JESS MEEK WINS SCOTTISH UNDER-21 GIRLS' STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
No surprise to followers of the Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour that Jess Meek, the 19-year-old Carnoustie Ladies player, has won the Scottish Under-21 girls' open stroke play championship at Inverness Golf Club.
Jess's form on the tour, in which she repeatedly finished ahead of lady pros and at one time headed them all in the tour's Order of Merit, was a signpost that she was going to win something big this season.
And it came today in the Highland Capital, where Jess started the final round level with Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), both of them one shot back of the long-time leader Eilidh Briggs.
Jess, as she has the knack of doing, rose to the occasion, responded to the presure and a birdie at the very last hole for a one-under-par 73 gave her a winning total of five-under-par 214.
Briggs and Watton finished two shots back in joint second place.
Both runners-up will be licking their wounds on the way home.
Eilidh birdied the 17th but bogeyed the 15th, 16th and 18th for 39 home (compared with 36 by Meek) and a 75.
Denver University student Watton had two 6s over the last five holes - a bogey at the long 14th and a double bogey at the 17th. She too came home in 39 buit for a 74 and 216.
So was Meek a lucky winner? Not a bit of it. She did what she had to do.
Jess (she prefers that to Jessica) Meek heads for the University of Missouri on August 5 and she couldn’t have asked for a better parting gift.
“This is definitely my best win so far,” said the 19-year-old. “I don’t really know what I was thinking coming down the 18th apart from try and hit the fairway and then the green.”
The Angus teenager had led the strokeplay qualifying at the Scottish Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Longniddry in May, but then suffered a disappointing second round defeat.
“It was very disappointing at the time but I think I learned from that experience,” she said. “This week, I tried not to push too hard to make birdies.”
Now she’s looking forward to a new stage of her life as a US scholarship student. If she continues to improve at the rate she has done in first half of the 2013 season, Meek mght almost inherit the golfing earth!
FROM THE SLGA WEBSITE
Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) birdied the final hole for a one under par 72 and claimed the biggest title of her career at the Scottish Junior Ladies’ Open Strokeplay Championship at Inverness Golf Club.
In a dramatic finale, Meek and Eilidh Briggs (KIlmacolm), who had led by one after both round one and round two, were tied standing on the 17th tee on a final day that included a 90-minute thunderstorm delay.
Both hit good drives, but while Briggs pulled her second shot Meek made it onto the green in two at the 455-yard hole. Her first putt from 50-feet stopped a tantalising six feet short but she made the tester to secure victory on five under par.
Briggs three-putted the 18th for a 75 to finish on three under and in a tie for second place with Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), who had been two ahead with six to play but bogeyed the 14th and made a double-bogey after tree trouble at the 17th. The University of Denver golfer closed with a 74.
FINAL TOTALS AT INVERNESS GOLF CLUB
Par 219 (3x73)
214 J Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 68 74 72
216 R Watton (Mortonhall) 75 67 74, E Briggs (Kilmacolm) 67 74 75
221 K Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 74 75 72, C Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) 72 74 75.
222 G Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) 74 75 73
226 A McKechin (Elderslie) 77 74 75, K McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 75 77 74.
227 R Walker (Dumfries and Co) 80 77 70.
230 A Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 75 81 74, R Polson (Peterculter) 70 81 79.
231 R Taylor (AM Reichswald) 76 80 75.
232 L M Kloster (Germany) 83 79 70
234 H Munro (Monifieth) 81 80 73, M Vontobel (Germany) 75 80 79, G MacDonald (Craigielaw) 82 73 79.
235 E Dalgetty (Glencorse) 76 81 78, H McCook (Grantown on Spey) 79 78 78, N Haynes (Gosforth Park) 74 79 82.
236 F Kietzke (Germany) 85 74 77
237 H MacGarvie (Troon Ladies) 77 78 82.
238 H Scott (Broomieknowe) 81 80 77, C Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies) 76 85 77.
239 A Diettore (Italy) 81 84 74.
240 C Munro (Gullane) 80 79 81, K Beveridge (Aboyne) 78 82 80,
E Greenlees (Dumfries and Co) 85 77 78.
241 T Mactaggart (Minto) 79 83 79, F Chiaradia (Italy) 81 79 81.
242 K Wright (Stranraer) 76 85 81
243 F Nobilio (Italy) 79 88 76, E Watson (Muckhart) 79 81 83.
244 E Crawford (Harburn) 83 82 79, K Reid (Monifieth) 78 78 88.
246 N Callander (Mill Green) 83 79 84, A Qayum (Ranfurly Castle) 80 84 82.
248 L D'Ambrosiano (Carluke) 82 85 81
249 K Brodie (Strathmore) 77 91 81, F Nuetzmann (Germany) 82 89 78, L Atkins (Gullane) 82 83 84.
251 S McMilliam (Aboyne) 87 85 79
252 J Kock (Germany) 82 85 85
253 A Tenderini (Italy) 82 85 86, D Ker (Roxburghe) 85 88 80, J Saxton (Kinross) 80 84 89, K McGarva (Troon Ladies) 79 85 89.
254 N Robertson (Dunblane New) 87 83 84, J Farrell (Cardross) 89 83 82
255 E Aird (Blairgowrie) 84 84 87, E Bryce (Strathaven) 84 86 85, S McGuire (Canmore) 87 84 84.
256 H Robb (Scotscraig) 86 86 84, J Free (Gullane) 87 86 83.
257 T Seivwright (Deeside) 88 91 78
258 A Brown (Nairn Dunbar) 88 89 81, A Walker (Falkirk) 92 90 76.
259 O Borwick (McDonald Ellon) 82 85 92.
260 M Stewart (Murcar Links) 87 92 81.
261 J Allan (Glenbervie) 88 91 82
262 J Dalgetty (Glencorse) 83 84 95.
263 J Duncan (Auchterarder) 87 88 88
273 E Morrison (Craigmillar Park) 91 90 92, M Richmond (Strathaven) 94 91 88.
275 C Taylor (Elgin) 89 94 92, E Logie (Buckpool) 95 90 90, K Pryde (Deeside) 86 96 83.
279 E Glencorse (Millport) 98 93 88
280 L Gilbert (Largs) 92 94 94, A Nithuama (Ireland) 100 87 93.
281 A Taylor (St Anne's Old Links) 87 97 97.
283 K Scott (Strathaven) 92 95 96
290 L MacDonald (Cardross) 91 106 93.
Withdew: J Chalmers (Monifieth) 82 88 -.
NR: S Rees-Evans (Penrhos) 77 85
Thanks go to Colin Farquharson for the report and results
