QUALITY FIELD FOR ST RULE TROPHY
AT ST ANDREWS THIS WEEKEND

Over the years the St Rule Trophy 54-hole women’s open amateur tournament over the New and Old Courses at St Andrews has acquired a status only a notch below the championships organised by the Ladies Golf Union.
Once again a quality field is line-up for this weekend’s three-round competition. Topping the bill are the five players who recently won the Commonwealth tournament trophy for Britain in South Africa - Krystle Caithness (St Regulus), Kerry Smith (Waterlooville), Breanne Loucks (Wrexham), Melissa Reid (Chevin) and Naomi Edwards (Ganton).
Krystle, 18, will be defending the title, the capture of which over her home courses she rated above all her other achievements in 2006.
Melissa Reid won the Helen Holm Scottish women’s open stroke-play at Troon on her last visit over the Border from Derby.
Naomi Edwards, winner of the St Rule Trophy two years ago, beat Melissa Reid in the final of the English women’s closed championship last weekend.
Breanne Loucks won the Welsh women's closed amateur championship recently for the first time.
New Scottish champion Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) and Heather MacRae (Dunblane), winner of the Welsh women’s open stroke-play a week or two ago, will also be keen to follow up their successes.
There will be much interest too in the appearance of Sally Watson, 15, and Carly Booth, 14, two of the best prospects Scotland has had for many a long year. Sally, a student at the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida, has not played in this country since last autumn but has been achieving good results against top-class junior opposition in American events.
The first round is over the New Course on Saturday, followed by two rounds over the Old Course on Sunday. There is no cut.