Naidoo claims top 10 at prestigious Pinehurst
Reigning Nomads SA Boys Under-17 champion Dylan Naidoo has underlined his status as one of South Africa’s rising stars with a couple of solid performances in the United States this July. The experience is certain to serve well when he lines up with Herman Loubser, Luca Filippi and Luke Mayo at the International Under-16 Championship in Italy in early September.
A fortnight ago, the 16-year-old Modderfontein golfer claimed a top 30 finish at the Junior World Golf Championship in San Diego, California. The prestigious championship was held at the renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course and drew an international field of 230 players.
At the weekend, Naidoo impressed again with a top 10 finish at the US Kids Golf Teen World Championship in North Carolina.
The Central Gauteng player opened with a 74 at the Number Eight course of the prestigious Pinehurst Golf Resort and moved into the top 20 with a second round 75.
Although he dropped six shots in the final rounds, Naidoo rallied with birdies at the seventh, 10th and 17th holes for a final round 75 to finish in eighth place on eight-over-par 224.
The TuksSport High School learner also qualified for the Teen World Cup, which saw the top four boys and top two girls in each age group from the United States of America compete against the top qualifiers from the international field in nine team best ball stroke play matches.
The Americans claimed a narrow 5 – 4 victory. Naidoo and his partner, Paul Chaplet from Costa Rica, kept the match at all square until the 16th hole, but the pair lost when they failed to respond to a birdie from Connor Burgess and Jake Lawson at the 17th hole.
Naidoo was one of three local entries in the Boys 15-18 Division, while three SA juniors also competed in the Boys U-14 Division.
Garrick Hugo from Stellenbosch tied for 52nd on 25-over-par 241 the Boys 15-18 Division, while Bradley Fox from Johannesburg finished joint 63rd on 243.
Meanwhile Niehaus Loots from Boland led the local contingent in the Boys U-14 Division at Pinehurst’s Number Six course. He tied for 45th on 12 over 228, while Keanu Pestana from Central Gauteng finished in joint 87th on 237 and KwaZulu-Natal’s Cristopher Woollam tied for 98th on 241.
Naidoo’s achievement will certainly inspire the 21-strong South African contingent competing in the US Kids Golf World Championship at Pinehurst this week.
Reigning Nomads SA Boys Under-13 champion, Tristen Galant, will lead the local challenge in seventh edition of the world’s largest junior golf event that will be played at nine different golf courses from 31 July to 2 August.
The SAGDB learner from the Western Province will line up in the Boys Under-12 Division at Pinehurst Number Eight with Francois Jansen van Rensburg from Bela-Bela, Somerset West’s Luke Pienaar, Liam van Deventer from Germiston, Mossel Boy’s Martin Vorster and Kian Rose from St Andrews.
US Kids Golf World Championship – SA Line Up
Boys Under-6 (9 Holes at Midland Country Club)
Pieter Hendriks (Gauteng North)
Boys Under-7 (9 Holes at Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club)
Tino Munyurwa (Central Gauteng)
Boys Under-8 (9 Holes at Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club)
Matthew Render (Gauteng North)
Reinhard Uys (Central Gauteng)
Boys Under-9 (18 Holes at Pinehurst Number Six)
Amilkar Bhana (Gauteng)
Ockert Brits (Gauteng)
Ethan Govender (KwaZulu-Natal)
Boys Under-10 (18 Holes at Little River Golf and Resort)
Christopher Bagnall (Gauteng North)
Boys Under-11 (18 Holes at Talamore Golf Club)
Enso Barbaglia (Gauteng)
Jordan Duminy (Southern Cape)
Casey Jarvis (Gauteng)
Remon Rabie (Northern Cape)
Brandon Weir (Gauteng)
Boys Under-12 (18 Holes at Pinehurst Number Eight)
Tristin Galant (Western Province)
Francois Jansen van Rensburg (Limpopo)
Luke Pienaar (Western Province)
Kian Rose (St Andrews)
Liam van Deventer (Ekurhuleni)
Martin Vorstern (Southern Cape)
Girls Under-9 (9 Holes at Longleaf Golf and Country Club)
Kiera Floyd (Ekurhuleni)
Caitlyn MacNab (Gauteng)
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.