US PGA TOUR REPORT AND LINK TO SCORES

TOMS AND ROLLINS SHARE MISSISSIPPI 

LEAD AT TEN UNDER PAR 134

 FROM SKY SPORTS.COM

David Toms, seeking his first US PGA Tour win since 2011, charged into a tie for the lead in the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

The 47-year-old American piled up six birdies, including four in his last six holes, to card a flawless six-under-par 66 at the Country Club of Jackson.--
Toms signed off by sinking a five-footer to birdie his final hole, the ninth, for a 10-under total of 134 and finish level with compatriot John Rollins, who also returned a 66.
Rollins briefly got to 11 under with his eighth birdie of the round, at the 15th, but slipped back with a bogey at the par-four 17th where he missed the green with his approach.
Canadian Nick Taylor was alone at eight under after shooting a 69 before play was suspended due to fading light with 15 players still on the course. They will complete the second round on Saturday.
Toms relished being grouped with fellow American Lucas Glover and Padraig Harrington for the first two rounds, with the trio chatting amiably all the way through their round.
Relaxed company helped all three players as Glover fired a 67 to end the second round four shots off the pace while Harrington – the leading European - was a further stroke back, after a 69.
The cut was projected to fall at one-under 143 with former major winners Trevor Immelman of South Africa, American David Duval and South Korean Yang Yong-eun among those unlikely to advance.
SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 144 (2x72)
players from USA unless stated
134 John Rollins 68 66, David Toms 68 66
136 Nick Taylor 67 69
137 Tom Gillis 69 68, Robert Streb 67 70

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ALGARVE WINTER PRO TOUR OF 15 EVENTS TEES OFF

DIXON SETS PACE WITH A 66

The Algarve Pro Tour of 15 events got underway at Alamos today when England's David Dixon set the pace with a five-under-par 66.
He came home in only 31 shots, birdieing four of the last seven holes.
He leads by one from Frenchman Romain Bechu and England's Craig Farrelly.
Two Scots in the field of 40 - Mark Hillson and Ted Innes-Ker.
Mark had a 68 (33-35) to be joint fourth at the halfway stage of this 36-hole opener.
Ted is joint 11th on 71.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 71
66 David Dixon (Eng) 35-31.
67 Romain Bechu (Fra), Craig Farrelly (Eng)
68 Will Roebuck (Eng), Mark Hillson (Sco) 33-35
OTHER SCORE
71 Ted Innes-Ker (Sco)
Field of 40

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SEVENTEEN SCOTS IN ACTION AT FOUR SPANISH VENUES

JACK'S THE LAD AS HE LEADS

SCOTS WITH JOINT 2ND START

Jack Doherty made the best start of the 17 Scots playing at four Spanish venues in Stage 2 of the European Tour's Qualifying School.

Doherty (pictured right) was joint second at El Saler, Valencia afer a two-under-par 70, only one off the lead.
At the same venue, Aberdeen's David Law (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) was joint fourth on 71, Wallace Booth (Comrie) joint 17th  with a 73, Jamie McLeary tied 27th on 74 and Elliot Saltman (Archervfield) was sharing 53rd place after a disappointing 77 to start.
Former Scottish amateur champion Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) was the top Scot at Las Colinas, Alicante with a five-under-par 66 to be sharing fifth place, two shots off the lead.
Raymond Russell had a 68 to be joint 16th, current Scottish amateur champion Chris Robb (Meldrum House) a 69 for a share of 22nd place, while Scott Drummond and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) tied for 60th place on the 74 mark.
Doug McGuigan and Scott Borrowman (Dollar) shared 18th place with 68s - four off the pace - at Panoramica, Castellon.
At the same venue, Ross Kellett shot a 71 for joint 45th place while Lloyd Saltman was in 63rd spot on his own after a 73. Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) started slowly with a 75 for joint 68th -place.
George Murray and Neil Fenwick shot 71 and 72 respectively to be joint 25th and joint 36th respectively at Lumine, Tarragona where the lead was shared on five-under 66.
 First-round scores

EL SALER, VALENCIA
69 J-P  Verselin (Fra)
70 J Doherty (Sco), G Houston (Wal).
Other Scots:
71 D Law (T4)
73 W Booth (T17)
74 J McLeary (T27)
77 E Saltman (T53)

LAS COLINAS, ALICANTE
64 J Makitalo (Fin)
Scots' scores
66 A Culverwell (am) (T16)
68 R Russell (T16)
69 C Robb (T22)
74 S Drummond, P Shields (T60)

LUMINE, TARRAGONA
66 N Geyger (Chile), J Kunsenbach (Ger)
Scots' scores:
71 G Murray (T25)
72 N Fenwick (T36)

PANORAMICA, CASTELLON
64 J-B Gonnet (Fra)
65 T Murray (Eng)
Scots' scores:
68 D McGuigan, S Borrowman (T18)
71 R Kellett (T45)
73 L Saltman (63rd)
75 D Stewart (T68)

FRENCHMAN FAVOURITE TO WIN CHALLENGE TOUR FINAL

Hebert hunting history in Al Badia

 EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Benjamin Hebert is closing in on a sixth career European Challenge Tour title after a four under par 68 moved the Frenchman two shots clear going into the final day at the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club.
As the season edges towards a dramatic climax, with a host of players still capable of making a late break into the all-important top 15 and thereby earning their European Tour status for the 2015 campaign, Hebert is just 18 holes away from creating history on the second tier.
The Frenchman is aiming to become the first player to win three times in two separate seasons on the Challenge Tour, and a second successive bogey-free round at the sun-drenched Al Badia Golf Club has put him in the driving seat, as he sits two strokes clear of Welshman Oliver Farr.
The 27 year old is happy with how his game has improved throughout the week and will hope to secure a second hat-trick of victories, having first broken through on the developmental tour with three wins in 2011.
“I have shot two under on day one, then three under on day two and now four under, so it’s been really good so far,” said the 2007 European Amateur Individual Champion, who leads on nine under par for the tournament.
 “There were some very important par putts in there but all in all it was a good day.
“The greens today were a little firmer and faster, but I feel good with my putting, and that’s a very good thing because I have struggled a bit recently in that department.
“It will definitely be difficult tomorrow because Oliver is playing very well this week, so I just want to play my game. I have a very good caddie this week, a good friend of mine, so we’re just enjoying every moment on the course. The weather is perfect and so is the course so we just have to take pleasure from it.
“It’s still very important for me to win because you are near the top of the category list for next year but I just want to enjoy my day tomorrow and see what happens.
“I don’t want to think too much about being the first player to win three events for a second time, the only thing I want to think about is playing well tomorrow and then make sure that I won’t be coming back to the Challenge Tour again and to stay on The European Tour!
“The thing is just improving my game day by day and round after round. It has definitely been in good shape for the last three months. My putting has sometimes let me down, so I want to improve this part of my game, but everything else is running well.”
Farr, meanwhile, has also been a picture of consistency this week having dropped just four shots in his opening three rounds, and a three under 69 left him in outright second place on seven under par.
The 26 year old has had a calm presence about him this week, despite the pressure of entering the season finale still needing a strong finish to secure a Rookie season on The European Tour, and he admitted that having a former professional as a father has proven an advantage.
“My game’s been really good this week,” said Farr, who won the tour championship on the satellite EuroPro Tour last year to secure a maiden season on the Challenge Tour. 
“I’ve been able to control it well and I’ve just been playing sensible golf, taking the birdies when I’ve needed to.
“I don’t mind talking about where I am in the Rankings when I’m off the course but when I’m on the course I’m just focussed on the tournament in hand and it seems to be working. I was in this situation last year, needing a good finish in the last event of the season to do it, and I feel fine.
“I have tried to remember what I did last year and it seems to be working so far. I’ve spoken to my Dad briefly this week and he’s just reminded me what I do well and that’s all I needed. He doesn’t give me anything technical, it’s just letting me get out there playing golf.
“He knows the right things to say and when not to say anything. There are times when I’m pretty hard on myself and we’ve all been there as golfers, so he knows I’ve got to work it out myself and I like doing that. I can’t rely on him to solve every problem but I know I’m very lucky to have him there in the background if I need him.”
Jordi Garcia Pinto (70) of Spain and Chilean Mark Tullo (73), who are both already sure of their European Tour status next year, were two shots further back in a share of third place on five under while the final day is sure to be a tense one for some of those players outside the top four.
THIRD-ROUND SCORES
Par 216 (3x72)
207 B Hebert  (Fra) 70 69 68,
209 O Farr (Wal) 69 71 69,
211 M Tullo (Chi) 68 70 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 72 69 70,
212 J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 78 66 68, B Ritthammer (Ger) 72 71 69, A Hortal  (Esp) 72 72 68, R Coles (Eng) 73 69 70, L Jensen (Den) 69 75 68,
213 A Tadini (Ita) 71 75 67, A Marshall (Eng) 71 70 72,
214 H Joannes  (Bel) 74 71 69, A Johnston (Eng) 73 72 69, J Fahrbring (Swe) 71 71 72, E Espana (Fra) 70 68 76,
215 P Widegren  (Swe) 74 73 68, B An (Kor) 72 71 72, C Bouniol (Fra) 78 68 69, B Evans  (Eng) 72 73 70,
216 J Barnes (Eng) 71 73 72, W Harrold (Eng) 70 78 68,
217 T Linard (Fra) 79 69 69, M Orrin (Eng) 69 74 74, J Lagergren (Swe) 78 69 70,
218 M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 74 71 73, P Oriol (Esp) 75 71 72, A Bernadet  (Fra) 74 73 71, S Brown (Eng) 74 71 73,
219 D Gaunt (Eng) 76 73 70, S Hutsby  (Eng) 76 74 69, A Velasco (Esp) 71 78 70,
221 P Edberg (Swe) 81 70 70, B Åkesson (Swe) 74 70 77, D Coupland (Eng) 71 76 74, S Henry  (Sco) 76 72 73, A McArthur  (Sco) 73 77 71,
222 J Roos (RSA) 73 69 80, C Shinkwin (Eng) 77 73 72, N Quintarelli (Ita) 74 75 73, M Lampert (Ger) 76 75 71, J Edfors (Swe) 76 70 76,
223 J Huldahl (Den) 76 74 73,
227 M Delpodio  (Ita) 72 78 77,
231 J Palmer (Eng) 76 76 79,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

EXTENDED COMMITMENT FROM SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AND ABERDEEN ASSET

Future of the Aberdeen Asset Management 

Scottish Open secured through to 2020

NEWS RELEASE 
The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was given a significant boost today with news that its future has been secured until 2020, thanks to extended commitments from both the title sponsor and the Scottish Government.
Scotland’s First Minister, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, Aberdeen Asset Management Head of Global Equities, Stephen Docherty – representing CEO Martin Gilbert – and European Tour Chief Executive, George O’Grady, confirmed the agreement in the historic setting of Bute House in Edinburgh, the official residence of the First Minister.
The extended agreement through to 2020 will see one of the most prestigious tournaments on The European Tour continue to go from strength to strength.
The Scottish Government have pledged their support to the tune of £1 million per year through to 2020, while Aberdeen Asset Management will continue their title sponsorship of the tournament to the same date, both partners therefore adding three further years to their current contracts which run to 2017.
Under the new extension, the tournament prize fund will rise from £3 million in 2014 to £3.25 million for years 2015 and 2016; increasing to £3.5 million in 2017 and to a minimum of £4 million in 2018. 
The prize funds for 2019 and 2020 will be confirmed at a future date.

WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS TOURNEY AT SHANGHAI

McDOWELL GOES THREE CLEAR 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Graeme McDowell extended his lead in the WGC-HSBC Champions after a flawless five under par 67 in the second round at Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai in China.
The Northern Irishman notched five birdies to reach ten under par overall, three ahead of Englishman Ian Poulter (67), who won the tournament in 2012, and four in front of American Bubba Watson (67) and Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata (65).
Poulter and Watson both enjoyed strong finishes, the latter birdieing the last five holes and the former picking up shots on four of the closing five.
McDowell has enjoyed a fine record in World Golf Championship events during the past two seasons, finishing in the top ten in six of his last seven appearances, although he is yet to win a WGC title.
The WGC-HSBC Champions is the second event in The Race to Dubai’s Final Series, a lucrative four-tournament swing to culminate the 2014 season.
Quotes

Graeme McDowell
“The putter was fairly hot today. I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday; I missed a lot more fairways, which is a big key on this golf course. You must find fairways to have a chance out there. I got lucky a couple of times and I made some good saves. The greens are fantastic here at Sheshan and I managed to make some putts. It wasn’t my best ball-striking round but I hung in there and I’m right where I want to be going into the weekend.
“This event has such a good feel to it. HSBC do a good job, you always get good support, there’s a great atmosphere and the golf course is so well presented. The WGCs are a special tier of events and this has always been one that I’ve had my eye on. 
"This is a world-class field and they are bunching up behind me. I’ve just got to keep the pedal down and position myself for Sunday to have a sniff on the back nine.”

Ian Poulter
“That’s probably the best I've played all year, which is very exciting. I only missed a couple of greens.  It was a little frustrating for the first 13 holes, missing chances, but I made four birdies in the last five holes so the chances started to go in at the end and I'm very happy. I switched to Titleist equipment two weeks ago and it’s fantastic. Obviously shooting five under today, I'm pretty happy. I think the equipment is working very well.”

Bubba Watson
“I hit some good shots but couldn't make the putts and I hit some bad shots and made the putts.  But it was good to finish that strongly. It's kind of the same position I was in last year - I was hanging around right there going into the weekend. 
"I’m looking forward to it, I’m looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully I can play a little better this time on the weekend.”

Round 2 scores:
Par 144 (2x72)
134 G McDowell  (Nir) 67 67,
137 I Poulter (Eng) 70 67,
138 B Watson (USA) 71 67, H Iwata (Jpn) 73 65,
139 K Na (USA) 71 68, T Clark (RSA) 69 70, J Blixt  (Swe) 71 68, R Fowler  (USA) 69 70,
140 T Olesen (Den) 72 68, L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 70 70,
141 O Wilson (Eng) 71 70, M Kaymer (Ger) 69 72, J Holmes (USA) 70 71, H Stenson (Swe) 70 71,
142 J Dufner (USA) 72 70, H Mahan  (USA) 74 68, A Scott  (Aus) 70 72, A Levy (Fra) 74 68, J Walker  (USA) 73 69, D Van Der Walt (RSA) 70 72,
143 C Kirk (USA) 69 74, M Leishman (Aus) 72 71, J Rose (Eng) 72 71, B Snedeker  (USA) 69 74, H Matsuyama  (Jpn) 74 69, L Westwood (Eng) 70 73,
144 J Spieth  (USA) 70 74, A Lahiri (Ind) 74 70, E Els (RSA) 74 70, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 69 75, S Gallacher (Sco) 72 72, K Hyung-Sung (SKor) 70 74, W Ashun (Chn) 74 70, B Haas  (USA) 70 74, P Reed (USA) 71 73, M Siem  (Ger) 72 72,
145 B Todd (USA) 71 74, G Coetzee (RSA) 72 73, J Van Zyl (RSA) 70 75, R Moore  (USA) 74 71, K Bradley (USA) 72 73,
146 R Henley (USA) 71 75, H Otto (RSA) 74 72, S Garcia  (Esp) 74 72, J Senden (Aus) 73 73, L Donald  (Eng) 74 72, R Palmer (USA) 74 72, D Fichardt (RSA) 74 72,
147 T Jaidee (Tha) 71 76, M Warren (Sco) 75 72, M Every  (USA) 75 72, P Larrazábal (Esp) 75 72, T Bjørn (Den) 72 75, L Hao-Tong (Chn) 75 72, S Lowry  (Irl) 78 69,
148 G Woodland (USA) 73 75, J Luiten (Ned) 77 71, J Donaldson (Wal) 71 77,
149 K Streelman (USA) 77 72, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 75 74, H Mu (Chn) 78 71, D Ze-Cheng (Chn) 76 73, Z Lianwei (Chn) 73 76,
150 S Stallings (USA) 74 76, C Schwartzel  (RSA) 74 76, F Aguilar (Chi) 76 74
151 D Lipsky (USA) 78 73, M Hendry (Nzl) 76 75, M Jones (Aus) 75 76, M Ilonen  (Fin) 75 76
152 J Knutzon (USA) 78 74
153 V Dubuisson  (Fra) 76 77, M Jiménez (Esp) 78 75,
155 Y Takeya (Jpn) 77 78, A Lascuna (Phi) 76 79,
157 B Horschel (USA) 80 77,
164 J Jeong (SKor) 85 79,
176 B Ninyette (Aus) 86 90,
** K Stadler (USA) RT  0, G Delaet (Can) RT  0,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP IN MISSISSIPPI

GREAT DANE CAPPELEN LEADS ON US 

PGA TOUR DEBUT WITH A 65

FROM SKYSPORTS.COM

Denmark's Sebastian Cappelen leads the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi after firing a 65 in his debut round on the US PGA Tour.

With 40 of the World's top 50 players competing at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, it was expected that one of the nine former champions in the field would make their mark, but it Is the 24-year-old Dane who is setting the pace.

First round leaderboard

(US unless stated)
-7 S Cappelen (Den)
-5 R Streb
-5 N Taylor (Can)
-5 S Pinckney

Cappelen began with a bogey, but made eight birdies, shooting five under on the front nine and finished with a tricky par to finish two clear of the rest.
"I'm so happy, I couldn't be happier," Cappelen, told the Golf Channel.
"I came here just trying to get a new experience, trying to get a feel for how it feels to play on the real tour.
"I had a great time out there today and hit a lot of great shots. It was fun. I'll try to just keep that going, take that with me into tomorrow."
American pair Robert Streb and Scott Pinckney as well as Canadian Nick Taylor are on five under, with Streb's bogey at the last a frustrating end to what had been up to then, a blemish-free round.
Pinckney dropped shots at eight and 17, following birdies from 14 through 16, while Taylor did not register a bogey.
Nine players, including former Open champions David Duval and Ben Curtis, are a further shot back on four under par, while defending champion Woody Austin shot a 70.