Last time Gary Lockerbie led a golf tournament after 54 holes, he went on to win. That was at the honored Lytham Trophy two years ago when the Lockerbie was still an amateur.

The 24-year-old from Penrith is the joint-leader on 12-under 204 with China’s Liang Wenchong after shooting a three-under 69 in the third round yesterday.

Hot on their heels is India’s Jyoti Randhawa, who is one shot behind on 205 after returning an even-par 72 yesterday.

The European Tour rookie will be hoping for the same fairytale finish when he tees off in the final group of the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters today.

Ireland’s Peter Lawrie and Malaysia’s Iain Steel are joint-third on 206.

Asked if he would feel the butterflies in his stomach when he stands on the first tee today, Lockerbie said: ‘This is a bit of a new experience for me, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

If not for a bogey on the closing 18th hole at Laguna National’s Masters course yesterday, the 2003 English amateur champion would have taken the outright lead for the US$1.1 million ($1.68m) European Tour and Asian Tour co-sanctioned event.

Starting the day at nine-under, Lockerbie, who turned pro in 2005, moved to 11-under after seven holes with birdies on the third and fifth holes. Then his drive found the water on the par-three eighth hole, resulting in a double-bogey. But he picked himself up and collected three birdies in the next four holes before dropping a shot on the par-four 14th. Another two birdies on the 16th and the tough par-three 17th gave him the outright lead going into the last hole. But Lockerbie missed a six-foot par putt to take the gloss off a stellar performance. He said: ‘It was a pity about the 18th, but I would definitely have taken being tied for the lead after today. ‘I would have taken a 69 today as well so I am just going to forget about what happened at the last. ‘I think the birdie I made down the 17th was a bit of a bonus anyway so that is what happens.’ No matter what happens today, Lockerbie can be proud of his performance this week. This time last year, he was still playing on the Challenge Tour in Europe. Missing only four cuts from 24 events, Lockerbie finished 13th in the rankings and gained entry into the European Tour as a result.

But his results so far have been anything but impressive. He missed the cut in five of his first seven events but perhaps it is worth noting that in the two events where he made the weekend play, he finished in the top 10. He came in eighth at the South African Airways Open in December and fifth at the Malaysian Maybank Open last month. However, winning is not the foremost thing on his mind right now. He said: ‘I am just trying to secure a card for next year. ‘As for tomorrow, I’m not going to do anything different from what I have done this week. ‘I will try hard but not too hard because if you try too hard that is when things start going wrong. ‘I will try to get off to a steady start and not try to do anything fancy because I don’t think it takes a really low score to win tomorrow. ‘If I can knock it round in three- or four-under, I’m not going to be far away.’

Australians Geoff Ogilvy and Euan Walters have qualified for the US Open, along with New Zealand’s Michael Campbell after sectional qualifying on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Veteran Australian Peter Fowler is also a good chance of joining the field after a strong performance in Surrey, England.

Fowler, the 1983 Australian Open champion, is going through somewhat of a golfing renaissance, having earned full time status on the European Tour in the last few years and could appear at Pinehurst, depending on whether other players withdraw.

He and fellow Aussie Marcus Fraser fired two-round totals of 140 and will be alternates for the year’s second major, while Campbell secured his spot in the field with a two round total of 139.

Campbell, who finished third in the British Open ten years ago, has bounced back to form in recent weeks after missing his first five cuts this year. The talented 36-year-old hasn’t won a title since 2003, but is 18th on the European Order of Merit after good finishes at the British Masters and BMW Championship.

But Peter O’Malley (142), Terry Price (143) and Brett Rumford (143) missed out on their chance at Walton Heath Golf Club.

In Ohio, Ogilvy qualified with ease, shooting rounds of 67 and 64 to head the qualifiers at 13-under 131, while Walters carded 136 to get through. 2003 Us Open runner-up Stephen Leaney, Aaron Baddeley and Paul Sheehan all missed out.

42-year-old American Bart Bryant, has won the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio after closing with a final round 68, edging out Fred Couples to claim his second PGA Tour title.

Bryant grabbed the lead from Couples with a birdie on 17, then saved par after his tee shot went into the hazard on the 18th fairway. Couples, playing in the final group behind him, had a chance to tie with Bryant but narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th green.

Victorian Richard Green was the leader through 12 holes but faltered in the home stretch, missing his chance at capturing a maiden US PGA Tour championship. Green, teed up on the 13th with a one-shot advantage at 13-under par but a double bogey at 15 and a bogey at 17 saw him slip back to 10-under in a tie for eight position.

Inform Aussie, Nick O’Hern, grabbed a share of sixth with Jonathan Kaye after a third straight 70, which contained three birdies and one bogey.

It was a solid week for Australians competing at Muirfield, with five players finishing in the top 24. Also featuring on the leaderboard with O’Hern and Green were Peter Lonard and Geoff Ogilvy, finishing tied for 17th on six-under; and Stephan Leaney who shared 21st position on five-under par.

NEWPORT, Wales - Italy’s Alessandro Tadini shot a 3-over-par 72 Saturday in the third round of the Wales Open to lead the field by one stroke despite poor putting.

Tadini, who shot a 62 Friday and has missed 10 of 15 cuts this year, is at 8-under 199.

“It was very difficult, but I am still the leader,” Tadini said. “Tomorrow, I’ll concentrate on my own play. And maybe I’ll putt better.”

European Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam of Wales shot a 1-under 68 to move to 7-under 200 on the short Roman Road course at Celtic Manor. He is joined in second place by Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara (67), Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (70) and France’s Jean Francois Lucquin (68). England’s David Lynn was a further stroke behind after a 72.

England’s Nick Dougherty and Australia’s Terry Price had 65s, the best scores during a rainy round.

Tadini started the day bogey-birdie-double bogey while Woosnam bogeyed all three. At the first hole, the Welshman hit into two bunkers, then missed a two-foot putt.

“I thought, ‘Great, I’ve been practising my putting all night,’ Woosnam said. “I went to cross-handed straightaway. I must putt cross-handed all the time. I don’t feel comfortable with it at all, but I seem to get the ball on line so much better.”

Jimenez had five bogeys and four birdies.

“It was a tough day in this wind,” he said. “Many players can still win this. I feel good for the position I am in.”

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. – By the time she walked off the course, Juli Inkster’s rain-soaked fingers were like prunes. She’d gone through four sets of gloves and five towels trying to stay dry, but it was a losing battle.

But, you wouldn’t know it from her score. Inkster shot a 6-under par 65 Friday to take the first-round round lead at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, two shots ahead of Annika Sorenstam.

“Believe me, I didn’t want to be out there,” Inkster said, still wet as she spoke to reporters after her round. “But I figure if I have to be out there, I might as well make it good.”

She made it good, all right.

The 44-year-old Inkster, who hasn’t won on tour in two years, chipped in twice and posted six birdies and an eagle to surge past Sorenstam, who opened with a 67.

Mi Hyun Kim was third at 2 under.

With temperatures in the low 60s, steady rain and winds of up to 15 mph blowing in off the ocean, the Seaview Marriott Resort course was better suited for ducks than birdies.

Greens were uncharacteristically fast, and shifting winds made club selection and shot placement a guessing game.

But Inkster, a two-time champion and a consistently high finisher in the event, flourished in the brutal conditions.

“It was extremely difficult,” she said. “The wind was blowing, the rain just didn’t let up. It was just a driving rain all day.”

On the 319-yard eighth, she chipped in from 10 feet with a sand wedge. Then she did it again on the 481-yard 16th, chipping in from 45 feet.

“My round was phenomenal, for me,” she said. “I just thought it was a great round. I thought the afternoon played extremely difficult. If you would’ve said to me ‘I’ll give you 2 under par and you don’t have to tee it up,’ I’d still be in my jammies right now.”

Instead, she’s in the lead, hoping to win the top prize of $210,000 to go with her 1986 and ‘88 Classic victories.

Sorenstam, the tour’s dominant player and a two-time winner here, overcame a sluggish start to reach 4 under.

Playing with a sore throat and stuffy nose from a nagging cold, she got into trouble early. She landed her tee shot on the 407-yard, par-4 second in a sand trap and then two-putted for bogey.

She birdied the next hole, but then bogeyed the sixth before turning things around. She made a 35-foot birdie putt at the 10th, boosting her confidence and setting the stage for her strong finish.

Sorenstam picked up another stroke three holes later with a 10-foot birdie putt and added a 6-footer for birdie on No. 15. At the par-5 16th, she reached the green in two shots and rolled in a 5-foot eagle putt.

“Sometimes you just need a little putt like that (on No. 10) to kind of get you going, especially on a day like today,” Sorenstam said.

The winner of four of the six events she’s played in this year, Sorenstam is well within striking distance with two rounds remaining.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr and 18-year-old rookie Paula Creamer, who finished second last year, each shot 74.

Coming off a victory two weeks ago at the Sybase Classic, Creamer struggled with her putter, missing at least six birdie opportunities.

Creamer, who learned how to play in rain as a youngster and now thinks foul weather gives her an edge, didn’t show it Friday. After a birdie at the first, she missed short birdie putts on the next two holes and couldn’t rally down the stretch.

Seoul, May 29, Amandeep Johl finished tied 15th as he ended with a three-over round of 75 on the final day of the US$500,000 Maekyung Open at the Nam Seoul Country Club here today.

Johl was tied fifth and looked set for a good finish but his putter failed him on the last day.

Korean veteran Choi Sang-ho thwarted a brave bid by Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand to lift title by three strokes.

Overnight leader Choi completed his sensational wire-to-wire triumph with a final round of two-under-par 70, which gave him a four-day winning aggregate of 10-under-par 278. His victory, worth US$98,000, made him the oldest winner on the Asian Tour at the age of 50 years and 145 days.

Thaworn finished second following a 70 while Korea’s Sung Si-woo came in third on 282. Korean amateur Kim Kyung-tae and Kim Hyung-tae shared fourth place, a further two strokes back. Australian Marcus Both and Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit closed with matching 71s to be amongst those sharing sixth place on 285.

Thaworn’s second place cheque of US$61,274 saw him replace compatriot Thongchai Jaidee at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with US$326,229.

India’s second player on the weekend, Shiv Kapur had another disappointing round, as he shot a five-over 77 to finish at 15-over 303 and he was tied 68th.

What do Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Cristie Kerr, Justin Leonard, Notah Begay, Chris Riley, Matt Kuchar, Ben Curtis, Ted Purdy, Bill Haas, Tom Watson, Annika Sorenstam, Emilee Klien, Dottie Pepper, Grace Park have in common, apart from the game of golf, of course. All these leading players are the products of college golf scholarships - having honed their skills through the toughest level of amateur competition that has given them an extra advantage over their peers.

Many youngsters have been motivated to take up the game following Tiger Woods success and unlike the past, are also encouraged by parents who foresee it as a great career opportunity. Apart from the odd summer camp and local competitions, junior and college golf scholarships help a young golfer to establish a strong foundation for such a tough career choice. Few realise that most of the top golfers in the world today have graduated with flying colours in the game - Tiger joined Stanford University in ‘94 and in the two years that followed, he won ten collegiate titles and finally the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) title. He was the youngest to win the US Junior Amateur as well as the US Amateur, winning the latter three times before turning pro. Similarly, the women’s number one, Annika Sorenstam was also the NCAA All-American champion in ‘91 and ‘92 and won seven collegiate titles while playing college golf at the University of Arizona. In India, this also holds true for some of our top professionals - Arjun Atwal, who is the first Indian to play on the PGA Tour, Jeev Milka Singh and Shiv Kapur, the country’s only individual gold medallist in golf at the Asian Games have all graduated assisted by golf scholarships in the US.

College golf in the United States provides the best facility with as many as 759 schools offering NCAA golf scholarships for men and 482 institutes offering the same for women, in divisions I, II and III. The reasons for the US being ranked as the best place to pursue college golf are numerous. However, it is also the home of the PGA Tour. Secondly, it is possible to play golf all year round, unlike Europe and thirdly, they provide some of the most hi-tech golfing and coaching facilities in the world. And they are looking for young potential - their coaches attend junior championships to recruit talented golfers!

According to the Royal and Ancient, the game’s governing body, “a university or college in the United States of America may provide a student attending the institution on a golf scholarship with financial assistance that may include tuition, room and board, required course related books and incidental fees (i.e.) everything a student would normally pay at such an institution.” While a complete scholarship takes care of all these requirements, there are also part scholarships and it is on the basis of these that divisions I, II and III are formed. Division I member institutions have to sponsor at least seven sports for men and women and two team sports each. These schools have to meet the minimum financial aid awards for their athletics programs but cannot exceed the maximum financial award as laid down in the rules. Division II institutions have to sponsor at least four sports for men and women each as well as two team sports. Many of the athletes playing in division II cover their costs through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans or salary earned through student employment. Meanwhile Division III institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and women each and two team sports but most of these athletes receive no financial aid for their athletic ability in the sport.

Apart from these scholarships, various other organisations like the American Junior Golf Association and the LPGA Tour also give grants to upcoming golfers. The AJGA makes contributions to various junior programmes and the ACE (Achieving Competitive Excellence) Grant provides financial assistance to young golfers so that they can compete on the junior circuit at a national level and gain exposure in order to earn golf scholarships.

Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour administers the Dinah Shore Scholarship, awarded annually to a female high school senior who demonstrates academic achievement, leadership and community involvement while participating in junior golf and/or high school golf programmes and is pursuing a college education but will not be playing collegiate golf. Similarly, the Marilyn Smith Scholarship, granted annually supports women who plan to major in education or business and continue to play competitive golf at an accredited college or university. The RMHC Youth Golf Scholarship is given to junior golfers who come through an LPGA junior program for post-high school education.

CORNING, New York (AP) - Defending champion Annika Sorenstam opened with a 3-under 69 before Sherri Turner shot 66 to tie Sophie Gustafson for the first-round lead of the Corning Classic on Thursday.

“It was tricky out there with the wind swirling constantly,'’ Sorenstam said.

“It’s tough to judge, especially when the greens are so small. It makes a big difference if you don’t pick the right club. That’s what happened to me on the first hole. If you don’t have the right club, you end up on the wrong side of the pin and you can have some unmakeable putts, and I had them.'’

Turner played in one of the final threesomes of the day in much improved conditions, and started quickly, making eagle on the par-5 second hole, and carding three more birdies before the turn.

She finished with her first round in the 60s this year to tie Gustafson, who closed with five birdies over her final seven holes on the way to her best round of the season.

Annika Sorenstam, of Stockholm, Sweden, tees off on the 12th hole during the first round of the LPGA Corning Classic in Corning, N.Y., Thursday, May 26, 2005. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)
Sorenstam was tied for third with 1986 Corning winner Laurie Rinker, Catherine Cartwright, Jamie Hullett, Mee Lee, and South Korea’s Jimin Kang.

Two weeks after dominating the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, in which she played the first 39 holes of the tournament without a bogey, things changed quickly for Sorenstam.

She started with a bogey at No. 10, then had another at the 13th to fall behind her playing partners, two-time Corning winner Rosie Jones and Christina Kim.

Sorenstam then got going, starting with an impressive eagle at the 510-yard, par-5 No. 14.

She hit a 4-wood to within 7 feet of the pin to become the first player in the tournament’s 27-year history to make the elevated green on the second shot.

She then calmly made the short, twisting putt to go back to even par.

Sorenstam drove to 5 feet and made her birdie putt at No. 15, and followed with two more birdies to move into contention.

At the par-5 second, Sorenstam scored her fifth eagle of the year to move to the top of the leaderboard at 5 under.

But she faltered with bogeys at Nos. 5 and 7, the result of the gusting conditions, which often made a picture-perfect, sunny day treacherous for those who played in the morning group.

Sorenstam, who had four three-putt holes, finished her round with three straight pars, and they came when the wind seemed its stiffest.

“On my last hole I thought I was totally downwind, and by the time I’m going to hit it’s into the wind, and by the time I get to the green it’s left to right,'’ she said, shaking her head.

“I could have used three different clubs. You had to time it pretty well. It makes it difficult.'’

Gustafson missed the cut two weeks ago at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, which Sorenstam dominated for her 60th career victory, and her only round in the 60s this year came a month ago on the first round of the Takefuji Classic.

On this day, even a tricky wind that often befuddled Sorenstam didn’t seem to have as much of an effect on Gustafson.

She tied her fellow Swede with an 8-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th hole, the most difficult on the short and narrow Corning Country Club course.

Gustafson followed with three straight birdies, capping her impressive string with a 10-foot putt at 17.

“You’ve got to be aggressive here,'’ said Gustafson, who needed only 24 putts on the round, seven fewer than Sorenstam.

“I had a couple of bogeys where I wasn’t really sure where the wind was coming from.'’

The wind wasn’t as bad for those who teed off in the afternoon. Barring a total collapse on Friday, Turner, the 1988 Corning champion, was virtually assured of making only her second cut in five tournaments.

Her best finish this season is a tie for 51st in last week’s Sybase Classic. Tessa Teachman, a 15-year-old American, the youngest player to ever qualify at Corning, shot a 1-over 73 and was in contention to make the cut.

LIGONIER, Pa – If Graham Marsh, Hale Irwin and Raymond Floyd keep this up, maybe they’ll have to rename it the Senior Citizens PGA Championship. Marsh and Floyd, both in their 60s, and Irwin, the defending champion who has only a week left in his 50s, upstaged the younger and supposedly stronger members of golf’s 50-and-up club Thursday during the first round of the Senior PGA Championship.

The 61-year-old Marsh, trying to make up for a miserable year so far on the Champions Tour, returned to the putting style he used to win 56 tournaments worldwide for a 4-under 68 and a one-shot lead over Irwin, R.W. Eaks, Dave Barr and Tom McKnight.

Among those in a large group two shots back were the 62-year-old Floyd, who hasn’t won a tournament in five years; Curtis Strange, playing in his first Senior major after having little success on the Champions Tour so far, and Texas club pro Perry Arthur.

Successfully navigating the classic, old-style Laurel Valley Golf Club course, Marsh, Irwin and Floyd again showed that there’s new life in an age group once thought to be long past its prime, even among the seniors.

Lee Trevino once advised new Champions Tour members to play as much as possible before turning 55, figuring it was unlikely they’d do much winning after that. Irwin long ago exposed that theory as myth, winning 16 of his 42 tour titles after turning 55. Only Don January, with eight titles, won even half as many after passing 55.

“I don’t know if there’s a reason,” said Irwin, a two-time Champions Tour winner earlier this year but off his game in recent weeks. “I think more than anything else I’ve just not allowed myself to say I can’t do it. … I keep my standards high.”

Irwin’s 69 was his 18th Senior PGA round in the 60s, breaking the record he previously shared with Sam Snead. Doing so put him in prime contention for an eighth major championship on the Champions Tour, as many as Jack Nicklaus – even though Irwin turns 60 on June 3.

“I was not aware of that [Nicklaus milestone],” Irwin said.

Marsh is certainly aware of Irwin’s success, although he didn’t say if it’s motivating him to keep playing. Marsh has never finished higher than fifth in a Senior PGA, and he’s reached the Top 10 just once in eight tournaments this year.

Marsh’s theory? You’re never too old to try something new – or, in this case, the same putting style he used years ago while winning tournament after tournament in Europe, Japan, Australia and the PGA Tour. He made the change after finishing 56th and 68th in his last two tournaments.

“This crazy game, you never know,” Marsh said. “You just do the best you can and hope it stays with you. But sometimes when you make a change like that, it can hang around for a while.”

Kind of like Irwin, who averages a victory every 5.6 appearances on the Champions Tour.

“In general, I’m delighted,” said Irwin, who was even through No. 14 before getting three birdies in his final four holes. “The score indicates a much better round than what I played. I really didn’t hit the ball that well. … So I don’t want to get terribly excited.”

Neither did Strange, even though he’s off to his best start since moving onto the Champions Tour earlier this year. He birdied three of the first four holes, then dropped three shots on the back nine before flying the lake with his second shot on the par-5, No. 18 and holing a 15-foot eagle putt.

“No. 18 makes up for a lot of mistakes when you make eagle,” Strange said. “I’m smiling now, but I wasn’t smiling 20 minutes ago.”

After three days of persistent rain and chilly weather, temperatures warmed into the 70s for the first tournament at the 7,107-yard private course since the 2001 PGA Tour Pennsylvania Classic. Cloudy skies and a threat of showers are forecast Friday – nothing new for a tournament that’s been rain-drenched the last four years.

New Delhi, May 26: A seven-member Indian squad including three girls, will represent the country in the 26th Asia Pacific Junior Golf Team Championship to be held at Ora Country Club at Jeju-Do, Korea from May 31-June 3.

The Indian team which leaves here for Korea on May 27 will be accompanied by two officials.

The Indian Golf Union (IGU) has also cleared Rommel Majumdar, Viraat Badhwar to take part in the individual events in Category ‘C’ and ‘D’ to give them international exposure.

IGU secretary general S Aparajit said here yesterday that the boys’ team had a fairly good chance of winning the prestigious trophy.

Gaganjeet Bhullar, as a junior, heads the merit list in the men’s category and Ajeetesh Sandhu is the leading junior of the country and recently was runners up at the Asia Pacific Master Golf Championship. Both of them have the potential to win the championship.

The IGU secretary said the championship is of greater importance this year as these juniors will also be in the run for selection for the Indian team for Asian Games 2006.

Gaganjeet Bhullar and Ajeetesh Sandhu have also been selected to represent the men’s team for the Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Championship (Nomura Cup) to be played at Japan. Among the girls, Meghna Bal – who is now playing in US – and Bhavana Shetty, with Vaishvi Sinha are likely to offer strong opposition, he added.