Two teenage Scots, Renfrewshire's Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) and Germany-based Rachael Taylor (Lanarkshire) , were the only two players in the first half of the field of 113 to match the testing par of 72 over the Royal Ashdown Forest course, East Sussex in the first round of the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship today.
There was no wind to speak of and there is not a single bunker anywhere under an old forest conservation act so the only explanation for the general level of high scoring was that the woodland/heathland course, a royal hunting forest in ancient times, is an extremely testing lay-out on which to score well.
Bogeys, double bogeys and higher were common. Birdies were rare and eagles an endangered species.
Royal Ashdown Forest has been used by the R&A as an Open championship qualifying venue – and today the competitors in this LGU tournament could see why for themselves.
This south-east of England course, where there is less rainfall than most other parts of the country, has not staged many tournaments for female amateur golfers, outwith local members, in recent years and that lack of familiarity in particular with the hard greens that required pitch and run shots "a la" links golf but were not nearly as fast as links greens for putting was a problem that most of the contestants failed to solve on the first day.
As defending champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), remarked after a returning a four-over-par 76: “I think it’s going to be a high-scoring tournament.” Which could turn out to be the understatement of the season.
Playing partner and fellow Curtis Cup player Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) looked set to prove all the pundits wrong when she cruised to the turn in two-under-par 34 wit birdies at the fifth and eighth and not a suggestion of a bogey.
But Royal Ashdown Forest bit back – hard – on the 16-year-old Irish player after the turn. Leona required 41 shots (five over par) to get home, starting with a double bogey 6 and ended the back nin with a double bogey 7 at 17 and bogey 5 at the last for a 75. Incidentally, Pamela Pretswell birdied the 17th where Leona had the 7 so where’s the logic of that?
Leona’s twin Lisa had a 77 which included a double bogey 6 at the 10th. Also on 77 is another highly promising 16-year-old, Bronte Law (Bramhall). Bronte had a double bogey 6 at the 15th in halves of 38 and 40.
Curtis Cup and Vagliano Trophy team player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) later joined Leona Maguire on the 75 mark.
Britain’s youngest ever women’s open amateur champion, 16-year-old Lauren Taylor (Woburn), pulling her own clubs, had the same score as Pamela Pretswell, a 76. The only 6 on Lauren had on her card was at the 17th.
Alyson McKechin (pictured left) a member of the Scotland team in the girls’ home internationals the week before last, had birdies at the second, 12th, 16th and 18th in halves of 37 (one over par) and 35 (one under). She bogeyed the first, seventh, 11th and 17th.
Rachael Taylor, whose Airdrie-born father is a golf professional in Germany, had halves of 34 and 38 with birdies at the third, eighth and 17th. She did not drop a shot until the 10th – where she dropped two with a 6, followed by a bogey at the 11th, then covered the last seven holes in one-under par.
Welsh teenager Amy Boulden (Llandudno Maesdu) and two other youngsters, England girl cap Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) and Belgium’s Laurence Herman, are tucked in behind the Scots. Boulden’s 73 was so steady – 15 pars, one birdie, two bogeys – she could have been playing a different course from those who shot in the high 70s and 80s.
Amy started with a bogey and had her only other dropped shot at the 10th. The Astor Trophy and Vagliano Trophy team player birdied the 17th in halves of 37 and 36.
Renfrewshire's Megan Briggs struggled today:
Scots Scores -- Round 1:
Rachael Taylor (Am Reichswald) 72
Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 72
Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 74
Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 78
Hannah Mccook (Grantown on Spey) 78
Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies') 81
Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) 81
Laura Murray (Alford) 82
Lesley Atkins(Gullane Ladies) 82
Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 83
Read the full report on the Gillian Kirkwood Website
