Helen Holm R2 - Saturday

TWO GULLANE JUNIORS MAKE FINAL DAY RACHAEL WATTON THERE TOO 

ONE BOGEY IN 36 HOLES, LEONA MAGUIRE IS IN DRIVING SEAT

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Leona Maguire had only one bogey over the first 36 holes at Troon Portland of the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship.
In more difficult morning conditions today - no wind but dreich, damp and quite  cold - the 16-year-old Curtis Cup twin from the Slieve Russell club in Ireland's Co Cavan, added a three-under-par 72 to her excellent opening effort of 69.

Shortly after noon, Leona, pictured right after her round today, set the clubhouse target of nine-under 141 total putting her a shot aead of Dunfermline teacher Louise Kenney (a pair of 71s for 142) and England's Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) who matched Leona's opening 69 in improving by four shots within 24 hours.

The overcast skies and dampness disappeared in an afternoon of glorious, summer-like sunshine. That made it easier for the post-noon finishers but nobody challenged for Leona's lead.
Jessica Meek, the 16-year-old four-handicapper from Carnoustie, did even better today than she did on Friday, following up a 72 with a 71 for seven-under-par 143.
Leona Maguire, despite her comment that the Troon Portland course was "playing longer" in the on-and-off rain, birdied three par-5 holes: the second, nint and 11th. These were her only deviations from par although she did look as though she was going to bogey the long 18th for the second day in a row.
"I was in a fairway bunker this time, instead of a greenside bunker, but I was able to get down in two from 70yd to save par."
She parred the last seven holes for 36 both ways against a par of 38-37.
Winner of the "Helen Holm" two years ago and the Portuguese open amateur championship at the end of January by a runaway margin, Leona is unlikely to come back to the field over the final round due to nerves. The field will have to catch her if she is to be beaten.
University is still two years away for the 16-year-old twins with +4 handicaps apiece but Leona did not rule out the possibility of going to an American college. If that is to be the case, there will be a stampede of US universities with scholarship offers.

Just like Leona, Louise Kenney, pictured left on the 10th tee today, bang in contention after 36 holes as she was 12 months ago before a round of 80 at Royal Troon killed her victory hopes on the Sunday, could not get a birdie after notching her sixth birdie of the round at the long 12th.Before that the Fifer had birdied the long first, long second, long sixth, seh and long ninth in an outward half of four-under-par 34. It would have been 33 but for a bogey at the short eighth.
She dropped a second shot at another short hole after the turn, the 14th, and had to settle for pars at the last four holes, played in a steady drizzle, in a level-par inward half of 37.

Charlotte Ellis had halves of 35 (three under) and 34 (also three under) in compiling her 69 which included one bleming, a bogey at the third where she drove into the rough.

Other than that, Charlotte (pictured right) was in impressive form - birdieing the long first with a pitch and putt, birdieing the long second by getting on in 2 with a six-iron, pitching and putting for a birdie at the long sixth and striking an eight iron to within 2ft of the flagstick for a birdie at the seventh.
"Round about the turn, I was feeling the cold in my hands," she said, but that did not stop her getting down in two shots from 60yd out to birdie the long 11th with a 9ft putt and she squeezed two more birdies out of the closing holes. 
A "good wedge" and a 10ft putt gave her a sixth birdie at the 13th and then she birdied the par-3 16t with a five-iron tee shot and an 18ft putt.
"I was putting for birdies at the 17th and 18th but couldn't hole them," said Charlotte, 25,  who failed to get past the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School at La Manga last year - but will have another go at the end of this season.
She has played twice in the "Helen Holm" and finished fifth followed by 10th  last year.
When 16-year-old Jessica Meek, winner of the Angus girls title recently, entered the "Helen Holm" for the first time she never thought for a moment that she would be seven under par after 36 holes and only two shots behind the leader.
"Coach Karyn Dallas has been working on my course management and my putting but, apart from that, I don't know why I'm playing the best golf of my life down here at Troon. In fact, I was hitting everything 'fat' the week before," said Jessica who will probably have brought her handicap down from four to two this weekend, with the CSS for the first two rounds being 76.
She birdied the fifth with a 10ft putt, got home at the long sixth for a second birdie and pitch-and-putted for another long-hole birdie at the ninth in turning for home in three-under 35.

Jessica had her only bogey of the round at the short 10th where she three-putted  but she bounced back with a two-putt birdie 4 at the long 11th and a pitch-and-putting birdie 4 at the long 12th. She parred her way in from there.

Scottish champion Kelsey MacDonald is seven shots off the pace on 148 after a disappointing 75 which included a double bogey 5 at the short 11th and bogeys at the 11th and 18th in an inward 40.
The round had started so well for her, too with birdies at the first, fifth and sixth in 35 to the turn.

Also on 148 is a young English lass with a Scottish-sounding name, Meghan MacLaren pictured right, from the Wellingborough club in England. Her dad is a director of the European Tour and he's been caddieing for Meghan who is continuing to show lots of promise with a pair of 74s.
Expected to be among the front-runners, British stroke-play champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) is back on 149 after a 76.
Defending champion Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) took closer order with a 72 for 146, recovering well from a double bogey 6 at the short fifth.
She birdied the 11th, 12th, 14th and 18th in an inward 34 which included a bogey at the short 16th. 
The afternoon sun transformed the day and the standard of scoring.  Bronte Law (Bramhall), the new Scottish Under-16 girls' open champion, returned a 71 for 145, to be joint fifth overnight alongside Lisa Maguire, who posted an early 72, and Rachael Goodall (Heswall), an afternoon finisher with a 73.
Kelly Tidy, the British champion from Royal Birkdale, was another to like te sun on her back in the afternoon. She improved by six shots with a 73 for 152
Teenager Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) became the second best Scot in the two-round totals when she returned a 76 for 147, to be lying joint 12th alongside Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) (74-73) and Germany's Nina Holleder (76-71).
 A double bogey 7 at the long second and a bogey at the third derailed her temporarily but she managed to get it out in one-over-par 39 with birdies at the first and sixth.
After the turn, a bogey at the sort 10th cancelled out a birdie at the long 15th.
On what was now a glorious sunny afternoon, Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) joined Danielle McVeigh on the 146 mark after a 72 which included a remarkable outward half of seven birdies, one bogey and one par. Se birdied the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth and bogeyed the short eighth in six-under-par 32 - the lowest outward half at Troon Portland.
Charlene had more adventures on the inward half, boosting her total of birdies to eight with a 2 at the short 14th but she also double bogeyed the short 16th and dropped further shots at the short 10th and 17th in 40 for the home journey.
Another Irish player, Victoria Bradshaw, also had a 72, an improvement of 12 shots on her opening 84. Victoria birdied the second, sixth, 12th, 16th and 18th in halves of 37 and 35. She had bogeys at the eighth and 13th.
Cork's Irish Ladies Golf Union "staffer" Gillian O'Leary, in contention overnight after a 71, dropped back with a 78 for 149. She required 40 shots for the inward journey - no birdies and bogeys at the 13th, 16th and 17th.Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall) moved to within four shots of the lead with a 73 for 145.
To earn the right to play the final 18 holes over the Royal Troon Golf Club's Open championship links on Sunday, players had to score 158 or better after 36 holes.
The two biggest names among those who missed the cut were St Andrews student and Welsh international Gemma Bradbury on 159 (80-79) and Alford's Laura Murray, a member of Scotland's winning team in last September's Home Internationals as well as winner of the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews.
Laura was out of sorts with scores of 81 and 79 for 160.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 150 (2x75). Yardage 6,237. CSS 76 76
141 Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell|) 69 72.
142 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) 71 71, Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) 73 69. 
143 Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 72 71.
145 Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell) 73 72, Rachael Goodall (Hesweall) 72 73, Bronte Law (Bramhall) 74 71, Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall) 72 73.
146 Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) 74 72, Katharina Soehnlein (Germany) 73 73, Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) 74 72.
147 Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 74 73, Nina Holleder (Germany) 76 71, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 71 76.
148 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 73 75, Emelie Ferlin (Sweden) 74 74, Samantha Birks (Wolstanton) 75 73, Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) 75 73, Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 74 74.
149 Emma Brown (Malton & Norton) 72 77, Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) 74 75, Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 73 76, Lucy Williams (Mid Herts) 74 75, Gillian O’Leary (Cork) 71 78, Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 75 74.
150 Hannah Barwood (Knowle) 74 76, Clara Young (North Berwick) 76 74, Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 75 75, Jess Wilcox (Blankney) 74 76. Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) 74 76
151 Nikki Foster (Pleasington) 75 76, Charley Hull (Woburn) 75 76, Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) 78 73, Becky Harries (Haverfordwest) 76 75, Joelle Van Baarle (Belgium) 74 77..
152 Mireia Prat Caballeria (Spain) 76 76, Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough) 78 74, Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 79 73, Shelby Smart (Knowle) 74 78, Olivia Winning (Rotherham) 77 75..
153 Valerie Sternebeck (Germany) 74 79, Fanny Cnops (Belgium) 80 73, Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham) 73 80, Daisy Dyer (Chigwell) 76 77.
154 Claire Smith (Silsden) 81 73, Jerry Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham) 76 78, Rebecca McGeehan (Germany) 78 76, Jessica Bradley ((Tiverton) 74 80,  Bronwyn Davies (Trentham) 79 75, Aedin Murphy (Carlow) 77 77.
155 Amy Boulden (Maesdu) 78 77, Charlotte Wild (Mere) 76 79, Louise Kristersson (Sweden) 77 78, Emma O’Driscoll (Ballybunion) 73 82, Lucy Gould (Bargoed) 80 75.
156 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus) 77 79, Denise Kalek (Germany) 82 74, Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor) 84 72.
157 Vicki Troelisch (Germany) 76 81, Anjelika Hammar (Sweden) 77 80. Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) 76 81, Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch) 76 81, Rebecca Wood (Hallamshire) 75 82, Emma Sheffield (Newark) 74 83, Stephanie Fransolet (Belgium) 76 81.
158 Sara Garbutt (Ganton) 79 79, Rebecca Wilson (Grange) 79 79, Harriet Key (South Herts) 81 77, Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 79 79. Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies) 79 79, Mariell Bruun (Norway) 79 79.
MISSED THE CUT
159 Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 80 79, Therese Larsson (Sweden) 82 77, Rachael Taylor (Germany) 78 80, Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) 81 78.
160 Kate Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 79 81, Laura Murray (Alford) 81 79.
161 Maura Diamond (Royal Portrush) 79 82.
162 Gillian Scanlon (Hamilton) 83 79, Ailsa Bain (Peebles) 82 80, Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 81 81, Sara Rees-Evans (Penehoa()) 84 78.
163 Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus) 81 82, Carla Reynolds (Seapoint) 78 85, Sophie Powell (Manchester) 80 83, Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw) 85 78, Katie Reid (Monifieth) 83 80.
164 Naomi Edwards (Ganton) 81 83, Jordana Graham (Southerness) 85 79, Katerina Slukova (Czech Rep) 83 81.
167 Gemma Chalmers (Monifieth) 84 83, Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 79 88..
168 Rachel Polson (Peterculter) 84 84.
169 Tara MacTaggart (Minto) 85 84, Abi Laker (Burford) 85 84.
170 India Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 88 82.
171 Kelsey Coey (Clandeboye) 83 88.
172 Samantha Leslie (Westhill) 89 83, Jennifer Linklater (Largs( 83 89.