Carly and Stephanie in top 12

after Day 1 of Arizona Silver Belle

Curtis Cup teenager Carly Booth shot a one-over-par 73 in the first round of the Arizona Silver Belle golf tournament over the Arizona State University's Karsten course at Tempe today.
Carly, 16, on holiday from Glenalmond School, Perthshire, had birdies at the first, fifth and seventh holes in an outward, one-under-par 34. But the supply of sub-par figures dried up on the inward half when she added bogeys at the long 14th and short 16th to her outward shots dropped at the sixth and eighth.

At the end of the day, Carly was a creditable joint 12th in the field of 60 or so girls/young women aged between 13 and 23 years for this prestige tournament over 54 holes..

Americans Kristen Park and Cheyenne Woods shared the lead at three-under-par 69.

South Carolina-based former Irish girls champion Stephanie Meadow, did even better than Carly despite bogeying the first two holes. She starts the second round in a tie for seventh place after matching the par of 72.

A birdie at the eighth gave Stephanie, a pupil at the International Junior Golf Academy at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the confidence to cover the inward half in one-under-par 36. She birdied the three long par-5 holes - the 10th, 14th and 17th - but dropped shots at the 11th and also the 18th when she looked set to return a sub-par score.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES

Par 72

69 Kristen Park (Buena Park, California) 36-33, Cheyenne Woods (Phoenix, Arizona) 32-37.

70 Jane Chin (Mission Viejo, California) 33-37.

71 Karina Hegge (Seattle, Washington) 34-37, Anna Jang (Aiea, Hawaii) 33-38, Victoriasung Park (Irvine, California) 35-36.

72 Cheyenne Hickie (Gilbert, Arizona) 36-37, Jennifer Johnson (La Quinta, California) 33-39, Lee Lopez (Whittier, California) 35-37, Stephanie Meadow (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) 36-36, Erica Moston (San Jose, California)34-38.

73 Carly Booth (Comrie, Perthshire) 34-39, Ani Gulugian (Irvine, California) 35-38, Kimberley Kim (Queen Creek, Arizona) 36-37, Stacy Kim (Yorba Linda, California) 36-37, Rachel Morris (Carlsbad, California) 32-41, Georgiana Salant (Encinitas (California) 36-37, Stephanie Sherlock (Barrie, Ohio) 33-40, Lindsey Weaver (Scottsdale, Arizona) 35-38.