South Africa’s No 2-ranked Kiera Floyd put on a display of superb shot-making as she surged to a massive 10-stroke victory in the Ladies A Division of GolfRSA’s Club Champion of Champions tournament.

In the Men’s Division, things were a lot tighter, as former champion Bertie Steenkamp held on to beat Cole Cruickshank by a stroke to claim the A Division title.

With men’s and women’s club champions from three divisions represented, there was plenty to celebrate at Kyalami Country Club as the dust settled on another year-long tournament, where players who won their club championships progressed to a regional final, before qualifying for the National Final.

For the six winners, their titles represented a long journey from their club champs to being crowned the ultimate club champions of champions.

Floyd has been in great form in the latter part of the year, with three provincial titles since August. The 17-year-old club champion at Ebotse followed up her opening round of 74 with a stunning second round of 69 that saw her win by 10 strokes over first round leader Bronwyn Leigh Doeg from Pretoria Country Club. No 1-ranked Isabella van Rooyen from Clovelly finished in third, a further three shots back.

After lifting the trophy, Floyd admitted that a change in attitude saw her come out with a fresh approach on Day 2.

“Yesterday’s weather wasn’t great, and I grew a bit impatient, which really showed up in my putting,” she said. “I hit 16 greens in regulation, but I got frustrated when I couldn’t sink anything. Today I managed to stay patient and stay in the moment. I wasn’t thinking about winning, I just concentrated on each shot and I’m very happy to have come out on top.

“This is a big win for me because there is always such a strong field at the Champion of Champions Final. I’ve worked really hard on my game this year, so I’m delighted to get another big title under the belt.”

In the B Division, Mooinooi’s Madie Badenhorst claimed a narrow win over Standerton’s Patrizia Barnard, while Killarney’s Jessica Bennett claimed the honours in the C Division, winning by six points over Isabella Heber from King David Mowbray.

The Men’s A Division came down to a tight battle between Upington’s Steenkamp, the 2017 champion, and Cruickshank from Royal Cape. When Cruickshank’s birdie putt on the last agonisingly slipped by the hole, Steenkamp tapped in for a second win.

“It was tough out there today,” he explained. “I was pulling the ball left all day so that put pressure on my short game and I needed to chip and putt well.

“I am extremely proud to have my name on that trophy again. When you think about having to win your Club Champs, then the regional final and then to beat a seriously strong field of players in the final, it is a real honour to be standing here as the Club Champion of Champions.”

In the B Division, Schoeman Park’s Tokkie van der Westhuizen came from eight strokes back to beat overnight leader Glen Wynne from Polokwane, while Steenberg’s Jürgen Erhart claimed the C Division on 69 points, winning by one stroke over Koro Kreek’s Ernest du Plessis.

GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn was pleased to be able to run a full series of events after having to cancel the 2020 tournament due to COVID-19.

“The 2021 GolfRSA Club Champion of Champions event has been a great success,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of people will focus on the winners of the A Division, but I want to congratulate the winners across all six divisions.

“The majority of golf across the world is not played by the elite players, but by golfers across a wide spectrum of handicaps and we want to celebrate the Club Champions across every division.

“My thanks must go to Paul Adams for the running the tournament so successfully and to the team at Kyalami for putting on a tremendous event.”