AILSA SUMMERS TO PLAY ON PAUL LAWRIE LADIES TOUR - BUT SHE WILL NEVER TURN PRO

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Ailsa Summers, the 19-year-old St Andrews student from Carnoustie, who put Scottish women's amateur golf centre stage at the weekend by beating a very strong field, including World No 22 female amateur Celine Boutier, to win the St Rule Trophy is going to play on the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Scottish Ladies Open Tour early next month.
Carnoustie Ladies member Ailsa will play in the 18-hole events at Downfield GC, Dundee on Tuesday, July 2 followed by the one-round competition over Carnoustie Burnside on Wednesday, July 3.
She would have played in the following week's PLGC SLOT events at Blairgowrie Rosemount (July 11) and Alyth (July 12) but her well-deserved selection for the Scotland squad to compete in the European women's amateur team championships at Fulford GC, Yorkshire that week has ruled that out.

"I do plan to play some more events on the Paul Lawrie Tour before going back to St Andrews University, probably the ones at Fairmont St Andrews (August 26) and The Duke's (August 27)," said Ailsa who revealed that she is a career amateur who will never become a professional golfer.
"I've completed my first year, studying mathematics and statistics at St Andrews and that's going to be my future. I love it at St Andrews and I never really considered going to an American university. I like to be near home at Carnoustie and St Andrews has become a second home for me."
+Ailsa Summers is pictured with her father-caddie, Graham, and Margaret MacNaughtan, president of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association at the front door of the St Rule Club, St Andrews on Sunday evening.

GIRLS' TEE TIMES AT THE PAUL LAWRIE FOUNDATION SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

MURRAYSHALL HOUSE HOTEL COURSES, near PERTH
MONDAY, JUNE 10
                   

                   GIRLS' TEE TIMES
    Lynedoch Course times first; Murrayshall Course second round

                                           

08.15 and 13.15
Lauren Whyte (Fife), Connie Jaffrey (North Ayrshire), Emma Hale (South Ayrshire)

08.22 and 13.22
Tara Mactaggart (Borders), Heather Munro (Dundee City), Hazel MacGarvie (South Ayrshire)

08.29 and 13.29
Danielle Ker (Borders), Claire Robertson (Angus), Katie Wright      (Dumfries and Galloway)

08.36 and 13.36
Tegan Seivwright (Aberdeen City), Kirsty Brodie (Angus), Nicola Robertson (Forth Valley).

08.43 and 13.43
Eilidh Watson (Forth Valley), Emily Dalgetty (Midlothian), Kimberley Beveridge (South Aberdeenshire).

08.50 and 13.50 
Lauren Watson (Aberdeen City), Ellie Bryce (South  Lanarkshire), Shannon McWilliam (South Aberdeenshire)

08.57 and 13.57
Jessica Dalgetty (Midlothian), Claire Gadsby (Perth and Kinross),   Mirren Fraser (Dumfries and Galloway)

09.04 and 14.04          
Jennifer Saxton (Perth and Kinross), Andrea Walker (Forth Valley),  Charlotte Munro (East Lothian)

09.11 and 14.11

Kirsten Pryde (Aberdeen City), Joanne Free (East Lothian), Eilidh Crawford (North Lanarkshire).
09.18 and 14.18

Catherine Goodwin (Forth Valley), Kirsten Brown (South Lanarkshire), Leanne Wilson (Borders)
09.25 and 14.25

Jennifer Allan (Forth Valley), Alexandra Duffy (South Lanarkshire), Jasmine Mackintosh (Aberdeen City).
09.32 and 14.32  

Heather Neilson (South Lanarkshire),  Lauren Gilbert (North Ayrshire), Jillian Farrell (West Dunbartonshire)

09.39 and 14.39         
Emily Glencorse (South Lanarkshire) Emma Morrison (Edinburgh), Lori MacDonald (Argyll and Bute)

09.46 and 14.46         
Maria Cowan (Dumfries and Galloway) Molly Richmond (South Lanarkshire), Rachel McClelland (East Dunbartonshire)

09.53 and 14.53         
Katie Scott (South Lanarkshire), Nuala Neary (Argyll and Bute).       

10.00 and 15.00         
Anna McKay (Fife), Fiona Rattray (East Dunbartonshire)              

LADY PROS ARE THE POOR RELATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO PRIZE MONEY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@Scottishgolfview.com
When it comes to prize money, lady pros are the poor relations compared with their male counterparts.
For example, this past weekend the LPGA Tour in America held the Shoprite LPGA Classic.
The total prize fund was $1,500,000 and the first prize, won by Karrie Webb, was $225,000.
Even the US Champions (Seniors) Tour event at the weekend could top both these figures - total prize fund of $1,750,000 and $262,500 to the winner, Russ Cochran.
But it's the prizemoney offered on the men's US PGA Tour that dwarfs the LPGA cash.
The Memorial tournament at the weekend had a total prize fund o $6,200,000 and the winner, Matt Kuchar, went away with $1,116,000 - around two-thirds of  the TOTAL prizefund in the LPGA tournament!
Back here in Europe at the weekend, the men's European Tour event in Sweden, the Nordea Masters, had a prize fund of 1,509,000 Euros with the winner, Mikko Ilonen, collecting 250,00 Euros.
The Ladies European Tour event at the weekend was the German Ladies Masters for which the prize fund was 350,000 Euros. The winner, Carlota Ciganda, collected 52,500 Euros.
The current rates of exchange are: $1.45 = £1 and 1.11 Euros = £1.
I'll leave you to work it all out but a very rough league table of prize funds at the weekend read something like this:
                               Prizefund      Winner
America (in dollars)
US PGA Tour   ...  $6,200,000    $1,116,00
US Senior Tour ...  $1,750,000    $262,500
LPGA Tour ........  $1,500,000    $ 225,000
Web.Com tour ..    $   600,000    $ 108,000     

Europe (in Euros)
European Tour ...  1,509,000       250,000
LET ....................     350,000        52,500
     

TEE TIMES FOR NORTHERN COUNTIES LGA OPEN MEETING AT GOLSPIE

 Friday, June 7

Competitors will leave the tee in pairs at ten-minute intervals and are from the host club unless stated.

Abbreviations:  BB, Bonar Bridge, F, Forres; FR, Fortrose & Rosemarkie; G, Gairloch, I, Inverness; MO, Muir of Ord;  N, Nairn; RD, Royal Dornoch;  T, Tain

10.30 -  L Nixon (FR), F More, S Robertson, C Bryce (RD), A Jack (FR), M Orr

11.00 -  J Cameron (FR), A Burnett (RD), L Offin (BB), M Seatter (RD), K Lawson (RD), M Haydon (T)

11.30 - S Hooker (MO), S Smith (RD), W Gowan (MO), S Rowan (I)

12.00 -  M Rennie (RD), D Marshall (F), M James (F), J Thornton (FR), J Cooper (F), D McBride (RD)

12.30 - V Wright (F), F MacDonald (RD), L Wheeler (F), I Hart (FR), H Ewan, M Barr (G)

13.00 - B Grant (F), S Duncan (RD), C Boyd (F), S Wynn (RD), D McCaig (F), C Marshall (N),  P Davies (F)

13.40 – G Dowling (I), S McVicar (G), I Wright (RD), A Gunn (RD), M Douglas (RD), M Blair (RD)

Jacqui Coulthard

NCLGA Sec

KARRIE WEBB WINS SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC THINKING OF HER AILING GRANDMOTHER

FROM THE CBS SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
GALLOWAY, New Jersey - It wasn't the winning for the first time in two years on the LPGA Tour that caused Karrie Webb's eyes to well up.

The Australian 38-year-old Hall of Famer cried because she thinking of her seriously ill 87-year-old grandmother after winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Sunday.
Just days earlier, Webb, pictured with the Australian Ladies Masters trophy last February, considered returning home to Australia after her parents told her that her grandmother, Marion Webb, was near death.
"She talked to me on the phone and said she didn't want me to come home, and that I had to win one for her," Webb said after rallying from a five shots down to post a two-stroke victory over China's Shanshan Feng in very windy conditions on the Bay Course at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club.
While she has had occasional good rounds on this course across the bay from the Atlantic City casinos, Webb has never really seriously contended on the final day.
"I was like, this isn't the one that you tell me that I have to win for you because I was like, `I've never really even had a shot to win here,"' said Webb, who won for the 39th time on the LPGA Tour, most among active players.
 "So when I got off to that start, I was like, `Oh, my God. ` Well, when she started to make a turn for the better, my dad said, `Look, she's going to make it, so the pressure is off, you know.'
"He felt for me after she told me I had to win it for her. But you know, I was in contention and in the lead today. I was like, `Wow, I might actually be able to do this for her."'
Webb won by shooting a spectacular 3-under 68, matching the best round of the day. Her 4-under 209 total tied the highest winning score on the course.
Playing in wind gusting to 25-30 mph, Webb had two birdies, an eagle and a bogey, capping the round with a 5-foot birdie at the par-5 final hole. She also made six par-saving putts of 5-6 feet.
"It never gets old. It never gets any easier, either," said Webb, who won the Australian Ladies Masters in February. 
"Today was extremely tough, and I'm just glad that I pulled it out. I think coming down I knew I needed to make one birdie, I thought, because I didn't think I could just par in and feel comfortable, so great birdie on the last."
Feng led by three shots entering the final round, but struggled in the wind and finished with a 75. She had two double bogeys on the front nine, and gave away the lead with bogeys on 11th and 13th holes.
Feng, the first Chinese player to win an LPGA Tour event and a major when she captured the LPGA Championship last year, gave credit to Webb.
"I would say 68 is a really, really great score for today," said Feng, who broke in a new set of clubs this week. "I would say actually four over didn't sound too bad to me. But maybe that's why I've never played well in the British Open. Yet."
The final round played out somewhat like a U.S. Open with the elements, the dried-out fast greens and the fescue-lined fairways wreaking havoc on the 74 players who qualified for the final round.
Webb, who got back into contention with a 69 in the second round, made her move early, rolling in a 25-foot birdie putt on the difficult 420-yard second hole that might have been the toughest on the course with the wind blowing into the players' faces off Reed's Bay. She moved into a share of the lead on the par-5 third, rolling in a 6-foot eagle putt.
"I think I knuckle down and focus a lot better when conditions are tough," Webb said.
Feng, who fell into a tie with Webb early, regained the lead with a short birdie at the eighth hole, but her bogeys at Nos. 11 and 13 put Webb 1-up.
Webb's birdie at No. 18 pushed the margin to two shots. Feng closed within a shot with a short birdie putt at No. 16, but she hit her tee shot in the bunker at the next hole and bogeyed. She needed an eagle at the par-5 final hole but had to settle for par.
Jenny Shin of South Korea, who had four straight birdies on the back nine, finished fourth at even par after a 70.
Rookie Chie Arimura, who was tied for the lead on the front nine, finished in a group at 1 over. Despite a final round 74, Michelle Wie had her best showing of the year, finishing in a group at 2 over.
"Overall I fought hard, and I'm pretty proud of the way I played this week and I think it's a good week leading up to a major, so I'm just excited to get over there and play well," said Wie, who is still looking for her first LPGA Tour win in the United States.
There were only 13 rounds under par on the final day and those with early tee-off times benefited. Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer matched Webb with 68s, moving them from a tie for 58th to a tie for 13th.
Feng will defend her LPGA Championship in Pittsford, New York, next week.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
209 Karrie Webb (Australia)72 69 68.
211 Shanshan Feng (China) 69 67 75
212 Hee Young Park (South Korea) 69 72 71.
213 Jenny Shin (South Korea) 70 73 70.
214 Gerina Piller 9US) 70 75 69, Jeong Jang (South Korea) 73 71 70.

SELECTED OTHER SCORES
215 Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) 73 72 70, Michelle Wie (US) 68 73 74 (T9)
216 Annma Nordqvist (Sweden) 72 68 76 (T13)
218 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 765 70 72, Becky Morghan (Wales) 72 73 73 (T28)
219 Karen Stupples (England) 73 75 71 (T38).
221 Stacy Lewis (US) 67 80 75 (T58).

DAWN BREAKS INTO THE NORTH BERWICK LADIES CHAMPIONS' CIRCLE

  Winners of North Berwick Golf Club's ladies' finals day on Sunday. Left to right; Jenni Ray (Senior champion, holding the Anne Chainey Trophy), Anne McCarthy (Lady captain), Dawn Young (Ladies champion, holding the Lady Betty Weston Salver), Ros Thoresen (Lady vice-captain), Sheila Montgomery (Bronze champion, holding the Donaldson Trophy).

It cannot happen very often that a mother's name appears AFTER her daughter's in a list of club champions - but, take a bow, East Lothian Ladies county captain Dawn Young who, on Sunday, won the North Berwick GC ladies championship for the first time .... following in the footsteps of her talented teenage daughter Clara.

The match-play rounds were played over the week on a superb but tough and tighter West Links than usual, in preparation for the Open champion qualifying coming up soon.
All the ladies who won are first time winners in their categories. Jenni Ray is a very new member to the club and was victorious in her first attempt at the senior ladies title.
Dawn Young had not appeared in the final since 1998 while five months pregnant with her son and with her then three-year-old daughter  Clara spectating from a distance.
Sheila Montgomery, a long time golfer in North Berwick, also had her  title win and all the more impressive by beating opponents many years her junior.

 Results of Finals:


Jenni Ray beat Maggi Buffin 2 and 1.
Dawn Young beat Keren Ward 2 holes.
Shiela Montgomery beat Elaine McInroy 2 and 1.

FOOTNOTE:

Clara Young won the North Berwick ladies' club championship in 2009 at 12 years of age - the youngest ever ladies'champion.

She retained the title in  2010 at 13 years old and then lost to Keren Ward in 2011. She has been unable to play since due to clashes with St Rule Trophy and Scottish schools championships.

Dawn Young's father, won the North Berwick Golf Club men's championship in 1982 and her husband won the Tantallon GC Championship in 1990. Tantallon play over the West Links also.

PAUL LAWRIE FOUNDATION ALFORD STABLEFORD RESULTS

REPORT FROM IAIN POWELL

Under-15 years Stableford, Alford June 2

This week the tour had an early start at Alford, the conditions were excellent for scoring and the competitors made good use. 

Scoring was as good as we have ever seen with Jonathan Black (Royal Aberdeen) amassing a huge 48 points to win by 5 points from club mate Finlay Smith.

In a three-way tie for third place on 42 points we had Kevin Duncan (Keith), Ben Green (Inverurie) and Kirsten Watson (Deeside).

As ever a big thanks to Alford for hosting us this week.

Boys' Par 69; CSS 63

Girls' Par 70;  CSS - 68

LEADING POINTS TOTALS

Jonathan Bell (Royal Aberdeen) (14) 48

Finlay Smith (Royal Aberdeen) (19) 43

Ben Green (Inverurie) (15) 42

Kevin Duncan (Keith) (12) 42

Kirsten Watson (Deeside) (30) 42

Michael Donaldson (Inverurie) (19) 41

Joshua Mitchell (Fraserburgh) (22) 41

Sam Yule (Ballater) (14) 41

Aiden Smith (Edzell) (8) 40

Tyler Ogston (Nigg Bay) (10) 40

Under 10 and Under 12 Years Flag Event

We had a big field at Alford and great conditions for playing. Many thanks to Alford for hosting us this week. We received a warm welcome as always.

It was fantastic to see the local Alford kids out in force.

Boys Under 10

1 Alex Ritchie

2 Jamie Gibb

3 Peter McPherson

Boys Under 12

1 Liam Waldron

2 Gregor Reynolds

3 Kyle Steel

Girls Under 10

1 Caitlin Fraser

2 Carmen Griffiths

3 Rachel Mathieson

Girls Under 12

Olivia Gray

Paige Innes

 

 

Iain Powell

Paul Lawrie Foundation

07919 330130

www.paullawriefoundation.co.uk

 

 

ALABAMA BEAT ILLINOIS IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH-PLAY FINAL

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Ron Balicki
MILTON, Georgia -- You had California from the Pac-12, Alabama from the SEC and Texas from the Big 12. An impressive threesome. All won their conference titles this season.
Entering this week’s NCAA Championship finals at Capital City Club’s Crabapple course, they had combined for 23 tournament titles. Cal and ‘Bama were Nos. 1 and 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and the top two seeds in the 30-team starting field. Texas was ranked third and listed as the No. 4 seed.
They were considered by most as the cream of the crop -- college golf’s Big 3 -- in the 2012-13 season and drew the bulk of attention all year.
Then there’s Illinois. Not many people would place the Fighting Illini in the same class with this threesome. Maybe they don’t belong among this group (just don’t tell them that). But one thing I know, what coach Mike Small and his teams have done over the last half dozen years has been truly remarkable.
The Illini have shown that a northern, Midwestern program can compete against the Western and Southern big guns and be an intregal part of college golf’s power players.
“This program has come a long way over the years and this year certainly showed just how far,” said Small, in his 13th year at the Illinois coach. “Maybe its because we’re a northern school and don’t have some of the long and rich traditions like other programs, but I think we have built a lot of respect over the years and if you come here you can compete for a national championship at Illinois.”
Small’s teams have qualified for the NCAA finals the last six years and made it to the match-play portion of the championship in two of the last three. The program also boasts the individual NCAA champion in two of those years -- Scott Langley in 2010 and Thomas Pieters in 2012.
Even though the Fighting Illini didn’t gather much respect going into this year’s NCAA postseason, they experienced maybe their best year in school history.
After winning its fifth consecutive Big 10 title, Illinois could get no better than the No. 6 seed in the 14-team Fayetteville regional and came into the finals No. 26 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and as the No. 15 seed.
Junior Thomas Pieters of Belgium, who is turning pro and skipping his senior season, is the team’s top player, being No. 46 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Next best is freshman Thomas Detry at 130.
“Our individual rankings don’t really do our guys justice because we don’t play the type of schedule these other guys do,” Small said. “But our guys are better than our rankings and I think they showed that (in postseason).
In a season where they won six tournaments, the Illini certainly saved the best for last. After claiming the Big 10 title, they went on to win the program’s first region championship.
Then it was on to the NCAA finals, where Small and his program had the best week in the school’s golf history. The Illini finished fifth in the 54-hole stroke-play portion of the championship to move on to the Elite 8 for match play.
All the Illini did there was become the event’s giant slayers -- at least for two days. First Illinois defeated defending champion Texas, 3-2, and then in maybe the match of the tournament, the Illini downed the mighty Cal Bears 3-2 in the semifinals.
The dream season came to an end Sunday when Alabama notched a 4-1 decision, giving the Tide it’s first NCAA golf title.
Still, Illinois’ second-place finish was the program’s best, topping the fourth place showing in 1941.
“This whole week just wears you out,” Small said, “especially in match play and especially when you look at who we played in each match. There’s the Pac-12, Big 12 and SEC champions. And we’re the Big 10 champions so we fit.
“There is no room for error against any of those teams so we had to play three days without error. And for the most part we did. Our hats off to Alabama. They played great and made all the shots when they had to. Still, for us to be in that final match, especially with such a young team (two freshmen, and sophomores and a junior), shows we are doing the right things at Illinois. This wasn’t a pipe dream at all and I think we proved that.”
You certainly did, coach. You did it this season and have been doing it for years now. In fact, I’d say every coach in the Big 10 as well as the conference itself owes you and your team a big steak dinner. As the lone Big 10 representative in the NCAA finals, you all did the league proud.
It’s time for the college golf world to stop sweeping Illinois under a rug and treating it as no more than an afterthought. It’s time to start showing Small’s program some love and respect.
Not only has the Fighting Illini earned it, they deserve it.

ST RULE TROPHY WILL HAVE ONLY ONE SUNDAY ROUND FROM NEXT YEAR

Alison White (extreme right) with the leading prizewinners in the fading light on Sunday evening after the prizegiving  From next year the St Rule Trophy prizegiving will be held several hours earlier.
Left to right caption: Barbara Grounds (St Rule captain), Emma Harris (winner of Under-18s trophy), Ailsa Summers (St Rule Trophy winners), Margaret Macnaughtan (SLGA president, Penny Newman-Carter (St Rule Trophy committee member), Alison White (chairman of committee). Picture by Cal   Carson Golf Agency

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

The St Rule Trophy tournament, which has become one of the top events on the European women's amateur golf calendar since its inception in 1984 - Annika Sorenstam was the winner in 1990 - is to change its format from next year.

It will remain a 54-hole stroke-play championship but instead of the traditional one round over the St Andrews' New Course on the Saturday followed by two rounds over the Old Course on the Sunday, from 2014 the programme will change to two rounds over the New Course on the Saturday with only one round over the Old Course on the Sunday.

Alison White, chairman of the St Rule Trophy organising committee, explains:

"We feel that by having the first 36 holes on Day 1, this will enable us to make a redraw overnight for the last round, making it more exciting for the spectators by having the leaders out last over the Old Course on Sunday.

"In the past we have made the draw for all three rounds in advance of the tournament.

"On a practical note also it will mean an earlier finish on the Sunday so that players can set off home, some to foreign countries, others to England, Wales and Ireland, at a reasonable time and we may also have more spectators around for the finish between 4 and 5pm."

This year's St Rule Trophy prizegiving was held after 8pm.

The dates for the new-look tournament next year are May 31 and June 1.

 =========================================

NEWS RELEASE FROM ST RULE CLUB, ST ANDREWS

St Rule Trophy 2014

After 30 years the St Rule Trophy is set to change the format in 2014.

We are pleased to announce a change in format for 2014.  The field of 60 competitors will continue to play 54 holes over the New and Old courses but in future the first 36 holes will be played over the New Course, St Andrews on the Saturday and then there will be a re-draw with leaders out last for the final 18 holes over the Old Course, St Andrews on the Sunday.

Our grateful thanks go to St Andrews Links Management Committee for permitting the change in format and we look forward to the continued success of the event under the auspices of The St Rule Club.

Any queries may be directed to Alison White on admin@thestruleclub.co.uk