It was an all-Northern Counties final at the North of Scotland women’s amateur golf championship at Forfar Golf
Club where Tain’s Sammy Vass beat Hannah McCook (Abernethy) by 2 and 1.
On a day of high winds, 18-year-old three-handicapper Sammy, a student at the University of Central Florida, coped with the testing conditions just that little bit better than her 16-year-old opponent who has one of a handicap.
Hannah had a definite edge off the tee, outdriving Sammy by up to 40 yards, but when it came to getting the ball in the hole in fewer strokes, Sammy showed how much she has benefited from her first year in America.
“The university’s practice facilities are tremendous, particularly for short-game work, and I feel I have definitely improved in that direction,” said Sammy who was a North of Scotland girls’ champion before she went to the States.
Hannah's putting was affected by the wind more than her long game and she was five down at the turn, having won only the third but lost the first, second, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth. But it was a different story after the turn. Hannah won three holes in a row from the 10th and was suddenly back in the game at “only” two down. However, Sammy stopped the slide with a birdie at the 13th and though Hannah holed one of her few long putts, a 20-footer to get a winning birdie at the 14th, she had lost the initiative. Halves at the 15th, 16th and 17th left Sammy, 14th of the 16 match-play qualifiers, a well-deserved winner and Hannah, the No 9 seed and runner-up also in the recent Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolgirls championship, is a great prospect whose day will come.
Kimberley Beveridge, 15-year-old Aboyne player who plays off five, is another name to remember. Her figures, roughly par, winning the handicap championship final by 4 and 3 against another five-handicapper, Ann Hay (Edzell) were better than those achieved by Sammy Vass in the scratch final. Kimberley never looked back after winning the first hole.
Next year’s North of Scotland women’s amateur championship will be hosted by The Nairn Golf Club.
Congratulations to Sammy on an excellent win and to Hannah for reaching the final.
Florence Allan
Captain
