WATTON, BRIGGS AND MEEK MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE BRITISH MATCH-PLAY STAGES

Three Scots - Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) and Jess Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) - battled their way through an awful day of wind and rain to reach the match-play stages of the 111th British women's open amateur golf championship at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Machynys course near Llanelli on the South Wales coast today.

All three showed true grit in improving on their first-round scores in conditions that were as much a test of character and staying power as the ability to play good golf in  conditions which would have put a dog off being taken for a walk on the links.

Watton managed to match the par of 72, a five=shot improvement, for a total of 149.  She birdied the third, ninth, 12th and 17th, refusing to be emoralised by a double bogey 6 at the eighth in halves of 37 and 35.

Briggs shot a 74 for 151, giving herself the perfect birdie-birdie start to keep the spirits high despite the wind and rain in her face at most holes in halves of 35 and 39.

Meek had a long wait in the clubhouse before it was confirmed that her 75 for 152 was good enough to get her among the 64 qualifiers for the second year in a row.

The Carnoustie player, top seed in the Scottish women's championship at Longniddry, had five birdies in all plus double bogeys at the 14th and 17th in halves of 37 and 38.

Scottish champion Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) failed on 156 (79-77), Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) (80-79) for 159, Jame Turner (Craigielaw) (82-78) and Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) (81-79), both on 160, Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) on 162 (83-79) and Lesley Atkins on 166 (85-81).fem

The leading qualifiers on three-under-par 141 were World No 2 female amateur Su-Hyun Oh (Australia), who has +7 of a handicap, and Nanna Madsen (Denmark).

QUALIFIERS Par 144 (2x72)
CSS 77 (Round 1) Not available yet for Round 2
Playing conditions: Very wet and very windy.
141 N Madsen (Den) 69 72, Su-Hyun Oh (Aus) 71 70
143 H Davis (Ferndown) 71 72
144 A Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 71 73, M Gidali (Fra) 72 72
145 L Johansson (Swe) 70 75, M MacLaren (Wellingborough) 70 75, C Boutier (Fra) 72 73.
146 H Lee (Spa) 73 73, B Garton (Royal Lytham) 74 72, Gabriella Cowley (Brocket Hall) 74 72
147 C Nistrup (Den) 68 79, A Van Dam (Net) 73 74, Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) 72 75, A Peters (Notts Ladies) 74 73, L Cloots (Bel) 75 72.
148 S Popov (Ger) 77 71, L Funfstuck (Ger) 76 72, I D Nieuwenhuis (Net) 75 73, E Pedersen (Den) 70 78, R Goodall (Heswall) 78 70, E Henrikson (Swe) 76 72
149 G Hall (Remedy Oak) 74 75, N Iturrios (Spa) 76 73, Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell) 71 78, R Watton (Mortonhall) 77 72, I Lescudier (Fra) 77 72, S Meadow (Royal Portrush) 76 73, J Haglund (Swe) 74 75, L Strom (Swe) 75 74, A Braids (Ita) 77 72, S Nuutinen (Fin) 77 72.
150 N Jimenez (Spa) 76 74, A Laker (Frilford Heath) 73 77, C L Rosza (Hun) 74 76, S Aubert (Fra) 76 74, K Lampert (Ger) 74 76, L Taylor (Woburn) 74 76, A Provot (Fra) 75 75
151 T Daffinrud (Nor) 74 77, A Gittings (Walmley) 76 75, N Escuriola (Spa) 80 71, E Briggs (Kilmacolm) 77 74, S Banon (Spa) 77 74.
152 L Lonardi (Ita) 77 75, J Dreher (Ger) 72 80, A Herbaut (Fra) 76 76, L Hillier (Newport) 74 78, M Sanz (Spa) 80 72, E Carberry (Highwoods) 75 77, R Liti (Ita) 77 75, C Vik (Nor) 75 77, A Brent (Aus) 76 76, J Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 77 75, N E Skaug (Nor) 74 78, S-J Boyd (Truro) 78 74, E Nilsson (Swe) 75 77, L Sobron (Spa) 75 77, E Taylor (Saunton) 76 76, S Keech (Lyme Regis) 76 76

153 (after card countback) G Lennon (Aus) 79 74, P Grant (Lisburn) 77 76, J Jaxaliyeva (Kaz) 78 75, J Tillstrom (Swe) 79 74


FAILED TO QUALIFY
153 (after card countback) J Soo (Aus) 77 76, B Popel (Long Ashton) 77 76, A Bonetti (Fra) 75 78
154 J Charlton (Aus) 79 75, V E Carta (Ita) 75 79, R Roeller (Ger) 78 76, E Gilly (Fra) 75 79, L Castelain (Fra) 77 77, J Janson (Swe) 81 73, C Baena (Spa) 76 78, B Harries (Haverfordwest) 72 82, C Ryan (Castletroy) 79 75, L G Escalon (Bel) 76 78
155 R Davies (Indiana Univ) 75 80, R C Lobato (Spa) 80 75, A Vilarasau (Spa) 80 75, A Scherer (Ger) 73 82, M Sagstrom (Swe) 81 74, L Goddard (Mid Herts) 75 80, K Smith (Waterlooville) 78 77, N Wille (Swe) 79 76, S Smart (Knowle) 77 78, Jing Yang (China) 80 75.
156 A McKechin (Elderslie) 79 77, A L Lyche (Nor) 78 78, J Wilcox (Blankney) 79 77, V Troeltsch (Ger) 81 75, E Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 79 77, T Cabalier (Spa) 80 76
157 M Cappeliez (Fra) 80 77, M De Roey (Bel) 79 78, M Krenn (Aut) 72 85, M Vanmol (Bel) 78 79, O Kristinsdottir (Ice) 77 80.
158 A Boulden (Conwy) 74 84, I Deilert (Swe) 77 81, J Bradley (Tiverton) 76 82, S Powell (Stockport) 77 81, G Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 79 79, F Gustafsson-Spang (Swe) 77 81.
159 E Saulnier (Fra) 85 74, Q Eijkenboom (Ger) 80 79, S Giles (St Mellion) 78 81, A Purgauer (Aut) 84 75, F Cnops (Bel) 83 76, S Vidisdottir (Ice) 76 83, H McCook (Grantown on Spey) 80 79.
160 S Schober (Aut) 84 76, J Turner (Craigielaw) 82 78, B Ling (Aus) 82 78, G Wahl (Ger) 78 82, L Whyte (St Regulus) 81 79
161 M Bruun (Nor) 81 80
162 A Sauzon (Fra) 79 83, G MacDonald (Craigielaw) 83 79.
163 G Danielle (Aus) 82 81, H Vizard (Pleasington) 79 84, M Molle (Fra) 74 89, J Van Baarle (Bel) 80 83
165 G Bjorgvinsdottir (Ice) 79 86, M Duvernay (Fra) 85 80, S Vik (Nor) 86 79, J Finne-Ipsen (Den) 81 84, M P Siegenthale (Spa) 84 81
166 G Clews (Delamere Forest) 87 79, L Atkins (Gullane Ladies) 85 81.
168 C Thompson (Channels) 83 85
169 B Townend (Pleasington) 86 83, M Wold (Nor) 86 83.
170 P Finlay (Vicars Cross) 85 85 
Retired - N Banov (Slo) 80 ret. 
Disqualified - S Zeeb (Ger). 

FIRST ROUND MATCH-PLAY

Oh v Grant, Aubert v Lisa Maguire, Goodall v Liti, Meek v Nistrup, Cowley v Vik, Banon v Braids, Watton v Escuriola, Sobron v Johansson

Ratcliffe v Dreher, L Taylor v Meadow, Nuntutinen v Dafinrud, E Taylor v Cloots, Peters v Keech, Sanz v Henrikson, Strom v Lampert, Lennon v Gidali.

Davis v Tillstrom, Provot v Hall, Funfstuck v Boyd, Herbaut v Van Dam, Lee v Nilsson, Gittings v Nieuwenhuis, Nurrios v Rozsa, Skaug v Boutier

MacLaren v Hillier, Laker v Lescudier, Pedersen v Briggs, Carberry v Garton, Leona Maguire v Brent, Lonardi v Popov, Haglund v Jimenez, Jaxallyeva v Madsen.

ends