Inbee Park wins again in North Texas

By Golfweek Staff 

Inbee Park got her second victory of the 2015 season, and at a venue that has treated her well in the past. Park, No. 2 in the Rolex Rankings and No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarins, closed with 65 at Las Colinas Country Club to win by three.
Park has now won the Volunteers of American North Texas Shootout twice in the past three years. Park, 26, also won the HSBC Women’s Champions in March, and hasn’t finished outside the top 20 yet this year.
Park didn’t make a bogey on Sunday. She had six birdies in her round of 6-under 65, and finished 72 holes at 15-under 269.
Cristie Kerr and Hee Young Park tied for second. The 37-year-old Kerr had three consecutive birdies to finish her round of 66. Hee Young Park had a 66, birdieing the final two holes after her only bogey at No. 16.
Lexi Thompson, who shared the third-round lead with Park, closed with a 69 to tie for fourth with Maria McBride (65) at 11 under.
By winning the North Texas LPGA stop, Park makes this the fourth consecutive season that she’s won multiple LPGA titles.
Two Texans chased Park throughout the week, but couldn’t capitalize in their home state. Angela Stanford, who lives in nearby Fort Worth and attended TCU, was at 10 under after a 69. She was a stroke ahead of a trio of defending champion Stacy Lewis (67), from The Woodlands, Texas. Lewis tied with Juli Inkster (67) and Karrie Webb (70) for seventh overall.
It was the first top-10 finish since 2011 for Inkster, the 54-year-old Solheim Cup captain and 31-time tour winner.
As for the youngsters, World No. 1 Lydia Ko followed last week’s victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic with a tie for 41st. Earlier in the week, Ko pledged to donate this week’s earnings to earthquake victims in Nepal.
Brooke Ma\ckenzie Henderson, the 17-year-old Canadian who nearly made a playoff last week in San Francisco and was the second-round leader in North Texas, opened Sunday with a birdie to get to 9 under and match the leaders who had not yet teed off.
Henderson fell out of a contention when she went bogey-double-bogey at Nos. 3-5. A final-round 73 sent her to an eventual T-13.

Tara wins Border Ladies Championship 

FIONA KER REPORTS

Nineteen-year-old Tara Mactaggart (Minto) overcame  Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles) today in the Border women's county championship at The Roxburghe.  
Tara, runner-up in 2013, showed impressive form in the run up to the final but Sheila was two up after eight holes.
Mactaggart fought back strongly to win the next five holes, eventually winning at the 16th.

The Bronze Stableford was held earlier in the day during the worst of the weather. Elaine Brotherston (Lauder) returned the best score of the day, 36pts

CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

First Round

Fiona Ker (Roxburghe) bye

Leanne Wilson (Kelso) bt Lorraine White (Torwoodlee) 2 holes.
 
Liz Campbell (Torwoodlee) bt Alison Rutherford (Selkirk) 6 and 5

Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles) bt Sharon Paterson (Kelso)1 hole.

Julie Birdsall (Roxburghe) scr Eve Rafferty (Selkirk) scr

Tara Mactaggart (Minto)  bt Carol Purves (Selkirk) 10 and 8.

Denise Richards (Torwoodlee) bt Alison Melvin (Hirsel) at 19th.
 
Judith Anderson (Hawick) bye

Quarter-finals

Wilson bt Ker 4 and 2.
Cuthbertson bt Campbell 4 and 3.

Mactaggart w.o.

Anderson bt Richards 5 and 4.

Semi-finals

Cuthbertson bt Wilson 2 and 1.
Mactaggart bt Anderson 7 and 6

Final

Mactaggart bt Cuthbertson 4 and 2

Bronze

Winner - Elaine Brotherston (Lauder) 36pts

+Elaine is pictured on the right of Tara Mctaggart in the picture at the top of the report.
Runner-up Doreen Pringle (Kelso) 22pts

Kate McIntosh wins her first Midlothian title

Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe), the No 3 seed, today won the Midlothian women's county championship at Baberton Golf Club.
She beat clubmate Wendy Nicholson by one hole in the semi-finals and then beat Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe), the fourth best qualifier for the match-play stages, by 2 and 1 in the final.
Louise had beaten Kirsten Blackwood (Glencorse) by one hole in the other semi-final.
It is the first time McIntosh has reached the final. For Fraser there was the disappointment of losing in the final for the second time in recent years. Louise lost also in the 2011 final.
After the lead was exchanged several times in the early holes, McIntosh went two up by winning the seventh with a birdie and the 10th.
Fraser got a hole back at the 11th where McIntosh was bunkered.
McIntosh re-estabklished a two-hole lead with a birdie at the long 12th.

Fraser's birdie 2 at the short 14th halved her deficit but McIntosh won the 15th to be two up with three to play. The 16th and 17th holes were halved, leaving McIntosh the winner by 2 and 1.
Pam Townsend (Murrayfield), left in the picture on left,  beat home course player Adrienne Turner by two holes in the B Championship final












 
RESULTS

SCRATCH
Semi-finals - Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) bt Kirsten Blackwood (Glencorse) 1 hole; Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) bt Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) 1 hole.
Final - McIntosh bt Fraser 2 and 1.

HANDICAP
Semi-finals - Adrienne Turner (Baberton) bt Helen Warnock (Harburn) 6 and 5; Pam Townsend (Murrayfield) bt Elaine Lumsden (Kingsknwe) 2 and 1.
Final - Townsend bt Turner 2 holes

Sweden's day at Lytham St Annes

It was Sweden's day in the Lancashire town of Lytham St Annes today!
At Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club, Marcus Kinhult won the men's Lytham Trophy by EIGHT strokes over 72 holes and in the Fairhaven Trophies International Junior Open at Fairhaven Golf Club, a younger Swede, Joacim Achlund, won the boys' championship with a one-under-par total of 215 for the 54 hol3es.
He won by two shots from England's Toby Briggs (Dunstone Hall).
Leading Scots boys were Niall McMullen (Lundin) in joint fourth place on 219 and Joseph Bryce (Bathgate) and Calum Fyfe (Cawder), tied seventh on 220.

Shannon McWilliam joint runner-up  in girls' championship at Fairhaven

Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne), who might well have been defending the Aberdeenshire women's county championship at stormy Peterhead, finished joint second in the girls' championship at Fairhaven.
She finished alongside Scottish U16 girls' open champion Hollie Muse (West Lancs) on two-under-par 223 - three shots behind the winner, Elizabeth Prior (Burhill)
St Andrews' Chloe Goadby (St Regulus) in the mix with a round to go slipped down to a final placing of fifth with a 77 for 226.



BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP
Par 216 (3x72) CSS for 75 76 75
215 Joacim Aclund (Sweden) 70 75 70
217 Toby Briggs (Dunston Hall) 75 72 70
218 Sam Done (Kenwick Park) 74 73 71
219 William Enefer (Wrekin) 73 75 71, Niall McMullen (Lundin) 73 73 73, Raphael Geissler (Germany) 66 77 76
220 Billy Spooner (Woodhall) 74 75 71,  Joseph Bryce (Bathgate) 70 77 73, Calum Fyfe (Cawder) 76 71 7
Selected total
228 Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy) 77 76 75

GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIP 
FINAL TOTALS
Par 225 (3x75) CSS  75 76 75
220 Elizabeth Prior (Burhill) 72 75 75
223 Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) 76 75 72, Hollie Muse (West Lancs) 79 72 72
225 Emma Allen (Meon Valley) 73 76 76
226 Chloe Goadby (St Regulus) 75 74 77
232 Mairead Martin (Killarney) 74 77 81

Helen Holm winner Olivia Mehaffey completes 

quick-fire double in Wales

 Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down Ladies) enhanced her prospects of winning a place in the GB and I team for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Malone GC, Belfast, next month, by completing the "Helen Holm"- Welsh open stroke-play title double in bad weather at Southerndown Golf Club, South Wales today (Sunday).
Olivia had rounds of 73, 73 and 75 for 221 - one shot ahead of Olivia Winning (Rotherham), winner of the "Helen Holm" in 2013.
The only Scot in the field, Iona Stephen (Wentworth) finished T40 on 251 (83-83-85).
WELSH WOMEN'S OPEN AMATEUR STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Southerndown Golf Club
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
221 Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down Ladies) 73 73 75
222 Oivia Winning (Rotherham) 74 75 73
224 Bethan Popel (Little Aston) 77 76 71, Penelope Brown (Worthing) 75 75 74

SELECTED TOTAL
251 Iona Stephen (Worthing) 83 83 85

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Danielle McVeigh rediscovers her love of golf 

after being reinstated as an amateur
​FROM THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION WEBSITE
By BRENDAN COFFEY
Danielle McVeigh had to learn the hard way that  professional sport was not for her. But she has no regrets about her  career and after a year away from the game, she is rediscovering her  love of golf.

It  was on sunny afternoons playing alongside her late father, Thomas, that  Danielle McVeigh realised she was smitten. When she got the chance to  get out of school early one day, it was her dad who came with the offer.  Together they headed for the links at Royal County Down, mischievously  stealing some time away from the world.
“Mum  was away and she would have been stricter on me. Dad was like, ‘it’s a  nice day, let’s go play’,” says McVeigh, recalling what is now a  precious memory. 
“I remember it clear as day. It was a Thursday, we were  playing away and mum was none the wiser. We were coming up the 18th and  this man came out with a camera. He was doing an article on Royal  County Down. ‘Do you mind if I take a picture?’ 
"Next thing it was  in the papers the next day, me swinging on the 18th hole and mum was  like, ‘so, when was this taken?’” 
"Caught rotten," as McVeigh puts it. She  was 15 or 16 at the time and beginning to find out just how good she  could be. Aged 12, she got her first real taste of the game in Kilkeel,  her home club, and quickly progressed. Her first Irish cap came at the  European Young Masters in 2003 alongside another promising young player  from Co Down.
“I remember a short, chubby fella  and this massive big blazer on him,” says McVeigh, describing her first  encounter with Rory McIlroy. “I remember he had four pairs of golf  shoes. I was happy to have one pair.”
McIlroy, then 14, was a  year younger than McVeigh but their careers were on similar  trajectories. McVeigh would become a poster girl for Irish ladies golf
Her victory at the British  women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal Aberdeen  in 2009 setting her on the way to  Curtis Cup selection the following year when she won the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play title at Troon. 
Danielle also played for GB and I against the Continent of Europe in the 2011 Vagliano Trophy match at Royal Porthcawl (picture at start of article is her in action in that international).
After completing a Business and  Management degree at Maynooth University in 2011, she turned pro,  chasing a livelihood from the game that had captured her imagination.
“I  had played the Women's British Open in 2007 at St Andrews, that was my first  introduction to professional golf,” she says. “It seemed like really  good fun just out playing golf every day, nothing else really mattered.  Playing St Andrews (in 2007) on a sunny day with nice people, that’s  what I thought I was getting into.”
The reality of life on  tour was far removed from that experience. Chasing her playing card was a  lonely pursuit though fear was a constant companion. Making the cut was  never enough. How could you expect to hole putts when your mind was  elsewhere?
“I remember at a tournament in the Azores and there were about 12 of us out for dinner and I remember thinking if I don’t  make the cut tomorrow, I’m not actually going to be able to afford heating oil in the house for the next month.
"Sure, lo and behold, I  missed the cut. I remember I was freezing for a whole month. I was going  for a run before I went to bed just to get myself a bit warmer.”
It  was a harsh working environment but she never expected success to come  easy in a world full of highly competitive people. In the end, she  realised it wasn’t the life she wanted to lead.
“I was having  to sacrifice different things in terms of relationships, even being with  my friends and my family,” she says. “I still kind of reckon that I  wasn’t selfish enough to actually be the best out there. "I think you  have to be very self-focused. Obviously I would be to a point and  that’s what got me to the level I was at in terms of competitiveness but  when you really need to put yourself first in all circumstances, I  don’t think I did that. I don’t regret not doing that because I don’t  think it is my personality.”
Home for Christmas after the 2013  season, life had changed in so many ways. It was more than three years  since the death of her dad, Thomas, who was lost to cancer at the age of  54. And golf was not as simple as skipping out of school to play a few  holes in the sunshine at Royal County Down.
“I had no money, I couldn’t really go out,” she recalls. “It was scary. I was pushing towards being on the dole at that stage.”
She  was 25 and completely unsure about what to do but with the help of some  of her golf contacts, she plotted a new career path and soon picked up a  job with Qualtrics, a technology company, in Dublin.
“A lot  of the skills that you learn from playing golf, being independent,  self-motivated, driven, being a good leader, it’s helping me here (at  Qualtrics),” she says. “Motivation is one of the biggest things that I  had.”
The tenacity it took to succeed at golf  has helped her through the transition. Putting the clubs away for a year  has allowed her develop new interests, like the guitar that often  accompanies her when she meets up with some golf friends each  month.
“I’ve got Molly Malone down to a t,” she says with a smile.  
Gillian O’Leary, Ailish McCartan and Maria Dunne can all vouch for her  burgeoning musical talent. The X-Factor may not be on McVeigh’s horizon  but golf could still give her cause to break into song as she rejoins  the Irish amateur circuit this summer.
“Right now I’m really  loving golf,” says the 26-year-old, who has been reinstated with a  plus-two handicap. 
“It’s kind of reignited my passion for it, the  passion I had for it when I was 15. I was always learning something, I  was just naturally curious.
"I lost that, especially as a  pro. Now I’m really keen to get out there, hit a few balls and figure it  out.” 
And so a new journey begins, golf having recaptured a piece of her  heart.

Aberdeenshire finals abandoned at Peterhead,

rearranged for Tuesday, May 12 (1pm)
This afternoon's (Sunday) Aberdeenshire scratch and handicap women's county championship finals were abandoned after four holes due to gale-force winds and heavy rain at Peterhead Golf Club.
They have been rearranged for Tuesday, May 12, teeing off at 1pm.
Sammy Leslie (Aberdeen Ladies) was one up on Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) when play was halted in the scratch final. They will resume on the fifth tee
Beveridge repeated last year's semi-final win over Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies), the No 1 seed. The Aboyne teenager won by 4 and 3, thus ending Sheena's hopes of a sixth title, for this year at least.
Leslie, who lost to Shannon McWilliam in last year's semi-final, beat Carol Wilson (Murcar Links) by one hole to reach the final
It is Sammy's third final. She lost in 2009 to Sara Thomson but won in 2010 (bt Donna Pocock at 19th) and again in 2013 (bt Sheena Wood 6 and 4).
It is Kimberley's second appearance in the final. She lost to Shannon McWilliam last year at Meldrum House.
In the handicap final, Morven Adam (Hazlehead) (handicap 12) was one up on Sandra Ross (Peterhead) after four holes.
RESULTS.
SCRATCH
Semi-finals - Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) bt Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) 4 and 3, Sammy Leslie (Aberdeen Ladies) bt Carol Wilson (Murcar Ladies) 1 hole.
Final - Lesley one up on Beveridge after four holes (to be resumed).
HANDICAP
Semi-finals - Morven Adam (Hazlehead) (12) bt Sally Collinson (Westhill) (8) at 19th, Sandra Ross (Peterhead) (17) bt Anne Loftus (Peterhead) (14) 1 hole.
Final - Adam one up on Ross after four holes (to be resumed).

Stirling and Clackmannan women's championship match-play postponed to Monday at Braehead

The start of the Stirling and Clackmannan women's golf championship match-play stages at Braehead Golf Club today (SUNDAY) was postponed because of the weather. This round will now be played tomorrow (MONDAY) with two start times, 3pm and 5pm.

The quarter-finals will be played on Wednesday at 5.15 pm.The semi -finals will be held on Thursday at 5.30 and the final on Friday at 5.30

Fife women's county championship qualifier 

washed out at Pitreavie: May 24 is new date 

  FROM THE FIFE LADIES COUNTY GA WEBSITE

Today's Spring Meeting and Championship Qualifying Round at Pitreavie Golf Club has been postponed  due to a flooded course.
After a course inspection at 9.00am the decision was taken by the greenkeeper that conditions were only going to get worse and the course was closed.
The date for the Spring Meeting and  Championship Qualifying Round has been re-scheduled to take place on:
Sunday 24th May - 10.30am - 2.00pm

Date for the Match-play rounds will be: 
 

Sunday 7th June - last 16 Scratch 9.30am - 10.30am
Handicap Quarter Finals at 1.00pm - 1.30pm
Scratch Quarter Finals at 2.00pm - 2.30pm

Saturday 25th July:  Semi Finals and the Finals
Scratch Semi Final:  10.00am and 10.07am
Handicap Semi Final:  10.15am  and amp; 10.22am
Scratch Final:  2.15pm
Handicap Final:  2.22pm

As this will be a revised draw please note the following:

1. Those in the existing draw and still intending to play must confirm this by email to Lorna McKinlay (mckinlayl@hotmail.co.uk)
2. Those who were in the draw and cannot play on the 24th May must notify Lorna by email in order for their cheque to be cancelled or cash refunded.
3. Anyone who was unable to play on Sunday 3rd May and now wishes to play can enter by  submitting the revised entry form to Lorna McKinlay as per entry sheet.

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE:

FRIDAY 15TH MAY

Rain washes out West of Scotland championship at Cawder

The West of Scotland women's golf championship, due to take place today (Sunday) at Cawder Golf Club has been cancelled due to flooding of the cCourse.

This is the second year in a row it has had to be cancelled. Last year fog was the spoilsport. Today is was rain and lots of it.

Lexi and Inbee share Texas Shoot-out lead

FROM SKY SPORTS.COM
Lexi Thompson and Inbee Park hold a share the lead heading in to the final round of the LPGA's North Texas Shoot-out.
The American finished with a fortunate birdie in her three-under 68 to move alongside Park, who recovered from an early dropped shot to post a third round 69 and also move nine under.
Thompson opened with a gain at the par-four first and picked up further shots at the seventh and 10th, before dropping the only shot of the round at the short par-three 11th.
The 20-year-old looked set to drop another shot at the 518-yard 18th when her second shot flew well left of the hole and towards the temporary grandstand, but was lucky to see her ball ricochet off the front face of the stand, skim just over the top of the bunker and land on the green.
After making the long two-putt birdie, Thompson told reporters: “I'm just happy it hit that grandstand and not somebody else out there.
Third Round leaders

-9 Lexi Thompson (USA)
-9 Inbee Park (Kor)
-8 Brooke Henderson (Can)
-8 Karrie Webb (Aus)
-8 Angela Stanford (USA)
-7 Cristie Kerr (USA)
-7 Hee Young Park (Kor)
Selected Others-5 Stacy Lewis (USA)
-2 Amy Yang (Kor)
Level Lydia Ko (Nzl)

“The leaderboard is very stacked right now so I’m expecting low scores, but really I’m just going to focus on my game and doing my routine on every shot.”

Karrie Webb kept hopes alive of a 42nd LPGA tour title with a tournament record-equalling 64 that included nine birdies on the day, to join Angela Stanford and Brooke Henderson one off the pace.

Cristie Kerr, who missed a short birdie chance on her final hole, closed with a third round 69 to sit two-shots back tied-sixth alongside South Korea’s Hee Young Park.
A five-under 66 from defending champion Stacy Lewis leaves her a further shot back with veteran Juli Inkster, while world No 1 Lydia Ko sits out of contention on level par for the week following a one-under 70.
Just like Friday, Ko was right on the number for the secondary cut, among the 51 players advance to the final round at even or better. When the initial cut was made at one over after the second round, 70 of the original 144-player field made it.
"Really, I think over the last two days, I'm realizing that one shot, one little putt, can make a huge difference," said Ko, who will keep her No 1 ranking after this week. "Luckily I'm playing four days, and after the first day, you know, I didn't know if I was going to play through."
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Fairhaven Trophies Junior Open reduced to three rounds by heavy rain

Due to the heavy rain overnight and it is raining heavily this morning, start of play has been delayed until 10.30am

Play will be in the same order – add 3 ½ hours to your start time.

Because of the delayed start the final day will be reduced to 18 holes.

Further updates will be sent, posted on Facebook (Fairhaven Golf Club) and Twitter (@FairhavenGolf #Fairhaventrophy)

LATER NEWS

 Play resumed using Round 4 Tee Off Times http://www.fairhavengolfclub.co.uk/getPDF.php?f=SS5868.pdf … Reduced to 18 holes

Twitter: @FairhavenGolf #Fairhaventrophy

 

Bob Thompson

General Manager

 

Tel:  + 44 (0)1253 736741  Opt.1

Email:  secretary@fairhavengolfclub.co.uk

Web:  www.fairhavengolfclub.co.uk