Bougourd's fast start sinks No. 2 Chamberlain

SHE may no longer be the lowest handicap in the island championship field, but Veronica Bougourd remains the player to beat. Jan Chamberlain can vouch for that after the two former champions met in last evening's semi-final with Boug-ourd, who has largely dominated the event for the past two decades, winning 3 and 2.

Chamberlain never fully recovered from an awful start, her chipping was her Achilles heel throughout and it was that crucial part of her game which was responsible for her losing the 16th after standing on the tee dormy two.

No doubt, the second seed will feel she should never put herself in the position she did at the 16th, in the bottom of the dip to the right of the green.

With Bougourd having played a superb bunker rescue shot to reach the front fringe no more than 25ft from the pin, Chamberlain needed to get up and down to stay alive.

But she duffed the chip, the ball failed to make the climb and her next attempt still left her with a 12ft putt for bogey.

Bougourd could afford to take a putter from off the green, knocked it dead for a sure-fire four and Chamberlain conceded the match.

The damage was done in the opening five holes, Bougourd, who will now play Sue Wellfair in today's 36 holes final, winning four of them.

After halving the first, Bougourd won the second, third and fourth in fours and the fifth with a birdie three after leaving a long approach just 5ft from the pin.

In the other match, Di Aitchison and Wellfair went through five all-square but the seeded player steadily inched away and the end came on the 14th green.

Today's bronze division final for the Lindsay Trophy will be between Helen Kelso, who won her semi-final 4 and 2, and the big-hitting Di Stenner who won the 18th to go all-square against Louise Loveridge and then the first extra hole.