IT'S BLUMENHERST v URIBE FOR UNITED STATES
WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP


Top ranked US college player and certain to be in the American Curtis Cup team at the Old Course, St Andrews, next year, Amanda Blumenherst will play Maria Jose Uribe of Colombia in the 36-hole final of the US women's amateur championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club
In the semi-finals, Blumenherst beat defending champion Kimberly Kim while Uribe accounted for Ha-Na Jang from South Korea.
Blumenherst, 20, dominated the front nine against Kim, building a four-hole lead at the turn thanks to three birdies. The Duke junior didn’t slow down on back nine, posting four consecutive birdies on Nos. 10-13.
Kim, still only 15, managed four consecutive birdies of her own between the 11th and the 14th to extend the match to the 15th hole. Blumenherst won 5 and 3.
Blumenherst has had considerable help from her uncle Bill, who is making his caddying debut. She has relied heavily on the PGA teaching pro’s ability to read greens and help her maneouvre around the course. Because both are feel putters, it’s easy to agree on the lines.
Bill Blumenherst won the 1991 Indiana PGA State Open and is head pro at Autumn Ridge Golf Club.
Jang was one down with two to play in an always close semi-final against South American Uribe.
Jang thought she had the advantage on the 17th green until Uribe rolled in a triple-breaking 55-footer for birdie to win 2 and 1. Jang immediately put her towel over her head and started to cry.
Uribe is a UCLA freshman who is going to make a big impact on the US college season now that she has found her feet.

RESULTS IN 2007 US WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

SEMI-FINALS
Maria Jose Uribe bt Ha Na Jang 2 and 1
Amanda Blumenherst bt Kimberly Kim 5 and 3

QUARTER-FINALS
Maria Jose Uribe bt Mina Harigae 5 and 4
Ha Na Jang bt Alexis Thompson 5 and 4
Amanda Blumenherst bt Jennie Lee 5 and 4
Kimberly Kim bt Jennifer Song at 21st.

THIRD ROUND
Mina Harigae def. Vicky Hurst 1 hole.
Maria Jose Uribe def. Emma Jandel 2 holes.
Alexis Thompson def. Lizette Salas 5 and 4
Ha Na Jang def. Tiffany Joh at 20th.
Jennie Lee def. Sara-Maude Juneau 6 and 5
Amanda Blumenherst def. Marci Turner 6 and 5
Jennifer Song bt Nicole Smith 2 holes.
Kimberly Kim def. Alison Walshe 2 and 1.

CATRIONA FINISHES WITH A BOGEY BUT A 66
GIVES HER SHARE OF LEAD IN SWEDE

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Catriona Matthew produced the round of the tournament – a six-under 66 - to take a share of the lead after the third day’s play at the Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika at the Barseback Golf & Country Club in Sweden.
The 37-year-old from North Berwick mixed four birdies, two bogeys and two eagles to join American Brittany Lincicome on five-under-par 211.
Louise Stahle, from nearby Lund, picked up three shots to take third place on four-under, one shot clear of Norwegian Suzann Pettersen who carded four birdies and two to move to three-under-par.
Second round leader Laura Diaz of the United States dropped three shots as she slipped to two-under 214.She is joined in fifth position by three Swedes: Maria Hjorth , Sophie Gustafson and teenage amateur Caroline Hedwall, who posted scores of 69, 70 and 72 respectively.
Matthew’s best round of the year would have been even better if an 18-foot putt to save par on the final hole hadn’t rolled an inch past the cup. She was desperately close to the first albatross of her career on the par-5 12th, after her approach with a seven iron landed a foot from the hole. She then recorded her second eagle on the back nine, at the par-five 16th and having gone out in 34, she came home in 32, four-under-par.
Despite the disappointment of ending on a bogey, Matthew said she was delighted with her round.“I played really well today. I hit a lot of greens and obviously two eagles on the back nine helped my score a bit so I’m pleased with how I played,” said Matthew, who is playing in only her third LET event of the year after becoming a mum in December.
“I played well the first two days, just had a couple runs of bad holes but I was pleased with the way I was hitting the ball.
“I knew if I could do it for 18 holes I’d be okay – I managed to do it for 17 today.”
It was a difficult round for host Annika Sörenstam, whose hopes of defending her title have all-but disappeared. The Swede, who is on course for her first season without a trophy since 1993, posted a score of 74 to move to four-over-par - nine shots behind the leaders.
“This is the toughest time I’ve ever had on the golf course,” she said.“It is a big test for me.“My caddie thinks it will take a while before I am getting better. But I am impatient.
“I feel there’s a wind against me.”
There was thunder and lightening in the air as the last few players concluded their rounds at Barsebäck, But it didn’t stop Stahle from finishing in style, with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to move within one shot of the leaders as she looks for her maiden LET title.
“It was a great day,” said the 22-year-old, who had brother Peder caddying for her.“I had pretty much the same day as yesterday but I just made a few more putts.
“I went out and had fun with my brother. We were really pumped up and it was nice with the crowds. A lot of my friends were out there.”
It was not such a good day for Diaz, one of just five Americans in the field. The 32-year-old got off to a shaky start, bogeying the first hole after scuffing a chip less than five feet on her approach to the green. A further four bogeys and two birdies followed, however she is well placed just three shots behind the leaders. Matthew and Lincicome will tee off at 12.51pm in the final pairing on Sunday.
LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3 x 72)
211 C Matthew (Sco) 71 74 66, B Lincicome (US) 71 69 71.
212 L Stahle (Swe) 69 74 69.
213 S Pettersen (Nor) 75 68 70.
214 M Hjorth (Swe) 70 75 69, S Gustafsson (Swe) 71 73 70, C Hedwall #Swe) (am) 70 72 72, L Diaz (US) 69 70 75.
Other score:
220 A Sorenstam (Swe) 71 75 74.

LAURA MURRAY JOINT 13TH FINISH IN FINLAND

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen student Laura Murray, a member of Alford Golf Club, finished joint 13th in the Finnish women's amateur international golf championship at Helsinki Golf Club today (Saturday).
Laura had rounds of 75, 76 and 77 for a total of 228. She had double bogey 7s at the long fifth and 11th in her final round, which knocked her out of the top 10.
Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) failed by two shots to qualify for the final round. She scored 82 and 73 for 155.
Norway's Rosa Svahn won the title by five shots with scores of 72, 66 and 71 for four-under-par 209 over the par-71 course.
LEADING TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71)
209 Rpsa Svahn (Nor) 72 66 71.
214 Marjet Van der Graaf (Net) 69 73 72.
215 Carmen Perez-Narbon (Spa) 72 73 73.
Scots scores:
228 Laura Murray (Alford) 75 76 77.
Did not qualify:
155 Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) 82 73.

English Ladies Golf Association Press Release

CHARLOTTE ELLIS DEFENDS ENGLISH MID-AM TITLE

Gloucestershire’s Charlotte Ellis will defend her title in the English open mid-amateur championship which starts on Tuesday at Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Nottinghamshire.
Charlotte, 21, from Minchinhampton, heads a full field for the event. Her challengers will include players from English Ladies’ Golf Association squads and a strong contingent from the host county, Nottinghamshire.
Five members of the county first team are playing, including Nottinghamshire champion, Emma Sheffield from Newark.
Former British champion Janet Collingham will be playing on home ground at Sherwood Forest. Janet, who also won the British strokeplay title, played international golf for 15 years.
Other Nottinghamshire county players are Maria Betts (Rufford Park), Liz Savage (Newark), Emma Seton (Cotgrave Place), and Kimberley Vardy (Retford) who has represented the second team.
Two players from ELGA’s performance squad will tee up in the event: Rachel Jennings, the 2006 English girls’ champion, comes from Izaak Walton in Staffordshire, while Jo Hodge plays at Knowle in Gloucestershire. Both were England girl internationals.
Another contender is Claire Aitken from The London who has won four prestigious scratch events this season. They are the Frilford Heath Scratch Salver, the Critchley Salver, the Roehampton Gold Cup and the Hampshire Rose.
Scotland is well represented with four players: Emma Fairnie (Dunbar), Claire Hargan (Morton Hall), Claire MacDonald (Gullane Ladies) and England-based Edwina Lowrey-Gold (Eaton).
The ladies’ course has been lengthened by 337 yard for this event. It measures 5962 yards, has a par of 71 and a scratch score rating on 75.
All 64 competitors will play 36 holes of strokeplay qualifying on Tuesday, August 14. The leading 32 players will go forward to the matchplay stages. The final will be played on the morning of Friday, August 17.
There will be online scoring throughout the championship on the ELGA website: www.englishladiesgolf.org

English Ladies Golf Association Press Release

ENGLAND NAME TEAM FOR BRITISH STROKE-PLAY

International Melissa Reid, winner of the amateur salver at the Women’s British Open, is in England’s Nations Cup team for the British stroke-play championship at Conwy, Wales from August 22-24.
Melissa, 19, from Chevin in Derbyshire, will be joined by Kerry Smith from Waterlooville in Hampshire. Kerry also played all four rounds of the British Open.
The Nations Cup team is completed by their fellow GB & I international, Liz Bennett from Brokenhurst Manor in Hampshire. All three players were in the Vagliano Trophy team.
Visit the ELGA web site at www.englishladiesgolf.org

VIKKI LAING (68) IN SECOND PLACE

WHEN RAIN ENDS PLAY EARLY

ON FUTURES TOUR EVENT

Rookie Taylor Leon picked the first round of the $80,000 Betty Puskar Golf Classic to card her career-low score of 65 in the rain-delayed tournament at Morgantown, West Virginia.
That seven-under-par total gave her a three-shot lead ahead of Vikki Laing of Musselburgh, D’Rae Ward of Weatherford, Texas and college-bound amateur Jessica Yadloczky of Casselberry, Fla., all at four-under-par 68.
But Leon will have to wait a little longer to get started in Saturday’s second round as 72 players were forced to return to The Pines Country Club for a 7:15 a.m. restart Saturday to complete the opening 18. The second round will begin Saturday at 9:30 a.m local time.
Duramed FUTURES Tour officials initially suspended the first round for unplayable conditions on Friday at 3:50 p.m., hoping to return to the course as heavy rains passed through the area. But with 3 ½ inches of rain soaking the course within the last week, considerable standing water made a restart impossible today. The course received more than a half-inch of rain today.
“We still have standing water on the greens, too much casual water and no way for players to get relief,” said Christy Barks, the Tour’s director of tournament operations. “The bunkers are starting to drain, but the fairways just need more time.”
Players will not be paired by score, but will remain in their first-round pairings for the second round. A flip-flop format will be used, with first-round morning tee times becoming second-round afternoon tee times, and vice versa.
“It’s too bad we had to suspend,” said two-time 2007 winner Liz Janangelo of West Hartford, Conn., currently fourth on the Futures Tour’s money list. “I had a flow going out there.”
Janangelo is at four-under par after 12 holes, while Kris Tamulis of Naples, Fla., Kellee Booth of McKinney, Texas and Tiffany Tavee of Gilbert, Ariz., all had moved to three under when play was suspended.
But with the good fortune of being among the morning tee times that all completed the first round, Leon got off to her hot start before the rains came. And the rookie admits that her ability to go low quickly in this week’s 16th annual event was aided by the thought of something said to her during a pro-am earlier in the week.
It was a harmless comment by an amateur in her pro-am group, but it must have fired up the Texan when the gentleman observed that, as the current 23rd-ranked player, she “probably didn’t have time to move into the top five on the Tour’s money list before the season is over to get one of the 2008 LPGA Tour cards.”
“It made me kind of mad,” said Leon, of Dallas, who completed two years at the University of Georgia before turning professional this spring and winning her first pro title in her second event on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. “Of course I have a chance and I’m going to try my hardest to get there.”
Leon took advantage of the wet greens and carded eight birdies and one bogey en route to her seven-under-par 65. She hit 15 greens in regulation, missed only one fairway and rolled in 26 putts on a day that was as solid as it was wet.
“Where you hit it today was where it stuck,” she said. “I felt real confident going for the flagsticks.”
Vikki Laing, pictured above, was the first player to jump onto the leaderboard with her 68. She started on the back nine and bogeyed the 14th when she misfired on her approach-shot yardage and club selection.
But the former collegian from the University of California-Berkeley got it right on the par-4 348-yard 15th hole. She hit driver, then had 91 yards to the hole. The Scot holed out from the fairway for an eagle 2 with her 52-degree wedge, then birdied holes 17 and 18 before making the turn.
“My whole focus this week was to be more creative because I’ve become too mechanical,” said Laing. “I did a pretty good job of it today and I stayed patient.”

LATER NEWS ... LATER NEWS ... LATER NEWS.

When the first round was completed Saturday morning, Vikki Laing was pushed down to a share of third place.

HOW THEY STAND

65 Taylor Leon (Dallas, Texas) 31-34.

67 Liz Janangelo (West Hartford, Conn) 33-35.

68 D'Rae Ward (Weatherford, Texas) 33-35, Vikki Laing (Musselburgh) 34-34, Jessica Yadloczky (Casselberry, Florida) (am), Kellee Booth (McKinney, Texas) 33-35, Kelly Lagedrost (Brooksville, Florida) 35-33.

Other scores:

74 Natasha Morgan (South Wales) 35-39.

76 Polly Willett (London) 36-40.

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR SCOREBOARD

TPC SCANDINAVIAN

139 Laura Diaz (USA) 69 70
140 Brittany Lincicome (USA) 71 69
142 Caroline Hedwall (Swe) (am) 70 72, Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 70 72, Paula Marti (Spa) 73 69
143 Louise Stahle (Swe) 69 74, Suzann Pettersen (Nor) 75 68
144 Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 71 73, Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 68 76
145 Maria Hjorth (Swe) 70 75, Catriona Matthew (Sco) 71 74, Nina Reis (Swe) 74 71, Laura Cabanillas (Spa) 75 70
146 Lisa Hall (Eng) 73 73, Virginie LagoutteClement (Fra) 75 71, Iben Tinning (Den) 76 70, Annika Sorenstam (Swe) 71 75, Amy Yang (Kor) 75 71, Anna Tybring (Swe) 73 73, Elisabeth Esterl (Ger) 74 72, Mianne Bagger (Den) 74 72, Lill Kristin Saether (Nor) 72 74, Pernilla Lindberg (Am) (Swe) 73 73
147 Liselotte Neumann (Swe) 73 74, Riikka Hakkarainen (Fin) 77 70, Amanda MoltkeLeth (Den) 77 70, Trish Johnson (Eng) 74 73, Kirsty Taylor (Eng) 76 71
148 Anna Nordqvist (Swe) (am) 72 76, Linda Wessberg (Swe) 71 77, Federica Piovano (Ita) 76 72, Laurette Maritz (Rsa) 77 71, Ludivine Kreutz (Fra) 73 75, Fame More (Eng) 76 72, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 75 73, Lara Tadiotto (Bel) 77 71, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 76 72, Tania Elosegui (Spa) 78 70, Karen Lunn (Aus) 72 76
149 Anna Rossi (Ita) 76 73, Caroline Westrup (Am) (Swe) 77 72, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 74 75, YaNi Tseng (Tpe) 75 74, Felicity Johnson (Eng) 76 73, Stacy Prammanasudh (USA) 72 77, Leah Hart (Aus) 74 75, Mikaela Parmlid (Swe) 75 74, Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 75 74, Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 73 76, Georgina Simpson (Eng) 73 76, Marina Arruti (Spa) 76 73, Maria Boden (Swe) 74 75, Anja Monke (Ger) 76 73, Nienke Nijenhuis (NIrl) 73 76, Christine Hallstrom (Swe) 75 74, MargherIta Rigon (Ita) 78 71, Stefania Croce (Ita) 75 74, Kiran Matharu (Eng) 75 74
150 Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 75 75, Catrin Nilsmark (Swe) 73 77, Samantha Head (Eng) 77 73, ClaIrl Coughlan (Irl) 76 74, Carin Koch (Swe) 71 79, Lynn Brooky (Nzl) 75 75, Sophie Giquel (Fra) 74 76, Lotta Wahlin (Swe) 71 79, Shani Waugh (Aus) 73 77
MISSED THE CUT
151 Sophie Walker (Eng) 73 78, Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 76 75, Sarah Kemp (Aus) 77 74, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 75 76, Martina Eberl (Ger) 83 68, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 75 76, Becky Brewerton (Wal) 80 71, Louise Friberg (Swe) 75 76, Sarah Heath (Eng) 76 75, Joanne Mills (Aus) 78 73, Helena Alterby (Swe) 75 76, Sophie Sandolo (Ita) 78 73
152 Karin Sjodin (Swe) 76 76, Anna Rawson (Aus) 76 76, Clare Queen (Sco) 76 76, Rebecca Coakley (Irl) 78 74, Jacqueline HedWall (Am) (Swe) 73 79, Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 75 77, Hiroko Fujishima (Jpn) 74 78, Lisa Jean (Aus) 78 74
153 Cassandra Kirkland (Fra) 77 76, AnneLise Caudal (Fra) 77 76, Rebecca Stevenson (Aus) 78 75, Sara BeAutell (Spa) 73 80, Natascha Fink (Aut) 80 73, Sofia Renell (Swe) 78 75, Cherie Byrnes (Aus) 76 77, IsaBella Maconi (Ita) 78 75, Carmen Alonso (Spa) 80 73
154 Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den) 78 76, Nathalie DavidMila (Fra) 75 79, Diana Luna (Ita) 78 76, Asa Gottmo (Swe) 78 76, Beatriz Recari (Spa) 76 78
155 Anna Knutsson (Swe) 78 77, Anna Temple (USA) 78 77, Kathryn Imrie (Sco) 80 75, Tullia Calzavara (Ita) 79 76
156 Stefanie Michl (Aut) 79 77, Kirsty S Taylor (Eng) 84 72, Marta Prieto (Spa) 80 76, Karin Kinnerud (Am) (Swe) 77 79, Charlotta Sorenstam (Swe) 78 78, Danielle Masters (Eng) 75 81, Jenni Kuosa (Fin) 81 75
157 Elin Ohlsson (Swe) 78 79, Ellen Smets (Bel) 77 80, Ana B Sanchez (Spa) 84 73, Liza Walters (Eng) 80 77
158 Eleanor Pilgrim (Wal) 77 81, Kris Lindstrom (USA) 83 75, Fany Schaeffer (Fra) 80 78, Elisa Serramia (Spa) 78 80
159 Jehanne Jail (Fra) 81 78
160 Nina Karlsson (Swe) 78 82, Nora Angehrn (Swi) 79 81, Stephanie Arricau (Fra) 78 82
161 Cecilia Ekelundh (Swe) 81 80, Carlie Butler (Aus) 83 78
163 Ana Larraneta (Spa) 80 83, Mette Buus (Den) 80 83
164 KarenMargrethe Juul (Den) 83 81
166 Denise Simon (Ger) 84 82
171Maria Blomqvist (Swe) 84 87
RTD Lora Fairclough (Eng) 80