SALLY IS QUEEN OF SCOTS - TOP SEED AT CARNOUSTIE

A marvellous three under par 69 - the lowest of both qualifying rounds - earned Super Scot Sally Watson the honour of being top seed for the match-play stages of the British women's open amateur golf championship at Carnoustie. Sally, pictured, originally from South Queensferry but whose family home is now Elie in Fife, tied with 18-year-old French girl Celine Boutier on three-under-par 141 for the No 1 spot. Sally had rounds of 72-69, Celine 70-71, so the card comparison gave Sally, with the better second round, the No 1 seeding. After admittedly scrambling well for her opening Scot, Stanford University student, California student Watson was on top of her game toda "I hit more fairways, I hit more greens. I simply played very solidly, as I have  been for more of this year," she said. "Nine of my last 15 rounds have been under par. When I lost in the US Public Links championship last week, the girl that beat me finished with five successive birdies." Did she feel she had been "wronged" at not seemingly being considered for a third Curtis Cup honour in a row - she played in 2008 and 2010? "Not at all. If the people that pick GB and I teams don't think I am good enough, then that's up to them. I don't feel I have any point to prove at all to anyone in this championship," said Sally, a former British girls championship finalist and a past winner of the Scottish girls match-play championship. Watson bifdied the second and eighth in a bogey-free 34 to the turn and then birdied the long 14th and 17th with a solitary bogey creeping in at the short 16th in 35 home. "We had it dry but a wind did get up which made the closing holes a bit more difficult but I am very happy with the way I am playing going into the match-play." The three players who finished next to Watson and Boutier were Curtis Cupper Amy Boulden (Wales) (73-73), Italy's joint overnight leader Giulia Molinaro (70-76) and Sweden's California student Daniela Holmqvist (72-74). The only other Scots to figure among the 64 match-play qualifiers were: Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) on 152 (77-75). Young Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) on 153 (82-71). The 17-year-old who came off the waiting list at the last minute on Tuesday because she was local and ready, willing able to step into a vacancy that came up. Her 71 is a record by a Carnoustie Ladies GC member. And Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) on 157 (82-75). Sixty three players with 157 and better qualified and one of the players on 158 was the 64th qualifier - Emilee Taylor (Holme Hall) (83-75) with the lowest second round of the six on that mark. Scottish champion Laura Murray (Alford) failed to make it on 158 with a pair of 79s. She lost out on the card comparison. Other Scots now on the sidelines include Susan Jackson (Ladybank) on 159 (84-75), Megan Brggs 160 (81-79) , Jane Turner (Craigielaw) on 161 (79-82), Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth) also on 161 (79-82) and Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) (82-79) on the same mark. Two years ago Kelsey was the beaten finalist at Ganton. Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) missed on on 163 (82-81), Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie) on 166 (84-82) and Aberdeen's Gemma Dryburgh on 170 (85-85) Curtis Cup stars Kelly Tidy and Stephanie Meadow, both on 156, and Leona Maguire (157) squeezed in with not much to spare. Lisa Maguire, a Curtis Cup player in 2010, missed out on 161. Defending champion Lauren Taylor (Woburn), the youngest ever winner of the title at the age of 16 12 months ago at Royal Portrush, qualified OK but the French girl she beat in the final, Alexandra Bonetti, failed to make the cut. Charley Hull (Woburn), the World No 5, qualified no problem at all but the second highest ranked player in the field, Australia's Whitney Hillier is now on the sidelines.