No stopping amazing Mehaffey as Irish dominate Scottish Women's Open
Olivia Mehaffey. Picture: Pat Cashman
Defending champion Olivia Mehaffey leads the way in the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Strokelay with another three Irish team mates inside the top seven at Royal Troon.
The Royal County Down Ladies’ star return from being out with glandular fever for eight weeks by winning the Irish Women’s Open by eight shots two weeks ago.
Now it looks as though the world No 9 will take some beating in Scotland where a five under 67 gives her a two shot lead over Linda Lundqvist from Sweden.
On a superb day for Irish golf, Lisburn’s Paula Grant and Queen’s Jessica Ross are in a four way tie for third after 70s with Skerries’ Paula Dunne tied seventh after a 71.
“I’m just coming back from illness and I won last week so it is nice to have a wee bit of momentum,” Mehaffey golf ScottishGolf.org. "The conditions are so much better this year and I felt I needed to make the most of it this morning because I don’t know what we’ll get in the next two days.
“It’s nice to be back here as this is definitely one of my favourite courses and I played well. I got off to a good start birdieing the first so it is a nice solid start.
"I had a good front nine but it was a wee bit frustrating on the back nine as I missed a few putts. They were good putts just bad lines, and it was nice to finish with a birdie on the last.”
Castletroy’s Chloe Ryan is tied 13th after a one over 73 with Carlow’s Aedin Murphy tied 21st after a 75 with Lahinch’s Sinead Sexton tied 43rd after a 78 and Ballinrobe’s Shannon Burke
Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship, Portland and Old Course, Royal Troon
1 MEHAFFEY, Olivia Royal County Down Ladies Golf Club -5 67
T3 GRANT, Paula Lisburn Golf Club -2 70
T3 ROSS, Jessica Queens Sport Golf Club -2 70
T7 DUNNE, Maria Skerries Golf Club -1 71
T13 RYAN, Chloe Castletroy Golf Club +1 73
T21 MURPHY, Aedín Carlow Golf Club +3 75
T43 SEXTON, Sinéad Lahinch Golf Club +6 78
T46 BURKE, Shannon Ballinrobe Golf Club +7 79
T63 CRAIG , Victoria Royal Belfast Golf Club +9 81
T68 TAYLOR, Rachel Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club +10 82
T68 DOYLE, Mary The Heath Golf Club +10 82
T76 THOMPSON, Rachel Cork Golf Club +11 83
DQ BROWN, Shannen The Heath Golf Club +10 82
