Student Series

Slender leads for McClymont and Hill after round two in France

The R&A

08 Mar 24

3 mins

The final round of The R&A Student Tour Series – France (STS) at Le Golf National is poised for a fabulous finale in both the men’s and women’s events. A host of players are in position to win the penultimate event of the 2023/24 season.

Five-time STS winner Lorna McClymont holds a one-shot lead in the women’s event, with five players within two shots of the Stirling student’s lead. Maynooth University student Allan Hill also holds a one-shot lead. He is level par for 36 holes. Hill lies ahead of Ignacio Mateo Fraga of the University of Exeter and St Andrews student Adam Charlton, the first-round leader. However, there are nine players just two shots behind Hill in joint fourth place. McClymont sits on three-over-par 147 after posting a one-over-par 73 to go with her opening 74. She is one shot in front of Halmstad University’s Hanna Nilsson, Kate Lanigan of Maynooth University and St Andrews student Ellie Monk. Former STS winners Lucy Jamieson of St Andrews and Halmstad scholar Elice Fredriksson are only three strokes off the pace.

Defending champion

Scottish international McClymont should arguably have the advantage in the final round. The sports studies student is the highest ranked player in the field at 130^th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®). She’s the defending champion, having won the last STS tournament played at Le Golf National. That was during the 2022/23 season en route to topping the order of merit for the second straight year. The 2018 Ryder Cup course played slightly easier than it did on the opening day, thanks to warmer temperatures and less wind. However, the long-time French Open venue still proved a tough test for Europe’s best student golfers. “It’s nice knowing that I’ve won here before but the course is totally different this year, so I wouldn’t say it’s a huge advantage,” the Milngavie Golf Club member said. “It’s a harder challenge because it’s a different time of year (March as opposed to October).

More accepting

“You have to be more accepting this time around with the course being soft and wet. You can easily lose your ball even though it could be a yard off the fairway.” The Scottish international could have put more distance between herself and the field if she had performed better on the greens. “My pace putting wasn’t great," she added. "I three putted 16 and 17 which was disappointing.” McClymont left a 30-foot birdie putt on 16 seven feet short of the hole, and then took three strokes from 50 feet at 17.

Lorna McClymont holes a long one on her way to round two lead at Le Golf National.

Only player to match par

Hill is the only player in the field to match par over the first two rounds. He added a one-under-par 70 to his opening 72. The Masters student in finance started with two bogeys and a birdie in his first four holes before settling down with four birdies between the 5^th and 12^th holes. A double bogey at the par-4 15^th hole when he found water off the tee halted his progress. A pitch and putt par at the last from 78 yards after finding the right rough of the tee got him into the clubhouse with his nose in front. “I chipped in at the eighth hole and took my chances between the fifth and the 12^th holes by making some nice putts,” Hill said. “At 15 I went for a splish splash by pushing my tee shot right, which was annoying. But my up and down at the last was pleasing."

Plays tough courses well

Hill is known for handling tough courses well in the STS. He holds the amateur course record at Troia Golf resort, returning a six-under-par 66 when he finished second in the 2020 STS – Portugal event. He made that year’s Arnold Palmer Cup team too. “I’ve got good omens on tricky courses, and I’ve finished top five in these events along with that runner-up," he added. "I haven’t got over the finish line yet. Hopefully this week.” The 23-year-old has played through a wrist injury the last two years which hasn’t been properly diagnosed. “It’s just structural damage from wear and tear," he said. "It flared up this week, and I’m struggling a wee bit. I’m just trying to nurse it along with ice, and trying play some half decent golf along the way.” He's certainly done that the first two days. So has McClymont.

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