Gauteng North A is in pursuit of Gauteng B, who made a fast start to their title defence in the 72-Hole Teams Championship at Middelburg Country Club on Monday.
Surprisingly it was the B-team who pushed the 2015 champions in early pole position in the Swiss Team Trophy division. Randpark’s Kajal Mistry offset a lone bogey at the par three sixth with birdies at three, 15 and 16 to open with a two under 70. Chiara Contomathios from Wanderers mixed three bogeys with a pair of birdies for a 73 that handed Gauteng B pole position at one-under-par 143.
Gauteng North A finished three off the pace , while Boland leapfrogged Gauteng A to join the chase in third spot.
Pretoria Country Club’s Danielle du Toit matched Mistry’s first round 70 and Larissa du Preez from Akasia added a 76 to put Gauteng North A firmly in the mix.
Boland’s Bianca Theron, who is home on a break from Mississippi State University, signed for a 73 and Bianca Lohbauer produced a 74.
The country’s top ranked pair, Kaleigh Telfer and Ivanna Samu, returned respective rounds of 74 and 75 to secure fourth for Gauteng A on 149.
Border also enjoyed a productive debut in the A-Division.
The 2015 Challenge Trophy winners combined for six-over-par 150 to finish within striking distance of the pacesetters, thanks to a 74 from Demi Flanagan and a 76 from Siviwe Duma.
Meanwhile Casandra Hall from Ekurhuleni set the course alight with a five-under-par 67.
The Ebotse Golf and Country Estate player turned one under after a bogey at 10 and a brace of birdies at 15 and 17. She reeled in a string of four birdies on the trot from the second to rocket to the first in the Individual Competition.
Hall’s low round of the day also delivered a positive result for Ekurhuleni A.
Team-mate Sarah Bouch carded a 72 to take Ekurhuleni A to the top of the Challenge Trophy leaderboard. The team will start the second round on five-under-par 139 with a six shot cushion over Gauteng C and a 10 shot lead on KwaZulu-Natal B.
Hall leads by two from Mistry, Du Toit and Gauteng C player Symone Henriques in individual standings.
Bouch is fifth, while Theron and Contomathios tied for sixth. Telfer, Lohbauer, Flanagan shares eighth on three over with KwaZulu-Natal’s Chloe Royston.
SWISS TEAM TROPHY
Round 1 Results (Best 2 scores of 3 to count)
143 Gauteng B Kajal Mistry 70 Chiara Contomathios 73
146 Gauteng North A Danielle Du Toit 70 Larissa Du Preez 76
147 Boland A Bianca Theron 73 Bianca Lohbauer 74
149 Gauteng A Kaleigh Telfer 74 Ivanna Samu 75
150 Border Demi Flanagan 74 Siviwe Duma 76
153 Gauteng North B Lenanda Van der Watt 76 Catherine Lau 77
153 Western Province A Michelle Swanepoel 76 Katia Shaff 77
155 Kwazulu Natal A Michaela Fletcher 76 Lizzie Currie 79
156 Gauteng North C Adele Beytell 78 Eugenie Clack 78
160 Western Province B Kaylah Williams 78 Aaliyah Abrahams 82
164 Southern Cape Sonja Bland 82 Desiree Geldenhuys 82
182 North West Kaitlin Joan Fensham 91 Desire Green 91
CHALLENGE TROPHY
Round 1 Results (Best 2 scores of 3 to count)
139 Ekurhuleni A Casandra Hall 67 Sarah Bouch 72
145 Gauteng C Symone Henriques 70 Shawnelle De Lange 75
149 Kwazulu Natal B Chloe Royston 74 Elsune Roode 75
159 Ekurhuleni B Kiera Floyd 76 Candice Wort 83
159 Free State Chante Van Zyl 78 Zanele Mazibuko 81
161 Eastern Province Imkeleen Meyer 77 Minette Olivier 84
162 Gauteng North D Marinda Pretorius 81 Caro Els 81
163 Limpopo Ananda Lategan 81 Cherie Siebert 82
165 Western Province C Odette Booysen 81 Kayla Paulsen 84
167 Mpumalanga Chanelle Botha 83 Thandeka Hlatshwayo 84
168 Boland B Olivia Le Roux 78 Cassidy Williams 90
180 Northern Cape Lindy-Lee Kotze 90 Magdel Du Toit 90
ROUND ONE INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD (top 20)
67 Casandra Hall
70 Symone Henriques; Kajal Mistry; Danielle Du Toit
72 Sarah Bouch
73 Bianca Theron; Chiara Contomathios
74 Demi Flanagan; Chloe Royston; Bianca Lohbauer; Kaleigh Telfer
75 Shawnelle De Lange; Elsune Roode; Ivanna Samu; Caitlyn Macnab
76 Woo-Ju Son; Siviwe Duma; Michaela Fletcher; Larissa Du Preez; Lenanda Van der Watt; Kaiyuree Moodley; Kiera Floyd; Michelle Swanepoel
PHOTO – Gauteng North’s Larissa du Preez ,Crystal Cooper and Danielle du Toit; credit WGSA