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Friday, December 29, 2006

BAD DAY FOR TOP BRITISH
PLAYERS IN JUNIOR
ORANGE BOWL ROUND 3

It was not a good day for the leading British hopes in the third round of the Junior Orange Bowl golf championship over the Biltmore course, Coral Gables in Florida.
Sally Watson from South Queensferry had her worst score so far over the Donald Ross-designed lay-out – a six-over-par 78 – and dropped from joint sixth to joint 11th with one round to go.
In the boys’ championship, Sam Hutsby, pictured right, from Lee on Solent, Hampshire, winner of The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy at Dundonald, slumped from a second-round 69 to a 79 and dropped from joint ninth to joint 27th in the field of 65.
Sally, a 15-year-old pupil at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, Bradenton in Florida, bogeyed the fourth, eighth, 10th and 11th before running up a double-bogey 5 at the short 12th.
She battled on to par the last six holes for halves of 37 (two over par) and 41 (four over).
Irish girls champion Stephanie Meadow from Antrim was one of the few to improve her score and position. Stephanie, based at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, had a two-over-par 74 (37-37) to move up to joint 15th position on 228. She had birdies at the fourth and 18th.
Professional’s daughter Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale) had a torrid time with a third-round 80 to plummet to a share of 24th place on 231.
Florentyna, out in four over par 39, had a double bogey 6 at the 10th, birdied the 13th and then shed shots at the 15th, 16th and 17th in coming home in 41.
Scottish professional's daughter Rachel Connor from Oldham had a 77 for 234 and she will start the final round in 28th place. Rachel had halves of 39 and 38, finishing with a smile when she birdied the last.
Scottish Under-18 champion Roseanne Niven just cannot get to grips with the Biltmore course. She has had rounds of 83, 82 and 82 for 34th place on 247. Let's hope she can break 80 on the final day so that she can head off for California and university life in the States in the New Year with happier thoughts.
The Crieff teenager did start with a birdie in the third round.
There is a new leader in the girls’ championship – Maude-Aimee LeBlanc from the quaintly-named Ascot Corner, Quebec. The French-Canadian 17-year-old had a 69 for four-under-par 212 to go five shots clear of Laura Gonzalez-Escallon (Belgium) and Vicky Hurst from Florida.
Long-time leader Lindy Duncan (Florida) lost the pole position with a 75 for 218 and fourth place.
In the boys’ event Sam Hutsby’s winning chance evaporated with a double bogey 5 at the short 12th and a triple bogey 8 at the long 18th in halves of 38 and 41 for a 79. That dropped him 222.
Also on that mark is Cornwall-based Welsh teenager Rhys Enoch who had a third-round 73, which included birdies at the first and 13th in halves of 36 and 37.
Darren Renwick from Worthing, past winner of the Scottish Under-16 boys’ open stroke-play championship, had his best score yet, a one-over-par 72, with birdies at the first and 15th. Darren could have got under par for the day but for a double-bogey 5 at the short 14th in halves of 35 and 37.
He is on the same 222 mark at Hutsby and Enoch.The third English boy in the field, Luke Goddard from Hendon, had a 74 for 227, including birdies at the 15th and 18th but a double bogey 6 at the 17th in halves of 37 for joint 42nd place.
It’s neck and neck at the top of the boys’ leaderboard with two Americans, Sihwan Kim from California and Peter Uihlein, the pre-tournament favourite from Florida, sharing the pole position on 10 under par 203.
Kim had a third-round 68 and Uihlein a 67.Overnight leader Morgan Hoffman from New Jersey dropped back to fourth place with a 74 for 209.
Best round of a sunny, cloudless day was a five-under-par 66 by Italy's Andrea Pavan. He birdied five of his first seven holes and leapfrogged into sixth place on 212 to become the leading overseas challenger in the boys' championship.
LEADING THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
BOYS (Par 213: 3 x 71).
Players from United States unless stated otherwise.
203 Sihwan Kim 71 64 68, Peter Uihlein 65 71 67.
208 Jhared Hack 72 67 69.
209 Morgan Hoffman 67 68 74.
211 David Chung 70 71 70.
212 Andrea Pavan (Italy) 70 76 66.
213 Sergio Franky (Colombia) 73 66 74.
214 Johnny Widmer (Cayman Islands) 75 67 72.
215 Victor Dubuisson (France) 71 70 74, Minghao Wang 74 73 68.
Other totals:
218 Sean Einhaus (Germany) 76 70 72, Robin Wingardh (Swe) 78 67 73.
219 Philipp Westermann (Germany) 74 72 73.
220 Marc Dobias (Switzerland) 77 71 72.
222 Rhys Enoch (Wales) 74 75 73, Sam Hutsby (England) 74 69 79, Darren Renwick (England) 74 76 72. (jt 27th).
227 Luke Goddard (England) 78 75 74 (jt 42nd).
GIRLS (Par 216: 3 x 72).
Players from United States unless stated otherwise.
212 Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Canada) 75 68 69.
217 Laura Gonzalez-Escallon (Belgium) 72 73 72, Vicky Hurst 76 68 73.
218 Lindy Duncan 71 72 75.
219 Jenny Shin 77 71 71.
220 Lisa McCloskey 74 75 71.
223 Jessica Korda (Czech Rep) 72 72 79, Isabella Lendl 74 74 75.
Other totals:
226 Sally Watson (Scotland) 76 72 78 (jt 11th).
228 Stephanie Meadow (Ireland) 78 76 74 (jt 15th).
231 Florentyna Parker (England) 77 74 80.
234 Rachel Connor (England) 83 74 77 (28th).
247 Roseanne Niven (Scotland) 83 82 82 (34th).