EMILY TAYLOR WINS IRISH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP BY THREE STROKES

Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham and St Annes) scored the biggest win of her fledgling golf career today when she won the Irish women's open amateur stroke play championship by three strokes at The Island GC, Donabate, Co Dublin.

After a very windy first day, Chorley-based Emily, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who finished fifth in the recent English women's amateur (closed) championship, started today's third and final round a shot behind leader Gillian O'Leary from Cork.
But Gillian took 80 shots for a total of 14-over-par 236 and 17-year-old Emily, with a 76, was able to make up the leeway and finish three shots ahead of joint runners-up Mary Dowling (New Ross), a past Irish match-play champion (76 for 236) and O'Leary (80 for 236).
Lisa Maguire (Slieve), out of action with a wrist injury at the start of the season, showed she was 100 per cent fit again by finishing four with a 78 for 238.
Top Scot was teenager Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), a Scotland girl international and Stirling University student who won the British Students Tour championship a few weeks back.
Former Scottish champion Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) injured a shoulder and had to retire during her third round.
Surprise of the tournament was the failure of Curtis Cup selection and defending champion Leona Maguire to break 80 in any of her rounds.
Leona finished joint 10th on 245.
Emily will go for a big stroke-play double at St Andrews this coming weekend in the St Rule Trophy - won in the 1990s by Annika Sorenstam - over the New and Old Courses.
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE IRISH LGU
England's Emily Taylor won the Irish Women’s Open Amateur Strokeplay by three strokes from Ireland’s Mary Dowling (New Ross) and Gillian O’Leary (Cork) at at The Island Golf Club.Trailing overnight leader O'Leary by one stroke, Taylor captured her first Irish title in style with birdies on eight, ten, fifteen and held from twelve feet at the last to sign for a closing 76.
Dowling matched the new champion’s final round score to edge O’Leary into third place on count back after the Cork international struggled to repeat Saturday’s form on the outward nine. As the wind abated marginally from Saturday’s 35 mile per hour gusts, competitors once again struggled to match par as the north-easterlies presented a stiff challenge to the field.
Sarah Cunningham (Ennis), Hannah Henderson (Ballyclare), Katherine O’Connor (Wales) and Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw) all comfortably broke 80 to extract sweet revenge on the previous day's trials
Ireland B won the Nations Cup from by two strokes from Ireland A, with Scotland third and England fourth.

IRISH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
The Island Golf Club, Donabate, Co Dublin

FINAL TOTALS
Par 222 (3x74) CSS 80 79 77

Retired: Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 87 82 -, Emma O'Driscoll (Ballybunion) 85 85 -.

MISSED CUT
177 Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little) 87 90
178 Chloe Weir (Shandon Park) 95 83 Paula Grant (Lisburn) 89 89 Niamh Ward (Lurgan) 88 90
179 Niamh McSherry (Lurgan) 93 86
181 Zoe Allen (Lurgan) 92 89
183 Suzie Hayes (Hermitage) 95 88 Lisa O'Shea (Shannon) 90 93
184 Lauren Blease (ENG) 88 96
185 Ashley Constantine (The Island) 97 88
185 Rebecca O'Regan (Newlands) 92 93
185 Cliodhna McCarthy (Stackstown) 87 98
188 Victoria Craig (Clandeboye) 97 91
189 Sophie Harrison (Sutton) 97 92
193 Holly Robinson (Co. Sligo) 93 100
196 Darcey Carr (Milltown) 102 94
202 Laura Doherty (Howth) 110 92
WD Christine Armanasco (Belturbet) 93 WD Shauna O'Brien (Clonmel) 95 WD Orla Egan (Roscrea) 106 WDNATIONS CUP
Two from three scores counted475 IRELAND B Mary Dowling 81 79 76, Paula Grant (89) (89) (), Deirdre Smith 83 75 81
477 IRELAND A Jessica Carty (88) 78 79, Leona Maguire 82 (83) (80), Lisa Maguire 81 79 78
503 SCOTLAND Eilidh Briggs 82 84 88, Megan Briggs (87) 82 RTD, Alyson McKechin 83 (86) 84
...... ENGLAND Lauren Blease 88 96 (), Emily Taylor 85 72 76
233 Emily Taylor (ENG) 85 72 76
236 Mary Dowling (New Ross) 81 79 76 Gillian O'Leary (Cork) 79 77 80
238 Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell) 81 79 78
239 Deirdre Smith (Co. Louth) 83 75 81
240 Maria Dunne (Skerries) 80 82 78
242 Hannah McCook (SCO) 79 84 79
243 Aedin Murphy (Carlow) 84 81 78 Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) 79 83 81
245 Jessica Carty (Holywood) 88 78 79 Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) 82 83 80
246 Katherine O'Connor (Wal) 86 83 77, Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down) 86 80 80, Anna Courtney (St. Anne's) 83 85 78
247 Sarah Cunningham (Ennis) 88 83 76 Kristina Rothengatter (Ger) 86 80 81 Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint) 85 83 79 Joelle van Baarle (Bel) 84 79 84 Jessica Ross (Donaghadee) 78 87 82
248 Lucy Simpson (Massereene) 89 80 79, Karen Delaney (Carlow) 87 81 80 Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) 86 85 77, Sarah Helly (Enniscrone) 85 82 81
250 Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 87 84 79, Ariana Coyle Diez (Elm Park) 87 83 80 Jean O'Driscoll (Muskerry) 83 83 84
251 Laura Grant (Lisburn) 88 82 81
252 Kelsey Coey (Clandeboye) 84 85 83
253 Hannah Henderson (Ballyclare) 92 84 77, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 83 86 84
254 Karen O'Neill (Douglas) 90 81 83, Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) 90 80 84, Alison Taylor (Malahide) 88 83 83, Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 82 84 88
255 Amy Farrell (Moate) 86 84 85
256 Sinead Sexton (Lahinch) 89 86 81
257 Sammy Vass (Tain) 83 93 81
259 Aoife Lowry (Tipperary) 87 83 89
263 Ashleigh Wilton (The Island) 88 86 89