PARATORE AND HENDERSON, 50TH JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL CHAMPIONS

   Brooke Henderson (left) receives the girls' trophy.

REPORT BY DAVID MACKINTOSH

CORAL GABLES, Florida: Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Italy’s Renato Paratore fulfilled their maximum ambitions for the week by being crowned Junior Orange Bowl champions.

Henderson posted a final-round 67 for a four-day total of four-under-par 280 over the par-71 course of 6,100yd. The only girl to finished under par, Brooke won by five strokes from strong-finishing Megan Khang (US).

The Canadian Ladies Amateur champion,  ninth in the women's world amateur rankings, put together a dominant performance, almost as if during the first three days she’d been in test mode.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” she said with a huge smile. “I came here with this in mind and I’m really pleased. Today I was finally able to get my putting working, compared to the first three days. I felt very comfortable on the greens all day.”

The 16-year old from Smith Falls, Ontario, birdied four of her first six holes, setting the tone of the day. Consecutive bogeys at the eighth and ninth by Henderson allowed playing-partner Sweden’s Linnea Strom to draw within three strokes at the turn, but that was as close as it would get.

Henderson piled on the pressure with a clutch birdie at the long par-four 13^th and when she added another at the 17^th, she could finally relax and enjoy the finish. 

“On the 17^th, which I double-bogeyed yesterday, I was just trying to play smart. That birdie was just a nice bonus.”

USA’s Megan Khang finished with her best round of the week, 68, edging Strom for second spot. First-round leader Soyoung Lee (South Korea), tied overnight with Henderson, carded 76 for a fourth place tie with USA’s Bailey Tardy.   

The Boys title developed into a thrilling three-way battle that went down to  the wire, where Paratore’s tap-in birdie at the par-five 72^nd hole secured the trophy.

Joint runners-up  Dominic Foos (Germany) and Jorge Garcia (Venezuela) were unable to hole putts that would have sent the championship into play-off.

“I knew it would be hard. Dominic and Jorge are such good players. I just had to work all day and hope it would be enough,” said Paratore.

Paratore said the key moment in his round came halfway through the back nine. “I had a really difficult putt to save par on the 13^th, and when that went in I felt I could breathe again. But it was really tough and I was glad the putt to win was so close.”

SAMMY FULLER 19th, FIONA LIDDELL
26th IN FINAL FLORIDA PLACINGS 

Fiona Liddell, the only Scot in the field, finished a disappointing 26th of 38  in the Junior Orange Bowl Golf girls' golf championship at Biltmore Golf Club, Coral Gables, Florida today (Monday).

The daughter of Falkirk-born Stephen Liddell, a club pro in Germany, had rounds of 78, 75, 79 and 80 for a 28-over-par total of 313. She did not have a single birdie in her final 36 holes.

Fiona's Junior Vagliano Trophy team-mate, England's Samantha (Sammy) Fuller from Kingston, had three birdies in her final round of two-over-par 73 for a total of 303, which lifted her into a final placing of 19th.

Canada's Brooke Henderson, No 9 in the women's world amateur rankings, won the girls' title by five shots with a four-under-par total of 280.

Italy's Renato Paratore won the boys' title in a tight finish with Germany's Dominic Foos and Jorge Garcia (Venezuela). Paratore signed off with a 70 for nine-under-par 275, one ahead of the joint runners-up.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

BOYS

Par 284 (4x71) Yardage 6,742

275 Renato Paratore (Italy) 67 67 71 70

276 Dominic Foox (Germany) 71 68 68 69, Jorge Garcia (Venezuela) 69 69 70 68

278 Guillermo Pereira (Chile) 67 71 70 70

279 Tim Colanta (US) 68 71 72 68, Guido Migliozzi (Ita) 67 73 69 70

SELECTED TOTALS

294 David Carey (Ireland) 75 74 73 72 (23rd)

298 Ben Amor (England) 71 80 69 78

Field of 47 players.

GIRLS

Par 284 (4x71) Yardage 6,089

280 Brooke Henderson (Can) 68 72 73 67

285 Megan Khang (US) 71 70 76 68

286 Linnea Strom (Swe) 71 76 69 70

289 Soyoung Lee (SKor) 66 74 73 76, Bailey Tardy (US) 74 70 74 71

291 Olivia Cowan (Ger) 74 71 77 69, Emily Pedersen (Den) 73 73 73 72

292 Asuka Kashiwabara (Jap) 70 72 77 73

SELECTED TOTALS

295 Roberta Liti (Ita) 74 74 74 73 (T9)

303 Samantha Fuller (Eng) 80 71 79 73 (19th)

312 Fiona Liddell 78 75 79 80 (26th)

Field of 38 players.

TO VIEW ALL THE BOYS' AND GIRLS'
FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE 

    Renato Paratore with the Junior Orange Bowl boys' trophy.

 Pictures by courtesy of Will Tirado