JENNA WILSON WINS SCOTTISH WOMEN’S AMATEUR TITLE

Top seed Jenna Wilson from Strathaven won the Scottish women’s amateur golf championship for the first time at Kilmarnock Barassie today (Saturday).
In very windy and often wet conditions, the 22-year-old Scotland international beat Emily Ogilvy, a 23-year-old uncapped Auchterarder player, by 2 and 1 in the 18-hole final.
It was fitting that Emily gave Jenna her hardest game of the championship. Miss Wilson had not had to play the last four holes since the qualifying rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday but there was no way she was going to reproduce the sub-par golf that had swept her through the earlier ties.
“In many ways, these were the toughest conditions of the week – and apart from Tuesday, it’s been either wet or windy or both every day,” said Jenna.
“I stay focused right from the start of the championship and it’s a nice feeling to be Scottish champion. I’ve been once to the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School and I will be going back there again later in the year.
“Becoming a tour pro is my future.”
Emily, who played four years on the American circuit as a student at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, boosted her confidence with a three-under-par 72 to lead the first qualifying round.
“That gave me the confidence to win my way through to the final. I only wish I had been able to putt as well in the final as I did on Tuesday. I just couldn’t hole any puts at all. But I enjoyed the whole week tremendously. To get to the final was almost beyond my wildest dreams."
The first two holes were exchanged before Jenna got her first birdie downwind at the long fifth. But Miss Ogilvy wasn’t phased by that. She promptly squared the match with a birdie 2 at the short sixth.
Miss Wilson then won the seventh and the eighth with par figures to be two up at the turn in roughly par or one-over par figures.
A birdie 3 at the 10th put Jenna seemingly in the driving seat with a three-hole lead. But give Emily credit for hanging on in there against an opponent with much more experience of top-level amateur play.
Miss Ogilvy, from Dunning in Perthshire, was able to win back the 11th and 13th with par 4s as heavy rain swept the course.
When Jenna Wilson ran up a double-bogey in deep rough at the short 14th, Emily was able to square the match with a bogey 4.
Jenna took it all in her stride. Now facing playing the last four holes for the first time since Wednesday, she won the 15th and 16th with par figures – Emily missing a three-footer for a half at the 16th.
A half in 5 at the 17th gave Jenna a 2 and 1 victory in roughly three over par figures and the coveted title.
The pace of play was admirable. The 17 holes were completed in 3hr 10min.
Result:
Final – Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) bt Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 2 and 1.