JANE TURNER TOP MIDLOTHIAN SEED AT BROOMIEKNOWE

JANE TURNER, Has never won the Midlothian county title                        Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.  Is this going to be the year that Scotland cap Jane Turner wins the Midlothian women's county golf championship for the first time? The Craigielaw GC member and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen student could be excused for thinking so after winning the 36-hole qualifying competition at Broomieknowe GC with a pair of 73s for 146. The nearest she has got in the past was reaching the 2005 final before losing to another Scotland player of a different vintage, Claire Hargan, who won five county titles in a row from 2003 to 2007. But Turner knows it won't be easy to break her duck. No 2 seed, only one shot behind her, is Hannah Scott, a home-course player who set a new course record of 69 at Broomieknowe recently. Then there is Claire Hargan, herself, who recently moved from being Tournament Director at the SLGA to the Rules Staff of the R&A. The SLGA job did not give Claire much time for competitive golf so she may be adding to her Midlothian collection of titles over the next year or two now that she has left it.  Other past champions among the qualifiers include the title-holder Karen Marshall (Baberton), the fifth best qualifier, Rachael Livingstone (Craigmillar Park) and Linda Caine (Dunbar). The young Dalgetty sisters, Jessica and Emily, from Glencorse both qualified in their first county championship. QUALIFIERS Par 144 (2x72) SS 71 CSS 73 73 146 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 73 73 147 Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe) 74 73 148 Kirsten Blackwood (Glencorse) 72 76 154 Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 76 78 154 Karen Marshall (Baberton) 75 79 155 Linda Caine (Dunbar) 79 76 159 Rachael Livingstone (Craigmillar Park) 81 78 161 Claire Hargan (Cardross) 84 77, Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) 84 77, Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) 80 81 162 Jessica Dalgetty (Glencorse) 81 81 163 Karen Ballantyne (Craigmillar Park ) 84 79 165 Fiona Hunter (Baberton) 82 83 168 Linda Bain (Lochend) 85 83 169 Emily Dalgetty (Glencorse) 83 86 170 Sarah Stichbury (Merchants) 83 87 171 Caroline Steedman (Murrayfield) 87 84 174 Sal Shepherd ( Craigmillar Park ) 86 88 178 Liz Taylor (Prestonfield) 90 88 180 Sue Dalrymple (Kingsknowe) 82 88   FRIDAY'S MATCH-PLAY DRAW 9.00 Turner v Steedman 9.07 Hargan v Fraser 9.15 McIntosh v Bain 9.22 Marshall v Ballantyne 9.30 J Dalgetty v Caine 9.37 E Dalgetty v Blackwood 9.45 Nicholson v Livingstone 9.52 Stichbury v Scott

LESLEY NICHOLSON WINS THIRD EAST LOTHIAN TITLE, BUT SPARE A THOUGHT FOR MARY LOU RENTON

Former Ladies European Tour player Lesley Nicholson won her third East Lothian county title over her home course at Haddington today. Lesley, playing in the final for the fourth time - she won the title in 1999 and 2000, having lost to Catriona Lambert (Matthew) in 1992 - beat county captain Mary Lou Renton (Gifford) by 6 and 5. Congratulations, of course, to Lesley, winning captain of the Scotland team at the 2010 home internationals. But commiserations to Mary Lou. She has now lost in five East Lothian finals - 1995, 2005, 2009, 2011 and now 2012. "One day I might win this championship," said Mary Lou with a smile after it was all over for another year. Apart from playing in the event and performing all the county captain's duties, Mary Lou has been reporting on the tournament for the Press! Nicholson had three birdies in the final and was two under par when the match finished on the 13th green. Renton won only one hole - the third - and she had to birdie it, having had her second-hole birdie matched by Nicholson who seized control of the final by winning the fourth, fifth and six to go three up. Still three ahead at the turn, Nicholson won the 10th with a par, the 11th with a birdie and finished the match with a birdie at the 13th. Jean McNeill (Longniddry) failed in her bid to win the county handicap championship two years ago - but at least she made it through to the green final, in which she lost by two holes to Irene Gray (Musselburgh). +Irene Gray (left) is pictured with Lesley Nicholson above after the presentation of trophies. Thanks to Mary Lou Renton for supplying the picture!  SEMI-FINALS Lesley Nicholson (Haddington) bt Elinor Blair (North Berwick) 5 and 4. Mary Lou Renton (Gifford) bt Susan Penman (Longniddry) 2 and 1. FINAL Nicholson bt Renton 6 and 5. HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL Irene Gray (Musselburgh) bt Jean McNeill (Longniddry) 2 holes.

NEWS FROM THE US COLLEGE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

WOMEN'S NCAA Division 2 Super Region 2
Stonebrooke GC, Pace, Florida. Par 72. Yardage 6,154

Abbey Gittings (Nova Southeastern), pictured, of Walmley GC, Warwickshire has lost the first-round lead she held with a 69 but a second-round 73 has her still well in the picture on two-under 142, one shot behind new leader and Nova SE team-mate Lilliana Camisa (74-67).
Jenna Birch (Armstrong Atlantic) from Fleetwood is on 147 (75-72) and Jessica Bradley (Lynn University) from North Devon is on 157 (75-82).

WOMEN'S NCAA Division 2 Super Region 4
Wigwam Resort, Litchfield, Arizona. Par 72. Yardage 6,191

Tiffany Hewetson (Grand Canyon) from Brighton is T8 on 148 (74-74) while Linzi Allan (Newman University) from Ayrshire is T29 on 154 (79-75). Field of 49 players is led by Taylor Neidy (Central Oklahoma) on 140 (72-68) by three shots from Courtney Soekland (CSU-Monterey Bay) (74-69).

MEN'S NCAA Division 2 South/South-east Regional
Rock Barn Golf and Spa, Conover, North Carolina. Par 72. Yardage 7,064

Gavin Hay (Carson-Newman), pictured, from Glasgow is one of five players sharing third place on two-under-par 70 - two shots behind leader J P Griffin (George Southern). Taylor Smith (Georgia College) is lying second on 69.

Ben Taylor (Nova Southeastern) from Leatherhead is T10 on 71.
Adam Hedges (Belmont Abbey) from Bromely is T19 on 72.
Paul McPhee (Lynn) from Perth is T64 on 76.
Mitch Farrer (Nova Southeastern) from West Sussex and Scott Lambert (UNC-Pembroke) from Matfen Hall, NE England, are T81 on 78.
Liam Ashby (Carson-Newman) from Dublin is T88 on 79.
Daniel Young (Lynn) from Perth is 103rd on 81.
Field of 108 players.

MEN'S NCAA Division 2 East/Atlantic Regional
Hershey Country Club, Pennsylvania. Par 71. Yardage 6,984

Phil Rutherford (Davis and Elkins) from Nuneaton and Thomas Rees (Post) from Cardiff are T11 on 76, four shots behind three players sharing the lead on 72 - Jordan Eck (California PA), Thomas Linehan (St Thomas Aquina) and Paul Tighe (Wilmington).
Ross Earnshaw (Post) from York is T14 on 77.
Alasdair Forsythe (Davis and Elkins) from Cardross is T52 on 81.
Field of 108 players.

LAURA WALKER TOP SEED FOR PERTH AND KINROSS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Muckhart GC junior Eilidh Watson shot an excellent one-over-par 72 in appalling wet conditions at Auchterarder in the qualifying round for the Perth and Kinross women's county championship.
Unfortunately, Eilidh is not availably to play in the match-play stages at the weekend due to her up-and-coming exams. In all, four players whose scores were good enough for them to be among the 16 match-play qualifiers, withdrew as they are unavailable for the weekend play.
With Eilidh unavailable, the top spot goes to Laura Walker (Muckhart), pictured with the trophy when she was  the 2010 county champion, who, along with clubmate Steph Crolla, returned 74s. Laura is the No 1 seed by virtue of a better inward half.
Defending champion Nicola Robertson (Dunblane) is the third seed with a 77 and world curling star Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry) is the fifth best qualified with a 78.

QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 71. CSS 71

72 *Eilidh Watson 72 (Muckhart)

74 Laura Walker (Muckhart), Steph Crolla (Muckhart)

77 Nicola Robertson (Dunblane)

78 Val Saville (Dunblane), Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry)

79 Heather Anderson (Blairgowrie)

80 Fiona Ramsay (Crieff), Gwen Lambie (Dunkeld)

81 Jane Yellowlees (Murrayshall), Jillian Milne (Craigie Hill), Jennifer Saxton (Kinross), Moira Begbie (Ladybank), *Isla Moncrieffe (Aberfeldy), *Kay Knight (Pitlochry).

82 Gillian Wallace (Blairgowrie), *Sandy Bushby (Blairgowrie)

83 Irene Croal (Callander), Caroline Dunbar (Aberfeldy)

84 Carol Muir (Craigie Hill)

*denotes players unavailable for match-play stages

SUSAN JONES TOP SEED FOR HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP
With some fantastic nett scores the leading player was Irene Croal who returned a nett 65, followed by Val Saville with 66. Irene Moncur, Ilsa Moncrieffe and Eilidh Watson all on 68 and Margaret Ewen, Joy Gordon, Jennifer Saxton and Steph Crolla on 69. However, all these player are either unavailable or in the scratch championship, making Susan Jones the top seed for the Gibb Trophy. Susan returned a net 70.

The full draw for Saturday is as follows:
Scratch Championship

09:52 Laura Walker (Muckhart) v Carol Muir (Craigie Hill)

10:00 Jane Yellowlees (Murrayshall) v Gwen Lambie (Dunkeld)

10:08 Eve Muirhead (Pitlochry) v Moira Begbie (Ladybank)

10:16 Gillian Wallace (Blairgowrie) v Val Saville (Dunblane)

10:24 Nicola Robertson (Dunblane) v Irene Croal (Callander) 

10:32 Jennifer Saxton (Kinross) v Heather Anderson (Blairgowrie)

10:40 Fiona Ramsay (Crieff) v Jillian Milne (Craigiehill)

10:48 Caroline Dunbar (Aberfeldy) v Steph Crolla (Muckhart)

Gibb Trophy (handicap)

 10:56 Susan Jones (Milnathort) v Liz Fertacz (Blairgowrie)

11:04 Sally Crystal (Taymouth) v Ann McGregor (Taymouth)

11:12 Catherine Peebles (Alyth) v Lesley Whitwood (Aberfeldy)

11:20 Susie McDougall (Aberfeldy) v Helen Payne (Milnathort

GRANT GETS WOMEN AND GIRLS INTO GOLF IN ENGLAND

NEWS RELEASE
Over 4000 women and girls in England were encouraged to start and stay in golf last year, thanks to a special grant for English county activities – that’s up by more than 1000 on the previous year.
The Women and Girls’ Grant, funded by the former English Women’s Golf Association and distributed by the England Golf Partnership, supported activities by 30 County Golf Partnerships and two county associations.
The money helped provide opportunities for women and girls to get into golf and to continue playing. Altogether, 4017 were involved during 2011 – that’s an increase of over 1000 on the previous 12 months. Of those, 67 per cent were girls, while 33 per cent were women. On average, 126 participants were involved in each county through this scheme.
In England, 549 participants have gone on to take up club membership and 1348 have attended further coaching sessions.The County Golf Partnerships also provided activities for women and girls through their other programmes, meaning the range of opportunities for them has significantly improved.
Commenting on the 2011 grant scheme, Richard Flint, England Golf Development Manager said: “Providing opportunities for women and girls is essential to help grow the game in England and, through the work of the CGPs, England Golf can provide a coordinated approach to delivering.”
This scheme is continuing in 2012 with partnerships offering programmes to recruit and retain more women and girls as part of their overall focus on adult participation.

Lyndsey HewisonPress OfficerEngland Golf Partnership
lyndsey.hewison@ntlworld.com
01603 507416
07825 752 193

SUNCOAST LADIES SERIES FLORIDA TEE TIMES

GRANDE PINES GOLF CLUB, ORLANDO
Par 72. Yardage: 6,308
 
Round 1 - Tuesday, May 08, 2012
 

9:30 Maria Hjorth (Falun, Sweden)

Kris Tamulis (Naples, FL)

Courtney Harter (Clearwater, Fl.)

9:39 Moira Dunn (Utica, NY)

Sandra Changkija (Orlando, Fl)

Mi Jung Hur (South Korea)

9:48  Alexandra Casi (East Palestine, OH)

Ginger Howard (Bradenton, Fl)

Briana Vega (Reunion, FL)

9:57 Vanessa Vela (Bogota, Colombia)

Jennifer Hong (Granger, IN)

Emma DeGroot (Australia)

10:06  Cassandra Blaney (Championsgate, FL)

Su-Ann Heng (Singapore)

Dakoda Sunday (Palm Harbor, FL)

10:15  Jae Oh (South Korea)

Tatiana Kernen (Schoenried, Switzerland)

Elise Swartout (Ann Arbor, MI)

10:24 Jordan Hardy (Sylacauga, AL)

Rebecca Samuelsson (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Victoria Thompson (Akwesasne, Ontario CAN)

10:33 Caroline Goasguen (Montpelliere, France)

Alexis Bennett (Rockford, IL)

Nicole Forshner (Banff, Alberta, Canada)

10:42 Alison Meyer (Duluth, MN)

May Tomimbang (Kissimmee, FL)

Rachel Connor (Manchester, England)

10:51 Christie Branch (Quinton, VA)

Elvira Barcala (Maracay, Venezuela)

Kelly Villarreal (Birmingham, AL)

11:00 a-Yu Liu (Championsgate, FL)

a-Christine Wolf (Austria)

a-Suzanne Stanley (Decatur, AL)

11:09 a-Isabelle Newton (Winter Garden, FL)

a-Chelcia Petersen (Davenport, FL)

a-Daria Cummings (Monroe, Ct)

11:18  a-Simin Feng (Orlando, Fl)

a-Mary Fran Hillow (Orlando, Fl)

a-Christina Foster (Concord, Ontario Canada)

11:27  Cristina Corpus (San Leandro, CA)

Sherri Pla (West Palm Beach, FL

Tee: 1

CACTUS LADIES PRO TOUR, ARIZONA SCOREBOARD

EVENT #13

OCOTILLO GOLF CLUB

FIRST ROUND

T1 Hillary Packard (amateur) 70

T1 Joy Trotter                     70

T3 Maggie Noel                   71

T3 Shannon Fish                  71

5   Rebecka Heinmert           72

6   Nicole Zhang (amateur)   73

7   Jordan Ontiveros             74  

8   Allie Jordan                     75

T9 Amanda Robertson           76

T9 Kimberley Johnson (am)    76

T9 Taylore Karle                   76

12  Kate Machada                 78

T13 Lauren Sullivan              79

T13 Meghan Hardin               79

15   Fiamma Felitch               81