Championships - Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship 2008
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Hedwall - leading qualifier, best 18 holes and team member of victorious Swedish side.
13.06.2008
Sweden sweep up qualifying awards at North Berwick
Final UpdateTeam Award - Winners - Sweden
Leading Qualifier - Caroline Hewall - 140
Best 18 holes - Caroline Hedwall
Only two of the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team have made it through to the last 16 of the Ladies British Open amateur championship over the North Berwick links. Jodi Ewart (Catterick) and Breanne Loucks from Wrexham came through their opening match-play tests with flying colours. If they win again on Saturday morning, they will meet in the afternoon for a place in Sunday morning’s semi-finals.
Ewart won her second round tie by 3 and 2 against Austria’s Marina Kotnik to set up a third-round tie against the in-form top seed, Caroline Hedwall. The Swedish ace was five under par in beating Scotland international Emily Ogilvy from Auchterarder by 2 and 1. The Scot was two or three under par herself and would probably have beaten most other players in the field in second round with that quality of play.
But Caroline Hedwall, making her debut in the event and living up to her +5.4 handicap rating, even threw a hole in one at the 165yd 10th against Ogilvy to go one up after they had both reached the turn in four-under-par 33 with 11 birdies between them over the first nine holes.
Breanne Loucks was taken to the last green in both her ties but was never behind to either opponent over the 36 holes. The win that put her through to play French-Canadian Maude-Aimee Leblanc was by one hole over Dutch girl Christel Boeljohn who finished joint 10th in last week’s Ladies European Tour event. “I’ve got sore feet after playing two full rounds,” said Breanne, herself Canadian-born 20 years ago, “but funnily I don’t feel tired.” Leblanc claimed the Curtis Cup scalp of 15-year-old Carly Booth from Comrie in a sensational finish to their second round tie.
At her favourite driving hole – the 273yd 18th – Carly drilled her tee shot to within five or six feet of the flagstick, as she has done more than once earlier in the week. With Maude-Aimee short of the green with her drive and some 60 feet away from the cup, it looked long odds on that Booth lead would take her through to the last 32. But match-play golf is full of twists and turns … and how about this one?
With the match having been all square after 17 holes, the French Canadian from Montreal pitched in for an eagle 2 while the stunned Scot missed her putt for a half and was out of the championship.
The 19-year-old Hedwall twins are both through to the third round – and are both in the top half of the draw. Jacqueline won with a 19th hole birdie in her morning tie against Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) and then triumphed by two holes after driving the green at the 18th in her tie against Welsh stroke-play champion Rhian Wynn Thomas from Vale of Glamorgan. Two 19-year-old Scots will be in action in the third round – Roseanne Niven from Crieff and Scottish universities champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle). Niven beat Curtis Cup reserve Sarah Hassan by 2 and 1 in the second round. Pretswell had an excellent win over the No 3 seed, Camilla Lennarth from Sweden. In a “terrible lie” under the lip of a bunker at the 20th, Pamela had a “hit and hope” splash out which, to her amazement came to rest only inches from the cup for a gimme par 4. Camilla missed from 6ft and was out of the championship. Swedish giant Anna Nordqvist, 6ft 1in in her stocking soles, knows what it takes to reach the final of this championship. She got there in 2006 and lost to Belen Mozo and Anna got there again in 2007 and lost to another Spaniard, Carlota Ciganda who is not defending the title because of exams this. With comfortable wins over Claire Aitken (Mid Kent) and St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker, Miss Nordqvist is ready for another big push at the weekend. Late in the day, Azahara Munoz from Spain, winner of the big US college title, the NCAA Division 1 women’s title a week or two ago, kept her hopes alive of a major championship double by beating an unheralded American Allison Goodman 2 and 1.
One big name to fall in the evening was Belen Mozo. The Spaniard won both the British ladies and girls’ title sin Northern Ireland two years ago but did not defend last year at Leeds because she was competing in a US Women’s Open qualifier. She was beaten 3 and 2 by Hannah Ralph (Cowdray Park) who led by two holes after seven.
16:15pm update
Curtis Cup stars Breanne Loucks and Jodi Ewart make it through to the last 16. Carly Booth drove the 18th green while her opponent hit short of the green. Not to be daunted, the Canadian Leblanc, holed her chip for an eagle 2. A shocked Carly, lipped out for her eagle and Leblanc heads into tomorrow's round.
The only one of the top eight seeds who failed to survive the first round of the match-play stages of the Ladies British Open amateur championship at North Berwick was 17-year-old Taylore Karle from Scottsdale, Arizona, the No 4 seed among the 64 qualifiers.
Taylore, first reserve for this year's United States Curtis Cup team and a student at Pepperdine University, Malibu in California, was beaten 2 and 1 by another youngster, Rhian Wyn Thomas from the Vale of Glamorgan club.
Rhian was Welsh girls tennis champion until she took up golf almost by chance two or three years ago when she answered an invitation by Welsh coach David Llewellyn at the Royal Welsh Show for anyone who had never played golf to come up on stage and have a go.
Rhian did, turned out to be a natural golfer and recently she became the first Welsh player since Vicki Thomas to win the Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play championship this season.
Rhian got her nose in front early against her American opponent, leading by one hole after seven and retaining that slender advantage through 14 holes.
The Welsh girl now plays Sweden's Jacqueline Hedwall, 19-year-old twin sister of top seed Caroline who also reached the last 32 but not quite so easily as expected. She was taken to the 17th green by Irish player Niamh Kitching (Claremorris).
One GB&I Curtis Cup player, Elizabeth Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) failed by one shot to make the 64 stroke-play qualifiers and St Andrews team-mates Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale) and Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) made an early exit from the match-play.
University of Georgia student Krystle, a quarter-finalist at Alwoodley, Leeds 12 months ago, was beaten 3 and 1 by last year's English champion, Naomi Edwards (Ganton).
Florentyna Parker lost by one hole to Dutch girl Christel Boeljon who finished in the top 10 of last week's Ladies European Tour event.
Boeljon now plays another Curtis Cup player, Breanne Loucks from Wrexham. Breanne holed a 10ft birdie putt on the 18th green to end the resistance of former tour professional Lesley Nicholson (Haddington), skipper of the Scotland women's home internationals team for Wrexham in the autumn.
Another Curtis Cup player, Scottish champion Michele Thomson, beat former Irish champion Deirdre Smith (Co Louth) by 2 and 1 in a match of some six birdies between them.
Yet another Curtis Cup Scot into the last 32 was 15-year-old Carly Booth. The Comrie youngster won by 4 and 2 over Germany's Stephanie Kirchmayr, a US college circuit player.
Carly now plays Maude-Aimee Leblanc, one of the Canadians who have made the trip over to Scotland with their national coach, Dunfermline-born Dean Spriddle.
Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), beaten in the past two years' finals of this championship, made an impressive start to the match-play stages. She beat Claire Aitken (Mid Kent) by 5 and 3, which earned her a tie with St Rule Trophy winner Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle).
Former British girls champion - she won the title at Lanark in 2004 - Azahara Munoz has come to Scotland again fresh from winning the top NCAA Division 1 women's championship in the States. She was a 3 and 2 winner over compatriot Mereia Prat and now plays American Allison Goodman.
Spain's Belen Mozo, winner of the British title double - women's and girls' championships in Northern Ireland two years ago, reached the last 32 with the help at the eagle 2 at the 362yd 14th in beating Curtis Cup reserve Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton) at the 19th.
In the second round, Caroline Hedwall holed her tee shot at the 165yd 10th in her tie against Emily Ogilvy.
Top seed Caroline Hedwall from Sweden was the first player into the last 32 of the Ladies' British open amateur championship at North Berwick - but she was relieved to get through 2 and 1 against Ireland's Niamh Kitching (Claremorris).
Hedwall jumped into a five-hole lead by winning the second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh with a birdie at the third and pars at the others.
But that was as good as it got for the 19-year-old from Barseback who is bound for Oklahoma State University in the autumn.
Niamh stopped the rot with a birdie at the long eighth and also won the ninth before Hedwall won the short 10th with a par to re-establish a four-hole lead.
Kitching was not ready to throw in the towel. She bounched back by winning the 11th, 14th and 16th, holing a 30ft putt at the 16th to be one down on the 17th tee - quite a comeback from five down after seven.
Hedwall, however, finished the tie off with a par at the 17th where Kitching missed from 3ft to save par.
The No 1 seed will now play Scottish international Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) who beat Hannah Jenkins (Cradoc) by 2 and 1.
Emily, just like Caroline Hedwall, was five up after seven holes, having birdied the third and fourth in her great run.
But her Welsh opponent came back at her with wins at the ninth, 10th, 11th and 15th to be only one down on the 16th tee. The 16th was halved in par before Ogilvy managed to get a winning par to close the match on the 17th.
Austrian Marina Kotnik had a good 2 and 1 win over former Curtis Cup player Kerry Smith (Waterlooville). The Austrian was two up after 14 holes and will play current GB&I Curtis Cup player Jodi Ewart (Catterick).
Jodi beat Valerie Sternebeck (Germany) by 2 and 1 after establishing a one-hole lead after seven holes and still retaining that narrow advantage after 14.
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