Scots earn two of five qualifying spots for

  United States Women’s Open

NEWS RELEASE FROM LET

By Bethan Cutler, Media Manager

Holly Aitchison, Maria Balikoeva, Heather MacRae, Lauren Taylor and Kylie Walker earned their place in the 2015 US Women’s Open Championship after the second European Sectional Qualifier was played at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London today.

Russian Balikoeva set the 36-hole clubhouse target with a total of 140, four under par, before England’s Aitchison returned matching scores of 72 and 68. 
MacRae from Gleneagles, who started with a 75 in the morning, then bettered that score by TEN strokes in the afternoon with a second round of seven under par 65 to join the pair in qualifying for their first US Women’s Open, which will be played at Lancaster Country Club on July 9-12.

Five competitors tied on three under par 141 went to a sudden death play-off on the par-3 ninth hole to determine the final two spots in the US Womenh's Open.

Falkirk-based American Beth Allen, England’s Georgia Hall and Patricia Sanz Barrio from Spain joined Taylor and Walker in returning to the ninth tee.
 Sanz Barrio was eliminated with a bogey on the first extra hole, before Taylor secured her place with a birdie. Playing under intense pressure, Taylor hit a pure 5-iron from 179 yards and made a putt of four feet to secure her first appearance in the US Women’s Open. 
“It couldn’t have gone better,” said Taylor, 21, from Woburn Golf Club and the youngest ever British women's open amateur champion when she was 16.
 “I finished birdie, birdie and then to go into a play-off and birdie the hole was really fun.

“I tried to control my nerves and the tee shot was fine but when I realised this was to make the US Women’s Open I tried to get that shot out of my mind. It was a nice fist pump at the end and all of the adrenaline went out of my mind.”

On the second extra hole of sudden death, Allen hit her tee shot into the bunker behind the green and took a two-putt bogey while Walker and Hall both made 3s.

At the third extra hole, Walker almost holed in one but her perfectly judged 5-iron tee shot ended a foot past the hole and she tapped-in for birdie, while Hall three putted. Kylie seems to be somewhat of an expert in play-offs, having won both of her Ladies European Tour titles last year in similar circumstances.

“I’m really delighted to get through and excited about heading to America,” said the 28-year-old redhead from Mar Hall Golf Club. 
“I actually birdied my last two holes in regulation play to get back to three under so I was really happy with that and even getting into the play-off. 
"In the play-off I went par, par, birdie at the end. I hit a 5-iron and from back there you couldn’t really see the ball finish because we were losing daylight but the crowd roared and then I just tapped in.”

All five players will be heading for their first US Women’s Open, having had sensational finishes.
Aitchison birdied the last three holes and commented: “Everyone wants to play in a major and this is going to be my first major outside of Britain, because I’ve only played in the British Open before. It’s going to be a really, really good experience and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

MacRae was six under par on the back nine, with five birdies in six holes from the 10^th and another on the 18^th. 
The tearful 31-year-old from Dunblane said: “It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy. I thought three under was going to be okay and when I got to 18 and saw that I needed to be four under, otherwise it was a play-off and I needed my putt to go in. 
"Once I hit it from eight feet short of the hole I knew that it was in. It was one of those afternoons where I stood on the tee and knew that I was going to hit the fairway. I stood on the fairway and knew that I was going to hit the ball close on the green and I knew that I was going to make the putt.

“The last major I played in was when I was an amateur in 2005 and I’ve not played a tournament in the States since I was at university over there so I’m really excited to see what it’s like and I’m looking forward to playing here again in the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters in July, because I’ve not played in that either.”

The third of the five women’s major championships gets under way in Pennsylvania in seven weeks’ time.

ALL THE SCORES
Q1 Heather MacRae (SCO) -4 75 65 140
Q1Holly Aitchison (ENG) -4 72 68 140
Q1Maria Balikoeva (RUS) -4 72 68 140
Play-on 142 (five for two places
 Q2 Lauren Taylor (ENG) -3 71 70 141
 Q2 Kylie Walker (SCO) -3 69 72 141
4 Georgia Hall (ENG) -3 75 66 141
Patricia Sanz Barrio (ESP) -3 74 67 141
Beth Allen (USA) -3 69 72 141

9 Whitney Hillier (AUS) -1 73 70 143
Stacey Keating (AUS) -1 73 70 143
Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) -1 73 70 143
Nanna Koerstz Madsen (DNK) -1 71 72 143
13 Carly Booth (SCO) E 71 73 144
Monique Smit (RSA) E 70 74 144
Klara Spilkova (CZE) E 69 75 144
16 Marion Ricordeau (FRA) 1 77 68 145
Amy Boulden (WAL) 1 72 73 145
Rebecca Artis (AUS) 1 72 73 145
Camilla Lennarth (SWE) 1 70 75 145
20 Lucy Williams (ENG) 2 75 71 146
Hannah Burke (ENG) 2 74 72 146
Melissa Reid (ENG) 2 74 72 146
Caroline Rominger (SWI) 2 74 72 146
Emily Kristine Pedersen (DNK) 2 73 73 146
Isi Gabsa (GER) 2 73 73 146
Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 2 72 74 146
27 Sally Watson (SCO) 3 75 72 147
Vikki Laing (SCO) 3 74 73 147
Valentine Derrey (FRA) 3 72 75 147
30 Charlotte Thompson (ENG) 4 75 73 148
Kiran Matharu (ENG) 4 73 75 148
Nicole Broch Larsen (DEN) 4 73 75 148
33 Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 5 77 72 149
Anne Van Dam (NLD) 5 75 74 149
35 Nicole Garcia (RSA) 6 82 68 150
Diana Luna (ITA) 6 78 72 150
Isabelle Boineau (FRA) 6 78 72 150
Annabel Dimmock (ENG) 6 76 74 150
Michele Thomson (SCO) 6 75 75 150
Tonje Daffinrud (NOR) 6 73 77 150
Sarah-Jane Boyd (ENG) 6 73 77 150
42 Chloe Leurquin (BEL) 8 78 74 152
Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP) 8 77 75 152
Aditi Ashok (Am) (IND) 8 75 77 152
Margherita Rigon (ITA) 8 75 77 152
Laure Sibille (FRA) 8 74 78 152
Daisy Nielsen (DEN) 8 74 78 152
Rebecca Codd (IRL) 8 74 78 152
Victoria Lovelady (BRA) 8 72 80 152
50 Holly Clyburn (ENG) 9 78 75 153
Kelsey Macdonald (SCO) 9 77 76 153
52 Lucy Goddard (ENG) 10 76 78 154
Emma Goddard (ENG) 10 75 79 154
54 Alex Peters (ENG) 11 76 79 155
Melanie Maetzler (SWI) 11 75 80 155
56 Lauren Horsford (Am) (ENG) 12 74 82 156
57 Laura Murray (SCO) 13 77 80 157
Maria Tulley (ENG) 13 76 81 157
59 Caroline Martens (NOR) 14 79 79 158