English Under-14 boys' open stroke play championship

Bradley Neil, bidding to keep English Under-14s' trophy in Scotland (image by Tom Ward Photography)

Blairgowrie lad leads by three in the Hesketh rain

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Blairgowrie's Bradley Neil strengthened his bid to add the English Boys under 14 Championship to his Scottish under 14 title with another solid round in difficult conditions at Hesketh in Southport.
Out in the fourth game at 8.30am and despite frequent showers, he returned 73 for 143, one under par, to extend his overnight lead to three strokes over the field.
The conditions appeared to have an influence on Neil’s early play as he dropped four shots in the opening five holes. But he bounced back well with birdies at the 14th, 15th and 18th in an inward 36. (Picture © Tom Ward)
“I started badly and I wasn’t happy,” he said. “The rain was a pest. It was stop-start in the showers, having to put waterproofs on then remove them as well as opening and folding an umbrella.
“I got going with birdies at the seventh and eighth to be out in 37. Unfortunately, I three-putted the 11th and bogeyed 16. But I managed three more birdies to finish well.”
A second successive 73 saw Norway’s Andreas Halvorsen climb into second place on 146. The lad from Larvik parred only two holes on the front nine, his three birdies being cancelled by four bogeys.
He dropped another shot at the par four 12th but climbed back into contention with his fourth birdie at the 17th.
The English challenge is led by Hadyn McCullen, who went round in 74 for 147. The lad from Manchester, who was under 13 champion last year, had a trio of birdies on his card but he lost a ball off the ninth tee on his way to a double-bogey six.
Max Martin from Bourneville in the Midlands, continues to lead the race to succeed McCullen as under 13 champion. The confident left-hander, who turned 13 only a week ago, is on 148 after a 75.
“I played solid on the front nine with eight pars and a bogey,” he said. “Then I lipped out with five putts on the back nine but there was a lot of rain,” he added.
Sharing fourth place with Martin is Johannes Schwab of Austria, whose elder brother led the McGregor Trophy for two rounds at Prince’s last month. He had a second 74.
No one bettered par on a difficult day in the north west but another player to return 73 was Joshua Thorley from Derbyshire, playing in his third Reid Trophy, having progressively finished higher each time.
He topped and tailed his round with birdies at one and 18 and had another at the 13th to lie in equal tenth place going into tomorrow’s final round.
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