Gary Player relishing Carnoustie return

Gary Player will return to Carnoustie and the scene of the ‘greatest shot of his career’ when he takes his place amongst an impressive line up of Major Champions in The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard from July 22-25.
Tickets are now on sale at a discounted rate for the 24th edition of the Championship, which this year returns to Scotland, visiting the magnificent Championship Course at Carnoustie for the first time.
It will be an emotional return for Player, who won The Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1968, claiming his second of three Claret Jugs after previously winning at Muirfield in 1959.
The 74 year old, who last week played in the Berenberg Bank Masters over the Fancourt course he designed in his native South Africa, still rates his majestic three wood approach shot to the 14th hole in his final round 42 years ago as the most memorable shot of his marvellous career.
Player’s ball stopped just inches from the pin to give him a tap in for eagle and set up his eventual two stroke victory over the legendary American Jack Nicklaus and New Zealand’s Bob Charles, who had claimed the Claret Jug five years previously.
“I’ve got great memories of Carnoustie,” said Player. “There were five of us going down the last five holes within one shot of each other and I was playing with Nicklaus.
“I got to the 14th hole, which is known as The Spectacles, because of the two large bunkers in the middle of the fairway, and the wind was blowing and I had a three wood in my hand and I had to decide whether to go for the green or not because there’s all this heather and junk around over the bigger of the two bunkers.
“There was only about a five yard gap and I put the ball eight inches from the hole, which enabled me to go on and beat Nicklaus and the others.
“That has to be the best shot of my life. I hit a shot at the PGA when there were nine of us in contention and a shot to a couple of feet at the 17th at Augusta when leading by one but nothing like that. That’s a three wood into the wind with such trouble all around.
“My wife was sitting in the stand and she was so nervous. After I played the shot she said she could hardly walk down the stand because her knees were shaking that much.
“Carnoustie is definitely one of the toughest courses I have played. It will be very tough for a Senior Open. Ben Hogan won The Open there before me, which I watched as a young man, and I always said Ben was the best player I’ve ever seen so Carnoustie has some very special memories for me.”
Player, who has missed only one of the 23 Senior Open Championships played since 1987, is the joint most successful player in the Championship’s history with Tom Watson, winning the title in 1988 and 1990 at Turnberry and in 1997 at Royal Portrush.
The Black Knight, who has 164 professional tournament wins worldwide, believes those victories surpassed even the feat of his nine regular Major Championship victories.
“People ask me what’s the greatest achievement of my life and I say my Grand Slam on the Senior Tour and they are shocked, but you have to do that after you turn 50,” he said.
“My three Senior Open titles were such a great achievement. The tournament is going from strength to strength and if you look at the scores they were shooting last year at Sunningdale it was remarkable. The field just gets better and better every year.”
Spectators can buy tickets now for The Senior Open Championship by visiting www.senioropengolf.com or by calling +44 (0) 800 023 2557 or on the gate. One day tickets are £25 and season tickets are £70.

Substantial savings can now be made both on day passes and season tickets for The 2010 Senior Open Championship, which are priced respectively at £16.50 and £60, with a further 10% discount available to MasterCard cardholders.
To order your tickets, go here or call +44 800 023 2557. Postal enquiries should be sent to European Tour Tickets, Mirren Court Three, 123, Renfrew Court Three, Paisley. PA3 4EA. Alternatively, you can email tickets@europeantour.com.

Three wins in a row for rookie senior Fred Couples

FROM THEPGA.COM WEBSITE
CAP CANA, Dominican Republic -- When Fred Couples joined the Champions Tour, most everyone predicted success befitting a 15-time PGA Tour winner and Masters champion.
Judging from his first four events, everyone was right.
Couples won his third straight start on the 50-and-over tour Sunday, shooting a course-record 10-under 62 at Jack Nicklaus-designed Punta Espada for a two-stroke victory over Corey Pavin in the Cap Cana Championship.
"I had a great stretch of golf in 1992," said Couples, who won three tournaments, including the Masters, in a two-month period then, "but I must say that these four weeks on the Champions Tour I'm not missing many shots."
Couples made 11 birdies in the final round and finished the tournament at 21-under 195. Pavin closed with a 66.
"It was an unbelievable day," said Couples, who made five birdies in a row from the second through sixth hole. "The first six or seven holes, there was an eagle, birdies and putts going in from everywhere."
The 50-year-old Couples is the first player in Champions Tour history to win three of his first four tournaments, and the eighth to win three straight starts, leaving him one behind the tour record set by Chi Chi Rodriguez in 1987.
The ACE Group Classic and Toshiba Classic winner after finishing second in the season-opening event in Hawaii, Couples hasn't had a score higher than 68 and is 77 under in 12 senior rounds. He earned $240,000 for a four-event total of $931,000.
Couples began the day two strokes behind Pavin and one back of Nick Price.
Pavin was the victim of a bad break when his second shot at the par 4 14th hole hit a greenside sprinkler head and bounced 60 yards over the green into a waste area. He was unable to recover and made a bogey, losing the lead for the first time since the seventh hole.
"I did a lot of things that were very good out there today," said Pavin, who made an eagle with a chip-in at the par-5 sixth hole to tie for the lead, five birdies and one bogey, "and one bad break does not make a tournament, but it doesn't help any."
Russ Cochran, never a factor in the chase for first place, shot a 67 to finish third at 14 under. Price, who shot himself out of contention with a watery approach shot and double bogey at the 15th hole, had a 71 to tie for fourth at 13 under with Tom Pernice Jr. (67) and Bernhard Langer (67).
Couples, Price and Pavin lit up a defenseless course for the third day in a row.
In the opening nine holes, they made 11 birdies and an eagle.
Couples ran off five more birdies in a row from the 11-15 and maintained a one-shot lead over Pavin when both birdied the par-5 15th. Of Couples' birdies, only one came from outside 30 feet and eight came from inside 15 or less.
Couples will play the PGA Tour's Shell Houston Open this coming week, then head to Augusta National for the Masters.

Sam Torrance has to settle for share of second place

By STEVE TODD, EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR PRESS OFFICER
Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit sealed a historic hat-trick of victories on the European Senior Tour after shooting a superb final round 69 to win the Berenberg Bank Masters by three strokes in South Africa.
Ruangkit held off former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance and South African Bobby Lincoln to capture the €75,000 first prize and become the first player since Tommy Horton in 1997 to win three consecutive Senior Tour events, following his back-to-back victories in Brunei and his native Thailand.
He also became the quickest player to win three times on the Senior Tour – doing so on his seventh appearance – to break Welshman Brian Huggett’s record of achieving three victories in his first eight events, which has stood for 17 years.
“I’m very happy to win three times in a row,” he said. “I’d never thought about winning doing it before but I’m very proud.
“It was my first time in South Africa and I’d met Gary Player before but it was great to play with him in the first round.
“I had not thought about winning the Order of Merit before but I will go to England to play the next event and if it is not too cold I will try to make it four wins.”
The 53 year old, known as ‘The Godfather of Asian Golf’, had started the day four strokes behind joint leaders Angel Franco and Torrance at The Links at Fancourt but a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine saw Ruangkit move clear.
Torrance suffered a difficult start to the day with a double bogey on the third hole followed by consecutive dropped shots on the fourth and fifth to surrender the lead.
The Scot battled back in typical fashion with three birdies but a double bogey six on the 15th left him with too much to do and, despite a birdie on the last, the 2009 Order of Merit winner signed for a two over par 75 to finish on level par 219.
Lincoln posted four birdies in his last six holes to card a superb 70 and surge up the leaderboard but Ruangkit came home with three consecutive pars to finish the tournament as the only player under par, with a total of three under par 216.
The Thai player had led after the first round following a 69 but struggled to a 78 in tough windy conditions during the second round over the Gary Player-designed course.
However with the gusts not a factor on the final day, Ruangkit played some scintillating golf, particularly on the back nine, to pull clear of the field.
“I played much better today,” he said. “On the front nine I thought a top three finish would be okay but I had three birdies in a row.
“This week was much more difficult than in Brunei and Thailand. I’m not familiar with this golf course and the wind and slopes on the green made it very hard but I’m proud that I was the only player under par here.”
Although he won the US Champions Tour Qualifying School in 2006, Ruangkit was a relative unknown on the Senior Tour until his stunning victory in the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum.
He went on to tear up the record books the following week in the Chang Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS, where his 11 stroke win two weeks ago was a record victory margin on the Senior Tour and his 21 under par 195 winning score the lowest 54 hole total on the Senior Tour.
His latest record breaking performance attracted high praise from Torrance, who sees Ruangkit as a real threat to his defence of the Order of Merit crown.
“He’s some player – he’s fantastic,” said Torrance. “We’ve got a new rival on the scene and I’ve got my work cut out this year if he plays anymore.
“I had such a horrific start today. I dropped four shots in three holes but I dug in and made birdies on the 13th and 14th but Boonchu went crazy on the back nine.
“It was another great week for me though. It’s always disappointing not to win but I’m delighted with how I played.”
Lincoln’s late rally meant he finished as the leading South African on the Senior Tour’s maiden visit to the country and moved him up to third in the Order of Merit, with Torrance now in second and Ruangkit extending his lead at the top having amassed €118,815.
Franco and England’s Roger Chapman finished in a tie for fourth place on two over par after rounds of 77 and 75 respectively, while former World Number One and Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam posted a closing 74 for a share of 11th.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 292 (4x73)
216 B Ruangkit (Tha) 69 78 69,
219 S Torrance (Sco) 72 72 75, B Lincoln (RSA) 74 75 70,
221 A Franco (Par) 72 72 77, R Chapman (Eng) 74 72 75,
223 B Cameron (Eng) 74 78 71,
224 M Clayton (Aus) 76 75 73, R Drummond (Sco) 73 77 74,
225 G Cali (Ita) 71 77 77, R Stewart (RSA) 72 79 74,
226 M Harwood (Aus) 72 77 77, I Woosnam (Wal) 74 78 74,
227 B Smit (RSA) 74 74 79, N Job (Eng) 76 81 70, I Mosey (Eng) 74 79 74, D Merriman (Aus) 71 81 75, J Quiros (Esp) 75 76 76,
228 H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 81 73, J Bruner (USA) 70 83 75,
229 G Ralph (Eng) 78 81 70, C Rocca (Ita) 76 81 72, C Williams (RSA) 72 80 77, D Russell (Eng) 72 83 74, M Poxon (Eng) 78 76 75, T Giedeon (Ger) 72 82 75,
230 M Gray (Sco) 73 81 76, J Chillas (Sco) 76 81 73, S Bennett (Eng) 74 81 75, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 78 79 73,
231 J Rhodes (Eng) 76 80 75, M Saengsui (Tha) 73 79 79, J Heggarty (Nir) 74 79 78, P Mitchell (Eng) 80 79 72, S Van Vuuren (RSA) 71 83 77, D Hospital (Esp) 78 76 77,
232 G Towne (USA) 72 82 78, M Piñero (Esp) 74 78 80, M Farry (Fra) 72 85 75,
233 D Johnson (USA) 78 83 72, G Banister (Aus) 78 82 73, T Johnstone (Zim) 77 84 72, K Spurgeon (Eng) 73 80 80, J Mashego (RSA) 76 82 75, M Williams (Zim) 74 84 75,
234 A Sowa (Arg) 83 78 73,
235 J Chitprasong (Tha) 78 83 74, S Ebihara (Jpn) 74 86 75,
236 L Carbonetti (Arg) 78 85 73, D Smyth (Irl) 77 81 78,
238 H Baiocchi (RSA) 81 80 77, A Garrido (Esp) 79 76 83,
239 D Cambridge (Jam) 78 79 82,
240 A Johnsson (Swe) 76 82 82, G Brand (Eng) 77 86 77, P Oakley (USA) 73 86 81,
241 A Murray (Eng) 77 81 83, G Player (RSA) 77 85 79,
242 E Rodriguez (Esp) 80 81 81, J Bland (RSA) 75 89 78, G Levenson (RSA) 80 82 80,
243 B Longmuir (Sco) 72 87 84,
244 S Hobday (RSA) 76 85 83, M Miller (Sco) 78 83 83,
245 F Mann (Sco) 76 84 85, J Rivero (Esp) 83 82 80, N Clarke (RSA) 82 89 74,
246 J Hawkes (RSA) 80 86 80, B Boyd (USA) 88 85 73,
248 S Mokgare (RSA) 80 91 77, J Fourie (RSA) 81 89 78, I Palmer (RSA) 80 88 80,
251 M Bembridge (Eng) 82 84 85, T Horton (Eng) 81 86 84, V Tshabalala (RSA) 83 87 81,
257 J Ackerman (RSA) 83 90 84,
259 B Hardwick (Can) 84 87 88,
261 T Fisher Snr (RSA) 94 90 77,
** T Manyama (RSA) 85 92 RT,
** C Mason (Eng) 73 RT 0, A Henning (RSA) 80 RT 0,

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR

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Torrance and Franco tame wind to share lead

By STEVE TODD, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
Sam Torrance ended a difficult second round of the Berenberg Bank Masters on a high to share the lead with Angel Franco in South Africa and move firmly into contention for his 12th European Senior Tour title.
The 2002 Ryder Cup Captain used all of his experience of playing in windy conditions to card a battling one under par 72 amidst strong gusts which swirled around the notoriously unforgiving Links at Fancourt.
Only Torrance, Franco and England’s Roger Chapman, who trails the leading pair by one stroke, shot under par on a tough day over the Gary Player designed course.
After back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, Torrance dropped a shot on the seventh before consecutive bogeys on the tenth, where he lost his ball after pulling his tee shot right into the bushes, and the 11th hole.
However he steadied himself on the way in, picking up a shot on the 14th and holing an 18ft birdie putt on the 16th before saving par with a superb up and down on the last to tie for the lead with the big hitting Franco, who birdied the 18th to join him on two under par 146.
Torrance compared the tricky conditions to those of a Senior Open Championship but admitted the wind also played into his hands.
The Scot said: “I played fabulous today. I lost a ball on the tenth and bogeyed the 11th when I went off the back of the green but apart from that it was exemplary.
“It was a tough run in with the wind. The 17th is a difficult hole. I hit it on the green there then my first putt went 15ft past but I holed the return.
“Then it was nice to get up and down on the last. I had a great drive and poor second shot – I duffed a three wood – before a good third shot which the wind took into the bunker. I’m in good shape now.
“It was extremely tough out there and you’ve got to keep your head. I love conditions like this though. I’ve got a good head so I just play my game and take whatever comes at you.”
Victory for Torrance on the Senior Tour’s first trip to South Africa would see the 56 year old return to the top of the Senior Tour Order of Merit, which he won last year ahead of Ian Woosnam.
The €75,000 first prize would take him past current leader Boonchu Ruangkit, of Thailand, who was a victim of the windy conditions at Fancourt, relinquishing his three stroke overnight advantage over Torrance after signing for a five over par 78 to trail by three shots going into the final round.
Torrance has begun the defence of the John Jacobs Trophy in fine fashion this season, with two top five finishes in three appearances in 2010, and is targeting adding another title to his collection.
“I’m feeling great and I’m just going to go out and do my best,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about winning – I’m just going to go out and do my best - but it would be nice to get another victory.
“It’s a great golf course – it’s very tough but if you are playing well it suits you. If you are having a bad day you wouldn’t want to be here but I’m playing well.”
Franco, who began the season with a share of third place in Mauritius, will be aiming to capture his maiden title having finished runner up on five occasions in two seasons on the Senior Tour.
Likewise Chapman will hope to avoid another near miss after finishing in the top three in two of his first three appearances on the Senior Tour after turning 50 last May.
Chapman has spent most of 2010 on holiday in South Africa, either side of the Senior Tour’s Far East swing, and he feels that preparation has given him a genuine chance of landing his maiden title.
“I played a lot of golf – a lot more than I would have done at home,” he said. “We had three weeks out here before Brunei, in Cape Town playing at Royal Cape, Erinvale and Steenberg, and it was pretty hot, so going to Brunei and Bangkok didn’t seem that difficult.
“It all depends what they do with the pins tomorrow though. I wouldn’t want another day with the wind like today. That was the toughest round of golf I’ve played for a long time
“It’s been a steady start to 2010 so far for me. To finish ninth, fourth and 11th – you’d take that – and it’s great being in contention again going into the final round.”
Elsewhere Bertus Smith, winner of the 2009 Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open, is the leading South African after posting a 74 to lie in a share of fifth place with Italy’s Giuseppe Cali.
Woosnam, the former World Number One and Ryder Cup Captain, posted a five over par 78, which moved him up nine places from tied 22nd at the start of play to a share of 13th position.
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 146 (2x73)
144 A Franco (Par) 72 72, S Torrance (Sco) 72 72,
146 R Chapman (Eng) 74 72,
147 B Ruangkit (Tha) 69 78,
148 G Cali (Ita) 71 77, B Smit (RSA) 74 74,
149 M Harwood (Aus) 72 77, B Lincoln (RSA) 74 75,
150 R Drummond (Sco) 73 77,
151 R Stewart (RSA) 72 79, M Clayton (Aus) 76 75, J Quiros (Esp) 75 76,
152 M Saengsui (Tha) 73 79, M Piñero (Esp) 74 78, C Williams (RSA) 72 80, B Cameron (Eng) 74 78, D Merriman (Aus) 71 81, I Woosnam (Wal) 74 78,
153 K Spurgeon (Eng) 73 80, I Mosey (Eng) 74 79, J Heggarty (Nir) 74 79, J Bruner (USA) 70 83,
154 M Poxon (Eng) 78 76, G Towne (USA) 72 82, M Gray (Sco) 73 81, T Giedeon (Ger) 72 82, D Hospital (Esp) 78 76, S Van Vuuren (RSA) 71 83,
155 A Garrido (Esp) 79 76, H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 81, D Russell (Eng) 72 83, S Bennett (Eng) 74 81,
156 J Rhodes (Eng) 76 80,
157 J Chillas (Sco) 76 81, N Job (Eng) 76 81, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 78 79, M Farry (Fra) 72 85, C Rocca (Ita) 76 81, D Cambridge (Jam) 78 79,
158 A Murray (Eng) 77 81, A Johnsson (Swe) 76 82, D Smyth (Irl) 77 81, M Williams (Zim) 74 84, J Mashego (RSA) 76 82,
159 P Oakley (USA) 73 86, G Ralph (Eng) 78 81, B Longmuir (Sco) 72 87, P Mitchell (Eng) 80 79,
160 S Ebihara (Jpn) 74 86, F Mann (Sco) 76 84, G Banister (Aus) 78 82,
161 T Johnstone (Zim) 77 84, D Johnson (USA) 78 83, A Sowa (Arg) 83 78, M Miller (Sco) 78 83, J Chitprasong (Tha) 78 83, H Baiocchi (RSA) 81 80, E Rodriguez (Esp) 80 81, S Hobday (RSA) 76 85,
162 G Player (RSA) 77 85, G Levenson (RSA) 80 82,
163 L Carbonetti (Arg) 78 85, G Brand (Eng) 77 86,
164 J Bland (RSA) 75 89,
165 J Rivero (Esp) 83 82,
166 M Bembridge (Eng) 82 84, J Hawkes (RSA) 80 86,
167 T Horton (Eng) 81 86,
168 I Palmer (RSA) 80 88,
170 J Fourie (RSA) 81 89, V Tshabalala (RSA) 83 87,
171 S Mokgare (RSA) 80 91, N Clarke (RSA) 82 89, B Hardwick (Can) 84 87,
173 J Ackerman (RSA) 83 90, B Boyd (USA) 88 85,
177 T Manyama (RSA) 85 92,
184 T Fisher Snr (RSA) 94 90,
** C Mason (Eng) 73 RT, A Henning (RSA) 80 RT,

Price and Beck share US Seniors Tour lead

Nick Price shot a 6-under 66 for a share of the lead with Chip Beck after the first round of the US Champions (Seniors) Tour's $1.6 million Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic yesterday.
Price and Beck took advantage of light winds and brilliant sunshine at the 7,176-yard Punta Espada Golf Club to head the 78-player field.
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Rookie senior Fred Couples, already a two-time winner on the Champions Tour this season, former Masters champion Larry Mize, Olin Browne and David Peoples each shot a 67 and were one shot back on the par-72, Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
Major championship winners Corey Pavin (US Open) and Bob Tway (US PGA Championship) were among six players who shot 68. Nine others were at 69.
In all, 38 players were able to better par, while 11 matched it.
But it was Price and Beck who ran off seven birdies each to grab the lead.
"The conditions were good and the wind laid down toward the end of the round," said Price, a three-time major winner whose only Champions victory came last April at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.
"My game has been pretty good this year. It seems like one part of my game was missing before, but in the last two weeks it has come together. That's a good feeling for me."
Price shot 32 on the back nine, with birdies from inside 15 feet on Nos. 11, 12 and 14, and he two-putted the par-5 15th for another birdie.
Beck, a long-time US PGA Tour player, is trying to return to form. He regained conditional playing status at Q-school last November and is making his first start.
Always upbeat, Beck said his comeback will happen.
"I'm feeling confident and I've been playing well," said Beck, winless over the last four seasons.
Most of the attention centered on Couples, the hottest player on any tour, and he didn't disappoint -- initially. He birdied the first two holes and then hit a wall, mostly due to poor drives which forced him to play from the rough several times.
"I played the par 5s 4-under, and those are the holes I needed to play well," said Couples. "I didn't drive the ball poorly but I missed (tee shots) in the rough and then hit second shots 30 feet from the hole because I couldn't make the shot stop."
It was on the 540-yard, par-5 No. 12 where Couples made his move. His drive left him 240 yards from the hole, and a crisply struck 5-iron nestled to within eight feet of the cup. He sank the eagle putt, jumping from 2-under to 4-under.
A follow-up birdie three holes later put Couples within striking distance of his third consecutive Champions win with two rounds left.
"The leader board is very good," said Couples. "It was important for me to be close. I'm in good shape."

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR

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Torrance, Longmuir three behind in South Africa

REPORT BY STEVE TODD, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
Scotland’s Sam Torrance is three shots behind new European Senior Tour sensation Boonchu Ruangkit after the first round of the inaugural Berenberg Bank Masters in South Africa.
Former Ryder Cup Captain Torrance and fellow Scot Bill Longmuir both opened with one under par rounds of 72 at The Links at Fancourt to lie amongst ten players in a share of sixth place.
Torrance was two over par after just four holes but hit back with five birdies. However bogeys on two of the three par-5s on the way in, including Fancourt’s difficult closing hole, cost him two shots.
Despite that, the 2009 Senior Tour No 1, who has two top five finishes in three appearances so far this season, was satisfied with his start to the €500,000 event.
“I played lovely but had two unplayables near the end on the two par fives and made six on both,” said the 56 year old from Ayrshire. “Apart from that I played beautifully. It’s a very fair course but it’s just very difficult. I’ve been slow starting for a while so it’s good to be up there from the start.”
Fellow Scots Ross Drummond and Martin Gray are a further shot back on level par but it is the remarkable Ruangkit’s who is top of the leaderboard following a flawless four under par 69.
The Thai star, who is chasing his third consecutive victory, has a one stroke advantage over American Jerry Bruner and Italian Giuseppe Cali, meaning he has now lead the field after each of the last seven rounds of Senior Tour competition– a new record.
Ruangkit’s wire-to-wire debut victory in The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum was followed by a record breaking wire-to-wire win on home soil in the Chang Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS, where he posted a record low total of 21 under par 195 and a record winning margin of 11 strokes.
The 53 year old, who is known as ‘The Godfather of Asian Golf’, has carried forward that form to The Links at Fancourt, where the Senior Tour is making its first trip to South Africa.
“I’m very happy today because I was on the fairway on nearly every hole and you can play well from there,” said Ruangkit, the current Order of Merit leader. “Today I played some good golf but I know it might be tough tomorrow as it is going to be windy.
“My confidence is high but it wasn’t when I saw this golf course on the first day! The greens slope a lot and this doesn’t suit my game. I’ve had to adjust my game a lot.”

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 73
69 B Ruangkit (Tha) ,
70 J Bruner (USA) ,
71 S Van Vuuren (RSA) , G Cali (Ita) , D Merriman (Aus) ,
72 M Harwood (Aus) , T Giedeon (Ger) , A Franco (Par) , B Longmuir (Sco) , C Williams (RSA) , R Stewart (RSA) , M Farry (Fra) , D Russell (Eng) , S Torrance (Sco) , G Towne (USA) ,
73 K Spurgeon (Eng) , C Mason (Eng) , P Oakley (USA) , R Drummond (Sco) , M Gray (Sco) , M Saengsui (Tha) ,
74 B Smit (RSA) , B Cameron (Eng) , J Heggarty (Nir) , I Woosnam (Wal) , M Piñero (Esp) , M Williams (Zim) , S Bennett (Eng) , H Carbonetti (Arg) , B Lincoln (RSA) , I Mosey (Eng) , S Ebihara (Jpn) , R Chapman (Eng) ,
75 J Quiros (Esp) , J Bland (RSA) ,
76 J Rhodes (Eng) , M Clayton (Aus) , F Mann (Sco) , J Chillas (Sco) , A Johnsson (Swe) , J Mashego (RSA) , S Hobday (RSA) , N Job (Eng) , C Rocca (Ita) ,
77 T Johnstone (Zim) , A Murray (Eng) , G Brand (Eng) , G Player (RSA) , D Smyth (Irl) ,
78 D Hospital (Esp) , D Cambridge (Jam) , G Banister (Aus) , D Johnson (USA) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , M Miller (Sco) , M Poxon (Eng) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , J Chitprasong (Tha) , G Ralph (Eng) ,
79 A Garrido (Esp) ,
80 J Hawkes (RSA) , I Palmer (RSA) , S Mokgare (RSA) , G Levenson (RSA) , P Mitchell (Eng) , E Rodriguez (Esp) , A Henning (RSA) ,
81 J Fourie (RSA) , H Baiocchi (RSA) , T Horton (Eng) ,
82 N Clarke (RSA) , M Bembridge (Eng) ,
83 J Rivero (Esp) , V Tshabalala (RSA) , A Sowa (Arg) , J Ackerman (RSA) ,
84 B Hardwick (Can) ,
85 T Manyama (RSA) ,
88 B Boyd (USA) ,
94 T Fisher Snr (RSA) ,

Record-breaking Ruangkit romps to Thailand victory

By SCOTT CROCKETT
Chief Press Officer, European Tour
Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit rewrote the European Senior Tour history books when he romped to a stunning 11 shot victory in the Chang Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS.
The 53 year old was simply in a different class to the rest of the field at the picturesque Royal Gems Golf Club in Nakhonpathom, rounds of 64-66-65 giving the host nation favourite a whopping 21 under par winning total of 195.
Fellow countryman Jamnian Chitprasong, Frankie Minoza of the Philippines and Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori shared a distant second place on ten under par 206 but, as with the rest of the field in the third European Senior Tour event of the 2010 season, they were all merely bit part players in the Boonchu master class.
Ruangkit – who won The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters seven days ago and is now 35 under par for his last six competitive tournament rounds – became the first player to win consecutive European Senior Tour events since England’s Peter Mitchell won the Scottish Seniors Open and the Italian Seniors Open in October 2008.
In addition to that, he also carded the lowest 54 hole score to par in European Senior Tour history – beating the 18 under par 198 posted by David Good in the 2003 Tunisian Seniors Open and Bob Lendzion in the 2005 Jolie Ville Sharm El Sheikh Open – and also claimed the biggest 54 hole winning margin in Tour history, topping the nine shot victory Tommy Horton achieved in the El Bosque Open in 1998.
“I am extremely pleased with my performance today and very proud of what I have achieved here this week,” said Ruangkit who moved to the top of the Senior Tour Order of Merit. “My putting was just right and my whole game just came together.
“Last night I wasn’t certain that I could win it as Chiprasong and several other players were playing very well. But I went out and played the best I could and fortunately everything fell into place for me.
“To be honest, I didn’t know that there was a chance to break some Senior Tour records but I am delighted that I have managed to get my name in the history books and extremely proud to have done it in my home country as well.”
Leading by three shots overnight, Ruangkit laid down a marker to the rest of the field with a birdie four at the opening hole. Although six par figures followed to give the chasing pack a glimmer of hope, the Thai star ended the tournament as a contest around the turn with five birdies in a row from the eighth.
Another birdie followed at the 15th and although he dropped only his third shot of the entire tournament at the testing 440 yard 16th, Ruangkit made amends and ensured he finished in style with a closing birdie four at the 18th.
Of the three players in second place, Tomori – who won the 2006 Scandinavian Senior Open – produced the best round with a 69. Minoza challenge never truly ignited after a double bogey six at the second and he had to settle for a 71 while consecutive bogeys at the 11th and 12th and another at the 17th accounted for Chitprasong’s 73.
Further down the final leaderboard, England’s Kevin Spurgeon - the winner of the Senior Tour season opener in Mauritius and who Ruangkit replaced at the head of the Order of Merit – finished in a tie for 24th place on one under par 215 alongside the winner of the 2009 Order of Merit, Scotland’s Sam Torrance.
Although satisfied with his own performance in the stifling heat, the former European Ryder Cup Captain paid tribute to the new champion. “Boonchu is amazing,” he said.”I know him very well and he has been a great player for a long time. He showed that once again this week.”
FINAL TOTALS
Royal Gems Golf Club, Nakhonpathom, Thailand
Par 216 (3x72)
195 B Ruangkit (Tha) 64 66 65,
206 J Chitprasong (Tha) 66 67 73, F Minoza (Phi) 70 65 71, K Tomori (Jpn) 66 71 69,
208 A Sowa (Arg) 67 70 71, G Brand (Eng) 70 70 68, M Saengsui (Tha) 65 71 72, S Ebihara (Jpn) 68 70 70,
209 D Russell (Eng) 67 68 74,
210 C Williams (RSA) 72 69 69,
211 H Carbonetti (Arg) 69 71 71, R Chapman (Eng) 71 69 71, M Williams (Zim) 68 74 69, J Rhodes (Eng) 68 69 74
212 J Quiros (Esp) 68 74 70
213 T Johnstone (Zim) 69 69 75, S Lyle (Sco) 70 71 72, B Cameron (Eng) 70 72 71, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 74 70, D Merriman (Aus) 70 72 71
214 C Rocca (Ita) 71 70 73, L Carbonetti (Arg) 69 73 72, B Lincoln (RSA) 68 75 71
215 P Harrison (Eng) 67 71 77, J Chillas (Sco) 72 77 66, M Clayton (Aus) 75 70 70, J Bruner (USA) 68 71 76, M Farry (Fra) 68 76 71, K Spurgeon (Eng) 70 73 72, S Torrance (Sco) 73 71 71
216 N Job (Eng) 71 70 75, J Rivero (Esp) 70 73 73, P Mitchell (Eng) 71 75 70
217 S Bennett (Eng) 69 74 74, G Banister (Aus) 71 74 72, S Taylor (USA) 74 73 70, M Harwood (Aus) 69 74 74, N Meesom (Tha) 67 76 74, B Boyd (USA) 71 71 75, G Ralph (Eng) 72 71 74, J Heggarty (Nir) 71 73 73, F Mann (Sco) 70 71 76,
218 S Saengsui (Tha) 71 73 74, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 75 72 71, L Yong-Kun (Kor) 69 77 72, G Ryall (Eng) 70 73 75, I Woosnam (Wal) 72 74 72,
219 P Oakley (USA) 75 70 74,
220 B Longmuir (Sco) 73 74 73, M Ramayah (Mas) 71 72 77, S Bunpimuck (Tha) 71 73 76, G Gunn (Can) 70 72 78, G Cali (Ita) 70 76 74,
221 J Hall (Eng) 74 76 71, L Stephen (Aus) 72 73 76, M Cunning (USA) 69 78 74, J Hawkes (RSA) 76 70 75,
222 T Chen (Tpe) 76 73 73, M Gray (Sco) 78 68 76, D Cambridge (Jam) 74 77 71,
223 B Hardwick (Can) 72 76 75, M Poxon (Eng) 72 77 74, S Owen (Nzl) 72 74 77, D Johnson (USA) 76 75 72,
224 A Tapie (USA) 75 73 76, K Nam (Kor) 73 77 74, M Miller (Sco) 75 73 76, P Dahlberg (Swe) 71 77 76,
225 I Mosey (Eng) 76 75 74,
226 T Gale (Aus) 73 73 80, T Burgoyne (Sco) 77 75 74, M Piñero (Esp) 75 79 72, P Allan (Eng) 74 75 77,
227 P Teravainen (USA) 74 70 83,
230 A Johnsson (Swe) 77 75 78, B Smit (RSA) 74 77 79,
233 I Palmer (RSA) 75 79 79,
234 A Garrido (Esp) 75 83 76,

CHANG THAILAND SENIOR MASTERS

Local hero Boonchu leads by three after three rounds

By SCOTT CROCKET
European Tour Chief Press Officer
Home hero Boonchu Ruangkit kept on course for back-to-back victories on the European Senior Tour when he fashioned a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Chang Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS.
England’s Peter Mitchell was the last man to notch successive Senior Tour victories back in October 2008 when he won in consecutive weeks in Scotland and Italy but now Ruangkit is poised to follow him into the record books after another stirring showing in front of his adoring Thai public.
The 53 year old followed his stunning opening 64 on Friday with a second round 66 at the Royal Gems Golf Club in Nakhonpathom for a 14 under par total of 130, three shots clear of his fellow countryman Jamnian Chitprasong who kept the Thai flag flying at the head of affairs with a 67 for 133.
England’s David J Russell and Frankie Minoza of the Philippines share third on nine under par 135 in the third European Senior Tour event of the 2010 season but, as with last week when he captured The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters, the tournament so far has been all about Boonchu.
“I am very happy with my form right now although I must admit I’m a little tired,” he said. “But if I get a good night’s rest I am sure I’ll be up for the challenge tomorrow.
“To win two weeks in a row would be a fantastic achievement for me and one I’ll be going all out to accomplish although I know it won’t be easy as there are a lot of good players behind me, especially Jamnian who played really well today and who I know will be difficult to beat.”
Certainly if Ruangkit produces similar form to his first two days, he will be tricky to topple from pole position. Four birdies in a flawless opening half to his second round saw him to the turn in 32 and while his momentum was halted slightly with a bogey six at the tenth, he recovered in style with further birdies at the 12th, 13th and 18th.
Second placed Chitprasong continued his fine week’s showing with a flawless second round 67 to add to his opening 66, the highlight of the round for the 51 year old coming at the 523yd 10th where he notched an eagle 3.
Leading European challenger, England’s David J Russell finished in style with an eagle three at the 507 yard 18th hole for a 68 to see him share third place with Frankie Minoza whose flawless 65 was the best round of the second day’s play.
“I was hitting some good shots but I didn’t really feel I was getting the reward for them which is why it was nice to finish with the eagle at the end there,” said Russell.
“To have a chance tomorrow I’m going to have to go out and shoot low because Boonchu and Jamnian ahead of me are obviously playing very well. But I’m just going to go out and try and play the best I can and if I can shoot in the mid to low 60s then it might worry them a little.”
Further down the leaderboard, current European Senior Tour Order of Merit leader, England’s Kevin Spurgeon, is in a share of 28th place on one under par 143 following his second round 73 while last season’s Number One, Scotland’s Sam Torrance, is one shot further back on level par 144 after his second round 71.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Royal Gems Golf Club, Nakhonpathom, Thailand
Par 144 (2x72)
130 B Ruangkit (Tha) 64 66,
133 J Chitprasong (Tha) 66 67,
135 D Russell (Eng) 67 68, F Minoza (Phi) 70 65,
136 M Saengsui (Tha) 65 71,
137 J Rhodes (Eng) 68 69, A Sowa (Arg) 67 70, K Tomori (Jpn) 66 71,
138 P Harrison (Eng) 67 71, S Ebihara (Jpn) 68 70, T Johnstone (Zim) 69 69,
139 J Bruner (US) 68 71,
140 G Brand (Eng) 70 70, R Chapman (Eng) 71 69, H Carbonetti (Arg) 69 71,
141 S Lyle (Sco) 70 71, C Rocca (Ita) 71 70, F Mann (Sco) 70 71, C Williams (South Africa) 72 69, N Job (Eng) 71 70,
142 B Cameron (Eng) 70 72, B Boyd (USA) 71 71, M Williams (Zim) 68 74, J Quiros (Esp) 68 74, D Merriman (Aus) 70 72, G Gunn (Can) 70 72, L Carbonetti (Arg) 69 73,
143 G Ryall (Eng) 70 73, K Spurgeon (Eng) 70 73, G Ralph (Eng) 72 71, S Bennett (Eng) 69 74, B Lincoln (South Africa) 68 75, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 69 74, J Rivero (Esp) 70 73, M Harwood (Aus) 69 74, N Meesom (Tha) 67 76, M Ramayah (Mas) 71 72
144 S Bunpimuck (Tha) 71 73, P Teravainen (US) 74 70, M Farry (Fra) 68 76, S Saengsui (Tha) 71 73, S Torrance (Sco) 73 71, J Heggarty (N Ireland) 71 73
145 G Banister (Aus) 71 74, L Stephen (Aus) 72 73, P Oakley (US) 75 70, M Clayton (Aus) 75 70
146 J Hawkes (South Africa) 76 70, M Gray (Sco) 78 68, P Mitchell (Eng) 71 75, T Gale (Aus) 73 73, I Woosnam (Wal) 72 74, G Cali (Ita) 70 76, S Owen (Nzl) 72 74, L Yong-Kun (South Korea) 69 77,
147 N Ratcliffe (Aus) 75 72, S Taylor (US) 74 73, B Longmuir (Sco) 73 74, M Cunning (US) 69 78
148 A Tapie (US) 75 73, P Dahlberg (Swe) 71 77, B Hardwick (Can) 72 76, M Miller (Sco) 75 73,
149 J Chillas (Sco) 72 77, M Poxon (Eng) 72 77, P Allan (Eng) 74 75, T Chen (Tpe) 76 73,
150 K Nam (Kor) 73 77, J Hall (Eng) 74 76
151 B Smit (South Africa) 74 77, D Johnson (US) 76 75, I Mosey (Eng) 76 75, D Cambridge (Jam) 74 77, 152 T Burgoyne (Sco) 77 75, A Johnsson (Swe) 77 75
154 M Piñero (Esp) 75 79, I Palmer (South Africa) 75 79
158 A Garrido (Esp) 75 83

-

Chang Thailand Senior Masters Scoreboard
FIRST ROUND
64 B Ruangkit (Tha)
65 M Saengsui (Tha)
66 K Tomori (Jpn), J Chitprasong (Tha)
67 A Sowa (Arg), P Harrison (Eng), N Meesom (Tha), D Russell (Eng),
68 J Bruner (US), S Ebihara (Jpn), M Williams (Zim), J Quiros (Esp), J Rhodes (Eng), B Lincoln (RSA), M Farry (Fra)
69 S Bennett (Eng), D O'Sullivan (Irl), L Yong-Gun (Kor), M Harwood (Aus), T Johnstone (Zim), M Cunning (USA), L Carbonetti (Arg), H Carbonetti (Arg),
70 S Lyle (Sco), J Rivero (Esp), G Brand (Eng), F Minoza (Phi), F Mann (Sco), D Merriman (Aus), G Gunn (Can), G Ryall (Eng), G Cali (Ita), K Spurgeon (Eng), B Cameron (Eng),
71 S Saengsui (Tha), C Rocca (Ita), M Ramayah (Mas), N Job (Eng) , R Chapman (Eng) , G Banister (Aus) , B Boyd (US) , J Heggarty (Nir) , P Mitchell (Eng) , P Dahlberg (Swe) , S Bunpimuck (Tha)
72 L Stephen (Aus) , J Chillas (Sco) , C Williams (RSA) , M Poxon (Eng) , S Owen (Nzl) , G Ralph (Eng) , B Hardwick (Can) , I Woosnam (Wal) ,
73 B Longmuir (Sco) , T Gale (Aus) , S Torrance (Sco) , K Nam (Kor) ,
74 P Teravainen (USA) , J Hall (Eng) , B Smit (RSA) , P Allan (Eng) , S Taylor (US) , D Cambridge (Jam) ,
75 N Ratcliffe (Aus) , M Miller (Sco) , M Piñero (Esp) , P Oakley (US) , I Palmer (RSA) , A Garrido (Esp) , M Clayton (Aus) , A Tapie (USA) ,
76 I Mosey (Eng) , J Hawkes (RSA) , T Chen (Tpe) , D Johnson (US)
77 A Johnsson (Swe) , T Burgoyne (Sco)
78 M Gray (Sco)

Spanish Hi5 Pro Tour event venue change for March 16-18

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY SPANISH Hi5 PRO TOUR
Due to the cooler than normal weather conditions in Murcia since Christmas, the course at Mosa Trajectum has suffered and is not at the moment up to the high standard expected by the Hi5 Pro Tour.
We have therefore decided to re-schedule the next event until later in the year. Fortunately Polaris World have come to our rescueat very short notice and have offered their new Jack Nicklaus Signature course at Condado-de Alhama for the week, March 16 to 18, to enable us to hold the Tournament.
We will now hold two events back to back at this superb venue, and we hope that your travel arrangements will not be seriously affected as Mosa and Condado are quite close to each other in Murcia.
Looking forward to seeing you at one of the best new courses anywhere in Europe,and sorry for any inconvenience this change of venue may cause you.
This Hi5 Pro Tour event is open to MEN, LADIES, and SENIORS, professionals as well as amateurs.
ENTRY FEES
315 Euro MEN
265 Euro SENIORS
215 Euro LADIES
If you have not already entered and wish to play one of the best new courses in Europe, please go to our registration forms.
Hi5 Pro Tour

Fred Couples with the Toshiba Seniors Classic Trophy (image by courtesy of the US PGA Tour website). Click on it to enlarge.

Rookie senior Couples makes it two wins in a row

FROM THE US PGA TOUR.COM WEBSITE
Fred Couples won his second straight US Champions (Seniors) Tour title on Sunday, shooting a 6-under 65 for a four-stroke victory Sunday in the Toshiba Classic in California.
Couples, making his third start on the 50-and-over Tour, had an 18-under 195 total on the Newport Beach Country Club course. He won the ACE Group Classic on February 14 in Florida and finished second behind Tom Watson in the season-opening event in Hawaii.
Last week, Couples tied for 14th in the US PGA Tour's Waste Management Phoenix Open.
"In a good way I am full of confidence in my game," said Couples, who opened with rounds of 66 and 64. "I talked to Jay Haas a long time ago and when you are 50 you are the youngest guy out here and if you are a good player like I think I am, I thought I would have some opportunities to win out here."
Couples earned $255,000 to push his Tour-leading total to $691,000.
Ronnie Black (65) finished second. Tom Lehman (69) and Chien Soon Lu (69) tied for third at 12 under, and Watson (62) and Loren Roberts (68) followed at 11 under.
Couples played the front nine in 1 under Sunday, then had a 5-under 31 on the final nine holes -- making an eagle, four birdies and a bogey.
"I was a little off," Couples said. "I made some good swings. I started coming on on the back nine."
The 60-year-old Watson matched his best round on the Champions Tour and also tied Hale Irwin's 1998 mark for the best final round in the event.
Watson had an eagle and three birdies on the first four holes, dropped a stroke with a bogey on No. 9, then birdied five of the last nine holes. He settled for a birdie on the par-5 18th after missing a 20-foot eagle putt.
"The putter was the star," Watson said. "I kind of had an attitude going out there on the first three holes of both nines, I hadn't made any birdies. Those are short par 4s, I ought to be making some birdies there."
Watson pulled within two strokes of Couples, but ran out of holes.
"I was thinking Freddie hanging onto 13 under," Watson said. "If I get to 12 and the weather coming in, you never know what's going to happen."
Couples hit a wedge into No. 12 that stopped a foot from the hole, then made a 3-footer for another birdie on 13.
But Couples made a mistake on the par-3 14th when he missed the green and was unable to get up and down for par. Black made an eagle on No. 15, to cut the lead to two again, but wasn't able to get any closer.
"I was struggling with my swing as well as my putting," Black said. "If I had been a little sharper I think I could have come after (Couples) a little better."
Couples reached the par-5 15th hole in two and made a 12-foot eagle putt to extend his lead to four. He birdied the following hole and even birdied the 18th after his second shot hit the side of the grandstand to the right of the green. He hit a wedge to 20 feet and rolled in the birdie putt.
"The shot I hit at 18 was basically an up and down," Couples said. "I got on the green and I've been putting really well this whole year,"
In nine Champions Tour rounds, Couples hasn't had a score higher than 68 and is 56 under over 162 holes.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
195 Fred Couples 66 64 65
199 Ronnie Black 67 67 65.
201 Tom Lehman 67 65 69, Chien Soon Lu 65 67 69.
202 Tom Watson 69 71 62, Loren Roberts 67 67 68.
204 Corey Pavin 68 68 67, John Cook 70 66 68.
205 Scott Simpson 69 70 66, Tom Pernice junior 69 69 67, Nick Price (Zimbabwe) 68 70 67, Dan Forsman 70 68 67, David Peoples 69 68 68.
Selected totals:
206 Peter Senior (Australia) 71 68 67 (jt 14th).
207 Bernhard Langer (Germany) 70 72 65 (jt 17th).

Fred Couples in driving seat back for another Senior win

Long-hitting rookie senior Fred Couples is hot favourite to chalk up his second straight US Champions (Seniors) Tour victory after notching an impressive seven-under-par 64 in Saturday's second round to take a two-stroke lead in the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach, California.
Couples, making his third start on the 50-and-over tour, has a 12-under 130 total.
Laid-back Fred won the ACE Group Classic on February 14 in Florida and finished second behind Tom Watson in the season-opening event in Hawaii. Last week, Couples tied for 14th in the US PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open.
Tom Lehman (65) and Taiwan’s Chien Soon Lu (67) are tied for second. Loren Roberts (67) and Ronnie Black (67) followed at 8 under, and defending champion Eduardo Romero (69), John Cook (66), Bob Gilder (66) and Mark Wiebe (71) were 6 under.
Couples and Lehman are first and second in driving distance for the event, though they are vastly different in driving accuracy. Lehman is tied for eighth, while Couples is 73rd out of the 78 players, which means he misses more than the odd fairway!
Apparently, Couples didn’t need to hit them to score in the Toshiba Classic to score. He hit five of 14 fairways, but only made birdies on two of those holes, Nos. 2 and 7.
“I drove it in the rough several times,” Couples said. “I wasn’t blasting them all over the golf course, but yes, I was three or four steps in the rough several times.”
Play started two hours early to try and avoid rain, but there was still a suspension of 71 minutes because of a downpour early in the day.
That actually helped the leaders because the delay was before they teed off and when they began play, the greens were noticeably softer and much more receptive.
The softer greens, though, were tempered by gusty wind.
“It was hard, it was cold,” Couples said. “You are trying to draw them into the wind, then I just started hitting them hard. I was driving it so good yesterday.”
Couples began the second round a stroke behind but was tied by the second hole after a 1-foot birdie putt. He took the lead with an eagle on the 549yd, par-5 second, reaching the green with a 2-iron for his second shot and making a 12ft putt.
His birdie on No. 9 was set up by probably his best shot. He found the rough on the right off the tee and had several trees between him and the green. Couples then hit an 8-iron through a small gap in the trees that came to rest 4 feet from the cup.
Couples’ driver cost him on 10, leading to his lone bogey of the day.
That allowed the field to creep closer and when Couples reached the 14th hole, there was a four-way tie with Lu, Lehman and Roberts. Couples broke the logjam with a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 15th and extended his lead to two when he made a 20-footer from above the hole on No. 16.
Couples kept the margin at two when he made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. It was one of only 12 birdies on the hole that yielded 41 birdies in the first round.
Couples is 50 under par on the Champions Tour and every one of his eight rounds has been 68 or lower.
Lehman’s first full year on the Champions Tour is going equally well. He has eight rounds in the 60s and is 40 under through eight rounds, but catching the tour’s hottest player will be difficult.
“I know he is going to be 20 or 30 yards past me on every tee shot,” Lehman said. “It’s good to see him playing well.”
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71) 6,591yd. First prize: $255,000
Players from US unless stated
130 Fred Couples 67 65, Chien Soon Lu 65 67.
134 Loren Roberts 67 67, Ronnie Black 67 67.
136 John Cook 70 66, Bob Gilder 70 66, Eduardo Romero (Argentina) 67 69, Mark Wiebe 65 71.
137 Corey Pavin 678 69, David Peoples 69 68, Gary Hallbergt 67 70, Bob Tway 65 72.
138 Hale Irwin 71 67, Nick Price (Zimbabwe) 68 70, Russ Cochran 79 68, Dan Forsman 70 68, Tom Pernice junior 69 69, Bobby Wadkins 67 71, Lonnie Nielsen 66 72, Mike Goodes 66 72.
Selected scores
139 Peter Senior (Australia) 71 68.
142 Bernhard Langer (Germany) 70 72 (jt 40th).

Ex-kick boxer Ruangkit wins Brunei Senior Masters

By PAUL SYMES, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit continued the trend of first-time winners on the 2010 European Senior Tour Schedule with today's maiden victory at The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum.
Following Englishman Kevin Spurgeon’s maiden victory at the season-opening Mauritius Commercial Bank Open, Ruangkit entered the winner’s enclosure on a day of high drama at The Empire Hotel and Country Club in Brunei.
After the Thai ace and joint overnight leader Frankie Minoza of the Philippines – also seeking his maiden Senior Tour debut – had both signed for rounds of 66 to finish level on 14 under par, Ruangkit must have feared history was about to repeat itself.
At the same venue twelve months previously, Ruangkit had lost out in a play-off at the Brunei Open on the Asian Tour. But on this occasion, the 53 year old held his nerve to see off Minoza at the second extra hole and collect the €44,332 first prize.
He said: “I’m very happy to win my first Senior Tour title – it has given me great confidence. Even though I lost the Brunei Open here last year I still really like this course, because it’s been good to me. I really like Brunei, because I play well every time I come here. Maybe it’s because of the hot weather, which I’m used to!
“I was very nervous for the play-off, and it didn’t help that the wind started to blow a little. But I managed to control my nerves, and I’m just so happy to have won – although I feel a little sorry for Frankie, because he played very well today. I didn’t think I could beat him, to be honest. On most of the par fives he was only using a four or five iron for his second shot, whilst I was using a three wood. But I got the job done, and it feels great.”
Despite his initial reservations, Ruangkit got off to a flying start with a birdie at the first and an eagle three at the next hole, where Minoza also picked up his first shot of the day. The duo continued to trade birdies until the 14th hole, where a bogey from Minoza handed Ruangkit the initiative.
The former kick boxer, who turned to golf after being knocked out in his third bout, then appeared to land a telling blow on the 17th hole, where a birdie 3 handed him a two-shot advantage going down the last.
But a costly bogey combined with a birdie for Minoza led to the first play-off of the 2010 Senior Tour season, which Ruangkit won with a par at the second extra hole after both men had parred the first.
A round of 68 saw South African Chris Williams finish in a tie for third place on 11 under par, with Roger Chapman a further two shots back on nine under after the Englishman compiled a round of 66. The lowest round of the day was provided by Scotland’s Sam Torrance, who shot a 65 to finish alongside American Jerry Bruner in a tie for fifth place on seven under par.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
199 B Ruangkit (Tha) 64 69 66, F Minoza (Phi) 67 66 66
202 C Williams (RSA) 68 66 68
204 R Chapman (Eng) 67 71 66
206 J Bruner (USA) 70 66 70, S Torrance (Sco) 73 68 65
207 M Clayton (Aus) 69 70 68, D Merriman (Aus) 64 71 72, K Tomori (Jpn) 67 69 71,
208 B Lincoln (RSA) 67 71 70
209 A Sowa (Arg) 72 68 69, M Cunning (USA) 70 68 71,
211 J Hall (Eng) 71 69 71, A Franco (Par) 69 71 71, G Ryall (Eng) 70 70 71, B Cameron (Eng) 70 71 70
212 S Ebihara (Jpn) 70 72 70, B Longmuir (Sco) 68 72 72, D Cambridge (Jam) 70 70 72, I Woosnam (Wal) 72 69 71
213 D Johnson (USA) 69 73 71, R Drummond (Sco) 72 68 73
214 K Spurgeon (Eng) 76 72 66
215 L Stephen (Aus) 71 71 73, L Carbonetti (Arg) 69 72 74, J Heggarty (Nir) 75 67 73, J Chillas (Sco) 73 68 74
216 T Chen (Tpe) 73 70 73, S Taylor (USA) 71 71 74, P Oakley (USA) 73 72 71, C Rocca (Ita) 77 69 70, D Russell (Eng) 73 69 74
217 S Choi (Kor) 71 72 74, P Mitchell (Eng) 71 72 74, J Sallat (Fra) 74 70 73, H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 70 73
218 N Ratcliffe (Aus) 73 73 72, S Lyle (Sco) 73 72 73, B Boyd (USA) 71 74 73,
219 M Harwood (Aus) 76 74 69, J Quiros (Esp) 68 73 78, G Ralph (Eng) 74 76 69, F Mann (Sco) 74 73 72, B Smit (RSA) 76 67 76
220 G Brand (Eng) 73 71 76, M Piñero (Esp) 73 75 72, P Dahlberg (Swe) 71 75 74, P Harrison (Eng) 73 72 75
221 N Job (Eng) 70 79 72, M Ramayah (Mas) 74 73 74, I Mosey (Eng) 70 74 77, G Gunn (Can) 73 77 71, S Owen (Nzl) 73 75 73, T Burgoyne (Sco) 69 75 77, A Tapie (USA) 70 76 75, T Chen (Tpe) 77 73 71
222 T Johnstone (Zim) 74 73 75, I Palmer (RSA) 71 76 75
223 J Hawkes (RSA) 72 78 73, P Teravainen (USA) 72 79 72, M Gray (Sco) 78 72 73, M Williams (Zim) 78 74 71, A Johnsson (Swe) 76 71 76
224 M Farry (Fra) 72 76 76
225 M Poxon (Eng) 75 74 76, G Cali (Ita) 73 76 76, B Hardwick (Can) 72 77 76, J Rhodes (Eng) 74 75 76, C Nirat (Tha) 75 76 74
226 M Miller (Sco) 75 76 75, P Allan (Eng) 75 76 75
228 T Gale (Aus) 78 76 74
229 G Banister (Aus) 82 73 74, A Garrido (Esp) 76 76 77
230 R Willison (Eng) 76 74 80
233 D O'Sullivan (Irl) 75 84 74
234 R Metherell (Aus) 78 77 79
235 G Davies (Wal) 74 81 80
** S Bennett (Eng) 76 disqualified

Three share lead on six-under 65 in Toshiba Seniors Classic

REPORT FROM US CHAMPIONS TOUR
Bob Tway, Chein Soon Lu and Mark Wiebe shared the first-day lead with six-under-par 65s in the US Champions (Seniors) Tour's Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club, California.
Over-50s rookie Fred Couples was a shot off the pace.
Olin Browne, Lonnie Nielsen and Mike Goodes matched Couples at 66, and defending champion Eduardo Romero was another stroke back along with Tom Lehman, Loren Roberts, Wayne Levi, Ronnie Black, D.A. Weibring, Bobby Wadkins and Gary Hallberg.
Wiebe, bothered by a head cold, had his first bogey-free round of the season, making five birdies on his first nine holes – the back nine.
“I didn’t know it was bogey-free until my caddie told me on the last hole after I picked my ball out of the cup,” Wiebe said. “I had no idea, which kind of tells me that my head was in the right place.”
Tway missed from a foot on No. 11 for his lone bogey.
“I hit a very good second shot and I hit my first putt about a foot by,” Tway said. “It was kind of in a footprint and I missed about a foot putt, so that was disappointing.”
Wiebe was thrilled with his round, especially because of the way he was feeling.
“Your expectations are pretty low when you don’t feel well,” Wiebe said. “I thought if I can just focus and keep my focus it would be great.”
Wiebe had 12 one-putt greens and only 24 putts overall.
“I putted really well,” Wiebe said. “I had a great feel with my putting. The pace was really good. I didn’t let anything good get too far away from me.”
Lu has conditional status on the Champions Tour and earned a spot in the field with a top-10 finish – a ninth-place tie – two weeks ago in the Allianz Championship.
It was Tway’s first competitive round on the course.
“You kind of get to know it,” said Tway, who played one practice round and two pro-am rounds. “I had a couple of local guys, members here in the pro-ams. They helped me a little bit about some of the breaks, the tendencies, so that was good.”
Couples is making his third Champions Tour start. He won the ACE Group Classic on Feb. 14 in Naples, Fla., and finished second behind Tom Watson in the season-opening event in Hawaii. Couples tied for 14th last week in the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open.
The long-hitting Couples, leading the tour’s driving distance stat at 300.2 yards, overpowered the 6,584yd course set for the seniors. He used driver on every par 4 and 5 except two holes and had nothing more than a 9-iron for his second shot.
“I hit a wedge on my first hole,” Couples said. “I made a 20-footer, which was a great start. ... I feel good about the round. I probably couldn’t have gotten much more out of it.”
Wiebe was just happy to get through his round.
“When I made my last putt I looked at my caddie, he said, ‘Nice playing,’” Wiebe said. “I said, ‘I’m glad it’s over. I want to go lay down.’”
FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
Par 71
65 Bob Tway, Mark Wiebe, Chien Soon Lu.
66 Olin Browne, Lonnie Nielsen, Mike Goodes, Fred Couples.
67 Bobby Wadkins, Loren Roberts, D A Weibring, Eduardo Romero, Gary Hallberg, Tom Lehman, Wayne Levi, Ronnie Black.
Selected score:
70 Bernhard Langer

Flying Filipino Minoza bids for glory in Brunei

By PAUL SYMES, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
Flying Filipino Frankie Minoza joined joint overnight leader Boonchu Ruangkit of Thailand at the top of the leaderboard on day two of The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by the Stapleford Forum.
On another day of soaring temperatures at the Empire Hotel and Country Club in Brunei, Senior Tour debutant Minoza carded a joint lowest of the day 66 to move to nine under par, level with Ruangkit.
Minoza, who won the 2007 Philippines Open aged 46 to claim his maiden Asian Tour title, notched three birdies either side of the turn, with the only blip coming at the par four eighth hole. The 50 year old will now bid to become the first player to triumph on his Senior Tour debut since American Michael Allen won the 2009 US Senior PGA Championship.
He said: “I’m obviously happy to be in the lead. My all-round game was good today, particularly my driving. The course is really good – it’s just the humidity that’s the problem. It’s lucky we’re using buggies between holes! Tomorrow I just need to play my normal game and take it shot by shot, hole by hole. I’m confident I can win the title, but this game is crazy so you never know until it’s finished.”
Minoza will be paired in the final round by Ruangkit, who would have held the lead outright were it not for a bogey on the final hole. The Thai ace was unable to reproduce the fireworks of the opening day, when he shot a 64, but three birdies in a round of 69 have still put him in sight of his maiden Senior Tour title.
He said: “I lost in the play-off during last year’s Brunei Open, so I know this course well and it suits my game. Obviously it was disappointing to bogey the last hole, but apart from that I played well. I’m happy with my game, but I think Frankie could shine tomorrow. He’s a big hitter, whereas my driving wasn’t so good today. So I’m not very confident of winning, because Frankie’s playing so well! But we’ll see.”
South African Chris Williams is hot on the leaders’ tails after carding six birdies in a round of 66 to move to eight under par, whilst overnight leader David Merriman slipped back to fourth place on seven under par after signing for a level par round of 71.
A round of 66 saw American Jerry Bruner join Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori in a share of fifth place on six under par, with England’s Roger Chapman, defending champion Mike Cunning of America and South African Bobby Lincoln a further two shots back in tied seventh.
European Tour champion Chapman, who shot a level par round of 71, said: “I’m coping ok with heat, drinking about 15 bottles of water and the buggies definitely help. I’ve been in South Africa for three weeks on holiday and did a bit of practising out there, so I got used to the heat. I also played in Asia on The European Tour so know what to expect, and I also believe that next week in Thailand is meant to be even hotter, so that should be interesting!”
Further down the field, Scotland’s Sam Torrance and Wales’ Ian Woosnam – who between them have won the John Jacobs Trophy in four of the last five years – enjoyed better days, carding respective rounds of 68 and 69 to finish on one under par.
Woosnam said: “I played a little bit nicer today – I think I only missed about three greens. In the end it could’ve been a little bit better than a 69, but I was just really pleased to play a little bit better than yesterday and hopefully tomorrow I can get a little bit more confidence and go even lower. When you’re struggling a little bit with your game you keep trying different things, and then when something works you get a get a bit more confidence and start playing well again, so hopefully that’s what’ll happen on the final day.”
His fellow Masters Tournament winner Sandy Lyle of Scotland carded a round of 72 to finish on three over par.
SCOREBOARD
SECOND ROUND
Par 142 (2x71)
133 F Minoza (Phi) 67 66, B Ruangkit (Tha) 64 69
134 C Williams (RSA) 68 66
135 D Merriman (Aus) 64 71
136 J Bruner (USA) 70 66, K Tomori (Jpn) 67 69
138 M Cunning (USA) 70 68, B Lincoln (RSA) 67 71, R Chapman (Eng) 67 71
139 M Clayton (Aus) 69 70
140 A Franco (Par) 69 71, B Longmuir (Sco) 68 72, J Hall (Eng) 71 69, G Ryall (Eng) 70 70, D Cambridge (Jam) 70 70, A Sowa (Arg) 72 68, R Drummond (Sco) 72 68
141 I Woosnam (Wal) 72 69, J Chillas (Sco) 73 68, B Cameron (Eng) 70 71, S Torrance (Sco) 73 68, L Carbonetti (Arg) 69 72, J Quiros (Esp) 68 73
142 L Stephen (Aus) 71 71, S Ebihara (Jpn) 70 72, D Johnson (USA) 69 73, J Heggarty (Nir) 75 67, S Taylor (USA) 71 71, D Russell (Eng) 73 69
143 P Mitchell (Eng) 71 72, T Chen (Tpe) 73 70, B Smit (RSA) 76 67, S Choi (Kor) 71 72
144 T Burgoyne (Sco) 69 75, I Mosey (Eng) 70 74, G Brand (Eng) 73 71, H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 70, J Sallat (Fra) 74 70,
145 S Lyle (Sco) 73 72, B Boyd (USA) 71 74, P Oakley (USA) 73 72, P Harrison (Eng) 73 72,
146 C Rocca (Ita) 77 69, A Tapie (USA) 70 76, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 73 73, P Dahlberg (Swe) 71 75,
147 M Ramayah (Mas) 74 73, A Johnsson (Swe) 76 71, F Mann (Sco) 74 73, I Palmer (RSA) 71 76, T Johnstone (Zim) 74 73,
148 S Owen (Nzl) 73 75, M Farry (Fra) 72 76, M Piñero (Esp) 73 75, K Spurgeon (Eng) 76 72,
149 G Cali (Ita) 73 76, J Rhodes (Eng) 74 75, M Poxon (Eng) 75 74, B Hardwick (Can) 72 77, N Job (Eng) 70 79,
150 J Hawkes (RSA) 72 78, G Ralph (Eng) 74 76, T Chen (Tpe) 77 73, R Willison (Eng) 76 74, M Gray (Sco) 78 72, G Gunn (Can) 73 77, M Harwood (Aus) 76 74,
151 C Nirat (Tha) 75 76, P Teravainen (USA) 72 79, P Allan (Eng) 75 76, M Miller (Sco) 75 76,
152 A Garrido (Esp) 76 76, M Williams (Zim) 78 74,
154 T Gale (Aus) 78 76,
155 G Davies (Wal) 74 81, R Metherell (Aus) 78 77, G Banister (Aus) 82 73,
159 D O'Sullivan (Irl) 75 84,
Disqualified: S Bennett (Eng) 76 -.

Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters

Merriman and Ruangkit sizzle in the Brunei heat

By PAUL SYMES, European Seniors Tour Press Officer
Sparkling rounds of 64 saw Australian David Merriman and Thai ace Boonchu Ruangkit grab the lead on the first day of The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum, with England’s Roger Chapman in a group of players three shots behind.
Merriman, winner of the Senior Tour Qualifying School in 2006, got off to the perfect start at The Empire Hotel & Country Club in Brunei, hitting his approach shot to the first green to 15 feet and holing the birdie putt.
The man from Sydney, who has a cult online following due to his trick shot repertoire, proved it was no fluke by rattling off another three birdies on the front nine and adding a further three after the turn to sign for a flawless seven under par round of 64.
He said: “It was my putting that really saw me through today – I think it’s the best I’ve putted in the last 18 months. It helps that the greens are fast and very true. It’s just a great course, the kind of course where you have to use every club in the bag. It’s not a particularly long course or short course – it’s just perfect.”
Merriman will be partnered in the second round by Ruangkit, who won the US Champions Tour Qualifying School the same year the Australian won the European Senior Tour equivalent. Ruangkit, a former kick boxer, won five times on the Asian Tour, including the Thailand Open in 2004 aged 48. The 53 year old has never won on the Senior Tour before, but eight birdies have given him every chance of breaking his duck over the next two days.
He said: “The only hole I bogeyed was the 16th, which was annoying. But other than that it was a good round, and I’m very happy with the way I’m playing. Everything was working well. I drove the ball well, and when I got onto the greens my putting was also good. The course is very good, and the greens are so smooth and fast – maybe too fast in places! But hopefully I can play as well tomorrow.”
European Tour champion Chapman leads the chasing pack, having opened with a round of 67. Chapman cancelled out his opening birdie with a bogey at the second hole, but picked up a further four shots to finish on four under par, level with South African Bobby Lincoln, Frankie Minoza of the Philippines and Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori.
Minoza, making his first Senior Tour debut, at times struggled to cope in the conditions, saying: “I’m used to playing in hot conditions, but not this humidity. It’s quite difficult to keep your momentum when you have to stop every hole to mop up all the sweat!”
Another player to struggle in the heat was Welshman Ian Woosnam, who signed for a one over par round of 72 to sit in a tie for 32nd place.
He said: “I really struggled in the conditions – it was really hard work. I’m not sure whether it’s because of jet lag or the heat, but I felt really shaky when I was out there. The course is good but it’s tough, and if you’re not playing too well it’s very tough because once the ball ends up in the rough, it’s really difficult to get your game back on track. It’s a good test though – I think the more I play it, the better I’ll get.
“The main thing is to build up my confidence. I changed my grip on the last few holes and it seemed to work, so that has boosted my confidence a bit going into tomorrow. I’m not going to practice this afternoon, as this heat just wears you out. But I’m feeling ok about tomorrow – those last few holes have helped.”
One stroke further back is Woosnam’s fellow former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance, who said: “I was actually fairly happy with the way I played, but seven bogeys probably speaks for itself. It was really tough out there in the conditions, not helped by the jet lag and tiredness. But I don’t actually think I played that badly, and hopefully I’ll have a better day tomorrow.”
Torrance was joined on two over par by his fellow Scot Sandy Lyle, whose round was blighted by lost balls on the 11th and 17th holes.
He said: “This course is dangerous. It’s a great course if you’re playing well, but if you miss the fairway and end up in the rough there’s no way back. I was really disappointed with the end of the round, especially as I’d started quite positively.”
FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 71
64 D Merriman (Aus), B Ruangkit (Tha)
67 K Tomori (Jpn), F Minoza (Phi), B Lincoln (RSA), R Chapman (Eng)
68 J Quiros (Esp), B Longmuir (Sco), C Williams (RSA)
69 L Carbonetti (Arg), A Franco (Par), T Burgoyne (Sco), M Clayton (Aus) , D Johnson (USA)
70 I Mosey (Eng) , M Cunning (USA) , D Cambridge (Jam) , N Job (Eng) , S Ebihara (Jpn), A Tapie (USA) , J Bruner (USA) , B Cameron (Eng) , G Ryall (Eng)
71 P Mitchell (Eng) , B Boyd (USA) , S Choi (Kor) , S Taylor (USA) , L Stephen (Aus) , J Hall (Eng) , P Dahlberg (Swe) , I Palmer (RSA) ,
72 P Teravainen (USA) , B Hardwick (Can), R Drummond (Sco), J Hawkes (RSA), A Sowa (Arg) , M Farry (Fra) , I Woosnam (Wal)
73 S Torrance (Sco) , J Chillas (Sco), T Chen (Tpe) , G Gunn (Can) , S Owen (Nzl) , G Cali (Ita) , P Oakley (USA) , D Russell (Eng) , P Harrison (Eng) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , M Piñero (Esp) , G Brand (Eng), S Lyle (Sco)
74 J Sallat (Fra), F Mann (Sco), G Ralph (Eng) , M Ramayah (Mas) , J Rhodes (Eng) , T Johnstone (Zim) , G Davies (Wal) , H Carbonetti (Arg)
75 M Poxon (Eng) , M Miller (Sco), D O'Sullivan (Irl) , J Heggarty (Nir) , P Allan (Eng) , C Nirat (Tha)
76 S Bennett (Eng), A Johnsson (Swe) , R Willison (Eng) , M Harwood (Aus) , K Spurgeon (Eng), B Smit (RSA), A Garrido (Esp)
77 T Chen (Tpe), C Rocca (Ita)
78 M Williams (Zim), M Gray (Sco), T Gale (Aus) , R Metherell (Aus)
82 G Banister (Aus)

GOLF TOURNAMENT WITH A DIFFERENCE

£1million jackpot on offer at Archerfield

Links from August 3 to 6

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ED HODGE, CAPITAL CITY PRESS
A unique high-stakes golf event, where the winner will walk off with a mouthwatering £1m jackpot, has been announced.
The eagerly-awaited tournament will be held/hosted at Archerfield Links, the private members' club in East Lothian.
Organisers hope to attract a star-studded worldwide field to the exclusive venue for the lavish 'Cool Million Challenge' which will combine golf and gambling for a prize fund in excess of £2m.
It is hoped former Ryder Cup captains Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam will take part in pursuit of the largest first prize in an unsanctioned event in the world this year.
Big-name US-based seniors have also been earmarked to compete over the Dirleton Links from August 3-6, along with leading ladies such as Laura Davies.
Promoter David Copeland, an entrepreneur in the online gambling industry and a keen golfer, is behind the concept to mix a high-stakes wager with an exciting pro tournament, two weeks after The Open at St Andrews.
Restricted to 60 talented golfers around the world meeting a strict criteria, commercial or individual sponsors - the gamblers - face the ultimate challenge to place their bet on a chosen player to win the £1m.
The professionals will compete over two rounds of stroke play, with the top 16 playing straight match play to establish the champion. The entry fee for the competition - poised to be televised - is set at £50,000 per golfer, representing the sponsor's bet.
Copeland said: "I'm a gambler so I wanted to launch a golf competition with a high level of entry fee for a relatively small field. That gives everyone a chance of a top prize, namely the £1 million figure.
"I had to find a venue that was really exclusive, really private and there are not many clubs like Archerfield. I'm using my contacts globally in the gambling industry and commercial world, in terms of sponsorship, to drive together 60 teams.
"We didn't just want a Tour event. We're not looking for golfers in the top 500 of the world rankings, or those with a current European or US PGA Tour card. We're looking for guys off the Nationwide Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Seniors.
"There are also people around the world gambling extremely high stakes whom you have never even heard of, professionals in Las Vegas who don't need to play on Tour but can win big money in gambling games.
"Over a course that is not overly long, we have also decided to include female golfers of any ranking and standard. We are hoping to have some of the world's top 10 playing in it.
"Could they beat a guy off the Challenge Tour over Archerfield, or a leading Senior? So you start to have a dilemma and peak the interest of the gambler of where they think the value lies."
Archerfield Links, designed by David J Russell, continues to grow in stature, having already hosted Gary Player's European Invitational, as well as Sir Ian Botham and Ronan Keating's Celebrity Challenge.
The Ladies Scottish Open will also make a welcome return to the calendar at Archerfield from August 18 to 20 this year.
For more information, contact David Copeland on 01355 588 970 or go to www.coolmillionchallenge.

Aussie 1-2-3 in New Zealand Senior Masters

Australian Mike Harwood won the inaugural Handa New Zealand Senior Masters at Millbrook with a final round of 70 and a ten under par total score of 206.
Harwood really won the event with his second round 66, and when he played through the first nine on the last day in three under par 33 the event was his to lose. He gave the chasers a glimmer of hope when he bogeyed 11 and 12, but a birdie on the par five 15th locked it up.
Another player from Melbourne, Michael Clayton, finished strongly with a 69 for second place on 210. He also made a couple of bogeys coming home but offset these with five birdies.
Queenslander Wayne Grady was third alone, a shot further back after a final round 72, three birdies offset by three bogeys.
Simon Owen was the leading New Zealander, tied fourth with Noel Ratcliffe. Sir Bob Charles finished in 12th equal placing after a final round of 74.

Langer holes bunker shot for US seniors' event victory

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
By Craig Dolch
Bernhard Langer briefly lost the lead Sunday before a birdie on the last hole of regulation forced a play-off that he won by holing a bunker shot.
The ball was buried in the bunker. So, too, appeared to be Bernhard Langer's chances of finally winning his home town event, the Allianz Champion at Boca Raton, Florida.
But with a stroke of brilliance, Langer watched as his ball left its tangled dirt, rolled across the green and disappeared into the hole for an unlikely eagle. Langer did his best Bob Tway impersonation, jumping up and down in the bunker three times before high-fiving his caddie.
Langer's eagle enabled the Boca Raton resident to defeat John Cook on the first hole of Sunday's sudden-death play-off in front of family and friends at Broken Sound. The finish came just 30 minutes after Langer appeared to have blown the tournament when he missed a 4ft par putt at the 17th hole.
"I didn't want to make it that exciting," Langer said. "It's very emotional because I was able to win in front of my family. When I saw the lie was plugged, I was just trying to get it within 4 feet. You could probably put me in there 50 times and I probably wouldn't hole it again."
He doesn't have to, of course. Langer (67-199) made the shot when it counted, and he was still giddy an hour later.
"I've won a lot of tournaments around the world," he said, "but this probably ranks in the top three in my career."
It's kind of hard to crack the first two -- his two Masters titles.
This also marked the second consecutive victory for Langer when he holed a shot at the final hole (he also chipped in at last year's 3M Championship). That's how you claim consecutive Player of the Year titles on the Champions Tour.
"Hall of Famers do things like that," Cook said. "That's why they're Hall of Famers. I've now played in three play-offs in my career. I've shot one under and I'm now 0-3. As much as I've won in my career, I can tell you it's no fun to lose in a play-off."
Cook (67) appeared to be in control of the play-off when he reached the par-5 18th hole - the designated play-off hole - in two shots. He was looking at a 30ft eagle try.
"I saw he had a buried lie, so I'm thinking I might just have to two-putt this to win," Cook said. "When I saw his ball come out, I'm thinking, 'Well, this is going to be close, so I'll just two-putt and we'll go to the next hole.' All of a sudden it goes in the hole and now I have to make it."
Cook almost matched Langer's heroics, but his eagle try lipped out on the high side. Cook had run backward, thinking the putt was going in, but quickly walked toward Langer and shook hands with the winner.
"He said, 'You were unlucky,' " Cook said. "I told him, 'No, I wasn't.' "
It was a dramatic ending to an intriguing day of golf where at one point eight players were tied for the lead.
Langer birdied the 13th hole to become the first player to get to 17 under. Cook, who's now 0-for-105 in Florida on the US PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, was the only one to join him, though, at 17 under when he birdied the 18th hole in regulation.
Langer dropped to 16 under with the bogey at No. 17, but made a short birdie putt at No. 18 to force the playoff.
"I felt like I had a good putt at 17, so it didn't bother me that much," Langer said. "I knew what I had to do at 18, and I was able to do that."
Joey Sindelar, playing just three months after he suffered a pulmonary embolism, challenged for his first career Champions Tour title, but came up one shot short after a 67. Gene Jones (66) finished alone in fourth.
Marquee names such as Hall-of-Famer Nick Price (70) and Tom Lehman (69) were also in contention, until they both double-bogeyed the difficult par-4 15th hole.
Sunday's finish marked the third consecutive Champions Tour event this year that has been decided by a shot. The winners have been stout: Tom Watson, Fred Couples and now Langer.
"Our tour is very strong," Cook said. "It takes great golf to win out here. For anyone to think otherwise, they're very misguided."
First prize was worth $247,500 to Langer who was the leading money-winner - again - on the US Over-50s Tour last season. He's off and running again ...

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72).
Players from US unless stated.
199 Bernhard Langer (Germany) 67 65 67, John Cook 66 66 67 (Langer won play-off at first hole).
200 Joey Sindelar 68 65 67.
201 Gene Jones 68 67 66.
202 Mike Reid 65 69 68, Loren Roberts 66 67 69, Tom Lehman 66 67 69, Tim Simpson 66 65 71.
Selected scores:
215 Mark James (England) 72 72 70 (jt 50th).
216 Ian Woosnam (Wales) 71 74 71(jt 55th).

Carton House, Co Kildare to host 2010 Irish Senior Open

NEWS RELEASE
The Handa Irish Senior Open presented by Fáilte Ireland returns to the European Senior Tour schedule this year when Carton House, in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, hosts the 14th edition of the tournament from June 11-13.
Fáilte Ireland, which has supported the Senior Tour event since its inception at St Margarets Golf Club in 1997, continues its long term association with the tournament and is joined by a new title sponsor for 2010, the International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS), represented by Founding Chairman, Dr.Haruhisa Handa.
In addition to the Irish Senior Open, Fáilte Ireland also supports The 3 Irish Open on The European Tour, which Carton House hosted in 2005 and 2006, tournaments won by Stephen Dodd and Thomas Björn respectively.
The leading Senior Tour players will tackle the stunning Montgomerie Course at the Kildare venue, designed by 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie, which is one of two Championship courses at Carton House created in conjunction with European Golf Design.
They will be looking to join an illustrious roll call of former champions, including Tommy Horton, winner of the inaugural event in 1997, two-time winner Seiji Ebihara (2001 and 2002), Carl Mason (2004), Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance (2005) and Costantino Rocca (2007).
Ian Woosnam, who led Europe to victory in The Ryder Cup in Ireland in 2006, returned to the Emerald Isle last year to add his name to the list, staging a remarkable comeback to defeat American Bob Boyd in a play-off at Ballybunion Golf Club having started the final round six shots off the pace.
The 2010 edition of the Irish Seniors Open sees , Japanese philanthropist Dr Handa, the Chairman of the International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS) - the title sponsor - extend his growing relationship with the Senior Tour.
It is the third tournament so far on the 2010 Senior Tour schedule to receive the backing of Dr Handa and ISPS; the other two being the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum and the Chang Thailand Senior Masters 2010 presented by ISPS.
Charles Perring, Deputy Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “The Irish Senior Open is one of the cornerstones of the European Senior Tour and I’m delighted that its legacy continues in 2010 with the patronage of Dr Handa and our long term partner Failte Ireland, with Carton House hosting us for the first time at their wonderful facility.
"The honour roll of former champions speaks volumes of the player quality on show and with close proximity to Dublin, we hope to showcase the best of Senior golf to an enthusiastic Irish gallery.”

De Vere Collection extends PGA Seniors sponsorship to 2013

NEWS RELEASE
One of Europe’s most prestigious golf championships has been given a major boost by the De Vere hotel group agreeing a three-year sponsorship extension.
The deal will see the luxury golf resort company sponsor the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship until 2013.
The announcement comes ahead of this year’s £250,000 event, which will be contested over the Hunting Course at Northumberland’s Slaley Hall from June 24-27.
It will the third successive year the European Senior Tour’s longest-running event has been staged at the venue and Carl Mason, who won the title for a third time last summer, is expected to defend his crown.
The tournament was first staged in 1957 and, except for its four majors, is the only 72-hole event on the Senior Tour.
Past winners include former Open champions Max Faulkner and Kel Nagle, the legendary Christy O’Connor and, more recently, the reigning Senior Tour Order of Merit winner Sam Torrance who triumphed in 2005 and 2006.

New Zealander seniors lead at home against Aussies

New Zealand take a commanding lead into the final day of the Trans Tasman seniors golf international against Australia in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The New Zealand combination lead 8-1/2 matches to 3-1/2 after two rounds of foursomes and fourball play at Clearwater Resort.
New Zealand made a powerful start when they dominated the morning foursomes, winning 4-1/2 to 1-1/2.
New Zealand, who won the Sanctuary Cove Cup across the Tasman last year, rammed home their advantage with a 4-2 advantage in the afternoon four-balls.
The contest will be decided today with 12 singles matches, made in a special draw by Sir Bob Charles, with Australia requiring eight wins to take the cup back across the Tasman.
First day results (NZ names first)
Foursomes: New Zealand 4-1/2 Australia 1-1/2
Owen Kendall and Barry Shannon lost to Ross Percy and Brian Sams 2 holes.
John Sanders and Ron Olivecrona bt John Beaumont and Grahame MacDonald 1 hole.
Rodney Barltrop and Frank Borren halved with Stefan Albinski and Greg Corben.
Ian Donaldson and Eric Brodie bt Bill Banks and Ian Read 5 and 4.
Arthur Parkin and Andrew McKechnie bt Chris Coats and Denis Dale 5 and 4.
Phil Mosley and Murray Martin bt Tony Gover and Chris Tatt 2 and 1.

Fourball: New Zealand 4 Australia 2:
Sanders and Barltrop bt Beaumont and MacDonald 2 and 1.
Kendall and Borren lost to Percy and Sams 2 and 1.
Olivecrona and Shannon lost to Albinski and Corben 4 and 3.
Parkin and Martin bt Dale and Coats 2 and 1.
Mosley and Brodie bt Gover and Tatt 6 and 4.
Donaldson and McKechnie bt Banks and Read 1 hole.

End of First Day scoreline: New Zealand 8-1/2 Australia 3-1/2