So much for the summer. The second strokeplay qualifying round of the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen was completely blown off course yesterday with the kind of blustery wind that tends to come thundering from the mouths of politicians in the fevered build up to an election.
Gusts of up to 40mph hurtled across the Balgownie links and forced tournament officials to abandon play with the 32 qualifiers for today’s opening matchplay stage being decided on the basis of Tuesday’s first round scores.
It was hardly plain-sailing in round one either with driving rain in the north east leading to just seven players breaking 80 in the rigorous conditions.
A number of scores in the 100s merely illustrated the toughness of the golfing task in hand.
In the end, a score of 88 - 12-over - or better was good enough to secure a spot in the knock-out stages. Chloe Goadby, the former Scottish Girls’ order of merit winner from the St Regulus club in St Andrews, earned her place as the No 1 seed with a battling one-over 77. She was set to face Strathaven’s Molly Richmond in the first round this morning.
Ailsa Summers, the defending champion from Carnoustie, and former Angus County champion, Jacqueline Cameron, were going head-to-head in round one while another of the intriguing opening round tussles involved Clara Young, the 2015 Scottish champion and the winner of the St Rule Trophy last weekend, and Muckhart youngster Eilidh Watson, whose dad, Bobby, won the Scottish Boys’ Championship back in 1973.
On the Tartan Tour, meanwhile, the second day of the prestigious Northern Open over the Moray links at Lossiemouth was also badly affected by the adverse conditions.
Paul O’Hara, the former Scottish amateur No 1, had been leading after round one before a delay of some six hours ahead of the second 18 left everybody playing catch-up.
Across the Atlantic in Memphis, Rickie Fowler believes this week’s FedEx St Jude Classic can tee him nicely for an assault on the US Open next week.
With the second major championship of the men’s season year just round the corner, Fowler is the only member of the world's top 10 competing at TPC Southwind over the next few days.
But the 28-year-old, who will compete in this July’s Scottish Open, has evidence to back up his belief that battling for a second win of the season will do him more good than practising as he looks to claim a maiden major title at Erin Hills.
"For me, I feel I've had my best finishes in majors after playing the week before," said Fowler, who finished in the top five in all four majors in 2014 having played in the preceding tournament each time.
“There’s no better warm-up or practice for another tournament or a major than actually putting yourself in position to play and be in contention."
In Austria, Stirling’s Craig Lee, fresh from a second place finish on the Challenge Tour in Switzerland last week, will step up to the main European Tour in the Lyoness Open in Vienna.
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