HOLLY CLYBURN FINISHES JT 2ND IN DIXIE WOMEN'S AMATEUR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire tied for second place, one shot behind winner Paula Reto from South Africa, in the Dixie women's amateur golf championship at Heron Bay Golf Club, Coral Springs, south Florida today.
Consistent Clyburn, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had rounds of 72, 72, 72 and 70 for a two-under-par total of 286.
Reto, 20, who only took up golf five years ago after being a field hockey player and a track athlete, is a second-year student at Purdue University, Indiana. Paula, who now lives at Coral Springs (where she went to high school) when she is home from college, had started the final round with a five-shot lead but a closing two-over-par 74, her worst round of the championship, allowed Clyburn and US Junior Ryder Cup player Ginger Howard, from Bradenton, Florida, who also finished with a 70, to get within one shot of the winner.
Howard missed a four-footer on the last green while Reto got the par she needed to win by one shot.

Clyburn and Howard steadily chipped away at Reto’s big lead throughout the day. The 16 year old Howard birdied the first hole and Reto’s double bogey on the sixth hole brought both of her challengers to within one stroke.
The South Africa restored her lead to two strokes with a birdie at the 15th but bogeys at 15 and 17 saw her lead disappear.
Reto’s win was her first “Major” individual win which caps off a splendid year which included a team NCAA Championship win with Purdue’s Lady Boilemakers team.
Victoria Tanco, the teenage rising star from Buenos Aires, Argentina, had a closing 69 - the joint best last round, to fill fourth place on 289.
British girls champion Alexandra Bonetti from Paris, signed off with a 72 for joint eighth position on 292. But for a third-round 78, the French girl might have made the top four after being a challenger over the first two days.
US women's mid-amateur champion for a third time, Meghan Stasi, who lost to Scottish champion Kelsey MacDonald in the semi-final of the British women's open amateur championship at Ganton last June, had a disappointing tournament.
Her last round of 75 was the best she could manage over the 72 holes and she finished well down the field with a total of 21-over-par 309.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72). Yardage: 6,350
285 Paul Reto (South Africa and Purdue Univ) 72 69 70 74 (pictured on right).
286 Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa, England) 72 72 72 70, Ginger Howard (Bradenton, Florida) 723 70 74 70.
289 Victoria Tanco (Argentina) 79 71 70 69.
290 Madison Pressel (Boca Raton, Florida)) 73 77 70 70, Jaye Marie Green (Boca Raton, Florida) 74 76 71 69.
291 Kailey Walsh (Boca Raton, Florida) 73 73 72 73.
292 Annie Park (Levittown, New York State) 76 71 71 74, Alexandra Bonetti (Paris, France) 70 71 78 72.
293 Taylor Collins (Davie, Florida) 69 76 73 75, Carly Yadloczky (Casselberry, Florida) 72 72 75 74, Ashley Lance (Franklin, Tennessee) 76 75 71 71.

294 Kyle Roig (Puerto Rico) 73 75 75 71.
296 Linda Luo (China) 74 76 70 76, Cindy Feng (Orlando, Florida) 74 78 71 73,
Christina Ocampo (Delray Beach, Florida) 77 73 74 72.
297 Peichun Chen (Lakewood Ranch, Florida) 78 71 76 72. 
298 Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Scarborough, Canada) 75 74 75 74.
299 Harin Lee (Bayside, New York State) 76 74 72 77, Nicole Quinn (Windermere, Florida) 74 77 74 74, Robbi Howard (Bradenton, Florida) 78 73 74 74, Kaylin Yost (Pembroke Pines, Florida) 77 76 72 74, Ashleigh Albrecht  
(Murrieta, California) 77 79 71 72.
300 Alex Marina (Wayne, New Jersey) 76 76 73 75, Marissa Kay (Delray Beach, Florida) 79 75 73 73. 301 Emilie Alonso (Roquefort Les Pins, France) 77 73 77 74, Kristine Odaiyar (Ocala, Florida) 75 78 76 72.
303 Karlin Beck (Auburn, Alabama) 78 78 72 75.
304 Aurora Kan (Boothwyn, Pennsylvania) 72 78 77 77, Andrea Watts (Gainsville, Florida) 77 75 75 77.
306 Amira Alexander (Alpharetta, Georgia) 75 78 76 77, Lucia Polo Galvez (Guatemala) 76 83 72 75, Valeria Tandrini (Arzignana, Italy) 77 80 75 74. 
307 Mandi Morrow (Kent, Ohio) 74 81 74 78.
309 Meghan Stasi (Oakland Park, Florida) 76 81 77 75.
310 Sammi Stevens (Hereford, Texas) 83 77 71 79, Madison Opfer (Plant City, Florida) 80 75 77 78, Maria Ronderos (Bradenton, Florida) 82 77 76 75, Mallory Viera (Howey in the Hills, Florida) 80 81 74 75.
311 Jessica Schall (Lake Mary, Florida) 77 79 79 76.
312 Ashley Malinchak (Parkland, Florida) 78 78 76 80, Nora Lucas Nora (Chicago, Illinois) 79 81 75 77.
313 Ann Miles (Dublin, Ohio) 81 74 81 77.
315 Lauren Kanouse (Boca Raton, Florida) 74 82 75 84, Monifa Sealy (Trinidad and Tobago) 77 84 79 75.
316 Paloma Nunez (Granbury, Texas) 78 79 76 83, Hally Leadbetter (Orlando, Florida) 78 81 75 82.
318 Taelor Rubin (Ralieigh, North Carolina) 82 76 80 80.
319 Lindsey McPherson (Flushing, Michigan) 81 80 78 80.
323 Katie Detlefsen (Eagan, Minnesota) 82 78 77 86. 

PAULA'S PURDUE TEAM-MATE WINS ARIZONA SILVER BELLE

Paula Reto's victory in the Dixie Women's Amateur was the second notable win by a Purdue University student over the Festive period.

Alex (Alexandra) Stewart, pictured right, an 18-year-old freshman from Carson City, Arizona, won the Arizona Silver Belle over the Arizona State University's Karsten Course at Tempe in the 54-hole women's amateur tournament from December 28 to 30.
Stewart hard rounds of 72, 72 and 77 for a total of five-over-par 221. She won by three strokes from Mariana Sims (70-75-79). Scores were high in the third round, suggesting it was played in bad weather.
Cheyenne Woods, who is related to Tiger Woods, made the top 10 in a big field with a total of 231 which included a final round of 83.
LEADING TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
1 Alexandra Stewart 72 72 77 221
2 Mariana Sims 70 75 79 224
T3 Monica Vaughn 74 74 77 225
T3 Jisoo Keel 73 74 78 225
T5 Emily Tubert 76 75 77 228
T5 Katerina Ruzickova  72 76 80 228
T5 Anna Kim 76 72 80 228
8 Bethany Wu 77 73 79 229
9 Emily Childs  73 74 83 230
T10 Taylore Karle  72 76 83 231
T10 Kristina Merkle  71 78 82 231
T10 Cheyenne Woods 74 74 83 231
T10 Hana Lee 73 73 85 231

LEONA MAGUIRE WINS EUROPEAN

AMATEUR RANKINGS' SILVER MEDAL

FROM THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) capped a fine 2010 season by winning the SILVER medal in the Ladies European Amateur Rankings (LEAR).
Twin sister Lisa finished in fourth place ahead of a host of top Women amateurs across Europe.
Leona's season got off to a flying start when she successfully defended her French U21 title in April and wrapped up her year with the Duke of York Champions Trophy in September.
She was narrowly defeated on the home green in the Irish Close Championship Final at Portstewart in May and the twins, now 16 years of age, performed admirably at the Helen Holm Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship.
Lisa progressed to the semi finals of the British Girls Championships played at Royal Belfast in August.
The girls earned critical acclaim when they represented Great Britain and Ireland at the Curtis Cup in the USA in June. They were members of the Irish team which captured the Silver Medal at the European Girls Team Championships in July and both won full International Caps at the Women's Home Internationals later in September when Ireland finished as runners-up to Scotland.
Caroline Hedwall (SWE) won the LEAR Gold medal after an amazing season on the US Collegiate circuit (NCAA) and leading Sweden to victory in the European Team Championships. Spain's Marta Silva finished 3rd to win Bronze for excellent NCAA performances in the USA and her Spanish Open victory last March.
Leona's LEAR Silver medal will be presented in front of a sizeable gathering at the ILGU AGM on Saturday, January 15 at Moran's Hotel.