LOUISE KENNEY AWARDED HONORARY MEMBERSHIP BY FIFE LCGA

 

GB and I Vagliano Trophy team player Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), the Scottish and Fife county champion, was awarded honorary membership of Fife Ladies County Golf Association at its annual general meeting and prizegiving at Balbirnie Golf Club.  

Trophy winners picture above (image courtesy of Alma Robertson): 

(l to r) Back: Linda Dyball, Frances Robertson

Front: Lauren Whyte, Louise Kenney, Bev Brown (President), Sam Burton,

Marie Curran

 

LAST-HOLE BUNKER COSTS VIKKI LAING VICTORY IN CHINA

FROM BETHAN CUTLER
Ladies European Tour Media Manager

Sanya, China: Australian Frances Bondad came from two strokes behind overnight leader Pan Yan Hong to lift her maiden trophy as a professional at the Sanya Ladies Open in Hainan, China today.

The 23-year-old from Greystanes in New South Wales birdied the final hole at Yalong Bay Golf Club to edge one stroke clear of Scotland’s Vikki Laing, pictured, who closed with a bogey after getting caught in the bunker.

Bondad fired rounds of 68, 70 and a bogey-free final round of 67 to earn a one stroke victory at 205, 11 under par for the tournament, securing a first prize cheque for €30,000 and a three-year exemption to the Ladies European Tour.
“It feels unreal,” said Bondad, grinning ear to ear after her friends on tour soaked her with bottles of water. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”
Bondad began the hot and humid final round with eight steady pars but picked up momentum when she holed a 35 foot putt for an eagle three on the ninth green.
With her sights set firmly on the title, she holed a 15 footer for birdie at the par-four 12th then struck an arrow-straight three-wood to the front of the 13th green from 180 metres and two putted for birdie to tie for the lead with Laing on 10 under par.
Laing moved a stroke ahead when she sank a long birdie putt at the 14th and held a one-stroke lead standing on the 18th tee.
But Laing hit her second shot into the front greenside trap at the last and had a tricky stance above the plugged ball. She failed to exit the bunker at the first attempt and holed a gutsy 12 footer to drop just one stroke.
Bondad knew what she had to do and she broke into a wide smile as she rolled in her putt from eight feet for the victory.
“I was hitting it close and I just wasn’t making any putts and when that eagle putt went in at the ninth, that kept me going, and made me think, ‘I can get up there,’ she said.
“On 12 I made a really good birdie putt from 15 foot. Then on 13, I had 205 metres to the pin and 186 to the front and I just went straight over the water.”
Bondad, whose previous best finish in four seasons on the Ladies European Tour was a tie for second at the 2010 Open de Espana Femenino, said that a course of hypnotherapy had been instrumental to her victory.
Ranked 65th on the LET’s Henderson Money List, she felt she was struggling and recently went in search of something different to turn her game around.
“I got hypnotised two weeks ago and he spoke to my subconscious mind and got rid of my bad past. I’ve just been taking this herbal medicine and found out a few things about myself. I’ve sorted that out and it’s unbelievable the way it’s changed me.
“I’ve had a really poor season so I was just thinking to myself, ‘I need to find some help,’ so I saw this guy. Every session, I find new things about myself, so it’s been really good,” she said.
Laing was understandably disappointed with her result, which was her third runner-up spot inside two seasons on the LET, but she was pleased with her final round of 68.
“I’m really happy with my round. I’d have taken four under, standing on the first tee, so other than that, I played pretty well today,” said the 30-year-old from Musselburgh. “I just missed it a little bit right on 18 and got unlucky with the bunker: it plugged and was up against the face.
“I was nervous all day, pretty much. I knew that I was leading coming down the stretch. I was just trying to stick to my game and for the most part, I’m pretty happy with it.
“I finished fifth here last year as well so I enjoy this golf course. It’s nice to be in contention coming down the stretch and hopefully I’ll keep having more opportunities.”
Vikki, a winner on the US Futures Tour, earned 20,300 Euros for her China performance.
South African Ashleigh Simon fired a 69 and ended in a share of third with the long-hitting overnight leader Pan of China, who shot 72.
Her countrywoman Lin Xiyu improved on her share of ninth place in 2010 to end in a tie for fifth at six under with Finland’s Minea Blomqvist, Australian Stacey Keating and Thailand’s Patcharajutar Kongkraphan.
China will be watching Lin as the 15-year-old professional improves in the lead up to The 2016 Olympic Games and she looks an exciting prospect for women’s golf.
She and the other players will now head to mainland China for the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open near Shanghai, where world number one Yani Tseng will form part of another strong field.
+Carly Booth posted a final total of two-under-par 214 which earned her 24th place and 2,340 Euros. Lynn Kenny and Kylie Walker finished on 218 and earned 1,060 Euros each.

FINAL TOTALSPar 216 (3x72)
205 Frances Bondad (AUS) 68 70 67 (30,000 Euros).
206 Vikki Laing (SCO) 69 69 68 (20,300 Euros).
208 Ashleigh Simon (SA) 69 70 69, Pan Yan Hong (CHN) 67 69 72 (12,400 Euros each).
+For rest of prizemoney allocation, log on to the Ladies European Tour website. 
210 Minea Blomqvist (FIN) 70 70 70, Lin Xiyu (CHN) 71 68 71, Stacey Keating (AUS) 70 69 71, Patcharajutar Kongkraphan (THA) 68 69 73
211 Russamee Gulyanamitta (THA) 71 70 70, Thidapa Suwannapura (THA) 73 67 71, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 70 69 72, Rachel Bell (ENG) 71 67 73
212 Karen Lunn (AUS) 73 72 67, Jeehae Lee (KOR) 72 72 68, Lotta Wahlin (SWE) 71 73 68, Beth Allen (USA) 73 70 69, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 72 69 71, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 70 69 73
213 Zhang Yu Yang (CHN) 69 77 67, Lu Mei Ping (CHN) 73 71 69, Bree Arthur (AUS) 71 70 72, Rui Yokomine (JPN) 71 70 72, Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 69 72 72
214 Carly Booth (SCO) 74 70 70 (24th) (2,340 Euros).
215 Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 75 70 70, Huang Ping (CHN) 71 74 70, Yan Pan Pan (CHN) 72 72 71, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 71 72 72, Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 72 71 72, Guo Cai Zhu (CHN) 71 70 74, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 71 70 74, Christine Song (USA) 70 69 76
216 Porani Chutichai (THA) 75 71 70, Huang Mei Hao (CHN) 74 72 70, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 77 67 72, Line Vedel (DEN) 74 68 74, Yang Hong Mei (CHN) 68 74 74
217 Sophie Walker (ENG) 75 71 71, Rebecca Codd (IRE) 74 71 72, Jennifer Rosales (PHI) 73 71 73, Gao Shuang (CHN) 73 71 73, Louise Larsson (SWE) 72 72 73, Melissa Reid (ENG) 71 71 75, Li Wei (CHN) 73 68 76
218 Felicity Johnson (ENG) 71 74 73, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 77 68 73, Kylie Walker (SCO) 70 73 75, Pennapa Pulsawath (THA) 72 71 75 (1,060 Euros each) (T45)

219 Laurette Maritz (SA) 75 71 73

220 Li Dan (CHN) 72 74 74, Caroline Rominger (SWI) 73 73 74, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 74 72 74, Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LU) 74 71 75, Shang Lin Yan (CHN) 72 73 75, Smriti Mehra (IN) 73 71 76, Laura Davies (ENG) 70 74 76

221 Stefanie Michl (AUT) 70 75 76, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 73 72 76, Narisara Kerdrit (THA) 75 69 77

223 Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 70 74 79

225 Mika Ikemura (JAP) 70 76 79

TO VIEW THE SCORECARDS AND PRIZEMONEY ALLOCATION ON THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

CLICK HERE

YANI TSENG WINS AGAIN - TENTH WORLDWIDE VICTORY OF 2011

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE

Taiwan (AP) — Yani Tseng won the LPGA Taiwan Championship today for her 10th worldwide victory of the year and third in front of her adoring home fans.

The 22-year-old Taiwanese-born World female No 1 pro golfer, closed with a 6-under 66 at Sunrise for a five-stroke victory over Spain's Azahara Munoz and South Korea's Amy Yang.

"I play really, really good today. I was bogey free," Tseng said. "I wish this year would go on forever so I could win more. But I can always get better."

Tseng finished at 16 under and earned $300,000 for her seventh LPGA Tour victory of the season to increase her tour-leading total to $2,873,629. She donated $100,000 to the Taiwan Golf Association to support junior golf.
Tseng won her first four events this year, taking the Taiwanese tour's Taifong Ladies and sweeping the Australian Women's Open and Ladies Masters before opening the LPGA Tour season with a victory in the LPGA Thailand.
The LPGA Tour player of the year for the second straight season, the top-ranked Tseng won major titles this summer in the LPGA Championship and Ricoh Women's British Open and has 12 victories in four seasons on the tour.
After opening with rounds of 68, 71 and 67 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round, Tseng birdied the par-3 second and reached 14 under with birdies on the par-5 sixth and par-4 seventh and eighth holes.
She parred the next seven holes, birdied the par-3 16th, increased her lead to four strokes with a par on the par-4 17th and birdied the par-5 18th.
"I could feel victory at the 18th hole, especially with so many fans yelling 'Go! Go!'" Tseng said.
Yang finished with a 67, and Munoz had a 68.

American Morgan Pressel shot a 65 - the best round of the week in the inaugural tournament, to tie for fourth with Sweden's Anna Nordqvist (71) at 9 under.

Catriona Matthew is starting tournaments better than she is finishing them. She slipped back to a T19 final placing on 289 after scores of 70, 71, 74 and 74. The North Berwick player earned $21,767.

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE

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SCOTTISH JUNIOR GOLF TOUR RESULTS AT CARNOUSTIE

Today's results from the Scottish Junior Golf Tour event at Carnoustie's Buddon Course were:

Level 3 event for Under-12 and 13 juniors.

Under 12
74 Keith Bowman (St Andrews)
82 Darren Howie (Peebles)
83 Callum Bruce ( Duff House Royal)
Under 13
74 Ronan Higgins (Shotts)
79 Sharan Maiya (Torrance)
80 Rory Frannsen (Inverness)

+Aidan Husenne, winner of the last Level 3 event, is recovering from a broken collarbone incurred doing bike stunts. He will return next month.


Walter Burns
Scottish Junior Golf Tour

BRADLEY NEIL, CONNIE JAFFREY WIN JUNIOR CHAMPIONS' TITLES

 BRADLEY NEIL with his Scottish Junior Champion of Champions' Trophy. Image courtesy of the Scottish Golf Union

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Bradley Neil, Blairgowrie’s outstanding young prospect, and Connie Jaffrey of Troon Ladies brought the curtain down on their seasons in style with victories at the Junior Champion of Champions over The Duke’s Course, St Andrews, today.
Fifteen-year-old Neil, who finished an impressive second in the English Under-16 Boys' Open Stroke Play in July, carded a solid four-under-par 67 to claim a one-shot victory – his first national triumph of the season.
Neil edged out Scotland boys international team-mate Ewan Scott, a St Andrews local and Duke’s member, with Paul Reilly of Lochwinnoch beating Jamie Savage into third spot – thanks to a better back nine of 35 - after they both carded 70s.
Meanwhile, Connie Jaffrey shot 72 – one-over-par – to pip playing partner Clara Young of North Berwick by a stroke for the girls' title, with Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) and Eilidh Watson (Muckhart) next best with 74s. Meek took third alone with a better inward half of 37.
An elite field of Scotland’s 2011 junior winners gathered at the award-winning Duke’s for the end-of-season contest – in essence a celebration of the year’s junior golf.
National winners and selected County and Area champions – 42 boys and 16 girls – teed-up at the Fife venue in pursuit of the prestigious titles, contested for a fifth time, with the Duke’s staging it for a third occasion.
Despite calm conditions and the forecast rain failing to arrive, the par-71 lay-out played long and challenging, with only four players in the entire field breaking par.
Over 18 holes of straight medal play in the dual SGU/SLGA event, Neil was a class act throughout, hitting the first eight greens in regulation to sit three under following birdies at the first, sixth and eighth.
A bogey came at the ninth, but Bradley quickly returned to his stride with a chip in for birdie at 11 and a 20-foot putt for another birdie at the next. Six holes of solid golf followed to take the title.
Neil, who eclipsed his share of second place at the opening SGU Junior Tour event at Arbroath in March, said: “It’s my first national win of the season so it’s a great way to end. I drove the ball well, it was a really solid round. I hit greens and gave myself opportunities to hole putts - that was probably the key. If you missed the greens you were getting punished quite badly with the bunkers.
“I had a stupid bogey at nine when I missed the green with a wedge. But I got into the back nine and kicked on from there. I chipped in for birdie at 11, which helped, and made birdie at the par-3 12th. I then kept it solid.”
Scott, the victor at Arbroath in the spring, rued a closing bogey after he failed to get up and down, missing a 15-foot putt. It brought back bad memories of 2009 when he tripled-bogeyed the 18th also to finish second.
“I didn’t know the situation, but I knew it was going to be close, so it’s a little disappointing to finish as I did,” he said.
In the girls' event, Jaffrey and Young were nip and tuck throughout. The turning point came at the 14th where Clara lost a ball after a poor tee shot to drop two shots.
The 15-year-olds, both members of the SLGA training squads for 2011-12 and playing off two handicaps, rounded off fine seasons with their efforts.
Connie, winner of two Junior Opens this year, said: “It was a good game between myself and Clara, it was always going to be quite close. It was tough to score so I’m delighted to win.
“My handicap was five at the start of the year, I got down to one and then back up to two, so it’s been a good year.”
Clara can also look back on 2011 with fondness after representing Scotland in the girls' Home Internationals and girls' European Team Championship, and playing for Great Britain and Ireland in the first Junior Vagliano Trophy match at Royal Porthcawl.
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ALL TODAY'S SCORES FROM THE DUKE'S COURSE, ST ANDREWS

CONNIE JAFFREY, winner of the 2011 Scottish Junior Champion of Champions' Girls' Trophy. Image by courtesy of the Scottish Golf Union.

SCOTTISH JUNIOR CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
The Duke’s Course, St Andrews
BOYS’ SCORES
Par 71. SSS 72. CSS 73
67 Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie).
68 Ewan Scott (St Andrews).
70 Paul Reilly (Lochwinnoch), Jamie Savage (Cawder).
71 Craig Howie (Peebles), Eamon Bradley (Mount Ellen).
72 Calum Hill (Tantallon), David Wilson (Troon Welbeck).
73 Craig Pirie (Millport), Conner Marsland (Lincoln), Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie), Alasdair McDougall (Elderslie).
74 Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden), Ryan Walsh (Kirkcaldy), Josh Jamieson (St Andrews New).
75 Cameron Farrell (Cardross), Anthony Blaney (Livberton), Craig Anderson (Sandyhills), Sean Burgess (Nairn).
76 Danny McConnachie (Dumfries and Co), Jordan Milne (Elgin).
77 Lee Morgan (Swanston New), Ben Kinsley (St Andrews).
78 Callum Beveridge (Troon Welbeck), Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie), Stewart Watt (Old Ranfurly), Lewis Bain (Turnhouse), Lawrence Allan (Alva).
79 Ewen Donaldson (Craigielaw).
80 Stuart Blair (Royal Musselburgh), Gavin Roger (Clober), Gareth Renwick (Hawick).
81 Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten), Gavin Petrie (Forfar), Craig Ross (Kirkhill).
82 Jordan Bryce (Strathaven), Alistair MacLean (Glencruitten).
83 Callum Rennie (Kirriemuir).
84 Greig Marchbank (Dumfries and Co).
87 Scott Whannel (Newton Stewart).
88 Darius Kunecki (Callander).
NR Stuart Brown (Grangemouth).
GIRLS
Par 71 SSS 71. CSS 71
72 Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies).
73 Clara Young (North Berwick).
74 Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies), Eilidh Watson (Muckhart).
75 Linsey Stevenson (Elie and Earlsferry).
76 Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co).
78 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus).
79 Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe).
80 Nicola Robertson (Dunblane New).
82 Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe), Emma Caddow (Strathaven).
83 Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne).
86 Karen Ward (The Glen), Alison Goodwin (Glenbervie).
101 Leanne Wilson (Kelso).
DQ Alyson McKechin (Elderslie).
WD Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Annabelle (Nairn Dunbar).