Daily Telegraph BMW junior championship in Algarve heat

Olivia Mehaffey scores runaway win

 at Quinta do Lago North

Joe Bryce from Bathgate, the only Scot in the select field of 12 boys and nine girls, finished fourth in the boys' section of the BMW national junior golf championships at the picturesque but demanding Quinta do Lago North  Course on Portugal's Algarve coastline.

On a day when the temperature touched 80 degrees, Bryce had a final round of 75 after earlier scores of 74 and 71 for a four-over-par aggregate of 220.

He finished nine strokes behind the winner from Bath, Jamie Li, with scores of 71, 67 and 71 for five-under 211.

John Gough from Stoke finished runner-up, one shot behind Li with rounds of 73, 69 and 70 for 212.

At one stage of the final round, Li lost the lead to Gough but managed to regain it before the finish.

The girls' event turned into a procession behind Northern Ireland's 17 year old Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down Ladies), winner of the Ladies Golf Union Order of Merit title this year and a member of the GB and I women's team in the Vagliano Trophy match against the Contintent of Europe in June.

Oliva won by SIXTEEN strokes with classy scores of 71, 70 and 69 for six-under-par 210, lower by one stroke than Li achieved in the boys' event - which was Mehaffey's motivating target in the absence of a challenge in the girls' section.

England junior cap Eloise Healey from West Lancashire was runner-up with rounds of 71, 78 and 77 for 226.

FINAL TOTALS

players from England unless stated otherwise

BOYS
par 216 (3x72)

211 J Li 71 69 71

212 J Gough 73 69 70

216 D List 73 71 72

220 J Bryce (Sco) 74 71 75

222 B Spooner 75 72 75

223 C Farr 74 71 78

225 B Brown 73 73 79

231 S Dimmick 74 75 82

232 T Plumb 79 74 79

234 K Faulkner 74 82 78

238 C Holmes 78 81 79

241 M Flynn 80 82 79

GIRLS
Par 216 (3x72)

210 O Mehaffey (NIre) 71 70 69

226 E Healey 71 78 77

230 C Howard 76 76 78

237 C Frankish 78 81 78, L Brunt 83 75 79

238 J Guest 82 75 81

250 O Hamilton 86 84 80, M Clarke 81 82 87

255 J Campbell 89 83 83

MEHAFFEY SIGNS OFF JUNIOR CAREER IN STYLE AS LI MAKES IT THIRD TIME LUCKY AT QUINTA DO LAGO

Olivia Mehaffey, the world No 16 amateur, emphatically won the 30^th Telegraph BMW Junior Championship girls’ title while Jamie Li won his first finals at the third – and final – time of asking after a one-shot victory in the boys’ event at Quinta do Lago on Friday.

Mehaffey, the rising Northern Irish star and a member at Royal County Down, won by a staggering 16 shots, one of the biggest gaps in Junior Championship history.

The 17-year-old co-led after the first round with Eloise Healey, but stamped her authority in the final two rounds to finish six under par after a 69 in her third round.

She said: “Whatever lead you have, it feels like everyone is breathing down your neck. I was shaky after three bogeys but managed to relax and enjoy the back nine.

“I looked at the honours board the other day and to win alongside the other girls is such an honour. It’s a great event and I’m really grateful to be a sponsors’ invite and win it.

“It’s my last ever junior competition and I put my year down to the hard work over the winter.”

Her end of season victory at the prestigious 54-hole strokeplay Telegraph event added to the Scottish, Irish and Welsh Open Amateur titles she has won this year, clutch of titles that earned her the Ladies Golf Union Order of Merit title.

Healey finished second after a 77, while Chloe Howard posted a 78 to finish 20 strokes off Mehaffey’s winning score.

Meanwhile, there was a contrasting win in the boys’ finale as Li won a thrilling 18-hole battle with John Gough.

Bath’s Li, a two-time Telegraph finalist at Quinta do Lago, had held a two-shot lead overnight from Stoke Park’s Gough.

But the round started badly for the England junior as Li suffered a two-stroke penalty shot on the par three second when he practised and grounded his club from a water hazard.

It meant a triple bogey six for Li and his lead wiped out in one hole. Gough soon had a four-shot lead, but Li fought back superbly on the back nine with four birdies to finish with a 70 and -5 under overall, as his rival failed to claw back the deficit on the 18^th’s sloping green.

“It was the best I’ve ever putted on that back nine and this win feels great,” said Li.

“It was hard going after my two shot penalty but after the worst moment it switched around pretty quickly to become the best moment of my career and the back nine was just so enjoyable for me.

“I’ve finished my junior career on a real high and I’m extremely happy.”

Wentworth’s Daniel List finished third at level par for the tournament.