WHEN A GREENKEEPER BLUNDER LED
TO ONLY ONE QUALIFYING ROUND FOR
THE SCOTTISH WOMEN'S MATCH-PLAY
Here's your starter for 10:
What's the link between this week's EPD Tour men's pro tournament in Austria and the 1973 Scottish women's amateur championship over the Old Course, St Andrews?
The short answer is: Greenkeepers' blunders.
This week in the Adamstal Open in Austria, the first day's scores had to declared null and void when the organisers learned that the greenkeeping staff had been out cutting the grass in certain areas - dropping zones used by the host club's members - to remove the paint marks.
If they had done it before the start of
play or after the end of play, everything would have been OK. But because they did it while play was in progress it meant that the course was not in same condition for ALL the competitors.
Turn the clock back now to May, 1973 when the first qualifying round of the Scottish women's amateur championship had to be declared, similarly, "null and void," when a greenkeeper cut a new hole while play was in progress on a very rainy Tuesday at the Old Course, St Andrews.
Let SLGA board member Isabel Crawford take up the story. She was, in those days, Isabel Wylie, a Scottish international team member from the West Kilbride club.
Isabel, pictured by Carol Fell, recalls:
"I was one of the leaders in Round 1 and then when Ansley
Lurie (Reid) was on the first green a greenkeeper appeared out of the
mists and changed the hole in front of her eyes ... first round null
and void.
"In the second round my partner did not turn up as she had
taken an epileptic fit so I was left hanging about waiting for someone
to play with (we only played in twos in those days).
"Almost two hours
later I was still waiting and it was only when Katherine McNeil heard of
my plight that she withdrew and I played in her place.
"I remember I three-putted the first five greens and was really a nervous wreck!"
Because the first-round scores had been scrapped, the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages of the championship were decided by only one round on the Wednesday.
Isabel Wylie was one of five players on the limit mark of 87 - and there was room for only one of them to qualify. After a card countback, Vicki McAlister (Dumfries and County) was the fortunate player to get the 32nd place.
Annette Laing (Aberdeen Ladies), the Scottish champion at Dunbar three years earlier, in 1970, was another surprise non-qualifier with a score of 89.
And the Clark Rosebowl final that year - Isabel Wylie versus Annette Laing - was a topper between two international players.
As Isabel Crawford says:
"However, I went on to win the Clark Rosebowl., That year (1973) was the first time it had been played and in a super final I beat Annette."
The championship winner in 1973 was Janette Wright (Aboyne) who won the title for a fourth time with a two-hole victory over Dr A (Aileen) J Wilson (Haggs Castle).
Aileen, a hockey international, would win the championship the following year at Nairn, beating Montrose's Kathleen Lackie at the 22nd (That was the first Scottish championship on which I reported: CF)
WHAT THE PAPERS SAID
Scottish Daily Express:
A "good deed" that went wrong caused chaos at St Andrews yesterday - for it ruined a complete qualifying round for 118 of Scotland's top women golfers.
The unofficial action by one of the burgh's 23 greenkeepers - he cut a new hole during play on Tuesday - led to big problems in the Scottish women's amateur golf championship over the Old Course.
And the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages beginning today came from yesterday's single round instead of the customary 36 holes.
The trouble began early in Tuesday's first round, played in very wet weather, after Marigold Spier of the St Rule Club, sent her caddie to tell officials that the first green was becoming unplayable.
But, instead of going straight to the SLGA organising officials at their headquarters beside the R and A building, the message was somehow diverted to the greenkeepers.
Ansley Reid of Troon, one of the competitors, arrived at the first green just after Speir to find puddles on the green and the hole filling up with water.
She marked her ball and sent HER caddie away to obtain official guidance but as he started back up the first fairway he met a greenkeeper carrying hole-cutting equipment.
"We assumed that an earlier message had been passed back and that a new hole was being cut on a drier part of the green with official permission. We just played on," said Mrs Reid.
For close on the next eight hours, so did the rest of the competitors and the organising committee did not know that a new hole had been cut.
But later, someone asked Mrs Reid what had caused the hold-up at the first hole and the discussions quickly led to the Rules of Golf being studied.
Mrs Reid then turned to the secretary of the SLGA, Mrs Margaret Dickson, to report that the Rules had been infringed. A meeting of the executive was called immediately and, next morning, competitors reporting to play the second qualifying round, found a large notice on display, informing them that the first-round scores had been declared null and void.
While the competitors took the news well - understandably, since only five of them had broken 80 - the worries for the organisers were not over. Fog delayed the start for over two rounds on the Wednesday and on several occasions it looked as if it would be impossible to complete the only counting round.
Officials went out on the course to make formal inspections while spectators asked what would happen if neither qualifying round was played.
The answer was that Tuesday's "null and void " round would then count after all under the rule of equity which leaves an opening for a common sense asnwer to be found for any situation not specifically covered in the rules.
But in the end a qualifying round was played and Scottish international Ina Walker (Troon) led with qualifiers with a 75.
Sandra Needham (Cawder), who had held first place in Tuesday's "null and void" round, earned the No 2 seed position with a 76.
Third and fourth best on 77 were Kathleen Lackie (Montrose Royal Albert) and Cathy Panton (Glenbervie).
Aileen Wilson (Haggs Castle) was the only other player to break 80.
Three times previous champion Janette Wright (Aboyne) had an 86, only one shot inside the limit mark.
DUNDEE COURIER
Chaos reigned at St Andrews yestreday on the second day of the Scottish women's amateur golf championship.
For the competitors the day began with the shattering news that Tuesday's first-round scores had been declared null and void overnight.
This was because of a greenkeeper's "good deed."
On the first day, during the downpour, a misunderstanding caused a greenkeeper to cut a new hole on the first green which was threatening to flood.
When his unofficial action was brought to the notice of the championship committee they had no choice but to cancel the first round scores under the terms of Rule 36.
Janette Wright with the trophy (well part of it is visible!) as winner of the 1973 championship at St Andrews after she had qualified for the match-play stages with only a stroke to spare.
RESULTS FROM CLOSING STAGES OF
1973 CHAMPIONSHIP OVER OLD COURSE
QUARTER-FINALS
Miss C J Lugton (Gullane) bt Miss T M Walker (Troon) at 19th
Dr A J Wilson (Haggs Castle) bt Miss L M Bennett (Leven) 2 and 1
Mrs I Wright (Aboyne) bt Mrs A J R Ferguson (North Berwick) 3 and 1.
Miss Sandra Needham (Cawder) bt Miss J McNeill (Lundin Links) 3 and 2.
SEMI-FINALS
Wilson bt Lugton 3 and 1.
Wright bt Needham 5 and 4.
FINAL
Wright bt Wilson 2 holes.
Labels: SLGA
