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Stateside starlet

4/ 1/2007

MANCHESTER Golf Club's rising star Rachel Connor has been making her mark on the other side of the Atlantic.

The 16-year-old, who left school this summer to take up the sport, has been sampling competition in the United States for the first time.

She claimed fifth place in the Doral Public Junior Classic in Miami, then took 19th spot in the Orange Bowl which had a huge number of entrants.

Rachel now plans to play in the Harder Hall Invitational in Sebring, Florida, and in an event at the Sally Plantation Island Resort before returning home towards the end of January.

Her father Brian, who is the professional at Hopwood, is delighted with his daughter's progress and said: "Rachel has done much better than expected.

"Despite her experience in Europe, the States is a steep learning curve.

"She has hardly missed a fairway while she has been over there, but the greens are a different proposition and much more difficult than in England."

When not competing Rachel has spent six hours a day honing her skills at the world renowned David Leadbetter Golf Centre.