SCOTTISH UNDER-18 GIRLS (CLOSE) CHAMPIONSHIP

         CLARA YOUNG ... Two steady rounds. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency

BACK IN FORM CLARA YOUNG WINS 

TOP SEEDING AT DUMFRIES and CO

North Berwick's Clara Young recaptured the form that took her to the final of last year's Scottish women's amateur golf championship with rounds of 72 and 73 to be the top seed in the match-play stages of the Scottish Under-18 girls' (close) championship at Dumfries and County Golf Club.
Clara, East Lothian's youngest-ever county women's champion when she was only 15, must like the 10th and 12th holes at this course. She birdied them both in the morning first round - and she did it again in the second round!

Her one-over-par 145 aggregate saw her finish a shot ahead of Germany-based Fiona Liddell (Gutersloh) (75-71) with the title-holder, Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) third best on 147 (74-73).
Fiona, like Clara, a Junior Vagliano Trophy player for GB and I under-16s, had six birdies over the 36 holes - divided evenly over the two rounds. She also had a triple bogey 6 at the short sixth and a double bogey 6 at another hole in her first round.
Connie Jaffrey had probably more birdies than anyone over the two rounds - eight in all, mainly from the middle holes in the round. 
Scottish schoolgirls champion and the youngest ever Aberdeenshire women's champion at 14, Aboyne's Shannon McWilliam notched six birdies and 11 bogeys in qualifying in joint fifth position on 149 (76-73). 
Anglo-Scot Nicola Callander (Mill Green), winner of the Scottish Under-21 title at Blairgowrie a couple of years ago was a surprise non-qualifier for the championship flight.
Daughter of golf writer Colin, Nicola scored 86-76 for 162.
She will be playing in the second match-play flight for the Ansley Reid Salver.

The number of championship match-play qualifiers was reduced from 32 to 16 this year because of the low entry - only 41 players - and the championship final will be played on Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning.

MATCH-PLAY QUALIFIERS

Par 144 (2x72)

145 Clara Young (North Berwick) 72 73

147 Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) 74 73

148 Heather Munro (Monifieth) 77 71

149 Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) 76 73

153 Mirren Fraser (Powfoot) 78 75

155 Hazel MacGarvie (Troon Ladies) 80 75, Emma Hale (Troon Ladies) 79 76

156 Joanne Free (Gullane) 79 77, Charlotte Munro (Gullane) 78 78

157 Danielle Ker (Roxburghe) 78 79

158 Ellie Bryce (Strathaven) 81 77

159 Emily Dalgetty (Glencorse) 80 79

160 Molly Stewart (Murcar Links) 85 75, Molly Richmond (Strathaven) 82 78

161 Claire Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies) 81 80.
OTHER SCORES:
162 Eva O'Connor (Bothwell Castle) 86 76, Nicola Callander (Mill Green) 86 76, Jillian Farrell (Cardross) 82 80. 
163 Kirsten Brown (Strathaven) 83 80
164 Andrew Walker (Glenbervie) 82 82, Jennifer Allan (Glenbervie) 80 84
167 Jasmine Mackintosh (Hazlehead) 86 81, Jennifer Saxton (Kinross) 83 84
168 Sarah Black (Deeside) 82 86
169 Eilidh Crawford (Harburn) 85 84 
171 Katie Scott (Strathaven) 89 82, Katie Malcolm (Dumfries and Co) 85 86
172 Lauren Gilbert (Largs) 86 86
175 Lori Macdonald (Cardross) 88 87
176 Fiona Rattray (Douglas Park) 95 81, Emily Glencorse (Glenbervie) 88 88
180 Catherine Goodwin (Glenbervie) 94 86, Alexandra Qayum (Ranfurly Castle) 88 92
182 Stephanie Lamb (Lake Windcrest) 92 90
184 Niamh Kinney (Erskine) 95 89
187 Maria Cowan (St Medan) 97 90, Emma Morrison (Craigmillar Park) 96 91
194 Annabel Hosie (Dunbar) 93 101
202 Jan Adams (Whinhill) 98 104
205 Georgina Gray (Kirkcudbright) 104 101 

CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW

8.30 Young v Robertson

8.38 Free v Hale

8.46 McWilliam v Bryce

8.54 Dalgetty v H Munro

9.02 Jaffrey v Stewart

9.10 Ker v Fraser

9.18 MacGarvie v C Munro

9.26 Richmond v Liddell.

ANSLEY REID SALVER

9.34 O'Connor v Saxton

9.42 Walker v Brown

9.50 Farrell v Allan

9.58 Mackintosh v Callander