European teenagers win boys' and girls' titles at 

Junior Orange Bowl in Florida

Albane Valenzuela and Kristoffer Reitan with an official at the Junior Orange Bowl presentation ceremony.

REPORT FROM DAVID MACKINTOSH
Junior Orange Bowl Press Officer
CORAL GABLES,  Florida: The 52^st edition of the Junior Orange Bowl International belongs to Europe! Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela won the individual boys' and girls' prestigious titles.

Reitan posted a four-day total of 279, 5-under par with a final-round 70, resilient play for a tournament featuring stiff wind all week.

Valenzuela finished 3-under par (281) to take the Girls' Division by three strokes from France’s Agathe Laisne and South Korea’s Euikyung Shin, while frontrunner for most of the event, North Carolina’s Emilia Migliaccio, finished 5^th.   
The two title winners were the only players to finish under par for the 72-hole tournament.     

Defending champion Joaquin Niemann from Chile and Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart both birdied the 72^nd hole to tie second place on even par. 

Niemann’s attempt to become the first  boy player to repeat the title was thwarted by a balky putter, his ball striking as immaculate as ever. “It’s the way golf goes, but obviously frustrating,” he said. 

Will Dickson from Providence RI was the low USA boy, tied 7^th on 288.

“It feels amazing,” Reitan, 17, said afterwards. “That was the hardest round of golf I’ve ever played, mentally really exhausting, having to keep my emotions in check for the entire day. I was particularly pleased to avoid doing anything stupid, especially toward the end. 

"To feel all these emotions on a golf course was a really good experience and hopefully will be useful in the future.”

Asked at what stage he began to believe he could win, the charismatic young Norwegian confessed “It was never easy. After the first nine, when I led by five strokes, I was still thinking there was a long way to go. Then I bogeyed three in a row and the lead was down to two. 

"Luckily I was able to birdie the 13^th and from there on I got more comfortable. But it was only when I hit the 17^th green that I felt I had compete control.” 
Daniel List, Australian-born student at Wellington College, Berkshire, tied for 10th place on five-over-par 289 with rounds of 74, 72, 73 and 70.

Valenzuela came into the week full of confidence, having won at the Doral Junior Open the week pre-Christmas and competing in the JOBI for the third time.

“The golf course suits my game,” she said. “After last year (when she finished third) I knew that if I played my style of golf, I would have a chance. To actually achieve my ambition of winning this event, well it still has to sink in.”  

 A solid final round of 70 sealed the championship. “I enjoy attacking pins and that’s how I played today, and it worked.”

Now she’s off to challenge for the Mexican Amateur in Guadalajara, a tournament where her father was runner-up four times. “I’d love to win there for family honour, but honestly, to win the Junior Orange Bowl is truly fantastic.”

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
BOYS
6742yd Par 284 (4x71)

1 Kristoffer Reitan (Norway) 279 (70 67 72 70)

T2 Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Belgium) 284 (71 71 73 69)

T2 Joaquin Niemann (Chile) 284 (69 73 70 72)

T4  Adrien Pendaries (France) 285 (73 74 70 68)

T4 Sachin Kumar (Trinidad and Tobago) 285 (72 68 70 75

6 David Ravetto (France) 286 (71 73 69 73)

T7 Will Dickson (USA) 288 (71 74 74 69)

T7 Kieran Vincent (Zimbabwe) 288 (71 75 72 70)
T7 Jeong Weon Ko (France) 288 (72 74 70 72)

T10 Daniel List (Australia) 289 (74 72 73 70)

T10 Herik Machado (Brazil) 289 (72 75 72 70)

GIRLS

6089yd. Par 284 (4x71) 
 1 Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland) 281 (70 70 71 70)
T2 Agathe Laisne (France) 284 (76 68 73 67)
T2 Euikyung Shin (S Korea) 284 (69 69 78 68
4 Mathilda Cappeliez (France) 285 (70 73 72 70)
5 Emilia Migliaccio (USA) 287 (68 70 74 75)
6 Mika Liu (USA) 290 (75 71 72 72)
7 Sofia Garcia (Paraguay) 292 (70 74 75 73)
T8 Isabella Fierro (Mexico) 293 (77 74 76 66)
T8 Luiza Altmann (Brazil) 293 (78 70 75 70)
T8 Valeria Pacheco (Puerto Rico) 293 (77 72 71 73)

 For complete list of boys' and girls' final totals, visit www.jrorangebowl.org/golf