Last 16 of British girls championship at Royal Belfast
Maguire twins prevent a shut-out of GB and I players
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By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Two rounds of match-play has been enough to wipe out the British and Irish challenge for the 2010 British girls championship at Royal Belfast GC ... with the notable exception of the Maguire twins from Co Cavan and the Slieve Russell Club.
At the tender age of 15, they carry the hopes and expectations into the round of the last 16 on Thursday morning, not only of the Irish golfing nation but also the Scots, Welsh and England who have nobody left to hold at bay the Continentals and others from distant parts.
And there's more ...the Maguire girls, who let their golf clubs do most of the talking for them, could meet in tomorrow afternoon’s quarter-finals if they win their third-round morning matches.
There’s not much that separates the identical twins, Curtis Cup record-makers – the youngest ever to represent GB and I when this year’s match was played at Essex County Club in June – and their standard of scoring was also just about the same in their second-round victories.
Leona had four birdies and was about two under par in winning by two holes against another 15-year-old, Woburn’s Lauren Taylor.
Lisa had three birdies and was roughly two under par in winning by 3 and 2 against Sweden’s Emelie Lundstrom.
Leona was one down after two holes but then three out of four holes from the third to the sixth, including birdies at the third and fifth to turn a one-hole deficit into a two-hole lead.
Lauren hung on with a win at the eighth but lost the 10th to a birdie to fall two down again. Leona won the 12th to go three up but Taylor birdied the 13th to cut her deficit to two holes. When Maguire three-putted to lose the 15th, she was only one hole to the good but the 16th and 17th were halved before Leona clinched a two-hole victory by birdieing the last.
Lisa birdied the second and fourth while Emelie Lundstorm birdied the third in a quality start to their tie. The Swedish player conceded the fifth to fall two down but immediately hit back to win the sixth. Lisa went two up with a par at the eighth but lost the 10th to a birdie.
Maguire won the 12th and 13th with pars to go two up, lost the 14th to a par but then re-established a three-hole lead with a par at the 15th. A half in birdies at the long 16th ended the contest.
The Maguires are not the only sisters in the last 16.
Germany’s Victoria (17) and Antonia (16) Scherer are both through with Antonia being Leona Maguire’s third-round opponent. Victoria plays Spain’s Andrea Vilarasau for a place in the quarter-finals.
Top seed Julie Yang is through to the last 16 also and British women’s open amateur champion Kelly Tidy’s dream of becoming only the third player in LGU history to complete the British girls-women’s title double is over.
These two statements are linked because it was the 15-year-old South Korean, who has lived at Musselburgh near Edinburgh since last September, who beat the Lancashire lass from Bolton by one hole in today’s second round.
Kelly missed last year’s girls’ championship after losing in the finals of 2007 and 2008.
If any match deserved the description of the “final before the final,” this was it. It turned out to be a classic match-play encounter with Yang going four up at one stage and then Kelly coming with a grandstand finish that only just failed to make up the leeway.
“I’m disappointed that the big double is not going to happen for me. But, at the same time, I’m pleased that I was able to get Julie ‘rocking.’ I was four down with four to play and then won the 15th, the 16th (with a birdie) and the 17th to be only one down on the 18th tee,” said Tidy who will be playing in her second Junior Ryder Cup match at Gleneagles in the autumn. She is also a Junior Solheim Cup player.
“Julie was feeling the pressure. She sliced her last drive into the rough and was only able to hack it 30 yards up the fairway. So she took four shots to get on at this par-5 hole. I took three and couldn’t hole the putt for a birdie 4 but still had a chance to take the match up the 19th if Julie missed her par putt from about 8ft.
“But Julie is a class player and she holed it for the half she needed to win the match.
It was a great game. If I had won it, I’m pretty sure I would have gone on to win the championship – as I think Julie will.”
The previous day, Yang had said that she would play match-play the same way as she plays stroke play – try her best on every shot and ignore what her opponent was doing.
But Julie admitted after the Tidy match that was easier said than done.
“I learned a lot about match-play from this game against Kelly. It is not easy just to play the course. I didn’t stay focused as I said I would. I got too interested in what Kelly was doing. She’s a great match-player. Anybody who wins the British women’s title has to be. I bogeyed two of the last three holes and she birdied the 17th . I would say that I was about level par for the match, having birdied the eighth and 12th.”
English women’s champion Hayley Davis (Ferndown), beaten in the quarter-finals of the British girls championship last year by the eventual champion, Perrine Delacour, lost by 3 and 2 to Spain’s Camilla Hedberg who is Lisa Maguire’s opponent tomorrow morning.
Delacour lost in the second round by 2 and 1 to former Scottish Under-16 girls open champion Laura Sedda from Italy, conqueror earlier in the day at the 23rd hole of Scotland's 15-year-old girls match-play champion Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies).
Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield), winner of the English Under-18 girls' title last week and beaten by Delacour in last year’s British girls final, lost in the morning first round to Hayley Davis.
The last English player to go out was Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) who missed a putt to win on the 18th green against Ha Rang Lee (Spain) and went on to lose at the 20th.
REPORT ON THE MORNING PLAY
Lesley Atkins loses titantic struggle at the 23rd
Scottish girls match-play champion Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) lost a titantic first-round struggle to Italy's Laura Sedda, a former winner of the Scottish Under-16 open title, when the British girls championship entered the match-play stages today with the 64 qualifiers from the Monday-Tuesday stroke-play rounds.
Laura beat Lesley at the 23rd hole and will now play the defending champion from Paris, Perrine Delacour who was also involved in a marathon tie. She came back from two down to beat Bianca Maria Fabrizio (Italy).
Lesley Atkins was one down after nine holes in pretty miserable on-and-off rainy conditions in the morning. But, when the sun came out later, the Scot from Hawick squared the match in time to take it into extra holes and it took a further five holes to separate them.
Lesley lost - but it was a gallant effort against a very capable player and it will be interesting to see how Sedda fares against the title-holder.
Another Scot to go out was Hannah McCook (Nethy Bridge). She lost by 3 and 1 to Ha Range Lee (Spain) after being one down at the turn.
The last Scot to bow out of the championship was Renfrewshire women's champion Eilidh Briggs (Kilmalcolm). She was beaten 3 and 2 by a highly-rated Spaniard with a Swedish-sounding name, Camilla Hedberg who was one-hole up on the Scot at the turn.
Top seed Julie Yang plays another of the favourites, British women's open amateur champion Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) in this afternoon's second round.
Julie was three under par, despite being out in the worst of the weather with a 7am start, in beating Shelby Smart (Knowle) by 5 and 4.
Kelly Tidy admitted she was "awful, like the weather" over the opening holes but settled after the fifth and went on to beat Camille Chevalier (France) by 2 and 1.
Both the 15-year-old Maguire twins won comfortably.
Leona, the No 3 seed, was four up after nine on Emily Penttila (Finland), and went on to win by 5 and 3. Leona now plays Woburn's Lauren Taylor, a 4 and 2 winner over Spain's Isabel Jimenez.
Lisa, 54th of the 64 match-play qualifiers, won by 4 and 2 against another Jimenez from Spain - Noemi of that ilk. Lisa established a two-hole lead over the first nine holes.
English women's champion Hayley Davis (Ferndown) beat last year's runner-up in this championship, Elizabeth Mallett (Coldfield) who won the English Under-18 girls title last week. Hayley won a tight match by 2 and 1. Davis lost to Delacour in last year's quarter-finals.
FIRST ROUND
Upper half
Julie Yang (SKo) bt Shelby Smart (Knowle) 5 and 4.
Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt Camille Chevalier (Fra) 2 and 1.
Laura Sedda (Fra) bt Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) at 23rd.
Perrine Delacour (France) bt Bianca Maria Fabrizio (Ita) at 22nd.
Celine Boutier (Fra) bt Karolin Lampert (Ger) 3 snf 2.
Miranda Brain (Gog Magog) bt Vittoria Gatti (Ita) 2 and 1.
Roberta Roeller (Ger) bt Daisy Nielsen (Den) 6 and 5.
Emilie Alonso (Fra) bt Johanna Tillstrom (Swe) 5 and 3.
Luna Sobron bt Connie Chen (SAf) 1 hole.
Madelene Sagstrom (Swe) bt Chiara Brizzolari (Ita) 2 and 1.
Ha Rang Lee (Spa) bt Hannah McCook (Abernethy) 3 and 1.
Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) bt Marina Stuetz (Aut) at 20th.
Anna-Lena Kraemer (Ger) bt Lara Weinstein (SAf) 2 and 1.
Andrea Vilarasau (Spa) bt Sophie Godley (Lindrick) 4 and 3.
Victoria Scherer (Ger) bt Quirine Eijkenboom (Ger0 3 and 2.
Katharina Sohnlein(Ger) bt Brogan Townend (Pleasington) 6 and 5.
Lower half
Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) bt Emily Penttila (Fin) 5 and 3.
Lauren Taylor ( Woburn ) bt Isabel Jimenez ( Spain ) 4 and 2.
Antonia Scherrer (Ger) bt Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) 3 and 2.
Louise Gateau Chovelon (Fra) bt Bronte Law (Bramhall) 4 and 2.
Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell bt Noemi Jimenez (Spa) 4 and 2.
Emelie Lundstrom (Swe) bt Isabella Deilert (Swe) at 19th.
Hayley Davis (Ferndown) bt Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 2 and 1.
Camilla Hedberg (Spa) bt Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 3 and 2.
Ainhoa O’Larra (Spa) bt Ivon Reijers-Navas (Spa) 4 and 3.
Camille Richelle (Bel) bt Elena Villamil (Spa) at 20th.
Charlotte De Corte (Bel) bt Anna Fuld (Aut) 3 and 2.
Louise Ridderstrom (Swe) bt Olivia Winning ( Rotherham ) 4 and 3.
Mille Manon (Fra) bt Charlotte Thomas ( Singapore ) 2 and 1.
Isabel Gabsa (Ger) bt Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 2 holes.
Cylia Damerau (Swi) bt Emma Nilsson (Swe) 2 holes.
Alexandra Bonetti (Fra) bt Anna Aresse (Spa) 2 and 1.
SECOND ROUND
Upper Half
Yang bt Tidy 1 hole.
Sedda bt Delacour 2 and 1.
Boutier bt Brain 7 and 6.
Alonso bt Roeller 3 and 1.
Sobron bt Sagstrom 2 and 1.
Lee bt Baek at 20th.
Vilarasau bt Kraemer 2 and 1.
Victoria Scherer bt Sohnlein 2 and 1.
Lower Half
Leona Maguire bt Taylor 2 holes.
Antonia Scherer bt Chovelon 4 and 3.
Lisa Maguire bt Lundstrom 3 and 2.
Hedberg bt Davis 3 and 2.
O’Larra bt Richelle 4 and 3.
De Corte bt Ridderstrom 4 and 3. W
Manon bt Gabsa 4 and 3.
Bonetti bt Damerau 6 and 5.
THURSDAY MORNING TEE TIMES
8.30 Julie Yang v Laura Sedda.
8.40 Celina Boutier v Emilie Alonso.
8.50 Luna Sobron v Ha Rang Lee.
9.00 Andrea Vilarasau v Victoria Scherer.
9.10 Leona Maguire v Antonia Scherer
9.20 Lisa Maguire v Camilla Hedberg.
9.30 Ainhoa O'Larra v Charlotte De Corte.
9.40 Molle Manon v Alexandra Bonetti
+IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE BELFAST AREA, IT'S YOUR GOLFING DUTY TO TURN OUT AND SUPPORT THE MAGUIRE TWINS IN A BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ON YOUR DOORSTEP - The Editor (who is there himself!)
-
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Two rounds of match-play has been enough to wipe out the British and Irish challenge for the 2010 British girls championship at Royal Belfast GC ... with the notable exception of the Maguire twins from Co Cavan and the Slieve Russell Club.
At the tender age of 15, they carry the hopes and expectations into the round of the last 16 on Thursday morning, not only of the Irish golfing nation but also the Scots, Welsh and England who have nobody left to hold at bay the Continentals and others from distant parts.
And there's more ...the Maguire girls, who let their golf clubs do most of the talking for them, could meet in tomorrow afternoon’s quarter-finals if they win their third-round morning matches.
There’s not much that separates the identical twins, Curtis Cup record-makers – the youngest ever to represent GB and I when this year’s match was played at Essex County Club in June – and their standard of scoring was also just about the same in their second-round victories.
Leona had four birdies and was about two under par in winning by two holes against another 15-year-old, Woburn’s Lauren Taylor.
Lisa had three birdies and was roughly two under par in winning by 3 and 2 against Sweden’s Emelie Lundstrom.
Leona was one down after two holes but then three out of four holes from the third to the sixth, including birdies at the third and fifth to turn a one-hole deficit into a two-hole lead.
Lauren hung on with a win at the eighth but lost the 10th to a birdie to fall two down again. Leona won the 12th to go three up but Taylor birdied the 13th to cut her deficit to two holes. When Maguire three-putted to lose the 15th, she was only one hole to the good but the 16th and 17th were halved before Leona clinched a two-hole victory by birdieing the last.
Lisa birdied the second and fourth while Emelie Lundstorm birdied the third in a quality start to their tie. The Swedish player conceded the fifth to fall two down but immediately hit back to win the sixth. Lisa went two up with a par at the eighth but lost the 10th to a birdie.
Maguire won the 12th and 13th with pars to go two up, lost the 14th to a par but then re-established a three-hole lead with a par at the 15th. A half in birdies at the long 16th ended the contest.
The Maguires are not the only sisters in the last 16.
Germany’s Victoria (17) and Antonia (16) Scherer are both through with Antonia being Leona Maguire’s third-round opponent. Victoria plays Spain’s Andrea Vilarasau for a place in the quarter-finals.
Top seed Julie Yang is through to the last 16 also and British women’s open amateur champion Kelly Tidy’s dream of becoming only the third player in LGU history to complete the British girls-women’s title double is over.
These two statements are linked because it was the 15-year-old South Korean, who has lived at Musselburgh near Edinburgh since last September, who beat the Lancashire lass from Bolton by one hole in today’s second round.
Kelly missed last year’s girls’ championship after losing in the finals of 2007 and 2008.
If any match deserved the description of the “final before the final,” this was it. It turned out to be a classic match-play encounter with Yang going four up at one stage and then Kelly coming with a grandstand finish that only just failed to make up the leeway.
“I’m disappointed that the big double is not going to happen for me. But, at the same time, I’m pleased that I was able to get Julie ‘rocking.’ I was four down with four to play and then won the 15th, the 16th (with a birdie) and the 17th to be only one down on the 18th tee,” said Tidy who will be playing in her second Junior Ryder Cup match at Gleneagles in the autumn. She is also a Junior Solheim Cup player.
“Julie was feeling the pressure. She sliced her last drive into the rough and was only able to hack it 30 yards up the fairway. So she took four shots to get on at this par-5 hole. I took three and couldn’t hole the putt for a birdie 4 but still had a chance to take the match up the 19th if Julie missed her par putt from about 8ft.
“But Julie is a class player and she holed it for the half she needed to win the match.
It was a great game. If I had won it, I’m pretty sure I would have gone on to win the championship – as I think Julie will.”
The previous day, Yang had said that she would play match-play the same way as she plays stroke play – try her best on every shot and ignore what her opponent was doing.
But Julie admitted after the Tidy match that was easier said than done.
“I learned a lot about match-play from this game against Kelly. It is not easy just to play the course. I didn’t stay focused as I said I would. I got too interested in what Kelly was doing. She’s a great match-player. Anybody who wins the British women’s title has to be. I bogeyed two of the last three holes and she birdied the 17th . I would say that I was about level par for the match, having birdied the eighth and 12th.”
English women’s champion Hayley Davis (Ferndown), beaten in the quarter-finals of the British girls championship last year by the eventual champion, Perrine Delacour, lost by 3 and 2 to Spain’s Camilla Hedberg who is Lisa Maguire’s opponent tomorrow morning.
Delacour lost in the second round by 2 and 1 to former Scottish Under-16 girls open champion Laura Sedda from Italy, conqueror earlier in the day at the 23rd hole of Scotland's 15-year-old girls match-play champion Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies).
Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield), winner of the English Under-18 girls' title last week and beaten by Delacour in last year’s British girls final, lost in the morning first round to Hayley Davis.
The last English player to go out was Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) who missed a putt to win on the 18th green against Ha Rang Lee (Spain) and went on to lose at the 20th.
REPORT ON THE MORNING PLAY
Lesley Atkins loses titantic struggle at the 23rd
Scottish girls match-play champion Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) lost a titantic first-round struggle to Italy's Laura Sedda, a former winner of the Scottish Under-16 open title, when the British girls championship entered the match-play stages today with the 64 qualifiers from the Monday-Tuesday stroke-play rounds.
Laura beat Lesley at the 23rd hole and will now play the defending champion from Paris, Perrine Delacour who was also involved in a marathon tie. She came back from two down to beat Bianca Maria Fabrizio (Italy).
Lesley Atkins was one down after nine holes in pretty miserable on-and-off rainy conditions in the morning. But, when the sun came out later, the Scot from Hawick squared the match in time to take it into extra holes and it took a further five holes to separate them.
Lesley lost - but it was a gallant effort against a very capable player and it will be interesting to see how Sedda fares against the title-holder.
Another Scot to go out was Hannah McCook (Nethy Bridge). She lost by 3 and 1 to Ha Range Lee (Spain) after being one down at the turn.
The last Scot to bow out of the championship was Renfrewshire women's champion Eilidh Briggs (Kilmalcolm). She was beaten 3 and 2 by a highly-rated Spaniard with a Swedish-sounding name, Camilla Hedberg who was one-hole up on the Scot at the turn.
Top seed Julie Yang plays another of the favourites, British women's open amateur champion Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) in this afternoon's second round.
Julie was three under par, despite being out in the worst of the weather with a 7am start, in beating Shelby Smart (Knowle) by 5 and 4.
Kelly Tidy admitted she was "awful, like the weather" over the opening holes but settled after the fifth and went on to beat Camille Chevalier (France) by 2 and 1.
Both the 15-year-old Maguire twins won comfortably.
Leona, the No 3 seed, was four up after nine on Emily Penttila (Finland), and went on to win by 5 and 3. Leona now plays Woburn's Lauren Taylor, a 4 and 2 winner over Spain's Isabel Jimenez.
Lisa, 54th of the 64 match-play qualifiers, won by 4 and 2 against another Jimenez from Spain - Noemi of that ilk. Lisa established a two-hole lead over the first nine holes.
English women's champion Hayley Davis (Ferndown) beat last year's runner-up in this championship, Elizabeth Mallett (Coldfield) who won the English Under-18 girls title last week. Hayley won a tight match by 2 and 1. Davis lost to Delacour in last year's quarter-finals.
FIRST ROUND
Upper half
Julie Yang (SKo) bt Shelby Smart (Knowle) 5 and 4.
Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) bt Camille Chevalier (Fra) 2 and 1.
Laura Sedda (Fra) bt Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) at 23rd.
Perrine Delacour (France) bt Bianca Maria Fabrizio (Ita) at 22nd.
Celine Boutier (Fra) bt Karolin Lampert (Ger) 3 snf 2.
Miranda Brain (Gog Magog) bt Vittoria Gatti (Ita) 2 and 1.
Roberta Roeller (Ger) bt Daisy Nielsen (Den) 6 and 5.
Emilie Alonso (Fra) bt Johanna Tillstrom (Swe) 5 and 3.
Luna Sobron bt Connie Chen (SAf) 1 hole.
Madelene Sagstrom (Swe) bt Chiara Brizzolari (Ita) 2 and 1.
Ha Rang Lee (Spa) bt Hannah McCook (Abernethy) 3 and 1.
Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) bt Marina Stuetz (Aut) at 20th.
Anna-Lena Kraemer (Ger) bt Lara Weinstein (SAf) 2 and 1.
Andrea Vilarasau (Spa) bt Sophie Godley (Lindrick) 4 and 3.
Victoria Scherer (Ger) bt Quirine Eijkenboom (Ger0 3 and 2.
Katharina Sohnlein(Ger) bt Brogan Townend (Pleasington) 6 and 5.
Lower half
Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) bt Emily Penttila (Fin) 5 and 3.
Lauren Taylor ( Woburn ) bt Isabel Jimenez ( Spain ) 4 and 2.
Antonia Scherrer (Ger) bt Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) 3 and 2.
Louise Gateau Chovelon (Fra) bt Bronte Law (Bramhall) 4 and 2.
Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell bt Noemi Jimenez (Spa) 4 and 2.
Emelie Lundstrom (Swe) bt Isabella Deilert (Swe) at 19th.
Hayley Davis (Ferndown) bt Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 2 and 1.
Camilla Hedberg (Spa) bt Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 3 and 2.
Ainhoa O’Larra (Spa) bt Ivon Reijers-Navas (Spa) 4 and 3.
Camille Richelle (Bel) bt Elena Villamil (Spa) at 20th.
Charlotte De Corte (Bel) bt Anna Fuld (Aut) 3 and 2.
Louise Ridderstrom (Swe) bt Olivia Winning ( Rotherham ) 4 and 3.
Mille Manon (Fra) bt Charlotte Thomas ( Singapore ) 2 and 1.
Isabel Gabsa (Ger) bt Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 2 holes.
Cylia Damerau (Swi) bt Emma Nilsson (Swe) 2 holes.
Alexandra Bonetti (Fra) bt Anna Aresse (Spa) 2 and 1.
SECOND ROUND
Upper Half
Yang bt Tidy 1 hole.
Sedda bt Delacour 2 and 1.
Boutier bt Brain 7 and 6.
Alonso bt Roeller 3 and 1.
Sobron bt Sagstrom 2 and 1.
Lee bt Baek at 20th.
Vilarasau bt Kraemer 2 and 1.
Victoria Scherer bt Sohnlein 2 and 1.
Lower Half
Leona Maguire bt Taylor 2 holes.
Antonia Scherer bt Chovelon 4 and 3.
Lisa Maguire bt Lundstrom 3 and 2.
Hedberg bt Davis 3 and 2.
O’Larra bt Richelle 4 and 3.
De Corte bt Ridderstrom 4 and 3. W
Manon bt Gabsa 4 and 3.
Bonetti bt Damerau 6 and 5.
THURSDAY MORNING TEE TIMES
8.30 Julie Yang v Laura Sedda.
8.40 Celina Boutier v Emilie Alonso.
8.50 Luna Sobron v Ha Rang Lee.
9.00 Andrea Vilarasau v Victoria Scherer.
9.10 Leona Maguire v Antonia Scherer
9.20 Lisa Maguire v Camilla Hedberg.
9.30 Ainhoa O'Larra v Charlotte De Corte.
9.40 Molle Manon v Alexandra Bonetti
+IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE BELFAST AREA, IT'S YOUR GOLFING DUTY TO TURN OUT AND SUPPORT THE MAGUIRE TWINS IN A BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ON YOUR DOORSTEP - The Editor (who is there himself!)
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