South Africa’s top amateur male golfers will once again test their mettle on a demanding tour to the United Kingdom and Ireland as the GolfRSA national squad seek to emulate their successful 2018 trip.
Last year’s squad bettered all expectations when they returned with three big international wins, a handful of top 10s and plenty of invaluable experience of playing golf in foreign conditions against the world’s best amateur golfers.
In total, 11 of the country’s most promising amateur golfers will participate in the 2019 tour, thanks to the continued generous support of businessman Johann Rupert.
The tour kicks off in May with South Africa’s top four-ranked players at the time of selection paying a visit to Dublin, Ireland, to get an early taste of Portmarnock Links and The Island Golf Club – the two courses that will host the 2019 Amateur Championship.
Wilco Nienaber, Jayden Schaper, Luca Filippi and Therion Nel will get some valuable practice at the host venues as South Africa looks to defend the Amateur Championship title won by Jovan Rebula at Royal Aberdeen last year.
The quartet then moves across the Irish Sea to Leeds and the Alwoodly Golf Club for the English Men’s Stroke Play Championship, also known as the Brabazon Trophy.
South Africa have enjoyed recent success in this event, with Kyle McClatchie winning in 2017 and Nienaber narrowly losing out in a playoff for the title last year. Other former champions from South African include Charl Schwartzel, Craig Rivett, Richard Kaplan and Neville Sundelson.
Another group of seven GolfRSA National Squad members will begin their tour in Ireland at the East of Ireland Championship – an event won by South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht last year.
The Southern Cape golfer became the youngest winner and first foreign champion in the 76-year history of this prestigious event with his wire-to-wire victory at the Baltray Links.
Lamprecht is unable to defend his title due to schooling commitments, but a strong squad consisting of experienced tourists and squad rookies in Junior Open Championship winner Martin Vorster, Matt Saulez, Sam Simpson, former English U14 Amateur champion Casey Jarvis, Yurav Premlall, Christiaan Burke and Jordan Duminy will be eager to add their names to the trophy.
The East of Ireland Championship will be played at County Louth Golf Club, with players also enjoying a practice round at Portmarnock – further preparation for the Amateur Championship – before the event tees off.
The two travelling groups meet up in Scotland for the St Andrews Links Championship from 7-9 June, with KeNako Academy head coach and former European Tour player Roger Wessels joining the GolfRSA squad.
Following the St Andrews Links Trophy, Simpson, Jarvis and Vorster then depart from the tour to join Lamprecht in Japan, where the GolfRSA Junior team will represent South Africa in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.
The remainder of the squad return to Ireland for the Amateur Championship, where the group enjoys a full week of preparation before the big event.
In an exciting finale to the tour, players who qualify by virtue of their world amateur rankings will make their way to the Diamond Country Club in Austria to compete in the European Amateur Championship.
2019 GolfRSA National Squad Tour members
Wilco Nienaber (Bloemfontein Golf Club, Free State)
Luca Filippi (Milnerton Golf Club, Western Province)
Jayden Schaper (Ebotse Golf Club, Ekurhuleni)
Therion Nel (Bloemfontein Golf Club, Free State)
Martin Vorster (Pinnacle Point Golf Club, Southern Cape)
Sam Simpson (Bellville Golf Club, Western Province)
Matt Saulez (Durban Country Club, KwaZulu-Natal)
Casey Jarvis (State Mines Country Club, Ekurhuleni)
Yurav Premlall (Glendower Golf Club, Ekurhuleni)
Christiaan Burke (Bloemfontein Golf Club, Free State)
Jordan Duminy (Pinnacle Point Golf Club, Southern Cape)
