Gleneagles' Heather MacRae, last year's Tour champion, and Alford's Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), a winner twice on the domestic circuit, outclassed the field to finish eight shots clear of the opposition in the Paul Lawrie Ladies Tartan Tour 36-hole tournament at Dundonald Links today (Monday).
Perhaps fitting that they tied for first place, earning £1,875 apiece for totalling three-over-par 147.
Because there are no prizegivings on the Paul Lawrie Tour, except at the Tour championship, there is no provision for a play-off.
MacRae had scores of 75 and 72, overcoming a dreadful start to her second round - bogey-bogey-double bogey with a sequence of five birdies in a row from the fifth to the ninth.
Out in 35, MacRae had made up the overnight one-shot lead held by Murray who turned in 36.
Heather got a sixth birdie on the inward half, at the long 14th but she also had bogeys at the 13th and 16th and that's what cost her outright victory although her 72 was the low round of the day.
Murray, the longer-hitter, varied from par only three times in her second-round 73 - a birdie at the long third and bogeys at the first and 13th.
American Beth Allen, who plays on the LET Tour and won on a flying visit to play the Paul Lawrie Ladies Tour last year, finished third, eight shots behind the joint winners on 155 (78-77). Allen earned £750 after a final round in which she did not have a single birdie, only bogeys at the first, third, fourth, fifth and 13th.
The next Paul Lawrie Ladies Tartan Tour 36-hole event is at Macdonald Cardrona, Peebles on July 25-26.
PAUL LAWRIE LADIES TARTAN TOUR
Dundonald Links, Ayrshire
FINAL TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
147 Heather MacRae (Gleneagles Hotel) 75 72, Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie GC) 74 73 (£1,875 each).
155 Beth Allen (USA) 78 77 (£750)
156 Heather Stirling (unatt) 83 73, Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 76 80 (£425 each)
157 Kiran Matharu (Leeds) 81 76, Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie) 82 75 (£200 each)
160 Pamela Feggans (Doon Valley) 80 79 (£100).
161 Lisa Shervill (unatt) 87 84, Michele Thomson (unatt) 86 75 (£75 each), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) (am) 86 75
162 Gemma Webster (Succession Group) 80 82
166 Emma Fairnie (Gullane) 85 81
167 Nicola Ferguson (Milngavie) (am) 78 89, Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) (am) 86 81.
170 Jessica Rigby (Oberhessischer, Germany) 84 86
171 Jorden Ferrie (Kilsyth) 89 82
172 Laura Harvey (Darlington) 88 89, Lesley Atkins (Gullane) (am) 89 83.
179 Georgina Snow (Turnberry Hotel) 92 87
Ladies Golf News in Scotland, the West of Scotland and Renfrewshire
