Janet Melville leads English senior stroke-play championship

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION.
Nottinghamshire’s Janet Melville has a three-shot lead after the first day of the English women’s senior stroke-play championship at Stockport.
The 2008 champion scored a steady two-over par 73 which included a grandstand finish with a birdie on the 18th. “I stiffed it on the last!” she said.
Janet also birdied the 13th but the hallmark of her round was steady play. “It was down the middle and on to the green,” she said.
The round follows a couple of low scores at her home club, Sherwood Forest, where she’s recently been four-under and two-under par.
Janet feels very comfortable on the Stockport course and remarked: “It’s not dissimilar to Sherwood and I thought it might suit me. It’s playing quite long, because of all the rain we’ve had, but the greens are holding and you can hit the ball at the flag.”
She’s three shots ahead of Cheshire’s Caroline Marron (Bromborough), who won the English senior championship in April, and of Norfolk’s Jo Ashmore (Barnham Broom) who is returning to championship golf after knee surgery a month ago.
Jo started playing again a couple of weeks ago and said: “I came with no expectations so I am very pleased, really chuffed. The knee didn’t bother me at all and I struck the ball really well on the whole.” Her round included three birdies.
Caroline Marron played extremely tidy golf for 16 holes of her round, with 14 pars, one birdie and one bogey. But the remaining two holes, the 10th and 14th, proved costly when she had a double bogey and a triple bogey.
One shot further back is a group of four players who include Cheshire’s Sue Dye (Delamere Forest), the winner of this title in 2007. She is also stepping up her golf again after being restricted by repetitive strain injury .
“It’s a good score to build on, “ said Sue. “I left some shots out there but the course is playing long and tough and it doesn’t give you anything – everything has to be earned.”
After tomorrow’s second round the field will be cut to the top half and ties who will play Thursday’s final round.
Leading scores
Par 71 CSS 74
73 Janet Melville (Sherwood Forest)
76 Jo Ashmore (Barnham Broom), Caroline Marron (Bromborough)
77 Sue Dye (Delamere Forest), Fiona Anderson (Formby Ladies), Rozalyn Adams Addington Court), Felicity Christine (Banstead Downs)
79 Irene Brien (Wentworth), Pat West (Spalding), Elspeth Cooper (Calcot Park)
Lyndsey Hewison
Press and PR Officer