Report and scores from Fairhaven Trophies junior open touranment at Fairhaven GC, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire are on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Only seven Scots beat cut in Lytham Trophyk

Neil, McDonald 10 shots behind leader


Only seven Scots beat the cut at the halfway stage of the Lytham Trophy with the best of them, British amateur champion Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) and Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 10 shots behind the leader after 36 holes, writes Colin Farquharson.
The cut to the leading 40 and ties for Sunday's final two rounds fell at 151 and the Scots who did not make it included Michael Smyth 153, Craig Howie 155, Daniel Young 157, Jamie Savage 157, Fraser Moore 159, Nick Macandrew 159, Conor Syme 159, Graeme Robertson 159.
No British player has won the Lytham Trophy since Lancashire man Jack Senior in 2011 and it is looking that "export only" way again after Day 2 of the prestigious tournament at Royal Lytham and St Annes
Early in the day, during which conditions became more and more difficult to a cold wind, Sweden's Marcus Kinult posted a second-round 69 - one under par - to be the leader by seven strokes in the clubhouse
The target he set - 137, a three under par aggregate over the par 70 course which is an Open championship links, was unchallenged by the end of a long, long day.
Stirling University student Cormac Sharvin, a former Irish amateur champion from the Ardglass club, later cut Kinult's lead to five shots with a 74 for 142.
Hopes of a first Scottish winner since Lloyd Saltman in 2007 faded when  Bradley Neil and Jack McDonald  came to grief in the second round after solid starts on Friday.
Neil slumped from 71 to 76 for 147 the same 36-hole tally as McDonald with scores of 70-77 - 10 shots off the pace
The Blairgowrie man dropped five shots over the first six holes and a birdie at the fourth got him out in 38. He got another birdie after the turn, at the 11th, but it was surrounded by further bogeys at the 10th, 14th and 17th.
McDonald had double bogeys at the third and sixth. His only birdie of the day came at the fourth but he dropped more shots at the eighth, ninth, 11th and 17th in halves of 39-38

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 140 (2x70)
137 Marcus Kinhult (Swe) 68 69
142 Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass) 68 74
144 Oliver Farrell (Evesham) 70 74, Richard James (Aberystwyth) 71 71.
145 Robin Roussel (France) 74 71, Jack Barrie Yule (Middleton Hall) 74 71
146 Daniel Wasteney (Lindrick) 72 74, Lukas Lipold (Aut) 69 77, Zan Luka Stirn (Slovenia) 70 76

SELECTED SCORES
147 Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 71 76, Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 70 77
148 Mathias Eggenberger (Stirling Univ) 71 77, Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 71 77, Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) 75 73
149 Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) 73 76, Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) 73 76
150 Scott Gibson (Southerness) 75 75, Jack Singh Brar (Remedy Oak) 71 79

MISSED THE CUT 
(leading 40 players and ties at 151 and better)
152 John Axelsen (Denmark) 68 84
153 Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) 75 78, Marco Iten (Stirling Univ) 72 81
154 Gavin Moynihan (The Island) 78 76
155 Craig Howie (Peebles) 74 81, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 81 74
156 Henry Tomlinson (Stirling Univ) 76 80
157 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 78 79, Jamie Savage (Cawder) 75 82, Marco Penge (Goodwood) 78 79.
159 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 77 82, Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 79 80, Connor Syme (Drumoig) 78 81, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 75 84.
161 Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) 82 79
162 David Butler (Monifieth) 81 81

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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Live scoring from Cadillac World Match-play

Now sudden death

ROUND OF LAST SIXTEEN

McIlroy (N Ireland) v Matsuyama (Japan)]
Schwartzel (S Africa) v Casey (England)
Westwood (England) v Willett (England)
Grace (S Africa) v Fleetwood (England)

Senden (Australia) v Mahan (USA)
Leishman (Australia) v Woodland (USA)
Oosthuizen (S Africa) v Fowler (USA)
Furyk (USA) v Holmes (USA)

FOR THE LIVE SCORING SERVICE

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John Henry trails in Tunisian Open

John Henry (Clydebank and District) goes into Sunday's final round of the Alps Tour's Tunisian Open  over a composite course  at El Kantaoui Golf Club in joint 40th place, 11 shots behind three players tied for the lead at 10-under-par 206

Henry has had rounds of 72, 70 and 75 for a 54-hole tally of one-over 217.

John Gallagher (73-74 for 147) and James White (76-77 for 153) missed the cut at 145.

Sharing the lead on 206 are Englishman Josh Loughrey (66-69-71), Frenchman Dominque Nouaillac (69-71-66) and Italy's Joon Kim (70-67-69).

 

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 216 (3x 72)

206 Dominique Nouaillac (Fra) 69 71 66, Joon Kim (Ita) 70 67 69, Josh Loughrey (Eng) 66 69 71

207 Liam Harper (Eng) 71 69 67, Matthieu Pavon (Fra) 68 69 70

SELECTED SCORES

217 John Henry (Sco) 72 70 75 (T40)

MISSED THE CUT (145 and better qualified)

147 John Gallagher (Sco) 73 74

153 James White (Sco) 76 77

2021 US PGA championship to be played at 

Kiawah Island, South Carolina

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina  -- The US PGA Championship is returning to the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island  in 2021, three decades after the seaside lay-out made its debut at the 1991 Ryder Cup.

This will be the second time Pete Dye's course has hosted golf's final major -- in 2012 Rory McIlroy won by eight shots.
The course was commissioned specifically for the Ryder Cup, and Bernhard Langer's missed par putt lifted the U.S. to victory in the "War at the Shore."

But the course's difficulty and harsh seaside winds kept major events away from the barrier island for the next few years. After some alterations by Dye through the years, the PGA of America brought its signature event to the Ocean Course three years ago.
"I think it's a great, fair test of golf for the best players in the world who were ere in 2012 and will be back in 2021," Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America's chief championship officer, said Friday.
While the golf was magnificent, the logistics of moving people on and off the seaside island near Charleston was not as smooth. Shuttles for fans and media from downtown Charleston took up to 90 minutes to make the 40-mile trip. A parking field turned to muck after a Saturday rainstorm, making it near impossible for people to leave the area in a timely fashion.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort President Roger Warren acknowledged the missteps and vowed to fix them in time for 2021.
Parking "didn't meet our standards," Warren said. "Our goal is to improve and fix that so it doesn't become the issue that people talk about."
Part of the solution, Warren said, will be relocating parking areas further from the island and using shuttles to bring more fans to the course, hopefully, easing congestion entering the island. He also wants people who bus in from Charleston to understand that it's not a quick trip.
"We need a better plan and we're going to have a better plan," he said.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, sitting alongside Warren, said she has spoken with Kiawah Island leaders about how state leaders can help.
The tournament, the governor said, generated $75 million in advertising for South Carolina. PGA of America President Derek Sprague added the 2012 tournament had an economic impact of $193 million on the state.
"South Carolinians love their golf," Haley said.
Haigh said organizers again planned to limit spectators, as they did in 2012, because of the location. Three years ago, access was limited to about 27,000 people each day, including competitors, support personnel, media and spectators. In 2009, Hazeltine National in Minnesota had about 44,000 people each round.
Dye said he expected no changes to the course in the next six years.
"It's OK with me," he said.
The Ocean Course has had an up-and-down history with professional golf. After the splashy, Ryder Cup debut, pros were deterred by the strong winds, fast greens and tricky layout. It served as the misty backdrop for "The Legend of Bagger Vance," the 2000 movie directed by Robert Redford.
The course hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2007 before entertaining the world's best golfers five years later at the PGA.
McIlroy devoured the competition, finishing eight shots ahead of runner-up David Lynn to break Jack Nicklaus' mark for margin of victory at the PGA Championship.
Haigh said the feedback from pros was strong after 2012.
"Why would we not come back to this wonderful venue," he sai

 Pioneer Pete Brown - he once beat Tony Jacklin in play-off - dies at 80
NEWS RELEASE
Pete Brown, the first African-American to win a US PGA Tour-sanctioned event, died Friday. He was 80.
Brown earned his US PGA Tour card in 1963, two years after the circuit abolished its "Caucasians only" membership clause. He earned a breakthrough victory at the 1964 Waco Turner Open and went on to enjoy a 17-year career that also included a win at the 1970 San Diego Open in a play-off against Tony Jacklin.
News of Brown's death was first reported in a tweet from PGA of America historian Bob Denney. Brown died at a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where the Augusta Chronicle reported he was suffering from the effects of multiple strokes and congestive heart failure.
Brown's death is another loss of one of golf's African-American pioneers this year. Brown's friend and fellow trailblazer, Charlie Sifford, died in February at age 92, while 12-time Tour winner Calvin Peete died earlier this week at age 71.

Monty one off the lead with a 67 in Champions' 

Tour event at Woodlands, Texas
 

 Colin Montgomerie goes into the second round of the Champions Tour's Insperity Invitational in joint third place, one off the lead, after an openinig day score of five-under-par 67 at the Woodlands Country Club, Texas.

Marco Dawson and Michael Allen each shot 6-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead iThe 51-year-old Dawson had seven birdies and a bogey at The Woodlands Country Club. He won the Conquistadores Classic in March in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.
“I don’t know that I feel any different as far as playing,” Dawson said. “I don’t take any more chances than I used to before I won. That was then. This is just a new week. You still have to play, make the putts.”
The 56-year-old Allen also had seven birdies and a bogey. He won twice last season.
“When you’re kind of making some putts or you feel at least good with the putter, you kind of feel like you can give yourself a chance,” Allen said. “You don’t have to be knocking down every pin to do it.”
Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert shot 67, and Steve Pate and Billy Andrade followed at 68. Durant and Andrade teamed to win the Legends of Golf last week in Missouri.

“You just want to have a chance to win going into the last nine,” Durant said. “Got close a couple of times. We didn’t quite close the deal. Playing last week and winning with Billy certainly helps a lot.”
Defending champion Bernhard Langer opened with a 71.
Fred Couples, second last year, withdrew from the tournament.

FIRST-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 72 Players from USA unless stated
66 Michael Allen,, Marco Dawson
67 C Montgomerie (Sco), Joe Durant, Jeff Maggert/

OTHER BRIT SCORES
70 Roger Chapman (Eng), Sandy Lyle (Sco) (T17)
71 Ian Woosnam (Wal) (T31)

Michael Campbell quitting top-level play to 

focus on teaching the game

FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES WEBSITE
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell says he has lost the motivation to play top-level golf and is quitting to concentrate on teaching.
The 46-year-old New Zealander, who won the US Open at Pinehurst in 2005 (pictured above with the trophy 10 years ago), told New Zealand’s Radio Sport on Saturday that retiring was a hard decision but “I have no complaints to walk away from the game that has given me such a wonderful life.”
Campbell lives in Malaga, Spain where he runs a golf academy and has plans to establish others in Asia and New Zealand. He told Radio Sport he hopes to play senior tournaments when he becomes eligible in four years’ time.
He said friends of the same age “are still out there competing … but right now I have got no motivation to play.”
Campbell won the U.S. Open during a breakout year in 2005 in which he also won the World Matchplay Championships at Wentworth.
He only made the US Open field through European sectional qualifying, needing a birdie on the last hole of the qualifying tournament to secure his place. 
Campbell started the last round four strokes behind defending champion Retief Goosen and shot 69 in his final round for an even-par total of 280, winning by two strokes from Tiger Woods.

He was only the second New Zealander to win a major after Bob Charles, who won the 1963 Open.
“Obviously (winning the Open) 10 years ago was something special for me and for the country and for golf itself,” Campbell said. “I fulfilled one of my dreams to win a major and it was fantastic.
“But as everyone knows, it has been well documented, my career since then hasn’t been great. But if I walk away from the game right now I could be very proud of my achievements.”
Campbell said injuries had hampered his form and his recent divorce had caused him to reassess his priorities.
“It gave me time to reflect on my career and I decided to put golf on the backburner right now and just focus on other things,” he said. “I have had a wonderful, fabulous career over the last 20 years as a professional golfer.”
+Campbell claims he is descended from Scottish immigrants to New Zealand.

Sunday start as Paul Lawrie bids to complete 

Scottish title treble over span of 23 years
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Paul Lawrie will bid to win a third Scottish professional championship over a 23-year span when he tees it up over the King's Course in the Gleneagles Hotel-sponsored £40,000 72-hole stroke-play tournament which starts on a Sunday and offers a £6,000 first prize.
He won the title for the first time at Cardross in 1992, which was his first year on the European Tour and also the year he won the European Under-25s championship. Paul won his second Scottish pro championship at Gleneagles in 2005.
So why is Lawrie playing in what will be the 99th staging of the Scottish pro championship since it was first held, at Cardross, in 1908?
As a man who is 26th on the European Tour's career money list with  12,123,346 euros to his credit, Paul certainly does not need the money and as he says "I don't need to play in it but I learned my trade on the Tartan Tour and when I have the chance to play in events on the domestic tour, then I feel should as a kind of payback for all it taught me.
"I haven't played in the Scottish PGA Championship for a while but I'm really looking forward to it.  It'll be good to catch up with guys I played with years ago," said Paul.
Having an Open champion in the field is always good for the image and the PGA in Scotland are eternally grateful for what Lawrie has done and is doing for the game north of the Border - even south of the border later this year with the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay at Murcar Links and the Europro Tour event at Newmachar.
Lawrie clinched the second of his two Ryder Cup honours by winning the Johnnie Walker Championship, a European Tour event, over the Centenary course at Gleneagles  in 2012.
Brian Mair, secretary of the PGA in Scotland, says:
“It is testament to the stature of the venue that we have attracted such a strong field. To have the likes of Paul teeing up is a great fillip for the Tartan Tour and our flagship event and typifies Paul’s support of golf in Scotland.
"We have started on a Sunday in the past – to be honest, no particular reason other than working with the sponsors, Gleneagles, to ensure the dates work for both parties."
 Paul's first ever victory as a professional was in the Moray Sea Foods Open at Buckpool in 1986 which was a non-SPGA event and he was only one year into his training as a PGA assistant under the late Doug Smart at Banchory.
Paul also won the Scottish young professionals championship - or assistants championship as it was known then - at Cruden Bay in 1990. 
Other victories on the Tartan Tour includ the 2002 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish pro match-play championship, a tournament which has not been played for several years.
In all, Lawrie has won eight European Tour events
What Paul needs is to put a competitive edge back on his game - injury lay-offs have contributed to his decline as a force on the European Tour - so that he can make an impact on his three-in-a-row European Tour foray: the Spanish Open (May 14-17), the BMW PGA Championship (May 21-24) and the Irish Open (May 28-31).
The longer-term objective for Lawrie is to become competitive again over the next four years on the European Tour so that he is ready to step on to the Seniors Tour and be a success, as Colin Montgomerie has been.

Lawrie will tee off at Gleneagles on Sunday at 10am with Gavin Hay (Nairn Dunbar) and Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) as partners. Their Monday tee time is 2pm
Paul will be under no illusions that he has only to turn up to win.
With Greig Hutcheon and Graeme Fox (the 2012 winner), to name but two of the leading Tartan Tour players, in the field, Lawrie will have to play well to finish ahead of them.

WGC Match-play breakdown: Who plays whom in round of the last 16

FROM GOLFWEEK

By Jeff Babineau

SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s a look at how the Round of 16 matches of the Cadillac World Match-play championship might go Saturday morning (all times local) at TPC Hard Park. (Official World Ranking in parenthesis)
Match 1, 9:50 a.m.: Marc Leishman (60) vs. Gary Woodland (52)
Prediction: Woodland, 3 and 1. He advanced through what arguably was the toughest group (Jimmy Walker, Webb Simpson, Ian Poulter) and is putting well to go along with the advantage he has in distance.
Match 2, 10:02 a.m.: John Senden (65) vs. Hunter Mahan (32)
Prediction: Mahan, 3 and 2. Mahan is on a nice roll, is making birdies and has been a real force at this event through the years.
Match 3, 10:14 a.m.: Branden Grace (39) vs. Tommy Fleetwood (57)
Prediction: Grace, 19 holes. Both players rose from opening-day defeats to make it to the weekend, but the edge goes to Grace, who has a little bit more experience.
Match 4, 10:26 a.m.: Lee Westwood (27) vs. Danny Willett (49)
Prediction: Willett, 3 and 2. Loved Westwood’s fire in taking down young Jordan Spieth, but he’ll have his hands full with Willett, who, outside of one rough patch Friday, has made very few mistakes at Harding Park.
Match 5, 10:38 a.m.: Jim Furyk (5) vs. J.B. Holmes (12)
Prediction: Holmes, 2 up. Furyk is riding high off winning again and posted a nice 20-hole victory over Martin Kaymer on Friday, but Holmes should have a big edge given how long he hits it, especially at a place where the ball isn’t flying very far.
Match 6,10:50 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen (30) vs. Rickie Fowler (13)
Prediction: Fowler, 1 up. Could be the best match on the docket (along with McIlroy-Matsuyama). Oosthuizen is swinging it beautifully, but Fowler has a lot of confidence going with the putter right now, and that makes him dangerous.
Match 7, 11:02 a.m.: Charl Schwartzel (38) vs. Paul Casey (37)
Prediction: Casey, 3 and 2. On paper, the most even match of the morning, as these two sit next to one another on the World Ranking. Casey quietly has been building his game back up, and though he says it’s not quite there yet, a victory over Schwartzel will help move it along.
Match 8, 11:14 a.m.: Rory McIlroy (1) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (16)
Prediction: McIlroy, 4 and 3. Making the quarters won’t help him get to the Mayweather fight, but McIlroy survived his close call (Billy Horschel) and now will be more aggressive. Matsuyama has played well, but has yet to be tested. One thing McIlroy needs: an early lead. Nobody has played the back nine as well as Matsuyama (he’s 12 under par through 19 holes on the back). 

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE REPORTS FROM THE WORLD MATCH-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

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Bradley, Jimenez involved in heated 

exchange at Match Play

FROM GOLF WEEK

By Alex Miceli

SAN FRANCISCO – Golf is a gentleman’s game, but even gentlemen can disagree, which was the case in Friday’s third round of group play at the WGC-Cadillac Match Pay when Keegan Bradley and Miguel Angel Jimenez almost came to blows.
Neither player had had a particularly good week, and both entered the match with an 0-2 record. Bradley had made only five birdies in his first two matches, neither match reaching the 17th hole. 
Jimenez had to be a little frustrated after losing to Bubba Watson, 5 and 4, on Wednesday and then shooting 68 in Thursday’s second round with five birdies, only to fall, 2 down, to Louis Oosthuizen.
With no chance at advancing, Bradley and Jimenez found themselves in a dogfight for pride. Jimenez was one up on Bradley entering the par-5 18th at TPC Harding Park.
Bradley hit his tee shot left and over a fence separating the fairway from the television compound, an area considered a temporary moveable obstruction and one in which a free drop is awarded. With the assistance of rules official Russell Swanson, Bradley began to take two drops – one from the compound and another from the cart path just right of the fence.
During that process, Jimenez stepped in to voice his concern, believing Bradley to be taking an improper drop.
“The only thing is my intention is to be helpful, that is it,” Jimenez said. "That's the only thing.”
At one point, Bradley's caddie Steve "Pepsi" Hale got involved and was then told to "shut up" by Jimenez. That's when things got heated, and Bradley got in Jimenez's face, telling the Spaniard, "You don't tell my caddie to shut up."
“I felt like he was being very disrespectful to me, not only me but my caddie,” Bradley said after packing his car for the airport. “I felt like I had to kind of stand up for my boy here. Me and Pepsi have been through a lot. That's all it was.”
Jimenez went on to win the 18th hole and the match, 2 up, but it didn’t end there. What occurred inside the ropes – the two players had also had a dispute earlier in the round – continued outside the ropes.
 According to sources, Hale was yelling at Jimenez after the match and then more words were exchanged in the players' locker room at TPC Harding Park.
“I don't want to talk anything about it,” Jimenez said after Bradley had left. “Whatever he say, now it is finished. The round is finished. Everything is done. There was a discussion, but it is done.”
The incident in the locker room was heated, sources said, and it was unclear if anything had been resolved.
“It's just the heat of a moment thing,” Bradley said. “There's not much more I can say. It was disappointing. I'm pretty bummed out about it. “

McIlroy, Westwood produce heroics to reach 

last 16 of World Match-play

European Tour Communications

Rory McIlroy produced some late heroics and Lee Westwood claimed the notable scalp of Masters Tournament champion Jordan Spieth as seven European Tour Members reached the last 16 of the WGC-Cadillac Match Play in San Francisco.

Spieth, Westwood, McIlroy and Billy Horschel had all won their first two group matches at TPC Harding Park, meaning Friday's contests would decide which players advanced to the knockout stages.
And after Westwood recovered from losing the first two holes to beat Spieth on the 18th, McIlroy came from two down after 16 to beat Horschel on the 20th hole.
McIlroy holed from 25 feet for birdie on the 17th to keep the match alive and also birdied the 18th as FedEx Cup winner Horschel failed to get up and down from the side of the green.
Both players then missed from 12 feet for birdie on the first extra hole before McIlroy saved par from a greenside bunker on the next and Horschel was again unable to get up and down from off the green.
South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen defeated Bubba Watson on the 19th to set up a clash with Rickie Fowler, but Justin Rose bowed out despite beating Ryan Palmer to claim his second consecutive victory, first-day conqueror Marc Leishman rendering the former US Open champion's result meaningless by beating India's Anirban Lahiri on the 18th to advance with a perfect 3-0 record.
Leishman will face Gary Woodland next after Woodland defeated Webb Simpson on the 18^th. Former champion Hunter Mahan also advanced to the knockout stages with his third win, the American defeating compatriot Matt Kuchar 5 and 4 in Group 14.
Mahan will face Australian John Senden on Saturday morning, Senden and Fowler having already booked their places in the last 16 with a game to spare thanks to victories on the opening two days against the two players who could possibly match their overall record.
Head-to-head results would decide the group winner in the event of two players finishing tied, with the only play-off seeing Branden Grace defeat Zach Johnson and Charley Hoffman with a birdie at the third extra hole to set up a last-16 clash with England's Tommy Fleetwood.
Fleetwood defeated Bernd Wiesberger on the 19th and advanced courtesy of his better head-to-head record with Jamie Donaldson, who had beaten Sergio Garcia.
Elsewhere, Paul Casey had recovered from four down with nine to play to beat Francesco Molinari and set up a meeting with former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, with Jim Furyk winning Group 5 after beating Martin Kaymer on the 20th hole.
Furyk will take on J B Holmes on Saturday after Holmes defeated Brooks Koepka and Russell Henley defeated Scotland's Marc Warren by one hole. 
Warren won one, lost two over his three-match schedule.
Stephen Gallacher's third defeat in a row came at the 20th against Ben Martin.
 
Player Quotes
Rory McIlroy: “Getting up and down out of the bunker on 16 sort of kept me in the match.  And then on 17, he hit a really great shot in there.  And I followed him in and hit a great one, but it just ran on little bit. It was either hole it or go home.  So I just made a really committed stroke, and picked my line, and it was obviously the best putt of the whole day. 
" I thought back to the Ryder Cup, when I holed the putt on 17 green when I was playing with Sergio, because this was sort of a similar situation. I needed to hole out or we were basically going to get beaten, so drew a little bit of inspiration from that.  And then on 18 hit a really good 4‑iron into the green there.  And was a little disappointed with how far I left the putt short.  But it didn't matter in the end and I was somehow able to sneak through on extra holes. I’m delighted to be here, and I look forward to the weekend.

Lee Westwood: “Experience plays a role on any day, really.  But I've had a lot of match play experience, obviously nine Ryder Cups and many world match plays.  I played a lot of match play golf as an amateur, so I know how quickly things can change and what to do at certain times, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive.  Yeah, certainly the experience is one of the advantages of being 42, I guess.  Not that there are many!

"Jordan is arguably the best player in the world, in my opinion he is the best player in the world at the moment.  But you have to obviously respect that Rory is at the top of the World Rankings.  But he's certainly the hottest player in the world. It was nice being the underdog for a change.  

"It's nice to sort of come into the match play and be the underdog, but well and truly today.  And just went out and tried to play with a bit of freedom and roll positively on the greens and make some nice putts.  We both did.  It was a good match to be involved in.  It could have gone either way, really.”

 To view all Friday's results

CLICK HERE

McDonald, Ross lead Scots at Lytham Trophy

Kirkhill's Craig Ross came in late on the opening day to lie second to Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) as the first-round leaders of the Scottish Challenge at the 72-hole Lytham Trophy tournament which teed off today at Royal Lytham and St Anne's Golf Club, Lancashre.
Ross had a one-over-par round of 71.

McDonald shot a level par 70 - to be two shots behind the quartet sharing the lead on 68, including Stirling student and former Irish amateur champion Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass).

Five Scots hit the 75 mark - Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden), Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie), Michael Smyth (Royal Troon), Scott Gibson (Southerness) and Jamie Savage (Cawder).

No British player has won the Lytham Trophy since home-county man Jack Senior in 2010. 
Double European amateur champion Ashley Chesters from England had a nightmare first round of 82.

LEADING FIRST-SCOREBOARD 

Par 70

68 Marcus Kinhult (Swe), Oliver Roberts (Hong Kong), John Axelsen (Denmark), Cormack Sharvin (Ardglass, Ireland)

SCOTS' SCORES

70 Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie)
71 Craig Ross (Kirkhill)
73 Barry Hume (Haggs Castle)

75 Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden), Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie), Michael Smyth (Royal Troon), Scott Gibson (Southerness), Jamie Savage (Cawder)

77 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie)

78 Connor Syme (Drumoig), Danny Young (Craigie Hil.l)

79 Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen)

81 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm)

Field of 120