Beth Coulter sets hot pace with five-under 69  in R and A Girls' Open at Fulford

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Northern Ireland youngster Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle Golf Club) shot an excellent five-under-par round of 69 to lead both the Under-16 and Under-14 years categories at the end of the first day of the inaugural R and A Girls Open at Fulford Golf Club, Yorkshire.
Beth, pictured top right, had seven birdies - at the third, fourth, ninth, 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th in halves of 36 and 33. She bogeyed the sixth and seventh.
Coulter leads the Under-16s by two shots from two Welsh players, Carys Worby (Newport Links) and Ffion Tynan (Minchinhampton). She leads the Under-14s by six strokes.

Top Scot Hannah Darling (Broomieknowe), pictured left, is sharing sixth place in the Under-16s with a 74 which included a double bogey 6 at the 17th but she did birdie the fourth, fifth, ninth and 16th in halves of 36 and 38.
Grace Crawford (Gullane), who had an 80, is lying second in the Under-12s category.

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R AND A UNDER-16s GIRLS OPEN
Fulford Golf Club, Yorkshire.
par 74
69 Beth Coulter (Kirkliston Castle)
71 Carys Worby (Newport Links), Ffion Tynan (Minchinhampton)
73 R Banday (Royal Mid-Surrey), M Falkman Lehes (Swe).
74 E Gower (Chateau des Vigiers), M Eales-Smith (Lindrick), K Hiltunen (Finland), H Darling (Broomieknowe).
75 C Cattaneo (Ita), D Harry (The Vale Resort), R Belsham (Whitley Bay)

OTHER SCOTS
76 E Hynd (Elmwood) (T13).
77 R Foster (Prestwick St Nicholas) (T18)
78 C Griffiths (Aboyne) (T24)
80 E Henderson (Loretto), G Crawford (Gullane).(T36)
83 A McKay (Crail) (T62)
84 P Wilson (Burntisland) (T69)

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Almost an "ace" day for leader Beth Coulter

R and A website report
Beth Coulter produced her best-ever start to a competitive event after posting a brilliant five-under-par round of 69 to claim a two-stroke lead at the inaugural R and A Girls Under 16 Open Championship at Fulford.
The Northern Ireland youngster, who has only just turned 14-years-old, handled the challenging, wet conditions very well to fire seven birdies and drop just two shots during the first round at the new 54-hole stroke-play event.
Coulter, a reserve for Great Britain and Ireland in last year’s Junior Vagliano Trophy side, almost aced the par-3 third and never looked back, finishing with four birdies to mark an excellent performance on the back nine.
“I don’t know how it didn’t go in at the third,” said Coulter, from Kirkistown Castle in Co Down, Northern Ireland.
 “But I’m happy enough after day one. I was glad the wind wasn’t blowing, just handling the rain was a hard enough job. It’s a really well set up event. The facilities are great and it was good to see where I’m at in my age group.

After Sweden’s Ester Fagersten struck the opening drive to begin the new championship – one designed to boost the girls’ game in Great Britain and Ireland and beyond – it was Wales’ Carys Worby who claimed the early clubhouse lead on three under par. The Newport Links player was soon joined by her compatriot and 2018 Scottish Girls Open champion, Ffion Tynan.

The Junior Vagliano duo, both 15, sit two shots ahead of Rafiah Banday (Royal Mid Surrey) and another Swede, Minonna Falkman Lehes, who share fourth place on one-under-par 73.

Worby said, “I’ve had a couple of tough tournaments recently, scraped a couple of cuts, so it’s nice to get in a score I’ve been waiting for. There are birdie opportunities out there.

“Myself and Ffion are quite competitive and her winning the Scottish Girls recently was great for Welsh golf. Hopefully one of us can win this week as well.”

Minchinhampton’s Tynan, who produced a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th and a long putt on the 18th for another, added, “I had missed a few putts, lipping out, so I went for it on the back nine. I almost made an eagle on 13 and kicked on from there.
"It’s such a great course. Seeing Carys up there too is great, I love seeing people I know do well as it just makes the experience so much better.”

Broomieknowes’s Hannah Darling, a three-time winner in Scotland last year, is among those in the chasing pack on level par. “I’m trying not to think about another win. If it comes, then great,” she said. “But it’s all about experience in these events. I’ve worked hard and I feel I’m playing better than last year.”

Fulford, hosting an event organised by The R and A for the first time, is regarded as one of the best inland courses in the UK and will also stage the Girls Under 16 Open Championship in 2019 and 2020. The event has no cut with a further 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday.