FIRST SHOT IN THE NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE DEBATE

E-mail from Brian Lawrie

North-east Alliance member

Reference the article (Scottishgolfview, March 30) about the lack of pros in the North-east Alliance foursomes and other Alliance topics.
I read the quotes by (Murcar Links head pro) Gary Forbes and was shocked at his self interest. He goes on about slow play and low money, but I notice he never addresses the issue of slow play at all. 
His comments focus on the amount of prize money for the pros. I would support his call for more money if the source were to be from some sort of sponsorship. 
But I would draw the line at the amateurs 'who are the majority'  being expected to pay for the pros' prize fund from increased charges. 

Brian Lawrie

Colin Farquharson writes:
Thanks, Brian, for teeing off the "debate." To be fair to Gary Forbes, he was responding to my question: "Why don't you play in the NE Alliance nowadays?" and his reply was along the lines that play was too slow and he could not afford to spend the best part of five hours away from his pro's shop every Wednesday.
As an afterthought, Gary said he believed the prizemoney was more or less the same as it used to be 10 years ago and that was not an incentive for him to start playing again.
So blame me, not Gary, if my article did not show him up in a good light.
Any more NE Alliance members - pros or amateurs - like to air their views? E-mail them to:
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

TWO SCOTS IN FIELD FOR FIRST MAJOR OF 2014 - SANDY LYLE AND -

STEPHEN GALLACHER DEBUT IN 

MASTERS CONFIRMED


EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Stephen Gallacher was the 36th European Tour Member to secure his place at next week’s Masters Tournament after the field was finalised on Sunday.
Gallacher, pictured, one of five European Tour debutants in action at Augusta National, ensured his starting berth through his place in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
The World Number 37 from Bathgate - nephew of Bernard Gallacher - had all but guaranteed a maiden trip to Georgia with his victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February, but had to wait until Sunday night’s deadline for final confirmation of his invitation to the first Major Championship of the season.
The Scot will be joined at Augusta by his fellow rookies Jonas Blixt of Sweden and Zimbabwe’s Brendon de Jonge, as well as Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and Dutchman Joost Luiten – both of whom, like Gallacher, played their part in Europe’s thrilling 10-10 draw with Asia in last week’s inaugural EurAsia Cup. 
At the other end of the experience spectrum, 15 of the 36 European Tour Members teeing up have sampled Major success, with eight of those having done so at the Masters.
The most recent recipient of the coveted Green Jacket was Charl Schwartzel, who in 2011 produced one of the most memorable finishes in the history of the Masters when he closed with four birdies to usurp the Australian duo of Jason Day and Adam Scott.
Scott gained a measure of revenge last year when he became the first Australian to win the Masters, and the 33 year old from Adelaide is well fancied to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2002 to retain the Green Jacket.   
Scott is currently third favourite for the title, with only Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy ahead of him in the betting.
McIlroy, of course, will again be desperate to banish any lingering memories of his Augusta agony in 2011, when he held a four-shot lead after the third round before suffering a final day collapse.
After a relatively fallow season by his extraordinarily high standards last term, McIlroy has shown glimpses of his best form in the early part of the current campaign, with consecutive top ten finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on The European Tour followed by his runner-up finish in the Honda Classic on the US PGA Tour, where he lost out in a play-off to American Russell Henley.      
Other leading contenders from European shores include World No 3 Henrik Stenson of Sweden, World No 6 Justin Rose of England and World No 8 Sergio Garcia of Spain. 
The 36 European Tour Members who will tee up at Augusta are: 
Thomas Björn, Jonas Blixt, Angel Cabrera, Darren Clarke, Brendon de Jonge, Luke Donald, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher, Joost Luiten, Sandy Lyle, David Lynn, Matteo Manassero, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, José María Olazábal, Thorbjørn Olesen, Ernie Els, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, Sergio Garcia, Branden Grace, Peter Hanson, Trevor Immelman, Thongchai Jaidee, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Martin Kaymer, Bernhard Langer, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Charl Schwartzel, Vijay Singh, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Ian Woosnam. 
The winner of this week’s Shell Houston Open on the US PGA Tour will also secure a late entry to the Masters, meaning the likes of Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington have one last chance to join their fellow European Tour champions at Augusta. 
      
 

SLOWER THANKEVIN NA ... NOW THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING!

 Is Andrew Loupe really that slow? 

Answer from Johnny Miller - YES!

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Luke Kerr-Dineen

The slow play issue once again cast a long shadow during the Valero Texas Open at the weekend. Andrew Loupe, whose strong finish to the 2013 Web.com season earned him a PGA Tour card for 2014, started applying the brakes almost as quickly as he rose into contention.  Loupe's pre-shot routine ranged from 39sec up to 1:15 seconds on Sunday. He was eventually put on the clock by a rules official, but even then, his routine lasted more than 50 seconds, earning him an official warning.

Relative to the rest of the tour, is 39 seconds really that slow? Even 1:15 seconds; how big a deal is that?

We decided to find out by timing video footage of random players' pre-shot routines on drives. The timer started when players were done teeing up the ball, and ended right before they started their swing. Each name on the list had at least two pre-shot routines timed, which were averaged out to the numbers listed.

 (The only numbers that weren't averaged were those of Na, Furyk, Loupe and Scott from the four specified events -- we included those just for interest.)
Here's how it shook out:

Bill Haas: 13 seconds

Angel Cabrera: 14 seconds

Rickie Fowler: 15 seconds

Steve Stricker: 19 seconds

Kevin Na: 19 seconds

Adam Scott 20 (2013 Masters Playoff)

Phil Mickelson: 21 seconds

Dustin Johnson: 21 seconds

Tiger Woods: 22 seconds

Rory McIlroy: 22 seconds

Adam Scott 23 seconds

Jason Dufner: 26 seconds

Matt Kuchar: 29 seconds

Jim Furyk: 31 seconds

Justin Rose: 33 seconds

Andrew Loupe: 39 seconds

Jum Furyk: 57 seconds (2013 PGA Championship)

Kevin Na: 1:10 seconds (2011 Players Championship)

Andrew Loupe: 1.15 seconds (2014 Valero Texas Open)

As you can see, Loupe's 0.39 second routine, relative to the other players on the list, is substantially slower than average. And with that routine seemingly slowing down even more under pressure, it's easy to see people getting increasingly annoyed.

 Johnny Miller seemed to put it best:

"If everyone on Tour played like him I'd quit announcing."

FIFTEEN YEARS' EXPERIENCE OF TURF MANAGEMENT AT CHAMPIONSHIP COURSES

MACHRIHANISH DUNES HIRES SIMON 

FREEMAN AS HEAD GREENKEEPER 

NEWS RELEASE
Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Freeman as its new Head Greenkeeper. Freeman will oversee all day-to-day golf operations at the resort’s U.K. Top-100 seaside links golf course. 
Freeman brings more than 15 years of turf management experience at championship courses to the Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club. Machrihanish Dunes is an award winning, four-star resort in Campbeltown and was recently named ‘Resort Experience of the Year’ by Golf Tourism Scotland, as well as voted ‘Scotland’s Best Experience’ by Bunkered Magazine and listed ‘#1, Top Destinations for Buddy Trips’ by Golf Digest.
Freeman was the Head Greenkeeper at The Machrie on the island of Islay from 1999, where he oversaw the day-to-day running of the business at that historic championship course. 
During his time at The Machrie, Freeman was involved in rebuilding the tees, greens and bunkers, and later, was also heavily involved in the design and oversight of the bunkering at Castletown Links Course on the Isle of Man, a sister course to The Machrie.
Prior to The Machrie, Freeman was Head Greenkeeper at Culcrieff Golf Club, in Perthshire, where he was instrumental in creating a Par 3 course and driving range, and growing in and bringing to maturity three new holes on the Crieff Hydro Course. 
He holds a degree from Elmwood College. As part of his programme of study there he apprenticed at Gleneagles and helped prepare the Centenary Course there for four Bell’s Scottish Opens.
“I am delighted at the prospect of joining the team at Machrihanish Dunes and Southworth Development. I look forward to focusing my energies onto maintaining and where possible improving this magnificent golf course. I particularly look forward to mastering the challenges of working on the West Coast with its alkaline sand and extreme winter weather,” said Simon Freeman.
He will be joined in Campbeltown by his wife Catherine, and sons Bailey and Brandon.
For membership opportunities at Machrihanish Dunes for the 2014 season, please contact membership@machdunes.com.years. For more information on The Village at Machrihanish Dunes or to book reservations, visit
www.machrihanishdunes.com.
###
Southworth Development LLC, through its affiliated companies, is the primary owner, developer and manager of
Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club and luxury accommodations in both Machrihanish and Campbeltown, Scotland.
###

CARNOUSTIE COUNTRY HOSTS TOURNAMENT FOR THIRD TIME

WORLD HICKORY OPEN AT PANMURE 

ON OCTOBER 7-8 

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY Carnoustie Country

This October, the World Hickory Open 2014, an international golf competition celebrating golf’s hickory heritage, will ensure the east of Scotland remains in the global media spotlight after the Ryder Cup. 

This is the third year Carnoustie Country has hosted the World Hickory Open, with this year’s tournament being played on October 7-8 at the world-famous links course at Panmure, on the outskirts of Carnoustie.

“The  World Hickory Open 2013, which was at Montrose, was an outstanding success,” said Lionel Freedman, co-founder and Director of the World Hickory Open, who explained that competitors in this tournament use hickory golf clubs almost identical to those favoured by golfers a century or more ago. 

“The Carnoustie Country courses have a fabulous golfing history which complements hickory golf perfectly,” continued Lionel.

“The golfers who travel from across the globe to compete in the World Hickory Open really appreciate being able to play golf as the game was played in days gone by on such historic courses.” 

Lionel Freedman explained that, following the highly-favourable response to the informal tournament held immediately after the 2013 World Hickory Open between a team of American hickory golfers and a team of international hickory golfers, it had been decided to make this tournament a regular part of the hickory golf calendar. “As a result, we’ll be holding the first World Hickory Grand Match, the International Hickory Cup, at Monifieth Medal on October 9-10,” continued Lionel. 

“The International Hickory Cup will follow a Ryder-Cup-style format, with two teams – Team USA and Team Rest Of The World – competing for a trophy donated by the Society of Hickory Golfers.” 

Scotland’s David Kirkwood is the captain of Team Rest Of The World. “The Grand Match will be a wonderful international occasion – but with a very competitive element,” said David. “Ideally, Team Rest Of The World will come out on top – just!” 

The World Hickory Open 2014 is for amateur and professional golfers and, although experience of hickory golf is helpful, it’s not compulsory. 

Entries cost £240 per golfer, which includes the warm-up competition at Forfar Golf Club, two rounds on Panmure Medal, hire of hickory-shafted clubs and the gala prizegiving dinner, with an additional cost of £120 for the two-day International Hickory Cup at Monifieth Medal. 

To find out more about the World Hickory Open 2014, or to download an entry form, visit www.worldhickoryopen.com. To find out more about the Carnoustie Country 30 golf courses within a 40-minute drive of Carnoustie Championship, including ‘stay and play’ packages, visit www.carnoustiecountry.com, ‘like’ the Carnoustie Country Facebook page or follow Carnoustie Country on Twitter.

 

CHARL SCHWARTZEL SIGNS UP WITH IMG

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) announced today that he has signed with IMG, the world’s leading sports, fashion and media company, for worldwide management and marketing representation.

CONTACT GAVIN AT info@golfscholars.com TO ARRANGE A MEETING

Golf Scholars Update

FROM GAVIN DEAR

I just wanted to drop you a quick email to provide an update about the exciting progress at Golf Scholars. 

We now have well over 200 coach members, who are actively recruiting for 2014, 2015 and 2016 players. There is also key information about the recruitment process that we communicate through our social media, blog articles and excellent outlets like Scottishgolfview.com and Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

An example of this is the need for parents in Scotland to understand the changes in the school system from Standard Grades to National Qualifications and how choices of subjects can affect NCAA eligibility. 

We will be travelling to a number of tournaments throughout the UK this summer, including the Scottish boys championship at West Kilbride, the SLGA U16 girls open championship at Strathmore and The Fairhaven Trophy at Fairhaven Golf Club. We would be delighted to sit down and have an informal chat with any young golfers and their parents who are looking for information about the recruitment process and US college golf. 

If they could contact us at info@golfscholars.com 

we can arrange a time to meet. 

We are also delighted to announce our partnership with the Future Collegians World Tour which is a US-based junior tour. Our partnership will help provide FCWT players with a great platform to help guide their recruitment process and increased information courtesy of the Golf Scholars website (www.golfscholars.com).

Golf Scholars has also developed a relationship with European Tour and Ladies European Tour coach, Sandy Smith. Sandy will be providing blog articles throughout the year on different aspects of the game - a must read for all keen golfers.

Gavin Dear

STRONGEST FIELD FOR SCOTTISH OPEN SHAPING UP FOR BALGOWNIE LINKS

 Darren Clarke (left) and Lee Westwood: Bound for Balgownie. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

CLARKE and WESTWOOD  LATEST

STARS TO ENTER SCOTTISH OPEN

 

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, who between them have amassed 36 European Tour wins, have confirmed they will join one of the strongest fields in the history of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club from July 10-13.

Two of the most decorated players in European golf, Clarke and Westwood are also close friends and have formed one of most formidable Ryder Cup partnerships of recent times, winning six points out of a possible eight when paired together in golf’s greatest team event. 

Clarke, in particular, will be hoping his return to the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open will conjure memories of one of the greatest moments of his career, when he claimed his first Major at The 2011 Open Championship a week after playing in Scotland’s national open.

Clarke, who finished runner up to Edoardo Molinari in 2010, is hoping that he can add a 15th title to his European Tour trophy haul on Scotland’s stunning North East coastline. 

“It is no secret that I love links golf,” said the Northern Irishman. “So to have a new links course on The European Tour’s International Schedule is very exciting for me, and especially at an event with which I feel I have a real affinity.

“The Scottish golf fans are some of the most knowledgeable in the world so it is always a pleasure to return to this event and I hope that I can give them something to shout about.” 

Last year, American Phil Mickelson became the latest player to benefit from the experience of the Scottish links in his quest for Open glory, defeating Branden Grace in a play-off to claim his first  Scottish Open title before going on to earn his fifth Major title and first Claret Jug at Muirfield a week later.

Westwood, the former World Number One and the first winner of The Race to Dubai back in 2009, returns to this event - which he won in 1998 - for the first time in three years. 

The Englishman also has a proven track record in Scotland, having also captured the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the Home of Golf in 2003. 

“I am really looking forward to returning to the Scottish Open,” said Westwood. “It is a course I have never played in competition so it is going to be a new challenge, and I have heard great things about it.

“I think it will also be the perfect place to prepare for The Open Championship and that is one of the reasons why I have made the decision to return this year.

“Of course, being a former winner of this event makes it extra special for me and hopefully I can feed off the positivity that brings and challenge for the title.” 

Defending champion Mickelson, two-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and Jimmy Walker, three-time winner this year on the US PGA Tour, have all confirmed their attendance at what is one of the Tour’s most prestigious events, in which Aberdeen Asset Management and the Scottish Government are key partners.

Special early bird discounts have been extended until Easter Sunday, April 20 to see Clarke, Westwood, Mickelson, McIlroy and a host of other world-class players in action at the 2014 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open over the Balgownie links.  

A season ticket can be purchased for £60 in advance of the tournament, a saving of £20 on admission at the gate. Adult day tickets are currently priced at £25, rising to £35 on the gate.

 

Concessions (60 and over) start at £40 for a season ticket and £15 for any one day tickets if purchased in advance. Under-16s accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge and all car parking is also free. Entrance to the Pro-Am on Wednesday is £8 in advance and £15 on the day.

 

Full ticket information can be found at:  www.aamscottishopen.com and  www.europeantour.com/tickets or telephone Ticket Hotline:  +44 (0) 800 023 2557. Postal enquiries should be sent to: European Tour Tickets, Mirren Court Three, 123 Renfrew Court Three, Paisley, PA3 4EA.

SCOTTISH HYDRO SCRAMBLE A NEW NATIONAL EVENT FOR ALL

McArthur and Pretswell Back Scottish 

Hydro Events for Club Members

                              Left to right: Chris Kelly, George Murray, Duncan Stewart and Andrew McArthur 

 

NEWS RELEASE FROM SGU

Tour pros Andrew McArthur and Pamela Pretswell are backing two exciting major events as part of SSE Scottish Hydro’s sponsorship of the SGU which will give club golfers the dream chance to tee up alongside leading professionals on the European Challenge and Senior Tours. 

The Scottish Hydro Scramble is a new national event open to all SGU and SLGA affiliated club members, giving golfers the opportunity to play as a team with friends or family members of all ages and abilities, while the Scottish Hydro Senior Champion of Champions rewards older golfers for winning their Club Senior Open and the chance to progress to a high profile national final.

Both events reflect SSE Scottish Hydro’s continued support across all aspects of Scottish golf, from the grass roots club level to Team Scottish Hydro and professional tournaments, in addition to sponsorship of the Scottish Golf Membership Card, an exciting new benefit for club members. 

Launched to encourage a more family-friendly approach to golf competitions, clubs taking part in the Scottish Hydro Scramble will host a qualifying event locally, with the winning team of three moving onto one of four Regional Finals held across the country in May. 

The glorious south-east coast setting of Eyemouth welcomes the first event on May 3, followed by picturesque Pitlochry on May 4 before Balbirnie Park (May 11) in Fife and Eastwood (May 25) on the outskirts of Glasgow stage the remaining two qualifying events.

The victorious teams at each Regional Final will earn a place in the Scottish Hydro Challenge Pro-Am at Macdonald Spey Valley on Wednesday 25 June, an event which has seen the likes of Edoardo Molinari, Matteo Manassero and Richie Ramsay compete in recent years. 

Andrew McArthur, the former Scottish Amateur champion who is seeking to graduate from the Challenge Tour this season, was involved in the Scramble at Pitlochry last year and has encouraged all club members to get involved in 2014.

“The Scramble is a good, fun event and it’s great that Hydro is backing it nationally,” said the 34-year-old, a member of Team Scottish Hydro this year along with Pretswell. “The more events like this the better for golf in this country, especially for attracting youngsters into the game. 

“One of the Pro-Ams on the Challenge Tour, at Kazakhstan, has a Texas Scramble, and there is a wee bit of pressure on the pro especially if you are the last one left trying to hole from eight feet! It would be great to see all clubs hosting a qualifying event this season.”

A unique opportunity to compete in the SSE Scottish Senior Pro-Am at the Fairmont St Andrews alongside a leading European Senior Tour professional is the lure for senior club golfers this season, with the winner of each club senior open in with a chance of this fantastic prize. 

Players with the top 50 leading scores from club senior opens this season will earn a spot in the Scottish Hydro Senior Champion of Champions final at Blairgowrie on 28 July, with the leading two players going on to the rub shoulders with the likes of Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam and Barry Lane.

Ladies European Tour star Pretswell, 24, also part of the Team Scottish Hydro stable, is eager to see clubs give their older members the chance to compete in a major event: 

“It’s a great event for senior golfers to get involved and it’s fantastic that female golfers can take part too. It’s a wonderful benefit of being a member and certainly a reason to register for the new Scottish Golf Membership Card.” 

Colin Banks, Head of Sponsorship at SSE Hydro, said: “These two events highlight the Scottish Golf Union’s commitment to adding value to club membership and we’re delighted to add our support. We’d encourage clubs across the country to get involved and give their members the opportunity to experience playing in a top level Pro-Am, something which is fairly unique to golf.”

 

JIMMY GUNN WINS $3,286 FOR T 32 FINISH

KRIS BLANKS WINS LOUISIANA OPEN 

PLAY-OFF AT THIRD EXTRA HOLE

FROM THE WEB.COM TOUR WEBSITE
By JOE CHEMYCZ, PGATOUR.COM
BROUSSARD, Louisiana – Kris Blanks rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Brett Stegmaier and win the 23rd Chitimacha Louisiana Open
Blanks and Stegmaier were tied at 14-under 270 after four trips around the Le Triomphe Country Club course and had halved the par-4 18th hole with pars the first two times they played it.
Blanks stuffed a 7-iron to birdie range on the third try and after Stegmaier missed his birdie attempt from 60 feet the Jupiter, Florida resident rolled in his birdie to cap off a long day of waiting and earn his second career title.
“I kind of knew what the putt was doing and it was just a matter of getting it on line,” said Blanks, who picked up the winner’s cheque for $99,000. “I just thought the heck with it, let’s try to end this and let everybody go home.”
Blanks started the final round seven shots back of leader Kyle Reifers (70/T3) and vaulted up the leaderboard with a nearly flawless 9-under 62 that gave the field a number to shoot at. His round was so good that the next best score of the day were a quintet of 67s.
“I thought if my number could stay solid until the guys made it to back nine that I’d have a chance,” said Blanks. “There aren’t a lot of birdie holes on the back side. I was going to wait around until somebody got to 15 or 16 under and head on down the road.”
Blanks never got the chance to leave after finishing his round at 1:36 p.m. He was in the 14th of 34 groups and waited and waited and waited. Then he waited some more.
“I didn’t think it was going to hold up,” he said. “The longer we stood around the better my chances got.”
Stegmaier, in the next to last group, turned the front in 4-under and was at minus-15 but bogeyed the 10th and closed with eight straight pars to join Blanks in the fourth playoff in tournament history and the first since 2009.
Reifers rallied late with clutch birdies on the tough 15th and 17th holes to reach 14-under but a wayward bounce on 18 resulted in his tee shot finding the water down the right side and he missed a 15 footer for par to join the Tour’s first playoff of the 2014 season.
“I probably had six putts that wobbled out there,” said Reifers, who putted out nearly 3:20 after Blanks had finished. “Nothing you can do. I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in. It just wasn’t my day.”
Blanks knows all about that. The 41-year-old Floridian has been on the sidelines for essentially a year and a half dealing with all kinds of shoulder problems. He spent several seasons on Tour and captured his first win at the 2008 Bank of America Open near Chicago before moving on to the PGA TOUR in 2009.
Injuries forced him to withdraw from last year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open in early February and had surgery in March, almost one year to the day.
“It’s been a rough road and I’ll take it,” said Blanks. “Sometimes you never know if you’re going to get back. It’s tough. You sit at home and try to be a dad for a year and a half. It was nice to finish this off in style.”
Ole Miss rookie Jonathan Randolph carded a 4-under 67 that left him one shot back at 13-under and oh so close.
“I caught a lot of lips. I hit a lot of really good putts that didn’t go in,” he said. “I had a number at the start of the day and I really wanted to get to 16. I knew 16 would have a pretty good chance. It was one of those days of what could have been.”
Garth Mulroy, Zach Sucher, Aaron Goldberg, Sebastian Vazquez, Justin Thomas and Steve Saunders all finished 12-under and tied for fifth, two shots back.

• Kris Blanks with the Chitimacha Louisiana Open trophy

• Sunday weather: Mostly sunny. Wind E-Se 6-12 mph. High of 71.
• The ball was played ‘down’ in round four after lift, clean and place conditions were in effect for the first three rounds.
Arizona-based Dornoch exile Jimmy Gunn finished T32 on four-under-par 281. That earned him $3,286 - not much but at least he is off and running now on America's No 2 men's pro tour.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71) Players from USA unless stated
270 Kris Blanks 71 66 71 62, Brett Stegmaier 71 66 65 68. Blanks won play-off at third extra hole.
Blanks wins $99,000; Stegmaier  $59,400
271 Jonathan Randolph 66 65 73 67, Kyle Reifers 65 70 66 70 ($31,900 each)
272 Garth Mulloy (S Africa) 70 66 69 67, Zach Sucher 68 67 69 68, Aaron Goldberg 70 67 67 78, Steve Saunders 72 66 65 69, Justin Thomas 69 66 68 69 ($18,012 each).
SELECTED TOTAL
277 Jimmy Gunn (Scotland) 70 67 70 70 (T32) ($3,286).

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