HEATHER STIRLING WINS "HELEN HOLM" TROPHY BY FOUR STROKES
FINAL ROUND REPORT BY COLIN FARQUHARSON.
 HEATHER
Stirling outstripped a star-studded field to become only the second home
player in the past 10 years to win the Helen Holm Scottish women's open
amateur stroke-play golf championship at Troon.
The red-haired 25-year-old from Bridge of Allan battled through cold,
wet and very windy conditions to return a gritty final round of one-under-par
74 over the Royal Troon Old Course for a 54-hole total of 10-under-par
215, brilliant scoring over a weekend of wild weather.
"I think this is my best ever performance because I changed my attitude.
I began to believe in myself and started to go for my shots in the closing
stages of the second round," said Heather who has been beaten finalist
in the past in the Scottish women's, junior women's and girls' championship.
"I just carried on that way in the last round. It's a nice feeling to
beat a field as strong as this with all the champions of the four home
countries here as well as the rest of the Ladies Golf Union Elite Squad."
Heather is a member of that squad as well and this win must boost her
chances of being included in the Great Britain & Ireland team of eight
for the Curtis Cup match against the United States at Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh
in early August.
Starting the last round one shot off the pace set by 18-year-old Welsh
girls champion Sarah Jones from Pennard, Heather led for the first time
at the seventh and then virtually killed off the opposition with an eagle
3 at the 12th.
"I hit a drive, a three-iron for my second and holed a 15ft putt. I felt
that was the clincher," said Heather.
With her nearest rivals dropping shots like confetti over the last few
holes, Heather won in the end by four shots from teenage Welsh champion
Becky Brewerton with her compatriot Sarah Jones third on 220.
Becky (19) won the Under-21 award.
 The
next best Scot after Heather was Fiona Lockhart, a member of the SLGA
staff at Drumoig as well as the St Regulus club. Fiona finished joint
eighth on 227, despite being blown away to an 83 in the final round.
The best final round in the awful weather was a 73 by Kathryn Evans from
Wales. Recent winner of the Sherry Cup international women's title at
Sotogrande, Kathryn's great latee effort pulled her up into joint fourth
place by Kim Andrew (Clitheroe).
Even without Sarah Jones's inclusion, Wales won the international team
event, thanks to Brewerton and Eleanor Pilgrim's efforts. Their combined
total of 446 was eight shots ahead of England with Scotland third on 464.
FINAL TOTALS (CSS 74, 74, 76)
(First two rounds over Troon Portland; final round over Old Course, Royal
Troon).
215 H Stirling (Bridge of Allan) 70 71 74
219 B Brewerton (Abergele) 72 71 76.
220 S Jones (Pennard) 70 70 80.
224 K Evans (Conwy) 77 74 73, K Andrew (Clitheroe) 72 71 81.
225 E Duggleby (Malton & Norton) 73 75 77.
226 E Pilgrim (St Pierre) 71 71 84.
227 A Coffey (Warrenpoint) 73 74 80, F More (Chesterfield) 76 70 81, F
Lockhart (St Regulus) 72 72 83.
228 M Allen (Moor Park) 76 75 77, F Brown (Heswsall) 74 74 80.
229 R Hudson (Wheatley) 73 76 80, L Kenny (Stirling Univ) 70 77 82, R
Prout (Betchworth Park) 74 73 82.
230 S Heath (Shifnal) 75 75 80, K Fisher (Royal Lytham & St Annes) 74
76 80, K Smith (Waterlooville) 74 73 83, M Morrin (The Curragh) 76 69
85.
231 G Johansson (Sweden) 71 80 80, L Davis (Conwy) 75 76 80, K Hutcherson
(Porters Park) 76 74 81, K Knowles (Worplesdon) 76 73 82, A Laing (Vale
of Leven) 71 77 83, K Hanwell (Northampton) 72 75 84.
232 J Ross (Whitley Bay) 75 70 87.
233 L Morton (Tulliallan) 73 77 83.
234 E Weeks (Hockley) 76 77 81.
235 S Keane (The Curragh) 80 75 80, O Purfield (Co Louth) 77 75 83.
236 K Phillips (Creigiau) 76 85 85, K Dobson (Fulford) 80 71 85.
237 F Prior (Cawder) 77 80 80, C Queen (Drumpellier) 73 74 90
238 C Hargan (Prestonfield) 79 78 81, S Andersson (Sweden) 77 76 85, K
McKenna (Tynemouth) 74 75 89.
239 J Nicolson (Wrexham) 78 78 83, A Waller (Harpenden) 81 75 83, N Haywood
(Rotherham) 79 75 85, S Garbutt (Ganton) 75 77 87.
240 N Edwards (Scarborough South Cliff) 78 77 85, E Dickson (Royal Co
Down) 79 75 86, K Heywood (Crompton & Royston) 78 76 86.
241 C Court (Goodwood) 77 79 85.
242 A Keighley (Lightcliffe) 80 77 85, H Svensson (Sweden) 79 78 85, A
Young (Torrance House) 78 77 87, D Smith (Co Louth) 76 77 89.
244 R Lomas (Hallowes) 78 80 86.
245 J Carthew (Ladybank) 76 82 87, S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 76 81
88, C Marron (Bromborough).
249 A Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 79 82 88, F Gilbert (Carnoustie) 78 82 89, S
Raitt (Forfar) 78 77 94.
252 J Williamson (Hadley Wood) 81 81 90.
254 F Sanderson (Heworth) 85 82 87.
255 F Thompson (Ellesborough) 87 82 86.
257 E Cuthill (Lanark) 85 75 97.
258 F Smith (Chelmsford) 82 82 94.
259 E Allison (Stirling) 82 82 95.
262 L Barton (Coventry) 88 86 88.
283 M Hannen (Sweden) 97 83 103.
Withdrew: A Highgate (Cottrell Park) 76 79.
NRs T Boyes (Meon Valley) 81 80 NR, D Roseberry (Durham City) 85 76 NR,
K Brotherton (Tulliallan) 81 79 NR, T Atkin (Leamington & Co) 81 76 NR,
C Gruber (Stirling Univ) 75 80 NR.
TEAM EVENT
446 Wales (B Brewerton, E Pilgrim).
454 England (E Duggleby, R Hudson).
464 Scotland (A Laing, L Morton).
469 Ireland (A Coffey, D Smith).
480 Sweden (S Andersson, H Svensson).
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