My Golf Ranking Scotland Ladies, 2015/20

1 Dianne Watson (Leven GS) 1107pt                                                

2 Lynn McDonald (Strathtay) 1031

3 Lia Maxwell (Aberdour) 1020

4 Edith Mathieson (Aigas) 1013

5 Linda McDonald (Ladybank) 1000

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

Heather, Kylie win places in US Women's Open

Heather MacRae has won herself a place in the US Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club from July 9 to 12, writes Colin Farquharson .
 The 31-year-old Gleneagles staff pro, winner of the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Nairn before turning pro, jointly headdc a field of 75 players in the Sectional Qualifier (Europe) at Buckinghamshire Golf Club today.
Five spots in the US Women's Open were up for grabs and Heather seized one of them with a brilliant second round of 65, improving by 10 shots on her morning round.
Her aggregate of 140 saw her figure in a triple tie at the top of the leaderboard, alongside Maria Balkoeva (72-68) from Russia and England's Holly Aitchison (72-68).
That meant a five-way play-off for the last two qualifying spots - the players who finished on 141 - and they included Scot Kylie Walker and Falkirk-based American Beth Allen.

LATER NEWS: KYLIE CAME THROUGH THE PLAY-OFF

Carly Booth finished joint 13th on 142 (71-73), Vikki Laing (74-73) and Sally Watson (75-72) tied 27th on 147, and Michele Thomson jt 35th on 150 with a pair of 75s. 


FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
A field of 75 competitors are playing in the 36-hole US Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier (Europe) at Buckinghamshire Golf Club in England today in pursuit of five spots available for the US Women’s Open Championship, to be played at Lancaster Country Club on 9-12 July.
This is the second year that the United States Golf Association (USGA) has instituted international qualifying in recognition of the global growth and strength of women’s golf. In case of a tie for the final spot, a play-off will be held immediately following play. The first two alternates will also be determined by a hole by hole play-off if necessary.
Considered one of the world’s premier women’s golf major championships, the U.S. Women’s Open is conducted annually by the USGA. It is open to professional female golfers and amateur females with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. 
The championship was first conducted in 1946 and boasts an impressive list of winners, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Meg Mallon, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Inbee Park

---

Maguire twins a delightful combination

 Lisa, left, and Leona Maguire, right, during the Women's NCAA Championship at The Concessions golf club in Bradenton, Florida (Picture by Tracy Wilcox ) 

 

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITRE

By Beth Ann Nichols

BRADENTON, Florida – Leona Maguire won the 2012 Irish Girls Stroke Play Championship, but it was her sister Lisa’s name that was engraved on the trophy.
“I was super happy about that,” said Lisa, who found out about it when the next year’s winner sent her a congratulatory text.
Mixups with these Irish twins are commonplace.
When they sat together with Golfweek for an interview at the NCAA Championship, the Duke freshmen wore matching uniforms, right down to their pink and white hats. Even the Celtic crosses that hung around their necks looked the same. Only their ankle socks were different.
So unless a reporter spent most of the interview staring awkwardly at their feet, a little left/right shorthand was required to help discern the voice recording. Lisa sat to my left, Leona on the right.
“That’s not going to really help,” Leona said of my cheat sheet.
Or maybe it was Lisa.
Either way, they’re a delightful pair. Leona, the top-ranked player in college golf and No. 1 amateur in the world, was born 15 minutes after Lisa. 
The 20-year-olds say they’re not a package deal, that the possibility existed that they might split up in college, though that’s difficult to imagine.
This week the pale-skinned twins have tackled Florida’s blistering heat and nagging mosquitoes (they get unusually large welts) in their national-championship debut. Duke, winner of six NCAA championships, is among the favorites heading into match play. The Blue Devils were second in the stroke-play standings, three strokes behind USC when the third round was halted because of darkness.
The Maguire sisters certainly have plenty of experience in head-to-head formats. At 15, they became the youngest Great Britain and Ireland players in Curtis Cup history. Only Leona repeated in 2012. They’ve represented Europe on Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup teams.
Leona won 20 amateur titles before coming to Duke, while Lisa boasts 16.
“At the start Lisa was definitely better,” Leona said. “She was stronger, so she always hit the ball farther than I did. She won a lot more at the start.
“I got better, and then she got better again. And now it’s back to me. I’m going to ride it out as long as I can.”
Rest assured that everything with these two is a competition.
They’re roommates at Duke. Leona is the messy one. They’ll share clothes – because really, what’s the point in buying two of the same outfit? – but one of them gets to break it in for about a month before it’s fair game.
Lisa, for the record, does not share dessert. Both miss their mother’s Sunday roast.
They finished the fall semester at Duke with the same GPA, though they shared only two classes. Growing up, they often tried to trick their high school teachers. 
They couldn’t get away with that in younger years, however, as both parents taught them in lower school.
Their high school class of 100 featured a remarkable four sets of twins, though the Maguires say they were by far the most similar-looking.
At Duke, one of Leona’s professors once asked Lisa why she wasn’t going to class.
“I was walking the opposite (direction) of the lecture hall,” Lisa said.
It’s become a sort of game for the sisters, who like to play along with Duke classmates who confuse the two.
“When you can get away with it and get through the conversation with no one knowing, it’s like a small victory,” Lisa said, laughing.
They grew up in Ballyconnell, a small, rural town with a population of about 1,000 in County Cavan, near the border with Northern Ireland. 
 Duke coach Dan Brooks researched and discovered that the average temperature of the twins’ hometown in July is around 60. In Arizona, Leona asked assistant coach Jeanne Cho to follow her around and spray her down with sunscreen every few holes.
Their father, Declan, ran track and cross country and played soccer at Maynooth University in Ireland. The twins were competitive swimmers growing up, but at age 10, Lisa fell and broke her elbow on a playground. The physician suggested she take up a racket-style sport to help regain full range of motion.
Because Declan was an avid golfer and they lived five minutes from a golf course, she gave the game a try. Leona tagged along.
“He’d been at us for a while,” said Leona of her dad’s golfing enthusiasm.
At age 14, all other sports took a backseat.
The Maguire girls took off one year of school - from September 2011 to June 2012 – to focus on golf before finishing their last two years of high school.
Today both sisters work with Shane O’Grady back home in Ireland. But Brooks has spent a good portion of the season changing Lisa’s swing to help improve distance and accuracy.
“Just trying to get everything a wee bit steeper coming down at the ball,” said Lisa, who had a 77.07 scoring average coming into NCAAs.
Leona, on the other hand, came into nationals with the lowest scoring average in Duke University history: 70.68.
Before the NCAAs at Concession Golf Club, six of her last 10 rounds were in the 60s. She’s a three-time winner this season, including the ACC Championship and NCAA South Bend Regional. She has gained 20 yards off the tee since starting college.
“Leona hits it pretty far off the tee,” Lisa said. “She got longer this winter. Good iron player. Pretty solid, I suppose.”
“Thanks,” said Leona, laughing at her sister’s modest description.
Leona is the favourite to win the ANNIKA Award, given to the country’s most outstanding collegiate player. The award is voted on by athletes, coaches and media, and will be announced May 25 following fourth-round NCAA play.
Brooks said it took him about a week to be able to tell the twins apart. He praised Lisa for her persistence and called her a hard-working, coachable player.
From Leona, who trails in the individual race at NCAAs by three, the veteran coach admires her intelligent play.
“Just the way she sizes up a hole,” Brooks said, “the way she thinks about it and doesn’t leave any stone unturned.”
If she did, Lisa would be right behind her to pick it up.

ST RULE TROPHY DRAW
SATURDAY TEE TIMES AT ST ANDREWS NEW COURSE
7.00 and 12.00
Rachel Taylor (Reicmswald (Germany)
Iona Stephen  (Wentworth)
Clara Young (North Berwick)
7.10 and 12.10
Emma Clegg (Clitheroe)
Caroline Ellington (Lonnie Poole GC, USA)
Louise Latorre Pau (France)
7.20 and 12.20
Hollie Muse (West Lancashire)
Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne)
Charlotte Leathem (Styal)
7.30 and 12.30
Olivia Jackson (Pannal)
Julie A Nordin (Stavanger, Norway)
Shannon Flynn (Burhill)
7.40 and 12.40
Victoria Mallett (Sutton Coldfield)
Lauren Horsford (Wimbledon Park)
Gillian Paton (Royal Montrose)
7.50 and 12.50
Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw)
Ainee O'Connor (Sundridge Park)
Aditi Ashok (Bangalore, India)
8.00 and 1.00
Chloe Goadby (St Regulus)
Charlotte De Corte (Royal Antwerp, Belgium)
Annabel Bailey (Kirby Muxloe)
8.10 and 1.10
Dulcie Sverdloff (Garon Park)
Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth)
Samantha Giles (St Mellion)
8.20 and 1.20
Jean O'Driscoll (Muskerry, Ireland)
Hazel MacGarvie (Troon Ladies)
Olivia Winning (Rotherham)
8.40 and 1.40
Chloe Williams (Wrexham)
Joanna Charlton (The Metropolitan, Australia)
Nastja Banovec (Otocec, Slovenia)
8.50 and 1.50
Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies)
Sinead Sexton (Lahinch, Ireland)
Mari Harryvan (Noord, Netherlands)
9.00 and 2.00
Rachel Walker (Dumfries and County)
Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne)
Rachel Woodcock (Blankney)
9.10 and 2.10
Cloe Frankish (Chart Hills)
Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham and St Annes)
Emily Slater (Woodhall)
9.20 and 2.20
Alice Barnes (West Sussex)
Bethan Popel (Long Ashton)
Rochelle Morris (Woodsome Hall)
9.30 and 2.30
Lianna Bailey (Kirby Muxloe)
Georgina Mundy (Corhampton)
Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies)
9.40 and 2.40
Susan Jackson (Ladybank)
Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey
Charlotte Austwick (Fulford)
9.50 and 2.50
Isobel Wardle (Prestbury)
Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) defending champion
Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe)
10.00 and 3.00
Gemma Batty (Powfoot)
Bronwyn Davies (Wolstanton)
Elizabeth Mallett (Wishaw GCC, Sutton Coldfield)
10.10 and 3.10
Emma Allen (Meon Valley)
India Clyburn (Woodhall Spa)
Jennifer Saxton (Muckhart)
10.20 and 3.20
Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest)
Heather Munro (Monifieth)
Emily Coleman (Trentham)

RENFREWSHIRE TEAM FOR INTER-COUNTY 

CHAMPIONSHIP INCLUDES 14-year-old JENNIFER

Renfrewshire will be without the injured Briggs sisters, Megan and Eilidh, as well as Iona Stephen, sixth seed in last week's Scottish women's amateur championship for the West of Scotland inter-county team championship at Loudoun Gowf Club but a Wentworth member based in the south of England.

Interesting newcomer is 14-year-old Jennifer Rankine (Haggs Castle) who quaulified for the match-play stages of the "Scottish" at Monifieth.

Renfrewshire team is:

Denise Cowan (Ranfurly Castle)

Donna Jackson (Cochrane Castle)

Gillian Kyle (East Renfrewshire)

Gillian McGinlay (Cochrane Castle)

Katrina Milne (Erskine)

Jennifer Rankine (Haggs Castle)

Liz Stewart (Greenburn)

Carol Whyte (Milngavie) 

 

Elaine Moffat heads Fife championship 

qualifiers with a 74 at Pitreavie  

FROM LORNA McKINLAY 

Fife County Ladies Championship rescheduled Spring Meeting and Championship Qualifying Round at Pitreavie Golf Club on Sunday, May 24
It was dry but very windy; the course was in great condition and all those who played enjoyed their game.
Our title-holder Louise Kenney was unable to play and therefore unable to defend her title.
The leading qualifier with a gross 74 for the Scratch Championship was Elaine Moffat (pictured above) who had just returned from a great week at the Scottish Ladies Championship at Monifieth and still in good form.
The winner of the Coronation Medal was Ruth McConkey (Pitreavie) 84-15 = 69
CSS  was 72. The 16 scratch qualifiers are:
1:    Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) 74
2:    Dianne Watson 75
3:    Linda Dyball 76
4:    Megan Brown 79
5:    Lorna McKinlay 81
6:    Lorna Bennett 82
7:    Marie Curran 84
8:    Ruth McConkey (Pitreavie) 84
9:    Dorothy Ford 85
10 :  Karin Sharp - 85
11:  Christine Steedman - 86
12:  Susan Baldwin - 86
13:  Brogan Clark - 87
14:  Joan Blyth - 92
15:  Helen Campbell - 93
16:  Caroline Taylor - 94

The eight  qualifiers for the Inaugural Handicap Trophy are:
1:  Liz Howie  (22) 75
2:  Sue Horne (19) 78
3:  Shirley Fleming (17) 80
4:  Frances McIntosh (15) 81
5:  Margaret Kilpatrick (19) 81
6:  Joyce Wilson (19) 82
7:  Sue Nicholson (21) 84
8:  Joy Robertson (17) 86 

Meghan beats Gemma in play-off


England's Meghan MacLaren (Florida International) beat Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh (Tulane) in a play-off for the ninth and last of the individual positions in the final stroke-play round of the NCAA Championship at Bradenton, Florida.
Florida International and Tulane were not among the 15 leading college teams who survived the third-round cut.  The leading nine players whose colleges were eliminated are allowed to play the final 18 holes before the tournament switches to team match-play for the closing stages.
MacLaren from Wellinborough and Aberdeen-born Dryburgh tied on 227 after three rounds over a tough par-72 course of 6,468yd at Concession Golf Club.
Gemma's father John said: "We have been following Gemma at the NCAA Championship. She played very well. The only area which caught her out was the fast downhill lag putts.
She finished in the top 30 over the three days she played. Unfortunately the rest of the Tulaneteam didn't play so well and Gemma won't be playing in the final knock-out rounds."
 UCLA, of whom GB and I player Bronte Law is a team member, survived the cut in the 15th and last position.The qualifying teams for the final round of stroke-play were:
Duke, South Carolina, Arizona. Tennessee, Baylor, Purdue, Stanford, Washignton, UC Davis, Northwestern, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Alabama, Wake Forest and UCLA.
Following the fourth round, the top eight teams then compete in match play for the championship, beginning Tuesday

LEADING 54-HOLE SCORES
Par 216 (3x72)
216 Emma Talley (Alabama) 70 73 73
217 Monica Vaughn (Arizona State) 75 71 71
218 Leona Maguire (Duke) 71 74 73

OTHER GB and I SCORES
222 Charlotte Thomas (Washington) 74 77 71 (T10)
224 Bronte Law (UCLA) 79 74 71 
227 Gemma Dryburgh (Tulane) 78 75 74, Meghan MacLaren (Florida International) 77 78 72
228 Hayley Davis (Baylor) 77 75 78
230 Rachael Taylor (North Carolina State) 77 80 73
256 Lisa Maguire (Duke) 89 85 82 
260 Lauren Whyte (Baylor) 81 85 94


174 Lisa Maguire (Duke) 89 85 (T128)
Field of 132 players 

TO VIEW ALL THE INDIVIDUAL SCORES

CLICK HERE