MONTROSE MAN WINS MIDLAND ALLIANCE SCRATCH

GRAEME BROWN SHOOTS FIVE-UNDER 

64 TO WIN AT CRAIL BALCOMIE

Montrose Links assistant professional Graeme Brown won this week's Midland Golfers' Alliance top scratch prize at the Dunmar House Hotel team competition over Crail Golfing Society's Balcomie Course.

The course was in fantastic condition and Brown made the most of them with a fantastic five-under-par round of 64. He finished four strokes clear of the field.

Frank Lindin, who plays off eight at Muckhart, won the leading handicap prize with a net score of 66. 

In the team competition Monifieth professional Lee Sutherland, Ian Cooke (Monifieth)  (14) and Steve Paterson (Lundin) (40 won the top awards with a net score of 58.

 

LEADING SCRATCH

par 69

64 G Brown (Montrose Links) ap.

68 A Martin (The Duke's) ap, S McKendrick (Dunkeld).

69 S Birrell (Lundin), P Brookes (Pitreavie) p.
70 B Stewart (Tulliallan).
71 A Webster  (Edzell) p, W Hutton (Pitlochry), G Tough (Edzell).
72 H Cowbrough (Muckhart), B Crosbie (Blairgowrie), F Mann (Carnoustie) p, D Thomson (Downfield), C Armstrong (Burntisland) ap.
LEADING HANDICAP

66 F Lindin (Muckhart) (8).

67 H Cowbrough (Muckhart) (5), B Crosbie (Blairgowrie) (5), S Birrell (Lundin) (2), D Redford (Murayshall) (11).
68 S Mitchell (St Andrews New) (12), S McKendrick (Dunkeld) (scr), D Thomson (Downfield) (4), I Cooke (Monfieth) (14).
69 B Stewart (Tulliallan) (1), S Hills (Monifieth) (6), W Hutton (Pitlochry) (2), S Blady (Monifieth) (4), R McLean (Dunnikier) (6).
TEAM COMPETITION

58 L Sutherland (Monifieth) p, I Cooke (Monifieth) (14), S Paterson (Lundin) (4).

59 (bih) A Martin (The Duke's) ap, S Mitchell (St Andrews New) (12), N Wilson (Ladybank) (8).

59 (bih) D Wilson (Monifieth) (5), G Cant (Monifieth) (11).

Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchens Championship

S Blady (Monifieth)

H Cowbrough (Muckhart)

C Mathieson (Falkirk Tryst)

 

Qualifier for the McQueen Shield

F Lindin (Muckhart)

 

Next week's meeting

Tuesday, December 2

Tayside Cash Registers Team competition

Strathmore Golf Centre

Shotgun start at 10.30am. Check in by 10 am

   

Lee Sutherland

RBS JUNIOR GOLF AWARDS

NOMINATIONS INVITED FOR TOP GOLF CLUB FOR 

 

CHILDREN AND MOST DEDICATED VOLUNTEER

                                                                   

CLUBGOLF NEWS RELEASE

Is your golf club the best for young players? Do you know a volunteer whose work in junior golf is invaluable?

ClubGolf, supported by RBS, is calling on the top golf clubs for children and the most dedicated volunteers to nominate themselves for two of Scottish Golf’s most prestigious prizes, the 2014/15 RBS Junior Golf Awards. 

Presented annually at the star-studded Scottish Golf Awards, the RBS Junior Club of the Year and RBS Volunteer of the Year accolades reward commitment and innovation in promoting the game at grassroots level.

A prize of £1,500 will go to the winning club for investment into its junior section while the country’s leading volunteer will receive £500 for their home club, plus £100 to use personally. 

To nominate a club or volunteer for the 2014/2015 RBS Junior Golf Awards, visit www.clubgolfscotland.com/rbsawards. All nominations must be received by  January 26, 2015.

The Scottish Golf Awards 2015 takes place on Friday, March 20 at The Corn Exchange, Edinburgh. Tickets can be booked by calling the ticket hotline on 01334 466477 or visiting www.scottishgolf.org

ENGLISHMAN TYRELL HATTON NAMED RUNNER-UP

                            BROOKS KOEPKA. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

AMERICAN BROOKS KOEPKA IS 

EUROPEAN TOUR ROOKIE OF YEAR

 EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
American Brooks Koepka has emulated the achievement of his close friend Peter Uihlein 12 months ago after being named the 2014 Sir Henry Cotton European Tour Rookie of the Year.
Koepka finished in eighth position on The Race to Dubai in his first full season on The European Tour, winning the Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the penultimate event of the Final Series, and recording four other top ten finishes to amass an impressive 2,631,873 points,
He was voted as winner of the prestigious award ahead of Englishman Tyrell Hatton, whose tied sixth place finish in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai meant he finished a promising debut campaign in 36th position on The Race to Dubai.
In winning the Rookie of the Year Award, Koepka succeeds compatriot Uihlein, his close friend and housemate, having two years ago taken the decision to follow him across the Atlantic in an attempt to rise up the professional ranks, first on the European Challenge Tour and then on The European Tour.
Following his breakthrough win on the Challenge Tour in 2012, Koepka claimed a trio of titles in 2013 to earn automatic promotion to The European Tour, joining Uihlein who had secured his own status among Europe’s elite by winning the 2013 Madeira Islands Open.
Koepka recorded two top finishes on The European Tour in 2013 and finished the year in 113th position on the Race to Dubai, after becoming eligible for the final stretch of the season because of his hat-trick of wins on the Challenge Tour.
That extra experience certainly served him well in his first full season on The European Tour, when he showed early promise with a share of third place in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic before impressing in the Majors on home soil, finishing tied fourth in the US Open and tied 15th in the US PGA Championship.
He followed that with a share of third place in the Omega European Masters in Switzerland and a tied ninth place finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, before holding off Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter in Turkey for a maiden European Tour title, with the Rookie of the Year Award then confirmed in Dubai, where he recovered from illness in the opening round to finish with three sub-par rounds for a share of 42nd place.
“Winning the Rookie of the Year means so much,” said Koepka. “I've worked so hard this year, and to see the results is fun.  To cap the year off with a win in Turkey has made this year special, and it's a goal I've been working for since I was able to come out on Tour, and that was the goal starting the year.
“Looking back where I was two years ago, and then where I am today, is special.  So to win Turkey and win Rookie of the Year is amazing.
“Coming over, having nowhere to play and getting a win on The Challenge Tour, and then getting the promotion, was unbelievable.  And now to win on The European Tour is special, and to win Rookie of the Year, you look at all the names, guys who have won it, especially last year; Pete Uihlein, so at least we can keep it in the house.”

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

THREE-ROUND TOURNAMENT AT ANTALYA GOLF CLUB

HUTCHEON AND FOX HEAD FOR 

TURKEY AND PGA PLAY-OFFS


PGA NEWS RELEASE It promises to be an exciting weekend for Great Britain and  Ireland PGA Cup team captain Jon Bevan who will see his 2015 side take shape following the Titleist PGA Play-Offs in Turkey.
The top three eligible finishers in the 54-hole tournament at Antalya Golf Club, which begins on Saturday, will automatically take the first spots in Bevan’s team to face the United States at CordeValle, California next September.
And Bevan, a teaching pro at Rhos-on-Sea in north Wales and a two-time PGA Cup player, is confident that whoever qualifies from the play-offs will be an asset to his quest to become the first captain to win on US soil since the event’s inception in 1973.
“You only have to look at the profiles of the players in the PGA Play-Offs and their statistics and they stack up fantastically well against anybody in terms of performance plus there are a few guys with previous PGA Cup experience which is invaluable,” he said.
“I hope the guys who have played PGA Cup can pass on some of their experiences of playing in it because I want the players to realise just how big an event it is. It will be the biggest thing they are going to play in 2015.
“There are no weaknesses in that list of players in the play-offs but equally there won’t be any weaknesses in the other seven players when it’s their turn to make the team.”
Among the players with PGA Cup experience in action in Antalya are defending champion Greig Hutcheon, fellow Scot Graham Fox and Benn Barham who played in the 2013 team which tied at Slaley Hall while Richard Dinsdale was part of the victorious 2005 team that won at The K Club.
The remainder of Bevan’s ten-man team will be determined at the 2015 PGA Professional Championship with one captain’s pick at his disposal. Bevan’s passion for the biennial contest was stirred in his debut appearance at Reynolds Plantation, Georgia, in 2007 and he is determined to spread the message to all his fellow pros.
“We had a get together in 2007 ahead of our matches and I really got the buzz of what it was all about. There were a couple of other players with massive experience like Paul Wesselingh, so from July to September the PGA Cup became paramount in my thinking.
“I want all the guys to embrace the PGA Cup experience. The more people are using it as an incentive to improve their preparation and practice, to give that extra inch and go the extra mile the better – I want it to fuel their passion and enthusiasm.”
America has dominated on home soil, having never tasted defeat there in the PGA Cup but Bevan has always enjoyed beating the odds and is determined to ensure his team is primed for the challenge ahead.
“I don’t think there is a difference on a talent scale between GB and I and US but there is a massive difference in attitude scale,” he added.
“The Americans believe they are going to beat us. I’ve been used to that all my life and love that battle as the underdog but some guys won’t have faced that attitude and I want to get them ready for that."

UPDATED NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE TEE TIMES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
NEWBURGH-on-Ythan GOLF CLUB

8:00 A.Campbell G.Esson C.Campbell J. Douglas
8:08 C.Carnagie G. Leslie C. Cassie B.Harper
8:16 R. Masson P. Morrison S. Dillon
8:24 K. Zeynlove S. Kiloh P. Mckenna T. Dingwall
8:32 C. Law D. Law K. Shanks N. Mcandrew
8:40 L. Roger M.. Rendall H. Roulston
8:48
8:56 R. Brown A. Benton J. Scott R. Skene

9:04 C. Brechin B. Ritchie R. Stewart K. Duncan
9:12 P. Lawrie C. Lawrie M. Mcdougall
9:20 G. Craig D. Lawrie J. Duff M. Smith
9:28 D. Mackay K. Mcgilvaray L. Duncan W. Beattie
9:36 J. Hopwood L. Murray K. Beveridge K. Beveridge
9:44 S. Lawrie B. Fyfe C. Grant D. Craigie
9:52 L. Vannet A. Gall I. Clark M. Forster

10:00 W. Skene A. Clark D. Lane R. Duncan
10:08 B. Lumsden R. Buchan G. Mcdonald D. Townsley
10:16 D. Fleming L. Fowler M. Duncan N. Forster
10:24 D. Wright T. Robertson J. Duncan G. Milne
10:32 G. Homer D. Leslie H. Mcnaughton W. Shaw
10:40 S. Shand D. Bisset G. Angus K. Stewart
10:48 P. Mclean K. Nicol D. Nelson A. Graham
10:56 S. Allison R. Davidson G. Mackie

11:04 S. Finnie J. Borthwick D. Mckay M. Booth
11:12 I. Grant P. Walker
11:20 S. Mackie G. Moir J. Nicolson
11:28

STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF NORTHERN OPEN

TRIBUTE TO BILL LAMB

PGA in Scotland secretary Brian Mair has paid tribute to Bill Lamb who died suddenly last Friday.
Bill’s company, Grampian International Freight, was a staunch supporter of the Northern Open and the PGA Scottish Region in general.
“I know Bill had a great love for golf, and Scottish golf in particular,” said Mair.
“Many of our members have benefited from Bill’s contribution and he was a great friend to many.”
The funeral is this Friday (November 28) at Fetteresso Church, Bath Street, Stonehaven. AB39 2DH.
The service will start at 10am and then Norwood House Hotel, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB15 9F

ALGARVE PRO TOUR

The new Algarve Pro Tour resumes at Palmares this week.

Here is the finishing order at the last event of Series 1

Leaderboard

Winner - Harry Casey - 14/11/2014 Venue: Palmares. /10,000 euros prize fund each tournament

Pos		Name	Sponsor/Attachment	Score	Thru	Today	R1	R2
1		Harry Casey		-8	F	-2	66	70
2		Max Eichmeier	Hochstatt GC	-7	F	-5	70	67
T3		Mark Hillson		-6	F	-1	67	71
T3		Hugo Santos	PGA Portugal TEAM	-6	F	-6	72	66
T5		Mark Hooper		-5	F	-5	72	67
T5		Tiago Cruz	PGA Portugal Team	-5	F	-4	71	68
T7		Ted Innes-Ker	ISPS	-3	F	-2	71	70
T7		Craig Hinton		-3	F	1	68	73
T9		Goncalo Pinto	PGA Portugal	-2	F	0	70	72
T9		Rhodri Fieldhouse	Wrexham GC	-2	F	0	70	72
T11		Will Fox	La Monacilla	-1	F	4	67	76
T11		James Maw		-1	F	-3	74	69
T11		Will Roebuck	Woburn	-1	F	3	68	75
T11		Craig Farrelly		-1	F	-1	72	71
T11		Antonio Sobrinho	PGA Portugal	-1	F	1	70	73
T16		Charlie Lidyard	Leatherhead GC	Level	F	1	71	73
T16		Tyler Hogarty	Rodway Hill GC	Level	F	4	68	76
18		Tom Hayward		+1	F	0	73	72
T19		Joao Ramos	PGa Portugal	+2	F	1	73	73
T19		Jay Taylor		+2	F	4	70	76
T21		Joshua Carpenter	Cleobury Mortimer GC	+4	F	3	73	75
T21		Sam Botham	Worthing GC	+4	F	3	73	75
T21		Martin Dewhurst	Costa Navarino	+4	F	6	70	78
T24		B.T. Smith	Lindrick GC	+5	F	3	74	75
T24		Michael Downes		+5	F	2	75	74
T24		Louis Lazarus (am)		+5	F	1	76	73
T24		Andre Carvalho		+5	F	3	74	75
T28		Rob Menzies		+6	F	3	75	75
T28		Ed Barry-Walsh		+6	F	5	73	77
T28		Joao Carlota		+6	F	-1	79	71
T31		Daniel Garner (am)		+7	F	7	72	79
T31		Romain Bechu		+7	F	4	75	76
33		Joe Yorke	Golf Principles	+9	F	7	74	79
T34		Nelson Cavalheiro	PGA Portugal	+10	F	7	75	79
T34		Dan Waite	The Wisley	+10	F	5	77	77
36		Gregori Baumann		+11	F	6	77	78
37		Damir Babikov (am)		+13	F	2	83	74
38		Miguel Gaspar	PGA Portugal	+22	F	11	83	83
		Michael Lowe	Leatherhead Club	NR		0	77	NR (0)
		Will Johnson	Bibby Financial Svcs.	WD		0	77	WD (0)
		Fin Bullough	Wentworth	RTD		0	78	RTD (0)

LOTHIANS MEN AND CLUB RANKINGS

 FROM DAVID MOIR

MyGolfRanking, Lothians Men, Week 2014/46

1 John Hunter (Liberton) 1275pts

2 Graham Clarke (Mortonhall) 1258

3 Alasdair Hastie (Prestonfield) 1208

4 Stuart Hutchings (Kingsknowe) 1157

5 James Hoyle (Ravelston) 1066

6 Douglas Waugh (Baberton) 1063

7 Alan Mackay (Kingsknowe) 1038

8 Richard Bartsch (Prestonfield) 1029

9 Jackson Bell (Mortonhall) 1008

10 Shaun Gordon (Bass Rock) 975

11 Ross Stewart (Swanston New) 970

12 Campbell Logan (Mortonhall) 967

13 Bob Ellis (Mortonhall) 957

14 Ralph Fairweather (Mortonhall) 955

15 *Ian Murray (Baberton) 946.

MyGolfRanking, Lothians Men Clubs, Week 2014/46

1 Mortonhall 948pts

2 Kingsknowe 892

3 Baberton 841

4 Prestonfield 834

5 *Gullane 828.

*New entry this week

For up-to-date ranking lists of participating clubs, the full Regional, National and International Rankings and how it works, visit www.mygolfranking.net.

The MyGolfRanking service is free to clubs and members. Clubs wishing to participate should register on www.mygolfranking.net or email info@mygolfranking.net for information.

LOTHIANS' LADIES' RANKINGS ARE ON www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk