Alison Murdoch takes up the running in

Irish senior women's open stroke-play

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION
Canadian Alison Murdoch leads the field by one stroke going into tomorerow's final round of the Irish Senior Women’s Open Strokeplay at Laytown and Bettystown Golf Club,
As the winds eased considerably from the first day, Murdoch played solidly throughout the day turning at one over par. She continued her consistent form right through to a birdie on the final green to sign for a one over 74 and now enters tomorrow’s final round seeking her fourth title in six years. Overnight leader and home favourite Phil O’Gorman, signed for a second successive 78 to lie one shot off the pace. The local star birdied the second and eight to turn one over par and a solid back nine saw her strongly positioned going into tomorrow’s final round.
Next best lies defending champion Vicki Thomas who matched Murdoch’s best of the day score. Thomas, seeking her third title in four years, birdied the eight, sixteenth and seventeenth and lies alone in third place, just two shots off the pace.
Ireland’s Helen Jones (Strabane) lies just one shot further back after signing for a 77, while Canadian Karen Pultz is one shot further back on 159.The top 40 players now complete a final 18 holes on Thursday to decide the title.
With Murdoch and Thomas leading, Gorman and the rest of the field will need to produce something special to break the duo’s domination of the event since 2004.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
155 Alison Murdoch (CAN) 81 74
156 Phil O'Gorman (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 78
157 Vicki Thomas (WAL) 83 74
158 Helen Jones (Strabane) 81 77
159 Karen Pultz (CAN) 79 80
161 Diane Williams (CAN) 82 79
162 Ruth Lindley (ENG) 81 81
164 Edeltraud Jacob (GER) 81 83
166 Sheena McElroy (Grange) 83 83 Janice Paterson (SCO) 82 84
167 Pat Doran (Donabate) 84 83
170 Valerie Hassett (Ennis) 88 82 Catherine Reilly (The Heath) 86 84 Pauline Walsh (Headfort) 79 91
171 Marilyn Henderson (Castlerock) 86 85 Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) 84 87
172 Violet McBride (Belvoir Park) 90 82 Pamela Williamson (SCO) 85 87
173 Deborah Court (CAN) 88 853 Mary Geaney (Killarney) 86 87 Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire) 81 92
174 Patricia McAllister (Laytown & Bettystown) 93 81 Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) 91 83 Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford) 89 85
175 Ann McAuley (Laytown & Bettystown) 87 88
176 Rhona Brennan (Bandon) 90 86 Catherine Bird (Nenagh) 87 89
177 Marie Moran (Monkstown) 94 83 Mary Kavanagh (New Ross) 88 89
178 Mary Lowney (Dunmore) 97 81 Roma English (Larne) 94 84 Gill Rouiller (Mannan Castle) 88 90
179 Barbara Moysey (CAN) 94 85 Jane Gardner (Malone) 87 92
181 Sue Joy-Sobota (USA) 90 91 Ita Donnelly (Dundalk) 89 92 Val Shannon (Douglas) 88 93
182 Adrienne Crowley (Woodbrook) 92 90 Mary McGoey (Greenore) 84 98
184 Barbara Biggart (SCO) 95 89
MISSED THE CUT
187 Mairead MacNamara (Woodbrook) 91 96 Carol Kinsella (Faithlegg) 90 97
188 Judy Clarke (Royal Portrush) 99 89 Elisabeth Wendels (SWE) 95 93 Joan McVeigh (Belvoir Park) 91 97 Linda Ward (CAN) 90 98
189 Mai McCann (Narin & Portnoo) 93 96 Helen O'Donoghue (Clonmel) 88 101
190 Patricia Kelly (Limerick) 99 91
191 Valerie James (Bangor) 96 95
192 Heidi Simpson (USA) 98 94 Concepta Maddick (Mannan Castle) 93 99
193 Cornelia Fischer (GER) 101 92
196 Kitty Duffy (Dundalk) 100 96
197 Britt-Marie Walltorp (SWE) 105 92
198 Kath Stewart-Moore (Royal Portrush) 107 91 Sheila Bodmer O'Keefe (SWI) 99 99 Kathleen Pyne (New Ross) 99 99 Patsy McCarthy (Grange) 98 100
199 Rita O'Loughlin (Mannan Castle) 96 103
200 Sonja Gottschalch (DEN) 103 97 Marianne Copp (ENG) 101 99
201 Rita MacNamara (The Heath) 105 96Finola Duncan (Bangor) 102 99 Alice O'Neill (Laytown & Bettystown) 99 102 Marita Leech (Laytown & Bettystown) 99 102
202 Dinah Campion (The Heritage) 107 95
203 Gemma Jennings (Navan) 104 99 Noreen Granard (Portarlington) 103 100
204 Marie Conlon (The Heath) 110 94
206 Margaret Boomer (Lisburn) 110 96 Una Bready (Belvoir Park) 108 98
207 Ann Conway (New Ross) 100 107
DQ Kathleen Hynes (Ardee) 106 DQ
NR Maida McGowan (Laytown & Bettystown) 91 NR Sue Pidgeon (ENG) 93 NRFINAL ROUND DRAW - 10 SEPTEMBER08:30 Mary McGoey (Greenore) Barbara Biggart (SCO)
08:38 Val Shannon (Douglas) Adrienne Crowley (Woodbrook)
08:46 Sue Joy-Sobota (USA) Ita Donnelly (Dundalk)
08:54 Barbara Moysey (CAN) Jane Gardner (Malone)
09:02 Marie Moran (Monkstown) Mary Kavanagh (New Ross)
09:10 Rhona Brennan (Bandon) Catherine Bird (Nenagh)
09:18 Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford) Ann McAuley (Laytown & Bettystown)
09:26 Patricia McAllister (Laytown & Bettystown) Carmel Cahill (Hermitage)
09:34 Mary Geaney (Killarney) Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire)
09:50 Pamela Williamson (SCO) Deborah Court (CAN)
09:58 Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) Violet McBride (Belvoir Park)
10:06 Pauline Walsh (Headfort) Marilyn Henderson (Castlerock)
10:14 Valerie Hassett (Ennis) Catherine Reilly (The Heath)
10:22 Janice Paterson (SCO) Pat Doran (Donabate)
10:30 Edeltraud Jacob (GER) Sheena McElroy (Grange)
10:38 Diane Williams (CAN) Ruth Lindley (ENG)
10:46 Helen Jones (Strabane) Karen Pultz (CAN)
10:54 Alison Murdoch (CAN) Phil O'Gorman (Laytown & Bettystown) Vicki Thomas (WAL)