Stephen Easingwood wins Edward Trophy

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Stephen Easingwood (Dunbar), winner of the Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship 27 years ago - in 1988 - today turned the clock back to his days of glory by winning the prestigious Edward Trophy 36-hole open event at Glasgow Gailes.
Easingwood had rounds of 73 and 72 for a total of three-over-par 145, finishing a stroke ahead of Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 71-75 who hd led him by two after the first round.
Ed Wood  (Crow Wood) came third with 76 and 72 for 148.
The CSS for both rounds was 76, indicating that there was a bit of a wind down Ayrshire way today. 

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71) CSS 76 for both rounds                         

145 Stephen Easingwood (Dunbar) 73  72 
146 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 71 75
148 Ed Wood (Crow Wood) 76 72, Craig Chalmers (Cawder) 77 71, Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) 74 74
149 Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) 75 74, Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton) 74 75.
150 Andrew McKay (Balmore) 76 74, Stephen Spence (Royal Troon) 72 78, Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 78 72, Glen Burrett (Haggs Castle) 78 72.
151 Ryan Campbell (Falkirk) 76 75, Graham Bolton (Bute) 75 76.
153 Craig Telfer (Prestwick St Cuthbert) 73 80, Andrew Fairbairn (Cawder) 72 81.
154 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) 76 78.
155 Steven Manning (Pollok) 77 78, Garry Price (Paisley) 79 76, Robbie Kemsley (Balmore) 77 78.
156 Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle) 77 79, Conor Neil (Mount Ellen) 76 80.
157 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 80 77, J Richard Johnston (GlenbervIe) 78 79, David Dickson (Bonnyton) 80 77, Stuart Easton (Irvine) 82 75, Graeme Cross (Cawder) 80 77, Hugh Nelson (Kilsyth Lennox) 82 75.
158 Allister Parlane (Helensburgh) 78 80, Thomas Morrison (Kilsyth Lennox) 79 79, Gordon Miller (Cawder) 78 80, Edward Shannly (Linlithgow) 78 80, Paul Gault (Haggs Castle) 80 78.
159 Kenneth Gallacher (East Kilbride) 77 82, Craig Pirie (Millport) 80 79, Robbie McLeod (Elderslie) 77 82. Ben Kingsley (St Andrews) 81 78.
160 Kenneth Bell (Elderslie) 81 79, Gordon Yates (Colville Park) 82 78, Fraser Campbell (Monifieth) 83 77
161 Stephen Renfrew (Port Bannatyne) 75 86, Lee Jenkins (Beith) 78 83.
162 Chris Conroy (Paisley) 81 81, Colin Peddie (Kirkintilloch) 85 77, Jamie Lynch (Glenbervie) 84 78.
163 Jonathon Brown (Haggs Castle) 84 79, Alistair Thurlow (Murrayfield) 81 82, Blair Dalgleish (Ralston) 86 77
164 John Laurie (Glasgow) 79 85, Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 82 82, Calum McKay (Monifieth) 83 81.
165 Scott Moore (Clydebank and Dist) 80 85
166 Richard F Johnston (Glenbervie) 84 82, Mark Tait (Glasgow) 77 89, Callum Burns (Balmore) 82 84.
167 Jamie Lamb (Lanark) 89 78, John McBeth (Woking) 89 78
168 Chris Lawton (Stirling) 83 85
169 Grant Minnes (Balmore) 88 81
170 Craig Morrison (Haggs Castle) 84 86.
171 Alan Russell (Clydebank Overtoun) 83 88
175 Stuart Wylie (Lochview) 89 86, Simon Berrie (Troon Welbeck) 88 87.
No returns: Nicky Gold (Bonnyton) 76 NR, William MacMillan (Bonnyton) 79 NR, Ian McDowall (Cathkin Braes) NR 79, Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) 81 NR, Graeme Campbell (Old Ranfurly) 82 NR, James Paterson (Hayston) 86 NR, Grant Beaton (Bonnyton) NR, Kristopher McClure (Clydebank and Dist) NR, Christopher Prior (Bearsden) NR.

Elvira seals Madrid Challenge win with an  albatross finish EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS There can be few ways finer to seal a second European Challenge Tour title than with an albatross, as home soil hero Nacho Elvira carded that rarest of birds en route to a four-stroke victory over Ricardo Gouveia and Ruaidhri McGee at the Challenge de Madrid. Stood 202 metres from the pin at El Encin Golf Hotel’s par five fourth hole, Elvira took dead aim with a five iron and it could not have worked out any better, finding the bottom of the cup and helping to propel him to an impressive 21 under par total and a crowd-pleasing triumph in his nation’s capital. Elvira did not drop a shot all week across the first 11 holes, and alongside his albatross on the final day, he also carded four birdies. That run put him 21 under for the week over that stretch, and despite a couple of dropped shots coming in, he signed for a closing 67. As a result of this latest triumph, the Spaniard jumps to second spot on the Road to Oman Rankings, as he looks to replicate the form that saw him win a maiden title at the 2013 Foshan Open en route to 14th place on the season-long list that year. “It has been a wonderful week and a wonderful day, I could not ask for anything better,” said the 28 year old Madrid native, who finished 121st at the end of his maiden Race to Dubai campaign last season. “A lot of people asked me how I would approach today, but I didn’t actually change anything. Everything seemed to be working, and I was on the range beforehand with my two coaches and we said that I just needed to stay calm and try to enjoy it. I have been practicing more often here, of late, and I had a game plan and tried to stick with it. “That albatross was unbelievable. It is the first of my career, the first I have ever made, and it is amazing that it happened today. You could say there was a little bit of luck in there, but there were still plenty of holes to play, and I tried to stick to my game plan and focus on my game. “It is funny, as I had 202 metres to the flag and it was blowing a little downwind, and I said to my caddy that it was a five iron, and the previous two holes I had not had the same distance, but I had used the same club and hit pretty good shots. I thought it was the club again, and when it came out it looked pretty good, but I never expected what happened. “My family and friends don’t get to come and watch me too often as we are often playing outside of Spain, and having them here with my girlfriend supporting me was great. “I am going to play as much as I can on The European Tour this season, but I think I am going to play Turkey now on the Challenge Tour rather than Mauritius, and after that I will play the Spanish Open, before I sit down with my coaches and see what we do from there.” There was very little the chasing pack could do in Madrid as Elvira pulled clear, but for much of the final day McGee was his closest challenger, having started himself with an eagle three at the first. The Irishman could never quite do enough to catch the marauding Spaniard out front however, but a birdie at the last saw him sign for a closing 71 – despite a double bogey at the par three 16th – and a tie for second place alongside Portugal’s Gouveia, who himself picked a shot up at the last for a round of 69. That should all but secure McGee a full Challenge Tour card for the rest of the season, having started the year on a medical extension For Gouveia it marks a continuation of the form that saw him enter this campaign as one of the favourites for graduation. England’s Chris Hanson also took advantage of the blustery conditions on the final day to card a 65 and finish a further shot adrift in fourth spot at 16 under. That matched the round of the day carded by compatriot Sam Walker on Saturday as he moved into a share of fifth alongside Welshman Stuart Manley, who signed for a 66. FINAL TOTALS par 288 (4x72) 267 N Elvira  (Esp) 66 68 66 67, 271 R Gouveia (Por) 66 68 68 69, R McGee (Irl) 65 67 68 71, 272 C Hanson (Eng) 68 70 69 65, 273 S Walker (Eng) 70 68 70 65, S Manley (Wal) 70 68 69 66, 275 P Maddy (Eng) 68 71 67 69, P Oriol (Esp) 69 69 67 70, 276 A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 64 73 68 71, S Soderberg (Swe) 67 66 70 73, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 71 65 71 69, R Kellett (Sco) 67 70 71 68, 277 A Tadini (Ita) 70 68 66 73, J Walters (RSA) 72 70 66 69, B Evans  (Eng) 73 67 68 69, N Ravano (Ita) 66 75 69 67, E Saltman  (Sco) 70 66 72 69, B Stone (RSA) 69 67 70 71, A Saddier (Fra) 70 69 71 67, 278 A McArthur  (Sco) 67 72 68 71, J Lara (Esp) 68 73 68 69, S Gros (Fra) 65 70 69 74, V Riu  (Fra) 71 70 67 70, M Trappel  (Aut) 68 69 72 69, J McLeary  (Sco) 70 71 70 67, P Martin Benavides (Esp) 69 71 69 69 279 J Sarasti  (Esp) 66 66 74 73, D Foos (Ger) 67 68 71 73, J Senior (Eng) 70 69 71 69, F Calmels  (Fra) 71 70 65 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 71 71 70 67, 280 S Thornton (Irl) 74 67 67 72, C Berardo (Fra) 70 70 68 72, M Lafeber (Ned) 73 68 69 70, S Fallon (Eng) 69 69 72 70, M Wiegele  (Aut) 74 68 69 69, 281 C Gloet  (Den) 70 68 71 72, P Lawrie (Irl) 68 70 71 72, A Hortal  (Esp) 73 69 67 72, T Sluiter  (Ned) 71 71 69 70, 282 C Aguilar  (Esp) 69 72 68 73, D Gaunt (Eng) 70 69 74 69, J Lima  (Por) 73 67 67 75, G Porteous (Eng) 69 72 70 71, C Paisley  (Eng) 70 71 67 74, J Garcia Del Moral (Esp) 70 70 72 70, L Nemecz (Aut) 73 67 70 72, B Stow (Eng) 71 71 68 72, 283 E Cuartero Blanco  (Esp) 67 75 69 72, M Jonzon (Swe) 65 73 72 73, G Murray  (Sco) 70 67 75 71, P Figueiredo  (Por) 69 67 73 74, S Tiley (Eng) 69 70 74 70, M Delpodio  (Ita) 70 72 69 72, 284 R Kakko  (Fin) 68 72 72 72, E Larrañaga (Esp) 75 67 71 71, P Whiteford (Sco) 71 70 66 77, J Stalter (Fra) 73 69 70 72, 285 J Huldahl (Den) 75 67 73 70, J Gonnet  (Fra) 72 69 68 76, G Maybin (Nir) 71 71 70 73, 286 J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 70 74 74, W Booth  (Sco) 73 69 71 73, 287 J Gallegos  (Esp) 71 71 71 74, A Gee  (Eng) 69 73 71 74, 289 N Kimsey (Eng) 70 72 76 71, P Archer (Eng) 72 70 71 76, 290 L Gagli  (Ita) 71 71 72 76, 291 H Satama (Fin) 70 72 75 74, 292 W Harrold (Eng) 68 74 76 74, ** J Glennemo (Swe) 67 69 73 DQ,

Lee Westwood leads by five after inward 29

 

Jakarta: Lee Westwood’s superb ability of staying patient was rewarded when he stormed ahead to snatch the third round lead with  on Saturday.

The former world number one cut a frustrated figure in his front-nine but an astonishing back-nine 29 saw Westwood compile a three-day total of eight-under-par 208 to establish a five-shot lead going into the final round at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club. 

Thailand’s Namchok Tantipokhakul carded a 71 to tie for second with Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and South Korea’s Y.E. Yang on matching 213 total at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.

It was a tale of two different nines for Westwood, the double CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters champion, who had started the day in seventh place. 

The Englishman turned in 36 after mixing one birdie and one bogey.

However a stunning eagle-three on 12 lifted the world number 33 to the top of the leaderboard. 

“I was struggling for a bit of momentum around the front-nine as I found it hard to read the greens. That eagle from about 25 ft really got me going and I went on to birdie the next five holes,” said Westwood.

Five successive birdies from 13 then saw him sprint away from the chasing pack, giving him a commanding advantage before the final round beckons.

“Nobody was really doing anything around the front-nine. I was sort of plodding along and even-par till 11 and only two behind then. But I managed to have a good run after that and stamp a bit of authority when nobody was doing it,” said Westwood. 

With a hat-trick of titles in sight, Westwood is determined to make his visit to Jakarta another enjoyable one.

“I’ve been here twice and I won both times so I like to keep that going. I’ve never been beaten before so I’m going in with a big chance tomorrow,” said Westwood. 

Despite Westwood’s healthy lead, Bjorn believes he still has a chance to dent the Englishman’s title aspirations.

“I haven’t been playing particularly well. But I managed to scramble my way around. It’s very much in his hands but I’ll still give a go and see how it goes.

“I got to putt well and shoot really low tomorrow as I can’t let anything slip early,” said the Dane. 

Namchok is also determined to stop Westwood in his tracks by going on a birdie sprint early.

“I’ve got to start applying the pressure early and see how it goes. There’s still a chance and I’m going to do my best and try to make a charge early tomorrow,” said the Thai.

 

THIRD-ROUND LEADERS

Par 216 (3x72) Yardage 7,340

208 - Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) 69-74-65.

213 - Y.E. YANG (KOR) 73-71-69, Thomas BJORN (DEN) 66-76-71, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 69-73-71.

214 - Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) 69-76-69.

215 - Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA) 71-77-67, Khalin JOSHI (IND) 71-76-68, Bryce EASTON (RSA) 73-77-65, Kalem RICHARDSON (AUS) 75-70-70, Jeunghun WANG (KOR) 74-71-70, Yosuke TSUKADA (JPN) 71-71-73, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 68-74-73, CHAN Shih-chang (TPE) 66-75-74.

216 - Raphael DE SOUSA (SUI) 72-76-68, Danny CHIA (MAS) 74-74-68, Lionel WEBER (FRA) 73-74-69, Berry HENSON (USA) 75-72-69, LEE Chieh-po (TPE) 71-75-70, Paul SPARGO (AUS) 70-74-72, Unho PARK (AUS) 67-73-76.

217 - Rashid KHAN (IND) 69-79-69, Keith HORNE (RSA) 74-73-70, Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 73-72-72, Paul PETERSON (USA) 71-73-73.

Richie Ramsay now T4, only two off pace in China Open as three share lead   EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

With no player having won the Volvo China Open twice and no Chinese player having won a European Tour title on home soil, Alex Levy, Li Hao-tong and Wu Ashun will not lack for motivation when they head into the final day in a tie for the lead with former Ryder Cup star David Howell.  Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay, on the back of a third-round 70 has moved up to joint fourth, only two off the pace on 210. Craig Lee had a 72 for 217. The locals at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, in the world’s most populous city, will have high hopes of a home win after playing partners Li and Wu both posted rounds of 69 to climb to eight under par alongside Howell, who had earlier signed for a sparkling 68. Howell, whose last win came in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 18 months ago, followed six straight pars with birdies at the seventh and eighth before holing a curling 40-footer on the tenth for a third gain of the day. Good approach play set up further birdies on the 11th and 13th holes, but he dropped his only shot of the day at the next after pitching into a bunker. Defending champion Levy had threatened to run away with the tournament after reeling off four successive birdies from the first hole, but a lacklustre back nine of 38 saw him drop back into a share of first place. Key Quotes Alex Levy: “It was the perfect start for me. But after that I got a little bit nervous, because I haven’t played well for three months now, so I haven’t been in this position for a while. So it’s nice to be back at the top of the leaderboard, but I have to get used to it again. “I got a little bit frustrated on the back nine, because I didn’t miss many shots and yet I still came back in two over. So it was a bit strange really, because I thought I actually played quite well. It was a shame, but it’s positive that I was still hitting good shots.” David Howell: “It was a very nice day for me. The conditions weren’t too testing, although the wind got up a little bit on the back nine. But I felt like there was a score to be had out there, and I adapted to the conditions much better than I did yesterday, when I struggled with the comparative softness of the course. But I knew what to expect today, and took advantage. “It’s a real test but I’ve really enjoyed the test so far. If you get yourself out of position, it can be very difficult to save par. But conversely, if you do find the fairway from the tee, there are definitely some birdies to be had.” THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD par 216 (3x72) 208 D Howell (Eng) 68 72 68, W Ashun (Chn) 73 66 69, A Levy (Fra) 69 68 71, L Hao-Tong (Chn) 71 68 69,  210 R Ramsay  (Sco) 72 68 70, M Carlsson  (Swe) 73 72 65, S Benson (Eng) 75 69 66, P Meesawat  (Tha) 72 70 68  211 T Pieters  (Bel) 70 71 70  212 S Strange (Aus) 71 72 69, J Quesne  (Fra) 69 67 76, E Grillo (Arg) 73 70 69, M Manassero (Ita) 71 68 73  213 R Fisher (Eng) 76 69 68, P Uihlein  (USA) 70 67 76, B Hebert  (Fra) 70 76 67, R Wattel  (Fra) 72 67 74, J Morrison  (Eng) 73 70 70, R Green (Aus) 73 71 69, T Hatton (Eng) 75 69 69  214 M Hendry (Nzl) 68 73 73, B Dredge (Wal) 68 74 72, M Ilonen  (Fin) 73 71 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 74 68 72  215 J Edfors (Swe) 74 72 69, S Kjeldsen (Den) 75 71 69, A Noren  (Swe) 73 70 72, M Griffin (Aus) 75 68 72, F Aguilar (Chi) 80 65 70, R Karlsson (Swe) 75 70 70, N Cullen (Aus) 72 73 70, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 75 70 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 72 73 70, I Park (SKor) 70 74 71, M Nixon (Eng) 73 70 72, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 71 68 76,  216 G Havret  (Fra) 76 68 72, A Johnston (Eng) 72 70 74, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 71 68 77, R Paratore (Ita) 74 71 71, B An (SKor) 72 68 76, R Gibson (Aus) 71 71 74, D Horsey (Eng) 72 73 71, G Bourdy (Fra) 74 72 70, T Lee (SKor) 74 71 71, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 73 69 74  217 S Kapur (Ind) 70 72 75, M Foster (Eng) 72 71 74, C Lee (Sco) 70 75 72, T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 75 71 71  218 C Wood  (Eng) 73 70 75, M Kieffer (Ger) 73 72 73, M Fraser (Aus) 69 76 73, J Lee (Aus) 72 74 72, R Rock (Eng) 73 73 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 72 75, O Wilson (Eng) 70 76 72  220 D Drysdale (Sco) 75 69 76, S Hend (Aus) 71 73 76, Z Jin (Chn) 72 70 78, J Carlsson (Swe) 70 75 75  221 Y Tian (Chn) 75 69 77, R Carter (USA) 71 73 77,  223 S Hansen (Den) 75 70 78, S Jeffress (Aus) 72 74 77, E Espana (Fra) 74 72 77,  225 Z Xin-Jun (Chn) 75 71 79   - Ends -

Levy surges past Quesne into China Open lead

FROM EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

A blistering start saw defending champion Alex Levy swiftly displace Julien Quesne at the top of the Volvo China Open leaderboard as the third round began at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club today
Quesne’s second round 67 had given him a one shot lead over fellow Frenchman Levy and America’s Peter Uihlein.

Levy, who romped to a four-shot victory in this event last year to secure a maiden European Tour title – he has since added a second in Portugal – wiped out the overnight deficit with a birdie from 20 feet at the first.
Both 24 year old Levy and 34 year old Quesne got up-and-down from the edge of the green at the long second for matching birdies, but Levy holed an outrageous 60 foot effort on the third.

At ten under par he led by one from Quesne, with Uihlein a shot further back in third having produced his only birdie of the day on the second.
Sweden’s Magnus A Carlsson had shown the later starters what was possible with an outward 30 the catalyst for a round of 65 which propelled him from outside the top 40 to clubhouse leader on six under.
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