Miss MacRae first woman in field since Meg Farquhar in 1933

Well done, Heather! She's one of the

boys for Scottish PGA Championship

Winner of the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Nairn in 2005 and unlucky to be named only a Curtis Cup reserve, Heather MacRae from Dunblane is now settling down to life in the professional side of the game. which, in her case, means being PGA-trained as an assistant at Gullane.

That does not leave a lot of time for much else but she has been appearing in the odd pro-am on the Tartan Tour and, a week or two, she did well in a WPGA event in England. Now, she has done even better, a lot better in fact.

At Downfield Golf Club, Dundee on Tuesday, 25-year-old Heather, picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency, was one of 47 players to come through the 18-hole qualifying test and earn a place in the £55,000 Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship from June 25 to 28.

Her older brother Andrew is also an assistant pro - at Gleneagles - and he is already in the field.

"I'm absolutely delighted. This was the goal at the start of the year and to make it is a great feeling. It will be great for the two of us to be playing," said Heather.

"I would've liked to have shot a low score (at Downfield) but the conditions made it a battle but I came through it and that's all that matters."

She did have two birdies, at the long seventh and short 12th but she dropped shots at the sixth, ninth, 14th and 16th in halves of 37 and 38 for a two-over-par 75 in thoroughly unpleasant conditions of wind and rain.

Gordon Dewar, the Scottish PGA secretary, said: "It's fantastic news that we will have Heather at our national championship. It will be something different and will add a new dimension to the event."

Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride), the Scottish youths champion of 2005, Inchmarlo's Mark Barnard and James Smallwood (Fereneze) headed the field of 81 at Downfield on Tuesday - 77 played at the same venue on Monday in another 18-hole eliminator.

Gordon Sherry, former British amateur champion, who is gradually putting a competitive edge back on his game, qualified on the same mark as Heather MacRae, sharing 11th place on 75.

Aberdour's Antonia Ffinch, the other female hopeful in the field, failed in her qualifying quest after an 89.

The qualifying cut-off point on Tuesday was 78 or better compared with 79 or better on Monday when 46 players qualified for the main event.

LEADING QUALIFIERS

MONDAY

Downfield, Dundee - Par 73

71 Hamish Kemp (Bishopbriggs GR), Tom Buchanan (Duddingston), Mark Kerr (Bathgate).

72 Ian Graham (Crow Wood), Chris Campbell (Grantown-on-Spey, Peter Mitchell (Hermitage), Mark Bruce (Gullane).

73 Scott Herald (Mearns Castle), Alastair MacKenzie (Duddingston), David Park (Wishaw), Neil Murray (Cruden Bay), Fraser McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle), Campbell Donaldson (Campbell Donaldson Golf Academy).

74 Robert Irvine (Douglas Park), Gary Dingwall (Royal Dornoch), Scott Spence (unatt).

75 Brian Mason (Callaway Golf), Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Graeme McInnes (Murcar Links).

TUESDAY

Downfield, Dundee - Par 73

72 James Smallwood (Fereneze), Mark Barnard (Inchmarlo), Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride).

73 Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links), Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle), Iain Hanna (Strathclyde Park).

74 Scott Gillespie (Burntisland), Robbie Stewart (Cruden Bay), Jonny Sharp (The Carrick At Cameron House), Andrew Fullen (Largs).

75 Kenneth Monaghan (Bothwell Castle), Christopher Boyle (Lanark), Paul Brookes (Pitreavie) Craig MacDonald (Peterculter), David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co), Garry Forrester (St Andrews Golf School), Heather MacRae (Gullane), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk), Christopher Robinson (Dumfries & Galloway), Gordon Sherry (Kilmarnock Barassie).

MEG FARQUHAR FOOTNOTE

Newspaper reports that Heather MacRae will be the first female professional to play in the Scottish PGA championship have got it wrong.

The late Meg Farquhar, who was an assistant professional at her home town Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth, played in the 1933 Scottish professional championship over her home course.

We will recall Meg in a future article soon on Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Lest we forget