Accomplished South African junior golfers, Jordan Duminy, Dylan Melville and Woo-ju Son, have each won their respective divisions in the maiden South African event of the Faldo Series Europe roster.
The event in South Africa is a first for the Faldo Series and one of the final Qualifiers of the 2019 European schedule, where the winners will take their places at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club, Abu Dhabi in November. With only the Wales and Slovakia Championships to go this week, there is a premium is on the last available Grand Final spots.
The event saw a competitive field head to the prestigious Fancourt Estate, known as one of South Africa’s premier leisure resorts which is superbly landscaped on 613 hectares of lush countryside with the majestic Outeniqua Mountains as the perfect backdrop.
The juniors competed on Fancourt’s Outeniqua course, before switching to the Montagu course in rounds two and three, one of the finest 18-hole parkland layouts in the country.
Originally designed by Gary Player, the course is one of the top rated in South Africa. Following its extensive upgrade in 2005, which introduced two entirely new holes, the course features stylish bunkering, fast undulating greens, and the ever-present backdrop of the striking Outeniqua mountains.
Duminy started the third and final round five shots clear of Australian Agib Hughes with a total score of -2. Hughes untimely produced a five-over par 77 in his third round, whilst Duminy continued his excellent form and shot an impressive two-over par 74 to put 8 shots between him and Hughes. Dylan Melville finished his tournament with a superb final round score four-under par, to finish only four shots behind Duminy overall.
‘I got off to a slow start this week, shooting one-over par in the first round, which made it difficult to catch the other guys,’ said Duminy.
‘I knew I just had to keep my head down and trust my game, which showed on the second day where I managed to shoot three-under. The final round was all about staying calm and not being too aggressive, so I was really happy to finish level par for the tournament. I’m looking forward to competing in the Europe Grand Final at Al Ain where I will do my best to come out on top.’
Woo-jon Son wrapped up the girl’s division with three excellent rounds of 71, 83, 70 (+8) to beat fellow South African Elizabeth Lightley and secure her place at the Grand Final.
‘I’m extremely happy to win this qualifier event – to play in the first Faldo Series event in South Africa and to secure my place in the Grand Final is a dream come true, ‘ said Son.
‘To play at Fancourt was incredible – the course was in excellent condition, so thank you to the greenkeeping staff for their hard work prior to the event. I’m going to work hard on my game between now and November to make sure I’m playing my best for the Grand Final.’
Matthew Faldo, Faldo Series Director, added: ‘It has been a great milestone to host the first ever Faldo Series South Africa Championship here at Fancourt – one of the most well-known golf resorts in the world. Having the boys and girls in action on the same golf course is something unique to the Faldo Series and something we are very proud of. Many congratulations to all winners. There’s some talented junior golfers in South Africa and I’m looking forward to seeing the tournament develop in the future to support the talent in this great golfing nation.’
Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching thousands of junior golfers each year.
Past winners include Major Champion Rory McIlroy, Eddie Pepperell, Matt Wallace, Danny Willett and former Tour Pro, Nick Dougherty.
Leading final scores:
– Jordan Duminy E
– Dylan Melville +4
– Agib Hughes +8
– Woo-ju Son +8
– Joshua Wiese +8
For more information on the Faldo Series visit: https://faldoseries.com/
