New names in Inter-Prov line-up

The 2011 Pick n Pay South African Women’s Inter-Provincial , being played from the 18 to 23 September at one of South Africa’s favourite courses, George, could be more open than in recent years with the departure of a number of top players to US colleges and professional ranks.

Gauteng North A (Daisies) will be defending the title they have won for the past four years – in 2007 (Clovelly), 2008 (Umhlali), 2009 (Paarl) and 2010 (Irene). Prior to 2007 Gauteng A (Lions) had won for four consecutive years from 2003 to 2006 – so perhaps 2011 will once again ring in a change.

The Daisies lost Connie Chen to the professional ranks, but no mean replacement is Swaziland’s Nobuhle Dlamini, former SA Match Play Champion and runner-up this year and winner of the recent Nomads Gauteng Stroke Play Championship. She is at Pretoria University studying for a degree in Sports Science, hoping to specialise in Sports Management.

Gauteng North also includes a very exciting young Korean player, 14-year old Carrie Park from Irene Country Club, playing off a two handicap. She joined the Graham Francis School of Golf in Pretoria at the beginning of this year, having spent some time in Australia where she was at a golf school that also specialised in teaching English to foreign scholars. She is one of three Korean players competing this year – the other two being Western Province’s Jisun Kang, aged 15, also playing off a two handicap and Seyoung Chun, aged 14 and playing off a four. These two girls are members of Milnerton Golf Club.

The other members of the Gauteng North A team are Emma-Jo du Bruin, Biance Barnard, South African Stroke Play Champion, Kim Williams, whose 2011 trophy cabinet also includes silverware from the Eastern Cape, Border, Gauteng and Gauteng North and Henriétte Frylinck, winner of the WGSA 72 Hole Championship.

On paper, the strongest challenge to the Daisies should come from Gauteng A (Lions). Despite the loss of Leján Lewthwaite who has left for the US on a scholarship, this team includes three scratch handicaps, Michelle Leigh, Lara Weinstein and Chevonne Botha, as well as Nicole Garcia (1), Lauren Becker (2) and Simoné Burger (3).

2010 runner-up, North West, will sorely miss the services of Bertine Strauss, also now on a scholarship in the USA and two juniors have been brought into this team, the youngest, Shawnelle de Lange being 14 years old.

Boland were hoping to include the Nomads SA Girls Champion, Bianca Theron but unfortunately she is not available as she has been invited to participate in The Duke of York in the week prior to Inter-Provincial and not able to take more time off from school.

Southern Cape looks good to pick up the B Inter-Provincial Trophy (only four players per team as opposed to six players in the A Division). The team is Sandra Winter, Iliska Verwey, Monique Smit and Nicole Loesch and these players will be going all out to gain promotion back into the A Division.

This is the 14th year of Pick n Pay’s sponsorship, and the second time during this period that the event is being played at George Golf Club.

The teams competing in the Championship Division are Boland A, Free State and Northern Cape, Gauteng A, Gauteng B, Gauteng North A, KwaZulu Natal, North West and Western Province A. The B Inter-Provincial comprises Boland B, Border, Eastern Cape, Gauteng North B, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Southern Cape and Western Province B.

The youngest player is 13-year old Eleonora Galletti from Gauteng B, playing off a seven handicap.