SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – European Tour officials say caddie Ian MacGregor has died after suffering an apparent heart attack during the final round of the Madeira Islands Open.

The 52-year-old MacGregor was caddying for Alastair Forsyth of Scotland when he collapsed on the ninth fairway – Forsyth’s final hole.

The European Tour said in a statement that “it is with great sadness and deep regret that we report the untimely passing of caddie Ian MacGregor during play on the final day of the Madeira Islands Open.”

The tournament, which had already been cut to 36 holes because of fog delays, was suspended but resumed following consultations with players and caddies.

Gary Player was among those who paid tribute to MacGregor on Twitter, writing:

RIP Big Mac. You will be missed. My condolences

— Gary Player (@garyplayer) May 11, 2014

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – The Madeira Islands Open was reduced to 36 holes because of persistent fog on Saturday, with the first round still incomplete.

Play in the European Tour’s 1,500th event couldn’t start on Thursday, and delays on Friday meant the tournament was cut to 54 holes with 77 players yet to finish. On Saturday, with the mountain course still shrouded in fog, 36 players were yet to card a round when play was suspended, and the tournament cut to 36 holes for the first time in its 22-year history.

It was the first time since the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship in 2012 that a European Tour event has been reduced to 36 holes.

Scotland’s Scott Jamieson won that event in South Africa, and his countryman Scott Henry led Madeira by one shot after a 5-under par 67 he managed on Friday.

If Henry secures his first Tour victory, he will still be afforded the one-year tour exemption despite the reduced event.

The English duo of Daniel Brooks and Lloyd Kennedy shared second place on 68.

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – Scott Henry shot a 5-under 67 Friday to take a two-shot clubhouse lead in the first round of the fog-affected Madeira Islands Open.

The heavy fog that forced Thursday’s first day to be abandoned returned mid-morning Friday and caused a four-hour delay, forcing organizers to shorten the event to 54 holes. Only half of the 144-player field managed to complete their first round.

Henry had eight birdies in his round, including three in succession from the 12th, as the Scottish golfer seeks his first European Tour title. However, his round could have been even better had he not finished with consecutive bogeys.

“I got off to a fast start which was nice because recently, in the few tournaments I’ve played, I haven’t done that,” Henry said. “I’m quite happy just to be in the hunt. I feel like I’m playing good again so whatever happens over the weekend I’m looking forward to it.”

England’s Andrew Marshall, Spain’s Pedro Oriol and Austria’s Martin Wiegele were tied for second.

Finland’s Tapio Pulkannen hit a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th but finished with an 80.

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – The first round of the Madeira Islands Open was postponed after heavy fog prevented any play on the Santo da Serra course on Thursday.

Play was abandoned at 5 p.m. local time, leaving organizers hopeful of starting the European Tour’s 1,500th tournament on Friday.

While the capital Funchal was bathed in sunshine all day, visibility on the golf course, 700 meters (2,300 feet) above the city, was restricted to about 50 yards.

“It is a very unusual mini ecosystem here at this venue, and, while many of the holes on the course further down the mountain are clear, unfortunately some are still under fog,” tournament director Jose Maria Zamora said.

SINGAPORE – Felipe Aguilar surged into the lead at The Championship at Laguna National with a stunning back-nine 28 – capped by a birdie on the par-3 17th and an eagle on the par-4 18th – and then had to wait to see if anyone could catch him.

Co-overnight leader Anders Hansen was the last golfer to have a chance, but he failed to birdie his final two holes to force a playoff, giving Aguilar his first European Tour title in six years.

The Chilean shot a final round 10-under 62 to finish at 22-under 266, one stroke ahead of Hansen and American David Lipsky in joint-second.

“Yesterday I thought I had no chance,” Aguilar said. “Today I said to my caddie on the 17th after I made a birdie, `If we can make a birdie on 18 we can put some pressure on the leader,’ and he said `What about making a two?’ I said to him the way I had been hitting the ball I could well do two and I did. It’s very, very special.”

Hansen, who recently returned to the tour after a six-month layoff due to wrist surgery, had led by three shots after a birdie on the 12th hole but could not match Aguilar’s impressive finish. He bogeyed the 16th and then shot even par on the final two.

“What can you say? I heard (Aguilar) finished two, two. It’s just one of those days,” Hansen said. “It’s just really, really disappointing.”

Lipsky also tried to keep pace with three birdies on his back nine, but he fell just short of capturing his first European Tour title.

“I was still trying to give it a run even on the last hole,” he said. “I was still trying to do everything I can to win.”

Aguilar started the day four shots back in equal-seventh, but started to climb into contention with four straight birdies after the turn on holes 10-13. After birdieing the par-5 15th, he then sank a 10-footer for another birdie on the 17th and holed his approach shot for eagle on the 18th.

“I got a bit lucky,” he said. “I hit one of my best shots on 17 and then again on 18.”

The Chilean, who’s been dealing with a sore wrist he injured while mountain biking, won for just the second time on the European Tour, his previous title coming in Indonesia in 2008.

“It’s been a bit of a drought for six years. I’ve lost a couple of times in play-offs and had a couple of top-threes and top-fives, but never was able to get the round going on the last day, so it is nice to finally do it,” he said.

Hansen was aiming for his first title since the Joburg Open in 2009. He was playing in just his fourth event since surgery last year and was coming off a joint-fifth finish last week at the China Open.

“Obviously, the last two weeks have been really, really good,” he said. “I’ve hit the ball really well and putted nicely so there is not much to say. I can’t really blame myself for this.”

India’s Rahil Gangjee birdied his final five holes to finish in fourth place at 19 under, a stroke ahead of England’s Chris Wood (67) in sole fifth.

Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand couldn’t keep up the form that saw him lead after the first two rounds and share the lead with Hansen after the third. He slumped to a 74 on Sunday after two bogeys and a double bogey, falling to joint-11th place.

SINGAPORE – Anders Hansen of Denmark holed three straight birdies to close his round of 5-under 67 and move into a share of the lead with Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat after the third round of The Championship at Laguna National on Saturday.

Hansen, who won the last of his three European Tour titles at the Joburg Open in 2009, is playing in just his fourth event since returning from a six-month layoff due to a wrist injury. He was tied for fifth last week at the China Open.

“It was nice to finish with those three birdies,” he said. “It was a little more windy today so it was more tricky. It was a great finish.”

Panuphol, the leader after the first two rounds, made four birdies but dropped only his second shot of the week on the par-3 17th. He shot a 69.

The 21-year-old Thai will be the underdog in the final round on Sunday – he has never won on the European Tour and hasn’t even made the cut in three events on the Asian Tour this year.

“I’ve been in contention a couple of times where I got to play with some great players. I will try not to think about how they are doing and just do my best,” he said. “My performance so far this week has definitely given me a huge confidence boost.”

Hansen’s comeback has been quick after undergoing wrist surgery last year. He missed his first two cuts but has now shot below 70 in five of his last six rounds.

“Every time you are up there you have to be pleased so I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he said. “I love competition and I love playing under the gun – it gets your attention.”

Both golfers were at 16-under 200 overall, two strokes ahead of Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen and American David Lipsky.

Derksen last won on the European Tour nine years ago and is planning to retire at the end of the season. He had eight birdies – and three bogeys – in a round 67.

“It would be lovely to go out at the end of the season with one more win,” he said.

France’s Gregory Bourdy and England’s Chris Wood were in joint-fifth, three shots off the pace.

SINGAPORE – Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand birdied two of his last three holes to maintain a one-stroke lead after the second round of The Championship at Laguna National on Friday.

Panuphol, the overnight leader, shot a 4-under 68 for a two-round total of 13-under 131, a stroke ahead of Scott Hend of Australia, David Lipsky of the United States, and Felipe Aguilar of Chile in a tie for second place.

The Thai, ranked 451st in the world, has never won on the European Tour and missed his last three cuts this year on the Asian Tour.

“The two birdies in my last three holes were nice to end off my round,” he said. “It’s nice to be putting myself in a good position heading into the last two rounds. I would rather stay up there than to be chasing the lead actually. I just want to grab my chance and not let it go.”

Hend had eight birdies and just one bogey to shoot a 7-under 65, the low round of the day.

The Australian, who’s also looking for his first European Tour title, said it was difficult to stay focused in the hot, humid conditions at Singapore’s Laguna National golf course.

“I am used to this kind of weather but it still comes to a point where your body just cannot take it and it makes you lose concentration,” he said. “I’m managing well so far. Two more rounds to go and we will see what happens.”

Aguilar, playing with a sore wrist after a recent mountain biking accident, birdied his last three holes to card a 67.

“(The wrist) doesn’t bother me much, but I still have pain. It will be there for the next four or five months,” he said. “Everything you do is dangerous so you have to be careful, but I’m playing good golf because I’m happy, and so the mountain biking helps.”

Anders Hansen is also returning from a wrist injury that required surgery and kept him off the tour for six months last year. He missed the cut at his first two events this year, but finished in a tie for fifth last week at the China Open.

The Danish golfer shot a 66 on Friday to move into a share of fifth place at 11 under, two strokes off the pace. He dropped a stroke on his final hole when he three-putted for bogey.

“It’s always hard coming back after an injury,” he said. “I’ve never had six months off before so I didn’t know what to expect. It was tough the first four rounds I played, the first two in Spain and Malaysia, but then last week something kicked in and it has carried on this week.”

Canada’s Richard T. Lee is sitting at 1-over par 144 thru two rounds.

SINGAPORE – Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand made nine birdies in a blemish-free round of 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead at The Championship at Laguna National on Thursday.

Panuphol, ranked just 451st in the world, was a stroke ahead of a group of four golfers in second – Scott Jamieson, David Lipsky, Kim Byung-jun and local favorite Quincy Quek.

The tournament, a co-sanctioned European and Asian tour event formerly called the Ballantine’s Championship, was moved from South Korea to Singapore just three weeks ago after it lost its title sponsor and the promoter failed to reach an agreement with a suitable golf venue.

Defending champion Brett Rumford of Australia was in joint-64th place after a 70, level with France’s Alexander Levy, who won his maiden European Tour title Sunday at the China Open.

The 21-year-old Panuphol earned his best European Tour result late last year when he finished tied for 18th at the Hong Kong Open. But he’s missed his last three cuts on the Asian Tour.

“I didn’t see it coming but it did come,” he said of his 63 on Thursday. “I’m feeling good about my game right now. I was just trying to hit straight out there. I managed to hole a lot of putts and a lot of them were unexpected.”

Jamieson, who won his first European Tour title last year at the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa, also had nine birdies in his round, including a difficult chip shot from the bunker on the par-3 No. 17, his eighth hole. He had one bogey on the par-4 16th.

“I’ve been hitting the ball well the last couple of weeks, so it was nice to get a round where it all came together,” he said. “There was just the one mistake with the three-putt on 16, but it was pretty far away and pace putting is always difficult in Asia with the grain. It’s not what someone from Scotland is used to.”

Panuphol’s countryman, Arnond Vongvanij, was in a share of the lead at 9 under until taking a double bogey on No. 8, his 17th hole, to fall back to a share of sixth place on 65.

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who has three top-10 finishes this year, was another shot back in a group at 6 under.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee shot a 1-under 71 and was tied for 81st when play was suspended due to darkness at 7:30pm local time.

Laguna National hosted the Singapore Masters from 2002-07 and the Singapore Open from 2009-12.

SHENZHEN, China – Alexander Levy was so relaxed on the course at the China Open on Sunday, not even a double bogey that erased his comfortable lead could wipe the grin from his face.

Rather than get down over what could have been a costly mistake, the 23-year-old Frenchman recovered with back-to-back birdies on his final two holes to capture his maiden European Tour title by four strokes over Tommy Fleetwood.

The smile, he said, was the key to victory.

“You need to take the pleasure on the golf course and keep the smile because if you are upset about a missed shot or not lucky because you make a lip out or something like that, it’s not good to have this feeling on the golf course,” he said. “You need to enjoy and have the smile.”

Levy, playing in just his second year on the tour, vaulted into the lead with a career-best 10-under 62 in the second round and looked to be headed for a runaway victory after making a birdie on the 13th Sunday to extend his lead to five shots.

But then he ran into trouble on the par-4 15th. After hitting his approach shot well past the green, he putted from the fringe and sent the ball off the other side of the green. He chipped back to the green and two-putted for a double bogey, allowing Fleetwood back within two strokes.

Fleetwood, playing in the group ahead of Levy, then tightened the pressure further with a birdie on the par-5 17th to pull another shot back.

Levy responded, however, with a flawless 3-iron approach shot over a lake on the same hole to set up a three-foot birdie putt.

“I just closed my eyes and got one of the best shots of the week to the green,” he said.

After Fleetwood bogeyed the 18th, Levy sealed the win by dropping another perfectly placed approach shot three feet from the pin for another birdie. He shot a final-round 69 for a 19-under 269 overall.

“We aim for wins, but today I didn’t really have a chance. I had to play outstanding golf, but Alex has led from Friday, and that’s one of the hardest things you can do,” Fleetwood said. “What a performance from him.”

Levy has faltered under pressure before. Last year, he was tied with Ernie Els entering the final round of the BMW International Open in Munich but let the title slip away with four bogeys on the back nine. He ended up in third, his previous best result on the tour.

Since then, however, he said he’s been inspired by the success of his good friend and compatriot, Victor Dubuisson, who beat Tiger Woods to win his first European Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open in November and then was runner-up to Jason Day at the Match Play Championship in February.

The other French players have given him plenty of encouragement as he chased his first tour victory this week, too.

Dubuisson has sent him text messages throughout the week, and the French contingent in Shenzhen doused him with celebratory champagne after he sank his final putt on the 18th.

“We have some great players in France, both young and old, and we all have a great relationship,” Levy said. “There are some very good players and have been some great wins for Victor, Julien Quesne, Greg Bourdy, Raphael Jacquelin over the past couple of years which is great for French golf and great with the Ryder Cup coming to France in 2018.”

Fleetwood was second at 15 under and Alvaro Quiros of Spain was third, another two strokes back.

No. 3-ranked Henrik Stenson, who was bedridden with the flu earlier this week, finally put together his first solid round of the tournament, with seven birdies and no bogeys for a 65. The Swede improved to joint fifth place but still fell short of the win he needed to overtake Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings.

“It’s really tight and I just need to play better if I want to get to that spot. And I should have to play better than I have done earlier on this year if I want to get to world No. 1, that’s for sure,” he said.

PGA champion Jason Dufner opened with a birdie-eagle on his first two holes before slipping back to joint 54th with two double bogeys and a triple bogey on the 17th.

SHENZHEN, China – Alexander Levy of France overcame driving rain and gusting winds to shoot a 2-under 70 at the China Open on Saturday and maintain a three-stroke lead over Alvaro Quiros of Spain heading into the final round.

Levy, aiming for his first European Tour title, birdied three straight holes on the back nine, but opened the door for Quiros with bogeys on No. 14 and 16. The Spaniard couldn’t close the gap, however, making two bogeys of his own down the stretch.

Levy has a 16-under total of 200.

Finland’s Mikko Ilonen was four strokes back in third place after a 67, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Spain’s Adrian Otaegui (71) were another stroke behind in a tie for fourth.

A day after 15-year-old Chinese amateur Guan Tianlang failed to make the cut, another young homegrown talent, 18-year-old Li Haotong, shot a 67 to match the low score of the day and jump into joint eighth at 7 under.

Third-ranked Henrik Stenson, however, didn’t make up any ground on the leaders, falling 12 shots behind after shooting a 71. The Swede needed a win here to take over the top ranking from Tiger Woods – a goal that now appears well out of reach.

Levy wasn’t nearly as accurate as he was on Friday, when he holed a 20-foot putt for eagle and sunk eight birdies en route to setting a new course record at Genzon Golf Club. But he handled the nasty weather at the start of his round and maintained his focus after his late bogeys, managing to avoid a third with a 15-foot putt for par on the 18th.

The Frenchman knows he will face a lot more pressure on Sunday, even with a three-stroke cushion. Last year, he was tied with Ernie Els for the lead heading into the final round of the BMW International Open, but committed four bogeys in his last nine holes to slip to third.

“I will be nervous, but because you’re nervous doesn’t mean you can’t play well,” he said. “I’ll sleep nicely because I’m tired. It was a long day with the weather and difficult golf course.”

Quiros has six European Tour titles to his credit but hasn’t gotten a win – or even a top-three finish – since his title at the Dubai World Championship in November 2011.

“If Alex plays really well then we might not be able to catch him,” he said. “It has been two and a half years since I won so I have not had those feeling for a long time.”

With the leaders so far ahead, Li is playing for another goal – a big payday. The golf club has pledged to double the purse for any Chinese player finishing in the top five.

While Guan has received most of the attention in China after his breakthrough performance at last year’s Masters, where he became the youngest player to make the cut, Li is perhaps better poised to make an immediate impact on the game.

Last year, he signed an endorsement deal with Nike and played remarkably well against elite fields at the HSBC Champions and BMW Masters in his hometown of Shanghai, finishing tied for 39th and 42nd, respectively. And after practicing on the Genzon Golf Club course for the last two months, he’s close to his first top-five finish.

“I’m very happy. I want to keep that name on the leaderboard,” he said.

England’s Ian Poulter also shot a 67 Saturday to move up to equal 11th place. But Poulter said he was still smarting from a two-stroke penalty he incurred on the 13th hole Friday when he improperly measured his drop after hitting into the rough. He took a triple-bogey 8 on the hole, following a double bogey on the 12th.

“I shouldn’t be happy with the position I’m in. I dropped five shots yesterday in two holes. It’s unacceptable. It’s disgraceful,” he said. “I should be a lot closer to the lead, but that’s golf. You can’t have it perfect all the time.”