MEEK COULD INHERIT THE SCOTTISH LADIES TITLE AT LONGNIDDRY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Gullane's Charlotte Munro and Bobbi Waugh (Moor Hall) have withdrawn from the field for the stroke-play qualifying rounds of the Scottish women's amateur golf championship which tees off tomorrow at Longniddry Golf Club, East Lothian.
But all the main contenders for a title vacated by last year's winner at Tain, Laura Murray from Alford who turned pro earlier this year and has already won at Ratho Park on the Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour, are still there.


Carnoustie Ladies' 18-year-old Jess (she prefers that to "Jessica") Meek, pictured left in action on the Paul Lawrie Tour at Dalmahoy,  has far exceeded expectations with her performances amongst the professionals on that fledgling tour - joint 3rd at Dalmahoy, joint 2nd at Ratho Park, 2nd on her own at Trump International and joint sixth at Deeside.
Incredibly, Miss Meek leads the Paul Lawrie Tour Order of Merit - professionals and amateurs - after four events.
Add to that a fourth place finish in the Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play, and Miss Meek would be a certainty for selection for a Scotland team if it were chosen this week.
But, unfortunately, the Women's Home Internationals won't be hosted by Scotscraig Golf Club, Fife until September 11 to 13 and Jess enrols at the University of  Missouri in mid-August. American colleges don't usually "release" their freshmen students to make a flying visit home to play golf within weeks of their arrival!
The 32 who will qualify for the championship match-play stages at Longniddry are likely to include the current top five in the SLGA Women's Order of Merit - 1 Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), 2 Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), 3 Jess Meek, 4 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) and 5 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm).

The title-winner should come from that five although if there is to be a dark horse or two, then don't rule out the two young county champions from the neighbourhood, Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe), pictured right, who beat international Jane Turner at the weekend in the Midlothian final, and Clara Young 
(North Berwick), pictured on left, who has regained the East Lothian county title she first won when she was a record-setting 15-year-old.
Clara, a scratch player, is last off on Tuesday at 1.20pm with a nine and a 12-handicapper, which suggests that Miss Young has a school examination to sit in the morning. 
Hannah Scott, by the way, did not make the championship match-play stages 12 months ago at Tain but she did the next best thing - she won the Clark Rosebowl for the competitors with the next best scratch totals.
There are three former champions in the field - Hilary Wardell (Longniddry), who won the title as Hilary Monaghan at Stranraer in 1993; Elaine Moffat (St Regulus), champion at North Berwick in 1998; and Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), title-winner at Southerness in 2009.

 TOP TEE TIMES AT LONGNIDDRY ON TUESDAY

09.20 Rachael Livingstone (Craigmillar Park), Elaine Moffat (st Regulus), Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe).

10.10 Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie). 

10.20 Susan Wood (Drumpellier), Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Jess Meek (Carnoustie Ladies).

10.40 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), Jane Turner (Craigielaw), Fiona Liddell (Schloss Vornholz, Germany).
  
13.20 Joanne Free (Gullane Ladies), Lindsay Mathie (Playsport), Clara Young (North Berwick).