GB and I CRACK KIWIS' 100 PER CENT RECORD, NOW FOR CANADA

Pamela Pretswell in action for G B and I at the AstorTrophy tournament today (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com 

Great Britain and Ireland won the Battle of the Titans - the only two teams with 100 per cent win records - to be hot favourites to retain the Astor Trophy match-play team title at Fairhaven Golf Club, Lytham St Annes tomorrow.

Skipper Tegwen Matthews' squad of five won by 4 1/2 to 2 1/2 against a New Zealand team who had won their previous three matches.

The position is that GB and Ireland and New Zealand both have three wins but the Kiwis have completed their four-match programme. Sunday is their rest day.

GB and I's Kelsey Macdonald, Pamela Pretswell, Kelly Tidy, Holly Clyburn and Amy Boulden go into battle for the last time when they meet Canada who have lost all three matches they have played so far.

A word of caution in the midst of the euphoria. Canada, although beaten 4-3 by Australia today, actually “won” the singles session 3-2. They may be running into form in time to give GB and I a tougher match than expected.

None of the other countries can achieve a final total of three wins.

Today’s summit meeting brought together the only two countries with 100 per cent records in this week’s tournament, GB and I coming back into the fray off a Friday rest day with two wins under their belt to meet New Zealand’s all-conquering, three wins out of three squad, which includes the World ranked Nos 1 and 3, 14-year-old Lydia Ko and 16-year-old Cecilia Cho.

The morning foursomes were shared at one win apiece and so it was all to play for in the five singles. The game plan for GB and I had to be to collect full points from the first three singles, which would be enough for overall victory in a 7pt match, and then it would not matter if the last two singles went the way of the whiz kids Ko and Cho.

And that’s exactly how it turned out.

Pamela Pretswell made it 2-1 for GB and I with a 6 and 5 win over NZ’s Emily Perry, having been five up at the turn.

Fellow Scot Kelsey MacDonald then made it 3-1 by beating Julianne Alvarez 2 and 1 after being one up at the turn and then two ahead on the 12^th tee. But Alvarez made a fight of it all the way, winning the 13^th with a birdie 3 and snapping at Kelsey’s heels until MacDonald finished her opponent off by taking the short 17^th.

Holly Clyburn got the winning fourth point by beating Chantelle Cassidy 3 and 2. Holly surged into a three-hole lead after nine holes with birdies at the second, third and ninth. That became a four-hole lead at the 10^th and she was able to resist Chantelle’s efforts to turn the tide over the closing holes.

New Zealand got their first and only singles point from World No 1 Lydia Ko who avenged her British championship defeat at Royal Portrush by Kelly Tidy, winning by 5 and 3 with a five-birdie performance after being one up at the turn.

Amy Boulden did well to get a square match with World No 2 Cecilia Cho, playing particularly well on the outward half to go two up after four. Cho got into her stride to square the match at the eighth – and it was a battle royal after that.

Cho got her nose in front at the 11^th but Boulden pegged her back at the 14^th and went ahead with a birdie at the long 16^th  Cho’s par 3 at the 17^th was enough to square the match and a half in 5s at the last for a square match was a fair result.

“It was a GB and I  team performance with a capital T,” said a delighted Tegwen Matthews.

“They are a great team to be with, on and off the course, and they have made my job a very easy one. There’s so much strength in depth in this squad of five that it doesn’t really make any difference which order I place them in for the singles.”

Australia, winners of the Astor Trophy four times, scored their first victory of the week by a 4-3 margin over Canada. When the Aussies took the morning foursomes 2-0, it looked like being a big margin win by the end of the day but the Canadians had other ideas and, even though they lost to Australia, they will go into their final match against GB and I with their tails up. That’s because they won three of the five singles, highlighted by a wonderful fightback by Jessica Wallace to beat Australia’s Ashley Ona.

The Canadian was five down at the turn and still five down after 10. Then an eagle 3 at the 11^th inspired Jessica. She won that one, to be followed by wins at the 12^th, the 14^th (with a birdie), the 15^th (another birdie) and the 16^th, with another birdie, to square the contest.

A par at the 17^th put Wallace ahead for the first time in the match and when she was able to halve the last in birdie 4s, the Canadian had pulled off the comeback win of the tournament.

Other singles winners for Canada were Christine Wong, by two holes over Emma de Groot, and Nicole Vandermade by one hole against Minjee Lee.

Australia’s afternoon winners were Cathlee Santoso, by one hole against Anne Catherine Tanguay, and by Breanna Elliott, who beat Rebecca Lee Bentham by 4 and 2.

TODAY'S RESULTS

AUSTRALIA 4, CANADA 3

Foursomes (2-0)

Minjee Lee and Cathleen Santoso bt Christine Wong and Anne Catherine Tanguay 2 holes.

Breanna Elliott and Ashley Ona bt Jessica Wallace and Nicole Vandermade 3 and 2.

Singles (2-3)

Santoso bt Tanguay 1 hole

Emma de Groot lost to Wong 2 holes.

Elliott bt Rebecca Lee Bentham 4 and 2.

Lee lost to Vandermade 1 hole.

Ona lost to Wallace 1 hole

GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND 4 1/2, NEW ZEALAND 2 ½

Foursomes (1-1)

Kelly Tidy and Holly Clyburn bt Julianne Alvarez and Chantelle Cassidy 1 hole.

Pamela Pretswell and Kelsey MacDonald lost to Cecilia Cho and Lydia Ko 3 and 2.

Singles (3 ½-1 ½)

MacDonald bt Alvarez 2 and 1.

Clyburn bt Cassidy 3 and 2.

Pretswell bt Emily Perry 6 and 5.

Amy Boulden v Cho

Tidy lost to Ko 5 and 3.

HOW THEY STAND

GB and Ireland 3 wins, New Zealand 3 wins, South Africa 1 win, Australia 1 win, Canada 0 wins.

SUNDAY – FINAL MATCHES

Great Britain and Ireland v Canada

South Africa v Australia.

FOURSOMES LINE-UPS

GB AND I v CANADA
8.0 Pamela Pretswell and Holly Clyburn v Nicole Vandermade and Jessica Wallace.
8.10 Kelsey MacDonald and Amy Boulden v Anne Catherine Tanguay and Rebecca Lee Bentham.
+Singles from  12.40 to 1.12.

SOUTH AFRICA v AUSTRALIA
8.20 Bertine Strauss and Iliska Verwey v Breanna Elliott and Cathleen Santoso.
8.30 Kim Williams v Henriette Frylinck v Ashley Ona and Emma de Groot.
+Singles from 1.20 to 1.52.

DEUTSCHE BANK LADIES SWISS OPEN CUT TO 3 ROUNDS

By BETHAN CUTLER
Ladies European Tour Media and Marketing
Heavy and persistent rain saw play abandoned on Saturday afternoon at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open. The decision was made to resume second round play at 7.30am local time on Sunday at Golf Gerre Losone, after continual downpours made the course unplayable.
The second round is expected to finish at 10am with the third and final round planned to begin at approximately 11am from two tees. The tournament has now been reduced from 72 to 54 holes.
The forecast is much better for Sunday but Tournament Director Andy Lott, from the Ladies European Tour, said: “It’s so very disappointing again following two years where the tournament has been rain affected. The torrential rain over the past day has made the fairways and bunkers impossible to play. It would take three or four hours without any rain whatsoever for the course to dry. The greens staff will be working late tonight and early tomorrow to make the course playable and fortunately good conditions are forecast for tomorrow.”
Of the six times it has been played, the tournament has now been shortened three times due to bad weather.
The fifth edition in 2010, won by Lee-Anne Pace, was reduced from 72 to 54 holes on Thursday after the first day’s play was cancelled.
The 2009 event, won by Marianne Skarpnord, was played over four rounds, but the 2008 tournament was also reduced to 54 holes when the last round was washed out. The third round leader, Suzann Pettersen, took the title with a winning total of 22 under par.
The 2007 event, won by Bettina Hauert, was played over four rounds as was the inaugural tournament, which Gwladys Nocera won in 2006.
The tournament was moved from May to its current June date in 2010, to avoid the bad weather, however this year May enjoyed unseasonably hot conditions and the weather patterns continue to fluctuate.

ASTOR TROPHY DECIDER MORNING HONOURS SHARED

It's still all to play for in the afternoon five singles in the likely Astor Trophy title decider at sunny Fairhaven Golf Club, Lytham St Annes in Lancashire.
It's New Zealand versus Great Britain and Ireland - the only two teams with 100 per cent winning records after three days' play.
NZ have played three and won three; GB and I have played two and won two. This is the Kiwis' last match - their "rest day" is Sunday, the last of the five-day programme. If they beat GB and I, then New Zealand will win the Astor Trophy for the first time. No other country will be able to match 4 out of 4.
The outcome is still in the balance after the morning foursomes finished 1-1.
Australia are on course for their first win of the week. They lead 2-0 against Canada.

MORNING FOURSOMES

NEW ZEALAND and GB and IRELAND are drawing 1-1
NZ names first
Julianne Alvarez and Chantelle Cassidy lost to Kelly Tidy and Holly Clyburn 1 hole.
Cecilia Cho and Lydia Ko bt Pamela Pretswell and Kelsey MacDonald 3 and 2.
Five afternoon singles to be played.

AUSTRALIA lead CANADA 2-0
Australian names first
Minjee Lee and Cathleen Santoso bt Christine Wong and Anne Catherine Tanguay 2 holes.
Breanna Elliott and Ashley Ona bt Jessica Wlalace and Nicole Vandermade 3 and 2.
Five afternoon singles to be played.

NEXT YEAR'S HACIENDA DEL ALAMO WOMEN'S/GIRLS' FESTIVAL

E-mail from Lee Harrington
Tournament Controller
Hacienda del Alamo Women's and Girls' Golf Festival




Next year’s event will take place from Saturday, February 11 to Friday, February 17, 2012, and the initial schedule is planned as follows:-


Sat February 11 – Official Practice Day


Sun February 12  – Murcia Ladies and Girls Open Round 1


Mon February 13 – Murcia Ladies and Girls Open Final Round (36 holes)


Tues February 14 – St. Valentines Day Pairs (incorporated with Hacienda members)


Wed February 15 – HDA Ladies and Girls Open Round 1


Thurs February 16 – HDA Ladies and Girls Open Round
 Fri February 17 – HDA Ladies and Girls Open Final Round (54 holes)

I will be working on the complete program along with prices and accommodation options over the next few weeks, but I thought I would publish the dates as early as possible to enable you to begin researching your travel arrangements.
I hope to make the 2012 Festival the biggest and best yet, and so am counting on you all to spread the word to anyone that may be interested.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance in the meantime.


Lee Harrington
Tournament Controller
marshall@hdagolf.com

SIR HENRY COOPER JUNIOR MASTERS NEWS

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LPGA FUTURES TOUR SCOREBOARD

$125,000 Tate and Lyle Players Championship
Hickory Point Golf Club, Decatur, Illinois

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72). Yardage 6,594
1 Mo Martin (Altadena, Calif.) 67-67 - 134
2 Sofie Andersson (Angelholm, Sweden) 68-67 - 135
Jane Rah (Torrance, Calif.) 69-66 - 135
4 Lisa Ferrero (Lodi, Calif.) 70-66 - 136
5 Karlin Beck (Pike Road, Ala.) 70-67 - 137
Valentine Derrey (Paris, France) 68-69 - 137
Ashley Knoll (The Woodlands, Texas) 70-67 - 137
Jenny Gleason (Clearwater, Fla.) 70-67 - 137
Tiffany Joh (San Diego, Calif.) 66-71 - 137
10 Brittany Johnston (Akron, Ohio) 71-67 - 138
Leanne Bowditch (Queensland, Australia) 71-67 - 138
12 Ashley Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 68-71 - 139
Sydnee Michaels (Temecula, Calif.) 69-70 - 139
Aimee Neff (Carmel, Ind.) 72-67 - 139
Christina Jones (Jensen Beach, Fla.) 72-67 - 139
16 Paz Echeverria (Santiago, Chile) 70-70 - 140
Elisa Serramia (Barcelona, Spain) 70-70 - 140
Leah Wigger (Louisville, Ky.) 73-67 - 140
19 Juliana Murcia Ortiz (Bogota, Colombia) 68-73 - 141
Lizette Salas (Azusa, Calif.) 71-70 - 141
Jenny Lee (Simi Valley, Calif.) 69-72 - 141
Alison Whitaker (Melbourne, Australia) 70-71 - 141
Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) 70-71 - 141
24 Cydney Clanton (Concord, N.C.) 73-69 - 142
Yu-Ling Hsieh (Chinese Taipei) 73-69 - 142
Alexandria Buelow (a) (Palm City, Fla.) 73-69 - 142
Tzu-Chi Lin (Taichung, Chinese Taipei) 73-69 - 142
Victoria Elizabeth (Dayton, Ohio) 73-69 - 142
Emma Jandel (Dayton, Ohio) 73-69 - 142
30 Sydney Cox (Edmond, Okla.) 71-72 - 143
Melissa Eaton-Jackson (Port Shepstone, S. Africa) 72-71 - 143
Sofi Toccafondi (Del Viso, Argentina) 73-70 - 143
Daniela Iacobelli (Viera, Fla.) 72-71 - 143
Veronica Felibert (Caracas, Venezuela) 68-75 - 143
Tanya Dergal (Durango, Mexico) 71-72 - 143
Katherine Hepler (a) (Lincoln, Ill.) 67-76 - 143
Jessi Gebhardt (Chandler, Ariz.) 71-72 - 143
Sandra Changkija (Orlando, Fla.) 76-67 - 143
Macarena Silva (Santiago, Chile) 72-71 - 143
Misun Cho (Cheongju, South Korea) 71-72 - 143
Natalie Sheary (West Hartford, Conn.) 72-71 - 143
42 Tara Goedeken (Dodge City, Kan.) 72-72 - 144
Hanna Kang (Seoul, South Korea) 69-75 - 144
Inhong Lim (Seoul, South Korea) 73-71 - 144
Jenna Pearson (Wheaton, Ill.) 68-76 - 144
Caroline Park (Seoul, South Korea) 74-70 - 144
Seul Ki Park (Northbrook, Ill.) 73-71 - 144
Ryann O'Toole (San Clemente, Calif.) 71-73 - 144
Whitney Wade (Glasgow, Ky.) 76-68 - 144
Ashley Medders (Alma, Ga.) 71-73 - 144
Sophia Sheridan (Guadalajara, Mexico) 72-72 - 144
Kirby Dreher (Fort St. John, Canada) 75-69 - 144
Katie Kempter (Albuquerque, N.M.) 71-73 - 144
Jodi Ewart (North Yorkshire, England) 72-72 - 144
55 Britney Choy (Wahiawa, Hawaii) 74-71 - 145
Kendall Dye (Edmond, Okla.) 74-71 - 145
Lauren Doughtie (Suffolk, Va.) 75-70 - 145
Jackie Barenborg (Vero Beach, Fla.) 72-73 - 145
Ashley Smith (Calgary, Alberta) 75-70 - 145
Stefanie Kenoyer (Lighthouse Point, Fla.) 72-73 - 145
Mesha Levister (Louisburg, N.C.) 74-71 - 145
Olivia Jordan-Higgins (Channel Islands, UK) 74-71 - 145
Laura Nochta (Cortland, Ohio) 76-69 - 145
Elise Swartout (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 71-74 - 145
Erica Moston (Belmont, Calif.) 74-71 - 145
Cara Freeman (San Tan Valley, Ariz.) 75-70 - 145
Candace Schepperle (Birmingham, Ala.) 74-71 - 145
Ayaka Kaneko (Honolulu, Hawaii) 71-74 - 145
Sarah Brown (Lopatcong, N.J.) 73-72 - 145
Stephanie Na (Adelaide, Australia) 72-73 - 145
Esther Choe (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 77-68 - 145
Tiffany Tavee (Tempe, Ariz.) 71-74 - 145
MISSED THE CUT
Danielle Mills (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) 74-72 - 146
Stacey Miller (Bloomington, Ill.) 73-73 - 146
Juli Erekson (Chicopee, Mass.) 75-71 - 146
Briana Vega (Andover, Mass.) 72-74 - 146
Nicole Jeray (Berwyn, Ill.) 72-74 - 146
Chelsea Curtis (New Seabury, Mass.) 73-73 - 146
Heather Angell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 72-74 - 146
Victoria Park (Irvine, Calif.) 76-71 - 147
Nina Rodriguez (San Jose, Calif.) 73-74 - 147
Selanee Henderson (Apple Valley, Calif.) 73-74 - 147
Lucy Nunn (Lawton, Okla.) 75-72 - 147
Erika Malik (Hinsdale, Ill.) 75-72 - 147
Blair O'Neal (Tempe, Ariz.) 76-71 - 147
Shasta Averyhardt (Flint, Mich.) 76-71 - 147
Sara Maude Juneau (Quebec, Canada) 75-72 - 147
Cathryn Bristow (Auckland, New Zealand) 75-72 - 147
Nicole Smith (Riverside, Calif.) 72-75 - 147
Whitney Neuhauser (Charlottesville, Va.) 75-72 - 147
Lyndsay McBride (Elkhart, Ind.) 71-76 - 147
Stephanie Kim (Bayside, N.Y.) 75-72 - 147
Michelle Jarman (Wilmington, N.C.) 75-73 - 148
Marcela Leon (Monterrey, Mexico) 74-74 - 148
Jasi Acharya (Columbus, Mont.) 71-77 - 148
Carrie Riordan (Spring Valley, Ill.) 74-74 - 148
Jean Chua (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) 75-73 - 148
Molly Aronsson (Shelburne, Vt.) 75-73 - 148
Gloriana Soto (San Jose, Costa Rica) 76-72 - 148
Lili Alvarez (Durango, Mexico) 75-73 - 148
Elizabeth Dotson (White Bluff, Tenn.) 74-74 - 148
Benedikte Grotvedt (Nesbru, Norway) 76-72 - 148
Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) 77-71 - 148
Amy Eneroth (Spokane, Wash.) 76-72 - 148
Jamie Hullett (Mesquite, Texas) 73-75 - 148
Mallory Fraiche (New Orleans, La.) 71-77 - 148
Angela Buzminski (Oshawa, Ontario) 73-76 - 149
Brittany Kelly (Fishers, Ind.) 76-73 - 149
Carling Coffing (Middletown, Ohio) 75-74 - 149
Rachel Ingram (Benton, Tenn.) 76-73 - 149
Kristen Simpson (Norfolk, Va.) 69-80 - 149
Nikki Hadd (Crestview, Fla.) 71-78 - 149
Saehee Son (Seoul, South Korea) 76-73 - 149
Rachael Schmidt (Elk River, Minn.) 75-74 - 149
Laura Kueny (Whitehall, Mich.) 75-74 - 149
Madeleine Holmblad (Stockholm, Sweden) 75-74 - 149
Kelly Froelich (Raizeux, France) 76-73 - 149
Dolores White (Lakeland, Fla.) 78-71 - 149
Ai-Chen Kuo (Chinese Taipei) 73-76 - 149
Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, South Korea) 76-73 - 149
Pamela Ontiveros (Gomez Palacio, Mexico) 74-75 - 149
Marina Choi (Los Angeles, Calif.) 75-74 - 149
Emily Powers (Quincy, Ill.) 75-75 - 150
Noon Huachai (Bangkok, Thailand) 74-76 - 150
Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) 79-71 - 150
Laura Crawford (Lancaster, S.C.) 74-76 - 150
Lauren Hunt (Little River, S.C.) 76-74 - 150
Mayule Tomimbang (Kissimmee, Fla.) 71-79 - 150
Whitney Wright (Orlando, Fla.) 76-74 - 150
Alison Meyer (Duluth, Minn.) 76-74 - 150
Kathleen Ekey (Sharon Township, Ohio) 77-73 - 150
Alexandra Casi (East Palestine, Ohio) 77-74 - 151
Lene Krog (Lier, Norway) 81-70 - 151
Michelle Shin (Cape Coral, Fla.) 73-78 - 151
Courtney Mahon (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 74-77 - 151
Kelsey Verbeten (New Franken, Wis.) 77-74 - 151
Dawn Shockley (Estes Park, Colo.) 77-74 - 151
Marlowe Boukis (Lutherville, Md.) 74-78 - 152
Kylene Pulley (Kokomo, Ind.) 75-77 - 152
Yi-Yu Cheng (Taichung, Chinese Taipei) 76-76 - 152
Tracy Stanford (Midland, Texas) 78-74 - 152
Rebecca Samuelsson (Gothenburg, Sweden) 80-72 - 152
Susan Nam (Edmonton, Alberta) 75-77 - 152
Rebecca Kim (Tigard, Ore.) 81-72 - 153
Kelly Lagedrost (Brooksville, Fla.) 79-74 - 153
Xyra Suyetsugu (Honolulu, Hawaii) 80-73 - 153
Jennifer Hong (Granger, Ind.) 74-79 - 153
Kim Augusta (Rumford, R.I.) 80-73 - 153
Jaclyn Burch (Melbourne, Fla.) 75-78 - 153
Laura Jansone (Jurmala, Latvia) 74-80 - 154
Jenny Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) 78-77 - 155
Hilary Anderson (Decatur, Ill.) 79-76 - 155
Catherine Matranga (Fort Worth, Texas) 79-77 - 156
Blair Lamb (Flat Rock, N.C.) 82-75 - 157
Ashley Thorpe (a) (Pekin, Ill.) 77-80 - 157
Abby Bools (Hickory, N.C.) 80-80 - 160