SCOTTISH CHAMPION AMONG BIG NAMES TO MISS QUALIFYING

  Eilidh Briggs, second-round slump at Royal St George's. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

EILIDH BRIGGS FAILS TO MAKE 

MATCH-PLAY... AND SO TOO DOES

TITLE-HOLDER GEORGIA HALL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Only five Scots have made it through to the match-play stages of the British women's open amateur championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, Kent.
Aberdeen-born Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) 153, Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 155, Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 155, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 155 and Connie Jaffrey 156 succeeded where Curtis Cup player Eilidh Briggs 158, Clara Young 161, Scottish champion Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) 160, Clara Young (North Berwick) 161 and Airdrie-born Rachael Taylor (Germany) 163 failed.
The most notable failure of all was title-holder and Curtis Cup player Georgia Hall (Parkstone) who missed the magic figure of 156 by six shots with rounds of 78 and 84 for 162.
Briggs' halves in her 84 were 46 and 38. She had only two par figures in her first 14 holes, the lowlight being a quadruple bogey 8 at the eight. Eilidh did birdie the second, 14th and 17th but it was too little too late.
LGU Tournament Director Susan Simpson said: 

"A little stiffer breeze  today but a lovely day otherwise. The rough is severe and if you don`t hit straight you can easily have a few extra blows."
Lauren Whyte (St Regulus), a former Scottish U18 girls champion,  had a 77 for 155 which at one time looked to be one shot too many but as the scores started to climb so Lauren's total "improved" as the day wore on and she qualified comfortably for the match-play.

Other Scots qualifiers on the 155 mark were Carnoustie Ladies' Ailsa Summers (78-77) and last year's Scottish champion Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) (76-79)
Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies), beaten finalist in last month's Scottish women's amateur championship, squeezed through on the critical mark of 156

Connie had two double bogeys in a second-round 80 (41-39). 
Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw), who beat Jaffrey to claim the national title at Prestwick, missed the cut with a second-round 84 for 160. The St Andrews student had only one par figure in an outward half of 43.Germany-based Scot Rachael Taylor, a student at North Carolina State University, is another who will miss the match-play. She had an 85 for 163.
Carnoustie's Jess Meek, last year's Scottish Under-21 girls champion and a student at the University of Missouri, withdrew after a first-round 81. She phoned the LGU organisers early this morning to say that she was sick and would not be able to play in the second round.

American Meghan Stasi, a former US Curtis Cup player and several times US mid-amateur champion, will not make it although she improved by seven strokes for a 76 and an aggregate of 159.
Meghan was a semi-finalist in the "British" at Ganton in 2010 when Kelly Tidy beat Kelsey MacDonald in the final.
Olivia Winning (Rotherham), winner of the "Helen Holm" two years ago and a student at the same New Orleans university, Tulane, as Gemma Dryburgh has burned her boats with a 91 for 172.
Long-time leader in the clubhouse is US college student Laetitia Beck  from Israel with a seven-under-par total of 141 (71-70).
She is two shots ahead of last year's runner-up, Spain's Luna Sobron (70-73) and Leslie Cloots (Belgium) (72-71).
Curtis Cup player Georgia Hall (Parkstone), who won the title at Machynys Peninsula, south Wales12 months ago, is struggling to salvage a total of 156 or lower. She was nine over par in the closing stages of her round and eight-over is the "safety" mark.

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LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 148 (74-74)
141 Laetitia Beck (Israel) 71 70
143 Luna Sobron (Spain) 70 73, Leslie Cloots (Belgium) 72 71
145 Noemi Jimenez (Spain) 70 75, Bronte Law (Bramhall) 72 73
147 Antonia Scherer (Germany) 70 77, Inci Mehmet (Wentworth) 73 74
148 Su-Hyun Oh (Australia) 74 74, Dewi Weber (Netherlands) 69 79
148 Ann-Catherine Tanguay (Canada) 73 75
150 Hayley Davis (Ferndown) 75 75, Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe) 70 80
151 Alexandra Bonetti (France) 77 74
152 Chloe Williams (Wrexham) 75 77, Jane Jackson (USA) 74 7, Anne Van Dam (Netherlands) 75 77, Rosie Davies (Indiana Univ) 74 78
153 Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth) 76 77, Chloe Ryan (Castletroy, Ireland) 73 80, Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted) 77 76, Gabriella Cowley (Hanbury Manor) 76 77
154 Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 72 82, Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down) 76 78


SCOTS' TOTALS
Par 148 (2x74)
153 Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) 74 79
155 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 78 77, Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 78 77, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 76 79.
156 Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) 76 80
MISSED THE CUT (156 and better qualified)
157 Fiona Liddell (Germany) 79 78
158 Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 74 84
160 Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) 76 84
161 Clara Young (North Berwick) 79 82
162 Rachael Taylor (Germany) 77 85
Withdrew: Jess Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 81 -