AYRSHIRE ADULT AND GIRLS FOURSOMES

 AT RAVENSPARK

Some of the Girls at Ravenspark 

11 pairings played in the above event yesterday on a bright, breezy but fortunately dry, afternoon.   The course was in excellent condition and was enjoyed by adults and girls alike.

Congu's
1st:    Rachel Foster & Elizabeth Brown (Turnberry)              31 points
2nd:  Sarah Ramsay & David Ramsay (West Kilbride)           29 points (bih)
3rd:   Luisa Gibson & Brenda Gillan (Ardeer)                          29 points

Nearest the pin at 4th:          Louise Duncan
Nearest in 2 shots at 17th:   Rachel Foster

Pre-Handicaps
1st:   Alison Malcolm & Catherine Malcolm (St. Cuthbert's)   28 points
2nd:  Karen Malcolm & Alasdair Malcolm (St. Cuthbert's)      26 points (bih)
3rd:  Cristina McCracken & Fiona McKellar (Troon Ladies)      26 points

On the green at 4th:         Cristina McCracken

Thanks go to Ayrshire's  Junior Convenor - June Kerr for the photograph and results 

To read more and see another photo -- Go to Ayrshire Golf Website

 It's an Indian takeaway of St Rule Trophy: Fine 

performance by Aditi Ashok (17) from Bangalore

A bridge that's not too far for these three ... runner-up Bethan Popel (left), third placed Hollie Muse (centre), and the St Rule Trophy and Lawson Trophy (under-18s) winner, Aditi Ashok (Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Aditi Ashok, a 17-year-old from Bangalore, India, achieved an ambition to play the Old Course at St Andrews and made it a double whammy by becoming one of the youngest, if not the youngest, winner of the prestigious women's 54-hole tournament, the St Rule Trophy

Aditi led from start to finish, building the platform for a notable five-stroke win by equalling the New Course women's amateur record of eight-under-par 67 in her first round on Saturday and going three shots clear of the field with a second-round 71, also over the New, to be on the 12-under-par mark coming into the final round over the Old Course.
Had Saturday's weather carried over into Sunday, there's little doubt Ashok would have got close to the 2011 winner Ailsa Summer's total of 16-under-par 211.
But it rained all night Saturday-Sunday and continued most of the morning of the final round over the Old Course. Then the rain stopped, the sun came out ... but up rose a wild westerly wind that by mid-afternoon, when the leaders were battling over the closing holes,  had a reading of 40mph and over on the wind speed reading "machine" on the wall of the RandA clubhouse.

"I've played in England quite a few times and also once at Gullane so I knew the weather could be bad in Scotland, even at the end of May," said Aditi who has a world ranking in the 190s and has won many junior tournaments in her native India and put up some very good showings in adult ones, even against lady pros, too.

Aditi finished with a wind-blown two-over-par 78  wind for a 10-under-par total of 216.

She won not only the St RuleTrophy by five strokes   but also the Lawson Trophy for the lowest aggregate by an Under-18 years player.

"I would say this is the biggest tournament I have ever won and to do it at St Andrews is brilliant," said Ashok who is moving on to Northern Ireland to play in the British women's open amateur championship at Portstewart the week after next

She won, in the end, by five shots from Bethan Popel  (Long Ashton) who was snapping at the winner's heels until the Bristol player bogeyed the 16th and took a double bogey at the Road Hole 17th where she was in the greenside bunker in two and finished up with a 7.

Popel scored 69, 72 and 80 for 221, one shot ahead of compatriot Hollie Muse (West Lancs) who won the SLGA U16 title at Strathmore in April.

Hollie, who had scores of 74, 70 and 78 for 222,  hit her approach shot out of bounds at the first hole on the Old Course  in her final round and took 41 shots (three over par) to reach the turn.

But she battled on, and salvaged a very respectable par 78 in the high wind to finish third and also  runner-up to Aditi Ashok in the Under-18s' Lawson Trophy

Aboyne's Shannon McWilliam celebrated her selection for the GB and I Junior Vagliano Trophy team by finishing the top Scot in joint sixth place on 225 with rounds of 70, 78 and 77. 
The 16-year-old from Torphins also finished third behind Ashok and Muse in the Under-18s' trophy totals.

Scotland pipped England for the team title on a comparison of their third-round totals after the teams had both finished on the 143 mark.

The Scottish trio were Connie Jaffrey, Clara Young and Jess Meek, who won the St Rule Trophy last year. What a pity none of the trio was around to collect the international team salver at the prizegiving presentation.
Mind you, I have some sympathy for Clara Young, the new Scottish champion, making a sharp exit. I think I would have done the same myself in her situation.
The North Berwick player covered the first nine holes of the Old Course in two-under-par 36 with birdies at the fourth and ninth. At that point she was  five-under-par for the tournament and within reach of Popel and Muse, the players who would finish second and third.
But Young seemed to be affected by the crosswind more than most. She bogeyed the 10th, triple-bogeyed the short 11th, bogeyed the 12th, double-bogeyed the 15th, bogeyed the 16th and bogeyed the 18th, which all added up to a nightmare inward half of nine-over 47 and an 83 for 230 which put her down among the "dead men." 
 Golf can be such a cruel game at times!

Left to right: Christine Steedman (president Fife Ladies CGA), who presented the prizes, Janice Hulme (St Rule Club captain), Hollie Muse with the flag, Bethan Popel and Aditi Ashok (Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

Left to right: Christine Steedman (president of Fife County LGA, tournament winner Aditi Ashok from India, Janice Hulme (captain of St Rule Club) and Alison White, chief organiser of St Rule Trophy tournament. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

ST RULE TROPHY

St Andrews
FINAL TOTALS

Par 226 (New Course 2 x 75, Old Course 1 x 76)GOLF

SSS for Old Course is 76, CSS 76

CSS for New Course 76 75

216 A Ashok (India) 67 71 78

221 B Popel (Long Ashton) 69 72 80

222 H Muse (West Lancashire) 74 70 78

223 I Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 75 72 76, C De Corte (Belgium) 74 73 76

225 S McWilliam (Aboyne) 70 78 77, S Giles (St Mellion) 74 73 78

227 G Mundy (Corhampton) 78 77 72, C Leathem (Styal) 77 70 80

228 E Mallett (Wishaw GCC, Sutton Coldfield) 80 78 70, E Slater (Woodhall Spa) 81 74 73, J Saxton (Muckhart) 77 76 75, B Davies (Wolstanton) 78 74 76, C Goadby (St Regulus) 74 77 77, G Batty (Powfoot) 76 73 79, I Wardle (Prestbury) 77 72 79

229 D Sverdloff (Garon Park) 80 78 71, C Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) 81 73 75, J Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 70 81 78, B Garton (Royal Lytham) 73 78 78, R Morris (Woodsome Hall) 77 73 79, C Frankish (Charthills) 76 73 80

230 M Harryvan (Ned) 82 78 70, V Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 77 78 75, J Charlton (Australia) 78 75 77, C Ellington (USA) 78 70 82, C Young (North Berwick) 73 74 83, G Clews (Delamere Forest) 73 78 79

231 H Munro (Monifieth) 79 77 75, L Bailey (Kirby Muxloe) 80 74 77, O Winning (Rotherham) 78 76 77, S Jackson (Ladybank) 81 72 78, L Latorre (France) 73 79 79

232 H McCook (Grantown on Spey) 84 73 75, N Banovec (Slovenia) 78 79 75, S Sexton (Lahinch, Ireland) 77 78 77, R Polson (Peterculter) 77 76 79

233 G Paton (Royal Montrose) 81 77 75, E Coleman (Trentham) 75 75 83

234 O Jackson (Pannal) 79 79 76, R Woodcock (Blankney) 81 76 77, H MacGarvie (Troon Ladies) 80 77 77, K McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 80 76 78, J Bailey (Kirby Muxloe) 82 74 78, A Bailey (Kirby Muxloe) 77 78 79, R Taylor (Reicmswald, Germany) 78 74 82.

235 C Austwick (Fulford) 81 78 76 

236 K Beveridge (Aboyne) 79 76 81, G MacDonald (Craigielaw) 81 74 81

238 J Sneddon (Alyth) 83 75 80, A O'Connor (Sundridge Park) 80 76 82

239 E Allen (Meon Valley) 79 80 80 

240 R Walker (Dumfries and Co) 78 81 81

252 L Atkins (Gullane Ladies) 87 86 79, J O'Driscoll (Muskerry, Ireland) 85 87 80

254 J A Nordin (Norway) 86 85 83

TEAM EVENT

443 Scotland (C Jaffrey, J Meek, C Young), England (G Clews, H Muse, I Clyburn). Scotland won with the better last-round aggregate: 153 to 154

502 Ireland (S Sexton , J O'Driscoll)

LAWSON TROPHY (Under-18)

Leading final totals

216 A Ashoka (India)

222 H Muse (West Lancs)

225 S McWilliam (Aboyne)

228 C Goadby (St Regulus), I Wardle (Prestbury)

229 C Frankish (Charthills)

HOW LEADERS STOOD IN RELATION TO PAR WITH 
NINE HOLES TO PLAY
-12 A Ashok
-9 B Popel
-6 C De Corte
-5 C Young, I Clyburn
-3 H Muse

Tournament leader Aditi Ashok on the Old Course second tee in final round. She was still leading by three strokes from BEthan Popel with nine holes to play. Pictures by Cal Carson Golf Agency
Bethan Popel drives from Tee 2 of Old Course. Clear second with nine holes to play but still three shots behind leader Ashok

 Hollie Muse early in her final round. She hit her approach shot out of bounds at the first and ran up a double bogey 6.

 The St Rule Trophy tournament over the Old Course, St Andrews always has a special feel about it when it is a year that the Open championship will be played there ... as is the case this summer.
The grandstands - and there are more of them this year down the first fairway, behind the first green and over at the 17th Road Hole green and 18th tee - create a special atmosphere for the amateur competitors. 
This is the closest many of them will get to a Major championship.

Leader Aditi still leads by three from Popel
with nine windy holes to play on Old Course

Colin Farquharson reporting from St Andrews, Sunda

It's been raining all night and is still raining this morning at St Andrews. Later news: Rain eased and went off between 10 and 11am but still chilly and overcast.
And a south-westerly wind began to rise. at 12.30 it was blowing between 25 and 30mph on the wind measurement device on the front wall of the R and A clubhouse.
Rain came back on again shortly after 12.30. Unpleasant conditions. 
Than the sun came out but still a cold and blustery wind.

An inland course would be flooded by now but the Old Course has soaked up the water and there is  no sign of flooding anywhere visible from vicinity of first tee... not even the Valley of Sin in front of the 18th green.

So the players are teeing off under the shadow of the Open championship grandstands (all in place for mid-July!) at the final round of the St Rule Trophy.

Will try to keep you updated as the day goes on ... but WiFi is a bit
weak. Must be the rain! 

Aditi Ashok from Bangalore, India, the 17-year-old tournament leader by three shots, tees off at 11.20am with Hollie Muse (West Lancs) and Bethan Popel from Long Ashton.
Incidentally, Aditi's round of eight-under-par 67 in the first round on Saturday equalled the women's amateur record for the New Course.
It was originally set by Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie) on her way to victory in the St Rule Trophy in 2013.
Then it was equalled by another Carnoustie player, Jess Meek, also in the first round of her winning effort in the tournament last year.
So a first-round 67 is a good omen for Aditi. 
The CSS was 76 in the morning and 75 in the afternoon on the opening day. 
A double bogey 6 at the first knocked back Hollie Muse while Bethan Popel hung on to Aditi Ashok's coat-tails. Both out in par 38 in the final round which meant that Ashok was still three clear at 12 under par with Popel in clear second place at 9 under par.
Hollie Muse had dropped back to six under after nine with an outward half of three-over 41 
As the sun came out and stayed out, the wind rose over 30mph, gusting to 35mph around 2.15. Wind from the west to southwest