Tramore-based Dubliner Suzie O'Brien and former Irish amateur strokeplay champion Hazel Kavanagh, all joined Portmarnock's Aideen Rogers on the European women's golf tour after winning their cards at the first time of asking at the qualifying school at Aroeira GC on the Costa de Caparica outside Lisbon yesterday. Yvonne Cassidy of Dundalk and Ulster woman Lynn McCool missed the cut. Belgium's Naima Ghilain fired a flawless final round five-under-par 67 for a seven-under 281 total to finish as overall winner in Portugal.
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Annika Sorenstam was well on her way to securing this year's top ranking with a shared lead with Marisa Baena in the Mizuno Classic golf tournament in Hanno, Japan, yesterday.
The Swede, whose 28th finish this week is enough to become the top money earner on the US Tour this season, sank six birdies against no bogey for a 66 for the first-round lead with the Colombian.
Scotland's Mike Miller produced a blistering finish to open a one-shot first round lead in the European Seniors Tour Championship at the treacherous PGA Golf de Catalunya course near Girona in northern Spain.
The former European Tour golfer from Torrance, near Glasgow, hit three birdies over the last four holes in a four-under-par 68 and opened a one-shot lead over England's Peter Dawson.
Another Englishman, Steve Wild, from Salt, Staffordshire, finished the day in third place on two-under-par 70 with Australia's Bob Shearer, Scotland's John Chillas, Welshman Lawrence Farmer and England's Tommy Horton, Jim Rhodes and Denis Durnian all tied for fourth on 71.
Northerner Eddie Polland, Denis O'Sullivan of Cork and Dubliner Paul Leonard were best of the Irish with 75s, while Waterville's Liam Higgins hit 78.
