TOP THREE SEEDS ARE KNOCKED OUT ON FIRST DAY OF MATCH-PLAY AT LONDNIDDRY
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
At the end of the first two sessions of match-play, the highest seed left in the Scottish women's amateur championship at Longniddry is 16-year-old Clara Young (North Berwick), the fourth best of the 32 qualifiers.
Which underlines the view that stroke-play and match-play are two very different forms of golf!
Seeds Nos 1 (Jess Meek of Carnoustie Ladies), 2 Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co) and 3 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) were all knocked out, Rachel in the first round 4 and 2 by the 31st qualifier, Kate Reid from Monifieth, Jess and Jane in the afternoon round of the last 16.
After her remarkable performances among the professionals on the Paul Lawrie Tour, then in the Welsh open amateur stroke-play capped by winning the top seed berth by four shots on Wednesday, it must be considered a shock result that the in-form Jess Meek lost at the 19th to Louise Macgregor (Falkirk).
That is perhaps being unfair to 24-year-old Louise who is making her debut in the national championship.
A very good county player - Louise Macgregor has recently won the Stirling and Clackmannan title for the fourth time in a row, she was always going to be a stuffy opponent for a 19-year-old to tackle in the round of the last 16.
Jess saw off the experienced Claire Hargan in the morning, but she could not shake off Macgregor's challenge.
Louise's quarter-final opponent will be 20-year-old Rachel Polson (pictured right) who is just recently home from Florida Tech at the end of her second year there and admitted at the weekend after a round at Alford that she was finding it difficult to get used to the slower putting surfaces on her return to Scotland.
"In my last college event in America, the greens had a Stimpmeter reading of 13 which is about the speed of the Masters greens," said Polson, from Peterculter, a village to the west of Aberdeen on the Royal Deeside route.
The eighth seed, Rachel - inspired by holing a seven-iron for an eagle at the first hole - won a place in the last eight by beating the ninth best qualifier, Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe), by 3 and 1. Hannah won the Midlothian county championship by beating Jane Turner in the final last weekend.
“Being at Florida Tech has really helped my golf," said Rachel after her victory. "I’m hitting it further because of lots of strength and conditioning work.”
Clara Young, the 16-year-old twice East Lothian county champion and the fourth seed at Longniddry, cruised into the last eight with a 4 and 3 win over a player even younger than herself - 15-year-old Fiona Liddell who travelled over from Germany to play, her father being a club pro at Schloss Vornholz.
Both Briggs sisters from the Kilmacolm club are through to the last eight. Fifth seed Eilidh, 20-year-old Stirling University physical education student, rallied from two down on the ninth tee to beat young Tara MacTaggart from the Borders by one hole.
Megan said she is plased she can’t meet Eilidh until the final. “That would be the perfect scenario,” she said.
Eilidh now plays Clara Young in the quarter finals.
Former champion Megan, 23, beat another past title-winner Hilary (Monaghan) Wardell (Longniddry) by 4 and 3.
Jane Turner's 2 and 1 defeat by 19th qualifier Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) was a form book upset. Fraser now plays Megan Briggs.
Louise Fraser, at 39, is the oldest player left in the last eight but she is a youngster compared with Belle Robertson who was 50 when she won the title for a seventh and last time over the Old Course, St Andrews in 1986.
The last of the four Friday morning ties will feature No 7 seed Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), 19, leader of the SLGA women's Order of Merit and another who has gained something from playing on the Paul Lawrie Tour.
She scraped through at the 19th in the morning against Rachael Livingstone but looked more relaxed in winning by 5 and 4 over Susan Wood (Drumpellier) in Round 2.
Alyson said later: “I played really well in the afternoon. Didn’t give much away.”
McKechin, joint second in the recent "Helen Holm," now plays 19-year-old Stirling student Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) who stopped the giant-killing run of Katie Reid in its tracks with a 4 and 3 Round 2 victory.
SECOND ROUND RESULTS
Louise Macgregor bt Jess Meek at 19th.
Rachel Polson bt Hannah Scott 3 and 1.
Eilidh Briggs bt Tara MacTaggart 1 hole.
Clara Young bt Fiona Liddell 4 and 3.
Louise Fraser bt Jane Turner 2 and 1.
Megan Briggs bt Hilary Wardell 4 and 3.
Alyson McKechin bt Susan Wood 5 and 4.
Hannah McCook bt Katie Reid 4 and 3.
FRIDAY MORNING QUARTER-FINALS
8.30 Macgregor v Polson.
8.40 Eilidh Briggs v Young
8.50 Fraser v Megan Briggs
9.00 McKechin v McCook
AFTERNOON SEMI-FINALS
1.30 Macgregor or Polson v Eilidh Briggs or Young.
1.50 Fraser or Megan Briggs v McKechin or McCook.
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
At the end of the first two sessions of match-play, the highest seed left in the Scottish women's amateur championship at Longniddry is 16-year-old Clara Young (North Berwick), the fourth best of the 32 qualifiers.
Which underlines the view that stroke-play and match-play are two very different forms of golf!
Seeds Nos 1 (Jess Meek of Carnoustie Ladies), 2 Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co) and 3 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) were all knocked out, Rachel in the first round 4 and 2 by the 31st qualifier, Kate Reid from Monifieth, Jess and Jane in the afternoon round of the last 16.
After her remarkable performances among the professionals on the Paul Lawrie Tour, then in the Welsh open amateur stroke-play capped by winning the top seed berth by four shots on Wednesday, it must be considered a shock result that the in-form Jess Meek lost at the 19th to Louise Macgregor (Falkirk).
That is perhaps being unfair to 24-year-old Louise who is making her debut in the national championship.
A very good county player - Louise Macgregor has recently won the Stirling and Clackmannan title for the fourth time in a row, she was always going to be a stuffy opponent for a 19-year-old to tackle in the round of the last 16.
Jess saw off the experienced Claire Hargan in the morning, but she could not shake off Macgregor's challenge.
Louise's quarter-final opponent will be 20-year-old Rachel Polson (pictured right) who is just recently home from Florida Tech at the end of her second year there and admitted at the weekend after a round at Alford that she was finding it difficult to get used to the slower putting surfaces on her return to Scotland.
"In my last college event in America, the greens had a Stimpmeter reading of 13 which is about the speed of the Masters greens," said Polson, from Peterculter, a village to the west of Aberdeen on the Royal Deeside route.
The eighth seed, Rachel - inspired by holing a seven-iron for an eagle at the first hole - won a place in the last eight by beating the ninth best qualifier, Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe), by 3 and 1. Hannah won the Midlothian county championship by beating Jane Turner in the final last weekend.
“Being at Florida Tech has really helped my golf," said Rachel after her victory. "I’m hitting it further because of lots of strength and conditioning work.”
Clara Young, the 16-year-old twice East Lothian county champion and the fourth seed at Longniddry, cruised into the last eight with a 4 and 3 win over a player even younger than herself - 15-year-old Fiona Liddell who travelled over from Germany to play, her father being a club pro at Schloss Vornholz.
Both Briggs sisters from the Kilmacolm club are through to the last eight. Fifth seed Eilidh, 20-year-old Stirling University physical education student, rallied from two down on the ninth tee to beat young Tara MacTaggart from the Borders by one hole.
Megan said she is plased she can’t meet Eilidh until the final. “That would be the perfect scenario,” she said.
Eilidh now plays Clara Young in the quarter finals.
Former champion Megan, 23, beat another past title-winner Hilary (Monaghan) Wardell (Longniddry) by 4 and 3.
Jane Turner's 2 and 1 defeat by 19th qualifier Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) was a form book upset. Fraser now plays Megan Briggs.
Louise Fraser, at 39, is the oldest player left in the last eight but she is a youngster compared with Belle Robertson who was 50 when she won the title for a seventh and last time over the Old Course, St Andrews in 1986.
The last of the four Friday morning ties will feature No 7 seed Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), 19, leader of the SLGA women's Order of Merit and another who has gained something from playing on the Paul Lawrie Tour.
She scraped through at the 19th in the morning against Rachael Livingstone but looked more relaxed in winning by 5 and 4 over Susan Wood (Drumpellier) in Round 2.
Alyson said later: “I played really well in the afternoon. Didn’t give much away.”
McKechin, joint second in the recent "Helen Holm," now plays 19-year-old Stirling student Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) who stopped the giant-killing run of Katie Reid in its tracks with a 4 and 3 Round 2 victory.
SECOND ROUND RESULTS
Louise Macgregor bt Jess Meek at 19th.
Rachel Polson bt Hannah Scott 3 and 1.
Eilidh Briggs bt Tara MacTaggart 1 hole.
Clara Young bt Fiona Liddell 4 and 3.
Louise Fraser bt Jane Turner 2 and 1.
Megan Briggs bt Hilary Wardell 4 and 3.
Alyson McKechin bt Susan Wood 5 and 4.
Hannah McCook bt Katie Reid 4 and 3.
FRIDAY MORNING QUARTER-FINALS
8.30 Macgregor v Polson.
8.40 Eilidh Briggs v Young
8.50 Fraser v Megan Briggs
9.00 McKechin v McCook
AFTERNOON SEMI-FINALS
1.30 Macgregor or Polson v Eilidh Briggs or Young.
1.50 Fraser or Megan Briggs v McKechin or McCook.
DEBUTANTE LOUISE MACGREGOR
CLAIMS SCALP OF TOP SEED MEEK
CLAIMS SCALP OF TOP SEED MEEK
REPORT FROM THE SLGA WEBSITE
By ELSPETH BURNSIDE
Falkirk’s
Louise
Macgregor came from behind to oust top seed Jessica Meek (Carnousite)
on a day of shocks at the Scottish Women’s Championship at Longniddry.
Rachel
Walker (Dumfries and County), the second seed from the stroke-play
qualifying, was beaten 4 and 3 by Katie Reid (Monifieth) in the first
round and third seed Jane Turner (Craigielaw) lost in the second round
by 2 and 1 to Louise Fraser (Kingskowe).
Macgregor, pictured above with her county championship trophy, had watched 19-year-old Meek miss a 4ft putt to win at the 18th before
holding her nerve to claim the quarter-final place with a par at the
first extra hole where Meek drove into a bunker.
“This
is the first time I’ve played in the championship because of exams and
I’ve also always been too negative about my golf,” said 24-year-old
Macgregor, who won her fourth Stirling and Clackmannashire county title
last week.
“But I’ve been
working with a life coach, Sonya Grant, since February and it has made a huge difference.”
Kilmacolm
sisters Megan and Eilidh Briggs made it to the last eight and
16-year-old Clara Young (North Berwick) also went through after a 4 and 3
win over 15-year-old Germany-based Fiona Liddell.
Young admitted she felt some extra nerves facing a younger opponent.
“It
was bit weird and I did feel under a bit of pressure in the early
holes,” she said. “Fiona played really steady but I played well and was
one under par.”
Alyson
McKechin (Elderslie), leader of the SLGA Order of Merit, had a 19th hole win over Rachael Livingstone (Craigmillar Park) in the first
round, but then cruised through 5 and 4 against Susan Wood
(Drumpellier).
Megan Briggs was the 2009 champion and younger sister Eilidh was beaten finalist two years
ago. They could still meet in the final.
Labels: SLGA
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