HELEN JONES LEADS IRISH SENIORS

OPEN INTO FINAL ROUND




NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION
Irish Senior International Helen Jones (Strabane) leads the field by two strokes going into the final round of the Irish Senior Women’s Open Strokeplay at Laytown and Bettystown Golf Club.
As conditions improved significantly on the previous day, Jones who had led the field by three strokes overnight, birdied the eight hole to turn two over par. A steady back nine into the strengthening breeze saw her home in 40 strokes to sign for a 78 and lead 2008 Champion Vicki Thomas (Wales). Thomas birdied the second, twelfth and seventeenth to get within one stroke of Jones but a disappointing bogey at the last widened the margin as she signed for 77.
One shot further back is Senior’s International Sheena McElroy (Grange) after a joint best of the day 74. McElroy birdied the first and fifth to turn level par and a further birdie at the twelfth saw her match Karen Pultz’s 74 after she made light work of the fourth, seventh, eight and eighteenth for both to lie joint third.
Local favourite and last year’s runner-up Phil O’Gorman sits menacingly on 157 after a 79 while Ballinasloe’s Mary Madden added a disappointing 84 to her opening 77 to lie four shots further back. Canada’s Lynda Palahniuk slipped six places after an 81 while Pat Doran (Donabate) made good ground after a 78. Surprise packet Gemma Butler (Birr) thoroughly enjoyed a hot streak with the putter and leapt twenty places after a sensational 77 late in the afternoon.
Defending Champion Alison Murdoch (Canada) added an 83 to her opening 84 and disappointingly will not bring the trophy oversees for her fifth time in seven years.
The top forty now play a final 18 holes strokeplay today (Friday), in reverse order with the leaders going out around 11am. The Champion will be crowned around 3pm after which the Irish team will be announced for the Seniors Home Internationals in England at the end of the month. Positions in the side will be determined by ranking in the Order of Merit and wildcard picks selected by Team Captain Roma English (Larne).
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
152 Helen Jones (Strabane) 74 78
154 Vicki Thomas (WAL) 77 77
155 Sheena McElroy (Grange) 81 74 Karen Pultz (CAN) 81 74
157 Phil O'Gorman (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 79
158 Lynda Palahniuk (CAN) 77 81
159 Pat Doran (Donabate) 81 78
161 Jean O'Connor (WAL) 81 80 Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) 77 84
163 Elisabeth Wendels (SWE) 81 82
164 Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire) 83 81
165 Diane Williams (CAN) 83 82
166 Gemma Butler (Birr) 89 77 Mairead MacNamara (Woodbrook) 83 83 Catherine Reilly (The Heath) 83 83 Marilyn Henderson (Castlerock) 80 86 Violet McBride (Belvoir Park) 80 86
167 Alison Murdoch (CAN) 84 83 Pauline Walsh (Headfort) 79 88
168 Denise Parker (ENG) 83 85 Cornelia Fischer (GER) 81 87
169 Rhona Brennan (Bandon) 85 84
172 Catherine Kavanagh (Mitchelstown) 89 83 Hilary Smyth (ENG) 86 86 Anna Moloney (Clonmel) 86 86
173 Valerie Shannon (Lahinch) 87 86
174 Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford) 84 90
175 Adrienne Crowley (Woodbrook) 88 87 Patricia McAllister (Laytown & Bettystown) 87 88 Jane Gardner (Malone) 83 92
176 Ann Monteith (Slieve Russell) 92 84 Mary Geaney (Killarney) 89 87
177 Mary Kavanagh (New Ross) 92 85 Susan Penman (SCO) 92 85 Valerie Hassett (Ennis) 86 91
178 Catherine Carty (Tullamore) 88 90 (withdrawn) Barbara Biggart (SCO) 88 90
179 Judy Collins (CAN) 90 89 Kate Evans (IRL) 89 90
180 Gill Rouiller (Mannan Castle) 93 87 Fionnuala McGrady (Dunmurry) 92 88
NON QUALIFIERS FOR FINAL 18 HOLES
183 Kath Stewart-Moore (Royal Portrush) 92 91

184 Marianne Copp (ENG) 95 89

185 Roma English (Larne) 98 87

186 Elizabeth Neville (Athenry) 96 90 Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) 92 94 Sonja Gottschalch (DEN) 92 94

187 Heidi Simpson (USA) 97 90 Maida McGowan (Laytown & Bettystown) 96 91 Trudy Brosnan (Kanturk) 93 94

190 Sheila Bodmer (SW I) 98 92 Maj-Britt Laempe (SWE) 95 95

191 Ann McAuley (Laytown & Bettystown) 102 89

193 Dorothy Thomson (SCO) 99 94

195 Mai McCann (Narin & Portnoo) 99 96

196 Elaine Elborn (Bangor) 99 97

197 Helen O'Donoghue (Clonmel) 102 95

198 Linda Ward (CAN) 98 100

200 Alice O'Neill (Laytown & Bettystown) 94 106

201 Marita Leech (Laytown & Bettystown) 101 100

203 Jenny Cagney (Lahinch) 101 102

222 Angela Mullins (Mitchelstown) 115 107