LOUISE KENNEY A CAREER AMATEUR? WELL, MAYBE NOT ...

THE LAST FOUR AT MACHRIHANISH (left to right) Megan Briggs, Louise Kenney, Eilidh Briggs and Jane Turner (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
If you thought that new Scottish women's amateur champion Louise Kenney was a career amateur, i.e. would never turn professional, then think again!
In her post-final interview with the golfing Press at Machrihanish, the Dunfermline school teacher and Pitreavie GC's most famous member, said she had not ruled out the possibility two years or so down the line, when she will be 30, that she might be of a mind to have a crack at the professional ranks, more or less out of curiosity as to how she would fare at that level.
The alternative would be to remain an international-class amateur for a few years yet until it would be too late to turn pro - and be left with the unanswered question about whether or not she had what it takes to make a living from golf.

Nothing stronger than. Certainly no commitment to a future course of action. All depends on how successful she is an amateur over the next couple of seasons and what conclusion she comes to when she takes stock of her golf career as she goes into her third decade.
Lynn Kenny, who won the last Scottish women's amateur championship at Machrihanish - beating Heather Stirling in the 2000 final (which was also played in rain but not quite as bad as yesterday), told Kirkwoodgolf readers at the beginning of last week that winning the Scottish title "changed my life."
Will winning the Scottish championship in 2011 be a life-changing event for Louise Kenney? Only time will tell. Louise is pictured above with her proud dad Chic (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).
Louise, who spent four years at Iowa State University, where some of the school records she set are still standing, has appeared in five Scottish finals in all.
The first two were in the Scottish Under-18 girls’ championships of 2000 (beat Fiona Gilbert in the final) and 2001 (lost to Heather MacRae in the final).
But, on Saturday in the climax to the 97th Scottish women's amateur championship at Machrihanish, Louise, competing in her third final in a row,
She beat 18-year-old Eilidh Briggs (Kilmalcolm) by 4 and 3 with three-over-par figures which underlined just how awful the conditions or wind and rain were. Eilidh, who had been under par in winning impressively her four earlier ties in the tournament, was nine over par for the 14 holes.
“In that terrible weather I got off to a good start to be two up after five holes and I felt relaxed. In the awful conditions I felt I played really well,” said Louise who flew to Turkey a few weeks ago, not for a holiday but to have a swing and technique check-up from her coach Spencer Henderson who last year was appointed national coach by the Turkish Golf Federation.
“A lot of things came together for me to win the title and Spencer’s input was important. So too was Rachael Watton's positive influence as a caddie after I beat her in the quarter-finals,” said Louise.
She is in the field for this coming weekend’s St Rule Trophy at St Andrews, followed by the British women’s open amateur match-play championship at Royal Portrush GC, Northern Ireland from June 7 to 11.
If she really has started to believe in herself on the big occasion, who knows what Kenney can now achieve.
Maybe Megan Briggs and Kelsey MacDonald can count themselves lucky that Louise was a definite non-believer - in her own capabilities on the big occasion - when they played her in the past two finals! 
In July, in the rearranged final of the Fife women’s country title, Kenney will be bidding to win the championship for the third year in a row.
In the midst of the happiest post-tournament interview Louise Kenney has ever given, she found the time to say some words of encouragement for Eilidh Briggs.
“She’s young. Her time will come to be Scottish champion. No doubt about that,” said Louise.
Although probably the last thing she wanted to do was talk about the biggest disappointment of her golfing life so far, Eilidh was mature enough to wipe away the post-final tears and meet the golfing Press
“It was a shame the weather was so bad for the final. Louise was really steady and she got off to a good start. I couldn’t get the holes back in the wind and rain,” said the Bridge of Weir teenager who is bound for Stirling University in the autumn.
“When I look back, I had a great week getting to the final,” said Eilidh who teamed up with older sister Megan to win the Eglinton Trophy for their club, Kilmacolm, in the qualifyinig rounds at the start of the week.
*Everything’s coming up roses for Fife golf this season. Louise Kenney’s victory  followed Fife’s capture of the men’s Scottish area team championship the previous weekend and, before that, Brian Soutar winning the Scottish champion of champions tournament at Leven and Greg Paterson the Craigmillar Park Open

Next year’s Scottish women’s championship will be played at Tain Golf Club, north of Inverness but just south of Royal Dornoch, from May 15 to 19.

conquered the nerves that ruined her title prospects against Megan Briggs in 2009 and Kelsey MacDonald last year.