GOLF NEWS - South Africa’s Yurav Premlall and Zach Chegwidden from England topped a packed leaderboard as action wrapped up in the opening round of the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Leopard Creek on Monday.
On a blistering hot day at the championship layout bordering the Kruger National Park, the duo shot sizzling five under par rounds of 67 to edge into a two-shot lead.
Chegwidden bogeyed the fourth but turned things around with a birdie on six. The Orsett golfer racked up four more in the next seven holes and was set up for an eagle finish on the iconic island green at the par-five 18th, but his putt hit the rim of cup and hopped out.
“I’ll take it,” Chegwidden said after his birdie finish. “I hit a very drive on 18, only had 197 in and it was playing a bit downwind, so I thought I would crunch an 8-iron. It came out a little right and I was a little jittery as it was in flight, but it came out all right. The putt was a little bit racy, and it hit the middle of the cup, but I had a tap-in birdie, so really happy with today’s result.
“It was a solid round, but I didn’t get off to a great start. I mean, on the scorecard it looks great, but there were a lot of pars. Four missed greens on the first four holes, and when you don’t chip those stiff for the par putt, it can get a little tough. Then I settled down and got comfortable; hit some really good shots and holed good putts.”
By contrast, Premlall, who started on the 10th, turned four-under, but the GolfRSA National Squad member’s back nine turned into a masterclass of up-and-downs.
The Glendower golfer struggled to find greens, but scrambled incredibly well, with par-saving up-and-downs from the traps on five, seven and nine, and off the greens at the sixth and eighth holes.
“Going four-under on the front around this course always sets the tone for the rest of the day. Then I try to hand in there and try to get a few more birdies, but if don’t, it’s cool, as long as I don’t give any shots back and post a good number,” said the reigning Nedbank Junior Challenge champion.
“I was really good around the greens, and I just need to keep that up for the rest of the week, but let’s hope there is less scrambling tomorrow and more greens in regulation; that would help.”
GolfRSA No 1 Christiaan Maas posted a three-under 69 with a birdie finish on the 18th, and he was joined by fellow Pretoria golfer Francois van der Walt, who had to tidy up for a bogey on his closing hole – the ninth – after his par-putt ran straight across the hole.
Casey Jarvis signed off with a two-under 70 to share fifth with Bob Geurts from the Netherlands. The first-time visitor to Leopard Creek was four-under playing the last, but the Dutchman caught a flier with his second to the island green and walked off the par-five with a seven on his card.
Turnberry’s Jack Broun carded one-under 71 in his first-ever competitive round at Leopard Creek and will start the second round in joint seventh with GolfRSA National Squad members Sam Simpson and Jordan Wessels.
Rising Kenyan star Adel Balala, Tristan Leonard from Silver Lakes, Fancourt’s Morris Schiefner and Aldrich Potgieter, who plays out of Pinnacle Point, rounded out the top 10 on level par.
Maas and Jarvis also championed the GolfRSA Senior Proteas into the lead of the Team Competition, which is played concurrently with the first 54 holes of the stroke play championship.
The GolfRSA Senior Proteas posted a total of one-under, with Christiaan Burke – making his national debut this week – contributing a 78, while Jordan Duminy carded a non-counting 79. The South African senior side leads England by two shots.
Scotland finished in third, four off the pace, and Kenya in fourth on 13-under. The GolfRSA Junior Proteas posted a 16-over total, and Zimbabwe brought up the rear on 26-over.
South Africa’s Yurav Premlall and Zach Chegwidden from England shared the first round lead in the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship on five under par at Leopard Creek Golf Club. Photo: GolfRSA
ROUND 1 LEADERBOARD (top 30)
67 Yurav Premlall; Zachary Chegwidden ENG
69 Francois van der Walt; Christiaan Maas
70 Bob Geurts NED; Casey Jarvis
71 Jack Broun SCO; Samuel Simpson; Jordan Wessels
72 Aldrich Potgieter; Morris Schiefner; Adel Balala KEN; Tristan Leonard
73 Jonathan Broomhead; Sam Bairstow ENG; Daniel Bennett
74 Simon du Plooy; Altin van der Merwe; Ethan Smith; Bernard Meyer; Handre Truter; Liam Nolan IRL; Robert Moran IRL; Rory Franssen SCO
75 Crismar Engelbrecht; Letsoso Letsai; Travis Procter; John-William Blomerus; Jamie Stewart SCO; Matthew Mcclean IRL; Andrew Georgiou; Stefan Jacobs; Alan Fahy IRL; Keegan Mclachlan
ROUND 1 TEAM LEADERBOARD
(Singles: Best 3 scores of 4 to count)
217 Team South Africa Christiaan Maas 69 Casey Jarvis 70 Christiaan Burke 78
219 Team England Zachary Chegwidden 67 Sam Bairstow 73 Callan Barrow 79
221 Team Scotland Jack Broun 71 Rory Franssen 74 Stephen Roger 76
229 Team Kenya Adel Balala 72 Njoroge Kibugu 76 Taimur Haider Malik 81
232 Team South Africa Juniors Daniel Bennett 73 Pascal Gunther 79 Hannes Strooh 80
242 Team Zimbabwe Matthew Bramford 79 Tariro November 80 Michael Wallace 83
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