Kenta Konishi, winner of the RandA's Junior Open for 2010, pictured with his trophy (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

Junior Open winner Konishi from Japan shows his class with  

eagle-birdie burst to win by four shots

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Overnight leader Kenta Konishi, a 16-year-old from Japan, maintained his clear-cut advantage over a final round played in miserably wet, cold and windy conditions, to win the RandA's biennial Junior Open title for under-16s over Lundin Golf Club’s links course in Fife today.

Konishi, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who has a handicap of +4, had rounds of 71, 68 and 72 for a splendid five-under-par total of 211 which gave him victory by four strokes.

In the worst of the rain and wind, Konishi reached the turn in two-over-par 38 at the last time of asking and dropped another shot at the 11th. Then he showed the class that separated him from the field of more than 120 players from 77 nations.

Konishi got an eagle 3 at the 13th (499yd) and a birdie 2 at the par-3 14th (177yd) to shake off his pursuers and he could even afford the luxury of a bogey 5 at the last for a one-under-par inward half of 34.

Konishi cannot speak English but it’s a safe bet that he is not familiar with Scottish links courses and the wind and rain that often sweeps over them, even in summer!
Joint runners-up on 215 were Chile’s Guillermo Pereira with scores of 73, 69 and 73, and the leading girl, Miss Hyo-Joo Kim from Seoul, South Korea with rounds of 72, 70 and 73. Miss Kim, like the winner, does not speak English. She is 14 years old and has one of a handicap. She is a far better player than that rating would suggest.
Pereira, who is 15 years old, was out in 38 and home in level par 35 with birdies at the 13th and 17th cancelling out bogeys at the 10th and 15th in his final round.

Miss Kim, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, too was out in 38 with three bogeys and a birdie 2 at the fifth. She dropped another shot at the 12th but then, with the rain easing just a bit, she covered the last six holes in one under par with a birdie 4 at the long 13th and five solid pars to finish with.

England’s Emily Taylor, a scratch junior member at Royal Lytham and St Annes, finished fourth overall - second-best girl - on 218 with scores of 70, 76 and 72.

“It was really hard out there, just awful weather,” said Emily who had birdies at the first and eighth, dropping only one shot, at the fourth, in turning in one-under 35.

She battled through the inward half in seven pars and two bogeys, at the 12th and 16th, for 37 home.

Emily finished a shot ahead of the New Zealand’s Cecilia Cho who has plus five of a handicap and is the reigning Australian women's open amateur champion.

Scotland’s Ewan Scott finished joint ninth in the boys’ section. Scott, from St Andrews, had rounds of 70, 76 and 77 for a seven-over-par total of 223. He had a double bogey 6 at the seventh when the weather was at its worst – the start was delayed until 10am in the hope that the conditions would ease (they didn’t until mid to late afternoon).

Out in four-over-par 40, Ewan had a solitary birdie at the long 13th, sandwiched between bogeys at the 12th, 14th and 15th.

Scotland’s other representative, Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) had scores of 84, 79 and 88 for 251.

All 122 competitors (the Silver and Bronze category players did not play the final round) from 77 nations around the world, were under 16 years on the day of entry.

     EWAN SCOTT                                          EMILY TAYLOR