Ireland’s Open title hopes put on hold

IRELAND has not had a Ladies British Open Amateur Golf Champion for 18 years since Lilian Behan triumphed at Ganton — and they will have to wait at least another 12 months before ending that long drought after all three of their qualifiers were knocked out at Lindrick, Yorkshire, yesterday.

And the defeats suffered by Beaverstown's Martina Gillen and Tricia Mangan from Ennis will not help them when the selectors sit down today to choose their side for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Co Louth at the end of next month.

Gillen lost on the home green in the first round to Italian Margherita Rigon.

Shannon teenager Heather Nolan found Curtis Cup golfer Sarah Jones much too hot to handle in round one, crashing to a 7&6 defeat in a game in which she won just one hole.

Mangan, who has enjoyed a good season winning both the Lahinch and Cork Scratch Cups and taking the Munster title, has been very hopeful this week of securing a place in the Great Britain and Ireland side, but her aspirations were certainly not assisted by a 4&2 defeat at the hands of Spaniard Carmen Alonso.

Following a day of upsets which saw English champion Emma Duggleby and highly fancied Scottish golfer Vikki Laing beaten, there is just one member of last years' Curtis Cup side left Fame More who needed only 26 holes to win her two matches.

Australian Brett Rumford fired a course-record 64 to take the lead after the first round of the St Omer Open.

Rumford carded seven birdies and no bogeys to head the chase for the £46,000 first prize in France, two shots clear of Argentina's Cesar Monasterio and Swede Mattias

Eliasson.

England's Denny Lucas was a shot further back after a 67 while Simon Dyson continued his comeback after breaking a bone in his hand with a 69 alongside former Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst.

Meanwhile, Lucas is hoping to emulate club colleagues Lee Westwood and Mark Foster by claiming his first tour title in the St Omer Open.

Lucas is from the same Worksop club as Lee Westwood and Mark Foster but has yet to achieve the same kind of success as the former European number one or 2003 Dunhill Championship winner.