CARNOUSTIE GIRL AILSA SUMMERS RULES HERSELF OUT

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com Ailsa Summers won't be buying a Lottery ticket this week. Her luck is right out at the moment. Today, the 18-year-old Angus women's county champion from Carnoustie, disqualified herself after only eight holes of the first stroke-play qualifying round in the British girls open amateur golf championship at Tenby GC, Pembrokeshire in South Wales. Tournament director Gillian Roy explained: "Ailsa drove into the rough at the eighth hole and thought she had found her ball, because it had her markings on it. She got out of the rough and carried on to the green and holed out. "She drove off at the ninth but something was niggling her about the ball she was playing. It was hers OK but she realised it was not the ball she had started the round with. "But an unbelievable coincidence she had found one of her own balls in the rough ... a ball she had lost in practice the day before. But that constituted playing a wrong ball and because she had no corrected the mistake before teeing off at the next hole, Ailsa knew it meant automatic disqualification. "I said to her that it said a lot for her honesty to call disqualification on herself but Ailsa told me that she could not have played on, knowing she had broken the rules. It would have been on her conscience." The later starters escaped the pouring rain which made life a misery for those who had to go out from 6.30am up to about 11am when the rain eased and it became a sunnier, more hospitable day. By midafternoon it was an excellent day for golf and it showed in the scores that got lower and lower as the conditions improved. Clara Young (North Berwick) had the best of the Scots' scores - three-over-par 75, despite a double bogey 6 at the 10th. Clara, who will be 16 next month, highlighted her halves of 39 (two over) and 36 (one over) with an eagle 3 at the downwind long 15th). Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) had a 76, despite a double bogey 7 at the first and a double bogey 6 at the last. Germany-based Scot Rebecca McGeehan also had a 76 with no double bogeys and birdies at the second and 13th in halves of 39 and 37. Jess Meek from Carnoustie had three double bogeys in compiling a 79 (41-38). She did birdie two long hles, the eighth and the 14th. Scottish girls champion Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) marked up an 81 (42-39) which included a double bogey 6 at the 11th and a triple bogey 7 at the 13th as well as birdieings at the 12th (where she holed from 25ft) and the 14th. In fairness to Lauren, she played her outward half in the worst of the downpour. Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co), Scotland's highest points earner at the Girls Home Internationals at Radyr GC last week, had a disappointing, especially after starting with an eagle 3 at the difficult par 5 first hole. She bogeyed the second and had a triple bogey 7 at the third, followed by another triple 7 at the seventh in amassing 42 shots to the turn. There was one more triple 7 to come, at the 11th. Things can only get better for Rachel in the second Q round. Germany-based Fiona Liddell, Troon's Connie Jaffrey and Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe) all scored 85s. Ailsa Summers was not the only player disqualified. Melisssa Nicol (Moor Hall) was ruled out because she used a distance-measuring device. BRITISH GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP Tenby GC, South Wales. First qualifying round Par 72 Yardage 6267yd 70 Josephine Farrando (Fra). 72 Perrine Delacour (Fra), Jing Yan (China) 73 Sophia P Zeeb (Ger), Leslie Cloots (Belgium), Natalia Escuriola (Spa). 74 Nuria Iturrios (Spa), Marta P Samartin (Spa). 75 Clara Young (North Berwick), Anyssia Herbaut (France), Leonie Harm (Germany), Claudia Chemin (France), Quirine Eijkenboom (Germany), Jess Evans (Newport). 76 Chloe Williams (Wrexham), Chiara Mertens (Germany) Nanna Madsen (Denmark), Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies), Rebecca McGeehan (Germany), Kyra Horlock (Broadstone), Ana Sanjuan (Spain), Camille Richelle (Belgium), Marta Martin (Spain). SELECTED SCORES 77 Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 78 Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak). 79 Jess Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 80 Shelby Smart (Knowle) 81 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus). 83 Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co). 84 Brogan Townend (Pleasington) 85 Fiona Liddell (Ger), Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies), Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe). 87 Gabriella Cowley (West Essex) Disqualified - Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), Melissa Nicol (Moor Hall). ends