FORMER LORETTO PUPIL JULIE YANG WINS VY SEVEB IN AMERICA

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com South Korean-born Julie Yang, a pupil at Loretto School, Musselburgh when winner of the Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolgirls championship at Murrayshall in 2010, the year she also won the Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play, has scored her first victory on the US women's college golf circuit. A freshman student student at Oklahoma State University, the 17-year-old Yang (pictured) spreadeagled the field at the SMU Dallas Athletic Club Invitational college tournament at Dallas. She shot 70-68-72 for a six-under-par total of 210 over a 6301yd course, winning by seven shots with the third placed finisher 12 strokes in her wake. Scotland international Rachael Watton (Denver), pictured left, from Edinburgh finished joint 10th on 228 in a field of 81 players. The Mortonhall GC member had rounds of 73, 76 and 79. "I played two of my rounds with Julie Yang. She was brilliant. Judging by the scores, people must think she was playing a different course from the rest of us," said Rachael. There were several other British players in the field. Brogan Townend (Texas-San Antonio), pictured below, right, from Blackburn finished 23rd on 212 (76-76-80). Georgina Mundy (North Texas) from Southampton scored 78-80-83 for 241 and a share of 42nd place. Georgina is pictured below, left. Emma Clegg from Blackburn, pictured below right, coming up to the end of her four years at Missouri State University, shot improving rounds of 90-85-79 for 254 and 69th place. Team-mate Megan Thompson from Ballyclare, Northern Ireland withdrew after two rounds of 81. Julie Yang's brilliant effort helped Oklahoma State (896) win the team title by five shots from Oklahoma with Ohio State (906) third, Denver (911) fourth and Texas-San Antonio (923) fifth in a field of 15 teams. STEPHANIE AND SALLY MAKE TOP 20 Stephanie Meadow (Alabama) from Northern Ireland and Sally Watson (Stanford) from Edinburgh, two Curtis Cup players of different years, finished joint eighth and 16th respectively in a field of 90 players at the Ping/ASU Invitational over the Karsten couse at Tempe, Arizona. British women's amateur champion Stephanie, pictured right, shot 74-69-69 for a four-under-par total of 212 over a 6,223yd couse, finishing five shots behind the winner, Alabama team-mate Emma Talley who won by two with excellent scores of 68-69-70 for nine-under 207. Sally Watson, pictured left, who will complete four years at Stanford University, California, in a few weeks' time, had roounds of 72, 71 and 71 for 214. Alabama (845) won the team title ahead of Duke (854) with third place on 862 shared by Arizona and Stanford in a field of 17 teams. ends