Lanarkshire win Kathleen McNeil Trophy

Lanarkshire are the first winners of the new Kathleen McNeil Trophy county team competition, staged in conjunction with the stroke-play qualifying rounds of the 95th Scottish women's amateur championship at Southerness.
Susan Wood (Drumpellier), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) and Elaine Cuthill (Lanark) topped the county team returns with a total of 306.

95th Scottish women's amateur championship Day 3

Leading qualifier Pamela Pretswell's haul of silverware from the qualifying rounds (image by Gillian Kirkwood).

Who plays whom on Thursday at Southerness

Thursday morning's ties in the 95th Scottish women's amateur golf championship at Southerness links off the Solway Firth are:
CHAMPIONSHIP - FIRST ROUND
8.30am start. 8min intervals
+Figure shown is position among qualifiers
Upper half
1 Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) v 32 Diane Macdonald (Dumfries & Co).
17 Samantha Leslie (Westhill) v 16 Carol Wilson (Murcar Links).
9 Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) v 24 Sara Bishop (Windyhill).
25 Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth) v 8 Jane Turner (Craigielaw).
5 Laura Murray (Alford) v Susan Jackson (Ladybank).
21 Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) v 12 Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies).
13 Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) v 20 Lorna Bennett (Ladybank).
29 Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) v 4 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm).
Lower half
3 Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) v 30 Fiona de Vries (St Rule).
19 Susan Wood (Drumpellier) v 14 Lesley Atkins (Minto).
11 Elaine Cuthill (Lanark) v 22 Elaine Moffat (St Regulus).
27 Karen Marshall (Baberton) v 6 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar).
7 Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) v 26 Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles).
23 Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) v 10 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie).
15 Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) v 18 Claire MacDonald (Gullane Ladies).
31 Claire Hargan (Mortonhall) v 2 Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle).

CLARK ROSEBOWL - FIRST ROUND
10.46am start. 8min intervals
33 Jennifer Jenkins (Ralston) v 48 Fiona Hay (Deeside).
41 Laura McLardy (Murcar Links) v 40 Heather Anderson (Alyth).
37 Kirsten Blackwood (Craigmillar Park) v 44 Ashleigh Wilton (Ladybank).
45 Gillian McGinlay (Cochrane Castle) v 36 Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe).
35 Carol Whyte (Windyhill) v 46 Linda Caine (Dunbar).
43 Linda Bain (Lochend) v 38 Sammy Vass (Tain).
38 Jill Harrison (Cruden Bay) v 42 Helen Faulds (Douglas Park).
47 Aileen Hunter (Monifieth) v 34 Linda Urquhart (Banchory).

THURSDAY AFTERNOON PROGRAMME

CHAMPIONSHIP - SECOND ROUND
1.40 pm start. 10min intervals.

CLARK ROSEBOWL - QUARTER-FINALS
3.10 pm start. 10min intervals

Pictured (l to r): Marrita Coyne (Lancome), Rose Beamish (Lady Captain, Fota Resort), Lisa Maguire (2009 Champion), Trevor Tighe (Lancome), Anne Wallace (ILGU President), Leta Sue Brady (Lady President Fota Resort). Image by courtesy of the Irish Ladies Golf Union. Click to enlarge.

Lisa Maguire wins Irish title with

brilliant five-under-par display

Beaten in the final by her twin sister Leona 12 months ago, Lisa today won the Lancome Irish women's closed amateur championship at Fota Island Golf Resort, Cork.

The No 1 qualifier - for the second year in a row, 14-year-old Lisa from the Slieve Russell club in Co Cavan, beat the No 2 qualifier Mary Dowling (New Ross) by 5 and 4 in the 18-hole final. Lisa was five under par for the holes played, having been six under at one stage.

Maguire played quality golf, birdieing the second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth in covering the first eight holes in a phenomenal six under par!

Lisa had only 11 putts over the first nine holes.

Dowling matched Lisa's birdie at the eighth and produce another one at the ninth but found herself four down at the turn, despite having covered the first nine holes herself in two under par.

Lisa’s only bogey of the day came at the 11th hole where she missed a 6 ft putt for par. Solid pars for the remaining holes saw her win the title for the first time on the 14th green.

95th Scottish women's amateur closed championship

Pamela Pretswell leading

qualifier with 72 for 148

Improved weather brought improved scoring but no change at the top of the qualifying leaderboard in the 95th Scottish women’s amateur golf championship at Southerness links on the shores of the Solway Firth today..
Overnight leader Pamela Pretswell, a Glasgow University student and member of the Bothwell Castle club, duly claimed the No 1 seed position among the 32 who advance to the match-play stages. And she underlined her claims to be the favourite with a second-round, one-under-par 72, the best round of the two days, compared with her opening score of 76 in the windblown first day, which was also the best of that day.
Hamilton-based Pretswell, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has never been able to enter this championship before due to first school and later university examinations clashing with it. She is obviously playing well, having won the West of Scotland title recently and last summer’s victory in the Swiss women’s open amateur title put her on the short leet for the Great Britain & Ireland team to play the Continent of Europe in Hamburg in July.
Big-hitting Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), another member of the GB&I squad, again birdied four par-5 holes in returning a 74 for the No 2 qualifying spot on 151.
Carnoustie’s Katy McNicoll, brother of Keir who won the St Andrews Links Trophy and Leven Gold Medal last season, did very well to be the third best qualifier on 155.
She flew back to Scotland last week after graduating at Lynn University, Boca Raton and has had little or no time to acclimatise after the heat and comparatively calm weather of Florida.
But she put together rounds of 79 and 76 to qualifying for the match-play stages with ease.Two former Scottish champions, Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) on 163 and Martine Pow (Selkirk) on 164, qualified but the third former title-holder in the field of 80, Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) did not with a total of 171.
Martine Pow was one of three players whose 36-hole totals were good enough to qualify them for the match-play stages but they withdrew due to unavailability.
Martine is a Scotland selector and will be kept busy over the remainder of the championship running her eye over prospect international candidates.
Students Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), 80-78 for 158, and Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), 84-80 for 164, pulled out because of examinations later in the week.
Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) was the first player over the two days to equal the par of 73 for the 6010yd course and her Scotland international team-mate, Laura Murray (Alford) posted a 74, which put them both on the 156 mark at the head of the mid-afternoon finishers.
They were knocked off the top spot just after 5pm by Katy McNicoll who birdied the ninth, 13th and 14th in adding a 76 to her opening 79 for a 155 total.
At the end of the day, Megan appeared as No 4 seed and Laura as No 5.
Scottish Under-21 champion, Kelsey Macdonald (Nairn Dunbar), the third GB&I squad member in the championship, had a frustrating day which saw her drop down to the No 6 seed berth with a repeat of her first-round 78 despite the improvent in the conditions.
The Stirling University student, who began the qualifying process with a 9 at the par-4 first hole on Tuesday, today had a double bogey 6 at the third and a triple bogey 7 at the 12th.
As No 1 qualifier at Lossiemouth 12 months ago, Kelsey was beaten in the first round by Tain's Sammy Vass. Maybe she will prosper in a lower place among the qualifiers..
The withdrawal of Pow, McKechin and Watton meant that the play-off was not on 166 but instead involved the four players who totalled 168 - Claire Hargan (Mortonhall), Gillian Lockhart (Kilmarnock Barassie), Fiona Gilbert (Carnoustie Ladies) and Diane Macdonald (Dumfries & County).
They set off on a four-way play-off for the last two places. The play-off started at the 16th which Diane "won" with a 4 and Gillian was eliminated with a 6. Fiona and Claire both had 5s so they carried on halved the 17th in 4 before Claire claimed the last place (she is actually No 31 in the draw - too complicated to explain) by holing an eagle putt for a 3.
One of the pleasing features of the composition of the 32 qualifiers is the number of teenagers who are still in the championship.
Youngest of all is 14-year-old Lesley Atkins (Minto) who recently became the youngest ever Borders county champion. She qualified in the No 14 position. A great achievement for one so young.
Then there's 15-year-old Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) who qualified even higher than Lesley - in the No 9 spot to be precise. Again a performance that augurs well for the future.
Aberdeenshire teenager Samantha Leslie (Westhill), who reached the final of her women's county championship two or three weeks back, qualified in 17th place. Ironically for Aberdeenshire, Samantha plays Murcar Links' Carol Wilson in the first round.

MATCH-PLAY QUALIFIERS
Par 146 (2 x 73). 6010yd. CSS for Round 1: 78.
148 Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 76 72.
151 Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) 77 74.
155 Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) 79 76.
156 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 83 73, Laura Murray (Alford) 82 74, Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 78 78.
157 Ann F Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 82 75.
158 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 80 78.
159 Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 78 81.
160 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) 81 79, Elaine Cuthill (Lanark) 80 80, Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) 80 80, Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 79 81.
161 Lesley Atkins (Minto) 86 75, Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) 80 81, Carol Wilson (Murcar Links) 79 82.
162 Samantha Leslie (Westhill) 85 77, Claire MacDonald (Gullane Ladies) 83 79, Susan Wood (Drumpellier) 82 80, Lorna Bennett (Ladybank) 79 83.
163 Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 84 79, Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) 84 79, Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) 80 83.
164 Sara Bishop (Windyhill) 89 75, Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth) 85 79, Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles) 84 80, Karen Marshall (Baberton) 82 82, Susan Jackson (Ladybank) 80 84.
166 Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) 89 77, Fiona de Vries (St Rule) 85 81.
168 (after four-way play-off) Claire Hargan (Mortonhall) 89 79, Diane MacDonald (Dumfries & Co) 81 87.
+WITHDREW FROM QUALIFYING
(unavailable for match-play stages):
158 Rachel Watton (Mortonhall) 80 78.
164 Martine Pow (Selkirk) 86 78, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 84 80.

FIRST-ROUND CHAMPIONSHIP TIES
1 Pretswell v 32 D Macdonald.
17 Leslie v 16 Wilson.
9 A Summers v 24 Bishop.
25 Sneddon v 8 Turner.

5 Murray v 28 Jackson.
21 Ogilvy v 12 Sheena Wood.
13 Monteith v 20 Bennett.
29 Nicholson v 4 M Briggs.

3 McNicoll v 30 De Vries.
19 Susan Wood v 14 Atkins.
11 Cuthill v 22 Moffat.
27 Marshall v 6 K MacDonald.

7 Ramsay v 26 Cuthbertson.
23 McQueen v 10 Kenney.
15 Carlton v 18 C MacDonald.
31 Hargan v 2 Walker.

NON-QUALIFIERS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH-PLAY
168 (beaten in four-way play-off) Gillian Lockhart (Kilmarnock Barassie) 85 83, Fiona Gilbert (Carnoustie Ladies) 84 84.
169 Jennifer Jenkins (Ralston) 86 83, Rebecca Wilson (Monifieth) 86 83, Linda Urquhart (Banchory) 85 84, Lesley Hendry (Routenburn) 82 87.
170 Carol Whyte (Windyhill) 87 83, Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 85 85, Alexandra Bushby (Strathmore) 85 85, Jordana Graham (Southerness) 81 89.
171 Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) 92 79, Kirsten Blackwood (Craigmillar Park) 90 81, Margaret Tough (Falkirk) 86 85, Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) 84 87.
172 Noreen Fenton (Dunbar) 79 93.
173 Sammy Vass (Tain) 92 81, Jill Harrison (Cruden Bay) 89 84, Heather Anderson (Alyth) 87 86.
174 Laura McLardy (Murcar Links) 90 84, Mary Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 87 87, Helen Faulds (Douglas Park) 87 87.
175 Addi Shamash (Kirkcudbright) 92 83, Linda Bain (Lochend) 82 93.
176 Ashleigh Wilton (Ladytbank) 87 89.
177 Gillian McGinlay (Cochrane Castle) 88 89.
178 Linda Caine (Dunbar) 87 91, Aileen Hunter (Monifieth) 86 92.
179 Fiona Hay (Deeside) 94 85.
180 Pamela Williamson (Baberton) 90 90, Gail Wilson (Monifieth) 85 95.
182 Fiona Blair (Carnoustie Ladies) 92 90, Wendy Wells (Peebles) 91 91.
183 Kirsten MacCallum (Newburgh on Ythan) 91 92.
184 Winifred MacCallum (Falkirk) 90 94.
185 Suzanne Ireland (Prestonfield) 88 97.
186 Elaine Whyte (Windyhill) 92 94.
190 Bobby Waugh (Moorhall) 97 93.
191 Fiona Fullerton (Meldrum House) 94 97.
192 Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay) 97 95.
194 Fiona Macgregor (Thornhill) 96 98.
205 Lindsay Mathie (Windyhll) 108 97.
206 Ann MacDonald (Windyhill) 102 104.
213 Ruth McIntyre (Windyhill) 102 111.
219 Tracy Masterton (Windyhill) 119 100.
No Return: Diane Moncrieff (Lochend) 93 NR.

NCAA Division 1 women's championship

Ellie Givens has a 73 but Jodi Ewart runs

short of birdies in a first-round 78

Curtis Cup player Jodi Ewart, a student at New Mexico University, has been playing sweetly all season on the US college circuit ... until this week's NCAA Division 1 women's championship at Caves Valley Golf Club - where they've played the Palmer Cup men's students' match in the past - Owing Mills in Maryland.

Jodi, from Yorkshire, had a six-over-par 78 in the opening round of the 72-hole tournament to be eight shots behind joint leaders Catherine O'Donnell (North Carolina) and Stephanie Sherlock (Denver).

Ewart is tied 60th alongside Denver's Sarah Faller from Ireland and Southern California's Spanish ace, Belen Mozo.

Jodi had a double bogey 6 at the 10th in halves of 39. She had only two birdies all day, which is well below her normal capacity to shoot sub-par figures.

US Curtis Cup player and favourite for the title, Amanda Blumenherst, the US women's amateur champion, could not have been all that pleased with herself for returning a75 over the 6,443yd, par-72 course.

Former English girls champion Ellie Givens (Denver), pictured above, from Darlington had a 73 to be a creditable joint seventh.

Former Scotland international Gemma Webster (Ohio State) had an 87 (43-44) to be tied for 121st place in a field of 126.

LEADERBOARD

Par 72, 6443yd

70 Catherine O'Donnell (North Carolina), Stephanie Sherlock (Denver).

72 Ginny Brown (Tennessee), Stephanie Connelly (Central Florida), Nannette Hill (Wake Forest), Jennifer Song (Southern California).

73 Allie Bodemann (Wake Forest), Britney Choy (New Mexico), Ellie Givens (Denver), Stephanie Kono (UCLA), Lindsey Solberg (Michigant State.

Selected scores:

75 Amanda Blumenherst (Duke) (jt 25th).

78 Jodi Ewart (New Mexico), Sarah Faller (Denver), Belen Mozo (Southern California) (jt 60th).

87 Gemma Webster (Ohio State) (jt 121st).

Champion Charlie leads EWGA order of merit

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
New English champion Charlie Douglass has shot to the top of the English Women’s Golf Association order of merit, sponsored by golf holiday company Lorrin Golf.
The 20-year-old from Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire won the championship when she beat Tara Watters of Middlesex by 3 and 2 in the final at Lindrick, Yorkshire last weekend.
Charlie’s victory earned her 300 order of merit points and moved her up from sixth place to the head of the leaderboard.
Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) made the biggest jump of the week, thanks to her performance at Lindrick. She soared up from 137th place to fifth.
Semi-finalist Tracey Boyes (Meon Valley) also made a significant move from 48th place to ninth. Meanwhile, Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) leads the girls’ table from Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) and Hannah Turland (Tidworth Garrison).
Lorrin Golf is a golf tour operator arranging golf holidays to premier resorts throughout Europe, USA, Caribbean, Dubai and Thailand. The company also runs a leading golf academy in St Andrews, Scotland. www.lorringolf.com
Order of merit leading placings following the English amateur championship (previous placings in brackets):
1 Charlie Douglass, Brocket Hall (6).
2 Emma Brown, Malton & Norton (2).
3 Holly Clyburn, Woodhall Spa (1).
4 Rachel Connor, Manchester (3).
5 Tara Waters, Muswell Hill (137).
6 Cori Lee, West Lancashire (5).
7 Naomi Edwards, Ganton (7).
8 Charlotte Wild, Mere (9).
9 Tracey Boyes, Meon Valley (48).
10 Rachel Jennings, Izaak Walton (4)
Full championship and order of merit details available on:
www.englishwomensgolf.org
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

Move to allow more US college students to enter

European women's individual championship

& Vagliano Trophy dates to change from 2010

NEWS RELEASE ISSUE BY LADIES GOLF UNION AND EUROPEAN GOLF ASSOCIATION

The Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) and European Golf Association (EGA) have agreed on a change of dates for the 2011 Vagliano Trophy. The historic match, traditionally played one week following The Open Championship in late July, will be moved to late June, four weeks earlier. The new dates will become the permanent match fixture for the foreseeable future.
In 2011, the match will be played at Royal Porthcawl, Wales, on June 24th and 25th.The move has been motivated by a rearrangement of the EGA calendar to allow more US college-based Europeans to attend one of the year’s premier fixtures: the International European Ladies’ Amateur Championship.
In 2010, the event will be held on the 20th to 24th of July instead of in late August and will remain scheduled in this week, vacated by the Vagliano Trophy, for future editions.
Moving the Vagliano Trophy and European Ladies’ Amateur to their new dates will ease a hectic fixture list for the elite players and assist the LGU while it prepares for the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
The field of the British Ladies’ Amateur Stroke Play Championship, held in late August, will also benefit from the change.
From 2011, Vagliano Trophy team selections will be held earlier in the year.
The Vagliano Trophy was presented to the Comité des Dames de la Fédération Française de Golf and the Ladies’ Golf Union by Monsieur A. A. Vagliano, originally for an annual competition between France and Great Britain and Ireland.
Since 1959, by mutual agreement, the Continent of Europe competes against Great Britain and Ireland biennially.
The LGU and EGA look forward to the Vagliano Trophy’s successful continuity on the new dates.

Miss MacRae first woman in field since Meg Farquhar in 1933

Well done, Heather! She's one of the

boys for Scottish PGA Championship

Winner of the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Nairn in 2005 and unlucky to be named only a Curtis Cup reserve, Heather MacRae from Dunblane is now settling down to life in the professional side of the game. which, in her case, means being PGA-trained as an assistant at Gullane.

That does not leave a lot of time for much else but she has been appearing in the odd pro-am on the Tartan Tour and, a week or two, she did well in a WPGA event in England. Now, she has done even better, a lot better in fact.

At Downfield Golf Club, Dundee on Tuesday, 25-year-old Heather, picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency, was one of 47 players to come through the 18-hole qualifying test and earn a place in the £55,000 Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship from June 25 to 28.

Her older brother Andrew is also an assistant pro - at Gleneagles - and he is already in the field.

"I'm absolutely delighted. This was the goal at the start of the year and to make it is a great feeling. It will be great for the two of us to be playing," said Heather.

"I would've liked to have shot a low score (at Downfield) but the conditions made it a battle but I came through it and that's all that matters."

She did have two birdies, at the long seventh and short 12th but she dropped shots at the sixth, ninth, 14th and 16th in halves of 37 and 38 for a two-over-par 75 in thoroughly unpleasant conditions of wind and rain.

Gordon Dewar, the Scottish PGA secretary, said: "It's fantastic news that we will have Heather at our national championship. It will be something different and will add a new dimension to the event."

Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride), the Scottish youths champion of 2005, Inchmarlo's Mark Barnard and James Smallwood (Fereneze) headed the field of 81 at Downfield on Tuesday - 77 played at the same venue on Monday in another 18-hole eliminator.

Gordon Sherry, former British amateur champion, who is gradually putting a competitive edge back on his game, qualified on the same mark as Heather MacRae, sharing 11th place on 75.

Aberdour's Antonia Ffinch, the other female hopeful in the field, failed in her qualifying quest after an 89.

The qualifying cut-off point on Tuesday was 78 or better compared with 79 or better on Monday when 46 players qualified for the main event.

LEADING QUALIFIERS

MONDAY

Downfield, Dundee - Par 73

71 Hamish Kemp (Bishopbriggs GR), Tom Buchanan (Duddingston), Mark Kerr (Bathgate).

72 Ian Graham (Crow Wood), Chris Campbell (Grantown-on-Spey, Peter Mitchell (Hermitage), Mark Bruce (Gullane).

73 Scott Herald (Mearns Castle), Alastair MacKenzie (Duddingston), David Park (Wishaw), Neil Murray (Cruden Bay), Fraser McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle), Campbell Donaldson (Campbell Donaldson Golf Academy).

74 Robert Irvine (Douglas Park), Gary Dingwall (Royal Dornoch), Scott Spence (unatt).

75 Brian Mason (Callaway Golf), Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Graeme McInnes (Murcar Links).

TUESDAY

Downfield, Dundee - Par 73

72 James Smallwood (Fereneze), Mark Barnard (Inchmarlo), Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride).

73 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle), Iain Hanna (Strathclyde Park).

74 Scott Gillespie (Burntisland), Robbie Stewart (Cruden Bay), Jonny Sharp (The Carrick At Cameron House), Andrew Fullen (Largs).

75 Kenneth Monaghan (Bothwell Castle), Christopher Boyle (Lanark), Paul Brookes (Pitreavie) Craig MacDonald (Peterculter), David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co), Garry Forrester (St Andrews Golf School), Heather MacRae (Gullane), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk), Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway), Gordon Sherry (Kilmarnock Barassie).

MEG FARQUHAR FOOTNOTE

Newspaper reports that Heather MacRae will be the first female professional to play in the Scottish PGA championship have got it wrong.

The late Meg Farquhar, who was an assistant professional at her home town Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth, played in the 1933 Scottish professional championship over her home course.

We will recall Meg in a future article soon on Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Lest we forget