PGA event at Lossiemouth cancelled 
Today's scheduled PGA Winter Four-ball competition over the Moray Golf Club links at Lossiemouth was cancelled due to a lack of entries.

 

Deeside's Frank Coutts is new PGA

 

in Scotland captain

 Frank Coutts, the director of golf at Deeside Golf Club, has succeeded John Mulgrew as captain of the PGA in Scotland.

He took up the reins at the recent annual meeting at Gleneagles, with Alastair McLean, who recently ended a lengthy stint as the head professional at Duddingston, appointed as vice-captain.

"It is fantastic," said Coutts of his new role. "I was absolutely gobsmacked when I was asked by Shona Malcolm, the PGA in Scotland regional manager, a year and a half ago if I would take on the captaincy for these next two years. 

"I sat for an hour thinking about it and decided that it would be good to give something back after being involved in the PGA for so long."

Coutts is the first professional from the Aberdeen area to hold the post and is honoured to be representing his native North-east.

"I played all my amateur golf here at Deeside; then had a great six years working for Peter Smith at Murcar after I turned pro," he added. "I then came back to Deeside, so I have only been at two clubs in my working life.

"There have been a lot of great changes at Deeside the last 10-15 years. We still have a waiting list and we have a new clubhouse. The committees here the last 10-15 years have been really go ahead and it has been really good to work with them.

"I used to play full-time and I enjoyed that. But I am now far more involved in the golf club. I took that decision off my own back as I felt it was the only way for me to go forward at that time in my career.

"I was very lucky when I played on the Tartan Tour. It was the days whe  Russell Weir was one of the top players and then we went through a spell when we just gave Colin Gillies the money every week. 

"I really enjoyed it and back then it was one level below the European Tour whereas there are all sorts of circuits below that these days. The standard on all of them is so good, too."

McLean joins Coutts on a committee that sees Alan Reid, the head professional at West Lothian, continue as Chairman.

"I won't be rocking the boat during my captaincy," said Coutts. "It's the full-time staff who do the hard work and my task will be to reinforce what the PGA's reputation is all about.

"When you sit on a committee - and this is no different at a golf club - 99 per cent of people don't realise what happens at meetings. My job as Captain is to play a part in ensuring the right decisions are made over the next two years."

Hutcheon records third Scottish PGA 

Championship victory at Gleneagles

Greig Hutcheon held off a two-pronged challenge from the O'Hara brothers - Paul and Steven - to complete a hat-trick of wins in the M and H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship.

The 45-year-old pipped the siblings by a shot after a thrilling last-day battle on the King's Course at Gleneagles to add to earlier victories in the Tartan Tour's flagship event in 1999 and 2013.

"This possibly feels better than the first two," said Hutcheon, who is attached to Paul Lawrie Golf Centre near Aberdeen.

"I’m 46 in March and to come back from thinking my body is giving up and shoot 12-under for four days gives me hope. I’m pretty chuffed."

Hutcheon, who had started the day tied for the lead with Paul, the younger of the O'Hara’s, secured a £9,000 top prize by closing with a 68.

The key moment came at the driveable par-4 14th, where O'Hara suffered an unfortunate break as his tee shot stick up on the back at the right of the green.

From there, he dropped a shot while Hutcheon made a birdie to give him a cushion over the closing holes.

"I played nicely today," added Hutcheon, a seven-time Tartan Tour Order of Merit winner. "I felt like I was in control and kept it steady.

"Paul got unlucky on 14. He hit a perfect drive down the right and, instead of kicking in it just stuck. The two-swing there helped me along."

Paul, winner of the Northern Open earlier in the year, and former European Tour player Steven each picked up £5,500 for sharing second spot.

"Fourteen was unlucky and it just got stuck in thick rough," said Paul. "It was the worst lie possible. That’s a birdie hole so a bogey felt like a double bogey.

"I tried to give it a go on the last and my drive was 310 through the air. I knocked a 7-iron on to 25 feet and I thought when the putt was halfway it was in. But it just missed on the left."

Steven closed with a best-of-the-day 63, bagging birdies at the 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 18th as he stormed home in 30.

"I thought my brother would come through the pack," added Paul. "I said before the event that he’s the man to beat this week as he’s been playing brilliantly the last wee while.

"It’s great to see him up there as he’s had his struggles over the past few years and with me caddying for him during those years I saw those struggles.

"He should be on the European Tour. Even people at the British Masters last week were asking what he’s doing. They know he’s one of the best ball strikers around."

Chris Currie ran up up a triple-bogey 7 at the first after a lost ball but bounced back to salvage a 69 as he shared fourth spot with Paul McKechnie (67).

FINAL TOTALS AND PRIZEMONEY 

Pos	Player			Total	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	Points	Prize Fund
Full Leaderboard
1	Greig Hutcheon   Paul Lawrie Golf Centre	-2	F	-12	68	64	68	68	268	270	£9,000.00
T2	Steven O'Hara   North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd	-7	F	-11	71	70	65	63	269	230	£5,500.00
T2	Paul O'Hara   North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd	-1	F	-11	68	66	66	69	269	230	£5,500.00
T4	Paul McKechnie   Braid Hills Golf Range	-3	F	-10	67	68	68	67	270	195	£3,000.00
T4	Christopher Currie   Erskine Golf Club	-1	F	-10	67	69	65	69	270	195	£3,000.00
6	Graham FoxG. Fox   Clydeway Golf	-1	F	-7	68	71	65	69	273	180	£2,250.00
T7	Alastair Forsyth   Mearns Castle Golf Academy	-6	F	-6	72	68	70	64	274	165	£1,900.00
T7	Greg McBain   Newmachar Golf Club	+2	F	-6	66	67	69	72	274	165	£1,900.00
T9	Gavin Hay   Mearns Castle Golf Academy	-6	F	-5	71	68	72	64	275	140	£1,433.33
T9	Neil Fenwick   Dunbar Golf Club	-3	F	-5	67	69	72	67	275	140	£1,433.33
T9	Jamie McLeary	E	F	-5	67	69	69	70	275	140	£1,433.33
12	Craig LeeC. Lee   Craig Lee Golf Studio	-1	F	-4	70	71	66	69	276	125	£1,200.00
13	Stephen Gray   Lanark Golf Club	-4	F	-3	69	71	71	66	277	120	£1,100.00
T14	Graeme Brown   Montrose Golf Links Ltd.	-4	F	-1	70	73	70	66	279	112.50	£950.00
T14	James Steven   Pumpherston Golf Club	-2	F	-1	73	70	68	68	279	112.50	£950.00
T16	James McGhee   Swanston Golf Club	-3	F	+2	68	74	73	67	282	92.50	£656.67
T16	Thomas Higson   The Gleneagles Hotel	E	F	+2	69	67	76	70	282	92.50	£656.67
T16	Michael Patterson   Williamwood Golf Club	E	F	+2	71	67	74	70	282	92.50	£656.67
T16	Fraser McKenna   Caldwell Golf Club	E	F	+2	69	74	69	70	282	92.50	£656.67
T16	Chris Kelly   Scotland for Golf	+2	F	+2	62	76	72	72	282	92.50	£656.67
T16	Andrew Oldcorn   Kings Acre Golf Course	+2	F	+2	69	70	71	72	282	92.50	£656.67
22	Gareth Wright   West Linton Golf Club	+3	F	+3	72	70	68	73	283	77	£555.00
23	Zack Saltman	-1	F	+4	71	69	75	69	284	74	£540.00
T24	Graeme McDougall   Elie Links	+1	F	+5	76	66	72	71	285	69.50	£525.00
T24	Cameron Farrell   Cardross Golf Club	+2	F	+5	70	71	72	72	285	69.50	£525.00
T26	Ross Munro   Duddingston Golf Club	-1	F	+6	75	69	73	69	286	63.50	£505.00
T26	Greg Paxton   Ralston Golf Club	+3	F	+6	72	69	72	73	286	63.50	£505.00
28	Kris Nicol   Dunes Golf Centre	+3	F	+7	72	70	72	73	287	59	£490.00
29	Ross Cameron	-2	F	+8	72	72	76	68	288	56	£480.00
30	Craig Ronald   Carluke Golf Club	+3	F	+9	72	70	74	73	289	53	£470.00
31	Marc Owenson   Gullane Golf Club	+2	F	+13	71	72	78	72	293	50	£460.00
32	Rory Tinker   Piperdam Golf and Leisure Resort	+1	F	+14	73	71	79	71	294	48	£455.00

 

Chris Kelly bidding to join greats in M and H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship

 

PGA IN SCOTLAND NEWS RELEASE

Chris Kelly is playing down his chances of emulating some of the greats in Scottish golf by landing a fourth title triumph in the M&H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship from October 15-18.

The 41-year-old completed a hat-trick of wins when landing a surprise victory 12 months ago at Gleneagles, adding to his earlier successes in the Tartan Tour's flagship event at the same venue in 2003 and 2015.

One more victory and Kelly will join John Panton, Eric Brown, Bernard Gallacher, Sam Torrance and Ross Drummond in claiming the crown four times or more.

Panton and Brown share the record with eight wins while Gallacher and Torrance both triumphed on five occasions. Drummond is the most recent to have racked up four victories between 1986 and 1990.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Kelly, who is attached to St Andrews-based Scotland for Golf, of his latest title defence on the King's Course at the Perthshire resort. 

"I've not played at Gleneagles since the event last year, but I've heard from a couple of boys who played it recently that it is in really good condition.

"I've played there often enough that it's not going to have changed in any respect, I'd imagine, and I'm looking forward to seeing how I get on in this title defence, though I don't really have any great expectations."

Neither did he 12 months ago but, after opening with a stunning 63 in testing conditions, Kelly went on to win by six shots with a 13-under-par total in an event reduced to 54 holes due to bad weather. 

It was the biggest winning margin in the event since Kelly claimed his first title triumph by seven shots on the PGA Centenary Course 14 years earlier.

"I always think that if I start playing well in an event, I will keep generally play half decent until the end of it," he added. "I seem to be one of those golfers that if I start off okay, I'll be all right. But, if I start off ropey, I will continue to be ropey.

"I've not played a lot of golf this year due to being busy at work. I'm just going along to see what happens. If I play well great, but I'm not really expecting to be in with a chance of winning again, to be honest.

"I've won it three times and that's been nice, especially last year, and I'm quite happy with that. If another one comes along, then great. If not, I won't be worrying about it too much."

The 66-strong field contains eight past champions, namely Kelly, Gareth Wright (2014 and 2016), Greig Hutcheon (1999 and 2013), Alastair Forsyth (2000), Craig Ronald (2004), Jason McCreadie (2008), Chris Doak (2010) and Graham Fox (2012).

Others chasing Gleneagles glory in the event include former European Tour players Craig Lee, Steven O'Hara and Andrew Oldcorn, as well as last year's Tartan Tour No 1 Paul O'Hara and Ross Cameron, who recently progressed to the second stage in this season's European Tour Qualifying School.

This is the 20th year in succession that Gleneagles has hosted the event while M and H Logistics are the title sponsor for the third season in a row.

Tom Wotherspoon, M and H Logisitics Managing Director, said: “We look forward to starting this year’s M and H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship with the pro am this Sunday when we will be celebrating our most successful year to date as a business. 

"We would like to wish the players all the very best of luck for the championship and we will see you at the first tee.”

 

 Beverley Thorpe asks who is taking responsibility for the future of Professional Golf in Scotland and is it time for significant change?

 By BEVERLEY THORPE

Although I have a background in sports marketing I am a researcher, writer and commentator with a keen interest in the effects of prescribed medication.  However, another part of my life is the world of Scottish Golf.  My partner is a Scottish pro golfer. I obviously spend a good amount of time with Pro Golfers and in a golf environment.  I have a keen personal interest in the state of Pro golf in Scotland.

Shona Malcolm, secretary of the PGA in Scotland, speaking to Martin Dempster in "The Scotsman" in September 2015, said:

 “I think both the PGA in Scotland and Tartan Tour can become even stronger brands than they are just now as they have loads of potential.”

Three years later, how are the PGA in Scotland progressing with their ‘tournament and brand development’? Chat around my kitchen table, at the occasional small, informal gatherings of Scottish pro golfers, often leaves me asking the question, “What do the PGA in Scotland actually do?”.

In 1901, the original Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was established in Great Britain. The Association stated its aim was to raise the profile and status of the professional golfer and look after the welfare and interests of its members.

 

Today the PGA claims, “With golf continuing to grow on a worldwide level, The PGA remains committed to providing its members with lifelong learning to meet the challenges facing the golf industry, while simultaneously helping advance the sport and the industry and ensuring that participation upholds the protocols, values and integrity of the game which were outlined when the Association was formed”.

The claim golf is ‘growing on a worldwide level’ belies the state of Scottish Golf in general.  Some 50,000 golfers have given up their club memberships and 20 golf clubs have closed their doors in Scotland in the last 10 years. 

 

Just as alarming, 117 years after its establishment, with the purpose to ‘raise the profile, status and look after the welfare and interests of its members’; why do so many playing and club professionals find themselves in precarious situations?

 

Shona Malcolm was right when she said back in 2015, “25 years ago the Tartan Tour was right at the top end of the game. It was the biggest of any of the PGA’s regional circuits covered extensively in the media and secured sponsorship almost without thinking about it.

 

Is it taken for granted a talented golfer who chooses to should have the opportunity to play for a living, or is this an antiquated concept which doesn’t fit today’s society? Does it actually feature in the development plans of the PGA in Scotland?

 

Order of Merit statistics from 2011 show 246 players shared a prize fund of over £580,000.  The top ten players earning just under £200,000.  Fast forward to 2018 and with the season almost over the total money earned is around £210,000. The top 20 players have achieved winnings of around £129,000. 

 

Significantly, there are 179 players taking a share of the winnings to date, however, a further 140 players have no money to show having entered at least one tournament.

Every professional pays the PGA £400 a year for membership.  In return they are given a number of benefits; the PGA Professional Magazine showing golf break offers they can’t afford and £5,000.000 indemnity insurance they can get online for £30 a year! On top of that, pros must pay to ‘enter’ each PGA tournament they play in (up to £120 per event), plus pay their own travelling, accommodation and any additional expenses.

 

Amongst her skills Shona Malcolm lists ‘undertaking value for money / performance reviews and project management’, so she should have little problem working out the Scottish PGA’s tournament format does not work for today’s Professional golfer! It doesn’t take ‘Golf Science’ to realise the PGA are not looking after the interests of the members who pay them.

 

So what of the future? There is the arrival of Tournament Controller, Colin Gillies. Heralded as ‘no ordinary player’ when it comes to the Tartan Tour, could he be the man to restore the players’ faith in the PGA?

 

He admits to “knowing the highs and lows of trying to make a living on the Tartan Tour”. He was the first player to break the £500,000 barrier in career earnings on the circuit and remains its all-time leading money winner with £513,747.  He chalked up over 120 victories on the Scottish scene. At a time when players are desperate for opportunities to win money, perhaps the statement "I won most money during my time on the circuit. I don't know if that means I was the best or was just out there too long", might not endear him to his struggling fellow professionals.

And finally, back to Ms Malcolm in 2015; “We are probably going to look at different ways of securing sponsorship but it will probably be a few months before that really kicks in. The Tartan Tour was right at the top end of the game. It was the biggest of any of the PGA’s regional circuits covered extensively in the media and secured sponsorship. almost without thinking about it. We are keen to get back to that and will be pulling out all the stops in our attempts to do so.”

It has been more than a few months since September 2015 and the ‘stops’ haven’t been pulled out! They probably won’t be. Things suits the PGA the way they are.

 

When it comes to ‘regional circuits’ the PGA of Scotland need to strategically redevelop their product.  Without the right tournament format suiting players and sponsors the future looks bleak. The PGA talk of passion but show apathy and lack of foresight. They act like a draconian corporation rather than the ‘members only’ organisation they claim to be.

 

They are not the Golf Government or Golf Police and they seem to have forgotten why they say they exist. Who pays them seems irrelevant. Don’t they owe it to their members to display the honesty, integrity, innovation and leadership they so proudly claim to have?

And as for the professional golfers who are good with balls ... ask some questions, stand up for yourselves ……...and grow some!!!!!

 

Beverley Thorpe