The Protea team had a proverbial mountain to climb in the final day of their amateur golf Test Match against France, being played on the Veneuil course at Chantilly Golf Club north of Paris today. The four South African players, needed to win three of their four singles matches to share the Test Match. They managed to win two, halved one and lost one and so lost the Test Match by 3½ to 4½ points, coming agonisingly close to securing enough points to share the spoils against the French.

The Protea team may have been the stronger side when looking at player World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), however by the time the sun set today, on the Chantilly Golf Club north of Paris, it was clear that the rankings did not mean much as the less fancied French team dominated today's play winning all but one of a maximum of four points.

Playing on a Links golf course in the north of Wales is testing at the best of times, non more so than over this weekend.

South Africa's national amateur champion, 22 year old Jacques Blaauw, who plays most of his golf in the Boland, managed his way through the testing conditions to record a 72 hole score of 303, fifteen over par, giving him a share of 9th place in the 2008 Welsh Open Stroke Play Championship decided on Sunday at the Conwy Golf Club.

Cameron Johnston continued his fine run of form when he won the inaugural SA Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Championship at De Zalze Golf Club in Stellenbosch on Sunday.

This Johnston's fourth win in just over a month after capturing the Cape Province Amateur, the Western Province Amateur Stroke Play and the Western Province Mid-Amateur Stroke Play in quick succession.

Final Results

If the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) are anything to go by, the Protea team of Derik Ferreira (ranked 19), Jacques Blaauw (27), Adrian Ford (29) and Ryan Clarke (313) will start as the favourites to win the fourth annual amateur golf Test Match against France which starts tomorrow.

Four of South Africa's amateur golfers take on the 72 hole Welsh Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship which starts at Conwy Golf Club, in a town in North Wales of the same name, on Friday. The four players are Jacques Blaauw, Derik Ferreira, Lyle Rowe and Trevor Muggeridge.

Both venues were fantastic and a combined delegation of 150 people attended. Much was learnt by all over the two day duration of each Rules School but most people's main focus was the Rules Exam which was held on the second morning. These Results are available from the South African Golf Association offices as of this morning.

SAGA Office Tel. 011 783 5474.

Click here for the Steenberg Delegates Photo
Click here for the Benoni Delegates Photo

Jacques Blaauw, the current SA Stroke Play and Glacier SA Amateur Champion, finished 18th, with a 54 hole total of 211, five under par, in the English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship (Brabazon Trophy) which concluded yesterday. Blaauw, of Paarl Golf Club, had rounds of 70, 71 and 70.

Dylan Frittelli has withdrawn from the Protea Team to play France and has been replaced by Adrian Ford, the South African Golf Association (SAGA) announced.

The Inaugural SA Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Championship will take place next week at De Zalze. The event will be played over 72 holes with 18 holes on Wednesday and Thursday and 36 holes on Friday.
Draw Round 1
Draw Round 2

The annual Country Districts and Challenge Inter-Provincial Tournaments (IPTs) started in cool weather this morning and promise to offer fun and competitive weeks for players from all around the country.

The Western Province Amateur was held in windy conditions at Milnerton Golf Club last week and saw Western Province players come first and second in both the Stroke Play and Match Play sections of the event.