Gordon Goldie returns to Gleneagles for PGA 

Super-60s Championship this week

Gordon Goldie, Scot who owns and runs successful Chingford Golf Range, Essex

FROM THE PGA WEBSITE
As a youngster in 1964, Gordon Goldie’s mother packed him off to play Gleneagle’s King’s and Queen’s courses in Perthshire.
It’s a memory that still burns brightly for the Chingford Golf Range owner who has returned over the border to his native Scotland to compete in the PGA Super 60s on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Essex-based Goldie teams up with long time playing partner Geoff King for another tilt at the £10,000 title and he’s looking forward to going back to Gleneagles
“I had a day out there and I remember my mother giving me a pound note and the green fees for playing both the King’s and Queen’s came to 17/6d which left me half a crown for lunch and I had a feast,” recalled Goldie.
“Gleneagles was always an elite place and the Queen’s course is what golf in the Highlands is all about, great course architecture and wonderful surroundings.”
With seven decades on the clock, Goldie could be forgiven for slowing down in his professional life but he’s never been busier with ambitious plans for Chingford Golf Range.
“I founded it in 1974 and I’m working harder than ever,” he said.
“At the time there was only one other driving range in London - at Finchley. It provided  something that golfers in that area badly needed because a lot of the golf clubs built around the turn of the century didn’t have practice grounds – they just had a clubhouse and 18 holes.
“The range is still very popular. I’ve seen the highs and lows of golf – the highs of the 80s and the lows around the turn of the century.
“With time a factor, there are some people who have more time to hit a bucket of balls for an hour than they do to spend five hours playing golf on a course.
“We are making the range look like a golf course. I’ve got nine greens and nine bunkers so people can effectively play a round of golf at the driving range.”
Goldie’s hectic work schedule means he has not had time to practise as much as he would have liked for the sentimental trip back to Gleneagles but he’s happy being busy.
“I’ve got a briefcase in one hand and a set of golf clubs in the other and I’m happy carrying both,” he added.
“I oversee everything at the range and am very much hands on. You can’t delegate too much because you have to be there for the customer to see you and for me to see and talk to the customer and find out what they like.”
For two days however, Goldie won’t be in Essex but north of the border, reliving his youth at the stunning Gleneagles resort.

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Yorkshire and Hertfordshire take first-day honours                                           at English boys' county championship    Yorkshire and Hertfordshire took the first day honours in the English Boys’ County Championship on a day of blazing sunshine at Cumberwell Park in Wiltshire. Yorkshire came through a terrific tussle to beat defending champions Wiltshire by 5-4.  Meanwhile Hertfordshire were also well tested before beating Northamptonshire – last year’s runners-up – by the same score. Much of the golf was as hot as the weather with birdies frequently needed to close out games.  But Yorkshire coach Steve Robinson took his team straight to the putting green after play to fine-tune for their game tomorrow! “I feel proud of the lads and the way they have all battled,” he said. “It was a very tough afternoon and we never thought for one minute that Wiltshire was going to be a pushover. They battled for every point, as we expected – and so did we.” Yorkshire had the edge after winning the morning foursomes 2-1, but Wiltshire came out fast in the singles and won the first two games by healthy margins, courtesy of Cumberwell Park player James Cooper, who birdied the 16th to win 4 and 2, and Jake Bolton who won 5 and 4. But Yorkshire’s Barclay Brown levelled the scores again with his own birdie finish on 15 for a 5 and 4 win. Charlie Thornton carried on the Yorkshire momentum with a par, birdie, birdie finish to win on the 17th. Then it was Jamie Cooper’s turn to fightback for Wiltshire, closing out his match with a birdie on the 17th. But Yorkshire’s Tom North (pictured top, Leaderboard Photography (c), playing in the last game, took his team over the line on the 18th, having withstood a fightback from Tom Stagg and securing his point with yet another birdie. Barclay Brown who won both his matches today – as did his foursomes partner Charlie Thornton – declared afterwards: “It’s better winning for a team than for yourself!”  He made short work of both his games, and was five-under both morning and afternoon. For Wiltshire’s James Cooper there was also the consolation of a 100% record. “I want to try and win every game as it’s my home club, but as long as the team wins, that’s what matters.” However, that wasn’t to be today. Hertfordshire are making their first appearance at Boys’ County Finals since 2010 – when they won the title. Charlie Wilkinson (pictured below), who clinched the day’s win with his 2up victory, is hoping for a repeat performance and comments: “We have a solid team, the strongest team we can put out.” The team also got ahead of in the morning with two foursomes wins against Northamptonshire and when play started in the afternoon their opening singles was quite spectacular. Danny Daniels, who reached the last eight in the British boys’ championship, took on boy international Callum Farr, who recently helped England to win the Boys’ Home Internationals. Daniels had nine birdies, while Farr had six and the match eventually finished 2 and 1 in Hertfordshire’s favour. Hertfordshire’s other point was provided by James Clark, who was down for several holes on the outward nine but got ahead as he turned for home and steadily worked his way to a 4/2 win. Hertfordshire team manager Chris James commented:  “I’m delighted with them all. They had a great approach and managed their game well and were level-headed all the way round.” Northamptonshire’s singles points were scored by Ben Jones, who won 5 and 4, and by Luke Barney and Robin Williams, who both won on the last. Tomorrow Yorkshire play Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire take on Wiltshire. Click here for full scores Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193

England stars selected for  world championships Curtis Cup players Meghan MacLaren and Alice Hewson and the Amateur Champion Scott Gregory are included in England’s teams for next month’s World Amateur Team Championships in Mexico.  MacLaren and Hewson – who also helped England win the European women’s team championship in July - will be joined by Gemma Clews for the women’s Espirito Santo Trophy. The non-travelling reserve is Sammie Giles. Gregory will team up with Jamie Bower and Alfie Plant for the men’s Eisenhower Trophy.  All three were members of the GB and  I team which retained the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe last month and of the England team which beat France in this season’s biennial international Both championships will be played at Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club and Mayakoba El Camaleion Golf Club. The Espirito Santo Trophy takes place from 14-17 September and the Eisenhower Trophy from 21-24 September. Women’s team: Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest, Cheshire), 21, leads the England Golf women’s order of merit, having tied 4th in the English women’s amateur and sixth in the English stroke play. She reached the last 16 in the British women’s championship and was fifth in the Welsh strokeplay. She was in England’s winning team at the Women’s Home Internationals. (Image © Leaderboard Photography). Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted, Hampshire), 19, made her Curtis Cup debut in the winning GB and I team in June. She has been a regular individual winner since capturing the English U13 girls’ title and has helped England beat Spain in the biennial international, to win the girls’ and women’s Home Internationals and the team event at the European Young Masters. She has won twice since starting at Clemson University in South Carolina last year. Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough, Northamptonshire), 22, holed the winning putt in this year’s Curtis Cup match. She is a past British and Irish stroke play champion and has won eight times on the US college circuit. This season she has had top ten finishes in the South American Amateur, the Helen Holm Scottish stroke play championships and in qualifying for the European team championship. She reached the last 16 in the British women’s amateur.  Sammie Giles (St Mellion, Cornwall), 21, is the English women’s amateur champion and won the 2015 English stroke play title. She is a past winner of the English mid-amateur championship. Men’s team:  Jamie Bower (Meltham, Yorkshire), 23, won the English men’s open stroke play for the Brabazon Trophy and reached the last 16 in the Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl. Earlier this season he won twice in South Africa, in the Gauteng North Amateur and the Southern Cape Open, and was third in the African Open. He was in England’s winning team in the 2016 international against France. Scott Gregory (Corhampton, Hampshire), 21, won the Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl and, with it, places in The Open, the US Open and a traditional invitation to the Masters. He went on to reach the second round of the US Amateur and currently leads the England Golf men’s order of merit. Earlier this season he was runner-up in the Spanish amateur and was in the winning England team at the Costa Ballena tournament.  Alfie Plant (Sundridge Park, Kent), 24, beat an international field by seven shots to win the 2016 Lytham Trophy. He reached the match play stages of the Amateur Championship and has had top tens in the Brabazon Trophy, the Cape Province Open in South Africa and the Berkhamsted Trophy and was 11th in the French amateur. He was runner up in the 2015 English amateur.  Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193

Kevin Duncan's top 10 finish on German PGA 

Development Tour

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Kevin Duncan (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), pictured,  finished tied seventh - his best yet on the German PGA Development Tour  - to earn £789 at the Preis des Hardenberg at Hardenberg Golf Club, Northeim today.
Duncan's rounds of 75, 70 and 68 gave him a three-under-par total of 213, six shots behind the German winner, Benedict Staben (72-70-67 for 209) of the £4,287 first prize.
Duncan's final round of 68 had a little bit of everything from an eagle 2 at the par-4 sixth to a double bogey 5 at the par-3 fifth. He also had six birdies and two bogeys in halves of 34.
Daniel Kay (Dunbar) earned £296 for a T29 finish on 229 (73-72-75). He had a double bogey 7 at the 11th in his final round.
Sam Kiloh (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre shot 74-75-72 for 221 and a share of 32nd place. He earned £283. Sam had six birdies in his final round, five of them over the first seven holes.
Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy) finished T39 on 223 with rounds of 72, 77 and 74. The Ellon man earned £244.

Paul O'Hara goes five clear at halfway in 

Scottish YP Championship

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Defending champion Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) has opened up a five-stroke lead at halfway in the Scottish young professionals' championship at West Lothian Golf Club, Bo'ness.

O'Hara, pictured, has scored 67-65 for 10-under-par 132. In his bogey-free, six-under-par second round, he had an eagle 2 at the par-4 16th and birdies at the long fifth, 10th, short 15th and 18th in halves of 35-30. 
Marc Owenson (Gullane), who shared the overnight lead with O'Hara on 67, droped back to a share of second place after a 70 for 137, the same mark as Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle).
Forsyth shot a 66 which had birdiess at the first, third, long fourth, 10th, long 14th and 17th in halves of 34-32. He bogeyed the eighth.
Owenson started with a birdie before dropping shots at the second and fifth. A birdie at the seventh helped him to turn in 36. On the way home in 34, he had eight pars and a 2 at the short 15th.  
Thirty-four players with 36-hole totals of 148 and better qualified for the final two rounds on Wednesday.

SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 142 (2x71)
132 P O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) 67 65
137 A Forsyth (Mearns Castle) 71 66, M Owenson (Gullane) 67 70
139 D Flannery (Caldwell) 73 66
140 G Hay (Grantown on Spey) 68 72, R Clarke (Golf Dedication Centre) 72 69, S Binning (Mearns Castle) 72 68, G Forbes (Mar Hall) 71 69.
141 S Maxwell (Eastwood) 71 70, C Farrell (Cardross) 70 71
143 A Burns (Bothwell Castle) 73 70, R Munro (Duddingston) 73 70
145 K Moran (Balbirnie Park) 72 73, C Billows (Gleneagles) 76 69, C Marr (Musselburgh) 75 70, G McDougall (Elie Links) 73 72, P Mitchell (Stirling) 71 74
146 C Porciani (Trump Turnberry) 76 70, S Speirs (Swanston New) 74 72, E Bowden (North Berwick) 74 72, M Kanev (Bruntsfield Links) 73 73, C Robinson (Elderslie) 74 72, J Gallagher (Westerwood) 73 73, S Craigon (Balbirnie Park) 73 73, E MacDonald (Musselburgh) 73 73, J Bell (Lanark) 73 73
147 J Brown (Dumfries and Co) 73 74, K McNiven (Gleneagles) 75 72, I Anderson (Colville Park) 72 75, J Ferrie (Hilton Park) 78 69, T Ogilvie (Duke's) 75 72.
148 C Adam (unatt) 73 75, R Tinker (Piperdam) 73 75, D Ramsay (Moray) 74 74
MISSED THE CUT
149 J Allan (Peebles) 79 70, D Stein (Ranfurly Castle) 74 75, S Gillies (unatt) 77 72, R Black (Inverness) 74 75, C Armstrong (Burntisland) 76 73
150 C Goodwin (Duff House Royal) 77 73, A Hutchison (Douglas Park) 72 78, R McKen (Trump International) 79 81, S O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) 75 75, C Fountain (unatt) 76 74, R Miller (Kings Acre) 76 74
151 K Zeynalov (Portlethen) 76 75
152 O Robertson (Panmure) 78 74, D Lee (unatt) 77 75, S Fisher (Portpatrick Dunskey) 75 77, J Treasurer (Loch Ness) 81 71
153 J Dick (Duddingston) 75 78, S Watters (Balbirnie Park) 76 77, F Robertson (Lundin) 81 72, Linzi Allan (West Kilbride) 78 75, S Milne (Balbirnie Park) 78 75
154 Ailsa Murphy (Gullane) 79 75
155 A Pillans (unatt) 80 75
156 A Todd (Downfield) 82 74, G Foley (Royal Troon) 77 79.
158 D Thorburn (Braid Hills) 77 81, Jennifer Potter (Cawder) 82 76
159 C Beveridge (Gailes) 87 72
160 S Wilson (Carrick on Loch Lomond) 80 80
161 C McQueen (Dalmuir) 80 81
162 M Bradfield (Elie Links) 80 82, Nichola Ferguson (American Golf) 84 78
165 M Penny (Montrose Links) 85 80, S SMith (Loretto School) 81 84
173 M Thomson (Panmure) 82 91
176 R Mitchell (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 89 87

Graham Fox wins BEN shotgun pro-am with a 

68 at Archerfield

Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) won the BEN shotgun pro-am with a four-under-par round of 68 over the Fidra course at Archerfield Links today.
He had five birdies in his round - at the first, fifth, ninth, 12th and 18th in halves of 33 (three under par) and 35 (one under). His only blemish was a bogey at the 10th.
Four players tied for second place on 69 - Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Inchmarlo), Stephen Gray (Lanark), Kenny Monaghan (Linlithgow) and James McGhee (Whitehill House).
Monaghan led the Nicolson and Co. amateur team to victory with a net score of 59 in the pro-am event. The amateurs, all of whom played off 18, were Barrie Nicholson, Jerry Tempest-Mitchell and Iain Fisher.
PRO SCORES
Par 72
68 G Fox (Clydeway Golf)
69 G Hutcheon (PLGC Inchmarlo), S Gray (Lanark), K Monaghan (Linlithgow), J McGhee (Whitehill House).
70 G Brown (Montrose Links), J McCreadie (Largs), C Ronald (Carluke).
71 M Kerr (Dalmahoy), C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), G Wright (West Linton), C Kelly (Taymouth Castle).
72 F Mann (Carnoustie)
73 C Currie (Caldwell), P Wardell (North Berwick), S Henderson (Kings Links), K Hutton (Downfield)
74 C Elliott (Haggs Castle), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs)
75 S Craig (Craig Golf)
77 J Lomas (Ayr Caprington)

Link to today's 1836 Tour scores at Manchester GC

CLICK HERE

Tiger Woods to be USA Ryder Cup team  

assistant captain

FROM THE AGE.COM
​There will be an extra perk for the 12 golfers who make the US Ryder Cup team - the eight who will qualify on points after The Barclays on Sunday night and the four who will be chosen by captain Davis Love III.
They will get to spend a week with someone they haven't seen in a while, Tiger Woods.

Joining the camp: Tiger Woods. Photo: AP

Woods, who won the first US Open at Bethpage Black in 2002 and been in both subsequent tournaments on the course, has missed the entire season while recovering from back surgery. But he will be an assistant captain for the American team that will face Europe at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
"I think it's going to be great," said Jim Furyk, who also is an assistant captain and has become a candidate to play on the squad. "He has been really excited, really interested, really involved with Davis. He has brought a lot of ideas to the table. I think right now it's kind of all hands on deck
"We have four assistants right now with Steve Stricker, myself, Tiger and Tom Lehman all trying to help in the decision making," Furyk said.
"Tiger is really excited about being there. Probably the best player who ever played - we definitely want him on our side."