Northpinellas: Lamoureux is leading Junior Champions Tour

Ashley Lamoureux, a senior at Clearwater Central Catholic, has placed third, first, first and second in the girls 15-18 division of the first four tournaments on the Junior Champions Tour.

Lamoureux is in first place with one match to go, but she likely will not win. She has to miss the fifth event because it conflicts with the start of her high school year.

"That doesn't bother me in the least," said Lamoureux, a straight-A student in an honors program. "I entered this tour to sharpen my game and perhaps improve my national ranking so college coaches would begin to recognize my name," she said. "By playing a lot this summer, I am striking the ball better and have definitely improved my putting game too."

In her most recent tournament with the Junior Champions, Lamoureux shot rounds of 2-over 74-74 for a 148 at the Polo Chase Club in Delray Beach. That put her in a first-place tie with Orlando's Brandy Anderson. Anderson birdied the first playoff hole for the win, and Lamoureux parred.

Prior to that, Lamoureux won tournaments at Saddlebrook Resort and Palm Coast. Her best American Junior Golf Association finish this summer was late last month in the Shell World Golf Village Championship in St. Augustine.

After firing a career-best 1-over 73 in her practice round, she proceeded to put together a 76-81-77-234 to take eighth behind winner Whitney Code of Tampa in a strong international field.

"I find that playing consecutive tournaments builds up my game," Lamoureux said. "The atmosphere is better for dealing with pressure situations and for building up my confidence.

"That has helped me along with working with (PGA teaching pro) Buck Thornbury at Seminole Lake Country Club. He studies my swing mechanics and points things out for me very easily. He's a very good teacher."

Lamoureux has a family visit to the Carolinas planned this month. They hope to talk with coaches at Furman, North Carolina State, UNC and South Carolina. Lamoureux also has the Sam Parks Junior Invitational at Belleair on her calender this month, then a recruiting visit to the University of South Florida in September.

JUNIOR SUPERLATIVES: Seminole's Brittany Lincicome was named the Canon Cup East Rookie of the Year after earning 2 1/2 points in a 30 1/2-19 1/2 loss to the West team last week in Asheville, N.C.

The American Junior Golf Association's Canon Cup is an annual Ryder Cup-format tournament for 20 of the nation's best boys and girls. Lincicome, 15, who will play on the boys squad at Seminole High School this fall, teamed with Chan Wongluekiet of Bradenton in one victory and Lisa Tyler of Lighthouse Point in the other.

The Times 2000 Player of the Year, Lincicome has entered the Sam Parks Memorial, Aug. 25-26 at Belleair Country Club, and AJGA Robert Trent Jones tourney, Labor Day weekend in Mobile, Ala. Largo's Megan Riley, the girls defending champion in the Sam Parks tournament, shot 80-79-80-239 for a fourth-place tie in the recent Nolan Henke/Patty Berg tourney in Fort Myers. Riley will be a freshman at Florida Southern.

Patrick Scranton, an All-Pinellas first-team player for Dunedin High last year, carded a 76-70-146 for a second-place tie in a Florida Junior Golf Association match in Brooksville. James Boothe of Palm Harbor finished sixth with 149.

East Lake High graduate Brad Quiri shot three sub-par rounds (70-71-71) en route to a 72-hole 288 and tie for seventh in the Optimist International Junior Championship at Palm Beach Gardens. Quiri will play for USF this fall.

U.S. AMATEUR: Clearwater High School graduate Ryan Gildersleeve cooly drained a breaking 33-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole at Black Bear Country Club in Eusis to earn a qualifying spot in the 101st U.S. Amateur, Aug. 20-26 at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta.

The other qualifying positions went to Ty Tryon, Orlando; Bubba Dickerson, Hilliard; Cory Driskill, Lubbock, Texas; and David Boesel, Winter Park.

Gildersleeve, a junior on the team at South Alabama, had his mother, Adele, caddying for him in the qualifier. He plans to have his college coach, Jim Johnson, on the bag in Atlanta.

PRO-AM: Chris Slattery, a teaching pro at Innisbrook's Troon Institute, opened with six consecutive birdies en route to a 5-under 66 victory in the PGA West Central Chapter's pro-am at Belleair Country Club's East course Friday.

Jimmy Smith of Missing Links Range finished third with a 71. Bill Buttner of St. Petersburg Country Club and John Falcone, Dunedin Country Club, tied for fourth (72).

COUNTY GOLF: Tim De Leon of Safety Harbor has been on a roll with the CGA, winning with a 2-under 70 at Lansbrook and teaming with Mark Thomas in a better-ball victory at Dunedin.

On Sunday at East Bay's Championship course, De Leon shot a career-best 9-under 62.

APPOINTMENT: Dunedin High graduate (1981) Sue Billek Nyhus has been promoted from assistant to head coach of the women's team at her alma mater, Brigham Young University.

Nyhus played five years on the Women's Professional European Tour, earning places in three British Opens and one U.S. Open. After regaining her amateur status, she represented Utah in three USGA Women's Team Championship events.

Nyhus' parents, Peter and Anne Billek, live in Palm Harbor.

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