SHORT GAME:FORMER Irish Girls' champion Stephanie Meadow, from Portrush, a student at the International Golf Academy at Hilton Head Island, finished joint third on 146 with rounds of 70 and 76 in the Verizon Junior Heritage girls' 36-hole championship at her college course in South Carolina on Sunday.
Meadow had birdies at the fourth, 10th, 11th and 16th, but a double bogey six at the 13th and bogeys at the second, third, seventh, ninth, 12th and 18th in halves of 39 and 36 made the difference between victory and runner-up.
Her total of two-over-par 145 saw her finish one shot behind the US “wonder girl”, 13-year-old Alexis Thompson, and Laetitia Beck, the Israeli who attends a Florida golf academy. Both girls scored 72 in both rounds. Curtis Cup Scot Sally Watson finished 15th after rounds of 71 and 82.
Three of Ireland’s European champions in Walker Cup squad
Scotland’s World Amateur Team Championship winners, Wallace Booth and Gavin Dear, have also been included. The final team of 10 players will face the US on September 12th and 13th at the Merion GC in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
The two young Scots who, together with Callum Macaulay, lifted the Eisenhower Trophy in Australia last October, form part of a 28-man group that will meet at Formby GC on April 28th-29th.
Also in the squad is Welshman Nigel Edwards, who will be attempting to reach his fifth consecutive Walker Cup, and England’s Thomas Sherreard, second-placed amateur and 19th overall at the 2008 British Open Championship.
Power leads East Tennessee to fourth in desert championship
SÉAMUS POWER, from West Waterford, helped his East Tennessee State University (ETSU) to a fourth-place finish in the Arizona Intercollegiate championship at the Arizona National Golf Club last week.
In the Buccaneers’ first tournament of the spring season, junior Power led the way, finishing tied for sixth in the individual at two-under-par 211 after rounds of 75, 66 and 70.
Power finished 10 strokes behind individual champion Chris Paisley of Tennessee, who finished three ahead of Matt Hoffenberg of San Diego State.
In the team competition, Pepperdine won by three strokes over San Diego State, while ETSU tied with UNLV for fourth.
• THE Leinster Alliance outing to Castleknock last Sunday fell foul of the weather. The final outing of the season, the Tony Frew’s captain’s prize, will take place at the Royal Dublin GC on March 1st. Timesheet with Michael Neary at 01-2827297.
LPGA stalwart Jameson dies, 89
BETTY JAMESON, one of the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour in 1950, died on Saturday at Boynton Beach, Florida. She was 89. “
As a result of Betty’s elegant ambition, generations of women have benefited from her dedication, vision and sacrifice,” said LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens.
“We are very sorry to lose her. At the same time, we celebrate her life and her remarkable spirit.”
Born on May 9th, 1919, in Norman, Oklahoma, Jameson won the 1932 Texas Publinx title at 13, took the Southern Championship at 15 and won consecutive US Women’s Amateur titles in 1939 and 1940. She won the 1942 Western Open for the first of three major titles, and ended her amateur career with 14 victories.
Jameson turned professional in 1945, won the US Open in 1947, and took the Western Open in 1954. She finished with 13 professional wins.
Jameson was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women’s Golf in 1951, and became one of six inaugural members of the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame in 1967.
Kelly and Smyth capture Spanish Doubles championship
IRELAND’s Maurice Kelly from the Killeen Club and Hugh Smyth from Mourne GC won the Spanish International Doubles Championship at Costa Ballena GC on the Iberian Peninsula.
Reduced to just one round because of thunderstorms throughout the day and intense rains in the preceding days, the Irish pair shot a remarkable, five-under-par 67.
In second place, four shots back, were Bob Backstedt and Per Hildebrand of Sweden.
The English and Irish pairing of Norman Cameron and Tom McEvoy finished third on 72.
Smyth also finished second in the Spanish Seniors Championship with a total of 224 after rounds of 80, 72 and 72 - just two behind Miguel Preysler of Spain.
Kelly, the defending champion, tied for fourth on 227 after rounds of 78, 76 and 73.
• PETER O’KEEFFE birdied the last two holes to win the Munster Senior Alliance outing to Lee Valley on Saturday. O’Keeffe shot 71 to edge out Tom Cleary and Dave O’Donovan, both on 72.
Turner goes low in Arizona
NIALL TURNER, of Team Ireland Golf, finished 10th in the Gateway Tour event in Scottsdale, Arizona, over the weekend.
This event was played over two courses – Palm Valley and Wigwam. Turner started with 74 at Wigwam GC and followed with a four-under 68 at Palm Valley to make the cut.
He followed this with a great third round of nine-under-par 63 which included eight birdies and an eagle to record the low round of the day. This gave him 11-under-par total of 205.
The event was won by Charlie Belgan on 17 under par.
