Golf news in brief: Mission Hills to host top new ladies event | Scots need heroics to make final stage | Briggs makes progress

The latest stories from the world of golf

MISSION Hills in China is to host a new ladies’ professional tournament, the World Ladies Championships, from 2-4 March this year.

The event, co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and China LPGA Tour, will adopt a unique three-in-one format, featuring 54-hole individual play, professional team play and individual amateur play. Two players from each of 18 countries or regions will be invited to participate in the team portion, while invitations for the individual category of the 108-player field will be dictated by the women’s world golf rankings and 2011 European Tour order of merit.

Amateur players will be drawn from winners of select R&A-sanctioned golf competitions in major countries. The WLC will award points to LET and China LPGA Tour members.

IT WILL take some last-round fireworks from Lee Harper, Clarke Lutton, Derek McKenzie and Greg Nicolson if they are to join the exempt James Byrne and Simon Dunn in the field for the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School, teeing off in Thailand next Wednesday.

Only the top 20 per cent at each of the four venues being used this week for Stage 1 will go forward after today’s final rounds, meaning only the top 16 or so from each will advance. Harper (Archerfield Links) is the best placed after a 72 at the Majestic Creek course but even so he is in joint 27th, needing to climb about 11 places with his fourth round performance. Anglo-Scot Lutton shot a 68 but he is back in a tie for 40th at the same venue. At Lakeview, McKenzie is joint 33rd after a 74 while an 86 left Nicolson out of the hunt in joint 74th.

SCOTTISH girls match-play champion Eilidh Briggs moved into the top 10 at the halfway stage of the South Atlantic women’s amateur golf championship at Oceanside Country Club, Ormond Beach. The Kilmacolm GC member and one of six Stirling students playing in this second event of the Florida Orange Blossom Tour repeated her opening 75 to take up ninth position on six-over-par 150. Eilidh birdied the second and the short 14th. In between she five bogeys from the seventh to the 13th. Briggs is 12 shots behind the leader, 16-year-old Bangkok girl Ariya Juntanugarn who had a 71 for 138 - two shots ahead of the Woburn wonder girl, 15-year-old Charley Hull, who celebrated her elevation from 10th to sixth in the women’s world amateur rankings on the strength of last week’s win, with a four-under-par 68 for 140. Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) impoved by seven shots with a 75 for 157 and is now in 25th place. Rebecca Wilson (Grange, Monifieth) is sharing 40th place after an 84 for 163. Jordana Graham (Southerness) had an 85 for 165 and Mhairi McKay (West Kilbride) continued to struggle to cope with a tough couse. She had a 91 for 181.