MEEK AND McKECHIN HEAD FOR TROON IN GOOD FORM FROM PAUL LAWRIE TOUR
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
One of the aims of the new Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour is to help amateurs raise their game by playing alongside lady professionals who, on paper at any rate, are better players.
So it will be interesting to see if Jessica Meek (Carnoustie), pictured right, and Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), who both did well in the opening Paul Lawrie Tour Events at Dalmahoy and Ratho Park last week, can carry over
that level of performance to the first of the ladies' amateur "majors" in Britain - the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship which tees off at Troon Portland on Friday and after another 18 holes at that course on Saturday, concludes with 18 holes over the testing Royal Troon Open championship links on Sunday.
Jessica Meek, an 18-year-old Carnoustie Ladies player finished joint third at Dalmahoy and joint second at Ratho Park in pro company.
Jessica, bound for the University of Missouri in August, was not in awe of Chrisje de Vries, Laura Murray, Vikki Laing & Co last week, so she will be full of confidence that she can come out on top over 54 holes against a quality Helen Holm field that includes three survivors from the GB and I team that won the Curtis Cup at Nairn last June - Bronte Law (Bramhall), Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) and Amy Boulden (Conwy), who is defending champion this weekend.
The only other Curtis Cup team member who is still an amateur is Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow, a student at Alabama University and this week No1 in the US college rankings.
Leona, 2009 winner of the "Helen Holm," has notified the Ladies Golf Union that she is unavailable for selection for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Chantilly GC, near Paris in late June.
With Charley Hull, Pamela Pretswell, Holly Clyburn and Kelly Tidy having turned pro, that leaves six places up for grabs in the nine-strong GB and I team.
One of them will undoubtedly go to Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) who is No 6 in the women's world amateur rankings and has made a good start to the season in English events.
She will start favourite to make her class by the end of three rounds.
No Scot has won the "Helen Holm" since Heather Stirling in 2002. Heather, now a professional, finished behind Jessica Meek twice on and Alyson McKechin once on the Paul Lawrie Tour last week.
McKechin, pictured left, sidestepped her county championship to play alongside the pros last week and she finished joint second alongwith Jessica Meek at Ratho Park.
Stirling student Kelsey MacDonald has also been playing in professional company on the Ladies European Tour's developmental circuit and elsewhere.
This will be her last appearance in the "Helen Holm" in which she has done well in the past because she intends turning pro before the end of the year.
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
One of the aims of the new Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour is to help amateurs raise their game by playing alongside lady professionals who, on paper at any rate, are better players.
So it will be interesting to see if Jessica Meek (Carnoustie), pictured right, and Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), who both did well in the opening Paul Lawrie Tour Events at Dalmahoy and Ratho Park last week, can carry over
that level of performance to the first of the ladies' amateur "majors" in Britain - the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship which tees off at Troon Portland on Friday and after another 18 holes at that course on Saturday, concludes with 18 holes over the testing Royal Troon Open championship links on Sunday.
Jessica Meek, an 18-year-old Carnoustie Ladies player finished joint third at Dalmahoy and joint second at Ratho Park in pro company.
Jessica, bound for the University of Missouri in August, was not in awe of Chrisje de Vries, Laura Murray, Vikki Laing & Co last week, so she will be full of confidence that she can come out on top over 54 holes against a quality Helen Holm field that includes three survivors from the GB and I team that won the Curtis Cup at Nairn last June - Bronte Law (Bramhall), Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) and Amy Boulden (Conwy), who is defending champion this weekend.
The only other Curtis Cup team member who is still an amateur is Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow, a student at Alabama University and this week No1 in the US college rankings.
Leona, 2009 winner of the "Helen Holm," has notified the Ladies Golf Union that she is unavailable for selection for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Chantilly GC, near Paris in late June.
With Charley Hull, Pamela Pretswell, Holly Clyburn and Kelly Tidy having turned pro, that leaves six places up for grabs in the nine-strong GB and I team.
One of them will undoubtedly go to Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) who is No 6 in the women's world amateur rankings and has made a good start to the season in English events.
She will start favourite to make her class by the end of three rounds.
No Scot has won the "Helen Holm" since Heather Stirling in 2002. Heather, now a professional, finished behind Jessica Meek twice on and Alyson McKechin once on the Paul Lawrie Tour last week.
McKechin, pictured left, sidestepped her county championship to play alongside the pros last week and she finished joint second alongwith Jessica Meek at Ratho Park.
Stirling student Kelsey MacDonald has also been playing in professional company on the Ladies European Tour's developmental circuit and elsewhere.
This will be her last appearance in the "Helen Holm" in which she has done well in the past because she intends turning pro before the end of the year.
Labels: Amateur Ladies
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