Friday, September 06, 2019

North-east in the hunt for Scottish area title

North-east are sharing second place with Ayrshire on 702, eight strokes behind leaders Fife after the first round of the Scottish men's area team championship at Leven (par 71) and Scoonie (par 67).
North are in seventh place on 708.

HOW THEY STAND
694 Fife
702 Ayrshire, North-east
704 Lothians, Stirlingshire
706 Lanarkshire
708 North
721 South
725 Angus, Borders
726 Perth and Kinross
727 Renfrewshire
731 Glasgow
732 Dunbartonshire
746 Clackmannan County
748 Argyll and Bute.

Hemstock wins PDC Championship play-off


                       

HEMSTOCK WINS PLAY-OFF AT STUDLEY WOOD

Billy Hemstock has won The PDC Championship at Studley Wood Golf Club in a play-off against Will Enefer. 
Hemstock (Roehampton Club) started the day one shot behind Marco Penge and Nick Marsh and posted a final day score of 67 (-6) bogey-free to take it to a playoff against Enefer with a week of 74, 66 and 67. 
Enefer (Retail Furniture Ltd) was way off the pace at the start of play but he signed for a course record 63 (-10) to take him to the top of the leaderboard for the majority of the afternoon. It was an explosive round with seven birdies and two eagles with his back nine particularly stand out.
Neil Fenwick (Dunbar Golf Club) kept himself in the hunt needing a birdie to make it a three-way play-off but he finished up one short with rounds of 71, 69 and 68 for third. 
Going back to the eighteenth, Hemstock drained his putt for birdie whilst Enefer could only bogey it handing Hemstock his first win on the Tour since Mannings Heath last year. 
On victory, Hemstock said: “I felt like I played really well the first day. It was really windy. The second round I stayed patient and they started to drop and I had a good finish with four birdies on the back nine on the trot. I stayed in that sort of mindset and waited for things to happen. It was nice to birdie the last two to take it to a playoff.”
“I’d love to be in contention again at Newmachar. I’ve got a week or so to get my game ready or keep it in good fettle, but I’m looking forward to playing and especially at Tour Championships.”
The overnight clubhouse leader pairing of Marco Penge and Nick Marsh were level par apiece to tie for seventh in Oxfordshire.
Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeyboye Golf Club), Alfie Plant (Sundridge Park Golf Club), and Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin Golf Club) were all tied for fourth on nine under par. 
Victory for Hemstock moves him into the top ten in the Race To Desert Springs with Enefer. Marco Penge narrowed the gap on Richard Mansell at the top whilst Nick Marsh closes the gap on making the top 60 with one event to go. 

TV 

Highlights of The PDC Championship will be shown on Sky Sports Golf, 17 September at 20:00.

NEWMACHAR NEXT UP

The Newmachar Challenge finishes the season at Newmachar Golf Club, Aberdeen the week after next. 


Kiwi Geary leads Open de Bretagne;

Scot Henry three off the pace

Josh Geary will take a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the Open de Bretagne after posting a bogey-free three under par 67 on another day of tough scoring conditions at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val-André.
The New Zealander, who tops the leaderboard at five under par, recorded his second consecutive blemish-free round at the challenging coastal venue, with Sweden’s Niclas Johansson holding sole second place at four under par.
Runner-up at the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge in July, Geary got off to a flying start with an eagle on his second hole, the 11th, which he quickly followed up with a birdie on the short 118-yard par three 15th.
Playing alongside Johansson and England’s Matt Ford, who matched the low round of the day, a six under par 64, Geary followed up his fast start with 12 consecutive pars to ensure he is the man to catch with two rounds remaining.
The 34-year-old is eying an immediate return to the European Tour and at 39th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings knows a victory would go a long way to helping him secure one of the fifteen available European Tour cards available at the end of the European Challenge Tour season.
“I need one or two really good weeks,” he said. “A win would really help me out in the rankings, so I’ve got to go out there and do what I can to make that happen.
“There’s a lot of trouble out there, almost every hole has got something going on, so you’ve just got to think your way around.
“I’ve just been patient and trying to swing it smart. My ball striking hasn’t been great, so I’ve just been going for the fat side of the greens and trying to play smart and be defensive, which is paying off around this golf course, especially where the pins are tucked away.”
Geary and Johansson, who will again be paired together on Saturday, will start day three ahead of a significant chasing pack at three under par, which includes Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil champion Matthew Jordan, local hopefuls Frederic Lacroix and Damien Perrier, Switzerland’s Raphaël de Sousa, Santiago Tarrio Ben of Spain and Austrian Martin Wiegele.
Englishman Richard Mansell and Germany’s Sebastian Heisele will also start the weekend just two shots off the pace after spectacular second rounds of 64, six under par. Meanwhile, overnight leader Robert Dinwiddie signed for a disappointing two over par 72 to drop back to sit three strokes off Geary at two under par.
With a strong wind blowing across the firm and fast seaside lay-out the cut line fell at three over par, with 66 players making it into the weekend. Players with tallies of 144 and higher missed the cut

Scores after round 2:
par 140 (2x70)
135 J Geary (NZ) 68 67
136 N Johansson (Swe) 68 68
137 S Tarrio Ben (Spn) 70 67, R De Sousa (Switz) 70 67, S Heisele (Ger) 73 64, M Jordan (Eng) 72 65, F Lacroix (Fra) 68 69, R Mansell (Eng) 73 64, D Perrier (Fra) 69 68, M Wiegele (Austria) 70 67 
138 R Dinwiddie (Eng) 66 72, A Schwartz (Fra) 72 66, M Kim (S Kor) 69 69, S Henry (Sco) 69 69
139 R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 71 68, D Whitnell (Eng) 68 71, G Higgo (SAf) 71 68, C Pigem (Esp) 73 66, M Armitage (Eng) 69 70, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 67 72, G Kristjansson (Isl) 67 72, A Rozner (Fra) 70 69, J Wrisdale (Eng) 72 67
140 M Ford (Eng) 76 64, J Thomson (Eng) 73 67, D Huizing (Ned) 74 66, J Carlsson (Swe) 72 68, F Nilehn (Swe) 69 71, J Lima (Por) 69 71, S Mazzoli (Ita) 73 67, A Tadini (Ita) 71 69, C Mivis (Bel) 72 68, R Evans (Eng) 71 69, J Ko (am) (Fra) 74 66
141 M Schneider (Ger) 76 65, M Helligkilde (Den) 68 73, B Eccles (Aus) 71 70, M Lampert (Ger) 73 68, M Iten (Sui) 76 65, S Grant (Irl) 72 69, S Garcia Rodriguez (Spn) 74 67, T Tree (Eng) 70 71, R Caron (Ned) 75 66, D Boote (Wales) 70 71, R Kakko (Fin) 71 70, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 70,
142 H Sturehed (Swe) 69 73, D Van Driel (Ned) 71 71, P McBride (Irl) 72 70, M Haastrup (Den) 72 70, C Lloyd (Eng) 73 69, T Linard (Fra) 72 70, C Ross (Sco) 71 71, J Adarraga Gomez (Spn) 71 71, R Jouven (Fra) 76 66, F Aguilar (Chile) 74 68
143 O Lengden (Swe) 73 70, R Roussel (Fra) 74 69, A Cockerill (Can) 70 73, E Dubois (Fra) 74 69, M Young (Eng) 73 70, J Stalter (Fra) 70 73, J De Poyen (Fra) 71 72, J Ruth (Eng) 74 69, O Lindell (Fin) 72 71, N Maheut (Fra) 76 67


MISSED THE CUT
 144 S Matus (Czech) 76 68, J Sainz (Spn) 73 71, G King (Eng) 71 73, J Brun (Fra) 72 72, L Cohen-Boyer (Fra) 74 70
145 C Gane (Eng) 73 72, D Suchan (Cze) 75 70, C Berardo (Fra) 72 73, J Huldahl (Den) 74 71, J Quesne (Fra) 76 69, V Riu (Fra) 72 73, J Bekirian (Fra) 80 65, A Leray (am) (Fra) 75 70
146 H Casey (Eng) 77 69, S Gautier (Fra) 74 72, S Fernandez (Spn) 74 72, V Veyret (Fra) 75 71, P Maddy (Eng) 72 74, R Dawson (Irl) 74 72, K Hesbois (Bel) 72 74, L Lespinasse (Fra) 76 70, L Scalise (Ita) 75 71, C Ford (Eng) 72 74
147 A Saracino (Ita) 75 72, A Bihan (Fra) 71 76, M Carlsson (Swe) 75 72, M Gradecki (Pol) 74 73, G Stal (Fra) 75 72, M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) 77 70, S Tiley (Eng) 74 73, S Gros (Fra) 81 66, A Bernadet (Fra) 77 70, G Hurley (Irl) 76 71, C Larcelet (am) (Fra) 74 73, V Joffray (am) (Fra) 69 78,
148 O Bekker (SAf) 77 71, G Porteous (Eng) 75 73, B Spooner (Eng) 73 75, J Kunzenbacher (Ger) 72 76,
149 N Geyger (Chi) 77 72, A Widemann (Fra) 75 74, M Simonsen (Den) 74 75, M Fenasse (Fra) 75 74, D Coupland (Eng) 72 77, M Cea (Ita) 72 77
150 N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) 75 75, C Robb (Sco) 74 76, J Coupade (Fra) 73 77, P Mejow (Ger) 77 73, L Bem (Fra) 78 72, J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) 72 78, G Havret (Fra) 81 69, C Hill (Sco) 74 76, B Easton (SAf) 75 75, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 79 71, B Neil (Sco) 79 71, J Senior (Eng) 77 73, C Maye (Fra) 73 77, M Radureau (Fra) 75 75, M Baldwin (Eng) 75 75,
151 H Tisserand (Fra) 78 73, U Coussaud (Fra) 83 68, C Howie (Sco) 77 74, C Braeunig (Ger) 78 73, J Kölbing (Ger) 77 74, P Joyau (Fra) 77 74 
152 F Daux (Fra) 74 78, M Mohr (Eng) 78 74, J Sjöholm (Swe) 74 78
153 A Velasco (Spn) 77 76, W Besseling (Netherlands) 77 76, R Højgaard (Den) 75 78, R McGowan (Eng) 77 76, P Lescastreyres (Fra) 78 75, P Gal (Czech) 79 74, F Laporta (Ita) 80 73, R Le Bot (am) (Fra) 82 71 
154 P Baek (Den) 84 70, J Dean (Eng) 77 77, A Ahokas (Fin) 79 75
155 S Caturla (Fra) 77 78, M Rion (Fra) 80 75, E España (Fra) 78 77
157 H Joannes (Belgium) 82 75
159 P Beauvy (am) (Fra) 83 76 
163 P Piedelievre (Fra) 83 80 
164 M Eriksson (Swe) 82 82

Newmachar name pool of players for Pennant

League Final at Banchory on Sunday

Newmachar meet Royal Aberdeen in the final of the Aberdeen Men's Pennant League for the Joe Little Trophy at Banchory on Sunday (first tee-off time noon)

The Newmachar pool of players is:

Allan Strath
Andy Chan
Chris Simpson
Jordan Calder
Jamie Wilson
John Ross
Liam Strath
Owen Walker
Mark Rae

Super Mac leads by four in Hamburg

Round Two Report
Robert MacIntyre, pictured, stormed into the Porsche European Open lead, firing a flawless seven-under-par second round of 65 to take a four-stroke advantage into the weekend in Hamburg.
The 23-year-old, who started the day two strokes behind 18-hole leader Paul Casey, carded the low round of the week so far. The left-hander from Oban recorded three birdies on the front nine, which he matched as he came in, capping his round with his seventh gain of the day on the 18th hole.
A runner-up on two occasions in his rookie season – at the Betfred British Masters and Made in Denmark presented by FREJA in back-to-back weeks in May – this is the first time MacIntyre has held an overnight lead on the European Tour.
Leading the chasing park is Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer, who delighted the home crowds with a six under par round of 66 to reach a seven under par total. He is two strokes ahead of the trio of Casey, Guido Migliozzi and Matthias Schwab.
Bernd Wiesberger and Alexander Björk share sixth place on four under par, while German Dominic Foos is one of six players a stroke further back in eighth.
Player Quotes
Robert MacIntyre: “I just stuck to my game plan – it’s probably the best I’ve driven the ball this year. It’s not just going straight, it’s going miles. I don’t know what I’m doing but it’s working, and I’ll try and continue to do it.
“I’ve changed quite a few things over the season to improve. Dave, my coach, is on the bag this week, he’s doing a great job off the course when I’m at home and doing the right things. It’s great to see the reward.
“It’s going to be tough, especially when it’s the first time that I’ve got such a lead – whether on the Challenge Tour or here on the European Tour – I’ll have to learn from this experience. I’m doing the right things on the course and the right things off the course, I’m nice and relaxed. Everything at home has been brilliant, so I’m in the right mindset for going out this weekend.”
Bernd Ritthammer: “I’ve had a slow season so far, it’s been tough. I’ve been working hard and not really getting any results. Friday for me normally has something to do with fighting the cut – I was very pleased with how I played yesterday, only one under, but conditions were pretty brutal in the morning. That was as good as today.
“I got off to a good start and felt like I was flushing the ball, felt like it was going where I wanted to go. The putter really warmed up and I made some incredible par saves and really good birdie putts. I didn’t expect it to be that easy today, I just played really well.”
Scores after round two: 
par 140 (2x70)
133 R Macintyre
(Sco) 68 65 

137 B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 66
139 P Casey (Eng) 66 73, G Migliozzi (Ita) 71 68, M Schwab (Austria) 67 72 
140 A Björk (Swe) 69 71, B Wiesberger (Austria) 71 69
141 P Figueiredo (Portugal) 70 71, K Johannessen (Norway) 70 71, J Winther (Denmark) 72 69, P Larrazábal (Spn) 70 71, D Foos (Ger) 74 67, L De Jager (SAf) 72 69
142 D Fichardt (SAf) 73 69, A Chesters (Eng) 71 71, X Schauffele (USA) 73 69, T Pieters (Belgium) 70 72, B Evans (Eng) 69 73, R Gouveia (Portugal) 72 70
143 B Stow (Eng) 68 75, O Fisher (Eng) 73 70, H Endycott (Australia) 72 71, M Rottluff (Ger) 68 75, S Horsfield (Eng) 75 68
144 N Lemke (Swe) 71 73, L Jensen (Den) 71 73, L Herbert (Australia) 69 75, A Sullivan (Eng) 74 70, R Sterne (SAf) 75 69, A Knappe (Ger) 77 67, S Hend (Australia) 73 71,
145 J Kruyswijk (SAf) 75 70, P Harrington (Irl) 71 74, P Langfors (Swe) 72 73, N Elvira (Spn) 71 74, M Lee (Australia) 73 72, J Campillo (Spn) 74 71, M Hoey (Nir) 74 71, M Southgate (Eng) 74 71, H Leon (Chile) 73 72, J Veerman (USA) 76 69, A Saddier (Fra) 77 68, R Karlberg (Swe) 74 71, S Gregory (Eng) 73 72
146 D Gavins (Eng) 76 70, P Reed (USA) 74 72, P Waring (Eng) 74 72, J Lagergren (Swe) 77 69, D Papadatos (Aus) 74 72, R Wattel (Fra) 72 74, G Moynihan (Irl) 74 72, I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp) 72 74, A Quiros (Esp) 73 73, H Tanihara (Jpn) 74 72, K Kitayama (USA) 74 72, J McLeod (Aus) 72 74, S Kim (USA) 72 74,
147 S Manley (Wal) 72 75, Z Lombard (RSA) 72 75, C Sordet (Fra) 75 72, J Singh Brar (Eng) 74 73, A Wu (Chn) 77 70, R Fox (Nzl) 76 71, J Van Zyl (SAf) 78 69, T Merritt (USA) 77 70, A Bland (Australia 71 76, M Orrin (Eng) 72 75, R Fisher (Eng) 72 75, R Sabbatini (Slovakia) 78 69, M Hammer  (Ger) (am) 72 75 
148 J Smith (Eng) 78 70, M Kuchar (USA) 74 74, D Lawson (Aus) 73 75, T Bjørn (Den) 77 71, N Højgaard (Den) 75 73, S Kjeldsen (Den) 74 74, H Arkenau (Ger) 77 71, J Girrbach (Sui) 74 74, J Choi (S Kor) 77 71, A Levy (Fra) 74 74, J Dantorp (Swe) 74 74, E Kofstad (Norway) 74 74, C Hanson (Eng) 74 74, B Henson (USA) 74 74, P Edberg (Swe) 76 72, T Immelman (SAf) 75 73,
149 L Johnston (Sco) 74 75, S Crocker (USA) 77 72, D Burmester (SAf) 75 74, T Pulkkanen (Fin) 74 75, M Schmitt (Ger) 75 74, K Samooja (Fin) 74 75, S Chawrasia (Ind) 76 73, R Ramsay (Sco) 75 74, M Nixon (Eng) 81 68, M Kieffer (Ger) 75 74, R McEvoy (Eng) 77 72, J Catlin (USA) 78 71, A Connelly (Can) 77 72, J Hansen (Den) 79 70, J Wang (S Kor) 75 74, B Staben (Ger) 77 72, G Forrest (Sco) 75 74, L Bjerregaard (Den) 74 75,
150 D Stewart (Sco) 76 74, L Gagli (Ita) 75 75, C Sharvin (Nir) 73 77, E Cuartero Blanco (S) 71 79, O Wilson (Eng) 79 71, D Heinzinger (Ger) 75 75, N McCarthy (Eng) 75 75, R Paratore (Ita) 77 73, C Blomstrand (Swe) 79 71
151 M Siem (Ger) 81 70, H Long (Ger) 78 73, K Reitan (Nor) 81 70, D Cooke (USA) 73 78, A Cañizares (Spn) 76 75, M Warren (Sco) 76 75, G Schultes (Ger) 73 78, A Otaegui (Esp) 76 75, M Schmid (am) (Ger) 77 74 
152 M Lafeber (Netherlands) 75 77, B Rumford (Australia) 77 75, P Oriol (Spn) 78 74, W Nienaber (SAf) 79 73, F Zanotti (Par) 75 77, N Tinning (Den) 78 74, M Campbell (Nzl) 78 74, A John (Ger) 80 72, A Arnaus (Spn) 79 73
153 S Brazel (Aus) 75 78, F Fleer (Ger) 74 79, H Ellis (Eng) 78 75, A Karlsson (Swe) 76 77, J Suri (USA) 77 76
154 T Murray (Eng) 79 75, Y Miyazato (Jpn) 78 76, J Morrison (Eng) 76 78
155 E De La Riva (Esp) 76 79, S Forsström (Swe) 79 76 
156 D Drysdale (Sco) 79 77 
157 M Manassero (Ita) 81 76, M Walz (Ger) 79 78 
158 F Bergamaschi (Ita) 77 81, D Borda (Spn) 79 79 
159 H Park (S Kor) 76 83,
** C Shinkwin (Eng) 77 RT, J Walters (SAf) 79 WD, V Dubuisson (Fra) 82 WD

Ends

 Justin Rose and Justin Timberlake team up for Alfred Dunhill Links
JUSTIN ROSE AND JUSTIN
 

TIMBERLAKE TEAM UP FOR


 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS

 

CHAMPIONSHIP


ST ANDREWS, September 5, 2019 – Multi-talented actor, musician and avid golfer Justin Timberlake, is to play for the first time in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, alongside World No 4 Justin Rose. 
 
Timberlake and Rose have paired before in the ATandT Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

Former World No 1 Rose has fond memories at the Alfred Dunhill Links, having finished runner-up in 2007.  The 2013 U.S. Open Champion and 2016 Olympic gold medallist looks to continue a solid 2019, following a win at the Farmers Insurance Open and a third place finish at the US Open at Pebble Beach. 

Justin Timberlake, a ten-time Grammy award-winning musician and four-time Emmy award-winning actor, has sold more than 32 million albums and 56 million singles, making him one of the most popular artists on the planet. He has been named twice by Time magazine as one the 100 most influential people in the world.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which takes place from September 26-29, celebrates links golf at its finest and is played over three of the world’s best known and respected courses – the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links.
With a prize fund of US$5 million, the Championship incorporates two separate competitions - an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and a team event in which the professionals are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers which creates a unique atmosphere.

This is the 35th year that Alfred Dunhill has supported golf at St Andrews, through the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and previously the Alfred Dunhill Cup. With the addition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation in 2011, millions have been raised for charity.
 
Admission is free for all spectators over the first three days with final day tickets on Sunday, September 29 available to purchase at the entrance gates for £20 (Concessions £15), or in advance here

 
Email from Bill Hogg
wbhogg2018@outlook.com
 
Can anyone help us trace Bill McHardy?
 
Dear Colin
 
I trust that you are hale and hearty and still keeping busy with your GolfView website which I log-into regularly for news of what’s happening in the local golf  scene, given down here in leafy Blairgowrie I am somewhat detached from NE golf these days!
 
My reason for thinking about you today is that I am due to meet up next week with a Cameron Blyth who was a member of Murcar Golf Club when I was a junior there in the late 1950’s prior to my joining Royal Aberdeen, mainly for reasons of practicality as being only around 12 years old then in the days before too many folk had access to motor cars, it was rather a long trek out to Murcar from the west-end of Aberdeen via two buses ending with a long walk down the farm road to finally reach the club!
 
Cameron is now aged 87 and I remember him well from back then he would have been in his mid-20’s.    He left Murcar in the early 1960’s when his career in the food supply industry took him down to Dunfermline where he has been ever since and has been a member of the main local club there at the Pitfirrane course, a fine parkland course with nice view over the nearby Firth of Forth.
 
We happened to meet up at his club a couple of months ago for the first time in around 60 years through a mutual connection and had a grand time reminiscing on the characters of the day then at Murcar such as Jack Booth, “Chapper” Thomson (Muriel’s father), Bill Connon among many others incl the club pro Bill McHardy, a most promising tour player who qualified for the Open a couple of times and had some further success locally but never progressed quite as far as his talents deserved .   
 
As well documented in the excellent Murcar Centenary book published in 2009, Bill eventually left Murcar in 1959 to further his career as a club pro, moving first to Brough and then to Hayling Island on the south coast before then moving overseas to the Middle East, then the Philippines before ending up in Queensland, Australia.
 
My query to you is if you have any way of finding out if Bill McHardy is still hopefully alive and well in Australia as he would now be aged 84 and despite various searches on-line, I can find no information on his whereabouts since 2009?   
 
Any information would be appreciated so that Cameron and I can resume our reminisces of happy times spent at Murcar back in those now far-off days!
  
Bill Hogg
 
 

Paul O'Hara wins Scottish PGA title at last …  after play-off against Alastair Forsyth
 
MARTIN DEMPSTER REPORTING
Paul O'Hara was crowned as the new Scottish PGA champion at Downfield today after ending a painful run of play-off defeats stretching back to 2004.
The 32-year-old North Lanarkshire Leisure-attached player beat overnight leader Alastair Forsyth at the second extra hole after the pair had tied on 15-under-par at the Dundee venue.
O'Hara signed off with a bogey-free 69 to finish with his 277 total, which Forsyth, the 2000 winner, was on course to beat until a double-bogey 7 at the 14th left him having to settle for a closing 71.
After halving the first hole in a sudden-death shoot-out, O'Hara claimed victory with a par at the second to claim his first title triumph in the Tartan Tour's flagship event.
"It is brilliant to win this event as it was almost getting like the Scottish Amateur, having lost three times in the final of that back in the day," he said of defeats in 2004, 2006 and 2009.
"It was starting to feel a bit similar in this event after I lost in a play-off to Gareth Wright in in 2016 then finished second last year.
"I tried really hard today to keep grinding away and to be make four birdies and also be bogey-free was very satisfying."
Forsyth, who started the day with a one-shot lead, fell agonisingly short in his bid to round off a brilliant season by adding to wins in both the Northern Open and the PGA Professional Championship.
"Big Al has been playing great this season and any time you finish ahead of him, you are going to be there or thereabouts," added O'Hara, who is teeing up in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in a fortnight's time.
"He's been on fire this season and it is good to finally manage to beat him as he seems to have been winning everything.
"It's not just him, though. There are so many good players on the circuit at the moment and you have to shoot the lights out to have a chance.
"This sort of completes the set of main titles for me in respect of the PGA as I won the Northern Open a couple of years ago and also the PGA Professional Championship.
"I was driving the ball great and you have to at Downfield. It's a course where you have to use your driver and that definitely suited me.
"I've got a busy few weeks coming up and this is a nice way to start that."
Former winner Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) finished third after a closing 67 for 278, three ahead of both Thomas Higson (Gleneagles Hotel) and Marc Owenson (Gullane).
----
Martin Dempster

JPIMedia Limited Registered in England and Wales no. 11573611
Registered Office: Third Floor, 1 King William Street, London EC4N 7AF
 

Dinwiddie hits the front at Open de Bretagne
 

 Venue: Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André, France
 
Day one report
Robert Dinwiddie tamed tough scoring conditions at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val-André to hold a narrow advantage after day one of the Open de Bretagne.
The 36-year-old carded an opening round of four under par 66 in just his second Challenge Tour start of the season to finish the day one shot clear of Icelandic duo Gudmundur Kristjansson and Birgir Hafthorsson.
The Englishman birdied three of his last six holes to move into the lead on a day where strong winds pummeled the seaside venue.
Runner-up at the 2013 edition of the tournament, Dinwiddie has made the most of his limited starts this season, finishing in the top 20 at his only other Challenge Tour appearance, the Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open.
His four-under-par total gives Dinwiddie the biggest first-round lead at a Challenge Tour event this year, and only 16 of the 156-man field broke par as sustained winds blew across the firm and fast venue throughout the day.
‘’I played really well and it’s nice to be back out playing,” the 36-year-old said. “I putted really well out there today and holed solid putts on six, seven and eight to finish it off nicely, so overall, I’m really happy with my performance out there today.
‘’I got just about everything I could out of my round today. I haven’t been able to play many Challenge Tour events because of my ranking but I feel like my game’s in a good place.
“I haven’t been able to put my game under this kind of scrutiny at this level for a while so I’m happy that I was able to hold it together and I’m hopeful that I can continue this form over the next few days.’’
Meanwhile, experience also paid off for Hafthorsson, who clinched the first, and still only, win by an Icelander on the Challenge Tour at the 2017 Open de Bretagne.
 Teeing up only his third Challenge Tour start this season, the former champion carded five birdies and two bogeys on day one to sit one back on three under par.
Looking to add to the Icelandic win tally as well is Kristjansson, who is searching for his first Challenge Tour victory following a successful stretch playing on the Nordic Golf League.
Starting in the first group of the day, the 26-year-old carded the best score of the morning wave, a three under par 67, which included six birdies and three bogeys, as many of the early starters struggled to break par.
Frederic Lacroix is the leading French player after an opening round of two under par 68 left him in a tie for fifth, with local amateur and Monday qualifier Victor Joffray sitting one shot further back.
 
FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOAD
Par 70
66 R Dinwiddie (Eng)

 67 G Kristjansson (Iceland) , B Hafthorsson (Iceland)
 

68 D Whitnell (Eng) , J Geary (NZ) , N Johansson (Swe) , M Helligkilde (Denmark) , F Lacroix (Fra)

69 F Nilehn (Swe) , M Kim (Kor) , M Armitage (Eng) , S Henry (Sco) , D Perrier (Fra) , J Lima (Portugal) , H Sturehed (Swe) , V Joffray (Fra) (am) 


 70 R De Sousa (Switz) , M Wiegele (Austria) , T Tree (Eng) , A Rozner (Fra) , J Stalter (Fra) , D Boote (Wales) , S Tarrio Ben (Spn) , A Cockerill (Canada)
 

71 A Tadini (Ita) , G King (Eng) , J Adarraga Gomez (Spn) , B Eccles (Australia) , G Bourdy (Fra) , D Van Driel (Netherlands), G Higgo (SAf) , J De Poyen (Fra) , R Evans (Eng) , R Kakko (Finland) , R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) , C Ross (Sco) , A Bihan (Fra) 

72 P McBride (Irel) , M Jordan (Eng) , C Mivis (Bel) , J Carlsson (Swe) , D Coupland (Eng) , J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) , J Kunzenbacher (Ger) , C Ford (Eng) , C Berardo (Fra) , M Cea (Ita) , J Brun (Fra) , T Linard (Fra) , J Wrisdale (Eng) , A Schwartz (Fra) , M Haastrup (Denmark) , K Hesbois (Belgium) , S Grant (Irel) , P Maddy (Eng) , O Lindell (Finland) , V Riu (Fra) 

73 J Thomson (Eng) , J Sainz (Spn) , J Coupade (Fra) , M Young (Eng) , R Mansell (Eng) , C Lloyd (Eng) , S Mazzoli (Ita) , C Gane (Eng) , C Maye (Fra) , B Spooner (Eng) , S Heisele (Ger) , O Lengden (Swe) , C Pigem (Spn) , M Lampert (Ger)  

74 R Roussel (Fra) , F Daux (Fra) , M Simonsen (Denmark) , S Tiley (Eng) , J Huldahl (Denmark) , S Fernandez (Spn) , R Dawson (Irel) , S Garcia Rodriguez (Spn) , S Gautier (Fra) , C Robb (Sco) , C Hill (Sco) , J Ruth (Eng) , E Dubois (Fra) , J Sjöholm (Swe) , D Huizing (Netherlands) , L Cohen-Boyer (Fra) , M Gradecki (Poland) , F Aguilar (Chile) , C Larcelet (am) (Fra) , J Ko (Fra) (am)  

75 A Saracino (Ita) , M Fenasse (Fra) , G Porteous (Eng) , L Scalise (Ita) , B Easton (SAf) , N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) , V Veyret (Fra) , M Baldwin (Eng) , R Højgaard (Denmark) , D Suchan (Czech) , M Radureau (Fra) , R Caron (Netherlands) , A Widemann (Fra) , G Stal (Fra) , M Carlsson (Swe) , A Leray  (Fra) (am) 

76 M Schneider (Ger) , L Lespinasse (Fra) , G Hurley (Irel) , M Ford (Eng) , R Jouven (Fra) , N Maheut (Fra) , S Matus (Cze) , J Quesne (Fra) , M Iten (Sui) , 

77 P Joyau (Fra) , J Kölbing (Ger) , N Geyger (Chile) , S Caturla (Fra) , A Velasco (Spn) , C Howie (Sco) , H Casey (Eng) , O Bekker (SAf) , J Dean (Eng) , M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) , A Bernadet (Fra) , R McGowan (Eng) , P Mejow (Ger) , W Besseling (Netherlands) , J Senior (Eng)

 78 P Lescastreyres (Fra) , M Mohr (Eng) , C Braeunig (Ger) , L Bem (Fra) , H Tisserand (Fra) , E España (Fra)


 79 A Ahokas (Finland) , P Gal (Czech) , J Lando Casanova (Fra) , B Neil (Sco)


80 J Bekirian (Fra) , F Laporta (Ita) , M Rion (Fra)


 81 S Gros (Fra) , G Havret (Fra) 


 82 B Virto (Spn) , M Eriksson (Swe) , H Joannes (Belgium) , R Le Bot (Fra) (am)  


 83 P Piedelievre (Fra) , U Coussaud (Fra) , P Beauvy  (Fra) (am) 


 84 P Baek (Denmark)  
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