Snubbed Sally Watson top of the Scots at Portrush

Sally Watson, dropped by the Great Britain & Ireland selectors for the Astor and Vagliano Trophy matches later this month, delivered an impressive response in the first qualifying round of the British Women's Open Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush links, Northern Ireland yesterday.

The Stanford University student from South Queensferry shot a one-under-par 73 to lead all the Scots bidding to get among the 64 qualifiers for the match-play stages after today's second qualifying round.

Watson finished the day ahead of new Scottish champion Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), who had a level-par 74, last year's British stroke-play champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), who had a 77, and last year's British beaten finalist Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), who had a 78.

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Pretswell and MacDonald are in the GB&I team for the Astor Trophy, and the two are joined by Kenney for the Vagliano Trophy match against Europe.

On a day when the famed Royal Portrush links had no wind to defend its reputation - as 15-year-old Australian Minjee Lee underlined by plundering a six-under-par 68 to lead the first round by three shots - Watson had six birdies, four of them at the par-5 holes which were reachable in two.

Kenney's 74 was compiled in the worst of the morning rain and, like Watson, she finished with a big smile on her face after holing a 60ft putt for a 3 at the 16th and hitting an "awesome" drive to set up two-putt birdie 4 at the long 17th.

Ailsa Summers is alongside the Fifer on the 74 mark, an excellent effort by the Carnoustie Ladies youngster who had her dad Bob caddieing for her. Two of Summers' three birdies came at par-5 holes. Pretswell had three birdies but too many bogeys - seven to be precise - in her three-over 77, while MacDonald had to wait until the very last hole for a birdie in her 78.

Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) also marked up a 78, starting well with two birdies over the first three holes but finishing badly with bogeys at the 12th, 13th and 15th and a triple-bogey 7 at the 16th.

Elderslie's Alyson McKechin in the last three to finish on a very long day - at which Graeme McDowell, in his home town of Portrush prior to defending the US Open next week was a spectator on his home links for some time - also had a 78.

She had a double-bogey 7 at the seventh and had nothing but pars and bogeys after birdieing the ninth and tenth.

Jane Turner (Craigielaw) had a 79, slumping to four-over-par after only six holes in the steady drizzle at that time. She turned in 41 , four-over.

Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) had bogeys at the first, second, fourth and fifth, on her way to an 80.