Student Series

All to play for at Student Tour Series in Spain

The R&A

05 Feb 25

3 mins

Separating Europe’s best student golfers is proving difficult with a round to go in the R&A Student Tour Series – Spain at La Sella Golf Club.

Round Two Leaderboards

Halmstad University scholar William Leu holds a one-shot lead in the men’s STS event, while University of St Andrews student Judy Joo and Thea Fridh and Elice Fredriksson of Halmstad share the lead in the women’s category. However, the champions may come from further down the leaderboards. Leu is on level par 144, one shot ahead of debutante Jaime Canal Campos of the Public University of Navarre in Pamplona. Lucas Martin of the University of Central Lancaster, Exeter University’s Matt Millar and Thomas Abom of Maynooth are two shots off Leu’s lead. Joo, Fridh and Fredriksson stand on three-over-par 147, a shot in front of 18-hole leader Ellie Monk from St Andrews and Germany’s Theresa de Bochdanovits of Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg.

Tight at the top

Leu looked destined to be chasing the lead in the final round when he stood on La Sella Golf Club’s 18th tee. The overnight leader was one shot behind Canal Campos. Then came a bit of brilliance. Leu’s approach shot to the par-5 18^th green is one of the best he’s ever hit. His flushed 230-yard 3-iron approach finished four feet from the hole. Leu rolled in the eagle putt to move from one behind Canal Campos to one shot in front as he chases his second STS title following last season’s STS – Portugal. That eagle helped make up for an ugly triple bogey at the par-3 5^th hole when his tee shot ended up out of bounds in someone’s backyard. Three bogeys and three birdies along with that triple had the final year sports science student feeling a little anxious on the 18^th. “It was quite frustrating today because I didn’t hit the ball as well as yesterday,” Leu admitted. “I made a triple at the 5th hole when I hit my tee shot out of bounds into someone’s backyard or maybe their swimming pool! I had to tee up another ball and nearly did the same thing. I made a couple of bad bogeys too from just off greens.”

Judy Joo - University of St Andrews

The first-year management and economics student is chasing her second win in her first year on the Student Tour Series after she won the opening event of the 2024/25 season in Halmstad last September.

Up-and-down day

That was obvious at the par-4, 4th when his chip shot from the right-hand side of the green only reached the fringe. He missed the ensuing 20-foot par putt. He chipped onto the fringe at the par-3 13th only to see the ball scoot 15 foot past the hole. Two putts followed there too. Thankfully, Leu took advantage of the three par-5s before his brilliance on 18. He parred the third then picked up birdies at the 9^th and 11^th to be four under par on the three-shot holes. He added, “I’m in a good position for tomorrow. I just need to stay patient and try and do what I did the first day and I’ll have a good chance to win.” Ditto for Canal Campos, who is making his STS debut. He birdied the last three holes to post a three-under-par 69 to go with his opening 76. His 69 matched University of Stirling student Nicholas Wall’s 69. They are the only two scores under 70 for the first two days.

Women’s event

Low scores were hard to come by on the women’s side of the draw, but then that’s not surprising. The best professionals on the Ladies’ European Tour struggle around La Sella when the La Sella Open is held here. Joo shot a best of the day level-par 72 with a birdie at the par-5 9^th, followed by a dropped shot that the 10th, a par-4. The first-year management and economics student is chasing her second win in her first year on the Student Tour Series. She won the opening event of the 2024/25 season in Halmstad last September. Fridh posted a three-over-par 75 to go with an opening level par 72. She had 16 pars on her card. She double bogeyed the par-4 7^thwhen she found water, and then dropped a stroke on the par-5 11th. The sports science student is chasing her first STS win. Fredriksson may have the upper hand in the final round. She won her only STS event to date at La Sella, when the STS – Spain was staged here in September 2023. She returned a two-over-par 74 to move to the top of the leaderboard. Fredriksson has form too this STS season. She placed second in Sweden, and fourth in Ireland. Monk bogeyed the final three holes to shoot 77, while de Bochdanovits added a 73 to her opening 75 to get into contention.

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