CAPE TOWN, 15 October 2015 – Gauteng North rising star Danielle du Toit added her name to a prestigious list of champions including Ivanna Samu, Nobuhle Dlamini from Swaziland and Cara Gorlei when she lifted the 35th Ackerman Championship title at the weekend.
The 16-year-old from Waterkloof produced a pair of birdies at the last three holes at Royal Cape Golf Club to seal a two stroke victory on one-over-par 222.
Du Toit opened with a five-over-par 79 and was well off the pace from first round leader Katia Schaff from Western Province, but an even par 74 in the second round boosted the Pretoria Country Club player within three shots of three-way tie at the top.
Boland’s Vicki Traut, Woo Ju Son from Gauteng and Brittney-Fay Berger all made bids for the title, but it was Du Toit who most successfully navigated the stiff breeze on Sunday afternoon.
The Gauteng North junior birdied the third cancelled a bogey at six with another birdie at seven and turned one under.
Traut had birdies at five and seven and, despite dropping shots at eight, 11 and 13, was still in with a shout, but Du Toit birdied the par-five 14th and ended Traut’s title aspirations when she boxed birdie putts at 16 and 17.
She closed with a textbook par at 18 for a four-under-par 70 to seal her first provincial breakthrough.
Traut took second with rounds of 78, 72 and 75 and Ekurhuleni’s Lejan Lewthwaite sealed third on 229 with rounds of 76, 79 and 74.
“The Ackerman Championship is has been around for a very long time and it’s a very special tournament for all of us,” said Du Toit after receiving the Gus Ackerman Trophy from tournament sponsor, Jonathan Ackerman.
“I have been knocking for a while now and came close in the Nomads SA Girls Championship, so you can only imagine my delight. What an honour it is for me to win my first provincial title in such a prestigious and historic tournament.”
ACKERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Gus Ackerman Trophy TOP 10 (HC 9 & under)
223 Danielle Du Toit 79 74 70
225 Vicki Traut 78 72 75
229 Lejan Lewthwaite 76 79 74
231 Zethu Myeki 76 79 76; Woo-Ju Son 76 74 81; Brittney-Fay Berger 75 75 81
232 Crystal Beukes 77 76 79; Katia Shaff 75 78 79
233 Symone Henriques 79 75 79
234 Zayb Fredericks 80 76 78
Raymond Ackerman Trophy TOP 10 (HC 10-18)
173 Nadya Antje Ritschewald 88 85
174 Maxine Smet 90 84; Laylaah Abrahams 87 87
175 Kayla Paulsen 89 86
182 Helene Marais 89 93
184 Naeemah Adams 90 94
185 La-Eeqah Adams 90 95
186 Sarah Van Lear 94 92; Sonja Jonker 90 96
187 Jordan Rothman 89 98
Jonathan Ackerman Trophy TOP 10 (HC 19-32)
193 Lesley-Anne Davis 93 100
194 Cameron Seboa 100 94
195 Ashleigh Seboa 99 96; Christan Booysen 95 100
201 Susan Hugo-Hamman 101 100
202 Nikita Bossr 106 96; Sue Van Zyl 101 101
203 Julie Dyer 102 101
204 Anique Phillips 103 101
205 Stephanie Ngulube 101 104
PHOTO – 35th Ackerman Championship winner Danielle du Toit; credit WGWP