SCOTS TO FORE IN DUKE OF YORK TROPHY
JAMES WHITE SHARES LEAD OVERALL; CARLY
BOOTH TWO AHEAD IN GIRLS' SECTION
Let’s not warm up the bagpipes yet … but a Scottish double whammy is a distinct possibility as The Duke of York Young Champions’ Trophy tournament enters its third and final round on Thursday at the Dundonald links at Gailes in Ayrshire.
James White, the Scottish boys’ match-play champion from Lundin Golf Club in Fife, shares the overall lead on 146 while Carly Booth from Comrie leads the girls’ section by two shots on 150.
A strong south-westerly wind gave Dundonald a set of teeth it didn’t have on the opening day when the invited field of 42 of the best Under-18 golfers in Europe basked in perfect scoring conditions.
On Wednesday, there were horror stories galore of scorecards strewn with 8s and 9s as some players who had scored in the mid-70s on the first day were blown away to returns in the 90s.
Scottish boys’ stroke-play champion Shaun McAllister, in 11th place on 152 with a pair of 76s, thought it was a “three-club” wind, i.e a shot that required only an eight-iron in the first round had been transformed into a more testing five-iron into the teeth of the wind.
James White, son of a former Tartan Tour pro, went as far as to say that he thought that at some holes, there was a four-club difference between the two rounds.
“I had to use a six-iron to hit an approach 105 yards into the wind at the fifth,” said James who was not all that pleased with his 74 for a two-over-par tally, the same as Sweden’s Robin Wingardh (71-75).
“I was level par at the turn, having birdied the fifth and eighth but bogeyed the sixth and seventh. Then I had an untidy start to the inward half with bogeys at the 10th, 11th and 12th.
“I got a birdie at the 13th but dropped another shot at the sixth and really was a bit lucky to get a birdie at the last. It’s a long hole but downwind today and I had a terrible drive. I could only hack out of the rough but was able to hit the green with a seven-iron and hole a good putt.”
Carly Booth, who has flown back from the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida, to play in this event and next week’s Junior Ryder Cup, looked as if she did not know whether to laugh or cry after handing in a card for a 77 which put her two shots ahead of the girls’ field.
“I just felt I had no control over the ball in a wind like that,” said Carly, only 14 years but worldly-wise in golfing terms.
“I didn’t enjoy myself at all. I wasted more shots on the second nine than I did on the first. I three-putted the third, ninth, 12th and 14th. I found it really difficult to judge how hard to hit the putts.
SHORT PUTTS FROM DUNDONALD
Monique Smith, the South African girl, who achieved a 74 with borrowed clubs on Tuesday, was reunited with her own clubs which had gone missing in transit. Result? A 79 for 153. Maybe she will be looking for those borrowed clubs again for the final round!
English girls champion Rachel Jennings had a triple bogey 8 at the 18th, and a double bogey at the short 11th in an inward half of 43 for an 81 and 159.
British boys champion Matthew Nixon from Lancashire slipped back from a share of the lead on 71 to a 78 for 149.
He had a triple bogey 7 at the seventh and double-bogey 6s at the ninth and 10th in halves of 41 and 37.
Matthew highlighted his inward half with an eagle 3 at the 14th.
LEADING TEE TIMES FOR FINAL ROUND
10.00 Shaun McAllister & Sam Hutsby.
10.10 Xavi Puig and Rhys West.
10.20 Carly Booth & Matthew Nixon.
10.30 Thomas Weiler & Marc Dobias.
10.40 Miro Veijlainen & Xavier Feyaerts.
10.50 Robin Wingardh & James White.
BOOTH TWO AHEAD IN GIRLS' SECTION
Let’s not warm up the bagpipes yet … but a Scottish double whammy is a distinct possibility as The Duke of York Young Champions’ Trophy tournament enters its third and final round on Thursday at the Dundonald links at Gailes in Ayrshire.
James White, the Scottish boys’ match-play champion from Lundin Golf Club in Fife, shares the overall lead on 146 while Carly Booth from Comrie leads the girls’ section by two shots on 150.
A strong south-westerly wind gave Dundonald a set of teeth it didn’t have on the opening day when the invited field of 42 of the best Under-18 golfers in Europe basked in perfect scoring conditions.
On Wednesday, there were horror stories galore of scorecards strewn with 8s and 9s as some players who had scored in the mid-70s on the first day were blown away to returns in the 90s.
Scottish boys’ stroke-play champion Shaun McAllister, in 11th place on 152 with a pair of 76s, thought it was a “three-club” wind, i.e a shot that required only an eight-iron in the first round had been transformed into a more testing five-iron into the teeth of the wind.
James White, son of a former Tartan Tour pro, went as far as to say that he thought that at some holes, there was a four-club difference between the two rounds.
“I had to use a six-iron to hit an approach 105 yards into the wind at the fifth,” said James who was not all that pleased with his 74 for a two-over-par tally, the same as Sweden’s Robin Wingardh (71-75).
“I was level par at the turn, having birdied the fifth and eighth but bogeyed the sixth and seventh. Then I had an untidy start to the inward half with bogeys at the 10th, 11th and 12th.
“I got a birdie at the 13th but dropped another shot at the sixth and really was a bit lucky to get a birdie at the last. It’s a long hole but downwind today and I had a terrible drive. I could only hack out of the rough but was able to hit the green with a seven-iron and hole a good putt.”
Carly Booth, who has flown back from the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida, to play in this event and next week’s Junior Ryder Cup, looked as if she did not know whether to laugh or cry after handing in a card for a 77 which put her two shots ahead of the girls’ field.
“I just felt I had no control over the ball in a wind like that,” said Carly, only 14 years but worldly-wise in golfing terms.
“I didn’t enjoy myself at all. I wasted more shots on the second nine than I did on the first. I three-putted the third, ninth, 12th and 14th. I found it really difficult to judge how hard to hit the putts.
SHORT PUTTS FROM DUNDONALD
Monique Smith, the South African girl, who achieved a 74 with borrowed clubs on Tuesday, was reunited with her own clubs which had gone missing in transit. Result? A 79 for 153. Maybe she will be looking for those borrowed clubs again for the final round!
English girls champion Rachel Jennings had a triple bogey 8 at the 18th, and a double bogey at the short 11th in an inward half of 43 for an 81 and 159.
British boys champion Matthew Nixon from Lancashire slipped back from a share of the lead on 71 to a 78 for 149.
He had a triple bogey 7 at the seventh and double-bogey 6s at the ninth and 10th in halves of 41 and 37.
Matthew highlighted his inward half with an eagle 3 at the 14th.
LEADING TEE TIMES FOR FINAL ROUND
10.00 Shaun McAllister & Sam Hutsby.
10.10 Xavi Puig and Rhys West.
10.20 Carly Booth & Matthew Nixon.
10.30 Thomas Weiler & Marc Dobias.
10.40 Miro Veijlainen & Xavier Feyaerts.
10.50 Robin Wingardh & James White.
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 6:01:00 pm
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