SCOTS LEGEND HEADS INTERNATIONAL FIELD OF 114 AT PANMURE

SANDY LYLE MAKES WINNING DEBUT 

IN WORLD HICKORY OPEN 

 Sandy Lyle .. a champion again! Pictures by Gillian Kirkwood.

Former Major champion Sandy Lyle made a winning debut in the 10th World Hickory Open golf championship at Panmure Golf Club this week (Tuesday-Wednesday).
The Scot headed an international field of 114 competitors by three strokes with scores of 74 and 69 for a total of 143
Runners-up on 146 were Norfolk-based pro Andrew Marshall (76-70) and defending champion Paolo Quirci (72-74), a Swiss pro who specialises in hickory golf.

“I am very honoured to have won the World Hickory Open 2014,” said Sandy, who was the first British winner of The Masters after winning the Open at Royal St George's.

 “I came into the tournament quite late when I decided that, as I was in this corner of Scotland for the Dunhill, staying on for the World Hickory Open would be a great opportunity to test my hickory skills, while also helping to advance hickory golf in Scotland.

“It’s been a very good experience which certainly got my ticker going, especially over the last two or three holes of the last round, which were very nerve wracking.”

At the presentation, WHO chairman Lionel Freedman cheekily announced that Sandy had won another Major!

Lyle has been playing hickory golf for almost three years. 

“I have a great love for hickory golf, which is about playing hickory on courses like Panmure,” continued Sandy. “I’ll hopefully be back to defend my title when the World Hickory Open is played over the Carnoustie championship links next year.”

Handicap winner Jim Rohr from Pinehurst, North Carolina also won the Veterans’ category. 

“It feels pretty good to be going home with two trophies the first time I’ve played in the World Hickory Open,” said Jim, who only took up hickory golf a year ago. 

“I really enjoy the challenge of hickory golf and the great people I meet.”

Local golfers cleaned up in the ladies' categories, with Claire Penman from Montrose winning the  scratch competition, Sheila Brunton from Carnoustie winning the handicap and Claire, Sheila and Carnoustie’s Pat Sawers clinching the women's team title. 

Over 100 competitors from all over the world participated in the World Hickory Open. In the men's team competition, a team from South African consisting of Paul Adams, Jason Mulroy and Tony Watson were named the winners, while the top place in the Amateur Scratch Competition went to Rymer Smith from The Buckinghamshire.”

David Kirkwood recovers from a bunker ...  no mean feat with a hickory club.

 Full results can be found here scratch.xls