FORMER SCOTS YOUTH CHAMPION SLIPS IN JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Germany's Max Rottluff, winner of the Golfdatalab Scottish youths championship at Monifieth in 2010, the year he also reached the final of the British boys championship at Barassie, slipped out of the lead over the second round of the Junior Orange Bowl boys' championship at the Biltmore course, Coral Gables, Florida.

Rottluff won this prestigious Under-18s title after a play-off 12 months ago and set the first-round pace with a four-under-par 67 but he slipped today with a 73 for a two-under-par halfway total of 140 and joint fourth position behind the new leader on six-under 136, Austria's Markus Maukner (68-68).

Juan Cerda (Chile) is lying second on 138 with scores of 68 and 70 while Rowin Caron (Netherlands) has shot 71-68 for 138 and third place.

That it was not going to be Rottluff's day was apparent very early on, although he did birdie the long first hole. That was followed by bogeys at the fifth, short eighth, short 12th and 13th.

He got his second birdie of the day at the short 14th but then shed further shots at the long 15th and 16th. Max, from Meersbusch near Dusseldorf, had to finished strongly with birdies at the last two holes to "escape" with a 73, but that still leaves him with four shots to make up on Maukner over the last two rounds.

Woodhall Spa's Nathan Kimsey, the only British or Irish player in either the boys' or girls' fields, featuring players from around the world, improved from a first-round 79 to a second-day 74 and he is T54 on 153.

There is a new clear leader in the girls' event in the shape of South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim, only 16 years old but obviously another terrific female prospect from this country that produces them seemingly off a conveyor belt.

Kim has shot 68-70 for a halfway total of 138, four under par from the ladies' tees.

She has opened up a commanding five-shot lead from Celine Boutier, one of several French players in the leading half-dozen. Celine was beaten by Margaux Vanmol (Belgium) in the 18-hole final of the British girls' championship at Gullane this past August. Boutier has shot 72-71 for second place on her own at 143.

LEADING HALFWAY TOTALS

BOYS

Par 142 (2x71) Yardage 6742

136 Markus Maukner (Austria) 68 68.

138 Juan Cerda (Chile) 68 70.

139 Rowin Caron (Netherlands) 71 68.

140 Adrian Meronk (Poland) 70 70, Max Rottluff (Germany) 67 73.

141 Nicolas Manifacier (France) 71 70, Jose Hernandez (Dominican Republic) 72 69, Emil Sogaard (Denmark) 73 68, Hank Lebioda (United States) 72 69.

Selected score

153 Nathan Kimsey (England) 79 74 (T54).

GIRLS

Par 142 (2x72) 6089

138 Hyo Joo Kim (South Korea) 68 70.

143 Celine Boutier (France) 72 71.

144 Brooke Henderson (Canada) 73 71.

145 Perrine Delacour (France) 72 73, Emily Pedersen (Denmark) 71 74.

146 Claudia Chemin (France) 71 75.

147 Daniela Darquea (Ecuador) 74 73, Antonia Scherer (Germany) 78 69.

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