AN ALTERNATIVE LOOK AT DAY 1 OF WHI

'Monty' Pretswell holds her

nerve to win decisive Day 1

singles for Scotland



FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Pamela Pretswell, dubbed the Colin Montgomerie of the side by her team-mates, secured the decisive point as Scotland recorded a dramatic victory over Ireland in the opening round of matches in the Women's Home Internationals at Irvine.
On a day when some high-quality golf was produced over what is surely one of the country's unheralded courses, the Scots, bidding for their first win in the four-cornered event since 1991, recovered from losing the morning foursomes to win 5-4.
The face paint being worn by the Scottish players created similarities to the Solheim Cup, but, thankfully, there were no Christina Kim-like antics on show, though some of the Irish girls did occasionally perform a dance routine they clearly have been working on.
It was Scotland, though, who were jigging with delight by the end of the day after singles wins from Pretswell, Carly Booth, Kelsey MacDonald and Kylie Walker gave them the start that Lesley Nicholson, the team captain, had wanted as the hosts bid to get their hands back on the Miller Trophy.

After losing together in the morning foursomes, Booth and MacDonald, two teenagers who are oozing with talent and confidence, bounced back well in the afternoon, both recording eagle-3s at the long 11th en route to beating Danielle McVeigh and Mary Dowling respectively.
Booth, 17, who played in last year's Curtis Cup at St Andrews, was delighted with her point against McVeigh, the British Ladies' Open Stroke-Play champion, while MacDonald, who had Steven McEwan, last year's Scottish Amateur Championship finalist, on her bag, was one-under in her match.
With Walker, the St Rule Trophy winner for the past two years, winning three holes on the trot to take control of her match against Niamh Kitching, it all came down to the game involving Pretswell, a 20-year-old from Hamilton, and Aedin Murphy.
Two down with five to play, Pretswell rose admirably to the challenge, winning the 14th with a birdie-3 and then squaring the match when a par-3 proved good enough at the 16th. Agonisingly, the Scot missed a short putt at the 17th to go in front and admitted afterwards that there was some anger in the 300-yard drive she launched up the last.
After a poor first putt, Pretswell, the Swiss Women's Open Amateur champion, found herself faced with the same distance she had missed at the previous hole for the match, but, on this occasion, she made no mistake, to the delight of her team-mates around the 18th green
"I actually duffed the first putt and was certainly relieved to see the second one drop," said Pretswell (pictured above by Cal Carson Agency on Irvine's fourth tee), who reckons she was given the Montgomerie tag for the way she holds her pose in her follow through.

In much better conditions than the players had to contend with on the final day of practice, the hosts always looked as though they were going to be trailing after the morning foursomes, a format that has traditionally proved troublesome for Scotland in this event.
Sent out in the lead role, Booth and MacDonald failed to spark against McVeigh and Charlene Reid, who recovered well after falling behind early on.With Walker and Megan Briggs also going down in the anchor match, it was left to Pretswell and Louise Kenney to provide the sole bright note for the Scots in the morning.
The full article above appears in today's The Scotsman newspaper.