Sally Watson finishes third in

Kathy Whitworth Invitational

Curtis Cup player Sally Watson today achieved her best tournament performance since she came back into action following a major knee operation a few days after she played for Great Britain & Ireland against the United States over the Old Course, St Andrews late May last year.
Sally, who will be 18 in July and is a student at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, Bradenton, Florida, finished third in the Kathy Whitworth Invitational which drew a field of 72 of the best girl golfers in America and beyond to the Mira Vista Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.
Watson, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency in action at the Curtis Cup, who will enrol in August at Stanford University, California - alma mater of Tiger Woods, Mhairi McKay and Michelle Wie, to name but three - had a pair of 71s for a two-under-par total of 142, two shots behind Jane Rah from California and Erynn Lee from Washington. Rah scored 69 and 71, Lee a pair of 70s. Lee was declared the winner, the better second round being the tie-breaker.

Former Irish girls champion Stephanie Meadow, a student at the International Junior Golf Academy, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina tied for fourth place with scores of 73 and 70 for 153.
Former world tennis ace Ivan Lendl's daughters, Daniela (79-78) and Isabelle (79-80), finished on 157 and 159 respectively.
LEADING TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72)

Players from US unless stated

140 Erynne Lee 70 70, Jane Rah 69 71 (Lee won on better second round).

142 Sally Watson (Sco) 71 71.

143 Gabriella Dominguez 70 73, Natalie Reeves 72 71, Rachel Morris 73 70, Stephanie Meadow (NIre) 73 70.

Selected scores:

151 Laetitia Beck (Isr) 75 76.

157 Daniela Lendl 79 78.

159 Isabelle Lendl 79 80

NEIL HENDERSON FINISHES JT 52nd

IN PINEHURST INTERCOLLEGIATE

North Berwick's Neil Henderson, a student at Old Dominion University, Norfolk in Virginia, improved six places to a final position of joint 52nd in a field of 104 players for the Pinehurst Intercollegiate over the No 8 course at the North Carolina golf complex.
Freshman Henderson, a former Scottish schoolboys champion, had rounds of 76, 76 and 74 for 226, birdieing the third, sixth and 12th in his final score which did not include the double bogeys that marred his first and second rounds.
T J Howe (Penn State) won the individual title with rounds of 73, 69 and 67 for 209 - three shots ahead of Drew Weaver (Virginia Tech), the 2007 British Amateur champion, who had scores of 72, 69 and 71.
Penn State (862) won the team title ahead of Virginia Tech (867). Old Dominion (890) came a creditable eighth in a field of 20 teams.

Hannah Burke finishes jt

6th in Baylor Invitational

Hannah Burke (Baylor University, Texas) faded from joint third to a final position of joint sixth in a field of 84 for the Baylor Spring Invitational women's college tournament at Twin Rivers Golf Club, Waco in Texas.

Hannah, pictured, followed an opening 77 with a one-over-par 73 which suggested she was coming into form at just the right time to win her home university's golf tournament.

But it was not to be. The Hertfordshire player who is in the Ladies Golf Union preliminary selection squad for this summer's Vagliano Trophy match between GB&I and the holders, the Continent of Europe, in Hamburg, finished with a round of 79 for a total of 13-over--par 229.

She had a dismal outward half of 41 with bogeys at the first, third, fifth, sixth and ninth. Things got worse at the 11th where she had a double bogey 6. A birdie at the 13th was only a brief glimmer in the gloom as she had another bogey at the 14th before finished with her best run of consecutive pars (4) for 38 home.

Stacey Rodger, from Mile Oak, Sussex and a freshman student at Missouri State University, improved from joint 32nd to a final position of joint 2oth with a round of 76 for 234. Earlier she had scored 78 and 80.

Stacey had birdies at the second, 12th, 15th and 17th in her final round but also had bogeys at the fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth (out in 39), 13th, 14th, 17th and 18th. In fact, she had only six pars in her final 18 holes.

But she avoided the disasters of the first round (a quadruple bogey 8) and the second round (a double bogey 6).

Katie Ackerson (Southern Methodist) was the individual winner with scores of 74, 74 and 75 for 223 over a par-72 course of 6,349yd.

Suteera Chanachai (New Mexico State) was runner-up on 225 with scores of 76, 74 and 75.

Pennapa Pulsawath (Iowa State) came third on 227 with rounds of 76, 74 and 77.

Illinois State (927) won the team title ahead of New Mexico State (931) with Baylor and Missouri State tieing for third place on 933 in a field of 14 teams.

Just champion! That's how Callum Trahan was feeling after the presentation ceremony at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Banchory boy Callum Trahan wins play-off

for first title on International Junior Tour

Callum Trahan from Banchory, a member of Murcar Links Golf Club and a current student of the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, has scored his first victory on the US-based International Junior Golf Tour.

Competing in the Boys' 16 to 19 years Division over 36 holes at the Port Royal Plantation Resort, Hilton Head, Trahan triumphed in a play-off at posting a three-over-par total of 147.

After the opening round he found himself a little disappointed with a round of six-over-par 80. Starting Sunday’s round, Trahan was six stroke off the lead. Not to be discouraged the Scot came out firing on all cylinders - four birdies and an eagle in his first
nine holes for a five-under-par front nine.

Callum maintained his momentum till the end improving on his first-round 80 by a remarkable 13 shots with a 67 for 147.

“Coming into today’s round, I knew I had to keep the ball in play. After my front nine, I knew I still had to scramble to get to the fron. I had to make some putts and I would have a chance at victory.”

In the end, Trahan did enough to tie with fellow Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy classmate Greg Schmaus from Uppder Saddle River, New Jersey who shot 75 and 72 for 147.

Out they went again in a sudden-death play-off. After the first hole was halved in par, Trahan sank a 15ft putt for a winning par at the second hole.

Rounding out the top three was Scott Simpson of Morrison, Illinois with consistent rounds of 74 and 75 for 149.

Trahan received a bonus prize for having the lowest boys' round - a J Lindeberg White Slater Belt from the IJGT's newest sponsor, J Lindeberg.

Callum will not automatically qualify for a place in the International Junior Golf Tour's Champion of Champions' tournament, to be held in Florida in May.

It's a dramatic change of fortunes for Trahan who, only the week or so before the tournament, was hit in the face by an errant golf ball and had to have 10 stitches to repair the wound.

Ireland name their four

for French Under-21s

FROM THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) and Aedin Murphy (Carlow), pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency at the 2008 women's home internationals at Wrexham, will join the Maguire twins, Leona and Lisa, as Ireland's representatives at the French International Lady Juniors' (under 21) amateur championship from April 9 to 13 at Paris St Cloud Golf Club.
Two rounds of 18-hole stroke-play will be played over the first two days of competition to determine the top 32 qualifiers who will continue on to the matcplay stages of this event. The next 16 players who are under 18 years of age, and do not qualify in the top 32, will take part in the under-18 match-play event.
Leona Maguire won the Under-18 years section last year while sister Lisa was narrowly beaten in the semi-finals of the Under-21 event.

... and six for Scottish Under-16s at Craigielaw
The following six players have been selected to represent Ireland at the Scottish Under-16 girls' open stroke-play championship at Craigielaw Golf Club, near Edinburgh on April 9 and 10:

Jessica Boal (Larne)
Amy Chambers (Dunfanaghy)
Eadaoin Cronin (Bantry Bay)
Paula Grant (Lisburn)
Jenny Hennessy (Ennis)
Emma Murphy (Wexford)

It will be the first experience of international competition for this development squad, who will be looking to emulate the success of Leona Maguire who won the scratch title in 2007. The format consists of 36 holes stroke-play, with one round being played each day.
Combined with the individual stroke-play competition is an international team event for which the ILGU has nominated two teams of three players.

Long courses tough for Neil Henderson

and Euan Brown in US college events

Former Scottish schoolboys golf champion Neil Henderson shot a pair of 76s for a two-round tally of 152 - eight over par for a very long par-72 course (7,035yd) to be lying in joint 58th position in a field of 104 players for the Pinehurst Intercollegiate over the No 8 course at the Pinehurst complex, North Carolina.
Henderson, from North Berwick, is a freshman student at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia.
He had one double bogey in his second round compared with two in his first-day round.
Nathan Sutherland (Miami of Ohio University) leads with 68 and 72 for 140.
Old Dominion (595) are 10th in a field of 20 teams, headed by Michigan State (580).
+ + +

Euan Brown (St Mary's University-California) from Ayrshire is in joint 63rd position at the Barona Collegiate Cup, being played at Barona Creek Golf Club, Lakeside in California.

Freshman Euan has scored 79 and 84 for 163 over an even longer course than Neil Henderson is experiencing at Pinehurst - 7,393yd with a par of 72.

Euan had a triple bogey 8 at the first and a double bogey 5 at the short 11th in his second round. He has had one birdie, at the 15th second time round, over the 36 holes.

Englishman Andrew Cooley (San Diego State), pictured above, has had rounds of 73 and 70 for 143 and is sharing 13th place behind the triple joint leaders of 137.

Andrew had a great second nine of 32 in his second round. He recovered brilliantly for a double bogey 5 at the short third to birdie the fifth, sixth, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th.

LEADING TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72) 7393yd

137 Matt Hoffenberg (San Diego State) 69 68, Dustin Morris (Colorado State) 70 67, Blake Trimble (San Diego) 69 68.

Selected scores:

143 Andrew Cooley (San Diego State) 73 70 (jt 13th).

163 Euan Brown (St Mary's-California) 79 84 (jt 63rd).

LEADING TEAMS

697 San Diego State.

709 New Mexico.

711 Colorado State.

Selected score:

764 St Mary's-California (9th of 10).

HANNAH BURKE IN CONTENTION AT TWIN RIVERS

Vagliano Trophy team place contender Hannah Burke (Baylor University) from Hertfordshire is lying third after two rounds of the Baylor Spring Invitational over a 6,349yd, par-72 course at Twin Rivers Golf Club, Waco in Texas.

Hannah, a member of the GB&I preliminary selection for the match against the Continent of Europe at Hamburg, has had rounds of 77 and 73 for 150.

Her second round was the joint best score over the first 36 holes of the three-round tournament.

She birdied the third, fifth, eighth and 10th but cancelled out these high spots with bogeys at the second, sixth, ninth, 16th and 18th.

Stacey Rodgers (Missouri State) from Mile Oak, Sussex has scored 78 and 80 to be sharing 32nd place on 158 in a field of 84 players.

Stacey had no birdies in her second round but a double bogey at the sixth. She had three birdies in her first round which also included a quadruple bogey 8 at the 13th.

Kate Ackerson (Southern Methodist) leads the field with a pair of 74s for 148, one ahead of Maggie Murphy (New Mexico State) (75-74) and then comes Hannah Burke, one of three players on 150.