Author Archives: Morné

Smith still standing at Northern Amateur

Jason Smith-1_GNGUJOHANNESBURG, 16 March 2016 – Jason Smith from Gauteng North will take on Marco Steyn from Central Gauteng in the quarter-finals of the Northern Amateur Match Play Championship on Thursday.
Smith downed Sean Bradley from Western Province 6 & 5 in round one and beat Southern Cape’s Andre Nel 3 & 2 to make the final eight at the Firethorn Course at Randpark Golf Club.
Just a week since he held off a strong international challenge to capture the Curro SA Juniors International Boys title, 16-year-old Boland junior Garrick Higgo defeated 2015 Nomads SA Boys U-17 winner Herman Loubser 1-up and then knocked out reigning Harry Oppenheimer Trophy champion Philip Kruse 2 & 1.
Higgo will face off against former Olympian Kyle McClatchie in the quarter-finals at the Firethorn Course on Thursday.

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Younger Guns take Liberty GNGU Mid-Am honors

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Johan Struwig with Danie Viljoen

The Liberty GNGU Mid-Amateur championship was hosted by Silver Lakes Country Club on Sunday 13 March. The course, like the rest of Pretoria was drenched with persistent rainfall over the last two weeks. The green-keeping staff however did an exceptional job in providing not only a championship setup, but also a course that looked the part.

Danie Viljoen (32) made great use of his local knowledge of the course and set the early pace with a one under par first round. He was tied with three other players competing for the title. The Silver Lakes CC member however had some fuel left in the tank and shot a 5 under par 68 in the second round to win the tournament by three shots from Fourie Zietsman (33). Continue reading

Cool-hand Kok clinches Northern Amateur

2016NorthernAmSP_DylanKok_GNGUJOHANNESBURG, 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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Kok sets pace at Northern Amateur

2016SASP_DylanKok2_GNGUJOHANNESBURG, 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

Du Preez takes 2nd at SuperSport Ladies Challenge

JOHANNESBURG,while Larissa du P2016 SuperSport Ladies Challenge: Day 3 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.

Ross wins Sanlam SA Amateur to keep title in Scottish hands

Craig Ross Trophy_GNGUGeorge, 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

Naidoo, Ross in hunt for Sanlam SA Amateur glory

Dylan Naidoo_GNGUGEORGE (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