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from Colin Farquharson
BP SCOTTISH GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
L Walker (Nairn Dunbar) beat G Webster (Hilton Park) 2 and 1.
Laura Walker of Nairn Dunbar became the first player from north of Aberdeen
to win the title in the 42-year history of the tournament when she beat
Gemma Webster (Hilton Park) by 2 and 1 in the 18-hole final of the BP
Scottish girls championship at Powfoot on the Solway Firth.
Overnight rain continued fo r most of the 17 holes as 18-year-old Miss
Walker's par golf enabled her to establish a five-hole lead after nine
holes.
On the inward half, 16-year-old Gemma, a Scotland girls hockey and long
jump international representative, at last came on to the game that had
seen her have a hole in one and topple the No 1 seed, Jenna Wilson (Strathaven),
earlier in the tournament.
Gemma, who has nine of a handicap compared to Laura's rating of four,
won back the 13th and then the 15th and 16th with back to back birdies.
Now only two down with two to play, Miss Webster finally admitted defeat
when the 17th was halved.
Miss Walker was roughly two or three over par for the holes played, not
bad for the thoroughly unpleasant wet conditions. And the speed of play
was a credit to both girls. The match was completed in 2hr 25min.
Here is a hole by hole account of the final:
Hole 1: Halved in par 4s.
Hole 2: Laura won with a conceded birdie 4 after a fine third shot 6ft
past the hole. Gemma missed the green on the right with her third and
pitched across the green with her fourth. Laura one up.
Hole 3: Laura won with a birdie 4. Again she sent her third shot to within
6ft and this time she holed it. Gemma was on in three and two-putted.
Laura two up.
Hole 4: Halved in par 4s. Laura missed great chance from 3ft for a birdie
which would up put her three up.
Hole 5: Laura won with a birdie 3. Laura drove the green pin high at this
248yd hole and two-putted from 15ft for a birdie 3. Gemma took two shots
to get and and took two putts from 12ft. Laura three up.
Hole 6: Gemma won with a conceded birdie 3. Laura lost a ball in the left
gorse off her drive.
Laura two up.
Hole 7: Laura won with a birdie 2. Laura holed from 6ft after Gemma had
missed from 8ft. Laura three up.
Hole 8: Laura won with a bogey 5. Gemma was bunkered with her second and
took three to get on. She then three-putted, missing from 2 1/2ft. Laura
four up.
Hole 9: Laura won with a par 5. Gemma was bunkered in three. Laura almost
holed her little chip for a 4 but a 5 was good enough to win the hole.
Laura five up.
Hole 10: Halved in par 5s.
Hole 11: Halved in par 4s. Gemma holed from 4 to 5ft for a half.
Hole 12: Halved in par 3s.
Hole 13: Gemma won with a concession after playing only her drive. Laura
lost two balls off the tee in the left gorse. Laura four up.
Hole 14: Halved in par 5s. Gemma had chance from 12ft but left her putt
short.
Hole 15: Gemma won with birdie 2. Gemma holed from 20ft. Laura three up.
Hole 16: Gemma won with birdie 3. Gemma put her approach to within 12inches
of the hole while Laura missed the green to the left and failed to hole
her pitch, which she needed to do if she were to halve the hole. Laura
two up.
Hole 17: Halved in bogey 5s. Gemma really needed to hole her 12ft putt
for a birdie to have a chance of taking the final down the 18th but she
missed and so too did Laura from just inside the 12ft range and a half
in 5 ended the match 2 and 1 in Laura's favour.
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