BLOEMFONTEIN, 1 April 2016 – Garrick Higgo made the most of his free pass into the semi-finals of the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Championship to book a spot in the final against defending champion Rosswell Sinclair at Bloemfontein Golf Club on Friday.

Higgo was set to challenge newly-minted Stroke Play champion Deon Germishuys, but the Strand junior was forced to concede the match after a stomach ailment forced him to throw in the towel after just four holes.

Higgo had to wait for the quarter-final matches to wrap up and faced David Opperman from Gauteng North, who downed Central Gauteng’s Bryce Leach 1-up to make the semis. The 16-year-old from De Zalze needed just 14 holes to knock out the Pretoria Country Club junior 5 & 4 to reach the final.

Meanwhile Sinclair turned in a commanding performance to dispatch KwaZulu-Natal’s Anuerin Gounden 6 & 4, while Christo Lamprecht from Southern Cape eliminated fellow KwaZulu-Natal junior Luke Mayo at the final hole.

Lamprecht from Oubaai was 1-up through four holes, but Sinclair squared the match with a birdie at the fifth and the Gauteng North junior never looked back.

He went 3-up on Lamprecht with a birdie at 14 and wrapped up a 4 & 2 victory when the Southern Cape player bogeyed 16.

Sinclair defeated fellow Gauteng North junior JP Cooper 2-up in a thrilling 36-hole final at Polokwane Golf Club.

He cemented the number one spot in the Junior Rankings with victory in the Lion of Africa Junior Open and runner-up finishes in the Nomads Dr Bam and Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play Championship, but Higgo has been impressive in March.

Victories in the Curro SA Juniors International and the Pro Shop Northern Amateur Championship has given the Boland golfer a shot of confidence and a tie for ninth in the Stroke Play Championship will only add to his determination to extend the purple patch.

SEMI-FINAL RESULT
Garrick Higgo beat David Opperman 5 & 4
Ross Sinclair beat Christo Lamprecht 4 & 2

QUARTER-FINAL RESULT
Deon Germishuys conceded to Garrick Higgo
David Opperman beat Bryce Leach 1-Up
Ross Sinclair beat Anuerin Gounden 6 & 4
Christo Lamprecht beat Luke Mayo 1-Up

PHOTO – Garrick Higgo and Ross Sinclair; credit Ernest Blignault.