PRICE INCREASE MAY PERSUADE FANS TO WATCH ON TV INSTEAD

RandA RAISE OPEN ADMISSION CHARGE

BY £5 FOR ST ANDREWS NEXT JULY

 

Ticket prices for the Open at St Andrews next year will rise by £5 to a minimum of £70 for an adult - or £80 on the day - despite disappointing attendances the last time it was held in Scotland.

High prices were blamed for a drop in attendance at Muirfield in 2013 and ticket prices were frozen for this year's Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake.
In 2013, the RandA had hoped for 170,000 fans to attend but only 142,036 did - 18,000 fewer than at the same venue in 2002 when tickets cost £35 - which saw a £1.35million shortfall in ticket income
The RandA will hope that the draw of watching Rory McIlroy defend his title will bring in the fans to the 144th Open from  July 16 to 19, 2015 over the Old Course.
The likelihood is that those who feel it is a costly day out will stay at home and watch the extensive TV coverage of the Open for nothing.
The RandA said in a statement: "After being frozen for this year's Open, the price of an adult daily ticket will go up by £5 to £70, if purchased before May 31, and £80 thereafter. The £70 price represents a £10 increase on the 2010 daily ticket price.
"Ticket prices are being kept the same in 2015 for concessions and accompanied children aged under-16 will continue to enjoy free entry to the Championship."
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, the RandA's championships executive director, said, "We are very much looking forward to the return of The Open to St Andrews next year. There is always a special atmosphere at St Andrews and we will be working hard to deliver an outstanding experience for spectators once again.
"With Rory McIlroy defending the Claret Jug and Tom Watson making what is likely to be his final appearance in The Open, there will be no shortage of drama and emotion for the galleries. It promises to be a fantastic week of world class golf."

FIELD OF 400 EXPECTED AT SURRY ELIMINATOR

Burhill added as Senior Open Qualifying venue

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Burhill Golf Club has been added as a fourth qualifying venue for The 2015 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex.
The Surrey course joins the Berkshire Golf Club, Camberley Heath Golf Club and Foxhills in hosting the Monday qualifying event on July 20, prior to the 29th Senior Open Championship being held at Sunningdale Golf Club from July 23-26.
Approximately 400 players are expected to compete in the 18-hole qualifying competition.

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT AND SCORES

DAVID LAW MISSES CUT BY ONE SHOT
  
 EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATION
Byeong-hun An produced a scorching seven under par 65 to share the second-round lead with Spain’s Pedro Oriol at the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, before the South Korean made clear his ambitions to win this week and chase down Challenge Tour Rankings leader Andrew Johnston.
An, who still holds the record as the youngest player to win the prestigious US Amateur Championship having claimed the title in 2009, carded the same score which earned him the course record at the stunning Almouj Golf, The Wave last year.
While it did not count as a course-equalling score due to the fact that there were preferred lies, the 23 year old moved up 28 places to join Oriol at the top on seven under, and he was delighted with his performance, which comprised five birdies and an eagle at the par five third.
The Seoul-born player is now keen to push on and claim a second victory of the year, having won the prestigious Rolex Trophy earlier in August, and he admitted he has the Challenge Tour Number One title in his sights with just the season-ending Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club to go after this week’s penultimate event.
“I hit it really well out there,” said An, who has already sealed graduation to The 2015 Race to Dubai having earned €120,326 this season. “Even yesterday I was hitting it really well but I had some bad luck.
“I putted better than the first day and I didn’t leave myself any bogey chances. Everything was a putt for birdie. But it was just the putting today, that’s why the score was so much lower today. I’m hitting it great out there.
“My shots are so good right now, even when the putts don’t drop, I can at least make pars. It’s a bit disappointing that it didn't equal my record but I’m just trying to play the best that I can so it’s nice.
“I can definitely enjoy my golf a little more now that I have sealed my card. It takes a lot of pressure off. 
"Last year I wasn’t in this situation, I was under a lot of pressure at this event, but it’s been really relaxing the last couple of weeks and I think that’s why I’m playing better. It’s nice weather here and it’s just a great place to be.
“It definitely helped me a lot to get that first professional win too. That’s the toughest thing to do, but I’m really happy that it happened for me because it was three years on the Challenge Tour before I won."
Glasgow's former Scottish amateur champion Andrew McArthur (71) and England’s Jason Barnes (75), who are 18th and 25th in the Rankings respectively, are hoping to boost their hopes of European Tour promotion this week and they share sixth place on four under par.
Northern Open champion David Law missed the cut by one shot after a second-round 77 for 149.
Duncan Stewart missed out with a pair of 75s for 150.
SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
137 P Oriol (Esp) 69 68, B An (Kor) 72 65
139 P Widegren  (Swe) 70 69, L Jensen (Den) 66 73, P Edberg (Swe) 69 70
140 A McArthur  (Sco) 69 71, J Barnes (Eng) 65 75
141 P Maddy (Eng) 70 71, J Palmer (Eng) 69 72, T Sluiter  (Ned) 71 70, B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 71
142 R Kind (Ned) 71 71, M Orrin (Eng) 71 71, N Ravano (Ita) 71 71,
143 G Murray  (Sco) 70 73, C Hanson (Eng) 70 73, M Jonzon (Swe) 74 69, R Coles (Eng) 75 68, N Quintarelli (Ita) 72 71, W Harrold (Eng) 73 70, M Lafeber (Ned) 71 72,
144 O Farr (Wal) 73 71, N Dougherty  (Eng) 74 70, R Davies (Wal) 71 73, W Booth  (Sco) 71 73, C McDonnell (Eng) 70 74,
145 D Coupland (Eng) 73 72, A Hortal  (Esp) 76 69, P Figueiredo  (Por) 70 75, S Hutsby  (Eng) 72 73, O Stark (Swe) 73 72, J Roos (RSA) 73 72, R Gouveia (Por) 69 76,
146 M Tullo (Chi) 73 73, C Paisley  (Eng) 69 77, M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 73 73, E Espana (Fra) 73 73, J Sjöholm (Swe) 70 76, C Ford (Eng) 72 74, J Rask (Swe) 72 74, M Delpodio  (Ita) 72 74,
147 A Tadini (Ita) 73 74, J Stalter (Fra) 74 73, G Shaw (Nir) 68 79, J Guerrier  (Fra) 74 73, A Bernadet  (Fra) 74 73, A Rota (Ita) 75 72, S Henry  (Sco) 70 77, T Linard (Fra) 74 73, J Edfors (Swe) 74 73, D Gaunt (Eng) 72 75, J Fahrbring (Swe) 73 74, N Lemke (Swe) 75 72,
148 T Murray (Eng) 73 75, B Åkesson (Swe) 73 75, B Hebert  (Fra) 73 75, P Relecom  (Bel) 72 76, A Björk (Swe) 75 73, J Winther (Den) 75 73, L Kennedy  (Eng) 72 76, S Brown (Eng) 74 74, M Lampert (Ger) 74 74, J Huldahl (Den) 77 71,

MISSED THE CUT
149 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 74 75, M Ford (Eng) 72 77, B Chapellan (Fra) 71 78, D Law (Sco) 72 77, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 73 76, W Besseling  (Ned) 72 77,
150 A Snobeck  (Fra) 73 77, P Dwyer (Eng) 73 77, H Bacher (Aut) 71 79, J Senior (Eng) 72 78, A Velasco (Esp) 74 76, D Ulrich (Sui) 74 76, D Stewart (Sco) 75 75, P Hedblom (Swe) 73 77,
151 J Lagergren (Swe) 73 78, J Moul  (Eng) 74 77, C Bouniol (Fra) 74 77, D Kemmer (USA) 76 75, S Tiley (Eng) 73 78, H Mubarak (am) (Brn) 75 76,
152 B Evans  (Eng) 75 77, B Longmuir (Sco) 76 76, R McGowan  (Eng) 77 75, J Makitalo  (Fin) 75 77,
153 T Remkes (Ned) 70 83,
154 C Shinkwin (Eng) 78 76, S Fallon (Eng) 78 76, M Wiegele  (Aut) 76 78, S Arnold  (Aus) 79 75,
155 H Joannes  (Bel) 79 76, P Stojanovski (Aus) 75 80, C Nicoll (Sco) 76 79, L Gagli  (Ita) 78 77,
156 F Bergamaschi (Ita) 73 83, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 82 74,
157 M Haines  (Eng) 80 77,
158 G Cambis  (Fra) 72 86,
159 N Yacoob Saleh (am) (Brn) 76 83,
162 J Townsend (Aus) 86 76, T Pfister (Sui) 82 80, A Al Musharrekh (Uae) 79 83, K Benz (Sui) 76 86,
163 C Brazillier  (Fra) 79 84, A Al Rumhy (am) (Oma) 76 87,
165 H McCullen (am) (Eng) 75 90,
178 H Al Harthy (am) (Oma) 90 88,
179 A Hameed Saleh (am) (Oma) 92 87,
183 D Hon (RSA) 91 92,
** C Aguilar  (Esp) 75 RT, J Singleton (Eng) 88 WD, R McEvoy  (Eng) 76 DQ,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

PGA EUROPR0 TOUR EVENT AT RED SEA, EGYPT VENUE

                            Elliot Saltman acknowledges the cheers after holing the winning putt.

ELLIOT SALTMAN WINS £15,000 PRIZE

AND A 2015 CHALLENGE TOUR PLACE 


NEWS RELEASE
By NICK TEALE 

Elliot Saltman shot a final-round 70 to win the Visit Egypt Tour Championship at the Red Sea venue of El Gouna Golf Club with a 54-hole score of eight under par, and the £15,000 winner’s prize has catapulted him to the top of the final HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour Race To El Gouna.

The Scot could afford to bogey the last hole and still win by one stroke as he reeled off scores of 67, 71 and 70 for a total of 208.
Runner-up on 209 was England's Laurie Canter (Saltford) with rounds of 69, 72 and 68 for an £8,000 payslip.

Saltman, who plays out of Archerfield Links, has earned a category on the 2015 Challenge Tour and will be joined by Jack Senior, Peter Tarver-Jones, James Watts and Stiggy Hodgson on Europe’s second-tier tour after they also finished in the top five on the Race To El Gouna.

However, Senior currently sits inside the top 70 on the Challenge Tour rankings and should he remain there at the conclusion of this week’s event in Oman, he will secure a Challenge Tour card for next season based on his final ranking position, allowing James Robinson to take up a category as one of the EuroPro’s top five not otherwise exempt.

Billy Hemstock just misses out, finishing seventh on the Race To El Gouna for the second successive year.

Elliot, the oldest of three Saltman golfing brothers from the Lothians, began the final round with a two-stroke lead on six under and birdies at the second, fourth and ninth took him to nine under. 

Laurie Canter (Saltford) and Welshman James Frazer (Pennard) stayed in touch for most of the round, and Canter briefly levelled with Saltman at eight under par, thanks to birdies at 11 and 12, just as Saltman bogeyed the 11^th.

Saltman returned to nine under with a birdie at the 13th. Canter signed for a final-round 68 (four under par), the best score of the day, to finish the tournament at seven under 209. 

That left Saltman two clear as he came down 18 and though he made bogey after finding a fairway bunker, the Scot claimed a wire-to-wire victory for his first EuroPro Tour win since success at Fota Island in 2012.

“Deep down I thought I had a chance this week,” said Saltman. “I came into the tournament knowing my game was in really good shape. But to actually pull off the win has really proved to myself that I am capable of doing it under pressure.

“Looking back, three rounds under par in windy conditions, I should congratulate myself. It is playing very, very tough. The scoring was good today and the boys did well trying to chase me down. The course is in great condition and you cannot let up for one moment.

“It is massive to win the Race To El Gouna. It is something I said I wanted to do at the start of the season.

“It didn’t start off as planned when I was beaten in a play-off at Montrose and then at Cumberwell Park, but you keep your chin up, go back to the drawing board and keep practising. 

"When I lost the play-off at Cumberwell I did wonder if it wouldn’t happen. The break since the end of the season has done me well to go back and pick myself up. I have proved to myself I can stand up to the task and come up with the goods.”

Nick McCarthy (Moortown Golf Club) finished the tournament third on five under, three back, while Frazer took fourth on four under.

A two-hour highlights package of the Visit Egypt Tour Championship will be broadcast on Sky Sports HD on Tuesday, November 11.

After Saltman, the next best Scot was Paul Shields (Kirkhill) on 216 and sharing 14th place. He earned £675.
Dunbar's Neil Fenwick made £525 for joint 19th place on 218.
Ross Kellett (Kingsfield) had a bad last round of 77 which pushed him down to share of 24th place. He earned £345.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
208 Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) 67 71 70 (£15,000).
209 Laurie Canter (Saltford) 69 72 68 (£8,000)
211 Nick McCarthy (Moortown) 68 71 72 (£5,500).
212 James Frazer (Pennard, Wales) 68 72 72 (£4,500)
213 James Watts (Kingsway) 72 70 71, Jonathan Caldwell (Eng) 73 69 71, Darren Lloyd (Toft Hotel) 69 72 72, Alex Wrigley (Hartlepool) 69 71 73 (£2,062 each).
214 Peter Tarver-Jones (Worthing|) 68 74 72, Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth) 70 72 82 (£1,125 each)
OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
216 Paul Shields KIkrihill) 68 77 71 (T14) (£675)
218 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 72 73 73 (T17) (£525)
221 Ross Kellett (Kingsfield) 73 71 77 (£345).

TO VIEW ALL THE TOTALS

CLICK HERE

WESTWOOD HAS HOLE IN ONE TO HELP MOVE UP LEADERBOARD

HURLEY TAKES COMMAND WITH 

TWO-SHOT LEAD AT CIMB CLASSIC

 

Kuala Lumpur: From protecting oil platforms as a US navy officer on board a destroyer, American Billy Hurley III will now need to defend a two-shot halfway lead at the CIMB Classic  after a second straight five-under-par 67 put him in pole position for a maiden US PGA Tour  victory.

The 32-year-old Hurley fired six birdies for an outward 30 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club before a double bogey on two and another birdie on seven saw him take his place atop the leaderboard on 10-under-par 134 in the US $7 million tournament sanctioned by the US PGA Tour and Asian Tour.

Countryman Kevin Streelman produced a bogey-free 68 for second place while Korea’s Noh Seung-yul, the youngest Asian Tour number one when he won the Order of Merit in 2010, was amongst those chasing in tied third position including defending champion Ryan Moore (69) and Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood of England, who shot a hole-in-one en route to the day’s low of 65, and Sergio Garcia of Spain (68).

Thailand’s Prom Meesawat battled to a 71 for tied 12^th place on 139, five off the pace, along with Filipino Angelo Que who clawed from being three over for the day to settle for a 72 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Hurley, who served as a lieutenant on board a U.S. Navy destroyer from 2007 to 2009 in the Persian Gulf, knows he must be on top of his game to fend off a chasing pack of some calibre.

“I played nicely to start.  That's what I consider to be maybe the toughest stretch; kind of 11 through 13 are kind of the hardest holes out here, and I birdied 11 and 13. And then I just hit a couple of wedges close on 16, 17 and 18 and was able to make a couple of 10, 12 footers,” said Hurley.

“I even played a little bit better probably than the score is on the front side; you know, one bad swing, but I hit a lot of really good putts that kind of just hit the edge. There are 36 holes of golf left.  You know, a two shot lead is better than a one shot lead, but it's not quite as good as a four shot lead.  You always want to have more.”

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Hurley served his country before switching his attention to his professional golf career. He enjoyed four top-10s in the recently concluded 2013/14 season, finishing 97^th on the FedExCup rankings.

“I loved being in the Navy, and still have great memories and great friends from being in the Navy.  If I didn't want to play golf, I'd probably still be in the Navy right now, but I'm happy to be out here,” he said.

The 23-year-old Noh, who won the Malaysian Open at this week’s venue four years ago, will be chasing a third Asian Tour title and second US PGA TOUR victory after six birdies against three bogeys pushed him into contention.

“It’s a pretty good round but I just made a few silly mistakes. I feel very comfortable on this course, and the swing is pretty good. I missed a few putts but still I’m playing good, and just three shots behind. So it’ll be really exciting for the weekend,” he said.

He has taken full advantage of the par fives at KLGCC so far, getting to six under on those holes in the last two days. He believes the CIMB Classic would be determined by the par fives. 

“I think this course is a very good advantage for the long hitters on the par fives. That's the key to this course,” said Noh, who was rookie of the year in Asia in 2008 before becoming number one two years later.

Westwood hit the shot of the day with a rescue for his first ever ace on the US PGA TOUR at the par three 11^th hole as he charged into contention at the same venue which he won the Malaysian Open in April. It brought his career total of holes in one to 15.

“Obviously hit a great shot at 11 that was the highlight of the round, went in the hole. You need a bit of luck but at the same time you’ve got to hit well and straight. And I went back out after the rain delay and birdied two of the last three and had a really good chance at 17 as well to about eight feet, so pleased with the way I finished, and 65 has got me right into the tournament,” said Westwood.

Westwood’s playing partner Garcia rolled in six birdies against a lone bogey to stay within three shots of the lead. Using a conventional putting grip as opposed to his “claw” grip, the Spaniard is expected to make his move on the leader over the weekend.

“I hit a couple bad putts here and there, but other than that, I felt like I hit a lot of good putts, even the one on the last I just misread it, but it's been quite good. It's something that I wanted to try and see if I could do it,” said Garcia, the world number four and highest ranked player in the field this week.

Moore, who won last year’s CIMB Classic in a Monday play-off, was disappointed to drop a bogey on the last hole, a par five. A two-hour weather delay in the early afternoon affected him the most.

 “It was an overall good day until I went back out there, I missed an eight footer for birdie on 17 and then a three putt there (on the last) because I thought the greens were way slower, but apparently they weren't,” said Moore.

“I’m in a good position after two days. I played good solid rounds of golf, and just got to keep doing that.

Winning and being comfortable and familiar with a golf course (that he’s won at) definitely makes a difference. In the end you just have to go play better than everybody else.”

 

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 144 (2x72) Yardage 6,967

134 Billy Hurley III (USA) 67-67.

136 Kevin Streelman (USA) 68-68.

137 Seung-Yul Noh (SKOR) 68-69, Jeff Overton (USA) 68-69, Kevin Chappell (USA) 69-68, Ryan Moore (USA) 68-69, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 69-68, Lee Westwood (ENG) 72-65, Kevin Na (USA) 69-68.

138 Jonas Blixt (SWE) 69-69, Danny Lee (NZL) 69-69.

139 Brian Stuard (USA) 67-72, Cameron Smith (AUS) 70-69, Davis Love III (USA) 68-71, Sang-Moon Bae (KOR) 71-68, Prom Meesawat (THA) 68-71, Angelo Que (PHI) 67-72.

140 Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 70-70, John Senden (AUS) 72-68, Billy Horschel (USA) 72-68, David Lingmerth (SWE) 68-72, Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 69-71, Patrick Reed (USA) 70-70.

141 Mike Weir (CAN) 73-68, Paul Casey (ENG) 73-68, Rikard Karlberg (SWE) 65-76, Gary Woodland (USA) 71-70, Luke Guthrie (USA) 73-68.

 

INDA MASTERS REPORT AND LEADING SCORES

JHA LEADS BY 6 - SET TO SCORE FIRST 

WIN ON ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR

ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Bengaluru, India: India’s Abhishek Jha stands on the verge of his maiden breakthrough on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) after extending his overnight lead to six shots with a third-round, seven-under-par 65 at the inaugural TAKE Solutions India Masters today.

Jha, who has never held the lead heading into the final two rounds prior to this week’s US $70,000 ADT event, was in confident mood after he returned with a three-day total of 19-under-par 197.

Compatriot R Murthy and first-round leader S. Chikka share second place on 203 while ADT regulars Niall Turner of Ireland and Sweden’s Nils Floren are among the five players bunched in equal fourth place on 207 at the Eagleton Golf Resort in Bengaluru.

 

THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD

197 Abhishek JHA (IND) 66-66-65

203 R MURTHY (IND) 71-68-64, Chikka S (IND) 64-70-69

207 M DHARMA (IND) 67-71-69, Niall TURNER (IRL) 67-70-     70, Deepinder Singh Kullar (IND) 67-69-71, Khalin JOSHI (IND) 67-69-71, Nils FLOREN (SWE) 71-62-74

208 N THANGARAJA (SRI) 69-72-67, Pijit PETCHKASEM (THA) 65-73-70

209 C Muniyappa (IND) 69-68-72

 

BELGIAN ONE SHOT AHEAD AFTER EIGHT-UNDER-PAR 64

Big-hitting Colsaerts cruises into BMW 

Masters lead at Shanghai

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Nicolas Colsaerts described himself as “in the zone” after an eight under par 64 in the second round of the BMW Masters sent him one shot clear at the top of the leaderboard.
The Belgian had nine birdies at Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai, China to reach 14 under for the week, starting his Final Series campaign in style as he leapfrogged overnight leader Alexander Levy of France, who opened with rounds of 65 and 66.
Levy’s fellow Frenchman and room-mate for the week, Romain Wattel, is -11 following a 67, and the chasing pack includes Ryder Cup stars Thomas Bjørn (-9), Jamie Donaldson and Graeme McDowell (both -8).
Colsaerts and Levy have both been in fine form of late, the latter winning the rain-affected Portugal Masters three weeks ago, where the former came within a whisker of carding the first 59 in European Tour history in the first round.
The US$7million BMW Masters is the first of a lucrative four-tournament swing which will also take in the WGC-HSBC Champions and the Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Youth and Sport before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Quotes
Nicolas Colsaerts
“I hit good drives all day, which is a big bonus here because it's pretty soft. If I keep it out of the short stuff I'm going to have a lot of shorter clubs in than lots of the other guys, so I can see this course a bit more scoreable than the others. Most of my second shots were very, very good which was key. With the clubs I was coming in with, you can have a lot of birdie putts.
“I felt like I've been in the zone a couple of times recently. It's pretty nice when you can get it going like this, and I've been playing quite well for the last couple of months.
“When you're playing in these kind of conditions where the ball doesn't travel as far, the difference between a long hitter and a short hitter becomes a bit more significant than if you play a bouncy place. I think the condition of the golf course and the way the air is here makes a big difference; it will definitely suit long hitters, without a doubt.”

Alexander Levy
“I feel very good about my swing and I feel good putting, so I have a good feeling for the rest of the tournament. It was a very good day today with a solid game all round. I made one bogey, but that’s life. I’m driving the ball well, hitting good irons shots and putting well, so it’s a nice position to be in for the weekend.”

Thomas Bjørn
“I made an awful start, missing a short putt on the first and then I tried to swim my way up the third and made eight there. But then I made some good shots and kind of got a little bit happier in the head and then just went crazy for a few holes. I would just like to play the first three holes again.
" I haven't played any golf since The Ryder Cup, so after four weeks away from tournament golf, I knew coming here that it was not going to be the easiest. But there's a lot of good stuff in there and I'll try to keep going.”

SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
  Par 144 (2x72)
130 N Colsaerts  (Bel) 66 64
131 A Levy (Fra) 65 66 
133 R Wattel  (Fra) 66 67
134 B Grace  (RSA) 68 66, E Grillo (Arg) 66 68, M Siem  (Ger) 68 66
135 T Bjørn (Den) 68 67
136 J Donaldson (Wal) 68 68, M Ilonen  (Fin) 70 66, S Lowry  (Irl) 70 66, G McDowell  (Nir) 67 69,
 137 R Fisher (Eng) 70 67, E Els (RSA) 69 68, R Palmer (USA) 70 67, D Fichardt (RSA) 69 68, J Rose (Eng) 72 65,
 138 M Hoey  (Nir) 70 68, R Sterne  (RSA) 68 70, O Zheng (Chn) 72 66, G Coetzee (RSA) 71 67, F Zanotti (Par) 70 68, R Ramsay  (Sco) 70 68,
 139 R Karlsson (Swe) 69 70, S Dong (Chn) 70 69,
 140 M Kieffer (Ger) 71 69, H Mu (Chn) 69 71, O Fisher  (Eng) 71 69, L Hao-Tong (Chn) 69 71, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 74 66, T Hatton (Eng) 73 67, T Olesen (Den) 70 70, G Fernandez-Castaño  (Esp) 72 68, T Aiken (RSA) 72 68, R Bland (Eng) 72 68, V Dubuisson  (Fra) 70 70,
 141 E Pepperell (Eng) 72 69, K Seung-Hyuk (Kor) 70 71, D Willett  (Eng) 71 70, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 72 69, J Olazábal (Esp) 71 70, J Luiten (Ned) 72 69, O Wilson (Eng) 68 73, T Jaidee (Tha) 71 70, S Gallacher (Sco) 72 69, E Molinari  (Ita) 70 71,
 142 H Otto (RSA) 71 71, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 72 70, H Shao-Cai (Chn) 71 71, K Broberg (Swe) 73 69, M Warren (Sco) 70 72,
 143 M Madsen  (Den) 69 74, F Molinari (Ita) 69 74, C Yi (Chn) 72 71, I Poulter (Eng) 74 69,
 144 H Ze-Yu (Chn) 73 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 71, K Stadler (USA) 73 71, P McGinley (Irl) 71 73, F Aguilar (Chi) 70 74,
 145 G Storm  (Eng) 75 70, D Howell (Eng) 74 71, W Ashun (Chn) 75 70, M Carlsson  (Swe) 73 72, B Koepka  (USA) 73 72, C Kirk (USA) 73 72,
 146 M Foster (Eng) 75 71,
 147 M Jiménez (Esp) 77 70, S Dyson  (Eng) 75 72,
 148 P Larrazábal (Esp) 76 72, A Sullivan (Eng) 76 72, D Horsey (Eng) 73 75,
 149 A Cañizares  (Esp) 78 71, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 78 71,
 151 D Chen Xiao (Chn) 78 73, L Yan-Wei (Chn) 75 76,
 152 M Manassero (Ita) 74 78,
 153 C Zi-Hao (Chn) 77 76,
 159 W Tianyi (Chn) 76 83,




EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

VIEW OF SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN PRESIDENTS CUP TEAM CAPTAIN

ELEVEN-STRONG TASK FORCE IS NOT 

GOING TO SOLVE USA RYDER CUP 

PROBLEMS, SAYS FRED COUPLES

FROM ESPN.COM

Fred Couples, who captained the United States Presidents Cup team to victories in 2009, '11 and '13, doesn't think the newly formed 11-member task force will solve the Americans' Ryder Cup woes.
"I don't think anyone should panic," Couples told reporters at the Champions Tour season finale in Arizona on Wednesday. "I don't think we need a task force. I don't think we need the PGA of America straining about this.
"What I really think they need is to get players that have been on a lot of these teams to get a feel for what kind of captain they need."
After a third straight defeat in the biennial matches, one theory being bandied about is that the PGA of America might turn to someone who helped the Americans to so much success in the Presidents Cup, namely Couples, the 1992 Masters champion. In his career, Couples played in five Ryder Cups and owns a 7-9-4 record, including 1-5-1 in foursomes where the Americans lost 7-1 at Gleneagles in 2014.
 He was also vice-captain for Team USA at the 2012 Ryder Cup that the U.S. lost in heartbreaking fashion at Medinah outside Chicago.
So what kind of captain would Couples be?
"I think the easiest part is just really not panicking," he said. "You've got to have your teams ready and just get points, and it's not easy to do. They make it look easy because they're winning and their formula, whatever it might be, is not because they're closer and they're friendlier to each other. That's the biggest crazy thing ever.
"Every team I've been on has been phenomenal, and I'm sure every team Europe's ever had has been phenomenal. They just win, so it looks easier."
"I think anyone would love to be the Ryder Cup captain. I particularly don't think it's really that hard to do, I really don't. I keep hearing it's a two-year process. Well, what would I do right now? 
"I don't even know who's going to be on the Presidents Cup team, let alone the Ryder Cup team. So I could go have dinner with Rickie Fowler for two straight years and tell him everything, and then he might not make it.
"So I think it's all -- it's just a little bit much. We need a little more fun and that comes with winning."
Couples questioned 2014 U.S. captain Tom Watson's decision to sit five-time major winner and Ryder Cup stalwart Phil Mickelson for both Saturday sessions.
"I know one thing, I will play Phil Mickelson on Saturday of the next Ryder Cup if he's on the team," Couples told reporters. 
"That was the only thing I could see that maybe you could say that Tom, something happened there.
"Because we lost three and a half to a half [in the foursomes session], and I guarantee you it was because Phil wasn't out there playing. I guarantee it."
The 2016 Ryder Cup will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

LEE WESTWOOD'S 15th HOLE IN ONE

While most weekend warriors are still seeking their first hole-in-one, Lee Westwood made his 15th today  in the CIMB Classic.
There may not have been a car up for grabs  but this ace on the 226-yard 11^th did propel Westwood into contention in Malaysia.