DUMFRIES-SHIRE BEAT GALLOWAY 7-2

Dumfries-shire made a winning start to the three-cornered South Division women's inter-county championship at Thornhill Golf Club when they beat Galloway 7-2

DUMFRIES-SHIRE 7, GALLOWAY 2
FOURSOMES (2 1/2-1/2)
Diane Macdonald & Margaret McGregor halved with Gillian Monteith & Tracy Milligan.
Lindsey Kirkwood & Fiona Macgregor won 3 & 2 against Sheila McMurtrie & Jean Brydson.
Jordana Graham & Trish Lilly won 3 & 2 against Christina Meldrum & Gwen Robson.
SINGLES (4 1/2-1 1/2)
Macdonald bt Monteith 1 hole.
Kirkwood bt Meldrum 2 holes.
Margaret McGregor halved with Milligan
Graham lost to Sheila McMurtrie 2 and 1.
Lilly bt Susan Martin 2 holes.
Pearl Beattie bt Pat McGill 1 holes.

SCOTTISH YOUTHS CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS

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Northern Division inter-county women's team championship

ANGUS AND ABERDEENSHIRE WIN
OPENING MATCHES AT CRUDEN BAY

A 6-3 win by Aberdeenshire over title-holders Perth & Kinross - who won all three matches at Crieff 12 months ago - was not entirely unexpected on the opening day of the Northern Division women's inter-county team championship at Cruden Bay today.
But for Angus to beat Northern Counties, champions three years in a row unless finishing runners-up to P&K last year, 5 1/2-3 1/2 was a surprise to everyone except the Angus players and officials.
Angus clicked right away in the morning foursomes, taking them 2 1/2-1/2 and the confidence derived from that spilled over into the singles which were shared 3-3.
Dawn Dewar, a former Angus county champion as a teenager, had a very good win by two holes over the talented Kelsey MacDonald.
Shonagh Raitt won by 4 and 3 over Ashton Ingram and Angus's third singles point came from Fiona Gilbert, by one hole over Laura Walker.
Aberdeenshire, like Angus, carried over a 2pt lead into the singles and what a difference that makes. Shire won two singles through Laura Murray and debutante Sara Thomson and halved three other ties.
The most meritorious half-point for Aberdeenshire was secured by Laura McLardy who was four down with five to play against Scotland international Roseanne Niven and secured a square game out of it. Some finish!

Saturday details:

ANGUS 5 1/2, NORTHERN COUNTIES 3 1/2

FOURSOMES (2 1/2-1/2)
Shonagh Raitt & Fraces Millar halved with Kelsey MacDonald & Jenny Milne.
Heather Anderson & Mary Summers bt Kerri Harper & Laura Walker 3 and 2.
Dawn Dewar & Ann Ramsay bt Donna MacLeod & Eileen Manson 5 & 3.
SINGLES (3-3)
Summers lost to Harper 3 and 2.
Dewar bt MacDonald 2 holes.
Raitt bt Ashton Ingram 4 and 3.
Kathleen Sutherland lost to Milne 4 and 2.
Ramsay lost to Mary Smith 1 hole.
Fiona Gilbert bt Walker 1 hole.

ABERDEENSHIRE 6, Perth & Kinross 3

FOURSOMES (2 1/2-1/2)
Laura Murray & Michele Thomson bt Alexandra Bushby & Roseanne Niven 4 and 3.
Donna Pocock & Sheena Wood bt Emily Ogilvy & Eve Muirhead 2 and 1.
Jill Harrison & Carol Wilson halved with Jane Yellowlees & Jacqueline Sneddon.
SINGLES (3 1/2-2 1/2)
Michele Thomson halved with Bushby.
Murray bt F Ramsay 5 and 4.
Laura McLardy halved with Niven.
Wood lost to Ogilvy 5 and 4.
Sara Thomson bt Gwen Lambie 2 holes.
Wilson halved with Sneddon.

SUNDAY'S PROGRAMME
Aberdeenshire v Northern Counties
Foursomes: 9.30, 9.38 and 9.46.
Singles: 2pm, 2.08, 21.6, 2.25, 2.32, 2.40.

Angus v Perth & Kinross.
Foursomes: 9.54, 10.02 and 10.10.
Singles: 2.48, 2.56, 3.04, 3.12, 3.20.

MONDAY'S PROGRAMME
Perth & Kinross v Northern Counties
Foursomes: 9.30, 9.38 and 9.46.
Singles: 2pm, 2.08, 2.16, 2.24, 2.32 and 2.40.

Angus v Aberdeenshire.
Foursomes: 9.564, 10.02 and 10.10.
Singles: 2.48, 2.57, 3.04, 3.12, 3.20 and 3.28.

VIKKI DISAPPOINTS AT CINCINNATI

Vikki Laing from Musselburgh had a disappointing opening round of five-over-par 77 in the US Futures Tour's $100,000 Duramed Championship at Stonelick Hills Golf Club, near Cincinnati, Ohio.
Vikki had halves of 40 and 37 over the par-72 (36-36), 6,349yd course.
South Wales amateur Natasha Morgan, a student at Lynn University, Boca Raton in Florida, was the leading British player in a field of 144 with a round of 76 (40-36).
Brenda McLarnon from Belfast had a 79 (41-38).
Eunjung Yi, based in California and winner of the 2005 US Women's Amateur Public Links championship, leads the field by one shot with a 65 (31-34) which included only 26 putts.
The leading 70 and ties after 36 holes will go forward to the final round.

LEADERBOARD
Par 72 (36-36)
65 Eunjung Yi (US) 31-34).
66 Seo-Jae Lee (SKor) 33-33, Violeta Retamoza (Mex) 35-31.
68 Emily Bastel (US) 36-32, Ashley Prange (US) 36-32.
GB&I scores:
76 Natasha Morgan (Wal) (am) 40-36 (jt 106th).
77 Vikki Laing (Sco) 40-37 (jt 120th).
79 Brenda McLarnon (NIr) 41-38 (jt 132nd).

French Women's Open hit by bad weather

OFF-FORM CLARE KNOWS HER FATE - SHE'S
GOING TO MISS THE CUT BY BIG MARGIN

A 4 1/2hr delay because of torrential rain wiped out the whole of the afternoon play in the French Women's Open and there is no way that all the competitors can complete their second rounds before Saturday.
But Clare Queen knows her fate already. The Carrick at Cameron House player is certain to miss the 36-hole cut after rounds of 78 and 76 for 154 - seven shots over the computer's projected figure.
Clare never got her teeth into this tournament. She improved only marginally on her poor form of the opening round with bogeys at the seventh, 10th, 12th, 16th and 17th and birdies only at the 15th and 18th in her second rounds.
Lynn Kenny (Archerfield) and Monifieth's Kathryn Imrie are safe enough on 143 and 144 respectively.
Lynn went off the boil slightly after marking up a 69 in the first round. She slipped down a peg or two to a two-over-par 74. She birdied the seventh and 13th but cancelled these out and more with bogeys at the sixth, eighth, 14th and 16th.
Kathryn has scored 73 and 71. She had birdies at the fifth, seventh, 12th and 17th, bogeys at the eighth, 11th and 14th for her one-under 71.
Former Stirling student Asa Gotmo (Sweden) is the leader in the clubhouse with completed rounds of 72 and 67 for five-under-par 139. France's Gwladys Nocera (first round of 7o) is five under par for the tournament after only six holes of her second round.
Lisa (Hackney that was) Hall has the second best two-round total in the clubhouse with scores of 72 and 68.
COMPLETED ROUNDS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
139 Asa Gottmo (Swe) 72 67.
140 Lisa Hall (Eng) 72 68.
Other scores:
143 Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) 69 74.
144 Kathryn Imrie (Monifieth) 73 71.
+Projected cut figure is 147.
154 Clare Queen (Carrick at Cameron House) 78 76.

MACKIE BOWL

The closing date for entries is the 9th July but in view of imminent Royal Mail postal strikes, please put your Mackie Bowl entries in as soon as possible. There are still spaces in this 36 hole Order of Merit event over Gullane Number 1 on Sunday 29th July. Entry forms are available from the SLGA website at http://www.slga.co.uk/images/stories/mackiebowl07.pdf and will also be available at the Junior Open Strokeplay at Auchterarder and some of the forthcoming Jamborees.

SCOTLAND FINISH DISAPPOINTING 12th
OF 14 IN TOYOTA WORLD BOYS' TEAM
CHAMPIONSHIP IN JAPAN

Scotland’s second-half slump in the world boys’ team golf championship continued on the fourth and final day when their team score of 226 was their worst of the week and the poorest by any of the 14 countries in the fourth round.
Their counting scores (best three from four) on the last day over the 6,846yd, par-71 course, were a 73 by James Byrne, a 76 by Michael Stewart and a 77 by Shaun McAllister. Paul Ferrier had the non-counting score of 79.
The Scots’ 72-hole total of 20 over par 872 gave them a very disappointing final position of 12 of 14 in the table, with only Singapore and Venezuela behind us.
Sweden, second to Norway last year, turned the tables on their Scandinavian rivals and won the title with an impressive tally of 29-under-par 823 – nine strokes ahead of the defending champions Norway.
Norway provided the leading individual boy in Anders Kristiansen with a 14-under-par total of 270.
James Byrne from Banchory was Scotland’s best player over the four rounds with scores of 73, 65, 75 and 73 for a two-over-par total of 286 and joint 20th place in the final standings.
Michael Stewart from Troon Welbeck dipped in his final round with scores of 67, 72, 72 and 76 for three-over-par 287 and a share of 25th place.
Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) finished 52nd in the boys’ field of 56 with scores of 74, 75, 75 and 77 for 17-over-par 301.
Scottish boys’ match-play champion Paul Ferrier (Baberton) came 55th on 27-over-par 311 with scores of 72, 85, 75 and 79.

TOYOTA WORLD BOYS’ TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Chukyo Golf Club, Nagoya, Japan.
Ishino Course, 6,846yd. Par 71

FINAL TEAM TOTALS
Par 852 (4 x 213)
823 SWEDEN 201 204 211 207.
832 NORWAY 205 205 207 215.
841 AUSTRALIA 216 207 207 211.
844 CHINESE TAIPEI 212 213 207 212.
845 SOUTH AFRICA 210 210 214 211.
847 NEW ZEALAND 210 213 204 220.
849 UNITED STATES 207 216 212 214, JAPAN 211 208 215 215.
854 MEXICO 216 214 209 215
856 CANADA 210 213 219 214.
862 ARGENTINA 215 217 211 219
872 SCOTLAND 212 212 222 226.
878 SINGAPORE 225 218 215 220.
882 VENEZUELA 219 218 222 223.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
270 A Kristiansen (Nor) 67 66 67 70.
272 Cheng-Taung Pan (Tpe) 73 66 67 66.
274 B Akesson (Swe) 68 71 68 67, J Kennegard (Swe) 65 68 69 72.
276 P Widegren (Swe) 68 66 74 68.
278 M Giles (Aus) 69 70 70 69, M Azcue (Mex) 69 65 74 70.
Scots’ totals:
286 J Byrne 73 65 75 73 (jt 20th).
287 M Stewart 67 72 72 76.
301 S McAllister 74 75 75 77 (52nd).
311 P Ferrier 72 85 75 79 (55th).

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

ALMOST TOO CLOSE TO FORECAST

WHO WILL WIN NORTHERN DIVISION TITLE AT CRUDEN BAY

Home advantage might just tip the scales in favour of Aberdeenshire in the Northern Division inter-county women’s matches against title-holders Perth & Kinross, Northern Counties, champions in three of the past four years, and Angus at Cruden Bay over the next three days of match-play.
It’s a close one to call and a title-winning case could be made out for three of the four teams.
Perth & Kinross, who finished with a 100% record at Crieff last year when they won the divisional title for the first time since 1982, have two members of the Scotland side for the European team championship in Italy – Roseanne Niven (Crieff) and Emily Ogilvie (Auchterarder) – in their line-up.
Worth recalling though that it was Alexandra Bushy (Strathmore), pictured above, and Fiona Ramsay (Crieff), with 11 1/2pt out of a possible 12 between them, who were the key players for P&K 12 months ago.
Aberdeenshire’s Michele Thomson is also in the Scotland women’s team for the first time and a reserve for the GB&I team for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent at Fairmont St Andrews..
Shire need Michele to play as well as she did in taking Spanish wonder girl Carlota Ciganda to the last green in the quarter-finals of the “British” last weekend. And they also need Alford’s Laura Murray to play to her undoubted potential.
Northern Counties were bidding to win the Northern Division title four years in a row when they had to settle for the No 2 spot behind Perth & Kinross last year. Teenager Kelsey MacDonald will win more matches than she loses and she should get strong support from Kerri Harper and county champion Jenny Milne.
The divisional champions at the end of play on Monday will go forward to the four-cornered contest for the Scottish county championship at Tulliallan from August 31 to September 2.

TEAMS
ABERDEENSHIRE – J Harrison (Cruden Bay), L McLardy (Murcar Links), L Murray (Alford), D Pocock (Murcar Links), M Thomson (McDonald Ellon), C Thomson (Murcar Links), C Wilson (Murcar Links), S Wood (Aberdeen Ladies).
ANGUS – H Anderson (Downfield), D Dewar (Monifieth), F Gilbert (Carnoustie), F Millar (Carnoustie), S Raitt (Forfar), A Ramsay (Kirriemuir), M Summers (Panmure Barry), K Sutherland (Royal Montrose).
NORTHERN COUNTIES – K Harper (Inverness), A Ingram (Fort William), K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), D MacLeod (Inverness), E Manson (Thurso), J Milne (Elgin), M Smith (Tain), L Walker (Nairn Dunbar).
PERTH & KINROSS – A Bushby (Strathmore), G Lambie (Dunkeld & Birnam), E Muirhead (Pitlochry), R Niven (Crieff), E Ogilvy (Auchterarder), F Ramsay (Crieff), Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth) J Yellowlees (Murrayshall).

PROGRAMME
Saturday: Angus v Northern Counties, Aberdeenshire v Perth & Kinross.
Sunday – Aberdeenshire v Northern Counties, Angus v Perth & Kinross.
Monday – Perth & Kinross v Northern Counties, Angus v Aberdeenshire.

GRAMMAR WIN ABERDEEN SCHOOLS TITLE AFTER

CAPTAIN MHAIRI HOLES

BIRDIE PUTT AT 18th

Aberdeen Grammar School won the Aberdeen schools golf championship final by the narrowest of margins over Robert Gordon’s College over the Hazlehead No 1 course this evening
The final ended in a draw: Grammar 1 ½, Gordon’s 1 ½ and the title went to Grammar by one hole on a holes-up countback.
Nick McAndrew and David Law won the first tie for Grammar by beating Michael Kelly and Steven Smith 4 and 3.
Gordon’s College pair Chris Black and Andrew Harris levelled the overall score at 1-1 by beating William Rennie and Kevin Bass 3 and 2.
Under the holes-up format, that meant Grammar had a one-hole lead (4 to 3) which would prove decisive should the last match to finish end all square.
And it did.
Gordon’s boys Neale Barnes and Harris Jones were one up on Grammar’s Donald McAndrew and Mhairi Johnstone playing the last hole in front of a large gallery.
Mhairi played a real captain’s part for Grammar by holing a 6ft birdie putt on the 18th green to halve the match and secure the trophy for the school on the countback.
Details:
Grammar School names first:
N McAndrew, D Law bt M Kelly, S Smith 4 and 3.
W Rennie, K Bass lost to C Black, A Harris 3 and 2.
D McAndrew, M Johnstone halved with N Barnes, H Jones.
+Picture, supplied by Derek Johnstone, shows his daughter Mhairi receiving the trophy on behalf of the Aberdeen Grammar School team from David McDowell.

Ruth takes East Vets Title

Ruth Brown (Lothianburn) had a narrow victory by one hole over Anne Brownie (also Lothianburn) in the final of the East of Scotland Veteran Ladies Championship at Haddingtom today.
The lone spectator reports that they both played very well in an excellent low-scoring final.
(Pictured right: Anne Brownie and Ruth Brown on the first tee at Haddington)

East v West Vets match
East Vets beat West Vets by 8 matches to 1 yesterday at Gullane.
East :Noreen Fenton, Moira Thomson, Pam Williamson, Ruth Brown, Lesley Johnston, Karen Ballantyne, Sheila Lyon, Susan Penman, Rita Dee
West : Helen Faulds, Janice Paterson, Pat Hutton, Jennifer Mack, Anne Prentice, Mo Neilson, Maureen Mitchell, Elinor Grant, Jennifer Graham

[Thanks to Carol Fell and the West Vets excellent website for the information on the teams]

LYNN KENNY (69) JOINT FOURTH

AFTER FIRST ROUND OF

FRENCH WOMEN'S OPEN

Lynn Kenny, now playing out of Archerfield Links, had her best round for some time - a three-under-par 69 - to be lying joint fourth behind leader Rebecca Hudson at the end of the first day in the French Women's Open.

Lynn, pictured right, bogeyed the long fourth but got into her stride with birdies at the fifth, sixth and ninth to turn in two-under-par 34. Her purple run continued with birdies at the 11th and 16th. Only a bogey 6 at the long 18th took a little bit of the shine off her round.

Kathryn Imrie from Monifieth is back in joint 45th place after a 73 which included a double bogey 6 at the length. She did birdie the fourth, 13th and 15th in halves of 37 and 36.

Clare Queen (Carrick at Cameron House) had a day to forget, and the sooner the better. She is sharing 108th place on 78 with only a faint hope of surviving the 36-hole cut.

Clare had not one but two triple bogey 7s. The first came at the first and the second at the 16th. She birdied the second, fifth, 12th and 17th in halves of 37 and 41.

FRENCH WOMEN'S OPEN SCOREBOARD

First round scores in the Vediorbis Open de France Dame
(par 72)
67 Rebecca Hudson (Eng).
68 Lotta Wahlin (Swe), Trish Johnson (Eng).
69 Leah Hart (Aus), Sarah Kemp (Aus), Veronica Zorzi (Ita), Lynn Kenny (Sco).
70 Marta Prieto (Spa), Joanne Mills (Aus), Gwladys Nocera (Fra), Linda Wessberg (Swe), Anna Rossi (Ita), Sophie Walker (Eng), Rebecca Coakley (Irl)
71 Ursula Wikstrom (Fin), Lara Tadiotto (Bel), Iben Tinning (Den), Samantha Head (Eng), Isabella Maconi (Ita), Elisa Serramia (Spa), Rebecca Stevenson (Aus), Cecilia Ekelundh (Swe), Sophie Giquel (Fra), Becky Brewerton (Wal), Karen-Margrethe Juul (Den), Diana Luna (Ita), Marina Arruti (Spa).
72 Kristie Newton (Aus), Maria Verchenova (Rus), Maria Boden (Swe), Karen Lunn (Aus), Lora Fairclough (Eng), Nikki Garrett (Aus), Paula Marti (Spa), Anja Monke (Ger), Nicole Gergely (Aut), Jo Clingan (Eng), Stefania Croce (Ita), Asa Gottmo (Swe), Georgina Simpson (Eng), Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den), Lisa Hall (Eng), Cassandra Kirkland (Fra), Emilie Alonso (Am) (Fra)
73 Hanna-Leena Salonen (Fin), Mianne Bagger (Den), Carlie Butler (Aus), Ellen Smets (Bel), Lill Kristin Saether (Nor), Anna Temple (USA), Cherie Byrnes (Aus), Beatriz Recari (Spa), Louise Friberg (Swe), Kathryn Imrie (Sco), Louise Stahle (Swe), Kirsty S Taylor (Eng), Margherita Rigon (Ita), Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa)
74 Emma Zackrisson (Swe), Bree Turnbull (Aus), Mette Buus (Den), Laura Cabanillas (Spa), Natalie Claire Booth (Eng), Rikke Rasmussen (Den), Nina Karlsson (Swe), Danielle Masters (Eng), Nienke Nijenhuis (Ned), Shani Waugh (Aus), Stephanie Arricau (Fra), Catrin Nilsmark (Swe), Sophie Sandolo (Ita), Frederique Dorbes (Fra)
75 Carina Vagner (Den), Tullia Calzavara (Ita), Nathalie David-Mila (Fra), Laurette Maritz (Rsa), Ludivine Kreutz (Fra), Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (Fra), Stacy Lee Bregman (Rsa), Stefanie Michl (Aut), Sara Beautell (Spa), Virginie Auffret (Fra), Kirsty Taylor (Eng), Lynn Brooky (Nzl), Tania Elosegui (Spa)
76 Frederique Seeholzer (Swi), Jade Schaeffer (Fra), Lisa Jean (Aus), Anna Knutsson (Swe), Federica Piovano (Ita), Elisabeth Esterl (Ger), Anna Rawson (Aus), Eleanor Pilgrim (Wal), Claire Coughlan (Irl), Anne-Lise Caudal (Fra), Ana Larraneta (Spa), Anna Tybring (Swe), Jehanne Jail (Fra), Christine Hallstrom (Swe).
77 Carmen Alonso (Spa), Ana B Sanchez (Spa), Fany Schaeffer (Fra), Jenni Kuosa (Fin), Nora Angehrn (Swi), Elin Ohlsson (Swe), Riikka Hakkarainen (Fin), Kiran Matharu (Eng).
78 Eva Steinberger (Aut), Felicity Johnson (Eng), Sarah Heath (Eng), Alexandra Vilatte (Fra) (am), Sofia Renell (Swe), Clare Queen (Sco), Natascha Fink (Aut), Melodie Bourdy (Fra)
79 Isabelle Boineau (Am) (Fra), Audrey Decharne (Am) (Fra), Martina Gillen (Irl), Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den), Caroline Afonso (Am) (Fra), Elena Giraud (Am) (Fra)
80 Fame More (Eng), Helena Alterby (Swe), Bettina Hauert (Ger), Denise Simon (Ger)
81 Julie Berton (Fra)

BAD DAY FOR THE YOUNG SCOTS IN JAPAN

Scotland's squad of four had a collective bad third day in the Toyota world boys' team golf championship at Chukyo Golf Club, Nagoya in Japan.
None of the 14 teams had a worse score than Scotland's mediocre, nine-over-par 222 for the third round - 10 shots more than their first and second day team scores.
Only bottom of the table Singapore also scored 222 today.
The Scots - James Byrne (Banchory), Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), Paul Ferrier (Baberton) and Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) - have slumped to 12th in the table with one day to go. Only Venezuela and Singapore are below them.
Their 54-hole aggregate of 646 is 30 shots behind leaders Sweden who are one shot ahead of the defending champions, Norway.
On the first two days, one Scotland boy scored in the 60s - par of the course is 71 - but in the third round, the lowest score the Scots could muster was a one-over 72 from Michael Stewart. Shaun McAllister, Paul Ferrier and James Byrne each returned a four-over 75.
Stewart is joint 17th in the individual standings with a three-round total of two-under-par 211. Byrne comes next in joint 22nd place on level par 213. McAllister is tied 50th on 224 and Ferrier is 55th in the field of 56 with a total of 232.

TOYOTA WORLD BOYS' TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Chukyo Golf Club, Nagoya, Japan. Par 71, 6,886yd

THIRD-ROUND TEAM TOTALS
Par 639 (3 x 213)
Three from four scores to count daily
616 Sweden 201 204 211.
617 Norway 205 205 207.
627 New Zealand 210 213 204
630 Chinese Taipei 216 207 207.
632 South Africa 212 213 207.
634 Australia 210 210 214, Mexico 211 208 215.
635 Japan 207 216 212.
639 United States 216 214 209.
642 Canada 210 213 219.
643 Argentina 215 217 211.
646 Scotland 212 212 222 (M Stewart 72, P Ferrier 75, J Byrne 75, S McAllister 75).
658 Venezuela 225 218 215.
659 Singapore 219 218 222.

LEADING INDIVIDUALS
Par 213 (3 x 71)
200 A Kristiansen (Nor) 67 66 67.
202 J Kennegard (Swe) 65 68 69.
206 M Thorp (Nor) 70 66 70, C-T Pan (Chinese Taipei) 73 66 67.
Scottish scores:
211 M Stewart 67 72 72 (jt 17th).
213 J Byrne 73 65 75 (jt 22nd).
224 S McAllister 74 75 75 (jt 50th).
232 P Ferrier 72 85 75 (55th).

LOW HANDICAP AMATEURS' CHANCE TO WIN
A PLACE IN LADIES ENGLISH OPEN

Leading women amateurs are being given the chance to win a wildcard into the Ladies English Open at Chart Hills in Kent from July 5-7.
BBC Radio Kent’s Breakfast Show is offering the wildcard as the prize in a competition for amateurs with handicaps of two or better.
To enter, all golfers have to do is tell Radio Kent why they should be given the wildcard into the Ladies European Tour event.
Further details are available on the BBC Radio Kent website: www.bbc.co.uk/kent or email: john.warnett@bbc.co.uk
The closing date for entries is June 26.

SCOTLAND TEAM FOR EUROPEAN SENIOR
LADIES TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Scotland squad for the European senior women's amateur team championship at Royal Drottningholm Golf Club, Stockholm from July 24 to 28 is:

Lorna Bennett (Ladybank).
Fiona de Vries (St Rule).
Helen Faulds (Douglas Park).
Kathleen Sutherland (Royal Montrose).
Moira Thomson (North Berwick).
Pamela Williamson (Baberton)

THE MONTGOMERIE OFFERS COOL EXPERIENCE IN DUBAI

News from Dubai that this summer, The Montgomerie, Dubai will be the first golf club in the Middle East to introduce a climate-controlled cooling system known as the Coolwell G2 to its fleet of golf carts.
The Montgomerie, Dubai — winner of numerous accolades and awards — has discovered yet another means of enhancing the Troon Golf experience and proving why the luxury golf brand is continually setting new benchmarks for service and quality standards world wide.
The Coolwell G2, enables golf to be played in comfort 365 days of the year, irrespective of changing climates. The Coolwell G2’s functionality is two-fold, providing cooling air-conditioning to golfers on warm summer days and, with the flip of a switch, heating during the colder months.
The powerful G2 uses ice, physics and 1 amp of battery from a golf cart to provide the air-conditioning.

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

ELGA PRESS RELEASE

ENGLAND NAME TEAM FOR EUROPEAN SENIOR
WOMEN'S TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP IN SWEDEN

By LYNDSEY HEWISON
ELGA Press Officer

England has named a strong side of six players for the European senior women's amateur team championship at Royal Dottingholm, Sweden from July 24-27.
The team, captained by Cathy Bowerbank (Dinsdale Spa), is:
Carol Caldwell (Sunningdale).
Sue Dye (Delamere Forest).
Sue Ellis (Ferndown).
Chris Quinn (Hockley).
Hilary Smyth (Pannal).
Christine Watson (Beaconsfield).
RESERVES
Pat Wrightson (Huddersfield).
Barbara Laird (Sandiway).
Elaine Elliott (Whitley Bay).
Lyndsey HewisonPress & PR Officer

ELGA PRESS RELEASE

SUE DYE WINS ENGLISH

SENIORS' STROKE-PLAY
CHAMPIONSHIP AT NORTHUMBERLAND

By LYNDSEY HEWISON
ELGA Press Officer

Cheshire’s Sue Dye won the Senior Ladies’ English stroke-play championship by five shots at Northumberland Golf Club today.
“It’s just wonderful,” said the 51-year-old from Delamere Forest, runner-up in this event last year.
This time she led from start to finish and scored 73 in both rounds for a four-under par total of 146.
“I had a game plan to take it hole by hole, stroke by stroke,” said Sue. It worked, because she could find only two faults with her second-round play: an over-bold putt on the third and a missed putt from 18 inches on the 11th.
Her response was to re-engage her concentration and she finished her round with an impressive display of straight hitting and accurate pitching which set up birdies on two of the last three holes.
“I said to myself that if anyone beat me they would be welcome to the trophy because I’d played as well as I could. I am so chuffed that I kept it together,” said Sue, who is the reigning Northern Vets champion.
Her closest challenger was Ruth Lindley from Hartlepool, Durham. She also scored 73 in the second round and finished on one-over-par 151.
Ruth, the Durham vets champion, said: “I just tried to take it one shot at a time and to make a nice swing.” Her approach worked as she hit fairways and greens to set up five birdies. “It’s certainly the best round I’ve had this year,” she added.
Rozalyn Adams (Addington Court) was third with rounds of 77 and 78 for 155, two shots clear of Barbara Laird (Sandiway) on 157 (75 82). The 2006 champion Geraldine Bray (Littlestone) finished fifth on 158 with 78 and 80.
The championship’s Division B was won Gill Snelson (left), the ladies’ captain of Branston Golf Club in Staffordshire, thanks to the best round of her life. Her level par 75 improved on her first round score by 10 shots and gave her a three-stroke victory. The runner-up was Pat Bennett of Reading.
Gill’s success had seemed unlikely because as she had been up all night suffering from a tummy bug. But she turned misfortune to her advantage by whiling away the small hours reading a golf magazine and absorbing swing advice from Annika Sorenstam.
The result was a round which included three birdies, her biggest-ever win and a sought-after handicap reduction from seven to five. “It’s absolutely fantastic,” said Gill, who has previously played county hockey, netball, tennis and squash.
The Christine Wills Trophy for the over-65 age group was won by Anne Biggs of Tyneside, Durham. She scored 79 and 81 for 170 and shared eighth place overall.

+Picture above of Susan Dye with the trophy by courtesy of the ELGA website.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 150 (2 x 75)
146 Susan Dye (Delamere Forest) 73 73.
151 Ruth Lindley (Hartlepool) 78 73.
155 Ruth Adams (Addington Court) 77 78.
157 Barbara Laird (Sandiway) 75 82.
158 Geraldine Bray (Littlestone) 78 80.
159 Carolyn Kirk (Ganton) 78 81, Hilary Smyth (Pannal) 81 78.
160 Anne Biggs (Tyneside) 79 81, Felicity Coulter (Banstead Downs) 81 78, Pat Wrightson (Huddersfield) 77 83.
161 Christine Watson (Beaconsfield) 79 82.
163 Kate Charles (Burnham & Berrow) 81 82.
164 Julia Smith (Rotherham) 80 84.
165 Alison Hansen (Alnmouth) 82 83, Susan Ellis (Ferndown) 83 82, Irene Brien (Wentworth)
82 83, Elaine Elliott (Whitley Bay) 84 81.
166 Lesley Marsh (Ponteland) 84 82, Laraine Hague (Rotherham) 87 79, Sue Westall (Copt Heath) 84 82.
167 Jeannie Okeeffe (Guildford Ladies) 84 83.
168 Denise Parker (Woodhall Spa) 82 86.
170 Julie Ballard (Littlestone) 83 87, Karen Lobb (Northamptonshire County) 87 73.
172 Diane Spence (Beamish Park) 82 90.
174 Val McFarlane (Lansdown) 88 86.
175 Polly Brown (Gog Magog) 92 83, Rosemary Watters (Porters Park) 91 84.
Christine Oliver (Morpeth) 87 88.
176 Pauline Daymont (Alnmouth) 88 88.
181 Diane Sim (Wooler) 89 92.
183 Helen Lilley (Sickleholme) 87 96.

MARY MADDEN WINS IRISH SENIOR LADIES
CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP BY EIGHT STROKES

PORTUMNA GOLF CLUB

FINAL TOTALS
154 Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) 77 77.
162 Valerie Hassett (Ennis) 82 80.
164 Mary McKenna (Donabate) 81 83, Pamela Morgan (Lahinch) 80 84.
165 Eileen MacMullen (Donegal) 81 84, Sheena O'Brien Kenney (Grange) 80 85.
167 Marilyn Henderson (West Rhine) 85 82, Mary Gorry (Baltinglass) 84 83, Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) 82 85.
168 Therese O'Reilly (Grange) 81 87.
169 C Carty (Tullamore) 85 84.
170 Maura Breathnach (Monkstown) 85, 85
172 Helen O'Donoghue (Clonmel) 84, 88
172 Kay McCartan (Greenore) 84, 88
173 Roma English (Larne) 88, 85
173 Kate O'Meara (Bearna) 87, 86
173 Patricia O'Reilly (Headfort) 86, 87
173 Mary Kavanagh (New Ross) 85, 88
174 Mary Geaney (Killarney) 90, 84
174 Val Shannon (Douglas) 83, 91
175 Anna Moloney (Clonmel) 89, 86
176 Mary Powell (Nenagh) 91, 85
177 Mary McGoey (Greenore) 88, 89
177 Eily Duigenan (Edenderry) 88, 89
178 Mary McCabe (Headfort) 90, 88
181 Rita O'Neill (Coollattin) 87, 94
181 Angela Treacy (New Ross) 85, 96
182 Marie Moran (Monkstown) 93, 89
182 Trudy Brosnan (Kanturk) 89, 93
182 Ann Conway (New Ross) 89, 93
182 Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford) 87, 95
183 Marie McGrattan (Ardminnan) 89, 94
184 Marie Conlon (The Heath) 90, 94
186 Anne Brennan (Galway) 92, 9 4
188 Julie Barkman (Nenagh) 94, 94
188 Anne Vaughan (Lahinch) 91, 97
189 Cait Cooney (Tullamore) 93, 96
190 Rita MacNamara (Heathpark ) 97, 93
190 Marita Byrne (Coollattin) 92, 98
191 Barbara Foley (Ennis) 98, 93
193 J Kilmartin (Tipperary) 101, 92
193 Shirley MacDonald (Royal Portrush) 99, 94
194 Marie McIntyre (Occoneechee) 94, 100
196 Teresa Foley (New Ross) 99, 97
196 Ann Cleary (Ballinascorney) 96, 100
196 Rose Mannion (Loughrea) 94, 102
196 Mary Kidney (Headfort) 92 , 104
197 Lia Walsh (Bandon) 100, 97
197 Judith Barry (Portumna) 97, 100
198 Sighle Henigan (Ballybunion) 96, 102
198 Kay Keating (Galway Bay) 95, 103
199 Máire McMahon (Dromoland Castle) 105, 94
199 Bridget O'Brien (Tipperary) 102, 97
199 Mary Rice (Wexford) 98, 101
200 Anne Kelly (Loughrea) 98, 102
201 Ann O'Brien (Cahir Park) 100, 101
203 Ann McCullagh (Ballinasloe) 104, 99
203 Carol McCarthy (Ballinasloe) 102, 101
204 Aedin McCarthy (Killeen) 110, 94
206 E Fennessy (East Clare) 104, 102
206 Mary Fogarty (Tullamore) 103 , 103
207 Anne Crotty (Tipperary) 104, 1 03
208 Margaret Sheehan (Bandon) 106 , 102
208 Nancy Holland (Galway) 103, 105
210 Sheilah Kinsella (Wexford) 106, 104
213 Mary Lanigan (Wexford) 106, 107
217 Avril Smith (Monkstown) 103, 114

Toyota world junior team championship Day 2

JAMES BYRNE COOKS UP A 65 BUT

REST OF SCOTS BOYS GO OFF

THE BOIL IN JAPAN

Banchory’s James Byrne served up a sizzling, six-under-par 65 but the rest of the Scotland team went off the boil in the second round of the Toyota world boys’ team golf championship in Japan. Byrne, pictured right, whose score was the joint best of the day, improved by eight shots on his opening 73 and is sixth in the individual standings with an aggregate of four-under-par 138 over the 6,886yd, par-71 Ishino course at Chukyo Golf Club.
Unfortunately, none of James’ three team-mates could match or better par. Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) fell back from first-day 67 to a 72 and Scottish boys’ match-play champion Paul Ferrier (Baberton) had a nightmare 85, a 13-shot slump compared with Tuesday.
Shaun McAllister’s 74 in the first round was Scotland’s non-counter but his 75 in the second round had to become the third counting score, given Ferrier’s problems.
Scotland’s second-round total of 212 matched their first-round effort but with a 36-hole tally of 424 they actually slipped from eighth to ninth place among the 14 competing nations.
Sweden, runners-up to Norway in this championship 12 months ago, have opened up a five-stroke lead over their Scandinavian rivals with a 21-under-par tally of 405 to the Norwegians’ 410.
At the halfway stage, Sweden and Norway appear to have outstripped the field because third-placed Mexico are nine shots adrift of Norway.

TOYOTA WORLD BOYS’ TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Chukyo Golf Club, Ishino course (6,886yd, par-71)

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 426 (6 x 71)
405 SWEDEN 201 294.
410 NORWAY 205 205
419 MEXICO 211 208.
420 AUSTRALIA 210 210.
423 CHINESE TAIPEI 216 207, NEW ZEALAND 210 213, CANADA 210 213, JAPAN 207 216
424 SCOTLAND 212 212 (J Byrne 65, M Stewart 73, S McAllister 75. NC: P Ferrier 85).
425 SOUTH AFRICA 212 213.
430 UNITED STATES 216 214.
432 ARGENTINA 215 217.
437 SINGAPORE 219 218.
443 VENEZUELA 225 218.

LEADING INDIVIDUALS
Par 142 (2 x 71)
133 A Kristiansen (Nor) 67 66, J Kennegard (Swe) 65 68.
134 M Azcue (Mex) 69 65, P Widegren (Swe) 68 66,.
136 M Thrp (Nor) 709 66,.
138 J Byrne (Sco) 73 65.
139 D Nisbet (Aus) 70 68, M Giles (Aus) 69 70, S Sonoda (Jap) 68 71, M Stewart (Sco) 67 72, B Akesson (Swe) 68 71, C-T Pan (Tpe) 73 66.
Other Scots scores:
149 S McAllister 74 75 (jt 47th).
157 P Ferrier 72 85 (55th).

GRAMMAR v GORDON’S FOR ABERDEEN
SCHOOLS TITLE ON THURSDAY

Arch rivals Aberdeen Grammar School and Robert Gordon’s College will meet in the final of the Aberdeen schools golf championship over the Hazlehead No 1 course tomorrow. The first match will tee off at 4.33pm.
When Gordon’s and Grammar last met in the final, two years ago, Grammar won the title 3-0.
Results of the semi-finals:
Aberdeen Grammar School 3, Bridge of Don Academy 0.
Robert Gordon’s College 2, Hazlehead Academy 1.

MEET LAWRENCE ALLAN, ALVA MEN'S CLUB CHAMPION

AT 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS

Very well done, indeed, Lawrence Allan - men's club champion of Alva Golf Club at the age of only 12 years and eight months. Andy Bain, the beaten finalist, is pictured with Lawrence who has brought his handicap down from 10 to seven this season.Do you know of or have you ever heard of a club champion anywhere in Scotland as young as Lawrence?
E-mail any information you have to colin@scottishgolfview.com

COMMENT FROM WILLIE MacCALLUM

What a great achievement for one so young. However, it does open a slightly controversial topic in that young Lawrence was given the chance to compete in his local men's club championship. I can think of a few North-east clubs who choose not to allow their junior members the chance to compete and I'm including girls in the same context.

William MacCallum
Operations Manager
Aberdeen Service Centre
Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd
Kirkton Drive
Pitmedden Ind. Est.
Dyce, Aberdeen.

Scottish Vets announce their team

The team for the Vets' Jamboree this year, at Royal Cromer Golf Club from 7-9 August is -

Heather Anderson (North)
Lorna Bennett (Midlands)
Fiona de Vries (Midlands)
Helen Faulds (West)
Noreen Fenton (East)
Kathleen Sutherland (North)
Moira Thomson (East)
Pamela Williamson (East)

Reserves - Liz Campbell (Borders) & Margaret Tough (Midlands)

Captain, Pat Hutton, said "I am confident that this team will give their everything to retain the Miller Stirling Trophy!"

ELGA PRESS RELEASE

Cheshire’s Sue Dye leads English seniors’
stroke-play championship

Cheshire’s Sue Dye shot two-under par 73 to take the first round lead in the Senior Ladies’ English Strokeplay Championship at Northumberland Golf Club.
She is two shots ahead of county colleague Barbara Laird while senior international Pat Wrightson, from Yorkshire, and Rozalyn Adams from Surrey scored two over par.
Defending champion Geraldine Bray, from Kent, is one stroke further back and shares fifth place with Ruth Lindley from Durham and Carolyn Kirk from Yorkshire.
Sue Dye, who plays at Delamere Forest, had five birdies in her round including three on short holes. She remarked: “It was a good score and I know where I’m going and what I have to do tomorrow.
“The course is playing super. The ball goes where you hit it, without any funny bounces, but you have to know the lines off the tee and trust them. When I didn’t, on the 12th and 17th, I dropped shots.”
SECOND SEASON OF SENIOR PLAY
She’s playing her second season of seniors golf and was runner-up in this event last year, top qualifier in the English seniors’ championship in April and has just won the Northern vets championship.
“When I got to 50 I decided to go for it,” said Sue, who played county golf for Cheshire for 20 years.
Barbara Laird, from Sandiway, recovered from a double bogey 7 on the 13th with a superb finish to her round. She played the last four holes in three under par, thanks to an eagle 3 on the 447yd 15th, where she holed a putt across the green, and a birdie 4 on the 16th. She signed off with two solid pars.
Barbara, 50, was Durham champion before moving to Cheshire where she also played county golf. However she’s been out of major competition for the past decade and is making a comeback at seniors’ level.
“What’s nice about this is that it gives people another chance. When I was playing my best golf I couldn’t compete against the top players because I was working full time.”
Defending champion Geraldine Bray (Littlestone) played steady golf to share fifth place but was disappointed with a three-putt on the last.
By contrast Christine Watson (Beaconsfield), the 2006 seniors champion, holed a monster putt across the 18th green for a birdie 3. She finished on four-over par and is in eighth place.
The championship’s Division B is led by Pat Bennett of Reading who scored five over par 80 and is three shots clear of the field. Northumberland’s Moyra Howie (Alnmouth) shares second place with Eppie Zandvoort from Eaton in Norwich.

ENGLISH SENIOR LADIES' CLOSE AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY
CHAMPIONSHIP
Northumberland Golf Club.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 75
73 Susan Dye (Delamere Forest).
75 Barbara Laird (Sandiway).
77 Rozalyn Adams (Addington Court), Pat Wrightson (Huddersfield).
78 Geraldine Bray (Littlestone), Carolyn Kirk (Ganton), Ruth Lindley (Hartlepool).
79 Christine Watson (Beaconsfield), Anne Biggs (Tyneside).
80 Julia Smith (Rotherham).
81 Hilary Smyth (Pannal), Felicity Coulter (Banstead Downs), Kate Charles (Burnham & Berrow).
82 Irene Brien (Wentworth), Diane Spence (Beamish Park), Alison Hansen (Alnmouth).
83 Susan Ellis (Ferndown), Julie Ballard (Littlestone).
84 Elaine Elliott (Whitley Bay), Jeannie O'Keeffe (Guildford Ladies), Lesley Marsh (Ponteland), Sue Westall (Copt Heath).
86 Denise Parker (Woodhall Spa).
87 Helen Lilley (Sickleholme), Christine Oliver (Morpeth), Laraine Hague (Rotherham), Karen Lobb (Northamptonshire County), Anne Baines (Royal Birkdale Golf Club).
88 Pauline Daymont (Alnmouth), Val McFarlane (Lansdown).
89 Diane Sim (Wooler).
91 Rosemary Watters (Porters Park).
92 Polly Brown (Gog Magog).

IRISH SENIOR LADIES CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP
PORTUMNA GOLF CLUB

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD

Mary Madden Ballinasloe 77
Pamela Morgan Lahinch 80
Sheena O'Brien Kenney Grange 80
Eileen MacMullen Donegal 81
Therese O'Reilly Grange 81
Mary McKenna Donabate 81
Carmel Cahill Hermitage 82
Valerie Hassett Ennis 82
Val Shannon Douglas 83
Kay McCartan Greenore 84
Mary Gorry Baltinglass 84
Helen O'Donoghue Clonmel 84
Angela Treacy New Ross 85
Maura Breathnach Monkstown 85
Marilyn Henderson West Rhine 85
Mary Kavanagh New Ross 85
Catherine Carty Tullamore 85
Patricia O'Reilly Headfort 86
Kate O'Meara Bearna 87
Rita O'Neill Coollattin 87
Olivia Conroy Co. Longford 87
Eily Duigenan Edenderry 88
Roma English Larne 88
Mary McGoey Greenore 88
Trudy Brosnan Kanturk 89
Anna Moloney Clonmel 89
Ann Conway New Ross 89
Marie McGrattan Ardminnan 89
Mary Geaney Killarney 90
Marie Conlon The Heath 90
Mary McCabe Headfort 90
Mary Powell Nenagh 91
Anne Vaughan Lahinch 91
Mary Kidney Headfort 92
Marita Byrne Coollattin 92
Anne Brennan Galway 92
Marie Moran Monkstown 93
Cait Cooney Tullamore 93
Marie McIntyre Occoneechee 94
Rose Mannion Loughrea 94
Julie Barkman Nenagh 94
Kay Keating Galway Bay 95
Sighle Henigan Ballybunion 96
Ann Cleary Ballinascorney 96
Rita MacNamara Heathpark 97
Judith Barry Portumna 97
Barbara Foley Ennis 98
Anne Kelly Loughrea 98
Mary Rice Wexford 98
Shirley MacDonald Royal Portrush 99
Teresa Foley New Ross 99
Lia Walsh Bandon 100
Therese McGann Ballinasloe 100
Ann O'Brien Cahir Park 100
Josephine Kilmartin Tipperary 101
Bridget O'Brien Tipperary 102
Carol McCarthy Ballinasloe 102
Phil O'Carroll Cahir Park 103
Avril Smith Monkstown 103
Mary Fogarty Tullamore 103
Nancy Holland Galway 103
Elizabeth Fennessy East Clare 104
Ann McCullagh Ballinasloe 104
Anne Crotty Tipperary 104
Maire McMahon Dromoland Castle 105
Mary Lanigan Wexford 106
Sheilah Kinsella Wexford 106
Margaret Sheehan Bandon 106
Aedin McCarthy Killeen 110

Draw Day 2
08:30 Aedin McCarthy Killeen
Mary Lanigan Wexford
08:40 Sheilah Kinsella Wexford
Margaret Sheehan Bandon
08:50 Máire McMahon Dromoland Castle
Elizabeth Fennessy East Clare
Ann McCullagh Ballinasloe
09:00 Anne Crotty Tipperary
Avril Smith Monkstown
Mary Fogarty Tullamore
09:10 Nancy Holland Galway
Bridget O'Brien Tipperary
Carol McCarthy Ballinasloe
09:20 Josephine Kilmartin Tipperary
Lia Walsh Bandon
Ann O'Brien Cahir Park
09:30 Shirley MacDonald Royal Portrush
Teresa Foley New Ross
Barbara Foley Ennis
09:40 Anne Kelly Loughrea
Mary Rice Wexford
Rita MacNamara Heathpark
09:50 Judith Barry Portumna
Sighle Henigan Ballybunion
Ann Cleary Ballinascorney
10:00 Kay Keating Galway Bay
Marie McIntyre Occoneechee
Rose Mannion Loughrea
10:10 Julie Barkman Nenagh
Marie Moran Monkstown
Cait Cooney Tullamore
10:20 Mary Kidney Headfort
Marita Byrne Coollattin
Anne Brennan Galway
10:40 Mary Powell Nenagh
Anne Vaughan Lahinch
Mary Geaney Killarney
10:50 Marie Conlon The Heath
Mary McCabe Headfort
Trudy Brosnan Kanturk
11:00 Anna Moloney Clonmel
Ann Conway New Ross
Marie McGrattan Ardminnan
11:10 Eily Duigenan Edenderry
Roma English Larne
Mary McGoey Greenore
11:20 Kate O'Meara Bearna
Rita O'Neill Coollattin
Olivia Conroy Co. Longford
11:30 Patricia O'Reilly Headfort
Angela Treacy New Ross
Maura Breathnach Monkstown
11:40 Marilyn Henderson West Rhine
Mary Kavanagh New Ross
Catherine Carty Tullamore
11:50 Kay McCartan Greenore
Mary Gorry Baltinglass
Helen O'Donoghue Clonmel
12:00 Val Shannon Douglas
Carmel Cahill Hermitage
Valerie Hassett Ennis
12:10 Eileen MacMullen Donegal
Therese O'Reilly Grange
Mary McKenna Donabate
12:20 Pamela Morgan Lahinch
Sheena O'Brien Kenney Grange
Mary Madden Ballinasloe

ANNA NORDQVIST LEADS EUROPEAN AMATEUR
WOMEN'S RANKINGS FOLLOWING ALWOODLEY

European Golf Association women's amateur rankings following the Ladies' British open amateur championship at Alwoodley, Leeds:

1 Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 232.50.
2 Caroline Westrup (Swe) 207.50.
3 Sandra Gal (Ger) 176.00.
4 Maria Hernandez (Esp) 160.00.
5 Valentine Derrey (Fra) 152.13.
6 Carlota Ciganda (Esp) 147.50.
7 Pernilla Lindberg (Swe) 139.00.
8 Nicola Roessler (Ger) 130.00.
9 Dewi-Claire Schreefel (Ned) 116.50.
10 Rachel Bell (Eng) 112.50.
11 Sara Wikstrom (Swe) 109.13.
12 Therese Nilsson (Swe) 106.50.
13 Katharina Schallenberg (Ger) 100.00.
14 Azahara Munoz (Esp) 95.13.
15 Emilie Alonso (Spa) 95.00.
16 Nina Holleder (Esp) 89.50.
17 Holly Aitchison (Eng) 88.50.
18 Breanne Loucks (Wal) 87.50.
19 Heather MacRae (Dunblae New) 85.50
20 Caroline Masson (Ger) 85.39.

STIRLING PLAYER JUST FAILS TO WIN BRITISH
STUDENTS' STROKE-PLAY GOLF TITLE

Stirling student David Booth just failed to win the weather-hit British Universities Sports Association men's individual stroke-play golf championship.
The 72-hole competition began at De Vere Slaley Golf Club, Hexham in Northumberland but was completed at Seaton Carew Golf Club, Hartlepool because of flooding at the first venue.
Overhead conditions were awful throughout the tournament and only 20 competitors completed four rounds.
Booth scored 75, 79, 79 and 75 for a total of 15-over-par 312. He failed by one stroke to catch the winner, Craig Wilkinson (Northumbria) who had scores of 69, 77, 79 and 86,
Roberto Laino (Durham) was third on 316 and Jonny Watt (Stirling) fourth on 318.


BUSA MEN'S INDIVIDUAL STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
De Vere Slaley Hall & Seaton Carew golf clubs.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
311 Craig Wilkinson (Northumbria) 69 77 79 86.
312 David Booth (Stirling) 75 79 75 83.
316 Roberto Laino (Durham) 74 78 80 84.
318 Jonny Watt (Stirling) 74 80 79 85.
319 Ian Winstanley (Leedds) 74 74 85 86.
321 Bobby Rushford (Stirling) 76 80 79 86.
325 Steven Huime (Aberrtay) 79 81 79 86.
332 Patrick Jones (Hertfordshire) 86 83 78 85.
338 Aaron Kearney (Ulster) 74 81 87 96.
339 Tim Baker (Bath) 80 87 83 89.

ROOM FOR ONLY THREE MORE SCHOOL ENTRIES
IN PAUL LAWRIE TEAM CHALLENGE EVENT

There is room for entries from only three more schools in the North, North-east or Tayside for the Paul Lawrie Schools Team Challenge golf tournament at Peterculter Golf Club, near Aberdeen on Monday, September 7.
Each school team is made up of three pupils, boys and/or girls, whose individual scores in a one-round competition will count for scratch (Paul Lawrie Team Trophy) and handicap (A T Personnel Trophy) team prizes. All three scores count.
Pupils must be on the school roll at September 3, 2007.
No caddies are allowed.
Completed entry forms alongwith a fee of £21 per team (cheque made payable to “Torry Academy”) should be sent to Derek Johnstone, Torry Academy, Tullos Circle, Aberdeen AB11 8HD.

SCOTS LYING EIGHTH OF 14 AT END OF FIRST
DAY IN WORLD BOYS’ TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Scotland were joint eighth in the field of 14 at the end of the first round of the Toyota world boys’ team golf championship over the Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino course (6,886yd, par 71).
Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) was the only one of the four Scots teenagers to break par with a fine round of 67, joint second best among the 56 boys competing.
New Scottish boys’ match-play champion Paul Ferrier (Baberton) had a 72.
The third counting score for the Scots came from Banchory’s James Byrne with a 73.
Only the three best scores within a team count in each round. Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) had the non-counting scores of 74.
Scotland’s team total on Day 1 was one-under-par 212.
Norway won the title last year, beating Sweden in the final. The same two countries head the first day standings 12 months later, with Sweden (12-under-par 201) setting the pace from Norway (205) with Japan third on 207.
Sweden were boosted by the lowest individual score of the day, a six-under-par 65 from Jesper Kennegard. All three counting Swedish scores were in the 60s.
United States, expected to be among the front-runners, are back in a tie for 11th place with a first-day team score of 216.

TOYOTA WORLD BOYS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Chukyo Golf Club, Ishino course, 6,886yd (par 71)

TEAM SCOREBOARD
Best three from four scores to count daily for each team.

201 SWEDEN (J Kennegard 65, B Akesson 68, P Widegren 68, NC: D Jennevret 71).
205 NORWAY (A Kristiansen 67, A Friestad 69, F Kollevold 69. NC: M Thorp 70).
207 JAPAN (S Sonoda 68, T Kondo 69, S Kodaira 70. NC: S Maeawakura 74).
210 CANADA (E Wong 70, J P Paiement 70, M Hill 70. NC: M Rivard 71), NEW ZEALAND (P Spearman-Burn 69, S Shin 70, D Pearce 71. NC: P Hayman 75), AUSTRALIA (M Giles 69, D Nisbet 70, J Scrivener 71. NC: M Jager 77).
211 MEXICO (M Azcue 69, R Cazaubon 71, R Rodriguez 71. NC: K Hernandez 74).
212 SCOTLAND (M Stewart 67, P Ferrier 72, J Byrne 73. NC: S McAllister 74), SOUTH AFRICA (D Frittelli 69, J De Beer 71, D O’Riley 72. NC: S Siphayi 74).
215 ARGENTINA (A Zarlenga 70, T Cocha 70, F Barrera 75. NC: A Rodriguez 77).
216 CHINESE TAIPEI (C-H Hsieh 71, F-C Pan 72, C-T Pan 73. NC: T Huang 76), UNITED STATES (s Cole 69, A Putnam 72, S Ziegler 75. NC: R Henley 76).
219 SINGAPORE (k Dengshan 72, G Foo 73, J Ng 74. NC: L Z Qun 78).
225 VENEZUELA (D Tamayo 71, S Quintero 77, F Velazquez 77. NC: F Ceppi 82).
++NC indicates non-counting round.

LEADING INDIVIDUALS
65 J Kennegard (Swe).
67 M Stewart (Sco), A Kristiansen (Nor).
68 P Widegren (Swe), B Akezzon (Swe), S Sonoda (Jap).
69 A Friestad (Nor), F Kollevold (Nor), T Kondo (Jap), P Spearman-Burn (NZ), M Giles (Aus), M Azcue (Mex), D Frittelli (SAf), S Cole (US).
Other scores:
72 P Ferrier (Sco) (jt 33rd).
73 J Byrne (Sco) (jt 38th).
74 S McAllister (Sco) (jt 41st).

READERS' COMMENTS

FIONA ANDERSON: SCOTLAND OR ENGLAND?

"Regarding your report on the European Seniors Women Championships at Vilamoura, I believe Fiona Anderson is playing under the banner of England not Scotland but please check in case I am wrong," - HELEN

Helen,
You are quite right but, true Scot that I am, I cannot bring myself to put (Eng) in brackets after the name of someone who was born in Scotland, played for Scotland and won the Scottish women's title and played in several other Scottish finals.
To me, Fiona Anderson (pictured right) is Scottish, end of story. Och, aye! - COLIN FARQUHARSON


GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIKKI LAING

"It was really good to see your nice article about Vikki Laing. I am really pleased that she is making good progress this year," - JANET

==================================================================
You can E-mail your comments on any golfing topic to colin@scottishgolfview.com

Tiger becomes a dad on Monday:
On the tee ... Sam Alexis Woods

Tiger Woods is, of course, "delighted" with the birth of his baby girl on Monday and that "mother and daughter are doing just fine."
Woods said on his website "tigerwoods.com" that he and wife, Elin, have named their first born Sam Alexis Woods.
"Both Elin and Sam are doing well and resting peacefully," Woods wrote. "We want to thank our doctors and the hospital staff for all their dedicated and hard work.
"This is truly a special time in our lives and we look forward to introducing Sam to our family and friends over the next few weeks. We thank everyone for their well wishes and continued respect of our privacy."
Woods did not say what hospital the baby was born in but he and Elin have a home in Orlando, Florida. He would only say the baby was born early Monday morning.
The due date had been a closely-guarded secret by the celebrity couple. Earlier this month, Woods spoke to organizers of the 2007 US PGA Championship, telling a luncheon gathering in Tulsa, Oklahoma that the upcoming birth had helped heal his heavy heart.
"This year is totally different," Woods said. "From losing a father to certainly becoming a father. My life is in two totally different places — a polar 180 from one another."
Woods has been keeping his schedule understandably open-ended. It's anybody's guess when Woods will play next as he has already said he planned to take a break and stay close to home after the birth.
"I'm pacing myself already just because of the fact that I have a baby coming up," Woods told the Tulsa group.
"I don't know how much I'm going to play after that or how much I'm going to play before that.
"A lot of that is depending on what happens and the health of Elin and our child."
Woods also said he would forego playing in a major during the period straddling the child's birth. The next major on the schedule, the Open at Carnoustie, is set for July 19.

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

Aberdeenshire girls' medal competition

MHAIRI JOHNSTONE WINS AT FRASERBURGH

Mhairi Johnstone (Northern) won the Aberdeenshire girls' medal at Fraserburgh Golf Club with a gross round of 81.
She had four strokes to spare from runner-up Samantha Leslie (Westhill).
Third place on 90 was shared by Lauren Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) and Nikita Lamond (McDonald Ellon).
Leading handicap returns:
76 M Johnstone (Northern) (5).
77 S Leslie (Westhill) (8).
78 N Lamond (McDonald Ellon) (12).
79 K MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) (33) 79.
80 C Geddes (Northern) (22), L Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) (10).

NEW BRITISH WOMEN'S CHAMPION SAYS THAT SCHOOL IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS GOLF

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Some things you might not know about the new Ladies British open amateur champion:

Born and brought up in Pamplona (that's the place where bulls chase people down the streets), Carlota Ciganda was first introduced to golf at the tender age of five years by her father whose best handicap so far has been five.
Carlota is a bit hazy about the exact date but thinks she had come down to scratch of a handicap by the age of ten!
When she submitted her Ladies' British open amateur championship entry, she had a precise handicap rating of +4.8. By the time she actually played at Alwoodley, that had come down/gone up to +4.6.
But with a CSS of 77 for both the qualifying rounds at the Leeds venue and Carlota returning a six-under-par total of 138 (68-70), I reckon she must be up closer to +5 than ever.
I am open to correction, but I think that makes her the female player with the lowest handicap in Europe and possibly the rest of the world.

Carlota, six birdies and a bogey in 15 holes, was five under par in beating Ana Nordqvist (Sweden), beaten finalist for the second year in a row - and by another Spaniard (Belen Mozo) last year. Ana, who had a double bogey on her card, was one under par for the final.
Miss Ciganda won the European WOMEN'S amateur individual title when she was only 14. She had her 17th birthday at the beginning of June.
She took her school books with her to Alwoodley, and spent every night in the hotel after play, swotting up for some big school exams this week, starting on Monday.
So that Carlota and the rest of the Spanish party could catch the 5pm flight from Leeds to Amsterdam to Madrid on Sunday, the Ladies Golf Union revised their plans to play both the semi-finals and final on the the Sunday. Instead, contrary to an earlier announcement, the semi-finals were brought forward to Saturday afternoon.
"My teachers at school are very good to me," said Carlota who apologises for her "English" but, in fact, is quite fluent and she can understand English spoken to her (even by a Scot) without any problems. "They make allowances for all the golf I play but I still have to get enough marks to pass the examinations."

US COLLEGE POSSIBILITY IN 2008
If Carlota is to go to an American university, as so many of her golfing compatriots have done, it will be in the August of 2008, so she will defend the British title at North Berwick next year.
"I have been approached by Arizona University and one other American college to enrol with them after the summer of 2008. I have not yet made up my mind. I want to go to a university that will give me a very good education, very good qualifications and, at the same time, offer me very good golfing facilities, and I would like to go to somewhere where it is warm," said Carlota who played for Europe in last year's Junior Ryder Cup match at Celtic Manor.
"It may not be easy to find a college that can offer me a good degree course AND good golf facilities but I am determined to finish my education with the best qualifications I can. Becoming a tour professional is not the No 1 priority for me. When you play well and score well, golf is enjoyable. But you cannot always go out and play to the best of your ability. If you are relying on playing well to make a living, golf might not be so attractive. That's why I want to have qualifications so that if the golf side does not work out, then I can get a good job away from golf."
Carlota considered that the Alwoodley greens were just about the "truest" she had ever played on.
"Obviously I am used to fast greens in Spain so I had to get used to the wet, much slower greens for the 'British," but once I got used to the pace, I felt I could stroke the ball along the line and it would stay on line. Putting was the secret of my success all week.
DRIVING WITH A FIVE-WOOD

"It was not a long course but to miss the fairways could be a very bad mistake. The heather and the long grass meant you could lose your ball or you could only hack the ball back on to the fairway. That's why I more often took a five-wood off the tee to ensure that I stayed out of the rough.

"Normally my driving is the best part of my game (she outdrove Miss Nordqvist by up 50yd at some holes in the final) and I have trouble with my putting. But the Alwoodley greens were much like those at my home club (Ulzama Golf Club) and I felt comfortable putting on them all week. I would say that it was my putting that made me British champion."
Carlota, who is coached by Rogelio Echeverria, will have the chance to return to Britain - to Scotland, in fact. Winning the title at Alwoodley automatically guarantees her a place in the Women's British Open over the Old Course, St Andrews from August 2 to 5.

“The Spanish Federation is very good at helping us,” Ciganda said. “They bring the top girls together for training a lot and that has helped. I think we push each other too. It helps when you see friends winning. It makes you feel you can win too.”

As for the beaten finalist, the 6ft-plus Ana Nordqvist said: “I made a couple of mistakes but there wasn’t really anything I could do against someone who holes so many putts. I’ll be back next year (when the championship is played at North Berwick). Hopefully I can make it third time lucky.”

+Picture shows Carlota taking a call from a female golf writer in Sydney, Australia in the Ladies Golf Union cabin at Alwoodley within minutes of her success with five-under-par figures in the final against Anna Nordqvist (Sweden).

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

SWEET-SWINGING VIKKI LAING WILL

GET TO THE LEVEL WHERE SHE

BELONGS, SOONER OR LATER

By LISA D MICKEY

US Duramed Futures Tour staff writer

Futures Tour winner Jenny Gleason recently sat at the same scoring table with two other players and when one of the two rose quietly and walked away, Gleason's eyes grew wide. "Who is that girl?" said Gleason to no one in particular. "Man, she's got a great golf swing!"
To answer Gleason, that player is Vikki Laing (pictured right) of Musselburgh, Scotland - a former Curtis Cup team member for Great Britain & Ireland, a four-time Scottish girls' amateur champion and the 2003 Pac-10 champion as a member of the University of California-Berkeley women's golf team.
And yes, the general consensus on the Duramed Futures Tour is that this soft-spoken Scot is a future star. They've known that in Europe for many years. They're just starting to figure it out Stateside.
"Vikki was a top-ranked amateur who always sort of flew under the radar," said Becky Lucidi of Poway, Calif., who played at the University of Southern California while Laing was at Cal. "She's an awesome ball striker and she can play in any type of weather. In bad weather, Cal always ended up on top and she was a big contributor to that."
In the Motherland of Golf, nature doles out its share of surprises. Laing, 26, grew up in a town that was a six-minute train ride from Edinburgh. And like most competitive amateurs, she travelled throughout Scotland playing for medals and cups at such places as St. Andrews' Old and New courses, Royal Troon and Royal Dornoch.

HITTING UNDER THE WIND
"I didn't really know how lucky I was or that these are considered some of the best courses in the world until I came over here," said Laing. "But that's where I learned to play a lot of shots in the wind and the rain - you know, play your 5-iron shots that go only five inches above the ground and do whatever it takes to get the ball in the hole."
Laing remembers playing a 36-hole event at St. Andrews when she was 15 that was freezing cold and in a downpour. All of the contestants "just putted out" to speed up play and during the round, Laing was forced to change her grip to a baseball grip because her fingers were too cold to interlock.
"I remember I was so cold that when I finally went inside, I had to wait for somebody I knew to come in and unbutton my buttons for me because my fingers wouldn't work," she said.
At 15, she decided she wanted to become a playing pro. She had met Scottish LPGA Tour player Kathryn Imrie (formerly Kathryn Marshall) at a clinic in Scotland and she would "keep an eye on" the LPGA's Catriona Matthew as she practised at a nearby course. In Scottish championships, Laing knew about a couple of amateurs - Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay - who were a few years older. They both headed to California to play college golf.
And so did Laing. She wanted to be able to play year-round and still feel her fingers and she wanted to earn her college degree while playing golf. When fellow Scot Anne Walker joined the Cal women's team two years earlier, Laing followed.
"I didn't even see the campus first - I just went," said Laing. "I was 18 and excited to be going somewhere, but on the plane, it suddenly occurred to me: I don't even know how to pay rent. Am I going to be OK?"
With a traditional Scottish brogue that sometimes left Americans dumbfounded, Laing was pretty quiet when she first arrived in California because others didn't always understand what she was saying. But everything was OK when she was on the golf course. That is, until she encountered American agronomy. It was Laing's freshman year at Cal and her classic golf swing was quickly becoming her signature. There was just one problem.

INTRODUCTION TO FAST GREENS
"I had never played on greens that fast in my life and I had 45 putts and shot a 91 in my first match and first tournament," said Laing. "I said, 'Oh my God, they're going to send me home!'"
But she eventually got the hang of the greens' speed and trimmed her scoring that tournament from 91 to 78 to 73. That introduction to slick American greens would become Laing's biggest challenge throughout her college career and into the start of her professional life.
"Fortunately, I enjoy the challenge of learning new shots," she said. "With putting, I just want to get less technical."
Laing helped Cal advance into the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship for the first time in 2003. And when the Golden Bears arrived for nationals, they redefined how a golf team should look.
"They all could double as cross-country runners," said fellow Tour member Mo Martin of Altadena, Calif., who played for UCLA.
"I think they must have had a mini-boot camp at Cal because their team was the most well-conditioned team in the country," added USC's Lucidi. "Our team would be at Outback eating Bloomin' Onions and their team would be running laps around Outback."
But what everybody noticed was Laing's legendary ball-striking ability and, according to Lucidi, her "respect for the game."
“Vikki was one of those imported good ones with a great swing," said Tour member Salimah Mussani of Burlington, Ontario, who played for rival Stanford University. "She was a very solid college player."
"I think she had the best golf swing in college golf and coming from the Pac-10, that's pretty strong," added Mo Martin. "But she had a heckuva work ethic and was very humble."
Laing certainly learned about being humbled when she earned low conditional status on the LPGA Tour in 2004. She played in seven tournaments and never really got going. Monday qualifiers, she soon learned, were a tough way to get into LPGA events.

A LOT OF WAITING, MONEY-WASTING
"I did a lot of waiting and a lot of money-wasting with a little bit of golf that year," she said.
Laing went back to LPGA Q-School in the autumn of 2004 and missed getting her full card by one shot -- again earning conditional LPGA playing status in 2005. Three times, she travelled to LPGA Tour events and waited as the first alternate, and three times, she didn't get into the tournament.
Vikki played in eight LPGA tournaments in 2005, and grew increasingly frustrated when she lost her LPGA status for 2006.
"Not being able to prepare or to be prepared just drove me crazy," she said. "I did get to go out there and see what it's all about on the LPGA Tour. It's still just golf. The game never changes, but all of the drama and pressure comes from yourself."
A little lost without LPGA status, Laing stayed in California in 2006, working on her game and trying to figure out her next move. She added 10 tournaments on the Duramed FUTURES Tour to her playing schedule. And she wrestled with what her future held.
"I think she has been frustrated, but at the same time, she realizes that her first few years are nothing when you consider that golf is her career," said former team-mate and fellow-Scot Anne Walker, now an assistant women's golf coach at Cal.
"She made a definitive decision this past winter that golf was her focus and nothing would get in the way of that."
So Vikki showed up on the Duramed Futures Tour in 2007 with a new purpose. The idea was to regain momentum and to give herself chances to win and move up the money list. If her strategy was successful enough, she could potentially move into the top five to automatically earn an exempt LPGA Tour card for 2008. But most importantly, she saw it as the place where she could measure herself against other and improve.

TAKES TIME AND COMMITMENT
"It's just about dreaming and now I have a clue about how I want to get there," said Vikki. "It takes time and commitment and effort. I can't control the timing, but if I can keep my eyes on the prize, I'll be fine. The purpose of being here is to get my card for the LPGA and to keep playing tournaments."
In 10 tournaments this year, Laing has already posted three top-10 finishes, including a tie for third in Kansas City on a course laced by the thickest rough seen yet this season. In the winds of McAllen, Texas, she tied for seventh. And again in wind and on a difficult course outside Chicago with hard-to-hold greens, Laing emerged tied for 10th. She has repeatedly shown the creative shot-making form of her past and each week, she seems to be figuring out what she needs to do next.
"As such an accomplished amateur player, I think you can get caught up in mechanics and how to do it all over again," said Martin. "Vikki can certainly get the ball in the hole, but I think she’s finally realizing how to let go and just play."
Anne Walker added:
"She was an incredible junior player, had a successful college career and I think this is truly the first season from Vikki where she has been fully committed.”
Plus, Walker credits Laing's "passion for the game" - something she has possessed since she was a teenager, out weathering the storms that froze her fingers and tested her fortitude against tough conditions on the world's greatest courses. Laing didn't always win those contests, but she collected those experiences and made them a part of her playing repertoire in a new land.

LOVES THE GAME OF GOLF
"A large percentage of professionals play to make a living, but Vikki plays because she loves it," said Walker. "I think this will be the key to her long-term success."
And by the looks of things, the Scot with the sweet swing has found a way to successfully combine her passion with her profession. Winning again will simply come in time.

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

FIONA IS TOP SCOT IN EURO SENIOR
CHAMPIONSHIPS AT VILAMOURA

St Andrews hotelier Fiona De Vries, last year’s Scottish senior women’s champion, achieved the highest finish of all the Scots – men and women – who took part in the European senior amateur championships at Vilamoura on Portugal’s Algarve.
St Rule member Fiona, pictured right, finished sixth in the women’s event over the Vilamoura Old Course with rounds of 78, 75 and 78 for a total of 231 - nine shots behind the women’s champion, Virginie Burrus from France.
Bogeys at the two of the last four holes cost Mrs De Vries a possible top four finish.
Former Scottish women’s amateur champion Fiona Anderson, formerly of Blairgowrie but now living in Merseyside and a member of Formby Ladies, finished joint ninth with scores of 76, 77 and 83 for 236.
Helen Faulds and Maureen Richmond tied for 15th place on 238.
David Smith from Stirling, a former winner of the European senior men’s title, and Donald McCart (Castlerock), tied for 11th place on 228 over the Vilamoura Pinhal course.
Smith had a double bogey 6 at the 18th in his final round of 76 while McCart took 45 to the turn in his last round of 83.
Another Scot, Robert Gill (Gerrards Cross) filled joint 15th place on 229.

FINAL TOTALS

MEN (at Vilamoura Pinhal)
Par 216 (3 x 72)
216 N Swenson (US) 73 68 75.
219 M Kelly (Ire) 73 71 75.
221 M Preysler de la Riv a (Spa) 73 74 74.
222 H-H Giesen (Ger) 73 74 75.
223 B Ronning (Nor) 76 72 75.
224 T Brown (Eng) 71 77 76.
Other totals:
228 D Smith (Sco) 75 77 76, D McCart (Sco) 70 75 83, D Lane (Eng) 69 81 78 (jt 11th).
229 R Gill (Sco) 73 78 78 (jt 15th).
234 R McLellan (Sco) 80 76 78.
241 J Deas (Sco) 78 81 82 (jt 67th).
243 J Broadfoot (Sco) 79 85 79, D Millar (Saco) 78 79 86 (jt 75th).

WOMEN (at Vilamoura Old Course)
Par 219 (3 x 73)
220 V Burrus (Fra) 76 75 69.
223 C Mourgue DAlgue (Fra) 75 75 73.
228 M Buscaini (Ita) 74 789 75.
229 E Ikalstad (Den) 78 72 69.
230 V Hoff (Swe) 79 75 76.
231 F De Vries (Sco) 78 75 78, A-K Hermansson (Swe) 79 74 78.
Other totals:
236 C Quinn (Eng) 79 79 78, F Anderson (Sco) 76 77 83 (jt 9th).
238 H Faulds (Sco) 82 77 79, M Richmond (Sco) 78 84 76 (jt 19th).
240 P Williamson (Sco) 80 74 86 (24th).
244 J Paterson (Sco) 82 83 79 (jt 31st).
245 S Quinn (Sco) 82 82 81 (jt 33rd).
248 B Woodham (Eng) 83 81 84 (jt 37th)
249 V Hassett (Ire) 87 82 80 (jt 39th).
257 V Shannon (Ire) 85 84 88 (56th).
260 B Biggart (Sco) 86 87 87 (57th).
261 J Mack (Sco) 88 89 84 (58th).

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

VIKKI'S FORM DIPS IN US FUTURES TOUR MAJOR:
JT 61st EARNS SCOT ONLY $645

Vikki Laing from Musselburgh finished a disappointing joint 61st in the Michelob Ultra Players’ Championship – the only 72-hole major touornament on the US Futures Tour – at Hickory Point Golf Club, Decatur in Illinois.
The Scot had been playing consistently well going into the event but her form dipped with scores of 71, 75, 72 and 76 for a six-over-par total of 294 for which she earned $645.
South Wales amateur Natasha Morgan, a student at Lynn University, Boca Raton in Florida, finished joint 50th on 292.
The title and top cash prize of $14,700 went to Emily Bastel from Ohio. She beat Onnarin Sattayanabanphot from Bangkok with a birdie at the second hole of a sudden death play-off after they had tied on 10-under-par 278.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288. 6,596yd.
278 E Bastel (US) 69 68 71 70, O Sattayabanphot (Thai) 72 68 68 70 (Bastel won play-off at second hole).
280 M Frankhauser (US) 73 71 70 66, C Larsson (Swe) 71 69 71 69, R Bailey (Aus) 70 72 69 68.
Other scores:
292 N Morgan (Wal) 74 71 76 71 (jt 50th).
294 V Laing (Sco) 71 75 72 76 (jt 61st).

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

ROOKIE ASHLEIGH SIMON WINS CATALONIA
LADIES MASTERS BY TWO SHOTS

South African rookie Ashleigh Simon scored the first of what will almost certainly be many wins at a professional in the Catalonia Ladies Masters near Barcelona today.
Ashleigh, a star amateur who was winning pro tournaments in her native country, had scores of 70, 68 and 70 for an eight-under-par total of 208.
She won by two shots from Becky Brewerton (Wales) and England's Kirsty Taylor.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72)
208 Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 70 68 70
210 Becky Brewerton (Wal) 70 68 72, Kirsty Taylor (Eng) 68 69 73
211 Trish Johnson (Eng) 71 69 71
212 Paula Marti (Spa) 74 67 71
213 Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 75 66 72
214 Asa Gottmo (Swe) 74 68 72
216 Ana B Sanchez (Spa) 76 70 70, Lotta Wahlin (Swe) 73 73 70, Lora Fairclough (Eng) 76 68 72, Iben Tinning (Den) 72 69 75
217 Marta Prieto (Spa) 77 69 71, Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 74 74 69
218 Celeste Troche (Par) 76 71 71, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 72 70 76, Anja Monke (Ger) 77 73 68, Amanda MoltkeLeth (Den) 74 68 76
219 Tania Elosegui (Spa) 76 70 73, Sophie Giquel (Fra) 76 70 73, Rebecca Coakley (Irl) 76 71 72, Lisa Hall (Eng) 78 66 75
220 KarenMargrethe Juul (Den) 77 69 74, Karen Lunn (Aus) 70 75 75, Louise Friberg (Swe) 75 73 72, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 71 71 78
221 Virginie Auffret (Fra) 76 72 73, Riikka Hakkarainen (Fin) 78 73 70
222 Sarah Kemp (Aus) 73 72 77, Ludivine Kreutz (Fra) 74 71 77
223 Lynn Brooky (Nzl) 73 76 74
224 Ana Larraneta (Spa) 81 67 76
225 Beatriz Recari (Spa) 81 69 75, Marina Arruti (Spa) 78 72 75, Virginie LagoutteClement (Fra) 77 74 74, Kirsty S Taylor (Eng) 72 81 72
226 Stephanie Arricau (Fra) 77 76 73
231 Elisa Serramia (Spa) 82 70 79, Sophie Sandolo (Ita) 83 73 75
232 Nora Angehrn (Swi) 83 72 77, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 85 71 76

Fiona De Vries, 6th in Europe

European Seniors - The Old Course Vilamoura Portugal

Fiona De Vries (St Rule), the 2006 Scottish Seniors Champion, finished in 6th and was the best placed Scot

Scottish Results:
231 Fiona De Fries (St Rule)78,75,78.
238 Helen Faulds (Douglas Park)82,77,79
238 Maureen Richmond (Kilmacolm)78,84,76
240 Pamela Williamson (Babrerton) 80,74,86
244 Janice Paterson (Drumpellier) 82,83, 79
245 Sheilagh Quinn (Stirling)82,82,81
260 Barbara Biggart (Kilmacolm)86, 87,87
261 Jennifer Mack (Haggs Castle) 88,89,84

Full results

Vagliano Team Announced

2007 GB & I Team announced for Vagliano Trophy

The Ladies’ Golf Union is delighted to announce the Great Britain & Ireland Team for the Vagliano Trophy match against Continent of Europe
Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland July 27 and 28 2007.

Team:
RACHEL BELL (Ganton). 25.
LIZ BENNETT (Brokenhurst Manor). 24
KRYSTLE CAITHNESS (St Regulus). 18.
TARA DELANEY (Carlow). 21.
NAOMI EDWARDS (Ganton).23
SAHRA HASSAN (Vale of Glamorgan).19.
BREANNE LOUCKS (Wrexham).19.
MELISSA REID (Chevin).19.
KERRY SMITH (Waterlooville).34.

Captain:
MARY McKENNA (Donabate).
Team Manager
TEGWEN MATTHEWS

RESERVES
1 FLORENTYNA PARKER (Gut Waldhof) 18.
2 JENNA WILSON (Strathaven) 23
3 JODI EWART (Catterick) 19.
4 MICHELE THOMSON (McDonald Ellon) 19.

NEIL HENDERSON WINS LAST SGU JUNIOR
TOUR EVENT OF SEASON.

New Scottish schoolboys champion Neil Henderson, 18-year-old member of The Glen Golf Club, North Berwick, completed a great eight days’ of competitive golf by winning the fifth and final event of the Scottish Golf Union Junior Tour.
From his performances in the Lothians boys’ championship, the Scottish boys’ area team championship, the Scottish schools championships at Gullane and then the Junior Tour event at Kilmarnock Barassie, which finished after 9pm tonight, Neil was an accumulative 25 under par for seven competitive rounds and brought his handicap “down” from +0.3 to +2.1.
“I’m really pleased that I scored my first ever win on the SGU Junior Tour in the last event I will ever be able to play on it. I will be too old for boys’ golf next season,” said Neil, pictured above (by courtesy of Euan Mordaunt of the Scottish Golf Union.)

“I’m going to take a year out from studying to do nothing but play competitive golf and then I hope to get a golf scholarship to an American college, starting in August 2008.”
Master Henderson won the SGU Junior Tour Event No 5 by the commanding margin of six shots with a five-under-par total of 139, made up of scores of 69 and 70.
Over the two rounds, Neil had nine birdies, three of them 2s. His four halves were 33-36-36-34, which suggests he would have a very low eclectic round.
Scott Fraser (Royal Aberdeen) shared the lead with him on 69 at the end of the first round but slipped to a 76 at the second time of asking for a total of 145. Scott shared second placed with Sam McLaren (King James VI).

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
139 N Henderson (Glen) 69 70.
145 S McLaren (King James VI) 74 71, Scott Fraser (Royal Aberdeen) 69 76.
146 T Sharkey (Helensburgh) 75 71, T Blennerhassett (Dalmahoy) 75 71.
147 F McKenna (Balmore) 76 71, F Fotheringham (Nairn) 74 73, M Daily (Erskine) 74 73, M Bookless (Sandyhills) 73 74, A McLachlan (Eastwood) 71 76.
148 C Wyper (Hayston) 70 78.
149 B Sloan (Hamilton) 77 72, D Currie (Kilmarnock Barassie) 73 73, P McPhee (King James VI) 73 76, M Main (Thornton) 73 76.
150 D Parlane (Helensburgh) 76 74, A Wallace (Glenbervie) 71 79.
152 Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton) 78 74, D Law (Hazlehead) 76 76, K Smith (Kilmarnock Barassie) 73 79.
153 E Brown (Kilmarnock Barassie) 82 71, F Moore (Falkirk Tryst) 79 74, P Shields (Kirkhill) 784 79
154 D Young (Craigie Hill) 79 75, M Cunningham (Longniddry) 78 76, C Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 78 76.
155 W Bremner (Edzell) 77 78.
156 C Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 79 77, C Gray (West Kilbride) 76 80.
157 A Lauder (Paisley) 77 80, A Graham (Crow Wood) 77 80, A Sweeney (Carnoustie) 76 81.
158 J Ross (Royal Burgess) 79 79, C Bairn (Bothwell Castle) 75 83.
162 M Reid (Downfield) 85 77, C Robb ((Inchmarlo) 77 85.
163 R Elder (Nairn Dunbar) 84 79.
182 T Spencer (Inchmarlo) 90 82.

Prizewinners at Alwoodley

L to R: Caroline Westrup, Carlota Ciganda, Anna Nordqvist and Azahara Munoz

CARLOTA CIGANDA WINS BRITISH TITLE

WITH GREAT PUTTING PERFORMANCE

Carlota Ciganda from Pamplona produced a magical display of putting to win the Ladies British open amateur championship at Alwoodley Golf Club, Leeds this morning.
Carlota, only recently turned 17 years of age, beat Anna Nordqvist from Eskilstuna, Sweden by 4 and 3 in the 18-hole final.
Carlota is the fourth Spanish player in the past seven years to win the title, following in the footsteps of Marta Prieto (2001), Elisa Serramia (2003) and Belen Mozo last year.
It was the second year in a row that Miss Nordqvist had lost in the final.
Carlota, the leading qualifier for the match-play stages, was five under par for the 15 holes but was one down or square for the first eight holes.
She started her surge to become champion by winning the ninth with a birdie 2 to square the match.
Then Carlota won the 10th with a bogey, the 12th with a birdie, the 13th with a birdie, and the 15th with a par.
The Spanish teenager, who had the lowest handicap of anyone in the field of 144 (+4.8 at the time of entry), had seven single putts.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “I didn’t believe at the start of the week that I could be the champion.”
There was an abundance of quality play over the first nine holes, both players covering the outward half in approximate three-under-par 34 strokes.
Nordqvist drew first blood by holing a 10ft birdie putt at the first but Ciganda came straight back at her Swedish opponent by holing an 8ft birdie putt to square the contest on the second green.
The par-5 third hole was halved in birdie 4s and the fourth in par 4s.
Nordqvist regained the lead with a 5ft birdie putt at the fifth but bogeyed the next to allow Ciganda to win the hole with a par 4 and get back on level terems.
Ciganda looked likely to lose the short seventh when she was plugged in a greenside bunker but she played an expert recovery from the sand to within 5ft and holed the putt to salvage a half in 3.
Nordqvist did regain the lead, however, with a birdie – her fourth of the outward half – at the long eighth.
Ciganda hit the pin with her tee-shot and sunk the short putt for a birdie at the ninth to reach the turn all square.
There was a rare dip in the quality play at the 10th when both players found bunkers with their second shots. Both on the green in three, Miss Nordqvist's first putt charged past the hole and she missed the return. Ciganda was able to win the hole with a bogey 5 to go one up.
The short 11th was halved in 3s before Ciganda birdied the 12th to go two up.
The Spanish teenager was now on a roll. She holed a 30ft birdie putt for another 3 to go three up at the 13th.
Nordqvist looked like she was making a comeback after holing a 25ft putt across the 180 yard 14th green for a birdie two, but Ciganda followed her in from 10ft to halve the hole and was now three up with four to play.
They both missed the green at the par 4 15th. Miss Norqvist putted first from just off the front and went five feet past. Ciganda played a delicate little pitch to three feet. Nordqvist missed her putt and Ciganda slotted hers to win the match by 4 and 3.

UPDATES FROM LADIES BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Carlota Cigana won 4 and 3.

First hole
Nordqvist holed 10ft birdie putt to win the hole. NORDQVIST ONE UP.

Second hole.
Ciganda holed 8ft birdie putt to win the hole. MATCH ALL SQUARE
Third hole.
Halved in birdie 4s.
Fourth hole.
Halved in par 5s.
Fifth hole
Nordqvist holed 5ft put for birdie 3 to go one up.
Sixth hole.
Ciganda won the hole with a par 4 to square the match.
Seventh hole.
Halved in par 3s after Ciganda, plugged in bunker, splashed out to 5ft and holed putt.
Eighth hole.
Nordqvist won hole with birdie 4 to go back to one up.
Ninth hole.
Ciganda won hole with birdie 2 to square match.
Both players reached turn in approximate 34 (three under par) stroke.
Tenth hole.
Ciganda won the hole with a bogey 5 to go one up.
Eleventh hole.
Halved in par 3s.
Twelfth hole.
Ciganda won hole with a birdie 3 to go two up.
Thirteenth hole.
Ciganda holed a 30ft putt for another birdie 3 at the 13th to go three up.
Fourteenth hole
Halved in birdie 2s with Nordqvist holing from 25ft and Ciganda following her in from 10ft.

Fifteenth hole.

Ciganda won the hole with a 4 to a 5 and won the match by 4 and 3.

KIRSTY TAYLOR LEADS CATALONIA LADIES MASTERS

England's Kirsty Taylor leads the Catalonia Ladies Masters by one shot after 36 holes at the Club de Golf Masia Mach near Barcelona.
LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2 x 72)
137 K Taylor (Eng) 68 69.
138 B Brewerton (Wal) 70 68, A Simon (RSA) 70 68.
140 T Johnson (Eng) 71 69.
141 G Nocera (Fra) 75 66, P Martin (Esp) 74 67, I Tinning (Den) 72 69.

VIKKI TRAILS BY TEN IN FUTURES TOUR MAJOR

Vikki Laing from Musselburgh was in joint 46th position going into the final round of the Michelo Ultra Players' Championship, the only "major" on the US Futures Tour, at Hickory Point Golf Club, Decatur in Illinois.

Vikki had rounds of 71, 75 and 72 for a two-over-par tally of 218 over the 6,594yd, par-72 course.

Sharing the lead on eight-under-par 208 are Onnarin Sattayabanphot from Bangkok and Emily Bastel from Ohio.

LEADERBOARD

Par 216 (3 x 72)

208 O Sattayabanphot (Thai) 72 68 68, Emily Bastel (US) 69 68 71.

209 L Janangelo (S) 67 71 71.

211 R Bailey (Aus) 70 72 69, J Peterkova (Cze) 68 73 70, J Gleason (US) 70 71 70, C Larsson Swse) 71 69 71, T Leon (US) 71 68 72, B Jackson (US) 68 70 75.

Other score:

218 V Laing (Sco) 71 75 72 (jt 46th).