SCOTTISH GOLF AGM NOTICE -- CHANGE IN TIME

Scottish Golf Annual General Meeting, Sunday 15 March 2020

Dear Club, County and Area representative, SCOTTISH GOLF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2020   Against an ever changing backdrop of advice in relation to the ongoing Corona Virus - COVID 19, I thought it helpful to share an update in relation to the upcoming AGM. Based on current Scottish and UK Government and World Health Organisation advice we are currently anticipating that the meeting scheduled for Sunday 15 March will go ahead as planned.  We are aware that the advice in relation to public gatherings could change dramatically at any time.   Each of us will be reflecting on not only our own vulnerability to the virus but, in many cases, more importantly, the vulnerability of loved ones. The decision as to whether or not to attend the AGM is therefore a personal choice. The Board and Executive team at Scottish Golf are committed to ensuring that every effort is made to have the AGM take place on Sunday 15 March and that we move through proceedings in a timely manner with a view to minimising unnecessary contact time in a confined space. Please note that the meeting will now commence at 12.30pm and that registration will be open from noon. In these circumstances, so that those that wish to attend do not make the trip only to find that the meeting is not quorate, please can I ask all member organisations with voting entitlement to consider registering a proxy vote before 12.30pm on Friday 13 March. This will ensure that, should any of our currently registered attendee's choose not to travel on Sunday, the meeting remains quorate. Proxy Voting Form and instructions for completion I appreciate that these are worrying and changing times. I will ensure that prompt communication is issued to all member organisations should our position change in the coming days. Thank you and I hope to see you on Sunday. With very best regards, Eleanor Cannon (Chair Scottish Golf)

Clubs consider holding back fees to Scottish Golf over ‘railroading’ claims

By Martin Dempster  - 

FROM THE SCOTSMAN NEWSPAPER

Scottish Golf is facing a potential revolt by some of its member clubs who are threatening to hold back affiliation fees because they feel they are being “railroaded” by the governing body.

The source of their discontent is a software system which is supposed to simplify golf clubs’ tee booking, competition scoring, handicapping and other administration.

But the Venue Management System (VMS) has been given the thumbs down by some clubs in the Lothians, the biggest of the 16 men’s area associations in Scotland.

The introduction of the VMS was one of the pillars of Scottish Golf’s campaign in 2018 to increase affiliation fees, with the promise that the system would eventually remove the need for clubs to have multiple software packages. Resistance to the system comes as the 
governing body prepares to hold its annual meeting in Stirling this weekend

A show of hands on the possibility of blocking the payment of affiliation fees resulted in a resounding ‘yes’ among the club delegates at the recent Lothians Golf Association agm. As a result, Lothians GA secretary David Doig has written to Scottish Golf Limited (SGL) to outline the unrest among some clubs and determine what the implications would be if affiliation fees for this year were held back.

“There is a fairly strong feeling that clubs are being railroaded by SGL in their attempts to initiate their VMS system, and there was a fairly healthy discussion on two fronts,” said Doig of the Lothians meeting at Newbattle Golf Club. “Firstly, there are concerns that the CDH (Central Database of Handicaps) system is currently not providing an adequate service for clubs with many anomalies being detected by clubs at this time.

“The second is that the SGL’s VMS system appears to be providing many difficulties for clubs who are not adopting the VMS, which restricts various operations that they previously enjoyed with the old system. The clubs are also concerned that SGL have taken decisions recently without the prior knowledge of clubs, eg the closing down of the CDH for a period, the launch of a new website etc.

“On the basis of this some clubs asked the question of what the implications would be if they chose to withhold their annual subscriptions for a period until such time SGL listen and act on what clubs want.”

The Scotsman understands one delegate at the Lothians meeting claimed that Scottish Golf was “not interested in helping” a club that had not signed up for the new VMS system while another said a club had “received next to no help with many questions”.

“What I got from the meeting is that most clubs are not happy with Scottish Golf and their methods of pushing clubs into a corner to either switch to their systems or be ignored,” said one club manager. “The mood in the room at the Lothians agm was very ‘anti-Scottish Golf’ and clubs are now seriously asking what are we getting for our affiliation fees – money that many struggling clubs could put to better use.”

Iain Forsyth, Scottish Golf’s chief commercial officer, has been leading a team delivering VMS demos around the country and said that he had been unaware of any unrest among Lothians clubs at a demo to more than 50 people in Edinburgh last month, after which clubs had actually signed up for the new system.

“Clubs are certainly not being railroaded into VMS,” he said. “Much consideration has been given in the design process to ensure that a club not using VMS is not disadvantaged in anyway.

“We recently added a newly-designed function to our website allowing clubs to upload their open competitions. This not only gives clubs exposure on the SGL website, but also all app users, iPads, and any club using a VMS website. It also makes it easy for the golfer to enter the competition through the website. This was only launched on 3 March and we already have 192 competitions uploaded, but, interestingly, more non VMS clubs have used this facility [16 non VMS clubs and 14 VMS clubs].”

Fife golf tournament to make history as women are invited to take on men in battle of sexes

Hannah Darling 
Photo courtesy of : Jamie Squire

By Martin Dempster from the Scotsman THE SCOTSMAN

The East of Scotland Open Championship is to become the first battle of the sexes in a leading Scottish amateur golf tournament after a decision to open up the 48th staging of the event at Lundin to women.

The tournament on 27-28 June will feature men and women playing for the same prize, won in the past by some famous names in Scottish golf, including George Macgregor, Sandy Stephen and Richie Ramsay.

The change, which has the support of the R&A and Scottish Golf, comes just over five years after Lundin, founded in 1868, became a mixed membership club.

“It is an exciting change,” said David Moir, a long-serving East of Scotland Open committee member and past president of the Scottish Golf Union. “We’ve actually been thinking about this for a while as we have club competitions among members that are mixed events, which is great.

“The organising committee remain very passionate about the East of Scotland Amateur Stroke Play Championship and we are delighted to be incorporating women into the event for the first time.

“The Women’s Amateur Championship is taking place at the same time but, with that down to the semi-final and final stage by the weekend, we are hoping to get some of the players coming over from Kilmarnock (Barassie).”

A maximum of 18 women will feature in a 72-strong field on the Fife coast this summer in a move that mirrors the Berkhamsted Trophy in England being opened up to women for the first time. In the professional game, a mixed event is being hosted by Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam in June.

Ramsay, the winner in 2004, has welcomed the change, saying: “It is good that they are trying new ways to open up this event. Being proactive like this is essential for the future of many events. It’s a lovely course and the design lends itself to this format.”

Hannah Darling, the top Scot in the Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking, also backed the decision, though she will be unable to play at Lundin due to the aforementioned Women’s Amateur Championship coming to a conclusion on the Ayrshire coast at the same time.

“This is a great opportunity for women to be introduced to this event,” said the two-time Scottish Girls’ champion from Broomieknowe. “Hopefully, it’s the first of many opportunities we will be given. Unfortunately, I can’t play, but it will be interesting to see how it turns out.”

With World Amateur Golf Ranking points on offer, the Lundin event will be open to players with handicap of 0.4 or better. While competing for the main prize, the Denholm Trophy, women competitors will also be playing for a separate piece of silverware.

If no women qualify for the final 36 holes, the leading four after two rounds will progress to the Sunday to compete for that trophy as opposed to it being awarded to the top woman following Saturday’s play.

Clare Queen, performance director at Scottish Golf, said: “We are always looking at ways we can strengthen the female game in Scotland. The opportunity to compete on a great course like Lundin in a high-quality field is a great one for females who compete in Scotland, especially during the quieter summer months."

Veterans’ Charity Erskine has the winning hand in bridge competition at Kilmacolm

FROM THE ERSKINE WEBSITE

Lady members at Kilmacolm Golf Club handed over a donation of £640 to Veterans’ Charity Erskine this week after holding their annual charity bridge event.

The event, first held at the club in 1977, has generated over £21,000 for Erskine since its inception, and this year saw 60 enthusiastic bridge players taking part and enjoying a fun afternoon with tea, cakes and lots of prizes in the charity raffle.

The winning bridge player on the day was club member, Liz Crichton, who was presented with her prize by Lady Captain, Jackie Sayers.

Jackie said, “Liz was a worthy winner but the real winner is Erskine.  The ladies at the club have been committed to fundraising for the charity, and this has been shown over the past 44 years.  In fact, some of the ladies who first played in 1977, were here again this year. It is such a worthy cause and we feel it is important to support the wonderful care that Erskine provides for our Veterans.”

She continued, “Kilmacolm Golf Club is a really sociable club and our members make a superb effort each year to make this event a success.  In fact throughout the year, we have lots of fun raising money for a variety of charities, in addition to playing host to charity golf days.”

Jim Watret, Erskine Community Fundraiser for the West, said: “It is a fantastic effort and we are delighted that the ladies of Kilmacolm Golf Club chose to donate to Erskine, not just this year, but every year since 1977! We are eternally grateful for their loyal support of our work, raising £21,000 over four decades, to help care for Veterans.”

The donation will help to fund Erskine’s unrivalled support to Veterans in Scotland, through four care homes and a Veterans Village, an Activity Centre, five Assisted Living apartments, 44 Cottages and 24 Single Living Apartments which are currently under construction.

HELEN HOLM TROPHY ENTRY FORM

The best female golfers from around the world will take to Royal Troon GC and the Ladies Golf Club Troon next month in the 

 2020 Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER -- Entries Close 16th March

CLAIRE MCLAUGHLIN IS NAMED MID-SOUTH CONFERENCE WOMEN;S GOLFER OF THE WEEK

COLUMBIA, Ky. – Claire McLaughlin (West Kilbride) was named the Mid-South Conference Women's Golfer of the Week, conference officials announced on Monday.

McLaughlin captured her first individual title last week at the Georgetown Gulf Shores Invitational.

The Ayrshire, Scotland native posted a pair of 2-over 74's to tie William Carey's (Miss.) Papatsara Niamrungrueang for the title. McLaughlin carded a team-high seven birdies for the tournament.

This is the second weekly honour of her career.

READ MORE

ELAINE MOFFAT FINISHES IN TOP 10 IN SPAIN

A Scottish Selfie by Sheena Wood at the end of a long week !!
Courtesy of Donna Jackson

Overnight leader Xonia Wünsch started last round three strokes ahead of her nearest rivals. 

With a final round of 73 and a cumulative of 12 over par, the German Britta Schneider, was in second place 9 shots behind

Sylvie Van Molle (Belgium) and Ann Lewis (Wales) shared third place, nine strokes behind the new champion. 

The new Champion sports career includes many triumphs in the amateur circuit - champion of Spain Doubles in 1983 and 1985.
She then turned Professional and won the  – Italian Open 1989, the Benson & Hedges 1989 Mixed Tournament, and the 2008 Spanish Women's Professional Championship.
She then returned to  amateur status  and won : The 2018 Senior Spanish Double Championship; Spain International Doubles Senior 2019 and 2020; International Individual Senior Spain 2020

The defending Spaniard Macarena Campomanes, finished  on +24,  and María Castillo, on +26, to finish in seventh and eighth position, respectively, forming part of the Top 10.

Scots Elaine Moffat and Karen Marshall finished  well to be tied in 10th and 15th position out of the field of 90.
In the handicap section - Kate Evans (Ireland) was the winner. Karen finish tied 10th and Donna Jackson Tied 20th
In the over 60's group - Ann Lewis (Wales) was the overall winner with Scot Maureen Richmond in 6th place

SCOTTISH FINAL SCORES

T10: Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) 83, 82, 78 (243)
T14: Karen Marshall (Baberton) 82, 84, 82 (248)
T21: Maureen Richmond (Liverpool) 87, 84, 81 (252) 
T40: Donna Jackson (Troon Ladies), 87, 85. 84 (256)
T40:Lesley Lloyd (Hayston)  All players -  87, 84, 85 (256)
56th: Liz Stewart (Greenburn) 87, 84, 90 (261)
62nd: Wendy Nicholson (Baberton) 91, 83, 94 (268)

FINAL RESULTS
HANDICAP RESULTS
OVER 60'S RESULTS

The Scots ready to come home from the sun
Courtesy of Gillian McGinlay

From Scottish Vets Captain Karen Ballantyne -- Congratulations to all our players who played in the third round of the Spanish Seniors today. 

A strong finish meant Scottish Seniors Champion, Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) finished joint 10th position with Karen Marshall (Baberton) finishing joint 15th, a very creditable performance in her first seniors event. Well done everyone. 

Your webmaster Carol apologises for some of the English translation from the Spanish Website and hope she got the gist of it !! - SPANISH WEBSITE 

All reports from this week --- CLICK HERE

Jane Turner finishes 4th in the SA Jabra Ladies Classic

Jane Turner - Click to Enlarge

Jane Turner finished in  4th place yesterday (Friday 6th March) in the Sunshine Ladies Tour Jabra Ladies Classic over Glendower Golf  Club in South Africa. 

She did not get the best start to her final round but was 4 under par for her closing 7 holes to finish on 5 under par. 

This also keeps her in 4th place in the investec Order of Merit, edging her closer to the others

This also gives her a place in the Ladies European Tour Jabra Ladies Open in France in May.

FULL SCOREBOARD

ELAINE MOFFAT -- LEADING SCOT IN SPAIN AFTER 2ND ROUND

In the 2nd Round of the Singles in the Senior Championship at Parador El Saler Golf Club in Spain -- the strong wind - as your webmaster believes was a "hurricane" yet again caused havoc with many of the scores  

Xonia Wunsch (Spain) however, had an excellent round of 77 to be in the lead on 5 over par -  155 

Amy Ellertson (USA) after two very solid rounds of 79 strokes,  is  lying 3 shots behind while Aileen Greenfield ( England) is five strokes behind after improving her  81 strokes of the first day with a second of 79 strokes.  Ann Lewis (Wales)  with two rounds of 79 and 81 strokes is also placed on 160 (+16.)

Madrid's María de Orueta, who was the first round leader  with a 75, unfortunately took 95 in the second round to blow away any chance of taking the title

Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) improved on her first round by 2 shots to be the leading Scot with Karen Marshall (Baberton) 1 shot behind.
Wendy Nicholson (Baberton) improved by 8 shots to make the cut

The Cut was made for the final round with those in 60th position and tied. -- 177

SCOTTISH SCORES

T14: Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) 83, 82 (165)
T16: Karen Marshall (Baberton) 82, 84 (166)
T35: Maureen Richmond (Liverpool), Liz Stewart (Greenburn) 
Lesley Lloyd (Hayston)  All players -  87, 84 (171)
T40: Donna Jackson (Troon Ladies), 87, 85 (172)
T47: Wendy Nicholson (Baberton) 91, 83 (174)

Missed Cut :
Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) 89, 90 (179)
Frances Millar (Carnoustie Caledonia) 91, 90 (181) 
Gillian Kyle (East Renfrewshire) 94, 90 (184) 

Day 1 Singles in Spanish Seniors -- In difficult conditions

In the first round of the Spanish Seniors (Singles) over Parador El Saler Golf Club  in very difficult conditions -- María de Orueta (Spain) finished the day with a 3 over par 75 which included  five birdies, six bogeys, and a double bogey to lead the field of 90 players.

The Northern Ireland player Laura Webb, is in second place with a 76  

Defending Champion  Macarena Campomanes, and Xonia Wünsch  both had rounds of 78 strokes (+6) to be equal 3rd.

Leading Scot is Karen Marshall (Baberton) in 12th place with an 82 followed closely behind by the 2019 Scottish Seniors Champion Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) on 83

The Singles tournament is three 18-hole of stroke play, with a cut at the end of the second round, this Friday, for those  60th position and tied.

SCOTTISH SCORES
82 Karen Marshall (Baberton) T12
83 Elaine Moffat (St Regulus) T16
87 Maureen Richmond (Liverpool), Liz Stewart (Greenburn) , Donna Jackson (Troon Ladies), Lesley Lloyd (Hayston) T42
89 Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) T55
91 Frances Millar (Carnoustie Caledonia), Wendy Nicholson (Baberton) T69
96 Gillian Kyle (East Renfrewshire) 85th

JOIN THE PROS AT IRVINE BOGSIDE WHERE THE HOME INTERNATIONALS WERE HELD IN 2009

Scottish Team 2009 at Irvine Bogside for the Home Internationals
Back row - Claire Hargan,(Team Manager) Kylie Walker, Pamela Pretswell,
Louise Kenney, Laura McLardy, Kevin Craggs (Coach)
Front Row - Kelsey MacDonald, Carly Booth, Lesley Nicholson (Team Captain)
Megan Briggs, and Jane Turner - All maiden surnames 

You webmaster has been contacted today by Julie Walker whose friend , Debbie Richards, is playing in the Spanish open this week and mentioned to Gillian Kyle(East Renfrewshire)  that she is running a ladies Pro-Am https://ladiesproam.com/ at Irvine (Bogside) golf club on Tuesday the 6th October this year.

This was the venue for the 2009 Home Internationals and 6 out of the 8 team members have turned pro since then   -- See the course spectators and players by clicking on the following links
DAY 1 PHOTOS 
DAY 2 PHOTOS 
DAY 3 PHOTOS 

JULIE WALKER MESSAGE 
In 2018, the idea of setting up a female only Pro-Am came about after chatting to a few golfing friends, who liked the idea but found most pro-ams expensive and hard to get in to, so I approached my golf club, Burhill, to find out if they would support this idea and they introduced me to the PGA, both were very supportive as there was no other female only pro-am at the time and there is very few opportunities for the female PGA’s pros to play against each other. 

With limited sponsorship, the ladies entry fee of £255.00 per team of 3, pays for the teams food, the pro’s prize fund, PGA levy and PGA admin fee for running the day.  I look to get prizes from partners as we get closer to the event, currently www.arran.com have agreed to provide some prizes and am currently working on other ideas.

The format is a stableford, for both Pro’s and amateurs, everyone play off the red tees, both of which the pros find fun and a change from their normal stroke play events, best 2 scores on each hole apart from par 3’s were all 4 scores count.  The pro’s play their own stableford and the top 10 players, get prize money from £550 to £100  https://ladiesproam.com/meet-the-pros/ 

Following the success of the 2018, Pro-Am at Burhill, in 2019, we played at Cuddington, both in Surrey, I decided to bring the event to Irvine in 2020, to give the surrey ladies a new experience and to support my fathers golf club, I  also played there for a couple of years as a teenager, before a golf gap of 25 years.

We have 22 team slots and I currently have 11 teams from Surrey signed up, they will also play, Glasgow Gailes on Monday the 5^th and Kilmarnock Barassie on Wednesday the 7^th, which are also options for any team or individual playing in the event.  At the moment, I have 2 scottish teams interested, one is led by Pauline Patrick of Irvine and Susan Wood (Drumpellier) from the Scottish women’s amateur team.  I have written to 70 women via their golf clubs over the last couple of weeks, dropped off posters at Troon Ladies, Irvine, Kilmarnock Barassie, Prestwick St Nicholas, St Cuthbert’s and Irvine.

It would be great if you could add this event to your website and help me encourage some Scottish teams to join in, it is a fun event.

The event website is https://ladiesproam.com/

The PGA website is   https://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi20/event/pgagbi20822/index.htm   the logos and more info will go on here in the next couple of weeks,

Julie Walker

Tel: 07887 644 799

CLAIRE MCLAUGHLIN WINS HER FIRST USA COLLEGE TITLE

From the Blue Raiders Website 

Ayrshire's Claire McLaughlin (West Kilbride) captured her first career individual tournament title today, sharing the Georgetown Gulf Shores Invitational at The Peninsula Golf Club. 

McLaughlin posted a second-round 2-over par 74 to tie William Carey's (Miss.) Papatsara Niamrungrueang for the title with a 148. McLaughlin also posted a 74 during Monday's first round. 

Many congrats Claire

Day 2 - Foursomes Results at the Spanish Seniors

In the 2nd round of the “Doubles” in the Spanish Seniors Championships at Parador El Saler Golf Club the two Madrid players María de Orueta and Xonia Wünsch won with a  2nd round 75 in the foursomes to take the title from Belgian-Canadian  partnership of Kyrinis and Van Molle (80) .

 FINAL RESULTS

 1.- María de Orueta (ESP) / Xonia Wünsch (ESP) 147 (72 + 75)

 2.- Judith Kyrines (CAN) / Sylvie van Molle (BEL) 149 (69 + 80)

 3.- Stephanie Kiefer (GER) / Susanne Lichtenberg (GER) 153 (75 + 78)

 + .- Macarena Campomanes (ESP) / Maria Liberg (SWE) 153 (71 + 82)

SCOTTISH FINAL SCORES

Maureen Richmond (Scotland/England ) & Sara Spencer (England) 160 (81+ 79)

Gillian Kyle and Elaine Moffat 165 (80 + 85)

Donna Jackson  & Liz Stewart  166 (81+85)
Karen Marshall &  Wendy Nicholson 170 (81+89)
Lesley Lloyd & Gillian McGinlay  172 (81+ 91)

Louise Graham &  Frances Millar 174 (85+89)

Ellie Whyte & Sheena Wood 174 (82+ 92)

FINAL SCORES
HANDICAP SCORES

Day 1 Fourball Results in Spanish Seniors.

Elaine Moffat and Gillian Kyle with their partners on the tee

On the  first day of the The Senior Spanish Fourball and Single Championships  in Parador El Saler Golf Club in Spain the best Score of the day was by the Belgium and Canada partnership of   Van Molle Sylvieand and Judith Kyrinis with a 3 under par 69.

SCOTTISH SCORES
Gillian Kyle and Elaine Moffat 80

Lesley Lloyd & Gillian McGinlay 81
Donna Jackson  & Liz Stewart  81
Karen Marshall &  Wendy Nicholson 81

Louise Graham &  Frances Millar 85

Foursomes will be played tomorrow

SPANISH SENIORS IN SPAIN - SCOTLAND WELL REPRESENTED

The Senior Spanish Fourball and Single Championships begin in Parador El Saler Golf Club in Spain tomorrow with the four ball 

Scotland is well represented :
Donna Jackson, Liz Stewart, Lesley Lloyd, Gillian McGinlay, Elaine Moffat, Gillian Kyle, Wendy Nicholson, Karen Marshall, Frances Millar, Louise Graham, Sheena Wood, Ellie Whyte, Maureen Richmond

Lesley Lloyd, Liz Stewart, Donna Jackson and Gillian McGinlay
Enjoying the sun !

DOUGLAS PARK LADIES SOCIAL EVENING HOOTENANNY

86 Douglas Park Ladies attended their  annual Lady Captain's Social event on Friday 18th February -- Much hilarity.

The 2020 Captain Ann Fisher organised a very entertaining action packed evening with a ceilidh,
You can see all the  PHOTOGRAPHS HERE.

The  evening was a great success with good food, good company and great entertainment.  Check out the video below - or go to YouTube 

Both photos and video are available here on this page for non facebook users - If you are a face book user you will see them also on the Douglas Park Facebook Page 

KYLE AND MICHELE FINISH IN TOP TEN IN NEW SOUTH WALES OPEN

Julia Engström saved her best for last as she made a fantastic birdie two to win her first Ladies European Tour title at the Women’s New South Wales Open at Dubbo Golf Club. -- READ MORE

Kyle Henry saved her best to the last round with a four under par 68  to finish in joint 9th position with other Scot Michele Thomson. 
Gemma Dryburgh also finished in under par to finish in 16th position.

Scottish Scores: 

-4 : Kyle Walker T9

-4: Michele Thomson T9

-1: Gemma Dryburgh 16th
+4 Kelsey Macdonald T31
+10 Laura Murray T45
+14 Alison Muirhead T58

FULL SCOREBOARD

ENTRIES NOW BEING TAKEN FOR THE SCOTTISH SCHOOLGIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP

Click to enlarge

Entries for the 2020 Schoolgirls Golf Championship are now open 

The tournament will be played over 54 holes between August 1st -2nd over the Strathtyrum Course, Eden Course and Jubilee Course  -- at just £75 per person, 

It is a great opportunity to meet girls from all over the world whilst participating for the Carol Kauffman Shield and the Renee Powell Cup.

 To find out more information about the competition  CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTRY FORM 

From Charlotte McCluskey  - President of the University of St Andrews Golf Club and former member of the Renfrewshire Ladies’ County Golf

Royal Troon will host The Open Golf in 2023

The 152nd Open will be played at Royal Troon from 16-23 July 2023. 

A century after hosting golf’s original major for the first time, the battle for the Claret Jug will return to Royal Troon in 2023 for The 152nd Open.

The famed links course in South Ayrshire will play host to its 10th Open, celebrating 100 years since the Championship first came to Troon in 1923.

IRISH VETS TEAM IS ANNOUNCED FOR THE MARY MCKENNA TROPHY

The 2018 Mary McKenna Trophy in Ireland - Scottish and Irish Teams

Irish Seniors v Scottish Seniors

The following is the Irish Senior Womens Team  to play the Scottish Vets at Roganstown Country Club on Sunday 29th and Monday 30th March. 

Tee Times 
Sunday fourball matches:  12.00 noon start
Monday Singles:            9.00 am start

IRISH TEAM
Pat Doran (Donabate)

Kate Evans (RCD Ladies)

Margaret McAuliffe (Ballybunion)

Gertie McMullen (Island)

Maria O'Reilly (Headfort)

Alison Taylor (Malahide)

Deirdre Walsh (Milltown)

Laura Webb (East Berkshire)

Captain  Marilyn Henderson (Royal Belfast)

SCOTTISH TEAM (CLICK HERE FOR MORE)

Alison Davidson Midland

Karen Ferguson-Sneddon East

Donna Jackson West

Gillian Kyle West

Lesley Lloyd West

Lorna Mckinlay Midland

Elaine Moffat Midland

Sheena Wood Northern

Reserve:

Jennifer Bryans East

ALL support welcome

SCOTTISH GOLF UPDATE ON EVENTS FROM CLARE QUEEN - SCOTTISH GOLF PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR

Entries are now open for the Scottish Golf National Championships in 2020. Players can enter via the Scottish Golf website Scottish Golf Events  

 The 2020 Scottish Golf Order of Merit documents and National Team Selection Policies are also finalised and available to view online Team Selection Policies 

 Competition opportunities for players of all levels 

 We are often asked by parents for advice on the types of competitions which are available to players who wish to begin playing outside of their home club. 
With this in mind we have created the linked document ‘Competition opportunities for players’ which lists some of the regional, national and international events which are available, this is purely a guide based on events which may be appropriate for players with various handicaps.

 I have also attached a linked document ‘Order of Merit Event Handicap ballots’ which shows the 2019 handicap cut offs for various national championships which appear on the Scottish Golf Boys and Girls Order of Merits, the exact cut off is always hard to predict but this should act as a guide for parents. 

 We would appreciate it if you could share this information with parents/players in your county who may be interested. 

If anyone has any questions please encourage them to contact us by emailing performance@scottishgolf.org Kingsbarns Girls Classic – 

Save The Date

Kingsbarns have confirmed that they will once again host the Kingsbarns Girls Classic. This year the event will take place on Sunday 8th November. It is likely that each county will again be able to nominate two girls to play. 

We had some really good feedback following the 2019 event from county officials, parents and players and hope this years’ event will also be popular. 

More information and details on expected format will be available later in the summer but please add this date to your diary. 

 Clare Queen 
 Performance Director

KILMACOLM GOLF CLUB HOST RENFREWSHIRE JUNIOR GIRLS FOR PUTTING COACHING

Some of the Junior Girls

Fantastic to see so many enthusiastic young Renfrewshire County girl golfers at Kilmacolm Golf Club yesterday. 
Due to the adverse weather they made the most of our facilities to hone their putting skills. 
A huge thank you to Kilmacolm's  Junior Convenor Lynda Bradley for guiding them through the importance of putting and inspiring the next generation of golfers.

Renfrewshire County Captain Sandra Littlejohn said "An excellent day for our junior girls organised by Lynda Bradley and ably assisted by Gillian Kyle, Clair Barclay, Liz Hale and Kilmacolm Ladies' Captain Jackie Sayers" - Thank you to all including Kilmacolm Golf Club

To see some photos go to the RLCGA Facebook Page 

GILLIAN GOWERS OF LOUDOUN GOWF RISES TO THE NUMBER ONE POSITION IN AYRSHIRE LADIES MYGOLFRANKINGS

MyGolfRanking.net LADIES AYRSHIRE GOLFERS of Week 2020/08 is GILLIAN GOWERS of LOUDOUN GOWF, who takes over the Nunmber One position on MGR AYRSHIRE Ladies Ranking

AYRSHIRE LADIES 
 1  Gillian Gowers (Loudoun Gowf) 1042 points 
 2  Audrey Thompson (Loudoun Gowf) 1017 
 3  Lorna Spencer (Largs) 968 
 4  Gillian Kennedy (Troon Welbeck) 959 
 5  Aileen Anderson (Loudoun Gowf) 953 
 6  Anne Burns (Loudoun Gowf) 951 
 7  Robina Gilbertson (Prestwick St Nicholas) 950 
 8  Christine Whitelaw (Largs) 919 
 9  Janet Harkness (Skelmorlie) 902 1
10  Jean Capes (Largs) 898 

AYRSHIRE LADIES CLUBS 
1  Loudoun Gowf Ladies 882 
2  Largs Ladies 864 
3  Troon Welbeck 830 
4  Skelmorlie Ladies 819 
5  Prestwick St Nicholas 788 
6  Girvan Ladies 722 
7  Brodick Ladies 447

Some clubs in AYRSHIRE have not returned the MyGolfRanking Permission Form required to feature on MGR. If you have not received a form and require one, please email davidmoir@mail.com

For up-to-date Club MGRanking lists, full Regional, National and International Rankings, and How It Works, visit  -- www.mygolfranking.net. 

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GEMMA DRYBURGH HAS HER BEST FINISH ON THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

Gemma Dryburgh

Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh had her best finish on the Ladies European Tour with a 4th place this week at the Australian Ladies Classic yesterday at the Bonville Golf Resort.

Scottish Scores and positions after final round of the LET golf's Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic:

-11 Gemma Dryburgh 4th

-6 Kylie Henry T11

-1 Kelsey MacDonald T32

+4 Michele Thomson T54

The Won by the Australian amateur Stephanie Kyriacou with -22 total -- READ FULL REPORT 

CLICK HERE FOR FINAL SCORES

Scotland's Jane Turner wins SA Women’s Masters on third playoff hole

It took three trips down the 18th in a playoff before Scotland’s Jane Turner (pictured above) emerged victorious over South Africa’s Cara Gorlei in the Standard Bank South Africa Women’s Masters at San Lameer Country Club on Friday. 

Starting the day with a three-shot lead, Jane struggled to a one-over 73 to finish on one-under alongside Gorlei, who carded a two-under 70. 
In the playoff, Jane had the measure of the par-four 18th and narrowly missed a birdie attempt – but the tap-in was enough to give her the win.

TO READ THE FULL REPORT CLICK HERE…

Many congrats Jane from all in Scotland