STROKEPLAY/Lancome Irish Women's Close Championship: On the sort of sun-kissed day that wouldn't have been out of place in her native Australia, Rebecca Coakley - who has dual Irish and Australian citizenship - led the first round of strokeplay qualifying in the Lancome Irish Women's Close Championship at Cork GC, Little Island, yesterday.
A former winner of the Irish strokeplay title, Coakley shot a two-under-par 72 to take a two-stroke lead over Irish internationals Tricia Mangan and Emma Dickson. Coakley had five birdies in her round, with four of them coming on par fives. One of her three bogeys also came at a par five - the fifth.
Defending champion Alison Coffey, a semi-finalist in the British women's championship two weeks ago and who will make her Curtis Cup debut in Pittsburgh in August, had a solid 77 to be comfortably in line to qualify, while Martina Gillen, a second reserve on the Curtis Cup team, continued her good form with a 75.
Five members of the Irish Under-21 team due to depart for the European Championships in Moscow shortly are in line for making the knockout stage: Gillen, Maria Dunne, Gillian O'Leary, Amy Duggan, and Suzie Hayes. Mary McKenna, who won the first of eight Irish titles all of 34 years ago, had a solid 80 to be on course for the matchplay phase which commences tomorrow.
Referee: Kim Milton Neilsen (Den)
Linesmen: Maciej Wierzbowski (Pol)
Igor Sramka (Slovakia)
