SA ladies with work to do in Scotland

The HPC Womens team produced a mixed bag of results in the first round of the University of St Andrews 600thAnniversary Invitational, while Zander Lombard and Werner van Niekerk helped the HPC Mens Team to a seven shot lead in Scotland on Thursday.

The University of Pretoria HPC are competing against teams from the University of St Andrews, the Scottish Golf Union and the Scandinavian School of Golf in Sweden in an exclusive 72-hole quadrangle tournament in St Andrews, to commemorate the University’s 600th anniversary.

The HPC Womens Team includes Womens Golf South Africa’s leading three players, Nobuhle Dlamini, Kim Williams and Lara Weinstein, as well as Gauteng North’s Emma-Jo du Bruyn, while Lombard, Van Niekerk, Tokkie van den Berg and Teagan Gauche represent the HPC Mens Team.

Reigning Sanlam SA Amateur champion Williams carded an opening 72, Dlamini navigated the 5,486-meter, par-70 layout of the Eden Links course in 77 strokes, while Weinstein carded a 78 and Du Bruyn signed for a 79.

With the best three scores to count in each round, the South Africans will start the second round from 17-over-par 227 and four shots off the pace from Sweden. They have a 10 shot cushion on the Scottish Golf Union but the team will have to watch the hosts, who combined for a total of 228.

Meanwhile the South African Golf Association’s leading amateur Lombard and 11th ranked Van Niekerk were the only players to dip into red numbers on day one.

Lombard carded a 69 while Van Niekerk posted the low score of the day, a two-under-par 68. Van den Berg added a 72, while Gauche signed for the non-counting 76.

The South African side top the first round leaderboard at one-under-par 209, with the Swedish side on 216. The Scottish Golf Union team combined for an opening 218, while the hosts posted 223.

The second round on Friday will be played at the Craighead course at Crail Golf Club, while the third round will be contested at the 6,400-meter, cliff top hugging Torrance Course at the Fairmont.

The teams will return to the Fairmont St Andrews Resort for the final round at the Gene Sarazen-designed, par-72 Kittocks course.


PHOTO – Back, from left to right:

Werner van Niekerk, Teaghan Gauche, Tokkie van den Bergh, Zander Lombard & Johan Steyn (team manager).

PHOTO – Front, from left to right:

Lara Weinstein, Kim Williams, Emma-Jo du Bruyn, Nobuhle Dlamini.

Posted in