BYRNE WILL END U.S. COLLEGE YEARS AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHP

James Byrne did not play well in the South Central-Colorado Region Conference Championship at Erie, Colorado - but he will end his four years at Arizona State University by competing in the end-of-the-season college circuit climax: the NCAA Division 1 championship, starting on Tuesday, May 31 at Karsten Creek, Stillwater in Oklahoma.

The Banchory player, pictured, had rounds of 70, 75 and 77 for a total of six-over-par 222 over a very long course - 7,758yd with a par of 72.

James finished joint 56th but, more important, Arizona State tied for fourth place with Georgia and that qualified them for the NCAA championshipS alongwith regional champions Oklahoma State, Colorado State and Northwestern.

Kevin Tway won the individual honours with scores of 72, 65 and 67 for a 10-under-par total of 206, great shooting on such a "mammoth" course. One of Byrne's team-mates and closed friend Scott Pinckney, who has come over to play in the East of Scotland Open among other Scottish events, finished runnerup on 2076 with scores of 69, 70 and 68.
The Arizona State team had Pinckney to thank for pulling them through to the NCAA championship.
Kevin Phelan from Waterford and North Florida University must be wondering if his dash across to Royal Aberdeen to play in a three-day Walker Cup squad practice match at Balgownie was worth it.
Back in the States, Phelan finished last of 75 in the regional field at Erie with rounds of 80, 80 and 73 for 233. He must be dead beat!

END OF US COLLEGE SEASON FOR PAUL FERRIER

Former Scottish boys champion Paul Ferrier from Baberton, a student at Charlotte University, won't be going to the NCAA championships. Charlotte failed to make the top four teams in the Central-Indiana Regional championship at Wolf Run GC, Zionsville, Indiana.

Paul's rounds over a par-71, 7025yd course were 74, 74 and 72 for 220, which saw him finished 30th in a field of 75.

England's Garrick Porteous and Darren Renwick, team-mates at the University of Tennesee, finished tied fourth and joint 49th - and Tennesse grabbed the last of the four team qualifying places for the NCAA championships.

Michigan, Illinois, Alabama and Tennessee are the four teams heading for Karsten Creek.

Porteous scored 71, 68 and 70 for 209 to finish joint fourth behind joint winners on 205, Luke Guthrie (Illinois (69-71-65) and Lion Kim (Michigan) (71-69-65).

Renwick's rouns were 74, 79 and 74 for 227.