FOX SETS THE PACE IN SCOTLAND TITLE DEFENCE ON ALGARVE

Scotland, spearheaded by Graham Fox made a satisfactory start to their defence of the PGAs of Europe international team title at Palmares on the Algarve today (Tuesday).

Fox, pictured, led the individual standings with a par 72, a great score in the high winds and despite finishing with a double bogey.
He had marked up an eagle at the 17th.
 Team-mates David Orr and Greg McBain had scores of 78 and 79 respectively. With only two of a team's three individual scores to count daily, McBain's score was discarded.

At the end of the first day, Scotland were lying third on 150, one shot behind joint leaders Netherlands and Denmark.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL SCORES

Par 72

72 Graham Fox (Sco)

73 Ralph Miller (Ned), Jacob Nordesgaard (Den)

74 Magnus Atlevi (Swe), Jose Lara (Spa).

75 Justin Brink (Austria), Emanuele Canonica (Italy), Benjamin Nicolay (France).

76 Knut Schiager (Norway), Peer Martin (Germany), Robin Swan (Netherlands), Michiel Vyncke (Belgium), Morten Hedegaard (Denmark), Brendon McGovern (Ireland), Thomas Jusko (Slovakia).

SELECTED OTHER SCORES
77 Cian McNamara (Ireland), Lee Rooke (Wales) (T16)

78 David Orr (Scotland), Nick Brennan (England) (T20)

79 Greg McBain (Scotland), Jon Bevan (Wales), Stuart Runcie (Wales) (T25).

80 David Greenwood (England) (T36)
81 John Kelly (Ireland) (T42)
85 David Callaway (England) 64th.
Field of 78 playes.
 

LEADING TEAM TOTALS

149 Netherlands, Denmark

150 Scotland

153 Sweden, Spain,France, Ireland

154 Italy
155 Portugal
156 Wales, Austria 
157 Germany, South Africa, Belgium.
158 England  

BRUTAL WIND BLOWS SCORES SKY HIGH ON THE ALGARVE

FROM THE PGAs OF EUROPE WEBSITE

Brutal, tough and a struggle were some of the more restrained reactions at the end of a wind-ravaged opening round of The PGAs of Europe International Team Championship on Portugal’s Algarve.

Wind-fuelled turbulence on the adjacent Mediterranean was replicated on the Alvor Course at the Onyria Palmares Beach and Golf Resort and reflected by the scores after the first of four rounds.

The tournament is supported by Glenmuir, the Associaçäo Turismo do Algarve and Ryder Cup European Development Trust and that Holland and Denmark head the 26-strong field with a score of five-over is testament to the havoc wrought by Mother Nature.

Likewise the fact that Scotland, the defending champions who lie third on six-over, posted an opening return of seven-under at the same venue 12 months ago.

Captained again by David Orr, the Scottish trio was indebted to one of its two new members – Graham Fox (picture right) – for an impressive start.

His level par round of 72 was the best of the day. Nevertheless Fox, who is attached to Clydeway Golf, Glasgow, was left to rue what might have been after a double bogey at the final hole. And that that followed an eagle at the par five 17th only served to compound his frustration.

“It was a good start but the double bogey was a real disappointment,” he said. “It was pretty tough out there – we were having to take four irons for shots of 160 yards.”

Similarly, Ralph Miller (pictured above) and Jacob Nordestgaard, the key contributors for Holland and Denmark respectively, were left to ponder ifs, buts and maybes.

Miller, the Dutch-based English PGA Professional, was two-under at the turn but, with the wind even more malevolent on the back nine, ended what he described as a ‘brutal’ round one-over.

Nordestgaard (pictured left), also finished one-over after a round that featured five birdies but was pock-marked with a double and four single bogeys.

He, too, found the going difficult and said: “Every hole was a real struggle. Thankfully I putted well and my iron play was good. It needed to be in those conditions.”

Nordestgaard, who is making his first appearance in a tournament which his nation has yet to win, was supported by Morten Hedergaard. He completed his round in four-over, the same as Holland’s Robin Swane.

Fox, meanwhile, was supported by Orr who finished on six-over, a round that ensured a three-stroke advantage over France, Ireland, Spain and Sweden who share fourth place.

------------------------

TIGER SAYS HE WILL QUIT GOLF WHEN HE CAN'T WIN TOURNAMENTS ANY MORE

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE

Tiger Woods said long ago he would give up golf when he felt he could play his best and still not win.
That includes his lifetime invitation to the Masters.
"Let me put it to you this way," Woods said at the recent World Challenge. "I'm not going to beat Arnold's record. I'm not playing that long, that's for sure."
Palmer set a record in 2004 by playing in his 50th consecutive Masters. Woods won his first green jacket when he was 21, and with reasonable health (a big assumption considering his injuries), he would seem to be in the best position to break that record. Even with his injuries, the Masters is the one major Woods has never missed.
But Tiger just doesn't appear the least bit interested in that kind of a record.
"For me, I always want to win," he said. "So if I can't win, why tee it up? That's just my own personal belief. And I know what it takes to prepare to win and what it takes to go out there and get the job done, and there's going to become a point in time where I just can't do it anymore.
"We all as athletes face that moment. I'm a ways from that moment in my sport, but when that day happens, I'll make a decision and that's it."
But for Woods or any golfer, it's tough to know when that day happens.
Palmer never won another US PGA Tour event after the Bob Hope Classic in 1973, though he remained competitive for many years. Several players eligible for the Champions (Seniors) Tour are hesitant about moving on.
When is it time?
"In golf, you can still win golf tournaments in your 50s, and guys have done it," Woods said. "Probably the more difficult thing is that you can still finish top 10, top five, but you're probably just not quite as efficient as you need to be to win golf tournaments. But you can still be there."
Might he change his mind about the Masters as he gets older? It doesn't sound like it.
"Mellowing on that? No. I'll be on that first tee starting out the event, I'm sure," he said with a smile and a dose of sarcasm. "So I mean, you hit a good drive and you can't get to where you can see the flag? I don't know why it's even fun."

O'M NOT A BIG HYBRID CLUB GUY, SAYS JACK NICKLAUS

The range of clubs Jack Nicklaus will have in his bag at this weekend#s Father-Son Challenge compared with what he would
have had in it when he was in his prime is interesting.
 Nicklaus said this week that when he played on the US PGA Tour he carried a driver and a 3-wood, a 1-iron through a 9-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter
"Now I've got a driver, a 3-wood, a 4-wood and a 5-wood," he said.
"I'm not a big hybrid guy, although I'm playing with one right now and I took the 2-iron out of the bag. That's pretty much where I am. I'm usually a 3-iron through 9-iron, pitching wedge and sand wedge. I don't know if that's 14 or 15 (clubs), but it'll be 14 when I tee it up."
No other player hit more memorable shots with a 1-iron than Nicklaus, a club that featured in three of his majors -- the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the 1975 Masters and the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol.
But there were times when he benched the 1-iron.
"At Augusta I carried a 1-iron a lot, and sometimes I'd put in maybe a 4- or 5-wood, simply because you needed some elevation to stop it on the greens and some of the lies you played," Nicklaus said.

DUNKELD AMATEUR WINS MIDLAND ALLIANCE AT CHARLETON

REPORT FROM LEE SUTHERLAND
This week the Midland Golfers’ Alliance held a meeting at Charleton Golf Course in Fife. Scratch player Stuart McKendrick from Dunkeld led the way with a superb, three-under-par score of 68. Andy McLeod, who plays off six at Alloa, won the handicap with a net score of 66.

LEADING SCRATCH

Par 71

68 S McKendrick (Dunkeld).

69 B Stewart (Tulliallan), G Tough (Edzell).
70 F Mann (Carnoustie) p, I Howieson (Blair Atholl).
71 S Rennie (Brechin) p.      

72 R Walker (Lundin) p, G Brown (Montrose) ap, A McLeod (Alloa).

73 P Jamieson (Dunblane) p, C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) ap.
  

LEADING HANDICAP

66 A McLeod (Alloa) (6).

68 B Stewart (Tulliallan) (1), S McKendrick (Dunkeld) (sc), J Barnet (Dunfermline) (11), D Spaven (Pitlochry) (8)

70 D McGregor (St Andrews) (14), G Tough (Edzell) (+1).
71 J Smith (Charleton) (3), D Wilson (Monifieth) (5).
72 R Baldie (Crieff) (7), W Crosbie (Blairgowrie) (5).

 

Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchen Express Midland Golfers’ Alliance Championship in April at Monifieth Links

 

F. Mann                       P, Carnoustie

A. McLeods                 Alloa, 6

N. Anderson                Monifieth, Scr

D. Wilson                     Monifieth, 5

D. Spaven                    Pitlochry, 8

 

 

Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchen Express McQueen Shield at Monifieth Links in April

 

A. McLeod                   Alloa, 6

 

Next Week

Tuesday 17^th

Crail (Balcomie Links)

Shotgun at 10.30

 

SCOTT JAMIESON DEFENDS NELSON MANDELA CHAMPIONSHIP

                                           FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Defending champion Scott Jamieson, pictured by courtesy of Getty Images(c), admits it would be an honour to retain his Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS HANDA title in South Africa.
The tournament takes place at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club in Durban in the same week the former president will be laid to rest after his death at the age of 95.
The event has been brought forward a day to begin on Wednesday to ensure its conclusion does not clash with Mandela's funeral on Sunday.
Jamieson, following his promotion from The Challenge Tour in 2010, won the inaugural tournament 12 months ago for his maiden European Tour victory in a rain-shortened 36-hole event.
He knows it will be a tough ask to repeat the feat but having finished in the money 20 times in 31 tournaments in 2013 he feels his game has improved.
"Off the back of last year, I can only be more confident," he told BBC Radio Scotland ahead of the final European Tour event of the calendar year.
"Every year on tour I've progressed. Last year, I got to play in two Majors and a World Golf Championship event.
"It's great to have any tournament carry Nelson Mandela's name.
"Obviously being so close to his sad passing last week, it definitely adds an edge to the tournament.
"To be able to retain it would be fantastic and certainly would be an incredible honour.
"I think the competition's going to be fierce, especially, I imagine, among a lot of the South Africans.
"It's going to be a tough week, but I'm looking forward to the challenge."

GOLF AND TEA WITH SIR BOB CHARLES BUT CHRISTCHURCH IS STILL A DISMAL SIGHT POST-EARTHQUAKES

Email from New Zealand

By JIM HARDIE 
Aberdeen businessman-golfer who spends every winter in New
Zealand, playing golf with ... Sir Bob Charles
 
Greetings from the Antipodes. Hope you are surviving the early winter blasts
I have returned once again to a dismal sight called Christchurch. It is very stressful, as a once beautiful city continues a battle to re-build after the earthquakes!

The city sky line reminds one of earlier boom days on the Costa del Sol, simply awash with high cranes of all descriptions.
Traffic in the inner city is simply horrendous: one-way systems, traffic cones by the millions, and total disorientation the order of the day, as so many buildings have een demolished it's difficult to gauge exactly where you are.
Golf course redesign is going on all over the place also, but sadly a lot of golf clubs in New Zealand are in dire financial trouble !
Had a  couple of games with Sir Bob Charles (pictured below - that's Jim Hardie pictured above) who continues to amaze all with the longevity of his game, and now of course very seldom shoots any where as high as his age. He simply breaks par just about every round

I had, of course, wished that the apparent success of both my rotator cuff operations would somehow have perhaps signalled the late arrival of some sort of Indian summer in my career. Sadly, the opposite has kicked in. Very disappointing so far.
Went for a meal the other night with Sir Bob and Lady Verity. It was very nice. Sir Bob said to me "You cannot miss the restaurant." He was correct. It is the only building standing for about 500 yards in all directions. Eerie!
I go down south later this week, and my other pastime, trout fishing, hopefully will be more productive
I wish all my friends back home and Golfview.com readers a Merry Christman and best wishes for 2014
Best regards
 
Jim Hardie
 
PS Any readers contemplating an Antipodean holiday should take plenty of money with them. The cost of living at both Aussie and Kiwi exchange rates is pretty brutal.