TARTAN ARMY TEE IT UP IN BELFAST

TITLE-HOLDER LEONA AND TWIN LISA PULL OUT OF  LGU FLAGSHIP STROKE-PLAY EVENT LATE IN DAY By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com This week's British women's open amateur stroke-play golf championship and with it a place in next year's Ricoh Women's British Open for the winner is up for grabs. Title-holder Leona Maguire and her talented twin sister Lisa withrew from the 72-hole tournament, which starts tomorrow  (Wednesday) around the 2pm deadline for registering yesterday. It is understood the Maguire family are on holiday. But what a pity that Curtis Cup heroine Leona, the impressive winner of the title by six strokes at Royal Ashdown Forest 12 months ago, is not defending the title. The field has come down to only 65 players with the Maguires pulling out, also Curtis Cup player Charley Hull, former Scottish champion Meghan Briggs and several others. So why is this particular LGU championship held in such low esteem? It is not a new trend by any means and perhaps dates back to the days when winning the event opened no doors for the winners. Alison Nicholas won the British stroke-play title - and was never selected for a Curtis Cup match. Karen Mitchell won the British stroke-play title  - and never gained even an England cap. Times have changed and the guaranteed place for the winnerin the starting line-up for the following year's Ricoh Women's British Open has helped. There will still be three of the GB and I Curtis Cup-winning team at Nairn in June in action at this parkland Belfast venue which is not all that far away from the city centre, namely: Amy Boulden (Conwy), pictured below, Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) and Bronte Law (Bramhall)  The odds are that one of them will win the title - Boulden, the winner of the Helen Holm Scottish stroke-play in April and Tidy the winner of the English championship which was switched to stroke-play this year, and Law is a past winner of the Scottish U16 stroke-play title. But there is a strong Scottish entry of 11 players and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that one of them will maintain the Scots' recent good record in this event - Clare Queen won it in 2004, Heather MacRae in 2005, Roseanne Niven in 2008 (at an Ulster venue!) and Pamela Pretswell in 2010. The "Tartan Army" teeing off in Belfast tomorrow are: Ailsa Summers and Jessica Meek (both Carnoustie Ladies), Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth), Gabrielle MacDonald and Jane Turner (both Craigielaw), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Laura Murray (Alford), Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) and Clara Young (North Berwick). There will be a cut after Thursday's second round to the leading 40 and ties who will play the final two rounds on Friday. WHEN TO SEE THE STARS COME OUT AT SHANDON PARK GC, BELFAST ON WEDNESDAYK 08.00 Bethan Popel (Long Ashton), Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro). 08.11 Noora Tamminen (Finland), Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) 08.22 Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies), Charlotte Thompson (Channels), Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale). 08.33 Alice Spani-Molella (Royal Mid-Surrey), Noelle Beijer (Netherlands), Helen McCarthy (Shandon Park). 08.44 Bhavi Shah (Kenya), Samantha Giles (St Mellion), Charlie Field (Bishops Stotford). 08.55 Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), Mary Dowling (New Ross), Becky Harries (Haverfordwest). 09.06 Emily Taylor (Hillside), Shelby Smart (Knowle), Gillian O'Leary (Cork) 09.17 Anna Courtney (St Annes), Anja Lundberg (Germany), Jenny Young (Shandon Park)  09.28 Bronte Law (Bramhall), Amy Boulden (Conwy), Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies). STARTER'S TIME 09.47 Sheila Quigley (Camberley Heath), Sara Rees-Evans (Penrhos), Elizabeth Richards (Hagley). 09.58 Sinead Sexton (Lahinch), Maria Dunne (Skerries), Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) 10.09 Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Jessica Carty (Holywood), Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge). 10.20 Daisy Dyer (Chigwell), Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer), Deirdre Smith (Co Louth) 10.31 Zoe Allen (Lurgan), Iona Stephen (Ranfurly Castle), Gillian Brooks (Woking).   10.42 Kelsey Coey (Clandeboye), Jean O'Driscoll (Muskerry), Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw). 10.53 Amy Farrell (Moate), Katy Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Clara Young (North Berwick) 11.04 Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Olivia Winning (Rotherham), Lena Weichselgartner (Germany). 11.15 Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth), Sophie Madden (West Essex), Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down Ladies). 11.26 Laura Grant (Lisburn), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Jing Yan (China). 11.37 Charlotte Austwick (Fulford), Jane Turner (Craigielaw), Sarah Wintner (Royal Belfast). 11.48 Laura Murray (Alford), Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Paula Grant (Lisburn)