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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

TIRED FINDLAY SLUMPS IN FINAL
ROUND OF PUERTO RICO CLASSIC

Fraserburgh’s Jordan Findlay, weakened by a bout of pneumonia in January, did not have the stamina to maintain his one-under-par standing through a third competitive round of golf in three days in the Puerto Rico Collegiate Classic at Rio Mar Country Club on the Caribbean island.
After opening rounds of 71 and 72 over the 6,902yd, par-72 course, Jordan, an 18-year-old second-year student at East Tennessee State University, slumped to a closing, five-over-par 77 for a four-over-par total of 220.
The former British boys’ champion’s final halves of 40 and 37 included a triple-bogey 8 at the long fifth and six other holes where he dropped a single shot. On the credit side he had birdies at the fifth, 13th, 15th and 16th.
Team-mate Rhys Davies, the Walker Cup player who was born in Edinburgh but brought up at Bridgend, South Wales, finished joint third on six-under-par 210 with scores of 65, 73 and 72.
He finished one shot behind Robert Castro (Georgia Tech) and Joseph Bramlett (Stanford). Castro gained the individual honours with the better last round, a 71 to a 73.
Another East Tennessee State player, Ireland’s Cian McNamara finished joint 17th on one-under-par 215 with scores of 65, 74 and 76.
Team-mate and compatriot Seamus Power from Waterford came 24th equal with 72, 72 and 73 for 217.
And the fifth East Tennessee State team player, Gareth Shaw from Lisburn, finished joint 39th on 221 with scores of 76, 73 and 72.
East Tennessee State who had jumped into the team leadership in the first round after 65s by Davies and McNamara eventually subsided, in a high-class field, to a creditable fourth place on 856, six shots behind winners Georgia in a field of 18 college teams.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4 x 72)
209 Robert Castro (Georgia Tech) 68 70 71, Joseph Bramlett (Stanford) 69 67 73 (Castro won individual title on better last round).
210 Jonathan Moore (Oklahoma State) 68 72 70, Rhys Davies (East Tennessee State) 65 73 72.
211 Hudson Swafford (Georgia) 70 70 71, Matthew Swan (Alabama) 69 68 73, Brendon Todd (Georgia) 68 68 75.
Other totals:
215 Cian McNamara (East Tennessee State) 65 74 76 (jt 17th).
217 Seamus Power (East Tennessee State) 72 72 73 (jt 24th).
218 Peter Richardson(Purdue) 71 69 78 (jt 27th).
220 Jordan Findlay (East Tennessee State) 71 72 77 (jt 36th).
221 Gareth Shaw (East Tennessee State) 76 73 72 (jt 39th).
224 Farren Keenan (Texas) 71 76 77 (jt 57th).
TEAM TOTALS
850 Georgia. 851 Clemson, Stanford. 855 Alabama. 856 East Tennessee State. 862 Oklahoma State. 864 Minnesota. 865 Georgia Tech. 867 Florida. 878 Virginia Tech. 882 Texas. 884 Duke. 890 Kent State. 894 Northwestern. 899 Purdue. 900 Illinois. 904 Michigan. 910 North Carolina State.