‘Deeply unfair’ as Taylor loses place in US Open

The chief executive of England Golf John Petrie has described the decision to take a place in July’s US Women’s Open away from BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Lauren Taylor as “just plain wrong”.

The United States Golf Association announced that it made a mistake and that the spot will go to this year’s winner of the British women’s amateur title rather than last year’s champion Taylor.

Petrie said: “It’s both a deeply unfair and a rather impractical decision. Having announced Lauren’s exemption and published it on their website it is just plain wrong to withdraw it. Given the two events are just days apart, it rather assumes that a player will have booked flights and accommodation on the off-chance of winning the British title, which is in itself a physically and mentally draining week – not ideal preparation for a major.

“The sensible solution is for the 2011 British amateur champion to play in the 2012 US Women’s Open and so on.”

Seventeen-year-old Taylor, who was 16 when she became the youngest-ever winner, has said on her Twitter site: “There are always speed bumps in the road to success. But you will come back stronger.”

Meanwhile, at the HSBC Women’s Champions event in Singapore, South Korea’s Jenny Shin and Katie Futcher of the United States both produced five-under-par second rounds of 67 to take a share of the lead with halfway totals of 136.

Scotland’s Catriona Matthew was level par after following up her first-round 74 with a 70.