Alexis Thompson and Romain Wattel with their Junior Orange Bowl Championship trophies. Click to enlarge.

Ross Kellett's conqueror Wattel wins Junior Orange Bowl

boys' play-off, Alexis Thompson takes girls' title

British amateur champion Matteo Manassero, on the very day that he became the world's No 1 amateur in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings, lost the lead he had held over the first three rounds and finished a close-up third in the Junior Orange Bowl International Championships' boys' category.
Manassero, 16, from Rome had rounds of 65, 70, 68 and 71 for a six-under-par total of 274 over the par-70 Biltmore course at Coral Gables, Florida.
He finished one shot behind French men's amateur champion Romain Wattel - who recently beat Motherwell's Ross Kellett in the final of the Argentina men's amateur championship - and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo. They tied on 273 before Wattel won a sudden-death play-off at the third extra hole.
Grillo had rounds of 68, 72, 66 and 67. Wattel scored 67, 71, 68 and 67. Wattel birdied the short 14th, long 15th and 17th to come home in 32 at the last time of asking. Grillo bogeyed the 13th and 14th but birdied the 15th and 16th.
Manassero had a costly bogey at the 16th which prevented him from figuring in a three-way play-off for the prestigious title.
England's representative, Jonathan Bell from the Royal Blackheath club, had a nightmare last round of 10-over-par 80, with two double bogeys, eight bogeys and birdies at the first and eighth. His total of 294 gave him joint 30th place in the final standings.
Alexis Thompson, as expected, made up a two-shot overnight leeway to win the girls' title by two strokes with rounds of 71, 72, 66 and 71 for level par 280. Alexis, from Coral Springs, was playing in her home state of Florida.
Overnight leader Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) fell away under pressure to sign off with a 76 for 283. She lost second place to Cindy Feng (US) who had rounds of 71, 72, 67 and 72 for 282.

LEADING BOYS' FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) 6,699yd.
273 Romain Wattel (France) 67 71 68 67, Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 68 72 66 67 (Wattel won play-off at third extra hole).
274 Matteo Manassero (Italy) 65 70 68 71.
282 Andrea Bolognesi (Italy) 67 71 70 74, Tom Lovelady (US) 69 67 71 75.
283 Justin Thomas (US) 69 71 69 74, Curtis Thyompson (US) 67 73 72 71.
284 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 69 73 75 67, Patrick Rodgers (US) 70 74 72 68.
Selected score:
294 Jonathan Bell (England) 71 72 71 80 (jt 30th).
LEADING GIRLS' FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70). 6,061 yd.
280 Alexis Thompson (US) 71 72 66 71.
282 Cindy Feng (US) 71 72 67 72.
283 Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) 71 659 657 76.
286 Victoria Tanco (Argentina) 73 75 70 68.
288 Daisy Nielsen (Denmark) 69 77 74 68.
290 Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand) 69 74 73 74.
291 Jessica Korda (US) 75 72 76 68.
292 Laetitia Beck (Israel) 71 77 71 73.

To see all the scores, click on:
http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/player/static/player1885.html

REPORT FROM THE COURSE BY DAVID MACKINTOSH:

France's Romain Wattel and USA's Alexis Thompson are the new Junior Orange Bowl golf champions.
Wattel defeated Argentina's Emiliano Grillo in a three-hole playoff, after finishing tied after 72 holes on 7-under par 273. Both scored 67s in the final round.
Third-round leader, Italy's Matteo Manassero, the British Amateur Champion, finished one stroke behind on 274 after posting 71.
The girls' final round was a nail-biting affair. After eight holes favourite Thompson had made up the two-stroke overnight deficit but was stretched all the way on the back nine and admitted she was not sure that she could win until the last putt dropped.
“I caught up, then dropped back, played very solid golf on the back nine to get ahead, then Cindy birdied 15th and 17th, so the pendulum could have swung in any direction at the final hole, where I've had problems all week.”
Thompson, Feng and Jutanugarn all missed the green at the 18th but only Thompson saved par, walking off as much relieved as elated. “It is great to win this one, I've really wanted it for a number of years. When I can relax I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it.”
“Naturally it is a little disappointing,” Manassero said later, “and I did not play badly, but these guys played really great today, particularly on the back nine. I struggled a little with my game all week but full credit has to go to Emiliano and Romain.”
Wattel and Grillo both parred the 18th hole twice before the Frenchman clinched victory with a 16ft birdie putt although for most of the closing holes it seemed Manassero would triumph. After regaining the lead through 14 holes, the Italian's 100yd approach to the par-5 15th stopped inches from the hole: but both opponents also got up-and-down from around the green to match his birdie.
Manassero made just one mistake but it was enough. From the right hand rough his approach to the 16th flew long, the outcome a bogey while Grillo birdied, a two-shot swing. When Wattel birdied the 17th, suddenly the one-time leader was a stroke adrift.