Dryburgh and Briggs chart a course for Under-18 final

Published on Wednesday 13 July 2011 14:51

Kilmacolm's Eilidh Briggs and Aberdeen-born Gemma Dryburgh earned the No1 and No2 seedings which could see them meet in Saturday morning's 18-hole final of the Scottish Under-18 girls' match-play championship at Glenisla Golf Club in Alyth, Perthshire.

But they will have to beat some very good players to make it through four rounds of match-play to the title decider.

Briggs, beaten finalist in the Scottish women's amateur championship at Machrihanish in May, repeated her par opening round of 71 for a top total of 142. She birdied the short fifth and 13th and bogeyed the long second and 15th in halves of 36 and 35.

The much-travelled Dryburgh, who enrols at Tulane University, Louisiana, next month after several years at the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Florida, produced the lowest round of the 36-hole qualifying test - a one-under-par 70 with birdies at the long eighth and ninth for 34 out and a bogey at the 17th for 36 back.

Third best qualifier was Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) with rounds of 74 and 71 for 145. Gabrielle had only two deviations from par in her second round - a birdie at the long eighth and a bogey at the 11th.

All the "usual suspects" were among the 32 qualifiers for the match play. The most dangerous to the hopes of Briggs and Dryburgh could be fifth seed Alyson McKechin (Eldershie) (76-72 for 148).

l Walker Cup captain Nigel Edwards will bring a squad of 18 players to Royal Aberdeen Golf Club next week for three days' practice over the venue for the Walker Cup match against the United States on 10 and 11 September.

Compared with the squad who played in the first similar practice at the Balgownie links in May, James Byrne (Banchory), Alastair Jones (Radyr), Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) and Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton) will be added while David Law (Hazlehead) and Irishman Dermot McElroy have not been invited this time round.

Squad: Tom Lewis, Paul Cutler, Jack Senior, Steven Brown, Rhys Pugh, Kevin Phelan, Kris Nicol, Stiggy Hodgson, Tyrrell Hatton, Rhys Enoch, Ross Kellett, Oliver Farr, Darren Wright, Alan Dunbar, Michael Stewart, Andrew Sullivan, James Byrne, Alastair Jones.