January 2006 Archive

Tuesday 31st January 2006

STAND BY FOR FIRST SCOTLAND WOMEN’S TEAM TO COMPETE FOR ESPIRITO SANTO TROPHY
by COLIN FARQUHARSON
This year’s women’s world amateur team golf championship - in South Africa in October - will be the first in the 42-year history of the Espirito Santo Trophy tournament to feature teams of three players from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.
Previously, the four home unions contributed players to a Great Britain & Ireland team chosen by the Ladies Golf Union international selection committee.
It was purely a coincidence that the last Espirito Santo Trophy tournament – a four-round stroke-play event in which the best two individual scores count daily for each team – at Puerto Rico in 2004 produced the worst ever finish by a Great Britain & Ireland team.
Captained by Kim Andrew, the line-up of Clare Queen (Scotland), Emma Duggleby (England) and Stephanie Evans (Wales) finished joint 25th.
GB&I women’s teams never won the event, named after Mrs Ricardo Espirito Santo Trophy (Portugal), who put up the trophy,  but had 18 top-10 finishes and were runners-up in 1974 in the Dominican Republic and in 1992 in Vancouver.
Andy Salmon, chief executive of the LGU, explained the background background to the fundamental change which opens the door for far more Scottish players to compete every two years in the women’s world amateur team championship.
“We had been talking with the four national organisations about this for well over a year and last November, at a meeting of the LGU and national organisations, it was agreed to enter four teams from 2006 onwards.
“Really, this was an inevitable step following the men's decision to do likewise in 2000. At the LGU, we are comfortable with the decision and look forward to seeing how the four teams get on this year.”
The 2006 tournament will be played at Stellenbosch Golf Club, South Africa from October 18 to 21.
The men’s world amateur team championship for the Eisenhower Trophy goes on at the same venue just over a week later, from October 26 to 29.
Great Britain & Ireland men’s teams had a much better record in this tournament which was first played in 1958. GB&I won the trophy four times (1964-1976-1988-1998) and were runners-up on three occasions.
Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales made their debuts as separate entities in 2002 at Kuala Lumpur. United States won, as usual, England came seventh, Wales 14th and Ireland 28th. Scotland did not make an auspicious start. Jack Doherty, Graham Gordon and Simon Mackenzie finished 21st as a team.
Much worse was to follow at the second attempt. In 2004 at Puerto Rico, Scotland, represented by Stuart Wilson, George Murray and Jamie McLeary, finished 31st with a total of 440 (United States won by nine shots with 407. Wales were seventh, England joint eighth and Ireland joint 17th).
There was at least one Scot, sometimes two, in the Eisenhower Trophy-winning Great Britain & Ireland teams of 1964 (Ronnie Shade), 1976 (Ian Hutcheon and Steve Martin), 1988 (Jim Milligan) and 1998 (Lorne Kelly).
Too late, of course, to ask  the question: Is it not better to have one very strong GB&I team containing the best players from all four home countries competing on the world stage rather than four separate – on the face of it, weaker – teams representing Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales?
The deed is done, the die is cast for better or for worse.
Perhaps Stellenbosch in October will signal the turning point for Scotland men’s teams in the Eisenhower Trophy.
Let’s hope that the first Scotland women’s team in the Espirito Santo Trophy do better than 21st or even 31st in their debut.

Date for your diary / correction to Wee Yellow Book
Falkirk Golf Club Ladies Open.
Margaret Tough writes "There is a error regarding the date of our Ladies Open in the Yellow Book. The correct date is SATURDAY 29TH APRIL not 26th April"

SGU Press Release
Scots To Host European Men's Team Championship
The most prestigious team event in European men's amateur golf is to be played at Western Gailes in Ayrshire next year.
The Scottish Golf Union (SGU) will host the 25th European team championship, a bi-annual six-man team challenge, which Scotland has won on five occasions and been runner-up six times. The Scots’ last win came in Sweden in 2001, when the team included Marc Warren, winner of the 2005 Challenge Tour.
Preparations for staging the event were given a financial boost earlier this month, when The Royal & Ancient in St Andrews announced the award of a £15,000 grant to the SGU, specifically for the event.
The grant, which stems from income from The Open Championship, was part of a new series of grants aimed at supporting the development of golf around the world.
SGU chief executive, Hamish Grey said, “We are delighted to be hosting this major championship and are very grateful to The R&A for their funding and to Western Gailes Golf Club for holding the event on their outstanding links.
“With over 20 European countries taking part, the European Team Championship has always been one of the most high profile events in the amateur golfing calendar. It offers unrivalled sponsorship opportunities and we will be making every effort to secure further backing and support to ensure that we put on an event that Scotland can be proud of.”
Western Gailes secretary Ian Sproule added, “We look forward to welcoming the Scottish Golf Union and the many teams from Europe who we are sure will find the links a true test of golf.”
The European Team Championship is played over five days and consists of two phases – 36 holes stroke play qualifying over the first two days, followed by three days of match play within flights.
Past competitors in the event include an array of the biggest names in European golf today, including Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood,  Padraig Harrington and Thomas Levet.

Monday 30th January 2006

KATHRYN IMRIE TIED FOR 16TH IN QUEENSLAND
Competing under maiden name, Dundee’s Kathryn Imrie, pictured right, finished tied 16th in the Australia Lady Professional Golfers’ Players’ Championship at Club Pelican, Queensland (on Sukanday).
Kathryn, now 38, had rounds of 77, 72 and 74 for a seven-over-par total of 223, which earned her 2,413 Australian dollars.
Queensland player Rebecca Stevenson won the A$30,000 first prize and the title with scores of 71, 69 and 72 for four-under-par 212.
She won by one shot from another home-state player Katherine Hull (Queensland) and Spain’s Ana Larraneta who each received A$17,000.
Katherine score 74, 67 and 74 while Ana had 74, 70 and 71.
England’s Laura Davies was the leading UK player in joint 11th place on 220 with scores of 74, 72 and 74 to pick up a cheque for A$3,250.
In hot and humid conditions, Inverness-based New Zealander Liz McKinnon missed the 36-hole cut by three shots with scores of 79 and 80 for 159
ALPG PLAYERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
Club Pelican, Queensland.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 71
212 Rebecca Stevenson (Queensland) 71 69 72.
215 Katherine Hull (Queensland) 74 67 74, Ana Larraneta (Spain) 74 70 71.
216 Joanne Mills (NSW) 72 74 70.
217 Lindsey Wright (Victoria) 73 68 76, Sara Beautell (Spain) 72 73 72.
Other totals:
220 Laura Davies (England) 74 72 74.
223 Kathryn Imrie (Scotland) 77 72 74.
DID NOT QUALIFY
159 Liz McKinnon (NZ) 79 80

Sunday 29th January 2006

Winning Scotland team and manager Ian Rae with trophy after their victory over France in three-day international match at Montpellier, Masane

SCOTS BEAT FRANCE AFTER BAD WEATHER RULES OUT FINAL-DAY PROGRAMME
Scotland’s men’s amateur international golf team beat France 5 ½-3 ½ after bad weather ruled out play on the third and final day of their match at Montpellier Massane (on Saturday).
The Scots took the first-day singles 4-2 and then shared the second-day foursomes 1 ½-1 ½ to lead by 2pt.
The most successful Scots player was Lloyd Saltman (Craigielaw) with two wins out of two.
Scottish Golf Union national coach Ian Rae, captain and manager of the Scots team, said:
"This encounter was a tremendous occasion for our players, experienced and less experienced, to play against a very solid French team.
“I hope that this match can become an annual event at the beginning of each year, contributing to the preparation of our players before a long season to the United Kingdom and abroad.”
Results
FRANCE 3 ½, SCOTLAND 5 ½
Montpellier Massane, France.
Day 1 Singles: Scotland 4, France 2.
Lloyd Saltman (Craigielaw) bt Julien Guerrier 3 and 2.
Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) bt Jean Jacques Wolf 1 hole,
Paul O’Hara (Colville Park) lost to Julien Grillon 1 hole.
Stuart Wilson (Forfar) bt Alex Kaleka 4 and 3,
Scott Henry (Cardross) bt Victor Dubuisson 5 and 4.
George Murray (Earlsferry Thistle) lost to Tony Raillard 4 and 3.
Day 2 Foursomes: Scotland 1 ½, France 1 ½
Murray & Saltman bt Guerrier & Grillon 4 and 3.
Henry & O’Hara halved with Kaleka & Dubuisson.
Wilson & Campbell lost to Wolf & Raillard 5 and 4.

PAR-BREAKER RAMSAY HAS TO SETTLE FOR SHARE OF SEVENTH PLACE DOWN UNDER
Walker Cup Scot Richie Ramsay, pictured right, broke par in each of the four rounds of the Lake Macquarie international amateur international golf championship over the Belmont Golf Club course at Newcastle, New South Wales – but that earned the Royal Aberdeen player  “only” a share of seventh place, so high was the standard of play.
Ramsay had rounds of 69, 70, 70 and 71 for an eight-under-par total of 288.
England’s Adam Gee, 25, from Leatherhead, Surrey,  followed in the footsteps of compatriot Nick Dougherty – the title-winner in 2001 – but he had to go to a fifth extra hole in a sudden-death play-off to beat a strong-finishing Queenslander, Jason Day after they had tied on 15-under-par 273.
Gee, winner of the Berkshire Trophy last year when he was also runner-up in the South African open amateur stroke-play championship,  had started the final day two shots ahead of the field, his nearest challenger being Mitchell Brown. Gee increased his lead to seven shots with eight to play.
Then the Englishman ran up three bogeys. At the same time Jason Day put together a barnstorming finish of birdie, par, eagle, birdie, birdie for a course record 63 for 273.
Gee also hit that mark with a closing 69.
Scott Jamieson (Cathkin Braes) tied for 16th place on 284 with 71, 73, 72 and 68.
Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire), a third Scot playing in the championship, failed to survive the halfway cut with 71 and 79 for 150 – three shots too many.
LAKE MACQUARIE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Belmont Golf Club, Newcastle, New South Wales.
LEADING TOTALS (Par 72).
Players from Australia unless stated
273 A Gee (Eng) 69 69 66 69, J Day 68 72 70 63 (Gee won play-off at fifth extra hole).
274 Won Jon Lee 66 71 73 64.
275 R Gallichan 67 76 65 67.
276 R Bezuidenhout 67 72 70 67.
279 M Brown 67 71 68 73.
280 R Ramsay (Sco) 69 70 70 71, R Blizard 70 74 68 68.
Other totals:
283 B Parker (Eng) 72 69 70 71.
284 S Jamieson (Sco) 71 73 72 68.
285 J Moul (Eng) 66 71 74 74.
287 G Wolstenholme (Eng) 71 71 72 73, Z Gould (Wal) 70 72 74 71.
298 G Slater 73 73 79 73.

Eisenhower Trophy
Hugh Hunter, pictured right, the globe-trotting Scottish Golf Union past president from Auchterarder and a regular reader of kirkwoodgolf's news bulletins, sends us a message from his latest travels:
"Greetings. At present in sunny, hot Bangkok, moving to Phuket on Monday for some golf.  Keeping in touch with golf news via web sites. Picked up this snippet. Apologies if you know.
"The Eisenhower Trophy is to be held in South Africa later in the year, and the South African Golf Association  has decided to hold their men's open amateur championship on the same courses to give any team members the chance of playing a top-class event at the same venue.
"The South Africans have also increased the number of competitors in the hope of attracting a large entry.
"Entries close for the event on January 30; it will be interesting to see which countries take advantage of this; in particular, will there be a Scottish representative. Lloyd Saltman would be an obvious choice. 
"The putting surfaces are notorious for their nap in South Africa, so the more practice players can obtain the better."
HUGH HUNTER
NOTE:
The Espirito Santo Trophy - the women's world amateur team championship - will also be hosted by Stellenbosch Golf Club, South Africa this October.
Later this week, Colin Farquharson will have a story on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk about this year's Espirito Santo Trophy and why it will be different from any one held previously.

Saturday 28th January 2006

SCOTS LEAD FRANCE INTO FINAL DAY
Scotland held a 2pt lead over France at the start of the third and final day of their international match at Montpellier Massane on Saturday.
The Scots took the first-day singles 4-2 and then shared the second-day foursomes 1 ½-1 ½.
[Photo right taken from FFG website.
Back Row - Left to right: George Murray, Scott Henry, Lloyd Satlman.
Front Row - left to right: Glenn Campbell, Stuart Wilson, Paul O'Hara, manager Ian Rae. ]
Results
Day 1 Singles
SCOTLAND 4, FRANCE 2
Lloyd Saltman bt Julian Guerrier 3 and 2.
Glenn Campbell bt Jean Jacques Wolf 1 hole,
Paul O’Hara lost to Julien Grillon 1 hole.
Stuart Wilson bt Alex Kaleka 4 and 3,
Scott Henry bt Victor Dubuisson 5 and 4.
George Murray lost to Tony Reillard 4 and 3.
Day 2 Foursomes
SCOTLAND 1 ½, FRANCE 1 ½
Murray & Saltman bt Guerrier & Grillon 4 and 3.
Henry & O’Hara halved with Kaleka & Dubuisson.
Wilson & Campbell lost to Wolf & Reillard 5 and 4.
ACCUMULATIVE SCORELINE
SCOTLAND 5 ½, FRANCE 3 ½

RICHIE RAMSAY IN JOINT FIFTH PLACE
Walker Cup Scot Richie Ramsay is in joint fifth place with one round to go in the stroke-play stages of the Lake Macquarie amateur international golf championship at Belmont Golf Club, Sydney, New South Wales.
The Royal Aberdeen player has had rounds of 69, 70 and 70 for a seven-under-par tally of 209 through 54 holes.
Leading the field by two shots is Englishman Adam Gee with rounds of 69, 69 and 68 for 12-under-par 204.
Scott Jamieson (Cathkin Braes) is on 216 after scores of 71, 73 and 72.
The leading 32 players in the 72-hole totals comprise the field for the match-play championship.
Players with 147 (+3) of better survived the halway cut.
Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) missed out with 71 and 79 for 150.
SCOREBOARD
Players from Australia unless stated
204 Adam Gee (England) 69 69 68.
206 Mitchell Brown 67 71 68.
208 Richard Gallichan 67 76 65, Michael Raseta 71 69 68.
209 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 69 70 70, Rudi Bezlidenhout 67 72 70, Jamie Moul (England) 66 71 72.
Other totals:
213 Ben Parker (England) 68 72 73.
214 Gary Wolstenholme (England) 71 71 72.
216 Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 71 73 72, ZackGould (Wales)70 72 74.
220 Ben Westgate (Wales) 75 75 70.
225 Grant Slater (England) 73 73 79.
DID NOT QUALIFY
149 Ed Richardson (England) 70 79.
150 Craig Watson (Scotland) 71 79.
151 Liew Matthews (Wales) 71 80.
156 Joe Lyons (Ireland) 76 80.

Friday 27th January 2006

RAIN IN SPAIN BUT ENGLAND WIN TITLE
England overcame opposition from Finland, Germany and Spain to win the Costa Ballena Quadrangular men's amateur international match in Spain for the second year in succession. The Costa Ballena competition is played on a round robin basis, each match comprising three morning foursomes and six afternoon singles. The last day of the competition was affected by heavy rain that became so bad that the afternoon's single matches had to be cancelled. Combined scores from day one saw England defeat Finland 5-4. On day two, in spite of winning all their morning foursomes, England suffered a 5-4 loss against Spain.
On the final day, with all to play for, the England team rallied convincingly to again win all their foursomes in the last match against Germany.
The final positions for the tournament were:
England 4 pt, Germany 3, Spain 3, Finland 2 points.
The England team was:
Gary Boyd (Northants Co), Oliver Fisher (West Essex), David Horsey (Styal), John Parry (Harrogate), James Ruth (Tavistock), Paul Waring (Bromborough).

DIANE AND MONICA WIN ALL-FLORIDA FINAL TO INTERNATIONAL FOUR-BALL
Two home-state players, US senior women’s amateur golf champion Diane Lang from Weston and Monica Von Glahn (North Palm Beach) won the 60th International women’s four-ball golf championship at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood in Florida.
It was the fourth and final event on this year's Orange Blossom Tour.
Lang, a former US Tour player who has her own website – she buys and sells houses in south Florida, and Von Glahn won by 3 and 2 in the final against another all-Florida pairing of Michelle Hartnell (Miami) and Paula Fitzpatrick (Homestead).
In the semi-finals Michelle and Paul had ended the title hopes of Stirling University’s top-seeded pair, Olivia Briggs from Manchester and Dawn Dewar (Monifieth) with an 18th-green victory.
In the other semi-final, Lang and Von Glahn had scored a surprisingly big win – 5 and 4 – over former champions Carole Semple Thompson, this year’s US Curtis Cup captain from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and Marlene Streit, Canadian-born but now resident in Florida.
Results:
60th INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood, Florida
SEMI-FINALS
Michelle Hartnell (Florida) & Paula Fitzpatrick (Florida) bt Olivia Briggs (Stirling Univ) & Dawn Dewar (Stirling Univ) 1 hole.
Diane Lang (Florida) & Monica Von Glahn (Florida) bt Carol Semple Thompson (Pennysylvania) & Marlene Streit (Canada) 5 and 4.
FINAL
Lang & Von Glahn bt Hartnell & Fitzpatrick 3 and 2.

TOP SCOT RICHIE RAMSAY TWO SHOTS OFF PACE
At the end of the second day of the Lake Macquarie International amateur championship at Belmont Golf Club, New South Wales, England's Jamie Moul continued to hold joint top spot with Australian Won Joon Lee on seven-under-par 137.
Another England player, Adam Gee, is one shot behind on 138.
Royal Aberdeen's Walker Cup player, Richie Ramsay is the leading Scot on 139 after a second-round 70.
The weather conditions on day two were less favourable than Thursday, but this did not hinder Adam Gee carding another round of 69 to bring his total for 36 holes to 138. As there were only nine players who scored less than 70 in the windy conditions this was an admirable result.
Gary Wolstenholme scored a consistent 71 to bring his total to 142 but Ed Richardson struggled to maintain his first day form and returned a score of 79 for his second round.
Teenager Ben Parker, who was not selected for England's representative squad in the tournament but is a regular England international, is still playing well and sits three shots behind the leaders after returning a score of 72 on the second day.
A full leaderboard can be found on the New South Wales Golf Association website www.nswga.com.au in the Tournaments and Events section.
LEADING SCORES
137 Jamie Moul (England) 66, 71; Won Joon Lee (Australia) 66, 71.
138 Adam Gee (England) 69, 69; Ray Beaufils (Australia) 70, 68; Mitchell Brown (Australia) 67, 71.
Other scores:
139 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 69 70.
140 Ben Parker (England) 68 72.
142 Zack Gould (Wales) 70, 72, Gary Wolstenholme (England) 71, 71.

LAST STIRLING UNIVERSITY PAIR BOW OUT IN SEMI-FINALS OF FLORIDA FOUR-BALL
It will be an all-American final in the 60th International Women’s Four-ball golf championship at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood in Florida.
Stirling University’s Dawn Dewar from Monifieth and Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest), the leading qualifiers for the match-play stages, were beaten on the last green by the Florida pairing of Michelle Hartnell (Miami) and Paula Fitzpatrick (Homestead).
US senior women’s amateur champion Diane Lang from Weston, Florida and Monica Von Glahn (North Palm Beach) beat former title-winners Carol Semple Thompson (Sewickley, Pennsylvania) and Marlene Streit (Canada) – both former British women’s open amateur champions – by 5 and 4 in the other semi-final.
Carol is this year’s United States Curtis Cup team captain for the Bandon Dunes, Oregon match against Great Britain & Ireland on July 29 and 30.
Diane Lang and Monica Von Glahn beat the other Stirling University pairing to make the match-play stages – Emma Tipping (Sandiway) and Alex Marshall (Royal Cinque Ports) in the quarter-finals.
This is the final event of the four that make up annual Orange Blossom Tour for women amateurs in southern Florida.
Results:
60th INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood, Florida
SEMI-FINALS
Michelle Hartnell (Florida) & Paula Fitzpatrick (Florida) bt Olivia Briggs (Stirling Univ) & Dawn Dewar (Stirling Univ) 1 hole.Diane Lang (Florida) & Monica Von Glahn (Florida) bt Carol Semple Thompson (Pennysylvania) & Marlene Streit (Canada) 5 and 4.

RAMSAY’S GOOD START DOWN UNDER
Aberdonian Richie Ramsay (Royal Aberdeen) was only three shots off the pace after the first round of the Lake Macquarie amateur international golf championship at Belmont Golf Club, Sydney in New South Wales.
The Walker Cup man, a student at Stirling University, had a three-under-par 69 to be to the top Scot in a share of 12th place.
Leading the field on 66 in good scoring conditions were Craig Hancock from Tasmania, England’s Jamie Moul and Won Joon Lee (New South Wales).
Ben Parker, the Germany-based professional's son who won the prestigious Orange Junior Bowl boys' title in Florida over the Festive period, was in joint ninth place on 68.
England's Adam Gee was on the 69 mark alongside Richie Ramsay.
Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) was on the 71 mark alongside Scott Jamieson (Cathkin Braes) and England's Gary Wolstenholme.
SCOREBOARD
66 Craig Hancock (Tasmania), Jamie Moul (England), Won Joon Lee (New South Wales).
Other scores:
68 Ben Parker (England).
69 Richie Ramsey (Scotland), Adam Gee (England).
70 Ed Richardson (England), Zac Gould (Wales).
71 Craig Watson (Scotland), Gary Wolstenholme (England), Scott Jamieson (Scotland), Liew Matthews (Wales).
73 Grant Slater (England).
75 Ben Westgate (Wales).
76 Joe Lyons (Ireland).
83 Dan Seaman (England).

Thursday 26th January 2006

STIRLING UNIVERSITY PAIRING IN FLORIDA SEMI-FINAL
Stirling University got one pairing through to the last four but lost another as the 60th Women’s International Four-ball amateur golf championship entered its match-play stages at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood in Florida.
Top seeds Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest) and Dawn Dewar (Monifieth) had a 3 and 2 win over Marianne Springer and Mary Hanyak and will now play Michelle Hartnell and Paula Fitzpatrick from Wellington, Florida in the semi-finals.
Stirling’s Emma Tipping (Sandiway) and Alex Marshall (Royal Cinque Ports) lost by one hole to Diane Lang, the US senior women’s champion from Weston, Florida and Monica Von Glahn of North Palm Beach, also Florida.
Diane, a one-time LPGA Tour player, and Monica will play the No 2 seeds and former title winners, Carol Semple Thompson, this year’s US Curtis Cup captain from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and Marlene Streit, originally from Canada but now a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida.
Carol and Marlene, both legendary names in the world of women’s amateur golf over the past few decades, won by one hole over Karen Benson and Susan Cohn.
60TH WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood, Florida.
MATCH-PLAY STAGES
Quarter-finals
Players from US unless stated.
Olivia Briggs & Dawn Dewar (Stirling Unv) bt Marianne Springer & Mary Hanyak 3 and 2.
Michelle Hartnell & Paula Fitzpatrick bt Marianne Towersey & Peggy Woodruff 2 holes.
Carol Semple Thompson & Marlene Streit (Canada) bt Karen Benson & Susan Cohn 1 hole.
Diane Lang & Monica Von Glahn bt Emma Tipping & Alex Marshall (Stirling Univ) 1 hole.

DRIVING RANGE SOLD FOR £2 million
How much do you think your local driving range is worth? A lot of money probably if the sale announced by Strutt & Parker's Leisure and Hotel Department of the Ealing Golfing Driving Range is anything to go by.
The range, which occupies one of the best sites in the UK with high visibility from the busy A40 in West London, fetched close to £2million.
The site extends to about 9 acres and was developed in 1965.  It has 36 covered bays with floodlighting which has recently been upgraded.  The site is held on a long lease from Ealing Borough Council with 34 years remaining at an annual ground rent that was reviewed in June 2004. 
The business, excluding the shop and teaching income which was let to a third party, generated sales of over £550,000 in 2003.
The owners had run the business for 20 years and wished to cut back on their business commitments.
Charles Greville-Heygate, the Partner handing the sale said “Very few well-located profitably driving ranges have been sold recently so this was always going to be an interesting sale.  As expected, it generated a large number of site inspections and these resulted in a high percentage of offers over a wide range of prices.  The successful buyer was a new entrant to the market.  The final price agreed was close to the guide price of £2 million.  There were a number of disappointed under-bidders who are still looking for a suitable range to acquire so any range owners considering a sale should contact us”.

R&A Press Release
LOCAL FINAL QUALIFYING COURSES ANNOUNCED FOR 2008 AND 2009
The R&A has named the Local Final Qualifying (LFQ) courses for the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale and the 2009 Open at Turnberry.
In 2008, when the Open returns to Birkdale after a break of 10 years, Formby, Hillside, Southport & Ainsdale and West Lancashire will be used for Local Final Qualifying (LFQ).  All four courses have been used on a number of occasions for LFQ and this year, when The Open returns to Hoylake for the first time since 1967, Formby and West Lancashire will be two of the local venues for the final stage of qualifying.
The Open makes a welcome return to Turnberry in 2009 when, Glasgow, Irvine, Kilmarnock (Barassie) and Western Gailes, the same four courses that hosted LFQ in 1994, the most recent Turnberry Open, will once again be used.
Glasgow, Irvine and Western Gailes were three of the four LFQ courses for the 2004 Troon Open

ELGA Press Release
The Lady Sponsors ELGA South East Tournament for 17th consecutive year
For the 17th year in succession The Lady has agreed to sponsor this years South Eastern Division Championships. The event will be held at Hadley Wood Golf Club on the 18th, 19th and 20th July.
The tournament is open to Lady Golfers with single figure handicaps who live in the South East Area. In addition it will also incorporate the S.E. Intermediate Championships for those aged between 18 and 23.
The event organiser, Sheila Marshall, is delighted with the continued support of The Lady and is looking forward to a well-fought contest on this outstanding course, which has hosted the “Open Qualifier” for the last 6 years.

Wednesday 25th January 2006

US College Golf
COLETTE IS GIVEN MORE TIME TO BUILD A UCT WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM
Colette Murray, recently appointed the first women’s head golf coach at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga since the 1980s, has managed to persuade the university’s authorities that it would be unreasonable to re-start the college’s women’s golf programme in the autumn.
The 24-year-old from Dumfries faced an almost impossible task in trying to recruit at least 10 players from anywhere from a standing start, given that all her rival women’s golf coaches have been recruiting for the 2006-2007 US women’s college golf season for months and have the top prospects signed up already.
“I talked to the assistant director and told him that realistically we were not going to be any good, as a team, if we started, as planned, as early as this autumn,” said Colette.
“I have succeeded in getting the start of the women’s programme at UTC postponed by 12 months. In other words, we start playing for real in the Fall of 2007, by which time, I can potentially get us a very strong team together.
“I want all my players to have signed Letters of Intent (to come to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga) by November 2006, so that I know exactly how I stand, what is going on and where we are going.
“This gives me plenty of time to figure out our schedule of tournaments too. I will also have my sports psychology courses finished by then and be more than halfway though my LPGA qualifications training.”
Miss Murray has made no secret of the fact that any Scottish girl who has a low handicap and a desire to play golf on the US college circuit would be looked upon favourably.
A final word from Colette, who moved to Tennessee from her post as assistant women’s golf coach at Jacksonville State University, Alabama, is that she is “just loving Chattanooga.” which is a good sign.

SGU Press Release
SGU Announces New Team Captains
Former Scottish golf internationalists George Crawford, Barclay Howard and Barrie Douglas were today (Wednesday 25th January) named as Scotland’s team captains for 2006 by the Scottish Golf Union. Allan Brodie was also announced as chairman of selectors.
Following his success in 2005, which included leading the Scots to Home International glory at Royal St George’s, Crawford (Williamwood), pictured right, will continue as Scottish Men’s team captain. Howard (Cochrane Castle) becomes Scottish Youth’s captain, with Douglas (Blairgowrie) taking charge of the Scottish Boy’s team. Brodie (Balmore) will oversee selection of the Scottish Men’s team.
Crawford has a wealth of experience and prior to last year’s Home International success, had also led the Scottish Youth’s team to victory in the 2004 European Championships, defeating England in a momentous final.
“I am obviously delighted to be reappointed,” said Crawford. “We have built a tremendous team spirit and I believe this will contribute to further success for Scotland throughout the 2006 season.”
Also a former internationalist, two-time Walker Cup player (1977 & ’79) and Scottish Amateur Champion in 1977, Brodie’s sights, like Crawford’s, will be set on retaining the Home Internationals title in September and claiming the Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championships in South Africa a month later.
Barclay Howard, pictured left, was Scottish Golfer of the Year in 1994 and 1996, won the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play title in 1997 and claimed the Silver Medal for the leading amateur at The Open Championship at Troon in 1997. Vastly experienced, Howard currently leads Scottish Area Team Champions, Renfrewshire.
One of the main challenges facing Howard will be to emulate Crawford’s success and retain the European Youths Team Championship in Spain in July.
Barrie Douglas, a former Perth & Kinross county player, was capped at Under-18 level for Scotland and Great Britain & Ireland and has successfully managed and captained teams at county level. Douglas is currently the SGU’s elected executive member for Perth & Kinross and last October, he took charge of the Scottish Under-16 team at Gullane in their annual match against England.
Barrie Douglas commented, “There is no doubt that Scotland has the talent and support structures in place to allow players to compete at the highest level. There are many youngsters involved in the SGU’s coaching programmes who undoubtedly have the potential to become future champions and it is very rewarding to be involved in developing that talent.”

STIRLING UNIVERSITY PAIR HEAD QUALIFIERS FOR MATCH-PLAY AT ORANGEBROOK C C
Stirling University’s Olivia Briggs and Dawn Dewar led the eight qualifying partnerships into the match-play stages of the 60th Women’s International Four-Ball golf tournament at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood in Florida.
Olivia, captain of the Stirling squad of five playing in the final two events of the Orange Blossom Tour and a member of Delamere Forest Golf Club, and Monifieth’s Dawn Dewar had scores of 68 and 69 for an aggregate of 137.
They finished a shot ahead of former winner, Carol Semple Thompson, this year’s US Curtis Cup captain from Pennsylvania, and Marlene Streit from Canada who had rounds of 70 and 68.
Stirling’s Alex Marshall (Royal Cinque Ports) and Emma Tipping (Sandiway) also totalled 138 with a pair of 69s. Carol and Marlene, legendary figures in the world of women’s amateur golf, gained the No 2 seeded spot by virtue of having the better second round.
Only the top eight partnerships qualified for the match-play and it was a tight squeeze. Five partnerships returned totals of 139 – only two more than the top seeds – and they all got through.
Stirling University’s Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) and Lindsey Edmunds (from Canada) – deputising for Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze), a sixth Stirling student who was laid low by a virus and was unable to make the trip, had scores of 74 and 70 for 144 – five shots too many to beat the cut.
On the same mark were Sarah Carty from The Island Golf Club, Dublin and Eri Maeda from Sarasota, Florida. They had a pair of 72s.
60TH WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FOUR-BALL TOURNAMENT
Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood, Florida.
QUALIFIERS
Players from US unless stated.
137 Olivia Briggs (Stirling Univ) & Dawn Dewar (Stirling Univ) 68 69.
138 Carol Semple Thompson & Marlene Streit (Canada) 70 68, Alex Marshall (Stirling Univ) & Emma Tipping (Stirling Univ) 69 69.
139 Marianne Towersey & Sandy Woodruff 73 66, Michelle Hartnell & Paula Fitzpatrick 72 67, Monica Von Glahn & Diane Lang 71 69, Karen Benson & Sue Cohn 70 69, Mary Hanyak & Marianne Springer 68 71.
NON-QUALIFIERS INCLUDED
144 Kylie Walker (Stirling Univ) & Lindsey Edmunds (Canada) 74 70, Sarah Carty (Ireland) & Eri Maeda 72 72.
Match-play draw
Briggs & Dewar v Springer & Hanyak.
Towersey & Woodruff v Hartnell & Fitzpatrick.
Semple Thompson & Streit v Benson & Cohn.
Tipping & Marshall v Lang & Von Glahn.

Tuesday 24th January 2006

STIRLING UNIVERSITY PLAYERS WELL TO FORE IN FLORIDA FOUR-BALL
 Stirling University players were well to the fore in the first qualifying round of the Women’;s International Four-Ball Championship at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood – the last event of this year’s Orange Blossom Tour in Florida.
 Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest), beaten at the 21st in last week’s final of the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup at Coral Ridge Country Club, teamed up with Monifieth’s Dawn Dewar to share the lead on 68 with an all-American pairing, Marianne Springer and Mary Hanyak.
Alex Marshall (Royal Cinque Ports), winner of the First Flight title last week, and Stirling team-mate Emma Tipping are in third place on their on the 69 mark.
The leading eight partnerships after the second qualifying round will go forward to the match-play stages.
Last year’s event was won by Ireland’s Marian Riordan from Tipperary and Mary Ann Plunkett, an American player she met a week or two earlier on the Orange Blossom Tour.
Marian has not made the trip to Florida this year but there is an Irish player in the field, 19-year-old Sarah Carty from The Island Golf Club, Dublin.
Sarah, who plays off six, is taking a year out to improve her golf handicap. She and American partner Eri Maeda returned a better-ball 72 to be sharing ninth place.
Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), the fifth Stirling University player in the field, was partnered by Lindsey Edmunds from Canada in the absence of the sixth Stirling player, Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) who was laid low by a virus just before the squad flew out from Scotland.
Kylie and Lindsey have a lot of good work to do in the second round if they are going to qualify after a 74 left them in joint 13th place.
 Scoreboard
WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood, Florida
First Qualifying Round
Players from US unless stated
68 Dawn Dewar & Olivia Briggs (Stirling Univ), Marianne Springer & Mary Hanyak.
69 Alex Marshall & Emma Tipping (Stirling Univ).
70 Karen Benson & Sue Cohn, Cindy Lucas & Maggie Kril, Carole Semple Thompson & Marlene Streit (Canada).
71 Diane Lang & Monica Von Glahn, Daria Cummings & Susan Choi.
72 Michelle Hartnell & Paula Fitzpatrick, Debbie Mooksang & Terrell Italiano, Sarah Carty (Ireland) & Eri Maeda & Sarah Carty.
73 Mariane Towersey & Sandy Woodruff.
74 Mary Hill & Peggy Woodard, Kylie Walker (Stirling Univ) & Lindsey Edmunds.
76 Jennifer Hendrick & Kay Bullock.
77 Jean Mowry & Judy McCarty.
79 Maureen O’Brien & Ronnie Hall, Fran Green & Jackie Resinger.

R&A Press Release
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2006 – ROYAL LIVERPOOL
DISCOUNTED SEASON TICKETS
Advance ticket sales for The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, Hoylake have matched expectations and spectators are being advised to take advantage of season tickets that can be purchased with maximum discount until the end of January 2006.
Until Tuesday 31 January, a season ticket for the eight days of practice and Championship play can be purchased for £150, a discount of 45% on the normal daily rates. Until the end of April the cost will be £170 and from 1 May it will be £190.
"We believe that all tickets represent excellent value when one considers that all of the world’s top golfers will be competing at Hoylake," said Director of Championships, David Hill.
"It is always our aim to make The Open affordable to all spectators and with that in mind we have structured ticket prices so that season tickets represent particularly good value if purchased well in advance of the Championship."
During the four days of the Championship, a daily ticket costs £50, with concession tickets available. Juniors, under the age of 16, will again be admitted free of charge if accompanied by a responsible adult on the day or by prior application to The R&A.
Ticket applications should be directed in writing to: Ticket Office, The R&A, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, KY16 9JD; by telephone on: 01334 460010 or through on-line purchasing at www.opengolf.com.

R&A Press Release
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP WORTH MORE THAN £72M TO SCOTLAND
Golf’s oldest and most prestigious tournament, The Open Championship, was worth more than £72 million to Scotland last year, according to a comprehensive economic study. The equivalent of £1 million per Championship hole played.
The 2005 Open was at St Andrews in Fife, the home of golf, and it will be played at Carnoustie, Angus, in 2007 and Turnberry, Ayrshire, in 2009.
The Open’s value is calculated through £40 million worth of worldwide television exposure for the host country, and £32.3 million of new money for the Scottish economy from spending by spectators, the media, players, and the tournament organisers, The R&A.
The study was commissioned and jointly funded by The R&A and Scottish Enterprise. It was carried out by Comperio Research, the research arm of leading marketing and media group, IMG.
R&A Director of Championships David Hill said:
"We take The Open Championship to a different venue in the UK each year and these findings will help public bodies and local businesses prepare for the scale of the event arriving on their doorstep.
"Scotland, the home of golf, historically benefits from staging the Open three times in five years".
Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Patricia Ferguson said:
"These impressive figures demonstrate that The Open, and golf in general, are an important economic driver for the Scottish economy.
"Golf tourism provides enormous potential for growth and Scotland, boasting some of the world’s finest courses, is well placed to exploit the global interest in golf."
In 2005 the St Andrews Open attracted 223,000 spectators of whom more than half (57.2 per cent) were Scottish residents, and almost one third (31.2 per cent) came from elsewhere in the UK.
More than one in 10 (11.5 per cent) came from overseas with the majority (44 per cent) from the US, and others from Australia, Canada and Ireland.
Last year four Executive agencies – Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, EventScotland, and VisitScotland – committed a total of £600,000 over three years to The Open Championship to promote Scotland as the Home of Golf.
At a local level last year’s Open Championship is calculated to have injected a total of £23.1m of new money into the Fife economy.

GOLF GROUPS JOIN FORCES TO CREATE UNIQUE ALLIANCE
Europe’s leading golf groups have joined forces to forge a unique partnership.
Instigated by the progressive Leaderboard Group, the Premier Golf Alliance brings together some of the finest names in European golf to offer members stunning deals at top quality golf courses and resorts.
Four prestigious companies have signed up to the exclusive alliance in a move aimed at making top-end golf clubs and resorts more accessible to like-minded golfers from across Europe.
The quartet of golf companies involved is the British-based Leaderboard Group, Open championship venue Westin Turnberry Resort, Le Meridien Group and the MedGroup, which owns La Manga Club in southern Spain.
The Premier Golf Alliance was the brainchild of innovative Leaderboard Group chairman Paul Gibbons, in junction with the group’s sales and marketing director, David Walls.
Walls said: “The idea is to make interaction between selective golf companies easier and to make membership of any of the clubs owned by the four groups more exciting and advantageous in terms of quality opportunities.
“We felt it was about time we worked together to offer our loyal members more value for money with their memberships – and there’s clearly no better way than by taking advantage of terrific deals and initiatives at some of Europe’s leading golf clubs and resorts.”
Between them, the four companies boast 11 of the finest golf courses in Europe and high-class accommodation.
The Leaderboard Group features Chart Hills, the stunning Nick Faldo creation in Kent which is home to the Ladies’ English Open; The Oxfordshire, the majestic championship course designed by Rees Jones which has hosted the Benson & Hedges International; Dale Hill in East Sussex, with its sublime championship golf course designed by European Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam and award-winning, four-star hotel; and picturesque Sandford Springs in Kingsclere, Hampshire, unique because of its distinctively challenging 27 holes.
Joining the four Leaderboard clubs are the world-renowned Westin Turnberry Resort on the west coast of Scotland; Le Meridien-owned Penina and San Lorenzo, deemed to be the two finest courses in Portugal, and the revered La Manga Club, owned by the MedGroup, which has held five Spanish Open championships while its fairways have been graced by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Colin Montgomerie..
Leaderboard chairman Paul Gibbons added: “This is a unique opportunity for the 6,000-plus members who belong to the four golf companies which make up the exclusive Premier Golf Alliance to stay and play at some of the most revered resorts and golf clubs across Europe.
“We think it is a great way of saying thank you to the thousands of golfers who regularly support all of our fine golf clubs, and we are proud that the Leaderboard Group is a part of this exciting and exclusive project.
“To be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of the world-famous Westin Turnberry Resort is a privilege indeed and we look forward to a successful partnership.”
Plans are now afoot to expand the alliance to Ireland, Wales and Scandinavia.
The unique alliance comes hard on the heels of Leaderboard’s creative concierge service which offers visitors to all the group’s four clubs the opportunity of having every aspect of their golfing experience mapped out well in advance – all at the touch of a button thanks to the innovative online booking service.
Everything from booking golf at any of the four centres to hiring buggies and from first-tee photography to arranging after-dinner speakers is available by e-mailing concierge@leaderboardgolf.co.uk.
For more details on the Premier Golf Alliance, please contact Leaderboard Group sales and marketing director David Walls on 01580 292106, or e-mail davidw@charthills.co.uk.

Gary Player’s ‘Global Journey’ to be Detailed in World Golf Hall of Fame Special Exhibit
St. Augustine, Fla. (January 24, 2006) – The World Golf Hall of Fame will unveil its next special exhibit, “Gary Player: A Global Journey,” on Tuesday, March 21, 2006, during THE PLAYERS Championship. The exhibit will tell the story of the world’s most traveled athlete and explore the impact he has had on the game and beyond.
“The Hall of Fame does a terrific job telling the story of its members throughout the museum,” said Player, who is the Hall of Fame’s Global Ambassador. “I am honored and excited by their decision to shine the light on my story for this special exhibit and am eager to see the final product.”
“Gary Player: A Global Journey” will celebrate his storied life and career through a comprehensive collection of personal memorabilia, historic artifacts, images and video that have not been viewed by the public.
The Grand Slam area will showcase Player’s Grand Slam trophies, plus all of his significant major championship artifacts, including his nine major championship medals, the Black Knight Blade Putter used to win the Grand Slam and more than 100 other worldwide events, scorecards, crystal and commemorative gifts. Additionally, Player’s Green Jacket from the 1961 Masters Tournament will be showcased, as will his fiberglass-shaft driver used to win the 1965 U.S. Open.
A selection of other trophies, medals and awards from Player’s career will also be on display in The World Stage area of the exhibit, including his 13 South African Open medals, seven Australian Open medals and the scorecard from the 1974 Brazil Open when he shot a 59. Known as the World’s Most Traveled Athlete, the exhibit will incorporate stories of his successes on each continent in which he has won.
Since 1983, Player’s philanthropic endeavors have been channeled into the Gary Player Foundation, an organization that initially addressed the education crisis in his native South Africa. The Knight’s Shining Armor area of the exhibit will focus on the undertaking of his Foundation, with particular attention paid to the Blair Atholl Schools, and his work alongside the likes of Nelson Mandela, to better the human race—regardless of color.
Gary Player is a family man and a global business. The Legend of the Black Knight will tell the story of both sides of this great golfer away from the course. Supporting personal stories that give further insight into Player will be numerous artifacts that represent his interest in golf course design, fitness, fine wine, thoroughbred racing and more.
Stories from Player’s childhood will be told in the exhibit as well. Where It All Began will feature photos and items from his early years and his first ventures into the game of golf.
“Gary Player’s story has and continues to be fascinating to even the casual fan,” said Jack Peter, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Hall of Fame. “We are grateful for the support of Mr. Player and the Gary Player Group in our effort to provide a glimpse into the life of this global champion.”
“Gary Player: A Global Journey” will remain on display through the beginning of 2007.
[Photo of Garry Player autographing cap for spectator at Balgownie last summer, courtesy and copyright Cal Carson Golf Agency]
About the World Golf Hall of Fame
World Golf Hall of Fame, located in St. Augustine, Fla., is the ultimate destination for the celebration and recognition of golf’s greatest players and contributors and an inspiration to golfers and fans throughout the world.  A collaboration of 26 national and international golf organizations support the Hall of Fame, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, USGA, PGA of America and The R&A. The museum houses interactive exhibits and historic and personal artifacts that tell the stories of its members and the game of golf. Adjacent is the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater. For more information, visit www.wgv.com.  

Press Release 24th January 2006
Website warning for golf clubs
The National Golf Clubs' Advisory Association (NGCAA) is advising golf clubs to make sure their website complies with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
If golf clubs fail to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled persons can use their website they could face a hefty compensation claim.
A recent study by the Disability Rights Commission examined 1000 websites and found that most of them (81%) showed a lack of support for disabled people.* 
Michael Shaw, national secretary of the NGCAA, says:
"All private clubs must make sure their website is DDA compliant.  They need to consider upgrading their sites to make them easier to use for the visually impaired, hard of hearing and possibly for those with reduced motor skills who could struggle when using a mouse. 
"When a golf club has a web site, it must be accessible to both club members and members of the public who are not club members, thus the web site must be accessible to disabled persons.  If it isn't, it may be deemed not to be user friendly.
"If a website makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access information and services it is not disability compliant, and a person could make a claim against the club.  The club could then be forced to pay compensation and be ordered by a court to change their site.  Clubs need to act now," he warns.
NGCAA members can call Michael Shaw on 01684 311 353 for further guidance on how to comply.
www.ngcaa.org.uk
* See:  www.drc-gb.org/publicationsandreports/2.pdf for full report

Monday 23rd January 2006

Alex won by 2&1
We have received news that Alexandra Marshall ( Stirling University / Royal Cinque Ports) won the final of the 74th Jones Doherty Challenge Cup Championship First Flight against Laura Carson by 2&1. The First Flight was contested by those who were beaten in the first round of the Championship.
This completes our coverage of the event (see yesterday's report)

SGU AGM
The SGU held a very successful AGM yesterday at Tulliallan.
Here is the Chairman's Report, Financial Statement and Fixture list for 2006

Press Release
World record attempt tees off
GOLFERS of all abilities are being asked to get out their clubs to take part in a world record attempt.
Preston professional golfer Glenn Turner, 46, is aiming to play the most 18 hole golf courses in a year whilst raising £1 million pounds for the Rhys Daniels Trust’s ‘home from home’ appeal which helps families of children with life threatening illnesses.
Glenn will also be raising money for 43 local hospices around the UK which are part of the Association of Children’s Hospices.
Glenn will be playing at courses throughout Great Britain, Ireland and Spain with a host of celebrities including Bobby Davro, Clayton Blackmore, Stan Boardman, Kenny Dalglish and Dennis Taylor. Attempting to play more than 500 rounds of golf in a year means Glenn needs plenty of golfers to join in his record bid. 
Speaking about the record attempt, Glenn said:
“To set the record I am playing a four ball game with a professional from each club I visit, a celebrity and the winner of an on-line auction, which is how I am going to raise money for charity.
“Achieving the record is going to be tough, but I’m dedicating the next year of my life to this challenge and am really looking forward to the experiences that will come with it.” 
If you don’t see yourself as the next Tiger Woods, you can still help raise money for the Rhys Daniels Trust. Glenn is raffling off his tour motor home and golf buggy as well as holding an on-line auction.
 For further information about the record attempt log on to Glenn’s website www.worldrecordgolftour.co.uk

Date for your diary
The North of Scotland Girls Championship will be hosted by Kirriemuir Golf Club on Sunday, August 20

Sunday 22nd January 2006

SCOTS STAGE LAST-ROUND RUN TO FINISH 2ND TO SWEDES IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Scotland’s Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie chased the pacemaking Swedes down the home straight to finish runners-up in the Women’s World Cup of Golf at Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa.
After four-ball play in the first round and foursomes in the second, it was individual stroke-play for the third and decisive round.
Catriona shot a fine round of three-under-par 69 – easily the best score of the day – and Janice matched the par of 72 to give the Scots a third-round total of 141 which enabled them to shoot up the leaderboard and finish only three shots behind the title-winning Swedes, Annika Sorenstam (70) and Lotte Neumann (77).
Sweden finished with a total of seven-under-par 281 and the Scots were the only other country to finish under par with four-under 284.
Wales were third on level par 288.
Catriona Matthew had birdies at the third, seventh, eighth and nine in a brilliant outward half of four-under 32. She dropped shots at the 10th and 13th but got one of them back with a birdie at the 14th.
Janice Moodie bogeyed the first, fifth and 13th but birdied the ninth, 14th and 18th in halves of 37 and 35.
Laura Davies had three 7s on her card of 79 – she had to birdie the last to break 80 – as England finished well down the field on 301. Their third-day combined total, with Kirsty Taylor scoring a 73, was 152.
FINAL SCOREBOARD
281 Sweden 65 69 147 (A Sorenstam 70, L Neumann 77).
284 Scotland 70 73 141 (C Matthew 69, J Moodie 72).
288 Wales 70 70 148 (B Brewerton 73, B Morgan 75).
289 United States 68 75 146.
290 Korea 65 72 153.
291 Colombia 69 69 153.
292 Finland 69 69 154, South Africa 69 77 145.
294 Australia 72 77 145, Germany 70 72 152.
295 Italy.
296 Japan.
298 France.
299 Brazil, Taiwan.
301 England 71 78 152 (K Taylor 73, L Davies 79).
301 Canada, Spain.
305 Philippines.
306 New Zealand.

INTERNATIONAL FOUR-BALL TOURNAMENT ENDS 2006 ORANGE BLOSSOM TOUR
The curtain rings down on Florida’s 2006 Orange Blossom Tour with the week-long International Four-Ball tournament at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood near Fort Lauderdale.
There will be two stroke-play qualifying rounds to produce the eight pairs who will contest the match-play stages from Wednesday to Friday.
Last year, Ireland’s Marian Riordan from Tipperary and Mary Ann Plunkett, an American she met for the first time earlier on the Orange Blossom Tour, won the title.
Marian did not make the trip to Florida this year.
Sarah Carty from The Island Golf Club, Dublin did go over but she does not have a partner so far, according to the starting sheet for Monday’s first qualifying round.
There should have been three all-Stirling University partnerships but Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) went down with a virus and had to stay in Scotland.
She was down to play with Kylie Walker in the four-ball foursomes. No new partner has been named yet for Kylie. Perhaps the organisers will pair up Sarah Carty with Kylie.
Emma Tipping (Sandiway) will team up with Alex Marshall (Royal Cinque Ports) while Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest), who went so close to winning the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup at Coral Ridge Country Club on Saturday, will have Dawn Dewar (Monifieth) as a partner.
Welsh senior women’s amateur champion Vicki Thomas (Carmarthen) has gone home but Carol Semple Thompson (Pennsylvania), the US Curtis Cup captain who beat Vicki 3 and 2 in Saturday’s senior championship final of the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup, is in the field,
Carol’s partner is another legendary name from women’s amateur golf, Marlene Streit, from Canada and in her 70s.

PAULA MARTI EXPECTING FIRST CHILD IN JULY
Paula Marti, one of the leading players on the Ladies European Tour, has announced at the Women's World Cup of Golf in Sun City, South Africa, that she is pregnant.
The Spanish player, twice a winner on the LET and the 2002 Order of Merit champion, said she is expecting her first child in July.
Marti, whose 26th birthday is at the end of this month, is one of the more glamorous figures on the circuit.

BARRY HUME JOINT NINTH FINISH AT KARACHI
Former Scottish amateur champion Barry Hume of Haggs Castle, Glasgow finished joint ninth in the Pakistan Open golf championship at Karachi Golf Club on Sunday.
Barry had rounds of 70, 72, 66 and 73 for a seven-under-par total of 281.
Lee Rhind from Uphall tied for 32nd place on one-under 287 with rounds of 70, 72, 72 and 73.
Londoner Chris Rodgers won the title with a 15-under-par total of 273 with scores of 69, 64, 68 and 72.
Joint second on 277 were two Indian players, Jeev Milka Singh and Amandee Johl.
Welshman Mark Mouland, well in contention over the first two rounds, slumped to a 78 in the final round for 288.
LEADING TOTALS
273 Chris Rodgers (Eng) 69 64 68 72.
277 Jeev Milka Sing (Ind) 68 69 71 69, Amandeep Johl (Ind) 68 67 73 69.
Other totals:
281 Barry Hume (Sco) 70 72 66 73 (tied 9th).
287 Lee Rhind (Sco) 70 72 72 73 (tied 32nd).

Alexandra Bodemann and Olivia Briggs (University of Stirling) after the prizegiving at Palm City, Florida.

OLIVIA AND VICKI BEATEN IN FLORIDA FINALS
Stirling University student Olivia Briggs lost a classic final to Alexandra Bodemann from Palm City, Florida in the 74th Jones Doherty Challenge Cup women’s amateur golf tournament at Coral Ridge Country Club on Saturday.
Olivia, 23, a member at Delamere Forest Golf Club, Cheshire, was beaten by a birdie at the 21st hole from her 17-year-old opponent who got as far as the semi-finals of this Orange Blossom Tour event 12 months ago.
Bodemann was four up with six holes to play but Briggs won four out of five holes from the 13th to be all square coming up the 18th.The 18th was halved in birdies with Olivia holed first from eight feet and Alexandra - "Allie" to her friends - following her in from six feet to avoid defeat and take the final into extra holes.
Briggs missed a 3ft par putt that would have given her the title at the 19th which was halved in bogeys.After another half at the 20th, Bodemann hit a seven iron to within seven feet of the hole. Briggs missed the green but pitched to a foot for a certain par.
Her American opponent then holed her birdie putt for victory to follow in the footsteps of such illustrious players as Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias as winners of the Doherty Cup, first contested in 1933.
"I was shaking coming up the 18th and shaking a huge amount at the 19th, 20th and 21st," said Olivia Briggs later.
There was further disappointment for British hopes when Welsh senior women’s amateur champion Vicki Thomas (Carmarthern) lost by 3 and 2 to this year’s United States Curtis Cup captain, Carol Semple Thompson from Pennsylvania, in the final of the senior championship.
Carol has won seven USGA titles in a long and distinguished career.Vicki, of course, was a Curtis Cup player, in her younger days when she was a multi-winner of the Welsh women’s amateur title.
We have received news that Alexandra Marshall ( Royal Cinque Ports) won the final of the Championship First Flight against Laura Carson. No more details such as to the score but we will get that result to you as soon as it becomes available from our Florida correspondent.
Alex is one of the squad of five Stirling University players – Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) had to pull out of the trip when she went down with a virus – who are playing in the final two events of the Orange Blossom Tour.
The international four-ball foursomes tournament starts on Monday.
Olivia Briggs, winner of the British Universities Sports Association Order of Merit title last year, is captain of the Stirling University squad.

Carol Semple Thomson and Vicki Thomas after the Seniors prizegiving

Stirling University team with Carol Semple Thompson
L to R. Olivia Briggs, Emma Tipping, Carol Semple Thompson, Alex Marshall, Dawn Dewar and Kylie Walker.

Friday 20th January 2006

SCOTS TRAIL BY FIVE SHOTS IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Scotland – represented by Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie – were lying joint 10th in the field of 20 at the end of the first day’s play in the Women’s World Cup professional championship at Sun City, South Africa today.
The first-round format was better-ball and Catriona and Janice combined for a two-under-par 70, which left them trailing the joint leaders by five shots.
Sharing the pole position on seven-under-par 65 were Korea (Meena Lee and Bo Bae Song) and Sweden (Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann.
SCOREBOARD
65 Korea (Meena Lee & Bo Bae Song), Sweden (Annika Sorenstam & Liselotte Neumann).
67 Taiwan.
68 United States (Paula Creamer & Natalie Gulbis).
69 New Zealand, Colombia, Finland, South Africa, Spain.
70 Germany, Canada, Scotland (Catriona Matthew & Janice Moodie), Wales (Becky Brewerton & Becky Morgan).
71 Philippines, England (Kirsty Taylor & Laura Davies).
72 Australia, Brazil, France.
73 Italy, Japan.

2007 EUROPEAN LADIES SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE PLAYED IN JULY, NOT SEPTEMBER
The Swedish Golf Federation would like to make Member Federations and Players aware that the 2007 edition of the European Ladies Senior Championship will be held earlier in the year than the 2006 event.
The Royal Drottningholms GC, pictured right, will host the 2007 event between the 24th and 27th of July, six weeks earlier than this year's event, hosted by the Waterloo club in Belgium during the first week of September.

Jim Farmer stands with a portrait of John Panton in the background

R&A Golf Club of St Andrews Press Release
JIM FARMER APPOINTED HONORARY PROFESSIONAL
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is pleased to announce that Jim Farmer has accepted the Club’s invitation to become its Honorary Professional following the retirement of John Panton after 17 years in the position.
"We are delighted that Jim Farmer has become the Club's Honorary Professional. Jim's reputation as a player, team captain, teacher and administrator is second to none and his lifelong experience of St Andrews will be invaluable. John Panton fulfilled the role with great distinction and we wish him well in his retirement," said Peter Dawson, Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
Farmer follows a distinguished line of Honorary Professionals to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, Andrew Kirkaldy, Willie Auchterlonie, his son Laurie Auchterlonie and more recently John Panton.
Panton, who will be 90 in October, turned professional in 1935 and was the club professional to Glenbervie Golf Club from 1946 until his retirement in 1984. He was appointed Honorary Professional to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in September 1988 following the death of Laurie Auchterlonie in August 1987.
Among Panton’s many achievements in an outstanding playing career, he was a member of the Ryder Cup teams of 1951, 1953 and 1961 and captured the World Seniors’ title in 1967 when he defeated Sam Snead 3/2 in the final.
He also represented Scotland in the World Cup 12 times between 1955 and 1968 and won the Scottish Professional Championship on eight occasions.
Jim Farmer, like Panton, played most of his golf on the Scottish professional circuit after leaving the amateur ranks in 1971 following international honours in the Home Internationals.
He was born in St Andrews in November 1948 and developed a highly successful career, both as a player and a club professional at Drumpellier and Duddingston and since 1987 has managed his own business, Jim Farmer Golf, in Market Street, St Andrews.
Highlights of his playing career were his wins in the 1978 Northern Open, the 1983 Glenmuir Club Professional Championship and his sequence of finishing first in seven successive years between 1977 and 1983 on the money list of the Scottish professional circuit. He also gained representative honours in being selected for four PGA Cup matches against the U.S. and is particularly proud of the 1977 match in Palm Springs when the GB&I team became the first not to be beaten on U.S. soil. Last year he was captain of the side that defeated America at the K Club, Ireland. He is currently in his eighth year on the board of the PGA.
"I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed Honorary Professional to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews," Farmer said on his appointment.
"When I look at the list of my predecessors, I realise what an honour it is to be considered for the position."

Press Release
EUROPEAN GOLF ASSOCIATION APPOINT CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER
The European Golf Association  is pleased to welcome Richard Heath as its first championship manager.
Richard, 34, is English-born, but has spent much of his life in Australia. He is an accomplished amateur player with over 15 years of representative golf and a myriad of amateur tournament wins. He is currently club champion at the Domaine Impérial Golf Club in Switzerland, where he holds a +2 handicap.
Richard is a formally qualified Sports Manager with a Master of Advanced Studies in Sports Administration and Technology from the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology in Switzerland. He has also attained a Bachelor of Science with Honours and a Bachelor of Applied Science and is a former university medallist and scholarship holder.
His work experience includes all aspects of the golfing environment, from range boy at 12 years, to greens staff, pro-shop staff and operations manager.
In the scientific world, Richard has consulted and contracted to a number of agencies, both public and private.
Between March and October 2005, Richard has been working on the EGA's pre-study into a European combined golf and tertiary education facility.
In his new role, he will be responsible for the efficient running of all EGA championships, the management of EGA representative teams and the EGA amateur rankings.

Debbie Watt, runner up in last years Ayrshire Ladies Championship, with her new son Findlay who was born on Monday 9th January, weighing in at 7lb & 4 oz
[Thanks to Catherine & Alastair Malcolm for photograph]

OLIVIA REACHES SEMI-FINALS; DAWN LOSES IN SECOND-FLIGHT FINAL IN FLORIDA
Stirling University student Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest), pictured right, is through to the semi-finals of the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup women’s amateur tournament at Coral Ridge Country Club, Fort Lauderdale.
Olivia , 18th of the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages, beat Erii Maeda from Florida by 4 and 3 in the quarter-finals.
Her semi-final opponent is Norway’s Benedikie Grotvedt.
The other semi-final is between 12-year-old Kyle Roig from Florida and Alexandra Bodeman, also from Florida.
Kyle is the youngest ever qualifier (eighth seed) for the match-play stages in the 74-year history of the tournament which is the third event on the annual Orange Blossom Tour in Florida.
Miss Roig knocked out the leading qualifier, Meghan Bolger, the 27-year-old University of Mississippi women’s golf coach, with a 3 and 2 win in the quarter-finals.
Another Stirling student, Dawn Dewar from Monifieth, lost in the final of the second-flight competition for those who failed to qualify for the championship match-play.
Dawn went down by two holes to home-town girl Claire Grysko from Fort Lauderdale.
A third Stirling student, Alexandra Marshall (Burghley Park) is through to the semi-finals of the first-flight competition for those beaten in the first round of the championship match-play.
Alexandra beat Natalie McNicholas (Oklahoma) by two holes in the semi-finals. She now plays Stacy Hilton (North Carolina) in the first-flight final.
The other semi-final is between Madison Pressel from Baton Rouge, Florida, 14-year-old sister of rookie pro Morgan Pressel, and Laura Carson (Illinois).
Welsh senior women’s amateur champion Vicki Thomas is through to the semi-finals of the over-50s championship. She beat Marlene Streit (Canada), winner of the British, United States and Canadian women’s open amateur titles in her heyday – she is now 70-something – by one hole in the quarter-finals.
Vicki, playing out of Carmarthen Golf Club, now meets leading qualifier Taffy Brower (Florida).
The other semi-final features Carol Semple Thompson (Pennsylvania), this year’s US Curtis Cup captain, and Ann Fulginiti (Florida).
Results
CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarter-finals – K Roig (Florida) bt M Bolger (New York) 3 and 2, A Bodeman (Florida) bt D Lang (Florida) 5 and 4, O Briggs (Stirling Univ) bt E Maeda (Florida) 4 and 3, B Grotvedt (Norway) bt Connie Isler (Maryland) 6 and 5.
FIRST FLIGHT
Quarter-finals – A Marshall (Stirling Univ) bt N McNicholas (Oklahoma) 2 holes, S Hilton (North Carolina) bt M Elmendorf (Virginia) 1 hole, M Pressel (Florida) bt K Villareal (Alabama) 3 and 1, L Carson (Illinois) bt L Edmunds (Canada) 2 and 1.
SECOND FLIGHT
Final – C Grysko (Florida) bt D Dewar (Stirling Univ) 2 holes.
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarter-finals – T Brower (Florida) bt A Hoffman (Virginia) 7 and 6, V Thomas (Carmarthen) bt M Streit (Canada) 1 hole, A Fulginiti (Florida) bt C Creekmore (Texas) 4 and 3, C Semple Thompson (Pennsylvania) beat B Schmid (Michigan) 4 and 3.

CARLY FIFTH IN HONG KONG
Carly Booth, the only Scot in the field, finished fifth in the girls’ section of the Faldo Series International Trophy tournament at Hong Kong Golf Club yesterday (THURSDAY).
Carly, 13-year-old from Comrie, Perthshire, had rounds of 80 and 77 for a total of 157. She finished six shots behind the girls’ champion 14-year-old Tsai Pei-ying (Taiwan) who had scores of 77 and 74 for 141.
England’s Kiran Matharu (Cookridge Hall) was joint runner-up with a pair of 76s for 152. Overnight leader Tiffany Avern-Taplin (South Africa) shared second place after scores of 73 and 79.
England’s John Parry (Harrogate) won the boys’ championship with a 70 and 69 for 139, one shot ahead of the title-holder Ben Evans (Rye).
Walker Cup teenager Oliver Fisher, the favourite from  West Essex, finished fourth on 142 (74-68) behind third-placed Rory McIlroy (Holywood, Northern Ireland).
A total of 48 talented youngsters from around the world competed on an invitation basis.
LEADING SCORES
BOYS
139 John Parry (Harrogate) 70 69.
140 Ben Evans (Rye) 71 69.
141 Rory McIlrory (Holywood, N Ireland) 71 70.
142 Oliver Fisher (West Essex) 74 68.
143 Neil Schietekat (S Africa) 72 71.
145 Pan Cheng Tsung (Taiwan) 70 75, Matthew Baldwin (Royal Birkdale) 69 76.
146 Ajeetesh Sandhu (India) 74 712.
148 Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) 74 74.
149 Himat Singh Rai (India) 71 78.
 GIRLS
151 Tsai Pei-ying (Taiwan) 77 74.
152 Kiran Matharu (Cookridge Hall) 76 76, Tiffany Avern -Taplin (S Africa) 73 79.
154 Demi Mak (Hong Kong) 83 71.
157 Carly Booth (Comrie) 80 77.
159 Ginger Mak (Hong Kong) 81 78.
162 Dayanitha Kuneskara (Malaysia) 81 81, Melissa Reid (Chevin) 81 81, Lin Tzu Chi (Taiwan) 80 82.
170 Katharina Boehm (Germany) 86 84.

Pakistan Open
HUME AND RHIND BEAT THE CUT BUT McLEARY AND BROWN ON SIDELINES
Scots Barry Hume from Glasgow  and Lee Rhind (Uphall) survived the halfway cut in the Pakistan Open at Karachi Golf Club yesterday (Friday). Hume and Rhind have matched each other’s efforts of 70 and 72 for two-under-par tallies of 142.
They are in joint 25th place, nine shots behind the joint leaders, Welshman Mark Mould (68-65) and Englishman Chris Rodgers (69-64) on 11-under-par 133.
A total of 72 players with three-over-par 36-hole totals of 147 or better survived the cut.
Jamie McLeary (Leven Golfing Society) missed out by one shot with 78 and 70 for 148.
Montrose’s Graeme Brown was well out of the picture, however, with 79 and 77 for 156.
 
PAKISTAN OPEN – Karachi Golf Club.
Leading qualifiers
Par 72
133 M Mouland (Wal) 68 65, C Rodgers (Eng) 69 64.
135 Amandeep Johl (Ind) 68 67.
Other qualifiers included:
142 B Hume (Sco) 70 72 L Rhind (Sco) 70 72.
Non-qualifiers included:
148 J McLeary (Sco) 78 70.
156 G Brown (Sco) 79 77.

Golf Foundation PRESS RELEASE
Bernard Gallacher brings Ryder Cup to Colchester school to celebrate Golf Foundation landmark
One of golf’s great names, Bernard Gallacher OBE, was guest of honour at Monkwick Infants School in Colchester on Wednesday (January 18) to celebrate the school being the 1,000th member of the Golf Foundation’s Junior Golf Passport scheme.
In a distinctly unique ‘show and tell’, the whole school of more than 100 children, aged five to eight, were thrilled when Bernard held up the gold Ryder Cup that he had won as Captain of the European Team back in 1995. This was one highlight of an afternoon that saw Bernard Gallacher playing Tri-Golf games with children, teachers and even the headmistress as part of a celebration of Monkwick Infants signing up for the Golf Foundation’s 1,000th Junior Golf Passport scheme.
The Junior Golf Passport is a structured golf learning programme for children delivered in schools and golf facilities all over Britain by professionals, teachers and volunteers. It gives young players the basics to enjoy the game and an understanding of the positive attributes promoted by playing golf, namely honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship. The children at Monkwick have signed up for the Passport after having been great fans of the Golf Foundation’s Tri-Golf game – a modified golf game using plastic clubs, soft balls and colourful targets, which apart from its golfing benefits, can be used in school work to add to mathematics and literacy learning.
A packed school hall cheered on young members of the school’s golf team as they took on Bernard in a Tri-Golf skills challenge, but the loudest cheers greeted some particularly sharp shooting at the targets by Gallacher, who is a Vice President and former President of the Golf Foundation.
After talking to the assembled children about how he had started in golf as a youngster and showing his first trophy, for the Scottish Amateur Championship, Bernard presented the school with a bag of new Tri-Golf equipment to herald the 1,000th Passport landmark. He urged the children to keep playing golf along with other sports and always to enjoy themselves in their sport.
“When I first started playing golf as a youngster I had to start with cut-down clubs of my father’s which were too heavy,” said Bernard. “The Golf Foundation’s Tri-Golf equipment is perfect for children as young as five to get them started and it’s great fun, which is how it should be at this age.
“I saw today at Monkwick a whole school in love with their golf and it was wonderful to see. The Golf Foundation is involved with this kind of activity in schools all over Britain now and this is hugely positive. All children should play golf along with their other sports and this work is an excellent investment to protect the future of the game.”
The Golf Foundation is now working with 3,000 primary schools around the British Isles. Its committed team of Regional Development Officers works with teachers, parents, club professionals and volunteers to bring Tri-Golf to an estimated 300,000 children per year. The Golf Foundation is working within the national partnerships in England, Scotland and Wales, and its development officers are helping community leaders to forge ever-closer links between schools and local golf clubs, with the express aim of making golf more accessible to young golfers.
Readers wanting to find out more about the Junior Golf Passport, Tri-Golf or any of the Golf Foundation’s initiatives can go to www.golf-foundation.org, or call 01920 876200.

Thursday 19th January 2006

Nick Faldo with juniors in Hong Kong

SOUTH AFRICAN GIRL LEADS IN HONG KONG
South African 17-year-old Tiffany Avern-Taplin shot a 73 to open up a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the girls' championship in the Faldo Series Grand Final tournament in Hong Kong.
Tiffany's nearest rival was Kiran Matharu on 76.
There was no indication of the first-round score of Carly Booth, Scotland's only representative in the invited field.
In the boys' championship, hot favourite Oliver Fisher was five shots off the pace with an opening round of 74.
Matthew Baldwin from Royal Birkdale was the pace-setter with a one-under-par 69 which included an eagle, four birdies and a triple bogey 8 at the long sixth.
Matthew leads by one shot from John Parry and Cheung-Tsung (Taipei).
Ben Evans and Rory McIlroy both shot 71s.
Jack Hiluta was on the 74 mark alongside Oliver Fisher.

OLIVIA ONLY STIRLING STUDENT STILLSTANDING IN FLORIDA TOURNAMENT
Olivia Briggs, captain of the Stirling University squad of female golfers competing in the last two events on the Orange Blossom women’s amateur tour in Florida, was the only one to reach the quarter-finals of the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup tournament at Coral Ridge Country Club, Fort Lauderdale.
Scotland international team member Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), sixth best among the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages, lost by 6 and 5 to Connie Isler (Maryland), the 11th qualifier, in the round of the last 16.
Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest) beat fellow Stirling student Emma Tipping (Sandiway) at the 19th in a thrilling tie to get through to the last eight who include 12-year-old Kyle Roig from Florida, the youngest ever player to reach the match-play stages of the tournament.
Olivia plays Eri Maeda (Florida) for a place in the semi-finals.
Another Stirling student, Dawn Dewar (Monifieth), reached the final of the second flight of the championship, for those eliminated in the first round.
Dawn beat Gina Larsen (Florida) by 2 and 1 in the semi-finals.
Welsh senior women’s amateur champion Vicki Thomas, a former Curtis Cup player from Carmarthen, reached the quarter-finals of the over-50s championship with a one-hole win over Diana Schwab (Ohio). Vicki plays Marlene Streit (Canada), a former British and United States women’s open amateur champion, for a place in the final.
JONES DOHERTY CHALLENGE CUP WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Coral Ridge Country Club, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Championship results included:
Second round
O Briggs (Stirling) bt E Tipping (Stirling) at 19th.
C Isler (Maryland) bt K Walker (Stirling) 6 and 5.
Second flight results included:
Semi-final
D Dewar (Stirling) bt G Larsen (Florida) 2 and 1.
Senior championship
Quarter-finals
V Thomas (Wales) bt D Schwab (Ohio) 1 hole.
M Streit (Canada) bt C Aydlett (North Carolina) 2 and 1.
C Semple Thompson (Pennsylvania) bt S Rampelberg (Florida) 5 and 4.

Wednesday 18th January 2006

NOW IT’S OFFICIAL – LGU WILL NOT TAKE TOP EVENTS TO A MEN-ONLY GOLF CLUB
The Ladies Golf Union will not hold future championships at men-only clubs in the British Isles, LGU chief executive Andy Salmon has told Golfweek magazine writer Alistair Tait..
The LGU has staged championships at all-male clubs in the past - the Curtis Cup at Muirfield in 1984 and Royal St. George's in 1988, and the British women’s open amateur championship at Royal Troon in 1984.
"We have modernised our approach because we have to recognize that it's the future we have to be concerned about," said Andy Salmon.
"We now have a policy that we won't take the Curtis Cup or the British Women's Open, or any of our championships, to a golf club that doesn't allow women members.
"All our events in the future will only be held at clubs that allow male and women members. Our future championships will not go to male-only golf clubs.
"We're not to trying to say to these clubs, 'Change, because we want you to change.' We're saying, 'We respect your rights to be male-only, but we are not going to bring any of our profile events to you until you change your rules.' It was just time to make a stand. Society is changing, and it was time to recognize that."
According to the LGU survey results released earlier this week, the number of female golfers in Great Britain and Ireland has fallen from 225,276 in 2001 to 215,437 in 2005.
The average age of women playing golf is between 55 and 64, with players over age 45 comprising 87 percent of all women golfers.
The survey also revealed that there is an average of only seven girls in each club in the British Isles compared with an average of 58 boys.
"The game needs imaginative, innovative, out-of-the-box ideas to create a friendly, family-orientated atmosphere," says Andy Salmon.
"We've got to preserve the great traditions of the game, the self-regulation, the etiquette, etc., but we could soften some of the dress codes, some of the regulatory aspects of the game we've had for so many years to make it a bit more relaxed and a bit more appealing to a younger generation."
Alistair Tait is a Golfweek senior writer. You can reach him by e-mail at atait@golfweek.com

REPORT FROM IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
At the 112th annual general meeting of the Irish Ladies Golf Union, held at Westmanstown Sports Centre, Dublin, more than 160 clubs were represented with the number of attendees exceeding 400, well up on last year's figures.
All five motions were unanimously carried:
1 The adoption of a single affiliation fee.
2 The alignment of the Central Junior Council.
3 The amalgamation of the Senior & Junior Selection Committees.
4 The replacement of Standard Scratch Assesors by USGA Course Raters.
5 The adoption of minor amendments to the Constitution.
Patrickswell's Marion Collins replaced the outgoing Honorary Treasurer, Nora Murphy, on completion of her term.
Council members Rhona Brennan (Southern), Pat Farrell (Western), Pat Lowe (Northern), Maura Sweeney (Eastern) and Ann Popplewell (LGU delegate) all completed their three-year term and were replaced by Maire McMahon, Maura Joyce, Roma English, Nicky Robinson and Brigid McCaw respectively.
At the AA Insurance draw for all attendees, Catherine Murphy from Clane, Co. Kildare won a weekend for two at Dromoland Castle.
Membership of the Irish Ladies Golf Union has doubled over the past 10 years and with many of the Strategic Plan initiatives due for implementation, 2006 promises to be an exciting year for the 60,000 membership.
The inaugural AA Insurance National Golf Championships sees four singles and two foursomes inter-club competitions climaxing in a national final while the introduction of under-15 Interprovincial matches and an under-12 coaching panel focuses on development of the game at underage level.
This year’s annual general meeting was moved from University College Dublin, where it had been held for the past three years, to Westmanstown Sports Centre to cope with the additional numbers attending. Complimentary transport from the city’s train stations was well received with over 100 delegates availing of the service.

IT'S THE DURAMED FUTURES TOUR NOW!
The Futures Tour – the No 2 women’s professional circuit in the United States – has found itself a name sponsor for the next three years at least.
Duramed Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals, who produce women’s healthcare products, is a bit of a mouthful to add to the name of a tour so it will go by the name of the Duramed Futures Tour.
Duramed will establish a programme to recognise players who receive exempt LPGA status each year – the top five money-winners at the end of each Futures Tour season - and will put its name on the tour's Player of the Year award.
"It's such a perfect partner for us," said Zayra Calderon, the Futures Tour’s president and chief executive.
"They have such a strong commitment to our mission and they believe in the value of our tour. I'm in seventh heaven."
Calderon would not put a figure on how much money Duramed paid for its title sponsorship, but said the partnership would allow tournament purses to grow at a steady rate and allocate more funds to marketing and promotions.

KYLIE LEADS STIRLING TRIO INTO LAST 16 OF FLORIDA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Stirling University student Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) had one of the biggest wins of the first round of the match-play stages of the Jones Doherty women’s amateur golf championship in Florida.
Kylie, who was the sixth of the 32 qualifiers, beat Monica Von Glahn from North Palm Beach, Florida by 6 and 5.
Two other Stirling students made it through to the last 16 in which they will play each other!
Emma Tipping (Sandiway), the No 31 qualifier, won by two holes against Alexandra Frazier from Haverford, Pennsylvania, and now plays Engish compatriot Olivia Briggs (Delamere Forest).
Olivia, who qualified in 18th place, won at the 19th against Madison Pressel from Baton Rouge, Florida, 14-year-old sister of LPGA rookie Morgan Pressel.
Madison was four down with six to play against the Stirling University squad captain but then won the 14th 15th and 17th with pars and squared the match by holing a 15ft uphill putt for a birdie at the 18th.
But, at the first extra hole, Olivia Briggs holed a 10ft putt for par which was good enough to win the tie when Madison missed from 4ft for a half.
The only Stirling University “casualty” was Alexandra Marshall (Burghley Park). Alexandra, the ninth seed, lost at the 19th to Julie Garner from Winter Park, Florida.
Julie, the 43-year-old Rollins University women's head coach and the 2005 Florida women's mid-amateur champion, now plays 12-year-old Florida girl Kyle Roig, the youngest player in the tournament's 74-year history to qualify for the match-play stages.
Kyle, the No. 8 qualifier, was one down after 16 holes of her first-round tie against Ashley Mooney, also from Florida, but squared the contest with a par at the 17th and then birdied the 18th to advance by a one-hole margin.
"I don't have a set strategy when I play someone older except that I don't give away any putts. I'm not getting any sympathy because I'm young. People just don't want to lose to a 12-year-old,"said Miss Roig.
Dawn Dewar from Monifieth, a fifth member of the Stirling University squad who are playing in the final two events of the Orange Blossom Tour, won her second flight tie by 2 and 1 against Mayura Skowronski from Frankfurt, Germany.
Ireland’s Sarah Carty from The Island Golf Club, Dublin, lost by 6 and 4 to the No 3 seed, Benedikie Grotvedt from Norway. Sarah was the 30th qualifier.
Welsh senior women’s amateur champion Vikki Thomas (Carmarthen), the 13th qualifier, reached the last 16 of the over-50s championship with a two-hole win over Cynthia Curry from Charlotte, North Carolina, the 20th qualifier.
JONES DOHERTY WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Coral Ridge Country Club, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Championship flight - First round results included:
J Garner (US) bt A Marshall (Stirling) at 19th.
E Tipping (Stirling) bt A Frazier (US) 2 holes.
O Briggs (Stirling) bt Madison Pressel (US) at 19th.
K Walker (Stirling) bt M Von Glahn (US) 6 and 5.
B Grotvedt (Norway) bt S Carty (Ireland) 6 and 4.
Second flight results included:
D Dewar (Stirling) bt M Skowronski (Germany) 2 and 1.
Senior championship
First round results included
V Thomas (Wales) bt C Curry (US) 2 holes.
C Semple Thompson (US) bt M Likens (US) 6 and 5.

Report from our roving reporter
Jean Campbell, Webmaster of Dunbartonshire and Argyll County, is out in Florida and sent in this report...
"Hi - just got back from a very enjoyable couple of days at Coral Ridge Country Club where the 74th Ione D. Jones/Doherty Women's Amateur and 20th Senior Women's Amateur Championships took place. Coral Ridge is a fairly flat parkland course with very slick undulating greens - the yardage for the Senior's being 5815 and for the Jones/Doherty 6245.
I was at the course for 8 am when Kylie Walker was teeing off - her fellow players were Diane Lang +3 who is the USA Senior champion and Meghan Bolger +2.3 and Kylie +1.2. Meghan was top qualifier with 74 - Kylie 77 (with a few three putts) and Diane 82.
Stirling University have five girls at the event - poor Clair-Marie Carlton has a virus and was unable to travel. A reception buffet was held for all the players and guests (John and I were invited by Raleigh Gowrie) it is without doubt one of the finest I have ever seen in my life!! It included Grilled Chicken, Jumbo Shrimp, Mussels, Atipasto, Seared Yellowfin Tuna, Prime Rib, Blackened Mahi Mahi, Turkey, Chicken Masala, Pasta - then a selection of sweets to die for!!!
The players were asked to write questions for the panel of speakers(after the meal) - Alice Dye, the legendary Joanne Carner, Carol Semple Thompson - Curtis Cup player and also captain of the last Curtis Cup, Marlene Streit, Jane Booth and Vicki Thomas - Curtis Cup player. The panel were in good form and proved to be very entertaining and also informative.
The members of Coral Ridge Country Club certainly made us most welcome and I would certainly return there in the future to watch such excellent golf.
This morning it was down to business and Kylie played against Monica VonGlahn of Palm Beach - Kylie was two up after nine and won ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen to win six and five. The conditions for playing today were demanding because of the stiff, testing wind. Kylie was one over when the game finished."
[Jean, Thanks very much for your informative report

PAM CHUGG DETERMINED TO TAKE LADIES GOLF FORWARD
Pam Chugg assumed the office of Chairman of the Ladies’ Golf Union at the Annual General Meeting in Cardiff today. She will serve for a period of 12 months.
Mrs Chugg, 50, takes over the position after a lifetime in golf at the highest level where she played for Wales, her home country, between the ages of 17 and 40. During that period she had a five-year spell as a professional and was one of the founding members of the WPGA.
She was captain of the Welsh Ladies’ for three years starting in 2000 and was elected to the LGU Executive Council shortly after her captaincy ended. Her spell in the LGU included being Chairman of the Training Committee for two years.
Mrs Chugg views her year in office as an opportunity to continue the work of her predecessors in taking the LGU forward. In addition, following the publication of the review into ladies’ golf – ‘Research 2005’ – she is keen to ensure that the LGU and the Home Unions embrace the findings highlighted in the project document.
"I am determined to continue to put into action, our aims to take ladies’ golf forward and in particular, to bring more young people into the game. I am aware that there is a problem getting girls into golf and keeping them there. However we wish to bring into the game not only juniors but also young women in their twenties and thirties and in order to do that, we must encourage clubs to adopt a family friendly and more relaxed attitude. Now, with hard facts underlining what we had always suspected, we can assist governing bodies, clubs and individuals in ensuring that ladies golf has an assured future."
Mrs Chugg still plays to a handicap of 4 at Whitchurch, her home club and at Royal Porthcawl where she is also a member.
She lives at Cowbridge with her husband Mike, also a member at Porthcawl.

Monday 16th January 2006

LGU Press Release
FEW LADIES IN WAITING FOR GOLF CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Just one golf club in six (17.2%) has a waiting list for ladies’ membership, and on average it is just six names long, according to the biggest study of ladies’ golf ever undertaken in Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I).
Commissioned by the Ladies Golf Union (LGU) and carried out by Comperio Research the study offers a comprehensive profile of lady golfers and their views on golf.
A downward trend in the number of lady golfers who are also golf club members, underpins the research project in which 1200 lady golfers and 369 golf club secretaries took part.
Commenting on the study findings LGU Chief Executive Andy Salmon said:
"We have a wealth of new information which in many cases confirms what has long been believed. Clearly, the ladies’ game has a number of issues which need to