November 2002 Archive

Friday 29th November 2002

STAFFING CHANGES AT ELGA
Sue Dennis has resigned as ELGA Secretary after almost two years in the post. Press release

Irish Ladies' Website
I was just having a look at the ILGU website. They have a very informative recent news item on Equality Guidelines (find it under "News"), which I think any club, contemplating a change in their constitution to provide equal status for men and women, would find a useful starting point.

Thursday 28th November 2002

SLGA Officials
ETHEL FARQUHARSON NEW SLGA CHAIRMAN
Mrs Ethel Farquharson, pictured right, from Aberdeen is the new chairman of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association. She succeeds Mrs Margaret Mowat from Ayr, whose one-year term of office concluded at the association's annual general meeting in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Mrs Pat Hutton from Lanark steps up to be vice-chairman.
Miss Joyce Cooper (Troon) will be entering her final year as president of the SLGA.
Mrs Sheila Lord from Thornhill retired from the executive committee after a five year term of office. Mrs Alison White (St Andrews) resigned from the Executive to take up a full-time appointment with the R&A.. Their replacements are Mrs Isobel Fairlie from Lochmaben and an East Division nomination which will be confirmed at the first meeting of the new SLGA executive committee. Mrs Jennifer Mack succeeds Mrs Margaret Mowat as West Division representative.
Mrs Margaret Rodgers from Edinburgh takes over as Chairman of County Golf from Mrs Louise Clark (Nairn) who will succeed Mrs Farquharson as Chairman of Girls.
Mrs Hutton remains Chairman of Training.
INTERNATIONAL TEAM CAPTAINS
Mrs Elaine Farquharson-Black (Deeside) will captain the Scotland team in the women's home internationals for a third successive year. The matches will be played at Cruden Bay in September.
Miss Lindsey Anderson (Gullane) will serve a second year as captain of the Scotland team in the girls' home internationals. They will be played at Pyle & Kenfig, South Wales in August.
Miss Alison Gemmill (Barassie) will be captain of the Scotland team for the European women's team championships, to be played at Frankfurter Golf Club, Germany in July.

Veteran Dates 2003
If you are over 50, then here are some dates for your diary for next year. The Fixture List (see link in the left panel) has been updated. If you know of any Junior Open events or County events which should be included please email me.

Daily Telegraph Awards
Becky Brewerton (Abergele) has won The Daily Telegraph Golfer of the Year Award. A shock exclusion from the line-up at the Curtis Cup in August; she proved her prowess to the British Selectors by winning the European Individual Championship and the British Strokeplay at the end of the season, and was picked for three-strong team for the Espirito Santo (Women's World Team Championship) in Kuala Lumpur. Sarah Jones (Pennard) is the winner of the Daily Telegraph's Joyce Wethered award.

Wednesday 27th November 2002

SLGA AGM
Over 120 women golfers attended the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh this morning.
The SLGA have been working on a revision of the Constitution for the last five years, and their efforts finally came to fruition when they presented their Proposed Constitution to the members and the new Rules were adopted unanimously.
The annual per capita subscription fee for each playing member of clubs (over the age of 18) will rise to £7 with effect from 1 January 2004.

Tuesday 26th November 2002

Fun and Games in Portugal!
Gillian Roy is European Champion.
GILLIAN Roy, pictured right, tournament officer of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association, has won the 2002 The Glenlivet European golf writers' open indoor putting championship. Report

SLGA AGM
Hope you are remembering that it's the SLGA AGM tomorrow at 11:00am at the King James Thistle Hotel in Edinburgh. See you there!

Monday 25th November 2002

WEETABIX TO SPONSOR CHALLENGE MATCH FOR FURTHER THREE YEARS
The LadiesÌ Golf Union is pleased to confirm that Weetabix will support the Weetabix Challenge for a further three years starting in 2003. Press release

Scots bound for Frankfurt
THE Germany Golf Federation, hosts to the biennial European women's amateur team golf championshp next year, have finally decided that the five-day event will be played at Frankfurter Golf Club, near the international airport, from July 8 to 12. Report

Thursday 21st November 2002

USGA Museum
Visit New York in 2004/5 and call in at the new USGA Museum which has taken over the premises of the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan. Reuters Report

Wednesday 20th November 2002

Happy birthday to daughter Ali!

Message from America
Stan Mitchell writes from McLennan Community College, Waco, Texas on the progress of Heather Macrae, pictured left, and Laura Walker, right, and he is recruiting for next year. Message

Tuesday 19th November 2002

Drumoig Management change
McColls of Argyll, the Hotel & Tour Operator based on the West Coast of Scotland have been chosen to take over as the operator of the Drumoig Hotel and Golf Resort at Leuchars, near St Andrews. Press release

Monday 18th November 2002

County golf news (from Colin Farquharson)
ALL CHANGE AT NORTHERN COUNTIES
IT'S all change as far as Northern Counties Ladies Golf Association office-bearers for 2003 are concerned.
Mrs Ann Ryan from Tain, a former Northern Counties team member, succeeds Mary Law who had been county captain for the past two years. Ann works full-time so Northern Counties are lucky she is prepared to take on the job.
Mrs Winnie Ross from Elgin, sister of former North of Scotland champion Susie Alexander (now Drummond), is Ann's vice-captain.
The new secretary-treasurer is Mrs Maggie Vass from Tain, sister of Ann Ryan, a past Northern Counties team member and a former Scotland junior international player.
Pat McLennan from Forres, who has played squash for Scotland and has been a Northern Counties team player for many years, succeeds Jenny Louden as junior convener.
As Liz Munro from the Moray club, Lossiemouth - a former Northern Counties official herself - put it: "Isn't it refreshing that all these past and current team members are prepared to put someback into the county."
Not surprisingly, with the new captain and secretary-treasurer both long-time members of Tain Golf Club, it will host the Northern Counties LGA county championship from Saturday to Monday, May 3 to 5.
Tain, situated some 35 miles north of Inverness and eight miles south of Dornoch, is one of Scotland's largely unsung links courses that would be invited to stage events of national distinction were it more adjacent to the Central Belt.
New Zealander Liz McKinnon (Nairn) will be the defending Northern Counties champion. She took the title from the 2001 champion, Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch), over the Moray club's links at Lossiemouth in the spring.
Golfing trivia question: What distinction does Northern Counties hold over Scotland's 14 other women's counties every year?
Answer: The largest number of member clubs: 36. Second in the list comes Aberdeenshire (32). Ayrshire and Midlothian are joint third with 25 clubs each.
AS YOU WERE AT ABERDEENSHIRE
In contrast to next-door neighbours Northern Counties, Aberdeenshire Ladies County Golf Association retains its 2002 officials en bloc for 2003.
That means Pat Wilson (Murcar) will be serving her second year as county captain with Morag Clapperton (Banchory) as vice-captain.
Mary Robinson (Murcar) is a fixture as honorary secretary and Karen Stalker from Fraserburgh continues as treasurer.
Ethel Farquharson from Aberdeen remains junior secretary.

Friday 15th November 2002

There have been one or two County AGMs recently. Would any Counties like to tell me of their change in personnel? or anything else that they think would interest the readers?

Thursday 14th November 2002

Just like the 23 bus, nothing happens for ages and then three come along at once!

Former Scottish champion turns pro in United States
THE American coach of Linzi Morton (Tulliallan), pictured right, winner of the Scottish women's amateur golf championship at Carnoustie two years ago, has confirmed that she has turned professional. Report

DEESIDE WIN ABERDEENSHIRE SCRATCH LEAGUE
DEESIDE, pictured below, are the first winners of the Golfview Trophy, presented by the publishers of a North-east golf monthly magazine, to the champions of the AberdeenshireWomen's Scratch League. They beat Murcar by 2 ½-1 ½ at Murcar in the final between the winners of Section A and Section B. Report

Deeside team (left to right): Mariva Millership, Lynne McPherson, Vivien Harper and team captain Fiona Hay.

Beverly Lewis to be PGA captain
It is not all that long ago that the Professional Golfers' Association was accused of being male chauvinistic in its outlook, at least by one of its female staff employees.
Which makes the news that the PGA is nominating Beverly Lewis to be its captain in 2005-2006 a surprise, to say the least. Report

Tuesday 12th November 2002

HEATHER STIRLING MAKES IT OFFICIAL:
SCOTTISH CHAMPION NOW A PRO
Scottish women's amateur champion Heather Stirling from Bridge of Allan has officially turned professional. She has contacted the Ladies Golf Union to inform them that she has relinquished her amateur status and was, consequently, no longer eligible to be a member of the LGU'S Great Britain & Ireland Elite Squad for winter training and coaching. Report

Fixture List
I'd like to build a comprehensive Fixture List for next year. I've added a new item down the index on the left - Fixture List. If you have any dates that should be included, please email me. I'm particularly interested in publishing Girls/Junior Open events, and will take Vets and County dates, and anything else you think suitable. Thanks, Gill

Saturday 9th November 2002

HEATHER GAINS US FUTURES TOUR CARD BUT LINZI FAILS
There was a nine-player play-off, involving those who finished with totals of 305, for the last four places among the precise figure of 38 (no ties) who gained full playing rights for the 2003 season on America's No 2 female professional golf circuit which will have roughly 19 events worth a total of 1.3 million dollars.
The good news for followers of Scottish golf is that our native women's amateur champion, Heather Stirling from Bridge of Allan, pictured right, made it with ease among the top 38, finishing in joint 16th place after a final round of 76 for 300. Report

Friday 8th November 2002

CURTAINS FOR CLAIRE IN FLORIDA
Oregon-based Aberdonian Claire Hunter failed to survive the third-round cut in the United States Futures Tour Qualifying School at Lakeland, Florida on Thursday. Heather Stirling slipped back to joint 8th place after a 79. Report

Kirkwoodgolf launches HOT NEWS
I've added a new feature to Kirkwoodgolf. It's called HOT NEWS (there's a link down the left hand side) I'm pretty excited about it and I hope you will be too, as now registered viewers can post news instantly onto this site, without my intervention. It means that I can have a day off sometimes, and even go on holiday, without worrying that you're left in the dark with no-one to publish the news.
I'm sure many of you are frustrated that so few results get into the Daily papers. Here's your chance to publish them on the same day as the event, where you can be guaranteed that they'll be read by other interested golfers in Scotland (and all over the world).
It is very simple... if you can read this page and type, then you can post results on the HOT NEWS page.
To get HOT NEWS to work I need your help... I need volunteers, ideally all round the country, who would like to keep their fellow golfers informed of anything exciting that has happened in their area or club. It could be as simple as the results and CSS of a competition, the result of a match or an announcement of a hole-in-one. Or it could be a major report which would normally be on this page, but perhaps I'm not around to publish it.
Read more about HOT NEWS here and email me if you would like to become a Kirkwoodgolf correspondent.

Thursday 7th November 2002

Heather starts to bloom in Florida
Scottish champion Heather Stirling moved up into joint third place after the second round of the United States Futures Tour Qualifying School near Orlando, Florida on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old from Bridge of Allan shot a one-over-par 73 for a halfway total of 145, five strokes behind leader Lisette Lee from Los Angeles. Lisette is on four-under 140, thanks to scores of 71 and 67. Report

Wednesday 6th November 2002

Futures Tour Qualifying school
Scottish champion Heather Stirling, who has still not officially relinquished her amateur status, made a good start to the United States Futures Tour Qualifying School at Orlando, Florida on Tuesday.
Heather, from Bridge of Allan, matched the par of 72 with a 38-34 card to be lying tied for 11 place in the huge field of 300 which were divided between the Eaglebrook, Imperial Lakes and Cleveland Heights courses, all of them over 6,000yd long with a par of 72. Report

GB Long Driving Championship
Ever considered entering a long driving contest? Read this email from Kathryn Massey, GB Long Driving women's champion.

Student News (Old News)
Andrew McArthur (Windyhill and Pfeiffer College) was second in a Division II tournament which finished on the 27th Oct. See http://www.golfweek.com/articles/2002/college/men/30815.asp
Also there's an article in Golfweek on the California Women's team who are leaping up the rankings. They were ranked 11th before Hawaii and are likely to move into the top 10. See http://www.golfweek.com/articles/2002/college/womens1/30819.asp

Tuesday 5th November 2002

Ballater to host Scottish Seniors in 2003

Ballater Golf Club has accepted an invitation from the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association to stage next year's Scottish senior women's championship on September 8 and 9. Report

Monday 4th November 2002

Student News
Inglis 25th in US
Scot David Inglis finished in a tie for 25th place with a three-round total of 225 in the Landfall Traditional college golf tournament at Wilmington, North Carolina (SUNDAY, USA TIME). Scotland international player David, a member at Glencorse Golf Club, had rounds of 73, 78 and 74 to be the University of Tulsa's joint top scorer as they finished in seventh place (900) behind winners University of Minnesota (863), whose line-up did not include Scottish boys champion John Hempstock who began a four-year golf scholarship there in August.
Nuria Clau, the Spanish girl who won the St Rule Trophy tournament at St Andrews as a 16-year-old and who is now at student at Wake Forest, won the women's individual event at Wilmington with rounds of 71, 71 and 72 for 214.

Saturday 2nd November 2002

Claire fails at last hurdle
US-based Aberdonian Claire Hunter's transatlantic flight from Oregon to compete in the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School at Grenoble, France ended in tears on Saturday when she finished joint last of the 59 qualifiers for the final day's play. Report

Friday 1st November 2002

Claire survives but Cathy KO'd
Aberdonian Claire Hunter survived a late wobble to make it through to the last day of the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School at Grenoble, France. Report