Canadian girl, Californian boy win Junior Orange Bowl titles
Junior Orange bowl champions Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Canada) and Sihwan Kim (United States) pictured with Coral Gables mayor Don Slesnik (left) and commissioner Bill Kerdyk (right).
SALLY (jt 12th) HIGHEST PLACEDGB&I FINISHER IN FLORIDA
South Queensferry 15-year-old Sally Watson, beaten finalist in this year’s British girls’ championship, was the highest placed British and Irish finisher in the 43rd Junior Orange Bowl international golf championship over the Biltmore Hotel golf course on Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables, Florida.
Sally, a student at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at Bradenton, Florida, had rounds of 76, 72, 80 and 73 for a total of 301 over the par-72, 6,299yd Donald Ross-designed course.
She finished joint 12th in an invited field of 39 for girls’ championship which was won by French Canadian, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc from the quaintly named Ascot Corner, Quebec.
Maude-Aimee had established a potential winning lead after 54 holes so she was able to coast home by three shots with a total of 288, despite finishing with her worst round of the four, a birdie-less 76.
Miss LeBlanc, overcome with relief as she came off the 18th green, “Did I win, honestly? That's so great! It was a really tough struggle today, hard pins, the wind. I just kept telling myself that it was difficult for everyone, so keep on trying, every shot, every hole.
Maude-Aimee earlier revealed that she goes down to Florida from Canada for two months each year to practise at Fort Lauderdale. "That helps me with the Bermuda-grass greens here which we don't have at home," she said.
RACHEL MATCHES PAR
Rachel Connor, daughter of Manchester Golf Club’s Scottish-born professional Brian Connor, saved her best until last, matching the par of 72 in the fourth round with birdies at the first, ninth, 10th and 18th for a joint 19th finish on 306. Her earlier scores were 83, 74 and 77.
Another club professional’s daughter, Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale), a Curtis Cup reserve in the summer, had a disappointing tournament with scores of 77, 74, 80 and 78 for joint 24th place on 309. She had double bogeys at two short holes in her final round.
Irish girls champion Stephanie Meadow from Antrim, a student at the International Golf Academy on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, finished on a low note with an birdie-less 83 (38-45) for 26th place on 311 after earlier scores of 78, 76 and 74.
That closing round, which had a triple bogey 6 at the short 12th and a double bogey 6 at the 11th , dropped the Nick Faldo Junior Series girls champion down the field from the joint 15th place she held at the start of the last day.
Scottish Under-18 girls champion Roseanne Niven broke 80 for the first time in her last round with a 77 for 34th place on 324. She had a double bogey at the 10th but cancelled that out with an eagle 3 at the long 13th, which had to be her highlight of the 72 holes.
Her earlier scores were 83, 82 and 82. Roseanne will enrol on a four-year golf scholarship at the University of Berkeley, California in the New Year.
Sihwan Kim from Buena Park, California calmly sank an 8ft birdie putt on the 72nd hole to edge out pre-tournament favourite Peter Uihlein, a +3 player from Bradenton, Florida, to claim the boys’ title by a single stroke.
DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
Breezy conditions and tight pin positions made sub-par golf very difficult to achieve and it was 11 holes before Kim made a birdie, immediately followed by a bogey. Uihlein birdied his opening hole but he also gave one back at the second so with no charges from the rest of the field, the closing holes became a head-to-head battle.
Kim double-bogeyed the par-3 14th to give Uihlein a two-stoke advantage with four to play but thereafter Kim's tenacity was unmatchable. He birdied the tough par-5 15 th into the wind, followed up with another birdie putt to draw level at the 16th and then retook the lead at the 17th when Uihlein failed to save par.
Both birdied the par-5 final hole, Kim finished with scores of 71, 64, 68 and 70 for an 11-under-par total of 273 over the par-71, 6,766yd course.
Uihlein scored 75, 71, 67 and 71 for 274 and so was runner-up for the second year in a row. Last year it was England’s Ben Parker who finished ahead of him.
"I only hit six greens in regulation," Kim said , "but my putter saved the day. I knew it would be the toughest of the four rounds with the wind and the very fast greens, so I tried to stay patient, even after my double.”
Italy’s Andrea Pavan was the leading European player in joint fifth place on 281 with rounds of 70, 76, 66 and 69. He had the lowest tally over the final 36 holes.
LATE DOUBLE BOGEY
Darren Renwick, from Worthing, winner of the Scottish Under-16 open stroke-play title last year, was the top British player in a share of 23rd place on 294 with scores of 74, 76, 72 and 72. After birdies at the first, second and 13th, Darren was head for a sub-par score until he had a double-bogey at the 17th. A birdie at the 18th could not quite repair the damage.
Luke Goddard from Hendon birdied the third, 10th and 14th on his way to a final round of 70 to finish joint 35th with Cornwall-based Welshman Rhys Enoch on 297. Luke’s earlier scores were 78, 75 and 74.
Enoch had a double bogey at the 16th after birdies at the fourth, 12th and 15th in closing with a 75 after earlier rounds of 74, 75 and 73.
Spanish men’s international amateur champion Sam Hutsby from Lee on Solent, Hampshire, was in with a title chance after opening rounds of 74 and 69 but he fell away with a 79 and 77 to finish tied 37th on 299. He had a double bogey at the fifth in his final round.
JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Biltmore course, Coral Gables, Florida.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
(Players from US unless stated)
BOYS (Par 274: 4 x 71)
273 S Kim 71 64 68 70.
274 P Uihlein 65 71 67 71.
277 J Hack 72 67 69 69.
280 M Hoffman 67 68 74 71.
281 A Pavan (Italy) 70 76 66 69, D Chung 70 71 70 70.
283 S Franky (Colombia) 73 66 74 70.
284 V Dubuisson (France) 71 70 74 69.
285 J Widmer (Cayman Islands) 75 67 72 71.
286 Minghao Wang 74 73 69 71.
288 P Figeuiredo (Portugal) 75 70 73 70.
289 S Einhaus (Germany) 76 70 72 71, T Mou (Taiwan) 74 69 76 70, P Westermann (Germany) 74 72 75 70, D Tamayo (Venezuela) 71 74 73 71.
Other European scores:
293 M Jedrzejczyk (Poland) 77 71 71 74 (jt 20th).
294 M Dobias (Switzerland) 77 71 72 74, X Feyaerts (Belgium) 78 76 70 70, R Wingardh (Sweden) 78 67 73 76, D Renwick (England) 74 76 72 72 (jt 23rd).
295 B Palanszki (Hungary) 74 74 74 73 (jt 28th).
297 L Goddard (England) 78 75 74 70, R Enoch (Wales) 74 75 73 75 (jt 35th).
299 S Hutsby (England) 74 69 79 77 (jt 37th).
303 C Suk (Czech Rep) 78 74 75 76 (jt 43rd).
309 J Vidmar (Slovenia) 81 80 70 78 (jt 51st).
315 R Huijsman (Netherlands) 83 78 77 77.
Disq – L Bierregard (Denmark) 83, 74.
GIRLS (Par 288: 4 x 72)
(Players from US unless stated)
288 M-A LeBlanc (Canada) 75 69 69 76.
291 V Hurst 76 68 73 74.
295 L Duncan 71 72 75 77, J Han (Korea) 79 73 74 69, J Korda (Czech Rep) 72 72 79 72, L McCloskey 74 75 71 75, J Shin 77 71 71 76.
297 A Thompson 78 74 73 71.
297 L Gonzalez-Escallon (Belgium) 72 73 72 80, T Wadawa 77 75 73 72.
298 I Lendl 74 74 74 76.
301 S Watson (Scotland) 76 72 80 73.
Other European scores:
304 T Koelbaek (Denmark) 75 79 77 73 (jt 15th).
305 I Boineau (France) 81 71 74 79 (18th).
306 R Connor (England) 83 74 77 72 (jt 19h).
308 C Lorentzen (Denmark) 76 77 76 79 (jt 22nd).
309 F Parker (England) 77 74 80 78 (jt 24th), A Gourmard (France) 77 78 77 77.
311 S Meadow (Ireland) 78 76 74 83 (26th).
314 M Causin (Italy) 79 80 79 76 (jt 29th).
324 R Niven (Scotland) 83 82 82 77 (34th).
RACHEL MATCHES PAR
Rachel Connor, daughter of Manchester Golf Club’s Scottish-born professional Brian Connor, saved her best until last, matching the par of 72 in the fourth round with birdies at the first, ninth, 10th and 18th for a joint 19th finish on 306. Her earlier scores were 83, 74 and 77.
Another club professional’s daughter, Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale), a Curtis Cup reserve in the summer, had a disappointing tournament with scores of 77, 74, 80 and 78 for joint 24th place on 309. She had double bogeys at two short holes in her final round.
Irish girls champion Stephanie Meadow from Antrim, a student at the International Golf Academy on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, finished on a low note with an birdie-less 83 (38-45) for 26th place on 311 after earlier scores of 78, 76 and 74.
That closing round, which had a triple bogey 6 at the short 12th and a double bogey 6 at the 11th , dropped the Nick Faldo Junior Series girls champion down the field from the joint 15th place she held at the start of the last day.
Scottish Under-18 girls champion Roseanne Niven broke 80 for the first time in her last round with a 77 for 34th place on 324. She had a double bogey at the 10th but cancelled that out with an eagle 3 at the long 13th, which had to be her highlight of the 72 holes.
Her earlier scores were 83, 82 and 82. Roseanne will enrol on a four-year golf scholarship at the University of Berkeley, California in the New Year.
Sihwan Kim from Buena Park, California calmly sank an 8ft birdie putt on the 72nd hole to edge out pre-tournament favourite Peter Uihlein, a +3 player from Bradenton, Florida, to claim the boys’ title by a single stroke.
DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
Breezy conditions and tight pin positions made sub-par golf very difficult to achieve and it was 11 holes before Kim made a birdie, immediately followed by a bogey. Uihlein birdied his opening hole but he also gave one back at the second so with no charges from the rest of the field, the closing holes became a head-to-head battle.
Kim double-bogeyed the par-3 14th to give Uihlein a two-stoke advantage with four to play but thereafter Kim's tenacity was unmatchable. He birdied the tough par-5 15 th into the wind, followed up with another birdie putt to draw level at the 16th and then retook the lead at the 17th when Uihlein failed to save par.
Both birdied the par-5 final hole, Kim finished with scores of 71, 64, 68 and 70 for an 11-under-par total of 273 over the par-71, 6,766yd course.
Uihlein scored 75, 71, 67 and 71 for 274 and so was runner-up for the second year in a row. Last year it was England’s Ben Parker who finished ahead of him.
"I only hit six greens in regulation," Kim said , "but my putter saved the day. I knew it would be the toughest of the four rounds with the wind and the very fast greens, so I tried to stay patient, even after my double.”
Italy’s Andrea Pavan was the leading European player in joint fifth place on 281 with rounds of 70, 76, 66 and 69. He had the lowest tally over the final 36 holes.
LATE DOUBLE BOGEY
Darren Renwick, from Worthing, winner of the Scottish Under-16 open stroke-play title last year, was the top British player in a share of 23rd place on 294 with scores of 74, 76, 72 and 72. After birdies at the first, second and 13th, Darren was head for a sub-par score until he had a double-bogey at the 17th. A birdie at the 18th could not quite repair the damage.
Luke Goddard from Hendon birdied the third, 10th and 14th on his way to a final round of 70 to finish joint 35th with Cornwall-based Welshman Rhys Enoch on 297. Luke’s earlier scores were 78, 75 and 74.
Enoch had a double bogey at the 16th after birdies at the fourth, 12th and 15th in closing with a 75 after earlier rounds of 74, 75 and 73.
Spanish men’s international amateur champion Sam Hutsby from Lee on Solent, Hampshire, was in with a title chance after opening rounds of 74 and 69 but he fell away with a 79 and 77 to finish tied 37th on 299. He had a double bogey at the fifth in his final round.
JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Biltmore course, Coral Gables, Florida.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
(Players from US unless stated)
BOYS (Par 274: 4 x 71)
273 S Kim 71 64 68 70.
274 P Uihlein 65 71 67 71.
277 J Hack 72 67 69 69.
280 M Hoffman 67 68 74 71.
281 A Pavan (Italy) 70 76 66 69, D Chung 70 71 70 70.
283 S Franky (Colombia) 73 66 74 70.
284 V Dubuisson (France) 71 70 74 69.
285 J Widmer (Cayman Islands) 75 67 72 71.
286 Minghao Wang 74 73 69 71.
288 P Figeuiredo (Portugal) 75 70 73 70.
289 S Einhaus (Germany) 76 70 72 71, T Mou (Taiwan) 74 69 76 70, P Westermann (Germany) 74 72 75 70, D Tamayo (Venezuela) 71 74 73 71.
Other European scores:
293 M Jedrzejczyk (Poland) 77 71 71 74 (jt 20th).
294 M Dobias (Switzerland) 77 71 72 74, X Feyaerts (Belgium) 78 76 70 70, R Wingardh (Sweden) 78 67 73 76, D Renwick (England) 74 76 72 72 (jt 23rd).
295 B Palanszki (Hungary) 74 74 74 73 (jt 28th).
297 L Goddard (England) 78 75 74 70, R Enoch (Wales) 74 75 73 75 (jt 35th).
299 S Hutsby (England) 74 69 79 77 (jt 37th).
303 C Suk (Czech Rep) 78 74 75 76 (jt 43rd).
309 J Vidmar (Slovenia) 81 80 70 78 (jt 51st).
315 R Huijsman (Netherlands) 83 78 77 77.
Disq – L Bierregard (Denmark) 83, 74.
GIRLS (Par 288: 4 x 72)
(Players from US unless stated)
288 M-A LeBlanc (Canada) 75 69 69 76.
291 V Hurst 76 68 73 74.
295 L Duncan 71 72 75 77, J Han (Korea) 79 73 74 69, J Korda (Czech Rep) 72 72 79 72, L McCloskey 74 75 71 75, J Shin 77 71 71 76.
297 A Thompson 78 74 73 71.
297 L Gonzalez-Escallon (Belgium) 72 73 72 80, T Wadawa 77 75 73 72.
298 I Lendl 74 74 74 76.
301 S Watson (Scotland) 76 72 80 73.
Other European scores:
304 T Koelbaek (Denmark) 75 79 77 73 (jt 15th).
305 I Boineau (France) 81 71 74 79 (18th).
306 R Connor (England) 83 74 77 72 (jt 19h).
308 C Lorentzen (Denmark) 76 77 76 79 (jt 22nd).
309 F Parker (England) 77 74 80 78 (jt 24th), A Gourmard (France) 77 78 77 77.
311 S Meadow (Ireland) 78 76 74 83 (26th).
314 M Causin (Italy) 79 80 79 76 (jt 29th).
324 R Niven (Scotland) 83 82 82 77 (34th).
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, December 31, 2006
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