LANGER LURKING IN THE WINGS ON HOME TERRITORY

EMERSON LEADS SENIORS IN GERMANY

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
England’s Gary Emerson launched himself to the top of the leaderboard at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open in Germany with a superb seven under par 65 in the first round.
The 50 year old notched eight birdies and a bogey to sit one shot clear of a group of five players including home favourite Bernhard Langer, who birdied the last for a fine 66.
Switzerland’s André Bossert, Englishman Paul Eales, Cesar Monasterio of Argentina and American Jerry Smith are alongside Langer on that mark at WINSTONgolf in northern Germany.
Emerson has had just one top ten this season and is 54th in the Order of Merit, so his low score was particularly pleasing.
“I am very happy with my round and the result,” he said. “I hit the ball very well today and had only two bad shots – one of them resulting in a bogey on the second hole. The course is in great condition and the weather is perfect.
"If you put the ball on the fairway, it’s very scoreable. I’ve just got to keep my game together and continue to play as I did today.”
Langer, who won The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex in June for his fourth Senior Major victory, said: “I lost my concentration a little on the last few holes and made a bogey on 17 which is an easy par five.
“The course was in fantastic shape and the greens are getting faster every day, which is very good. It is fun playing here. Hopefully I can come out firing tomorrow morning and have another good round.”
Defending champion Gordon Brand Jnr of Scotland opened with a two under par 70 to lie in a share of 25th place, while South African Chris Williams’ round of 67 was helped by a hole-in-one at the fourth – his first in a professional tournament.
“I’ve had ten hole-in-ones playing non-competitive rounds, but I’ve never had one in a tournament,” said Williams. “I was just unlucky it wasn’t on a hole where there was a special prize.”

FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
 65 G Emerson (Eng) ,
 66 C Monasterio (Arg) , J Smith (USA) , P Eales (Eng) , B Langer (Ger) , A Bossert (Sui)
 67 A Oldcorn (Sco) , W Grant (Eng) , G Ryall (Eng) , S Luna (Esp) , S Brown (Eng) , C Williams (RSA) ,
 68 T Price (Aus) , P Golding (Eng) , R Thompson (USA) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , R Drummond (Sco) , M Harwood (Aus) , A Murray (Eng) ,
 69 T Johnstone (Zim) , S Cipa (Eng) , P Wesselingh (Eng) , G Wolstenholme (Eng) , J Gould (Eng)
 70 B Conser (USA) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , P Jonas (Can) , B Ruangkit (Tha) , B Longmuir (Sco) , G Brand Jnr (Sco) , J Berendt (Arg) , G Manson (Aut) , J Remesy (Fra) , P Fowler (Aus)
 71 M Mackenzie (Eng) , D Hospital (Esp) , D Smyth (Irl) , M Martin (Esp) , T Thelen (USA) , G Turner (Nzl) , M Davis (Eng) , B Cameron (Eng) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , J Bruner (USA) ,
 72 A Saddington (Sco) , P Walton (Irl) , R Gibson (Can) , N Job (Eng) , M Farry (Fra) , J Carriles (Esp) , J Quiros (Esp) , I Woosnam (Wal) , C Mason (Eng) ,
 73 G Joyner (Aus) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , H Thül (Ger) , G Brand (Eng) , M Piñero (Esp) ,
 74 G Rusnak (USA) , J Rivero (Esp) , S Tinning (Den) , S McAllister (Sco) , A Sherborne (Eng) , A Franco (Par) ,
 75 M Cunning (USA) , J Sallat (Fra) , D Durnian (Eng) , D Russell (Eng) ,
 76 P Linhart (Esp) , M McLean (Eng) ,
 77 M Bianco (Ita) ,
 80 A Garrido (Esp) ,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SCOTS HAVE CONTRASTING FORTUNES IN FIRST ROUND

HENRY HAPPY, WHITE BADLY PLACED 

IN FRENCH ALPS TOUR EVENT

Scots John Henry and James White had contrasting fortunes in the first round of this weekend's Alps Tour event in France, the Open International du Haut Poitou.

Henry played well for a two-under-par 71 which put him in joint 17th place overnight, five shots behind the joint leaders.

But White struggled to a 76 for a share of 69th place and faces elimination by the second-round cut.

LEADERBOARD

Par 73

66 C Berardo (Fra), K Subregis (Fra)

67 M Wallace (Eng), B Virto (Spa)

SCOTS' SCORES

71 J Henry (T17)

76 J White (T69)

WALES OPEN REPORT AND SCORES

LOWRY LEADS AT NINE UNDER PAR AS 

GALLACHER MISSES CUT

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Irishman Shane Lowry will carry a slender lead into the weekend of the ISPS HANDA Wales Open after shooting a superb round of 65 at The Celtic Manor Resort today.
Lowry’s best finish on four previous appearances in the £1.8 million tournament was a tie for 39th place in 2010, but the Irishman turned the form book on its head with five birdies in a flawless display which moved him to nine under par at the midway stage.
Lowry’s nearest pursuers are Nicolas Colsaerts, who closed his round of 68 with an eagle putt from 35 feet, and overnight leader Joost Luiten, who rebounded from a front nine of 37 to join the Belgian on eight under par. 
The lowest round of the tournament so far was carded by Italian Edoardo Molinari, whose bogey-free 63 moved him into a share of fourth place on seven under par.
Of the four Ryder Cup players in the field, it is home favourite Jamie Donaldson who is faring best on five under par, having added a round of 67 to his opening 70.
Stephen Gallacher will be returning to his native Scotland sooner than expected, after missing the cut despite a battling round of 70.
But his team-mates Thomas Björn and Lee Westwood both made the weekend on two under and level par respectively.
Key quotes
Shane Lowry
“I’ve never, ever done well here before. So to be leading after two rounds is very nice. There’s still a long way to go in the tournament, but I’m really looking forward to the weekend.
“I felt like coming here, I could give it a go this week. I was around tenth going into the back nine on Sunday in Holland last week, and similar the week before in Switzerland. So if I can get myself into a good position come the back nine this weekend, again, hopefully I can give it a go.”
Nicolas Colsaerts
“I started off very nicely, but then made two silly mistakes in the middle of the round, two bogeys that I could easily have avoided. Then I shaved the hole with a bunch of putts on the back nine, but it was a nice little gesture on the last.
“I was very, very close to losing it, because I thought I was playing quite well except for those two holes where I bogeyed. But apart from that, I’m quite pleased with the way I’m playing. I thought it looked pretty solid out there again today.”
Joost Luiten
“I’ve been playing well the last couple weeks. I finished fourth in Italy and so had some good form going into the KLM, then played well again last week.
“It was tough today because the greens were very soft compared to yesterday with all the rain we had last night, and with the back pins, even 7 irons spun back four or five yards, so it was tough to fly them all the way to the back.
“So you have to be careful with those pins – sometimes you have to play smart.”
 
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71) 74 players made the cut on 143 and better
 133 S Lowry  (Irl) 68 65
 134 J Luiten (Ned) 65 69, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 66 68
 135 E Molinari  (Ita) 72 63, T Jaidee (Tha) 68 67
 136 T Fleetwood  (Eng) 68 68, G Havret  (Fra) 69 67, R Santos  (Por) 68 68, P Sjöland (Swe) 69 67
 137 J Donaldson (Wal) 70 67, P Price (Wal) 71 66, M Warren (Sco) 70 67
 138 M Foster (Eng) 69 69, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 71 67, R Rock (Eng) 67 71
 139 P Uihlein  (USA) 71 68, A Otaegui  (Esp) 70 69, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 71 68, R Ramsay  (Sco) 69 70, R Derksen (Ned) 73 66, D Willett  (Eng) 72 67
 140 J Hansen  (Den) 69 71, P Casey  (Eng) 70 70, T Björn (Den) 71 69, J Morrison  (Eng) 71 69, A Wall (Eng) 69 71, S Benson (Eng) 71 69, S Kim (SKor) 70 70, G Storm  (Eng) 71 69, A Sullivan (Eng) 74 66, J Hahn (USA) 70 70, S Thornton (Irl) 71 69, A McArthur  (Sco) 66 74, S Webster (Eng) 68 72, N Holman  (Aus) 70 70, S Kjeldsen (Den) 69 71, T Pieters  (Bel) 72 68, S Wakefield (Eng) 68 72, C Lee (Sco) 68 72,
 141 D Lynn (Eng) 72 69, B Dredge (Wal) 71 70, R Wattel  (Fra) 69 72, J McLeary  (Sco) 68 73, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 71, N Elvira  (Esp) 71 70, G Bhullar (Ind) 71 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 76 65, K Broberg (Swe) 71 70, C Wood  (Eng) 73 68, T Olesen (Den) 71 70, E Grillo (Arg) 70 71, M Kieffer (Ger) 71 70, A Pavan (Ita) 72 69, O Fisher  (Eng) 69 72
 142 D Huizing (Ned) 73 69, L Westwood (Eng) 73 69, J Carlsson (Swe) 69 73, P Archer (Eng) 71 71, E Pepperell (Eng) 68 74, J Quesne  (Fra) 74 68, G Hutcheon (Sco) 72 70, R Fisher (Eng) 70 72, D Im (USA) 70 72, F Molinari (Ita) 71 71,
 143 N Fasth (Swe) 69 74, R Karlsson (Swe) 71 72, A Gee  (Eng) 72 71, R Gonzalez (Arg) 74 69, L Slattery (Eng) 73 70, E Dubois (Fra) 73 70, V Riu  (Fra) 72 71, D McGrane (Irl) 71 72, M Carlsson  (Swe) 76 67, P Lawrie (Sco) 72 71
 144 M Nixon (Eng) 72 72, N Dougherty  (Eng) 73 71, J Campillo (Esp) 74 70, R Kakko  (Fin) 73 71, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 71 73, J Kingston (RSA) 73 71, R Bland (Eng) 73 71, D Howell (Eng) 70 74,
 145 D Brooks (Eng) 68 77, S Hansen (Den) 72 73, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 75, A Saddier (Fra) 73 72, D Gaunt (Eng) 70 75, J Walters (RSA) 67 78, D Drysdale (Sco) 73 72, A Kaleka  (Fra) 72 73, G Bourdy (Fra) 74 71, M Hoey  (Nir) 74 71
 146 G Maybin (Nir) 77 69, P Larrazábal (Esp) 75 71, L Zhiqun (Sin) 72 74, R Finch  (Eng) 74 72, A Hartø  (Den) 73 73, B Paolini (USA) 75 71, J Parry (Eng) 73 73, E Goya (Arg) 71 75, H Miyase (Jpn) 72 74, D Boote (am) (Wal) 71 75, M Hearne (am) (Wal) 73 73
 147 J Doherty  (Sco) 74 73, T Nørret (Den) 70 77, J Heath  (Eng) 74 73, T Lewis (Eng) 73 74, E De La Riva  (Esp) 75 72, S Walker (Eng) 67 80, P Whiteford (Sco) 73 74, S Manley (Wal) 76 71, J Singh (Ind) 72 75, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 76, S Jamieson  (Sco) 71 76,
 148 S Gallacher (Sco) 78 70, J Lima  (Por) 75 73, M Grönberg (Swe) 70 78
 149 K Phelan (Irl) 73 76, F Calmels  (Fra) 74 75, L Bond (Wal) 74 75, S Khan (Eng) 71 78, B Rumford (Aus) 71 78, A Forsyth (Sco) 80 69, J Ferguson (Eng) 76 73
 150 T Hatton (Eng) 77 73, D Higgins (Irl) 78 72, P Waring  (Eng) 76 74
 151 P Lawrie (Irl) 73 78, E Griffith (am) (Wal) 78 73
 152 M Cort (Eng) 74 78, D Fichardt (RSA) 74 78, M Crespi  (Ita) 77 75, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 74 78
 153 C Del Moral (Esp) 76 77
 154 M Madsen  (Den) 78 76
 156 T Innes Ker (Sco) 81 75, J Jeong (SKor) 78 78
 157 M Lundberg (Swe) 75 82
 158 J Olazábal (Esp) 82 76
 163 L Rooke (Wal) 76 87
 ** A Quiros  (Esp) 74 RT, J Knutzon (USA) 79 DQ, H Otto (RSA) 74 WD, R Karlberg  (Swe) RT  0, C Doak (Sco) DQ  0,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

ABERDEEN AREA CLUBS FAIL TO REACH LAST FOUR AT TAIN

NEWMACHAR KO'D FROM NORTHERN 

COUNTIES CUP BY NAIRN DUNBAR 1

Hot favourites Newmachar were KO'd by Nairn Dunbar 1 in the quarter-finals of the Northern Counties Cup men's double foursomes match-play golf tournament at Tain Golf Club today (Friday).

The defeat of Murcar Links by Tain 1 means that no club team from the Aberdeen area has made it through to the semi-finals which will feature Nairn Dunbar v Inverness 1 and Tain 1 against Fortrose 1.

THIRD ROUND

Newmachar 1 bt Grantown 2 by 7 holes

C Simpson, M McKeichnie 4, J Campbell, G Hay 0; R Barr, J Duff 3, S Dingwall, I Anderson 0

Nairn Dunbar 1 bt Banchory by 2 holes

W Barron, G Burnett 0, A Lindsay, J Harling 5; B Watson, F Brown 7, R Black, A Ramage 0

Inverness 1 bt Royal Aberdeen 1 by 2 holes

J Forbes, D Sanderson 5, M Halliday, W Barclay 0; B Fortheringham, D Joel 0 N MacAndrew, D MacAndrew 3

Fraserburgh bt Orkney by 14 holes

G Munro, J Ritchie 7, J McGregor, J Sim 0; J Ross, F Milne 7, E Donaldson, P McKinlay 0

Tain 1 bt Royal Dornoch 1 by 1 hole

M Ferries, D Thorburn 0, N Munro, D MacKintosh 3; B Ferries, A Everett 4, D Pearson, B Urquhart 0;

Murcar Links bt Brora by 6 holes

A Bews, A Styles 4, J MacBeath, R Cameron 0, A Campbell, I Galbraith 2, A Ogg, M Singer 0;

Fortrose 1 bt Nairn 2 by 1 hole

M MacDonald, C Gaittens 0, R Asher, F Asher 0; A Cameron, L Reid 1, J Asher, G Asher 0;

Nairn 1 bt Inverness 2 by 6 holes

F Fotheringham, B Thomson 4, E Forbes, L Chancellor 0; S Scott, R Smith 2, J Keith, K Mackay 0;

QUARTER-FINALS

Nairn Dunbar 1 bt Newmachar 1 by 4 holes

W Barron, G Burnett 1, C Simpson, M McKechnie 0; B Watson, F Brown 3, R Barr, J Duff 0;

Inverness 1 bt Fraserburgh by 5 holes

J Forbes, D Sanderson 3, G Munro, J Ritchie 0; B Fortheringham, D Joel 2, J Ross, F Milne 0;

Tain 1 bt Murcar Links by 1 hole

M Ferries, D Thorburn 3, A Bews, A Styles 0; B Ferries, A Everett 0, A Campbell, I Galbraith 2;

Fortrose 1 bt Nairn 1 by 4 holes

M MacDonald, C Gaittens 2, F Fortheringham, B Thomson 0; A Cameron, L Reid 2, S Scott, R Smith 0;

BEATSON CANCER CHARITY PRO-AM

FENWICK WINS WITH A SIX-UNDER 65

OVER GLENEAGLES' KING'S COURSE

Dunbar's Neil Fenwick maintained his recent run of good form with the lowest professional score of six-under-par 65 over the King's Course, Gleneagles in today's Beatson Cancer Charity pro-am.

Fenwick, pictured, winner of the European Tour Q School Stage 1 event at Roxburghe. had a bogey-free scorecard, highlighted by birdies at the first, sixth, ninth, 10th, 13th and 18th in halves of 32-33.
He won the £700 top prize by one shot from Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) with Christopher Currie (Caldwell) third on 68.
Fenwick also led the ARR Craib 2 team of Steve Anderson (handicap 17), Mike Packer (12) and Simon Gibb (8) to victory in the team event with a net score of 127.
Craig Lawrie's Paul Lawrie Foundation team also scored 127 but lost on a comparison of the inward halves.
PRO SCORES
Par 71
65 N Fenwick (Dunbar) £700
66 G Fox (Clydeway Golf) £500
68 C Currie (Caldwell) £350
69 P O'Hara (Clydeway Golf) £200.
70 M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy), G Brown (Montrose Links) £200 each.
72 S Herald (Mearns Castle) £200 each
73 A Tait (Marriott Dalmahoy), C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) £200 each
75 A Brown (Archerfield), V Brown (Palacerigg) £200 each.
76 M Loftus (Mearns Castle), S Gillespie (Burntisland) £200 each.
77 C Elliott (Haggs Castle) £200
79 G McFarlane (Clober), D McKay (Wellsgreen), G Reilly (Lochwinnoch) £200 each.
80 S Wilson (Eastwood), N Scott-Smith (Palacerigg) £200 each.
Retired - M King (Kingsfield).

MOTHERWELL MAN FINISHES JOINT FOURTH AT FRILFORD HEATH

KELLETT QUALIFIES WITH EASE FOR 

STAGE 2 OF Q SCHOOL

Motherwell's Ross Kellett qualified with ease from the Stage 1 European Tour Q School tournament at Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire today (Friday) and joins six fellow Scots who qualified at the Roxburghe last week - in Stage 2 at four venues in Spain from November 7 to 10.

Kellett finished joint fourth with a 16-under-par total of 272, made up of rounds of 68, 67, 70 and 67. Over the 72 holes he had two eagles and 18 birdies, six of them in his final rounds.

He finished two shots behind the joint top qualifiers, England's Greg Payne and Daniel Gavins on 270.

The other Scots who survived the third round cut did not make it. Scott Stewart-Catrion finished joint 47th on 286 (72-70-72-72) and Mark Hillson shared 57th place on 287 (70-73-72-72).
The Scots who were already through to Stage 2 are Neil Fenwick, the winner at Roxburghe, amateur Scott Borrowman, Alexander Culverwell, Elliot and Lloyd Saltman, and Paul Shields.

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT AND SCORES

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM! LEADER BY FIVE
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
After the glorious sunshine of the opening day it was Sam Hutsby who fared best during a cold and wet second round at Zhailjau Golf Resort as the Englishman carded a course record-equalling 63 to lead by five heading into the weekend at the Challenge Tour's Kazakhstan Open.
Recent Rolex Trophy winner Byeong-hun An is his closest challenger after a five under par score of his own, with the South Korean in second place alongside former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson, who matched Hutsby’s impressive Friday tally en route to his lowest score to par as a professional.
Adrien Bernadet was at the top of affairs after 18 holes in the Central Asian country, but a level par round in the worst of the morning weather saw him drop to fourth spot at seven under.
As for Hutsby, he is ideally placed to pick up a maiden European Challenge Tour title after ten birdies and a bogey, a feat that he puts down to some solid play from the tee, but more importantly, a resurgence on the greens.
“I’ve just got a new driver in the bag which I got fitted for last week, so I’ve been driving it really well,” said the 25 year old from Lee-on-Solent, who currently resides at 17th on the Rankings. 
“I played here in 2009 and it was a lot wider back then, so you have to make sure you’re on the fairways this week, which is what I’ve been doing. I’ve also got a new putter in the bag too, and it was just one of those days today where I felt really comfortable over it, which I haven’t had recently.
“It has been a pretty consistent year, with my only faults really coming on the greens. There have been weeks where I’ve hit the ball really well and I felt I could have been much higher than finishing say 20th, or even missing the cut. 
"That has been the missing link really, as when my iron play has been good I’ve not been able to capitalise, but the good results have come from taking more of those chances.
“The course is in really good shape, and the rough is pretty tough, which is good as it penalises wayward shots, so it would be nice to play like this over the weekend and hopefully have another good week.
“I’ve always found it quite hard to follow up a low round, so anything in the 60s tomorrow would be a good target, as I’ll be going out with the lead. It was just one of those days today when I holed everything I looked at and it is always hard to have two days like that in a row. It is just amazing what eight or nine hours sleep can do to you.
“I’m looking forward to the weekend though as I’ve been playing well, and it is a big week, so it would be good to have a good finish and set myself up for the rest of the year and chase down one of those top 15 spots.”
Almost six years to the week since Wilson represented Europe at The Ryder Cup, it seems a fitting time for the Nottinghamshire man to re-find his best form as he stormed to the joint low round of the day, thanks to eight birdies, an eagle and a solitary dropped shot.
He entered the week outside the top 100 on the Rankings, but is now in position to take advantage of the €450,000 prize fund and get himself moving in the right direction on the season-long list.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
131 S Hutsby  (Eng) 68 63
136 O Wilson (Eng) 73 63, B An (Kor) 69 67,
137 A Bernadet  (Fra) 65 72
138 M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 70 68, A Velasco (Esp) 67 71, J Guerrier  (Fra) 72 66, J Stalter (Fra) 71 67, G Murray  (Sco) 67 71
139 P Oriol (Esp) 68 71, R Davies (Wal) 68 71, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 69 70
140 M Delpodio  (Ita) 68 72, J Rask (Swe) 71 69, P Dwyer (Eng) 70 70, C Shinkwin (Eng) 68 72, W Harrold (Eng) 66 74, E Espana (Fra) 69 71, P Widegren  (Swe) 68 72, D Ulrich (Sui) 67 73
141 B Evans  (Eng) 71 70, S Fallon (Eng) 68 73, A Björk (Swe) 71 70, J Gonnet  (Fra) 72 69, R McGowan  (Eng) 71 70, M Pilkington (Wal) 70 71, S Brown (Eng) 70 71, N Johansson (Swe) 69 72, G Cambis  (Fra) 72 69, A Marshall (Eng) 70 71, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 72 69 
142 M Wiegele  (Aut) 71 71, L De Jager  (RSA) 74 68, D Stewart (Sco) 74 68, O Stark (Swe) 72 70, C Brazillier  (Fra) 70 72, J Legarrea (Esp) 71 71, C Bouniol (Fra) 73 69, C Ford (Eng) 69 73, C Paisley  (Eng) 72 70, D Vancsik (Arg) 68 74, A Johnston (Eng) 72 70, L Jensen (Den) 73 69, T Linard (Fra) 72 70, A Domingo (Esp) 71 71
143 S Tiley (Eng) 70 73, A Snobeck  (Fra) 72 71, H Joannes  (Bel) 75 68, W Booth  (Sco) 72 71, M Tullo (Chi) 68 75, J Huldahl (Den) 72 71, N Lemke (Swe) 71 72, J Roos (RSA) 73 70, G Woolgar (Eng) 73 70, J Lagergren (Swe) 69 74, B Åkesson (Swe) 73 70, T Murray (Eng) 73 70, J Garcia Del Moral (Esp) 72 71, M Lafeber (Ned) 72 71, T Sluiter  (Ned) 70 73, P Edberg (Swe) 72 71,
144 B Stone (RSA) 73 71, J Sjöholm (Swe) 73 71, N Kearney (Irl) 72 72, B Ritthammer (Ger) 68 76, D Frittelli (RSA) 70 74, T Remkes (Ned) 69 75, M Jonzon (Swe) 72 72,
145 J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 72 73, J Senior (Eng) 72 73, T Lee (USA) 69 76, P Maddy (Eng) 71 74, M Trappel  (Aut) 74 71, W Besseling  (Ned) 72 73, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 69 76, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 77 68, L Nemecz (Aut) 73 72, R Kind (Ned) 68 77, J Makitalo  (Fin) 74 71, G Shaw (Nir) 74 71
146 M Ford (Eng) 74 72, A Hortal  (Esp) 74 72, L Gagli  (Ita) 73 73, S Henry  (Sco) 77 69, L Kennedy  (Eng) 71 75, J Harrison (Eng) 76 70, P Gustafsson (Swe) 76 70, A Rota (Ita) 73 73, N Ravano (Ita) 75 71, R Coles (Eng) 74 72, O Farr (Wal) 72 74, Z Scotland  (Eng) 74 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 71 75
147 P McKechnie (Sco) 74 73, R Steiner (Aut) 70 77, B Hebert  (Fra) 73 74, R McEvoy  (Eng) 77 70, P Relecom  (Bel) 78 69, M Orrin (Eng) 75 72
148 S Little (Eng) 73 75, N Quintarelli (Ita) 72 76, A Tadini (Ita) 77 71, C Mivis  (Bel) 74 74, J Barnes (Eng) 71 77,
149 H Bacher (Aut) 74 75, S Arnold  (Aus) 75 74, M Haastrup  (Den) 73 76, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 76 73, V Groenewald (RSA) 76 73,
150 C Arendell (USA) 75 75, J Edfors (Swe) 80 70, L Goddard  (Eng) 76 74, N Kimsey (Eng) 73 77, K Horne (RSA) 76 74, O Floren  (Swe) 78 72, C Russo (Fra) 73 77, T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 73 77,
151 D Kemmer (USA) 76 75, D Coupland (Eng) 75 76,
152 D Law (Sco) 79 73
153 G Hall (Eng) 79 74, C Aguilar  (Esp) 73 80,
154 J Winther (Den) 76 78
155 J Kennegard  (Swe) 75 80
157 J Elson  (Eng) 78 79,
159 A Mayorov (Rus) 77 82,
160 K Clement (USA) 75 85,
167 A Vongay  (Kaz) 85 82,
172 N Saldarov (am) (Kaz) 90 82,
198 N Makulbekov (am) (Kaz) 94 104,
** J Sim  (Kor) 75 WD, J Palmer (Eng) 80 WD,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

HUTCHEON AND FOX COMPLETE ORDER OF MERIT 1-2-3

McBAIN VICTORY 

EARNS HIM A TRIP 

TO PGA PLAY-OFFS 

IN TURKEY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Greg McBain's play-off victory in the Paul Lawrie Invitational at Deeside yesterday earned the 30-year-old Aberdonian not only his biggest cash prize todate of £7,500 - it booked him a trip to Turkey for the PGA Play-offs.

The top three in each PGA region's Order of Merit go forward to the end-of-season highlight at Antalya Golf Club from November 29 to December 1, when 24 qualifiers will be playing for a £15,000 prizefund. 
The first four finishers will earn £2,000, £1,500, £1,200 and £1,000 and the every qualifier receives a prize, down to £300 for 24th.

The Paul Lawrie Invitational was the final PGA in Scotland Order of Merit event and McBain made a last-gasp surge up the points table to finish in second place behind Greig Hutcheon, who won last year's PGA Play-offs. Both are attached to the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre.

Graham Fox finished third. So it will be Hutcheon, McBain and Fox carrying the banner for Scotland in Turkey.

"Making the play-offs was my aim so it's great that I have done it. I was working in the Kemnay Golf Club pro's shop until June so it's only been three months or so that I've been able to focus fully on my golf, thanks to joining the Paul Lawrie Golf Foundation team," said McBain, a former Newmachar Golf Club member bwhose ambition is to make it up to the European Tour, either through the PGA EuroPro Tour or the Tour Q School process.

It is the third year in a row that Hutcheon has won the Scottish Order of Merit title and the fifth time in all since 2006.
He is also heading for a hat-trick of being the leading money-winner on the Tartan Tour. He topped that table in 2012 and 2013 and has a clear lead in the current one.

SCOTTISH ORDER OF MERIT

FINAL TOP TEN

1 Greig Hutcheon 973.75pt

2 Greg McBain 845

3 Graham Fox 808.13

4 Robert Arnott 805.63

5 Christopher Currie 730.25

6 Jason McCreadie 684.89

7 Chris Kelly 672.50

8 Keir McNicoll 637.89

9 Paul O'Hara 586.25

10 Gareth Wright 525.75

LEADING MONEY-WINNERS

1 Greig Hutcheon £36,805

2 Graham Fox £25,587

3 Jason McCreadie £21,945

4 Stephen Gray £20,883

5 Robert Arnott £20,521

6 Christopher Currie £20,441

7 Greg McBain £19,477

8 Chris Kelly £14,776

9 Scott Henderson £14,159

10 Paul O'Hara £13,388

+The money table is not final

until the end of the Tartan Tour

season.

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R AND A

On the tee ... George Macgregor drives off at the Old Course, St Andrews this morning

NEW R and A CAPTAIN GEORGE 

MACGREGOR OBA DRIVES INTO OFFICE

George Macgregor OBE began his year in office with a drive at precisely 8am as a cannon fired alongside the tee. A large crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the ceremony and saw Mr Macgregor hit a long drive down the middle of the fairway that finished just short of the Swilcan Burn.

As Captain, Mr Macgregor will represent The RandA and support its work in developing golf around the world. He will attend R&A Championships in the professional and amateur games and assume an ambassadorial role for the Club.

After hitting his tee shot, Mr Macgregor said: “It’s a pretty unique tradition in the world of golf. To be Captain is a fantastic honour and I am very much looking forward to it. The R&A is making great strides within that with a range of initiatives in different parts of the world.

“I think my role is to build on the work that previous captains have done. Sandy Dawson, whom I am following, has travelled thousands of miles around the world and has made a great effort to go out there and meet with golfers and organisations all over the world. That’s an important part of this role.”

Born in 1944 in Roslin, Midlothian, George Macgregor is one of Scotland’s most successful amateur golfers. He represented Great Britain and Ireland on five occasions at the Walker Cup and also served as Captain in 1991 and 1993. His Scotland international career spanned 18 years and he won the Scottish Stroke Play Championship in 1982, the same year he reached the final of the Scottish Amateur Championship.

He has served on The R&A’s Championship, Amateur Status and Selection committees and has been the Director of Championships at the Scottish Golf Union since 2010. He was awarded an OBE in 1996 for services to amateur golf.

Mr Macgregor was Company Secretary of Dalmore Paper Mill until 2004 and was Captain of Glencorse Golf Club in its centenary year in 1990. He has been a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews since 1997 and plays to a handicap of three. He is married to Christine and has two daughters, Fiona and Morag.

In the past, the Club Captaincy was bestowed on the winner of the annual Challenge for the Silver Club but by the early 19^th Century the Captaincy had become an elected office.

Part of the tradition is that a gold sovereign is paid by the new Captain to buy his golf ball back from the caddie who retrieves and returns it. Oliver Horovitz, now in his ninth season on the links, successfully returned the Captain’s ball for the second time after also retrieving it at the driving-in ceremony of 2011-2012 Captain Alistair Low.

The delighted 28-year-old writer and filmmaker from New York said: “I completely lost sight of it and then I heard it hit down and I just charged after it. When I read that he was a five-time Walker Cup player I knew it was going to be a good drive.

“The last time I caught it on the fly and my hand swelled up to twice the size, so this time was a little less dramatic. This sovereign is going up on the mantelpiece next to the other one. It’s a big honour.”

DUNBAR CHAMPION IN 1985, 1986 .... AND 2014

 Left to right: Billy Legget (Dunbar GC president), Stephen Easingwood, George Freeland (club captain)  

STEPHEN EASINGWOOD COMPLETES 

LONG WAIT FOR THIRD CLUB TITLE
NEWS RELEASE FROM DUNBAR GOLF CLUB 
Former Scotland international Stephen Eastingwood has ended a 28-year wait for a third Dunbar Golf Club championship.
His first two triumphs were in quick succession with back-to-back victories in 1985 and 1986. But it was not until earlier this month that he was able to chalk up title No. 3.
Stephen is an honorary member of the club, due to his golfing achievements, including winning the 1988 Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship at Cathkin Braes/East Kilbride. Other achievements include representing Scotland.

 

 

WEB.COM TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT AND LINK TO SCORES

ZAC BLAIR TAKES EARLY LEAD WITH A 

RECORD-EQUALLING 63

CBSSports.com wire reports

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida -- Zac Blair matched the course record with a 7-under 63 on Thursday to take the lead in the Web.com Tour Championship, the final event in the four-tournament Web.com Tour Finals.
Blair, the 24-year-old former Brigham Young University player who needs to earn about $40,000 this week to earn a USA PGA Tour card, had a bogey-free round on TPC Sawgrass' Dye's Valley Course.

 

CLICK ON LINE BELOW TO VIEW SCORES

Tour Finals leaderboard

 

Blair missed the cuts in the first three events in the series limited to the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings.
''It's been crazy'', said Blair, playing for the 12th consecutive week. ''You always have to stay positive and look at the bright side. ... It's just a bonus to even be out here. Obviously, I would like to capitalize on it and play well.''
He had only 23 putts Thursday.
''When you get it rolling and you're playing that well it definitely frees things up,'' Blair said.
The top 25 on the Web.com money list have earned US PGA Tour cards. They are competing against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals. 
The other players are fighting for another 25 cards based on their earnings in the series.
Scott Pinckney, Derek Fathauer, Sung Joon Park, Bronson La'Cassie and Chad Collins were tied for second at 65.
Pinckney locked up a PGA Tour card with a fourth-place tie two weeks ago in the Chiquita Classic.
''It's a weird feeling because I've been grinding all year,'' Pinckney said. ''I'm just going out, having fun and trying to execute every shot to the best of my ability.''

FINDINGS OF NEW REPORT SUGGESTS NEW ATTITUDES NEEDED

  Shorter courses, fast-track learning and relaxed dress codes could boost junior golf

 NEWS RELEASE

New research offering insights into how more young people could be encouraged to play golf has been published by Syngenta.

With The 2014 Junior Ryder Cup set to tee off at Blairgowrie Golf Club, the report sheds light on the important role of family and schools in introducing young people to golf, and how factors such as affordable equipment rentals, shorter courses, fast-track learning, relaxed dress codes and friendly, social environments could help clubs recruit and retain young players.

The report, The Opportunity to Grow Golf: Youth Participation, which is free to download from www.greencast.co.uk, is based on specialist qualitative research with golfers and non-golfers in the 14-15 and 17-18 year age groups.

The findings, which have been welcomed by the leading children’s golf organization, The Golf Foundation, are designed to help clubs and courses identify potential solutions to retain current junior golfers and attract new players.

Syngenta Head Turf and Landscape EAME, Simon Elsworth, said: “While some of the responses from the series of focus groups might have been expected, listening carefully to what young people have to say about sport and golf, what interests them and what would engage them further is enlightening.”

“In many ways, what youth say about golf in terms of its friendliness (spending time with friends and family; customer service) and flexibility (opportunity to play 9-holes rounds; dress codes) is consistent with what many existing golfers and prospective players say and want.”

Simon Elsworth added: “From a business perspective, youth participation is an important strategic opportunity for golf as a sport and a business. 

"Giving young people opportunities to engage in golf in a way that will enable them to enjoy the many benefits it offers as a sport and social activity will help develop long-term participants and customers.”

Brendon Pyle, Development Manager and Acting CEO of the Golf Foundation said: “This report is greatly appreciated by the Golf Foundation.  It confirms much of our own understanding of young people and their perception of golf whilst also offering new insight into ways of recruiting and retaining more young people in the sport.”

“Reassuringly, several of the factors identified by the study to encourage young people to start golf are already being applied by the Golf Foundation and its partners.”

Syngenta’s golf market research is designed to provide clubs and courses with information that will help them make customer-focused decisions to maximize market opportunities and deliver long-term business benefits.

A second report The Opportunity to Grow Golf: Female Participation will be published this autumn.

For more information and previous studies, including ‘Growing Golf in the UK’ (2013), visit www.greencast.co.uk.

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 28,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.  For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.