Mixed results in first round morning foursomes at SA IPT
The first round of morning foursomes at the 51st South African Inter-Provincial delivered some surprising results at Bloemfontein Golf Club.
KwaZulu-Natal gained a solid edge over Southern Cape, Boland is in the driver’s seat against Central Gauteng while the tournament favourites Western Province and Gauteng North will start the afternoon session at 2-all.
Dylan Raubenheimer and captain Werner Theart scored the first scalp for Province at Bloemfontein Golf Club with a 3&1 win over Pedrie Oosthuizen and Zander Lombard, but Coenie Bester and Jacques van Tonder evened matters, taking a 2&1 victory over rookie Delin Erasmus and Jean-Paul Strydom.
Brandon Stone and Conway Kunneke gave Gauteng North a 2-1 edge when they beat Lean Boezaart and MG Keyser but Le Riche Ehlers and Justin Turner cut their advantage to all square, beating Herman Minnie and Hendre Celliers 2&1.
Jacques Cloete and Ivan Williams put Southern Cape ahead when they beat Elton James and Christiaan van der Merwe 3&2, but the KwaZulu-Natal side hit back with two successive wins for a 2-1 lead.
After a stressful weekend waiting for a replacement driver, South African Amateur Stroke Play champion Jared Harvey used his new club to great effect to partner Michael Hollick to a 5&4 victory over Matthew Sutherland and Breyten Meyer to put the 2010 champions 3-1 ahead.
Mark Mahoney and Karl Ocshe won Boland’s first match against Central Gauteng’s Damian Naicker and Muzi Nethunzwi 3&2 and the 2008 champions when 2-up when Anton Oosthuizen and Phillip Spies beat Michael Dixon and Callum Mowat 2&1.
With the other two games squared, Boland take a three point lead into the singles.
Moving to the B-Section, host province Free State and Northern Cape are 3½ up on Ekurhuleni and all square with Limpopo, while Ekurhuleni and Limpopo are also even at 2-all.
The Eastern Province enjoyed a 4-0 whitewash against Border and lead North West 2½-1½, while Border managed to win two of their games and halved a third against North West to lead 2½-1½.
ROUND ONE MORNING FOURSOME RESULTS:
A SECTION
Western Province 2 – Gauteng North 2
KwaZulu Natal 3 – Southern Cape 1
Boland 3 – Central Gauteng 1
B SECTION
Free State 3½ – Ekurhuleni ½
Free State 2 – Limpopo 2
Limpopo 2 – Ekurhuleni 2
Eastern Province 4 – Border 0
Eastern Province 2½ – North West 1½
Border 2½ – North West 1½
Mpumalanga – Bye