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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

LADIES BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR SUMMARY



KRYSTLE CRASHES AFTER BEST OF
THE DAY 33 TO THE TURN

Fife teenager Krystle Caithness looked to be carrying on where she left on in winning the recent St Rule Trophy when she swept to the turn in a best of the day 33 (four under par) in the first qualifying round of the Ladies' British open amateur golf championship over the Royal County Down links in Northern Ireland.
Then the 17-year-old Waid Academy pupil from Cellardyke crashed to a quadruple bogey at the 11th where her troubles started with a drive into the right rough. She could only hack the ball along the long grass, finishing up in an unplayable lie in a greenside bunker.
That meant a lift and drop under penalty, still in the bunker, and she holed out in eight strokes at this 387yd par-4 hole. She finished on two-over-par 77 after requiring 44 shots for the inward half.

A six-over-par first qualifying round of 81 has put Anne Laing's hopes of reaching the match-play stages in jeopardy.
But the three times Scottish champion from Vale of Leven was surprisingly upbeat at the end of the first qualifying round of the Ladies' British open amateur golf championship over the Royal County Down links at Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
"I drove my first ball little over a foot out of bounds and that cost me a double bogey 7 and then I had a double bogey 6 at the eighth where I took three to get on and then three-putted," said the 31-year-old lecturer at Elmwood College, Cupar.
"But do you know what kept me from getting down in the dumps? It was my playing partner, Azahara Munoz. She was simply awesome in shooting a 69, hitting the ball like a dream and holing everything from 10ft in.
"I was only one over par for the last seven holes myself and I came off the course thinking that if the Spanish girl can score six under par, then I should aim for at least a 71 in the second round.
"So, I'm certainly not writing off my chances. I'll be trying my hardest to make up the ground in the second round."
Miss Laing did get an eagle 3 at the third in her adventurous outward half of 40 and then bogeyed the 10th and 11th with bunker visits at each.
If Anne fails to figure among the leading 64 players who will go forward to the match-play stages, then her hopes of retaining a place in the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team will be considerably reduced - unless all her fellow contenders fail to make it to at least the quarter-finals.
Which is by no means beyond the realms of possibility, given the number of Continentals in the leading positions overnight.
Roseanne Niven, 17, from Crieff and Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) could feel pleased at hitting the par mark of 75 over a hard and fast running links with fiery greens.
"I had an amazing start of eagle-double bogey-eagle," said a cheerful Emily. "I got home with a drive and a four-iron at the first (496hd), hit it right and and to lift and drop from an unplayable lie at the second and then knocked a six-iron approach to within a foot for another eagle at the third (455yd).
"I was heading for a 73 until I bogeyed the last two holes but I had good luck as well as back luck so I'm not unhappy."
Roseanne too had a double-bogey on her card - a 5 at the short 14th, having started at the 10th, but with birdies at the 13th, 15th and 18th she was able to cover her first nine in one-under-par 37 and another birdie at the first gave her a cushion for the late bogeys at the fourth, sixth and eighth.
Louise Kenney from Pitreavie had a 76, Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) and Gemma Webster (Hilton Park), both 77, Heather MacRae (Dunblane New) and Scottish champion Martine Pow (Selkirk) a 78 each,  Rebecca Watson (David Leadbetter GA) an 80, Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) an 83, Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch) an 87, and  Clare-Marie Carlton (Stirling University) a 92