Leona Maguire  plays in this week's Ladies 

European  Tour event in Czech Republic

 

    Leona Maguire driving from the first tee on the last day of the Curtis Cup match at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, Ireland. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency

NEWS RELEASE FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY

DURHAM, North Carolina -  After helping lead Great Britain and Ireland to a Curtis Cup victory this past weekend, Duke University third-year student Leona Maguire will compete in the Ladies European Tour Tipsport Golf Masters from June 17-19 at the Golf Park Pilsen in Czech Republic.

A native of Cavan, Ireland, Maguire is currently ranked No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Rankings and looking to boost her resume in hopes for an invitation in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She was ranked No 1 for many months until demoted by American women's amateur champion and Curtis Cup player, Hannah O'Sullivan

Maguire, a two-time first team All-America, is coming off totalling a 72.29 stroke average to go along with two top five, six top 10 and eight top 20 finishes over the US 2015-16 college golf season.  She registered her fourth collegiate victory at the Tar Heel Invitational with rounds of 69, 72 and 71 for a 213.  

Maguire led the Blue Devils with 17 rounds of even or under par and added three rounds in the 60s on the year.  Maguire concluded the season ranked fourth in the Golfweek individual ledger.

The 2014-15 National Player of the Year registered a 4-1 record over the weekend as GB and I registered an 11 ½ to 8 ½ victory over the United States in the Curtis Cup.  It marked her third appearance in the event, which was held in her home country of Ireland.  Maguire has been a part of two of the eight victories over the 39 competitions in the history of the Curtis Cup.

St Andrews graduate Natalie Jones wins Bobby 

Jones Scholarship: year-long study in Atlanta

The Ladies Golf Union backroom team at the Curtis Cup. Left to right:Natalie Jones, Thomas Dunwell, Susan Simpson, Gillian Roy, Sebastiano Galeppini

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

St Andrews University graduate Natalie Jones has been awarded the prestigious Bobby Jones Scholarship to study for a year at Emory University, Atlanta in Georgia.
The native of York, who recently finished studying Modern History and graduated with a 2:1, is delighted, saying ‘The Bobby Jones Scholarship is an incredible opportunity to travel and study abroad and I feel very fortunate to have been selected.’

The year will give Natalie the opportunity to study various classes including, Photography, Digital Video and French which will help to prepare her for a career in digital marketing.

Over the recent years Natalie has been involved with a myriad of paid and voluntary positions within sport which have all helped her to realise her passion for inspiring people to engage with sports.

Natalie grew her experience over the past two years, working at a number of golf events as a Ladies Golf Union website updater, including the Ricoh Women’s British Open, the Vagliano Trophy and the recent Curtis Cup. She also worked at the Dunhill Links Championship and the Open. 

Getty Images' leading golf photographer Dave Cannon says: “Natalie’s an absolute sweetheart and has got natural ability with the media. Got it from the word go, she was full of life when working with her at the Dunhill Links."

Natalie has a golfing handicap of 12 and is a keen member of the University Ladies’ Golf Club and the Athletics Club.

Alongside her many other commitments, Natalie has also recently set up a wellness initiative currently based in St Andrews which promotes ‘real’ and ‘honest’ conversation and women in sport. This project has grown to partner with a local gym and she hopes to spread the message of ‘positive but not pressured’ reasons to exercise through their website: www.takeonlife.com whilst she is in America.

‘My time at St Andrews has given me so much more than simply my history degree’, said Natalie.

 ‘I feel extremely grateful to have had opportunities to learn from leading academics, work at national and international sporting events and change the way sport is thought about within the University and the wider world.

“Going to Emory allows me to further my skills so that I can follow my passion. A passion which I discovered during my time at St Andrews!’

MORE ABOUT THE BOBBY JONES SCHOLARSHIPS
The Robert T Jones Scholarships (also known as Bobby Jones scholarships) support students for one year of study at Emory University in Atlanta. They are among the most valuable and prestigious available to students at St Andrews and cover all mandatory costs. They are available to students who are completing their final year of undergraduate study and can be awarded only to British nationals. 

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Jackie Foster triumphs at English senior  championship   Hertfordshire’s Jackie Foster came from four shots back to win the English senior women’s stroke play championship on a wet day at Burnham Beeches Golf Club in Buckinghamshire. She returned a closing 77 to finish on 10-over, winning by two shots from Aileen Greenfield of Sussex, who was also last year’s runner-up, and Cheshire’s Cath Rawthore, the English senior women’s amateur champion. This is Foster’s first major title and, after making her senior debut only last year, it marks rapid progress to the top. “I am so pleased,” said Foster, who is also the Hertfordshire senior champion (Image © Leaderboard Photography). She reached the semi-finals of the English senior women’s amateur in May and was keen to do well in this championship. But she added: “I’m really surprised, I didn’t expect to win in such a good quality field. I just came with the idea of playing the best I could and doing myself justice.” Foster (Bishops Stortford) avoided any information about the progress of her rivals but for much of the round she was locked in a ding-dong battle for top spot. She set out four shots behind Sue Spencer (Whittington Heath) and one behind Yorkshire’s Karen Jobling (Richmond). But, before long, there was little to separate the three players. Spencer got off to a slow start, although she hit her stride in the middle of the round and finished tied fourth with Caroline Berry (Bromborough). Jobling started well, but went on to miss too many fairways to maintain her progress and finished tied 13th, alongside Chris Quinn (Hockley) and Linda Hunt (Newbury & Crookham). Meanwhile, Aileen Greenfield (Pyecombe) and Cath Rawthore (Sale), were playing steady golf in the testing conditions and returned 76 and 77 respectively to move up the leaderboard into second place. Greenfield had nine consecutive pars on the outward holes before a more up and down finish; while Rawthore dropped her shots on the outward half but came home in level par. Foster’s golf was also extremely composed, despite the heavy rain at the start and finish of her round, which caused a suspension of play for a period after the greens flooded. She commented: “I found it difficult to tell how wet the greens were and to get the pace right today. There were maybe a couple of putts I could have made but I’m really pleased with the round and very happy with the way I’ve played this week. “ Foster sang the praises of her husband, Ian, who was on the bag, remarking: “It was so important to have a caddy in this weather, it was on and off with the rainwear all the time. The over 65 trophy was won by Katherine Irving from Castle Royle in Berkshire. Footnote: On Sunday evening Jackie Foster was in A&E after stepping on a broken ring file and puncturing her foot. However, golf shoes – with their support – proved the perfect footwear and she was able to play without undue discomfort, only revealing the injury after the title was hers. Click here for full scores Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193

Peterculter Golf Open mixed open tournament prizewinners

Scratch:
1st: L. Whyte (Kemnay) and D. Macklin (Deeside) 73
2nd: L and  E Tough (Newmacher) 78
3rd: S. Emslie and  D. Muncaster 80

Handicap 1 (0-18)
1st: J and W Skene (Deeside) (14.2) 64.8 (on countback)
2nd: G and A Reid (14.2) 64.8
3rd: A and M Young (17.6) 66.4

Handicap 2 (18 +)
1st: L and D Robertson (Inverurie) (20) 68
2nd: A and L Garden (Peterculter and Murcar Links) (19.8) 68.2
3rd: N Davie and L. Hay-Davie (21) 69

Best Local couple outwith prizes: Liz and Bill Davidson