DIANE STILL LEADING ANGUS LADIES' RANKINGS

Diane Hamilton (Kirriemuir) continues to maintain a narrow lead at the top of the MyGolfRanking Angus ladies' ratings for Week 17/43. She is 4pt ahead of second-placed Sakuna Ramsay (Edzell), 976, with Ann Dawsono (Arbroath Artisan), 953, in third place
ANGUS LADIES
1 Diane Hamilton (Kirriemuir) 980 pts
2 Sakuna Ramsay (Edzell) 976
3 Ann Dawson (Arbroath Artisan) 953
4 Jane Tough (Brechin) 946
5 Pamela Wickstead (Monifieth) 913
6 Lesley Forsyth (Montrose Caledonia) 898
7 Jane Grubb (Montrose Mercantile) 894
8 Kay McAllister (Edzell) 881
9 Katherine Taylor (Brechin) 879
10 Pat Roy (Forfar) 844

ANGUS LADIES CLUBS
1 Montrose Caledonia 792
2 Carnoustie 748
3 Edzell 716
4 Brechin 707
5Downfield 693
6 Letham Grange 692

World Games tees-up “best-ever” season for Stirling star

In-form University of Stirling golfer Chloé Goadby has branded her recent triumph at the Yale Intercollegiate in the United States as her “biggest win to date”.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed an incredible run of results in recent months, culminating in individual and team success at Yale – one of the highest-ranked college tournaments in the US. In addition, she came out top at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) tournaments in the Midlands and Fife.
Along with fellow Stirling golfers, Gemma Batty and Sinead Sexton, Goadby also led the University to success at the European University Sports Association (EUSA) competition in the Czech Republic, where they finished second in the individual competition – narrowly missing out on top spot by one stroke.
Speaking on her return to Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, following her impressive run of results, Goadby attributed her recent success to the momentum she picked up after representing Team GB in the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan, in August.
“The World University Games was one of the best experiences I have had in my time as a golfer,” she explained. “The golf course was a great test and was in incredible condition, demanding a wide range of skills. This was a perfect opportunity to test my skills against athletes from all over the world.”
Goadby, who was fifth in the competition before it was rained off, added: “This experience definitely helped prepare me for the rest of the tournaments of the season.
“I believe that, if you can enjoy it as much as possible, then it gives you the best opportunity to play well – and that was one of my main goals this season.
“This has undoubtedly been my best season to date and I have been very consistent. I think this is highlighted in the good run of events I have had following the World University Games.”
Last month, Goadby led the University to glory at EUSA despite “tough” conditions.
“We don’t get the opportunity to play a team event very often and, when we do, you want to do the best you possibly can for the team and the University,” she said. “The goal for the week was to retain the men’s and women’s team titles, and we achieved that, whilst I also won silver.”
Goadby, from St Andrews, also enjoyed individual success at BUCS Midlands, but this month’s triumph at Yale that will go down as her best win to date. Playing with Stirling’s Gemma Batty, Emily Laws, Hazel MacGarvie and Mirren Fraser, she secured top spot at the competition at New Haven, Connecticut.
US
The landmark win is believed to be the first time an international team has won a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One tournament, the highest level of college competition.
In further success for Stirling, Goadby topped the individual rankings at -2, three strokes ahead of second-placed MacGarvie (+1).
Reflecting on her performance, Goadby said: “My win at the Yale Women’s Intercollegiate is my biggest win to date – and my most exciting – as it was paired with a team win for our University.
“I played last year and was completely overwhelmed by the challenge by the golf course and the level of the field. So, to go back and win it this year proves how far I have come and that I am capable of winning tournaments in a highly competitive field.
“It was also very special to win the team event, particularly as we had a very young team and we hadn’t expect to win going into the event.”
The third-year Psychology and Sports Studies student capped a memorable couple of months with a win at the BUCS Fife Tournament and has now returned to University to focus on her studies.
“I have a lot of University work to catch up on and a few assignments to complete,” she explained. “So, I have taken a couple of weeks off golf, whilst getting back into a good gym routine to begin my winter training.
“It is obviously quite difficult to manage the balance between competing and university sometimes; however, it is about understanding it comes in waves and trying to organise and prioritise your time.
“As the days get shorter and darker, it becomes more difficult to fit practice into the day, but I am going to work hard to plan well and get better.”
Goadby is looking forward to a two-week winter training camp in Dubai as she sets her sights on her goals for next year.
She added: “This year, I have given myself more opportunities than ever to win and I look forward to giving myself more chances next season. Hopefully I can build on the success I’ve had this year and keep enjoying the great opportunities I’m getting in this game going forward.”

Scottish Golf to Extend Consultation Period to March AGM

The Board of Scottish Golf planned to hold a Special General Meeting (SGM) on Saturday 2 December, as previously outlined.

The SGM was scheduled to allow members to vote on key recommendations that would enable the governing body to implement a four-year strategy, by delivering much-needed investment into the game and making our golf clubs – and the game as a whole – more sustainable.

Those remain our core strategic objectives as a Board. However, in light of the departure of our Chief Executive, Blane Dodds, and having consulted with a wide range of stakeholders in recent weeks, we believe the immediate priority should be in securing a new leader for the organisation.

To that end, we intend to cancel the scheduled SGM in December, but use the date to provide a platform for all members – and others with an interest in golf – to debate the future direction for golf in Scotland, with a view to creating a collaborative set of proposals for our Annual General Meeting in March 2018.

Executive Chair Eleanor Cannon met with the Board of sportscotland earlier this week and they are supportive of the modernisation of the game in Scotland. They are pleased with the objective of the organisation to be self-sustaining, removing the over-reliance on external funding.

Stewart Harris, sportscotland’s Chief Executive, said: “Scottish Golf made a well-constructed presentation to sportscotland’s board on Wednesday 25 October, and we are supportive of the governing body’s direction of travel, which is inherently consistent with our governance framework.

“We remain committed to working closely with Scottish Golf and supporting them in reaching their objectives of increasing self-sustainability and modernising the sport. This autumn, we received an ambitious strategic plan from the governing body and we look forward to discussing it with Scottish Golf and their stakeholders at the public event on 2 December.”

In the interests of transparency, the December meeting will be a public event to bring some of the many private conversations that take place about the future of the game to a wider audience. It will be a conference-style event, with the opportunity for all stakeholders to attend.

The process of appointing our new Chief Executive is already under way and the Board has been pleased by the calibre of potential candidates who have already expressed an interest. We will formally advertise the role shortly and seek to identify and appoint the best candidate as quickly as is practicably possible.

The Board is pleased that the proposed strategic plan has created wide-ranging discussion among all those who care passionately about our sport. Critical to this consultation period is listening to our members, which is why we believe the date already scheduled in the diary for the SGM should be utilised to provide a platform for debate.

It is imperative that we utilise this two-way conversation to discuss and address the very real challenges facing golf now and in the future. On that note, it should be said that the Board has decided to use the organisation’s reserves to bridge the immediate funding gap. However, this is not a long-term approach and we will seek to rebuild those reserves in the coming years.

On 2 December, we want to engage golfers in debate and discussion on a number of subjects. These include the key trends and challenges facing golf in Scotland and the potential impact of these on club revenue and membership fees; what feedback and surveys suggest members increasingly value and demand for their membership fee; addressing our ageing demographic profile and low uptake of membership amongst young people and women; embracing digital and technology capability to enhance the experience for all golfers; reviewing governance and structure; and engaging our communities to grow club revenue.

In light of the well-documented cut in public funding and continued decline in club membership, it is essential that we hear as many perspectives as possible as we look to address significant challenges now impacting the game in Scotland.

This is the backdrop against which changes will be proposed to the game’s shareholders in 2018. We will do so with one objective: to secure the future for our game in the Home of Golf.

Kind regards
The Board of Scottish Golf

ILGU Junior Medal Final

Kate Lanigan (Hermitage) - Pat Cashman Photography 

Emma Fleming (Elm Park) - Pat Cashman Photography

The ILGU Club Junior Medal is presented to the player with the lowest aggregate of 3 nett score differentials (relative to CSS), one in each month June, July and August 2017.

 

The Club Junior Medal winners are invited to compete at the ILGU Medal Finals at Seapoint Golf Club to compete for the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals on November 1^st.

 

A shotgun start at 11am will see 55 girls from across the country compete for not only the Gold Medal but also the Silver and Bronze Medals which are awarded to best gross score and best nett score for handicaps 21 – 36 respectively.

 

Two girls who have already tasted success at Seapoint this year are Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) and Aine Donegan (Woodstock) who won the Leinster Girls Championship and U21 Seapoint Scratch Cup. Caoimhe O'Grady (Blackbush) also won the ILGU Junior Medal in 2015 and returns this year 13 shots lower in handicap to bid for the title again.

Drawsheet – Shotgun start at 11.00am

Tee 1 Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden), Aine Donegan (Woodstock), Leah Temple Lang (Elm Park), Kate Lanigan (Hermitage)                             

Tee 2 Katie O'Hart (Arklow), Emma Fleming (Elm Park), Anna Dawson (Tramore)      

Tee 3 Emily Walsh (Limerick), Caoimhe O'Grady (Black Bush), Olivia McCrystal (Holywood)              

Tee 4 Caitlin Shippam (Ballykisteen), Katie Poots (Knock), Annabel Greham (Ballina)

Tee 5 Clodagh Parkinson (Tramore), Roisín Connolly (Youghal), Orla O'Rorke (Headfort)

Tee 6 Aine Moore (Portarlington), Sarah O' Brien (Elm Park), Heidi McMillen (Holywood)

Tee 7 Tara Laverty (Royal Portrush), Kate Sheridan (Elm Park), Chloe Maples Gaffney (Royal Tara)                 

Tee 8 Xhemi Rama (Carton House), Ciara Dunne (Naas), Charlie Maxwell (Royal Curragh)

Tee 9 Maebh McLoughlin (Co. Sligo), Sorcha Moylan (Birr), Mary Beth McBrearty (Letterkenny)          

Tee 10 Isobel Gorey (Naas), Zoe Murphy (Berehaven), Orla Coughlan (Douglas)

Tee 11 Evelyn Park (Edmondstown), Corine Mulrooney (Enniscrone), Aoife Quinn (Dun Laoghaire)

Tee 12 Aoife Cadogan (Faithlegg), Katie McGrath (Mullingar), Zara Wadding (Dundalk)

Tee 13 Ellie O'Melvenna (Galgorm Castle), Niamh Grealy (Beaverstown), Sophie Reynolds (Co. Sligo)

Tee 14 Caitriona Dolan (Dunmurry), Olivia Costello (Roscommon), Ruth Flanagan (Co. Sligo)

Tee 15 Aoife Mullen (Mullingar), Sarah Hutchinson (Portarlington), Joanne Glynn (Tullamore)

Tee 16 Sarah McBrearty (Letterkenny), Nicola Lynch (Malahide), Niamh Lennon (Roscommon)

Tee 17 Jennifer Boland (Donabate), Rachel Brunton (Donaghadee), Ellie McCormack (Enniscrone)

Tee 18 Sophia O'Shea (Kilkenny), Zara Mee (Woodbrook), Sinead O'Donnell (Tralee)

Jonsdottir makes flying start at LETAS season finale

Valdis Thora Jonsdottir

LET Rookie Valdis Thora Jonsdottir fired an opening round of six-under-par 66 on Wednesday to take a three-stroke lead in the season-ending event on the 2017 LET Access Series.
The 27-year-old from Iceland made five birdies, an eagle and just one bogey at Parador de El Saler in Valencia, Spain, to sit three clear of Swede Emma Nilsson in the Santander Golf Tour LETAS El Saler tournament.
One of the flag bearers for golf in Iceland, known as the Land of Fire and Ice, where the weather can be cold, windy and challenging, Jonsdottir had warmed up for the event with a two-week training camp for 76 Icelandic golfers at Novo Sancti Petri in Spain, which proved to be the perfect preparation for the beautiful warm and sunny weather conditions in Valencia, where the temperature is expected to be in the mid-20s centigrade all week.
Her birdie assault began at the tree-lined second and third holes on the Javier Arana designed course and he she then picked up two strokes on the long fifth, after playing her ball to within 10 feet of the flag using her 3-wood. Three more birdies followed at the 10th, 11th and 13th holes, but her ball became plugged in a greenside bunker at the short 17th and after playing out from a difficult downhill lie in the sand, she escaped with a bogey.
“I hit my drives really well so I was never in trouble off the tee. I played the par 5s really well, and made some birdies and an eagle. I messed up the 15th and made a par but my putter was hot. I think I missed one putt under six metres, so that helps,” said Jonsdottir, a Texas State University graduate who racked a creditable career best fourth place finish at this year’s Foxconn Czech Ladies Challenge.
Jonsdottir provides a snapshot of the game’s popularity in Iceland, as manifested by the growing number of golf courses and, like LET Access Series graduate Olafia Kristinsdottir, who now plays on the LET and LPGA, Jonsdottir enjoyed a successful amateur career, winning the Icelandic Championship in 2009, prior to turning professional in 2013.
A rookie professional on the Ladies European Tour, she continued: “A win here would give me a lot of confidence going into the next three weeks on the LET. I’ve been in Spain for two weeks now with both of my coaches and we’ve been working on my putting for two days and my swing for the last 10 days, so I have been getting some good scores and had a round of six-under at Novo Sancti Petri, which is not an easy course.”

Another Nordic player, Nilsson, from Sweden, carded six birdies, against three bogeys to get into the hunt for her third LET Access Series title, having won twice on the circuit in 2014.
She said: “I started to hole some long putts, so that was really fun. In the end, I played really well and stuck them close to the hole. I really like the course and it’s a bit different, because the first nine is in the woods and then the last nine is by the ocean. I think it suits my game because I can use my wedges and that’s one of my strengths.”

While the Northern Europeans fared particularly well on day one, the Spanish players also made their presence felt. María Palacios and Luna Sóbron, who is placed fourth on the LET’s Rookie Rankings, shared third place on two-under-par while Eun Jung Ji Kim had been at three-under-par after 15 holes before she took a 10 on the par-4 16th. From there, she dropped a further stroke on the 18th to sit in a share of 36th position on four-over-par, in a group including the LET Access Series Order of Merit winner Meghan MacLaren.
Although MacLaren is assured of the Order of Merit title, there are five LET cards available this week and the top 15 players on the Ranking following Friday’s ultimate round will progress to the Final Stage of the LET’s Lalla Aicha Tour School in Morocco.