JOHANNESBURG, 16 March 2016 – Unheralded Dylan Kok upstaged some of the country’s leading lights to lift the 2016 Pro Shop Northern Amateur Stroke Play Championship title at Randpark Golf Club on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old Gauteng North player closed with a three-under-par 69 to claim his first provincial victory on 15 under 201 in the weather-shortened 54-hole Qualifier at the Firethorn Course.

Kok finished two strokes clear of Tristen Strydom and 2016 Sanlam Cape Province Open champion Aubrey Beckley returned a pair of 68s to share second, while Southern Cape’s Andre Nel and South Africa’s top ranked Marco Steyn tied for fifth on 205. Nel fired a 66 and joint overnight leader Steyn closed with a 73.

Kok lagged four off the pace from Steyn after opening with a four under 68, but he was in sparkling form on day two. He peppered the pins with solid ball striking to post an eight under 64 that rocketed him to pole position at the 36-hole mark.

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JOHANNESBURG, 15 March 2016 – The Pro Shop Northern Amateur Championship will restart this morning with Gauteng North’s Dylan Kok in the driver’s seat.
A total of 44 players still need to complete the second round after organisers were forced to suspend action in the 72-hole qualifier due to dangerous conditions after thunderstorms hit at Randpark Golf Club on Monday afternoon. Continue reading →

JOHANNESBURG,while Larissa du P 4 March 2016 – Gauteng amateur Kelsey Nicholas won the Leading Amateur award at the SuperSport Ladies Challenge,while Larissa du Preez from Gauteng North edged out Gauteng’s Chiara Contomathios for the runner-up spot in the Sunshine Ladies Tour event at Huddle Park Golf and Recreation.

Larissa carded rounds of 78, 74 and 73 to tie Chiara on nine over 225 and won in a count-out.

George, 4 March 2016 – Scotland’s Craig Ross made it a double for his country when he beat South Africa’s Dylan Naidoo to win the Sanlam South African Amateur Championship at George Golf Club on Friday. The Kirkhill golfer beat Central Gauteng’s Naidoo 3&1 in the final.

Ross’s triumph is the second successive victory by a Scottish golfer in one of South Africa’s premier amateur tournaments, and the fourth win by a Scottish golfer in the last six Sanlam SA Amateur Championships.

It also marks a clean sweep by the Scots this year, with Ross’s countryman Rory Franssen taking the Proudfoot Trophy for the winner of the 36-hole stroke play qualifier earlier in the week.

And it completes a run of foreign dominance of South Africa’s premier amateur events over the past few weeks, with Irishman Jack Hume winning the South African Stroke Play Championship last month. Continue reading →

GEORGE (3 March 2016) – South Africa’s Dylan Naidoo will play Scotland’s Craig Ross in Friday’s 36-hole final of the Sanlam SA Amateur Championship at George Golf Club.

Naidoo beat Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent 3&2 in the quarterfinals, and then edged past Switzerland’s Loris Schuepbach 1Up in the semi-finals.

Ross came through the quarterfinals with a 5&3 victory over KwaZulu-Natal’s Matt Saulez, and then beat South African number one Marco Steyn 2&1 in the semi-finals. Continue reading →

GEORGE (2 March 2016) – Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent, the younger brother to American-based professional Scott Vincent, took out South Africa’s number two and three-ranked players on day two of the Sanlam SA Amateur Championship at George Golf Club on Wednesday.

In the morning’s second round, Vincent beat SA number three Herman Loubser on the 21^st hole. It was an incredible contest in which Loubser fought back with birdies at 17 and 18 to keep the match alive before eventually losing to Vincent’s birdie on the 21^st hole.

Then in the afternoon’s third round, Vincent knocked out SA number two Tristen Strydom 2&1. Strydom was 2Up at the turn and Vincent responded with five straight birdies to take the match. Continue reading →

GEORGE (1 March 2016) – Tristen Strydom took his first step towards his goal of regaining his number one ranking in the country when he made it through the first round of the Sanlam SA Amateur Championship at George Golf Club on Tuesday.

The Ekurhuleni golfer beat Boland’s Garrick Higgo 2&1. He will face Gauteng North’s Philip Kruse in the second round. Kruse beat beat Proudfoot Trophy winner Rory Franssen of Scotland 1Up. Continue reading →