The University of Pretoria team fought swirling winds, tough greens, first round nerves and the challenges of 15 other sides to earn the first round lead at the annual SSA (University Sport South Africa) Championships in Limpopo.
Helped by a two-under-par 70 from Regard Neethling and a pair of 72s from Werner van Niekerk and Andrew van der Knaap, the Tuks side combined for an opening score of 363 to finish seven shots clear of Stellenbosch University A.
Skipper Tertius van den Berg declared the University of Pretoria team primed for battle ahead of the annual USSA (University Sport South Africa) Championships in Limpopo next week.
Van den Berg hopes to steer the eight-man team to their fourth victory in five years, but expects a tough battle at the challenging par-72 layout at the Koro Creek Golf Estate from 1-5 July.
South Africa’s Zander Lombard and Victor Lange both crashed out of the 118th British Amateur Championship in Kent on Thursday, after reaching the top 32 in the match play stage of the prestigious tournament.
The two South Africans were among 288 players from 29 countries that battled the competition and the gruelling weather conditions at the Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s links courses to make the exclusive 64-man field for the match play.
South Africa’s Zander Lombard and Victor Lange will be lining up in the last 32 at the 118th British Amateur Championship in Kent on Thursday.
The two South Africans were among 288 players from 29 countries that battled the competition and the gruelling weather conditions at the Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s links courses to make the exclusive 64-man field for the match play.
South Africa’s Zander Lombard and Victor Lange survived the gruelling 36-hole Stroke Play qualifier to make the exclusive 64-man field for the Match Play division at the 118th British Amateur Championship on Tuesday. The stroke play stage drew 288 entries from 29 countries and was contested at the Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s links courses in Kent.
South Africa’s juniors got off to a solid start in the first round of the TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup 2013, supported by JAL, in Toyota City, at Tokyo’s Chukyo Country Club in Aichi-Prefecture, Japan on Tuesday.
The Venezuelan team set the first round target at the Inshino Course with an opening six-under-par 207, but the local heroes finished just four shots adrift. South Africa is tied for fourth alongside Germany on 211, three shots behind second placed Mexico, who combined for a five-under-par 208, and two off the pace from defending champions Australia in third place.
Four of the country’s top junior golfers are chomping at the bit to fly the flag for South Africa at the TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup 2013, supported by JAL, in Toyota City, Aichi-Prefecture in Japan next week. The SA team is the only African country that qualified for the 21st edition of this prestigious event and will line up against 11 other countries from five continents at the Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino Course from 18-21 June.
Thriston Lawrence from Mpumalanga, James du Preez and Tristen Strydom from Gauteng North and Ekurhuleni’s Jason Froneman secured the spot in the esteemed field for South Africa by way of a 58-shot victory over Zimbabwe in the All-Africa Junior Golf Challenge qualifier, played at Le Touessrok in Mauritius this April.
Delmas amateur Christiaan Bezuidenhout had a great junior career, but golf aficionados wondered if the accomplished junior golfer could carry that form into the Open Amateur circuit when he turned 18. They were left wondering when Bezuidenhout played little golf in 2012. Besides a fourth place finish at the Ekurhuleni Open, thing were pretty quiet on the Bezuidenhout front.
However, the Ekurhuleni golfer announced his ability to transfer from the junior ranks to the pressure of the senior circuit with massive aplomb at the Strand Golf Club in April.