Cream rises to top as Behan leads qualifiers

If the lack of numbers competing was a little perplexing, especially for the ILGU officials who administer the event with a zeal normally reserved for religious devotion, the quality of play in the Lancome Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship at Carlow yesterday provided some degree of comfort.

Indeed, to use an old cliche, the cream most definitely rose to the top, something confirmed by Lillian Behan, the former Curtis Cup player and defending champion, who contrived to capture the Leitrim Cup as leading qualifier.

Scores were much improved from the opening day's efforts and the Curragh player produced a second-round 74 for a 36-holes total of one-over-par 151, one stroke ahead of her international colleague Suzanne O'Brien, who led the qualifying last year and made an Arsenal-like bid to retain it. However, she failed in her efforts by the narrowest of margins after shooting a best-of-the-day 72.

But, as everyone knows, the really serious business is not yet at hand and the championship only really clicks into full gear with the matchplay phase that starts this morning. And there were no shock omissions from the 32 players who advanced into the head-to-head competition.

At about the same time as Behan, one of the early starters, was locking her clubs away in the car, first-round leader Eileen Rose Power was on her way to the first tee. Unaware of any scores already posted, Power reached the turn in two-under-par yesterday.

However, the three-time national champion stumbled on the homeward run and five dropped shots in five holes proved costly. Power also suffered bogeys at the 11th, 12th, 15th and 17th to come back in 42 for 78, and leave her two shots adrift of Behan.

Behan's ball-striking off the tee set her up well on the seven par fives on the immaculate Deerpark course. In fact, Behan had three birdies and an eagle on the long holes to carve out her 74 which was enough to propel her to the top of the qualifiers and secure her the Leitrim Cup.

Just three players (albeit three more than the previous day) managed to beat par, and O'Brien's round was pretty impressive. The Irish amateur strokeplay champion reeled off seven successive pars for starters but then commenced her birdie assault at the eighth where, despite playing out of a divot, her eight iron approach found the green and she two-putted for birdie. A dropped shot at the 12th didn't faze her, and O'Brien struck back with a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th and a measure of her good iron play is that the longest putt was an eight-footer at the 15th.

The third player to beat par was Royal Co Down's Emma Dickson who fired a second-round 74, while girls' international Claire Coughlan again demonstrated her quality with a 76 that left her in third place in qualifying alongside Power.