KELSEY MACDONALD SAYS SHE CAN BEAT THE JINX ON NO 1 SEEDS

KELSEY MACDONALD: Last player to win the Scottish title two years in a row was Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) in 2003-2004. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
A chilling 25mph southwest wind, laced with rain blown in off the Atlantic Ocean, today restored the Machrihanish links’ reputation as a fiercesome test of golf – but the cream still rose to the top in the second qualifying round of the 97th Scottish women’s amateur golf championship at the remote Kintyre venue.
Stirling University student Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), the defending champion and hot favourite on her world ranking status, earned the top seeding among the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages.
All the top players thought it was at least “a four-club wind” in their faces when they turned for home … where they had used say a seven iron to a green in Monday’s calm conditions, today it was at least a three-iron to cover the same distance into the teeth of the gale.
“It was brutal playing into that wind,” said Pitreavie’s Louise Kenney who hooked out of bounds at the 17th and ran up a triple bogey 7.
Kelsey MacDonald, 20, followed up her par 72 with a battling 78 for a total of six-over-par 150 on a day when the CSS was 78 (reduction only).
Joint second best qualifiers were Mortonhall teenager Rachael Watton (74-77) and 15-year-old surprise packet from St Andrews, Lauren Whyte (72-79), both on 151.
“I’ve never played in a wind as strong as that,” said Lauren, “but it was a great experience for me to play with Kelsey MacDonald and Megan Briggs. I was nevous at the start but they soon put me at ease and I actually enjoyed it despite the weather.”
Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), the overnight leader with a 71, was blown away to an 82 in which she bogeyed seven of the last eight holes into the wind, including the last five on the trot.
But the Strathclyde student, champion in 2009 at Southerness, is still the No 4 seed on 153.
No 5 qualifier was teenager Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) whose halves of 33 out and 45 back underlined the contrasting conditions for the two loops.
The honour of achieving the best individual score of five-over-par 77 in the second was shared by teenager Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) and senior team international Noreen Fenton (Dunbar).
A good effort by both players but particulary by veteran Noreen in conditions that were as much a test of stamina on the road in as they were of golf skill.
The fly in the ointment for Kelsey MacDonald is that the last time she was the No 1 qualifier – at Lossiemouth in 2008 – she lost in the first round to the last of the 32 qualifiers, Sammy Vass from Tain.
“I know there’s a bit of a jinx on the top qualifiers in this championship but I’m not worried about it. You have to be able to beat everybody to win this title and I did it last year at Craigielaw and there’s no reason why I can’t do it again,” said the confident Kelsey.
Kelsey is one of four former Scottish champions in the top half of the draw. The others are Martine Pow (Selkirk), winner in 2006, Alison Davidson (Stirling), winner as Alison Rose in 1997, and Elaine Moffat, champion in 1998.

PRIZEWINNERS
FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
Beddows Memorial Trophy (lowest gross score)
1 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 71.
2 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 72 (better last 6).
3 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 72.
4 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) 74 (better inward half).
St Andrews Quaich (best net)
1 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 68.
2 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 71.
3 Lesley Barker (Kilmarnock Barassie) 73 (bih).
Eglinton Quaich (team gross first round)
1 Kilmacolm (Megan Briggs 71, Eilidh Briggs) 77) 148.
Baby Quaich (lowest individual gross in Eglinton Quaich)
1 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 71.
Grainger Cup (lowest team net in first round)
1 St Regulus (Lauren Whyte 68, Rachel Hanlon 80) 148

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND PRIZES 
Glover 21st Anniversary Cup (lowest gross score in Round 2)
1 Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) 77 (bih).
2 Noreen Fenton (Dunbar) 77.
3 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 78 (bih).
4 Martine Pow (Selkirk) 78.
Lyon Salver (best net score in Round 2)
1 Noreen Fenton (Dunbar) (4) 73.
2 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) (4) 75.

3 Tara MacTaggart (Minto) (4) 76.
Dunlop Hill Trophy (past champions in Round 2)
1 Martine Pow (Selkirk) 78.
McNeil Trophy (best county team in Round 2)
1 Midlothian 306 (Gabrielle Macdonald, Jane Turner, Rachael Watton).

TWO-ROUND PRIZES
St Rule Salver (best gross aggregate by an Under-21 player)
1 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 150.
McInnes Shaw Cup (best net aggregate)
1 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 143 (68 and 75).
Margaret Scouler Buchanan Cup (best gross aggregate)
1 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 150 (72 and 78).

EXTENDED TEAM TOTALS
EGLINTON QUAICH (scratch)
1 KILMACOLM (Megan Briggs 71, Eilidh Briggs 77) 148.
2 STIRLING (Alison Davidson 75, Elaine Allison 79) 154.
3 CRAIGIELAW (Jane Turner 77, Gabrielle Macdeonald 78) 155.
4 BROOMIEKNOWE (Wendy Nicholson 78, Kate McIntosh 78) 156.
5 St REGULUS LADIES (Elaine Moffat 74, Rachel Hanlon 84) 158.
6 WINDYHILL (Sara Bishop 78, Carol Whyte 85) 163.
T7 NORTH BERWICK (Clara Young 77, Barbara Biggart 81) 168.
T7 MONIFIETH LADIES (Ashley Smith 82, Heather Munro 86) 168.
9 DRUMPELLIER (Susan Wood 79, Janice Paterson 90) 169.
10 BABERTON (Karen Marshall 77, Pamela Williamson 93) 170.
11 LOCHEND (Linda Bain 84, Eileen Gillespie 89) 173.
12 HAMILTON (Angela Devine 80, Elizabeth Lees 94) 174.
T13 CATHKIN BRAES (Jenny Potter 87, Joanna Scott 88) 175.
T13 CRUDEN BAY (Jill Harrison 86, Rosaleen Dunsmuir 89) 175.
15 MACHRIHANISH (Valerie MacKay 87, Ann Gallacher 91) 178.

GRAINGER CUP (net scores)
1 ST REGULUS LADIES (Lauren Whyte 68, Rachel Hanlon 80) 148.
T2 STIRLING (Elaine Allison 74, Alison Davidson 75) 149.
T2 KILMACOLM (Megan Briggs 71, Eilidh Briggs 78) 149.
4 BROOMIEKNOWE (Kate McIntosh 75, Wendy Nicholson 76) 151.
5 MONIFIETH LADIES (Katie Reid 74, Ashley Smith 78) 152.
6 MACHRIHANISH (Valerie McKay 74, Ann Gallacher 79) 153.
7 CRAIGIELAW (Gabrielle Macdonald 76, Jane Turner 78) 154.
8 LOCHEND (Linda Bain 79, Eileen Gillespie 79) 158.
9 HAMILTON (Angela Devine 74, Elizabeth Lees 87) 161.
10 DRUMPELLIER (Susan Wood 79, Janice Paterson 83) 162.
11 CRUDEN BAY (Roseleen Dunsmuir 81, Jill Harrison 82) 163.
11 BABERTON (Karen Marshall 76, Pamela Williamson 88) 164.
13 WINDYHILL (Laura McGeachy 84, Lindsay Mathie 90) 174.
14 CATHKIN BRAES (Pauline Warlow 84, Maureen Meek 92) 176.

McNEIL TROPHY (county teams, gross totals)
1 MIDLOTHIAN (Gabrielle Macdonald 78 84, Jane Turner 77 78, Racael Watton 74 77) 306.
2 RENFREWSHIRE (Eilidh Briggs 77 84, Megan Briggs 71 82, Alyson McKechin 76 78) 307.
3 FIFE (Louise Kenney 74 81, Susan Jackson 76 82, Elaine Moffat 74 83) 311.
4 ABERDEENSHIRE (Jill Harrison 86 86, Laura Murray 75 84, Sheena Wood 75 81) 315.
T5 STIRLING and CLACKMANNAN (Elaine Allison 79 82, Alison Davidson 75 82) 318.
T5 LANARKSHIRE (Elaine Cuthill 78 87, Rachael Taylor 79 82, Susan Wood 79 79) 318.
7 DUNBARTONSHIRE and ARGYLL (Sara Bishop 78 79, Lorraine Campbell 86 96, Nichola Ferguson 83 83) 323.
8 ANGUS (Heather Munro 86 83, Katie Reid 78 86, Ashley Smith 82 83) 326.
9 AYRSHIRE (Lesley Barker 80 102, Mhairi McKay 87 93, Rachael McQueen 78 83) 334.
10 EAST LOTHIAN (Barbara Biggart 91 95, Clara Young 77 81, Dawn Young 92 86) 335.
Withdrew: PERTH and KINROSS (Eilidh Watson and Emily Ogilvy withdrew).