Student Series

Walker and McClymont out in front ahead of final round Portugal battle

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The R&A
02 Feb 23
3 mins
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A familiar story is developing at Troia Golf in the third edition of the R&A Student Tour Series – Portugal. Simon Walker and Lorna McClymont are looking to extend Maynooth and Stirling University’s dominance over the tough Troia course.

Walker takes a one-stroke lead into the final round as he hopes to emulate former Maynooth winners Paul Conroy, Ryan Griffin and Jordan Boles. (Boles and Griffin were joint winners last year.) Women’s defending champion Lorna McClymont is looking to make it three Stirling wins out of three to go with Louise Duncan’s 2020 triumph. (Covid forced cancellation of the 2021 event.) She holds a five-shot lead with 18 holes to play.

Bogey free

Walker did what no to other player, male or female, as done over the tough Troia course over the last two days: keep a bogey off the card. Two birdies and 16 pars has the 21-year-old accounting and finance student sitting on 1-over 145, one better than Edge Golf College player Noah Brunner, who recorded a best of the week 68. “I had a bad start yesterday with three bogeys in my first five holes, but I’ve only had one bogey since the fifth yesterday (at the 18th),” said Walker, who finished joint fifth here last year. “I’m just trying to hit fairways and greens and play risk free, keep the ball out of trouble and take my chances when they come. I had a lot of chances today and didn’t convert as many as I’d have liked.” Those chances came at the par-4, 2nd hole when the plus 4.6. handicapper from Roscommon Golf Club holed an eight-foot birdie putt, then at 13 with a five footer for a three.
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Simon Walker - Maynooth University

"I’m just trying to hit fairways and greens and play risk free, keep the ball out of trouble and take my chances when they come. I had a lot of chances today and didn’t convert as many as I’d have liked.”

A mental challenge

“I learned last year that you have to limit the big numbers to do well around here,” said Walker, who is in his third and final year of his undergraduate studies but is contemplating a Masters degree. “If you can do that then playing this course is easier because it’s more of a mental challenge here. You have to stay calm, not get angry at yourself because once you do you can rack up big numbers.”

Brunner employs local knowledge

Swiss player Brunner didn’t record many big numbers either, but then he’s drawing on local knowledge: Edge Golf College is based at Troia. “I’ve played a lot of golf around here so I know what’s required to score well – fairways and greens and stay out of trouble – but that’s my best score by four shots,” the second year student said.   Brunner wants to work with elite tour professionals when he finishes his degree. That’s if he doesn’t succeed as a tour professional. The way he played in the second round suggests he has a chance of becoming an elite tour pro himself. His score is the second best in this event since Maynooth student Alan Hill shot 66 in the opening round of the 2020 tournament. Hartbury University student Eliot Baker came close to matching Brunner’s 68. The Englishman returned a 3-under 69 and sits in a three-way tie for third place.
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Switzerland's Noah Brunner shot the round of the week so far around a treacherous Troia layout with a four-under-par 68 propelling him up the leaderboard into second.

Outrageous fortune

McClymont’s lead over Megan Ashley of St Andrews University and Halmstad University’s Elice Fredriksson would be larger if not for suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that all golfers suffer from time to time, even Scottish internationals of her calibre. The Milngavie Golf Club member bounced back from consecutive bogeys at the opening two holes to get to level par for the round after the 10th, thanks to birdies at that hole and the third. However, a quadruple bogey at the 16th knocked her back. “I came back well after the start and played solid to get back to level par,” McClymont said. “My driving was good, my putting was good, but at 16 I hit it left off the tee. I had a bush behind my ball but I had a line to the green, but the ball hit a pine cone. I hit my third shot onto the green and had a seven footer for par and four putted. 

Ping pong

“We’re here to play golf not ping pong, but that’s what it felt like on the 16th.” As 1992 U.S. Open champion Tom Kite once said, “This game has made cry-babies out of all of us at one time or another.” While McClymont can certainly relate to that quote, she still odds on to win her third straight Student Tour Series event of this campaign, and continue Stirling women’s dominance in Portugal.

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