FLORENTYNA PARKER IN TRIPLE TIE
FOR HALFWAY LEAD AFTER SECOND
-ROUND 70 IN FLORIDA

Curtis Cup hopeful Florentyna Parker figured in a three-way tie for the lead at the end of the second day of the Junior Orange Bowl girls' golf championship over the Donald Ross-designed Biltmore course, Coral Gables in Florida today.
Teenager Parker, a member at Royal Birkdale but based in Germany where her father is a club professional, matched the par of 70 in her second round after birdieing the fourth and fifth but taking two-over-par 37 for the inward half for the second day running.
Her two-over-par tally of 142 was was matched by America's Alexis Thompson who has also had rounds of 72 and 70 and 13-year-old Argentine prospect Victoria Tanco who scored 70 and 72. Late finisher Victoria needed to par the last three holes for a one-shot lead but she bogeyed the 16th.
Parker's brother Ben followed in the footsteps of Tiger Woods (1991) by winning the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl boys' title in 2005.
Florentyna is a member of the Ladies Golf Union Elite Squad for winter training and practice. The Great Britain & Ireland team of eight to tackle the United States in the first Curtis Cup match to be played over the Old Course, St Andrews at the end of May will almost certainly be chosen from this short leet.
Irish girls champion of 2005, Stephanie Meadow had to withdraw after injuring her back on the practice ground before Thursday's first round. Stephanie is a student at the International Junior Golf Academy, Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Young German ace Sean Einhaus is making the boys' championship a one-horse race. He improved on his outstanding opening round of five-under-par 65 with a six-under 64 for a halfway total of 11-under-par 129.
The Florida-based youngster leads by eight shots from three players, two of them fellow Europeans - Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal), Max Keiffer (Germany) and Peter Uihlen (United States).
Andrew Johnston from North Middlesex, joint 12th at the start of the second day, plummeted to 47th at the end of the second rouond in which he had a 77, six strokes more than he required for his first navigation of the Biltmore course.
Andrew had a bogey at the second, a doub le bogey at the fifth and then a triple bogey at the seventh in taking 41 shots to the turn. He strung together a series of par figures before finishing with a bogey 8 for 36 home.
Darren Renwick (Worthing), a past winner of the Scottish Under-16 boys' open title, leapfrogged over johnston with a 72 - a two-stroke improvement - for a tally of six-over-par 146 and a share of 35th place.

REPORT FROM COURSE BY DAVID MACKINTOSH:

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, 28th Dec, 2007: Overnight leader Sean Einhaus took dominant command of the Junior Orange Bowl International with a second-round 64 for an 11-under par total of 129 to open up an eight-stroke margin over Floridian Peter Uihlien, German Max Keiffer and Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo.
The girls completed the halfway stage with in a three-way tie between England’s Florentyna Parker, South Florida’s Alexis Thompson and Argentina’s Victoria Tanco at 142, 2-over par.
Thompson, the dazzling 12-year-old winner of last week’s Doral Publix and Parker, 18, in her sixth and final Junior Orange Bowl appearance, both carded even-par 70s in windy conditions that made club selection difficult.
Tanco, an exceptionally talented 13-year old who was medallist at this year’s Argentine Ladies Amateur Championship, posted a solid no-birdie 72.
Three Floridians, Catherina O’Donnell, Andrea Watts and Lindy Duncan, stayed close on the heels of the girls' leaders with 71s but Korean overnight leader Jung-Eun Han slipped two off the pace with 75.
Einhaus, 17, a Destin, Florida-based German who is the national amateur champion of his homeland, set the new 36-hole tournament record of 129, improving the 2001 mark by a stroke.
"I got off to a really good start,” Einhaus said. “I birdied four of my first five holes then slipped a little, missing my approach to the seventh for a bogey. After that I just told myself to relax, play one shot at a time and let whatever happens happen.”
That mental directive produced a stirring charge of additional four birdies, Einhaus’ only slip in an otherwise flawless display came when he bogeyed the 17th after missing the green with a long-iron approach. “I played really great, every part of my game were working. I just hope it carries on like this for the weekend.”

For complete scores please go to http://www.jrorangebowl.com

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

GIRLS
Par 140 (2 x 70). 6,089yd.
142 F Parker (Eng) 72 70, A Thompson (US) 72 70, V Tanco (Arg) 70 72.
143 C O'Donnell (US) 72 71.
144 G Molinaro (Ita) 73 71, L Duncan (US) 73 71, J-E Han (SKor) 69 75, A Watts (US) 73 71.
145 C Ellenborgan (US) 71 74, S Hausladen (Ger) 74 71.
146 Y-L Hsieh (Tai) 71 75.
146 A Knight (Ita) 74 73.
148 L McCloskey (US) 73 75, L Beck (Isr) 72 76, E Alonso (Fra) 74 74, J Pinto (Por) 77 71.
149 M Shin (US) 74 75, F Vuignier (Swi) 77 72.
150 J Korda (Cze) 76 74.
151 S Hoglund (Fin) 75 76, S Kim (Can) 78 73.
152 L Gonzalez-Escallon (Bel) 77 75, K Hayashida (Peru) 74 78, P Hurtado (Col) 79 73, M Lendl (US) 75 77.
153 I Lendl (US) 79 74, F Wolte (Aut) 77 76, K Roig (Pue R) 72 81.
154 A Goumard (Fra) 78 76, E Santillian (Mex) 79 75.
156 S Benavides (Bolivia) 77 79.
157 K Puisite (Latvia) 83 74.
158 P Hoyos (Peru) 80 78.
159 D Fernandez (Para) 80 79.
162 B Spengler (Brazil) 83 79.
165 T Prelog (Slovenia) 84 81

BOYS
Par 140 (2 x 70), 6,699yd.
129 Sean Einhaus (Germany) 65 64.
137 Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal) 68 68, Max Keiffer (Germany) 70 67, Peter Uihlen (US) 71 66.
138 M Hoffman (US) 68 70, H S Lim (US) 71 67, C Terragini (Italy) 69 69.
139 R Wattel (France) 68 71.
140 D Fritelli (South Africa) 69 71, M Rivard (Canada) 67 73.
141 M Crombie (US) 74 67, J Kang (US) 70 71.
142 F De Vries (Netherlands) 71 71, V Dubuisson (France) 70 72, A Futzi (Malaysia) 75 67, J Lolas (Peru) 71 71, R Steinberg (Israel) 72 70, M Wang (US) 73 69.
Selected scores:
143 A Friestad (Norway) 72 71.
146 T Gornik (Slovenia) 73 73, B Palanszki (Hungary) 71 75, D Renwick (England) 74 72.
147 J Brun (France) 71 76, A Johnston (England) 71 77.
149 N Aagaard (Denmark) 75 74, M Gavars (Latvia) 76 73.
150 L Newecz (Austria) 73 77, C Vigano (Italy) 76 74.
151 P Petursson (Iceland) 75 76.
154 M Jedrezeczyk (Poland) 77 77.
157 K Hesbois (Belgium) 82 75.
159 A-C Orsinger (Switzerland) 86 73.
163 P Sterner (Sweden) 78 85.