KELSEY RED-HOT MACHRIHANISH FAVOURITE BUT SHOCKS HAPPEN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
If you take the Women's World Amateur Golf Rankings as your "form book," then Stirling student and defending champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency at Craigielaw last May, must be regarded as a hot favourite to retain the Scottish women's amateur championship over the tough, demanding Machrihanish links near the Mull of Kintyre this week.

There are only six Scots in the current WWAGR top 500 - and two of them: Glasgow University student Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) and Sally Watson (Stanford University, California) cannot play this week because of their college commitments.

In terms of the 2011 national championship field, that leaves Kelsey well out on her own at No 43 in the world, ahead of No 201, Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), whom she beat in last year's final at Craigielaw), No 232 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) and No 334 Rachael Watton (Mortonhall). 

But Kelsey will not need reminding that golfers are neither racehorses nor machines. They are human beings who have their bad days as well as their good ones.

And match-play golf, as Ayrshire's David Wilson showed in the recent Scottish boys' championship final, where he came back from eight down to win the title, can throw up results that not even crystal-ball gazers would dare to predict.

If there is going to be a "dark horse" in this week's Machrihanish field it could be Eilidh Briggs. The Kilmacolm youngster has been in the shadow - in the nicest possible way - of her older sister Megan for years as the latter won the Renfrewshire county title several times, then the Scottish championship at Southerness in 2009 and was a member of the Scotland team that broke a 19-year no-win run in the Women's Home Internationals at Whitchurch, Cardiff last September.

But that was then. Fast forward to this golfing season and it's Eilidh Briggs who wins the Renfrewshire title  and then the West of Scotland women's championship. So a very good run in the "Scottish" would certainly not be a surprise to West of Scotland women's golf followers.

Robert Gordon University student Jane Turner, Rachael Watton, St Rule Trophy winner Laura Murray (Alford) and Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) all reached the last eight 12 months ago and produced some terrific quarter-final ties of quality before Louise Kenney beat Carlton and Kelsey MacDonald beat Murray in the semi-finals.

Fifer Louise Kenney has been getting closer and closer to winning the Scottish crown for a number of years. Her form in this year's "Helen Holm" at Troon suggests that should she make it through to Saturday morning's 18-hole final this week, she will be able to handle it far better than the past two years when she has been beaten finalist without really doing herself justice.

VIEWS OF TWO PAST CHAMPIONS AT MACHRIHANISH

PREPARATION WAS THE KEY FOR 1990
CHAMPION ELAINE FARQUHARSON 


The Scottish women's amateur golf championship is back this week at Machrihanish, down at the end of the Kintyre peninsula.
The legendary "local girl makes good" Belle Robertson, whose six title wins in the Scottish women's amateur championship included one in her own backyard at Machrihanish in 1972, once described this hard-to-get-to, but worth the effort classic links as a "monster."
She was speaking prior to the 1990 championship when a lot of rain had thickened the rough and made the course play very long.
Elaine Farquharson won the title that week, beating Catriona (Lambert) Matthew, Kathryn Imrie and Shirley Huggan over the last three rounds over a difficult course that brought the best out of the Aberdonian.
Now a successful planning solicitor in Aberdeen and only a social golfer, Elaine Farquharson-Black has been responding to the question: "What does it take to be a Scottish champion over the demanding Machrihanish links?
"Looking back at the cuttings, it would appear that my pitching and putting was very good in the match-play stages. The weather was bad in the qualifying rounds and there were complaints from Belle Robertson that the course was going to be too long.
"i played very well to beat Catriona in the quarters, then Kathryn and Shirley in the final, having lost to Shirley in the semi-finals at Lossiemouth the year before. I was also nursing an ankle injury at Machrihanish.
"I would say that from my recollection I was very well prepared and mentally strong. I can remember being very calm. I had also been beaten in the final of the British championship the previous summer and the preparation I did with my coach David Thomson was then all geared at winning the Scottish title.
"I went down from the Helen Holm at Troon that year over to Machrihanish to have a practice round and paced the course, made lots of notes and won the Babe Zaharias Trophy which used to be the 18-hole preliminary warm-up competition at the Scottish championship venue on the Sunday.
"I also knew I had to play well to get selected for the Curtis Cup.
That was arguably Scotland's strongest period for female amateur golf for some time with four of us vying for places in the GB and I team. Shirley was the only one not to make the Curtis Cup team that year (1990)."
+The North-east challenge has been reduced by one with the late withdrawal of Sammy Leslie (Westhill), last year's Aberdeenshire county champion. She fell down some steps at home and landed awkwardly, injuring a leg badly enough for her to be given a crutch until she gets better.

MACHRIHANISH TITLE WIN WAS THE TURNING
POINT OF LYNN KENNY'S CAREER

It's 11 years since the Scottish women's amateur golf championship was played at one of the best - and most remote - links courses in the country: Machrihanish.
Dunblane's Lynn Kenny, now a Ladies European Tour professional, beat Heather Stirling (Bridge of Earn) by one hole in the 2000 final and as this field for this week's championship get ready to tackle in earnest a links once described by Belle Robertson, a member at nearby Dunaverty, as "a monster,"
Lynn has been looking back on her golden week.
"I have very fond memories of my week at Machrihanish in 2000. I remember Cara Gruber (both Stirling University students) sa a 3hr exam at 7.30am on the morning of the first qualifying round, so perhaps having a distraction is the first thing needed!
"You don't what want is a really tough course to dominate your thoughts too much. I am sure that my straight driving was a huge help throughout the week, especially off the first tee where you have to drive across the beach or the sea if the tide is in to reach the fairway!
"I remember thhat I chipped and putted nicely. Apart from my saky start in the final (three-putted the first two greens), my short game kepmt me in it.
"In the final I was three down at the turn to Heather and I remember slowly but surely pegging her back and then I think I went ahead with a birdie 2 at the short 15th, only to be pulled back to square at the 17th.
"Then came the best up-and-down of my career from the back of the 18th. I sank an 8ft putt and Heather miss her attempt - and that was me Scottish champion! It was absolutely the turning point in my golfing career.
"It opened so many doors for me and I haven't looked back since. It is my proudest moment by far.
"I would like to wish everyone who is playing this week and all the SLGA organisers a wonderful week at Machrihanish. If I wasn't playing in Germany, I would definitely have made the long trip down to see everyone and relive some very fond and happy memories.
"So, to sum up, to win at Machrihanish, you need to keep the ball in play off the tee because the rough in places is punishing. You need a tidy short game, a lot of patience and finally, a good caddie. My Mum caddied for me in the 2000 championsip and se was simply the best!"
+Late withdrawls from the championship include Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder), who lost by 2 and 1 to Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) in the 2007 final at Kilmarnock Barassie, and lost in the semi-finals of the Perth and Kinross women's county championship at Crieff at the weekend.
"Work commitments forced me to withdraw," Emily told Kirkwoodgolf. "I just couldn't get down to Machrihanish in time but I'll be keeping an eye on the results."

+There will be FIVE contestants for the Past Champions Cup, staged on conjunction with the second qualifying round. They are: Alison Davidson (champion in 1997 at West Kilbride), Elaine Moffat (champion in 1998 at North Berwick), Martine Pow (champion at Dunbar in 2006), Megan Briggs (champion at Southerness in 2009) and, of course, defending champion Kelsey MacDonald, winner at Craigielaw last year.

QUARTER-FINALISTS IN RECENT YEARS

2010 - Craigielaw
Martine Pow, Claire-Marie Carlton, Megan Briggs, Louise Kenney, Kelsey MacDonald, Rachael Watton, Jane Turner, Laura Murray.
2009 - Southerness
Jane Turner, Carol Wilson, Megan Briggs, Laura Murray, Elaine Moffat, Lesley Atkins, Louise Kenney, Kylie Walker.
2008 -Lossiemouth
Sammy Vass, Michele Thomson, Jane Turner, Jocelyn Carthew, Claire-Marie Carlton, Kylie Walker, Louise Kenney, Laura Murray.
2007 - Kilmarnock Barassie.
Jenna Wilson, Martine Pow, Heather MacRae, Elaine Moffat, Edwina Lowery-Gold, Emily Ogilvy, Claire Hargan, Michele Thomson.
2006 - Dunbar
Heather MacRae, Lesley Hendry, Emily Ogilvy, Martine Pow, Anne Laing, Fiona Lockhart, Hilary Laughland, Louise Kenney.
2005 - Cruden Bay
Karen Marshall, Fiona Lockhart, Kylie Walker, Claire Hargan, Anne Laing, Claire-Marie Carlton, Emil Ogilvy, Sally Watson.