Southern Cape junior Christo Lamprecht showed some serious class to come up trumps in the 2018 Dimension Data Junior Open at Kingswood Golf Estate on Friday.
The victory also marked a fourth trophy finish for Lamprecht on the Sunshine Tour Junior Series. He won the Dimension Data Junior Open at Fancourt in 2016 and enjoyed double success in 2017 with victories in the Lion of Africa Open and Joburg Junior Open.
Lamprecht and Vorster headed into the final round tied on nine under and for the better part of the final 18 holes, the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy stablemates were still neck-and-neck.
Vorster took the lead twice – first after Lamprecht dropped two shots at the par-five 3rd and again with a birdie at the 11th – but Lamprecht rallied twice to level the score.
He fired birdies at the 5th, 7th and 8th to join Vorster on 11 under and reeled the Mossel Bay golfer in with a birdie at the 13th.
Another gain at the 14th gave Lamprecht the lead for the first time and the 2018 East of Ireland winner stayed in front with pars over the next three holes. However, Vorster had one last chance to win or force a playoff at the final hole.
Vorster’s tee shot found the putting surface, Lamprecht’s veered into the greenside bunker.
‘I had a tough lie with very little room to manoeuvre,’ explained 17-year-old Lamprecht. ‘The greens are really fast and the grain ran away from me. I tried to come out high, catch the top of the green and roll the ball down to the hole, but I didn’t get much roll and was left with a 20-foot downhill putt.’
Vorster was on the front edge with much less distance to cover.
The 16-year-old from Mossel Bay had the perfect line and pace, but it just wasn’t his day. The putt lipped and he was left with a tap-in par for a round of 69 and second on 12 under.
‘That last putt was the story of Martin’s day,’ said Lamprecht after he boxed the winning putt for a 68.
‘We both played great golf tee to green, but the difference was the putts that dropped. It was fun to play against him, but also tough. We are really good mates and a part of me was also rooting for him,’
Lamprecht was thrilled to receive the trophy from 2018 Amateur champion Jovan Rebula.
‘Jovan was home and he decided to come and watch us play,’ said the 17-year-old Outeniqua High scholar. ‘He is such a class act and not just because he won the biggest amateur title in the world. He is a great example for all juniors and a great ambassador. It was really great that the juniors got to meet him, especially the U15 players in the tournament.
‘I gained a lot of experience on the UK Tour and I learned some valuable lessons. We tend to just bomb drives, but you win tournaments with good course management. You need to understand the conditions and plan your shots to optimise your chances to score. I did that well today.
‘I made a brilliant up-and-down from nowhere at 10th when I overshot the green with my tee shot and landed in a divot. I made crucial birdies at 13th and 14th and I came up with a good solution at 18th. I don’t think I have moved up a level yet, but it’s all moving in the right direction.’
Bridge Fund Junior Series winner Sam Simpson from Western Province produced the low round of the day, a five-under 67 that netted him third on his own on six under.
