Gauteng North’s Carrie Park claimed her first victory of the season when she lifted the Nomads Junior Gauteng Championship title at Randpark on Sunday.
The 16-year-old Irene Country Club golfer opened with a two-under-par 70 and navigated Bushwillow course in 74 strokes in the final round to hold off a charge from local favourite, Kaleigh Telfer. Park claimed the title on even-par 144, finishing three shots clear from Bryanston’ Telfer.
Inspired to greatness by the country’s two Ladies Tour champions Lee-Anne Pace and Ashleigh Simon, five of South Africa’s top ranked junior golfers are geared for glory in three top international events in Sweden, England and Germany this August.
“Watching Lee-Anne and Ashleigh tee it up in this week’s British Womens Open is so inspiring,” said the country’s leading junior, Bianca Theron.
Ekurheleni’s Nicole Garcia has undoubtedly played the best golf of her career this season and will be taking her form to two prestigious British amateur championships when she departs for the United Kingdom on Monday.
Garcia will tee it up in the English Womens Amateur Stroke Play at Mannings Heath Golf Club in Sussex from 6-8 August and the Ladies British Open Amateur Stroke Play at Prestwick Golf Club from 21-23 August.
South Africa’s leading senior amateur Francois le Roux has dominated the national senior scene this season, but lifting the Western Province’s Westlake Senior title on Thursday rated right up there with the 53-year-old’s goals for this year.
The South African Open Championship goes back to the classics with the announcement that 103rd playing of the second oldest Open Championship will be hosted by the prestigious Glendower Golf Club from November 21-24, 2013.
No stranger to top level championship golf, Glendower staged the country’s flagship event in 1989, 1993 and 1997 and the 18-hole championship course has been home to the Sunshine Tour’s annual BMG Classic since 2009.
The course has also provided the backdrop to some of South Africa’s flagship amateur championships, including the 1986 Womens 72-Hole Teams Championship, 1987 SA Amateur and SA Stroke Play Championships, the 1993 SA Mens Inter-Provincial and the SA Womens Amateur and SA Stroke Play Championships in 2003.
When South Africa’s Haydn Porteous fires his opening shot at the Russian Open on Thursday, his number one ranking will pass to Tshwane golfer Zander Lombard.
The number one spot may have fallen to him due to Porteous’ departure from the amateur ranks, but Lombard said he takes nothing for granted and will work hard to hold on the honour. “It’s the natural progression on things,” he said. “The number one spot fell to Haydn when Brandon Stone left South Africa for college golf in the United States. Now that he has joined the paid ranks, the honour has fallen to me. But it has been my goal all season to get to the number one spot and now it’s up to me to keep myself in this position.”
Nobuhle Dlamini’s challengers have to be wondering just what it will take to stop this tour de force after the world number three cruised to her eighth victory this season at the Nomads Gauteng Stroke Play Championship on Tuesday.
Ekurhuleni’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout underlined his growing stature when he leapfrogged the frontrunners to claim a surprise come-from-behind win at the Limpopo Open, sponsored by The Pro Shop, on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Nigel golfer carded a sublime five-under-par 67 at the par-72, 6,253 meter layout to overtake the leading threesome and lift the title on a winning total of 11-under-par 205.