Junior Orange Bowl International Golf – Day 3

Karl Vilips stays on top - Kristoffer Reitan sets new record - Somi Lee forges ahead  

FROM DAVID MACKINTOSH
JOB Press Officer

Coral Gables, Florida: With 18 holes to play, Australia’s Karl Vilips, the overnight leader, retained the tournament lead by a single stroke in the Boys Division, closely pressed by defending champion Kristoffer Reitan.

The 18-year old Norwegian vaulted from nine shots behind at the halfway stage with an 8-under par 63, setting a new championship record at this famed Donald Ross-designed  Biltmore Hotel course.

In the Girls Division, South Korea’s Somi Lee posted a second consecutive 69, her three-day total of 7-under par extending the lead to five over France’s Agathe Laisne and Canada’s Monet Chun.

Sweden’s Lynn Grant, 17, winner of last week’s Doral-Publix Junior Classic, had a dream start, after par to start, a hole-in-one, then birdie, birdie, birdie – five under in four holes. Grant finished the day with a 69, in 5^th place, one behind Mexico’s Ana Laura Collado.

“I always plan to go out and shoot low rounds, but of course it doesn’t happen so often,” Reitan commented after his eagle-plus-seven-birdies round. “Once I got off to a fast start, I tried hard to keep the momentum going because I knew Karl had been running away with the tournament and only a really low score would give me a chance to win.”

A three putt at the 15^th seemed to have derailed his record-busting attempt but problem resolved when he holed out from 65-yards at the net hole for an eagle-2. “I came close to holing two other shots from the same distance earlier in the round, so I was very happy but not completely surprised when the ball went in the hole.”  

“My driving was terrible on the front nine,” 15-year old Vilips said, who was three-over par for the front nine, but recovered nicely for an even-par round of 71 by birdieing four of his last five holes.
 “I was pulling everything left with the driver, but that’s a less bad thing on the back nine, so I just decided to stay with it, rather than try a fix mid-round. Luckily my putter came alive towards the end.”

France’s Edgar Catherine sits solo-third at 7-under, ruefully recalling a tugged drive at the 17^th that found water, a dropped stroke that cost a share of second place. “Tomorrow I have a chance,” he said, “provided I can control my head game.”      

Scottish boys' match-play champion Eric McIntosh (Bruntsfield Links) is improving with every round - 79 75 74 - but a 15-over-par 54-hole tally of 218 for the par-71 Donald Ross-designed Biltmore  Course at Coral Gables, Florida  has him stuck in a share of 46th place in the boys' field of 56.
The Scot is 25 strokes behind the long time leader, 15 year old Australian Karl Vilips (65-67-71) who has a one-shot advantage with 18 holes to play over the defending champion, Norway's Kristofer Reitan who set a new championship record low of eight-under 63 in the third round.
Somi Lee (South Korea) retained the lead on seven-under 206. She is four strokes clear of France's Agathe Laisne and Monet Chun (Canada).
Sweden's Linn Grant, daughter of a Scottish-born club pro, had a hole in one in compiling a third-round 69 which took her up to fifth place on 214, eight off the pace.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Coral Gables, Biltmore Hotel Course, Florida
BOYS  
par 213 (3x71), yardage 6,742

203 Karl Vilips (Australia) 65 67 71
204 Kristofer Reitan (Norway) 70 71 63
205 Edgar Catherine (France) 68 70 67
206 Mateo Fernandez de Oliveir (Argentina) 69 68 69
207 Joaquin Niemann (Chile) 67 70 70
208 Pedro Silva (Portugal) 70 70 68, Jerry Ji (Netherlands) 72 69 67
210 Will Dickson (USA) 71 69 70

SELECTED SCORE
228 Eric McIntosh (Scotland) 79 75 74 (T46)

Field of 56

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LEADING GIRLS
par 213 (3x71), yardage 6,089 

206 Somi Lee (S Korea) 68 69 69
210 Agathe Laisne (France) 67 72 71, Monet Chun (Canada) 68 73 69
213 Ana Laura Collado (Mexico) 69 72 69
214 Linn Grant (Sweden) 74 71 69
216 Hikari  Kuranaga (Japan) 71 75 70, Focus Jonglikit (Thailand) 79 70 67
218 Lucie Malchirand (France) 73 75 70
219 Alexa Plano (USA) 73 71 75
Field of 33 

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