AYRSHIRE MATCH-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

AYRSHIRE MATCH-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

 Quarter-final results

FROM THE AYRSHIRE GOLF WEBSITE

The quarter-finals of the 2016 Ayrshire matchplay Championship were completed at Western Gailes on Tuesday night, with players enjoying slightly less breezy and slightly warmer conditions that the previous evening.

The first match saw two times winner Craig Hamilton (Ballochmyle) take on former Ayrshire Boys Champion Jack Thomas (Irvine).

Three opening pars and a birdie 3 at the fourth hole saw Hamilton take a three-hole lead early in the match but a par four at the fifth and a birdie 4 at the following hole allowed Thomas to reduce the deficit to one by the turn The inward half proved tight with only two holes exchanged by the 16th, leaving Hamilton still one in front.

 A birdie 3 at the 16th saw Thomas square the match for the first time since the opening hole, but Hamilton finished with successive pars and this was enough for a two-hole win and a place in the semi-finals.

The second match out was between Graeme Gimson (Prestwick St Cuthbert) and John Shanks (Irvine)

 
The players matched each other over the opening three holes but a birdie 3 at the fourth followed by a concession at the fifth gave Shanks a two-hole advantage. The next two holes were exchanged before a further concession saw Shanks tale a three-hole lead after eight.
Shanks could manage only a bogey five at the ninth which allowed Gimson to reduce the deficit to two holes at the turn.
Gimson took the 12th and 14th to square the match, only to fall behind again when Shanks had a birdie 2 at the 15th. With both players finishing with three successive pars,  Shanks secured a narrow victory by one hole and progressed to the last four.

Defending champion Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) faced Shaun Hedger (West Kilbride) in the third tie of the night.

Some erratic driving early on from Hedger saw Smyth lead by three after four holes but a lost ball by Smyth at the sixth allowed Hedger to reduce his lead to two and a winning par four at the ninth by Hedger saw the players turn for home with Smyth one ahead.
A par 4 at the 11th was good enough for Hedger to win the hole and square the match and the two players matched each other over the next five holes to leave them still all square with two to play.

At the 17th, Hedger was through the back in two whileSmyth played an excellent approach to the centre of the green. Hedger chipped on but could do nothing more as Smyth holed his putt for a winning birdie 3 and a one-hole lead with one to play.
Hedger hit an enormous drive at the 377yd closing hole, to within yards of the green, but was unable to get up and down for the birdie needed to win the hole and take the match into overtime, with Smyth matching Hedger's closing par four to win the tie by one hole.

The final match on the course saw Alan McLean (Kilbirnie Place) up against Adrian Orton (Kilmarnock Barassie).

One under par after five holes, for the second successive evening, saw Orton lead by four holes. Although a superb birdie 4 by McLean at the sixth reduced Orton's advantage to three holes, the Barassie player restored his four-hole lead at the seventh with a birdie 2.
At the eighth Orton found the burn with his second and the resultant bogey 5 allowed McLean to reduce the lead to three once more, only to see Orton finish the half with another birdie 3 to restore his four hole advantage at the turn which he reached with two-under-par figures.

Orton let some shots slip over the opening three holes of the inward nine and McLean took advantage, winning the 10th and 12th to reduce the deficit to two holes, but a solid par 3 from Orton at the 13th after McLean had found a bunker from the tee allowed Orton to stem the flow and restore a three-hole advantage with five to play.
The 14th was halved in par 5s, both players hitting the hole with their birdie attempts, and at the 15th, McLean again showed his mettle, taking the hole with a par three 3 Orton was bunkered from the tee.
Two up with three to play, Orton produced his best drive of the night at the 16th, splitting the fairway and leaving himself a short chip from the green while McLean found a bunker on the left of the fairway from the tee.
With McLean unable to make better than a 5 and Orton safely on the green in two, Orton rolled his birdie attempt to the hole side, prompting a conceded 4 by McLean, and giving him a 3 and  2 victory in the tie.

The semi finals took place night (5pm start) at Western Gailes,

Craig Hamilton Vs John Shanks

Michael Smyth Vs Adrian Orton

On Thursday, we'll bring you the Ayrshire Golf website report of the semi-finals

VisitScotland repeats support of Paul Lawrie 

Match Play at Archerfield Links in August

    Paul Lawrie presents the 2015 trophy at Murcar Link to winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat   (Thailand). Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c).

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
The Paul Lawrie Match Play is delighted to announce that VisitScotland, Scotland’s national tourism organisation, will again support the tournament when it heads to Archerfield Links in East Lothian from August 4-7 this year.
The 64-man knock-out event promises to be extremely popular on Scotland’s ‘Golf Coast’, with ticket prices kept low to encourage families to spend a day out watching some of Europe’s finest golfers.
Adults' tickets cost £15 and anyone aged under 18 can enter free of charge. There will be fun, interactive activities in the public village, as well as local food and drink retailers.
Eight-time European Tour winner Paul Lawrie, who founded the tournament, said: “It’s fantastic for the tournament to have the support of Scotland’s national tourism organisation, VisitScotland, again this year.
“To have a beautiful links course combined with valuable support ensures we’ll have another very extremely exciting week of match play. We look forward to working closely with them to make the most of the event at our new venue on Scotland’s Golf Coast.”
The support is being provided by the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate, which supports Scotland’s regular portfolio of world-class golf events across both men’s and ladies’ tours.
Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome the Paul Lawrie Match Play back to Scotland for a second year to add to an already fantastic summer of golf events across the country.
“As the only straight knock-out match-play event on the European Tour, it will offer golf fans in Scotland something different and provide a terrific day out for families.
“Paul deserves great credit for providing the impetus behind the event in addition to all the great work he does promoting golf in Scotland, and we are fortunate to have such a great ambassador for Scottish golf.
“We look forward to seeing pictures from one of Scotland’s most famous golfing regions being beamed into homes around the world, showing potential visitors why Scotland is the Home of Golf and encouraging them to visit for themselves.”
The Paul Lawrie Match Play is one of nine major professional golf events taking place across multiple tours in Scotland in 2016, including four full European Tour events.

Keith Macintosh to be 2016-17 

captain of R and A

 

NEWS RELEASE

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has announced that Keith Macintosh will serve as Captain in 2016/17.

 Mr Macintosh, pictured, has been nominated as Captain by the past Captains of the Club and will begin his year in office with the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Friday, September 23, 2016.

A distinguished amateur golfer, Mr Macintosh won the Scottish Amateur Championship at Prestwick in 1979 and the Belgian Open Amateur Championship the following year. 

The former Scotland international was also a member of the Great Britain and Ireland St Andrews Trophy team that defeated the Continent of Europe 19 ½ - 10 ½ at Royal St George’s in 1980.

Mr Macintosh has served on the Amateur Status and Finance Committees of The R and A. He has been a Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club since 1994 and, in 1999, won the Royal Medal, the Club’s principal scratch medal prize at its Autumn Meeting. 
He is an Honorary Member of Cardross Golf Club and was Chairman of Prestwick Golf Club in 2014/15. He plays to a handicap of 3.
Born in Cardross, in Argyll, in 1949, Mr Macintosh studied law at Glasgow University before serving his legal apprenticeship in Glasgow and becoming a solicitor at a practice in Dumbarton.
In 1987, he was appointed Company Secretary of Clydesdale Bank PLC. After nine years in the role he returned to practising law as a Partner in practices in Glasgow and then Dumbarton and Helensburgh. He retired in 2009.

Residing in Helensburgh, Mr Macintosh lives with his wife Diana and has two sons, Stewart and Scott.

Play it again, Sam! Solid start by Kiloh has 

him T9 after par 72  in  Czech Republic

By COLIN FARQUHARSON 
Portlethen's Sam Kiloh has made a solid start to this week's EPD (Pro Golf Tour) event in the Czech Republic, the Ypsilon Cup at Liberec.

England's Reeve Whitson eagled the par-15 18th for  a three-under-par 69 to lead by one stroke from six players sharing second place.
Kiloh, pictured, who plays out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre,  is tied ninth with a par 72, in which he recovered from a slow start - bogeys at the second, fourth and 10th - to pick up speed with birdies at the 12th, short 13th and 14th in halves of 37 and 35.
Ellon's Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy) is tied 20th on 74. He was set for a par-matching round until he ran up a double bogey 7 at the par-5 18th. Earlier, Ross birdied the fifth and 11th.
Two former Scottish amateur champions Chris Robb (Meldrum House) and Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) had something else in common today - neither managed a single birdie.
Robb finished with a 78 for a share of 59th place. Culverwell, whose round included a triple bogey 6 at the short 13th, signed for a 79 and joint 72nd place.
Phil McLean (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) had double bogey 6s at the first and third with a bogey 5 sandwiched between them at the second on his way to an outward half of 41. Phil finished with an 80 for a T79 position in a field of 129 players.


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Fraser Moore earns £1,300 for finishing second 

at Dunham Forest on 1836 Tour

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Glenbervie's Fraser Moore earned £1,300 for finishing runner-up in the 1836 Tour event at Dunham Forest Golf Club, Altrincham in Cheshire today.
Moore had a pair of 71s for 142 - four shots behind the £2,000 winner, Joe Dean (Hillsborough) with rounds of 70 and 68.
Falkirk's Ryan Campbell, who won last month on his pro tour debut, finished joint 17th on 147 with scores of 76 and71.
Former Scottish amateur champion John Gallagher (Duddingston) had rounds of 75 and 76 for a tied 23rd place finish on 151.
There was a field of 44 players.

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Zane Scotland wins MENA Tour three-man 

play-off  with an eagle

By VIREN VARMA

RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE – Zane Scotland eagled the first extra hole to win the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in a three-way play-off at Tower Links Golf Club on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old from London stuffed his approach shot to within 15 feet and holed the ensuing putt at the par-5, 18th to seal his 11th title on the MENA Golf Tour after finishing tied with overnight leader Craig Hinton and Miles Tunnicliff at 10-under par  206 in regulation play.

“Obviously, I am delight to win another title on the tour -- and winning it in a play-off under pressure makes it even special,” said Scotland (pictured) after receiving the winner’s cheque for $9,000 from Simon Payne of Tower Links Golf Club and Rodney Bogg of the MENA Golf Tour.

“It was one of those days when I just couldn't build any momentum because I wasn't making any putts. It was kind of very boring golf. I knew I had to stay patient and focused on every shot which I tried to do,” said Scotland, who carded a final round 70.

Starting the day one shot in front, Hinton also felt he just failed to summon his A Game when it mattered the most. 

“Basically, nothing went in and nothing went my way, just scrambled to hold it together,” said the 27-year-old from Thame.

“It’s my fourth runner-up finish on the MENA Golf Tour and this one, in particular, will haunt me as I led from the start to the play-off,” said Hinton, who joined the tour in 2013.

“There is always hope for tomorrow. Hopefully, I will be able to get over the line in some other event on the tour this season. Let’s see how things pan out.”

Tunnicliff, a two-time winner on the European Tour, hit what he called a perfect shot from the bunker on the first extra hole, but it took a hard bounce and landed in the lake.

“Maybe, I was a bit unlucky. But, I am very pleased the way I played this week. This is my best finish on the tour, which is good,” added the 47-year-old Englishman, who shot a final round 68 to get into the play-off.

The English duo of Daniel Owen and Stuart Archibald shared fourth on nine under 207, one shot ahead of Spain’s Carlos Balmaseda, who is also a MENA Golf Tour ambassador. 

Stephen Dodd, a three-time winner on the European Tour and the 2012 MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit champion, returned a final-round 69 to finish seventh on seven-under 209 as his playing partner Andrew Marshall of England, also a European Tour veteran, settled for a share of 10th after carding a 71.

England’s Joe Heraty made the biggest final day charge, firing a bogey-free 66 – the best score of the week – to climb to joint eighth on six under along with fellow Englishman Luke Joy.

Young Rayhan Thomas closed with a level-par 72 to win the amateur division with a creditable score of three-under 213, three clear of Scot Ben Alexander (Renaissance Club), who returned a brilliant four-under 68 in the final round

Rayhan, who opened with a 69 on Monday, reeled off three birdies in his final four holes in a compelling fight-back, for his fifth victory in the division since joining the tour in 2013.

The MENA Golf Tour travels to Thailand for the first time next week for the Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen to be held at Mountain Creek Golf Resort and Residences, Amphur Sikhio, Nakhon Ratchasima, from May 10 to 12. 

SCOTSWATCH (by Colin Farquharson).
Renaissance Club member Ben Alexander outscored his professional compatriots, Daniel Kay, Paul Doherty and Clarke Lutton, for the second day in a row at the MENA Tour's Ras Al Khaimah Classic  at Tower Links Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates.
The Lothian player finished runner-up in the amateur division with ever-improving scores of 78, 70 and 68 for level par 216 - three behind the  winner, Rayhan Thomas from India.
Alexander had six birdies in his final round - at the first, second, third, fifth, long 13th and 18th in halves of 33-35.
Dunbar's Danny Kay shot 69-72-72 for a tied 14th finish on 213. He had a double bogey at the first and also dropped a shot at the short fourth but birdied the long fifth, short 16th and long 18th.
Doherty had a triple bogey 7 at the 17th in his final round of 76 for a tied 40th finish on 220. His earlier scores were 69 and 75.
Aberdeen's Clarke Lutton had a double bogey 7 at the 18th in his final round. He shot 75, 72 and 76 for 223 and a tied 47th finish. 
Englishman Zane Scotland from London won the tournament with an eagle 3 at the first play-off hole against compatriots Craig Hinton and Miles Tunnifcliff after they had finished on 10-under-par 206. 

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72) Players from England unless stated otherwise
206 Zane Scotland  67 69 70, Craig Hinton 67 68 71, Miles Tunnicliff 68 70 68 (Scotland won play-off at first extra hole).
207 Daniel Owen 71 67 69 Stuart Archibald 70 69 68.

SCOTS' TOTALS
213 Daniel Kay 69 72 72 (T14)
216 Ben Alexander (am) 78 70 68.
220 Paul Doherty 69 75 76 (T40)
223 Clarke Lutton 75 72 76 (T47)

Royal Dornoch favourites to regain Dornoch 

Firth League title from Tain

By ROBIN WILSON 

Royal Dornoch's 400 anniversary celebrations continue by hosting 

the Dornoch Firth League matches.

The host club has a strong pool of Category1 handicappers firmly established as favourites to regain the league title from the holders, Tain. 

Chris Mailley, Alex MacDonald Kevin Matheson, Bryan Urquhart, Neil Hampton, David Pearson, Craig MacKay, Gary Bethune, Daniel Holden and Mike Thomson, Kristian Sinclair and Neil Munro will make up the Dornoch team.

Tain's selection will come from Alan Everett, Munro Ferries, Dean O’Brien, Billy Ferries, Ross MacKenzie, Ewan MacPherson, Gary Tonge, David Clark. Kieran Mackay and James Cameron.

Invergordon – Steven Buchan, Bryan Ronald, Andrew Gilmour, Lee Simpson, Robert Benson, Ken Hearton, Ali MacKenzie, John Fraser, Angus Campbell Mike Moran. 

Brora – Jame MacBeath, Ewan Polson, Calum Stewart, Roddie Cameron, Robert MacDonald, Andy Stewart, Liam MacDonald- MacLeod, Dougie Thorburn, Owen Maclennan.

Golspie – Darren Hexley, Robert Bremner, Craig Sutherland, Alister MacDougall, Michael Bonner, Billy Melville, Colin Sutherland William MacBeath

MORAY AND NAIRN LEAGUE

The G R Thomson Shield, the scratch trophy for the winners of the Moray and Nairn Golf League has resided in the seaside town of Nairn for the past five years, four times won by The Nairn GC and once in 2014 by Nairn Dunbar GC.

This season's league programme commenced last night at Forres Golf Club and holders, Nairn, fielded five of the players who beat their opening opponents, Elgin, in last season's corresponding fixture at Moray.

Scotland's 2015 junior player of the year, Sandy Scott (17), headed the team with Sean Burgess, Fraser Fotheringham, Bruce Thomson, Robert Smith and Finlay Asher again in action against Elgin. Over the remaining weekend fixtures these five will be joined in ties against Forres, Moray, and Nairn Dunbar by Ewan Gordon, Alex Scott, George Asher and Sandy Ritchie.

Could Nairn's retention of the Shield come down to their last fixture on Sunday afternoon against rivalling neighbours Nairn Dunbar? Very possibly.

NORTH OF SCOTLAND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Inverness's North District senior champion, Laurie Chancellor, bidding for a maiden win on the Scottish Senior Golf Society Tour was tied second after his first round 72 in the Spring Meeting at Monifieth last week. 

However, when, on the second day, the weather turned bitterly cold Chancellor's golf also froze and he lost ground in round two. Robert Smith (The Nairn) compiled cards of 76 and 75 for a tied fifth place finish. Chancellor's club mate Peter Sinclair was also at Monifieth as was Elgin pair Gary Abel and Steven Milne.

The Scottish Senior Tour arrived in Elgin yesterday for the North of Scotland Senior Championship where all the aforementioned players plus more from the North are playing.

THREE NORTH PAIRS ARE GLENBERVIE-BOUND

Three North Golf Club Secretaries and their Club Captains have qualified for the finals of the Bellhaven Best Secretaries and Captain's competition to be played at Glenbervie Golf Club in September.

A regional qualifying event was played over the Inverness Culcabock course on Tuesday of this week where the top four partnerships, playing better-ball scoring, went forward. 

Leading the way with a nett 65 were the officials of Boat of Garten, Gordon Hay (secretary) and Jamie Rogers. 

Second with a score of 68 were the Inverness secretary, Ewan Forbes and Gordon Fyfe, Joining them in the finals are Muir of Ord secretary John Forbes and Allan Pollock with a card of 70. The fourth pair earning a Glenbervie place represented Turriff Golf Club.

SENIOR NORTHERN COUNTIES CUP

Next week (May 18-20) the Inverness Golf Club senior team of Laurie Chancellor, Steve Barron, Jim Elliot and Fraser Urquhart travel to Royal Dornoch to defend the B D Fraser Senior Northern Counties Cup they won last year on their home course. 

With a bye into round two, their opening game is against the non course-owning club of Eriskay whose members play at Tain.

. International field will assemble for British 

mid-am stroke play at Hollinwell

NEWS RELEASE

Seventy-five of Europe’s top male mid-amateur golfers will assemble at Hollinwell (Notts) Golf Club between May 22 and 24 to contest a new event called The Mid Amateur Stroke Play Championship of Great Britain.

The event will be 54 holes of stroke play over 3 days and will be open to all male golfers of any nationality aged over 35 years on 23^rd May 2016 and with an official, active handicap of 9.4 or less. Such was the interest for this event that a handicap ballot had to be used to bring the entrants (120+) down to 75 with the ballot falling at 3.5 and with over 40% of the filed at scratch or better.

“Since the R and A removed the British Mid-Amateur from the championship rota in 2007, there has been a gap left for a national title. The English Mid Amateur (The Logan) was the only national event but now there is The Scottish, Welsh and new “British” event as it is being called,” said Jason Morris, Golf Director at The Mid Amateur Golf Tour. 

 “We are thrilled that the new event has been so well supported. We have players from all over the UK, Europe, USA and the Far East.” 

The event is on the WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking) probationary list and it is hoped that it will have full status as a WAGR event in 2017 and beyond.

“We are hoping that over the next few years the four  Mid Amateur Majors (The English, Welsh, Scottish and British) will act as a showcase for the considerable talent in the over 35 ranks and it is hoped that they will be used as part of the selection process for the Concession Cup held bi-annually in America,” added Jason.

The Mid Amateur Golf Tour is now in its 6^th year and has over 25 events throughout the year across the UK at courses such as Sunningdale, Hankley Common, Woodhall Spa, Hollinwell, Ganton, Sheringham, Ashridge, North Hants, Rye and Littlestone to name a few, with a lot of events run on a first come first served basis with no ballot. 

There is also a year-long scratch and nett Order of Merit with the top players proceeding to a finals day, this year at Aldeburgh Golf Club in Suffolk.

Full details are available on the recently re-launched MAGT web site (www.midamgolf.co.uk)

# # #

John Daly arrives on the US Senior Tour

 ready to move the needle again

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM By Adam Schupak

John Daly at 50 (Getty Images)

John Daly celebrated his 50th birthday on April 23, playing golf in a charity outing at Cowboy Golf Club in Dallas. He described it as “really quiet,” just hanging with a bunch of friends. 
That Daly has made it to 50 has to be something of a minor miracle. Add in that it was a quiet occasion and the apocalypse may soon be upon us.
Long time pal Fuzzy Zoeller once bet Daly $150,000 that he wouldn’t live long enough to be eligible for the PGA Tour Champions. It seemed as likely as Leicester City winning the season-long English Premier League title.
“He even said he thought it was 40,” Daly said with a chuckle. “I told him just give me a bottle of your Fuzzy’s vodka and we’ll call it even.
Daly compared Leicester’s improbable championship run to his victory at the 1991 US PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club outside of Indianapolis when he shocked the golfing world as ninth alternate.
“They’re underdogs and that’s what I’ve always been,” he said. 
Daly was the original 5,000-to-1 shot that came in. Greg McLaughlin, former Nissan (L.A.) Open tournament director and now president of the US PGA Tour Champions circuit, recounted a story from shortly before Daly’s meteoric rise.
“We did a long-drive competition at Nissan (in L.A.) early in 1991,” McLaughlin said. “There was a shootout at the tournament, and then there was a long-drive exhibition, and it was incumbent on the tournament to go ask five guys. They got money, with first place paying like two grand. Every one of the guys would say, ‘Is (John) Daly in it? If he’s in it, I’m not in.’ And I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ ”
With his tape-measure blasts, Daly made his “grip it and rip it” style a national sensation. In the years that followed, he won the 1995 Open at St. Andrews among his five Tour victories.

John Daly holds the Claret Jug after winning the 1995 Open at St. Andrews. / Getty Images

Daly also was as wild as the wind in his hometown of Dardanelle, Arkansas. Flush with money, he was always itching to raise hell. He never had trouble finding a suitably irresponsible companion. For drinking. For gambling. Let him loose in a casino and he was fully off his leash. Daly was the ringleader of his own burlesque. We watched in amusement, astonishment and then horror.
Somehow he managed to survive. All these years later, Daly doesn’t swim in regret.
“What can you do?” Daly said. “I’ve apologized. We all make mistakes, and most of the guys have forgiven me.”
He had human faults and super-hero strengths. He admittedly squandered his talent, his fortune, and more opportunities and second chances than he rightfully deserved.
Now he is on the verge of golf’s ultimate mulligan. He’ll make his  Champions Tour debut May 6-8 at the Insperity Invitational at the Woodlands (Texas) Country Club.
Perhaps no Tour pro who has earned more than $10 million in his career has ever counted the days until his 50th birthday. In almost any game played today, the half-century man is long gone. 
Years ago, he had to step aside to make room for a younger, fitter, better model. Except in golf, the only place where the 50-or-older set still holds a special fascination with fans who won’t let the geezers go.
Billy Casper once described the senior tour as “walking through a field, kicking over stones and finding thousands of dollar bills.”
Daly’s arrival on the senior scene is one of the most heralded in years. He needs the US PGA Tour's Champions circuit as much as it needs him. Daly is jumping onto the senior tour like a man finding a wallet on the street. 
He already has officially committed to the next five events, and tells Golfweek he will play 12 events in a row beginning in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Regions Tradition.
In his prime, Daly gave his fans more than they paid for. What lay behind his enormous popularity?
Fans swarmed to Daly like bees to honey because he was a man of the people.
“His struggles are what people kind of embrace,” said Bud Martin of Wasserman and Daly’s long time manager. “John was an open book for everyone to read. It was a tremendous book. You could make an argument that John is one of the top 10 most influential players in the game. 
"Who moved the needle besides Arnold, Jack and Tiger? I would make an argument that John Daly was right there with that.”
The hope of McLaughlin and Daly’s competitors is he will spur fans to show up in droves and tune in like they did for megawatt stars like Arnie, Jack and, more recently, Freddie.
“I’ve got the greatest fans in the world. No matter what, through thick and thin, they’ve always stuck by me,” Daly said. “They’ve pumped me up and I feed off of them and I always have and probably always will.”
His legion of fans loved him for more than just his super-hero strengths. Daly possessed the human touch and a rare ability to relate.
“He’s different,” Bryan Naugle, the executive director of the Insperity Invitational said of Daly. “He’s definitely a blue-collar, beer-drinking, not a country-club, cookie-cutter guy. I think people relate to him. We’ll get some people who like to come out and watch NASCAR.”
The senior circuit’s no-cut, low pressure affairs should be a perfect fit for Daly. But to really move the needle, he’ll have to do more than just show up in his outlandish Loudmouth outfits and chain-smoke Marlboros. 
Shaking hands, kissing babies and telling lies will only go so far.
“He’s going to have to win,” Nick Price said. “That’s the big thing. If he dominates out there, it’ll be great. But he’s got to go out there and win. If he doesn’t do well, he’ll get a few people in there, but … winning, that’s going to be the big key.”

John Daly, pictured during the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits / Getty Images

Can Daly have one more run at being the tour’s leading man? No one doubts that he still possesses the length to manhandle the circuit’s shorter courses, but does he still have those pillow-soft hands and silky stroke around and on the greens? 
Daly set the bar low, claiming his game is rusty and he will have to learn new courses and he’s content to have a consistent schedule.
“My game is nowhere (near) where I want it to be,” he said. “It’s kind of a learning process, and playing competitive golf hopefully will get me back in that rhythm where you can start playing and get some confidence.”
But when he steps to the first tee on Friday, expect Long John to go after the ball as if the clock has been dialled back to 1991 and he’s at Crooked Stick.
Grip it and rip it. Even now, he knows no other way.
– Jeff Babineau contributed to this report

Spieth on Masters collapse: 'I'll be OK'

FROM GOLF.COM ByRyan Lavner

Jordan Spieth heard from “some of the world’s greatest athletes” about how to bounce back from his stunning collapse at the Masters. 
He also heard from regular folks around town in Dallas. 
“I’ve got ladies at the grocery stores putting their hand on me and going, ‘Really praying for you. How are you doing?’” Spieth told reporters Tuesday. “I’m like, ‘My dog didn’t die. I’ll be OK. I’ll survive. It happens.’”
Spieth was in suburban Pittsburgh, at FedEx’s corporate headquarters, to celebrate his 2015 FedEx Cup title. The company made a $1 million donation in his name on behalf of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
It was the world No. 2’s first public appearance since he blew a five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters. Most shocking was his quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 12^th, when he hit two balls in the water.
Spieth said that his miss all week was a shot off the heel that drifted right and came up short, and his tee shot on 12 was “just bad timing.” 
His only appearance since has been on Snapchat, where he joined Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Smylie Kaufman on a spring-break trip in the Bahamas. 
“We were having fun; we were relaxed,” he said. “We were able to play golf and golf was kind of secondary to the relaxation part of the trip.” 
Spieth said that several high-profile athletes reached out to him following the Masters, but he declined to name specific players.
“I received notes immediately following that night pretty much saying, ‘This happens everywhere. No doubt, you’ll be back. Don’t draw (dwell) on it. It happens to everyone in all sports on different levels," Spieth said.
While he was in town, Spieth planned to play nine holes Tuesday and an 18-hole practice round Wednesday at Oakmont Country Club, site of next month’s U.S. Open. He will play next week's The Players Championship, where he knows that his Masters disappointment will remain a hot topic.
“If you’re in contention at a major, say, 50 times in your career, something like that is going to happen,” he said. “Just don’t let it happen again.” 

Fraser Moore leading Scot in 1836 Tour event
 
Glenbervie's Fraser Moore leads the three Scots taking part in this week's 1836 Tour's Dunham Forest two-day event.
He shot a first-round 71 to be tied fourth overnight, five shots behind the leader by four, James Westwood (Westgrove Group)
Ryan Campbell (Falkirk), a winner last month, is T20 with a 76 and John Gallagher (Duddingston), a former Scottish amateur champion, is T32 on 78 in a field of 44 players.

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30th West Dunbartonshire Council Pro-Am 

Dalmuir Municipal Golf Course, May 21

 Tee  Time      Name

  1   7:30 AM   Gary McFarlane, Clober Golf Club

  1   7:40 AM   Chris Brown, Carrick on Loch Lomond

  1   7:50 AM   Scott Clelland, Hayston Golf Club

  1   8:00 AM   Chris McQueen, Dalmuir Golf Club

  1   8:10 AM   Christopher Currie, Caldwell Golf Club

  1   8:20 AM   Greg Paxton, Ralston Golf Club

  1   8:30 AM   Jonathan Lomas, Caprington Golf Club

  1   8:40 AM   Daniel Flannery, Caldwell Golf Club

  1   8:50 AM   Christopher Tierney, Bishopbriggs Golf Range

  1   9:00 AM   Fergus Smith, Great Western Golf

  1   9:10 AM   Christopher McMaster, Wellsgreen Golf Range

  1   9:20 AM   Campbell Elliott, Haggs Castle Golf Club

  1   9:40 AM   Gavin Hay, Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club

  1   9:50 AM   Jason McCreadie, Loudoun Castle Golf Range

  1   10:00 AM  Donald McKay, Wellsgreen Golf Range

  1   10:10 AM  Colin Gillies

  1   10:20 AM  Calum Lawson, Gleneagles Hotel Golf Courses

  1   10:30 AM  James McGhee, Whitehill House Golf Club

  1   10:40 AM  Scott Catlin, Affordable Golf

  1   10:50 AM  Robert Arnott, Bishopbriggs Golf Range

  1   11:00 AM  Graeme Brown, Montrose Golf Links Ltd.

  1   11:10 AM  Samuel Binning, Mearns Castle Golf Academy

  1   11:20 AM  Paul McKechnie, Braid Hills Golf Range

  1   11:30 AM  Greig Hutcheon, Inchmarlo Golf Resort

  1   11:50 AM  Mark Kerr, Marriott Dalmahoy Golf & Count

  1   12:00 PM  Norman Huguet, Musselburgh Golf Club

  1   12:10 PM  Scott Henderson, Kings Links Golf Centre

  1   12:20 PM  Stewart Savage, Dalmuir Golf Club

  1   12:30 PM  Paul Robinson, Largs Golf Club

  1   12:40 PM  Chris Kelly

  1   12:50 PM  Stephen Gray, Lanark Golf Club

  1   1:00 PM   Paul O'Hara, Clydeway Golf

  1   1:10 PM   Graham Fox, Clydeway Golf

  1   1:20 PM   Jonathan Sharp, Carrick on Loch Lomond

  1   1:30 PM   Mark Hillson, Kilconquhar Castle Estate

Complete information is available at Tournament Information Page (TIP)