SCOTS HAVE STRONG QUARTET IN ACTION
IN BELGIAN JUNIOR NATIONS CUP

Scotland has a strong quartet in the field for the Belgian Junior Nations Cup tournament at Royal Golf Club Belgique, teeing off on Wednesday morning and ending on Saturday.

Carly Booth (Comrie) and Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Scotland's Under-18 and Under-21 girl champions, are accompanied by David Law (Hazlehead) and Paul Shields (Kirkhill).

England has never supported this event but Wales's team is: Amy Boulden, Katherine O'Connor, Ross McLister and Chris Nugent.

We'll have the results for you on this website at the end of each day's play.

Last year Scotland won both the boys' and girls' international team trophies - Kelsey and Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) + Andrew McLachlan (Bonnyton) and David Law. Fingers crossed for a repeat performance!

United States finalise

Junior Ryder Cup team

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

The United States' Junior Ryder Cup Team was named following the conclusion of the Junior PGA Championship at TPC River's Bend in Maineville, Ohio.
The final two places on the mixed team of six boys and six girls were given, not surprisingly, to the top two finishers in the Junior PGA Championship – boys' champion Anthony Paolucci and runner-up Jordan Spieth, and girls' champion Danielle Frasier and runner-up Sarah Brown.
Spieth, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, played at Hesketh in the R&A Junior Open in July - and went very close to winning the title.
The Junior Ryder Cup will be played at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 15 and 16.
“Any time you get to represent your country and play in the Junior Ryder Cup it is an honour,” Paolucci said. “I am excited to play on the American team this year.”
PGA of America past president Ken Lindsay, the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team captain, selected Jeffrey Kang and Tiffany Lua with his captain’s picks.
Participants in the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup will also play a nine-hole “friendship” match at the Ryder Cup venue, Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, the day before the men's pro event starts.
UNITED STATES JUNIOR RYDER CUP TEAM
BOYS
Jeffrey Kang
Anthony Paolucci
Cameron Peck
Jordan Spieth
Cory Whitsett
Andrew Yun
GIRLS
Sarah Brown
Danielle Frasier
Jennifer Johnson
Erynne Lee
Tiffany Lua
Alexis Thompson

THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUERY
The Junior Solheim Cup match mirrors the grown-ups' Solheim Cup by being all girls ... why isn't the Junior Ryder Cup match for boys only?

And here's another difference within the Junior Ryder Cup match I was not aware of:

The European team are all Under-16 or were under-16 years at a certain date on the calendar.

But the Americans use a different age selection criteria which involves the high school graduation date of the youngster involved.

For the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup match, the American selections had to be 2009 high school graduates (or younger). This, in effect, raises the age limit bar to 17 years.

Speak about level playing fields! They can't even get one for the selection process of the European and American teams.

I ran into this "high school graduation date" importance when I talked to the US university talent scouts at the recent British girls' open championship at Monifieth.

They told me they were looking for "2009 high school graduates," i.e. girls who would be old enough to go on to college after the summer of 2009.

In this country a golf talent scout would be far more interested in a youngster's date of birth ... but they do things differently in America.

Much the same as in Great Britain & Ireland, we tend to give an amateur golfer's name and put his or her home club's name in brackets after it.

But in the States, an amateur player's golf club is not mentioned. Instead, tournament organisters list the player's home town or city.

Strange but true. Two nations separated by a common language.

Speaking of languages.

It must be a joke started somewhere south of the Border .... The fact that the LPGA are going to make the ability to speak and understand English mandatory to play on the world's No 1 female tour could make it tough for Scottish players, let alone South Koreans in the future!

Of course, we Scots are not aware that we speak English any differently to anyone else.

I remember the time I telephoned someone I had not spoken to for some time and he greeted me with "How nice to hear an Aberdeen accent again!"

Aberdeen accent? What Aberdeen accent?

Images of Connie Jaffrey and Hazel McGarvie at St Andrews supplied by June Kerr.

Ayrshire success at HSBC Wee Wonders Final

REPORT FROM JUNE KERR (Ayrshire girls' convener)

Hazel McGarvie (aged 8) won her age group in the GB&I final of the Wee Wonders at St Andrews the weekend.

Rounds of 37 and 36 over the nine-hole Balgove Course secured her victory by two strokes. Connie Jaffrey (aged 11) was runner-up in her section with rounds of 78 and 77 over the 18-hole Strathtyrum Course.

This was a super performance by both girls who had previously come through local and regional qualifying to get to the final.

Their demeanour, etiquette and golf was a joy to watch. I enjoyed being there!

Results from the Wee Wonders Finals at St Andrews:

BALGOVE
Girls: 5-8yrs - 1 Hazel MacGarvie 73, 2 Martha Lewis 75, 3 Kirsty Brodie 77.

Girls:9-10yrs - 1 Eloise Healy 62, 2 Samantha Fuller 66, 3 Ella Ofstedahl 67.

Boys: 5-6yrs - 1 Dominic Clemons 71, 2 George Leigh 73, 3 Fergus Jacobs 79.

Boys: 7-8yrs - 1 Joshua Davenport 61, 2 Ben Small 64, 3 Jonathan Gerrish 65.

Boys: 9-10yrs - 1 Joshua Taylor 58, 2 Arrun Singh-Brar 61, 3 Marco Penge 61.

STRATHTYRUM

Girls: 11-12yrs - 1 Kyra Horlock 151, 2 Connie Jaffrey 155, 3 India Clyburn 157.

Boys: 11-12yrs - 1 William Aldred 148, 2 Tim Harry 148, 3 Ashton Turner 148.

Sentimental journey to Scotland for Barbara Vazana

Pictured above is Barbara Vazana at home in Israel. In the background is a painting by her husband "of Aberdeen as seen from his studio when we lived there from 1980 to 1986" and on the right a Cal Carson Golf Agency image of Laetitia Beck, the teenage Israeli women's champion, whom Barbara chaperoned on their trip to Monifieth for the recent British girls' championship.
Sixteen-year- old Laetitia studies at the IMG David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida and spends a lot of her holiday time competing in international competitions. She misses her home in Israel but golf is number one for her.

She is very highly regarded in Israel for her prowess, being named as one the outstanding "Sportswomen of the Decade" by the Ministry of Sport.
Barbara lived in Scotland for 20 years of which 13 were spent in Letham Grange, where she moved from Aberdeen just before Henry Cotton opened the championship course there in the summer of 1986.

In 1999 she returned to her home in Israel. When it became known that the 2008 British girls' open championship was to be played at Monifieth, the Israel Golfing Association asked Barbara to accompany Laetitia.

She was, of course, delighted to return to Angus where she was involved in county golf during those years.

"I have a dream that golf will one day become a popular sport in Israel," said Barbara. "At the moment we just have one proper available course of nine holes as our only 18-hole course at Caesarea is undergoing a complete revamping - to a design by Pete Dye – so they just made a temporary nine-hole par-3 course! More has to be done to bring the game to our young," she sighed, then smiled as she added "and older ones too!"
Laetitia, whose sister Liora also made the trip to Monifieth, will be returning to Scotland in September for The Duke of York Young Champions' Trophy tournament at Dundonald Links.

At Monifieth, Miss Beck was one of the leading qualifiers for the match-play stages but lost to the eventual champion and No 1 seed, Belgium's Laura Gonzalez-Escallon, in the semi-finals.

Alex Peters retains North of

England Under-16s title

at Heswall

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION

England girl international Alex Peters has successfully defended her title as North of England Under-16 girls’ champion.

Alex, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency in the recent British girls championship at Monifieth, from Notts Ladies, pipped fellow girl international Heidi Baek by one shot in the open event at Heswall.

Both 14-year-olds helped England win the girls’ home internationals at Panmure Golf Club, Carnoustie earlier this month.

During the 72-hole event Alex equalled the course record she set last year with a three-under 71 in the second round.

Elizabeth Mallett of Sutton Coldfield Ladies shared second place in the girls’ Under-14 event. The championship was preceded by the annual Under-16 mixed match between England and Spain. The honours went to Spain this year. They won 8½-3½.

Wiltshire’s Hannah Turland (Tidworth Garrison) was unbeaten in the match, pairing up with Elizabeth Mallett to halve her foursomes and winning her singles 5 and 4.

England were also represented by Hayley Davis (Ferndown) and Sophie Godley (Lindrick).

LEADING SCORES

CSS 74 all rounds

NORTH OF ENGLAND UNDER-16 GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIP

295 Alex Peters (Notts Ladies) 74 71 76 74.

296 Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) 72 78 73 73

306 Helen Searle (West End) 79 76 78 73

GIRLS' UNDER-14 CHAMPIONSHIP

303 Mar Giminez Roig (Spain) 73 81 72 77.

308 Natalia Escuriola Martinez (Spain) 75 79 74 80, Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies) 73 77 78 80.

Full details: www.heswallgolfclub.com
Lyndsey Hewison

Press & PR Officer

Bennett, Ewart and Jennings
for Espirito Santo Trophy

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
England will be represented by internationals Liz Bennett, Jodi Ewart and Rachel Jennings in the women's world amateur team championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy.
The 72-hole event will be played at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, South Australia, from October 8-11. The best two scores will count in each round.
The team is:
LIZ BENNETT (Brokenhurst Manor, Hampshire) 25.
JODI EWART (Catterick, Yorkshire & New Mexico University) 20.
RACHEL JENNINGS (Izaak Walton, Staffordshire) 20.
Reserve:
NAOMI EDWARDS (Ganton, Yorkshire).
The team will be captained by Julie Otto (Felixstowe Ferry) and accompanied by the English Women’s Golf Association’s Performance coach Steve Robinson (Malton & Norton).
Liz Bennett played in the 2008 Curtis Cup GB&I team at St Andrews and has won on the Orange Blossom tour in the USA.
Jodi Ewart is the English stroke-play champion and a Curtis Cup player.
Rachel Jennings is the French lady junior champion and was a Curtis Cup reserve.
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer

Scots students fly to S Africa

for world uni championships

Three Scottish students fly out on Thursday to Johannesburg for next week's world university golf championships at Sun City, South Africa.

The 72-hole tournaments start next Tuesday and ends on the Friday.

The men will play at Gary Player Country Club, a course in excess of 7,000yd. The women will play at Lost City golf course.
David Booth and Paul Betty (both Stirling University) and Laura Murray (Robert Gordon University), pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), are members of the official seven-strong Great Britain team.
Also in the official Great Britain team are Adam Best (Teeside University), Andrew Shakespear (Bournemouth University), Anna Scott (Georgia State University) and Lucy Williams (Birmingham University).
Curtis Cup reserve Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Golf Club), a student at Texas A&M University for the past two years, will be defending the women's title she won in Thailand last year.

Danielle has left Texas A&M University after two years. She is joining NUIM – National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

There are already fve students on the Paddy Harrington Golf Scholarship programme and she is joining this programme. Others on the programme are Sarah Cunningham, Anne McCormack, Louise Mernagh, Aedin Murphy and Ciara Walsh. Lucy Simpson is also joining this year.
Gillian O'Leary (University College Cork) and Niamh Kitching (Limerick University) are also in the official Ireland team South Africa, which includes male students Cian Curley, Ciaran O'Connor, Kelan McDonagh and James Patterson.
From the official championship website, it would seem that England's Hannah Burke (Baylor University, Texas) has entered as an individual. Her name is down for a practice round, which would suggest she is going to be there!

Eilidh Briggs wins Renfrewshire Junior Championship for the third year in a row

Thanks to Carol Fell, Renfrewshire webmaster, for this report

Alyson and Eilidh -- Click to enlarge

Played over Old Ranfurly Golf Course
Semi Finals:
Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) beat Lesley Cosh (Cowglen) 2 and 1
Alyson McKechin ( Elderslie)beat Natasha Qayum ( Ranfurly Castle) 2 and 1
Very Close matches:
Lesley played great golf to push Eilidh right down the wire. Lesley had about 13 pars in her round, won the 15th to go 1 down -- lost the 16th to a birdie 2 to go 2 down -- then hit the pin at the 17th which did not drop and therefore a par was enough for Eilidh to win her match 2 and 1
Alyson and Natasha -- also a close match -- Natasha 2 down going to the 15th -- sank a good putt to go 1 down. Alison won the 16th -- Natasha fired a brilliant shot into the 17th but was unable to get a birdie to allow the match to go down the 18th
WELL DONE TO YOU ALL -- GREAT GOLF
Final:
Eilidh defeated Alyson 2/1

The golf throughout the final was of a very high standard. The quality of ball striking from both girls was excellent. After an early exchange of holes Alyson edged 2 ahead at the turn going 3 ahead at the next.
Eilidh responded to this making birdie at two of the next three holes to level the game after 13 holes. A couple of errors allowed Eilidh to edge ahead by 2 with two holes to play and a solid 4 at seventeen saw her take the title for the THIRD year in a row.
Congratulations to all four girls who played today as many fine golf shots were witnessed over the day's play.
Wilma Leburn -- RLCGA Junior Secretary

To see some photos from the day click on the small picture of Eilidh and Alyson --- Thanks fo to Christeen Finlayson for the afternoon photographs

RLCGA 2008 Junior Championship

South Koreans (and others) must learn
to speak English, say LPGA Tour

It had to come. Some way of checking the mounting numbers of South Koreans playing on the LPGA Tour.
Beginning next year, all players who have been on the LPGA Tour for two years must pass an oral evaluation of their ability to converse in the English language.
At a mandatory meeting during the Safeway Classic last week, LPGA officials informed its largest international contingent that failure to pass the language test would result in suspended membership, i.e. the player would not be able to play in LPGA tournaments.
Libba Galloway, the tour’s deputy commissioner, said the new language policy takes effect immediately, but the “measurement time will be at the end of 2009.”
There are 121 international players from 26 countries on the LPGA Tour. Some 45 of them are South Koreans.
Hilary Lunke, president of the Player Executive Committee, said much of this initiative stems from the importance of being able to entertain pro-am partners. Players already are fined if the LPGA receives complaints from their pro-am partners about their inability to converse in English.
Players who obtain tour status at Qualifying School later this year will have two years to meet the English requirements.
Galloway said an impression had to be made that communicating effectively in English is fundamental to the tour’s business.
South Korean Seon-Hwa Lee, a winner twice this year, said she believes everyone should be able to do a simple media interview. She works with an English tutor in the winter and plans to brush up for the evaluation.
Kate Peters, executive director of the LPGA State Farm Classic, supported the news. “This is an American tour. It is important for sponsors to be able to interact with players and have a positive experience.”
The tour will rely on its communication staff to help identify players who need to be evaluated. International players who already demonstrate English proficiency will not be approached.
Players must be able to conduct interviews and give acceptance speeches without the help of a translator.
A large number of South Koreans play the US Duramed Futures Tour which is now officially part of the LPGA set-up. Expect the "speak-English-please" dictat to apply to it as well.