WELSH SET THE PACE AT START OF
SPANISH FESTIVAL'S SECOND WEEK

It was Wales´ day at the start of the second week of the Hacienda del
Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival at the five-star Murcia resort in
south-east Spain today when the clouds continued to blot out
the sun but there was no wind and they were pleasant conditions for
golf, a lot warmer than back in Britain.
Welsh pro Lauren Diggle established a five-strokes lead at the halfway
stage of the Hacienda del Alamo Ladies Open professional championship
over 36 holes.
Lauren, whose parents have a villa at Alicante - about an hour's drive
away from Hacienda del Alamo, shot a three over par 75.
Lauren did very well to finish on that mark over the demanding Dave
Thomas course, considering she was three over par on the fourth tee.
She dropped a shot at the fourth and then had a double bogey 6 at the
fourth.
Lauren settled down after that to cover the next eight holes in two
under par with birdies at the long fourth and the par-4 11th.
She bogeyed the short 12th but got a birdie 2 at the short 15th but
shed late shots - as almost every player does over the so testing last
two holes. Lauren finished 5-6 against the par of 4-5.
In the professional event, Miss Diggle leads by five shots from
Scottish rookie Jenna Wilson from Strathaven, who won the Scottish
womens amateur title last year, and late entrant Marjet Van der Graaff
from The Hague in the Netherlands. Marjet finished 6-6 for her 80 while
Jenna finished 5-6.
On the Hacienda del Alamo Ladies Open amateur front, one-handicapper
Rhian Wyn Thomas from the Vale of Glamorgan, who had a very good first
week in the Festival, leads the scratch race with a very steady 75.
On her heels is two-handicap Coventry player Lisa Barton with a 76.
Like Rhian, Lisa kept a 6 off her card - and not many players -
including the pros - have been able to say that on a course on which
the undulating greens have been causing problems, very frustrating for
those players who hit them in regulation.

2008 HACIENDA DEL ALAMO LADIES OPEN
(36 holes Monday & Tuesday)

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
AMATEUR SCRATCH
75 RHIAN WYN THOMAS (Vale of Glamorgan) 38-37.
76 LISA BARTON (Coventry) 38-38.
77 MEGHAN MacLAREN (Wellingborough) 39-38, AMI STOREY (Ponteland) 39-38.
80 CHARLOTTE DALTON (Ladbrook Park) 42-38.
81 JANE BINNING (Frilford Heath) 38-43.
82 SARAH CARTY (The Island, Dublin) 42-40.
84 MARY MacLAREN (Wellingborough) 40-44.
86 ORLA BARRY (Galway) 42-44, JUDY McCAIRNS (Frilford Heath) 40-46,
ANNIE GOWING (Frilford Heath) 43-43.
87 VICKY SMITH (Hacienda del Alamo) 46-41, JANE WHIRISKEY (Galway)
44-43.
89 KATE EVANS (Frilford Heath) 47-42.
91 TARA GRIBBEN (Warrenpoint) 48-43, CARLA REYNOLDS (Seapoint) 50-41.
98 REBECCA GEE (Wellingborough) 49-49, PAULA REYNOLDS (Seapoint) 51-47.

AMATEUR NET SCORES
70 MEGAN MacLAREN (7).
74 LISA BARTON (2), RHIAN WYN THOMAS (1).
75 JANE WHIRISKEY (12).
76 AMI STOREY (1).
77 JUDY McCAIRNS (9), CHARLOTTE DALTON (3).
78 SARAH CARTY (4).
79 JANE BINNING (2), PAULA REYNOLDS (19).
80 MARY MacLAREN (4).
81 ORLA BARRY (5), ANNIE GOWING (5).
82 VICKY SMITH (5), KATE EVANS (7).
86 TARA GRIBBEN (5), CARLA REYNOLDS (5).
93 REBECCA GEE (3).

PROFESSIONALS
75 LAUREN DIGGLE (Wales).
80 JENNA WILSON (Scotland), MARJET VAN DER GRAAF (Netherlands).
83 KATIE THOMSON (Scotland).
85 NATASHA MORGAN (Wales).

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