There wasn’t a player in the 156-strong field that finished the first round of the 104th South African Open Championship without levelling a strong opinion about the brutal rough at Glendower Golf Club on Thursday.
The thick, long grass that hug the fairways and greens was simply too tough on a day when only 40 players managed to break par and you have to page down to two-over-par 74 to find amateurs Hendrikus Stoop and Tristen Strydom.
“It is business as usual,” saidEkurhuleni’s Tristen Strydom, who will be bringing the same dogged determination that saw him rise to the number two spot in the SA Open Amateur rankings to his debut in the 104th South African Open Championship at Glendower on Thursday.
Mossel Bay’s Martin Vorster and Wilco Nienaber from Bloemfontein share the first round lead in the Nomads SA Boys U-15 Championship in the North West Province.
Andi Dill’s face lit up like a Christmas tree when his 20-meter chip shot pitched a foot before the pin and rolled straight into the hole at the par-four 11th at Zwartkop Country Club on Wednesday.
The birdie was precisely what the 26-year-old Royal Johannesburg & Kensington amateur needed to seal a place in the field for the 104th South African Open Championship.
A blend of seven past champions, five-time winner Ernie Els, a slew of top European challengers and prime real estate at Glendower Golf Club will serve up an intoxicating cocktail at the 104th South African Golf Championship, which tees off on Thursday.
Keegan de Lange romped to a three-shot victory in the season-opening Dr Bam Nomads National Order of Merit at Pollak Park Golf Club on Monday and the 17-year-old Pretoria golfer is ready for another fast finish in the SA Open qualifier at Irene Golf Club on Tuesday.
Gauteng North pair Keegan de Lange and Rosswell Sinclair share the 36-hole lead in the Dr Bam Nomads National Order of Merit event at Pollak Park Golf Club after matching each other round for round on Sunday.
Ekurhuleni junior Sentanio Minnie will take a one stroke lead into the second round of the Dr Bam Nomads National Order of Merit event at Pollak Park Golf Club on Sunday.