GOLF: Pressure. Heather Nolan could only watch in anguish as the ball flew over the trees to the right of the first fairway and out of bounds. It was hardly an auspicious start, especially when she'd faced the same shot countless times before.
This though wasn't a normal occasion but the first round of the 16th European Amateur Ladies' Individual Championship. Nolan, playing on her home course, Shannon, had to deal with the attendant pressure induced by expectation of the local membership, 20 or so of whom had gathered around the first tee to offer a little moral support.
Nolan admitted: "Normally that wouldn't bother me having people watching but I suppose I was very nervous."
At 19 years of age and given the circumstances of the first shot struck in anger, she displayed tremendous character and no little ability to sign for a four-over-par 77. Two shots went at the first hole but she refused to buckle. "I knew that I was capable of making a couple of birdies."
In fact the Eastern Michigan University, Detroit, student - she returns there on Monday - would make three, getting up and down at the ninth and hitting a five iron to eight feet at the 12th and a sand wedge to six feet at the last.
Nolan had five bogeys and the double, which she attributed to too many tangles with the trees, a common fate during yesterday's action. Tricia Mangan, a member of the Britain and Ireland side that won the Vagliano trophy at Baltray recently, and Irish Strokeplay champion Claire Coughlan both shot one-over-par 74 to spearhead the Irish challenge.
Mangan hit 16 greens in regulation, "played great", grabbing birdies at the ninth and 17th, the latter as a result of a superb five wood to 20 feet. She was a little disappointed to bogey the last, one of three in the round.
Coughlan turned three under after nine holes, recording four birdies and a bogey; she didn't hole a putt longer than six feet for those birdies, underlining the quality of her iron play. A double bogey at the 10th halted that momentum and a couple of wayward drives on the 13th and 14th caught timber and led to dropped shots.
The parkland course adjoining Shannon airport - the planes fly in right beside the eighth tee - is in great condition but was hardly overpowered by Europe's elite young golfers. With the wind coming from the north-west - the prevailing one at this time of year is from the opposite direction - allied to the tight, tree-lined fairways, it rendered the course a tough challenge.
Two young ladies who coped admirably were Stenna Westerlund of Finland and Swede Louise Stahle, both of whom carded three-under-par 70. It was not the only similarity, as both girls are 18 years of age and play off plus one.
Westerlund, a high-school student in Espo, attributed her score to a succession of long putts. Runner-up in the Finnish Amateur Matchplay and Strokeplay events, she wasn't happy with her striking, particularly off the tee, but more than compensated on the greens. Stahle enjoyed a blemish-free round with 15 pars and three birdies. They are one shot clear of 19-year-old Sophie Walker, soon to be an England senior international, and Virgie Beauchet of France.
One player who probably tossed and turned a bit last night was Finland's Minea Blomqvist. Five under after nine holes, she was poised for a spectacular score but found far too many sylvan settings on the back nine and finished with 73.
