Bathgate's Mhairi Hall is leading Stirlingshire

qualifier for match-play stages at Linlithgow

In the absence of former Curtis Cup player Alison Davidson (Stirling), who was unable to defend the title, the “winner” of tonight’s Stirlingshire women’s county golf championship qualifying round at Linlithgow Golf Club was Mhairi Hall (Bathgate).
Mhairi headed the 16 qualifiers for the match-play stages, which start on Sunday afternoon at 2pm, with a 78 against the CSS of 74 (reduction only).
Two juniors, Helen Goodwin (Glenbervie) and Judy Shields (Dunblane) made it through.
Helen’s mother Elizabeth, also a member at Glenbervie, was also among the match-play qualifiers.
Details:
Qualifying round (CSS 74, reduction only)
78 Mhairi Hall (Bathgate).
82 Elaine Allison (Stirling).
83 Helen Goodwin (Glenbervie).
83 Louise MacGregor (Falkirk).
84 Jill Harrison (Linlithgow).
85 Margaret Tough (Falkirk), Claire Capocci (Bridge of Allan).
86 Lesley Gibb (West Lothian).
87 Linda Allan (Falkirk Tryst).
88 Elizabeth Goodwin (Glenbervie), Vicki Stevenson (Stirling).
90 Winifred MacCallum (Falkirk).
91 Judy Shields (Dunblane).
92 Shona Gunn (Falkirk Tryst).
93 Margaret McFarlane (Bathgate), Maureen Shanks (West Lothian).

Sunday’s first-round ties (starting 2pm)
Hall v Shanks
Allan v Gibb
Harrison v McCallum
Shields v MacGregor
H Goodwin v Gunn
Stevenson v Tough
Capocci v E Goodwin
McFarlane v Allison.
The concluding stages of the championship will be held at Linlithgow on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

LYNNE TERRY HEADS SHIRE QUALIFIERS

ON A WINDY DAY AT PETERHEAD LINKS

Nobody was able to break 80 in a very windy day at Peterhead's Craigewan Links for the qualifying round of the Aberdeenshire women's county golf championship.
Four players hit the 81 mark to top the 16 match-play qualifiers - Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay), Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies), Jill Harrison (Cruden Bay) and defending champion Donna Pocock (Murcar Links).
Lynne had the best inward half of the quartet and that earned her the No 1 seed rating with four-times champion Sheena No 2, senior international Jill No 3 and Donna No 4.
Saturday's first-round ties (7min intervals) are:
10.30 Lynne Terry v Catriona Ross, Karen Stalker v Sammy Leslie, Carol Wilson v Mhairi Johjnstone, Lauren Duncan v Donna Pocock.
10.28 Jill Hrrison v Ros Dunsmuir, Laura McLardy v Elizabeth Brown, Gill Murray v Linda Urquhart, Sara Thomson v Sheena Wood.
Afternoon quarter-finals start at 2.30
Sunday's semi-finals will tee off at 10am and 10.10 with the final at 2.30pm.
Qualifying round (CSS 74, reduction only).
81 Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay), Shenna Wood (Aberdeen Ladies), Jill Harrison (Cruden Bay), Donna Pocock (Murcar Links).
82 Carol Wilson (Murcar Links).
84 Elizabeth Brown (Aboyne), Gill Murray (Cruden Bay).
85 Sammy Leslie (Westhill), Karen Stalker (Cruden Bay), Linda Urquhart (Banchory).
86 Laura McLardy (Murcar Links), Mhairi Johnstone (Northern).
87 Lauren Duncan (Aboyne).
88 Ros Dunsmuir (Cruden Bay), Sara Thomson (Royal Musselburgh), Catriona Ross (Northern).

SVLGA (Northern Division) Greensome at Edzell

Scratch
H Anderson & S McGregor 83.
Handicap
E Anton & M Burgess (13.2) 74.2.
C Clark & K Henderson (20.4) 74.6.
F Brynes & S Russell (24.8 ) 75.2.

MIDLOTHIAN COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Top seed Louise topped by Gabrielle

MacDonald in quarter-finals

Top seed Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) was toppled in the quarter-finals of the Midlothian women’s county golf championship at Newbattle this afternoon.
She was beaten on the 18th green by teenager Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) who went round in an approximate level par.
Fraser also played well and will rue the costly three putts she took on both the 16th and 17th greens.
MacDonald, the No 8 seed, will now play Karen Marshall (Baberton), the 13th qualifier.
Marshall, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had an epic match against Claire McDonald (Gullane Ladies), the No 4 seed, which went to the 21st hole before Karen won. Karen followed that up by disposing of the No 5 seed, Kirsten Blackwood (Craigmillar Park) by 2 and 1.
The second semi-final on Sunday morning will feature two Mortonhall members, No. 6 seed Claire Hargan, bidding to win the county title for a sixth time in the past seven years, and youngster Rachael Watton, the No 2 qualifier, who had a great match in beating Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) by one hole in the quarter-finals. The better ball was an estimated six under par.
Today’s results
First round
Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe) bt Diane Moncrieff (Lochend) 7 and 6.
Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) bt Noreen Fenton (Dunbar) 1 hole.
Kirsten Blackwood (Craigmillar Park) bt Susan Rennie (Uphall) 5 and 4.
Karen Marshall (Baberton) bt Claire McDonald (Gullane Ladies) at 21st.
Fiona De Vries (St Rule) bt Linda Caine (Dunbar) 5 and 3.
Claire Hargan (Mortonhall) bt Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) 5 and 4.
Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) bt Stephanie Crolla (Duddingston) at 19th.
Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) bt Gillian Simpson (Murrayfield) 2 and 1.
Quarter-finals
G MacDonald bt Fraser 1 hole.
Marshall bt Blackwood 2 and 1.
Hargan bt De Vries 3 and 2.
Watton bt McIntosh 1 hole.
B CHAMPIONSHIP
First round
Helen Warnock (Harburn) bt Coleen Derighetti (Lochend) 4 and 3.
Mandy McBain (New Swanston) bt Lesley Campbell (Torphin Hill) at 19th.
Pam Townsend (Murrayfield) bt Sandra Wilkes (Deer Park) 2 and 1.
Dee Williams (Craigmillar Park) bt Sandra Ashurst (Murrayfield) at 19th.
Jaci Moriarty (Lochend) bt Carole Mason (Dalmahoy) 2 and 1.
Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe) bt Mary Davidson (Kingsknowe) 2 holes.
Susan Dalrymple (Craigielaw) bt Yvonne Blyth (Prestonfield) 2 and 1.
Margaret Alexander (Baberton) bt Sue Caton (Kingsknowe ) 5 and 4.
Quarter-finals
Warnock bt McBain 6 and 5.
Townsend bt Williams 2 and 1.
Scott bt Moriarty 4 and 3.
Dalrymple 2 and 1.

Teenager Hannah Barwood to

defend English women's title

Teenager Hannah Barwood, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency in action during last weekend's "Helen Holm" tournament at Troon, will defend her title when the English women’s close championship is played at Lindrick in Yorkshire from May 12-16.
Hannah, from Knowle in Gloucestershire, was 17-years-old and one of the youngest-ever English champions when she won the 2008 title at another Yorkshire course, Ganton.
This year, another host of youngsters will be among the 79 competitors challenging for the title. The field includes 11 players aged under 18, together with many more in their late teens and early 20s.
The youngest competitor is 14-year-old Emily Taylor of Royal Lytham & St Annes while Lindrick’s two representatives include 15-year-old Sophie Godley. Both girls are members of the English Women’s Golf Association Select North squad.
Altogether there will be 13 Yorkshire players and two of them – Emma Brown (Malton and Norton) and Naomi Edwards (Ganton) – are past winners of this championship.
Naomi holds the lowest handicap in the field. She plays off plus-four and will be joined by another 13 players who boast plus-handicaps, while seven more are off scratch.
Naomi is one of several England internationals and girl internationals – and a number of them are clearly in-form as the championship approaches. Defending champion Hannah Barwood won the U21 title at the Faldo Series Asia Final in China; Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) is the new French open U18 champion; and Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) won the Hampshire Rose and was leading amateur in the Roehampton Gold Cup.
The championship has attracted the support of two Nottingham-based companies. Beissbarth UK, the automotive service equipment specialists, will sponsor the scoreboard, provided by Golftext. Weavers, the independent wine merchants, will sponsor the English Women’s Golf Association reception held during the championship.
Lindrick Golf Club is regarded as one of Yorkshire’s finest championship courses and has hosted the Ryder Cup and the Curtis Cup among many other events, including the Ladies’ British Open, the English County Finals and the Ladies’ British Amateur.
For this event, the ladies’ course has been lengthened by 586yd to 6358yd. It has a par of 72. All competitors will play 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying before the top 32 players go forward to the match-play knock-out stages. The final will be played on the morning of Saturday, May 16.

Lyndsey Hewison

Press Officer

English Women's Golf Association

P&K golfer Eve Muirhead selected

for Olympic Games' curling team

By DAWN BUTCHART
Perth & Kinross county captain
P&K county squad player Eve Muirhead has been named in the five-strong Great Britain & Ireland women's curling team for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games at Vancouver.
Eve, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, along with Karen Addison, Lynn Cameron, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Kelly Wood, make up the women’s squad. All have had their share of European and World Championship medals. Eve has two World Junior Curling championships, Jackie Lockhart has already played in two Olympic Games and has won a World gold medal in 2002 and got bronze at the 2007 World Championships and silver at the Europeans in December.
Karen Addison has two World Junior gold medals, a World bronze from 2007 and got European silver in the same year. Lynn Cameron and Kelly Wood played in the 2006 Winter Olympics, Kelly skipped the bronze medal team at the 2007 World Championships and silver team at the Europeans in December 2007.
Eve is the youngest member and is very excited about her selection. We here at P&K wish her well and will follow her progress with great interest.
Well done, Eve!

Roseanne and the California Bears

qualify for NCAA Regionals

British women's open amateur stroke-play champion Roseanne Niven and the rest of the California Golden Bears women's golf team have earned a 10th straight invitation to the NCAA Regionals.
The Bears will compete May 7-9 at Arizona State University's Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona at the West Regional, vying for a spot in the National Championships.
In the field of 63 teams announced this week by the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships Selection Committee, the Bears were assigned to the West Regional. This year's competition includes three regional sites of 21 teams with the top eight teams from each regional and the top two individuals not on those teams advancing to the National Championships held at Caves Valley Golf Course in Owing Mills, Maryland, May 19-22.
"We're very excited to make the field of the NCAA Tournament," said California-Berkeley head coach Nancy McDaniel. "We're coming off of a solid performance at the Pac-10 Championship and really look to continue our season through the end of May. I have complete confidence that the senior leadership on this team and the entire team have what it takes to play for a National Championship."
This will be the tenth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for the Bears. The Bears have advanced to the National Championships six times (2001-06).
The Bears' competition at the West Regional include four Pac-10 teams (host Arizona State, USC, Arizona, and Oregon) and two fellow Bay Area schools (San Jose State and the University of San Francisco).
The compete field is: Arizona State, Southern California, Louisiana State, Pepperdine, Arkansas, San Jose State, Arizona, California, UC Irvine, San Francisco, UNLV, TCU, Texas A&M, Oregon, Long Beach State, Colorado, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Northern Arizona, and Oral Roberts.
Rosanne Niven was not at her best in the Pac-10 championship over the Stanford University course (par-71, 6148yd) at Palo Alto, California. The Scot scored 81, 83 and 79 for a total of 30-over-par 243, which placed her 47th of 50.
Former British women's open amateur champion, Spain's Carlota Ciganda (Arizona State) won the individual title after a play-off against team-mate Jennifer Osborn and Jennifer Song of Southern California. Ciganda scored 70, 71 and 69 for 210, Osborne 72 69 69 and Song 70 71 and 69.
Former British girls champion Azahara Munoz (Arizona State), another Spaniard, tied for fifth place on212 with scores of 73, 68 and 71.
And yet another Spanish ace, Belen Mozo (Southern California), who won the British girls and the British women's titles in Northern Ireland the same year, finished 11th with scores of 73, 73 and 72 for 218.
Arizona State (852) won the Pac-10 team title ahead of Southern California (861) and UCLA and Arizona (both 864) with California-Berkeley fifth of 10 on 887.

Top Welsh prospect Ben Enoch

killed in car accident

just after 19th birthday

Welsh golf has reacted with shock to the tragic news of the death in a car accident of Wales international Ben Enoch.
The 19-year-old Walker Cup squad member was on his way from his Truro home to Lancashire for the Lytham Trophy when his Peugeot crashed into a trailer at Whitchurch, Herefordshire.
Welsh Golf Union Chief executive Richard Dixon summed up the feelings by saying, “Everyone is devastated by the news. Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time.
“Ben was one of the most promising golfers in Wales, a bright and vibrant personality in our teams.
“He had a chance of getting into the Walker Cup team this season, such was his talent, and would surely have represented Great Britain and Ireland at some stage before enjoying a career in professional golf.
“For this accident to happen just a few days after his 19th birthday is heartbreaking. He had such a bright future ahead of him.”
Enoch was runner-up in the Welsh Amateur Championship last summer and had a strong start to this season, challenging in all events.
He was due to go to the United States later in the year to take up a golf scholarship at East Tennessee university, where his older brother Rhys is already a student. Rhys is also a Wales international golfer.
Last summer Ben was part of the Great Britain and Ireland Boys team which won the Jacques Leglise Trophy against the continent of Europe. He also won the Clwyd Amateur last season.
Ben Enoch was based in Truro and attended Truro College, but represented the Wales Boys teams in 2006 and 2007, representing the Wales senior team in 2008 and 2009.
++Image above of Ben Enoch by courtesy of Tom Ward Photography.

Michele Thomson finishes 17th in Florida

For the first time in her three-event foray on to the SunCoast Ladies Series Tour in Florida, Michele Thomson from Ellon, Aberdeenshire has failed to win any money. She won the $2,000 first prize on her debut and collected $500 last week.
But in the latest event at Eastwood Golf Club, Fort Myers in Central Florida, the Ladies European Tour rookie - she is expected to make her debut in the Swiss Ladies Open from May 14 - finished 17th with moderate rounds of 75, 78 and 78 for 231 (15 over par).
The winner, by three strokes, was Austrian Stefanie Michl with scores of 71, 68 and 73 for a four-under-par total of 212.
Results:
Par 216 (3x72)
212 Stefanie Michl (Graz, Austria) 71 68 73 ($2,000).
215 Brittainy Klein (Henderson, Kentucky) 70 70 75 ($1,000).
216 Cecilie Eckbo (Ski Norway) 71 72 73 ($900).
217 Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Illinois) 73 70 74 ($800).
218 Vanessa Vela (Bogota, Colombia) (amateur) 71 74 73.
219 Margaret Shirley (Roswell, Georgia) 74 71 74 ($700).
220 Nikki Hadd (Crestview, Florida) 73 75 72 ($650), Paula Reto (Cape Town, South Africa) 73 73 74.
223 Shasta Averyhardt (Flint, Michigan) 76 74 73 ($600).
224 Jessica Schneider (Elgin, Illinois) 74 72 78.
225 Jaclyn Burch (St Louis, Missouri) 77 74 74.
226 Jacqueline Barenborg (Vero Beach, Florida) 78 73 75, Andrea Werner (Evansville, Indiana) 76 74 76.
227 Maggie Steciuk (London, Ontario, Canada) 75 75 77.
228 Carrie Morris (Tyler, Texas) 75 84 69, Lindsey Edmunds (London, Ontario, Canada) 78 71 79.
231 Michele Thomson (Ellon, Scotland) 75 78 78.
232 Tatiana Gammicchia (Khabarovsk, Russia) (amateur) 79 74 79.
233 Mary Moan (New Haven, Connecticutt) 80 74 79.
234 Jill Hardy (Winnepeg, Canada) (amateur) 70 78 77.
235 Jennifer Kovach (Braselton, Georgia) 77 80 78.
237 Zakiya Randall (Atlanta, Georgia) (amateur) 80 78 79.
240 Jennifer Hansen (Cairo, Nebraska) 78 86 76.
242 Stephanie Thomas (Geneva, Florida) 77 83 82.
243 Darlene Stowers (Tampa, Florida) 84 78 81, Mayura Skowronski (Bangkok, Thailand) 83 79 81.