SCOT DAVE HAS BEEN HEAD GOLF COACH
AT YALE UNIVERSITY FOR 37 YEARS
AND WON TITLES GALORE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON (colin@scottishgolfview.com)

I seem to spend most of my time trawling the golfing websites of the world but I'm not complaining. It beats working for a living.
Every now and again, I discover a nugget of golf information that makes it all worthwhile.
For instance, tonight, I was catching up on the debut of an English girl, Harriet Owers-Bradley from Nottingham, for the Yale University women's golf team.
Not many British golfers go to Yale and play golf in the Ivy League circles but Harriet has done so. Good for her.
It was when I was logged on to the Yale University website that I stumbled across the fact that a Scot, Dave Paterson, pictured above, is its head golf coach and has been for donkeys' years.
Here is what it says about Dave:


Dave Paterson, a native of Scotland and a (US) PGA tour veteran, started his golf career at the world famous Turnberry Golf Courses, site of numerous Open Championships. The 2007-2008 season is his 33rd year as the Bulldog head coach.
Paterson has produced teams to win eight Ivy League titles, 10 NCAA qualifying teams and four New England NCAA District I title-winning teams.
Paterson was selected District I Coach of the Year in 1990, '91 and '96. He is a past president of the Ivy League Coaches Association and has served as chairman of the NCAA District I selection committee for three terms.
Paterson also has served as Tournament Chairman for the 1982 National Youth Insurance Classic and the 1988 USGA Junior National Amateur. He was appointed commissioner of golf for the inaugural Special Olympic World Games held at Yale in 1995 and served as host to a Ben Hogan Tour event and two Nike Tour events, both held at the Yale course.
Paterson is a 39-year member of the PGA of America. He competed in PGA Tour events in the early 1960s as a visiting British PGA member. He is a renowned teacher and has conducted golf clinics and seminars around the world.
As a youth, Paterson attended the Glasgow School of Art. His watercolors have won several prizes, and he continues to enjoy painting, especially golf course landscapes, as a hobby.

HARPER MOVES UP TO JOINT THIRD IN PGA
EUROPRO TOUR EVENT AT SELSDON PARK

Former Scottish boys' match-play champion Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) moved up to a share of third place, only one shot behind the joint leaders, with a second-round 69 in this week's PGA EuroPro Tour event at Selsdon Park.
Harper is on four-under-par 136. He had an opening rund of 67.
The only men ahead of him with one round to play are Englishman Jamie Spence and Justin Evans.
Jack Doherty and Aberdonians Graham Gordon and Neil Mitchell were the only other Scots to beat the cut on 146.
SCOREBOARD
135 J Spence (Eng) 66 69, J Evans (Eng) 64 71.
136 L Harper (Sco) 67 69, L Kennedy (Eng) 65 71, C Billing 9Eng) 69 67.
Other Scots scores:
142 J Doherty 71 71 (jt 20th).
144 G Gordon 74 70, N Mitchell 75 69 (jt 31st).
Scots non-qualifiers:
147 P Doherty 72 75 (one shot too many).
149 E Saltman 70 79.

McGINLEY STANDS DOWN AS RYDER CUP VICE
CAPTAIN - HE WANTS TO PLAY AT VALHALLA

Paul McGinley has informed Nick Faldo, captain of the European team, that he wishes to focus entirely on winning a place in the 2008 Ryder Cup against the United States at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, on September 19-21 and that he has withdrawn from his position of joint vice-captain designate.
McGinley said: “It was a great honour to be picked by Nick but on reflection, and after careful consideration, I feel it is in my best interest to concentrate on playing myself into the team which I said from the start was my first objective.
“I’ve played the last three matches and I want to play at Valhalla. I’ve been very fortunate, I’ve played three Ryder Cups, won all three, two by record margins, under three great captains and now I want to play for Nick and bring the cup back to Europe again.”
Richard Hills, the European Ryder Cup Director, said: “We fully respect Paul’s decision to concentrate on retaining his European Ryder Cup status for a fourth successive time. He has a 100 per cent record as each time he has played Europe has won and, of course, he holed the winning putt in 2002 and remains unbeaten in the singles. Paul’s credentials are outstanding and with the qualification for Valhalla now having started we wish him every success in his quest to be a playing member of Nick Faldo’s team.”
Faldo, speaking at a press conference at the Seve Trophy where he is captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team in the match against Continental Europe, said: “Paul is a helluva Ryder Cup player. The man holed a winning putt in The Ryder Cup, and that’s the sort of player I want on my team. I said right from the start, if that's his priority and if anything changes, absolutely fine. So I’m more than comfortable with it.”

STEVIE LAMB WINS EAST ALLIANCE
WITH A 62 AT MERCHANTS GC
Stevie Lamb won the top scratch prize in a field of 77 for today's first meeting of the new Edinburgh and East of Scotland GoLfers' Alliance at the Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club.
Lamb headed the field with an excellent 62.
Joint runner-up Ally MacKenzie (Liberton) went out of bounds at the last before returning a 63.
Clear winner of the Ramsay Trophy was Colin Rae from Pumpherston with a net 58 off seven.
Next event is on October 17 at King's Acre.

Leading scores today:
SCRATCH
62 Stevie Lamb (Broomieknowe) £100.
63 Kenny Glen (Royal Musselburgh), Ally MacKenzie (Liberton) £70 each.
64 Andrew Rothney (Deer Park).
65 Andrew Erskine (Ratho Park), Scott Grieve (King's Acre) £20 each.

HANDICAP
58 Colin Rae (Pumpherston) (7) Ramsay Trophy & £100 voucher.
60 Hugh Fraser (Niddry Castle) (3), Scott Walker (Ratho Park) (3) £70 voucher each.
62 Harry Cartmill (Bathgate) (6) £40 voucher.
63 Andrew Wight (Glencorse) (2), Wilson Morton (Dalmahoy) (5), John Wilson (Niddry Castle) (12) £13 voucher each.

CELTIC PRO TOUR EVENT AT MURCAR
LINKS NEXT WEEK

Golfers, professional and scratch or better amateurs, wishing to enter the Celtic Pro Tour 36-hole event at Murcar Links next Monday and Tuesday (October 1 and 2) are asked to contact Tour Director Rhydian Thomas on 07861 686568 or email him at info@celticpro.co.uk or register online at the website at www.celticpro.com by 5pm on Saturday (September 29).
“We really see Scotland and Ireland as very important to the Tour, and will not simply be staging one or two events in both countries each year. Our vision is for a 24 event fully-fledged Celtic Pro Tour, with at least eight events in Scotland and eight in Ireland each year. Indeed, we have already built the Thistle Tour brand in readiness, and that and the Shamrock Tour will join the Dragon Tour in the Celtic Pro Tour portfolio for many years to come,” said Roger Maliphant, event organiser for the Celtic Pro Tour.
There is no annual membership fee for Scottish professionals, with individual event entry priced at £99 per person. Amateur golfers with a scratch handicap or better can also enter the Murcar Links event at a cost of £55.
Prize money will be £2,000 with at least £1,000 to the winner, with the top 25% in the field winning money also. A voucher will be available to the leading amateur, depending on numbers in the field.
“As Murcar is the last regular season event before the Tour Championship, we are expecting five or six Welsh golfers to travel north also, as they seek to stay in the hunt for the Order of Merit title. The leader at the moment is former Welsh and Portuguese amateur champion, David Price, who has also played Europro and Challenge Tour events this season,” said Tour Director, Rhydian Thomas.

MURCAR LINKS' MONOPOLY AT

NE ALLIANCE EVENT

Murcar Links players dominated today’s North-east Golfers’ Alliance competition at McDonald Ellon Golf Club.
Anthony Bews, a +3 handicapper, won the event with a one-under-par 69 in very wet underfoot conditions - so wet overnight that it was touch and go whether the head greenkeeper closed the course or not.

Professional Gary Forbes (pictured right) was runner-up with a 70 and a third Murcar Links player, tour professional Graeme McInnes, was joint third on 73 with another pro, Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Club).
Bews was the last man to finish in a field of 97 and he had birdies at the fourth, sixth and 17th with bogeys at the 11th and 13th in halves of 35 (two under par) and 34 (one over).
Playing partner Forbes had a bad start with bogeys at the first, third and fifth but he birdied the fourth, ninth, 13th and 14th to be on level terms with Bews playing the last.
Bews finished with a par and Forbes a bogey for 32 home.

Leading scores
Par 70
SCRATCH
69 A Bews (Murcar Links).
70 G Forbes (Murcar Links).
73 G McInnes (Murcar Links), C Nelson (Mackenzie Club).
74 A K Pirie (Hazlehead), S Chalmers (Banchory), G Esson (Portlethen), D Pocock (Pine Lodge, S Finnie (Caledonian), W S Urquhart (Murcar Links).
75 A Campbell (Deeside), G Bruce (Westhill), S Pert (Huntly).
76 S Scott (Auchmill), R Pirie (Caledonian).
77 L Taylor (Auchmill), C Clark (Mackenzie Club), R McDonald (Inchmarlo), G Paterson (Northern).
78 J Morris (Craibstone), P Lovie (Inchmarlo), C Alexander (Murcar Links), D Clark (Duff House Royal), M Lawrie (Kemnay).
79 P Morrison (Oldmedlrum)k D Bisset (Banchory), M Lees (Pine Lodge).

HANDICAP
Class 1 – D Bisset (Banchory) (8) 71; J Morris (Craibstone) (6), S Scott (Auchmill) (4), L Taylor (Auchmill ) (5), A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), A Bews (Murcar Links) (+3) 72.
Class 2 – S Garden (Hazlehead) (11) 71; D Moir (Murcar Links) (13) 72; C Cassie (Nigg Bay) (9), B Rae (Kemnay) (13) 74; F Barclay (Kintore) (9), D Wood (Newburgh) (14, B Bavidge (Murcar Links) (9), N Chisholm (Kemnay) (10).

LEADING SCORECARDS

ANTHONY BEWS 69

OUT: 4-4-4-4-4-3-3-4-5-35

IN: 4-4-3-5-4-3-4-3-4-34

GARY FORBES 70

OUT: 5-4-5-4-5-4-3-4-4-38.

IN: 4-3-3-3-3-3-4-4-5-32

PAR OF THE COURSE:

OUT: 4 4 4 5-4-4-3-4-5--37

IN: 4-3-3-4-4-3-4-4-4--33

RICHIE RAMSAY MIGHT BE ABLE

TO STAY ON CHALLENGE TOUR

NEXT SEASON

Rookie professional Richie Ramsay, pictured right, is not necessarily doomed to play on the PGA EuroPro Tour next season, having failed to get through the European Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 eliminator recently.
Michael Gibbons, the European Challenge Tour media staff, explains that Richie might well be able continue playing next season on the Challenge Tour - the next best option to the European Tour.
"Richie has more options than you might think over the closing weeks of the season," says Michael.
"He can actually get back into the Qualifying School process this year, despite missing out at Stage 1. He will be exempt to Stage 2 if he can finish between 45th and 90th on the final Challenge Tour Rankings. He is currently 78th with 16,840 Euros won from only four events."
There are five Challenge Tour events left this season - four + the Grand Final at Puglia, Italy from October 24 to 27 for the leading 45 prior to that event. These 45 will play off for 15 places on next year's European Tour.
"If Richie Ramsay can get to the Challenge Tour Grand Final but doesn’t finish inside the top 15 on the Rankings he will still be exempt straight to the Tour School Final at San Roque. Obviously if he finishes in the top 15 he will be on European Tour next season anyway."
Since he turned pro before the Walker Cup Ramsay has been using sponsors' invitations to play on the Challenge Tour, although this week in Holland he is in the field due to his top 10 finish in Kazakhstan at the weekend.
"A top 80 finish on the final Challenge Tour Rankings would ensure him a good enough category on the Challenge Tour to play a full season next year," said Michael Gibbons.

Here are the latest Challenge Tour Rankings of the leading Scots with the amount of Euros they have won:

18th Andrew McArthur 49,007.

34th George Murray 32,852.

36th Jamie McLeary 32,273.

37th Eric Ramsay 31,622.

60th Peter Whiteford 20,969.

78th Richie Ramsay 16,840.

89th Scott Henderson 14,913.

PRICE IS RIGHT FOR DAVID ON CELTIC PRO TOUR,
NEXT STOP MURCAR LINKS ON MONDAY-TUESDAY

David Price became the 10th different winner on this season’s Celtic Pro Tour, when he took the honours in the South East Wales Open at St Mary’s Hotel this week.
In windy conditions and with very soft ground underfoot due to the heavy overnight rain, Price (http://www.vale-hotel.com/ / Aber Wrought Iron), shot 70 on day one, to lead by one stroke from Machynys Peninsula’s Matt Prior who had returned 71.
Next day, Price, the former Wales and Portuguese amateur champion, stretched his lead by shooting a solid round of 68, to finish on a two-round total of 138, with nearest challenger, James Lee (Caerphilly) two strokes further back on 140 after rounds of 72 and 68, winning £500 in the process.
Greenmeadow golfer, Leon Clark, finished in third place a further shot back on 141, after rounds of 72 and 69, and picked up £250.
Price collected the first prize cheque for £1,000 and 100 Order of Merit points, a Powerbug Electric Trolley, a Sunderland of Scotland waterproof suit and the South East Wales Open title.
Three players were tied for fourth place on two round totals of 142 – Matthew Griffiths (Caerphilly, 75 and 67), Prior (71 and 71) and former European Tour player, making his comeback in the professional game following a break of several years, Marcus Wills (unattached, 73 and 69).
Price stretches his lead in the Order of Merit standings, and will be keen to consolidate his position at the next Celtic Pro Tour event, when the Tour heads to Scotland for the Grampian Open at Murcar Links a few miles north of Aberdeen next Monday and Tuesday.
The Scottish event is followed by the inaugural Celtic Pro Tour Championship which will be the last event of the season in Wales. The winner of the 54-hole event which will take place over three days on Wednesday 17th, Thursday 18th and Friday 19th October at the Marriott St Pierre, Chepstow will pocket £2,500, while the leading amateur will win a voucher worth £250.
“It is important that for our first ever Tour Championship, we offer a significant sum to the winner, we pay out further down the field and stage the event on a quality course. The Marriott St Pierre has a great tradition, is well situated and will be a fitting venue for our showpiece event of the year,” said Rhydian Thomas, Celtic Pro Tour’s chief executive.
The prize fund will be paid to the top 25% of the field.
Entry to the Tour Championship costs: £149 for professionals (who are members), £175 for professionals (who are non members) who have already played standard events on the tour and; £199 for professionals who haven’t played an event this season and are non members.
Amateur entry is £99. For more information, visit the website at http://www.celticpro.com/, or contact Rhydian Thomas on 07861 686568

St Andrews Links Trust Press Release

RAPID PROGRESS BEING MADE

AT THE CASTLE COURSE

The Castle Course, the seventh course at the Home of Golf, is rapidly taking shape ahead of its opening next summer.
The scenic clifftop course is expected to become a popular addition to the St Andrews Links courses which include the world renowned Old Course.
The entire course has now been seeded, the greens and tees are complete and the areas of rough and natural habitats between fairways are growing in well. Preparation work on the fairways, including adding sand to create a links-like feel to the turf, is underway and will continue throughout the winter months.
The superstructure of the new clubhouse (pictured above) has been erected and a gleaming copper roof has been installed on the circular building which offers spectacular views of Kinkell Point, where the Castle Course’s double ninth and 18th green sits, and out over St Andrews Bay.
The clubhouse will house a restaurant, shop and full changing facilities as well as a caddie service, reception area and offices. The unique design by Leven-based architect Fraser Smart will feature a huge glass window overlooking the point and the bay. It has been designed and situated in such a way as to prevent it being visible above the horizon from the town.
Alan McGregor, general manager of the Links Trust, said he was very pleased with the progress being made. “Substantial progress has been made at The Castle Course over the summer and it looks very impressive. A great deal of work is going in to the preparation of the course and our head greenkeeper Allan Paterson and his team are doing an excellent job.
“The clubhouse is also taking shape and should prove to be a striking building. It has been designed to make the most of the wonderful view of St Andrews and out to sea. I am sure it will prove to be a wonderful facility for both local and visiting golfers.”
The Castle Course has been designed by David McLay Kidd, a Scot who has gained worldwide renown for his work on courses such as Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Nanea in Hawaii and Queenwood in Surrey.
The public course, which covers 220 acres, will officially open for play on June 28 next year. Bookings are now being taken and a limited number of times are available online at http://www.standrews.org.uk/.
Each hole will feature five tees to cater for all levels of ability. The par-71 lay-out will range in length from 5,600 to 7,200 yards.