HANNAH AND SIAN HELP BAYLOR TO
BEST-EVER BIG 12 FINISH

English pair Hannah Burke from Welwyn Garden City and Sian Reddick from Folkestone helped Baylor University, Texas to finished third in the Big 12 Conference women's college championship at Ridgewood Country Club, Waco in Texas.
It was Baylor’s highest ever finish in the tournament.
Hannah scored 77, 77 and 76 to finish joint eighth on 230. She birdied the fourth, sixth and 18th in her final round.
Sian, pictured above, a former English women’s open amateur stroke-play championship who has been plagued by injuries during the 2006-2007 US college season, slumped with a final round of 83, including double bogeys at the seventh and ninth in an outward 43, after earlier rounds of 77 and 77. Sian dropped from joint ninth at the start of the final day to a final placing of tied 28th in the field of 60 players.
Amanda Costner (Kansas) won the individual with the unusually high aggregate of five-over-par 221 for the 6,142yd, par-72 course. She had rounds of 71, 73 and 77 to win by three shots from Ashley Knox (Texas A&M).
Danielle McVeigh (Texas A&M), the 2005 Irish girls champion, did very well to finish joint fourth on 229 with scores of 78, 77 and 74. She birdied the seventh, 12th and 13th but had a double bogey at the 15th in rising from joint 13th overnight. Over her three rounds, Danielle had five double bogeys.
Texas A&M (911) won the team title from Oklahoma State (916) with Baylor (916) third of the 12 teams.

VICKI MAKES TWO 20 IN ARIZONA

Irish junior international Vicki Power (Northern Arizona) had scores of 82, 73 and 76 to finish joint 17th on 231 in a field of 40 players for the Big Sky Conference women’s championship at Palm Valley Golf Club, Goodyear in Arizona.
The tournament was won by Margaux Sheehan (Sacramento State) with a total of 216 (71-69-76). Although that was “only” a level par aggregate, Margaux won by six strokes.
Sacramento State (884) won the team title ahead of Northern Arizona (909) in a field of eight teams.

NATASHA JUST OUTSIDE TOP 20 AT LAKE JOVITA

Natasha Morgan (Lynn University) from South Wales came joint 22nd in the Sunshine State Conference women’s championship at Lake Jovita Country Club, St Leo in Florida, with scores of 85, 77 and 82 for 244 – 18 shots behind the joint winners, Daniela Iacobelli (Florida Tech) and Maria Garcia Austt (Nova Southeastern).
Katy McNicoll from Carnoustie would have been a key player in the Lynn University team but the knee injury which ended her season earlier in the year.
Florida Southern (929) won the team title from Rollins College (934) with Lynn University and Nova Southeastern tied for third place in a field of seven on 939.

PORTIA ABBOT FINISHES THIRD IN KENTUCKY

Portia Abbot (Jacksonville State) from Wiltshire finished third on 233 with scores of 82, 75 and 76 in the Ohio Valley Conference women’s championship at Drake Creek Golf Club, Ledbetter, Kentucky.
Over a tough course, Portia scored only two birdies in 54 holes.
Jacksonville State from Alabama – the college that Ellon girl Michele Thomson quit over the Festive period – had all five team places in the top 10 finishes and won the team championship with a total of 935. Runners-up Murray State were 16 shots behind in second place in a field of eight teams.
Katelyn Stanier (Samford) won the individual title by seven shots from Manuela Tarazona (Jacksonville State) with the high total of seven-over-par 223 (75-74-74)

FIONA BEATTIE DOWN THE SUN BELT FIELD

Fiona Beattie (Arkansas State) from Axbridge, Somerset finished joint 43rd in a field of 55 in the Sun Belt Conference women’s championship at Disney’s Eagle Pines course, Orlando in Florida.
Fiona had scores of 83, 82 and 80 over the par-72, 5,997yd course.
Stephanie Sherlock (Denver) won the title with scores of 73, 71 and 75 for 219.
Denver (893) won the team event from Florida International (906) with Florida Atlantic third on 919. Arkansas State (953) finished ninth of 11.


KEARNEY SLIPS BACK TO FINISH JOINT SEVENTH

Ireland’s Thomas Kearney (Texas-San Antonio) slipped back to a final placing of joint seventh with a final round of 77 in the Southland Conference men’s championship at The Club at Comanche Trace.
Kearney had been joint third overnight after rounds of 70 and 69. His only birdie of the final day came at the 18th.
Another Irishman, Peter O’Keeffe (Southeast Louisiana), and team-mate James Taverner, a Londoner, also finished on 216.
O’Keeffe scored 75, 68 and 73 while Taverner’s rounds were 74, 73 and 69.
There were two more Irishmen in the field. Fergal Rafferty (Sam Houston State) tied for 21st place on 224 with 76, 75 and 74 while Aaron O’Callaghan (Southeast Louisiana) came 34th on 230 with 77, 83 and 70.
Lamar University’s South Africans Dawie Van Der Walt and Oliver Bekker finished first and second. In fact, Lamar provided the 1-2-3 and joint fourth finishers.
Van Der Walt scored 72, 65 and 66 for 13-under-par 203, very good scoring over a par-72, 7,103yd course. Bekker totalled 206.
Not surprisingly, Lamar (825) ran away with the team title – by a 34-stroke margin from runners-up Southeast Louisiana (859) with Texas-San Antonio (877) third of 10.