Lutton 72, Byrne 75 at Asian Tour Q School 

Stage 1 in Thailand

Aberdeen-born Clarke Lutton had a par 72 and James Byrne from Banchory a four-over-par 75 in the first round of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 event at four venues in Thailand.

Lutton is tied 25th in a field of 126 at the Springfield Royal GC course, Hua Hin.

Byrne is sharing 74th place in a field of 109 at Windsor Park GC, Bangkok.

Singapore-based Byrne had an eagle 3 at the long fourth but an inward half of 40 included three double bogeys although he finished on a relative high by birdieing the 17th and 18th.

Three Scottish venues on EuroPro Tour

 schedule + Q School Stage 1 at Haggs Castle

Three of the events on the 2016 PGA EuroPro Tour schedule will be played in Scotland - Montrose (July 5-7), Carrick on Loch Lomond (July 12-14) and Mar Hall, near Glasgow (September 7-9).
Haggs Castle will be one of the six venues for the Qualifying School Stage 1 36-hole events on March 30-31.
The handicap limit for amateurs entering the Q School is 2.
The EuroPro Tour Final Q School tournament over 54 holes will be played at Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire from April 4 to 6.

Frilford Heath Golf Club

18 - 20 May

Burhill Golf Club

25 - 27 May

Cumberwell Park Golf Club

22 - 24 Jun

Longhirst Hall Golf Club

29 Jun - 1 Jul

Montrose Golf Links

5 - 7 Jul

The Carrick on Loch Lomond

 12 - 14 Jul

Close House

27 - 29 Jul

Army Golf Club

3 - 5 Aug

Caversham Heath Golf Club

10 - 12 Aug

East Sussex National

17 - 19 Aug

The Oxfordshire

24 - 26 Aug

Hawkstone Park Golf Club

31 Aug - 2 Sep

Mar Hall Golf and  Spa Resort

7 - 9 Sep

Moor Allerton Golf Club

21 - 24 Sep

Christy O'Connor  Junior  dies at 67,

 in his sleep, on Tenerife holiday

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS Christy O’Connor junior, a former Ryder Cup hero, European  Tour and Senior Tour veteran, and pioneer of golf in Ireland, has  died suddenly at the age of 67. The Galway native passed away in his sleep while on holiday in Tenerife. He is survived by his wife Ann, daughter Ann and son Nigel. O’Connor Jnr is best known for hitting one of the most famous shots in Ryder Cup history – a two-iron approach to the 18th green at The Belfry in 1989 which came to rest four feet from the hole, helping Tony Jacklin’s team retain the cup, courtesy of a 14-14 tie. That was the first of two appearances in the world’s most famous team golf event, having also represented Great Britain and Ireland in 1975 following the most successful of his 28 seasons playing on The European Tour, spanning three decades. The nephew of another famous Irish golfer, Christy O’Connor, two of his four European Tour victories came that season, the second of which was a glorious homecoming at the Irish Open, and he later added two more titles – the latter in the 1992 British Masters. From The European Tour’s inception in 1972, he did not finish outside the top 100 in the Order of Merit in his first 21 seasons, and that class and longevity extended into his Senior Tour career. In his maiden campaign in the over-50s ranks, O’Connor Jnr stormed to a three-shot victory in the 1999 Senior Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, before returning to Northern Ireland a year later to successfully defend the title at Royal County Down. He also lifted two titles on the Champions Tour in America in 1999, and his success did not halt after hanging up his clubs. O’Connor Jnr latterly forged an extremely successful career as a golf course designer, with Shane Lowry’s home golf course Esker Hills, former Irish Open venue Fota Island and recent host of the Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge, Mount Wolseley – where he played in the Pro-Am last October – among the lay-outs in his portfolio. George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour from 2004-2015, said: “It is a very sad day for the O’Connor family and for Ireland as a whole. “Christy Jnr was a legendary figure and his immense legacy is far more than purely his playing record. He was a universally popular player and always enhanced every tournament he played, no matter the occasion. His infectious charm will be sorely missed.”

Grant Forrest leading Scot at Royal Melbourne

Grant Forrest leading the Scots with a par-match round of 72, which included four birdies, at end of first round of Australian Master of Amateurs tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Club's West Course.

Grant, pictured right,  is lying T25, six shots behind the Aussie leader, Zach Murray from Victoria, with a six-under 66 ... one shot ahead of a cluster of players.

Forrest had a up-and-down round with birdies at three par-5 holes (the second, sixth and 12th) and also the par-4 eight in halves of 35-37.

But the Scot bogeyed the sixth, ninth, 14th and 17th to cancel out his gaines. He is lying T25, six shots behind the Aussie leader, Zach Murray from Victoria, with a six-under 66 ... one shot ahead of a cluster of players.

Connor Syme had three birdies but four bogeys in had a 73 to be T33; Jack McDonald birdie four par-5 holes but bogeyed the 16th, 17th and 18th for  74 to be T40, and Ewen Ferguson could muster only one birdie, at the short 12th, in his 75 to be T50 in a field of 75 players.

AUSTRALIAN MASTER OF AMATEURS TOURNAMENT

Royal Melbourne Golf Club

FIRST ROUND

par 72

66 Zach  Murray (Australia)

leads by one shot

SELECTED SCORES

69 Jonathan Thomson (Eng) (T9)

71 Ashton Turner (Eng) (T16)

72 Grant Forrest (Sco) (T25)

73 Jack Davidson (Eng), Connor Syme (Sco) (T33)

74 Owen Edwards (Eng), Jack McDonald (Sco)(T40)

75 Ewen Ferguson (Sco) (T50)

76 Evan Griffith (Wal) (T56)

80 Adam Chapman (T72)

Field of 75 players.

View all the scores

CLICK HERE