Michael Stewart wins again - at Glasgow Gailes
By JOHN HENRY
Aberdeen Asset sponsored player Michael Stewart kept up his good form after winning the CT Sports Academy event yesterday at his local course Troon Darley (-3), by winning our event today, sponsored by Glasgow Golf Centre at Glasgow Gailes.
Michael won today  with a great score of three under par again.
Cardross youngster Cameron Farrell also kept up his good form from yesterday event where he tied with Michael for the win, and today he finished second with a respectable one under par scoe.
  We also gave a special invite today to amatuer and SGU squad player Craig Ross who heads to South Africa in a couple of weeks time for his first events of the season. We wish him well and look forward to seeing his name up the top of the leaderboards!
    We would like to thank Glasgow Golf Centre for our event today and I'm sure Michael will be making use of his prize and the facilities very soon.

http://www.indoorgolfacademies.co.uk

Craig Lawrie's 36 holes without a bogey

 earns him 650 euros on Algarve

Craig Lawrie enjoyed a bogey-free 36 holes to finish tied fifth with scores of 70-71 for a five-under-par total of 141 on the Algarve Pro Tour's first event on 2016 at Penina, the Henry Cotton-designed course, one of the originals on the Algarve coastline.
Lawrie earned 650 euros for finishing four shots behind the winner of the 2,000 Euros first prize, Portugal's Ricardo Santos with scores of 71 and 66 for nine-under 137.
Santos overtook the overnight leaders with a brilliant outward half of 29 which featured one eagle and four birdies. He also birdied the 17th and 18th after a bogey at the 15th.
He won by two shots from England's Marcus Armitage (70-69 for 139).
Jay Taylor  was the second highest Scottish finisher with scores of 74 and 74 for 145.
Conor O'Neil totalled 151 with rounds of 76 and 75.
Sean Lawrie had scores of 78 and 74 for 152.
Of the three Scottish amateurs in the field, Michael Stokes (78-79) finished highest on 157, a stroke ahead of Lewis Reid (83-75) with Benjamin Henderson (Deeside) scoring 83 and 76 for 159.

ALGARVE PRO TOUR
Penina Golf Club.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 146 (2x73)
137 R Santos (Por) 71 66
139 M Armitage (Eng) 70 69
140 C Farrelly (Eng) 71 69, Sam Robertshawe (Eng) 72 68.
141 C Lawrie (Sco) 70 71, J L Adarraga (Spa) 69 72
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
145 J Taylor 71 74
151 C O'Neil 76 75
152 S Lawrie 78 74
157 M Stokes (am) 78 79
158 L Reid (am) 83 75
159 B Henderson (am) 83 76



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Phil McLean wins NE Alliance by three shots with a 68 at Buckpool


 By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Peterhead's Phil McLean (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) won the £110 top scratch prize with a three-under-par 68 in frosty conditions for the North-east Golfers' Alliance at Buckpool Golf Club after Murcar Links, the original venue, was flooded in parts by heavy overnight rain on Monday-Tuesday.

 It is McLean's second win of the season but his first outright victory. He shared the pole position with Kevin Duncan in the opening competition of the season at Craibstone in September.

Deeside amateur Alan Gall played well to share second scratch place with professional John Duff (Newmachar) in  field of 63 players.

Former Scottish tennis champion and past Press and Journal Editor Harry Roulston made the long trip from Stonehaven worthwhile by winning the Class 1 handicap section with a net 67 off seven ... even with a 6 at the par-4 last hole.

He won with the better inward half of 35 after John Sunley (Northern) and David Lane (Deeside) also returned net 67s.

Class 2 also produced a tight finish with Mike Brown (Newburgh), playing off 17, pipping Mike Rogers (Kemnay) who also had a net 67. Brown had the better inward half.

Every prizewinner received £10 extra, thanks to a group of Alliance members chipping in for £150 sponsorship of this week's fixture

For 10 players in today's field at Buckpool it was a wasted day. They were disqualified for playing off wrong tees.

PRIZEWINNERS

SCRATCH

68 P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC).

71 A Gall (Deeside), J Duff (Newmachar)

72 S Finnie (Royal Aberdeen)

75 L Murray (Paul Lawrie GC), K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC).

HANDICAP

Class 1 - H Roulston (Stonehaven) (7) bih, J Sunley (Northern) (8) bih, D Lane (Deeside) (9) 67; A Smith (Turriff) (4) 69; D Leslie (Bon Accord) (3) 70.

Class 2 - M Brown (Newburgh) (17) bih, M Rogers (Kemnay) (15) 67; R Duncan (Deeside) (12) bih, P Cheyne (Northern) (10) 68; J Forrest (Northern) (11) 70. 

ALL THE SCRATCH SCORES
Par 71
68 P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC)
71 A Gall (Deeside), J Duff (Newmachar)
72 S Finnie (Royal Aberdeen)
73 A Smith (Turriff), D Leslie (Bon Accord), K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC), L Murray (Paul Lawrie GC)
74 H Roulston (Stonehaven), D Brown (Kemnay)
75  J Sunley (Northern)
76 D Lane (Deeside)
77 G Esson (Portlethen), R Lamb (Newmachar), G Riley (Craibstone)
78 P Cheyne (Northern), A Campbell (Murcar Links), D Mackay (Hazlehead)
79 K Duncan (Paul Lawrie GC), C Cassie (Nigg Bay)
80 R Duncan (Deeside), J Duncan (Oldmeldrum), J Thomas (Craibstone), Keil Beveridge (Kippie Lodge).
81 J Forrest (Northern), J Murray (Banchory)
82 M Rogers (Kemnay), M Lawrie (Kemnay), P Low (Craibstone), G Milne (Newburgh), M Merchant (Newmachar)
84 G Chalmers (Alford), M Brown (Newburgh), S Davidson (Northern).
85 N Chisholm (Kemnay)
86 D Lawrie (Aboyne)
87 D Nelson (Aboyne), T Collie (Kemnay), R Brown (Newburgh)
88 W Skene (Deeside)
90 N K Parker (Murcar Links), D Booth (Tarland).
93 D Wright (Northern)

94 G Thom (Murcar Links).

Next NE Alliance competition at Royal Tarlair Golf Club, Macduff on Wednesday, January 21.
 

Doherty and Lutton have ground to make up 

after Round 1 of Asian Tour Final Q School

Scots Paul Doherty and Clarke Lutton both have work to do after the first round of the Asian Tour Final Qualifying School at Springfield Royal and Imperial Lakeview, Hua Hin in Thailand today.
Doherty shot a one-under-par 70 to be tied 45 th while Aberdeen-born Lutton had a one-over 72 to be tied 87th in a field of 190 players.
American Kevin McLister, helped by a hole in one at the short seventh, leads with a seven-under 64, one ahead of compatriot Tom Johnson.
The leading 40 players and ties after the fourth round will gain playing rights on this year's Asian Tour.





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Grant Forrest on qualifying tightrope as heat then storm halts Aussie Amateur 

 FROM THE AUSTRALIAN 
GOLF WEBSITE
Play at the Australian Amateur Championships was suspended for the day long before darkness fell at the Victoria venue.
Extreme heat forced players from Melbourne’s Metropolitan and Kingswood golf courses at 3.50pm, then just as the field was returning to position for a 6pm (local time) resumption, lightning and fierce winds sent players and spectators scurrying again to the clubhouse.
A combination of lightning and strong winds then forced officials’ hands at 6.30pm.
The last groups have 13 holes of their second round left to play, with none of the 156-strong afternoon field having finished.
Play will resume at 6.45am (local time) on Thursday morning.
Taking into account potential play-offs for the final qualifying spots into the second phase, officials plan to start the match-play rounds at approximately noon.
The first round of match-play will be played in groups of four with tee times until approximately 4pm, hopefully allowing the full round to be completed and have the tournament back on schedule by Friday.
Play had been scheduled to resume at 6pm Melbourne time after more than two hours were lost to extreme heat with the official temperature exceeding 42C (114F).
But just as players were returning to position, an imminent lightning warning was issued and Golf Australia officials ushered everyone off the Metropolitan and Kingswood golf courses, Victoria
The official #AusAm policy revolves around a Bureau of Meteorology “feels-like” temperature of 39C which was never reached, but the move was made to uphold players’ safety with some visibly feeling the pinch.
There were some fine scores earlier, but very few were in train among the later groups when play was suspended.
World No.22 Grant Forrest from the Craigielaw club has his hopes of reaching the match-play stages hanging by a thread midway through his round.
The Scottish ace, with a double bogey 7 at the long seventh and other shots dropped at the second, fifth and ninth, made some uncharacteristic errors in a front nine of four-over-par 41 (one birdies, at the long sixth) at Metropolitan and slumped towards the borderline of the top 64 men who will advance to the matchplay phase.
Forrest is currently three over in total, right on the projected limit number on a wildly fluctuating day. There are 13 players tied on the three over par mark, most of whom have still to complete their third rounds.
Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) is four under par and in joint fourth position overall with 14 holes to play.
Connor Syme (Drumoig) is level par after nine holes and T20.
Jack McDonald (Barassie) is two over pat after nine holes and in T43 position.
Sydney’s Kevin Yuan continues to lead despite battling slightly at Kingswood. The new Metropolitan amateur course record holder – after his 64 on Tuesday – was one over today to be seven under and only one clear of impressive Hills International School player Charles Pilon who’s safely in the clubhouse at six under after an even-par 72 at Kingswood this morning.
The best score this morning was from New Zealander Lachie McDonald who carded an entertaining 67 at Metropolitan.
The Palmerston North ace mixed eight birdies and an eagle amid three bogeys and a double to all but wrap up his matchplay berth.
“I’ve had nine birdies in a round before, but it’s really nice to have it in such an important event on this quality of course, too,” McDonald said.
“I’ve never played this well in an event of this stature, so it’s really nice.
“I hit 14 greens yesterday and shot five over, so a couple of bad shots punished me. But I came out today and the putter was rolling, so I just believed in myself and away I went.”
The affable McDonald, considering turning pro if his trip to Australasian PGA Tour school next week goes well, said that style of play would hopefully suit him in the knockout phase.
“If I can that round again, it will be fairly helpful because the odd bogey won’t matter as much. I’m a really confident match-player, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.


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For everything Australian Amateur, visit www.golf.org.au/australian-amateur.