April 2004 Archive

Friday 30th April 2004

Aberdeenshire Championship
JULIE AND SHEENA MATCH 77s IN ABERDEENSHIRE Q ROUND
Inverurie's Julie Henderson, the title-holder, and four times past champion Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) topped the leaderboard with five-over-par rounds of 77 in the qualifying round of the Aberdeenshire women's county golf championship in very wet conditions at Inchmarlo on Friday.
With The Laird's Course playing very long, Julie was out in 41 with 6s at the fourth, fifth and seventh but she matched the inward half par of 36, thanks to a birdie 2 at the short 11th which was cancelled out by a bogey at the 12th.
Sheena did not have a birdie in halves of 38 and 39, shots dropped at the 13th, 16th and 18th costing her the top seeding which went to Julie on the better inward half.
Three youngsters - Murcar's Donna Pocock and Sjavon Wilson and Ellon's Michele Thomson - qualified among the top six.
Qualifiers (CSS 74 non-counting)
77 J Henderson (Inverurie), S Wood (Aberdeen Ladies).
78 D Pocock (Murcar).
79 S Wilson (Murcar).
80 L Urquhart (Murcar), M Thomson (Ellon).
81 F Hay (Deeside), J Harrison (Cruden Bay).
83 K Thomson (Kintore).
84 L McPherson (Deeside).
85 L McLardy (Murcar).
86 C Wilson (Murcar), A Bowman (Ellon), P Wilson (Murcar).
87 A Smart (Banchory).
88 R Dunsmuir (Cruden Bay).
Did not qualify
88 V Riddell (Turriff).
89 I Thomson (Kintore).
90 G Christie (Banchory), K Stalker (Fraserburgh), E Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies), L Murray (Alford).
91 P McGunnigle (Banchory), L Terry (Cruden Bay), J Whitehead (Kemnay).
92 B Duncan (Banchory), E Brown (Aboyne).
93 J Slater (Aboyne).
97 S Gordon (Ballater), Y Moir (Kemnay), M Millership (Deeside).
Saturday's match-play draw (7min intervals):
10.00 Henderson v Dunsmuir, K Thomson v Harrison, Urquhart v Bowman, P Wilson v S Wilson.
10.28 Pocock v C Wilson, McLardy v M Thomson, Hay v McPherson, Smart v Wood.
Quarter-final ties begin 2.30.
Sunday's semi-finals at 10.0 & 10.10. Final at 2.30.

Midlothian Championship
LEADING QUALIFIERS CONTEST MIDLOTHIAN SEMI-FINALS
The form of the leading players in the qualifying round of the Midlothian women's county championship was maintained in the first two rounds of the match-play stages at Newbattle Golf Club on Friday - to such an extent that the top four qualifiers will contest the semi-finals on Sunday morning.
It will be leading qualifier Karen Marshall (Baberton) against former international Claire Hargan (Prestonfield) in the first semi-final and Kirsten Blackwood (Glencorse) versus Fiona De Vries (Baberton) in the second.
Two of the winning Scotland veterans' team - they beat Ireland to retain the Mary McKenna Trophy in Ireland earlier in the week - just failed to progress. Pamela Williamson (Baberton) lost at the 19th to Karen Marshall in the quarter-finals while Noreen Fenton (Merchants of Edinburgh) lost on the 17th green to Kirsten Blackwood.
MIDLOTHIAN WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP - Newbattle GC
Match-play First round
Karen Marshall beat Rita Dee at 19th hole.
Pamela Williamson beat Kate Rorke 2 holes.
Jennifer Bryans beat Jane Flucker 1 hole.
Claire Hargan beat Tracy Laughland at 19th.
Fiona de Vries beat Linda Caine 5 and 4.
Sheila Lyon beat Jane Turner 1 hole.
Noreen Fenton beat Louise Fraser 2 and 1.
Kirsten Blackwood beat Fiona Hunter 3 and 2.
Quarter-finals
Marshall beat Williamson at 19th.
Hargan beat Bryans 5 and 4.
De Vries beat Lyon 2 and 1.
Blackwood beat Fenton 2 and 1.
Sunday's semi-finals (Marshall v Hargan, De Vries v Blackwood) begin at 10am and the final will tee off at 3.15pm.
B CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round
Pam Townsend beat Carol Fulton 1 hole.
Maureen Knubley w o Sylvia Ritchie scr.
Maureen Gardner beat Eileen McLauchlan 6 and 5.
Pat Wood beat June Oliver 4 and 2.
Gina Thomson beat Margaret McLaren at 19th.
Mary Richardson beat Carole Mason 3 and 1.
Jill Ireland beat Sheelagh Richardson at 19th.
Molly Woolgar beat Judy Wilkie at 22nd.
Quarter-finals
Townsend beat Knubley 4 and 3.
Gardner beat Wood 4 and 3.
Richardson beat Thomson at 19th.
Ireland beat Woolgar 4 and 2.

Lynn makes amateur mistake
Scotland's Lynn Kenny, the surprise omission from the Curtis Cup Team, has been invited to play in the Tenerife Ladies Open at the Buenavista Golf Club this week. Joining Lynn are three other amateurs, Spanish girls Emma Cabrera and Ana Sanso-Rubert, and GB&I Curtis Cup team member Fame More (England).
The full strength Ladies European Tour produced some excellent scores in the first round, with Finn Minea Blomqvist leading the field with a six-under 66, closely followed by Johanna Westerberg (Sweden) and Amanda Moltke-Leth (Denmark) on 67 and Spaniards Nuria Clau and amateur Emma Cabrera on 68.
Lynn was satisfied with her play from tee to green in her first round of 75. Her three strokes over par were directly attributable to three three putts. Imagine her surprise when, on finishing her round, she was penalised two strokes for taking a practice putt at the 12th (her third hole) after the hole was completed. The penalty shots were added to her score at the 13th giving her a bogey 6 instead of a birdie 4, and increased her final score to five over 77.
Practise between holes is allowed in the Rules of Golf (see Rule 7.2) but there is a caveat in Note 2 of Rule 7 which says "The Committee may, in the conditions of a competition (Rule 33.1), prohibit: (a) practice on or near the putting green of the hole last played, and (b) rolling a ball on the putting green of the hole last played."
The Ladies European Tour have probably invoked this Note to Rule 7 to speed up play.
It's a warning to us all to check the Conditions of the Competition before we play in a tournament.
Scotland's Julie Forbes from Aboyne and Lesley Nicholson from Haddington are handily placed on par 72 and one-over 73 respectively. Pam Wright had an 80 and Fame More is on 81. Full scores can be found on the LET website.

Catriona Matthew doing well...
North Berwick's Catriona Matthew, currently in the top ten of the money list in the US, made a great start to the Chick-a-Flick tournament at Eagle's Landing Country Club, Stockbridge, Georgia yesterday with a 68 to be three strokes off the lead. A post round interview can be found here (NB. scroll to the end)

Scottish Womens' University Golf
ORGANISER ANNE FAVOURS JOINING UP MEN'S AND WOMEN'S UNI CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Scottish women's universities golf championship may be played in conjunction with the men's week-long championship at Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth with effect from March next year. The women's universities event has been played over 36 holes in one day at one venue during the month of April in recent years. This year's title was won by the tournament organiser Anne Ramsay (Heriot Watt University & Kirriemuir Golf Club).
At the conclusion of the prizegiving at Edzell Golf Club on Wednesday, Anne told competitors that she was in favour of staging the women's universities championship alongside the men's championship which has found a home at Lossiemouth during the last week of March for the past few years.
"The girls who had played in this year's championship at Edzell were all in favour of such a move with the proviso that I wouldn't ask them to go all the way to Lossiemouth just to play two rounds in one day," said Anne. "I favour adopting the same format as the British women's universities championship with a couple of qualifying rounds to decide the match-play qualifiers and their places in the draw. So that could be a programme of four days minimum.
"All of this has to be talked through with the organisers of the men's universities championship to see if we can be incorporated into their week at Lossiemouth. "

US College Golf
INGLIS WANTS TO BOW OUT WITH FOUR-TIMER
Walker Cup player David Inglis, pictured right, from Roslin, Midlothian is determined to end his four-year golf scholarship at the University of Tulsa by extending his record as the only player ever to win the Western Athletic Conference golf championship three times in a row. The tournament will be played at the San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, California from May 3 to 5 (next Monday to Wednesday).

US College Golf
COLETTE IN KENTUCKY TOP 10
Colette Murray (Jacksonville State University), pictured right, from Dumfries finished joint ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference women's college championship at the Country Club of Paducah, Kentucky. Colette had rounds of 83, 82 and 84 for 249 - 15 shots behind winner Nikki Orazine (Murray State) with 80, 77 and 77.
Jacksonville State (989) finished third in the team event behind Murray State (963) and Tennessee Tech (977).

US College Golf
MARTIN LAIRD IS TOP BRIT IN US RANKINGS
Scottish youths champion Martin Laird (Colorado State & Hilton Park), pictured right, is the top-ranked British and Irish player in the Golfweek male US college golf rankings. He is in at No 19 in the latest list.
David Inglis (Tulsa & Glencorse), a regular top-20 man over the last two or three seasons, has dropped to No 37 while Scott Jamieson (Augusta State & Cathkin Braes) is No 190 and Kevin McAlpine (Colorado State & Alyth) is down at No 365. Wallace Booth (Augusta State) and Mark Lamb (Arizona) have not played in enough NCAA tournaments to be ranked as yet.

US College Golf
MVP AWARD FOR LOUISE
Former Scottish girls' champion Louise Kenney from Pitreavie, Fife received the Most Valuable Player award at Iowa State University's annual awards banquet. She averaged 76.7 strokes per round in 28 rounds of college tournaments and was described as "a valuable asset to the team" in the presentation.

US College Golf
CURTIS CUP AMERICANS OCCUPY THREE OF TOP FOUR COLLEGE RANKING PLACES
The selectors of the United States Curtis Cup team for Formby on June 12-13 could claim, at the moment, that, as far as the five college players in their eight-strong line-up are concerned, they have got it nearly right.
The latest Golfweek rankings have Liz Janangelo (Duke University), pictured right, at No 1, Brittany Lang (also Duke University) at No 3 and Erica Blasberg (Arizona) at No 4. Not selected but ranked No 2, with a clutch of wins this season to her credit, is Charlotte Mayorkas (UCLA).
Supporters of the GB&I team should be grateful that the US selectors did not think the California girl was good enough to be selected - not even as a reserve!
The two other US team members in the rankings are Sarah Huarte, who is having a slightly disappointing season for California and is rated No 17, while Annie Thurman (Oklahoma State) is down at No 26 but won her most recent tournament by seven strokes and could be running into form just in time for Formby.
The leading British and Irish players in the Golfweek rankings are Rachel Bell (Southern California & Ganton) at No 88, and Irish champion Martina Gillen (Kent State & Beaverstown) at No 99. Jenna Wilson (San Diego State & Strathaven) is the top Scot at No 109. Team-mate Heather MacRae (Dunblane) is ranked 134th and Louise Kenney (Iowa State & Pitreavie) is 213rd.
Other rankings include: 305 Danielle Roseberry (New Mexico State & Sunderland). 518 Karen Delaney (Kent State & Carlow). 549 Suzie Hayes (Notre Dame).

US College Golf
East of Scotland Girls Champion, Stephanie Crolla, (McLennan College) is the only Scottish girl playing in the National Junior College Championship at Daytona Beach, Florida from 17/5/04 to 24/5/04. She has a lot to live up to, as Scots have dominated this event in recent years. Claire Hunter, Heather Stirling, Linzi Morton, Angela Finlay, Pamela Feggans and Heather Macrae all cut their teeth in this tournament. Stephanie is looking forward to the challenge! Good luck Stephanie!

YOU CAN PHONE THE SLGA AGAIN
The Scottish Ladies Golfing Association is now back in contact with the outside world after a brief hiatus following the transfer of its headquarters from Drumoig to Perth.
The telephone number is: 01738 442357
The postal address is: The Den, 2 Dundee Road, Perth.
Don't all phone at once!

Thursday 29th April 2004

HEATHER AND JENNA ARE BOUND FOR TIGER WOODS' OLD STAMPING GROUND
San Diego State University's "Tartan Twins" - Heather MacRae (left) and Jenna Wilson (right) - will be playing in the NCAA women's college regional golf championships next week but another Scot, Louise Kenney at Iowa State University, has missed out on end of the season play-offs.
MacRae from Dunblane and Wilson from Strathaven have been a big hit in their first college golf season for San Diego State who, thanks to their combined efforts, have qualified to play in the West Regional championship at Stanford University golf course - where Tiger Woods used to play - California from May 6 to 8.
Danielle Roseberry from Sunderland, a student at New Mexico State University, is also playing in the Stanford event.
There are 21 college teams competing at three regional championship venues. Only the top eight will go forward to the NCAA championships from May 18 to 21 at Auburn University's Grand National Lake course in Opelika, Alabama.
Louise Kenney's Iowa State University team failed to qualify from their local conference championship and Louise, a member at Pitreavie, Dunfermline, has not been in good enough form to be invited to play as an individual, as was the case last year.
Ireland's Martina Gillen and Karen Delaney - both students at Kent State University - will be competing in the Central Regional championship from May 6 to 8 at Illinois State University's course at Normal, Illinois.
Notre Dame and Southern California are also in the field of 21 teams at this venue. Suzie Hayes from Dublin is at Notre Dame while England's Rachel Bell (Ganton), beaten finalist in the British girls' championship at Blairgowrie in the year 2000, is a member of the Southern Cal team.
Five members of the United States' Curtis Cup team - Liz Janangelo and Brittany Lang (Duke), Sarah Huarte (California), Annie Thurman (Oklahoma) and Erica Blasberg (Arizona) - will be in action in the various regional championships. They will almost certainly be further sharpened up for the Formby match on June 12-13 by taking part in the NCAA champions from May 18 to 21, less than three weeks before the American squad of eight (the other three are only at high school) fly to Britain.

MUSSELBURGH GETS R&A CALL IN 2006
Musselburgh Golf Club will become the Scottish regional qualifying venue for the Open championship from 2006 onwards. The Open is being played at Royal Liverpool that year.
Although there are 16 venues for the one-round regional qualifiers, normally held on the first Monday in July, only one of them is in Scotland.
In recent years, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club has used Lanark, Deer Park, then Glenbervie and latterly Renfrew. In contrast to Scotland,
England, Wales and Ireland have 15 regional qualifying venues between them. In 2006 they will be Ashridge, Little Aston, Minchinhampton, Notts, Orsett, Pleasington, Prestbury, Rochester & Cobham Park, Royal Ashdown Forest, Silloth-on-Solway, The Island, Trentham, Effingham, Old Fold Manor and Pannal.

ORGANISER ANN RAMSAY WINS UNI TITLE
Ann Ramsay (Heriot Watt University), organiser of Scottish women students' golf competitions, won the Scottish women's university title for the first time at Edzell yesterday (Wednesday).
[Picture (right) shows Ann receiving the trophy from Edzell Ladies Captain Kate Caithness, © Cal Carson Golf Agency]
Ann, a five-handicap member of Kirriemuir Golf Club and a former Angus women's county champion, tied with English-born Alex Marshall (Stirling University) on 153, both having similar rounds of 75 and 78. Miss Ramsay took the title on the better inward half in the second round, played in the afternoon rain.
Dawn Dewar (Stirling University) led the field after a first-round 73 but slipped back to third place with an 84 for 157. But Dawn did help
Stirling to win the team title with a total of 303. Her team-mates were Alex Marshall and another English student, Olivia Briggs.
Robert Gordon University (326) were runners-up. Fiona Mahoney (St Andrews), who plays off 27, won the handicap award with a net total of 143.
Collated scoreboard
SCOTTISH WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIP Edzell GC FINAL TOTALS 153 Ann Ramsay (Heriot Watt) 75 78, Alex Marshall (Stirling) 75 78. 157 Dawn Dewar (Stirling) 73 84. 159 Olivia Briggs (Stirling) 82 77. 160 Kirsty Wells (Dundee) 79 81. 161 Kerri Harper (Abertay) 85 76. 163 Gillian Davidson (Robert Gordon) 84 79, Lesley Williamson (Robert Gordon) 84 79. 175 Katie Brown (Edinburgh) 90 85. 177 Catherine Patterson (St Andrews) 92 85. 181 Suzanne Graham (Edinburgh) 89 92. 186 Deli Skinner (Aberdeen) 98 88. 197 Fiona Mahoney (St Andrews) 94 103. 213 Melissa Nicholson (St Andrews) 111 102.
HANDICAP PRIZELIST 143 F Mahoney (St Andrews) (27). 145 K Brown (Edinburgh) (15), G Davidson (Robert Gordon) (9).
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 303 Stirling (A Marshall, D Dewar, O Briggs). 327 Robert Gordon (G Davidson, L Williamson). 356 Edinburgh (S Graham, K Brown). 373 St Andrews (F Mahoney, C Patterson, M Nicholson).

St Andrews team who won the Scot Unis Women's league over the winter.
Catherine Paterson, Melissa Nicholson and Fiona Mahoney

St Andrews University's men's and women's golf teams pulled off a double by winning their respective Scottish championships. The St Andrews men won their title after a week of endeavour at Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth at the end of March.
The St Andrews University ladies team came through a longer haul to win the winter-long league championship by a clear margin from Stirling with Edinburgh third.
The final placings were: 1 St Andrews 32pt 2 Stirling 17. 3 Edinburgh 14. 4 Heriot Watt 8.5 5 Abertay 5.5 6 Strathclyde 4. 7 Robert Gordon 3.

US College Golf
SCOT LAMB HELPS US COLLEGE WIN TITLE
Mark Lamb from Haddington, now a golf scholarship student at Arizona University, helped his college win the Pacific 10 Conference title at Marana, Arizona. Mark, Scottish boys' open stroke-play champion in 2002, had rounds of 76, 76, 76 and 74 over the monster, 7,435yd course at The Gallery at Dove Mountain for a total of 14-over-par 302. That placed him joint 28th in the overall standings. Team-mate Henry Liaw won the individual title with nine-under 279 (69, 70, 72, 68). The Arizona team of six, including Mark Lamb, came from nine shots behind over the last round with five counting scores to total 1450 and beat their great rivals Arizona State University by five shots for the title.
LEADING INDIVIDUALS 279 Henry Liaw (Arizona) 69 70 72 68. 283 Alejandro Canizares (Arizona State) 781 72 66 74, Chez Reavie (Arizona State) 69 70 70 74. Other score: 302 Mark Lamb (Arizona) 76 76 76 74.
LEADING TEAMS 1450 Arizona. 1455 Arizona State. 1470 UCLA.

Wednesday 28th April 2004

Helen Holm Scottish Open Strokeplay
The photographs are here... slightly surreal, as the mist rolled in... that's Colin's excuse anyway.

KIWI LIZ FAVOURITE TO REGAIN NORTHERN COUNTIES TITLE ON HOME NAIRN COURSE
Tain's Mary Smith, pictured below left,, faces a stern test at Nairn this weekend when she opens her defence of the Northern Counties women's county championship. Local scratch player Liz McKinnon (right) will start as favourite.
New Zealander McKinnon won the title at her first attempt two years ago at Moray. Then defending at Tain last year, Liz was surprisingly beaten in the quarter final by Inverness teenager Kerri Harper. Mrs McKinnon, whose husband Roy caddies for her, has had a great start to the season, recently reaching the final of the Portuguese women's open amateur championship before losing to Ireland's Gillian O'Leary.
Incidentally, Liz will be returning to Portugal early next month, courtesy of the Portuguese Federation. The winner of their open amateur championship always receives an all-expenses-paid place in the Ladies European Tour Portuguese Open. Gillian O'Leary cannot take her place in that event as the amateur champion so the Portuguese Federation have invited Mrs McKinnon to take her place.
Missing from the 90+ field at Nairn - they will play one qualifying round on Saturday followed by two days of match-play - are Royal Dornoch's top three players, sisters Lesley and Pam Mackay and Cara Gruber.
Gruber, an SLGA selection, travels with the Scottish squad to Ashburnham to play in the Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play championship on the South Wales coastline. Lesley Mackay is going to America and Pam MacKay is unable to get time off work. Pam, who attempted to get her pro tour playing card in Portugal last winter, finishes off her winter job in Inverness this weekend and returns to Royal Dornoch as a caddie to fund her intended full season on the leading women's amateur events.

Golf Gurus in Nairn
Highland golfers were treated to a unique event last Wednesday at the Newton Hotel in Nairn. At the invitation of European Tour Professional and coach Gillian Stewart, golfing gurus Dr Karl Morris and Jamie Edwards presented a Seminar on how to ‘Train your Golf Brain’. Report

NORTH GOLF CLUB WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARD
Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club on the Black Isle, north of Inverness has been named the winner of the 2004 International Environmental Golf Course award and a cheque for £1,500 by the Friends of Conservation and GolfPlanet Holidays for promoting wildlife-friendly practices. The judges considered nominations from around the world in making their decision.
The money is to be used for creating wildlife woodland corridors around the course. The ecology of the course includes a variety of important species such as breeding skylarks, linnet, yellowhammer, whitethroat, grey partridge, brown hare, red kite and peregrine falcons. Its grasslands are rich in wildflowers and butterflies.
"Fortrose & Rosemarkie are setting an excellent example to golf courses everywhere. As golf tour operators and enthusiastic golfers ourselves we are keen to promote and reward initiatives that enhance our golf courses and the wider environment," said Morgan Clarke, managing director of GolfPlanet Holidays.
Ironically, Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club is losing its head greenkeeper Stuart Hogg. He has been appointed course manager of St Annes Old Links, Lytham with effect from July after 12 years on the Black Isle.

UK Student Golf
Womens' ScotUnis at Edzell
The Scottish Women Students are playing two rounds at Edzell today in the Scottish Universities Championship. Go and watch if you are in the vicinity. They could do with some support!!!
Here are results from the last league game. St Andrews head the League Championship with 32 points.
1st Scratch - Ann Ramsay 76 (5pts) 2nd Scratch - Kerri Harper 83 (4pts) 3rd Scratch - Theresa Caban 95 (3pts)
1st Handicap - Melissa Nicholson 71 (5pts) 2nd Handicap - Fiona Mahoney 72 (4pts) 3rd Handicap - Lyndsey Johnston 80 (3pts)
League Points after 3 games 1st St Andrews 32pts 2nd Stirling 17pts 3rd Edinburgh 14pts 4th Heriot Watt 8.5pts 5th Abertay 5.5pts 6th Strathclyde 4pts 7th RGU 3pts

Tuesday 27th April 2004

Midlothian County Championship
KAREN HEADS MIDLOTHIAN QUALIFIERS
Baberton's Karen Marshall headed the qualifiers for the match-play stages of the Midlothian women's county golf championship at Newbattle on Tuesday. Karen had scores of 76 and 74 for 150, one shot ahead of No 2 seed Kirsten Blackwood (Glencorse) who had rounds of 79 and 72.
Defending champion Claire Hargan (Prestonfield) was the fourth qualifier on 155 with a 79 and a 76.
The championship continues at Newbattle on Friday with the semi-finals and final on Sunday (10am and 3pm).
Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park), the current Scottish senior women's champion, was a surprise non-qualifier with a 36-hoe total of 167 (84 and 83).
QUALIFIERS (CSS 72 72)
150 Karen Marshall (Baberton) 76 74
151 Kirsten Blackwood (Glencorse) 79 72
152 Fiona de Vries (St Rule) 76 76
155 Claire Hargan(Prestonfield) 79 76
156 Jennifer Bryans (Harburn) 76 80
157 Jane Turner (Glencorse) 80 77, Noreen Fenton (Merchants) 76 81
158 Pamela Williamson (Baberton) 83 75, Kate Rorke (Kingsknowe) 80 78
159 Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) 78 81
160 Sheila Lyon (Kingsknowe) 82 78
161 Jane Flucker (Craigmillar Park) 80 81 Tracy Laughland (Mortonhall) 80 81
162 Linda Caine (Merchants 83 79
164 Fiona Hunter (Baberton) 79 85.
166 Rita Dee (Kingsknowe) 85 81.
+Jane Williamson (Mortonhall) scored 160 (82 78) but withdrew from the match-play stages.
NON-QUALIFIERS
166 Elizabeth Simpson (Murrayfield) 84 82.
167 Aileen Kennedy (Harburn) 85 82, Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park) 84 83, Betty Anderson (Deer Park) 83 84.
168 Hilary Laughland (Prestonfield) 80 88.
169 Mairi Pollock (Craigmillar Park) 86 83.
171 Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) 91 80, Anne Hanson (Glencorse) 87 84.
172 Letty Mackinnon (Kingsnowe) 83 89.
Match-play draw (Friday): 9.0 Marshall v Dee, Rorke v P Williamson, Bryans v Flucker, Laughland v Hargan. 9.30 DeVries v Caine, Lyon v Turner, Fenton v Fraser, Hunter v Blackwood.
Also See www.mclga.co.uk for the scores and championship qualifiers

Borders Championship
Judith Anderson led the qualifiers in the Borders County Championship at the weekend. The matchplay stages continue over the Roxburghe Golf Course on Sat and Sunday 1st and 2nd May. The draw is
1 JUDITH ANDERSON v 16 MARNY WADDELL
9 MAGS MORRISON v 8 WENDY WELLS
5 JULIE B-WHITE v 12 LIZ CAMPBELL
13 JACKIE PRESTON v 4 KATIE MASSIE
3 SHEILA CUTHBERTSON v 14 KAREN HUGHES
11 ALISON RUTHERFORD v 6 SHARON PATTERSON
7 ANNE DODS v 10 KIRSTY INKPEN
15 GILLIAN OLIVER v 2 EMMA FAIRNIE

Joan Marshall, captain of the victorious Scottish team, holding the Mary McKenna Salver,
surrounded by the Scottish and Irish teams, after their match at the Hermitage, Dublin last week.
Photo Courtesy of Pat Hutton... thanks Pat!

Welsh Strokeplay
Here is the Draw (Excel file) for the Welsh Open Strokeplay to be held at Asburnham at the weekend

£4 MILLION PURSE FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Total prize money for The Open Championship at Royal Troon will be £4 million, an increase of £100,000 on the 2003 figure. The 2004 Champion will receive a cheque for £720,000, an increase of £20,000 from last year. The additional £100,000 will be distributed amongst the 70 players and ties who make the cut, with an average increase of 2.6%.
"We have increased The Open Championship prize money in line with inflation and this again keeps The Open purse highly competitive," said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A Group of Companies.
The increase in prize money should prove attractive to overseas competitors, particularly those from the United States, with the prize fund equating to U.S. $7.1 million at today's exchange rates. In recent years prize money has been substantially increased and in the seven years since Justin Leonard won at Royal Troon, the first prize has increased almost three-fold, from £250,000 to £720,000, and the total prize fund from £1.6 million to £4 million.

West Vets Spring Meeting Sandyhills 26th April SSS 73 Par 74 CSS 75
Scratch H. Anderson 77
Silver 1. H. Anderson (5) 72 2. I. McVicar (14) 74 bih 3. J. Graham (10) 74
Bronze 1. M. Gray (29) 79 2. M. Doonan (24) 80 3. J. Thomson (22) 82

Roehampton Gold Cup
Irish champion in 2000 and 2001, Alison Coffey bowed out of international golf after the Curtis Cup of 2000 at Ganton. More's the pity, some might say as the 2004 match against the United States is fast approaching at Formby on June 12-13. Alison felt she hampered her career as a civil engineer by have a brief fling at winning golf titles and honours and it was time to move from Northern Ireland - she played out of the Warrenpoint club, near Newry - to the London area in furtherance of her job. She became a member at Worplesdon where she still has plus two of a handicap. And in Saturday's (April 24) Roehampton Gold Cup - one of the few female tournaments open to amateur AND professionals - Miss Coffey showed she still has a golf game to match the best. Alison put together rounds of 74 and 72 for a two-over-par aggregate of 146 - two under the CSS (74+74) to win by two shots from Colchester professional Sarah Bennett who had 73 and 75 for 148. The professionals dominated third place with four of them tieing on 151 - Kirsty Taylor, Claire Duffy, Claire Lipscombe and Kathryn Evans.
Curtis Cup team selections Fame More (Chesterfield) - winner of the Roehampton Golf Club in 2002 - and Danielle Masters (Bearsted) elected to play at the London venue instead of joining five more of skipper Ada O'Sullivans team at Troon for the Helen Holm Trophy 54-hole Scottish women's open stroke-play championship. Ada would have been pleased with their performance. Fame (80, 73) and Danielle (75, 78) finished on 153, joint ninth overall.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS (CSS 74 74) 146 A Coffey (Worplesdon) (am) 74 72. 148 S Bennett (Colchester) 73 75. 151 K Taylor (Sandford Springs) 72 79, C Duffy (Sandford Springs) 74 77, C Lipscombe (Cirencester) 80 71, K Evans (Wales) 78 73. 152 S Moon (US) 76 76, L Walters (Horsley Lodge) 77 75. 153 F More (Chesterfield) (am) 80 73, D Masters (Bearsted) (am) 75 78, K Hutcherson (Porters Park) 78 75. 154 A Keighley (Lightcliffe) 79 75, K Knowles (England) 75 79, S Foster (Herne Bay) 77 77, E Weeks (Fleming Park) 78 76. 156 C Aitken (Mid-Kent) (am) 79 77, C Leathers (Ellesborough) (am) 77 79, J Oliver (Knebworth) 78 78, W Dicks (Hacienda del Alamo 81 75. 157 S Lovell (Stockbrook Manor) (am) 82 75, L Hamilton-Diggle (Celtic Manor) (am) 75 82, V Bell (England) 80 77. 158 K Shepherd (Guildford) (am) 82 76, S Heath (England) 81 77. 159 N Evans (Pleasington) (am)75 84, C Hall (Filton) 82 77. 160 F Brown (Silvermere) 86 74. 161 J Hodge (Knowle) (am) 81 80, T Boyes (Meon Valley) (am) 80 81, C Grady (Dunston Hall) 81 80. 162 E Lyons (West Surrey) (am) 82 80, E Brown (West Wilts) (am) 79 83, H Burke (Mid-Herts) (am)76 86, A Radford (Rochester & Cobham) 81 81. 163 A Silk (Corhampton) (am) 84 79. 164 J Phipps (Gog Magog) (am) 81 83. ends

Monday 26th April 2004

US College Golf
Strathaven's Jenna Wilson (San Diego State), pictured right, the holder of the Scottish U21 Stroke Play title, was her University's top performer as she carded a two-over par 215 to finish fifth, the low freshman in the field, in the Mountain West conference, held at the Sunriver Resort, Meadows Course, Sunriver, Oregon, over the weekend. Jenna shot 71 on Friday and Saturday after opening with a two-over 73. Her team-mate, 2002 Scottish Girls' champion, Heather MacRae, from Dunblane, finished the tournament in 12th place after shooting 75 for a 220 total. San Diego State finished in fourth place and wait to see whether they have qualified for the NCAA regionals, which should be announced later today.
Another past Scottish Girls Champion, Louise Kenney (Iowa State) was a disappointing 46th in the Big 12 conference held at College Station, Texas. Her scores were 80 and 79. The third round was cancelled due to rain. Annie Thurman (Oklahoma State), a member of the US Curtis Cup team, blew the field apart with a seven stroke lead over the next competitor. Her scores were 69 and 68 for a seven under 137. Iowa State finished 11th and will not be progressing any further in the NCAA's this year.
And a third ex Scottish Girls Champion, Nairn Dunbar's, Laura Walker, a student of Arkansas - Little Rock, finished in 28th place in the Sun Belt conference last week with scores of 85, 82 and 77 for 244. Her team-mate Fiona Gilbert from Carnoustie had scores of 78, 88 and 84 (250) and took 35th place. England's Danielle Roseberry from Sunderland, a student of New Mexico State, took 12th place with scores of 82, 77 and 73 (232).

Helen Holm CSS
The CSS for the three rounds of the Helen Holm tournament was 75, 74 and 76 respectively.

Ayrshire Girls
The following girls have been selected to play for the Ayrshire Girls in a match against Dumbartonshire & Argyll at Clober on 2nd May 2004.
Morag MacPherson (Barassie), Roslyn Fleming (Ballochmyle), Vicki Smith (Barassie), Claire Brawley (Barassie), Sarah Hutton (Troon Bentinck) and Katie MacPherson (Barassie).

Irish Schools Championship
Results

US College Golf
The current North-east youths champion, Greg McBain is having a tremendous season in America. He currently leads the NJCAA Division II individual men's ranking table with a stroke average of 70.938, having been best player in the Tyler Junior College team for the last five events.
Newmachar Golf Club member Greg also notched up two second place finishes in the "All tournament Team" standings at Galveston and Eagles Bluff.
Tyler notched fourth place with a 54-hole total of 920 at the Garden Valley Golf Resort's Dogwood course. in the Texas State Junior College championship. Odessa College won its second straight state title and was the only team to break 900. The Wranglers fired a final-round 295 for an 889 total. McLennan Community College was second at 914, and Midland College was third at 915. All three teams compete in Division I, while Tyler is the defending Division II national champion.
Greg led the way with 228. He shot 75-78 on Monday, then carded a 3-over 75 on Tuesday.
"It played really tough both days," McBain said of the 6,754yd Dogwood course.
"The weather wasn't great on the Monday and it was quite windy on the Tuesday and the greens were really hard. It was hard to stop the ball on the greens. The pin placements were really tough."
McBain's final round included two birdies and one eagle - a chip-in on No. 18. He also had five bogeys and one double bogey, mostly the result of three-putting.
"I couldn't get the pace of the greens right," McBain said.
Greg is now looking forward to the end of the month when Tyler will be hoping to retain their Division II national title in Arizona, and then it's home to defend his North-east youths' title at Oldmeldrum.

Sunday 25th April 2004

Emma Duggleby holding the Helen Holm trophy

Emma wins Helen Holm with a Record Score
Curtis Cup team selection Emma Duggleby gave herself a big boost for the June 12-13 match against the United States by winning the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship with a record low total of 14-under-par 211 at Troon today..
Emma, 32-year-old former British and English women's champion from Yorkshire, had rounds of 71 and 69 over Troon Portland on Saturday and forged clear of the field for an impressive five-shot victory with a four-under-par final round of 71 at the Open championship venue, the Royal Troon links.
Four years ago Miss Duggleby and Rebecca Hudson set the previous tournament record in tieing on 213 before Rebecca won the play-off.
"That's about as well as I can play at Troon," said a delighted Emma who works in her home club Malton & Norton's administration office and pro's shop.
"I could never play full-time golf. I would be bored to tears. This way I have the best of both worlds. I have actually been playing less and less golf over the past couple of years but it does not seem to have affected my play. If anything, I'm getting better results!"
Miss Duggleby, Faye Sanderson from Heworth, Durham, and France's Marion Sapin, started the final round locked together in the lead at 10-under-par 140. Emma birdied the first hole, Marion parred it, and Faye took two shots in a bunker to run up a double-bogey 6.
That put Emma clear in the pole position and she steadily pulled away from the field with further birdies at the second, fourth, 11th, 12th and 18th in halves of 34 (three under) and 37 (one under).
Miss Duggleby did not drop a shot until the 16th where she missed the green on the left and she stayed out of Royal Troon's punishing bunkers until the short 17th where she took no chances and did not go for the flag with her recovery and finished up with her second and last bogey.
Claire Coughlan from Cork, another member of the Great Britain & Ireland team for Formby, finished runner-up on 216 with rounds of 74, 71 and 71.
Dawn Dewar, 19-year-old Stirling University student from Monifieth, finished the top Scot in sixth place with a total of five-under-par 220, following up a 71 and a 75 at Troon Portland with a gutsy 74 over Royal Troon.
Dawn was four under par for her final round with birdies at the second, fourth, sixth and 12th but ran up a double bogey 6 at the 13th, squeezed in another birdie at the 15th before bogeying the last two holes for an inward half of 40.
Emma Duggleby and Shelley McKevitt (Reading), pictured right, won the international team event for England after a tie on 437 with Ireland's Claire Coughlan and Maura Morrin. The tie-breaker was the better final-round aggregate.
Collated scoreboard
HELEN HOLM SCOTTISH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Troon Portland & Royal Troon
FINAL TOTALS
211 E Duggleby (Malton & Norton) 71 69 71.
216 C Coughlan (Cork) 74 71 71.
217 K Ruutila (Finland) 71 70 76.
219 S Harkonen (Finland) 74 72 73, N Edwards (Ganton) 74 71 74.
220 D Dewar (Monifieth) 71 75 74.
221 J Schaeffer (Strasbourg) 77 72 72, S Jones (Pennard) 77 71 73, K Smith (Waterlooville) 72 72 77, M Morrin (The Curragh) 74 70 77.
222 S Westerlund (Finland) 73 75 74, M Bourdy (Bordelais) 77 71 74, M Smith (Hallowes) 73 69 80, M Sapin (Deauville) 72 68 82.
223 E Lind (Bro-Balsta) 79 67 77.
224 K Matharu (Sandmoor) 71 73 80, F Sanderson (Heworth) 71 69 84.
225 S Garbutt (Ganton) 77 74 74, A Highgate (Southerndown) 75 75 75, M Pow (Selkirk) 71 76 78, D Smith (Co Louth) 73 74 78, A Laing (Vale of Leven) 74 73 78.
226 A-S Le Nalio (Val Queven) 78 77 71, S McKevitt (Reading) 72 78 76, C Queen (Strathclyde Univ) 78 71 77, J Nicolson (Wrexham) 75 73 78, J Klatten (St Cloud) 76 71 79.
227 L Kenny (Stirling Univ) 77 74 76, L Gendronneau (La Baule) 73 76 78, R Lomas (Hallowes) 76 73 78.
228 C Gruber (Royal Dornoch) 82 72 74, C Westrup (Kristianstads) 76 73 79, S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 73 74 81.
229 M Allen (Moor Park) 74 78 77, E Giraud (Racing Club de France) 74 75 80, E McKinnon (Nairn) 75 73 81.
230 M Scalabre (St Germain) 80 77 73, L Ball (Matfen Hall) 81 74 75, K Hanwell (Northampton) 75 77 78, C Hargan (Prestonfield) 76 74 80.
231 C Frick (Jonkopings) 80 74 77, S Keane (The Curragh) 78 75 78, J Ewart (Catterick) 71 78 82.
232 H Nolan (Shannon) 78 77 77, A Scott (Consett) 79 74 79, E Sheffield (Newark) 76 75 81, S Harju (Finland) 76 74 82.
233 M Hallanoro (Finland) 77 75 81, F Johnson (Harborne) 72 77 84, K Heywood (Crompton & Royton) 75 73 85.
234 O Briggs (Delamere Forest) 76 76 82.
235 G O'Leary (Cork) 74 78 83, N Haywood (Rotherham) 74 78 83.
236 M Snickars (Finland) 78 76 82, J Ross (Whitley Bay) 79 75 82, L Mackay (Royal Dornoch) 78 74 84, S Birks (Wolstanton) 75 74 87.
238 J Carthew (Ladybank) 82 72 84.
241 K Brotherton (Tulliallan) 79 78 84, K Dobson (The Oaks) 81 76 84.
242 A-C Gourinat (Porcelaine) 81 81 80.
243 K McKenna (Tynemouth) 80 84 79, A-K Salmen (Finland) 80 82 81, E Cuthill (Lanark) 87 74 82.
245 D Jackson (Cochrane Castle) 83 79 83, S Brodie (Delamere Forest) 75 83 87.
246 R Svahn (Finland) 84 78 84, R Youngman (Oundle) 80 79 87.
251 R Rankin (Lanark) 87 77 87, C Lee (West Lancashire) 88 75 88.
257 C Taylor (Troon Ladies) 81 84 92.
INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT
437 England (E Duggleby & S McKevitt), Ireland (C Coughlan & M Morrin) (England won trophy on better third-round aggregate).
439 Finland (K Ruutila & S Westerlund).
446 Wales (A Highgate & S Jones).
448 France (A-S Le Nalio & M Sapin).
452 Scotland (L Kenny & A Laing).
459 Sweden (C Frick & C Westrup).

Fife championship
KATRINA WINS FIFE COUNTY TITLE
Katrina Milne, playing over her home course, won the Fife women's county golf championship at Dunfermline Golf Club today. The No 4 qualifier for the match-play stages, Katrina beat the seventh seed, Dorothy Ford (Scotscraig) by 3 and 1 in the final. Dorothy had beaten former Scottish champion Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) in the quarter-finals and No 3 seed Fiona Lockhart, also St Regulus, in the semi-finals.
Katrina beat 15-year-old Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), the No 1 qualifier and recent winner of the SLGA St Leonards Scottish open Under-16 girls' stroke-play championship, by one hole in the morning semi-finals.
Miss Milne got off to a good start in the final and was four up at one stage before Dorothy fought back to slash the leeway to only one hole.
Then Katrina clinched the title by winning the 16th and 17th.

Fife Championship Lunch-time results
IT'S KATRINA v DOROTHY FOR FIFE TITLE
Katrina Milne, playing over her home course, and Dorothy Ford (Scotscraig) won their way through to the final of the Fife women's county golf championship at Dunfermline Golf Club today (Sunday).
Katrina beat 15-year-old Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), the No 1 seed and recent winner of the SLGA St Leonards Scottish open Under-16 girls' stroke-play title, by one hole in the first semi-final.
In the second semi-final, there was a form upset when Dorothy Ford won by 3 and 2 over Fiona Lockhart (St Regulus), the No 3 qualifier. Earlier Dorothy had beaten former Scottish champion Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) by one hole.
Collated results so farFIFE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Dunfermline GC
Match-play first round _
K Caithness (St Regulus) beat G Davidson (Saline) 5 and 4.
J Sharp (Kirkcaldy) beat M Campsie (Scotscraig) 3 and 1.
L Rolland (Dunfermline) beat L Bennett (Ladybank) 2 and 1.
K Milne (Dunfermline) beat S Millar (Kirkcaldy) 7 and 6.
F Lockhart (St Regulus) beat L Fair (Kirkcaldy) 2 and 1.
A Wilton (Ladybank) beat K Webster (Ladybank) 1 hole.
D Ford (Scotscraig) beat B Copland (Scotscraig) 6 and 5.
E Moffat (St Regulus) beat E Hodgetts (Balbirnie Park) 6 and5.
Quarter-finals _
Caithness beat Sharp at 20th.
Milne beat Rolland 3 and 2.
Lockhart beat Wilton 5 and 3.
Ford beat Moffat 1 hole.
Semi-finals
Milne beat Caithness 1 hole.
Ford beat Lockhart 3 and 2.

Saturday 24th April 2004

EMMA LEADS BUT SHE'S NOT COUNTING HELEN HOLM CHICKENS AT TROON(pictured right) and Faye Sanderson, and Marion Sapin from France share the lead on 10-under-par 140 with one round to play over this year's Open championship venue, the Royal Troon links, tomorrow (Sunday).
In the opening rounds over the par-75 Troon Portland course, Curtis Cup team selection Duggleby of the Malton & Norton club shot 71 and 69, the 6ft-plus Sapin from Deauville had a 72 and 68 and late finisher Sanderson from Heworth, Durham returned 71 and 69.
Emma, a former British women's champion, will not be counting her chickens just yet ....
In last year's third and final round, Emma ran up a 10 at the par-5 15th on her way an 83.
Miss Duggleby had everything from an eagle 3 to a triple bogey 6 in her second round. She had her eagle at the second and birdied the first, fourth and sixth to be five under par after only six holes.
Then Emma went from the sublime to the ridiculous with a 6 at the par-3 eighth which measures only 127yd. That was the only blip on a brilliant round which took off again with a run of birdie-birdie-birdie from the 10th to the 12th. A seventh birdie followed at the 15th on her way to an inward half of four-under-par 33.
Marion, 24-year-old beaten finalist in last year's French women's championship, bogeyed the 16th with three putts and went out of bounds to run up a double bogey at the 17th or else she could have gone clear of the field in the second round.
She had started with an eagle and then birdied the second, sixth, eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th, 15th and 18th in halves of 32 and 36.
Collated scoreboard
HELEN HOLM SCOTTISH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Troon Portland Golf Club
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
140 E Duggleby (Malton & Norton) 71 69, M Sapin (Deauville) 72 68, F Sanderson (Heworth) 71 69.
141 K Ruutilla (Finland) 71 70.
142 M Smith (Hallowes) 73 69.
144 K Smith (Waterlooville) 72 72, M Morrin (The Curragh) 74 70, K Matharu (Sandmoor) 71 73.
145 C Coughlan (Cork) 74 71, N Edwards (Ganton) 74 71.
146 E Lind (Bro-Balsta) 79 67, S Harkonen (Finland) 74 72, D Dewar (Monifieth) 71 75.
147 A Laing (Vale of Leven) 74 73, M Pow (Selkirk) 71 76, S Evans (Vale Llangollen) 73 74, J Klatten (St Cloud) 76 71, D Smith (Co Louth) 73 74.
148 S Jones (Pennard) 77 71, M Bourdy (Bordelais) 77 71, S Westerlund (Finland) 73 75, E McKinnon (Nairn) 75 73, J Nicolson (Wrexham) 75 73, K Heywood (Crompton & Royton) 75 73.
149 E Giraud (Racing Club de France) 74 75, C Westrup (Kristianstads) 76 73, C Queen (Strathclyde Univ) 78 71, J Schaeffer (Strasbourg) 77 72, F Johnson (Harborne) 72 77, R Lomas (Hallowes) 76 73, L Gendronneau (La Baule) 73 76, S Birks (Wolstanton) 75 74, J Ewart (Catterick) 71 78.
150 A Highgate (Southerndown) 75 75, S McKevitt (Reading) 72 78, C Hargan (Prestonfield) 76 74, S Harju (Finland) 76 74.
151 L Kenny (Stirling Univ) 77 74, S Garbutt (Ganton) 77 74, E Sheffield (Newark) 76 75.
152 L Mackay (Royal Dornoch) 78 74, M Hallanoro (Finland) 77 75, M Allen (Moor Park) 74 78, K Hanwell (Northampton) 75 77, O Briggs (Delamere Forest) 76 76, G O'Leary (Cork) 74 78.
153 S Keane (The Curragh) 78 75, A Scott (Consett) 79 74.
154 J Ross (Whitley Bay) 79 75, C Frick (Jonkopings) 80 74, J Carthew (Ladybank) 82 72, M Snickars (Finland) 78 76, C Gruber (Royal Dornoch) 82 72.
155 A-S Le Nalio (Val Queven) 78 77, L Ball (Matfen Hall) 81 74, H Nolan (Shannon) 78 77.
157 K Brotherton (Tulliallan) 79 78, M Scalabre (St Germain) 80 87, K Dobson (The Oaks) 81 76.
158 S Brodie (Delamere Forest) 75 83.
159 R Youngman (Oundle) 80 79.
161 E Cuthill (Lanark) 87 74.
162 A-K Salmen (Finland) 80 82, A-C Gourinat (Porcelaine) 81 81, R Svahn (Finland) 84 78, D Jackson (Cochrane Castle) 83 79.
163 C Lee (West Lancs) 88 75.
164 R Rankin (Lanark) 87 77, K McKenna (Tynemouth) 80 84.
165 C Taylor (Troon Ladies) 81 84.

Helen Holm, first round scores
MARTINE'S LATE SLIPS BUT SHE STILL SHARES "HELEN HOLM" LEAD
Borders champion Martine Pow, pictured right, from Selkirk gave up the chance of defending that title to make her debut in the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship this weekend - and shot a four-under-par 71 to share the early first-round lead with Curtis Cup player Emma Duggleby from Lancashire over Troon Portland course today (Sat).
"The Borders championship always clashes with the 'Helen Holm' so I've never been able to play at Troon in the past but this year I decided I would miss out on the qualifying round for my local championship," said Martine.
After bogeying the second, had a glory run of five consecutive birdies and an eagle between the seventh and the 12th, where she got an eagle 3. Another birdie at the 14th put her seven under par but she slipped up with a three-putt bogey at the 16th and two-shots in a bunker to double-bogey the 17th.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
71 E Duggleby (Malton & Norton), M Pow (Selkirk).
72 K Smith (Waterlooville), S McKevitt (Reading), F Johnson (Harborne).
73 S Westerlund (Finland).
74 A Laing (Vale of Leven), C Coughlan (Cork), E Giraud (Racing Club de France), N Edwards (Ganton), M Morrin (The Curragh).
75 A Highgate (Southerndown), E McKinnon (Nairn),.
76 C Westrup (Kristianstads).
77 L Kenny (Stirling Univ), S Jones (Pennard), M Bourdy (Bordelais), S Garbutt (Ganton), J Schaeffer (Strasbourg).
78 C Queen (Strathclyde Univ), L Mackay (Royal Dornoch), A-S Le Nalio (Val Queven).
79 E Lind (Bro-Balsta), K Brotherton (Tulliallan), J Ross (Whitley Bay).
80 M Scalabre (St Germain).
81 C Taylor (Troon Ladies).
87 R Rankin (Lanark).

SARA RETAINS D AND A TITLE
Windyhill's Sara Bishop repelled the young challenge of Scottish schoolgirls champion Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) to win the Dunbartonshire and Argyll women's county championship for the second year in a row at Hilton Park on Friday.
Sara won by 4 and 3. Earlier she had beaten Claire McNeil (Cawder) by 3 and 2 in the semi-finals.
Kylie beat Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) at the 19th in the first semi-final.
The county bronze division championship was won by Margaret Douglas (Windyhill). She beat Jackie Sinclair (Hilton Park) by 2 and 1 in the final.
Results:
Semi-finals - K Walker (Buchanan Castle) beat G Webster (Hilton Park) at 19th, S Bishop (Windyhill) beat C McNeil (Cawder) 3 and 2.
Final - Bishop beat Walker 3 and 2.
Bronze Division championship - Final - M Douglas (Windyhill) beat J Sinclair (Hilton Park) 2 and 1.

D&A County Captain Anna Telfer with Hon President Belle Robertson

Friday 23rd April 2004

D&A Championship
It's Kylie v Sara for D&A title
Scottish schoolgirls champion Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) and title-holder Sara Bishop (Windyhill) were the finalists in the Dunbartonshire & Argyll women's county golf championship at Hilton Park Golf Club today (Friday). Kyle, the top qualifier for the match-play stages, beat another top prospect, Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) at the 19th in a very good first semi-final this morning. Sara, the No 2 seed, won by 3 and 2 in the second semi-final against Claire McNeil (Cawder).
Results: Semi-finals - K Walker (Buchanan Castle) beat G Webster (Hilton Park) at 19th, S Bishop (Windyhill) beat C McNeil (Cawder) 3 and 2.

Helen Holm Preview
Lynn and Clare out to make the selectors squirm
by Colin Farquharson
Five members of the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team for the June 12-13 match against the United States will be in action this weekend at the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship over the Troon Portland and Royal Troon courses. Scottish champion Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Claire Coughlan (Cork), Emma Duggleby (Malton & Norton), Shelley McKevitt (Reading) and Anna Highgate (Southerndown) will be seeking to endorse the selectors' confidence in them by playing well in this first 54-hole open event of the domestic season.
In contrast, Lynn Kenny (Stirling University) and Clare Queen (Drumpellier), two Scots who played in the winning GB&I team in the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Co Louth last summer but were surprisingly relegated to reserve status for the Curtis Cup, will be seeking to make the selectors squirm by winning this prestigious event.
The same applies to Kerry Smith (Waterlooville), Sarah Jones (Pennard), Tricia Mangan (Ennis), Kate Phillips (Creigiau), who all played in the LGU Elite Squad's memorable win over the Ladies European Tour Select in the Weetabix Challenge last Saturday.
It is one of the strongest entries on record for the "Helen Holm" with quality players from France, Finland, Sweden, Germany in the maximum field of 72 with handicaps ranging from plus three to a "normal" three.
There is room for only 11 Scots, which means that none of Scotland's current crop and bright young prospects, such as Carly Booth (Auchterarder), Roseanne Niven (Crieff), Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) and Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), all with handicaps of four or five, can gain valuable experience by playing in a class field such as this.
Elaine Farquharson-Black, the former Scottish champion and past Curtis Cup player who captained the Scotland women's team for the past three seasons, has been advocating for the past few years the introduction of a Scottish women's closed stroke-play championship, "closed" in that it would be open only to those who were born or live in Scotland. Perhaps, with one eye on the development of young players, the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association should give the suggestion serious consideration.

D&A Championship
TOP YOUNGSTERS MEET IN D AND A SEMI-FINALS AT HILTON PARK
Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) and Gemma Webster (Hilton Park), two of the best teenage female golf prospects in Scotland, meet in the first semi-final of the Dunbartonshire & Argyll women's county golf championship at Hilton Park this morning (Friday). Kylie, the current Scottish schoolgirls champion and No 1 qualifier for the match-play stages, needed only 25 holes to win her first two ties yesterday. Gemma, playing over her home course, was also in devastating form with wins by 7 and 5 and 6 and 5. The other semi-final is between the defending champion, Sara Bishop (Windyhill) and Claire McNeil (Cawder), the second and third qualifiers.
The Bronze Division championship final will be between Jackie Sinclair (Hilton Park) and Margaret Douglas (Windyhill).

Renfrewshire Championship
KAREN WINS RENFREWSHIRE TITLE FOR THIRD TIME
Turnberry's Karen Fitzgerald won the Renfrewshire women's county championship for the third time at Haggs Castle yesterday (Thursday). Karen added to her title triumphs in 1993 and 1998 by beating Jennifer Mack, playing over her home course, 5 and 3 in the final. Karen had been the No 2 qualifier for the match-play stages, having the same score as the No 1 seed Lesley Robertson (Ranfurly Castle). Mrs Mack was the fifth qualifier. Jennifer had a good win in the semi-finals, beating Lesley Robertson, the 1997 title-winner, at the 19th while Karen won by 2 and 1 against the young defending champion, Claire-Marie Carlton (Fereneze).
Semi-finals _ J Mack (Haggs Castle) beat L Robertson (Fereneze) at 19th, K Fitzgerald (Turnberry) beat C-M Carlton (Fereneze) 2 and 1.
Final _ Fitzgerald beat Mack 5 and 3.

Thursday 22nd April 2004

LGU Divisional Medal Finals
JOCELYN BEST SCRATCH BUT MISSES OUT ON LGU PLACE AT CRIEFF
Ladybank's Jocelyn Carthew had the best scratch score of 73 - one over the CSS - in the East Division Ladies Golf Union Medal final at Balbirnie Park - but she did not figure among the six qualifiers for the Grand Final at Crieff on June 6.
Qualification is decided on the best three net scores in the Silver and Bronze Divisions and Marilyn Rowan (St Rule), Eileen Gillespie (Lochend), Alyson Scrimgeour (Dundas Park), Laura Reekie (Baberton), Val Smith (Lochend) and Pat Jessett (Glenrothes) were those who earned a place at Crieff.
Collated scoreboard LGU MEDAL FINAL _ East Division - Balbirnie Park (CSS 72) -
Silver Division - Scratch - J Carthew (Ladybank) 73; handicap - M Rowan (St Rule) (11), E Gillespie (Lochend) (12), A Scrimgeour (Dundas Park) (9) 71; F Comrie (Falkirk Tryst) (18) 72 (bih).
Bronze Division _ Scratch - S Peebles (Elie & Earlsferry) 95; handicap - L Reekie (Baberton) (23) 70; V Smith (Lochend) (26) 72; P Jessett (Glenothes) (33) 73; A Cosgrove (Harburn) (26) 74.
Qualifiers for Grand Final at Crieff, June 6: M Rowan, E Gillespie, A Scrimgeour, L Reekie, V Smith, P Jessett.

Renfrewshire County Championship
Donna Jackson (Cochrane Castle), nine times winner of the title, was knocked out in the first round of the match-play stages of the Renfrewshire women's county golf championship at very windy Haggs Castle yesterday (Wed). Donna, who had qualified in third spot with the same score (77) as Nos 1 and 2 seeds Lesley Robertson (Ranfurly Castle) and Karen Fitzgerald (Turnberry) went down by two holes to Sara Harman (Williamwood) who lost in the afternoon to the young defending champion, Claire-Marie Carlton (Fereneze). In this morning's (Thu) semi-finals, Lesley Robertson will play Jennifer Mack (Haggs Castle) while Karen Fitzgerald meets Claire-Marie Carlton.
Collated scoreboard
RENFREWSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Haggs Castle _ Match-play _ First round _ L Robertson (Ranfurly Castle) beat M Begbie (Kilmacolm) 5 and 4, F Campbell (Erskine) beat C Whyte (Windyhill) 2 holes, J Mack (Haggs Castle) beat J Graham (Haggs Castle) 6 and 4, G McGinlay (Cochrane Castle) beat M Mitchell (Cathcart Castle) 4 and 3, S Harman (Williamwood) beat D Jackson (Cochrane Castle) 2 holes; C-M Carlton (Fereneze) beat J Wilson (Williamwood) 2 holes, L Brabender (Greenock) beat F Roger (Ranfurly Castle) 6 and 5, K Fitzgerald (Turnberry) beat L Harvey (Cowglen) 7 and 6.
Quarter-finals _ Robertson beat Campbell 6 and 5, Mack beat McGinlay 2 holes, Carlton beat Harman 5 and 4, Fitzgerald beat Brabender 4 and 3.

D&A County Championship
Scottish schoolgirls title-holder Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), right, headed the qualifiers for the match-play stages of the Dunbartonshire & Argyll women's county golf championship at a very windy Hilton Park, Glasgow yesterday (Wed). Kylie earned the No 1 seeding with a battling score of 78 - two over the CSS. She finished one ahead of the defending champion Sara Bishop (Windyhill). Three junior girls figured among the 16 qualifiers - Kylie, Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) with an 84 which included an eagle 2 at the ninth, and Gillian Barraclough with a 93.
Collated scoreboard
DUNBARTONSHIRE & ARGYLL WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Hilton Park (CSS 76) _ Qualifiers _ 78 K Walker (Buchanan Castle). 79 S Bishop (Windyhill). 83 C McNeil (Cawder). 84 G Webster (Hilton Park). 85 H Faulds (Douglas Park). 87 F McLean (Hilton Park), A Struthers (Buchanan Castle), A Telfer (Milngavie). 88 K Maxwell (Clober), M Dalglish(Balmore). 90 I Harvey (St Rule), A Wilson (Clydebank & Dist). 93 N Grant (Hilton Park), G Barraclough (Hilton Park), L MacDonald (Hilton Park). 98 M Barr (Erskine).
Bronze Division championship qualifiers _ 106 F Thomson (Helensburgh), D Harrow (Hilton Park). 107 M Douglas (Windyhill), F McArthur (Cardross). 110 M Dunan (Milngavie). 111 M McGhee (Balmore). 112 P Johnson (Cardross). 113 J Sinclair (Hilton Park).

Nick Faldo Junior Series
Scottish boys champion Scott Hendry (Cardross) and Carly Booth (Auchterarder) were the star performers in the first Scottish qualifying round of the Nick Faldo Junior Series at Loch Lomond. Hendry birdied four out of six holes after the turn on his way to a best-of-the-day, one-under-par round 71 - three shots under the CSS.
Carly Booth's score of 73 - one under the women's par - included a birdie at the par-5 13th. She won the girls' section by six strokes from Roseanne Niven (Crieff) and English challenger Melanie Temple (Seascale).
After further Scottish qualifying rounds at Blairgowrie and St Andrews Eden, the players with most points in each category will qualify for the Grand Finals at a south of England venue.
Collated scoreboard
NICK FALDO JUNIOR SERIES _ Scottish qualifier - Loch Lomond (CSS 74)
BOYS Under-21 74 David McLure (Ballochmyle, Blair Paterson (Tillicoultry), Evan Bryceland (Craigielaw). 75 A Phillips (Murcar). 77 P Betty (Hayston), S Clark (Haggs Castle). 78 F Skene (Tantallon). 80 Ewan Hogarth (Peebles). 83 M Casson (Kirkby Lonsdale). 84 G Docherty (King James VI). 85 C Malcolm (Dunfermline),C Heuchan (Colvend).
Under-18 74 P Waugh (Hexham). 76 P O'Hara (Colville Park), C Paisley (Stocksfield). 77 K Truscott (Newmachar). 78 R Hyland (Newmachar). 84 G Aitken (Renfrew) 87 S Larkin (Banchory). 92 A Weir (Portlethen). 93 S Bordon (Carnwatch).
Under-17 71 S Hendry (Cardross). 75 B Rushford (Grangemouth. 76 Darren Watson (Peterhead), J Gair (Hamilton). 77 S Robin (Prestwick St Nicholas). 78 E Malcolm (Dunfermline). 79 G Stewart (Lenzie). 81 S McEwan (Barassie). 82 S Borrowman (Dollar). 83 R McKnight (Barassie), P McLean (Peterhead). 84 M Spence (Newmachar).
Under-16 73 G Mitchell (Northern). 74 R Kellett (Colville Park). 78 S Chalmers (Dollar). 79 D Van den Denger (Netherlands), G Robertson (Glenbervie), S Stuart (Shaw Hill). 80 T Higson (Eyemouth), J Denwood (Eden), J Findlay (Fraserburgh). 85 P Keeling (North Berwick). 92 K Duncan (McDonald Ellon).
Under-15 78 O Smith (Eden). 79 S Barras (Helensburgh). 80 J Byrne (Banchory). 81 C Gray (West Kilbride), J Caldwell (Greenock). 82 K Harper (Carnoustie). 84 C Fairweather (Knock). 85 D Borthwick (Perth). 87 D Parlane (Helensburgh).
Girls 73 C Booth (Auchterarder). 79 M Temple (Seascale), R Niven (Crieff). 86 L Hendry (Routenburn). 89 P Pretswell (Carluke). 90 B Copland (Scotscraig). 94 D Neilson (Hilton Park).

US College Golf
RED-HOT CHARLOTTE (and she's not in the US Curtis Cup team) WINS PAC-10 TITLE
Charlotte Mayorkas - not selected for the United States Curtis Cup team - won the Pacific-10 Conference women's college title at Saticoy Country Club, Somis in California. It was the second-year UCLA student from Chula Vista, California's fifth title of her college golf career and her fourth win in her last five tournaments. She is the first UCLA winner of the Pac-10 individual title in 13 years. UCLA team-mate Hannh Jun was runner-up and UCLA won the team title for the first time since 1991. Charlotte's rounds were 74, 71 and 73 for a two-over-par total of 218. She won by two shots from Hannah Jun (75, 70, 75) with Erica Blasberg (Arizona), who is in the American team for the Formby match against GB&I on June 12-13, in third place, three shots behind the winner with rounds of 71, 75 and 75. Sarah Huarte (California), another member of the US Curtis Cup team, tied for 12th place with disappointing scores of 76, 82 and 74. England's Rachel Bell (Southern California) from Ganton) finished joint 37th with scores of 84, 76 and 82 for 242.
LEADING FINAL INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 218 Charlotte Mayorkas (UCLA) 74 71 73. 220 Hannah Jun (UCLA) 75 70 75. 221 Erica Blasberg (Arizona) 71 75 75. 224 Alissa Kuczka (Arizona State) 76 73 75. Other totals: 232 Sarah Huarte (California) 76 82 74. 242 Rachel Bell (Southern California) 84 76 82.
LEADING FINAL TEAM TOTALS 902 UCLA. 920 California. 923 Arizona. 928 Southern California, Arizona State. 930 Washington.

US College Golf
SCOTS DOWN THE FIELD IN NORTH CAROLINA
SCOTS Jamie Kennedy from Edinburgh, Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) and Russell Knox (Inverness) - all students at Jacksonville University - finished tied 31st, 40th and 48th respectively in the Atlantic Sun men's college golf championship at Keith Hills, Buies Creek in North Carolina. Kennedy had scores of 78, 72 and 74 for eight-over-par 224. Stewart shot 76, 76 and 74 for 227 and Knox had 80, 74 and 79 for 233. Barry Roof (Central Florida) was the winner by two shots with an 11-under-par aggregate of 205.
Central Florida (845) won the team event from Georgia State (851). Jacksonville (901) came 10th in a field of 11.

US College Golf
US CURTIS CUP PLAYER WINS ACC TITLE
Speaking of the American Curtis Cup team, Brittany Lang, a member of the crack Duke University team, won the ACC individual women's college championship at Salem Glen Country Club, at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Brittany shot 67, 68 and 68 for a final total of nine-under-par 204 - impressive scoring to win by two shots from Meaghan Francis (North Carolina. Liz Janangelo, another Duke player who is in the US team for Formby and the top-ranked female college golfer in the States, finished fourth on one under par 212.
LEADING INDIVIDUALS 204 Brittany lang (Duke) 67 69 68. 206 Meaghan Francis (North Carolina) 66 69 71. 207 Ashley Prange (North Carolina) 69 71 67. 212 Liz Janangelo (Duke) 73 73 66.
LEADING TEAMS 838 Duke. 857 Wake Forest. 861 North Carolina.

Wednesday 21st April 2004

MAY STILL LANARKSHIRE CHAMPION
May Hughes, pictured right, retained the Lanarkshire women's golf championship at windswept Lenzie Golf Club yesterday (Wed). The Lanark player beat the dark horse of the tournament, leading qualifier Liz Lees (Hamilton) by 6 and 5 in the final. In the semi-finals, May beat clubmate Elaine Cuthill by one hole while Liz beat Alexandra Young (Torrance House) 4 and 3.
Collated scoreboard
LANARKSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Lenzie _ Semi-finals _ L Lees (Hamilton) beat A Young (Torrance House) 4 and 3, M Hughes (Lanark) beat E Cuthill (Lanark) 1 hole. Final - Hughes beat Lees 6 and 5.

SCOTS RALLY TO KEEP MARY McKENNA TROPHY
Scotland's tail wagged to produce a come-from-behind victory in the veteran women's international golf match against Ireland at The Hermitage Golf Club, Dublin today (Wednesday). The Scots retained the Mary McKenna Trophy by a 7-5 margin after Ireland had led 5-4 with three singles to finish.
Rose Anderson (Huntly), Liz Campbell (Torwoodlee) and Noreen Fenton (Merchants of Edinburgh) saved the day for skipper Joan Marshall's team by beating Terry Sexton, Anna Maloney and Roma English respectively. Anderson and Campbell won on the 18th green while Fenton was a 4 and 3 winner of the final singles.
Earlier singles winner for the Scots, who had also finished strongly to share the foursomes 2-2 after trailing 0-2, were Scottish seniors champion Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park) and Moira Thomson (North Berwick).
Mary McKenna, who donated the trophy for annual competition among the over-50s three or four years ago, withdrew from the Ireland line-up following a family bereavement. Collated scoreboard

Scot Pam Williamson (Baberton points out a vital landmark to new girl Cecilia Kenny (Dunblane New) at the Hermitage, Dublin

VETERAN WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL - Ireland 5, Scotland 7 (at The Hermitage GC, Dublin). Results (Irish names first): Foursomes _ V Hassett (Ennis) & M Madden (Ballinasloe) beat C Kenny (Dunblane) & L Campbell (Torwoodlee) 4 and 2; R Fanagan (Milltown) & R English (Larne) beat P Williamson (Baberton) & R Anderson (Huntly) 4 and 2; T Sexton (Dun Laoghaire) & V James (Bangor) lost to K Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park) & M Thomson (North Berwick) 1 hole; A Maloney (Clonmel) & D O'Sullivan (Hermitage) lost to N Fenton (Merchants of Edinburgh) & L Bennett (Ladybank) 3 and 2 (2-2). Singles _ Fanagan beat Kenny 4 and 3, O'Sullivan lost to Ballantyne 3 and 2, Hassett beat Williamson 3 and 1, James lost to Thomson 3 and 2, Madden beat Bennett 3 and 2, Sextion lost to Anderson 1 hole, Maloney lost to Campbell 1 hole, English lost to Fenton 4 and 3 (3-5).

Winning Scottish Vets team with their Captain Joan Marshall.

US College Golf
SCOTS STRUGGLE IN US
Scots Jamie Kennedy (left) from Edinburgh, Duncan Stewart (right) (Grantown on Spey) and Russell Knox (below right) (Inverness) - all members of the Jacksonville University golf team - were well down the field after two rounds of the Atlantic Sun men's college championship at Keith Hills, Buies Creek in North Carolina. Jamie has had rounds of 78 and 72 for 35th place on 150; Duncan a pair of 76s for 39th spot on 152, and Russell is back in 46th place after an 80 and a 74 for 154. Russell Knox had won the Geico Direct Spring Invitational in Savannah in late March. Sonny Nimkhum (Central Florida) leads with 71 and 66 for 137.

US College Golf
US CURTIS CUP ACE LEADS PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
US Curtis Cup team member Erica Blasberg (Arizona University) set the pace in the first round of the Pac-10 women's college championship at Saticoy Country Club, Somis in California. Erica shot a one-under-par 71 over the 6,406yd course - 100yd longer than the Formby course for the GB&I v United States match on June 12-13 - to open up a two-stroke lead from Sofie Andersson (California).
Another US Curtis Cup player, Sarah Huarte (California), was lying tied ninth after a 76.
Rachel Bell from Ganton, a student at Southern California University, had a bad day with an 84.
UCLA - with Charlotte Mayorkas and Hannah Jun in the top seven - were the early team leaders on 308, one ahead of Washington with Stanford third on 310.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL SCORES 71 Erica Blasberg (Arizona). 73 Angela Rho (Stanford). 74 Sofie Andersson (California), Tiffany Tavee (Arizona State. 75 Irene Cho (Southern California). 74 Charlotte Mayorkas (UCLA) 75 Hannah Jun (UCLA), Lindsay Morgan (Washington).
LEADING TEAM SCORES 308 UCLA. 309 Washington. 310o Stanford. 312 California, Southern California, Arizona. 314 Arizona.

Tuesday 20th April 2004

SCOTS AND IRISH DRAWING 2-2 IN MARY McKENNA TROPHY
SCOTLAND, the holders, and Ireland were drawing 2-2 at the end of the first day of the veteran women's international golf match for the Mary McKenna Trophy at the Hermitage Golf Club, near Dublin. The Irish jumped into a 2-0 lead with a 5 and 4 win for Valerie Hassett (Ennis) and Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) over Cecilia Kenny (Dunblane) and Liz Campbell (Torwoodlee) and a 4 and 2 victory by Rhona Fanagan Milltown) and Roma English (Larne) over Pam Williamson (Baberton) and Rose Anderson (Huntly). But the Scots rallied to share the foursomes honours with a one-hole win by Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park) and Moira Thomson (North Berwick) over Terry Sexton (Dun Laoghaire) and Val James (Donabate) and a 3 and 2 success for Noreen Fenton (Merchants of Edinburgh) and Lorna Bennett (Ladybank) over Anna Maloney (Clonmel) and Denise O'Sullivan (Hermitage).

Lanarkshire County Golf
LEES GLORY RUN CONTINUES AT LENZIE
Hamilton player Liz Lees continued to be the dark horse of the Lanarkshire women's county golf championship at Lenzie yesterday (Tuesday). The surprise top seed - by virtue of a better inward half than Lesley Lloyd (Hayston) - beat Marcia Stirling (Airdrie) by 7 and 6 in the first round of the match-play and then ousted Gillian Brodie (Lenzie) at the 20th in the quarter-finals.
Liz now plays Alexandra Young (Torrance House) this morning (Wed) for a place in the afternoon final.
The other semi-final is between former Scottish schoolgirls champion Elaine Cuthill (Lanark) and title-holder May Hughes (Lanark) who beat Lesley Lloyd (Hayston) by 2 and 1 in a repeat of the 2003 final.
Collated scoreboard:
LANARKSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Lenzie - Match-play - First round _ L Lees (Hamilton) beat M Stirling (Airdrie) 7 and 6, G Brodie (Lenzie) beat P Warlow (Cathkin Braes) 3 and 1, A Young (Torrance House) beat J Christie (Lenzie) 8 and 7, M Reid (Lanark) beat E Crosbie (Lenzie) 2 holes, J Gardner (Drumpellier) beat G Campbell (East Kilbride) 7 and 6, E Cuthill (Lanark) beat M Anderson (Drumpellier) 2 holes, M Hughes (Lanark) beat A Prentice (Bothwell Castle) 5 and 4, L Lloyd (Hayston) beat E Nelson (Hamilton) 8 and 7. Quarter-finals _ Lees beat Brodie at 20th, Young beat Reid 6 and 5, Cuthill beat Gardner 2 and 1, Hughes beat Lloyd 2 and 1.

Renfrewshire County Golf
THREE PAST CHAMPIONS LEAD RENFREWSHIRE QUALIFIERS
Three past title-winners, Lesley Robertson (Ranfurly Castle), Karen Fitzgerald (Turnberry) and Donna Jackson (Cochrane Castle), shared the lead with 77s - three more than the CSS - in the qualifying round of the Renfrewshire women's county golf championship in a mixture of sun, hail, heavy showers and, at times, wind at Haggs Castle yesterday (Tuesday).
A countback of the cards made Lesley the No 1 seed, Karen No 2 and Donna No 3.
Defending champion Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) qualified in sixth place on 79.
Sheila Robson (Whitecraigs), winner of the Peggy Clark Trophy in the handicap section with a net 68 off 13, is unable to play in the match-play.
Collated scoreboard
RENFREWSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Haggs Castle (CSS 73) _ Qualifiers - 77 L Robertson (Ranfurly Castle), K Fitzgerald (Turnberry), D Jackson (Cochrane Castle). 78 G McGinlay (Cochrane Castle). 79 J Mack (Haggs Castle), C-M Carlton (Fereneze). 80 L Brabender (Greenock). 81 F Campbell (Erskine), C Whyte (Windyhill). 82 F Roger (Ranfurly Castle), J Wilson (Williamwood), J Graham (Haggs Castle), M Mitchell (Cathcart Castle). 83 S Harman (Williamwood). 84 L Harvey (Cowglen). 85 M Begbie (Kilmacolm). Peggy Clark Trophy (handicap _ S Robson (Whitecraigs) (13) 68; F Roger (Ranfurly Castle) (11) 71; G McGinlay (Cochrane Castle) (6) 72 bih.

US College Golf
HEATHER AND JENNA ARE KEY PLAYERS FOR SDSU IN CONFERENCE TITLE BID
from the San Diego State website:-
SAN DIEGO - SDSU begins the quest for its first conference title, April 22-24, as it heads to Sunriver, Ore. for the Mountain West Conference Championships. In 23 years of competing for a conference title, the Aztecs have come up empty each time but have recorded five runner-up finishes, including the 2001 and 2002 seasons. A year ago, SDSU got off to a slow start, in part to cold, snowy weather, and never recovered as they finished fifth.
The 2004 Aztecs have a much different look with two newcomers from Scotland leading the way. Freshman Jenna Wilson (left) and junior Heather MacRae (right) have combined for nine top-10 finishes in their inaugural year on the Mesa to lead SDSU to a No. 43 national ranking. Add to that the experience of seniors Shayna Miyajima and Sandy Kim and sophomore Toni Lutz and the Aztecs look to be a postseason threat.
Held at the par-72, 5,851-yard Meadows Course at the Sunriver Resort in Oregon, the MWC Championship is a 54-hole event with 18 holes played each day beginning at 10 a.m. The championship has been held in Sunriver for each of the last three years, except for last season's first round which was forced to a different venue because of snow.
Aztec Notes
* San Diego State (No. 43 Golfweek/No. 49 Golfstat) is enjoying arguably its best season ever. The Aztecs earned their first victory since 2000 when it fired a school record 878 at the Aztec Invitational in the fall and have posted three straight top four finishes. The Aztecs have put themselves in solid position to return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year hiatus as they are currently ranked 13th in the western region according to Golfweek, with 21 teams making the tournament.
* Senior Shayna Miyajima has posted top-10 results in each of her two MWC Championships. Last season, she led SDSU with a ninth place finish and placed fourth in 2002. This year's championship will be the fourth for Sandy Kim, who has recorded two 14th place finishes for the Aztecs at the MWC tournament. In addition, Aztec newcomers Jenna Wilson (5th in MWC with a 75.04 avg.) and Heather MacRae (five top-10 finishes, 7th in MWC with a 74.39 avg.) both have legitimate chances of earning MWC all-conference honors this season. Wilson, MacRae, and Miyajima are all within 20 total strokes of each other on the season and each are currently on pace to break the SDSU scoring record for an individual season, which currently stands at 76.10 by Joanne Clingan in 2000-01. Sophomore Toni Lutz will play in her second straight MWC Championship after posting solid scores in the final two rounds last season.
MacRae Continues Strong Play
* Heather MacRae (Dunblane, Scotland (McLennan CC) posted her third straight top-10 finish at the BYU Dixie Classic as she shot 223 to finish fifth. MacRae leads SDSU in the spring with a 74.83 stroke average and is second for the season at 75.39.
* MacRae was named the MWC golfer of the month for March after posting top-10 results in both of SDSU's tournaments. MacRae recorded a career best second-place finish at the Dr. Thompson Invitational in Kaneohe, Hawai'i, and led SDSU to a runner-up finish. She followed that performance with a seventh place finish at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz. MacRae shot five-over 221 in both events, her second best 54-hole score of the year. She also posted three rounds of even par 72. Overall, MacRae has recorded six rounds of par or better this season, which leads the team.
* MacRae leads SDSU with five top-10 finishes and six top-20 finishes in eight tournaments this year. Her best score of the year, a 219, came at the Las Vegas Intercollegiate to finish sixth against a tough field. MacRae has also been incredibly consistent, recording 20 straight rounds of 79 or better, the longest streak on the team, which dates back to the first tournament of the season. MacRae has been climbing the rankings and is currently 102nd in Golfstat's listings.
Fabulous Freshman Jenna Wilson
* Freshman Jenna Wilson (Strathaven, Scotland/ Strathaven Academy) has posted some incredible numbers in her first season on the Mesa. She currently leads SDSU with a 75.04 stroke average, which is the best in school history and ranks fifth in the MWC this season.
* Wilson also won the Aztec Invitational in the fall by shattering the SDSU 54-hole scoring record by six strokes when she fired a five-under 211. A SDSU-record 67 in the second round propelled Wilson to the first victory for an Aztec since 2000. She also set the 36-hole scoring record two weeks before when she shot 145, including a second round 68, to place second at the Heather Farr Memorial.
* The spring results have also been eye-catching as Wilson has tallied three straight top-20 finishes including a second and fourth to finish the regular season. Overall, Wilson has led the Aztecs in scoring a team-high four times and has five top-20 finishes. She is currently the Aztecs top-ranked player at No. 72 by Golfstat.

ELGA Announce 2004 Team Captains
Pat Skelton (Henbury), will captain the European Lady Juniors Team Championships that will be hosted by England at the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club from 6 - 10 July 2004. Pat has a wealth of experience having captained the European Girls' Team in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and the Girls International Team regaining the Stroyan Cup in 2000, which was retained in 2001 and 2002.
Angela Caton (Pleasington) will captain the Girls' European Team at the Championships at Golf National Golf Club Paris from 6 – 10 July 2004. Angela who led the winning Girls' Home International team last year has also accompanied players to the European Young Masters.
Beverley New (Landsdown) will captain the Home International Team at Royal Porthcawl from September 8 - 10. Beverley who won the English championship at 19, played in the Vagliano and Curtis Cup teams before turning Professional. She regained her amateur status in 2001.
Joy Traffford (Woodhall Spa) takes over as captain of the Girls' Home International team for the matches at Strathaven Scotland from August 11 - 13. Joy Trafford has been involved with junior golf for many years and is currently Divisional Training Officer for the Midlands.
For the second time Bridget Jackson (Handsworth) will Captain the team that defends the Seniors Home International title when the event is held at Kilkeel Golf Club, Ireland in early October. Bridget has great experience as a player and Captain having represented England at the highest level since 1954. Her junior career included playing for the English Girls v Scotland and as a player and Captain in the first World Team Championship in 1964. She represented England nine times in the Home International Matches between 1955 and 1966 and was non playing Captain in 1973 and 1974. The team of six will be selected following the Senior Ladies' Close Amateur Championship at Trevose Golf Club in September. Bridget's keen involvement with ladies golf has seen her hold many key administrative roles including Chairman of ELGA 1970 -1971, President of ELGA 1993 -1995 and President of the LGU from 1998 to 2001. She also served 6 years as an International Selector.

IRISH LADIES' GOLF UNION APPOINT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
The Irish Ladies' Golf Union has introduced the post of Chief Executive to head up their headquarters at Clonskeagh in Dublin. Longford born Sinead Heraty, who is well known in banking and golf circles in this country, will fill the new position. Her primary and secondary education was at the Convents of Mercy in Longford and Newtownforbes before beginning a long and successful career in banking. She furthered her education by taking the Certificate of Banking Exams (Institute of Bankers) and is a qualified financial advisor (Institute of Bankers). Her current position in the Bank of Ireland is manager of the Data Authority Unit, which involves leading and managing the overall structure and design of customer information/data so that it meets business needs. She brings to the ILGU a variety of skills including budget management, people management and motivational leadership and the ability to communicate articulately on the business side. She also has a strong golfing background both as a player and administrator in the Castle Golf Club in Dublin.
"I thought I would be a life-long banker. When this opportunity came up I saw it as one not to be missed, an opportunity to work at my hobby. Not many people get that. Golf is changing and the Union is changing. I like what I see in the Strategic Plan and I like the by-line Golf for All and the drive to bring younger people into the game."
Sinead was first introduced to golf by her father and mother in Longford and joined Castle GC in 1983 with a 36 handicap. Five years later she was down to single figures and currently plays off six.. She has also played for Connacht in the Interprovincial Championship.
Sinead has signed a three-year contract with the Union and will begin her duties towards the end of June.
Ita Butler, President of the Irish Ladies' Golf Union (I.L.G.U.) in commenting on Sinead's appointment as Chief Executive said: "Sinead brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the new role of Chief Executive and we are delighted that she has accepted the position. Membership of the Irish Ladies' Golf Union has almost doubled in the last ten years and we are confident that Sinead's management and motivational skills will be of particular benefit to us at this exciting time in our organisation's development. Overseeing the implementation of our Strategic Plan will be one of the key responsibilities of our Chief Executive whilst at the same time maintaining and improving the core business of the ILGU. Sinead will be taking up her appointment in June and we, in the Irish Ladies' Golf Union, look forward to working closely with her in providing a good service to our growing membership."

Monday 19th April 2004

Lanarkshire County Golf
LIZ LEES IS TOP LANARKSHIRE SEED
Hamilton player Liz Lees' better inward half earned her the top qualifying position over Lesley Lloyd (Hayston) as the Lanarkshire women's county golf championship began in bad weather at Lenzie on Monday.
Both Liz and Lesley returned 84s to finish a shot ahead of Janice Gardner (Drumpellier).
Title holder May Hughes (Lanark) had an 87.
Only four shots covered the leading nine players which suggests that the match-play stages, which start on Tuesday at 9am with the quarter-finals at 1.30pm, are going to feature some very close encounters.
Collated scoreboard
LANARKSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP _ Lenzie - Qualifiers _ 84 L Lees (Hamilton) bih, L Lloyd (Hayston). 85 J Gardner (Drumpellier) bih, E Crosbie (Lenzie), A Young (Torrance House. 86 E Cuthill (Lanark). 87 M Hughes (Lanark) bih, P Warlow (Cathkin Braes). 88 G Brodie (Lenzie). 91 A Prentice (Bothwell Castle). 92 M Anderson (Drumpellier). 96 J Christie (Lenzie) bih, M Reid (Lanark). 97 G Campbell (East Kilbride). 98 E Nelson (Hamilton). 99 M Stirling (Airdrie). Bronze Trophy Qualifiers - 103 G McKechnie (Hayston). 108 J Henderson (Drumpellier). 125 J Wylie (Bothwell Castle).
Championship draw (7min intervals): 9am Lees v Stirling, Brodie v Warlow, Young v Christie, Reid v Crosbie, Gardner v Campbell, Anderson v Cuthill, Hughes v Prentice, Nelson v Lloyd.

Midland Vets
SVLGA(Midland Division) Spring Meeting at Thornton GC 19th April 2004
The competition was played in rather wet and windy weather which resulted in heavy course, with very few ladies playing to handicap.
Scratch P Simpson 82
Category 2 M Rowan 84 (11) 73, A Moffat 83 (8) 75, M MacRae 85 (10) 75
Category 3 E Todd 89 (16) 73, A Hood 92 (17) 75 , H Brown 95 (19) 76 [BIH]
Bronze J MacKinlay 97 (24) 73, G Jenkins 95 (21) 74
SSS 70 CSS - Reduction only, Number of Players 70

Junior Open day at Kilmarnock Barassie
Kilmarnock (Barassie) Ladies Golf Club are having an Open Day for Junior Girls on Saturday 19th June from 3.00p.m. This is open to girls aged 18 and under. The cost is £2.00.
It is a stableford competition over 18 holes for those with a handicap and over 9 holes for those who do not hold a CONGU handicap.
Could you also advise if you are staying for something to eat!
Contact Maggie Magee Junior Convenor 12 Alder Place Kilmarnock KA1 2HR Tel.01563 572005 e-mail DOCMAGEE2000@AOL.com

DREAM COME TRUE FOR ANNE LAING, LONE SCOT IN CURTIS CUP LINE-UP
by Colin Farquharson
For Anne Laing, 29-year-old lecturer in sports coaching at Elmwood College, Cupar, "It's a dream come true," but for the two Scots short-leeted but not selected for the Curtis Cup match - Lynn Kenny and Clare Queen - it's the
nightmare of not achieving their ambition of playing against the United States at Formby Golf Club, Lancashire on June 12 and 13.
"Even though I had a good win in the singles in Saturday's Weetabix Challenge match, I myself didn't think I was definitely in the line-up after that because I'm not one for counting chickens when it comes to team
announcements," said Anne, a Vale of Leven Golf Club member whose family home is in Alexandria but who lives in Fife during the college terms.
"So to be told that I was in a Curtis Cup team for the first time really is a dream come true.I feel heart-sorry for Lynn Kenny and Clare Queen but it was such a difficult choice for the selectors. I would have hated to be one of them.
"I love the Formby course so that helps and I'm very much looking forward to the match. If I'm drawn to play against Michelle Wie, then that will be added pressure for me but, at the same time, Michelle herself is going to be
under a lot of pressure in the Curtis Cup because everyone's expectations of her are so high."
Anne, a graduate of Edinburgh University, has played in four Scottish women's amateur championship finals, winning the title at Royal Dornoch in 1996 and the Centenary championship over the Old Course, St Andrews last
year. She lost in the finals of 1999 and 2002.
Anne, won the inaugural British women's mid-amateur title at The Berkshire in 2002 and has played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy matches against the Continent of Europe at North Berwick in 1999 and at Co
Louth, Ireland last summer when GB&I, led by Curtis Cup skipper Ada O'Sullivan, won the trophy for the first time since 1993.
Anne, who was introduced by her dad to golf when she was 14 and did not start playing competitively until she was 16, has said in the past that has considered turning professional but decided against it on the grounds that she was not a good enough player.
As was the case in 1984, when Gillian Stewart and Jane Connachan were surprisingly not chosen for the Curtis Cup match at Muirfield and turned professional soon after, Lynn Kenny, named only as first reserve when freely
tipped to be in the team on the strength of her 2003 tournament record, is unlikely to hang around in the amateur ranks.
"I'm gutted, simply baffled by not being selected. I really thought I had done enough to be included but I know there were a lot of players in contention and the selectors have come up with a strong team. I wish them
all the best against the United States," said 23-year-old Lynn from Dunblane, winner of the Scottish title at Machrihanish in 2000 and runner-up in the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal
Portush last year.
"I will certainly be thinking about going to the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School at the end of the season. I've got a degree from Stirling University so if it didn't work as a pro, I would have that to fall back on."
Clare Queen, a Drumpellier G C member, who has been named as last of the four reserves following defeat in the foursomes and singles of Saturday's Weetabix Challenge match, completes her degree course at Strathclyde
University over the next two or three weeks.
At Formby, on the eve of the Weetabix Challenge, Clare, a former British girls' match-play and stroke-play champion who will celebrate her 21st birthday on April 29, said she was looking forward to playing golf for the rest of the year after her university exams.
Depending on the results of these exams, Clare could well be in the same position as Lynn Kenny.
Six of the eight-strong GB&I team will be making their Curtis Cup debuts. Only Emma Duggleby and Fame More have previous experience at this level.
Team, with ages, is:Claire Coughlan (Cork) 24, Emma Duggleby (Malton & Norton) 32, Anna Highgate (Southerndown) 21, Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) 29, Danielle Masters (Bearsted Tudor Park) 21, Shelley McKevitt (Reading) 24, Fame More (Chesterfield) 22, Nicola Timmins (Sene Valley) 23.
Reserves: 1 Lynn Kenny (Stirling University) 24, 2 Tricia Mangan (Ennis) 30, 3 Kate Phillips (Creigiau) 21, 4 Clare Queen (Drumpellier) 20.

Curtis Cup Team
CURTIS CUP TEAM ANNOUNCED
Emma Duggleby, 32, a member of both the 2000 and 2002 Curtis Cup teams plus Fame More, 22, from the 2002 side, have again been selected for the biennial match against the United States at Formby Golf Club on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th June
The six players making their debuts in the contest and completing the team of eight are Claire Coughlan, 24, Anna Highgate, 21, Anne Laing, 29, Danielle Masters, 21, Shelley McKevitt, 24, and Nicola Timmins, 23.
Emma Duggleby, Anne Laing, Danielle Masters and Fame More were all members of the team that regained the Vagliano Trophy in last year’s match against the Continent of Europe at County Louth.
In giving details of the eight players selected for the side, Ada O’Sullivan, Captain of the GB&I team said: “We undoubtedly have a very solid team with a nucleus of players experienced at playing at the highest level.  Furthermore, in the run-up to this announcement we have pushed Elite Squad players to the limit with matches against two mens’ county sides plus that great win against the LET professionals in the Weetabix Challenge on Saturday.  The results from these matches have left me in no doubt that our eight players can, on the day, produce a performance worthy of bringing the Curtis Cup back to home soil.”
Claire Coughlan, 24, a Cork based Irish International for many years, has underlined her ability in match play by winning the Irish Ladies Close Championship in 1999 and reaching the semi final stage last year at Donegal. In 2003 she also won the Irish Stroke Play title.
Emma Duggleby, 32, is certainly the most experienced player in the side with a record of four wins, three defeats and one half from the 2000 and 2002 Curtis Cup matches.  Last year she added a second English Ladies’ title to her achievements, led the English Order of Merit and already this year has taken second place in the South Atlantic Championship.
Anna Highgate, 21, a full time amateur from Bridgend, first played at International level for the Welsh girls’ team in 1997 and since 1999 has been a full Welsh International. In addition to the Home Internationals, she has represented her country in European events and in 2003 played for GB in the Commonwealth Tournament. She won her county championship for the three years, 2001 – 2003.
Anne Laing, 29, a lecturer in golf and sports studies, plays most of her golf at Vale of Leven and has twice, in 1996 and 2003 been Scottish Amateur Champion.  Last year’s win at the Old Course, St Andrews capped a highly successful season in which she topped the Scottish Order of Merit and played in the Vagliano Trophy and the Commonwealth Tournament
Danielle Masters, at 21, from Maidstone, is one of the younger members of the team and first came to the notice of selectors with her wins in the English Under–21 and Under–23 Championships.  After making steady progress, she led the qualifiers in the 2003 Ladies’ British Championship at Lindrick and was rewarded last year with a place in the team for the Vagliano Trophy.
Shelley McKevitt is a 24-year-old from Reading who studied  sport and exercise science at the University of North Carolina.  She lifted her first major title in 1997 when she won the English Girls’ Championship and from 1998 till 2003, played most of her competitive golf at college in America.  In 2003 she had a single shot win in the Ladies’ British Stroke Play Championship, won the New Zealand Women’s Amateur Championship and reached the semi final stage of the English Match Play Championship at Aldeburgh. She also represented GB in the Commonwealth Tournament.
Fame More, 22, has represented GB&I since the 2001 Vagliano Trophy match in which she won all four matches.  She also played two years later at County Louth and in the Curtis Cup in 2002 at Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania.  In 2003 she finished fourth in the Ladies British Stroke Play and reached the quarter finals of both the Ladies’ British Match Play and English Match Play Championships.
Nicola Timmins, 23, is a maths teacher at Pent Valley Technology College, and manages to combine top level amateur golf with her career in education. In 2003 she was selected to play for England in the Home Internationals and the European Championships and in the same year won the English Ladies’ Intermediate Championship at Notts Ladies’ Golf Club.
“This year’s match is generating a huge amount of public interest,” said Andy Salmon, CEO of the Ladies’ Golf Union.
“We have planned for around 6,000 spectators on each of the two days and have already gone some way towards these targets with our advance ticket sales.  However, we still intend selling tickets at the gate and are anticipating a ‘full house’ for what we expect to be a close and highly competitive match.”
An adult season ticket for the biennial clash, which includes entry to the two practice days on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th June, the opening ceremony on Friday 11th June and two days of tournament play over the weekend of Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th June, costs £28.00 and can be purchased on-line at www.lgu.org. Alternatively, members of the public can buy their tickets through the Curtis Cup ticket hot-line on 0870 366 6541. A daily ticket for tournament play on Saturday and Sunday will cost £15 per day while juniors, under the age of 16, can enjoy the experience free of charge, if accompanied by an adult.
The Curtis Cup was first played in 1932 at Wentworth. The Great Britain & Ireland team hope to follow on from their Vagliano Trophy victory against the Continent of Europe and regain the Curtis Cup that they last won at Killarney in 1996.
The Curtis Cup team was announced at a media day sponsored by the North West Development Agency (NWDA). 
Similar help has come from England's Golf Coast which is delighted to be supporting the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) in staging the 2004 Curtis Cup match at Formby, Sefton (Southport). England's Golf Coast is the result of the Boroughs of Sefton, Wirral, Fylde and Lancashire teaming up with the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) and The Mersey Partnership (TMP) to make the region the most significant golfing destination in the UK by promoting its world class courses, seven of which are of championship standard.
* * * *
Team
Claire Coughlan            24                    Cork
Emma Duggleby            32                 Malton & Norton
Anna Highgate            21                   Southerndown
Anne Laing                29                    Vale of Leven
Danielle Masters            21                 Bearsted – Tudor Park
Shelley McKevitt            24                 Reading
Fame More               22                      Chesterfield
Nicola Timmins            23                    Sene Valley
Reserves
1. Lynn Kenny             24                    Stirling 
2. Tricia Mangan          30                    Ennis 
3. Kate Phillips             21                    Creigiau 
4. Clare Queen             20                    Drumpellier

Fife County Championship
KRYSTLE IS LEADING FIFE QUALIFIER
Krystle Caithness, 15-year-old St Regulus Golf Club member, followed up her recent win in the SLGA St Leonards Under-16 girls' open stroke-play championship by being the leading qualifier at Dunfermline for the match-play stages of the Fife women's county championship.
Krystle topped the 16 qualifiers by four shots with an impressive round of 72, two under the CSS, thanks to birdies at the first, seventh, 14th and 18th. A double-bogey 5 at the short 13th was the only real blemish on the youngster's card.
Last year Miss Caithness reached the semi-finals of the championship which was won by Lorna Bennett (Ladybank).
St Regulus club players finished 1-2-3 in the qualifying round with former Scottish champion Elaine Moffat and Fiona Lockhart both scoring 76.
QUALIFIERS (CSS 74)
72 K Caithness (St Regulus).
76 E Moffat (St Regulus), F Lockhart (St Regulus).
78 K Milne (Dunfermline).
80 L Bennett (Ladybank), K Webster (Ladybank).
81 D Ford (Scotscraig).
82 J Sharp (Kirkcaldy), M Campsie (Scotscraig), B Copland (Scotscraig).]
83 A Wilson (Ladybank), L Rolland (Dunfermline), S Millar (Kirkcaldy), L Fair (Kirkcaldy).
84 E Hodgetts (Balbirnie), G Davidson (Saline).
Match-play draw (Saturday, April 24, 9.45am)
Caithness v Davidson, Campsie v Sharp, Bennett v Rolland, Millar v Milne, Lockhart v Fair, Wilson v Webster, Ford v Copland, Hodgetts v Moffat.

Aberdeenshie Girls
Nikki McAulay from Stonehaven won the opening event of the Aberdeenshire girls' season in a steady downpour at Aboyne yesterday.
Playing off 23 of a handicap, she scored 35 stableford points to win the Grant Trophy from a field of 22.
A name to note for the future perhaps - Kimberley Beveridge, only eight years old, but she scored 30 points round her home course off a handicap of 36.
Leading scores (CSS 73):
N McAulay (Stonehaven) (23) 35pt
L MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) (23) 34
R Considine (Banchory) (27), M Johnstone (Northern) (20), L Williamson(Aberdeen University) (7), L Murray (Alford) (8) 32.
H Thomson (Newmachar) (26) 31.
K Beveridge (Aboyne) (36), M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) (11), S Wilson (Murcar) (5) 30.

Sunday 18th April 2004

Fife Girls team - Winners of the Cuthberson Cup at The Glen Golf Club, North Berwick today
L to R: Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank), Hannah Harvey (St Leonards), Rebecca Copeland (Scotscraig) and Krystle Caithness (St Regulus)

East of Scotland
Fife win the Cuthberson Cup
Fife and East Lothian fought a nerve-racking battle this afternoon at the Glen Golf Club, North Berwick, for the Cuthberson Cup.
In the opening match, Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), recent winner of the SLGA / St Leonards Under 16 Open Strokeplay title, was three down with three to play against Fiona Hindshaw (Haddington), and had to pull out all the stops to secure a half.
Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank) , a student at Elmwood College, was dormie 4 against a tenacious Claire McLaughlin (Kilspindie), who took her to the 17th green before succombing. Ashleigh was under par for her holes played.
The third match involved Becky Copeland (Scotscraig) and Sarah Horsburgh (Dunbar) and there was little in it as they fought all the way to a half on the 18th green.
Tail-gunners, Hannah Harvey (St Leonards) and Megan Barbour (North Berwick) also took their match all the way to the 18th, and shared the honours.
The final result was Fife 2.5, East Lothian 1.5.
In the morning, East Lothian beat Midlothian by 3 matches to 1, and Fife beat Stirling and Clackmannan by a similar margin.
Midlothian and Stirling and Clackmannan played two foursomes matches in the afternoon, and shared them at 1 match apiece.
Full results
Morning
Midlothian 1 East Lothian 3 (Midlothian names first)
Amanda Edwards (Liberton) lost to Fiona Hindshaw (Haddington) 2 holes
Jane Turner (Glencorse) beat Claire McLaughlin (Kilspindie) 6 and 4
Sarah Heron (West Linton) lost tto Sarah Horsburgh (Dunbar) 5 and 4
Amanda Forrest (Broomieknowe( lost to Megan Barbour (North Berwick) 5 and 4
Fife 3 Stirling and Clackmannan 1 (Fife names first)
Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) beat Vicki Stevenson (Stirling) 6 and 4
Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank) beat Nicola Melville (Bridge of Allan) 5 and 3
Becky Copeland (Scotscraig) lost to Louise Macgregor (Falkirk Carmuirs) 1 hole
Hannah Harvey (St Leonards) beat Arlene McGarty (Bathgate) 6 and 5
Afternoon
East Lothian 1.5 Fife 2.5 (East Lothian Names first)
Fiona Hindshaw halved with Krystle Caithness
Claire McLaughlin lost to Ashleigh Wilton 2 and 1
Sarah Horburgh halved with Becky Copeland
Megan Barbour halved with Hannah Harvey
Midlothian 1 Stirling and Clackmannan 1 (Midlothian names first)
Jane Turner and Sarah Heron beat Louise Macgregor and Nicola Melville 2 and 1
Amanda Edwards and Amanda Forrest lost to Vicki Stevenson and Arlene McGarty 5 and 4

East of Scotland Girls Teams
The following girls were selected for the East of Scotland team to play West Girls at Pitreavie on Sunday 6th June at 1:30pm
Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), Amanda Edwards(Liberton), Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old), Nicola Melville (Bridge of Allan), Vicki Stevenson (Stirling), Jane Turner (Glencorse, Claire McLaughlin (Kilspindie), Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank) REserves Hannah Harvey (St Leonards) Sarah Horsburgh (Dunbar)
The following girls were selected for the East of Scotland team to play South of Scotland at Lochmaben on Saturday 26th June at 11:30am
Louise Macgregor (Falkirk Carmuirs), Arlene McGarty (Bathgate, Cara Easton (Dalmahoy), Samantha Lamb (Glencorse)

Spanish Junior Championship
ANOTHER TITLE FOR ELISA
Elisa Serramia from Barcelona, who will be defending the British women's open amateur championship at Gullane in June, just keeps on winning.
The 19-year-old, who is bound for the University of California-Berkeley - Vikki Laing's alma mater - in the autumn, has followed up her victory in the French junior women's open championship by winning the Spanish junior women's international championship at Lomas-Bosque, 20 miles away from Madrid.
She beat Maria Hernandez, also from Spain, at the 19th hole of the final.
In the semi-finals, Elisa beat Adriana Zwanck (Spain) 3 and 2 while Maria beat Irene Baon, the fourth Spanish player in the semi-finals, by one hole.

Saturday 17th April 2004

This website is two years old today!
Thanks to Colin Farquharson for keeping the website going during the last two days. I've cut and pasted his HotNews reports onto this page so that you don't lose any continuity. Back to normal now. You'll be please to know that Tyson, the rottweiller, did his job and we didn't get burgled.

Ada O'Sullivan, seated centre, surrounded by the Squad and officials
Photo courtesy and copyright © Tom Ward

Weetabix Challenge
ADA'S AMATEURS TURN TABLES ON PROS
The Ladies Golf Union Elite Squad - the short leet for the Great Britain & Ireland women's amateur team for the forthcoming Curtis Cup match - scored a great morale-boosting win over the professionals of the Ladies' European Tour select in the Weetabix Challenge at Formby Golf Club on Saturday, only eight weeks ahead of the encounter with the United States - Michelle Wie and all - over the same Merseyside side.
Only 12 months after being drubbed 16 1/2-4 1/2 by the professionals in the annual Weetabix match, skipper Ada O'Sullivan's girls gained their revenge with a 14 1/2-9 1/2 victory.
Ada had predicted on the eve of the match that "It would be a different story this year" ... and she was so right.
The LGU team won the morning foursomes session 4 1/2 - 3 1/2 - equalling their whole day's points total of 2003 in one session of play - and then increased their lead over the professionals to 5pt by winning nine of the 16 singles ties and halving two others.
Double winners - morning and afternoon - for the amateurs were Emma Duggleby (Malton & Norton), Sarah Jones (Pennard), Kerry Smith (Waterlooville), Sophie Walker (Kenwick Park). Scottish champion Anne Laing from Vale of Leven was the biggest LGU winner of the singles. She chalked up a 5 and 4 win over a former Curtis Cup player, Caroline Hall after going up four up at the eighth.
Clare Queen (Drumpellier) lost twice on the day, going down by 4 and 3 in the singles to Wendy Dicks after losing the fourth, fifth and eighth on the outward half.
Lynn Kenny (Stirling University) won her morning foursomes in parthership with Kerry Smith but then lost by 3 and 2 to Joanne Morley after running up two double bogeys before the turn and letting the match get away from her by losing the ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th.
The Weetabix Challenge match was started in 1994 and this is only the second win by the LGU Elite Squad. The only other time was in 1998. Since then the professionals have won rather easily each year, culminating in last year's runaway victory.
The LGU Curtis Cup team selectors meet in the Formby clubhouse on Sunday morning and they will have a tough time narrowing their choice down to the eight-player line-up to face the Americans on June 12 and 13.
LGU chief executive Andy Salmon said: " To win the Weetabix Challenge in this Curtis Cup year here at Formby and so close to the match is going to give the girls a great lift ahead of the Americans' visit in only eight weeks."
Skipper Ada O'Sullivan said: "The selectors have a ferocious task ahead of them. I would find it difficult myself to whittle the squad down to just eight. I can think of 10 maybe more players who have justifiable claims to be in this year's Curtis Cup team.
"I think our preparation for the match against the Americans has been superb, particularly the recent matches against top-level men's county teams, Lancashire and Cheshire. There's no question those toughened up the girls' match-play games. Match-play is so different from stroke play - that's why we have a definite chance against the Americans.
"Our girls now have belief in themselves. It has been developing and that is why I was so confident that we could beat the professionals this year. Now that self-belief should be sky night. Not cockiness, not over-confidence just a belief in their own ability."
Results (LGU Elite Squad amateurs first):
LGU ELITE SQUAD 14 1/2, LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR SELECT 9 1/2
FOURSOMES
S McKevitt (Eng) & E Duggleby (Eng) beat A Munt (Aus) & S Heath (Eng) 4 and 3.
T Mangan (Ire) & F More (Eng) halved with N Moult (Eng) & L Fairclough (Eng).
C Coughlan (Ire) & C Queen (Sco) lost to C Ekelundh (Swe) & C Dibnah (Aus) 3 and 1.
S Jones (Wal) & A Highgate (Wal) beat W Dicks (Eng) & M Eberl (Ger) 3 and 2.
A Laing (Sco) & K Phillips (Wal) lost to D Reid (Sco) & C Hall (Eng) 1 hole.
L Kenny (Sco) & K Smith (Eng) beat J Forbes (Sco) & K Knowles (Eng) 2 and 1.
D Masters (Eng) & N Timmins (Eng) lost to R Bailey (Eng) & S Parry (US) 4 and 3.
S Walker (Eng) & M Gillen (Ire) beat J Mills (Aus) & J Morley (Eng) 3 and 2.
(4 1/2-3 1/2)
SINGLES
Mangan halved with Fairclough.
Duggleby beat Munt 4 and 2.
More beat Heath 3 and 2.
McKevitt lost to Moult 4 and 3.
Coughlan lost to Ekelundh 5 and 4.
Highgate halved with Eberl.
Queen lost to Dicks 4 and 3.
Jones beat Dibnah 2 and 1.
Laing beat Hall 5 and 4.
Phillips beat Reid 3 and 1.
Gillen lost to Forbes 6 and 4.
Timmins beat Bailey 3 and 1.
Smith beat Knowles 3 and 1.
Walker beat Parry 3 and 2.
Kenny lost to Morley 3 and 2.
Masters beat Mills 2 holes.
(10-6)

Weetabix Challenge - Lunchtime edition
LGU AMATEURS TAKE FOURSOMES LEAD
The Ladies Golf Union Elite Squad of amateurs led the Ladies European Tour team of professionals 4 1/2-3 1/2 at the end of the morning foursomes in the Weetabix Challenge match at Formby Golf Club, Merseyside.
That means that Curtis Cup skipper Ada O'Sullivan's bold pre-match prediction that it "would be a different story this year" was spot on.
In last year's Weetabix match at Royal Birkdale, the amateurs won only 4 1/2pt all day long and were hammered by a 12pt margin by their professional opponents.
Ada - whose team of eight for the Curtis Cup match against the United States at the same venue on June 12-13 will be chosen by the LGU selectors on Sunday morning - based her confident outlook on the series of toughening-up matches the lady amateurs have played against county-level male opposition in recent weeks.
The LGU morning winners were Shelley McKevitt and Emma Duggleby, Sarah Jones and Anna Highgate, Lynn Kenny and Kerry Smith, and Sophie Walker and Martina Gillen.
Tricia Mangan and Fame More gained half a point for the amateurs in a square match which would have been another win for the LGU girls but for a 12ft birdie putt holed by Nicola Moult on the last green to wipe out the amateurs' one-hole lead.
Results (LGU Elite Squad amateurs first):
FOURSOMES
S McKevitt (Eng) & E Duggleby (Eng) beat A Munt (Aus) & S Heath (Eng) 4 and 3.
T Mangan (Ire) & F More (Eng) halved with N Moult (Eng) & L Fairclough (Eng).
C Coughlan (Ire) & C Queen (Sco) lost to C Ekelundh (Swe) & C Dibnah (Aus) 3 and 1.
S Jones (Wal) & A Highgate (Wal) beat W Dicks (Eng) & M Eberl (Ger) 3 and 2.
A Laing (Sco) & K Phillips (Wal) lost to D Reid (Sco) & C Hall (Eng) 1 hole.
L Kenny (Sco) & K Smith (Eng) beat J Forbes (Sco) & K Knowles (Eng) 2 and 1.
D Masters (Eng) & N Timmins (Eng) lost to R Bailey (Eng) & S Parry (US) 4 and 3.
S Walker (Eng) & M Gillen (Ire) beat J Mills (Aus) & J Morley (Eng) 3 and 2.
LGU Elite squad 4 1/2, Ladies European Tour 3 1/2
(16 singles to be played in afternoon)

SINEAD HERATY APPOINTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF IRISH L G U
Sinead Heraty has been appointed chief executive of the Irish Ladies Golf Union.
Ita Butler, President of the ILGU, commented: "Sinead brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the new role of Chief Executive and we are delighted that she has accepted the position.
"Membership of the Irish Ladies' Golf Union has almost doubled in the last ten years and we are confident that Sinead's management and motivational skills will be of particular benefit to us at this exciting time in our organisation's development.
"Overseeing the implementation of our Strategic Plan will be one of the key responsibilities of our Chief Executive whilst at the same time maintaining and improving the core business of the ILGU.
"Sinead will be taking up her appointment in June and we, in the Irish Ladies' Golf Union, look forward to working closely with her in providing a good service to our growing membership."

Irish Girls Inter-Provincials
CONNACHT WIN TITLE FOR FIRST TIME
Connacht, the favourites, won the Irish girls' inter-provincial team championship for the first time at Westport Golf Club on Friday.
The last day's proceedings were marred slightly by a mystery illness bug which laid several players low. Connacht were the only team able to field a full complement of players in the afternoon singles.
Ulster had only four fit players. Leinster had two players incapacitated while Munster had three hors de combat due to the bug.
Connacht completed their programme with a 100 per cent record beating Ulster 6-2.
Leinster and Munster drew 3 1/2-3 1/2.
Final points totals:
Connacht 3pt
Ulster 2pt
Leinster 1/2pt
Munster 1/2pt

Spanish Junior Championship
ALL-SPANISH SEMI-FINALS IN MADRID
The last two non-Spanish players in the Spanish junior women's international championship at Madrid were eliminated in the first round of the match-play stages on Friday.
Laura Thiel (Germany) and Maria Verchenova (Russia) lost to B Mozo and C Ciganda respectively.
The semi-finalists are Elisa Serramia, the British women's open amateur champion, Maria Hernandez, I Baon and Adriana Zwanck.
Results (Players from Spain unless stated):
FIRST ROUND
S Cologan beat P Arana 5 and 4.
M Hernandez beat L Mar 2 and 1.
A Felgueroso beat C Andrade at 19th.
I Baon beat A Munoz 2 and 1.
C Ciganda beat M Verchenova (Rus) 4 and 3.
A Zwanck beat M Macias at 19th.
B Mozo beat L Thiel (Ger) 1 hole.
E Serramia beat E Cabrera 5 and 4.
QUARTER-FINALS
Hernandez beat Cologan 3 and 2.
Baon beat Felgueroso 4 and 3.
Zwanch beat Ciganda 4 and 3.
Serramia beat Mozo 7 and 6.

Friday 16th April 2004

Weetabix Challenge Preview
ADA STICKS HER CHIN OUT FOR WEETABIX MATCH v PROS
Curtis Cup skipper Ada O'Sullivan put her judgment on the line at Formby Golf Club on Friday when she predicted that "Things will be different this time" in the annual one-day Weetabix Challenge golf match between the Ladies Golf Union Elite Squad - the short leet for the Curtis Cup match against the United States at the same venue on June 12 and 13 - and the Ladies' European Tour team.
Last year at Royal Birkdale, the pros thumped the amateurs 16 1/2-4 1/2, a record margin in the series. In 2002 and 2001 it was 12-6 and 13-5 in favour of the pros who have not lost this match since 1998.
"Yes, we lost heavily last year but a lot of the matches were decided as late as the 16th, 17th and 18th holes," said Ada. "We've had some matches against men lately and these will have toughened up our girls so that they can finish better and win in tight situations.
"This is a rehearsal for the Curtis Cup. There is no doubt about that. We are using the same tees, the same course (6,369yd) as we will have for the match against the Americans. There will be the same kind of pressure on the LGU Elite Squad to win.
"I don't agree with those who say the amateurs are on a hiding to nothing. In my view only good can come out of playing against professionals in preparation for the Curtis Cup."
Scots Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Lynn Kenny (Stirling University) and Clare Queen (Drumpellier) follow their skipper's lead in being confident that it will be no walk-over for the professionals this time - and they are horrified at the suggestion that the pros should concede at least a couple of bisques (shots to be taken at holes decided by the player who receives them) to their amateur opponents to make it a fairer contest.
"We are all raring to go," said Anne Laing. "We won't need to receive strokes. We can beat them."
"It's a long course, set up for the Curtis Cup, and there's not much run at this time of the year but it's the same for all us. I'm up for it. Bring them on," said Lynn Kenny.
"I'm playing quite well and really looking forward to playing the pros. Another two weeks, then exams and that will be be finished at Strathclyde University. So I'm going to do nothing but play golf for the rest of the year. Isn't that great?" said Claire Queen.
The professionals' team at Formby includes former Solheim Cup skipper Dale Reid from Ladybank and Julie Forbes from Aboyne.
The team of eight amateurs to represent Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup match on June 12-13 will be chosen by the LGU international selection committee after a meeting in the Formby clubhouse on Sunday morning.
Saturday's matches:
FOURSOMES (GB&I amateurs first)
8.0 S McKevitt (Eng) & E Duggleby (Eng) v A Munt (Aus) & S Heath (Eng).
8.10 T Mangan (Ire) & F More (Eng) v N Moult (Eng) & L Fairclough (Eng).
8.20 C Coughlan (Ire) & C Queen (Sco) v C Ekelundh (Swe) & C Dibnah (Aus).
8.30 S Jones (Wal) & A Highgate (Wal) v W Dicks (Eng) & M Eberl (Ger).
8.40 A Laing (Sco) & K Phillips (Wal) v D Reid (Sco) & C Hall (Eng).
8.50 L Kenny (Sco) & K Smith (Eng) v J Forbes (Sco) & K Knowles (Eng).
9.0 D Masters (Eng) & NTimmins (Eng) v R Bailey (Eng) & S Parry(US).
9.10 S Walker (Eng) & M Gillen (Ire) v J Mills (Aus) & J Morley (Eng).
SINGLES
12.30 Mangan v Fairclough.
12.48 Duggleby v Munt.
12.56 More v Heath.
1.04 McKevitt v Moult.
1.12 Coughlan v Ekelundh.
1.20 Highgate v Eberl.
1.28 Queen v Dicks.
1.36 Jones v Dibnah.
1.44 Laing v Hall.
1.52 Phillips v Reid.
2.0 Gillen v Forbes.
2.08 Timmins v Bailey.
2.16 Smith v Knowles.
2.24 Walker v Parry.
2.32 Kenny v Morley.
2.40 Masters v Mills.

Spanish Girls Championship
BRITISH CHAMPION ELISA IS NO 2 SEED AT HOME
Only two non-Spanish girls are through to the match-play stage of the Spanish girls' international championship in Madrid.
They are Laura Thiel (Germany) who was the 10th qualifier with 153 and Maria Verchenova (Russia), the 14th qualifier with 154.
British amateur champion Elisa Serramia from Spain had to settle for No 2 seed status after two rounds of 72 for level par 142. Top qualifier was compatriot Sonia Cologan with 72 and 69 for 141.
LEADING TOTALS
141 Sonia Cologan (S;pa) 72 69.
144 Elisa Serramia (Spa) 72 72.
146 Carlota Ciganda (Spa) 74 72, Azahara Munoz (Spa) 73 73.
147 Carolina Andrade (Spa) 74 73.
Other qualifiers:
153 Laura Thiel (Ger) 79 74.
154 Maria Verchenova (Rus) 76 78.
Non-qualifiers included:
156 Kimberley Bouden (Wal) 79 76.
160 Breanne Loucks (Wal) 80 80.
168 Melanie Pearce (Wal) 88 80.
171 Donna Jones (Wal) 78 93.

West Coast Ladies Golf Tour
FISTFUL OF DOLLARS FOR SUSIE LAING
Susie Laing from Troon - a resident of San Francisco since her college days - earned dollars 1,150 for a joint sixth place finish in The 2004 Traditional tournament at Sunrize, Arizona, the latest event on the West Coast Ladies Golf Tour.
Susie had rounds of 69, 67 and 68. She finished five shots behind two-stroke winner Dina Ammaccapane from Phoenix. Dina followed up a 67 and 69 with a course-record 63 for 199 for the dollars 3,400 first prize.
Lisa Meredith-Seary, from Reading, the only other British player in the event, tied for 15th place with 211 (72, 71, 68).
SCOREBOARD
199 Dina Ammaccapane (US) 67 69 63.
201 Cathie Williamson (US) 68 66 67, Alena Sharp (Can) 67 66 6, Dodie Mazzuca (US) 66 66 69, Yang Hong Mei (Chi) 65 66 70.
204 Joellyn Crooks (US) 66 72 66, Susie Laing (Sco) 69 67 68.
Other score: 211 Lisa Meredith-Seary (Eng) 72 71 68.

Thursday 15th April 2004

Ayrshire County News
ALEX GLENNIE BEATS JANE FINNIE IN CRACKING FINAL
English-born Alex Glennie won the Ayrshire women's county golf championship for the first time at West Kilbride Golf CluB on Thursday. Twice women's club champion at Broadstone and now a member at Prestwick St Nicholas, Mrs Glennie, who was the sixth of the 16 match-play qualifiers, beat Jane Finnie (Troon Ladies) by one hole with one-under-par play in an exciting, fluctuating final, played in dry conditions after the heavy morning rain.
Mrs Finnie, who was Ayrshire champion as Jane Leishman in 1985, came back well to square that match at the 15th after losing the third, fourth, fifth and sixth to a one-under-par run from her opponent.
Jane, the fifth qualifier, scored her first success at the ninth, then birdied the 11th and took the 12th and 15th with pars to be back on level terms.
After a half at the 16th, Alex Glennie struck the decisive blow, winning the 17th with a birdie to edge ahead again. The last was halved.
In the morning semi-finals, Mrs Finnie ended the bid by 1992 champion Catherine Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert) to reach the final for the seventh time while Mrs Glennie beat Audrey Thompson (Loudoun).
AYRSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
West Kilbride Golf Club
Semi-finals _ Jane Finnie (Troon Ladies) beat Catherine Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert) 2 and 1, Alex Glennie (Prestwick St Nicholas) beat Audrey Thompson (Loudoun) 6 and 5.
Final _ Glennie beat Finnie 1 hole.

Irish Girls
Girls Interprovincial Matches Westport Golf Club 14th – 16th April 2004
Match Results for Day 2 – Thursday 15th April 1
Ulster 2 - Leinster 0 Foursomes (Ulster names first) Danielle McVeigh & Lynsey Humphries beat Tara Delaney & Kate Leydon 4/3 Charlene Reid & Emma Getty beat Rachel Cassidy & Orla Dunphy 3/2
Munster 0 - Connacht 2 Foursomes (Munster names first) Catherine Tucker & Naoimh McMahon lost to Sinead O’Sullivan & Emma Gilmore 5/4 Linda Toomey & Sarah Cunningham -v- Fiona Carroll & Laura Holmes 5/3

Student Golf
Oxford beat Cambridge in nail-biting finish

Left to right back row Samantha Grey-Wilson, Sophie Harper, Camilla Day, Tania Oh, Jenny Andrews, Carolyn Olsburgh, Kirsty Wybar, Alex Leriche, Helen Moore, Keiko Saito, and sitting from the left; Jen Harvey, Lisa Benham (Oxford Captain), Sarah Ticehurst (Cambridge Captain), Erin Mitchell

The 7th Ladies' Golf Varsity Match took place this year at the historic Rye Golf Club in East Sussex, and ended in victory for the Oxford team after a closely fought battle that came down to the last match of the day. Full report

Stirling and Clackmannan County website
Stirling and Clackmannan Ladies County Golf Association have taken up my offer of providing a website on kirkwoodgolf. It will give them the opportunity to publish draws and results and pass on County News to their members. Please visit it here, or find it in the index on the left (under Counties). If any other Counties are interested in providing a website.... please get in touch with me

Spanish Junior Championship
ELISA IS OFF AND RUNNING IN PURSUIT OF HOME TITLE
Elisa Serramia, the Spanish teenager who won the British women's amateur title at Lindrick last June and the French junior women's title in Paris on Monday, is sharing the lead at the end of the first round of the Spanish international junior women's championship over the Lomas Bosque course in Madrid. Elisa, who is bound for the University of California-Berkeley in the autumn and currently has a handicap of plus 3, shot a 72, a score matched only by compatriot Sonia Cologan. Lying third is another Spanish starlet, Azahara Munoz who, a year or two ago, won the Spanish WOMEN'S championship when she was only 14. Wales are the only one of the four home countries supporting the Spanish event. They have sent three players over to Madrid and the best placed after the first round is Donna Jones, joint 13th on 78. Kimberley Boulden is lying tied for 17th on 79 while Breanne Loucks is joint 23rd on 80.

West Coast Ladies Golf Tour
SUSIE WELL UP IN ARIZONA
Troon exile Susie Laing was lying in joint seventh place at the end of the first round in the 54-hole "The 2004 Traditional" tournament at Arizona Traditions Golf Club in Surprise. Susie had a sub-par score of 69 - four behind leader Yang Hong Mei from China. Dodie Mazzuca (Las Vegas) and Joellyn Crooks (Wisconsin) were lying joint second onf 66. Lisa Meredith-Seary from Reading, the only other British player competing on the West Coast Ladies Golf Tour, had a score of 72.

East of Scotland Vets
Results from ESVLGA Spring Meeting Silver Division, Gullane No 3
Scratch Noreen Fenton 76
Handicap Margaret Sneddon 82 13 6 Nancy Lichrish 83 13 70 Anne Henderson 90 19 71 Carol MacLeod 83 11 72 bih
Bronze Division Handicap Catriona Henderson 92 25 67 Caryl Campbell 96 25 71

Wednesday 14th April 2004

Ayrshire County Championship
IT COULD BE CATHERINE THE SEVENTH OF AYRSHIRE
TOP seed Catherine Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert) is on course for a seventh appearance in the final of the Ayrshire women's county golf championship. On a very windy day at West Kilbride Golf Club, Mrs Malcolm first beat her clubmate and sister in law Shona Malcolm by two holes and then repeated last year's win over three times past champion Sharon Lambie (Troon Ladies) by 4 and 3. Catherine now plays Jane Finnie (Troon Ladies) for a place in the final.
The other semi-final features Alex Glennie (Prestwick St Nicholas) and Audrey Thompson (Loudoun) who beat the No 2 seed, young Lesley Hendry (Routenburn) by 2 and 1 in yesterday's (Wed) quarter-finals.
Mrs Malcolm won the Ayrshire title when she was Miss Catherine Gibson in 1992 and then, since her marriage, has lost in the finals of 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003.
Collated scoreboard
AYRSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP West Kilbride Golf Club
First round _ C Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert) beat S Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert) 2 holes, S Lambie (Troon Ladies) beat G Lockhart (Barassie) 3 and 2, J Finnie (Troon Ladies) beat S Streets (Largs) 4 and 3, M Wilson (Girvan) beat E Taylor (Troon Ladies) 3 and 2, C Taylor (Troon Ladies) beat R Purdom (Prestwick St Nicholas) 2 and 1, A Glennie (Prestwick St Nicholas) beat L Keohone (Loudoun) 2 and 1, A Thompson (Loudoun) beat M McQueen (Largs) at 22nd, L Hendry (Routenburn) beat J Neilson (West Kilbride) 2 and 1.
Quarter-finals _ C Malcolm beat Lambie 4 and 3, Finnie beat Wilson 4 and 3, Glennie beat C Taylor at 19th, Thompson beat Hendry 3 and 2.

Irish Girls Interprovincial Matches
LEINSTER AND ULSTER MAKE GOOD START AT WESTPORT
There were clear-cut wins for Leinster and Ulster on the opening day of the Irish girls' provincial team championship at Westport Golf Club. Leinster beat Connacht 6-2 after losing both the morning foursomes but making a clean sweep of the six afternoon singles. Ulster beat Munster 6-2, taking 5 1/2pt of the six available in the singles.
Scoreboard IRISH GIRLS' PROVINCIAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP Westport Golf Club CONNACHT 2, LEINSTER 6
Foursomes (2-0) Sinead O'Sullivan & Emma Gilmore beat Tara Delaney & Kate Leydon 3 and 2. Fiona Carroll & Laura Holmes beat Rachel Cassidy & Orla Dunphy 1 hole.
Singles (0-6) Sinead O'Sullivan lost to Tara Delaney 2 and 1. Emma Gilmore lost to Rachel Cassidy 5 and 4. Fiona Carroll lost to Kate Leyden 2 and 1. Laura Holmes lost to Orla Dunphy 5 and 4. Anne McCormack lost to Sarah Carty 3 and 2. Sarah Faller lost to Aisling Hyland 5 and 4.
MUNSTER 2, ULSTER 6
Foursomes (1/2-1 1/2) Catherine Tucker & Naoimh McMahon halved with Danielle McVeigh & Lynsey Humphries. Linda Toomey & Sarah Cunningham lost to Charlene Reid & Nikki Taggart 3 and 2.
Singles (1/2-5 1/2) Catherine Tucker halved with Danielle McVeigh. Naoimh McMahon lost to Charlene Reid 5 and 4. Linda Toomey lost to Nikki Taggart 1 hole. Louise Butler lost to Emma Getty 6 and 5. Aisling O'Connor lost to Lynsey Humphries 6 and 5. Sarah Cunningham lost to Louise Coffey 3 and 2.

US College Golf
SCOTS DOWN THE FIELD IN OKLAHOMA
The three Scots competing in the Suzie Maxwell Berning Classic women's college golf tournament finished down the field in the 54-hole event over the Jimmie Austin course at Norman, Oklahoma on Tuesday. Louise Kenney (Iowa State University) from Pitreavie, Dunfermline had rounds of 79, 77 and 79 to finish tied 30th on 235. Arkansas-Little Rock University team-mates Fiona Gilbert from Carnoustie and Laura Walker from Nairn were joint 40th on 240. Fiona scored 80, 83 and 77 while Laura's rounds were 83, 75 and 82.
Oklahoma (900) won the team event from Southern Methodist (920) and Baylor (924). Arkansas-Little Rock (930) came sixth. Iowa State (948) finished 10th.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 215 Lisa Meldrum (Oklahoma) 73 70 72. 221 Linda Svennson (Arkansas-Little Rock) 74 71 70. Scots' scores: 235 Louise Kenney (Iowa State) 79 77 79. 240 Fiona Gilbert (Arkansas-Little Rock) 80 83 77, Laura Walker (Arkansas-Little Rock) 83 75 82.

Tuesday 13th April 2004

SLGA St Leonards Under 16 Open Stroke Play Championship
Yes... the moment you've all been waiting for.. the photos are here

SLGA MOVE TO PERTH THIS WEEK
The Scottish Ladies Golfing Association is moving its headquarters from Drumoig to Perth later this week.
The actual movement of office furniture, equipment, files, etc will be handled by a professional firm on Thursday. SLGA secretary Dr Sheila Hartley and her full-time staff of Alison Houston and Mary Bird will be "open for business" at The Den, 2 Dundee North Road, Perth from Friday morning.
"The central location will provide easier access for our members with good road and rail links," said SLGA chairman Pat Hutton.
"The new premises will afford us the additional accommodation required to meet the growing needs of the association as we move forward into our second century.
Although no longer based under the same Drumoig roof as the Scottish Golf Union, chairman Hutton stresses that the spirit of co-operation between the two bodies will not be affected by the move.
"We will continue to work in close partnership with the Scottish Golf Union on issues common to both organisations. We look forward to utilising our new premises for the many meetings held by the executive committee and other administrators on behalf of our members."

Midlothian County Ladies' Spring Meeting - Braids No 1 April 13th 2004
LGU SS 72, CSS 75 (Reduction Only)
Elizabeth Simpson (Murrayfield) won the Cormack Salver for the best Scratch score at the Spring Meeting at The Braids No 1 with a score of 81. The best net overall score came from Nancy Lickrish (Dalmahoy) who had a net 73. The weather was fine, although there was a strong breeze and the competitors found the greens very difficult.
Silver Scratch - Winner of Cormack Salver: Elizabeth Simpson (Murrayfield) 81
2nd Scratch - Pamela Williamson (Baberton) 82
Best overall net - Nancy Lickrish (Dalmahoy) 86 (13) 73 (bih)
2nd overall net -Carol Fulton (Ratho Park) 92 (18) 74 (conceded by Elizabeth Simpson)
Silver Handicap 1. Jane Turner (Glencorse) 84 (7) 77
2. Jennifer Bryans ( Harburn) 83(5) 78 (bih)
Bronze Scratch - winner of the CM Park Rosebowl Margaret McLaren (Torphin Hill) 105
Bronze Handicap: Jennifer Moffat (Lothianburn) 109 (22) 87 (bih) (conceded by Margaret McLaren))

Ayrshire County
MALCOLM FAMILY BATTLE IN AYRSHIRE CHAMPIONSHIP
SISTERS in law Catherine and Shona Malcolm, both members of Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club, meet in the first round of the match-play stages of the Ayrshire women's golf county championship at West Kilbride GC on Wednesday.
Catherine earned the No 1 seed position in a field of 107 with a round of 80 on a day when the weather was bad enough for the CSS to be non-counting. Shona was the last of the 16 qualifiers with a score of 92.
Past champion Sharon Lambie (Troon Ladies) qualified in ninth spot with an 85 and plays Gillian Lockhart (Barassie), who also had an 85. The winner of this tie will play the winner of the Malcolms' family battle.
Laura Moffat is not defending the title because she works in the New York area.
Collated scoreboard
AYRSHIRE WOMEN'S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
West Kilbride
Leading qualifiers
80 C Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert).
82 L Hendry (Routenburn), C Taylor (Troon Ladies), M Wilson (Girvan).
83 J Finnie (Troon Ladies).
84 A Glennie (Prestwick St Nicholas, M McQueen (Largs).
85 S Lambie (Troon Ladies), G Lockhart (Barassie), A Thompson (Loudoun).
86 L Keohone (Loudoun).
88 C Taylor (Troon Ladies), S Streets (Largs).
91 R Purdom (Prestwick St Nicholas).
92 J Neilson (West Kilbride), S Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert).
Match-play draw:
First round - C Malcolm v S Malcolm, S Lambie v G Lockhart, J Finnie v S Streets, E Taylor v M Wilson, C Taylor v R Purdom, L Keohone v A Glennie, M McQueen v A Thompson, J Neilson v L Hendry.
Leading handicap:
Silver Division - M Wilson (Girvan) (8) 74; S Streets (Largs) (12) (bih), D Cree (Prestwick St Cuthbert) (16) 76.
Bronze Division _ M Magee (Barassie) (21) 76; A Kettlewell (Troon Ladies) (23) (bih), C Tortolano (West Kilbride) (22) 79.
Quaich Finals - Silver Division _ S Streets (Largs) (12) 76; A Thompson (Loudoun) (5) 80.

West of Scotland Girls
West Girls beat Fereneze Boys by three matches to one on Sunday

ELISA WINS FRENCH JUNIOR OPEN TITLE
Elisa Serramia from Spain, winner of the British women's open amateur championship at Lindrick last June, added another title to her collection at Paris St Cloud on Easter Monday. She beat compatriot Beatriz Recari by 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final of the French junior women's open amateur championship for the Trophee Esmond.
In the consolation tournament for the Trophee Michel Carlhian, Jade Schaeffer of France beat Azahara Munoz (Spain) at the 19th hole.

Ireland v Scotland Vets match
LORNA BENNETT MAKES VETERANS' DEBUT FOR SCOTLAND
LORNA Bennett (Ladybank), pictured right, five times Fife women's county champion over a span of 19 years - she defends the title later this month, makes her first appearance for Scotland against Ireland at over-50s level in the veteran women's international golf match for the Mary McKenna Trophy at The Hermitage, Dublin on April 20 and 21. Miss Bennett was capped for Scotland in 1977, 1980 and 1981.
Other "new" faces in the Scotland team which won the trophy at Prestwick last year are Cecilia Kenny (Dunblane), winner of the Scottish veteran women's title at Blairgowrie last October and mother of Curtis Cup team candidate Lynn Kenny, and Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park), winner of the Scottish senior women's championship at Ballater last summer.
The Scotland team is captained by Joan Marshall (Baberton).
Teams are: SCOTLAND - Rose Anderson (Huntly), Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park), Lorna Bennett (Ladybank), Liz Campbell (Torwoodlee), Noreen Fenton (Merchants of Edinburgh), Cecilia Kenny (Dunblane), Moira Thomson (North Berwick), Pamela Williamson (Baberton).
IRELAND - Roma English (Larne), Rhona Fanagan (Milltown), Valerie Hassett (Ennis), Mary Madden (Ballinasloe), Anna Maloney (Clonmel), Mary McKenna (Donabate), Denise O'Sullivan (Hermitage), Terry Sexton (Dun Laoghaire).

Monday 12th April 2004

Triumphant Scots - Scotland's Under 16 teams
Laura Murray (Alford), Jane Turner (Glencorse), Kelsey Macdonald (Nairn Dunbar), Roseanne Niven (Crieff), Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) Carly Booth (Auchterarder), Nancy Chisholm (President SLGA) and Pat Hutton (Chairman SLGA) after the prizegiving on Friday.
Well done Girls!

US COLLEGE NEWS ROUND-UP
LAMB TIES FOR 28TH IN HOT ARIZONA TOURNAMENT
FORMER Scottish boys' open stroke-play champion Mark Lamb, now a golf scholarship student at the University of Arizona, tied for 28th place in the Arizona State University Thunderbird Invitational college tournament over the Karsten course in Tempe, Arizona. So high was the standard of play that Lamb's two-under-par total of 214 (70, 73 and 71) did not get him in the top 20.
Spaniard Alejandro Canizares of the host university won the individual title with 65, 66 and 69 for 16-under-par 200 - two shots ahead of Ryan Moore (UNLV) who scored 67, 68 and 67.
The scoring in the team event was nothing short of sensational. Arizona State totalled 43-under-par 821 - to win by 11 strokes from Arizona (832) and Southern California (835).

MARTIN LAIRD TOP EUROPEAN IN US COLLEGE RANKINGS
COLORADO State University student Martin Laird from Hilton Park Golf Club, Glasgow is the top-ranked European player on the men's college golf circuit at the moment. Martin, recent winner of a 54-hole event, is ranked No 11 in the Golfstat Cup standings.
US Walker Cup player Bill Haas (Wake Forest) is No 1. GB&I Walker Cup hero David Inglis (Tulsa & Glencorse GC) is ranked 42nd.
In the Golfstat Cup women's college rankings, three members of the US Curtis Cup team for Formby on June 12 and 13 are in the top four. Liz Janangelo (Duke) is No 1, Erica Blasberg (Arizona) - last year's No 1 - is currently third and Brittany Lang (Duke) is rated No 4. The two other US team members currently at college - Sarah Huarte (California) and Annie Thurman (Oklahoma State) - are occupying 17th and 58th places respectively.
Irish champion Martina Gillen (Kent State University & Beaverstown) is the top-ranked Great Britain & Ireland player in 66th spot.
Scottish Under-21 title-holder Jenna Wilson (San Diego State & Strathaven) is in 90th place and, slightly surprisingly, her San Diego State team-mate, Heather MacRae from Dunblane, is down at No 114 in the latest rankings.
English player Rachel Bell (Southern California & Ganton) is 103rd.
Former Scottish girls champion Louise Kenney (Iowa State & Pitreavie) is ranked No 167.

Student Golf News
MARK HOPES TO IMPROVE HIS GOLF IN VIRGINIA
Mark Kerr, 21-year-old Edinburgh University and Dalmahoy Golf Club member, is taking a "year out" to enrol at Old Dominion University in Virginia, United States in the autumn.
"Basically, I want to play golf for a year in weather and conditions that will generally be better than we have in Scotland. The idea is to give myself a chance to see just how good a player I can become without the distractions I would have at home," said Mark who was beaten finalist in the Lothians' men's championship last year and finished tied for sixth place in the Craigmillar Park Open at the weekend. A former Craigmillar Park Golf Club member, Mark had rounds of 69, 65, 65 and 70 to an 11-under-par total of 269.

ALL-SPANISH FINAL IN FRENCH JUNIOR OPEN
British women's amateur champion Elisa Serramia will meet fellow Spaniard Beatriz Recari in Monday's 36-hole final of the French junior women's open championship at Paris St Cloud.
Serramia, the No 3 qualifier, beat yet another Spanish player, Carlota Ciganda, the No 2 seed, by the convincing margin of 7 and 6 in Sunday's semi-finals.
In the other penultimate tie, Recari beat France's last hope Anna Lise Caudal from Nivelle by two holes.
No English or Welsh player reached the last 16. Only Florentyna Parker, daughter of an English professional in Germany, Naomi Edwards and Felicity Johnson figured in the second-round programme. Florentyna beat Welsh left-hander Stephanie Evans 4 and 3 in the first round but then lost by 4 and 2 to Spain's Belen Mozo. Felicity Johnson had a good win over another English player, LGU Elite Squad member Sophie Walker by two holes but then lost by 2 and 1 to No 2 seed Ciganda.
Naomi Edwards won at the 19th in the first round against Elena Giraud but went down on the last green to Elisa Serramia in the second round.
MATCH-PLAY RESULTS FIRST ROUND Pernilla Lindberg (Swe) bt Valentine Derrey (Fra) 5 & 4. Beatriz Recari (Spa) bt Audrey Decharne (Fra) 7 & 6. Jennifer Weiler (Fra) bt Carmen Alonso (Spa) 3 & 1. Maria Hernandez (Spa) bt Kiran Matharu (Eng) 3 & 1. Anne Lise Caudal (Fra) bt Nicole Gergely (Aut) 2 & 1. Marine Deleplanque (Frta) bt Stefanie Michl (Aut) 2 holes. Denise Becker (Ger) bt Ana Sanso Rubert (Spa) 2 holes. Dewi-Claire Schreefel (Net) bt Maha Haddioui (Mor) 5 & 4. Elisa Serramia (Spa) bt Laura Eastwood (Eng) 4 & 3. Naomi Edwards (Eng) bt Elene Giraud (Fra) at 19th. Belen Mozo (Spa) bt Eva Steinberger (Aut) 4 & 3. Florentyna Parker (Eng) bt Stephanie Evans (Wal) 4 & 3. Stefani Endstrasser (Aut) bt Lou9ise Stahle (Swe) 3 & 2. Emma Cabrera (Spa) bt Joanna Klatten (Fra) 3 & 2. Felicity Johnson bt Sop[hie Walker (Eng) 2 holes. Carlola Ciganda (Spa) bt Claire Aitken (Eng) 3 & 1. SECOND ROUND Recari bt Lindberg 2 & 1. Hernandez bt Weiler 2 & 1. Caudal bt Deleplanque 7 & 6. Becker bt Schreefel 6 & 5. Serramia bt Edwards 1 hole. Mozo bt Parker 4 & 2. Cabrera bt Endstrasser at 20th. Ciganda bt Johnson 2 & 1.
QUARTER-FINALS Recari bt Hernandez 2 & 1. Caudal bt Beckere at 21st. Serramia bt Mozo 2 & 1. Ciganda bt Cabrera 5 & 3.
SEMI-FINALS Recari bt Caudal 2 holes. Serramia bt Ciganda 7 & 6.
FINAL (36 holes) Recari v Serramia

Jamie McLeary (University of Stirling) receives the Craigmillar Park Trophy from BP's Ian Howarth. Runner up Stuart Wilson is on the right.

McLEARY WINS CRAIGMILLAR PARK OPEN PLAY-OFF
Andrew McArthur, the 2002 Scottish amateur champion, led after two and three rounds but was caught down the home straight by Jamie McLeary and Stuart Wilson in an exciting finish to the Craigmillar Park Open 72-hole tournament in Edinburgh (Sat-Sun, Apr 10-11).
McLeary put his name on the list of title winners - which includes Nick Faldo - with a birdie at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off against Walker Cup player Wilson. Stirling University student McLeary had scores of 69, 66, 64, 65 over the par-70 lay-off while Wilson from Forfar carded 67, 70, 64 and 63 for a tie on 16-under-par 264. McArthur, who had squeezed 10 birdies into a brilliant second-round 62, could hardly buy a birdie putt over the last two rounds. He tied for third place, four shots behind the play-off participants, on 268 with Bryan Innes (Murcar) and Great Britain & Ireland boy cap last year, Lloyd Saltman (Craigielaw).
LEADING FINAL TOTALS (CSS 69 69 69 69) J McLeary (Leven GS) 69 66 64 65 264 S Wilson (Forfar) 67 70 64 63 264 *McLeary won play-off at first extra hole. B Innes (Murcar) 69 66 68 65 268 A McArthur (Windyhill) 68 62 68 70 268 L Saltman (Craigielaw) 72 63 65 68 268 M Cameron (Alyth) 66 68 70 65 269 M Kerr (Dalmahoy) 69 65 65 70 269 R Ramsay (Ryl Aberdeen) 70 63 68 68 269

Sunday 11th April 2004

East of Scotland Girls

Back Row Susan McKerracher (Alva/Alloa), Claire McLaughlin (Kilspindi)
Front Row: Nicola Melville (Bridge of Allan), Samantha Lamb ( Glencorse), Stephanie Barclay (Kircaldy)

Nicola Melville (Bridge of Allan) won the Scratch prize in the East of Scotland Girls Spring Meeting at Burntisland this afternoon. Her score of 78 was matched by Claire McLaughlin (Kilspindie) but Nicola won on the better inward half.
Susan McKerracher (Alva/Alloa) took the best handicap with 104 less 33 for a nett 71, on the better last six holes from Claire McLaughlin. However Claire did get into the prizelist as she won the Under 18 handicap on the better inward half from Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank). Stephanie Barclay (Kirkcaldy) took the Under 16 prize with 97 less 25 net 72 and Samantha Lamb (Glencorse) won the Under 14 prize with 105 less 26 net 79.
The CSS remained the same as the SSS at 71.
East of Scotland Girls are very grateful to the Captain and Council of Burntisland Golf Club for allowing them to play on their fine golf course. Hospitality in the clubhouse was also excellent.
Leading scores
78 Nicola Melville (Bridge of Allan) , Claire McLaughlin (Kilspindie)
79 Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank)
80 Krystle Caithness (St Regulus)
81 Jane Turner (Glencorse)
82 Amanda Edwards (Liberton) Hannah Harvey (St Leonards)
87 Rachel Livingstone (Musselburgh Old)
88 Sarah Horsburgh (Dunbar)

Birthday Greeetings
Special Birthday greetings to Lucille Thomson (Kirkcaldy) who is 80 years young today!

US College Golf
Pamela Feggans from Doon Valley, Ayrshire, finished tied for 18th place in the Ryder Florida Women's Collegiate Championship with scores of 80, 81 and 74.

French Junior Championships (Trophe Esmonde)
There is no British interest left in the French Junior Championships at St Cloud near Paris. Six Spanish, one French and one German have progressed to the quarter finals. The top seed Pernilla Lindberg (Sweden), was beated by Beatriz Recari of Spain. Leading Brit after the qualifying stages, Stephanie Evans of Wales, was beaten by England's Florentyna Parker, who in turn was beaten in the next round by Belen Mozo of Spain. Curtis Cup hopeful, Sophie Walker was beaten by Felicity Johnson, but Felicity succumbed in the next round to Spain's Carlota Ciganda.

Saturday 10th April 2004

STEPHANIE LEADING BRITISH QUALIFIER IN FRENCH JUNIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Elisa Serramia, the British women's open amateur champion from Spain, qualified in third place for the match-play stages of the French junior women's open championship for the Esmond Trophy at Paris St Cloud Golf Club on Friday.
Elkisa, who has an exact handicap of +3.2, had scores of 77 and 66 for 143 - two behind the No 1 seed Pernilla Lindberg (Sweden) and one in arrears of another Spanish player, Carlota Ciganda.
Welsh left-hander Stephanie Evans (Llangollen) was the leading British player in No 6 spot with scores of 73 and 71 for 144.
LEADING QUALIFYING TOTALS
141 Pernilla Lindberg (Swe) 69 72.
142 Carlota Ciganda (Spa) 69 73.
143 Elisa Serramia (Spa) 77 66, Dewi-Claire Schreefel (Net) 72 71.
144 Anne Lise Caudal (Fra) 74 70, Stephanie Evans (Wal) 73 71, Louise Stahle (Swe) 73 71.
145 Maria Hernandez (Spa) 72 72, Carmen Alonso (Spa) 74 74.
146 Emma Cabrera (Spa) 74 72, Belen Mozo (Spa) 69 77.
147 Stefanie Michl (Aut) 76 71, Ana Sanso Rubert (Spa) 68 79.
148 Elena Giraud (Fra) 76 72, Sophie Walker (Eng) 75 73, Audrey Decharne (Fra) 74 74, Beatriz Recari (Spa) 74 74, Felicity Johnson (Eng) 72 76.
149 Felicity John (Eng) 72 76.
149 Naomi Edwards (Eng) 77 72, Denise Becker (Ger) 77 72, Marine Deleplanque (Fra) 76 73, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 76 73, Joanna Klatten (Fra) 73 76.
150 Jennifer Weiler (Fra) 76 74, Kiran Matharu (Eng) 75 75, Stefanie Endstrasser (Aut) 75 75, Florentyna Parker (Eng) 75 75, Nicole Gergely (Aut) 75 75, Maha Haddioui (Mor) 73 77, Laura Eastwood (Eng), Claire Aitken (Eng) 72 78, Valentine Derrey (Fra) 71 79.
Other totals:
151 Danielle Masters (Eng) 75 76, Melissa Reid (Eng) 73 78.
152 Katrina Holford (Eng) 79 73.
153 Alexandra Marshall (Eng) 75 78.
156 Sahra Hassan (Wal) 80 76.
159 Lydia Hall (Wal) 78 81.
160 Samantha Birks (Wal) 82 78.
167 Roseann Youngman (Eng) 87 80.

Friday 9th April 2004

KRYSTLE SHINES IN SCOTLAND GIRLS 1-2 AT ST ANDREWS
For a change it was not so much Scotland the Brave as Scotland the Best in the SLGA St Leonards Under-16 girls' open stroke-play golf championship at St Andrews on Good Friday.
In the face of a strong English challenge, Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) won the individual title and the St Leonards Cup by a single shot from another outstanding Scottish prospect, Carly Booth (Auchterarder), and Scotland - Krystle, Carly and Roseanne Niven (Crieff) - won the international team event by four shots from England.
Krystle had a second-round 67 (32-35) for an aggregate of level par 136 while Carly also had a 67 (34-33) for 137.
"What a great boost for Scottish girls golf," said Margaret MacNaughtan (Aberdeen Ladies), the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association executive member in charge of training. "I know how hard these girls worked in our pre-season practice camp at Pals in Spain a couple of weeks ago and it has paid a huge dividend in this tournament."
Despite a bit of a breeze, the standard of scoring over the 7,074yd lay-out rose perceptibly in the second round - 10 scores under 70, compared with only one (a 69 by Krystle Caithness) on the first day.
Anstruther-based Krystle, a 15-year-old pupil at Waid Academy and coached by Tartan Tour pro Donald Mackay at Wellsgreen, kept her cool in the face of a potentially nerve-shattering double-bogey 5 at the short sixth.
"I had birdied the second and the fourth so I told myself that all that had happened was that I was back to level par again," said Miss Caithness. "When I holed a 10ft birdie putt for a 2 at the eighth, I felt I was back on track and even though I bogeyed the 10th, where I missed the green, I was able to pitch and putt for a birdie 4 at the long 11th to go one under par again.
"After that I just focused on hitting fairways and greens in regulation and I was able to finish with seven straight pars."
Good news for Scottish universities who will be talent-hunting for golfing students two or three years from now, Krystle is not of a mind to join the clutch of Scottish girls at college in the United States.
"If I go to university, I think it will almost certainly be in Scotland," she said. "At the moment, my big ambition is to get down to two of a handicap (she is four at the moment) before the end of the season."
Carly Booth, only 11 years old, might well have been involved in a play-off but for a three-putt bogey 4 at the second and a 4 at the short eighth where she was plugged in a bunker.
Carly, who has stretched a bit since last season, set up her birdies at the seventh, 11th and 14th with big hits for a stripling. She birdied the 284yd seventh hole where she drove the green and two-putted for a 3; got home in two with ease at the par-5 401yd 11th with a drive and three-wood and drove pin-high at the 264yd par-4 14th, getting down with two putts for a 3.
"I played well and putted well so I can't complain," said Carly, a five-handicapper who has the same ambition in that direction as Krystle Caithness. "I aim to get down to two by the end of the year."
Henrietta Brockway, the highly-rated English prospect from Yeovil, finished third with 71 and 68 for 139.
Roseanne Niven made a stout defence of the title she won as a 14-year-old last year. The Loretto School pupil from Crieff was officially placed fourth, after a card countback with Emilee Taylor (Gainsborough). They both finished on 140, Roseanne's 72 and 68 including a bogey at the last.
The Murray Donald and Caithness Cup for the best net aggregate was won by 10-year-old Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle) with a total of 110 off 36. Little Eilidh, who had earlier in the week won the Under-12 Skills Test sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, had two gross scores of 91.
Collated scoreboard
SLGA ST LEONARDS Under-16 girls' open stroke-play championship
Strathtyrum course, St Andrews
FINAL TOTALS (CSS 66 66)
136 Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) 69 67.
137 Carly Booth (Auchterarder) 70 67.
139 Henrietta Brockway (Yeovil) 71 68.
140 Roseanne Niven (Crieff) 72 68, Emilee Taylor (Gainsborough) 71 69.
141 Hannah Burke (Mid-Herts) 71 70, Sian James (Bristol) 74 67.
143 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 75 68, Julia Norman (Exeter) 76 67, Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) 70 73.
144 Hannah Moul (Chelmsford) 75 69.
145 Rebecca Harries (Haverfordwest) 77 68, Eleanor Givens (Blackwell Grange) 75 70.
144 Jodi Ewart (Catterick) 71 73.
146 Gemma Hardie (Forest Pines) 72 74, Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) 76 70.
147 Jane Turner (Glencorse) 74 73, Stacie Morton (Hobson) 76 71, Hannah Harvey (St Leonards) 73 74, Morag Macpherson (Barassie) 73 74.
148 Nicola Dunn (Harrogate) 73 75.
149 Tara Davies (Holyhead) 76 73, Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) 76 73.
150 Rachel Connor (Manchester) 76 74, Hannah Barwood (Knowle) 77 73.
151 Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton) 79 72, Elizabeth Over (Forest Pines) 79 72.
153 Laura-Jane Roberts (Holyhead) 77 76, Laura Jones (Upton-by-Chester) 77 76, Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) 74 79, Holly Calvert (Lancaster) 72 81.
154 Emma Fairnie (Minto) 77 77, Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 78 76.
156 Hannah Coles (Maxstoke Park) 80 76, Laura Murray (Alford) 82 74, Rebecca Wilson (Monifieth) 75 81, Catherine-Ann Mayor-Martin(Ponteland) 85 81.
157 Louise MacGregor (Falkirk) 78 79.
158 Kelly Tidy (Manchester) 80 74, Pamela Pretswell (Carluke) 81 77.
159 Amy Rees (Southerndown) 83 76, Katie Thompson (Meon Valley Hotel) 80 79, Ashton Ingram (Fort William) 78 81.
160 Isabel Foley (Seaton Carew) 80 80, Ami Storey (Parklands) 78 82, Lauren Rogerson (Penrith) 76 84, Amy Rainford (Bramhall) 82 78, Kimberley Bates (Houghwood) 80 80, Georgina Kilby (The Warren) 75 85, Jacqueline Sneddon (Scotscraig) 82 78.
161 Sally Kettlewell (Dunblane) 75 86.
162 Fiona Blair (Monifieth) 85 77.
163 Angharad Porteous (Bamburgh Castle) 76 87.
164 Kate Whitmore (Sandiway) 81 83.
165 Rachel Myles (St Leonards) 82 83.
166 Sophie Shearer (Fairhaven) 87 79.
167 Hannah Davies (Didsbury) 88 79.
168 Annabel Niven (Crieff) 82 86.
169 Andrea Bowie (Monifieth) 88 81.
171 Ann-Marie Ballantine (Ponteland) 88 83.
172 Elizabeth Sweetnam (Leighton Buzzard) 91 81, Claire Laggan (Tynemouth) 89 83, Ashley Smith (Monifieth) 86 86.
174 Lauren Calvert (Houghwood) 89 85.
175 Sarah Hale (Clitheroe) 89 86, Lauren Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) 87 88.
176 Kristy Moss (Monifieth) 95 81.
178 Mhairi Johnstone (Northern) 92 86, Jenny Bilton (Tynemouth) 87 91.
179 Helen Searle (West End) 97 82, Jenna Cooke (Fairhaven) 87 92.
182 Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle) 91 91.
183 Alyssa Balding (Parklands) 90 93.
185 Laura Falconer (Monifieth) 90 95.
186 Cara Easton (Dalmahoy) 92 94, Jennifer Jones (McDonald Ellon) 93 93, Karen Murray (Alford) 99 87.
188 Louise Smith (Monifieth) 94 94.
190 Gillian Scanlan (Kirkhill) 100 90.
192 Lauren MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) 101 91.
194 Samantha Lamb (Glencorse) 90 104.
199 Kirstin Scott (Windyhill) 105 94.
200 Catherine Smith (Brancepeth Castle) 100 100.
222 Kirstin Burnet (Aberdeen Ladies) 118 104.
231 Heather Peebles (Monifieth) 110 121.
249 Claire Penrose (Monifieth) 127 122.
INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT
Best two individual scores per round
273 Scotland 1 (R Niven, K Caithness, C Booth).
277 England 2 (H Brockway, E Taylor, J Norman).
290 Scotland 2 (K MacDonald, J Turner, L Murray).
295 England 1 (J Ewart, R Jennings, H Coles).
298 Wales 2 (R Harries, L-J Roberts).
308 Wales 1 (A Rees, T Davies).
MURRAY DONALD & CAITHNESS CUP
110 Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle) (36) 55 55
116 Louise Smith (Monifieth) (36) 58 58.
119 Lauren Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) (28) 59 60 (bih), Alyssa Balding Parklands) (32) 58 61.
UNDER-16 YEARS
First round
Scratch: 69 Krystle Caithness (St Regulus).
Handicap: 59 Holly Calvert (Lancaster) (13).
Second round
Scratch: 67 Julie Norman (Exeter) (best last three holes).
Handicap: 59 Jacqueline Sneddon (Scotscraig) (19).
UNDER-14 YEARS
First round
Scratch: 71 Henrietta Brockway (Yeovil).
Handicap: 58 Jenna Cooke (Fairhaven) (19).
Second round
Scratch: 68 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) (bih).
Handicap: 59 Claire Laggan (Tynemouth) (24).
UNDER-12 YEARS
Scratch: 70 Carly Booth (Auchterarder).
Handicap: 55 Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle) (36).
Second round
Scratch: 67 Carly Booth (Auchterarder).
Handicap: 55 Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle) (36).
SKILLS TEST (Sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland)
UNDER-16 YEARS
1 Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon).
2 Laura Murray (Alford).
3 Louise MacGregor (Falkirk).
UNDER-14 YEARS
1 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar).
2 Mhairi Johnstone (Northern).
3 Ashley Smith (Monifieth).
UNDER-12 YEARS
1 Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle).
2 Cara Easton (Dalmahoy).
3 Louise Smith (Monifieth).

ALISON JOINS SLGA STAFF
Alison Houston has joined the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association permanent staff as an administration officer.
"I love anything connected with golf and I love administration work so I'm lucky to be able to combine the two in my new job," said Alison who lives in Milnathort and taught basic computing at the Clackmannan College in Alloa before working as an administration assistant at the University of Stirling.
She is a member of Muckhart and Dollar Golf Clubs and has a handicap of 10.
"It's been quite hectic learning the ropes and being a member of the organisation team for the first SLGA tournament of the season, the SLGA St Leonards Under-16 girls' open stroke-play championship at St Andrews," said Alison.

US College Golf
From the San Diego State website -
Heather MacRae Named MWC Golfer Of The Month
Junior Aztec Posted Two Top 10 Finishes In March
March 30, 2004 SAN DIEGO - San Diego State junior Heather McRae [from Dunblane, Scotland] was named Mountain West Conference Women's Golfer of the Month for March after posting top-10 finishes in both Aztec tournaments. MacRae recorded a career best second place finish at the at the Dr. Thompson Invitational in Kaneohe, Hawai'i where she shot a five-over 221 (72-77-72), and led SDSU to a runner-up finish. She followed that performance with a seventh place finish at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz. where she fired an identical five-over 221 (75-72-74). For the month, McRae had a 73.67 stroke average over the two tournaments and lowered her season average to 75.55. MacRae leads SDSU with four top-10 finishes on the year, and has also posted five top-20 finishes in the last six tournaments.
MacRae's 75.00 stroke average for the spring leads SDSU.
SDSU now has four different golfers on the active roster who have won the award in their career. In the fall, Jenna Wilson earned the award in Oct., marking the first time two different individuals have earned the award for SDSU in a single season. Last season, Shayna Miyajima won the award in March as a junior, and Sandy Kim was named the golfer of the month in March of 2002.

Thursday 8th April 2004

KRYSTLE SPARKLES
Krystle Caithness, pictured right, more accustomed to playing the Old Course in her native St Andrews, found the shorter Strathtyrum lay-out a much easier proposition and led the field with a one-over-par score of 69 in the SLGA St Leonards Under-16 girls' open stroke-play championship yesterday (Thursday).
The 15-year-old four-handicap St Regulus player, the youngest qualifier since Jane Connachan in the 1970s for the match-play stages of the Scottish women's amateur championship over the Old Course last May, birdied the first and ninth and bogeyed the fifth, seventh and 18th in halves of 33 (level par) and 36 (one over).
One shot behind on 70 at the halfway stage are 11-year-old Carly Booth (Auchterarder) and Nicole Whitemore (Woburn). Carly, who plays off five, birdied the fourth, 11th and 15th but dropped shots at the first, eighth, ninth, 12th and 17th in her 35-35 card.
Defending champion Roseanne Niven (Crieff) starts the final round in joint eighth position, three shots off the pace on 72 (34-38) after a disastrous finish in which she bogeyed the 16th and 17th and then double-bogeyed the 18th.
Lowest net score of the day was a 55 by Eilidh Briggs (Ranfurly Castle), playing off 36.
Collated scoreboard
SLGA ST LEONARDS UNDER-16 GIRLS' OPEN STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Strathtyrum course, St Andrews
First round
69 K Caithness (St Regulus).
70 C Booth (Auchterarder), N Whitmore (Woburn).
71 J Ewart (Catterick), H Brockway (Yeovil), E Taylor (Gainsborough), H Burke (Mid-Herts).
72 R Niven (Crieff), G Hardie (Forest Pines), H Calvert (Lancaster).
73 N Dunn (Harrogate), H Harvey (St Leonards), M Macpherson (Barassie).
74 J Turner (Glencorse), S James (Bristol), M Thomson (McDonald Ellon).
75 E Givens (Blackwell Grange), K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), H Moul (Chelmsford), S Kettlewell (Dunblane), R Wilson (Monifieth), G Kilby (The Warren).
76 T Davies (Holyhead), J Norman (Exeter), S Morton (Hobson), R Connor (Manchester), R Livingstone (Musselburgh Old), L Rogerson (Penrith), K McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies), A Porteous (Bambury Castle).
77 R Harries (Haverfordwest), L Roberts (Holyhead), H Barwood (Knowle), L Jones (Upton-by-Chester), E Fairnie (Minto).
78 A Storey (Parklands), A Ingram (Fort William), M Briggs (Kilmacolm), L MacGregor (Falkirk).
79 R Jennings (Izaak Walton), E Over (Forest Pines).
80 H Coles (Maxstoke Park), I Foley (Seaton Carew), K Thompson (Meon Valley Hotel), K Bates (Houghwood).
81 K Whitmore (Sandiway), P Pretswell (Carluke).
82 L Murray (Alford), A Rainford (Bramhall), R Myles (St Leonards), A Niven (Crieff), J Sneddon (Scotscraig).
83 A Rees (Southerndown).
84 K Tidy (Manchester).
85 F Blair (Monifieth), C-A Mayor-Martin (Ponteland).
86 A Smith (Monifieth).
87 S Shearer (Fairhaven), J Bilton (Tynemouth), L Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies), J Cooke (Fairhaven).
88 H Davies (Didsbury), A-M Ballantine (Ponteland), A Bowie (Monifieth).
89 L Calvert (Houghwood), C Laggan (Tynemouth), S Hale (Clitheroe).
90 L Falconer (Monifieth), S Lamb (Glencorse), A Balding (Parklands).
91 E Sweetnam (Leighton Buzzard), E Briggs (Ranfurly Castle).
92 C Easton (Dalmahoy), M Johnstone (Northern).
93 J Jones (McDonald Ellon).
94 L Smith (Monifieth).
95 K Moss (Monifieth).
97 H Searle (West End).
99 K Murray (Alford).

FRANCESCO AND LYNN TOP R & A BURSARS
TOURNAMENT
British amateur championship semi-finalist Francesco Molinari from Italy and Curtis Cup team place contender Lynn Kenny (Stirling University) won the men's and women's top awards with varying degrees of ease in the R&A Bursars' Day competition over the Old Course, St Andrews (on Thursday, April 8).
Molinari and St Andrews student Rob Hynson both made the most of benign, windless conditions to tie for the lowest round with 66 each - six under par and eight under the CSS.
Their scorecards were almost identical - matching each other's halves of 33 both ways. Molinari, who had made the long journey to St Andrews from the University of Turin, eventually won the card tie-breaker with a birdie 3 at the 16th to Hynson's 4.
James Dale (Aberdeen University) finished third with a 70.
Former Scottish champion Lynn Kenny (Stirling University), in contrast to the tightness of the men's leading position, had three shots to spare as "leading lady" after matching the Old Course women's par of 76.
Lynn birdied the second, fifth, ninth and 15th but had a double bogey 6 at the seventh and bogeys at the 12th and 18th in halves of 37 (one under par) and 39 (one over).
English players finished second and third with Olivia Briggs, another Stirling student, runner-up on 79 and Rachel Lomas (Sheffield Hallam University) next on 81.
MEN
66 F Molinari (Italy), R Hynson (St Andrews) (Molinari won on card countback).
70 J Dale (Aberdeen).
71 M Cameron (Dundee), T Hewitt (Nottingham Trent), A McCloy (Ulster).
72 B Fitzsimmons (Ulster).
73 S Vanderwoord (Exeter), J Devereux (Swansea).
74 R Hooper (St Andrews), G Cooper (Central Lancashire), S Shepherd (Birmingham), M Hunt (Stirling).
75 J McLeary (Stirling), A Romano (Italy), A Love (Heriot-Watt), S Stewart (Edinburgh).
76 J Cheetham (Birmingham), S Doherty (Leeds Metropolitan).
77 J Neill (Teesside), C Baseden (Leeds Trinity & All Saints), D Graham (Edinburgh).
78 M Tansley (Durham), R Townsend (Hull), A Fernside (Glasgow), M Clinch (Dundee).
79 R Hewitt (Nottingham Trent), A Gibson (Swansea), C Menai-Davies (Swansea), C Morrow (Newcastle).
80 B Hemstock (Cardiff), A Altoft (Lincoln), B Palfrey (Surrey), L Summerill (Glamorgan), A Young (York).
81 I Leadbetter (Liverpool), A Leggate (Strathclyde), S Kyle (Glasgow), S Sheerin (Stirling).
82 A Snoddy (Central Lancashire), R Pace (Leeds Metropolitan), C Hollingdale (York).
83 S Young (Northampton), K Thomas (Wales Institute Cardiff), R White (Exeter), C Rossi (Strathclyde).
84 D Rix (Leicester).
85 P Joseph (Cardiff), C Mayer-Aull (Newcastle).
86 C Bjarnram (Durham), S Rennie (Heriot-Watt), M Parkinson (Leeds Trinity & All Saints), D Barker (Teesside).
WOMEN
76 L Kenny (Stirling).
79 O Briggs (Stirling).
81 R Lomas (Sheffield Hallam).
84 N Ford (Stirling).
86 S Morgan (Glamorgan), K Harper (Abertay).
87 A Olding (Loughborough).
92 S Woods (Hull).

US College Golf
LAIRD IN RUNNING FOR TOP US COLLEGE AWARD
Scottish youths champion Martin Laird of Hilton Park Golf Club, Glasgow - currently a golf scholarship student at Colorado State University, has been named in a list of 34 leading American men's college circuit players who are the short leet for the 2004 Ben Hogan Award.
The award system is organised annually by the Friends of Golf, the Colonial Country Club and the Golf Coaches Association of America. It is presented annually to the leading male golfer competing in the NCAA Divisions 1, 2 and 3.
Laird won the Border Olympics tournament in Texas last week and has had seven top-10 finishes during the 2003-2004 college golf season. He was a member of the Scotland team for last year's home internationals.
"The depth in college golf this year is reflected in the watch list for the Hogan," stated GCAA Executive Director Gregg Grost. "Obviously, a great collegiate amateur will be chosen in this, the Heisman Trophy of college golf."
The Hogan Award selection committee will select 10 semi-finalists on April 14 and name five finalists on April 27. The winner of the Hogan Award will be announced on May 6 and the presentation banquet will be held at Colonial Country Club on May 17, the Monday prior to the Bank of America Colonial. 2004.

US College Golf
FIONA GILBERT 13TH IN INDIANA
Fiona Gilbert from Carnoustie, a golf scholarship student at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, finished 13th in the Indiana Invitational women's college tournament at Bloomington, Indiana.
Fiona had rounds of 77, 75 and 80 over the 6,134yd, par-72 course for a 54-hole total of 232.
Karen Dennison (Indiana) was the winner with 76, 71 and 71 for four-under-par 218.
Irish champion Martina Gillen (Kent State) came eighth with 73, 79 and 76 for 228.
Former Scottish girls champion Laura Walker from Nairn Dunbar, a team-mate of Fiona Gilbert, tied for 27th place on 238 with scores of 80, 78 and 80.
Louise Fleming (Minnesota) from the Borders was joint 82nd on 259 after rounds of 83, 87 and 89.

US College Golf
KATE TOP SCORES FOR HIGH POINT
Scotland girl international Kate O'Sullivan (High Point University) tied for 27th place in the Spider Spring Invitational at Hunting Hawk Golf Club, Glen Allen in Virgina.
Kate, who had the best total of the High Point squad, had scores of 77, 78 and 83 for 239 over the 5,898yd course.
Tournament winner was Becky Berzonski (UNCW) with three rounds of 73 for three-over 219.
High Point (1012) came 12th in the team event behind North Carolina Wilmington (903).

Wednesday 7th April 2004

JULIE FINISHES 25TH IN SOUTH AFRICA
Julie Forbes from Aboyne produced one of the best final rounds of the day - a three-under-par 69 - to finish joint 25th in the Nedbank Women's South African Masters tournament at Johannesburg Country Club on Wednesday.
The Scot, a former winner of the French Open, must have been wishing it had been a four-round event instead of 54 holes as she was just getting into her stride with ever-improving scores of 76, 73 and 69 for a two-over-par aggregate of 218 when it was all over.
Miss Forbes earned Rand 3,062.
The only British player ahead of her in the final placings was England's Sarah Heath who had scores of 72, 71 and 74 for a joint 19th finish on one-over 217. Sarah's pay cheque amounted to Rand 3,500.
Victory by two shots - and a cheque for Rand 37,500 - went to 26-year-old Swede Helena Alterby. It was her maiden pro win and she achieved it with scores of 69, 67 and 68 for a 12-under-par total of 204.
Birdies at the seventh, ninth, 10th, 11th, 13th and 16th saw overnight leader Helen Alterby consolidate her No 1 position ahead of compatriot Asa Gottmo in a Swedish 1-2.
Alterby, who has a Masters in Computer Science, played golf part-time until recently. She finished 14th in the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School at the end of last year and will be making her debut soon on that circuit.
Collated scoreboard
NEDBANK WOMEN'S SOUTH AFRICAN MASTERS
Johannesburg C C
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
204 Helena Alterby (Swe) 69 67 78.
206 Asa Gottmo (Swe) 69 69 68.
207 Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den) 74 68 65, Laurette Maritz (SA) 70 69 68.
209 Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 70 71 68, Ursula Tuutti (Fin) 68 69 72, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 71 69 69.
210 Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 68 73 69, Carlie Butler (Aus) 68 69 73.
Other totals:
217 Sarah Heath (Eng) 72 71 74.
218 Julie Forbes (Sco) 76 73 69.
219 Emma Weeks (Eng 77 71 71.
222 Kerry Knowles (Eng) 71 78 73.
223 Kirsty Fisher (Eng) 74 76 73.
224 Clare Lipscombe (Eng) 76 73 75, Jo Clingan (Eng) 74 75 75.
230 Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 75 76 79.
MISSED CUT
154 Kelly Hutcherson (Eng) 80 74, Yvonne Cassidy (Ire) 77, 77 Deana Rushworth (Eng) 77 77.
156 Vanessa Bell (Eng) 79 77.

TOUGH TEST FOR ROSEANNE AT ST ANDREWS
Roseanne Niven, 15-year-old five-handicap player from Crieff, sets out on Thursday morning with a tough task ahead of her if she to become the first player to win the SLGA St Leonards Under-16 open stroke-play championship two years in a row.
For the first time the 36-hole event will be play over Strathtyrum, one of the St Andrews Links Trust courses, instead of Drumoig.
Miss Niven, who ended the 2004 season by winning the Grampian Television girls title, has stiff opposition to overcome from both sides of the Border.
Fellow Scots Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), Carly Booth (Auchterarder) and Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) - to name but three - are all title contenders and there are lower-handicap players among the English ranks, such as Jodi Ewart, who plays off two at Catterick, Henrietta Brockway, a three-handicapper at Yeovil, and several others who play off four.
For the first time, the Welsh Ladies Golf Union has entered players so that will add spice to the international team event which has been monopolised by England over the years.

US College Golf
SCOTS FINISH IN TOP FIVE AT UTAH
Scottish Under-21 champion Jenna Wilson, pictured right, from Strathaven and Heather Macrae, the Dunblane girl she beat in a play-off for that title, are still sticking closely together on the American women's college golf circuit circuit. Both members of the San Diego State University women's team, Jenna finished strongly to fill fourth place while Heather had a bad last nine holes in slumping into a tie for fifth place in the BYU Dixie Classic tournament at Entrada at Snow Canyon course, St George in Utah on Tuesday.
Jenna had rounds of 70, 80 and 72 for a six-over-par total of 222 - seven shots behind the winner, Sunny Oh (UNLV) who won by three from team-mate Seema Sadekar. Miss Wilson had five birdies in her par final round, which was one of the best of the last day. Jenna could have been even more in contention at the death but for a nightmare outward half of 40, which included five bogeys in a row, and a double-bogey 5 at the short 12th in her second-round 80. Jenna also had a double bogey at the 17th in her first round. It was Miss Wilson's second consecutive top-five finish, having come runner-up in the Mountain View Collegiate event last week. She won the Lady Aztec Invitational earlier in the 2003-2004 college season and was second in the Heather Farr Memorial tournament.
Heather, pictured left, began the last day in a tie for second place but she had four bogeys and a double bogey at the 17th in a closing inward half of 41 for a 77, her worst score of the week. She also had a double-bogey 7 at the 16th on the opening day. It was the Scot's third straight top-10 finish and she leads the San Diego State team with five top-10 placings this season.
San Diego State (919) finished third in the Dixie Classic team event behind Nevada Las Vegas (876) and San Francisco (903).
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 215 Sunny Oh (UNLV) 70 72 73. 218 Seema Sadekar (UNLV) 73 73 72. 221 Mariko Shimozaki (San Francisco) 73 76 72. 222 Jenna Wilson (San Diego State) 70 80 72. 223 Heather MacRae (San Diego State) 71 75 77, Hanna Hoch (Colorado) 76 72 75.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 876 UNLV. 903 San Francisco. 919 San Diego State. 922 Brigham Young. 929 Colorado State. 936 Nevada.

South African womens' Tour
JULIE IMPROVES IN SOUTH AFRICAN MASTERS
Lone Scot Julie Forbes pulled herself up to joint 37th after 36 holes of the Nedbank Women's South African Masters golf tournament with a second-round 73 - an improvement of three shots - for a five-over-par aggregate of 149 at Johannesburg Country Club on Tuesday.
Sweden's Helena Alterby has a slender one-shot lead at eigtht-under-par 136 going into the final round and she may well have cause to regret bogeying the last two holes for a 67. Right on her tail are Ursula Tuutti (Finland) and Carlie Butler (Australia), both of whom shot 68s for 137.
England's Sarah Heath is the leading British player in a tie for 14th place after a 71 for one-under 143.
NEDBANK WOMEN'S SOUTH AFRICAN MASTERS Johannesburg CC.
Leading second-round totals 136 Helena Alterby (Swe) 69 67. 137 Ursula Tuutti (Fin) 68 69, Carlie Butler (Aus) 68 69. 138 Asa Gottmo (Swe) 69 69. 139 Laurette Maritz (SA) 70 69. 140 Anna Tybring (Swe) 71 69, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 71 69. 141 Mandy Adamson (SA) 72 69, Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 70 71, Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 68 73, Caryn Louw (SA) 69 72.
Other totals: 143 Sarah Heath (Eng) 72 71. 148 Emma Weeks (Eng) 77 71. 149 Julie Forbes (Sco) 76 73, Clare Lipscombe (Eng) 76 73, Kerry Knowles (Eng) 71 78, Jo Clingan (Eng) 74 75. 150 Kirsty Fisher (Eng) 74 76. 151 Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 75 76. 154 Kelly Hutcherson (Eng) 80 74, Deana Rushworth (Eng) 77 77. 156 Vanessa Bell (Eng) 79 77.

US College Golf
Newsletter from Anne Walker, assistant Coach for University of California, Berkeley

Tuesday 6th April 2004

SCOTLAND TEAM DEBUTANTE CARLY WILL BE ONE UP ON MICHELLE WIE THIS WEEK
Carly Booth - Scotland's answer to Michelle Wie - will go one up on the 14-year-old Hawaiian wondergirl later this week by make her international team golfing debut for her country. That will be nine weeks ahead of the Curtis Cup match at Formby Golf Club, Lancashire on June 12 and 13 when Miss Wie - 15 years old on October 11 - will make her first representative appearance for the United States as the youngest player ever to take part in the transatlantic match.
Perthshire farmer's daughter Carly, who does not celebrate her 12th birthday until June 21, has been named in the Scotland No 1 trio to take part in the international team event which is staged in conjunction with the SLGA St Leonards Under-16 girls' open stroke-play championship over the Strathtyrum course, St Andrews on Thursday and Friday (April 8 and 9).
Last month (March) Carly spent a week at the SLGA pre-season practice camp at Pals in North-east Spain.
Carly's team-mates in the St Andrews event will two talented 15-year-olds, Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), who was the youngest player since Jane Connachan in the 1970s to qualify for the match-play stages of the Scottish women's amateur championship over the Old Course last May, and Roseanne Niven (Crieff), surprise winner in the face of strong English opposition of the Scottish Under-16 title 12 months ago.
The Scotland No 2 team is 13-year-old Kelsey Macdonald (Nairn Dunbar), 15-year-old old Laura Murray from Alford and 14-year-old Jane Turner (Glencorse). The reserves are Emma Fairnie (Minto) and Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old).

Other teams announced by the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association:
Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship (Troon Portland & Royal Troon, April 24-25): Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Lynn Kenny (Stirling University). Reserves: Clare Queen (Drumpellier), Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch).
Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play championship (Ashburnham, May 1-2): Clare Queen (Drumpellier), Dawn Dewar (Stirling University), Kelly Brotherton (Tulliallan). Travelling reserves: Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch), Jocelyn Carthew (Ladybank).
St Rule Trophy (St Andrews, June 19-20): Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Heather MacRae (Dunblane), Pamela Feggans (Doon Valley). Reserves: Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), Jenna Wilson (Strathaven).

Scottish Student Golf
Scottish Universities Womens' Championship
The Scotish Universities Womens' Championship will be held at Edzell Golf Club on Wednesday 28th April. The Club have been very kind and given the students the courtesy of the course. Further information from the organiser Ann Ramsay

US College Golf
SCOTS IN TOP 10 PICTURE AT UTAH
San Diego State University team-mates Heather MacRae, pictured right, from Dunblane and Jenna Wilson from Strathaven were both in the top 10 of the BYU Dixie Classic women's college golf tournament after two rounds at the Entrada at Snow Canyon course in St George, Utah on Monday.
Heather, a member of the LGU Elite Squad, had rounds of 71 and 75 for two-over-par 146 and a share of second place, four shots behind leader Sunny Oh (UNLV) who shot 70 and 72 over the 6,127yd course. Heather achieved her opening 71 despite a double bogey 7 at the long 16th, redressing the balance with birdies at the first, ninth and 17th. On her second circuit, the Scot had only one birdie, at the first, before she bogeyed the third, fourth, 14th and 16th.
Jenna Wilson, the Scottish Under-21 champion, shared the first-round lead on 70 with a rollercoaster round (33-37) that began with an eagle 3 followed by a bogey at the third and then birdies at the fifth and seventh in an outward 33. Jenna led the field on her own when she birdied the 11th and 16th but then she spilled three shots to par over the last two holes with a double bogey at the 17th and a bogey at the 18th. In her second round card of 40-40, Miss Wilson birdied the first and third but had a double bogey at the 12th and bogeys at the second, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 15th and 18th.
The Scots' efforts have helped San Diego State (611) to be lying third behind the University of Nevada Las Vegas (587) and San Francisco (602) with one round to go.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL SCORES 142 Sunny Oh (UNLV) 70 72. 146 Heather MacRae (San Diego State) 71 75, Seema Sadekar (UNLV) 73 73. 147 Dale Gammie (Hawaii) 71 76, Dawn Virdell (Colorado State) 76 71. 148 Hannah Hoch (Colorado) 76 72. 149 Mariko Shimozaki (San Francisco) 73 76. 150 Jenna Wilson (San Diego State) 70 80, Natalie Newren (Brigham Young) 75 75.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 587 UNLV. 602 San Francisco. 611 San Diego State. 614 Brigham Young. 621 Colorado State.

South African Tour
JULIE WELL BACK IN SOUTH AFRICA
Scot Julie Forbes was lying in joint 47th place after a four-over-par 76 in the opening round of the Ladybank Women's South African Masters golf tournament at Johannesburg Country Club on Monday. The Aboyne player was eight shots behind four players tieing for the lead at four-under 68 -Peg Frays (France), Johanna Detterberg (Sweden), Ursula Tuutti (Finland) and Carl Butler (Australia). England's Kerry Knowles and Sarah Heath were the leading British players with scores of 71 and 72 respectively.
LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES 68 Peg Frays (Fra), Johanna Detterberg (Swe), Ursula Tuutti (Fin), Carl Butler (Aus). 69 Asa Got (Swe), Helena Alterby (Swe), Caryn Louw (SA). 70 Christina Kurd (Den), Laureate Mariti (SA), Minea Blomqvist (Fin). 71 Jean Jail (Fra), Nina ERISA (Swe), Bettina Hauert (Ger), Sofia Renell (Swe), Anna Trebling (Swe), Kerry Knowles (Eng). 72 Martina Eberl (Ger), Stacey Bargeman (SA) (am), Sarah Heath (Eng), Maria Bode (Swe), Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den), Mandy Adamson (SA), Emma Zackrisson (Swe).
Other scores: 74 Jo Clingan (Eng)), Kirsty Fisher (Eng). 75 Rebecca Hudson (Eng). 76 Clare Lipscombe (Eng), Julie Forbes (Sco). 77 Deana Rushworth (Eng), Emma Weeks (Eng), Yvonne Cassidy (Ire). 79 Vanessa Bell (Eng). 80 Kelly Hutcherson (Eng).

Monday 5th April 2004

Scottish Squads in Spain
Here is picture from the second week of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association pre-season practice camp at Pals in North-east Spain.
One squad of 10 went the first week; another squad of 10 went the second week.
Back row (left to right): SLGA executive member in charge of training Margaret MacNaughtan (Aberdeen Ladies), national coach Karyn Dallas (Kirriemuir), women's home international team captain Fiona Anderson (Formby Ladies), SLGA vice-chairman Emma Wilson (Elie).
Centre row (l to r): Lesley Mackay (Stirling Univ), Addi Shamash (Kirkcudbright), Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch), Lynn Kenny (Stirling Univ), Kelly Brotherton (Tulliallan).
Front row (l to r): Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), Roseanne Niven (Crieff), Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), Clare Queen (Drumpellier), Kerri Harper (Inverness).
"We had a highly successful two weeks of warm weather training at Pals, " said Mrs MacNaughtan.
"The girls and their coaches enjoyed warm, sunny weather and beautiful courses, which made for excellent training conditions. The girls worked hard and have returned full of confidence to meet the challenges of the new season.
"The highlight of the trip for two of the squad was holing in one! Both Dawn Dewar (Stirling University) and Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) ace a tee shot on the Gualta course.
Info note: The players who attended the first week at Pals were: Carly Booth (Auchterarder), Jo Carthew (Ladybank), Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze), Dawn Dewar (Stirling Univ), Claire Hargan (Prestonfield), Lesley Hendry (Routenburn), Fiona Hindshaw (Gullane), Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Gemma Webster (Hilton Park), Kirsty Wells (Dumfries & Co.).

SLGA St Leonards Under 16 Open Strokeplay Championship,
Strathtyrum course, St Andrews
Draw for Thursday 8th April and Friday 9th April

South African Womens tour
Another major win for Minea Blomqvist in Telkom Women's Classic (on Friday)
By Michael Vlismas (from www.wpga.co.za)
JOHANNESBURG (2 April 2004) - Minea Blomqvist stormed to a seven-shot victory in the Telkom Women's Classic at the Randpark Golf Club on Friday for her second win in as many weeks on the Nedbank Women's Golf Tour. Blomqvist started the final round three clear of the field and closed with a bogey-free 68 to win on 12 under par 204 in only her third tournament as a professional, and coming a week after her maiden victory in the Pam Golding Ladies International.
The 19-year-old from Helsinki was hardly challenged on the final day, arriving at the par-five 18th green with a handsome lead which allowed her the luxury of a thinned bunker shot over the green, but from where she still managed to save par.
Amateur Ashleigh Simon, runner-up to Blomqvist last week as well, and Laurette Maritz shared second on five under 211 with respective final rounds of 70.
Scot Julie Forbes, from Aboyne, shared 32nd spot on 226 with rounds of 75.73 and 78. She took home 2137.50 Rand. Not far behind was Lesley Nicholson (Haddington) with her best finish this season 229 (82,74,73) to be in joint 37th position and winning 1750 Rand.
Scores
1 Blomqvist, Minea (Fin) 73 63 68 204 -12 R 37,500.00
2 Maritz, Laurette 70 71 70 211 -5 R 27,500.00
2 Simon, Ashleigh * 72 69 70 211 -5 amateur
4 Westerberg, Johanna (Swe) 69 71 73 213 -3 R 20,000.00
5 Nocera, Gwladys (Fra) 69 71 75 215 -1 R 12,375.00
5 Becker, Anna (Swe) 80 66 69 215 -1 R 12,375.00
5 Tuutti, Ursula (Fin) 71 68 76 215 -1 R 12,375.00
8 Adamson, Mandy 72 76 68 216 Lvl R 8,625.00
9 Boden, Maria (Swe) 69 76 72 217 +1 R 7,375.00
10 Hutcherson, Kelly (Eng) 71 72 75 218 +2 R 6,375.00
19 Heath, Sarah (Eng) 74 74 73 221 +5 R 3,437.50
32 Forbes, Julie (Sco) 75 73 78 226 +10 R 2,137.50
37 Nicholson, Lesley (Sco) 82 74 73 229 +13 R 1,750.00
42 Hudson, Rebecca (Eng) 78 76 76 230 +14 R 1,450.00
57 Clingan, Jo (Eng) 77 80 79 236 +20
58 Fisher, Kirsty (Eng) 79 76 82 237 +21

Scottish University Mens Team Championships
St Andrews University beat the holders, Stirling, by 5.5 matches to 4.5 in the final at the Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth, on Friday afternoon. Full match results (Excel file)

R&A ANNOUNCES LIMIT FOR DRIVERS AT ALL R&A CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM 2005
The R&A has announced that the Condition of Competition limiting the "spring-like" effect of driving clubs will be introduced at all of its Championships and international matches from 2005, including all of its Amateur Championships. Press Release

US College Golf
PAMELA DOWN THE FIELD IN FLORIDA
Pamela Feggans finished in a tie for 27th place in the Ryder/Florida women's collegiate championship over Don Shula's Golf Course at Miami Lakes on Sunday.
The Scotland international team member from Doon Valley, Ayrshire had rounds of 80, 81 and 74 for a total of 235 - 12 shots behind individual title winner, Charlotte Campbell (Rollins) who scored 78, 74 and 71 for 223. Rollins also won the team event with 916, seven shots ahead of South Florida. Pamela Feggans' college, Florida Southern, finished eighth with 980.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL SCORES 223 Charlotte Campbell (Rollins) 78 74 71. 224 Natalia Navarro (Florida Atlantic) 79 72 73. 226 Camilla Hilland (Miami) 79 71 76. Other score: 235 Pamela Feggans (Florida Southern) 80 81 74.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 916 Rollins. 923 South Florida. 924 Miami. 927 Florida State. Other total: 980 Florida Southern.

US College Golf
US CURTIS CUP ACE TRUMPS AGAIN - AND IT'S NOT MICHELLE WIE!
United States Curtis Cup team member Liz Janangelo, a student at Duke University, birdied four of the last five holes to win the Bryan National Collegiate women's championship at Bryan Park Champions' course, Browns Summit in North Carolina on Sunday.
Liz finished with a two-under-par total of 214 after rounds of 74, 70 and 70 for a two-shot win from May Wood (Vanderbilt)
The top-ranked player on the US female college circuit, Miss Janangelo has achieved a top-five finish in each of her seven college tournaments in the 2003-2004 season. This was her second outright win of the season and her seventh college victory in all. Other members of the American squad for the match against Great Britain & Ireland at Formby Golf Club, Lancashire on June 12 and 13 playing in this tournament were Brittany Lang (Duke), Annie Thurman (Oklahoma State) and first reserve Leigh Anne Hardin (Duke). Miss Lang came joint third on 217 with scores of 71, 69 and 77; Miss Hardin tied for fifth on 218 while Miss Thurman finished a disappointing joint 39th on 230.
Thanks to the efforts of Liz Janangelo, Brittany Lang and Leigh Anne Hardin, Duke University won the team event by 14 strokes from Wake Forest. It was their eighth team title of the 2003-2004 season.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 214 Liz Janangelo (Duke) 74 70 70. 216 May Wood (Vanderbilt) 72 68 76. 217 Brittany Lang (Duke) 71 69 77, Karin Sjodin (Oklahoma State) 74 69 74. 218 Alison Hanna (Ohio State) 71 75 72, Leigh Anne Hardin (Duke) 74 70 74. Other total: 230 Annie Thurman (Oklahoma State) 79 78 73.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 869 Duke. 883 Wake Forest. 887 Vanderbilt. 890 Oklahoma State. 891 Auburn. 903 Tennessee.

US College Golf
US CURTIS CUP PAIR IN TOP 10 AT ARIZONA EVENT
Two US Curtis Cup team members, Erica Blasberg (Arizona) and Sarah Huarte (California) achieved top-10 finishes in the Ping/Arizona State University Invitational women's college tournament over the Karsten course at Tempe on Sunday.
But England's Rachel Bell (Southern California) and Danielle Roseberry (New Mexico State) finished down the field).
The 54-hole event was won by Charlotte Mayorkas from her UCLA team-mate Gina Umeck. Charlotte scored 71, 71 and 65 for a nine-under-par total of 207 - five shots ahead of Gina. Eric Blasberg tied for sixth place on 217 with scores of 70, 72 and 75 while Sarah Huarte was joint ninth on 218 (73, 72 and 73). Rachel Bell (Southern California) from Ganton tied for 30th place on 224 with scores of 71, 75 and 78 while Danielle Roseberry (New Mexico State) from Middlesbrough finished joint 67th on 234 with scores of 80, 75 and 79.
UCLA won the team event by 16 shots from Southern California.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 207 Charlotte Mayorkas (UCLA) 71 71 65. 212 Gina Umeck (UCLA) 74 68 70. 213 Carolina Llando (Pepperdine) 74 67 72. 214 Paige Mackenzie (Washington) 71 69 74. 216 Lisa Ferrero (Texas) 70 72 74. 217 Erica Blasberg (Arizona) 70 72 75, Sophia Sheridan (California) 73 71 73, Irene Cho (Southern California) 75 72 70. 218 Sarah Huarte (California) 73 72 73, Suzie Fisher (Tulsa) 74 71 73, Ashley Rollins (New Mexico) 77 70 71. Other totals: 224 Rachel Bell (Southern California) 75 75 78. 234 Danielle Roseberry (New Mexico State) 80 75 79.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 861 UCLA. 877 Southern California. 881 New Mexico. 885 Texas. 886 California. 890 Arizona. Other total: 907 (New Mexico State (12th).

US College Golf
LAIRD WINS BORDER OLYMPICS GOLF TITLE IN TEXAS
Scottish youths champion Martin Laird (Hilton Park), a golf scholarship student at Colorado State University, scored his first victory of the 2003-2004 American college golf season in the 53rd Border Olympics men's tournament at Laredo Country Club, Laredo in Texas (at the weekend).
Laird strung together rounds of 68, 68 and 71 for a nine-under-par total of 207 over the long and testing 7,125yd Par-72 course. Martin won by one shot from the fast finishing Ryan Baca (Baylor), 68 for 208, and the overnight leader, Jerard Harklau (Southern Methodist), 74 for 208. Laird had started the final round in second place, two behind Harklau. It was the consistent Scot's seventh top-10 finish of the season. Fellow Scot and Colorado State University team-mate Kevin McAlpine from Alyth, son of the former Dundee United goalkeeper Hamish McAlpine, finished in a tie for 51st place on eight-over-par 224 after rounds of 76, 73 and 75.
Colorado State (866) finished fourth in the team event behind winners Southern Methodist (852).
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 207 Martin Laird (Colorado State) 68 68 71. 208 Ryan Baca (Baylor) 69 71 68, Jerad Harklau (Southern Methodist) 65 79 74. 210 Chris Stroud (Lamar) 69 70 71. 210 Oscar Alvarez (Brigham Young) 73 68 69. Other total: 224 Kevin McAlpine (Colorado Sate) 76 73 75.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 852 Southern Methodist. 859 Baylor. 862 Brigham Young. 866 Colorado State.

US College Golf
JAMIESON DOWN THE FIELD AT AUGUSTA
Scotland international Scott Jamieson from Cathkin Braes finished a disappointing joint 52nd in his home college's tournament, the Augusta State University Invitational, at Forest Hills Golf Club, Augusta on Sunday.
Jamieson had scores of 77, 74 and 74 for a nine-over-par total of 225 - 18 shots behind tournament winner Matt Hendrix (Clemson) who won a play-off with a par at the first extra hole after he and Nathan Smith (Duke) had tied on nine-under 207. Jamieson, beaten finalist in the Scottish amateur championship of 2002, a performance that earned him a place in the home internationals team that year, could not keep a double bogey off his card. He had one at the 12th in his final round inward half of 40; one at the 16th in his second round and one at the 18th on the opening day.
Minnesota (861) won the team event by five shots from UCLA and Duke. Hosts Augusta State came fourth on 871.
LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS 207 Matt Hendrix (Clemson) 72 68 67, Nathan Smith (Duke) 68 70 69 (Hendrix won play-off at first extra hole). 208 Bill Haas (Wake Forest) 67 71 70. 209 Steve Conway (UCLA) 70 68 71. 211 Bronson LaCassie (Minnesota) 70 72 69. 212 Kalle Edberg (Augusta State) 75 67 70. Other total: 225 Scott Jamieson (Augusta State) 77 74 74.
LEADING TEAM TOTALS 861 Minnesota. 866 UCLA, Duke. 871 Augusta State. 874 Georgia. 876 Clemson.

GO AHEAD FOR SEVENTH COURSE AT HOME OF GOLF
Golfers heading for the Home of Golf can look forward to a greater choice of courses in years to come as St Andrews Links Trust yesterday received permission from the planning authorities to create a new golf course on the edge of the town. The new 18 hole course will be joining the Trust's portfolio of six courses, which includes the Old Course, venue for the Open Championship in 2005. It will be a public course, open all year round and affordable.
Work will start on site this summer and while progress is dependent on weather conditions, it is hoped the course will be open for play in 2006.
Following the coastline east of St Andrews, the seventh course will be exposed to sea breezes. The designer, David McLay Kidd, creator of Bandon Dunes on the West Coast of America, intends to create a typical Scottish golf experience. It will be playable between 5000-7000 yards.
"This is good news for the tens of thousands of golfers making their pilgrimages to St Andrews," said Alan McGregor, general manager of the Links Trust. "Our courses are just about at capacity which is putting both golfers' access to the courses and their enjoyment at risk. The seventh course will ease this unrelenting pressure and ensure that the quality of the golfing experience is maintained."
Around 210,000 rounds are played on the six courses on the Links every year with the last peak being 215,000 in 2001, the year after the Open Championship. The new course is being created in response to rising demand and will ease congestion on the existing courses by offering golfers an alternative high quality course to play, with spectacular views of the town.

Sunday 4th April 2004

Carrie and Alastair Armstrong
More photos

Here is the Draw for the East of Scotland Girls Spring Meeting at Burnisland on Sunday 11th April

JULIE LONE SCOT IN PROFESSIONALS' LINE-UP FOR WEETABIX CHALLENGE
Former French Open champion Julie Forbes from Aboyne is the only Scot in the Ladies European Tour team of 16 professionals for the 2004 Weetabix Challenge match against the Ladies Golf Union squad of top amateurs at Formby Golf Club on Saturday, April 17.
There will be three Scots - Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Lynn Kenny (Stirling University) and Clare Queen (Drumpellier) - in Curtis Cup captain Ada O'Sullivan's squad who will be playing for places in the Great Britain & Ireland eight-strong line-up for the match against the United States over the same course on June 12 and 13.
The professionals usually win the eight foursomes, 16 singles contest with something to spare. But if anybody can inspire the Ladies Golf Union girls to play above themselves then it is skipper Ada who led the GB&I team to their first Vagliano Trophy win since 1993 over the Continent of Europe at County Louth last summer.
The Curtis Cup selectors will meet the morning after the Weetabix Challenge match and the Great Britain & Ireland team will be announced on the Monday.
Teams for the Weetabix Challenge:
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR _ Nicola Moult (Eng) capt, Rachel Bailey (Eng), Cecilia Ekelundh (Swe), Martina Eberl (Ger), Lora Fairclough (Eng), Julie Forbes (Sco), Caroline Hall (Eng), Sarah Heath (Eng), Ludivine Kreutz (Fra), Joanne Mills (Aus), Joanne Morley (Eng), Alison Munt (Aus), Gwladys Nocera (Fra), Susan Parry (US), Marta Prieto (Spa), Kirsty Taylor (Eng).
LADIES GOLF UNION _ Claire Coughlan (Cork), Emma Duggleby (Malton & Norton), Anna Highgate (Cottrell Park), Martina Gillen (Beaverstown), Sarah Jones (Pennard), Anne Laing (Vale of Leven), Lynn Kenny (Stirling University, Tricia Mangan (Ennis), Danielle Masters (Rochester & Cobham), Shelley McKevitt (Reading), Fame More (Chesterfield), Kate Phillips (Creigiau), Clare Queen (Drumpellier), Kerry Smith (Waterlooville), Nicola Timmins (Sene Valley), Sophie Walker (Kenwick Park).

McARTHUR WINS CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS TITLE
Andrew McArthur, Scottish amateur champion in 2002, chalked up his first 72-hole tournament victory in Scotland at the age of 24 on Sunday when he won the Scottish champion of champions' event, sponsored by Tartan Bean Coffe Roasters Ltd, at Leven Links.
McArthur was always in the picture with scores of 68, 67, 72 and 70 for a three-under-par total of 277 on a weekend when the weather ranged from brilliant sunshine to period heavy rain.
The former American college title winner as a student at Pfeiffer College started the final round level on 207 with 37-year-old Craig Watson but McArthur forged clear and was three shots clear of the field on the inward half.
George Murray, the promising 20-year-old from Earlsferry Thistle, eventually finished runner-up with a closing round of 69 for 278.
McArthur, playing safe over the closing holes where Watson, Jamie McLeary, Graeme Brown, Jonathan King and Steven Armstrong all came to grief, was able to afford the luxury of bogeys at the 14th and the 18th, where he three-putted.
"I won a lot of tournaments on the American college circuit but nothing big apart from the Scottish title in my home country," said Andrew.
"I played pretty good throughout the four rounds at Leven although I shouldn't have eased up in the closing holes when I heard on the grapevine that I had several shots in hand. That's not my game. I'm happier having a go for birdies but it all worked out in my favour in the end."
Young Murray, who finished a highly creditable sixth in the Sherry Cup international event in Spain the week before last, continues to impress as a top prospect. Last year's leading amateur in the Northern Open, George was kicking himself for three-putting the 16th for his only bogey of the final inward half.
"I played my irons well over the two days so I am delighted to get so close to winning the title," said George.
SCOTTISH CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS' TOURNAMENT
Leven Links, Fife.
CSS 70 70 70 71
FINAL TOTALS
277 A McArthur (Windyhill) 68 67 72 70.
278 G Murray (Earlsferry Thistle) 67 70 72 69.
280 J King (Glasgow) 66 77 66 71, G Brown (Royal Montrose) 74 68 67 71, G Brown (Royal Montrose) 74 68 67 71, J McLeary (Leven GS) 70 69 71 70.
281 C Watson (East Renfrewshire) 75 66 66 74.
282 S Armstrong (Turnhouse) 69 74 65 74, S Mackenzie (West Linton) 75 68 71 68, L Saltman (Craigielaw) 70 72 72 68.
283 G Bolton (Rothesay) 73 67 71 72, D Sutton (Lockerbie) 71 69 72 71.
284 M Clark (Old Ranfurly) 74 68 69 73.
285 S Wilson (Forfar) 68 74 68 75, Barry Crawford (West Kilbride) 71 70 73 71.
286 E Forbes (Turriff) 69 75 75 67, G Munro (Ranfurly Castle) 71 72 66 77, S Carmichael (Auchterarder) 73 69 72 72, G Campbell (Blairgowrie) 70 70 76 70, N Mitchell (Murcar) 66 73 71 76, R Taylor (Downfield) 70 69 78 69.
287 J Gallagher (Swanston) 66 73 78 70, E Ramsay (Carnoustie) 63 74 74 76.
288 R Hinshelwood (East Kilbride) 71 78 68 71, M Kerr (Dalmahoy) 72 75 69 72, J Laurie (Cowglen) 73 72 75 68, M Thomson (Cardrona) 77 66 71 74.
289 I C Hutcheon (Monifieth) 70 72 73 74.
291 S Borrowman (Dollar) 72 75 73 71, G Rodger (Cambuslang) 72 71 76 72.
292 B Scott (Dumfries & Galloway) 77 72 72 71.
293 N MacRae (Cawder) 73 75 69 76.
294 B Edmond (Bon Accord) 73 75 73 73, K McGowan (Thornton) 69 79 72 74, C Peddie (Hayston) 71 75 74 74.
295 P Betty (Hayston) 73 75 75 72, N Scaife (Tulliallan) 72 74 75 74, C Kerr (Cowglen) 70 74 78 73, I Ross (Alloa) 72 71 76 76.
296 S McLachlan (Falkirk Tryst) 74 75 72 75.
298 S Lamb (Peebles) 70 77 74 77.
299 K Matheson (Royal Dornoch) 75 76 73 75, G Barrie (Callander) 70 76 81 72.
300 C Checkley (Vale of Leven) 78 74 78 70.
302 D Addison (Barassie) 76 78 73 75, K Hamilton (Whitecraigs) 75 78 73 76.
303 P Doherty (Vale of Glamorgan) 79 75 78 71.
307 T McInally (Loudon Golf) 75 73 82 77.
310 I McLennan (Machrihanish) 78 75 76 81.

Saturday 3rd April 2004

My daughter Carrie's big day. Pray for good weather!

Friday 2nd April 2004

New Website for Open Competitions
A nine-handicap club golfer has started up a new online information web site for the 300,000 amateur golfers in Scotland. She got so fed up wasting time and effort chasing round golf clubs trying to enter their Open‚ competitions, and afterwards having to track down the scores that she has started up her own golf information service.
Janette McCartney, a golfer for almost 30 years, from Erskine in Renfrewshire, has today launched, onanytee.com, a web site that will provide facts and figures on the 1,000 and more Open Amateur Competitions held every year in Scotland. The site will cover all types of competitions for Gents, Ladies, Mixed, Seniors and Juniors.
Visitors to the web site will be able to find a competition diary; starting times for Opens and club competitions; late availability; weekly Club returns; a notice board featuring "The Winners Gallery"; and the ability to check your handicap against the competition scratch score quickly on line.
An enthusiastic golfer since the age of 16, Janette said: "Having worked with computers in business, and golfing for pleasure, I realised I could combine my two interests and provide an invaluable service for both golfers and golf clubs".
In addition, the web site will feature a golfing news service, golf up-dates and a hot spot section where club professional, Campbell Elliott, will pass on some practical hints and tips to help the club golfer reduce their handicap.
Golf clubs up and down the country will also benefit from this much needed service as they can promote their club for free to visitors at home and abroad knowing they will reach their target market. As well as promoting their Open‚ competitions and special offers they will be able to e-mail subscribers directly if they still have tee times available for the competitions. Clubs will welcome the service as it will reduce their admin costs and speed up times for contacting golfers without having to be on the phone constantly.
Craig Heap, member of the winning Scotland team at the European Men's Team Championship 2001 in Sweden, and a former Scottish Amateur Champion said: "This website is a great idea and will be of huge benefit to amateur golf in Scotland. To be able to review your performance and results after the tournament will be very helpful, particularly if you finish your round well before the final competitor's putt is made. It will also assist with keeping your handicap up to date, as it will be much easier to obtain the competition standard scratches from the website and save a phone call to the club. Another advantage is having the information in one place allowing you to plan ahead and tailor your competition schedule more readily at the start of the season. It also gives you the chance to make relatively late decisions to enter tournaments knowing full well spaces are still left in the field".

South African Ladies tour
Two Finns, Minea Blomqvist and Ursula Tuutti, led the Telcom Womens Classic at the Randpark Golf club yesterday. Scot Julie Forbes is in 20th position with scores of 73 and 75 for a a four over total of 148. Lesley Nicholson (Haddington) improved considerably on her first round 82, and her second round, a 74, ensured that she made the cut and played today. Full results and reports
Blomqvist, Minea (Fin) 73 63 0 136 -8
2 Tuutti, Ursula (Fin) 71 68 0 139 -5
3 Westerberg, Johanna (Swe) 69 71 0 140 -4
3 Nocera, Gwladys (Fra) 69 71 0 140 -4
5 Maritz, Laurette 70 71 0 141 -3
5 Simon, Ashleigh * 72 69 0 141 -3
20 Julie Forbes 73 75 0 148 +4
53 Lesley Nicholson 82 74 0 156 +12

Irish Press Release
Girls’ Interprovincial Championship. - Westport Golf Club April 14 to 16, 2004.
Irish International Tara Delaney will lead Leinster in their bid to win a fourth title in a row and seventh in eight years. But, the Carlow teenager will not have her elder sister as a team-mate this year. Karen, the 2003 Lancome Irish Girls’ Close champion, has moved on and is currently on the first team of Kent University in the state of Ohio.
In fact, Leinster have just two of the side that won last year when the event had to be cut short by a day because of bad weather. Rachel Cassidy of the Island is the other survivor while Tara stands alone from the team that won in 2002. Last year she won her first senior cap, when sister Karen cried off, and played a significant role in Ireland’s sensation success in dethroning England after a three year reign.
Connacht made a serious bid for the Girls’ Interprovincial title last year when they beat Munster without the loss of a single match and halved with Ulster. But bad weather robbed them of the opportunity to pit their strength against champions Leinster when play on the final day was abandoned.
Helen Sweeney (Roscommon), honorary secretary of the national junior committee, is delighted with the improvement in girls’ around the country and particularly in Connacht. Sinead O’Sullivan (Galway), who leads the team, has been a girls’ international for the past two years and is a current member of the national senior A squad.. Emma Gilmore (Mountbellew) is on the B Squad and Fiona Carroll (Athenry), Sarah Faller (Galway), Laura Holmes (Enniscrone) and Ann McCormack (Roscommon) are all on the C squad. So, watch out for them at Westport.
Louise Coffey from Warrenpoint is one of two newcomers on the Ulster team for the Girls’ Interprovincial championship at Westport from April 14 to 16. She is a first cousin of former Irish champion, international and Curtis Cup player Allison. Another new comer is Nikki Taggart from Greenisland, a nine hole course at Carrickfergus that celebrates its centenary this year.
Ulster should also be a force in the event as they retain four of last year’s team Danielle McVeigh, Emma Getty, Charlene Reid and Lynsey Humphries.
Munster introduces the youngest player in the entire championship with 14-year-old Sarah Cunningham from Ennis. An accomplished camogie player, Sarah started to play at ten years of age with a handicap of 45 and now plays off 14. The province interrupted Leinster’s six-year run when they won at Strandhill in 2000 and still have three of last year’s team, girls’ international Catherine Tucker, and Linda Toomey from Limerick and Naoimh McMahon (Shannon).
Connacht: Fiona Carroll (Athenry), Sarah Faller (Galway), Emma Gilmore (Mountbellew), Laura Holmes (Enniscrone), Ann McCormack (Roscommon), Sinead O’Sullivan (Galway).
Leinster: Sarah Carthy (Corrstown), Rachel Cassidy (Island), Tara Delaney (Carlow) Orla Dunphy (Kilkenny), Ashland Hyland (Forrest Little), Kate Leyden (Island).
Munster: Louise Butler (Shannon), Sarah Cunningham (Ennis), Naoimh McMahon (Shannon), Aishling O’Connor (Mallow), Linda Toomey (Limerick), Catherine Tucker (Limerick).
Ulster: Louise Coffey (Warrenpoint), Emma Getty (Carrickfergus), Lynsey Humphries (Co Armagh), Danielle McVeigh (Kilkeel and Royal Co Down Ladies), Charlene Reid (Gracehill), Nikki Taggart (Greenisland).

Thursday 1st April 2004

Scottish Universities' Mens' Individual Championships
Yesterday, at the Scottish Universities’ Individual Golf Championship, Richard Ramsay (Stirling University) eased to a six-shot victory over the field to win the Jack Allan Trophy in the annual 36-hole event. The championship, being held again on the Old Course at Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth (par 71), saw over one hundred of the top student and youth golfers competing in unseasonally warm sunshine and light winds. Scoring throughout the day was good and, at lunchtime, over a third of the field were still in with a chance of winning. The morning highlight was provided by Ramsay himself, when he shot a three-under par 68, to lead his teammate Robert MacGregor by four strokes. The afternoon rounds got off to a spectacular start with Alistair Love (Heriot Watt) racing to six-under par through seven holes. The pace, however, was too difficult to maintain and, despite finishing with an excellent 68, Love was unable to get any closer to Ramsey who added a one-under par 70 to his morning round for a championship record score of 138 (4 under par).
Ramsay (20), from Aberdeen and a member of Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is a second year Marketing and Sports Studies student at Stirling University. He is a R&A Sports Bursar and plays off a handicap of +1. A Scottish Under-21 international and North-east district player, he thanked his team mates, and particularly his coaches Ian Rae and Steven Rosie, for his current run of good form and achievement.
Scores: Champion Richard Ramsay Stirling 68 70 138
Runner-up Alistair Love Heriot Watt 78 68 146
Third Jamie McLeary Stirling 74 73 147
4= C Levert St Andrews 75 73 148
R MacGregor Stirling 72 76 148
6= A Robertson Edinburgh 76 73 149
R Gill Heriot Watt 76 73 149
M Webb St Andrews 76 73 149
J Moore St Andrews 73 76 149
10= R Hynson St Andrews 75 75 150
E Campbell Abertay Dundee 74 76 150

Scottish Universities' Mens' Team Championship.
Here are the results from the two leagues (Excel file) currently battling it out at the Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth.
Dundee have still to play UHI, and Heriot Watt to play Abertay this morning. The top four in each league go forward to the quarter finals this afternoon. Aberdeen, Edinburgh, St Andrews, and Stirling have already qualified.

Announcement from Titleist
Being left-handed myself (although I play right-handed), I welcome the announcement from Titleist today that they are about to launch a left-handed golf ball. A spokesman for the company said. "We have been making left-handed clubs for years, and have often received complaints that a right-handed golf ball did not come off the face properly. If the left-handed golfer's natural swing produced a draw, a right-handed golf-ball would go further left, and if they had a natural fade, the golf ball would drift a few degrees further right. Left-handed golfers were being disadvantaged by playing with right-handed golf balls."
"Golf ball technology has moved on in recent years, and we have been able to move the centre of gravity to the opposite side, so that a left-handed golfer can now tee the ball up and eliminate this exaggerated effect."
Look out for the new Titleist Sinister golf-balls in your local pro-shop. If you are left-handed like me, you'll be playing them all the time. Further information

Linda Caine writes "For those that saw the small article in last Wednesday's Scotsman, advising that CONGU have given authority to the SGU to allow Men to submit extra day scores to affect their handicaps, this is only applicable to Men. The SLGA have no plans to authorise this for the ladies. I e mailed Sheila Hartley to query it and she has replied today. "