2010 JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL REPORT, SCORES

Ariya Jutanugam and Max Rottluff with their Junior Orange Bowl international championship trophies.

NEWS RELEASE
By DAVID MACKINTOSH
Coral Gables, Florida: Germany’s Max Rottluff and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn are the 47th Junior Orange Bowl International golf champions. Jutanugarn cruised to a four-stroke victory from runner-up Slovenia’s Ursa Orehek, whose closing 69 was best girl’s round of the day.
Rottluff triumphed in sudden death play-off, defeating USA’s Curtis Thompson at the first extra hole after they had tied with level-par totals of 280 for the 72-hole event.
Jutanugarn proved why she is GolfWeek’s top-ranked U.S. girl, her solid final round of even-par 70 a masterful performance in which she played the final ten holes without error or risk.
“It was a good round and I’m very pleased with the way I played,” the 15-year old Bangkok resident said. “I wanted to do this for my country, for Asia, but even more important, for me.
"Last year I had a chance to win and did not take it. I’ve been thinking about winning this event a lot during the year and I’m so happy I was able to fulfill my wish.”
The boys' championship was a tighter affair. Rottluff, finalist at the 2010 British boys' championship, led for most of the day but over the closing holes he missed a series of short birdie opportunities.
Thompson, from Coral Springs, Florida, also missed several back-nine putts to take the outright lead, but a brilliant long par-save on the 71st hole kept his title challenge alive.
Thompson carded a closing 68, Rottluff 69, and they tied on even-par 280 for the championship. In the play-off, Thompson three-putted the first extra hole: the 17-year old from Meerbusch made no mistake.
“I’m very happy,” the Junior Orange Bowl’s first-ever German champion said. “I’ve lost two play-offs this year, so to win this one is very sweet. I had a lot of chances and I treated each as if it might be the winning putt, but none dropped. Still, it all worked out and it has been a great week. I have one more year’s eligibility so I’m hoping I’ll be back to defend the title.”
Argentina’s Jorge Fernandez Valdes took final-day honors with a sparkling best-of-the-championship 65.
Paul Lockwood from Hessle, Yorkshire did not play up to his potential. He finished joint 23rd on 296 (75-76-71-74), 16 shots behind the play-off participants.
Heidi Baek from Felixstowe Ferry came into the girls' championship on the back of a wonderful win in the US Junior Masters but that effort had obviously drained her physically and emotionally. She never really got going in the Junior Orange Bowl girls' championship with scores of 80, 78 74 and 82 for 314, some 28 shots behind the winner.
FOOTNOTE: It is the second year in a row that a European has won the boys' title at the Junior Orange Bowl. Twelve months ago it was Romain Wattel of France who was crowned the boys' champion. He went on to win the Scottish men's open amateur stroke-play title before turning professional.
Last year the girls' title was won by Alexis Thompson, brother of the boy who was beaten in a title play-off this year.