Catherine Malcolm wins Ayrshire title at 21st

REPORT BY ANN WALLACE

Catherine Malcolm  (Prestwick St Cuthbert) today won a third Ayrshire women's county championship - 23 years after her last victory!

Having beaten the top seed, Emma Hale (Troon Ladies), on the 18th green in the morning semi-finals, Catherine then defeated defending champion Linzi Allan (West Kilbride) at the 21st hole.
At the halfway mark Linzi was up by one hole and then went on to win the 10th with the first birdie of the game.
The next two holes were halved in  pars but Catherine got one back at the short 13th where Linzi found some bunker trouble.  Malcolm  then squared the match at the 15th and got her first birdie of the day at 16 to go one up.  
A half  at 17 meant Allan had to win the 18th to take the game into extra holes which she duly did with a par 4.
The first extra hole was halved in par. Then Malcolm found trouble off the tee at the 20th and had to return to the teeing ground and play a  second ball.  She then produced an amazing par by chipping in from the back of the green for a 5.  Linzi played the hole in a more conventional way for her 5 and a halved hole.
Malcolm then won the match and the title with a steady par 4 at the 21st hole.

Allan beat Audrey Thompson (Loudoun Gowf Club) by 3 and 2
in the other semi-final in the morning.
RESULTS
Semi-finals - C Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert) bt E Hale (Troon Ladies) 1 hole, L Allan (West Kilbride) bt A Thompson (Lououn Gowf) 3 and 2.
Final - Malcolm bt Allan at 21st.