Bhana makes an early move at Kingswood

8 January 2018 – Central Gauteng’s Amilkar Bhana laid down an early marker for success in the first Nomads SA Boys Championship of the season in very windy conditions in George on Monday.

Last year, Bhana collected the Gowrie SA U-15 Challenge trophy before he successfully defended his the Nomads SA Boys U-13 Championship title at Port Elizabeth Golf Club.

The 13-year-old Country Club Johannesburg junior carded an opening one-over-par 73 at Kingswood Golf Estate to finish within striking distance of the round pacesetter Herman du Plessis.

Du Plessis got his nose in front early on with birdies at the first, third and fifth holes.

The Eagle Canyon golfer cancelled a bogey at the ninth with another gain at the 10th and, despite dropping further shots at 12 and 16, he finished at the top of the pile with a one-under 71.

Bhana negated back-to-back bogeys at the seventh and eighth holes with a pair of birdies at 10 and 11 to get within a shot of Du Plessis, but he spoiled a run of straight pars from the par-three 12th with a bogey finish at the par-three closing hole.

The three-club wind got the better of Rorisang Nkosi on the back nine, but the North West junior racked up a trio of birdies from the seventh to shave three shots off his five stroke deficit and finished two over. The Pecanwood golfer shares third with former Gowrie SA U-15 champion Casey Jarvis from Ekurhuleni and Malan Potgieter from the Eastern Province.

Nash de Klerk from Ekurhuleni also played himself into the mix again in George.

Last year’s Dimension Data U-15 Challenge winner at Fancourt eagled the par-five seventh and reeled in a pair of birdies on his way to an opening 76.

Fellow Ekurhuleni junior Yurav Premlall was in solid form in last week’s season-opening Nomads National Order of Merit Inland at Benoni Country Club. He heads a group of seven players at five over, including Southern Cape duo Dylan Melville and Ivan Verster.

First Round Scores (top 20)
71 Herman du Plessis
73 Amilkar Bhana
74 Malan Potgieter; Casey Jarvis; Rorisang Nkosi
76 Nash de Klerk
77 Janus Roberts; Christiaan Maas; Ockert Brits; Ivan Verster; Dylan Melville; Christopher Bagnall; Yurav Premlall
78 Angelo Keffers; Joshua Koekemoer; Jack Buchanan; Jano Malan
79 Kayle Wykes; Jere Brits; Jaden Deltel; John-William Blomerus

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of GolfRSA, a SAGA and WGSA Not-For-Profit company.