITA	75	67	66
5	209	-4	Kevin Streelman	USA	66	69	74
6=	210	-3	Graeme McDowell	IRL	72	71	67
6=	210	-3	Hideto Tanihara	JPN	72	67	71
8=	211	-2	Adam Scott	AUS	75	68	68
8=	211	-2	Kiradech Aphibarnrat	THA	71	70	70
8=	211	-2	Stuart Manley	WAL	67	72	72
8=	211	-2	Ricardo Santos	POR	69	69	73
12=	212	-1	Bernd Wiesberger	AUT	71	72	69
12=	212	-1	Ryo Ishikawa	JPN	71	71	70
12=	212	-1	David Hearn	CAN	70	71	71
12=	212	-1	K.J. Choi	KOR	67	74	71
12=	212	-1	Oscar Fraustro	MEX	74	67	71
17=	213	Par	Miguel Angel Jimenez	ESP	73	69	71
17=	213	Par	Danny Willett	ENG	69	73	71
17=	213	Par	Gregory Bourdy	FRA	72	69	72
17=	213	Par	Martin Laird	SCO	67	72	74
21=	214	1	Marcel Siem	GER	71	74	69
21=	214	1	Maximilian Kieffer	GER	73	71	70
21=	214	1	Roope Kakko	FIN	72	72	70
21=	214	1	Brad Fritsch	CAN	71	73	70
21=	214	1	Alexandre Rocha	BRA	72	72	70
21=	214	1	Adilson da Silva	BRA	72	71	71
27=	215	2	Branden Grace	RSA	73	70	72
27=	215	2	Anirban Lahiri	IND	72	70	73
29=	216	3	Brendon De Jonge	ZIM	74	72	70
29=	216	3	Nicolas Colsaerts	BEL	70	76	70
29=	216	3	Angelo Que	PHI	74	72	70
29=	216	3	Peter Hanson	SWE	72	71	73
33=	217	4	Tim Sluiter	NED	76	72	69
33=	217	4	Mark Tullo	CHI	74	72	71
33=	217	4	Chris Wood	ENG	75	70	72
33=	217	4	Stephen Gallacher	SCO	74	71	72
33=	217	4	Victor Dubuisson	FRA	73	71	73
33=	217	4	Prayad Marksaeng	THA	72	72	73
33=	217	4	Jose-Filipe Lima	POR	71	73	73
33=	217	4	Vijay Singh	FIJ	73	69	75
41=	218	5	Shane Lowry	IRL	75	72	71
41=	218	5	George Coetzee	RSA	74	71	73
41=	218	5	Tony Lascuna	PHI	70	71	77
44=	219	6	Robert-Jan Derksen	NED	74	75	70
44=	219	6	Michael Hendry	NZL	75	73	71
44=	219	6	Fabian Gomez	ARG	72	75	72
44=	219	6	Mikko Korhonen	FIN	70	75	74
44=	219	6	Thorbjorn Olesen	DEN	71	72	76
49=	220	7	Tim Wilkinson	NZL	79	71	70
49=	220	7	Rafael Cabrera Bello	ESP	75	75	70
51=	221	8	Sang-Moon Bae	KOR	74	74	73
51=	221	8	Felipe Aguilar	CHI	75	72	74
51=	221	8	Espen Kofstad	NOR	72	75	74
51=	221	8	A-Shun Wu	CHN	77	69	75
55=	222	9	Emiliano Grillo	ARG	77	71	74
55=	222	9	Jonas Blixt	SWE	76	72	74
57	224	11	Liang Wen-chong	CHN	75	76	73
58	225	12	Siddikur Rahman	BAN	73	75	77
59	226	13	Matteo Manassero	ITA	76	74	76
60	235	22	Gaganjeet Bhullar	IND	82	77	76

       

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS