Northumberland’s Lucy Newton

leads English seniors’ title race
NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Northumberland’s Lucy Newton made a dream debut in the English senior women’s championship at Hunstanton, Norfolk, where she shot a two-under par 73 to take the first round lead.
Lucy, who had six birdies in her round, is playing her first full season of senior golf.
“I came wide-eyed, eager and excited to see what standard I needed to be at!” she said.
“I am absolutely over the moon, but I was lucky in practice because I played with two ladies who had been members of Hunstanton and they were fantastic at guiding me round,” added Lucy, who plays off four and was last year’s Northumberland county captain.
She is three shots clear of the 2006 champion, Christine Watson, and five shots ahead of the next group, which includes Hunstanton’s Jean Johnson.
“I was very pleased with my score,” said Christine, who had three birdies in her round. “I’ve played in seven or eight championships here and never done any good - but I like the course and I’ve just kept on trying!”
She made the most of a benign day of brilliant sunshine and light breezes, to put on a display of solid and accurate ball striking. But she added: “I’ve got to do the same again tomorrow – and this course still has an awful lot of teeth.”
No-one knows that better than home player Jean Johnson, who led the Norfolk challenge with a three-over 78. Despite feeling the “huge pressure” of competing on her own course, she produced steady golf, hitting 15 greens in regulation, claiming three birdies – and suffering four three-putts.
Jean, who has been taking lessons from the club’s assistant professional, Henry Potter, commented: “It’s got to be an advantage to know the course and when you get in a good position it’s a matter of gritting your teeth and keeping it going.”
Norfolk’s other two representatives in the championship division are also well placed.
Sue Meadows, from Hunstanton, and Jo Ashmore, from Barnham Broom, both shot 81 and are in a group sharing 16th place, which includes defending champion, Sue Dye of Cheshire.
The field, of 114 players, is divided into two divisions. After Wednesday's second stroke-play round the top 16 players in each division will go forward to the match-play stages, with the finals taking place on Friday afternoon.
In Division B, Shropshire’s Sue Pidgeon made a good start to the defence of her title with a score of 82. She shares the first-round lead with Jaki White of Hertfordshire.Eaton’s Eppie Zandvoort was the best of the Norfolk players in this division and shares fifth place on 85.
She’s a shot ahead of county captain Nickie Clarke (Royal Norwich) and Cheryl Sanders (Hunstanton). Janie Preece (Royal West Norfolk) is a further stroke behind.
Full details and hole-by-hole scoring available by logginig on to: http://www.englishwomensgolf.org/

LEADING SCORES
Par 75
Championship division
73 Lucy Newton (Matfen Hall).
76 Christine Watson (Beaconsfield).
78 Jean Johnson (Hunstanton), Pat Wrightson (Huddersfield), Julia Smith (Rotherham), Anne Bridges (Mentmore).
79 Rozalyn Adams (Addington Court), Sheree Dove-Wilde (Chobham).
80 Christine Stirling (Meon Valley), Chris Quinn (Hockley), Jo Rumsey (Rochford Hundred), Andrea Stockdale (Mapperley Ladies), Deborah Backhouse (Aldeburgh), Denise Parker (Woodhall Spa), Cathy Armstrong (Ellesborough).
81 Sue Dye (Delamere Forest), Sue Meadows (Hunstanton), Pat West (Spalding), Paula Parker (Abbotsley), Jo Ashmore (Barnham Broom), Hilary Smyth (Pannal).
Division B
82 Sue Pidgeon (Wrekin), Jaki White (Whipsnade Park).
83 Judy McCairns (Oxford Ladies), Marion Howells (Hankley Common).
85 Eppie Zandvoort (Eaton, Norwich), Lynn Griffiths (Reading).
86 Shelagh Cormack (Bedford & County), Nickie Clarke (Royal Norwich), Cheryl Sanders (Hunstanton), Elaine Hancock (Spalding).
87 Dee Wood (Crane Valley), Dianne Platt (Spalding), Janie Preece (Royal West Norfolk), Caroline Caswell (Stoneham).
88 Rosemary Farrow (St Neots Golf Club), Julie Ballard (Littlestone), Jane Shergold (Blackmoor), Liz Moverley (Copt Heath)
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer
Visit our web site at http://www.englishwomensgolf.org/

ADAM LINDSAY FINISHES SECOND IN IOWA

Banchory's Adam Lindsay, a final-year student at Iowa Wesleyan College, produced the joint best final-round score of two-under-par 70 to finish runner-up in the Midwest Collegiate Conference championship at Oskaloosa golf course in Iowa.
Lindsay had earlier rounds of 73, 73 and 71 for a total of 287 - four shots behind the winner, Adam White (St Ambrose University) who had rounds of 68, 71, 73 and 71.
It was Lindsay's four successive top-10 finish.
Iowa Wesleyan (1204) finished fourth of nine in the team event won by St Ambrose (1166).

Katy McNicoll loses share of lead in

Sunshine State Conference tourney

FROM THE LYNN UNIVERSITY, BOCA RATON WEBSITE
Lynn University’s women’s golf team is in second place and just nine strokes back of the lead after the first day of competition at the Sunshine State Conference women’s championship at Winter Haven, Florida.
Three Fighting Knights are within the top-10 led by Katy McNicoll (from Carnoustie) who is six-over par on the 6,037-yard, par 72 Lake Region Yacht and Country Club.
McNicoll was tied for the individual lead after a first round 73 but poor course conditions dropped her to a 77 in the final 18-holes and into fifth place overall on 150.
Two-time SSC All-Tournament Team recipient Maha Haddioui picked up her play in the second round, shooting a 74 after carding a 77 in round one. She is tied for sixth individually on 151. Megan Mangone rounds out the top-10 trio. She is eighth with a 36-hole total of 152.

Peter Latimer wins Conference

Championship by 10 strokes!

St Andrews New Golf Club member Peter Latimer from Markinch, a student at Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina, has won back-to-back events on the American college circuit, the latest being the Old Dominion Athletics Conference championship at Bay Creek Resort, Cape Charles in Virginia.
Over a long course (7260yd), Latimer, pictured right, who lost a three-way play-off for the East of Scotland Open at Lundin Links last summer, had rounds of 73, 76 and 76 for a total of nine-over-par 225 to win the title by TEN strokes from Adam Skaff (Roanoke) who scores 82, 75 and 78 for 235. It was his fourth win in all in America.
A tough course and bad weather made it a stiff test for the field of 40 players and Latimer's experience of Scottish golfing conditions undoubtedly gave him a huge advantage.
Guilford College, team event leaders with one round to go, were overhauled on the final day by Washington & Lee University who automatically go forward to the season-ending NCAA championships.
Latimer must wait to see if he gains an invitation to compete as an individual and with his record he must stand a good chance.

Ayrshire Girls v South of Scotland Girls

Ayrshire Girls (in yellow and green) and South Girls (in blue)

Ayrshire Girls' first friendly match was played on Sunday over Stranraer golf course. Despite a cold strong wind at the start, it was a glorious day and the girls enjoyed their game over this beautiful but testing golf course. The games are played off handicap. Results are as follows:-
South names first.

Katie McCracken halved with Gillian Arnott
Rachel Walker won 4 & 3 against Linzi Allan
Amy Little halved with Hannah Gaunt
Vicky Wright lost by 1 hole to Mhairi McKay
Emma Greenlees won 4 & 2 against Connie Jaffrey
Katie Wright lost by 1 hole to Katie McGarva

A halved match was a fair result with so many close games.

Thanks to Ayrshire Junior convenor, June Kerr for the report, and Marian Wilson for the photo

Ann and Alex Peters retain Mothers

and Daughters foursomes title

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
England girl international Alex Peters and her mum, Ann, successfully defended their title at the Mothers and Daughters scratch foursomes competition at Royal Mid Surrey.
The holders were clear favourites, with Alex playing off a plus-two handicap at the age of only 15, and they won by seven shots . They had a six-over par aggregate of 113 for the 27-hole competition.
The runners-up were past winners Pat Huntley and Sarah Webb from Frilford Heath.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
113 Ann and Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) 75 38.
120 Pat Huntley and Sarah Webb (Frilford Heath) 79 41, Linda and Hannah Smeath (Puttenham) 82 38.
122 Christine and Charlotte Griffiths (Walton Heath) 82 40.
123 Vi Dolton and Diana Holt (Basingstoke) 84 39.
124 Liz Boatman and Alex Howe (Royal Worlington/Royal Co Down) 80 44, Sally and Jo Hicks Beach (Stover) 85 39, Bea and Carly Cummins (Parkstone) 85 39.
125 Helen and Frances Lilley (Sickleholme/Rothley) 83 42, Jennifer Fallows and Kathryn McGawley (Manchester) 84 41, Alison and Nicola Taylor (Walton Heath) 85 40.

R&A lends support to Kemnay kids'

World Challenge expedition

The R&A is supporting a group of Aberdeenshire school pupils taking part in a World Challenge expedition to Africa this summer - where they will teach golf to village children in Namibia - by buying them a bag of golf equipment.
The 15 Kemnay Academy students, aged from 15 to 17, will travel through Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia on the educational expedition from 16 June to 16 July. Included in their itinerary is learning survival techniques from bushmen in the Kalahari Desert, travelling through the Okavango Delta in dugout canoes and a trek through the Batoka Gorge.
The expedition will be an opportunity for the students to learn about other cultures but they are keen to teach local children something of Scottish culture. And they plan to teach them to play golf.
“As part of our project we’ll be interacting with the local children which is when we’ll do our golf coaching,” said Kintore 15 year old Jordyn Booth, a keen golfer and member of Kemnay Golf Club.
“These children will probably not have seen a golf club before so we are really looking forward to getting them started.”
This week The R&A, which already makes a significant contribution to developing golf in Africa, supported the expedition by giving the Aberdeenshire students a bag of SNAG golf equipment, which they will use to teach children and leave behind in Namibia.
This is the same equipment which is proving extremely popular with children across Scotland. The junior golf programme, clubgolf, is using it to introduce 38,000 children to golf in schools this summer.
Duncan Weir, The R&A Director of Golf Development, said, “The R&A has been doing a great deal of support work in Africa for over a decade and this is a good opportunity for us to do even more via these young Scots.”
Golf is in different stages of development in the three countries. Zambia has a rich history in the sport and its national Open has been won by many famous names. Namibia has 20 golf courses and its countryman, Trevor Dodds was a winner on the PGA Tour in 1997. In Botswana progress is not so advanced but The R&A is working to help improve the situation.
“In recent years we have been supporting events in these countries, have sent golf professionals there to teach and have donated greenkeeping machinery,” said Mr Weir.
“What these students are doing seems potentially another good initiative and I believe they can make a difference.
“What would be success for us would be to see these countries represented at our Junior Open at Lundin Golf Club immediately before The Open at St Andrews.”
The students meanwhile have been busy raising funds to pay for the expedition through a variety of events. By organising celidhs, sponsored abseils and a variety of jobs, they are just about there.
Jordyn is the only golfer in the group, yet an accomplished one. Her handicap is 16 and she is in the second year of clubgolf’s Stage 3 programme.
Audra Booth, clubgolf’s Regional Manager for Grampian, will be training the students to enable them to teach the game to the Namibian children and also show local school teachers how to deliver the game.
Added Jordyn: “We are extremely grateful to The R&A for buying us the SNAG equipment which will help us interact with the children and give them something new to learn. Hopefully they will all enjoy playing golf and keep practising once we have gone home.”

Pictured above are: Duncan Weir, R&A Director of Golf Development and Torquil McInroy, clubgolf Project Manager, with the firstclubgolf equipment, Jordyn Booth (15), Sarah Loggie (15) and Amy Mitchell (17) – all from Kintore - and Blackburn’s Keira Watson (15) at St Andrews.