SA team off to solid start at Africa Zone VI

South Africa got their title defence off with a clean sweep in the first round of the Africa Zone VI Golf Championships at Windhoek Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.

All eight players hit a winning note, including new caps Thriston Lawrence from Mpumalanga, Eddie Taylor from Central Gauteng and Southern Cape’s Andrew Light.

Lawrence from Nelspruit defeated his Mozambique opponent 8/7, while Light from George beat his opposite number from Botswana 3/2. Country Club Johannesburg’s Taylor held his nerve to hole a 20-foot putt at the 17th hole to win 2/1 against Swaziland.

SA number two Zander Lombard lifted the 30th Bank Windhoek Namibia Open Golf Championships title on Sunday and the 18-year-old from Woodhill Country Club continued his winning run with a 5/3 result against Kenya.

Meanwhile third ranked Louis Taylor from Country Club Johannesburg triumphed in a tough match against his Zimbabwean rival after holing a crunch putt at the 16th hole to win the match 2/1.

Gauteng North’s Tertius van den Berg and Werner Ferreira and Gerlou Roux from the Western Province claimed the last three points for the home team.

Van den Berg from Pretoria Country Club downed his Namibian challenger 3/1, Wingate’s Ferreira beat his Kenyan rival 6/4 and Roux from Bellville Golf Club thumped his Zambian opponent 4/3.

With eight points from the first round, the South Africans are two points ahead of Zimbabwe and 3.5 clear of Zambia and Kenya. The South African team are chasing the country’s 13thvictory in the annual African team event since it was launched in 2000. In addition to the defending champions and the host nation, this year’s Africa Zone VI Golf Championships has attracted entries from Malawi, Botswana, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique.

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD

8 South Africa

6 Zimbabwe

4.5 Zambia, Kenya

3.5 Namibia, Botswana

3 Malawi

2 Swaziland

1 Mozambique

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