Russell Knox has nightmare final round 

Russell Knox had an error-strewn final round of 76 (40-36) for a final total of six over par in this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Valspar Championship, at Palm Harbour, Florida.
It looks like being a tight finish at the sharp end of the leaderboard.
Overnight leader Bill Haas, at the time of writing (7pm UK time), is seven under par through four holes and has a one-shot lead over playing partner, Graham DeLaet.

HOW THEY STAND AT 7pm UK time
Par is 70: Par for 72 holes - 280
7 under par after 4 holes Bill Haas
6 under par after 4 holes Graham DeLaet
5 under par after 6 holes Steve Stricker
5 under par after 6 holes Charl Schwartzel
4 under par after 6 holes Charles Howell III
4 under par after 4 holes Ryan Moore
3 under par after 12 holes Louis Oosthuizen
3 under par after 7 holes Lee McCoy

SELECTED SCORES
2 under par after 7 holes Jordan Spieth
1 under par after 14 holes Danny Willett
1 over par after 18 holes Luke Donald
2 over par after 18 holes Padraid Harrington
6 over par after 18 holes Russell Kox (76: 40-36)

You can view the live scoring throughout the final round in Florida

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LATER NEWS (coming up to 9pm UK time)
8 under after 12 Bill Haas
6 under after 14 Charl Schwartzel 
5 under after 13 Ryan Moore

SELECTED SCORES
4 under after 12 Graham DeLaet
2 under after 18 Louis Oosthuizen
Level par after 15 Jordan Spieth 

Hutcheon finishes T6 on Algarve despite another slow start

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Greig Hutcheon has a problem to solve before the 2016 Tartan Tour campaign tees off. Playing on the Algarve Pro Tour this winter, the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre player has been at least two over par after the first two or three holes.

He did it again today (Sunday), bogeying the first two holes at Castro Marim Golf Club near the Spanish Border in the last event of the Algarve Pro Tour winter schedule.

Hutch recovered enough to post a three-under-par 69 (37-32) and finish tied sixth on five-under 139, six shots behind the two Portuguese players, Joao Ramos (65-68) and Tiago Cruz (68-65), who tied on 11-under 135 before Ramos won a sudden death play-off.

There's nothing wrong with the Scot's game in general as he demonstrated by covering the last seven holes in four under par with an eagle 3 at the par-5 12th and birdies at the 13th and 17th, He had four birdies in all.

James Steven, despite a double bogey 6 at the first, matched Hutcheon's 139 total with a round of 71.

Jordan McColl (Kingsbarns Pro Academy), the leading Scot after a first-round 67, slipped back to a tied 19th finish with two double bogeys contributing to a 73 and 140.

Amateurs Lewis Reid (Tantallon), 79-76, and Benjamin Henderson (Deeside), 79-80, finished on 155 and 159 respectively.

ALGARVE PRO TOUR

Castro Marim GC.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

par 144 (2x72)

133 J Ramos (Por) 6568, T Cruz (Por) 68 65 (Ramos won play-off)

135 R Pugh (Wal) 66 69, C Hinton (Eng) 64 71.

SCOTS' TOTALS

139 G Hutcheon 70 69, J Steven 68 71 (T6)

140 J McColl 67 73 (T19).

155 L Reid (am) 79 76 (T47)

159 B Henderson (am) 79 80 (53rd)

Aussie Scott Hend wins Thailand Classic

 

Hua Hin, Thailand: Australian Scott Hend held off a fast-finishing Piya Swangarunporn of Thailand to win the True Thailand Classic presented by Chang by one stroke today. 

The 42-year-old Hend birdied the 14^th and 17^th holes for a closing four-under-par 68 and an 18-under-par 270 winning aggregate at Black Mountain Golf Club after Piya raised the roof with a new course record of 63.

It was Hend’s eighth Asian Tour victory and second European Tour title in the US$1.75 million co-sanctioned tournament and he took home US$291,660, which propelled him into fourth place on the latest Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. 

Belgium’s Thomas Pieters settled for third place following a 68, three strokes behind the new champion while American prospect Peter Uihlein was a further stroke back in fourth after  a 70.

Victory was sweet atonement for Hend, who finished tied second in last year’s True Thailand Classic where he also led into the final day. The overnight leader by two was also fired up to make amends after a poor outing at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in the United States last week.

“To win this tournament after last year’s disappointing finish and to get back into the winner’s circle in Europe and to stay in the winner’s circle in Asia, is extremely important to me. I’m very proud to win this title,” said a jubilant Hend. 

“Last week was extremely disappointing and somewhat deflating. I knew I was swinging the club pretty well. Maybe I was more patient this week and it all came together.”

Piya, 32, threatened to spoil Hend’s party by charging into contention with an amazing run of seven birdies and one eagle where he chipped in for a two on the 10^th hole. After the unheralded Thai drained a 20-foot birdie on 18 to set the clubhouse target, Hend found himself trailing by one.

 

 

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

par 288 (4x72) Yardage 7,492

270 - Scott HEND (AUS) 68-64-70-68.

271 - Piya SWANGARUNPORN (THA) 68-68-72-63.

273 - Thomas PIETERS (BEL) 73-66-66-68.

274 - Peter UIHLEIN (USA) 64-71-69-70.

275 - Pelle EDBERG (SWE) 65-67-73-70.

276 - Joost LUITEN (NED) 70-68-70-68.

277 - Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 73-68-69-67, Simon YATES (SCO) 67-68-72-70, Benjamin HEBERT (FRA) 72-64-70-71 (T7) (40,889 euros each).

278 - Robert DINWIDDIE (ENG) 67-71-71-69, Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL) 73-66-70-69, Gregory HAVRET (FRA) 69-70-70-69, Shaun NORRIS (RSA) 67-68-71-72.

279 - Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 67-73-73-66, Lucas BJERREGAARD (DEN) 71-70-69-69, Joakim LAGERGREN (SWE) 68-71-70-70, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 69-69-70-71, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 68-70-69-72.

OTHER SCOTTISH SCORES
280 Marc Warren 68 68 72 72 (18,225 euros) (T19)
282 Scott Jamieson 66 76 70 70 (11,252euros) (T35)

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AND PRIZEMONEY

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Michael Sim earns top 20 finish in NZ Open

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Aberdeen-born Michael Sim achieved a top 20 finish in the New Zealand Open at Queenstown today while Peter Smith, also from the North-east, sagged over the last two rounds - well he is 56 years old - to finish 52nd.

Sim, pictured, raised at Westhill until his parents decided to emigrate to Australia when he was eight, shot rounds of 73, 67, 69 and 71 for seven-under-par 280.
Smith, born at Udny Station, Aberdeenshire and the son of a former leading Highland League football striker,  had scores of 70, 69, 74 and 75 for one-over 288. A former British PGA senior champion and past winner of the Northern Open, the one time Murcar Links GC pro was the oldest man in the NZ Open field.
Aussie Matthew Griffin holed a birdie putt on the last green to win the title by one shot with a total of 267 (70-65-65-67). He pipped the long-time leader, Japan's Hideto Tanihara (69-66-63-70) who started the final round with a two-stroke lead.

NEW ZEALAND OPEN
The Hills and Millbrook courses, Queenstown
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 287 (3x72, 2x71) 
267 M Griffin (Aus) 70 65 65 67
268 H Tanihara (Jap) 69 66 63 70
273 M Hendry (NZ) 71 71 66 65, S Sonoda (Jap) 68 70 67 68

SCOTTISH SCORES
280 M Sim 73 67 69 71 (T19)
288 P Smith 70 69 74 75 (52nd)

James Allan makes pro debut in Mena Tour

 2016 opener

 MENA TOUR NEWS RELEASE

DUBAI— Reigning MENA Golf Tour amateur champion James Allan has decided to turn professional and will make his debut at the season-opening Royal Golf Mohammedia Open by HLO scheduled for March 23-25 in Morocco.

The 21-year-old English prodigy from Chelmsford flashed a glimpse of his precocious talent at the 2016 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, finishing in a tie for 45th on five-under — a creditable achievement which took his confidence to a whole new level, mentally preparing him for arguably one of the biggest decisions of his career. 

“I was waiting for the right time, a time when you feel you are ready to take the next step in your career. Playing among the game’s elite at the Classic gave me the confidence that I can compete at the highest level and that’s where I want to be,” said Allan.

"You can't put a price on what you learn from these world-class events; it's an opportunity money can't buy. I feel like my game is good enough to be out there. It’s just a matter of taking advantage of opportunities,” he added. 

"I've enjoyed every bit of my amateur career, and winning the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit title for two years in a row was certainly the highpoint of my career and motivated me to work harder on my game," said Allan who joins a long list of players who have taken the MENA Golf Tour route to launch their careers in the paid ranks.

Included in the list are the likes of 2015 MENA Golf Tour champion Thriston Lawrence, Tyler Hogarty of South Africa, Ahmed Marjan of Morocco, Ahmed Al Musharrekh of the UAE and the English duo of Max Williams and James Yeomans to name a few rising stars.

“The (MENA) tour has massively helped my amateur golf. I had a few good results in there last year. I lost in a play-off and challenged for a few events which was great,” said Allan, who won his place at the 2016 Omega Dubai Desert Classic by clinching the Order of Merit amateur crown. 

“The privileges that come with the tour are just fantastic. Multiple European Tour starts and full playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour in addition to exemptions into the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Q-School are good enough incentives for anyone to join the MENA Golf Tour,” said Allan, who has been signed by Wasserman, a leading management company that boasts an exciting stable of players such as Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Andy Sullivan.