BRILLIANT LAST-DAY EFFORT OF NINE-UNDER-PAR

England’s Meghan MacLaren charges to  British stroke-play title win England’s Meghan MacLaren charged through the field with a superb display of sub-par golf to win the British ladies’ stroke play championship by one shot at Ashburnham in Wales. The 20-year-international (image © Leaderboard Photography), and former winner of the Irish women's open stroke-play title, was nine-under par for today’s final 36 holes, propelling herself from a share of 16th place at the halfway stage to the top of the leaderboard. Meghan, from Wellingborough, finished the 72-hole event on four-under par and won by a stroke from fellow international, Sarah-Jane Boyd of Truro, who held this title in 2012. “This means such a lot,” said Meghan. “I’ve been waiting to win something like this for a while and it proves to me that my game is good enough to compete at the highest level. “I’ve made a few changes to my swing this summer, which was something I felt I needed to do to get to the next level, and people around me - my family, coaches and England Golf – have helped and supported me a lot.” However, she won’t have long to celebrate her triumph – tomorrow Meghan travels back to the USA, where she is a student at Florida International University and a multiple winner on the US college circuit. “I had to make it count,” she said of her last 2014 championship this side of the Atlantic. “It’s a nice way to end the summer.” Meghan started the event slowly and was six over after the first seven holes of the championship. But she wasn’t deterred: “I didn’t play as badly as the score suggests, which was why I didn’t lose confidence.  " I got into trouble and everything that could go wrong went wrong, but I knew I wasn’t playing badly so I kept plugging away.” The 10th marked a change in fortunes – and became her talisman hole for the week – when she scored an eagle three, en route to playing the back nine in two under. She finished on 78, sharing 25th place. In the second round she improved with 75, one-over par, and was tied 16th at the halfway stage. From then on there was no holding her. She was four-under par – with an eagle on the 10th – in this morning’s third round; and five under-par 69 – with an eagle on the 10th – this afternoon. After the third round she shared sixth place and after the fourth round the trophy was hers.  “I just played really, really solid all day and gave myself chances. I missed some, it could have been better – but I also holed a lot to keep the momentum going.” Meghan set an early target and had a long wait until she knew it could not be surpassed. Long-time leader Olivia Winning (Rotherham), who shot seven-under 67 in the first round, and Sarah-Jane Boyd were tied on two-under as they went through the turn on the final round. Sarah-Jane looks odds-on to force a play-off after she stood on the 18th tee at four-under, but she bogeyed the last to drop back into second place.  Olivia – a former winner of the Helen Holm Scottish stroke play – dropped back into a share of third place on level par, alongside England’s Alex Peters (Notts Ladies’) and Chloe Williams of Wales. Click here for full scores. Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org

GABRIELLE MACDONALD FINISHES

 TOP SCOT IN SOUTH WALES

Gabrielle MacDonald, the Scottish champion, finished the top Scot in the British women's open amateur stroke-play golf championship, won by Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough), at the Ashburnham Golf Club links, Burry Port on the South Wales coast today (Friday).

Craigielaw member and St Andrews student MacDonald finished tied 15th on 307 - 15 shots behind the winner with scores of 79, 74, 77 and 76.

Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), also a St Andrews student finished joint 18th on 307 (77-78-76-76).

Aboyne teenager Kimberley Beveridge, the only other Scot to survive the halfway cut, finished joint 39th on 321 with scores of 80,77, 83 and 81.

MacLaren, whose Newcastle-born father (who spent his formative years North of the Border) is a European Tour director and whose mother is an Irish senior golf international, produced a final-day aggregate of nine-under-par 139 with scores of 70 and 69.
 That swept the US college student  into the lead past the faltering leader Olivia Winning (Rotherham) who, by contrast, scored 76 and 78 in her last two rounds.

A former winner of this title, Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro) filled second place, one shot behind the winner with closing rounds of 75 and 73 for 293..

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 296 (4x74)

292 Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 78 75 70 69.

293 Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro) 73 72 75 73

296 Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies 75 75 74 72, Chloe Williams (Wrexham) 79 70 83 74, Olivia Winning (Rotherham 67 75 76 78

SCOTS' TOTALS

305 Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) 79 74 77 76 (T15)

307 Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 77 78 76 76 (T18)

321 Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) 80 77 83 81 (T39).