Gloucestershire pair Sue and Rachael

win PING tournament Grand Final

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Gloucestershire golfers Sue Elliott and Rachael Thomas breezed round the Thonock Park course at Gainsborough in one-over par 73 to win the Grand Final of the 2009 PING four-ball better-ball tournament of England.
The pair, from Henbury Golf Club, amassed 43 Stableford points in strong winds and finished two clear of the field.
“We are ecstatic,” said Rachael.
Sue added: “It’s brilliant, absolutely excellent – this is a great event for ladies’ golf and so well organised.”
They win a choice of PING clubs or PING Collection clothing to the value of £400. They also qualify for the UK final of the Volvo Masters Amateur Tour at Kingsbarns Links in Fife in October.
Runners-up were Cheryl Power and Priya Bhatia of Kent, who came in late in the day and pipped, on countback, the long-time leaders Fiona Hockin and Jayne O’Sullivan of Yorkshire. The PING Tournament – which is run by the English Women’s Golf Association – had a new format this year and attracted over 16,000 competitors.
The best 60 club winners qualified for today’s Grand Final, while the next 72 pairs went through to the new Plate Final, which took place yesterday. Sue and Rachael won their club round – their first outing in a four-ball event – with 43 points.
They returned the same score in the Grand Final when they tamed the extremely windy conditions with solid golf. Between them, they parred 15 holes, bogeyed two and birdied the long 17th.
“We work well as a team – we’ve known each other for about 20 years and we are best mates,” said Sue, who was a professional on the Ladies European Tour for two decades. Injury brought her career to an end and last year she regained her amateur status and a four handicap. Rachael, who sometimes caddied for her friend, is a 10-handicapper who is determined to get down to single figures - and is taught by Sue’s partner, Henbury teaching professional Ryan Crowley.
The final was contested by pairs from all over the country and of all ages - the youngest partnership was 14-year-old Emily Powell and Amy Ridley, 18, of Seascale, Cumbria. One competitor, Mandy Roberts of Overstone Park, Northamptonshire, was so keen to take part that she played on her own after her partner was forced to drop out – and returned a very creditable score.
All Grand Finalists received a PING golf bag, a PING Collection windshirt and a pair of ECCO shoes. They also had the opportunity to tour the PING factory, to try clubs in the PING fitting centre and to enter other competitions.
Overall winner Sue Elliott was also successful in the putting competition and won a putter, while Jane Leigh from Humberstone Heights, Leicestershire, won the nearest the pin challenge and received a PING driver.
Leading scores
43 pts Sue Elliott & Rachael Thomas (Henbury).
41 Cheryl Power & Priya Bhatia (Langley Park), Fiona Hockin & Jayne O’Sullivan (Horsforth).
40 Carol Firth & Sally Dixon (Bingley St Ives), Linda Woods & Sharon Baxter (Royal Epping Forest), Helen Lowe & Debs Massey (Scraptoft).
39 Michele Moran & Pat Waldron (Hickleton).
38 Alison Baldwick & Amanda Leach (East Berkshire), Jane Leigh & Wendy Castle (Humberstone Heights), Shelagh Warren & Sue Hitchman (Stoke Rochford), Lesley Pascoe & Hilary Richards (Stover), Claire Fensome & Alisa Moore (Collingtree Park), Adele Haddon & Diane Burridge (College Pines).
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

The Wales team for the women's home interntional matches with captain Sue Turner in the middle of the seated row at Irvine Golf Club this evening (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency; click on it to enlarge).

Ireland's team with captain Claire Robinson at Irvine Golf Club (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency; click on it to enlarge).

England team with captain Julie Otto in the middle seated in front of the Irvine Golf Clubhouse on the eve of the women's home internationals. Click to enlarge this image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. In fairness to the girls it should be pointed out the wind was blowing and it was raining when this picture was taken!

Phil O'Gorman's 78 good enough to lead

Irish senior women's open stroke-play

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION
NIONIrish Senior International and home favourite Phil O’Gorman leads the field by one stroke at the Irish Senior Women’s Open Strokeplay at Laytown and Bettystown Golf Club today.
In driving rain and gale force winds, O’Gorman, fresh from International duty at the Senior Europeans in Dun Laoghaire last week, opened strongly but dropped shots at six and seven saw her make the turn at three over par.
The inward journey, hampered by the strong head wind, destroyed most of the field, but O’Gorman’s fine iron play saw her complete the last 5 holes in one under par and take a one stroke lead into tomorrow’s second round.
Next best was Ireland’s Pauline Walsh (Headford) who’s 79 included an impressive birdie three at the difficult fifteenth hole. Canada’s Karen Pultz matched Walsh almost shot for shot to the turn and added a strong birdie at the long twelfth which played a par 6 in the height of the gale. Helen Jones (Strabane), Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire), Alison Murdoch (CAN), Edeltraub Jacob (GER) and Ruth Lindley (ENG) are well in the hunt following 81s while only a fool would right off defending champion Vicki Thomas at this early stage following her 83 after opening with a wretched triple bogey at the first.
The field will play a further 18 holes strokeplay tomorrow Wednesday with the top 40 qualifying for the final 18 holes on Thursday. Following the Championship, the Irish Seniors Team to play at the Seniors Home Internationals at Newport in Wales, 29th September, will be announced. Positions in the side will be determined by ranking in the Order of Merit and wildcard picks selected by Team Captain Roma English (Larne).

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD

78 Phil O'Gorman (Laytown & Bettystown)
79 Karen Pultz (CAN) Pauline Walsh (Headfort)
81 Alison Murdoch (CAN) Edeltraud Jacob (GER) Helen Jones (Strabane) Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire)Ruth Lindley (ENG)
82 Diane Williams (CAN) Janice Paterson (SCO)
83 Sheena McElroy (Grange) Vicki Thomas (WAL)
84 Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) Mary McGoey (Greenore) Pat Doran (Donabate)
85 Pamela Williamson (SCO)
86 Catherine Reilly (The Heath) Marilyn Henderson (Castlerock) Mary Geaney (Killarney)
87 Ann McAuley (Laytown & Bettystown) Catherine Bird (Nenagh) Jane Gardner (Malone)
88 Deborah Court (CAN) Gill Rouiller (Mannan Castle) Helen O'Donoghue (Clonmel) Mary Kavanagh (New Ross) Val Shannon (Douglas) Valerie Hassett (Ennis)89 Ita Donnelly (Dundalk) Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford)
90 Carol Kinsella (Faithlegg) Linda Ward (CAN) Rhona Brennan (Bandon) Sue Joy-Sobota (USA) Violet McBride (Belvoir Park)
91 Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) Joan McVeigh (Belvoir Park) Maida McGowan (Laytown & Bettystown) Mairead MacNamara (Woodbrook)
92 Adrienne Crowley (Woodbrook)
93 Concepta Maddick (Mannan Castle) Mai McCann (Narin & Portnoo) Patricia McAllister (Laytown & Bettystown) Sue Pidgeon (ENG)
94 Barbara Moysey (CAN) Marie Moran (Monkstown) Roma English (Larne)
95 Barbara Biggart (SCO) Elisabeth Wendels (SWE)96 Rita O'Loughlin (Mannan Castle) Valerie James (Bangor)
97 Mary Lowney (Dunmore)
98 Heidi Simpson (USA) Patsy McCarthy (Grange)
99 Alice O'Neill (Laytown & Bettystown) Judy Clarke (Royal Portrush) Kathleen Pyne (New Ross) Marita Leech (Laytown & Bettystown) Patricia Kelly (Limerick) Sheila Bodmer O'Keefe (SWI)
100 Ann Conway (New Ross) Kitty Duffy (Dundalk)
101 Cornelia Fischer (GER) Marianne Copp (ENG)
102 Finola Duncan (Bangor)
103 Noreen Granard (Portarlington) Sonja Gottschalch (DEN)
104 Gemma Jennings (Navan)
105 Britt-Marie Walltorp (SWE) Rita MacNamara (The Heath)
106 Kathleen Hynes (Ardee)
107 Dinah Campion (The Heritage) Kath Stewart-Moore (Royal Portrush)
108 Una Bready (Belvoir Park)
110 Margaret Boomer (Lisburn) Marie Conlon (The Heath)

Rain hits Duke of York Young Champions Trophy

No play was possible in The Duke of York Young Champions' Trophy at Dundonald Links today.
Horizontal rain soon filled the bunkers and the course was waterlogged.
The plan is to play 36 holes on Wednesday and a final 18 on Thursday.

The Golfing Flowers of Scotland. Ready for action in the Women's Home Internationals at Irvine Golf Club, Ayrshire. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on it to enlarge.

IRVINE WET BUT PLAYABLE FOR WOMEN’S

HOME INTERNATIONALS

Fingers crossed, there’s no danger that the Women’s Home Internationals will not tee off on time tomorrow morning at Irvine Golf Club even though there was more heavy rain at the Ayrshire venue today.
There were big pools of water in the car park but not so many out on the course, thanks to the hard work of head greenkeeper Derek Wilson and his staff.
“Believe it or not but we have had rain here at some time or other during the day or night for the past 54 consecutive days,” said Wilson.
“This summer the course has never had the chance to dry out and play the way it should. The greens, like the fairways, are much softer than I would like them but these players will probably prefer that they can fire the ball at the flag rather than have to drop their approach shots short and hope to judge the bounce.”
Home skipper Lesley Nicholson is optimistic her squad can win the Miller Trophy for the first time since the Scotland were champions in 1990 and 1991.
Top-10 individual form by her team members in the recent British women’s open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal Aberdeen and the European women’s amateur team championship in Sweden, where Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) was runner-up and Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) joint sixth, suggests her confidence is not ill-founded.
In the opening foursomes against Ireland, Lesley Nicholson has paired Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) and Carly Booth (Comrie) against the new British stroke-play champion Danielle McVeigh and Charlene Reid.
Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), leader of the SLGA Order of Merit table, and Pamela Pretswell, are Scotland’s No 2 foursomes pairing for the tie against Gillian O’Leary and Victoria Bradshaw.
Scottish champion Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) is paired with the big-hitting Kylie Walker against Mary Dowling and Sarah Cunningham.
Wales, defending the title they won on home turf at Wrexham 12 months ago, open their campaign against an England line-up loaded with talent. Scotland’s prospects would be considerably enhanced if Wales could claim England’s scalp. But England will start favourites.

Wednesday morning’s foursomes:
ENGLAND v WALES
8.30 am
Charlie Douglass & Holly Clyburn v Lucy Gould & Sam Birks.
Charlotte Wild & Hannah Barwood v Rhian WynThomas & Gemma Bradbury.
Rachel Jennings & Kelly Tidy v Tara Davies & Amy Boulden..

SCOTLAND v IRELAND
9am
Kelsey MacDonald & Carly Booth v Danielle McVeigh & Charlene Reid.
Louise Kenney & Pamela Pretswell v Gillian O’Leary & Victoria Bradshaw.
Kylie Walker & Megan Briggs v Mary Dowling & Sarah Cunningham.