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SA teams swoop to spirited double triumph in GolfRSA International

golf30 January 2025 19:13
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It was no-holds barred on moving day in the GolfRSA International Amateur Championships, as the Proteas Men and Women scooped both Team Competition titles, Charl Barnard fired a career-best nine-under-par 63 at Royal Johannesburg’s East Course to top the men’s leaderboard and Bobbi Brown extended her lead in the women’s tournament.

Team South Africa Men posted a spirited nine-under 207 to put an exclamation mark behind a 19-shot wire-to-wire triumph.

Jordan Burnand led the way with a 67, Astin Arthur kicked in a 68 while Ivan Verster and new cap Dian Kruger both contributed 72s.

“We put together a winning total of 27-under and that was all down to a really awesome team effort,” said winning captain Burnand.

“The team spirit and the team ethos played a massive role. We had four great guys who got along fantastically and a great manager in Oom Thinus (Labuschagne). From there it was just supporting each other and playing good golf.

“It’s great to defend the title. Kudos to our new cap Dian. It’s never easy to put the blazer on for the first time, and he had a fantastic week with the old boys. As a team, our strategy was to go out and establish a firm lead in the first round and build from there, and we executed it to perfection.”

The GolfRSA President Men’s Team made up a three-shot deficit and eclipsed Team South Africa Juniors Men for second place.

Vuyisani Makama anchored the side with a 67 at his home course, while Devon Valentine and Timothy Daniels chipped in with rounds of 71 and 75.

Team South Africa Juniors placed third on seven-under, Team Scotland was fourth on 10-over and Team Réunion Men brought up the rear on 40-over.

Their women’s side led the Women’s Competition by a shot after the opening round, but the visitors put up little resistance as Team South Africa Women rallied to move 10 shots clear in the second round.

Kesha Louw, Lisa Coetzer and Zané Kleynhans kept the pressure up in the final round to cruise to a victory on eight-over 440.

Coetzer birdied the 18th for a closing 74, while her partners signed off with rounds of 75.

“It is really nice to have a team aspect to this tournament, and we all enjoyed the chance to wear the green and gold here on home soil,” said GolfRSA No. 1 Coetzer.

“We all went out and tried to put the best score on the board for ourselves and the team, and that mindset worked in our favour.”

The GolfRSA President Team Women’s Kamaya Moodliar, Odette Booysen and Phenyo Sebata finished third on 37-over.

BARNARD AND BROWN LEAD THE WAY

Barnard will start the final round of the men’s tournament one shot clear of first round leader Arthur, and two ahead of second round pacesetter Octave Bailo from Réunion, who returned a level par round.

Just like fellow GolfRSA National Squad member Brown, Barnard also came into the first event of the GolfRSA SA Swing fresh off winning the Gauteng North Open last Sunday.

He opened with a 73 but gave the field a glimpse of what’s to come with a 66 on day two.

The 19-year-old Centurion golfer racked up four birdies on the trot from the 11th and followed an eagle at the par-five first with birdies on the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 8th. A bogey at the 9th – his last hole – was the only blemish on his card.

Barnard, who recently gave up college golf in the United States, said the key to his round was keeping it in play.

“It’s a tough course, but if you can keep it in the fairway and hit the greens, it suddenly becomes a much easier challenge. That really was the goal today, and I managed it with great drives and some really good iron-play.”

Burnand, the 2024 SA Stroke Play champion, is still in touch at 10-under and so is Eastern Province duo Ludick on nine-under and Valentine a further shot adrift.

Recent Eastern Province Border Women’s Stroke Play champion Brown is still firmly in the driver’s seat after a third round 69. The 20-year-old Western Province golfer is nine-under, and four strokes clear of Olivia Wood (71) from KwaZulu-Natal.

Fifteen-year-old Lourenda Steyn held on the third place with a 74, and is five shots clear of Melliyal Schmitt from Réunion, and six ahead of Team South Africa Women’s Louw.

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