FLORENTYNA PARKER, STEPHANIE

MEADOW IN FIELD FOR JUNIOR

ORANGE BOWL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

The Junior Orange Bowl championships for boys and girls tees off today at the Biltmore Course, Coral Gables in Florida.

It is one of the most prestigious Under-18s' tournaments in the world - Tiger Woods won the boys' title in 1991.

There are no Scots in either field this week, contrasting with last year when Sally Watson finished 12th and Roseanne Niven 34th in the girls' championship.

Twelve months ago England's Florentyna Parker, Germany-based daughter of a club professional, tied for 24th place. Her brother Ben won the boys' title in 2005.

Florentyna, a member at Royal Birkdale Golf Club and one of the Ladies Golf Union elite squad for winter training and practice, is competing again this week and Ireland's Stephanie Meadow, who is a student at the International Junior Golf Academy on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is also in the girls' field.

Stephanie won both the Irish girls' championshipship and the Nick Faldo Series Grand Final girls' title in 2006. She hails from Jordanstown, County Antrim.

Andrew Johnston from England is Great Britain & Ireland's sole representative in the boys' field. His home club is North Middlesex.

When I asked Scottish Golf Union officials a year or two ago why Scottish boys were never entered for the Junior Orange Bowl, I was told that it was "the wrong time of year for their schedules."

The boys play over a par-70 course measuring 6,699yd while the girls' course, also a par-70, is 6,089yd long.

Florida time is five hours behind us in the UK but we hope to bring you the boys' and girls' scores at the end of each days' play.

If you want to check out who is playing and, later, what the scores are, you can log on direct to the Junior Bowl website at: http://www.jrorangebowl.com/Events-index-id-11-g_id-11.html