LINCOLNSHIRE PLAYER PRODUCES LAST-ROUND 65

              

INDIA CLYBURN with the Scottish Under-21 girls' open amateur championship trophy, flanked by joint second placed Gabrielle MacDonald (left) and Hannah McCook (right). Jess Meek, who had the same total as MacDonald and McCook was placed fourth on a comparison of final rounds. Picture by courtesy of Laura McLardy.

INDIA CLYBURN, ONLY 17, ROMPS TO 

A 12-SHOT VICTORY AT ALLOA

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Seventeen-year-old India Clyburn came out of the shadow of her older sister, Holly, a winner on the Ladies European Tour, in  producing an outstanding final round of nine-under-par 65 to win the Scottish Under-21 girls' open amateur golf championship by a staggering 12 strokes at Alloa Golf Club today (Friday).

Starting the third and final round with a one-shot lead from defending champion Jess Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) after scores of 72 and 70, India scorched clear of the opposition in a manner of which big sister Holly would have been proud.

The 65, over a composite course put together with an assortment of tees by the SLGA, must be the lowest round by a girl or a woman at Alloa ... the 12-shot victory is the biggest winning margin in the tournament's history - and her 15-under-par total of 207 almost certainly tops anything achieved by previous winners.
And it is the first victory in the event (first played in 1955), by an English player since Kitrina Douglas in 1981 and Jane Rhodes - who now lives in the Nairn area! - in 1982 althoughtLucy Williams lost out in a title play-off to Kelsey MacDonald in 2009.

Clyburn, an English girl international from  Cleethorpes and a member at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, is the Lincolnshire women's champion. She has done well on almost every trip she has made north of the Border.
 Last year at Carnoustie Burnside she tied for fifth place amongst a field of lady pros in a Paul Lawrie Ladies Tartan Tour event.

This year India  finished seventh in the Helen Holm Scottish stroke-play at Troon and in January she came fifth in the Harder Hall Invitational, the opening event of the Orange Blossom Tour in Florida.

In her final round, India produced an eagle 2 at a par-4 hole, five birdie 4s at par-5 holes, and two birdie 3s in halves of 33 (four under par) and 32 (five under).

Her last bogey in the tournament came at the first hole of her second-round 70. She covered her last 35 holes in 14 under par!

If that is not potential Vagliano Trophy (2015) and Curtis Cup (2016) selection form, what is?
"That was my best ever round of golf and my best ever win," said India who also won the Menzies Trophy for the lowest aggregate by a competitor under 18 years of age.

“Alloa is a wonderful golf course and the weather over the three days has been absolutely fantastic. I’d love to come back and try and win the title again. Her eagle 2 was the result of holing an 80-yard wedge shot. It was that sort of day!

“I knew I’d hit it well but I didn’t see it go on,” she said. “I heard some cheering but it was only when I go to the green that I realised I had holed out.”
Eventually, her intention is to follow in her big sister’s footsteps and turn professional. 

“Ive signed up to go to North Carolina State University in August 2015. I’ll spend four years there, then turn professional. A place in the GB and I Curtis Cup team is one of my goals.”

While young Clyburn was making hay while the sun shone, the Scots title considers were shooting themselves in the collective foot.

Meek, Scottish champion Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) and Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) all tied for a distant second place on 219.

Meek closed with a 76, having bogeyed the third and double-bogeyed the par-5 fifth in halves of 39-37. She was officially placed fourth by having the poorest final round of the three players on 219.

MacDonald was moving up with birdies at the second, sixth, 12th and 13th - and then bogeyed the 14th and 16th to finish with a 74.

McCook, the first-round leader with a 70, also signed off with a 74.

She had the chance to finish runner-up on her own, seven or eight shots behind the runaway winner. But Hannah bogeyed the 15th and the 16th and double-bogeyed the 17th.

Earlier Stirling student McCook had had two eagles - a 3 at the long ninth and a 2 at the par-4 13th. She had also birdied the second and 12th.
EDITOR: "India" is such a distinctive first name that we asked her mother, Allison, how she chose it. Here is her answer:

"India is the name  of the granddaughter of the late Lord Mountbatten, the Earl of Burma. She was around my age. I loved the name , so that's why we called India India!" 

FINAL TOTALS
Par 222 (3x74) CSS 74 74
207 I Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 72 70 65
219 G MacDonald (Craigielaw) 73 72 74, H McCook (Grantown on Spey) 70 75 74, J Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 71 72 76
222 S Hausman (Germany) 73 74 75, R Tomlinson (Haydock Park) 76 70 76
223 A Summers (Carnoustie Ladies 74 74 75, E Healey (West Lancs) 78 72 73
225 K McIntosh (Broomieknowe) 74 73 78
226 R Walker (Dumfries and County) 73 77 76
228 T Mactaggart (Minto) 78 75 75

230 R Polson (Peterculter) 76 77 77
233 C Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies) 77 77 79, K Wright (Stranraer) 78 78 77
234 L Watson (Deeside) 76 77 81, E Watson (Muckhart) 79 77 78
235 J Free (Gullane) 84 73 78, H Scott (Broomieknowe) 81 74 80
236 D Ker (Roxburghe) 74 82 80, N Callander (Mill Green) 80 79 77
237 M Clyne (Deeside) 77 81 79, L Atkins (Gullane) 79 76 82
240 E Crawford (Harburn) 76 86 78, J Saxton (Kinross) 83 80 77, C Taylor (Nairn) 81 81 78
242 A Walker (Glenbervie) 78 80 84
244 C Munro (Gullane) 79 81 84
245 J Allan (Glenbervie) 82 78 85,  M Richmond (Strathaven) 81 86 78, A Brown (Nairn Dunbar) 81 84 80, L Downs (Romanby) 80 81 84
247 K Brodie (Strathmore) 78 84 85, N Robertson (Stirling) 85 84 78
248 P Kemp (Boyce Hill) 87 79 82
249 A Muirhead (Dubai) 85 79 85
250 J Farrell (Cardross) 87 82 81
252 J Mackintosh (Hazlehead) 85 86 81, A Qayum (Ranfurly Castle) 86 79 87
254 E Morrison (Craigmillar Park) 89 81 84, K Brown (Strathaven) 88 85 81
255 S Black (Deeside) 83 84 88
256 E Bryce (Strathaven) 90 84 82
257 L MacDonald (Cardross) 83 89 85
258 M Stewart (Murcar Links) 88 80 90
259 E O'Connor (Bothwell Castle) 84 87 88, M Cowan (St Medan) 82 84 93
263 K Scott (Strathaven) 81 84 98
264 K Malcolm (Dumfries and Co) 88 89 87
265  L Gilbert (Largs) 90 91 82
266 H Neilson (Greenburn) 90 83 93
271 K Pryde (Deeside) 86 92 93
272 E Logie (Buckpool) 88 93 91
284 J Duncan (Auchterarder) 92 94 98
287 A Taylor (St Anne's Old Links) 90 94 103
304 L McClymont (Dumbarton) 98 104 102