Heinrich Bruiners and teammate Andre Nel blitzed around the Dainfern Golf and Residential Estate in spectacular fashion carding a bogey-free 13-under 59 to lead the Gauteng Team Championship by two shots on Thursday.
It led to Bruiners celebrating like he’d won the tournament already.
‘I don’t think I celebrated like that when I won my first event,’ said the member of the Gary Player Class, Bruiners. ‘I was so happy I could almost kiss Andre there.’
Teeing off the 10th tee, Bruiners and Nel began working right away, making four consecutive birdies.
A par on the 14th was followed by another birdie before another pair of pars slowed them down a bit. The found joy again before they turned, making a birdie on the ninth to turn in 30.
Coming home, they didn’t relent and after the par they picked up on their 10th hole, the first hole of the golf course, they made an eagle on the par-five second and a birdie on the next hole. Two pars later, two more birdies and another eagle went onto their scorecard as they went around the back nine in 29 for a total score of 13-under 59.
‘It was crazy,’ said Bruiners of the eagles they made on the day. ‘We were hitting the ball well and, on the holes where we had chances for eagles, we were both quite close. He made one first and then I made mine too. We played like a proper team and we had fun.’
‘It was so fun playing with Heinie. When I was in trouble, he had my back and I did the same when he was in trouble. It was so much fun,’ added Nel.
Defending champions, Jaco Prinsloo and JC Ritchie share the second spot with the team of Jake Roos and Christiaan Basson on 11-under-par.
The first round of this tournament is a betterball format while the second round will be foursomes.
Scores:
59 – H Bruiners & A Nel
61 – J Roos & C Basson, JC Ritchie & J Prinsloo
62 – J Ahlers & V Groenewald, CJ du Plessis & S Wears-Taylor, H Du Plessis & J Hugo, A Michael & R Tipping, J Van Zyl & D Fichardt, T Fisher Jnr & N Schietekat
63 – J Redman & K Horne, L Rowe & S Surry, K Barker & D McIntyre, K Davidse & D Petersen
64 – D Germishuys & U van den Berg, L Jerling & A Van der Knaap, O Strydom & D McGuigan, T Moore & W Coetsee, R van der Spuy & T Ryan
65 – J Dreyer & L Albertse, S Ferreira & B Follett-Smith, M Bremner & J Blaauw, T Lawrence & D van Tonder, G Mulroy & A De Decker, M Muthiya & A Haig, D Naidoo & J du Preez, K Van Wyk & T Sefatsa, T Thimba & M Mazibuko, T Gauche & J Buitendag, A de Kock & F Manchest, M Palmer & JJ Senekal
66 – F From & P Eriksson, O Bekker & C Swanepoel, B van der Merwe & H Griffiths, MJ Viljoen & K McClatchie
67 – H Loubser & S Campbell, W Dingle & L de Jager, C Mowat & B Meyer, R de Smidt & C Grobler, D Keun & D de Smidt
68 – R Mcgowan & R Cairns, R Conradie & E Conradie, C Smit & P Van der Merwe, M Hollick & J Harvey, P Geerts & C Cannon
69 – J de Villiers & A Haindl, M Williams & T Ferreira
70 – R Nortje & P Moolman, H Otto & P Boshoff
