Rhodes sisters gearing up for final-day showdown at Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship

Mimi and Patience Rhodes will not just be competing for the sizeable honour of winning the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship title here on Friday, but also for the bragging rights in their sibling rivalry.

They will both be playing for their grandmother, Susan, whose darks days in her battle with cancer have been afforded so many rays of light by her pride and joy in seeing them become the first sisters to tee it up against each other in the 34-year history of the event. The Somerset duo now have the chance to take Susan’s pleasure to another level.

“We want to do this for her,” Mimi said. “She has terminal cancer and has really been going through it. But when we both made it here for these finals she was so happy. She loves golf and is a big reason why we play this sport. Imagine if we could finish first and second? My gran would be in tears for sure.”

That delicious possibility is eminently feasible in what promises to be an intriguing final round. After 36 holes, Mimi is sharing the lead on eight-over alongside Aberdeenshire’s Carmen Griffiths, but on a crammed leaderboard there are five others within three of the lead.

South Glamorgan’s Darcey Harry is on nine-over following a 73, the same mark as Royal Mid-Surrey’s Rafiah Banday after a 78. Then come Patience and Jess Baker, joined by Evanna Hynd on 11 over.

There can be no doubt that Patience’s 70 stood out on a day when this wonderful Quinta do Lago North Course bared its teeth. The drizzle came down, the temperature dropped and the gusts were malevolent. Watching on, Justin Rose termed the conditions as “extremely challenging” and was impressed to see the valiant efforts of Patience, 15, two years younger than her sister, as she bettered her opening round by a barely credible 14 shots. She began the second round 13 off the pace but now has only a two-shot deficit.

“True to my name, I do believe that patience is a virtue, and after my first round I told myself just to keep pressing on and not allow myself to get down,” Patience said. “I found something on the range yesterday afternoon and my putting was much better. I had loads of three-putts on Wednesday, but I got to grips with these greens today. I thought I was out of contention, but it should be fun in the next round, especially with Mimi up there.”

In contrast, the boys competition seems rather more straightforward. On seven-under, Ben Schmidt is nine ahead of his nearest pursuer, Jacob Kelso, the Kent teenager who shot a 74, with both Edinburgh’s Cameron Adam and Devon’s Craig Passmore a stroke behind. While Schmidt’s opening 68 was impressive, in these testing environs, his 69 verged on the remarkable.

Rose was certainly dazzled. On the par-four 12th, the former world No 1 looked on as Schmidt hit a soft fade with a five-iron over the water to set up an unlikely birdie. “Wow,” Rose said. Later, he expanded on his reaction. “I was told Ben was one to watch and he definitely is,” Rose said. “I can see why he is ranked in the top 10 in the amateur rankings. He is very, very good. This is obviously his to lose, but having a big lead brings its own pressures. He doesn’t seem like a character to be ruffled, however.”

For his part, Schmidt, 17, of Rotherham Golf Club, was delighted to have been able to turn it on when Rose was in attendance.

“He’s a pro that I respect immensely and, yes, as I’m positive we all were, I was nervous when I knew he watching me,” Schmidt said. “On the 12th, I thought, ‘Just don’t mess this up’, and I was relieved when I hit a good one.

“I know I have a commanding advantage, but I won’t let myself think I’ve already won it. I will go out with same game plan and same attitude to try to score the best number I can. It would be a huge thrill to win this, but I can’t get ahead of myself.”