PAUL LAWRIE SCHOOLS GOLF DATE

Next year's Paul Lawrie Foundation Scottish schools golf championships will be played at Murrayshall Hotel golf courses, near Perth on Monday, June 10.

DANIEL YOUNG WINS FIVE-MAN US PLAY-OFF FOR SECOND VICTORY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Perth's Daniel Young, in his fourth and final year as a student at Lynn University, Boca Raton in Florida, has scored his second win on the US college golf circuit.
He won a five-way play-off with an 8ft birdie putt at the first extra hole to win the McDonough Cup college tournbament at Rio Pinar Country Club, Orlando in Florida.
Young, pictured, with rounds of 77, 71 and 70 for a  two-over-par total of 218, tied on this mark with team-mate Ernesto Vitienes (74-73-71), Ben Taylor (Nova Southeastern) from Leatherhead (72-72-74), Mark O'Hara (Mount Olive) (73-71-74) and Patrick Garrett (Georgia College) (74-72-72).
Young was five shots off the lead with one round to go.
Team-mate Fraser Thain from West Linton finished T49 on 232 with scores of 79, 78 and 75.
Young's brilliant effort helped Lynn win the team tilt ewith a total of 877, three shots ahead of Nova Southeastern in the field of 18 teams.

FROM THE LYNN UNIVERSITY WEBSITE
Orlando, Fla. - Lynn University’s men’s golf team closed out its fall season doubly on a high note, winning the McDonough Cup by three strokes while Daniel Young won a five-man playoff for individual medalist honours.  This is the second consecutive victory for the Fighting Knights and second career first place finish for Young.
Trailing by two strokes heading into a gusty third round, Lynn (877) surpassed top-ranked Nova Southeastern (880) with a final day 290 to claim the win.  Florida Southern (892) finished comfortably in third while Mount Olive (900), host Rollins and Valdosta State split fourth place.
Young’s ascent to the top spot was even more impressive, considering he overcame a five-stroke deficit.  The senior out of Perth, Scotland posted a two-under par 70 to tie with fellow teammate Ernesto Vitienes, who made up four-strokes, NSU’s Ben Taylor, Mount Olive’s Mark O’Hara and Patrick Garrett of Georgia College.  In the playoff hole, Young buried an eight-foot putt to separate himself from the pack.
Vitienes closed out the 54-hole tournament with a 218 total, posting rounds of 74-73-71.  Young mounted his victory campaign by shooting 77 over the first 18-holes and then three-under par the remainder of play.
Filip Timmerman logged his first career top-10 finish, taking ninth individually, with a total of 220.  Freshman Jose Andres Miranda showed a three-stroke improvement with a 74 while Roberto Francioni logged a 228, respectively.
Additionally, Max Albertus and Fraser Thain, sophomore student from West Linton, posted scores of 230 and 232 participating as individuals. Thain's individual rounds were: 79, 78 and 75.

The Fighting Knights open their Championship Season on February 10, at the Matlock Invitational in Lakeland, Fla.  Fans, don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook and follow @LUKnights on Twitter and Instagram.

WELSHMAN HASKELL THIRD AT
OAK MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA

Welshman Ryan Haskell (Clayton State University, Atlanta) finished third and Jordan McColl from Dundee, now a student at Lander University, Greenwood, South Carolina, came fifth in a field of 51 at the UWG Matt Dyas Invitational at Oak Mountain GC, Carrolltown, Georgia.
Haskell, pictured left, from Newport, shot 80, 71 and 75 for a total of 226 over a par-72, 7026yd course.
He finished seven shots behind the winner by four strokes, Corey Evans (West Georgia) (75-73-71 for 219). 
McColl had scores of 80, 71 and 76 for 227.   A third Brit in the top 10 was Chris McManus (Clayton State) who finished joint eighth on 230 with scores of 77, 76 and 77.
A third Clayton State student, Clark Nelson from Glasgow, finished T22 on 237 with scores of 75, 85 and 77.
Max Bell (Lander), from Surrey, finished 43rd on 249 with scores of 84-85-80.
Clayton State (906) took the team title ahead of West Georgia (912) and North Georgia (928). Lander (938) finished fifth of eight teams. 

GRANT FORREST FINISHES SECOND IN CALIFORNIA COLLEGE EVENT

Scottish amateur champion Grant Forrest from North Berwick, a student at San Diego University, California, finished runner-up in the Bill Cullum Invitational at Wood Ranch Golf Club, Simi Valley in California.
But Forrest helped San Diego to win the team title.

FROM THE SAN DIEGO UNIVERSITY WEBSITE
 The USD men's golf team won the team title of the 2012 Bill Cullum Invitational with a three-round team score of 850 (288-279-283) for a 14-under par total. The two-day, 16-team tournament was played at the Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, California. Arizona State was 9 strokes back as the tourney runner-up. ASU's Jon Rahm Rodriguez won medalist honors with his 12-under par 204 (72-65-67) to edge out USD sophomore Grant Forrest who closed with a 71 to finish at 9-under par 207 (69-67-71). Rounding out USD scoring was Linus Vaisanen (T5 at 213; 69-70-74), Mathias Dahl (T9 at 215; 77-67-71), Alexis Gemme-Piacente (T23 at 221; 73-75-73), and Skyler Finnell (T37 at 224; 81-75-68).
The Toreros return to action Nov. 5th when they compete in a three-day event at the Warrior Wave Invitational at the Princeville course in Kauai, Hawaii.

SKINNER AND HILL ON A LEARNING
CURVE AT WESTERN NEW MEXICO

 
Loretto Academy former pupil Ben Skinner from Hertfordshire and Calum Hill (pictured) from Kinross are both freshman students at Western Mexico University.
In the Price's Give 'em Five Invite college tournament at Butterfield Golf Club, El Paso in Texas, over a long par-72 course of 7,307yd, Skinner finished T54 on 228 (79-73-76) and Hill finished T59 on 229 (78-79-72).
These young men are on a learning curve in their first year of US golfing conditions so they should be encouraged by the fact that they had one good round apiece over probably the longest course they have ever played.
Gordon Webb (Idaho) won the tournament by four strokes with an outstanding eight-under-par total of 208, made up of rounds of 70, 68 and 70.
There were 72 players in the field.
Idaho (851) won the team title ahead of UT Arlington (860).   

CACTUS TOUR HAT-TRICK OF WINS BY TAYLOR KARLE

American Taylor Karle has won three events in a row in the Cactus Ladies Tour in Arizona.

To view the full tournament results

CLICK HERE

HEAT IS ON CARLOTA IN CHINA - BUT SHE'S KEEPING COOL

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

  By BETHAN CUTLER

SANYA (China): Spain’s Carlota Ciganda appears totally impervious to the pressure of being European number one and says that she has taken a relaxed approach to this week’s Sanya Ladies Open in China.

Despite making her debut appearance in the €250,000 event, the 22-year-old rookie will tee up as one of the favourites at Yalong Bay Golf Club after earning her second LET victory at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open on Sunday (pictured above with the trophy).

Quietly confident, former British women's open amateur champion Ciganda leads the LET’s 2012 ISPS Handa Order of Merit and will be looking to keep second ranked Caroline Masson at bay again after the German earned a runner-up spot at the weekend.

With only three events to play, the heat is on in China but Ciganda remains typically cool and unaffected.

“I’m playing good and looking forward to the tournament. I’m going to take it easy and do some practice, some putting,” she said. “I’ve been going to the pool and had a massage. I like to take it easy and then get ready." 

Sitting on the same latitude as the Hawaiian Islands, Yalong Bay’s setting on the southern tip of Hainan is bathed in sunshine and perfect for golf.

Known as the Hawaii of the orient, it’s circled by blue seas and superb beaches and Ciganda has been enjoying the facilities at the Mangrove Tree Resort, a luxury hotel with a Balinese style.

“It reminds me of Hawaii: very green, a lot of vegetation, nice hotels and nice courses so it’s similar,” she said. 

“The golf course is very nice. It’s nice weather, very humid and hot. It’s very different from last week. The greens are smaller and grainy grass but they roll very well and the fairways are good. I think it’s a good course,” she said.

Ciganda has enjoyed an outstanding rookie season as a professional highlighted by her two victories in the Netherlands and China.

She currently leads the Ladies European Tour stats for lowest stroke average with 70.5 as well as greens in regulation (79.59%) and total birdies (171) and is virtually assured of the Rookie of the Year title.

She is now looking to match the feat of Laura Davies, who was the only player to win the LET’s order of merit and Rookie of the Year titles in the same year, in 1985.

Only three players have achieved a similar feat on the LPGA Tour: Nancy Lopez in 1978, Karrie Webb in 1996 and Jiyai Shin in 2009.

No player has won the rookie of the year and finished the season as number one on the men’s European Tour. Jose Maria Olazabal came closest in 1986, when he was second, while Sergio Garcia was next, finishing third in his rookie year in 1999.

Ciganda would be approximately three months older than Davies when she won both titles 27 years ago were she to achieve the feat this December however she is trying not to think that far ahead.

“I’m going to think about this week and see how it goes,” said Ciganda, who is targeting the €37,500 winner’s cheque. She cannot be caught this week with Masson €18,347 behind, followed by Lee-Anne Pace and Carly Booth.

This year marks the third staging of the Sanya Ladies Open which is tri-sanctioned by The Ladies European, China and Asian Tours.

 

A total of 114 players will compete over 54 holes from Friday to Sunday, with the top 60 professionals and ties only playing the final round.