Chance to "sell" Scotland to States:

Three American universitities'

squads visited in June, September

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

California-Berkeley University, Vikki Laing's Alma Mater and Roseanne Niven is a current student, set the trend by sending over a women's team to Scotland in June.

They played Kingsbarns, Lundin Links, Elie, Creiff, Western Gailes and St Andrews before some of their players competed in the "British" at North Berwick that month.

Now it can be revealed that another two leading American universities sent their women's golf squads over to play some of Scotland's best links courses in September.
California's Stanford University, alma mater of Tiger Woods and Mhairi McKay to name but two, arrived in Scotland on September 15 and played seven courses in 10 days - Turnberry Ailsa, St Andrews New & Castle, Kingsbarns, Elie, Prestwick and Gullane 1.
Ohio State University, with Glasgow-born team joint captain Gemma Webster the "tour guide," arrived in Edinburgh on September 13 and played Elie, Kingsbarns, Scotscraig, St Andrews New, Turnberry, Gleneagles and Royal Troon before going home on September 20.
Universities making trips like these - Stanford take their women's golf squad overseas once a year - get little change out of US$50,000 and have to fund raise to make the trip. Past students contribute a great deal to ventures like these.
One golfing acquaintance, who shares the same interest in American women's college golf, makes the point:
"This represents a fantastic opportunity for the SGU, the SLGA, the Scottish Tourist Board etc to sell Scotland and encourage many more American universities to visit Scotland. If you read the reports on the Ohio State University website, every member of team who came over to Scotland in September, now wants to return to Scotland with their families, etc.
"Sometimes, we in this country fail to grasp the scale and depth of college golf in the States.
For instance, in the NCAA women's Division 1 there are 240 teams; in Division 2 the figure is 130 teams and there are also 130 teams in Division 3. And then there is the NAIA with around about 140 teams.
As we reported on Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk at the time, Gemma Webster, pictured above, finished a very creditable 59th in the recent US Duramed Futures Tour Qualifying School. What we didn't know was what kind of status that would give her on America's No 2 women's pro circuit.
I am now told that this performance will give her Futures Tour playing status in 2009, should she decide to turn pro after she graduates in biology in June 2009. This is still undetermined as she may continue with her ambitions to become a dentist and play amateur golf
Interestingly enough Gemma, who has represented Scotland at hockey, athletics and golf, seems to be following the same path in America as Martin Laird who won over threequarters of a million dollars on the US PGA Tour this past season and just managed to keep his playing rights for 2009.
Martin and Gemma Webster were/are members of Hilton Park Golf Club in Milngavie and Martin spent four years at Colorado State, playing the US college circuit, and then graduated to the US PGA Tour through the No 2 men's pro circuit, the Nationwide Tour.