BONHAMS APPOINTS NEW GOLFING MEMORABILIA CONSULTANT The Directors of Bonhams have recently announced the appointment of Kevin McGimpsey as the company s new Consultant in Golfing Antiques and Memorabilia. He will be based at Bonhams in Chester. Mr McGimpsey is one of the country s leading experts on the history of the golf ball and his second book, a definitive guide to antique golf balls, was published this month.

Shropshire farmer Ralph Tomley, has transformed 130 acres of his 360-acre Daywell farm into a successful golf course, thanks to a grant from Defra s Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES). Last week, Mr Tomley received a prestigious award from the Oswestry and District Civic Society for making a significant contribution to the environment of the Oswestry Borough.

Sam Torrance is one of the most popular and charismatic golfers in the world. He has spent the last three decades at the top of the professional game, but it is his exploits in the Ryder Cup that are truly astounding. As a player in the Ryder Cup, he is famous for his winning putt for Europe on the 18th green at the Belfry in 1985. And it was as captain of the team that Sam was to cap his glorious career, when on the 29th September 2002 Europe regained the Ryder Cup - an event watched by over one billion people worldwide.

Exciting Open Amateur Tournaments in 2004 Vale do Lobo, Portugal s largest luxury golf and beach resort and venue for the Portuguese Open in 2002 and 2003, is staging two open amateur golf tournaments for 2004. Vale do Lobo Amateur Week takes place from 18th to 24th January and Vale do Lobo Open Foursomes Week will be held from 9th to 15th May.

With a final round of 69 in the European Tour Qualifying School, Tom Whitehouse will join the two already established Tour players Paul Broadhurst and Steve Webster, and Jamie Elson, newly qualified through the Challenge Tour, as a member of the European Tour for 2004. Paul Broadhurst so aptly described this event last year as being the most stressful of times and having lead with two rounds to go, it was a brilliant performance from Tom to keep his place in the Top 35 whilst a number of more experienced players did not do so and will therefore not have Full Playing Privileges for the coming season.

A two race final - At 8.30, players returned to the course to complete their third rounds. Having made two bogies on Saturday evening to lose his lead, Freddie Jacobsen was much more sure in his play, missing only the last but saving par with a good up and down. Rodiles made a mistake at 16 only to birdie the last for a 69 – to take the lead at –10. And the other ‘race’?

Around Valderrama in under 3 hours is possible only if you are on your own. It’s a testament to the fitness of the Tour stars today that the player who managed this feat was playing so fast that his scorer could not keep up …. both of these points are just jests about the opportunity that Anders Hansen saw and took when he played ‘solo’ at the head of the field for the first day of the 2003 Volvo Masters.