Craig Lawrie jt 2nd after seven-birdie 69 on

 

Algarve's Quinta North Classic

 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Paul Lawrie's older son, Craig, 21, is lying joint second, off the lead after a seven-birdie round of three-under-par 69 in the 36-hole Algarve Pro Tour's Quinta North Classic over the Quinta do Lago North Course today (Sat).

Lawrie's card had a double bogey 6 at the sixth and bogeys at the second and 14th but he was able to get over these setbacks with birdies at the fourth, seventh, ninth, 11th, 12th, 16th and 18th in halves of 36 and 33.

In a field of 69 players, Craig, pictured, is sharing second place with fellow Scot Jay Taylor and England's Dale Whitnell and Jamie Abbott, one shot behind leader, Chris Selfridge.

Comrie's Wallace Booth had a bad day with a round of 77 for a share of 42nd place.

Deeside amateur Benjamin Henderson is 67th after an 88.

FIRST ROUND SCORES

par 72

players from England unless stated otherwise

68 C Selfridge

69 C Lawrie (Sco), D Whitnell, J Taylor (Sco), J Abbott.

70 G Bloor (am), A Sobrinho (Por), W Brown.

71 J Carlota (Por), C Ainsley, C Sharvin (Ire), H Ronneblad (Swe) (am), W Fox, A Turner, T Cruz (Por).

 

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES

77 W Booth (T42)

88 B Henderson (am) (67th)

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Graeme Storm leads by three with a round to

go in South Africa

 

 

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Graeme Storm will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the BMW SA Open tomorrow as he goes in search of a first European Tour title in ten years at Glendower Golf Club.

The Englishman extended his bogey-free run to 41 holes with a 67 that moved him to 17 under and gave him a healthy gap to World Number Two Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy twice caught Storm at the top of the leaderboard in round three with the help of an eagle from 157 yards on the seventh and a hat-trick of birdies on the back nine but the 38 year old put in a wonderfully disciplined and consistent performance.

While all those around him were making strings of birdies and eagles along with some dropped shots, Storm went out in 33 and came back in 34 with five birdies to extend his second-round advantage by one shot.

It is quite the turnaround for Storm who thought he had lost his playing privileges by just 100 euros at the Portugal Masters when he missed a par putt on the 18th green.

Patrick Reed's decision not to play the Final Series handed Storm a reprieve and he is now in pole position to claim a second European Tour title after winning the Open de France ALSTOM in 2007.

McIlroy may have something to say about that, however, and with the Northern Irishman having made 12 birdies on the back nine this week, an intriguing battle down the stretch could be in store on Sunday.

"I am just really pleased that I kept the momentum from yesterday and played really nicely and holed some good putts," said Storm.

"I find myself now in a position that I have only been in a couple of times over the past few years. Things have been difficult and last year was a tough year but it has given me a new lease of life and I hope to continue playing well.

"I thought I had lost my card and all of the privileges that come from playing on the European Tour and when that happens you realise that you can't afford to lose it."

He added: "I have never played with Rory before and I know him really well so it will be a lot of fun.

"If he hits a good shot and pips me or beats me comfortably or whoever makes a move from behind I can't really control that. All I can do is control my golf ball – I can't control anyone else's.

"If I can shoot another score in the 60s I'll be pleased even if I don't win. I have come here as a big underdog so that is fine with me."

Last season's Challenge Tour number one Jordan L Smith will complete an exciting final group after finishing the day on 13 under alongside home favourite Jbe Kruger.

Italy's Edoardo Molinari equalled the course record with a 63 to get to 12 under alongside South African duo Dean Burmester and Jaco Van Zyl, French pair Romain Langasque and Joël Stalter, and American Peter Uihlein.

Storm began the day with a two-shot lead and while he followed McIlroy in making a birdie on the second, the four-time Major Championship winner produced a moment of absolute magic on the seventh.

The 27 year old launched an approach that pitched ten feet behind the hole and spun back down the slope for an eagle.

When he took advantage of the par five eighth he had a share of the lead but Storm put his approach to the seventh close and then capitalised on the par five himself to move back ahead.

A McIlroy bogey dropped him three behind but he played a smart approach to the 11th, drove the 12th and then made the most of the par five 13th to get back into a tie.

Storm laid up on the 13th but still made a tidy birdie and made it four out of four on the par fives on the 15th before McIlroy dropped a shot on the last.

Smith was quietly going about his business with birdies on the second, eighth and ninth but he drove the 12th with a two-iron and holed the lengthy putt for an eagle, adding another birdie on the 15th before stalling with a bogey-bogey finish.

Kruger looked to be fading from contention as he turned in 37 with those around him picking up shots but he made five birdies in six holes from the tenth before dropping a shot on the 16th.

Molinari recorded nine birdies in his 63 - including five in a row from the 11th - while Stalter signed for a 65, Burmester a 67, Van Zyl and Langasque a pair of 68s and Uihlein a 70.

David Drysdale lost ground with a one-under 71 for a 54-hole tally of 208 and a share of 16th place.
The Dunbar man had an eagle 3 at the eighth for the second day in a row but bogeys at the fourth, 11th and 17th dragged him down. He did have birdies at t4he long second and 13th in halves of 34 and 37.


THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
199 Graeme Storm (England) 69 63 67
202 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 67 68 67
203 Jbe Kruger (S Africa) 67 67 69, Jordan L Smith (England) 67 68 68

SCOTS' SCORES
208 David Drysdale 70 65 71 (T16)

MISSED THE CUT (144 and worse failed to qualify)
145 Scott Henry  79 66
150 Craig Ross (am) 79 71
155 Duncan Stewart 78 77

ALL THE SCORES

199 G Storm  (Eng) 69 63 67,
202 R McIlroy  (Nir) 67 68 67,
203 J Kruger (RSA) 67 67 69, J Smith (Eng) 67 68 68,
204 R Langasque  (Fra) 70 66 68, E Molinari  (Ita) 71 70 63, J Van Zyl (RSA) 71 65 68, J Stalter (Fra) 69 70 65, P Uihlein  (USA) 70 64 70, D Burmester (RSA) 67 70 67,
205 R Johnson (Swe) 69 70 66, T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 66 68 71, T Aiken (RSA) 67 70 68, M Korhonen (Fin) 72 66 67, K Horne (RSA) 66 69 70,
206 L Canter (Eng) 69 66 71, C Hanson (Eng) 71 69 66, D Drysdale (Sco) 70 65 71,
207 G King (Eng) 73 68 66, P Widegren  (Swe) 72 67 68, A Björk (Swe) 68 71 68, O Fisher  (Eng) 68 69 70,
208 J Morrison  (Eng) 70 72 66, L De Jager  (RSA) 77 64 67, J Walters (RSA) 69 72 67, D Van Der Walt (RSA) 71 67 70,
209 S Norris  (RSA) 69 69 71, J Blaauw  (RSA) 72 70 67, J Winther (Den) 69 70 70,
210 D Fichardt (RSA) 68 72 70, A Otaegui  (Esp) 71 69 70, R Van Der Spuy (RSA) 72 70 68, J Agren (Swe) 73 69 68, J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 71 71, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 72 71 67, D Brooks (Eng) 69 71 70, J Kingston (RSA) 72 71 67,
211 S Soderberg (Swe) 69 72 70, A Knappe (Ger) 71 71 69, S Dyson  (Eng) 69 71 71, M Foster (Eng) 68 70 73, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 70 70 71,
212 T Detry  (Bel) 72 71 69, T Moore (RSA) 70 73 69, T Lewis (Eng) 72 71 69, J Kruyswijk (RSA) 73 69 70, U Van Den Berg  (RSA) 69 70 73, A Da Silva (Bra) 73 69 70, B Stone (RSA) 74 67 71, R Echenique (Arg) 73 70 69,
213 S Engell Andersen  (Ken) 72 71 70, P Angles  (Esp) 72 71 70, R McGowan  (Eng) 72 71 70, J Parry (Eng) 74 67 72,
214 P Waring  (Eng) 70 70 74, D Van Tonder  (RSA) 73 69 72, S Tiley (Eng) 69 72 73, J Harding  (RSA) 70 70 74, M Hollick (RSA) 70 71 73,
215 J Kamte (RSA) 70 68 77, G Mulroy (RSA) 71 71 73, O Strydom (RSA) 72 70 73, M Madsen (Den) 75 68 72,
216 E Kofstad (Nor) 73 67 76, P Maddy (Eng) 71 69 76,
217 N Fasth (Swe) 70 73 74,
221 A Georgiou (RSA) 72 71 78,
** B Rumford (Aus) 69 68 WD,
  

 Green beats Sinnott in all-Aussie play-off climax

                 

PRESS RELEASE

 

Bangkok, January 14: Australia’s Richard Green topped the class when he defeated compatriot Todd Sinnott with a birdie at the first play-off hole to secure his playing rights at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage presented by Sports Authority of Thailand on Saturday.

 

Green earned his Tour card on the back of a grueling week which saw him complete with distinction at the Suvarnabhumi Golf and Country Club. The 45-year-old marked his card with a nine-under-par 63 to sign off with four-day total of 28-under-par 260 which is the third lowest ever score in the Asian Tour history for a 72-hole scoring.

 

Despite being defeated in the play-off by his role model, Sinnott was delighted to post a final round 62. His closing 260 total was also the lowest score he has ever signed for in his career.

 

China’s Zheng Ou-yang was among the top-35 players and ties who earned playing rights on the region’s premier Tour in 2017. The Chinese posted rounds of 65, 66, 70 and 67 to finally make the grade after a previous failed attempt last year.

 

Sujjan Singh was India’s top performer as he finished in a share of 13^th place after posting a final round 66. It was a welcome return to the Asian Tour for Singh after he lost his card in 2013.

 

Interesting facts of the day:

It was sweet redemption for Australia’s Richard Green after suffering the agony of losing his European Tour card last season by about US$20,000. With his playing status on the Asian Tour now secured, the smiles are also now back for Green.

 

Todd Sinnott used to earn his keep as a part-time ball collector at a driving range in Melbourne. He credits his humble beginning for keeping him grounded despite being billed as one of Australia’s brightest prospects today.

 

Four graduates – Ben Leong, Steve Lewton, Marcus Both and Arnond Vongvanij, are winners on the Asian Tour, with both winning three times and the others winning once each.

 

Last year’s Qualifying School winner, Yikeun Chang of South Korea successfully regained his card by finishing tied-eighth with a final round of 69.

 

Players finishing inside the top-six at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage will tee up at the season-opener, SMBC Singapore Open next week.

 

Key Quotes

 

Richard Green (Aus), Fourth round 63 (-9), Total -28 (260)

I guess the world has strange ways of repaying you for your misfortune. I’ve a lot to be thankful for. I started to work with a new coach in Australia and he has seriously helped me a lot in the last couple of weeks. I was really struggling towards the end of the year and the work we did sort of led up to this event.

 I really wanted to come here and play well and I’m glad I did that as I feel like my game is back to where it should be. It’s nice to have a season of golf ahead of me now. I’m busy again. At one stage towards the end of the year, just before the Australian Open when I got the news from the European Tour, I thought I would be out of job but now it looks like it’s going to be a busy year. I’m very happy with that.

 

Todd Sinnott (Aus) - Fourth round 62 (-10), Total -28 (260)

The main objective was to come here and get my Tour card. I achieved that and 28-under is my best score that I’ve ever shot in four rounds. There was a disappointing spin at the end of the play-off but it’s okay. I got my card and that’s all that matters I’ve only been to China and Korea before this week and it’s going to be a whole new experience for me, traveling around Asia and play in some of the bigger events here. Finishing second will obviously motivate me to try to get the big win now. I grew up at the same golf course, Kooringal golf club as Richard Green so he is always someone I look up to. I remembered him finishing fourth at the British Open and seeing him win the Australian Masters

 

Ben Leong (Mas) – Fourth round 68 (-4), Total -25 (263)

Although it was not the first place finish that I was aiming for, it was still a very satisfying week. I’ve no complaints about my week, finishing 25-under. Hopefully I can keep up my good form. I’m definitely going all out for that second win on the Asian Tour this season now that I got my status back.

 

 

Zheng Ou-yang (Chn) - Fourth round 66 (-6), Total -21 (267)

I feel very happy and relieved now that the week is over and I finally managed to secure my Asian Tour card in my second attempt. I failed to make the cut last year and I’m really glad I managed to get the job done this week. Now that I got my card and have the opportunities to play on the Asian Tour, I guess I have to learn how to deal with the heat and humidity. It was very tough for me this whole week and I’m just pleased I managed to pull through. This is my first time going lower than 20-under-par in an event and it has really given me the confidence for the year ahead.

 

 

Leading Scores after round 4 of the Qualifying School Final Stage being played at the par 72, 6965 Yards East and South course (am - denotes amateur):

 par 288 (4x72)

260 - Richard GREEN (AUS) 66-63-68-63, Todd SINNOT (AUS) 64-65-69-62.

262 - Junya KAMESHIRO (JPN) 67-62-67-66.

263 - Ben LEONG (MAS) 65-66-67-65.

266 - Jake HIGGINBOTTOM (AUS) 68-69-66-63, Raththee SIRITHANAKUNSAK (THA) 67-68-65-66.

267 - Tirawat KAEWSIRIBANDIT (THA) 67-68-67-65.

268 - Dongmin LEE (KOR) 67-68-70-63, Brian JUNG (CAN) 71-65-66-66, ZHENG Ou-yang (CHN) 65-66-70-67, Sihwan KIM (USA) 69-67-65-67, Yikeun CHANG (SKOR) 68-65-66-69.

270 - Sujjan SINGH (IND) 68-66-70-66, Youngjea BYUN (KOR) 65-67-70-68, Arjun PRASAD (am, IND) 66-67-69-68, Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) 65-68-69-68.

271 - Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA) 68-65-72-66, Teemu PUTKONEN (FIN) 65-67-68-71.

272 - Brett MUNSON (USA) 70-69-66-67, Jarin TODD (USA) 68-66-70-68, Sangpil YOON (SKOR) 69-67-69-67, Chanwoo KIM (SKOR) 65-69-71-67, William HARROLD (ENG) 65-70-69-68, Ryan MCCORMICK (USA) 67-66-69-70, Settee PRAKONGVECH (THA) 66-66-68-72, William CANNON (USA) 64-68-67-73.

273 - Peradol PANYATHANASEDH (THA) 69-68-68-68, Ekthumrong LUANGANURUK (THA) 72-66-65-70, Junsung KIM (KOR) 69-68-68-68, Steve LEWTON (ENG) 66-69-67-71, Chanachok DEJPIRATANAMONGKOL (THA) 67-63-71-72, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 66-73-69-65.

274 - Chanat SAKULPOLPHAISAN (THA) 69-67-69-69, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 69-70-65-70, Daniel ZULUAGA (COL) 70-69-65-70, Minkyu HAN (SKOR) 68-69-69-68.

 

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Justin Thomas sets US PGA Tour 36-hole record of 123

HONOLULU -- One day after becoming the youngest player to shoot 59 on the US PGA Tour, Justin Thomas, pictured, made more history Friday at Waialae Country Club.
The 23-year-old shot six-under 64 in Friday’s second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, where his 123 total is a record for the lowest 36-hole score on tour.
The previous mark was 124 held by three players, most recently Jason Day at the 2015 BMW Championship.
“I just felt like it was another round of golf and I need to try to build on my lead and see how low I could go today,” Thomas said.
After a slow start, he did just that, rattling off four straight birdies around the turn to build momentum.
Thomas made a sloppy bogey at the 13th, failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker, before bouncing back with another birdie at 15. He made another bogey from the bunker at 17 but atoned for the mistake by reaching the par-5 18th in two and rolling in the eight-foot putt. It was the second straight day that he closed with an eagle.

Through the first two weeks of 2017, no one has been better than Thomas, who is coming off a win last week at Kapalua. In his first six rounds of the year, he is combined 39 under.
“It's definitely the best [golf] of my career,” Thomas said. “I definitely haven't shown the world my best golf. I haven't even shown the world great golf, or consistent, great golf.”
Through two rounds at Waialae, however, he has been just that. Thomas leads the field in strokes gained-tee to green and his 64 on Friday tied for the second-best score of the round behind only Zach Johnson’s 61.
“I think I'm getting more confident and I'm improving, too,” said Thomas, who also won last October, successfully defending his title in Malaysia. “I think I'm just trending up and hopefully -- wanting to show everyone in the world what I have.”

LEADERBOARD
123 Justin Thomas 59 64
128 Gary Woodland 64 64
130 Hudson Swafford 62 68, Justin Rose (Eng) 66 64, Zach Johnson 69 61

SELECTED SCORES
131 Russell Knox (Sco) 64 67 (T6)

MISSED THE CUT (138 and over failed to make it)
140 Paul Casey (Eng) 73 67

  Leading third-round scores in "The Sally," South Atlantic Ladies Amateur stroke-play tournament, at Oceanside Country Club, Ormond Beach, Florida:

210 Samantha Wagner 71 67 72

211 Alex Pano 72 70 69, Kelly Grassel 68 69 74

212 Maria Torres 69 71 72

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