Golf: Rachael Watton takes heart from brave display at Craigielaw

RISING star Rachael Watton, who has a giant boxing glove as a cover for her driver, is aiming to pack a punch on the national stage for the rest of the season.

The 17-year-old Mortonhall member was understandably proud of her effort in this week's Scottish Ladies' Championship at Craigielaw, where her run was ended in the last eight by Curtis Cup reserve Kelsey MacDonald.

And she's determined to claim a national title in the next few weeks – either the Scottish Girls or the Scottish Junior Ladies.

"I've not won anything major so it would be nice if I could change that in either of those events," said Watton.

"I'm also hoping to do well in the British Girls' Championship. I've not done too great in that in the past, but I feel my game is better now."

Watton wasn't too downhearted after losing on the last green to MacDonald, having felt she'd given a good account of herself against the highly-rated Nairn Dunbar player.

"I played pretty decent and all that cost me in the end was straying into bunkers at the last two holes," she added. "It was an awesome game. Kelsey and I are really good friends and we were chatting all the way round, which was nice."

Straight after the match, Watton headed off to sit a maths exam, one of her final tasks before leaving Firrhill High School.

"I've accepted a place at Strathclyde University, where I'm going to do a sports engineering degree, and I'll be going there after the summer," she said.

Craigielaw's Jane Turner, the other Lothians survivor after the opening two rounds, also bowed out in the quarter-finals.

In another tight game, she went down on the last green as well to Alford's Laura Murray, who went through courtesy of a birdie-4 at the last.

After holing good putts at the 12th and 13th, Turner was disappointed to three putt the 14th and lose that before squaring matters when she won the 17th.

"Laura let me in there and I should have played the last better," admitted Turner, who tugged her second shot and was unable to get up and down with her opponent safely on in two.

It was the third year running that Turner had lost in either the last eight or last four and this latest exit seemed to be painful.

"It doesn't feel like that right now," she replied when asked if she felt pleased with her overall performance in the SLGA's flagship event.

As a reward for winning the British Universities' Championship the last two years, the 19-year-old is off to Spain in a few weeks to represent Great Britain in the World University Games.

"I'm really looking forward to that while I also have the British Ladies' Championship coming up at Ganton in a few weeks," she said. "It would have been nice if I could have won the Scottish title this year (on her home course] but I've got at least two more cracks at it," added the graphic design student at Aberdeen's Robert Gordons University.

Today's final was between MacDonald, who beat Murray by 2 and 1 in the semi-finals, and Pitreavie's Louise Kenney, who squeezed through at the fourth extra hole in her match against Clare-Marie Carlton of Fereneze.

MacDonald and Murray produced a birdie blitz in their clash, thrilling a gallery that included their respective coaches, Spencer Henderson and Kevin Craggs.

"It was stunning golf," said one SLGA official, who looked exhausted just watching.

Kenny was back in the final for the second year running – she lost to Megan Briggs at Southerness 12 months ago – and admitted: "I've learned a lot from last year and, first and foremost, I'll be going out there to enjoy it."

As in the main event, the Lothians challenge in the consolation tournament, for the Clark Rosebowl, came up just short as Craigielaw's Gabrielle MacDonald and Clara Young of North Berwick both lost in the semi-finals.

MacDonald, last year's Scottish Junior Masters winner, went down 4 and 3 to Ailsa Summers as she set up an all-Carnoustie final with Jessica Meek, who beat Young by one hole.