Scott breezes into the lead

GOLF - IRISH WOMEN'S OPEN: Brisk, chilling winds made for decidedly wintry conditions as Gina Scott swept into the lead in the first round of the €165,000 Women's Irish Open at Lackabane, Killarney, yesterday. The 29-year-old New Zealander carded a four-under-par 68 to be two strokes clear of her closest rivals.

For a high proportion of the field, the anticipated difficulty of quick, undulating greens was more than players could handle. And it became a particular disappointment to experience grief down the 18th, where a devilish, three-tier descent awaited anyone missing the green on the left.

This is where Ireland's Suzie O'Brien had a double-bogey finish to a round which promised much before ending in 76. "I'm very disappointed to have finished that way," she said afterwards. "I felt I had played well enough for a level-par 72." In fact a four-iron approach to six feet for a birdie at the short 16th, left O'Brien two over with two to play. But much of her good work was undone when a seven-wood approach was pulled left of the green at the 388-yard 18th.

From there, she took two to reach the putting surface before two putts completed a dispiriting six. "I could have played a four iron, but I was trying to be aggressive," he said.

Interestingly, Scott also experienced problems there. She, too, missed the green on the left and failed to get up and down to card the only bogey of her round.

Defending champion Raquel Carriedo was admirably consistent, however, in a 71 which contained 17 pars and a lone birdie at the long second. And the gifted Norwegian, Suzann Pettersen, matched that score by covering the last eight holes in three under par.

Indeed 71 proved to be a popular score, though Trish Johnson was expecting to do considerably better. Three under with four to play, the Solheim Cup representative dropped two strokes over the finishing holes, including a bogey at the 18th, which she three-putted.

"My score should have been a lot better," she said. "The course is quite easy and I'm surprised the overall scoring is not a lot better." But Johnson happened to be among the early starters, when this seriously exposed course was at its most benign. The challenge heightened appreciably, however, as the day progressed and the wind freshened.

Scott, who teed off only 30 minutes behind Johnson, was candid enough to acknowledge that it was almost dead calm for her opening five holes. She then sank a 15-footer for a birdie at the sixth; reached the 488-yard seventh with a seven-wood second shot and wedged to a foot for another birdie at the long 11th.

A six-footer found the target for yet another birdie at the short 14th and a chip to four feet at the long 17th, meant that she covered the par-fives in three under. "My ambition is to see how good I can be," said Scott, whose maiden victory on tour was in the Kronenbourg Chart Hills Classic two years ago.

Given that only seven competitors broke par, there was considerable merit in a 77 from Irish amateur international Trish Mangan, who captured last month's Cork Scratch Cup by a five-stroke margin.

Only three over after 16, she hit a poor third for a bogey at the long 17th and droppped another stroke the last where, almost inevitably, she missed the green on the left.