Anne-Lise holds on to lead
in Portugal Open

France's Anne-Lise Caudal continues to lead the Ladies Portugal Open with rounds of 64 and 69 for a 13-under-par tally of 133.
SCOREBOARD
Par 146 (2 x 73)
133 A-L Caudal (Fra) 64 69.
134 L Stahle (Swe) 66 68.
136 D Luna (Ita) 65 71, G Simpson (Eng) 69 67.
137 L-A Pace (SAf) 68 69.
138 A Monke (Ger) 73 65, L Hall (Eng) 70 68, G Nocera (Fra 67 71, S Sandolo (Ita) 69 69, M Eberl (Ger) 71 67, V Zorzi (Ita) 66 72, A Knuttson (Swe) 70 68.
Other scores:
139 F Johnson(Eng) 73 66.
140 R Bell (Eng) 67 73, M Gillen (Ire) 70 70.
141 D Masters Eng) 67 74.
142 K S Taylor (Eng) 68 74, L Kenny (Sco) 74 68, L Fairclough (Eng) 69 73.
143 L Hall (Wl) 71 72, S Head (Eng) 70 73.
144 B Brewerton (Wal) 71 73, R Hudson (Eng) 73 71.
146 C Queen (Sco) 76 70, S Walker (Eng) 73 73, J Morley (Eng) 74 72, T Johnson (Eng) 71 75.
MISSED THE CUT
147 S Heath (Eng) 74 73.
148 K Imrie (Sco) 73 75.
149 K Matharu (Eng) 74 75.
151 E Lyons (Eng) 77 74.
152 J Clingan (Eng) 75 77.

ROSEANNE KEEPS BRITISH FLAG

FLYING AT NORTH BERWICK

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Crieff Golf Club member Roseanne Niven, a 19-year-old from the village of Tibbermore near Perth and a student at the University of California-Berkeley, gained the biggest and best win of her golfing career in the evening sunshine at North Berwick.
She beat the Spanish ace, 20-year-old Azahara Munoz, winner a couple of weeks ago of the major American college golf title, the NCAA women's championship. at the 20th hole to reach the Sunday morning semi-finals of the British women's open amateur golf championship.
Niven's opponent is Anna Nordqvist, the 6ft 1in Swedish player and American college player at Arizona State University. Anna has reached the finals of the past two British championships.
No British player has won the title for six years and the tournament has been dominated by Continentat players since England's Rebecca Hudson won the championship at Ashburnham in 2002.
The first semi-final (8.30) on Sunday morning will feature the brilliant 19-year-old Hedwall twins from Barseback, Sweden - top seed Caroline and Jacqueline.
"We've only played each other once in match-play before and Caroline won - but I'm going to beat her this time," said Jacqueline.
In the morning quarter-finals, Roseanne, a former Scottish girls match-play champion, had ousted fellow Scot Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) by 2 and 1 after winning the first four holes.
Niven should have had little chance in the quarter-finals against Munoz, who won the British girls title at Lanark in 2004 and is ranked well about Roseanne in the American college circuit ratings.
But Roseanne played the match of her life. She went two down early but her head didn't go down and she cut the lead to one with a birdie 4 at the long eighhth.
Niven's purple patch that gave her the confidence to put Munoz under severe pressure started at the 12th where the Scot squared the match with a par.
The Spaniard bounced back into a one-hole lead by winning the 13th but Roseanne was not to be denied.
She won the 14th and 15th to lead for the first time in the epic encounter which was followed by the biggest gallery since Carly Booth made her exit on Friday afternoon.
Azahara was not done with yet either. She squared the tie by winning the 16th and the ding-dong struggle continued to sway one way, then the other.
Niven won the 17th to be one up but her Spanish opponent got a pitch and putt birdie, holing from 7ft, for a birdie 3 at the last to square the contest.
Before the players reached the first tee second time round, the LGU officials sounded the klaxon to pull all the remaining matches off the course due to a warning of lightning in the area.
It was another 45 minues before the Niven v Munoz tie could resume as the circling thunder clouds moved on. The 19th was halved after Niven played a splendid approach to 5ft but could not hole the putt. But a famous Scottish victory was only delayed. At the 20th, Rosie, as she is known by her friends, sank at 15ft putt for a birdie to be the only British player in the last four.
Niven's semi-final opponent, Anna Nordqvist won her quarter-final by 4 and 2 against the No 2 seed, Maria Hernandez from the bull-run Spanish city of Pampolona and another leading US college circuit player from Purdue University.
Maria had been five under par in her third-round win but Anna, the No 7 qualifier, is well used to the pressure-cooker tension of the closing stages of the "British" and she kept a tight rein on this match, going one up after seven and three up after 14.
The Hedwall twins are making their debut in the championship but they are from the upper bracket of Continental female amateur golf. Both played in the winning European Junior Solheim Cup team last year and Caroline's handicap of +5.4 makes her one of the highest-rated amateurs in the world, not just Europe.
But Caroline admitted she was made to work hard by French-Canadian Maude-Aimee Leblanc before securing a two-hole win in the first quarter-final to finish.
The 6ft Quebec player went one up when Caroline three-putted the 15th but then Maude-Aimee seemed to crack under pressure.
She lost the 16th, 17th and 18th to hand the "older by 45min" Hedwall twin victory on a plate.
The Canadia four-putted the 17th to go one down for the first time since the seventh and then made a mess of the last hole, driving over the green and then foolishly trying to putt up the slope to the plateau green. The ball rolled back to her and her second attempt was far too strong. She conceded the hole and victory to Caroline Hedwall who had played only two shots.
Jacqueline Hedwall's tie against Valentine Derrey from Paris was the last to finish after the lightning-warm play suspension. Jacqueline won it by two holes after seemingly heading for a big win at a much earlier time.
The French girl, beaten finalist in the British girls at Lanark in 2004, was four down after 10 holes but then won the 12th, 13th and 15 to cut her deficit to one. A series of nervy halves, with Jacqueline Hedwall holing vital knee-knocking 5ft putts at the 17th and 18th for a one-hole win.

Roseanne Niven through to Sunday semi-finals

LATEST POSITIONS FROM QUARTER-FINALS
IN BRITISH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR
CHAMPIONSHIP AT NORTH BERWICK

After three holes.
Caroline Hedwall one up on Maude-Aimee Leblanc.
Jacqueline Hedwall two up on Valentine Derrey.
Azahara Munoz two up on Roseanne Niven.
Maria Hernandez one up on Anna Nordqvist.

After seven holes
Caroline Hedwall one up on Leblanc.
Jacqueline Hedwall four up on Derrey.
Munoz two up on Niven.
Nordqvist one up on Hernandez.

After 10 holes
Jacqueline Hedwall four up on Derrey.
Nordqvist one up on Hernandez.

After 11 holes
Caroline Hedwall all square with Leblanc.
Munoz one up on Niven.
Nordqvist one up on Hernandez.

After 13 holes
Nordqvist three up on Hernandez

After 14 holes
Caroline Hedwall all square with Leblanc.
Jacqueline Hedwall one up on Derrey.

After 15 holes
Leblanc one up on Caroline Hedwall.

After 16 holes.
Leblanc all square with Caroline Hedwall.
Niven one up on Munoz.

After 17 holes
Caroline Hedwall one up on Leblanc.

After 18 holes
Niven and Munoz all square


***PLAY SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF THUNDER AND THREAT OF LIGHTNING AS ROSEANNE NIVEN AND AZAHARA MUNOZ WERE WALKING OVER TO THE FIRST TEE TO CONTINUE THEIR MATCH.
MUNOZ HOLED A 7FT BIRDIE PUTT ON THE 18TH TO SQUARE THE MATCH.

LATER:
Roseanne Niven beat Azahara Munoz with a birdie at the 20th hole and will play Anna Nordqvist in Sunday morning's second semi-final at 8.40.
The first semi-finals, at 8.30, will feature the 19-year-old Hedwall twins from Sweden, Caroline and Jacqueline.

Results:
Caroline Hedwall bt Leblanc 2 holes.
Jacqueline Hedwall bt Derrey 1 hole.
Niven bt Munoz at 20th.
Nordqvist bt Hernandez 4 and 2.

Roseanne Niven wins Battle of
the Scots for last eight place

Roseanne Niven from Crieff won the Battle of the Scots at North Berwick this morning to earn a quarter-final place against the Spanish ace, Azahara Munoz, on the penultimate day of the British women's open amateur chmpionship.
Roseanne beat Scottish universities champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) by 2 and 1 in a third-round tie between the only two Scots to survive to the last 16.
Pamela did well to take the tie to the 17th green after a miserable start in which she mishit her first tee shot and then lost the first four holes, although Roseanne did birdie the third.
Pretswell began her fightback by winning the fifth where Roseanne three-putted.
Niven regained her four-hole lead with a par at the eighth and went five up with a pitch and putt birdie 4 at the ninth. She was roughly one under par for the first nine holes.
After three halves in par figures, Pamela slashed her deficit to two holes by holing a 25ft putt for a birdie 3 at the 14th and then a par 3 at the 15th.
But it was so far and no further for the never-say-die Bothwell Castle player. Roseanne held her at bay with halves at the 16th and 17th for a 2 and 1 win.
In the quarter-finals Roseanne came up against Azahara Munoz, the Arizona State University student who won the recent NCAA women's championship in America and before that was British girls championship winner at Lanark in 2004.
Munoz was roughly three under par in winning by two holes against another US college circuit player, Stefanie Endstrasser (Austria).
Munoz's birdies included the seventh, 10th and 13th.

QUARTER-FINAL LINE-UP
Caroline Hedwall v Maude-Aimee Leblanc.
Valentine Derrey v Jacqueline Hedwall.
Roseanne Niven v Azahara Munoz.
Anna Nordqvist v Maria Hernandez.

Pamela Pretswell (left) and Roseanne Niven on the first tee at North Berwick this morning before their third-round tie in the British women's open amateur championship (Cal Carson Golf Agency image, all rights reserved).

EARLY NEWS FROM THE THIRD ROUND

AFTER SEVEN HOLES

TOP HALF OF DRAW

Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) one up on Jodi Ewart (Catterick Bridge).

Maude Aimee Leblanc (Canada) two up on Breanne Loucks (Wrexham).

Valentine Derrey (France) two up on Isabelle Boineau (France).

Kira Meixner (Canada) and Jacqueline Hedwall (Sweden) all square.

BOTTOM HALF OF DRAW

Roseanne Niven (Crieff) three up on Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle).

Azahara Munoz (Spain) one up on Stefanie Endstrasser (Austria).

Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) one up on Hannah Ralph (Cowdray Park).

Maria Hernandez (Spain) two up on Caroline Masson (Germany).

AFTER 14 HOLES

Leblanc and Loucks all square.

Derrey four up on Boineau

Meixner one up on J Hedwall.

Niven three up on Pretswell.

RESULTS

THIRD ROUND

C Hedwall (Sweden) bt J Ewart (Catterick) 4 and 2.

M-A Leblanc (Canada) bt B Loucks (Wrexham) 1 hole.

V Derrey (France) bt I Boineau (France) 4 and 3.

J Hedwall (Sweden) bt K Meixner (Canada) at 20th.

R Niven (Crieff) bt P Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 2 and 1.

A Munoz (Spain) bt S Endstrasser (Austria) 2 holes.

A Nordqvist (Sweden) bt H Ralph (Cowdray Park) 4 and 3.

M Hernandez (Spain) bt C Masson (Germany) 5 and 3.

Scots miss cut in Futures Tour
Players' Championship

Vikki Laing and Pamela Feggans both failed to survive the 36-hole cut in the Michelob Ultra Duramed Futures Tour Players' Championship at Hickorty Point in Illinois.
Vikki had scores of 74 and 76 for 150, Pamela 79 and 73 for 152.
Only players with two-round totals of 147 or better qualified.
Sara Brown, a rookie pro from Tucson, Arizona leads by one shot with scores of 67 and 69 for 136.
LEADERBOARD
Par 140 (2 x 70)
136 S Brown (Arizona) 67 69.
137 M J Hur (South Korea) 70 67.
139 Vicky Hurst (Florida) 69 70, Kristina Tucker (Sweden) 69 70, Jessica Shepley (Canada) 66 73, Stephanie Otteson (North Carolina) 71 689, M Jarman (North Carolina) 67 72.
Other scores:
146 B McLarnon (Belfast) 73 73 (jt 54th).
Non-qualifiers included:
150 V Laing (Musselburgh) 74 76.
152 P Feggans (Patna, Ayrshire) 79 73

Anne-Lise Caudal leads with a 64

in Ladies Open of Portugal

France's Anne-Lise Caudal shot a nine-under-par 64 over the Quinta da Cima course to take a one-shot lead at the end of the first round of the Ladies Open of Portugal today on the Algarve.
Diana Luna (Italy) was next best on 65.
LEADERBOARD
Par 73
64 A-L Caudal (Fra).
65 D Luna (Ita).
66 S Croce (Ita), V Zorzi (Ita), L Stahle (Swe)l.
67 D Masters, R Bell, G Nocera.
68 K Combes (Aus), N Garrett (Aus), S L Bregman (SAf), J Tvede (Den), K S Taylor (Eng), I Tinning (Den).
Other scores:
69 L Fairclough (Eng), G Simpson (Eng) (jt 16th).
70 M Gillen (Ire), S Head (Eng), L Hall (Eng) (jt 21st).
71 B Brewerton (Wal), H Hall (Wal) (jt 32nd).
72 L McKinnon (NZ), R Coakley (Ire) (jt 43rd).
73 K Imrie (Sco), S Walker (Eng), F Johnson (Eng), R Hudson (Eng) (jt 55th).
74 K Matharu (Eng), L Kenny (Sco), J Morley (Eng) (jt 67th).
75 T Johnson (Eng), J Clingan (Eng) (jt 83rd).
76 C Queen (Sco) (jt 88th).
77 K J Fisher (Eng), E Lyons (Eng) (jt 98th)

They meet in third round on Saturday morning

ROSEANNE AND PAMELA ONLY SCOTS
LEFT IN BRITISH LAST SIXTEEN

Crieff’s Roseanne Niven and Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) are both 19. They have something else in common - they are the only Scots still standing in the last 16 of the British women’s open amateur golf championship at North Berwick.
The disappointing news is that the luck of the draw decrees that they will tee off against each other at 9.40 on Saturday morning.
Niven, a former Scottish girls’ match-play champion and 14th of the 64 match-play qualifiers, beat France’s Andre Lucie by 2 and 1 and followed that up with a similar margin win over Curtis Cup reserve Sarah Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) to reach the third round.
The University of California-Berkeley student edged one up after seven holes against Hassan and had doubled that lead after 14 holes.
Pretswell, the Scottish universities champion, knocked over Germany’s Pia Halbig by 2 and 1 and then put in gritty performance to win at the 20th against the No 3 seed from Sweden, Camilla Lennarth.
Pamela, the No 30 qualifier, was twice one down on the outward half but hung on in there and holed a 25ft putt from just off the back of the 18th green for a birdie 3 to take the tie into extra holes. The Scot looked on her way out of the championship at the 20th where her second shot was under the lip of a greenside bunker.
“I just swung as hard as I could and hoped for the best and was amazed when the ball came out of the sand to stop only inches from the hole. It was a gimme for a par and when Camilla missed from 6ft, it was one of the happiest moments of my life,” said a delighted Pamela.
Unluckiest Scots loser of the day was 15-year-old Carly Booth. The Curtis Cupper from Comrie broke down in tears after her French-Canadian opponent Maude-Aimee Leblanc pitched into the hole from 60ft for an eagle 2 at the last.
All square on the 18th tee, Carly had looked certain to win when, at her favourite driving hole, she drilled her tee shot 270yd to within five or six feet of the flagstick while Leblanc was short of the green and at least 20 yards from the hole..
But Leblanc, winner of the prestigious Junior the 10th Orange Bowl girls’ title in Florida in 2006, dramatically holed her pitch for an eagle 2 and the stunned Carly missed her a putt for a half. To be fair to the Canadian, she was never behind in the match and was twice one up before Carly squared the contest “with a birdie 2 from 15ft at the short 15th.
Scottish champion and Curtis Cup player Michele Thomson from Ellon was one up on the 18th tee against another Canadian, Kira Meixner, on the 18th tee with a place in the third round hers for the taking. But the big-hitting Michele went out of bounds with her drive, lost her lead and finally bowed out with a bogey 5 at the 20th.
Almost as unlucky as Carly Booth was fellow Perthshire player, Emily Ogilvy from Auchterder. Emily played out of her skin was two or three under par for 17 holes – but lost to a magnificent, five-under-par performance from the top seed, Caroline Hedwall of Sweden.
Caroline even threw a hole in one at the 163yd 10th at the hapless Ogilvy who had had five birdies of her own in reaching the turn all square.
“I felt I could have beaten most players in the field the way I was playing. Just my bad luck to be drawn against Caroline Hedwall in the form that has given her a +5.4 handicap,” smiled Emily.
St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) lost by 4 and 2 to Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist who has lost in the last two finals of this championship.
SATURDAY MORNING TEE TIMES
8.30 C Hedwall v J Ewart.
8.40 Loucks v Leblanc.
8.50 Boineau v Derrey.
9.00 Meixner v J Hedwall.
9.10 Pretswell v Niven.
9.20 Endstrasser v Munoz.
9.30 Nordqvist v Ralph.
9.40 Masson v Hernandez.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON TEE TIMES
1pm, 1.15, 1.30 and 1.45.

Nicola wins Race for NJCA title

at Daytona Beach, Florida

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Essex golfer Nicola Race capped her first year on the US women’s college circuit by winning a national title. The 19-year-old, from Witham in Essex, became National Junior College Champion on the LPGA Legends Course, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Nicola was a wire-to-wire winner in the tournament, which was reduced to 54 holes because of bush fires.
She also helped Redlands Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma to win the team trophy. Nicola, who hopes to become a teaching or tour professional, has been celebrating her successes on a trip home and remarked: “I am very pleased with my win, it's been hard work but I really love playing golf seven days a week on lots of different courses. It’s just a dream come true.”
Before Nicola started her university career she was a member at Chelmsford Golf Club and trained with the English Women’s Golf Association’s Select South East Squad.
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

North Berwick scoreboard

BRITISH WOMEN’S OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
North Berwick Golf Club.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
C Hedwall (Swe) bt N Kitching (Claremorris) 2 and 1.
E Ogilvy (Auchterarder) bt H Jenkins (Cradoc) 2 and 1.
M Kotnik (Austria) bt K Smith (Waterlooville) 2 and 1.
J Ewart (Catterick) bt V Sternebeck (Ger) 2 and 1.

B Loucks (Wrexham) bt L Nicholson (Haddington) 1 hole.
C Boeljon (Net) bt F Parker (Royal Birkdale) 1 hole.
M-A Leblanc (Can) bt J Pease (Braintree) 2 and 1.
C Booth (Comrie) bt S Kirchmayr (Ger) 4 and 2.

N Holleder (Ger) bt T Davies (Holyhead) 3 and 2.
I Boineau (Fra) bt H Aitchison (Bedfordshire) 2 and 1.
J Kirby (Can) t T Cuningham (SAf) 4 and 2.
V Derrey (Fra) vbt M Ricordeau (Fra) 5 and 3.

K Meixner (Can) bt M Silva (Spa) 2 and 1.
M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) bt D Smith (Co Louth) 2 and 1.
J Hedwall (Swe) bt K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) at 19th
R Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) bt T Karle (US) 2 and 1.

C Lennarth (Swe) bt E Givens (Blackwell Grange) 6 and 4.
P Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) bt P Halbig (Ger) 2 and 1.
S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) bt M Nivard (Net) 1 hole.
R Niven (Crieff) bt A Lucie (Fra) 2 and 1.

B Genuini (Fra) bt H Burke (Mid Herts) 4 and 3.
S Endstrasser (Aut) bt P Lingdberg (Swe) 3 and 2.
A Goodman (US) bt R Connor (Manchester) 1 hole.
A Munoz (Spa) bt M Prat (Spa) 3 and 2.

A Nordqvist (Swe) bt C Aitken (Mid Kent) 5 and 3.
K Walker (Buchanan Castle) bt S Juneau (Can) 5 and 4.
H Ralph (Cowdray Park) bt C Gugler (Aut) 2 and 1.
B Mozo (Spa) bt R Jennings (Izaak Walton) at 19th.

G Molinaro (Ita) bt A Decharne (Fra) 1 hole.
C Masson (Ger) bt Kristie Smith (Aus) 1 hole.
N Edwards (Ganton) bt K Caithness (St Regulus) 3 and 1.
M Hernandez (Spa) bt L Stempfle (Ger) at 19th.

SECOND ROUND
C Hedwall bt Ogilvy 2 and 1l.
Ewart bt Kotnik 3 and 2.
Bloucks bt Boeljon 1 hole.
Leblanc bt Booth 1 hole.

Boineau bt Holleder 1 hole.
Derrey bt Kirby 2 and 1.
Meixner bt Thomson at 20th.
J Hedwall bt Wyn Thomas 2 holes.

Pretswell bt Lennarth at 20th.
Niven bt Hassan 2 and 1.
Endstrasser bt Genuini 3 and 1.
Munoz bt Goodman 2 and 1.

Nordqvist bt Walker 3 and 2.
Ralph bt Mozo 3 and 2.
Masson bt Molinaro 4 and 3.
Hernandez bt Edwards 5 and 4.

British women's open amateur championship

LESLEY GIVES CURTIS CUP PLAYER
A RUN FOR HER MONEY

Scotland international team skipper Lesley Nicholson demonstrated that she can still play golf at quite a high level by taking Curtis Cup player Breanne Loucks to the last green in their first round tie of the British women's open amateur championship at North Berwick.
Canadian-born Loucks, who is a Welsh international and lives in Wrexham, won by one hole after surging into a three-hole lead after only six holes.
"I managed to get back in the game by birdieing the seventh and eighth, only to lose the 11th to a birdie and the 12th where I three-putted for the second time in the game," said Lesley.
But Nicholson, three down on the 14th tee was not prepared to go down quietly. She pitched and putted to win the 14th with a par - two down - and then birdied the 17th to be only one down on the 18th tee.
Loucks holed a 10ft putt for a birdie 3 at the last and conceded her opponent's putt for a one-hole victory.
"I was quite pleased, "said Lesley. "Not bad for a player who doesn't play at this level nowadays."
Emily Ogilvy (Aucherarder) and Carly Booth (Comrie) entered the last 32 by contrasting means..
Ogilvy was five up after only seven holes only to be pulled back to a one-hole lead on the 16th tee before winning by 2 and 1 against Hannah Jenkins (Cradoc).
Emily now plays the top seed, Caroline Hedwall from Sweden.
Carly Booth, only 15, continues to play majestic golf. She was two up after seven and three up after 14 on her way to a 4 and 2 victory over Germany's Stephanie Kirchmayr who plays on the US college circuit.
Carly now plays Canadian Maude-Aimee Leblanc.
Scottish champion Michele Thomson had a good 2 and 1 over former Irish champion Deirdre Smith in a match that produced six birdies.
Michele won the seventh and eighth to go two up but lost the ninth to a birdie to turn with a one-hole advantage.
Thomson's third birdie of the round put her two up at the 11th but her Irish opponent came back with birdies at the 13th and 14th to level the contest.
It was so far but no farther for Deirdre who bogeyed the 15th and 16th to go two down again and a half in pars at the 17th finished an absorbing contest.
Michelle plays the No 1 Canadian player, Kira Meizner, for a place in the last 16.
Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) lost to a birdie at the 19th from 19-year-old Jacqueline Hedwall, twin sister of top seed Caroline. Kelsey was all square after seven but one down after 14 .
Roseanne Niven (Crieff) won by 2 and 1 against French challenger Andre Lucie. Roseanne established an early two-hole lead through seven and was still two up after 14 holes.
She now plays Curtis Cup reserve and Vagliano Trophy player Sahra Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan).
Scottish universities champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) beat American college player Pia Halbig (Germany) by 2 and 1. Pamela got her nose in front early to lead by one hole after seven and she had extended that to a three-hole lead on the 15th tee.
Pretswell now plays the No 3 seed Camilla Lennarth (Sweden).
St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker (Buchanan castle) won out in the country - by 6 and 4 - over Sara Juneau, one of the Canadian party over for the championship with their Dunfermline-born national coach Dean Spriddle.
Kylie built steadily on a two-hole lead after four holes and now plays the Swedish ace, Anna Nordqvist, beaten finalist for the past two years and before that winner of the British girls' open championship.
The No 7 qualifier, Anna won by 5 and 3 against Claire Aitken (Mid Kent).

VIKKI (74), PAMELA (79) IN FUTURES
TOUR PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP

Vikki Laing (36-38) had a four-over-par 74 and Pamela Feggans a 79 (39-40) in the first round of the $115,000 Michelob Ultra Duramed Futures Tour Players' Championship over the par-70 (6223yd) Hickory Point course at Decatur, Illinois.
Canadian Jessica Shipley leads with a four-under 66 (34-32).
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 70 (34-36)
66 Jessica Shipley (Canada) 34-32.
67 Sara Brown (Arizona) 33-34, Michelle Jarman (North Carolina) 33-34.
68 Chella Choi (SKor) 35-33, Katie Allison (South Carolina) 33-35.
69 Christi Cano (Texas) 33-36, Stacey Tate (NZ) 35-34, Lisa Ferrero (California) 33-36, YTaya Battistella (Oregon)34-35, Leah Wigger (Kentucky) 34-35, Vicky Hurst (Florida) 34-35, Kristina Tucker (Sweden) 35-34.
Other scores:
73 Brenda McLarnon (Belfast) 36-37. (jt 46th)
74 Vikki Laing (Musselburgh) 36-38 (jt 66th).
79 Pamela Feggans (Patna, Ayrshire) 39-40 (jt 133rd).
144 players in field.

WHO PLAYS WHOM AND WHEN IN

"BRITISH" AT NORTH BERWICK

FRIDAY
7.30am Caroline Hedwall v Niamh Kitching.
7.38 Emily Ogilvy v Hannah Jenkins.
7.46 Marina Kotnik v Kerry Smith (Waterlooville).
7.54 Valerie Sternebeck v Jodi Ewart.

8.02 Breanne Loucks v Lesley Nicholson.
8.10 Florentyna Parker v Chirstel Boeljon.
8.18 Maude-Aimee Leblanc v Jenny Pease.
8.26 Stephanie Kirchmayr v Carly Booth.
8.34 Nina Holleder v Tara Davies.
8.42 Holly Aitchison v Isabelle Boineau.
8.50 Tandi Cuningham v Jennifer Kirby.
8.58 Valentine Derrey v Marion Ricordeau.

9.06 Kira Meixner v Marta Silva.
9.14 Michele Thomson v Deirdre Smith.
9.22 Jacqueline Hedwall v Kelsey MacDonald.
9.30 Rhian Wyn Thomas v Taylore Karle.
9.38 Camilla Lennarth v Ellie Givens.
9.46 Pia Halbig v Pamela Pretswell.
9.54 Marieke Nivard v Sahra Hassan.

10.02 Andre Lucie v Roseanne Niven.
10.10 Hannah Burke v Barbara Genuini.
10.18 Pernilla Lindberg v Stefanie Endstrasser.
10.26 Allison Goodman v Rachel Connor.
10.34 Mireia Prat v Azahara Munoz.
10.42 Anna Nordqvist v Claire Aitken.
10.50 Kylie Walker v Sara Juneau.
10.58 Cristina Gugler v Hannah Ralph.

11.06 Belen Mozo v Rachel Jennings.
11.14 Audrey Decharne v Giulia Molinaro.
11.22 Caroline Masson v Kristie Smith (Australia).
11.30 Krystle Caithness v Naomi Edwards.
11.38 Laura Stempfle v Maria Hernandez.

CARLY LEADS NINE SCOTS INTO
MATCH-PLAY AT NORTH BERWICK

Confident Carly Booth, only 15 years old, led nine Scots into the knock-out stages of the British women's open amateur golf championship at North Berwick today.
The others who are back in action on Friday morning are Roseanne Niven (Crieff), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder), Lesley Nicholson (Haddington) and Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon).
But there was big disappointment for Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) and former Scottish champion Martine Pow (Selkirk) who looked set to be involved in a "monster" play-off 11 players on 155 for the last of the 64 qualifying spots ... until in the last threesome to finish, Hannah Ralph (Cowdray Park) followed up an 81 with an out of the blue 72 for a 153 total to grab the last place and do away with the need for a play-off.
Nobody can remember when a "British" play-off at the end of the qualifying was not needed!
No consolation to Rachael who matched the par of 72, improving by 11 shots on her opening effort. Marine had scores of 78 and 77.
Alford's Laura Murray missed out on 157 after returning an 80 which included three double bogeys on the inward half.
Carly Booth – Britain’s youngest-ever Curtis Cup player – came in with a sparkling second round of 70 – six shots better than her opening day effort at North Berwick – for a total of two-over-par 146.
That gave her a highly creditable joint seventh place behind the No 1 seed Caroline Hedwall from Sweden who scored 68 and 72 for 140.
As mentioned earlier, no play-off was necessary to produce the precise figure of 64 qualifiers. That was the number with two-round scores of 10-over-par 154 or better after a French girl, Morgane Bazin de Jessey, who would have made it on 152, was disqualified for playing on with a putter she had bent out of shape by kicking it in a flash of temper.
Carly, pulling out the biggest gallery of the day, responded to being the centre of attention with a typical performance and a grandstand finish. She smashed her final not only on to the green at the 273yd closing hole but her ball came to rest only two inches away from a hole in one. An eagle 2 was a great way to send her fans home happy. Earlier Carly had birdied the third, fifth and ninth but her run of sub-par figures had dried up after the turn until that sensational finish.
Booth also three-putted the short fourth for a bogey and missed the green at the 13th for her only other dropped shot.
"I'm enjoying myself and feeling very positive," said Carly who failed to reached the match-play stages at Alwoodley, Leeds last year.
California university student Roseanne Niven, 19, from Crieff, repeated Booth’s finish with an eagle 2 for a 71 and 149. It was Roseanne's best tournament round for some time. She bogeyed the first but then had a great run of birdies at the third, fifth and eighth to turn in two-under-par 35.
She dropped a shot at the short 10th but cancelled that out with a birdie 4 at the long 11th before slipping back a bit with bogeyes at the 12th, 15th and 16th before her eagle 2 finish.
Scottish universities champion Pamela Pretswell improved by three shots for a 74 and 151 to be the third highest Scot among the list of qualifiers. A good effort by Pamela who was unable to play in the "Scottish" at Lossiemouth because of universitiy studies.
Curtis Cup player Krystle Caithness also made the 151 mark with a second-round 74 which had very little deviation from par after she bogeyed the first. Between the second and the 15th holes, the Fifer had a birdie at the long ninth and the rest were all pars.
She did bogey the 16th and 17th in two-over-par 37 home.
Emily Ogilvy, St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker and teenager Kelsey MacDonald all qualified on 152.
Like Carly and Roseanne, big-hitting Kylie signed off with an eagle 2 at the 273yd 18th hole. The Buchanan Castle player needed it to finish with a smile as she had just bogeyed the 15th, double-bogeyed the 16th and bogeyed the 17th.
In an outward 38, Kylie had birdied the third and fourth.
Emily Ogilvy had five birdies in all - at the first, third, fifth, 11th and 15th in halves of 37 and 73. Her black spot in the round was a double-bogey 7 at the ninth. She also had a 7 there in the first roound.
The two Scots on 153, one shot inside the limit mark for qualifying, were Scottish champion and Curtis Cup player Michele Thomson and Haddington's Lesley Nicholson.
Michele still played some wayward shots - she salvaged a par after driving on to the beach (not out of bounds) at one of the early holes - but she birdied the fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and 18th for a nine-shot improvement – a par-matching 72, an improvement of 11 shots.
The Ellon player's inward half of 37 included a double bogey 6 at the 16th after her first putt rolled back down the slope towards her and she took another three shots to hole out. She did birdie the last hole.
Lesley Nicholson, Scottish girls stroke-play champion and Helen Holm Scottish women's stroke play winner before she turned pro for a spell, made it with a 74 for 153 but she is not contemplating a return to the big-time amateur circuit!
"I don't think my nerves would stand it nowadays," she joked. "I missed half a dozen putts of six feet and under on the opening day. I'm only playing in the championship because it's being played so close to where I live."
Scotland's Michele Thomson, Carly Booth and Krystle Caithness finished third in the international team event with a total of 295. Sweden and Spain both finished with 286. The title went to Sweden on a comparison of the second round totals.
At the end of the second day, which was not nearly as long as was anticipated, thanks to a play-off being averted, Sweden's Caroline Hedwall earned the No 1 seeding with rounds of 68 and 72 for four-under-par 140.
But, after being well clear of the field for most of the first two days, the 19-year-old from Barseback, whose twin sister Jacqueline also qualified, was almost caught over the second round by Spain's Maria Hernandez who plays on the US college circuit as a student at Purdue University.
Maria scored 72 and 69 for 141.
Speaking of the US college circuit, Caroline Hedwall is bound for Oklahoma State University int he autumn while twin Jacqueline is to enrol at Louisana State University.
Sweden also produced the third best qualifier in Camilla Lennarth with a pair of 72s for 144.
NCAA Division 1 champion and British girls champion at Lanark a year or two back, Spain's Azahara Munoz was one of three players on 145.
Seventeen-year-old American Taylor Karle was an interesting qualifier on the one-over-par mark with scores of 75 and 70.
Having been delayed by her participation at a US Women's Open qualifier, Taylore from Scottsdale, Arizona did not arrive at North Berwick until 5pm on the eve of the championship.l She managed to squeeze in nine holes over a course she had never seen before -- Japan is the only other country she has visited outside her native America.
A student at Pepperdine University, Malibu in California, Taylore was first reserve for the United States' Curtis Cup team this year.
"I came over with my Dad to Scotland because I had heard so much about playing Scottish links golf that I just had to experience it for myself. I have not been disappointed. I just love it. The way the conditions, the direction of the wind, can change completely during a round is fantastic. I think it's great. I'm so glad I came over," said Taylore.
Sweden's Anna Nordqvist, who celebrated her 21st birthday at the beginning of the week, qualified on 146 after equalling Caroline Hedwall's 68 as the best round of the qualifying.
Anna, a former British girls champion and a 6ft 1in Arizona State University student, has lost the last two British women's championships and is hoping it is third time lucky for her.
She had a bogey-free round after hitting 15 greens in regulation.
South Africa's Tandi Cuningham (only one 'n' in her surname) shot the lowest inward half of the first two days - four-under-par 31 for a 150 total after taking 40 shots for the first nine holes. She birdied the 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th without any bogeys on the inward half.
Although Carly Booth, Breanne Loucks and Krystle Caithness made it safely though to the match-play stages, one of their Curtis Cup colleagues did not - Elizabeth Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) who scored 78 and 77 for 155.
Like Rachael Livingstone and Martine Pow, Elizabeth was all set to go out again for an evening play-off until Hannah Ralph lowered the boom on them with her 71 for 153.

TEAM TOTALS
286 Sweden (better second round), Spain.
295 Scotland.
298 England.
299 Holland, Wales.
300 Austria.
303 Canada, France.
307 South Africa.
308 Ireland
309 Germany.
310 Italy
342 Finland.

No play-off necessary at North Berwick

BRITISH WOMEN’S OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
North Berwick Golf Club
QUALIFIERS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
140 C Hedwall (Swe) 68 72.
141 M Hernandez (Spa) 72 69.
144 C Lennarth (Swe) 72 72
145 T Karle (US) 75 70, N Holleder (Ger) 75 70, A Munoz (Spa) 73 72.
146 A Nordqvist (Swe) 78 68, C Booth (Comrie) 76 70, B Loucks (Wrexham) 75 71.
147 H Burke (Mid-Herts) 73 74, R Jennings (Izaak Walton) 74 73, M Ricordeau (Fra) 73 74.
148 K Meixner (Can) 76 72.
149 M Nivard (Net) 73 76, K Smith (Aus) 75 74, M Kotnik (Aut) 77 72, A Decharne (Fra) 78 71, R Niven (Crieff) 78 71, D Smith (Co Louth) 72 77, J Ewart (Catterick) 77 72.
150 T Cuningham (SAf) 79 71, C Boeljon (Net) 76 74, C Gugler (Aut) 78 72, M-A Leblanc (Can) 75 75, S Endstrasser (Aut) 79 71.
151 J Hedwall (Swe) 77 74, K Caithness (St Regulus) 77 74, A Goodman (US) 79 72, P Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 77 74, I Boineau (Fra) 77 74, S Juneau (Can) 81 70.
152 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 77 75, J Pease (Braintree) 74 78, N Edwards (Ganton) 7, K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 78 74, R Connor (Manchester) 78 74, H Aitchison (Bedfordshire) 78 74, P Halbig (Ger) 78 74, E Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 79 73, H Jenkins (Cradoc) 80 72.
153 S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) 80 73, B Mozo (Spa) 79 74, L Nicholson (Haddington) 79 74, K Smith (Waterlooville) 80 73, M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) 81 72, G Molinaro (Ita) 80 73, F Parker (Royal Birkdale) 82 71, M Prat (Spa) 76 77, B Genuini (Fra) 79 74, V Sternebeck (Ger) 80 73, M Silva (Spa) 80 73, P Lindberg (Swe) 81 72, J Kirby (Can) 81 72, C Masson (Ger) 80 73, C Aitken (Mid Kent) 78 75, V Derrey (Fra) 79 74, A Lucie (Fra) 80 73, S Kirchmayr (Ger) 79 74, H Ralph (Cowdray Park) 82 71.
154 R Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) 79 75, T Davies (Holyhead) 81 73, L Stempfle (Ger) 78 76, N Kitching (Claremorris) 77 77, E Givens (Blackwell Grange) 79 75.
MISSED THE CUT
155 B Dowell (Enmore Park) 81 74, M Pow (Selkirk) 78 77, J Klatten (Fra) 78 77, T Daffinrud (Nor) 78 77, L Chemarin (Fra) 78 77, E Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) 78 77, R Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) 83 72, C Ellis (Minchinhampton) 77 78, A Averna (Ita) 79 76, T Delaney (Carlow) 80 75, F Anderson (Heworth) 81 74.
156 S Attwood (Gog Magog) 79 77, E Alonso (Fra) 79 77, M Eikenaar (Net) 76 80, S James (Bristol & Clifton) 80 76, L Henriksson (Fin) 77 79.
157 L Whittaker (Ger) 80 77, L Murray (Alford) 77 80, E Ikavalko (Fin) 79 78.
158 A Felgueroso (Spa) 84 74, D McVeigh (Royal Co Down) 79 79, M Smit (SAf) 79 79, A Riguelle (Fra) 81 77, C P Narbon (Spa) 81 77, K Van Leeuwen (Net) 81 77, K Delaney (Carlow) 80 78, L Ball (Matfen Hall) 81 77.
159 A Roscio (Ita) 83 76, T Metzendorf (US) 82 77, C MacDonald (Gullane Ladies) 79 80, T Hoffmeister (Ger) 83 76, S Kim (Can) 79 80, S Aboff (US) 83 76, K Larratt (Kibworth) 83 76, G Webster (Hilton Park) 81 78.
160 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 81 79, N Muhl (Aus) 85 79, C De Vries (Net) 79 81, K Zaanen (Net) 77 83, C Andrade (Spa) 81 79, L Jansone (Lat) 82 78, S Derrey (Fra) 82 78.
161 C Douglass (Stocket Hall) 83 78, M Bal (Ind) 87 74, L Katzy (Ger) 82 79, J Turner (Craigielaw) 85 76, S Round (Tadmarton Heath) 80 81, S Yocum (US) 83 78, S Sherlock (Can) 85 76.
162 S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 83 79, E Gassiot (Fra) 88 74, M Briggs (Kilmacolm) 87 75, M Pretorious (SAf) 84 78, T Luccioli (Bel) 81 81, E Geury (Bel) 85 77, K Kinnerud (Swe) 86 76
163 G O’Leary (Cork) 86 77, J Dotten (Can) 85 78, J Potter (Can) 83 80, A Knight (Ita) 81 82.
164 C Herbin (Fra) 82 82, M Naafs (Net) 85 79, M Gunhildrum (Nor) 88 76, O Jordan-Higgins (Royal Jersey) 77 87.
165 L Collin (John O’ Gaunt) 87 78.
166 J Hodge (Knowle) 81 85, A Vilatte (Fra) 80 86, A Bushby (Strathmore) 93 73.
167 C Wolf (Aut) 86 81.
168 K McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) 90 78, S Harju (Fin) 85 79, M Macias (Spa) 86 82.
169 N Dunn (Harrogate) 85 84, J Carthew (Ladybank) 87 82.
170 M Mangone (US) 84 86.
171 J Lochhead (Can) 84 87.
174 E Nummenpaa (Fin) 91 83.
Disq – M Bazin de Jessey (Fra) 78 74.

North Berwick scoreboard at 5.35pm

BRITISH WOMEN’S OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
North Berwick Golf Club

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 144 (2 x 72)

140 C Hedwall (Swe) 68 72.
145 T Karle (US) 75 70.
146 A Nordqvist (Swe) 78 68, C Booth (Comrie) 76 70.
147 H Burke (Mid-Herts) 73 74, R Jennings (Izaak Walton) 74 73.
149 M Nivards (Net) 73 76, K Smith (Aus) 75 74, M Kotnik (Aut) 77 72, A Decharne (Fra) 78 71.
150 T Cuningham (SAf) 79 71, C Boeljon (Net) 76 74, C Gugler (Aut) 78 72, M-A Leblanc (Can) 75 75, S Endstrasser (Aut) 79 71.
151 J Hedwall (Swe) 77 74, K Caithness (St Regulus) 77 74, A Goodman (US) 79 72.
152 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 77 75, J Pease (Braintree) 74 78, N Edwards (Ganton) 7, K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 78 74, R Connor (Manchester) 78 74, M B de Jessey (Fra) 78 74.
153 S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) 80 73, B Mozo (Spa) 79 74, L Nicholson (Haddington) 79 74, K Smith (Waterlooville) 80 73, M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) 81 72, G Molinaro (Ita) 80 73, F Parker (Royal Birkdale) 82 71, M Prat (Spa) 76 77, B Genuini (Fra) 79 74, V Sternebeck (Ger) 80 73, M Silva (Spa) 80 73, P Lindberg (Swe) 81 72, J Kirby (Can) 81 72.
154 R Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) 79 75, T Davies (Holyhead) 81 73, L Stempfle (Ger) 78 76, N Kitching (Claremorris) 77 77, E Givens (Blackwell Grange) 79 75.
155 B Dowell (Enmore Park) 81 74, M Pow (Selkirk) 78 77, J Klatten (Fra) 78 77, T Daffinrud (Nor) 78 77, L Chemarin (Fra) 78 77, E Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) 78 77, R Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) 83 72.
156 S Attwood (Gog Magog) 79 77, E Alonso (Fra) 79 77, M Eikenaar (Net) 76 80, S James (Bristol & Clifton) 80 76.
157 L Whittaker (Ger) 80 77, L Murray (Alford) 77 80, E Ikavalko (Fin) 79 78.
158 A Felgueroso (Spa) 84 74, D McVeigh (Royal Co Down) 79 79, M Smit (SAf) 79 79, A Riguelle (Fra) 81 77, C P Narbon (Spa) 81 77, K Van Leeuwen (Net) 81 77, K Delaney (Carlow) 80 78.
159 A Roscio (Ita) 83 76, T Metzendorf (US) 82 77, C MacDonald (Gullane Ladies) 79 80, T Hoffmeister (Ger) 83 76, S Kim (Can) 79 80, S Aboff (US) 83 76.
160 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 81 79, N Muhl (Aus) 85 79, C De Vries (Net) 79 81, K Zaanen (Net) 77 83, C Andrade (Spa) 81 79.
161 C Douglass (Stocket Hall) 83 78, M Bal (Ind) 87 74, L Katzy (Ger) 82 79, J Turner (Craigielaw) 85 76, S Round (Tadmarton Heath) 80 81, S Yocum (US) 83 78.
162 S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 83 79, E Gassiot (Fra) 88 74, M Briggs (Kilmacolm) 87 75, M Pretorious (SAf) 84 78, T Luccioli (Bel) 81 81, E Geury (Bel) 85 77.
163 G O’Leary (Cork) 86 77, J Dotten (Can) 85 78, J Potter (Can) 83 80.
164 C Herbin (Fra) 82 82, M Naafs (Net) 85 79, M Gunhildrum (Nor) 88 76, O Jordan-Higgins (Royal Jersey) 77 87.
165 L Collin (John O’ Gaunt) 87 78.
167 C Wolf (Aut) 86 81.
168 K McNicoll (Carnous tie Ladies) 90 78, S Harju (Fin) 85 79, M Macias (Spa) 86 82.
169 N Dunn (Harrogate) 85 84.
171 J Lochhead (Can) 84 87.

Dutch girl lunchtime leader on 149
on a better day at North Berwick

Improved conditions – less wind and no rain, at least for the morning starters – led to a general improvement in the scores for the second qualifying round of the Ladies’ British Open amateur championship over the North Berwick links today.
Sweden’s 19-year-old Jacqueline Hedwall, whose twin sister Caroline was the overnight leader with a 68, set the early clubhouse target with a two-over-par 74 for 151.
Jacqueline starts a four-year golf scholarship at the Louisiana State University in the autumn while Caroline will be enrolling at Oklahoma State.
Jacqueline was later headed by Marieke Nivard from the Netherlands with a 76 for 149.
St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) had a 75 – a two-shot improvement on Wednesday – for a 36-hole tally of 152.
One shot behind her were Belen Mozo (Spain), Sahra Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) and Lesley Nicholson (Haddington).
Mozo missed last year’s championship at Alwoodley, Leeds after completing the British girls’ and British ladies’ titles double in Northern Ireland in 2006.
She shaved five shots off her opening round with a 74 for 153.
Curtis Cup reserve Sarah Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) made an even bigger improvement, coming down from 80 to 73 for 153.
Former Scottish women’s open stroke-play and past Scottish girls’ open stroke-play champion Lesley Nicholson (Haddington) followed up her first-round 79 with a 74 for 153.

SCOREBOARD

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 144 (2 x 72)
149 M Nivard (Net) 73 76.
151 J Hedwall (Swe) 77 74.
152 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 77 75, J Pease (Braintree) 74 78, N Edwards (Ganton) 78 74.
153 S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) 80 73, B Mozo (Spa) 79 74, L Nicholson (Haddington) 79 74, K Smith (Waterlooville) 80 73.
155 B Dowell (Enmore Park) 81 74.
157 L Whittaker (Ger) 80 77.
158 Araceli Felgueroso (Spa) 84 74, D McVeigh (Royal Co Down) 79 79.
159 A Roscio (Ita) 83 76, T Metzendorf (US) 82 77.
160 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 81 79, N Muhl (Aus) 85 79..
161 C Douglass (Stocket Hall) 83 78, M Bal (Ind) 87 74..
162 S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 83 79.
164 C Herbin (Fra) 82 82, M Naafs (Net) 85 79, L Katzy (Ger) 82 79.
168 K McNicoll (Carnosutie Ladies) 90 78.ends

Business as usual at North Berwick Links

while clubhouse is refurbished

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

There can be few golf courses that have staged a major championship - "major" with a small 'm' - while the host clubhouse has been closed for refurbishment.

But that's the state of affairs this week at North Berwick West Links where the British women's open amateur championship is being played for the first time in the tournament's 115-year history.

The clubhouse is undergoing a major refurbishment costing well over £1million and it would have cost a lot more in the long run had the North Berwick club delayed its start until after the British women's championship had been played.

The golf club has set up its own "tented village," housing the administration offices, catering lounge, etc. Tents have come so far along the road from the canvas variety that this temporary accommodation is quite acceptable.

North Berwick Golf Club, formed in 1832, is the 13th oldest golf club in the world. The clubhouse that is being refurbished was built in the late 1870s-early 1880s.

Prior to that point, a marquee was erected for the main meetings with members supplying the food and refreshments.

So you could say that things have gone full circle at North Berwick!

Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) leads by four shots going into the second qualifying round today (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved)

End of first day's play at North Berwick

BRITISH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
North Berwick Golf Club.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND (Par 72, CSS 77)

68 C Hedwall (Swe).
72 D Smith (Co Louth), M Hernandez (Spa), C Lennarth (Swe).
73 M Ricordeau (Fra), A Munoz (Spa), M Nivard (Net), H Burke (Mid-Herts).
74 J Pease (Braintree), R Jennings (Izaak Walton).
75 M-A Leblanc (Can), B Loucks (Wrexham), N Holleder (Ger), K Smith (Aus), T Karle (US).
76 M Eikenaar (Net), C Booth (Comrie), K Meixner (Can), M Prat (Spa), C Boeljon (Net).
77 N Kitching (Claremorris), C Ellis (Minchinhampton), J Ewart (Catterick), P Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), I Boineau (Fra), L Henriksson (Fin), J Hedwall (Swe), K Walker (Buchanan Castle), K Caithness (St Regulus), M Kotnik (Aut), K Zaanen (Net), L Murray (Alford), O Jordan-Higgins (Royal Jersey).
78 M Bazin de Jessey (Fra), T Daffinrud (Nor), L Chemarin (Fra), E Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor), A Decharne (Fra), R Niven (Crieff), C Aitken (Mid Kent), H Aitchison (Bedfordshire), P Halbig (Ger), N Edwards (Ganton), K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), R Connor (Manchester), M Pow (Selkirk), A Nordqvist (Swe), C Gugler (Aut), L Stempfle (Ger), J Klattan (Fra).
79 S Attwood (Gog Magog), S Kim (Can), E Alonso (Fra), E Givens (Blackwell Grange), S Endstrasser (Aut), E Ikavalko (Fin), A Averna (Ita), V Derrey (Fra), E Ogilvy (Auchterarder), S Kirchmayr (Ger), B Mozo (Spa), D McVeigh (Royal Co Down). L Nicholson ( Haddington), C De Vries (Net), T Cuningham (SAf), R Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan), M Smit (SAf), C MacDonald (Gullane Ladies), A Goodman (US), B Genuini (Fra).

== PROJECTED CUT-OFF POINT FOR QUALIFYING & PLAY-OFF==

80 M Silva (Spa), S James (Bristol & Clifton), K Delaney (Carlow), C Masson (Ger), A Lucie (Fra), A Vilatte (Fra), H Jenkins (Cradoc), T Delaney (Carlow), S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan), K Smith (Waterlooville), L Whittaker (Ger), G Molinaro (Ita), V Sternebeck (Ger), S Round (Tadmarton Heath).
81 C Andrade (Spa), K Van Leeuwen (Net), P Lindberg (Swe), J Kirby (Can), J Hodge (Knowle), A Knight (Ita), L Ball (Matfen Hall), S Juneau (Can), G Webster (Hilton Park), F Sanderson (Heworth), B Dowell (Enmore Park). A Ramsay (Kirriemuir), N Muhl (Aut), M Thomson (McDonald Ellon), T Davies (Holyhead), A Riguelle (Fra), C Perez Narbon (Spa), T Luccioli (Bel).
82 L Jansone (Lat), S Derrey (Fra), H Ralph (Cowdray Park), T Metzendorf (US), C Herbin (Fra), L Katzy (Ger), F Parker (Royal Birkdale).
83 S Aboff (US), S Yocum (US), J Potter (Can), R Livingstone (Musselburgh Old), K Larratt (Kibworth), C Douglass (Brocket Hall), S Evans (Vale of Llangollen), A Roscio (Ita), T Hoffmeister (Ger).
84 J Lochhead (Can), M Mangone (US), A Felgueroso (Spa), M Pretorious (SAf).
85 E Geury (Bel), S Sherlock (Can), M Naafs (Net), J Turner (Craigielaw), N Dunn (Harrogate), J Dotten (Can).
86 K Kinnerud (Swe), C Wolf (Aut), G O'Leary (Cork), M Macias (Spa).
87 L Collin (John O'Gaunt), J Carthew (Ladybank), M Bal (Ind), M Briggs (Kilmacolm).
88 M Gunhildrun (Nor).
89 S Harju (Fin).
90 K McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies).
91 E Nummenpaa (Fin).
93 A Bushby (Strathmore).
Retired – A Scott (Consett), neck injury.
Disq – R Svahn (Fin).

+The leading 64 after Thursday's second round will go forward to the match-play stages. There will be a play-off if necessary to produce the precise number of 64 qualifiers.

+There are 70 players with scores of 79 or better with 20 of them on 79.

TEAM EVENT - HOW THEY STAND

145 Spain.
146 Sweden.
149 Netherlands.
153 Scotland.
154 Wales
155 Canada, England, France.
156 Ireland.
157 Austria.
158 South Africa.
159 Germany.
161 Italy.
180 Finland.

MICHELE THOMSON IN DANGER OF MISSING
MATCH-PLAY CUT AT NORTH BERWICK

The pressure is on Curtis Cup player and Scottish champion Michele Thomson to show her international class on Thursday if she is to figure among the 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages of the British women’s open amateur golf championship.
The 20-year-old from McDonald Golf Club, Ellon, winner of the Munross Trophy at Montrose only on Sunday, suffered a sudden and potentially costly loss of form in the first qualifying round over the North Berwick links today.
Her nine-over-par round of 81 – admittedly on a windswept and eventually rainy day when scores in general soared – included a nightmare 8 at the 12th, a par-4 hole of only 390 yards, and a double bogey 6 at the seventh.
Out in two-over 39 with her only birdie of the day at the long eighth, Michele was still on course for a reasonable round until she scattered shots like confetti over the last six holes – seven to be precise with bogeys at the 13th, 15th and 17th following her 8 at the 12th.
Twelve months ago in this same championship at Leeds, Thomson took the champion-to-be Carlota Ciganda to the 18th green before admitting defeat in the quarter-finals. It was the toughest match the Spaniard had, and that included the final.
Nairn Dunbar teenager Kelsey MacDonald also had only one birdie, at the long third, but she escaped major disasters and finished on 78.
Curtis Cupper Carly Booth had two shots in a bunker to run up a double bogey 6 at the fifth and she also had 6s at the eighth and ninth. But the 15-year-old from Comrie, who turned in five-over-par 42, got herself going again with birdies at the 11th and 12th , and came home in 34 for a 76.
The third Curtis Cup Scot in the field, Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) was far from happy with a 77 – “I couldn’t hit the fairways with my driver” – a score matched by St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) and Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle).
Roseanne Niven (Crieff) had a 78, one ahead of Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) and Lesley Nicholson (Haddington).

CAROLINE SETS NORTH BERWICK
TARGET WITH BRILLIANT 68

Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, on paper the best player in the international field of 144, set the clubhouse target very early in the day with an outstanding round of four-under-par 68 as the Ladies’ British open amateur championship started at windswept North Berwick today.
The 19-year-old twin from Barseback, who has a handicap of +5.4 and is making her debut in the championship, made light of the strong north-westerly wind which made the 6,250yd, fast-running links a tough test.
“We have three holes at Barseback which are close to the sea so I am used to playing in winds like today – and I have played in the last three Scottish women’s stroke-play championships at Troon, so I have learned something from playing links golf in a wind from my previous visits to Scotland,” said Caroline who will start a golf scholarship at Oklahoma State University in the autumn.
She dropped her only shot at the par-4 second hole where she, in her own words, “played a bad second through the green.”
From then on it was pars and birdies only as she managed to hit fairways and greens with unerring accuracy, splendid ball control in the conditions.
Hedwall birdied the short fourth (165yd) with a three-iron tee shot and a 10ft putt.
She picked up her second and third birdies at the par-5 ninth and 11th . She used a three-iron off the tee at the 515yd ninth, a five iron for her second and then pitched and putted for a 4, holing from 6ft to turn in one-under-par 36.
Hedwall covered the downwind 520yd of the 11th with a driver, eight-iron and two putts from from 45ft.
After parring the next six holes, she drove the 18th green (273yd) with a three-wood and holed her putt for an eagle 2 from 18ft for an inward half of three-under-par 35.
Canadian Maude-Aimee leblanc, 19, from Montreal, matched Caroline’s 36 to the turn but had double bogeys at the short 10th and par-4 17th in an inward 37 for 75.
“I thought it would be much easier playing downwind after the turn but I found it more difficult with the wind behind me than I had into my face,” she said. “I couldn’t judge which clubs to use.”

Lanarkshire team for Hilton Park

Lanarkshire, Ayrshire name teams

TEAMS for forthcoming inter-county divisional matches:

West Division - Hilton Park GC, June 23-25

LANARKSHIRE
Elaine Cuthill ( Lanark)
Angela Devine (Hamilton)
May Hughes (Lanark)
Lesley Lloyd (Hayston)
Janice Paterson (Drumpellier)
Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle)
Ruth Rankin (Lanark).
Susan Wood (Drumpellier).

AYRSHIRE
Morag Macpherson
Jennifer Linklater
Rachael McQueen
Catherine Malcolm
Lesley Hendry
Debbie Watt
Roz Purdom
Lesley Williamson
Alex Glennie (Reserve)

East Division at Broomieknowe GC, June 23-25

FIFE
Lorna Bennett (Ladybank).
Jocelyn Carthew (Ladybank).
Krystle Caithness (St Regulus).
Fiona Hastie (St Regulus).
Susan Jackson (Ladybank).
Katrina Milne (Cochrane Castle).
Elaine Moffat (St Regulus).
Karin Sharp (Kirkcaldy)

+++If your county team has not been published yet on Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk,
ask your county secretary to E-mail the details to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

SLOW PLAY TO BE PUNISHED BY LADIES GOLF UNION

The Ladies Golf Union is going to come down hard on slow play at the
British women's open amateur golf championship which teed off over the
North Berwick links this morning.
This follows 5 1/2 hr rounds in the four-ball ties at the recent Curtis
Cup match at St Andrews.
"The Curtis Cup has something to do with it but we've been becoming
increasingly concerned at how long it is taking players to get round
the golf course," said LGU Director of Championships Susan Simpson.
"So we've decided we are going to take a firm line with offenders in
future, starting this week. Slow play will definitely be penalised this
week."

When to see the stars at
North Berwick

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY TEE TIMES

6.30am & 11.15 Sarah Attwood, Sue Kim, Laura Collins.
6.41 & 11.26 Caroline Hedwall, Morgane Bazin de Jessey, Marta Silva.
6.52 & 11.37 Tonse Daffinrud, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Shannon Yocum.

7.03 & 11.48 Carolina Andrade, Susannah Aboff, Emelie Alonso.
7.14 & 11.59 Kyra Van Leeuwen, Laura Chemarin, Niamh Kitching.
7.25 & 12.10 Ellie Givens, Jessica Potter, Emilie Geury.
7.36 & 12.21 Elizabeth Bennett, Stefanie Endstrasser, Myrte Eikenaar.
7.47 & 12.32 Carly Booth, Pernilla Lindberg, Jennifer Lochhead.
7.58 & 12.43 Audrey Decharne, Elina Ikavalko, Jennifer Kirby.

8.09 & 12.54 Rachael Livingstone, Sian James, Karen Delaney.
8.20 & 1.05 Joanne Hodge, Alessia Knight, Charlotte Ellis.
8.31 & 1.16 Alessandra Averna, Caroline Masson, Stephanie Sherlock.
8.42 & 1.27 Megan Mangone, Roseanne Niven, Deirdre Smith.
8.53 & 1.38 Kym Larratt, Jocelyn Carthew, Claire Aitken.

9.04 & 1.49 Jodi Ewart, Marion Ricordeau, Holly Aitchison.
9.15 & 2.0 Valentine Derrey, Maria Hernandez, Laura Jansone.
9.26 & 2.11 Stephanie Derrey, Pamela Pretswell, Pia Halbig.
9.37 & 2.22 Breanne Loucks, Kira Meixner, Isabelle Boineau.
9.48 & 2.33 Lisa Ball, Elina Nummenpaa, Karin Kinnerud.
9.59 & 2.44 Andre Lucie, Emily Ogilvy,Sara Juneau.

10.10 & 2.55 Stephanie Kirchmayr, Alexandra Vilatte, Linda Henriksson.
10.21 & 3.06 Hannh Jenkins, Alexandrea Bushby, Gemma Webster.
10.32 & 3.17 Nina Holleder, Camilla Lennarth, Azahara Munoz.
10.43 & 3.28 Tara Delaney, Faye Sandereson, Hannah Ralph.

11.15 & 6.30am Charlie Douglass, Aracelli Felgueroso, Stephanie Evans.
11.26 & 6.41 Sahra Hassan, Belen Mozo, Jacqueline Hedwall.
11.37 & 6.52 Danielle McVeigh, Lesley Nicholson, Anna Roscio.
11.48 & 7.03 Becky Dowell, Meghna Bal, Tyrett Metzendorf.
11.59 & 7.14 Kylie Walker, Celine Herbin, Katy McNicoll.

12.10 & 7.25 Jenny Pease, Ann Ramsay, Kerry Smith.
12.21 & 7.36 Maaike Naafs, Leigh Whittaker, Nina Muhl.
12.32 & 7.47 Marieke Nivard, Naomi Edwards, Lara Katzy.
12.43 & 7.58 Jane Turner, Chrisje de Vries, Tandi Cunningham.
12.54 & 8.09 Michaela Gunhildrun, Chreistine Wolf, Rhian Wyn Thomas.

1.05 & 8.20 Rosa Svahn, Krystle Caithness, Kirstie Smith.
1.16 & 8.31 Kelsey MacDonald, Hannah Burke, Monique Smith.
1.27 & 8.42 Michele Thomson, Rachel Jennings, Emilie Gassiot.
1.38 & 8.53 Marina Kotnik, Gillian O'Leary, Giulia Molinaro.
1.49 & 9.04 Rachel Connor, Claire MacDonald, Nicola Dunn.

2.0 & 9.15 Satu Harju, Allison Goodman, Thea Hoffmeister.
2.11 & 9.26 Megan Briggs, Florentyna Parker, Judy Dotten.
2.22 & 9.37 Anna Scott, Martine Pow, Mireia Prat.
2.33 & 9.48 Karlijn Zaanen, Mercia Pretorious, Tara Davies.
2.55 & 9.59 Christel Boeljon, Audrey Riquelle,Anna Nordqvist.
2.55 & 10.10 Christina Gugler, Laura Murray, Barbara Genuini.

3.06 & 10.21 Valerie Sternebeck, Carmen Perez Harbon Ferraz, Tamara Luccioli.
3.17 & 10.32 Taylore Karle, Mariana Macias, Laura Stempfle.
3.28 & 10.43 Samantha Round, Olivia Jordan-Higgins, Joanna Klatten.

CURTIS CUP SCOTS ON GLORY TRAIL
AGAIN AT NORTH BERWICK

Seven of the eight Great Britain & Ireland team, who lost 13-7 to the United States in the recent Curtis Cup match at St Andrews, will be in high-profile action again - hopefully - at this week's British women's open amateur golf championship over the North Berwick links on the Firth of Forth shoreline.
The odd one out is 16-year-old Sally Watson (Elie & Earlsferry) who had an overdue knee operation last week.
Carly Booth (Comrie), Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) and Scottish champion Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) will have their scores counting for "Scotland" in the international team event staged in conjunction with the stroke-play qualifying rounds.
England will also be represented by a Curtis Cup trio - Elizabeth Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor), Jodi Ewart (Catterick) and Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale).
The remaining GB&I player in the field, Breanne Loucks (Wrexham) makes up the Wales team with Curtis Cup reserve Sarah Hassan and Rhian Wyn Thomas.
The British open amateur title has been won by a Continental European for the last five years in a row and six of the past seven.
Spanish teenager Carlota Ciganda is not defending the championship she won at Leeds 12 months ago. Although she is bound for Arizona State University in January, Carlota is sitting "important examinations" this week, according to the Spanish Golf Federation Press Officer, Miguel Angel Caderot.
Krystle Caithness and Michele Thomson reached the quarter-finals last year with Michele giving champion-to-be Ciganda her hardest match of the tournament.
Caithness was an under-used three-time winner in the Curtis Cup while Thomson followed up her Scottish title win at Lossiemouth by winning the Munross Trophy 36-hole SLGA event at Montrose on Sunday.
So strong is the Continental opposition that Krystle and Michele will have done well if they can make it through to the weekend action - quarter-finals and semi-finals on Saturday plus the 18-hole final on Sunday.
Strathmore's Alexandra Bushby and Claire MacDonald (Gullane) answered a late call from the Ladies Golf Union to come off the waiting list and plug gaps that had developed by withdrawals or no-shows.
Young hopefuls in the maximum field of 144 include: Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie), whose brother Keir won the St Andrews Links Trophy at the weekend.
The leading 64 after the 36-hole qualifying test will go forward to the match-play stages.

Hannah Turland to represent England
in R&A Junior Open at Hesketh

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Wiltshire’s Hannah Turland to play in Junior Open Wiltshire’s Hannah Turland will represent the English Women’s Golf Association in the R&A Junior Open Championship at Hesketh Golf Club from July 14-16.
She will join an international field of leading U16 golfers in the event, which is run by the R&A and closely linked to the Open Championship.
Hannah, 14, is the English U13 girls’ champion and, earlier this season, became the youngest-ever Wiltshire ladies’ champion.
She plays at Tidworth Garrison and is a member of EWGA’s Select South West Squad. The Junior Open takes place every two years and after the tournament the competitors will have the opportunity to attend The Open at Royal Birkdale.
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

British women's open amateur championship

Jane survives car crash
and will play at
North Berwick

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

at North Berwick

Teenage golf international Jane Turner stepped out of a bad car crash this week with one thought in mind … "Nothing's going to stop me playing in the British women's amateur championship!"

The tournament, the flagship of the Ladies Golf Union amateur circuit, tees off at North Berwick Golf Club tomorrow.

Jane, an 18-year-old +1 player at Craigielaw Golf Club, lives at Penicuick which is not all that far away as the golf ball flies from the championship venue.

Jane wrote off her Ford Focus in a head-on collision with a council refuse collection lorry in a narrow lane in Penicuik a couple of days ago.

"I drove round a bend in the lane and hit the lorry head on. I didn't have time to scream or feel frightened. Suddenly, the lorry was there in my way and 'bang' I was into it," said Jane.

"I was lucky to escape with no broken bones but I've got bruises and scratches everywhere. Fortunately I was wearing the seat belt and that saved me from going through the shattered windscreen. But the belt has left purple bruises right across my lower stomach and my chest.

"My shoulder was awfully sore and I thought it was dislocated but apparently that was also caused by the seat belt taking the full force of my body thrown against it. I've got bruises and scratches on my knees where they came in contact with the car as I was thrown forward."

Jane's doctor advised her not to play a practice round over the North Berwick links but to get as much rest before she teed it up in the first of two qualifying rounds on Wednesday and Thursday.

"It's not often I get a major golf championship almost on my doorstep and I've been looking forward to this week for ages. I was in New Zealand for a couple of months golf in mid-winter and even down there I was thinking about the 'British' at North Berwick," said Jane.

"Even if I had had a broken leg, I would still have have wanted to play. I know it's going to be tough and possibly my golf swing won't be 100 per cent but I'm going to take pain-killers to help me get through it."

So whose fault was the accident?

"Nobody's really. It's a narrow lane and the council workmen have their job to do. It was just dead unlucky that they were just round a bend. Obviously I wasn't expecting the lorry to be there," said Jane.

Leading prizewinners at the Watt Duffus Trophy competition at Cruden Bay today.

MURCAR LINKS WIN WATT DUFFUS
TROPHY AGAIN AT WINDY CRUDEN BAY
Murcar Links continued their domination of the Aberdeenshire Ladies County Golf Assocation inter-club team stroke-play tournament for the Watt Duffus Trophy at windswept Cruden Bay today .
Their No 1 team of Laura McLardy, Carol Wilson, Donna Pocock and Samantha Leslie totalled 249 - two shots ahead of runners-up Aberdeen Ladies' No 1 quartet of Sheena Wood, Ellie Wyte, Fiona Seedhouse and Lesley Hardie.
Murcar Links have won the Watt Duffus Trophy every year since 2004 with the exception of 2005 when the competition was abandoned.
Cruden Bay 1's Jill Harrison, Ros Dunsmuir, Lynne Terry and Kathleen Esslemont were third with 261.
Aberdeen Ladies 1 won the Handicap Trophy with a total of 234.
Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) won the Mrs J P Kennaway Cup for the best individual scratch score of 78.
Fiona Hay (Deeside) won the Individual Handicap Trophy with a 74 off five.

LEADING SCRATCH TOTALS
Three from four scores to count.
249 MURCAR LINKS 1 (D Pocock 81, S Leslie 84, L McLardy 84, C Wilson 85).
251 ABERDEEN LADIES 1 (S Wood 78, L Hardie 86, F Seedhouse 87, E Whyte 91).
261 CRUDEN BAY 1 (J Harrison 79, L Terry 90, K Esslemont 92, R Dunsmuir NR).
269 HAZLEHEAD (B Rivollier 87, G Melvin 90, C Prouse 92, F Prouse 95).
270 DEESIDE (F Hay 79, M Parkinson 95, K Teow 96, A Downie 112).
277 CRUDEN BAY 2 (H Gray 86, J Robertson 95, K Stalker 96, M Miller 105).
285 ABERDEEN LADIES 2 (C Whicher 91, L Whyte 96, J Wheeler 98, G Bruce 107).
289 ABOYNE 1 (E Brown 93, M Sime 97, M Burgess 99, G Hollingsworth 102).
302 MURCAR LINKS 2 (P Wilson 85, N Thomson 102, K Stalker 115, M Robinson 117); ABOYNE 2 (M Wilson 96, J McWilliam 102, E Rose 104, M Munro NR).
312 BALLATER (A Horne 97, C Bryce 107, F Gibson 108, L Backhouse NR).
315 BANCHORY ( M Clapperton 92, E Cook 101, D Muncaster 122, H Edon disq).
320 INCHMARLO (L Smith 96, B Lilley 111, S Richardson 113, E Clark 117).

LEADING HANDICAP TOTALS
234 ABERDEEN LADIES 1: S Wood (1) 77, L Hardie (9) 77, F Seedhouse (7) 80, E Whyte (8) 93. 238 MURCAR LINKS 1: D Pocock (3) 78, S Leslie (5) 79, L McLardy (3) 81, C Wilson (4) 81.
241 CRUDEN BAY 1: J Harrison (4) 75, K Esslemont (10) 82, L Terry (6) 84, R Dunsmuir (6) NR; CRUDEN BAY 2: H Gray (11) 75; J Robertson (17) 78; K Stalkerk (8) 88; M Miller (14) 91.

Hertfordshire, Sussex through
to English county finals

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Hertfordshire and Sussex have won through to the final of the English County Golf Championship at Long Ashton Golf Club, Bristol, from September 15-19.
The County Finals will be contested by the winners of the county match weeks in each of the six regions of the English Women’s Golf Association.
Dorset have already qualified from the South West region. Hertfordshire booked their place at the East region week at The Links, Newmarket, where they won all five of their matches.
Their closest rivals were Essex with four points, followed by Bedfordshire and Suffolk who has two points apiece, Cambs & Hunts 1½, and Norfolk with half a point.
The Hertfordshire team was:
Hannah Burke (Mid Herts), Charlie Field (Harpenden), Jackie Foster (Bishops Stortford), Alison Franklin (Harpenden), Lucy Glyn (Porters Park), Tina Jeary (Bishops Stortford), Harriet Key (South Herts), Steph McEvoy (Old Fold Manor), Lucinda Mileham (Aldwickbury Park) and Lucy Williams (Mid Herts).
Sussex won their place at the South region week at North Hants, where they pipped Hampshire on a countback of singles matches won. Both teams had three points each from the week’s matches but Sussex had 16 singles wins to Hampshire’s 14½.
Surrey were third in the week with 2½ points, followed by Kent 1½, and Middlesex, 0.
The Sussex team was:
Clarissa Bushell (West Sussex), Chloe Court (Bognor), Alice Gimson (Ham Manor), Aileen Greenfield (Pyecombe) Georgina Hunt (Lewes), Hannah Ralph (Cowdray Park), Katherine Russell (Royal Ashdown Forest) and Karen Sykes (Worthing).
Results:
East region
Monday
Cambs & Hunts 6, Bedfordshire 3.
Essex 6½, Suffolk 2½.
Hertfordshire 8½, Norfolk ½.
Tuesday
Essex 8½, Cambs & Hunts ½.
Suffolk 6, Norfolk 3.
Hertfordshire 6, Bedfordshire 3.
Wednesday
Norfolk 4½, Cambs & Hunts 4½.
Essex 8, Bedfordshire 1.
Hertfordshire 7, Suffolk 2.
Thursday
Suffolk 7, Cambs & Hunts 2.
Hertfordshire 5½, Essex 3½.
Bedfordshire 5½, Norfolk 3½.
Friday
Hertfordshire 6, Cambs & Hunts 3.
Bedfordshire 5½, Suffolk 3½.
Essex 7, Norfolk 2.

South Region
Monday
Sussex 8, Kent 1.
Surrey 6, Hampshire 3.
Tuesday
Morning play abandoned because of heavy rain.
Singles:
Hampshire 4, Sussex 2.
Surrey 4½, Middlesex 1½.
Wednesday
Surrey 4½, Kent 4½.
Hampshire 8½, Middlesex ½.
Thursday
Hampshire 6, Kent 3.
Sussex 8, Middlesex 1.
Friday
Sussex 5, Surrey 4.
Kent 6, Middlesex 3

East win SLGA inter-divisional girls'
tournament title at Ballumbie Castle

East beat West 3-0 in the decisive Sunday match to win the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association inter-divisional girls' team tournament, played over the weekend at Ballumbie Castle Golf Club, Dundee.
East finished 6pt from one win and two halved matches.
South were runners-up with 4.5pt from one win, one halved match and one defeat.
North were third with 4pt from two halved matches and one defeat.
West were fourth with 3.5pt from one win, one halved match and one defeat.

RESULTS:
SOUTH 1, WEST 2
Isla Craigie & Lesley Atkins bt Linzi Allan & Hannah Gaunt 4 and 2.
Kirstie McDonald & Tara MacTaggart lost to Zoe Differ & Lauren Meldrum 8 and 6.
Ailsa Mitchell & Ailsa Bain lost to Nicola Ferguson & Natasha Qayum 6 and 5.
NORTH 1.5, EAST 1.5
Ailsa Summers & Julie Vass halved with Cara Easton & Rachael Watton.
Ailie Burnett & Rachel Polson bt Judy Shields & Camilla Tait 6 and 4.
Ashley Smith & Hannah McCook lost to Gillian Simpson & Gabrielle McDonald 2 holes.
SOUTH 1.5, EAST 1.5
Isla Craigie & Lesley Atkins lost to Cara Easton & Rachael Watton 2 holes.
Kirsty McDonald & Tara MacTaggart bt Judy Shields & Camilla Tait 2 and 1.
Ailsa Mitchell & Ailsa Bain halved with Gillian Simpson & Gabrielle McDonald.
WEST 1.5, NORTH 1.5
Nichola Ferguson & Natasha Qayum bt Ailsa Summers & Julie Vass 3 and 2.
Zoe Differ & Lauren Meldrum halved with Ashley Smith & Hannah McCook.
Linzi Allan & Hannah Gaunt lost to Ailie Burnett & Rachel Polson 2 holes.
WEST 0, EAST 3
Nichola Ferguson & Natasha Qayum lost to Cara Easton & Rachael Watton 2 and 1.
Zoe Differ & Lauren Meldrum lost to Gillian Simpson & Gabrielle McDonald 4 and 2.
Linzi Allan & Hannah Gaunt lost to Judy Shields & Camilla Tait 3 and 2.
SOUTH 2, NORTH 1.
Isla Craigie & Lesley Atkins bt Julie Vass & Ailsa Summers 1 hole.
Kirstie McDonald & Tara MacTaggart lost to Ashley Smith & Hannah McCook 3 & 2.
Ailsa Mitchell & Ailsa Bain bt Ailie Burnett & Rachel Polson 2 and 1.

HOW THEY FINISHED

1 East 6pt, 2 South 4.5pt, 3 North 4pt, 4 West 3.5pt

Canadians drew 3-3 at Gullane

The Canadian team, in Scotland for this week's British women's open amateur championship at North Berwick, drew a friendly match 3-3 at Gullane on Sunday with a "local line-up," which included former British amateur stroke-play champion Heather Macrae (pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved), now training as an assistant PGA professional at Gullane and Susannah Aboff from Princeton. Two of the Canadian girls played each other to make up the numbers.

Results (Canadian names first):

Kira Meixner lost to Heather Macrae 6 and 5.

Maude Amee Leblanc bt Susannah Aboff 1 hole.

Jennifer Kirby bt Alsion Goodman 2 holes.

Sara Maude Juneau bt Shannon Yoakim 3 and 2.

Jessica Potter lost to Andrea Waters 2 and 1.

Stephanie Sherlock lost to Sue Kim (Canada) 3 and 2.

Message from Mary McKenna

A special “Thank You” from the GB & I Curtis Cup Team

We have just experienced one of the greatest weeks in our lives and although we did not keep the “silver” on this side of the Atlantic it was a very memorable week. We want to take this opportunity to thanks all our supporters for making the trip to St Andrews. We received so many Cards, Texts and Emails with good wishes that it is just not possible to reply individually to all. All the wonderful support was greatly appreciated and we thank you for helping to turn “Great Moments into Great Memories” for us all.

Liz, Breanne, Jodi, Sally, Carly, Florentyna, Krystle, Michele,
Tegwen (Manager), Lawrence (Coach) and Mary Mc (Captain)

Maria Hjorth loses play-off
for LPGA Tour Major

Nineteen-year-old rookie Yani Tseng from Taiwan holed a birdie putt at the fourth hole of a play-off to beat Swedish former Stirling University student Maria Hjorth and win the LPGA Tour major, the McDonald's LPGA championship, in Maryland.
They had tied on 12-under-par 276.
Tseng is the first rookie pro to win an LPGA Major for 10 years.

From 2010 the McDonald's LPGA championship tournament and title will be officially owned by the Ladies Professional Golf Association and will be known from then on as the "LPGA Championship," i.e. dropping "McDonald's" from its title.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288
276 Yani Tseng (Tai) 73 70 65 68, M Hjorth (Swe) 68 72 65 71 (Tseng won play-off at fourth extra hole). Teseng $300,000; Hjorth $80,180.
277 L Ochoa (Mex) 69 65 71 71, A Sorenstam (Swe) 70 68 68 72 ($115,911).
278 L Diaz (US) 71 68 69 70 ($81,385).
280 M Pressel (US) 73 69 70 69, Shi Hyun Ahn 73 69 69 69, K Kuehne (US) 69 70 71 70, I Cho (US) 72 69 69 71 ($53,763 each).
Other scores:
281 P Creamer (US) 71 70 71 69 (jt 10th) ($31,938).]
289 K Stupples (Eng) 71 71 76 71 (jt 58th) ($4,876).

East girls are Scottish inter-divisional champions

NEWS FROM MANDY EASTON (who also took the above picture):
Pictured above are the East girls with the Scottish girls' inter-divisional matches trophy which they won at Ballumbie Castle today at the end of two days' play at the Dundee course.
I do not have the full results of all the matches but I can tell you that the East girls came from behind today to win the title by beating West who were the leaders after Day 1 by 1/2 point.
East managed a 3-0 win against West to take the trophy.

Thanks, Mandy for breaking the news.
We hope to have all the results for you sometime on Monday.
.

Michele Thomson returned to a happy hunting ground, Montrose Links today, to record another victory (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved). Click on image to enlarge it.

Michele wins Munross Trophy, Kylie breaks record with 66

Curtis Cup player and Scottish champion Michele Thomson warmed up for next week's British women's open amateur golf championship at North Berwick by winning the Munross Trophy over 36 holes at the Montrose Links today.

Michele retained the North of Scotland women's championship over the Montrose course a couple of years ago and it is obviously one of her favourites.
The McDonald Ellon Golf Club player had two rounds of 71 - the CSS was 73 and 74 - for a four-under-par total of 142, which gave her victory by one stroke from her Aberdeenshire county team-mate Laura Murray (Alford), winner of the last SLGA Order of Merit 36-holer, the Ness Cup at Inverness.
Laura followed up a first round of 76 with a very good 67 for 143, leaving her just one shot away from catching Michele.
Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) finished third on 144 with a 73 and a 71.
Fourth placed Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) set a new course record with second-round, seven-under-par 66, two shots better than the old mark held by Louise Kenney (Pitreavie).
Kylie's figures were:
OUT: 4 4 3 3 2 4 4 4 4: 32
IN: 4 3 3 2 5 5 4 4 4: 34
The long-hitting Miss Walker had eagle 2s at the fifth and 13th and birdies at the fourth, sixth, 11th and 17th. She had one bogey, at the 16th.
FINAL TOTALS

Par 146 (2 x 73) CSS 73 74.

142 M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) 71 71.

143 L Murray (Alford) 76 67.

144 M Briggs (Kilmacolm) 71 73.

145 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 79 66.

146 R Niven (Crieff) 74 72.

148 L Kenney (Pitreavie) 73 75.

150 P Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 74 76, E Fairnie (Dunbar) 75 75.

151 L Hendry (Routenburn) 78 73.

152 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 73 79.

153 M Macpherson (Troon Ladies) 77 76.

154 A Wilton (Ladybank) 75 79.

155 M Mangone (Wingham CC) 77 78, R Rankin (Lanark) 77 78, J Meldrum (Dullatur) 77 78, J Carthew (Ladybank) 78 77.

157 A Niven (Crieff) 73 84, E Cuthill (Lanark) 75 82.

158 S Leslie (Murcar Links) 76 82, F Gilbert (Carnoustie Ladies) 78 80.

159 S Jackson (Ladybank) 77 82.

160 J Sneddon (Alyth) 77 83, J Linklater (Largs) 77 83, S Vass (Tain) 81 79.

161 K McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) 82 79, J Brown (Monifieth) 82 79.

163 C Hargan (Mortonhall) 75 88, C-M Carlton (Fereneze) 80 83.

164 J Jenkins (Ralston) 77 87, N Fenton (Merchants of Edinburgh) 80 84, E Briggs (Kilmacolm) 85 79.

165 A Hunter (Monifieth) 78 87, F Sinclair (Carnoustie Caledonia) 79 86, A Bushby (Strathmore) 80 85.

170 F Fullerton (Huntly) 88 82.

171 D Dewar (Monifieth) 87 84.

174 F Blair (Carnoustie Ladies) 81 93, J Grubb (Montrose Mercantile) 96 78.

177 K MacCallum (McDonald Ellon) 86 91.

184 A Alston (Royal Montrose) 94 90.

191 J Wycherley (Monktonhall) 95 96.

OUTWITH MAIN PRIZEWINNERS

Best first round - A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 73 (better inward half).
Best second round - R Niven (Crieff) 72

Best net aggregate - M Macpherson (Troon Ladies) (4) 73 73: 145 (better second round).

Gwladys just holds Melissa's

last-round challenge

to score Dutch double

FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

By BETHAN CUTLER

Gwladys Nocera successfully defended the ABN AMRO Ladies Open at Eindhovensche Golf in the Netherlands today, winning by one shot with a spectacular birdie on the last hole.
The 33-year-old Frenchwoman held a four-shot lead overnight and closed with a one-under-par 71 to secure her second title of the year after the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open five weeks ago. It was her seventh Ladies European Tour trophy in little more than a two year period.
Nocera posted a 13-under-par total of 203, winning back-to-back in the same tournament for the first time in her six-year career. Last year the tournament was played at the same golf course but went by the name of the KLM Ladies Open.

Nocera won by a seven-shot margin in 2007 but this time it was not so easy. She rolled in a perfectly judged 18-footer at the last for her one-shot victory over Melissa Reid (picture above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, all rights reserved) from England.
She said she played ugly. “I just didn’t play well; I had some really ugly shots,” said Nocera. “I missed some fairways and then I missed some greens. I had to fight to make pars and then when I didn’t make pars I made bogeys. It was just not really nice golf. I just told myself, “It doesn’t matter how you play, it only matters if you lift the cup or not so I tried to win anyway.”

As Nocera found trouble on the front nine she watched her lead narrow as Reid gradually caught up. The 20-year-old rookie from Derby, paired with Nocera, was just one shot behind the long-time leader after six holes in the final round. There was temporary relief for Nocera when she birdied the seventh, which Reid bogeyed.

Reid caught up with a birdie at the par-3 11th-hole which Nocera bogeyed. The players were still tied after 17 holes, Reid having bogeyed the 14th and birdied the 15th. However Reid’s hopes of a first Ladies European Tour title disappeared when she missed her 20ft birdie chance at the 18th.

“I don’t think Melissa did anything wrong,” said Nocera, who earned a first prize of €37,500 and now leads the New Star Money List with earnings of almost €140,000 from eight tournaments. “She shot four-under and she played really well. From my point of view I didn’t play well and I had to manage that. I think that’s experience when even if you play bad you are capable of making the putt you need to make on 18.”

Reid, who would have played for GB&I in the Curtis Cup a week or so ago had she not turned pro during the winter, shot a third successive round of 68 to finish on 12-under-par in second, her best finish in eight appearances on the LET this year.
“I definitely feel I can win now,” said Reid, who moved from 14th to seventh on the LET rankings. “I had two not very good weeks and it just goes to show that every time you pitch up on a Thursday it’s a brand new tournament and a brand new week. Everyone starts off the same.

“I hit the ball pretty good all week. My swings felt pretty good. To be honest I didn’t hit it as well today as I did yesterday but I’m still pretty satisfied. I felt I gave a couple of shots away out on the golf course but Gwladys had a great birdie on the last. She won it.”

Anne-Lise Caudal from France, 23, shot a final round of 68 to finish third on 11-under-par, which was her career best finish in two seasons on the Ladies European Tour. England’s Kirsty S Taylor, playing with a knee injury, was fourth on nine-under, while Spain’s Paula Marti and Denmark’s Lisa Holm Sorensen shared fifth on eight-under-par.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72)
203 G Nocera (Fra) 67 65 71 (37,500 Euros).
204 M Reid (Eng) 68 68 68 (25,375 Euros).
205 A-L Caudal (Fra) 68 69 68 (17,500 Euros).
208 P Martin (Spa) 69 70 69, K S Taylor (Eng) 71 657 70, L H Sorensen (Den) 72 65 71 (10,950 Euros each).
209 M Boden (Swe) 71 72 66 (7,500 Euros).
210 B Brewerton (Wal) 72 71 67, M Skarpnord (Nor) 73 70 678 (5,925 Euros each).
211 L Hart (US) 71 69 71, D Lacey (Aus) 73 67 71, V Zorzi (Ita) 70 69 72, S Walker (Eng) 70 69 72 (4,481 Euros each), C Boeljon (Net) (amateur) 70 70 71.
212 K Lunn (Aus) 71 71 70, S Croce (Ita) 70 71 71, J Schaeffer (Fra) 67 73 72, L Wahlin (Swe) 70 70 72 (3,669 Euros each).
Other totals:
213 R Coakley (Ire) 68 73 72, Lisa Hall (Eng) 71 70 72 (jt 19th) (3,116 Euros each).
214 F Johnson (Eng) 69 71 74 (jt 27th) (2,663 Euros).
215 D Masters (Eng) 73 73 69 (jt 31st) (2,175 Euros).
216 C Coughlan-Ryan (Ire) 73 69 74, N C Booth (Eng) 76 68 75 (1,608 Euros each).
217 J Morley (Eng) 71 73 75, C Queen (Sco) 70 72 75 (jt 46th) (1,235 Euros each).
219 L Shervill (Eng) 71 73 75 (jt 52nd) (905 Euros).
220 E McKinnon (NZ) 70 74 76 (jt 54th) (905 Euros).

ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
203 Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 67 65 71
204 Melissa Reid 68 68 68
205 Anna-Lise Caudal (Fra) 68 69 68
208 Lisa Sorensen (Den) 72 65 71, Kirsty S Taylor 71 67 70, 209 Maria Boden (Swe) 71 72 66
210 Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 73 70 67, Becky Brewerton 72 71 67
211 Sophie Walker 70 69 72, Dana Lacey (Aus) 73 67 71, Leah Hart (Aus) 71 69 71, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 70 69 72, Christel Boeljon (Ned) 70 70 71
212 Karen Lunn (Aus) 71 71 70, Lotta Maria Wahlin (Swe) 70 70 72, Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 67 73 72, Stefania Croce (Ita) 70 71 71
213 Caroline Afonso (Fra) 71 71 71, Rebecca Coakley 68 73 72, Laurette Maritz (Rsa) 73 71 69, Lisa Hall 71 70 72, Natascha Fink (Aut) 72 70 71, Anna Knutsson (Swe) 71 71 71, Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha) 74 68 71, Isabella Maconi (Ita) 70 70 73
214 Felicity Johnson 69 71 74, Mianne Bagger (Den) 71 71 72, Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa) 71 71 72, Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 70 74 70
215 Maria Verchenova (Rus) 74 71 70, Federica Piovano (Ita) 72 73 70, Julie Tvede (Den) 73 73 69, Joanne Mills (Aus) 71 72 72, Stacy Lee Bregman (Rsa) 73 70 72, Danielle Masters 73 73 69, Ludivine Kreutz (Fra) 74 71 70, Anna Tybring (Swe) 73 72 70, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 72 71 72
216 Krista Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 68 74 74, Iben Tinning (Den) 71 72 73, Anja Monke (Ger) 72 74 70, Natalie Booth 73 68 75, Claire Coughlan 73 69 74, Florence Luscher (Swi) 74 69 73
217 Lill Saether (Nor) 72 72 73, Joanne Morley 71 73 73, Emma Zackrisson (Swe) 74 71 72, Clare Queen 70 72 75
218 Cecilie Lundgreen (Nor) 70 76 72, Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned) 74 72 72
219 Liza Aileen Shervill 71 73 75, Anna Rossi (Ita) 73 73 73
220 Kate Combes (Aus) 74 72 74, Lynn t Brooky (Nzl) 69 75 76, Sophie Sandolo (Ita) 69 75 76, Margherita Rigon (Ita) 68 75 77, Elizabeth McKinnon (Swe) 70 74 76
221 Christine Hallstrom (Swe) 74 72 75, Elisabeth Esterl (Ger) 75 71 75
222 Nikki Garrett (Aus) 71 74 77, Sarah Nicholson (Nzl) 71 73 78, Julie Berton (Fra) 74 72 76, Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (Aus) 73 73 76
223 Caroline Karsten (Ned) 75 71 77

ALYSON AND CAROL ANNE ARE LGU

MEDAL WINNERS AT CRIEFF

Elderslie's Alyson McKechin and Carol Anne Craig from Beith won the gold and silver medals respectively at today's Ladies Golf Union Medal Grand Final at Crieff Golf Club.

A total of 398 players entered at club level and the Grand Final was contested by 24 qualifiers.

Alyson won the Silver Division with a net 72 off eight of a handicap, finishing three shots clear of Jane Tough (Edzell) (4) and Dianne Watson (Leven) (6). Jane was placed second by virtue of a better inward half.

Carol Ann won the Bronze Division with a net 69 off 21. She had seven strokes to spare from runner-up Angela Dutch (Downfield), playing off 21. Anne Fisher (Prestwick St Nicholas), with a net5 77 off 24, finished third.

Prizewinners (Par 74, CSS 74):

Silver Division - Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) (8) 72; Jane Tough (Edzell) (4) better inward half, Dianne Watson (Leven) (6) 75.

Bronze Division - Carol Anne Craig (Beith) (21) 69; Angela Dutch (Downfield) (21) 76; Anne Fisher (Prestwick St Nicholas) (24) 77.

Some of the Aberdeenshire girls in front of the Cruden Bay clubhouse today (Cal Carson Golf Agency image, all rights reserved).

Sophie Alexander top Aberdeenshire
girl with a 77 over St Olaf'

Sophie Alexander (Deeside) had the lowest scratch score of 77 in today's Aberdeenshire girls' medal competition over the St Olaf course at Cruden Bay.
Sophie won the Daily Telegraph prize.
The lowest net return was a 61 by Olivia Borwick (McDonald Ellon), playing off 31 of a handicap.

Leading scores (CSS 67, -1)
SCRATCH
77 S Alexander (Deeside).
83 K Seam (Torphins).
84 N Lamond (McDonald Ellon).
85 E Franks (Ballater).
86 V Powell (Deeside).
87 K Vannet (Peterculter).
HANDICAP
61 O Borwick (McDonald Ellon) (31).
64 V Powell (Deeside) (22).
67 S Alexander (Deeside) (10), K Seam (Torphins) (16).
68 E Franks (Ballater) (17).
69 K Vannet (Peterculter) (18).
70 S Anderson (Deeside) (20).
71 Z Marr (Inverurie) (36).
75 N Lamond (McDonald Ellon) (9).

LPGA Tour Scoreboard
McDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bulle Rock Course, Havre de Grace, Maryland
THIRD ROUND SCORES
Par 216 (3 x 72) 6,641yd

204 Jee Young Lee 70 69 65.
205 Maria Hjorth 68 72 65.
206 Annika Sorenstam 70 68 68, Lorena Ochoa 69 65 72.
208 Yani Tseng 73 70 65, Laura Diaz 71 68 69, Brittany Lang 70 67 71, Lindsey Wright 67 68 73.
Other scores:
211 Karrie Webb 71 71 69 (jt 19th).
212 Morgan Pressel 73 69 70, Paula Creamer 71 70 71 (jt 27th).
218 Karen Stupples 71 71 76 (jt 73rd).
221 Mhairi McKay 75 69 77 (jt 79th).
MISSED THE CUT (144 or better)
145 Catriona Matthew 72 73.
149 Laura Davies 75 74.