Rory McIlroy wins Wells Fargo Championship by seven shots, smashes tournament record

By Rex Hoggard

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  – You know how American Pharoah (a racehorse) lapped the field on Saturday at the Preakness by seven lengths? Yeah, this was better than that.
While Rory McIlroy wasn’t vying for the second leg of the Triple Crown – or even the fourth leg of the career Grand Slam, that will have to wait until next April – his seven-stroke masterpiece was still an ominous work of art.
With apologies to American Pharoah, the 3-year-old colt only had to navigate a sloppy Pimlico track for his title; whereas McIlroy had to weather four trips through Quail Hollow Club’s demanding “Green Mile,” which the world No. 1 played in 1 over for the week.
But that doesn’t scratch the surface of McIlroy’s performance at Quail Hollow.
His Saturday 61 was a course record, breaking the old mark he set when he won here in 2010, and he etched 54- and 72-hole scoring records, shattering the latter by six strokes.
It was, by any measure, a signature performance somewhere just south of those eight-stroke romps at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship.
Not that the Northern Irishman was exactly caught up in the hyperbole following a closing-round 69 that was, by McIlroy’s own assessment, good enough.

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Wells Fargo Championship: Articles, videos and photos

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“Sort of boring, really,” he said of his 11th US PGA Tour victory. “In terms of there wasn’t as much excitement on the back nine. I finished with six 3s the last time I won here. Would have been nice to finish with six 3s again.”
It’s always more with this kid.
But what this victory lacked in fireworks it made up for in foreshadowing, with McIlroy comparing his current run, which includes May victories at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and now the Wells Fargo Championship, to his late-summer tear in 2014 when he won bookend majors (Open Championship and PGA Championship) around a World Golf Championships high card (Bridgestone Invitational).
For others, it was more akin to his US PGA title walk-over in 2012 at Kiawah Island where he overpowered the course and all takers.
“He just has that killer instinct. He wants it so badly,” said David Feherty, the CBS Sports on-course reporter who walked with McIlroy in ’12 at the PGA and on Sunday at Quail Hollow. “There weren’t two of those on Noah’s Ark, I can tell you that much.”
There was a time when some openly asked if McIlroy was mean enough to win events with such cut-throat efficiency, a time when his periodic competitive lapses (see PGA Tour season, 2013) were grounds to question any comparisons to Tiger Woods.
But with each passing milestone those excuses begin looking thinner than Quail Hollow’s parched fairways.
In the last three weeks, McIlroy has played 265 competitive holes on Tour with progressively better results.
Although he said on Sunday it’s his complete game that makes performances like this week possible, what separates him from the pack on these occasions is an utter fearlessness off the tee. For the week, he had 42 drives of 300 yards or more and yet still batted well over .500 (31 of 56) in fairways hit.
There were cracks on Sunday, most notably a three-putt bogey from 56 feet at the second hole which was his first three-putt in 167 holes on Tour, and as he stepped to the 16th tee to begin the “Green Mile” he took a mental note that he was just four strokes clear of Patrick Rodgers at the time.
But a 364-yard drive and tap-in birdie at No. 16 quickly robbed the landscape of whatever drama was remaining.
Beginning the day, McIlroy’s plan was simple – birdie the four par 5s and two “reachable” par 4s. Six birdies, he reasoned, would be hard to beat considering the field had already spotted him a four-stroke advantage heading into the final turn.
But then simple is what an older, wiser McIlroy seems to do best. Like last year at Hoylake, when his trigger words for the week were “process” and “spot.”
This week it was an 11th-hour meeting with putting coach Dave Stockton Sr., who spent all of three minutes working with McIlroy on Wednesday. This time the message was stay down and with the putt through impact.
“Rory likes to keep things simple, like last year at the Open Championship, and that’s what we did,” said Stockton Sr., who reconnected with McIlroy after a 13-month hiatus.
Perhaps most impressive of all, however, is how much the 26-year-old relishes his status atop the pack.
Following his WGC-Match Play victory he acknowledged that he checks the Official World Golf Ranking to see his lead every Monday. High-profile victories in recent weeks by Jordan Spieth (Masters) and Rickie Fowler (The Players) have only intensified McIlroy’s desire to dominate.
“It does push me. I think you see guys that you knew well, guys that are your peers and they’re winning golf tournaments, big golf tournaments, that you want to win,” McIlroy said. “I felt like as the best player in the world I want to go at it every week and just show that.”
Whether by seven lengths or seven strokes, McIlroy’s play this week was more than just a single victory, it’s a sign of what’s becoming the norm for golf’s fiercest racehorse.

FINAL TOTALS

1	Rory McIlroy	70	67	61	69				267
T2	Patrick Rodgers	68	68	70	68				274
T2	Webb Simpson	67	67	68	72				274
T4	Gary Woodland	70	71	68	67				276
T4	Phil Mickelson	71	66	71	68				276
T4	Robert Streb	65	69	71	71				276
T7	Geoff Ogilvy	69	69	71	68				277
T7	Justin Thomas	69	73	65	70				277
T9	Kevin Streelman	69	71	70	68				278
T9	Shawn Stefani	69	70	70	69				278
T9	Jason Bohn	72	68	69	69				278
T9	Brendan Steele	69	69	68	72				278
T13	Danny Lee	71	69	69	70				279
T13	Scott Brown	71	68	69	71				279
T13	Jim Herman	71	69	68	71				279
T16	Kevin Chappell	66	73	74	67				280
T16	Tony Finau	73	67	70	70				280
T16	Boo Weekley	71	70	67	72				280
19	Carlos Ortiz	70	71	66	74				281
T20	Chesson Hadley	67	77	70	68				282
T20	Jonathan Randolph	70	71	71	70				282
T20	Pat Perez	73	71	68	70				282
T20	Stewart Cink	67	76	68	71				282
T20	John Peterson	71	70	70	71				282
T20	Hideki Matsuyama	69	71	70	72				282
T20	Sean O'Hair	74	69	67	72				282
T20	Will MacKenzie	69	68	70	75				282
T28	William McGirt	72	70	74	67				283
T28	Morgan Hoffmann	72	70	72	69				283
T28	George McNeill	69	69	75	70				283
T28	Steve Alker	69	72	72	70				283
T28	Ricky Barnes	67	73	72	71				283
T28	Michael Thompson	67	71	73	72				283
T28	Lucas Glover	71	72	68	72				283
T28	Matt Jones	69	70	70	74				283
T28	Daniel Berger	71	68	70	74				283
T28	K.J. Choi	68	72	69	74				283
T38	Billy Hurley III	67	75	73	69				284
T38	Charles Howell III	75	69	71	69				284
T38	Steve Wheatcroft	74	66	74	70				284
T38	Brian Stuard	70	70	73	71				284
T38	Kevin Kisner	69	73	71	71				284
T38	Mark Wilson	71	71	71	71				284
T38	Ben Martin	74	69	70	71				284
T38	John Merrick	71	70	71	72				284
T38	Retief Goosen	72	70	67	75				284
T47	Steven Bowditch	73	71	72	69				285
T47	Ryan Moore	71	71	73	70				285
T47	Hunter Mahan	70	73	72	70				285
T47	Bo Van Pelt	70	71	72	72				285
T47	Sam Saunders	75	68	70	72				285
T47	Martin Flores	69	67	76	73				285
T47	Carl Pettersson	68	72	72	73				285
T47	Scott Pinckney	76	68	66	75				285
T55	Martin Laird	72	70	73	71				286
T55	Aaron Baddeley	74	70	70	72				286
T55	Jason Gore	70	71	72	73				286
T58	Andres Gonzales	72	71	73	71				287
T58	Henrik Stenson	72	71	73	71				287
T58	Alex Cejka	71	70	74	72				287
T58	Russell Knox	69	69	77	72				287
T58	Sang-Moon Bae	70	72	73	72				287
T58	Michael Putnam	70	73	72	72				287
T58	Carlos Sainz Jr.	74	69	72	72				287
T58	Patrick Reed	66	74	72	75				287
T66	Colt Knost	75	68	73	72				288
T66	Scott Gutschewski	69	70	75	74				288
T68	Chad Collins	72	70	73	74				289
T68	Bill Haas	72	70	71	76				289
T68	Chad Campbell	71	69	68	81				289
71	Andres Romero	70	73	73	75				291
72	David Toms	72	70	73	77				292
73	James Hahn	73	71	72	77				293
T74	Blake Adams	73	71	73	MDF				217
T74	Jim Renner	72	71	74	MDF				217

Charity Texas Scramble at Auchmill next Sunday

Auchmill Golf Club, Aberdeen is hosting a charity Texas Scramble in aid of Motor Nuerone Disease Scotland next Sunday, May 24.

We have a limited number of tee times left.

Anyone available and interested in playing should call 01224 714577

Mark Albiston

Morrison cruises to Open de España victory

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
James Morrison produced a brilliant final round display to claim a comprehensive four shot victory at the Open de España.
The 30 year old Chertsey, Surrey-born player, pictured with the trophy by courtesy of Getty Images(c), whose previous European Tour title came in Madeira five years ago, had shared the lead with compatriot David Howell at the start of the day after a third round 68 in fast and windy conditions at Real Club de Golf El Prat.
With the breeze up again in the final round, Morrison’s flawless closing 69 blew the field away as he led throughout.
After trading four consecutive pars with Howell at the start of the day, Morrison chipped in from behind the green for birdie at the fifth.
Another gain from 12 feet at the ninth extended his advantage, and although the likes of Edouard Espana, Howell, Francesco Molinari and defending champion Miguel Angel Jiménez all threatened to put him under pressure, a run of eight straight pars on the back nine saw Morrison reach the 18th with a three-shot lead.
He finished in style with a birdie from ten feet to earn the biggest prize of his career and €250,000, with victory taking him from 296th in the Official World Golf Ranking to just outside the top 160 and completing a return to form after he had to regain his card at Qualifying School in 2013.
While Morrison was a worthy winner, Jiménez – who aced the eighth on Friday – again provided the day's highlights.
The 51 year old holed his approach for eagle at the fifth – prompting an increasingly familiar celebratory jig – and was a foot away from a second hole-in-one at the eighth.
A round of 67 gave him a share of second alongside Howell, Molinari, and halfway leader Espana of France.

Key Quotes
JAMES MORRISON
“It feels amazing… five years since my first win, a lot of chances in between. Today I just drew on my experience and got over the line.
"My game plan was to stick to my process. I know it’s really a cliché but it’s true. All my coaches have been really big on sticking to my process, just dealing with what comes in in front of me. In years past when I haven’t done it it’s been too much looking at leader boards and outside influences.
"Today, I stuck to my process all day long and executed it; I ground every single shot and I tried my hardest. The only time I looked at the leader board was on 17. I knew I had a three shot lead but I was desperate to make a birdie on the last… and I did it.
“Now comes the emotional bit: my wife and my little boy, and my dad and my mum… I couldn’t have done this without them. And obviously all my team and my caddie Martin. It’s all down to them, not me; it’s been a real team effort.
“Winning the Open de España means a lot to me. Every year we come and play here and it’s always one of the best weeks of the year. It’s always on a great golf course, great crowds. I lost it once on a play-off and now I’ve won it, it will be dear to my heart now forever.”
SCOTSWATCH. Richie Ramsay was the highest-finishing Scot in a share of 15th place on 286 with ever-imprving rounds of 74, 73, 72 and 67 - pity there hadn't been a fifth round! Scott Jamieson finished T31 on 289 after closing with a 64, the lowest round of the tournament. He had earlier scored 72, 75 and 78.
Give Paul Lawrie his due for blanking out the horrors of a third-round 79 and shooting a two-under 70, which matched his opening round. Round 2 at a 73. Paul finished T49 on four-over 292.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
278 J Morrison  (Eng) 70 71 68 69
282 D Howell (Eng) 71 69 69 73, M Jiménez (Esp) 72 71 72 67, E Espana (Fra) 68 69 76 69, F Molinari (Ita) 72 69 70 71
283 E Grillo (Arg) 70 70 72 71
284 J Lara (Esp) 70 76 72 66, J Campillo (Esp) 74 70 70 70
285 M Kieffer (Ger) 73 70 76 66, P Edberg (Swe) 70 73 75 67, D Fichardt (RSA) 66 73 73 73, E De La Riva  (Esp) 66 77 74 68, W Ormsby (Aus) 77 71 72 65, S Kjeldsen (Den) 70 76 70 69
286 G Bourdy (Fra) 69 73 75 69, J Carlsson (Swe) 70 76 72 68, B An (SKor) 72 70 72 72, R Ramsay  (Sco) 74 73 72 67, B Evans  (Eng) 73 73 71 69, D Horsey (Eng) 69 77 71 69, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 73 73 69
287 R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 69 76 73, S Garcia  (Esp) 75 72 67 73, T Aiken (RSA) 74 71 72 70, T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 65 78 73 71, M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 72 71 73 71, G Havret  (Fra) 71 71 74 71,
288 Y Yang (SKor) 73 71 72 72, M Ford (Eng) 67 76 72 73, R Rock (Eng) 70 76 73 69,
289 M Hoey  (Nir) 71 68 75 75, S Jamieson  (Sco) 72 75 78 64
290 T Fleetwood  (Eng) 66 77 77 70, K Broberg (Swe) 75 70 74 71, R Fisher (Eng) 73 74 75 68, J Edfors (Swe) 71 75 74 70, G Storm  (Eng) 75 73 74 68, T Pieters  (Bel) 70 75 76 69, P Maddy (Eng) 70 70 77 73, J Singh (Ind) 74 70 74 72
291 C Del Moral (Esp) 72 73 77 69, B Hebert  (Fra) 71 70 73 77, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 71 76 73 71, A Cañizares  (Esp) 73 74 72 72, E Pepperell (Eng) 75 73 75 68, M Lundberg (Swe) 72 76 72 71, M Nixon (Eng) 72 74 72 73, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 73 72 75 71
 292 P Larrazábal (Esp) 71 73 73 75, P Lawrie (Sco) 70 73 79 70, F Aguilar (Chi) 72 74 74 72, C Wood  (Eng) 76 72 71 73, C Paisley  (Eng) 75 73 73 71, R Wattel  (Fra) 70 73 79 70, I Garrido (Esp) 71 76 76 69
 293 J Parry (Eng) 68 73 74 78, A Noren  (Swe) 75 71 76 71, S Hansen (Den) 68 75 76 74, M Carlsson  (Swe) 73 73 74 73, A Dodt (Aus) 71 77 71 74
 294 R Finch  (Eng) 72 72 75 75, A Tadini (Ita) 70 76 75 73, M Manassero (Ita) 73 72 77 72, A Velasco (Esp) 73 75 73 73, R Green (Aus) 72 75 77 70, M Fraser (Aus) 73 73 72 76
 295 M Crespi  (Ita) 77 70 75 73
 296 A Otaegui  (Esp) 68 75 81 72
 297 P Uihlein  (USA) 72 73 78 74
 299 J Palmer (Eng) 71 70 77 81
 300 C Pigem (Esp) 77 70 78 75
 303 T Murray (Eng) 74 74 80 75

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

McArthur runner-up, Whiteford tied fifth 

finish in Denmark Challenge

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
England’s Max Orrin mastered the “toughest conditions I have ever played in” to secure the second European Challenge Tour win of his young career at the Made in Denmark Challenge.
The 21 year old Englishman, pictured below with the trophy, courtesy of Getty Images(c), posted a level par 71 in brutal conditions at Royal Copenhagen Golf, with swirling, gusting winds wreaking havoc up the final round contenders.

Starting the day three shots off the pace, Orrin battled brilliantly throughout the final round to produce a brilliant level par 71 which saw him post the clubhouse lead of one over par.
With four groups to finish behind him, and with Scotland’s Andrew McArthur and Englishman Jack Senior still in with a chance of forcing a play-off, Orrin faced an anxious, but worthwhile, wait to be crowned Made in Denmark Challenge champion and pick up a cheque for €27,200 which propels him to second place on the Road to Oman Rankings.
“That was as tough as I have played in – it was pretty brutal out there at times,” said Orrin, who was a member of the 2013 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team.
“I finished with a seven on the last on Saturday night  but I knew that if I could shoot around level par today then I would have a chance. I was three behind, but the conditions were really tough so it was just one of those days where I hung in there and managed to make a score.
“There is definitely an extra satisfaction in winning in such tough conditions and on such a tough golf course so I am definitely going to enjoy the victory. It’s been a great day for me – I feel that score today earned me the win. There was no place to hide out there today so there are a lot of positives to take from the week.”
While victory eluded Orrin’s closest challengers, McArthur, who finished just one shot off the pace, as well as Frenchman Edouard Dubois, who took third place on three over, can take similar positives from a testing week.
“It was very difficult out there today,” said McArthur. “It was a tough course anyway but add in that kind of wind and it was a different proposition altogether. It’s always a bit strange when you finish second.
“There is obviously a kind of disappointment because I was just one short of at least a play-off but then it’s a good result and, as I said, before the weekend, I need to start taking the positives from these results.”
Orrin will now focus his season on the Challenge Tour, which, following his victory in Denmark, now represents the most logical path for him to take in his journey to The European Tour.
“To get a win so early in the season is a big positive as well. It gives me a great chance to go and get my European Tour card through the Challenge Tour so I’ll be probably focussing on that for the rest of the season.
“Because it’s only the fourth tournament of the season and I have got myself up to the top of the Rankings early, it feels I can have a great run at making my card so hopefully the wins and top fives can keep coming.”

FOURTH ROUND FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
285 M Orrin (Eng) 74 68 72 71
286 A McArthur  (Sco) 70 70 72 74
287 E Dubois (Fra) 70 72 70 75,
289 J Senior (Eng) 68 70 74 77, P Whiteford (Sco) 73 70 71 75,
290 A Hartø  (Den) 76 72 70 72, C Hanson (Eng) 76 70 74 70, R McGee (Irl) 67 72 76 75,
291 A Bernadet  (Fra) 76 68 67 80, B Parker  (Eng) 72 74 70 75, J Robinson (Eng) 72 72 71 76,
292 M Lafeber (Ned) 71 74 73 74, M Søgaard  (Den) 71 71 71 79,
293 N Johansson (Swe) 70 73 73 77, J Huldahl (Den) 71 71 72 79, J Hahn (USA) 72 73 73 75, P Howard  (Eng) 73 75 74 71, J Dantorp (Swe) 77 71 73 72, S Gros (Fra) 73 70 71 79, N Bertasio (Ita) 69 73 69 82,
294 C Gloet  (Den) 76 72 72 74, C Ford (Eng) 75 70 73 76, B Ritthammer (Ger) 74 75 70 75, J Lima  (Por) 69 74 75 76,
295 R Evans  (Eng) 72 74 75 74, A Björk (Swe) 73 72 76 74,
296 S Brown (Eng) 71 72 79 74, J Winther (Den) 73 76 70 77, T Tree (Eng) 72 76 69 79,
297 S Arnold  (Aus) 72 78 69 78, K Subregis  (Fra) 72 71 75 79, J Hansen  (Den) 70 76 72 79,
298 M Delpodio  (Ita) 75 74 71 78, S Einhaus (Ger) 72 78 72 76, R Enoch  (Wal) 74 73 74 77, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 74 71 74 79,
299 F Calmels  (Fra) 73 73 72 81, S Jeppesen  (Swe) 74 76 74 75, D Løkke (Den) 75 74 74 76,
300 P Relecom  (Bel) 78 71 71 80, J Fahrbring (Swe) 76 72 72 80, M Trappel  (Aut) 78 71 76 75,
301 S Wakefield (Eng) 74 73 78 76, P Figueiredo  (Por) 75 73 75 78
302 O Nyholm (Den) 75 75 76 76, J Kunzenbacher (Ger) 74 75 79 74
303 M McGeady (Irl) 72 77 74 80, E Saltman  (Sco) 72 75 71 85, N Kimsey (Eng) 76 69 76 82, P Widegren  (Swe) 72 74 79 78, P Meesawat  (Tha) 76 72 75 80, L Nemecz (Aut) 73 75 80 75,
304 V Riu  (Fra) 72 77 75 80, S Soderberg (Swe) 76 74 77 77, J Sjöholm (Swe) 75 74 78 77,
305 B Stone (RSA) 77 73 75 80, D Markle (Can) 78 72 78 77, D Im (USA) 78 71 70 86,
306 M Jonzon (Swe) 71 77 74 84, J Rask (Swe) 75 72 78 81, N Møller (am) (Den) 75 75 75 81,
307 G Shaw (Nir) 74 75 77 81, A Snobeck  (Fra) 76 73 78 80,
308 R Davies (Wal) 74 75 76 83, S Manley (Wal) 75 74 81 78,
312 S Stemann (am) (Den) 75 73 81 83,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Ayrshire beat Dunbartonshire in final of 

GolfKings Scottish area team ch/ship final 

      WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! Ayrshire's happy squad with the trophy at Blairgowrie.
                                    Picture by courtesy of Kenny Smith

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Ayrshire, spearheaded by Jack McDonald, have won the GolfKings Scottish men's area team championship.
They beat the No 1 match-play qualifiers Dunbartonshire 5.5-3.5 in the final today over the Lansdowne course at Blairgowrie Golf Club.
It is Ayrshire's third win in the tournament, following their successes of 1986 and 2008. 
McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) teamed up with Scott Brown (Turnberry) to beat Steven Stewart (Clydebank Overtoun) and James Wilson by 5 and 4 in the morning foursomes after Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) and Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) had given Dunbartonshire a 1-0 lead by winning 3 and 2 against Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) and Tommy McInally (Loudoun Gowf) in the first foursome.
Stuart Robin (Prestwick St Cuthbert) and John Shanks (Irvine) sent Ayrshire in for lunch with a 2-1 lead by winning the third foursome, 4 and 3 against Chris MacLean (Balmore) and George Duncan (Windyhill). 
McDonald, with the aid of four birdies, then struck a vital blow for Ayrshire by winning the top singles, 3 and 2 against Dunbartonshire's star man, former British boys champion Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden).
That extended Ayrshire's lead to 3-1 which stretched to 4-1 when Robin beat Carrick 2-1 in the second singles tie.
Dunbartonshire kept their hopes alive with middle-order sings by MacLean (one hole up over McInally) and Stewart (2 and 1 against Hamilton) 
But when Ayrshire's Brown halved with Duncan that gave them an unassailable lead in the 9pt match and Shanks completed the notable victory by beating Wilson 4 and 3, ending Dumbartonshire’s hopes of a first win in the event since 1980. 
FROM THE AYRSHIRE GOLF WEBSITE
 In what was a great team performance by Ayrshire, all six players contributed to at least 1 1/2 from a possible four points towards the Ayrshire wins in the three match-play rounds en route to victory, with Jack McDonald taking four points from four and recording notable wins over Brtish amateur champion Bradley Neil, on his home course, in the quarter-finals as well as a semi-final win against fellow international Matt Clark and a final win over the in -orm Ewen Ferguson.
At the conclusion of the final, both teams received medals and Ayrshire captain John Rushbury accepted the Area team championship trophy on behalf of the county team.

FROM THE SGU NEWS RELEASE
University of Stirling Applied Maths graduate McDonald, who reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Amateur at Blairgowrie in 2013, said: “I had played well coming in here, after good finishes at Royal Lytham and in Ireland, and played well again this week. I’ve just been solid, and the course tends to suit me.

“I had a fair idea myself and Ewen would end up playing each other and it was a good match. It’s nice to win as part of a team, especially as I don’t get to see these guys a lot. It’s been great to play with them and have a good week.”

On his Walker Cup goal, the 22-year-old added: “I’ll just keep plugging away, try my best and see how it all pans out. Hopefully my game keeps improving during the season. We had a dinner get-together down at Lytham, briefly talking about the event, so we’ll see what happens.”

RESULT OF FINAL

DUNBARTONSHIRE 3.5, AYRSHIRE 5.5 

Dunbartonshire names first

FOURSOMES (1-2)
Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) and Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) bt Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) and Tommy McInally (Loudoun Gowf) 3 and 2.
Steven Stewart (Clydebank Overtoun) and James Wilson (Balmore) lost to Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) and Scott Brown (Turnberry) 5 and 4.
Chris MacLean (Balmore) and George Duncan (Westhill) lost to Stuart Robin (Prestwick St Cuthbert) and John Shanks (Irvine) 4 and 3.

SINGLES (2.5-3.5)
Ferguson lost to McDonald 3 and 2.
Carrick lost to Robin 2 and 1.
MacLean bt McInally 1 hole.
Stewart bt Hamilton 2 and 1.
Duncan halved with Brown
Wilson lost to Shanks 4 and 3.

My Golf Ranking, Fife Men

www.mygolfranking.net, Fife Men, Week 2015/19

1 Ryan Brown (Dunfermline) 1150 pts

2 Paul Manderson (Forrester Park Resort) 1125

3 *Marcus Rickard (Cupar) 1040

4 Ryan Walsh (Kirkcaldy) 1027

5 Steve Merrett (Dunfermline) 1023

www.mygolfranking.net, Fife Clubs Men, Week 2015/19

1 Scoonie 787 pts

2 Dunnikier Park 745

3 Kirkcaldy 733

4 Kinghorn 730

5 St Michaels 727

*Entry this week

For up-to-date ranking lists of participating clubs, the full Regional, National and International Rankings and how it works, visit www.mygolfranking.net.

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David Moir

MyGolfRanking

In League with Golf Ltd

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Dumbartonshire and Ayrshire bid to be Area Team Kings in Sunday's Blairgowrie final

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE

 

                                  Ayrshire's team at Blairgowrie

Dumbartonshire will today (Sunday) bid to claim the GolfKings Scottish area team championship for the first time in 35 years when they meet Ayrshire in the final at Blairgowrie.
Inspired by Bearsden’s Ewen Ferguson, already twice a winner on the domestic circuit in 2015, and the foursomes pairing of George Duncan and Chris MacLean, Dumbartonshire will seek to land only a second title after last winning at Haggs Castle in 1980.
Douglas Park’s Angus Carrick also chipped in with two singles victories on Saturday, as Dumbartonshire defeated Lanarkshire, last year’s runners-up, in the quarter-finals 3 – 2, before defeating Fife 3.5 – 1.5 to book their final slot in Perthshire.

The Dumbartonshire team at Blairgowrie

Ferguson, joint-winner of the individual qualifying standings which Dumbartonshire topped overall, won both his singles matches to continue his form. In the afternoon semi-final, he notably notched an impressive 4 and 3 win over Fife’s Connor Syme, the current SGU Men’s Order of Merit leader.
Ayrshire, though, are sure to put up a stern test, having taken the scalp of home favourites Perth and Kinross in the last-eight, before ousting the holders Renfrewshire.
Kilmarnock Barassie’s Jack McDonald, the 2012 Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year, has proved their talisman with the recent University of Stirling graduate winning both his singles games on Saturday.
Indeed, in the 4 – 1 win over Perth and Kinross, McDonald saw off Amateur champion and home member Bradley Neil by one hole, while team-mates Scott Brown and John Shanks notched equally key victories over former World amateur team champion member Gavin Dear and another home club player, Stuart Graham, respectively.
Ayrshire maintained their fine play against Renfrewshire after lunch, as Keith Hamilton and Tommy McInally sent them on their way in the foursomes, before McDonald and Stuart Robin claimed singles successes in the 3.5 – 1.5 triumph.
With Ayrshire having only won the trophy twice before, most recently at Tain in 2008, Sunday's final offers an intriguing contest.

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