GOOSEN'S LAST HOLE BIRDIE GIVES HIM

 ROUND 3  LEAD IN CALIFORNIA

FROM SKYSPORTS.COM 

South African Retief Goosen drained a 30-foot birdie putt at his final hole to take a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Northern Trust Open.

The 46-year-old failed to match his opening 66, which had given him a share of the first-round lead, but his one-under 70 proved enough to keep him at the top of the leaderboard due to the tough conditions at the Riviera Country Club in California.
The firm, fast-running lay-out made it difficult to get the ball close with approach shots, but Goosen scrambled well as he moved to a six-under total of 136 after 36 holes.

Second round leaderboard

-6 R Gooosen (RSA)
-5 R Moore (USA)
-5 G DeLaet (Can)
-5 J Thomas (USA)
-4 A Cabrera (Arg)

Goosen, who last won on the US PGA Tour five years ago, bogeyed the 10th - his first hole - and 15th with his only birdie on the back nine coming on the 14th, but a flawless front nine saw him birdie the fifth before his “bonus” at the ninth.    
"It wasn't a very good shot in there with a sand wedge into the green, but it's a tough hole there. Any time I birdie on that hole is good," he said.
"It's been such a long time since I've last been in contention.
"Who knows how my game is going to hold up? But I'm feeling good. My back is feeling great. So if the nerves can hold, just continue to make good golf swings and make a few good putts, who knows?"
Ryan Moore, his American compatriot Justin Thomas and Canadian Graham DeLaet are all hot on Goosen’s heels on five under after carding rounds of 68, 69, and 67 respectively.

Live PGA Tour Golf

2015 Northern Trust Open: Day Three

February 21, 2015, 6:00pm

Sky Sports 4 HD

 

Argentine Angel Cabrera (68) is in fifth place, just above a five-strong group on three under, which includes Englishman Paul Casey.
Casey carded a 69, one better than on Thursday, after starting his day off in perfect fashion with an eagle on the first hole.
American quartet Bubba Watson (69), Jordan Spieth (70), Derek Fathauer (73) and JB Holmes (69) are also just three shots behind Goosen heading into the weekend.
Fijian veteran Vijay Singh had shared the first-round lead with Goosen but he slipped four shots off the pace after a disappointing three-over 74 which left him on two under alongside Spain’s Sergio Garcia, who posted a 69.
England’s Luke Donald missed his third successive cut - by one shot after finishing on four over - despite a much-improved 69 following his opening-round 77. 
Watch the third round of the Northern Trust Open live on Sky Sports 4 from 6pm on Saturday.

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The Great Debate on Scotland's absence from Nations Cup continues

 SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE SCOTTISHGOLFVIEW.COM  DEBATE ON WHY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION  DID NOT ENTER A TEAM OF FOUR TO DEFEND THE NATIONS CUP  THIS WEEK IN SOTOGRANDE
We are looking for YOUR view. Send it to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

E-mail from ED WOOD
I find it quite disappointing that we (the SGU) chose not to attend and ultimately defend the Nations Cup.
The decision would suggest that the SGU believe that they do not have the quality of player to compete in the tournamen, given the already mentioned playing schedule of the elite squad. This is far from the case.
My opinion is that we should aim to compete on as many fronts as possible. Unfortunately for the SGU this may mean broadening their selections past a small number of elite players.
As mentioned by others the Order of Merit table is an ideal tool to select from but over the years this seems to be devalued as have the events which make it up.
That's not been by the players but by the Scottish Golf Union's selection process. Many of the players see no route to being selected for their country and chose to stay away from the events as other than for the love of the game, the expense etc can prove too much to justify attending these tournaments. Which is sad. 
At the Leven Gold Medal last season I believe the field wasn't full which is disappointing for such a prestigious event but you have to ask why that is.
I read that one of the SGU goals is to produce professional golfers. So, given we now have a generation missing on tour, how do they justify selection models/criteria's over the past 10 years.
There is an abundance of talented golfers in Scotland, young and old. Let's stop being so restrictive. I get times have changed as has the 'amateur' game but let's give as much of an even playing field as possible and let the golf do the talking.

Ed Wood

ENGLAND LEAD BY FOUR IN MEN'S NATIONS CUP

SOTOGRANDE, COSTA DEL SOL, SPAIN
 
TEAM TOTALS WITH ONE ROUND TO GO
1 672 ENGLAND
2 676 SPAIN
3 677 FRANCE
4 679 NETHERLANDS
5 682 IRELAND
6 693 ITALY
7 697 AUSTRIA
8 699 SWEDEN
9 700 NORWAY
10 708 DENMARK
11 709 GERMANY
12 710 SWITZERLAND
13 713 CZECH REPUBLIC
T14 720 PORTUGAL
T14 720 BELGIUM
16 755 SLOVENIA

LEADING INDIVIDUAL MEN
Par 216 (3x72)
215 Mario Galiano (Spain) 74 70 71
217 Robbie Van West (Netherlands) 78 70 69
222 Jurgen Krietemeuer (Netherlands) 79 73 70, Marcus Kinhult (Sweden) 75 74 73, Jack Hume (Ireland) 75 76 71
SELECTED SCORES
224 Ben Stow (England) 79 72 73 (T6)
225 Ashley Chesters (England) 76 74 75 (8th)
226 Nick Marsh (England) 80 72 74 (T9)
230 Gavin Moynihan (Ireland) 75 79 76 (T16)
232 Paul Howard (England) 77 76 79 (T22)
237 Colm Campbell (Ireland) 79 84 74, Gary Hurley (Ireland) 78 78 81 (T36)
 Field of 73 players

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WALLACE BOOTH JUST OUTSIDE TOP 20 IN SPAIN

Wallace Booth finished joint 20th in a field of 60 players in the Spanish Evolve Tour 36-hole event which ended at La Serena Golf Club, Murcia in south-east Spain today.
The Comrie man had his third double bogey in 20 holes - a 6 at the par-4 second hole in the third round and went on to finish with a 74 - a three-shot improvement in 24 hours - for a total of seven-over-par 151. 
Booth finished 13 shots behind the winner, Englishman Phil Kelly who had rounds of 71 and 67 for six-under 138.
Irishman Jonathan Caldwell (70-69) was runner-up on 139 while Greg Payne (England) was third on 142 (73-69).
A second Scot in the field, amateur Mikey Stokes, shot 82-83 for 165 and finished 52nd. 



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SHOULD THE SGU HAVE SENT FOUR SCOTS TO

DEFEND NATIONS CUP AT SOTOGRANDE?

More than one set of eyebrows has been raised at the SGU's decision not to send a team to defend the European Nations Cup at Sotogrande this week.

D Neal Stewart says in an Email to Scottishgolfview.com
"Despite the fact the SGU have a young squad in South Africa, I still believe that Scotland had enough quality players at home to send four to the Nations Cup - Matthew Clark, Scott Borrowman, Adam Dunton, Kyle Godsman, would have been my choice - to defend the title. 
"Does the fact that those four players, and others well into their 20s and above, were not sent mean that they can forget their chances of playing their way into the Scottish squad this year?"

Ed Hodge, the SGU Press and media officer, responded:
"The Nations Cup was brought forward this year, clashing with the South Africa winter performance programme, which is funded by our sponsors.
"Bradley Neil is also playing in more pro events this year, thanks to invitations after winning The Amateur, while the US colleges don’t allow our players to be released."

Colin Farquharson writes: What's YOUR view? Should a title always be defended or is that a code of conduct that belongs to the past?
Should the SGU have sent a team to Sotogrande, composed of four players from those currently at home and not enjoying warm weather training in South Africa?
Although the SGU does encourage its best players to turn pro when the time is right, should they not also be encouraging older players who have chosen not to leave the amateur ranks to stay competitive and be rewarded with international caps in a situation like this.
Stuart Tatters, who beat Kyle Godsman in an all-North play-off for the North of Scotland open amateur stroke-play title for the David Blair Trophy last summer, says he would love to play for Scotland while Godsman feels the same way.

Send YOUR view to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

FIRST RESPONSE FROM MICHAEL NIVEN

Yes – a cup should always be defended except in exceptional circumstances, which do not pertain presently

SGU should have sent a team from the best players available.  I suspect some here in Scotland just now are rather better golfers than those currently in South Africa.

Michael Niven

A POSTSCRIPT FROM D NEAL STEWART

 Having just re-read Ed Hodge's response in relation to US colleges, I think I am right in saying that Ben Stow, who is playing for England at Sotogrande, is currently a student at the University of Kentucky.  Surely if England can get a player released so can Scotland?

D Neal Stewart

E-MAIL FROM BARRY HUME (Haggs Castle GC)
Regarding Scotland not sending a team to defend The Nations Cup - I think it is a poor show that we do not have a team representing us in what is an important tournament for many reasons. It was a fantastic achievement by Bradley, Graeme, Jack and Scott in winning the title in 2014. All four  went on to achieve many different things through the season and so can count it as a springboard for what was to come.
I believe those four lads should have been offered the chance to go back to defend.
I understand that Bradley has other commitments but I am unsure of the other three. Should they have not been able to travel or play, then this opportunity should have been passed down the SGU OOM from 2014 to the players available to do so.
I believe Neal Stewart may have taken the four names from a post I made on my personal Facebook page and from my understanding these would have been the four players next in line who would be available - Matthew Clark, Scott Borrowman (defending team member), Kyle Godsman and Adam Dunton. Two of these lads played in the last Home Internationals (from memory) and Scott's credentials do not require justification.
 If they were unavailable for any reason I'm sure we can keep scrolling down the list and find players capable of not only representing Scotland well but actually successfully defending the title our nation won last year!
I had the pleasure of playing with Kyle Godsman during the final round of the Leven Gold Medal and he has everything in his armoury to represent Scotland, shoot good scores and win points in a match-play format. He has just returned from four years' full-time golf in the USA and stated that one of his goals would be to represent Scotland while we played that day.
He was unsure about how this would materialise but it did not affect his game or thought process when I played with him. I noticed that the following week he contended again and narrowly lost out to Stuart Tatters in the North of Scotland Open. In Stuart's speech or press response he stated his ambition to represent Scotland in the Home Internationals. This should be applauded. It is a fantastic goal and from winning a national 72-holer he has shown that he can compete at that level.
There are a few names on the OOM that I am unfamiliar with but I have played with the following players in the last 12 months who could all have been considered for the Nations Cup quartet - Ryan Campbell, Nick McAndrew (2014 Battle Trophy winner), Steven Rennie, Craig Watson and Gordon Stevenson (both Area Team Champions with Renfrewshire), Ed Wood (Lanarkshire county champion) plus Colin Baird.
As you have pointed out in your response, these guys are all the "wrong" side of 25 and perhaps that is part of the reason why they weren't considered or selected. That, however, is anyone's guess.
Finally, going back to the stated goal of the North of Scotland Open Champion that he wishes to represent Scotland, I truly believe that the Home International event should be aan achievable goal to ALL players at the start of every season.
It is a wonderful experience (playing for Scotland at any level is) and one that should be awarded to the players who compete to a high standard from day one of the season. I also believe that many of the "working" amateurs in Scotland have a sense of discouragement in that no matter how they set their goals, plan their seasons and ultimately perform at a good level, this chance will never materialise.
I think it is a great shame that not only did Scotland not have a team at the Nations Cup this year but that the over-25s seem to be alienated from ever having the chance to represent Scotland at any level of competition despite strong performances.
I feel this has a detrimental effect on the nation's standard of amateur golf as a whole as these "experienced" guys simply do not enter 72 hole events due to it not leading anywhere. We need these guys to play week-in, week-out so that the lads who are selected to play in the European Championships and Eisenhower Trophy are at the top of their games and, in my opinion, will lead to Scotland becoming a force in world golf again - at all levels!!!
Barry Hume

DENMARK TO STAGE CHALLENGE TOUR EVENT

FROM MAY 14 to 17  

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
The European Challenge Tour will return to Denmark for the first time since 2012 when Royal Golf Club hosts the inaugural Made in Denmark Challenge from May 14-17.
The brand new event, which will carry a prize fund of €170,000, will be promoted by Golf Promote - the same group responsible for the Made in Denmark tournament on The European Tour, a hugely successful event which last year attracted record crowds and was won by Scotland’s Marc Warren.
Royal Golf Club, just outside the capital Copenhagen, hosted Europe’s top developmental tour three years ago, when Swede Kristoffer Broberg claimed his fourth title of a record-breaking season.
The incredible rise of Danish golf over the last two decades has been inexorably linked with the Challenge Tour, with every single one of the country’s current European Tour representatives having plied their trade on the second tier before going on to greater things.
The Scandinavian nation has hosted 27 Challenge Tour events since 1993 and provided the country’s most famous golfing son, Thomas Bjørn, with his maiden professional victory in 1995, the same year in which he became the first Dane to top the Rankings en route to graduating to the top tier.
The 15-time European Tour winner is one of many Danish Challenge Tour alumni to have experienced success at the top table, with Søren Kjeldsen, Soren Hansen and Thorbjørn Olesen all having titles on the second tier to their names.
Morten Ørum Madsen – who won the first event of The 2014 Race to Dubai in South Africa – is the latest Graduate to enter the winner’s enclave on The European Tour, having finished 19th in the 2012 Challenge Tour Rankings.
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Made in Denmark Challenge to the 2015 schedule and to return to a country which has built such a strong legacy on the Challenge Tour.
“Ever since Thomas finished top of our Rankings in 1995, the Challenge Tour has been a conveyor belt for talented young Danes who have gone on to great things in the game and it would be no exaggeration to say that this country has been one of our tour’s great success stories.
“Golf Promote, led by Flemming Astrup, have always been great supporters of the Challenge Tour and we know that, through their vision, innovation and hard work, they will provide a tournament of the highest standard.”
Flemming Astrup, Tournament Promotor, said: “We have needed a Challenge Tour event in Denmark in the last few years, and I am proud that we managed to organise the Made in Denmark Challenge in such short time. It is important for Danish and Scandinavian golf that we have tournaments at all levels.”
Bjørn, regarded as Denmark’s greatest golfer and a three-time winner on the Challenge Tour, said: “The Made in Denmark organisation is sending a fantastic signal by also organising a Challenge Tour event in Denmark.
“It means a lot to Danish golf, that the players on that level and the young talents also have a tournament on home soil. Mine and many others' careers started on the Challenge Tour, so I know how important that tour is.”


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

LONE SCOT LEE MISSES CUT IN INDIA BY FOUR
 
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
It may sound like a fixture more in common with the Cricket World Cup, but India versus Bangladesh will take place on the fairways of the Delhi Golf Club on Saturday afternoon as S S P Chawrasia and Siddikur Rahman go head-to-head in the third round of the Hero Indian Open.
Chawrasia, the home hero, and Bangladeshi Siddikur are separated by a single stroke at the top of the halfway leaderboard. Both men are specialists around the extremely tight Delhi Golf Club with Chawrasia having won there twice while Siddikur, who recently recovered from a back injury,  won this prestigious championship in 2013.
Chawrasia’s second round of four under par 67 – he is the only man in the field not to have dropped a shot this week – saw him move to ten under, while Siddikur posted a 68 to take second spot, with Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and the Swede Joakim Lagergren tied for third on six under.
The two highest ranked men in the field, Anriban Lahiri and Miguel Angel Jiménez, will try to chase down the Delhi Golf Club specialists over the weekend, with Lahiri posting a fine 65 on day to get back to four under for the tournament and Jiménez moving to one under after a second round of 72.
The veteran Spaniard is T17 on 141, nine shots off the pace.
Craig Lee, the only Scot in the field, missed the cut by four shots with scores of 73 and 75 for 148.
Player Quotes
S S P Chawrasia: “I’ve played very well for the last two days. I’ve played here many times so I know how to play on this course. This is my first time I’m bogey free after 36 holes. I feel good and aggressive. I will do the same on the last two days. I’m very happy because I saved a lot of pars. It wasn’t easy to keep the bogeys away from my card. I had to make a lot of saves. 
"It is tough when the wind changes direction but I know how to handle it here. I played well through the 2014 season. I started well this year as well so I’m feeling very confident. I’m very excited for the next two days.”
Siddikur Rahman: “I was a little bit disappointed with my double bogey because I had a good number of birdies. It was good to birdie the eighth and ninth. The ninth hole is very difficult but I hit a good five wood for my second shot and it landed eight feet from the hole. I always play for par on the ninth hole. On the fourth, I missed my shot and had to settle for double bogey. It shows that anything can happen on this golf course. 
"I don’t want to think about my back injury. I rather think about my win here in 2013. I really enjoy playing here and I want to keep the same rhythm in in the next two rounds. You will definitely have some pressure but I always try my best to avoid it.”
Anirban Lahiri: “Now I’m in with a sniff. I managed to get some rhythm on the greens and made some good putts. I tried to focus on getting back to even-par yesterday and tried to push myself to make a few birdies coming in. I’m happy with the way I fought back. You got to keep it on the fairways and it is easier said than done especially when the wind starts to pick up. Whoever can keep the ball in play the most will probably walk away with a big smile. 
"I’ve had a long relationship with the Delhi Golf Club. It wasn’t very friendly at the start but that’s turned around in the last three or four years. The feeling here now is just fantastic. There’s no pin position on the golf course where we haven’t seen before. There won’t be any surprises here. I’m quite comfortable out there and hopefully I can play well. "
ALL THE SECOND-ROUND SCORES
132 S Chawrasia (Ind) 65 67
133 S Rahman (Ban) 65 68
136 J Lagergren (Swe) 65 71, C Nirat (Tha) 65 71
137 R McEvoy  (Eng) 70 67, P Peterson (USA) 69 68
138 P Marksaeng (Tha) 68 70, A Lahiri (Ind) 73 65,
139 M Fraser (Aus) 69 70, M Perera (Sri) 67 72, J Roos (RSA) 70 69, P Lawrie (Irl) 69 70
140 M Korhonen (Fin) 68 72, A Otaegui  (Esp) 70 70, R Lee (Can) 65 75, A Atwal (Ind) 70 70, C Del Moral (Esp) 69 71
141 J Hahn (USA) 70 71, M Tullo (Chi) 72 69, M Jiménez (Esp) 70 71, S Sharma (Ind) 69 72, J Palmer (Eng) 70 71, K Richardson (Aus) 67 74, A Da Silva (Bra) 71 70
142 J Janewattananond (Tha) 68 74, M Jaini (Ind) 73 69, A Cheema (Ind) 72 70, T Khrongpha (Tha) 68 74, B Evans  (Eng) 72 70, S Kapur (Ind) 73 69, G Maybin (Nir) 72 70, A Velasco (Esp) 71 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 71 71, L Weber (Fra) 68 74, D Chopra (Swe) 70 72, P Meesawat  (Tha) 71 71, C Pigem (Esp) 70 72, A Wall (Eng) 72 70
143 W Ormsby (Aus) 75 68, P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 73 70, R Khan  (Ind) 71 72, J Knutzon (USA) 71 72, A Groom (Aus) 74 69, J Randhawa (Ind) 74 69, M Orrin (Eng) 71 72, C Kumar (Ind) 69 74, V Riu  (Fra) 71 72, S Soderberg (Swe) 72 71, C Paisley  (Eng) 75 68, P Pittayarat (Tha) 72 71
144 R Wattel  (Fra) 70 74, J Singh (Ind) 72 72, J Campillo (Esp) 71 73, J Parry (Eng) 70 74, M Mamat (Sin) 73 71, M Tabuena (Phi) 72 72, K Kumar (Ind) 72 72, N Thangaraja (Sri) 71 73, K Pratt (Aus) 75 69, C Lloyd (Eng) 74 70, A Malik (Ind) 75 69, S Chikkarangappa (Ind) 69 75, J Scrivener (Aus) 72 72, M Kumar (Ind) 71 73, S Walker (Eng) 72 72, D Chia (Mas) 68 76, O Chouhan (Ind) 71 73, A Vongvanij (Tha) 72 72, N Holman  (Aus) 71 73
MISSED THE CUT
145 A Que (Phi) 74 71, S Brazel (Aus) 70 75, K Joshi (Ind) 71 74, M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 69 76, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 73 72, A Tadini (Ita) 73 72, A Hortal  (Esp) 73 72, M Ford (Eng) 72 73, S Singh (Ind) 70 75, L Slattery (Eng) 72 73
146 J Higginbottom (Aus) 73 73, S Barr (Aus) 68 78, R Gangjee (Ind) 74 72, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 70 76, J Colomo  (Esp) 73 73, C Plaphol (Tha) 71 75, K Phelan (Irl) 73 73, B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 76, S Lewton (Eng) 75 71
147 D Singh (Ind) 75 72, S Das (Ind) 77 70, J Kruger (RSA) 77 70, D Woltman (USA) 75 72, L Jensen (Den) 74 73, M Both (Aus) 70 77, S Baek (Kor) 72 75, A Raj (am) (Ind) 71 76,
148 V Kumar (Ind) 72 76, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 71 77, C Lee (Sco) 73 75, D McGrane (Irl) 74 74, N Elvira  (Esp) 75 73, B Easton (RSA) 78 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 72 76, C Muniyappa (Ind) 76 72,
149 P Maddy (Eng) 72 77, M Nixon (Eng) 75 74, G Bhullar (Ind) 77 72, F Ali (Ind) 72 77, H Gupta (Ind) 72 77, A Chadha (Ind) 75 74, A Lohan (Ind) 74 75,
150 R Finch  (Eng) 76 74,
151 A Rohana (Sri) 77 74, R Santos  (Por) 75 76, V Chopra (Ind) 72 79, S Hend (Aus) 75 76, S Kumar (Ind) 72 79, U Park (Aus) 76 75, S Dwivedi (am) (Ind) 77 74,
152 S Manley (Wal) 78 74, M Dharma (Ind) 75 77, S Khan (Ind) 79 73, T Murray (Eng) 76 76, S Hutsby  (Eng) 76 76,
153 M Kawamura (Jpn) 77 76, C Bouniol (Fra) 79 74, A Pavan (Ita) 73 80, B Henson (USA) 72 81,
154 T Wiratchant (Tha) 77 77,
155 S Singh (am) (Ind) 75 80,
157 T Chinnappa (am) (Ind) 77 80,
166 D Gleeson (Aus) 81 85,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SIX SHARE LEAD ON 66 IN CALIFORNIA

FROM SKY SPORTS

Six players are tied for the lead after the first day of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in California – including former major champions Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh.

Singh, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship, picked up four birdies on the back nine for a five-under 66, his lowest opening round in over two years.
The 46-year-old Goosen, a two-time US Open champion, reeled off three late birdies to join Singh at five-under after suffering two sloppy bogeys early on the back nine.

"It was nice to see the two old boys play pretty good," said Goosen. "It was nice to play with Vijay. He played very solid too, and he putted really well. We were sort of feeding off each other."
Singh, who missed two chances late on to move into the outright lead, was happy with his performance, citing an injury-free back as the reason for his impressive opening round.
"I'm finally not hurting as much as I did the last five years," said the big Fijian. "That's a big part of playing good golf. You're not hurting, you can go out and play and you're comfortable. Right now, nothing hurts. The golf swing feels good, and I'm happy to be playing."
Nick Watney, competing for the fifth straight week, kept up his form with an eagle on the opening hole on his way to a 66. South Korean-born American James Hahn, Daniel Summerhays, Dereky Fathauer joined them in share of the first-round lead.

No-one managed better than 66, while three players failed to break 80. One of them was Scott Piercy, who became this year's face of the par-4 10th hole. He began his round by going from the front bunker to the back bunker - then to the front bunker, and then back to the back bunker - before a great putt for double bogey.
Defending champion Bubba Watson ended his streak of 43 consecutive holes without a bogey at Riviera when he hit into the trees to the right of the fifth fairway. The two-time Masters champion opening with a round of 70 at the par-71 Riviera course.
Brandt Snedeker, who moved inside the world’s top 50 with victory at last week’s AT and T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, was two-under early until he had four bogeys in a span of six holes on the back nine and stumbled to a 73.
  

First round leaders

par 71

-5 Nick Watney (USA)
-5 Vijay Singh (Fiji)
-5 Derek Fathauer (USA)
-5 Retief Goosen (S Africa)
-5 James Hahn (USA)
-5 Daniel Summerhays (USA)
-4 Carlos Ortiz (Mexico)
-3 Justin Thomas (USA)
-3 Geoff Ogilvy (Australia)
-3 William McGirt (USA)
-3 Alex Cejka (Germany)
Selected Others
-2 Jordan Spieth (USA)
-1 Dustin Johnson (USA)
-1 Bubba Watson (USA)
-1 Paul Casey (England)
Level Sergio Garcia (Spain)
Level Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain)
+7 Ernie Els (S Africa)
+8 (withdrew) Brian Davis (England)

========================

Live US PGA Tour Golf

2015 Northern Trust Open: Day Two

February 20, 2015, 10:00pm

Sky Sports 4

Remote Record

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             HARRY ROULSTON IS N E ALLIANCE CLASS 1 CLIMBER OF WEEK

    Jack Nicklaus gives Harry Roulston a few tips on how to win the

    North-east Alliance Class 1 Order of Merit. That's Nicklaus on the  left.

 
Portlethen' five-handicapper David Fleming continues to make the running in the North-east Golfers' Alliance Handicap Class 1 Order of Merit, sponsored by teaching pro Willie McKenzie's WLM Golf Company, writes Colin Farquharson.
Points are awarded weekly to the first five in the Class 1 returns (1-250; 2-200; 3-150; 4-100; 5-50).
Fleming's tally of 850 gives him a 75pt lead over Alliance joint secretary David Mackay who plays off seven at Hazlehead.
But the two Davids had better look out because Goliath is now n their tail.  Stonehaven's Harry Roulston has shot up to third place with 750pt. He is the big climber of the week.

Harry, a past Scottish tennis champion in the days before Andy Murray and retired Editor of the "Press and Journal," has gone up seven places on the back of his Class 1 winning performance at Spey Bay - a net 70 off seven of a handicap. A very good effort by the senior player.
Another big mover this week was Craibstone's Keith McGillivray who went up nine places from 28th to 19th. He plays off eight and had a net 72 at Spey Bay.
WLM Golf will give £50 vouchers to the winners of Class 1 and Class 2 categories after the final counting competition, which will be the second round of the championship at Craibstone on March 18
The Class 2 standings will be displayed tomorrow (Saturday)
Many thanks again to NE Alliance captain Joel Hopwood, the Senior Assistant Professional at Royal Aberdeen GC, for devising the Orders of Merit points format and for calculating the weekly tables.
+Remember next week's fixture has been switched from Inverurie to Peterhead

                               POSITION         AFTER         AFTER        POSITION CHANGE   
                                      POINTS      MURCAR    SPEY BAY     
PLAYER                        TOTAL               
DAVID FLEMING             850           1    1    0                                  No change
DAVID MACKAY  (Haz)   775           2    2    0   
HARRY ROULSTON        750          10    3    7                                 Up 7 places
PHIL MORRISON             725            3    4    -1                                Down 1 place
MARTIN FORSTER           675           4    5    -1   
FERGUS BISSET                650           5    6    -1   
CHARLIE CASSIE             600            7    7    0   
JIM EMSLIE                       600            6    7    -1   
STEVE SHAND                  550            7    9    -2   
DAVID LESLIE                  525            9   10    -1   
JOHN NICOLSON             500            10    11    -1   
GARY ESSON                    475            12    12    0   
TONY ROBERTSON         400             13    13    0   
ALBERT SMITH                400             13    13    0   
ANDY CAMPBELL           375             20    15    5   
STEVE LAWRIE                 375             15    15    0   
JOHN BORTHWICK           375             15    15    0   
ALISTAIR GRAHAM          350             17    18    -1   
KEITH McGILLIVRAY        325            28    19    9   
DAVE McKAY  (Caley)       300             18    20    -2   
STEWART ALLISON           300            18    20    -2   
DAVID NELSON                  250            20    21    -1   
GARY CRAIG                      250            20    21    -1   
RYAN MACRAE                  250           20    21    -1   
WILLIE SHAW                     250           20    21    -1   
MIKE DUNCAN                   250           20    21    -1   
BRIAN HARPER                  250           20    21    -1   
ZANDER ROGER                225            27    27    0   
B.MAIN                                200    NEW    28    NEW   
C.DUFFUS                            200    28    28    0   
CRAIG CARNEGIE             175    30    30    0   
GATON DILLON                  175    30    30    0   
NORMAN DUNCAN            175    30    30    0   
ROBERT O'DONNELL        150    34    34    0   
NORMAN FORSTER           150    34    34    0   
DREW BUCHAN                  150    34    34    0   
GORDON MILNE                 150    34    34    0   
C.ANGUS                               100    38    38    0   
J.SCOTT                                 100    38    38    0   
J.DOUGLAS                          100    38    38    0   
DEREK McDOUGALL       75    41    41    0   
JOSH TURNER                        75    41    41    0   
JIM DUNCAN                          75    41    41    0   
RICHIE DAVIDSON                75    41    41    0   
IAIN TAYLOR                         75    41    41    0   
K.STEWART                            50    45    46    -1   
JOHN HAMILTON                  50    45    46    -1   
JACKIE FORREST                  50    45    46    -1   
ALAN GALL                           50    45    46    -1