KELSEY MEETS KELLY IN FIRST ALL-BRITISH
FINAL FOR TEN YEARS
FROM THE LGU WEBSITE
with a few extra words by Colin Farquharson
Scottish champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), 19 year old Stirling University student, will play 18-year-old Kelsey Tidy (Royal Birkdale), a Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup player, in this afternoon’s 18-hole final of the British women’s open amateur championship at bright but breezy Ganton Golf Club, Yorkshire.
It will be the first all-British final to the "British" since 2000 at Walton Heatth where England's Rebecca Hudson beat compatriot Emma Duggleby in the final.
The last Scottish winner of the coveted title was Alison Davidson who beat fellow Scot Mhairi McKay in the 1997 final at Cruden Bay.
MacDonald staged a tremendous fightback to beat former US Curtis Cup player, Meghan Stasi, at the 19th after losing the first four holes.
Tidy beat 18-year-old Rebecca Lee-Bentham from Toronto, Canada by 5 and 3 in the second semi-final with a sub-par display.
“I was ripping it on the range before the semi-final,” said Kelsey later “but when I got on the course I just couldn’t find my rhythm at all. Where it was the wind or what, I don’t know.
“Carlota Ciganda’s dad gave me some encouragement when I was three or four down so early and even Kelly Tidy’s granny came over to help me settle down.
“I had felt strangely uncomfortable over the early holes but once I settled down I started to hit a lot of good shots and hole a lot of good putts. And that up and down from the practice green to square the match at the 18th has to be one of my’career shots,”
Stasi got off to a flying start, winning the first four holes.
Pars were good enough for the American to take holes 1 and 2 but she birdied the third, a shortish par-4 and won the fourth with a bogey 5 to go four up.
MacDonald stopped the rot with a winning par at the short fifth but went basck to four down when she bogeyed the seventh.
MacDonald holed a 20ft birdie putt to win the eighth and was two down at the turn after winning the ninth where Stasi had an unplayable lie off the tee and couldn’t match her opponent’s par 5.
Stasi wsas roughly two over par for the front nine.
Stasi went back to three up with a par at the 11th but MacDonald won back the 12th with a par to be two down.
A half in par at the 13th left the American two up with five to play.
MacDonald holed a good putt just when she needed, sinking a 25ft birdie putt from the back of the green for a 3 to win the 14th and cut her deficit to one hole.
MacDonald did again at the next, holing a 12-footer for another birdie to square the match.
After a half in par 4s at the 16th, MacDonald three-putted the short 17th to go back to one down.
But the Scot squared the match on the 18th green with a magnificent recovery from 40yards right on the practice putting green in front of the clubhouse. He ball came to rest no more than 2 ½ ft from the flagstick.
Meanwhile, in the swirling wind, Stasi’s approach shot has come short in the right greenside bunker. She took three to get down from there and MacDonald confidently holed her putt for a 4 to take the match into extra holes.
Both players were roughly four over par for the round.
In the other semi-final, Kelly Tidy won the first hole with a par but was pulled back to square at the third which Rebecca Lee-Bentham birdied with an 8ft putt.
Tidy holed from 12ft to win the fourth but was bunkered to lose the fifth. Lee-Bentham was also bunkered at this hole but came out to 3ft and holed the putt for a winning par.
Tidy went one up for a third time with a birdie 3 at the seventh and then took the eighth with a par 4 and the ninth with a conceded birdie 4 to be three up at the turn with roughly one under par figures.
After halves in par at the 10th and 11th, Tidy stretched her lead with a birdie 3 at the 12th … four up with six to play.
Lee-Bentham was not finished yet, however. She birdied the long 13th to cut her deficit to three holes. But Tidy was not to be stopped now. She wrapped up a 5 and 3 victory with wins at the 14th and 15th. She was roughly one or two under par for the holes played.
FINAL FOR TEN YEARS
FROM THE LGU WEBSITE
with a few extra words by Colin Farquharson
Scottish champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), 19 year old Stirling University student, will play 18-year-old Kelsey Tidy (Royal Birkdale), a Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup player, in this afternoon’s 18-hole final of the British women’s open amateur championship at bright but breezy Ganton Golf Club, Yorkshire.
It will be the first all-British final to the "British" since 2000 at Walton Heatth where England's Rebecca Hudson beat compatriot Emma Duggleby in the final.
The last Scottish winner of the coveted title was Alison Davidson who beat fellow Scot Mhairi McKay in the 1997 final at Cruden Bay.
MacDonald staged a tremendous fightback to beat former US Curtis Cup player, Meghan Stasi, at the 19th after losing the first four holes.
Tidy beat 18-year-old Rebecca Lee-Bentham from Toronto, Canada by 5 and 3 in the second semi-final with a sub-par display.
“I was ripping it on the range before the semi-final,” said Kelsey later “but when I got on the course I just couldn’t find my rhythm at all. Where it was the wind or what, I don’t know.
“Carlota Ciganda’s dad gave me some encouragement when I was three or four down so early and even Kelly Tidy’s granny came over to help me settle down.
“I had felt strangely uncomfortable over the early holes but once I settled down I started to hit a lot of good shots and hole a lot of good putts. And that up and down from the practice green to square the match at the 18th has to be one of my’career shots,”
Stasi got off to a flying start, winning the first four holes.
Pars were good enough for the American to take holes 1 and 2 but she birdied the third, a shortish par-4 and won the fourth with a bogey 5 to go four up.
MacDonald stopped the rot with a winning par at the short fifth but went basck to four down when she bogeyed the seventh.
MacDonald holed a 20ft birdie putt to win the eighth and was two down at the turn after winning the ninth where Stasi had an unplayable lie off the tee and couldn’t match her opponent’s par 5.
Stasi wsas roughly two over par for the front nine.
Stasi went back to three up with a par at the 11th but MacDonald won back the 12th with a par to be two down.
A half in par at the 13th left the American two up with five to play.
MacDonald holed a good putt just when she needed, sinking a 25ft birdie putt from the back of the green for a 3 to win the 14th and cut her deficit to one hole.
MacDonald did again at the next, holing a 12-footer for another birdie to square the match.
After a half in par 4s at the 16th, MacDonald three-putted the short 17th to go back to one down.
But the Scot squared the match on the 18th green with a magnificent recovery from 40yards right on the practice putting green in front of the clubhouse. He ball came to rest no more than 2 ½ ft from the flagstick.
Meanwhile, in the swirling wind, Stasi’s approach shot has come short in the right greenside bunker. She took three to get down from there and MacDonald confidently holed her putt for a 4 to take the match into extra holes.
Both players were roughly four over par for the round.
In the other semi-final, Kelly Tidy won the first hole with a par but was pulled back to square at the third which Rebecca Lee-Bentham birdied with an 8ft putt.
Tidy holed from 12ft to win the fourth but was bunkered to lose the fifth. Lee-Bentham was also bunkered at this hole but came out to 3ft and holed the putt for a winning par.
Tidy went one up for a third time with a birdie 3 at the seventh and then took the eighth with a par 4 and the ninth with a conceded birdie 4 to be three up at the turn with roughly one under par figures.
After halves in par at the 10th and 11th, Tidy stretched her lead with a birdie 3 at the 12th … four up with six to play.
Lee-Bentham was not finished yet, however. She birdied the long 13th to cut her deficit to three holes. But Tidy was not to be stopped now. She wrapped up a 5 and 3 victory with wins at the 14th and 15th. She was roughly one or two under par for the holes played.
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 12:35:00 pm
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