WIND-TAMER KYLIE LEADS ST RULE TROPHY

Long-hitting Kylie Walker from Buchanan Castle used her strength off the tee to cope best of an international field with a cold, 20mph north-easterly wind whipping in from the North Sea to lead with a one-under-par 75 (four under the CSS ) at the end of the first round of the 36-hole St Rule Trophy tournament over the Old Course, St Andrews today.

Under bright skies but decidedly tough conditions with the wind blowing into the faces of players on the 18^th tee, no surprise in typically Scottish "summer" conditions that Kylie had fellow Scots Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) (76) and Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) (77) in close support.

The French challenge that captured the Helen Holm Scottish women's open stroke play at Troon last month was again in evidence with three of their 12 representatives only one shot off the pace on 76 – Audrey Goumard, Lucie Andre and Isabelle Boineau.

Carlow's Karen Delaney, who lost her Irish close championship last week at Westport, showed a return to form with a 77.

Kylie Walker's figures were:

OUT: 5-4-4-4-6-4-4-3-4-38 (level par).

IN: 4-3—4-4-6-3-5-4-5-37 (one under par)

The Dunbartonshire & Argyll county champion birdied the second, fourth, 13^th, 15^th and 18^th. She bogeyed the first, fifth, 14^th and 16^th.

Kelsey MacDonald birdied the second, 11^th and 13^th. She bogeyed the eighth, ninth and 19^th in halves of 39 and 37 for a 76.

Anne Laing, a former winner of the St Rule Trophy as well as being three times Scottish champion, birdied the fourth, 10^th and 13^th in halves of 39 and 38 for her 77. She bogeyed the first, eighth, 14^th and 18^th.

Karen Delaney birdied the second, ninth and 13^th in halves of 37 and 40. She bogeyed the sixth, 11^th, 12^th and 14^th for her 77.

Presumably due to the amount of strokes being taken in the wind, rounds were taking five hours by the end of the round. Players had little or no time between coming off the 18^th green and teeing off again for their second round. In fact, by the end of the first round, they had time only to go to the toilet, pick up a sandwich and report to the tee.

Presuming that the second rounds again take five hours, play will not end until after 9pm.  

 

ST RULE TROPHY

Old Course, St Andrews

FIRST ROUND

Par 76. CSS 79

75 K Walker (Buchanan Castle).

76 A Goumard (France), L Andre (France), K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), I Boineau (France).

77 K Delaney (Carlow), A Laing (Vale of Leven).

78 C Gruber (Royal Dornoch), B Genuini (France).

79 J Klatten (France), A Davidson (Stirling), M Bazin de Jessey (France).

80 A Bushby (Strathmore), R Watson (Elie & Earlsferry Ladies), N Kitching (Claremorris), G O'Leary (Cork), L Ball (Matfen Hall), R Niven (Crieff), K Marshall (Baberton), D Smith (Co Louth).

81 E Fairnie (Dunbar), R Lewis (Newport), A Ramsay (Kirriemuir), K Tidy (Royal Birkdale), L Kenney (Pitreavie).

82 R Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan), T Davies (Holyhead), R Livingstone (Musselburgh). A Decharne (France), M Ricordeau (France).

83 C Stockton (US), Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies), K Brotherton (Forrester Park), M Pow (Selkirk), M Briggs (Kilmacolm), S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan), E Ogilvy (Auchterarder).

84 C Wild (Mere), N Podmore (High Leigh Park), M Morrin (The Curragh), M Gidali (France), R Vilatte (France), S James (Bristol & Clifton), L Murray (Alford), C Abrahamiam (France), J Carthew (Ladybank).

85 H Owers-Bradley (Wollaton Park), S Round (Tadmarton Heath), A Niven (Crieff), C Hargan (Mortonhall), J Dotten (Canada), E Cuthill (Lanark), C Boutier (France).

86 S Jackson (Ladybank), K McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies), L Sibille (France), J Turner (Baberton).

87 C-M Carlton (Fereneze), A Storey (Ponteland).

88 J Nicolson (Wrexham).

89 S Lundy (Cookridge Hall), S Birks (Wolstanton).

90 C MacDonald (Gullane Ladies).

91 L Walker (Muckhart).

92 J Sneddon (Alyth), C Mackenzie (Beauchief), L McLardy (Murcar Links), E Moffat (St Regulus).

94 R McQueen (Troon Ladies), J Dreher (France).

96 B Dowell (Enmore Park), Susan Wood (Drumpellier).