BRITISH PLAYERS OUTSIDE TOP 30 AT END OF FIRST ROUND

MEADOW, MEEK AND TAYLOR NOT IN 

CONTENTION AT LADY PUERTO RICO 

CLASSIC

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
World top-10 ranked Stephanie Meadow from Northern Ireland and Scots Jess Meek and Rachael Taylor were outside the top 30 in a field of 81 players at the end of the first day of the Lady Puerto Rico Classic at Rio Mar Country Club, San Juan.
Alabama student Stephanie shot a three-over par 75 at the River Course (6,191yd) to bt T31 after having a double bogey at the first hole and a double bogey 5 at the short third.
Her only birdies came at the par-4 fifth and par-5 15th  in halves of 39-36. She also bogeyed the 17th.

Jess Meek (pictured) from Carnoustie, a freshman at Missouri University, returned a 79 for a share of 59th place. She had double bogey 6s at the second and sixth and had another 6 on her card at the long 15th.
She had an error-strewen outward half of 43 but played more like the girl who outplayed the pros in some of the opening events of the Paul Lawrie Ladies Tour last year.
Meek's only birdie was a 2 at the short 10th. She started her round at the 16th.
Germany-based Rachael Taylor, a student now at North Carolina State had an 81 for joint 69th place.
She had an even worse outward half than Meek - 44 to the turn but, like Jessi, did a whole lot better on the second nine, which she covered in 37 shots.
~Rachael had no birdies on her card but a double bogey 7  at the long fourth.
Leading the field is Arkansas's Emily Tubert by three strokes with a four-under-par 68.
Sharing second place are Alex Harrell (Auburn), Aurora Kan (Purdue), Brittany Marchand (NC State) and Prima Thammarks (Iowa State).
Arkansas (288) lead the team event from Alabama (295). 

RACHAEL WATTON DROPS OUT OF TOP 

20 AT STANFORD, CALIFORNIA

Edinburgh's Scotland cap Rachael Watton, a student at Denver University, finished joint 55th in a field of 75 at the Peg Barnard Invitational college tournament over Stanford University's golf course, California.
Mortonhall member Rachael, pictured above, had rounds of 74 and 82 for a 14-over-par total of 156 over the 6,084yd lay-out. She was joint 17th at the start of her second round which saw her drop 38 places in the final standings.
In halves of 42 and 40, Watton had double bogey 6s at the second and sixth, which was her starting hole.
Her only birdie came at the 15th.
Dana Finklestein (UNLV) won by two strokes with scores of 68-68 for five-under 137.
Joint runners-up were two Stanford players, Casey Donaldson (70-69) and Lauren Kim (71-68).
Stanford also had Mariah Stackhouse (70-71) in joint fourth place on 141.
Not surprising, then, that Stanford won the team title by the runaway margin of 16 strokes over their home course. UC Davis (586) were placed second with UNLV (592) third and California (594) fourth in a field of 14 teams.