LADIES BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR

CAITHNESS BOOSTS CURTIS CUP
SELECTION HOPES AT THE 19TH


Impressive St Rule Trophy winner Krystle Caithness scored a crucial win over Helen Holm Scottish women's open stroke-play champion Melissa Reid in the first round of the Ladies British open amateur championship at Royal County Down Golf Club today.
Caithness, only 17 years old and a contender for a place in the Curtis Cup team to be announced at the end of the week, beat the English teenager at the 19th  in a tie watched closely by the Great Britain & Ireland team selectors.
St Regulus member Krystle went two up with a birdie at the long 12th but the tie suddenly swung the way of Melissa, the reigning English girls champion from Chevin, Derby, after that.
Melissa won the 14th, 15th and 16th to go one up with two to play but Krystle hit back by squaring the tie at the 18th and she did not have to put on the first extra hole. Miss Reid conceded the hole and the match to the Scot.
Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) lost by 2 and 1 to former Irish champion Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) after holding her to all square at the turn.
Roseanne Niven (Crieff) went down by 2 and 1 to Maria Hernandez, a Spanish player who plays on the American college circuit and is ranked in the top 30. Roseanne was two down at the turn.
The odds were against any other Scots making it through to the last 32. Heather MacRae (Dunblane New) was six down at the turn in her tie against Kate Coombes (Australia; Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) was two down after nine to Canadian Mary-Ann Lapointe while Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) was one down to Emma Bennett (Australia).
South African Stacy Bregman, 19, from Johannesburg shocked the leading qualifier, Azahara Munoz from Spain. Stacy, who had to survive a play-off to become the 64th qualifier - having taken 16 more shots than her opponent for the 36 holes of stroke play -  won by 2 and 1.
Stacy had six birdies and only two bogeys and said she was not put off in the slightest by Azahara's outstanding CV.
"She's only human and I knew I could beat her if I played well," said Miss Bergman.
New English champion Kiran Matharu, 17, from Cookridge Hall, was a big-name first-round casualty but she lost to a top player - Dewi-Claire Schreefel (Netherlands), recent winner of the NCAA Division 1 women's championship in America.


                                     RESULTS
FIRST ROUND

First quarter
S Bregman (SA) bt A Munoz (Spa) 2 and 1.
M Jorgensen (Den) bt C Ellis (Minchinhampton) 3 and 2.
S Walker (Kenwick Park) bt S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 4 and 3.
D-C Schreefel (Netherland) bt K Matharu (Cookridge Hall) 2 and 1.
M Gillen (Beaverstown) bt G Webster (Hilton Park) 2 and 1.
M Morrin (The Curragh) bt D Anderson (Mex) 4 and 3.
M Hernandez (Spa) bt R Niven (Crieff) 2 and 1.
B Loucks (Wrexham) bt L Krog (Nor) 2 holes.

Second quarter
M-A Leblanc (Can) bt M Backstedt (Swe) 4 and 3.
K Caithness (St Regulus) bt M Reid (Chevin) at 19th.
M Eikenaar (Net) bt C Boeljon (Net) at 19th.
A Nordqvist (Swe) bt S Doering (Ger) 6 and 4.
F Parker (Gut Waldhof) bt K Meixner (Can) 8 and 7.
J Schaeffer (Fra) bt R Jennings (Izaak Walton) 4 and 3.

Third quarter
B Mozo (Spa) bt M Leblanc (Can) 6 and 5.
T Hoffmeister (Ger) bt D McVeigh (Royal Co Down) 4 and 3.
P Bengtsson (Swe) bt E Geury (Bel) 4 and 3.

MORE RESULTS LATER