Alexis Thompson and Romain Wattel with their Junior Orange Bowl championship trophies. Click on image to enlarge.

Wattel wins Junior Orange Bowl play-off,

Alexis Thompson takes girls' title

British amateur champion Matteo Manassero, on the very day that he became the world's No 1 amateur in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings, lost the lead he had held over the first three rounds and finished a close-up third in the Junior Orange Bowl International Championships' boys' category.
Manassero, 16, from Rome had rounds of 65, 70, 68 and 71 for a six-under-par total of 274 over the par-70 Biltmore course at Coral Gables, Florida.
He finished one shot behind French men's amateur champion Romain Wattel - who recently beat Motherwell's Ross Kellett in the final of the Argentina men's amateur championship - and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.
They tied on 273 before Wattel won a sudden-death play-off.
Grillo had rounds of 68, 72, 66 and 67. Wattel scored 67, 71, 68 and 67. Wattel birdied the short 14th, long 15th and 17th to come home in 32 at the last time of asking. Grillo bogeyed the 13th and 14th but birdied the 15th and 16th.
Manassero had a costly bogey at the 16th which prevented him from figuring in a three-way play-off for the prestigious title.
England's representative, Jonathan Bell from the Royal Blackheath club, had a nightmare last round of 10-over-par 80, with two double bogeys, eight bogeys and birdies at the first and eighth. His total of 294 gave him joint 30th place in the final standings.
Alexis Thompson, as expected, made up a two-shot overnight leeway to win the girls' title with rounds of 71, 72, 66 and 71 for level par 280. Alexis, from Coral Springs, was playing in her home state of Florida.
Overnight leader Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) fell away under pressure to sign off with a76 for 283. She lost second place to Cindy Feng (US) who had rounds of 71, 72, 67 and 72.

LEADING BOYS' FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) 6,699yd.
273 Romain Wattel (France) 67 71 68 67, Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 68 72 66 67 (Wattel won play-off).
274 Matteo Manassero (Italy) 65 70 68 71.
282 Andrea Bolognesi (Italy) 67 71 70 74, Tom Lovelady (US) 69 67 71 75.
283 Justin Thomas (US) 69 71 69 74, Curtis Thompson (US) 67 73 72 71.
284 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 69 73 75 67, Patrick Rodgers (US) 70 74 72 68.
Selected score:
294 Jonathan Bell (England) 71 72 71 80 (jt 30th).
LEADING GIRLS' FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70). 6,061 yd.
280 Alexis Thompson (US) 71 72 66 71.
282 Cindy Feng (US) 71 72 67 72.
283 Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) 71 69 67 76.
286 Victoria Tanco (Argentina) 73 75 70 68.
288 Daisy Nielsen (Denmark) 69 77 74 68.
290 Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand) 69 74 73 74.
291 Jessica Korda (US) 75 72 76 68.
292 Laetitia Beck (Israel) 71 77 71 73.
To see all the scores, click on: http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/player/static/player1885.html

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