LAURA MURRAY WILL GO TO TOUR SCHOOL IF SHE KEEPS PLAYING LIKE SHE DID AT TAIN

  LAURA MURRAY plays her last shot of the 2012 championship final .. a wedge to within a foot of the flagstick at the 18th for a conceded birdie. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.


By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

The chances of new Scottish women's amateur golf champion Laura Murray from Alford bidding for a repeat win next year will recede with each good performance over the next few months.

The prospects of beaten finalist Jane Turner from Penicuik going one better next year when the 99th championship is played at Longniddry, a course in her neck of the woods, are very good.

Laura, now 23, has been talking, for the past two years, about going to the Ladies European Tour School - but has never felt her game was in good enough nick to justify the expense by gaining a player's card.

But a switch to a new PGA coach - boyfriend Keil Beveridge from the Inchmarlo Golf Centre staff - and a lot of hard work under his guidance during the winter has transformed Murray as a player.

This season she has been top Scot in the "Helen Holm," top Scot in the Welsh stroke-play, and now Laura is Scottish champion.  

"As regards going to Tour School,  I would like to hang fire and make the decision towards the end of the season, but if my form continues, then it will be an easy decision to go for it," said Laura after her two-hole victory over Jane Turner at Tain on Saturday.

Jane was No 1 seed, Laura was No 2 seed. Unlike Kelsey MacDonald and the Briggs girls, Eilidh and Megan, Turner and Murray brought their "A" games north with them. They were, on the week, the best two players in the field.

Would Pamela Pretswell have won the title had she entered the championship instead of going to Sweden where she beat a mainly pro field in a LETAS event?

We will never know but, except for the gale-swept first qualifying round, Laura and Jane both scored to par or under. Pamela would have needed to bring HER "A" game to Tain!
Next big event for the new Scottish champion is the St Rule Trophy (which she won in 2010) at St Andrews on June 2-3 followed by the British women's open amateur championship at Carnoustie from June 26 to 30.

+++Laura Murray is the second member of the Paul Lawrie Foundation team to become a national champion. David Law, who recently scored his first win as a pro in Morocco, was recruited to the PLF team before he won the Scottish boys' championship (2009) and the Scottish men's amateur championship twice (2009 and 2011).

"I cannot thank Paul Lawrie enough for the ongoing support from his Foundation. It makes a big difference," said Laura.

NORTH AND NORTH-EAST SCOTTISH WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONS

DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS

1961 JANETTE WRIGHT (Aboyne)....................... Old Course, St Andrews

1970 ANNETTE LAING (Aberdeen Ladies)............. Dunbar GC

1973 JANETTE WRIGHT (Aboyne) ...................... Old Course, St Andrews

1979 GILLIAN STEWART (Inverness) .................. Gullane GC

1983 GILLIAN STEWART (Inverness) .................. North Berwick GC

1984 GILLIAN STEWART (Inverness) .................. Royal Dornoch GC

1990 ELAINE FARQUHARSON (Deeside) .............. Machrihanish GC

2008 MICHELE THOMSON (McDonald Ellon) ......... Moray GC, Lossiemouth

2012 KELSEY MacDONALD (Nairn Dunbar) ........... Craigielaw GC

2012 LAURA MURRAY (Alford)............................ Tain GC