Susan wins Lanarkshire ladies' championship

Apr 30 2008 Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

DRUMPELLIER golfer Susan Wood emulated Clare Queen by winning the Lanarkshire Ladies County Golf Championship.

The 29-year-old, who plays off a handicap of three, secured the title after a tough week at Lanark Golf Club.

She qualified into the match-play knockout stage despite a bad putting display which threatened her chances.

But a quick word with Drumpellier pro Ian Taylor soon sorted that out.

She said: “I qualified as seventh seed after a disappointing round in the strokeplay but I suppose this made the matchplay draw interesting.

“I had putted poorly in the strokeplay round so had a putting lesson from Ian that night to sort it out.

“This didn't only give me some confidence for the matchplay but helped my stroke hugely. I have worked with Ian on my short game over the last month and this has helped enormously.”

The former Universities strokeplay and matchplay champion met club mate Janice Paterson in the semi-final and proved too good, winning the match five and four.

She was then faced with Lesley Lloyd in the final.

Wood struggled against her opponent in the early stages and went two holes behind early on.

But the former Airdrie Academy pupil got to grips with her opponents and the tough Lanark course, and an eagle at the 14th put her on her way and she eventually emerged triumphant, winning 3 and 2.

She follows in the footsteps of fellow Drumpellier member Queen, who won the event twice at the start of the century before turning professional.

Wood said: “It’s a great victory and I’m delighted to have won such a prestigious competition.”

The optometrist would like to thank her employers Hughes and McHugh for their support and understanding for allowing her to compete on the amateur circuit.

The Lanarkshire Ladies County Championship is just one of a number of titles she has won over the years.

The golfer also won Drumpellier Club Championship five times in a row having previously won the ladies title four years on the trot when she was a member at Airdrie Golf Club.

She first played for the county in 2000 and has been a member of the Lanarkshire team ever since.

She also won the Scottish ladies foursomes champions with Queen in 2003.