Four Aberdeenshire golfing girls who have plenty to smile about - they have all won their home clubs' WOMEN'S championships this season. Left to right: Louise McGillivary (Banchory), Lauren Duncan (Aboyne) Sophie Alexander (Deeside) and Rachel Polson (Peterculter). Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on it to enlarge.

Hot scoring by Sophie, Kelly

in Oldmeldrum heat-wave

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

The scoring - very hot, indeed - matched the weather at Oldmeldrum Golf Club for today's Aberdeenshire girls' medal competition.

There were two net 66s over the 5,203yd ladies' course which hs a par of 71 (36-35) and a Standard Scratch of 72.

Deeside's Sophie Alexander headed the scratch returns with a fine round of 73 (39-34) which, off a handicap of seven, gave her a net 66. Sophie's handicap has recently gone up from six to seven. Once we get the CSS worked out for today - organiser Ethel Farquharson is basking in the Spanish sunshine at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort until next Tuesday - then we can be fairly confident that Sophie's handicap will come back down again.

The other net 66 was returned by 16-year-old Oldmeldrum girl Kelly Guthrie, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency. The remarkable feature about Kelly is that (a) she did not take up golf until last year, (b) she has cut her handicap from 30 to 16 this season, and (c) she was making her debut on the Aberdeenshire girls' competition circuit.

Kelly is almost self-taught apart from "two or three lessons from Hamish Love," the Oldmeldrum club pro.

She almost drove the first green - some 205 yards away, all uphill - and started with a gross birdie 3. Her halves were 40 and 42. Even without knowing what the CSS, we can confidently predict that Kelly Guthrie's handicap is coming down again

But what a prospect for Aberdeenshire girls to "discover" out of the blue.

LEADING SCRATCH SCORES

Par 71 (36-35)

73 Sophie Alexander (Deeside) 39-34.

81 Rachel Polson (Peterculter) 43-38.

82 Kelly Guthrie (Oldmeldrum) 40-42.

84 Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) 41-43, Tegan Seivwright (Deeside) 40-44.

85 Lauren Duncan (Aboyne) 40-45.

87 Louise McGillivary (Banchory) 40-47.

88 Kirsten MacCallum (Newburgh-on-Ythan) 44-44.

NET SCORES

66 Kelly Guthrie (Oldmeldrum) (16), Sophie Alexander (Deeside) (7).

71 Tegan Seivwright (Deeside) (13).

73 Sharon McWilliam (Aboyne) (27).

75 Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) (9), Rachel Polson (Peterculter) (6).

78 Lauren Duncan (Aboyne) (7), Kirsten MacCallum (Newburgh on Ythan) (10).

80 Louise McGillivary (Banchory) (7).

81 Vicki Powell (Deeside) (18).

83 Kristina Vannet (Peterculter) (8) 83.

86 Emma Read (Deeside) (15).