Palanca in control at US Kids European Championship

Golf whiz kid Carlos Philippe Winsett Palanca moved closer of another victory overseas after grabbing a three-shot cushion in the boys' 8-year-old division of the US Kids European Championship held at the Longnidry Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland. Palanca made nine-hole rounds of 35 and 33 in the first two days for a three-under-par total of 68 to be in a good position for a successful title defense in this annual competition. He leads over Jake Craddock of United Kingdom, who had a 71. Craddock was the same Brit whom Palanca defeated last year in the 7-year-old division. Should Palanca win, he’ll compete in the Van Horn Cup – a showpiece event patterned after the Ryder Cup, where the best European players are pitted against top non-European golfers. Two Americans, Dylan Fritz and Digjav Gill, were in a three-way tie for third with Slovenia’s Patrick Gal Stirn in the select field of 32 qualifiers. Fritz shot 35-38, Gill 36-37 and Stirn 37-36. The top five finishers in each age and gender group will automatically receive an invitation to the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships at Pinehurst Golf Club, North Carolina, in August. – JVP/Adrian Flores, GMANews.TV