Golf: Hargan out for the county

DEFENDING champ Claire Hargan and rising star Gabrielle Macdonald both went out of the Midlothian Women's County Championship at Prestonfield.

Mortonhall's Hargan, a six-time winner of the event, who has been unable to play much golf recently after a busy start to the season in her new role with the SLGA, lost at the second extra hole in the first round to Craigmillar Park's Kirsten Blackwood.

Blackwood was then beaten 3 and 1 by Dunbar's Linda Caine in the afternoon quarter-finals.

In tomorrow morning's semi-finals, Caine faces Kingsknowe's Louise Fraser, who followed a 2 and 1 win over Fiona Hunter by squeezing through to the last four with a one-hole success over Broomieknowe's Hannah Scott.

The other semi-final features top seed Wendy Nicholson (Broomieknowe) against No.5 qualifier Karen Marshall (Baberton). Nicholson beat Lochend's Linda Bain 3 and 2 and clubmate Kate McIntosh 3 and 1.

After beating Hilary Laughland in the morning, the experienced Marshall won on the 18th green against Macdonald, the talented Craigielaw player who has plenty time ahead of her to get her name on the trophy.