GAVIN DEAR (69) BEST OF SCOTS
IN FLORIDA FIRST ROUND
Gavin Dear from Scone, Perthshire did best of the Scottish contingent in the first round of the 76th Dixie amateur golf championship at Palm-Aire Country Club, Pompano Beach, north of Fort Lauderdale in Florida on Tuesday.
Murrayshall Golf Club member Gavin, who played on the American college golf circuit for Lynn University, Boca Raton, benefited from that experience of Florida conditions to return a score of two-under-par 69 over the Oaks course.
He starts the second round of the men’s four-round stroke-play championship in joint sixth place, two shots behind leader David Johnson from Palm Beach Florida.
Only the leading 60 in the men’s field of 205 will go on to the third round.
Two Florida-based players lead the smaller women’s championship field. Mayule Tomimbang from Kissimmee shot a four-under-par 67 to lead by two shots from 11-year-old Alexis Thompson from Coral Springs, the youngest player ever to play in the “Dixie.” She did well in last week’s Junior Orange Bowl championships.
The top Stirling University players were Ireland’s Rachael Cassidy and Scotland’s Clare-Marie Carlton from the Fereneze club. They are sharing 27th place on 77.
Stirling student Emma Tipping from England was tied 44th after an 82.
Perth & Kinross women’s squad member Jacqueline Sneddon (Alyth) from Tayport was joint 51st after an 88.
American-born Stirling student Courtnay Montgomery, who comes from Florida, had a 55 and, completing the university squad, Catherine Baines, had a 95.
The women’s championship field of 58 will be cut to the leading 40 after 36 holes.

DIXIE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Palm-Aire CC, Pompano Breach, Florida.
FIRST ROUND
Leading men’s scores (Par 71)
(Players from US unless stated)
67 David Johnson.
68 Jeff Dennis, Mu Hu, Ki Moon, Minghao Wang.
69 Gavin Dear (Sco), Greg Hauxman, Nicholas Mullhaupt, Judson Eustaquio, Xavier Feyaerts (Belg), David Palm.
Other scores:
71 Edward Richardson (Eng).
72 James Dunkley (Eng).
74 Florian Fritsch (Ger).
75 Patrick Hanauer (Ger), Roger Furrer (Swi).
83 Gael Seegmuller (Belg).
85 Christian Fritsch (Ger).
86 Sandro Viglino (Switz).
Leading women’s scores (Par 71)
(Players from US unless stated)
67 Mayule Tomimbang.
69 Alexis Thompson.
71 Erica Gonzalez, Vicky Hurst.
72 Cassandra Blaney, Leigh Crosby, Alina Lee, Jenny Shin.
73 Madison Pressel, Jane Rah, Rebecca Samuelsson, Christina Hirano.
Other scores:
77 Rachael Cassidy (Ire), C-M Carlton (Sco) (jt 27th).
78 Laura Gonzalez-Escallon (Belg) (jt 36th).
82 Emma Tipping (Eng) (jt 45th).
88 Jacqueline Sneddon (Sco) (jt 52nd).
93 Courtnay Montgomery (US) (56th).
95 Catherine Baines (Eng) (58th).