ST RULE TROPHY TOURNAMENT
HOME-TOWN GIRL FIONA SHARES
EARLY LEAD AT ST ANDREWS
Home-town girl Fiona Lockhart used her local knowledge to set a hot pace in the first round of the St Rule Trophy 36-hole women's open tournament over the New Course, St Andrews today.
She was later joined in the pole position of four-under-par 71 by two Oklahoma State University players, American Curtis Cup star Annie Thurman and Sweden's Karin Sjodin.
Fiona, 27-year-old member of the St Regulus club, plays her golf over the St Andrews links and she was quite at home in a cool, blustery wind. First off the tee, Miss Lockhart returned a 71 with the big boost of an eagle and a birdie over the closing holes.
In all, Fiona, who works on the Scottish Golf Union administration staff at its Drumoig headquarters having had spells with the Ladies Golf Union and then the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association, birdied four long holes - the sixth, 10th, 12th and 18th.
Her eagle came with a drive and a wedge downwind at the 388yd, par-5 16th in halves of 38 (one over par) and 33 (five-under).
"I was a bit slow to warm up and bogeyed the second and third but I didn't drop another shot after my first birdied at the sixth," said Fiona who is still chasing her first full cap for Scotland. Annie Thurman, 21, from Highland, Utah, the most successful player on the victorious United States team at Formby with 3pts out of four last weekend, had the best outward half of two-under-par 35, with birdies at the second, sixth and seventh and only one slip, a 5 after a "bad second" at the fourth.
On the relatively easier, downwind inward half should have , Annie birdied only the long 10th and 16th by getting home in two at both and parred the other seven.
"I played solid par golf rather than hitting it close with my approaches. I bunkered my drive and that killed my chances of finishing the round with a birdie."
Karin Sjodin, a 20-year-old from Gothenburg and runner-up in the NCAA Division 1 championship in May, achieved her 71 with halves of 38 and 33. A three-putt 4 at the short ninth was her only deviation from par on the way out.
Coming home, the Swede birdied the 10th, 12th, 16th, 17th and 18th.
"I made a lot of good putts and I enjoyed playing links golf," said Karin.
Lockhart, Sjodin and Thurman had a two-stroke lead in the clubhouse from former Irish champion and US college student Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) and Australian Lisa Jean, winner of last Sunday's Munross Trophy open tournament at Montrose.
Scoreboard
ST RULE TROPHY WOMEN'S OPEN TOURNAMENT
New Course, St Andrews (Par 75)
FIRST ROUND
71 F Lockhart (St Regulus), K Sjodin (Sweden), A Thurman (US).
73 M Gillen (Beaverstown), L Jean (Australia).
74 D Smith (Co Louth), M Pow (Selkirk).
75 B Mullins (Australia), C Dury (NZ).
76 C Boucher (Canada), L Kenny (Stirling Univ).
77 S Kemp (Australia), L Mackay (Royal Dornoch), A Shamash (Kirkcudbright), S Doring (Germany), L McKinnon (Nairn).
79 M Dunne (Skerries), A Bickerton (Canada), E Moffat (St Regulus).
80 D Dewar (Stirling Univ).
82 L Fleming (The Roxburghe), J Little (Canada), J Nicolson (Wrexham)..
85 S Lam (Canada), C Lee (West Lancs).
86 K Delaney (Carlow),
88 H Brockway (Yeovil).
EARLY LEAD AT ST ANDREWS
Home-town girl Fiona Lockhart used her local knowledge to set a hot pace in the first round of the St Rule Trophy 36-hole women's open tournament over the New Course, St Andrews today.
She was later joined in the pole position of four-under-par 71 by two Oklahoma State University players, American Curtis Cup star Annie Thurman and Sweden's Karin Sjodin.
Fiona, 27-year-old member of the St Regulus club, plays her golf over the St Andrews links and she was quite at home in a cool, blustery wind. First off the tee, Miss Lockhart returned a 71 with the big boost of an eagle and a birdie over the closing holes.
In all, Fiona, who works on the Scottish Golf Union administration staff at its Drumoig headquarters having had spells with the Ladies Golf Union and then the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association, birdied four long holes - the sixth, 10th, 12th and 18th.
Her eagle came with a drive and a wedge downwind at the 388yd, par-5 16th in halves of 38 (one over par) and 33 (five-under).
"I was a bit slow to warm up and bogeyed the second and third but I didn't drop another shot after my first birdied at the sixth," said Fiona who is still chasing her first full cap for Scotland. Annie Thurman, 21, from Highland, Utah, the most successful player on the victorious United States team at Formby with 3pts out of four last weekend, had the best outward half of two-under-par 35, with birdies at the second, sixth and seventh and only one slip, a 5 after a "bad second" at the fourth.
On the relatively easier, downwind inward half should have , Annie birdied only the long 10th and 16th by getting home in two at both and parred the other seven.
"I played solid par golf rather than hitting it close with my approaches. I bunkered my drive and that killed my chances of finishing the round with a birdie."
Karin Sjodin, a 20-year-old from Gothenburg and runner-up in the NCAA Division 1 championship in May, achieved her 71 with halves of 38 and 33. A three-putt 4 at the short ninth was her only deviation from par on the way out.
Coming home, the Swede birdied the 10th, 12th, 16th, 17th and 18th.
"I made a lot of good putts and I enjoyed playing links golf," said Karin.
Lockhart, Sjodin and Thurman had a two-stroke lead in the clubhouse from former Irish champion and US college student Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) and Australian Lisa Jean, winner of last Sunday's Munross Trophy open tournament at Montrose.
Scoreboard
ST RULE TROPHY WOMEN'S OPEN TOURNAMENT
New Course, St Andrews (Par 75)
FIRST ROUND
71 F Lockhart (St Regulus), K Sjodin (Sweden), A Thurman (US).
73 M Gillen (Beaverstown), L Jean (Australia).
74 D Smith (Co Louth), M Pow (Selkirk).
75 B Mullins (Australia), C Dury (NZ).
76 C Boucher (Canada), L Kenny (Stirling Univ).
77 S Kemp (Australia), L Mackay (Royal Dornoch), A Shamash (Kirkcudbright), S Doring (Germany), L McKinnon (Nairn).
79 M Dunne (Skerries), A Bickerton (Canada), E Moffat (St Regulus).
80 D Dewar (Stirling Univ).
82 L Fleming (The Roxburghe), J Little (Canada), J Nicolson (Wrexham)..
85 S Lam (Canada), C Lee (West Lancs).
86 K Delaney (Carlow),
88 H Brockway (Yeovil).
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 3:38:00 pm
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