FERGUSON, SYME IN TOP 10 AT HALFWAY IN S AFRICA

Bearsden's Ewen Ferguson is tied third in a huge field of 159 players at the halfway stage of the Gauteng North Open stroke-play golf championship at Pretoria Country Club, South Africa.

Ferguson, pictured, had had two rounds of two-under 70 for 140 and is two shots behind South Africa leader Paul Boshoff (70-68).

Connor Syme from Dumfries but whose father now runs the Drumoig driving range is a second Scot in the top 10. He shot 72-71 for 143 and a share of eighth place.

Greig Marchbank is joint 15th with ronds of 75 and 71 for 146.

Scott Gibson, sharing 22nd place on 148 (73-75) and Craig Ross, joint 32nd on 150 (77-73) also survived the halfway cut.

Scots' non-qualifiers were Daniel Young (156) and Ben Kinsley (159).

LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES

Par 144 (2x72)

138 Paul Boshoff (SAf) 70 68

139 Theunis Bezuidenhout (SAf) 67 72

140 Ewen Ferguson (Sco) 70 70, Teaghan Gauchie (SAf) 68 72

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES

143 Connor Syme 72 71 (T8)

146 Greig Marchbank 75 71 (T15)

148 Scott Gibson 73 75 (T22)

150 Craig Ross 77 73 (T32) 77 73

MISSED THE CUT (154 and better qualified)

156 Daniel Young 80 76 (T71)

159 Ben Kinsley 82 77 (T97).

Field of 159 players.

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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 Aberdour player leads Fife My Golf Ranking                                                         

www.mygolfranking.net, Fife Men, Week 2015/03

1 Colin Campbell (Aberdour) 1317pts

2 Barry Logan (Dunnikier Park) 1117

3 Remi Passiatore (Dunfermline) 1113

4 Ryan Brown (Dunfermline) 1105

T5 Paul Hobbin (Balbirnie Park) 1092

T5 Bobby Wallace (Canmore) 1092

www.mygolfranking.net, Fife Clubs, Week 2015/03

1 Dunfermline 936pts

2 Canmore 881

3 Dunnikier Park 877

4 Balbirnie Park 873

5 Kirkcaldy 828

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 1ine.

                                                                                                                                     

 

David Moir

MyGolfRanking

In League with Golf Ltd

 

info@mygolfranking.net

 

       Branden Grace with the magnificent trophy (picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)
     
MARC WARREN CHASES GRACE HOME
 
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS 
South African Branden Grace soared to a sixth European Tour victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, thanks in no small part to a sensational eagle 2 at the par-4 16th hole.
The 26-year-old Pretorian started the closing round in a four-way tie for top spot, but his closing 66 saw him finish on 19 under par 269 and win the huge trophy and a cheque for 353,257 euros by a stroke from Marc Warren, who narrowly missed for a birdie on the last that would have forced a play-off. The Scot earned 235,502 euros
In the end, the tournament turned on Grace’s crucial eagle on the 16th, where he drilled a pin-point driver from the tee that stopped five feet from the hole. That sent the eventual champion a couple clear of the chasing back, a position from which he never looked back.
That impressive eagle, alongside birdies at the first, 12th, 14th and, crucially, at the last, meant that the man who won just last month at the Alfred Dunhill Championship was back in the winners’ circle once more.
For Warren, the tournament turned with his double bogey on the par three eighth, although to his great credit the Scot fought back valiantly and pushed Grace all the way with his round of 67.
Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger had been part of the leading quartet entering the final day, and shot a round of 68 to finish two adrift of the winning mark, while Englishman Eddie Pepperell shot a 67 to finish in fourth spot on 16 under par.
Challenge Tour graduate Byeong-hun An from South Korea tied the low round of the week with a 65 on Saturday to finish in a tie for fifth place with Frenchman Grégory Bourdy, who matched the Korean’s effort. 
The pair finished alongside Emiliano Grillo at 15 under after the Argentine, who had been the fourth member of the leading group entering the final round, carded a 70.

KEY QUOTES

Branden Grace (-19)
"Today was good. I started with a nice birdie and the round didn't really go my way from there, but I just stuck to my routines, stuck to my guns and one thing led to another. One good swing led to the other one, and I made a couple of birdies coming in, which was a great bonus.
"It's not actually my favourite tee shot (at the 16th), especially with the wind off the left. It's one you have to really commit to and it's one of those where it's a good driver, but it's not a smash.
"I managed to hit a great shot and got it up in the air, which allowed for the soft bounce, and managed to get it to go five or six feet short of the flag. Zack (caddie) just told me to stick to my routines, I was reading it well and putting it well, and I made a good stroke and rolled it in.
"Bernd got it going though, and when the putter got hot it looked like he didn't want to miss out there. It was really kind of a match play situation. I know Marc was making some birdies behind us as well, but I was just focusing on Bernd.
"So I managed to get it to an all square situation, and on 16 I went past him, and that was the game changer. It was a great day and it's just nice that the swing kept together in the situation I put myself in.
"The schedule is going to change again now, but I'm going to stick to my routines and my schedule in Europe and take it from there. This is definitely one of the ones that I wanted to tick off though, so I'm proud of myself that I managed to do it.

Marc Warren (-18)
"I started birdie-birdie, but it didn't feel as in-sync as it has been, and obviously starting with two birdies, you can't complain.
"It was a little bit all over the place though, and then I hit a poor shot on eight and made double bogey there. Walking to the ninth tee I just thought about some swing thoughts, and moved the ball further forward in my stance for the last nine holes and never missed a shot after, so it seemed to work.
"Branden made that great eagle and then I made a good birdie on 17 just to hang on to his coat-tails a little bit. He then birdied 18 and I thought I had hit a really good drive down there to give myself a good chance at it. My wedge (third shot) didn't go quite as far as I thought it was going to, so it left an uphill chance to get in a playoff, and I decided to take a little break off it, so was hitting it harder than I normally would.
"I wish next week started tomorrow, after playing a final ten holes like that. It's a second place but it's not like I have made any mistakes coming in, and it was exactly the opposite to be honest. It was kind of foot down and go forward, and I felt like I was swinging well the last few holes. I was going at flags and the putts were going in, so overall it was a really exciting day to be honest."
FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72) prizemoney in euros
269 B Grace  (RSA) 67 68 68 66 (353,257)
270 M Warren (Sco) 71 65 67 67 (235,502)
271 B Wiesberger  (Austria) 69 66 68 68 (132,686)
272 E Pepperell (Eng) 69 71 65 67 (105,979)
273 E Grillo (Arg) 67 69 67 70, G Bourdy (Fra) 70 68 70 65, B An (SKor) 67 69 72 65 (75,881 each).
274 A Cañizares  (Esp) 67 70 68 69
275 A Noren  (Swe) 67 71 72 65
276 B Hebert  (Fra) 72 68 69 67, O Fisher  (Eng) 65 73 69 69
277 G Coetzee (RSA) 68 67 70 72
278 J Carlsson (Swe) 74 65 69 70, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 70 73 67 68, S Kjeldsen (Den) 73 70 67 68, H Stenson (Swe) 70 71 71 66, J Rose (Eng) 68 73 69 68, M Carlsson  (Swe) 71 69 70 68
279 S Benson (Eng) 70 71 69 69, J Quesne  (Fra) 70 72 69 68, A Hansen (Den) 71 69 70 69, A Sullivan (Eng) 71 68 70 70
280 A Quiros  (Esp) 70 70 72 68, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 73 65 74 68, F Aguilar (Chi) 71 68 72 69, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 68 70 72, D Fichardt (RSA) 67 70 71 72, E Els (RSA) 67 72 70 71, T Jaidee (Tha) 69 73 69 69
281 R Fisher (Eng) 70 70 73 68, R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 70 73 69, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 70 70 69 72
282 E Molinari  (Ita) 71 70 70 71, P Larrazábal (Esp) 71 71 67 73, K Broberg (Swe) 67 71 72 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 68 75 72 67, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 66 73 70 73 (15,939 each)
283 J M Singh (Ind) 70 70 73 70, T Aiken (RSA) 69 73 72 69, R Paratore (Ita) 69 69 70 75, R Green (Aus) 70 67 76 70, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 68 71 75 69, T Pieters  (Bel) 73 68 68 74, S Kapur (Ind) 70 68 72 73, B Rumford (Aus) 69 72 73 69
284 P Lawrie (Sco) 67 73 73 71, P Lawrie (Irl) 70 68 73 73, J Morrison  (Eng) 68 70 75 71, D Van Der Walt (RSA) 72 69 70 73, S Garcia  (Esp) 69 69 77 69, M Kieffer (Ger) 71 68 73 72 (10,174 each).
285 J Barnes (Eng) 72 70 72 71, M Hoey  (Nir) 71 69 74 71, A Johnston (Eng) 69 73 72 71, T Lewis (Eng) 72 71 69 73, M Foster (Eng) 67 73 70 75, E Espana (Fra) 70 73 70 72
286 D McGrane (Irl) 68 72 74 72, E De La Riva  (Esp) 70 69 72 75, G Havret  (Fra) 70 69 75 72, P Uihlein  (USA) 69 73 71 73
287 J Campillo (Esp) 72 70 73 72, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 73 73 71,
M Tullo (Chi) 69 74 73 71
288 J Roos (RSA) 75 68 72 73, M Lampert (Ger) 67 74 77 70, S Jamieson  (Sco) 68 73 72 75 (4,663 each).
289 A Otaegui  (Esp) 73 70 73 73, M Nixon (Eng) 72 71 74 72
290 R Finch  (Eng) 71 72 75 72, P Waring  (Eng) 70 72 76 72
293 M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 68 71 77 77, W Ormsby (Aus) 74 69 71 79
294 M Korhonen (Fin) 73 70 77 74


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

South American men's amateur championship scoreboard
Lima, Peru
SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
136 Scott Harvey (USA) 66 70, Andre Tourinho (Brazil) 69 67
139 Andrw Schonbaum (Argentina) 73 66, Blair Hamilton (Canada) 71 68, Matias Samask (Argentina) 71 68, Jack Davidson (Wales) 70 69

SELECTED SCORES
142 Joe Dean (England) 74 68, Ashley Chesters (England) 74 68 (T11)
144 Chris Selfridge (Ireland) 73 71 (T19)
145 Euan Walker (Scotland) 72 73 (T23)
148 Paul McBride (Ireland) 74 74 (T34)
150 Luke Johnson (England) 76 74 (T43)
151 Evan Griffith (Wales) 71 80 (T49)
152 Owen Edwards (Wales) 80 72, Calum Hill (Scotland) 80 72 (T53)
Field of 70 players.

MARTIN LAIRD WELL PLACED IN CALIFORNIA

Martin Laird is lying T14 and Russell Knox T60 after two rounds of the Humana Challenge US PGA Tour event over three courses at La Quinta, California.
Laird has shot 68-66 for 134, Knox 69-70 for 139.
Matt Kuchar, 65-64 for 129, leads.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
players from USA unless stated
129 Matt Kuchar 65 64
130 Michael Putnam 63 67, Bill Haas 67 63
131 Nick Watney 67 64, Justin Thomas 68 63, Scott Pnckney 64 67.

SCOTS' SCORES
134 Martin Laird 68 66 (T14)
139 Russell Knox 69 70 (T60)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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Kiwi Hodge v Davis in Aussie men's amateur final
 
For the second consecutive year, an Australian and a New Zealander will contes the Australian men's amateur championship on Sunday.
New Zealand’s Tyler Hodge and Cameron Davis (New South Wales) will vie for theprestigious  title over 36 holes at The Australian Golf Club, Sydney.
Hodge beat Kevin Yuan (NSW) 3 and 2 to book his place in the final. Yuan took an early lead but by the ninth hole Hodge had all the momentum, taking a two-hole lead. 
In tough, gusty conditions, Hodge stretched the lead to four a few holes later and clinched the match at the 16th hole.
Tyler Hodge will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi Tae Koh who won the Australian  title last year.
Big-hitting Cameron Davis had to rally from three holes down early in the other semi-final to beat Justin Warren (NSW) at the 19th.
Warren pulled his own bag around for the semi-final match and got off to a flying start and found himself three up when Davis hit a tee shot into the water hazard on the sixth.
Davis settled and gained the momentum through the opening holes of the back nine and after a tap-in eagle at the 14th, the match was all square.
Both players hit wild second shots into the breeze at the tough, par-5 finishing hole. Cameron pulled his shot on to the hill next to the clubhouse, while Warren needed two chips to escape heavy rough behind the green. Both players conceded par putts with Davis then 
pipping Warren at the on the first extra hole.

FRIDAY RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS
Tyler Hodge (NZ) bt Jason Gulasekharam (NZ) 2 and 1.
Kevin Yuan (NSW) bt Corey Connors (Canada) 2 and 1.
Cameron Davis (NSW) bt Jack Sullivan (Queensland) 3 and 2.
Justin Warren (NSW) bt Brayden Petersen (NSW) at 19th.

SEMI-FINALS
Davis bt Warren at 19th.
Hodge bt Yuan 3 and 2.

Aussie women's amateur results on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Live scores: http://www.golf.org.au/australian-amateur