BROGAN TOWNEND TO JOIN TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO UNIVERSITY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Brogan Townend (Pleasington) from Blackburn is the latest English startlet to sign a Letter of Intent to join an American college next August.
She won the Nick Faldo Junior Series Grand Final girls' title at Lough Erne Golf Resort, Northern Ireland in September.
Brogan, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency, is bound for the University of Texas-San Antonio.
Others make the move to the States, mostly for four years are:
Lauren Taylor (Woburn) to Baylor.
Ashley Cramond (Warwickshire) to Baylor.
Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) to Maryland.
Charlotte Thomas (Surrey) to Washington.
Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) to Floridia Intenational.
Dolores Brown (Royal Cinque Ports) to McNeese State.

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO WEBSITE:
Women's head coach Carrie Parnaby said:
"As a member of the English National Team, Brogan Townend brings a wealth of international playing experience to UTSA. From Blackburn, England, she was a member of the 2011 Girls International Matches Championship team and, as an individual, won the Leveret Trophy Championship with a 136 (68-68). "Townend won the latter event, held at Formby Golf Club, by five strokes. This year she placed fifth at the Ladies British Open Amateur with a 301 (74-78-76-73) and earned an 18th-place finish at the British Girls Junior, advancing to the match play round of 32.
"In addition, Townend was a member of Lancashire’s winning team at the English County Finals and she notched a pair of wins on the Faldo Series, including the circuit’s Grand Finale.
“Brogan is an outstanding young lady,” Parnaby said. “We are very fortunate she made the commitment to join our team and look forward to welcoming her to UTSA next fall. She will be our first English player and currently is one of the country’s top players.
"Brogan comes from a great family and is excited to join our program to improve and be successful. She too has an incredible résumé that includes a lot of international experience and will have an immediate impact for us. Our coaching staff is thrilled to help develop into her full potential.”

LAUREN TAYLOR SIGNS UP TO JOIN BAYLOR NEXT AUGUST

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF BAYLOR WEBSITE
WACO, Texas – Headlined by 2011 British Ladies Amateur Golf champion Lauren Taylor, three European women’s golfers have signed National Letters of Intent for 2012-13 and will join the Baylor Bears next August.
Baylor head coach Jay Goble said:
“I am confident that the future of the Baylor women’s golf program is very bright with the signing of these three talented golfers,” Goble said. “The exciting thing for us is that all three bring a wealth of experience competing on an international level against some of the best junior golfers in the world.”
Taylor, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency at the 2011 Women's Home Internationals at Hillside, a native of Rugby, England, at 16 was the youngest golfer to ever win the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship at Royal Portush, Northern Ireland in June this year, and earned a sponsor’s exemption to play in the RICOH British Ladies Open.
The 2011 British College Open and Order of Merit winner, Taylor also won the Dutch Junior U23 Open, the U18 title at the 2010 Scottish Ladies Open and was a wild card for the Dutch Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour.
She represented England at the 2011 European Girls Championships, winning a silver medal and was undefeated as a member of England’s Ladies Home International team in 2009. She qualified for the 2011 Allianz Ladies Slovak Open and became the first female to win the Ian Poulter Invitational.
She is currently ranked No. 28 in the world in the Ladies Amateur Rankings and is from Woburn Golf Club, the home club of PGA Tour golfer Ian Poulter.
“Lauren Taylor is one of the most confident young players I’ve ever seen on a golf course,” Goble said. “Her overall belief in her game, and swagger, lead me to believe that she will one day compete at the game’s top level.
“Her invaluable tournament experience, including a win at one of the world's largest amateur competitions, will be a huge asset to our program,” Goble said. “She knows what it's like to compete against, and beat, the world's top players.”
Ashley Cramond, a native of Warwickshire, England, currently lives in Castle Hill, New South Wales, in Australia. She finished third at the 2009 Scottish Girls U16 open stroke-play championship, which was won by Baylor freshman golfer Hayley Davis and finished second at the 2010 event. She won the inaugural EWGA Midlands South Regional Championship in 2009, while winning the 2011 Srixon International and being a member of the 2011 New South Wales State Championship winning foursome.
Ashley is currently the No. 1 player on her club team, which plays in the NSW State first/elite division and finished second in 2011. While in England, she was a member of the English Girls U18 Elite Squad in 2009 and 2010 and was runner-up at the 2010 English Girls U16 Championship.
“Ashley Cramond defines what it means to be an international golfer, having successfully played competitive golf all over the world,” Goble said. “I see Ashley’s competitiveness and strong will to win being a driving force to help our team vie for championships in the future.”
Annette Lyche, who hails from Baerum, Norway, will also join the Baylor Bears next August alongwith Lauren Taylor and Ashley Crammond. Annette is ranked No. 2 on the Titleist Tour Order of Merit in Norway and was a member of the Norwegian team that finished 11th at the 2011 European Girls Team Championship.
She also tied for 16th (in the stroke-play qualifying stages) at the 2011 British Girls Open Championship at Gullane. She competed at the French Ladies’ Junior Championship and the French U21 Open.
“I am very excited to have Annette join our team,” Goble said. “I know that she had some very good teams after her and she chose Baylor! She is the second-ranked junior golfer in Norway and she’ll contribute greatly to our future successes.”
After one of the most successful fall/autumn seasons in program history, the Baylor women’s golf team opens spring competition from February 12-14 at the UCF Challenge in Sorrento, Florida.

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SIGNINGS 
Lauren Taylor (Rugby, England)
Ashley Cramond (Warwickshire, England/Castle Hill, New South Wales)
Annette Lyche (Baerum, Norway)

LADIES PANMURE BARRY G C PRIZEGIVING 2011

Back row (left to right): Christine Taig, Hilary Hood,Sue Baxby,Wenche Rae, Ann Galloway, Anne Hutcheson, Sheena Hay, Ruth Adamson, Lindore Aitken, Middge Bett, Georgie Skelton
Centre (l to r): Agnes Freeman, Fiona Sinclair, Kathleen Sutherland (club champion), Joan Henderson (club captain), Kathleen Porter, Anne Keddie, Wilma Donnelly, Maggie Thurston
Front (l to r): Susan Arbuckle, Sheila Goudie, Alison McNicol, Jean Tilston

Click on the image to enlarge.

DUNFERMLINE GOLF CLUB LADIES' PRIZEGIVING

Dunfermline Golf Club's ladies prizegiving.

Front row (left to right): Margaret Willey (vice-captain), Caroline Mackey (captain), Joan Peden (ladies champion), Jane Robertson (handicap secretary). Back row (left to right) are the trophy winners - Gill Taylor, Linda Ferguson, Agnes Munro, Sam Burton, Jean
Haggerty, Brenda McCreary, Isabel Chalmers, Vicky MacCallum, Mandy Lynde, Lesley Rolland.


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WEDNESDAY VOTE WILL DECIDE IF EGU AND EWGA MERGE

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH GOLF WEBSITE
By OLIVER BROWN
In a critical moment for the future of English amateur golf, members of the country’s male and female associations will vote on Wednesday on whether to merge into a single governing body, in the hope that the move can reverse a decline in club memberships and redress a perception that the sport is outdated.
The male-run English Golf Union and the English Women’s Golf Association have voiced concerns that the segregation of men and women is “increasingly out of step with people’s expectations”.
Golf has come under intense pressure to modernise this year, having faced the controversy of the Open being held at Royal St George’s, a men-only members’ club. The calls for change are also hastened by the sport’s inclusion in the 2016 Olympics, where competition categories – in cycling in particular – have been changed on gender equality grounds.
The English (men's) Golf Union and the English Women's Golf Associatiom argue that “the negative perception of golf being a divided game and not welcoming to all will be reinforced” should members vote against the merger.
“The sport will be perceived as being out of touch with today’s generation and not being reflective of the wishes of men and women playing sport in England. Failure to merge could also have a severe impact on future Government funding,” the joint document says.
A precedent has been set by the Marylebone Cricket Club (London), which voted in 1998 to admit female members out of the same fear of losing essential cash. John Petrie, chief executive of the EGU, described tomorrow’s decision as “vital for the future of golf”.
He explained: “If we wish to progress, we must represent both the men and women who play the game at amateur level. Golf clubs want to attract men and women, boys and girls. They are effectively merged, and having separate national bodies does not represent the face of the vast majority of our clubs.”
While golf ranks second only to football in terms of club membership, encompassing about 650,000 men and 120,000 women across England, it continues to fight allegations of sexism. St Andrews recommended a change to its male-only policy earlier this year to comply with the 2010 Equality Act. The Act does not explicitly ban single-sex clubs, but prohibits private clubs from discriminating on the basis of gender.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE EDITOR
+The Welsh men and women's amateur golf associations merged two or three years ago but earlier this year the Scottish  (men's) Golf Union voted against a merger with the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association whose members had voted in favour. The Irish (men's) Golf Union and the Irish Ladies Golf Union are still separate bodies.