De Beer finished 5th in Scottish Stroke Play
The Scots did not believe it possible, but Johan de Beer gave it a good go.
The unheralded 18 year old Pretoria Country Club golfer teed up, on Saturday (31st May), in the 54 hole Bidwells Scottish Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship played on the Duke’s Course (par 71) in Fife, Scotland, as a complete unknown quantity.
After an eagle, four birdies and a three bogeys, de Beer returned a three under par 68 for a share of the lead with Englishman Matthew Baldwin.
The news report on the Scottish Golf Union website gave no mention of the player from Pretoria leading their prestigious competition.
Due to the first day’s play being abandoned due to fog, the final 36 holes was played on Sunday, and it got no better for the Scots as the former SA Boys U18 champion of 2007 recorded a level par 71, for his second round, giving him a 36 hole total of 139, three under par, and a one stroke lead.
The news report on the same website, dedicated one sentence to the leader in their second round report.
The former captain of the team that represented South Africa in the World Junior Team Championships in Japan last year, did not reproduce the same form he did over the first two rounds, turning in two over par, made up of three bogeys and a birdie, but still in contention. He bogeyed the par 4 13th, triple bogeyed the 16th, a par 3, and bogeyed the final hole, coming home in 40, five over par, and a final round of 78.
It was not until he recorded his triple bogey did de Beer’s chance of stealing the Scots thunder, in the most unexpected fashion, dissipate altogether.
This gave the young Gauteng North golfer a 54 hole aggregate of 217, four over par, tying for fifth place.
Despite his poor finish, de Beer did get a mention in the final report on the Scottish Golf Union website, two paragraphs this time.
The competition was won by Scotsman Wallace Booth who stormed around the testing layout in a magnificent 68 for his final round, giving him a aggregate of 210, three under par and four shots clear of the rest of the field.
Matthew Carvell was the only other South African to make the cut, he finished tied on 26th with a 54 hole aggregate of 223, ten over par.
Final Results:
Duke’s Course, Fife, Scotland. Par 71
210 Wallace Booth (SCO) (69,73,68)
214 Edouard Dubois (FRA) (69,72,73)
216 Mark Halliday (SCO) (73,73,70), Matthew Cryer (ENG) (73,71,72)
217 Zack Saltman (SCO) (69,72,76), Matthew Baldwin (ENG) (68,73,76), Johan de Beer (RSA) (68,71,78)
Other South African scores:
223 Matthew Carvell (RSA) (73,74,76)