EVERY CATCHES STENSON OVER FINAL 

ROUND AT PALMER INVITATIONAL

                                           Matt Every and Arnold Palmer

ORLANDO, Florida -- Matt Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second straight year, making an 18ft birdie putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to beat Henrik Stenson and earn another trip back to the Masters plus a pay-out of $1,440,000. 
Overnight leader Stenson three-putted not once, not twice but three times over the closing holes. 
Every rallied from a four-shot deficit last year for his first career victory. This one was even sweeter. He came from three shots behind Sunday with a 6-under 66, and he had to make the biggest putt of his career to get that handshake with the tournament host.

 

Final scores, earnings

 

"The one on 18, straight downhill," Every said. "That's what you want under pressure." 
Speak about rising to the occasion -  Every hadn't broken 70 in his last 28 rounds on Tour, but he posted rounds of 68-66-69-66 at Bay Hill.
Matt Every loves the group Oasis. A lot. So much that he named his son "Liam" after the band's lead singer -- Liam Gallagher -- and has got a tattoo of one of their songs on his right arm.

Stenson closed with a 70 and extended a curious streak on the US PGA Tour. It was the ninth straight tournament in which a 54-hole leader failed to win, and the Swede definitely let this one get away.
He regained the lead with birdies on the 11th and 12th holes as Morgan Hoffmann began to fade, and Stenson had a one-shot lead with four holes to play. But he three-putted from 45 feet on the 15th, and three-putted again for par from 40 feet on the fringe at the par-5 16th.
Needing a birdie to force a play-off, Stenson was wide left on a 20-foot putt at the 18th.
Every finished at 19-under 269 and became the first player since Payne Stewart in 1987 to win at Bay Hill with all four rounds in the 60s.
A year ago, Every missed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole and had to wait a nervous 10 minutes to see if anyone could catch him. This time, he had no room for error. With a confident swing that held up all week, he drilled his drive down the left side of the fairway and hit his approach above the hole to set up his birdie.
He joined Tiger Woods and Loren Roberts as the only players to repeat at Arnie's place. Woods won four in a row, and back-to-back on two other occasions. Roberts, like Every, won his first two PGA Tour titles at Bay Hill.
Matt Jones birdied three of his last four holes for a 68 to finish alone in third.
Hoffmann had a two-shot lead after a birdie on the eighth hole, but it was a struggle the rest of the way. Stenson caught him on the 11th, and Hoffmann made bogey on his next two holes to fall three shots behind. He hit his tee shot out-of-bounds into a backyard on the 18th hole for a double bogey and a 71 to finish fourth.
Rory McIlroy, in his final tournament before he goes for his third straight major and the career Grand Slam at the Masters, closed with a 70 and tied for 11th. The world's No. 1 player had only one round in the 60s in his three events on the Florida swing.
"The main goal was to come here and try to win," said McIlroy, who played Bay Hill for the first time. "Couldn't do that. At least I got a couple of things out of this week, which is good."
Zach Johnson holed a 5-iron from 207 yards on the par-5 16th for the second albatross in two days, after no one had made a 2 on a par 5 since Bay Hill began in 1979.
Every left Bay Hill a year ago believing he could win the Masters on his first try. He missed the cut and had only one top 10 the rest of the year. But he changed coaches in the fall and began working with Sean Foley to tighten up areas in his game.
Now he heads to Augusta with more confidence, and believes he has a swing that will get him in these positions more often. 
 Scots Russell Knox and Martin Laird had disappointing rounds of 72 apiece to close on 281 and 283 respectively.
Disappointing in that you are never going to challenge on the final day of a US PGA Tour event if you shoot no better than 72.
Knox finished T29 and earned $40,058, and Laird T43 for a payslip of $20,202.
Divots
Sam Saunders, the 27-year-old grandson of Palmer, closed with a 73 and tied for 29th. ... Harris English was at No. 52 in the world and needed a top 10 to crack the top 50 one week before that earns a Masters invitation. He had a 72-75 weekend and tied for 29th, likely dropping him at least one spot. The Valero Texas Open next week is the final event to make the top 50.


LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
269 Matt Every (USA) 68 66 69 66
270 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 68 66 66 70
271 Matt Jones 71 65 67 68, Morgan Hoff man (USA) 66 65 71 69

SELECTED TOTALS
277 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 70 66 71 70 (T11)
281 Russell Knox (Scotland) 74 68 67 72 (T29) ($40,058)
283 Martin Laird (Scotland) 68 72 71 72 (T49) ($20,202)

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Lanarkshire too strong for P and K in boys' friendly

 match at Auchterarder

Lanarkshire and Perth andKinross played their first ever inter-county Junior golf friendly today (Sunday) at Auchterarder Golf Club.
Lanarkshire won 7-1 but the day was enjoyed by all concerned and Lanarkshire will host a return match next year.
Zac Geddes of Cambuslang had the best comeback of the day. Three down with five to play against Brendan Murdoch (Craigie Hill) in the top tie, Zac won all the remaining holes for a two-hole victory

Results (Lanarkshire boys first):

LANARKSHIRE 7, PERTH and KINROSS 1
Zac Geddes (Cambuslang) bt Brendan Murdoch (Craigie Hill) 2 holes
Callum Paterson  (Strathaven) bt Martin Williamson  (Craigie Hill) 5 and 4.
Greg Dalziel  (Kirkhill) bt  Robbie Paul  (Blairgowrie) 8 and 6
Lewis Irvine (Kirkhill) bt Iain McLaren (Blairgowrie) 4 and 3.
David Fair (Strathaven) bt Jonathan  Dunn (Auchterarder) 4 and 3
Graeme Greer (Carluke) bt Sandy  Shackles (Murrayshall) 5 and 4.
Fraser Kane (Kirkhill) bt Brad Bannerman (Strathmore) 4 and 3.
Andrew  Thomson (Lanark) lost to Robert Watson (Muckhart) 1 hole.

Water, water everywhere ... picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

 MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN NULL AND VOID

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
The Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI has been cancelled after four days of strong winds, heavy rain and thick fog meant the minimum requirement of 36 holes could not be completed and a result could not be declared.
The picturesque island venue of Clube de Golf do Santo da Serra endured a torrent of rain on Sunday, with 60mm falling overnight and during the morning, meaning the second and final round, after the event had initially been reduced to 36 holes, could not start.
During the delay and as the greenkeeping staff worked hard to prepare the course, more rain fell and the course remained unplayable, meaning the final round did not commence. 
With a weather warning issued for Monday due to strong winds, it was decided that the tournament be cancelled and all scores null and void.
The European Tour has already begun discussions with the sponsors and host venue to reschedule the event for another week in The 2015 Race to Dubai schedule.
It is just the third event in European Tour history to be subject to a cancellation, after the Compaq European Grand Prix in 1998 - due to adverse weather - and the WGC - American Express Championship, which was cancelled in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11.
Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer of The European Tour, said: “The Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI is a hugely important event for The European Tour so it is disappointing for everyone concerned that we have been forced to cancel this week.
“This tournament has produced some memorable moments down the years and we share a very strong relationship with the hosts and sponsors, so we are already in discussions with the club and the sponsors to reschedule the event for another week in this year’s Race to Dubai schedule.
“We really appreciate the efforts of those who worked tirelessly this week to make the tournament happen, so we feel we must now make every effort to make sure that the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI takes place this year and that together we can show the world the true potential of this great event and this beautiful island.”
José Maria Zamora, Tournament Director of the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI, said: “After three very difficult days with really bad weather, we could only achieve 18 holes by Saturday afternoon and considering the bad weather forecast we had for Sunday, we decided to go for a shotgun start.
“Unfortunately we had 60mm of rain overnight and throughout Sunday and the course became totally unplayable. That made it impossible to start and finish the second round today.
“That would have put us into Monday and we had already been issued a warning for very strong winds on Monday which would again have made the course unplayable.
“We have been very unfortunate with the weather this week but we are hoping to reschedule and show the true potential of the island.
“We want show that what happened this week is not the real Madeira – it is a beautiful island which enjoys lots of sunshine all year round and most of all, this is one of the most spectacular courses we visit all season.”
Joachim B Hansen (leader of the tournament before cancellation): “It’s definitely disappointing because it would have been nice to put two or three good rounds together, but the weather wouldn’t let us do that.
“I’ve been playing well for a few weeks now so I’m going home to have some time with my coach and I’m looking forward to Kenya (Barclays Kenya Open) now.
“They tried everything they could here. I know José Maria Zamora and everyone here did everything they could to finish this tournament. The greenkeepers worked very hard too, you could see that from the clubhouse, trying to remove the (water from the) bunkers so it’s a shame we couldn’t finish.”

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

FOTHERINGHAM WINS NORTH SCOTTISH 

ALLIANCE TITLE FOR SEVENTH TIME

North Scottish Alliance prizewinners. Left to right - Tom Madden (Elgin),  Jimmy MacDonald (Inverness), Robert McKerron (Forres), Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness) and Dave Johnston (Moray). MacDonald and Johnston won Class 1 and Class 2 handicap aggregate trophies. Picture by courtesy of RobinWilson.

 By ROBIN WILSON

Former Forres Golf Club member Bryan Fotheringham, having won nine club championship titles at Forres before moving to Inverness, used all his past knowledge of the tree-lined Muiryshade course to win his seventh North Golfers' Alliance championship on Saturday.

Fotheringham first lifted the Sir Hugh MacKenzie Trophy in 2000 and became the dominant winter golfer in the North over the past three seasons with back-to-back championship wins in 2012 and 2013, only to be deprived of the title last year by Elgin's Jordan Milne and this season upstaged by Moray's Kyle Godsman.

Godsman and two other prominent winners this season, Jeff Wright (Forres) and Gavin Hay (Nairn Dunbar) were absent from the championship as they are currently on a pre-season training golf week in Spain,   

With these three missing, having denied Fotheringham a scratch win all season -  he blaming a poor return from fine play to the greens, this was put aside on his old stamping ground and his putter came back to life as early as the first green where he single putted for birdie. 

Two more birdie putts dropped on the third and fifth greens for him to go three under par.

From a forward tee on the par five sixth hole he anticipated going to four under par but actually dropped back to three under after a wayward drive necessitated a penalty drop from a bush. The stroke was recovered with his fourth birdie of the day at the eighth, and he covered the outward nine holes in 33. 

The score was repeated over the next nine holes after beginning the inward half with his only three-putt of the round but he was back on the birdie trail at the 14^th and final holes for a four under par card of 66 to win by two from the 2006 champion, John Campbell (Grantown on Spey).

Campbell was one under par for each half, 35 and 33, finishing his round strongly with three 3s.

Defending champion Jordan Milne (Elgin) saw his hopes of retaining the title fade with a shabby start, a 7 at the first hole after requiring four to reach the green and compounding the errors with a three-putt from quite close. 

Torvean's club champion Bruce Thomson dropped a shot at the ninth hole for a one over outward 37 but, like Campbell, made up the ground on the run-in with three birdies over the final four holes, the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th for a two under 34 and a third place 69.

Thomson was closely followed into fourth place by Fortrose and Rosemarkie's Alan Cameron whose gross 70 (33-37) was matched after equal halves of 35 by the current Forres club captain, Robert McKerron.

 McKerron's 70 turned into a nett 68 to win the Bank of Scotland Quaich in the low handicap section. 

In the higher handicap group a gross 77 (39-38) less a handicap of 9 won the Jim Thom Quaich for Elgin's Tom Madden on a better inward half count-back over Moray's Aron Casey.

The senior championship's J A B Little Trophy was won by local member Jim Simpson with a gross 71 and the handicap J M C  Gourlay Salver went to Fortrose and Rosemarkie's Donnie MacLeod  with nett 71 off 12.

LEADING SCRATCH

Par 70
66 B R Fotheringham (Inverness)
68 J S D Campbell (Grantown)
69 B J Thomson (Torvean)
70 R A L Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), R Mckerron (Forres)
71 K Thomson (Moray), G H Hay (Grantown), J Simpson (Forres);
72 D Joel (Inverness), R H Stewart (Torvean);
73 K Barnett (Torvean), A J Duncan (Elgin), J L Milne (Elgin), D Hector (Elgin);
74 S Johnston (Elgin), G Allan (Moray), P Mathieson (Grantown), J Shaw (Boat of Garten), A Henry (Inverness);
75 D Gordon (Inverness), W Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), M McAllan (Elgin)
76 P Masson (Rothes), B Cruickshank (Spey Bay), S Wilson (Inverness), J A Grant (Grantown), A Hutchison (Inverness)
77 T Madden (Elgin), I Murray (Boat of Garten), M Mcdonald (Boat of Garten), L Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), C Gaittens (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)
78 C C Macdonald (Elgin), R Stewart (Nairn Dunbar), R Harrower (Boat of Garten), L Stewart (Grantown)
79 N McWilliam (Elgin), I Macaulay (Elgin), A Casey (Moray), R Kinnaird (Grantown), D McGrouther (Inverness), W Hutchison (Inverness), G Stephen (Torvean), D Johnston (Moray), J K England (Moray)
80 A Macintosh (Torvean), J R Ingram (Boat of Garten), D F Sharp (Boat of Garten)
81 G Cruickshank (Spey Bay), A Waterson (Grantown), L Duncan (Elgin), R Mackie (Rothes), I Laing (Grantown), F Mackellar (Grantown), M Lyall (Torvean), A Imrie (Inverness)

LEADING HANDICAP
Class 1 (seven and under)
68 R McKerron (Forres) (2) bih, A Henry (Inverness) (6)
69 S Johnston (Elgin) (5)
70 A Hutchison (Inverness) (6), R H Stewart (Torvean) (2), G H Hay (Grantown) (1), K Barnett (Torvean) (3), G Allan (Moray) (4);
Class 2 (eight to 18)
68 T Madden (Elgin) (9) 
69 A Casey (Moray) (10)
70 M Lyall (Torvean) (11)
71 R Quinn (Boat of Garten) (13), G Stephen (Torvean) (8)
Seniors Scratch
71 J Simpson (Forres) 

Seniors Handicap )

71 D M Macleod (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)(12)

 

HANDICAP AGGREGATE WINNERS
Class 1 - Dave Johnston (Moray) (Burnett Trophy).
Class 2 - Jimmy MacDonald (Inverness) (Bill McQueen Trophy).

Stephen Gallacher Named Player of the Year at Glittering Scottish Golf Awards
 SGU / SLGA NEWS RELEASE                
Stephen Gallacher crowned a superb 2014 season after being named Player of the Year at Friday night’s star-studded Scottish Golf Awards.

In front of more than 600 guests at a packed Edinburgh Corn Exchange, including some of Scottish golf’s leading Tour professionals, the Ryder Cup debutant enjoyed a standing ovation as he collected the final award of a glittering evening from last year’s recipient of the accolade and Scotland’s No 1 female golfer, Catriona Matthew
The Player of the Year award – voted for by Scottish golf fans – was one of the many highlights on an evening which celebrated an historic year for the game in Scotland, looking back on a wonderful Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and the many achievements of the nation’s golfers at every level.
Gallacher, pictured above, Scotland’s No 1 professional who defended his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title in 2014 en route to fulfilling his Ryder Cup dream on home soil, said: “It was wonderful to collect the award in front of my friends, family and fellow players.
“It was also great to receive such a brilliant ovation from Scotland’s golf fans, who again turned out in fantastic numbers for the Scottish Golf Awards.
“It was a special year for me in 2014, one that will be hard to beat, but I’m working hard to achieve more and look forward to competing in all four Major Championships this year, starting at The Masters at Augusta National in a couple of weeks.
“To win this Award in such a memorable year for Scottish Golf, with so many other players achieving great success, is even more special. I’d like to congratulate all the other winners, as well as the SGU and SLGA for putting on a superb event that really showcases all the great things about our game.”
The Scottish Golf Charitable Trust, the main beneficiary of the Awards, also raised thousands of pounds on the night from auction and prize draw fund-raising, with proceeds to be invested in its good causes of junior golf, education and environmental best practice projects.
Joining Gallacher on the night were a host of golfing stars, including former Ryder Cup captains Bernard Gallacher and Sam Torrance, seven-time Solheim Cup star Matthew and European Tour players Richie Ramsay, Scott Jamieson and Chris Doak.
Torrance and Gallacher were joined on stage by European vice-captain Des Smyth for an entertaining reflection of the glory at Gleneagles, with Martin Kaymer’s Scottish caddie, Craig Connelly, also in attendance to collect Jamie Donaldson’s Shot of the Year award.
Gallacher’s coach, Alan McCloskey from Bothwell Castle, beat off stiff competition to win the inaugural Bob Torrance PGA Coach of the Year Award, with an emotional Sam fittingly presenting the award in memory of his late father.
Kylie Walker won the Inspiration Award thanks to her two breakthrough wins on the Ladies European Tour in 2014, while Augusta-bound Bradley Neil collected the prestigious Amateur Golfer of the Year and the SGU Men’s Order of Merit titles.
Other notable sporting guests included GB and I women's golf team captain Elaine Farquharson-Black, Hibernian manager Alan Stubbs, former Hearts boss Jim Jefferies and St Johnstone Scottish Cup winner Callum Davidson. Glasgow Warriors rugby coach Gregor Townsend, the Team GB Olympic curlers and Glasgow Commonwealth Games boxing hero Josh Taylor also enjoyed a night to remember.
Troon’s Connie Jaffrey was another notable double winner on the night, receiving both the SLGA Ladies and Girls Order of Merit awards, while Cawder’s Calum Fyfe became the fourth recipient of the Adam Hunter Award, along with the SGU Boys Order of Merit crown.
Those involved at the grass roots level of the game were also given their moment in the spotlight, with Borders’ club Peebles triumphant in the RBS Junior Club of the Year, before Maitland Pollock (Lochmaben) and Evan Sutherland (Reay) shared the RBS Volunteer of the Year award, recognising their work in developing golf in their respective local communities.
Ross Duncan, SGU Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, said: “The Scottish Golf Awards continues to grow in stature year after year and we’re very proud to have staged another hugely successful event.
“The event provides a great platform for everyone involved in the game to come together and celebrate achievements at all levels. On the back of such a great Ryder Cup and a brilliant season for Scotland’s golfers, the event was even more special
“We’d like to thank all our category sponsors for their fantastic support, and those who contributed so much to our fund-raising efforts, through buying tickets and bidding in the auction, with a great amount being raised for the Scottish Golf Charitable Trust.”
The full list of winners from the 2015 Scottish Golf Awards reads below
·         SGU Boys Order of Merit and Adam Hunter Award: Calum Fyfe (sponsored by Clube de Golf Santo da Serra in association with Pestana Hotels & Resorts)
·         Shot of the Year: Jamie Donaldson (Scottish Golf Passport in association with VPAR Scotland)
·         SGU Seniors Order of Merit: Ian Brotherston (Vision Events)
·         SLGA Girls Order of Merit and SLGA Ladies Order of Merit: Connie Jaffrey (The Herald and Herald Scotland)
·         Inspiration Award: Kylie Walker (SSE Scottish Hydro)
·         Junior Club of the Year: Peebles (RBS)
·         Bob Torrance PGA Coach: Alan McCloskey (sportscotland)
·         Volunteer of the Year: Maitland Pollock & Evan Sutherland (RBS)
·         Amateur Golfer of the Year and SGU Men’s Order of Merit: Bradley Neil (Fairstone Financial Management)
·         Player of the Year: Stephen Gallacher (Aberdeen Asset Management)
           Caddie of the Year Award: Craig Connelly, doing the double after his European Tour Caddie of the Year honour.


Ed Hodge
PR and Media Executive
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