Young gun off to a flying start

Nov 9 2012 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser

Perth’s Daniel Young has hit the ground running on his return to Florida.

The Craigie Hill star has entered his fourth year of a golf scholarship at Lynn University in Boca Raton.

And he is toasting his second win on the US college golf circuit, hard on the heels of a successful summer season back in Scotland.

Young, who has been called up into the Scotland set-up, won a dramatic five-way play-off with an eight foot birdie putt at the first extra hole to win the McDonough Cup college tournament at Rio Pinar Country Club in Orlando.

Young carded an opening round of 77 before rebounding with a 71 and 70 for a two-over-par total of 218. He fought his way back into the mix after trailing five shots off the lead with one round to go.

And he underlined his competitive streak by maintaining his composure in a blustery play-off.

His brilliant effort helped Fighting Knights Lynn win the team title with a total of 877, three shots ahead of Nova Southeastern in the field of 18 teams.

Last month, Young also sank the winning putt to ensure Lynn defended their crown at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate event in Morganton, North Carolina. And he also had a fifth place individual finish at the Guy Harvey Invitational in Palm Beach.

After a hectic spell, Young now gets a break until the championship season begins in February.

Meanwhile, Calum Hill from Kinross, a first-year student at Western New Mexico University, finished down the field in the Price’s Give ‘Em Five Invite college tournament at Butterfield GC, El Paso in Texas.

Over possibly the longest golf course he has ever played — 7,307yd with a testing par of 72 — Hill came joint 59th on 229 with rounds of 78, 79 and 72.