VIVA ESPANA! MARIA FROM MADRID LEADS BRITISH SENIOR LADIES

Maria de Orueta, women's world amateur champion 24 years ago and now, in her 50th year, leading the British senior women's championship on her debut appearance. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Former women’s world amateur champion Maria de Orueta from Madrid , making her debut in the championship, leads the Senior Ladies British open amateur championship with one round to go at Belvoir Park Golf Club, Belfast.
The 50-year-old, who was 26 when she won the individual title at the women’s world championship (Espirito Santo Trophy) in Venezuela, has had rounds of 78 and 74 for a 36-hole tally of eight-over-par 152 on a day when the wind dropped, the rain was not so heavy or frequent – yet there was no significant improvement in the general standard of scoring. #
The CSS was 75 (par is 72), the same as for the first round although it was "Reduction Only" on Tuesday but not so today.
A total of 41 players qualified for the final round with aggregates of 168 or better.
De Orueta, mother of three children but “having a ball” since she had her 50th birthday in April and became eligible to play in senior women’s amateur golf.
“I played international golf for Spain from the age of 17 until I was 30. Then I had my family and was not able to play so much golf. Now I can – and I am enjoying life so much,” said the tall senora from Madrid where she is a member of the Puerto de Hierro Golf Club.
“I won the Spanish senior ladies’ title this year and I was a member of the Spanish team who finished second in the European senior ladies team championship in Bulgaria recently,” said Maria who plays in a distinctive, cowboy-style white hat.
She had four birdies – at the second, fifth, sixth and 12th – in her round of two-over-par 74 over a course playing very long with little run on the soft fairways.
“It is a very nice course but it is also a difficult one. For instance, I bogeyed the last two holes because you need a very good drive at the 17th and at the last hole you need a very good second shot. I did not hit either,” said Maria.
Overnight leader Jane Rees, a Welsh international who is a member at Hendon Golf Club, dropped out of contention with an 86 for 161 after taking 44 blows - eight over par - to the turn.
De Orueta’s closest rival going into the final 18 holes is English seniors champion Sue Dye (Delamere Forest) who repeated her opening 77 for 154, two shots off the pace.
“I wasn’t feeling one hundred per cent today so I am hoping a good night’s rest will make me feel a lot better for the last round,” said Sue who birdied the first and 14th. She also had a double bogey 6 at the ninth in an outward 39.
Another English player, Felicity Christine (Woking) is occupying third place on 155 – three shots behind the leader – after a 77.
Welsh legend Vicky Thomas (Carmarthen), winner of this title two years ago, is still in contention alongwith Ireland ’s Pat Doran – last year’s runner-up to champion Bev New - on the 156 mark. Vicki had a 77 and Pat a 79.
Sheena McElroy (Grange) had an 80 for 157 and is not out of it by any means but it looks fairly certain that defending champion Bev New is not going to retain the title. She had an 83 for 165.
Two other fancied competitors, Helen Jones (Strabane) and Finland's Min na Kaarnalahti, central figures in the controversial finish to last week's Irish senior women's open championship at Greenore, also look just that little bit too far away from the leader with 18 holes to play.
Jones did improve from an 83 to a 77 but 160 leaves her with an eight-stroke leeway to make up ... not impossible but improbable.
Kaarnalahti, who won the Irish title when Jones had a two-stroke penalty imposed for a bunker infringement of the rules by her caddie at the very last hole, had an 81 for 161, nine shots off the pace.
For the second day in a row, there was a hole in one. Today’s one was achieved by Canadian Allyson Harrison from Ontaro. She holed out with an eight iron at the 118yd third hole – the third ace of her golfing career.
She was playing with former Curtis Cup Scot Maureen (Walker) Richmond (Royal Liverpool) and Jean O’Connor (Newport), captain of the Welsh team for the forthcoming senior women’s home internationals at Tramore.
Coincidentally, Jean had a hole in one during her practice rounds for this tournament at Belvoir Park.
Allyson's hole in one did not help her qualify for the last-day action. She  had an 88 for 173.

Left to right: Maureen Richmond, Allyson Harrison who had a hole in one in the second round, and her other playing partner, Jean O'Connor. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.


QUALIFIERS FOR FINAL ROUND
Par 144 (2x72) Yardage 5635 CSS 75 75.

152 Maria de Orueta (Spa) 78 74
154 Sue Dye ( Delamere Forest ) 77 77.
155 Felicity Christine ( Woking ) 78 77.
156 Vicki Thomas ( Carmarthen ) 79 77, Pat Doran (Donabate) 77 79
157 Sheena McElroy (Grange) 77 80.
158 Rocio Ruiz de Velasco (Spa) 83 75, Ruth Lindley ( Hartlepool ) 81 77, Caroline Marron (Bromborough) 80 78.
160 Helen Jones (Strabane) 83 77, Marleen Nijhof (Net) 83 77, Janet Melville (Sherwood Forest ) 80 80. Rozalyn Adams ( Addington Court Ladies) 80 80..
161 Mary Smith (Tain) 82 79, Christina Birke (Swe) 81 80, Minna Kaarnalahti (Fin) 80 81, Viveca Hoff (Swe) 80 81, Jane Rees (Hendon) 75 86..
162 Catalina Castillejo (Spa) 89 73, Heather Anderson (Blairgowrie) 81 81, Violet McBride ( Belvoir Park ) 80 82.
163 Gertie McMullen (The Island ) 84 79, Ivy Steinberg (Can) 83 80, Catherine Reilly (The Heath) 81 82.
164 Lena Tornros (Swe) 86 78, Jean O’Connor ( Newport ) 85 79.
165 Maureen Richmond (Royal Liverpool) 86 79, Niamh Giblin ( Dun Laoghaire ) 85 80, Diane Williams (Can) 84 81, Bev New (Lansdown) 82 83.
166 Cristina Marsans (Spa) 84 82, Debbie Richards (Burhill) 82 84.
167 Pauline Walsh (Headfort) 90 77, Marion Kaufmann (Ger) 85 82, Jeannie O’Keeffe (Hankley Common) 85 82, Metie Meyer (Den) 85 82, Lorna Bennett (Ladybank) 84 83, Mimmi Guglielmone (Swi) 83 84, Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) 82 85
168 Birgitta Ljung (Swe) 88 80, Ginny Marshall (Can) 84 84.

MISSED THE CUT

169 Elisabeth Willander (Swe) 86 83, Ann Monteith (Slieve Russell) 84 85.
170 Annie Gowing (Frilford Heath) 85 85, Pamela Williamson (Baberton) 82 88..
171 Kate Evans (Frilford Heath) 92 79, Dominique Pelzer (Bel) 88 83, Sally Casey (Seapoint) 87 84, Anne Ryan (Tain) 85 86.
172 Marlilyn Henderson (Royal Belfast ) 89 83, Kathleen Sutherland (Royal Montrose) 89 83, Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) 88 84, Inger Sund (Swe) 88 84, Veronica MacGreevy (Royal Co Down Ladies) 77 85.
173 Gill Snelson (Branston) 91 82, Christine Mitchell (Sandiway) 87 86, Allyson Harrison (Can) 85 88, Cathy Armstrong (Ellesborough) 85 88, Terry Sexton (Dunlaoghaire) 85 88
174 Brenda Samus (Can) 93 81, Valerie Shannon (Lahinch) 88 86, Adrienne Crowley (Woodbrook) 86 88.
175 Marie Gothberg (Swe) 92 83, Pat Bennett ( Reading ) 91 84, Pauline Bailie ( Belvoir Park ) 88 87.
176 Karin Forssblac Mansson (Swe) 91 85.
177 Joan McVeigh ( Belvoir Park ) 90 87, Alison Bartlett (Royal Rorndoch) 89 88, Barbara Biggart ( North Berwick ) 87 90.
178 Janet Wilson (Royal Belfast ) 90 88.
179 Cindy Beaudet (Can) 88 91.
180 Cornelia Fischer (Ger) 91 89.
181 Mary Young (Can) 94 87, Susan Turner (Can) 93 88.
182 Valerie Hassett (Ennis) 91 91.
183 Sigrid Johannesen (Den) 94 89, Sue Pidgeon (Wrekin) 93 90.
184 Janice Paterson (Drumpelleir) 91 93.
186 Helen Castonguay (Can) 97 89, Marilyn Cox (Can) 96 90, Roma English (Larne) 94 92.
188 Ada Vrolijk (Net) 94 94.
189 Fionnula McGrady (Dunmurry) 96 93, Bonnie Schmidt (Can) 91 98..
190 Isabel Lorenzana (Spa) 97 93.
201 Eva Heikamp (Den) 97 104.
No Return Alison Grant (Ringway) 82 NR.
Retired: Gillian Curley (Northaptonshire Co) 93 -.

LAST ROUND TEE TIMES ON THURSDAY
08.10 Ljung and marker.
08.20 Marshall and Lorna Bennett.
08.30 Guglielmone and Kaufmann.
08.40 Madden and Meyer.
08.50 O'Keeffe and Walsh.
09.00 Marsans and Richards.
09.10 Giblin and New.
09.20 Richmond and Williams.
09.30 O'Connor and Tornros.
09.40 McMullen and Reilly.
09.50 Steinberg and Anderson.
10.00 Castillejo and McBride.
10.10 Rees and Birke.
10.20 Hogg and Kaarnalahti.
10.30 Smith and Adams.
10.40 Jones and Melville.
10.50 Nijhof and Lindley.
11.00 Marron and de Velasco.
11.10 McElroy and Doran .
11.20 Thomas and Christine.
11.30 Dye and de Orueta.