Alison Murdoch's Star Is Still Rising Overseas

Chosen the 2007 Senior Women's Player of the Year by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, Murdoch, the pride and joy of Vancouver Island's Victoria Golf Club, is overseas preparing to add additional history to an already impressive senior golfing resumè.

BC Golf News presents the following feature article, which is the lead story on the home page of today's Ladies Golf Union Official web site.

Since she retired as a Federal public services manager in Vancouver and had the time to work on her golf game, Alison Murdoch has blossomed into a highly-successful senior amateur golfer and not just in her native Canada, where she has won the Canadian senior women's title five times. Twelve months ago, Alison came across the Atlantic to pull off a notable double that confirmed her lofty position in seniors' golf.

She won the Irish senior women's open amateur stroke-play title at Lisburn, her third success in the tournament in the previous four years and then came across to Copt Heath Golf Club, Warwickshire to win the Seniors Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship.

Alison outstripped the opposition with closing rounds of 74 and 75 to win by seven strokes from Christine Quinn (Hockley), the defending champion, and Rozalyn Adams (Addington Court Ladies).

Now 58, Alison Murdoch, from Victoria Golf Club, Vancouver, is obviously the one they all have to beat as she defends the British title from September 16 to 18 at Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club, which is only 15 minutes away from Belfast International Airport.

Of course, it's not a one-horse race by any means. For starters, Alison did not win her own Canadian senior ladies' amateur title this year. She finished joint ninth and two of her Canadian compatriots who came joint fifth in that championship - Karen Pultz, Holly Horwood - are in the field for Hilton Templepatrick. So they have fairly recent form that will give them high hopes of finishing ahead of Alison.

There are four former winners of the Senior British Ladies amateur title in the field - Canada's Diane Williams, the 1994 winner, Valerie Hassett (Ennis), the 1996 champion, Mary McKenna (Donabate), triumphant in 2001 and Sweden's Christina Birke who was the winner in 2003.

If handicaps are anything to go by then Janet Collingham (Sherwood Forest), winner of the Ladies British open amateur championship in 1987, former Welsh Curtis Cup stalwart and many times native champion Vicki Thomas (Carmarthen) and Deborah Jamgochian from the famous United States golf club at Winged Foot should be among the favourites. When they filed their entries, Janet had an actual handicap of 0.3, Vicki 0.7 and Deborah 0.1

A Ladies European Tour event - the Northern Ireland Ladies Open - was played over the Templepatrick course in June last year. England's Lisa Hall won but was "only" two-under-par for the 54-hole event.

The course, at 5,668yd with a par of 71, will be shorter than the professionals played when the senior ladies come to town but it will not necessarily be any easier

According to the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide:

"The Hilton Templepatrick course, which opened in 1999, has made a major impact on the Northern Ireland golf scene. Designed by David Jones and David Feherty, the course, built to US Golf Association specifications, has attracted both locals and internationalists in numbers.

"The island tees are spectacular to drive from, with the large undulating greens in superb condition 12 months of the year. The spectacular par-3 11th displays a number of features associated with the golf course. A row of poplars on the left and the six mile river on the right makes for a challenge that no golfer should miss out on.

"The combined nature of the panoramic views, wonderful natural scenery with an abundance of wildlife allows the golfer to enjoy the surrounds, while the lakes and streams helps to focus the mind on the club and ball."

Competitors will play 18 holes on each of the first two days and the lowest 40 and ties at the end of two rounds will play a further 18 holes on the Thursday.

This will be the second championship under the auspices of the Ladies' Golf Union to be played in Northern Ireland in recent weeks.

The Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke-play Championship at Malone Golf Club, also near Belfast, produced the tightest of finishes, so tight that two Scots, Roseanne Niven and Kylie Walker, had to go out again in a sudden-death play-off before Roseanne was crowned champion.

Meanwhile, 2006 Champion Vicki Thomas of Wales holed from eight feet for birdie on the final green to win her second Irish Senior Women's Open Strokeplay title in three years at Lisburn Golf Club, 11th September 2008.

Top Canadian was Diane Williams while defending champion Alison Murdoch tied for 10th place, 12 strokes behind Thomas.

Ireland's team held off a late challenge by Canada to win the team event by one stroke with Wales in third place, four shots behind.

IRISH SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN STROKEPLAY - FINAL SCORES

CSS 77RO 77

238 Vicki Thomas (WAL) 82 78 78

239 Helen Jones (Strabane) 78 84 77

243 Diane Williams (CAN) 79 85 79

245 Phyllis Laschuk (CAN) 81 82 82

246 Ivy Steinberg (CAN) 83 80 83

248 Deborah Jamgochian (USA) 87 83 78 Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) 87 82 79 Sheena O'Brien Kenney (Grange) 87 80 81 Keren Pultz (CAN) 83 82 83

250 Pauline Walsh ( Headfort) 87 81 82 Alison Murdoch (CAN) 87 81 82

251 Julie Morrison (Belvoir Park) 86 80 85 Pamela Williamson (SCO) 85 79 87

254 Holly Horwood (CAN) 84 87 83

256 Rhona Brennan (Bandon) 90 85 81 Violet McBride (Belvoir Park) 89 85 82 Marleen Nijhof (BEL) 88 86 82 Jane Gardner (Malone) 84 89 83

258 Ruth Lindley (ENG) 89 85 84 Jean O'Connor (WAL) 89 83 86
260 Eileen MacMullen (Donegal) 89 83 88

261 Valerie Hassett (Ennis) 93 85 83 Marilyn Henderson (Castlerock) 90 86 85

262 Cornelia Fischer (GER) 89 86 87 Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire) 88 92 82

263 Nano Brennan (Elm Park) 94 84 85 Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) 91 85 87 Angela Colm (CAN) 90 85 88 Mary Kavanagh (New Ross) 89 90 84 Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford) 89 86 88

265 Judy Collins (CAN) 91 88 86 Sue Pidgeon (ENG) 87 92 86

267 Pauline Bailie (Belvoir Park) 91 88 88

268 Mairead MacNamara (Woodbrook) 89 87 92

269 Linda Bedry (CAN) 87 90 92

272 Noreen Granard (Portarlington) 94 89 89

274 Margaret Boomer (Lisburn) 93 88 93

NON-QUALIFIERS

184 Judith Henry (Lisburn) 95 89 Keren Howard (CAN) 95 89 Kay McCartan (Greenore) 94 90 Pat Bennett (ENG) 94 90 Mary Geaney (Killarney) 91 93

185 Doris Brunner (SWI) 98 87 Joan McVeigh (Belvoir Park) 95 90

186 Mary McGoey (Greenore) 96 90

187 Kath Stewart-Moore (Royal Portrush) 97 90 Pamela Morgan (Lahinch) 95 92

188 Marianne Copp (ENG) 94 94 Maj-Britt Laempe (SWE) 91 97

189 Rosemary McFadden (Whitehead) 93 96

190 Linda Ward (CAN) 94 96

191 Maureen Charleton (Lisburn) 93 98

192 Maureen Bryson (Lisburn) 99 93 Ann Conway (New Ross) 99 93

194 Noreen McCluskey (Lisburn) 96 98

195 Roisin McCann (Downpatrick) 95 100 Mavis Goodhall (ENG) 94 101

196 Angela Treacy (New Ross) 100 96 Anna Somers (Cill Dara) 99 97

198 Mai McCann (Narin & Portnoo) 101 97 Judy Clarke (Royal Portrush) 98 100

199 Anne Stewart (Belvoir Park) 102 97 Carol McBratney (Lisburn) 96 103

203 Sheila Bodmer O'Keefe (SWI) 102 101

205 Mary Mather (Cill Dara) 109 96

206 Joceline Breccolini (SWI) 105 101

209 Josephine Kilmartin (Tipperary) 103 106

212 Marie McGrattan (Ardminnan) 112 100

RTD Roma English (Larne) 94 RTD

NR Margaret Rosbotham (Lisburn) NR 99

WD Elaine Laing (Royal Belfast) 96 WD Carol Kinsella (Waterford) 99 WD Mary Lalor (Roscommon) 102 WD

DSQ Hilary Bradley (Lisburn) 107 DSQ Maggie Gray (USA) DSQ DSQ

TEAM EVENT (2 scores from 3 to count each day)

327 IRELAND Helen Jones 78 [84] Mary Madden 87 82 Sheena O'Brien Kenney [87] 80

328 CANADA Holly Horwood [84] [87] Phylis Laschuk 81 82 Keren Pultz 83 82

332 WALES Jean O'Connor 89 83 Vicki Thomas 82 78

340 CANADA Linda Bedry 87 [90] Angela Colm [90] 85 Alison Murdoch 87 81

354 IRELAND Valerie Hassett [93] 85 Marilyn Henderson 90 86 Mary McKenna 93 [89]

358 ENGLAND Pat Bennett [94] 90 Marianne Copp 94 [94] Ruth Lindley 89 85

358 USA Maggie Gray 91 97 Deborah Jamgochian 87 83

374 ENGLAND Mavis Goodhall 94 101 Sue Pidgeon 87 92

388 SWITZERLAND Jocelyn Breccolini [105] 101 Doris Brunner 98 87 Sheila Bodmer O'Keefe 102 [101]