Ayrshire Winter Golf Association

O'Hara and McKechnie share  West 

Kilbride honours with four-under 67s

By GERARD SMITH
Following his victory at Western Gailes in the last fixture, Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) was once again an Ayrshire Winter Golf Assocition winner at West Kilbride Golf Club today.
But this time he had to share the pole position with Paul McKechnie ( Braid Hills Golf). 
Both players shot four-under-par 67s, with front nines of 35 and back nines of 32.

The amateur winner of the Alan Mickel Trophy was eight-handicapper Thomas Thomson (Haggs Castle) with a net 68.  New member Duncan Scott (Nairn G C), playing off an 11 handicap, finished one shot behind with a net 69.

Highlight of the day came from amateur Iain Ross (Lenzie G.C.) who bettered his birdie 2 at the short fourth hole by holing his tee shot at the par 3 12th for a hole in one.

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 TODAY'S LEADING SCORES

• 
  
• WEST KILBRIDE GOLF CLUB, November 15

  PAR 71

  PROFESSIONALS/TRAINEES CLUB PRO/TRN SCORE

  PAUL O'HARA North Lanarkshire Leisure 67

  PAUL McKECHNIE Braid Hills Golf 67

  GRAHAM FOX  Clydeway Golf 68

  CAMPBELL ELLIOTT Haggs Castle G C 69

  MARTIN POTTINGER American Golf Gailes 70

  STEPHEN McALLISTER The Renaissance 70

  ALAN MICKEL TROPHY

  AMATEURS CLUB GROSS HCAP NETT

  THOMAS THOMSON Haggs Castle G C. 76 8 68

  DUNCAN SCOTT Nairn G C 80 11 69

  SCOTT CHISHOLM Balmore G C 75 5 70

  KEITH ROSS Glasgow G C 75 5 70

  JOHN RUSHBURY Royal Troon G C 74 4 70

  DAVID WORDSWORTH Irvine G C. 79 9 70
  
  
  

  Full results at http://ayrshirewintergolfassociation.webs.com/startsheetsresults.htm

  
  

Two Scots sign up for American universities

Kyle Reid, pictured left, a Balmore Golf Club member  from Glasgow  has signed a Letter of Intent to enrol at Old Dominion University, Norfolk in the state of Virginia.

Jamie Stewart (pictured right) from Renfrewshire has signed a Letter of Intent to enrol at the University of Missouri.

OTHER SIGNINGS:
Jack Ainscough (Hartlepool) bound for Colorado State.
Jake Benson (Nottingham) signed for Rice University.
Thomas Mulligan (Ireland) has signed for Oregon University.

Julie McCarthy (Dublin), pictured left, is bound for Auburn University.
Olivia Hamilton (Oakenshaw, England) signed for College of Charleston.
Louisa Brunt (Manchester) signed for Texas Tech.

+Anyone, male or female, who has recently signed a Letter of Intent to join an American college and wants his or her name displayed on Scottishgolfview.com, please send the relevant info to Colin@scottishgolfview.com
+Send a picture as well if you can. 


If you want to read the whole list of all nationalities who have signed Letters of Intent

CLICK HERE

Patrick Reed gets special exemption to play 

European Tour again in 2017

American Patrick Reed's withdrawal from the Turkish Airlines Open had major, multiple implications. Reed's failure to play in five sanctioned European Tour events meant the 26 year old lost his tour membership, which subsequently granted a spot to journeyman Graeme Storm. 

However, it appears the European Tour had a change of heart, as this week the tour bestowed a special exemption to Reed, pictured, for the 2017 season.

“We are delighted to announce that Patrick will return to action on the European Tour for the 2017 season,” said European Tour CEO Keith Pelley. 

 “He is one of the game’s most exciting talents, as everyone who witnessed his electrifying performance at this year’s Ryder Cup will testify to, and our fans look forward to seeing him in action again next year.”

According to Pelley, Reed earned the exemption thanks to his win at the 2014 WGC-Cadillac Championship, which is a co-sanctioned event.

"I love to compete and I take pride in the fact that I have both my US PGA Tour card and my European Tour card," Reed said in a statement. 

"I am grateful that I will continue to be a part of the European Tour and I value the opportunity to play with the best players in the world, all over the world."

Law, Henry, Kellett and Neil survive

Round 4 cut at European Q School
 
By COLIN FARQUHARSON 
Four Scots survived but three others failed to beat the fourth-round cut at the European Tour Qualifying Final Stage at PGA Catalunya, near Girona in North-east Spain today (Tuesday).
David Law had his worst round in several weeks - a four-over 76 at the Stadium Course but his earlier good work keeps the Aberdonian in the picture alongside Scott Henry, who had par-matching 72,  on three-under 281 and a share of 32nd place.
The leading 25 and ties after the sixth and final round over the Stadium Course will gain playing rights on the European Tour in 2017.
Ross Kellett, like Law, attached to the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, had a par 72 at the Stadium course after stumbling for four bogeys in a six-hole span from the fourth to the ninth. He came home in two-under 34 to be tied for 52nd place on one-under 283.
Blairgowrie's Bradley Neil made it on the limit mark of level par 284 despite a potentially disastrous round of 77 (40-37) over the Stadium course.
A total of 72 players with 72-hole aggregates of 284 or better will go on to the final two rounds at the Stadium course.
The leading 25 and ties at the moment are on four-under-par 280 so Henry and Law need to be around two under par for their remaining rounds to make it through to the "Big League."
The task is bigger for Kellett and Neil. They probably need to produce two sub-70 rounds.
The Scots who failed were Craig Lee, despite a closing 68 for 286 and Grant Forrest who had a 73 for 299. Lee bogeyed two of his last three holes when pars would have put him among the qualifiers.
Forrest, who had been playing well in the earlier Tour School events, lost his form just when he needed it most.
Peter Whiteford, after a third-round 80 for 224, withdrew before the fourth round.

EUROPEAN TOUR SCHOOL FINAL QUALIFYING STAGE
PGA Catalunya Resort, Girona, NE Spain.
Stadium Course Par 72. Yardage 7,333.
Tour Course Par 70. Yardage 6,610
 
LEADING QUALIFIERS FOR FINAL TWO ROUNDS
+72 players with totals of 284 and better qualified for the final two rounds.
Par 284 (2x70, 2x72)
272 N Kimsey (Eng) 70 70 71 61.
275 E Molinari (Ita) 66 68 72 69, R Coles (Eng) 64 68 71 72, R McEvoy (Eng) 63 69 71 72, J Winther (Den) 68 68 68 71.
276 R McGowan (Eng) 68 66 70 72, N Johansson (Swe) 70 67 70 69
277 S Manley (Wal) 72 63 73 69, T Lewis (Eng) 73 65 71 68.
278 M Orrin (Eng) 67 68 76 67, D Van Driel (Ned) 66 69 70 73, C Fords (Eng) 76 63 70 69, E Pepperell (Eng) 69 69 69 71, Y E Yang (SKor) 72 70 67 69.

SCOTS QUALIFIERS
281 S Henry 64 75 70 72, D Law 66 71 68 76 (T32)
283 R Kellett 72 66 73 72 (T52)
284 B Neil 64 72 71 77 (T62)

SCOTS NON-QUALIFIERS
286 C Lee 72 74 72 68
299 G Forrest 74 71 81 73
Withdrew: P Whiteford 76 68 80: 224

SCROLL DOWN TO READ MORE ABOUT TODAY'S

FOURTH ROUND AT THE FINAL Q SCHOOL

Tributes to John Stirling (89) - a Scot - who helped found PGA Training Programme

PGA NEWS RELEASE
Warm tributes have been paid to John Stirling, a Scot and one of the founders of the modern day PGA Training Programme who has died aged 89.
The Hampshire-based Life Member of The PGA, enjoyed a wide-ranging career in golf and was one of the first PGA Master Professionals in recognition of his achievements.
One of his biggest was as one of the first PGA swing tutors, helping in the early 1960s to establish the training programme for assistants at Lilleshall and Bisham Abbey which is now world recognised.
He, along with Eddie Whitcombe, Reg Cox, Sid Collins and Keith Hockey, were instrumental in laying the foundations to improve the education and training of PGA assistants – John and the late Alex Hay wrote the training manual.
Although he captained The PGA in 1989, it was a humble start in golf for the Scot who left school at 13 to become a greenkeeper at Eastwood Golf Club in Glasgow.
His talent though soon won admirers – the Eastwood club captain spotted him practising and invited John to join the club and paid his subscriptions for him.
In 1945 he joined the Royal Air Force and was posted to the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt.
His first golf pro’s job was at Roehampton Golf Club where he was fifth assistant. Fate intervened when the head pro at Woking Golf Club was taken ill and Stirling stood in. The incumbent pro sadly later died so John stayed on as head pro.
This was back in the 1950s – an era when at certain clubs, the professional was not permitted to enter the clubhouse.
Roger Mace, a friend of more than 50 years, revealed that had been a source of frustration.
“John Stirling  was a bit upset because Woking was a fine club and fine course, but he was not allowed to play in tournaments and competitions and as the pro was also not allowed into the clubhouse. He found this frustrating and applied for a similar role at Meyrick Park in Bournemouth.”
John spent more than 20 years at Meyrick Park, from 1961-1982, but his great friend John Jacobs then persuaded him to apply for the job at the then newly built Meon Valley Golf and Country Club in Southampton.
“It was a new course, created as part of a hotel, and John, who was in his 50s at the time, thought he was too old to apply but John Jacobs insisted if he applied he would get the job,” added Mace.
“Of course he did and it was fantastic for him. Stirling and his wife, Christine, who was also a very talented player, were a wonderful team.”
Other career highlights included being national coach to the English Golf Union while as a player he won the Hampshire PGA Championship and was crowned the Bournemouth Alliance Champion on five occasions.
“John was a wonderful all-rounder and as a club pro, he didn’t have any weaknesses,” said Mace.
John was also blessed with wit and humour and was a natural story-teller and as such he was much in demand as an after-dinner speak.
“How John did not end up on television, I will never know,” added Mace.
“He was by far the best after-dinner speaker I have ever heard. He was amazing. He would travel from Hampshire up to Manchester for a speaking engagement but would never stop over in a hotel. He would always drive back and be teaching back at the club, first thing the next morning.”
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones described his fellow Scot as a legend of The PGA.
“There must be so many of our members across the world that in some way owe their career to John Stirling, having been taught by him and through his efforts in education,” he said.
“And there are also so many golfers across the world who will have seen him as an after-dinner speaker and enjoyed his humour and friendship.
“So John has been a major influence in the game – both in bringing his skills and knowledge to generations of PGA Members and also in the entertainment and enjoyment he gave to the ordinary golfers who played the game.
“On a personal level he was a great friend and companion and who in terms of after-dinner entertainment, I was privileged to share the same platform with him on many occasions – always coming off second best.
“John will be fondly remembered by many across the world of golf and sadly missed.”
Dr Kyle Phillpots, the PGA’s executive director – education and global development, said: “John had retired as a Tutor by the time I started here in 1999, but he was still a big presence and the tutors would talk about him with not just respect but also great affection and esteem.
“Some of the younger ones had been tutored by him at places like Lilleshall and so they talked about those times as well, with stories about John the raconteur, storyteller and clearly someone who helped create a real bond between the tutors and the trainees.
“When I did eventually meet him, while he was not large in stature, he was certainly a large personality and he still had great energy and enthusiasm for golf and coaching and had a great knack of illustrating a serious point with an amusing anecdote from the past. I think my abiding impression of him was that he was a great communicator and certainly someone who could inspire others in golf.”

Death of North-east golf stalwart Willie Donald

AN era ended at Stonehaven Golf Club this week with the death after a year-long illness of the club's former secretary and manager, Mr William Donald, just 16 days short of his 74th birthday, writes Harry Roulston

"Willie" to many, "Bill" to some, Mr Donald dedicated much of the second half of his life to golf, not only in Stonehaven, but in the wider North-east District.

He was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer late last year and he endured courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy before dying peacefully in Kincardine Community Hospital on

Sunday evening.

Stonehaven Golf Club vice captain, Mr Ivan Groundwater, said "Willie Donald had been a tremendous servant to the club for many years, contributing not only time and effort as a member and employee but also significant sums of money, which made possible such recent developmentsas the new greenkeepers' sheds and the renewal of the greens watering system.

"Willie will be sorely missed," he said. "He was part of the fabric of our club, a man with an encyclopaedic knowledge of golf, our club and our course. He was an ever-present presence, the person to go to for advice when an unusual problem arose and he leaves a gap that will be very difficult to fill."

With his bushy beard and thick head of hair, Willie was known at golf clubs all over the North-east, having been a member of the North-east district committee of the Scottish Golf Union for more than 20 years and President in 2008/9.

His particular interest was in encouraging junior golfers involved in the district's coaching programmes, many of which were run by Andrew Locke, himself a product of Stonehaven GC and now a leading coach at the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre.

Mr Locke said: "Willie almost never failed to turn up at the coaching sessions I ran, no matter the weather, even in the depths of winter, and he was always interested in how the boys were developing their games and always keen to encourage them. He will be sorely missed."

Willie Donald was a pawky golfer himself with a killer short game at his peak. He said he played off scratch for a while at university and remained a single-figure player all his career.

Willie joined Stonehaven GC as a junior in season 1952-53. He was educated at Mackie Academy and then Aberdeen University, from where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1964. 

He then worked for some years with the South of Scotland Electricity Board before a major career change saw him sign up with the Ben Line shipping company. For the next 25 years or so he travelled the world deep in the engine rooms of cargo ships and huge oil tankers.

In 1992, following a knee injury, he was pensioned off and returned to Stonehaven, immediately volunteering to help with the running of the club.

In 1996, Willie was appointed secretary and remained at the helm of the club for the next 13 years. He retired as secretary in 2009, when he was awarded an honorary life membership of the club, an honour which had also been given to his father. However, he continued to be heavily involved right to the end in club activities, being elected to the club council and being responsible for administering handicaps and also a wide range of club competitions.

Willie was also a keen bowler at Stonehaven bowling club, playing regularly in recent years in competitions and team matches, both indoor and outdoor.

His other abiding interest was the Masonic movement and he was a Past Master of the Masonic Lodge of Stonehaven No 65 and served for many years as treasurer.

North-east District SGU president David A. Fleming paid this tribute to Willie Donald;

"Willie will indeed be sorely missed at the District and elsewhere.

He was a stalwart of the North-east District for many years, having joined the committee in 1994 and served as President in 2008 and 2009. 

"Our thoughts are very much with him and his family at this difficult time.'

 Kimsey's 61 makes him leading Q School   
qualifier for final two rounds in Spain

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Nathan Kimsey produced the round of his life to jump to the top of the leaderboard at the Final Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School, a nine under par 61 taking him three shots clear after four rounds.
The Englishman has had to come through First and Second Stage to earn his place in the field at PGA Catalunya Resort and he took full advantage of his shot at a place in next season’s Race to Dubai with the low round of the week on the par-70 Tour Course.
Especially remarkable was the 23 year old’s grandstand finish, following up birdies on 16 and 17 with an eagle on the last – the second eagle of his back nine – as he left all others in his wake in Girona.


“I can’t quite put it into words really,” he said. “I was playing quite well and had it at five under going into the last three holes and I knew they were three decent chances, so I just tried to give myself putts for birdie every hole.
“I hit a couple of good wedge shots into 16 and 17 and then found the middle of the green in two down the last and I just tried to lag it up close and it happened to drop in for the eagle three, and turned a good score into a great score.
“That’s the lowest I’ve ever shot – I think I’ve had a 63 before, but nothing like that kind of score in a week as big as this, so it was definitely the right time to do it with all this at stake.
“There’s still a lot of golf to be played, 36 holes around a pretty tough golf course, so heading out today I was really just trying to consolidate my position inside the cut – playing on the Tour Course I knew there would be some opportunities for me but I was just looking to get anything under par.
“I had it going ok and then that finish has shot me right up there, so it’s changed my situation a little but I’m just going to try to keep doing what I have done over these last few days in the next couple of rounds.
“I was feeling ok coming here. I played quite nicely for the most part at Second Stage last week, and I’d been playing better towards the end of this season, so I knew my game was coming around the right way, but I never could have guessed I’d have gone out and shot something like this, it’s just a great feeling.
“I’m going to approach the final two rounds just the same as I have this whole week. I’ve played nicely round the Stadium Course all week, under par for both rounds there so far – the main thing is to keep it in play off the tee, so I’ll try to do that and then just stick to the same things I’ve been doing.”
Behind Kimsey on nine under par are Robert Coles, Richard McEvoy, Edoardo Molinari and Jeff Winther but the more significant action concerned the cut line, with the top 70 and ties making it through to a 36-hole shoot-out on the Stadium Course, after which the top 25 and ties will earn European Tour cards for 2017.
Ultimately the cut fell at level par 284, with 72 players set for the final two days including Ireland’s Gary Hurley and Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, who both squeezed through on the mark with impressive birdies on the last.
Pontus Widegren, playing alongside Hurley, eagled the 18^th to move inside the cut line too, but notable names such as Roope Kakko and Alvaro Quiros missed out in northern Spain, as did Craig Lee, the top-ranked Race to Dubai player not to retain his card, after he bogeyed two of his final three holes to drop to two over par.

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Augusta National buys nearby music store for $5.35 Million ... presumably to get rid of it!

Photo: Google

Jay's Music Centre with Augusta National sitting behind it.

by GOLF WIRE

Apparently, there's a lot of money in music. Especially if you own property across the street from Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters tournament.
According to The Augusta Chronicle, an Augusta National Golf Club-affiliated real estate company has purchased Jay's Music Centre for $5.35 million. The store sits across the street and north of Augusta National, at the intersection of Washington Road and Old Berckmans Road. 
According to records, owner Doug Frohman and his family sold their 0.73 acre property to Berckman Residential Properties LLC on Oct. 13.
According to Richmond County real estate records, the purchased land and its 5,600 square-foot store was recently valued at $637,900 — about eight times less than what has been paid by Augusta National GC.
Frohman told The Chronicle that he wouldn't discuss terms of the sale but has to be out of the building by the beginning of December.
Augusta National did not immediately return a request for comment. Besides this newly acquired building, which presumably they intend to remove from the landscape, Augusta will also unveil a new media centre this April.

 

 Scottish Open will have $7million purse as

 part of Tour's new Rolex Series in 2017

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The European Tour announced on Tuesday that it will group at least seven of its marquee events together as the Rolex Series and will be scrapping the Final Series format beginning with the 2017 season.
The BMW PGA Championship, the Irish Open, the Scottish Open and the Italian Open will join the three Final Series events - the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship - as part of the new schedule.

The Race to Dubai, formerly known as the Order of Merit, will be retained. Each of the seven events will have a prize purse of at least $7 million.
The cash-rich events are part of European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley's plans to have tournaments in Europe that can compete with the prize funds available on the PGA Tour. He believes they will prevent young European players from moving to the U.S., as well as attract PGA Tour stars to play in Europe.
Pelley, speaking ahead of this week's DP World Tour Championship, said that eight or nine events could end up as part of the Rolex Series next season and that it's his goal to increase that number to 10 tournaments in 2018.
He also said that the $7 million minimum "is the threshold that we felt that was needed to produce something of a high quality" for the series. Investments by the Tour in its television and digital productions and the pursuit of additional marketing and sponsorship opportunities are also part of the plan.
Pelley said the Tour and Rolex will subsidize tournaments such as the Irish Open and Scottish Open to allow them to distribute at least $7 million to players.
The Tour will also start the Access List, which will be a separate money list that will not include earnings from the Rolex Series, the Masters, the PGA Championship or the four World Golf Championships. The top three players on that list will be invited to play in Rolex Series events, and the top 10 finishers will be eligible for full European Tour membership for the following season.