Local ladies ready for Sanlam Women’s SA Stroke Play challenge

Lali Stander reports

UMHLALI (14 April 2012) – KwaZulu-Natal’s Taryn Heyns and Tiffany Avern-Taplin are ready to lead the local challenge against the country’s leading female amateurs when the Sanlam Women’s Amateur SA Stroke Play Championship tees off in their backyard on Sunday.

Although the prestigious championship has drawn the likes of two-time defending champion and the country’s number one ranked player, Kim Williams, as well as Alana van Greuning, Nobuhle Dlamini and Lara Weinstein, ranked second to fourth respectively and the Umhlali Country Club course has been lengthened by nearly 400 meters, Heyns is confident that the strong cast of local competitors will still benefit from their home course advantage in the 54-hole tournament.

“I still think the local players have some advantages when it comes to knowing the course, the conditions and it’s secrets,” the former club champion and member of the KZN squad said. The course has been lengthened to 5,233m for the championship, which is 388 meters longer than it usually plays off the ladies tees. “We will be playing some holes right off the back tees, some of the men’s tees; some holes have been stretched by 40 to 50 meters,” she said. “But we are used to the course; we know it’s best and worst features and that will be our advantage. Heyns said that the course is heavily tree-lined and accuracy off the tee will be paramount. “If you go off course around here, you are looking at bogey or worse. The par-four eighth is playing 50 meters longer and the 14th has been lengthened by nearly the same distance. The 14th is usually a drivable par four, the water comes into play now. Use to be if you walked off that hole with par, you’ve done well, but pars will be few and far between on that hole this week.”

While Heyns and Avern-Taplin are the clear favourites among the local entries, Heyns warned that the juniors could also dish up a surprise.

“Michaela Fletcher has been working really hard and has had a lot of good results this year, including a runner-up finish at Umhlali in a Glacier Junior Series event. She lost by just one shot. She knows this course very well and she could definitely upset the applecart.” One of the country’s top juniors, the 15-year-old Pietermaritzburg golfer is currently ranked fifth in the Junior Rankings. And Fletcher has welcomed the increased length of the par-71 layout.
“I always seem to play better when the holes are longer,” she said. “I like hitting my longer irons, so the extra length will suit me. I don’t have any expectations, though, other than putting together the best score I can on each hole. Then we’ll see what it adds up to.”

Although Courtney Morris thinks a victory might be a stretch, the 15-year-old from Summerfeld is nevertheless delighted to be teeing it up alongside the top golfers in the country. “I think you have to be realistic about your chances, but stranger things have happened,” said the seven-handicapper. “I’m just thrilled to have the chance to play at this level and to get this kind of competitive experience.”

Defending champion Williams also expects a strong challenge from the junior contingent. “The juniors have really stepped it up this year, so it won’t surprise me at all if some of them are in contention going down the stretch,” said Williams. “Lara has been playing phenomenal golf this year, Bianca Theron and Michaela Fletcher both got within a shot of winning a Glacier Junior Series title and little Shawnelle de Lange from North West Province has also come in leaps and bounds since she won the Women’s A Division at the Sanlam Cancer Challenge Finals at Sun City last year. “You always worry about the players chasing you on the rankings but you shouldn’t lose sight of the juniors. They may be considered the outsiders, but they are not beyond surprising us.”

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