North-east
pair Sam Kiloh and Chris Robb went in opposite directions over the last
nine holes of the Madaef Open at El Jadida Royal Golf Club, Morocco ...
but finished the penultimate round sharing the same place, 20th.
Portlethen's
Kiloh (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) climbed the leaderbord with birdies at
the 11th, 14th and 18th for a 73 and a six-over-par 36-hole tally of
150.
But
Banchory' Robb (Meldrum House) slipped back with late bogeys at the
12th, 15th and 16th for a 76 to follow up his opening 74.
They are both nine shots behind the leader, France's Stanislas Gautier (72-69 for 141).
The
three other Scots in the field of 121 players missed the cut at 153.
Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) shot 81 and 74 for 155, the same total as
Ellon's Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy) with rounds of 78 and 77.
Peterhead's Philip McLean had his highest scores for many a long day - an 86 and a 78 for 111th place on 20-over-par 164.
FROM JOHN HENRY Our competition at Kingsbarns Golf Club, Fife on
Wednesday, April 13 is our first order of merit event. We have a
full field of 27 players Here is the draw for the day
9.30 Scott Borrowman, Michael Stewart, Eric Walker. 9.38 Chris Kelly, Sam Binning, Danny Young, James Steven. 9.46 Greg O'Neill, Mark Hillson, Jordan McColl, Cameron Farrell. 9.54 Craig Ronald, Neil Henderson, Neil Fenwick, Jonathan Mullaney. 10.02 Michael Patterson, Sean Lawrie, Kevin Duncan, Mark Kerr 10.10 Craig Lawrie, James McGhee, Kylie Walker, Ronan Rafferty. 10.18 John Henry, Kris Nicol, John Gallagher, Chris Doak.
Western Gailes to win £400 first prize By COLIN FARQUHARSON Alan Reid (West Lothian) and Clydeway Golf's Graham Fox are back in the form that won them several first prizes on last year's PGA in Scotland Winter Four-ball Series.
They shot a four-under-par 67 at Western Gailes Golf Club, Ayrshire today to lift the £400 top award, one stroke ahead of Paul O'Hara and Stuart Williamson (Clydeway Golf) who earned £290 between them. Reid and Fox (pictured right) squeezed their four-under-par, better-ball figures into a span of five holes on the outward half - a birdie at the fifth, an eagle 3 at the par-5 sixth and a birdie at the ninth. No birdies at all after the turn but nine pars clinched their victory over a field of 14 pairs.
PGA IN SCOTLAND WINTER FOUR-BALL SERIES Western Gailes Golf Club, Ayrshire BETTER-BALL SCOREBOARD Par 71 67 Alan Reid (West Lothian) and Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) £400. 68 Paul O'Hara and Stuart Walker (Clydeway Golf) £290 70 Stephen McAllister (S McAllister Glf) and Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle) £190 72 Mark Loftus (Mearns Castle) and Simon Payne (Cowglen) £140 73 Stephen Gray (Lanark) and Billy Marchbank (Crieff) £25, Jason McCreadie (Loudon Castle) and Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) £25, Fergus Smith and Colin Fisher (Great Western Golf) £25, Gareth Wright (West Linton) and Norman Huguet (Musselburgh) £25. 74 Graham Forbes (Mar Hall) and Paul Robinson (Largs), Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle) and Greg Paxton (Ralston). 75 Craig Everett (Caldwell) and Stewart Savage (Dalmuir). 76 James Dick (Duddingston) and Scott Grieve (Turnhouse).D 80 David Stein and Tom Eckford (Ranfurly Castle). 90 Vincent Brown (Logos Golf Ministries) and Nigel Scott-Smith (Palacerigg).
LDET NEWS RELEASE Sweden's Andreas Persson
won the Scotland Long Driving European TourChampionship, beating
Dan Konyk with a best drive of 362
yards after playing three sets
in the final. In the first tournament of the season, held at the Fairmont St.
Andrews, almost 30 hitters from all over Europe participated.
Long Drive at
the home of golf For the first time, Scotland has hosted one of the championships on the
tour. Not surprisingly, it´s the homeland of the golf. As we expected, the day started with rain and cold weather
and grey skies. The low temperature
conditioned the earlier hits of the players who did not exceed 350
yards. In the warmer afternoon conditions, hitters reached 404 yards, the longest ball
of the day sponsored by Williams Racing Golf, and achieved by the Scot John McSloy. In addition, the Kittocks course added an extra challenge for the talent of the long drivers.
ScotJohn McSloy, with a blast of
329 yards, highlighted group 1. He was followed by Sweden's Edbald Markus (307), Finland's Marko Mustonen (305) and Thomas Morel (France).
Englishman Joe Miller
returned to a championship of the LDET and he did not disappoint. He made a
mark of 337yd
Other marks were: M. Rogalski (Scotland), 317, Alex Cerdervall
(Sweden) and Timo Petrasch (319). However, Miller fell in the second round, defeated by Switzerland's Benaglio by
two sets to zero.
Miller was unbeaten in
Europe since 2012.
In the third group, the best was Sweden's Emil Rosberg (350),
followed by England's Matthew Nicolle (349), Dan Konyk (345y) and Mauro Benaglio
(338y).
And in the last frame,
Persson was first (344y) and after him: the Finn Aleksi Kivini (334y),
Belgium's Tanguy Marionex (332) and the Serbian Ilija Djurdjevic (331y).
A final with
big names The road to the first title of the season was not easy for Andreas Persson. He left back the rookie Thomas
Morel (FRA), Edblad Markus (SWE) and John McSloy (SCO). In the other hand, Dan Konyk signed a great championship after
eliminating Martin Rogalski (SCO), Emil Rosberg (SWE) and Matthew Nicolle (ENG).
In the final battle, the
spectators at Fairmont St. Andrews enjoyed the performance of Persson (350,
347, 362) and Konyk (348, 349, 355), two of the most experienced long drivers, who played three sets. The rookie
Matthew Nicolle finished third.
Best bombings in sight
The long drivers play with the balls
provided by Volvik. The sponsor of the circuit works to get better
distances in their performances and premiered a new model of ball called MAGMA, which was tested by Persson and Konyk. Both showed their power and reached spectacular marks of 373 and 374
yards
Black Isle Open Foursomes at Fortrose and Rosemarkie Scoreboard
(Sponsored by Munro and Noble) – Scratch Section Qualifiers
M.
MacDonald (F and R) and C. Gaittens (F and R) 70/70 (140); J.
Forbes (Muir of Ord) and S. Johnson (Muir of Ord) 69/75 (144); D. Joel
(Inverness) and B. Thomson (Nairn) 72/75 (147); R. Smith (Nairn) and F. Asher (Nairn) 78/71 (149)
Handicap Section Qualifiers – C.
Munro (Reay) and S. Robb (Peterculter) (9.5) 68.5/72.5 (141); J. Fair
(F and R) and F. Patience (F and R) (12) 72/70 (142); G. Moore (F and R) and S. Bassindale (F and R) (5.5) 73.5/69.5 (143); N.
Jaffrey (F and R) and C. Thompson (Royal Dornoch) (12) 71/74 (145);
MATCH-PLAY
Scratch
Section
Semi Finals – M. MacDonald (F and R) a C. Gaittens (F and R) bt R. Smith (Nairn) and F. Asher (Nairn) 5 and 4; D. Joel
(Inverness) and B. Thomson (Nairn) bt J. Forbes (Muir of Ord) and
S. Johnson (Muir of Ord) at 22nd
Final – MacDonald and Gaittens bt Joel and Thomson 1 hole
;Handicap Section
Semi-Finals – C. Munro
(Reay) and S. Robb (Peterculter) walk-over N. Jaffrey (F and R) and C.
Thompson (Royal Dornoch) scratched; G. Moore (F and R) and S. Bassindale
(F and R) bt J. Fair (F and R) and F. Patience (F and R) 7 and 5.
Final – Moore and Bassindale bt Munro and Robb 4 and 2
Danny Willett's upbringing will keep him grounded, even wearing a green jacket
GOLFDIGEST.COM
By John Huggan
AUGUSTA,
Georgia -- He was the last player to arrive -- 89th of 89 -- and the last
man to leave Augusta National. Completing a last 12 days of his life he
described as “crazy,” new father Danny Willett -- he and wife Nicole
welcomed son Zachary into the world March 30 -- shot a closing 67 to win
one of the most unpredictable Masters Tournaments in history.
Five
shots behind defending champion Jordan Spieth with nine holes to play,
Willett was standing on the 15th green at four under par for the week
when the news came through that the long-time leader had accumulated a
quadruple-bogey seven at the short 12th. Suddenly, the tournament was
Willett’s to lose.
“You
never feel comfortable on this golf course,” he said. “Not until you
finish, sign your card and post a number. I knew I still had a job to
do. He was only three back so there were plenty of holes for him to
catch up. That made my birdie on the 16th really timely. And I hit a
great chip on the 17th (to save par). But that’s why you put in the
endless hours chipping, putting, hitting shots, imagining hitting shots
at certain courses at certain times. And fortunately I was able to
relive some of them dreams and some of them practice sessions.”
Willett
was quick to pay tribute to his playing partner for the final round,
Lee Westwood. Good friends and stable-mates at Chubby Chandler’s
International Sports Management, the pair has played a lot of golf
together both competitively and socially. All of which helped the new
champion’s ability to handle the unique pressures of a major
championship.
“I
couldn’t have asked for a better pairing,” he said. “Playing so much
with Lee and Darren (Clarke) has helped me be comfortable around great
players. My coach, Pete Cowen, told me earlier this year that I have to
be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. That helped too.”
Spieth
also came in for praise from the former English Amateur champion. The
pair had the potentially uneasy experience of sitting next to one
another at the presentation ceremony, where the defending champion helps
his successor into the traditional green jacket.
But all had gone well.
“He
just said, ‘really well played,’” said Willett. “He shook my hand like
the true gent he is. He’s a class act to be able to hold face as he did
at a time when he was obviously hurting. It just shows the character of
the guy. He’s going to be up and around the world number-one spot for
many years.”
Such
generosity of spirit is typical of Willett.
There has always been a lot
to like about the first European golfer to win the Masters in this
century. Approachable and personable, 28-year old Yorkshire-native has
retained, even as he has earned what he calls “ridiculous amounts of
money for someone my age,” an ordinariness and down-to-earth quality.
This is a man whose two best friends on the European Tour are caddies.
I’ve
had times when I’ve wanted an arm round my shoulder and I’ve been given
a kick up the backside instead. Which is how it should be.
“When
we are all home we might go for a game and a bit of a giggle,” he says
of his pals. “That’s life for me. I see the physio in the morning then
go for a lesson. And play in the afternoon. After that it might be a few
drinks and a game of snooker.
“We
just mess around really. That’s normality for me. What I don’t do is
live the same life I have on tour. After a few weeks off I’m always
excited to be back on tour. I hate pitching up tired after too long on
the road. My maximum -- and they would have to be good events -- is
four.”
Golfing
fatigue wasn’t a problem this week. Willett arrived on the back of a
brief break from the tour. Which is not to say he was well rested.
The
recent addition to the Willett clan -- originally due to arrive April
11, his mum’s 28th birthday -- did mean golf’s newest father was
inevitably a little short of sleep. But, as things turned out, not short
of birdies. Winning a maiden major championship title with a
five-birdie, bogey-free closing round of 67 is the stuff of dreams for
any golfer.
Willett’s
background has played a large role in his ability to stay grounded,
something that his newfound status surely won’t change. The son of a
Church of England vicar and a Swedish-born mathematics teacher and the
second youngest of four brothers, Willett has never been allowed to be
the big shot in his obviously close-knit family (his parents twice
re-mortgaged their home to finance his golf when he was an amateur).
“My
Dad, as you’d expect, is pretty philosophical,” he says. “And my Mum,
being Swedish, is more straightforward and blunt. I’ve had times when
I’ve wanted an arm round my shoulder and I’ve been given a kick up the
backside instead. Which is how it should be.
“I’m
almost jealous of family’s ability to do “ordinary” things. When I was
playing in the Irish Open last year my parents were at their house in
Wales, which is where they will retire. They had our dog with them. They
were on the beach every day and waking up whenever they wanted. And I
was over there slaving away getting frustrated because I wasn’t hitting
it on a string.”
That
hasn’t happened too often in his career, though. After taking up the
game at the age of 11, Willett made rapid progress through the amateur
ranks, peaking at -- where else -- number-one in the world ranking. He
also spent two years at Jacksonville State University.
“It
was there I learned how to practice properly,” he says. “I had to
manage my own time. I was in the gym six days a week. I had to qualify
for the team on a weekly basis. And I had my schoolwork too. I had to
keep up a grade average that was decent enough to maintain my
eligibility for the team. Throw all that in the pot and you have to be
organized.”
Left to
his own devices, Willett developed a highly repeatable action, one
distinctive for the early “set” of the club in the backswing. But it
makes sense, at least to its owner.
“If
you set the club correctly early in the swing, all you really have to
do is turn,” says the former Walker Cup player of the swing that stood
up best to the pressure of an endlessly exciting Masters Sunday. “It’s
that simple. If I get the club in position with my shoulders ‘loaded,’ I
can just elevate to the turn them come back down. At my best, that’s
all I think about.
“I
don’t think my swing is ever going to change in how it looks. But the
feeling of it has changed. It feels wider. But when I see it on camera
it still looks narrow to me. But I don’t have to think about it really.
At first it was a conscious move, but not now.”
One
thing that has held Willett back is his back. Over the course of his
professional career he has been forced to withdraw from “maybe five
events.”
“It’s an
on-going thing and is sometimes not great,” he says. “When it’s cold, I
struggle. It was an edema on L-5 S-1 on my spine. It needed to settle
down basically. And golf is not the best sport you can play with a bad
back.
“I have to
watch myself. I can practice as much as I want most of the time. But I
have to make sure I move correctly and do all the stretches both before
and after. I have to stay loose. So it’s something I have to work
around.”
And that he
has done rather successfully over the last couple of years. T-6 in the
Open Championship at St. Andrews last year, Willett was also third in
the WGC World Match Play and the WGC HSBC Championship. This year he
joined the PGA Tour, ironically after seeking advice from the man he
played alongside in the final round of the 80th Masters.
“I
talked to Lee about whether I need to move to the States,” says
Willett, who hails from the industrial city of Sheffield. “He told me he
managed fine when he was living in Worksop, so I don’t see any need to
move over permanently. Lee said I should pick the events I want to play
in, know my schedule and stick to it.”
Following
that plan has worked out rather nicely. Even before victory in the
year’s first major, Willett was well on the way to the best season of
his career. In February, he won the Dubai Desert Classic and last month
he was T-3 in the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral. So a surprise
victory this was not, no matter how much the ups and downs of Spieth may
have contributed to the most important win of Willett’s life.
If you thought Jordan Spieth's
back-nine meltdown at Augusta National was painful to watch, you were
right. It was painful not only for fans, but also for an all-time great.
Jack Nicklaus offered the following comments regarding Spieth and Masters champion Danny Willett: I think the whole golfing world feels for Jordan Spieth. He had a
chance to do something truly special and something very few have done
before and be the youngest to accomplish that and he just didn¹t pull
through. My heart goes out to him for what happened, but I know that
Jordan is a young man who will certainly learn from this experience and
there will be some good that comes out of this for him. He¹s a wonderful
talent and a wonderful young man.
I¹ve watched Danny Willett play on television a few times and
when I¹ve seen him swing the golf club, I have thought, "Well, this
young man looks like he¹s a pretty darn good player." He had moved
himself up to 12th in the world, so he¹s obviously done something right
and was playing very good golf coming into Augusta. What impressed me
so much is that when he realized he was in a position to win, he
finished it, and that¹s the mark of a champion: to finish a good round;
give yourself an opportunity to win; and when the other fellow doesn¹t
finish, you¹ve got to be there.
Danny Willett was, and kudos to him. What an amazing couple of weeks
for him - from becoming a new father to becoming the latest Masters
winner. My congratulations go to Danny for what he did.
DUBAI — The MENA (Middle East, North Africa)
Golf Tour will make its maiden voyage to the “Land of Smiles,” as Thailand is
popularly known for its effusive hospitality, when it hosts two events there next
month.
The Mountain Creek Thailand Open — the fifth event on this year’s schedule — will be held from May 10 to
12, followed by the the Mahasamutr Masters at Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin on May 17-19 in a
vivid reflection of the tour’s growing strength.
With the Tourism Authority of Thailand
stepping up its drive to attract more in-bound tourists, the two events are
aimed at realising the country’s huge golf tourism potential in addition to promoting
Golf Citizen, one of the fastest growing online tee time booking engines which
has richly-diverse golf courses on its network.
“A lot of fresh talent coming up through the
ranks over the last few years, but the opportunities to play are limited. With
MENA Golf Tour travelling to new destinations, it will provide another platform
for young professionals to develop and showcase their skills on a global
basis,” said Darren Clarke, Patron of the MENA Golf Tour.
