Ladies Tartan Tour two-round compeition

Gemma Dryburgh shares lead with a 68 at 

Dalmahoy on pro debut

Former Curtis Cup player Gemma Dryburgh, pictured,  is sharing the lead on 68 in her professional debut at the Ladies Tartan Tour 36-hole competition at Marriott Dalmahoy, writes Colin Farquharson
The Aberdeen-born 23-year-old, who recently completed four years at Tulane University, New Orelans, plans to play on the LETAS circuit until the tour schools on both sides of the Atlantic come up later in the year.
Dryburgh,  who is playing out of Beaconssfield Golf Club,  Buckinghamshire, is in a five-way tie with American Beth Allen (Falkirk),  Michele Thomson (now attached to Meldrum House Golf Club), Jane Turner (West Linton) and former Scottish women's amateur champion Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) for the lead on the par mark for the shorter but tighter West course at the Edinburgh venue.
Dryburgh, whose father is a North Sea Oil company executive, had four birdies on her card but also ran up a double bogey 7 at the long 13th.
McKechin had the joint lowest outward half of the day - 32 - but had no birdies after the sixth and 17th and came home in 36 with bogeys at the 10th and 17th.
Thomson, who also went out in 32,  had a double bogey 6 at the 11th while Turner had four birdies, one more than Allen, a former Ladies Tartan Tour champsionship winner who makes Falkirk her base while she is playing the Ladies European Tour. 
Tomorrow's second round is over the longer East Course at Dalmahoy. First prize is £1,575.

FIRST-ROUND SCORES
par 64
68 B Allen (Falkirk) 33-35, M Thomson (Meldrum House) 32-36, A McKechin (Elderslie) 32-36, J Turner (West Linton) 34-34, G Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) 34-34
69 L Murray (Paul Lawrie GC) 36-33
71 A Bain (Gullane) 34-37, S Watson (Castle Stuart) 35-36, C Rogers (Celtic Manor) 33-38
72 H MacRae (Gleneagles) 37-35, H Searle (Gailes GandL) 35-37
74 L Shervill (unatt) 34-40
75 N Ferguson (American Golf) 36-39
76 G Webster (Succession Group) 38-38
77 E Taylor (Holmhall) 37-40
78 K Rule (Falmouth) 38-40
80 R McQueen (Troon) 41-39, K Scott (Gleneagles) 38-42
81 J Potter (Cawder) 41-40, Z Allen (Lurgan) 44-37
82 L Nikulina (Russia) 42-40
83 F Wait (Bathgate) (am) 41-42
Retired: K Matharu (Cookridge Hall)


SECOND ROUND TEE TIMES 
EAST COURSE, THURSDAY

  1   9:45 AM   Fiona Wait (a)
                Liza Nikulina

  1   9:55 AM   Zoe Allen
                Jennifer Potter

  1   10:05 AM  Kirstin Scott
                Rachael McQueen
                Katie Rule

  1   10:15 AM  Emilee Taylor
                Gemma Webster
                Nichola Ferguson

 1   10:25 AM  Lisa Shervill
                Helen Searle
                Heather MacRae

  1   10:35 AM  Chloe Rogers
                Sally Watson
                Ailsa Bain

  1   10:45 AM  Laura Murray
                Gemma Dryburgh
                Jane Turner

  1   10:55 AM  Alyson McKechin
                Michele Thomson
                Beth Allen