Golf is open to all
Student Series
Jack Leversidge dominates day one of student finale
03 Apr 23
3 mins
The Jubilee Course didn’t really appeal to Jack Leversidge during preparation for The R&A Student Tour Series – Final at the home of golf. It didn’t take the Englishman long to figure out how to play the 6,614 yard layout.
Men's Leaderboard Women's Leaderboard Leversidge takes a three-shot lead into the second round after posting a six-under-par 66. Stirling University student Lorna McClymont and Megan Ashley of St Andrews University share the lead in the women’s tournament. The Scottish pair returned matching one-under-par 73s.Hard to believe
Walking off the 15th green, finance and investment student Leversidge was eight under par and finding it hard to believe the numbers on his scorecard; it featured six birdies and an eagle. “I was thinking ‘wow, this is a good score,’” said, Leversidge, who is in his final year at Northumbria University. Consecutive bogeys at 16 and 17 brought him back down to earth, but he leads by three over Dutchman Floris Veth (Saxion University), and Welshman Thomas Peet (Cardiff University). “I wouldn’t have said a 66 was out there. I played yesterday and, being honest, the course didn’t quite suit my eye.”Sensible game plan
A sensible strategy helped the plus 2.8 handicapper. So did a third-place finish in the previous event, the Student Tour Series – Spain, and winning last week’s English and Welsh Championship at Sherwood Forest Golf Club on the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Golf Tour. “I had a game plan of going out and not really attacking flags, just playing sensible golf. I played solid golf but I’ve been doing that the last few weeks. I won last week and was third in Spain so I’m just trying to keep the game trending in the right direction. I’ve got a lot of confidence from those results.”
Jack Leversidge - Northumbria University
“I was thinking ‘wow, this is a good score'. I wouldn’t have said a 66 was out there. I played yesterday and, being honest, the course didn’t quite suit my eye.”
Aiming to end on a high
Leversidge has two more rounds left in his student career, one more over the Jubilee with the final round set for the Old Course. In August, he moves to London to work for MUFG Bank, Japan’s largest bank. Needless to say, he’s hoping to go out on a high. “I’m looking forward to this next two days since this will be my last student tour series event. I’ve never played the Old Course so I’m really looking forward to that, experiencing it for this first time and in a competition.” He might just end his student days by hoisting a trophy in golf’s most famous setting. Men’s order of merit leader George Cannon of Stirling University returned a four-over 76 and sits in joint 33rd place.Fitting winners
McClymont and Ashley would also be fitting winners when the last putts are holed on the Old Course’s 18th green. Victory will give Stirling student McClymont her second order of merit title. She holds a 97-point advantage over Ashley, but the St Andrews student has that all important intangible: local knowledge. For most of the opening round it looked like McClymont was on course to win her third title of this year’s series to go with victories in the Stirling International at Montrose and at Le Golf National, venue for the French event. She was three-under through nine before dropping shots at the 10th, 11th and 13th holes. An eagle at the par-5, 14th hole when she hit a drive and 3-hybrid to nine feet got her back on track, only for her to double bogey the 15th. A birdie at the 16th got her back under par.
Megan Ashley - University of St Andrews
"I’m local and I’ve played this course a lot since a young age. It’s familiar, which makes it easier at times and maybe harder at times, but you’ve just got to roll with punches."