Jarvis pips Duminy for SA U-15 Challenge victory
Casey Jarvis missed the chance to lift the SA U-15 Challenge title in regulation play, but a cautious approach at the first extra hole paid handsome dividends for the 12-year-old Ekurhuleni junior at Gowrie Farm Golf Estate in KwaZulu-Natal.
Jarvis closed with a one over 72 to finish on three-over-par 216, but overnight leader Jordan Duminy matched the clubhouse target with a final round 75.
Duminy’s drive down the first extra hole veered off course and his ball came to rest against a huge bush, while Jarvis mailed his tee shot down the middle of the 18th fairway.
“I three-putted 18 in regulation play and it cost me the outright victory, so I decided to lay up in the play-off,” said Jarvis.
“I still don’t know how he did it, but Jordan manufactured a miracle punch nine-iron into the fairway and chipped to 12 feet. I hit my approach to 25 feet and lagged the first putt to a foot and a half. His first putt ran five feet past the hole and he didn’t make the return, so I just had to hole the par-putt for the win.”
Duminy had taken the 36-hole lead with rounds of 71 and 70 while Jarvis, having registered an opening 71 and second round 73, began the final round three off the pace.
Although Duminy bogeyed four and nine, a birdie at 13 kept him in the driver’s seat. The Southern Cape golfer dropped another shot at 13, and moved to three over after a double bogey at 16.
Jarvis birdied the third and countered bogeys at four and five with birdies at seven and eight. He still trailed Duminy after a double bogey at the ninth, but gained a lot of ground with another brace of gains at 12 and 13. The bogey finish sent the pair into the play-off.
“Jordan was playing behind me, so I had no idea that things were so tight between us down the back nine,” Jarvis said.
“We both wasted the opportunity to win outright, so it was great to take each other on in the play-off. It was a seriously exciting play-off and it really could have gone either way after Jordan pulled off that nine-iron to stay alive.
“I was disappointed that I couldn’t do better than sixth place in the Nomads SA U-15 Boys, but this victory more than makes up for the frustration.”
FINAL RESULT
216 Casey Jarvis 71 73 72 (play-off; 1st extra hole)
216 Jordan Duminy 71 70 75
221 Luhan Bester 73 73 75; Liam van Deventer 68 74 79
225 Kieron van Wyk 73 74 78
227 Emerson Bam 79 75 73; Miles Taylor 78 72 77; Samual Mckenzie 76 76 75; Yurav Premlall 71 72 84
228 Marcus Taylor 71 75 82
231 Ryan van Velzen 78 74 79
233 Francois van Rensburg 76 78 79
234 Cameron Somers 76 79 79
235 Warwick Purchase 80 74 81; Damian Osner 77 84 74; Nash de Klerk 75 77 83
236 Nkosenye Carl Mwale 83 72 81
237 Luka Stanisavljevic 77 79 81
239 Stefan Delport 80 81 78
241 Richard Kruger 81 77 83; Matthew Brown 79 81 81
243 Nathan Trodd 73 82 88
245 Andrew Inggs 82 81 82
246 Hanco Rudolph 80 89 77
253 Josh Collin 86 82 85
254 Cade Cryer 89 79 86
256 Alric Rowaan Rooi 82 88 86
262 Mitchell Hampson 85 85 92
263 George Delport 83 95 85
273 Ross Fallet 93 92 88
292 Warrik Coetzee 104 93 95
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.