Robert Foley (Stirling) shot a highly impressive 68 to stretch his lead in the men’s tournament at the 13^th Fife Tournament to 4 strokes. Meanwhile, recent Yale Intercollegiate International Champion Chloe Goadby (Stirling) moved to the top of the women’s standings, a one under 73 leaving her 3 strokes clear of the competition. The final round starts tomorrow morning at 8.30am

With clearer skies and only the remnants of the high winds of round one, there was the opportunity for low scoring and the men, first out, didn’t fail to impress. After day one’s scores being led by a 73, 9 golfers matched or bettered that as the leaders separated themselves at the top of the leaderboard.

This was led by Foley, who used a 4 under start across the first 6 holes to fuel a 3 under total for the day and one under for the tournament. Trying to chase him down are two of the Maynooth squad, Cathal Butler and Ronan Mullarney sharing second place at +3, after shooting 70 and 71 respectively. Butler bettered his teammate after the only birdie recorded in the men’s field on the final hole.

In the men’s team competition, the strong showing at the top of the leaderboard by the Irish institution is rewarded with the lead of the competition, Maynooth sitting 4 strokes clear of St Andrews I with Stirling I a further 7 strokes back.

In the women’s competition, Jen Saxton (Stirling) finally gave up the lead of a Tour event on the fourth day, a six over 80 seeing her drop down to third position. Above her, the best two scorers of the day were rewarded with moves up the leaderboard – Goadby taking advantage of the par 5s to shoot a one under 73 and move into the lead at +2. The best round of the day, however, belonged to Kirsten Brown (St Andrews), who picked up 5 birdies on the way to a two under 72 and moved her one shot ahead of Saxton.

In the team event, Stirling I are leading, underpinned by Goadby’s solid performance, 8 shots clear of St Andrews I with Saxton’s Stirling III a further 3 shots back.

The final round starts from 0830 with the top 30 men and 12 women battling out for the title and for valuable Macpherson Order of Merit points.

For full results and tee times please see HERE.

Robert Foley (Stirling) takes a one stroke lead into the weekend of the 13^th Fife Tournament men’s competition at Fairmont St Andrews after a first round two over par 73 while Jen Saxton’s rich tour form continued with a level par 74 over the Kittock’s course giving her a two stroke lead at the top of the women’s competition.

With high winds and rain lashing down, the first round of the Fife Tournament was very reminiscent of the previous event at The Blairgowrie GC. It was certainly to Saxton’s liking, as a solid one over par front nine was followed by a three-birdie-led one under back nine giving her a level par round for the day. This is the third day in succession that she has led a tour event, after her victory at the Autumn Trophy.

Chasing Jen are Clodagh Walsh (Maynooth) and Chloe Goadby (Stirling) after a 76 and a 77 left them two and three strokes back. Walsh also carded three birdies during her round although wasn’t quite as consistent at Saxton, while Goadby’s round including the only eagle of the day in the whole field.

In the team competition, Saxton’s performance helped Stirling III to a two stroke lead over the Stirling I team, with Maynooth I a further stroke back.

Everything is to play for tomorrow with the top 12 going on to play in the final round on Sunday.

On the men’s side, it was another man in rich form who leads the tournament. Fresh from his victory on American soil last time out, Foley was feeling strong enough to rue his final hole bogey, despite a solid 73 seeing him lead the field.

Ronan Mullarney (Maynooth) demonstrated a consistent touch, one birdie and four bogeys giving him a three over 74, matched by a more up and down round by George Burns (St. Andrews) that featured three birdies on the way to a two under front nine, but a run of four bogeys from 14-17 on the way back. With six players within two strokes of the lead, the tournament is set for an intriguing second day at the top, while further down the leaderboard there will be a tussle to make the top 30 and the right to play the final round on Sunday.

In the team event, St Andrews I have picked up where they left off at The Blairgowrie GC, leading by three from Exeter, who are three ahead of Maynooth.

For full leaderboard and tee times please see HERE.

Matthew Myers (St Andrews) secured his first Tour win of the season after a masterful 3 under par 69 gave him victory by 6 shots in the men’s event of the Autumn Trophy at The Blairgowrie GC. Jen Saxton (Stirling) took the honours in the women’s event, her overnight lead of nine shots proving too much for the opposition to make up on the final day.

With a very tight leaderboard at the start of the day, the final 4 men’s groups knew that it would take a low round to come out victorious. Luckily, while the wind was still strong the conditions on day three were far more conducive to making that happen.

Myers made the most of this, a two under par front nine giving him a two shot lead at the turn that he didn’t relinquish. Indeed, he was only of only two players to come back under par (honourable mention to perennial tour challenger James Glenn (Durham) who was predictably strong over the final round with a one under 71), a one under 35 giving him a total of 69 and a one under total for the tournament. Graeme Greer (SRUC) shot a solid level par back nine to sign for a 73 and give him second place on countback from Bojesen.

In the team event, Bojesen and Myers’ efforts ensured that St Andrews I comfortably held off the challenge of Stirling II to take home the title, with support from Peter Kerr and George Burns, celebrating the latter’s 21^st birthday in style.

With Saxton’s performance in round 2 it appeared at the start of play that the challenge was going to be who could finish second and third. When she shot an equal best front nine of 37 those predictions seemed to have been spot on, with Lieve van Veggel (St Andrews) and Marie Danielsson (St Andrews) failing to make any headway and dropping one shot to Saxton.

However, at the turn van Veggel came to life with a great level par back nine putting some pressure onto Saxton as bogeys on 10 and 11 threatened to open up the race. A birdie at 15 offset van Veggel’s birdie on the previous hole and despite a 6 at the last Saxton was able to secure victory by 4 strokes. Van Veggel’s effort were enough to secure her a solid runner up spot, while Alexa Hammer (St Andrews) won the best of the rest competition to finish 3^rd.

With Hammer, van Veggel and Danielsson, St Andrews I had more than enough for the other teams, defeating Stirling I by nine shots.

It was a great week and the Tour felt back at home at The Blairgowrie GC. Many thanks to all at the club, in particular the greenskeepers for their tireless work to ensure the course was in such great condition despite some conditions more akin to deepest winter. Thanks also to Clark Autos for transport services supplied to the tournament organiser.

The BUCS Tour moves south this coming weekend for the Northern Tournament before returning to the Fairmont, and the Kittock’s Course, for the Fife Tournament starting on October 13^th.

For the full Autumn Trophy leaderboard please see HERE.

Jen Saxton (Stirling) shot the best round of the day over the Lansdowne Course at The Blairgowrie Course to take a commanding 9 shot lead over the field at the Autumn Trophy. In the men’s competition, level par 72s from Matthew Myers (St Andrews) and Chris Kulukundis (St Andrews) saw them move into first and second place respectively.

After fighting over the first 18 holes to be 3 shots back from the leader overnight Saxton showed all of her class in round 2 as 3 birdies helped her to a one under par 72, and a two-round total of 149 (+3). A trio of St Andrews’ golfers lead the chasing pack with overnight leader Lieve van Veggel dropping one place to second at +12, and Alexa Hammer and Marie Danielsson both coming home in 37 (+1) to sit one stroke further back. With such a substantial lead for Saxton, it appears the final round interest will be who from St Andrews can finish in the runner up position.

This strong cohort of St Andrews players leaves their first team comfortably clear at the top of the team competition, +19 giving them a 7-stroke lead over the Jen-led Stirling first team, and the St Andrews IIs a further 15 shots further back.

In the men’s competition, it is St Andrews who are dominating the top of the leaderboard with Myers one stroke clear of Kulukundis, who himself is level with overnight leader, and defending champion, Bjorn Bojesen (St Andrews).

The competition is a lot closer than it had one stage looked like it was going to be, Bojesen having moved to -2 at the turn after another high class front nine; however, a run of 3 bogeys from 10-12 saw the field come back to him with Myers coming home in 35 to take a one stroke lead. It is most certainly all to play for with only 4 shots covering the top 7 as golfers from SRUC, Stirling, and UHI are all queueing up behind the St Andrews trio and looking to make a final day charge.

At the other end of the field it was a case of what might have been when it came to the cut with no less than 3 individuals bogeying the last to miss out on what would have been an absorbing playoff to make the top 27.

Much as in the individual competition, the men’s team competition is dominated by St Andrews with their first, third, and fifth team making up a very dominant podium. The St Andrew Is are in a very strong position, however, with their collective 446 giving them a 22-stroke advantage over their institutional rivals, who are tied for second.

With plenty of intrigue in both competition, tomorrow looks set to be a grand finish to the 12^th Autumn Trophy; play is set to start from 0910 with the leading women teeing off at 1030 and the final men’s group going out at 1115.

Full leaderboard and tee times available HERE.

Bjorn Bojesen (St Andrews) fired a best of the day 71 to lead by one as the 12^th Autumn Trophy got underway at its new home of the Lansdowne Course of The Blairgowrie GC. In the women’s competition, Lieve van Veggel (St Andrews) shot a one over par 76, giving her a 3 stroke advantage over the rest of the field.

In monsoon conditions, and a mention must go to the team of greenskeepers who ensured that the round continued without delay, Bojesen led at every checkpoint, going out in a flawless 34, with 3 birdies helping him come back  one under par. One shot back is SRUC’s Graeme Greer, who came home in a bogey free 34 to shoot level par. David Nagiev (Stirling) and Riccardo Cellerino (UHI) sit a further shot back, one ahead of a group of 5 players at +2 for the tournament.

In the team competition, St Andrews I will take a healthy 7 stroke lead over Stirling I and surprise package St Andrews V into day two after a combined effort of +5 for the day.

Van Veggel truly was the stand out performer of the first day in the women’s competition, with only a bogey at the last stopping her from what would have been a well deserved even par round. However, her one over 76 was good enough to ensure a three stroke lead over Jen Saxton (Stirling University), who played consistently without managing to pick up many shots, her only birdie coming at the last. A further 3 strokes back lies Georgia Holden (St Andrews), who managed to hold her round together after a tough run of 4 bogey’s over the turn, to post a +7 80.

In the women’s team competition, it’s St Andrews from St Andrews as St Andrews I, maybe smarting from their defeat at the Stirling International, lead St Andrews II by 8 strokes. Stirling I complete the podium places, one stroke behind St Andrews II at + 18.

With high winds forecast for the second round, it will be another testing the day, with the men aiming to make the cut in the top 27 players and the women aiming to set themselves up for a strong final day.

Full leaderboard and round 2 tee times (from 0903) available HERE

High winds swept across the Torrance course at Fairmont St Andrews for the second round of the 7^th Stirling International as Fern Clark (St Andrews) and Liam Johnston (Scottish Golf) rose to the top of the leaderboards.

The women’s competition saw Clark establish a four stroke lead after the shooting a birdie laden 71, leaving her at 2 under for the tournament. Overnight leader Cassie Kneen (St Andrews) is Clark’s nearest challenger, an 80 leaving her two over for the tournament. Stirling’s Mirren Fraser rounds out the top three, an 81 giving her a two round total of 153, +5 for the tournament. The performances of Clark and Kneen have seen St. Andrew’s second team continue to lead the team competition with tomorrow’s final round seeing the top nine compete for the titles.

The men’s competition saw a number of strong performances at the top of the leaderboard with Robert Foley (Stirling) shooting a round of the day 69, to move up to second at one under for the tournament. Early in the day, Craig Howie (Scottish Golf) had extended his lead at the top of the standings during the front nine, but 5 dropped shots coming home leave him at one under, three shots off the lead. That lead is held by Liam Johnston, who followed up his steady opening level par 72, with a two under par 70, underpinned by an outward 33 that included a rare eagle on 7. Johnston and Howie underpin a very strong performance from the Scottish Golf team who lead the team competition by 7 strokes from the Stirling first team, who are a further 24 shots ahead of St. Andrews. With the leading groups going off from 10.20am, it is set to be an exciting finish to the competition.

Full details available here.

As the first event of the SSS/BUCS Tour, this was a chance to lay down a marker for the season, a chance that Cassie Kneen (St Andrews) and Craig Howie (Scottish Golf) certainly took.

In the women’s competition, there were a number of new faces in the draw making their presence felt. These women were led by American Kneen, who after a bogey at the first had four birdies on the front nine to reach the turn at three under, a further two birdies on the back helping her to a first round score of 70, four under par. Leading the chasers was another first year, Mirren Fraser (Stirling), her solid two under par featuring three birdies. Rounding out the first round podium is second year Fern Clark (St. Andrews), who reached the turn sharing the lead with Kneen, before dropping back to +1 for the tournament.

The men’s side of the draw sees a more experienced line up at the top of the leaderboard where the round of the day saw Howie, a former Stirling student, shoot a very impressive 3 under par 69, to lead by 2 strokes. He is being chased by his Scottish Golf teammate, Greg Dalziel, who mixed in five birdies with a few dropped shots to sit at one under par. They are followed by 6 golfers who all shot level par, representing four different institutions, showcasing the growing depth at the top end of the student golfing programme.

Round two commences from 0800 tomorrow morning with a cut at the end of the day for the top 45 men and 9 women.

For full competition details, please click HERE.

The tournament organisers were Mark Easson (Strathclyde University) and Shannon Brown with Philip Brown, the owner of Super23, as the title sponsor. Those who took part enjoyed access to a BBQ and prizes for the winners and runners up, as well as it being an official ranking touchtennis tour event.  This was also the only such event in Scotland this year and attracted both serious players and those trying it for the first time.

The competitors aged from 16 to 62 with a wide range of abilities involved. With over 35 matches taking place over the day and three draws running simultaneously.

The draws were main draw singles, consolation singles and doubles and had no separate events for male and female, which is not uncommon in touchtennis. The singles had an entry of 18, and saw some hotly contested games.  The eventual winner of the main draw was Mark Easson with Ian Murdie as runner up, with the result being 4-1, 4-2.  This moved Mark up to a world ranking of 114.

The doubles final was an all brother affair with Eassons playing the Warings, with the eventual winners being Mark and Scott Easson (Strathclyde University, New College Lanarkshire) with Anthony and Matthew Waring as runners up.  This was a very close game and went to a champions tie break, with the Easson brothers eventually winning it 10-8.

The consolation draw was won by Matthew Waring by beating his brother Danny Waring (University West of Scotland) in a tightly contested match.

The event was a big success with everyone thoroughly enjoying the day. Due to the success of the day it has been asked by participants if this can become an annual event at Hamilton lawn tennis club.