Class-act Craig clinches Nomads SA Boys U19 Stroke Play victory

4 April 2025 – After a ding-dong battle through the four rounds, Roelof Craig emerged victorious in the Stroke Play section of the 2025 Nomads SA Boys U19 Championship at Mossel Bay Golf Club.

The 17-year-old Gauteng North junior closed with a five-under-par 67 to edge out Dewan de Bruin by one shot, with Vuyisani Makama a further five strokes back on seven-under for the tournament. Central Gauteng’s Makama signed off with a flourish, making three six-under 66s in succession after his opening 77. Bryan Newman and Jayden Hoskins shared fourth on six-under after closing rounds of 66 and 73 respectively.

Craig had an opening 65 in the first round, but he came up just shy of De Bruin, who fired a superb 64 to take the lead. Oliver Scriven and Craig Cilliers tied for third with fine 66s.

In the second round, Craig and De Bruin traded places, as Craig’s 66 took him one clear of De Bruin, who recorded a 68. Hoskins’ 67 put him in third at the halfway mark.

De Bruin’s third-round 67 took the Southern Cape junior to the summit and put him three clear of Craig, who seemed to be letting things slip as he carded a one-under-71. Hoskins wasn’t going away, finishing just one shot behind Craig with a round of 70.

It all came down to the final round, when Craig shifted into fifth gear and turned the tables on De Bruin. The Silver Lakes junior fired a 67 to best De Bruin by a single shot after the Fancourt junior closed with a 71.

The victory marked Craig’s third turn in the winner’s circle in a Nomads-support event. He had his first success in the Nomads National Order of Merit Coastal at PE Golf Club The Hill in June last year, and lifted the Nomads North & South Junior Championship at Pecanwood Golf and Country Club just two months later.

“The Nomads SA Boys U19 is a pinnacle for us juniors, and winning the championship feels amazing,” said Craig. “I didn’t think I could get it done, because Dewan was really playing amazing golf. It means everything when all the hard work pays off.

“Dewan is such a good player. We played all four rounds of the tournament together and I thought to myself that I just had to stay with him. The momentum switched the whole time, so it was nerve-wracking until the end.

“I love the course. Actually, it was my grandfather’s home course. You can go very low here if you hit it in the right spots, and it was just an amazing place to play the tournament.”

Final Round Leaderboard
269 Roelof Craig 65 66 71 67
270 Dewan de Bruin 64 68 67 71
275 Vuyisani Makama 77 66 66 66
276 Bryan Newman 70 72 68 66; Jayden Hoskins 66 67 70 73
277 Dujuan Snyman 71 77 65 64; Oliver Scriven 66 71 72 68
278 Cilliers Craig 67 70 71 70
279 Nicolas van de Vyver 70 74 68 67
280 Riaan Kotze 68 71 71 70; Pieter Coetzee 70 69 73 68