LANCS LASS JENNA SCORES FIRST US WIN in ONLY SECOND EVENT

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Lancashire lass Jenna Birch, a sophomore student at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Georgia, won this week's Newberry College invitational over 36 holes at Moss Creek Golf Club, Hilton Head in South Carolina.
It was Jenna's first win on the US college circuit in only her second competition for her college.

Over a 5,801yd course with a surprisingly high par of 74, Jenna shot 75-78 for 153, which seems to suggest that
(a) the course is a lot tougher than the length suggests and (b) perhaps the weather did not lend itself to low scores.

Armstrong Atlantic students filled the first three places with Kristen Sammarco (77-79) runner-up on 156 and Kelly Pearce (76-81) third on 157.

Jenna Birch, pictured above, who will be 21 on July 29, comes from the seaside town of Fleetwood which, you might like to know has THREE lighthouses. 
Jenna won the Under-18 title at the Scottish Under-21 girls stroke-play championship won by Kelsey MacDonald over her home course at Nairn Dunbar GC in 2009.

Jemma Chalmers, pictured left, from Dundee, a freshman student at Newberry College, South Carolina, finished a creditable 10th in a field of 150 on 164 with a pair of 82s.  Jemma celebrated her 19th birthday on February 15.

Banchory's Louise McGillivray (Carson-Newman) finished T59 on 177 with scores of 85-92.

Not surprisingly, given their 1-2-3 in the individual event, Armstrong Atlantic State (628) won the team title quite comfortably from hosts Newberry College (650) with Lander University and USC-Beaufort joint third on 657. 

Carson-Newman (667) finished sixth in a field of 10 teams. 
 The Armstrong Atlantic State University team went wire-to-wire in capturing the first team title in the seven-year history of the program.
The battle for the individual title came down to the back nine in the final round as first-round leader Jenna Birch trailed team-mate Kristen Sammarco by one stroke at the turn. 

Birch birded the par-4 No. 12 hole while Sammarco bogeyed the hole and Birch then played the final six holes at even par to clinch the title in just her second tournament played as a Pirate. She was red-shirted for the 2010-2011 season and not able to make her debut until the second half of the current college campaign.

The win is the first for Armstrong Atlantic since women's golf became a varsity program in 2005-06 and it is also the first tournament win for Armstrong golf - men or women - since the men captured the Liberty Spring Invite at the Crosswinds on March 12-13, 2007. Armstrong Atlantic - and Jenna Birch - return to action on March 5-6, hosting the Armstrong Pirate Women's Invitational.

MEGAN CLYNE IMPROVES BY 19 SHOTS IN ROUND 2

Aberdeen's Megan Clyne, a first-year student at Montevallo University, Alabama, improved an astonishing NINETEEN shots between her first and second rounds in this week's BSC Ann Rhoads Invitational at Oxmoore Valley Golf club, Birmingham in the state of Alabama.
Deeside GC member Megan, pictured right, shot a nightmare 94 in the first round over the par-72, 5809yd course. But in the second round she returned a 75 for a total of 169 which earned her a share of 24th place in a field of 87 players.
Team-mate Emma Breen, a junior year student from Swindon, shot 90-83 for 173 and a share of 31st place.
Tie at the top of the scoreboard on 158 were Darin Pinnick (Indianapolis) (82-76) and Jennifer Sullivan (Methodist) (85-73). Pinnick won the individual honours with a birdie at the first sudden-death play-off hole.
Indianapolis (644) won the team title, 14 shots ahead of runners-up Tennessee Tech. Montevallo (673) finished fifth.