GEORGE NEWS - South Africa’s top ranked junior Jayden Schaper and Matthew Dennis took the pole positions in the first Sunshine Tour Junior Series event as day one action wrapped up at Fancourt Country Club in George on Wednesday.
Schaper set the first round pace in the Dimension Data Junior Open with a sublime six-under-par 67 at the Links, while Dennis from Gauteng North carded a four under 68 at the Outeniqua Course to lead the Under-15 Challenge.
Jayden Schaper. Photo: David Younge / GolfRSA
Dimension Data Junior Open
Schaper became just the fourth player in South African amateur golf history to bag the elusive double in the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Championship in April and the 16-year-old GolfRSA National Squad player was in blistering form once again as he produced a masterclass at the demanding Gary Player-designed Links.
The Ebotse golfer finished in style with an eagle three at the closing hole to open up a two shot lead on 15-year-old Ayden Senger from Durbanville and he finished four shots clear of Reece Haikney and Deon Germishuys, coming off a Bridge Fund Managers Junior Series win on Monday.
Senger birdied the second and the sixth holes and shared the top spot with Schaper after a birdie at 11. Another gain at 16 for a flawless 69 ensured that he stayed within striking distance.
Dimension Data Junior Open Under-15 Challenge
Over at the Outeniqua Course, the lead changed hands with Rorisang Nkosi from Pecanwood, Kirkwood’s Malan Potgieter, Hannes Strooh from Randfontein and Ruimsig’s Brandon Weir all taking a turn at the top.
But it was Dennis who had the last say.
The 13-year-old from Centurion Country Club was nine when he took up golf and he is coached by former Sunshine Tour winner Nico van Rensburg. The Cornwall Hill College scholar won the Atlantic Beach Junior Club Championships in 2015 and repeated the feat at the Centurion Country Club Junior Championship this year. In 2016, he claimed a runner-up finish in the Malaysia Junior Championship at Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort.
Dennis leads by two from Ekurhuleni’s Nash de Klerk, who also birdied two of the last three holes to move to second with a two-under-par 70.
Nkosi carded a one under 71 to finish alone in third.Central Gauteng’s Amilkar Bhana – the 2017 Gowrie SA U-15 Challenge title holder – moved within four of the first round pacesetter with a birdie-birdie finish and joined Jordan Duminy from Southern Cape and Gauteng North’s Christaan Maas in a tie for fourth at even par.
Dimension Data Junior Open Round One Scores (top 20)
67 Jayden Schaper
69 Ayden Senger
71 Deon Germishuys; Reece Haikney
72 Christo (Jnr) Lamprecht; Martin Vorster; Andre van Dyk
73 Chris Woollam; Barend Botha; Keegan Mclachlan; NJ Botha; Dino Capazario; Armand van Dyk; Kieron van Wyk
74 Oliver Goldhill; Alex van Wyk; Reece Coleman; Wilco Nienaber; Tyron Davidowitz; Devon Whitaker
75 Nikhil Gopal; Samuel Simpson; Casey Jarvis
Dimension Data Junior Open Under-15 Challenge Round One Scores (top 20)
68 Matthew Dennis 68
70 Nash de Klerk 70
71 Rorisang Nkosi 71
72 Amilkar Bhana 72; Jordan Duminy 72; Christiaan Maas 72
73 Malan Potgieter 73; Hannes Strooh 73
74 Herman du Plessis 74
76 Dylan Melville 76; Murray Boast 76; Brandon Weir 76
77 Hezron Frieslaar 77; Ulrich Steinhobel 77
79 Zander Lombard 79; Jaden Joubert 79; Du Toit Fourie 79; Awethu Mkhwanazi 79
80 Franco Gericke 80; Zamokuhle Nxasana 80; Janus Roberts 80; Kayle Wykes 80; John-William Blomerus 80; Jaco Anderson 80
ARTICLE: LALI STANDER
'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'
