LYDIA EDGES FOURTH WIN TO STAY IN CHARGE OF ONE DAY SERIES

Lydia Hall continued her dominance of the WPGA One Day Series at Chestfield Golf Club.

The Welsh Ladies European Tour player collected her fourth win in the competition this year - although she felt her margin of victory could have been even greater.

Hall carded a one under par round of 70 at the Kent venue to win by just one shot ahead of Catherine Panton-Lewis, of The Berkshire Golf Club, and Sian Evans, from Kent's Kingshill Golf Club.

But a back nine which included two bogeys and a double bogey, put a dampner on the Hensol Golf Academy professional's round until she birdied the 18th hole.

It meant an encouraging start fell way but she did enough to claim another win in the series.

"I felt my final score could've been much better, I was four under par after the 10th hole and playing quite solidly," she said.

"So I came off a little bit disappointed after making some poor shots over seven holes. My double bogey came from the drive.

"I wanted to end well and finish under par - and was able to get a birdie at the 18th to win it. Overall though it didn't go the way I wanted considering the way I started but I'm really pleased to have won, it was another competitive round before heading to the Scottish Open."

Hall will miss the next round of the series after winning the last two successive events.

Her busy schedule means she cannot make the sixth round of the series which is being held at Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club.

"I hope I can do well in the Scottish Open to secure my spot in the British Open the week after. I won't be playing at Salisbury, and it does start to pick up on the Ladies European Tour, but I intend to play in the seventh round at South Herts Golf Club at the end of August as I think it's important to support the WPGA as much as I can, I think it's important for all the women to do so," she said.

WPGA ONE DAY SERIES (5)
at Chestfield Golf Club, Friday, July 21, 2017
Results
Pos. Score Name Represents
1 70 (-1) Lydia Hall Hensol Golf Academy
2 71 (Level) Catherine Panton-Lewis The Berkshire Golf Club
Sian Evans Kings Hill Golf Club
4 74 (+3) Chloe Rogers Buckinghamshire Golf Club
5 76 (+5) Harriet Lynch (a) England U16 East Region Squad
Katie Rule Mullion Golf Club
Suzanne Dickens Thorpe Wood Golf Course


View full results from the Chestfield WPGA One Day Series event.

NIKKI GETS THAT WINNING FEELING AGAIN AT LITTLE ASTON

NEWS RELEASE

WPGA ONE DAY SERIES

Nikki Dunn - image courtesy of Tony Marshall at Getty Images

Nikki Dunn kept her 2016 form going into the new season after finishing joint top of the leaderboard at the opening WPGA One Day series event at Little Aston Golf Club.

Dunn won the inaugural WPGA Lombard Trophy in Portugal last year.

And the final year Dinsdale Spa assistant had that winning feeling again at the Birmingham venue when she carded a three under par round of 71.

She tied for the lead with Ladies European Tour player and current Welsh National PGA Champion Lydia Hall, of Hensol Golf Academy in south Wales.

Darlington-based Dunn would have won the event had she not picked up a bogey at the par four 18th hole after making five birdies.

But the former England amateur was happy with her performance and now plans to re-focus on playing now that she has finished her PGA exams.

"Before I became a PGA assistant I was playing at international and county level and I spent four years in the USA in Texas and Florida," said Dunn.

"So now my exams are over I'll be looking to pick that up again. I'll be playing in the next round of the WPGA One day event which is at Dunham Forest which is a course I love playing at."

Dunn and Hall finished one shot ahead of Victoria Mallet (Mytime Active) who came third.

And Dunn admitted it was satisfying to match a player of Hall's pedigree.

"She wasn't the same group as me but it was good to compete with her at the top of the leaderboard - she's a tough cookie," said Dunn.

"I wasn't expecting that result at all as I haven't practiced much so far.

"My last competitive round was in September when we won the Lombard Trophy.

"I want to play another couple of One Day Series events before we have the Lombard qualifier again in June and I am looking forward to keeping my form going this season.

"I played Little Aston last year and before that I'd played it for England as a teenager of maybe 13 or 14. I know the course pretty well.

"It wasn't the best start or finish for me - but the middle bit was a case of 'when it's your day, it's your day'."

WPGA ONE DAY SERIES (1)
at Little Aston Golf Club, Monday 8 May, 2017
Results
Pos. Score Name Represents
T1 71 (-3) Nikki Dunn Dinsdale Spa Golf Club
Lydia Hall Hensol Golf Academy
3 72 (-2) Victoria Mallett Mytime Active
4 74 (Level) Sarah Smith Saffron Walden Golf Club
Danielle Anderson Stoke by Nayland Golf Club Ltd
6 75 (+1) Maria Tully Eastbourne Downs Golf Club
Hannah Davies Adlington Golf Centre
Sarah Walton Kington Golf Club

Sixth time lucky for Sian Evans at WPGA        

Series but Heather not blooming in Kent

FROM THE WPGA WEBSITE
Sian Evans finally secured her first WPGA One Day series victory in the sixth round at Chestfield Golf Club, Whitstable in Kent today.
Evans, of Kings Hill Golf Club in Kent, was the only player to go under par as she sealed a one-shot triumph over Katie Rule (Mullion Golf Club)  and Maria Tulley  (Eastbourne Downs Golf Club).
And it was perfect timing for Evans as it was her final event before the final qualifying for the Ricoh Women’s British Open this Monday at John O'Gaunt Golf Club, Bedfordshire.
She carded a one under par round of 70 and said it was a display that had been on the way for a while.
“I’ve played in four events this year but this is my first win after finishing third in the previous round at Salisbury,” said Evans who had two wins in this series last year.
“My form’s been building with the Open qualifier coming up so I was pleased from that point of view.”
Evans will have to wait for the calculations to see if she can still win the WPGA Order of Merit crown at the final event at South Herts Golf Club on August 10.
“I haven’t looked at the points yet but it’s going to be close, some of them have played all the events this year,” she added.
“So I’m not sure how I’ll stand going into the last round, but I’ll want to play at South Herts as it’s a course I like.”
Evans admitted that that local knowledge did not come into her win at Chestfield.
“It is close to me, but I’d never played it before, I only live about 30 minutes away but it’s probably 40 minutes from Kings Hill,” she said.
“But I enjoyed playing there and I was particularly happy to go under par for the day.”

Meanwhile Heather MacRae and Suzanne Dickens could only manage three over par 74s in the penultimate One Day Series event.
The pair had battled out a thrilling duel for the Titleist and FootJoy Women’s Professional Championship on Tuesday when MacRae won  a play-off at a sun-baked Frilford Heath.
Full scores here

TITLEIST FOOTJOY WOMEN’S PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

TOURNAMENT RELEASE

PROUD MACRAE ACHIEVES TITLE QUEST IN ‘DUEL IN 

THE SUN’

Heather Macrae and Suzanne Dickens staged their own ‘duel in the sun’ for the Titleist and FootJoy Women’s PGA Professional Championship - Macrae finally coming out on top in the heat of battle.

And what a sizzler they served up – with the title being decided via a play-off after the duo had spent the day trading blows for 36-holes over Frilford Heath’s Blue Course, which Macrae summed up as akin to ‘matchplay’ golf.

The new-look format, which saw the championship as a standalone event for the first time, was a real test of stamina as much as skill as Britain baked on the hottest day of the year.
For Macrae, who was making her debut in the tournament, this was a title she desperately wanted to win. It slipped from her grasp over the final three holes of regulation play, a bogey at 16 and a double at 17 opened the door for 2014 champion Dickens (Thorpe Wood), who sunk a birdie on the last to take it into extra time with the pair tied on four-under-par.
The play-off lasted one hole as Dickens uncharacteristically topped her tee shot to hand the advantage to her rival. Dickens recovered as she hit her second to the fringe of the green but Macrae landed her approach shot 12 feet from the pin to ramp up the pressure.
Dickens’s putt from off the green fell eight feet shy of the pin. Macrae’s first attempt glanced at the hole leaving a tap in – and Dickins needing to hole out to take them back to the tee. But it wasn’t to be and Macrae duly took the title and the winner’s cheque for £1,000.
“I’m really proud to be a PGA pro and winning this tournament is a great event to win,” said Macrae, who is based at Archerfield Links.
“To have my name on this trophy is something I set out to do at the start of the year so I’m delighted to come and get it done. I really wanted to win and it means a lot to win an event like this.”
It was an incredible display by the pair who shared 22 birdies between them, such was the high standard of play.
Dickens, from Thorpe Wood, held a three shot advantage at the halfway stage, overcoming a double bogey on the first to sprinkle seven birdies across her card for a five-under-par 66 and a three shot lead after Macrae double bogeyed the last to card a 69.
The second round was an epic as the destiny of the title swung from one to the other, as they jousted with each other as birdies and bogeys were carded in regular fashion.
It looked to be Macrae’s with three to go as she held a two shot advantage over her rival and had been imperious on the back nine with four birdies until the exciting – unexpected finale. Macrae carded another 69 with Dickens adding a 72.
Macrae added: “I played really nice today. I made a silly double on the 18^th in the first round and tried my best to do the same second time round but I managed to hang in there.

“I never really thought about how tight it was until about four or five holes from the end as I knew I just had to stay focused.

“I played nice the first round and gave a few back and I just tried to play my own game and make birdies. I knew that I was doing well and then 17 was a car crash and apart from that it was really good.”

Dickens, who was pleased to have been challenging for the title, said: “It’s been a long day but it’s been a fun day. I was really happy with my round this morning even with a double on the first. It was tricky out there but the greens were superb.
“This afternoon just lot a bit of steam at the end. I’m not used to playing 36 holes in this weather, or 36 full stop. I’d have loved to have won. I gave myself a chance on the last hole and it’s good to be back up the top of the leaderboard again but Heather played really well and I’m happy for her to win.”

WPGA One Day Series leader Alison Nicholas (Beau Desert) finished third on level par after rounds of 73 and 69.

HEATHER WINS WPGA CHAMPIONSHIP 

PLAY-OFF AND £1,000

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Former British women's amateur stroke-play champion Heather MacRae, who recently switched from the Gleneagles pro staff to Archerfield Links, scored one of her biggest wins as a professional today (Tuesday).

The 32-year-old from Dunblane made winning debut appearance in the WPGA championship at Frilford Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire.

She beat Suzanna Dickens (Thorpe Wood) at the first hole of a play-off after they had tied on four-under-par 138.

This is the first year the players have had to play two rounds in one day but Heather was fit enough to cope with a pair of 69s which earned her £1,000.

Suzanne sagged by six shots, from a first-round 66 to a 72. She earned £800.

Former US Women's Open champion Alison Nicholas (Beau Desert) finished third on 142 (73-69) and earned £650.

Ireland's Maura Morrin (73-71) and Katie Rule (Mullion) (70-74) tied for fourth place on 144 and earned £537 each.

FINAL TOTALS
par 142 (2x71)

1	Heather MacRae  Archerfield Links				69	69	138		£1,000.00	(won play-off)
2	Suzanne Dickens  Thorpe Wood Golf Course				66	72	138		£800.00
3	Alison Nicholas  Beau Desert Golf Club				73	69	142		£650.00
T4	Maura Morrin  Stepaside Golf Centre				73	71	144		£537.50
T4	Katie Rule  Mullion Golf Club				70	74	144		£537.50
6	Alexandra Keighley  Huddersfield Golf Club				74	71	145		£450.00
7	Keely Chiericato  Manston Golf Centre				73	73	146		£400.00
T8	Sarah Walton  Kington Golf Club				72	76	148		£362.50
T8	Ali Gray  Ormskirk Golf Club				78	70	148		£362.50
10	Claire Duffy  Test Valley Golf Club				77	72	149		£325.00
T11	Marie Martindale  Motocaddy Limited				71	79	150		£287.50
T11	Hannah Davies  Adlington Golf Centre				73	77	150		£287.50
T13	Catherine Panton-Lewis  Berkshire Golf Club				74	77	151
T13	Sian James				73	78	151
15	Maria Tulley  Eastbourne Downs Golf Club				75	77	152
16	Sarah Smith  Saffron Walden Golf Club				78	75	153
17	Joanne Taylor  Tyrrells Wood Golf Club				78	76	154
T18	Sophie Daws  PGolfCoaching@Etchinghill				77	78	155
T18	Katie Tebbet  Rothley Park Golf Club				82	73	155
20	Karen Heywood  Brookdale Golf Club				75	81	156
21	Marisa Newman  Hever Castle Golf Club				81	76	157
22	Jamie-Lee Casling  Cotswold Hills Golf Club				76	84	160
23	Alison Johns  Woodhall Spa Golf Club				83	80	163
24	Victoria Harris  Buckinghamshire Golf Club				86	80	166
25	Laura Harvey  Castle Eden Golf Club				87	93	180
DID NOT FINISH
WD	Emma Brown  Windmill Golf Academy
RTD	Tracy Loveys  Bigbury Golf Club			+8

^(p) denotes won playoff

WPGA ONE-DAY SERIES -- Kedleston Park, Derbyshire scoreboard

1	Lydia Hall  Hensol Golf Academy	-2	F	71
2	Sarah Smith  Saffron Walden Golf Club	-1	F	72
3	Alison Nicholas  Beau Desert Golf Club	E	F	73
4	Maria Tulley  Eastbourne Downs Golf Club	+3	F	76
T5	Nikki Dunn  Dinsdale Spa Golf Club	+4	F	77
T5	Suzanne Dickens  Thorpe Wood Golf Course	+4	F	77
T7	Katie Tebbet  Rothley Park Golf Club	+5	F	78
T7	Sarah Walton  Kington Golf Club	+5	F	78
T7	Rachel Woodcock  Belton Park Golf Club	+5	F	78
T7	Danielle Anderson  Wentworth Club	+5	F	78
T7	Keely Chiericato  Manston Golf Centre	+5	F	78
T12	Laura Harvey  Castle Eden Golf Club	+6	F	79
T12	Esme Hamilton (a)	+6	F	79
T12	Eleanor Robinson  Leeds Golf Centre	+6	F	79
T15	Beth Scott  The Grove	+7	F	80
T15	Jessica Wilcox  Blankney Golf Club	+7	F	80
T15	Karen Heywood  Brookdale Golf Club	+7	F	80
T18	Chloe Rogers	+8	F	81
T18	Ali Gray  Ormskirk Golf Club	+8	F	81
T20	Rhiannon Linacre  Coxmoor Golf Club	+9	F	82
T20	Liza Nikulina  Drift Golf Club	+9	F	82
22	Ella McClintock  Brookfield Golf Club	+10	F	83
23	Belinda Whent  James Andrews Golf School	+11	F	84
T24	Carole Pope  Isle of Wedmore Golf Club	+12	F	85
T24	Evie Carter  Erewash Valley Golf Club	+12	F	85
T24	Stephanie Hall  Sitwell Park Golf Club	+12	F	85
T24	Amy Taylor  Ullesthorpe Court Golf Club	+12	F	85
28	Sophie Daws  PGolfCoaching@Etchinghill	+13	F	86
29	Hannah Bowen  Machynys Peninsula Golf & Coun	+15	F	88
30	Emma Prentice  Gog Magog Golf Club	+17	F	90
31	Jessica Heap  Ashridge Golf Club	+21	F	94