Ireland win Girls' title by beating Scotland 5-4

            WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! ...  Ireland's Under-18 girls team
                                    Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency

FROM THE LGU WEBSITE
Ireland have won the Girls' Home Internationals title for the first time. They came from behind to beat Scotland 5-4 in the Under-18s' championship decider at Conwy Golf Club, North Wales.
The Scots had beaten Wales 7-2 and England 6-3 and when they established a 2-1 lead over Ireland in the final day foursomes, it looked as if Scotland would win the title for the first time since their back-to-back successes in 2006 and 2007.
But a talented Irish squad rose to the challenge and won four of the six singles.
After Shannon McWilliam had won the top singles for Scotland, beating Mairead Martin 3 and 1 by winning five holes on the trot from the 13th, the Irish really got down to business.
Annabel Wilson beat Joanne Free 5 and 3 after being three holes up after six.
Then Irish U18s champion Julie McCarthy won by 4 and 2 against Louise Duncan, winning the seventh, eighth, 13th and 16th without reply.
Niamh McSherry put a fourth point on the board for Ireland by beating Jennifer Rankine 7 and 6 after getting to five up on the eighth tee.
Hazel MacGarvie gave Scotland a glimmer of hope of turning the Irish tide when she scored her sixth win in six matches - MVP of the girls' tournament - by beating Valerie Clancy 6 and 5 with a glory run of wins at the seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th.
That meant the overall score stood at 4-4 with everything hanging on the result of the match between Jillian Farrell, winner of five out of five for the Scots, and Lauren Walsh, playing in her first Girls' Home Internationals for Ireland.
Farrell lost the first two holes but twice got back to all square, winning the eighth and then the 12th after losing the sixth and the 10th.
All square on the 13th tee, Walsh struck a body blow to the Scot's hopes by going two up with wins at the 13th and 14th.
Farrell got one back by winning the 15th and, one down with three to play, Jillian needed "only" to get a square game for Scotland to win the title.
But Walsh closed out her opponent and clinched a 5-4 win for Ireland by taking the 16th and 17th for a 3 and 1 win she will remember the rest of her golfing days.
England, who had come into the tournament seeking a ninth title in a row, finished third by beating Wales 6.5-2.5
They took a 2-1 lead from the foursomes into the singles in which there were clear-cut wins for Lily-May Humphreys (5 and 3 v Lucy Jones), Amelia Williamson (5 and 3 v Ffion Evans), Annabel Fuller (4 and 3 v Caitlin Evans-Brand) and Louisa Brunt (5 and 4 v Nicola Wainwright.
The Welsh tail wagged with Cary Worby winning the 15th, 17th and 18th for a two-hole win over Isobel Wardle. And Ffion Vineall won the 14th, 15th and 17th to snatch a square match with Sharna Deutrieux.

       Scotland's Under-18 girls team with the "Swansea Spoon," the runners-up trophy. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

                                   

England's WHI hat-trick with a 7-2 win over 

                          Wales at Conwy

   England team with the Stroyan Cup

                            Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency
FROM THE LGU WEBSITE
England won the Women's Home Internationals title at Conwy Golf Club, North Wales today for the third time in a row and the fifth in the past six years.
After drawing with Ireland and beating Scotland, they crushed Wales' championship hopes by taking the foursomes 3-0 and the singles 4-2 for a comprehensive 7-2 victory.
Curtis Cup player Meghan MacLaren won the top singles by 6 and 5 over Wales' Megan Lockett followed by a 4 and 3 victory by Gemma Clews over Bethan Morris and a 2 and 1 win by Samantha Giles over Chloe Williams. That made the overall score 6-0 and removed the tension from the last hour or two of play on the final day.
It was MacLaren's fifth win in six starts and she took a grip on the match by winning the seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 16th.
Clews won the eighth, ninth, 10th and 12th, and there was no way back for Morris after that.
Giles won the second and third holes from Williams and was still two up through the eighth, the 12th and the 14th. The England player went three up a second time at the fifth and though she lost the 16th, Williams had run out of holes and a half at the 17th clinched Giles' 2 and 1 win.
Kath O'Connor scored Wales first singles win. She beat Sophie Lamb 2 and 1 after wins at the third and fifth put her in the drivng seat. Her high point was winning the 13th to go three up. Lamb won the 14th to go into the final holes two down and she could not make any inroads on her deficit.
Emma Allen scored England's fifth singles win, by 2 and 1 at the expenses of Lauren Hillier. One up at the turn, Allen built on that with wins at the 10th and 12th. Hillier won the 14th but a string of halves ended the contest on the 17th green.
And the match finished with a second point for Wales, delivered by Georgia Lewis in her first appearance of the week. She won the 18th to beat Olivia Winning by one hole.

Scotland produced their best performance of the week to squash Ireland's lingering hopes that a win might get them into a countback for the title in the event of England and Wales drawing their final match.
The Scots, who had lost to Wales and England, beat the Irish 5-4 after taking a 2-1 lead from the foursomes.
Connie Jaffrey, two up after three holes, went on to beat Jessica Carty 3 and 2.
Jess Meek, thanks to successes at the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th,  scored her fourth win of the week, beating Jessica Ross 5 and 4.
In the top singles, Hannah McCook, one of two holes up most of the way against Louise Coffey eventually was held to a square game, thanks to the Irish player winning both the 16th and 17th.
And 2014 Curtis Cup player Eilidh Briggs, one down at the turn, won the 14th, 17th and 18th to get a plucky halved match with Maria Dunne, a member of this year's winning GB&I team.
Yet another Curtis Cup player, Ireland's Olivia Mehaffey. won by two holes against former Scottish champion Clara Young who put up a stuff performance as Mehaffey scored her fifth win of the week.
Scotland's Heather Munro went into the final session of play with a record of five wins from five outings. Ireland's Sinead Sexton, three up after eight, smashed the 100 per cent winning tag by beating the Scot 2 and 1.
And so the first combined Women's and Girls Home Internationals came to a conclusion. Were they a success? Undoubtedly although they did make for longer days! 

England take big step towards Women's title 

with clean sweep of foursomes against Wales

                          England's WHI team at Conwy GC, North Wales
FROM LGU WEBSITE
England took a huge step towards a third Women's Home Internationals title in a row and a fifth in the past six years when they won all three morning foursomes against Wales, their main rivals, on the final day at Conwy Golf Club, North Wales.
Ireland, needing a big win over Scotland in the hope that they would be involved in a countback should England and Wales draw, lost the foursomes 2-1 to Scotland, the only team who entered the last day without championship aspirations.
Olivia Winning and Curtis Cup player Meghan MacLaren put the first point on the board for England by beating Bethan Morris and Becky Harries 3 and 1.
The English pair won the second and sixth holes and didn't lose a hole until the 12th, by which time they had double their lead with successes at the 10th and 11th.
Morris and Harries also won the 16th after a string of halves but it was too little too late. Two up, MacLaren and Winning clinched victory by winning the 17th.
England went 2-0 up overall when Samantha Giles and Gemma Clews beat Chloe Williams and Megan Lockett by 3 and 1.
Nothing to choose between the teams in this one until the last few holes when Giles and Clews asserted their superiority. They won the 13th, 16th and 17th for victory.
England's successful morning was capped by a one-hole win for Emma Allen and Sophie Lamb over Lauren Hillier and Kath O'Connor.
This was a squeaky tight one with Wales twice leading by one hole after the turn. But Allen and Lamb squared the contest by winning the 14th and went one up by winning the 16th. Halves at the last two holes turned England's lead into a one-hole victory and an overall 3-0 clean sweep of the last day foursomes.
Scotland's 2-1 lunchtime lead over Ireland was set up by wins from Jess Meek and Heather Munro (3 and 2 against Maria Dunne and Sinead Sexton) and Clara Young and Connie Jaffrey (one hole up on Jessica Ross and Paula Grant).
Dunne and Sexton gave as good as they got in the opening holes against Meek and the in-form Munro but then didn't win another hole after the seventh.
Wins by the Scots at the ninth, 12th and 16th settled this one.
There was never more than a hole in either way in the second foursomes which was decided by Young and Jaffrey's capture of the 17th which put them one up. A half at the last was good enough for the Scots to go 2-0 up overall.
Ireland's morning point came from Curtis Cup player Olivia Mehaffey and Louise Coffey who won the last three holes for a two-hole victory over Hannah McCook and Eilidh Briggs.
Mehaffey and Coffey had been two down after five holes but then got into their stride and squared matters by winning the eighth and ninth.

Under-18s Home Internationals in North Wales

Scotland lead Ireland 2-1 in Girls' title 

decider at Conwy

FROM THE LGU WEBSITE
Scotland lead Ireland 2-1 after the Day 3 foursomes in the title-deciding match of the Girls' Home Internationals at Conwy Golf Club, North Wales.
But it could have be a 2-1 lead for the Irish had not Hazel MacGarvie and Jillian Farrell preserved their 100 per cent foursomes record for Scotland by winning the 18th hole against Ireland's Julie McCarthy and Rachel Thompson.
The Scots, two up at one stage of the outward half, were pulled back to all square but won the 16th to regain a narrow lead.
McCarthy and Thompson responded by winning the 17th to square the contest.
So whichever pair won the 18th would give their team the lunchtime lead and a possible vital edge going into the singles.
And it was McGarvie, the Scottish U18 girls champion, and Farrell who won the hole to finish the match one up to give Scotland a 2-1 lead.
Earlier in the morning, Scotland's Jennifer Rankine and Jasmine MacKintosh dovetailed their games well to beat Ireland's Niamh McSherry and Valerie Clancy by 6 and 5.
The Scots won three of the first five holes and were two up at the turn before winning the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th for their comprehensive victory.
Ireland levelled it at 1-1 overall with a one-hole win by their lead-off pair, Annabel Wilson and Mairead Martin. They beat Shannon McWilliam and Joanne Free by one hole in a ding-dong strugle in which there was never more than a hole in it and both sides led on and off.
In the other girls' match, England lead Wales 2-1 going into the singles.
Lilly-May Humphreys and Amelia Williamson gave England a flying start by winning the lead-four foursomes 6 and 4 against Lucy Jones and Caitlin Brand-Evans.
Three down at the turn, Jones and Brand-Evans won the 10th but Humphreys and Williamson promptly took the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th for the match.
Louisa Brunt and Sharna Dutrieux made it 2-0 for the England girls by beating Harriet Evans and Nicola Wainwright 6 and 5.
Brunt and Dutrieux won the first three holes, halved the fourth and then went four up at the fifth.
The English pair continued to dominate after the turn with successes at the 10th and 12th for a six-hole lead.
Wales kept alive their hopes of turning it around in the singles with a one-hole win by Ffion-Evans and Carys Worby over Emily Price and Isobel Wardle.
The Welsh pair were two up after five but all square at the turn and had to do it all again on the inward half - which they did.
Evans and Worby went two up a second time by winning the 12th and 13th.
Price and Wardel won back the 16th but it was too little too late. Halves at the 17th and 18th gave Wales a one-hole win and reduced England's lunchtime lead to 2-1

MyGolfRanking Fife Ladies and Men

The MGR Fife Golfer of the Week is Nicola Gemmell of Anstruther Ladies who enters the MGR Fife Ladies Ranking Top Ten for the first time at No 4.

MGR Week 2016/31

Fife Ladies                                                                     

1 Carole Sutherland (Scotscraig) 1017 points

2 Linda Dyball (Dunfermline) 969

3 Anna McKay (Crail) 938

4 *Nicola Gemmell (Anstruther) 928

5 Dianne Watson (Leven GS) 921

Fife Clubs - Ladies

1 Leven GS 779

2 Kinghorn 767

3 St Michaels 728

4 Lochgelly 726

5 Dunnikier Park 724

Fife Men

1 Graeme Jones (Dunfermline) 1331 points                                                                                            

2 Barry Logan (Dunnikier Park) 1173

3 Calum Giffen (Lundin) 1097

4 Graham Ballantyne (Dunnikier Park) 1070                        

5 Steven Leslie (Dunnikier Park) 1067

                                                                                                                                        

Fife Clubs - Men

1 Dunnikier Park 958 points

2 Dunfermline 956

3 Lundin 905

4 Aberdour 859

5 St Andrews New 838

*Entry or Re-entry this week

For up-to-date ranking lists of participating clubs, the full Regional, National and International Rankings and how it works, visit www.mygolfranking.net.

The MyGolfRanking service is free to clubs and members. Clubs wishing to participate should register on www.mygolfranking.net.

David Moir

MyGolfRanking

In League with Golf Ltd

info@mygolfranking.net

U.S. Women’s Amateur: Match-play schedule, and all the results so far

By Golfweek Staff

Lucy Li waits for other players on the 14th hole in the second round of stroke play during the 2016 U.S. Women's Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. (USGA/Steven Gibbons)

Here is a look at the match-play schedule for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania
• • •
QUARTER-FINALS

• Virginia Elena Carta vs. Maria Torres, 1:45 p.m.
• Yuka Saso vs. Nasa Hataoka, 1:55 p.m.
• Hannah Green vs. Mathilda Cappeliez, 2:05 p.m.
• Eun Jeong Seong vs. Andrea Lee, 2:15 p.m.

• • •
ROUND OF 16

• Virginia Elena Carta def. Jessica Porvasnik, 3 and 2
• Maria Torres def. Dylan Kim, 5 and 4
• Yuka Saso def. Hailee Cooper, 2 and 1
• Nasa Hataoka def. Katelyn Dambaugh, 2 and 1
• Hannah Green def. Celine Boutier, 4 and 3
• Mathilda Cappeliez def.Paphangkorn Tavatanakit, 1 up
• Eun Jeong Seong def.Hye-Jin Choi, 6 and 5
• Andrea Lee def. Robynn Ree, 6 and 4

•••
ROUND OF 32

• Virginia Elena Carta def. Muni He, 4 and 2
• Jessica Porvasnik def. Agathe Laisne, 4 and 2
• Dylan Kim def. Sirene Blair, 2 and 1
• Maria Torres def. Shannon Brooks, 1 up
• Yuka Saso def. Alyaa Abdulghany, 19 holes
• Hailee Cooper def. Mika Liu, 1 up
• Katelyn Dambaugh def. Kristen Gillman, 2 and 1
• Nasa Hataoka def. Cheyenne Knight, 3 and 2
• Hannah Green def. Lucy Li, 6 and 4
• Celine Boutier def. Maria Fassi, 2 and 1
• Paphangkorn Tavatanakit def. Gabriella Then, 7 and 6
• Mathilda Cappeliez Gabrielle Shipley, 8 and 6
• Hye-Jin Choi def. Bethany Wu, 6 and 5
• Eun Jeong Seong def. Annika Clark, 5 and 4
• Andrea Lee def. Bing Singhsumalee, 5 and 4
• Robynn Ree def. Danielle Lemek, 6 and 5

• • •
ROUND OF 64

• Muni He def. Mariel Galdiano, 22 holes
• Virginia Elena Carta def. Rinko Mitsunaga, 5 and 4
• Agathe Laisne def. Isabella Fierro, 2 and 1
• Jessica Porvasnik def. Kaitlyn Papp, 20 holes
• Dylan Kim def. Lauren Beaudreau, 8 and 7
• Sirene Blair def. Sierra Sims, 2 and 1
• Maria Torres def. Jaravee Boonchant, 20 holes
• Shannon Brooks def. Anna Redding, 4 and 3
• Yuka Saso def. Abbey Carlson, 2 and 1
• Alyaa Abdulghany def. Khris Davidson, 19 holes
• Mike Liu def. Jessica Vasilic, 2 and 1
• Hailee Cooper def. Bailey Tardy, 2 up
• Katelyn Dambaugh def. Aurora Kim, 4 and 3
• Kristen Gillman def. Annika Clark, 5 and 4
• Nasa Hataoka def. Yealimi Noh, 2 up
• Cheyenne Knight def. Ashley Holder, 2 up
• Lucy Li def. August Kim, 4 and 3
• Hannah Green def. Tianyu Wang, 1 up
• Maria Fassi def. Yu Eun Kim, 6 and 5
• Celine Boutier def. Lindsey McCurdy, 1 up
• Paphangkorn Tavatanakit def. Isabelle Skinner, 19 holes
• Gabriella Then def. Monica Vaughn, 4 and 3
• Gabrielle Shipley def. Tiffany Chan, 21 holes
• Mathilda Cappeliez def. Margaret Shirley-Starosto, 4 and 2
• Hye-Jin Choi def. Kacie Komoto, 4 and 3
• Bethany Wu def. Lauren Stephenson, 3 and 2
• Eun Jeong Seong def. Janet Mao, 4 and 3
• Chakansim Khamborn def. Valerie Tanguay, 6 and 4
• Bing Singhsumalee def. Gina Kim, 2 and 1
• Andrea Lee def. Kelly Whaley, 5 and 4
• Robynn Ree def. Anneliese Newell, 1 up
• Danielle Lemek def. Anita Uwadia, 6 and 4