Mary McKenna with 'Helen Holm' winner, 14-year-old Leona Maguire (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on it to enlarge).

'Helen Holm' placings give Mary

McKenna Vagliano Trophy boost

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Great Britain & Ireland’s Vagliano Trophy biennial nine-woman team contest against the holders, the Continent of Europe, is still more than 11 weeks away but skipper Mary McKenna is wasting no time in getting down to brass tacks for the Hamburg match on July 24 and 25.
Last week she made a reconnaissance trip to the German course along with Ladies Golf Union staff man Fraser Munro. They were having a look at the lie of the land, the clubhouse and hotel facilities, etc.
“It’s a nice course, reminded me a lot of Sunningdale,” said Mary who had barely flown back from Hamburg when up she popped at Troon for the three-day Helen Holm Scottish women’s open amateur stroke-play championship.
McKenna was obviously delighted with the spectacular winning debut in the event of 14-year-old Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) and also the close-up third finish achieved by her twin sister Lisa.
“Four of the final top five were named some time ago in the preliminary GB&I squad for the Vagliano Trophy match,” said Mary. “So, obviously I’m very pleased with that and another five from the squad finished there or thereabouts in the top 20.”
The Maguire twins’ golfing CVs are outstanding and, even though they are only 14, they can hardly be kept out of the line-up for the Vagliano Trophy match ... "If they are good enough, then they are old enough," is an old adage about selecting youngsters for adult representative teams in any sport.
Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) led for a few holes during the final round over Royal Troon before finishing second to Leona. Whether or not she succeeds Michele Thomson as Scottish women’s amateur champion at Southerness next month, Kelsey is looking good for a Vagliano Trophy place.
Ireland’s Niamh Kitching’s selection prospects took a knock when she failed to survive the 36-hole cut at Troon but it is worth remembering that Michele Thomson suffered a similar fate 12 months ago and went on to (a) win the Scottish title and (b) be selected for the Curtis Cup match at the Old Course.
Backing up the Maguire girls in the top five on Sunday was Danielle McVeigh (Royal County Down), a former world universities champion who played the American college circuit for two or three years. A six-footer, Danielle has a presence that must help her in match-play ties.
England’s Naomi Edwards (Ganton) and Rhian Wyn Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) finished ninth and 11th in the “Helen Holm” and must also be in contention.
The LGU selectors have stressed that players not named in the preliminary squad can win team places by showing better form than their rivals, so Tara Davies (Holyhead) and Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), sixth and seven in the final standings, have a big incentive to maintain their Troon form.

Thee are, of course, eligible players based in the United States who could reduce the number of places available to those who live and play in Britain and Ireland. Jodi Ewart (New Mexico University) and Sally Watson (David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida) played in last year's Curtis Cup match at the Old Course. Hannah Burke (Baylor University, Texas) is also in the LGU preliminary squad named late last year.

Two years ago, the Continent of Europe inflicted on GB&I their biggest margin of defeat in a Vagliano Trophy match. That one was over the Torrance Course at Fairmont, St Andrews. At that time, the best female amateurs in Europe were definitely mainly Continentals. Has the balance of power shifted since 2007? The scoreline at Hamburg will give the answer.