USA WIN ARNOLD PALMER CUP MATCH IN FRANCE

USA have won the Day 3 Singles 6 - 18 and the Arnold Palmer Cup match against the Internationals 21.5 - 38.5 at Evian-les-Bains, France. 
Olivia Mehaffey won her game 5 and 4. 

Final Results: http://bit.ly/2MVtCv

Scott Moore completes Dumbartonshire double

 

Scott Moore (Clydebank and  District) added the Dumbartonshire Golf Union match-play title to the stroke-play title he won last week by beating Martyn Paton (Helensburgh) 4 and 3 in a closely fought final over the Clydebank course today.

 

In the morning semi-finals Scott Moore defeated Kevin Logan (Clydebank and District) by one hole while Martyn truimphed over Chris Thursby (Cardross) by 6 and 5.

 

Martyn and Scott are pictured below with the trophy.

 

Graham Rankin wins Lanarkshire county championship

Graham Rankin of Drumpellier won the Lanarkshire County Championship today at Kirkhill golf club with two excellent scores of 72 65. Runner up was Cameron Andrew of Kirkhill with 73 68 and Dominic Dougan of Drumpellier third with 68 75.

The top eight available players will contest the matchplay at Kirkhill on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Duncan Stewart wins Longniddry play-off, pockets £5,000

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Grantown on Spey's Duncan Stewart, pictured, now attached to Turnhouse Golf Club, beat Conor O'Neil (Mearns Castle) with a 4 to a 6 at the second extra hole of a sudden death play-off at the conclusion of the £35,000 ASI Scottish Open qualifier at Longniddry today.
They had tied at the head of a big field of Tartan Tour pros, both players having 66 in each round.
Stewart's play-off success earned him £5,000 while O'Neil received £3,750.
They finished a stroke ahead of Peter Whiteford (Linlithgow) and Jamie McLeary (Deer Park), both of whom had scores of 66 and 67, earning £2,362 apiece.
Stewart, O'Neil, Whiteford and McLeary also earned places in the ASI Scottish Open field 

LEADING TOTALS AT LONGIDDRY
Par 136 (2x68)
132 D Stewart (Turnhouse) 66 66 (£5,000) bt  C O'Neil (Mearns Castle) 66 66 (£3,750) at second hole of sudden death play-off.
133 P Whiteford (Linlithgow) 66 67, J McLeary (Deer Park) 66 67 (£2,362 each).
134 C Kelly (Scotland for Golf) 66 68 (£1,452).
135 G Fox (Clydeway Golf) 70 65, M Owenson (Gullane) 70 65, I Graham (Crow Wood) 66 69 (£1,080 each).
136 R Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 69 67, O Robgerts (unattt) 67 69, R Campbell (Falkirk) 66 70, G Wright (West Linton) 65 71 (£761 each), S Locke (Stonehaven) (am) 65 71.
137 S O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure) 70 67 (£665).
138 G McBain (Newmachar) 69 69, P O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure)  68 70, Z Culverwell (Dunbar) 67 71, J Henry (Clydebank and Dist) 66 72 (£577 each), J Wilson (amateur) 70 68.
SELECTED SCORES:
139 L Gaughan (Bathgate) 72 67, N Henderson (Renaissance) 70 69, C Marr (Musselburgh) 70 69, S Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) 70 69, G McDougall (Elie Links) 70 69 (T21) (£399 each)
140 G Hutcheon 69 71 (£329), W Porter (Carnoustie) (am) 68 72 (T32)
142 K Nicol (Dunes GC) 73 69 (T47) (£177).
143 C McMaster (Downfield) 75 68, L Saltman (Renaissance) 75 67, A Crerar (Panmure) 69 74 (T56).
144 F Mann (unatt) 71 73, S Henderson (Kings Links) 67 77 (T63)
145 S Burgess (Nairn) 73 72, R Tinker (Piperdam) 71 74, C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) 71 74 (T65)
146 G Hay (Mearns Castle) 76 70, L Vannet (Craibstone) 73 73 (T77)
147 K Zeynalov (Portlethen) 71 76 (T83).
148 P McKenna (Portlethen) 75 73 (T90)
153 G Still (Turriff) 80 73 (T109).
154 R McConnachie (Peterculter) 76 78 (T111).
161 J Treasurer (Loch Ness) 80 81 (120th).







TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AND PRIZEMONEY

CLICK HERE

A good feeling in Bad Ragaz for Remesy

The image of Jean-François Remesy is by courtesy of Getty Images  Final Round Report  Jean-François Remesy claimed his first Staysure Tour victory today — winning the Swiss Seniors Open by a single shot after carding a two under par 33 on the closing-nine. The Frenchman began the final round tied for the lead, but after carding his first bogey of the tournament on the opening-hole, and another on at the par five fourth, he plummeted down the leaderboard as several players mounted a Sunday charge. “I knew emotionally that it was going to be hard because I had not been in this position for a long time,” the 54 year old said. “The result was two bogeys after four, but I stayed focused on my game and said to myself ‘okay you have to go through some emotional stuff.’” Soon after the early blemishes, there were five players ahead of Remesy and it appeared the Swiss Seniors Open trophy would be going to someone else. “At that time, it was scary because I thought ‘Uh-oh this is not looking good,’” the 2004 and 2005 Open de France winner said. “But I told myself ‘stay focused, stay focused’ and fortunately, the experience of so many years in contention and winning big tournaments helped me a lot at the end.” Sitting on 11 under par for the tournament, Remesy had an opportunity to build a late, two-stroke cushion at the reachable par five 16th hole. However, after finding the greenside bunker with his third, and only managing to get his fourth to within ten feet, the possibility of a four-way play-off seemed likely as Jarmo Sandelin, Miguel Angel Martin and Phillip Price stood on ten under par. As Remesy eyed the putt, it was clear that a critical moment in the tournament had been reached. After holing holed the par-saver, he let out a burst of emotion. “That was key — that putt was very key. I was really moved, and I tried to show it to Price, but he holed his putt too. We had a good little battle and it was really interesting.” Leading by one on the 18th tee, Remesy managed to safely find the green in regulation, and two putts later, secured an emotional victory, showing the large Swiss galleries how much the win meant to him. “I said yesterday that these past three months I’ve been working hard, and the results have come, so there is no surprise. I’m happy. I’m very happy.” The Staysure Tour will now travel to Vorbeck, Germany for the WINSTONgolf Senior Open, which runs from July 13-15. Remesy will join the field along with fellow countryman Jean van de Velde as well as 1991 Masters Tournament Champion Ian Woosnam. FINAL TOTALS: Par 210 (3x70) 199 J Remesy (Fra) 67 63 69 200 J Sandelin (Swe) 67 66 67, P Price (Wales) 65 66 69, M Martin (Spn) 67 66 67 202 C Williams (SAf) 66 64 72, G Turner (NZ) 65 71 66 203 M McNulty (Ire) 70 69 64 204 M Brier (Austria) 66 69 69, S Luna (Spn) 72 66 66, I Woosnam (Wales) 71 68 65, G Orr (Sco) 68 68 68, A Bossert (Switz) 70 67 67, P Fowler (Australia) 67 67 70 205 P O'Malley (Australia) 69 66 70, G Marks (Eng) 69 70 66, T Thelen (USA) 70 66 69 206 P Wesselingh (Eng) 70 69 67, P Streeter (Eng) 66 70 70, R Gomez (Argentina) 69 70 67 207 B Lane (Eng) 65 68 74, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 70 68 69, S Dodd (Wales) 73 68 66 208 S Brown (Eng) 72 66 70, D Shacklady (Eng) 71 69 68, J Kingston (SAf) 70 65 73, P Golding (Eng) 67 72 69, S Tinning (Denmark) 70 69 69, J Spence (Eng) 73 69 66, M Mamat (Singapore) 68 73 67 209 J Lomas (Eng) 71 69 69, D Gilford (Eng) 69 72 68, M Harwood (Australia) 69 67 73, M Atlevi (Swe) 70 72 67, J Coceres (Arg) 74 65 70, M Molina (Arg) 67 67 75, B McGovern (Irl) 72 67 70 210 P Baker (Eng) 68 69 73, J Van De Velde (Fra) 70 68 72 211 M Mouland (Wal) 73 69 69, J Kemp (Eng) 72 69 70, P Mitchell (Eng) 70 74 67, C Rocca (Ita) 68 74 69, M Mackenzie (Eng) 75 70 66 213 R Rafferty (NIre) 67 71 75, P Walton (Ire) 74 72 67 214 P Eales (Eng) 75 68 71, C Mason (Eng) 73 67 74, C Suneson (Spn) 72 69 73Sp 215 G Brand Jnr (Sco) 68 72 75, J Rivero (Spn) 69 76 70 216 C Monasterio (Argentina) 75 69 72 218 M Farry (Fra) 74 70 74 219 A Oldcorn (Sco) 77 72 70, 226 V Garcia (Esp) 72 77 77,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

John Paterson (19) makes final round swoop to win Cameron Corbett Vase

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
John Paterson, Scottish boys' stroke-play champion in April 2017, scored his best victory since then when he won the prestigious Cameron Corbett Vase over 72 holes at Haggs Castle Golf Club, Glasgow today.

Paterson, a 19-year-old member of the St Andrews New Golf Club, stepped in to win by two shots with a 14-under-par total of 274 when long-time leader, Robbie Morrison, a Scot on a golfing holiday from Australia, slipped with a final round of 74 for 277.
Morrison, who bogeyed the fifth and sixth and then had a double bogey at the eighth, in his final round, sagged to a final placing of fourth behind Highlander Jeff Wright from Forres and Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie). Wright closed with two 69s on Sunday for 276 while Robertson shot 70-71 today for 277.
Paterson had scores of 69, 70, 67 and 68, notching six birdies in his last-round glory run, the most important being the gains at the 15th, 17th and 18th which took him to the front for the first time.


CAMERON CORBETT VASE
Haggs Castle Golf Club, Glasgow
Par 288 (4x72) SSS 72 CSS 72 73 73 72
274 J Paterson (St Andrews New) 69 70 67 68.
276 J Wright (Forres) 66 72 69 69
277 G Robertson (Glenbervie) 68 68 70 71
279 R Morrison (Australia) 67 68 70 74
281 A Ni (Murrayfield) 70 71 69 71
282 M Bacigalupo (Longniddry) 71 69 73 69, A Flanagan (St George's Hill) 72 68 72 70.
293 M S S Smyth (Royal Troon) 74 71 72 66
284 R J Smith (Dalmahoy) 76 70 71 67, J Bryce (Bathgate) 65 77 76 66
285 A C Kyle (East Renfrewshire) 71 72 71 71, B Dalgleish (Ralston) 70 71 70 74.
286 J Johnston (Ayr Belleisle) 69 73 72 72
287 M Clark (Kilmacolm) 74 72 75 66, M Napier (Turnhouse) 70 70 73 74
288 W Walker (Glenearn) 77 70 68 72
289 A Carrick (Douglas Park) 71 73 75 70, G Duncan (Windyhill) 68 72 70 73
291 L Irvine (Kirkhill) 71 75 73 72, S Rennie (Drumpellier) 70 73 79 69, S Buchanan (Prestwick St Nicholas) 69 72 72 78
292 S McLaren (Bruntsfield Links) 71 78 72 73.
293 H Gordon (Aberdour) 73 74 74 72, S Hedger (West Kilbride) 71 75 70 71, A McNaughton (Caldwell) 75 70 73 75.B Henderson (Deeside) 72 72 70 70/
296 C Franssen (Inverness) 69 78 74 75.

SELECTED SCORES
299 F Milne (Banchory) 72 76 78 73, J Shaw (Boat of Garten) 71 77 73 78 (T34)


PICTURE CAPTION AT TOP OF PAGE: John Paterson receives the Cameron Corbett Vase from Haggs Castle club captain Tom Craig.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE

Knox beats Fox in Irish Open play-off

Final Report

Russell Knox provided one of the most dramatic finishes of the season to roar to victory at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation, holing two monster putts at the 18^th hole and overcoming Ryan Fox in a play-off to become the fourth Rolex Series Champion of the 2018 Race to Dubai.

The Florida-based Inverness man  began the day six shots off the lead at the majestic Ballyliffin Golf Club in Co Donegal and his round took flight with an eagle at the par five fourth hole. Four more birdies and a sole bogey meant he stepped onto the 18^th tee with a 13 under par total, the clubhouse target which had already been set by Spain’s Jorge Campillo.

It looked like Knox might have to settle for par at best after his approach finished 35 feet from the hole on the edge of the green right in front of the packed galleries, but the 33 year old proceeded to roll it into the cup to rapturous cheers, moving him to 14 under.

New Zealander Fox could only watch from the fairway as the drama unfolded and he looked set to rain on Knox’s parade moments later after a stunning approach to the final green. His putt slipped by, however, meaning extra holes were required to separate the two.
Former WGC-HSBC Champion Knox found the rough and it looked like advantage to Fox after he smashed another huge drive down the fairway, before knocking it inside Knox’s second shot to within ten feet.
Knox had other ideas though, and from an almost identical position to his final putt in regulation play, he drained another incredible birdie putt to claim the title, becoming the first Scottish Rolex Series winner and moving to fifth in the Race to Dubai from 25^th.

Fox did have a consolation prize by earning a spot in The Open Championship in two weeks' time, while Campillo finished in outright third place. The 2017 champion Jon Rahm finished with a six under 66 to claim a share of fourth place alongside the third round leader Erik Van Rooyen of South Africa.

Player quotes:

Russell Knox
“That's why you play golf, to hole a putt like that on the last hole. The adrenaline just comes out and it's the best feeling in the world to be honest.
“I thought my chances had slipped on 17, failing to make birdie. I knew Foxy had bombed one down there. I knew my only chance was to birdie 18, and I just got it cutting on the wind into the rough and I thought, ‘oh, no, I'm going to be doomed over there’.

“But I was able to hit a good shot and get on the green, which I was thrilled with. Then I just blacked out to be honest. I stood over the putt. I read the putt and I thought, just don't aim. Just react. I mean, I pured the putt. I remember thinking as soon as I hit it, I've hit it a bit firm, and it just started tracking and it dropped - unbelievable.
“Obviously this is a massive tournament. The K Club and Ballyliffin are polar opposites, obviously, but both terrific venues. I don't know how I do so well in this event, I just get lucky. This is my week, this time of year, to play good golf, I guess. I was lucky for it to be my time.
“This is an excellent venue. Ballyliffin Golf Club was terrific. Obviously I have loved it. It was amazing. I can't believe I'm standing here holding this trophy right now.
“Rolex is obviously a massive sponsor of the European Tour, and I'm just lucky to win one of these massive events, so thank you very much to Rolex.”
Ryan Fox
"I feel alright. Russ rolled in a big one on 18 to get in the playoff and holed a massive one in the play-off, as well. I hit two great putts on 18 and one grazed the edge and one came back at me. Look, I'm happy. I hit the shots I wanted to down the stretch. I felt comfortable out there, and it was close.
"I love links golf. I love being able to hit bump-and-runs from 70 or 80 yards, like on 18 a couple of times. I can't tell you what it is. I guess Ireland and Scotland feel a little bit like home. Look, I'm happy and it's a bloody nice consolation to get into The Open Championship."
Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free
"Congratulations to Russell Knox, what an incredible display of golf we have had this week. The whole community at Ballyliffin has been extremely welcoming. We have enjoyed our time here very much and also the last four years working with Rory and his foundation. Congratulations to the European Tour on the success of this tournament and we are very much looking forward to working with them again. The tournament came down to such an exciting finish, Russell really played his heart out in a truly dramatic fashion and the crowds were really entertained by the fantastic golf on display here this week."

FINAL TOTALS:

Playoff scores: R Knox 3, R Fox 4

274 R Knox (Sco) 71 69 68 66, R Fox (Nzl) 67 69 70 68,
275 J Campillo (Spn) 70 71 69 65,
276 J Rahm (Spn) 74 69 67 66, E Van Rooyen (SAf) 71 65 66 74,
279 T Olesen (Den) 72 69 70 68, D Willett (Eng) 68 70 69 72, Z Lombard (SAf) 70 68 72 69, A Sullivan (Eng) 73 72 65 69,
280 M Pavon (Fra) 68 68 73 71, R Jacquelin (Fra) 71 70 68 71,
281 J Lagergren (Swe) 69 68 69 75, P Uihlein (USA) 70 70 70 71,
282 C Wood (Eng) 70 71 74 67, A Björk (Swe) 69 73 71 69, Y Miyazato (Jpn) 69 72 72 69, D Frittelli (SAf) 69 74 68 71, A Chesters (Eng) 68 73 73 68,
283 L Westwood (Eng) 68 71 70 74, A Saddier (Fra) 68 76 69 70, C Bezuidenhout (SAf) 72 68 73 70, N Colsaerts (Bel) 72 70 72 69, M Ilonen (Fin) 70 72 71 70,
284 S Horsfield (Eng) 69 69 74 72, M Nixon (Eng) 72 69 73 70, G Coetzee (SAf) 71 71 69 73,
285 J Suri (USA) 76 67 72 70,
286 O Fisher (Eng) 74 68 71 73, R Rock (Eng) 68 77 69 72, D Burmester (SAf) 71 70 72 73, R Wattel (Fra) 72 72 75 67, B Hebert (Fra) 72 73 70 71, S Lowry (Irl) 72 70 74 70, D Drysdale (Sco) 76 69 70 71, R McIlroy (Nir) 70 73 72 71, A Otaegui (Esp) 69 74 74 69,
287 R Sterne (SAf) 75 68 71 73, G Fernandez - Castaño (Esp) 71 71 72 73, A Rai (Eng) 72 71 72 72,
288 G McDowell (Nir) 71 73 73 71, R Paratore (Ita) 75 67 75 71, R Ramsay (Sco) 70 74 74 70, D Fichardt (RSA) 72 72 70 74, S Jamieson (Sco) 69 74 74 71, T Aiken (RSA) 71 73 72 72, D Horsey (Eng) 74 69 72 73, T Pieters (Bel) 73 72 73 70, P Dunne (Irl) 73 72 72 71,
289 A Bland (Aus) 76 69 71 73, H Porteous (RSA) 73 71 73 72, J Morrison (Eng) 73 70 74 72, N Elvira (Esp) 69 74 76 70, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 73 76 70, M Warren (Sco) 70 74 72 73, P Larrazábal (Spn) 74 71 73 71, P Hanson (Swe) 71 73 72 73, T Jaidee (Tha) 73 70 71 75, J Wang (SKor) 74 70 72 73,
290 S Thornton (Irl) 72 70 74 74, M Southgate (Eng) 72 71 73 74, T Bjørn (Den) 73 71 74 72, D Brooks (Eng) 74 71 75 70, S Kjeldsen (Den) 70 73 73 74,
291 R Gouveia (Por) 73 71 75 72, J Choi (SKor) 69 74 78 70, M Manassero (Ita) 72 72 76 71, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 73 76 71, J Guerrier (Fra) 76 69 74 72,
292 F Aguilar (Chi) 72 71 74 75, B Stone (RSA) 74 70 71 77, B Dredge (Wal) 72 73 75 72,
293 A Dodt (Aus) 74 71 74 74, P Waring (Eng) 71 71 77 74,
294 A Romero (Arg) 70 75 78 71,
295 C Ford (Eng) 73 72 71 79,
297 J Dantorp (Swe) 72 71 77 77,

Ends 

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE

French amateur Alex Fuchs wins the St-Malo Open with 18-under-par aggregate

Picture @Tristan Jones Photography

French amateur Alexandre Fuchs won today the Saint Malo Golf Open with a total of -18 at the Saint-Malo Golf Resort .  This is Fuch’s first victory as an amateur in a professional tournament.    Davey Porsius (Netherlands) turned in the best card of the day at -7 (9 birdies, 2 bogeys) to finish tied for 2nd place (-16 total) with the leader of the Alps Tour’s Order of Merit, Santiago Tarrio (Spain). Tarrio, who was the leader of the tournament entering the final round, made only 4 birdies and 2 bogeys today. He will have to wait for his third victory this season on the Alps Tour to move up directly to the Challenge Tour.    « I’m just so happy, I finished very strong with a very good birdie on the 18th, a good 2-putt from 30 feet, it was not an easy shot at all » said 20-year-old Fuchs, a first year student out of Liberty University in Virginia (USA). « Winning this tournament is big, it’s a big thing for me » he continued. « It’s completely crazy, my friend won last year as an amateur (Thomas Boulanger) exactly as I did today and I told myself ‘you can do it because he did it last year’ and so I’m just proud because I did it » he concluded.    Fuchs made 6 birdies and 2 bogeys to finish his final round at -5.    Weather conditions were sunny with some wind picking up in the afternoon and temperatures in the 30s.    Santiago Tarrio (ESP) still leads the Order of Merit, the Alps Tour official season ranking. He is followed by Marcus Mohr (ENG) who finished tied for 11th place today at -11 total, Alexandre Daydou (FRA), Louis Cohen Boyer (FRA) and David Borda (ESP). Rising golf stars of the Alps Tour will now travel to La Gomera in Spain’s Canary Islands for the Fred Olsen Alps de la Gomera July 12th through July 14th.     Final Results   Updated Order of Merit

 

Day scores runaway win in Logan Trophy

Gloucestershire’s Nick Day claimed his first national title in grand style, with a 9-shot runaway victory in the Logan Trophy. 

The 38-year-old tamed the fiery fairways at Long Ashton Golf Club – in his home county – and finished the 54-hole English men’s open mid-amateur championship on nine-under par. 

“I’m dead chuffed to win something like this,” said Day, a member at nearby Henbury Golf Club. 

He was six off the pace after his first round of two-over 73, when he played in the wind and his putts refused to drop. But he was far from discouraged and charged to the top of the leaderboard on day two, when he carded six-under 65. His score, which included two eagles, put him three clear with a round to play. 

Today he forged further ahead with four birdies in the first six holes and went on to shoot 66. As the gap widened he opted for the “safe and sensible” approach. The driver mostly stayed in the bag, as it did yesterday, and he teed off with rescue clubs which gave plenty of length as well as more control on the ball. 

Those in the know in Gloucestershire will not be surprised by Day’s win. He’s an extremely competitive golfer who plays off plus-three, has won four county championships and topped the county’s order of merit for the last six or seven years.

But he’s also the operations manager of a working dock and the father of a little boy who will be two in August – and that doesn’t leave time for playing the national golf circuit. 
“I play a lot of weekend golf, but not much in between, I’m not a massive practiser,” he said. 

However, when he discovered the Logan Trophy was to be played at Long Ashton he put it in the diary, knowing the course suited his game. He won one of his county championships there and holds the course record of 64. “I knew I could shoot low round here,” said Day. “I’ve probably played it two or three times a year for the last 12 or 15 years.” 

Day also had praise for the course, which stood up well to the dry conditions. “Everywhere is really burned up but the course was still really good,” he said. 

The runner-up was Lancashire’s Geoff Harris (Formby), who was level par, while Justin Phelps (Northwood) took third place on three-over. 

Long Ashton members Gordon Barr and Jonathan O’Neill both made with cut, finishing tied 9th and 31st respectively. 

Click here for full scores 

Final round of 65 sees Ben Stow win 

Prague Challenge

This image of Ben Stow with the trophy is by courtesy of Ota Mrakota 

Final round report

A scintillating seven under par final round of 65 helped Ben Stow secure his first European Challenge Tour victory by finishing on 18 under par 270 at the Prague Golf Challenge at Prague City Golf.

The Englishman posted the joint low round of the day to ensure he finished one shot clear of runner-up Joel Girrbach after beginning the day three shots off the pace.

Stow carded one birdie in his first five holes but a chip-in eagle at the sixth acted as the catalyst for success. He went on to card a further five birdies and a single blemish as he set what proved to be an unassailable target of 18 under with three groups still to return to the clubhouse.

The 26 year old recently returned from a long-term knee injury which kept him from playing golf for a sustained period and Stow was visibly delighted after securing his maiden win on Europe’s top developmental tour.
“I played really well today and I’m so chuffed,” he said. “I’ve been looking for a win for the past two seasons on the Challenge Tour, so I’m really, really chuffed.
“I was really pleased with my long game. I’ve just come back from injury where I didn’t play golf for four months. It’s been really, really pleasing to see the ball flight I want to see and see a lot of good shots.
“I said to my caddy ‘we just need to try and get to 17 under. If we get there, then we’ve got a chance’ and I just went out and played to that. I had a nice chip in on six for eagle, so that got us going.
“I think we had about 70 yards out the rough but it was a really tight pin. I rolled it up the bank and it went in and then, all of sudden, I was right in contention.
“We went through the turn tied for the lead and I thought ‘we’re right in with a shout here’. I just needed to keep playing solidly and pick out the birdies when I can and that’s what I did.”
Due to his serious knee injury, Stow admits his aim at the start of the season was purely to retain his card for 2019, but with victory in Prague, he’s quickly altered his targets.
“It sets you up really nicely,” he said. “I’ve got some money up on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah, so I can pick and choose my events. You can also relax and I think when you play golf relaxed, you get better results.
“At the start of the year coming back from injury, I honestly thought if I can just finish in the top 70 and maintain my card, that wouldn’t necessarily be a step backwards.
“To not play competitive golf for a year is a long time so to be right up there and be competing how I know I can, my goals have definitely changed. I want to push on and get a couple more good results, or wins, maybe.”
Stow was one of 12 players within three shots of the lead after Day Three and it looked as though the 2018 Prague Golf Challenge was destined for a play-off as the advantage exchanged hands numerous times.
Girrbach, playing in the group after Stow, was level with the Englishman going into the 18^th but the Swiss native missed a par putt on the final hole to drop back to 17 under par.
A shot further back were Florian Fritsch and Robin Sciot-Siegrist, the latter of whom needed a birdie on the final hole to force a play-off, but the Frenchman’s aggressive chip missed the target and he settled for bogey.
Englishman Dan Brown finished on 16 under to secure his best-ever Challenge Tour finish of tied fifth alongside Jeppe Pape Huldahl, Kalle Samooja and Marcel Schneider.
With victory in Prague, Stow moves to 16^th on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah with 39,451 points after leaping 80 places from his previous rank of 96. Runner-up Girrbach now sits 28^th after beginning the week in 94^th.
FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72)

270 B Stow (Eng) 67 69 69 65
271 J Girrbach (Switz) 65 70 69 67
272 R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 70 69 64 69, F Fritsch (Ger) 68 69 67 68
274 D Brown (Eng) 66 70 70 68, J Huldahl (Denmark) 70 68 67 69, K Samooja (Finland) 66 71 71 66, M Schneider (Ger) 67 68 67 72
275 U Coussaud (Fra) 66 69 71 69
276 J Lando Casanova (Fra) 69 69 69 69, E Ferguson (Sco) 69 68 74 65, S Matus (Czech) 69 68 69 70, T Lewis (Eng) 72 68 69 67, W Besseling (Netherlands) 68 69 68 71, F Laporta (Ita) 68 69 71 68
277 T Tree (Eng) 68 72 69 68, A Arnaus (Spn) 63 72 72 70, L Van Meijel (Netherlands) 69 69 70 69, M Schmitt (Ger) 70 69 69 69, P Figueiredo (Por) 70 69 69 69
278 P Maddy (Eng) 69 68 68 73, J Lima (Portugal) 66 72 70 70, E Di Nitto (Ita) 69 68 67 74, O Stark (Swe) 70 71 68 69, A Garcia-Heredia (Spn) 68 70 68 72, R Santos (Portugal) 66 72 71 69, R MacIntyre (Sco) 70 67 66 75, A Meronk (Poland) 70 66 68 74, J Senior (Eng) 68 66 75 69 
279 M Ovesen (Denmark) 68 72 72 67
280 M Lampert (Ger) 68 71 74 67, S Heisele (Ger) 69 72 70 69, E Goya (Argentina) 70 71 69 70, B Easton (SAf) 68 72 70 70, J Kunzenbacher (Ger) 73 66 68 73, D Van Driel (Netherlands) 70 69 71 70, F Zucchetti (Ita) 68 67 69 76, N Johansson (Swe) 70 68 71 71, Ó Serna (Mexico) 68 72 69 71
281 J Erkenbeck (USA) 68 70 73 70, R Roussel (Fra) 70 71 69 71, A Puchmelter (Slovakia) 67 70 73 71, G Hurley (Ire) 69 70 71 71, M Lundberg (Swe) 73 66 71 71
282 H Leon (Chile) 72 68 73 69, B Hafthorsson (Iceland) 73 68 70 71, T Santos Silva (Portugal) 71 70 66 75, C Sahlstrom (Swe) 69 71 72 70
283 C Braeunig (Ger) 70 71 71 71, R Kellett (Sco) 69 71 71 72, A Michael (SAf) 69 70 73 71, A Tadini (Ita) 68 73 73 69, J Sjöholm (Swe) 70 71 73 69, A Rozner (Fra) 73 67 72 71, H Dobson (Eng) 66 73 74 70, M Trappel (Austria) 72 69 71 71
284 M Fenasse (Fra) 68 70 77 69, K Ventura (Norway) 71 66 74 73, E Dubois (Fra) 71 67 73 73
285 J Rutherford (Eng) 71 69 72 73, J Caldwell (NIre) 69 71 71 74
286 P Mejow (Ger) 66 74 72 74, L Nemecz (Austria) 67 72 76 71, D Papadatos (Australia) 71 70 74 71, C Feldborg Nielsen (Swe) 72 69 76 69, M Habeler (Austria) 72 69 73 72
287 M Orrin (Eng) 67 72 78 70
288 G Porteous (Eng) 70 70 76 72
289 S Soderberg (Swe) 69 69 78 73
290 T Yamac (Turkey) (am) 68 72 75 75
** R Dinwiddie (Eng) 68 73 77 retired.

Joel wins Inverness four-day tournament for first time

By ROBIN WILSON 

After defeating the local club champion, Jonathon Keith, in the quarter-finals, then the holder, Alan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), in the semi-finals, home member David Joel went into his second Inverness four-day tournament final to meet the player who beat him in the 2016 final, Keiran MacKay, over a baked Inverness Culcabock golf course last Thursday.

The final was delayed for 15mins to give MacKay a longer break from his semi-final win over clubmate Martin Duncan that extended to the third extra hole. So fast running was the first fairway that Joel's first shot of the final with a two iron found the first green, 303 yards distant, to immediately take a one-hole lead with a two-putt birdie 3. 

Just two weeks earlier MacKay had lost in the club championship final to Keith and when Joel's eight foot putt on the fourth green was holed MacKay was behind by two but he escaped with a half on the next par five hole before Joel went through a sticky patch.

From a seeded scrape on the next fairway Joel dumped his ball into the burn guarding the green. Then he missed the next par three green and his lead was gone and he fell one behind on the tenth tee as MacKay also won the par three ninth, Joel also missing this green.

Joel got back on level terms when MacKay lost a ball on the 12^th hole but the younger player levelled again when he won the par three 15^th with his best strike of the day to four feet, Joel expecting to lose the hole anyway to a birdie 2, missing his return putt.

Then to a game-changing final three holes. Joel was disturbed on his wedge approach to the 16th green and MacKay had pulled his left of the pin but then his over-hit pitch struck the pin and fell into the hole for an unexpected birdie 3. Rather that trying to defend his slender lead Joel took on overhanging branches with his approach to the 17^th green but hit them to lose the hole and the game was level again.

Both found the final fairway and green, MacKay's birdie attempt ending just on the edge of the cup. Joel's attempt from 18 feet, slightly downhill, found the middle of the cup to leave him a happy winner of the Rosswood Trophy for the first time.

There was a good mix of visiting competitors in the scratch match-play but in the three handicap sections all 48t were local members. 
In Section 1 (0-11) the final was fought between Greig Bennett (6) and Alan Coutts (9). Bennett held the upperhand for most of the game and, even giving a stroke at the 14th hole where Coutts was bunkered, went three ahead. 
Coutts was also bunked at the following par three hole and Bennett became a first time winner of the Johnstone Trophy by 4 and 3.

A father and son, Alan and Oliver Innes each made the finals of the next two sections, but there was not to be a double family triumph.
 Alan Innes (12) in Section 2 (12-15) and Matthew Sharples (13) in the Section final shared six of the first nine holes but then Innes went three ahead with wins at the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th holes before losing the 13^th, 15^th and 16^th.  They halved the 17h hole but on the final hole Sharples stole the one hole win and the Tom Sutherland Trophy with a winning chip and putt par four.

But Oliver Innes (18), in the final handicap section (16-22) against Frankie Murdoch (21), played a close game through 16 holes with Innes, taking a one-hole advantage to the penultimate tee with a winning 16th hole.
From the 17^th tee Murdoch found the trees on the right and had two attempts to get back onto the fairway and two more to get onto the green where he conceded the hole and the Fraser Smith Trophy by a 2 and 1 margin to the 18-year-old Innes, playing the event for the first time.

USA lead by 5pt in Arnold Palmer Cup in France

Évian-les-Bains, France – The United States claimed eight of 12 four-ball matches to extend its lead to 20.5-15.5 at the Arnold Palmer Cup at Evian Resort Golf Club, France. Team USA needs 30 points to retain the cup while the Internationals require 30.5 to reclaim it.

The International side looked in control early in the round. The Italian pair of Stefano Mazzoli and Lorenzo Scalise tied the overall team score with a 4 and 3 victory. The U.S. retook the lead following a 2 and 1 win by Jennifer Kupcho. The Internationals claimed their first lead of the matches with 5 and 4 and 5 and 3 triumphs from K K Limbhasut/Alvaro Ortiz and Wenyung Keh/Patty Tavatanakit, respectively.

The Americans took the next two matches - victories by Sophia Schubert/Lauren Stephenson and Shintaro Ban/Collin Morikawa - to move ahead 15.5-14.5. Olivia Mehaffey and Maddie Szeryik earned the final International point of the day, winning by one hole. Team USA won the last five matches of the day to move ahead 20.5-15.5.

Sunday’s final round singles matches tee off at 7:30 am on Nos. 1 and 10.

Robbie Morrison maintains Cameron Corbett Vase lead thru Rd 3

CLICK HERE

THIRD ROUND LEADERS
Par 216 (3x72) SSS 72 CSS 72 73 73

205 Robbie Morrison (Australia) 67 68 70
206 John Paterson (St Andrews New) 69 70 67, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 68 68 70
207 Jeff Wright (Forres) 66 72 69

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE 

Knox v Fox play-off for Irish Open. Knox birdies first extra hole

CLICK HERE

Russell Knox posts a 66 in final round of Irish Open to set clubhouse target of 14-under-par 274.
Play-off after New Zealander Fox also finishes on 274

Knox got a birdie 3 at first sudden-death play-off hole.

Link to Sunday scores in ASI Scottish Qualifier at Longniddry

CLICK HERE

Link to LPGA Tour event this weekend

CLICK HERE

Jodi Ewart-Shadoff is T6 with -14
Catriona Matthew is T26 with -11

+Hot scoring in this tournament.

Link to US PGA Tour event this weekend

CLICK HERE

Joint leaders on 196 (14 under par)
Harold Varner III 66 64 66
Kelly Kraft 64 63 69

MURIEL THOMSON ... WHO CYCLES EVERYWHERE!

A magical day. Cycled to Tayvallich for the ferry to Jura, then cycled the whole length of the island and back again. Fallen in love with Jura. It's beautiful. I've always wanted to come here, so it's been worth the wait.
LATER NEWS:
Left my bicycle in the shed today (Sunday) and went for a hike in the Jura hills. Overcast with very low cloud. 
It was nice and warm but breezy on the tops. I hiked for 7 hours and never saw another soul. Amazing!

From Colin Farquharson: I knew Muriel, a triplet, by the way, when she was a champion golfer. Now she could be a champion cyclist! And she's no spring chicken.

t