A towering 7-iron from 200 yards out on the 13th hole at Leopard Creek on Friday set Bryan Newman up for a fine four-under-par 68 in the third round of the R&A Amateur Africa Championship and a five-stroke lead ahead of the final round.
The resultant eagle there, together with four birdies and just two bogeys, took him to 10 under par for the tournament. That took him well clear of the halfway leader, Roelof Craig, who signed for a three-over-par 75 to slip to five under through 54 holes.
“The eagle was really special,” said Newman. “I hit a good drive, and then I hit 7-iron in. Had 200 yards, hit it straight over the flag. I hit a really good shot, and I was really happy to hit the green. I had about 60 feet for the putt from the back of the green to the front-left pin position. It was a good putt to make.”
Johndre Ludick and Kenya’s Michael Karanga shared third on four under par after rounds of 73 and 74 respectively. Keegan Shutt from Zimbabwe, who set the course record last year with a 10-under 62, closed out the top five on three under after a flawless 66, the low round of the day.
Newman’s round was set up by as good a front-nine as he could have hoped for. He made three birdies without dropping a shot, and that let him take whatever chances came his way on the homeward nine.
“I had a good front nine, and I’ve struggled on the front nine the last few days, so I was finally happy to have a good front nine,” he said. “I managed to keep it together on the back.”
Except for the bogeys on 10 and 12, that is. The eagle on 13 sparked a strong finish, and, although he didn’t take advantage of the par-five 15th, he made birdie on 18 while Craig made a double-bogey seven on the closing hole.
“It certainly helps that I made birdie on 18, but there are still 18 holes to go,” said Newman. As for not making birdie on the 15th – as well as making par on the par-five 2nd – Newman’s approach to those speaks to his ability to manage his game.
“Two is really long for me, and it would take a big three-wood to get there for my second. So, I chose to lay up. And on 15, the tee shot must be really accurate to get up in two. After I pushed mine right, I chose to lay up there too.”
With a five-stroke lead going in to the final round, his mature course-management will stand him in good stead.
“My game plan will be just to try and make a lot of pars, not too many mistakes,” he said. “I think I’ll be a little bit conservative, but definitely not too much. Still going to try and play my game.”
With a string of wire-to-wire victories on his resume – including two Joburg U15 Junior Opens, the 2023 Nomads National Order of Merit – and his 2023 Nedbank Junior Challenge and 2023 Scottish Boys’ U16 Open Championship victories, it’s clear that he wins more often than not when he gets his nose in front, and often by a lot.
With a growth-spurt in the rearview mirror for him now and, with swing adjustments necessitated by an extra half-metre of height, Newman clearly got that rhythm back. If he pulls this one off, the pay-off will be huge with exemptions into The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, the Amateur Championship, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, the Investec South African Open and the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq.
“I try not to think about all of that, but I’m sure it pops into everyone’s minds every now and again,” said Newman. “It’s really great what the R&A is doing for South Africa. We really appreciate it.”
Photo: GolfRSA/R&A Getty Images
