Stirling student Kelsey MacDonald, in the end, outclassed her contemporaries in winning the Scottish Under-21 girls' stroke-play championsip for a record fourth year in a row by the commanding margin of six strokes at Cardross Golf Club today .
Nairn Dunbar GC member Kelsey came into the tournament on a low, having failed - not by much - to be among the 18 qualifiers at Panmure for the Ricoh British Women's Open championship at Carnoustie.
That perhaps explained her opening round of one-over-par 75 in the junior women's championship which left her joint eighth. But Kelsey banished the blues in no uncertain fashion after that.
She covered the remaining 36 holes in eight under par with a pair of 70s for a seven-under-par winning total of 215.
She is a Great Britain and Ireland international these days and over the last two days at Cardross she played like one.
The surprise packet of the tournament was Nichola Ferguson from Clober who finished second on 221 with scores of 75, 73 and 73.
Nichola did so well to shake off one triple bogey and two double bogeys over her first 36 holes and finished in great style with a bogey free inward half studded with birdies at the 12th, 13th and 16th.
Ferguson relegated four highly-rated players into joint third place on level par 222 - Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm (Disqualified) Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co), Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) and Alyson McKechin (Elderslie).
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 222 (3x74)
215 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 75 70 70.
221 Nichola Ferguson (Clober) 75 73 73.
222 Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) - DISQUALIFIED 75 74 73, Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co) 75 74 73, Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) 76 72 74, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 71 74 77.
223 Paige Kemp (Boyce Hill) 73 76 74,
225 Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick) 73 75 77.
226 Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) 72 77 77.
229 Rachel Taylor (Germany) 76 77 76.
231 Ailsa Bain (Peebles) 82 74 75, Charlotte Austwick (Fulford) 79 77 75, Rebecca Wilson (Grange) 82 73 76, Alice Boothroud (Rudding Park) 73 82 76.
232 Linsey Steveenson (Elie and Earlsferry) 76 77 79,Nicola Rawlinson (Royal Birkdale) 79 75 78.
233 Emma Clegg (Clitheroe) 80 75 78, Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) 79 77 77, Hannah Scott (Broomieknowe) 79 79 75.
234 Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus) 76 78 80.
235 Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) 78 77 80, Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw) 77 81 77, Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) 77 77 81, Katerina Slukova (Olomouc) 77 84 74.
236 Jordana Graham (Southerness) 79 75 82.
238 Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) 81 79 78.
240 Jorden Ferrie (Kirkintilloch) 82 76 82, Emma Greenlees (Dumfries and Galloway) 79 79 82, Ashley Smith (Monfieth) 79 82 79
242 Tara MacTaggart (Minto) 74 81 87.
243 Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) 83 76 84, Emma Hale (Troon Ladies) 82 80 81, Gillian Scanlan (Hamilton) 82 80 81..
244 Eilidh Watson (Muckhart) 80 81 83, Louise McGillivray (Banchory) 76 85 83, Mhairi McKay (West Kilbride) 81 82 81, Jenny Potter (Cathkin Braes) 79 85 80, Tegan Seivwright (Deeside) 84 81 79,Kirstin Scott (Milngavie) 84 84 76
Other RLCGA Players :
245 Lesley Cosh (Cowglen) 79 82 79..
269 Emma Kennedy (Paisley) 91 87 91
-Unforunately Eilidh was disqualified for signing for a wrong score at a hole in the 2nd round. She had a fantastic inward 9 of 31 in the 3rd round and the error was not discovered until the end of play.
