Kajal Mistry has her eyes on the prize after reaching the final in the South African Women’s Amateur Championship final on Thursday.
The Randpark golfer has tried to win both premier women’s amateur events since she triumphed in the SA Women’s Stroke Play Championship in 2017.
Both her previous attempts were thwarted, but after lifting the Stroke Play title for a second time at Woodhill Residential Estate and Country Club on Tuesday, the 18-year-old raised her game.
The opportunity to realise a life-long goal and make women’s amateur golf history is within her grasp.
Mistry will attempt to become only the eighth amateur to achieve the calendar double – and the first to do so since Kim Williams in 2010 – when she faces fellow GolfRSA Elite Squad member Kaylah Williams in Friday’s final round.
She cruised to the quarter-finals, and beat fellow Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member Larissa du Preez 4 & 3 to reach the top four.
Mistry faced Kiera Floyd from Ekurhuleni in the semi-final, and immediately piled on the pressure with a birdie-birdie start.
She was 3-up after five, but lost the sixth with a bogey. The GolfRSA Elite Squad pair halved the eighth in birdies, but Mistry went 5-up after 15-year-old Floyd bogeyed 11 and 12 and dropped two shots at the par-four 13th.
The Ebotse junior had a chance to fight back when Mistry bogeyed 14 and doubled the 15, but she dropped a shot at 15 and lost the match with final bogey at the par-three 16th.
‘Winning the double is the ultimate goal, but I’m putting it right at the back of my mind,’ said Mistry.
‘You should always expect a tough match, because there is no such thing as an easy match. I’ve never gone head-to-head with Kaylah, and she also had four good wins. She will be just as hungry to win as I am.’
Semi-final results:
Mistry beat Kiera Floyd 4 & 2
Williams beat Streicher 1-up
Quarter-final results:
Mistry beat Du Preez 4 & 3
Floyd beat Moodley 1-up
Streicher beat Macnab 1-up
Williams beat Henriques 4 & 3
