SCOT GEMMA IS GALLANT PRESTWICK RUNNER-UP TO JING

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Scot Gemma Dryburgh failed gallantly to prevent 17-year-old Singapore-based Chinese wonder girl Jing Yan from winning the British women's open amateur stroke-play golf championship and completing a notable quick-time title double at Prestwick today (Friday).
The 20-year-old Aberdeen-born daughter of a North Sea oil executive, got on level terms with long-time leader Jing Yan after a five-under-par 69 for a third-round tally of nine-under-par 213.
But Jing, winner only seven days earlier of the British U18 girls championship at Fairhaven, Lancashire, pulled out all the stops to close with a 69 to Dryburgh's 71 and win the British stroke play title with a 14 under par aggregate of 282 over the Ayrshire links which were the birthplace of the Open championship.
The CSS for each of the four rounds at Prestwick was 77, the same as the Standard Scratch. Par for the LGU course was 74.
The Chinese teenager, who lives in Singapore where her dad, a TV golf commentator for the ESPN Channel, is based for visa purposes, surged three shots clear again over the outward half of the final round - 34 to Dryburgh's 37.
But with three holes to play, Yan was only a shot ahead. Then she showed her class under pressure with a birdie-par-birdie finish to the Scot's par-birdie-par effort to hold her at bay.
"I am very pleased to have won two big British titles in two weeks," said Yan who speaks English fluently. "I think my putting, which went off even though I won the final of the British girls, came back to its best and I needed it."
Yan won the trophy for the highest finish by a girl aged 18 years or under on January 1.She almost won a third trophy for the lowest single round of the championship, a 68, but lost out to third-placed Italian, Roberta Liti, the girl she beat in last Friday's British girls final, on a countback that went down to the last six holes.
Dryburgh, whose New Orleans university, Tulane, will not release her to return to play for Scotland in the women's home internationals at Scotscraig next month, said she was proud of her performance and feels that she is getting better every season.
"My coach Lawrence Farmer has sorted out my putting which was the weakest part of my game on the American college circuit even though I won twice, and putting was the strongest part of my game over the three days at Prestwick," said Gemma who not only won the runners-up trophy but also the trophy for the best performance by an Under-23 years player.
Gemma is pictured above with her trophies and her local caddie who provided invaluable advice, Duncan Little (picture by courtesy of John Dryburgh).
Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) had good middle rounds of 71 and 72 to take closer order behind the leading pair but a last round of 80 knocked her back again. Lauren dropped six shots to par over the last six holes, including double bogey 6s at the 15th and 17th.
Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie) also had a good tournament, despite running up some big numbers at the odd hole or two. She had a triple bogey 7 at the 16th in her closing round of 78 which was the worst of the four for the St Andrews student
Speaking of big numbers, Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), a student at Stirling, had a quadruple bogey 9 at the third in her third round 82  but she finished the tournament on a high, coming home in 34 for a 75 with birdies at the 11th 14th and 18th.
Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw), a St Andrews student, had two 7s and a 6 in her third round 84 and started her last round 81 with a double bogey 6.
All in all, it was a good tournament for Scottish players with Dryburgh, who has never played in a Scottish women's championship, looking a class act.

Chloe Rogers (Braintree), pictured right, a bronze medal-winning member of the GB and I women's hockey team at last year's London Olympics, won the trophy for the best performance by a player over the age of 23 years on January 1, 2013.
Chloe is staying on in Scotland to play in the two Paul Lawrie Ladies Tour events in the St Andrews area on Monday (Fairmont St Andrews) and Tuesday (The Duke's).

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Next year's British women's open amateur stroke play championship will be played at Ashburnham Golf Club, South Wales.