PAUL Lawrie and Martin Laird provided another satisfying day for Scottish golf as they both recorded last-hole wins in the opening round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.

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WORLD No 1 Yani Tseng will seek to win one of the few big tournaments she hasn’t yet conquered in her young career when she tees off today in the $1.4million HSBC Women’s Champions.

MARTIN Laird is delighted to have Paul Lawrie for company in this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona, and hopes it’s just the start of an exciting 2012 adventure for the two top-ranked Scottish golfers in the game’s biggest events.

THE Scottish Ladies Golfing Association is facing a race against time to have a new championship manager in place for the start of the season.

For the first time in his young golfing life, Rory McIlroy starts a tournament today knowing that, by the end of it he could be world No 1. That is the extra incentive for the 22-year-old Northern Irishman in the first of this season’s world championships, the 64-man Accenture Match Play at Dove Mountain near Tucson.

WHAT a finish to the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles. First Phil Mickelson rolls in a 25-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole, then Keegan Bradley follows him in from around 15 feet – both to get into a play-off with Bill Haas.

PAUL Lawrie, who faces Justin Rose in the opening round of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona tomorrow, has followed up his new backing of the Scottish Boys’ Championship by announcing that his Foundation will also be the title sponsor of this year’s Scottish Girls’ Championship.

Bill Haas clinched his fourth PGA Tour title by beating fellow Americans Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley in a gripping sudden-death play-off at the Northern Trust Open late on Sunday night.

ALL five Scottish players endured a tough opening day in the Mogador Open as the EPD Tour, which teed off the year in Turkey, started its Moroccan swing over the Gary Player- designed Golf de Mogador in Essaouira.

Phil Mickelson played some audacious golf but stayed on track for a second consecutive PGA Tour victory by ending the third round of the Northern Trust Open in a tie for the lead.

WORLD No 1 Yani Tseng successfully defended her Thailand Open title for her 13th LPGA Tour victory after picking up birdies on the final two holes to hold off playing partner Ai Miyazato by a stroke.

PETER Whiteford’s hopes of adding to Scottish golf’s feel- good factor ended in bitter disappointment yesterday as the Fifer was disqualified from the Avantha Masters in India after becoming the latest golfer to fall foul of an armchair jury.

Lindsay Wright held her nerve to claim victory in the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open near Christchurch.

SCOTLAND’S Peter Whiteford, the halfway leader, was a shot off the pace after a level-par 72 at the Avantha Masters yesterday.

PAUL Lawrie’s sons inherited his passion for golf and he credits them with spurring him on to a return to form

PETER WHITEFORD might never have a better opportunity to land his first European Tour title than he does this weekend.

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PHIL Mickelson could not extend his overnight lead as he set a target of six under par at the end of his second round at the Northern Trust Open in Pacific Palisades, California.

ladies european tour: Home hopefuls Emily Perry and Lynnette Brooky, England’s Kym Laratt and Frenchwoman Joanna Klatten shared a four-way lead after the first round of the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open in Christchurch.

SCOTLAND’S Peter Whiteford might never have a better opportunity to land his first European Tour title than he does this weekend.

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