Golf Archive

It's been a decent few days for David Drysdale.

He may only be 23 but Rory McIlroy likes nothing better than a chat about the good old days.

Russell Knox, the Inverness exile, has decided he will not be coming home to play in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, between Nairn and Inverness, on July 12-15.

The angst-laden cobbling together of letters on Paul Lawrie's personal website summed it up; "Arghhhhh," screamed the former Open champion's blog as he tried to express in words his fury and exasperation that followed his semi-final defeat by Nicolas Colsaerts in the Volvo World Matchplay Championship at the weekend.

Europe's biggest-hitter now has a big title to his name – Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts is the new Volvo World Match Play champion.

Laura Murray, a part-time swimming pool lifeguard, was anything but out of her depth in the final of the 98th Scottish women's amateur golf championship over the Old Tom Morris-designed links at Tain in Ross-shire.

Pamela Pretswell's decision to miss this week's Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship in favour of another outing alongside the professionals was fully justified last night when she won the Ljungbyhed Park PGA Ladies Open, a Ladies European Tour Access Series event, in Sweden.

It was third time lucky for Alford's Laura Murray and Jane Turner, of Craigielaw, as they swept through quarter-finals and semi-finals to earn places in today's 18-hole final at the 98th Scottish Women's Amateur Championship at Tain GC, Ross-shire, for the first time.

It has been 13 years since a Scot last triumphed in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and Martin Laird is eager to bring that miserable run to an end.

It wasn't pretty, but Paul Lawrie again showed his fighting qualities in defeating Sweden's Peter Hanson on the opening day's play on the Finca Cortesin course on Spain's Costa del Sol.

David Patrick's diary of events for next week was full of the usual day-to-day duties of a PGA professional at this time of the year.

Think of Turnberry and you immediately think of Tom Watson.

Alastair Forsyth calls the belly putter a "monstrosity" which he thinks should be banned but now intends to have one in his bag on a permanent basis after producing his best putting display in months on his way to seventh place in the Madeira Islands Open.

Spaniard Carlos Del Moral knocked two strokes off his previous best European Tour round and was in control of the Madeira Islands Open with a round to go.