St Andrews’ Chole Goadby shares the lead after the low-scoring first round of qualifying for the Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship at Golf House Club Elie.
Goadby (St Regulus) and her University of Stirling team-mate Hazel MacGarvie (Troon Ladies) are co-leaders with six-under par 67s in near perfect conditions, Goadby’s eagle three on the 17th hauling her level with MacGarvie, the former Scottish Girls’ champion, who had her own three on the penultimate hole.
MacGarvie is one of a number of young Scottish women players in a rich vein of form, having won the Scottish Students Championship in April and finished second at the St Rule Trophy at the weekend.
Just a stroke behind is Hannah McCook, winner of the the Welsh and Irish Women’s Championships last month in successive weeks. The Grantown player had only one bogey at the second with six birdies on her way to a 68.
Another St Regulus member, Gillian Paton, is alone in fourth after bogey-free four-under 69. The Scotland golf team performance manager is one ahead of defending champion Connie Jaffrey and Hannah Darling, the 14-year-old from Broomieknowe.
Hannah is already the youngest-ever winner of the Scottish Girls’ Matchplay title and the first ever winner of the R&A’s Girls Under-16 national championship earlier this year. Her 70 yesterday included an eagle and four birdies.
32 players qualify for the matchplay stages after two rounds of strokeplay. Former champions Clara Young (72), Ailsa Summers (73) and Gabrielle MacDonald (74) are all comfortably within the qualifying group after the first round.
