KirkwoodGolf: IRISH PROVIDE HALF ADA'S SQUAD

Saturday, June 17, 2006

IRISH PROVIDE HALF ADA'S SQUAD

NO SCOTS IN GB&I TEAM FOR CURTIS CUP MATCH

There is not a single Scottish player in the Great Britain & Ireland women’s amateur golf team of eight named today to challenge the United States for the Curtis Cup at Bandon Dunes, Oregon on July 29 and 30.
The selectors have gone for four Irish players – believed to be a record number for Ireland – three from England and one from Wales.
Crumbs of comfort for the Scots were the selection of Heather MacRae (Dunblane New), holder of the British women’s open amateur stroke-play title, as first reserve, and 17-year-old Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) as second reserve.
Skipper Ada O'Sullivan had some words of encouragement for Krytle: "She is definitely one for the future - and I am not talking about years to come, I'm talking about the Vagliano Trophy next year. "
Three times Scottish champion Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) who played in the Curtis Cup match at Formby two years ago is not listed even as a reserve. She did not qualify for the match-play stages of this week’s Ladies British open amateur championship at Royal County Down, Newcastle in Northern Ireland.
United States lead the biennial series with 25 wins to GB&I’s seven with one match halved since the Curtis Cup was first contested at Wentworth in 1932.
The GB&I team, to be captained by Ireland’s Ada O’Sullivan, with ages, is:
Claire Coughlan (Cork) 26.
Tara Delaney (Carlow) 20.
Naomi Edwards (Ganton) 22.
Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) 24.
Breanne Loucks (Wrexham) 18.
Tricia Mangan (Ennis) 32.
Kiran Matharu (Cookridge Hall) 17.
Melissa Reid (Chevin) 18.
Reserves:
Heather MacRae (Dunblane New) 22.
Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) 17.
Florentyna Parker (Gut Waldhof) 16.
Felicity Johnson (Harborne) 18.
The team with captain Ada O’Sullivan and Scots team manager Fiona Norris will lead the Curtis Cup squad on a three-day training session at Kingsbarns, Fife from June 22 to 24.

Belen Mozo, a 17-year-old from the Cadiz region of Spain, is the new Ladies British open amateur golf champion. She beat 19-year-old Anna Nordqvist, the 19-year-old British girls champion from Stockholm, by 3 and 1 in the 18-hold final at Royal County Down GC, Newcastle in Northern Ireland, today (Sat).
The long-hitting Mozo was two under par for the holes played.
Saturday results
LADIES BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Royal County Down GC, Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
Semi-finals - A Nordqvist (Swe) bt M Hernandez (Spa) 2 and 1; B Mozo (Spa) bt N Edwards (Ganton) 7 and 6.
Final (18 holes) – Mozo bt Nordqvist 3 and 1.