R AND A SCHOLARS' TOURNAMENT DATES FOR 2014

Next year's R and A Foundation Scholars' Tournament at St Andrews will be played on  April 7 and 8. The first two rounds are
played on the Eden Course. The third and final round is played over
the Old Course.
The men's winner gains automatic selection for the Europe team to play the United States in the Palmer Cup match at Walton Heath GC, Surrey from June 26 to 28.

A RECAP ON THE APRIL 2013 SCORES
FROM THE R AND A WEBSITE

Gary Hurley, Paula Grant make it an Irish double at 2013 RandA Scholars' Tournament

Young Irish players Gary Hurley and Paula Grant won the 2013 R and A Foundation Scholars' Tournament in St Andrews.
Hurley clinched the men's event after winning the first hole of a sudden death play-off against Craig Howie from the University of Stirling. The 20 year-old from NUI Maynooth calmly rolled in a five foot par putt on the 1st hole of the Old Course and watched as Howie failed to hole his slightly shorter putt.
Hurley and Howie finished the three-round stroke play event tied on 211 after both came in with four under par 68s in the final round on the Old Course. They were one shot clear of Andrew Wilson from Northumbria.
Four players tied on 213: University of Stirling team-mates Patrick Spraggs and Cormac Sharvin and their Ulster counterparts Tiarnan McLarnon and Paula Grant.
Hurley, who missed out on the Boyd Quaich after a countback last year, learned from that experience on the Old Course to control his nerves in the play-off and secure his place in the European Palmer Cup team to play the USA.
"It was great to come here and win," he said. "I really wanted to win to make the team and not have to leave it up for selection. I have won university events at home but this is a bigger win for me.
"When I was playing the 18th I didn't know my putt was to win so I was more cautious than I would have been had I known. I made up my mind that if I had a putt to win in the play-off I wouldn't hold back. My putt on the 1st green rolled a few feet past but fortunately I was able to hole the one coming back."
Grant, the 2011 Irish girls' champion, won the women's event by one shot from two-time winner and fellow Stirling player Kelsey Macdonald. 
The 19 year-old from Lisburn was playing her first round on the Old Course and, although she could not match her performance in the first two rounds on the Eden Course, was delighted to hole a lengthy putt across the famous 18th green to seal the victory after a round of 77.
"This was my first time playing the Old Course and I was so nervous," she said. "I hit a nice four iron on the 1st tee and that settled me down a bit. It has been incredible to play here and this is a great event. It is my first win overseas and I will definitely be looking forward to playing in it again."
A field of 56 competitors from throughout the UK and Ireland and countries such as Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and South Africa played two rounds on the Eden Course and one round on the Old Course. 
+Editor's Note: Paula Grant's victory at St Andrews sparked off a

great season for the 2011 Irish girls champion. She went on, in June, to beat Lisa Maguire at the 19th (after being one down on the 18th tee) in the final of the Irish women's (closed) amateur championship at Ballbunion. Then Paula staged a very strong finish in the Irish women's open amateur stroke-play championship, failing by one only shot to catch the winner, Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough).
Paula, pictured right, had been setting her sights on gaining a place in the GB and I team for the 2016 Curtis Cup match which will be played in Ireland.
But, after her performances in 2013, the 19-year-old Lisburn player could be in the running for selection for the 2014 Curtis Cup match at St Louis, Missouri.

FINAL RandA SCHOLARS' TOTALS 2013

			Rd 1	Rd 2	36		Rd 3	Total
T1	Gary Hurley	NUI Maynooth	71	72	143	68	211
T1	Craig Howie	Stirling	72	71	143	68	211
3	Andrew Wilson	Northumbria	68	75	143	69	212
T4	Patrick Spraggs	Stirling	74	71	145	68	213
T4	Cormac Sharvin	Stirling	70	72	142	71	213
T4	Tiarnan McLarnon	Ulster	72	68	140	73	213
T4	Paula Grant	Ulster	68	68	136	77	213
8	Kelsey MacDonald	Stirling	69	74	143	71	214
T9	Laurie Potter	Exeter	70	74	144	72	216
T9	Mathias Eggenberger	Stirling	74	69	143	73	216
T11	Alexander Culverwell	Stirling	74	72	146	71	217
T11	Eilidh Briggs	Stirling	73	73	146	71	217
T13	Jack McDonald	Stirling	75	72	147	71	218
T13	Matthew McClean	Ulster	69	78	147	71	218
T13	Kit Holmes	Stirling	73	73	146	72	218
T16	Craig Chalmers	Strathclyde	78	70	148	71	219
T16	Tai Yasuda	Loughborough	71	73	144	75	219
T18	Sean Blinkhorn	Myerscough	75	74	149	71	220
T18	Shaun Carter	NUI Maynooth	74	70	144	76	220
T20	Gemma Bradbury	St Andrews	74	75	149	72	221
T20	Freddie Edmunds	St Andrews	68	80	148	73	221
T20	Christopher Johnston	Exeter	72	74	146	75	221
T23	Matt Hill	Loughborough	76	74	150	72	222
T23	Joe Heraty	Central Lancashire	76	72	148	74	222
T25	Vicki Troeltsch	Germany	74	77	151	72	223
T25	Gareth Jenkins	Birmingham	73	76	149	74	223
T25	Oliver Roberts	Stirling	72	75	147	76	223
T28	Scott Brown	SAC Ayr	75	75	150	74	224
T28	Nick Wildman	Exeter	72	76	148	76	224
T30	Lewis Pearce	Lincoln	73	78	151	74	225
T30	Harry Chapple	Birmingham	75	76	151	74	225
32	Mike Howard	Stirling	74	82	156	70	226
T33	Thomas Jessamine	Birmingham	81	76	157	70	227
T33	Mark Duncalf	Central Lancashire	76	79	155	72	227
T33	Robert Mackay	Sheffield Hallam	81	73	154	73	227
T33	Nick Macandrew	Aberdeen	78	76	154	73	227
T33	Melissa McMahon	Buckinghamshire New	77	77	154	73	227
T33	Gabrielle Macdonald	St Andrews	78	75	153	74	227
T33	Lewis Hollingworth	Lincoln	79	71	150	77	227
T40	Conor Wilson	Plymouth	75	79	154	74	228
T40	Dewi Merckx	Stirling	76	77	153	75	228
T40	Martin Tavoda	Birmingham	72	79	151	77	228
T40	Marco Loubser	Pretoria South Africa	76	74	150	78	228
44	David Prochazka	Czech Republic	76	79	155	74	229
45	Bronwyn Davies	Myerscough	79	76	155	75	230
T46	Angus Carrick	Stirling	79	75	154	77	231
T46	Sinead Sexton	NUI Maynooth	78	75	153	78	231
T46	Emma Newlove	Birmingham	77	75	152	79	231
T46	Ben Sardo	Central Lancashire	80	70	150	81	231
50	Michael Daily	Stirling	85	76	161	71	232
51	Ami Storey	Northumbria	76	79	155	78	233
52	Katie Bradbury	Exeter	82	78	160	75	235
53	Daniel Hahn	Myerscough	82	81	163	73	236
T54	Lucie Hinnerova	Czech Republic	83	76	159	81	240
T54	Charlotte Austwick	York	80	75	155	85	240