Three pairs tie for victory at PGA in Scotland four-ball at Craigielaw

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Three pairs of professionals - Graham Forbes (Mar Hall Hotel) and Chris Doak (unatt), Craig Ronald (Carluke) and Scott Caitlin (Affordable Golf), and Alan White (Lanark) and former Ryder Cup player Ronan Raffery (unatt) - tied for victory in the rescheduled PGA in Scotland winter-ball four-ball competition at Craiglielaw Golf Club, East Lothian today.
The three leading pairs all had better-ball rounds of six-under-ball 65. Each of the pairs won £323.
A total of 22 pairs took part in the competition which was postponed last year because of bad weather.

SCOREBOARD
par 71
65 G Forbes (Mar Hall Hotel) and C Doak (unatt); C Ronald (Carluke) and S Caitlin (Affordable Golf); Alan White (Lanark) and Ronan Rafferty (unatt) (£323 each pair).

66 S Gray (Lanark) and C Elliott (Haggs Castle), N Huguet (Musselburgh) and G Wright (West Linton) (£135 each pair).

67 I Anderson and Samuel Cairns (Colville Park) (£80 per pair).

68 T Higson and D Blackadder (Gleneagles Hotel); K McNiven and M Rae (Drumoig).

69 C Everett (Caldwell) and S Savage (Dalmuir); P Robinson (Largs) and S Binning (Mearns Castle); I Young and P McKechnie (Braid Hills).

70 G Hillson (Winterfield) and M Hillson (Kilconquhar Castle); M Huish and E Bowden (North Berwick); O Huish and P Wardell (North Berwick); P Jamieson (Dunblane New) and P Brookes (Pitreavie).

71 L Gaughan and C Curran (Bathgate); A Good and M Owenson (Gullane).

72 M Loftus (Mearns Castle) and S Payne (Cowglen); S Wilson (Carrick on Loch Lomond) and J Bell (Lanark).

73 F Dunlop and M Galley (Gleneagles Hotel).

76 J Calam and G Still (Turriff).

82 P Edgcombe (Forrester Park) and C Fairweather (Kirkintilloch).

Ross Cameron T6 with a three-under 69 at Sokhna Gc, Cairo

SCOTS TO FORE IN RED SEA

 

EGYPTIAN CLASSIC

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Scots were to the fore in the first round the German PGA Developmental Tour's Red Sea Egyptian Classic at Sokhna Golf Club, about one hour's drive north of Cairo today.

Ross Cameron (69) is tied sixth, three shots behind English leader James Wilson (32-34 for six-under 66).

David Law, Chris Robb and Kevin Duncan are sharing 14th place on the two-under-par 70.

Cameron, pictured, birdied the first, fifth, eighth, 13th and 17th, bogeying only the fourth and 15th in halves of 33 and 36.

Ross is from Peterhead and still lives in the "Blue Toon." He did his PGA training at Ellon.

Cameron, no longer supported by the Paul Lawrie Foundation, is still sponsored by Saltire Energy.

Law birdied the fifth, eighth, 11th and bogeyed but dropped shots at the 12th and 17th in halves of 33-37.

Robb had a tremendous eagle 2-birdie 3 start and went on to bogey the short sixth and eighth as well. Then he came off the boil and covered the last 10 holes in one over par for halves of 32-38.

Duncan had bogey-free halves of 31-36 with birdies at the second and 13th.

Young Sam Kiloh had an eagle 3 at the 17th but it was too little, too late with 39-37 for 76 and a share of 66th place in the field of 96.

Philip McLean had one birdie in halves of 38-39 for 77 and a share of 74th place.

Former Scottish amateur champion Alexander Culverwell is tied 80th after 78.

RED SEA EGYPTIAN CLASSIC

Sokhna GC, near Cairo.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES

par 72

66 J Wilson (Eng)

67 S Matus (Cze), J-P Neujendorf (Ger), I A El Ela (Egy), P Figueiredo (Por).

SCOTS' SCORES

69 R Cameron (T6).

70 D Law, C Robb, K Duncan (T14)

76 S Kiloh (T66)

77 P McLean (T74)

78 A Culverwell (T80)

 

Field of 96 players.

Gemma finishes T4 in Aussie Ladies

pro-am, earns £652

Aberdeen-born, Beaconsfield-based Gemma Dryburgh earned £652 for a tied fourth finish today (Tuesday) in the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour's Mulpha Norwest Ladies pro-am over 18 holes at Castle Hill Golf Club, Sydney in New South Wales.
Gemma, a former Curtis Cup player, shot a round of two-under-par 72.

Gemma, pictured at a previous tournament, finished three strokes behind the winner of the £2,304 first prize, Australian rookie and University of Tennessee graduate Emily McLennan whose surname suggests she is descended from Scottish stock.
Emily, 22, who turned pro last August, scored her first win in the pro ranks with a five-under-par 69, a stroke ahead of Switzerland;s Fabienne in Alba.
Australian Sarah Oh was third on 71.
Past Scottish women's amateur champion and also a former Curtis Cup player, Michele Thomson (Meldrum House) from Ellon, did not have a good day Down Under. She signed for a round of six-over 80 and finished out of the money (top 30 and ties).

LEADING SCORES
par 74
69 Emily McLennan (Australia).
70 Fabienne in Alba (Switzerland)
71 Sarah Oh (Australia).
72 Kyla Inaba (Canada), Nikki Garrett, Stefanie Delgreco (USA), Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland), Jenna Hunter (NZ), Ellen Graham (Australia) (T4)
73 Hannah Collier (USA), Alexandra Bonetti (France), Ali Orchard
(Australia), Felicity Johnson (England), Marion Ricordeau (France) (T10).

SELECTED OTHER SCORES
74 Charlotte Thomas (England) (T15).
79 Sophie Walker (England) (T49)
80 Michele Thomson (Scotland) (T57)



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VisitAberdeenshire heads to PGA Show at Orlando later this month

 NEWS RELEASE VisitAberdeenshire is teeing up for success by heading Stateside to showcase Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s world-class golf facilities to a global audience.

The tourism organisation will visit the US PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida  from January 24-27 - one of the world’s biggest golf shows – where they will meet with key industry professionals in a bid to boost the region’s golf tourism trade.

The trip is the latest initiative in VisitAberdeenshire’s drive to increase golf tourism in the north east of Scotland, following sponsorship of the Northern Ireland Open last year.

Jenni Fraser, pictured above, business development manager at VisitAberdeenshire, says: “Golf has long been one of the biggest draws for visitors to the North-east, attracting both leisure and business tourists throughout the year.

“Holidaymakers looking to play at some of the world’s most famous links courses, and business visitors using the fairways for networking and incentive travel, have lots to discover in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

“Golf is worth around £220 million to the Scottish economy every year, and it is estimated that golfers spend 120% more than other visitors. With such fantastic facilities in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, there is a real opportunity for local golf courses and tourism businesses to capitalise on and benefit from that income.

“By attending the PGA Merchandise Show – a major event in the golf world - we’ll be able to communicate the strength of the offering that we have here in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to hundreds of key contacts.”

Research commissioned by Scottish Golf Tourism and VisitScotland shows that Scotland is third on a list of desirable golfing destinations across the globe (#1 Spain, #2 Portugal, #5 Ireland, #9 England).

Jenni continues, “The North-east of Scotland is home to over 50 top golf courses, including some of the sport’s most recognisable names: Royal Aberdeen, Trump International, Cruden Bay and Newmachar. But it also features some of the UK’s quirkier and more historic courses, including Britain’s highest 18-hole course at Braemar, and Fraserburgh where play dates back to at least 1613.

“Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire have something to offer golfers of all levels, whether serious enthusiasts looking to tick a renowned course off their bucket list or casual players seeking a friendly nine-hole challenge. From stunning links courses to incredible inland courses, the north east has it all.”

VisitAberdeenshire will be joined at the PGA Merchandise Show by tour company Bonnie Wee Golf, which creates exclusive golf trips to some of the most exclusive courses in Scotland – including many in the North-east – and Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course.

David Harris of Bonnie Wee Golf says, “For a long time, golf has been a key attraction in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and every year we see golfers coming from America to play some of the most famous courses in the world, right on our doorstep.

“The chance to visit one of the world’s biggest golf exhibitions with VisitAberdeenshire is a fantastic opportunity to network with industry professionals, discuss the sport’s latest developments, and show what we in the north east of Scotland have to offer the global golfing community.”

Andy Burgess of Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course adds, “We are delighted to be partnering with VisitAberdeenshire and Bonnie Wee Golf at the 2017 PGA Show in Orlando. We have been attending the show for the last seven years, and as a result have welcomed hundreds of American golfers to stay at Meldrum House to play golf around the north east.

“Attending events like the PGA Show sends out a very positive message and shows that we are serious in developing our international golf market, encouraging as many global visitors as possible to experience golf in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.”

For more information about golf facilities and in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, visit www.visitabdn.com/attractions-and-activities/golf