Asians on top in Nick Faldo Europe
Grand Final in Northern Ireland
By COLIN CALLANDER
Japan’s Masamichi Ito and Chinese Taipei’s Yi-Chen Liu made it an Asian double when they led the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions after the second round of the 14th Faldo Series Europe Grand Final over the Faldo Course at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland today.
Ito carded his second successive two under par 70 to post a four under par aggregate of 140 and go into the final round four shots ahead of English duo, Adam Andrews and Harrison Greenberry and five in front of co-first round leader, Jack Brooks.
Liu improved one shot on her opening 75 to go into the last round with a three shot advantage over England’s Abi Laker but GB and I Curtis Cup player, Holly Clyburn, who shared the led with Liu after the first round, dropped four off the lead for the overall Girls’ prize after carding a five over par 78.
Ito, the 2010 Faldo Series Asia champion, is playing his first tournament in Europe but he has taken no time at all to acclimatise to the testing conditions.
The 15 year-old Japanese golfer opened with a birdie on the 527-yard par-5 4th and also birdied the 439-yard par-4 eighth before dropping his sole shot of the day when he missed the green on the 420-yard par-4 12th and then failed to get up and down.
That was only the second time Ito had dropped a shot in 30 holes at Lough Erne but he soon bounced back with a birdie two on the 203-yard par-3 15th where he hit a 4-iron to 20-feet and then finished the round with three successive pars.
“The conditions are tough but I’m slowly getting used to them,” he said. “Tomorrow I’m just going to try to be patient. You can get into a lot of trouble if you hit your ball into the wrong place.”
The best round of the Championship was supplied by Poland’s Adrian Meronk who carded a fabulous four under par 68 to move into a share of 5th place on two over par 146.
The 17 year-old Polish men’s champion had 35 putts in his opening 78 but 24 hours later he needed just 29 while putting together a round that included three birdies, one bogey and an eagle on the fourth where he hit a 220-yard rescue club and then holed a curling left-to-right 35-footer for a spectacular three.
“That was a big break,” he admitted. “But I played a lot better than yesterday and holed a lot more putts.
“I love this place,” he added. “I don’t think I have ever played on a course with such beautiful views.”
Chinese Taipei’s Yi-Chen Liu – Babe to her friends – holds a three-shot lead over England’s Abi Laker heading into the final round of the Girls’ event.
The 17 year-old Faldo Series Asia Girls’ Under-16 champion is making her first visit to Europe but that did not stop her adding a fine 74 to her opening 75 to post a 36-hole total of five over par 149. That left her three shots ahead of Laker and four in front of 2009 Faldo Series Europe Girls’ champion, Clyburn.
Liu started her second round with a birdie on the 468-yard par-5 4th hole but then dropped two shots when she found the water off the tee on the 121-yard par-3 5th. She bounced back with a birdie on the 488- yard par-5 6th hole before dropping further shots on the 416-yard par-4 8th and the 127-yard par-3 15th.
“I played better than yesterday but I’m still finding it difficult to adapt to the conditions,” she said. “It’s a great course but it’s a lot different from the courses I play in Asia and I’m finding it very difficult to get up-and-down from just off the green.”
“I’m just pleased to be leading and hope I can do a little better in the final round,” she added.
The best round of the day in the girls’ competition came from Laker who carded a two under par 70 which moved her up to second place in the overall girls’ competition and gave her a three shot lead over Ireland’s Chloe Ryan in the Girls’ Under-16 age group category.
The 16 year-old from Burford had opened with an 82 and dropped two further shots to par on the 3rd and the 5th before starting a tremendous run that saw her close the second round on eight over par 152. She began her charge with three consecutive birdies from the 7th, added another on the 11th and then came home in level par from there to tie the best round of the week.
“I’m really pleased,” she said. “I knew I needed to make a good score in the weather conditions and played really well. Now I’m going to try to stick to my game. I want to be positive but you can’t force the birdies on this course. You’ve just got to try to score birdies and see what happens from there."
Sir Nick Faldo, the founder of the Faldo Series, watched the second round at Lough Erne Resort. Later, the six-time Major winner gave a short game clinic to competitors.
Full second round scores can be found at http://www.nickfaldo.com/.
LEADING SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Overall
140 – Masamichi Ito (Jap) 70-70
144 – Harrison Greenberry (Eng) 71-73, Adam Andrews (Eng) 74-70
145 – Jack Brooks (Eng) 70-75
146 – Kieran Lynch (Ire) 70-76, Adrian Meronk (Pol) 78-68, Josh Loughrey (Eng) 71-75
147 – Nathan Kimsey (Eng) 77-70, Sam Robertshawe (Eng) 75-72
148 – Jack Colegate (Eng) 74-74, Hugo Dobson (Eng) 73-75
Boys’ Under-21
144 – Adam Andrews (Eng) 74-70
145 – Jack Brooks (Eng) 70-75
146 – Josh Loughrey (Eng) 71-75
147 – Sam Robertshawe (Eng) 75-72
148 – Hugo Dobson (Eng) 73-75
149 – Jonathan Bell (Eng) 77-72, James Maw (Eng) 77-72
Boys’ Under-18
146 – Adrian Meronk (Pol) 78-68
147 – Nathan Kimsey (Eng) 77-70
148 – Jack Colegate (Eng) 74-74
149 – Andrew Scrimshaw (Eng) 76-73
150 – Billy Downing (Eng) 73-77
151 – Steve Jones (Eng) 75-76, Henry Tomlinson (Eng) 73-78, Conor Glynn (Ire) 80-71
Boys’ Under-16
140 – Masamichi Ito (Jap) 70-70
144 – Harrison Greenberry (Eng) 71-73
146 – Kieran Lynch (Ire) 70-76
149 – Ewan Scott (Sco) 74-75, James Newton (Eng) 75-74
151 – Mateusz Gradecki (Pol) 77-74
153 – Benjamin David (Eng) 74-79
Girls’ Under-21
149 – Yi-Chen Liu (Cht) 75-74
153 – Holly Clyburn (Eng) 75-78
157 – Danielle Anderson (Eng) 77-80
158 – Katherine O’Connor (Wal) 78-80, Helen Searle (Eng) 82-76
160 – Katie Burman (Eng) 77-83
161 – Lianne Jansen (Ned) 81-80
Girls’ Under-16
152 – Abi Laker (Eng) 82-70
155 – Chloe Ryan (Ire) 78-77, Sophie van Wijngaarden (Ned) 79-76
160 – Lauren Taylor (Eng) 84-76
161 – Dominica Gradecka (Pol) 84-77, Lesley Atkins (Sco) 84-77
163 – Jessica Evans (Wal) 82-81
Grand Final in Northern Ireland
By COLIN CALLANDER
Japan’s Masamichi Ito and Chinese Taipei’s Yi-Chen Liu made it an Asian double when they led the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions after the second round of the 14th Faldo Series Europe Grand Final over the Faldo Course at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland today.
Ito carded his second successive two under par 70 to post a four under par aggregate of 140 and go into the final round four shots ahead of English duo, Adam Andrews and Harrison Greenberry and five in front of co-first round leader, Jack Brooks.
Liu improved one shot on her opening 75 to go into the last round with a three shot advantage over England’s Abi Laker but GB and I Curtis Cup player, Holly Clyburn, who shared the led with Liu after the first round, dropped four off the lead for the overall Girls’ prize after carding a five over par 78.
Ito, the 2010 Faldo Series Asia champion, is playing his first tournament in Europe but he has taken no time at all to acclimatise to the testing conditions.
The 15 year-old Japanese golfer opened with a birdie on the 527-yard par-5 4th and also birdied the 439-yard par-4 eighth before dropping his sole shot of the day when he missed the green on the 420-yard par-4 12th and then failed to get up and down.
That was only the second time Ito had dropped a shot in 30 holes at Lough Erne but he soon bounced back with a birdie two on the 203-yard par-3 15th where he hit a 4-iron to 20-feet and then finished the round with three successive pars.
“The conditions are tough but I’m slowly getting used to them,” he said. “Tomorrow I’m just going to try to be patient. You can get into a lot of trouble if you hit your ball into the wrong place.”
The best round of the Championship was supplied by Poland’s Adrian Meronk who carded a fabulous four under par 68 to move into a share of 5th place on two over par 146.
The 17 year-old Polish men’s champion had 35 putts in his opening 78 but 24 hours later he needed just 29 while putting together a round that included three birdies, one bogey and an eagle on the fourth where he hit a 220-yard rescue club and then holed a curling left-to-right 35-footer for a spectacular three.
“That was a big break,” he admitted. “But I played a lot better than yesterday and holed a lot more putts.
“I love this place,” he added. “I don’t think I have ever played on a course with such beautiful views.”
Chinese Taipei’s Yi-Chen Liu – Babe to her friends – holds a three-shot lead over England’s Abi Laker heading into the final round of the Girls’ event.
The 17 year-old Faldo Series Asia Girls’ Under-16 champion is making her first visit to Europe but that did not stop her adding a fine 74 to her opening 75 to post a 36-hole total of five over par 149. That left her three shots ahead of Laker and four in front of 2009 Faldo Series Europe Girls’ champion, Clyburn.
Liu started her second round with a birdie on the 468-yard par-5 4th hole but then dropped two shots when she found the water off the tee on the 121-yard par-3 5th. She bounced back with a birdie on the 488- yard par-5 6th hole before dropping further shots on the 416-yard par-4 8th and the 127-yard par-3 15th.
“I played better than yesterday but I’m still finding it difficult to adapt to the conditions,” she said. “It’s a great course but it’s a lot different from the courses I play in Asia and I’m finding it very difficult to get up-and-down from just off the green.”
“I’m just pleased to be leading and hope I can do a little better in the final round,” she added.
The best round of the day in the girls’ competition came from Laker who carded a two under par 70 which moved her up to second place in the overall girls’ competition and gave her a three shot lead over Ireland’s Chloe Ryan in the Girls’ Under-16 age group category.
The 16 year-old from Burford had opened with an 82 and dropped two further shots to par on the 3rd and the 5th before starting a tremendous run that saw her close the second round on eight over par 152. She began her charge with three consecutive birdies from the 7th, added another on the 11th and then came home in level par from there to tie the best round of the week.
“I’m really pleased,” she said. “I knew I needed to make a good score in the weather conditions and played really well. Now I’m going to try to stick to my game. I want to be positive but you can’t force the birdies on this course. You’ve just got to try to score birdies and see what happens from there."
Sir Nick Faldo, the founder of the Faldo Series, watched the second round at Lough Erne Resort. Later, the six-time Major winner gave a short game clinic to competitors.
Full second round scores can be found at http://www.nickfaldo.com/.
LEADING SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Overall
140 – Masamichi Ito (Jap) 70-70
144 – Harrison Greenberry (Eng) 71-73, Adam Andrews (Eng) 74-70
145 – Jack Brooks (Eng) 70-75
146 – Kieran Lynch (Ire) 70-76, Adrian Meronk (Pol) 78-68, Josh Loughrey (Eng) 71-75
147 – Nathan Kimsey (Eng) 77-70, Sam Robertshawe (Eng) 75-72
148 – Jack Colegate (Eng) 74-74, Hugo Dobson (Eng) 73-75
Boys’ Under-21
144 – Adam Andrews (Eng) 74-70
145 – Jack Brooks (Eng) 70-75
146 – Josh Loughrey (Eng) 71-75
147 – Sam Robertshawe (Eng) 75-72
148 – Hugo Dobson (Eng) 73-75
149 – Jonathan Bell (Eng) 77-72, James Maw (Eng) 77-72
Boys’ Under-18
146 – Adrian Meronk (Pol) 78-68
147 – Nathan Kimsey (Eng) 77-70
148 – Jack Colegate (Eng) 74-74
149 – Andrew Scrimshaw (Eng) 76-73
150 – Billy Downing (Eng) 73-77
151 – Steve Jones (Eng) 75-76, Henry Tomlinson (Eng) 73-78, Conor Glynn (Ire) 80-71
Boys’ Under-16
140 – Masamichi Ito (Jap) 70-70
144 – Harrison Greenberry (Eng) 71-73
146 – Kieran Lynch (Ire) 70-76
149 – Ewan Scott (Sco) 74-75, James Newton (Eng) 75-74
151 – Mateusz Gradecki (Pol) 77-74
153 – Benjamin David (Eng) 74-79
Girls’ Under-21
149 – Yi-Chen Liu (Cht) 75-74
153 – Holly Clyburn (Eng) 75-78
157 – Danielle Anderson (Eng) 77-80
158 – Katherine O’Connor (Wal) 78-80, Helen Searle (Eng) 82-76
160 – Katie Burman (Eng) 77-83
161 – Lianne Jansen (Ned) 81-80
Girls’ Under-16
152 – Abi Laker (Eng) 82-70
155 – Chloe Ryan (Ire) 78-77, Sophie van Wijngaarden (Ned) 79-76
160 – Lauren Taylor (Eng) 84-76
161 – Dominica Gradecka (Pol) 84-77, Lesley Atkins (Sco) 84-77
163 – Jessica Evans (Wal) 82-81
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 9:46:00 pm
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