Championships - Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke-Play Championship 2008
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15.08.2008
Top field heads for Strokeplay at Malone
From 20th - 22nd August the Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship takes place at Malone Golf Club in Northern Ireland.This event has brought much success for the Brits over the years, in fact, of the last nine winners only Anna Rossi (Italy) in 2006, was neither English, Scottish or Welsh.
Extending that countback to the first 39 years of the event (first played at Gosforth Park in 1969 and won that year by Ann Irvine) have produced only five winners from outside Great Britain and Ireland. Curiously enough, four of them were in successive years from 1995 to 1998.
Enough of statistics, whatever the nationality of the player who has the lowest four-round aggregate total at Malone, she will have done very well to negotiate four circuits of a fine inland championship course without incurring at least one card-wrecking score.
The 27 hole course course, located only 6 miles out of Belfast city center, is situated within 330 acres of undulating and wooded parkland, the centre piece of which is a beautiful lake covering some 27 acres.
The lake first comes into play at the 389yd 13th and there’s also tricky tee shot to contend with at the short 15th. At only 132 yards it sounds easy, but as its all over water to a sloping green its sure to provide a real test to the golfers.
Every championship course should have a testing last hole and they don’t come much more daunting than Malone’s 18th. Again it’s not the length of the hole that is the problem. The measurement here is “only” 392 yards but any ball hit to the right of the green is water-bound.
The course that the championship will be played over is 6175yd with a par of 72 (37-35) and a standard scratch of 76. Three par-5s (the second, third and seventh) make the outward journey that little bit longer than the way home.
One round of 18 holes will be played on each of the first two days for which one draw will be made.
The players returning the 40 (and ties) lowest 36-hole aggregates will qualify to play the final two rounds on Friday.
Apart from the Nicholls Trophy which goes to the champion and was won last year by Melissa Reid (Chevin) who has since turned professional, there will be six other awards:
*The Holden Trophy which goes to the player with the second lowest 72-hol aggregate.
*The Taunton Trophy for the player who achieves the lowest 18-hole score.
*The Duncan Salver will be won by the leading player under the age of 23 on January 1.
*The Angela Uzielli Trophy will go to the leading player over the age of 25 on January 1.
*The Dinwiddy Trophy goes to the leading player under the age of 18 on January 1.
*The Team Award Trophy, contested over the first 36 holes, was won last year at Conwy by Netherlands, which just goes to prove that the Continentals have as good a chance as any after all.
The winner will recieve an exemption straight into the starting field of next year's Ricoh Women's British Open Championship which will be played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes from the 30th July - 2nd August.
Five members of the 2008 Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team have entered – Elizabeth Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor), Carly Booth (Comrie), Breanne Loucks (Wrexham), Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale) and Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon).
Sally Watson (Elie & Earlsferry) is still recovering from knee surgery the week aftere the match at the Old Course, St Andrews. Team-mates Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) and Jodi Ewart (Catterick) will have returned to their American universities.
Since the Curtis Cup match, Breanne Loucks has won the Irish open stroke-play title at Elm Park and played in the US amateur championship.
The lowest handicap among the near capacity field of 113 entries is possessed by Christel Boeljohn from the Netherlands with a rating of +4. Among her many achievements Christel achieved a top-10 finish in a Ladies European Tour event earlier in the season.
The talented twins from the Slieve Russell club in Ireland, 13-year-old Lisa and Leona Maguire should have benefited from a week’s rest after playing in the European Young Masters in Chantilly and the girls’ home international matches at Panmure, Carnoustie in quick succession. They withdrew from last week’s British girls’ championship at Monifieth in Scotland in order to rest up in preparation for this event..
Between them, the Maguire sisters hold the Irish women’s championship, the Irish girls’ championship and the European Young Master girls title and will both play for Europe in next month’s Junior Ryder Cup match in Kentucky. Carly Booth, the 16-year-old Scottish girls champion, is another member of that team.
Augmenting the Irish challenge will be Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down), holder of the world women students’ championship, former Curtis Cup player Tara Delaney (Carlow) and Limerick University student Niamh Kitching who had some useful early-season form.
St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle), Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) and Roseanne Niven (Crieff), beaten semi-finalist in the British women’s open amateur at North Berwick and runner-up to Breanne Loucks in the Irish open stroke-play, have the credentials but the Scot with the highest hopes may be Glasgow University student Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle).
After winning the Mackie Bowl 36-hole event at Gullane, Pamela went off on a golfing holiday to Zurich – and won the Swiss amateur international championship, scoring 10 under par over the final two rounds.
The stage is set for what promises to be an exciting weeks golf!
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