Ann Ramsay loses in Strathtyrum Trophy
tournament final for second year in a row

Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir), 26-year-old former Scottish Universities and Angus county champion, lost in the final of the Strathtyrum Trophy women's tournament at St Andrews for the second year in a row.
Ann was beaten 4 and 3 in the 18-hole final over the Eden course by Kent teenager Jerry Lawrence who was making her debut in the very popular holiday tournament at the Home of Golf.
The 18-year-old English player won her semi-final by 3 and 2 against the top qualifier and Scotland cap Gemma Webster (Hilton Park), who plays for Ohio State University on the US college circuit.
Ramsay defeated Scots-born Elaine Clark (Manchester) by one hole in the other semi-final.
Later results:
Semi-finals - A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) bt E Clark (Manchester) 1 hole, J Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham Park) bt G Webster (Hilton Park) 3 and 2.
Final - Lawrence bt Ramsay 4 and 3.

Vikki clickety-clicks with a 66

for joint second at Richmond

Vikki Laing from Musselburgh shot her lowest round of the US Duramed Futures Tour season to be lying joint second after the first day of the Greater Richmond Classic at Richmond Country Club, Virginia.
The Scot compiled a six-under-par 66 with an eagle 3 at the ninth and birdies at the third, eighth, 12th, 15th and 18th in halves of 32 and 34. She had one bogey at the 17th but finished on a high by holing a 40ft uphill putt for a birdie 3 at the last.
Her eagle was achieved by holing a 30yd bunker shot. Apart from the 18th, her longest birdie putts holed were from 15ft on the eighth and 12th.
Vikki appears to be running into form in time for next week's defence of the Gettysburg Championship in which she scored her only victory as a professional last year.
"I seem to be playing better towards the end of the Futures Tour season," Laing said. "My putter worked really well today, so that's always good, even if you're not hitting it that great."
Pamela Feggans from Patna, Ayrshire, the other Scot on the No 2 women's pro tour in the United States, is back in joint 121st position in a field of 144.
She had a five-over-par 77 over the 6,271yd course. She saddled herself with a double bogey 5 at the short second and another shot dropped at the seventh. Pamela did claim back two shots with back to back birdies at the eighth and ninth to turn in one-over-par 37.
Then she had another poor run with bogeys at 10, 12, 13 and 14. A birdie at 16th stopped the rot only momentarily as she bogeyed the last for an inward half of four-over 40.
Brenda McLarnon from Belfast had a 76 (37-39) to be in joint 112th position.
South Korean rooki Haeji Kang leads with a seven-under-par 65 (33-32)
HOW THEY STAND
Par 72
Players from US unless stated
65 Haeji Kang (SKor) 33-32.
66 Vikki Laing (Sco) 32-34, Nicole Hage 32-34.
68 Sam White 34-34, Jenny Gleason 32-36, Jessica Yadloczky (am) 34-34, Sarah Lynn Sargent 34-35, Stacy Lewis 35-33, Vicky Hurst 34-34, Angela Buzminski (Can) 34-34.
Other scores:
76 Brenda McLarnon (NIr) 37-39 (jt 112th).
77 Pamela Feggans (Sco) 37-40.

Ladies European Tour Scoreboard
SS4C WALES LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE
Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Par 144 (2 x 72)
136 Martina Eberl (Ger) 65 71
137 Henrietta Zuel 66 71, Lisa Hall 70 67, Becky Brewerton 66 71
138 Lotta Maria Wahlin (Swe) 71 67
139 Paula Marti (Spa) 68 71, Federica Piovano (Ita) 70 69, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 69 70
140 Joanne Mills (Aus) 70 70, Georgina Simpson 66 74
141 Laura Davies 70 71, Martina Gillen 70 71, Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 70 71, Marta Prieto (Spa) 70 71, Lara Tadiotto (Bel) 68 73, Clare Queen 71 70
142 Kiran Matharu 67 75, Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 72 70, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 72 70, Maria Boden (Swe) 71 71, Ana-Belen Sanchez (Spa) 69 73, Louise Stahle (Swe) 70 72
143 Stephanie Arricau (Fra) 72 71, Anja Monke (Ger) 70 73, Joanne Morley 74 69, Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 75 68, Laurette Maritz (Rsa) 72 71, Amy Yang (USA) 75 68, Stefanie Michl (Aut) 70 73, Anna Rawson (Aus) 71 72, Isabella Maconi (Ita) 71 72, Rebecca Hudson 70 73, Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (Aus) 71 72
144 Karen Lunn (Aus) 74 70, Mianne Bagger (Den) 71 73, Anna Rossi (Ita) 72 72, Laura Terebey (USA) 73 71, Beatriz Recari (Spa) 73 71, Nathalie David (Fra) 72 72, Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned) 75 69, Elizabeth McKinnon (Swe) 72 72, Lisa Sorensen (Den) 73 71, Cecillia Ekelundh (Swe) 73 71, Trish Johnson (USA) 70 74, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 72 72
145 Rebecca Coakley 72 73, Nina Reis (Swe) 72 73, Lee-Anne Pace (USA) 72 73, Melissa Reid 70 75, Danielle Montgomery 72 73, Sophie Walker 69 76, Karen-Margreth Juul (Den) 71 74, Lydia Hall 71 74, Zuzana Kamasova (Svk) 75 70, Katharina Schallenberg (Ger) 71 74, Emma Zackrisson (Swe) 73 72, Samantha Head 74 71, Melodie Bourdy (Fra) 68 77, Sahra Hassan 70 75
146 Felicity Johnson 77 69, Dana Lacey (Aus) 70 76, Maria Verchenova (Rus) 74 72, Emma Cabrera Bello (Spa) 72 74, Lill Saether (Nor) 75 71, Lynn t Brooky (Nzl) 74 72, Jodi Ewart 72 74, Diana Luna (Ita) 71 75, Carmen Alonso (Spa) 73 73
MISSED THE CUT
147 Krista Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 74 73, Lora Fairclough 74 73, Leah Hart (Aus) 71 76, Julie Greciet (Fra) 72 75, Anne Hansen (Den) 75 72, Eleanor Pilgrim 72 75, Kathryn Imrie 75 72, Kaisa Ruuttila (Fin) 72 75
148 Julie Tvede (Den) 75 73, Tania Elosegui (Spa) 72 76, Emma Louise Weeks 75 73, Ludivine Kreutz (Fra) 73 75, Sarah Nicholson (Nzl) 77 71
149 Ana Larraneta (Spa) 70 79, Stacy Lee Bregman (Rsa) 74 75, Camille Fallay (Fra) 74 75, Natalie Claire Booth 73 76, Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den) 73 76, Stefania Croce (Ita) 74 75, Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha) 71 78, Anna Knutsson (Swe) 72 77, Elisabeth Esterl (Ger) 74 75
150 Liza Aileen Shervill 75 75, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 77 73, Lynn Kenny 73 77, Ellen Smets (Bel) 76 74, Christine Hallstrom (Swe) 74 76, Natascha Fink (Aut) 76 74, Anna Tybring (Swe) 73 77
151 Anna Highgate 76 75, Johanna Head 75 76, Vittoria Valvassori (Ita) 75 76, Nicole Gergely (Aut) 76 75, Kirsty S Taylor 75 76, Jenna Wilson 76 75, Denise Becker (Ger) 76 75, Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 76 75, Margherita Rigon (Ita) 77 74
152 Laura Eastwood 72 80, Sofia Renell (Swe) 76 76, Dale Reid 74 78, Nora Angehrn (Swi) 76 76, Cassandra Kirkland (Fra) 74 78
153 Frances Bondad (Aus) 72 81, Caroline Afonso (Fra) 77 76, Virginine Lagoutte-Clement (Fra) 78 75, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 78 75, Joanne Pritchard 76 77
154 Cherie Byrnes (Aus) 73 81, Kate Combes (Aus) 74 80, Hannah Jenkins 75 79, Anna-Lise Caudal (Fra) 74 80, Jehanne Jail (Fra) 76 78
155 Elin Ohlsson (Swe) 77 78, Florence Luscher (Swi) 80 75, Lysa Jones 76 79
156 Rui Yokomine (Jpn) 79 77, Corinne Dibnah (Aus) 76 80, Marina Arruti (Spa) 77 79, Lucy Gould 74 82
157 Joanne Clingan 76 81, Kirsty Fisher 81 76
159 Kathryn Price 78 81, Itziar Elguezabal (Spa) 80 79
160 Rhian wyn Thomas (am) 80 80, Katie Tebbet 83 77
Retired: Sophie Sandolo (Ita) 78 -

Murcar Links meet Kilmacolm

in last 16 of Mail on Sunday

Ladies Classic

Murcar Links are through the the eighth round of the Mail on Sunday Ladies Classic (http://www.mailgolf.co.uk/) and will now play Kilmacolm in the next round which makes it the last 16.

Either Murcar Links or Kilmacolm will go forward to the quarter-finals at Manchester in September.

"The semi-finalists and finalists get a week in the sun, I think," said Murcar Links player and Aberdeenshire county treasurer Laura McLardy, pictured right (Cal Carson Golf Agency image) competing in this year's Scottish women's championship at Lossiemouth.

The Murcar Links line-up includes Donna Pocock, the Aberdeenshire county champion. She is also the club champion.

Murcar Links previously reached the sixth round in 2004, when the format was such that four players out of a named pool of six competed.

"We lost 4-0 at Fortrose & Rosemarkie on that occasion. In 2005 we also reached around the sixth round, losing 3-2 to Westhill Golf Club (Aberdeenshire). So we've done OK in the past, without making it to the latter stages," said Laura.

"We have a good group of golfers to choose from. Both this year and last year Murcar Links provided half of the Aberdeenshire county team, and three of these players (myself, Donna and Carol Wilson) are regular members of the Mail on Sunday team.
"Carol's mother Pat is the current chairman of the Scottish Ladies Golf Association, and is also a regular member of our team."
In the match against Dunkeld Murcar Links' players were Laura McLardy, Pat Wilson, Carol Wilson, Susan Murray and Donna Pocock.
"After being successful on August 2, four of our team (Pat didn't play) then went on to win the Aberdeenshire county inter-club double foursomes competition at Inchmarlo."

Current handicaps of our players competing in this competition are:
Donna Pocock - 2
Carol Wilson - 3
Laura McLardy - 3
Sammy Leslie - 5
Susan Murray - 6
Pat Wilson - 7
Kathleen Thomson - 10
Shona Anderson - 12
Mary Robinson - 12
+++So there's the lowdown on Murcar Links. If Kilmacolm Ladies would like to E-mail Colin@Scottishgolfview with some information about their players, we'd be delighted to publish it.

Home winner in SLGA Barnardo's
Grand Final at Arbroath
Julie Ganson (Arbroath Artisan), playing over her home course, pipped Catherine Gibson (East Kilbride) for first prize in the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association's Barnardo's Grand Final at Arbroath Golf Club today.
Both finished with 35 Stableford points but Julie had more points from her inward half.
Details (par 71, SSS 71, CSS 73): J Ganson (Arbroath Artisan) (10) (bih), Catherine Gibson (East Kilbride) (10) 35pt; Lynsey Black (Falkirk) (24) (bih), Sandy Bushby (Strathmore) (7) 34pt.

Laura from Brussels is new British

girls

champ

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from Brussels has become the fifth Continental player in the past six years to win the British girls open amateur championship.
The No 1 qualifier, Laura, whose unusual surname comes from a Colombian father, beat the No 6 seed, Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) by 2 and 1 in the final.
The bespectacled Belgian player, who had a run of 26 successive holes without a bogey from the start of her morning semi-final against Laetitia Beck (Israel) until the 11th hole of the final, was two under par for the 17 holes, having been five under par in winning against the unfortunate Laetitia.
It was the second year in a row that Kelly, 16 years old from Manchester, had lost in the final.

I cheered Kelly up by telling her that I knew of a Scottish girl who also lost two successive British girls' championship finals but went on to play in two Curtis Cups, two Vagliano Trophy matches, be a member of a winning Commonwealth Trophy team and win the world better-ball women's championship with Helen Dobson in Brazil.

So, disappointing though it is to be 0 and 2 in British girls' finals, it is not the end of the world by any means. Kelly does have something special to look forward to next month - the Junior Ryder Cup match in Kentucky, so she will get over it more quickly than otherwise.

The first three holes were halved in par before the 17-year-old Laura from Brussels stepped up a gear to birdie the long fourth and short fifth.
Kelly managed to halve the fourth in 4s but she could not match her opponent's 2 at the fifth.
Tidy then birdied the par-4 eighth and the par-5 ninth to wipe out the Belgian's lead.
The eighth hole was the first lost by Laura all day. She had been five under par in beating Israel's Laetitia Beck in the morning without losing a single hole.
Kelly was not far behind that standard with only one bogey - at the 11th - in her semi-final win by 5 and 3 win with three under par figures against Spain's Mandy Goyos, daughter of a Manchester woman, Angela (Ball)
The 10th hole was halved in 4s as both players sought to edge ahead going into the home straight.
Gonzalez-Escallon got her third birdie of the final - a 2 at the short 12th - to regain a one-hole lead but Tidy kept responding and she was back on terms at the next where the Belgian player's 5 at this par-4 hole was her first bogey of the day .... the end of a run of 26 consecutive holes without a bogey.
It was Tidy's turn to bogey at hole, only her second of the afternoon, the short 14th and that put Gonzalez-Escallon back into a one-hole lead with four holes to play.
The 15th and 16th were halved.
Tidy drove into the left rough at the 17th and recovered to about eight yards from the pin. But she took three shots to get down from there for a bogey 5 to her opponent's cast-iron par 4.
And so the title was won by Laura Gonzalez-Escallon by 2 and 1.
For once, unquestionably the best player in the field won the title. That is not always the case in match-play.

It was the Belgian who conquered the last surviving Scot, Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry) earlier in the tournament and Eve said after that tie, that Laura was the complete player ... very long and straight off the tee, hardly missed a fairway or a green, and was a great putter.

WHAT THE FINALISTS HAD TO SAY

LAURA GONZALEZ-ESCALLON.

I won two big amateur tournaments in Belgium last month, one was a women's event and the other was the Belgian girls championship.
So I came to Scotland in good form - and I played well right from the start ... leading the qualfiers ... under par in all my ties.
(She was two under par in both matches on Thursday and five under and two under par today).
I only had one bogey all day today so that is very good for match-play.
I have another year at school in Belgium but I would like to go to an American university. Nobody has made me an offer yet.

After college, I think I will want to be a tour professional.

KELLY TIDY

I'm disappointed but I gave it my best shot. Laura is a very, very good player. It's difficult to beat somebody in match-play if they don't make mistakes ... and she made only one bogey against me (and none in the semi-final).
And what a phenomenal putter she is. I've never played with or against any girl who could keep holing putts like that.

Today's results from Monifieth Links

BRITISH GIRLS' OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Monifieth Links

Semi-finals - Laura Gonzalez-Escallon (Belgium) bt Laetitia Beck (Israel) 4 and 3, Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt Mandy Goyos (Germany) 5 and 3.
Final - Gonzalez-Escallon bt Tidy 2 and 1.

Final (18 holes) - Gonzalez-Escallon bt Tidy 2 and 1.

Lucy Williams wins English mid-am title

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Hertfordshire’s Lucy Williams became the English Women’s Open Mid-Amateur Champion when she beat Warwickshire’s Charlotte Dalton by 4 and 2 in an enthralling final at Wallasey today.
Lucy, 19, was five-under par when she won the title, wrapping up the match on the par-three 16th where her three wood shot hit the hole. Her 2ft putt was conceded.
Between them, the two players had 10 birdies in a match of the highest quality.
“I am so happy – this is great,” said Lucy, from Mid-Herts. “I really felt I hit the ball well today, it was the best I played all week.”
She produced a string of super-accurate shots, chipping dead on the par four 6th, playing a miracle shot out of the rough on the eighth to within 2ft of the pin, rifling a superb three-wood onto the green of the par five 14th – and almost holing that tee shot on the 16th.
“I was getting a bit irritated with my golf a couple of months ago because I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere with it. But now I know I can do it! It’s just a case of believing in yourself,” she said. Lucy was supported by her boyfriend and fellow Birmingham University golf team payer, Andy Smedley, who caddied for her all week.
She was also watched by her parents, Sarah and David, who was a Tour player for 17 years and is now a tournament director and rules referee on the European Tour. Although golf has always been a part of the Williams household, Lucy didn’t take up the game until she was 14.
“I wasn’t interested at all – and then I got hooked!” she said. Now she moves on to next week’s British stroke-play championship.
Charlotte Dalton, 19, was also on fine form and fought tenaciously throughout the final and made few mistakes apart from a couple of three-putts. “I have loved every single minute of it, if you get this far you have to enjoy it,” said Charlotte, who plays at Ladbrook Park.
“I played well but I got Lucy on a very good day! She deserved to win playing like that.”The players put on a sparkling show for the spectators, with most holes won with birdies. They halved the first four before Lucy edged ahead with a birdie two on the 5th and from then on she held the lead in the match.
The sixth was halved with birdies, then Lucy birdied the 8th to go two up. She lost the 10th with a rare bogey but came straight back with a birdie on the 11th, to re-establish her two-hole advantage.
Charlotte, in turn, won the 12th with a birdie two to again reduce the lead to one hole. However Lucy won the 13th with a par and, was conceded the long 14th which she reached in two. The players halved the 15th in par before Lucy clinched the victory on the 16th.
Final
Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts) beat Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park) 4/2
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

Laura Gonzalez-Escallon, LGU president Joan Neville and Kelly Tidy on the first tee before the final at Monifieth.

Birdie-birdie burst puts Kelly on
level terms in British final

Manchester's Kelly Tidy showed the class that has earned her selection to the European Junior Ryder Cup team by birdieing the eighth and ninth to get on level terms with the top seed, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon, in the final of the British girls' open amateur championship at a very still Monifieth Links.
The first three holes were halved in par before the 17-year-old Laura from Brussels stepped up a gear to birdie the long fourth and short fifth.
Sixth seed Kelly, beaten in last year's final and still only 16, managed to halve the fourth in 4s but she could not match her opponent's 2 at the fifth.
Tidy then birdied the par-4 eighth and the par-5 ninth to wipe out the Belgian's lead.
The eighth hole was the first lost by Laura all day. She had been five under par in beating Israel's Laetitia Beck without losing a single hole.
Laura had also not bogeyed a hole all day after nine holes of the final and 15 holes in the morning semi-final.
Kelly was not far behind that standard with only one bogey - at the 11th - in the semi-final by 5 and 3 win with three under par figures against Spain's Mandy Goyos, daughter of a Manchester woman.
The 10th hole was halved in 4s as both players sought to edge ahead going into the home straight.

LATER:

Laura Gonzalez-Escallon birdied the short 11th to go one up.

Eberl setting pace in Wales

Martina Eberl from Munich is the clubhouse leader at mid-afternoon on the second day of the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe at the Machynys Peninsula.
SCOREBOARD
Par 144
136 M Ebel (Ger) 65 71.
137 B Brewerton (Wal) 66 71, L Hall (Eng) 70 67.
138 L Wahlin (Swe) 71 67.
139 G Nocera (Fra) 69 70, P Marti (Spa) 68 71.
140 G Simpson (Eng) 66 74, J Mills (Aus) 70 70.
141 L Davies (Eng) 70 71, C Queen (Sco) 71 70, M Gillen (Ire) 70 71, A Simon (SAf) 70 71, J Schaeffer (Fra) 72 70.

Mandy Goyos, whose mother Angela comes from Manchester, and Kelly Tidy, who lives in Manchester, on the first tee before their semi-final (Cal Carson Golf Agency image, all rights reserved). You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

It's Kelly versus top seed

Laura in British girls'

final at Monifieth

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Manchester 16-year-old Kelly Tidy, a member at Royal Birkdale, has reached the final of the British girls' open amateur championship for the second year in a row.
This morning at Monifieth Links, Kelly beat 17-year-old Spanish player, Mandy Goyos, whose mother Angela (Ball) comes from Lancashire, by 5 and 3.
Kelly, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), on the second tee in her semi-final lost last year's final at Southerndown to another English girl Henrietta Brockway.
Kelly qualified as No 6 seed this week and in the final she will play the top qualifier, 17-year-old Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from Brussels, Belgium.
Laura was five under par in winning her semi-final by 4 and 3 against Laetitia Beck from Israel.
"I hope I can go one better than last year," said Kelly after her victory.
Tidy, who will play for Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup match in Kentucky next month, said earlier that she felt she was a better player than she was at this time last year.
Kelly Tidy got off to a flying start against Mandy Goyos.
The Royal Birkdale player won the first four holes with a par-par-birdie-birdie start.
Another birdie by Kelly at the fifth put her five up. And yet another birdie at the eight gave the English girl international a commanding six-hole lead which she still held after 10 holes.
The 11th provided Goyos with her first success of the morning. She had to birdied the hole to achieve it and get back to five down. Another birdie by the Spanish player at the 13th cut her deficit to four holes.
But Tidy's par 4 at the 15th was good enough to win the hole and the match by 5 and 3 with three-under-par figures.
Both semi-finals were full of quality play.
After the first eight holes were halved - including the first, fourth and eighth in birdies in the first semi-final, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon broke the deadlock by winning the ninth with a birdie to go one up.
The Belgian girl, whose father comes from Colombia, quickly added to that by winnig the 10th and 11th with pars to be three up with four-under-par figures.
Laura's fifth birdie put her four up at the 12th and halves at the next two ended the tie with Gonzalez-Escallon the winner by 4 and 3.
Amazingly, 16-year-old Laetitia never won a hole, yet she reached the turn in three under par and was one or two under for the holes played.

RESULTS
SEMI-FINALS
Laura Gonzalez-Escallon (Belgium) bt Laetitia Beck (Israel) 4 and 3.
Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt Mandy Goyos (Spain) 5 and 3.

‘All-time Great, Annika’ Wins Top Award
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY PGAS OF EUROPE
Annika Sorenstam, one of the all-time greats of World golf, and Europe’s greatest ever ambassadress of the ladies game, has been awarded The PGAs of Europe’s most prestigious annual award, The Christer Lindberg Bowl, for her unrivalled global contribution to the sport.

The glittering cut-glass trophy was presented to her during a nostalgic night of celebration in Vasteras, staged to follow immediately after the Scandinavian TPC presented by Annika, her final Ladies European Tour event in Sweden before her retirement from competitive golf at the end of the season.

A gathering organised by the PGA of Sweden, the Swedish Golf Federation and IMG for her ‘closest colleagues and friends to honour Annika’ saw her receive the trophy that commemorates the dedication of the late Christer Lindberg, a Swedish visionary who was one of the driving forces behind his nation’s golf boom over the last 25 years and the formation of The PGAs of Europe.

The ceremony was staged by Mikael Sorling (director) and Ian Randell (chief executive) on behalf of The PGAs of Europe, and her name joins the roll of honour, which includes such luminaries as John Jacobs, Neil Coles, Sir Michael Bonallack, Peter Alliss, Ken Schofield, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño and one other female, Emma Villacieros.

The citation to one of the greatest sporting personalities in Sweden’s history said of her: “Very few sporting icons reach the status by which they are known by their Christian name alone but this is indeed the case with Annika; 8 Solheim Cup appearances, 10 major championships, 88 career wins, 72 on the LPGA Tour, 8 Rolex Player of the Year Awards, a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame, her dominance of the ladies game is unparalleled and if there has been any honour to be won over the course of her career, you name it, she’s won it.

“Having worked for Christer at the PGA of Sweden’s office for eighteen months before beginning her journey to the top of the professional game it is so fitting that Annika who has done so much to elevate Swedish golf, European golf and, of course, women’s golf, should be the recipient of this award in 2008.”

After the ceremony she commented: "It was a tremendous honor to receive the Christer Lindberg Bowl. Christer was a great man and just happened to be my first boss. He was full of life and a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf."

As her playing career heads for its conclusion her off-the-course businesses include the ANNIKA Academy, the ANNIKA Collection with Cutter & Buck, ANNIKA Financial Group, numerous golf course design projects around the world, hosting a tournament on the Ladies European Tour, the Annika Foundation, along with her website and blog and has recently been named a USGA Ambassador.

England name Under-16 girls' team
to play Spain at Heswall

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
The English Women’s Golf Association has named the team for the annual Under-16 girls' match against Spain at Heswall on Monday, August 18. The players are:
Dorset’s Hayley Davis (Ferndown)
Yorkshire’s Sophie Godley (Lindrick)
Warwickshire’s Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies)
Wiltshire’s Hannah Turland (Tidworth Garrison).
All four girls are members of EWGA squads.
The mixed match precedes the North of England Under-16 Championship which will be played at Heswall from Wednesday, August 20, to Friday, August 22.
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

Alex Bushby goes out in semi-finals of
English women's mid-am championship

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Hertfordshire’s Lucy Williams and Warwickshire’s Charlotte Dalton will meet in the final of the English Women’s Open Mid-Amateur Championship at Wallasey.
It will be a first national final for both 19-year-old golfers and both are excited at the prospect. “I’m thrilled to bits,” said Charlotte, who plays at Ladbrook Park Golf Club and works part-time at Kings Norton.
“I hadn’t expected to do this well but I’ve played well all week and hit the ball nicely.”
Charlotte defeated Bedfordshire’s Holly Aitchison in the quarter-finals before beating Scotland’s Alex Bushby with a good display of steady play.
She got off to a quick start and was three up after four holes. But Alex, from the Strathmore Golf Centre, Alyth, pulled her back to all square after seven – helped by an eagle 2 on the 267yd sixth where the Scot drove the green and holed a four-footer.
Charlotte quickly regained the advantage and was two up at the turn. She extended her lead on the 12th with a par 3 and although she lost the 13th, she took the next two holes to close out her opponent 4 and 3.
Charlotte was a semi-finalist in the 2007 English girls’ championship and the runner-up in this season’s Warwickshire championship.
Lucy Williams won a low-scoring mach against Buckinghamshire’s Nicole Whitmore to reach the final. Both players drove beautifully in the swirling breeze. Each holed an impressively long putt and a number of holes changed hands with birdies.
“It was a really good game,” said Lucy, who plays at Mid-Herts and is a member of the English Women’s Golf Association Performance Squad.
She won the first hole in the match and never dropped behind, although Nicole battled tenaciously and twice managed to reduce the lead from two holes to one., notably on the 14th, which she birdied.
However, Lucy came straight back with solid pars on the 15th and 16th to win the match 3 and 2 and claim her place in the final.
“It’s exciting,” she said. Lucy, who is the Hertfordshire champion, has just finished her first year at Birmingham University where she is reading applied golf management studies. She is the only girl in her college golf team and helped the side win the 2008 British universities championship. Both Lucy and Charlotte have another national date this season. Hertfordshire and Warwickshire have both reached the final of the English counties championship which takes place next month.
Results
Quarter finals
Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) bt Natalie Lowe (Prestbury) 1 hole.
Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts) bt Hermione Fitzgerald (Links) 3 and 2.
Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park) bt Holly Aitchison (Bedfordshire) 3 and 2.
Alex Bushby (Strathmore) bt Kate Whitmore (Sandiway) 1 hole.
Semi-finals
Williams bt Whitmore 3 and 2.
Dalton beat Bushby 4 and 3.

Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

Susan retains UK optometrists'
title at

Gleneagles

Drumpellier two-handicapper Susan Wood won the Viva International golf tournament for UK optometrists at Gleneagles yesterday for the second year in a row. She shot level par over the Queen's Course at Gleneagles.
"I got to three under par after 10 holes by making birdies at the first two par-5s on the front nine and then a further birdie at the 10th," said Susan who then dropped shots at 11, 12 and 13 to drop back to level par.
"But I managed to finish with six pars and take the title at the formal dress prizegiving in Gleneagles Hotel last night."
A total of 120 optometrists from all over the UK took part, including four ladies (only one other from Scotland - Dunblane Golf Club member Tracey Erskine (who happens to be Andy Murray's aunt), handicap nine, of Erskine opticians, one from Belfast and one from London.
"Overall we held our own against the men! It was a wonderful day with no rain and overall the condition of the course was amazing for the amount of rain we have had," said Susan.

Ann Ramsay on course for another
Strathtyrum Trophy final

Former Scottish Universities women's champion and students' golf organiser Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) is on track to top last year's Strathtyrum Trophy achivement when she was beaten in the final.
The Angus county player and past county champion is through to the last four again of this year's tournament at St Andrews. She had a 5 and 3 quarter-final win over the only surviving home hope, Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus).
Another to go out in the round of the last eight was the defending champion, Marilyn Henderson from the West Rhine club in Germany. Marilyn lost by 3 and 1 to Jerry Laurence (Rochester & Cobham Park).
Earlier Marlyn, three times a winner of the title, had beaten another triple past champion, Karen Marshall (Baberton) at the 20th.
Top seed Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) continues to make good progress. She was taken to the last green in the quarter-finals by C Appleby (Preston).
Results:
SECOND ROUND
G Webster (Hilton Park) bt L Fraser (Kingsknowe) 5 and 4.
C Appleby (Preston) bt M Dolphin (Rochester & Cobham Park) 5 and 4.
M Henderson (West Rhine) bt K Marshall (Baberton) at 20th.
J Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham Park) bt S Simpson (Murrayfield) 4 and 3.
A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) bt V Gaskell (Richmond) 6 and 5.
R Hanlon (St Regulus) bt M Button (Nuneaton) 2 and 1.
E Clark (Manchester) bt K Clayton (Manchester) 7 and 5.
S Carty (The Island, Dublin) bt J Fallows (Manchester) 7 and 6.
QUARTER-FINALS
Webster bt Appleby 2 holes.
Lawrence bt Hendereson 3 and 1.
Ramsay bt Hanlon 5 and 3.
Clark bt Carty at 21st.

SCOTLAND VETS ARE CHAMPIONS
AFTER LAST DAY IS WASHED OUT

Rain washed out the third and final day of the Veteran Ladies Golfing Association area team championship at Southerness Golf Club.
Scotland, who were leading the table with two wins out of two, after two days' play won the title and the Miller Stirling Salver.
Final placings:
1 Scotland 4pt 14 games, 2 English North 2pt 9 1/2 games, 3 English Midlands 2pt 7 games, 4 English South 0pt 5 1/2 games.

Kelly Tidy, on the green at the par-5 18th in two, rolls her eagle putt close to the hole to clinch victory over Sophia Popov at Monifieth today (Cal Carson Golf Agency image, all rights reserved). You can enlarge the images by clicking on them).

Sophia Popov (Germany) pitches her third shot to the green at the par-5 18th in the quarter-final match against Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale). Cal Carson Golf Agency image (all rights reserved)

Kelly gives Tidy performance to

reach last four once again

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Manchester's Kelly Tidy, a beaten finalist in the British girls open amateur championship last year, staged a great fightback to reach the last four at Monifieth Links today.
Also through to Friday morning's semi-finals are the No 1 seed, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from Belgium, Israel's Laetitia Beck, the No 5 qualifier, and Mandy Goyos from Spain, 58th of the 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages. .
Royal Birkdale member Kelly, the sixth seed, beat Sophia Popov (Germany) on the last green after being three down on the fifth tee - Sophia having birdied the first and fourth.
"I was three down for most of the way it seemed," said Kelly later. "I think we halved every hole from the fifth to the 11th which is where I got a hole back with a par."
Tidy, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), still only 16, began to play really well under pressure. She won the short 13th with a cast-iron 3 while Popov was short.
Then Tidy birdied the 15th with a 12ft putt to square the exciting contest. On a roll, she then birdied the 16th with a seven-wood, an eight-iron and a 4ft putt to lead for the first time.
The England girl international had a chance to win the tie on the 17th green but missed a 4ft putt. Then Tidy played a great long iron second on to the green at 513yd 18th while Popov required three shots to get on.
Tidy rolled her putt close and was conceded victory.
In the second semi-final, Kelly will play Mandy Goyos from La Coruna, Spain.

Mandy was the biggest winner of the last four, achieving a 7 and 6 result against Charlotte Lorentzen (Denmark) who had knocked out the No 2 seed Ana Fernandez de Mesa (Spain) in the morning quarter-finals.
Mandy, whose father is Spanish but her mother Angela (Ball) comes from Lancashire, took a grip on the quarter-final by winning five of the first seven holes.
The first semi-final will feature Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from Brussels - her father is Colombian and her mother Belgian - and beaten the 16-year-old Florida-based Israeli women's champion Laetitia Beck who is a member at the Caesarea golf club which has only nine holes and is the only golf club in the country.
Laura was two under par in the 4 and 3 morning win over Scottish international curler Eve Muirhead and she was two under par again in winning by 4 and 2 in the afternoon against Sweden's Louise Larsson.
"I reached the quarter-finals in this championship last year, which I think was my best ever golfing achievement. Now I have bettered that," said Gonzalez-Escallon who was only one up at the turn but doubled that advantage at the 10th.
Laetitia Beck beat Johanna Tillstrom of Sweden by 3 and 2 after winning the second and third but losing the fifth.
"I missed a short putt at the ninth and was lucky to get a half at the 10th but a birdie at the 13th was very important for me," said Beck who is a residential student at the IMG David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida alongwith Curtis Cup Scot Sally Watson.

All Thursday's results from Monifieth

BRITISH GIRLS’ OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Monifieth Links
THIRD ROUND

L Gonzalez-Escallon (Bel) bt E Muirhead (Pitlochry) 4 and 3.
L Larsson (Swe) bt A Peters (Notts Ladies) 3 and 2.
L Beck (Isr) bt K Puisite (Lat) 2 holes.
J Tillstrom (Swe) bt G Molinaro (Ita) 2 and 1.

S Popov (Ger) bt S Tyson (Redlibbets) at 19th.
K Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt E Robinson (Middlesbrough Brass Castle) at 19th.
M Goyos (Spa) bt S Popelka (Swi) 4 and 3.
C Lorentzen (Den) bt A Fernandez de Mesa (Spa) 1 hole.

QUARTER-FINALS
Gonzalez-Escallon bt Larsson 4 and 2.
Beck bt Tillstrom 3 and 2.
Tidy bt Popov 1 hole.
Goyos bt Lorentzen 7 and 6.

Semi-finals at 8.30 and 8.40 am Friday
Final (18) holes at 1pm.
++Admission and car parking free. Specators welcome.

England name stroke-play team for next week

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
English champion Hannah Barwood and internationals Naomi Edwards and Kerry Smith will represent England in the Nations Cup event at next week’s British stroke-play championship.
The tournament takes place at Malone Golf Club near Belfast from Wednesday to Friday. Team is:
Hannah Barwood (Knowle)
Naomi Edwards (Ganton)
Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) capt

Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

Last Scot bows out of British girls championship

Eve Muirhead meets her Waterloo
against talented top seed Laura

British girls championship top seed Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from the Royal Waterloo club, Belgium, ended the glory run of Great Britain Winter Olympics curling squad member Eve Muirhead of Dunkeld in the round of the last 16 this morning at Monifieth.
With the flooded Ashludie Burn subsiding enough to allow access to the sixth and seventh holes over one of the low-level brides, an 18-hole course was in operation for the first time in the match-play stages.
Laura was the first player to reach the quarter-finals, beating Eve, a member of Pitlochry Golf Club, by a 4 and 3 margin, having been two up at the turn.
Gonzalez-Escallon was roughly two under par and never trailed after taking the lead with a par 4 at the third.
Muirhead did square the contest at the short fifth but her opponent climbed into the driving seat with birdies at the the seventh (15ft putt) and eighth (5ft putt) to be two up at the turn.
A par at the 10th was good enough to see the Belgian player increase her lead to three holes and she got her third winning birdie of the round at the 12th.
Muirhead won back the 13th where Gonzalez-Escallon was short with her approach but the Scot missed a 5ft putt to lose the 14th and a half ended the match on the 15th green.
"Laura hit the ball really well and she hits it a mile off the tee," said Eve. "I didn't get any birdies today, compared with quite a few in the first two rounds but I didn't play all that badly. To be the only Scot in the last 16 was more than I hoped for at the start of the championship so I've enjoyed myself.
"Now I'm looking forward to helping Perth & Kinross win the Scottish women's county finals at Inchmarlo Golf Centre in a few weeks."
It is not written down anywhere that you cannot be international class in two sports but one just wonders how good a golfer Eve Muirhead could be if she focused on golf, especially with the 2010 Winter Olympics looming up on the horizon. It's not going to happen but it is still an intriguing thought.
In the quarter-finals, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon will meet Louise Larsson, the No 56 qualifier from Sweden. Louise beat the No 8 seed, 14-year-old Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) by 3 and 2.
Louise was one up at the turn and doubled that lead by the 15th.
The second quarter-final this afternoon features Israeli women's champion Laetitia Beck and Johanna Tillstrom from Sweden.
Laetitia, the No 5 seed, won by two holes against Krista Puisite from Latvia, the No 53 qualifier, after being four up at the turn.
Krista staged a rousing fightback to be all square after 15 holes but Laetia edged ahead again to be one up on the 18th tee. She won the last to clinch a place in the last eight.
Johanna, the No 20 qualifier, scored a good 2 and 1 win over the 29th qualifier Giulia Molinaro (Italy).
Giuila, a student at the IMG David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida, was the leading girl in last year's The Duke of York Young Champions' Trophy at Dundonald Links.
Tillstrom took a grip on the proceeding by going three up on the outward half. Molinaro got one hole back after the turn but ran out of holes on the inward stretch.
Germany's Sophia Popov came back from three down after nine holes and still three down on the 16th tee to beat English girls champion Sarah Tyson (Redlibbets) at the 19th.
Popov, the 14th qualifier holed putts ranging from 10 feet to 20ft to win the 16th, 17th and 18th to square the match with a hat-trick of birdies- and she completed her comeback by sinking a six-footer for a fourth birdie in a row for victory at the first extra hole after Sarah had missed from 8ft.
Sarah came through a resumed play-off at 6.15am on Wednesday to be the 62nd of 64 qualifiers.
Germany's Sophia Popov was guaranteed to play another English girl in the afternoon - the winner of an enthralling tie between Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough Brass Castle) and Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale).
Kelly, last year's beaten finalist and the No 6 seed this week, was two up after nine holes but Ellie, the 43rd qualifier, hit back to square the tie by the 15th. One up after 17, Ellie took three shots in a bunker to lose the 18th.
Robinson was bunkered again at the 19th and could not match Tidy's par 4.
Spain has only one representative in the quarter-finals - Mandy Goyos who beat the No 18 qualifier, US- based Sherlyn Popelka (Switzerland), by 4 and 3.
Goyos, who qualified in 58th position, had been two up at the turn.
Mandy's quarter-final opponent is Charlotte Lorentzen, the 18th qualifier from Denmark. Charlotte toppled the No 2 seed, Spain's Ana Fernandez de Mesa, by 1 hole.
Lorentzen always had the edge, leading by one hole through the ninth, 15th and 17th.
The Spanish player, needing to win the last to take the tie into extra holes, bunkered her third shot and Lorentzen won the day.
Today's results

THIRD ROUND
L Gonzalez-Escallon (Bel) bt E Muirhead (Pitlochry) 4 and 3.
L Larsson (Swe) bt A Peters (Notts Ladies) 3 and 2.
L Beck (Isr) bt K Puisite (Lat) 2 holes.
J Tillstrom (Swe) bt G Molinaro (Ita) 2 and 1.

S Popov (Ger) bt S Tyson (Redlibbets) at 19th.
K Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt E Robinson (Middlesbrough) at 19th.
M Goyos (Spa) bt S Popelka (Swi) 4 and 3.
C Lorentzen (Den) bt A Fernandez de Mesa (Spa) 1 hole.

England girl international Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies), left, only 14 years of age a nd Louise Larsson (Sweden) before their third-round tie in the British girls open amateur championship at Monifeith Links this morning. Cal Carson Golf Agency image (all rights reserved). You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

Sarah Tyson (left) from the Redlibbets club, Sevenoaks, Kent, winner of the English girls' championship recently, and her third-round opponent Sophia Popov (Germany).

Cal Carson Golf Agency image (all rights reserved). You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), left, and Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough Brass Castle) pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved) before their all-England third-round tie in the British girls open amateur championship at Monifieth this morning. Kelly was beaten finalist last year. Click on the image to enlarge it.

EIGHTEEN-HOLE MONFIETH LINKS COURSE
BACK IN OPERATION FOR TODAY'S TIES

The flood water from the Ashludie Burn had subsided enough overnight to allow access to the sixth and seventh holes - not played in yesterday's first and second round ties because bridges over the burn were under water - and so an 18-hole course was back in operation for the round of the last 16 this morning at Monifieth.
"Not one girl complained about two holes being missed out on Wednesday. In fact, one or two of them said they rather liked a 16-hole golf course!" said Joan Neville, president of the Ladies Golf Union, and chief starter at the British girls championship.

Top seed Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from Royal Waterloo GC, Belgium (left) and Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry) on the first tee at Monifieth this morning before their third round tie in the British girls open amateur championship (Cal Carson Golf Agency image, all rights reserved). You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

Note from Colin Farquharson.

In my report from Monifieth yesterday, my comments could have been interpreted that Eve Muirhead had never been offered coaching from the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association.

This is not the case. As SLGA chairman Pat Wilson told me this morning Eve has twice had to turn down invitations to be a member of an SLGA coaching squad because of her commitments to her principal sport, curling, of which she is a member not only of the Scotland international squad but also the Great Britain squad for the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver.

Strathtyrum Trophy first round results

Selected first round results from the Strathtyrum Trophy tournament at St Andrews:

G Webster (HIlton Park) bt D Payne (Oakmere Park) 6 and 5.
L Fraser (Kinigsknowe) bt J Marshall (Baberton) 3 and 2.
M Dolphin (Rochester &Cobham Park) bt L Armstrong (Newtonstewart) 6 and 5.
K Marshall (Baberton) bt M Button(Ferndown) 6 and 4.
M Henderson (West Rhine) bt C Richardson (Burnham Beeches) 7 and 6.
S Simpson (Murrayfield) bt E Goodwin (Glenbervie) 4 and 3.
A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) bt C Braidwood (Reigate Heath) 7 and 5.
V Gaskell (Richmond) bt S Ledingham (Murrayfield) at 19th.
R Hanlon (St Regulus) bt M Hall (Linlithgow) 3 and 2.
E Clark (Manchester) bt J Sheargold (Shifnal).

Alexandra Bushby keeps flag flying for
Scotland in English open mid-am

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Cheshire teenager Natalie Lowe knocked out the No 1 seed - Emma Fairnie from Dunbar - and swept into the quarter-finals of the English Women’s Open Mid-Amateur Championship at Wallasey.
The 19-year-old from Prestbury defeated top qualifier Emma Fairnie 5 and 4 in the second round. Earlier in the day, she beat Oxfordshire champion Sam Round 3 and 2.
“I’m really happy, really pleased,” said Natalie, who is a Cheshire county golfer and plays the amateur circuit.
“It’s the best I have done in any of the big competitions.”
She was level par in her morning match and got off to a fast start in her afternoon clash against the top seed, ~Edinburgh University student Emma Fairnie.
Natalie was three-under par for the front nine and five up at the turn – despite losing the first to a birdie.
She lost the 11th – which she describes as her bogey hole – but came straight back to win the 12th. Natalie just missed a putt to win on the 13th but a solid par on 14 secured her place in the quarter-finals.
“I was pleased with the way I had played in the morning and in the afternoonI told myself that I wasn’t expected to win and that all eyes would be on Emma. She was the one who had the pressure. I just went out to play my own game and I got off to a great start which really helped.”
Natalie – whose brother Sam is caddying for her – is joined in the quarter finals by another Cheshire player, Kate Whitmore of Sandiway who won both her matches by the margin of one hole.
There is still one Scot in the last eight - Alexandra Bushby from Strathmore Golf Centre, Alyth.
Defending champion Claire Aitken (Mid-Kent) and 2006 title-holder Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) were both beaten in the first round.
Results:
Round One
Emma Fairnie (Dunbar Ladies) bt Caroline Marron (Bromborough) 2 holes.
Natalie Lowe (Prestbury) bt Samantha Round (Tadmarton Heath) 3 and 2.
ClarePartridge (Moor Park) bt Holly Calvert (Lancaster) 3 and 2.
Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) bt Claire Aitken (Mid-Kent) 2 and 1.
Hermione FitzGerald (Links) bt Sarah Walton (Clitheroe) 4 and 3.
Karen Heywood (Crompton & Royton) bt Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall) 2 holes.
Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts) bt Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall) 1 hole.
Emma Sheffield (Newark) bt Tilly Holder (Woburn) 1 hole.
Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park) bt Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) 6 and 4.
Laura Harvey (Richmond) bt Jenny Pease (Braintree) 6 and 4.
Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) bt Sian James (Bristol & Clifton) 1 hole.
Holly Aitchison (Bedfordshire) bt Ellie Givens (Blackwell Grange) 2 and 1.
Stephanie Evans (Vale of Llangollen) bt Katie Best (Sherwood Forest) 1 hole.
Alexandra Bushby (Strathmore) bt Laura Collin (John O'Gaunt) 1 hole.
Kate Whitmore (Sandiway) bt Emma Tayler (Saunton) 1 hole.
Jo Hodge (Knowle) bt Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) 5 and 4.
Round Two
Lowe bt Fairnie 5 and 4.
N Whitmore bt Partridge 1 hole.
FitzGerald bt Heywood 2 holes.
Williams bt Sheffield 3 and 2.
Dalton bt Harvey 2 and 1.
Aitchison bt Grant 3 and 2.
Bushby bt Evans 1 hole.
K Whitmore bt Hodge 1 hole.
Quarter-finals draw
Natalie Lowe v Nicole Whitmore
Hermione FitzGerald v Lucy Williams
Charlotte Dalton v Holly Aitchison
Alexandra Bushby v Kate Whitmore
Online scoring: www.englishwomensgolf.org
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

SCOTS VETERANS SET FOR TITLE AT SOUTHERNESS

Scotland are set to win the title in the Veteran Ladies Golfing Association inter-area championship at Southerness Golf Club.

They made it two wins out of two today when they beat English Midlands 8-1.

Their final opponents on Thursday are English South who were beaten 6 ½-2 1/2, their second successive defeat.

Wednesday details:

SCOTLAND 8, ENGLISH MIDLANDS 1

Foursomes: L Bennett, F De Vries bt J Collingham, J Ashmore 1 hole; H Anderson, F Hunter bt A Dawson, J Doleman 6 and 4; H Faulds, K Sutherland bt P Parker, J Watter 5 and 4 (3-0).

Singles: Anderson bt P West 3 and 2, Bennett halved with Collingham, P Williamson bt Ashmore 5 and 4, M Hughes bt A Burtt 2 and 1, Hunger halved with Doleman, Sutherland bt Parker 3 and 2 (5-1).

ENGLISH NORTH 6 ½, ENGLISH SOUTH 2 `1/2

Foursomes: F Anderson, P Wrightson bt C Stirling, S Stradling 1 hole; C Kirk, R Lindley bt R Watters, C Armstrong 5 and 4; E Elliott, H Smyth lost to I Brien, J O'Keefe 2 holes (2-1).

Singles: Anderson bt S Ellis 3 and 1, Wrightson halved with Stirling, Kirk lost to J Ballard 1 hole, B Laird bt Brien 1 hole, S Paul bt Watters 7 and 6, Lindley bt O'Keefe 3 and 2 (4 ½-1 ½).

 HOW THEY STAND

1  Scotland 2 wins.

2 English Midlands 1 win, 1 defeat.

2 English North 1 win, 1 defeat.

4 English South 2 defeats.

All Wednesday's results from the
British girls' championship

FIRST ROUND
L Gonzalez-Escallon (Bel) bt K Boehm (Ger) 4 and 3
N Jimenez (Spa) bt C Guilleux (Fra) 1 hole
C Leurquin (Bel) bt K Mundy (Dunwood Manor) 2 holes
E Muirhead (Pitlochry) bt H Barwood (Knowle) 2 and 1
L Larsson (Swe) bt N Salaverria (Spa) 1 hole
A Fernandez (Spa) bt N Roessler (Ger) 1 hole
A Knight (Ita) bt R Sanchez Lobato (Spa) 2 and 1
A Peters (Notts Ladies) bt N Gobey (Rhondda) 6 and 5
L Beck (Isr) bt M De Roey (Bel) 3 and 2
E Keenan (Sunningdale) bt A Bonetti (Fra) 1 hole
S Vanzonhoven (Bel) bt V Gevers (Bel) 4 and 3
K Puisite (Lat) bt R Huber (Swi) at 19th,
A Maggetti (Swi) bt S Vass (Tain) 5 and 4
J Tillstrom (Swe) bt T Lorenzen (Ger) 6 and 5
G Molinaro (Ita) bt D Nielsen (Den) 2 and 1
R Connor (Manchester) bt E Alonso (Fra) at 20th.
S Tyson (Redlibbets) bt K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 3 and 2
C Pinegger (Aut) bt R Watton (Mortonhall) 3 and 1
C Hedberg (Spa) bt F Reuter (Ger) 3 and 1
S Popov (Ger) bt N Foster (Accrington) 6 and 4
A Provot (Fra) bt A Arrese (Spa) 3 and 1
E Robinson (Middlesbourgh Brass Castle) bt H Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 2 holes
S Nuutinen (Fin) bt N Larsen (Den) 2 and 1
K Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt M Tschida (Ger) 2 and 1
M Goyos (Spa) bt H Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) 4 and 2
L Sedda (Ita) bt M Vanmol (Bel) 3 and 2
E Folch (Spa) bt A Strang (Swe) 5 and 4
S Popelka (Swi) bt V Tandrini (Ita) 6 and 4
V Scherer (Ger) bt C Wild (Mere) 2 and 1
C Lorentzen (Den) bt L R Lopez Caballo (Spa) 1 hole
F Vuigner (Swi( bt L Castelain (Fra) 1 hole
A Fernandez de Mesa (Spa) bt D Lendl (US) 1 hole.

SECOND ROUND
Gonzalez-Escallon bt Jimenez 4 and 3.
Muirhead bt Leurquin 2 and 1.
Larsson bt Fernandez 3 and 1.
Peters bt Knight 2 and 1.
Beck bt Keenan (retired, injured).
Puisite bt Vanzonhoven 3 and 2.
Tillstrom bt Maggetti at 19th.
Molinaro bt Connor at 21st.

Tyson bt Pinegger 4 and 3.
Popov bt Hedberg 3 and 2.
Robinson bt Provot 5 and 4.
Tidy bt Nuutinen 2 holes.
Goyos bt Sedda 2 holes.
Popelka bt Folch 4 and 3.
Lorentsen bt Scherer 3 and 2.
Fernandez de Mesa bt Vuigner 3 and 2.

Thursday’s Round 3 ties start at 8.30am (10min intervals) and the quarter-finals (15min intervals) at 1pm. Admission and car parking are free.

ROUND THREE LINE-UP
8.30 Gonzalez-Escallon v Muirhead.
8.40 Larsson v Peters.
8.50 Beck v Puisite.
9.00 Tillstrom v Molinaro.
9.10 Tyson v Popov.
9.20 Robinson v Tidy.
9.30 Goyos v Popelka.
9.40 Lorentzen v Fernandez de Mesa.

Miss Muirhead through to last 16 of British girls championship

Would you Adam and Eve it?

Pitlochry curler comes back

to win from 5 down after five

Eve Muirhead had an unbelievable second-round win in the British girls' open amateur championship at Monifieth Links (scroll down to read about her morning win).

The Scotland international CURLER from Pitlochry came back from five down after five holes to beat Chloe Leurquin from Belgium by one hole.

Five down in a "normal" round is a precarious position but what you might not realise is that all the ties were being played over 16 holes because the Ashludie Burn burst its banks and ruled play out of the question at the sixth and seventh because the low-level bridges were under water.

So, in effect, Eve, pictured above teeing off in the second round by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), was five down with only 11 holes to make up the leeway ... which she did in memorable style to win by one hole.

"I didn't hit the ball well at all over the first five holes," said Eve later. "But my caddie (Scotland international golfer) Rosanne Niven) kept me going and the walk we had from the fifth green to the eighth tee round the unplayable holes gave me time to gather my thoughts and calm down."

Eve's amazing fightback started with a birdie at the eighth to be four down.

Having had five birdies in her morning win, she continued to produce them in the second round.

Another birdie at the 10th cut the deficit to three before she lost the 11th to a birdie to go back to four down.

A par at the 12th was good enough to reduce her opponent's lead to three. The Belgian girl was bunkered at the 14th and took three putts at the 15th - and suddenly Eve was only one down with three holes to play.

The 16th and 17th were halved as the tension mounted, if not with the players, certainly among the fair-sized gallery.

Both players were on the green at the long 18th in three. Both left their approach putts short of the hole. But, with no sign of nerves, Eve drew on her experience of curling in the international arena to calmly roll in her 6ft putt for a par 5.

Leurquin then faced a four-footer for a half .. and she missed. Eve had won and entered the last 16 of the British championship.

"The only golf coaching I've ever had was with the Perth & Kinross county team squad. No, I wouldn't consider going to an American university (talent scouts from five US colleges are walking the Monifieth fairways) even if they did make me an offer. I've left school and I aim to be a full-time curler until the 2010 Winter Olympics with the help of the Scottish Institute of Sport," said Eve.

Did she ever consider how good a golfer she might be if she gave up curling and concentrated on golf?

"Not really. I love curling. My dad Gordon is an Olympic curling. We are a curling family," said Eve.
She now plays the No 1 seed Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from the Royal Waterloo club, Belgium. Laura cruised to a couple of 4 and 3 wins today.
Kelsey MacDonald, who had high hopes after qualifying in the No 3 position, hit her first tee shot out of bounds and was four down after 11 holes before losing by 3 and 2 to Sarah Tyson (Redlibbets, Kent), who was not in the English girls team last week at Panmure.
"I have no excuses. I didn't play as well as I have been over the past few weeks and Sarah took her chances," said Kelsey.
Sammy Vass lost by 5 and 4 to Anais Maggetti from Switzerland. Sammy won the first hole with a birdie 3 - and that was the high point of the match for the Tain youngster. She lost a ball off the 10th tee and then lost the 11th to a birdie.
Rachael Watton was three down after four holes to Carolin Pinegger who went on to win by 3 and 1. Rachael did mount a fightback which saw he rwin the eighth, 12th, 13th and 15th but she also lost the 10th, the 14th and 17th, her opponent birdieing the latter two holes.
England have four players through to the last 16 but, unfortunately for them, two of them will meet in the third round.
Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), beaten finalist 12 months ago and the No 6 seed this year, plays Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough Brass Castle) on Thursday morning for a place in the quarter-finals.
Other English players to make progress were Sarah Tyson from the Redlibbets club, Sevenoaks in Kent, and Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies).
Sarah followed up her morning win over Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald by beating Carolin Pinegger (Austria) 4 and 2. She now plays Sophia Popov from Germany.
Alexandra, who is in the top half of the draw and is the No 8 seed, faces Louise Larsson from Sweden.

Ivan Lendl's 16-year-old daughter Daniela, who has +2 of a handicap, survived a play-off to get into the match-play at 6.15am and then "went away for a nap" before her 11.38am tee off time against the No 2 seed, Ana Fernandez de Meza from Spain.
Daniela lost by one hole after losing three of the first four holes.
"I got back in the game and squared it after 15 holes but lost the 16th and could only halve the last two holes. I was one under par for the round so Ana must have been two or three under. She looks a very good player and hope she goes on to win the title," said Daniela who had Rebecca Watson, University of Tennessee student and older sister of Curtis Cup Scot Sally Watson, as her caddie.

Daniela added:
"I've loved it on this my first trip to Britain and Scotland. The weather's been nothing to write home about but golf is so different in your conditions. I would love to come back next year but it's up to my dad. I had to twist his arm to let me come over this time. The US women's amateur championship is on at the same time as the British girls event every year and he wants me to play in that.

"I told him this year that I can play in the US championship for a long time but I only have a couple of years left when I am young enough to play in the British girls. It worked this year but whether I can get away with again next year, I just don't know. I will certainly be working on him."

Kelsey, Sammy and Rachael

go down in the first round

Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), the No 3 qualifier this year and the No 2 seed last year, bowed out in the first round. She was beaten 3 and 2 by Sarah Tyson from the Reblibbets club at Sevenoaks, Kent.
Sarah took part in the 6.15am play-off for the last two places and came through it was a par-4 at the first.
"I hit a rescue club off the first tee and put it out of bounds," said Kelsey ruefully. "I didn't play as well as I have been playing lately but Sarah Tyson played very steadily and deserved to win."
Tyson was four up after 11 holes and, with the round reduced to 16 holes, there was never much danger of her being overhauled.
Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), who reached the final last year, beating Kelsey MacDonald along the way at Southerndown, got her bid to go one better this week off to a sound start. The No 6 seed,Kelly won by 2 and 1 against Germany's Marie Tschida.
Apart from Eve Muirhead's success, it was a bad morning for the Scots with their three other qualifiers, Kelsey MacDonald, Sammy Vass (Tain) and Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) all making a quit exit.
Sammy, the No 52 qualifier after an eagle 3 at the last in the second round, was beaten 5 and 4 by the No 13 qualifier, Anais Maggetti (Switzerland).
"I won the first with a birdie and then lost the second and third," said Sammy who lost a ball off the 10th tee to go three down and then lost the 11th to a birdie.
Edinburgh's Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), lost by 3 and 1 to Austria's Carolin Pinegger.Rachel slumped to three down after only four holes. She did put the wheels on a fightback by winning the eighth, 12th, 13th and 15th but she lost the 10th and the 14th to a birdie before Carolin finished her with another birdie at the 17th.
Giuilia Molinaro (Italy) beat Daisy Nielsen (Denmark), a member of the European team for next month's Junior Ryder Cup match in Kentucky. Giulia won by 2 and 1 and now plays England girls international Rachel Connor, daughter of the Scots-born professional at Manchester Golf Club.

CURLER EVE BEATS ENGLISH WOMEN'S
CHAMPION HANNAH IN FIRST ROUND

International curler Eve Muirhead from Pitlochry achieved the first form book upset result of the match-play stages of the British girls open amateur championship at Monifieth Links today.
Eighteen-year-old Eve, who will be curling for Great Britain in the next Winter Olympics but has never been capped for Scotland as a golfer, beat the current English women's amateur champion, Hannah Barwood from the Knowle club, Bristol.
All first-round ties have been reduced to a 16-hole course as the sixth and seventh are unplayable because the Ashludie Burn has burst its banks and the low-level bridges that enable players to cross them are under water.
Eve, who has brought her handicap down from 4 to 2 since she filed her entry for the championship, beat Hannah, who has a +1.4 rating, by 2 and 1.
"I putted well and I played well," said Eve whose Perth & Kinross county captain Dawn Butchart caddied for her.
Eve holed an 8ft putt for a winning birdie at the first hole and was never in arrears after that. She went two up with a par at the second where Hannah was bunkered.
Barwood levelled the contest by winning the third and fourth but Muirhead regained a one-hole lead with a birdie putt of some 15ft at the ninth.
The Scot lost the short 11th to a birdie 2 but birdied the 12th and 13th to go two up again.
Barwood won back the 14th where her opponent was bunkered but Muirhead pitched deaded for a winning birdie 3 at the 16th.
Eve now plays Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) who finished two holes up on Katie MJundy (Dunwood Manor).
Top seed Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from the Royal Waterloo club, Belgium won by 4 and 3 against play-off participant Katharine Boehm (Germany) and now plays Spain's Noemi Jimenez who beat the left-handed French girl, Charlotte Guilleux by one hole.
Alexandra Peters, the 14-year-old Nottinghamshire Ladies champion and winner of 4 1/2pt for England in last week's girls home internationals at Panmure, won by 6 and 5 against Welsh girls' cap Natasha Gobey from Rhondda.

Gemma Webster earns top seeding
for Strathtyrum Trophy

Scotland international and Ohio State University women's golf team captain Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) headed the qualifiers with scores of 72 and 78 for 150 - one shot ahead of last year's beaten finalist, Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) - at the Strathtyrum Trophy women's open tournament, organised by the St Andrews Links Trust.
Former champion Karen Marshall and her mother Joan both made it through to the match-play stages.
Past Scottish universities champion Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) was the No 2 qualifier with 75 and 76 for 151.
Karen Marshall, team manager for the Scottish Under-18 girls team at Panmure Golf Club last week and the European girls team championship at Murcar Links before that, qualified in joint third place with a pair of 78s.
Defending champion Marilyn Henderson, based in Germany and a member of the West Rhine club, qualified on 166 with scores of 80 and 86.

LEADING QUALIFIERS
(Eden course score first)
150 G Webster (Hilton Park) 72 78.
151 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 75 76.
156 K Marshall (Baberton) 78 78, E Clark (Manchester) 75 81, J Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham Park) 82 75.
157 S Carty (The Island, Dublin) 76 81.
158 M Button (Nuneaton) 77 81.
159 C Appleby (Preston) 77 81.
1654 R Hanlon (St Regulus) 82 82, M Dolphin (Rochester & Cobham Park) 82 82.
165 J Fallows (Manchestr) 78 87.
166 M Henderson (West Rhine) 80 86, K Clayton (Manchester) 82 84, S Simpson (Murrayfield) 80 86.
168 S Ledingham (Murrayfield) 83 83.
169 V Gaskell (Richmond) 85 84, L Fraser (Kingsknowe) 83 86, J Marshall (Baberton) 82 87.

Emma Fairnie top seed, Alex Bushby
also a match-play qualifier in
English women's open mid-am

PRESS RELEASE FROM ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Scotland’s Emma Fairnie made an impressive debut in the English Women’s Open Mid-Amateur Championship at Wallasey when she led the qualifiers for the match-play stages.
Emma, a member of Dunbar Ladies, was level par for the 36-holes stroke-play, helped by a sparkling four-under par 70 in the morning which included seven birdies.
She was four-over in the afternoon when she played through some heavy downpours. “I’m very happy with that – and especially the morning round,” said Emma, who is playing in this event for the first time.
“I really enjoyed the course and I just managed to hole a lot of putts.”
Emma, 20, is a student at Edinburgh University where she is reading sports science. She’s a long-standing member of the Scottish LGAsquads, represented her country at Under-16 level and, when she was 15, was the youngest winner of the Borders county championship.
She’s enjoying good form, having reached the semi-finals of last week’s St Andrews Junior Ladies’ Open.
“Hopefully I’m building up to a good end to the season,” said Emma, who will move on to next week’s British stroke-play championship at Malone in Northern Ireland.
Emma is one of two Scots - Alexandra Bushby (Strathmore) is the other, and she too qualified for the match-play - and three Welsh players taking part in the English mid-am championship.
Emma claimed the top seeding with two shots to spare. Her closest rivals, on two over par, were 2006 champion Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) who recovered impressively from a quadruple-bogey 9 on the 13th in her first round, and Tara Watters (Muswell Hill).
Defending champion Claire Aitken (Mid-Kent) qualified comfortably with rounds of 79, 74. She was one of the early starters and her first round was compiled in the worst of the morning weather.
“It rained all the way round until the 13th or 14th. It was heavy, nasty and difficult so 79 wasn’t a bad score.&r dquo; Afternoon conditions were more comfortable for Claire and she made the most of it with three birdies and an eagle two on the 267-yard sixth, where she drove the green and sank a 15-footer.
“Overall I’m pleased and I’m looking forward to the matchplay,” said Claire.
The final place in the matchplay draw was decided by a sudden-death play-off and was won by Caroline Marron (Bromborough) who beat one of the 2007 semi-finalists, Becky Dowell (Enmore Park), on the first extra hole. The two players had tied on 160.
QUALIFIERS
148 Emma Fairnie (Dunbar Ladies) 70 78.
150 Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) 76 74;Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) 74 76.
151 Tilly Holder (Woburn) 79 72.
152 Sarah Walton (Clitheroe) 78 74; Holly Aitchison (Bedfordshire) 77 75; Stephanie Evans (WAL, Vale of Llangollen) 75 77.
153 Claire Aitken (Mid-Kent) 79 74; Clare Partridge (Moor Park) 78 75; Laura Collin (John O'Gaunt) 77 76; Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) 77 76; Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall) 74 79; Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts) 74 79.
154 Laura Harvey (Richmond) 78 76; Kate Whitmore (Sandiway) 77 77; Natalie Lowe (Prestbury) 76 78.
155 Samantha Round (Tadmarton Heath) 78 77.
156 Emma Tayler (Saunton) 74 82.
157 Jenny Pease (Braintree) 83 74; Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall) 82 75, Karen Heywood (Crompton & Royton) 76 81.
158 Sian James (Bristol & Clifton) 82 76; Alexandra Bushby (Strathmore) 81 77; 158 Holly Calvert (Lancaster) 80 78; Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) 79 79; Katie Best (Sherwood Forest) 79 79; Ellie Givens (Blackwell Grange) 79 79; Hermione Fitzgerald (Newmarket Links) 76 82; Emma Sheffield (Newark) 76 82.
159 Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park) 80 79; Jo Hodge (Knowle) 80 79.
160 Caroline Marron (Bromborough) 81 79
First round draw:
Emma Fairnie v Caroline Marron
Samantha Round v Natalie Lowe
Clare Partridge v Holly Calvert
Nicole Whitmore v Claire Aitken
Sarah Wa lton v Hermione FitzGerald
Karen Heywood v Charlie Douglass
Lucy Williams v Lisa Ball
Emma Sheffield v Tilly Holder
Tara Watters v Charlotte Dalton
Jenny Pease v Laura Harvey
Hannah Grant v Sian James
Ellie Givens v Holly Aitchison
Stephanie Evans v Katie Best
Alexandra Bushby v Laura Collin
Kate Whitmore v Emma Tayler
Jo Hodge v Charlotte Ellis
Online scoring: www.englishwomensgolf.org

Ashludie Burn flooding rules out Holes 6 and 7 for British girls

Man the pumps! The Ashludie Burn has burst its banks, rendering the sixth and seventh holes on the Monifieth Links unplayble for the simple reason that players in the British girls' championship cannot cross the low-level bridges which are under war. The two yellow sticks you see sticking up in the water indicate the normal width of the burn (Cal Carson Golf Agency images, all rights reserved)

And the water level will rise again with High Tide round about lunchtime today (Wednesday).

Ashludie Burn bursts its banks at Monifieth Links

LENDL'S DAUGHTER THROUGH IN EARLY
MORNING PLAY-OFF ... BUT IT'S A
16-HOLE COURSE FOR FIRST ROUND

Daniela Lendl from Connecticutt, 16 year old youngest of former world tennis champion Ivan Lendl's five daughters, qualified for the match-play stages of the British girls' open amater golf championship at 6.25am (this morning) at the partially-flooded Monifieth Links, near Dundee.
Darkness had forced the Ladies Golf Union officials to abandon an eight-player sudden-death play-off for the last three places among the 64 qualifiers at 9.25pm last night.
The eight players had tied on 155 at the end of the two stroke-play qualifying rounds on Monday and Tuesday. The play-off began at 8pm last night at the first hole, continued down the second and then up the 18th by time it was teeming rain and visibility was virtually nil.
The four players who had to return for a 6.15am resumption to decide the final two places in the match-play draw were Daniela Lendl, Sarah Tyson (Redlibbets), Jenny Haggblom (Finland) and Denise Kalek from Germany.
Lendl and Tyson won through with par 4s at the first.
Tyson plays Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), the No 3 qualifier, at 9.38am in the first round.
Lendl plays the No 2 seed Ana Fernandez de Mesa from Spain at 11.38.
One further twist in this never-dull British girls championship - the first-round matches will be played over SIXTEEN holes.
Heavy overnight rain, following the downpour last weekend, caused the Ashludie Burn which traverses the Monifieth Links to burst its banks. All the bridges over the burn are under water, making the sixth and seventh holes unplayable. There is also lakes of casual water on the fairways at other holes.
"We will take stock of the situation before the second-round ties start at noon," said Shona Malcolm, the LGU chief executive. "But, at the moment, there are only 16 holes playable."

CORRECTIONS TO EARLIER REPORTS-
+Scottish Under-14 girls champion Lesley Atkins from Minto is still only 13 years of age. Sorry Lesley - and her mum - for describing her as 14 years old! If they supply Colin@Scottishgolfview.com with her date of birth, we will make sure we get her age right as we chart her progress in golf.

+Henrietta Brockway, who has changed her surname to Zuel since she won the British girls' championship last year, was still young enough to defend it at Monifieth this week ... but she had turned professional in the interim!

Scots Veterans hit back to make
winn ing start at Southerness

Scotland, rallied after losing the foursomes 2-1, to make a winning start to the Veteran Ladies Golfing Association inter-area championship at Southerness Golf Club today.
The Scots beat England South 6-3 while England Midlands beat England North, also by 6-3.
Details:
ENGLAND MIDLANDS 6, NORTH 3
Foursomes - P West, P. Parker bt P. Wrightson, F. Anderson 2 and 1; A. Burte, J Walter lost to E. Elliott, H. Smyth 6 and 5, J. Collingham, J. Ashmore bt C. Kirk, R. Lindley 2 holes (2-1).
Singles - J. Doleman lost to Wrightson 3 and 2, A. Dawson lost to Anderson 5 and 4, West bt Elliott 4 and 3; Collingham bt Smyth 8 and 6, Ashmore bt S. Paul 3 and 2, Walter beat Lindley 2 and 1 (4-2).

SCOTLAND 6, ENGLAND SOUTH 3
Foursomes: L. Bennett, F. de Vries beat C. Stirling, S. Stradling 2 and 1; H. Anderson, F. Hunter lost to R. Watters, C. Armstrong 3 and 2; H. Faulds, M. Hughes lost to I. Brien, J. O'Keeffe 4 and 3 (1-2)
Singles - Anderson lost to Stirling 3 and 2, Bennett bt S. Ellis 5 and 3, De Vries bt J. Ballard 4 and 3, P. Williamson bt O'Keefe 1 hole, Hunter bt Stradling 2 and 1, K. Sutherland beat Armstrong 1 hole (5-1)

British girls' play-off resumes at
6.15 am Wednesday morning

The eight-player play-off for the last three places in the match-play stages of the British girls open amateur golf championship at Monifieth will resume at 6.15 Wednesday morning after three extra holes' play eliminated only four players.
With the rain teeming down at 9.25pm, in total darkness, the Ladies Golf Union officials abandoned play after the players had holed out on the 18th green after play at the first and second holes had started at 8pm.
Definitely through is Katharina Boehm (Germany) who had a birdie 4 at the 18th.
Definitely out are Joelle Van Baarle (Belgium), who had a bogey 5 at the 2nd, Laura Charlier (Belgium), with a bogey 5 at the first, and Sian Evans (Faversham) with a 5 at the second.
Resuming at 6.15 and battling for the last two places will be Sarah Tyson (Redlibbets), Daniela Lendl (US), Jenny Haggblom (Finland) and Denise Kalek (Germany).

Four Scots but no Carly among
British girls' match-play qualifiers

FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
Only four Scots - Kelsey MacDonald ON(Nairn Dunbar), Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry) and Sammy Vass (Tain) - have made it through to the match-play stages of the British girls' open amateur golf championship over the Monifieth Links.
Comrie's 16-year-old Curtis Cup player Carly Booth, on paper the best player in the field with +3.1 of a handicap, failed to make the leading 64 after the two stroke-play qualifying rounds.
Carly Booth had one triple bogey and three double bogeys over rounds of 79 and 78 for a 13-over-par total of 157.
The irony of it all is that Carly beats the cut no problem at all in the Ladies European Tour events she plays in.
There was an eight-way play-off for those who totalled 155. They were playing for the last three-places in the match-play draw.
In contrast, the player Carly Booth beat in the recent Scottish Under-18 girls championship final at Alyth, Kelsey MacDonald, again raised her game as she did last year for the British girls.
Twelve months ago, Kelsey was the No 2 qualifier, losing eventually to beaten finalist Kelly Tidy (Manchester).
This time round, Scottish Under-21 champion and also holder of the Scottish schoolgirls title, Kelsey shot 73 and 71 to be joint third qualifier on level par 144, only one shot behind the leaders, Ana Fernandez de Mesa from Spain and Laura Gonzalez-Escallon, from the Royal Waterloo club in Belgium.
MacDonald's one-under-par 71 was the best by anyone in the second round and she confesses she has no idea why she has gained 30 or 40 yards on her tee shots this year.
"I have not changed my swing or anything like that but I've always been a straight drive so the fact that we were playing in an east wind today instead of the west for the first round did not affect me as it did some of the others. The wind made some of the par-4s very long on the outward half," said Kelsey.
"I'm playing well, I'm in a confident frame of mind and I just hope I can keep it going in the match-play stages."
Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) was the unexpected Scottish qualifier with rounds of 77 and 74 for 151 - a great effort for a player who was not in the Scotland team for last week's Under-18 home internationals at Panmure.
Olympic curler-to-be Eve Muirhead, who has slashed her handicap from 4 to 2 since she entered the championship, made it through safely with 74 and 78 for 152.
Then there was Sammy Vass from Tain. Sammy has been struggling to find her touch over the last few weeks but an inward half of 36 in the first round was a sign that she was running into form at just the right time. She scored 78 and 75 for 153 to qualify with a couple of shots to spare.
And it was an eagle 3 at the par-5 18th hole that clinched it for Sammy who came home in 35.
Annabel Niven (Crieff) missed out alongwith Carly Booth on 157. Annabel must be rueing the quadruple bogey 7 she took at the par 3 11th in the first round. She would have qualified with ease had she managed even a bogey at that hole.

Play-off on 155 at Monifieth

BRITISH GIRLS OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Monifieth Links
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
(Leading 64 players qualify for match-play stages;
Par 144 (2 x 72). CSS 75 ??
143 A Fernandez de Mesa (Spa) 70 73, L Gonzalez-Escallon (Bel) 70 73.
144 K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 73 71, L Beck (Isr) 68 76, E Alonso (Fra) 71 73
145 K Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 71 74.
146 N Salaverria (Spa) 72 74, A Peters (Notts Ladies) 73 73, H Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) 74 72, S Popelka (Swi) 69 77.
147 R Huber (Swi) 73 74, A Arrese (Spa) 73 74, A Maggetti (Swi) 72 75, V Scherer (Ger) 71 76, S Popov (Ger) 72 75.
148 C Lorentzen (Den) 73 75, H Barwood (Knowle) 76 72, F Reuter (Ger) 72 76,C Leurquin (Bel) 73 75.
149 A Knight (Ita) 72 77, H Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 73 76, J Tillstrom (Swe) 76 73, A Strang (Swe) 73 76, L Sedda (Ita) 69 80, S Vanzonhoven (Bel) 74 75, A Fernandez (Spa) 73 76.
150 G Molinaro (Ita) 75 75, E Keenan (Sunningdale) 76 74, E Robinson (Middlesbrough) 73 77, N Roessler (Ger) 73 77, S Nuutinen (Fin) 76 74, C Pinegger (Aut) 74 76.
151 R Watton (Mortonhall) 77 74, L Castelain (Fra) 77 74, M Vanmol (Bel) 74 77, A Bonetti (Fra) 77 74, R Sanchez Lobato (Spa) 74 77, E Folch (Spa) 74 77, N Jimenez (Spa) 78 73, N Larsen (Den) 76 75, D Nielsen (Den) 77 74, C Guillieux (Fra) 78 73, F Vuigner (Swi) 79 72.
152 E Muirhead (Pitlochry) 74 78, V Gevers (Bel) 79 73, C Hedberg (Spa) 76 76, T Lorenzen (Ger) 76 76, L R Lopez Caballo (Spa) 76 76, K Mundy (Dunwood Manor) 75 77.
153 A Provot (Fra) 73 80, V Tandrini (Ita) 73 80, N Foster (Accrington) 78 75, K Puisite (Lat) 76 77, S Vass (Tain) 78 75, C Wild (Mere) 80 73, L Larsson (Swe) 73 80, N Gobey (Rhonnda) 72 81.
154 M Goyos (Spa) 81 73, M De Roey (Bel) 76 78, M Tschida (Ger) 77 77, R Connor (Manchester) 76 78,
++Eight players on 155 playing off for last three places.
155 J Van Baarle (Bel) 74 81, L Charlier (Bel) 76 79, D Kalek (Ger) 76 79, S Evans (Faversham) 78 77, S Tyson (Redlibbets) 79 76, K Boehm (Ger) 77 78, D Lendl (US) 78 77, J Haggblom (Fin) 76 79.

MISSED THE CUT
156 G Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 78 78, E Sticca (Ita) 76 80, K O’Connor (Tadmarton) 81 75, V Troeltsch (Ger) 78 78, S Richards (Robin Hood) 78 78, L Sobron (Spa) 79 77, M Puisite (Lat) 78 78, M Stuetz (Aut) 77 79, R Dyer (Hayling Island) 79 77, R McGinley (South Moor) 74 82.
157 C Turegano (Spa) 78 79, C Booth (Comrie) 79 78, J Desa Pereira (Por) 83 74, B Davies (Wolstanton) 79 78, M Sanz (Spa) 77 80, A Noales (Spa) 79 78, A Niven (Crieff) 82 75, A Boulden (Maesdu) 78 79, R Crepiat (Fra) 75 82.
158 E Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 78 80, L Kristersson (Swe) 77 81, C Kaisler (Ger) 75 83, C Brizzolari (Ita) 76 82, H Searle (West End, Halifax) 76 82, R Wilson (Monifieth) 78 80.
159 R Drummond (Beaconsfield) 79 80, L Mata Fernandez (Spa) 79 80, D Dyer (Ger) 78 81.
160 A Gittings (Walmley) 77 83, L Taylor (Rugby) 78 82, E Penttila (Fin) 80 80, J Bradley (Tiverton) 78 82.
161 L Carulli (Ita) 76 85, E Villamil (Spa) 81 80, N Schlund (Ger) 84 76, A Sauzon (Fra) 75 86, J Metivier (Fra) 80 81, M Edmonson (US) 80 81, S Godley (Lindrick) 80 81, J Meldrum (Dullatur) 85 76.
162 C Abrahamian (Fra) 80 82, P Jauregui Garcia (Spa) 81 81, R Roellier (Ger) 81 81, N Rawlinson (Leyland) 83 79.
163 S Lacroix (Fra) 78 85, I Jimenez (Spa) 85 78, S Montenegro (US) 84 79, B Jauregui Garcia (Spa) 81 82.
164 G Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 79 85, O Dose (Swe) 79 85, L Atkins (Minto) 80 84, M Johnstone (Northern) 84 80, A Goumard (Fra) 85 79.
165 G Simpson (Murrayfield) 83 82, A Braida (Ita) 78 87, K Burman (John O’Gaunt) 78 77, M Uusi-Simola (Fin) 82 83.
166 M Swainson (US) 88 78, L Macklin (Spa) 81 85, M Illingworth (Stoke Rochford) 86 80, L Hortal Ochoa (Spa) 84 82.
168 F Gustafsson (Swe) 85 83, G Scanlan (Hamilton) 86 82.
169 R McQueen (Troon Bentinck) 89 80.
170 M McMahon (Yeovil) 86 84, M Buxton (Canford Magna) 84 86.
171 L Sweetnam (Leighton Buzzard) 82 89.
177 C Tait (St Regulus) 85 92.
179 L McGillivray (Banchory) 80 89.
180 C Austwick (Pine Hills) 92 88.
183 F Fullerton (Huntly) 93 90.
189 L Smith (US) 92 97.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT FINAL TOTALS
(Best two from three scores to count daily for teams)
290 Spain 143 147 (A Fernandez de Mesa, A Arrese, E Folch).
291 England 146 145 (H Barwood, H Clyburn, A Peters).
294 Germany 143 151 (S Popov, N Rossler, V Scherer).
300 Scotland 151 149 (C Booth, K MacDonald, R Wilson)
302 Sweden 146 156 (A Strang, L Larsson, L Kristersson).
304 Wales 150 154 A Boulden, K O’Connor, N Gobey).
305 France 152 153 (A Goumard, A Bonetti, R Crepiat).
306 Austria 151 155 (C Pinegger, M Stuetz).

Carly Booth likely to miss the cut at Monifieth

UPDATE FROM THE BRITISH GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP

Steady rain began to fall from around 5pm as it began to look as if 11-over-par 155 would be the cut-off figure for qualifying, with or without a play-off.
Carly Booth, who had the lowest handicap in the field - +3.1 – was not going to make the cut with her total of 157 unless the deteriorating conditions made the scores soar in the last hour of play.
At 6.45pm there were 59 players with totals of 155 (11 over par) or better. Eighteen players still had to finish at that point. All bar one broke 80 in the first round.
Laura Gonzalez-Escallon from Belgium joined Ana Fernandez de Mesa in the lead at one-under 143 with a second-round 73.
In joint third place on 144 were Kelsey MacDonald and the overnight leader from Israel, Laetitia Beck who had a 76, eight shots worse than her first-day effort.
England (290) were heading for victory in the team event ahead of Spain (290).
Five American universities have talent scouts running the rule over prospective recruits for their college women’s golf teams, They are from Brigham Young University, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Kent State and the University of Texas.

Monifieth scoreboard at 4.45

BRITISH GIRLS OPEN AMATEUR

CHAMPIONSHIP
Monifieth Links

+The 64 players with the lowest 36-hole aggregates will qualify for match-play stages beginning on Wednesday. A play-off will be held if necessary to produce the precise number of 64.
Sammy Vass from Tain is pictured right (Cal Carson Golf Agency) on the first tee today.

SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72). CSS 75 ??

143 A Fernandez de Mesa (Spa) 70 73.
144 K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 73 71, L Beck (Isr) 68 76.
146 N Salaverria (Spa) 72 74, A Peters (Notts Ladies) 73 73, H Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) 74 72..
147 R Huber (Swi) 73 74, A Arrese (Spa) 73 74, A Maggetti (Swi) 72 75, V Scherer (Ger) 71 76.
148 C Lorentzen (Den) 73 75, H Barwood (Knowle) 76 72, F Reuter (Ger) 72 76,C Leurquin (Bel) 73 75, S Vanzonhoven (Bel) 73 75.
149 A Knight (Ita) 72 77, H Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 73 76, J Tillstrom (Swe) 76 73.
150 G Molinaro (Ita) 75 75, E Keenan (Sunningdale) 76 74, E Robinson (Middlesbrough) 73 77, N Roessler (Ger) 73 77.
151 R Watton (Mortonhall) 77 74, L Castelain (Fra) 77 74, M Vanmol (Bel) 74 77, A Bonetti (Fra) 77 74, R Sanchez Lobato (Spa) 74 77, E Folch (Spa) 74 77, N Jimenez (Spa) 78 73, N Larsen (Den) 76 75.
152 E Muirhead (Pitlochry) 74 78, V Gevers (B el) 79 73.
153 A Provot (Fra) 73 80, V Tandrini (Ita) 73 80, N Foster (Accrington) 78 75, K Puisite (Lat) 76 77, S Vass (Tain) 78 75, C Wild (Mere) 80 73.
154 M Goyos (Spa) 81 73, M De Roey (Bel) 76 78.
155 J Van Baarle (Bel) 74 81, L Charlier (Bel) 76 79, A Fernandez (Spa) 79 76, D Kalek (Ger) 76 79, S Evans (Faversham) 78 77, S Tyson (Redlibbets) 79 76.
156 G Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 78 78, E Sticca (Ita) 76 80, K O’Connor (Tadmarton) 81 75, V Troeltsch (Ger) 78 78, S Richards (Robin Hood) 78 78, L Sobron (Spa) 79 77.
157 C Turegano (Spa) 78 79, C Booth (Comrie) 79 78, J Desa Pereira (Por) 83 74, B Davies (Wolstanton) 79 78, M Sanz (Spa) 77 80, A Niven (Crieff) 82 75, A Nogales (Spa) 79 78.
158 E Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 78 80.
159 R Drummond (Beaconsfield) 79 80, L Mata Fernandez (Spa) 79 80.
160 A Gittings (Walmley) 77 83, L Taylor (Rugby) 78 82.
161 L Carulli (Ita) 76 85, E Villamil (Spa) 81 80, N Schlund (Ger) 84 76, A Sauzon (Fra) 75 86, J Metivier (Fra) 80 81, M Edmonson (US) 80 81.
162 C Abrahamian (Fra) 80 82, P Jauregui Garcia (Spa) 81 81.
163 S Lacroix (Fra) 78 85, I Jimenez (Spa) 85 78, S Montenegro (US) 84 79.
164 G Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 79 85, O Dose (Swe) 79 85, L Atkins (Minto) 80 84, M Johnstone (Northern) 84 80, A Goumard (Fra) 85 79.
165 G Simpson (Murrayfield) 83 82, A Braida (Ita) 78 87, K Burman (John O’Gaunt) 78 77, M Uusi-Simola (Fin) 82 83.
166 M Swainson (US) 88 78.
168 F Gustafsson (Swe) 85 83.
169 R McQueen (Troon Bentinck) 89 80.
170 M McMahon (Yeovil) 86 84, M Buxton (Canford Magna) 84 86.
177 C Tait (St Regulus) 85 92.
179 L McGillivray (Banchory) 80 89.
183 F Fullerton (Huntly) 93 90.
189 L Smith (US) 92 97.

Carly Booth faces long wait to see if she qualifies

Kelsey tames "new" wind

with a 71 in British girls'

2nd Qualifying round

Scotland Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald was the first to master a change of wind direction for the second qualifying round of the British girls' amateur championship over the Monifieth Links today.
"We had a west wind on Tuesday but it was coming from the east today and the par-4s were playing really long," said Kelsey who will be 18 in October, by which time she will have enrolled for the start of her first term at Stirling University.
"Fortunately, I'm hitting ball a lot further this year - don't ask me why - so it didn't make all that much difference to me."
Kelsey (pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved) finished with a one-under-par 71 - a two-shot improvement on the first round - for a qualifying total of level par 144.
Confidence has been the key note of the Nairn Dunbar player's run of good form this summer which has seen her win the Scottish schoolgirls title, the Under-21 stroke-play championship and lose out to Carly Booth in the final of the Scottish Under-18 girls' championship.
A birdie 3 at the first - which she reduced to a rescue club off the tee, a nine-iron approach and a 12ft putt - set her up for an impressively solid round which included further birdies at the short 11th, 13th and 18th in halves of 37 (level par) and 34 (one under).
Kelsey also bogeyed the sixth with three putts from 30ft, the 12th, where she had a bad lie in a bunker, and the 14th where she took "the wrong club off the tee."
In last year's British girls champion, Kelsey was the No 2 qualifier and was beaten in the match-play by Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) who went on to reach the final in which she lost to Henrietta Brockway.
One of Kelsey's playing partners today, Ana Fernandez de Mesa (Spain), was the leader in the clubhouse shortly after lunchtime. Ana had a 73 for 143, a shot ahead of Kelsey.
The Spanish player birdied the foufrth and eighth in an outward 37 but could not get a birdie on her inward card which was made up of eight par figures and a bogey at the 12th.
Comrie's 16-year-old Curtis Cup player Carly Booth finished her second round at 12.45 and faced a long, nail-biting wait to see if her total of 13-over-par 157 was going to be low enough to earn her a place among the leading 64 players who will advance to match-play stages on Wednesday.
Carly had a 78 today. Over the 36 holes, the Junior Ryder Cup player has had one triple bogey (at the first hole on Monday) and three double bogeys.
Carly had a nightmare start today with bogeys at the second and third and a double bogey 7 at the long fourth on her way to an outward half of 41, the same as in the first round.
Things did not get much better with a bogey at the 10th and a double bogey 6 at the 12th. She did get a birdie at the 13th - only her second of the championship - but had to be content with parring her way in from there, when she really needed to two or three birdies to give her a chance of beating the cut.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72).

143 Ana Fernandez de Mesa (Spa) 70 73.

144 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 73 71.
146 Alex Peters (Notts Ladies) 73 73, Nerea Salaverria (Spa) 72 74.

147 Anais Maggetti (Swi) 72 75, Anna Arrese (Spain) 73 74, Victoria Scherer (Ger) 71 76.

148 Charlotte Lorentzen (Den) 73 75, Chole Leurquin (Bel) 73 75, Friederike Reuter (Ger) 72 76, Hannah Barwood (Knowle) 76 72.

149 Alessia Knight (Ita) 72 77.

150 Giulia Molinaro (Igta) 75 75.

151 Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) 77 74, Laure Castelain (Frfa) 77 74, Monon Vanmol (Bel) 74 77, Alexandra Bonetti (Fra) 77 74.

152 Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry) 74 78.

Other Scots' scores:

156 Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 78 78.

157 Carly Booth (Comrie) 79 78.

164 Mhairi Johnstone (Northern) 84 80.

165 Gillian Simpson (Murrayfield) 83 82.

169 Rachael McQueen (Troon Bentinck) 89 80.

Ann Ramsay lying second over New
in Strathtyrum Trophy qualifier

Three times title-winner and the defending champion this year, Marilyn Henderson, based in Germany, had an 86 over the New Course in the first qualifying round of the Strathtyrum Trophy tournament at St Andrews.
Beaten finalist Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) had a 76 over the New Course, two behind the leader at this course, Jerry Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham Park)
Generally the scoring was high in windy conditions.
Leading scores:
EDEN COURSE
82 M Button (Ferndown).
86 L Armstrong (Newtonstewart).
87 L Cademy-Taylor (Slaley Hall).
89 J Anstee (Ferndown), K Genda (Stoke Rochford).
89 C McLoughlin (Burnham Beeches).
NEW COURSE
74 J Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham).
76 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir).
78 G Webster (Hilton Park), K Marshall (Baberton).
81 S Carty (The Island, Dublin), M Button (Nuneaton), E Clark (Manchester).
82 C Appleby (Manchester), M Dolphin (Rochester & Cobham), R Hanlon (St Regulus).
84 K Clayton (*Manchester), V Gaskell (Richmond).
85 S Ledingham (Murrayfield).
86 L Fraser (Kingsknowe), S Simpson (Murrayfield), M Henderson (West Rhine), C Richardson (Burnham Beeches).
87 J Marshall (Bberton), D Booth (Romily), G Roscore Penwortham), J Fallows (Manchester).

Highland Vets retain Lyon Trophy
win win over Northern at Lossie

Highland retained the Lyon Trophy beating Northern 6-3 in the annual Scottish Veteran Ladies Golfing Association area representative match over the Moray Old Course, Lossiemouth.
Details (Highland names first):
Mary Smith (Tain) bt Rose Anderson (Huntly) 7 and 6.
Eileen Manson (Thurso) lost to Frances Neish (Forres) 3 and 2.
Maureen Ritchie (Muir of Ord) lost to Pam Nicol (Banchory ) 1 hole.
Fiona Williams (Inverness ) bt Pauline Duthie (Huntly) 4 and 3.
Isobel Robertson (Nairn) bt Sandra Russell (Banchory) 6 and 4.
Yvonne Gunn (Nairn Dunbar) bt Valerie Kelly (Deeside) 6 and 5.
Helen McLeod (Inverness) lost to Pam Forrest (Deeside) 5 and 4.
Ann Rae (Elgin) bt Jos Godard (Banchory) 4 and 3.
Iris Wilson (Forres) bt Nancy Duncan (Brechin ) 5 and 3

LGU zero tolerance of slow play is
working already - sub-4hr rounds

BY COLIN FARQUHARSON
Rounds on the first day of the British girls' open amateur championship at Monifieth today were averaging under 4hr – well inside the 4ht 23min “acceptable time” for a three-ball … an early sign that the Ladies Golf Union’s implementation of a “zero tolerance policy” with regard to slow play in future is making a big difference already.
For the first time at an LGU event, there were four digital clocks on the course – at the fourth, ninth, 14th and 18th.
All threesomes were told by which time they had to reach each clock. On the first occasion a time was missed, the threesome would be given a warning. If they missed two times, each member of the three would be penalised one stroke.
If they missed three times, then the penalty wouold be a further two strokes.
If they missed all four times, automatic disqualification would follow.
“I think we have got the message across to the competitors,” said Director of Championships Susan Simpson who has worked with the LGU championship committee to devise a system to tackle and, hopefully, eradicate slow play.
“The LGU were becoming dismayed at the length of time it was taking for a round of golf in its competitions. The time had come to take action, and I think it has worked already. I cannot remember three-ball rounds being completed under four hours in my time with the LGU” said Susan.

End of first day scores at Monifieth

BRITISH GIRLS’ GOLF OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Monifieth Links, near Dundee
FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 72
68 L Beck (Isr).
69 S Popelka (Swi), L Sedda (Ita).
70 L Gonzalez-Escallon (Bel), A Fernandez de Mesa (Spa).
71 K Tidy (Royal Birkdale), E Alonso (Fra), V Scherer (Ger).
72 S Popov (Ger), N Gobey (Rhondda), A Knight (Ita), A Maggetti (Swi), N Salaverria (Spa), F Reuter (Ger).
73 E Robinson (Middlesbrough Brass Castle), N Roessler (Ger), S Vanzonhoven (Bel), A Strang (Swe), L Larsson (Swe), A Provot (Fra), R Huber (Swi), A Arrese (Spa), C Lorentzen (Den), V Tandrini (Ita), A Peters (Notts Ladies), K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), C Leurquin (Bel), A Fernandez (Spa), H Clyburn (Woodhall Spa).
74 H Baek (Felixstowe Ferry), C Pinegger (Aut), R McGinley (South Moor), J Van Baarle (Bel), F Vanmol (Bel), E Muirhead (Pitlochry), R Sanchez Lobato (Spa), E Folch (Spa).
75 C Kaisler (Ger), R Crepiatt (Fra), K Mundy (Dunwood Manor), G Molinaro (Ita), A Sauzon (Fra).
76 A Gittings (Fra), M De Roey (Bel), N Larson (Den), S Nuutinen (Fin), R Connor (Manchester), C Hedberg (Spa), C Brizzolari (Ita), H Searle (West End, Halifax), T Lorenzen (Ger), L Caballa (Spa), J Haggblom (Fin), E Sticca (Ita), L Charlier (Bel), H Barwood (Knowle), L Carulli (Ita), D Kalek (Ger), K Puisite (Latvia), E Keenan (Sunningdale), J Tillstrom (Swe).
77 D Nielsen (Den), L Kristersson (Swe), M Tschida (Ger), M Stuetz (Aut), K Boehm (Ger), R Watton (Mortonhall), L Castelain (Fra), A Bonetti (Fra), M Sanz (Spa).
78 S Evans (Faversham), L Taylor (Rugby), D Dyer (Chigwell), A Boulden (Maesdu), M Puisite (Lat), C Guilleux (Fra), D Lendl (US), R Wilson (Monifieth), J Bradley (Tiverton), G Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey), V Troeltsch (Ger), S Richards (Robin Hood), S Lacroix (Fra), C Turegano (Spa), N Jimenez (Spa), N Foster (Accrington), E Mallett (Sutton Coldfield), S Vass (Tain), K Burman (John O’Gaunt), A Braida (Ita).
79 V Gevers (Bel), S Tyson (Redlibbets), A Nogales (Spa), R Dyer (Hayling Island), F Vuigner (Swi), G Bradley (Cottrell Park), O Dose (Swe), L Sobron (Spa), R Drummond (Beaconsfield), C Booth (Comrie), L M Fernandez (Spa), B Davies (Wolstanton).
80 J Metivier (Fra), C Wild (Mere), M Edmonson (US), E Penttila (Fin), S Godley (Lindrick), L Atkins (Minto), C Abrahamian (Fra).
81 R Roeller (Ger), L Macklin (Spa), B Jauregui Garcia (Spa), M Goyos (Spa), K O’Connor (Tadmarton), P Jauregui Garcia (Spa), E Villamil (Spa).
82 M Uusi-simola (Fin), A Niven (Crieff), L Sweetnam (Leighton Buzzard).
83 N Rawlinson (Leyland), J de sa Pereira (Por), G Simpson (Murrayfield).
84 L H Ochoa (Spa), M Buxton (Canford Magna), S Montenegro (US), M Johnstone (Northern), N Schlund (Ger).
85 V Gustafsson (Swe), I Jimenez (Spa), J Meldrum (Dullatur), A Goumard (Fra).
86 G Scanlan (Hamilton), M Illingworth (Stoke Rochford), M McMahon (Yeovil).
88 M Swanson (US).
89 R McQueen (Troon Bentinck).
90 L McGillivray (Banchory).
92 C Austwick (Pine Hills), L Smith (US)..
93 F Fullerton (Huntly).
Retired: M Dupas (Fra).
+The leading 64 players after two rounds will go forward to the match-play stages.
At the moment there are 70 players with scores of 77 and better.

MARGARET OUT, MAY IN FOR VETS JAMBOREE

Margaret Tough has had to pull out of the Scotland team for the Veteran Ladies Golfing Association jamboree at Southerness.
She has a back complaint.
May Hughes takes her place.

Kelsey, Eve looking good ... but
Carly under pressure in 91st place

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) and Olympic curler Eve Muirhead from Pitlochry are sitting pretty at the end of the first qualifying round of the British girls' open amateur golf championship at Monifieth Links.
But Comrie's 16-year-old Curtis Cup player Carly Booth is lying joint 91st and under pressure to improve in the second round at the end of which only the leading 64 will go forward to the match-play stages.
Curling is the sport that will take Pitlochry’s Eve Muirhead to the next Winter Olympics but she has a talent for golf too.
Of all the Scottish international players in the field for the British girls’ golf championship at Monifieth Links this week, only the in-form Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) outscored Eve on an overcast day and a gusting wind.
Although her handicap of 4.3 only just got her into the championship, Eve certainly did not look out of place.
In the first of two qualifying rounds to decide the 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages, Eve played under her handicap with a gross, two-under-par 74, which compared very favourably with most of the rounds of the Scotland’s Under-18 team that finished third in last week’s home internationals at Panmure Golf Club..
Eve, who broke her home course record in winning the Women’s Highland Open at Pitlochry this summer, had a birdie at the first and then rationed her mistakes to bogeys at the fifth, 15th and 16th in halves of 37 (level par) and 37 (two over par). She is sharing 27th place overnight.
Scottish Under-21 and schoolgirls champion Kelsey MacDonald was the No 2 qualifier in this championship 12 months ago and there is a confidence about her game that augurs well for the remainder of the tournament.
Confidence that enabled her to shrug off a double bogey 7 at the long ninth and still return a one-over-par 73, thanks to birdies at the first, fourth, 10th and 18th in halves of 38 and 35. Kelsey is joint 15th going into the second round.
It looks as if nine or 10 over par – the equivalent of two 77s, give or take a shot – will be needed to qualify at the end of Tuesday’s second stroke-play test.
Carly Booth, whose +3.1 rating makes her the player with the lowest handicap in the field, will need to step up a gear on her second circuit. All things considered, Carly did well to salvage a 79 after a four-over-par outward half that included a triple bogey 7 at the first and a double bogey 6 at the sixth. Her only birdie came at the long fourth.
Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) had a creditable 77. On 78 and sharing 71st place are home-course champion Rebecca Wilson, Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) and Sammy Vass (Tain) with Sammy at last recapturing her form to come home in 36.
Lesley Atkins (Minto) had an 80 with double bogeys at the fifth and 18th and Annabel Niven (Crieff) scored an 82, two better than Mhairi Johnstone (Northern)
Jill Meldrum (Dullatur) had an 85, Gillian Scanlan (Hamilton) and 86 and Rachael McQueen (Troon Bentinck) an 89.
Leading the field with a four-under-par 68 is 16-year-old Laetitia Beck, the women’s champion of Israel. There is a Scottish connection here. Barbara Vazzana, who emigrated from Angus to Israel a few years back, offered to take Laetitia over the Scotland for the championship as it was being played so close to what used to be home for former Letham Grange member Barbara
Former world tennis ace Ivan Lend's 16-year-old daughter, Daniela, who plays off +2.1, was going like a potential leader when she turned in one-under-par 34 but she finished on six-over 78 after a double bogey at the 12th and a triple bogey at the 13th.
"I've never played golf outside America before and I think the weather is what I will remember most about my first competitive round in Scotland, " said Daniela who is staying with Curtis Cup player Sally Watson's family at Elie.
"Dad didn't make the trip. He stayed at home to look after my sisters."
Ivan Lendl Has five daughters.

FEGGANS FADES OUTSIDE TOP 20
ON US FUTURES TOUR

Ayrshire exile Pamela Feggans finished joint 21st on one-over-par 217 and earned $849 in the US Futures Tour event, the Falls Group Classic at Crooked Creek Golf Community, London in Kentucky. Pamela score 69, 73 and 75 over the 6,360yd, par-72 course.
Vikki Laing from Musselburgh slumped to a joint 73rd finish with scores of 74, 74 and 79 for 11-over-par 227 which earned her $553.
Californian Mindy Kim won for the third time this season with a 10-under-par total of 206 (69-68-69) to win the $14,000 first prize.
Leading money-winner Vicky Hurst from Florida won the $10,000 runner-up prize with scores of 68, 71 and 68 for 207.
Rookie pro Stacy Lewis (Florida), who played for the US in the Curtis Cup match at the Old Course, St Andrews at the end of May, came third on 208 for a $7125 pay-out.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72)
206 Mindy Kim (US) 69 68 69 ($14,000).
207 Vicky Hurst (US) 68 71 68 ($10,000).
208 Stacy Lewis (US) 74 64 70 ($7,125).
209 Jin Young Pak (SKor) 73 70 66 ($5,000).
211 Taya Battistella (US) 73 69 69, Jenny Suh (US) 70 70 71, Stacey Tate (NZ) 71 69 71 ($3,306).
Other scores:
217 Pamela Feggans (Sco) 679 73 76 (jt 21st) ($849).
229 Vikki Laing (Sco) 74 74 79 (jt 73rd) ($553).

Jillian is a chip off the
old block

From Robin Wilson, North golf correspondent

When I played my best scratch golf and won the Brora tourney (twice) and the Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch (1984), my caddie was always my brother- in-law, Donald Mackay. He was a prolific footballer for Brora Rangers and Ross County in the 1970s and 80s.

I myself never paid much attention and still do not bother about where my clubs are in my bag, they just get chucked in anywhere. Donald was the complete opposite. First thing he did when "on my bag" was to put the clubs in order.

Sadly Donald died very suddenly four years ago and was a great miss to all the family, his wife Karen and young daughter Jillian.
Jilllian, now aged 11, has taken up golf and last week I took her out to caddie for me in the first match play round of the Brora tournament.

Two holes into my first game I grabbed a seven iron for my second shot and after playing the shot shoved the club back into the bag ... when up came Jillian's voice, "That's not where it goes."

I looked in my bag and every club was in numerical order, just like her father used to do - "Scary".

It was like this every round, but it worked. I don' know whether it was the incentive to earn some pocket money for her Irish holiday or not, but with her encourargement and blackmail for a bigger tip, we lasted the distance. We won the Class 1 handicap cup - times have moved on since my scratch days!
That's Jillian and me with the cup above.

Robin Wilson

Lisa and Leona Maguire pull out of
British girls' championship

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Shock weekend news for the Ladies Golf Union, organisers of this week’s British open girls’ amateur championship, tee-ing off today (Monday) at Monifieth Links.
Two of the star attractions, 13-year-old identical twins Lisa and Leona Maguire from Ballyconnell, County Carlow in Ireland, have been withdrawn on the eve of the flagship tournament.
Shock? Very much so. The unexpected withdrawal of not one but two potential winners of the prestigious Under-18 championship is akin to Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson dropping out of the Open championship field 24 hours before it starts.
Leona beat Lisa in the final of this year’s Irish WOMEN’S championship. Lisa beat Leona in the final of the Irish girls’ championship. Lisa won the recent European Young Masters’ girls’ title with Leona joint second.
Both automatically gained selection for the European Junior Ryder Cup team to play the Americans in Kentucky next month.
Lisa won five of her six matches for Ireland in last week’s girls’ home internationals at Panmure Golf Club. Ireland beat Scotland on the final day to finished second to England.
Leona hurt her back on the second day and did not play against the Scots.
Susan Simpson, the LGU’s director of championships, says she was given no reason when notified that the Maguires would not play at Monifieth.
A child of 13 having a sore back from playing golf was perhaps a warning signal.
One Irish official who did not wish to be named told me:
“ I get the impression that both the girls are very tired after the girls’ home internationals, coming so close after their participation in the four rounds of the European Young Masters in France. They need a rest from competitive golf.
“You have to remember they are only two little girls who are 13 years of age. They don’t have the strength yet to cope with a busy golf programme. Leona and Lisa have been on the road for weeks. They need a rest. If it means they miss a major tournament, that can’t be helped. It’s for their own good.
Former Scots amateur and professional star Jane Connachan knows first hand the danger of burn-out for child golfing prodigies.
“At that age you’ve got to have other interests. I didn’t. I played my first major competition when I was 10. I never had fun golf. I HAD to play well and to play well you had to practise long and hard. By the time I was 20 I was scunnered with golf.”
Connachan quit the Ladies European Tour when she was only 27.
The Maguires will be missed, no doubt about it, but it is still one of the best fields ever assembled for a British girls’ championship.
There are 30-odd players with handicaps of +0.5 or better. Comrie’s Carly Booth, only 16, has the lowest handicap of +3.1 in the international field. To get into the championship a player had to have a handicap of under 4.5.
Carly and Nairn Dunbar’s Kelsey MacDonald, handicap +2.1, carry Scotland’s biggest hope of providing a first title winner since Clare Queen in 2001 and before that, Mhairi McKay in 1992 and 1993.
England have a strong hand in Hannah Barwood, winner of the English women’s title at the age of 17, Holly Clyburn, Scots professional’s daughter Rachel Connor and Kelly Tidy.
Welsh girls champion Amy Boulden was one of the handful of players with five wins out of six in the girls home internationals.
The most intriguing overseas entry is 15-year-old Daniela Lendl, from Connecticutt. She is one of former world tennis ace Ivan Lendl’s five daughters. She has a handicap of +2 and was No 7 qualifier in the recent US girls championship but surprisingly lost in the first round of the match-play.
Ivan soon got his own golf game down to scratch when he retired from tennis.
After 36 holes of stroke-play on Monday and Tuesday at Monifieth, the 64 players with the lowest aggregates – a play-off if necessary to produce the precise figure – will go forward to the match-play from Wednesday to Friday’s semi-finals and 18-hole final.

PAMELA FEGGANS IN JOINT 11TH
PLACE IN KENTUCKY

Pamela Feggans was sharing 11th place on two-under-par 142 after the second round of the Falls Group Classic, this weekend's US Futures Tour event at Crooked Green Golf Community, London in Kentucky.
The Patna, Ayrshire player has had rounds of 69 and 73 to be five shots behind leader Mindy Kim and six adrift of second-placed Stacy Lewis (Texas) who has turned professional since playing for the United States in the Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, St Andrews at the end of May.
Lewis, who had been joint 42nd after the first round, broke the course record with a bogey-free eight under par round of 64 on Saturday.
Kim had only 11 putts on her inward half in compiling a second-round 68.
Vikki Laing from Musselburgh beat the cut by two shots with a pair of 74s for 148. But Brenda McLarnon from Belfast missed out by one shot with 77 and 74 for 151.
LEADING SCORES
Par 144 (2 x 72)
137 Mindy Kim (US) 69 68.
138 Stacy Lewis (US) 74 64.
139 Nicole Jeray (US) 70 69, Vicky Hurst (US) 68 71.
140 Stacey Tate (NZ) 71 69, Jenny Suh (US) 70 70.
Other scores:
142 Pamela Feggans (Sco) 69 73 (jt 11th).
148 Vikki Laing (Sco)74 74 (jt 46th).
151 Brenda McLarnon (NIr) 77 74 (missed the cut by one).