CARLY HOT FAVOURITE TO RETAIN GIRLS' TITLE

Curtis Cup player Carly Booth from Comrie will be a red hot favourite to retain the Scottish Under-18 girls match-play championship at the end of the next four days - qualifying rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday - at Alyth Golf Club.
Still only 16, Carly, who plays off +3, won the title at Peterhead last year when she shattered the course record with a brilliant score of 64 in the first qualifying round for the match-play stages.
Kilmacolm's Megan Briggs, whom Carly beat by 2 and 1 in the final, is too old to challenge this year but Megan's younger sister, Eilidh, who has three of a handicap is in the field of 81.
It should be Carly against Scotland team-mate Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) in the final at Alyth but that was also the case 12 months ago when Kelsey lost to Megan Briggs in the quarter-finals. But Kelsey (+2) is the only other plus-rated player in the field and, given the luck of the draw, should make it through to the final this time.
Sammy Vass (Tain), who plays off three and was a member of the Scotland girls team in the European championship at Murcar Links last week, reached the semi-finals last year before losing to Megan Briggs.
There is a "mystery" competitor - Elle Sandak, a two-handicapper entered from Concord Sydney.