SCOTS CHAMPION STRUGGLES IN JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL DEBUT

From Colin Farquharson

McINTOSH'S LATE BIRDIES RAISE HOPES OF SECOND-ROUND SURGE AT JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL

Eric McIntosh

Scottish boys' golf champion Eric McIntosh will not have fond memories of his debut in the Junior Orange Bowl tournament over the Biltmore Course at Coral Gables, Florida (on Tuesday).
The Bruntsfield Links Golf Club member shot an eight-over-par 79 to be 14 strokes off the lead after the first round.
McIntosh is joint 45th in the 56-strong boys' field after running up a triple bogey 7 at the sixth and a double bogey 6 at the 10th, uncharacteristic lapses by the player who won the Scottish U18 boys' match-play title at Murcar Links last April.
He also bogeyed the fourth, eighth, 11th, 13th and 15th in halves of 40 (five over par) and 39 (three over).
But McIntosh should start the second round encouraged by the fact that he birdied two of his last five holes as he settled to the Florida conditions and pace of the greens. He got a 2 at the short 14th and a 4 at the par-5 18th.
Australia's Karl Vilips leads the rising star-studded field by two shots after a six-under-par 65.
The leading European is Edgar Catherine (France), in third place with a 68.
The girls' championship is led by a European - France's Agathe Laisne with a four-under-par 67.
There is no Scottish girl in the field while England stopped sending their boy and girl champions to the Junior Orange Bowl a number of years ago.

JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL
Coral Gables, Florida
Biltmore Course
FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
BOYS
par 71, yardage 6,742
65 K Vilips (Australia)
67 J Nieman (Chile)
68 E Catherine (France)
69 A J Ewart (Canada), D Chatsfield (USA), D Rauch (Germany), M F de Oliveir (Argentna).

SELECTED SCORE
79 E McIntosh (Sco) (T49)
Field of 56 players

GIRLS
par 71, yardage 6,089
67 A Laisne (France)
68 S Lee (S Korea), M Chun (Canada)
69 A L Collado (Mexico)