Buitendag in control at ProShop Northern Amateur
Jade Buitendag is targeting a maiden provincial victory in the ProShop Northern Amateur after lifting the 36-hole Mabs Abel Trophy at Randpark Golf Club on Monday.
The 20-year-old carded an opening 67 at the Bushwillow Course to share the first round lead with fellow Border native Andre Nel, but pulled away from the chasing pack with a three-under-par 69 to take the outright lead on eight-under-par 136.
Buitendag has a two stroke edge on former Sanlam SA Amateur champion Ryan Dreyer (68, 70) and Nel, who returned a 71.
Central Gauteng’s Andi Dill – the only amateur qualifier for the South African Open Championship in January – carded rounds of 70 and 69 to finish three off the pace.
Bearsden golfer Ewen Ferguson leads the Scottish Challenge at 140 after rounds of 71 and 69.
Buitendag, seventh in the South African Golf Association’s Open Amateur rankings, kicked off his 2015 season with a tie for 13th in the Srixon/Cleveland Eastern Province / Border Stroke Play in early February.
He followed with a tie for 11th in the South African Stroke Play Championship at Port Elizabeth Golf Club and claimed a share of sixth in the Free State Open.
Last week, Buitendag tied for 46th in the Sanlam SA Amateur Stroke Play qualifier, but was knocked out in the first round of the Match Play Championship at Silver Lakes Golf Estate.
Nel tied for sixth in the PE/Border Stroke Play, shared 32nd in the SA Stroke Play and tied for 39th in the Free State Open
He rallied with a top 10 finish in the Stroke Play qualifier at Silver Lakes and reached the second round of the knock out competition.
Both players represent Southern Cape and play out of Kingswood, having enrolled at the KeNako Academy in George last year.
Sixty-four players made the cut, set at five over 149, including Western Province’s Luke Trocado, Gauteng North’s Arno Pretorius and Adriel Poonan, Brett Langston, David Mcintyre and Gareth Clements from Central Gauteng, Eastern Province’s Fezekile Kana and Tom Watson from Southern Cape.
SECOND ROUND LEADERBOARD (top 20)
136 Jade Buitendag 67 69
138 Ryan Dreyer 68 70; Andre Nel 67 71
139 Andi Dill 70 69
140 Ewen Ferguson SCO 71 69
141 Jason Smith 71 70; Herman Loubser 70 71; Tristen Strydom 69 72
142 Ryan Lane 74 68; Fritz Orren 73 69; Rupert Kaminski 71 71; Albert Venter 71 71; Scott Gibson SCO 71 71; Tyran van Lieshout 69 73
143 Jamie Savage SCO 74 69
144 Cameron Moralee 76 68; Matthew Kiewitz 74 70; Philip Kruse 73 71; Richard Yu-Hou Tsai 72 72; Greig Marchbank SCO 70 74; Kyle Barker 70 74; David Meyers 69 75
145 Teaghan Gauche 76 69; Teagan Moore 75 70; Daniel Young SCO 73 72; Jason Rossiter 73 72; Aubrey Beckley 73 72; Johan Aucamp 72 73; Louis Taylor 72 73; Keegan de Lange 71 74
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.