Maya Palanza Gaudin made her mark when she finished first in the recent US Kids European Championship.
Abu Dhabi-based Maya Palanza Gaudin finished first in the recent US Kids European Championship (Girls Age 12 years-old Category) at The Glen Golf Club, just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Born in Ethiopia, the 12-year-old Maya, who has lived in Abu Dhabi with her parents, and younger sister for ten years, plays off a 2.7 handicap and was the 2021 Ladies Club champion at Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi.
Scotland threw everything it could at Maya – difficult course, cold, windy and rainy weather, tough competition, etc and she met every adversity with determination, grit, and a “can-do spirit.”
Maya played incredibly consistent golf, shooting 72(E); 74(+2) and 74(+2) for a tournament total of 220 (+4) played over the 4,507 yards, par 72 layouts.
Round 1 found Maya in 1st place on top of the leaderboard. In round 2 she dropped to 2nd place, two strokes behind the new leader. And in round 3 she played an incredibly clean front 9 and ultimately overtook the current leader by 4 strokes to retake 1st place and win the European championship!
The US Kids Golf European Championship is the largest golf tournament of its kind across the continent and sees the next generation of golfing stars come together for three days of fierce competition. The 2022 tournament took place from 31 May to 3 June, across five golf courses in East Lothian, Scotland.
More than 500 junior golfers teed off over Craigielaw Golf Club, Glen Golf Club, Longnidrry Golf Club, Royal Musselburgh Golf Club and The Musselburgh Golf Club. Junior golfers from 46 countries were represented, with the farthest talent traveling over 7,000 miles from Chile to compete in the prestigious tournament.
The next international event on Maya’s schedule is the US Kids Golf World Championships in July at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina (USA).
Highlights: During this 54-hole Championship Maya’s highlights include:
- 2 Eagles
- 42 Pars
- No double bogeys
- Clean front 9 in round 3 (all pars)
SCORES:
3 rounds of 18-hole tournament golf (54 holes) – Maya scored 72(E), 74(+2), 74(+2); total of 220 (+4 over).