The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dominant Meek claims No 1 seeding at Scottish Women’s Amateur
Carnoustie golfer storms into seven-shot advantage at Barassie
Carnoustie’s Jess Meek evidently loves qualifying for the Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship when it’s in Ayrshire, as she stormed to an impressive seven-stroke advantage on the first day at Kilmarnock Barassie.
The 25-year-old former University of Missouri player was leading qualifier when the championship was last in the county at West Kilbride three years ago, and she was certainly the class act of the field this year with rounds of 69 and 68 for an overwhelming 13-under aggregate to claim the No 1 seeding.
With the new three-day format for the championship it means Meek, several times a Scotland international, will start the matchplay stages against Muckhart’s Jennifer Saxton in the last 16.
Meek produced two of only three rounds under 70 on the par-75 layout, picking up five birdies and an eagle in the morning round and bettering that with seven birdies in the afternoon. Her only dropped shot in 36 holes was at the 10th in her morning round.
St Regulus’ Chloe Goadby, leading qualifier last year at Elie, recorded the other sub-70 in her second round, which saw her rise from 15th in the standings after the first round to third seed.
An eagle on the 17th pushed her to a 68 and just ahead of Eilidh Briggs – but two shots behind West Kilbride’s Louise Duncan in second place on a six-under aggregate.
Blairgowrie’s Katy Alexander eagled the 17th in her second round to jump from just missing the cut into the qualifying places, while former champion Clara Young played the last four holes in four-under to come from missing the cut to making it, and securing the pick of today’s first-round ties against Scotland team-mate Goadby.
Defending champion Gemma Batty was never really in the hunt to make the 16 qualifiers, with two rounds of 79 leaving her 23rd.
Playing close to her home base at Troon, 2017 champion Connie Jaffrey couldn’t recover from an opening 82 and also missed the cut.
Three of Scotland’s top players have missed the championship due to an unfortunate clash with the Vagliano Trophy matches at Royal St George’s in Kent but all three had good days in GB&I colours against the Continent of Europe at Sandwich.
St Rule Trophy champion Hazel McGarvie (Royal Troon) was the only unbeaten player in the senior event, teaming with compatriot Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) for a one-hole foursomes win over Albane Valenzuela and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
McGarvie followed that with a crushing 7&6 singles win over Emma Spitz in the afternoon as GB&I, trying to regain the trophy, ended the day trailing 7-5.
In the junior event, the twice-Scottish Girls champion Hannah Darling won her singles match 6&5 over Lucie Malchirand as GB&I lead 5-4 going into the second day.