Gemma lying 4th in United States after solid 74

United States-based Aberdeen teenager Gemma Dryburgh is back in action again this weekend at the IMGA/DLGA Girls' Championship, played at the IMG Academies Golf & Country Club in Florida.

Gemma, pictured, is lying fourth in an international field after a two-over-par opening round of 74, three shots off the pace.
TOP TEN LEADERBOARD

Par 72
Ginger Howard (Bradenton, Florida) 71
Nelly Korda (Bradenton, Florida) 73.

Sammi Stevens (Hereferd, Texas) 73.

Gemma Dryburgh (Aberdeen, Scotland) 74.

Irene Jung (Bedford, Canada) 75.

Marika Liu (Beverly Hills, California) 75.

Katerina Krasova Ricany (Czech Republic) 76.

Katerina Prorokova Roznov (Czech Republic) 76.

Pei-Chun Chen (Bradenton Florida) 77.

Cristina McQuiston (Rome, Italy) 78.

Robbi Howard (Bradenton, Florida) 78.

Sinead O'Sullivan joint third in big Arizona field

Ireland's Sinead O'Sullvan (East Tennessee State University), pictured above, tied for third place in a field of 109 players at the Northern Migration Invite women's college tournament at Poston Butte, Florence in Arizona.

Sinead, a senior-year student from Galway, had rounds of 73, 70 and 78 for a total of 221 over the par-72, 6227yd course.
Winner by three strokes with a five-under-par total of 211 was Kayla Mortellaro (Idaho) with rounds of 68, 70 and 73.

Ami Storey (Kansas State), a member at Ponteland Golf Club in the north-east of England, finished joint 21st on 228, made up of rounds of 78, 77 and 73.

East Tennessee State finished fourth of 19 teams behind winners UTSA. Kansas State came eighth.

Top 10 finishes by Jacqueline and Sammy

Scottish students in America, Jacqueline Sneddon (Grand Canyon University, Arizona) from Meigle and Sammy Vass (University of Central Florida) from Tain achieved top-10 tournament finishes this week.

Jacqueline came fifth in the Dutch Desert Classic one-round women's college event at Octotillo Golf Club, Chandler in Arizona. Team-mates Georgina Dunn and Jennifer Lutz tied for first place with 75s. Jacqueline scored an 86.

Sammy finished ninth in the individual scoreboard of the Harvard University v UCF tournament & match at Red Tail Golf Club, Sorrento in Florida. She had an 80 over a par-72, 6195yd course. Katie Sylvan (Harvard) was the winner with a 73 and Harvard won the match by 303 strokes to 314.

Harrold and Ballingall help Missouri score big team win

Missouri University won the team title at the George Washington Invite men's college tournament at Bear Trap Dunes, Bethany Beach in Delaware by a runaway margin of 32 strokes, thanks to the efforts of Chris Johnson, William Harrold and Stuart Ballingall who finished first, second and third in a field of 96 players.

Johnson is an American but Harrold comes from St Albans and Ballingall is an Anglo-Scot from Norwich. Both Harrold and Ballingall are freshmen students at Missouri.

Johnson scored 66, 68 and 65 over a par-72 course of 6834 for a tremendous 54-hole total of 17-under-par 199.

Harrold had rounds of 72, 67 and 66 for second place on 205. Ballingall was only one shot off the lead with opening rounds of 69 and 66 but a par third round of 72 saw him lose ground on both his team-mates.

O'Dell and Gamble in Webber International 1-2-3 finish

Webber University, Florida students Connor O'Dell from Taunton, Alexander Carpenhall and Tom Gamble from Walton on Thames also pulled off a 1-2-3 finish in the Webber International Tri Match over 18 holes at Lekarica Golf Club, Lake Wales in Florida.
Over a par-72, 6200yd course, freshman O'Dell had a round of 69 to win by two shots from American team-mate Carpenhall with Gamble, a sophomore, third on 73.

Two more Webber International students from England, Adam Galbraith from Haywards Heath and Craig Isabel from Stanford-Le-Hope, tied for seventh place on 78 in a field of 29 players.

Webber International (296) won the three-cornered match ahead of Franklin & Marshall (314) and Knox College (326).

Welsh women ninth behind champions Spain at Sotogrande

Host country Spain won the women's European Nations Cup tournament at Sotogrande today.
Under the best two from three scores to count daily format, Mireia Prat, Anna Arrese and Adriana Zwanch totalled 584.
France were runners-up on 590.
Wales, represented by Amy Boulden, St Andrews University student Gemma Bradbury and national champion Tara Davies, finished ninth of the 11 competing countries.

FINAL TOTALS
Best two from three individual scores counted daily; NC = non-counting score.
584 SPAIN
PRAT, MIREIA 75 73 72 72 292.
ARRESE, ANNA 77 NC 69 NC.
ZWANCK, ADRIANA NC 76 NC 70.
590 FRANCE
GIDALI, MANON 76 73 NC 71.
LESCUDIER, INES 71 75 75 NC.
DELACOUR, PERRINE NC NC 70 79.
593 DENMARK
RASMUSEN, JINJIRA NC 75 NC NC
NIELSEN, DAISY 74 NC 76 72.
HANSEN, LINE VEDEL 70 73 76 77 296.
595 CZECH REPUBLIC
SPILKOVA, KLARA 76 71 74 74 295
VAVRUSKOVA, TEREZA NC NC NC NC.
VLCKOVA, KAROLINA 76 74 72 78 300
597 GERMANY
KATZY, LARA 75 75 73 223
KIRCHMAYR, STEPHANIE 79 71 NC 72.
STEMPFLE, LAURA NC 77 75 NC.
598 NETHERLANDS
KARSTEN, CAROLINE 75 74 78 75 302.
EIKENAAR, MYRTE 71 73 NC 76
JANSEN, KARIN NC NC 76 NC.
599 ITALY.
603 FINLAND.
607 WALES
BOULDEN, AMY NC 78 NC NC.
BRADBURY, GEMMA 78 79 78 72 307.
DAVIES, TARA 75 NC 75 72.
614 AUSTRIA.
624 BELGIUM.

Vikki Laing finishes joint sixth - her best so far on LET

Monke catches Koch over last few holes

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Germany’s Anja Monke won her third Ladies European Tour title at the Princess Lalla Meryem Cup tournament in Morocco today, closing with a three-under-par 69 for a one-stroke win from Carin Koch of Sweden.
Koch, a stroke ahead of Monke, Vikki Laing and Melissa Reid entering the final round, remained ahead of the field until she dropped shots at the 15th and 17th holes.
Monke, playing in the penultimate group, tied with the Swede at eight-under after she hit a rescue club to three feet at the par-5 16th and rolled in the eagle putt.
With her 54-hole total of eight-under 208 on the Royal Golf Anfa Mohammédia course, she added the title to her wins at the 2008 Open de France and Dubai Ladies Masters.
Koch carded a 71 for her best finish on the LET since the 2004 HP Open in Sweden. France’s Virginie Lagoutte-Clement shot 68 and was a stroke further back in third.
Monke said the win was unexpected because it was her first tournament of the season.
“It is a surprise because I only practised in the winter in snow in Germany. I even practised some bunker shots out of the snow, which is probably unbelievable for you. That’s what I did,” she said.
Monke, who shot 71 and 68 over the first two days of the tournament, struggled over the front nine with bogeys at the third and eighth holes. She was out in 37 after a birdie at the seventh.
However, birdies at the 10th and 12th, followed by an eagle at the 16th, saw her home in 32 and turned her fortunes around.
At the 16th hole, she almost holed her second shot for an albatross.
“It was a good break for me because before I struggled a little bit and I didn’t play that well, especially on the front nine. Of course if you have a three-footer for eagle it helps,” she said.
“I saw the scoreboard behind it, that I equalled Carin’s result at that time. Of course she still had to play number 16 which is a birdie hole, but I thought, “I am close and we’ll see what we get.” I got it!” she said.
The 32-year-old from Hanover had a 43-footer for birdie at the par-4 18th but missed it by a fraction. “It was a gimme so I wouldn’t say I missed it, I almost made it!” said Monke, who earned a first prize of €41,250.
Like Monke, Koch, 39, from Kungalv, had also been practising in snow and was competing in her first tournament of the season. “I played well today. I hit 16 greens and only missed two towards the end and didn’t get it up and down which maybe shows that my short game wasn’t ready for the pressure. I don’t know. I haven’t been practising more than this last week, really. Overall I played really well and hit some really good drives and very steady,” Koch said.
England’s Henrietta Zuel, British girls champion in 2007, finished with a 70 to share fourth with Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands (71), who will defend the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup in a month with compatriot Marjet van der Graaff.
Those in joint sixth place were Germany’s Bettina Hauert (67), Lydia Hall from Wales (66), Italy’s Veronica Zorzi (70), Scotland’s Vikki Laing (73) and the English pair of Florentyna Parker (72) and Melissa Reid (73). Boeljon, Hall and Laing all recorded their career best finish in a Ladies European Tour event. Vikki has, of course, been a winner on the US Futures Tour.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
prize money in Euros
1 208 Anja Monke (Germany) 71 68 69 (41,250).
2 209 Carin Koch (Sweden) 69 69 71 (27,912.50).
3 210 Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (France) 73 69 68 (19,250).
T4 211 Henrietta Zuel (England) 71 70 70 (13,255).
T4 211 Christel Boeljon (Netherlands) 72 68 71 (13,255)
T6 212 Bettina Hauert (Germany) 73 72 67 (6,911.66).
T6 212 Lydia Hall (Wales) 73 73 66 (6,911.66).
T6 212 Veronica Zorzi (Italy) 70 72 70 (6,911.66).
T6 212 Florentyna Parker (England) 71 69 72 (6,911.66).
T6 212 Melissa Reid 68 71 73 (6,911.66).
T6 212 Vikki Laing (Scotland) 68 71 73 (6,911.66).
T12 213 Lee-Anne Pace (South Africa) 74 70 69 (4,578.75).
T12 213 Maria Verchenova (Russia) 67 73 73 (4,578.75).
14 214 Martina Gillen (Ireland) 69 74 71 (4,235).
T15 215 Krystle Caithness (Scotland) 75 71 69 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Anne-Lise Caudal (France) 76 70 69 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Frederique Seeholzer (Switzerland) 71 73 71 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Stefanie Michl (Austria) 68 75 72 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Breanne Loucks (Wales) 73 70 72 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Christine Hallstrom (Sweden) 73 69 73 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Ashleigh Simon (South Africa)75 66 74 (3,709.06).
T15 215 Emma Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 70 70 75 (3,709.06).
T23 216 Par Mallory Blackwelder (United States) 73 72 71 (3,176.25).
T23 216 Lucie Andre (France) (amateur) 71 72 73.
T23 216 Margherita Rigon (Italy) 70 72 74 (3,176.25).
T23 216 Malene Jorgensen (Denmark) 74 73 69 (3,176.25).
T23 216 Kiran Matharu (England) 74 73 69 (3,176.25).
T28 217 Ursula Wikstrom (Finland) 75 70 72 (2,805).
T28 217 Rhian Wyn Thomas (Wales) 75 70 72 (2,805).
T28 217 Camille Fallay (France) 74 70 73 (2,805).
T28 217 Sophie Sandolo (Italy) 69 78 70 (2,805).
T27 217 Stephanie Na (Australia) 71 70 76 (2,805).
T33 218 Tara Delaney (Ireland) 73 72 73 (2,351.25).
T33 218 Tandi Cuningham (South Africa) 74 72 72 (2,351.25).
T33 218 Marta Prieto (Spain) 71 73 74 (2,351.25).
T33 218 Jade Schaeffer (France) 71 71 76 (2,351.25).
T33 218 Caroline Masson (Germany) 71 77 70 (2,351.25).
T33 218 Pamela Feggans (Scotland) 71 69 78 (2,351.25)
39 219 Lynn Kenny (Scotland) 75 71 73 (2,062.50)
T40 220 Emma Zackrisson (Sweden) 74 71 75 (1,736.42).
T40 220 Anna Rossi (Italy) 70 76 74 (1,736.42).
T40 220 Carmen Alonso (Spain) 72 73 75 (1,736.42).
T40 220 Carly Booth (Scotland) 73 73 74 (1,736.42).
T40 220 Elizabeth Bennett (England) 74 72 74 (1,736.42).
T40 220 Caroline Afonso (France) 72 71 77 (1,736.42).
T40 220 Kym Larratt (England) 74 74 72 (1,736.42).
T47 221 Paula Marti (Spain) 68 77 76 (1,375).
T47 221 Holly Aitchison (England) 73 73 75 (1,375).
T47 221 Kim Welch (United States) 74 74 73 (1,375).
T47 221 Elisabeth Esterl (Germany) 73 75 73 (1,375).
T47 221 Sahra Hassan (Wales) 73 75 73 (1,375).
T52 222 Marjet van der Graaff (Netherlands) 71 76 75 (1,100).
T52 222 Elin Emanuelsson (Sweden) 77 70 75 (1,100).
T52 222 Jenni Kuosa (Finland) 75 73 74 (1,100).
T52 222 Hanna-Leena Salonen (Finland) 75 73 74 (1,100).
T52 222 Maria Boden (Sweden) 71 77 74 (1,100).
T57 223 Ana Larraneta (Spain) 70 76 77 (921.25).
T57 223 Vittoria Valvassori (Italy) 73 74 76 (921.25).
T59 224 Mariana Macias Capuzzi (Spain) 73 73 78 (866.25).
T59 224 Valerie Van Ryckeghem (Belgium) 74 74 76 (866.25).
61 227 Claire Aitken (England) 75 71 81 (825).
62 229 Melodie Bourdy (France) 72 75 82 (797.50).

Scottish Match Play Foursomes 2010 - Round 1 Draw

FROM THE SCOTTISH LADIES GOLFING ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
This year 71 clubs have entered for the Scottish women's match-play foursomes.
Where possible, early rounds will be drawn on a regional basis with the first-named team having home advantage.
The semi-finals and final will be played at Douglas Park Golf Club on Sunday, August 29.

The Round 1 draw has been made as below with ties to be played by Sunday, April 18:

Cruden Bay v Newburgh on Ythan
Largs v Ladies' Golf Club Troon
Minto v Lauder
Murrayshall v Dunblane
Thornhill v Crichton
Uphall v Lothianburn
Whitemoss v King James VI

The remaining clubs have received a bye into Round 2 and will receive further information regarding Round 2 ties in due course.

Four Share Futures Tour Lead At Florida’s

Natural Charity Classic

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE DURAMED FUTURES TOUR
WINTER HAVEN, Florida: The first round of the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s season opener ended with four players tied for the lead at 3-under 69 in the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Jenny Gleason of Clearwater, Fla., moved to the top of the leaderboard in the second annual $100,000 tournament at Lake Region Yacht and Country Club, but by sunset, she shared the lead with Hannah Yun of Bradenton, Fla., Cindy LaCrosse of Tampa, Fla., and Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ontario.
“You get some good lies and you get some bad lies,” said Gleason, a two-time winner on the Tour who needed only 27 putts. “I hope everybody took their patience pill today. I’m from Central Florida and I know all of the courses are struggling after the winter we’ve had.”
Central Florida has suffered with unusually cold temperatures for the last two months, affecting golf course agronomy. The region also was smacked by heavy rainfall less than a week ago, resulting in thinner-than-usual grass growth and muddy accumulation on golf balls landing in thin lies.
But 144 players kicking off the Futures Tour year were greeted by perfect sunny weather. Like Gleason, Yun said she tried to stay patient and calm. That strategy worked early when she birdied the first two holes from 10 feet and 12 feet, respectively, and then added two more birdies to one bogey.
“I shot a 69 here last year in the first round, but I feel different and more mature in my game,” said Yun, who turns 18 in April. “I’m learning how to play as a pro now and how one shot really does make a difference.”
Playing in her first full season this year, LaCrosse, who has 2010 LPGA status, was steady all day, hitting 16 greens in regulation and missing only one fairway. Unlike many other players in the field who are still trying to adjust to new clubs to meet the U.S. Golf Association’s new conforming grooves regulations, LaCrosse was striping her new clubs in a round that produced two birdies, one bogey and a holed-out eagle on the par-5 ninth hole in which she drained an 84-yard 54-degree wedge shot.
“I played in 11 events out here last year after I graduated,” said LaCrosse, a former All-American at the University of Louisville. “This year, I will definitely be more goal-oriented to see what I can do.”
Playing in the last group of the day, Shepley outraced the sunset and grabbed a share of the lead. Like the other Florida residents deadlocked for first, Shepley, who is commuting from her home in Orlando this week, wanted to get off to a good start. For the Canadian, it started on the first hole when she three-putted for bogey off the fringe.
“I told myself then that I had a choice to let it go or let this be the start of a long season,” said Shepley, who hit 15 greens in regulation and carded four birdies and one bogey in today’s opening round. “I was a big girl and turned it into a good round.”
Five players are tied one shot back at 2-under 70 after the first round, including Lauren Doughtie of Suffolk, Va., who was in the first 8:15 a.m. pairing with Erica Moston of Belmont, Calif., and Lili Alvarez of Durango, Mexico, who had special guest LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan serving as her caddie.
“I had butterflies this morning, but not necessarily because of the commissioner,” said Doughtie, a second-year professional who played collegiately at North Carolina State University. “I tried to think he was a normal guy out there and we were just out having fun.”
Doughtie is deadlocked at 70 with rookie Victoria Elizabeth of Orlando, Fla., rookie Jane Rah of Torrance, Calif., 2010 LPGA Tour member Nicole Jeray of Berwyn, Ill., and second-year pro Garrett Phillips of St. Simons Island, Georgia.
There was a different tone in the atmosphere this morning for the tee-off to the 2010 season on the Duramed Futures Tour. With the arrival of LPGA Commissioner Whan came a plethora of LPGA staff members, the Golf Channel and one national weekly golf magazine.
At least a couple of former Tour members also wandered onto the course to see friends and check out the Tour. Former Tour member and Florida Gator Jeanne Cho-Hunicke drove over from Orlando to watch current player Virada Nirapathpongporn of Bangkok, Thailand, while 2006 Duramed Futures Tour Player of the Year Song-Hee Kim of South Korea, now an LPGA Tour member who is world-ranked No. 14, showed up to see her friends and to check out the tour where she got her start.
“It looks good,” said Kim, sweeping her hand at the tournament grounds. “Bigger, better, really good.”
A total of 19 players carded rounds under par with 34 players finishing at even-par 72 or better.
Weather: Sunny with temperatures in the mid-70s and a slight breeze.

Duramed Futures Tour Scoreboard

$100,000 FLORIDA'S NATURAL CHARITY CLASSIC
Lake Region Yacht & Country Club, Winter Haven, Florida

FIRST ROUND
Par 72: 36-36. 6176yd
Jenny Gleason (Clearwater, Fla.) 36-33 - 69
Hannah Yun (Bradenton, Fla.) 33-36 - 69
Cindy LaCrosse (Tampa, Fla.) 35-34 - 69
Jessica Shepley (Oakville, Ontario) 35-34 - 69
Lauren Doughtie (Suffolk, Va.) 34-36 - 70
Victoria Elizabeth (Orlando, Fla.) 36-34 - 70
Jane Rah (Torrance, Calif.) 35-35 - 70
Nicole Jeray (Berwyn, Ill.) 37-33 - 70
Garrett Phillips (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 35-35 - 70
Amanda Mathis (Picayune, Miss.) 36-35 - 71
Marlowe Boukis (Lutherville, Md.) 37-34 - 71
Ayaka Kaneko (Honolulu, Hawaii) 36-35 - 71
Carolina Llano (Medellin, Colombia) 36-35 - 71
Ryann O'Toole (San Clemente, Calif.) 36-35 - 71
Paola Moreno (Cali, Colombia) 35-36 - 71
Laura Crawford (Lancaster, S.C.) 36-35 - 71
Dori Carter (Valdosta, Ga.) 36-35 - 71
Sara Brown (Tucson, Ariz.) 38-33 - 71
Kelly Froelich (Raizeux, France) 38-33 - 71
Angela Oh (Maple Shade, N.J.) 38-34 - 72
Elisa Serramia (Barcelona, Spain) 38-34 - 72
Sue Ginter (Appleton, Wis.) 37-35 - 72
Kylene Pulley (Kokomo, Ind.) 38-34 - 72
Susan Nam (Edmonton, Alberta) 39-33 - 72
Gerina Mendoza (Roswell, N.M.) 37-35 - 72
Virada Nirapathpongporn (Bangkok, Thailand) 37-35 - 72
Kristie Smith (Perth, Australia) 38-34 - 72
Ashley Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 36-36 - 72
Kitty Hwang (Guayaquil, Ecuador) 38-34 - 72
Sophia Sheridan (Guadalajara, Mexico) 34-38 - 72
Nannette Hill (Pelham, N.Y.) 37-35 - 72
Pamela Ontiveros (Gomez Palacio, Mexico) 37-35 - 72
Brandi Jackson (Greenville, S.C.) 39-33 - 72
Christine Song (Fullerton, Calif.) 35-37 - 72
Nicole Smith (Riverside, Calif.) 37-36 - 73
Lucy Nunn (Lawton, Okla.) 37-36 - 73
Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, British Columbia) 37-36 - 73
Jackie Barenborg (Vero Beach, Fla.) 35-38 - 73
Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) 38-35 - 73
Esther Choe (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 38-35 - 73
Caroline Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) 36-37 - 73
Carling Coffing (Middletown, Ohio) 35-38 - 73
Julie Wells-Shenfield (Wilsonville, Ore.) 36-37 - 73
Michaela Cavener (Ponca City, Okla.) 36-37 - 73
Yoora Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 37-36 - 73
Jennie Lee (Henderson, Nev.) 36-37 - 73
Tiffany Joh (San Diego, Calif.) 36-38 - 74
Katie Miller (Jeannette, Pa.) 38-36 - 74
Seema Sadekar (Toronto, Ontario) 38-36 - 74
Laura Bavaird (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 34-40 - 74
Taryn Durham (Glasgow, Ky.) 40-34 - 74
Lindsey Bergeon (Sarasota, Fla.) 37-37 - 74
Lori Atsedes (Ithaca, N.Y.) 39-35 - 74
Marina Choi (Los Angeles, Calif.) 39-35 - 74
Kristen Simpson (Norfolk, Va.) 37-37 - 74
Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, South Korea) 38-36 - 74
Hanna Kang (Seoul, South Korea) 36-38 - 74
Whitney Myers (York, Pa.) 39-35 - 74
Jenny Shin (Torrance, Calif.) 35-39 - 74
Kelly Lagedrost (Brooksville, Fla.) 37-37 - 74
Mo Martin (Altadena, Calif.) 36-38 - 74
Erica Moston (Belmont, Calif.) 36-39 - 75
Tiffany Tavee (Tempe, Ariz.) 37-38 - 75
Isabelle Beisiegel (St. Hilaire, Quebec) 39-36 - 75
Melissa Eaton (Port Shepstone, South Africa) 36-39 - 75
Christi Cano (San Antonio, Texas) 37-38 - 75
Ashli Bunch (Morristown, Tenn.) 38-37 - 75
Kendra Hanson (Forest City, Iowa) 37-38 - 75
Gennifer Mendez (a) (North Port, Fla.) 38-37 - 75
Aimee Cho (Orlando, Fla.) 40-35 - 75
Emma Calderone (Toronto, Ontario) 37-38 - 75
Maria Hernandez (Pamplona, Spain) 38-37 - 75
Jasi Acharya (Columbus, Mont.) 39-36 - 75
Eileen Vargas (Ibague, Colombia) 38-37 - 75
Selanee Henderson (Apple Valley, Calif.) 37-38 - 75
Daniela Iacobelli (Viera, Fla.) 36-39 - 75
Heather Burgner (Lakeland, Fla.) 37-38 - 75
Madeleine Holmblad (Stockholm, Sweden) 39-36 - 75
Lisa Ferrero (Lodi, Calif.) 38-37 - 75
Leanne Bowditch (Queensland, Australia) 40-35 - 75
Dewi Claire Schreefel (Diepenveen, Netherland 38-37 - 75
Chelsea Curtis (New Seabury, Mass.) 39-36 - 75
Danah Ford Bordner (Indianapolis, Ind.) 39-37 - 76
Ashley Grier (Hagerstown, Md.) 39-37 - 76
Chelsea Schriewer (St. Louis, Mo.) 38-38 - 76
Hannah Jun (San Diego, Calif.) 40-36 - 76
Kim Augusta (Rumford, R.I.) 39-37 - 76
Sofie Andersson (Angelholm, Sweden) 36-40 - 76
Tara Goedeken (Dodge City, Kan.) 39-37 - 76
Jaclyn Burch (St. Louis, Mo.) 39-37 - 76
Janice Olivencia (Caguas, Puerto Rico) 38-38 - 76
Marcela Leon (Monterrey, Mexico) 40-36 - 76
Mayule Tomimbang (Kissimmee, Fla.) 41-35 - 76
Amanda Costner (Claremore, Okla.) 42-34 - 76
Kathleen Ekey (Sharon Township, Ohio) 41-35 - 76
Jennifer Song (a) (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 39-37 - 76
Rachel Connor (Manchester, England) 38-39 - 77
Christine Cho (Kent, Wash.) 41-36 - 77
Noon Huajai (Bangkok, Thailand) 40-37 - 77
Ashley Medders (Alma, Ga.) 39-38 - 77
Jenny Suh (Fairfax, Va.) 42-35 - 77
Stacey Bieber (Winnipeg, Manitoba) 40-37 - 77
Lehua Wise (Kauai, Hawaii) 39-38 - 77
Y. J. Jin (Seoul, South Korea) 39-38 - 77
Adrienne White (Red Deer, Alberta) 40-37 - 77
Dawn Shockley (Estes Park, Colo.) 39-38 - 77
Haley Gildea (East Greenwich, R.I.) 43-34 - 77
Briana Vega (Andover, Mass.) 39-38 - 77
Kay Hoey (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) 41-37 - 78
Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) 39-39 - 78
Sophie Jang (Seoul, South Korea) 39-39 - 78
Benedikte Grotvedt (Nesbru, Norway) 38-40 - 78
Hwanhee Lee (Las Vegas, Nev.) 40-38 - 78
Sarah Olsen (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 40-38 - 78
Shasta Averyhardt (Flint, Mich.) 43-35 - 78
Veronica Felibert (Caracas, Venezuela) 40-38 - 78
Sae Hee Son (Seoul, South Korea) 38-40 - 78
Jessica Carafiello (Coral Springs, Fla.) 40-38 - 78
Madison Opfer (a) (Plant City, Fla.) 40-38 - 78
Malinda Johnson (Eau Claire, Wis.) 41-37 - 78
Juli Erekson (Chicopee, Mass.) 41-37 - 78
Jessi Gebhardt (Chandler, Ariz.) 38-41 - 79
Libby Smith (Essex Junction, Vt.) 38-41 - 79
Susannah Aboff (Huntington, N.Y.) 40-39 - 79
Janell Howland (Boise, Idaho) 41-38 - 79
Kendall Dye (Edmond, Okla.) 38-41 - 79
Perry Swenson Livonius (Charlotte, N.C.) 40-39 - 79
Christina Jones (Jensen Beach, Fla.) 42-37 - 79
Danielle Mills (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) 40-39 - 79
Lili Alvarez (Durango, Mexico) 39-41 - 80
Whitney Wade (Glasgow, Ky.) 40-40 - 80
Carmen Bandea (Atlanta, Ga.) 40-40 - 80
Bree Arthur (Brisbane, Australia) 40-40 - 80
Angela Buzminski (Oshawa, Ontario) 40-40 - 80
Caroline Westrup (Ahus, Sweden) 40-41 - 81
Jennifer Ackerson (Dallas, Texas) 42-39 - 81
Carrie Riordan (Spring Valley, Ill.) 43-38 - 81
Seul Ki Park (Northbrook, Ill.) 42-39 - 81
Lauren Hunt (Little River, S.C.) 43-39 - 82
Lene Krog (Lier, Norway) 43-39 - 82
Kristina Langton (Ada, Mich.) 42-40 - 82
Kirby Dreher (Fort St. John, Canada) 41-41 - 82
MISSED 18-HOLE CUT
Sam White (Potomac, Md.) 45-43 - 88
Camila Mori (Santiago, Chile) 47-41 - 88

Marine Hotel special accommodation rate for competitors

Late entries from female professionals will be accepted for

first event on Xltec Pro Tour at Whitekirk next Thursday

Late entries from female professionals or assistant professionals - of any nationality - are being accepted by the organisers of the XLtec Pro Tour which tees off the first of six 36-hole two-day stroke-play events at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick next Thursday (March 25).
Please log on to http://www.scottishgolfview.com/ to see the draw for the male competitors and the tee times which will apply to late entries.
There is also news of a special accommodation rate for competitors at the Marine Hotel, North Berwick.
You can turn up and pay your Tour joining fee and your first competition entry fee next Thursday but you need to tell the organisers that you intend playing ASAP.
E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com if you have any questions.

Catriona and Krystle confirmed as Scotland
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pair for Nations Cup in Spain next month

NEWS RELEASE
All 18 teams are now confirmed for the third edition of the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup, to be played from April 22 to 25 at La Sella Golf Resort in Denia, Alicante, Spain.
Headlining the field in the exciting team competition will be the 2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion, Catriona Matthew, from Scotland, the 2009 LPGA Major Champion, Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and the recent ANZ Ladies Masters champion, Australian Karrie Webb.
Joining Matthew in representing Scotland will be second year Ladies European Tour professional Krystle Caithness from Cupar, Fife, while Nordqvist will pair up with the extremely experienced Sophie Gustafson, a winner of 23 international titles, who last year topped the LET’s Henderson Money List for the fourth time.
Webb, a winner of 46 professional titles, will join 11-time winner Karen Lunn in representing Australia, which is the one of the two invited nations. All other teams qualified as the top Europeans from a combination of the Rolex World Rankings and the Henderson Money List, the official ranking on the Ladies European Tour.
The Netherlands duo of Christel Boeljon and her team mate Marjet van der Graaff will attempt to defend the title, while Italy will have a strong team in Giulia Sergas and Veronica Zorzi, who tied for second at the 2009 tournament.
The 2008 European No.1 Gwladys Nocera, who finished in a tie for second with Anne-Lise Caudal at last year’s competition, will play for France with Jade Schaeffer, who won her maiden title last year in Germany.
Spain’s Tania Elosegui, who claimed her maiden LET title last year in the Netherlands, will represent the home nation alongside Emma Cabrera-Bello.
Representing England will be the 2004 British Open champion Karen Stupples and Melissa Reid, while Wales also has a powerful team in Becky Brewerton and Breanne Loucks.
The victorious 2009 US Solheim Cup Captain Beth Daniel and her assistant Captain Meg Mallon will again represent the United States after finishing seventh on their debut in 2009.
It is the strongest international field gathered for the tournament since its inauguration in 2008 and World No. 16 Matthew from North Berwick said:
“I am really looking forward to playing in the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup. It is always nice to represent your country and play as a team. I love playing in team competition and have always played pretty well.
“Nothing compares to Solheim, which is the ultimate team event, however, I have also loved playing in the World Cup, Lexus Cup and JC Penney Classic over the years and in the Curtis Cup when I was an amateur. I like the fact that you are playing not just for yourself.”
Format of play will remain the same as in previous years: two days of better-ball followed by two days of Valencian Cup.
Matthew continued: “I like the format; it is the same format that they used to play the JC Penney mixed team event in the US. I played with Dan Forsman from the PGA tour for a few years and we always did very well.”
On her playing partner, she commented: “I don't know Krystle very well at all. We met in Dubai at the end of last year. She had a really solid rookie year and won the unofficial pro-am event in Dubai. She is obviously a good player, having played in the Curtis Cup as well. Her results last year were pretty consistent. I think that is what you want in team competition: two players who are fairly consistent and always keeping the ball in play is the key to doing well.”
Webb, who recently won her seventh ANZ Ladies Masters, explained: “I’m really looking forward to it as I’ve heard so many good things about it from other players. I almost played last year but it didn’t quite work with my schedule, however when I saw we had an open week on the LPGA schedule this year, I wanted to play. I haven’t played in Spain since 1995. We rarely get a chance to play in a team. I used to thoroughly enjoy being part of a team during my amateur days.
“I’ve heard the course sets up well for team competition, it’s always in good condition and fun to play. I’ve also heard the area is really beautiful.”
On her playing partner, she added: “Before I turned pro Karen had achieved a lot in her career, including winning the Women’s British Open. I looked up to her when I was growing up.”
Boeljon, who is still only in her second year as a professional, enjoyed a four stroke victory last year with Marjet van der Graaff. She said: “The field this year I think is even stronger than last year’s. There are a lot of talented players out there, but I'm confident that if I play well that we will have a good shot at defending the title.
“I've known Marjet for several years. We have played amateur golf together for many years, both as individuals and team events. While Marjet is a long hitter and capable of making a lot of birdies, I am a little more consistent from hole to hole, and round to round.”
Now in her third year on tour, van der Graaff continued: “It's was a great, unexpected win, which was good for women’s golf in Holland and we received some media attention. We both played well last year and we did very well as a team together. We can win again. We are both better golfers than last year but you have to be lucky that both players are playing well on the week.”
This year’s event, sponsored by Valencian Community Investments (VCI), will feature prize money of €350,000 and a whirlwind social calendar.
Outside the ropes activities include an evening event called “Approaching the Sea” at Denia Marina, where players hit balls to a specially constructed island green.
There will be a longest drive competition over the outdoor swimming pool at La Sella Resort, with the event mascot “Birdie” in attendance to entertain spectators and an art exhibition featuring work by top Spanish realist painters.
There will be a “pink cocktail” event at local bars and restaurants, as well as a 14 round tournament called the “European Amateur Cup,” with a place in the Pro Am for the winning couple.
Fans of women’s golf further afield can partake in a competition on the official tournament website, www.euronationscup.com, where a break for two at the Denia Marriott Hotel at La Sella Resort can be won.
THE TEAMS
Australia - Karrie WEBB & Karen LUNN
Austria - Nicole GERGELY & Stephanie MICHL
Denmark - Iben TINNING & Lisa H SORENSEN
England - Karen STUPPLES & Melissa REID
Finland - Ursula WIKSTROM & Jenni KUOSA
France - Gwladys NOCERA & Jade SCHAEFFER
Germany - Sandra GAL & Bettina HAUERT
Ireland - Rebecca COAKLEY & Hazel KAVANAGH
Italy - Giulia SERGAS & Veronica ZORZI
Netherlands - Christel BOELJON & Marjet VAN DER GRAAFF
Norway - Cecilie LUNDGREN & Caroline MARTENS
Russia - Maria VERCHENOVA & Anastasia KOSTINA
Scotland - Catriona MATTHEW & Krystle CAITHNESS
Spain - Tania ELÓSEGUI & Emma CABRERA-BELLO
Sweden - Anna NORDQVIST & Sophie GUSTAFSON
Switzerland - Caroline ROMINGER & Frederique SEEHOLZER
United States - Beth DANIEL & Meg MALLON
Wales - Becky BREWERTON & Breanne LOUCKS

Charlotte Wild (Mere) and Nikki Foster (Pleasington), in action for England in the women's home internationals at Irvine Golf Club, Ayrshire last September (images by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

Girls' glory run ends in Sunningdale foursomes final

The glory run of Charlotte Wild (Mere) and Nikki Foster (Pleasington), playing off eight, ended only in today's final of the Sunningdale foursomes.

The girls, both England amateur internationals, were beaten by one hole by C Cowper (World of Golf) and N Reilly (Surbiton), a +2 partnership.

All credit to the winners but a big "very well done" to the girls to come through a huge field and reach the last stage of this prestigious event.

In the morning semi-finals, Cowper and Reilly bt S Lilly (Wellingborough) & A Lilly (Kettering)), playing off +1, by 5 and 4 while Wild and Foster beat M Morris (Walmley) and S Davis (Keddleston Hall), a +2 pairing, by two holes.

EUROPEAN WOMEN'S NATIONS CUP
Real Golf Club Sotogrande, Costa del Sol, Spain
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Best two from three scores to count daily.
NC denotes non-counting score
440 FRANCE
GIDALI, MANON FRANCIA 76 73 NC
LESCUDIER, INES FRANCIA 71 75 75 221
DELACOUR, PERRINE NC NC 70
442 SPAIN
PRAT, MIREIA 75 73 72 220
ARRESE, ANNA 77 NC 69
ZWANCK, ADRIANA NC 76 NC
442 CZECH REPUBLIC
SPILKOVA, KLARA 76 71 74 221
VAVRUSKOVA, TEREZA NC NC NC
VLCKOVA, KAROLINA 76 74 72 222
444 DENMARK
RASMUSEN, JINJIRA NC 75 NC
NIELSEN, DAISY 74 NC 76
HANSEN, LINE VEDEL 70 73 76 219
447 HOLLAND
KARSTEN, CAROLINE 75 74 78 227
EIKENAAR, MYRTE 71 73 NC
JANSEN, KARIN NC NC 76
450 ITALY
AVERNA, ALESSANDRA 77 NC NC
PATUSSI, CAMILLA 76 76 73 225
ROSCIO, ANNA NC 74 74
452 GERMANY
KATZY, LARA 75 75 NC
KIRCHMAYR, STEPHANIE 79 NC 71
STEMPFLE, LAURA NC 77 75 1
456 FINLAND
HENRIKSSON, LINDA 73 78 74 225
NUMMENPAA, ELINA NC NC 76
VUORENPAA, MINNA 76 79 NC
463 WALES
BOULDEN, AMY NC 78 NC
BRADBURY, GEMMA 78 79 78 235 4
DAVIES, TARA GALES 75 NC 75
463 AUSTRIA
472 BELGIUM

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR IN MOROCCO

Carin Koch leads by one from

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Laing, Reid and Monke

FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Sweden’s Carin Koch grabbed a one stroke lead heading into the final round of the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco on Saturday.
She carded three birdies on a warm and humid afternoon at Royal Golf Anfa Mohammédia and didn’t drop a shot for a second successive round of 69.
Six-under on 138 after 36-holes, Koch is in the hunt for her fourth career title and first since the 2005 Corona Morelia Championship.
England’s Melissa Reid shot 71 and finished the day on 139, along with Germany’s Anja Monke, who had an impressive round of 68, and Musselburgh’s Vikki Laing, who shot 71.
Maria Verchenova of Russia, the first round leader, carded a 73 and slipped back into a share of fifth at 140 with Ayrshire’s Pamela Feggans (69), pictured above in Morocco by Fraser Munro, England’s Florentyna Parker (69), Spain’s Emma Cabrera Bello (70) and Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands (68).
South African Ashleigh Simon had a tournament low round of 66 for a share of 10th with Australian Stephanie Na and Henrietta Zuel, finishing three strokes behind the leader.
Koch, who has a cold, is playing in her first tournament of the year and will play full time on the Ladies European Tour in 2010 for the first time since 1994.
She has been practising on the driving range in snow storms in Sweden over the winter and putting on a mat in her living room.
Her dedication paid off today when she birdied the first, second and sixth holes, then reeled 12 successive pars for a one-stroke advantage over the field.
She said: “I played really well on the front nine and beginning of the back nine. I didn’t like the way I played the last few holes but maybe I was getting tired. I made some good putts in the beginning but there were a lot of chances I didn’t make, kind of like yesterday.
“I didn’t think I would be after hitting balls in the snow all winter. It’s not really what I expected when I came here but it’s always great to be in contention and I’ve been working on my swing and mentally. I’ll keep doing that tomorrow and try to play my best golf.”
Reid, the leading rookie on the LET in 2008, started from the 10th and held a one-stroke lead at seven-under-par after 16 holes played. She was clearly frustrated after dropping shots at her last two holes, the eighth and the ninth.
Melissa said: “I am a little annoyed about the last two holes. I hit a bad shot into eight and didn’t have a great lie in the bunker and then on the ninth I misclubbed as I didn’t take into account my adrenaline. It’s a bit annoying but I’ve still shot under par and I’m one off the lead so I just need a low one tomorrow now.”
Reid is targeting a maiden Ladies European Tour victory, as is Laing, although the Scot has been a winner on the Futures Tour in America, while Monke is aiming for her third after wins in France and Dubai in 2008.
The final round of the €275,000 tournament begins at 8.50am local on Saturday and the leading trio of Melissa Reid, Vikki Laing and Carin Koch tee off at 10.30am. There will be a prize giving ceremony for the leading three players on Saturday afternoon, followed by a joint prize giving on Sunday with the male winner of the Hassan II Golf Trophy on the European Tour.
SCOTSWATCH. Vikki Laing is beginning to realise as a professional the great promise she showed as an amateur on the US college circuit and earlier as winner of the Scottish girls' title a record-breaking four years in a row in the late 1990s. Pamela Feggans also played the American college circuit. She had a 69 for 140 today. In all five Scots qualified for the final round, the cut eliminating players with two-round totals of 149 or worse.
Krystle Caithness (71), Lynn Kenny (71) and Carly Booth (73) all made it through with a couple of shots to spare on the same mark, 146.
For 17-year-old Carly from Comrie to make the cut in her first tournament as a pro must be a satisfying achievement which, unfortunately, was not shared by Kylie Walker, who had a pair of 81s for 162. The narrow fairways and punishing rough if you missed them added up to the last kind of course the big-hitting Buchanan Castle player would have chosen for her pro debut. She will find ones more to her liking, where her strength off the tee will tell.
Clare Queen was the second Scot to miss the cut. The Carrick at Loch Lomond player had a pair of 78s for 156.

Ladies European Tour Scoreboard
PRINCESS LALLA MERYEM CUP
Royal Golf Anfa Mohammedi, Mohammedia, Morocco
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
138 Carin Koch (Swe) 69 69
139 Anja Monke (Ger) 71 68, Vikki Laing (Scotland) 68 71, Melissa Reid 68 71
140 Pamela Feggans (Scotland) 71 69, Maria Verchenova (Rus) 67 73, Christel Boeljon (Ned) 72 68, Florentyna Parker 71 69, Emma Cabrera Bello (Spa) 70 70
141 Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 75 66, Henrietta Zuel 71 70, Stephanie Na (Aus) 71 70
142 Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 71 71, Virginine Lagoutte-Clement (Fra) 73 69, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 70 72, Christine Hallstrom (Swe) 73 69, Margherita Rigon (Ita) 70 72
143 Caroline Afonso (Fra) 72 71, Stefanie Michl (Aut) 68 75, Martina Gillen 69 74, Lucie Andre (Fra) 71 72, Breanne Loucks 73 70
144 Marta Prieto (Spa) 71 73, Camille Fallay (Fra) 74 70, Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa) 74 70, Frederique Seeholzer (Swi) 71 73
145 Mallory Blackwelder (USA) 73 72, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 73 72, Rhian Wyn Thomas 75 70, Emma Zackrisson (Swe) 74 71, Paula Marti (Spa) 68 77, Tara Delaney 73 72, Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 75 70, Carmen Alonso (Spa) 72 73
146 Anna Rossi (Ita) 70 76, Elizabeth Bennett 74 72, Holly Aitchison 73 73, Krystle Caithness (Scotland) 75 71, Tandi Cuningham (Rsa) 74 72, Ana Larraneta (Spa) 70 76, Lydia Hall 73 73, Lynn Kenny (Scotland) 75 71, Mariana Macias-Capuzzi (Spa) 73 73, Anna-Lise Caudal (Fra) 76 70, Claire Aitken 75 71, Carly Booth (Scotland) 73 73
147 Kiran Matharu 74 73, Malene Jorgensen (Den) 74 73, Vittoria Valvassori (Ita) 73 74, Elin Emanuelsson (Swe) 77 70, Melodie Bourdy (Fra) 72 75, Sophie Sandolo (Ita) 69 78, Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned) 71 76
148 Kim Welch (USA) 74 74, Kym Larratt 74 74, Jenni Kuosa (Fin) 75 73, Maria Boden (Swe) 71 77, Caroline Masson (Ger) 71 77, Elisabeth Esterl (Ger) 73 75, Hanna-Leena Salonen (Fin) 75 73, Valerie Van Ryckeghem (Bel) 74 74, Sahra Hassan 73 75
MISSED THE CUT
149 Georgina Simpson 73 76, Lynnette Teresa Brooky (Nzl) 75 74, Mollie Fankhauser (USA) 72 77, Emelie Lind (Swe) 78 71, Johanna Lundberg (Swe) 80 69
150 Linda Wessberg (Swe) 76 74, Smriti Mehra (Ind) 77 73, Danielle Masters 72 78, Cassandra Kirkland (Fra) 74 76
151 Julie Tvede (Den) 75 76, Rachel Bell 77 74, Maha Haddioui (Mal) 75 76, Laura Cabanillas (Spa) 74 77, Rebecca Hudson 75 76, Elena Giraud (Fra) 79 72
152 Felicity Johnson 78 74, Josefin Leijon (Swe) 75 77, Julie Greciet (Fra) 80 72, Corisande Lee 75 77, Nina Reis (Swe) 78 74, Monica Christiansen (Den) 77 75, Nicole Gergely (Aut) 76 76
153 Antonella Cvitan (Swe) 80 73, Riikka Hakkarainen (Fin) 76 77, Denise-Charlotte Becker (Ger) 75 78, Marina Arruti (Spa) 70 83, Itziar Elguezabal (Spa) 78 75
154 Sophie Giquel (Fra) 78 76
155 Nathalie David-Mila (Fra) 78 77, Kyra van Leeuwen (Ned) 76 79, Lien Willems (Bel) 81 74, Julie Maisongrosse (Fra) 79 76, Anastasia Kostina (Rus) 76 79, Kirsty Fisher 76 79, Federica Piovano (Ita) 80 75
156 Clare Queen (Scotland) 78 78
158 Jo Pritchard 83 75, Matia Maffiuletti (Ita) 80 78, Celine Herbin (Fra) 78 80, Joanne Oliver 80 78
159 Hannah Ralph 80 79
160 Zuzana Kamasova (Svk) 78 82
161 Karen-Margrethe Juul (Den) 82 79, Kirsty Taylor 81 80
162 Kylie Walker (Scotland) 81 81
166 Tara Dayer-Smith 85 81
169 Ludivine Kreutz (Fra) 80 89
Retired: Mounya Amalou-Sayah (Mor) 82

Kimberley Crooks, Yorkshire county player, now a rookie on Ladies European Tour (image by courtesy of Tom Ward Photography).

Tracey Boyes, hoping to recruit members for the XLtec Pro Tour (lady pros' section) on the LET Access Tour (image by courtesy of Leaderboard Photography).

English girls Tracey Boyes and Kimberley Crooks

ready to play in XLtec Pro Tour's ladies' events

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Although it is hoped that there will be strong Scottish support for the lady professionals' section of the XLtec Tour which has the first of its scheduled six, two-day 36-hole stroke-play events at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick next Thursday and Friday (March 25-26), it should be stressed that entries from any nationality will be accepted.

Membership of the Ladies European Tour or Women's Professional Golf Association is not mandatory but the player must have professional golfer status.

At some point in the future, lady amateurs with low handicaps, who may be thinking of turning professional and want to measure their skills against the pros, may be accepted but not for the moment.

Two English-based players who have expressed a strong interest in the XLtec Tour are Tracey Boyes, 28, from Southampton and Kimberley Crooks, 19, from Middlesborough, both of them are Ladies European Tour rookies..

Tracey Boyes says in an E-mail:

"I will not be able to attend the first one at Whitekirk, because I am playing in the LET Access Series but I will be able to do the others. I will tell the other girls that i know about the tournaments. Hope this will help."

Tracey is a rookie pro and a member of the LET Tour.

Her club as an amateur was Meon Valley and she was the 2009 Hampshire champion. Tracey reached the semi-finals of the 2009 English amateur championship and of the English mid-amateur championship. She was also runner-up in the Critchley Salver.
Kimberley Crooks says in her E-mail:

"I am very interested in playing in the XLtec lady pro events. Unfortunatly I am not able to play in next week's tournament but will be playing in the rest of them."

Kimberley's home club was Saltburn and she was a member of the winning Yorkshire county team.

Former British girls champion Clare Queen from Drumpellier, now representing The Carrick at Loch Lomond on the Ladies European Tour circuit, says she will play on the XLtec Tour - but cannot manage next week's curtain-raiser at Whitekird.

Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie) has turned pro since winning the North of Scotland women's amateur championship at Newmachar last summer. She has returned to Florida - where she spent four years at Lynn University (as did her brother Keith, also a former Scotland cap and now a rookie pro - but says she will definitely be coming home to play on the XLtec Tour.

"I'll miss the first one at Whitekirk but I'll definitely be a starter at the remainder. A ladies' pro tour in Scotland is just what we need," says Katy whose father Dave, a professional footballer with Dunfermline Athletic until a knee injury ending his playing career, owns the Carnoustie Golf Shop.

To get the lady pro section started, we need at least five entries at Whitekirk. That doesn't seem too many to ask for .... but we do not have a single official entry so far.

So, please, fill in the form below and get your name down for Whitekirk:

*********************************************************************************

XLTEC PRO TOUR (Ladies’ Section)

TOURNAMENTS 2010

March 25 & 26: Whitekirk, nr North Berwick.

April 28 & 29: Hilton Park, Glasgow
May 25 & 26: Dalmahoy (Edinburgh).
July 28 & 29: Westerwood (Glasgow)
September 28 & 29: Spey Valley, Aviemore.
October 6 & 7: Dundonald Links, Ayrshire.
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
+ All events will be 36 holes’ stroke-play over two consecutive days.
+Entry fee for lady professionals will be £50 per event, all of which will go directly to the ladies’ prize fund. Payable on first day of each event. Entries from any lady professional or assistant accepted, any nationality.
+There will be a £10 adminstration fee per tournament, payable by the player alongwith the entry fee.
+The one-off fee to join the Tour is £40 and the cheque, made payable to 110sport Management Ltd should be sent to Chris Turner without delay at the address listed below.
+The prize funds for the lady professionals section will depend on how many players enter per venue. A minimum of five players must enter for an event to be held. Donations are being received from companies and individuals, which are expected to add between £300 and £400 to each venue's prize fund. All the money received in entry fees will go into the prize fund alongwith the donations. For example, if 20 entries were received for any competition at £50 each, added to a sixth of the donations' total, that would provide a prize fund of approximately £1,300-£1,400 for that particular venue.

+The XLTec Pro Tour men will be playing at the same venues. Lady pros will play off the red LGU tees and are not competing against the men.
CONTACTS
Alan Tait 07734 207119
Nigel Scott-Smith 07939 015556
Chris Turner (110sport) 07889 355856
E-mail: c.turner@110sport.com
Colin Farquharson 01224 869782
E-mail: Calcarsongolf@scottishgolfview.com

TOUR MEMBERSHIP & ENTRY FORM

NAME ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…

ADDRESS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

CLUB/ATTACHMENT ………………………………………………………………………………………

MOBILE PHONE NUMBER …………………………………………………………………………………

E-MAIL ADDRESS …………………………………………………………………………………………..

I enclose £40 joining fee to the XLtec Pro Tour, payable to 110sport Management Limited.

*I would/would not like to play in the first event at Whitekirk GC on March 25/26.
*I would/would not like to play in the second event at Hilton Park GC on April 28/29

*I would/would not like to play in the third event at Dalmahoy on May 25/25.

*Delete as appropriate.

SIGNATURE .....................................................................................................

Please send joining fee cheque and entry form as soon as possible to:

FAO Chris Turner, XLtec Pro Golf Tour, c/o 110sport Management Ltd, First Floor, Pavilion 1, Castlecraig Business Park, Players Road, Stirling, FK7 7SH

Charlotte and Nikki in Sunningdale semi-finals

Charlotte Wild (Mere) and Nikki Foster (Pleasington) have done splendidly to come through a huge field to reach this morning's semi-finals of the prestigious Sunningdale foursomes.
Charlotte and Nikki now play M Morris (Walmley) and S Davis (Keddleston Hall).
All ties are under handicap.
In the second semi-final, C Cowper (World of Golf) and N Reilly (Surbition), conquerors of English women's champion Charlie Douglass and her partner N Pateman a day or so ago, will play S Lilly (Wellingborough) and A Lilly (Ketting).
If you want to look up the results, here's the link:
http://www.sunningdale-golfclub.co.uk/site/competitions/assets/docs/MjY3MjE=.xls

Carley Warrington joint fourth in South
-

Carolina and team share the title

Carley Warrington from Bradwell, England, in her final year at Belmont Abbey College, North Carolina, shared fourth place in a field of 71 at the Winthrop University Intercollegiate women's tournament at Rock Hill Country Club, Rock Hill in South Carolina earlier this week.
Carley, pictured, had scores of 76, 79 and 80 for a total of 235 over the par-72, 5,900yd course.
Team-mate Melissa Siviter, a freshman from the West Midlands and a Staffordshire county player, played disappointingly in this one after showing good form at the start of the spring college season.
She had rounds of 81, 92 and 81 for a share of 38th place.
Clear-cut individual winner was Rachel Smith (Winthrop), playing over her home course. She had rounds of 78, 77 and 73 to win by five shots with a total of 228.
Belmont Abbey College and Xavier University from Cincinnati tied for the team title on 949, three shots ahead of Winthrop in the 12-team field.

Alyssa Balding sixth at Tanglewood, Texas

Alyssa Balding, a student at Newman University, Wichita in Kansas, came sixth of 89 in the Lion Invitational women's college tournament at Tanglewood Resort, Pottsboro, Texas.
Alyssa, from Northumberland, had a pair of 79s for 158.
Teammate Megan Birdsey from Bedfordshire shared 20th place on 168 with a pair of 84s.
Winner by two shots was Joanna de Sa Peirera (University of Incarnate Word) with scores of 77 and 73 for 150.

Laura Cutler makes top 10 in Alabama

Laura Cutler, a junior student at Jacksonville University, Alabama tied for 10th place in a field of 57 players at the Samford University Intercollegiate women's tournament at Limestone Springs Golf Club, Oneonta, Alabama.
Laura, from Essex, had scores of 74, 75 and 78 for a total of 227 over the par-72, 5,880yd course.
She finished 14 shots behind the winner by five, Fanny Eineren (South Alabama) (69-70-74).
Consolation for Laura Cutler was that Jacksonville State won the team title by six shots from joint runners-up Samford and South Alabama.

Natasha Podmore joint 14th on Hawaii trip

San Francisco University senior year student Natasha Podmore from Warrington finished joint 14th of 88 in the Dr Donnis Thomnpson Invitational women's college competition at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Club, Honolulu on Hawaii.
Nice trip for Natasha as she approaches the end of her four years in America. She had rounds of 76, 77 anbd 76 for 229.
Abbey Gittings (Nova Southeastern), a freshman from Tamworth, shared 27th place on 235 with scores of 77, 77 and 81.
Team-mate Nicole Whitmore, a junior year student from Milton Keynes, came joint 46th on 239 with score sof 83, 77 and 79.
Rollins (904) won the team title by a whisker from Nova Southeastern (905) and San Francisco (906) in a field of 16 teams.

Another top 10 finish in States by Dundee's Jordan McColl

Dundee's Jordan McColl, a student at New Mexico Junior College, continued his successful freshman year on the US college golf circuit with another top 10 finish in the Harbor Lakes Invitational at Harbor Lakes Golf Club, Granbury in Texas on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
Jordan had rounds of 74 and 75 for a total of 149 over a long par-72 course of 7,177yd.
He finished joint eighth, eight shots behind the winner Nathan Anderson (McLennan Community College) who had six shots to spare over the field with rounds of 70 and 71 for three-under-par 141. So McColl, pictured right, was only two shots adrift of the runner-up on 147.
Elliot Groves from Southampton, a studen at Western Texas College, tied for 21st place on 152 with scores of 77 and 75.
Team-mate Nick Flynn from Surrey, for some reason, had a No Return in the first round and a very good second-round effort of 71 which must have left him rueing what went wrong for him in the first circuit.
Ross Milne from Aboyne, a first-year student at Dodge City Community College, tied for 90th place in a field of 118 players with scores of 83 and 81 for 164.
McColl's good effort almost landed the team title for New Mexico JC. They finished on 802, the same total as Tyler Junior College, joint second, beaten by a single shot, by winners McLennan Community College.

Tom Brown's Schooldays in the States
Tom Brown (Mississippi), a freshman student from Hertfordshire) finished seventh of 87 in the LA Tech Bulldog Classic at the Squire Creek Country Club, Choudrant in Louisiana. Tom had deteriorating rounds - it might have been the weather - of 70, 73 and 78 for 221.
Tom Robson (a freshman at Jacksonville State University, Alabama, finished joint 46th on 235 with scores of 79, 76 and 80. Tom hails from Waterlooville in Hampshire.
On the same mark was Dan Waite (Kansas) from Surrey with scores of 78, 79 and 78.
James Taverner (Southeastern Louisiana), a final year student from London, shared 61st place on 238 with scores of 82, 77 and 79.
If there was bad weather, it didn't seem to bother the winner, Cedric Scotto (Southeastern Louisiana). He had scores of 73, 68 and 71 for four-under-par 212 to win by four strokes.
There was a double whammy for Southeastern Louisiana. They pipped Mississippi by a single shot at the head of a field of 16 teams.

Gemma down the field in Kathy Whitworth Invitational

Aberdeen teenager Gemma Dryburgh was not at her best in a quality field for the Kathy Whitworth Invitational, one of the leading girls' tournaments of the junior winter season in the United States.
In the two-round event, hosted by the former LPGA Tour star, at Mira Vista Country Club, Fort Worth in Texas, Gemma had rounds of 86 and 82 for a total of 168.
American Emily Collins and Tanaporn Kongkiatkri tied at the head of the leaderboard on 147. Emily, who earlier had rounds of 74 and 73, won the play-off. Tanaporn had scored 72 and 75 in regulation play.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
147 Emily Collins 74 73, Tanaporn Kongkiatkri 72 75 (Collins won play-off).
148 Ai Myazawa 76 72.
151 Amy Ruengmatekhun 71 80.
152 Sierra Sims 77 75, Mariana Sims 75 77, Sammi Stevens 77 75, Morgan Thompson 77 75.
Selected scores:
161 Daniela Lendl 75 86.
162 Hally Leadbetter 79 83.
168 Gemma Dryburgh 86 82.

EUROPEAN WOMEN'S NATIONS CUP
Real Golf Club Sotogrande, Costa del Sol, Spain

SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Best two from three scores to count

292 DENMARK
ASMUSEN, JINJIRA 75
NIELSEN, DAISY 74
HANSEN, LINE VEDEL 70 73 143
293 HOLLAND
KARSTEN, CAROLINE 75 74 149
EIKENAAR, MYRTE 71 73 144
JANSEN, KARIN
295 FRANCE
GIDALI, MANON 76 73 149
LESCUDIER, INES 71 75 146
DELACOUR, PERRINE
297 CZECH REPUBLIC
SPILKOVA, KLARA 76 71 147
VAVRUSKOVA, TEREZA
VLCKOVA, KAROLINA 76 74 150
301 SPAIN
PRAT, MIREIA 75 73 148
ARRESE, ANNA 77
ZWANCK, ADRIANA ESPAÑA 76
303 ITALY
AVERNA, ALESSANDRA 77
PATUSSI, CAMILLA 76 76 152
ROSCIO, ANNA ITALIA 74
306 FINLAND
HENRIKSSON, LINDA 73 78 151
7 NUMMENPAA, ELINA
VUORENPAA, MINNA 76 79 155
306 GERMANY
KATZY, LARA 75 75 150
KIRCHMAYR, STEPHANIE 79
STEMPFLE, LAURA 77
310 WALES
BOULDEN, AMY 78
BRADBURY, GEMMA 78 79 157
DAVIES, TARA 75
310 BELGIUM
GEVERS, VALENTINE 78
DE ROEY, MANON 77 74 151
VANZONHOVEN, SARA 81
314 AUSTRIA
KRENN, MARLIES 77
SCHOBER, SARAH 79
STUTZ, MARINA 78 80 158

Pro debuts by Carly (73) and Kylie (81) in Morocco

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Thanks to Ladies Golf Union official Fraser Munro who is acting as a tournament referee in Morocco for sending these images to Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk We have friends everywhere!
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Maria from Moscow leads from Vikki Laing,

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Paula Marti, Melissa Reid and Stefanie Michl
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FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Russia’s Maria Verchenova holds a one-stroke lead on five-under-par 67 after the first round of the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.
Spain’s Paula Marti is four-under 68 alongside England’s Melissa Reid, Vikki Laing from Musselburgh and Austria’s Stefanie Michl.
Verchenova, 23, from Moscow, carded eight birdies and three bogeys in perfect scoring conditions in temperatures of 24 degrees Centigrade with a gentle breeze at Royal Golf Anfa Mohammédia, near Casablanca today.
This is the first time she has led a Ladies European Tour event in her fourth season on tour.
Dressed in a striking bright yellow vest and a blue mini skirt, Verchenova looked as though she meant business as she strode out onto the tenth tee at the start of her first competitive round of the year.
She wasted no time in picking up five birdies over the back nine, with three birdies in a row from the seventh hole. There were just two bogeys at the 14th and 15th holes.
Her putter remained hot as she rolled in an eight-metre putt at the par four third hole, which was countered by third bogey at the fifth hole. However she finished strongly with birdies at the sixth and the eighth.
“I was putting well and I was keeping myself fit through the whole winter and going to the gym and preparing to play so I felt I was going to be pretty close,” said Verchenova, who has been lifting weights and running six days a week over the winter. “I’m hitting it longer and straighter so I supposed it helped,” she said.
The stunning brunette suffered a wrist injury late in 2009, but since recovering, has spent time practising at National Golf Club in Belek, Turkey, which will host the second edition of the Ladies Turkish Open in May.
“The conditions were good in Turkey, so I could practise my pitching and putting. The putting was really good. I’ve worked a lot with my coach, Danny Wilde, and he is over here. We’ve worked on my pitching within 100 metres. This golf course is really short but it’s got narrow fairways and loads of rough, so you’ve got to be pretty straight.” she said.
While Russia was covered in snow, she also found time to design her own clothing range, inspired by women’s tennis.
“My clothing line will come out really soon, in about two months or so, and it’s going to be really young and fashionable with bright colours for really young girls. Hopefully the girls will like it. As always I’m in really bright colours and that’s what I’m looking for. Hopefully the first year I will just wear it and show it and the next year we will try to sell it,” she explained.
One of the Ladies European Tour’s original trend setters, Paula Marti, took the lead early in the morning, along with playing partner Melissa Reid of England.
Also playing in her first tournament of the season, Marti carded seven birdies and three bogeys. She birdies two of the last three holes.
“My driving and my putting were great today, especially on these fairways. They are so tight that you have to hit the fairway otherwise the rough is so high that it’s really impossible to get a decent lie. I’ve made a couple of putts and that’s it. That was overall my round. I made two mistakes in a row but I finished with birdie, par, birdie, so that helps the round,” Marti said.
Reid, who finished 16th at last week’s Handa Women’s Australian Open in Melbourne, carded five birdies and one bogey on a still morning. “I’ve put myself right in the tournament. I didn’t hit it great out there today, which was a bit disappointing, but hopefully if I get my driver going and get the irons good then it will go well over the next couple of days,” Reid said.
Vikki Laing, pictured above, was at four-under after 12 holes, having overcome her opening bogey with five birdies.
“I was hitting my driver really well. I had a lot of wedges into greens and hit a lot in close, like inside ten feet,” said the Scot. “You need to place your drives and hit the fairway because the rough is pretty thick. If you hit fairways and you’re putting well, you’ll score well.”
France’s Nathalie David-Mila had the first hole-in-one of her professional career at the fourth, when she holed out with a four-iron from 157 metres, however, unfortunately there was no prize and she carded 78.
The €275,000 event, which is named after HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, started in 1993 but has joined the Ladies European Tour schedule for the first time in this, its 16th year.
The event is being staged at the same time as the Trophée Hassan II at nearby Royal Golf Dar es-Salam on the men’s European Tour.


SCOTSWATCH. After Vikki Laing, the top Scot was Pamela Feggans from Ayrshire with a 71. Pamela had 2s at the short fourth and short eighth and a 3 at the par-4 13th. She had bogeys at the 14th and 16th.
Scotland amateur internationals Carly Booth from Comrie, Perthshire and Buchanan Castle's Kylie Walker played their first rounds as pros. Carly's 73 included a double bogey at the first hole - she started at the 10th - but birdies at the second, third, seventh and 16th kept her on track for a respectable score.
Kylie, unfortunately, had an 81 with a first-nine half of 42 including a 9 at the par-5 ninth. Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) was level par after nine holes, having started at the 10th, but she took 39 shots for her second nine - the outward half on the card, and finished the day on 75.
Fifer Krystle Caithness marked up a 75 also with halves of 37 and 38 for a share of 59th position. Clare Queen (The Carrick at Loch Lomond) was one over par after her first six holes but finish on 78 with halves of 37 and 41.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LEADING SCORES AND HALVES/

Cambridge win 13th Ladies’ Varsity Golf Match

NEWS RELEASE
Early on the beautiful morning of the 16th of March the ladies of the Oxford and Cambridge golf teams gathered on the first tee at the splendid Royal Porthcawl Golf Club. The event that brought them together was the 13th Ladies’ Varsity Golf match, the year’s instalment of the annual game between the rival Universities.
The event has been taking place since the inaugural Ladies’ Varsity match was held at Walton Heath in 1998. After a strong showing by Oxford in the early years of the fixture, Cambridge has enjoyed several recent successes. However, never before has the game been held at Royal Porthcawl, despite the course’s popularity as a venue for the men’s Varsity match.
The course is a classic links, providing golfers with many challenges with its strategically placed bunkers, fairway contouring, lightening fast greens and strong Atlantic gales. In addition, golfers are routinely mesmerised by the spectacular views to Somerset and Exmoor in the South and across Swansea Bay to the Gower Peninsula.
The format of the match has three pairs from each University playing foursomes, and the reserves playing singles in the morning, and six individual matches taking place in the afternoon.
First out in the morning were Cambridge captain Louisa Tarn and her partner Michaela Bacon who took on Jane Han and Min-Yee Tseu of Oxford. Despite putting up a gallant fight the Oxford team lost out to a more experienced opposition on the 14th with Tarn holing a stunning chip for birdie.
The third match saw four times Varsity veteran Katie Taylor and partner Livia McBride play consistent strong golf against an Oxford pair who were punished by some poor ball positioning on the tough links course. Cambridge clinched their match against Jen Hauschild and Amy Bilderbeck on the 13th.
The second match however was fought to a competitive finish on the 17th. Despite an early lead for Oxford captain Gillian Kinnear and her partner Alex Walvis, Leanne Mullen and Hiliary Crowe fought back with a strong showing on the second nine.
However, Oxford’s lead proved too much for the Cambridge pair to claw back and a holed putt on the 17th brought Oxford their first point of the day.
Also in the morning, the reserve match was fought to a tight finish. Both Lucy Webb-Wilson of Oxford and Lucy Ackrill of Cambridge played stunning golf with the former Lucy closing the game with a win for Oxford on the 18th.
With a 2-1 lead as the teams went in for lunch, Cambridge needed three points in the afternoon to guarantee their win. Louisa Tarn brought the first of these home in her game against Jane Han. The Cambridge captain’s wealth of experience and talent was too much for her opponent who played great golf but, as a much more recent convert to the game, proved no match for Tarn who closed the game on the 10th hole.
However, the tide was soon to turn with Gillian Kinnear and Min Yee Tseu of Oxford taking early victories against their opponents Hiliary Crowe and Cambridge ex-captain Leanne Mullen respectively.
Kinnear brought home an 8 and 6 win in an amiable match against her old friend while Tseu, Oxford’s most recent addition, dazzled crowds with huge hitting to win on the 14th against a strong opponent.
With Alex Walvis of Oxford looking likely to bring in a win, having achieved a four-hole lead through nine holes against her opponent Livia McBride, the Dark Blue side were hopeful. However, the tide was to turn once again as McBride’s accurate and consistent golf and level head allowed her to fight back to achieve a spectacular half on the 18th.
All eyes were now on the final two games in the field. Each team was praying for a final 1½pt to secure their victory. Jen Hauschild fought back from four down against Cambridge’s Katie Taylor to be one down as the pair walked down the stunning 18th hole.
However, Hauschild was unable to achieve the necessary win on the last hole against the solid, unfaltering golf of Taylor and with a further win Cambridge clocked their tally up to 4½ points. The final game was to prove as nail-bitingly close as Oxford’s ex-captain Amy Bilderbeck fought against a strong Michaela Bacon. The result was decided on the 17th where Bacon went dormie one up to ensure at least half a point. Nonetheless, both continued fighting on the last hole and Bacon held on to achieve Cambridge’s final point of the day.
With a final score of 5½ Cambridge, 3½ Oxford, the stronger Light Blue side brought the trophy back to Cambridge for the fourth year in a row. The nail-biting game was enjoyed by a great many spectators who were as pleased as the players with the perfect conditions.
The course spent the day bathed in sunlight and the clear skies allowed all to indulge in the fabulous views. Most importantly, everyone gathered at Royal Porthcawl was treated to some excellent golf, with both teams putting out some of the best performances ever seen in the Ladies’ Varsity match and all competitors exhibiting excellent sportsmanship.
The narrow line between competition and fun was trodden expertly by all the ladies who entered the game in the perfect spirits. All in all, the day was a resounding success and we all look forward to next year!
Scores (Cambridge names first)
Foursomes:
Louisa Tarn & Michaela Bacon bt Min Yee Tseu & Jane Han 5 and 3.
Leanne Mullen & Hiliary Crowe lost to Gillian Kinnear & Alex Walvis 2 and 1.
Katie Taylor & Livia McBride bt Jen Hauschild & Amy Bilderbeck 6 and 5.
Singles:
Tarn bt Han 9 and 8.
Mullen lost to Tseu 5 and 4.
McBride halved with Walvis
Crowe lost to Kinnear 8 and 6.
Taylor bt Hauschild 1 hole.
Bacon bt Bilderbeck 2 holes.

Reserve Match:
Lucy Ackrill lost to Lucy Webb-Wilson 2 holes.

Thornton Golf Club captain John Anderson coaching Glenrothes P5 children at the clubgolf festival (image by Rob Eyton-Jones)

Clubgolf Festival attracts 140 children to Glenrothes

Thornton Golf Club is the latest club to add its weight to the national junior golf programme, clubgolf which is sweeping across Scotland in a bid to introduce every Primary 5 child to the game.
A lasting legacy to Scotland’s successful bid to host the 2014 Ryder Cup, clubgolf is a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.
“We have had a junior section, both for boys and girls, for a considerable time but in the last two years it has dwindled quite substantially,” said Thornton’s captain, John Anderson.
“I attended an SGU seminar last year where I learned about clubgolf and I was impressed by what I heard.
“We were already thinking of ways to get involved in junior coaching and this seemed to be the right route for us to go; it’s prompted us into action.”
Last year 1,644 Fife children experienced the game at school through clubgolf’s introductory game, firstclubgolf. As part of a drive to increase those numbers in 2010, Active Schools organised a clubgolf festival in Glenrothes last week which attracted over 140 children from 14 of the town’s 20 primary schools.
“We organised the festival to support the big push we are making in primary schools,” said Active Schools Co-ordinator, Pauline Jones.
“We have already been training school teachers to deliver the game in schools and we have given these teachers bags of firstclubgolf equipment so they can put golf sessions into PE or after- school clubs.
“We have also trained 30 sports coaching students from Adam Smith College to teach firstclubgolf to assist us with offering practice sessions in the Glenrothes area. We need more trained volunteers to deliver clubgolf and it works well for the students because they gain experience working with children and they develop a broader knowledge base.
“The feedback from the schools is very positive and a lot of them plan to continue teaching clubgolf.
Local clubs are coming forward to offer the next stage of the programme so if the children are keen they will have somewhere to progress to.
Newly signed-up Thornton joins nearby Balbirnie Golf Club and Cluny Golf in offering clubgolf coaching.
Last weekend Mr Anderson and three other club volunteers attended clubgolf’s two day Level 1 training. Next month they will learn if they have passed the course and are qualified to coach youngsters.
"In addition to our golf course we have a large practice ground where we can coach juniors," said Mr Anderson, who coached the children at last week's festival.
“Hopefully we will all be licensed to coach in three weeks and in the meantime we are planning the next steps and also thinking of setting up an open session for juniors to come along and register their interest.
“We are keen to start junior coaching with the local primary school children and as soon as daylight allows we will start our coaching.”
To find out more about clubgolf junior coaching at the three clubs please contact:
Thornton GC
Telephone: 01592 771111
Balbirnie Park GC
Telephone: 01592 752006
Cluny Clays
Telephone: 01592 720374

Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager
Official clubgolf website: http://www.clubgolfscotland.com/

Ladies' European Tour Scoreboard

PRINCESS LALLA MERYEM CUP
Royal Golf Anfa Mohammedia

FIRST-ROUND
Par 72
67 Maria Verchenova (Russia) 34-33.
68 Paula Marti (Spain) 33-35, Melissa Reid (England) 34-34, Vikki Laing (Scotland) 33-35, Stephanie Michl (Austria) 33-35.
69 Carin Koch (Sweden) 34-35, Martina Gillen (Ireland) 35-34, Sophie Sandolo (Italy) 35-34.
70 Marina Arruti (Spain) 37-33, Emma Cabrera-Belo (Spain) 34-36, Ana Larraneta (Spain) 35-35, Veronica Zorzi (Italy) 34-36, Margherita Riogon (Italy) 37-33, Anna Rossi (Italy) 33-37.
Selected scores:
71 Pamela Feggans (Scotland) 34-37, Florentyna Parker (England) 35-36, Henrietta Zuel (England) 37-34 (jt 15th).
72 Danielle Masters (England) 38-34 (jt 27th).
73 Holly Aitchison (England) 36-37, Tara Delaney (Ireland) 38-35, Carly Booth (Scotland) 37-36, Lydia Hall (Wales) 37-36, Sahra Hassan (Wales) 37-36, Kiran Matharu (England) 39-34, Breanne Loucks (Wales) 37-36, Georgina Simpson (England) 35-38 (jt 33rd).
74 Elizabeth Bennett (England) 36-38, Kym Larratt (England) 38-36 (jt 48th).
75 Claire Aitken (England) 37-38, Corisande Lee (England) 36-39, Lynn Kenny (Scotland) 39-36, Krystle Caithness (Scotland) 37-38, Rebecca Hudson (England) 37-38, Rhian Wyn Thomas (Wales) 37-38 (jt 59th).
76 Kirsty J Fisher (England) 42-34 (jt 74th).
77 Rachel Bell (England) 41-36 (jt 81st).
78 Felicity Johnson (England) 38-40, Clare Queen (Scotland) 37-41 (jt 85th).
80 Joanne Oliver (England) 39-41, Hannah Ralph (England) 42-38 (jt 96th).
81 Kirsty Taylor (England) 42-39, Kylie Walker (Scotland) 42-39 (jt 104th).
83 Jo Pritchard (Wales) 41-42 (109th).

Booth reunited with her clubs
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and ready for first pro start


FROM THE SCOTSMAN SPORT.COM WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Carly Booth and Kylie Walker, Scotland's latest recruits to women's professional golf, tee off their new careers today when they compete in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco and will be hoping to get off to flying starts.
Both players joined the paid ranks after graduating at the Ladies European Tour qualifying school in Spain at the end of last year and will bolster a Scottish contingent on the circuit that includes Krystle Caithness, Lynn Kenny, Vikki Laing and Clare Queen.
At just 17, Booth, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, will create history by becoming the youngest Scot ever to play on the LET, while 23-year-old Walker is equally excited about being one of several players starting their professional careers this week in north Africa.
Booth's preparations haven't gone entirely to plan after her golf clubs failed to arrive in Morocco on Monday night, meaning she missed out on a practice round at the Royal Golf Anfa Mohammédia on Tuesday.
However, the player who, at the age of eight, became the youngest golfer to hold an adult handicap before winning the Dunblane New women's championship three years later is determined to take things in her stride as much as possible over the next few days.
"I'm excited and I want to go out there and try to play my best. I don't want to put any extra pressure on myself: just try and enjoy it," she said. "I'll probably feel nervous but I've already played two professional events in the past (she tied for 13th in the 2007 Scottish Open], so I've had some experience and I'm sure I'll be fine."
Booth, who has her boyfriend, Steven Brown, caddying for her, certainly needn't worry about feeling lonely as she gets down to work in her new office.
"I know quite a lot of players from amateur golf and I was in Team Faldo with Kiran Matharu, Melissa Reid and Henrietta Brockway," she added. "I also played the Curtis Cup with Florentyna Parker and Krystle Caithness."
Still at Glenalmond School – she will be there until finishing A-level exams in Art, English and PE in June – Booth has received plenty of advice about what to expect on Tour, with Catriona Matthew, the Ricoh Women's British Open champion, among those to offer words of wisdom.
"I went to see Catriona back in January and spoke to her," said the Comrie girl. "I played with her at my first professional event so I kind of knew her and she gave me her E-mail address and said if I needed any advice just to give her a buzz. I asked her about tour life and what to expect. A lot of it I already knew but some of it helped and will be very useful."
Matthew has also spoken to Walker, who emulated her fellow Scot last year when making a successful defence of the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews, one of the top British amateur events. Walker also topped the SLGA Order of Merit in 2008 and, though Booth has grabbed most of the attention over the past few months, Kylie's performance in finishing as the highest-placed British player at the aforementioned qualifying school was equally praiseworthy.
She spent a week in Dubai, where her brother and one of her sisters live, preparing for the event in Morocco and is setting her sights high as she begins her new career.
"I would love to do well right from the start," said the flame-haired Buchanan Castle player. "It might be unrealistic, but I'm going into every tournament to win."
Looking to the future, Walker, who has her older brother, Kris, on the bag this week, is hoping she can follow in the footsteps of Matthew, Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay by earning a card for the LPGA Tour.
"If you are going to be at the top, America's the place to be, the best golfers in the world are there," she added. "In the future, I'll look to get out there to compete."
Caithness, Kenny, Laing and Queen are also in the field in Morocco, where the 54-hole event carries a prize fund of 275,000, with 41,250 going to the winner. After this week, the next individual event on the LET is the Turkish Open at the National Golf Club in Belek from May 7 to 9.
FOOTNOTE FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
+ Organisers of the ladies section of the new XLtec Pro Tour are hoping that all the LET Scottish members will play on the six 36-hole, two-day events on the circuit, beginning at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick next Thursday and Friday, March 25-26.

If anyone wants any information on the pro lady events, perhaps how to join and how to enter or a company/individual who might like to donate a one-off £200 to one of the six prizefunds, E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Numbers hold the key to the lady pros' section getting off the ground and developing into a much-needed Scottish/British satellite of the Ladies European Tour. A minium of five entries is required - almost immediately - for the Whitekirk lady pros' event to be staged.
If 10 players enter at £50 each, there is a £200 prize pot bonus donated for the first event by Aberdeen hotelier Stewart Spence. That would provide a Whitekirk ladies' prize fund of £700. If 15 ladies enter, that goes up to £950 and should 20 enter, then they would be playing for £1,200. All the entry fees go into the prize fund.
The level of prize money is not high but the Scottish lady pros tour has to start somewhere.

EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP SCOREBOARD
LADY AMATEURS - Real Club de Sotogrande
FIRST ROUND TOTALS
(best two from three scores to count)
144 DENMARK
RASMUSEN, JINJIRA N/C
NIELSEN, DAISY 74
HANSEN, LINE VEDEL 70
146 HOLLAND
KARSTEN, CAROLINE 75
EIKENAAR, MYRTE 71
JANSEN, KARIN N/C
147 FRANCE
GIDALI, MARION 76
LESCUDIER, INES 71
DELACOUR, PERRINE N/C
149 FINLAND
HENRIKSSON, LINDA 73
NUMMENPAA, ELINA N/C
VUORENPAA, MINNA 76
152 SPAIN
PRAT, MIREIA 75
ARRESE, ANNA 77
ZWANCK, ADRIANA N/C
152 CZECH REPUBLIC
SPILKOVA, KLARA 76
VAVRUSKOVA, TEREZA N/C
VLCKOVA, KAROLINA 76
153 WALES
BOULDEN, AMY N/C
7 BRADBURY, GEMMA 78
DAVIES, TARA 75
153 ITALY
AVERNA, ALESSANDRA 77
PATUSSI, CAMILLA 76
ROSCIO, ANNA N/C
154 GERMANY
KATZY, LARA 75
KIRCHMAYR, STEPHANIE 79
STEMPFLE, LAURA N/C
157 AUSTRIA
KRENN, MARLIES N/C
SCHOBER, SARAH 79
STUTZ, MARINA 78=
158 BELGIUM
GEVERS, VALENTINE N/C
DE ROEY, MARION 77
VANZONHOVEN, SARA 81

+Switch over to www.scottishgolfview.com for the men's scores

Matthew is keen to take the plunge

FROM THE HERALD WEBSITE
By Douglas Lowe
Catriona Matthew has carried herself with great dignity and poise since winning the Women’s British Open last year, but she would love nothing better than to let her hair down next week and take a running jump into a lake.
The first major champion­ship of the women’s golf season is looming. It is the Kraft Nabisco Championship over the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills and it is a great tradition there that the winner hurls herself into the water fronting the 18th green. Matthew would love nothing better than to take the plunge.
At world No.16, Scotland’s highest-ranked golfer is on a two-week sojourn starting next week with the Kia Classic at La Costa, Carlsbad, that used to be the regular venue for the men’s WGC matchplay champion­ship. She is looking for a decent week to set herself up for the big one.
An American major is now the burning ambition of Matthew, who last year surprised everyone, including herself, by becoming the first Scot to win a women’s major, at Royal Lytham, just 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, and she is raring to go.
“I’m playing well and looking forward to it,” she said. “I have had a good break. I usually take four or five weeks off without touching a club and that keeps me refreshed and keen.”
Matthew has had four top-10 finishes at Mission Hills, including runner-up three years ago, and the 40-year-old, whose career is likely to become more restricted when her children reach school age, knows that the clock is ticking and next week is a big opportunity.
“I’ve done well there in the past and I like the course so I am looking forward to it,” she said. “The US Open [at Oakmont] is also a big goal and likewise defending the British Open [at Royal Birkdale], so there are lots of things to aim for.”
Matthew will be back in Europe next month at the La Sella resort in Alicante, Spain, where she and Krystle Caithness will represent Scotland in the European Nations Cup.

SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES STROKE-PLAY TOURNAMENT

John Duff and Susan Jackson are

top of the students' Cardrona class

Aberdeen University student John Duff won the third Scottish Universities men's stroke-play golf tournament of the winter season over three rounds at Cardrona Hotel & Golf Resort, Peebles this week.
The +1 player, a member at Newmachar Golf Club, had rounds of 75, 74 and 78 for a total of 227 and his first win on the students' golf circuit. He won by one stroke from scratch man Cameron Gray (St Andrews) with another St Andrews student, Gordon Stevenson, who has a +2 rating, another shot behind in third place on 229.
Stevenson and Gray were members of the St Andrews 1 squad alongwith Will Wrisdale and John Corke who won the team title by seven strokes from the Stirling 2 team.
Susan Jackson (Edinburgh University), pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who has a handicap of one at Ladybank Golf Club, won the women's indiviual event with scores of 75, 83 and 78 for a total of 236. She had six strokes to spare over runner-up Jane Turner (Robert Gordon University) who is a full Scotland women's international and plays off +2.
England's Harriet Beasley (Stirling University), a member at Woburn Golf Club where she has four of a handicap, finished third on 253

FINAL TOTALS

MEN
227 John Duff (Aberdeen) 75 74 78.
228 Cameron Gray (St Andrews) 77 75 76.
229 Gordon Stevenson (St Andrews) 76 76 77.
231 Sam Binning (Glasgow) 79 76 76, Fraser Moore (Stirling) 75 78 78.
232 Graeme McDougall (Strathclyde) 78 76 78.
234 Alex Culverwell (Stirling) 81 75 78, Euan Brown (Strathclyde) 77 84 73, Mike Gray (St Andrews) 77 78 79.
235 Colin Thomson (Stirling) 80 73 82, Bobby Rushford (Stirling) 79 79 77, David Booth (Stirling) 76 79 80.
236 Patrick Spraggs (Stirling) 82 74 80, Sean Thompson (Stirling) 81 75 80.
237 Colin Baird (Stirling) 85 77 75.
238 Mikey Hunt (UHI) 81 77 80.
239 Steven Smith (Heriot Watt) 83 80 76, Paul Robinson (Strathclyde) 78 77 84.
240 Ben Sloan (Heriot Watt) 81 76 83, Darren Timms (Stirling) 79 80 81.
241 Michael Daily (Stirling) 82 79 80, Andrew Wallace (Stirling) 79 85 77, Malcolm Pennycott (Heriot Watt) 79 82 80.
242 Ryan Penny (UHI) 81 80 81, Steven Scott (Abertay) 80 80 82.
243 Graeme Robertson (Stirling) 84 76 83, Michael Howard (Stirling) 81 81 81.
244 Malo Scullion (Aberdeen) 83 81 80, Sean Fotheringham 83 80 81.
245 Duncan Melville (St Andrews) 78 86 81.
246 Cameron Hay (Aberdeen) 79 83 84.

WOMEN
236 Susan Jackson (Edinburgh) 75 83 78.
242 Jane Turner (Robert Gordon Univ) 80 83 79.
253 Harriet Beasley (Stirling) 87 81 85.
265 Ashley Smith (St Andrews) 90 92 83, Jennifer Linklater (St Andrews) 82 90 93.
268 Alisa Theunis (St Andrews) 88 88 92.
271 Megan Jones (St Andrews) 89 92 90.
272 Mikaela Nordbland (St Andrews) 87 95 90.
285 Eleanor Pike (St Andrews) 95 95 95.
286 Nadia Green (St Andrews) 98 97 91.
293 Felicity Lloyd Jones (St Andrews) 97 99 97.

MEN'S TEAM EVENT
458 St Andrews 1 (Gordon Stevenson, Cameron Gray, Will Wrisdale, John Corke).
465 Stirling 2 (Colin Thomson, Graham Robertson, Alexander Culverwell, Patrick Spraggs).
468 Strathclyde (Euan Brown, Graham McDouogall, Paul Robinson, Mark Scanlon).
471 Stirling 1 (Andrew Wallace, Bobby Rushford, David Booth, Michael Daily).
474 Stirling 3 (Darren Timms, Fraser Moore, Michael Howard, Kit Holmes).
481 Heriot Watt 1 (Ben Sloan, Malcolm Pennycott, Steve Smith, Rory Whitson).
485 UHI (Michael Hunt, Alan Ferguson, Ryan Penny, Ryan Stirling).
494 St Andrews 2 (Duncan Melville, Mike Gray, Joe Lockie, Matt Wheeler).
524 Strathclyde 2 (Ally MacDonald, Gavin Forbester, Jordan Leask).
529 Heriot Watt 2 (Euan Patterson, Adam Foley, Callum Marshall, Ben Heriot).
No Returns:
Aberdeen 2 (Corin Stewart, Nick McAndrew, Anand Shah, Cameron Hay).
Aberdeen 1 (John Wybar, Keith Shanks, John Duff, Douglas Maxwell).
Stirling 4 (Sean Thompson, William Russell, Colin Baird).

Message from Muriel Thomson, PGA Professional at Portlethen GC

Hi there
I’m just back from my annual visit to India – if you want to read my Newsletter which updates you on the project click into the link here which will take you straight to it on my website.
http://www.murielthomson.co.uk/Newsletter%202010.htm
If you can’t access it from the link you will find it on my website by clicking into the ‘Charity Work’ page.
Regards
Muriel Thomson
website: www.murielthomson.co.uk

Top college player sent off course

by Purdue coach

FROM THE GOLFWEEK.COM WEBSITE
By Lance Ringler
There is not a lot of Monday morning armchair quarterbacking going on when it comes to college golf. The decisions by a golf coach are usually made prior to an event and geared toward preparation, with very little Xs and Os. Therefore, you don’t have discussions about a bad play–call, poor use of a timeout or players who should have stayed in the game.
However, this past weekend at the Tiger Wave Classic, played at English Turn Golf & Country Club in New Orleans, there is some discussion about a player being pulled out of the game.
Auburn defeated 22 other teams to win the inaugural event, but it was an incident (a sending off the course) that took place in the second round that is stealing the attention.
One of the top players in the field, Purdue’s Quebec-born Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, pictured above – ranked No. 6 by Golfweek– was sent off the course by her own coach for unsportsmanlike conduct. After 11 holes, Purdue coach Devon Brouse told LeBlanc, 21 on February 14, she was done and to walk back to the clubhouse. She was 11–over- par at the time.
“This is about disrespecting the course, fellow competitors, her team, her school and the game,” said Brouse, who has been coaching college golf for more than 30 years. “This is not her first time.”
LeBlanc had been penalised in the past for conduct issues.

LeBlanc opened with an 8–over 80 and then, after her No Return in the second round, came back in the final round to shoot 73. According to Brouse, the Canadian apologised to everyone and played in the final round, which he felt was big for her to do.
“She is aware of our team rules and is working on overcoming her struggles in this area. I do think she is a good person and wants to do the right thing. Her actions have hurt our team score,” said Brouse.
The Boilermakers entered the event ranked No. 4, but turned in their worst showing of the season with a 14th –place finish.
There is no question LeBlanc is one of the best female players in college golf. She has been a Golfweek All–American in her first two seasons at Purdue, and was ranked 28th as a freshman and 19th as a sophomore. She won twice in the fall season.
This was not about protecting a player’s ranking, which some suggest. This was about coaching and teaching. LeBlanc is not alone when it comes to this sort of conduct. I would bet there are numerous coaches out there that have entertained the thought of doing this in the past and probably would have helped the player become a better player and the team become a better team.
“Let’s hope she can grow and learn the lessons that all young players have to learn in their careers,” said Brouse.
I have a feeling she will.

Stewart Spence, Dave McNicoll chip in £200 each for lady pro prize funds

Lesley Mackay ready to dust off the

clubs to have a go on XLtec Tour

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
It's nine years since she reached the final of the Scottish women's amateur championship at Carnoustie and five or six years since she last played for Scotland ... but Golspie-born Lesley Mackay is getting an itch to play competitively again!

Providing the stimulus is the new XLtec Pro Tour with its section for women professionals, six 36-hole events teeing off at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick on March 25-26.

When Lesley turned professional, it was with a view to gain WPGA credentials and becoming a coach and teacher of the game. She passed her WPGA test with colours flying so high that she gained a national award as the top trainee professional of her year (that's her pictured at the time with her trophy).

Here's Lesley's E-mail to Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk:

"Thanks for all the information about the new lady professional competitions. I may have to dust off the clubs and have a go. Just a bit busy just now with coaching Stirling University, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire county as well as individual lessons at Playsport in East Kilbride."

Lesley Mackay

Another E-mail received from Carnoustie's Katy McNicoll, winner of the North of Scotland championship last year and now a professional. She's been back over the winter months in Florida where she spent four years playing the college circuit as a Lynn University graduate

"I won't make it back in time for the first event but will be home on April 6 so will be able to play in the future lady pro events. This is exactly what professional women's golf in Scotland needs. So thanks for pushing for us."

Katy McNicoll

It is hoped that each of the six events for female professionals on the XLtec Tour will have a little extra money from an outside source to boost the prize funds which would otherwise consist entirely of the sum of the £50 per competition entry fees.

I floated the idea earlier this week on Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk that it would be a very nice gesture if six companies or individuals came forward, willing to chip in £200 each so that the girls would not be playing simply for their own money .

Stewart Spence, owner of The Marcliffe at Pitfodels Hotel, near Aberdeen, and Carnoustie Golf Shop owner, Dave McNicoll, former Dunfermline Athletic footballer and father of two rookie professionals himself, the aforementioned Katy and Keir, have wasted no time in stepping forward to make £200 donations.

"I'm delighted to be able to help the girls' section of the new XLtec Pro Tour," said Stewart who has a long history of putting his hand in his pocket to help young golfers, dating back to Muriel Thomson and Paul Lawrie and, of course, the Doug Sanders world and European boys championships when they were played in Aberdeen for so many years.

"I'll chip in £200 and ask a few of my pals to do the same. I think it's a great idea," said Dave.

If, at the end of the day, we get more than 6 x £200 donors, then we can divide the total over the six events.

If you want to add your name or your company name to the list, E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com without delay.

You can name the venue at which you want to support the lady pros' prize fund:

March 25-26: Whitekirk.

April 28-29: Hilton Park.

May 25-26: Dalmahoy.

July 28-29. Westerwood.

September 28-29: Spey Valley, Aviemore.

October 6-7: Dundonald Links.

Seamus Power from Waterford scores

fourth win of US college career

Seamus Power from Waterford, a senior (fourth) year student at East Tennessee State University, scored the fourth tournament win of his US college golf career in the General Hackler Championship at TPC of Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet in South Carolina.
Over a par-72 course of 6950yd, Power, who has won as a freshman, sophomore, junior and now senior student, had rounds of 69, 71 and 75 for a total of one-under-par 215, sharing medallist honours with Josh Anderson (Pepperdine). There was no play-off.
Power's great effort also helped East Tennessee State win a team title for the second time this season.
“It’s always nice to win,” Power, pictured, said later. “My game feels good right now and I was driving it well the last couple days which helps on a course like this one. The pressure of having everyone chase you is definitely different, but it was fun.
“As a team, winning on course like this one that’s a good test of golf is nice. We’ve done well so far this spring, but our goal is to prepare and be ready for regional and nationals later this spring. But right now things are looking pretty good.”
The Bucs are now 2-0 on the season playing at TPC courses, as their earlier win in the JU Invitational came at TPC Sawgrass in Jacksonville. ETSU's two wins since the Christmas break are the most in a spring season since the 2001 team won three events.
Seamus Power's team-mates Rhys Enoch from Cornwall, Michael Stewart from Ayrshire and Paul O'Kane from Castledawson, Northern Ireland, finished join seventh, joint 20th and joint 22nd respectively in a field of 72 players.
Enoch had rounds of 73, 71 and 75 for 219. Stewart scored 76, 77 and 73 for 226, while O'Kane had rounds of 80, 74 and 73 for 227.
East Tennessee State (883) won the team title ahead of Coastal Carolina (886) and Augusta State (892) in a field of 12 teams.

Gemma begins with an 86 in Kathy Whitworth Invitational

Aberdeen's Gemma Dryburgh made a disappointing start to the Kathy Whitworth Junior Invitational tournament at Mirta Vista Country Club, Fort Worth in Texas yesterday.
She had a first round of 86 to be 15 shots behind the leader, Amy Ruengmateekhun from Texas.
LEADING SCORES
71 Amy Ruyengmateekhun (Texas).
72 Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (Thailand).
74 April McCoy (Texas), Emily Collins (Texas), Summer Roachell (Arkansas).
75 Daniela Lendl (Florida), Mariana Sims (Texas), Monifa Sealy (Trinidad & Tobabo), Talia Campbell (Texas).
Selected score:
86 Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland).

Anna Carling battles through

wind and rain to be jt fifth

Welsh international Anna Carling came up through the field on a final day of atrocious weather to finish joint fifth in a field of 90 players at the Claud Jacobs Intercollegiate 54-hole women's tournament at Victoria Country Club in the city of Victoria, Texas.

Anna, pictured right, from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan club, is a freshman student at Arkansas State University. A past Glamorgan ladies county champion, Anna had rounds of 76, 78 and 75 for a total of 229 over the par-72 course of 6,028yd - and it was playing very long on that final day of wind and rain.

Grimsby's Jessica Schiele (Redlands Community College) had looked like she would certainly finish in the top 10 after scoring 76 in both her first two rounds. But she did not cope with the deterioration in the weather as well as Anna Carling did.

A final round of 81 for a total of 233 dropped Jessica down to joint 11th in the final standings - but still a very good effort from the Grimsby girl who has done well in her freshman season on the US women's college circuit.

Royal Liverpool GC member Laura Jones, a student at Oklahoma City University, had scores of 76, 84 and 80 for a share of 28th place on 240.

Kelly MacPhail (Redlands) from Manchester finished joint 53rd on 246 with scores of 81, 81 and 84.

Winner by three shots was Kristen Hill (Akron University) with a great final round of 72 to propel her up through the field to victory with a seven over par total of 223. Her earlier rounds were 74 and 77.

Texas State (913) won the team event ahead of Oklahoma (916) and Sam Houston State (938).

Arkansas State (951) came fifth.

Dalry's Linzi opens her spring season in States
-

with jt 35th in St Edwards Invitational.

Linzi Allan from Dalry, Ayrshire, a freshman student at Newman University, Wichita in Kansas finished joint 35th in a field of 88 players at the St Edwards Invitational played over the par 71 (6,018yd) course at Grey Rock Golf Club, Austin in Texas.
Linzi, pictured right, rebounded from an opening round of 89 to post a second round of 78 to settle for a 167 (+25).
Team-mate Alyssa Balding (Northumberland) posted back-to-back rounds of 82 to lead the Jets with a 36-hole total of 164 and was placed 21st.
First and third in the individual standings were Western Texas College's pair of English students, Katie Mundy (78-80 for 148) and Hollie Weatherburn (73-80 for 153).
Newman finished eighth of 17 behind team champions Tarleton State.

US COLLEGE NEWS

Northumberland student Darren

Smith pipped in play-off

Darren Smith, a member at Arcot Hall Golf Club, Northumberland and a student at Barton College, Wilson in North Carolina, was beaten at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off climax to the Holiday Inn Express Barton College Invitational at Wilson Country Club.
Smith, pictured right, had tied with Patrick Lamb (Flagler College) on four-under-par 140, Smith scoring 69 and 71, Lamb a pair of 70s. At the second play-off hole, Smith just missed with a 20ft birdie putt but Lamb holed his from 12ft.
Barton College (583) finished second to Flagler College (580) in the team event contested by 13 squads. Colin
Thanks to Darren's dad, Alan, Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk can tell you a bit more about Darren who has never figured in our US College golf reports - for the simple reason we did not know he is English, until Alan Smith E-mailed us with the tip-off.
When at home Darren lives in Cramlington Northumberland
Darren is now 25, he went out to Barton College in August 2007, aged then 22. He is studying accountancy.
He was, as they say, "red shirted" his first year so he could not compete until September 2008.
His best achievement in the UK would have been to be runner-up in the 2009 Northumberland County Championship to Walker Cup player Chris Paisley.
Darren holds the course record at Arcot Hall with a gross 60 achieved in May 2006.

Neil Henderson joint sixth at Pinehurst No 8

Neil Henderson (Old Dominion University) from North Berwick finished joint sixth in a field of 83 players at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate over the No 8 course at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Neil, a former Scottish schoolboys champion and past winner of the Junior Champion of Champions title, had scores of 76, 69 and 74 for a total of three-over-par 219 and a share of sixth place with team-mate Sam Wall from Essex. Sam had rounds of 71, 70 and 78. They finished six shots behind the winner, Robert Hoadley (UNC Greensboro) who had scores of 70, 72 and 71, one ahead of Mike Moyers (Virginia Tech) with scores of 69, 72 and 72.
Old Dominion had to settle for second place in the team event, four shots behind the winners, Virginia Tech in a field of 15 teams.

James Byrne joint 35th at Southern Highlands

Banchory's James Byrne (Arizona State University) shared 35th place in a field of 79 for the SH Collegiate Masters at Southern Highlands Golf Club, Las Vegas. James had rounds of 81, 75 and 77 for 233.
Garrick Porteous (Tennesse) from Bamburgh Castle shared 37th place on 234 with scores of 77, 79 and 78.
Tennessee team-mate Darren Renwick, from Woking, had rounds of 76, 84 and 80 for a share of 61st place on 240.
Individual winner was Byrne's Arizona State team-mate Jesper Kennegard with 71, 72 and 76 for 219.
UCLA and UNLV, both 899, tied for the team title in a field of 15 teams. Arizona State came sixth with a total of 913.

Matthew Tweddell makes top 10 at Hawaii

Matthew Tweddell, a freshman student from Birmingham and a student at Hawaii Pacific University, finished joint seventh in a field of 22 players at the Kaua Collegiate Cup over the Wailua Golf Club course at Kauai, Hawaii.
Grandson of a former British amateur champion, Tweddell had scores of 76, 75 and 76 for a share of seventh place on 227.
Team-mate Matthew de Moraes from Woodford Green, came joint 10th on 231 with scores of 82, 77 and 72.
Individual winner was Neil Horsley (Western Kentucky with scores of 75, 75 and 71 for 221.

Sammy Vass joint 113th in South Carolina

Sammy Vass from Tain in the North of Scotland, a freshman student at the University of Central Florida, had rounds of 84, 87 and 79 for a total of 250 and a share of 113th place in a field of 123 players at the Tiger Wave Classic women's college tournament at English Turn, New Orleans.
Winner with a total of three-under-par 213 over the 6,132yd course was Megan McChrystal (Louisiana State) with scores of 72, 72 and 69. She won by one stroke from Calle Nielson (Virginia) who shot 73, 72 and 69.
Auburn (889) won the team title ahead of Texas Christian (896). Central Florida (961) finished 22nd of the 23 competing squads.

Hannah joint 63rd in South Carolina

Hannah Coles (Radford University, Virginia) finished joint 63rd in a field of 74 players at the Low Country Intercollegiate women's tournament at Moss Creek Plantation, Hilton Island in South Carolina.
Hannah, who hails from Birmingham and is a member at Maxstoke Park GC, had rounds of 88 and 86 for 174.
Joint winners with identical scores of 74 and 75 for 149 were Jillian Fraccola (Richmond) and Natalie Wille (Augusta State).

Tom Sherreard joint 11th at Tallahassee

Tom Sherreard (Georgia State), a senior year student from Maidstone, tied for 11th place in a field of 75 players at the Seminole Intercollegiate tournament at Golden Eagle Country Club, Tallahassee in Florida.
Over a par-71 course of 7,143yd, Tom had rounds of 70, 74 and 72 for 216 - only four shots behind the joint winners Paul Woodbury (South Carolina) 70, 73 and 69, and Seath Lauer (fForida State) (69-73-70), both on 212.
Florida State (865) won the team title ahead of South Carolina (866) with georgia State (899) 10th of 14 teams.

Adam Galbraith finishes just outside top 10 at Daytona Beach

Adam Galbraith (Webber International), from Haywards Heath, England, shot scores of 75, 81 and 72 for a total of 228 and joint 21st place in the Eagle Invitational college tournament at Pelican Bay Country Club, Daytona Beach in Florida.
Team-mate Connor O'Dell scored 76, 73 and 80 for a share of 26th place on 230. Scott Carmichael (Johnson & Wales-Florida University) from Baberton GC, Edinburgh tied for 40th place with scores of 83, 77 and 74 for 234.
Tom Gamble (Webber International) from Walton on Thams, finished joint 56th on 238 with scores of 83, 83 and 72.
Individual winner by three shots was Drew Matthews (Southeastern University) with scores of 73, 74 and 70 for 217.

Grange Primary School pupils with Grange Golf Club volunteer coaches and Active Schools co-ordinator Stephen Gammack (blue shirt). Image by Rob Eyton-Jones.

New junior golf association to benefit Monifieth children

A new initiative aimed at combining and coordinating the junior coaching resources of three Monifieth golf clubs will have a major impact on the number of local children being introduced to the game.
This month Broughty, Grange and Monifieth - all clubs which share the Monifieth Links - joined forces under the banner of the Monifieth Junior Golf Association to improve opportunities for children to play the game.
“In previous years each club has run its own junior programme with all running at different times which has made it difficult to get on the course,” said Grange Captain and Junior Convenor, Ron MacDonald. “We felt we weren’t doing justice to all the juniors involved.”
Through the association a new junior coaching course will take place on Friday nights. Around 10 experienced golfers, including a number of Level 1 coaches, from across the three clubs have already committed to giving coaching, starting on April 2, to children aged between nine and 14 years old (the coaching costs just £2 per child each Friday).
The club’s pro, Gordon McLeod, will support the programme by offering group coaching to all juniors on Saturday mornings from April 17.
“Through the new association we will be able to pool our resources and teach more children,” said Ron.
“We have put together a coaching rota which will take the strain out of coaching every week. We will separate the juniors into two age groups; eight to 10 year olds and 11 to 13 year olds and teach them basic skills on the practice ground and putting greens. We will take them on the course for a mini Texas Scramble. The coaching will follow the clubgolf Junior Passport initiative.
“We are hoping initially for 40 to sign up then we will build from there. We have had a good response from the schools and 15 children have already said they want to pursue golf and will come to the coaching.”
Since September, five Grange Golf Club members have been generating interest amongst the Primary 5 age group in six local schools, through the national junior programme, clubgolf.
It was Angus Active Schools co-ordinator, Stephen Gammack, who initially contacted Grange Golf Club to see if a link could be created between the club and local schools. Stephen, who taught the volunteers how to use the clubgolf introductory equipment, which every school has purchased, is delighted with the new junior association.
“Through their fantastic commitment the volunteers are coaching around 200 children in schools which is a substantial number of potential new golfers,” he said
“The formation of the Monifieth Junior Golf Association marks a huge step forwards and will benefit children right across the area. A complete pathway from schools to club, involving and supported by the pro, is now in place.”

Coming soon ... Details of the inaugural Morocco Golf Festival

Watch this space later this week for details of the inaugural Morocco Golf Festival.
Based at Marrakech, it will offer the chance to play five top courses in the area and see the local sights.
It's an amateur golf week with competitions for senior men, senior women, men, women, Under-16 boys and girls & Under-18 boys and girls.
It will be held from October 9 to 16 and the Tournament Director will be the man who started the successful Hacienda del Alamo Women's/Girls' Festival in Spain - yes, Colin Farquharson.

Renfrewshire LCGA Centenary Book - a tour de force by Carol Fell!

The Renfrewshire Ladies County Golf Association Centenary Book - edited by Carol Fell -
is an absorbing read at 200 pages - the first 100 are historical and the second 100 relate the County Centenary Year events, both in Renfrewshire and around Scotland.
There are over 400 coloured pictures in the book which was designed by Carol and published by her, using an online program --- click on this link to see more ---- http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1227990
Well done, Carol, indeed. A tour de force!
She writes: "It has taken me over 15 months to put together and the launch was at Haggs Castle Golf Club last week which went well. The book comes in softback, hardback (dustwrap), and hardback (image wrap).
"It is expensive but has the advantage of only printing one book if you want, or in my case I have had over 130 books ordered so far."
It is also available to buy online if you click on that above link. However, orders can be made if emailed to Carol at webmaster@rlcga.com

Carly Booth makes pro debut in Morocco:
-
Sponsorship deal with Nike on the cards


FROM THE SUNDAY HERALD WEBSITE
By Elspeth Burnside
Another chapter?in Carly Booth’s pioneering rise to the top level of world golf will unfold this ?coming week when she lines up in her first tournament as a professional at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.
At just 17, she is the youngest?Scot to tee it up for cash and is also the baby of the Ladies’ European Tour. But Booth is accustomed to breaking ?barriers. Aged eight, she became the youngest girl to attain an adult handicap and three years later was the world’s youngest club champion at Dunblane.
Two years ago, she made history again by becoming ?the youngest player to line up for Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup at St Andrews. By then, she was a mature, talented and ?photogenic 15-year-old.
Now the blonde, bubbly teenager is ready to play alongside the big girls on the professional circuit. She passed through the LET qualifying school with flying colours at La Manga in Spain in December, but already has her sights on America and the more lucrative LPGA Tour, the home to the world’s greatest female players.
“I’ve already decided to enter the LPGA qualifying [school] towards the end of this year,” she said on the eve of flying out to Morocco for her first rookie test. “But I’m really looking forward to a season in Europe. My goal is just to do my best.”
Booth has already been recognised not only as a potentially world-class player, but as a sportswoman whose looks make her extremely marketable. Hence her appeal to sponsors – she is ready to sign a deal with Nike.
Naturally, this has contributed to comparisons with American teen sensation Michelle Wie, who turned professional at 15 and, after a bumpy ride, came good as a 19-year-old last year with a first LPGA victory and a Solheim Cup debut.
Booth’s parents have kept a keen eye on Wie’s various?peaks and troughs, and are aware that the pressure on a young talent can be enormous.
While they have done their utmost to protect her, their daughter has still encountered difficulty in preparing for her professional debut. Scotland’s foul winter and the necessary ?inconvenience of having to attend school forced her to squeeze in a quick trip to Spain to limber up.
“I had played very little since the Tour school in December?so it was great to get out to Marbella,” said Booth, who returned on Friday from a week spent in the Costa Del Sol resort with European Tour player Eric Ramsay and her boyfriend and caddie, Steven Brown.
In her final year of a golf scholarship at Glenalmond College, Booth will leave school when she is 18 in June. Before then, there are A level exams in art, English and physical education standing in her way.
She added: “It is difficult fitting in study when I am away so much. I expect to pass, but I’m not expecting As. [But] I’ve no intention of using them.”

Lynn Kenny and Heather MacRae

-

backing new pro tour lady events

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Lynn Kenny has E-mailed Kirkwoodgolf from Melbourne Airport - she is on her way to London from the Australian Women's Open and is en route to an LET event in Morocco next week - to say that she is interested in supporting the lady professionals' section of the new Xltec Pro Tour, being started by Alan Tait, the director of golf at Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel, with the help of fellow PGA professional Nigel Scott-Smith (Palacerigg) and Chris Turner of 110sports Management Ltd.

Heather MacRae, being PGA-trained at Gullane, has also sent a message that she will play on the six-event schedule of 36-hole competitions when she can.

Earlier Kylie Walker and Clare Queen had said they would play, although Clare has a prior engagement which would rule her out of the first tournament, at Whitekirk Golf Club on March 25-26.

For the lady pros, the one-off fee to join the mini-tour is £40. The entry fee per event is £50 and there is also a £10 administration fee per competition.

A minimum of five entries from lady professionals is required for each event to take place and it would be nice if each winner could be guaranteed at least £350. If the number of entries goes well into double figures, then the prize fund and with it the first prize at each event will increase substantially.

Six sponsors at £200 or one sponsor at £1,200, which would cover all six competitions, would be welcomed. From an entry of only 10 lady pros playing £50 each, that would give a prize fund of £700 per meeting with a possible prize list of 1 - £350, 2 - £150, 3 - £80, 4 - £60, 5 - £60.

It's not much, but it would be a start. It has long been my view that there should be a second tier framework of competitions, i.e. one down from the Ladies European Tour, for female professionals, to keep them active and for rookies to take the first step up from playing as amateurs.

If you can help or you know someone who might be able to help in the one or all six competitions' sponsorship detailed above, please E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com and this is also the E-mail address for any lady professionals who want to register their interest in the new tour.

THE XLETC PRO TOUR SCHEDULE

Each event over 36 holes.

March 25-26: Whitekirk.

April 28-29: Hilton Park.

May 25-26: Marriott Dalmahoy.

July 28-29: Westerwood.

September 28-29: Spey Valley, Aviemore.

October 6-7: Dundonald Links.

Handa Australian Women's Open last-round turnaround

Laura Davies runner-up to Taiwan's Yani Tseng

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Taiwan player Yani Tseng has blasted the opposition away to claim her first Handa Australian Open by three shots at Melbourne’s Commonwealth Course today.
The world No 6 played a flawless, bogey-free round of seven-under-par 66 to end her tournament at nine-under-par 283, three shots ahead of England’s defending champion Laura Davies, who finished on 6 under 286.
“I haven’t had this feeling for a while so I am very happy,” she said.
Overnight leader Australian Karrie Webb was bitterly disappointed with her final round. She went into the day with a one shot lead over Italy’s Giulia Sergas and two ahead of Laura Davies, but staggered to a one over 74 to finish on 5 under 287.
Earlier in the final day, Webb threatened to run away with her fifth Australian Open, breaking out to a three shot lead after just five holes. When Tseng checked the leader board she thought as much.
“I told my caddy ‘let’s try to get second place’,” she said.
“We just played our game and tried to be second and after 12 holes I thought: ‘Oh I am only two shots behind,’ maybe I need to play a little bit aggressive and smart.”
And that is exactly what the 21-year-old did, taking on the tight and demanding Commonwealth course with a vengeance. She holed putts from everywhere and in her last six holes, wrested the Patricia Bridges Bowl from all comers with four birdies.
It was a new putting grip that gave Tseng the confidence to use the flat stick without fear.
“I changed my grip on Friday and now I really feel the speed on these greens because this is a tough course and you just need to be patient and if you just lose a little focus it is going to be really bad.”
Since the putting grip change Tseng has mastered the Commonwealth course; in two rounds she shot eight under par.
The Handa Australian Open defending champion, Laura Davies, was keeping pace with her playing partners, Webb and Italian Giulia Sergas, but then an incident with a spectator unsettled the veteran.
On the par 5 sixth, her second shot sprayed right into the crowd. When she walked up to find her ball, the spectator advised Davies that her ball had ricocheted off his ankle.
“If it had missed him it would have gone right through the scrub and I think I would have had a clear shot onto the green but I had to get on my knees and tap it with a driver and came up short,” she said.
“If he hadn’t have said anything it would have been okay but I was so worked up. I mean it wasn’t his fault in a way, but he should have been watching, you know.
“I just wish he hadn’t have told me. I was pretty rocked.”
Not that Davies was using the mid-round drama as an excuse.
“I missed too many putts in the middle of the round and fell away a bit and by the time I had recovered, Yani had 3 or 4 birdies in six holes and I was gone really,” she said.
“Yani just had one of those rounds. On this course to shoot 7 under on the final day she is the worthy champion. You can’t really say much more about it to be honest.”
While Webb eventually finished in outright third, Australian Katherine Hull and Giulia Sergas were next best on 4 under 288, a shot ahead of Australian Lindsey Wright.
England’s Melissa Reid who yesterday said she was still in with a chance, couldn’t get anything going today. Despite being 2 under the card early in her round, she faded to end her third Australian Open Campaign on 3 over 295 and in a tie for 16th.

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S OPEN SCOREBOARD
Commonwealth Golf Club, Melbourne

FINAL TOTALS
Par 292 (4x73)
prize money in Euros
283 Yani Tseng (Taiwan) 74 71 72 66 (63,333.33)
286 Laura Davies (England) 68 76 71 71 (42,222.22)
287 Karrie Webb (Australia) 73 70 70 74 (29,555.56)
288 Katherine Hull (Australia) 72 72 72 72, Giulia Sergas (Italy) 70 69 75 74 (19,211.11 each).
289 Lindsey Wright (Australia) 71 74 74 70 (14,144.44)
290 Stacy Lewis (United States) 75 71 72 72 (12,033.33)
291 Hyun-Soo Kim (South Korea) (amateur) 78 69 72 72.
292 Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 75 70 73 74 (9,922.22)
293 Hee-Kyung Seo (South Korea) 72 78 70 73, Azahara Munoz Guijarro (Spain) 76 72 70 75 (8,866.66 each).
294 Felicity Johnson (ENG) Harborne GC 70 75 78 71, Karine Icher (France) 72 75 76 71, Shin-Ae Ahn (South Korea) 78 70 75 71, Christel Boeljon (Netherlands) 72 75 75 72 (6,333.33 each).
295 Louise Stahle (Sweden) 75 74 75 71, Bo-Mi Lee (South Korea) 77 73 74 71,
Elizabeth Bennett (England) 73 75 73 74, Melissa Reid (England) 72 76 70 77 (5.140.55 Euros each), Alexis Thompson (United States (amateur) 71 75 75 74.

296 Kristie Smith (Australia) 72 78 75 71, Iben Tinning (Denmark) 77 74 74 71, Mina Harigae (United States) 74 74 76 72, Stefanie Michl (Austria) 71 72 77 76 (4,623.33 each), Alison Whitaker (Australia) (amateur) 70 74 78 74.
297 Tamie Durdin (Australia) 76 74 76 71, Lorie Kane (Canada) 73 75 75 74, Jeong Jang (South Korea) 76 73 72 76, He-Yong Choi (South Korea) 73 69 78 77 (4,116.66 each).
298 Rebecca Hudson (England) 74 77 76 71, Tania Elosegui (Spain) 77 75 73 73, Rachel Bailey (Australia) 73 77 72 76, Anna Oh (South Korea) 78 72 72 76 , Rebecca Flood (Australia) 70 73 78 77, Stephanie Na (Australia) 76 73 72 77 ,Soo-Jin Yang (South Korea) 70 72 75 81 (3,407.93 each).

299 Becky Brewerton (Wales) 77 70 78 74, Diana D'Alessio (United States) 77 74 74 74, Titiya Plucksataporn (Thailand) 78 73 73 75, Vicky Hurst (United States) 72 76 74 77 (2,723.33 each), Stacey Keating (Australia) (amateur) 76 72 78 73.
300 Tamara Beckett (Australia) 74 76 78 72, Janice Moodie (Scotland) 76 75 74 75, Bree Turnbull (Australia) 74 78 73 75, Sarah-Jane Smith (Australia) 77 71 75 77 (2,227.22 each).
301 Sophie Walker (England) 76 75 77 73, Bree Arthur (Australia) 76 76 75 74, Christina Kim (United States) 78 74 75 74, Jenni Kuosa (Finland) 70 76 80 75, You-Na Park (South Korea) 75 74 77 75 (1,815.55 each).
302 Krystle Caithness (Scotland) 74 77 79 72, Bettina Hauert (GER) Germany 77 72 79 74,
Sophie Gustafson (SWE) Sweden 75 73 79 75, Riikka Hakkarainen (Finland) 72 78 76 76 (1,435.55 each), Su Hyun Oh (South Korea) (amateur) 79 72 73 78.
303 Leanne Bowditch (Australia) 78 73 78 74, Sarah Oh (Australia) 72 77 79 75, Marianne Skarpnord (Norway) 75 72 80 76, Marjet van der Graaff (Netherlands) 73 75 79 76, Caroline Afonso (France) 78 73 75 77 (1,131.55 each).
304 Nina Reis (Sweden) 74 76 79 75, Ran Hong (South Korea) 77 74 76 77, Frances Bondad (Australia) 74 73 79 78, Kym Larratt (England) 73 76 76 79 802.22 each).

305 Veronica Zorzi (Italy) 79 73 78 75, Sandra Gal (Germany) 77 74 75 79, Michelle Ellis (Australia) 75 73 76 81 (591.11 each).
306 Cathryn Bristow (New Zealand) 75 77 80 74, Wendy Doolan (Australia) 79 72 79 76, Emma Bennett (Australia) 78 72 77 79 (464.44 each).
308 Sarah Nicholson (New Zealand) 76 76 75 81 (422.23).
309 Lynn Kenny (Scotland) 74 78 79 78 (422.23).
Ha-Neul Kim (KOR) Korea 73 75 76 85 »»
+Scores and prize money by courtesy of the Ladies European Tour website.