LOCH LOMOND, SCOTLAND // The new US Open champion Graeme McDowell was satisfied with a par 71 in the first round of the Scottish Open yesterday, his first tournament since winning at Pebble Beach almost three weeks ago.
The Northern Irishman birdied his final two holes at Loch Lomond to lie six strokes behind Darren Clarke, the leader who is also from Northern Ireland and shot a 65.
Edoardo Molinari of Italy, Graeme Storm of England and Damien McGrane of Ireland were one shot back with opening-day 66s.
"There were a few good swings in there and a few champagne swings," said McDowell, who confided that he had done little but party since securing his first major title last month.
"The two birdies to finish were good and I'm pretty satisfied with my first day back."
Molinari kept alive his dream of being, along with sibling Francesco, the first brothers to play in the Ryder Cup. They claimed the World Cup title together last year.
"Obviously, one day I would like to be in the same team as my brother and play with him," Edoardo said. "We did very well at the World Cup and I think we can play well together. Francesco definitely deserves to be in but I need a big win over my next five tournaments and good results to get in."
Steven Gallacher, the Scottish favourite, was at 67 along with six others, including Ryo Ishikawa of Japan and John Daly, the colourful but erratic American.
Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open champion, had another poor day as his miserable spell continued with a round of 80, including a quintuple-bogey 10.
Campbell, who made his first cut of the season in France last week after nine failures, lost a ball on the par-5 sixth and ran up a two-shot penalty when he re-loaded with a different compression ball.
He reported his error to an official immediately.
"The ball I played was the only one of about a dozen I'm using and it was the wrong type," Campbell said. "It's the rule and you have to uphold the integrity of the game. But it all really rattled me and I couldn't get my head right after that."
* Agencies
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
