French win; SA records credible final round

The French Team won the 2010 men’s World Amateur Team Championship and the Eisenhower Trophy with a 54 hole team score of 423, seven under par. They finished four shots clear of Denmark.

The organisers were forced to reduce the 72 hole competition to three rounds after only half the field finished their second rounds on Friday. Bad weather and lightning led to play being suspended twice.

With sixty nine national teams participating, with three players in a team, the championship is played over two golf courses, the Buenos Aires and Olivos Golf Clubs, outside the capital city of Argentina. The top half of the team leader board, as at the end of the second round, were drawn to play on the Buenos Aires golf course and the remaining teams at the Olivos Golf Club.,

The struggling South African team, who played the Buenos Aires Golf Club layout in Sunday’s final round, recorded a credible 149, five over par, to finish with team aggregate of 448, eighteen over par, securing twentieth place overall. A strong cool wind made the going tough, evidenced by the fact that only six players, in a field of one hundred and ninety nine, managed to break par on Sunday.

Dean O’Riley carded the best round of the day for South Africa, a two over par 74. JG Claassen finished three over par. Their two scores counted for the team event.

This enabled the team to move up twelve places on the team leader board, after the end of the second round.

“The conditions were really difficult today, there was a terrible wind. Hosts Argentina and countries like Australia, traditionally strong golfing nations, finished behind the South African team which is indicative of how tough it was since Friday,” said Colin Burger, the South African Golf Association President and Team Manager speaking from Buenos Aires in a telephonic interview.

“Looking back this was an event influenced by your position in the draw. All the teams that were in the afternoon field of the first round bore the brunt of the bad weather,” explained Burger.

“Nonetheless I am very proud of how our players came back today in very difficult circumstances.”

The third player in the South African team, Dylan Frittelli, recorded a seven over par 79. The University of Texas student and Irene Golf Club member from Gauteng North was a shadow of the man that finished tenth in Australia in the same competition two years ago.

Joachim Hansen of Denmark dominated the individual competition finishing his final round in 73, one over par, with a 54 hole aggregate of 209, six under par. He was three shots clear of Frenchman Alexander Levy.

The South Africans finished well down the leaderboard. JG Claassen had a 54 hole total of 223, eight over par, tied in twenty fourth place. O’Riley was next best with 225, ten over par, tied in fortieth place. Frittelli was in the uncustomary position of being tied in one hundred and fourteenth place.

Final Results

Leading scores on the Team Leader Board

Buenos Aires Golf Club (par 72)

423 (-7) – France (137,142,144)

427 (-3) – Denmark (139,141,147)

428 (-2) – United States (143,142,143)

435 (+5) – New Zealand (142,144,149)

436 (+6) – Scotland (150,140,146)

439 (+9) – Ireland (150,146,143)

440 (+10) – Germany (146,147,147)

South African team score

448 (+18) – South Africa (147,152,149)

Leading scores on the Player Leader Board

209 (-6) – Joachim Hansen (Denmark) (67,69,73)

212 (-3) – Alexander Levy (France) (68,72,72)

213 (-2) – Romain Wattel (France) (69,70,74)

214 (-1) – James Bryne (Scotland) (75,68,71), Ben Campbell (New Zealand) (69,70,75), Eugene Wong (Canada) (67,75,72), Max Keiffer (Germany) (70,73,71), Peter Uihlein (United States) (72,72,70)

South African players’ scores

223 (+8) – JG Claassen (73,75,75)

225 (+10) – Dean O’Riley (74,77,74)

235 (+20) – Dylan Frittelli (75,81,79)

For full final rounds scores, click here