Kylie Walker on the Swilken Burn bridge (Courtesy of John Stewart of the St Andrews Links Trust.) Click to enlargeKylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) today won the St Rule Trophy 54-hole women's open golf tournament for the second year in a row at St Andrews over the weekend.
The Scotland international and Vagliano Trophy preliminary squad member is only the third player to chalk up back-to-back wins in what has become one of the premier stroke-play tournaments on the European amateur women's golf calendar.
Christine Middleton was the first in 1988-89. Catriona (Lambert) Matthew was the second with victories in 1993 and 1994.
Kylie had rounds of 76 over the New Course on Saturday and then two rounds of 71 over the Old Course on Sunday for a total of nine-under-par 218. The New Course has a ladies' par of 75 and the Old Course is 76.
She won by two shots from Curtis Cup teenager Carly Booth (Comrie) who had rounds of 79, 70 and 71 for 220.
Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), who dominated the stroke-play stages of the recent Scottish women's amateur championship, finished third on 225 with descending scores of 77, 75 and 73.
Kylie Walker, Pamela Pretswell and Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), recent beaten finalist in the Scottish women's amateur championship at Southerness, won the team event for Scotland.
They are pictured above (l to r: Kenney-Walker-Pretswell), courtesy of John Stewart of the St Andrews Links Trust.(Click to enlarge)
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
218 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 76 71 71.
220 C Booth (Comrie) 79 70 71.
225 P Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 77 75 73.
226 D McVeigh (Royal Co Down) 81 74 71, K MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 80 72 74.
227 E Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 75 78 74.
228 K Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 83 70 75.
230 L Kenney (Pitreavie) 79 77 74, W Hillier (Joondalup, Australia) 82 75 73, T Davies (Holyhead Bay) 77 76 77.
Other West Of Scotland Players:
233 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 78 76 79,
241 Clare-Marie Carlton (Fereneze) 86 77 78, 246 Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) 85 85 76,
257 Susan Wood (Drumpellier) 89 89 79.
259 Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) 80 84 95.
