CASTLE PARK PUT ON MARKET BY CUMBRIA OWNERS

BLEAK FUTURE FOR ANOTHER 

LOTHIANS CLUB UNLESS BUYER FOUND 

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
A third golf club in the Lothians could be forced to shut its doors in less than 18 months if a new buyer can’t be found for Castle Park, near Gifford.
The 18-hole facility is believed to be facing a desperate fight for survival following the decision by its current owners to put the 165-acre development on the market.
“There has been a little bit of interest since the club went on the market around three weeks ago but none of that has turned into an offer just yet,” said past captain Colin McArthur
“It’s a worrying time. There’s not enough money in the club to complete a members’ buy-out so we are just hoping that somebody comes in.
“The current owners have been running the club for the last nine years or so but they are based in Cumbria and in their 70s so, understandably, they are ready for retirement.
“From what I gather, they would definitely prefer to sell to someone who will continue to run it as a golf club.
“But they want out and I just have a sneaky feeling that if it doesn’t sell within three months then a local farmer might step in as it is a great piece of land. That, of course, would be a huge shame and hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”
One of 22 courses in East Lothian, Castle Park opened in 1994 as a nine-holer but then expanded to 18 holes.
It staged the Lothians Team Tournament in 2008 then, two years later, qualifying for the Lothians Championship.
“We’re a family friendly club, with a great atmosphere, and we’ve constantly made efforts to improve our course,” added McArthur.
Once popular, Lothianburn was forced to give up its fight for survival in the face of dropping golf membership in September 2013 before near neighbour Torphin Hill closed its doors for the last time just over a year ago.

Drysdale joint second with Fitzpatrick

SULLIVAN SLIDES, SCHWARTZEL LEADS 

S AFRICAN OPEN BY FIVE STROKES

Nuneaton's Andy Sullivan saw his dream of a first European Tour victory slide away from him with a third-round 74 for a 54-hole tally of six-under-210 with one round to go in the South African Open championship at Glendower Golf Club, Gauteng, Johannesburg.
The former Walker Cup man is T5 but seven shots behind the South African leader by five, Charl Schwartzel who shot a six-under 66 (31-35) today to hit the 13-under-par mark of 203.

Schwartzel, pictured right, has never won this title but he has a clear advantage over joint second placed Matthew Fitzpatrick, the former US amateur champion, and Scotland's David Drysdale.
Former Masters champion Schwartzel birdied the first four holes and admitted afterwards that victory in his native Johannesburg would be like winning a second major title.
"I don't think you can ask for a much better start, with a bunched leaderboard it's one way to get yourself separated from the field," said Schwartzel, who also led after 54 holes last year but finished fourth after a closing 71.
"I hit some really good shots but had quite a mixed bag with some really great shots and great saves, but some bad shots that maybe had some good breaks."
Schwartzel dropped his first shot of the day on the seventh but bounced back with birdies on the next two holes to be out in 31, while two three-putts on the par fives on the back nine - one for bogey, the other for par - meant he had to settle for an inward half of 35.
Asked about the importance of winning his national open for the first time, Schwartzel added on Sky Sports 4: "In the big world people look at the majors but coming from South Africa this is pretty much a major for South Africans. It will be nice to go out and keep swinging the way I am tomorrow."
Schwartzel began the day one shot behind Sullivan, but the pair experienced an amazing eight-shot swing in the first four holes.
World No 31 Schwartzel holed from 50 feet across the first green for birdie, from six feet on the second and 20 feet on the third before his approach to the fourth almost pitched straight into the hole and finished inches away.
That contrasted starkly with playing partner Sullivan's opening stretch, with the 27-year-old from Nuneaton failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the first before finding water with his second shot to the next.
Another bogey followed after missing the third green and, even when he found the middle of the fairway on the fourth, Sullivan's luck was firmly out as his ball finished in an old divot and led to a fourth straight bogey.
The former Walker Cup player stopped the rot with a birdie on the fifth and although a bogey on the ninth took him out in 40, he covered the back nine in 34 to keep his hopes of a first European Tour title barely alive.
Fitzpatrick had a 67 for eight-under 208 and Drysdale reached the same mark with a 68.
Drysdale had eight birdies today and has birdied 19 of his 54 holes so far. He came home in 33 for the third day in a row despite a double bogey 6 at the 10th.
The Cocksburnpath man birdied the second, sixth, ninth, 12th,13th, 14th, 16th and 18th and had bogeys at the third and fourth as well as his double at the 10th.
Paul Lawrie, who made the halfway cut with nothing to spare, failed to make any improvement in the third round in which he had three birdies (second, 15th and 17th) and four bogeys (fourth, seventh, 10th and 18th) in 73 for 219.
Live coverage of the final round starts Sunday at 1.30pm on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72) Players from S Africa unless stated
203 Charl Schwartzel 68 69 66
208 Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) 73 68 67, David Drysdale (Scotland) 68 72 68
209 Lee Slattery (England) 70 74 65.
210 Paul Maddy (England) 71 71 68, Gary Stal (France) 75 66 69, Richard Sterne 67 74 69, Jared Harvey 71 69 70, Pablo Martin (Spain) 71 68 71,  Colin Nel 68 70 72, Lasse Jensen (Denmark) 67 71 72, Andy Sullivan (England) 66 70 74.

SELECTED SCORES
213 Ernie Els 67 77 69 (T20)
219 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 71 75 73 (T58)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE

FIRST TOURNAMENT OF 2015 US PGA TOUR

Henley's Hawaii lead with an eight-under 65

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM  
By JEFF BABINEAU
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Russell Henley made more than $2.2 million in five tournaments in 2014. The problem, though, was that he played 24 others in rather pedestrian fashion, missing the cut in half. He’s always been known as a good putter, so as Henley sets out on a new year, the goal is to become more consistent from tee to green.
One round in, and it’s so far, so good.

On a rare calm day at Kapalua’s winding Plantation Course on the Hawaii island of Maui, Henley, pictured right after his January 2013 victory, made eight birdies and no bogeys to shoot 65 and jump into the opening-day lead at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Henley has worked with instructor Scott Hamilton since last summer to get his swing on a better plane, the goal being to try to be less steep at impact. 
The changes started to feel natural to him during the fall FedEx Cup Play-offs, when he had a pair of top-12 finishes. As for the putter? Well, that club always feels natural to him. 
Yesterday, Henley poured in four putts of 20 or more feet. Tied for the lead coming down the dogleg, par-5 18th, he made things easier on himself, reaching the green in two shots to set up two putts from 40 feet for his eighth birdie of the afternoon. 
In all, he needed only 27 putts.
“If I could putt like that every day,” said Henley, “I would probably have a few more wins.”
Sang-Moon Bae, who blistered his opening nine in 6 under, shot 66, and five players finished at 67, including Ryder Cuppers Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed. Defending champion Zach Johnson opened by shooting 68.
Henley went to see Hamilton for swing help after competing alongside fellow former Georgia University Bulldogs Brendon Todd and Chris Kirk at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in June. Todd was the first to get help through Hamilton, and Kirk saw how well Todd was driving the golf ball and decided to see Hamilton as well. Frustrated by the inconsistency of his ballstriking, Henley figured he might as well follow suit.
"My misses weren't very good," Henley said. "Anybody could hit a good shot. My misses, my bad shots, were just really bad. I was trying to make my misses better.
"And I played with Brendon Todd and Chris Kirk the first two rounds of Pinehurst, and both those guys drove the ball so good. Their misses weren't bad at all and they are obviously great chippers and putters, (and) they played great. I was like, I can hit the ball better than I'm hitting it. I know I can hit it like them. ... That's why I chose Scott."
• • •
NOTES: Since the TOC moved to Hawaii in 1999, there are four players who have won at Kapalua and at Sony, which is on Oahu: Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Zach Johnson. Henley, the 2013 Sony Open champion, is bidding to become the fifth. . . . First-timer Ben Martin holed a chip from 45 yards for eagle at 18 to finish at 6-under 67. Robert Streb, another first-timer who had three top 10 finishes in the fall (including a victory at the McGladrey Classic), got off to a strong start as well, also shooting 67. He enters 2015 as the leader in the FedEx Cup standings
Bubba Watson, making his fourth start at Kapalua, still has not shot lower than 69. 
He made two late bogeys and shot 70 on Friday. 
Only two players in the small, select field shot over par in the first round: Kevin Stadler, who has an injured hand, and Ben Crane. Both shot one-over 74.


FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
Par 73
65 Russell Henley
66 Sang-Moon Bae (S Korea)
67 Scott Stallings, Robert Streb, Ben Martin, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker
68 John Senden (Australia), Matt Kuchar, Chris Kirk.

SELECTED SCORE
70 Bubba Watson (T18)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE