BECKY HARRIES' BRILLIANT LAST ROUND WINS HER WELSH STROKE-PLAY TITLE

Becky Harries, two eagles in her final round at Ashburnham (Image by Cal Carson Agency).

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Welsh champion and Curtis Cup reserve Becky Harries produced arguably the best round of her life just when she needed it most to win the prestigious Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play championship over the Ashburnham links on the South Wales coast today.
Starting the final day four shots behind overnight leader Chloe Williams (Wrexham) and in joint fifth place, the 23-year-old from the Haverfordwest club stormed round in five-under-par 69 for a final total of two-under-par 220.
Becky, a winner at Tenby recently, won the national stroke-play open title by two shots from Chloe Williams who dropped four shots over her last five holes - a double bogey 7 at the 15th and bogeys at the 15th and 17th for a 75 and 222. She had earlier birdied the fifth, eighth and 10th and looked to be well on her way to the biggest win of her young career.
She lost a play-off to Curtis Cup selection Bronte Law in last year's Scottish Under-16 girls' open championship at Strathmore.
But it was Becky Harries (pictured) who was the star of the last round.
She had two eagle 3s - at the fifth and 17th.She had five birdies - at the long second, fourth, short sixth, long 10th and long 14th.
She had five bogeys in this roller-coaster round - at the third, ninth, 13th and 16th.
Becky's halves were 34-35.
Another Curtis Cup reserve, England's Georgia Hall, whose second-round 70 was the second-best of the tournament and represented a 10-shot improvement on her first round, finished third with a closing 74 for 224.
Last weekend's "Helen Holm" winner and the player Becky beat in last year's Welsh championship final, Amy Boulden (Conwy) started the tournament slowly with a 78 but picked up speed with every round, scoring 75-72 for the last two rounds to glaim a creditable fourth place on 225, one stroke ahead of another GB and I team player for Nairn June 8-10 - Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale).
Kelly improved considerably on her "Helen Holm" showing to fill joint fifth place with steadier scores of 76-74-76.
Top Scot for the second weekend in a row was Laura Murray (Alford). Joint third last week at Troon, Laura finished ninth at Ashburnham with scores of 79-77-74.
The big hitting winner of the St Rule Trophy two years ago (when she beat Amy Boulden in a play-off), Laura had an eagle at the fifth and birdies at the third and 17th.
Four late bogeys - at the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th - cost Murray a top five or six placing.
Second best Scot was Carnoustie teenager Jessica Meek in 11th place on 233 with scores of 78-75-80.
Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) and  former Scottish champion Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) also failed to break 80 in the final round but made the final top 2-20.
Alyson scored 77-81-80 for 238, the same aggregate as Megan with scores of 77-78-83. They were joint 18th.
Curtis Cup team selection Charley Hull (Woburn) did not defend the title.

ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
Par 222 (3x74)
220 Becky Harries (Haverford West) 76 75 69.
222 Chloe Williams (Wrexham) 74 73 75
224 Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) 80 70 74.
225 Amy Boulden (Conwy) 78 75 72.
226 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 76 74 76, Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham) 73 75 78.
227 Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) 75 78 75.
229 Nikki Foster (Pleasington) 77 74 78.
230 Laura Murray (Alford) 79 77 74
231 Katherine O'Connor (Tadmnarton Heath) 74 78 69.
233 Jessica Meek (Carnoustie) 78 75 80.
234 Rachel Drummond (Beaconsfield) 77 81 76, Lauren Hillier (Newport) 79 75 80, Hannah Barwood (Knowle) 75 77 82
235 Helen Searle (Huddersfield) 83 76 76, Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 78 76 81
237 Katerina Slukova (Czech Rep) 80 81 76.
238 Stacey Rodger (West Hove) 79 83 74, Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth) 81 79 78, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 77 81 80, Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 77 78 83.
239 Lucy Gould (Bargoed) 85 79 75, Rachel Goodall (Heswall) 82 78 79.
240 Sophie Madden (West Essex) 80 78 82.
241 Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co) 79 82 80.
242 Lauren Blease (Burhill) 84 76 82. Bronwyn Davies (Trentham) 82 76 84.
243 Rachel Lewis (Llanishen) 83 83 77, Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro) 83 81 69,  Samantha Giles (St Mellion) 78 82 83.
244 Clara Young (North Berwick) 77 84 83.
247 Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 84 78 85.
248 Chelsea Masters (Highwoods) 86 80 82, Laura Watkins (Bicester) 83 82 83.
249 Lauren Horsford (Wimbledon Park) 81 85 83.
250 Sara Rees Evans (Penrhos) 83 83 84.
252 Georgia Thomas (Tenby) 84 84 84, Samantha Fuller (Ashburnham) 79 86 87.
254 Nia Greville (Ashburnham) 95 77 82, Katie Rule (Merlin) 88 78 88.
256 Samantha Birks (Wolstanton) 89 84 83.
258 Jessica Evans (Newport) 87 89 82.
259 Georgia Lewis (Llanishen) 83 90 86
260 Charlie Field (Bishop Stortford) 86 79 95.
261 Rhiannon Thomas (St Pierre) 85 85 91
262 Bethan Williams (Holyhead) 88 88 86.
263 Noelle Biejer (Netherlands) 94 82 87.
264 Amelia Taylor (St Anne's Old Links) 91 80 93.
265 Ciara Kelly (Hagley) 82 92 91
268 Sophie Anderson (Ashburnham) 88 86 94
Withdrew: Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) 88 81.
NR: Dolores Brown (Royal Cinque Ports) 82 81 NR