Leading prizewinners in the stroke-play qualifying at Monifieth. Left to right: Tara Mactaggart, Chloe Goadby, Elaine Moffat, Gillian Paton, Jacqueline Sneddon and Karen Ferguson. Picture by Gillian Kirkwood.
 

Gillian Paton on a roll that could take her all 

the way to the 101st Scottish final at Monifieth

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Gillian Paton is on a roll that might carry her all the way to the 101st Scottish championship final at Monifieth Links on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Royal Montrose GC member and a hotel receptionist has scored a double whammy over another Angus player, Jacqueline Senddon (Alyth), over the past four days
On Sunday, Paton beat Sneddon in the final of the Angus county championship at Forfar and yesterday (Wednesday) Jillian leapfrogged past overnight leader Jacqueline to claim the top seeding by two strokes at the head of the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages.

Paton, who as Gillian Monteith until her last autumn marriage to "Azzie" Paton, was a star of south of Scotland women's golf until she moved to Angus and she has continued that form by winning umpteen events and titles . The biggest one yet could be just three days away.
If the seeding works out then there will be an action replay of the Angus county final at Monifieth on Saturday with the Scottish title at stake.
Paton, pictured with the leading qualfier trophy by Gillian Kirkwood on eifhr , added a two-under-par 71 to her first round 74 for an aggregate of 145 over the par-73 links, the only player to be sub-par for the 36-hole stroke-play test.
"I holed more putts today than I did in the first round, that was the big difference," said Gillian. "I prefer match-play to stroke-play so I am very much looking forwad to the rest of the tournament."
With husband "Azzie" as her carried, the 25-year-old took advantage of the much improved conditions - little wind and warm sunshine. She hit form with five birdies and just three bogeys.
 Sneddon, the first-round leader with a 71, added a 76 to stand in second place on 147 and teenager Chloe Goadby (St Regulus) was third qualifier after two rounds of 74.  “
Defending champion Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) had a second round 74 to secure the 17th qualifying place on 155 and 15-year-old Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne), who was third  in the Helen Holm Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship at Troon last month, had a 75 and was 21st qualifier on 156.  
"I spent a couple of hours on the practice putting green after the first round and I certainly putted better today," said Shannon who says she would like to go to college in the States when she is 18 - three years from now.
Elaine Moffat (St Regulus), who won the Championship at North Berwick in 1998, struck a blow for the older brigade with a 71 and a tie for fourth place on 149.
“I first played in the Championship when I was a student at St Andrews in 1986 and I’ve played most years since,” said the Scottish Information Commissioner, based in St Andrews. “The young ones play a different game these days but I just have to do my own thing.”
Moffat won the trophy contested by former national champions in the second. Her only opponent was Gabrielle MacDonald who looked more ready for a stout title defence after a 74 than she had done with an opening 81.
Four players – Jennifer Rankine (Haggs Castle), Nicola Robertson (Stirling), Carol Wilson (Murcar) and Margo Gardner (Linlithgow) – tied on 160 and were in a play-off for the final two of the 32 matchplay places.
Gardner and 14-year-old Rankine both birdied the long second – all four players had pars at the first – to make it through to the knockout.  Eliminated in the play off were Carol Wilson (Murcar Links) and Nicola Robertson (Stirling)
Fiona Wait (Bathgate) would have qualified for the matchplay with a 159 aggregate but she withdrew because she has a pregnant sister who has gone into labour.
Not quite as good as the combined effort of the Angus players in the field but North and North-east did quite well with six qualifiers for the match-play stages.
As luck would have it, four of them meet each other in the first round tomorrow morning under the automatic draw - Northern Counties champion Cara Thompson (Royal Dornoch) versus Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) and Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) against Rachel Polson (Peterculter).
The CSS for both days was 74 against a par of 73.