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Sunday, December 17, 2006

CATHY GOES DOWN TWICE AS
AMERICANS WIN HANDA CUP

John Panton's daughter Cathy Panton-Lewis was a double loser – but enjoyed every minute of it.
Cathy was the only British or Irish player in the World Team who went down heavily to the United States in the inaugural two-day Handa Cup match-play tournament for senior women professionals over the Slammer & Squire Course at the World Golf Hall of Fame, St Augustine in Florida on Saturday and Sunday.
Cathy partnered Italy's Anne-Marie Palli to a 2 and 1 defeat by Amy Alcott and Rosie Jones in a better-ball match over nine holes on Saturday.
The highlight for the Scot was holing a 25ft birdie putt at the fourth hole after she and her partner had lost the first two holes.
A fine pitch to within 2ft of the flagstick for a birdie by Amy Alcott at the eighth clinched victory for the US pair.
Then, after the Americans led by 11pt to five at the end of the first day (2pt for a win and 1pt for a halved game), they hammered their opponents in the singles finale to the contest.
Cathy Panton-Lewis, playing in the last of the 11 ties, lost by one hole to American Sandra Haynie. The Scot lost the fifth and sixth to be two down at the turn. She won back the 13th but Sandra held her bay with halves at the remaining holes.
The Handa Cup is an official event of The Legends Tour, the LPGA's official tour for women professionals aged 45 and higher.

SCOREBOARD
(2pt gained for win; 1pt for halved game).

DAY 1 FOURSOMES (over nine holes): United States 2, World 2.
Patty Sheehan & Pat Bradley (US) bt Jan Stephenson (SAf) & Alicia Dibos) (Peru) 1 hole.
Martha Nause & Marylin Lovander (US) lost to Dawn Coe-Jones (Can) & Nayoko Yoshikawa (Jap) 2 holes.

DAY 1 BETTER-BALL (over nine holes): United States 5, World 1.
Amy Alcott & Rosie Jones (US) bt Anne-Marie Palli (Ita) & Cathy Panton-Lewis (Sco) 2 and 1.
Joanne Carner & Christa Johnson (US) halved with Barb Scherback (Can) & Maria Gonzalez (Braz).
Jane Geddes & Sandra Haynie (US) bt Mieko Nomura (Jap) & Angie Tsai (Tai) 2 holes.

DAY 1 SCRAMBLE (over nine holes): United States 4, World 2.
Nause & Lovander (US) bt Coe-Jones & Stephenson (World) 3 and 2.
Sheehan & Bradley (US) bt Dibos & Michiko Okada (World) 2 holes.
Cindy Rarick & Jones (US) lost to Nomura & Gonzalez (World) 1 hole.

DAY 2 SINGLES (over 18 holes): United States 16, World 6.
(US names first)
Nause halved with Coe-Jones.
Geddes bt Palli 3 and 2.
Lovander bt Scherback 4 and 3.
Rarick bt Okada 2 and 1.
Sheehan halved with Stephenson.
Carner lost to Dibos 2 and 1.
Bradley bt Tsai 3 and 1.
Johnson bt Gonzalez 7 and 6.
Alcott lost to Nomura 1 hole.
Jones bt Yoshikawa 3 and 2.
Haynie bt Panton-Lewis 1 hole.

Overall result: United States 27, World 11.