STEPHANIE MEADOW TO THE FORE IN LADY PUERTO RICO CLASSIC

Curtis Cup reserve Stephanie Meadow from Jordanstown, Northern Ireland, is one of four Alabama University squad players in the top 12 after the first round of the 54-hole Lady Puerto Rico Classic women's college tournament at Rio Mar Country Club, Rio Grande in Puerto Rico.

Team-mate Camilla Lennarth from Stockholm is setting the pace with a two-under-par 70 over the 6,191yd course.

Stephanie, pictured, is joint seventh with a 73.

Alabama already lead the team event by 14 strokes from Purdue.

Aberdeen-born Katy Cardno, a student at Texas Christian University, and England girl cap Raffi Dyer (Oregon University) from Hayling Island, Hampshire, both shot 79s.

There's a big field of 98 in action over the three days down in Puerto Rico.

KEVIN PHELAN TOP BRITISH/IRISH PLAYER IN GATOR INVITATIONAL

Local knowledge paid off for University of Florida students Philip Choi and Andres Echevarria in the Sun Trust Gator Invitational over 54 holes at their home Mark Bostick course (par 70, 6701yd) at Gainesville today.
Choi and Echevarrie finished in a triple tie for first place with Florida State University player, Drew Kittleson, who would also be familiar with the lay-out.
Choi scored 72, 69 and 69 for level par 210, a total matched by Echevarria with rounds of 69, 70 and 71 and Kittleson's scores of 72, 69 and 69.
Not surprisingly, Florida (844) won the team title by nine shots from Auburn (853) with Louisiana State (862) third and North Florida (866) fourth in a field of 14 teams. 

Ireland's Kevin Phelan (North Florida) from Waterford was the highest placed British and Irish student in joint 29th place with scores of 74, 72 and 73 for a total of nine-over-par 219.
Jason Shufflebotham (University of Alabama-Birmingham) from Prestatyn, Wales finished joint 34th on 220 with rounds of 72, 74 and 74.
Thomas Sharkey (Georgia Southern), pictured right, from Helensburgh and Gavin Frost (Jacksonville) finished joint 55th on 229. Sharkey scored 76, 76 and 77, whiel Frost had rounds of 78, 74 and 77.
Phelan's effort helped North Florida to make the top four but UAB (Shufflebotham) came 10th with 899 , Jacksonville (11th with 901) and Georgia Southern (909), 13th of 14.

WOMEN GET THE CLUB EQUALITY THEY DON'T WANT

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By ADAM LUSHER
The Equality Act has given women more rights in golf clubs – but many lady golfers have been left out of pocket and out of sorts.
It was meant to put women on a par with men.
Women golfers have long faced restrictions at their local courses on what times they could play and which bars they could drink in. Often they were blocked from becoming club captain.
So when Harriet Harman introduced the Equality Act to give women more rights in work places and social settings, golf clubs were seen as ripe for reform.
But the drive by Labour’s leading feminist seems to have landed in the bunker. Many women golfers say that, following the changes, which have brought an end to men-only tee-off times at many clubs, they now have to pay more for membership.
Although the legislation was passed by Parliament just before last year’s election and came into force in October, many of its effects are only now being felt, with golf clubs forced to rewrite their own rule books.
As well as allowing ladies to play on whatever day they want, clubs are also having to admit women to “men only” bars and restaurants in clubhouses, and some are abolishing the traditional post of club captain. Others are even planning to scrap “husband and wife” contests, replacing them with “mixed competitions” in which civil partners can also compete.
Kirstie Thirde, from the English Golf Partnership which incorporates governing and professional bodies, said many women were unhappy that they must now have the same unrestricted membership terms as men, meaning that they lost their ladies’ discount.
Mrs Thirde backed the Act but admitted: “Many golf club ladies don’t want equality. All they feel the Equality Act does is increase their fees and allow them access to the course at weekends, which they really don’t need.
“I visit an awful lot of clubs talking about the equality issue, and they will say to you 'women don’t want this.’ ”
Many women golfers are over 50 and retired. She said: “They play during the week. They don’t need access to the course at the weekend, so why would somebody pay for something they don’t want?”
Chris Jones, editor of Golf World magazine, said he too had heard women golfers complaining about the Act. “A lot of them are on fixed incomes and can’t justify an extra £40 a month for golf club membership.
“Most women don’t want to play with us men. They don’t want to endure the bravado, the trying to play like Tiger Woods, and the swearing, stamping and snapping of golf clubs that ensues. Ladies’ day is their day when they can get away from us.”
At some clubs, the post of club captain – once the preserve of men only – has been scrapped in favour of separate ladies’ and men’s captains. A 70-year-old honorary secretary at one club, who asked not to be named, regretted the change.
“To be club captain is one of the highest honours. These people that come up with the legislation don’t understand the traditions of this place.”
Some clubs have introduced changes with reluctance. Lenzie Golf Club, near Glasgow, announced that “veteran ladies” would now be expected to pay the same as “veteran gents”.
However, Robert Chalmers, the club captain, added: “I hope members will appreciate the changes are to be made as the result of legislation which we must comply with and not of our own initiation.”
A newsletter from Northwood Golf Club in Middlesex worried that “the new law bans the candidacy of a captain only being available to men. There’ll be a few harrumphs about this at the club bar, I am sure.”
The move was voted through with a big majority, but the club is now grappling with the thornier issue of whether it can still allow husband and wife discounts, or whether the average couple will have to pay an extra £200 in fees.
In Northwood’s newsletter, Steve Derbyshire, the club’s general manager, writes that “husband and wife competitions are discriminatory and need to be 'mixed competitions’ in future, taking into account civil partnerships as well as gender reassignment and sexual orientation issues”.
Alison Root, 43, the editor of Women and Golf magazine and a regular player, admitted: “To be honest, a lot of women don’t want change. They play during the week. They don’t care what happens on Saturdays. If you’re happy with your lot, why change?”
Objections to the Act among female golfers surprised Barry Johnston, compiler of the book The Wit of Golf. “I am sure they don’t want to go back to the bad old days,” he said.
“That’s when you heard stories about the ladies sitting on the veranda who were appalled by swearing from so-called gentlemen on the 18th hole. When the ladies complained, the committee took action – by banning ladies from the veranda.”
Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com?

FIRST RESPONSE FROM AILEEN HUNTER

I think the answer to this dilemma is very simple. If golf clubs initiate different levels of membership open to both sexes the problem is solved. What about five-day membership at a reduced rate?
Many clubs do this already. Not sure if that means reduced or no voting rights but it's a pro-equality choice.

And how about family discounts? Might attract more families or other family members, regardless of age or sex, to the game. Any club without a waiting list needs to attract new members somehow.

These 'grappling' clubs need look no further than the majority of clubs that became equal years ago to find out what works best. After all, equality isn't exactly a new concept.
Aileen Hunter

YANI TSENG WINS ANZ LADIES MASTERS BY FOUR SHOTS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER
Media Manager, LET
bcutler@ladieseuropeantour.com
Taiwan's Yani Tseng shot a closing 68 to win the ANZ RACV Ladies Masters at RACV Royal Pines Resort today and is predicted to claim the world No. 1 ranking from Korean Jiyai Shin when the rankings are announced on Monday.
Tseng, 22, who has played the Ladies Masters on Queensland's Gold Coast since she was a 16-year-old amateur, produced rounds of 67, 66, 63 and 68 against par of 72 to finish at 24 under par 264, four shots clear of Australia's Nikki Campbell and American Stacy Lewis.
Another American, Ryann O'Toole, took fourth place at 18 under while 16-year-old New Zealand amateur Cecilia Cho tied for fifth with Lee-Anne Pace of South Africa, Amanda Blumenhurst of the US and Aussie Sarah-Jane Smith.
Tseng’s win comes on the heels of her victory at the ISPS HANDA Women's Australian Open at Commonwealth GC in Melbourne last week, a double achieved only by Karrie Webb in 2007. Webb was looking to win the title for the eighth time this year but after sharing the lead with an opening 66, shot subsequent rounds of 71, 68 and 67 to drop back to a share of ninth place.
Tseng's elevation to the top spot in the rankings is almost routine for the winner of the ANZ Ladies Masters. Others to use the tournament as a springboard to No. 1 are Se Ri Pak of Korea, Webb, Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa.
The winner of three majors - the 2009 LPGA Championship and the Kraft Nabisco and Women's British Open in 2010 - said her goal at the start of the year was to be ranked the best player in the world. She advanced from No. 5 to No. 2 with the Australian Open win and completed the journey at Royal Pines.
The trick now, she says, is staying there. Since Ochoa retired on top in May last year, Shin, Ai Miyazato of Japan and American Christie Kerr have assumed and lost the mantle.
"It is so soon," said Tseng. "I wasn't expecting it as quickly as this. I still have another 10 months to go. I just need to be very patient and keep working hard."
She described the win as a dream come true. "I'm very appreciative of the opportunity to play in this tournament since I was an amateur," she said. "I have learned a lot here, coming to play with the best golfers in the world. The first time I came here I told all my friends that one day I want my picture on Champion Drive with all the other winners."
The circuit now moves to Christchurch for the Pegasus Women's New Zealand Open, the third event in as many weeks co-sanctioned by Australian Ladies Professional Golf and the Ladies European Tour.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
264 Yani Tseng (TPE) 67 66 63 68 (62,500 Euros).
268 Nikki Campbell (AUS) 68 67 69 64, Stacy Lewis (USA) 67 65 67 69 (35,208 Euros each). 
270 Ryann O'Toole (USA) 68 66 67 69 (20,833 Euros).
271 Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 68 70 68 65, Amanda Blumenherst (USA) 69 70 67 65, Sarah-Jane Smith (AUS) 67 69 69 66, Cecilia Cho (Am) (NZ) 69 67 68 67
272 Sarah Kemp (AUS) 74 66 67 65, Eun Hee Ji (KOR) 66 70 69 67, Karrie Webb (AUS) 66 71 68 67, Christina Kim (USA) 69 69 66 68
273 Belen Mozo (ESP) 68 71 64 70, Ashleigh Simon (SA) 68 66 68 71
274 Florentyna Parker (ENG) 71 66 71 66, Karine Icher (FRA) 68 69 71 66, Frances Bondad (AUS) 71 67 69 67, Melissa Reid (ENG) 67 67 72 68, Katherine Hull (AUS) 69 66 71 68, Maria Hernandez (ESP) 66 68 70 70, Jennifer Rosales (PHI) 70 68 66 70, Jennifer Song (USA) 70 66 67 71 (4,932 Euros each). 
275 Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 71 69 69 66, Stephanie Na (AUS) 72 67 68 68, Tiffany Joh (USA) 71 69 66 69, Kristie Smith (AUS) 67 65 73 70, Diana Luna (ITA) 66 69 70 70, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 70 68 67 70, Jean Chua (MAL) 70 68 67 70, Shin Ae Ahn (KOR) 67 67 70 71
276 Linda Wessberg (SWE) 69 70 70 67, Cindy LaCrosse (USA) 70 69 68 69, Julieta Granada (PAR) 69 70 68 69, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 67 69 69 71, Hannah Jun (USA) 69 66 69 72
277 Caroline Masson (GER) 72 68 70 67, Chae-young Yoon (KOR) 69 68 70 70, Katie Futcher (USA) 68 71 68 70, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 69 70 68 70, Bo-Bea Kim (KOR) 70 70 67 70, Sandra Gal (GER) 70 64 72 71
278 Beth Allen (USA) 69 70 70 69, Tamie Durdin (AUS) 68 71 69 70, Alexis Thompson (USA) 69 68 69 72, Reilley Rankin (USA) 68 69 67 74
279 Becky Brewerton (WAL) 68 67 75 69, Karen Lunn (AUS) 66 69 75 69, Mollie Fankhauser (USA) 74 63 73 69, Minjee Lee (Am) (AUS) 68 68 73 70, Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 74 65 69 71, Dewi Claire Schreefel (NL) 70 66 71 72 (1,541 Euros each).
280 Mariajo Uribe (COL) 71 69 72 68
281 Leah Hart (AUS) 68 70 72 71, Becky Morgan (WAL) 69 68 72 72, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 69 70 70 72, Nicole Hage (USA) 71 69 69 72, Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 71 68 69 73, Sophie Walker (ENG) 71 69 68 73, Jessica Parker (AUS) 70 70 67 74 (1,071 Euros each). 
282 Sarah Oh (AUS) 70 68 74 70, Nancy Harvey (CAN) 71 69 70 72, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 66 70 71 75
283 Bree Arthur (AUS) 69 71 71 72
284 Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 73 67 74 70, Laura Davies (ENG) 69 67 74 74, Sarah Nicholson (NZ) 69 69 71 75 (590 Euros each).
285 Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 71 69 71 74
286 Felicity Johnson (ENG) 68 71 77 70, Momoko Ueda (JPN) 69 71 71 75
287 Danielle Bowers (ENG) 68 72 73 74 (480 Euros)

TO CHECK OUT ALL THE FINAL-ROUND SCORECARDS

ON THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE