KELLY AND ANDREA NOSEDIVE BUT

COACH COLETTE CELEBRATES

ANOTHER CHATTANOOGA VICTORY

Golf can be a funny game – but Kelly Brotherton from Tulliallan and Surrey’s Andrea Downer won’t have been laughing at the conclusion of their latest tournament on the American women’s college circuit.
Both Kelly, a student at Tennessee-Chattanooga University, and Andrea Downer of Murray State University, were impressive winners of different college events a week or two ago.
They must have gone into the Great Smokies’ Women’s Collegiate tournament at Waynesville Country Club, North Carolina with high hopes at the weekend.
But what happened? Kelly shot 78-75 for nine-over-par 153 and a share of 31st place while Andrew had an even bigger let-down. She had scores of 81 and 80 for 161 and a joint 69th position in a field of 120 competitors.
So what went wrong? Perhaps the opposition was just that wee bit better in this one but the scores don’t indicate that. Elin Anderson (South Alabama) won the individual title with 67 and 74 for three-under-par 141 over a shortish course of 5,950yards with a generous par of 72.
Maybe that was the reason – the course was too short for both Kelly and Andrea to follow up their previous successes. It can happen.
Shirley Harvey (South Alabama) from Belfast finished joint sixth on 147 with 75 and 72. Channel Islander Olivia Higgins (Charleston Southern) had 72 and 77 for joint 15th place on 149.
Ann Marie Dalton (High Point), from Carlow, Ireland, scored 78 and 76 for 154 and 35th place.
One Scot who did have the biggest of smiles on her face at the finish was Colette Murray, who was appointed head women’s golf coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga University at the start of the year. She undertook the daunting task of restarting the college’s women’s golf programme after it had been in cold storage for more than a decade.
Great credit to Colette (pictured above), originally from Leith but brought up in Dumfries, for building a winning team from scratch in a matter of months. The UTC record so far – Played 2, Won 2.
UTC (591) won the Great Smokies’ Women’s Collegiate team title by one shot from Elon University (592) with South Alabama (599) third in a field of 24 teams.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72). 5,950yd
141 Elin Anderson (South Alabama) 67 74.
143 Emma Degroot (Tennessee-Chattanooga) 72 71, Lorie Warren (Belmont0 69 74.
Other totals:
147 Shirley Harvey (South Alabama) 75 72 (jt 6th).
149 Olivia Higgins (Charleston Southern) 72 77 (jt 15th).
153 Kelly Brotherton (Tennessee-Chattanooga) 78 75 (jt 31st).
154 Ann Marie Dalton (High Point0 78 76 (35th).
161 Andrew Downer (Murray State) 81 80 (jt 69th).
LEADING TEAM TOTALS
591 Tennessee-Chattanooga.
592 Elon University.
599 South Alabama.
24 teams took part