EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR REPORT AND SCORES

Golding claims French Riviera Masters storm hold-up
Phil Golding carded a two under par round of 70 to claim his second European Senior Tour title at the rain-delayed French Riviera Masters at the Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort in Provence. The Englishman had led the field by four shots after opening rounds of 64 and 69 and was still three in front after 13 holes of his final round when a fierce electric storm caused play to be halted. The competitors returned to the course just over two hours later and Golding played his last six five in one under par to claim a four-shot victory over Argentina’s Cesar Monasterio on15 under par 201. Monasterio also carded a 70 to finish on 205 while defending champion Peter Fowler closed with a five under par 67 to share third place with Barry Lane and John Gould a single shot further behind. Golding lost out to Paul Wesselingh in his previous start in the WINSTONgolf Senior Open in Germany but he made up for that with his third Tour victory on French soil. “It was tough today. I got off to a poor start when I bogeyed the first and missed a few putts after that. I don’t like looking at leaderboards but I knew Barry and Cesar were doing well so it was good to get a birdie on 11. “That settled me down a bit and when I birdied both the 13th and 14th that gave me a bit of breathing space. “There must be something about French air I like because that‘s the third time I have won here. It’s a great feeling because it has been a year since I won the Welsh Senior Open and after a while a few doubts can creep into your mind if you aren’t careful.” Monasterio has won already this season at the English Senior Open and he came close to duplicating that feat with rounds of 66, 69 and 70. “I played well but Phil had a very good back nine and in the end none of us could get close to him. But it was another good week for me and another top ten finish.” Fowler carded three birdies and an eagle on the sixth to add a 67 to his opening rounds of 68 and 71 and left for Holland delighted with his performance. “It was a good defence of my title. In the end I have come up a couple of shots shorts but I’m pleased with the way I played." Gould produced his best finish since a tie for second place at the 2010 Benahavis Senior Masters.  “It’s been a while since I have made a top ten but I played well last week in Germany and just carried on from there. “The highlight of the day was my eagle at the 12th. I hit a rescue off the tee and then hit a great little wedge from about 155 yards which sucked back in the hole. It came at a nice time because I didn’t birdie the par five 11th so it helped to keep things going. “My goal this week was to get a top-10 finish because that secured me a place in next week’s tournament in Holland. You want to play all the events and now that I’m in Holland the plan now is to see if I can secure my card for next year.” The round of the day came from former Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam who started out in a share of 34th place after opening rounds of 74 and 70 but moved all the way up to tenth place after a superb six under par 66 that included a blistering back nine of 31. The Welshman opened his round with a birdie on the first but he was still only one under the card until hit a rescue club into eight feet for an eagle on the 11th. The former world number one then went on to gain another shot on the 13th before finishing his round with a flourish with two more birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. “That was much more like it today. I’ve been to see Jacques Rivet, the biomechanics guru out here at the European Tour Performance Institute here at Terre Blanche, and I have been working hard for the last four days on what he told me. “There was nothing wrong with my swing it was just the way I was standing to the ball. He told me I had too much weight right toe and my left heel. He wanted to get me the completely opposite way round with more weight on my right heel and left toe and it seems to have done the trick. It’s something I’m going to have to work on but it means I can now look forward to next week with a bit more confidence. I have been searching and searching for something that works but maybe I have found it this time.” Woosnam’s next competitive outing is this week in Amsterdam where he joins two other former Ryder Captains, Sam Torrance and Mark James in the field for the Dutch Senior Open.  FINAL TOTALS PAR 216 (3x72) 201 P Golding (Eng) 64 67 70, 205 C Monasterio (Arg) 66 69 70, 206 P Fowler (Aus) 68 71 67, J Gould (Eng) 70 67 69, B Lane (Eng) 68 70 68, 207 G Wolstenholme (Eng) 68 71 68, R Gibson (Can) 68 68 71, 208 T Thelen (USA) 70 70 68, S Brown (Eng) 68 69 71, 210 I Woosnam (Wal) 74 70 66, M Martin (Esp) 67 72 71, 211 B Conser (USA) 69 72 70, G Turner (Nzl) 71 69 71, 212 G Emerson (Eng) 65 72 75, S Tinning (Den) 72 69 71, J Quiros (Esp) 67 74 71, P Linhart (Esp) 70 71 71, G Rusnak (USA) 75 68 69, P Wesselingh (Eng) 71 72 69, 213 D Hospital (Esp) 70 71 72, R Rafferty (Nir) 70 71 72, 214 G Manson (Aut) 70 74 70, R Drummond (Sco) 69 73 72, A Oldcorn (Sco) 72 70 72, J Remesy (Fra) 71 72 71, T Price (Aus) 68 74 72, D Russell (Eng) 72 73 69, D Smyth (Irl) 68 70 76, 215 M Harwood (Aus) 71 74 70, S McAllister (Sco) 70 75 70, M Davis (Eng) 75 68 72, J Smith (USA) 72 71 72, J Carriles (Esp) 71 72 72, 216 B Cameron (Eng) 71 72 73, G Joyner (Aus) 74 68 74, M Mackenzie (Eng) 72 69 75, 217 J Sallat (Fra) 72 74 71, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 73 72 72, M Cunning (USA) 73 74 70, M Mouland (Wal) 74 70 73, C Mason (Eng) 71 72 74, 218 S Luna (Esp) 72 76 70, M Farry (Fra) 74 73 71, 219 A Bossert (Sui) 76 71 72, P Eales (Eng) 72 72 75, W Grant (Eng) 69 74 76, G Ryall (Eng) 78 73 68, R Sabarros (Fra) 71 76 72, 220 M Bianco (Ita) 72 75 73, A Franco (Par) 68 78 74, 221 A Sherborne (Eng) 75 72 74, P Jonas (Can) 75 71 75, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 75 71 75, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 77 71 73, S Cipa (Eng) 72 76 73, 222 F Illouz (Fra) 72 75 75, J Rivero (Esp) 75 71 76, B Longmuir (Sco) 70 76 76, L Carbonetti (Arg) 74 71 77, J Bruner (USA) 76 70 76, N Job (Eng) 73 75 74, 223 K Spurgeon (Eng) 71 81 71, 224 J Berendt (Arg) 74 72 78, P Walton (Irl) 75 76 73, 229 M McLean (Eng) 78 76 75, 231 G Cali (Ita) 76 78 77, 233 G Brand (Eng) 73 78 82, C Williams (RSA) 81 79 73, 235 A Garrido (Esp) 76 78 81, G Banister (Aus) 78 81 76, D Durnian (Eng) 77 80 78,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR RE[ORT AND SCORES

Ricardo Gouveia receives the trophy after his play-off win in Rome. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images (c)

GOUVEIA BEATS FRITSCH IN PLAY-OFF
REPORT BY EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Ricardo Gouveia claimed his maiden European Challenge Tour title in dramatic fashion as the Portuguese defeated Germany’s Florian Fritsch at the third play-off hole to win the EMC Golf Challenge Open in Rome in just his seventh event.
The 23-year-old only turned professional in July before making his debut in the paid ranks at the Slovakia Challenge, following a glittering amateur career in the American collegiate ranks where he studied at the University of Central Florida.
But he showed the nerves and determination of a seasoned champion when he came up against Fritsch in the play-off, having carded a four under par 67 to make up the two-shot overnight deficit and force extra holes.
In a dramatic finale at the stunning Olgiata Golf Club, Gouveia almost holed a monster putt at the first time of asking for a birdie that would have sealed it before he produced a superb up and down, from a bunker 40 yards from the green, at the second extra hole for a bogey which was matched by Fritsch after he missed a seven footer for a winning par.
Both players went right off the tee at the third play-off hole, this time the tenth hole after playing the 18th twice, but it was Gouveia who produced  a seven iron to five feet to set up for a winning birdie and a career-changing victory.
“I cannot even describe how good I feel right now,” said Gouveia, who moved to 49th in the Challenge Tour Rankings from 167th. “It hasn’t even sunk in yet how big this is for me.
“This was supposed to be my final event of the year and I got through Qualifying School First Stage so I was just looking at Second Stage of that and now everything changes."
Gouveia admitted he has surprised even himself with the rapid nature of his rise and, as he heads to his home town of Vilamoura next week for the Portugal Masters, he is ready to reset his goals and vie for a European Tour card at the end of the Challenge Tour season.
Fritsch, meanwhile, was handed a huge consolation in defeat as his outright second place finish means he has virtually secured his European Tour card for next year.
The 28 year old, who carded a final round 69 in Rome, moved to seventh in the Rankings on €92,943 but will not travel for the Challenge Tour’s ‘Final Swing’ – the four lucrative season-ending events in China, Oman and Dubai – due to his fear of flying.

FINAL TOTALS
par 284 (4x71)
275 R Gouveia (Por) 68 71 69 67, F Fritsch  (Ger) 70 67 69 69 (Gouveia won play-off at third extra hole)
279 B Hebert  (Fra) 71 67 72 69, E Espana (Fra) 68 73 72 66
280 A Tadini (Ita) 70 71 69 70
281 J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 71 69 73
282 M Delpodio  (Ita) 70 71 71 70, M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 75 67 70 70
284 A Hortal  (Esp) 68 72 72 72, P Edberg (Swe) 71 71 71 71,
285 M Jonzon (Swe) 69 73 71 72, P Price (Wal) 72 70 72 71, R Coles (Eng) 72 73 70 70, N Ravano (Ita) 70 76 68 71, O Farr (Wal) 70 74 68 73, T Sluiter  (Ned) 71 72 74 68
286 L Jensen (Den) 71 70 73 72
287 J Palmer (Eng) 68 77 72 70, M Tullo (Chi) 70 73 71 73, N Quintarelli (Ita) 71 72 74 70
288 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 74 70 70 74, A Bruschi  (Ita) 74 67 74 73, M Lafeber (Ned) 72 71 76 69, T Linard (Fra) 69 76 72 71,
289 C Hanson (Eng) 74 71 73 71, D Coupland (Eng) 70 73 73 73,
290 D Gaunt (Eng) 72 72 73 73, C Ford (Eng) 72 73 70 75, L Kennedy  (Eng) 72 74 71 73, C Brazillier  (Fra) 70 72 74 74, H Joannes  (Bel) 73 73 71 73, P Widegren  (Swe) 74 70 71 75
291 J Stalter (Fra) 72 75 69 75, D Kemmer (USA) 75 72 71 73, P Oriol (Esp) 74 72 70 75, P Maddy (Eng) 71 71 74 75, R McEvoy  (Eng) 73 69 72 77
292 J Edfors (Swe) 74 71 73 74, M Ford (Eng) 73 73 71 75, A Kaleka  (Fra) 67 72 71 82
293 J Fahrbring (Swe) 75 72 71 75, J Sjöholm (Swe) 72 72 73 76, D Ulrich (Sui) 73 74 68 78, A Marshall (Eng) 72 74 70 77, A Velasco (Esp) 72 75 72 74, J Barnes (Eng) 74 72 78 69
294 P Erofejeff (Fin) 75 70 74 75, A Snobeck  (Fra) 75 71 67 81, O Floren  (Swe) 73 70 73 78, S Henry  (Sco) 75 68 78 73, S Little (Eng) 68 79 75 72, J Elson  (Eng) 71 74 75 74, A Rota (Ita) 74 71 74 75, K Benz (Sui) 75 70 76 73
295 R Russell (Sco) 73 72 76 74, P Relecom  (Bel) 73 74 73 75
296 J Huldahl (Den) 69 73 75 79
297 B Åkesson (Swe) 76 70 78 73, M Dobias  (Sui) 70 74 79 74,
298 T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 74 70 77 77, M Wiegele  (Aut) 80 66 73 79,
300 W Besseling  (Ned) 75 72 77 76
301 M Cea (am) (Ita) 77 68 77 79
** J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 70 71 71 DQ,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

RICHIE RAMSAY JOINT SECOND AFTER TWO LATE BOGEYS

The Bridge of Sighs: Oliver Wilson with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Trophy on the Swilken Bridge at the Old Course. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c).
 

OLIVER WILSON SCORES FIRST 

EUROPEAN TOUR WIN AT LAST

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Oliver Wilson produced a gutsy final-round display to finally claim a maiden European Tour title and reignite his career at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship today.
The 34-year-old Englishman from Mansfield represented Europe at the 2008 Ryder Cup and was a nine-time runner-up on The European Tour between 2006 and 2009, reaching the top 50 on The Official World Golf Ranking in the process.
But a dramatic loss of form saw him lose his card at the end of 2012, and he started this week outside the top 100 on The Challenge Tour and 792nd in the world.
A second-round 63 in Kazakhstan last month hinted that the talent was still there, and Wilson began today at the Old Course, St Andrews with a three-shot lead after taking command of the tournament with a 64 at Carnoustie on Thursday.

A 65 in his third round over the Old Course on Saturday put him clear of the field.
Returning to The Old Course for the final round, the tournament invite, who had made around €20,000 in 19 appearances across the Challenge Tour and European Tour this season, was swiftly caught by Louis Oosthuizen when he three-putted the fourth for bogey.
Wilson had to wait until the tenth for his first birdie of the day, by which time Aberdeen’s Richie Ramsay, England’s Tommy Fleetwood and World No. 1 Rory McIlroy were all battling for the title.
A second birdie from ten feet at the 11th kept Wilson in the thick of the action, and when long-time leader Ramsay bogeyed the 16th and 17th, he was able to take advantage.
A brilliant approach to the 16th from 220 yards yielded a tap-in birdie that gave him the lead back, and after making a mess of the 17th he produced a superb pitch to salvage par.
A missed birdie putt at the last gave Fleetwood a chance to force a play-off, but when he missed from six feet Wilson was a champion at last with a closing 70 and 17 under total of 271, earning €625,787 in the process.
A clearly emotional Wilson said: “I don’t have words for it. It’s been ten years, 11 years coming. There were nine runner-up finishes and I hadn’t done a whole lot to lose those, but nothing had really gone my way and this week, to be given a big opportunity by Dunhill to play – I can’t thank them enough to give me an opportunity to do this – I guess it’s what golf’s all about.
“Before I went out today I thought about how I’ve never gone out and won a tournament. I’ve played alright coming down the stretch and not lost it and other guys have just got over the line ahead of me and today I was just trying to be patient.
“I got off to a good start ball-striking wise but a couple of three-putts and you think ‘here we go’ but I stayed patient. The course was tricky with the wind, Rory was in front and I could keep an eye on what he was doing and Tommy was playing well too.
“I played some great shots on the back nine, you feel like when you turn back into the wind that your opportunity has probably gone because it’s hard to make some birdies.
”I made a great save at 14 and the shot I hit into 16 was probably the best shot of my life. Hole 17 was hard work and at the last Tommy had putted well and I thought he was going to make that.
“I’ve been playing pretty well. (Coach) Robert Rock – I went to see him two weeks ago and I shot a course record in Kazakhstan after that. He’s worked with me all week, spent a lot of time with me, helped me a lot with my swing and given me the confidence to go and play.
“When I came into the week I was almost just trying to make the cut! I got going and played well in practice and knew I was capable of putting a good tournament together but you’re never sure if it’s going to happen.
“Shooting eight under round Carnoustie gave me some confidence and my confidence grew each day. I’ve got good memories round here – I finished second a few years ago alongside Rory when Simon Dyson won – so I knew what I had to do and I stood up and hit some really good shots today. So my confidence from where it’s been the last few of years is in a very different place right now.
“I could be drunk for a while – I’ve had a lot of champagne on ice over the years!”
Wilson was not the only player delighted with his win, with former Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter tweeting: “I can't tell you how happy every player on Tour will be for Oliver Wilson winning the Dunhill Links. It's been a long road back. Congrats.”
Fleetwood (68), McIlroy (68) and Ramsay (67) finished tied for second on 16 under 272, only a shot behind winner Wilson, with Chris Doak – who began the week 115th on The Race to Dubai – securing his future with sole possession of fifth a shot further back.
The fact that McIlroy contended at all was remarkable given he found the burn in front of the green with his approach to the first and ran up a double bogey.
Four straight birdies followed, however, and a fifth win of the season looked to be on the cards when a couple of superb approaches to the tenth and 12th yielded further gains.

McIlroy came up short of the green at the par-4 17th and opted to putt for his third shot. On this long, narrow green, Rory rolled the ball on a slope to the left that led directly into the Road Hole bunker from where he had to get up and down for bogey. 
But that bogey extinguished his winning chance en route to an eventful closing 68.
“Where I feel like I cost myself the tournament today was probably in the space of about 20 yards at the front of the green at the first and over at the Road Hole bunker,” said the Northern Irishman. “They are not too far away from each other and they are the two things, the only mistakes that I made all day.
“I love this golf course. I feel like I play well here every time I tee it up, so I’m looking forward to obviously coming back here next July and defending The Open Championship.” 

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (Carnoustie, Old Course, Kingsbarns). Prize money in euros
271 O Wilson (England) 64 72 65 70 (625,787)
272 R Ramsay (Scotland) 69 68 68 67, R McIlroy (N Ireland) 73 67 64 68, T Fleetwood (England) 69 73 62 68 (279,990 each).
273 C Doak (Scotland) 70 67 70 66 (159,200)
274 R Sterne (S Africa) 73 66 68 67, S Lowry (Ireland) 66 70 71 67, L Oosthuizen (S Africa) 70 74 62 68(112,642)
OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
278 P Lawrie 69 72 68 69 (T18) (43,930)
279 M Warren 73 70 68 68 (T25) (35,670)
280 S Gallacher 68 70 68 73 (T32) (27,147)
281 J McLeary 67 72 70 72, C Lee 71 71 69 70 (T43) (19,900 each).

PRO-AM LEADING TOTALS
Par 288
251 (-37) Peter Lawrie (Ireland) and Kieran McManus 60 64 66 61
252 Brooks Koepka (USA) and Paul Harris 66 64 57 65
254 George Coetzee (S Africa) and Rurik Gobel 62 64 62 66

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LEADING SCORES AT GARMOUTH AND KINGSTON

ALLAN CAMERON WINS FIRST NORTH 

ALLIANCE OF SEASON WITH A 65

 Eleven players broke 70 in the first North Scottish Golfers' Alliance fixture of the season at Garmouth and Kingston. Winner was Allan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) with a two-under-par 65 on Saturday.

He birdied the first, sixth, 10th, 11and 12th but bogeyed the third, fourth and 15th
Joint runners-up, a shot behind the winner on 66, were Jeff Wright (Forres), Kyle Godsman (Moray) and Michael McAllan, the Elgin professional.
Best half  of the day came from Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness) with 29 back in a round of 77 for joint fifth place.

LEADING SCRATCH

 Par 67
65 R A L Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)

66 J Wright (Forres), K Godsman (Moray), M McAllan (Elgin)

67 B R Fotheringham (Inverness), G H Hay (Grantown), J S D Campbell (Grantown), W Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)

68 D Hector (Elgin), K Barnett (Torvean), D Joel (Inverness)

70 S Dingwall (Grantown), S Mullen (Elgin), A J Duncan (Elgin)

71 K Thomson (Moray), A W Mair (Moray), R Stewart (Nairn Dunbar), A J England (Moray), G Allan (Nairn Dunbar)

72 D Ramsay (Moray), G Milne (Elgin), L Duncan (Elgin)

73 D Johnston (Moray), J Simpson (Forres), A Macintosh (Torvean)

74 T Madden (Elgin), S Johnston (Elgin), A Waterson (Grantown), F Mackellar (Grantown), J A Grant (Grantown)

75 J K England (Moray), R Harrower (Boat of Garten), A Hutchison (Inverness), L Hutchison (Inverness)

76 S Wilson (Inverness), A Casey (Moray), R McKerron (Forres), C Small (Nairn)

77 B Rennie (Inverness), G Donaldson (Elgin), V Tilman (Muir of Ord), R Mackie (Rothes)

78 S Taylor (Boat of Garten)

LEADING HANDICAP
Class 1 - W Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) (4) 63; D Hector (Elgin) (3), K Barnett (Torvgean) (3) 65; A Macintosh (Torvgean) (7) 66; G Allan (Nairn Dunbar) (4) A J Enghland (Moray) (4), R Stewart (Nairn Dunbar) (4), D Johnston (Moray) (6), G Milne (Elgin) (5), S Mullen (Elgin) (3).
Class 2 - L Hutchison (Inverness) (13) 62; C Small (Nairn) (12), L Duncan (Elgin)  (8) 64; B Creighton (Muir of Ord) (14), T Madden (Elgin) (10), F Mackellar (Grantown) (8), A Casey (Moray) (10) 66.

ends

ENGLISHMAN DEDICATES VICTORY TO LATE FATHER

 STEVE LEWTON WINS FIRST ASIAN 

TOUR TITLE - TAIWAN MASTERS

Taipei: England’s Steve Lewton won his maiden Asian Tour title at the US$650,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters after closing with a one-under-par 71 and dedicated the win to his late father on Sunday.
Lewton held on to his overnight lead after posting five birdies against four bogeys for a five-under-par 283 total to win by two shots at the challenging Taiwan Golf and Country Club’s Tamsui course.
Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva and Filipino veteran Antonio Lascuna settled for a share of second place after carding identical 72s at the long-running Mercuries Taiwan Masters, which is celebrating its 28^th edition this week.
Unho Park of Australia capped his best finish on the Asian Tour so far this season when he registered a 72 to take fourth place on 286 alongside 2004 Mercuries Taiwan Masters winner, Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand.
Lewton, who pocketed US $130,000 from his victory said, “It’s been quite a tough year for me. I lost my father at the start of the year. He was diagnosed with bile cancer about two years ago and passed away earlier in January. He was my best friend and he was also an avid golfer.
“He kept me going in golf when I was struggling in the past few years. It’s a real shame that he’s not here anymore to witness this but I’m sure he will be happy for me wherever he is,” said an emotional Lewton.
Lewton has been plying his trade on the Asian Tour since graduating from Qualifying School in 2012 and was delighted to win his first title at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, an event which he missed the cut in the last two editions.
“It’s strange that I didn’t feel any pressure during the round, maybe because I didn’t get to see a lot of scoreboards out there.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everyone was cheering and clapping. They kept me upbeat in the game but I thought I will just keep doing what I am doing. It’s just amazing to win this kind of stressful event,” said the 31-year-old.
The Mercuries Taiwan Masters is the penultimate tournament for players to qualify for the CIMB Classic and WGC-HSBC Champions.
As of October 20, the leading four golfers from the Order of Merit will earn starting places in the US$8.5 million HSBC Champions while the leading 10 players will qualify for the US$7 million CIMB Classic.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Yardage 6,923
283 Steve LEWTON (ENG) 70-72-70-71.
285 Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 75-66-72-72, Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 75-69-69-72.
286 Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 72-73-70-71, Unho PARK (AUS) 72-72-70-72.
288 Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 75-71-72-70, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 72-74-69-73, Cameron SMITH (AUS) 72-72-70-74.
289 Angelo QUE (PHI) 75-73-71-70, Rahil GANGJEE (IND) 74-71-70-74.
290 Andrew DODT (AUS) 74-70-73-73.
291 Wolmer MURILLO (VEN) 76-71-74-70, Sam BRAZEL (AUS) 72-74-74-71, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 71-73-73-74, LU Wen-teh (TPE) 74-72-70-75.
292 Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) 74-75-72-71, LU Wei-chih (TPE) 73-74-73-72, Sam CYR (USA) 71-74-71-76.
293 Elmer SALVADOR (PHI) 74-71-75-73, HSU Mong-nan (TPE) 77-70-73-73, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 71-73-74-75, WANG Jeung-hun (KOR) 73-72-73-75.
294 HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 75-72-75-72, YEH Wei-tze (TPE) 72-75-75-72, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 73-73-74-74, ZHANG Lian-wei (CHN) 74-73-73-74, S.S.P CHOWRASIA (IND) 72-77-70-75.

CAPTAIN NOW REGRETS COMMENTS MADE TO PLAYERS ON EVE OF SINGLES

TOM WATSON APOLOGISES TO U.S.

RYDER CUP TEAM IN OPEN LETTER
    By Kevin Cunningham, Senior Producer, Golf.com
Embattled U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson has released an open letter in response to a report that the eight-time major champion had tongue-lashed his players in a team meeting at Gleneagles on the eve of the Ryder Cup singles matches.
In the statement issued Saturday evening, Watson says he takes "complete and full responsibility" for his reported comments, and that he regrets that his comments "may have made the players feel that I didn't appreciate their commitment and dedication to winning the Ryder Cup."
The statement continues with Watson acknowledging the team's effort at Gleneaglesin its disappointing 16.5-11.5 loss to the Europeans, saying he was "proud to get to know each and every one of them." 
Watson also writes that he had a productive conversation with Phil Mickelson earlier in the week, in which they gained a "better understanding of each other's perspectives."
On Friday, ESPN's Bob Harig reported accounts by unnamed witnesses that claimed the American captain took the opportunity at a Ryder team meeting to yell at his players, ridicule their European opponents and even mock a gift the team had given him to thank him for his captaincy.
Here is the full letter from Watson:

OPEN LETTER FROM TOM WATSON, 2014 U.S. RYDER CUP CAPTAIN
In response to all of the recent discussion about our Ryder Cup loss, I would like to make a few comments.
First, I take complete and full responsibility for my communication, and I regret that my words may have made the players feel that I didn't appreciate their commitment and dedication to winning the Ryder Cup. 
My intentions throughout my term as Captain were both to inspire and to be honest.
Secondly, the guys gave everything. They played their hearts out. I was proud to get to know each and every one of them. I know they are all going to win tournaments, be on future Ryder Cup teams and have wonderful careers.
Our team certainly showed guts when it took it to the other team early in Sunday's singles matches. We were indeed tied with them as the scoreboard turned wonderfully "red." 
Our players started fast as I had asked them to in my comments the night before. I asked them to really concentrate on holes 2-5, as the Europeans had won too many early battles on these particular holes. But in the end, the facts are that the other team played better. My hat's off and congratulations to them.
As for Phil's comments, I completely understand his reaction in the moment. Earlier this week I had an open and candid conversation with him and it ended with a better understanding of each other's perspectives. 
Phil's heart and intentions for our Team's success have always been in the right place. Phil is a great player, has great passion and I admire what he's done for golf.
The bottom line is this. I was their Captain. In hindsight whatever mistakes that were made were mine. And I take complete and full responsibility for them. 
I want to say again to the players, their families, the PGA and our country how proud and honoured I was to captain this talented group of golfers, and how privileged I was to spend the past two years working this labour of my love for the Ryder Cup.

EDITOR'S COMMENT: Tom Watson is not the first leader to tongue-lash his team nor will he be the last. What about Sir Alex Ferguson, famous for his "hair-dryer" sessions with Manchester United teams in the dressing-room. 
No-one ever suggested that Fergie "killed the team spirit" with such behaviour as was suggested Tom Watson did with his dressing down of the US team on the Saturday night at Gleneagles. 
Sir Alex was and probably still is a team-motivator supreme, which is why European team captain Paul McGinley got him to address his team before the Ryder Cup match - CF

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PRO-AM AT AL AIN ESGC, ABU DHABI

NEWS RELEASE FROM PGAs of EUROPE
The Mercedes-Benz International Pro-Am will make its return to the PGAs of Europe tournament schedule from the  January 20-22, 2015 at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates 
The four-day event will consist of a practice round on the Monday and then three days of tournament golf.
Teams will compete in a Stableford competition with professionals also competing in an individual strokeplay tournament for a prize fund of €32,000 and a first prize of €3,200.
“Having the Mercedes-Benz International Pro-Am on our tournament schedule for the second time is a great marker for the success of the event,” said PGAs of Europe Chief Executive Ian Randell.  “The staging by Gavin Chappell and his team at AESGC, along with the incredibly valuable support of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and other partners of the event, has very quickly made this a ‘must-attend’ tournament.