PAUL'S SECOND-ROUND 66 PUTS HIM FOUR AHEAD

O'HARA SURGES CLEAR AT HALFWAY 

IN  SCOTS YOUNG PROS' CHAMPIONSHIP

Defending champion Paul O'Hara has surged four shots clear of the field at the halfway stage of the Scottish young professionals' championship at West Lothian Golf Club, Bo'ness.
The Clydeway Golf man followed up his opening 67 with a five-under-par 66 for a nine-under-par 36-hole tally of 133.
That put O'Hara four ahead of overnight leader Gavin Hay (Nairn Dunbar) (66-71 for 137) and seven ahead of Keir McNicoll (Gullane) (67-73 for 140).
The leading 34 and ties went forward to play the final 36 holes on Thursday.
O'Hara had a bogey-free scorecard, highlighted by birdies at the third, long fourth, short 11th, long 12th and long 14th.
Hay was not doing too badly with an eagle 3 at the fourth for the second day in a row and birdies at the 10th, 12th and 14th after starting his round with a bogey.
But the Highlander had a catastrophic finish which saw him drop four shots to par over the last three holes. Hay stumbled badly to a triple bogey 7 at the 16th and a bogey at the 18th added insult to injury.
Second best round of the day was a four-under-par 67 by Blairgowrie's Sam McLaren who, as a result, moved up to a share of fourth place on 142 with Paul Betty (Hayston).
McLaren was fourth in this event last year.
He had six birdies over the last 13 holes and would have been fourth on his own but for bogey at the 16th.
Former Scottish Under-18 girls champion Ailsa Bain (Macdonald Cardrona)  is lying joint sixth on 144 after a second-round 74.
SCOTTISH YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
West Lothian Golf Club, Bo'ness.
LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
133 P O'Hara (Clydeway Golf) 67 66
137 G Hay (Nairn Dunbar) 66 71
140 K McNicoll (Gullane) 67 73
142 S McLaren (Blairgowrie) 75 67, P Betty (Hayston) 70 72
144 C Haugh (Cawder) 75 69, C Marr (Musselburgh) 72 72, R Munro (Duddingston) 73 71, Ailsa Bain (Macdonald Cardrona) 70 74.
145 F Thomson (Turnberry Hotel) 70 75, G Smith (Gleneagles) 72 73, M Patterson (Cruden Bay) 70 75
146 C Beveridge (West Kilbride) 75 71, D Flannery (Caldwell) 75 71, R Jack (Dumfries and Galloway) 74 72
147 R McConnachie (Peterculter) 74 73, C Porciani (Turnberry Hotel) 74 73, A Todd (Prestwick) 74 73
148 F Rummins (Canmore) 72 6, J Gallagher (Douglas Park) 75 73.
149 C Robinson (Elie SC) 74 75, I McNab (Dundonald Links) 73 76 F Clarke (Newmachar) 71 78, D Stein (Ranfurly Castle) 75 74 K Moran (Balbirnie Park) 77 72, I Lowdean (Murrayfield) 72 77
150 A Welsh (Cathkin Braes) 76 74, R Clarke (Gamola Golf) 70 80
151 T Dingwall (Kemnay) 73 78, R Mitchell (Paul Lawrie GC) 78 73, I Anderson (Colville Park) 75 76, A Hutcheon (Douglas Park) 78 73
152 A Burns (Bothwell Castle) 76 76
153 O Huish (North Berwick) 73 80.




TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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TEE TIMES FOR FINAL DAY AT WEST LOTHIAN

ound 3: The West Lothian Golf Club 03/07/2014

 Tee  Time      Name

  1   7:30 AM   Oliver Huish, North Berwick Golf Club
                Andrew Burns, Bothwell Castle Golf Club

  1   7:38 AM   Andrew Hutchison, Douglas Park Golf Club
                Ian Anderson, Colville Park Golf Club

  1   7:46 AM   Reece Mitchell, Paul Lawrie Golf Centre
                Tom Dingwall, Kemnay Golf Club

  1   7:54 AM   Rodger Clarke, Gamola Golf
                Alan Welsh, Cathkin Braes Golf Club

  1   8:02 AM   Iain Lowdean, Murrayfield Golf Club
                Kevin Moran, Balbirnie Park Golf Club

  1   8:10 AM   David Stein, Ranfurly Castle Golf Club
                Colin Robinson, Elie Sports Centre

  1   8:18 AM   Iain McNab, Dundonald Links
                Fraser Clarke, Newmachar Golf Club

  1   8:26 AM   Jordan Gallagher, Douglas Park Golf Club
                Fraser Rummins, Canmore Golf Club

  1   8:34 AM   Allan Todd, Prestwick Golf Club
                Ciar Porciani, Turnberry Hotel

  1   8:42 AM   Ross McConnachie, Peterculter Golf Club
                Ross Jack, Dumfries & Galloway Golf Club

  1   8:50 AM   Daniel Flannery, Caldwell Golf Club
                Callum Beveridge, West Kilbride Golf Club

  1   8:58 AM   Murray Patterson, Cruden Bay Golf Club
                Grant Smith, Gleneagles Hotel Golf Courses

  1   9:06 AM   Fraser Thomson, Turnberry Hotel
                Ailsa Bain, Macdonald Cardrona Golf & Coun

  1   9:14 AM   Ross Munro, Duddingston Golf Club
                Cameron Marr, Musselburgh Golf Club

  1   9:22 AM   Craig Haugh, Cawder Golf Club
                Paul Betty, Hamilton Golf Club

  1   9:30 AM   Sam McLaren, Blairgowrie Golf Club
                Keir McNicoll, Gullane Golf Club

  1   9:38 AM   Gavin Hay, Nairn Dunbar Golf Club
                Paul O'Hara, Clydeway Golf

Complete information is available at Tournament Information Page (TIP)

LINK TO SCORES IN GLOBAL GOLF POST SCOTTISH UNDER-16 BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP

TO VIEW THE SGU LIVE SCORING INFORMATION

FROM THE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND OF THE GLOBAL GOLF POST SCOTTISH UNDER-16 BOYS STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE GLEN GOLF CLUB, NORTH BERWICK

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MURCAR LINKS WIN ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT JUNIOR PENNANT

Murcar Links beat Inverallochy 4-1 in the final of the Aberdeen and District Junior Pennant League, sponsored by the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre.
The match was played at neutral Peterhead Golf Club.
No details of individual matches available so far.
Murcar Links winners pictured above:
Back L-R – Jay Hutton, Andrew Donald, Ryan Munro, Cameron Duncan, Keir MacArthur, Matthew Gray, Blair Milne, Thomas Burnett, Mathew Dick, Clark Petrie, Angus Lee (Junior Convener), Ewan McGregor.  Front L-R – Chris Somers, Euan Alexander.

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R AND A

12 PLAYERS SECURE PLACES IN THE 

OPEN C/SHIP AT FINAL QUALIFYING

Twelve players have secured their places at The Open Championship at the conclusion of Final Qualifying at Sunningdale, Gailes Links, Woburn and Hillside.

At Sunningdale, England’s Matthew Southgate, Chris Rodgers and South Korea’s Byeong-Hun An qualified. At Gailes Links, three Scottish golfers earned their passage to The Open, Marc Warren, Jamie McLeary and Paul McKechnie. 

At Woburn, the places went to amateur Paul Dunne of Ireland, and England’s Oliver Fisher and Rhys Enoch, and at Hillside the three qualifers were John Singleton and Christopher Hanson of England and Oscar Floren of Sweden.

Sunningdale proved the most testing of the four qualifying venues where only two players managed to break par. A total of 288 players competed for 12 places at The Open, which will be played from 17-20 July at Royal Liverpool.  

Southgate carded an opening one-over 70 before charging to the top of the leaderboard with a closing 64 for a four-under-par 134 winning aggregate. The 25-year-old finished one stroke ahead of An, who shot 69, 66 for a 135 total.

“It’s amazing, I must have tried to qualify for The Open 10 times since I got down to scratch as an amateur,” said Southgate, whose final round contained six birdies and just the one dropped shot at the 11th. 

“I have been working hard with my coach, my preparation has been good and I’m just delighted it all came together.”

An was the only other player at Sunningdale to break par. Despite starting his second round with a bogey, the former US Amateur champion (2009) rallied with four birdies and no dropped shots.

“I played steady. It’s the sort of course you need to have a game plan and I stuck to it, you have to be patient,” said the 22-year-old, who is looking forward to a week’s break back home in Orlando after four months on the road.

Instead of playing on the Challenge Tour in Switzerland in a couple of weeks, An will now return to England to compete in his fourth Major. In 2010 he played in The Open at St Andrews, The Masters and the US Open after his US Amateur success.    

Rodgers had an agonising wait before realising his dream of playing in The Open for the first time. Despite bogeying the final hole, the London professional shot 67, 72 for a one-over-par 139 to secure the third and final spot.

“It’s a dream come true. I can really look forward to Hoylake and see what happens,” said the 38-year-old.

Former World Cup winner Marc Warren came with a late surge to move ahead of long-time leader Jamie McLeary for top spot at Gailes Links in Ayrshire.
Helped by a course-record 63 in the morning, McLeary set a formidable target of seven-under on a course that became more and more fiery in the glorious sunny conditions.

Scotland’s Warren, a two-time European Tour winner, had set out in the afternoon six shots off the pace in his bid to secure a second successive Open appearance.

But a 64, coupled with a 72 from McLeary, who got off to a shaky start in his second round saw the 33-year-old Glaswegian finish in top spot by two shots on nine-under 133.

“I was really confident coming in here as it’s a course I play a lot,” said Warren after signing off in style in the afternoon by holing from a greenside bunker for a birdie.

“It means a lot to get back into The Open. Last year was my first taste of it. But I was frustrated as I was close to making the cut and you want another shot at it.”

McLeary, also 33 and from Bonnyrigg in Midlothian, will be making his Open debut, as will former PGA EuroPro Tour number one Paul McKechnie, who closed with a 67.

The 37-year-old secured the last spot up for grabs after beating Welshman Rhys Davies (71) with a birdie at the first play-off hole after they finished tied on three-under.
“To have achieved this after being 40 to the bend in the morning is incredible,” admitted McKechnie, who is attached to the Braid Hills Golf Centre in Edinburgh.
At Woburn, Irish amateur Paul Dunne survived a huge scare before he came through to win Final Qualifying over the Marquess course.
The 22-year-old from Greystones arrived on the first tee with just one minute to spare ahead of his opening round but managed to retain his composure and post two rounds of 67 to claim a three-shot victory on 10-under 134.
“It gave me a bit of a fright,” admitted the Irish International who was part of the winning European collegiate team at last week’s Palmer Cup at Walton Heath.
“I misjudged the time it would take me to get from the clubhouse out to the 10th tee but fortunately I managed to hit my opening tee shot straight down the middle.
“This is the first time I have ever played in an event like this so I wasn’t sure what would be a good score. I just decided to press and see what happened and it turned out very well.”
Dunne finished three shots ahead of Oliver Fisher, who also opened with a five-under 67, then secured second with a two-under 70. “I played steady golf all day,” he said. “Tee to green I was very good but I didn’t hole quite as many putts as I would have liked.”
The last spot was decided in dramatic fashion after English Amateur Tomasz Anderson, Australia’s Jack Wilson and Rhys Enoch from Wales all tied for third on six-under-par 138.
The trio went down the first extra-hole where Enoch overshot the green with his approach from behind a tree but then holed a 25-foot downhill pitch for a winning birdie three.
“It’s strange I pitched poorly all day but as soon as I got to my ball I had a feeling something strange was going to happen,” he said. “All golfers want to play in The Open but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d get into the Championship that way. It’s all a bit surreal.”
Birkenhead factory worker John Singleton, Challenge Tour players, Chris Hanson from Yorkshire and Oscar Floren, qualified at Hillside after a four-man play-off when Yorkshire amateur Nick Marsh couldn’t match par at the second extra hole.

Marsh - in the last match on course - made a birdie on a final hole for a second successive 69 to make it into the four-man play-off on six-under-par 138.

First time around the quartet all made par but Marsh found a bunker off the tee at the second and failed to make par and his dream was over.

Singleton, who kept his PGA status but also works in a resin factory, was absolutely delighted to have made it to Royal Liverpool, which is only five minutes from his Wallasey home. He added a best of the afternoon 66 to his opening 72.

“It will be amazing to play in The Open, and I expect I’ll have a lot of support from my friends and family,” said Singleton.

As for Hanson, he has finally made it to The Open after he too carded a pair of 69s.

“I’ve reached final qualifying several times before but the nearest I came was here (Hillside) a few years ago when I missed out by three strokes. It’s unbelievable, a dream come true and I’m delighted.”

Floren, who added a 71 to his opening 67, has played in The Open twice, St Andrews in 2005 and last year at Muirfield.

“I’ve been struggling a bit on the Challenge Tour to be honest,” said Floren. “But I played well today and hopefully I can carry it into this week's tournament in Germany and on to Hoylake.”

The next events in The Open Qualifying Series, which comprises 14 events in nine countries on five continents, are the Greenbrier Classic o the PGA Tour and the Alstom Open de France on the European Tour from 3-6 July.  

LATE ENTRIES ACCEPTED FOR SUTHERLAND CHALICE AT DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY

Hi Colin,

 

I would be grateful if you could put a message on the website, that there is room for  a limited number of late entries for the Sutherland Chalice at Dumfries and Galloway on July 12 and 13. 2014. 

The entry fee is £35.00 and they can contact me on my mobile 07803 242209 or email club website info@dandggolfclub.co.uk.

Iain Urquhart

Border Travel

15 Castle Street

Dumfries

 

 

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FIFE GOLFING ASSOCIATION ORDER OF MERIT

2014 FIFE GOLFING ASSOCIATION ORDER OF MERIT, presented by www.MyGolfRanking.net, for The Mackay Bowl.

Positions after 9 events: 1 Alex Moir (Thornton) 260 points, 2 Alan Sutherland (Ladybank) 225, 3= Andrew Davidson (Charleton) 120, Greg Forrester (Lundin) 120, David Mitchell (Leven Thistle) 120, 6= Josh Jamieson (The New Club) 100, Brian Soutar (Leven G S) 100, 8 Stuart Meiklejohn (Aberdour) 90,

9= Steven Aitken (Leven GS) 80, Greg Wishart (Lundin) 80.

The next counting events for the 2014 FIFE ORDER OF MERIT are THE FIFE STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP at CRAIL GOLFING SOCIETY on 6 July and THE CAMERON CORBETT VASE at HAGGS CASTLE G C on 5 & 6 July.