Rising star Jayden Schaper fired a final-round 70 to claim victory at the South African Stroke Play at De Zalze Golf Club on Friday.
It was a coming of age performance for the Ebotse Links golfer as he held his nerve to put the finishing touches to his glittering amateur CV.
As the only junior to win all four Nomads SA Boys titles (U13, U15, U17 and the U19 double), he was the overwhelming favourite on Friday as he carried a five-stroke lead into the final round.
Birdies at the sixth and eighth holes moved him to two-under for the round as he worked his way around the course without a blemish on his card.
With former SA Amateur champion Deon Germishuys joining Schaper in the final group, putting together a fine round, Schaper birdied 13 to give himself some breathing room. Crucially, he was able to bounce back from his only drop of the day on the 15th with another red number at the par-3 16th.
Two pars to close was enough for a one-shot win over Germishuys, who will take comfort from his scintillating 64 that saw him finish second alone.
The final player in the last group, Wilco Nienbaber, closed with a 75 as he failed in his bid to win the SA double after his Amateur triumph a week ago. The Bloemfontein star turned level after a double on the ninth, and then limped into the clubhouse after closing with four bogeys in his last five holes to end the week in 10th.
The Stroke Play victory – over a strong field that included not only the best South Africa has to offer, but a sprinkling of foreign talent – caps off some excellent work in recent weeks.
Victory in the second Nomads National Order of Merit event in January cemented his No 1 spot in the Junior Rankings, and he backed that up with his second win in the Bridge Fund Managers Junior Series later that month.
He rose to sixth in the Open Amateur rankings with his season-opening win in the Free State Open and a fourth-place finish in the Africa Swing opener at Leopard Creek. A top five in the South African Amateur Championship qualifier at King David Mowbray last week moved him to fourth overall.
