Inverness player's hole in one at North of Scotland Consolation Round

Inverness Golf Club member Sheila MacDonnell had her first ever competitive hole in one during the Consolation Round of the North of Scotland women's amateur championship at Newmachar today. With a rescue club - equivalent to a five iron - into a gusting wind she holed her tee shot at the 129yd 15th hole.
She was partnered by Gillian Dowling, also of Inverness, and Ellie Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies).
That ace enabled Sheila to win the second handicap prize in the Consolation Round with a net 78 (better inward half) off a handicap of 15.
"I've had one already this year but it was in a bounce game," said a happy Sheila who was given a certificate by Carol O'Neil of the Newmachar Golf Club admin staff and also a basket of flowers.
F Watterson (Newburgh on Ythan) won the leading handicap award by five strokes with a net 73 off 16.
K Esslemont (Cruden Bay) won the first scratch prize with an 86 (decided over the last six holes of a countback).

'Friendly Fire' from Emily Ogilvy knocks

out top seed Laura Walker in quarters

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Top seed Laura Walker was a victim of ‘friendly fire’ as she was knocked out of the North of Scotland women’s amateur golf championship in today’s quarter-finals over the Newmachar Hawkshill course.
The player who claimed her scalp with a 3 and 2 victory was Emily Ogilvy, who lost to Laura in the 2007 final of this tournament at Lossiemouth.
“You could hardly call it a revenge win,” said 25-year-old Emily, a Scotland international and member of Auchterarder Golf Club.
“Laura and I are great friends. We go back a long way … we were students at the same Arkansas college together.”
A former Scottish girls match-play champion, Laura, also 25, is originally from Nairn but is now a member at Muckhart since she became a schoolteacher in Dunfermline.
Emily was never behind after holing a 10ft birdie putt at the first hole but she saw a three-hole lead after eight holes cut to one when she lost the ninth and 10th.
But Laura lost the 12th, 13th and 14th holes to par figures to go four down and there was no way back from that.
Emily’s golfing career was knocked off track a couple of winters ago when she suffered badly torn shoulder muscles in a mishap with a piece of gymnasium apparatus.
Her semi-final opponent will be last year’s Aberdeenshire champion, Donna Pocock (Murcar Links) who won by 2 and 1 against Jane Grubb (Montrose Mercantile).
In the morning, Donna came back from three down after 12 holes to beat Jackie Brown (Monifieth) by two holes but she found herself in the opposite situation in going from three up after seven to all square after 11 against Jane.
Donna stopped the rot by winning the 13th and 14th. Jane won back the 14th but halves at the next two holes, Donna wrapped up a 2 and 1 win at the 17th.
Alford’s Laura Murray, the second Scotland cap in the last four, produced the kind of figures and performance befitting a player of international status. She was one under par in winning by 7 and five against girls international Rebecca Wilson (Monifieth).
Laura was five up after eight holes, winning the short sixth and long eighth with birdies.
Laura now plays Carnoustie’s Katy McNicoll who won through at the 20th against Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir). One down on the 18th tee as the day's weather deteriorated into steady rain, Katy won the hole to stay alive and prevailed with a par figure at the second extra hole.

There has been some interesting action too in the Handicap Championship. Top seed Mary Robinson (Murcar Links), playing off 12, was beaten in the first round by the last of the 16 qualifiers, Lauren MacCallum (Newburgh on Ythan) who plays off seven.

Lauren is a former Aberdeenshire girls champion and a past pupil at Loretto School, Musselburgh but she has played little competitive golf over the past year.

Lauren went on to beat Ros Roy (Ballater) by 2 and 1 and will now play Inchmarlo's Esther Milne, who plays off 21, in the first handicap semi-final tomorrow morning.

The other tie will feature Claire Prouse (Hazlehead), a six handicapper and one of a crop of promising teenagers coming through the Aberdeenshire girls' ranks. Claire astonished her opponent Carol Whicher (Aberdeen Ladies) by finishing her off with an eagle 3 at the 17th to achieve a 2 and 1 victory.

Claire will play home hope Lynn Kelly, who plays off 16, in the second handicap semi-final on Wednesday morning.

COMPLETE RECAP ON TUESDAY'S RESULTS

SCRATCH CHAMPIONSHIP

First round

Laura Walker (Muckhart) bt Hannah McCook (Abernethy) 5 and 3.

Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) bt Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 4 and 3.

Donna Pocock (Murcar Links) bt Jackie Brown (Monifieth) 4 and 2.

Jane Grubb (Montrose Mercantile) bt Kristina Vannet (Peterculter) 4 and 2.

Laura Murray (Alford) bt Susan Murray (Murcar Links) 3 and 2.

Rebecca Wilson (Monifieth) bt Gill Murray (Cruden Bay) 3 and 2.

Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) bt Jane Yellowlees (Murrayshall) 3 and 1.

Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie Ladies) bt Jemma Chalmers (Monifieth) 5 and 4.
Quarter-finals

Ogilvy bt Walker 3 and 2.

Pocock bt Grubb 2 and 1.

Laura Murray bt Wilson 7 and 5.

McNicoll bt Ramsay at 20th.

Wednesday's Semi-finals

9.00 Emily Ogilvy v Donna Pocock.

9.07 Laura Murray v Katy McNicoll.

Final will tee off at 2.15.

Handicap championship
First round

Lauren MacCallum (Newburgh) (7) bt Mary Robinson (Murcar Links) (12) 5 and 4.

Ros Roy (Ballater) (10) bt Janet Griffiths (Strathmore) (9) 4 and 3.

Susan Belton (Kirriemuir) (14) bt Jenny Wheeler (Aberdeen Ladies) (11) 1 hole.

Esther Milne (Inchmarlo) (21) bt Lauren Whyte (Hazlehead) (9) at 21st.

Carol Whicher (Aberdeen Ladies) (11) bt Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) (9) 3 and 1.

Claire Prouse (Hazlehead) (6) bt Fiona Fullerton (Meldrum House) (9) 2 and 1.

Lynn Kelly (Newmachar) (16) bt Mandy Roger (McDonald Ellon) (16) 4 and 3.

Hannah Robb (Strathmore) (17) bt Linda Urquhart (Banchory) (4) 3 and 2.
Quarter-finals

MacCallum bt Roy 2 and 1.

Milne bt Belton 2 and 1.

Prouse bt Whicher 2 and 1.

Kelly bt Robb 3 and 2.

Wednesday's Semi-finals

9.15 Lauren MacCallum (7) v Esther Milne 21).

9.22 Claire Prouse (6) v Lynn Kelly (Newmachar) (16).

Final will tee off at 2pm.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE STORY OF THIS MORNING'S PLAY - AND ALSO SOME IMAGES FROM THE ACTION.