By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Portrush local hero Graeme McDowell took a busman's holiday today over the Royal Portrush classic links where he honed the game that won him last year's US Open.

As he relaxed in the Northern Ireland town where he was born and brought up, McDowell spent several hours watching the talent on display in abundance in the first qualifying round of the British women's open amateur championship.
Eighteen girls got under the LGU par of 74, enough to make the locals choke on their glasses of Guinness!

Whether it will inspire him to make a successful defence of the Major in America next week remains to be seen but his star quality certainly seemed to rub off on what is arguably the strongest field to grace this championship since it was inaugurated in 1893.

Minjee Lee, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, a 15-year-old from Perth, West Australia, led the sub-par charge over one of the world's finest links with its defences down.

The conditions were overcast and wet for most of the day but the total lack of wind meant that most of the par-5s were reachable in two and the long par-4s were not nearly so formidable as they would be in a half-gale which any links needs as part of its armoury.

Lee, over in Britain for next week’s Astor Trophy match-play team tournament featuring the world-class girls of not only Australia but New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, not to mention Great Britain and Ireland, shot a six-under-par 68, a brilliant effort by one so young with little or no experience of how to play a links course.

That gave her a three-shot lead from another golfing whiz-kid, 14-year-old Lydia Ko (New Zealand), who has a handicap of +6.2 and is rated No 1 in the Women’s World Amateur Rankings, and Nicole Vandermade (Canada), both of whom shot three-under-par 71s.
The joint second bracket was extended to five players later in the day by Marita Engzelius (Norway), new Spanish champion Camilla Hedberg, and Sophia Popov (Germany), who was recently named “Freshman of the Year” by the National Golf Coaches Association of America after a first season for the University of Southern California in which she won not once but three times.

On 72 were new Irish champion Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) and Giulia Molinaro (Italy).

Lee, Ko and Vandermade will all be playing in the Astor Trophy.:

“We don’t have links courses over in the West of Australia but I had two good practice rounds here at Royal Portrush on Sunday and Monday. I learned a lot about playing the ball clean off the turf. It’s a different kind of golf but I like it,” said Minjee whose South Korean mother started her playing golf about five years ago.

“Mum has a licence to teach golf so I have learned how to play from her.”

Minjee has a handicap of +4 and is a member of the Royal Freemantle Golf Club.

“I had only 27 putts so I would say that putting was the strongest part of my game today,” said Minjee who birdied the first, long seventh, eighth, long nint, long 10^th, sort 14^th, 16^th and par-5 17^th in halves of 34 both ways against the card of 37-37.

The course the Ladies Golf Union has put together for this championship is longer than the one used by the Royal Portrush lady members so Minjee’s 68 is “only” a record for a course that was being played officially for the first time today and will “disappear” after Saturday’s final.

Minjee did have two bogeys, by the way – a three-putt at the second and a 5 at the par-4 15^th which was one of the few fairways she missed all day.

“I didn’t hit the ball all that well on the practice range before I went out this morning but I thought I’ll just give it a go and I’m not only surprised I got it round in 68 – I am delighted!”

Lydia Ko deviated from par only three times in her 71 – 15 pars and birdies at the second, ninth and 10^th, all of them par-5 holes.

Vandermade made her 71 with a three-under-par outward half of 34 which included birdies at the second, fifth, seventh and eighth, dropping a shot at the short sixth. On the way home the Canadian reeled off nine straight pars.

Popov, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency,an 18-year-old from the Frankfurt area of Germany, birdied the first in the pouring rain but settled down to pepper the flags with her approach shots.

“The five-footer I had for my first birdie at the fifth was about my longest putt of the day,” said Sophia who also birdied three par-5s, the seventh, ninth and 18^th  by getting home in two and two-putting. Her remaining birdie was a 2 at the short 11^th.

She did drop one more shot, at the short sixth.

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Engzelius, a 23-year-old who has one year to go at Tulsa University, was so excited about playing in the championship that she bogeyed four of the first five holes.

“I had to calm myself down and when I did, things came all right,” said Marita, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency.
They certainly did! She parred from the sixth to the ninth to get out in 40 and then had the best inward half of the day – six-under-par 31 with birdies at the 10th, 13^th, 14^th, 16th, 17^th and 18^th.

“I think the difference was I started hitting the fairways consistently off the tee, which I didn’t do over the early holes,” said the Norwegian.

Irish champion Danielle McVeigh was first off the tee at 6.30pm on a damp morning but the Royal Co Down Ladies player did not let the early wake-up call or the miserable conditions upset her in the slightest.

She posted a two-under-par 72 before 10.30am.

Danielle went from the sublime to the ridiculous on the outward half with an eagle 3 at the par-5 seventh and then a double bogey 7 at the long ninth to turn in level par 37.

That slip was the first and last on McVeigh’s card. She came home in increasingly wet conditions in two-under-par 35, studded with birdies at the par-4 13^th and par-5 17^th.

Danielle’s 72 was matched by Italy’s Giulia Molinaro, a student at Arizona State University. She packed five birdies into halves of 35 (two under par) and 37 (level), going under par at the long second, short tird, long seventh and 13^th.

Giulia dropped shots at the first, fifth and 16^th.

France’s Perrine Delacour, British girls open champion at West Lancashire GC in 2009, tucked in behind the joint leaders with a 73 with birdies at the short third, par-5 sevent, par-5 10th and par-5 17^th. The Parisienne dropped shots at the 12^th, 15^th and 18^th in halves of 35 and 38.

Sweden’s Johanna Tillstrom also had a 73, again with halves of 35 out and 38 home.

Johanna birdied the fifth, seventh, ninth and 10^th. She had bogeys at te sixth, 13^th and 17^th.

Those on the 73 mark included Curtis Cup player Sally Watson (Elie and Earlsferry Ladies), a student at Stanford University, California, and Cecilia Cho (NZ), No 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Rankings.

Scottish champion Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), local girl Stephanie Meadow and Wales’ Gemma Bradbury all hit the 74 mark by varying routes.

Kenney finished strongly by holing a 60ft putt for a birdie 3 at the 16^th and then hit an “awesome” drive to set up a two-putt birdie 4 at the long 17^th in covering the inward half in one-under 36. Another Scot on the 74 mark was Ailsa Summers, a good effort by the young Carnoustie Ladies player who is well used to playing over tough links courses.

Alabama University student Stephanie birdied the fifth, eighth and 17^th but bogeyed the seventh, 13^th and 15^th.

Gemma bogeyed the first but then covered the next nine holes in four under par with birdies at the fifth, seventh, ninth and 10^th.

A bogey at the 13^th was cancelled out by her fifth birdie of the round, at the 15^th , but just when she looked set to take the lead, Gemma ran up a triple bogey 7 at te 16^th and took 39 home for a 74.

Charley Hull (Woburn), only 15 but ranked in the world’s top 20 and winner of the Welsh women’s open stroke play this season, had a 74

Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell) went to the turn in three-under-par 34, the joint best of a morning of unpleasant rather than difficult conditions. She birdied the second, seventh, ninth and then the 10^th to be four under par with eight to play.

But it was all uphill after that. The 16-year-old Curtis Cup player dropped five shots to par over the next six holes with bogeys at te 11t, 12^th and 14^th plus a double bogey at the 15^th. The inward half cost her 41 shots, four over the card.

Lisa Maguire finished with a 75, which was three shots better than twin sister Leona who turned in 38, having bogeyed the first and fourth with only one birdie, at the eighth to offset these slips. But she could not find a birdie at all in an inward 40 which had a bogey at the 12^th and a double bogey at the 16^th.

Defending champion Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) had a three-over-par 77, the same score as Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), holder of the British women’s open amateur stroke-play title.

Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar). beaten by Tidy in the final at Ganton 12 months ago had a 78 - so not everybody found the course easy. 

They talk about the Luck of the Irish but one Irish girl was most unlucky today. Megan Thompson (Ballyclare) misread her starting time and was nowhere near the first tee when her name was called. Penalty - disqualification. How sad! But she will get at least one round for her entry fee. Megan is being allowed to play at 7.36am in the second-round draw.
Also sad was the case of French girl Manon Molle who was taken ill out of the course and could not continue. She had to be taken back to the clubhouse in a buggy and retired from the championship.


FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 74 (37-37) Yardage 6401
68 Minjee Lee (Aus).
71 Lydia Ko (NZ), Nicole Vandermade (Can), Marita Engzelius (Nor), Sophia Popov (Ger), Camilla Hedberg (Spa).
72 Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies), Giulia Molinaro (Ita).
73 Johanna Tillstrom (Swe), Perrine Delacour (Fra), Sally Watson (Elie and Earlsferry Ladies), Louise Kristerson (Swe), Valerie Sternebeck (Ger), Cecilia Cho (NZ), Sara Monberg (Den), Lauren Taylor (Woburn), Christine Wong (Can), Nicola Rossler (Ger)..
74 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), Stephanie Meadow (Royal Portrush), Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Charlotte Kring Lorentsen (Denmark), Breanna Elliott (Aus), Justine Dreher (Fra). Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), Charley Hull ( Woburn ), Amy Boulden (Maesdu).
75 Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Katharina Sohnlein (Ger), Roberta Liti (Ita), Marta Sanz Barrio (Spa), Iliska Verwey (SAf), Pia Halbig (Ger), Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), Rebecca Lee Bentham (Can), Kyle Roig (Puerto Rico), Lara Katzy (Ger), Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Can), Marta Silva (Spa).
76 Karlijn Zaanen (Net), Celine Boutier (Fra), Meghan Stasi (US), Mereia Prat (Spa), Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush), Charlotte Wild (Mere), Nathalie Mansson (Swe), Lauren Blease (Burhill), Therese Koelbaek (Den), Josephine Janson (Swe), Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor).
77 Teresa Puga (Spa), Fanny Vuignier (Swi), Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), Nikki Foster (Pleasington), Anais Maggetti (Swi), Alexandra Bonetti (Fra), Thea Hoffmeister (Ger), Chantelle Cassidy (NZ), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Emma Sheffield (Newark), Catherine O’Connor (Tadmarton Heath).
78 Emma de Groot (Aus), Cathleen Santoso (Australia), Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell), Stephanie Kirchmayr (Ger), Bertine Strauss (SAf), Jess Wilcox (Blankney), Deirdre Smith (Co Louth), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Daniela Holmqvist (Swe), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie).
79 Gabriella Wahl (Ger), Rachel Drummond (Beaconsfield), Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), Jessica Wallace (Can), Jane Turner (Craigielaw), Ines Lescudier (Fra), Brogan McKinnon (Can), Alexandra Vilatte (Fra), Portland Rosen (US), Laure Castelain (Fra).
80 Alessandra Braida (Italy), Jennifer Gannon (Co Louth), Taylore Karle (US), Gillian O’Leary (Cork), Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), Lea Charpier (Fra), Kim Williams (SAf), Emma Broze (Fra).
81 Eugenia Ferrero (Ita), Ashley Ona (Aus), Taylor Kim (Can), Lindsay Gahm (US), Hannah Burke (Mid Herts), Ariane Provot (France), Whitney Hillier (Aus), Sophie Hayashi (US), Rosie Davies (US), Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough), Louise Coffey (Malone)..
82 Rachel Raastad (Norway), Daisy Dyer (Chigwell), Emma O’Driscoll (Ballybunion), Myrte Eikenaar (Net), Patricia Sanz Barrios (Spa), Taylor Stagle (US).
83 Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey), Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies), Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth), Shannon Aubert (Fra).
84 Ann-Kathrin Lindner (Ger), Maria Elena Villamil (Spa), Alexandra Averna (Ita), Helen Jones (Strabane).
85 Emily Perry (NZ), Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Valeria Martinoli (Swi), Julianne Alvarez (NZ), Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge)..
87 Kate Scarpetta (US).
88 Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint), Virginia Espejo-Saavedra (Spa).
89 Laura Watkins (Bicester), Tessa de Bruijn (Net), Henriette Frylinck (SAf).
91 Tiffany Avern-Taplin (SAf).
Retired: Manon Molle (Fra).
Disq: Megan Thompson (Ballyclare).
+Leading 64 players after Wednesday’s second round will qualify for the match-play stages.

WHEN TO SEE THE LEADERS ON WEDNESDAY

07.25 Sophia Popov and Marita Engzelius.
08.42 Camilla Hedberg.
12.20 Lydia Ko.
12.42 Nicole Vandermade.
12.53 Minjee Lee.

WHEN TO SEE THE IRISH FAVOURITES

06.52 Charlene Reid.
07.14 Leona Maguire.
08.53 Deirdre Smith. 
10.10 Victoria Bradshaw.
10.41 Danielle McVeigh.
10.52 Lisa Maguire.
11.03 Stephanie Meadow.
11.36 Jennifer Gannon.
12.09 Gillian O'Leary.