Eilidh Briggs |
Briggs had led the field at the end of the first round with a 71, finishing with birdies at the 14th and 15th, an eagle 3 at the 17th and a birdie at the 18th after running up a double bogey 6 at the 11.
With young Jillian Farrell (Cardross) and former Scottish champion Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) shooting 69s in the afternoon, Briggs needed to be at her very best to hold the twin challenge at bay and she did so with her 68 (36-32).
Her second round, in fact, started inauspiciously with bogeys at the first and second but Eilidh slipped into top gear with birdies at the fifth and sixth and came storming home with birdies at the 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th.
Farrell finished second on 141 with MacDonald third on 144 and Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) third on 145 (74-71).
New Aberdeenshire champion Molly Stewart (Murcar Links) tied for fifth place with the Angus title winner Gillian Paton on 146.
MUNROSS TROPHY WOMEN'S OPEN TOURNAMENT
Montrose Medal course.
Par 146 (2x73) SSS 73 CSS 73 73
LEADING SCORES
139 E Briggs (Kilmacolm) 71 68
141 J Farrell (Cardross) 72 69.
144 G MacDonald (Craigielaw) 75 69.
145 H McCook (Grantown on Spey) 74 71
146 M Stewart (Murcar Links) 73 73, G Paton (Royal Montrose) 73 73.
147 L Duncan (West Kilbride) 72 75, R Foster (Turnberry) 72 75
149 K K Brown (Strathaven) 76 73, A McKay (Crail GS) 75 74. M Briggs (Kilmacolm) 72 77
150 R McIntyre (Carlisle) 72 78
151 J Mackintosh (Hazlehead) 75 76, E Hale (Troon Ladies) 74 77, E Henderson (Loretto School) 73 78.
153 C Taylor (Nairn) 78 75.
154 M M Richmond (Strathaven) 76 78.
155 C Queen (Drumpellier) 77 78, P Wilson (Burntisland) 77 78, S Stichbury Gullane) 75 80.