Dreyer starts as favourite in SA Stroke Play

Ryan Dreyer is a man to watch when the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship tees off tomorrow at the Jack Nicklaus designed Pearl Valley Golf Estates, outside Paarl in the Boland. The championship will be decided over 72 holes.

The 36 year old Killarney Golf Club member from Central Gauteng Golf Union has been in dominant form, winning one and losing in a play off in one other of the three national tournaments he has entered since the beginning of the year.

At the end of last month Dreyer, a former professional, won the Gauteng North Stroke Play, beating Coenie Bester, from Middelburg Golf Club in Mpumalanga, on the third playoff hole. The 72 hole tournament was played at Wingate Park Country Club in Pretoria.

The week prior the professional poker player lost in a playoff against Kwazulu Natal’s Daniel Hammond in the Kwazulu Natal Open, played at Selborne Golf Club south of Durban.

Aaron Russell, of Westlake Golf Club in Cape Town, is the player most likely to provide a local challenge to Dreyer. He started the year in good form winning the Princes Grant Amateur Invitational, played at the scenic venue north of Durban.

Defending champion JG Claassen, the eighteen year old from Orkney Golf Club, won last year’s South African Amateur Stroke Play also staged at Pearl Valley Golf Estates. He had an excellent year last year winning ten tournaments. With the World Amateur Team Championships being played in Argentina towards the end of this year, he will be looking to play himself into the national team with another dominant performance.

In all 144 players tee up in tomorrow’s first round. On conclusion of the second round there will be a cut to the leading 65 players and ties. All players making the cut will contest the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday respectively.