Stiggy Hodgson in action (image by courtesy of Tom Ward Photography)

Stiggy Hodgson leads Junior Orange

Bowl by three with a round to go

PRESS RELEASE FROM CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA
By DAVID MACKINTOSH
England’s Stiggy Hodgson edged further ahead today in the race for the 45th Junior Orange Bowl title, a third-round of two-under-par 68 giving him a 54-hole total of 201, nine-under par. Three strokes back comes Norway’s Mathias Schjoelberg who holds a single-stroke advantage over third-placed Jorge Fernandez- Valdez from Argentina.
In the girls' section, first round leader Kristina Wong reassumed pole position with a best-of-the-championship four-under par 66 for a tally of three-under-par 207.
She will start the final round two ahead of Argentina’s Victoria Tanco and US Junior Girls Champion Alexis Thompson., these three now with a significant lead over the rest of the field.
“It was scrappy but I got the job done,” Hodgson said. “Things got difficult early on. I had a 4-stroke advantage after the second hole, then got tentative and was back in a tie after eight. From there I really tried hard to make something positive happen and fortunately it came around.”
The last four holes proved crucial. Hodgson birdied the par-5 15th, flying a perfect wedge from 105 yards inside 2 feet and although he missed a five-foot birdie chance at the 16th, when he saved par at the 17th from a difficult lie in greenside sand and Fernandez-Valdez double-bogeyed, the 18-year-old English teenager achieved his objective.
“I’d have been very upset in my mind if I’d let the lead get away this round and holing that putt was crucial,” Hodgson said, adding:

“The important thing for me is to play my own game, not pay attention to what’s going on around me. If I do my own thing I can’t see anyone getting past me.”
Tension ran equally high in the girls' championship, where Alexis Thompson vaulted into the lead when she birdied the 14th and 15th and then holed her 115yard approach at the 16th for an eagle 2.
Tanco and Wong both fired back with birdies at the 17th where Thompson missed a short putt. The US Junior champion’s putter let her down again at the 18th where she took three from the fringe for a costly double-bogey.
“I am usually a very solid putter but this week I’ve been awful on these greens,” Thompson said. “Today I hit the ball a lot sharper tee-to-green but my confidence with the putter was really low.”
*Why "Stiggy?" Answer: As a small boy he found his first set of clubs at the bottom of a skip and was immediately nicknamed by his family after the fictional character "Stig of the Dump." His real name, Eamonn, fell into disuse.

For the complete Junior Orange Bowl scoreboard go to http://www.jrorangebowl.com/

LEADING THIRD ROUND TOTALS
(Par 210: 3 x 70).
Boys
201 Stiggy Hodgson (Eng) 67 66 68.
204 Mathias Schjoelberg (Nor) 67 68 69.
205 Jorge Fernandez Valdes (Arg) 71 66 68.
207 Matteo Manassero (Ita) 69 68 70, Roman Wattel (Fra) 72 67 68.
208 Pedro Figueiredo (Por) 70 69 69, Stephan Wotters (Ger) 70 68 70.
210 Jake Shepherd (Eng) 70 69 71.
211 Joachim Hansen (Den) 76 67 68 Joaquin Lolas (Peru) 73 69 69, Patrick Rodgers (US) 72 68 71.

212 Rafael Becker (Braz) 71 73 69, Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 72 68 72, Matthew Mabrey (US) 71 73 68, Oliver Schniederjans (US) 74 72 66, T J Vogel (US) 73 69 70.

213 Han Chang Won (SKor) 73 69 70.

214 Bo Andrews (US) 70 74 70, Jose Maria Joia (Por) 71 70 73.

215 Robin Kokocinski (Swe) 73 68 74, Scott Vincent (Zim) 72 70 73.
Selected score:
228 Garth McGee (Ire) 77 79 72 (jt 47th).
Girls
207 Kristina Wong (US) 69 72 66.
209 Victoria Tanco (Arg) 72 69 68, Alexis Thompson (US) 71 71 67.
214 Stephanie Kim (US) 73 71 70, Yu-Ri Kim (SKor) 70 73 71.
216 Emilie Alonso (Fra) 74 70 72, Victoria Kiser (US) 72 74 70, Jessica Korda (US) 76 70 70.

217 Jazmin Reina (Arg) 74 71 72.

218 Alexandra Stewart (US) 71 75 72.

221 Diana Fernandez (Par) 74 72 74.

223 Luz Alejandra Cangrejo (Col) 75 75 73, Anais Maggetti (Swei) 77 76 70.

224 Ginger Howard (US) 74 76 74.

225 Marieke Nivard (Net) 74 73 78, Carolin Pinegger (Aut) 78 72 75, Valeria Tandrini (Ita) 75 77 73.

226 Daniela Lendl (US) 77 74 75, Giulia Molinaro (Ita) 78 77 71.