WIZARD FROM OZ EDWINA BEATS NO 3 SEED MEGAN,
THEN KOs KRYSTLE AT 20TH TO REACH LAST EIGHT


In golfing terms, lightning struck twice for Krystle Caithness in the Scottish women's amateur championship at Kilmarnock Barassie.
Last summer, the St Regulus player, then 17 and favourite for the Scottish Under-18 girls' match-play title at Peebles lost to an unheralded, Australian-born girl called Edwina Lowery-Gold.
Today, in the second round of the match-play stages over the Ayrshire links, their paths crossed again .... the British international team player with a +3 handicap against Edwina who has been unable to improve her three-handicap since they last played many months ago.
It should have been a easy task for Miss Caithness. Instead she was beaten at the 20th hole in what must rank as one of the shock results of this or any other Scottish championship for many a long day.
Krystle, who was two holes up after seven and still one up with the 17th and 18th to play, was pulled back to square at the 17th. The nail-biting 18th was halved ... so too was the 19th ... and then Krystle, one of the favourites for the title she will not be able to contest for the next four years after going to the University of Georgia in the autumn, drove into a bush on the left at the 20th and there was no escape for that.
Krystle, of course, was a member of the Britain women’s team who won the Commonwealth Tournament in South Africa last week.
The Caithness camp were making no excuses at all but there is no doubt that Krystle has not been well since she came home from South Africa at the weekend. With tired-looking rounds of 77 and 81, she qualified in 14th place for the match-play stages – mind you, Edwina squeezed through 30th of the 32 who advanced. Her qualifying rounds were 80 and 86.
“I’m in a state of shock,” said Edwina. “I beat Krystle in the Scottish girls championship at Peebles last summer but I don’t think that had any bearing on today’s results. My handicap has not improved at all in the months since then. I thought I played better in the morning first round when I beat Megan Briggs (the third seed) by 2 and 1.”
Brisbane-born Miss Lowery-Gold is the daughter of an Edinburgh man. The family moved from Australia to England three years ago and she is a member of Eaton Golf Club, Norwich.
Now the surprise packet of the championship meets Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) in this morning’s quarter-finals.
Top seed Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) was first into the last eight, a good hour ahead of anyone else after being Claire MacDonald (Gullane Ladies) 6 and 4. Jenna plays defending champion Martine Pow (Selkirk) who, at the age of 42, says this will be her last big tournament.
“I am going to retire satisfied with what I have achieved in golf.”
Welsh women’s open stroke-play champion Heather MacRae (Dunblane) will meet the 1998 Scottish title-winner, Elaine Moffat (St Regulus).
Nineteen-year-old Aberdeenshire champion Michele Thomson from Ellon ended the Anne Laing run of appearing in the last six “Scottish” finals. Michele won by 4 and 3 with two-under-par figures despite a double bogey at one hole against a player who was champion in 1996, 2003 and 2004.
“What a great sport she is,” said Michele.
Michele now plays the very experienced Claire Hargan (Mortonhall) who won at the 19th against Prestwick St Nicholas player Rosalind Purdom.

SCROLL DOWN FOR ALL THURSDAY'S RESULTS AT BARASSIE




Elaine Moffat, a St Regulus, St Andrews team-mate of Krystle Caithness, reckons that a move from Edinburgh to work for Fife Council has worked wonders for her golf.
“I’m able to play a lot more golf than I have done for ages and it shows in my game,” said the 39-year-old after beating Rachael Livingstone (Musselburgh Old), the No 4 seed, by one hole.
Rachael made a bad start and was three down after six holes but fought her way back into the match to be only one down playing the last.
Miss Moffat then used here experience to play for the half that would clinch a place in the quarter-finals.
Elaine now plays Heather MacRae (Dunblane New) who was roughly level par in beating Monifieth’s Dawn Dewar, a Stirling University student, by 2 and 1.
Heather’s striking of the ball was impressive and she got home at most of the par-5s with an iron for her second shots. Dawn was one up after seven holes but Miss MacRae won the eighth, ninth and 12th and held on to her advantage.
Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) was two up after four holes against former Scotland international Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) who several times cut the lead to one but could not get back on terms. Emily clinched the match with a birdie at the long 17th.