Monday 8 August 2011

From the LGU Website:
West of Scotland's Alyson McKechin, who played for Scotland in last week’s Girls Home Internationals, might well have broken 70 today in the 1st round of the British Girl's Strokeplay at Gullane No 1, which would have been great scoring in none-too easy conditions.
A weekend of heavy rain has left the fairways soft and the greens receptive but the rough is long and very wet – and a strong, swirling wind is making the conditions tough to score well.
McKechin, a member of Elderslie Golf Club, was ahead of the game right away with a superb approach shot with a 52 degree wedge to within 2ft of the flagstick for a tap-in birdie 3.
She bogeyed the fourth, failing to get up and down after missing the green, but got home in two downwind at the long fifth with a four-iron second and two-putted for a birdie 4.
The tall Scot had birdie chances on seven and eight but couldn’t take them … until the 10th and 11th. Alyson hit the green in two at the par-5 10th with a drive and a rescue club for a two-putt birdie 4, and she holed a 15ft putt for her fourth birdie of the round at the 11th.
Birdie No 5 was marked at the downwind 15th (487yd) where McKechin was on in 2 with an eight-iron second and two-putted for a 4.
Standing on the 17th tee, Alyson is four-under-par. Two 4s to finish will give her a 69 …. But she stumbled to a bogey-double bogey end to her round.
“I missed the green at the seventeenth and could not get up and down to save par. Then I drove it into the left rough at the 18th. The rough is difficult to get out of and it took me four shots to reach the green and two-putted for a 6,” she said.

Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) who started with 3 bogeys in the first 4 holes recovered well to end up only 3 over par in what was obviously very difficult conditions.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND LEADING SCORES
Par 73.Yardage 6267
69 Ileen Nieuwenhuis (Net), Bronte Law (Bramhall).
70 Caroline Nistrup (Den), Linnea Strom (Swe), Olivia Hullert (Nor).
71 Noemi Jimenez (Spa), Emelie Alonso (Fra), Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies), Natalia Escuriola (Spa)
72 Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), Frida Gustafsson (Swe), Amy Boulden (Maesdu), Celine Boutier (Fra).
73 Emma Nilsson (Swe), Shannon Aubert (Fra), Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies), Anna-Lena Kraemer (Ger), Jade Down (Boothberry), Isabel Gadea (Ger).
74 Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield), Roberta Roeller (Ger), Josephine Farrando (Fra), Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield), Laura Christiaens (Bel), Annette Lyche (Nor), Clara Young (North Berwick), Nicole Larsen (Den).
75 Hayley Davis (Ferndown), Daisy Nielsen (Den), Chloe Williams (Wrexham), Camille Richelle (Bel), Brogan Townend (Pleasington), Virginia Carta (Ita), Stefania Avanzo (Ita), Shelby Smart (Knowle), Merle Kasperek (Ger), Ho Rang Lee (Spa), Luna Sobron (Spa), Perrine Delacour (Fra), Julia Neumann (Ger), Laure Castelain (Fra), Marlies Krenn (Aut)..
76 Julie Christine Lied (Nor), Sophie Keech (Lyme Regis), Margaux Vanmol (Bel), Marta Martin (Spa), Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Laura Lornardi (Ita), Ellie Goodall (Selby),Miranda Brain (Gog Magog).

+Leading 64 after Round 2 on Tuesday will qualify for match-play stages starting on Wednesday morning. There will be no play-off to separate those tieing for 64th place - card countback will decide.