Oliver Bekker wins in US
Oliver Bekker won the 56th Winnie E. Cole Cotton States Invitational, two weeks ago, earning enough World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points to move him up 52 places to 73rd, according to the latest rankings released on the R&A website.
This prestigious event was played at the Bayou DeSiard Country Club in Monroe, Louisanna in the United States. The young Stellenbosch Golf Club member representing Lamar University, was in dominant form winning the 36 hole stroke play qualifying tournament by three shots, with a total of 131, thirteen under par, recording rounds of 66 and 65. He then went on to win the match play, beating Leigh Deagan, of Melbourne, Australia, in the final, 4 & 3.
Bekker is now the 4th highest ranked South African player on the WAGR.
The leading South African on WAGR is still Dawie van der Walt. The tall Paarl Golf Club member is ranked in 24th place with 915.28 points. Van der Walt, who is also based at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, recently indicated his intention to turn professional. He is followed by Louis de Jager, of Centurion Country Club in Gauteng North, who has dropped down to 46th, with 846.03 points. The current Sanlam South African Amateur Champion failed to add to his tally during his recent trip to the United Kingdom.
Ruan Botha, the Randpark Golf Club member, dropped down 24 places to 67th as a result of also failing to score points from tournaments he participated in while in the United Kingdom last month. Bothas recent results have failed to reproduce the consistent performances he showed at the end of last year and beginning of this.
The leading amateur golfer in the world is now Jamie Lovemark of the United States who has amassed 1158.93 points. He held this position for one week recently when Englishman Jamie Moul moved back up to top spot. However Moul, who has dominated the rankings for most of this year, has dropped down to 7th place.
The leading ten South Africans on the rankings (2007/26th week) are as follows:
24th Dawie van der Walt (915.28 pts);
47th Louis de Jager (846.03 pts);
67th Ruan Botha (814.55 pts);
73rd Oliver Bekker (805.41 pts);
85th Tyrone Ferreira (792.31 pts);
86th Justin Harding (789.13 pts);
116th Matthew Carvell (754.05 pts);
119th Adrian Schwartzel (750.00 pts);
140th Wynand Dingle (728.79 pts);
142nd Prinavin Nelson (727.50 pts).
For further information please contact: Neale Kunhardt (President of SAGA): Cell: 082 374 3456 Bruce Younge (Executive Director of SAGA): Cell: 082 374 3455
Press release written and distributed by: Nic Lanham: Cell: 082 990 6067 or e-mail: nlanham@icon.co.za