Kylie Walker overpowers

St Rule Trophy field for

biggest win so far

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Big-hitter Kylie Walker is not one of the four Scots in the GB&I team for the Curtis Cup at the same venue this week but she must have given them a boost and a few pointers as she won the St Rule Trophy in a half-gale over the Old Course, St Andrews today.

The 21-year-old Buchanan Castle player, who has a handicap of +2, led by one shot at the end of the first round with a one-under-par 75 in a bitterly cold north-easterly wind gusting up to 25mph. Then Kylie went out and again shot the joint lowest score in the second round – a three-under-par 73, for a four-under total of 148. Kylie is pictured above with her delighted mum, Elizabeth (Cal Carson Golf Agency image, all rights reserved).

The other second-round 73 came from fast-finishing French teenager Audrey Goumard who bogeyed the 14^th and parred the last four holes to come up one stroke short of forcing a play-off with Kylie. Audrey's consolation was the trophy for the best performance by an under-18 year old.

"I've scored lower over the Old Course before but that's the best I've ever played it when the wind's been blowing like that," said Kylie.

Her rich seam of form includes beaten semi-finalist in the recent Scottish women's championship at Lossiemouth and, last month, top Scot and joint fourth overall in the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Troon where she became one of only two female players to break 70 over the Royal Troon championship course.

Hitting the ball around the 300yd mark off the tee, even when it was a cross-wind, Kylie was able to pick up two-putt birdie 3s by driving the greens at the ninth and 10^th, Her strength off the tee also enabled her to birdie the par-5 second and fourth by hitting them with her second shots.

She also birdied the par-5 17^th with a pitch-and-putt 4.

Kylie bogeyed only the 13^th – "I made a mess of that and finished up three-putting" – and the 18^th where she missed the green with her approach. But all in all Miss Walker looked a class player in very difficult conditions, the CSS for the first round was 79 and 77 for the second against the par of 76. and 77.

"It's all started to come together for me," said Kylie who also won the Dunbartonshire & Argyll county title earlier this season.

Too late to get her into Curtis Cup team contention but the capture of the St Rule Trophy – the biggest win on her golfing CV which includes the Scottish schoolgirls title four years ago - will make flame-haired Kylie brimful of confidence as she goes into the British women's open amateur championship at North Berwick from June 11 to 15 brimful of confidence.

French players filled second, third, fourth and joint fifth places. Not surprisingly, France (299) won the international team event from Scotland (309) with Ireland (314) third and Wales (318) fourth.

It was after 9pm before the prizegiving could be held because, by the end of the first round, the players had been out on the course for five hours. Slow play was partly the reason but it was mainly because so many more shots than usual were being taken in the high wind.

Near the end of the field in the first round, players were virtually going from the 18th green to the first tee, calling in at a toilet and picking up a sandwich on the run.

Play did speed up in the second round but, in all fairness, they were very trying conditions for the competitors, which makes the low-scoring of Kylie & Co all the more praiseworthy.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 152 (2 x 76). CSS 79 77.

148 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 75 73.

149 A Goumard (France) 76 73.

150 I Boineau (France) 76 74.

153 L Andre (France)76 77.

154 L Ball (Matfen Hall) 80 74, J Klatten (France) 79 75, M Bazin de Jessey (France) 79 75.

155 N Kitching (Claremorris) 80 75.

156 L Kenney (Pitreavie) 81 75.

157 K Delaney (Carlow) 77 80, A Decharne (France) 82 75, C Gruber (Royal Dornoch)78 79.

158 M Ricordeau (France) 82 76, B Genuini (France) 78 80.

159 R Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) 82 77, N Podmore (High Leigh Park) 84 75, K Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 81 78, D Smith (Co Louth) 80 79.

160 R Niven (Crieff) 80 80, S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) 83 77.

161 R Watson (Elie & Earlsferry) 80 81, K McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) 86 75, C Abrahamiam (France) 84 77, K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 76 85.

162 A Bushby (Strathmore) 80 82, E Fairnie (Dunbar) 81 81, C Stockton (US) 83 79, Sheena Wood (Hazlehead) 83 79.

163 M Morrin (The Curragh) 84 79, S James (Bristol & Clifton) 84 79, G O'Leary (Cork) 80 83, A Davidson (Stirling) 79 84.

164 T Davies (Holyhead) 82 82, K Brotherton (Tulliallan) 83 81, C Boutier (France) 85 79, J Turner (Craigielaw) 86 78.

165 C Wild (Mere) 84 81, H Owers-Bradley (Wollaton Park) 85 80, C Hargan (Mortonhall) 85 80, J Dotten (France) 85 80, R Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) 82 83.

166 S Jackson (Ladybank) 86 80, M Pow (Selkirk) 83 83, L Sibille (France) 86 80, K Marshall (Baberton) 80 86.

167 C-M Carlton (Fereneze) 87 80, M Briggs (Kilmacolm) 83 84.

168 A Laing (Vale of Leven) 77 91, E Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 83 85.

169 R Vilatte (France) 84 85, L Murray (Alford) 84 85.

170 R Lewis (Newport) 81 89.

171 C MacDonald (Gullane Ladies) 90 81, A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 81 90, J Carthew (Ladybank) 84 87.

172 S Round (Tadmarton Heath) 85 87.

173 J Nicolson (Wrexham) 88 85, S Birks (Wolstanton) 89 84, A Storey (Ponteland) 87 86, E Cuthill (Lanark) 85 88.

174 M Gidali (France) 84 90, L Walker (Muckhart) 91 83

176 S Lundy (Cookridge Hall) 89 87.

177 R McQueen (Troon Ladies) 94 83.

178 J Dreher (France) 94 84.

179 B Dowell (Enmore Park) 96 83.

182 Susan Wood (Drumpellier) 96 86, L McLardy (Murcar Links) 92 90, E Moffat (St Regulus) 92 90.

183 J Sneddon (Alyth) 92 91.

196 C Mackenzie (Beauchief) 92 104.

Disqualified (in first round) – A Niven (Crieff).

UNDER-18 TROPHY

Leading totals

149 A Goumard (France).

161 K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), C Abrahamiam (France).

164 C Boutier (France).

INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT

299 France (A Goumard, I Boineau, B Genuini).

309 Scotland (K Walker, K MacDonald, L Murray).

314 Ireland (N Kitching, D Smith, M Morrin).

318 Wales (R Wyn Thomas, S Hassan, T Davies).