Author name: michael

Pretoria’s Werner Ferreira overcame the disappearance of his sand wedge shortly before tee off and signed for a three-under-par 69 to lead the South African Stroke Play Championship by one stroke at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa on Wednesday.
Ferreira broke free of the three-way tie for the lead he was in after the first round and climbed to nine under par through 36 holes of one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in South Africa. It would easily be the biggest highlight of Ferreira’s career were he to go on and win this tournament. But he has plenty of experience chasing him.

South Africa’s Louis Taylor and Werner Ferreira, and Australian sensation Ryan Ruffels opened with rounds of six-under-par 66 to share the lead in Tuesday’s first round of the South African Stroke Play Championship at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa. The trio is two strokes clear of South Africa’s Damian Naicker and Joris Etlin of France in a championship that has drawn a strong international contingent on the back of last week’s Ten Nations Cup tournament.

South Africa’s top amateurs are set to face strong international opposition in this year’s South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, which tees off at Oubaai Golf Club from 12-15 February. South African number one and defending champion Haydn Porteous will spearhead the local challenge alongside his Ten Nations Cup teammates Zander Lombard, Louis Taylor and Dylan Raubenheimer, ranked second, fifth and seventh respectively on the current South African Golf Association’s (SAGA) rankings.

It came right down to the wire, but Australia held their nerve and a spirited challenge from New Zealand to complete a historic victory at the inaugural Ten Nations Cup at Kingswood Golf Estate in George on Saturday.

Brady Watt, Lucas Herbert, Ryan Ruffles and Geoff Drakeford combined to win the international team’s competition with a 38-under-par total of 826, finishing just a single shot clear of the Kiwis.

Moving day in Friday’s third round of the Ten Nations Cup at Kingswood Golf Estate saw Australia take command, New Zealand make a move, Argentina cruise into contention and South Africa off the rocks.

Victoria’s 14-year-old Ryan Ruffles began the charge for Australia, riding a hot putter to six birdies and an eagle to cover the 6,123m layout in a blistering seven-under-par 65. Team mates Geoff Drakeford and Brady Ward contributed a pair of 69s for a third round total of 13 under 203 that lifted the side into pole position on 27-under-par 621.

Richard Sterne might be hogging the headlines after a birdie-rich 63 to lead the Joburg Open, but top Australian amateur Brady Watt went one better than the five-time European Tour winner in today’s second round of the Ten Nations Cup in George.

The 22-year-old Royal Perth golfer blitzed the par-72 layout at Kingswood Golf Estate in 12 pars, six birdies and two eagles for a 10 under 62 to take command of the individual leaderboard.

Watt’s superb effort – supported by 70s from team-mates Geoff Drakeford, Lucas Herbert and Ryan Ruffels – also helped Australia make up a 14 shot deficit with a total score of 202 that bumped the team into a share of the overall lead with Scotland on 14-under-418.

Wednesday’s opening round of the inaugural Ten Nations Cup in George delivered a promising start for New Zealand, flair from French teenager Paul Ellisade, frustration for the host nation and an 18^th hole ace that wiped out a maddening round for English amateur Jamie Rutherford.

At one stage or the other, all nine competing nations had a taste of the lead at Kingswood Golf Estate, but in the closing stages, it was the Kiwis that edged ahead to top the leaderboard at seven-under-par 209, two shots clear of Scotland.