Scottish Alliance Championship at Duff House Royal

NICOL, McBAIN AND STEWART TO BATTLE OUT FOR 54 HOLE SCOTTISH ALLIANCE CHAMPIONSHIP TOMORROW

JOEL HOPWOOD REPORTING
Kris Nicol (Paul Lawrie Foundation), Greg McBain (Paul Lawrie Foundation) and Grantown-on-Spey's Duncan Stewart (Turnhouse) lead the field by three strokes with a total of 135, following better scoring on day two of the 54 hole Scottish Alliance Championship at Duff House Royal Golf Club, Banff
Nicol's best of the day, three-under-par 65 shot him up the leaderboard while McBain and Stewart's 66 and 67 respectively, kept them among the leaders going into tomorrow's final round. Looming three shots back are Neil Henderson (Renaissance), following a 1 under par 67 today, and John Duff (Newmachar).

On the nett side of things, Class 1 is led by Malcolm Pennycott (Royal Burgess) with a two-round total of 141, one clear of David Fleming (Portlethen), Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) and Iain MacAulay (Elgin). 
Class 2 is led by Donald Lawrie (Inchmarlo) with a two round total of 143 that gives him a two shot lead over S.Taylor (Boat of Garten).

TODAY'S BEST SCORECARDS:

PAR:
4-4-4-4-4-3-4-4-3 (34) 4-3-5-3-4-4-3-4-4 (34) 68

Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh)
3-4-4-3-4-3-4-5-3 (33) 4-3-5-3-4-3-3-4-3 (32) 65

Greg McBain (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre)
5-4-4-4-3-4-5-4-3 (36) 4-2-5-2-4-3-3-3-4 (30) 66

Neil Henderson (Renaissance)
4-4-4-4-3-3-4-4-2 (32) 4-2-4-3-5-5-3-4-4 (34) 66

Duncan Stewart (Turnhouse)
3-4-4-4-4-3-5-4-2 (33) 4-2-4-3-4-4-3-4-6 (34) 67

The cut,  to the leading 65 players and ties, was made at 172 (gross) and means that 67 players qualify for the third and final round, with the rest of competitors playing for the consolation prizes as per their tee times in my last post. 
Please note that there are a few spaces left in the consolation field. Times can be obtained by calling 07523 859149 from 7am tomorrow.

Below are the top 20 gross scores and top 20 from each nett division:

LEADING SCRATCH

1 Kris Nicol 70 65 135

Paul Lawrie Foundation

2 Greg McBain 69 66 135

Paul Lawrie Foundation

3 Duncan Stewart 68 67 135

Turnhouse

4 Neil Henderson 72 66 138

The Renaissance

5 John Duff 68 70 138

Newmachar

6 Nick Macandrew 71 69 140

Royal Aberdeen

7 Malcolm Pennycott 68 72 140

Royal Burgess

8 Kevin Duncan 69 72 141

Cruden Bay

9 Ross Cameron 73 71 144

Paul Lawrie

10 Mathew Burt 71 73 144

Helensburgh

11 Jordan Shaw 71 73 144

Boat of Garten

12 Ian Graham 70 74 144

Crow Wood                                  

13 Gary Esson 71 74 145

Portlethen

14 Terry Mathieson 69 76 145

Murcar Links

15 Kevin Thomson 76 71 147

Moray

16 Bryan Fotheringham 74 73 147

Forres

17 Michael Patterson 75 73 148

Kilmacolm

18 Paul Brookes 71 77 148

Pitreavie

19 Laura Murray 77 72 149

Paul Lawrie Golf Centre

20 Donny Munro 72 77 149

Kingsknowe

CLASS 1 (net two-round scores)

1 Malcolm Pennycott (1) 69 72 141

Royal Burgess

2 David Fleming 73 69 142

Portlethen

3 Nick Macandrew 73 69 142

Royal Aberdeen

4 Iain Macaulay 68 74 142

Elgin

5 Scott Mackie 75 69 144

Hazlehead

6 Jim Duncan 71 73 144

Newburgh-on-Ythan

7 Donny Munro 69 74 143

Kingsknowe

8 Jordan Shaw 71 73 144

Boat-of-Garten

9 Ian Graham 70 74 144

Crow Wood

10 Gary Esson 70 73 143

Portlethen

11 Stuart Birrell 76 69 145

Leven Thistle

12 Donny Adam 72 73 145

Kemnay

13 John Craig 76 70 146

Carnoustie

14 David Mackay 71 75 146

Hazlehead

15 George Withers 73 74 147

Duddingston

16 Duncan Clark 71 76 147

Duff House Royal

17 William Donnelly 71 76 147

Fortrose and Rosemarkie

18 Michael Louden 81 67 148

Glencorse

19 Jim Scott 75 73 148

Peterculter

20 Robert McKerron 75 73 148

Forres

Class 2 (net scores)

1 Donald Lawrie 71 72 143

Inchmarlo

2 S Taylor 75 70 145

Boat-of-Garten

3 Christopher Westland 69 77 146

Alloa

4 Neish Chisholm 72 77 149

Kemnay

5 Ian Cooke 78 72 150

Monifieth - Medal

6 Alan Boxx 78 72 150

Boat-of-Garten

7 William Johnston 75 75 150

Moray

8 Gary Homer 72 79 151

Northern

8 William Houston 77 76 153

Torrance House

9 Angus Graham 79 75 154

Crow Wood

10 Robbie Duncan 77 77 154

Deeside

11 Sandy Bruce 78 77 155

Moray

12 Robert Couper 77 78 155

Boat-of-Garten

13 Jackie Forrest 75 80 155

Northern

14 Mike Winton 81 75 156

Caledonian

15 Nigel Parker 80 76 156

Murcar

16 Peter Cheyne 74 82 156

Northern

17 scott Faskin 71 85 156

Newmachar

18 Richard Lamont 78 80 158

Bathgate

19 Graeme Moir 74 84 158

Oldmeldrum

20 Mike Rogers 79 80 159

Kemnay

Tee times at Duff House Royal tomorrow

FINAL-ROUND DRAW FOR 54 HOLE SCOTTISH ALLIANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
THURSDAY 15th OCTOBER

8.27	A.J SMITH	N.CHISHOLM
8.36	A.DOUGLAS	R.LAMONT
8.45	A.M BRUCE	J.McFARLANE	G.GRAY
8.54	C.NELSON	D.LESLIE	M.WINTON
9.03	J.ENGLAND	I.TAYLOR
9.12	G.HOMER	B.LUMSDEN	MONIFEITH
9.21	W.B JOHNSTONE	A.J McWILLIAM
9.30	S.MELVIN	S.FASKIN	M.SMITH
9.39	N.PARKER	R.COUPER	M.ROGERS
9.48	MONIFEITH	MONIFEITH	MONIFEITH
9. 57	G.HAMILTON	W.SKENE	T.MADDEN
10.06	S.TAYLOR	W.JOHNSTONE	J.SUNLEY
10.15	D.NELSON	J.INGRAM	C.WESTLAND
10.24	R.McPHERSON	S.DUNCAN	J.SCOTT
10.33	P.LOUDEN	L.STUART	S.ALLISON
10.42	P.MORRISON	P.BRADBURY	G.PATERSON
10.51	D.MACKAY	D.ADAM	A.GALL
11.00	A.CAMPBELL	N.McGARVA	T.ROBERTSON
11.09	W.DONNELLY	D.CLARK	J.EMSLIE
11.18	I.MACAULAY	J.DUNCAN	J.MACDONALD
11.27	B.RITCHIE	S.MACKIE	M.LOUDEN
11.36	J.HOPWOOD	R.HARROWER	D.FLEMING
11.45	G.WITHERS	S.BIRRELL	C.GOODWIN
11.54	PATRICK MCKENNA	R.McKERRON	J.CRAIG
12.03	S.LAWRIE	D.MUNRO	Laura.MURRAY
12.12	P.BROOKES	M.PATTERSON	B.FOTHERINGHAM
12.21	K.THOMSON	G.ESSON	T.MATHIESON
12.30	I.GRAHAM	J.SHAW	M.BURT
12.39	R.CAMERON	K .DUNCAN	M. PENNYCOTT
12.48	N.Macandrew	J.DUFF	N. HENDERSON
12.57	D.STEWART	G.McBAIN	K.NICOL

Portugal Masters tees off tomorrow and it cannot come soon enough for last year's winner Alex Levy   EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS Alex Levy is hoping to maintain his 100 per cent record at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course on the Algarve this week as he defends his Portugal Masters title on what has become one of his happiest hunting grounds. For not only did he secure his second European Tour title there 12 months ago, romping to victory on his Portugal Masters debut after averaging a birdie on every other hole over the first two rounds, but Levy also helped his native France win the European Amateur Team Championship when it was held at the Vilamoura venue four years ago. So two trips to Oceânico Victoria GC have yielded a pair of victories – no wonder Levy talks of Arnold Palmer’s creation in glowing terms. Another player who counts the course amongst his favourites is Martin Kaymer, who will be hoping to make as big an impact in his latest appearance in the €2 million tournament as he did in his first. The Portugal Masters made its debut on The European Tour International Schedule in 2007 and Kaymer took no time in making himself comfortable, firing an opening round of 61 on his way to a tie for seventh in the same season he won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. The German has since gone on to great things, winning two Major Championships, climbing his way to World Number One and winning The Race to Dubai in 2010. That tie for seventh eight years ago remains his highest finish in the Portugal Masters, but the 30 year old is confident of capitalising on his upturn in form in recent weeks. Paul Lawrie and fellow Scot Marc Warren are in the same grouping for the first two rounds. Key quotes Alex Levy: “I’m very happy to be here to defend my title, it’s a great golf course, a lovely hotel and the food is also great. I played some of the best golf of my life here last year. It was a very good week for me, and I’ve got some very good memories. It will be hard to make 18 birdies in the first 36 holes again this week, but I will try! “You can look back at what helped you achieve that, but now I have to move forward. It’s nice to see pictures of me with the trophy on Twitter and Instagram, and to have scored like I did was amazing. But the important thing is understanding what helped you achieve those things, and how you can replicate that.” Martin Kaymer: “I enjoy the golf course. It’s one of those where when you hit the fairway, you have a lot of chances so you need to be very patient. Once you hit it in the rough, it can get very tricky so you just need to hit the fairways. “It's nice when you have a golf course at a venue where you can stay pretty much on the golf course. They have very nice rooms here at the hotel, good food, good golf course and everything is very close. You don’t need to walk or drive far. In the evenings you can go to the marina and have dinner there, so overall it’s a very pleasant week for the players.” Did You Know? • Tom Lewis claimed his first European Tour title in just this third event as a professional at the 2011 Portugal Masters. This matched the European Tour record for a player winning in the fewest amount of events since leaving the amateur game. Alejandro Cañizares won on his third outing in the paid ranks at the 2006 Russian Open. • Playing on as sponsor's invitation in 2011, Lewis – then aged 20 years and 284 days – became the third youngest Englishman to win in European Tour history, behind Paul Way (aged 19 years and 149 days at the 1982 KLM Open), and Sir Nick Faldo (aged 20 years and 30 days at the 1977 Skol Lager Individual). • When Shane Lowry won the 2012 Portugal Masters, beating Ross Fisher by one shot, he joined Pablo Martin Benavides as the only other player to have won on The European Tour as both an amateur and a professional. Lowry won the Irish Open in 2009 as an amateur in his very first European Tour appearance. • When Richard Green won the 2010 Portugal Masters, he became the second left-hander to win that year, following Phil Mickelson at the Masters Tournament. This marked the first time in European Tour history that two left handed players had won in the same season. • The Portugal Masters is known for its low scoring. Taking out the 2014 event, the average winning score is 267. For the fourth consecutive year the course will be played as a par 71, as opposed to a 72. - Ends -

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Report and scores at end of first day of Daily Telegraph BMW Junior Championship at the Quinta do Lago North Course on Portugal's Algarve coastline can be viewed on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Westwood's American Dream Ends    Lee Westwood moved from England to Florida in search of  that elusive major. Three years later, he is resigning his  United States PGA Tour membership and moving back to  Europe. This follows the break-up of his marriage during the summer   and a move to Scotland by his wife and children   READ  STORY   ALL IN THE GLOBAL POST

MENA TOUR breakthrough for Scot

Aberdeen's Clarke Lutton scores first win as a 

pro in Dubai's Golf Citizen Classic

 MENA TOUR NEWS RELEASE

DUBAI  — Aberdeen-born tour pro Clarke Lutton survived a big test of nerve to win the $50,000 Golf Citizen Classic by one shot for his maiden success - worth US dollars 6,063 -  won the MENA Golf Tour at The Els Club, Dubai today.

Four in front overnight, the 27-year-old Birmingham University PGA course graduate closed with a two-under 70 to reach 13-under 203 for the tournament, seeing off a strong challenge from Trevor Marshall of New Zealand on the home stretch.

Lutton's earlier rounds over what he considers his home course were 67 and 66, his lowest ever scores on the MENA Tour.

Lutton’s playing partner, Stuart Archibald of England carded a final round 69 to finish solo third on 206, three shots ahead of his compatriot Zane Scotland.

Paul Doherty, leader of the MENA Tour Order of Merit coming into this event, finished joint seventh on 211 with rounds of 70,72 and 69.

Slovakia’s young prodigy Jakub Hrinda provided a new twist to the script, winning the amateur division on four under after Morocco’s overnight amateur leader Ayoub Lguirati stumbled to a four-over 76. 

Despite the searing afternoon heat, Dubai-based Lutton kept his cool when it mattered most to seal the deal, becoming the second Scot after Paul Doherty, to have his name inscribed on a MENA (Middle East North Africa) Golf Tour trophy.

“I am just ecstatic. Just can’t describe how I am feeling about my first win as a professional. It wasn’t easy: a big test of nerve indeed,” said the Aberdeen native after receiving the winner’s trophy from Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tourat the Els Club.

“I think playing the tournament with an aggressive mindset did the trick. It was my short game in the final round that really kept me going as I made some good up-and-down pars. The birdie on the 14^th was crucial when I holed a long 12-foot putt which kind of steadied my nerves,” said Lutton, who turned professional in 2007.

New Zealand’s Marshall had his chances, but could not capitalise on the par-5s which he played in level par on the final round.

 on par-5s, he played at level par.

 

“When you are chasing down a big four-shot lead, you need to do well on all the par-5s, but that didn’t happen. All credit to Clarke, who really played well and deserved to win,” said Marshall.

Slovakia’s Hrinda attributed his victory in the amateur division to solid golf all week. “I didn’t make silly mistakes, which was the key,” said the 15-year-old, who is a 10^th grade student at Doha College.

“I would like to thank college for all their support. Certainly, I would like to play more often on the tour and will do so once I am done with my studies,” said Hrinda.

  

Morocco’s Mohammed Bellarousia won the MENA Division for professionals on three-over 219 while Saudi Arabia’s Khaled Attieh took the honours in the region’s amateur division.

The MENA Golf Tour travels to Oman next week for the Muscat Hills Golf Citizen Championship

MENA TOUR 

Golf Citizen Classic 

Els Golf Club, Dubai

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72)

203 C Lutton (Sco) 67 66 70

204 T Marshall (NZ) 70 67 67

206 S Archibald (Eng) 71 66 69

209 Z Scotland (Eng) 71 68 70

210 C Hinton (Eng) 72 70 68, G King (Eng) 70 70 70 

SELECTED TOTALS

211 P Doherty (Sco) 70 72 69 (T7)

219 T Innes-Ker (Sco) 73 72 74 (T30)

221 C Nicoll (Sco) 73 75 73 (T40)