ABERDEEN LINKS HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

MURRAY CUP - First round
S Meade (C) (10) bt G Homer (N) (11) at 20th
C Carson (C) (20) bt C Murphy (BA) (17) 5 and 4
B Lumsden (N) (13) bt J Urquhart (BA) (20) 5 and 4
C Dunn (BA) (15) bt K Gray (C) (12) 2 and 1
D McPherson (C) (13) bt L Carnegie (C) (13) 6 and 5
R Smith (C) (12) bt A Shirreffs (N) (10)  2 and 1
T Russo (N) (18)  bt M Bain (BA) (14) 3 and 2
M Donald (N) (18) bt K Willox (BA) (28) 1 hole
B Smith (C) (15) bt D Daniel (C) (16) 1 hole
M Bain (BA) (16) bt G Duncan (N) (19) 1 hole
A Pirie (N) (12) bt B Lumsden jun (N) (19) 1 hole
G W Mackie (C) (12)  bt S Kelly (BA) (10) 1 hole
R Kane (C) (13)  bt M Winton (C) (12) 4 and 3
K G Robertson (C) (12) bt A Rea (BA) (20) 6 and 5
J Davidson (C) (12)  bt T Still (N) (11) 2 and 1
P Kane (C) (21) bt I Rowe (N) (24) 3 and 2 

 EDMOND v GREIG: CHAPTER THREE

Aberdeen Links champion Barrie Edmond and his Bon Accord clubmate Matty Greig are the best of friends but that relationship will be set to one side when they meet tomorrow evening (Wednesday) in the second round of the championship at the Kings Links.

It's the third year in a row they have met in the championship.

Last year, their paths did not cross until the final in which Edmond beat Greig with a par 4 at the 19th, having been five up at the turn before Greig

Links Championship won the10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 18th to  square the match.
Edmond has won the Links title in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Wednesday evening's second-round championship ties:                                                 
5.00 B Reid (C) v G Paterson (N).
5.06 S Finnie (C) v D Oliver (C).
5.12 L Minty (N) v R Evett (N).
5.18 S Allan (C) v C Ross (N).
5.24 C Somers (BA) v S Smith (C).
5.30 M Greig (BA) v B Edmond (BA).
5.36 G Mitchell (BA) v D Leslie (N).
5.42 G Somers (BA) v A Doig (C).

A BIZARRE SITUATION, SAYS PHILIP McLEAN

EPD TOUR'S ADAMSTAL OPEN IN 

AUSTRIA REDUCED TO 18 HOLES.

Play in the first round of the German PGA's developmental EPD Tour's Adamstal Open was suspended this afternoon (Tuesday) due to a continously dangerous weather situation at Adamstal Golf Club in Austria.
It is hoped to resume the tournament at 7am local time on Wednesday. 
The tournament was originally scheduled for 54 holes but then reduced to two rounds when the opening round was declared null and void after a blunder by the greenkeeping staff who cut the grass to remove the paint signifying members' dropping zone areas while play was in progress.
This meant that the course was not in the same condition for all the competitors.
Now it has been further reduced to 18 holes as there is no realistic possibility of completing two rounds before Wednesday night.
The weather forecast for Wednesday is not good - a "massive rainfall overnight and more thunderstorms."
Full prize money and full points for the Tour Order of Merit will be effective even after only 18 holes. 
If even one round cannot be completed, then the tournament as a whole will be scrubbed and no prizemoney allocated.
"It's a bizarre situation," said Peterhead's Philip McLean (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), one of only two Scots still in the tournament after Connor O'Neil (Pollok) withdrew due to a back injury and
flew home to Glasgow.
McLean had not even started his round when play was suspended for the day.
The other Scot is Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm) who returned a 75 before play was halted.
He is one of a handful of players who have completed one round. Austrian Clemens Dvorak is the clubhouse leader with a one-under-par 69.

PRO WHO HELPED TO INTRODUCE GEORGIA HALL TO GOLF

DEATH OF FORMER PGA CUP PLAYER

JOHN SHARKEY AT AGE OF 77

Former GB and I PGA Cup player John Sharkey, a legend in Bournemouth golfing circles, has died at the age of 77, a few weeks after a special day was held in his honour at Canford Magna Golf Club where he spent his final ten years coaching youngsters.
A former European Tour player, he  played four rounds in The Open at Muirfield in 1959 – venue of Gary Player’s first Open victory - and was a member of the PGA Cup team in 1976.
He was best known as club professional at Queens Park, one of the two council-owned courses in Bournemouth, where he spent most of his career.
He co-designed Bulbury Woods at Lytchett Minster in 1988, the first 18-hole circuit to be built in Dorset to address the shortage of courses in the east of the county during that boom period. He became co-owner until it was sold seven years later.
He spent ten years alongside the other professionals at Canford Magna where hundreds of children were introduced to golf through the Canford Kids coaching programme, the star "discovery" being Georgia Hall, the current British women's amateur champion who will make her Curtis Cup debut at St Louis, Missouri next week.
John was president of the Bournemouth Professional Golfers’ Alliance for 25 years until 2009 and also played a prominent role with the Dorset PGA.
The funeral is being held at Bournemouth Crematorium on June 5 (2pm), followed by a gathering at Canford Magna Golf Club. 

BIG WEEK FOR BARRY CRAWFORD AT NORDEA MASTERS

COURSE MANAGER AT THIS WEEK'S 

EUROPEAN TOUR VENUE IN SWEDEN

IS PAST AYRSHIRE COUNTY CHAMPION

Barry Crawford, course manager at PGA National Golf Club, Malmo, Sweden

Former Ayrshire county champion Barry Crawford
is the course manager at the PGA National Golf Club near Malmo, Sweden where the European Tour's Nordea Masters is being played this week.
There are two 18-hole championship-class  courses at the venue - the Links and the Lakes. The latter is being used for this week's tournament.

Barry's mother Isabel, pictured, was a Scotland international player in the early 1970s when she was Isabel Wylie and is now a member of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association board of directors and a prominent figure in west of scotland girls' and women's golf.
Barry, a former Ayrshire county champion, still plays off +2 ,and was club champion at West Kilbride and Kilbirnie golf clubs.
He qualified from ELmwood College, Cupar and spent his apprenticeship at Prestwick Golf Club.
Barry has worked at Dundonald Links Golf Club, the Carrick on Loch Lomond, Bayonne on the banks of the Hudson River in New York,and Augusta, Georgia.
For the last six years Barry has worked on this new golf development in southern Sweden .The course is only four years old but very demanding but a good test of golf.

COUNTY GOLF NEWS

        Andrew McColl (left), beaten finalist, with new champion Sean Burns

 Sean Burns is Renfrewshire boys’ match-play championship winner

RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION PRESS RELEASE

 turnberry.db@gmail.com

Sean Burns of Caldwell Golf Club has become the Renfrewshire Golf Union boys’ match-play champion, following in the footsteps of his club mate Lewis Smith, who won the event last year. 

Sean made sure the Freedman Trophy remained at Caldwell in difficult, wet conditions at Kilmacolm Golf Club. In the afternoon final many of the greens required to be cleared of water following a torrential downpour during the lunch break.

In the morning round Sean beat Fraser Lawrie of Lochwinnoch Golf Club by two holes, closing out the game with a nice birdie at the final hole after Fraser had fought back from three down with five to play to stand one down on the final tee

In the other semi-final Andrew McColl of Erskine overcame Caldwell’s Alastair McNaughton 3 and 2, with the game turning dramatically on the 13^th hole. The match was all square when Andrew over -hit his approach which crashed into the pin and dropped straight into the hole to give him a one- hole lead. 

Alastair never recovered from this untimely blow.

The final involved the first and second seeds and the quality of the match was outstanding, especially in the conditions.

Andrew started briskly with birdies at the first and third to go two up but dropped shots at the fourth and sixth to go all square. He restored his lead with a birdie at the seventh but lost a ball at the next hole.  Sean’s birdie at the ninth saw him one up at the turn.

Yet another birdie from Andrew at the 11th restored equality but Sean responded with a great birdie three at the next. 

This was to prove crucial as Andrew failed to get up and down from beside the green at the 13th to go two down and a pulled drive at the next hole into heavy rough meant he was three down with four to play.  Sean made sure with his third birdie at fifteen to win by 4 and 3. 

Andrew can take consolation from the fact that he made four birdies and Sean finished two under par in a fiercely competitive game which was enjoyed by all who watched it.  

 The courtesy of Kilmacolm Golf Club given to the Renfrewshire Golf Union was much appreciated by all who took part and thanks also to Mrs. Murray who came once again to present the trophy and winners’ vouchers.

FRIENDLY BOYS' MATCH AT LUNDIN LINKS

Seven Renfrewshire Golf Union boys - Jack Currie, Craig Orr, Matthew Dalrymple, Jamie Sinnamon, Lewis Breslin, Aidan Wilson and Angus Frood travelled to Lundin Links to play Fife in a friendly match. The match was decided on aggregate scores counting the best six gross scores. Renfrewshire won by 10 shots, so well done to the boys who took part.

SUCCESS AT SECTIONAL INTERNATIONAL QUALIFYING

LIANG, KAPUR AND GRIFFITHS EARN 

U.S. OPEN BERTHS

 

ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

 Liang Wen-chong of China, Shiv Kapur of India and Simon Griffiths of England will make their debuts in the U.S. Open next month after qualifying for the year’s second Major through the Sectional Qualifying on Monday.

Liang, the first Chinese to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2007, topped the two-day Sectional Qualifying in Japan after posting a final round of five-under-par 66 at the Nara International Golf Club.

The three-time Asian Tour winner totalled nine-under-par 133 to lead five other players to Pinehurst Resorts and Country Club from June 9 to 15.

Kapur sealed his third appearance in a Major tournament when he posted a one-under-par 71 for a 139 total to finish tied fifth at the Walton Heath Golf Club.

The Indian, who played in The Open Championship in 2006 and 2013, was among 14 players who made the grade in the Sectional Qualifying which was won by Shane Lowry of Ireland.

Asian Tour member Griffiths also sealed his maiden appearance in the U.S. Open following a final round 70 to tie for second on 137.

Wade Ormsby of Australia and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh both missed out on a U.S. Open ticket after finishing tied 17^th and 68^th respectively.