Naidoo the man to beat at Nomads SA Boys U-17

TuksSport High School’s Dylan Naidoo remains the man to beat after the Nomads SA Boys Under-17 Stroke Play Championship reached the 54-hole mark at Polokwane Golf Club on Wednesday.

Naidoo overturned two bogeys to come home in 71 strokes for a third successive round and the 16-year-old Central Gauteng tops the leaderboard at three-under-par 213.

The Modderfontein golfer has been the picture of consistency, with only five bogeys in 54 holes at the former Sunshine Tour venue, but he can hardly afford to get complacent.

Although first round pacesetter Luca Filippi and defending champion Jovan Rebula both slipped from contention, Herman Loubser from Boland and Zimbabwe’s Kieren Vincent lurk just a shot off Naidoo’s target.

Both players scored 70, but while the reigning Nomads SA Boys Under-15 champion dropped just a single shot, the Zimbabwean’s card was significantly more colourful with a double, two bogeys, an eagle-three and four birdies.

Gauteng North’s Juan Pierre Cooper carded a 72 to take fourth on even par, while Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member, Dylan Jacobs from Boland, also came home in 72 strokes to take fifth on 218.

Filippi carded a 77 to tie for sixth on 220 alongside Rosswell Sinclair (74) and Dylan Mostert (71) while Southern Cape’s Rebula dropped to joint 20th after a six bogey 78.

While the country’s number one ranked junior will have to go back to the drawing board, it was a good news day for another Southern Cape junior, Caylum Boon, who aced the par-three 11th with a wedge from 124 meters to record his first career hole-in-one.

Third round scores top 20:
213 Dylan Naidoo 71 71 71
214 Herman Loubser 70 74 70; Kieran Vincent ZIM 70 74 70
216 Juan-Pierre Cooper 74 70 72
218 Dylon Jacobs 76 70 72
220 Rosswell Sinclair 74 72 74; Dylan Mostert 73 76 71; Luca Filippi 69 74 77
221 Sentanio Minnie 75 74 72; Marco Steyn 75 74 72; J G Smith 75 72 74; Ettienne J van Rensburg 75 71 75; Clifford Thompson 74 74 73; Anuerin Gounden 74 70 77; Ruan Pretorius 73 79 69
222 Ruben Coetzer 76 75 71; Michael Sherriff 76 70 76; Dawid Opperman 73 75 74; Attie van Wyk 72 74 76
223 Eric Brett Nel 73 74 76; Jovan Rebula 73 72 78; Wian van Aswegen 71 78 74

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.

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