The value of international competition was amplified in George on Wednesday with Martin Vorster and Rori Nkosi leading the Dimension Data Junior Open tournaments at Kingswood and Fancourt.
Less than two weeks ago, Vorster fired a 10-under 61 in the final round of the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. His course record helped the GolfRSA boys team to a top-five finish in the team event at the Chukyo Golf Club.
While the Southern Cape junior was setting the Ishino Course alight, Nkosi from North West ended with a top-seven finish in the Himbara World Junior Golf Championships in Indonesia.
Dimension Data Junior Open
It wasn’t the ideal day to start the first event on the Sunshine Tour Junior Tour as the rain showed up quite early and pounded the players at both venues in the popular Garden Route stop.
Vorster, a member of the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy down the N2 at Pinnacle Point Golf Estate, fired an impressive three-under-par 69 in the challenging conditions to take the lead in the U19 tournament in Kingswood.
‘The weather was really challenging and I just reminded myself to stick to basics and to go through my processes on every shot,’ said the 17-year-old GolfRSA National Squad player.
‘I two-putted the 1st and the 3rd for birdies, missed a really short putt for par at the 4th and managed to get the shot back with a birdie at the 7th.
‘I hit my driver just short of the green at 8th and chipped it close to tap in for birdie. I hit a sand-wedge over the green and chipped in for birdie at 9th. Then I made a really dumb drop at 10th. I hit it just short of the green and didn’t up-and-down.’
Vorster birdied 11th but hit a 2-iron out of bounds right on the 13th and dropped a shot.
‘The rain was bucketing down from the 13th and the wind was pumping,’ Vorster said. ‘I made some good pars to keep the round going. At 16th, I hit driver off the tee, 3-iron for my second and 9-iron from 110 metres into the green and tapped in for four to get to four under.
‘I parred 17th and missed the green right at 18th. I chipped it to five feet, but I missed the par putt. It was a tough day at the office, but if you could keep on the fairways, you still had a chance for birdies.’
Not surprisingly, Christo Lamprecht was hot on Vorster’s heels.
The George golfer returned from the GolfRSA UK Tour buoyed by an international breakthrough in the East of Ireland Amateur Championship.
Lamprecht eagled the 1st, as did Central Gauteng’s Marcus Taylor, and the pair tied for second on two under.
South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) duo Carl Mwale and Tristan Galant tied for fourth with Bridge Fund Manager Junior Series winner Tyran Snyders on one under.
Ekurhuleni’s Casey Jarvis, who won the Nomads SA Boys U15 Championship at Kingswood in January, carded a one-over 71 to round out the top 10 alongside Jordan Duminy, Daniel Cronje and Oliver Goldhill.
Nikhil Rama from Bryanston Country Club definitely had the best finish of the day with his first ace.
The Central Gauteng junior holed out with a 5-iron from 155 metres into the wind at the par-three closing hole and the one on his card for a 75 propelled Rama into the top 20.
Dimension Data U15 Challenge
Nkosi from Pecanwood overcame a bogey start with a birdie at the 2nd at the Outeniqua course at Fancourt and set the first round target with a three-under 69.
The 13-year-old SAGDB golfer reeled in further gains at the 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th. He gave two shots back with a pair of bogeys at the 13th and 14th, but steadied the ship with pars at the 15th, 16th and 17th and signed off with a birdie finish for pole position.
Former two-time SA U13 champion Amilkar Bhana finished two off the pace.
Christopher Bagnall, Dylan Melville, Kayle Wykes and Lyle Roche Pedro played the course in even-par to share third. Phil Snyman finished fourth on one under and the trio of 74 – Jaden Deltel, Filip Sakota and Ivan Verster – share fifth on two over.
Dimension Data Junior Open
69 Martin Vorster
70 Christo Lamprecht Jnr; Marcus Taylor
71 Carl Mwale; Tristan Galant; Tyran Snyders
73 Oliver Goldhill; Casey Jarvis; Jordan Duminy; Luhan Bester; Daniel Cronje
74 Samuel Simpson; Brandon Weir; Eben Spangenberg; Ben van Wyk; James Murray; Kian Rose
75 Jurie Johannes Mostert; Nikhil Rama; Tiaan van der Bank; Liam van Deventer; Kieron van Wyk
76 Yurav Premlall; Ryan van Velzen; Damian Osner; Christiaan Burke
77 Craig Louw; Cole Stevens; Andre van Dyk; LB Boshoff
78 Warwick Purchase; Dijon Coetzer; Connor de Groote; Jean Pierre van der Watt; Jordan Burnand; Ayden Senger
79 Christopher Long; Brendan Porter; Meekah de Sousa; Barend Botha; Jaco Anderson; Christiaan Maas; Kyle Kistensamy; Benjamin Brent
80 Alexander Pienaar; Cade Basson; Dean Sanders; Ryan van der Klis; Saul Moss; Carlos Losper; Reece Coleman
81 NJ Botha; Drikus Joubert; Nash de Klerk; Judd Sundelson; Romain Legentil; Calvin Maia
82 Miles Taylor; Angus Klintworth; Darren Neyt; Herman du Plessis; Keyan Loubser
83 Lumkile Mantshiyo; Alessio Graziani; Shaun Jones
84 Samual Mckenzie
85 Jan-Hendrik Nieuwoudt; Aidon Willemse
87 Logan Roos
91 Hezron Frieslaar
96 James Vorster Jnr
97 Keanan Austin Keffers
Dimension Data U15 Challenge
69 Rorisang Nkosi
71 Amilkar Bhana
72 Christopher Bagnall; Dylan Melville; Kayle Wykes; Lyle Roche Pedro
73 Phil Snyman
74 Jaden Deltel; Filip Sakota; Ivan Verster
75 Fabrizio de Abreu
76 Dujuan Snyman; Matthew Dennis; Stefano Marchetti
77 Jonathan Wilsenach; Angelo Keffers; Tiaan Hugo; James Alan Jarvis; Jordan Wessels
78 Jaydon Liddell; Andrew Long; Hunter Walker; Hannes Strooh; Aiken Olivier
79 Luc Gavagnin
80 Danie Jooste; Tristan Leonard
81 Juan Human; Michael Ferreira
82 Kieran Urquhart; Astin Wade Arthur; Franco Gericke
83 Zamokuhle Nxasana; Cameron Gray
84 Pieter Joubert; Werner Potgieter; Heinrich Appel; Ryan Koekemoer
86 Michael Sim; Corne Pieters
87 Bernhard Köster
88 Caden Chuang; Leonard Bevan; Desmond van der Walt
89 Rialdo de Bruyn; Misha Loots
90 Craig Jacobs
92 Tyler Stagg
Photos: Vorster and Nkosi are making the running at Kingswood, by Ernest Blignault