Lombard, Lange make British Amateur Match Play

South Africa’s Zander Lombard and Victor Lange survived the gruelling 36-hole Stroke Play qualifier to make the exclusive 64-man field for the Match Play division at the 118th British Amateur Championship on Tuesday.

The stroke play stage drew 288 entries from 29 countries and was contested at the Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s links courses in Kent.

Lombard was level after nine holes but dropped three shots over the last three holes of the Prince’s course in heavy rain and high winds to sign for an opening 76.

The 18-year-old Woodhill golfer came back strong in the second round at the Royal Cinque course. Lombard was four under through 14 holes, but after dropping a shot at the 15^th, parred his way home to sign for a three-under-par 68, the second best score recorded over the two rounds at Royal Cinque.

Lombard finished on one-over-par 144 and tied for 17^th overall, booking his berth in the match play alongside Lange, who carded 73s on both courses to tie for 30^th on three over 146.

While the recently crowned KwaZulu-Natal Amateur champion and Lange from Royal Johannesburg and Kensington will have the chance to extend their stay at Royal Cinque Port, the country’s number one ranked amateur Haydn Porteous will be doing some serious introspection ahead of the US Amateur at Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts this August.

Like Lombard, the Modderfontein golfer opened his campaign at Prince’s where he parred just five holes on his way to an opening 85. Porteous fared marginally better with four birdies at Royal Cinque Port, but despite s string of four birdied in five holes on the front nine, he paid the price of a triple bogey, two double bogeys and three dropped shots with a 77 to tie for 282^nd on 19-over-par 162.