SCOTTISH MEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT CRAIL

Stuart McLaren leads 68 qualifiers for Scottish 

amateur championship match-play at Crail GS

FROM CAMERON McLAY
Stuart McLaren, pictured below by courtesy of Scottish Golf, topped the leaderboard on day two of this year’s Scottish men’s amateur championship at Crail Golfing Society, Fife to take the top qualifying spot in the match-play which starts on Thursday.

Playing his second round on the Balcomie Links, the Bruntsfield Links member carded a superb eight-under-par round of 61 to finish one shot clear of his fellow competitors on 12-under par. McLaren was joined at the top of the leaderboard by fellow Bruntsfield Links member Eric McIntosh, a former Scottish boys' champion who finished just one shot behind on 11-under par after a four-under par round of 68 on the Craighead Links.
Speaking to Scottish Golf after his second round, McLaren said, “Crail is a course that really suits my eye, so it has been good fun to play here in such a big competition. I have been playing well this past month and won the East of Scotland which was nice, and I know that I am playing some really good golf at the moment.” 
With all 68 players who totalled 141 or better qualifying for the match-play stages, McLaren knows that it is key to take the next phase one step at a time, adding:
“I don’t really want to put too much pressure on myself in terms of expectations for the next few days. I am playing good golf but don’t want to get ahead of the game. It is just important I keep trying to replicate the form I have had over the past few weeks.” All of the match-play ties will be contested over Crail’s Craighead Links, a course McLaren believes will provide a fair challenge for the field.
“The Craighead Links is definitely a tougher course which means that it will be important to know which holes can cause your opponent’s difficulty. With that being said, there’s definitely still a lot of opportunities out there if you are hitting it well. 
"I have played it a good few times which helps with knowing where to miss it, and where not to miss it, so I will be hoping to take advantage of the holes I know I can make birdie on.”  Defending champion Euan McIntosh was one of the biggest movers on day two, climbing 98 spots up the leaderboard to keep alive his hopes of defending the Scottish title alive.  
Speaking to Scottish Golf after his seven-under round on the Balcomie Links, the defending champion said, “There was no real difference to yesterday in terms of my approach, I was just able to putt better which helped. 
"I know that tomorrow will be a tough challenge, so it is just a case of seeing what happens over the next few days.”  
Michael Smyth was also able to jump 54 spots on Wednesday after tying the new Balcomie course record set by David Rudd on Tuesday. The Royal Troon member had just one bogey in his nine-under par round of 60.
Following the cut, the match-play ties will get underway from 07.30 Thursday morning with live scoring available on this website.

LINK TO TO VIEW ALL THE STROKE-PLAY SCORES

https://www.scottishgolf.org/championships/#/competition/1491147/leaderboard

Staysure Trophy - Grand Final
STABLEFORD POINTS FORMAT

FINAL  Leaderboard  at PLEASINGTON                                                   My Leaderboard

Pos	Team	After	TodayR2	R1	R2	Points	Points	Prize Fund
Full Leaderboard
1	Stephen Bennett   Waltham Windmill Golf Club  Martin Quickfall (a)	F	41	41	41	82		£7,500
2	Ian Graham   Crow Wood Golf Club  Neil Keir (a)   Crow Wood Golf Club	F	37	41	37	78		£5,000
T3	Stephen Grouwstra   Cottesmore Golf Club  Colin Niner (a)   Cottesmore Golf Club	F	39	38	39	77		£2,900
T3	Gareth Johnson   Garforth Golf Club  Lee Bazeley (a)   Garforth Golf Club	F	38	39	38	77		£2,900
5	Kevin Lock   Horsley Lodge Golf Club  Robert Revie (a)   Horsley Lodge Golf Club	17	35	40	35	75		£2,000
T6	Mark Allen   Eaton Golf Club  Roger Finney (a)   Eaton Golf Club	F	38	36	38	74		£1,375
T6	Wraith Grant   Woodcote Park Golf Club  Brian May (a)   Woodcote Park Golf Club	F	37	37	37	74		£1,375
8	John Dignam   Slade Valley Golf Club  Owen Cassidy (a)   Slade Valley Golf Club	F	36	33	36	69		£1,000

EWEN FERGUSON CHASING FIRST CHALLENGE TOUR TITLE IN FINLAND

Press Release
Ewen Ferguson, pictured above, will go in search of his first European Challenge Tour title when the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge gets under way at Vierumäki Resort from August 1-4.
The Scot will be looking to go one better than his last outing at the Euram Bank Open in Austria, where he finished runner-up behind compatriot Calum Hill, recording his best professional result to date.
His recent form parallels the achievements of many of his amateur colleagues, with several Scottish players achieving considerable success on both the European Tour and Challenge Tour in recent months.
Not least Oban left-hander Robert MacIntyre, who just a year after being pipped to the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge title in a sudden-death play-off against Finland’s Kim Koivu, is flying high on the European Tour, with two runner-up finishes and a top ten at The Open Championship already under his belt this season.
‘’I talk to Bob (Robert MacIntyre) a lot, and he’s doing exactly what he was doing before on the Challenge Tour,’’ Ferguson said.
‘’It’s not like he’s changed anything dramatically and that gives me confidence that I’m doing the right things and I just need to stay patient.
‘’It’s nice to see him doing so well. It gives me, and a lot of the Scottish guys, a lot of belief when he is competing with the likes of Rory and Rickie.
‘’With Bob doing well, and Connor Syme also qualifying for the Open, it is an incentive to push each other on and last week in Austria I was thinking that I wanted to do well so that I can get a piece of the action. We’re all good friends too, so it’s good to be inspiring each other to better things.’’
The Scot, who reached the semi-final of the Belgian Knockout on the European Tour in June, currently sits just outside the promotion spots, in 17th position, and will be looking to move into one of the coveted top 15 places with a strong performance at Vierumäki Resort this week.
After missing only his second cut on the Challenge Tour a week before Austria, the former Walker Cup player found his form on the Austria hills last week, and heads into the Finnish challenge full of confidence.
‘‘It was good to get myself back in contention in Austria and finish with a good round, which is something I’ve sometimes been struggling to do this season,’’ he said. ‘’I’m in a good position in the rankings with lots of events coming up, so I’m hoping that the performance in Austria can put me in a good position for the rest of the season.’’
The first round begins at 7:30am local time while Ferguson will get his opening round under way from the tenth tee at 8:30am local time, with Hill beginning his title challenge on the first hole at 8:40am.

Ends

Link to qualifying rounds at Scottish men's amateur championship
at Crail

CLICK HERE

FORSYTH WINS PANMURE PRO-AM
DESPITE DOUBLE BOGEY 7

Despite a double bogey 7 at the 14th and bogeys at the 16th and 17th, Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle Golf Academy) won the first prize of £1,137 with a three-under-par 67 in today's (WED) Panmure Golf Club pro-am.
Forsyth was five under par after only five holes, thanks to an eagle 3 at the second and birdies at the first, third and fifth holes in an outward half of five-under-par 30.
He won by three strokes from joint runners-up Stephen Gray (Lanark) and Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure who won £795 apiece.
SCOREBOARD
par 70
67 A Forsyth (Mearns Castle GA) £1,136.89.
70 S Gray (Lanark), P O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure) £795.56 each
71 A Crerar (Panmure), Z Saltman (Winterfield), S O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure), G Fox (Clydeway Golf)  £389.25 each.
72 N Cameron (Blairgowrie), F McKenna (Caldwell), G Hay (Mearns Castle GA), M Owenson (Gullane)  £207.50 each.
73 N Christie (Kinsey Partnership), G Hutcheon (Torphins), A Tait (Golphin, C Ronald (Carluke) £142.03 each.
75 C Elliott (Haggs Castle), K McNicoll (Carnoustie GL), S Henderson (Kings Links), K Nicol (Dunes GC) £96.67
76 G Brown (The Dutch) £88.20
77 C Currie (Erskine) R Leeds (Archerfield Links).
78 A Todd (Panmure)
79 M Urquhart (Nairn)
81 C McMaster (Downfield)
82 P Terras (Goswick)

ends

USA trio make debuts in BMW PGA

 

Championship at Wentworth next month

 

Americans Tony Finau, Billy Horschel and Patrick Reed will

make their debuts in the BMW PGA Championship after

confirming they will join the world class field for the fourth

Rolex Series event of 2019 at Wentworth Club from

September 19-22.

The trio will join Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, defending

champion Francesco Molinari and Olympic Champion Justin

Rose in what is set to be one of the strongest fields in the

history of the prestigious event following the change in date

from its traditional May slot to September. Tickets to see

them in action are on sale now by clicking here.

Finau, Horschel and Reed will each be bidding to become only the second American winner of the BMW PGA Championship following the legendary Arnold Palmer who triumphed in 1975 when the tournament was played at Royal St Georges.

Reed, the 2018 Masters Champion, is an Honorary Life Member of the European Tour and finished runner up to Molinari in last year’s Race to Dubai.

Newmachar v Nigg Bay pennant semi-final switched to Craibstone

The semi final venue for the Newmachar v Nigg Bay Aberdeen Pennant League semi final on Sunday has been moved to Craibstone as both teams indicated concerns over fans, going to Pittodrie, crossing the Kings Links from the Beach Boulevard and possibly interrupting play.

ROYAL PORTHCAWL CONFIRMED AS VENUE

FOR 2021 AIG WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN

Royal Porthcawl was announced today as the venue for the

2021 AIG Women’s British Open, following on from Royal Troon, which makes its debut on the Championship roster in 2020.

Royal Porthcawl is renowned to be as challenging a course and as hospitable a club as you will find and has held many amateur and professional tournaments on its famous links. In 2014 the Club hosted the first ever Major in Wales, The Senior Open, which returned again for the 2017 edition won by Bernhard Langer.

Among others, the Club has hosted The Amateur Championship, The Walker Cup, The Curtis Cup, The European Team Championship, The Men’s Home Internationals, The Vagliano Trophy, The Women’s Amateur Championship, The Dunlop Masters, The Penfold, The Ladies European Tour and The Coral Classic.

As South Wales’ first 18 hole golf course, Royal Porthcawl was awarded the privilege of the prefix ‘Royal’ in 1909, only the second course in Wales and one of only 66 clubs around the world to have that distinction.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R and A, said:

“We are very much looking forward to taking the AIG Women’s British Open to Royal Porthcawl for the first time in 2021.  We have a very exciting couple of years ahead with the Championship also making its debut at Royal Troon in 2020. Both courses will present outstanding tests for the world’s best women’s golfers.”

Speaking on behalf of the Welsh Government, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said: “We are delighted with today’s news and look forward to the honour of welcoming the AIG Women’s British Open Golf to Wales in 2021. 

"Wales has built its reputation as an outstanding destination for major international events and the AIG Women’s British Open event will help to maintain this momentum and highlights our commitment to bringing world-class women’s sport to Wales.

 "We are committing funding to work with the R and A, Wales Golf and clubs and schools across Wales to use the event and the Curtis Cup in Conwy in June next year to inspire more women and girls to take part in golf. 

 Having these two great events in successive years at two fantastic venues like Conwy and Royal Porthcawl is a great boost for golf in Wales in general and women’s golf in particular.”

Royal Porthcawl Club Captain, Rhys James, added: “We are thrilled that the AIG Women’s British Open will be coming to Royal Porthcawl in 2021. Hosting our first women’s Major is a tremendous honour for the Club and we cannot wait to welcome the world’s best golfers to Wales. 

"Being here at Woburn this week and seeing the impressive scale and quality of the Championship makes us look forward to it all the more and to seeing how these fantastic players handle all the challenges our course in two years’ time.”

The Women’s British Open was founded by the LGU in 1976 and has been staged in conjunction with IMG, the world’s largest sports marketing company, since 1984. The event has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994 and gained Major status in 2001. The Championship is now owned by The R and A.