GOLF NEWS - Three of South Africa's leading amateur golfers, Charlotte Millard, Isabella Ferreira and Lourenda Steyn, will represent the country at the 2026 All Africa Challenge Trophy in Abuja, Nigeria, from 2 to 7 November.
The championship, one of Africa's premier women's amateur team golf events, will bring together leading players from across the continent to compete for national honours.
South Africa's trio heads into the competition in strong form, with all three currently ranked among the top four players on the GolfRSA Open Amateur rankings. Millard leads the standings, Ferreira is second and Steyn occupies fourth place.
Millard, 20, has enjoyed an exceptional season, winning the South African Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship in February after beating Ferreira on the fourth extra hole of a play-off at The Els Club Copperleaf.
The Killarney Country Club golfer also finished third in the R&A Africa Amateur Women's Invitational and claimed victories in the Ackerman Championship, Cobra Puma CGGU Championship and Eastern Province and Border Championship. She also secured the individual title at the recent SA Women's 72-Hole Team Championship.
Ferreira, 23, has added several titles to her record this season. The George Golf Club golfer won the Western Province Women's Amateur Championship, Free State Open, Southern Cape Open and Gauteng North Open.
She also claimed the individual title at the Run Africa Dames in Réunion, where she teamed up with Millard and Kesha Louw to win the team competition. Runner-up finishes in the South African Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Ackerman Championship and Ekurhuleni Open have further strengthened her position among the country's leading amateur golfers.
Completing the team is 17-year-old Lourenda Steyn of Centurion Country Club, whose achievements include several impressive international performances.
Steyn won the individual title at the 2026 All Africa Junior Team Championship in Kenya, helping South Africa secure the girls' team title. She has also won the 2025 Zimbabwe Junior Open and Dutch Junior Open, and finished fourth at the 2026 Annika Invitational Europe.
Other highlights include a runner-up finish at the R&A Africa Amateur Women's Invitational, representing South Africa at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan, and victories in the Limpopo Championship and Free State Open.
She recently successfully defended her Women's A-Division title at the GolfRSA Champion of Champions, becoming the first player since Caitlyn Macnab in 2017 and 2018 to win consecutive titles in the division.
Womens Golf South Africa president Madeleine de Wet welcomed the team's selection, saying the three golfers had earned their places through consistently strong performances at national and international level.
She said Millard and Ferreira had been among the country's leading performers throughout the season, while Steyn had demonstrated remarkable maturity and competitiveness despite her young age.
De Wet added that the players understood the responsibility of representing South Africa and expressed confidence in their ability to compete for continental honours.
The team will be managed by Womens Golf South Africa vice-president Petricia Buurman.
GolfRSA chief executive officer Grant Hepburn said the selection reflected the continued development of women's golf and the organisation's investment in its National Squad programme.
He said the programme aimed to create a pathway for young golfers to progress from junior competition to elite amateur golf and international representation.
According to Hepburn, Millard, Ferreira and Steyn are examples of this pathway in action, with their performances demonstrating the quality of talent emerging in South African women's amateur golf.
The 2026 All Africa Challenge Trophy is hosted by the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria, with national teams from across Africa competing in Abuja from 2 to 7 November.
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