LEONA MAGUIRE LEADS HELEN HOLM FIRST ROUND BY TWO SHOTS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottisgolfview.com
Ireland's Leona Maguire, winner of the Portuguese women's international open amateur championship earlier in the year, continued her excellent early-season form
to surge two strokes clear of the field at the end of the first round at the Troon Portland links, Ayrshire in the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship over three rounds.
The 16-year-old, one half of the so talented golfing twins from the Slieve Russell club, Co Cavan, shot a six-under-par 69.
Troon Portland stages the first two rounds and the par of 75 on a fairly bright day, on which the wind came and went without warning, there was no shortage of players scoring under the generous par of 75.
You may argue as long as you like about whether or not 72 is closer to the "real" par for Troon Portland in these days when the girls can hit the ball so far that some of the par-5s are wedge shots for their approaches to the greens.
But you cannot devalue Leona's shotmaking that was that bit superior to anybody else's on the day at Troon Portland.
Leona, bidding to repeat her 2009 win in the "Helen Holm" instead of going for a hat-trick of wins in the prestigious French Under-21 girls championship - the French, for some reason, moved the dates of their event to clash head on with the "Helen Holm," bogeyed only one hole in halves of 34 (four under par) and 35 (two under). That was the par-5 18th which, generally, players are looking to birdie.
"I had a bad lie in a greenside bunker at the 18th and could not get up and down to save par," said Leona. 
"I generally start the season well and that 69 equals my best ever score over the Troon Portland course."
Leona birdied the long first, third, fifth, long ninth, long 11th, long 15th and 17th. Her longest putt on greens that most players seemed to think were on the slow side was a 30-footer across the green to save par at the fourth after bunkering her second.
Leona's 16-year-old twin sister Lisa, winner of the Spanish women's match-play title so far this season, had to be content with a 73. Lika Leona, she had only one bogey - at the short fourth, but she did not amass as many birdies as Leona - all at par-5 holes: the first, sixth, nint and 18th in halves of 36 and 37.
Defending champion Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) and Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), both members of last year's GB and I Curtis Cup team in America shot opening 74s. Danielle had bogeys at the fifth, short 10th, long 11th and 13th in halves of 36 and 38.
Holly ran up a double bogey 7 at the long 11th and also bogeyed the fifth and sort 10th in halves of 35 and 39.
Leader Leona Maguire's closest rivals, two shots back on 71, are two Scots, 17-year-old Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) and the experienced Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), plus another from the Emerald Isle, Gillian O'Leary (Cork), who is on the staff of the irish Ladies Golf Union in Dublin.
Alyson, bound for Stirling University in the autumn was out in level par 38 with bogeys at the third and eighth, where she missed the green, and birdies at the sixth and long ninth, and home in 33, one of the best inward halves of the day when players found the second nine generally more difficult.
McKechin birdied the 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th - a tremendous finish by the youngster. Her only shot dropped after the turn was at the 14th where she missed the green.
Louise Kenney, who might have won the Helen Holm last year but for a last-round 80, will have been mightily encouraged to take three strokes fewer than both her distinguished playing partners, Curtis Cuppers McVeigh and Holly Clyburn.
Louise birdied the long second, the third, the long sixth, the long 11th and the long 15th in halves of 36-35. She bogeyed the long ninth (bunkered).
"I found the greens on the slow side and missed from about nine feet at the 16th and eight feet at the last," said the Dunfermline supply teacher.
Gillian O'Leary had the first-round leadership within her grasp when she stood six under par after an eagle 3 at the second from 10ft and birdies at the long sixth, the seventh, the long 11th and long 12th.
"Six under par with six holes to play - I thought I had it cracked at that moment," said Gillian who then shed three shots to par over the short14th (double bogey 5 after a tee shot "well right") and a bogey at the long 15th where she pitched over the green instead of close to the flag as she intended.
O'Leary did reclaim one of the shots by getting down in two shots from 70 yards out, holing from 5ft for a birdie after an excellent wedge to the green but she was left with a "might-have-been" feeling at the finish.

Emma Brown (Malton and Norton), winner of the title as Emma Duggleby in 2004, had a useful round of 72, the same as Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall). Scottish champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) and Scotland team-mate Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) both had 73s.
Kelsey was out in two-under 36 but found birdies hard to come by on the inward half. She dropped a shot at the long 11t and had a birdie 2 at the sort 14th.
Pamela's bogeys at the third, long 11th and short 14th pushed her score up higher than it might have been, given that she birdied five par-5 holes: the second, sixth, ninth, 12th and 18th in halves of 36 and 37.
Three other members of last year's victorious Scotland team in the WHI at Cardiff had varying degrees of success.
Aberdeen student Jane Turner (Craigielaw) matched the par of 75 while teenager Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) had a 78 and Laura Murray from Alford, a disastrous 81 which included double bogey 6s at the seventh and 17t in halves of 40 and 41.
Former Scottish champion Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), another from the Scotland team that ended 19 title-less years in 2010, withdrew from the tournament because of university exams pressure.
Late in the day two youngsters, one Scottish and one English, joined Lisa Ball and Emma Brown on the 72 mark. The Scot was 16-year-old Angus girls champion Jessica Meek (pictured below) from Carnoustie Ladies.

Making her debut in the championship, Jessica's nerves no doubt contributed to a four-putt first green but give the lass full marks for putting that immediately behind her. She went on to birdie four long holes - te second, sixth, ninth and 18th as well as the short 16th in halves of 36.
The other late 72 came from Rachael Goodall (Heswall) who finished runner-up in the recent The Leveret Tournament at Formby. Rachael birdied three long holes, the first, sixth and ninth plus the short 14th. She had no bogeys in halves of 35 and 37.
Even later in the day - the last group in the field of 99 to finish - German girl Katharina Soehnlein eagled the nint to be out in five-under-par 33, having birdied the first, third and sixth. A birdie 2 at the sort 10th put her six-under-par with seven holes to play - and Leona Maguire's lead was definitely in her sights.
But the German nosedived to a 73 by dropping four shots to par down the run-in - and that with the wind behind her and the sun shining. She bogeyed the 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th for 40 home.
Speaking of sunshine. The weather forecast for Troon on Saturday is not good - lots of rain apparently on its way.

FIRST ROUND SCORES AT END OF PLAY

Troon Portland Par 75. Yardage 6,289. CSS 76

69 Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell).

71 Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), Gillian O’Leary (Cork), Louise Kenney (Pitreavie).

72 Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall), Emma Brown (Malton and Norton), Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies), Rachael Goodall (Heswall).

73 Emma O’Driscoll (Ballybunion), Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton)., Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Katharina Soehnlein (Germany).

74 Shelby Smart (Knowle), Jessica Bradley (Tiverton), Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush), Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies), Emma Sheffield (Newark), Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies), Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough), Joelle Van Baarle (Belgium), Hannah Barwood (Knowle), Chloe Leurquin (Belgium), Valerie Sternebeck (Germany), Emelie Ferlin (Sweden), Jess Wilcox (Blankney), Bronte Law (Bramhall), Lucy Williams (Mid Herts).

75 Rebecca Wood (Hallamshire), Samantha Birks (Wolstanton), Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Hannah Grant (Enmore Park), Charley Hull (Woburn), Nikki Foster (Pleasington), Jane Turner (Craigielaw).

76 Jerry Lawrence (Rochester and Cobham), Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge), Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch), Becky Harries (Haverfordwest)., Stephanie Fransolet (Belgium), Daisy Dyer (Chigwell), Vicki Troeltsch (Germany), Mireia Prat Caballeria (Spain), Clara Young (North Berwick), Charlotte Wild (Mere), Nina Holleder (Germany).

77 Aedin Murphy (Carlow), Olivia Winning (Rotherham), Lauren Whyte (St Regulus), Louise Kristersson (Sweden), Anjelica Hammer (Sweden).

78 Rebecca McGeehan (Hummelbachaue), Amy Boulden (Maesdu), Carla Reynolds (Seapoint), Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough).

79 Rebecca Wilson (Grange), Rachael Taylor (Am Reichswald), Bronwyn Davies (Trentham), Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), Lesley Atkins (Gullane), Mariel Bruun (Norway), Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir), Katie Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Maura Diamond (Royal Portrush), Sara Garbutt (Ganton), Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale).
PROJECTED CUT-OFF MARK AFTER TWO ROUNDS

80 Lucy Gould (Bargoed), Sophie Powell (Manchester), Fanny Cnops (Belgium), Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park)..

81 Harriet Key (South Herts), Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Naomi Edwards (Ganton), Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus), Katie McIntosh (Broomieknowe), Claire Smith (Silsden), Laura Murray (Alford).

82 Ailsa Bain (Peebles), Therese Larsson (Sweden), Denise Kalek (Germany).

83 Katerina Slukova (Czech Rep), Katie Reid (Monifieth), Kelsey Coey (Clandeboye), Jennifer Linklater (Largs), Gillian Scanlon (Hamilton).

84 Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor), Sara Rees-Evans (Penrhos), Rachel Polson (Peterculter), Gemma Chalmers (Monifieth).

85 Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw), Tara MacTaggart (Minto), Abi Laker (Burford), Jordana Graham (Southerness)..

88 India Clyburn (Woodhall Spa).

89 Samantha Leslie (Westhill).

TEAM EVENT – FIRST ROUND

142 IRELAND (Leona Maguire 69, Lisa Maguire 73).

146 SCOTLAND (K MacDonald 73, P Pretswell 73).

150 GERMANY (V Sternebeck 74, V Troelisch 76).

153 ENGLAND (H Clyburn 74, K Tidy 79).

154 BELGIUM (C Leurquin 74, F Cnops 80).

158 WALES (A Boulden 78, G Bradbury 80).

159 SWEDEN (L Kristersson 77, T Larsson 82).

WHEN TO SEE THE LEADERS ON SATURDAY
TROON PORTLAND
08.00 Holly Clyburn, Danielle McVeigh, Louise Kenney.
8.20 Emma Brown, Leona Maguire, Chloe Leurquin.
9.50 Jessica Meek, Maura Diamond, Jordana Graham.
12.10 Charlene Reid, Alyson McKechin, Bronwyn Davies.
13.00 Lisa Ball, Gillian O'Leary, Katie Reid.  

"The leading 66 players and ties at the end of Round 2 will qualify to play Sunday's final 18 holes over the Royal Troon Golf Club's Open championship links.