GAVIN DEAR WON THIS EVENT IN 2008

Entry Fee: $450

The Dixie Amateur is a 72 hole golf tournament which began today 

(Friday) with a field of 222 players.

  The first three rounds are played at Heron Bay Golf Club.  

There is a 54 hole cut and the final round will be played at TPC 

Eagle Trace.  

Players who do not make the 54 hole cut are automatically entered 

in the ClubLink Cup on the final day at Heron Bay Golf Club.

The ClubLink Cup is an 18 hole tournament benefiting Birdies for 

the Brave.

$1,395.00 | Value package 

Tournament entry, four nights at the Marriott adjacent to the course, two days of unlimited practice rounds,  unlimited range 

balls for the week, breakfast (5 days), lunch (5 days), and dinner (4 days). 

Tournament Format:

ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL BE GUARANTEED FOUR 

COMPETITIVE ROUNDS.

GAVIN DEAR WAS WINNER IN 2008

Gavin Dear, while still an amateur, of course, won the Dixie 

Amateur in 2008.  Certainly in recent times, Gavin is the only Scot 

to  have won the prestigious tournament.

There have been some famous winners down through the years ... 

Frank Stranahan (1950), Lanny Wadkins (1971), Andy Bean (1975), 

Hal Sutton (1978 and 1979), Jesper Parnevik (1986), Erik Compton 

(2000), Peter Uihlein (2009 and 2010), Curtis Thompson (2011 and 

2013). 

To view the complete roll of honour in the Dixie Amateur's men's 

women's and senior tournaments 

CLICK HERE  

                        

VETERAN SCOT STANDING DOWN AS AGW PRESIDENT

(L-R) Renton Laidlaw, President of the Association of Golf Writers, is presented with a retirement gift by George O'Grady (R), Chief Executive of The European Tour at The European Tour Race to Dubai Golfer of the Year Luncheon (Getty Images)

RENTON LAIDLAW RECEIVES RETIREMENT GIFT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR 

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
Renton Laidlaw, President of the Association of Golf Writers, was presented with a retirement gift by George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, during this week’s European Tour Golfer of the Year luncheon at Wentworth.
Laidlaw’s career in golf began when he started out on the Edinburgh Evening News in 1957. After a spell in television, first with STV then Grampian TV and, finally, the BBC as its news anchor in Edinburgh, he returned to golf with the London Evening Standard from 1973 to 1998. During that time he also commentated for BBC Radio, ITV, TWI, Eurosport and Screensport.
A move to full-time broadcasting followed as he became an integral part of the European Tour Productions commentary team and these days Laidlaw’s dulcet tones can be heard on The Golf Channel.
Earlier this year Laidlaw became the first non-American to cover 40 Masters Tournaments, and he has now covered 16 Ryder Cups and more than 130 majors.
"We will get our own chance to say thank-you in due course to the man who has arguably done more for the Association of Golf Writers  over the years than any other in our long history. He’s certainly the only man to serve as secretary, chairman and, for the past decade, as President," said AGW chairman Derek Lawrenson.
. “Thank for your support of The European Tour, through European Tour Weekly and every form of broadcast we have had over the years. You have been a great friend to the Tour,” said O’Grady.
The presentation was made during the European Tour’s annual luncheon where O’Grady also paid tribute to golf writers and others within the golfing family who had passed away over the past 12 months including leading Scottish sportswriter Norman Mair, whose funeral was being held that day in Edinburgh, and Katrina Dawson, the daughter of former RandA Captain Sandy Dawson, so tragically killed in the Sydney hostage situation this week. 

Others remembered were Italian golf writer Maria Pia Gennaro, Scotland’s Ian Broadley, Andre Jean LaFaurie from France, Hilary Barnes, wife of Ryder Cup player Brian, Honorary Life Vice-President of the Tour Claude Roger Cartier, caddie Iain McGregor and the European Tour’s Gillian Oosterhuis.

COLIN FARQUHARSON, a member of the Association of Golf Writers since 1974, writes:

Renton Laidlaw, at his own request, will stand down as AGW President following the Open at St Andrews next July.

Goran Zachrisson has agreed to take on the role for a two-year term.

Goran will become the first Continental member to hold one of the AGW's senior posts of office

 ‘It’s the greatest honour I could get!’ he said. ‘I’ll just have to make sure I stay alive for the next two years.’

It’s 50 years since Zachrisson  joined Sweden’s leading golf magazine and next year will mark a half-century since he first became involved in television.

ASIAN TOUR'S DUBAI OPEN REPORT, LEADING SCORES

SIZZLING KAPUR SHARES HALFWAY 

LEAD WITH PAVIT AFTER A 66

NEWS RELEASE FROM ASIAN TOUR

India’s Shiv Kapur soared on eagle’s wings as he fired a superb six-under-par 66 to share the halfway lead with Thai prospect Pavit Tangkamolprasert at the inaugural Asian Tour’s Dubai Open today.

Kapur, who triumphed in Dubai on the European Challenge Tour at the end of last season, maintained his love-affair with the vibrant city, holing out for a stunning two from the fairway at the par four first hole before adding five more birdies against one bogey at the magnificent Els Club Dubai.

Newly crowned Asian Development Tour number one Pavit continued to show his potential with a battling 70 which tied Kapur on seven-under-par 137, one ahead of Indian duo Arjun Atwal (65) and Gaganjeet Bhullar (69), Scotsman Simon Yates (67)and Korean teenager Wang Jeung-hun (67) in what is the final tournament of the 2014 Asian Tour season. 

Thailand’s Prom Meesawat, needing a victory in Dubai to finish second on the Order of Merit and qualify for the WGC-Cadillac Championship, carded a steady 68 for tied seventh place with MENA Tour’s number one Joshua White and Japan’s Daisuke Kataoka.

The halfway cut was set at 145 with 66 players, including 11 MENA Tour players and Moroccan amateur Mehdi Saissi moving the final two rounds.

 

LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES

Par 144 (2x72). Yardage: 7,538

137  Shiv KAPUR (IND) 71-66, Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 67-70.

138 Arjun ATWAL (IND) 73-65, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 69-69, Simon YATES (SCO) 71-67, WANG Jeung-hun (KOR) 71-67.

139 Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN) 73-66, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 71-68, Joshua WHITE (ENG) 71-68.

140 Bryce EASTON (RSA) 69-71, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 68-72, Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 71-69, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 71-69.

141 Joonas GRANBERG (FIN) 72-69, MO Joong-kyung (KOR) 70-71, Craig HINTON (ENG) 67-74, LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 67-74, Ross MCGOWAN (ENG) 71-70, Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA) 70-71, Scott BARR (AUS) 68-73, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 69-72, Danny CHIA (MAS) 71-70, Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 71-70, Matthew FITZPATRICK (ENG) 70-71, Nathan HOLMAN (AUS) 68-73, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 70-71, Christopher CANNON (ENG) 67-74, CHAN Shih-chang (TPE) 70-71.

 

GENEROUS GESTURE BY AMERICAN

BUBBA WATSON DONATES THAILAND PRIZEMONEY TO THONGCHAI JAIDEE FOUNDATION

ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Bangkok: Masters Tournament champion Bubba Watson showed his generosity by donating all his prize earnings at the recent Thailand Golf Championship to the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation.

Watson, who has forged a strong friendship with three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai over the years, extended his gesture as a way to help young golfers and children in need in Thailand.

Thongchai said: “It's my pleasure to announce this lovely news to all the golf fans here. On Sunday, Bubba expressed to me his willingness to donate all his prize money won at Thailand Golf Championship amounting to US $9,250 to the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation.”

Watson’s manager Jens Beck wrote a letter to Thongchai, saying that the American world number four was keen to support kids in need.

“Bubba wanted to show a sign of respect and gratitude to Thailand. As you may know he has a passion for helping kids in need. He believes that the best way to help is to help Thongchai in his efforts to support kids and junior golf,” said Beck.

Thongchai added: “At the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation, our mission is always to give back to society. Anything relates to golf, I'm willing to help the younger generation to get better opportunities in life. So far, we have helped raise up kids, give them scholarships, golf lessons and accommodation.

“Bubba’s contribution is certainly much lauded and certainly speaks greatly of him as a man.”