CHEERS FOR DOUBLE SCOTCH IN BELGIUM!

TEENAGE FOUR WIN TWO TEAM TROPHIES

Four Scottish golfing teenagers scored a magnificent double whammy in the Belgian Junior International Championship which ended at the Royal Golf Club of Belgium in Brussels today.
First, Kelsey MacDonald, a 16-year-old from Nairn, finished runner-up in the girls’ championship – and won the Girls’ International Team Trophy in partnership with Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm).
Then Andrew McLachlan (Bonnyton) and Aberdeen’s David Law (Hazlehead) won the Boys’ International Team Trophy. An history-making double in the tournament which has been running since 1979.
Kelsey, who lives just across the road from her home golf club, Nairn Dunbar and has a handicap of +2, had rounds of 75, 73, 72 and 73 for a total of 293. In her last one-over-par round, she birdied the 10th, 14th and 18th, double-bogeyed the 13th and dropped single shots at the first and 12.

KELSEY THIRD LAST YEAR
She finished nine shots behind the outstanding Italian 17-year-old Alessia Knight from Bologna who scored 72, 69, 72 and 71 for four-under-par 284. Alessia did not have a bogey in the last 23 holes of the tournament which meant Kelsey never got a chance to close the gap.
Miss MacDonald finished third in the same tournament last year when it as reduced to 54 holes when a round was washed out by rain.
Megan Briggs, beaten by Carly Booth in the final of the Scottish Under-18 girls match-play championship at Peterhead last month, had scores of 80, 75, 75 and 77 for 307. She finished tied 16th.
Kelsey and Megan’s combined scores gave them winning total of 600 in the girls’ international team trophy event. They finished two shots ahead of South Africa’s Kim Williams and Monique Smith with host nation Belgium third on 206.
Andrew McLachlan put together rounds of 77, 71, 72 and 72 for 292 which earned him joint fifth place behind individual boys’ title winner Kasper Sorensen (Denmark) (71-72-709-70 for five-under 283).

THREE BIRDIES

Andrew birdied the third, fourth and 18th and bogeyed the ninth, 10th and 17th in matching par with halves of 35 and 37.
David Law scored 77, 73, 72 and 71 for joint eighth place on 293. David had a roller-coaster round with birdies at the first, third, fifth, ninth, 14th and 18th and bogeys at the fourth, sixth, eighth, 12th and 13th in getting a one-under-par closing score
McLachlan and Law’s combined 72-hole totals gave Scotland first place in the boys’ team trophy with 585 – three shots ahead of Italy’s Giacomo Tonelli and Joon Kim. Denmark (590) and Ireland (593) fourth of the 11 competing nations.

LEADING BOYS' INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4 x 72)
283 Kasper Sorensen (Den) 71 72 70 70.
284 Nicolai Aagaard (Den)70 74 70 70.
288 Olivier Rozner (Fra) 69 70 73 76.
Other totals:
282 Andrew McLachlan (Sco) 77 71 72 72 (jt 5th).
293 David Law (Sco) 77 73 72 71, Andrew Hogan (Ire) 73 73 77 70 (jt 8th).
300 Dara Lernihan (Ire) 77 73 76 74 (jt 24th).
LEADING BOYS' TEAM TOTALS
585 Scotland (Andrew McLachlan & David Law).
588 Italy (Giacomo Tonelli & Joon Kim.
590 Denmark.
593 Ireland (Andrew Hogan & Dara Lernihan) (4th of 11 teams).
LEADING GIRLS' INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
284 Alessia Knight (Ita) 72 69 72 71.
293 Kelsey MacDonald (Sco) 75 73 72 73.
295 Rebecca Huber (Swi) 76 72 73 74.
299 Lorena De Lope (Spa) 76 76 76 71.
300 Kim Williams (SAf) 75 71 76 78.
Other scores:
307 Megan Briggs (Sco) 80 75 75 77 (jt 16th).
318 Ciara Butler (Ire) 82 76 78 83 (jt 26th).
319 Lucy Simpson (Ire) 82 76 78 83 (28th).

LEADING GIRLS' TEAM TOTALS
600 Scotland (Kelsey MacDonald & Megan Briggs).
602 South Africa (Kim Williams & Monique Smith).
606 Belgium (V Gevers & L Gonzalez-Escallon).
Other placing:
637 Ireland (Ciara Butler & Lucy Simpson) (7th).

+IMAGES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ARE ANDREW McLACHLAN, DAVID LAW AND MEGAN BRIGGS, AND IN THE LEFT CENTRE OF THE PAGE, KELSEY MACDONALD