GALLCHER, LAWRIE LOSE AS EUROPE TRAIL 3-1 TO ASIAN IN ROYAL TROPHY

NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR
José María Olazábal`s European Team found the going tough as Asia dominated the opening day foursomes in Guangzhou to build a 3-1 lead in the Royal Trophy.
Thai pair Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat beat Scots Stephen Gallacher and Paul Lawrie 5 and 3 in the lead-off game before Japanese duo Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryo Ishikawa edged out Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger 3 and 2.
The Asian team then went 3-0 up when K T Kim and Kim Hyung-Sung of Korea saw off the challenge of Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and Spain's Alvaro Quiros with a 4 and 2 win.
Englishman David Howell and Scot Marc Warren pulled a point back, however, a 2 and 1 success over China's Liang Wen-chong and Wu Ashun seeing Europe avoid a foursomes whitewash at the Dragon Lake Golf Club.
The highlight of the day came in that final clash as Warren holed out from the bunker for a winning birdie on the par five eighth.
"It was a bad day for us. We didn't expect that start," said Olazábal.
"Now we have to be spot-on for the last two days - and that's our goal. We have to play aggressively and go for it. We do not have much room to manoeuvre."

US WALKER CUP TEAM STAND-OUT KIM TURNS PROFESSIONAL

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE USGA
By DAVID SHEFTER
FAR HILLS, New Jersey  – Michael Kim, a member of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup team and the low amateur at this year’s U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, has announced he will turn professional and forego his final 1½ years of college eligibility at the University of California-Berkeley.

He will make his pro debut at the US PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open, to be held January 23-26 at Torrey Pines Golf Course near his Del Mar, California home.

 Kim, a graduate of Torrey Pines High, received a sponsor’s exemption to play in the event. After earning conditional Web.com Tour status for the 2014 season at the recently completed Q-School Finals at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., Kim decided the timing was right to enter the professional ranks.
This past season at Cal, Kim became the first Golden Bear to garner national player of the year honors when he won both the Jack Nicklaus and Haskins awards. In June, he helped the USA to a victory at the Palmer Cup at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club; one week later, was the low amateur at the U.S. Open.
In July, he was the runner-up to Walker Cup teammate Jordan Niebrugge at the U.S. Amateur Public Links at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Va., dropping a 1-down decision in the 36-hole final.
By playing 72 holes at the U.S. Open, Kim was exempt into the second stage of Web.com Tour Q-School, where he easily advanced to the finals, which concluded on Dec. 17. 
Kim was in contention to earn exempt Web.com Tour status (top 45 and ties) before struggling in the final two rounds to finish tied for 56th.
"I didn't have that much to gain from college at this point," Kim told Golfweek. 
"Kind of bummed I never got to win an NCAA Championship. But I feel like I am ready to take the next step."
Kim, who posted a 3-0-0 record in the USA’s 17-9 Walker Cup win at the National Golf Links of America in September, will join former California Univeresity and 2013 Walker Cup teammate Max Homa on the Web.com Tour. Homa tied for sixth at Q-School.
“Michael has left a fabulous legacy at Cal and will always be a great Golden Bear,” Cal coach Steve Desimone said in a release from the school. “We wish him all the best in his professional career.”

MCGINLEY PROMISES PLAYERS HE WON'T WRITE A RYDER CUP BOOK

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

Paul McGinley has vowed not to cash in on his stint as Ryder Cup captain by writing a book detailing what goes on behind the scenes at Gleneagles.

Mark James and Paul Azinger are among the previous captains to have gone into print about their time in charge of Europe and the United States in 1999 and 2008 respectively, but McGinley will not follow suit.

"I want the players to know that what happens behind the scenes next year stays there and they can be free and open," McGinley said today. "I won't write a book." 

McGinley was also careful not to reveal too much of what happened in the European team room in Chicago last year, when as vice-captain he witnessed first-hand the events which sparked the 'Miracle at Medinah' Jose Maria Olazabal's side trailed 10-4 on Saturday afternoon until Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, and Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter saw off Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson on the 18th green to reduce the deficit.

That led to Poulter's famous comment to his team-mates that 'We have a pulse' and the following day Europe completed a record comeback from 10-6 down to win by a single point and retain the trophy.
"We had a team meeting on Saturday night around 10pm which lasted for 20 minutes and if you had sat and observed a team that was four points behind, you would have come out and called your bookie to find out what their odds were," McGinley added before receiving the 2013 PGA recognition award for his outstanding service and contribution to the game of golf.
"It was not a case of 'Braveheart' and standing on chairs but there was a feeling in the room that this was achievable."
McGinley has been part of three winning Ryder Cup teams as a player, holing the winning putt at The Belfry in 2002 and then during the record nine-point victories at Oakland Hills in 2004 and the K Club in 2006.
But the Dubliner is grateful that he experienced the sensation of being well behind at Medinah as he looks to secure an eighth European win in the past 10 contests next September.
"It was horrible to be on the receiving end of an American onslaught but that was such a wonderful Ryder Cup for me in terms of my experience point of view," McGinley added.
"We had never been behind the way we were at Medinah.
"I'm glad it happened that way because I have that experience to fall back on and I learnt a lot from Jose Maria on Friday and Saturday night."
McGinley also has the experience of playing a Ryder Cup on home soil in 2006 and wants to see some Scottish players on his team for Gleneagles, but has warned the likes of Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and Marc Warren that they must earn a place.

ISAACS IN THE MONEY IN SPAIN BUT ST JOHN CRASHES OUT WITH AN 83

Scots Malcolm Isaacs and Blake St John had contrasting fortunes in the final round of the Spanish Gecko Pro Tour 36-hole event at Aloha Golf Club on the Costa del Sol today.

Isaacs, pictured, attached to the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, notched an eagle 3 at the long 16th and finish joint 12th on 147 (72-75) and earn 325 Euros.

Glasgow rookie St John, poised to gain is first prize money as a pro after an opening round of two-under-par 70, crashed to a second round 83 for 153 and plummeted to a final placing of joint 32nd - well outside the money list.

He had no birdies in his final round and the lowlight among the frequent bogeys was a  double bogey 7 at the long seventh.

Spaniards continue to monopolise the Gecko Tour. Marcos Pastor, joint halfway leader with Englishman Rod Bastard, edged to victory and a 2,000 Euros pay-out with a final round of 73 for 139 - one ahead of Bastard who closed with a 74 and had to settle for 1,000 Euros.
Pastor had four birdies in a row - 10-11-12-13 - in his final round.

SPANISH GECKO TOUR

Aloha Golf Club, Costa del Sol.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

139 Marcos Pastor (Spa) 66 73

140 Rod Bastard (Eng) 66 74

142 Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 69 73, Manual Quiros (Spa) 69 73, Raul Quiros Rodriguez (Spa) 69 73.

145 Tomas Jesus Munoz (Spa) 73 72

146 Marcus Armitage (Eng) 73 73, Marc Dobias (Den) 70 76, Jason Kelly (Eng) 70 76, Alexander Knappe (Ger) 68 78, Gervasio Cuquejo Merchan (Spa) 68 78

SCOTS' TOTALS

147 Malcolm Isaacs 72 75 (T12)

153 Blake St John 70 83 (T32)

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE

PETER SENIOR RETAINS AUSSIE PGA LEGENDS' TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE AUSTRALIAN PGA WEBSITE
Peter Senior has made it back-to-back Australian PGA Legends Tour Championships with a dominant victory at Byron Bay Golf Club. 

Senior finished ten shots clear of his nearest rival after rounds of 65, 65 and 71 for a 15-under-par total of 201.
Playing near flawless golf, Senior (pictured) showed to class that has made him a household name in Australian golf and a feature player on the US Champions Tour.
“I played great the first two days. The course is in great shape and a real joy to play”
Senior's only two bogeys for the entire tournament came in his third and final round. However; the title was never in doubt with the consistent and composed Senior cruising to victory.
“Today was a struggle but I scrambled well. If Gary (Burmister) had made a few more birdies early it might have been different but I couldn’t fault my game over the first two days”.
Burmester finished in outright second, posting the best final round with a two under par round of 70 which highlighted the test of golf offered by the Byron Bay course.
The tournament is the final event of the 2013 EZGO Legends Series which also culminated with David Merriman (NSW) winning the Order of Merit after an impressive year on the circuit. Merriman’s earnings have seen him finish up the season with total earnings of $64,521.47 for 2013.
After a well deserved break over Christmas, players will commence the 2014 circuit with the Col Crawford BMW Legends Pro-Am at Bayview Golf Club on January 13.

 

TWELVE EUROPEAN TOUR MEMBERS INVITED TO 2014 MASTERS

NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR
Victor Dubuisson's superb end to the season sees him rewarded with a place in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National for the first time as 12 European Tour members secured an invite to the year's first Major championship after the final Official World Golf Ranking of the season was published.
Dubuisson was in spectacular form at the end of the 2013 season which included his first European Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and third place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, for a sixth place finish in the Race to Dubai.
He went on to finish 32nd in the world, which brought him inside the top 50 for the first time in his career which guarantees his spot in the opening Major of 2014.
Dubuisson has only qualified for one Major in his career so far, the 2010 Open Championship which he played in as an amateur but will make his debut as a professional in April.
Dubuisson joins fellow European Tour Members Thomas Björn, Jamie Donaldson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Francesco Molinari, Matteo Manassero, David Lynn, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hanson, Joost Luiten and Branden Grace as well as Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and American Rickie Fowler as the 14 players who secured their invites.
The field for The Masters already sits at 90 players, raising the possibility of more than 100 players participating for the first time in nearly 50 years - 103 took part in 1966.
Players who are not already qualified can do so by winning one of the early season PGA Tour events (not the Puerto Rico Open) or being in the top 50 at the end of March, a week before the event takes place.

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