PGA EuroPro Tour report and scores

Kris Nicol only one off pace at Prince's with 

one round to 

go ...

NEWS RELEASE FROM NICK TEALE
Darren Wright leads the HotelPlanner.com Championship by one-stroke ahead of the final round of the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour event at Prince’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent.
Wright (Golf at Goodwood) carded a three-under-par 68 for his second round on the Shore and Himalayas course to progress his tournament score to ten under par. Kris Nicol (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), pictured above, and Graeme Clark (Doncaster Golf Club), a record five-time EuroPro winner, are second on nine under.
Victory for Wright, who won at Burhill earlier in the season, would assure him of a place in the top five on the Race To Desert Springs, which brings with it a category on the 2016 Challenge Tour.
With one win and six other top tens to his name this season the 26-year-old is targeting the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit title which has previously been won by the likes of Scott Jamieson and Daniel Gaunt.
“My main goal, like many others, is to win the Race To Desert Springs,” said Wright. “I have put myself in a good position to do that. Hopefully I can have one more good round this week and then see where I am going into Tour Championship.
“I really enjoy links golf and I did well at Prince’s last year. One of the nines has changed so it is a slightly different course but it is the same feel.
“I have been playing well all year and staying patient through the year. I will go out there and keep doing what I have been doing. I can only do my best and see what happens at the end of the season.”
Wright started his second round on the 10^th tee and was soon ten under after a run of three consecutive birdies from the 12^th. Turning home he bogeyed the 1^st but immediately restored his leading score to with a birdie at 2. Another bogey-birdie combination came at the 6^th and 7^th and Wright signed for a three-under 68.
Nicol and Clark have both carded rounds of 66 and 67 to get to nine under. Chris Halley (67, 67; Malton and Norton Golf Club) and Haydn McCullen (68, 66; Delamere Forest) are two back in fourth and give golfers share sixth on seven under.
The HotelPlanner.com Championship is a 54-hole strokeplay event. A cut to the leading 50 players and ties has now been made with all those whose 36-hole score is three under par or better progressing to play the final round.
Spectator entry is free throughout the event and live scoring can be found at www.europrotour.com. The final round will be filmed for a two-hour highlights package to be broadcast on Sky Sports on Tuesday, September 15.

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Senior golf has given Monty sense of purpose 

in his  50s ... 'a reason to get up in morning'


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Colin Montgomerie expected to be spending his fifties in contented retirement at his Perthshire home and basking in the reflective glow of an illustrious career as a superstar professional golfer.
The reality is somewhat different. Rather than searching for the pipe and slippers, the 52 year old Scot will be pulling on the sweater and golf shoes tomorrow to head off in search of another historic moment on the European Senior Tour.
Montgomerie, the ultimate competitor, will tee off in the Travis Perkins Masters at Woburn Golf Club intent on becoming the first player to win the same title in three consecutive years on both The European Tour and now the Senior Tour.
A warm favourite to capture the title over the Duke’s Course at Woburn, having been successful by six shots in 2013 and a massive ten strokes 12 months ago, Montgomerie revealed why he is still chasing birdies and eagles instead of putting his feet up – 15 years after winning the last of his three successive PGA Championships.
“It’s the competition that drives me on,” he insisted. “I thought I would be retired by now but I discovered that you need a sense of purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Some people put on a suit; I put on a golf sweater and go out to work. Senior golf has given me a fantastic sense of purpose.”
Montgomerie added with a smile: “I think I was causing my wife headaches at home so she encouraged me to go out and play golf again. She knows how competitive I am and I just said to myself: why not give it a go? I love competition even more than I love the game of golf. It’s what drives me on. 
"I felt I was treading water between the ages of 45 and 50 so this is a new and exciting chapter in my life. I aim to go on for as long as I am physically and mentally able to do so.”
After back-to-back victories in the Travis Perkins Masters, Montgomerie is relaxed at wearing the favourite’s tag but admitted: “The standard of golf is very high and I’ve got to be at my best to win. It’s quite an accolade to win any tournament three times in a row, as I know from my three PGA Championships at Wentworth between 1998 and 2000. I would love to add the Travis Perkins Masters to that list of accomplishments this week.”
Woburn’s narrow, tree-lined fairways have always been to the Scot’s liking. He won the British Masters over the same Duke’s Course in 1998 and his two successes in the Travis Perkins Masters contained five rounds in the sixties alongside one of 70.
However, his list of challengers has been increased by the welcome addition of Paul Broadhurst to the Senior ranks. The Englishman turned 50 on August 14 and promptly won last week’s Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open on his debut event.
“I hadn’t seen Paul for years until bumping into him yesterday” said Montgomerie, who is drawn with Broadhurst and Roger Chapman in the first round. “It’s great that he turns 50 and goes out and wins. I look forward to playing with him and to the challenges ahead.”
Among Montgomerie’s challengers is another familiar face in Australian rookie Peter O’Malley, who covered the last five holes in seven under par to edge out the Scot in the 1992 Scottish Open at Gleneagles.
Also in the strong field is Ireland’s Des Smyth, a two-time winner of the Travis Perkins Masters in 2010 and 2012. He said: “Next to the Open Championship, the Travis Perkins is the best event we have. The crowds always come out for us and the atmosphere is fantastic.
“Having won twice, the tournament is definitely one of my favourites. It’s a straight hitter’s course, there is no doubt about it. You have got to drive the ball well, otherwise you can get into all sorts of trouble. If you’re driving it off-line you can shoot high numbers very easily.
“I’ve always played well here.  I got two wins out of three so that can’t be bad. I guess it’s a course that suits my eye. Certainly, I always feel comfortable here and am looking forward to this week.” 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

PGA of America cancels Grand Slam of Golf 

event after taking it away from Trump course

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (AP) - The PGA of America will not hold its Grand Slam of Golf for the major champions this year.
The 36-hole exhibition was supposed to be played in October at Trump National in Los Angeles. The US PGA and Donald Trump agreed that it would move away from Trump’s course after he received criticism for his remarks about Mexican immigrants while launching his candidacy for U.S. president.
The US PGA had been looking for a replacement golf course with suitable dates. But today the US PGA announced it would cancel the event because of the timing and logistics required to stage the exhibition at the “highest standards.”
The major champions this year are Jordan Spieth (Masters and U.S. Open), Zach Johnson (Open) and Jason Day (PGA Championship).

EuroPro Tour Round 2 scoreboard at Prince's, Kent

1	Darren Wright  Golf at Goodwood	-3	F *	-10	64	68		132
T2	Kris Nicol  Paul Lawrie Golf Centre	-4	F *	-9	66	67		133
T2	Graeme Clark  Doncaster Golf Club	-4	F *	-9	66	67		133
T4	Chris Halley  Malton & Norton Golf Club	-4	F	-8	67	67		134
T4	Haydn McCullen  Delamere Forest	-5	F	-8	68	66		134
T6	Billy Hemstock  Teignmouth Golf Club	-4	F *	-7	68	67		135
T6	Steve Surry  Cumberwell Park	-4	F	-7	68	67		135
T6	Will Roebuck  Woburn Golf Club	-4	F	-7	68	67		135
T6	Calum Macaulay  Tulliallan Golf Club	-3	F	-7	67	68		135
T6	Alex Wrigley  Hartlepool Golf Club	-3	F	-7	67	68		135
T11	Warren Harmston  Wentworth Golf Club	E	F *	-6	65	71		136
T11	James Ablett  Lee-on-the-Solent Golf Club	-6	F	-6	71	65		136
T11	Nick McCarthy  Moortown Golf Club	-4	F *	-6	69	67		136
T11	Jack Colegate  Deangate Ridge Golf Club	-3	F	-6	68	68		136
T11	Michael Watson  Wessex Golf Centre	-4	F *	-6	69	67		136
T11	Neil Fenwick  Dunbar Golf Club	-5	F	-6	70	66		136
T11	Christopher Evans  Wishaw Golf club	-4	15	-6	69	56		125
T11	Matthew Tottey  North Wales Golf Club	-1	15 *	-6	66	58		124
T19	James Frazer  Pennard Golf Club	-5	F	-5	71	66		137
T19	Craig Lawrie  Paul Lawrie Golf Centre	-3	F	-5	69	68		137
T19	Matthew Haines  Rochester and Cobham Golf Club	+1	F *	-5	65	72		137
T19	James Maw  Rockliffe Hall	-4	F	-5	70	67		137
T19	Marcus Armitage  Howley Hall Golf Club	-4	F	-5	70	67		137
T19	Joshua White  Unattached	-4	F	-5	70	67		137
T19	Richard Weldon  Killeen Castle Golf Club	-3	F *	-5	69	68		137
T19	Darryn Lloyd  Stamford Marquees	E	F *	-5	66	71		137
T19	Blane Breheny  Woburn Golf Club	-5	F	-5	71	66		137
T19	Paul Shields  Kirkhill Golf Club	-5	F	-5	71	66		137
T29	Richard Bentham  The Celtic Manor Resort	E	F	-4	67	71		138
T29	Kevin Harper  East Devon Golf Club	-2	F	-4	69	69		138
T29	Matthew Moseley  Tenby Golf Club	-1	F *	-4	68	70		138
T29	Benn Barham  Pentland Golf	-2	F	-4	69	69		138
T29	Dale Whitnell  Forrester Park Golf Club	-4	F	-4	71	67		138
T29	Sam Robertshawe  Army Golf Club	-1	F	-4	68	70		138
T29	Sam Connor  Alsager Golf & Country Club	-1	F *	-4	68	70		138
T29	Sam Forgan  Stowmarket Golf Club	-3	F	-4	70	68		138
T29	Craig Hinton  LJD Technology Services	-1	F *	-4	68	70		138
T29	Craig Farrelly  TPS	-2	F *	-4	69	69		138
T29	Chris Gane  Lefthandedgolf at Silvermere	-1	F	-4	68	70		138
T29	Adam Wootton  Oxford Golf Centre	-3	15 *	-4	70	56		126
T41	Jamie Elson  Team Jenahura	-1	F	-3	69	70		139
T41	Daniel Gavins  Walton Driving Range	-1	F	-3	69	70		139
T41	Jordan Findlay  Paul Lawrie Golf Centre	-2	F *	-3	70	69		139
T41	Laurie Canter  Cumberwell Park Golf Club	-3	F *	-3	71	68		139
T41	Ben Rawsthorne  Bawburgh Golf Club	E	F *	-3	68	71		139
T41	Luke Goddard  Hendon	-1	F	-3	69	70		139
T41	Curtis Griffiths  Wentworth	-1	F *	-3	69	70		139
T41	Alan Dunbar  Team Ireland	-3	F *	-3	71	68		139
T41	James Lynch  Ham Manor Golf Club	-1	F *	-3	69	70		139
T41	Andrew Marshall  Bawburgh Golf Club	E	F *	-3	68	71		139
T41	Conor O'Neil  Mearns Castle Golf Academy	-2	F	-3	70	69		139
T41	Scott Borrowman  Dollar Golf Club	-1	F *	-3	69	70		139
T41	Michael Skelton  Middlesbrough Golf Club	-4	F *	-3	72	67		139
T41	Kieron Fowler  Lyme Regis Golf Club	+2	F	-3	66	73		139
T41	Zane Scotland  Woodcote Park GC/Princes GC	-3	F	-3	71	68		139
T41	Daniel Bennett  Chart Hills Golf Club	E	F *	-3	68	71		139
T41	Andrew Cheese  Sutton Coldfield Golf Club	+2	F	-3	66	73		139
T41	Luke Cornford  Cooden Beach Golf	-1	F *	-3	69	70		139
T41	Greg Payne  Chobham Golf Club	-1	F	-3	69	70		139
T41	Tom Wade  Portsmouth Golf Centre	-2	15 *	-3	70	57		127
PROJECTED CUT
T61	Mike Bedford  Bramhall Park Golf Club	-2	F	-2	71	69		140
T61	Gary King  Firstchoicevillas / TWGC	-1	F	-2	70	70		140
T61	Thriston Lawrence  Nelspruit Golf Club	+1	F *	-2	68	72		140
T61	Michael Lowe  Leatherhead Golf Club	+1	F	-2	68	72		140
T61	Charlie Lidyard  Surbiton Golf Club	+2	F *	-2	67	73		140
T61	Jamie Rutherford  Knebworth Golf Club	-2	F *	-2	71	69		140
T61	Richard Wallis  North Foreland Golf Club	E	F	-2	69	71		140
T61	Stuart Archibald  HJS and Legend Alliance	-3	F *	-2	72	68		140
T61	Liam Murray  La Marquesa Golf	-1	F *	-2	70	70		140
T61	Tom Perry  Abbeydale Golf Club	-1	F	-2	70	70		140
T61	David Booth  Rotherham Golf Club	+1	F *	-2	68	72		140
T61	Sam Matton  Bowood Golf & Country Club	-2	15 *	-2	71	57		128
T61	Connor Fletcher  Chart Hills Golf Club	+2	15	-2	67	62		129
T61	Westley Wray  The Rayleigh Club Golf Resort	E	15	-2	69	60		129
T75	Paul Doherty  Vale Hotel & Fully Furnished	E	F *	-1	70	71		141
T75	Steven Gibbs  Sedlescombe Golf Club	-1	F *	-1	71	70		141
T75	George Parker  The London Club	+2	F *	-1	68	73		141
T75	Aaron Rai  DCD Group	+3	F *	-1	67	74		141
T75	Tim Rice  Limerick Golf Club	E	F	-1	70	71		141
T75	Steve Uzzell  Hornsea Golf Club	+1	F	-1	69	72		141
T75	Liam Robinson  Tadmarton Heath Golf Club	E	F *	-1	70	71		141
T75	Robert Sutton  Dunstable Downs Golf Club	-1	F *	-1	71	70		141
T75	Paul Bradshaw  Gainsborough Golf Club	+1	F	-1	69	72		141
T75	Sam Robinson  Franklin Fitch/Market Rasen GC	-1	F *	-1	71	70		141
T75	Sebastian George Garcia Grout  Golf de Poniente Mallorca	+2	F	-1	68	73		141
T75	Neil Henderson  The Renaissance Club	-1	F *	-1	71	70		141
T87	Ben Hall  Wollaton park golf club	E	F *	E	71	71		142
T87	Mark Belsham  Princes Golf Club	E	F *	E	71	71		142
T87	Charlie Simpson  Foxhills Resort	+3	F *	E	68	74		142
T87	Sam Kiloh  Paul Lawrie Golf Centre	+1	F	E	70	72		142
T87	Ryan Boyns  www.hamilton.co.uk	+1	F *	E	70	72		142
T87	Paul Howard  Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club	-1	F	E	72	70		142
T87	Robert Hearty  Bromborough Golf Club	E	F	E	71	71		142
T87	Mark Young  Clitheroe	-1	F	E	72	70		142
T87	Lloyd Saltman  Archerfield Links Golf Club	E	F *	E	71	71		142
T87	Stephen Grant  Mount Juliet	-1	F	E	72	70		142
T87	George Thacker  Kedleston Park Golf Club	E	F *	E	71	71		142
T87	Will Brown  Cumberwell Park	+2	F *	E	69	73		142
T87	Hugo Dobson  Woodbridge Golf Club	+5	F	E	66	76		142
T87	David Clarkson  Malden Golf Club	+2	F *	E	69	73		142
T87	Francis McGuirk  Princes Golf Club	-3	F *	E	74	68		142
T87	Alastair Kinnaird  Kirby Muxloe Golf Club	-2	15 *	E	73	57		130
T103	James Wilkinson  John Letters Golf	+1	F	+1	71	72		143
T103	Kit Holmes  Hunstanton Golf Club	+2	F	+1	70	73		143
T103	Luke Jackson  Lindrick Golf Club	+2	F	+1	70	73		143
T103	Michael Stewart  Troon Welbeck	E	F *	+1	72	71		143
T103	Richard Edginton  Royal Wimbledon Golf Club	-8	F *	+1	80	63		143
T103	Kris Gray  Slaley Hall	+1	F *	+1	71	72		143
T103	Paul Reed  Bristol & Clifton Golf Club	E	F *	+1	72	71		143
T110	Jamie Brittain  Matthew Lea Golf Academy	E	F	+2	73	71		144
T110	Mark Laskey  Brocket Hall Golf Club	E	F	+2	73	71		144
T110	Rhodri Fieldhouse  Wrexham Golf Club	+1	F	+2	72	72		144
T110	Jamie Abbott  Fynn Valley Golf Club	+3	F	+2	70	74		144
T110	James Adams  Druids Heath Golf Club	E	F	+2	73	71		144
T110	Jordan McColl  Kingsbarns Pro - Academy	+3	F *	+2	70	74		144
T110	Thomas Muchmore  Ashford Golf Club	+4	F	+2	69	75		144
T110	Peter Wilson  Princes G.C	+3	F	+2	70	74		144
T110	Alexander Holmes  Gorleston Golf Club	+4	F *	+2	69	75		144
T110	Adam Cryer  West End Golf Club	-1	F	+2	74	70		144
T110	Nick Newbold  Kedleston Park Golf Club	E	F *	+2	73	71		144
T110	Luke Joy  Remedy Oak/Yas Links Abu Dhabi	+2	F	+2	71	73		144
T110	Paul Newman  East Berkshire Golf Club	E	15 *	+2	73	59		132
T123	Ryan O'Neill  Penwortham Golf Club	+4	F	+3	70	75		145
T123	Neil Chaudhuri  www.specialisteyes.co.uk	E	F *	+3	74	71		145
T123	Paul Nessling  Cooden Beach Golf Club	+1	F	+3	73	72		145
T123	Alexander MacGregor  Addington Court Golf Centre	E	F *	+3	74	71		145
T123	Miles Collins  Stoke by Nayland Golf Club	E	F	+3	74	71		145
T128	Joe Heraty  Moor Allerton & Abu Dhabi GC	-1	F	+4	76	70		146
T128	Ross Cameron  Saltire Energy Ltd	+5	F *	+4	70	76		146
T128	Nicholas Garland  Nordec Property Services	-3	F	+4	78	68		146
T128	Tyler Hogarty  Rodway Hill Golf Course	+3	F *	+4	72	74		146
T128	Max Smith  Donnington Grove Country Club	+2	F	+4	73	73		146
T128	Zack Saltman  Archerfield Links Golf Club	+3	F	+4	72	74		146
T134	Jacob Bagshaw  Buxton and High Peak	+1	F *	+5	75	72		147
T134	Sandeep Grewal  Heswall Golf Club	E	F *	+5	76	71		147
T136	Ronan McGuirk  Princes Golf Club	+5	F	+6	72	76		148
T136	George Morris  Sprowston Manor	+3	F	+6	74	74		148
138	Peter Blyfield  Foxhills Resort	+4	F *	+7	74	75		149
139	Michael Lawrence  Sundridge Park Golf Club	+5	F	+8	74	76		150
140	Simon Ward  Belvoir Park	+4	F *	+9	76	75		151
141	Chris Soanes  Rookery Park	+5	F *	+11	77	76		153
142	Sam Day  Mendip Springs Golf Club	+8	F *	+13	76	79		155
143	James Tisdale  Wallasey golf club	+3	F *	+14	82	74		156
WD	Alex Belt  Qhotels/Snainton Golf			+4	75			75
WD	Warren Bennett  Chestfield Golf Club
WD	Robbie Busher  Salisbury and South Wilts GC
WD	Brian Casey  Headfort Golf Club
WD	Sam Crowther  Mottram Hall
WD	Myles Frost  Perton Park Golf Club
WD	Richard Kilpatrick  Banbridge Golf Club
WD	Elliot Saltman  Archerfield Links Golf Club
WD	Jason Timmis  Newcastle-Under-Lyme GC
WD	James Watts  Kingsway Golf Centre

* denotes a 10th hole start