In-form Luca Filippi made it a three-way tie for the lead in the opening round of the South African Stroke Play Championship with a pace-setting 66 in Stellenbosch on Tuesday.
Just a few days after winning the 36-hole qualifier at the SA Amateur Championship, the 18-year-old put on a masterclass from tee to green at De Zalze Golf Club and blazed his way to a share of the lead with Scottish pair Euan Walker and Kieran Cantley.
Southern Cape teenager Jordan Duminy, who also hit the headlines last week when he pushed South Africa’s No 1-ranked Wilco Nienaber to the brink in the 36-hole final round at King David Mowbray, was in ascendancy again.
The Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy member was tied for the lead after 17 holes, but a closing bogey earned Duminy a share of fourth with Ireland’s James Sugrue and South Africa’s top-ranked junior, Jayden Schaper.
Ben van Wyk, another Southern Cape junior, carded a 69 to tie and close out the top 10 on three-under alongside Maxmilian Hermann from Germany and compatriot Keagan Thomas.
The leading trio had an early morning start and teed off in bucketing rain.
Barassie’s Walker made a fast start with birdies at the second and third holes, and started the back nine on three-under after another gain at the par-five eighth. He added a brace of birdies at 14 and 15 and notched a rare birdie at the tough closing hole.
‘It was pretty stressful the first few holes, trying to contend with the conditions, so I’m absolutely delighted to finish the way I did,’ said Walker.
The recent Africa Amateur Stroke Play champion, who triumphed at Leopard Creek a fortnight ago, was pleased with the fast start.
‘I actually hit my tee shot up against a staked tree at the second. In the absence of a rules official I played two balls – one with relief and one without. I managed to make birdie from the one with relief, and was really happy when the rules official at the green confirmed that I was entitled relief. The birdie at three carried the momentum and I settled down from there.’
The par-four, 312 metre closing hole gifted only nine birdies to the 148-strong starting, and Walker was delighted that an errant tee shot got him the last gain.
‘I was actually stuck between the trees off the tee and it made playing to the back pin a little easier, because I was forced to play a low running shot. It ran up on to the back tier and I managed to knock the putt in for birdie.’
Filippi also racked up six birdies with no losses.
‘It was a tough start with the rain and you couldn’t afford to be heroic in the conditions out there,’ said the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member.
‘I kept it steady and in play. I hit 16 greens in regulation. First we had the driving rain and then the wind pumped on the back nine. You had to stay patient and hit fairways and greens. At the two greens I missed, I chipped in for birdie and boxed a par putt at the other to stay bogey-free.’
Leaderboard:
All competitors RSA unless otherwise specified:
66 Euan Walker SCO; Luca Filippi; Kieran Cantley SCO
67 Jordan Duminy; Jayden Schaper; James Sugrue IRL
69 Keagan Thomas; Maxmilian Herrmann GER; Ben van Wyk
70 Samuel Simpson; Ayden Senger; Kartik Sharma IND; Paulus Jorg GER; Jordan Burnand; Robert Brazill IRL; Zandre Labuschagne; Yurav Premlall; Malcolm Mitchell
71 Lukas Bastian Buller GER; Daniel Cronje; Charles Larcelet FRA; Luke Mayo; Timo Vahlenkamp GER; Mats Markovits NED; Kyle de Beer; Ethan Smith; Conor Purcell IRL; Joe Harvey GBR; Mark Power IRL; Christo Lamprecht Jnr; Hennie O’Kennedy; Ronan Mullarney IRL; Christiaan Burke
72 Francois le Roux; Philip Taberer; Robbie Cannon IRL; Alexander Herrmann GER; Tiarnan McLarnon IRL; James Wilson SCO; Billy McKenzie GBR; Therion Nel; Aneurin Gounden; Garrick Higgo; Judd Sundelson
73 Meyer Pauw; Connor de Groote; Calvin Maia; Casey Jarvis; Wilco Nienaber; Deon Germishuys; Pierre Pellegrin; Peter McKeever IRL; Siyanda Mwandla; Elton James; Dylan Underwood; Coenraad Swanepoel; Elmo Barnard; Calvin Ferreira; Samual Mckenzie; Louis – Jnr Loubser; Francois Cilliers; Brandon Gildenhuys; Armand van Dyk; Luan Boshoff
74 Freddie Spencer; Joseph Long GBR; Gregory Mckay; Tiaan Diedericks; Kieran Babbage GBR; Loris Schuepbach SUI; Cornel Müller; Mark Hyde GBR; LB Boshoff; Stephen Roger SCO; Crismar Engelbrecht; Jaco Linde; Antoine Sale; Callum Mackay GBR; Tyran Snyders; Byron Coetzee; Matt Saulez; Martin Vorster; Mike Saxer; Gianni Pera; Darren Howie SCO; Phillip Swanepoel; Henning Stander
75 Dandre Spies; Caolan Rafferty IRL; Hein Dreyer; Cole Stevens; Jannik De Bruyn GER; Caylum Boon; Luke Pienaar; Tom Plumb GBR; Titouan Berny; Lewis Pownell GBR; Willie Olivier; Liam Ross
76 David Langley GBR; Luca Schwarte; Byron Sampson; Gerlou Roux; Nicholaus Frade; Brendan Els; Jim Johnston SCO; Hendrik Jan Malan; Francois Blaauw; Anant Singh Ahlawat IND; Nicholas Souranis; Kyran Hawkins; Stals Swart; Mandla Dlamini; Brandon Cloete
77 Noah Hessey ENG; Liam Cloete; Dylan Naidoo; Varun Parikh IND; Dylan Melville; Sebastian Sliwka GER; Steven le Roux; Ryan van Velzen; Matthew Cooper; Carlo O’Reilly
78 Shaun le Roux; Vinay Kumar Yadav IND; Nicholas Morgan; Liam Millard; Letsoso Letsai; NJ Botha; Alex Gleeson IRL; James Murray
79 Max Hansen; Luhan Bester; Liam van Deventer; Alexandre Dos Ramos; Kifentse Nukeri; Karabo Mokoena
80 Weyers Janse van Rensburg; Guillaume Bernier
81 Aran Sinclair; Barend Botha; Michael Botha; Dalan Tait
82 Tiago Swart; Brendan Smith
85 Phiwe Makeleni
86 Florent Toulet
WD Jason Shaun Hale; Jeff Wright SCO
