Moodley and Stevens heading to 2018 Youth Olympics
2 September 2018 – GolfRSA is proud to announce that Gauteng juniors Kaiyuree Moodley and Cole Stevens were named by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) to the South African Team heading to Argentina in October for the third Youth Olympic Games.
Team South Africa will be represented in 19 different sports codes in Buenos Aires from 6-18 October.
Golf begins on 9 October at Hurlingham and will be contested in three competitions – the Men’s Individual Stroke Play, the Women’s Individual Stroke Play and the Mixed Team competition.
The men’s and women’s individual events are 54-hole stroke play tournaments from 9-11 October, while the mixed team event runs from 13-15 October and is played over 72 holes. The format is four-ball stroke play in round one, foursomes stroke play in round two and a combination of the men’s and women’s individual scores for the team score in the final two rounds.
Moodley and Stevens both represented South Africa in the 2017 Ciputra Jakarta World Junior Golf Championship in Indonesia last year.
Former Nomads SA Girls Rose Bowl champion Moodley had been trending towards victory with three runner-up finishes and a fistful of top five results this season.
She broke through for her first provincial success in the Southern Cape Open at the end of August, beating Junior Open debutant Kaylah Williams in gale force conditions at Knysna Golf Club.
The victory that propelled the Bryanston golfer to second in the Junior and fourth in the Open Amateur rankings.
Stevens racked up runner-up finishes this season in the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play, the Nomads SA Boys U-17 and the Nomads North and South Junior Championships. The South African Golf Development Board standout from Parkview currently ranks seventh in the Junior Rankings.
Stevens was also Central Gauteng’s top scorer in the 2018 SA Challenge Cup in May and helped Curro Aurora to back-to-back victories in the eighth South African High School Championship with a wire-to-wire victory in August.
“We are incredibly proud of Kaiyuree and Cole’s selection to Team South Africa,” said GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn.
“The Youth Olympics is a fantastic development opportunity for the world’s most promising young athletes and for Kaiyuree and Cole, the chance to test themselves against the world’s best young golfers.
“We are also excited to be sending GolfRSA Elite Squad member and South Africa’s number three ranked Zethu Myeki along as the team manager. This is a wonderful opportunity for all three golfers to experience a multi-sport games environment, while exposing them to learning and cultural opportunities.”
Womens Golf South Africa President Sally Greasley added: We are extremely proud to have Kaiyuree representing South Africa at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. She has had an exceptional year and as a member of our Elite Squad, truly deserves her selection. This will be an incredible experience for them both, and as this opportunity only comes once every four years, their selection is a very special honour. We wish both Kaiyuree and Cole the very best of luck in Buenos Aires.
In addition to golf, Team South Africa will also fielding athletes in aquatics (diving and swimming), archery, athletics, canoeing, climbing, dance sport, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, shooting, tennis, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of GolfRSA.