Scotland’s Tartan Army of nine players in the field for the British girls open amateur golf championship could be reduced to two or three after tomorrow's second qualifying round at Royal Belfast Golf Club.
Only the leading 64 players out of 144 starters will go forward to the match-play stages and the forecast is that two rounds of 78 might just make it. Overnight those on the 78 mark are in joint 68th position.
That leaves only Scottish girls champion Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) and Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) – both with five-over-par 75s – and Renfrewshire women’s champion Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), who scored 77 – within the “safety zone” barring disasters on the second day.
Hannah McCook (Abernethy) is walking the tightrope on 79 while Rachael Taylor (Hartl Golf Resort, Germany) must improve on her 80 while Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw), 83, and Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) and Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies), both with 84s, have the proverbial mountain to climb.
Gillian Simpson’s opening 99 has killed her hopes.
At the other end of the scoreboard, Alexandra Bonetti from Paris leads with a two-under-par 68 (two birdies and 16 pars) by one shot from Musselburgh-based Julie Yang whose 69 was unchallenged from noon until the French girl finished her round at 6.45pm.
The 15-year-old Maguire Curtis Cup twins had mixed luck. Leona had a 72 but Lisa a 79, which was one better than British women’s open champion Kelly Tidy from Bolton.
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MORE ON THE SCOTS
Lesley Atkins played tidly for a 75 (36-39). She bogeyed the third and fourth but came straight back with birdies at the fifth and sixth before she bogeyed the ninth.
She dropped shots at three of the par-3 inward holes, and ran up a double bogey 6 at the 15th. Bt she did birdied the 13th with an 8ft putt.
Rachael Watton took a while to warm up. She bogeyed the first, second and fourth before she got into her stride and birdied the fifth and eighth to be out in a promising 36.
Then she made a mess of the first three holes of the inward half - a bogey at the 10th, a triple bogey 6 at the short 11th and another bogey at the 12th.
But Rachel is not a quitter and, true to form, she hit back with a 2 at the short 14th - then dropped a shot at the 15th - but birdied the 16th - dropped a shot at the 17th - before finished with a birdie 4 at the long last hole.
A roller-coaster ride, indeed over the last five holes.
Eilidh Briggs' 77 was made up of steady halves of 38 and 39. She took started slowly with bogeys at the first, second and fourth, but, like Rachael Watton, Eilidh also settled to birdied the fifth and seventh. Bogeys at the sixth and ninth, owever, put her out in three over the card. She then had a bad run after the turn with bogeys at the 11t, 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th, before finished with a birdie at the last.
Rachael Taylor had halves of 43 and 37 for an 80 which included a quadruple bogey 8 at the third. She birdied the sixth and 18th.
Hannah McCook had a good outward half of 37 but spoiled it with 42 homefor a 79.
Gabrielle MacDonald had halves of 41 and 42 for an 83. She had back to back triple bogeys at the 11th and 12th. Her only birdie came at the 10th.
Alyson McKechin was out in 41 and home in 43 for an 84 while Ailsa Summers hit the 84 mark the other way round, 43 out, 43 back.
FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
Par 70. Yardage 5876
68 Alexandra Bonetti (Fra)
69 Julie Yang (SKo)
71 Bronte Law (Eng), Noemi Jimenez (Spa).
72 Camilla Hedberg (Spa), Katharina Sohnlein (Ger), Leona Maguire (Ire), Louise Ridderstrom (Swe).
Other Scots
75 Lesley Atkins (Sco), Rachael Watton (Sco)
77 Eilidh Briggs (Sco),
79 Hannah McCook (Sco),
80 Rachael Taylor (Sco).
83 Gabrielle MacDonald (Sco).
84 Alyson McKechin (Sco), Ailsa Summers (Sco)..
99 Gillian Simpson (Sco),
Thanks go to Colin Farquharson for the report
