US PGA Tour report, link to scores

 Boo Weekley's new shafts produce an eight-under 64 at Zurich Classic

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

AVONDALE, Louisiana  -- A quick fix in Boo Weekley's bag paid huge dividends today in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana.

Using a new set of shafts from True Temper, Weekley, pictured when he won in 2013, fired an 8-under 64 with one eagle, seven birdies and a lone bogey over the 7,425-yard Pete Dye lay-out.
 It marked his best opening-round score in more than two years, tying a 6-under 64 at The McGladrey Classic in October 2012.

---

 CLICK ON LINE FOR;
 Round 1 leaderboard | Tee times | Course overview | Highlights

---

He hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens greens in regulation and needed 26 putts.
"I've been struggling with my irons the past month or so and finally I got some shafts that work,'' Weekley said. "I used them in Wednesday's pro-am and came away feeling really good. Finally, I can control the distance and the trajectory and the numbers.
"And it helps when you're really putting well. When you put the two together, you can shoot pretty good. Plus, I'm back on Bermuda grass, I'm close to home (Milton, Florida) and I love the heat. What's not to like?"
Weekley, who missed three consecutive cuts at the Valspar Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational  and the Valero Texas Open before finishing T75 at last week's RBC Heritage, cautioned that one round does not make a tournament.
"You can't win the tournament today,'' he said. "There's a lot of golf left. We're all out here hitting it the same. The difference is who's hitting it the closest.
"But I saw the good today. If you don't hit it good tomorrow, you don't hit it good. That's why they call it a four-letter game -- GOLF!"

British universities championships scores on Kirkwoodgolf

The British universities championships at The Duke's Course, St Andrews ended today with Stirling winning all four titles (two men's, two women's)
Report and pictures are on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Scottish Senior Golfing Society Scotscraig scoreboard

Spring Meeting - First Round
 Par 72.
Player                Club              H/cap    Gross    Nett         
Malcolm Reid    Sonning             0           73    73
Paul Moultrie    Royal Troon      -3         73    76
Keith  Reilly    Silverknowes        0         74    74
Thomas McLevy    Blairgowrie    0         74    74
Michael  Rust    Tillicoutry           1         75    74
Andrew  Campbell    Murcar        1         75    74
David  Downie    Kirriemuir         2         76    74
Jalil Aman    Grangemouth          1          76    75
James Watt    Edzell                     1         76    75
Bradford Muir    Dalmahoy          2        76    74
Robert Craw    Glenbervie           2         77    75
Ian  Jeen    Scotscraig                   1        77    76
J David Gardner    Broomieknowe  1    77    76
Ian Reid    Dumfries and Galloway  2      77    75
Graham Bell    Downfield             -1       77    78
Duncan Hamilton    Mortonhall    2        78    76
Allan Elder    Kirkcaldy                3        79    76
Graham Forrest    Northumberland   1    79    78
Les Pirie    Millport                       1        79    78
David Miller    K'nock (Barassie)    1    79    78
Calum Wilson    Ladybank              4    79    75
Lindsay Clark    Edzell                    5    79    74
David Imrie    Lundin Golf Club    1    79    78
Lindsay  Blair    Grangemouth       0    79    79
Grant McNab    Lundin                  -1    80    81
Alasdair MacGregor    Hazelhead    4    80    76
William Erskine    Kilsyth Lennox    1    80    79
Gordon Doig    Southerness              4    80    76
Michael  Jenkins    Duff House Royal    3    80    77
Joe  McManus    Uphall                       1    80    79
Gordon MacDonald    Glenbervie    2    80    78
John Fraser    Royal Burgess           -1    80    81
Lindsay Gordon    Turnhouse           1    80    79
David Smith    Stirling                       4    80    76
Ken Davidson    Musselburgh           4    81    77
James Paton    Kirkintilloch              5    81    76
George Barrie    Callander                2    81    79
Peter  Sinclair    Inverness                7    81    74
Brian Reid    Dunbar                        4    81    77
Tony Stafford    Gleneagles (Dun Ochil)    0    81    81
Drew  Waddell    Glasgow                2     81    79
Robert Denholm    Duddingston       5    81    76
Colin Halcrow    Windyhill               4    81    77
Stuart Drysdale    Turnhouse            4    81    77
Andrew  Laird    Deeside                 4    81    77
Gordon Rennie    Cathkin Braes      2    81    79
Dougie Imrie    Turnhouse                3    81    78
Kenny Gardiner    Letham Grange    -2    82    84
Bob Humble    Kilspindie                  3    82    79
Kevin McArthur    Balbirnie Park    4    82    78
Murray MacMillan    Stirling            5    82    77
David  Taylor    Dunfermline            3    82    79
Robin MacPherson    tantallon          8    82    74
Gerard Mannering    Bothwell Castle    4    82    78
Alan  Ross    Northumberland            4    83    79
Ian Farquhar    Edzell                         6    83    77
Neil McGarva    Kilmacolm               6    83    77
Ian Angus    Duff House Royal          0    83    83
Gerry Curran    Mortonhall                4    83    79
Brian Smith    Hamilton                     1    83    82
Alan White    Newton Stewart          5    83    78
Nick Robson    Meldrum House        -2    83    85
Alister Ferguson    Dunfermline        1    83    82
Ronald Brownhill    Edzell                7    83    76
Thomas Caldwell    Silverknowes    1    83    82
John Scott    Grange                         4    83    79
Henry Anderson    Glenbervie         3    84    81
Tony  Patterson    Sunningdale        2    84    82
Murray Ferguson    Stirling              5    84    79
John  Broadfoot    Turnberry           4    84    80
Brian Bingham    Royal Troon          3    84    81
Laurie Chancellor    Inverness         0    84    84
Dave Millar    New Club                 4    84    80
Barry Brooks    Meldrum House      0    84    84
Stewart Millar    Cochrane Castle    1    84    83
Wilson  Morton    Dunbar                5    85    80
Albert Smith    Turriff                      4    85    81
Robin Lawson    R and A                6    85    79
Alan Harrington    Western Gailes    4    85    81
David Shields    Glenearn                 0    85    85
J Scott Macdonald    Dunfermline    4    85    81
Keith McAllister    South Shields    4    85    81
Ian W R Smith    Craigielaw            5    85    80
Trevor Bennett    Great Barr            6    85    79
Michael  Mather    Ballater              8    85    77
Eric Lindsay    Blairgowrie               4    85    81
Willie Skene    Deeside                     7    85    78
Gordon Scott    Kirkintilloch             5    85    80
Craig Wright    Whitecraigs               7    86    79
Kenneth Christie    Dollar                  7    86    79
John Gullen    Tillycoultry                  3    86    83
Allister  Raphael    St Andrews          4    86    82
Jim Kinloch    Cardross                       3    86    83
John W  Johnston    Royal Aberdeen    3    86    83
Steven Ellis    Cowal                            3    86    83
Ian Morrison    Royal Aberdeen          3    86    83
Alexander Rowe    St. Andrews          5    86    81
Brian Mitchell    Royal Burgess           5    87    82
W Kenneth Thomson    Bramall Park    4    87    83
John Archibald    Lufness New              3    87    84
Kenneth Harrison    Carluke                  5    87    82
Tom Sirel    Largs                                   2    87    85
Alastair Taylor    Turnhouse                   6    87    81
David Halkerston    New Club               7    87    80
Robert Stewart    Tulliallan                    1    87    86
Allan Hogg    Turnhouse                        4    87    83
Ian Dickson    Gullane                            2    87    85
Jim Paterson    Ranfurly Castle              9    88    79
Kenneth Hill    Downfield                      8    88    80
Donald Lindsay Kilmarnock Barassie     5    88    83
Stuart Baker    Crail G.S.                         5    89    84
Colin Mavor    Elgin                                8    89    81
John McDonald     Cowglen                    2    89    87
Phil Dempsey    Tulliallan                        3    89    86
Fraser Sharp    Boat of Garten                 6    89    83
Denis McQuade    Glenbervie                 6    90    84
Richard  Gray    Irvine G C                     3    90    87
Mark  Laverick    Stocksfield                  6    90    84
Andy Miller    Windyhill                         7    90    83
Tom Gray    Lanark                                7    91    84
Neish Chisholm    Kemnay                   12    91    79
John Sim    Duff House Royal                5    91    86
Peter Kinloch    Cardross                        6    91    85
Colin Moir    Worksop                            6    91    85
Colin Campbell    Gullane                      7    91    84
William Barclay    Downfield                 5    92    87
David Nelson    Aboyne                         9    92    83
Alexander Hogg    Stirling                      9    93    84
John Houston    Greenock                      5    94    89
Ian Johnston    Williamwood                  5    95    90
Keith Ross    Beith                                 5   NR    NR
Richard Gray    Lanark                          9    nr    nr
Guy Shanks    Drumpellier                    5    nr    nr
John Duff    Mortonhall                        5    nr    nr
Gordon MacLeod    Glenbervie            3    nr    nr
A William  Wallace  Prestwick St C    5    nr    nr
Sandy Fairweather    Caledonia           4    nr    nr
Brian M Christie    Comrie                  5    nr    nr
David Heaton    Delamere Forest        4    wd    wd
Norman Forster    Peterculter              5    wd    wd
 

Madrid Challenge second-round report, scores

Elliot Saltman leading Scot in joint eighth place
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Elliot Saltman covered 10 holes in six-under-par on his way to a second-round 66 which hoisted him to a share of eighth place at the halfway stage of the Challenge Tour event in Madrid today (Thu).

The Archerfield Links man, pictured right, has posted scores of 70 and 66 for eight-under 136 and is four shots behind joint leaders Juan Sarasti (Spain) 66-66 and Irishman Ruaidhri McGee (65-67).
Saltman birdied the first, fourth, fifth and nine in 32 to the turn and then had an eagle 3 at the 11th. That was the end of the sub-par figures, however, He parred his last seven holes.
George Murray and Ross Kellett are a shot behind him in joint 13th place on 137.
Murray has had scores of 70-67, Kellett 67-70.
Murray had seven birdies in a span of 15 holes, settkubg fir oars at the last three.
But for a triple bogey 7 at the 17th in the first round, the Anstruther man would have been well in the mix.
Kellett birdied the first and eighth and then parred the remainder.
Andrew McArthur is joint 27th on 139 with scores of 67 and 72. He had three birdies and three bogeys in his second round.
Peter Whiteford had a double bogey 7 at the 18th, where he had an eagle 3 in the first round. The Fifer has shot 71-70 for 141 and a share of 41st place with Jamie McLeary (70-71).
Wallace Booth made the cut on the limit mark of 142 with rounds 73 and 69. He is still trying to find a way to par the 18th. The hole cost him a double bogey 7 in the first round and a bogey 7 in the second. But the Comrie man did achieve six birdies today.
Jack Doherty (74-69) and Duncan Stewart (70-73) missed the cut by one shot while David Law totalled 147 (74-73), the same total as Scott Henry (72-75)
Just when it seemed that Michael Stewart had turned the corner in his pro career, he missed the cut here with 76-73 for 149.
Par144 (2x72)
132 Juan Sastri (Spa) 66 66, Ruaidhri McGee (Ire) 65 67
134 Naco Elvira (Spa) 66 68, Ricardo Gouveia (Por) 66 68

SCOTS' SCORES
136 Elliot Saltman 70 66 (T8)
137 George Murray 70 67, Ross Kellett 67 70 (T13)
139 Andrew McArthur) 67 72 (T29).
141 Peter Whiteford 70 70, Jamie McLeary 70 71 (T41)
142 Wallace Booth 73 69 (T52)

MISSED THE CUT (142 and better qualified)
143 Jack Doherty 74 69, Duncan Stewart 70 73
147 David Law 74 73, Scott Henry 72 75
149 Michael Stewart 76 73

 SUMMARY  FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SPANISH EYES ARE SMILING

It was very much a case of Spanish delight and Irish cheer in equal measure at the Challenge de Madrid, as Juan Sarasti and Ruaidhri McGee played their way to the top of a leaderboard chocked full of home talent as well as international stars. The leading pair are 12 under par and a shot clear of Swedish rookie Sebastian Soderberg, as both continued to impress on the testing El Encin Golf Hotel layout. For Sarasti, a second consecutive 66 was sufficient to earn him his place at the head of affairs, despite a double bogey at the ninth, his last hole. Eight birdies were more than enough to counter his sole blemish over the first two days, and the 26 year old is now handily placed to improve his membership category, which currently only entitles him to around 13 starts this season. “I am playing very solid from the tee, as I’ve hit most of the fairways and most of the greens,” said Sarasti. “My strategy has been to hit it to the right part of the greens, preferably leaving an uphill putt, because if you get above the hole you are dead. “I have played this course a couple of times and if you miss on the wrong side you have no chance of getting up and down. So my strategy will remain to keep hitting the fairways and greens, and keep finding the right part of the green. “I hit a good tee shot on the ninth, missing the bunkers, but I was between an eight and a nine iron, and I decided to hit the longer one lower but it went left into the bunker. It went deep down inside and I tried to dig it out somewhere onto the green so I could two putt for my bogey, however I missed my second putt from one metre and made six. “I am very happy with my round though as I do not have my Challenge Tour card yet, so I am hoping to have plenty of top tens so I can play throughout the season. I will get into 13 events, so top ten finishes will get me into more, and hopefully I can then climb up the Rankings.” Under his own pressure to perform this week is McGee who is playing on a medical extension this week in the hope that he can also earn himself a better category for the rest of the year. If he were to claim a maiden title this week then his worries would be over, but like any golfer in his position, he is keen to not get too far ahead of himself at the half way stage. “I started with a birdie at the first, then missed a couple on two and three, before four more in a row from there,” said the 24 year old, who has adopted a vegetarian diet since the turn of the year. “So I got to five under pretty quick, and was pretty happy with that. Then I got to the back nine and picked one up at 11, but I was a bit up and down from there and managed to finish level for the second nine, so I was happy enough. “After yesterday I said I would take three more of the same, so I felt I had to do something similar today. I didn’t have a target, I just wanted to see what happened. “My friend’s fiancée put me on to this diet, which not many people know, as she is a strict vegetarian so I thought I would give it a go and it’s been good so far. I’m just trying it for now, but if I look at it from a results point of view then they seem to be improving, so there might be something to it. “I just need to do more of the same over the next two rounds, no real targets, then we’ll just see what happens.” Third place man Soderberg carded four birdies on day two, as well as an eagle at the par five 11th en route to a 66 as he looks to get his rookie campaign off to the perfect start in Spain, having earned his place on the second tier thanks to a top five finish in the Nordic Golf League last year. He is a shot clear of another Spaniard going well on home turf, Nacho Elvira, who fired a 68 on Thursday to lie alongside Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal on ten under par, after he also signed for four under on day two. German youngster Dominic Foos is a stroke further adrift after a 68 saw him finish on the same mark as Frenchman Sebastien Gros, who shot 70. Borja Virto Astudillo carded the round of the day, a 65, thanks to six birdies in a row en route to a front nine of 29 strokes. The Spaniard is in a share of eighth alongside Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo (67), Swede Jacob Glennemo (69), Elliot Saltman of Scotland (66) and Kenyan runner-up Brandon Stone (67) of South Africa. SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD Par 144 (2x72) 132 R McGee (Irl) 65 67, J Sarasti  (Esp) 66 66, 133 S Soderberg (Swe) 67 66, 134 N Elvira  (Esp) 66 68, R Gouveia (Por) 66 68, 135 S Gros (Fra) 65 70, D Foos (Ger) 67 68, 136 B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 71 65, P Figueiredo  (Por) 69 67, B Stone (RSA) 69 67, E Saltman  (Sco) 70 66, J Glennemo (Swe) 67 69, 137 G Murray  (Sco) 70 67, R Kellett (Sco) 67 70, A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 64 73, M Trappel  (Aut) 68 69, 138 M Jonzon (Swe) 65 73, S Fallon (Eng) 69 69, C Hanson (Eng) 68 70, J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 70, A Tadini (Ita) 70 68, P Lawrie (Irl) 68 70, P Oriol (Esp) 69 69, S Manley (Wal) 70 68, S Walker (Eng) 70 68, C Gloet  (Den) 70 68, 139 P Maddy (Eng) 68 71, A Saddier (Fra) 70 69, S Tiley (Eng) 69 70, D Gaunt (Eng) 70 69, J Senior (Eng) 70 69, A McArthur  (Sco) 67 72, 140 B Evans  (Eng) 73 67, C Berardo (Fra) 70 70, J Lima  (Por) 73 67, L Nemecz (Aut) 73 67, J Garcia Del Moral (Esp) 70 70, P Martin Benavides (Esp) 69 71, R Kakko  (Fin) 68 72, 141 J Lara (Esp) 68 73, J Gonnet  (Fra) 72 69, N Ravano (Ita) 66 75, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 70, G Porteous (Eng) 69 72, F Calmels  (Fra) 71 70, M Lafeber (Ned) 73 68, C Aguilar  (Esp) 69 72, C Paisley  (Eng) 70 71, V Riu  (Fra) 71 70, S Thornton (Irl) 74 67, J McLeary  (Sco) 70 71, 142 W Harrold (Eng) 68 74, E Cuartero Blanco  (Esp) 67 75, J Dantorp (Swe) 71 71, A Gee  (Eng) 69 73, J Gallegos  (Esp) 71 71, T Sluiter  (Ned) 71 71, P Archer (Eng) 72 70, W Booth  (Sco) 73 69, M Delpodio  (Ita) 70 72, E Larrañaga (Esp) 75 67, N Kimsey (Eng) 70 72, J Stalter (Fra) 73 69, L Gagli  (Ita) 71 71, A Hortal  (Esp) 73 69, J Walters (RSA) 72 70, J Huldahl (Den) 75 67, G Maybin (Nir) 71 71, M Wiegele  (Aut) 74 68, H Satama (Fin) 70 72, B Stow (Eng) 71 71 MISSED THE CUT 143 S Kim (USA) 67 76, J Billing (Swe) 68 75, D Stewart (Sco) 70 73, B Ritthammer (Ger) 69 74, D Im (USA) 72 71, J Guerrier  (Fra) 73 70, H Joannes  (Bel) 71 72, A Bernadet  (Fra) 71 72, A Rota (Ita) 75 68, E Goya (Arg) 71 72, P Widegren  (Swe) 74 69, M Orrin (Eng) 71 72, D Huizing (Ned) 74 69, D Ulrich (Sui) 73 70, S Wakefield (Eng) 69 74, B Etchart  (Esp) 73 70, J Doherty  (Sco) 74 69, D Suazo Gonzalez (Esp) 70 73 144 J Legarrea (Esp) 74 70, J Scrivener (Aus) 74 70, M Søgaard  (Den) 72 72, S Heisele (Ger) 73 71, J Rask (Swe) 69 75, A Ahokas (Fin) 72 72, A Hartø  (Den) 69 75, S Luna (Esp) 71 73, J Hansen  (Den) 74 70, T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 71 73, 145 R Evans  (Eng) 76 69, P Dwyer (Eng) 73 72, T Nemecz (Aut) 73 72, L Tintera  (Cze) 71 74, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 71 74, R Coles (Eng) 73 72, J Ballesteros (Esp) 74 71, A Velasco (Esp) 71 74, P Herreria (Esp) 73 72, V Blazquez (Esp) 70 75, P Howard  (Eng) 78 67, 146 C Bouniol (Fra) 73 73, R Davies (Wal) 73 73, N Quintarelli (Ita) 75 71, A Pavan (Ita) 74 72, B Åkesson (Swe) 71 75, 147 D Law (Sco) 74 73, S Henry  (Sco) 72 75, D Coupland (Eng) 73 74, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 71 76, K Hesbois  (Bel) 76 71, A Halvorsen  (Nor) 74 73, C Balmaseda  (Esp) 72 75, J Makitalo  (Fin) 71 76, K Ferrie (Eng) 70 77, C Del Moral (Esp) 70 77, 148 F Bergamaschi (Ita) 73 75, N Lemke (Swe) 71 77, N Raymond (Eng) 74 74, G Woolgar (Eng) 73 75 149 M Stewart (Sco) 76 73, C McDonnell (Eng) 76 73, L Motta (Ita) 77 72, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 75 74, C Ford (Eng) 77 72, 150 P Gal  (Cze) 77 73, K Benz (Sui) 75 75, T Elissalde  (Fra) 77 73, S Brown (Eng) 78 72, N Geyger (Chi) 78 72, T Linard (Fra) 70 80, 151 C Shinkwin (Eng) 72 79, N Bertasio (Ita) 76 75, X Ruiz Fonhof  (Ned) 76 75, 152 S Grant  (Irl) 73 79, J Smith (Eng) 73 79, A Snobeck  (Fra) 75 77, J Bragulat  (Esp) 73 79, C Mivis  (Bel) 75 77, 153 A Domingo (Esp) 78 75, M Galiano Aguilar (am) (Esp) 76 77, 154 P Relecom  (Bel) 78 76, E Dubois (Fra) 78 76, J Simon De Miguel (Esp) 76 78, 155 D Suchan  (Cze) 80 75, 157 R Hahn (Hun) 77 80, ** T Murray (Eng) 68 WD, - Ends -

Bjorn shares lead, Westwood T7 at Jakarta
ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
Jakarta: Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang showed his mettle as he opened his account with a six-under-par 66 to share the first round lead with Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters today. 

Bjorn, who is seeking his first win in Asia, overcame the hot and humid conditions at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club by trading seven birdies against one bogey to tie for the lead in his debut appearance in the Asian Tour event.

Singapore-based Australian Unho Park rediscovered his putting touch by posting a 67 to share third place with India’s Abhijit Chadha, who had a hole in one at the short 15th. 
Lee Westwood  returned a 69 to share seventh place with six other players.

 

FIRST-ROUND LEADERS

Par 72. Yardage: 7,340

66 - CHAN Shih-chang (TPE), Thomas BJORN (DEN).

67 - Abhijit CHADHA (IND), Unho PARK (AUS).

68 - Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG), Chapchai NIRAT (THA).

69 - Rashid KHAN (IND), Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA), Shaun NORRIS (RSA), Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN), Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA), Lee WESTWOOD (ENG), Miguel TABUENA (PHI).

70 - Anthony KANG (USA), Paul SPARGO (AUS).

71 - Ryosuke KINOSHITA (JPN), Seukhyun BAEK (KOR), Khalin JOSHI (IND), Yosuke TSUKADA (JPN), LEE Chieh-po (TPE), Paul PETERSON (USA), Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA), Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA).

72 - Jacobo PASTOR (ESP), Mardan MAMAT (SIN), Rikard KARLBERG (SWE), Himmat RAI (IND), Angelo QUE (PHI), Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA), Hyungjoon LEE (SKOR), Niclas JOHANSSON (SWE), Raphael DE SOUSA (SUI), Ian ANDREW (INA), LAM Chih Bing (SIN), Sam CYR (USA), Antonio LASCUNA (PHI), Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN).

73 - Sutijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA), Zaw MOE (MYN), Chiragh KUMAR (IND), Brett MUNSON (USA), Ben CAMPBELL (NZL), Daniel CHOPRA (SWE), Prayad MARKSAENG (THA), Poom SAKSANSIN (THA), Bryce EASTON (RSA), Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA), Niall KEARNEY (IRL), Sam BRAZEL (AUS), Lionel WEBER (FRA), Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN), Steve LEWTON (ENG), Y.E. YANG (KOR), Adilson DA SILVA (BRA).

Lee leads the Scots with a 70 in China

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

England’s David Howell was pleased to continue his excellent start to the year as he grabbed a share of the first-round lead alongside Welshman Bradley Dredge and New Zealand’s Michael Hendry at the Volvo China Open today.

Already a runner-up in Johannesburg this season and fourth in last week’s Shenzhen International, the former Ryder Cup star compiled a four-under par round of 68 at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, in the world’s most populous city, to join Dredge and Hendry at the top of the leaderboard.

Whilst both Dredge and Hendry, who is going for back-to-back wins after his victory in Japan last week, produced flawless rounds in the morning, 39 year old Howell had to contend with a slight breeze in the afternoon and an opening birdie was cancelled out by a dropped shot at the third.

Having reached red figures again with a gain at the ninth, Howell converted a chance from eight feet at the 11th, chipped to two feet at the 13th, and saved the best for last by holing a 40-footer on the 17th for his fifth and final birdie of the day.

France’s Alex Levy opened the defence of his title with a round of 69 to share third place with his compatriot Julien Quesne and Australian Marcus Fraser.
Chinese teenager Li Hao-tong, who lost out in a play-off to Kiradech Aphibarnrat in Shenzhen last week, continued his fine form with an opening round of 71.

Key quotes
David Howell: “There was a bit of a breeze at the start of the round, but the main challenge is the firmness of the greens. The whole course is very firm to be honest, so keeping your ball in play is a real challenge.  But the course is in great condition, and I like courses where you have to think your way round rather than just standing on the tee and blasting it. 

"My caddie said it’s almost like a links course, the way it’s playing. It couldn’t be less like a links course in some ways, because it’s in the middle of the city. But in terms of ground conditions it is a similar challenge to a links course, with lots of putting from off the greens.

Bradley Dredge: “I’m very pleased indeed with that. The greens are extremely firm, so you really need to hit the fairways to stand any chance of getting it close to the pin with your approach shots. Plus the greens are very slopey in places, which also makes life difficult. So 68 is a very good score.”      

Michael Hendry: “I’m obviously in pretty good form at the minute, I found it quite tough at the start of the week to get my energy levels back up to where I’d like them to be, because I was quite tired from my efforts last week. But I rested up as much as I could, and I felt pretty fresh when I came out here this morning.

“Winning takes away a lot of the worries and doubts you naturally have sometimes. It definitely puts a bit of a spring in your step, and I think that showed today. Golf’s a funny game like that. You can spend a lot of time out of form, then suddenly something clicks into place and you’re off and running again. But there’s no way of telling how long it’ll last, so you really have to make the most of it.”

SCOTSWATCH. On a day when the average score was 74.9 and only six broke 70, Craig Lee is the leading Scot with a 70 for a T7 position. Richie Ramsay is T25 on 72 and Paul Lawrie had a 73 for T41.


FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD

68 D Howell (Eng) , M Hendry (Nzl) , B Dredge (Wal)
69 M Fraser (Aus) , A Levy (Fra) , J Quesne  (Fra)
70 O Wilson (Eng) , J Carlsson (Swe) , I Park (Kor) , P Uihlein  (USA) , S Kapur (Ind) , T Pieters  (Bel) , B Hebert  (Fra) , C Lee (Sco)
71 L Hao-Tong (Chn) , M Korhonen (Fin) , H Shao-Cai (Chn) , S Hend (Aus) , S Strange (Aus) , J Lando Casanova  (Fra) , R Carter (USA) , M Manassero (Ita) , K Aphibarnrat (Tha) , R Gibson (Aus) ,
72 B An (SKor) , A Johnston (Eng) , R Ramsay  (Sco) , T Fleetwood  (Eng) , S Jeffress (Aus) , N Cullen (Aus) , R Wattel  (Fra) , D Horsey (Eng) , Z Jin (Chn) , M Foster (Eng) , P Meesawat  (Tha) , C Yi (Chn) , T Pilkadaris (Aus) , J Lee (Aus) , K Broberg (Swe) , D McGrane (Irl)
73 E Grillo (Arg) , C Wood  (Eng) , W Ashun (Chn) , R Fox (Nzl) , R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) , A Noren  (Swe) , M Ilonen  (Fin) , G Stal  (Fra) , A Cañizares  (Esp) , A Wall (Eng) , P Lawrie (Sco) , J Higginbottom (Aus) , M Nixon (Eng) , H Choi (SKor) , M Kieffer (Ger) , O Fisher  (Eng) , R Rock (Eng) , J Morrison  (Eng) , R Green (Aus) , M Carlsson  (Swe) , H Ryu (Kor) , A Quiros  (Esp)
 74 M Ford (Eng) , R Bland (Eng), R Paratore (Ita), J Edfors (Swe) , L Chao (Chn) , T Lee (SKor) , G Flint (Aus) , W Ormsby (Aus) , S Hutsby  (Eng) , B Kim (SKor) , R Jacquelin (Fra) , E Espana (Fra) , G Bourdy (Fra)
 75 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) , Z Xin-Jun (Chn) , E Pepperell (Eng) , D Jang (SKor) , H Wen-Yi (Chn) , P Larrazábal (Esp) , T Fisher Jnr (RSA) , W Weijun (Chn) , M Brown (Nzl) , T Hatton (Eng) , C Xiao-Ma (Chn) , S Kjeldsen (Den) , S Hansen (Den) , S Benson (Eng) , G Storm  (Eng) , Y Bin (Chn) , D Drysdale (Sco) , Y Tian (Chn) , D Fichardt (RSA) , R Karlsson (Swe) , T Khrongpha (Tha) , J Van Zyl (RSA) , L Bjerregaard  (Den) , M Griffin (Aus) , J Cheng (Chn) , G Tian-Lang (Chn)
 76 M Lundberg (Swe) , C Zi-Hao (Chn) , R Finch  (Eng) , R Dillon (USA) , M Crespi  (Ita) , L Xin-Yang (Chn) , M Hoey  (Nir) , T Lewis (Eng) , G Havret  (Fra) , S Chawrasia (Ind) , M Tullo (Chi) , S Kim (SKor) , N Colsaerts  (Bel) , M Madsen  (Den) , R Fisher (Eng)
 77 A Dodt (Aus) , L Yan-Wei (Chn) , Z Lianwei (Chn) , S Dong (Chn) , E Molinari  (Ita) , D Ze-Cheng (Chn) , S Park (SKor) , C Lee (SKor) , O Zheng (Chn) , B Proverbs (am) (Aus)
 78 D Bransdon (Aus) , D Brooks (Eng) , J Campillo (Esp) , P Hanson (Swe) , C Doak (Sco) , D Lipsky (USA), Z Guo-Wu (Chn) , H Ze-Yu (Chn) , N Fasth (Swe)
 79 L Slattery (Eng) , H Mu (Chn) , G Mulroy (RSA) , J Kruger (RSA) , Z Chang-Lei (Chn) , R Santos  (Por) , S Jamieson  (Sco) , S Dodd (Wal) , W Wei-Huang (Chn)
 80 F Aguilar (Chi) , B Lein (USA) , J Park (SKor)
 82 Z Xiongyi (Chn) , X Bowen (Chn) , L Ting (am) (Tpe)
 83 D Chen Xiao (Chn)
 84 M Lampert (Ger)
 85 L Xin (Chn)
 86 S Nan-Nan (Chn) , S Zihan (Chn)
 88 J Palmer (Eng)
       

Play it again, Sam! Torrance bidding for PGA Seniors Championship hat-trick at Close House

NEWS RELEASE

Ryder Cup-winning captain Sam Torrance will be among the star names teeing up at this year’s ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at Close House in the north-east of England..

It signals a return to the tournament for Torrance, who is seeking to win the title for a third time after capturing it in 2005 and 2006.

The 61-year-old Scot, who has won 11 Senior and 21 European Tour titles during a glittering career, will be one of the players to watch at the four-day championship, which is being staged at the highly-rated Close House, near Newcastle, between June 11-14.

The Championship, which boasts a £260,000 prize fund, will be played over the 6,813-yard par-71 Lee Westwood Colt course, ranked in the UKs top 100 courses by Golf Monthly, which was designed as a tribute to iconic English golf course architect Harry Colt.

Torrance, who has also carved out a successful off-course career as golf pundit, said: “The PGA Championship is one of our biggest events on the schedule so I look forward to playing in it.

“It’s a new venue which comes very highly rated and it would be great to win the title for a third time at a third venue.”

Officials of Close House, which has agreed to stage the tournament for three years, is looking forward to hosting the prestigious event.

“To stage a top-ranking tournament of this magnitude for the first time confirms an exciting period in our development and is testament to everyone connected with Close House and shows how far we have come since opening less than four years ago,” said owner Graham Wylie.

“The decision to stage the championship here at Close House gives us an excellent opportunity to showcase our facilities and will allow golf fans in the Newcastle area an exclusive opportunity to see top class professional golf at close quarters.

“We have already had 12,000 golf fans register for tickets, which are complimentary, and we are looking forward to hosting them as well as welcoming all the leading European Senior Tour players to the north east of England.”

ISPS Handa will be sponsoring the championship for a fourth successive year as it continues its mission to promote opportunities for blind and disabled golfers.

Tokyo-based ISPS revealed its commitment by establishing, along with The PGA, an academy programme to train PGA Professionals to coach blind and disabled golfers.

“ISPS continues to promote disabled golf and we are delighted to sponsor the PGA Seniors Championship once again, to help raise its profile and also to be taking the tournament to Close House for the first time,” said Dr Haruhisa Handa whose ambition is to make golf an Paralympic sport.

Sky Sports offer free day for the British Masters golf in Oct

 

We’re announcing this at 11am today.  Nice story! - tickets for Day 1 will be offered free of charge enabling free admission to all.  Over 15k tickets available.  Day 1 will be called ‘Sky Sports Thursday’- this is part of our plans to engage existing and new golf fans and is part of our activity as a partner sponsor for the event.

 

Am at desk all day if you want to talk on 020 7032 1447.

 

Rgds

 

Julian

Sky Sports and European Tour announce free admission to

first day (October 8) of British Masters at Woburn 

 

NEWS RELEASE

New and existing golf fans can watch some of the world’s top golfers FREE of charge this October when the British Masters supported by Sky Sports takes place at Woburn Golf Club.

To celebrate the return of the British Masters to The European Tour, more than 15,000 tickets offering free admission will be available for the opening round as part of ‘Sky Sports Thursday.’

‘Sky Sports Thursday’ is one of a range of initiatives from The European Tour and Sky Sports to be confirmed to help attract a new audience to golf alongside established fans.

From 10am tomorrow (Friday, April 24), Sky customers will be able to take advantage of an exclusive 48hr ‘pre-sale,’ giving them first option on the free ticket offer for round one of the British Masters supported by Sky Sports, which takes place on Thursday, October 8 Tickets are limited to a maximum of two per person.

As part of this 48 hour pre-sale, Sky customers will also be able to purchase tickets at a discounted advance rate for the second, third and final rounds,  Friday 9 October to Sunday 11 October.  Tickets will be on sale via www.sky.com/tickets.

The remaining free tickets for ‘Sky Sports Thursday’ will then be made available to non-Sky customers via www.sky.com/tickets from 10am on Sunday 26 April when tickets for Friday to Sunday will also go on general release jointly via www.europeantourtickets.com and www.sky.com/tickets.

Ian Poulter, the 12-time European Tour winner and tournament host said: “This is a brilliant idea and just proves how keen Sky Sports and The European Tour are in attempting to do something different with the British Masters.  

"I’m sure the British Masters is going to be a tremendous event and the fact that the first day’s play will be free, means as many as possible can come down and cheer us on.”

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, added: “We’ve promised to do something different with the British Masters so we’re delighted to partner with The European Tour and announce ‘Sky Sports Thursday’ and free entry for everyone.  

"As well as entertaining existing golf fans, we’re really keen to play our part in helping attract a new audience and we hope a day of free golf will help do just that.”

Any one day tickets for Friday to Sunday cost £20 (£10 concession) if bought before May 31 or £25 (£15 concession) before October 4. The full gate price is £30.

Adult season tickets cost £50 (£25 concession) before May 31, or £65 (£35 concession) before October 4. The full gate price for a season ticket is £75