Considering the action some of the youngest in the Central Girls 15-18 League and playing sick from the second round, Celine Abalos of the Philippines finished Thursday with a score of 4-over-par 76 to take fourth place in the prestigious European Youth American Championship. Championship competition at the perennial Royal Musselburgh course in Scotland.

Abalos, 15, who was a head behind the older players, lost in the second round with a score of 83, but made up for it with the third-best score of the final day, giving him 238 in 54 holes, a event won by Latvian Katrina Bulkovska, who shot 70 in 211.

Celine, the youngest daughter of Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, was selected to represent the Philippines after winning 13th and 14th place at the US Youngsters in Australia last year. She was the second best in Southeast Asia, behind Thailand’s Pruksiri Prukpaiboon, who also placed third with a score of 76 out of 226.

READ: Abalos is content with second place, 1 shot behind the champion

“I feel happy to take fourth place because it is my first international tournament in the category (15-18 years old)” – Céline, who will participate in the Future Golf Champions in a few weeks and then in the world junior competition in San Diego, he told the Inquirer over the phone.

Coached by former world junior champion Carito Villaroman, Céline and Prukpaiboon were the only Asians in the field to take part in the action at Royal Musselburgh, the sixth oldest golf course in the world, which hosted the landmark event its 250th anniversary.

“Due to the sore throat she had before the second round, we were forced to fight for fourth place,” said Villaroman, who is still in Scotland. INQ