WALKER CUP HERO PUGH A FRESHMAN AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

East Tennessee State University's men's golf roster is eight-strong - and five of the students are from Britain, which is the way it's been for the last few years.
Walker Cup hero Rhys Pugh from Pontypridd, Scottish junior international Scott Gibson, pictured right, from Dumfries, Tom Heggarty from Cheshire  and Sam Edwards from Bigbury (somewhere in England) are all freshmen at the start of the 2011-2012 college golf season.
Rhys Enoch from Cornwall is a senior student, so this is his fourth and last college year.
On the ETSU women's golf roster, Sian Evans from Gillingham, Kent is a sophomore student, Lauren Smith from Cramlington is a senior and the newest recruit is freshman Kelsey Coey from Bangor, near Belfast (Bangor is where Rory McIlroy lives).
This past week, the ETSU men's team should have been in action in a 54-hole event, the Inverness Intercollegiate at Inverness Golf Club, Toledo, Ohio but the 36 holes planned for the first day of the two-day event were washed out.

The tournament then became a one-day affair over 18 holes. You would have thought they would have made it 36 holes on the second day but presumably all the travel arrangements were in place for an early departure on the second day.

Rhys Enoch did best of the ETSU men with a 74 -three over par for a very long-par 71 course (7,255yd). That placed him joint 17th in a field of 69 players.

Tom Heggarty and Rhys Pugh, pictured left, making his debut and obviously still to find his feet in American conditions, tied for 46th place on 78.

Scott Gibson had a 79 which placed him joint 54th and Sam Edwards tied for 63rd place with an 80.

Dugan Murphy (Toledo), who obviously knows the course, won by FOUR shots with a five-under-par 66.

MARK GEDDES MAKES TOP 20 IN WASHINGTON STATE

Mark Geddes from Cheshire and compatriot Sam Whitehead - not quite sure to which part of England he belongs - both students at Grand Canyon University, Arizona finished joint 15th and 26th respectively in a field of 79 for the St Martin's Invitational college tournament at Olympia Golf and Country Club at Olympia in the state of Washington.
Geddes shot 77 and 69 for 139 over a par-71, 6110yd course while Whitehead had rounds of 77 and 73 for 150.
Winner by one shot with a total of three-under 139 was Jamie Hall (Hawaii-Hilo). He scored 72 and 67.
Grand Canyon (596) finished eighth of 15 in the team event won by CSU-Stanislaus (585).

RACHEL HANLON HAS TOP TEN FINISH AT AMARILLO, TEXAS

Rachel Hanlon from St Andrews, in one of her first appearances for the Western Texas College at Snyder, Texas women's golf team, has achieved a top 10 finish.

Rachel, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, finished joint 10th in a field of 60 for the Lady Buffaloes Stampede women's college tournament at Tascosa Golf Club, Amarillo in Texas.

Playing over a 5,900yd course with a par of 72, Rachel had rounds of 78 and 76 for 154. She finished 10 shots behind the winner, Alisa White (West Texas A and M) who scored 70 and 74.

Western Texas (606) finished second behind the team title winners, West Texas A and M (601) in a field of 10 teams.

RACHAEL FINDS IT TOUGHER GOING IN

SECOND US COLLEGE TOURNAMENT

Rachael McQueen from Troon, now a student at McLennan Community College, Waco in Texas, opened her US college golf career with a victory - but she found the going harder in her second tournament - the ULM Fred Marx Invitational at Bayou DeStand Country Club, Monroe in Louisiana.
Rachael finished 38th in a field of 63 with scores of 84, 79 and 78 for a total of 241 over a par-72, 5,923yd course.
She finished 20 shots behind the joint winners, Langley Vannoy (Troy) (74-71-76) and Whitney McAleer (Northeastern State) (75-76-70) on 221.
McLennan (949) finished seventh of 11 in the team event won by Troy (896) from South Alabama (902).

TIFFANY HEWETSON JOINT EIGHTH IN

GRAND CANYON INVITATIONAL AT GOODYEAR

Tiffany Hewetson from Brighton, a student at Grand Canyon University, Arizona, finished joint eighth in a field of 85 players for the Grand Canyon Women's Fall Invitational at The Wigwam Resort, Goodyear in Arizona.
Over a par-72, 6,200yd course, Tiffany scored 79 and 73 for 152. She finished 14 shots behind the winner by three, Spencer Heller (Sonoma State) who scored 68 and 70 for six-under-par 138.
Grand Canyon (603) finished second in the team event won by Sonoma State (598) from a field of 15 teams.

LIZZI OVER SIXTH AT TPC SAWGRASS

Lizzi Over, pictured left, a senior year student at Barry University, Miami in Florida, finished sixth in a field of 54 for the Marjorie Whitney Invitational at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra in Florida.

Lizzi scored 79 and 77 for a total of 156 over a par-72, 5,831yd course. She finished seven shots behind the winner by three, Elia Foch Sola (Seminole State-Florida) who had rounds of 74-75 fpr 149



LUNA AND MICHL SHARED LACOSTE LADIES OPEN LEAD IN PARIS

           DIANA LUNA GIVES IT HER ALL ... Image by Tristan Jones (LET Photographer)

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager
Paris, France: Diana Luna and Stefanie Michl carded rounds of 67 and 69 respectively to share the third-round lead at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.
Luna hit all 18 greens in regulation at Paris International on her way to the top of the leader board at 12 under par, while Michl struggled with her long game but showed a deft touch on the greens.
The duo finished the penultimate day a stroke ahead of Finland’s Kaisa Ruuttila, with Frenchwoman Cassandra Kirkland a shot back at 10 under par. On a day of high drama and temperatures, Luna was forced to play the last six holes alone after Virginie Lagoutte-Clement, the home nation’s leading player at the halfway stage, retired with a shoulder injury after 12 holes.
The Frenchwoman was involved in a minor car accident after her second round and suffered whiplash like symptoms that prohibited her from swinging the club.
Luna excelled from that point, with three birdies in a row from the 13th. She then three-putted the 17th but immediately recovered, holing a clutch birdie putt of around 10 feet on the 18th green.
“I’m very, very pleased, of course, especially with the way I managed,” said Luna, who was edged by Trish Johnson in a play-off last year. “Mentally it is hard because you always wait.
“I just took my time and tried to walk very slowly and to cope with this. You have to and you have no choice. I played a very solid round and hit 18 greens.”
While Luna has five victories on the Ladies European Tour, including two this year in Germany and Switzerland, Michl will be looking for her maiden win after a career best finish of second at the Sanya Ladies Open in China last year.
Despite battling with her swing, she hopes to become the second Austrian winner of the title following Nicole Gergely at Arras in 2009.
“It was a struggle today so I’m quite happy I got it around the way I did and I’m pretty exhausted now,” Michl said. “I wasn’t hitting it good at all, all day but I kept it together and putted really good so I kept the score down.”
Ruuttila will also be targeting her maiden win on the LET. She led by a stroke going into the final round of the UNIQA Ladies Open in Austria a month ago but finished with a 76 to slip back into a tie for third, which was her career best result.
“I was playing well on the front nine and then I made a double on the 10th so that was a little bit sad. I made two birdies on the back nine, so I’m happy,” said Ruuttila, who eagled the eighth hole.
“Now it’s not such a new situation but I’m not used to it. I will just try to do my best tomorrow and enjoy it. I think it’s nice to play in this kind of weather when everything is perfect.”
Other players in contention include Italian Giulia Sergas and England’s Felicity Johnson on nine under, with French amateur Perrine Delacour, winner of the British girls' open amateur title a couple years ago, Florentyna Parker, Becky Morgan and Minea Blomqvist a stroke further back.
Sunday’s Solheim Cup heroines Laura Davies and Caroline Hedwall were at seven and two under respectively, but Hedwall admitted that she was suffering from a cold.

Lacoste Ladies Open de France
Paris International Golf Club
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
204 - Diana Luna (ITA) 69 68 67 , Stefanie Michl (AUT) 68 67 69
205 - Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 65 72 68
206 - Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 64 74 68
207 - Giulia Sergas (ITA) 70 68 69 , Felicity Johnson (ENG) 68 70 69
208 - Perrine Delacour (Am) (FRA) 71 70 67 , Florentyna Parker (ENG) 71 69 68 , Becky Morgan (WAL) 72 66 70 , Minea Blomqvist (FIN) 68 69 71
209 - Lucie Andre (FRA) 69 73 67 , Nikki Garrett (AUS) 70 71 68 , Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 66 73 70 , Laura Davies (ENG) 69 70 70
210 - Pernilla Lindberg (SWE) 71 71 68 , Kym Larratt (ENG) 69 72 69 , Marion Ricordeau (FRA) 70 70 70 , Stacey Keating (AUS) 67 72 71 , Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) 72 67 71
211 - Kiran Matharu (ENG) 71 71 69 , Stefania Croce (ITA) 73 68 70 , Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 70 66 75
212 - Julie Tvede (DEN) 71 72 69 , Carmen Alonso (ESP) 70 73 69 , Alison Walshe (USA) 73 70 69 , Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 69 71 72 , Belen Mozo (ESP) 70 69 73
213 - Connie Chen (SA) 71 73 69 , Caroline Rominger (SWI) 69 74 70 , Caroline Afonso (FRA) 70 72 71
214 - Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 70 73 71 , Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 71 70 73 , Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 71 70 73 , Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 69 71 74 , Vikki Laing (SCO) 70 70 74 , Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 71 69 74 , Becky Brewerton (WAL) 70 69 75
215 - Rachel Jennings (ENG) 75 70 70 , Karen Lunn (AUS) 72 73 70 , Marjet van der Graaff (NL) 73 71 71 , Louise Stahle (SWE) 72 72 71 , Line Vedel (DEN) 71 72 72 , Rachel Bell (ENG) 71 71 73 , Trish Johnson (ENG) 68 74 73 , Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 72 70 73 , Tania Elosegui (ESP) 67 72 76
216 - Bree Arthur (AUS) 74 70 72 , Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 73 70 73 , Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 69 73 , Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 72 71 73 , Celine Boutier (Am) (FRA) 69 74 73 , Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 70 72 74
217 - Henrietta Zuel (ENG) 74 71 72 , Kyra van Leeuwen (NL) 68 75 74 , Sophie Walker (ENG) 67 75 75 , Linda Wessberg (SWE) 72 69 76
218 - Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 72 73 73 , Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LU) 69 73 76
219 - Margherita Rigon (ITA) 74 71 74 , Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 75 69 75 , Kim Welch (USA) 72 72 75
220 - Camille Fallay (FRA) 74 71 75 , Nicole Gergely (AUT) 72 73 75 , Lydia Hall (WAL) 76 68 76 , Marina Arruti (ESP) 72 72 76 , Tandi Cuningham (SA) 70 73 77
Retired - Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 65 72 RTD



Ends



A gratis photo of Diana Luna is attached for use with this release. Credit: Tristan Jones.



Bethan Cutler

CARLOTA CIGANDA MISSES THE CUT IN LPGA QUALIFIER

Former American Junior Ryder Cup player Ginger Howard from Florida headed the field of 231 at the LPGA's Stage 2 qualifying tournament at Venice, Florida.

She shot 69, 70, 68 and 65 for a 16-under-par total of 272.

Ginger finished ahead of two Australians. Julia Boland, competing as an amateur was second on 273 with scores of 73, 67, 67 and 66 while compatriot Stephanie Na was third on 280 with rounds of 70, 66, 72 and 72.

The cut-off point for qualifiers to Stage 3 was 293 or better.

Surprise non-qualifier was Spain's Carlota Ciganda, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who paid a high price for a mediocre 77 in the third round. Earlier she had shot 74 and 72, and she finished with a 71 but it all added up to six-over-par 296 and joint 73rd place. So playing on the LPGA Tour remains a dream for another year at least for Carlota who had a stellar career as an amateur an attended Arizona State University.

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