Golf: Turner bids to take final step with home comfort

CRAIGIELAW golfer Jane Turner hopes the improvement she's enjoyed in the last two Scottish Ladies' Championships continues when the event is staged over her home course this week.

"Two years ago I reached the quarter-finals then last year at Southerness I got to the semi-finals, losing to (eventual winner] Megan Briggs," said Turner. "It's a nice pattern and hopefully I can keep progressing."

On the face of things, having home advantage should help in her bid to make Saturday's final but Turner says she's not played all that much at the East Lothian course since starting a graphic design degree at Robert Gordons University in Aberdeen.

"It's not going to be a huge advantage as I'm not at home much these days," she said. "But it definitely gives more of an incentive to try and win this week."

Turner retained her British Universities title at Dundonald recently and is off to Spain soon as a member of the Great Britain & Ireland team for the World University Games. But, for the moment, she is only thinking about her Scottish title bid and believes her putting in particular should be sharp this week.

"My coach, Stephen Murray, is based at the Aspire Golf Centre outside Aberdeen and we've just had a new putting lab fitted by Dr Paul Hurrion," she said.

Kilmacolm's Briggs is back to defend her title, with other leading contenders likely to include Nairn Dunbar's Kelsey MacDonald, Louise Kenney of Pitreavie and Alford's Laura Murray.

Sally Watson and Pamela Pretswell, the two Scots selected for next month's Curtis Cup, are not in the field. Watson is still at Stanford University in California while Glasgow University student Pretswell is sitting her final exam this week.

Both MacDonald and Kenney were left feeling disappointed by their omission from the GB&I side and, like Turner, will be even more determined to make the side for the 2012 match at Nairn. "You have to start thinking about these things quite far in advance and work hard to try and achieve them," said Turner. "That's why my targets are top fives and top tens this year and next year."

Rising Craigielaw star Gabrielle MacDonald, Mortonhall's Rachael Watton and Claire MacDonald of Gullane will all have high hopes of passing the 36-hole qualifying test tomorrow and Wednesday and then make their presence felt in the match-play rounds.