Nkosi roars into contention at Gowrie Farm

4 April 2018 – Rorisang Nkosi from North West soared into contention on the wings of an eagle finish as second round action in the Gowrie SA Under-15 Challenge wrapped up on Wednesday.

Overnight leader Jaden Deltel carded an even-par 71 to retain the lead on three-under, but fellow Central Gauteng junior Herman du Plessis and Nkosi are within one stroke of the Bryanston junior.

Both players were three off the pace at the start of the second round at Gowrie Farm Golf Estate.

Du Plessis moved within a shot of the first round pacesetter with a birdie-birdie start. The Eagle Canyon junior kept up the pressure with a string of pars and grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie at the par five 13th however, an untimely bogey at the par three 15th cost Du Plessis a share of the lead. A trio of pars to close saw him sign for a two-under 69.

Nkosi has been on the rise since he claimed a top six finish in the Individual Competition of the Nomads SA Under-13 Championship at Port Elizabeth Golf Club last October. Just over two months ago, the 13-year-old rammed burst to a third place finish in the Nomads SA Boys Under-15 Championship when he fired a final round 69 at Kingswood Golf Estate in George.

He dipped below par with a birdie at the second, but lost the advantage with a bogey at seven.

Nkosi reversed another bogey at 10 at the next hole and made six straight pars on the bounce, but two superb shots at the closing hole and a holed eagle putt will see him start the final round in a tie for second at two-under.

Central Gauteng pair Kayle Wykes and Hannes Strooh closed out the top five. Wykes from CMR Golf Club carded a two-under 70, while Randfontein’s Strooh posted 73.

The record field of 52 juniors were treated to a talk and a golf exhibition by GolfRSA National Squad member Matt Saulez. The KwaZulu-Natal, who ranks third in the country, represented South Africa with great success on three occasions last year and recently clinched a runner-up finish in the SA Stroke Play Championship.

“I would like to thank Matt for giving up his time and driving out all the way to Gowrie Farm to host the clinic,” said tournament director David Younge. “It was fantastic to have a player of his calibre here, chatting to the future generation and sharing insights about his career, his exercise and practice regime. The kids also enjoyed watching his skills at the driving range, especially when he drove it onto the first green, a distance of some 350-plus metres.

“Just a huge thank you to the greenkeeper, who worked really hard to present us with an immaculate course once again. Conditions were cool and the wind was just over one-club strength. I’m really excited to see the cream rise to the top, with six of the top 12 junior on the Under-15 Junior Ranking in contention.”

Second Round Scores (top 20)
139 Jaden Deltel 68 71
140 Rorisang Nkosi 71 69; Herman du Plessis 71 69
142 Kayle Wykes 73 69
145 Hannes Strooh 72 73
147 Enzo Barbaglia 73 74
148 Christopher Bagnall 72 76
149 Ivan Verster 76 73
150 Luke Truter 73 77; Dylan Melville 70 80
151 Phil Snyman 77 74; Ockert Brits 76 75; Amilkar Bhana 74 77; Fabrizio de Abreu 74 77
153 Michael Ferreira 76 77
154 John-William Blomerus 78 76; Angelo Keffers 77 77
155 Stefano Marchetti 83 72; Henry Juan Human 82 73; Stefan Krüger 78 77

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of GolfRSA, a SAGA and WGSA Not-For-Profit company.