WILLIE PARK ANNIVERSARY GOLF SUCCESS

 Lionel Freedman, organiser of the Willie Park Anniversary Tournament,
and Perry Somers from Australia, winner of the hickory division

Last weekend there were two days of golf over the Old Links to celebrate anniversary of the winning of the 150th Open Championship by Willie Park Sr. Saturday’s competition saw around eighty players battling it out with both hickory and modern clubs in a number of different divisions. The conditions of the day, though fine, were cold and blustery.
The men’s scratch prize was won by Christopher Higgins of the Musselburgh Club who scored 72. The ladies scratch prize was won by Ruth Carroll, also from the Musselburgh Club with 80. The hickory scratch was won by Perry Somers from Australia with 82.
The handicap prizes were won by Richard Mackie, Strathaven, with a net 70 and Marion Bell of Musselburgh Links Ladies carded a net 82. The first hickory handicap prize went to John Still of Bruntsfield with 73.
Two juniors figured in the prizes with Oliver Duffy and Catherine Small, both of Craigielaw, winning scratch prizes finishing second and third in their respective divisions.The prizes were awarded at the Gala Dinner in the Brunton Hall where the main speakers were Alex Hay, Mungo Park and David Kirkwood. Among those present were Sheena Richardson, Provost, Irene Tait, Chairperson of Musselburgh & Inveresk Community Council and the organisers, Alan Hay, Vice Chairman, Councillor John Caldwell and Lionel Freedman, Chairman of World Hickory. The evening was a great success and over 160 attended.
Having been treated to some excellent golf in difficult conditions on Saturday, ten amateurs qualified to join ten of our local young professionals in a team competition on the following day. The conditions were, if anything, more difficult than the day before but the Old Links was privileged to see some tremendous golf, where the winner of the Professional individual prize, Sean McAllister of Craigielaw scored a 5 under par 63. In second place was Elliot Saltman, Archerfield with 67 and third was Chris Russell, RAW Golf Design with 69. The Pro-am team prizes went to Sean McAllister and Douglas Harris (Kilspindie) with 61. Second was Chris Russell and Malcolm Roberts (Duddingston) 65 and third went to Chris Kelly and David Kirkwood (Gullane) with 66. Perry Somers from Australia, again playing with hickories, scored 77. Willie Park would have been proud of the calibre of golf played by the young professionals celebrating his historic win.

Greig Hutcheon wins £800 prize at new tour's first event

Xltec Pro Golf Tour Scoreboard
WHITEKIRK GOLF CLUB, nr North Berwick
Tournament Reduced to one round due to fog
ALL THE SCORES
Par 72
1st Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 69/£800.
2nd = Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 72/£516.66.
2nd = Wallace Booth (Comrie) 72/£516.66.
2nd = Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) 72/£516.66.
5th = John Gallacher (Swanston) 73/£308.33.
5th = Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 73/£308.33.
5th = Shaun McCallister (Craigielaw) 73/£308.33.
8th = Graeme Brown (Montrose) 74/£212.50.
8th = Stephen Gray (Hayston) 74/ £212.50.
8th = Scott Catlin (Greenburn) 74/ £212.50.
8th = Chris Currie (Caldwell) 74/ £212.50.
12th = Johnny Cliff (Murrayshall) 75/ £45.83
12th = Mark Kerr Marriott, Dalmahoy 75/£45.83
12th = Chris Russell RAW Design 75/£45.83
12th = Danny Wardrobe Didsbury 75/£45.83
12th = Stephen Clark Carrick 75/£45.83
12th = James McGhee (Turnhouse) 75/£45.83
18th = David Roger (Windyhill) 76.
18th = Scott Henry (unatt). 76.
20th = Steven Hume (Murrayshall) 77
20th = Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 77
20th = Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 77
23rd = Graham Rankin (Drumpellier) 78
24th = Stuart Kerr (Strathaven 79
24th = Norman Huguet (Musselburgh) 79
24th = Craig Everett (Caldwell) 79
24th = Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) 79
24th = Craig Lee (Aspire) 79
29th = Chris Kelly (Cawder) 80
29th = Tom Buchanan (Duddingston) 80
29th = Neil Cooper (unatt) 80
29th = Ben Irving (Kirkcudbright) 80
29th = Euan Cameron (Hamilton) 80
34th = Steven Brown (Carnoustie) 81
34th = Neil Colquhoun (Merchants( 81
34th = Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 81
37th = Mike Rae (Alyth) 82
37th = Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park) 82
37th = Owen Leslie (Edinburgh Leisure) 82
37th = Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 82
41st Kenneth Glen (Musselburgh) 83
42nd = Craig Gordon (unatt) 84
42nd = Sean ODonnell (Balbirnie) 84
44th = Iain Hannah (Strathclyde) No Return

+44 competitors @ £100 a head entry fees. giving a total prizefund of £4,400 with 30% of the field being paid out

Nearest the pin at 17th – Winner Neil Colquhoun ( Overnight stay for two at The Marine Hotel, North Berwick. b&b).
NEWS RELEASE
Conditions on Day 2 saw a mixture of heavy rain and high winds. Challenge Tour player Greig Hutcheon from Banchory produced the round of the day with a brilliant, three under par 69. This was all the better as he played his first three holes in two over par.

Playing partners Chris Kelly and Stephen Gray admitted it was one of the most impressive rounds they had seen in years, especially in the conditions.

The next event will take place at Hilton Park, Glasgow on April 28th and 29th, when lady professionals are expected to make their debuts on the tour, competing against each other, not against the men.

Any questions? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

O'Hanlon puts a smile on Irish eyes

FROM THE SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR WEBSITE
Paul O´Hanlon, representing Ireland, shot a superb closing round of 65 to steam up the leader board and secure victory in the the Hi5 Pro Tour Altorreal Winter series final event. The 65 consisted of an impressive bag of eight birdies, one bogey and nine pars.
Paul was so pleased to secure the win in such a manner. It was his was his lowest ever final 18 round score of his professional playing career to date .
Close behind, just one shot adrift, were Iceland’s Stefan Mar Stefansson and Spain’s Ignacio Sanchez Palencia who both fought hard to get their scores into the clubhouse at eight-under-par in order to force a play-off with Paul.
Elliott Saltman tried his best to make it a hat-trick of wins for the Saltman family Saltman with fine 66 on the final day. The Scot, the tournament winner last week, eventually finished a creditable joint fifth.
Low amateur this week was England’s Richard Carter and low Senior this week was once again Englands Gary Wolstenholme who also finished tied 8th against the main field.
Thanks go to all the team at Altorreal for making the tour once again so welcome and presenting its course in such fine playing conditions.
The Tour now takes a small “ time out ” but is in the process of securing venues for the coming season's schedule which all players will be notified of shortly .
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
208 Paul O'Hanlon (Ireland) 73 70 65.
209 Stefan Mar Stefanson (Iceland) 70 70 69, Ignacio Sanchez Palencia (Spain) 69 70 70.
211 Alex Belt (England) 71 69 71.
212 Elliot Saltman (Scotland) 74 72 66, Matthew Evans (England) 75 66 71, Bjorn Petterson(Sweden) 68 71 73.
214 Robert Svensson (Sweden) 73 70 71, Gary Wolstenholme (England) 73 68 73, Dani Alonso Jansen (Spain 70 70 74.
Selected scores
216 James Johnson(England) 70 73 73.
219 Ruaidhri McGee (Ireland) 76 73 70, Richard Carter (England) (amateur) 80 67 72.
221 Michael Collins (Ireland) 73 74 74.
224 Gary King (England) 75 78 71.
225 Zack Saltman (Scotland) 77 76 72(24th).

Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo Golf Centre) with the North-east Alliance championship trophy with which he was presented at lunchtime today in the Murcar Links clubhouse (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency; click on it to enlarge).

Paul Cormack has chance of NE Alliance title double

North-east Alliance champion Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo Golf Resort) is on target to complete the end of season double in the winter circuit's foursomes tournament at Murcar Links.
Tour professional Cormack and Duff House Royal senior amateur Mike Jenkins are through to the final of the scratch section.
They will play Aboyne assistant pro Keil Beveridge and Murcar Links amateur Kyle Nelson in this morning's final (9.30am).
Beveridge arrive at the course in the morning to be first reserve but he came into the field as a replacement for late call-off James Mooney (Kingscliffe).
The handicap final (9.40am) will feature Adam Dunton, who plays off +2 at McDonald Ellon) and Neil Chishom (Kemnay) (9) against Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay) (5) and Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) (9).
Results:

SCRATCH

FIRST ROUND

Evening Express Shield pro-am
professional's name first
Keil Beveridge (Aboyne) & Kyle Nelson (Murcar Links) beat David Naylor (Banchory) & Anthony Bews (Murcar Links) at 19th.
Richard Hyland (Craibstone) & Scott Larkin (Banchory) bt Patrick Lovie (P1 Corporate) & Duncan Clark (Duff House Royal) 1 hole.
Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo) & Mike Jenkins (Duff House Royal) bt Steven Chalmers (Banchory) & Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 4 and 1.
Ian Bratton (Newburgh) & Fergus Bisset (Banchory) bt Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) and Craig Carnegie (Kemnay) 4 and 3.

SEMI-FINALS

Beveridge & Nelson bt Hyland and Larkin 2 and 1.

Cormack & Jenkins bt Bratton & Bisset 3 and 1.

HANDICAP
Press and Journal Shield
David Wilson (Duff House Royal) (6) & Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay) (11) bt Jim Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) (3) & Alister Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (10) at 19th.
Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay) (5) & Niger Parker (Murcar Links) (9) bt David Corkey (Royal Aberdeen) (2) & Benny Lumsden (Northern) (14) 1 hole.
Brian Harper (Newburgh) (6) & Mike Booth (Kemnay) (10) bt Mark Lawrie (Kemnay) (5) & Norman Stewart (Northern) (12) 1 hole.
Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) (+2) & Neil Chisholm (Kemnay) (9) bt Paul McIntosh (Newburgh) (4) & Derek Randall (Banchory) (14) 1 hole.

SEMI-FINALS

Cassie & Parker bt Wilson & McNaughton 1 hole.

Dunton & Chisholm bt Harper & Booth 5 and 4.

FRIDAY MORNING FINALS

Scratch at 9.30am.

Handicap at 9.40am.

New tour launch is fogged off

The first round of the inaugural Xltec Pro Tour at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick today was abandoned due to thick fog.
Said Alan Tait, the founder of the new tour: "Threequarters of the field got started but it would have been impossible for them to get finished as the fog was at its thickest by lunchtime.
"The field (of 45 players) are now coming back tomorrow (Friday) for a one-day shoot-out with the same prize money over 18 holes."

Elliot Saltman seven shots off the
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pace on Hi5 Pro Tour last day
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FROM THE SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR WEBSITE
Local Spaniard Ignacio Sanchez Palencia is the co leader on five-under-par 139 alongside Swedens Bjorn Pettersson after day two of the Hi5 Pro Tour's Altorreal Open.
Ignacio played a two-under-par 70 to close the gap on Round 1 leader, Bjorn Pettersson in almost perfect scoring conditions.
Close on their heels going into the final round in joint third position are England's Alex Belt , Sweden's Fredrick Hammarberg , Iceland's Stefan Mar Stefansson and Spain's Dani Alonso.
Just one shot further back are current order of merit leader Matt Evans (66 low round of the day), last week's Senior winner Gary Wolstenholme (pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency), this week playing off the back tees against the field, and Spain's Carlos Aguilar Quesada.
An exciting final round is expected with no fewer than 13 players lying within four shots of the leaders in the chase for the Hi5 Pro Tour's Altorreal title.
The odds are against a Saltman winning for the third event in a row. Last week's winner Elliot Saltman, who followed in the footsteps of his younger brother, Lloyd, is seven strokes off the pace with 18 holes to go. Stranger things have happened!
Second lowest round of the day was produced by the much improving English amateur Richard Carter.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
139 PETTERSSON, Bjorn (Sweden) 68 71, SANCHEZ PALENCIA, Ignacio (Spain) 69 70.
140 BELT, Alex (England) 71 69, HAMMARBERG, Fredrik (Sweden) 70 70, STEFANSSON, Stefan Mar (Iceland) 70 70, ALONSO JANSSEN, Dani (Spain) 70 70.
141 EVANS, Matthew (England) 75 66, AQUILAR QUESADA, Carlos (Spain) 70 71, WOLSTENHOLME, Gary (England) 73 68.
143 SVENSSON, Robert (Sweden) 73 70, JOHNSON, James (England) 70 73, DE LOPE, Javier 74 69, O'HANLON, Paul (Ireland) 73 70.
146 CLAPP, Brad (Canada) 72 74, SALTMAN, Elliot (Scotland) 74 72.
147 HEMMING, Stuart (England) 74 73, COLLINS, Michael (Ireland) 73 74, CARTER, Richard (England) (am) 80 67, FIHN, Felix (Sweden) 69 78.
148 SANDBERG, Daniel 78 70, WEISSER, Dominik 78 70.
149 MCGEE, Ruaidhri (Ireland) 76 73.
150 HANSEN, Stian 77 73.
151 STREET, Ryan (England) 75 76.
152 SHIELDS, Stephen (England) 73 79, BARRY-WALSH, Edward (England) 78 74.
153 KING, Gary (England) 75 78, SALTMAN, Zack (Scotland) 77 76.
154 HOUSBY, James (England) 75 79, THORSTENSEN, Vidar 74 80, BARBA MORENO, Sergio 78 76.
155 HAMER, Martyn (England) 76 79.
156 BLANCO GARCIA, Pedro (Spain) 79 77.
157 MORTON, Alex (England) 79 78, MARTENS, Caroline 79 78.
159 LUND, Stian 78 81.
162 COLLINS, Ronan (Ireland) 79 83, STAAL, Tjeerd 84 78.
164 FRIIS, Christer 87 77, SOENDBERG, Casper 82 82.
165 HULTMAN, Joacim 83 82.
170 CAPAUL, Marcel 85 85.
176 VERA RUIZ, Borja (am) 89 87.
188 DON, Jaly (am) 96 92.
206 PALTTO, Jan Skoglund 106 100

Xltec Pro Tour inaugural winner at

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Whitekirk will earn £800 on Friday

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Some 70 male professionals have joined the new Xltec Pro Tour - but only 45 of them will be playing in the inaugural 36-hole stroke-play event over Thursday and Friday this week at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick.

"This week is just a bit too early for some of the guys who want to play on the circuit but it looks as if we will have a field of over 70 or so for the second event Hilton Park Golf Club on April 28 and 29," said tour director Alan Tait, pictured, director of golf at the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel.

"Much the same applies to the lady professionals. We won't have a section for them at this first event but I am hoping that they will turn out in numbers at Hilton Park."

On the male side of things, there is a guarantee of 30 per cent of the field receiving prize money.

That means the top 13 at Whitekirk at the end of play on Friday will receive pay-outs although I understand there will be no official presentation at such at the end of the tournament.

First prize will be £800, second £650 and third £500. The 13th place pay-out will be £125.

All of these figures are subject to the field remaining at 45-strong.

Walker Cup player Wallace Booth (Comrie) is in the field but his GB&I team-mate and fellow rookie pro Gavin Dear from Murrayshall - Scone is where he comes from actually - is not.

But today Gavin gave Alan Tait and his fellow organisers a boost by saying that he certainly will play on the Xltec Pro Tour before it is very much older.

Gavin told Scottishgolfview.com:

"At the moment, I haven't decided which Xltec Pro Tour events I will play. It depends a little on how my schedule turns out. I will try and play when I'm at home. The first event at Whitekirk just came a bit quick for me, after being away for three weeks. I fancied a week off, so didn't enter this one.

"However, in my time off I was planning to run through my schedule and see which events could fit in.

"I think the Xltec Pro Tour is a great idea and something with a lot of promise. When myself and Keir McNicoll were at the Allianz Q school in France, we chatted about the need for a small tour to run in Scotland to get guys playing."

+We will have news of the first day's scores on the Xltec Pro Tour on this website early tomorrow evening.

REST OF XLTEC PRO TOUR SCHEDULE

April 28-29: Hilton Park.

May 25-26: Dalmahoy.

July 28-29 Westerwood.

September 28-29: Spey Valley, Aviemore.

October 6-7: Dundonald Links.

+To read about the lady pro section of the Xltec Pro Tour, switch over to our sister website, www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Slaley Hall to host PGA Cup match in 2013

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA
Slaley Hall will see Great Britain & Ireland’s best PGA professionals take on their United States counterparts after it was confirmed as the venue for the 2013 PGA Cup.
The biennial contest has become the premier international team event for PGA pros with the US current holders of the trophy after victory at The Carrick on Loch Lomond last September.
De Vere’s Northumberland resort already enjoys a strong reputation for hosting international golf tournaments with the Dave Thomas-designed Hunting Course currently home to the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship. It has also staged several European Tour events.
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said: “Slaley Hall is not only a tremendous setting but the Hunting Course is perfect for the unique match play atmosphere created as GB&I and the US compete for the Llandudno Trophy.
“Representing your country is one of the biggest honours for a PGA professional and I’m sure by staging the event at such a renowned venue as Slaley Hall, it will help raise the profile of the PGA Cup which might not be as well-known as the Ryder Cup but matches it every step of the way for drama and excitement.”
Daniel Hodson, director of golf and leisure for De Vere, commented: “The 2009 PGA Cup at The Carrick on Loch Lomond was a tremendous event and we are delighted to host the PGA Cup when it next returns to the UK.
“Slaley Hall has an illustrious history of hosting top-class golf, and the 2013 PGA Cup along with the continued support for the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship continues to enhance the resort’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading venues.”
Prior to Slaley Hall, GB& I will have a chance to reclaim the PGA Cup in 2011 when the 25th matches take place at California’s CordeValle resort.
The PGA Cup was first played in 1973 at Pinehurst No 2 and pits two 10-man teams against each other in match-play format of four-balls, foursomes and singles over three days of action. The countries compete for the famous Llandudno Trophy which was the original prize for the Home International Series before the Second World War and was later donated to the PGA by the BBC’s voice of golf Peter Alliss.
Slaley Hall is the latest in a long line of illustrious venues to have staged the PGA Cup with others including Gleneagles, The Belfry, Muirfield, The K Club and Turnberry.

Gavin Dear (left) and Wallace Booth, setting the record straight (images by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

E-mail from Gavin Dear

Walker Cup: Gavin Dear and Wallace Booth

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felt it was great honour to play in match

Hi Colin,

I have been out of the country for a few weeks playing and hadn't until last night had a chance to catch up with Wallace Booth. I saw Ross Kellett's comments on Scottishgolfview about the Walker Cup and how we felt about it.

Both myself and Wallace felt a bit hard done by the article and felt that it made us look a bit ungrateful. We know both Ross and Martin Dempster very well and know that there would definitely be no ill intent in how the article was written or what was commented on within the article.

But we just wanted the opportunity to tell everybody what we had discussed with Ross and felt about the Walker Cup and kind of set the record straight.

Both Wallace and I really enjoyed the event and it was a great honour to be involved in a match of that calibre. It was a very important for both us of to play and it was undoubtedly our aim at the start of the 2009 season.

Ross asks our opinions for time to time, and this is one of the reasons he will become an even more successful golfer because he is extremely willing to learn. He asked about the Walker Cup and what we would recommend.

Both Wallace and I told him the Walker Cup is something to mark on the calendar for 2011. But that's some time away. This year we felt that the big goal should be a place in the Eisenhower team and trying to win a national championship, something which Ross is very capable of doing.

Then, the way he is playing, we both said that he has to go to Tour School. If he doesn't gain whatever he feels appropriate to turn professional, then he should remain amateur for another year.

If that happens then the Walker Cup will be his goal. The Walker Cup is difficult, being bi-annual and a player for instance like Callum Macaulay was unlucky because it was never really an option for him.

Maybe it will be an option for Ross, maybe not. With regards to the perception of the Walker Cup in the professional game, it is difficult to tell. Professionals are interested to hear about the experience of playing in the Walker Cup but do not hold you in high regard just because you played. You are just another golfer in their eyes - and that's the way it should be.

From Ross's perspective he has seen both Wallace and I miss out at Tour School, struggle for sponsorship and struggle to secure invites to events. Maybe that has pushed him to think a little differently.

We have told him we didn't expect playing in the Walker Cup to open many doors and, from what we have seen of professional golf, it's tough and you have to really work for what you get but both of us would rather have the experience of playing in the Walker Cup than not.

I hope this clears up a few things.

Regards,

Gavin Dear and Wallace Booth

Elliot Saltman has ground

to make up in Spain


FROM THE Hi5 PRO TOUR WEBSITE
Bjorn Pettersson, representing Sweden, played a near faultless round of 68 to take a slender one-shot lead into the second round of the Murcia-based Hi5 Pro Tour's Altorreal Open in Spain.
With a one-hour suspension of play due to fog, the field found scoring conditions difficult on the Dave Thomas-designed parkland course.
Tied in second place, one shot behind, are Sweden's Felix Fihn and local Spaniard Ignacio Sanchez Palencia.
A special mention must also go this week to Caroline Martins, representing Norway, who is competing against the men from the back tees. She had a round of 79.
SCOTSWATCH: Last week's winner, Elliot Saltman (pictured above) from Scotland, is in joint 16th place after a 74. Elliot had birdies at the long sixth and the 15th but bogeys at the third, short eighth, long 12th and 14th.He has a lot of ground to make up to repeat his success and make it three in a row for the Saltman family from the Lothians. Youngest of the three brothers, all supported by Aegon, Zack Saltman, is sharing 26th place on the 77 mark.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
68 Bjorn Petterson (Sweden).
69 Ignacio Sanchez Palencia (Spain), Felix Fihn (Sweden).
70 Stefan Mar Stefanson (Sweden), Carlos Aquilar (Spain), Dani Alonso (Spain), James Johnson (England), Fredric Hammarberg (Sweden).
71 Alex Bett (England).
72 Brad Clapp (Canada).
73 Gary Wolstenholme (England), Paul O'Hanlon (Ireland), Michael Collins (Ireland), Robert Svensson (Sweden), Stephen Shields (England).
Selected scores:
74 Elliot Saltman (Scotland), Stuart Hemming (England) (jt 16th).
75 Gary King (England), Matthew Evans (England), James Housby (England) (jt 20th).
76 Martyn Hamer (England), Ruairdhri McGee (Ireland) (jt 24th).
77 Zack Saltman (Scotland) (jt 26th).
78 Edward Barry-Walsh (England) (jt 28th).
79 Ronan Collins (Ireland), Alex Morton (England), Caroline Martens (Norway) (jt 33rd).
80 Richard Carter (England) (amateur).
45 players in field.

Scot wins David Platt Tour event at Rotherham

Andrew Patterson, an exiled Scot from Glasgow, now a member of Rotherham Golf Club, won yesterday's Major Golf Tour event, organised by former England football international, David Platt, at Sunningdale.
The format was Stableford and the points scores, supplied as ever by David Platt himself, were:
The event's title was "The Masters" - all four events on David's tour are named after THE Majors.
David, a six-handicapper, was actually the defending champion in the amateur section.

AMATEUR SCORES
1 Andrew Patterson (handicap 22) - 39pt.
2 David Platt (6) - 36pt.
T3 Kevin Rose (9) - 34pt.
T3 Conrad Stretch (16) - 34pt.
5 Jason Hayley (8) - 32pt.
6 Jonathan Goddard (18) - 31pt.
T7 Jim Woodward (5) - 30pt.
T7 James Peacock (10) - 30pt.
T9 Richard Grindon (13) - 28pt.
T9 Wayne Harold (10) - 28pt.
T9 Tommy McCormack (7) - 28pt.
T12 Iain Gorman (13) - 26pt.
T12 Rex Tattersall (12) - 26pt.
T12 David Gardner (13) - 26pt.
T12 Paul Taylor (12) - 26pt.
T12 Tom Warsop (16) - 26pt.
T17 Ross Westwood (14) - 25pt.
T17 Andy Brown (8) - 25pt.
T19 Nick Fitzryk (5) - 24pt.
T19 Graham Miles (5) - 24pt.
T21 David Orchard (16) - 23pt.
T21 Richard Scragg (18) - 23pt.
T21 John Lipton (19) - 23pt.
24 Bob Burrows (22) - 22pt.
PROFESSIONAL SCORES
Par 140 (2x70)
143 James Westwood.
146 Adam Taylor.
148 Jonathan Jones.

David Platt writes:
We go to Woburn (Marquess) in May, Celtic Manor (20-10) in July - 6 weeks before the Ryder C - up and Royal Lytham in September.
We had a 'warm up' round at Sunningdale and the scores counted from both events towards our order of merit leaderboard. At the end of the season we will take the top four to a grand final. Here's how the table stands:
1 Andrew Patterson 77.
2 Kevin Rose 71.
3 Jason Hayley 66.
T4 Jim Woodward 64.
T4 David Platt 64.
6 Iain Gorman 62.
7 Richard Grindon 61.
T8 David Gardner 60.
T8 James Peacock 60.
T8 Conrad Stretch 60.
T11 Rex Tattersall 59.
T11 Paul Taylor 59.
T11 Jonathan Goddard 59.
T14 Richard Scragg 57.
T14 David Orchard 57.
T14 Ross Westwood 57.
17 Graham Miles 55.
T18 Nick Fitzryk 54.
T18 Wayne Harold 54.
T20 Bob Burrows 52.
T20 Tom Warsop 52.
T20 Tommy McCormack 52.
23 Andy Brown 48.
24 John Lipton 46.

Rose, Fisher on winning side in Tavistock Cup

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
English duo Justin Rose and Ross Fisher secured maximum points in the singles as Lake Nona beat Isleworth 17-13 in the Tavistock Cup.
Lake Nona led the host club 6-4 after the opening day four-balls, but with 20 points available in the cross singles it was all to play for at the Florida venue.
Nick O’Hern’s seven under in the opening group proved to be the best round of the day and captured two points for the American, but both Ernie Els (three under) and Graeme McDowell (five under) got the better of Englishman Brian Davis to leave the opening match squared 2-2.
Rose’s four under gave Lake Nona two points in the second match against Mark O’Meara and Stuart Appleby, with former Open Championship winner Ben Curtis taking a half off Appleby to further extend the lead.
The third match saw Isleworth fight back with two and a half points, Charles Howell III defeating South African duo Trevor Immelman and Retief Goosen, and John Cook snatching a half from former Masters Tournament winner Immelman.
Fisher, playing with Sweden’s Peter Hanson, took points off Lee Janzen and Arjun Atwal with his three under round, and Hanson’s win against Atwal ended Isleworth’s hopes.
Robert Allenby and Henrik Stenson were tied at level par in the final group, while 2008 Ryder Cup opponents Ian Poulter and J.B. Holmes went round in four under to split the final match 2-2.

Europeans play part as Lake Nona lead in Tavistock Cup

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Both all-European pairings were victorious on the first day of the Tavistock Cup as Lake Nona built a 6-4 lead over Isleworth on the first day at Isleworth Golf & Country Club.
The event between the two golf clubs in Florida saw the ten-man teams compete in five four-balls matches on the opening day, with two points for a win and one for a tie.
Isleworth actually got off to the better start – Australian duo Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby defeating South Africans Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman by a single stroke.
Mark O’Meara and John Cook saw of the challenge of England’s Ross Fisher and former Open Championship winner Ben Curtis in the second match to make it 4-0 to the home side before the tide turned.
Ulsterman Graeme McDowell and Swede Peter Hanson defeated Arjun Atwal and Lee Janzen by a five-shot margin, before another pair of European Tour Members, Retief Goosen and Henrik Stenson, defeated Brian Davis and Charles Howell III.
In the last game English duo Ian Poulter and Justin Rose – who were paired in the last Ryder Cup – saw off J.B. Holmes and Nick O’Hern.
The second round sees the teams compete in four-ball singles – the players are paired up but are essentially playing two singles games against both of their opponents at once.

Paul Cormack withdraws from Xltec Pro Tour opener

to play as champion in North-east Alliance foursomes

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
New North-east Alliance champion Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo Golf Centre) has had second thoughts about playing in the new Xltec Pro Tour event at Whitekirk, instead of the North-east Alliance pro-am match-play foursomes at Murcar Links on Thursday and Friday this week.
"I had entered the Xltel Pro Tour competition at Whitekirk on the same days but that was before I had won the North-east Alliance championship and before I realised there was a clash of dates between the two events," said Cormack tonight.
"I've had a think about it and, as North-east Alliance champion, I feel that I have to be loyal to it and play in its foursomes.
"I can always play in later events on the Xltel Pro Tour but this is the last North-east Alliance event until next September and I feel my place is at the foursomes."
Cormack, 26, lives in Banchory when he is at home - he is a regular competitor on the EPro Tour in North Carolina and other American satellite events.
Xltec Pro Tour's self-funded prizefund for their first 36-hole event at Whitekirk will amount to at least £5,000 whereas the NE Alliance foursomes' pro prize money will be considerably less.
Cormack partners Duff House Royal senior circuit amateur Mike Jenkins in the first round of the foursomes against Banchory assistant Steven Chalmers and McDonald Ellon amateur Kevin Duncan.
One definite change in the line-up at Murcar Links sees Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay) substitute for Martin Forster (Cruden Bay as partner to Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) in the handicap tournament.
Revised draws for Thursday are:
SCRATCH (Evening Express Shield)
professional named first
9.30: J Mooney (Kingscliffe) & K Nelson (Murcar Links) v D Naylor (Banchory) & A Bews (Murcar Links).
9.40 P Lovie (P1 Corporate) & D Clark (Duff House Royal) v R Hyland (Craibstone) & S Larkin (Banchory).
9.50 S Chalmers (Banchory) & K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) v P Cormack (Inchmarlo) & M Jenkins (Duff House Royal.
10.0 I Bratton ( Newburgh ) & F Bisset (Banchory) v R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) & C Carnegie (Kemnay).

HANDICAP (Press and Journal Trophy)
10.10 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) & A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) v D Wilson (Duff House Royal ) & H McNaughton ( Cruden Bay ).
10.20 D Corkey (Royal Aberdeen) & B Lumsden (Northern) v C Cassie (Nigg Bay) & N Parker (Murcar Links).
10.30 B Harper ( Newburgh ) & M Booth (Kemnay) v M Lawrie (Kemnay) & N Stewart (Northern).
10.40 P McIntosh ( Newburgh ) & D Randall (Banchory) v A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) & N Chisholm (Kemnay).
+Second-round ties in both competitions will be played on Thursday afternoon with both finals at Murcar Links on Friday morning.

Late entries being accepted
-
for launch of new tour at
-
Whitekirk on Thursday

Late entries are being accepted from male and female professionals for the inaugural event on the Xltec Pro Golf Tour.
The first event, over 36 holes at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick, tees off on Thursday.
Contacts:
Alan Tait - 07734 207119
Nigel Scott-Smith - 07939 015556
Chris Turner (110sport) - 07889 355856

FIRST ROUND TEE TIMES
7.50am: Kenneth Glen (Royal Musselburgh), Eric Walker (Burntisland).
8.00am: Stuart Kerr (Strathaven), Norman Huguet (Musselburgh), Jonnie Cliff (Murrayfield).
8.10am: John Gallagher (Swanston Golf), Michael Rae (Alyth), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links).
8.20am: Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), Mark Kerr (Dalmahoy).
8.30am: Craig Everett (Caldwell), Stewart Savage (Dalmuir), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst).
8.40am: Graham Rankin (Drumpellier), Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw), Danny Wardrop (Didsbury).
8.50am: Chris Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), Craig Ronald (Carluke), Jason McCreadie(Buchanan Castle).
9.00am: Steven Hume (Murrayshall), Stephen Clark (Carrick on Loch Lomond), Graeme Stewart (Gleddoch).
9.10am: Chris Kelly (Cawder), Stephen Gray (Hayston), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory).
9.20am: Reserved for late entries.
9.30am: Steven Duncan (Carnoustie), Craig Gordon (unatt), Steven Brown (Carnoustie Golf Links).
9.40am: Lee Harper (Archerfield Links), Wallace Booth (Comrie), David Roger (Windyhill).
9.50am: Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), Tom Buchanan (Duddingston), Owen Leslie (Edinburgh Leisure).
10.00am: Scott Henderson (Kings Links Golf Centre), Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo Golf Centre).
10.10am: Ben Irving (Kirkcudbright), Neil Cooper (unatt), Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar).
10.20am: Scott Henry (unatt), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk), Scott Catlin (Greenburn).
10.30am: Iain Hanna (Strathclyde Park), James McGhee (Turnhouse), Chris Currie (Caldwell).
10.40am: Craig Lee (Aspire Golf Centre), Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon), Euan Cameron(Hamilton).
10.50am & later: Late entries

+SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE ORGANISATIONAL DETAILS FOR THE TOURNAMENT AND HOW TO GO ABOUT GETTING A COMPETITOR'S DISCOUNTED RATE FOR ACCOMMODATION AT THE MARINE HOTEL, NORTH BERWICK.

Tiger admits he is nervous about crowd reaction

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Tiger Woods is feeling the tension ahead of his return to golf after four months in self-imposed exile.
Woods, giving his first interview since the November car crash outside his home which was the trigger for a slew of revelations about his private life, is set to return to action at the Masters in Augusta on April 8.
The 14-time major winner is expected to protected from too much media intrusion at Augusta, but it is the reception from the fans that is giving the American most cause for concern.
Asked what he expected from the crowd, Woods told ESPN: "I don't know. I don't know. I'm a little nervous about that to be honest with you.
"It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there. But also hope they clap for birdies, too.
"I'm excited to get back and play. I'm excited to get to see the guys again. I really miss a lot of my friends out there. I miss competing."
Woods announced he was taking an "indefinite break" from golf in December, and two months later confessed to a number of extra-marital affairs in a lengthy statement.
Woods admitted his life had become a "lie" prior to entering rehabilitation.
He said: "I was living a life of a lie, I really was. And I was doing a lot of things, like I said, that hurt a lot of people.
"Stripping away denial and rationalisation, you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be very ugly."
*** CBS turned down an interview with Tiger Woods after being told the network would be limited to five minutes of questions.
The troubled golf star answered questions from reporters at ESPN and The Golf Channel for the first time since the beginning of the sex scandal that has sidelined him. Both aired on Sunday, and both networks said the only restriction placed on them was a five-minute time limit.
CBS said no.
"Depending on the specifics, we are interested in an extended interview without any restrictions on CBS," said CBS Sports spokeswoman Leslie Anne Wade. The network is airing much of the Masters golf tournament next month, where Woods is making his return to the game.

A few dollars more for Joel Hendry in North Carolina

Elgin-born Joel Hendry, Scottish youths champion in 1999 and 2000, earned $1,355 for a joint 45th place finish on Saturday in an ETour event, the Cabarrus Classic at Cabarrus Country Club, North Carolina.
Hendry, who lives in the United States, had rounds of 70, 73, 73 and 72 for a level par total of 288. Winner of the $34,726 prize was American Jason Kokrak with a 15-under-par total of 273 with rounds of 69, 69, 69 and 66.
Runner-up was another American, David Robinson on 274 (67-68-70-69), which earned him $1,240.
Englishman Christopher Cannon finished joint eighth on 279 with scores of 69, 70, 70 and 70 for a $5,261 pay-out.
This was the third event on the ETour. Hendry missed the cut in the second one and made roughly $1,200 in the opening competition.

French Allianz Tour Scoreboard
TROPHEE JEAN GARAIALDE
Hossegor GC
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
Players from France unless stated
Prize money in Euros
1 268 Ivo GINER (Spain) 69 69 65 65 (7,250).
2 269 Adrien BERNADET 68 67 66 68 (4,925).
T3 271 Jean-Baptiste GONNET 67 69 67 68 (2,925).
T3 271 Matthew BALDWIN (England) 72 65 64 70 (2,925).
T5 274 Michael LORENZO-VERA 74 69 66 65 (2,150).
T5 274 Raymond RUSSELL (Scotland) 65 70 71 68 (2,150).
T5 274 Bruno-Teva LECUONA 65 69 68 72 (2,150).
T8 276 Christophe BRAZILLIER 65 69 75 67 (1,234.16).
T8 276 Rudy THUILLIER 69 68 71 68 (1,234.16).
T8 276 Benjamin HEBERT 71 69 68 68 (1,234.16).
T8 276 Victor RIU 68 69 70 69 (1,234.16).
T8 276 Anthony GRENIER 70 69 67 70 (1,234.16).
T8 276 Damien PERRIER 68 70 66 72 (1,234.16).
T14 277 Jesus LEGARREA (Spain) 66 71 73 67 (862.50).
T14 277 Dominique NOUAILHAC 70 69 70 68 (862.50).
T14 277 Sam ROBINSON (England) 72 64 70 71 (862.50).
T14 277 Jorge GARCIA FERNANDEZ (Spain) 68 68 69 72 (862.50).
T14 277 Julien GUERRIER 68 70 67 72 (862.50).
T14 277 Olivier SERRES 67 70 68 72 (862.50).
T20 278 Pierre RELECOM (Belgium) 67 73 69 69 (743.75).
T20 278 Julien GRILLON 71 70 67 70 (743.75).
T20 278 Frederic CUPILLARD 67 71 69 71 (743.75).
T20 278 Fabien MARTY 67 65 74 72 (743.75)
T24 280 Nicolas JOAKIMIDES 68 70 72 70 (676.66).
T24 280 Gavin DEAR (Scotland) 69 71 70 70 (676.66).
T24 280 Xavier PONCELET 67 70 71 72 (676.66).
27 281 Charles RUSSO 68 71 71 71 (645).
T28 282 Tony RAILLARD 70 71 70 71 (622.50).
T28 282 Bertrand CORNUT 71 72 68 71 (622.50).
T30 283 Benoit TEILLERIA 70 69 72 72 (585).
T30 283 Jean-Nicolas BILLOT 70 72 69 72 (585).
T30 283 Jonathan LOMAS (England) 69 72 69 73 (585).
T30 283 Nicolas PORTEBOEUF 70 72 67 74 (585).
T34 284 Par Jean Baptiste LEVET 70 73 74 67 (555).
T34 284 Cedric MENUT 74 66 71 73 (555).
36 285 Jean VAN DE VELDE 71 69 67 78 (540).
T37 286 Iñigo URQUIZU 71 71 72 72 (525).
T37 286 Roman HAMON 69 72 71 74 (525).
T39 287 Jacques GUILLET 68 75 73 71 (505).
T39 287 Laurent PONCELET 72 70 69 76 (505).
41 289 Anthony SNOBECK 73 69 73 74 (490).
42 296 Benoit BOZIO 66 72 84 74 (480).
43 299 Vincent CACHERA (FRA) 74 69 76 80 (470).
MISSED THE CUT
144 Philip ROWE (England) 72 72 »»
144 Andrea ROTA (Italy) 73 71 »»
144 Cedric JUDLIN 69 75 »»
144 Diego DUPIN 70 74 »»
144 Anthony PAILLER 69 75 »»
144 Sebastien DELAGRANGE 67 77 »»
145 Clement GALLOIS 73 72 »»
145 Nicolas MOURLON 75 70 »»
145 Jerome FORESTIER 73 72 »»
146 Emilien CHAMAULTE 76 70 »»
146 Alexandre KALEKA 76 70 »»
146 Alberto CAMPANILE (Italy) 77 69 »»
146 Edouard DUBOIS 74 72 »»
147 Matthieu BEY 73 74 »»
147 Baptiste CHAPELLAN 76 71 »»
147 Thomas FOURNIER 69 78 »»
147 Moises COBO (Spain) 74 73 »»
148 Simon FERNOUX 76 72 »»
148 Jean-Vincent DAUDIGNON 72 76 »»
148 Matthieu VAN HAUWE 72 76 »»
148 Julien VAN HAUWE 72 76 »»
148 David ANTONELLI 75 73 »»
148 Raphael EYRAUD 76 72 »»
149 Jean-Christophe AUGER 72 77 »»
149 Olivier DAVID 74 75 »»
149 Matthias MONTGAILLARD 75 74 »»
149 Francois CALMELS 76 73 »»
149 Julien FORET 75 74 »»
149 Pierrick PERACINO 78 71 »»
150 Ghislain ROSIER 80 70 »»
151 Alexis NOUDEU 71 80 »»
151 Marc MAURET 81 70 »»
151 Patrice VALMARY 76 75 »»
151 Rafael GALLARDO MORENO (Spain) 72 79 »»
151 Freddy SCHOETTEL 76 75 »»
152 Kirianu BLAIS 75 77 »»
152 Samuel TANFIN 77 75 »»
152 Alexis WEIZMAN 78 74 »»
152 Antoine TAUPIN 71 81 »»
153 Eric MOREUL 77 76 »»
153 Michael HILL 78 75 »»
154 Mathieu BOZIO 76 78 »»
154 Edouard PENIN 76 78 »»
154 Germain RUSTE 77 77 »»
154 Maxime DEMORY 81 73 »»
155 Alexandre RENCK 75 80 »»
156 Laurent PARGADE 79 77 »»
157 Nicolas ALLAIN 75 82 »»
157 Philippe DUGENY 79 78 »»
158 George LERICHE 78 80 »»
166 Frantz DU REAU 76 90 »»
168 Bertrand COATHALEM 86 82 »»
169 Charles MIQUEL 83 86 »»

Raymond Russell falls back to joint 10th place in France

FROM THE SCOTSMAN SPORT.COM WEBSITE
Raymond Russell's hopes of a first tournament victory in 14 years suffered a huge blow in the third round of the Allianz Tour's £45,000 French International at Golf d'Hossegor.
The Prestonpans pro, who won the European Tour's Cannes Open in 1996, spilled five shots on his closing three holes in a level-par 71 and dropped five strokes off the pace with a seven-under 206.
Russell, joint fourth in the 1998 Open, had been sharing the lead after covering 15 holes in five-under. But bogeys at 16 and 17, and a crippling triple-bogey seven on the last, plunged the Scot back into a tie for tenth.
Englishman Matthew Baldwin and France's Adrien Bernadet lead the way with a round to go on 12-under 201s.
Perth rookie Gavin Dear, runner-up on the Alps Tour last month, birdied two of his last three holes in a one-under 70 and sits in a share of 26th with a three-under 210.
+The full article above appears in The Scotsman newspaper.

Paul Lawrie signs sponsorship agreement

with Pentagon Freight Services

NEWS RELEASE
Former Open champion Paul Lawrie has signed a sponsorship agreement with Pentagon Freight Services, a global service provider to the Oil & Gas and Marine sectors.
Lawrie, from Aberdeen, won the Open Championship in 1999 on top of victories on the European Tour in Spain, Qatar, Wales and Scotland. He represented the European Ryder Cup team in 1999.
Pentagon Freight Services see a natural crossover with Lawrie and their own company values; both have become established global players, dedicated to continuous improvement with a commitment to further success and development.
George Booth (Director, Pentagon Freight Services UK PLC) is delighted to announce their partnership with Lawrie and commented:
“It gives us great pleasure to announce this partnership with Paul Lawrie and align Pentagon Freight Services with one of Scotland’s great achievers in sport. We both have a strong connection to the North-east of Scotland but Paul also competes in many of our other key markets in Europe, the United Arab Emirates and Asia.”
Geoff Smith (CEO, Pentagon Group) added: “Our prestigious association with Paul demonstrates that Pentagon is now a global brand, recognised the world over. Through this deal, we trust that our valued clients will further recognise our commitment to quality and delivery of the highest standard.”
Lawrie was also delighted to strengthen his portfolio of sponsors and is pleased to be helping promote the services of another company from his home town of Aberdeen. He stated: “I’m delighted to start a relationship with Pentagon Freight Services, a company with a strong Aberdeen presence, and I look forward to helping them with their global business.”
The agreement will see Lawrie wearing the Pentagon Freight Services corporate logo on his headwear in the coming year.

SALTMAN BROTHERS' NOTABLE SUCCESS

First Lloyd, then Elliot wins on Spanish Tour

FROM THE SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR
Scotland's Elliot Saltman closed out the win at the Hi5 pro Tour Condado Open by five shots today with a two-over-par aggregate of 218 (72-73-73) in Murcia, south-east Spain.
How often, on any tour, do brothers score back-to-back victories? Probably never. But it has happened over the past two weeks on the Hi5 Pro Tour. Last week Lloyd, the middle one of the three Saltman siblings, won easily in the Condado Open. This week it was Elliot who triumphed, equally easily on the Nicklaus-signature designed Condado course.
Elliot, the oldest of the Lothians brothers, who are all sponsored by Aegon, showed his calm by playing the back nine in two under par to close out the title with a commanding lead. His cash prize was 1,800 Euros.
Elliot has already won as a professional - on last year's EuroPro Tour in England.
In second place tied were Andreas Saltberg (Sweden) , Brad Clapp (Canada) , Michael Collins (Ireland) and Frederick Hamarberg of Sweden.
Gary Wolstenholme, arguably the most distinguished English male amateur golfer of the last two decades. won the seniors championship by converting a birdie on the second extra play off hole over countryman Stephen Shields.
The Hi5 Pro Tour marches on to the “Club De Golf Altorreal” one of the oldest Clubs established in Spain based in the region of Murcia. Surely the Saltmans can't make it three in a row? Watch this space.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
218 Elliot Saltman (Scotland) 72 73 73.
223 Andreas Hogberg (Sweden) 75 77 71, Michael Collins (Ireland) 71 75 77, Brad Clap (Canada) 75 73 75, Fredrik Hammarberg (Sweden) 72 75 76.
225 Gary Wolstenholme (England) 73 76 76, Stephen Shields (England) 78 67 80.
226 Lasse Sonne Nielsen (Denmark) (amateur) 78 77 71, James Housby (England) 74 74 78, Felix Fihn (Sweden) 77 71 78.
227 Martyn Hamer (England) 74 76 77, Pablo del Grosso (Spain) 77 71 79, Ruaidhri McGee (Ireland) 75 79 73.
229 Bjorn Pettersson (Sweden) 78 76 75, Ignacio Sanchez Palencia (Spain) 79 72 78, Gary King (England) 76 79 74, James Johnson (England) 74 78 77.
230 Zack Saltman (Scotland) 77 81 72, Richard Carter (England) (amateur) 78 78 74, Stefan Stefansson (Sweden) 77 78 75.
233 Patric O'Neil (amateur) 73 87 73.

Hendry 70 ... but only joint 32nd on America's eGolf Pro Tour

Twice past winner of the Scottish youths champion, Elgin-born Joel Hendry shot a two-under-par round of 70 on the opening day of the eGolf Professional Tour at the Cabarrus Country Club, Concord in North Carolina.
Despite that, the Scot was only tied for 32nd place in a huge field of around 200.
Chris Epperson is setting the pace with a 65, ahead of fellow Americans Chase Carroll, Joe Daley and Dustin Bray on 66.

Oh, brother! Elliot following in Lloyd
-


Saltman's footsteps in Spain



FROM THE SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR WEBSITE
Elliot Saltman leads the Hi5 Pro Tour Condado Open after day 2 with the field playing once again in blustery wind conditions.
The Scotsman takes a one-shot lead into the final round over day 1 leader, Ireland's Michael Collins.
Aegon-sponsored Elliot, pictured right, is looking to keep the Condado title in the family following last week's win by one of his younger brothers, Lloyd on the Nicklaus signature course in Murcia.
His lead was cemented with a run of four birdies scored between the 11th and 16th hole today.
Leading the seniors section is England's Stephen Shields after shooting a superb low round of the day 67. Stephen's 67 included two eagles, made on the par-5 fourth and 13th holes. He takes a four-shot lead into the final round over Englands Gary Wolstenholme .
SECOND ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
145 Elliot Saltman (Scotland) 72 73.
146 Michael Collins (Ireland) 71 75.
147 Fredrik Hammarberg (Sweden) 72 75.
148 Felix Fihn (Sweden) 77 71, Pablo del Grosso (Spain) 77 71, Brad Clapp (Canada) 75 73, James Housby (England) 74 74.
150 Martyn Hamer (England) 74 76.
151 Ignacio Sanchez Palencia (Spain) 79 72.
152 James Johnson (England) 74 78.
Selected score:
156 Zack Saltman (Scotland) 77 81.
SENIORS SECTION
145 Stephen Shields (England) 78 67.
149 Gary Wolstenholme (England) 73 76.

Elliot Saltman one off the pace in Spain

FROM THE SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR WEBSITE
Michael Collins, representing Ireland, was the only player to beat par today in demanding conditions over the signature Nicklaus course situated in Murcia, Spain.
Michael , a last minute entry , played a solid round of 71 consisting of 3 birdies , two bogeys and 13 pars to set the pace in the Hi5 Pro Tour Condado de Alhama open.
Close on his heels, just one shot behind are Scotland's Elliot Saltman, whose younger brother Lloyd won last week's event, and Fredrik Hammarberg of Sweden.
Leading the Seniors section with a score of 73 ( +1 ) is England's Gary Wolstenholme who turned pro late in his career after establishing a stellar amateur CV.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
71 Michael Collins (Ireland).
72 Elliot Saltman (Scotland), Fredrik Hammarberg (Sweden).
73 Gary Wolstenholme (England), Patrick O'Neil (Denmark) (amateur).
74 Alex Belt (England), John Green (England), James Housby (England), Martyn Haymer (England), James Johnson (England).
75 Andreas Hogberg (Sweden), Ruaidhri McGee (Ireland), Brad Clapp (Canada).
76 Gary King (England).
77 Felix Fihn (Sweden), Zack Saltman (Scotland), Pablo Del Grosso (Spain), Stefan Mar Stefansson (Iceland), Miguel Angel Martin (Spain).
78 Bjorn Pettersson (Sweden), Lasse Sonne Nielsen (Denmark) (amateur), Richard Carter (England) (amateur), Stephen Shields (England).
79 Dominik Weissar (Germany), Ronan Collins (Ireland), Ignacio Sanchez Palencio (Spain).
80 Ryan Street (Canada), Daniel Sandberg (Sweden).
81 Chris Linstead, Robert Svensson (Sweden).
83 Joacim Hultman (Sweden).
85 Edward Barry-Walsh (England).
86 Stuart Hemming (England).
87 Alex Moron (England).
89 Roy Van der Loop (Netherlands).

US Tour chief calls conference - to make

Tiger comeback announcement?

US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has called a news conference for this evening, a day after hinting he knows when Tiger Woods will return to golf.
The tour gave no details of what Finchem will talk about in the conference, which is set for 18.30 GMT.
However, on Sunday Finchem said he expected Woods to announce his comeback date "pretty soon."
The world number one is taking an extended break from the game after admitting cheating on his wife, Elin.
In an apology for his conduct which was televised worldwide last month, Woods again said he did not know how long he would be away from the sport.
But the New York Post, citing two unnamed "sources in the golf community", said on Thursday that the 34-year-old was preparing for a possible return at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando on 25 March.
Another suggestion is that Woods will return to action at The Masters at Augusta on 5-11 April.
On Sunday Finchem said: "I'm as excited as everybody else to see him back I hope this spring, but my sense is we'll know pretty soon.
"Everybody's done looking back at the circumstances that resulted in him stepping away from the game and [are] now focused on when he's going to play golf - I think that's good."
Woods has been working with his coach Hank Haney, further fuelling expectations of a return before or for the Masters.
"If he wasn't going to play for six months, why would Hank be there?" said Australian pro Roger Allenby, a Florida neighbour of Woods.
"I look at that as maybe he's getting ready."
The Bay Hill tournament is run by Woods' management company, International Management Group, but tournament director Scott Wellington said he has not heard from the player's agent, Mark Steinberg.
"At this point, we still don't know," he said. "Tiger has until next Friday to commit."
Woods has won at Bay Hill six times, from 2000 to 2003 and again in 2008 and 2009, and it is the only PGA Tour event he has never missed since turning professional.
Meanwhile, Augusta National, the home of the Masters, the first major of the year, is famed for its watertight security, which means it would be next to impossible for the paparazzi to gain access to the course.
Speculation has also centred on the Tavistock Cup, a made-for-TV exhibition team event between PGA talent from rival Florida clubs Isleworth and Lake Nona.
Golfer Mark O'Meara, a friend and neighbour of Woods, fanned that flame this week when he told the Golf Channel that he "wouldn't be surprised" to see Woods play the 22-23 March competition.

World Cup to be held every two years on

Hainan Island, southern China

The Omega Mission Hills World Cup will return to the international golfing calendar in 2011 as a biennial event – staged in every odd year – with a record prize fund of US$7,500,000 at a brand new venue in the Mission Hills Resort on Hainan Island in Southern China from November 24-27 next year.
This was announced today by the International Federation of PGA Tours, the International Golf Association, Omega and Mission Hills.
The re-positioning of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, which has been played at Mission Hills Shenzhen, China, between 2007 and 2009, as a biennial event follows last year’s decision by the International Olympic Committee to re-introduce golf to the Olympic movement from 2016.
By playing the event in alternate years from 2011, the World Cup is aligned with many of the major sports in the Olympic movement, such as the World Athletics Championships, which are contested biennially and are not in any potential conflict with the summer and winter Olympic Games.
However, the Olympic golf tournament will be staged as an individual competition, whereas the Omega Mission Hills World Cup remains the only team event in the men’s professional game where players can proudly represent their own countries, thus maintaining its status as the oldest international team event in professional golf.
In 2011, the Omega Mission Hills World Cup will be among the richest events in world golf, with prize money for the 28 team competition increasing from US$5,500,000 in 2009 to a record US$7,500,000 when the event makes its debut at the newly opened Mission Hills Resort Hainan.
Next year’s winning team will earn US$2,400,000 - US$1,200,000 to each player - which is $350,000 more than last year’s winners. The new prize fund elevates the 2011 Omega Mission Hills World Cup right up alongside the Major Championships and the World Golf Championships.
The format for the contest will remain unchanged, with two series of foursomes and two series of fourballs on alternative days, which has the capacity to create huge swings in fortune and adding to the drama and excitement of the event.
The Omega Mission Hills World Cup will be hosted on the Blackstone course, a spectacular, 350-acre lay-out that weaves through a striking landscape of mature trees, expansive wetlands, ancient town ruins and ever-present lava rock.
The 7,777-yard Blackstone features a myriad of risk / reward opportunities throughout the back nine. The course is set in front of the 525-room 5-star resort complex and the 238,000 square-feet clubhouse, making it ideal for hosting the world’s foremost golf tournaments.
Stephen Urquhart, President of Omega, said: “In addition to finding a coherent strategy in relation to the Olympics, one of the main reasons for making the World Cup of Golf a biennial event is that it should give all the Federations involved a better opportunity to send their best teams to represent their country. We are confident that we can make important inroads in our primary objective which is to re-establish the World Cup of Golf in its rightful position.”

Els ends two years without

a victory -- and it's a South

African 1-2 at Doral

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
Ernie Els showed his South African protege what it takes to win a World Golf Championship. Just as important was that he showed himself how to win again, too.
Ending the longest drought of his 20-year career, Els played the final 23 holes on the Blue Monster at Doral Golf Resort, Miami, without a bogey and closed with a 6-under 66 today to win the CA Championship by four shots over 25-year-old Charl Schwartzel.
It was far closer than the margin suggested.
Schwartzel, in his first time on a world stage, refused to let Els get away from him. Els was clinging to a one-shot lead as he stood over a 25-foot par putt on the 14th hole, and the Big Easy was relieved to see it fall on the final turn.
Schwartzel, a houseguest of Els the last two weeks, caught a bad break on the 15th hole when his ball plugged in a front bunker, and he knocked that into a back bunker on his way to a crucial bogey. He missed short putts on the next two holes and closed with a 70.
That allowed Els a strange sensation, walking up to the 18th green with his cap in hand, waving to the gallery, unable to contain a smile that showed equal parts relief and satisfaction.
"I'm 40 years old. I've had a tough run," Els said. "Whew! The hairs are standing up. It's just great."
Els last won two years ago at the Honda Classic, which he won while warming up on the range for a possible play-off. He became only the fifth player with multiple victories in the World Golf Championships, joining Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson.
It was his 61st victory worldwide, and 17th on the PGA Tour, and moved Els to No. 8 in the world ranking.
"My game was in good shape," said Els, who finished at 18-under 270. "I just wanted to prove to myself for once. Charl came at me all day. I had to come up with the goods."
It was a strong effort by Schwartzel, who has considered Els a hero since he first started playing golf. Despite two bogeys on the final four holes, he was the only player to give Els a run. And he was poised to take him down until his tee shot left him little hope in the sand.
"I plugged and that was a killer," Schwartzel said. "For me, it's been the biggest stage I've had. This is a good day for me."
Padraig Harrington fell out of the with three straight bogeys on the back nine, closing with a 72 to tie for third at 11-under 277 along with Matt Kuchar (68) and Martin Kaymer of Germany, who had a 69 and moved up to No. 7 in the world.
Alistair Presnell of Australia matched the best round of the day with a 64 and tied for sixth. Defending champion Phil Mickelson, who was never in the mix, shot a 68 and tied for 14th.
Els could not have imagined being in the final group at Doral with Schwartzel, and to see the two South Africans standing on the first tee under warm sunshine, it was easy to see what the Big Easy meant.
To think that Schwartzel was 2 when his father and Els won a club tournament together, or that he was among the gangly teens who traveled with the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation junior team. More recently, Els invited the Schwartzel to stay in his south Florida home while Schwartzel was passing time between two WGC events.
And they stayed together for so much of the final round, trading birdies and keeping their names atop the leaderboard.
Els made birdie from the bunker on the opening hole. Schwartzel answered with a 25-foot birdie on the second. Els followed with two straight birdies, the most impressive on the 223-yard fourth with a shot into 8 feet despite a vicious right-to-left wind. Schwartzel fell three shots behind with a bogey from the bunker on No. 5, only to birdie his next three holes.
No one else joined the chase.
Harrington played bogey-free for 12 holes, but he had only two birdies. Robert Allenby pulled within a shot with an opening birdie, then went 10 holes before making another one. Kaymer went out in 33, then failed to make birdie on the par 5s on the back nine.
It became a South African duel in Miami, and Schwartzel gave Els about all he could handle until the end. After his bogey on the 15th, he left a 10-foot birdie putt short on the 16th, then drove into the palm trees on the 17th and took bogey.
Els suddenly has good vibes as he begins his road to the Masters, the one major that has haunted him throughout his career. His victory was worth $1.4 million, and moved him past Colin Montgomerie and atop the European Tour career money list with about $33.6 million.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

Els and Schwartzel make it a South African 1-2

WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS - CA
FINAL TOTALS IN CLUBHOUSE (before end of play)
Blue Monster at Doral Golf Resort, Miami, Florida
Par 288 (4x72)
270 Ernie Els (South Africa) 68 66 70 66.
274 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 67 70 67 70.
277 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 70 72 66 69, Matt Kuchar 71 71 67 68, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 70 68 67 72.
278 Bill Haas 71 66 70 71, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 74 68 70 66, Alistair Presnell (Aus) 72 70 72 64, Paul Casey (Eng) 69 72 68 69, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 69 69 68.
279 Vijay Singh (Fij) 68 71 70 70, John Senden (Aus) 69 70 71 69, Robert Allenby (Australia) 68 67 71 73.
280 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 69 71 72 68, Phil Mickelson 71 69 72 68
281 Steve Stricker 73 69 71 68, Camilo Villegas (Col) 72 68 70 71
282 J.B. Holmes 69 70 73 70, Sean O'Hair 71 71 74 66, Jason Dufner 73 69 75 65, Soren Hansen (Den) 69 69 71 73
283 Anthony Kim 71 73 71 68, Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 71 68 74 70, Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 69 74 70, Heath Slocum 74 71 70 68
284 Peter Hanson (Swe) 74 66 74 70, Nick Watney 73 72 71 68, Mike Weir (Can) 73 66 75 70, Luke Donald (Eng) 70 75 69 70
285 Hunter Mahan 72 70 69 74, Brian Gay 74 69 74 68, Scott Verplank 76 72 69 68, Liang Wen Chong (Chn) 72 69 71 73, Lee Westwood (Eng) 74 68 74 69, Ross McGowan (Eng) 76 71 70 68, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 73 72 75 65
286 Ben Crane 74 73 69 70, Jim Furyk 70 76 69 71, Zach Johnson 76 70 71 69, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 74 72 71 69, Ian Poulter (Eng) 72 78 72 64, Stewart Cink 75 74 72 65, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 72 68 71 75, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 71 72 71 72
287 Kenny Perry 73 74 68 72, Ross Fisher (Eng) 73 72 70 72, Anders Hansen (Den) 76 70 74 67, Ryan Palmer 79 68 72 68, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 72 71 75 69
288 Jerry Kelly 70 72 73 73, Kevin Na 78 70 70 70, Adam Scott (Aus) 74 69 71 74, David Toms 72 72 72 72, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 74 71 70 73, Simon Dyson (Eng) 72 73 73 70
290 Dustin Johnson 69 72 76 73, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 76 71 73 70, Lucas Glover 72 72 71 75, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 73 72 73 72
291 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 74 78 73 66
292 Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 74 72 74
293 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 78 70 73 72
294 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 73 75 73 73, Marc Leishman (Aus) 78 73 71 72
295 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 76 73 73 73, Steve Marino 75 71 77 72
296 Oliver Wilson (Eng) 78 74 77 67
300 Michael Sim (Aus) 75 74 77

WGC-CA CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL, MIAMI

Harrington in hunt, one off pace

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Padraig Harrington is right in the thick of things with a round to go at the WGC-CA Championship over the Blue Monster course at the Doral Resort in Miami, Florida.
Ireland's three-time major winner, pictured right, whose last Tour title was the US PGA 19 months ago, moved into a tie for the lead before three-putting the last for his only bogey of the day.
A five under par 67 leaves Harrington 11 under par, one behind South Africans Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel in the race for a first prize of over £925,000.
Els, one in front of Australian Robert Allenby at halfway, had a chance to establish a firm grip on the event, but missed from four feet at the 13th and three feet on the 16th.
He returned a 70, while 25-year-old Schwartzel - twice a winner in his home country already this year - matched Harrington's round.
Allenby is in fourth place two back, while German Martin Kaymer (66) and England's Paul Casey (68) are not out of the running at eight under and seven under respectively.
Casey was given extra motivation afterwards when told about television commentator Johnny Miller calling him "the biggest under-achiever in golf."
Second and fourth in his last two events - and three times a winner last season before tearing a rib muscle - Casey could go second in the world with victory.
"I feel I'm coming into the prime of my career," he said. "I've gone through ups and downs and I'm just coming off an injury."
Kaymer, Europe's best putter last season, showed American golf fans what he was capable of, needing only 22 putts in his best-of-the-day effort. Already a winner in Abu Dhabi this season, he is currently eighth in the world, but relatively unknown in the States.
THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Blue Monster, Doral Resort, Miami, Florida
Par 216 (3x72)
Players from United States unless stated otherwise
204 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 67 70 67, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 66 70
205 Padraig Harrington (Irl) 70 68 67
206 Robert Allenby (Aus) 68 67 71
207 Bill Haas 71 66 70
208 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 70 72 66
209 Vijay Singh (Fij) 68 71 70, Soren Hansen (Den) 69 69 71, Paul Casey (Eng) 69 72 68, Matt Kuchar 71 71 67
210 John Senden (Aus) 69 70 71, Camilo Villegas (Col) 72 68 70, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 69 69
211 Hunter Mahan 72 70 69, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 72 68 71
212 Phil Mickelson 71 69 72, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 69 71 72, J.B. Holmes 69 70 73, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 74 68 70, Liang Wen Chong (Chn) 72 69 71
213 Steve Stricker 73 69 71, Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 71 68 74, Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 69 74
214 Peter Hanson (Swe) 74 66 74, Adam Scott (Aus) 74 69 71, Mike Weir (Can) 73 66 75, Alistair Presnell (Aus) 72 70 72, Luke Donald (Eng) 70 75 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 71 72 71
215 Jerry Kelly 70 72 73, Ross Fisher (Eng) 73 72 70, Lucas Glover 72 72 71, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 74 71 70, Heath Slocum 74 71 70, Kenny Perry 73 74 68, Anthony Kim 71 73 71, Jim Furyk 70 76 69
216 Nick Watney 73 72 71, Ben Crane 74 73 69, Sean O'Hair 71 71 74, David Toms 72 72 72, Lee Westwood (Eng) 74 68 74
217 Dustin Johnson 69 72 76, Jason Dufner 73 69 75, Zach Johnson 76 70 71, Brian Gay 74 69 74, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 74 72 71, Scott Verplank 76 72 69, Ross McGowan (Eng) 76 71 70
218 Kevin Na 78 70 70, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 72 71 75, Simon Dyson (Eng) 72 73 73, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 73 72 73, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 74 72
219 Ryan Palmer 79 68 72
220 Anders Hansen (Den) 76 70 74, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 76 71 73, Y.E. Yang (South Korea) 73 72 75
221 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 78 70 73, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 73 75 73, Stewart Cink 75 74 72
222 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 76 73 73, Marc Leishman (Aus) 78 73 71, Ian Poulter (Eng) 72 78 72
223 Steve Marino 75 71 77
225 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 74 78 73
226 Michael Sim (Aus) 75 74 77
229 Oliver Wilson (Eng) 78 74 77

Soren Hansen in court next Friday on tax evasion charge

Danish Ryder Cup player Soren Hansen will be in a Danish court next Friday to answer charges of tax evasion.
Hansen, 35, is charged with misreporting earnings from the years 2000 to 2006, stemming from his claim that he resided in Monaco and not Denmark, his country of birth.
In February this year, US Seniors Tour player Jim Thorpe, 61, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and ordered to pay $2million in back taxes for tax evasion.

Ernie Els early clubhouse leader at Miami

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
South African Ernie Els was the clubhouse leader at the second round of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship before play was held up briefly because of an approaching thunderstorm at the Doral Golf Resort, Miami in Florida.
It vindicated the officials, who made a very wise move in bringing forward tee times by nearly three and a half hours.
Els, 40, who last year failed to land a title for the first time since his rookie season in 1990, has been putting in the hours on the practice range recently.
That certainly paid off as he added a 66 to his opening 68 and he shared top spot with Australian Robert Allenby, who still had three holes to complete when the suspension came.
The pair were three clear of closest challenger Bill Haas and overnight leader Charl Schwartzel.
Padraig Harrington finished just before the break, sitting tied for fifth with Søren Hansen on six under.
The Irishman's only 2009 success came in the Irish PGA Championship, but he was making no promises about putting that right this weekend.
The Dubliner has dropped to 13th in the world with nothing better than a 16th place finish in four starts so far this season.
With that in mind he said: "I have a tradition, unfortunately for me, that I don't normally win out of the blue.
"It's very rare. I normally warm up by getting into contention a few times.
"I'm happy with my scoring but I made a few mental errors out there and missed a few putts.
"Obviously, though, I hit enough good shots and I seemed to have a lot of reasonable chances for birdies."
His only dropped shot came after he hooked his drive into the lake on the treacherous 18th, his ninth of the day.
Els said: "I'm just pleased we got it done. The weather is changing a lot.
"I'm in pretty good shape. Halfway there and, you know, just got to keep it up."
Dane Hansen kept alive his hopes of the first prize with a second successive 69 to be alongside Harrington.
“Playing really well. Hitting a lot of greens. Giving myself a lot of chances and I suppose that's what it's all about in this game,” he said afterwards.
SCOREBOARD TO COME

Windy start at Miami to WGC-CA Championship

Casey content to be only two behind Allenby


FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
England's in-form Paul Casey was thrilled to finish the opening round of the WGC-CA Championship only two shots off the lead in windy Miami - after thinking Robert Allenby must have been playing somewhere else.
Australian Allenby defied the conditions with an eagle and six birdies to stand eight under par after 12 holes, but then bogeyed the last four at the Doral Resort & Country Club.
That handed top spot to South African Charl Schwartzel with his five under par 67 - the only bogey-free round of the day - while Casey had four successive birdies late in the day before dropping a shot at the last to be in a tie for fifth spot.
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"I thought Robert was playing a different course," said the world number six, who has a chance this week to become Tiger Woods' closest challenger on the rankings for the first time.
"That was very impressive stuff - there are a lot of tough holes here - and I'm very happy with my 69."
Far from satisfied, though, was Rory McIlroy as he handed in a bitterly disappointing 76 and then sentenced himself to some hard labour on the practice range.
McIlroy had only a few of the 68-strong field behind him after no fewer than six bogeys and so many shots into bunkers that he could not remember the final tally.
"I'm just struggling," said the world number nine, outscored by five by playing partner and defending champion Phil Mickelson.
"I'm not playing well and just can't keep things going. I've been struggling since the weekend in Dubai (now over a month ago)."
ALL THE FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Doral Resort & CC, Miami, Florida
Par 72. Players from United States unless stated
67 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)
68 Vijay Singh (Fiji), Robert Allenby (Australia), Ernie Els (South Africa)
69 Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari (Italy), J.B. Holmes, Soren Hansen (Denmark), John Senden (Australia), Paul Casey (England)
70 Jerry Kelly, Jim Furyk, Luke Donald (England), Martin Kaymer (Ger), Tim Clark (Rsa), Padraig Harrington (Ireland)
71 Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Bill Haas, Sean O'Hair, Yuta Ikeda (Japan), Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
72 Lucas Glover, David Toms, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Simon Dyson (England), Liang Wen Chong (China), Alvaro Quiros (Spain), Hunter Mahan, Alistair Presnell (Australia), Ian Poulter (England), Camilo Villegas (Colombia), Edoardo Molinari (Italy)
73 Nick Watney, Steve Stricker, Ross Fisher (England), Jason Dufner, Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand), Kenny Perry, Mike Weir (Can), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Y.E. Yang (South Korea)
74 Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark), Graeme McDowell (N Ireland), Adam Scott (Australia), Brian Gay, Sergio Garcia (Spain), Angel Cabrera (Argentina), Heath Slocum, Peter Hanson (Sweden), Ben Crane, Lee Westwood (England)
75 Steve Marino, Michael Sim (Aus), Stewart Cink
76 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland), Zach Johnson, Retief Goosen (South Africa), Anders Hansen (Denmark), Scott Verplank, Ross McGowan (England)
78 Robert Karlsson (Sweden), Kevin Na, Oliver Wilson (England), Marc Leishman (Australia)
79 Ryan Palmer

2,100 Euros cash prize for Lothians man, 7,176 Euros from three events

Lloyd Saltman, lady pro winner Johanna Lundberg (Sweden) and senior award winner Miguel Angel Martin (Spain) pictured after the prizegiving today.

Lloyd Saltman wins by five, Callum Macaulay jt second

FROM THE SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR WEBSITE

Lloyd Saltman from Scotland went wire to wire to capture the 2010 Polaris World Condado Open today with an 11-under-par total of 205 earning him a five-shot margin of victory. The middle brother of the “Saltman brothers” had tremendous composure the entire round today, reported tournament director Wayne Hachey.

“You could see how cool he played his round today, the mark of a real champion. He just got on with it and took care of business, and did not let anyone come from behind with his solid performance of 70 today and a -11 total.”

Another Scotsman, former European Tour player Callum Macaulay, and Challenge Tour player Floris de Vries (Netherlands) were his nearest rivals. Both finished at -6.

De Vries fired a great 65 today on the demanding Nicklaus layout. After a short frost delay, the blue skies and gentle winds provided great scoring conditions to go along with the superb putting surfaces at Condado.
In the ladies section Johanna Lundberg (Sweden) shot a final round 71 to win by one shot over Josefin Leijon also from Sweden.
The senior award was won by European Tour veteran Miguel Angel Martin (Spain) who displayed his usual talents and closed the event with a fine 69 (nine shots better than his opening round.

*Lloyd Saltman's cash reward for victory was 2,100 Euros, giving him a grand total of 7,716 Euros from the three Hi5 Pro Tour events he has played.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
1-205 Lloyd Saltman (Scotland) 68 67 70.
T2-210 Floris De Vries (Netherlands) 73 72 65, Callum Macaulay (Scotland) 71 68 71.
4-211 Andreas Hogberg (Sweden) 71 68 72.
T5-214 Felix Fihn (Sweden) 71 72 71, Gary King (England) 68 76 70.
7-216 Gareth Davies (Wales) 75 70 71.
T8-217 Miguel Angel Martin (Spain) 78 70 69, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 72 75.
10-220 Alex Belt (England) 71 73 76.
T11-221 Elliot Saltman (Scotland) 72 77 72, Patrick O'Neill (amateur) 72 74 75, Lasse Sonne Nielsen (Denmark) (amateur) 70 73 78.
14-222 Tim Sluiter (Netherlands) 70 72 80.
T15-224 Ruaidhri McGee (Ireland) 75 76 73, Richard Kind (Netherlands) 70 76 78, Jan-Philip Neuendorf (amateur) 73 75 76.
18-225 Ryan Street 76 77 72.
19-226 James Housby (England) 72 76 78.
T20-227 Zack Saltman (Scotland) 75 76 76, Martyn Hamer (England) 73 77 77, Emilo Rodriguez Aguilera (Spain) 73 76 78.
T23-228 Richard Carter (England) (amateur) 71 79 78, Adrian Axelsson (Sweden) 73 82 73.
T25-229 Stian Hansen (Norway) 79 75 75, Juhana Pernaa (amateur) 77 74 78.
27-230 Brad Clapp (Canada) 77 78 75.
T28-231 Emilio Rodriguez Senior 77 74 80, Vidar Thorstensen 74 81 76.
30-232 Stephen Shields 83 77 72.
T31-233 Paul O'Hanlon 74 76 83, Fredrik Thorin 80 77 76.
T33-235 Christer Friis 78 79 78, Scott Fitzgerald (England) 80 79 76, Edward Barry-Walsh (England) 82 81 72.
36-237 James Johnson (England) 77 83 77.
37-239 Alvaro Herrero (Spain) 83 76 80.
38-241 Ronan Collins (Ireland) 84 82 75.
39-271 Roy Van der Loop (Netherlands) 86 95 90
40-296 Jan Skoglund Paltto 99 103 94.

LADIES SCOREBOARD ON www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk