SCOTTISH LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP - Ayrshire girls to the fore at Prestwick

Clark Rosebowl winner Emma Hale

Emma Hale (Troon Ladies) won the final of the Clark Rosebowl on Friday afternoon in the Scottish Ladies Championship being played at Prestwick Golf Club, whilst top seed Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) has secured her place in Saturday's final of the championship itself.

In Friday morning's semi final of the Clark Rosebowl, Hale faced Tara McTaggart (Minto), and, after winning the opening two holes, was never behind in the match which she closed out with a par four on the final hole for a one hole victory.

In the final on Friday afternoon Hale took on Carol Whyte (Milngavie). Hale lost the first hole in the final to par but squared the match at the second, only to go behind again at the third. This pattern persisted until the seventh hole when Hale won the hole to go ahead for the first time.

Hale maintained her advantage to the turn and went two ahead with a four at the long tenth hole, only to see Whyte reduce the deficit once again with a birdie two at the eleventh.

The players matched each other over the incoming holes and on reaching Prestwick's famed closing loop of four holes, hale remained one hole ahead. At the fifteenth a par four was good enough to give Hale a two hole advantage and fours at the sixteenth and seventeenth were good enough to close out the match by 2 & 1 and secure the Clark Rosebowl.

In the championship itself, Connie Jaffrey continued her good form to secuere a semi final place with a 2 & 1 win in her quarter final match against Lauren Whyte (St Regulus).

Jaffrey was two down after two holes in the quarter final match but reduced the deficit with a birdie four at the third hole and turned her early deficit into a two hole advantage by winning three successive holes from the fifth. Whyte fought back to square the match by the eleventh and won the thirteenth to leave Jaffrey one behind with five holes to play.

The fourteenth was halved in par fours but Jaffrey closed out the match taking the fifteenth with a birdie three to square the match again and winning both the sixteenth and seventeenth for a 2 & 1 win.

In the semi finals on Friday afternoon, Jaffrey faced Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) who was bidding to secure a final spot against her sister Megan Briggs, who contested the other semi final against Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw).

Connie Jaffrey
(photo courtesy of Cal Carson Golf Agency)

Jaffrey took the early lead with a birdie four at the third hole and a par at the fourth was good enough for her to extend her lead to two holes. Briggs took the fifth with a par three to reduce the deficit but Jaffrey immediately restored her two hole advantage with a birdie three at the sixth, and maintained this margin through the turn.

Gabrielle Macdonald
(photo courtesy of Cal Carson Golf Agency)

Briggs carded successive threes on the opening holes of the inward nine to square the match but Jaffrey took the twelfth with a par five to go one up again, which remained the score until Jaffrey's bogey five at the fourteenth allowed Briggs to square the match once again.


Three fours over the holes in the closing loop of holes was enough for Jaffrey to take the sixteenth and seventeenth for a 2 & 1 victory and a place in Saturday morning's final.

In further disappointment for the Briggs sisters, Meggan lost out in her semi final match against Gabrielle Macdonald by 3 & 2.

The final between Connie Jaffrey and Gabrielle Macdonald tees of at 9.00 am on Saturday morning.