WOMEN'S GOLF: Mary McKenna will today attempt to win the Senior British Open Amateur Championship at her first attempt - just a week after clinching victory in the Irish equivalent.
The 52-year-old former Curtis Cup star from Donabate returned a three-over-par 76 in her second round at Aberdovey, North Wales, yesterday to add to an opening 74 for a 150 total.
She goes into the third and final round this morning two strokes clear of Bristol's Ros Page, the English Seniors' Strokeplay Champion, who in turn is two in front of Canadian Diane Williams, a former Champion who was runner-up at West Kilbride last year.
Valerie Hassett, from Ennis, who has a proud record in the contest having won the title once and been runner-up three times, appears to have left herself too much to do being some nine strokes adrift of McKenna in joint seventh place.
"This is a great course and I'm really enjoying playing it, and today there was a nice sort of seaside breeze out there - not too tough but it gave the course a real links feeling," said McKenna.
Hassett was disgruntled with her 81 and blamed her poor display on the greens. She took a total of 38 putts.
Royal Portrush pair Jane Allen and Kath Stewart-Moore were also among the 52 players who qualified for today's final 18 holes, but Roma English of Larne, Royal Portrush's Judy Clarke and Patricia McAllister from Leytown-Bettystown all crashed out of the Championship.
EUROPEAN TOUR: The Estoril Open, scheduled for October 11th-14th, has been cancelled by the tournament promoters, the European Tour said yesterday.
"The people who promote the event, Joao Lagos Sports SA in Lisbon, have cancelled the Estoril Open, but we are still waiting to hear further details from them as to why," a European Tour official said. The event was to have been staged at Quinta da Marinha in Cascais the same week that the World Matchplay Championship takes place at Wentworth.
Frenchman Jean-Francois Remesy won the inaugural Estoril Open at Penha Longa in 1999, but last year's tournament was cancelled because of sponsorship difficulties.
US Tour: America's golfers staged their own fund-raising event for the victims of the terrorist atrocities on Tuesday, but it will be back to their day jobs today at the Texas Open.
"A Tribute to America" raised $4 million, with 6,000 people attending the event held adjacent to the LaCantera Golf Club which hosts this week's event.
The Texas Open is one of only five events remaining for players seeking berths in the season-ending Tour Championship, which is open to the top 30 members of the money list.
