Hutcheon wins order of merit

Golf: Peterculter's Greig Hutcheon claimed victory in the PGAScottish Region's Order of Merit for the second year in a row - evenalthough he finished a disappointing joint 58th in the final countingevent, the Callaway Challenge at Lanark.

Hutcheon, 34, totalled 853.75pt from 11 events, just ahead ofrunner-up Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), with 841.88 from 10 and MarkLoftus (Cowglen), the Scottish professional champion, in third placeon 829.17 from 11 competitions.

rowing: Aberdeen's Katherine Grainger refuses to confirm if shewill race in the London Olympics in 2012.

The 32-year-old recently claimed the world quadruple skulls title.

Grainger said: "I have not got a plan after the Beijing Olympicsnext year and I will not be making any bold statements orpredictions."

golf: Banchory's Adam Lindsay, a third year student at IowaWesleyan College, has won the William Penn Statesmen Fall Classic atthe Edmundson course, Oskaloosa in Iowa.

Lindsay had rounds of 66 and 71 for a three-under-par total of137, winning the individual title by three strokes.

He also helped Iowa Wesleyan College (575) finish second to StAmbrose University (573) in the team event.

athletics: Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba will run in Saturday's3,000m BUPA Great North Run road race in Newcastle after overcomingillness.

The 22-year-old, who won the 10,000m at the World Championships inOsaka last month, has recovered from the stomach pains she sufferedduring the race.

netball: Aberdeen duo Lisa Vosti Harper (Beacon) and ClaudiaHenison (Northern Thunder) were named in Scotland's squad for theworld championship from November 10-17 in Auckland, New Zealand.

golf: Musselburgh's Lee Harper led the Scottish challenge afterthe opening round of the PGA EuroPro Tour's Ladbrokecasino.comMasters at Selsdon Park in Surrey.

He fired a three-under-par 67 and to share seventh place, threeshots behind early leader Justin Evans.

rugby union: The balls used at the World Cup are to beinvestigated following complaints from New Zealand's Dan Carter.

The All-Black's fly-half, who missed five out of nine place kicksagainst Scotland, is unhappy the balls they have been given inpractice are different from those used in the matches.

formula one: Doubts over Fernando Alonso's McLaren future haveleft other drivers facing uncertainty, according to GiancarloFisichella's manager Enrico Zanarini.

Double world champion Alonso has been linked with a return toRenault - a move that would almost certainly see Fisichella ousted atthe French marque.