EuroPro Tour Q School entry deadline extended

to 3pm this Wednesday

By ANTHONY LEAVER
A surge of late entries has prompted organisers to extend the closing dates for entry to the 2010 PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School to 3pm on Wednesday (March 24).
On-line entries are still being taken for stage one qualifying at both Slaley Hall, Northumberland and The Players Club, Bristol – players wishing to apply can do so at the official website: http://www.europrotour.com/
The successful graduates will go through to final stage qualifying at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire from 7-9 April and the chance to win exemption categories for the full 15 event schedule with total prize money of more than £650,000 at stake.
The closing date has also been extended until 3pm, Monday, March 29 for any members exempt through to final stage qualifying.
The PGA EuroPro Tour is the world's leading developmental tour and players to have come through the ranks include two-time European Tour winner Richard Finch.
The top 60 finishers at the end of the season will battle it out for the Tour Championship at Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus with the top five on the final Order of Merit securing a 2011 European Challenge Tour card.

Slaley Hall to stage EuroPro Tour event in late August

By ANTHONY LEAVER, PGA EuroPro Tour Press Officer
The PGA EuroPro Tour is delighted to announce that 2009 Tour Championship venue De Vere Slaley Hall will host a Tour event in August.
The Northumberland venue is one of three courses to host the first stage of Qualifying School in March and will open its doors to the players once more when they return from August 25-27.
“We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the PGA EuroPro Tour Championships at the end of last season and are delighted to further our involvement with the Tour this year,” said Daniel Hodson, Director of Golf and Leisure for De Vere.
“We are committed to supporting the game across all levels, from our new De Vere Club membership scheme which offers flexible membership to all eleven of our championship venues, to the PGA Seniors Championship and two PGA EuroPro Tour events, and we’re looking forward to another exciting season of championships in 2010.
"I am sure the EuroPro players will enjoy the different tests provided by the Hunting and Priestman courses, and will offer a great showcase of golf for the North-East.”
“It is great news that Slaley Hall will host a full tour event and I am delighted they are fast becoming a feature on the schedule,” said Danny Nickless, Operations Manager of the PGA EuroPro Tour. “Slaley Hall did a great job in hosting the Tour Championship and it Course will provide an early test for this year’s hopefuls at Q School as well as being a challenging obstacle as the Tour nears its conclusion in the autumn.”
Further events will be announced soon and entry for the 2010 PGA EuroPro Tour Q School is open via the link on the homepage of the official website – www.europrotour.com
For further information on the PGA EuroPro Tour, please contact Anthony Leaver – anthony.leaver@matchroom.com or on 01277 359930.

Galgorm Castle GC, Ballymena the venue

Northern Ireland stages its first EuroPr0 Tour event in June

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Galgorm Castle Golf Club is to host Northern Ireland’s first ever PGA EuroPro tour event - at the Ballymena venue from June 23-25.
Northern Ireland already boasts a rich golfing heritage with star names such as Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke currently flying the flag around the world.
However there hasn’t been a high profile professional golf event staged in the province since the Senior British Open was last played at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2004.
News that Northern Ireland’s inaugural PGA EuroPro Tour event will be played at Galgorm Castle within the next six months comes as welcome news and is a great chance for the general public to witness some of the game’s emerging stars first hand.
Galgorm Castle is already a proven venue and has hosted numerous professional events on the domestic Irish PGA circuit, while last year’s British Universities Championship was successfully staged over the championship course.
“We are absolutely delighted with the news,” said Gary Henry, General Manager, Galgorm Castle Golf Club. “Having already hosted domestic PGA tournaments and major celebrity events such as the George Best Golf Invitational, it is with great pleasure that we look forward to welcoming the leading European players from the PGA EuroPro Tour.”
“As a major international sporting occasion, the tournament will provide a great opportunity to showcase Galgorm Castle, Galgorm Resort & Spa and the general Ballymena area to a wider audience as Northern Ireland is once more placed in the global shop window.”
“I am delighted that the Tour is heading to Northern Ireland and Galgorm Castle Golf Club,” said Danny Nickless, Operations Manager of the PGA EuroPro Tour. “Northern Ireland is a passionate golfing country and Galgorm typifies the nation’s lust for the game – as challenging a course as the players will encounter this year and in a beautiful setting.”
The George Best Foundation will also be involved with the event - particularly the Pro-Am and gala dinner - to help raise funds for its many ongoing projects to help provide children with a better lifestyle through participation in sport.
The schedule for the 2010 PGA EuroPro Tour continues to take shape, with further courses to be announced this week including an exciting Tour Championship course. Entry for the Q School is open at www.europrotour.com.

Northumberland venue joins PGA EuroPro Tour schedule

By ANTHONY LEAVER
The 2010 EuroPro Tour schedule continues to take shape as Longhirst Hall Golf Club in Northumberland has signed a deal to host a tournament in June.
The Tour announced the first dates of next year’s schedule late in 2009 and the Morpeth club is the latest to be added to the schedule from 9-11 June.
Longhirst was formed in 1997 and features two superb 18-hole layouts. The EuroPr0 Tour event will take place over The Lakes course, which is designed with the Florida-style courses in mind. The Lakes course is not a long course but accuracy will play a major part in deciding the ultimate winner, with an abundance of lakes and water features coming into play on most holes.
“To bring an event of this stature to Longhirst Hall has been an objective since our opening in 1997,” said Graham Chambers, Longhirst Hall’s golf manager. “The North-east of England is a hot bed for golf, and we look forward to hosting golfers from all over the country. We have a unique course for them to test themselves on, and I'm sure they will find it demanding but enjoyable. We are excited also to be teaming up with Matchroom Sport and the PGA for the first time.”
“I am delighted that we have agreed a deal to take the Tour to Longhirst Hall,” said the Tour’s operations manager Danny Nickless. “We are always looking for new and exciting venues to host tournaments that will provide a stern test to the players, and Longhirst certainly fits the bill.”
Further events on the 2010 schedule will be announced shortly – entry for the Q School is now open at the official website www.europrotour.com

Quiros bidding to be a big hit again in

Commercialbank Qatar Masters

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ALAN EWENS
Doha (QATAR): After a hard-earned winter break, big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros will be out to defend his title when the 2010 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy is staged at Doha Golf Club from January 28-31.
Following a gruelling season that saw him compete in 26 European Tour events and end the year in 20th place in the rankings, the man with the biggest drive on the Tour has confirmed he will be back in the Qatari capital aiming to become the first golfer to successfully defend the Mother of Pearl trophy.
“I have to come back for two reasons,” said the 26 year-old Quiros (pictured). “One is I am the defending champion and the other is I truly believe the Gulf tournaments we play in Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the best three tournaments in a row that we play on the Tour.
“Qatar is a great place. The golf course, the food, the hotel – everything is good and I’m very comfortable there. Winning last year opened doors for me. It took me to 24th in the world and thanks to Qatar I was able to play my first full years of Majors. My other wins helped me but it’s fair to say Qatar was the last tier, the final push to get to the highest level in the world.”
Hassan Al Nuami, Chairman of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA), which stages the event in association with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), said having the champion confirm his appearance so early underlines the status of the tournament.
“I am delighted to hear Alvaro enjoyed his time with us last year,” he said. “Obviously he will remember his victory forever but to hear his positive comments about the city of Doha and the quality of Doha Golf Club gives us a great boost as we prepare for the thirteenth staging of the event in January.”
With an average drive of 314 yards, Quiros is the biggest hitter on the European Tour, a fact he believes helps any golfer with hopes of winning in Doha. “You look at some of the recent winners like Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and myself – the course obviously suits big hitters. But to win in Doha you still need to have a good all-round game.
“It will be tough to win it a second time – a lot of players on the Tour don’t even win one tournament – but I’m looking forward to it and to trying to play my way into the European Ryder Cup team.”

Andrew Stevens, CEO of title sponsors Commercialbank Group, was among the party of dignitaries who presented Quiros with the stunning trophy less than twelve months ago.
“Alvaro is wonderful golfer and a charming person,” said Stevens. “We should never forget that last year’s event rating, based on the Official World Golf Ranking of the entire field, was the highest of any regular Tour event excluding the Majors, World Golf Championship events and the flagship BMW PGA Championship.
“To win in that company says a lot for his qualities and emphasises the strength in depth of the young players competing today on the European Tour. I’m sure the galleries in Qatar will give him the kind of reception deserving of our reigning champion.”

Five dates confirmed for next year’s EuroPr0 Tour

The PGA EuroPro Tour is pleased to announce the first five of events on the 2010 Tour calendar.
The season kicks-off at Wensum Valley Golf and Country Club in Norwich on April 27-29 which is three weeks after the proposed date for the final stage of Qualifying School.
Burhill Golf Club staged their first EuroPro Tour event in July this year and welcomes the Tour back to Surrey on May 26-28.
Stoke by Nayland hosts their regular tournament on June 29-July 1 in Essex with Wychwood Park in Crewe on the agenda for August 10-12 and Five Lakes Hotel, Golf and Country Club in Colchester welcoming the players on September 8-10.
“The 2009 Tour was a great success and with a strong platform already in place for 2010 I feel next year will be even better,” said Danny Nickless, the Tour’s operations manager.
Further dates will be announced shortly along with full details on Qualifying School for the 2010 Tour.

EUROPRO TOUR REPORT

Scott Jamieson wins Order of Merit,

Paul Doherty jt 7th behind Simon Lilly

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Wellingborough's Simon Lilly carded a fantastic final round of 65 to win the PGA EuroPro Tour Championship at De Vere Slaley Hall, Northumberland today by seven shots at eight under par – securing his Challenge Tour card in the process.
Glasgow's Scott Jamieson clinched the Order of Merit title to lead the five qualifiers for next season's Challenge Tour.
Lilly played with the duo he shared the overnight lead with – Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall) and Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) – but as they struggled to build on the platform they had set, Lilly stormed out of the blocks with four birdies in the first six holes to seize the initiative.
He then matched that birdie salvo on the back nine by picking up a shot at the 10th then three straight birdies from the 13th moved him to nine under for the tournament before a minor blemish in the shape of a bogey at the last saw him finish at eight under par, seven shots ahead of Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park).
“Obviously with three of us tied for the lead I had winning in my mind and I thought that if I shot somewhere in the 60s I would be hard to beat, but to do that today was just unreal,” said Lilly, who finished fifth on the final Order of Merit standings with the £15,000 winner’s cheque to take the final Challenge Tour card.
“I always like being in contention and I was really looking forward to getting out there,” said the 32 year-old, who won the Tour Championship and Order of Merit on the 2004 EuroPro Tour. “I was happy with my game all week, really liked the lay-out of the course and there wasn’t a tee-shot I hit that I didn’t like.”
Hanson’s bid for the title was all over after dropping four shots in his first four holes. He eventually finished eight over for the day and in a tie for 18th spot, while Doherty went round in 75 to finish two over for the tournament and in a three-way tie for sixth with Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk) and Paul Maddy (Gog Magog), who shot a three under par 69 in his final round.
The respective slips from Hanson and Doherty opened the door for Surry to move through the field to take second spot with a two under par final round.
Following rounds of 74 and 71, Surry made his move on the front nine with three birdies and just one bogey – consolidating his position with a level par back nine.
Brian McElhinney (Team Ireland) carded a final round of 69 to finish level for the tournament and move into a tie for third spot with Steven Parry (Bolton). A closing 68 by Matthew Ford (Marriot Tudor Park) saw him claim fifth place at one over par – one stroke clear of Paul Maddy in sixth.
Glasgow's Scott Jamieson secured the Order of Merit title as the top three on the money list prior to the event remained the same, with Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) finishing second and Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) taking third spot.
The performances of Surry and Lilly saw them claim fourth and fifth spots respectively to form the quintet achieving their Challenge Tour cards for 2010 through the EuroPro Tour.
The top 15 on the money list will travel to Morocco in December to take part in the Samanah Masters 2009 Satellite Tours Grand Finale at the Samanah Country Club in Marrakesh.

Click here for the full final leaderboard from the Tour Championship: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro925/index.htm

Click here for the final Order of Merit standings from the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/poy/oom/index.htm

LEADING FINAL SCORES FROM DE VERE SLALEY HALL
Par 216 (3x72)
208 Simon Lilly 73 70 65 (£15,000).
215 Steve Surry 74 71 70 (£7,500).
216 Brian McElhinney 75 72 69, Steven Parry 73 73 70 (£2,650 each).
217 Matthew Ford 76 73 68 (£1,500).
218 Paul Maddy 73 76 69 (£1,300).
219 James Gill 79 69 71, Colin Roope 73 72 74, Paul Doherty 71 72 76 (£1,000 each).
Other Scots' scores, money:
222 Scott Jamieson 76 75 71 (17th) £460
223 Jack Doherty 73 74, 76 (jt 18th) £400.83
226 Lee Harper 75 77 74 (jt 31st) £292.50
227 Mark Kerr 76 80 71, Elliot Saltman 76 76 75, Duncan Stewart 78 77 72 (jt 33rd) £270
233 Lorne Kelly 78 77 78 (jt 48th) £205
238 Barry Hume 81 77 80 (jt 52nd) £187.50

FINAL TOP 15 ORDER OF MERIT
1 Scott Jamieson £23,492.25
2 Tom Haylock £22,972.41
3 Daniel Brooks £22,274.17
4 Steve Surry £20,922.50
5 Simon Lilly £20,407.02
6 Jack Doherty £17,218.79
7 Paul Dwyer £16,455.00
8 James Busby £15,935.00
9 Elliot Saltman £14,383.57
10 Paul Maddy £14,374.49
11 Graeme Clark £14,245.00
12 Sandeep Grewal £12,031.00
13 Nicky Harris £10,341.83
14 James Ruebotham £9,714.99
15 Matthew Ford £9,662.30

PGA EUROPRO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Paul Doherty shares lead with round

to go at De Vere Slaley Hall

By ANTHONY LEAVER

Scot Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel), pictured right, and Englishmen Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall) and Simon Lilly (Wellingborough) are joint leaders by two strokes at one under par in the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour Championships at De Vere Slaley Hall, Northumberland.
Hanson led by one stroke after his opening round of two-under-par 70 but he found his second round tougher going and a one-over 73 saw him drop to one under par 143.

The 24 year-old began well with birdies at the fourth and sixth holes moving him to four under, but a double-bogey at seven was followed by bogeys at eight and nine to move to level par – with three birdies and two bogeys on the back nine taking him to 73 for the day and one under after two rounds.
Lilly produced a fine round of 70 to join Hanson at the top of the leaderboard, beginning on the back nine with two birdies before dropping his only shot of the round at the second but making that back at the fourth to leave the 2004 Order of Merit winner in a very strong position after an opening round 73.
Completing the triumvirate in pole position for the £15,000 winner’s cheque is former Scottish boys' amateur match-play champion Paul Doherty who recorded a level par second round, thanks to cancelling out a pair of bogeys on the front nine with birdies at 11 and 12.
Level par was also the score that sees Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk) sit two strokes behind the leading trio at one over par.

Roope played in Hanson’s three-ball and endured an up-and-down day, recording his first birdie of the day at the fourth but then dropping three shots before the turn. The 29 year-old responded immediately though with back-to-back birdies from the tenth and picked up another birdie at 16 but a bogey at the last saw his deficit move from one stroke to two.
Roope will tee-off with Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park) in the final round after the Bath man carded a one under round of 71 to move to one over for the tournament. Surry – who won the opening event of the Tour back in May – began his second round on the back nine where he picked up three birdies and one bogey to move to level par after an opening round 74.

A fourth birdie of the day moved him to one under for the tournament but he slipped to one over with bogeys at the fourth and seventh holes.
Sandeep Grewal (ISM) will join Roope and Surry in the final round after a three over round of 75 dropped him to two over for the tournament.

Grewal is joined by Llewellyn Matthews (Southerndown GC) who also recorded a 75 and Steven Parry (Bolton) who recorded his second 73 of the tournament in eventful fashion with an eagle and three birdies spoiled by six bogeys, including a bogey-bogey finish.
At the end of the Tour Championships the top five in the Order of Merit progress onto the Challenge Tour for 2010, so with money list leader Scott Jamieson seven over for the tournament, the door is wide open for his rivals to pounce.

Currently lying in second spot is Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) who recorded a one over par round of 73 to sit in a three-way tie for 13th spot at four over. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) is in third spot on the money list but is struggling alongside Jamieson at seven over, so Paul Doherty's older brother Jack, playing out of North Gailes Golf Centre, Ayrshire, and Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) will consider themselves in the best position to capitalise at three over par, alongside Phil Worthington (Donnington Grove).
The final round of the Tour Championship from De Vere Slaley Hall begins at 8.15am on Thursday with the final three-ball of Paul Doherty and Hanson, Lilly teeing-off at 9.45am.

Live scoring from what promises to be a nail-biting final round in Northumberland is available via the Score Updates link at http://www.europrotour.com/, where you can find the full leaderboard after the opening two rounds.
BETTING LATEST
Chris Hanson is the 11/4 favourite with official bookmakers Sky Bet to win the Tour Championships. Simon Lilly is rated a 3-1 chance with Paul Doherty 100-30 to win.

To bet on the Tour Championships with Sky Bet, click on this link: http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoEvClass&id=34&aff=4527&EPT_Website

LEADING TWO-ROUND TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

143 S Lilly 73 70, P Doherty 71 72, C Hanson 70 73.

145 S Surry 74 71, C Roope 73 72.

146 S Parry 73 72, S Grewal 71 75, L Matthews 71 75.

147 B McElhinney 75 72, J Doherty 73 74, P Dwyer 73 74, P Worthington 73 74.

Other Scots' scores:

=24 Scott Jamieson +7 76, 75 - 151
=31 Lee Harper +8 75, 77 - 152
=31 Elliot Saltman +8 76, 76 - 152
=43 Lorne Kelly +11 78, 77 - 155
=43 Duncan Stewart +11 78, 77 - 155
49 Mark Kerr +12 76, 80 - 156
51 Barry Hume +14 81, 77 - 158

PGA EUROPROTOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Paul Doherty (71) one off the pace at Slaley Hall

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Chris Hanson drew first blood at the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour Championship at De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland today.
He holds a one-stroke lead with an opening round of two-under-par 70.
Hanson (Woodsome Hall) began his round on the back nine and quickly moved to two under par after four holes. Bogeys at the 18th and second holes put him back to level par before birdies at the fourth and eighth holes saw him card one of just four rounds under par in tough conditions in the North-east of England.
“I knew that a score around level would be good – so I’m pleased to have got in under par,” said Hanson. “I was a couple under early on but dropped those shots but getting an easy birdie at the fourth and another one at the eighth was pleasing and I hit a couple of good shots on the ninth to walk off at two under.”
Hanson has missed the cut in his last two events on the Tour but sits in a promising position at Slaley Hall and says he’s aware of what he needs to do to come out on top.
“The key for me in the final two rounds will just be to be as patient as I can be,” said the 24 year-old.
Former Scottish boys match-play champion Paul Doherty (North Gailes), Sandeep Grewal (ISM) and Llewellyn Matthews (Southerndown GC) all carded 71s to sit on Hanson’s shoulder after the opening exchanges.
Doherty will feel aggrieved after bogey-bogey finish saw him slip from a leading position after recording five birdies in his round, while Grewal will be full of confidence after winning the PartyPoker.com International Open at Fairmont St. Andrews. He will look at an eagle on the par-5 fourth hole as the key to his good start to the event.
Matthews can claim the best comeback of the day after starting his round with an 8 on the par-4 10th. He recovered with five birdies to shoot a fine round of 71.
Adam Frayne (St Mellion) sits alone in fifth spot at level par 72 after cancelling out four birdies, with three in his opening four holes. He is one stroke ahead of a group of nine players at one over par – Phil Worthington (Donnington Grove), Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk), Ian Keenan (Royal Liverpool), Simon Lilly (Wellingborough), Graeme Clark (Doncaster), Paul Maddy (Gog Magog), Steven Parry (Bolton), Jack Doherty (North Gailes) and Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe).
With much of the focus at the Tour Championship is on the top of the Order of Merit, Jack Doherty and Dwyer know that victory and the £15,000 winner’s cheque that goes with it could secure top spot from their respective fourth and fifth positions with money list leader Scott Jamieson perhaps opening the door to his rivals after an opening round 76 left him at four over. Jamieson is playing with closest competitors Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd – second) and Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill – third) but neither managed to capitalise with Brooks matching Jamieson’s score and Haylock going round in 75.
The second round of the Tour Championship from De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland begins at 8.15am tomorrow with live scoring available at http://www.europrotour.com/.

FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
70 Chris Hanson (Eng).
71 Paul Doherty (Sco), Sandeep Grewal (Eng), Llewellyn Matthews (Wal).
Other Scots scores:
73 Jack Doherty (jt 6th).
75 Lee Harper (jt 17th).
76 Mark Kerr, Scott Jamieson, Elliot Saltman (jt 23rd).
78 Lorne Kelly, Duncan Stewart (jt 36th).
81 Barry Hume (jt 50th).

Jamieson and Surry joint favourites

for EuroPro Tour Championship

PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit leader Scott Jamieson from Glasgow tops the ante-post betting list for the 2009 Tour Championship at De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland, beginning tomorrow (Tuesday, October 27).

The Scot, pictured, a former US college circuit player for four years as a student at Augusta State University, leads the money list by less than £1,000 as the top 60 players on the Order of Merit battle it out for the £15,000 winner’s cheque

Jamieson is 10-1 joint favourite with Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park) to claim victory in the final event of the 2009 Tour.
Victory in the event would secure top spot on the Order of Merit for Jamieson, and he is a 4-9 chance to top the money list for the 2009 season. Second spot belongs to Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) who is 14-1 to win the event and 4-1 to claim top spot on the money list.

To bet on the Tour Championship at De Vere Slaley Hall, click here to visit Sky Bet: http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoEvClass&id=34&aff=4527&EPT_Website

Live scoring from the Tour Championship will be available at http://www.europrotour.com/ when the event begins on Tuesday morning.

Three Scots in top eight at EuroPro Tour event in Fife

Grewal beats Lloyd Saltman in play-off for

£10,000 prize at Torrance Course

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Sandeep Grewal defied high winds in Fife to win The PartyPoker.com International Open over the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews - beating Lloyd Saltman in a play-off after recording the only below par round of the day with a fantastic 67, eight shots fewer than the Scot, to tie with him on four-under-par 212.
Grewal beat Saltman at the second hole of a sudden death play-off to capture the £10,000 prize. Saltman received £5,000 for finishing second.
After the first two rounds Grewal (ISM) was 10 shots off the lead at one over par and never in the frame for victory, but he kicked off with birdies on the first and third holes today, then really put his foot down on the back nine, with an eagle on the ninth followed by three straight birdies. A double bogey on the 14th checked his progress, but he was in the clubhouse at four under 212 after shooting the only under par round of the day over the testing Torrance Course in incredibly high winds.
“It was just one of those days for me,” said the 27 year-old. “On the first I pulled my tee shot, got it back on track then holed a seven iron from 120 yards, and on the ninth I drove well and pitched-in another seven iron for an eagle.”
Grewal began the day in 73rd spot on the Order of Merit before the tournament began and knew the pressure was on to climb that list in order to get into the Tour Championship: “My aim was for top 60 and even after the eagle and the three birdies I was just thinking ‘just stay solid and I could get a top five place,’ said the Wirral man.
“I was playing well and just focusing on that rather than thinking that conditions were tough and that I might be in contention with the rest of the guys still having plenty of holes to play. Even after my double bogey, when I saw that I was just one behind, I didn’t get over-excited as I was just in the zone and forgot about everything else.”
Lloyd Saltman (Aegon) recorded a final round 75 to join Grewal in a play-off, and the Liverpudlian got the better of the Scot on the second trip down 18 – reward for his hard work pre-season.
“On the first play-off hole I sank an eight-footer to keep the thing going and then at the next I had a fifteen-footer first and holed it for par and Lloyd had a ten-footer and lipped out,” said Grewal, who had earned just £1331 before collecting the £10,000 winner’s cheque.
“I just approached it as match-play and went for it, and I got that bit of luck but I think my round deserved it”
“Last year was terrible for me but I put in a lot of work over the winter and I’ve been playing very nicely, even though my scores this year don’t reflect it,” he said, referring to near-misses at Faithlegg and Five Lakes.
Overnight leader Busby’s (The Shropshire) round began in the toughest way with two bogeys in his opening two holes but he steadied the ship somewhat with four pars and a birdie through the seventh. But it was all downhill from there for the man in eighth spot on the Order of Merit before the event began as he picked up three bogeys from the eighth. Although he stopped the rot with a birdie at the 13th he dropped three more shots over the closing holes, including bogeys at the 17th and 18th, for a round of 78.
Busby finished on 213 - one behind Grewal and Saltman so that bogey-bogey finish cost him the title.
Busby’s closest challenger going into the final round was Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) and like his playing partner, he was never going to recover from a disastrous start with a triple-bogey 7 at the first.
Haylock – who remains in second spot in the money list – grabbed one stroke back at the third but dropped three more shots on the back nine to shoot 67 and join Busby in a tie for third spot.
Walker Cup player Wallace Booth finished in fifth place, carding a six over par 78 to finish at one under for the tournament, one stroke ahead of trio Nick McCarthy (Moortown), Nicky Harris (Whitefield GC) and Craig Lee who finished on level par for the tournament.
Ryder Cup star Ronan Rafferty finished in a three-way tie for ninth spot at two over par, starting the final round three under and carding a final round of 77. Paul Dwyer’s (Clitheroe) level final round is worth much more in the conditions and he joins Rafferty and Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range) in ninth spot.
Aside from the title and prize money, places in the top 60 and places on the Tour Championship were up for grabs, with Brendon McCarroll finishing in 60th spot after an joint 28th finish in Scotland and 61st man Gareth Davies ruing missing the cut at Fairmont St Andrews.
To view the full Leaderboard from The PartyPoker.com International Open and the Order of Merit standings ahead of the Tour Championship, visit www.europrotour.com.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
212 S Grewal 72 73 67, L Saltman 68 69 75 (Grewal, £10,000, bt Saltman, £5,000, at second hole of sudden-death play-off).
213 D Brooks 68 68 77, J Busby 66 69 78 (£2,100 each).
215 W Booth 71, 66, 78 (£1,400)
216 C Lee 69, 71, 76, N McCarthy 70 71 75, N Harris 70 70 76 (£1,033.33 each).
218 P Dwyer 71 75 72, R Rafferty 71 70 77, M Collins 69 72 77 (£800 each).
Selected scores:
219 J Doherty 75 66 78, G Dear 71 76 72, P Doherty 72 73 74, L Harper 74 72 73 (jt 12th) (£507.50 each).
222 G Murray 71 75 76 (jt 31st) (£287.50).
223 L Kelly 70 75 78 (jt 35th) (£272.50).
224 J Gallagher 72 72 80 (jt 38th) (£255)
225 C Kelly 72 75 78 (jt 42nd) (£232.50).

PGA EuroPro Tour Report

Wallace Booth jumps into contention

with four-birdie start at Fairmont

By ANTHONY LEAVER
James Busby maintained his one stroke lead with a round of 67 to move to nine under par ahead of the final round of The PartyPoker.com International Open at Fairmont St Andrews on the PGA EuroPro Tour – the last event for players to claim top 60 places for the Tour Championship.
Busby (The Shropshire) held the overnight lead after opening the tournament with a round of 66 on Wednesday and turned in a faultless round with two birdies on the front nine followed by another on the 15th for his 67. He will tee off just before lunchtime with Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) who began on the back nine and was level through the turn, before picking up four birdies in his last five holes to record his second 68 of the event to sit pretty on eight under par.
Rookie pro Wallace Booth, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, jumped into contention thanks to a fantastic start with four birdies in his first four holes after starting the day one under. He dropped a shot at the sixth but further birdies at the seventh, 11th and 12th to see the Walker Cup player from Comrie card a brilliant 66 to move to seven under for the tournament.
A birdie at 18 sees Lloyd Saltman (Aegon) join his fellow Scot on seven under, the sixth birdie of his round of 69 following an opening round of 68.
There’s a three shot gap from the duo tied in third to the pair in fifth at four under, with Craig Lee and Nicky Harris (Whitefield GC) the duo five shots behind Busby. Lee had to battle hard for his one under round of 71, starting with two bogeys and kicking off his back nine double bogey-bogey, but he managed six birdies in all with two in his last two holes to be in the mix on the final day. Harris started with a double bogey but he rallied with four birdies and an eagle to record back-to-back rounds of 70.
Jack Doherty (North Gailes) matched Booth’s round of 66 thanks to six unanswered birdies to lead a group of four players on three under. Former Ryder Cup winner Ronan Rafferty began the day at one under but started on the back nine and went through the turn two over for the day – but rolled back the years with four birdies in five holes to card a round of 70.
Nick McCarthy (Moortown) and Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range) are the other two players who join Doherty and Rafferty thanks to rounds of 71 and 72 respectively.
Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) sits in second place on the Order of Merit but was unable to build on his four under par opening round, carding a 74 to drop to two under – with Daniel Gaunt (Burhill GC) matching him round-for-round and joining him in joint 11th place.
Fifty players made the cut at three over and the final round of The PartyPoker.com International Open at Fairmont St Andrews gets underway at 8.30am with the final pairing of Busby and Brooks teeing-off at 11.50am.
The full Leaderboard and live scoring from the final round is available at http://www.europrotour.com/ via the Score Updates link.
LEADING SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
135 J Busby 66 69.
136 D Brooks 68 68.
137 L Saltman 68 69, W Booth 71 66.
140 C Lee 69 71, N Harris 70 70.
141 M Collins 69 72, N McCarthy 70 71, R Rafferty 71 70, J Doherty 75 66.
Selected scores:
143 M Kerr 72 71 (jt 13th).
144 J Gallagher 72 72 (jt 18th).
145 L Kelly 70, 75, P Doherty 72 73, P McKechnie 72 73 (jt 23rd).
146 G Murray 71 75, L Harper 74 72 (jt 31st).
147 C Kelly 72 75, G Dear 71 76 (jt 44th).
MISSED THE CUT
148 G Wolstenholme 73 75, K McNicoll 75 73.
149 G Brown 73 76, Shaun McAllister 79 70.
150 B Hume 74 76, E Saltman 77 73, G Lornie 73 77.
151 Z Saltman 74 77, S Gray 75 76.
152 A Oldcorn 76 76, G Rankin 77 75.
153 A Purdie 74 79.
155 S Hume 81 74, F Valenti 76 79.
158 G Hutcheon 79 79.
164 S Mackie 83 81.

Busby clickety-clicks to lead by two in EuroPro

Tour event at Fairmont St Andrews

By ANTHONY LEAVER
James Busby shot an opening round 66 to lead by two strokes at six under par in The PartyPoker.com International Open at Fairmont St Andrews today in the final event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour before the Tour Championship.
Busby (The Shropshire) sits in eighth spot on the Order of Merit and seven birdies in a devastating burst over eight holes saw him shoot a six under round at the Fife venue.
Busby has been in hot form in the second part of 2009, winning The Pandora Open on the EuroPro Tour in August at Burhill GC and more recently winning Stage One of European Tour Qualifying School at Chart Hills.
At Fairmont, he began on the back nine with four pars but picked up four birdies in the last five holes before picking up three more birdies from the first hole – his tenth – to move to seven under, dropping his only shot at the fifth hole to finish with a 66.
Five players sit two strokes behind Busby including second placed Order of Merit man Tom Haylock and Daniel Gaunt – with the latter stringing together a fantastic late run to rescue his round. Gaunt (Burhill GC) was level at the turn after starting on the back nine, but a double bogey and a bogey at the first and second holes left him three over par with seven holes to play. The Australian rallied brilliantly though, with an eagle at the third followed by five consecutive birdies to see him finish with a round of 68.
Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) was also level at the turn after starting on the back nine and picked up back-to-back birdies at three and four then eight and nine in his round of 68.
Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) is in third spot on the money list and like Haylock had a pair of birdies in his closing two holes to thank for his 68, while Lloyd Saltman (Aegon) and Stephen Grant (Grant Engineering) picked up six and seven birdies respectively to sit at four under after the opening day.
Craig Lee, Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range), James Gill (New Zealand) and former world No 1 amateur Scott Arnold are one stroke further behind after three under rounds of 69 – themselves one shot ahead of a quartet on two under par.
Former Ryder Cup star Ronan Rafferty enjoyed a solid opening round with a solitary birdie enough to see him finish with a round of 71. David Clark (Morpeth GC) would have liked some of Rafferty’s experience to have rubbed off on him, going through the turn at five under par but taking an 8 on the par-4 10th, then picking up four more bogeys in a round of 75.
The second round of The PartyPoker.com International Open from Fairmont St Andrews begins at 7.50am on Thursday morning, with live scoring available at http://www.europrotour.com/ via the Score Updates link, where you can also find the full Leaderboard from the opening round.

SCOREBOARD
Par 72
66 James Busby.
68 Daniel Gaunt, Tom Haydock, Daniel Brooks, Lloyd Saltman, Stephen Grant.
69 Michael Collins, James Gill, Craig Lee, Scott Arnold.
70 Nick McCarthy, Francis McGuirk, Nicky Harris, Lorne Kelly.
71 George Woolgar, Paul Dwyer, George Murray, Ronan Rafferty, Wallace Booth, Jamie Howarth, Rob Harris, Colin Roope, Ian Keenan, Gavin Dear.
72 Graham Benson, John Gallagher, Paul Reed, Jason Kelly, Paul McKechnie, Simon Lilly, Chris Kelly, Mark Kerr, Paul Doherty, Adam Frayne, Steve Surry, Matthew Evans, Sandeep Grewall, Tim Dykes, Brendan McCarrol.
Selected scores:
73 Graeme Lornie, Graham Brown, Gary Wolstenholme (jt 40th).
74 Alan Purdie, Zack Saltman, Lee Harper.
75 Stephen Gray, Jack Doherty, Keir McNicoll (jt 63rd).
76 Andrew Oldcorn (jt 74th).
77 Graham Rankin, Elliot Saltman (jt 92nd).
79 Greig Hutcheon (jt 106th).
81 Steven Hume (119th).
126 players in the field.

Dear, Booth and McNicoll in Fairmont St

Andrews field for EuroPro Tour event

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA EUROPRO TOUR
The final event of the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour takes place at Fairmont St Andrews next week, offering players the last chance to make it into the top 60 and the Tour Championship.
The PartyPoker.com International Open begins on Wednesday, October 7 and the line-up for the climax to the 2009 Tour will be set after Friday’s final round. It seems fitting that the final event of the year takes place at the home of golf given the strong showing that Scottish golfers have made on the Tour this year.
Glasgow’s Scott Jamieson leads the Order of Merit and is joined in the top six by two fellow countrymen – fourth placed Jack Doherty (North Gailes) and Elliot Saltman in sixth spot (Aegon).
Jamieson beat Saltman in a play-off at The PartyPoker.com European Championship at Prince’s GC in June and his second win on the Tour came in August at The ABC Solutions UK Championship at Wychwood Park.
Doherty scooped the second event of the year back in May, winning the Green 17 Faithlegg Championship at Faithlegg GC in Ireland and two third place finishes in August in The Pandora Open at Burhill GC and The Formby Hall Classic (tied) saw him secure a top five spot and exemption to the second phase of European Tour Qualifying School.
Saltman achieved the same status, thanks to Jamieson’s position of in the Challenge Tour rankings, and the powerful 27 year-old has recorded some of the most impressive individual rounds this year, with a course record 65 at Formby Hall.
However, victory has eluded Saltman so far, with his runners-up berth to Jamieson in Kent following his tie for second in the opening event at Collingtree Park.
Jamieson’s lead at the top of the money list is a slender one, with just over £1,000 between him and Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) in second place. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) is in third spot while Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) sits between Doherty and Saltman in fifth position.
Aside from the current crop of EuroPro players striving for a top 50 spot, interest comes from an impressive list of invited players.
Top of the pile is 1989 Ryder Cup player Ronan Rafferty who won the Order of Merit in that year and has seven European Tour wins to his name.
He is joined by ex-European Tour pro Paul Eales. Scot Paul McKechnie returns to the Tour after winning the 2002 Tour Championship and Order of Merit, and European and Asian Tour man Craig Lee recently topped the European Tour Qualifying School at Dundonald Links.
Three Scots in Great Britain and Ireland’s 2009 Walker Cup also take part on home turf, with team members Gavin Dear and Wallace Booth joined by squad man Keir McNicoll.
Live scoring of The PartyPoker.com International Open begins on Wednesday morning at www.europrotour.com, where you can also find the full list of entries for the event and the current Order of Merit standings.

Leading EuroPro Tour players earn

additional Morocco finale

The top 15 players on the final Order of Merit on this year’s PGA EuroPro Tour will battle it out for a €70,000 prize pool in the Samanah Masters 2009 Satellite Tours Grand Finale at the Samanah Country Club in Marrakesh.
With October’s Tour Championship venue to be announced shortly, the Samanah Masters 2009 is an added bonus for this year’s top performers, who will meet their counterparts from the Alps, Nordic and EPD Tours plus the top three from the Royal Moroccan Pro Tour in the 54-hole tournament which will start on December 8 in Morocco.
The first prize of €10,000 will go to the winner of the tournament at the Jack Nicklaus designed course which will finish on December 10 – with an opening pro-am on December 6 and a closing pro-am on December 11.
“I am delighted that we can offer the cream of this year’s crop the chance to test themselves against the best players from the Alps Tour, the Nordic Tour and the EPD Tour,” said Danny Nickless, the Operation Manager of the Tour. “Samanah Country Club is a fantastic setting for such a great event and it’s a tribute to the quality of the PGA EuroPro Tour that our players will be taking part in this exiting climax to the golfing year.”
The final event on the main Tour is The PartyPoker.com International Open 2009 at Fairmont St Andrews in Scotland on October 7, followed by the Tour Championship.

PGA EUROPRO TOUR REPORT

Whiffin blows hot for Five Lakes victory

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Sean Whiffin claimed victory in The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club & Spa, shooting a fine level par final round in windy conditions to finish on three under for the tournament and win by three strokes.
Whiffin (The Hertfordshire G&CC) began the day two strokes behind overnight leader Paul Reed (Bristol & Clifton GC) but like so many others, Reed found the wind too strong and soon dropped down the field. In contrast, Whiffin parred the first seven holes while those around him faltered, and after exchanging three birdies for three bogeys in six holes from the eighth, he carded a level par 71 to follow rounds of 69 and 70 and be rewarded for his solid golf in trying conditions with the £10,000 winner’s cheque.
“It was very windy out there, pretty much at the limit without being called in I reckon,” said the 28 year-old, invited to play his first event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour. “I played well out there though, I knew I had to keep out of trouble and I did just that.”
“I practiced a lot on my short game and putting beforehand – that was always going to be the key out there as in those conditions you are going to miss greens,” said the Hertfordshire man after claiming his first win on the EuroPro Tour after playing over 70 events since 2002 – he currently leads the Order of Merit on the PGA East Region.
Reed ended his chances of victory with a run of four bogeys and a double bogey from the fourth hole to but he managed to pick up three birdies on the back nine, eventually finishing five over for the day but level for the tournament and taking second place, thanks largely to a 66 in his second round.
Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) was the only man to break par in the final round, mastering the wind to pick up five birdies in a one under round of 71 – securing a share of third spot that moves him into the top five of the Order of Merit at the expense of Elliot Saltman and the current top five of Scott Jamieson, Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd), Jack Doherty and Dwyer entering stage two of Q School for the European Tour. Order of Merit leader Jamieson currently shares the lead in the DHL Wroclaw Open in Poland after two rounds.
Matthew Ford (Marriott Tudor Park), Matthew Evans (Rotherham) and Brian McElhinney (Team Ireland) join Dwyer in third spot. Evans looked to be pushing for victory after starting the day at two under and moving through the front nine at level par. A double bogey at the 12th halted his progress though and he lost further ground with back-to-back bogeys from 15 to finish with a 75.
Ford won The Brooks Brothers 2008 Classic and remained in contention to retain his title when he birdied the tenth to remain level for the day after starting at three under. McElhinney partnered Reed in the final pairing of the day after starting one stroke behind the overnight leader, but was five over at the turn and eventually recorded a 77.
Four players shared seventh spot, with Mark Ramsdale (Formby GC) left frustrated by two double bogeys on the back nine after five birdies in his final round, eventually finishing with a 73 to finish three over for the tournament. Francis McGuirk (Prince’s GC) picked up four birdies in his round of 72 to join Ramsdale, with Anthony Tarchetti (Prince’s GC) and Gary Carter carding rounds of 74 and 76 respectively to complete the quartet.
To view the full final Leaderboard from The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club & Spa click here: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro99/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
To view the Order of Merit after the 11 events on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour click here: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/poy/oom/index.htm

FINAL SCORES FROM THE BROOKS BROTHERS 2009 CLASSIC
1 Sean Whiffin 69, 70, 71 210 -3 £10,000
2 Paul Reed 71, 66, 76 213 Lvl £5,000
=3 Paul Dwyer 76, 69, 70 +2 215 £1,700
=3 Matthew Evans 68, 72, 75 +2 215 £1,700
=3 Matthew Ford 70, 69, 76 +2 215 £1,700
=3 Brian McElhinney 72, 66, 77 +2 215 £1,700
=7 Francis McGuirk 74, 70, 72 +3 216 £887.50
=7 Mark Ramsdale 73, 70, 73 +3 216 £887.50
=7 Anthony Tarchetti 72, 70, 74 +3 216 £887.50
=7 Gary Carter 72, 68, 76 +3 216 £887.50
SCOTS' SCORES
11 Paul Doherty 74, 67, 76 217 +4 £700
=14 Lee Harper 70, 70, 78 218 +5 £525
=30 Jack Doherty 71, 71, 79 221 +8 £290
=39 Barry Hume 73, 71, 79 223 +10 £250
=42 Mark Kerr 76, 71, 77 224 +11 £235
=50 Steven Mackie 68, 78, 81 227 +14 £197.50

PGA EuroPro Tour in Essex

Paul Reed clickety-clicks to lead by one at Five Lakes

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Paul Reed holds a one stroke lead at five under par going into the final round of The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club & Spa in Essex.
Reed (Bristol & Clifton GC) shot a level par opening round of 71 but made short work of improving on that with a fast start to his second round. He picked up five birdies and one bogey on the front nine to go out at four under and a sixth birdie of the day at the last saw him take sole possession of the lead with a round of 66.
Reed currently sits back in 88th spot on the Order of Merit, so he may have timed his form to perfection as the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour draws to a close.
McElhinney (Team Ireland) matched Reed’s round of 66 to sit one stroke behind him going into Friday’s final round after starting the second round at one over. The Irishman roared down the front nine and picked up four birdies to move to three under for the tournament at the turn.
A fifth birdie of the day at the tenth saw him move to four under and he managed to stay there after dropping a shot at the 12th – picking up his sixth birdie of the day at the last to shoot 66.
Nicky Harris and Sean Whiffin began the day tied in fourth spot and sit in a three-way tie for third after both carding one under rounds of 70.
Harris (Whitefield GC) sits just outside the top ten in 12th spot on the Order of Merit and could make significant strides with a high finish in Essex, picking up three birdies and two bogeys in his second round effort.
Whiffin dropped to one under through 13 holes with three bogeys and two birdies before stringing three birdies together from the 14th to move briefly to four under before dropping a shot at the 17th.
Matthew Ford is the third player in third spot – aiming to win back-to-back Brooks Brothers Classic titles after winning at Five Lakes in 2008. Ford (Marriott Tudor Park) began the day at one under par and picked up two birdies with a bogey on both nines to shoot 69 and join Harris and Whiffin.
Sandeep Grewal (Heswall) joined Reed and McElhinney in shooting 66 to move to two under for the tournament, where he is joined by Lee Harper (Archerfield Links), Gary Carter and overnight co-leader Matthew Evans (Rotherham GC).
Round of the day belonged to Adam Frayne who set a new course record with his eight under 63 to move to one under for the tournament.
Frayne (St Mellion) picked up five birdies in his front nine with a sixth at the tenth to move to six under. He dropped a shot at the 12th but three birdies in his last four holes saw him home in a remarkable score which puts him in contention on the final day. He is joined by another overnight co-leader Andrew Shakespear (Five Lakes), Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel), Ian Keenan (Royal Liverpool) and Jason Kelly (Wentworth) in a tie for tenth place.
Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) turned his tournament around with a fine second round 65 to move to level par for the tournament.
Brooks looked in danger of missing out on the chance to improve on his third place in the Order of Merit after shooting a 77 on Wednesday and fared little better at the start of his second round, picking up two birdies after starting on the back nine but dropping those shots at 16 and 17 to be level for the day through the front nine. But the 22 year-old eagled the third and grabbed three birdies from the fourth and another birdie at the last to record a six under second round.
Fourth placed man Jack Doherty (North Gailes) joins Brooks at level par (=15th), while second placed man Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) is two over for the tournament (=25th), but Elliot Saltman (Aegon) will not be in action after finishing on seven over.
Fifty-six players made the cut at five over and the final round of The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club & Spa in Essex gets underway at 8am with the final pairing of Reed and McElhinney teeing-off at 12.13pm.
The full Leaderboard is available at http://www.europrotour.com/ via the Score Updates link, where live scoring of the conclusion to the 11th event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour will be available.
SCOTS' SCORES
Par 142 (2x71)
Lee Harper 70, 70 -2
Paul Doherty 74, 67 -1
Jack Doherty 71, 71 Lvl
Barry Hume 73, 71 +2
Steven Mackie 68, 78 +4
Mark Kerr 76, 71 +5
MISSED THE CUT
Elliot Saltman 74, 75 +7
Steven Hume 75, 75 +8
Zack Saltman 77, 75 +10
Shaun McAllister 80, 72 +10
Chris McCalman 79, 74 +11
John Gallagher 78, 76 +12
Lorne Kelly 81, 73 +12
Ross Cameron 75, 80 +13

Steven Mackie shares lead in PGA EuroPro Tour event

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Three players share the lead at three under par after the opening round of The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club and Spa in Essex – the 11th event of the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour.
Andrew Shakespear (Five Lakes) began superbly with birdies at the second and third holes of his home course, and moved to four under with an eagle at the tenth – a bogey followed at the 11th to see him card a three under round of 68 on his EuroPro Tour debut.
Matthew Evans (Rotherham GC) had an eventful round, starting on the back nine with a birdie at the tenth, and going through the turn at two under par thanks to birdies at the 15th and 18th after dropping a shot at 12. He moved to three under with a fourth birdie at the second but followed that double bogey at the fifth to drop to one under. A strong finish was required and that’s exactly what the Rotherham man delivered, birdies at the seventh and ninth to finish with a 68.
Steven Mackie (Dunnikier Park GC) also started on the back nine and moved to his penultimate hole of the day at four under before a double bogey at the eighth threatened to spoil his day. Mackie brushed himself off and recorded his fifth birdie of the day at the ninth to grab a share of the lead with Shakespear and Evans.
James Mason (Rotherham GC) is one stroke behind the leaders but will feel he should at least have a share of the lead after spoiling the end of a promising opening round. Mason picked up three birdies in his opening 15 holes after starting on the back nine, but recorded back-to-back bogeys from the seventh to drop to one under – a birdie at the ninth seeing him record a round of 69.
The ninth hole was pivotal in allowing Sean Whiffin and Nicky Harris to join Mason in fourth spot after both men started on the back nine. Whiffin endured a tricky start to his round, recording two birdies and three bogeys in to go through the turn at one over par. The start of the front nine was more to his taste and he picked up three birdies from the first to move to two under but he dropped to level after bogeys at the seventh and eighth holes. He was not to be denied his place one stroke behind the leaders though and recorded an eagle three at the par-five ninth to finish an eventful round on 69.
Harris (Whitefield GC) kicked his round off with two birdies but like Whiffin found himself at one over par after nine holes with bogeys at the 12th, 17th and 18th. An eagle at the third hole put his round back on track and his birdie at the ninth saw him join Whiffin and Mason in fourth spot.
Last year’s Brooks Brothers Classic winner Matthew Ford (Marriott Tudor Park) is one of three players at one under for the tournament – Ford recording three birdies and two bogeys in his round of 70. James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City GC) carded the same tally in his opening effort, while Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) picked up three birdies on the back nine after going through the front nine two over par, a double bogey at the third the blot on his card.
It was a windy day in Essex which made conditions tough for the players, and the pressure is great with the prize money up for grabs crucial to the Order of Merit places – and the players at the top of the money list all endured disappointing first rounds. Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) moved into second spot with his victory at Formby Hall in Liverpool last week and with Order of Merit leader Scott Jamieson playing on the Challenge Tour this week the door looked open for him to take over at the top, but an opening round of 75 leaves him with plenty of work to do at four over.
Haylock was playing with pre-tournament favourite Elliot Saltman (Aegon) who currently sits in fifth place on the money list, but the 11/1 shot with Sky Bet was only able to shoot a round of 74. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) is in third place but went round in 77 in his first round, so after the initial exchanges it looks like fourth place man Jack Doherty (North Gailes) could be the player to watch at the top of the Order of Merit, finishing with a level par 71.
To view the full Leaderboard from The Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic at Five Lakes Golf, Country Club and Spa, visit http://www.europrotour.com/ and click on the Score Updates link on the homepage.
SCOTS' SCORES
Par 71
Joint leader – Steven Mackie 68 -3
Lee Harper 70 -1
Jack Doherty 71 Lvl
Barry Hume 73 +2
Paul Doherty 74 +3
Elliot Saltman 74 +3
Ross Cameron 75 +4
Steven Hume 75 +4
Mark Kerr 76 +5
Zack Saltman 77 +6
John Gallagher 78 +7
Chris McCalman 79 +8
Shaun McAllister 80 +9
Lorne Kelly 81 +10

PGA EuroPro Tour Report

Four Scots finish in top 10

at Formby Hall Classic

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Tom Haylock has moved into second spot in the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit after securing his second title of the year in the Formby Hall Classic at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa in Liverpool.
Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) began the day five shots off the lead at one under par but set about climbing the Leaderboard with seven birdies in his final round – five in six holes from the ninth – and clinched the title by one stroke from James Freeman at five under despite a double bogey at 17.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it at the start of the day,” said Haylock, who climbs from tenth in the Order of Merit to sit one place behind money list leader Scott Jamieson. “I knew it was going to be windy throughout but I can’t say I was looking for anything other than one or two under and top ten really.”
The Hertfordshire man was one under for the day after the eighth hole when his remarkable birdie run began, although his six at the par-four 17th almost prevented him from adding this title to his first of the year claimed at Stoke by Nayland at the beginning of July.
“I just started holing putts at the start of the back nine,” said the 22 year-old. “I looked at the scoreboard at 15 and knew I was on top and if I could pick one more up in the last few holes I’d be in great shape. Then came the double bogey at 17 and the last is a tough hole too so I thought ‘here we go’, but thankfully in the end it was enough.”
With the end of the Tour drawing closer, the £10,000 first prize at Formby Hall was much coveted in the chase for a top five spot and a Challenge Tour card, something that the champion is very aware of.
“I’m in a great position of course but there’s still work to be done. The Tour Championship is worth £20,000 to whoever wins so that’s two tournaments effectively, but a top five place is in my hands now,” said Haylock, a 33/1 shot for the tournament with official bookmakers Sky Bet.
Freeman (Worksop) carded a three under round of 69 to take second spot after opening rounds of 73 and 70, but ultimately he will regret a bogey at the last which prevented a play-off with Haylock – and he wasn’t the only player who came close to winning on a topsy-turvy final day.
Jack Doherty (North Gailes) returns home to Scotland regretting the last four holes of his round, where two double bogeys and a bogey undid his earlier good work. Doherty roared out of the traps with five birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes to move to seven under for the tournament, and was eight under after another birdie at 14. But those five dropped shots from that point saw him card 70 and meant he had ended in a four-way tie for third, and drops one place to fourth in the money list.
Doherty’s burst put overnight leader Tim Dykes (Wrexham GC) under real pressure when he went out in the last pairing with Elliot Saltman (Aegon) – Dykes was six under going into the final round with Saltman one stroke behind him, but both men endured frustrating days.
Dykes was level at the turn before picking up a birdie at the tenth but a double bogey on the next hole followed by bogeys at 13, 15 and 16 ended his chances of victory, the Welshman carding a final round 75 to finish three under.
Ricky Lee (Tyneside GC) is another man whose strong claims for victory were ruined by the tough final holes, eventually joining Dykes and Doherty in third place despite moving into a commanding position through the front nine. Lee went through the turn at five under for the day – seven under for the tournament – but failed to register another birdie and bogeyed the 12th hole before a miserable run of three bogeys in the last three holes left him with a final round of 71. South African Michiel Bothma also returned a 71 to end on three under for the tournament.
Saltman was the 2/1 favourite overnight with Sky Bet despite being one stroke behind, but he gave himself too much to do after starting with bogeys on the first two holes. The Scotsman moved to one under after the tenth but matched Dykes’ double bogey at 11 and followed that with a bogey at 12 and another double at 15 to card a final round of 75 after setting the course record with a opening round of 65 – finishing two under for the tournament and dropping one place to fifth on the Order of Merit.
Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) began the day at two over par, but a fine round of 68 saw him join Saltman at two under along with Neil Walker (Rotherham GC), Mark Kerr (Golf Fit Ltd/Bathgate GC) and Scott Henry (Cardross GC).
The PGA EuroPro Tour moves to Five Lakes Hotel, Golf, Country Club & Spa for the Brooks Brothers 2009 Classic in Essex, beginning Wednesday August 26.
To view the full Leaderboard from the tournament, click here: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro98/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
1 Tom Haylock 70, 73, 68 211 -5 £10,000
2 James Freeman 73, 70, 69 212 -4 £5,000
=3 Jack Doherty 72, 71, 70 213 -3 £1,700
=3 Michiel Bothma 72, 70, 71 213 -3 £1,700
=3 Ricky Lee 70, 72, 71 213 -3 £1,700
=3 Tim Dykes 67, 71, 75 213 -3 £1,700
=7 Paul Dwyer 72, 74, 68 214 -2 £860
=7 Neil Walker 70, 74, 70 214 -2 £860
=7 Mark Kerr 69, 74, 71 214 -2 £860
=7 Scott Henry 69, 72, 73 214 -2 £860
=7 Elliot Saltman 65, 74, 75 214 -2 £860

Other Scots' scores:

12 Lloyd Saltman 75, 68, 72 215 -1 £700
=16 Scott Jamieson 72, 72, 73 217 +1 £446.25
=20 Lee Harper 73, 69, 76 218 +2 £355
=39 John Gallagher 74, 73, 75 222 +6 £250
47 Andrew Oldcorn 68, 78, 79 225 +9 £215
50 Shaun McAllister 70, 74, 85 229 +13 £200

PGA EuroPro Tour event at Formby Hall, Lancashire

Dykes is no stonewall certainty to hold

off Elliot Saltman over final round

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Tim Dykes holds a one-shot advantage over Elliot Saltman at six under par ahead of Friday’s final round of the Formby Hall Classic at the Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa near Liverpool, the tenth event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour.
Challenge Tour regular Dykes (Wrexham GC) was five under par going into the second round and went out in the final three-ball of the day. Initially it looked the 29 year-old would not capitalise on Saltman’s off day, starting on the back nine and moving to six under after his first hole but recording four bogeys and just one further birdie to drop to three under par at the turn. Birdies at the second and third holes saw him restore parity and he edged one stroke clear of Saltman with a birdie at the last to shoot 71.
Saltman (Aegon) was seven under par going into the second round after setting a new course record in Wednesday’s opening round, but he got off to a tough start early in the morning on the back nine with a bogey at the tenth – his first. A second bogey at the 15th saw him go out two over for the day and that soon became three over with a third bogey at the first hole.
The 27 year-old remained three over until the seventh where he recorded his only birdie of the day and finished with a 74 to drop to five under for the tournament – still in good shape to improve on his fourth place standing on the Order of Merit.
Adam Frayne (St Mellion) is two shots off the lead after recording his second round of 70. Frayne traded three birdies for three bogeys in his first 13 holes starting on the back nine, but an eagle at the par-four fifth means he is nicely poised at four under par.
Daniel Wardrop (Didsbury GC) recorded the round of the day to move into contention on the final day at three under. Beginning the day at two over par, Wardrop was back to level by the fifth hole and moved to three under at the 12th.
The Manchester man dropped his only shot of the day at 15 but a birdie at the last saw him record a fine five under par 67. Wardrop is joined in fourth spot by Scott Henry (Cardross GC) who recorded four birdies and four bogeys in a level par round to remain three under after an opening round of 69.
Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) and Michiel Bothma (South Africa) carded rounds of 69 and 70 respectively to move to two under for the tournament, joining Ricky Lee (Tyneside GC) in sixth place after he recorded a level par second round.
Elliot has been joined in Liverpool by younger brothers Lloyd and Zack (both Aegon) and Lloyd blitzed the front nine with an eagle and three birdies after going through the back nine first at one over to card a four under par round of 68 and move to one under – one of ten players five shots off the lead. Zack was left to rue a double bogey at the first as he missed the cut by one shot at four over par.
Order of Merit leader Scott Jamieson recorded another level par round, but second place man in the money list Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) will not be in action in the final round after missing the cut. Third placed Jack Doherty (North Gailes) is one under par, while fifth placed Graeme Clark (Doncaster GC) also misses out.
Fifty players will tee off in tomorrow’s final round of the Formby Hall Classic at the Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa in Liverpool, which begins at 8am. Dykes and Saltman begin at 12.10pm.
Live scoring of what promises to be an exciting conclusion to the tournament is available at http://www.europrotour.com/ via the Score Updates link on the homepage, where you can view the full Leaderboard.
SCOTS ON SCOREBOARD
Elliot Saltman 65, 74 -5
Scott Henry 69, 72 -3
Lee Harper 73, 69 -2
Mark Kerr 69, 74 -1
Jack Doherty 72, 71 -1
Lloyd Saltman 75, 68 -1
Scott Jamieson 72, 72 Lvl
Shaun McAllister 70, 74 Lvl
Andrew Oldcorn 68, 78 +2
John Gallagher 74, 73 +3
Lorne Kelly 73, 75 +4
Zack Saltman 75, 73 +4
Steven Mackie 78, 71 +5
Duncan Stewart 77, 73 +6
Chris Kelly 75, 76 +7
Christopher Campbell 77, 77 +10
Barry Hume 81, 74 +11
Steven Hume 81, 74 +11
Paul Doherty 78, 78 +12
Graham Brown 78, 79 +13
Scott Herald 78, 80 +14
Stuart Burns 82, 80 +18

Elliot Saltman in record form at Formby Hall

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Elliot Saltman set a new course record at the Formby Hall Classic near Liverpool with a 65 in the opening round at the Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa to lead by two shots at seven under in the tenth event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour.
Saltman (Aegon) entered the event in fourth spot in the Order of Merit with three events to play, and laid the foundations to take over at the summit with a brilliant front nine – an eagle at the third followed by three birdies to go out at five under.
Birdies at the tenth and 13th moved him to seven under and although he dropped a shot at 17, he notched his sixth birdie of the day at the last to finish at seven under par, a new course record since the venue’s lay-out was changed.
Saltman is joined in Liverpool by younger brothers Lloyd and Zack (both Aegon) who both finished the day at three over par (75).
Challenge Tour regular Tim Dykes (Wrexham GC) holds second spot at five under, reaching the 15th at four under where he dropped his only shot of the day – but a strong finish with birdies on the last two holes saw him card an opening round 67.
Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre) sits in third spot after a four under round of 68, with the Scot five under through 12 with an eagle at the third before bogeys at 13 and 15 put the skids on his progress – a fourth birdie at 16 steadied the ship for the 49 year-old.
With the top five on the Order of Merit gaining Challenge Tour cards, James Busby (The Shropshire) couldn’t have timed his opening round of 69 any better. Busby sits in sixth spot on the money list and picked up three birdies without dropping a shot to finish three under for the day and is joined in fourth spot by Scott Henry (Cardross GC), James Hepworth (Ilkley GC) and Mark Kerr (Golf Fit Ltd/Bathgate GC).
A calamitous finish by George Woolgar (Capitalservices.com) ruined his earlier good work to leave him six shots off the lead at one under. Woolgar was three under to the par-three 13th but moved to five under there with a hole in one – but he went on to bogey the last four holes of his round to record a 71.
Order of Merit leader Scott Jamieson is level after the opening round along with Jack Doherty (North Gailes) who is third in the money list. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) is in second spot on the list but has plenty of work to do if he is to keep the pressure on Jamieson after carding a six over 78 in Liverpool. Graeme Clark (Doncaster GC) holds fifth spot in the money list but failed to make an impression in the North West, finishing with a 75.
The second round of the Formby Hall Classic from the Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa begins at 7.30am on Thursday morning, with live scoring available at http://www.europrotour.com/ via the Score Updates link, where you can also find the full Leaderboard from the opening round.
HOW THE SCOTS SCORED
Par 72
LEADER Elliot Saltman 65 -7 (course record)
Andrew Oldcorn 68 -4
Scott Henry 69 -3
Mark Kerr 69 -3
Shaun McAllister 70 -2
Jack Doherty 72 Lvl
Scott Jamieson 72 Lvl
Lee Harper 73 +1
Lorne Kelly 73 +1
John Gallagher 74 +2
Chris Kelly 75 +3
Lloyd Saltman 75 +3
Zack Saltman 75 +3
Christopher Campbell 77 +5
Duncan Stewart 77 +5
Graham Brown 78 +6
Paul Doherty 78 +6
Scott Herald 78 +6
Steven Mackie 78 +6
Barry Hume 81 +9
Steven Hume 81 +9
Stuart Burns 82 +10

Saltmans make it a family affair at Formby Hall

By ANTHONY LEAVER
After becoming the first brothers to play in The Open Championship for 26 years at Turnberry in July, Lloyd and Elliot Saltman will play with younger brother Zack on the PGA EuroPro Tour at Formby Hall, between Southport and Liverpool, this week.
The three brothers will tee off together for the first time on the Tour on Wednesday August 19 – with Challenge Tour regular Lloyd – middle brother of the three – playing his first event on the Tour this year. The 23 year-old won the Silver Medal at the 2005 Open Championship and has played in over a dozen Challenge Tour events this year.
Elliot will be hoping the presence of both siblings can spur him onto cement his position in the top five. The 27 year-old sits in fourth spot in the Order of Merit with three events to go, and strong finishes – or indeed a victory – should secure a coveted top five spot and a Challenge Tour card, and in an interview with The Scotsman, he showed he is fully aware of all the benefits of staying among the leading quintet.
“I’m in a good position (in the Order of Merit) just now and certainly feel I’m playing well enough to stay in the top five between now and the end of the season,” said Elliot. “The players in those positions at the end of August also get to skip the first stage of Tour School – and that would be massive.”
Zack turned pro in January and was instantly signed up by Aegon who represent all three players. He missed out on joining his older brothers at the Open Championship by one stroke but he caddied for Elliot at Turnberry and the talented 20 year-old has gained valuable experience from his eight appearances on the EuroPro Tour so far this season.
The PGA EuroPro tour’s official bookmakers Sky Bet make Elliot 20/1 to win in Liverpool, with Lloyd 40/1 and Zack 400/1, with local man Ian Keenan (Royal Liverpool) 35/1 for victory. Keenan took the runners-up spot at The Virgin Atlantic 25th Anniversary Classic at Marriot Tudor Park early in August and is 11th in the money list.
Betting prices: http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoEvEv&id=11907974

Scotsman article: http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Golf-Elliot--back-in.5562751.jp

Jamieson cruises to victory at Wychwood Park

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Scott Jamieson took a step closer to the Challenge Tour, winning The ABC Solutions UK Championship at Wychwood Park in Crewe by seven strokes at 12 under for his second title of the year.
The Scot began the day three shots clear at eight under after recording a course record 65 in the second round and began with two birdies to stretch his lead. A bogey at the eighth was a blip that he put right on the back nine but he withstood pressure from eventual runner-up James Ruebotham to record final round of 68 to win by seven shots and pick up his second £10,000 winner’s cheque after claiming the PartyPoker.com European Championship at Prince’s Golf Club in June.
“I’m really delighted with the win – I had another solid day today,” said Jamieson, whose victory takes him to the top of the Order of Merit. “There was a dodgy patch in the middle but I started and finished well and got the job done.”
Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City GC) made his move on the seventh after remaining at five under through his first six holes, picking up four birdies to the 12th to close the gap to just one stroke.
“Normally I wouldn’t look at the scoreboards but because I was in the lead I did so I knew whether or not I had to take risks or just stick to solid golf,” said Jamieson. “When I was at the 12th I was ten under and could see that James had moved to nine under through 12 and was obviously playing well. I knew that in my remaining holes I needed to stick to the game plan and I managed to pick up so birdies which was great.”
Jamieson has a comfortable position at the top of the Order of Merit as the only player to have won two events on the Tour so far this year, but says he won’t be resting on his laurels as he closes on a Challenge Tour card and is aiming for a good performance when the Tour moves to Formby Hall in Liverpool next week for the tenth event this summer.
“I’m looking good on the Order of Merit now of course, but I still need to get some results,” said the 25 year-old. “I’m playing at Formby Hall and St Andrew’s Bay so I’ll be looking to make sure of a place in the top five with good results at those tournaments.”
Ruebotham was unable to maintain the pressure on Jamieson, dropping his first shot at the 13th and dropping shots at 15, 16 and 18 to finish his round at level par, five under for the tournament. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) also bogeyed the last record a one over round of 73 and miss out on a tie for second – four over enough to take third place for the man Jamieson replaces at the top of the money list.
Martin Sell (Golf Analysis Ltd) was one of three players to shoot 68 in the final round, and that was saw him join a four-way tie for fourth spot at three under for the tournament with Nick McCarthy (Moortown), Steven Capper (Caldy GC) and Mark Ramsdale (Formby GC). James Hepworth (Ilkley GC) joined Sell and Jamieson is shooting four under and is one of five players tied for eighth spot – Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range), Barry Hume, Adam Frayne (St Mellion) and Kevin Harper (East Devon) completing the group at two under for the tournament.
The tenth event on the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour begins at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa in Liverpool on Wednesday August 11.
To view the full Leaderboard from the tournament visit this link: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro97/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

And click here to view the Order of Merit after nine events: http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/poy/oom/index.htm

FINAL SCORES FROM THE ABC SOLUTIONS UK CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Scott Jamieson 71, 65, 68 204 -12 £10,000.00
2 James Ruebotham 69, 70, 72 211 -5 £5,000.00
3 Daniel Brooks 69, 70, 73 212 -4 £2,500.00
=4 Martin Sell 71, 74, 68 213 -3 £1,325.00
=4 Nick McCarthy 71, 73, 69 213 -3 £1,325.00
=4 Steven Capper 70, 74, 69 213 -3 £1,325.00
=4 Mark Ramsdale 73, 70, 70 213 -3 £1,325.00
=8 James Hepworth 72, 74, 68 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Michael Collins 70, 72, 72 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Barry Hume 67, 75, 72 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Adam Frayne 71, 70, 73 214 -2 £800.00
=8 Kevin Harper 69, 71, 74 214 -2 £800.00
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
=16 Elliot Saltman 74, 70, 72 216 Lvl £458.33
=22 Jack Doherty 71, 70, 77 218 +2 £355.00
=29 Lorne Kelly 75, 72, 73 220 +4 £290.71
51 Steven Hume 73, 74, 80 227 +11 £195.00
52 Stuart Burns 70, 76, 89 235 +19 £190.00

Scots' scores at PGA EuroPro Tour event

LEADER Scott Jamieson 71, 65 (course record) -8

Jack Doherty 71, 70 -3

Barry Hume 67, 75 -2

Elliot Saltman 74, 70 Lvl

Stuart Burns 70, 76 +2

Lorne Kelly 75, 72 +3

Steven Hume 73, 74 +3

Shaun McAllister 75, +3

CUT

Paul Doherty 75, 73 +4

Steven Mackie 75, 73 +4

Graham Brown 75, 74 +5

Zack Saltman 75, 74 +5

John Gallagher 73, 77 +6

David Roger 78, 76 +10

SCROLL DOWN FOR A FULL REPORT ON THE DAY'S PLAY

Great Scott! Jamieson leads with

record round of 65 at Crewe

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Scott Jamieson recorded a new course record at Wychwood Park in Crewe with a 65 to lead The ABC Solutions UK Championship on the PGA EuroPro Tour by three strokes at eight under with one round to go.
Jamieson began the day one under after recording six birdies and five bogeys in his opening round of 71. But today he avoided dropping a shot, going through the front nine at three under and picking up four more birdies on the back nine, with his seventh of the day at 18 giving him a course record 65.
"I think I hit 15 greens today which I'm pleased with," said the 25 year-old. "I had a lot more chances today and I wasn't trying to save pars like I was yesterday so it was very pleasing." Jamieson sits in eighth spot in the Order of Merit and would all but seal a place in the top five should he add this title to his earlier play-off victory at The PartyPoker.com European Championship at Prince's Golf Club in June, but said he is focusing on one round at a time before thinking about Challenge Tour cards.

"I'm not thinking that far ahead really as there are still a few tournaments to go. It'd be nice of course to be right up there with another win, but I've just got to keep doing what I have been doing tomorrow."

The man Jamieson is chasing at the top of the money list is three strokes behind him in second spot at Wychwood Park. Order of Merit leader Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) continues his fine form as he followed an opening round 69 with a second round of 70 – dropping just one shot to share second place going into the final round. Daniel Perrett (Clevedon/Purplegolf) was in second place after his opening round of 68 and remains there alongside Brooks after a one under 71 in his second round. James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City GC) is the third man in second spot, finishing with a birdie at the ninth to card a two under round of 70 with four birdies.

Encouraged by a hole-in-one in his opening round, Kevin Harper (East Devon) moved from his overnight position of three under to five under at the turn before dropping shots at the 12th and 17th. But a third birdie of the day at the last ensured he was in sight of Jamieson in a tie for fifth place at four under with Steven Parry (Bolton) who didn't drop a shot in his second two under round of 70 of the tournament.

Matthew Evans (Rotherham) is one of four players tied in seventh spot at four under after a second round of 68. Starting on the back nine at one over, he moved to level par at the turn then claimed three birdies in the opening four holes of the home stretch. Joining Evans at three under is Adam Frayne (St Mellion), Jack Doherty (North Gailes) and Daniel Belch (Golf Analysis Ltd).

Overnight leader Barry Hume gave himself a mountain to climb after starting at five under but wiping four shots off that lead by the turn on the back nine. A birdie at the first stopped the rot but a fifth bogey of the day came at the fourth – with a birdie at the eighth taking him to two under for the tournament, where he is joined by Robert Hearty (Bromborough), Chris Hanson (Crosland Heath), Barrie Trainor (South County) and Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range).

Fifty-two players made the cut at three under and live scoring of the final round of The ABC Solutions UK Championship at Wychwood Park is available at the following link – http://europro.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/europro9/event/europro97/contest/1/leaderboard.htm