James Steven leads the Scots at EuroPro Tour 

event with a 69


James Steven (Clydeway Golf) is the leading Scot, in tied fifth place with a three-under-par 69 after the first round of this week's 54-hole PGA EuroPro Tour event at East Sussex Golf Resort's East Course.
Steven is two strokes behind the joint leaders, Ashley Chester and Luke Goddard, both from England.
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
67 A Chesters (Eng), L Goddard (Eng)
68 A Wrigley (Eng), D Whitby-Smith (Eng)

SCOTS' SCORES
69 J Steven (Clydeway Golf) (T5)
71 J Henry (Clydebank and Dist) (T25)
73 C O'Neil (T54)
74 J Duff, S Lawrie, S Borrowman (T66)
75 C Lawrie, K Nicol, P McKechnie (T79)
76 N Fenwick (T100)
78 B Neil (T127)
79 R Campbell, M Stewart, J McColl (T137)
80 C Sutherland, W Booth (T145)


TO VIEW THE COMPLETE SCOREBOARD


CLICK HERE

 Chesters, Goddard share lead
 
NEWS RELEASE FROM NICK TEALE  

Ashley Chesters and Luke Goddard share the lead on five-under-par after the first round of the Matchroom Sport Championship at East Sussex National, the tenth event of the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour season.

Alex Wrigley (Hartlepool Golf Club) and Daniel Whitby-Smith (Whittington Health Golf Club) share third on four under at the end of a scorching day in the south east. 

Chesters (Hawkstone Park) finished 12^th at The Open last year, and in 2014 became the first player to successfully defend the European Amateur Championship.

He was the first of the leading pair to arrive back at the clubhouse on five under after the opening 18 on the East Course. His unblemished round consisted of birdies at the 2^nd and 5^th on the front nine, with his three-under back nine consisting of par breakers on the 11^th, 14^th, and 16^th. 

Goddard (Hendon) started at the 10^th and would have finished six under had he not bogeyed the last. His round got off to a flying start with a run of four consecutive birdies from the 12^th, but a bogey at 17 halted his progress.

Back-to-back birdies at the 1^st and 2^nd saw him to five under, with a seventh par breaker of the round to follow at the 6^th. His dropped shot at his last saw him sign for a 67. 

Behind the two golfers on four under is a collection of nine players at three under par, two off the lead. 

The Matchroom Sport Championship is a 54-hole strokeplay event with a cut to the leading 50 after the first 36 holes.

The tournament carries a £50,000 with the winner taking home £10,000, which will be a valuable addition on the Race To Desert Springs Order of Merit, from which the top five at the end of the season earn a Challenge Tour card for 2017. 

Highlights from East Sussex National will be broadcast on Sky Sports on Tuesday, August 30. Spectator entry is free throughout the event, and live scoring can be found at www.europrotour.com.

 

Andrew Oldcorn in the mood to win Scottish 

Senior Open after success in Germany

                           Andrew Oldcorn (picture by courtesy of GettyImages(c)
FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
Edinburgh's Andrew Oldcorn believes that his win at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open in Germany a few weeks ago has provided him with a timely boost ahead of what he regards as a crucial run of events on the European Senior Tour, starting on Friday with his home event, the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open.
The two-time Senior Tour winner secured his first victory in five years at WINSTONgolf, as he beat the defending Scottish Senior Open and current Senior Open champion, Paul Broadhurst in a play-off.
The Scottish Senior Open, played on the Fidra course at Archerfield Links Golf Club is the first of four weeks of events on the schedule, culminating with the Paris Legends Championship at the end of September, which will be played on the 2018 Ryder Cup course, L’Albatros.
“I definitely feel different to how I did before winning in Germany,” said Oldcorn. “It places a little bit of pressure on all of us to perform in each tournament, because there aren’t many chances to get a decent run.
“We have a good run of tournaments over the next few weeks, finishing in Paris on the Ryder Cup course, which is one of my favourite courses in the world, never mind Europe.
“It’s important to build momentum. The win a few weeks ago helps me mentally and takes a little bit of the pressure off me. I can take care of business and do the best I can, rather than force things. I need to remember to relax and get on with it.

“Whenever you play in a home open, or in tournaments that are branded as your national event, people maybe expect a little more of you. I’ll try and just treat it like a normal tournament. It’s about trying to apply yourself to what you need to do.”
Both courses at Archerfield, the Fidra and the Dirleton, were designed by fellow Senior Tour member David ‘D J’ Russell, and is a course that Oldcorn is very familiar with.
“It’s a wonderful golf course, all the guys really like it here,” said Oldcorn. “It’s in as good a condition as I’ve ever seen it. Steve Cram (Course Manager) has been here just over a year. He’s a great greenkeeper and has very high standards.
“It’s so beautiful out there too. The first 11 holes are played through pine trees and then you’re out in links country. The greens here are very subtle too. They are good, it’s just difficult reading them; I still struggle sometimes round here, even though I’ve played it a lot. 
“But familiarity can sometimes be to your detriment if you go to a place you’ve played a lot. Combined with the fact it’s your home tournament, that can sometimes lead to a lack of focus.”

Ticket information for the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open is available here, and to find out more about Prostate Cancer UK's continued work in golf from hosting a golf day to making mistakes matter by 'Chipping In', click here.
People are unaware that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It’s a huge issue that cannot be ignored. In 2016 one man an hour will die from prostate cancer in the UK. That’s 10,900 men this year. Based on current trends, if we ignore prostate cancer and do nothing, this number will rise to over 14,500 men a year by 2026. People are urged to search Men United and join the fight.

Peter Thomson, a 5-time Open winner, steps 

away from distinguished design career

By Bradley S. Klein

GOLFWEEK.COM

Peter Thomson (Bob Thomas/Getty Images)

One of golf’s greatest players and finest gentlemen is stepping aside to enjoy his retirement. Australian Peter Thomson, a five-time Open champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, announced this week that he is setting aside his second career as a course designer and leaving the Melbourne-based partnership with which he undertook more than 200 new courses and renovations in 30 countries.
In various design alliances during which he partnered with Michael Wolveridge, Ross Perrett and Tim Lobb, Thomson’s major credits include The Duke’s Course in Fife, Moonah Links and National Golf Club in Australia, Clearwater Bay in Hong Kong, Thomson National in Japan and Carya Golf Club in Turkey.
Thomson, who will turn 87 on August 23, dominated the Open like no other player of the modern era. He and Old Tom Morris are the only golfers to have won three consecutive Opens. Thomson, known as the 'Melbourne Tiger,' won golf’s oldest major championship in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1965. In the seven Opens from 1952 through 1958, he finished first or second.
Thomson played with limited success on the US PGA Tour in the mid-1950s, highlighted by a victory at the 1956 Texas International Open. He enjoyed much greater success on the Senior PGA Tour, including a nine-victory 1985 season and the 1988 PGA Senior Championship. 
 Internationally, his record includes 34 titles in Australasia, 29 in Europe and four in Japan.
Thomson was a classic ball-striker, favouring the run-up game and did not rely upon target golf. Nor, for that matter, was he ever much for yardage, opting instead for judgment. 
I’ll never forget caddieing in his group in a pro-am on the day before the start of the 1977 World Golf Hall of Fame at Pinehurst No. 2 and watching him eyeball every approach, playing for (and usually hitting) front centre of every green on that course without ever asking his caddie for a yardage.
At the 1990 Open at St. Andrews, I sat with Thomson in the stands behind the 18th green and recorded a conversation with him in which he looked back on his long and distinguished playing career. A few excerpts from that interview:
“I love to build greens and bunkers. My character comes out in the greens I build. I like leading the bulldozer man. The best effect is when you do things in the field. You can’t predesign everything, though you have to prepare plans in order to come to some estimate of costs. But really when you get down to it, you see it when you go out there on the ground. . . .
“The Old Course here is special. It’s the model for all of us; all courses are essentially copies of this, to some degree. The thing to be learned here is that a lot of your golf is played on the ground: chipping, long putts, approach on the ground. . . .
“Architects can be fearful that someone is going to shoot a low score, but that’s a silly thing. 
"What are you going to do, unless you destroy the dimensions of a golf course? Make it ridiculously narrow, with postage-stamp greens and tiny fairways? But then you are ruining the game for those who are less talented. So you’re not doing anyone a service by going out of your way to make a course hard for the sake of being hard. . . .
“There are two kinds of golf: club golf and professional golf, and the two are drifting farther apart. . .
“In time, all golfers will come to be able to distinguish between good courses – happy courses, adventurous courses – and misery courses.”

James Byrne makes the cut in Sarawak Classic

Banchory's James Byrne was among the 53 qualifiers for the final two rounds of the Asian Development Tour's Sarawak Classic after shooting a two-under-par 70 in the second round for a halfway tally of 146 - five strokes inside the qualifying limit at Kelab Golf Club, Sarawak in Borneo.
Byrne birdied the third, fourth, ninth, 11th and 13th but, for the second day in a row he dropped shots at the 10th, 16th and 17th or he would have been in the top 20 instead of joint 28th.
American Micah Lauren Shin leads with a pair of 68s for eight-under 136.

Byrne outside Sarawak Classic first-round 

top 50 with a 76

James Byrne from Banchory shot a four-over-par 76 to be tied for 52nd place after the first round of the Asian Development Tour's Sarawak Classic at the Kelab Golf Club, Borneo.
Byrne birdied the first and seventh in an outward half of 34 but came home in 42 with a double bogey 6 at the 10th and bogeys at the 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th.
Nirun Sae-Ung (Thailand) was the first-round leader with a five-under 67

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE

Pyman and Whiteley lead PGA four-ball with 

a 62, Hillson and McGhee tied third on 64

PGA NEWS RELEASE
By Nathaniel Sylvester
Tour veteran Iain Pyman has a bagful of golfing memories and chalked up another with Oliver Whiteley as they dovetailed to near perfection to fire an opening round 62 in the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship at Carden Park.
The duo’s ten under par total in the SkyCaddie and BMW supported 54-hole tournament matched that of Mathew Webb and Alex Belt who had posted the clubhouse target with a rousing display of their own
Pyman (Waterfront Golf Ltd) and Whiteley (Bramall Park), who tied third last year, set out with the intention of having fun at the Cheshire resort and the latter enjoyed a hot streak with the putter which yielded him six birdies and an eagle.
Another highlight was a 270-yard approach to set up an eagle on 13 and when his accuracy deserted him, Whiteley was on hand to plug the gaps.
“We gelled really well,” said Pyman. “There were a couple of bad tee shots I hit where I was completely out of the hole and Oli steps in with par and birdies and I holed quite a lot of putts. I enjoyed it and had fun.”
Whiteley admitted a lower key approach had benefitted the pair.
“When you’re used to playing a lot, you always want to win and put expectation on yourself and I said to Iain let’s just try and enjoy it. The expectation level has to go down for us to enjoy it a bit and we dovetailed well.”
Pyman is now getting his teeth into a coaching career but it was wisdom teeth trouble that was the source of one happy memory when he played alongside Arnold Palmer in the 1994 Masters, courtesy of winning the British Amateur Championship.
“I was having a terrible time with my wisdom teeth when I was there,” recalled Pyman.
“We were walking down 17, and I just wanted to get in off the course, and I’d clipped Eisenhower’s Tree.
“I thought to myself in all the years I’ve watched this, no-one has clipped that tree.
“Arnie comes up to me, puts his arm around me and said ‘back in the 1960s I hit this tree’ and I thought ‘that’s okay’, it’s not just me then’. But then he said ‘and I went on to win’ and I’m thinking ‘I’m going to shoot 80! But he was a really nice guy and those are memories you cherish for ever.”
Hoping to clip Pyman’s wings in this event are joint leaders Webb (Bedlingtonshire) and Alex Belt (Snainton Golf Centre). Webb is still on a high after winning the PGA Assistants’ Championship at Little Aston two weeks ago.
“I’m still over the moon with that, just to have gone out and shot good scores - you think ‘I can do it’ so I’ve just got to keep doing it,” said Webb.
Meanwhile Belt thinks their relaxed attitude helps bring out the best in their golf.
“It’s a solid partnership, if he messes up I feel quite content I’m not bothered about letting him down because we don’t have that mind-set which can hamper a few if you’re not careful in this format particularly,” said Belt.
Two strokes back, is the Scottish pairing of Mark Hillson (Kilconquhar Castle) and James McGhee (Whitehill House) who share third with Daniel Wilkes (Garforth) and Paul O’Donnell (Cookridge Hall).
McGhee notched up a career first – three eagles in a round including two on par fours.
“I don’t know what the difference is with other events. We’re trying to figure out the fact that I’ve never made two eagles in a round, never mind three,” he said.


LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES

Par 72      
62 Iain Pyman (Waterfront Golf) and Oliver Whiteley (Bramall Park), Matt Webb (Bedlingtonshire) and  Alex Belt (Snainton)
64 Mark Hillson (Kilconquhar Castle) and James McGhee (Whitehill House), Daniel Wilkes (Garforth) and Paul O’Donnell (Cookridge Hall)

SELECTED SCORES
67 Gareth Wright (West Linton) and Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) (T14).
69 Gareth Hardy (Prestwick St Nicholas) and Michael Rae (Drumoig) (T25).
70 Cameron Marr and Norman Huguet (Musselburgh) (T32)



TO VIEW THE COMPLETE SCOREBOARD

CLICK HERE

Jamie Stewart for University of Missouri

From: Andy Newman

E: a.newman@unitedsportsusa.com

W: www.unitedsportsusa.com

Terrific event (British girls' open championship) for Bel and Alison Muirhead last week. Both girls are going to have lots of options. My phone and email have been ringing off the hook since the English girls championship and last week just sent it into overdrive !!

For 2017 we have had the following commit so far:

 

Olivia Hamilton – College of Charleston

Megan Clarke – Western Kentucky

Christofer Rahm [Swedish kids from Dubai] – UNLV

Niamh Lendrum – Missouri State University

Jamie Stewart – University of Missouri

 

Kids still speaking to colleges:

 

Esme Hamilton

Bel Wardle

Becky MacLaren

Tiago Lobo

Will McCarthy

Callum Bruce

Scott Young – brother of Clara

Lauren Lee

Alison Muirhead

 

 

2016 WE HAD:

 

Cameron Pettigrew – Ohio Valley

Rob Cull – Missouri Valley University

Rory Franssen – University of Missouri

Matthew McCulloch – Oakland University

Chris Handy – Oakland University

Alex Chalk – Seton Hall University

Eloise Healy – University of Wisconsin

Holly Morgan – Chattanooga

Aashaka Desai – University of Delaware

Ashleigh Greenham – Arizona State to Rutgers on a transfer

Andrew Thompson – Cypress College, California

Tom Probin – Irvine Valley, California

Joe McDonagh Brown – Southern Wesleyan University

Zac Chegwidden – William Penn University

 

 

Andy Newman
Director of Sport

O:+44 [0] 141 332 8962
C: +44 [0] 7984 625 927

E: a.newman@unitedsportsusa.com

W: www.unitedsportsusa.com

Skype: andy.newman9

Mulligan leads Irish amateur championship 

qualifying on a windy day at Ballyliffin

FROM THE IRISH GOLF DESK
County Louth’s Thomas Mulligan defied winds gusting up to 25 mph to set the pace with a 69 as just four players broke par in the first qualifying round of the AIG Irish Amateur Close at Ballyliffin.
But while the 17-year old Boys international was thrilled with his three under effort, he’s not getting ahead of himself and thinking of a maiden championship victory just yet.
“I thought a score around 75 would be good today because it’s quite windy,” said Mulligan, whose ambition is simply to make the leading 64 on Wednesday and qualify for the Thursday's matchplay stages. “But I played quite well and I’ve been playing well coming into it.”
After losing 9 and 7 to the always unpredictable Robbie Pierse in the last 16 in Tramore 12 months ago, the promising Mornington player knows anything can happen in matchplay.
“It would be unbelievable but there’s a hell of a long way to go,” Mulligan said. "Last year I came second in qualifying and then I was walloped in the last 16, so I’ll just take it round by round and just keep trying to build on it.”

Just four players broke par on the testing Glashedy Links with 20-year old Tramore international Robin Dawson just a shot behind Mulligan after a 70.
“Very pleased in those conditions,” said Dawson, who was a hero for Ireland in last weekend’s third successive Home Internationals success.
“It was really stress-free golf. A lot of fairways and greens. I didn’t put myself under pressure out there at all really. It was very enjoyable. No complaints.”
One of the key singles winners in Ireland’s third successive Home Internationals win at Nairn in Scotland on Sunday, Dawson said he felt no fatigue despite the hectic schedule.
“Very refreshed,” he said. “I had a swim in the sea yesterday as well. I’m feeling really fresh and ready to go again tomorrow.

“I had a really nice birdie on the 13th, that was definitely one shot up on the field. Back right pin. Hit driver, 2 iron and then hit 9 iron from 100 yards and then holed a 12-footer, always nice to see 12 footers go in.
“I birdied 17, hit a 9-iron from 100 yards to about three feet. My wedge play was really good in those conditions.”
Bunkered off the tee at the ninth, he got up and down from 80 yards for par, holing a four footer for 70.
Irish Amateur Open champion Colm Campbell from Warrenpoint also showed his resilience, dropping his only shot of the day at his final hole for a one under 71 and a share third tied with Irish team mate and 2014 “Close” champion John Ross Galbraith from Whitehead.
Still recovering from the exertions of his heroics for Ireland in a third successive Home Internationals win, Campbell was very pleased with his round.

“It would have been nice to get in bogey-free,” said Campbell, whose only dropped shot of the day came at his final hole, the ninth.
“It’s not playing easy in any shape or form. One under, I would have taken it at the start of the day.
“I think I missed four greens, so I’m playing very solidly. If you hit the fairway out there, it just makes life a lot easier."
Defending champion Tiarnan McLarnon is tied 16th despite a 76 and remains confident he's got enough in the tank despite playing a club match for Massereene on Sunday, so soon after his international debut.
“I didn’t play too bad today, just a lot of mistakes around the greens,” McLarnon said. “I didn’t hit it poorly, just silly mistakes in the end. I birdied the last there so hopefully get a quick start tomorrow and make it into the last 64.”
On losing the Senior Cup with Massereene, he said: “It’s always good to play for your club. Unfortunately we were beaten but it would have been nice to have another day’s rest before coming here. I’m feeling fine.”
There were many victims of the weather with Castle international Alex Gleeson shooting 79, Mullingar Scratch Cup winner Ronan Mullarney an 81 and Waterford’s Eanna Griffin an 83. 

Mullarney was two over to the turn but having started on the back nine, his day went downhill quickly when he dropped eight shots in three holes by following a quintuple bogey nine at the first with a triple bogey seven at the third.
He bounced back with birdies at the fourth and sixth but bogeyed the eighth to end the day on nine over.

Irish Amateur Close Championship

Ballyliffin GC (Glashedy Links, Par 72)

Qualifying, Round One

Detailed scores
69 Thomas Mulligan (Co. Louth)
70 Robin Dawson (Tramore)
71 Colm Campbell Jnr (Warrenpoint), John-Ross Galbraith (Whitehead)
72 Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk)
73 Jack Pierse (Portmarnock), Conor O'Rourke (Naas)
74 Michael Ryan (New Ross), Owen Crooks (Bushfoot)
75 Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle), James Sugrue (Mallow), Robert Cannon (Balbriggan), Gary Collins (Rosslare), Kyle McCarron (North West), Alan Lowry (Esker Hills)
76 Richard Knightly (The Royal Dublin), Peter Kerr (Royal Portrush), Sean Broe (Forrest Little.), Jake Whelan (Newlands), Peter Cummins (Lurgan), Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene), Paul Murphy (Rosslare), Michael Young (Ring Of Kerry)
77 Robbie Pierse (Grange), John Murphy (Kinsale), Jonathan Yates (Naas), Philip Kelly (Co. Armagh), Anthony McDaid (Palmerstown Stud), Garrett Mallon (North West), Gareth Lappin (Belvoir Park)
78 Jack Mc Donnell (Forrest Little.), John Hickey (Cork), Paul Doherty (Ballyliffin), Mark Morrissey (Mount Wolseley), Rory Williamson (Holywood), Gavin Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick), Rob Brazill (Naas), William Russell (Clandeboye), Ben Best (Rathmore), Marc Norton (Belvoir Park), Colin Fairweather (Knock), John Cleary (Elm Park)
79 Cian Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown), Colm Hughes (Galway), Daniel O'Connor (Athlone), Eugene Smith (Ardee), Alan Gaynor (Co. Sligo), Alex Gleeson (Castle), TJ Ford (Co. Sligo), Ross Dutton (Tandragee), Shane O'Connor (Castlebar), Ian Lynch (Rosslare), Matthew Fitzsimons (Ardglass), William Small (Tandragee), Stephen Barker (Mourne), Aaron Kearney (Castlerock), Marc Nolan (Delgany), Mark Timmins (Coollattin), Graeme Arthur (Carrickfergus), Joe Lyons (Galway)
80 Alec Myles (Newlands), Cathal Nolan (Galway), Aaron Grant (Dundalk), Stefan Greenberg (Tandragee), Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis)
81 Ronan Mullarney (Galway), Fergal Kennedy (The Island), David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), Hugh Foley (The Royal Dublin), Cathal Butler (Kinsale), Marc McCormack (Ashbourne), Michael McCormick (Ireland), Gary Ward (Kinsale), Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu), Nils Conway (Grange), Ruairi O'Connor (Co. Sligo), Darragh O'Connor (Fota Island), Ross Steedman (Courtown), Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Kieran Lynch (Skibbereen)
82 Ryan O'Doherty (Enniscrone), David Brady (Co. Sligo), Jack Walsh (Castle), Ted Collins (Dun Laoghaire), Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire), Stephen Lindsay (Bangor), Alan Doherty (Corrstown), Richard Tighe (Elm Park), Neil McKinstry (Cairndhu), Tony Cleary (Woodstock), Michael Reid (Galgorm Castle), James McVicker (Knock)
83 Gareth Mann (Tullamore), Evan Farrell (Ardee), Eddie McCormack (Galway Bay), Daniel Vaughan (Ardglass), James Maginn (Mourne), David Reddan Jnr (Nenagh), Liam Grehan (Mullingar), Peter Hasson (City of Derry), Andrew Magee (Powerscourt), Aidan Claffey (Elm Park), Robert Moran (Castle), Peter McKeever (Castle), Eanna Griffin (Waterford), Kealan Quigg (North West), Michael Dallat (Galgorm Castle)
84 Harry Gillivan (Westport), Jack Blake (The Island), Charles McGoldrick (Enniscrone), Bill Murray (Waterford Castle), Michael Sinclair (Knock), James Temple (Portmarnock), Adam Mulhall (Ardglass), Luke Bradley (North West)
85 Ben Murray (Waterford Castle), Paul Tobin (Cork), Jason Conway (Donegal), Cian Feeney (Co. Sligo), John McCarthy (Stackstown)
86 Alastair McQuillan (Cushendall), Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth), Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint)
87 Brendan Devlin (Ballyliffin), Stephen Kinch (Hollystown), Colum Kenny (Portmarnock), Eoin O'Brien (Clontarf), Ronan O'Callaghan (Mannan Castle)
88 Luke O'Dwyer (Forrest Little.), Jordan Logue (Hilton Templepatrick), Steffan O'Hara (Co. Sligo), Colin Woodroofe (Blainroe), Conor Ryan (Dun Laoghaire)
89 Darragh Conlon (Athenry), Shane Crilly (Co. Louth)
90 Peter Kane (Ashbourne), Ted Harman (Balmoral)
91 Johnny Ward (Banbridge).
WD/NR/RET Patrick Dallat (Galgorm Castle), Niall O'Reilly (Clonmel), Jamie Doyle (Forrest Little.), Caolan Kennedy (Forrest Little.), Colm Crowley (Woodbrook), Andrew McCormack (Castletroy), Paul McGuigan (Foyle).

Connor Syme only Scot to qualify for  US 

Amateur Championship match-play

Connor Syme (Drumoig) was the only Scot to qualify for the match-play stages of the United States Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club, Michigan.

Connor, pictured, shot a pair of 70s to be tied 30th on 140 among the 64 who will advance after a 23-man play-off on 142 for the last eight places.
It is the lowest cut mark since the stroke-play eliminator was introduced in 1979.
Syme will play Dylan Meyer (USA) in the first round.
Ewen Ferguson (72-71 for 143) and England's Jack Singh Brar (71-72) missed out by one stroke from being involved in a 23-man play-off for the final eight spots. They all totalled 142 in the stroke-play eliminator.
Robert MacIntyre, from Glencruitten, well placed after an opening 68, slumped to a 76 in the second round and his total of 144 was never going to make it, so high is the standard of play.
Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) had a disappointing two rounds of 73 and 75 for 148.
The qualifiers included:
par 140 (2x70)
137 Scott Gregory (England) 69 68 (T6)
138 Sam Horsfield (England) 66 72 (T11)
140 Connor Syme (Scotland) 70 70 (T30)
141 Jack Hume (Ireland) 72 69 (T41)

IN PLAY-OFF:
142 David Boote (Wales) 70 72, Bradley Moore (England) 71 71.

DID NOT QUALIFY
143 Jack Singh Brar (England) 71 72, Ewen Ferguson (Scotland) 72 71
144 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 68 76
148 Grant Forrest (Scotland) 73 75.    

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE 

Smalley is leading qualifier for US Amateur match-play stages

NEWS RELEASE FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan – Duke University rising sophomore Alex Smalley rolled in a par putt on the 18th hole Tuesday evening to secure a one-stroke victory in the stroke-play portion of the 116th U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club.

The Wake Forest, North Carolina native fired a final-round 68 (-2) on the strength of five birdies. With his father, Terry, on the bag, he finished with a total of 133 (-7) to post the second-lowest 36-hole score in U.S. Amateur Championship history.

“I’m kind of shaking a little bit still,” Smalley said. “It’s a great honour to be medallist. Coming in, I just wanted to make match play, so taking home medalist honors really means a lot to me. I’ve just got to keep playing the way I’m playing and then things will go from there.”

Smalley began the day in a second-place tie, one stroke off the lead. He quickly made up that margin and more with birdies on two of his first three holes en route to a three-under, bogey-free front nine.

“I just got off to a good start, had three birdies on the front nine, and then just kind of kept it going,” Smalley said. “I didn’t miss very many greens today. I just hit the ball solid all the way around.” 

After a birdie on 10 got Smalley’s back nine off to a good start, the decisive stroke proved to come from a timely birdie on No. 15. Following bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17, Smalley calmly recorded a par on the 36th hole of the medal round to clinch the medal.

Smalley was one of eight players in the field to shoot under par in both rounds of the stroke play competition, starting the tournament with a sparkling 65 (-5) Monday on the North Course before capping the victory with Tuesday’s 68 (-2) on the South Course. 

“We’re starting all over again basically,” Smalley said. “We’re starting match play, so I have to come out and play like I did the past two days. I just have to take it one match at a time. Match play is different. You can be more aggressive.”

SIXTY-FOUR QUALIFY FOR MATCH-PLAY
There will be a play-off between the 23 players who finished on 142. They are playing off for the last eight places in the match-play.

On Wednesday, match play begins with the round of 64 and continues until the championship match on Sunday, Aug. 21. Live scoring is available at USGA.org. Wednesday’s match play action will also be televised from 3-6 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Top seeds fall in Renfrewshire county 

match-play championship

RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION NEWS RELEASE
kgmcgee@hotmail.com

In a night of a few surprises at Elderslie Golf Club, the top seeds, Paul Dorrian (Greenock) and Stewart Watt (Old Course Ranfurly) suffered defeats at the hands of Furhan Iqbal (Gleddoch) and Stuart Thomas (Erskine) respectively. 
Three times county match-play champion, David McFarlane (Greenock) was also beaten.

Full results: 

Furhan Iqbal (Gleddoch) bt Paul Dorrian (Greenock) 2 and 1

Jamie Sinnamon (Greenock Whinhill) bt Steven Smith (Paisley) 5 and 4

Robbie McLeod (Elderslie) bt Neil Cameron (Renfrew) 2 and 1

Alex Ferguson (Paisley) bt Kenny Fairbrother (Cochrane Castle) 7 and 6

Colin Edgar (Elderslie) bt Graham Barr (Gleddoch) 4 and 3

Conor Toal (Old Course, Ranfurly) bt Steven Higgins (Gourock) 2 holes

Kevin Christie (Elderslie) bt David McFarlane (Greenock) 2 and 1

Stuart Thomas (Erskine) bt Stewart Watt (Old Course, Ranfurly) at 19th

.

Graham McGee – President Renfrewshire Golf Union