Irish player grabs lead after 7.30pm with 67

Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), the leading Scot at the end of the first qualifying round in the Ladies British open amateur championship at Royal St David's Golf Club, Harlech in North Wales today (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

Aedin Murphy (Carlow), the Irish student - the last player in a field of 137 to finish - who grabbed a two-stroke lead after 7.30pm this evening at Harlech (image by Cal Carson Golf).

LOUISE FIGHTS OFF HAYFEVER TO BE

TOP SCOT IN BRITISH AT HARLECH

Dunfermline teacher Louise Kenney coped with a bad attack of hayfever to share third place on two-under-par 71 at the end of the first qualifying round of the Ladies British open amateur golf champship over the Royal St David’s Golf Club links under the shadow of the ancient Harlech Castle in North Wales today.
Late on a long day at the links, Comrie’s Carly Booth, who will be 17 on Sunday, came in with a 72 which would have been a 70 had she not bogeyed the 16th and 17th.
“I took my usual hayfever tablets but they didn’t stop my nose running all the way round and my eyes watering, “ said 26 year old Louise who lost to Megan Briggs in the recent final of the Scottish women’s championship at Southerness.
All things considered Kenney did splendidly to keep her concentration and return a two-under-par 71 in a sometimes blustery north-east wind to share fourth place with 18-year-old Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) behind the surprise leader, 20-year-old Irish finance student Aedin Murphy (Carlow), the last player to finish after 7.30pm, with a six-under-par 67 - nine under the CSS for the day!
She came home in 31 to dislodge the Spanish pair of Arizona State University students, Azahara Munoz, 21, from Malaga and Carlota Ciganda, 19, from the bull-run city of Pamplona from long-held first and second place.

Amazingly, Aedin had two bogeys in her great round - at the sixth and ninth after she had birdied the second, third and fourth.

Out in one-under 36, the National University of Ireland Maynooth finance student, staged a grandstand finish to take the lead. She pitched in from 30ft for an eagle 3 at the 12th, then two-putted for 4s at the long 13th and the long 15th before knocking a rescue club - equivalent to a four-iron or four-wood - to within 4ft of the flagstick for her sixth birdie of a glorious evening round. She came back in five-under-par 31 and said: "That's the best I've ever played ... and I've not played much golf at all lately because I've been study for and taking University exams."
Munoz returned a bogey-free, four-under-par 69 before noon and that score was challenged late in the afternoon, by Ciganda’s 70 which included a shank, before Aedin Murphy’s out-of-the-blue charge.
Kenney set the seal on her day, which was a strange mixture of physical discomfort and golfing satisfaction, by holing from off the green, a putt of at least 40 feet, for a 2 at the par-3 18th hole.
“I wasn’t sure whether to chip it or take my putter and I could hardly believe it when the ball disappeared in the hole. I was just trying to get it close and not three-putt,” said Kenney.
Carly Booth bogeyed the first but birdied the third and then settled into a very steady run of pars that suddenly ignited into birdies at three par-5s on the inward half – the 12th, the 13th and 15th.
But, having got three-under-par and heading for a share of second place, the Curtis Cup player sagged to 5s at the par-4 16th and 17th for 35 home and a 72.
Roseanne Niven, semi-finalist in this championship last year and winner of the British stroke-play later in the summer, put her disappointing US college circuit since then well behind her with a round of 73, which matched the par for the 6,2
The Crieff 20-year-old, a former Scottish girls’ match-play champion, varied from par only four times – notching birdie 2s at the short fourth and short 13th and bogeyed the par-4 second and 17th.
Stirling University student Kelsey MacDonald had to settle for a 74 (39-35)
after dropping three shots over the last two holes – a double bogey 6 at the 17th and a 4 at the short 18th. Just prior to that late slump, she had gone birdie-eagle-par-birdie from the 12th to the 15th.

Other Scots scores: (Par 73: 37-36)
75 Sally Watson (Elie & Earlsferry) 37-38, Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) 41-34
76 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 39-37, Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 40-36.
77 Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 41-36.
79 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 39-40.
82 Laura Murray (Alford) 41-41.
83 Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie) 44-39, Rebecca Watson (Holston Hills, US) 44-39.

END OF PLAY SCOREBOARD

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 73 (37-36). CSS 76.
67 Aedin Murphy (Carlow).
69 Azahara Munoz (Spain).
70 Carlota Ciganda (Spain).
71 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa).
72 Camilla Lennarth (Sweden), Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down), Rachel Connor (Manchester), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Canada), Carly Booth (Comrie).
73 Jodi Ewart (Catterick), Stephanie Kirchmayr (Germany), Roseanne Niven (Crieff), Celine Kortekaas (Netherlands)
74 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Niamh Kitching (Claremorris), Caroline Hedwall (Sweden), Madeleine Ziegert (Sweden), Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts), Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough Brass Castle), Nina Holleder (Germany), Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton)..
75 Hannah Barwood (Knowle), Rachel Cassidy (Stirling Univ), Kelley Louth (US), Rhian Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan), Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham), Sally Watson (Elie & Earlsferry), Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), Lucie Andre (France), Marieke Nivard (Netherlands), Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall), Marta Silva (Spain), Tilly Holder (Woburn).
76 Lauren Blease (Coombe Hill), Jane Turner (Craigielaw), Stephanie Sherlodk (Canada), Virginia Espejo-Saavedra (Spain), Jennifer Kirby (Canada), Laura Collin (John O’Gaunt), Anna Roscio (Italy), Audrey Goumard (France), Sue Kim (Canada), Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder), Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell), Giulia Molinaro (Italy), Nathalie Mansson (Sweden), Laetitia Beck (Israel).
77 Lara Katzy (Germany), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Ines Diaz-Negrete (Spain), Tara Davies (Holyhead), Stacey Keating (Australia), Diana Cantu (Mexico), Rachael Raastad (Norway), Marion Ricordeau (France), Sian James (Bristol & Clifton), Caroline Masson (Germany), Maaike Naafs (Netherlands), Kirstin Walla (US).
78 Hannah Burke (Mid-Herts), Rebecca Flood (Australia), Thea Hoffmeister (Germany), Karlijn Zaanen (Netherlands), Samantha Birks (Wolstanton), Laura Jones (Royal Liverpool), Stephanie Evans (Vale of Llangollen)., Stefanie Kenoyer (US), Nikki Foster (Accrington & Dist), Charlotte Wild (Mere), Katherine O’Connor (Tadmarton), Kym Larratt (Kibworth), Pia Halbig (Germany), Patricia Sanz (Spain).
79 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), Ane Urchegui (Spain), Christine Wolf (Austria), Lucy Gould (Bargoed), Morgane Bazin de Jessey (France), Jennifer Gannon (Co Louth), Myrte Eikenaar (Netherlands), Jacqueline Hedwall (Sweden), Laura Jansone (Latvia), Whitney Hillier (Australia), Faye Sanderson (Heworth), Nicole Holleder (Germany), Audrey Riguelle (France).
80 Charley Hull (Kettering), Nicola Rossler (Germany), Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton), Mireia Prat (Spain), Natalie Lowe (Macclesfield), Valentine Derrey (France), Kelly Miller (Penrhos), Jane Binning (Frilfod Heath), Georgina Dunn (Peterborough Milton), Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies), Kira Meixner (Canada).
81 Corisande Lee (West Lancashire), Laura Stempfle (Germany), Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall), Rachel Drummond (Beaconsfield), Lauren Taylor (Woburn), Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Malin Enarsson (Sweden), Natasha Gobey (Rhondda), Valerie Sternebeck (Germany), Alessia Knight (Italy), Hermione Fitzgerald (Newmarket).
82 Hannah Grant (Enmore Park), Hannah Hekins (Cradoc), Laura Murray (Alford).
83 Kate Mundy (Dunwood Manor), Rebecca Watson (Holston Hills, US), Mathilde Cassaignau (France), Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie), Sarah Attwood (Gog Magog), Chrisje de Vries (Netherlands), Leticia Ras-Anderica (Spain), Julia Brook (Croham Hurst).
84 Sarah Lundy (Cookridge Hall), Laura Chemarin (France), Caroline Bon (New Zealand).
85 Anna Kellerman (Germany), Stacey Rodger (West Hove), Julia Boland (Australia), Ann Lewis (Royal St David’s), Marion Duverney (France).
86 Claudia Wolf (Austria), Rebecca Helen Harries (Haverfordwest), Leigh Whittaker (Germany), Nicole Garcia (South Africa).
89 Laura King (Ruthin-Pwilglas).
91 Charlotte Kierdorf (Germany).
97 Liz Lewis (Australia).

+Leading 64 at the end of Wednesday’s second round will qualify for the match-play stages. In the event of a tie for 64th place there will be a sudden-death play-off over the first, 13th, 14th and 15th holes.