Macdonald heads up Scottish contingent

BRITISH WOMEN’S OPEN AMATEUR: Craigielaw’s Gabrielle Macdonald and Jane Turner headed the 12 Scots at the end of the first round of the 72-hole British women’s open amateur stroke-play golf championship at Shandon Park Golf Club, Belfast, yesterday.

Macdonald shot a four-over-par 75 and Turner a 76 to be six and seven shots respectively behind the surprise leader, 20-year-old Cornwall county champion Sarah-Jane Boyd whose three-under 69 featured by far the best inward half of the day – five-under-par 30.

By comparison, Macdonald came home in 37. Her only birdies came at the seventh and 16th.

Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) and Nairn Dunbar’s Kelsey MacDonald both returned 78s, while Eilidh Briggs finished on 80.