Golf, by TourMiss

Graeme McDowell kissed and made-up with Castle Stuart posting a rock solid 70 on the opening day of a windswept Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open near Inverness. McDowell clearly benefited from spending last weekend at Royal Troon and taking to the Gil Hanse designed links course to be trailing just a shot from the lead. Big-hitting Aussie Scott Hend and Chilean Felipe Aguilar, and both competing in next month’s Olympics, share the lead on three-under par and with McDowell among eight players ...

Paul McGinley insists Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s loss in not competing in the Rio Olympics will be Padraig Harrington’s enormous gain. McGinley, as the Irish Olympic Golf Captain, has publically expressed his disappointment in the withdrawal of McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Lowry. And while McGinley is not about to question the decision of either there’s no hiding the bigger annoyance in what looked like a very strong Ireland opportunity to win a gold medal. Harrington did deliver the Olympic ...

Former champion Phil Mickelson insisted he found it ‘fun’ despite trailing seven shots from the lead on the opening day of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open near Inverness. Mickelson was one over par after nine holes but then dropped three shots in his closing seven holes in a four over par 76 in bright but very windy conditions on the Castle Stuart course. It was his poorest score in 12 Scottish Open appearances. Australia’s Scott Hend, with two victories already this season, along ...

Padraig Harrington could not have been happier passing a pre-Open Championship ‘test’ on the first day of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open near Inverness. Harrington sounded excited but physically was tired and looking to put his 43-year old feet up after posting a two under par 70 on a bright but very windy opening day on the Castle Stuart course. If left Harrington and fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell among eight players sharing third place and a stroke behind the leading duo of Aussie ...

There’s an old saying in golf that the more you keep banging on the door the hinges will eventually fall off allowing victory. Scott Hend continues to bang heavily on that door by once again putting his name high on the leader board and again in one of the more prestigious European Tour events – Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. It’s been 21-years since fellow Aussie won the 1995 Scottish Open at Carnoustie, 24-years since Peter O’Malley won the same event at Gleneagles and 25-years ...

Graeme McDowell would have rather played all four rounds of the French Open but as that didn’t workout he did the next best thing and that was to play two rounds of Royal Troon and venue for next week’s Open Championship. In fact, Royal Troon was where McDowell made his Majors debut and while he could hardly remember much of the course, he liked what he saw and he then headed on to Castle Stuart delighted with his time spent in readiness for golf’s oldest Major. “I made my Majors ...

Chilean Felipe Aguilar joked he was more scared of his wife than any virus-carrying mosquito. Aguilar shared the clubhouse lead on day one of the Scottish Open with Aussie Scott Hend, and with both reaffirming a commitment to compete in next month’s Olympic Games. The pair recorded three under par 69s in bright but very windy conditions on the Castle Stuart course to the east of Inverness in northern Scotland. Their efforts come after Zimbabwean Brandon de Jonge and Columbia’s Camillo Villegas ...