Daily Telegraph boys and girls' Grand Final at Abu Dhabi
Ben Taylor, Hayley Davis go clear
FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By Charles Randall in Abu Dhabi
Florida student Ben Taylor, 18-year-old member at Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey,, flew in and brought a championship course to its knees today to lead the Abu Dhabi Junior Championship, reducing the boys' tournament to a two-horse race with one round remaining.
Taylor interrupted his first term at Nova Southeastern University to blitz this magnificent Abu Dhabi Golf Club lay-out with seven birdies and an eagle to threaten the record before finishing one short on 65, seven under par, for an advantage of only two strokes over Rhys Pugh from Wales.
Pontypridd schoolboy Pugh showed the composure to be expected of a Wales international, refusing to be intimidated by his rival's form which was as hot as the desert sun.
Taylor, son of the Pachesham Park Golf Centre, Leatherhead teaching professional, Phil Taylor, started with three birdies in the opening five holes, followed by birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie from the eighth onwards. His eagle was set up by an imperiously struck five-iron from 225 yards that reached the heart of the par five 10th green.
The Glaswegian five-handicappper Chris Thursby had to withdraw with a chest infection. Having qualified with an incredible 62 at Vale of Leven, the Dumbarton course, this was a cruel blow before his maiden round of golf outside ScotlandThe girls' section was dominated by the England women's amateur champion Hayley Davis, from Dorset. No one could stay with her as she returned a 68 to go six under par 138 for two rounds, a lead of four strokes over the promising Stockport schoolgirl Bronte Law, 15.
The competition, supported by The Daily Telegraph, had never attracted such a strong field of young golfers in its long history. Eight boys and seven girls arrived with handicaps of plus-two or better, but even players of this calibre found the Abu Dhabi Golf Club course a tough prospect.
Apart from Taylor and Pugh no one matched par over the first two days, though Jordan Ainley and Toby Tree produced one sub-par round. Among the girls Davis, Law, British women's champion Kelly Tidy, Heidi Baek and the reigning Daily Telegraph champion Alex Peters achieved at least one level par round or better.
Ben Taylor, clearly benefiting from his intense golf environment at Fort Lauderdale, looked like a player of the highest class. The two most costly errors for him proved to be a pushed drive into the water at the ninth and a missed four-foot putt on the subtle borrows of the 17th.
All the youthful competitors deserved praise for tackling the course in such alien conditions. The heat, the nap on the greens, and the lakes and creeks snaking around the fairways conspired to upset several promising scores.
Welsh international Amy Boulden, daughter of a golf professional at Maesdu in North Wales, forced her way into third place halfway through the second round until a wayward drive at the 10th nestled her ball too close to a purple flowering shrub.
Taking a drop in the desert wasteland, she needed two chip shots to regain sight of the fairway before scoring a card-wrecking 9. On another day she might have had time to admire the flowers.
Boulden's sister Kim took up a golf teaching post at this club a few months previously, though Kim was too busy to watch her +3 handicap sibling play, let alone offer advice.
Not that tips were on the agenda. "I wouldn't listen anyway," said Amy, who is guided by her father Simon at Maesdu and by Wales' international coach Jeremy Bennett.
The group of Davis, Law and Alex Peters had to pause for publicity pictures on the tee at the par three seventh with Italian ace Matteo Manassero, 17, the youngest winner of a European Tour tournament last month with his victory in Spain. Davis proceeded to birdie the hole with a long uphill 20-footer.
SECOND ROUND SCOREBOARD
BOYS
Par 144 (2x72)
134 Ben Taylor 69 65.
136 Rhys Pugh 69 67.
145 Toby Tree 74 71.
145 Jordan Ainley 71 74.
148 Nick Ward 74 74.
149 Jerome Titlow 73 76.
150 Daniel Hendry 73 77.
152 Luke Johnson 77 75.
152 Oliver Carr 76 76.(+4)
161 Jack English 85 76.
162 Fraser Macleod 78 84.
Withdrew: Chris Thursby (ill).
GIRLS 138 Hayley Davis (pictured right) 70 68.
142 Bronte Law 70 72.
143 Kelly Tidy 73 70.
144 Alex Peters 72 72.
147 Heidi Baek 78 69.
149 Amy Boulden 73 76.
151 Lauren Taylor 75 76.
159 Elizabeth Stebbings 81 78.
160 Bronwyn Davies 81 79.
FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By Charles Randall in Abu Dhabi
Florida student Ben Taylor, 18-year-old member at Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey,, flew in and brought a championship course to its knees today to lead the Abu Dhabi Junior Championship, reducing the boys' tournament to a two-horse race with one round remaining.
Taylor interrupted his first term at Nova Southeastern University to blitz this magnificent Abu Dhabi Golf Club lay-out with seven birdies and an eagle to threaten the record before finishing one short on 65, seven under par, for an advantage of only two strokes over Rhys Pugh from Wales.
Pontypridd schoolboy Pugh showed the composure to be expected of a Wales international, refusing to be intimidated by his rival's form which was as hot as the desert sun.
Taylor, son of the Pachesham Park Golf Centre, Leatherhead teaching professional, Phil Taylor, started with three birdies in the opening five holes, followed by birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie from the eighth onwards. His eagle was set up by an imperiously struck five-iron from 225 yards that reached the heart of the par five 10th green.
The Glaswegian five-handicappper Chris Thursby had to withdraw with a chest infection. Having qualified with an incredible 62 at Vale of Leven, the Dumbarton course, this was a cruel blow before his maiden round of golf outside ScotlandThe girls' section was dominated by the England women's amateur champion Hayley Davis, from Dorset. No one could stay with her as she returned a 68 to go six under par 138 for two rounds, a lead of four strokes over the promising Stockport schoolgirl Bronte Law, 15.
The competition, supported by The Daily Telegraph, had never attracted such a strong field of young golfers in its long history. Eight boys and seven girls arrived with handicaps of plus-two or better, but even players of this calibre found the Abu Dhabi Golf Club course a tough prospect.
Apart from Taylor and Pugh no one matched par over the first two days, though Jordan Ainley and Toby Tree produced one sub-par round. Among the girls Davis, Law, British women's champion Kelly Tidy, Heidi Baek and the reigning Daily Telegraph champion Alex Peters achieved at least one level par round or better.
Ben Taylor, clearly benefiting from his intense golf environment at Fort Lauderdale, looked like a player of the highest class. The two most costly errors for him proved to be a pushed drive into the water at the ninth and a missed four-foot putt on the subtle borrows of the 17th.
All the youthful competitors deserved praise for tackling the course in such alien conditions. The heat, the nap on the greens, and the lakes and creeks snaking around the fairways conspired to upset several promising scores.
Welsh international Amy Boulden, daughter of a golf professional at Maesdu in North Wales, forced her way into third place halfway through the second round until a wayward drive at the 10th nestled her ball too close to a purple flowering shrub.
Taking a drop in the desert wasteland, she needed two chip shots to regain sight of the fairway before scoring a card-wrecking 9. On another day she might have had time to admire the flowers.
Boulden's sister Kim took up a golf teaching post at this club a few months previously, though Kim was too busy to watch her +3 handicap sibling play, let alone offer advice.
Not that tips were on the agenda. "I wouldn't listen anyway," said Amy, who is guided by her father Simon at Maesdu and by Wales' international coach Jeremy Bennett.
The group of Davis, Law and Alex Peters had to pause for publicity pictures on the tee at the par three seventh with Italian ace Matteo Manassero, 17, the youngest winner of a European Tour tournament last month with his victory in Spain. Davis proceeded to birdie the hole with a long uphill 20-footer.
SECOND ROUND SCOREBOARD
BOYS
Par 144 (2x72)
134 Ben Taylor 69 65.
136 Rhys Pugh 69 67.
145 Toby Tree 74 71.
145 Jordan Ainley 71 74.
148 Nick Ward 74 74.
149 Jerome Titlow 73 76.
150 Daniel Hendry 73 77.
152 Luke Johnson 77 75.
152 Oliver Carr 76 76.(+4)
161 Jack English 85 76.
162 Fraser Macleod 78 84.
Withdrew: Chris Thursby (ill).
GIRLS 142 Bronte Law 70 72.
143 Kelly Tidy 73 70.
144 Alex Peters 72 72.
147 Heidi Baek 78 69.
149 Amy Boulden 73 76.
151 Lauren Taylor 75 76.
159 Elizabeth Stebbings 81 78.
160 Bronwyn Davies 81 79.
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