Ireland's Valerie Hassett once again produced some magic on the final day of the British senior women's open amateur championship to leapfrog over three players at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire and take runners-up spot.
A year ago at Pyle and Kenfig in south Wales, Hassett, who plays out of the Ennis club, came from the proverbial mile off the pace to clinch the crown by a stroke in a dramatic finale. Yesterday, she reduced the deficit by four strokes but could not get near the winner, Toni Wiesner, a left-hander from Texas.
However, Hassett overtook Canadian Diane Williams, Scotland's Pamela Williamson and Welsh champion Christine Thomas to take second spot.
The other Irish players faded yesterday. Sally Casey, who hails from Cork but now lives in America, finished with an 86 for 256 and a share of 28th place and Milltown's Geraldine Costello took 89 for 259.
231 - T Wiesner (USA) 74, 77 80; 236 - V Hassett (Ennis) 79 81 76; 237 - D Williams (Canada) 77 81 79; 241 - E McCombe (Hockley) 80 83 78, R Farrow (St Neot's) 77 84 80.
Mike Brisky fired a six-under-par 66 for a one-stroke lead over Ryder Cup disappointment Davis Love and five others after yesterday's first round of the Buick Challenge at Pine Mountain, Georgia.
Love, who lost all four of his matches at last week's Ryder Cup and is the only member of the losing US team team competing this week, finished with a birdie for a 67, tying him with Gabriel Hjerstedt of Sweden and four others.
Hjerstedt, who won last week's B.C. Open, was joined by David Ogrin, Gary Hallberg, Brandel Chamblee and Hal Sutton.
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