SA Girls have to dig deep at Girls British in order to qualify

Cynthia Rayner reports from Day 1, “Lara Weinstein, the best of the South African girls competing in the Girls British Open Amateur, is tied 51st and with only 64 of the 144 players able to qualify for the match-play stages, the girls know that they will have to dig deep tomorrow.

“The first qualifying round of the Girls British Open Amateur Championship is being played at Gullane 1 links in Scotland, very near to renowned host to major championships, Muirfield. Lengthened to 6267 yards (par 73), the usual prevailing wind came up this morning and the girls had to contend with a number of really tough holes.

“Michaela Fletcher had the early tee-off, and with a plugged bunker lie on the first hole, was forced to take an unplayable lie. She didn’t have a good start, but once she settled down, played solidly to end six-over par (39, 40 – 79).

“Izel Pieters was second off of the South African girls, and was feeling confident after two very good practice rounds. However, things didn’t go her way and she struggled with her rhythm which resulted in some serious trouble in the thick, unforgiving rough. A very disappointing round after doing so well in Germany, Izel will go all out tomorrow in the second qualifying round.

“After bogeying the first four holes, Lara Weinstein steadied the ship with a birdie on the fifth and turned five over par. She then pulled out all the stops and with an eagle and two birdies, managed to come back on the back nine with a one under par 36 to finish on four-over 77. (41, 36).

“With a record entry of 219 for this prestigious event, there were 75 girls on the waiting list with a handicap of 2.4 or higher and the quality of the field is exceptional, with the leaders on four-under par 69.” Nine hole live scoring

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