Sally Watson loses ground with a 76
-
in NCAA championship

Curtis Cup Scot Sally Watson lost ground over the third round of the NCAA women's championship at the Country Club of Landfall, Wilmington in North Carolina today.
The Stanford University freshman student, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has had a busy day. She was at the Pete Dye couse (6,368yd) early to complete her second round which had been held up by bad weather on Wednesday evening.
She added a one-under-par 71 to her opening 73 for a level par tally of 144, not bad scoring over a tough course but Sally had six bogeys in her third round and only two birdies, at the 10th and 13th.
A 76 gave her a three-round tally of four-over-par 220. She has dropped from a high of joint 11th to a current standing of tied 36th in the quality field with most of the leaders still to finish.
American Curtis Cup player Jennifer Johnson was leading at the halfway point with scores of 67 and 70 for 137 - one ahead of US team-mate Jennifer Song (67-71).
Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart, coming up to the end of her four years at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, was joint 10th after 36 holes with scores of 73 and 71.

NORTHERN COUNTIES NAME TEAM FOR BLAIRGOWRIE

Northern Counties have chosen the following team for the Northern Division women's inter-county team golf championship at Blairgowrie from June 26-28 when Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perth & Kinross meet in a four-cornered contest to decide the champions who go forward to the Scottish women's county finals.
Northern Counties team is:
Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch)
Pam Mackay (Royal Dornoch)
Alison Bartlett (Royal Dornoch)
Mary Smith (Tain)
Anne Ryan (Tain)
Sammy Vass (Tain)
Julie Vass (Tain)
Eilidh Mackay (Nairn Dunbar)
Reserves:
Hannah McCook (Abernethy)
Jenny Milne (Elgin)

CLARE-MARIE CARLTON ... to wed Callum Macaulay on February 25 next year.

Scottish women's amateur championship

Friday's tee times at Craigielaw

CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINALS

8.30 Martine Pow (Selkirk) v Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze).

8.40 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) v Louise Kenney (Pitreavie).

8.50 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) v Rachael Watton (Mortonhall).

9.00 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) v Laura Murray (Alford).

CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS

1.30 & 1.50 on Friday

CLARK ROSEBOWL SEMI-FINALS

9.20 Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) v Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw).

9.30 Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) v Clara Young (North Berwick).

CLARK ROSEBOWL FINAL

2.10 on Friday

SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP DOWN TO LAST EIGHT

  RACHAEL WATTON (Mortonhall)

LAURA MURRAY (Alford)

MEGAN BRIGGS (Kilmacolm)

Megan v Louise quarter-final is repeat

of last year's title showdown

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Alford’s Laura Murray, Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) and Jane Turner (Craigielaw), a student at Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University, give the North and North-east a three-pronged interest in Friday morning's quarter-finals of the 97th Scottish women’s amateur golf championship at the Craigielaw links on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.
The trio are in the lower half of the draw and, in fact, Laura and Turner cross swords in the last match on the tee.
Paul Lawrie Foundation team member Murray was two under par for her 5 and 3 morning win over Carnoustie’s Fiona Gilbert and again two under the card in winning by 4 and 3 against Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) in the second round.
Laura feels her mother Mary is playing a key role in pulling her clubs.
“She would admit that she’s not the greatest of golfers so there’s not much she can help me in that respect out on the course but what she is doing is keeping me calm, keeping me relaxed – and she feeds me well out there!” said the 21-year-old No 2 seed.
“It was just as sunny as it has been almost every day since we arrived in the Lothians but there was a bit more of a wind for the start of the match-play and I like playing in the wind.
“I’m still belting the ball as hard as I can off the tee but today, over the two matches, I felt I putted well, which makes a big difference on these so tricky greens.”
Jane Turner, a 20-year-old student on a graphic design course at RGU, won by 6 and 5 against Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) and then by one hole in a tight match against the No 7 qualifier from Ladybank, Susan Jackson.
“I was very disappointed with how I played in the qualifying rounds,” said Jane, “so I gave myself a good talking to, a kind of pep talk to myself and I did go out for the match-play with a different attitude.
“It seemed to work and it needed to in my afternoon match against Susan Jackson. I was one up going into the 12th and I was one down coming off the 14th after two or three loose shots when the concentration just slipped a bit.
“But I almost drove the green for a pitch and putt birdie at the 15th (336yd) and then played a No 9 iron downwind for my second at the long 16th (420yd) to set up back to back birdies. That did the trick. I went from ond down to one up and held that lead through halves over the last two holes.”
Stirling University student Kelsey MacDonald had a 2 and 1 win over Northern Counties team-mate and champion Cara Gruber before KOing the No 3 seed and the new Aberdeenshire champion, Sammy Leslie from Westhill by 4 and 3.
“I’ve come on to a good game here at Craigielaw and I was three under par against Cara and one under against Sammy, two very useful opponents, so I’m really looking forward to playing Rachael Watton from Mortonhall, the No 6 seed, in the quarter-finals,” said Kelsey who had edged into a one-hole lead after eight holes against Leslie before stepping up a gear around the turn to improve her advantage to four holes after 12.
Strathclyde law student Megan Briggs and Dunfermline nursery teacher Louise Kenney will replay last year’s final this morning in one sense although both say that last year’s result, when Megan won the title with a 4 and 3 victory, has no bearing at all on who will be the winner this time round.
Briggs, who has already retained the West of Scotland women’s title this season, snuffed out the challenge of 18-year-old Germany-based professional’s daughter Rachael Taylor by 6 and 5 in the second round, having lost the first hole to a birdie 3 and then won six of the next seven holes to be five up on the ninth tee.
Meanwhile,Kenney booked her place in the round of the last eight with a 4 and 2 win over 18-year-old Sammy Vass from Tain although she felt the course “bit me back” after her superb 69 on Wednesday.
“I had a lot of bad lies and was in quite a few bunkers. I played steady but it wasn’t another 69,” said Louise. “I felt I didn’t do myself justice in last year’s final against Megan Briggs. So this is a chance to prove that.”
Martine Pow, the 45-year-old from Selkirk, is another former national champion in the last eight. The No 1 seed, Martine scraped through at the 19th hole – which she birdied after driving the green at this 291yd hole – against the No 32 qualifier, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie).
But Pow, who did not take up golf until she was 25 – “I used to play hockey” – and was not capped for Scotland until she was 39, got back to the top form of her qualifying-rounds form to win by 7 and 6 in the afternoon against Karen Marshall (Baberton).
Martine has a “tough of the track” image but a heart of gold. Title-winner at Dunbar in 2006, she still refers to the “good players in the field,” as though she did not consider herself one of them – and she is pulling her own clubs. Why? “You can get too much advice sometimes.”
Pow’s next opponent, Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze), a 23-year-old from Paisley, is engaged to marry European Challenge Tour professional Callum Macaulay on February 25 next year.
“I’ve played a lot of golf with Callum and I am certainly a better player than I was before I met him. His last words before he set off for Italy were to believe in myself this week,” said Clare-Marie who won a ding-dong struggle with Susan Wood (Drumpellier) by two holes, the only time either player was ever more than one up.
Turner, Briggs, Murray and Kenney all played in last year's quarter-finals at Southerness (Carol Wilson, Elaine Moffat, Lesley Atkins and Kylie Walker were the other four).
In the 2009 semi-finals, Briggs beat Turner at the 19th while Kenney beat Moffat 5 and 4.
It will be interesting to see how tomorrow's matches work out compared with what has gone before.
THURSDAY'S SCOREBOARD

FIRST ROUND
Martine Pow (Selkirk) bt Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) at 19th.
Karen Marshall (Baberton) bt Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) at 19th.
Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze( bt Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 2 holes.
Susan Wood (Drumpellier) bt Ann F Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 2 and 1.
Rachael Taylor (Hartl Golf Resort, Germany) bt Jemma Chalmers (Monifieth) 5 and 4.
Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) bt Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth) 4 and 3.
Sammy Vass (Tain) bt Claire MacDonald (Gullane) 1 hol.e
Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) bt Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 5 and 3.
Sammy Leslie (Westhill) bt Elaine Cuthill (Lanark) 1 hole.
Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) bt Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch) 2 and 1.
Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) bt Laura Walker (Muckhart) 4 and 2.
Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) bt Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles) 7 and 5.
Susan Jackson (Ladybank) bt Noreen Fenton (Dunbar) 2 and 1.
Jane Turner (Craigielaw) bt Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 6 and 5.
Rachel McQueen (Troon Ladies) bt Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus) 2 and 1.
Laura Murray (Alford) bt Fiona Gilbert (Carnoustie) 5 and 3.
SECOND ROUND
Pow bt Marshall 7 and 6.
Carlton bt Wood 2 holes.
Briggs bt Taylor 6 and 5.
Kenney bt Vass 4 and 2.
K MacDonald bt Leslie 4 and 3.
Watton bt Nicholson 3 and 2.
Turner bt Jackson 1 hole.
Murray bt McQueen 4 and 3.

CLARK ROSEBOWL
FIRST ROUND
Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) bt Suzanne Ireland (Prestonfield) 8 and 7.
Jill Harrison (Cruden Bay) bt Mary Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 3 and 1.
Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) bt Linda Bain (Lochend) 5 and 4.
Carol Wilson (Murcar Links) bt Natasha Qayum (Ranfurly Castle) 2 and 1.
Ailsa Bain (Peebles) bt Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) 3 and 2.
Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) bt Linda Caine (Dunbar) at 19th.
Kirsten Blackwood (Craigmillar Park) bt Jill McNicoll (Glenbervie) at 20th.
Clara Young (North Berwick) bt Linda Dyball (Pitreavie) 2 and 1.
QUARTER-FINALS
Ailsa Summers bt Harrison 5 and 4.
Gabrielle MacDonald bt Wilson 5 and 4.
Jessica Meek bt Ailsa Bain 3 and 2.
Clara Young bt Blackwood 1 hole.

Top seed Martine Pow scrapes through with a birdie at 19th

Top seed Martine Pow from Selkirk beat the "leading qualifier curse" but only just in the first match-play round of the Scottish women's amateur championship at sunny but slightly windy Craigielaw links this morning.
Martine, two holes up for most of the first 10 holes, eventually scraped through at the 19th against Scotland girl international, Alyson McKechin, last of the 32 qualifiers, from Elderslie.
"There's definitely a curse on leading qualifiers in this championship. Can you remember the last time the No 1 seed went on to win the title?" asked 45 year old Martine who qualified in the No 4 position when she was crowned champion by beating Anne Laing in the 2006 national final at Dunbar.
Pow unleashed a phenomenal drive on to the green, slightly downwind at the first extra hole, a drive of close on 300 yards and a two-putt birdie 3 gave her a hard-earned win over her 16-year-old opponent.
Alyson led for the only time in the match when she won the third and the fourth with a birdie to cancell out Martine's first-hole success.
Pow hit back with three wins in a row - the fifth, sixth and seventh, to go two up but lost the nith to a birdie to be brought back to one up at the turn.
The Selkirk health and safety officer retained a two-hole lead with a par 3 at the 10th but lost the long 11th to a par 5 and the 13th to a par 4 to be pulled back to square.
Martine birdied the 16th to get her nose in front again but Alyson birdied the last to take an absorbing contest down the 19th.
"All credit to Alyson for her performance," said Pow. "But I didn't play nearly so well as I did in the two qualifying rounds. Still, I've survived, and that's the name of the game in match-play. You just have to find a way to win, no matter how you are playing."
Martine now plays Karen Marshall (Baberton) who also had to go to the 19th to beat the 1998 champion, Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) who had been one up after 12 holes.

Rachael Taylor, who made the long and frustrating haul from Munich to Edinburgh late on Monday night and went into the qualifying rounds without a practice session, was the first to claim a place in the last 16. A day after her 18th birthday, the Glasgow-born daughter of a Germany-based Scottish professional won by 5 and 4 against Jemma Chalmers (Monifieth).
Rachael, the No 5 seed, took a grip of the tie by moving three up after only eight.
Teenager Taylor now plays the defending champion Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) who qualified in 12th position. Megan was a 4 and 3 winner over US college student Jacqueline Sneddon from Alyth.

Briggs produced the birdies when she had to to take the measure of Jacqueline who is home for the summer holidays from Grand Canyon University, Arizona.

Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze), the No 24 qualifier, ousted the No 9 seed and former Scotland cap, Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) by two holes.

Ann F Ramsay, a former Angus county champion from Kirriemuir and the No 8 seed, lost by 2 and 1 to the 25th qualifier, Susan Wood (Drumpellier).

Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) won the all-Northern Counties clash with Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch), county champion for the past two years. Kelsey was two up at the turn and held that lead over the inway half to win by 2 and 1.

Kelsey, first reserve for next month's Curtis Cup match, faces another tough one in the second round - the in-form 18-year-old Sammy Leslie (Westhill) who won the Aberdeenshire women's championship the weekend before last. Sammy squeezed through on the last green today against former Scottish schoolgirls champion Elaine Cuthill (Lanark).

Another Northern Counties player into the last 16 is teenager Sammy Vass (Tain), recently back home for the summer from her first year at the University of Central Florida). With her mother Magi, a former Scotland junior international, pulling her trolley, Sammy won by by one hole against the experienced Gullane competitor, Claire MacDonald (Gujllane).

Sammy Vass now plays last year's beaten finalist and No 4 seed this week, Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) who followed up a best of the qualifying score of 69 by romping to a 5 and 3 win over Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe).

Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), the 17-year-old No 6 seed, had the morning's biggest win, by 7 and 5, at the expense of Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles), and now plays Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) in an all-Lothians tie.

Nicholson, the No 22 qualifier, beat the No 11 qualifier and new Perth & Kinross champion, Laura Walker (Muckhart) by 5 and 4.

Jane Turner (Craigielaw), beaten in the semi-finals last year at Southerness, was a 6 and 5 winner of Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) and now plays student and No 7 seed Susan Jackson (Ladybank), a 2 and 1 winner over senior cap Noreen Fention (Dunbar).

Laura Murray, the No 2 seed from Alford, had a 5 and 3 win over Fiona Gilbert, pulling away from her Carnoustie opponent on the inward stretch after being only one up at the turn.

Scottish women's amateur championship
CRAIGIELAW LINKS

TEAM EVENTS

McNEIL TROPHY

293 ABERDEENSHIRE (Sammy Leslie 76 72, Laura Murray 73 72, Carol Wilson 84 81).

300 FIFE (Susan Jackson 76 75, Louise Kenney 81 69, Elaine Moffat 80 76).

303 MIDLOTHIAN (Wendy Nicholson 77 81, Jane Turner 76 77, Rachael Watton 76 74); LANARKSHIRE (Elaine Cuthill 78 84, Rachael Taylor 79 71, Susan Wood 84 75).

306 PERTH & KINROSS (Emily Ogilvy 76 77, Jacqueline Sneddon 79 79, Laura Walker 80 74).

307 NORTHERN COUNTIES (Cara Gruber 78 78, Kelsey MacDonald 75 80, Sammy Vass 74 76).

312 ANGUS (Fiona Gilbert 83 80, Ann F Ramsay 78 74, Ailsa Summers 80 83).

313 RENFREWSHIRE (Megan Briggs 80 75, Clare-Marie Carlton 76 82, Alyson McKechin 80 83).

EGLINTON QUAICH

gross

153 ST REGULUS (Rachel Hanlon 73, Elaine Moffat 80).

162 BROOMIEKNOWE (Kate McIntosh 85, Wendy Nicholson 77); LADYBANK (Lorna Bennett 86, Susan Jackson 76).

163 CARNOUSTIE LADIES (Ailsa Summers 80, Mary Summers 83).

167 DUNBAR (Linda Caine 85, Noreen Fenton 82).

174 CRUDEN BAY (Jill Harrison 83, Lynne Terry 91).

187 RANFURLY CASTLE (Alexandra Qayum 102, Natasha Qayum 85).

192 WINDYHILL (Lindsay Mathie 91, Ruth McIntyre 101).

GRAINGER CUP

net

148 ST REGULUS (Rachel Hanlon 69, Elaine Moffat 79).

149 BROOMIEKNOWE (Wendy Nicholson 75, Hannah Scott 74).

157 CARNOUSTIE LADIES (Ailsa Summers 77, Mary Summers 80); RANFURLY CASTLE (Alexandra Qayum 78, Natasha Qayum 79).

158 DUNBAR (Linda Caine 80, Noreen Fenton 78).

161 LADYBANK (Lorna Bennett 85, Susan Jackson 76).

164 CRUDEN BAY (Jill Harrison 79, Lynne Terry 85).

166 WINDYHILL (Lindsay Mathie 78, Ruth McIntyre 88).

Midlands beat Northern in Glenisla vets' match

Midlands beat the Northern Division 5-2 in a veterans' match at Glenisla Golf Club.
Details (Northern names first):
Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay) lost to Lorna Bennet (Ladybank) 5 and 4.
Kathleen Sutherland (Royal Montrose) bt Fiona de Vries (St Rule) 3 and 1.
Heather Anderson (Alyth) lost to Margaret Tough (Falkirk) 2 holes.
Francis Neish (Moray) lost to Linda Dyball (Pitreavie) 3 and 2.
Aileen Hunter (Monifieth) lost to Linda McDonald (Ladybank) 3 and 2.
Susan Arbuckle (Panmure Barry) lost to Gillian Wallace (Blairgowrie) 2 holes.
Anne Hay (Edzell) bt Sandy Bushby (Blairgowrie) 2 holes.

Sally Watson level par with four holes to complete second rouned

Southern Cal go seven shots clear in

NCAA women's championship

WILMINGTON, North Carolina -- Southern California shot even-par 288 to extend its lead to seven over Alabama in the lightning-delayed NCAA women's golf championships Wednesday.
Play in the afternoon was halted twice by lightning and later stopped by heavy rain with 27 golfers on the course.
They included Stanford University's Scottish Curtis Cup player Sally Watson who still has four holes of her second to complete. Sally was one over after a first-round 73 but, starting at the 10th in Round 2, she birdied the short 16th, bogeyed the 17th and birdied the long 18th to be one under par for the day when she resumes with the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth to play.
The second round will be completed Thursday morning before the third round begins at the Country Club of Landfall.
Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart (New Mexico), who played for GB&I in the 2008 Curtis Cup match over the Old Course but is turning professional before next month's contest at Essex County Club, has completed the first two rounds in level par with scores of 73 and 71.
The Pac-10 is dominating the competition. Six teams from the conference are in the field, and four are in the top six in the standings. Arizona, in sixth place, shot the only under-par round Wednesday with a 2-under 286.
Arizona State freshman Jennifer Johnson shot 2-under-par 70 to take a one-shot lead over USC's Jennifer Song in the individual competition. Johnson, at 7-under 137 for two rounds, had four birdies and one bogey on her first 10 holes. She parred the next seven holes before bogeying her final hole, the par-4 ninth.
Song overcame a double bogey on the seventh hole to shoot 71.
Four golfers, including first-round co-leader Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Purdue, trail Johnson by three shots.
Southern Cal is trying for its third NCAA title. In each of its previous championships, 2003 and 2008, USC was the wire-to-wire winner.
Purdue is in third place, eight shots back. Top-ranked UCLA is 10 shots behind, followed by defending champion Arizona State (11 shots) and Arizona (12).
The 72-hole tournament at the 6,368-yard Pete Dye course is scheduled to end Friday.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Completed 36 hole totals only
Par 144 (2x72)
Jennifer Johnson (Arizona State) 67 70 137
Jennifer Song (Southern California) 67 71 138
Caroline Hedwall (Oklahoma State) 70 70 140
Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Purdue) 67 73 140
Margarita Ramos (Arizona) 71 69 140
Cyna Rodriguez (Southern California) 68 72 140
Numa Gulyanamitta (Purdue) 73 69 142
Rhea Nair (Alabama) 71 71 142
Cydney Clanton (Auburn) 72 71 143
Megan McChrystal (LSU) 72 71 143
Nicole Agnello (Virginia) 74 70 144
Jodi Ewart (New Mexico) 73 71 144
Cheyenne Hickle (Oregon) 71 73 144
Kimberly Kim (Denver) 73 71 144
Brooke Pancake (Alabama) 70 74 144
Candace Schepperle (Auburn) 73 71 144
Brittany Altomare (Virginia) 70 75 145
Jennifer Kirby (Alabama) 75 70 145
Belen Mozo (Southern California) 73 72 145
Marta Silva (Georgia) 72 73 145
Selected totals:
Camilla Lennarth (Alabama) 73 73 146
Laura Gonzalez (Purdue) 70 77 147
Giulia Molinaro (Arizona State) 73 76 149
Carlota Ciganda (Arizona State) 76 75 151
Madison Pressel (Texas) 77 75 152
Benedicte Toumpsin (South Carolina) 77 75 152
Nathalie Mansson (Tennessee) 73 80 153