DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

DONALD ROSS FATHER-SON EVENT DECEMBER 27-30
 
The Donald Ross Junior Championship at Pinehurst  Resort, North Carolina  started in 1947 and is named for the famous architect from Dornoch. 
Part of the event, which will be held again December. 27-30, is a father-son competition for the more then 200 juniors in the field, held in three age divisions. 
And Father-Son events aren't just held in the U.S. The 26th World Invitational Father and Son Tournament will be played August 5-9, 2015, at Ireland's Waterville Golf Links. 
And, by the way, the eighth World Invitational Father and Daughter is also to be played at Waterville from July 23-26, 2015.

VETERAN PGA PRO HAS EIGHTH HOLE IN ONE

103-year-old OLDEST TO HAVE AN ACE

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
Golf is the game of a lifetime, all right: 103-year-old Gus Andreone is now the oldest golfer to ever record a hole-in-one after he made the eighth ace of his career on Wednesday in South Florida. 
The previous record was held by Elsie McLean, who was 102 when she dunked her tee shot in 2007. 
Andreone, the PGA of America’s oldest member, used driver on a 113-yard par-3 hole at Palm Aire Country Club.
“Miracles do happen once in a while,” the 75-year PGA member told the association’s website, but this might just be the luckiest man on the planet. He also said that he won the Pennsylvania Lottery in 1983 in addition to two wins in the Fantasy Five Lottery in Florida. 
The centenarian still plays three times a week, often shooting his age, and apparently can’t stop making aces 75 years after recording his first. Prior to Wednesday’s 1, he last made a hole-in-one in the 1990s.

TWO WOMEN JOIN EUROPEAN TOUR BOARD

Two women have joined the European Tour Board - read the full story on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

SCOTS-BORN GIRL WINS GREG NORMAN JUNIOR MASTERS

A 16-year-old Scottish girl, Karis Davidson, has won the prestigious Greg Norman Junior Masters girls' championship in Queensland, Australia.
Karis emigrated with her parents from Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders to Australia eight years ago.

READ THE FULL STORY on www.Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

RYDER CUP SCOT HITS OUT AT THE SNAIL'S PACE PLAYERS

 STEPHEN GALLACHER SAYS SLOW 

PLAY IN GOLF IS AKIN TO CHEATING

FROM TODAY'S SCOTTISH DAILY EXPRESS
By JOCK MacVICAR
Stephen Gallacher is calling for a crackdown on slow play in golf.
Only 24 hours after world No 1 Rory McIlroy hit out at the pace of some players, Gallacher tore into those who are risking turning the game into an almighty yawn.

"Certain forms of slow play are tantamount to cheating," said Gallacher before he was made an honorary member of the PGA at the Scottish Region's annual luncheon in Glasgow.
"Guys who know they are slow and get fined all the time but don't do anything about it are putting people off.
"They are certainly putting viewers off. The bit I think that  is akin to cheating is their two paces - when they speed up once they have been put on the clock.
"On the pro tour, you have to make it ruthless and say that slow play is a one-shot penalty. You can't have a monetary thing. In cricket, if a player doesn't meet his over-rate, he's out of a game. We could do that.
"In golf, if you incur two-shot penalties for slow play, you are suspended next week and it might be the Open."
Gallacher continued:
"Apparently the European Tour committee guys talk about slow play every week - but nothing happens.  If you have a field of 156 and somebody hits two provisionals off the first tee early doors, it has a knock-on effect on the pace of play.
"They guy who waits until everybody plays adds about 10min to a round. These days some guys are never ready to play their next shot. The guy who plays third can slow everything up.
"By the time he gets to play, he's not even got his glove on yet. As you get older, you learn. I go out with my mates and go round in 2 1/2 hr. We are always read to play, with the glove on.
"Some guys on the Tour still have to get the glove on and get the yardage books out and you think: 'Are you kidding?'
"Look at putting. Everybody looks at the putt from one side but the third guy in the group hasn't looked and ends up looking at it from four different sides.
"Fields of 156 players don't help. The slightest delay and for the guys at the end of the field, the round can't be completed until early next morning."

LAST ASIAN TOUR EVENT OF THE YEAR

AUSSIE ROOKIE RICHARDSON SETS

66 PACE IN DUBAI OPEN

ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE 

Australian rookie Kalem Richardson stormed into a one-shot first-round lead at the inaugural Dubai Open with a six-under-par 66 today, despite not having the benefit of a practice round.

The 26-year-old Richardson, who has enjoyed two top-five finishes in his last five starts, posted one eagle and five birdies at the Els Club, Dubai to lead from Thai prospect Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing, Craig Hinton of England and MENA Tour regular Christopher Cannon of England, who returned matching 67s.

Veteran Singaporean Mardan Mamat, Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul and Aussie duo Scott Barr and Nathan Holman shot 68s to stay amongst the early leaders in the final tournament of the 2014 Asian Tour season. 

Prom Meesawat of Thailand, who needs a win here to finish second on the Order of Merit, signed for a 71 while 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke birdied his last hole for a 72.

Richardson was delighted that his decision to take it easy in Dubai following a five-week tournament stretch paid off with his strong start.

“I played pretty solid. It was a pretty crazy day. Playing golf in Dubai, it's amazing really. You just look around and see the scenery and you're just enjoying yourself and I’m feeling pretty relaxed, this being the last event of the year and Christmas being next week,” said Richardson.

“I've been playing solid, just the last couple weeks I've been a bit tired and this week I've taken a different approach and basically haven't done anything for three days. I hadn't actually seen the course, so I was playing blind today. It’s kind of a relax week but it would also be nice to contend again.”

The 25-year-old Pavit, who won this season’s Asian Development Tour Order of Merit following three victories, soared with two eagles, including holing a 170yd shot from the fairway with an eight- iron on the par five 18^th hole.

Canon, 27, was one of the rare few who stayed bogey-free, saying an up-and-down par save on the second hole gave him the perfect confidence boost.

 “I had a plugged lie, so that was good, off to a good start but otherwise, I just played really solid golf. Simple as that,” said the Englishman, who has set his sights on the Asian Tour Qualifying School next month.

Hinton was surprised with his brilliant start following a season to forget where he has missed nine cuts from 11 starts. “I think I've had one round under par (this season).  It was a shock to me; let's put it that way,” said the Englishman. “Bogeyed the first and bogeyed the last.  Middle part, 16 holes, was just flawless golf, really.”

 

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES

par 72, yardage 7,538 

66 Kalem RICHARDSON (AUS).

67 Christopher CANNON (ENG), Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA), LAM Chih Bing (SIN), Craig HINTON (ENG).

68 Scott BARR (AUS), Mardan MAMAT (SIN), Nathan HOLMAN (AUS), Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA).

69 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA), Hamza AMIN (PAK), Bryce EASTON (RSA), Javi COLOMO (ESP), Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND).

70 Younes EL HASSANI (MAR), Angelo QUE (PHI), Carlos PIGEM (ESP), Matthew FITZPATRICK (ENG), Marcus BOTH (AUS), CHAN Shih-chang (TPE), Jbe KRUGER (RSA), MO Joong-kyung (SKOR), Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA).

 

Others:
71: Prom Meesawat (Tha)

72: Darren Clarke (NIR)

LEFT HANDER'S MIGHTY HIT TOPS THE GRAPH

 BUBBA WATSON'S 424yd DRIVE 

LONGEST OF US PGA TOUR YEAR

FROM GOLF DIGEST.COM
By Luke Kerr-Dineen

Bubba Watson hit the longest drive of the 2013-14 US PGA Tour season -- 424 yards -- 27 yards further than the next-longest drive.

That stat in itself is pretty amazing, especially when you consider that Webb Simpson's 397yd drive came on the seventh hole at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions -- a  downhill, 520-yard par 4 that often records the longest measured drives of the season. But seeing it as a graph truly puts in perspective just how far the left-handedBubba Watson hits the ball.

 Thanks to LowRound.co for designing it:

TWENTY-SEVEN UNDER PAR EARNS HIM $25,000

CANADIAN FRITSCH WINS WEB.COM 

TOUR Q SCHOOL BY SEVEN SHOTS
 
NEWS RELEASE
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida -- Brad Fritsch of Canada earned full status on the Web.com Tour by closing with a 5-under 66 to win the qualifying tournament by seven shots. It was the second-widest margin at Q-school in the last 25 years. The circuit's former name was the Nationwide Tour.
Fritsch made three early birdies and was never seriously challenged the rest of the way. He finished on 27-under 402.
Along with earning $25,000, Fritsch has full status on the Web.com Tour for 2015.
Andrew Landry finished second. He was among the next nine players who are fully exempt for the first dozen events in 2015. The group that finished between 11th and 45th place (including ties) are exempt for up to nine events.
The priority list for the Web.com Tour is reshuffled at various stages of the season based on performance.

LONG-STANDING BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF ASIAN GOLF

VERY LATE POSTPONED OF ROYAL 

TROPHY MATCH IN CHINA

NEWS RELEASE
The Royal Trophy, which is a Ryder Cup-style event featuring teams from Europe and Asia, was postponed this week, just two days before it was set to begin, according to the South China Morning Post.
The event's eighth instalment was scheduled to be played December 19-21 at Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, China. The Morning Post reported that Dragon Lake Golf Club had no plans to stage the event and that the postponement comes during a "long-standing battle for control of Asian golf between the Asian Tour and OneAsia."
The Royal Trophy match, founded by the late Seve Ballesteros, has been played annually since 2006 and has brought in the likes of Henrik Stenson, Y.E. Yang and Paul Lawrie. 
Past captains include Yang, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie. It is sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and the China Golf Association and supported by the OneAsia Tour.
The tournament was challenged earlier this year when the European and Asian Tours partnered to support the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia this March.
 Teams Europe and Asia tied, with Ryder Cuppers Graeme McDowell, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Duvuisson and Stephen Gallacher competing for Europe.

DOUG HANZEL RETAINS DIXIE SENIOR 

AMATEUR TITLE IN FLORIDA

CORAL SPRINGS, Florida – Doug Hanzel of Savannah, Georgia has won his second consecutive Dixie Senior Amateur title in a come-from-behind victory at the TPC Eagle Trace.
Hanzel’s 211 total (69-72-70) was good enough for a three-shot victory over Rick Woulfe of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who finished the tournament in solo second after posting rounds of 66-73-75 for a 214 total.
The first two rounds of the tournament were played at nearby Heron Bay Golf Club while the final round was contested at Eagle Trace.
Woulfe won his last two senior events, the Society of Seniors Championship and the Ralph Bogart, which moved him from No.157 in Golfweek’s Senior Rankings to No.8 for the end of the season.
Behind Woulfe, Michael Mercier of Rochester, N.Y., and Steve Groom of Raytown, Mo., tied for third after finishing 54 holes at 215.
In the Super Senior division, Stephen Rose of New York City won in sudden death against Craig Scott of Marshalls Creek, Pa., after both finished the 54-hole tournament tied at 220.