World Student Games in Thailand

GOLD AND SILVER

MEDALS FOR

DANIELLE McVEIGH

Northern Ireland 19-year-old six-footer Danielle McVeigh is walking even taller now – today (Friday) she won the women’s gold medal in the World Student Games’ golf championship at Watermill Golf and Gardens Resort in Thailand.
Danielle, from Kilkeel, Co Down, a student at Texas A&M University, had rounds of 72, 75, 69 and 76 for a four-over-par total of 292, beating the international field by four strokes with an excellent score in soaring temperatures and strength-sapping humidity.
Danielle, pictured above, playing for Ireland in the women’s team competition, just missed out on a gold medal double whammy. Niamh Kitching, Gillian O’Leary and Danielle, front-runners over the first three rounds, weakened on the final day and were pipped by Mexico by a single shot for first place.
So it was team gold to Ireland’s women with United States (603) third. Great Britain (Anna Scott, Hannah Burke and Scot Emma Fairnie) faded out of contention for a medal of any description on the last day. They finished fifth on 609.
Anna Scott (300) came fifth in the individual women’s event with Hannah Burke (310) 13th. Emma Fairnie did not play in the first round so did not have a final total but her last round of 77 was a scoring round for Britain under the best two from three format.
England international Charles Ford won a silver in the men’s individual golf championship with scores of 71, 75, 69 and 71 for two-under-par 286, the same score as a Japanese player.
Ming-chuan Chen (Taipei) took the golf with 70, 70, 74 and 67 for seven-under-par 281.
Gavin Dear and Scott Borrowman of Stirling University finished joint 28th and 41st respectively in the field of 85. Dear had a total of 297 with scores of 73, 75, 74 and 75 for nine-over-par 297.
Scottish youths champion Borrowman scored 81, 75, 70 and 78 for 304.
The fourth member of the British men’s team, Englishman Tom Sherreard, totalled 298.
Thailand (863), Mexico (864) and Japan (866) took the team medals. Britain finished fifth on 877.

QUOTE FROM DANIELLE McVEIGH:

“Initially we were fairly disappointed about missing out on the team gold by just one shot after leading this morning — and that was all I could think about. It was only a little later when I had time to reflect that it sank in that I had actually won,” remarked Danielle.

“It’s a huge achievement for all of us to do what we’ve done here this week. The disappointment we felt about losing gold only reflects our level of ambition, so that’s a good thing. A medal was my goal coming out here so to achieve a gold is fantastic; it means an awful lot to me,” she concluded.

LAST DAY SCOREBOARD

MEN INDIVIDUAL
Leading final totals
Par 288 (4 x 72)
281 Ming-chuan Chen (Tai) 70 70 74 67.
286 C Ford (GB) 71 75 69 71, Yuki Usami (Jap) 71 71 73 71.
Other British scores:
297 G Dear 73 75 74 75 (jt 28th).
298 T Sherreard 76 74 74 74 (31st).
304 S Borrowman 81 75 70 78 (41st of 85).
MEN TEAM
Final totals
863 Thailand. 864 Mexico. 866 Japan. 872 Taipei, 877 Great Britain. 878 United States. 883 Korea. 890 Turkey. 892 Italy. 897 New Zealand. 902 South Africa. 913 Canada. 918 Switzerland. 966 Malaysia. 988 Poland. 1003 Singapore.

WOMEN INDIVIDUAL
Leading final totals
Par 288 (4 x 72)
292 D McVeigh (Ire) 72 75 69 76.
296 D Cantu (Mex) 76 75 74 71.
297 Hiroko Ayada (Jap) 73 78 73 73.
Other British & Irish scores:
300 A Scott (GB) 71 79 73 77 (5th).
310 H Burke (GB) 76 76 80 78 (jt 13th).
313 N Kitching (Ire) 83 75 76 79 (18th).
323 G O’Leary (Ire) 80 85 78 80 (32nd).
NR E Fairnie (GB) NR 83 86 77.
WOMEN TEAM
Final totals
601 Mexico. 602 Ireland. 603 United States. 606 Japan. 609 Great Britain. 611 Taipei. 619 Belgium. 623 Italy, Thailand. 625 New Zealand. 631 Korea. 642 Russian Federation. 648 Canada. 668 Australia.