MIDDELBURG, 25 May 2016 – Ivanna Samu, Kaleigh Telfer and Woo-Ju Son lived up to their star billing when they sealed back-to-back success for Gauteng in the Swiss Team Trophy, while Ekurhuleni lifted the Challenge Trophy with a crushing victory at the 72-Hole Teams Championship on Wednesday.

It was Kajal Mistry (70) and Chiara Contomathios (73) from the B-team that got Gauteng’s title defence underway at Middelburg Country Club on Monday, while the country’s top ranked seniors Samu and Telfer from Gauteng A opened with 149 to finish six shots off the pace.

But Samu and number one ranked junior Son stepped it up in round two with a total of 145 to grab a share of the lead at 294 with Gauteng North A.

Samu and Telfer gained control for Gauteng A with a third round 141. Poised in pole position at 435 with a nine stroke lead over Gauteng North A, the pair combined once again for a final round 146 to lock down a 13 stroke victory for Gauteng A on 581.

Meanwhile Mistry and Contomathios produced further rounds of 152, 153 and 146 to claim a one-two finish for Gauteng for a second year running.

Gauteng North A took third on 596, while Border finished a credible fourth on 602 in their Swiss Team Trophy debut.

Not surprisingly, Samu and Telfer also dominated the Individual Competition on the last day.

Samu overhauled Ekurhuleni’s Casandra Hall with birdies at four and nine to take the early lead, while Telfer reeled in birdies at two, three, six and seven to get within striking distance, but catastrophe struck after the turn.

Samu dropped shots at 10, 11 and 12 and suffered a triple bogey at the par three 13th, while Telfer also bogeyed the first three holes and dropped another shot at 16. Samu rallied with back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17 and parred the final hole for a 74. She successfully defended the title she shared with Eleonora Galletti in last year’s edition, while Telfer signed for a 72 to share the runner-up spot with Mistry, who closed with a 71.

Hall had to settle for fourth on her own on 293 after carding a final round 293, but her earlier rounds of 67, 73 and 75 laid a solid foundation for Ekurhuleni A and helped the team to an unassailable lead going into the final round.

Sarah Bouch added a 72 in round one, 74 in round two and closed with a 77, while Caitlyn Mcnab carded a third round 76 and 75 in the final round to seal promotion for Ekurhuleni A with a staggering 20-stroke victory.

Ekurhuleni A triumphed on 13 over 589, with Gauteng C finishing a distant second on 609 and Kwa-Zulu Natal combined for rounds of 149, 155, 164 and 164 to take third on 632.

INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION RESULT (top 20)
290 Ivanna Samu 75 71 70 74
292 Kaleigh Telfer 74 75 71 72; Kajal Mistry 70 75 76 71
293 Casandra Hall 67 73 75 78
296 Michaela Fletcher 76 72 72 76; Danielle Du Toit 70 71 76 79
299 Zethu Myeki 81 75 69 74; Bianca Lohbauer 74 78 72 75
300 Caitlyn Macnab 75 74 76 75
301 Larissa Du Preez 76 77 74 74
302 Chiara Contomathios 73 77 77 75
303 Bianca Theron 73 75 74 81; Symone Henriques 70 80 80 73
305 Kiera Floyd 76 77 79 73; Sarah Bouch 72 74 82 77
306 Olivia Le Roux 78 74 75 79
307 Shawnelle De Lange 75 75 79 78
309 Brittney-Fay Berger 81 76 79 73; Woo-Ju Son 76 74 79 80
310 Imkeleen Meyer 77 78 78 77

ALL TEAM RESULTS – www.wgsa.co.za