Hacienda del Alamo Women¨s Winter Festival

MARTINA AND RHIAN ARE MURCIA LADIES

OPEN PROFESSIONAL & AMATEUR CHAMPIONS

Ireland's Martina Gillen from Cavan maintained her overnight lead in even tougher conditions of wind and rain to win the Murcia Ladies Open professional golf championship over the Dave Thomas-designed course at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort in south-east Spain.

Martina followed up her opening round of two-over-par 74 with a 77 for a seven-over-par total of 151 to win by four shots from Welsh rookie pro Natasha Morgan, who lives near Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor.

"This is a very long course and when the wind is in your face, as it seems to be at the longish par-4s, it is almost impossible to get up in two," said Martina.

"You cannot fly the bunkers in the landing areas when the wind is in your face and I would rate it just about the most difficult course I've come across yet, given the wind we've had over the past two days.

"There was even rain as well today so you just had to soldier on. It's nice to win whatever the tournament, whatever the country and let's hope it's the first of a few victories in 2008."

Martina, a former Curtis Cup player and past Irish amateur champion, collected the 500 Euros first prize donated by Aberdeen hotelier Stewart Spence.

Natasha Morgan has spent the past four years at Lynn University in Florida and turned pro after graduating. She has played as an amateur on the US Futures Tour and plans to go back there until the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School comes around again near the end of the year.

Natasha had creditable rounds of 76 and 79 for 155. But for double bogeys at the first and seventh – two of the long par-4s referred to by Martina Gillen (who had double bogeys herself at the sixth and short 15^th) – for an outward 41, Miss Morgan might have put playing partner Martina under pressure over the tough closing holes.

As it was, Natasha was delighted to earn 200 Euros – her first pay check as a professional.

Claire Coughlan from Cork, like Martina a past Curtis Cup player, earned the 100 Euros third-place prize with 82 and 79 for 161.

Marion Riordan retired after a few holes of the second round, having hurt her back on the opening day. She has cut short her trip to fly home for physiotherapy treatment.

There was a 1-2 success for Wales in the amateur scratch division with Rhian Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) winning by seven shots with scores of 75 and 78 for 153.

Clubmate Anna Carling was runner-up with 85 and 75 for 160. To improve by 10 shots in even more difficult conditions on the second day left Anna rueing her first day effort.

Twelve-year-old Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) won the amateur women's handicap title with a net two-round total of 146 off a handicap of 18. The stockily built youngster had two battling rounds of gross 91 to win this section by 12 shots from Ireland's Marion Geoghegan (Navan).

As little Amber could not win two prizes, Kirsten MacCallum, 14-year-old junior member at McDonald Golf Club, Ellon in Aberdeenshire, finished the leading girl with net total of 158 off 20 of a handicap.

Azmina Desmond (Hollywood Lakes, Belfast) claimed the senior prize with a net total of 175 off 11.

The Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival is the brainchild of two Scots – the resort's director of golf Billy Sim and golf writer Colin Farquharson. There are six events in all over the two-week programme, open to both lady professionals and amateurs with a maximum handicap of 20.

The next competition is an 18-hole Stableford on Thursday.

MURCIA LADIES OPEN

FINAL TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72)

PROFESSIONALS

151 M Gillen (Ire) 74 77 (500 Euros).

155 N Morgan (Wal) 76 79 (200 Euros).

161 C Coughlan (Ire) 82 79 (100 Euros).

163 L Diggle (Wal) 84 79.

164 L Willems (Bel) 81 83.

167 J Wilson (Sco) 83 84.

171 M Martin (Spa) 88 83.

Retired: M Riordan (Ire) 90 - .

AMATEURS

Scratch

153 R W Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) 75 78.

160 A Carling (Vale of Glamorgan) 85 75.

167 S Carty (The Island, Dublin) 83 84.

176 V Smith (Hacienda del Alamo) 94 82.

182 A Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 91 91.

184 C Murphy (Grange, Dublin) 96 98, M Geoghegan (Navan) 92 92.

197 A Desmond (Hollywood Lakes) 100 97.

198 K MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) 96 102.

206 G Jennings (Navan) 103 103.

219 E Higgins (Laytown/Bettystown) 105 114

223 M Rooney (Navan) 114 109.

229 P Sheeran (Navan) 114 115.

244 M McAree (Navan) 122 122

Handicap

146 A Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) (18) 73 73.

149 R W Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) (2) 73 76.

152 A Carling (Vale of Glamorgan) (4) 81 71.

158 K MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) (20) 76 82, M Geoghegan (Navan) (13) 79 79.

159 S Carty (The Island, Dublin) (4) 79 80.

166 V Smith (Hacienda del Alamo) (5) 89 77, C Murphy (Grange, Dublin) (9) 87 79.

175 A Desmond (Hollywood Lakes) (11) 89 86.

182 G Jennings (Navan) (12) 91 91.

183 M Rooney (Navan) (20) 94 89.

189 P Sheeran (Navan) (20) 94 95.

193 E Higgins (Laytown/Bettystown) (13) 92 101.

204 M McAree (Navan) (20) 102 102.

Leading senior (handicap)

175 A Desmond (Hollywood Lakes) (11) 89 86.

Leading girl (handicap)

158 K MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) (20) 76 82.