FINNISH GIRL SCORES FIRST WIN
AS PROFESSIONAL IN SOUTH
AFRICAN WPGA MASTERS

Finland’s Kaisa Ruuttila claimed a victory in only her second tournament as a professional and while on a short holiday away from her studies when she won the South African WPGA Masters at Waterkloof Golf Club, Pretoria today.
Ruuttila, 23, produced a final round of 69 to win with a seven-under-par total of 209, finishing three strokes clear of runner-up Julie Tvede.
Ruuttila started the final round two behind overnight leader Tvede, but worked her way into a three-stroke lead with four holes to play.
Then a three-putt for bogey by the Finn on the short 15th and Tvede’s birdie there saw Kaisa suddenly fighting to protect a one-stroke lead.
She missed a three-footer for birdie on the 16th, but then finished strongly with back-to-back birdies to take the title.
SPORTS INSTRUCTOR STUDIES
"I am very happy to have won so early in my career,” said Ruuttila, who turned professional only last November. She attended the Ladies European Tour’s Qualifying School and finished 29th, just outside the top 28 who gain full playing privileges on the Tour.
But it will qualify her for a certain number of tournaments.
“I am going back to Finland now to resume my studies as a sports instructor, and then I’m hoping to join the Ladies European Tour in May when I should get quite a few starts,” said Ruuttila who collected 37,500 Rand for her maiden victory as a professional.
Eleanor Pilgrim from Wales earned 15,666 Rand for a share of third place.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72)
209 Kaisa Ruuttila 71 69 69.
212 Julie Tvede 71 67 74.
215 Ashleigh Simon (am) 71 73 71, Kelli Shean (am) 72 71 72, Hanna-Leena Salonen 72 72 71, Eleanor Pilgrim(Wa) 72 71 72, Lee-Anne Pace 72 70 73.
216 Johanna Westerberg 72 74 70, Marianne Skarpnord 71 75 70, Morgana Robbertze 71 71 74, Amanda Moltke-leth 73 70 73, Lisa Jean 75 72 69.
217 Sophie Walker (Eng) 72 71 74, Rebecca Hudson 71 70 76, Michelle De Vries 74 73 70, Nora Angehrn 72 74 71.
218 Florence Luscher 76 70 72, Stacy Bregman 70 74 74.
219 Laurette Maritz 75 73 71.
220 Kirsty Fisher (Eng) 75 74 71.
221 Emelie Svenningsson 74 76 71, Maria Ohlsson 71 74 76, Elin Ohlsson 75 73 73, Antonella Cvitan 77 75 69.
222 Natou Soro 72 75 75, Jo Clingan 74 74 74, Maria Boden 75 75 72, Anna Becker 73 76 73.
223 Frederique Seeholzer 80 72 71.
224 Lena Tornevall 70 79 75, Mercia Pretorius 75 74 75, Angie Green 76 76 72, Martina Gillen (Ire) 75 70 79.
225 Emma Zackrisson 75 78 72.
226 Suzette Venter 76 73 77, Frederique Dorbes 77 74 75.
227 Leandri Pieterse 75 79 73, Santie Koch 79 75 73, Madeleine Holmblad 75 78 74.
228 Hanna-Sophia Svenningsson 78 76 74, Viva Schlasberg 75 78 75, Monja Richards 78 77 73, Zuzana Kamasova 80 72 76, Sohvi Harkonen 77 75 76, Claire Coughlan (Ire) 77 76 75.
229 Lill-Kristin Saether 78 75 76, Mandy Adamson 76 75 78.
230 Felicity Johnson (Eng) 78 72 79, Sarah Heath (Eng) 79 76 75, Shelley McKevitt (Eng) 74 81 76.
231 Jehanne Jail 78 77 76, Andrea Hirschorn 74 79 78, Elin Brask 78 75 78, Julie Berton 77 76 78.
Other score:
237 Vanessa Bell 77 79 80.
NON-QUALIFIERS INCLUDED (157 and over)
159 Cheryl Smith (Eng) 78 81, Kelly Hutcherson (Eng) 79 90.
169 Jessica Wycherley (Sco) (am) 86 83.

ELLIOT SALTMAN KEEPS

SCOTLAND FLAG FLYING

IN SPANISH MEN'S EVENT

Elliot Saltman from Craigielaw kept the Scottish flag flying in the Spanish men's open amateur golf championship when the match-play stages began at Desert Springs Golf Resort.
Uncapped Saltman, a +3 player and the only Scot among the 32 qualifiers for the match-play, reached the last eight with a thumping 7 and 6 win over Englishman Adam Hodkinson followed by a 3 and 1 victory in the second round over a Spaniard by the name of Sebastian Garcia - no relation to Sergio!
Saltman, pictured right, now plays Paul Waring, one of four Englishmen through to the quarter-finals.
The others are top seed John Parry who plays Finland's Miro Veijalainen, No 3 seed Gary Boyd who plays Portugal's Pedro Figueiredo and 23rd qualifier Ben Evans to meets France's Baptiste Chapellan.

BRITISH CHALLENGE SNUFFED
OUT IN SPANISH
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
The British challenge in the match-play stages of the Spanish women's open amateur golf championship - two Scots, three English players and one Welsh representative - was snuffed out today over the first and second rounds at Sherry Golf, Jerez.
Jenna Wilson (Strathaven), 15th of the 32 qualifiers after two rounds of stroke-play, beat Belen Buendia (Spain) by 5 and 3 but lost to the title-holder and No 2 seed, Carlota Ciganda (Spain) by 3 and 1 in the second round.
Scottish Under-21 champion Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), the No. 25 qualifier, lost by 4 and 3 to the eighth seed Nicola Roessler from Germany.
Rachel Jennings, the 17-year-old English girls champion from Izaak Walton Golf Club, Staffordshire, beat Lucie Andre (France) by one hole in the first round but then lost by one hole to Katharina Schallenberg (Germany) who had beaten Lydia Hall from Wales by 5 and 3 in the first round.
Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) beat Audrey Decharne (France) by one hole before going out at the 19th to another French girl, Emilie Alonso.
Danielle Montgomery from Lambourne lost by 3 and 2 to Linn Gustafsson (Sweden) in the first round.
Results:
FIRST ROUND
M Silva (Spa) bt J Pajares (Spa) 2 holes, A Dahlberg-Soderstrom (Swe) bt E Cabrera 1 hole, A Urchegui (Spa) bt D Becker (Ger) 3 and 2, N Roessler (Ger) bt K Caithness (Sco) 4 and 3, I Gustafsson (Swe) bt D Montgomery (Eng) 3 and 2, N Holleder (Ger) bt L Matthews (Can) 2 and 1, M Prat (Spa) bt P Queipo (Spa) 4 and 2, S Doering (Ger) bt T Lorenzen (Ger) 1 hole.
R Jennings (Eng) bt L Andre (Fra) 1 hole, K Schallenberg (Ger) bt L Hall (Wal) 5 and 3, K Smith (Eng) bt A Decharne (Fra) 1 hole, E Alonso (Fra) bt J Hedwall (Swe) 2 holes, C Masson (Ger) bt A Vilatte (Fra) 6 and 5, R Svahn (Fin) bt I Tusquets (Spa) at 19thy, J Wilson (Sco) bt B Buendia (Spa) 5 and 3, C Ciganda (Spa) bt M Engzelius (Nor) 3 and 1
SECOND ROUND
Dahlberg-Soderstrom bt Silva 2 and 1, Roessler bt Urchegui 4 and 3, Holleder bt Gustafsson at 20th, Doering bt Prat 1 hole.
Schallenberg bt Jennings 1 hole, Alonso bt Smith at 19th, Masson bt Svahn 19th, Ciganda bt Wilson 3 and 1.

MURIEL BACK FROM ANOTHER MONTH WORKING WITH ORPHANS IN INDIA

Portlethen Golf Club professional Muriel Thomson is back from a month's trip to India to work with the orphans at Chennai.
Here's a message from Muriel:
"It was a very busy and productive month and you can read all about it if you log on to:

http://www.murielthomson.co.uk/Newsletter.htm

This should take you straight into my website and my newsletter on all I managed to set up on my trip to Chennai. It certainly has been an amazing year since I last visited them in February 2006."

WESTHILL LAD jt 27th IN GEORGIA

Former North-east boys' golf champion Andrew Hay from Westhill, Aberdeen finished joint 27th in a field of 46 for the Thomas University Winter Invitational college tournament at Kinderlou Foprest Golf Club, Valdosta in Georgia.
Hay, a student at Webber International University, Babson Park in Florida, had rounds of 74 and 80 for a total fo 154 - 22 shots behind the winner, David Venegas (Johnson & Williams University) who had a pair of 66s for a 12-under-par total of 132 and a winning margin of 11 strokes.
Three of Hay's English-born team-mates were also in the field. Craig Isabel from Stanford-Le-Hope finished jt 20th on 151 (78-73), Matthew Bransby from Aylesbury totalled 153 (77-76) for a share of 24th place and Alex Evans from The Wirral came 36th on 159 (77-82).
Webber International (609) finished fifth of eight in the team event behind Johnson & Wales (583) who won by nine strokes from St Leo University