MARTIN LAIRD RECOVERS FROM DREADFUL START FOR TOP 20 PLACE

BY THE LEFT ... BUBBA WATSON LEADS 

BY TWO SHOTS IN PHOENIX OPEN

American left-hander Bubba Watson will carry a two-shot lead into Sunday's final round of this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Phoenix Open at Scottsdale, Arizona.

Watson, pictured, has shot 64, 66 and 68 for a 15-under-par tally of 198 over the par-71 lay-out.
He has shaken off second-round co-leader Aussie Matt Jones who had a third-round 72 for 202 and is now down in joint sixth place, four shots off the pace.
Watson's nearest threat is Craig Stadler's son Kevin who has shot 65, 68 and 67 for 200.
Sharing third place on 201 at Americans Ryan Moore (66-71-64) and Harris English (65-67-69) and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (66-67-68).
Scotland's Martin Laird dropped back to joint 19th place with scores of 67, 68 and 71 for seven-under-par 206.
You have to shoot in the 60s at this level or you go backwards on the leaderboard.
But give Laird his due for a gutsy performance.
He had a dreadful start ... double bogey 6 at the second and bogeys at the third and and fourth to be four-over-par for the day standing on the fifth tee.
But the Glasgow exile steadied the ship with five straight pars to turn in 39.
Then the fireworks started. He came romping hom in four-under-par 32 with birdies at the 10th, short 12th, long 13th and long 15th.
Laird had a better third-round score than Phil Mickelson, sore back and all. The left-hander shot a 72 after rounds of 71 and 67 to be T40 on 210.
Notable European names to failed to beat the halfway cut included Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.

RECORD CROWDS AS WATSON ON
VERGE OF LEADING WIRE-TO-WIRE
 
GOLF CHANNEL REPORT
By WILL GRAY
Scores were again low Saturday amid record crowds at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, though the leaderboard received a bit of a reshuffle by day's end. Here's how things look after three rounds at TPC Scottsdale, where Bubba Watson is on the verge of going wire-to-wire:
Leaderboard:
Bubba Watson (-15), Kevin Stadler (-13), Ryan Moore (-12), Harris English (-12), Hideki Matsuyama (-12), Hunter Mahan (-11)
What it means: Watson saw his lead grow to four shots at one point during the round but forfeited nearly all of it before cementing his spot atop the standings with a remarkable birdie on the 17th hole. The southpaw was erratic off the tee, including hitting a shot under a bush at the 13th (where he received a free drop), but escaped from most of his miscues unscathed, and now stands just 18 holes away from his first US PGA Tour title since putting on the green jacket at Augusta National in 2012.
Round of the day: After a Friday 74, Brendan Steele was closer to the cut line than the leaderboard in Phoenix, but that changed quickly, thanks to a 9-under 62 for the third round. Steele notched nine birdies without dropping a shot, firing the lowest round so far this week and in the process reached 11 under, putting himself in good shape to record a third straight top-10 finish at this event.
Best of the rest: Like Steele, Moore made it around TPC Scottsdale without a bogey during the third round, holing seven birdies in total for a 64. A winner earlier this season in Malaysia, Moore closed in style with six birdies on the back nine, and as a result will begin the final round just three shots off the pace as he looks for his second win in his last five starts.
Biggest disappointment: Australian Matt Jones entered with a share of the 36-hole lead but was unable to get anything going Saturday, settling for a 1-over 72 that sent his name down the leaderboard. Jones made four bogeys across a five-hole stretch from Nos. 11-15 and, despite closing his round with back-to-back birdies, now finds himself four shots off the pace as he looks to win for the first time on the US PGA Tour.
Main storyline heading into Sunday: The big story remains Watson, who has had at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds. Closing the deal Sunday won't be easy, though, as the chasing pack includes two players with wins already under their belt this season: Moore, a seasoned veteran, and English, arguably one of the game's brightest rising stars. 
Stadler will also be a name to watch as he looks to win for the first time and join his father Craig in the field at The Masters this spring


THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71) Players from USA unless stated
198 Bubba Watson 64 66 68
200 Kevin Stadler 65 68 67
201 Ryan Moore 66 71 64, Harris English 65 67 69, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 66 67 68
202 Brendan Steele 66 74 62, Hunter Mahan 66 71 65, Matt Jones (Australia) 65 65 72

SELECTED SCORES
206 Martin Laird (Scotland) 67 68 71 (T19)
208 David Lynn (England) 72 66 70 (T29)
210 Phil Mickelson 71 67 72 9T40)
211 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 69 68 74, Brian Davis (England) 72 69 70, Martin Kaymer (Germany) 69 71 71 (T54).

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AND CHECK
THE SCORECARDS

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SCOTS SCOTT AND ROSS WELL DOWN FIELD IN GEORGIA

STUDENT FROM LEICESTER SHARING 

LEAD IN JONES CUP INVITATIONAL

Gregory from Leicester, a senior-year student at Central Florida University, is sharing the lead after two rounds of the Jones Cup Invitational over the Ocean Forest Golf Club course in Georgia.

The 6ft 2in Englishman, pictured, has had rounds of 70 and 74 for level par 144 and shares the pole position with two Americans, Bryson Dechambeau (74-70) and Mike McCoy (73-71).
There is another Englishman in the top 20 with a round to go and that is Kentucky student Ben Stow in T14 position on 147 with scores of 73-74.
David Boote, a Stanford University, California student from Wales, is T16 on 148 (72-76).
You have to go pretty far down the quality field of 90 players to find the two Scots in it.
Ewan Scott (St Andrews), a former Scottish youths champion who is a first-year student at Tennessee-Chattanooga University, is T61 on 154 after scores of 76 and 78.
John Ross (Houston University and a Royal Burgess member in Edinburgh) is T81 with scores of 76 and 83 adding up to 159.

SECOND ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72) Yardage 7,321
Players from USA unless stated otherwise
144 Gregory Eason (England) 70 74, Bryson Dechambeau 74 70, Mike McCoy 73 71
145 Seb Cappelen 73 72, Corey Conners 72 73, Andrew Dorn 72 73, Scottie Scheffer 74 71

OTHER BRITISH SCORES
147 Ben Stow (England) 73 74 (T14)
148 David Boote (Wales) 72 76 (T16)
150 Mike Hearne (England) 75 75 (T29)
151 Gavin Moynihan (Ireland) 77 74, Ben Taylor (England) 78 73(T37)
152 Richard James (Wales) 76 76 (T43)
153 Seb Crookall-Nixon (England) 77 76, Garrick Porteous (England) 77 76 (T53)
154 Ewan Scott (Scotland) 76 78 (T61)
157 J J Grey (England) 78 79 (T76)
159 James Ross (Scotland) 76 83 (T81)
163 Matthew Moseley (Wales) 87 76 (T89).
Field of 90 players

Another Alliance golf fixture is cancelled = and we've not had snow yet!

SPEY BAY NORTH SCOTTISH ALLIANCE 

COMPETITION FLOODED OFF

Alliance golf fixtures are having a hard time of it.
The last two North-east Alliance competitions - at Fraserburgh and Newburgh-on-Ythan - have been
cancelled because of excess water on the course.
Now comes news from secretary Alan Cowie that today's North Scottish Golfers' Alliance fixture at Spey Bay was abandoned due to seawater flooding the 10th fairway and green along with the 15th green and making an island of the eighth tee.
Swim for it, boys!

DESIGNED OVER 600 COURSES IN LONG AND DISTINGUISHED CAREER

Golf architect Larry Packard, 101, dies

FROM GOLF WEEK WEBSITE
Larry Packard, one of the most prolific golf course architects of the post-World War II era, died on January  28 at his home at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida. Packard was 101.

E Lawrence ("Larry") Packard was best known for designing and working on over 600 golf courses, including the famed Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, which is a favorite of US PGA Tour players. Mr. Packard, a longtime Innisbrook resident, enjoyed a long and distinguished career.

Read more about Larry Packard:

Mr. Packard’s Life Story
To view the names of some of the courses Larry built,
CLICK HERE

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS MATCH WITH HERO MOTOR GROUP CEO

TIGER INDIA-BOUND FOR A PRIVATE MATCH THAT WILL EARN HIM A FEW  DOLLARS MORE
FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
Tiger Woods won't be going back to the U.S. directly after Sunday's final round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The World No. 1 says he will be heading to India for the first time.
But it's still all business, as he'll be playing a non-public, 18-hole match with Pawan Munjal, the CEO and managing director of Hero Motor Group, according to the Associated Press. The company makes motorcycles and scooters.
The match will take place at the Delhi Golf Club, also the site of the Indian Open.
“(US PGA Tour pro) Arj (Arjun Atwal) has been asking me to come to India, but somehow it never happened. Now it has,” Woods told GolfXYZ.com.
“Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, finally going to go (to India) for my first time.”
Woods says he met Munjal at the Tavistock Cup in Orlando, Florida.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tiger's appearance fee at a tournament is somewhere in the region of $3million, give or take a $million or two. So Woods will make more from this trip to India than the vast majority of tour pros make in a season, maybe in their golfing careers! Nice "work" if you can get it.

TOUGHER OVER HERE THAN IN THE STATES, SAYS EURO TOUR ROOKIE

KOEPKA PLANS TO STAY ON EUROPEAN 

TOUR TO BROADEN HIS EXPERIENCE

(Reuters) - The golfing odyssey of Brooks Koepka (pictured above) has taken him to more than 20 countries on the European Tour but the tanned American is brushing homesickness to one side as he vows to learn his craft on the circuit.
The 23-year-old's unusual career strategy appears to be working, with the easy-going Floridian in Saturday's final third-round pairing at the Dubai Desert Classic alongside world number six Rory McIlroy.
Koepka started brightly with four birdies and a solitary dropped shot on the front nine but found the going harder after the turn as he carded a 70 for a 12-under aggregate of 204, four adrift of leader Stephen Gallacher and two behind McIlroy.
"I'm bad with jet-lag, you'll laugh at me but I'm terrible," the American told reporters. "It's tough trying to talk to friends and family.
"I don't want to say it's easy in the States but it's harder over here. It's good though, learning how to play golf and also learning about myself too."
It was the first time the world number 93 had played with McIlroy, 24, but he said he was not overawed having also partnered his idol Tiger Woods at last year's U.S. PGA Championship.
"When I was playing with Tiger I got caught watching. I've got to know Rory a little bit over the past few months and it's been fun," said Koepka.
"I have learned not to watch when playing, no matter who my playing partner is. You've got to focus on what you're doing."
Koepka is a rapid player, striding between shots as if he is desperate to get a club back in his hand.
He did not bother to mark his ball on some greens on Saturday, simply taking a moment to compose himself before striking his putt.
"The greens are so good, from three feet if you start on line it just goes in," said Koepka.
"Guys over-analyse a lot. You know where the pin is, you've played four rounds on this golf course - it shouldn't take that long."
McIlroy and Koepka, who laughed and joked as they walked down the third fairway, were born within a year of each other but their standings in the game could hardly be more different.
The Northern Irishman won his first tour event as a teenager and has already had victories in the U.S. Open and the U.S. PGA Championship.
Koepka turned professional in 2012 as he earned his stripes on Europe's second-tier Challenger Tour, winning four events before joining the main circuit in July.
The third-generation Czech said he had no plans to switch to the U.S. Tour.
"I will stay over here for a little bit and learn, do exactly what Adam Scott did," added Koepka, referring to the world number two from Australia.
"He's somebody I've looked up to and hopefully I can get to number two or three in the world," said a laughing Koepka.

GALLACHER EQUALS EUROPEAN TOUR RECORD WITH INWARD 28

   Stephen Gallacher recovers from a bunker during his third round. Picture by courtesy of 
                                                      Getty Images(c)

 A GOLFING FEAST OF STEPHEN: 10 

UNDER PAR FOR 10 HOLES


REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
The joint lowest back nine to par in European Tour history has put Stephen Gallacher in pole position to successfully defend his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title.

The Bathgate Scot, nephew of Bernard Gallacher, who started the day on seven under par, was finding the going tough in the early stages of day three, but blitzed his next ten holes in ten under par to sign for a round of 63 and finish two shots clear of Rory McIlroy on 16 under par. 

By coming home in nine under par 28, he equalled the lowest score to par set first by Spaniard José Maria Cañizares in the 1978 Swiss Open, and later matched by Swede Joakim Haeggman in the 1997 Alfred Dunhill Cup and England’s Simon Khan at the 2004 Celtic Manor Wales Open.

Gallacher will have the chance to create yet more history on the final day, when he will bid to become the first player to successfully defend the Omega Dubai Desert Classic title. 

He said: “I don’t know where to start. I struggled at the start to be honest. I was a  bit ropey for the first three or four holes. Then I hit a good shot into the seventh, but missed the putt.

“I bogeyed eight, and was feeling out of sorts but then I hit a beautiful drive and seven iron to about three feet on the ninth, and from then on, I just never missed a shot. It’s the best back nine I’ve had here, by far.” 

Gallacher will be joined in the final group by McIlroy, who signed for a 69 for a 14 under par aggregate total.

The Northern Irishman opened with a bogey but bounced back immediately with a second hole birdie followed by an eagle at the next. 

He gave a shot back at the sixth, but after rallying with a brace of birdies on the back nine, a second career victory in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic is well within reach for the World Number Seven.

He said: “I played okay. I felt like I could’ve hit a few more fairways and holed a few more putts, but two shots behind going into tomorrow isn’t bad. I’ve been in similar positions before and came out on top, so hopefully I can do it again.  

“What Stevie [Gallacher] did was phenomenal. I didn’t know he was ten under for the last ten holes.  That’s some golf right there, especially as you’ve got some tough holes on the back nine. So that’s very, very impressive.” 

McIlroy’s playing partner Brooks Koepka had looked like mounting a strong challenge after covering his first 13 holes in four under par, but back-to-back bogeys from the 14^th stalled his momentum, and he had to settle for a round of 70 and a 12 under par aggregate total.

Koepka shares third place with another of The European Tour’s rising stars, Thorbjørn Olesen, who surged through the field courtesy of a round of 65. 

Tiger Woods will require a miraculous final round if he is to prevail for a third time after the World No. 1 signed for a round of 72 which left him in a tie for 37^th place on five under par. 
+SCROLL DOWN FOR ANOTHER VIEWPOINT ON THE THIRD DAY'S PLAY

 

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)

200 S Gallacher (Sco) 66 71 63

202 R McIlroy  (NIr) 63 70 69

204 B Koepka  (USA) 69 65 70; T Olesen (Den) 71 68 65

205 E Molinari  (Ita) 65 72 68; R Rock (Eng) 67 70 68; S Webster (Eng) 71 70 64

206 R Kakko  (Fin) 69 69 68

207 D Fichardt (RSA) 69 72 66; D Van Der Walt (RSA) 72 70 65; E Grillo (Arg) 71 67 69; J Donaldson (Wal) 69 68 70; D McGrane (Irl) 66 70 71

208 T Jaidee (Tha) 68 69 71; B Wiesberger  (Aut) 70 70 68; P Waring  (Eng) 70 70 68; R Wattel  (Fra) 68 73 67; R Sterne  (RSA) 66 73 69

209 J Luiten (Ned) 70 69 70; C Montgomerie  (Sco) 70 70 69; P Casey  (Eng) 70 72 67; A Wall (Eng) 74 66 69; F Molinari (Ita) 69 69 71; M Crespi  (Ita) 69 71 69; S Hansen (Den) 67 71 71; M Baldwin (Eng) 66 74 69; D Willett  (Eng) 71 65 73; R Jacquelin (Fra) 69 71 69

210 C Doak (Sco) 71 68 71; T Björn (Den) 72 70 68; J Van Zyl (RSA) 71 68 71; S Kjeldsen (Den) 68 71 71; H Otto (RSA) 68 73 69; M Madsen  (Den) 71 67 72; B Rumford (Aus) 69 70 71; J Campillo (Esp) 68 72 70

211 S Kim (SKor) 70 69 72; P Lawrie (Sco) 68 71 72; T Woods (USA) 68 73 70; R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 71 69 71; M Ilonen  (Fin) 69 72 70; S Hend (Aus) 69 72 70; L Slattery (Eng) 70 71 70; R Karlsson (Swe) 73 67 71; P Larrazábal (Esp) 74 68 69; S Dyson  (Eng) 69 69 73

212 M Siem  (Ger) 72 67 73; E De La Riva  (Esp) 70 70 72; M Carlsson  (Swe) 69 69 74; F Zanotti (Par) 72 70 70; S Kapur (Ind) 72 70 70; S Jamieson  (Sco) 73 69 70; S Benson (Eng) 72 70 70; M Kieffer (Ger) 71 70 71; S Noh (SKor) 69 72 71; C Wood  (Eng) 73 69 70; G Bourdy (Fra) 71 68 73; H Stenson (Swe) 70 67 75; J Walters (RSA) 69 68 75

213 J Quesne  (Fra) 66 70 77; K Broberg (Swe) 71 69 73

214 G Havret  (Fra) 70 72 72; F Couples (USA) 70 71 73

215 C Del Moral (Esp) 70 72 73; G Stal  (Fra) 74 68 73; A Quiros  (Esp) 69 72 74; M Hoey  (NIr) 70 72 73; A Cañizares  (Esp) 74 67 74

217 A Levy (Fra) 69 72 76; J Lima  (Por) 71 71 75

218 T Lewis (Eng) 71 69 78
   

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SIMON GRIFFITHS WINS ASIAN TOUR Q SCHOOL STAGE 1 BY 14 SHOTS

REPORT FROM ASIAN TOUR
Hua Hin, Thailand: A total of 32 players from the Asian Tour Qualifying School First Stage Section A progressed to the Final Stage after they made the grade on Saturday.
Simon Griffiths of England led a total of 10 players from the Royal Thai Army Sports Centre to the Final Stage which will be held at the Imperial Lakeview Golf Club and Springfield Royal Country Club from February 12 to 15.
The 41-year-old posted an even-par 72 for a four-day total of 16-under-par 272 to close with a sizzling 14-shot victory over American Jeff Rangel, Mathiam Keyser of Russia, Mitchell Brown of Australia and Indian amateur Karan Taunk who signed for matching 286s.
At the Imperial Lakeview Golf Club, Japan’s Ryoma Yamagata fired a 64 to tie at the top with Australian Matt Jager who returned with a 67. The duo compiled matching total of 272s to ensure their safe passage into the Final Stage, together with 19 other players.
The First Stage Section B will be played at the Imperial Lakeview Golf Club, Royal Thai Army Sports Center and Springfield Royal Country Club next week from February 5-8.
After four rounds, the top 17% players from each venue will qualify for the all-important Final Stage where the top-40 and ties will earn their playing rights on the new 2014 Asian Tour season.
Ends.
For full Rd 4 Royal Thai results, click here.

For full Rd 4 Imperial Lakeview results, click here.

DEFENDING CHAMPION SHOWS HIS CLASS IN THIRD ROUND

GALLACHER'S BRILLIANT NINE HOLES TAKE HIM INTO A TWO-SHOT LEAD OVER RORY McILROY

FROM THE GOLF CHANNEL WEBSITE
By WILL GRAY
Apparently Stephen Gallacher isn't quite ready to relinquish the trophy at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Here's how things look after three rounds at Emirates GC, where the defending champ is again atop the leaderboard after a magical back nine:
Leaderboard: Stephen Gallacher (-16), Rory McIlroy (-14), Brooks Koepka (-12), Thorbjorn Olesen (-12), Edoardo Molinari (-11), Robert Rock (-11)
What it means: Gallacher entered the day four shots off the pace, but he rocketed to the top spot with a 63 Saturday that tied McIlroy for the low round of the week. After playing with the Ulsterman in each of the first two rounds, Gallacher will now play once more alongside McIlroy on Sunday - this time in the final pairing, with the trophy on the line.
Round of the day: Improbably, Gallacher stood on the ninth tee 1 over for the day and seemingly out of contention before putting together one of the best stretches of play in years. 
Over the next 10 holes, the Scot carded eight birdies, an eagle on the par-5 13th and just a single par. Gallacher closed with four straight birdies to card a 9-under 28 on the back nine and grab the lead from McIlroy, who was atop the standings after each of the first two days.
Best of the rest: Compared to Gallacher's effort, Steve Webster's 7-under 30 on the inward half seems downright mediocre. The Englishman carded an 8-under 64 to move into a tie for fifth, including eight birdies and an eagle across his final 13 holes, and as a result will tee it up in the final round just five shots off of Gallacher's blistering pace.
Biggest disappointment: Reigning Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup champ Henrik Stenson appeared poised to contend this weekend after a 5-under 67 in the second round put him just four shots behind McIlroy - and even with Gallacher. While the Scot went low, Stenson stumbled to a 3-over 75 Saturday to fall into a tie for 47th, well out of contention. The Swede began the day with two birdies in his first three holes but things fell apart from there, as Stenson played his final five holes in 4 over.
Main storyline heading into Sunday: While Olesen and Koepka remain very much within striking distance, it may turn into a shootout Sunday between the 2009 Dubai champ (McIlroy) and the man who hoisted the trophy a year ago. Gallacher knows what it takes to win at Emirates and is familiar with the spotlight after 36 holes with McIlroy and world No. 1 Tiger Woods earlier this week. 
The Ulsterman, meanwhile, is looking to continue the momentum created by his late-season win last year in Australia and hopes to make up for a bitter runner-up finish two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.
THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
200 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 66 71 63
202 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 63 70 69
204 Brooks Koepka (USA) 69 65 70, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 71 68 65

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
209 Colin Montgomerie 70 70 69 (T19)
210 Chris Doak 71 68 71 (T29)
211 Paul Lawrie 68 71 72 (T376)
212 Scott Jamieson 73 69 70 (T47)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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