Friday, April 18, 2014

LUKE DONALD TWO BEHIND LEADER CHOI AT STOPPAGE

RAIN STOPS PLAY ON US PGA TOUR

Play was  suspended due to "inclement weather"  at 2.54pm (local time) on the second day of the US PGA Tour event, the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head in South Carolina.
The heavy rain was prolonged and play was not resumed on Friday.

LEADERS IN THE CLUBHOUSE
Players from USA unless stated
137 K J Choi (S Korea) 70 67
139 Scott Langley 66 73, Luke Donald (England) 70 69, Billy Hurley 70 69
140 Nicholas Thompson 70 70, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 72 68, Charl Schwartzel (S Africa) 70 70

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES (and Live Scoring once play is resumed)

CLICK HERE

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ATHOLL HOTEL PUT UP BUMPER PRIZE AT MURCAR LINKS ON MAY 8-9


£25,000 TO FIRST LADY PRO OR AMATEUR WHO GETS 
ACE AT FIFTH HOLE IN PAUL LAWRIE LADIES EVENT

A £25,000 prize for a hole in one at Murcar Links' short fifth hole should boost the entries for the second Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Ladies Tartan Tour event on May 8 and 9.
The prize is being sponsored by the Atholl Hotel, Aberdeen.

The R and A changed the Rules of Amateur Status a year or two ago to permit amateurs to accept "special" hole in one awards with a value far in excess of the normal maximum of £500.
The Paul Lawrie Ladies Tartan Tour is open to any female professional and amateurs with single-figure handicaps.
Some North-east amateur girls (perhaps from much farther field!) might enter, feeling that they are unlikely to finish in front of their professional opposition at the end of 36 holes.
But a hole in one is a different ball game entirely. Anyone can have a stroke of luck and why
not at Murcar Links fifth hole on either of the two days.
Earlier this week there were TWO holes in one during the qualifying round of the Renfrewshire women's county championship at Cochrane Castle Golf Club.
The 25 Grand prize will go to the first player to achieve an ace Murcar Links' fifth hole.
Should no-one hit the jackpot, the player whose tee shot finishes nearest the pin will earn a £100 consolation award from the sponsors.
Tournament Director Nicola Melville says that there are spaces left in the field because Trish Johnson, winner of the opening event this week at Fairmont St Andrews, and others, such as Sally Watson and Heather MacRae, from that field will be playing in an LET event that week.
In addition to the £2,500 first prize at Murcar Links, the winner will also receive a three-night weekend self catering break at Gleneagles Village, Perthshire, courtesy of Melville Properties (to be taken subject to availability)
Entries for the PLGC Ladies Tartan Tour two-rounder close on April 29. Non-PGA members must enter by phoning the PGA in Scotland Office on 01786 661840


If you have any queries, E-mail Tournament Director Nicola Melville
 nicola.melville@live.co.uk

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EAST RENFREWSHIRE VETERAN (48) COMING OFF CRAIGMILLAR PARK OPEN VICTORY

   Craig Watson receives the Craigmillar Park Open Trophy from lady captain    Karen Ballantyne last Sunday.

CRAIG WATSON WIN AT CRAIL WOULD 

GIVE GOLFERS IN 40s ANOTHER BOOST

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
What a boost it would be for club golfers in their late 40s if former British amateur champion Craig Watson could follow up his victory in the truncated Craigmillar Park Open last Sunday by winning this weekend's SGU Order of Merit event, the Battle Trophy over the Crail Golfing Society's Gil Hanse-designed Craighead Links.
At 48, the East Renfrewshire man. a career amateur - he works in a Giffnock electrical
business, had only to play two rounds to win at the Edinburgh venue after high winds made Saturday play impossible.
But, barring the show-stopping return of bad weather, Watson will have to play 72 holes at Crail and that might be a bridge too far for the man who beat South African Trevor Immelman (winner of the
Masters in 2008) 3 and 2 in the British Amateur final at Royal St George's in 1997 when the Scot was "only" 31.
Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) (pictured above right) teed off with an 81 last year but played out of his skin for the next three rounds and finished up as the 2013 of the Battle Trophy the name of which is inspired by the raised earthwork on the Craighead course, known as 'Dane's Dyke' which is a feature at the 11th, 14th, 15th and 16th holes. 
It is thought to have been built to defend a Viking settlement at Fifeness against the dispossessed Pictish tribes.
There are three figures on the solid silver trophy which was commissioned and donated by a past club captain and has a value of £10,000 (no wonder the winner does not get to take it away from the Crail clubhouse): A Viking, representing man's battle against man; an 18th Century golfer, representing man's battle against himself; a Lifeboat man, representing man's battle against the elements.
The draw for Saturday's two rounds includes Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar), who won the Battle  Trophy in 2011, the year that the tournament switched from 36 holes to four rounds and became an SGU Order of merit counting event.
The field also includes Blairgowrie youngster Bradley Neil, runner up in the South African  Amateur championship earlier this, Jack MacDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie and Stirling University), winner of the British Universities Championship over the Craghead Links last year, and Scott Borrowman (Dollar), a member of the Clackmannan squad that contested the SGU area team championship over Craighead Links last year and whose most recent form includes a repeat victory in the Scottish Champion of Champions tournament at Leven and a joint third finish behind Craig Watson in the Craigmillar Park Open last Sunday.


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MATCH AT BARSEBACK, SWEDEN ON AUGUST 29-30

 FIVE SCOTS NAMED IN GB AND I PRELIM

SQUAD FOR ST ANDREWS TROPHY
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R and A
 A 21-player Great Britain and Ireland squad has been announced for the St Andrews Trophy match at Barsebäck Golf and Country Club in Sweden on August 29 and 30.
The nine-man team that will face the Continent of Europe in the biennial match will be named in mid-August.
Four players will bring valuable Walker Cup experience to the squad including Matthew Fitzpatrick, who recently made his Masters Tournament debut, and Rhys Pugh who played on the GB and I side in both 2011 at Royal Aberdeen and in 2013 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York.
Greg Eason, who is currently third in the World Amateur Rankings, and reigning European Amateur champion Ashley Chesters bring depth to the squad, along with talented young players Sam Horsfield and 2013 Scottish Boys champion Bradley Neil.
Nigel Edwards will captain the team for the third time as GB and I look to reclaim the trophy after the Continent of Europe’s narrow 12½ – 11½ victory at Portmarnock in 2012.
“We have announced a strong squad for this year’s match,” said Edwards, a playing member of the victorious St Andrews Trophy teams in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
“The final selection of the team for the St Andrews Trophy match will be dependent on performances and, therefore, players who are not named in this squad have every chance of playing their way on to the team.  
"I am confident that the team we select will mount a real challenge for the trophy in Sweden.”
The St Andrews Trophy is the biennial men’s match which will be played alongside the annual boys’ match, the Jacques Leglise Trophy, at Barsebäck on August 29-30.
 The St Andrews Trophy has been played alternately on British/Irish and mainland European courses since 1956. Great Britain and Ireland have won on 24 occasions and the Continent of Europe has won five times, including the 2010 and 2012 matches.
The 2014 GB and I squad is:
Tomasz Anderson (Brocket Hall) – Welwyn Garden City, England
Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) – Wem, England 
Greg Eason (Kirby Muxloe) – Leicester, England
Ryan Evans (Wellingborough) – Wellingborough, England
Matthew Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire) – Sheffield, England
Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) – North Berwick, Scotland
Sam Horsfield (Davenport, USA) – Manchester, England
Paul Howard (Southport and Ainsdale) – Southport, England
Jack Hume (Naas) – Naas, Ireland
Gary Hurley (West Waterford) – Aglish, Ireland
Nick Marsh (Huddersfield) – Elland, England
Jimmy Mullen (Royal North Devon) – Devon, England
Gavin Moynihan (The Island) - Dublin, Ireland
Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) – Troon, Scotland
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena) – Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) – Perthshire, Scotland
Rhys Pugh (Pontypridd) – Pontypridd, Wales
James Ross (Royal Burgess) – Edinburgh, Scotland
Ewan Scott (St Andrews) – St Andrews, Scotland
Jordan Smith (Bowood) – Calne, England
Ben Taylor (Walton Heath) – Leatherhead, England


PEN PICTURES OF THE PLAYERS  
ON GB AND I SHORT LEET

Tomasz Anderson (Brocket Hall), age 21 – Anderson reached the semi-finals of the 2013 English Amateur Championship at Frilford Heath and won his fourth college tournament title in March 2014.  
Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park), age 24  – Chesters won the 2013 European Amateur to secure a place in the 2014 Open Championship and was part of the winning European team against Asia-Pacific at the 2014 Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy in India.
Greg Eason (Kirby Muxloe), age 21 – Eason is currently ranked third in the world in the WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™ and has earned seven individual collegiate victories.
Ryan Evans (Wellingborough), age 27 – Evans won the 2014 Lake Macquarie International and Avondale Medal and was a member of the winning European team at the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy.
Matthew Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire), age 19 - Fresh from his Masters debut, Fitzpatrick is currently ranked number two in the world on the WAGR™ listing. He earned the Silver Medal as the leading amateur at the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield before winning the 2013 US Amateur Championship and representing GB&I at the 2013 Walker Cup.
Grant Forrest (Cragielaw), age 20 – Forrest made his Open Championship debut at Muirfield in 2013 after winning the local qualifying event at Dunbar and is a former Scottish Amateur, Scottish Boys and Scottish Under-16s champion.  
Sam Horsfield (Davenport, USA), age 17 – Horsfield became the youngest winner in the history of the Florida State Amateur Championship in 2013 and was the leading qualifier at both the 2013 US Junior Amateur and US Amateur Public Links.
Paul Howard (Southport & Ainsdale), age 23 – Howard won the 2014 South American Amateur Championship in Colombia in January and recorded top ten finishes in the Lytham Trophy and the Finnish Amateur in 2012.
Jack Hume (Naas), age 20 – Hume finished fourth in the individual competition at the 2014 European Nations Cup in Spain and in 2010 became only the second player to win all four Irish provincial boys titles in the same year.
Gary Hurley (West Waterford), age 21 – Hurley won the 2013 R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament on the Old Course in St Andrews and earned a place on the European Palmer Cup team.
Nick Marsh (Huddersfield), age 19 – The England International finished tied ninth at the 2014 South American Amateur Championship and runner-up at the 2014 Portugese Amateur Stroke Play.
Jimmy Mullen (Royal North Devon), age 21 – Qualified for the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield at Local Final Qualifying in North Berwick and made the cut at the Championship finishing tied 75th.
Gavin Moynihan (The Island), age 19 - Moynihan represented GB&I at the 2013 Walker Cup. He was the youngest ever winner of the Irish Amateur Open in 2012 and finished runner-up in 2013.
Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie), age 21 – McDonald reached the semi-finals of the Amateur Championship in 2012 and played in the Scottish Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles before being named 2012 Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year.
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena), age 21 – McElroy represented Europe at the 2014 Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy and finished runner-up at the 2014 South African Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship.
Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie), age 18 – Neil won the 2013 Scottish Boys Championship before playing in the 2013 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews and helped Scotland to victory at the 2014 European Nations Cup at Sotogrande.
Rhys Pugh (Pontypridd), age 20 – Pugh represented GB&I in the 2011 and 2013 Walker Cup Matches and played in the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield after winning the 2012 European Amateur Championship.
James Ross (Royal Burgess), age 24 – Ross was named 2013 Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year after breaking into the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking™.
Ewan Scott (St Andrews), age 18 – Scott topped the Scottish Hydro Boys’ Order of Merit in 2012 after winning the Scottish Youths Championship in 2012 and he reached the semi-finals of the South African Amateur Championship in 2013.
Jordan Smith (Bowood), age 21 – Smith represented GB&I at the 2013 Walker Cup Match and won the Brabazon Trophy at Formby Golf Club in 2013.
Ben Taylor (Walton Heath), age 21 – Taylor was part of the GB&I team in the 2012 St Andrews Trophy and was a member of the European side at the 2013 Palmer Cup.

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GREAT GOLF IN BAD WEATHER BY THE WINNERS



Left to right: Ewan Forbes  (Inverness), club captain Philip Thorn, Alan Cameron with scratch Trophy, sponsors representative Tom Hillis, Louis Patience with handicap trophy and Ryan Keith. 

 CAMERON AND FORBES WIN BLACK 

ISLE FOURSOMES FOR FIFTH TIME
REPORT AND PICTURE BY ROBIN WILSON
Few of the competitors in the Munro and Noble, Solicitors and Estate Agents (Inverness)-sponsored  Black Isle Foursomes at Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club could remember over the competition's long history playing in such horrific conditions.
Through Saturday's qualifying rounds and Sunday's match-play ties emerged one outstanding couple who won for a fifth time and one home club member who enjoyed a double-double celebration.
From the outset in  Saturday's gale-ravaged scores the experience of local club champion Alan Cameron and his Inverness-based ex-Scotland capped player, Ewan Forbes, stood head and shoulders above all others.  
They were the only pair to break 80 twice in Saturday's 36 holes with two cards of 78 for 156. With a first round just under 80, former twice local winners Chris Gaittens and  club secretary Mike MacDonald, added a second round card of 83 for 162. 
Then, on 166 (82-84), from another local couple, Garry Moore and Steven Bassingdale, before the last scratch qualifying place went to visitors Barry Cruickshank (Spey Bay) and Neil MacWilliam (Elgin) with 83 and 89 for 172 – the highest ever qualifying figure.
Cameron and Forbes's ability to cope with the gales, plus the added ingredient of squally rain showers on Sunday morning, showed through once more when they produced five birdies in the first 12 holes to see off  the pair from the East and book themselves a place in the final once more.

Their opponents would be locals Bassingdale and Moore, both with different partners winners of the handicap trophy some years earlier, but this their first time qualifying for the scratch KO rounds. They proved worthy finalists with an upset in the semi-final when they met the last “all local” partnership to have lifted the scratch cup, Gaittens and MacDonald. 
The 2011 and 2012 winners and second seeds fought back from being three behind on the 10th tee to be level after 15 holes and by winning the 17th hole went dormie one ahead on the final tee. But a par three saw Bassingdale and Moore extend the tie then take their place in the final with a win at the second extra hole.
In an almost repeat of their semi final golf Cameron and Forbes took control of the first nine holes and were three in front. They gave back the 12th hole but extended their lead to four after winning the 13th and 14th holes  before two successive three putts allowed Bassingdale and Moore to extend the game to the difficult driving seventeenth hole. 
No further mistakes from Cameron and Forbes and the overdue halved hole allowed them win for a fifth time and match the five wins of Neil Hampton (Royal Dornoch) and Colin Taylor (Elgin) but still one win behind the record six Black Isle Foursomes titles belonging to  Brora's Jim Miller and Inverness's Jocky Thomson back in the early years of the event. 
In the early eighties (1982) local member Louis Patience and his younger brother, Sandy, won the handicap cup and successfully defended it the following year.  
Last season Louis found another young member in Ryan Keith to return to the winner's table and in a memorable repeat they retained the handicap trophy last Sunday after grabbing the last qualifying place with a nett total of 161.
In their semi-final on Sunday morning they beat the leading handicap qualifiers local Graham Godsman and his Inverness partner Eric Brown by a 4 and 3 margin. 
Local clubmates Robert Mackay and Andy Gray awaited them in the final after they had ousted a third local partnership of Arthur MacArthur and Louis MacLeman by 3 and 2.

In the keenly contested final where over the first half no more than a hole separated them, with Mackay and Gray just holding a one hole advantage, Keith and Patience fought back to level after 11 holes. 
From here the holders  forged, ahead winning the 13th and 14th holes which permitted  Patience to celebrate another successful retention as he had done with his brother all these years ago on the 16th green.





Miller Quaich at Royal Dornoch on Sunday

Tain Golf Club, ten times winners of the Miller Quaich since 1999, the inter-club trophy marking the golfing achievements of Brora golfing doyen, Jim Miller, have the short trip across the Dornoch Bridge on Sunday to take part in the competition alongside Brora, Golspie and the host club Royal Dornoch.
Royal Dornoch took the trophy home from Brora twelve months ago but had to return it when the Brora team demanded a recount on the scores to then be rewarded with the trophy for only the fourth time, two of these years shared with Tain.   

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SCOTT JAMIESON JOINT 10TH, EIGHT SHOTS OFF THE PACE


WESTWOOD FOUR SHOTS CLEAR AT 

HALFWAY IN MALAYSIAN OPEN

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR
Kuala Lumpur: Lee Westwood set his sights on ending a two-year title drought by shooting a dazzling six-under-par 66 to take a commanding four-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Maybank Malaysian Open on Friday.
The 40-year-old Englishman, winner of the event in 1997, tightened his grip in the US$2.75 million championship with eight birdies for a 13-under-par 131 total to lead from Filipino Antonio Lascuna, who carded the day’s low score of 65, and Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, who fired a 69.
Westwood, fresh from a seventh place finish at the Masters Tournament, took full advantage of his sharp-shooting approach shots on the front nine where he sank five birdies from inside four feet.
He switched to cruise mode with another birdie on 10 but dropped two shots on the difficult par three 11th hole when his tee shot found the drink.
Two more birdies on 14 and 16 put him back in prime position at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
“It was solid stuff. I got a bit unlucky at the 11th – the wind just gusted on me and it came up short into the water. But I rallied well and ended up shooting 66,” said Westwood, whose last victory was at the 2012 Nordea Masters in Sweden.
A winner of 12 titles in the region, the Asian specialist has enjoyed a welcome return to form after starting work with new swing coach Mike Walker recently. And he has been pleased with his form.
“I saw an immediate improvement on the range but at first it was difficult to take it onto the golf course. But the last few weeks I’ve managed to do so. We didn’t do anything drastic. We are just trying to get it in a different position on the backswing to give me a better angle of attack on the way down,” he explained.
Lascuna surprised even himself when he brilliantly turned in 31 before going on to add three more birdies on his homeward nine at a venue where he has enjoyed very little success in five appearances, with his best finish being tied 20th in 2012.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to shoot this score because this course is a very long golf course for me. My goal was to shoot one or two-under on each day but after nine holes I was five-under! It was amazing. After 17 holes I was like ‘wow’. "Maybe now I can aim for a pair of three-under rounds in the weekend,” said the 43-year-old, who is winless on the Asian Tour.
The powerful Colsaerts, a two-time European Tour champion, turned in 32 but struggled to keep pace when he dropped one bogey on his way home to trail Westwood by four shots.
“I thought I actually played a lot better today. I made a fantastic start and was quickly under par, but I got a bit sloppy at one stage. I gave myself great birdie looks from nine to 14 but didn’t make any of them. I could’ve kept it going and gone really low, but I ran out of a bit of steam on the back nine,” said the 31-year-old.
Pablo Larrazabal of Spain had to endure the ‘scariest moment in his career’ when he repelled a hornet attack on the fifth hole by jumping into the lake. He courageously recovered from the scare to complete a 68 for tied 25th place.
“I’m walking along and suddenly I felt something on my nose. I swatted it away and suddenly … they were not bees, they were three times the size of bees. They were huge and like 30 or 40 of them started to attack me big time,” he explained.
“I didn’t know what to do. My caddie told me to run, so I start running like a crazy guy, but the hornets were still there, so the other players told me to jump into the lake. So I ran to the lake, threw my scorecard down, took off my shoes and jumped into the lake. It was the scariest moment of my career, for sure. I’ve never been so scared,” added the Spaniard, who received two injections on course from a doctor before he resumed his round.
The halfway cut was set at 145 with a total of 73 players making it through to the weekend rounds.  
SCOTSWATCH: Scott Jamieson is the best placed of the five Scots who made it through to the weekend action. He is joint 10th on 139 with rounds of 68 and 71 - eight shots behind leader Westwood.
Other Scots who qualified were: David Drysdale (71-71 for 142), Craig Lee and Marc Warren, both 69-75 for 144, and Peter Whiteford on the limit mark of 145 (73-72).
 Aberdonian Richie Ramsay missed the cut by one with scores of 74-72 for 146 and Alastair Forsyth missed out by two shots with 74-73 for 147.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)  YARDAGE 6967 SEVENTY-THREE PLAYERS MADE CUT AT 145 AND BETTER

131 L Westwood (Eng) 65 66
135 A Lascuna (Phi) 70 65, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 66 69
136 D Willett  (Eng) 70 66
137 A Sullivan (Eng) 70 67, E De La Riva  (Esp) 69 68, J Quesne  (Fra) 68 69  

138 M Kawamura (Jpn) 68 70, R Santos  (Por) 67 71
139 J Kruger (RSA) 68 71, S Jamieson  (Sco) 68 71, G Mulroy (RSA) 71 68
140 B Wiesberger  (Aut) 69 71, S Hend (Aus) 70 70, L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 72 68, S Lewton (Eng) 71 69, M Hoey  (NIr) 67 73
141 A Vongvanij (Tha) 70 71, P Marksaeng (Tha) 69 72, T Lewis (Eng) 70 71, S Chowrasia (Ind) 71 70, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 71, R Karlberg  (Swe) 72 69, P Meesawat  (Tha) 70 71
142 T Jaidee (Tha) 72 70, S Thornton (Irl) 74 68, R Bland (Eng) 73 69, J Knutzon (USA) 75 67, T Pieters  (Bel) 75 67, R Gangjee (Ind) 74 68, D Drysdale (Sco) 71 71, C Pigem (Esp) 71 71, E Molinari  (Ita) 69 73, A Quiros  (Esp) 73 69, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 71 71, P Larrazábal (Esp) 74 68
143 G Bourdy (Fra) 73 70, N Fung (Mas) 72 71, M Carlsson  (Swe) 74 69, A Dodt (Aus) 76 67, J Walters (RSA) 71 72, S Rahman (Ban) 73 70, S Kjeldsen (Den) 75 68, M Manassero (Ita) 71 72, R Wattel  (Fra) 71 72, M Siem  (Ger) 72 71
144 C Lee (Sco) 69 75, A Lahiri (Ind) 72 72, P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 73 71, T Wiratchant (Tha) 69 75, J Hansen  (Den) 72 72, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 74, B Easton (RSA) 70 74, A Da Silva (Bra) 72 72, C Kumar (Ind) 74 70, R Khan  (Ind) 72 72, S Dyson  (Eng) 73 71, M Warren (Sco) 69 75, K Kheng Hwai (Mas) 72 72, M Crespi (Ita) 71 73, G Green (am) (Mas) 74 70
145 J Janewattananond (Tha) 73 72, R Lee (Can) 69 76, F Molinari (Ita) 71 74, N Tantipokhakul (Tha) 76 69, P Whiteford (Sco) 73 72, R Derksen (Ned) 72 73, C Plaphol (Tha) 74 71, C Phadungsil  (Tha) 74 71, S Kapur (Ind) 76 69, A Kang (USA) 71 74, S Hansen (Den) 69 76, H Otto (RSA) 79 66
MISSED THE CUT
146 R Jacquelin (Fra) 70 76, C Nirat (Tha) 77 69, G Storm  (Eng) 80 66, Y Wei-Tze (Tpe) 73 73, L Sung (SKor) 77 69, J Randhawa (Ind) 76 70, B Henson (USA) 72 74, R Rock (Eng) 73 73, R Ramsay  (Sco) 74 72, S Lowry  (Irl) 80 66, S Othman  (Mas) 76 70
147 M Mamat (Sin) 71 76, M Perera (Sri) 74 73, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 70 77, J Colomo  (Esp) 72 75, B Leong  (Mas) 72 75, M Madsen  (Den) 80 67, M Kobayashi (Jpn) 73 74, A Forsyth (Sco) 74 73, S Benson (Eng) 79 68, E Salvador (Phi) 71 76,
148 G Havret  (Fra) 73 75, J Singh (Ind) 77 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 77 71, G Charoenkul (Tha) 75 73, T Levet (Fra) 74 74,
149 M Stieger (Aus) 82 67, A Zahari (Mas) 78 71, C Kim (USA) 77 72, K Pratt (Aus) 74 75, P Uihlein  (USA) 75 74, D Singh         (Ind) 74 75, D Howell (Eng) 76 73, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 76 73, D Chia (Mas) 75 74, S Barr (Aus) 76 73, A Atwal (Ind) 75 74,
150 S Muda (Mas) 79 71, D McGrane (Irl) 78 72, G Bhullar (Ind) 75 75, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 77 73, M Joong-Kyung (SKor) 74 76, K Gi-Whan (SKor) 77 73, K De Silva  (Mas) 75 75, F Aguilar (Chi) 73 77 
151 S Hussin (Mas) 74 77, A Irawan (Mas) 74 77, D Horsey (Eng) 75 76, A Hansen (Den) 76 75, L Wei-Chih (Tpe) 76 75, I Steel (Mas) 73 78, K Sung-Hoon (SKor) 79 72
152 L In-Woo (SKor) 79 73, R Gonzalez (Arg) 73 79
153 A Cañizares  (Esp) 78 75, S Sivachandran (Mas) 80 73, J Jin (SKor) 75 78, R Amin (Mas) 78 75, E Pepperell (Eng) 80 73, D Lipsky (USA) 79 74
154 P Pittayarat (Tha) 74 80, H Rai (Ind) 77 77, E Chang (am) (Mas) 83 71
155 B Ruangkit (Tha) 78 77, W Choo (Mas) 77 78, S Cyr (USA) 79 76, P Hedblom (Swe) 77 78, R Nachimuthu  (Mas) 74 81
156 G Porteous (Eng) 79 77, K Baharin (Mas) 79 77
157 U Park (Aus) 77 80, E Grillo (Arg) 81 76
159 J Granberg  (Fin) 82 77, M Wafiyuddin (am) (Mas) 84 75
160 M Jamil (Mas) 79 81, T Chi-Huang (Tpe) 79 81
161 J Parry (Eng) 84 77
162 M Ilonen  (Fin) 83 79
163 S Murthy (Mas) 80 83
165 S Rosidin (am) (Mas) 85 80
** B Seuk-Hyun (SKor) 70 retired, D Kataoka (Jpn) 77 withdrew, L Wen-Tang (Tpe) retired.



- Ends -

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FORMER RYDER CUP SKIPPER TO CAPTAIN ONE OF THE TEAMS



 Stephen Bremner, Tomatin's Sales Director, and Bernard Gallacher.
BERNARD GALLACHER TEES UP FOR

 TOMATIN PRO-AM EXTRAVAGANZA

PGA IN SCOTLAND NEWS RELEASE
Former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher is to lead a field of nearly 300 golfers teeing up for the Tomatin Homecoming Single Malt Pro-Am over three of Scotland’s most renowned links courses later this year.
Gallacher played in eight Ryder Cups and was captain three times, including a victory at Oak Hill in 1995.
He has confirmed he will captain one of the 70-plus teams taking part in the 54-hole event, played at Castle Stuart Golf Links, Royal Dornoch Golf Club and The Nairn Golf Club from September 30 to October 2, just a few days after this year’s Ryder Cup.
Money raised during the tournament will support a nationwide campaign Gallacher launched in December to make automated external defibrillators (AEDs) widely available at golf clubs and driving ranges in the UK and Ireland.
In August last year Gallacher, suffered a cardiac arrest and spent several days in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after falling ill at a function in the city. He credits the quick thinking of hotel staff and the availability of a defibrillator at the venue where he was due to speak for helping his recovery.
He said: “I am looking forward to playing three of my favourite courses and would like to thank Tomatin for giving us all the opportunity to enjoy this experience.”
The prestigious annual Tomatin Pro-Am contest is estimated to generate about £200,000 for the Highland economy.
It is open to teams from anywhere in the world consisting of three amateurs (ladies or gentlemen) plus a professional of their choice. Teams that do not include a pro are allocated a leading player from the Professional Golfers’ Association Scotland Order of Merit.
Stephen Bremner, Tomatin’s sales director, said: “We are delighted that Bernard Gallacher is leading a team in the Pro-Am this year as his worldwide reputation will add to the prestige of this competition.
“The tournament is already popular with professional and amateur golfers alike as it is played over three of Scotland’s best links courses, and Bernard’s involvement raises the event’s status to another level. 
“The UK is a key market focus for us this year. In the last five years we have experienced 40 per cent growth in volume and 158 per cent in value, and for this reason sponsorship of a prestigious UK event such as this is an excellent fit for us.
“Our distillery is a significant Highland tourist attraction, receiving over 20,000 visitors per year from all parts of the globe. We are working with these three premium courses in order to support the overall marketing of the Highlands as a vibrant tourist destination.”
Brian Mair, secretary of The PGA in Scotland, expressed his gratitude to Tomatin for their continued support of this great event, now in its third year. He said: 
“In this momentous year for Scottish golf, the Tomatin Homecoming Single Malt Pro-Am will be a fitting event to follow the Ryder Cup, a real celebration of all that is great in Scotland – great golf and wonderful whisky.”
Castle Stuart Golf Links hosted the Scottish Open for three successive years from 2011, with the 2013 competition, won by Phil Mickelson, reaching a television audience of more than 500 million. It is consistently placed among the top 100 courses in the world by a number of prestigious golf publications, most notably Links Magazine and Golf Course Architecture.
This year Royal Dornoch’s Championship Course was ranked the sixth best in the world by Golf Digest, its highest ever position, and is a favourite of Major winners such as Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler and Greg Norman.
The Nairn Golf Club, rated 9th best golf course in Scotland by Golf Monthly in 2013, hosted the Walker Cup in 1999 and the Curtis Cup in 2012. It will also be home to the Home Internationals competition in August 2016.
The three clubs are part of the Highland Golf Links (HGL) partnership which also includes the Kingsmills Hotel and Culloden House Hotel, Inverness; the Royal Golf Hotel and Links House, at Royal Dornoch; and the Golf View Hotel in Nairn to promote destination breaks.
The partnership offers attractive packages for visiting golfers to enjoy the finest links golf and luxury accommodation while exploring a unique and beautiful part of Scotland.
Castle Stuart placed a new defibrillator for the club shop earlier this month, while Nairn put a similar machine in the clubhouse last year. 
Royal Dornoch Golf Club has had a defibrillator for two years and is currently raising money for the Bernard Gallacher campaign to have another machine at the Championship Course’s Halfway House. The club was given a driver used and signed by Bernard’s nephew, the Scottish professional golfer Stephen Gallacher to help raise funds.
Fraser Cromarty, CEO at The Nairn Golf Club and chairman of HGL, said: “The Tomatin Pro-Am is a significant part of the golfing calendar in the north of Scotland and showcases three of the best links courses in the country.
“We are indebted to Tomatin for its continued support for the tournament which this year will be extra special with the involvement of such a respected and charismatic figure as Bernard Gallacher and coming so soon after the Ryder Cup in Scotland.”

YOU CAN STILL BUY A TEAM ....
There are still vacancies for amateur teams to take part in the tournament. Anyone  wishing further details should contact Fraser Cromarty on 01667 458930 or fcromarty@nairngolfclub.co.uk
The entry fee is £1,700 per team of three, which includes three rounds of competition golf with prizes, the post-tournament gala dinner and the opportunity to tour the Tomatin distillery.

For more information contact
John Ross
Lucid PR
01463 724593; 077300 99617

johnross@lucidmessages.com

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