SPRINGBOK PAULA LEAPS FIVE CLEAR IN DIXIE WOMEN'S AMATEUR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Twenty-year-old South African Paula Reto from Cape Town, a member of the crack Purdue University women's golf squad, looks to have the prestigious Dixie Women's Amateur Championship title wrapped up with one round still to go at Heron Bay Golf Club, Coral Springs in South Florida.
Sophomore (second-year) student Paula, pictured, a field hockey and track athlete who did not take up golf until 2005 and now lives at Coral Springs when she is not attending Purdue University, West Lafayette in Indiana, is now five shots clear of the field after scoring a two-under-par 70 in calm conditions for today's third round.
She is the only player in the field under par after 54 holes - five-under 211, to be precise. Only two other players returned 70s in the third round - Linda Luo and the rising young star from Argentina, Victoria Tanco. They are joint eighth on 220.
Sharing second place on level par 216 are GB and I Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa Golf Club) from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire and Florida's Ginger Howard from Bradenton, the golf academy centre.
Holly, who is staying on in Florida to play the Orange Blossom Tour, beginning this week, has been consistency personnified with three par-matching rounds of 72 over the 6,340yd course.
Taylor Collins of Davie, Florida and Nova Southeastern University is tied with Kailey Walsh of Boca Raton, Florida and Annie Park of Levittown, New York, for fourth place, seven strokes back on the two-over 218 mark.
Parisienne Alexandra Bonetti, winner of the British girls open amateur championship at Royal Belfast GC last August, faded out of contention with a third-round 78 for 220.
Three times US mid-amateur champion Meghan Stasi, who played against GB and I in the 2008 Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, St Andrews, continues to play far below expectations.She has so far scored 76, 81 and 77 for 234 and is well down the field.
On the same mark is top coach David Leadbetter's daughter Hally.
The Women’s Senior Dixie concluded with defending champion and three time US Women’s Senior Amateur Champion Diane Lang of Jamaica and Weston, Florida, winning the over-50s title six shots ahead Mimi Hoffman of Springfield, Virginia.
Anna Schultz of Rockwall, Texas fired the low senior round of the tournament with her final round 73 to finish third.

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (72x3). Yardage: 6,304.Reto, Paula (South Africa) 72 69 70 211
Howard, Ginger 72 70 74 216
Clyburn,  Holly (England) 72 72 72 216
Collins, Taylor 69 76 73 218
Walsh, Kailey 73 73 72 218
Park, Annie 76 71 71 218
Yadloczky, Carly 72 72 75 219
Bonetti, Alexandra (France) 70 72 78 220
Pressel, Madison 73 77 70 220
Luo, Linda 74 76 70 220
Tanco, Victoria (Argentina) 79 71 70 220
Green, Jaye Marie 74 76 71 221
Lee, Harin 76 74 72 222
Lance, Ashley 76 75 71 222
Roig, Kyle 73 75 75 223
Feng, Cindy 74 78 71 223
Lee-Bentham, Rebecca 75 74 75 224
Ocampo, Christina 77 73 74 224
Chen, Peichun 78 71 76 225
Quinn, Nicole 74 77 74 225
Howard, Robbi 78 73 74 225
Alex, Marina 76 76 73 225
Yost, Kaylin 77 76 72 225
Kan, Aurora 72 78 77 227
Alonso, Emilie 77 73 77 227
Watts. Andrea 77 75 75 227
Kay, Marissa 79 75 73 227
Albrecht, Ashleigh 77 79 71 227
Beck, Karlin 78 78 72 228
Alexander, Amira 75 78 76 229
Odaiyar, Kristine 75 78 76 229
Morrow, Mandi 74 81 74 229
Kanouse, Lauren 74 82 75 231
Polo Galvez, Lucia 76 83 72 231
Stevens, Sammi 83 77 71 231
Opfer, Madison 80 75 77 232
Malinchak, Ashley 78 78 76 232
Tandrini, Valeria 77 80 75 232
Nunez, Paloma 78 79 76 233
Stasi, Meghan 76 81 77 234
Leadbetter, Hally 78 81 75 234
Schall, Jessica 77 79 79 235
Ronderos, Maria 82 77 76 235
Lucas, Nora 79 81 75 235
Viera, Mallory 80 81 74 235
Miles, Ann 81 74 81 236
Detlefsen, Katie 82 78 77 237
Rubin, Taelor 82 76 80 238
McPherson, Lindsey 81 80 78 239
Sealy, Monifa 77 84 79 240

SENIORS' CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL TOTALS
Lang, Diane 75 74 74 223
Hoffman, Mimi 76 74 79 229
Schultz, Anna 78 80 73 231
Schlesinger, Lisa 78 81 77 236
Steinberg, Ivy 81 77 79 237
Malick, Jewell 80 81 82 243
Koselek, Kelly 83 89 81 253
Jackson, Sandra 84 92 80 256
Mowry, Jean 86 86 89 261
Burnie, Katrin 90 91 83 264