PEOPLE CAN WATCH PROS PLAY MOST OF THE YEAR

Olympics' golf should be for amateurs,

say Boo Weekley and Adam Scott

Golf Channel Digital

Golf is returning to the Olympics in 2016, but if it was up to world No. 3 Adam Scott, amateurs would be teeing it up and not professionals.
According to Australia's Courier-Mail, American Boo Weekley said the Olympics should be for amateurs and Scott supported that view at an event before the start of this week's Australian PGA.
“People watch us (as pros) play 45 weeks a year,” Scott said. “If you really wanted to grow the game you’d have the Olympics for amateurs.”
While Scott said he hopes to be part of the 2016 Games in Rio, he's keeping his focus on four other big events.
“Rio is not something I’ve thought a lot about, but it is something I have a desire to be part of,” Scott said. “I’m not going to change my focus ... it will be on the four majors."

EDITOR: Hooray for Boo Weekley and Adam Scott. I thought I
was the only one still standing who remembered when the Olympic
Games was only for AMATEUR athletes. 

FIELD OF ELEVEN WILL PLAY VILA SOL TOMORROW

GREG McBAIN MISSES PAUL LAWRIE 

TRIP TO THE SUNNY ALGARVE

Greg McBain, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, winner of the Paul Lawrie Invitational after a play-off at Deeside in September, had to withdraw from the party for the Paul Lawrie Algarve Invitational after pulling muscles in his back and not being
able to recover in time to fly to Faro this week.

The players enjoyed sunny, windless conditions for the practice round today with a temperature of between18 to 20 Centigrade, which is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, reports Michael MacDougall, manager of the Paul Lawrie Foundation.
Tee times for Thursday's two competitive rounds over a combination of holes at Pestana Vila Sol, Vilamoura are:

Game 1 - Scott Henderson, Ross Kellett, Alastair Forsyth
Game 2 - Craig Lawrie, Kris Nicol, Paul Shields, Philip McLean
Game 3 - Paul Lawrie, Greig Hutcheon, Sam Kiloh, Neil Fenwick

DAVE FLEMING IS NEW VICE-PRESIDENT

EXTRA YEAR AS DISTRICT PRESIDENT 

FOR JIM HUNTER

NEWS FROM GEORGE YOUNG
North-east District Association of SGU secretary
We had 22 played golf at Deeside Golf Club prior to the District AGM and 30 at the AGM itself.

Nothing much to report other than Jim Hunter (Ballater), pictured, is staying on as President for an extra year as our Vice-President resigned earlier this year and Dave Fleming (Portlethen) is our new vice-president.

Committee member Brian Ritchie (Inverallochy) resigned prior to the AGM.

Angus Lee (Murcar Links) and William D Sim (Craibstone) were appointed to the committee at the  meeting.

Other than that everything else is fine and we are back on a sound financial footing.

HONOUR FOR DEVON-BASED PRO FROM THE NORTH

                                ALBERT MACKENZIE

MORAYSHIRE MAN MACKENZIE TO BE 

PGA CUP VICE-CAPTAIN

PGA NEWS RELEASE
Hopeman, Morayshire-born, Devon-based PGA professional Albert MacKenzie will realise a lifelong ambition after being unveiled as PGA Cup vice-captain.
The 53-year-old Scot, who will become a dad any day now, having remarried, will be part of Jon Bevan’s backroom team helping the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team try and regain the Llandudno Trophy from the United States next September (18-20) at CordeValle, California.
MacKenzie, the head pro at Saunton Golf Club, North Devon, retains a burning desire to represent GB and I having missed out on a place in the 2005 PGA Cup team as he lost in a play-off at Woodhall Spa.
“I’m not normally stuck for words but when Jon phoned me I was over the moon because the PGA Cup means such a lot to me,” said the 53 year old who finished runner up in the 2014 Senior PGA Professional Championship.
“Although I have not played in the PGA Cup, I feel it is in my DNA for very many reasons. I’ve played in 20 PGA Professional Championships since Prince’s in 1989 trying to make the team but never quite made it.
“I came closest in 2005 when I lost in a four-man play-off at Woodhall Spa so to be asked to be vice-captain has ticked that box for me, it is an honour and a privilege.
“Over the years there have been two guys I’ve really admired – Russell Weir and Paul Wesselingh - and Jon Bevan is cut from the same cloth as those two. He is a winner and I’m sure he is going to be a wonderful captain.”
With GB and I never having won on US soil, Bevan is determined to give his side the best possible chance of success and sees MacKenzie as having a vital role to play.
“Albert is somebody I look up to – I respect him as a player and as a club professional as well,” said Bevan.
“He’s been a long time in the game, is well known in the game, has massive experience and has been close to making the PGA Cup team himself on a couple of occasions.
“Albert has been very pro-active already in making sure we have everything covered and is the perfect foil for me. He is very determined, forthright and single-minded. He is an eyes on the prize sort of guy which is what I want and he is brutally honest – he will tell me if I’m doing something right or wrong and he has my total respect and trust.
“I’m delighted Albert will be a key part of my backroom staff, he is as passionate and excited as me about the challenge of trying to win the PGA Cup for GB and I.”
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones added: "Albert without doubt will be a great asset to our captain Jon Bevan and the 2015 PGA cup team.
“His passion and enthusiasm for the PGA Cup match is something I have admired over many years and I am delighted that Jon has invited him to be vice-captain next year at CordeValle.”
Bevan has already seen the first three places of his 10-man team decided with Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin), Jason Levermore (Channels) and David Dixon (Enmore Park) having qualified via the recent Titleist PGA Play-Offs.
The remaining seven places will be decided at next year’s PGA Professional Championship with Bevan having one captain’s pick.
The PGA Cup is a Ryder Cup-style contest played over three days with foursomes, fourballs and singles. Bevan was vice-captain at the dramatic match at Slaley Hall when GB&I swept the singles 7.5-2.5 to tie the US 13-13 although America retained the trophy as holders.

ends

Weird golf news of the week: You won't believe how many golf balls this guy stole from driving range in Missouri

FROM GOLF DIGEST
By Alex Myers

Meet Nathan Brown. He's 27 years old, resides in Missouri, and apparently, loves stealing golf balls. Brown, who has been nicknamed the "golf ball bandit," recently confessed to stealing golf balls from a Maryland Heights, Missouri driving range on three separate occasions dating back to November 2013.
The total number of golf balls stolen? A whopping 42,000.

EDITOR: Did he break into the driving range at night and load up his car with balls? He couldn't have been pilfering on a small scale while using the facility, could he? It would take
years to take away 42,000 golf balls. Best not to investigate how he did it in case we give
others of a like mind ideas to follow suit.

PGA OF AMERICA COMMITTEE GET THE BALL ROLLING

USA RYDER CUP TASK FORCE HOLD 

 

FIRST MEETING

FROM GOLF.COM
By REX HOGGARD

The PGA of America held the initial meeting of the U.S. Ryder Cup task force on Tuesday at its South Florida headquarters.
As first reported by GolfChannel.com, the 11-member panel met via a conference call for more than four hours, beginning at 3 p.m.
“We discussed a wide array of issues including the selection process for captains and vice captains and more,” PGA president Derek Sprague said in a statement. 
“Today was the beginning of a process that is designed to create the conditions for long-term Ryder Cup success. We have more work to do and look forward to gathering again to complete the work of the task force.”
The task force – which was created following the U.S. team’s five-point loss in September at Gleneagles – includes Sprague, PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua, vice president Paul Levy, Raymond Floyd, Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods.
Most of the player representatives are either playing the Franklin Templeton Shootout (Stricker), the PNC Father-Son Challenge (Love) or on vacation (Fowler and others) and joined the meeting via a conference call.
While the agenda for the meeting remains unknown, last week at the Hero World Challenge Stricker seemed to give a general outline that has been echoed by other player representatives.
“I think just address some of the situations, some of the areas that we feel like need to be changed,” said Stricker, an assistant captain for this year’s American Ryder Cup team. 
“There are a lot of things that are going to come up during that task force, little things that could mean a lot in the long run.”
A second meeting of the task force is tentatively scheduled in February during the Farmers Insurance Open.
PGA officials met with Paul Azinger last month and the 2008 captain gave an outline of the alterations he would make in an attempt to change the U.S. team’s fortunes in the matches.