Howard takes podium finish at Quinta do Lago
Plymouth ace Chloe Howard has vowed to learn some valuable lessons after taking third place behind runaway winner Olivia Mehaffey at the 2015 Telegraph BMW Junior Championship at Quinta do Lago.
Two rounds of 76 and a closing score of 78 on the redesigned resort’s North Course helped the teenager from Elfordleigh GC finish amongst the minor honours at the prestigious event in the Algarve.
But Howard had no answer to the performance of Northern Ireland star Mehaffey, who carded a finishing total of three-under-par to finish 20 shots clear of the Devon youngster and 16 ahead of her nearest challenger, England international Eloise Healey.
Howard said: “It was a really relaxed and chilled week. I was playing in the final group in the last two days and playing with Olivia Mehaffey was just amazing.
“She analyses every shot in a way that I haven’t seen before. I will definitely learn from that and this has been the best experience ever. I will be working on what I have learnt and I want to be a more complete player. “
Mehaffey said: “Whatever lead you have, it feels like everyone is breathing down your neck. I was shaky after three bogeys but managed to relax and enjoy the back nine.
“I looked at the honours board the other day and to win alongside the other girls is such an honour. It’s my last ever junior competition and I put my year down to the hard work over the winter.”
Her end-of-season victory at the prestigious 54-hole strokeplay event added to the Scottish, Irish and Welsh Open Amateur titles she has won this year.
Meanwhile, it was a closer affair in the boys’ finale as England international Li won a thrilling 18-hole battle with John Gough to make it third time lucky in Portugal.
Bath’s Li, a two-time Telegraph finalist at Quinta do Lago, had held a two-shot lead overnight from Stoke Park’s Gough.
But the round started badly for the England junior as Li suffered a two-stroke penalty shot on the par three second when he practised and grounded his club from a water hazard.
It meant a triple bogey six for Li and his lead wiped out in one hole. Gough soon had a four-shot lead, but Li fought back superbly on the back nine with four birdies to finish with a 71 and five-under overall, as his rival failed to claw back the deficit on the 18th green.
Li and Mehaffey will now enjoy the privilege of playing in next year’s BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth, an initiative started by Paul McGinley two years ago.
Previous winners of the event, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, have included the likes of 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose and stars of the men’s and ladies’ tours in Europe including Matthew Fitzpatrick, Melissa Reid and Carly Booth.
Howard was one of 12 boys and nine girls to take part in the competition, which was hosted by Quinta do Lago for the third year in a row with the action taking place on the resort’s new North Course – one of the most talked-about design projects in Europe in 2014.
This year’s tournament featured a record number of entries with an estimated 18,750 juniors participating, with the number of boys taking part increasing by 95 per cent and the numbers of girls going up by an amazing 215 per cent. Qualifying began in the spring with hundreds of qualifying rounds being staged at clubs across the UK over the summer.
Voted ‘Best New Golf Course in Europe at the 2014 World Golf Awards, Quinta do Lago’s new North Course is part of a major investment programme being undertaken by the resort and has been built to the highest specifications, with the course recently being included as a new entry in Golf World’s benchmark Top 100 Courses in Continental Europe rankings.
The official winter training base for England Golf’s elite squads, Quinta do Lago is perfect for a relaxing family holiday in exquisite surroundings and offers the very best in award-winning sports and leisure facilities, with a wide variety of pursuits to enjoy in addition to its outstanding golf facilities.
For more details about the 2015 Telegraph BMW Golf Championship, visit www.telegraph.co.uk/juniorgolf
For further information on Quinta do Lago and its facilities, phone + 351 289 390 700 or visit www.quintadolago.com .
