With 17 foreigners through to the top 32 of the match play, there is a very real possibility that amateur golf’s most prized trophy might travel abroad again.
However some of South Africa’s most promising talents demonstrated incredible fighting spirit in the first round on Tuesday to ensure that the local challenge in the South African Amateur Championships at King David Mowbray Golf Club stayed on track.
Glendower teenager Yurav Premlall made it 15 South Africans in the starting lineup for the second round on Tuesday when he rallied over the last two holes to beat Englishman Lewis Pownell 2-up. The 15-year-old GolfRSA National Squad player hit his first tee shot out of bounds, and was on the back foot for the first 10 holes, but squared the match with a birdie at 11.
‘I went 1-up when Lewis bogeyed 12, but we were back to all square when I dropped 15. I hit a great tee shot on 16, but I left the birdie putt short and he also made par. I hit another good tee shot on 17, and made an up-and-down for birdie to go 1-up.
“At 18, I hit another wayward tee shot and had to grind it out, so I’m really happy with the result. I’ll spend some time on the driving range to try and work out what’s going wrong with the driver, but I’m happy that the rest of my game held up under pressure.’
Jordan Duminy – an up-and-coming golfer from the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy in the Southern Cape – delivered another stunning blow for South Africa. The 16-year-old birdied the first two holes and reeled in two further birdies and an eagle at the par-five ninth to mow down Englishman Mark Hyde 6 & 4.
Proudfoot winner Luca Filippi was first out and the 19-year-old Milnerton golfer comfortably dispatched Antoine Sale from Reunion 4 & 3.
South Africa’s No 1-ranked amateur, Wilco Nienaber, knocked out fellow Golf RSA National Squad player Martin Vorster, and big-hitting Hennie O’Kennedy from Stellenbosch beat Alexander Herrmann from the German Golf Team 2 & 1.
The Brits hit hard, though, with Joseph Long and Noah Hessey from England, Welshman Gaelen Trew and Jeff Wright from Scotland removing four South Africans from the draw.
Last week’s African Amateur Stroke Play champion, Euan Walker, from Scotland, did South Africa a favour by knocking out Irishman Tiarnan McLarnon 7 & 6, and Irishman James Sugrue took another foreigner out of the draw with a 2 & 1 win against Aymeric Laussot from France.
Defending champion Deon Germishuys kept his title defence on track with a 4 & 3 win over King David Mowbray Golf Club director of golf Cameron Johnston’s, and fellow Western Province golfer Elton James cut short Frenchman Marin D’Harcourt’s week when he won 3 & 2.
South Africa’s top-ranked junior Jayden Schaper, Gregory Mckay, Tyran Snyders, Michael Holden, Stals Swart, Liam Cloete, Sam Simpson and Matt Saulez strengthened South Africa’s numbers for the second round.
First Round Scores – Match Play:
(All competitors RSA unless otherwise specified)
Luca Filippi beat Antoine Sale 4 & 3;
Hennie O’Kennedy beat Alexander Herrmann GER 2 & 1;
Wilco Nienaber beat Martin Vorster 5 & 3;
James Sugrue IRL beat Aymeric Laussot FRA 2 & 1;
Joseph Long GBR beat Liam van Deventer 4 & 3;
Tom Plumb GBR beat Ryan van Velzen 5 & 4;
Gaelen Trew GBR beat Casey Jarvis 2 & 1;
Noah Hessey ENG beat Letsoso Letsai 5 & 4;
Euan Walker GBR beat Tiarnan McLarnon IRL 7 & 6;
Deon Germishuys beat Cameron Johnston 4 & 3;
Jeff Wright SCO beat Brandon Gildenhuys 3 & 2;
Gregory Mckay beat Joe Harvey GBR 4 & 3;
Jayden Schaper beat Sebastian Sliwka GER 19th hole;
Nicolas Muller FRA beat Ben van Wyk 1Up;
Tyran Snyders beat Darren Howie SCO 3 & 2;
Jannik De Bruyn GER beat Jim Johnston SCO Conceded;
Stals Swart beat Kyran Hawkins 4 & 2;
Michael Holden beat Matthew Mc Carthy 2Up;
Jordan Duminy beat Mark Hyde GBR 6 & 4;
Kieran Cantley SCO beat Charles Larcelet FRA 5 & 3;
Samuel Simpson beat Mark Power IRL 5 & 4;
Maxmilian Herrmann GER beat Freddie Spencer 3 & 2;
Liam Cloete beat Marc Alexander Hammer GER 2 & 1;
Ronan Mullarney IRL beat Aneurin Gounden 1Up;
Coalan Rafferty IRL beat Ayden Senger 5 & 4;
Timo Vahlenkamp GER beat Siyanda Mwandla 5 & 3;
Conor Purcell IRL beat Philip Taberer 4 & 2;
James Wilson SCO beat Billy McKenzie GBR 5 & 4;
Elton James beat Marin D’Harcourt FRA 3 & 2;
Matt Saulez beat Alex Gleeson IRL 3 & 2;
David Langley GBR beat Robert Brazill IRL 5 & 4;
Yurav Premlall beat Lewis Pownell GBR 2Up;
