Top Southern Cape golfer Sonja Bland has targeted victory in the South African Mid-Amateur Championship that tees off at Graceland Hotel, Casino and Country Club on Monday and the George golfer is bringing some great form to Mpumalanga.
South Africa sealed a third top five finish in the country’s seventh appearance in the prestigious Spirit International in the United States with a final round four-under-par 68 at Whispering Pines near Trinity in Texas on Saturday.
It was a long day at the office for the participants in this year’s Spirit International, but the South African quartet showed great courage and determination to finish in a strong position at the 36-hole mark in the United States on Friday.
Fierce storms, more than 160mm in rainfall and a 25½-hour interruption to the first round had very little impact on the South Africa’s four-man team at this year’s Spirit International in Texas. When darkness fell on the first round of play, the local heroes had pacesetters America well in their sights.
Organisers at the Spirit International were forced to shorten this year’s championship to 54 holes following more than 160mm rainfall at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Wednesday’s first round.
Kim Williams from Gauteng North, Christiaan Bezuidenhout from Ekurhuleni and Gauteng’s Lara Weinstein and Louis Taylor are primed for The Spirit International challenge in the United States next week. Having represented South Africa in 2007, 2009 and 2011, Williams will be honoured during the opening ceremony at the first Spirit International participant to play in four championships.
Poetic justice for Park at Ackerman Champs
Just days after she was denied the Boland Championship title in a play-off for, Gauteng North’s Carrie Park exacted her revenge with a runaway victory in the 33rdAckerman Championship on Sunday. The 16-year-old from Pretoria was still smarting from her defeat when she teed it up at Rondebosch Golf Club, but rounds of 74 and 72 saw her to a two-stroke lead at the 36-hole mark and this time Park was determined to finally go the full course. While the rest of the field struggled in winds gusting up to 50km per hour, Park bravely romped to a nine stroke victory with a final round 75.
Western Province’s Ji Sun Kang issued a stern warning to the participants of the 33rd Ackerman Championship this weekend when she claimed a play-off victory in the Boland Stroke Play Championship on Monday. The 17-year-old reigning Nomads SA Girls champion has been in impressive form this season and underlined her growing stature when she defeated Carrie Park at the first extra hole at Somerset West Golf Club.