Student Series

Charlton and McClymont lead after round one at Le Golf National

The R&A

07 Mar 24

3 mins

St Andrews University student Adam Charlton has switched to part-time studies this year to focus more on his golf. That move is paying off if the first round of The R&A Student Tour Series – France at Le Golf National is anything to go by.

Charlton leads the men’s event by two shots. University of Stirling player Lorna McClymont holds a one-stroke advantage in the women’s tournament, but she is one of 12 players yet to complete the first round. Early morning frost forced a one hour and 15 minute delay to the opening round.

More of a beast

Third-year bio chemistry student Charlton went around the 2018 Ryder Cup course in three-under-par 68 to sit atop University of Exeter student Ignacio Mateo Fraga. They are the only two players under par. That’s not surprising: cold and windy weather has made the penultimate event of the 2023/24 Student Tour Series a tough ordeal, turning one of the hardest courses in mainland Europe into even more of a beast. Charlton’s strategy in taming the beast wasn’t radical. He was just trying to survive 18 holes. “I just kept it in play off the tee really, which you have to do around here with how wet it is, how tight the course is and with the deep rough,” the plus 3.1 handicapper said. “It was cold too, and the wind was really tricky."

A pleasurable finish

Charlton’s keep it in play policy proved effective over the front nine. He made four birdies between the 4th and 9th holes to more than offset a dropped shot at the 2nd to be out in 33 strokes. He played the back nine in level par, but his inward half gave him much more pleasure. That’s because he birdied the 17^th from 50 feet and then sank a 40-foot par putt on the 18^th after finding water left off the tee. “The seventeenth is probably the hardest hole we’ll play all year," he added. "You have to hit the fairway otherwise it’s a lost ball. To birdie that feels like an eagle. I hit a 4-iron from 197 and was happy to get on the green. To hole the putt was a bonus." “The finish was better than my front nine,” Charlton admitted. “To hole those two putts on the last two holes was quite a nice feeling, especially after going in the water at the last.”

Cheered at the last

The Englishman’s par saving putt didn’t go unnoticed by St Andrews coach Ian Muir and three of his team-mates. They let out a loud roar when Charlton’s putt fell into the hole. “It was nice to give them a putt to cheer about,” he said. And the Englishman was looking forward to reminding them about his finish over dinner. “Oh aye, I’ll rub it in, but it’s only the first round. Hopefully I can give them a bit more stick after the third round.”

A lightened study load

With three top-ten's in the Student Tour Series, including a third place, Charlton fancies his chances this week. Especially now that’s he’s lightened his study load. “I went part-time this year just so I could focus more on golf, otherwise it would have been a bit too much academically," he said. "It's my third year now. I was up there in my first year and haven’t played as well since so it’s nice to get a good round in the books. Hopefully it can carry on. I’ve been working quite well and I can see my game trending in the right direction.”

Lorna McClymont's hole-in-one at the 11th helped propel her up the leaderboard before play was called to a halt for the day after an earlier frost delay.

First competitive hole-in-one

McClymont sits on two-over-par, one stroke ahead Maynooth University student Kate Lanigan and Halmstad’s Hanna Nilsson. McClymont’s round was helped by making her first ever competitive hole-in-one. The sports studies student’s ball found the bottom of the cup on the 133-yard, par-3 11^th hole. “I’ve had a hole in one on par-3 courses but this is my first-ever competitive one,” McClymont said. The ace made up for going out in four-over-par 40, which included a double bogey at the opening hole when she hit her approach shot into the water left of the green. “I didn’t hit that bad a shot, but it’s that sort of golf course.” The Scottish international, the highest ranked player in the field at 140^th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), knows that only too well. She won the last STS tournament at Le Golf National, one of five victories she’s recorded in the STS. The Milngavie Golf Club member is a two-time order of merit winner. She trails Lanigan by 130 points this year, but victory here would help reduce that deficit heading into the final event at St Andrews. Stirling team-mate Will Coxon has a 33-point lead on the men’s order of merit. He is four shots off the lead on one-over-par in joint ninth place.

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