Boland golfer Herman Loubser braved the cold and blustery conditions in St Francis Bay to pilot to an opening even-par 72 and a slender one stroke lead in the Nomads Coastal National of Order event at St Francis Links on Sunday.
Jason Smith from Irene Golf Club will be the lone South African challenging over the final two rounds of the Brabazon Trophy in Nottingham, England. Smith, who ranks third in the South African Golf Association Open Amateur standings, carded rounds of 73 and 75 to make the 36-hole cut, set at four-over-par 148.
Austrian Lukas Lipold and Englishmen Ben Taylor and Jordan Wrisdale finished in a three-way tie for the first round lead, while Jason Smith leads the five-man South African delegation in the Brabazon Trophy at Notts Golf Club in Hollinwell, England.
Impressive performances by Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel in the US Open on the weekend has left five of South Africa’s top ranked amateurs fired up ahead of the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship this week.
Japan scored a clean sweep in the world’s premier junior golf international team championship at Chukyo Golf Club, while all three African teams rallied in the final round of 23rd Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Aichi-Prefecture, Japan on Friday.
SA number one ranked mid-amateur Gerlou Roux has accomplished a long-term goal with his selection to the four-man squad for the prestigious International Team Mid-Amateur Championship in France this July. Roux will line up alongside Josef Fourie from Free State, Steve Williams from Central Gauteng and fellow Western Province player Elton James, respectively ranked second, third and fifth in the SAGA Mid-Amateur rankings.
Japan extended their dominance in the Girl Competition, while Norway overtook Japan and Sweden for pole position in the Boys Competition, but the South African teams will have to dig deep after slipping in the second round of the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Aichi-Prefecture on Wednesday.
Scotsman Craig Howie and Ryan Chisnall from New Zealand led the Stroke Play qualifier of the 120th Amateur Championship, but the world-famous Carnoustie layout proved just too brutal for the eight-man South African contingent in Scotland.